by Garth Ono
Deputy Doge pulled into the driveway.
"Go around back and don’t let any escape!" Kate shouted to Randy as she hurried to the back of the Defender. She put the sawed off shotgun over her shoulder, then stuffed the pistol in her back pocket, before pulling the machete out of its sheath. "Take your machete." She pointed at the rotters down the street. "Be careful. Three more on the way."
She tried the front door. It was locked. So she used the pistol to smash a hole in the glass part of the door, reached a hand through, and unlocked it. Charging in, she looked right into their formal dining. The table we overturned, chairs scattered. Heading toward the screams, Kate found three zombies fighting each other to get at a closed door. From the layout, she guessed it was the master bedroom. The door was broken and would give way at any second, but she took a second to check the other side of the house. There were three bedrooms, doors open. The kids' rooms were empty.
"Randy, they are all in the master bedroom!"
All three zombies turned on her. One took a step toward her until the homeowner shouted from behind the door.
"Kate! Help!" Gail cried from the behind the door.
They turned back to the door. Kate almost shouted to draw them away, but saw opportunity instead. She lifted the machete as she advanced quickly and quietly.
"Hai!" she cried, hacking through the first zombie's neck and deep into his shoulder. The head didn't come off, but the spine was severed. The rotter dropped like a rock and took the machete with him. "Hey, rotters! Come with me, rotters!"
Kate backed away quickly, the two remaining zombies following. She wondered where Randy could be. Shouldn't he be inside by then? Then she heard two gunshots in the backyard.
"No help there," she muttered, bringing the sawed off shotgun into play. "Hey, zombie, zombie, zombie, come play with me!"
Three more zombies came running through the front door.
"Bloody hell!" Kate cried, ducking and darting to the right. All five of them rushed her.
"Randy!" she cried. "Help!"
She shot the first one in the chest, before the rotter behind him bashed her weapon to the side and she wasted a shot into thin air. The double-barrel broke open automatically. Cursing, she turned and ran into the kitchen. After getting the kitchen island between them, she ejected the spent rounds and reloaded. The other side of the kitchen went into the dining room, where two zombies had gone to come at her from a different direction.
"Oh, that's just lovely," she snarled, turning on the two following her. "Die rotters!"
Kate gave them both barrels. One shot in each of their chests, sending them flying back out of the kitchen. She reloaded as the two rotters came at her from the dining room. She unloaded on them with both barrels.
Kate saw her chance to escape. She dashed out of the kitchen, going between two zombies struggling to their feet in the family room. The first one she shot was recovered and coming at her.
"Kate!" Randy called. "Where are you?"
A zombie grabbed her long hair.
"In trouble."
Her feet went out from under her. Kate landed on her back, and the zombie hung onto her hair. He kept pulling, keeping her off balance while another jumped on her. She lashed out with a foot, deflecting him to the side and past her. Then she spun around on the floor to face the other, rolled to one knee, and kicked him in the knee.
She didn't break his knee, but he went down. He still didn't release her hair, so she used the sawed off shotgun like a cudgel and shattered his wrist. The slayer was able to yank her hair free, but not soon enough. Another zombie wrapped his arms around her, pinning Kate's arms to her side.
He lifted her off the floor and sank his teeth into her shoulder.
"Bloody hell dammit all!"
Randy charged into the backdoor, machete flashing. That distracted the other zombies for a second. She lifted both legs up before her, and then drove her heels down and back into the zombie's legs.
The undead might not feel pain, but those hard heels smashed into his knees. At least one shattered and they went down. The impact with the floor broke his hold and she able to break free. Kate rolled to her knees, dug out two shotgun shells, and reloaded.
"Back to hell for you," she snarled, pressing the barrel to his Adam's apple, and pulled the trigger. He was all of the way dead again. Then she rose to her feet, ran to the next zombie, and thrust the barrel into his throat. "Bye-bye."
The shot blew him away, and she stopped to look around. Randy had killed two others. That left one. He went after Randy, arms flailing. The deputy was forced backwards to the back door. Kate rushed up to the zombie's side and blew his neck away. Kate and Randy just stood there for a moment, huffing and puffing, staring incredulously at each other.
"Is it always like this?" he asked.
"No," she said. Kate rubbed her shoulder. The rotter bit her hard enough to break the skin. "Otherwise I'd be dead."
"You're not going to turn into a rotter because he bit you, are you?"
"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "I doubt I'll even have a scar."
Gail called through the door, sounding worried but hopeful. She wanted to know if it was safe yet. Kate told to her to stay locked up until they swept the house.
"How many rotters did the smugglers bring over?"
They started going from room to room.
"Fifty, I think," she said.
"I killed two in the backyard, and two inside," Randy said. "How many did you kill?"
"I killed four, as well," she said. "I lost count, but I'm pretty sure close to fifty have been killed since the Hank's Landing incident."
Of course, she had her doubts about the Lone Oak zombies. So there were still some loose in the area. Kate was confident they'd show up sooner rather than later.
They didn't find any more zombies. She and Randy dragged the corpses out of the house and backyard, and lined them up by the highway. Kate sent her pictures and e-mail. And then she went back inside.
Randy helped her bag the heads. He even let her have credit for the zombies he killed. They were loaded in the back of her pickup before they returned inside.
"Gail," she called through the door. "It's pretty bloody and gory out here. I think it could be too much for the children. Can you get them to go straight into the garage? Your car is there and you can leave with them."
Kate and Randy held up sheets so the kids couldn't see into the blood-splattered kitchen. Gail ushered them out of the master bedroom and through the garage door. After putting them in her SUV, she came back in the house to survey the damage.
Kate cringed when she gawked at the kitchen.
"I'm afraid it might be worse than it looks," Kate said. "I was forced to use my shotgun, so…" She looked around guiltily. "I'm going to wave my usual service fee. I'm very sorry about this."
"Nonsense," Gail said, looking quite ill. "It's just wood and plaster. You saved our lives. For that, we'll be eternally grateful. What's the fee?"
"It's a $25 a head service call fee," Randy said. "Eight rotters, so $200. You can make the check out to Kate Brokenshire or Got Zombies."
Kate shot him a sharp look.
"I'm not going to let you shortchange yourself, Kate."
Gail wrote a check for $500. Kate objected, but she insisted. Since the Normans were pretty wealthy, she relented. It was actually kind of exciting to get another tip.
After the family left to stay with friends until after the cleanup, Kate and Randy went their separate ways. Randy was on duty, so she headed straight over to the sheriff's office to collect her bounty. Sheriff Coleman looked astonished, but he wrote her a check for $400.
Kate was in the bank drive through, waiting for her deposit receipt, when another call came in. It was unknown. Again, she wanted to let it go to voice mail. She was exhausted, sleepy, and aching all over. But she couldn't do it.
"I'll be glad when this is all over," she muttered. Kate answered, "Got Zombies, Kate Brokenshire speaking. H
ow may I help you?"
"Hi, Kate. This is Max," he said, sounding frighteningly smug and self-satisfied. "I have someone you know. His name is Walter Rose. Do not call the police. He's dead the second I see or hear any sign of a cop. And if you're not standing before me in five minutes, I'm going to spill his guts all over the floor."
Her breath caught. Max ended the call. Her eyes started burning and her world spun sickeningly. That scenario never occurred to her. Kate had no doubt Max would follow through. He might even kill Mr. Rose if she did as told and turned herself over to them. Still, she had no choice.
Chapter 24
Kate cruised up Sherwood. It was a beautiful day. A beautiful day to die?
Mr. Rose's house was already in sight, on the right. No one was out doing yard work for a change. She wondered what a gruesome murder would do to the residents of that street, to Tennyson as a whole. A lot of people said her job would put her in an early grave.
She didn't see any strange cars in the driveway or on the street. Mr. Rose's vehicles were nowhere in sight, so presumably in his attached garage.
"They are not going to be happy campers when they find out I already gave the money to the sheriff," she muttered, and then turned into the driveway. Kate noticed movement in one of the windows and she drove past the house and parked in front of the carriage house. "Sorry, Mum and Dad."
Slipping out of the pickup, Kate turned to the house. Max came out the back door, pistol in hand. She lifted her hands up in the classic gesture of submission and surrender. A smug smile spread across his face. Max made a motion with the pistol, telling her to approach.
Kate grimaced and started walking toward him. She moved slowly, reluctantly, and stopped halfway to the smuggler.
"Let me see Mr. Rose first," she said. "If he's alive, you can have me and let him go."
"That doesn't work for me," Max said. "First off, it's already too late to save yourself. One wrong move and you're dead. Secondly, if I release him now the old man would just run and call the police."
Her body tensed up. She so hated surrendering to certain death if she at least couldn't save someone. Max didn't seem like the kind of man who would leave any witnesses behind. Mr. Rose was as good as dead already. And so was she.
"Can't we work out some kind of deal?" she asked.
"Yes. You give me back the money," he said. "And I'll do whatever I want with you."
"I was thinking more in terms of leaving Mr. Rose tied up here, while I take you to the money," she said. "That way you'll have both me and the money."
He started moving toward her. She looked left and right, her fight or flight instincts kicking in hard. Every fiber of her existence screamed for her to run. Adrenaline pumped, flooding her body and senses. She started trembling with pent up energy.
"Very noble of you," he said. "Come here. Once I have you inside, then we can negotiate terms."
Kate's only hope was a neighbor would see them, with her hands up in the air, and realized there was a problem. Maybe Max would be forced to let her and Mr. Rose go if the police arrived and surrounded the house. Maybe he'd realize she didn't call the police if they came in like the cavalry, instead of sneaking up on them.
Maybe the smugglers would just shoot her and her landlord, too.
Max was just feet away by that time. She took a step back, panic really getting a grip on her. He stopped, taking on a more consoling demeanor. If he thought that would fool her then he was sadly mistaken.
"Mr. Rose doesn't have anything to do with any of this. He's just a harmless old man," she said. "Let him go. Do one decent thing in your life, for Christ's sake."
Max extended his gun hand, pistol aimed at her head. His eyes narrowed, and Kate thought she was about to die.
"Kneel."
"Please."
"Kneel!"
Kate slowly, carefully got down on her knees before him. Max pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket. Moving to her quickly, he pressed the gun to her head as he shifted around behind her. She groaned miserably when he snapped the cuffs around her left wrist. That arm was twisted around behind her, and then Max pulled her right back and around.
She couldn't breathe for long seconds after he locked the handcuffs around her right wrist. Kate was caught. There was no escaping them now. She'd never felt so helpless, so vulnerable in her life. And then Max grabbed a fistful of hair at the back of her head, and jerked the slayer to her feet.
"Start walking," he commanded her, giving Kate a shove toward the back door.
That was the first time Kate had ever entered Mr. Rose's house. She entered through a mud room. It was as neat and orderly as she expected from him. She could feel the change in moisture and temperature, remembering he had central air and heat.
Her footsteps were loud on the perfectly polished hardwood floors. The kitchen, to her surprise, looked circa 1975. She really expected him to have a modern gourmet kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. He didn't even have a dishwasher.
Kate passed through the kitchen, entering the dining room. It was almost as big as her apartment, with a table that seated twelve. Mr. Rose did have four children, who all had four or five children. The family gathered there for most major holidays. She thought about his children and grandchildren, and how terrible it would be if she failed to find a way to save him.
Mr. Rose was in the middle of the formal living room. They had him tied to a dining room chair. He was gagged and blindfolded, and shaking like a leaf. That's when her eyes finally overflowed with tears.
The room was opulently decorated. There was a decided feminine touch to everything. She assumed his late wife was responsible. Kate could believe he never changed a thing since her passing. For all of his gruff outward demeanor, she'd seen him with his family. He was a teddy bear at heart.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Rose. I never wanted this to happen," she said. "I'll do everything I can to see you released unharmed."
"Congratulations, old man," Max said. "Despite my doubts, your lovely tenant values your life above her own. You might survive this after all, but that really depends on how cooperative Kate decides to be."
Brody stepped up to her. Kate watched him warily. His face was terribly bruised and discolored. She remembered the fight in the SUV. The fury in his eyes said he was thinking about the same thing.
"I have something for you," Brody said. He cocked his fist, and punched her in the nose. "Let's see how you like a broken nose, bitch!"
Chapter 25
Watching Kate writhe on the floor, blood gushing from her nose, gave Max such a rush. What she didn't realize was it was just beginning. Their first objective was to force her to give them the money. Once the money was in hand, he would unleash Brody, Carl, and Nolan on her ass.
Brody wanted to ruin her face because of what she did to him. Nolan wanted to break some bones, because she shot him during their first dust up. And Carl wanted revenge on her from killing his best friend, Mike. If she survived them, then Max would carve her up until she died from shock and blood loss.
Maybe, before she died, he would make her watch him slit Old Man Rose's throat from ear to ear. There was no way he'd let that old man live. Both of them would eventually be taken across the river, allowed to resurrect as zombies, and be sold to the Zombie Mafia of some major city.
"Get me a chair for our new guest," Max said. "And some rope."
He grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled Kate to her feet. She was a little unsteady for a second, but quickly settled down. To his surprise, she glared at him instead of cowered in fear. Did the punch in the face change her somehow? Or was she bluffing?
Carl brought a chair in from the dining room and placed it directly behind her. Max pushed her back to sit in the chair as Brody came forward with some rope. She still glared at him, so he lifted an open hand to slap the defiance out of her. In a heartbeat her knees rose to her chest, feet came up, and she thrust them straight into him.
"Bitc
h," Max cried as he doubled up and was forced back against Brody.
Carl and Nolan charged her. Max watched in astonishment as she ducked under Carl's right cross, and then dropped low to kick Nolan's feet away.
"Aaiiee!" Nolan screamed, the agony etched in his face as he landed on his shoulder. "God dammit, I think the bitch broke my shoulder."
Max ground his teeth. How as that girl able to cause so much pain and grief?
Carl moved in on her from behind. Max tried to catch and hold her eyes to distract her. For a second he thought he'd succeeded, but she spun to face Carl at the last second. Her knee came up and across, blocking Carl's attempt for a low punch. Max attacked as she sent a roundhouse to Carl's head.
She darted to the side, but ran into Brody who gathered her up in a big bear hug and squeezed. Kate cried out, back bowed, and legs kicking uselessly. Max started to grin, but she stopped struggling and head butted Brody in his broken nose.
Brody dropped her, clutching his brutalized face yet again. Kate retreated, keeping a wary eye on everyone. Nolan was out of the fight, sitting on the floor and cradling the arm of his broken shoulder. Brody recovered quickly.
"Stop," Max shouted as Carl and Brody advanced on her, backing Kate against a wall. "We're letting our anger and contempt for a girl overload our brains. She's obviously had martial arts training."
Max pointed his pistol at her head. Her eyes widened, and then she looked dejected again. Carl and Brody each seized an arm, which reawakened her defiance. She was dragged over to the chair, forced to sit in it, and held there.
"We have to stop looking at her as a girl. She's using our contempt for her, and our arrogance against us," Max continued. "She's a dangerous opponent. Treat her as such."
Max moved behind her, pulled his skinning knife, and pressed its keen edge to her neck. Kate's breath caught, she stiffened, and didn't move. Carl and Brody went to work. They used rope to bind her ankles to the front legs of the chair. Then the handcuffs were removed and her wrists tied to the arms of the chair.
