by Garth Ono
Kate sped up the highway. She was going a good 10 MPH over the speed limit. Fine for her, but Daphne became worried. Both her and Brandy were in stolen vehicles. A traffic stop could prove disastrous for them.
"She's leaving the city?" Brandy said over the phone. "What's up with that? Is she leaving for good?"
"I don't know!" Daphne said. She worried how Simon would react. Simon wanted Kate delivered to him, undead or alive. He didn't really care that much anymore. "Can we stop her?"
"No," Brody said. "She's already at the bridge gate and surrounded by cops."
"We can't pass through gate security in stolen cars," Brandy said.
Daphne ordered them to turn off the highway on the last ramp before the bridge. They found a parking spot with a good view of the bridge. Kate could not pass through without them spotting her.
"How do we even know she's coming back?" Brandy asked over the phone.
"I didn't see her take any luggage," Brody said. "Just weapons. She'll be back."
It was so frustrating. Daphne was worried they were in for a long, boring night, and then wouldn't capture Kate until the next morning. The last thing she wanted to do was go home empty-handed.
"Let your minions nap, Brandy," Daphne said. "Brody's right, she's coming back soon. I want everyone well rested." Her eyes narrowed. "And after we catch her again, I might bite Kate myself."
Chapter 22
"Don't get out of your Jeep," Kate demanded as she sped through East St. Louis.
There was an amazing amount of traffic after being across the river for a few nights. Even at 10 MPH over the speed limit Kate was blending into traffic. A few cars even passed her. She wanted to go faster, but if she got pulled over for speeding it could delay her another half hour. Cops liked to take their time giving speeding tickets.
"Too late," Morgan said. "Don't worry. I can outrun him. He's a shambler. I think his right foot is damaged."
Kate's hands tightened around the steering wheel even more. They began to ache, knuckles white with the strain. She raced up behind a slow driver in the left hand lane, forcing her to swerve into the right lane to pass. Honking her horn as she passed didn't help her feel any better.
"Don't be a fool. Get back in your Jeep," Kate shouted. Her phone was mounted on the dash and on speaker. "Even injured rotters can have sudden bursts of speed."
Kate was beside herself. Never in a million years did she think girlie-girl Morgan would actually go out on a call. Sure, Morgan talked about it all of the time, but her friend was always more talk than action. Morgan's idea of slaying was a sexy miniskirt and heels.
"Please get back in your truck and call 911," Kate begged. "Please. I'll die if something happens to you."
"I did call the cops," Morgan said. "Okay, I'll just – Eeks!"
The call ended. Kate tried and tried to call her back, but got nothing. No answer. She left a dozen voice messages begging for a call back. Kate pushed it up to 90 MPH, heart hammering and struggling to breathe.
"If she's still alive, I'm going to kill her," Kate said, face wet with tears. "Please, God, let her be okay."
She had the address of the zombie sighting. It was a house on the highway north of town. It was actually a nice ways north, so Kate thought she could reach it within half an hour. Especially driving at 90 MPH. She'd already resolved to not stop if a cop tried to pull her over. He could chase her to the zombie for all she cared.
Morgan's jeep, with the lights on, was the first thing she spotted. It was sitting on the shoulder of the highway and in front of a large custom brick home. The house was all lit up. No police in sight. Also, no neighbors in sight.
The Defender skidded to a stop, nose-to-nose with the Jeep Wrangler. Morgan was not in the Jeep, though it was still running. A large dog was barking behind the house. Kate quickly armed up with machete, pistol, and Lupara. She immediately pulled two shotgun shells from the bandolier and loaded the 12-gauge.
"Morgan! Morgan!"
"I'm in back! Help!"
Kate took off running for all she was worth. Her friend was still alive. She was both thrilled and terrified. Morgan sounded frightened.
A five-foot high chain link fence enclosed a small backyard, with a few more acres of white-painted three-rail fenced in pastures and corrals beyond that. She noticed a four-stall stable and some horses running around. Morgan was crouched atop a small garden shed. A black lab was running around barking at a zombie that seemed torn between the dog and Morgan.
"Are you all right?" Kate asked. "Why didn't you answer my calls?"
"I dropped my phone and that undead meathead stepped on it," Morgan said. "You owe me a new phone."
For a second, Kate thought she was going to cry. Seeing Morgan alive and still spunky was such a relief. There was plenty of time for tears later. After the zombie was dispatched.
He was a huge monster of an undead man: African-American and at least six feet eight. Most of his scalp was torn away, exposing raw skull bone, and was a flap hanging off the back like a ponytail. One eye was a bloody empty socket, and both hands were bloody, mangled messes, too. He was wearing a wife-beater and jeans, soaked in gore.
"You found a big one," Kate said. Despite her conversation with Morgan, the monster was still chasing the dog. "Hey, zombie, zombie, zombie, over here!"
He ignored her. Kate watched him for a moment. He had a really bad limp, but she couldn't discern the reason. It was too dark and there was too much blood on him.
"Stay where you're at," Kate ordered Morgan. She ran around to the front door and pounded on it. A middle-aged woman answered through the closed door. "Ma'am! I need you to get your dog out of the back yard if possible."
"I tried," her muffled voice said. "He won't come to me."
Kate shook her head and headed back. She didn't have time to waste. The gate was locked, so she vaulted over the fence. When it looked like Morgan would jump off the shed, she warned her to stay put with her best steely voice.
"Hey! You brain-dead rotter," Kate shouted. She had her kukri machete in hand, but released it to hang by the lanyard around her wrist. Kate pulled the sawed off shotgun up, still on its shoulder strap. "I'm right here. Don’t ignore me, you bloody rotter."
That got his attention. The zombie stopped and slanted a very hostile look at her. Their crazy eyes always freaked her out a little. He turned, leaned forward, and charged her. Morgan cried out. Kate slipped Lupara's strap off her shoulder, holding it with both hands as she prepared to dodge either left or right.
The dog came after the zombie, nipping at his heels. Kate waited to the last second, before ducking right. She turned on the rotter as he stopped, and as he turned she thrust Lupara against the side of his neck and gave him both barrels.
The zombie dropped like a rock. The dog yipped in fear and ran away. Just to be sure, Kate used her machete to finish cutting off his head. Once head and body were a few feet apart, she felt much better.
The dog viciously attacked the body. Kate grabbed his collar and dragged him to the back door. The homeowner opened the door and pulled him inside.
"Someone needs to unlock the gate so we can get the body out, ma'am," Kate said.
"And that'll be a $25 service call fee, too," Morgan said, suddenly next to Kate. "Thanks for calling Got Zombies."
Kate wanted to chew Morgan out, but her friend was shaking like a leaf. They were still going to have a long talk, but it could wait until they got home.
It was nice to have someone help her drag the zombie out to the street. He was heavy as hell. Then while Morgan collected their fee, Kate went in back, found a hose, and did her best to wash the zombie's blood off the grass. The thought of that dog out there licking it soured her stomach.
Deputy Doge arrived as Kate was taking a picture to send to the retrieval team.
"Hey, Deputy Dawg," she said. "Did you miss me?"
"You went somewhere?"
"Damn. That would be a no. Maybe the sheriff loves me," she said,
winking.
They hugged.
"Yeah, good luck with that," Randy said, and turned back to the headless corpse. "Is the homeowner okay?"
While he left to check on the homeowner, she finished up. After bagging the head, she loaded her weapons in the back. Morgan followed Kate back to their place in downtown Tennyson. She parked in back, and Kate placed the head in the ground floor storage room freezer.
"It's late and I need to turn in that head in the morning," Kate said. "So I'm going to stay the night."
It would be good to sleep in her own bed. The hotel bed was nice, but it wasn't hers.
"Great. I think Sheriff Coleman really wants to talk to you," Morgan said.
"I know," Kate said. "I don't look forward to that conversation."
Chapter 23
Kate sat in her Land Rover for several minutes. The sheriff's car was parked in back, so he was inside. Neither of the deputies were present. Just as well. Kate hated it when the deputies were there to hear the sheriff chew her out. Very embarrassing.
After a last deep breath, she retrieved the head and went in. The door caused a ring tone to sound, which surprised her. That was new. She heard a man and woman speaking in back. They fell silent at the tone.
"Kate?" Sheriff Coleman called.
"Yes, sir. It's me," she said. "Your favorite zombie slayer."
"Get your ass back here."
She grimaced. He was already angry. It rarely went well when he started out mad at her. And the situation proved worse than she thought.
"Hi, Mayor Gilbert," she said as she entered. The mayor was sitting in one of the two chairs before his desk. Sheriff Coleman was leaning back in his chair, unshaven and shirt half unbuttoned. Kate knew the signs that he hadn't had his morning coffee yet. "Hello, sheriff. I just need to turn in a head."
He regarded her coolly. Mayor Gilbert looked rather hostile. Kate took the chair next to the mayor and placed the still frozen head on the floor between them. She wanted the mayor to know she came all of the way back to kill a zombie.
"It only took me thirty minutes to get back last night," she offered hopefully.
"That's too long," he said.
"I beg to differ," Kate replied. "Even if I was at home when the call came, between dressing and driving out, it would've taken me thirty minutes."
"Morgan could've died, and it would've been all your fault," Mayor Gilbert said.
Kate ground her teeth. She was well aware of the danger Morgan faced, and much better than either the sheriff or mayor understood.
"Morgan and I have had a long talk, ma'am," she said. "She won't be doing anything stupid like that again."
"But…"
"No," Kate said, interrupting the mayor. She'd never been so abrupt with the city official before. Her parents taught her to always be polite to her elders, but that woman made her so mad sometimes. "I love Morgan like a sister. She is the world to me, so there's nothing you can say to cause me to feel more guilt and regret. I get it."
"Are you back for good?" the sheriff asked.
Kate hesitated. She gnawed on her lip as she looked back and forth between them. That was all they needed to know. Sheriff Coleman frowned and the mayor pressed her lips tightly together, eyes narrowing.
"I have a few more days up there, and then I'll return whether the zombie problem is resolved or not," Kate said. "You might not believe it, but I dislike being up there more than you dislike me being out of town."
Mayor Gilbert stood up. Kate hated how tall and imposing she could be. The mayor was forty-five, but could pass for early to mid-thirties. She was quite pretty, and always dressed smartly in the latest fashions. Her long blonde hair had been cut to just above her shoulders since last time Kate met with her.
"You need to understand something, missy," Mayor Gilbert said. Her voice was soft and threatening. She held Kate's eyes. "I've spoken to the school district. Superintendent Smith was not pleased to hear you were out of town. We might cancel our retainer agreement with you over this. That will be a $1500 a month loss for you."
"Now, Nicole, there's no reason to threaten her like that," Sheriff Coleman said.
"It's not a threat," she replied.
Kate nodded. "Fine. I'm cool with that. From now on you can wait your turn, or even call the sheriff to kill your zombies. Agreeing to respond to your calls over others was troubling anyway," Kate said. That shocked the mayor. "By the way, in the last four days I've taken three heads in Tennyson. I've taken over a hundred and twenty in St. Louis in three days. That's almost half a year's pay, since they are paying $100 a head. So you are asking me to choose between abject poverty and financial success."
They stared at her a long moment. She shrugged.
"Well. Maybe we'll amend the agreement," Mayor Gilbert said, looking to Sheriff Coleman for support. "In the future, we'll keep you on retainer, but the bounties all go to the city or school district since you're working for us."
"No way," Kate said, and stood up. She placed the bagged head on the sheriff's desk. "Don't get up. I'll put it in the freezer for you. I'll thank you to send my bounty over to the bank."
"Wait," he said. The sheriff pulled a bright yellow plastic tag out, not unlike what they were using in St Louis. She opened the bag and exposed the head. The mayor grunted and turned away. After the tag was clipped to the rotter's ear, Kate closed the bag. "I'll be issuing you some tags for both the heads and bodies. The state wants them all tagged from now on out."
"Fine by me," she said. "Mayor Gilbert, I really don't want to be rude or abrupt with you, but I'm trying to earn a living. Also, it's hard to refuse to help when someone's in dire straits like St. Louis. But, I will not be treated so badly. I'm willing to stay on retainer, but if you cut it in any way, I'm out and you're on your own."
"You won't answer our calls at all?"
"I'll take your calls, but you'll have to pay the same fees as everyone else, and wait your turn," she said. "I'm fine with whatever you decide. Bye now."
Kate left them speechless. She put the head in the sheriff's freezer, and headed for the front door. The mayor and sheriff were engrossed in a heated discussion as she left. It would be a miracle if they continued to keep her on retainer. Losing that steady income every month would hurt, but they seemed to think they owned her. No more.
Chapter 24
"Hello, Officer," Kate said. Her window was already rolled down. Two other cops started looking in all of her windows. She handed him her driver's license and the ID card St. Louis issued her. "I'm a zombie slayer returning to the city. I do have weapons in the vehicle."
"Please step out," he said, and opened her door.
She gave him a look.
"They said I wouldn't have to go through all of this again when I was issued the card."
"They lied," he said.
Two more cops came over, one with a dog. They searched her vehicle, and then compared all of her weapons' serial numbers to her file. When they didn't find anything amiss, Kate was waved through. First, she had to stow the weapons and gear they scattered all over the inside.
"You have a way of making me want to say screw St. Louis and go home," Kate grumbled as she passed the original cop. He ignored her. Then under her breath, "I'm having a bad day."
She was stopped again on the other side of the bridge, but no one approached her vehicle. After a moment the gate rolled to the side. Kate continued up I-64. It was still early, but she'd brought some more clothes to drop off at the hotel before heading out.
As she passed the first onramp, a silver minivan accelerated up the ramp at high speed. Kate tapped her brake and moved over one lane. The minivan hit its brakes and dropped a good hundred feet behind her. A moment later they pulled over into the same lane.
Kate watched the minivan in her rearview for a moment. She moved over to the right lane, since her turn off was coming up. The minivan changed lanes, too, before suddenly swerving back to the second lane.
Kate hit the gas. The
minivan came after her.
"Who the bloody hell is that?"
Simon? Sebastian? Mordred? Or another vamp that wanted her to kill the rest of them so he could rise in the pecking order? Kate questioned the wisdom of coming back for a moment. Maybe she would be better off back in Tennyson?
Blowing by the off-ramp to Jefferson, Kate continued up the highway until the minivan began to gain on her. It was still early, so traffic thinned out past downtown St. Louis.
"What kind of engine does that minivan have?"
Men leaned out the back windows and shot at Kate. She swerved back and forth, then turned in front of the minivan and hit her brakes. The other vehicle turned sharply and flew past her. Kate did a u-turn, drove back a short distance and exited I-64 in front of a new onslaught of traffic.
She passed under the highway, and then headed south into the suburbs. The slayer continued to drive around, turning in random directions every so often until she was certain no one was following her. Then she made her way to the corner of Ewing and Scott, just a block from her hotel. Entering the parking lot there, she drove slowly toward her hotel.
"I knew it," Kate whispered, hitting the brakes. "Hello, Daphne."
At least her old friend was standing next to a dark blue Chevy Suburban, and not in the minivan. But there was only one reason for Daphne to be watching her hotel. Simon still wanted her. And her friend was still willing to capture her for him.
She backed away and parked behind a full-sized van to hide. At any moment the minivan could show up to join Daphne, and they might spot her, too. Kate thought about everything she knew about the city. About locations.
First, I have to figure out how many are after me.
Kate took her pistol, stuffed under her waistband. The office park had multiple buildings that rented office space to numerous small businesses such as insurance agencies. She ran between two buildings, swung around to the east and eased up to the far edge. She had a pretty good view of the Residence by Marriot's parking lot.
