The gunfire ceased suddenly, and the three of them stepped outside of the barn to see what was happening.
“Do you know that guy?” whispered Kylie as the stranger walked towards them.
“No,” he said, stomping out the flames on the torch. “I never did find help. At least, not before this guy showed up.”
“Hopefully he is help,” whispered Allie. “Or at the very least, friendly.”
The guy didn’t appear very friendly, in fact, as he stepped closer, he looked more ominous than anything.
“Stay close to me,” said Luke.
“He looks like some kind of a biker dude,” whispered Allie. She smiled. “That’s kind of hot.”
“Oh my God,” snorted Kylie.
“Hey,” called the man, stopping a few yards away. He had a flattened, blonde Mohawk, a couple piercings on his stubbly face, and some kind of tribal tattoo on his left arm. “So, are you kids okay?”
“Yes,” said Luke, stepping in front of the girls. “Um, thanks for helping with those things.”
He stared at him for a minute and then shook his head. “You’d have been a real goner if I wouldn’t have seen you. Don’t you have any kind of weapons?”
“Yeah, had a gun, but I ran out of bullets,” said Luke. “Have a knife too, but I thought that maybe the fire would keep them at bay.”
“They’re not animals. And they’re not afraid of fire.”
“I guess not,” said Luke.
The man stepped closer, slipping his revolver into the back waistband of his faded jeans. “You girls okay?”
Allie moved around Luke, to get a better look at him and noticed he was even younger than she’d originally thought. “We’re fine. What’s your name?” she asked.
He stared at her for a minute and then answered. “Justice.”
Kylie raised her eyebrows. “Justice?”
He looked away. “My mom, she was into old westerns.”
Allie smiled. “How old are you?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“Twenty,” said Justice. “So, you three out here alone?”
Luke stepped around Allie, pushing her back behind him. “There are more of us. We’ve just been separated, temporarily.”
“Good,” said Justice. “Try to un-separate, as soon as you can. It’s too dangerous to be out here on your own. Especially you kids.” He then turned around and began walking away.
“Wait!” hollered Kylie, running up him. “Where are you going?”
“Was going to check the house for food or other supplies. You guys get a chance to do that, yet?”
“Not really,” said Kylie. “There were zombies in there when we showed up. Probably still is.”
“Well, at this point, I’m hungrier than they are,” he said, walking towards his truck. He reached into the back and pulled out a machete. “So, they’d better stay out of my way in the kitchen. Here,” he said, reaching into the truck a second time. He picked up an old baseball bat and held it out to Luke. “Use this if you have to.”
“Thanks,” he replied.
Justice nodded and started walking towards the house, machete raised. “Stay outside,” he ordered, “until I give you the okay to come in.”
“You want any help?” asked Luke.
“I got this,” he replied, raising his hand in the air. “Just stay out of my way.”
They watched as Justice climbed the stairs to the porch, opened the screen door, and disappeared into the house.
“Think he’ll be okay in there?” asked Kylie.
“He seems to know what he’s doing,” said Allie.
A few minutes later, their question was answered. Justice stepped back outside, the blade of his machete covered in red and black slime.
He held the door open and waved them in. “Well, come on in, then, if you’re hungry. Lucky for us, I found some food in the pantry, still edible.”
“Are they all dead?” asked Kylie.
“Yeah, there were only four left in the house. Watch where you step, though, it’s a little messy inside.”
They walked past him and into the farmhouse, stopping abruptly as they encountered two headless zombies, lying on the wooden floor.
“Oh,” croaked Allie. “It smells rancid in here.”
“Breathe through your mouth,” said Justice, moving around her.
“That doesn’t help,” she said, following him into the kitchen.
“Um, you know, I’m not really hungry anymore,” mumbled Kylie as she stepped over a mangled eyeball.
“Yes, you are. Come on, you have to eat something,” said Luke. “We all do.”
Fortunately, the kitchen was free of zombies and didn’t smell quite as bad as the rest of the house.
“Here’s the pantry,” said Justice, opening up a door on the other side of the kitchen. “Check all of this out.”
“Oh my God!” squealed Allie, picking up a box of Cocoa Pops. She turned to Kylie. “Didn’t this used to be your favorite cereal?”
“Yeah. I guess this farm didn’t care about added sugar and artificial flavoring,” joked Kylie. “Looks like they’ve got Pop-tarts, too.”
“Oh, I love those,” moaned Allie, grabbing the box from her.
“And that’s not all,” said Justice, lifting up a jug of apple juice. “Don’t know about you guys, but this is the closest I’ve come to real fruit in a long time.”
“Nice,” said Allie, biting into a Pop Tart. “Mm…this is so good.”
“Wow, look at all of this stuff…cans of tuna and chicken,” said Luke, pulling them off of the shelf. “peanuts and pretzels. We hit the mother-load.”
“Lucky for us, must be one of the few places around here that hasn’t been looted yet. Let’s put everything on the counter,” said Justice. “Then we’ll sort it all out and go from there.”
They cleaned out the pantry, pulling out boxes of graham crackers, canned veggies and soup, and more boxes of cereal.
“Here’s a can opener,” said Luke, pulling it out of a drawer. “I call dibs on the Spaghettios.”
“Eat sparingly,” said Justice. “You’re going to need to save some for later.
Although, it had been awhile since any of them had eaten anything other than chips, they all agreed.
“It’s hard to find food now,” said Justice, filling a small glass of apple juice. “Other survivors are raiding homes and stores, hoarding everything. I haven’t eaten anything in two days.”
“Are you alone?” asked Allie.
“Yep,” he said, raising the glass to his lips.
“So, where are you heading?” asked Luke.
He shrugged. “Nowhere in particular. Just trying to survive, man.”
“You can come with us,” said Allie, her eyes lighting up. “We’re going to Minnesota, to find my sister.”
“Oh yeah? You sure she’s alive?”
She nodded. “My sister and Nora are bad-asses. They’re both alive.”
Justice smiled. “Oh, is that right?”
Allie nodded, solemnly. “Cassie has a Black belt in karate and has killed hundreds of zombies already. If anyone is still alive, it’s her.”
“A bad-ass-martial –arts-zombie killer, huh? Well, although I wouldn’t mind meeting your sister or her friend, gas is getting harder to come by these days,” said Justice. “Going to have to pass.”
“Dude, you can always siphon gas or just hot-wire another vehicle,” said Luke.
He shrugged. “Yeah, I could, but it’s a pain in the ass.”
“So, what, you’re just going to hang out in this town?” asked Allie.
“No. Actually, I’m heading to Atlanta,” he said. “See if they’ve found a cure yet.”
“Don’t waste your time,” said Luke. “We were just there.”
Justice frowned. “They haven’t figured this shit out yet?”
“Not yet. The CDC has shut down and relocated,” said Allie. “My sist
er said that most of the scientists are even zombies now and the few that are working on a cure aren’t having much luck.”
“Dammit,” he said, rubbing a hand over his face. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”
“Hey, I’m sure they’ll find a cure eventually,” said Luke. “They just need more time.”
Justice stood up and began to pace. “Well, I don’t have time,” he said. “I don’t have any time. Shit!” he growled, kicking one of the lower cupboards with his boot.
“Simmer down, man,” said Luke.
“You don’t have time for what?” asked Allie.
He raised his black T-shirt, exposing his lower stomach, and what appeared to be- human teeth marks. “One of those bitches got a little too close to me in the last town.”
“Oh my God, you were bitten by a zombie?” gasped Kyle, taking a step back.
Justice dropped his shirt back down. “It certainly isn’t a hickie,” he answered with a cold smile.
“Seriously, though, it’s not that bad,” said Luke, amazed to have seen the individual teeth marks embedded on his bruised skin. “Did the zombie even draw blood?”
“Yeah, just a little. Enough to taint my blood, I’m sure.”
“So, when did it happen?” asked Allie.
“Last night.”
Allie bit her lower lip. “Do you feel any different- feverish or dizzy?”
He shrugged. “Had a temperature this morning. Luckily, I found some aspirin.”
“If you’re up and walking, you’re doing pretty good, I think. My sister and I were both bitten and lived.”
His eyes widened.
“Seriously,” she said. “We even went into comas and came out of it. Seems to me that if you’re still running around and killing zombies, you’re doing pretty good.
Justice sighed. “I hope you’re right.”
“See, you could join us now,” smiled Allie. “If you really wanted to.”
He leaned back against the counter. “You say you’re heading towards Minnesota?”
“Yeah, then back to Atlanta to our new home, the Ritz Carlton. You join us and we’ll make sure you get a suite with a view,” said Luke.
“The Ritz, huh?”
Luke nodded. “Yeah. That’s where the rest of our group is. We have a stockpile of food, weapons, and… the beds, man I miss those pillowtops.”
“We could always use extra help against the zombies and thieves trolling the streets,” said Allie. “I’m sure Tiny and Bryce would gladly let you in, especially if you help us.”
“Tiny?” asked Justice.
“Yeah,” said Kylie. “He’s a famous wrestler. Have you ever heard of him?”
He nodded. “Yeah, that big guy with the small voice?”
“Yep. He has a little bit of a lisp,” said Kylie. “But don’t mention it. Ever. He’s a little sensitive.”
Justice’s lip twitched. “I wouldn’t.”
“So, you coming with?” asked Allie.
“What you’re really asking is if I’ll drive,” said Justice.
Allie giggled. “Yeah, okay. Well?”
He paused for a few seconds and then nodded. “Okay, fine, I’ll drive but it means that I’m in charge. When I say ‘run’, you run like the wind. When I say ‘get down’, you get down as quick as possible- no questions asked.”
“No problem,” said Kylie. “We’ll do whatever you say.”
“Yeah, dude,” said Luke. “Just as long as you don’t start foaming at the mouth or drool when you look at us.”
“Same goes to you,” said Justice, walking towards the kitchen door. “Any drooling and I’m kicking your asses out of my truck.”
“Too late,” whispered Allie, staring at him with moon-eyes. “That guy is hot, Kylie. Don’t know about you but I’m already drooling.”
Kylie just smiled. Even she had to admit, Justice was pretty cute.
Chapter Three
“Well, it doesn’t look like anyone’s been back here,” said Bryce, stepping over two zombies lying on Cassie’s blood-stained driveway. It was hot and the stench from the fly-infested bodies lying around was enough to make him gag. It was nothing, however, compared to the restless angst knotted in the pit of his stomach. He’d driven like a mad-man trying to catch up to her, hoping that they’d somehow cross paths before reaching Minnesota. But the road back home had been pretty uneventful and there’d been no sign of anyone else.
Where in the hell was Cassie?
“What in the hell do we do now?” he thought out-loud.
“I think we should go back inside and look for an address book or something,” said Paige. “Maybe even a phone book, to see if we can find their grandparent’s address.”
“Yeah, but, do you even know their names?” asked Billie.
Paige shrugged. “The name Wild would be a good start. They live somewhere in Willow Springs.”
Kristie looked towards the road and shook her head. “Dammit, where are those kids?”
The five of them, Bryce, Billie, Kristie, Tiny, and Paige, had made it back to Minnesota in record time- two days. Twice they’d had to switch vehicles and a few times they’d had some harrowing encounters with zombies, but their determination to reach their friends and family had made them vigilant.
“What about your house?” asked Tiny. “Do you think they might have stopped there?”
Kristie’s shrugged. “I guess it’s possible.”
“Mom, they’re probably not even in town yet,” said Paige. “I’m actually surprised we made it back here so quickly.”
Kristie’s eyes filled with tears. “What if something happened to them? They’re just children and to be out there, somewhere, in this godforsaken zombie shit!” She turned to Tiny. “I don’t know if I could handle it if Kylie was hurt. Or any of them for that matter.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. “We’ll find them, babe,” he murmured, holding her against his chest. “All of them.”
“Shit, looks like we’ve been found. Heads up, everyone- zombies, approaching,” said Bryce, raising his rifle.
More than a dozen of them were staggering in their direction, from throughout the neighborhood.
Paige tightened her hold on the metal bat. “How do they do that?”
“They must smell us or something,” said Bryce. “Let’s get back inside and search the house before we attract more trouble than we can actually handle.”
They quickly moved the SUV into the garage and then pulled the door down, but not before one of the zombies made it inside. The creature stared at the group as if he’d won the lottery and began to advance.
“Wow, did you see that?” asked Tiny as he shoved his machete into the zombie’s skull and twisted. “He actually had enough sense to duck underneath the garage-door.”
Paige scowled. “Just what we need- zombies with common sense. What is the world coming to?”
“As long as they don’t start talking to us,” said Kristie.
“Yeah, could you imagine? ‘Give me your brains,’” chuckled Tiny as he kicked the zombie’s torso to the side.
“You’ll never hear that from a zombie,” smirked Paige.
Kristie scowled. “Paige…”
Paige’s eyes widened innocently. “What?”
“It’s okay,” said Tiny. “Paige is just doing it to blow off steam. If harassing me makes life easier for her to handle right now, so be it. I’m not going to take it personally.”
“It’s not okay,” said Kristie. “Paige, you need to treat Tiny with more respect. He’s saved our lives at least a dozen times and all I’ve heard from your mouth are smart-assed comments.”
“Oh, lighten up, mom,” mumbled Paige. “It’s your fault anyways. You raised me this way.”
Kristie sighed. “I guess it is my fault. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” said Tiny. “I’d rather be surrounded with brave smart-asses then feel like I�
��m too intimidating to tease.”
A loud banging on the outside of the garage door startled the group. As it grew louder and more intense, Paige covered her ears. “Who the hell is doing that?!” she hollered.
“Zombies,” said Bryce. “They know we’re in here.”
“They’re aggressiveness is obviously growing,” said Billie, shutting the door of the Expedition
“I didn’t think they were that alert,” said Kristie. “Usually they forget about us the moment we’re out of sight.”
“Maybe they’re getting some of their human qualities back,” said Tiny.
“Or just plain adapting,” said Bryce. “I doubt they’re actually becoming more human.”
“Let’s get inside,” said Paige. “Those nosy bastards are really pissing me off.”
They stepped into the house through the garage and then split up, searching for something that would give them a clue as to where the girls might have gone.
“Here,” said Kristie, after looking through a box of old birthday cards in Cassie’s bedroom. “This has to be them.”
“Steve and Dianna Wild?” asked Paige, her eyebrows furrowing. “I thought their grandmother’s names were Judy and Irene.”
“Crap,” said Kristie, shuffling through the cards. “Oh, here’s one. It says ‘Happy Birthday, Cassie, from- ‘Grandma Judy’, but the address on the envelope is somewhere in Florida.”
Paige nodded. “That’s got to be her. Cassie mentioned she travels a lot. In fact, she was supposed to have been on some kind of European cruise when all of this stuff started going down. She didn’t like talking about it, though. I guess her grandmother got the zombie vaccine before she left for the cruise.”
Kristie cringed. “Oh. Well, maybe that was actually a blessing. Could you imagine being trapped on a cruise ship with thousands of zombies? There’d be nowhere to run.”
“All those poor old people,” said Paige. “How horrible.”
“I don’t know,” said Kristie. “Henry certainly knows how to take care of himself.”
“Yeah, but he’s not your typical old man.”
“True. Oh, here we go,” said Kristie, pulling out a pink envelope. She stood up. “This has got to be the other grandparents. Steve and Irene- Willow Lake. That’s only about twenty minutes from here. Let’s go tell the boys.”
Zombie Games (Book 4): Road Kill Page 2
