by Chelsea Luna
“You’re too old for her,” Cage said icily.
Nicky laughed. “Dude, I’m yanking your chain. I know she’s yours. And, for the record, I’m not too old for her. It’s the end of the world. All of those stupid borderline rules are history. Besides, what is she? Seventeen? Eighteen?”
“I don’t know,” he said quietly.
Cage didn’t know anything about Rachel. Only that she had a little sister and they lived with a foster family. He wanted to know more about her – like what that jerk foster father did to Rachel that made her angry enough to smash his head to pieces.
He had never witnessed such unbridled rage. His hands curled into fists just thinking about it. He wasn’t going to let anyone hurt Rachel again. Nicky was right about one thing. It was the end of the world and Cage had a feeling that they hadn’t seen the worst yet.
Chapter Eleven
Adam exhaled. Thankfully, this street wasn’t crowded with zombies or abandoned cars. It was pure luck that they made it out of the Wooden Barrel alive. Hopefully, they could stock up on supplies and weapons at the fire station. The others were depending on him and rightly so. Adam would get them all safely through this nightmare if it was the last thing he did.
It might well be.
Selena poked her head out the back window. “Vivienne’s eyes are closed.”
“Come here.” Adam pulled her under his arm. Selena slid beside him and her nearness comforted him. The tension in his muscles slowly uncoiled. He breathed in deeply – she smelled like vanilla with a hint of blood. He focused on the vanilla. “Don’t worry, Vivienne will be all right. We’ll get her some help.”
Selena didn’t respond. She covered her face and silently cried. He pulled her as close as he could while driving and tried to soothe her.
Rachel angled her body toward the window to give them privacy. She reminded Adam of an abused dog. Her eyes constantly flickered, waiting to see what would jump out at her and where the quickest exit would be.
She had beaten the crap out of her zombie foster father. Adam knew what happened when you cornered an abused dog – it attacked. That’s exactly what she did. The prick probably hurt her. What had Selena said about the man? He was a very bad guy? Anger flared inside of him when he imagined Selena working around trash like that.
Adam nuzzled his face in Selena’s hair. The lights of Flint faded as they drove into the suburbs. The streets were eerily quiet. Rachel stared out the window. Despite her breakdown after killing her foster father, Adam knew she was tough. He also recognized that she didn’t trust any of them, except for Cage.
Rachel said something, but it was lost in the buzz of the open windows.
“What?” Adam asked.
Dark blue eyes fell to Selena. “She’s sleeping,” Rachel whispered. “And I said, where are you going?”
“To the fire station.”
“I know, but I mean – after. Where are you going? What’s your plan? I have to go to Ann Arbor. Cage has to go home. There’s no telling where Nicky wants to go, but what about you? Where will you and Selena go?”
Rachel didn’t mentioned Vivienne. They both knew Vivienne wouldn’t last through the night. “I don’t know,” Adam said. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
He felt Rachel deflate. “Oh.”
“My mother and best friend – ah, they – we were attacked earlier,” Adam said. “We were barbecuing when a group of them rushed my house. I didn’t know what I was facing and I didn’t react accordingly. I thought they were just punks and then….” Adam exhaled. “Tony and I barely escaped. I had plans to meet Selena at the Wooden Barrel. She was all I could think about, so Tony and I went there.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
Adam nodded. “Thank you.”
“What about her?”
“Selena?”
“Yeah,” Rachel said.
“Selena and Vivienne will stay with me. You’re going to Ann Arbor?”
“My little sister is there at a stupid science camp,” Rachel sighed. “Once I rescue her, I don’t know where we’ll go. Is this happening everywhere? Or only in Michigan? You’d think we’d see the National Guard or the Army or something, but there’s nothing.”
“Maybe they’re mobilizing. If this is happening all over, I doubt that Flint, Michigan is at the top of the list of rescue operations,” he said bitterly.
“Probably not.”
“I’ll go with you.” Adam heard himself saying. He felt protective of Rachel for some reason. He had an unexplainable big-brotherly urge to help her.
“What?”
“To Ann Arbor. I have a cousin in Detroit. I’ll help you get out of Flint and down that way.”
Rachel’s face glistened in the dark. He wasn’t sure if it was tears or the play of the light. “Thank you, Adam.”
“You’re welcome. We’re here.”
The Flint Township First Unit Fire Department was a spectacular building, made to replicate the old brick firehouses of New York City. It was three stories of beautiful rust colored brick and red trimming.
Adam pulled into the paved driveway with a sinking feeling in his gut. The station looked abandoned, when it should have been bustling with activity. The building was lit up like a lighthouse, but despite the illumination, he didn’t see any movement inside or any of his fellow firefighters. It wasn’t a good sign.
“Selena.” Adam gently nudged her. “We’re here.”
Selena bolted into an upright position. “Vivienne!”
“She’s in the back with Nicky.”
They climbed out of the truck and Adam unlatched the back gate. Cage helped Nicky lift Vivienne into Adam’s arms. She didn’t look good; she was shivering violently. Her skin was pale and she didn’t open her eyes when they hoisted her out of the truck.
“There’s two down the street, but they haven’t seen us yet.” Cage pointed to the corner. Two zombies stood in the middle of the empty intersection. The streetlight blinked above them. One of them stopped to stare at the light, transfixed by the colors.
“The burbs have to be better than the city.” Nicky hopped down from the truck. “There are less people because it’s so boring out here.”
“This way,” Adam said, ignoring Nicky. “Stay behind me, we’ll go in through the side entrance.” He had Vivienne in his arms and Selena’s hand awkwardly hooked around his bicep.
Vivienne looked on death’s doorstep and only a short time had passed since she fainted at the bar. Her eyes were closed and dark shadows were smudged beneath them. Her body was limp and the short raspy breathing was the only indication that she was still alive.
Selena retrieved Adam’s access key from his wallet. She swiped the plastic card and the door unlocked. Inside, much to his relief, there wasn’t a bloodbath. In fact, there were no signs of a struggle at all. The room was empty, like everyone had left for the night and forgotten to turn off the lights.
The others followed him inside and the door automatically locked behind them. He placed Vivienne on the couch. “Let’s get that glass door boarded up and shut off all of the lights except the ones in this room. We don’t want to attract attention to ourselves,” Adam ordered. “Rachel, can you grab the first aid kit in that green metal cabinet?”
Adam found a stack of clean towels from the laundry room. Selena knelt on the floor beside Vivienne and held her sister’s hand. Adam lifted Vivienne’s shirt to see the extent of the damage. He had to bite down on his tongue to stop himself from cursing out loud.
The red scratch marks from an hour ago had turned yellow and puss-filled. It resembled something out of a B-horror movie – grotesquely unreal. The skin around the wound was bruised. Bluish-purplish spider veins trickled out from the scratches. Vivienne’s entire stomach looked infected.
Selena cleaned Vivienne’s wounds with a damp towel. Adam removed a syringe from the first aid kit and gave Vivienne a shot of morphine and an antibiotic. That was all he could do for her. Adam kissed Selena’s forehead. “
I’ll give you some time with her.”
Selena nodded. Tears streamed down her pretty face.
Rachel watched them from a stool. Adam held up the first aid-kit. “Let’s take care of your arm.”
“Do you have antibiotics for Rachel, too?” Cage appeared out of nowhere.
“Sure do.” Adam rummaged through the glass vials.
Rachel winced as Cage unraveled the bloody bandage from her arm. The gash was swollen and showing signs of early infection. Nothing, of course, compared to Vivienne’s zombie wound, but still dangerous. Adam cleaned Rachel’s forearm with peroxide. Tiny bubbles fizzed around the bite mark. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound looked incredibly painful.
“What are those lines?” Cage pointed to Rachel’s arm.
“The very early stages of an infection from bacteria,” Adam said.
Rachel didn’t react, but Cage looked sharply at him. “Will she be okay?”
Adam filled a syringe with clear liquid. “A few doses of antibiotics over the next twenty-four hours should clear it up.” He tapped the syringe to make sure there weren’t any bubbles. He aimed the needle above the bite and watched as the antibiotics flushed into her system.
Nicky peered over them. “That’s gross.”
Rachel frowned.
“Needles freak me out.” Nicky looked at Rachel. “What? Do you think because I did a little time for breaking and entering a few years ago that I do drugs?”
Rachel’s eyebrow lifted. “I haven’t said a word. But you’re telling me that you’ve never done drugs before?”
“I didn’t say that. Just not the hard stuff. Only the soft stuff every now and then.”
“Only recreational drugs, right?” Rachel smiled.
“Don’t knock it. I dare you to admit that you’d turn down a joint-”
Adam cleared his throat. “Don’t corrupt the kids.”
Nicky tapped his chest. “Me?”
Cage pointed to Rachel’s arm. “Does she need anything else?”
“That’s it for now,” Adam said. “We’ll give her a second dose of antibiotics tomorrow. Make sure to keep it clean and bandaged.”
“Thank you,” Rachel said.
“Don’t thank me, thank the emergency first aid course the fire department made me take last summer.” Adam rubbed his head. He had a monster headache.
“What’s the plan now?” Cage asked.
“There’s food in the kitchen and showers upstairs. I say we eat, get clean and rest up. We can head to your place in the morning,” Adam said.
Rachel head snapped up.
“Tomorrow?” Cage asked.
“We can’t move Vivienne, not in the state she’s in now. Unfortunately, there aren’t any extra vehicles here or I’d give you one,” Adam said. “I thought there’d be more people at the station. I didn’t plan on the place being abandoned.”
“I understand,” Cage said.
“You said there were showers?” Rachel looked down at herself. Splatters of blood covered her arms and tank top.
“The men’s locker room is upstairs at the end of the hallway,” Adam said. “The showers are in the back.”
“I could kiss you,” Rachel said, surprisingly. She patted Adam on the arm.
Cage’s eyes followed Rachel as she hopped off the stool and headed upstairs. Adam nudged Cage in the shoulder. “Man, you’ve got it bad for her.”
“Told you,” Nicky said.
Cage’s cheeks flushed.
“Come on, Quarterback.” Adam put his hand on Cage’s shoulder. “Let’s see if we can find a news station.”
They went to the seating area and Adam pointed to the desk near the entrance. “Cage, maybe you can find something on that laptop -”
A chill ran up Adam’s spine as the bloodcurdling scream filled the fire station.
Rachel.
Chapter Twelve
Cage reacted before anyone else. One second, he was reaching for the remote control to find a news station on TV. The next second, he was sprinting faster than he’d ever sprinted before. He climbed the stairs two at a time and tore down the empty hallway.
Rachel screamed again.
His heart squeezed. Jolts of pain shot through his chest. The sounds of her screams were agonizing. What was happening? She didn’t make a peep when the pit bull mauled her. What could possibly make her scream like that? He couldn’t – he wouldn’t - imagine what was happening to her.
He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. Rachel. Rachel. Please be okay. Cage ran into the men’s locker room and dashed past the urinals to the back of the room. He skidded to a halt.
An enormous three hundred pound zombie, with half of his clothes torn off, had Rachel pinned to the floor. His mouth snapped dangerously close to her face. She had her injured forearm wedged under his chin and the other hand pushing the zombie’s hand back. The only reason she was still alive was because the zombie was missing its right arm. The zombie reached with its bloody stump as if the arm was still attached.
Rachel was struggling and losing. She screamed again as his teeth inched closer to her face. Cage didn’t have a weapon. He rushed forward and slipped his arm carefully around the zombie’s neck and yanked with all of his strength. The zombie’s lone hand reached back to scrape Cage’s face, but Rachel tackled his arm.
Cage heaved backward and the zombie’s neck snapped under his bicep. Rachel pulled the zombie’s arm in the opposite direction until the limb split from his torso. Flesh and muscle tore apart until the arm fell in Rachel’s lap. She frantically shoved the limb away.
Footsteps pounded on the tile. “Holy -!” Nicky screamed. “That is one big-”
“Grab his legs!” Adam yelled.
Nicky grabbed the zombie’s legs. Cage didn’t release the headlock. The armless zombie snarled at Rachel, its stumps moving as if it were reaching for her. Adam helped Cage roll the zombie onto its back.
“Push it back a little further,” Adam said.
Cage groaned and dragged the zombie across the bathroom floor. All of the dead weight was off Rachel and onto his legs. It was a miracle that the gigantic zombie hadn’t crushed her. Cage pressed the zombie’s head down to the tile floor; its jaws incessantly snapping. Adam lifted his pipe and crushed its head.
Rachel slid away from the zombie’s body. Her chest rose and fell as she sucked in gulps of air. Cage crawled to her. She stared past him at the zombie’s body. Her arms were protectively wrapped around her stomach. He tugged them free. “Did he bite you or scratch you?”
Rachel’s breathing was uneven.
He inspected her arms and legs for marks. Silent tears spilled down her cheeks. She shook her head back and forth.
Cage was breathing heavy, too. “No bites,” he said softly. “No bites. No scratches.” He pulled her onto his lap and pressed her against his chest. “You’re okay. Just breathe.”
“That was too close,” Nicky said from behind.
“I didn’t hear him,” Rachel said into Cage’s ear. “I opened the shower curtain and he was standing there.” Her breathing was ragged. “I didn’t have a weapon. I froze and he lunged at me.”
“Shh.” Cage smoothed her hair. “It’s all over. You’re okay.” He pressed his forehead against hers. He wasn’t sure if he was saying the words to reassure her or himself. His heart raced in his chest.
“From now on, no one goes anywhere alone.” Adam tore down a plastic shower curtain and covered the zombie’s body.
“What if I have to take a dump?” Nicky said.
“Take a buddy,” Adam said.
Nicky wiggled his eyebrows at Cage. “Even if it’s a particularly smelly one?”
“It’s my fault,” Adam said. “I should’ve done a better check of the building. That was Charlie.” He pointed at the enormous bloated zombie.
“Was he a fireman?” Cage still had his arms around Rachel. She’d calmed down, but her shoulders still shook.
“No. The handyman.”
“Maybe he was fixing the shower pipes?” Nicky shrugged.
Adam rolled his eyes. “Come on, Nicky. Let’s go downstairs. Rachel’s going to take a shower. Remember what I said – no one goes anywhere alone. We’ve officially installed the buddy system.”
“Can I be your shower buddy?” Nicky asked Rachel.
Adam tugged Nicky by the collar. “Sorry. We’ll be downstairs.”
Rachel exhaled. Or maybe it was a groan. Her shoulders slumped and she flexed her injured arm. “That was like the fifth time I almost died tonight.”
“Almost is the key word.”
“Maybe I’ll try this again. Would you mind waiting for me while I showered?”
“Of course.” Cage tugged Rachel to her feet.
“Shower buddy. That Nicky is a character.” Rachel shook her head. She was still breathing heavily, but it was obvious she was trying to act normal. She grabbed a folded towel from the counter and disappeared behind the shower curtain.
Cage leaned against the sink. The sound of rushing water was soothing. His heartbeat slowed to a normal beat.
“You’ve saved me multiple times tonight,” Rachel said from inside the shower.
“You would’ve done the same.”
“That’s true. I would have.” Rachel sighed. “I wish we were leaving now.”
“Me, too. It’s taking too long. It’s been hours since we met at Cecilia’s.”
She was silent for a moment. “It feels like I’ve known you longer than half a day.”
“I was about to say the same thing,” Cage said. He wanted to keep her talking. She needed to take her mind off what happened. “I think Nicky has a crush on you.”
“Eww,” Rachel said.
Cage laughed.
“How old is he?” She asked.
“Why? Are you interested?” Cage perched himself on the sink. He looked down at his hands. They were covered in blood and filth. Maybe he’d take a shower, too.
“Of course not,” Rachel said. “I was only curious.”
“I think he said he was twenty-one. How old are you, by the way?”
“Seventeen. You?”
“Same,” Cage said. “What’s your favorite color?”
