Zombie Overload (Book 4): Determined To Live
Page 18
It takes her awhile, but she finally answers that she had been looking for Nick, but couldn't tell us why she was listening to music instead of listening and watching for zombies.
"Nick? Where the hell is Nick? You were all supposed to be at home, safe and locked up tight. Where is Nick, Vicki?" Jake's tone has become harsh and angry.
"He said he was coming here to talk to you. Haven't you seen him?" Vicki's eyes widen as she realizes Nick must have run into the zombies too.
Jake swears and leaves the room abruptly. Vicki turns her terror-filled eyes to me and asks me if I had seen Nick.
"No Vicki, I haven't." I tell her as I shake my head.
She gasps just before she bursts into tears again. I hold her until Jake comes back in...without Nick, and Jake is pissed.
He paces back and forth, stomping and seething. He runs his hand roughly over his head several times. When he kicks a small log table across the room, Vicki and I both jump and she lets out a squeal. I squeeze her tighter to me, afraid of what Jake might do.
He's been mumbling to himself, but the words are too low to make out. Once he really gets into it, the words get louder. "Stupid kids! All of them! Stupid! I never should have let them come here. First Kris, now Nick, and almost Vicki. Just stupid! Should have just saved us the trouble and turned them into zombies in the beginning instead of waiting."
My mouth drops in shock and Vicki gasps again.
"Jake! You wouldn't do that," I say to bring his attention to the fact that Vicki had heard and needs reassurance that he's just mad and not thinking straight. But his slap across my face, which slams my head into Vicki's own face and bloodies her nose, makes it clear to both of us that he's absolutely serious.
Vicki screams in pain and holds her nose, her eyes wide with fear. Jake doesn't apologize to her, and you already know he won't to me either. He bends down in front of Vicki and grabs a handful of her hair, jerks her head back, and gets right in her face.
With spit flying and spraying us both, he says in a low growl, "Yes, that's right. The whole plan was that you would all be turned into zombies, but it wasn't my idea. I didn't want you here! If it hadn't been for Jordan's begging and pleading til it drove me fucking nuts, you wouldn't be. Speaking of Kris, do you know how she became a zombie, Vicki?"
"She...she was bit," Vicki answers in a terrified weak voice.
Jake grins an evil grin and shakes his head slowly. "Sorry, Sunshine. Kris never got bit. Kris was injected. Your big sister was the one who wanted you all turned into zombies. She couldn't wait to get to you, but she wanted to save you for last, kind of like desert. You know, save the best for last?"
Vicki's eyes grow even wider and she shakes her head from side to side as much as she can with Jake still holding tight to her hair. "Jordan wouldn't do that. She wouldn't!"
A voice from behind us speaks up, startling all but Jake. "Oh yes I would. You loved Nick, he loved Kris, and Kris loved Jake. No one was happy. And of course, we needed zombies. Simple solution for everyone. You three are put out of your love-miseries and we get our zombies. Perfect!"
Jake's grin gets even bigger at Vicki's increased shock and fear. I'm not doing much better. Jordan moves in front of us and her grin matches Jake's almost perfectly. She rests her hand on his right shoulder, then glares at me.
"Jake, your "wife" needs to go. Her and Vicki would make excellent zombies for your collection."
"No," Vicki whispers to her older sister. "Jordan, I love you. I'm your little sister, why would you do this?"
Jordan laughs, but says nothing. Jake looks at me and Vicki for a long time before he says anything.
"As much as I hate to say it, you're right, Jordan. Canada will never be happy with me, and Vicki's going to be a problem now."
"Jake! I thought you loved me," Vicki sobs.
"Vicki, I'm not sure I love anyone. Only Jordan understands that, and doesn't expect anything from me."
Jordan nods her head in agreement, even though I could have sworn she was a bit jealous just a short time ago. Jake releases Vicki's hair at last and stands next to Jordan, who wraps her arm around Jake's. Both of them just stand in front of us and grin. My skin crawls from so much evil in this one room.
Before I can blink, Jake rushes me and grabs me by my arms, lifting me to a stand. He turns me and orders me to get moving. His hand shoves hard into my back and I crash to the floor, unable to keep my balance.
I hear Jordan laugh, and then I hear her order Vicki to stand and follow us. Jake pulls me up again, and I hop toward the back door. Vicki cries, and her screams of pain are loud behind me. Each scream makes me clench my teeth; the fear of what's being done to her behind my back makes me sick to my stomach - but Jake won't let me turn to check on her. His laughter, combined with Jordan's, makes everything worse.
I reach the back door, push the screen door open, and hop over the threshold into the dark porch. I hop four or five times forward, and then a few hops to the side to wait for the rest of them, not knowing how they plan to get us to the building without getting attacked by all the zombies wandering around outside. I know they don't care about me and Vicki, but I do know they value their own lives.
Jake comes out and walks past me to the door leading to the stairs outside. I catch movement to my left right next to the wall but have no time to react before Vicki, and then Jordan, comes out the door. I hear a loud bang and then Jordan's red head jerks to the side. Jake screams Jordan's name and rushes toward her. I finally make out Nick's face in the darkness and the fact his gun is now aimed at Jake.
Vicki, unaware of what's going on, panics and starts to run between the gun and Jake. I launch myself at her; we both go down as my body slams into her, just as the gun goes off and I hear the bullet zing past my ear.
Vicki is silent. I know she wasn't shot, but for some reason I feel the need to make sure. So I do. Nick falls to his knees beside us and pulls Vicki into his arms. I stay beside them and breathe through the need to pass out. After a few minutes of making sure we're both ok, Nick stands and tells us we have to get out of here because the shots will attract more undead; plus Paul is still here, and he's very loyal to Jake.
No need to tell me twice.
He helps me and Vicki to our feet and we take off through the house to the front door this time. Just as Nick's opening the door, I remember the antidote.
"Nick! Wait. We need the antidote. We can't leave without it."
Nick raises a large black bag. "Taken care of."
He grins at me and I respond with a quick nervous grin of my own. We step out onto the front porch and see zombies scattered on the driveway, and moving in and out of the trees.
Vicki starts crying loudly and I wrap an arm around her, telling her to hush. But it doesn't take much to alert the zombies. Our fear rises to the level of terror as their heads turn toward us, and their bodies follow.
Nick tells us to hurry as he hands me a gun. I hold on to the banister, choosing to forgo the butt-bumping and take the chance on hopping down. I make it, though not without a few heart-stopping moments. Nick and Vicki get on each side of me and help me to the truck Jake had conveniently left for us.
Nick tells me to drive, so I jump in the passenger side and scoot over under the wheel. Vicki jumps in and throws herself into the backseat. Finally, Nick jumps inside just in the...well, in the nick of time. Zombies slam into the closed door and start beating on the truck.
I start the Hummer, spinning the tires as I turn the truck, and leave the property I had expected to die on. Nick climbs into the back with a sobbing and scared Vicki, and it's clear he cares more about her than she thinks he does. I hear Vicki tell him what Jordan had done to Kris and he shushes her, telling her he'd heard it all. He holds her until she stops crying and falls asleep in his arms. I see him leave a kiss on her forehead before he lays her on the seat and covers her with a blanket.
Then he crawls back over the seat - sighing as he sits and drops his head back against the
headrest. I look over at him briefly because the scary-ass turns will be coming up soon. In that quick glance, I see how exhausted he looks - exhausted, but relieved to be away from that place and those people. Pretty much a mirror image of how I know I must look, and definitely how I feel.
We make it to the bottom of the mountain and go back around the outside of Gatlinburg, which is all open field. Just before I turn on the highway that takes us back to Pigeon Forge, I see headlights appear back at the bottom of the mountain. They turn, moving fast on the road around the open field...heading straight for us.
To be continued...
From The Author
Thank you for purchasing and reading the fourth book in the Zombie Overload series.
If you liked it - and I hope you did - please give it a good rating/review and tell your friends about it. If you would like to be updated when the next book is finished, you can send an email to zombieoverload@live.com Please be sure to type UPDATES in the subject line.
Again, thanks!
C. M. Wright
Find me on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/writercmwright
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Website/Store/Blog - www.zombieoverload.com
Fan Mail Address
C. M. Wright
PO Box 107
Harristown, IL 62537
Special Thanks and Acknowledgments
Thank you to my fans who read the previous books and have given me the confidence and courage to keep writing.
*****
Special thanks to: William, Bryson, and Austin Noble, Nancy James, Nancy Creamer, and all my family and friends. I love you all. You have no idea how much I appreciate each of you!
*****
Many, many thanks to Trisha Wilko for the amazing photo (and for being the model) on the cover of all the Zombie Overload Series books. You are beautiful, even when you look hideous! Love you, my friend and fellow Walking Dead freak!
*****
A huge thank you to Fiona Wilson for beta-reading this book, but mostly for helping me understand why this book was so hard for me to write. Because of that insight, I was able to finish what I thought was a lost cause. The series may have ended with book three if it hadn't been for you.
About The Author
C. M. Wright is a wife and mother who lives outside Decatur, IL. She loves all things zombie, and is a huge fan of The Walking Dead.
She likes to laugh and make others laugh, so she does her best to bring that to her readers...for the Zombie Overload series, anyway. Eventually, she is planning to write about other creatures that go bump in the night.
Send C.M. Wright an email, find her on Facebook and Twitter. She always responds to her fans, answers questions - if she can - and even holds contests on her Facebook Page. She loves hearing from her readers, whether it's good or bad.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty