“Who is he?” Emalee asked. She was scared for her brother’s safety.
Reading grinned. “A bully who got the best of me in our first meeting. It isn’t going to happen again.”
Chapter Nineteen
Mason had a good head start but he knew it wouldn’t last, especially with the bigger kids with longer legs who were chasing.
His only hope was to stir up the zombies as a distraction and hope he didn’t get bitten himself.
It was the only real plan he had, as bad as it was.
Mason ran right at a zombie that had his back to him. He went to the left, stopped and tapped the zombie’s right shoulder.
Hopefully, when the zombie turned around, he’d see the pack of boys chasing and get in their way. The only hope he had was creating enough distractions to get as many zombies as he could between them so he could escape.
He danced in and out of the monsters, ducking under a rotting hand or pushing away so their teeth didn’t get close.
“Get over here, freak, and take your beating like a man,” Devon yelled.
Mason didn’t dare turn back to see how close he was.
He ran between two buildings and ran into a zombie woman, who fell to the ground. Mason tried to stay on his feet but the zombie reached out and swiped at his ankle, putting him off-balance.
Mason pitched forward, scrambling with his hands and feet to stay up but failing.
He slid face-first into the dirt and skidded to a stop.
The zombie was touching his leg, trying to get at him.
Mason kicked at the zombie as he struggled to right himself and get away.
He could hear the kids approaching.
“You’re making this worse by running,” Devon called out.
Mason didn’t know how it could be any worse than it was right now. He flipped over onto his back and kicked at the zombie to keep her away from his legs.
By the time he got back onto his feet and the zombie was still on the ground, he saw the group of kids approaching quickly.
He’d never be able to outrun them now.
“If you make a move, I’m going to hurt you even more, freak,” Devon said, with a grin, as he approached. He looked down at the zombie. “Drag her out of here. I want enough room to wipe the floor with this loser.”
Mason turned to see more zombies coming down the alley between the buildings. He didn’t know if he could get far enough to get away. He’d have to stop and dodge or fight the zombies.
He was in trouble.
“Please don’t do this. I did nothing to you, Devon. Just let me go,” Mason pleaded.
Devon stopped smiling. “You think you did nothing? You attacked me for no reason. I was trying to talk to you. Make friends with the freak. Be the better person.” He touched his nose. “You tried to hurt me. I can’t let you go now. I was going to. You did this, not me.”
Mason knew Devon was lying. No matter what had happened he wasn’t going to be freed. The only way was to fight his way out and he’d almost done it.
The zombies were getting closer.
He remembered his mother always saying, when Mason or Emalee did something bad and then lied about it and made it worse, it was jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Mason felt like he was on fire right now.
“There are too many zombies. We need to go, Devon,” Rihanna shouted. “They’re coming from all angles. Is he really worth it?”
Mason caught her eye and she turned away. Her cheeks were red.
“He’s not worth my time but I’m going to knock out his teeth first,” Devon said and took a step forward.
Two of his friends were struggling with the zombie on the ground, trying to drag her away without getting bitten. When it was obvious they weren’t going to be able to do it, they pushed her back to the ground and ran away.
“Get back here,” Devon said.
Mason could see everyone was backing up as the zombies kept coming, one slow step at a time.
“This isn’t over, freak,” Devon said and pointed at Mason. “I’ll be watching your every step. You and your freak sister are in trouble.”
Mason could feel the zombies at his back, getting closer. If he turned to face them, he was afraid Devon would kick him in the back or push him into their rotting arms.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Mason said.
“You should be.”
“We’re leaving,” Rihanna said. She wouldn’t make eye contact with Mason.
Devon took a step back and Mason took a step forward.
Big mistake.
While Mason was only trying to put as much distance between him and the zombies behindhim, Devon took it as a challenge and shook his head.
“You really want to fight me? You’re dumber than you look, and you look pretty dumb,” Devon said and took a step forward.
Rihanna grabbed Devon by the arm and tugged. “They’re surrounding us. We’re going to get bitten. Let’s go.”
Devon smiled, staring at Mason. “Don’t step back or you’re going to be a zombie. They’re almost on you, freak.”
Mason could see three zombies closing in on Rihanna and Devon. She’d be attacked first.
What could Mason do? If he tried to save her, Devon would think he was trying to fight and punch him. He knew he’d never survive a toe to toe with Devon.
“They’re right behind you, too,” Mason said. He was trying to catch Rihanna’s eye to tell her to run.
She refused to make eye contact even as she tried to get Devon’s attention.
Devon shrugged her off and laughed. “No zombie can hurt me. I’m too fast. Too good.”
“We need to go,” she said, her voice cracking.
Mason could hear the zombies shuffling towards him, only a few feet away.
Even if Devon turned and ran off right this second, it might be too late. Mason would be trapped in the alley.
Rihanna was pleading with Devon to go.
“I’ll go if you answer one question, Rihanna… what do you think of our friend here?”
Rihanna shook her head. “Please, I’m begging you. We need to run. The others are safe.”
“Answer the question,” Devon said.
The zombies were a few steps behind her and Devon.
In seconds it would be too late for all of them.
“Answer. Now,” Devon yelled.
Rihanna looked at Mason. She was crying. She mouthed sorry before answering.
“He’s a freak,” she said.
Mason was stunned.
Devon laughed and ran off, just getting away from the nearest zombie. Rihanna was on his heels.
Mason ran forward but the zombies closed in.
He turned to see the alley was packed with zombies.
Chapter Twenty
“We need to do something,” Emalee said to Parker and Reading as she stopped short.
There were too many zombies in the space between the two buildings.
“I’m going after Devon,” Reading said. “I need to settle the score.”
Emalee grabbed Reading’s arm. “Mason is trapped between zombies. He needs our help.”
Reading shrugged her off and snorted. “I’m not helping him. He got himself into this mess.”
“Don’t be a jerk,” Parker said to his brother.
Reading turned and ran off in the direction Devon and his group had fled.
“He can’t help himself,” Emalee said, trying not to scream. Reading was so selfish.
“It looks like the two of us need to save your brother,” Parker said. “We need to draw the zombies away from Mason.”
They ran to the side of the building, dodging a couple of zombies, and Parker started kicking the wall. It made no sound.
“We need something metal to make noise,” Emalee said.
She didn’t see anything in the area they could bang on.
The zombies were getting closer to her brother, who looked like he was frozen in place
in fear.
“I’m coming for you, Mason,” she said.
A zombie nearby stopped and turned in her direction.
Emalee smiled. They didn’t need something to bang against to make noise.
“Hey, Mason, we’re coming to rescue you,” Emalee shouted as loud as she could.
Several of the zombies entering the alley stopped and began to pivot in her direction.
Parker laughed. “Hey, guys! Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?”
Emalee was confused.
Parker clapped his hands. “No. They eat their fingers separately.”
More zombies turned to find the source of the talking.
“Mason, you need to fight your way to us.” Emalee knew there were still zombies behind her brother. Even if they got the attention of every zombie in the area, there was no way they’d ignore Mason and walk past him. They’d try to attack.
“Why did the zombie cross the road?” Parker asked and clapped again. “He wanted to eat the chicken.”
“Those jokes are horrible,” Emalee said. They were working. More zombies were ignoring Mason and coming after them.
Emalee kept clapping her hands, weaving back and forth to keep the zombie’s attention.
“Why did the zombie stop driving?” Parker asked. He winked at Emalee. “Because it was a dead end.”
“Please, stop,” Emalee said. She couldn’t help smiling. “You’re going to kill me with these horrible jokes.”
“Lucky for you I ran out of them already,” Parker said. He ran to the side of the building and began smacking his palms against a loose metal pipe, the noise loud and ringing.
The noise would bring many more zombies to the area but maybe it would keep them occupied so Mason could escape.
Emalee ducked as a zombie tried to grab her, spinning behind it and kicking it in the back of the leg. It fell to the ground.
“There are too many,” Parker yelled. He ran from the pipe as soon as a horde of zombies got too close. “We only have a few minutes left. Your brother needs to wake up and run.”
“Mason, please hurry this way,” Emalee yelled.
Her brother took a step forward but he looked lost. The zombies were closing in on where he stood but he shrugged them off like they were flies instead of monsters.
Emalee stopped yelling and locked her fingers, bowing her head and saying a prayer for her brother.
What if he became a zombie? She didn’t know if she could abandon Mason. He’d wander the streets, searching for victims. Unable to stop from attacking people.
I don’t want my brother to be a monster, she thought.
“We need to make more noise,” Parker yelled. He knocked a zombie to the ground and stepped on its head, hoping to keep it down. “Help me tip them over.”
Emalee glanced once at the sky, hoping her prayers were going to be answered, before joining Parker knocking zombies to the ground while staying away from their rotting fingers and teeth.
“If we can keep them on the ground, one of us can run into the alley and get Mason,” Parker yelled. “But he needs to help out a little, too.”
Emalee knew he needed to do more than just help out a little. He needed to fight the zombies before it was too late.
So far he’d gotten lucky because the alley wasn’t that wide and only a couple could walk side by side, but it wouldn’t be long before one of them got hold of Mason and brought him to the ground.
The rest would pounce.
A zombie grabbed Mason’s arm and he punched out, catching the zombie in the mouth and pushing it back. It stumbled over another two zombies coming up behind and all three went down.
For a second, there was a gap between Mason and the zombies, but over two dozen were coming to get him.
“Please run,” Emalee yelled.
Mason looked like he was finally coming out of his paralysis, moving his feet forward. He still had the vacant look in his eyes mixed with fear.
A zombie put a hand on his arm and Mason swatted it away.
Emalee kept clapping her hands and yelling for the zombies, who were mostly out of the alley on this side now.
If Mason could stay behind them, he’d have a good chance of getting into the open and be able to move faster than the zombies.
Mason pushed a zombie away but there were two more a foot or two away.
He’s not going to make it. I’m going to watch Mason get eaten by zombies right in front of me, Emalee thought.
No matter how much she shouted or how much noise she made, not all of the zombies were paying attention, especially since her brother was an easy target.
“Hey, you ugly monsters. You smell… really bad. Why don’t you leave Mason alone and see if you can catch me?”
Emalee shifted her position because someone had yelled from the opposite end of the alley and she had no idea who it was or why they were trying to save her brother.
Chapter Twenty-One
“That’s Rihanna,” Parker yelled to Emalee and laughed. “She’s Devon’s girlfriend but I don’t think she really likes him.”
Emalee didn’t care who she was. She was just thankful for her help right now.
“Mason, I’m here to help but you have to help yourself. I’m really sorry for what Devon did and I didn’t do. You have to believe me,” Rihanna yelled.
The zombies turned and advanced on her.
Emalee noticed the baseball bat in Rihanna’s hand.
Mason seemed to come alive at the sound of Rihanna’s words, turning to look first at the girl and then back to his sister.
Emalee took a deep breath and waved at her brother to come her way. He needed to get out of the alley. There were still too many zombies.
Rihanna struck the first zombie as it came on, knocking it to the ground.
“Run, Mason. Now,” Rihanna said and used the baseball bat to keep the zombies at bay.
Mason looked away from Emalee and started heading the other way down the alley and toward Rihanna.
“We need to hurry up,” Parker said. “My brother running off took some of the zombies with him but there are too many.”
Emalee had to agree as another zombie tried to bite at her arm. She was able to scramble away and kick it in the kneecap, hearing a crack as it collapsed to the ground.
The zombies actually in the alley were now split, either coming for Mason or Rihanna at the other end.
Mason pushed at a zombie, angling it so the ones behind couldn’t attack him.
Emalee saw with dismay he was trying to go the opposite way, toward the girl.
“Mason, this way. Please. We’re so close,” Emalee yelled.
Rihanna put two more zombies on the ground and took a step back, twirling the baseball bat. “Listen to your sister, Mason. We’ll meet again soon enough.”
“No. I don’t want you to leave,” Mason said and started punching zombies, trying to move forward.
“Trust me. I can’t stay long. Stop talking and go the other way. I’m trying to save you,” Rihanna said. She swung and connected with another zombie.
“No. I’m sick of being scared,” Mason said. He was like a whirlwind, kicking and punching zombies.
Emalee knew there were still too many and some of the ones he’d knocked down were starting to rise again.
Rihanna hit another zombie with the bat and planted her feet as more attacked. “Seriously, Mason. I have to go. I’m doing this to save you. Don’t ruin it by getting bitten by a zombie. I can’t handle that. You hear me? I have to get back before Devon sees I’m gone. He’ll hurt me. I need you to promise you won’t try to follow. Promise me.”
Mason didn’t answer, too busy fighting.
“If he doesn’t want to save himself, we need to get in there,” Parker said. He ran forward and grabbed a zombie by the rotting shirt, slamming the body against the wall.
Emalee had no choice but to also help, knowing they were heading into the mouth of the monsters. If more showed up, they’d al
l be trapped in the alley with no chance of escape.
Once they escaped, she’d find out who this girl was and why she had such a hold on her brother. Emalee was also a little jealous this Rihanna was so important to Mason.
“I’ll meet you at our spot, Mason. It’s the only way. You’re putting me in danger by not running. Don’t you get it? They’re trying to help you. Behind you. You’re putting your sister in danger. Isn’t she the one you’ve been trying to find? She’s right there,” Rihanna said and struck another zombie.
Emalee could see Rihanna was getting tired. The baseball bat was dragging in her arms.
Mason stopped and nodded. “I’ll meet you tonight.”
“First light tomorrow. It’s too dangerous in the dark. I’ll be there. I promise,” Rihanna said. She hit a zombie in the throat with the bat and began screaming as she backed off, letting the zombies follow.
Emalee was relieved to see Mason turn and start fighting his way towards her.
“Let’s get him and get back to the warehouse,” Parker said.
Emalee started pushing zombies down as they came at her. Most of them were adult-sized so it was easy to get under their reach and hit them in the stomach or grab their arm and yank them down. Luckily they had no balance once you grabbed them, and no sense to put their arms out to break the fall. Most went down and stayed down, their legs broken from impact.
The gross part was the amount of crawling zombies. You had to be careful not to step in their path or let them grip your ankle.
Mason ducked under a zombie and hit it in the back, knocking it into two others. He looked like he was playing a game. Emalee could see him smiling now.
My brother is back, Emalee thought.
It propelled her to step up her own game and punch, kick and block every zombie in sight.
Parker was panting next to her, stepping up his own game as well.
Even though she knew more zombies were approaching from all directions, the area between she and her brother only had three left.
Mason, smiling, leapt up with both arms spread and clothes lined two of the zombies, knocking them to the ground. He did a somersault and rolled to his feet in one motion.
Dying Days (Novella): Family Ties Page 9
