The Rotting Souls Series (Book 3): Charon's Debt

by Ray, Timothy A.

  He thought he heard an answering moan, but it might have been his imagination.

  “Let me look at him,” Rosilynn commanded, pushing past him.

  He took a step back, allowing her to take the man’s vitals and look him over. “I take it the girlfriend is on the other side of the bed?” he asked, not wanting to take a look himself.

  “Yeah. I think she turned and took a bite out of him. There was meat in her teeth. He brained her with an alarm clock,” she returned. “His pulse is weak, he’s barely hanging on. Judging by the look of his leg, I’d say the gangrene has caused an infection and it’s killing him. It’s too late to take the leg, he would bleed out and would never survive. I’m sorry.”

  The way she said it sounded dispassionate, disconnected, like it had been rehearsed and given to countless people over the years. She backed up and looked at him, and he could see that it affected her, whether her voice let it be known or not.

  He wasn’t as emotionally involved with the man, despite also being married to his wife. They had only met once, the other man preferring to keep the two relationships as separate as possible. They’d crossed once at the hospital when Samantha had been seen after a fender bender, and it had been a tense meeting, followed by a lot of cold stares. Since then, they had done the best they could to avoid one another. It was easy. Sam came over and stayed in her own room four days a week, the other three she stayed with Ruben, though in different rooms. They were together until the kids were old enough, wanting to not disrupt their lives with a messy divorce.

  Still, he cared for Sam’s children, and this would be tough on them; regardless.

  “Wozzit?” he heard the man croak.

  “Ruben, it’s Todd. Samantha sent me to find you,” he said, leaning closer so he could be heard. “We came to bring you home.”

  Eyes opened a slit and the head shifted in his direction. “Todd?”

  “Yeah big guy, it’s me. I’m here to take you home,” he responded, trying to sound cheerful, even though he could feel Rosilynn shaking her head, confirming it wasn’t going to happen.

  Yellow tinted eyes looked at him and he could tell that Ruben knew different. “Let’s cut the bullshit. Are my kids okay?”

  Brusque, as always. “Yes, they are safe at the compound. I got them out before all this shit started,” he commented.

  The eyes closed and Ruben coughed, pushing his head back into the pillow. “You take care of them, make sure that they stay safe.”

  “Sam—,” he began.

  “I don’t care. Just make sure my kids survive this. If they—,” Ruben had to pause, blood bubbles erupting from his lips as he tried to clear his airway.

  His fingers tightened on the man’s arm. “They will. I swear it.”

  Ruben’s eyes fixed on his again, held for a moment, then he nodded. “Do—something for—me?”

  “Anything,” he answered quickly, knowing that the final moment was fast approaching.

  “Don’t—let me—,” Ruben gasped, head turning to the other side of the bed, then back his way.

  “I’ll take care of it,” he promised, feeling grief regardless of the cold detachment the two of them always felt towards one another.

  “Thank—,” Ruben began, then his eyes lost focus and his lungs exhaled in a cloud of vile breath.

  He pulled back his hand and straightened up. He looked to Joseph, then Rosilynn. “Guess that’s that.”

  “Todd, why don’t you go see if there’s anything we should take with us. We can strap whatever it is to the roof,” Joseph told him, eyes on the corpse before him.

  “No. I promised I would do it. I will,” he answered.

  He brought up his gun, his two friends looking on, and he pulled the trigger.

  Chapter 35

  In Laws

  Todd

  Tucson, AZ

  They were back on the road and he was trying to distract his mind from what he had just done. He had fulfilled his promise, both to Sam and Ruben, but it scarred him on a deeper level and it would be awhile before he could move on; if he ever could. He looked out the window at the city beyond and the devastation on the western horizon was hard for him to look at.

  A dark cloud hung over the city skyline and he knew the place of his birth had been thoroughly wiped off the map. The area that they were currently in seemed quiet, but they were about as far away from the center of that destruction as they were able to get. He had lived at the extreme opposite side of town then his mother-in-law did and it was no wonder they rarely saw each other outside holidays. It’d take just as long to cross Tucson to here as it would to get all the way hell back to Wilcox.

  “We’re coming up on it,” Nick said from the back.

  “Have you figured out how we’re going to fit more people in here?” Sabrina asked. “Kind of cramped as it is.”

  “We’ll have to hope they still have a car to follow us back in,” he told them. He hadn’t thought of that when they left, figuring he’d cross that bridge if they got that far. Now that the apartment complex was coming up on their right; he had run out of time.

  They parked on the edge of the parking lot and waited. Joseph killed the engine and each of them waited to see if anything would come running at the sound of the engine. “I think we’re good,” Joseph said as he scanned the area.

  “Yeah right,” he sighed. He didn’t trust the quiet. He picked up his cell and dialed. “Hey, we’re here.” Ending the call, he opened the door and stepped outside. “That’s her gray Kia over there,” he said, pointing.

  “I don’t think they should drive it. They’re better off riding in the Humvee,” Ros told him as she came to his side.

  He laughed, “Want to take the wheel, do you?”

  “Been dying to,” she smiled back.

  “All right then,” he nodded. It made better sense to him and he had promised to keep his wife’s family safe. One of the apartment doors opened and his mother-in-law peeked her head out. Seeing them, she said something to someone behind her and then stepped out. She was fifty, with long blond hair and wide hips. She was wearing a purple blouse and blue jeans. A backpack was slung over her shoulder and as she stepped out he could see his sister-in-law Kat following after. Kat was eight years younger than his wife, with black long hair and dark eyes. She had a red T-shirt and in her arms was his nephew Blayze; a three-year-old with a huge grin and light brown hair.

  As they stepped off the curb, he caught movement from the far side of the complex. Turning he saw a very tall zombie with slumped shoulders emerging from behind the corner of another building. He saw Kat turn in that direction and horror spread over her face. “Robbie!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

  The creature looked up and saw them. The mask of hunger was unmistakable as the zombie stumbled forward, hands outstretched. Behind the lurching undead monster shambled five more zombies and his heart began to pound. His adrenaline was pumping as he raised his rifle and began to fire.

  “No!” Kat screamed at him, but he was already pulling the trigger. His father stepped forward, grabbed the screaming girl, and led her to the Humvee. Robbie’s head exploded and he heard Joseph’s gun firing from his left. Ros was at his side and between the both of them, they took out the other four while Joseph sniped the one in the back.

  “Good to see you son,” Chris said as she hugged him.

  “Got your keys?” he asked hopefully. He hadn’t thought to ask and if they had to run in and get them, they’d better hurry. The shots were bound to attract more walkers.

  She was fumbling in her pants. “Sure,” she said, dragging them out. “Habit.”

  “Some are still good to have,” he said smiling. “Get in, we’re taking the car,” he told her as he threw the keys to Ros and headed for the passenger seat of the Kia.

  His father helped her get in and then took his place in the front seat of the Humvee. “Stay with us,” the old man said needlessly.

  “Wouldn’t have it any other way,�
�� he replied, opening the now unlocked car door. As he turned to get in, he saw a large group coming from the pool area. The echoes must have drawn every undead for miles. The road was still clear, but for how long?

  “Get your ass in here,” Ros yelled; he didn’t need further coaxing. The Humvee was already backing up and he braced himself as Ros threw it in reverse and hit the gas. “What the fuck is your sister’s problem?”

  “Hey, she’s my wife’s blood, not mine,” he replied automatically. Like that mattered anymore. He had to get used to the little bit of family he got left whether he liked it or not. “You gonna get us out of here?”

  “Yes boss,” she returned sarcastically. As they backed up he had time to notice that the majority of the undead coming their way were simply walking. They weren’t running. That didn’t jive with what he’d seen on the video screens. What was slowing them down? Their faces were more decayed. He saw thousands of flies and as he looked over their heads he noticed a flock of crows as well.

  That was something to keep note of. They might spy herds in advance that way.

  She reversed into the street and he jerked as she slammed on the brakes. There was a thump to the rear and he turned just in time to see legs disappear from the rear window. The pounding above his head told him they had an unwelcome visitor. He raised his gun and started firing. Ros was hollering something at him, but he couldn’t hear it over the gunfire.

  He saw that she was struggling to get the gear shift into drive and the Humvee had paused just ahead, waiting on them. “Come on, come on,” he heard her grunt.

  The thudding continued as he reloaded his pistol.

  Glass splintered on his right and a hand reached through the broken window and grasped his throat. He couldn’t get his gun up at the right angle and the pressure was cutting off his airway.

  “Ros,” he tried to croak.

  The fingers tightened, causing blood to start sliding down his neck to his chest. Two inches lower and they’d be digging into the suit, instead, his jugular was about to get ripped out.

  “Ros,” he tried again. He felt his life starting to leave. She was trying to get to her side arm but he knew that it was too late.

  The Humvee opened fire and the zombie that had been gripping him suddenly let go. He surged forward, gasping for air, hands flying to his throat. The hand withdrew as the corpse fell to the ground car. He watched as the rear guns tore into the zombies that were just inches from their car.

  Someone in there had just saved his life.

  Rosilynn finally got the car into drive and peeled out. She swerved around the waiting Humvee and reached over to take his pulse.

  “Keep your hands on the wheel,” he croaked. “I’m still alive.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” she said, trying to feel him with her fingers, keeping her eyes on the road. Her hand slid up to his neck and probed. “Barely broke the skin. Will probably be sore.”

  “No shit,” he managed. A voice in his ear spoke up. He had a walkie clipped on his belt and an earpiece in his left ear. “Yeah, I’m fine. Tell whoever that was thank you. They saved my ass. No shit?” he laughed. “Tell him good job.” He looked towards Ros. “That was Nick on the guns.”

  “He’s pretty good at that,” she said as they sped down the deserted street.

  “Yeah. To think I wasn’t going to buy him that Black Ops game. Good thing I did, probably saved my life. You might want to slow it down, they can’t keep up at this speed,” he cautioned, when he saw that she was doing ninety.

  She laughed. “Heat of the moment.”

  “Let’s try to avoid those the rest of the trip, okay?” he asked her.

  She simply shook her head as she eased off the gas. “Don’t count on that.”

  He sighed. He didn’t think they would be able to either.

  Well, one down, one to go.

  Chapter 37

  New Arrivals

  Monica

  Compound 2

  Vitarius was staring at the compound with wide eyes, as if not believing what he was seeing. “We have one of those obstacle courses,” he muttered. She was sure however, that was the end of the similarities they shared.

  She nodded; humoring him.

  Bill had gone back to his people to discuss moving into the other compound and she had asked that his son come along on her trip north. She needed an extra gun and the man had showed some skill in their recent encounters. Casey wasn’t all that jazzed by the decision, but she knew that he wouldn’t create too many waves. Ben had been a close friend of his and the sudden loss had stung them all greatly. There was nothing any of them would do to jeopardize an attempt to take out the man responsible.

  She tried calling Jenn again and got her voicemail. What the hell was her problem? She didn’t have the number of anyone else in the Sleepy Hollow compound or she’d try one of theirs. There was no point in doing this if there was no way through the lockdown. Sean could just sit in the bunker laughing at them and there would be nothing they could do about it. The whole plan hinged on this point. She had tried to conceive of a way to draw him out, but all of those were just fantasy ideas not worth the time it took to mention.

  Mark had met up with them at the tunnel entrance and had assured her that the key systems had been removed from Compound 3. It wasn’t mistrust on the part of Vitarius’s group. Those systems might be compromised by Sean and being powered down might have been the only reason that compound was still open and safe. If that other group powered them on—well, there’s no telling what Sean might do. Probably kill them off as another example of his power. The thought that she had once been friends with the guy made her sick to her stomach.

  Roxanne was waiting on them as they entered the main building. She smiled at her husband, then turned to catch her attention before she pushed on. A guy named Hooper turned out to be a mechanic and was busy dismantling the airlock. She was glad Joseph had someone amongst their crew that was handy with tools, Rodger had been their main source of that. She grimaced at the loss and turned to see what the anxious woman had to say.

  “Had a bit of a problem while you were gone,” her friend said. Roxanne had her black hair back in a ponytail and it swung as she moved her head to look at each of them. She was looking at Vitarius with raised eyebrows and Monica nodded that it was okay to go on. “Two of the boys that came in with us got into the morphine in the med lab. Probably looking to get high. They ODed.”

  “Dammit!” John swore. “Don’t you keep that shit locked up?”

  “We did,” she told him, not caring for how they continued to look like fuck ups time and time again. “Lucy was in a rush to save her son, probably opened the cabinet to get epinephrine. Not like she went back and locked it back up,” she told him crossly; reminding him that they had lost people today. It wasn’t a good time to be criticizing. “They still with us?”

  Roxanne shook her head. “We were making rounds as you suggested and found them dead in their room. Must have just happened because they hadn’t reanimated yet. We took care of it,” she said, nodding to another woman that was standing just out of range. By the way the lady was talking to Hooper, she guessed she was his wife—or wanted to be.

  “That’s too bad. They just introduced themselves to me, seemed like a nice couple,” she said mournfully. She barely knew them, but at this point any loss of life was nothing but a waste.

  “Couple?” Mark asked her curiously. “Those two weren’t a couple. They were just a couple of kids we found smoking pot at a rest stop. Could do nothing but talk about which girls they missed from their high school the entire trip here. Trust me, those two were not gay.”

  “But—,” she started.

  John shook his head. “They probably went to the med lab to score some drugs and were taken by surprise when they saw you. Probably threw that shit at you to distract you from what they were really doing down there.”

  She sighed. She had been fooled by it all right. They looked eager to help.
But then she told them to go find John and the man had been with her for the last two hours; they had never shown. “Well, we’ll put them with the others. Hold a service tomorrow once Todd is back. They got my mother and they’re heading to the airport now. Should be on their way back soon.”

  “What’s he doing here?” Roxanne asked, nodding to Vitarius.

  She hadn’t told many people what her plans were and she wanted to keep it that way. Before the young man could answer she stepped in, “his people are going to take up residence in Compound 3. I asked that he come along so I could show him the lay out. Make it easier for them to adjust and all.”

  The woman nodded, not doubting her for a second. Why would she lie? Mark didn’t say anything to contradict her and knew that sooner or later there was going to be a harsh discussion over it. Well, if things went as planned it would be worth it. Then again, not much was going right today and she had to find a way to break that streak right now.

  “I’m just going to continue the tour. If anything else happens, hit me up on my commlink. I’m on channel 3,” she informed her and started to walk past.

  Mark stepped forward and kissed his wife, then continued on by her side. John was walking next to Vitarius and Casey had disappeared to God knows where. Well, that was fine. A plane ride would be pretty hard on that ass of his and she hadn’t even considered taking him. The man was good for a joke, but horrible as support in a fight. His favorite weapon was a self-made sniper rifle with a bong attached. How the hell did that even make sense? The only reason she had taken him along before was that she was running out of options and now she had to make another hard choice to supplement the others that had already screwed up her day.

  They went to the communication room and she was gladdened by the lack of blood on the floor. It had been buffed free and the room smelled like bleach. Somebody had been hard at work while they were gone. She stepped over to the intercom system and punched a couple of buttons. “Naima,” she called into the mic.