It was more than a miracle to still have my mom, Grace; my uncle, Andrew; my best friend, Jess; two sweet children we rescued, Benji and Vicki; my golden retriever, Daisy and last but never least, Leland, my soulmate. We met at a quaint bed-and-breakfast in the country I retreated to when my ex-fiancé, Luke, transformed into a raging lunatic. He came home in a bloody frenzy, harming Daisy then myself. I didn’t understand at the time he was infected with the Necro-Z virus that had flooded the entire West Coast. I fled from him and never looked back. The next time we saw each other, he was no longer the Luke I knew. The virus took over and changed him into a ravenous murderer with solely one object in mind: to kill and feast on the flesh of the living, no matter who they were. Leland saved me from falling victim to Luke and shot him dead… really dead. Losing the man, I had spent the last three years of my life with ripped my heart from my chest, kicked it into the middle of the street, then drove over it numerous times with a semi-truck. I never thought I would get over him. But Leland swooped in and swept me off my feet when I least expected it. Notably the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.
After kissing him with great passion, and inhaling his enticing scent, I beamed up at him. His eyes never ceased to astonish and mesmerize me. They consist of such an unusual blend of green and blue, I always associated them with the stunning turquoise waters of the Caribbean. He carried his own mini oceans inside those eyes. When I gazed into them, I could almost watch the swell of waves rising and falling. They burned with intensity when he looked at me as if they harvested their own unearthly force. My world turned inside of them. I prayed he remained mine for all eternity.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, cocking his head sideways. His disheveled black hair spilled across one cheek. “Do I have something on my face? Is it food?” he questioned me, wiping at his face in search for remnants of his last meal. When we met, he sported a clean-shaven appearance. But now, in the midst of the madness, he grew out his facial hair. I sort of liked it though. It wasn’t coarse and prickly compared to most men's, but almost feathery soft. I clutched his hand, shaking my head in amusement as I brushed the fallen strands of his silky locks behind one ear.
“No, silly, there is nothing on your handsome face. I was merely getting lost inside those amazing orbs you call eyes,” I confessed. “You’re going to hurt somebody with those things one of these days, most likely me,” I said, grinning from ear to ear. He managed to make me forget my nightmare with a simple kiss and a glimpse into his eyes. Leland could be very… distracting.
“Speak for yourself, love. Have you noticed those emerald jewels you stare at me through? I’m betting you broke a lot of hearts in the past. I'm sure there are guys out there still weeping at the sight of you,” he declared with a great smirk on his gorgeous face and burst out in his manly chuckle that sent a thrill through my body. His voice sounded so smooth, like butter melting on your tongue.
“Whatever, Romeo. Enough complimenting me for one day, you’re just trying to earn brownie points,” I snickered. “Let’s go grab some food and check the perimeter. It’s our shift so no more lollygagging.” He saluted me in mock solemnity and sat up to slip on his shoes. I jumped up and made a beeline for the bathroom. Leland playfully slapped my ass as I sauntered away from him.
As I stood at the sink, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I never understood what he saw when he gazed at me. I was a pale skinned woman with red hair and green eyes. But I suppose love is blind, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that nonsense. In my point of view, I was… pretty, but not at all the remarkable woman Leland tries to convince me of. As I gawked at myself, my thoughts began to wander to the bad dream I narrowly escaped. The smells and sights remained so vivid in my memory, it made goosebumps break out on my arms. I needed to check on everyone to be positive they were okay, and to release myself from the torment of the distant dream.
I took care of business and was washing up when I heard a voice bellow out from the front end of the store. With expectations of the worst, I wiped my hands on my pants and tore the door open, running as fast as possible for the entrance. Once I realized everyone remained inside and unharmed, my run slowed to a jog. They seemed worked up over something going on outside. At the double glass doors, I searched for the person the shout had come from. Dozens of biters were surrounding something, or someone, in the road directly in front of our store. In between the undead bodies stumbling around, I caught an impression of a man on the ground in fear for his life.
“We have to help him,” I announced. I gripped the door lock to release it and push my way through, not realizing that it would be a death trap walking outside with that many zombies so close by.
Leland stepped ahead of me and, as usual, was the voice of reason, “Autumn, you need to stop and think for a minute. If you go waltzing out there like a badass female Rambo, you will get hurt. I understand you want to rescue him but we must have a plan first.”
“Okay, you’re right. But if we wait too long, he will get eaten while we stand here and watch. I’ve already seen too many people die,” I admitted.
Leland trotted over to the front counter where we stashed our weapons and took three handguns and a machete. He handed over the guns to me, Andrew and Jess then kept the machete for himself. He preferred melee weapons. Says he can kill more with them and not waste time reloading. Me? I had grown attached to my guns. A nice safe distance from the infected is what keeps me sane and in control. We prepared and figured out our course of action. Then, Mom swung the door open as we rushed out like a well-practiced team of ninja zombie slayers. Mom snapped the lock on the doors while standing with the kids and Daisy. She watched us with anxiety in her eyes. I nodded at her to reassure that we would be all right. We experienced numerous encounters in the previous months with the undead and proved to be efficient in our killing techniques.
Leland took the lead, sneaking up behind the staggering group, and hacked away at their decomposing heads with his razor sharp machete. He knocked down one after another while blood, and other raunchy fluids, arced into the frigid air to land on the stark white snow under our feet. Like red paint flung across a blank canvas while the painter blasted Mozart in the background. A morbid piece of art to ponder on while scratching your chin and asking, "I wonder what it's supposed to be?"
I raised my gun then began my practiced routine of aim and fire. The person in the center of the horde emerged into view with each biter that fell. He tried pushing them back with all his might, but all he achieved was buying himself a few extra seconds before they reached him and sank their rotting teeth into his flesh.
The four of us strategically made progress through the crowd of biters. The gunshots made my ears roar and eyes blink with each pull of the trigger. I peeked over at Jess to be sure she was hanging in there. Neon green buds were wedged into her ears and her head nodded to the beat of the tune playing. Jess liked to listen to her iPod while she fought. It keeps her mind off the task at hand and she can get into her zone while Metallica serenaded her. She made me proud seeing her stand shoulder to shoulder with us. She had come leaps and bounds since that frightful night at the hospital. Her confidence boosted another notch every time we marched into another fight.
I shot my last round, took a couple steps back, and began reloading my pistol. As I pressed the first bullet into the clip, an icy breeze whipped by a little too close for comfort. My eyes darted up and noticed Andrew had shot a biter that crept in behind me, about to catch me off guard. The decaying body struck the snow-covered ground heavy with a muffled thud. I offered him a thank you nod as relief flooded my eyes. He smiled and saluted me in response. Snapping the reloaded clip into my gun, I returned to my spot and found only a few of the undead remained standing. The one next to me collapsed with a quick shot between the eyes while Jess and Leland dropped the others. Finally, we had cleared the immediate perimeter. But every biter within a mile radius would head our way soon after hearing th
e gunshots.
I never grew used to the sight of so many bodies and so much blood after one of our massacres. It was so wrong to abandon my nursing mentality and execute people with little remorse. Yes, they were already dead in a sense before I shot them. But that didn’t make the killing any easier. Especially when I recognized one of the undead as a fellow towns person I grew up seeing almost every day. I’ve slaughtered a few of my old teachers. The local mechanic, Paul, was also destroyed by my hand. Many others have met their maker because I developed a twitchy trigger finger. It was a dirty job, but who better to deal with it than me, the small town nurse?
Once I gave a complete three-sixty scan of our surroundings, my eyes came to rest on the individual we marched outside to rescue. Surprise struck me like a lightning bolt from the sight of him. I sucked in the freezing air with an audible gasp. He got to his feet, brushing snow off his clothes and visibly shaken from his dangerous encounter with the infected. His hair, the first thing I noticed about him, seemed familiar. But I just couldn’t place the memory of it. A mane of long and shimmering golden hair that resembled spun silk as it billowed in the winter breeze. It sparkled, reminding me of the glittery icicle tinsel I used to hang on our Christmas trees every year as a kid. His eyes became the second feature I encountered. A strange yellow gold of tiger eyes. The most unusual match up of characteristics I ever came across. Like catching a wild animal outside of its enclosure for the first time. You want to touch and observe it, but afraid if you do you’ll lose a finger. He appeared so exotic I was unable to stop gawking at him. I finally snapped out of my trance when Leland put a hand on my shoulder and began speaking.
“Autumn? You alright?” he asked me.
“Uh… yeah, yeah I’m fine. Just wanted to be certain there weren’t any more biters close by to catch us off guard,” I answered him, telling a tiny fib. But I couldn’t admit that I totally went into a daze ogling the newcomer. Once I saw him standing next to Leland, it was shocking to discover how tall he was. At least another six inches taller than my guy, who measured at six-feet even.
I moseyed over and held out my hand, “Hi, I’m Autumn, and you are?” I said. ‘Tall, too tall… and oddly fascinating,’ I thought to myself.
“Alastor, my name is Alastor. I was mentioning to your friends how appreciative I am that you all were so close by. It is a pleasure to meet you, even under the circumstances,” he responded in a deep, chest rumbling voice while he reached for my outstretched hand. His fingers brushed mine, and I jumped from the electric feel of his hand against my hand, like live wires misfiring. It conducted a hair-raising tingle throughout my entire body. I gasped and pulled back from his touch, the sensation making me uncomfortable.
“I sincerely apologize. I have shocked you. It must be static from my clothing,” Alastor said and blushed as if embarrassed. I realized he was injured when I spotted blood seeping from a wound on his lower leg.
“No worries. What happened there? Were you bitten?” I questioned him, pointing at his leg then rubbing my hand down my jeans to get rid of the strange tingling in my fingers.
“No. I cut myself on a fence earlier. It did not seem like an invasive wound before, but I suppose it is worse than I originally believed.” He gazed at me intensely with his cat eyes and a slight smirk spread across his face. Okay, now I was getting creeped out by this guy.
I turned on one foot and started for the door to the hardware store, without speaking another word. Everyone else followed suit and Mom twisted the deadbolt after we all filed inside. They all became acquainted while I stuffed my gun in the waistband of my pants and slipped away towards my bed. I grabbed Leland’s hand so he came along with me. I wasn’t sure what troubled me, but I didn’t want to be left alone at the moment and Leland is the person I feel most protected by. He gave me a funny look, scrunching his eyebrows together, but didn’t ask any questions and followed my lead. We sat down on our shared cot and I pulled on a sweater over my long-sleeved shirt, unable to shake the chill inside and out. Leland tucked a fallen strand of auburn hair behind my ear and tilted my chin up so I would meet his eyes. The sight of his heavenly face so close to mine made me feel better. He kissed me sweetly on the nose, moving to my cheeks and brushing those pouty lips along my jawline until he came to rest on my pleading mouth. The sensation sent a shiver through my body and tugged at something deep down in my core. He understood exactly how to distract me when I got inside my head and into the place where I over-analyze everything around me.
“I love the way you know me better than I know myself,” I whispered against his kiss, returning it with my own passionate smooch. “You are so perfect at reading me, when I can’t get out of my head you are right there to distract me. How do you do it?” I asked him, pulling back only an inch or two from his luscious lips.
He looked pleased then offered me one last chaste kiss and said in a sexy breathless voice, “I have spent the last few months studying you, watching what makes you tick, and I want to be the one you turn to for everything you need. So I have devoted myself to being your other half, your soulmate. I love you, Autumn. Everything I do is for you.”
Emotion welled up in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. He gently wiped my tears away, then kissed where they had fallen. Never in my life had I knew someone this caring and loving. My heart wanted to burst out of my chest from the love I bear for this man. I folded my arms around him and squeezed tight, never wanting to let go.
“Oh, Leland. I love you, too. I can’t express how much you mean to me,” I declared. He was the most extraordinary person I have ever met and will ever find. The stars aligned perfectly the day we met each other in that orchard. If any two people were meant to be, it was definitely Leland and I. Perfect soulmates.
I sat basking in the glow he wrapped me in from his heart wrenching kisses and words when reality hit. We needed to be finding things out about our newcomer. I wanted to be certain his injury wasn’t a bite. No way am I taking that chance and placing us all at risk. We should ask him how he survived this long by himself after learning how inexperienced he came across in self-defense. Which I found odd seeing what a brute he was. Why didn’t he carry any weapons? Why on earth did he go out there alone walking the streets packed with the infected? I was suspicious and demanded answers. So I grabbed Leland’s hand, yet again, and pulled him toward the babble of voices emanating from our dining area.
Chapter 3
Leland and I marched over to the dining area where our small group chatted up the new guy. They all sat in folding camping chairs around a plastic table sipping hot cocoa. Beside them, flames flickered inside a faux fireplace. The heat seeping from it started to loosen up my stiff muscles. The setting resembled a sporting goods commercial. Everyone laughed and drank from their steamy mugs, coaxing the consumers to buy camping equipment they didn’t need. A convincing scene, I must admit, except for the massive man with the peculiar eyes and long golden mane that should star in a film about Viking warriors instead of camping commercials.
As we approached the group, Alastor glanced up and caught sight of me. An unsettling smile appeared on his face. I couldn’t tell if he emitted genuine happiness in seeing me or if he thought about doing something rather gruesome to me. I’m normally a good people reader, but I wasn’t able to pin this guy. Only thing I’m certain of is he hits my one through ten creeper scale at a full-blown twenty. Maybe I was overreacting. There’s only one way to find out for sure. Ask questions.
“Let me take a look at that wound of yours. I can make an effort to patch you up,” I told him, grabbing the first aid kit from a cupboard nearby. He propped his leg up on a plastic side table to allow me better access. I passed him a flashlight so he could shine it on the cut as I worked. The electricity went out months ago, and the lanterns weren’t bright enough to show me what I needed to see. Pulling a pair of shears from the kit, I cut a line up his pants from ankle to knee and exposed the wound. He wasn’t lying. There were no teeth marks, only a jagged
gash from a sharp object. It was about three inches across his shin and was deep enough to require stitches. A sliver of white bone peeked through. Blood wept from the laceration and trickled down his muscular leg. I cleaned it with alcohol, somewhat satisfied with the hissing and discomfort he displayed for some strange reason.
“So, Alastor, is it? How do you end up with a name like that? What’s your story?” I drilled him right off the bat.
“It is a Greek name, given by my mast… um, I mean great grandfather. My story is, I was back-packing across country when I stumbled upon this quiet, small town. It appears that I timed it perfect when the epidemic hit, and by sheer luck found shelter at the pharmacy after everyone either bolted out of town or turned into one of those... things,” he responded in a rehearsed tone of voice. Almost like he read it from a manuscript. I was not convinced.
“This cut is serious. I will need to stitch it up. Is that okay with you?” I asked him. He nodded in reply. After threading the curved needle, I began closing the gash.
“How have you survived this long without a weapon? Why were you in the streets knowing they are littered with biters?” I interrogated him again, snipping the black thread after the last stitch was placed. Some antibiotic ointment and a gauze patch finished him up, then I plopped into one the folding chairs beside Mom and Jess.
Autumn's Calling (Book 2): The Battle Page 2
