“You should set up an alarm system,” the shaky voice of Emily interrupted. Her eyes were open, though she still looked groggy.
“Alarm?” Chas asked.
Emily nodded slowly. “Yeah, put twigs and dried leaves around. We’ll hear anything coming first.”
“Smart,” Chas agreed as she put Emily’s plan into motion. It didn’t take long, and soon she was weaving branches into a screen for the cave as well. It would reflect the fire’s heat back at them and hide the yellow glow from prying eyes. “How’s that?”
“Cosy,” came Vanessa’s muffled reply. She and Emily were tucked away beneath a blanket with only their noses sticking out.
Before joining them, Chas pulled a bottle of water from her pack and passed it around. “We need to stay hydrated.”
“Thanks,” Dean said. “Now, get some rest. There’s not a lot of the night left as it is. I’ll wake you in a while to take my place.”
“Perfect,” Chas replied, crawling into the nook with Vanessa and Emily.
The mattress made for a comfy if somewhat unstable bed, and the other two girls had already warmed the space. Along with the fire, it was as comfortable as it was possible to be, and she soon drifted off into a deep sleep.
What felt like hours later, Dean woke her up. “Hey, sleepyhead. Your turn to take the watch.”
Chas yawned. “What time is it?”
“Around four. I’ll catch an hour or two, and then we can get going,” he said. “No use in hanging around here.”
Chas agreed. There was no point waking either Vanessa or Emily to stand guard. They were sleeping like babies and needed the rest. She eased out of her warm cocoon and watched with amusement as Dean squirmed into the tiny space. With most of his legs sticking out, he made for a funny sight. He soon fell asleep, though, faint snores fluttering from his lips.
After walking around the clearing three times, Chas decided to go through their supplies and sort everything out for the coming day. She grabbed her backpack first. She’d packed and hidden it two days before, and it contained everything she’d been able to scrounge up or steal from the stores: Spare underwear and socks, a towel, a bar of soap, toothbrush and paste, hairbrush and ties, gloves and scarf, a raincoat, a first-aid kit, protein bars, bottled water, a hatchet, a screwdriver, a 9mm handgun with a full magazine in a holster, and the night-vision goggles. Tied to the bottom of the pack was a thin blanket, now being used by the others while they slept.
In her jacket pocket, she also carried matches, gum, tissues, waterless hand cleaner, a flashlight, extra batteries, and a swiss army knife with all the gadgets. All of that along with her knife meant she was as prepared as she could possibly be. Or so she hoped.
She began by arming herself with the gun, sliding the holster onto her belt next to her knife. On the other side, she secured the hatchet and screwdriver, both as tools and back-up weapons.
The wire cutters, waterproof bag, and parachute cord all went into her pack. Who knew when they might need it in the future. She didn’t know about the mattress, however. They’d probably have to leave that behind.
The other three’s packs were much the same as hers with slight variations in food only. Dean carried a few cans and an opener as extras, Vanessa had managed to snag a few candy bars, while Emily had somehow gotten her hands on a few packets of dried fruit and nuts.
Even so, Chas hoped they could scavenge for more food soon, maybe even find decent shelter to sleep in. Their most pressing concern was a vehicle and fuel, however. If they hoped to find out what had happened to Alvarez and the convoy, they’d need transport.
She set out a row of water bottles and protein bars for breakfast. Once the others were awake, they’d need to move quickly. The sooner they found help, they sooner they could save the camp. She decided to lay out their weapons too where they could quickly grab them if need be. They should’ve done it earlier, but the threat of hypothermia had taken precedence. Even so, it was a mistake not to be fully armed at all times.
Once she was done sorting through their stuff, Chas made another round of the clearing. It was quiet, but that didn’t mean there was nothing out there. The undead had a tendency to sneak up on a person, and a few more might have reached their side of the river and be wandering around. She glanced over her shoulder. At least the fire wasn’t visible through the screen she’d erected, and the coals only emitted a faint glow.
Deciding it was safe enough for the moment, Chas sat down on a stump and stretched out her legs. It was peaceful. Far on the horizon, the sky began to lighten with the coming of dawn while pigeons cooed in a tree.
She sat like that for about half an hour when a rustle in the underbrush alerted her. She shot to her feet, unsheathing her knife while searching for the source of the noise. It sounded again, louder this time. Twisting from side to side, she spotted a set of glowing eyes low to the ground.
The eyes stared at her, unwavering in their intensity. Fear set in, and Chas swallowed hard as the saliva in her mouth dried up. The eyes blinked once before scurrying to the left. She whirled, trying to keep track. Suddenly, a low howl shivered through the air. It was followed by yips and yowls from behind her, and she realized they were surrounded by coyotes. Even worse. The howls sounded different.
Crazed. Vicious. Hungry.
Memories of the zoo surfaced, and Chas was transported back to that night, facing off against an undead gorilla and a pack of zombie wolves. “This is bad.”
Chas transferred the knife to her left hand, shucking her handgun with the right. At the same time, she began to move back toward the fire. She lifted each foot slowly and with care, trying not to trigger a reaction from the coyotes.
The bushes in front of her stirred, and she froze. When nothing happened, she kept at it. A rustle to her left had her heart jumping with fright. Another to the right almost undid her fragile composure. The eyes from before returned, but now there were more.
Chas could feel the tension building as the pack of coyotes circled the clearing. Their growls made it clear they were infected, and she wondered why they didn’t attack. Some leftover fear of humans or fire? If so, it couldn’t last long. The spell would break, and they’d be swarmed by undead animals.
Chas sped up, knowing the clock was ticking. Once she could feel the heat from the coals on her back, she dared a quick look over her shoulder. “Dean!”
He stirred. “Mm?”
“Dean, wake up!”
“Wha…what?” he asked, his eyelids fluttering.
“Zombie coyotes.”
His eyes flared wide open. Before he could move, she whispered in urgent tones. “Move slowly. They’re circling us, but they haven’t attacked yet. Don’t set them off.”
He stared at her. “What do I do?”
Chas jerked her head toward the spot where she’d laid out everyone’s weapons. “Arm yourself, then wake the others.”
Dean nodded, slowly shifting his weight off the mattress and onto the ground. He reached for his machete with one hand and his gun with the other. Barely had his fingers closed over the handles when a chorus of howls froze them both to the spot.
Emily and Vanessa stirred, their sleepy voices and confusion adding to the chaos. “What’s going on?”
“Sh,” Dean whispered. “You need to get up very slowly. We’re under attack.”
Vanessa gasped and shot upright. “Attack?”
“No,” Dean cried. “Don’t move too fast!”
Too late.
The coyotes attacked.
Chapter 8
A furry body launched itself at Chas, flying through the air. With a hoarse cry, she swung her arm at it. Her elbow connected with a solid blow and the coyote crashed into the dirt with a yelp. She followed up the hit by stamping on its head as hard as she could. The animal squirmed beneath her boot until its skull caved in with a nauseating squishing sound.
Before she could step back, another blur of tawny brown charged in, and sharp teeth latched on
to her leg. Chas yelped with pain as the coyote shook its head from side to side, tearing into her jeans. Panic set in as the thought of catching the zombie virus flooded her mind.
Without thinking, she pointed her gun at the coyote and pulled the trigger. Its head exploded in a shower of blood and bone, and she jumped backward with a cry of disgust.
Whirling from side to side, she looked for more attackers, her breath sawing in and out of her lungs. Dean had managed to get to his feet, machete in hand, and two coyotes lay by his feet. Dead.
Emily cowered in the corner of the overhang while Vanessa stood in front of her with the mattress held up as a shield. Three coyotes tore at the canvas with razor sharp teeth, intent on getting to the two girls, and air whistled out of the numerous rips and tears.
Moving fast, Chas ran closer and shot one in the back of the head. She didn’t dare aim at the others though for fear of hitting either Vanessa or Emily. As one, the remaining two coyotes turned around with menacing growls, slaver dripping from their canines.
Chas blinked as everything slowed down to a crawl, each second feeling like an eternity. The coyotes advanced, and for the first time, she had time to take in their undead appearance.
Their fur was falling out in patches as their bodies rotted from within. Bone showed through in places, especially along the ribs, and their gums were blackened and diseased. Her nostrils picked up the stench of dead flesh growing stronger as they attacked.
Overwhelmed, Chas stumbled backward. A stone rolled beneath her foot, and she fell with a despairing cry. Hitting the ground hard, both the gun and knife flew from her hands. Acting on instinct, Chas rolled into a ball, covering her exposed head and face with her canvas jacket.
The coyotes tore into her upper body, their teeth ripping and tugging as they sought to find her flesh. With a sob, Chas squeezed her eyes shut, every second a struggle to keep them from freeing the jacket she gripped with desperate fingers.
The sound of the canvas material being ripped apart sent her into a panic, and she tensed against the pain that was sure to follow. But…nothing happened as the weight of both animals disappeared along with their vicious growls.
Chas dared to raise her head and look, peering through her fingers at Dean who was stomping one of the coyotes into the dirt. Emily had rallied and hacked away at the other with a machete. Its head rolled free from its body, the lips still writhing and frothing until she speared it through the head with a fierce war cry.
Chas remained huddled in the same position until soft hands tugged at her arms. It was Vanessa, her face twisted with concern as she helped a shocked Chas to her feet. “Chas? Chas are you all right?”
Chas looked down at her hands. They were shaking, the skin mottled with drops of blood and smears of dirt. “I…I don’t know. I think, maybe, one of them got me.”
“Got you?” Vanessa’s face paled. “You don’t mean…you can’t. It’s impossible. What are you saying?”
Within seconds, Emily appeared by their sides, her freckles even more pronounced than usual. She ran her hands over Chas’ body, lingering on the spots where the jacket had torn. “Let me see.”
She ripped the garment from Chas, tossing it onto the ground. Together, she and Vanessa searched for wounds, any place where the coyotes’ teeth might have penetrated.
“There’s nothing there,” Vanessa pronounced. “They didn’t get through your jacket. We got to them in time. You’re fine, Chas.”
“Yeah,” Emily added. “You’ll probably be sore and bruised for a while, but there’s no broken skin. No blood.”
With numbness setting into the core of her heart, Chas pointed at her lower leg. A crimson stain was rapidly spreading across the material of the jeans she wore. Pain lanced through her shin and up her leg, growing worse by the second as the adrenalin rush wore off. “Not on top. There. It got me on the leg.”
Both Vanessa and Emily stared at the rusty stain with horror, their faces as pale as bleached bone. Dean looked as well, his broad shoulders slumping when realization set in. “One of them bit you? You’re infected?”
Chas nodded as tears welled up, spilling down her cheeks. “Yes. I am.”
“No, it can’t be,” Emily cried out, her expression becoming fierce. “I don’t believe it. Let me have a look.”
As she moved to examine Chas’ leg, a chorus of howls rose in the distance. Everybody froze, and Chas’ mind whirled as she tried to figure out how close the animals were. They didn’t sound like they were right there at the clearing, and she realized one thing. “We’re in no shape to fight off more of those things, guys. I say we run.”
Dean nodded. “We have time. Those howls were a distance off still.”
“Run where?” Emily protested. “You’re hurt.”
“That’ll have to wait, Em,” Chas said, hobbling toward their packs. Rummaging inside hers, she produced a bandage from the first-aid kit and wound it around her leg. Tight enough to stop the bleeding and to provide a bit of support to the injured limb.
Dean handed out the weapons she’d set out earlier while Chas rolled the blankets and tied them to their backpacks. The mattress was ripped to shreds and would have to stay behind. It had done its job anyway.
Once everybody was armed, they slung their packs onto their shoulders and each grabbed a water bottle and protein bar.
“Ready?” Chas asked as more howling shivered through the pre-dawn air. The coyotes were getting closer, and she itched to move.
“Are you sure you can walk?” Emily asked, hesitating.
“I’d better. Those things are coming, and I’ve had enough fighting for one day,” Chas said, setting off at a brisk pace.
Pain shot through her leg with each step she took, but the thought of facing more undead coyotes kept her moving. As she made her way through the trees, she munched on the protein bar and sipped from the bottle of water. All while fighting to keep desperate tears at bay.
She couldn’t afford to break down, no matter how scared she was of becoming a zombie. They had to get as far away from the coyotes and anything else that might’ve been drawn to the gunshots as possible. Her friends needed her. She had to be strong.
Besides, maybe she wasn’t infected. Maybe she was okay. Maybe her denim was still whole, untorn. Chas bit her lip. What were the chances? She wouldn’t be bleeding like that if the coyote’s teeth hadn’t penetrated.
Disguising her fears, she stepped up the pace. “Come on, guys. Let’s move it.”
Silently, her friends followed, each lost in their own miserable thoughts. It seemed their mission was over before it had even begun.
Chapter 9
Chas walked as fast as she could, moving in the opposite direction of the howls. Vanessa and Emily stuck close to her side, neither saying a word, but the worried looks they shot her every few seconds spoke volumes of their true feelings.
Emily briefly called for a stop once the sounds from the coyotes had receded a bit. She pulled disinfectant and wipes from her bag, insisting that they all clean the blood and gore from their clothes, weapons, and skin. “We can’t risk infection, guys.”
Chas agreed, except that she believed it was too late for her already. “Thanks, Em. You think of everything.”
After the quick wash, they carried on. The sun rose over the treetops, painting the sky in streaks of pastel pinks and yellows. Birds sang in the branches above their heads, and tiny insects scurried through the undergrowth. It was turning out to be a lovely day. Mild and pleasant. Except for the zombies, of course.
Around noon, they stopped for a short while to rest, and Emily consulted her map. She pointed first at their old camp and the river then a spot further down. “I estimate we landed around here somewhere, and if I’m correct, we should be about here by now.”
“Is there any civilization nearby?” Chas asked. “Houses or roads, maybe?”
Emily looked at her map and compass. “If we keep going that way, we’ll hit a road soon. It leads to a brid
ge, and from there, we can make our way back to Red Rock. I don’t know if there are any houses out here. Farms, perhaps?”
“Well, let’s rest for a few minutes then push on,” Chas said. “Maybe we’re lucky enough to find a house. I’m sure we could all use a vehicle.”
Dean grunted his assent as he slung his backpack to the ground. “Walking sucks.”
Emily produced a few packets of dried fruits and nuts from her supplies and doled them out. “This should keep us going until tonight, at least.”
“Thanks,” Chas said, munching on dried apricots and macadamia nuts. Dean handed out water, and she gratefully accepted a bottle along with two painkillers from Emily.
“Will you let me take a look at your leg now?” Emily asked.
Chas shook her head. “We’re not out of danger yet, and it feels okay for now. I can still keep going.”
Emily bit her lip. “If you’re sure.”
“I’ll let you know if I start to feel funny,” Chas said. “Or dangerous.”
Emily lifted her chin in a stubborn gesture. “I still don’t believe it. You’re not infected. You can’t be.”
Chas shrugged, unwilling to argue over something she didn’t want to believe either. “We’ll see.”
After the brief stop, the four friends carried on, trudging onward throughout the long hours of the afternoon. They soon stumbled upon a road which made the going a bit easier, and their pace quickened.
It was around four when Dean’s shout brought them to a halt. “Hey, guys. Look at that.”
It was a faded sign, the lettering almost gone. Even so, Emily read it out loud after examining the thing up close, “Green hills farm, or something like that. It points that way.”
Chas’ eyes followed her friend’s finger, and she could just make out a rough, narrow track that wound up the side of a hill before disappearing over the top. A tall fence surrounded the property, and a sturdy gate barred the way inside. It was locked with a padlock and chains, both shiny and dirt-free.
Gen Z Boxed Set Page 28
