Love in the Time of Zombies

by Cassandra Gannon

  Scotlyn automatically looked up at them and saw something wrong. A pink haze covered the clouds and a fine mist of glitter seemed to be falling in the distance. For some reason, it had the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

  The junkie guy didn’t answer, but he definitely heard him. His face snapped around like a wild animal’s, his tilted at an impossible angle. He started towards them.

  Zeke’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is this now?” He asked, almost to himself. “Why does he smell dead?”

  “Wait.” Scotlyn grabbed hold of Zeke’s sleeve as he stepped forward to meet the guy, anyway. She didn’t smell anything, but the trespasser fixed his blank gaze on them and she just… knew. It didn’t make any sense, but in that heartbeat she knew and she didn’t question it.

  The man wasn’t human.

  Scotlyn’s palm slid down to Zeke’s forearm, her fingers digging into his skin. “Don’t go near him.” It was the first time she’d ever initiated any contact between them. The first time she’d ever touched him. “Something’s wrong.”

  Zeke looked her hand in surprise and then back to the trespasser. She could tell from the tension in his body that he believed her.

  Which was good, because Scotlyn was beginning to realize the problem was even bigger than just the whatever-the-hell that guy-was. There were more of them milling around. A lot more. As her eyes adjusted and she looked around, she spotted at least twenty in the open expanse of desert behind the golf course. A few of them wandered over to cling onto the chain link fence that surrounded Zeke’s property, shaking it as they tried to find a way through.

  “Alright, tell me I’m drunk and I’m not really seeing that.” Zeke whispered fiercely.

  “I’m sure you are drunk, but we both totally see it.”

  Someone burst of out the all-night laundromat next door, screaming like he’d seen straight into hell. He leapt through a window, fleeing from whatever was inside and shattering the glass. Somehow staying on his feet, apparently through pure panic and the pin-wheeling of his arms, he took off into the not-so-empty desert. Instantly, the stumbling figures were upon him. They dragged shrieking man to the sand and seemed to start…

  Eating him.

  “Oh my God!” Scotlyn shouted.

  “Let’s go.” Zeke moved his hand to grip her wrist and tugged her backwards.

  Scotlyn let him pull her away. There was nothing they could do for dead man. Zeke was right. They had to get out of there. “What are we…? Shit!”

  The trespasser lunged forward, his arms outstretched, clawing at them. He moved so fast. This close, Scotlyn could see he was wearing a cheap suit and a tie with the Peanuts characters on it. She could also see that it wasn’t drool dripping from his mouth.

  It was blood.

  Zeke shoved Scotlyn behind him, raised the gun, and shot the creature three times in the chest. The whatever-it-was kept coming.

  Oh God.

  “Get inside!” Zeke roared. “Go, now!” He shot it again, this time in the knee, trying to slow its advance. It stumbled, emitting an animalistic screech and continued limping after them.

  “Son-of-a-bitch.” Zeke aimed for its other knee.

  “Head!” Scotlyn shouted. “In zombie movies, you always have to aim for the head!”

  He obligingly shifted the muzzle and put the last two bullets right into its skull. The creature toppled over onto hole five, which was shaped like the backseat of a ’57 Chevy convertible. With one last convulsive twitch it finally lay still.

  Zeke slowly lowered the revolver. “So, you think they’re zombies, huh?” He got out in an eerily calm voice. “That’s a new one.”

  “I don’t know what they are.” Scotlyn was beyond processing anything. All she could go was stare at the body.

  “What else could they be?”

  Scotlyn realized she was shaking. All around them now, she could hear people screaming and the horrible groaning of the creatures. She looked up at Zeke and swallowed hard. “What are we going to do?”

  “Find more bullets.”

  Chapter Two

  Bright side to the zombie apocalypse:

  No more parking tickets. Ever.

  Ezekiel Macready was a paranoid bastard. He’d been raised that way. Zeke prepped for all sorts of disaster scenarios, from earthquakes to robberies to attacks by human zealots. Everywhere he went, he made sure he had some basic supplies handy to protect against a thousand catastrophes.

  But, he’d never considered zombies.

  All the bizarre creatures he’d encountered in his life and he’d never even heard of an actual zombie. He’d spent years researching legends, but zombies had always been a myth. He now totally accepted that they were real, though. Totally accepted it and was totally ready to wipe them out of existence. Macreadys were good at adapting to new enemies on a moment’s notice. It was all that kept the pack alive most days.

  Zeke headed for his office, turning off all the lights in Topless Golf World as he went. They would just draw attention. “We have to get out of here.” He flipped his couch onto its back. A stack of Blade comic books slid to the floor and, for once, he didn’t worry about damaging their condition. He ripped out the black netting underneath the sofa. “Here.” He pulled out a duffle bag that had been hidden inside. “Hold that.”

  Scotlyn caught it, frowning at the weight. “No wonder that damn sofa is always so lumpy.” She hovered in the doorway. “What are you even doing?”

  “Getting supplies.” Zeke headed over stand on the lower shelf of his bookcase, dislodging the whole fellowship of Lord of the Rings action figures. He reached up to knock out one of the acoustical tiles in the ceiling and pulled a metal box from its hiding spot. “Don’t lose that.” He handed that to her and hopped down. “If you plan on packing anything, do it now. Because we’re not coming back.”

  Scotlyn stared up at him for a beat. “All I need is my purse.” She finally said and Zeke realized she trusted him to get them out of this mess.

  Damn it, why would she do something that dumb?

  Scotlyn wasn’t even supposed to be here. She was just killing time until she married a yuppie asshole and went off to live happily-ever-after in some high-priced condo that was guarded by a doorman specially trained to keep people like Zeke off the steps.

  Scotlyn was a girl who wouldn’t sleep with a guy unless he was special. Who worked hard every day, even though Zeke would’ve paid her bushels of diamonds to do nothing but show up and talk to him. Who was a different species than Zeke in every imaginable way.

  But, from the moment he first saw the frustratingly virtuous little human, Zeke had wanted her.

  All day, every day, he obsessed over her lush body and delightfully bossy ideas. He wanted her with him. Wanted to be able to talk to her and keep an eye on her. It annoyed Zeke every time she left the golf course and was out of his sight. If she ever carried through with her threats to quit, he had no idea what he’d do. Zeke had always been a dreamer and Scotlyn was every dream he’d ever had.

  His… attachment to this girl had been a problem from the beginning and now it had reached a head. He prided himself on never needing anyone. Zeke was also a survivor. He took care of himself. It was the only way to go through life. Unencumbered.

  Now, zombies were invading and he knew what he should do. He should kiss Scotlyn good-bye and save himself. Self-preservation had always come easy to Macreadys. You left behind anyone who couldn’t keep up. It was the first rule of their life. Zeke was certainly nobody’s hero. He took pride in his Black Hat status.

  But when Scotlyn looked up at him, her eyes the color of the green glass bottles in retro Coca-Cola ads, and all Zeke’s arguments faded into nothing.

  This soft, sweet little creature wasn’t supposed to be his. He knew that. She deserved better. She was a liability in a combat situation and likely target for all sorts of badness. He knew that, too. The logical play would absolutely be to cut her loose and evac on his own.

&
nbsp; But, when had anyone ever accused Zeke Macready of being logical?

  He headed over to take the duffle bag from her and slung it over his shoulder. “You stay right by my side or directly behind me, got it? If I go down, you run like hell away from me.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “I’m the boss. Follow orders or you’re never going to get that raise you’ve been pushing for.” Zeke stalked back into the lobby, unzipping the duffle bag as he went. He was going to die because he wouldn’t leave this human. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind. Dying with her seemed a hell of a lot better than living without her, though.

  Scotlyn was his person.

  He suddenly saw it so clearly that he realized he must have seen it all along.

  “Grab your stuff and let’s go.” Zeke pulled a sawed-off from the bag and checked to make sure it was loaded. There was nothing he could do but accept the fact that he was doomed, and focused on protecting her.

  “Jesus.” She gaped at him. “How many guns do you have around here?”

  “It’s a bad neighborhood.” Satisfied, he snapped the shotgun closed and began filling up his pockets with extra shells. “We’re taking my truck. The zombies will just laugh at that ridiculous yellow thing you drive.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a Vespa.” That was her standard defense of the God awful scooter and she seemed to say it automatically. “They’re very environmentally friendly.”

  “Not when the environment is filled with monsters.” He tossed her the keys to his SUV. “When we get out there, you head right for the driver’s seat. I will clear your path. Got it?”

  “Got it.” She agreed and leaned over the computer. “Let me just power down the system.”

  “Are you kidding? Who the hell cares about the computer system?”

  “All our records are on here!”

  “Who the hell cares about the records? Christ, TGW is closed until further notice, Trix.” A choice between the stupid golf course and Scotlyn’s safety was the easiest decision in the world. He’d only kept the damn place because it allowed him to keep her. Once he’d realized Scotlyn and Topless Golf were connected, it had been very clear that small business ownership was for him. “Drop everything. We’re leaving. Now.”

  She made a frustrated sound, her valedictorian work ethic obviously annoyed with the fact that The Night of the Living Dead was jeopardizing her routine. “Fine.” She grabbed her purse and slipped the metal box inside, looping it over her shoulder. “Do you have any idea where we’re going?” She stalked back to him.

  “Away from the zombies.” Zeke could see them trying to get through the fence in the back. Out front, people were running in every direction, shouting and fighting for their lives.

  Goddamn it, this was going bad fast.

  “Maybe we should just stay in here. Maybe the army or somebody will show up and shoot the…” Her lips pressed together and she trailed off. “There are things outside, Zeke. How am I supposed to process that there are things outside?”

  Humans were always oblivious to the creatures who walked among them. Zeke knew that better than anyone and even he was stunned by this new twist. For Scotlyn, it all had to be a nightmare.

  “I don’t know, but I know we can’t stay here.” Someone ran from the tattoo parlor across the street and Zeke realized the guy had set the whole building on fire. He could see zombies moving inside, illuminated by the flickering flames.

  “It was the pink stuff.”

  “What?”

  “Is the distance, you can some kind of pink mist. I think it caused this.”

  Shit. If it was airborne, they had bigger problems than the zombies themselves.

  “Let’s work the problem, Trix. Wherever they came from, they’re here now. That means we can’t be. We’ll freak out later.”

  “You’re right. I know you’re right. We’ll go now and we’ll freak out later. We have to go.” Her gaze met his and he saw she was scared. “Just… don’t leave me.”

  Zeke’s heart turned over in his chest. “Scottie, if I’m not right behind you, it’s because I’m dead.” He paused. “Or undead.”

  “You have such a lousy sense of humor.”

  Actually, Zeke wasn’t finding this situation particularly funny. He was just gratified Scotlyn was back to looking pissed rather than frightened. He carefully eased opened the front door, his eyes on his black SUV parked just outside. Always taking the closest spot wasn’t just about discouraging and inconveniencing his annoying customers. Zeke liked to have fast exit routes handy. “On the count of three, run for the car. I won’t let anyone near you.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” It was a vow.

  She shot him a sideways glance and, once again, he saw her decide to trust him. This time it didn’t feel a spur of confused frustration at her naiveté. When she looked at him with inexplicable faith, he just felt… good.

  Zeke gave her a determined smile. They were getting out of there. No way was he going to die before her naked curves were pinned beneath him and she stared up at him like he was special.

  His person.

  “One.” He counted off.

  Scotlyn used the keys to electronically open the truck doors. “Two.” She winced as she spotted a pack of zombies moving into the parking lot, but she didn’t falter. “Three.” She raced for the car, fancy little heels skidding on the pavement.

  Zeke shot two of the zombies before Scotlyn even cleared the front curb. The shotgun sent their brains and most of their faces exploding out the back of their skills in mini-fireworks displays of blood and gore. It wasn’t a precision weapon, but at this range it didn’t have to be.

  Scotlyn screamed at the reverberating blast of the sawed-off. Her hands coming up to protect her head as she dashed for the driver’s side door. “Jesus! Can’t you use the smaller gun?!”

  “I don’t think this is really the time for small guns, do you?” Zeke loaded another pair of cartridges. “Duck.”

  Scotlyn ducked. Her body flattened up against the front tire, as Zeke shot the zombie coming up behind her. It looked like it had once been the clerk from the local drugstore. Terry or something. The ex-human got close enough that Zeke could see the milky white color of its eyes before he pulled the trigger. The fucking things were fast. The power of the buckshot sent zombie-Terry flying backwards, but it had gotten too close to Scotlyn for Zeke’s peace of mind.

  The Change moved inside of him, wanting to destroy the creature all over again.

  “Damn it.” Scotlyn wrenched the door handle open and clambered into the car. It was better if she drove, so he could fire the gun if they got stuck someplace. “I need a weapon, too.”

  “You’re about to be driving one.” Zeke beat down the urge for more carnage and headed for the passenger’s side as she started the engine. He couldn’t afford to Change, now. It would put Scotlyn in even greater risk. “Do not stop this car. I don’t care if goddamn Bambi hops in front of us, run him the hell down.” He climbed in beside her. “Go.”

  Scotlyn stepped on the gas, sending the rubber Buffy the Vampire Slayer toy on the rearview mirror swinging. “Where to?”

  Zeke blew out a breath. “Peru.”

  “Right.” She rolled her eyes. “We’ll just drive to South America. Be serious.” She shook her head. “We’re going to my apartment. Wherever else we go, I have to stop there to get my cat.”

  “Your cat?!”

  “Yes! You think I’d leave Pucci to get eaten by things?”

  “Jesus, your cat’s name is Poochie?”

  “With a ‘U.’ Like the designer. And she’s not an it.”

  “Fine, we’ll go find Pucci-with-a-U, but we have to stop buy a store first.” Zeke turned to look at the horizon behind them. Pink stuff. Just like she’d said. It was falling like a fine rain across the desert. “Is the fog closer than it was before?”

  Scotlyn glanced in the rearview mirror. “Yes.”

  “Drive faster.” Onc
e she turned towards the bright spire of the Stratosphere, Zeke clicked on the radio, trying to find some information.

  “…clear that God has sent these abominations to smite down the wicked sin of gambling that has infected our fair city for far too…”

  He switched the channel.

  “…sick of this. If I hear one more caller telling me there are zombies wandering around, I will play nothing but MJ’s Thriller for the rest of the…”

  He switched it, again.

  “…no immediate danger, although authorities in these areas are asking residents to stay indoors, due to the unusually high reports of gang activity…”

  Switched it, again.

  “…the top rated buffet on the strip and for the low price of just…”

  Fucking hell.

  Zeke turned the radio off and ran a hand through his hair. “There’s a Wal-Mart up here. Turn left.”

  “Yesterday, there was wall-to-wall coverage of Paris Hilton’s haircut on the radio and they’re not reporting this?” Scotlyn spun the wheel, sounding furious at the entire news media.

  “No one will believe it until it’s too late.” Zeke glanced back at the pink cloud, again. “Have I mentioned you should drive faster?”

  “I’m doing sixty.”

  “Do seventy, then.”

  “This is as fast as I can go without getting us into an accident.” She grimly swerved around stopped cars and frantic pedestrians. “We’re going to need a plan, you know. Maybe we should go to the police station.”

  “You think the police have a bomb shelter with air filtration?”

  She flashed him a look. “It suddenly seems like a real smart use of tax dollars, but no. I highly doubt that anyone even considered air filtration until about ten minutes ago.”

  “Well, we need to get some place that’ll keep that pink stuff out. Good enough plan for you?”

  “Yep.” Scotlyn jerked the wheel to avoid a zombie dressed in a waitress’ uniform, taking them up onto the sidewalk and mowing down a row of parking meters in the process. There was a grinding sound of metal and Zeke figured he’d just lost half the paint on the left side of the car.