Chasing Colorado: (The Zombie Zovels #2)

by D. K Lake

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Well it was either this, Mr. Moose back there, and you said no... or that snake that apparently followed me back to camp.”

  “What!” I said, searching around my feet, horrified to see a snake slithering its way toward me.

  Drew quickly but gently pushed me out of the way, and stalked over to the snake, and picked it up.”

  “Snake handler as well?” I said.

  “Man of many talents.” he said, looking for a rock.

  I turned away as he killed it.

  “Is it dead? I hate snakes.”

  “Yeah, it's dead.” he said, throwing it into the grass.

  Then he walked back over to the deer.

  “I can't believe you killed this just for us two to eat, it's huge.”

  “It's not that big, it's a young un'”

  “A baby deer? It just gets worse.”

  “Stop complaining and make yourself useful.”

  He wanted me to make a fire while he skinned Bambi. He handed me the pocket watch before he got started.

  “5.20pm already, how did it get so late? I guess this will be dinner instead.” I said, looking at the deer.

  “This is gonna take a while.” he said, dragging the thing over to a tree.

  I built a fire, trying not to look as Drew hung the thing up in a nearby tree with the rope we had taken from the barn. I had to look away when he started making slits and skinning it. I entertained myself by chucking stones into the stream and keeping the fire burning, waiting patiently. Drew came back covered in blood and washed his hands in the stream.

  Drew cooked the meat, I had no clue when it came to cooking. The only thing I knew how to cook was soup, warming up soup to be precise, and warming up Pop Tarts when I was at home. Mom did all the cooking, even if some of it was inedible. She didn't like people in the kitchen when she was being creative. So I never learned to cook. I'm sure that was something I would have learned eventually from my mom if things hadn't turned to crap.

  Chestnut settled down on the grass while we ate in silence. Drew wasn't a chatty person anyway, but I could tell there was something on his mind bothering him.

  “Is it okay?” he asked.

  I didn't want to admit I liked eating baby deer, so I simply said, “Yeah, it's okay I guess.”

  A few minutes later Drew broke the silence again.

  “So do you really love this Lane guy?”

  I thought it was strange he was bringing this back up again, hadn't I already told him this?

  “I guess.”

  “You guess?” He said it in a way which made it sound like he was annoyed with me.

  Jeez, what is with him today? He's being so frigging weird. I thought, looking across the fire at him.

  “I dunno, we were together for a while, living together outside, sharing everything, we just got used to each other and he grew on me.”

  “He grew on you?”

  “Lane and I are from different worlds.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning, Lane liked the attention, he had a lot of friends, we were different. Lane was the popular one at school and I wasn't, I was more of a loner type. At lunch, I would have my earbuds stuffed in my ears, and I usually had my nose stuck in a book. I couldn't be bothered with all those fake friends, and half the school thought I was this freak and steered clear of me anyway so...”

  “So you weren't friends before?”

  “No, we never spoke.”

  “So you think he's your soul mate?”

  Again, what is with these questions?

  I thought about it for a moment and looked up at him.

  “Do you believe in soul mates?”

  Instead of answering me his gaze shifted to the pendant hanging around my neck, and he didn't say anything else on the subject. Had I just imagined that conversation?

  Something flew into my face and I swatted my cheek instinctively, and then regretted it as my cheek stung.

  “I am so out of my comfort zone right now, surrounded by creepy crawlies, insects, frickin' snakes.” I shivered. “Can we please sleep in a tree tonight? I hate all these bugs. Camping on the ground is my worst nightmare.”

  “What? No way! We're surrounded by the great outdoors, this is the best thing there is, give me this anytime over staying indoors.”

  Another bug flew in front of my face and I waved it away.

  “Ugh, distract me, please, tell me something, anything, tell me about where you come from.”

  “It's hot.”

  “Hotter than here?”

  “Uh yeah, it's hotter than here.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How can you live in this heat and not burn?”

  “You just get used to it.”

  “What did you do in your spare time?” I asked, scratching my back as it felt as though a bug had just crawled up my T-shirt.

  “Shootin', fishin', going out on the boat in the swamps looking for gators.”

  “Gators?”

  “Alligators.”

  “Oh. Have you ever fallen out of the boat and nearly being eaten by a gator?”

  “Um, yeah I've fallen out a few times, mainly 'cause I was drunk but no gators wanted me.” he laughed.

  “Have you even been bitten or close to being bitten?”

  “I think if I had I'd be missing a hand. But no, I've never been bitten and no one I know has, but we do have this one gator that's a bit famous in Dodge.”

  “What makes him so famous?”

  “'Cause in Dodge Lake everyone's heard of him, let's just say if you lived out near the bayou and your cat went missing it was probably because Snowser had gotten it.”

  “Snowser?” I laughed. “And have you ever seen this Snowser?”

  “Just the once. He's an impressive beast. Biggest I've ever seen.”

  I took a sip of my water, Drew was just finishing the other Coke can.

  “So... did you have a girlfriend back home... or still have one... waiting for you?”

  Where did that come from? Why did I want to know? Just making conversation. I told myself.

  “Nothin' that stuck.”

  “Nothing that stuck.” I repeated. “Which means what in boy language?”

  “It means, I hooked up with a few girls but none of them ever stayed, there was this one girl, but she was a massive whore.”

  Oookay.

  “Well, you must be doing something wrong.” I said.

  He looked up at me and crossed his arms.

  “You're not a serial killer, are you?”

  “No, I'm not a serial killer.” he said with a crooked smile.

  “Gay?”

  “Gay?” he laughed, slightly shocked by the question. “I just told you I hooked up with girls.”

  “Yeah, but that could just be a cover.” I said playfully.

  “So you think I'm gay? And I apparently look like this uh... I can't remember the name now, Lena did tell me.”

  “Oh,” I laughed and covered my face. “Lena told you?”

  “Sort of, I wormed it out of her, I wanted to know why you girls were giggling and lookin' at me when we were back at the prison.”

  “So not gay?”

  “No.”

  “It's just you have nice hair.”

  It was true, Drew had nice hair, it was short at the sides and the longer part flopped perfectly over his forehead, no wispy bits, no split ends, it looked as though a professional had done it, and I had noticed in the mornings if we were near a water source he'd wet it down and run his hands through it to make it look just right. He couldn't be bothered to wash but he always made sure his hair looked good.

  “What?”

  “It just looks well groomed, and green... why do you have green hair?”

  “I like the color green. And Lena was good with a pair of scissors.”

  “Of course, green, makes sense you'd dye your hair the same color. Maybe I should do mi
ne.”

  “What's your favorite color?” he asked.

  “Turquoise.”

  “Favorite band?” he asked.

  “Fall Out Boy, you?”

  “Hmm, I think it's gotta be Puddle Of Mudd.”

  I nodded, I had heard their music so I knew who he was talking about, I think everyone had heard Blurry before.

  Drew rubbed his hand over his unshaven jaw. It was completely smooth when we left the prison, I assumed he carried a razor in his rucksack, but he had lost his belongings like I had. I noticed he was scratching his chin more and more each day, I don't think he liked the stubble.

  After dinner, I yawned louder than necessary, looking around at where I was going to sleep. We had stayed next to the stream, it was so nice having fresh water to drink and wash our hands in. I was hoping for a quick wash in the stream in the morning, maybe I could send Drew out hunting at first light so I could have some privacy. I felt safer now having the horse. If anything came along I could just ride off.

  “I think I'll sleep next to that tree on the slope, the grass is too long down here, I can't see what's slithering through it.”

  Drew chuckled.

  “You won't be laughing when one slithers up your leg and you find a snake in your pants.”

  Whatever Drew was chewing on flew out of his mouth. He burst out laughing and I went beet-red at how wrong that sounded. Drew thought it was hilarious, though. I waited for him to calm down before I spoke again. “Do you think you should take that down?” I asked, looking at the remains of the deer carcass still hanging from the tree.

  “Yeah I'll deal with it in a minute.”

  “Where are you gonna sleep?” I asked.

  “Wherever you are.” he answered.

  I tried to stop my lips from curving up into a smile but it wasn't happening.

  “Uh.. will Chestnut be okay?”

  “You named her?”

  “Well, yeah, I thought we should give her a name seeing as she's coming with us. She is coming with us, right? You're not planning on eating her for lunch tomorrow?”

  “No, I draw the line at eatin' a horse.”

  “Good.”

  “I'm just gonna put out the fire and I think I'll clean up in the stream, then I'll join you.”

  I left Drew by the fire and walked up the slope and got settled next to the tree. I was warm but I felt vulnerable, afraid of being bitten by a snake or more bugs, so I yanked my hoodie on and pulled up the hood. While I was organizing my bag and turning it into a makeshift pillow, I looked back to see Drew with his T-shirt off.

  My eyes lingered a little longer than they should have on his defined muscles. For a skinny person, he sure had a lot of muscle. He caught me watching him and I felt my cheeks flush red. I looked down at the ground and fiddled with my boots.

  “Hey,” he said, coming to a stop in front of me, still shirtless.

  “You got that shower gel?”

  “Um.. yeah, it's uh, it's in here.” I stuttered, trying to get the bag open but I had suddenly forgotten how to work basic zips. I heard Drew chuckle under his breath but he quickly stopped and cleared his throat.

  “Here,” I said, holding it out to him, trying not to stare at his washboard abs that were begging to be touched. I even caught a glimpse of a skull tattoo peeking out from the top of his pants which were hanging ridiculously low on his hips, it was one of those Day of the Dead skulls surrounded by flowers.

  “Can I borrow the deodorant as well?”

  “I thought you didn't wash?” I said, hiding my face while searching for the deodorant that had suddenly vanished.

  “Chuck us some clean socks and grab those boxers as well, unless you're planning on wearing them.”

  “Err no. I washed my underwear out back at the cafe and let it dry overnight.”

  “Did you? You never said.”

  “I didn't know I had to inform you about my underwear.”

  He took the floral boxer shorts from me while I continued looking for the deodorant.

  “I think I'll wash mine out and let them air dry. These are too small, how tight does he want his undies?”

  I could feel my face getting redder and redder, and in the end, I just tipped the bag upside down and jiggled all the contents out. The deodorant fell out along with a load of tampons, which only added to my red face. He quickly scooped up the deodorant and went back to the stream while I busied myself picking up all the items I had scattered everywhere. After I had reorganized my bag, I looked over to see Drew crouched beside the water's edge, washing his socks out. The sun was still setting and the orange and pinks reflected in the stream, and I found myself memorized by the way they glistened in the water. My eyes drifted further down the stream to Drew again... and I noticed the way his muscles rippled on his arms, and the way he had a habit of flipping his hair out of his eyes. I quickly shook those wild thoughts from my head. I think I was having withdrawal symptoms from Lane. I wasn't usually one to ogle boys, no matter how sculpted their abs were, or how the color in their hair made their blue eyes stand out even more, and how good they looked shirtless with such an amazing tan... Alex, what are you thinking? Wait.. what is he doing now...?

  I had to look away when he started unbuttoning his pants. Did he not care that I could see him? Or was he not expecting me to be gawking at him like some hormonal teenage girl.

  I quickly angled myself away from him and faced the tree, resting my head on the bag and pulling my legs up. But the tree was the last thing I wanted to be looking at. I had to resist the urge to take a sneaky peek over my shoulder. Instead, to distract myself, I unzipped the side of the bag where I had put Josh's wallet. I flipped it open and looked at the photograph, reminding myself what Josh looked like. With each day that passed, it felt as though I was forgetting what everyone looked like. I was used to seeing them every day, now I was having a hard job remembering what color eyes Lane had, or how Josh looks when he's pulling that stupid grin of his. I slipped the wallet into my hoodie pocket and waited for Drew to come back.

  After a very, very long wait (probably only ten minutes or less), Drew dropped his bag beside the tree and sat down next to my feet with his back against the tree.

  I peeked out from behind my hood.

  “Nearly didn't recognize ya, I thought those dirt marks on your skin were permanent.” I said, looking at how well he scrubbed up, he'd even washed his hair and little drops of water were clinging to the ends. He shook his head, flicking water spots all over me.

  “I thought you were asleep already.” he said.

  Huh, not likely with all the crazy thoughts my mind was producing.

  I shifted around, trying to get comfortable which was nearly impossible with the ground digging into my back, and I accidentally kicked Drew in my attempt to get comfy as he was in my leg space. I tried to stretch my legs but just kicked him again and my boot rested against his leg. I gave up trying to get comfortable and stayed in my scrunched up position not wanting to annoy him by nudging him every two seconds. Then Drew started moving around and a few seconds later he grabbed my legs and lifted them over his lap, then he scooted further along and rested his head back against the tree. Well, at least I was comfortable now, with half my body lying across Drew's lap. He rested a hand on my knee and I looked up at the branches above our heads, pretending Drew's touch on my knee wasn't sending me into meltdown. I dared a peek at him, he had his eyes closed. I didn't think he was asleep, or going to fall asleep anytime soon, I think he only pretended to be asleep to get me to go to sleep, then I think he stayed awake most of the night. The sun had almost disappeared but I could still hear the birds chirping in the trees. I closed my eyes and soon found myself drifting off to sleep.

  I was awoken with a startle. Chestnut was grunting and snorting. I quickly sat up and reached for Drew but he was gone. Chestnut grunted again but I couldn't see her, I could only hear her as it was too dark and the moon was hidden by dark, foreboding clouds. I wouldn't normally reac
h for a flashlight in the middle of the night, but Drew was gone. Again! And Chestnut was restless, something had spooked her, and clearly it was something and not just the wind, which explained why Drew had disappeared to go and investigate.

  I dug around in my bag and found the flashlight just as Chestnut neighed loudly. I quickly shone the light in her direction and caught a glimpse of her back legs as she galloped away having broken free. What was going on? And where was Drew? I reluctantly left my spot under the tree and tread carefully down the slope being very particular about what I was treading on seeing as there were snakes around here. I stopped at the stream and stood shivering in the cold night air. I think I was more freaked out than anything which was causing me to shiver and shake.

  “Drew?” I whispered.

  I shone the light down the stream in the direction Chestnut took off in but something across the stream caught my attention. Something was over there. Maybe it was Drew. I was probably getting worked up over nothing, he'd probably gone for a walk because he couldn't sleep, or he wandered off to use the bathroom. Just as I was about to go back to the tree I heard another noise from across the stream, coming from the trees. It sounded like a tree creaking. Creaking? Trees only creaked in the wind and there was no wind tonight, not even a light gust.

  “Drew?” I said, shining the light across the stream.

  I saw four bodies standing around the deer carcass. Drew had forgotten to get rid of it, and now four deadbies were fighting over it like a piñata, batting it backwards and forwards which was causing the branch above to creak. One of them noticed the flashlight and I wasn't quick enough to turn it off. I backed away and heard something groaning and splashing through the stream behind me. My eyes hadn't adjusted to the dark and I had to switch the flashlight on again. I shone it down the stream again and this time, I picked out the silhouette of more bodies, stumbling this way.

  “Crap!” I said, spinning around and running back to the tree where our bags were.

  “Drew!” I called.

  I had already been spotted, I don't think shouting would make any difference, they knew I was here now.

  I slung my bag over my shoulder and scanned the ground for Drew's bag but I couldn't find it, then I remembered the last time I had seen it was down by the stream when he was getting washed. I spun around and came face to face with... Drew, thank God!