Blood Scourge: Project Deadrise

by Siara Brandt

  “Laith,” she breathed, panting with relief.

  “Here are the keys to the black four wheeler,” Laith said, also breathing hard. Laith pressed something into Makenzie’s hand. “Take it. If you can find the County Line Road, take it about six miles out of town. The signs are still up. You’ll come to the old Methodist cemetery. Go another mile, cross a bridge and you’ll reach the old Bishop place. There are some other people there. You might be safe there.”

  “Laith- “ Daniela grabbed his arm. “Why don’t you come with us? You don’t belong here.”

  He didn’t say yes and he didn’t say no. “I’ll hold them off. Get out of here. Now.”

  But apparently Daniela had convinced him. “I’ll meet up with you later,” he called over his shoulder. “I have to set the horses free.”

  Without another word, Laith left them standing alone in the darkness.

  A dark shadow loomed up from behind one of the cars. Somehow another zombie had gotten past the barricade of cars and junk. Makenzie grabbed Daniela’s hand and ran. They reached the shed. Behind them they heard Tate’s high-pitched voice. “What are they doing? Those two bitches are stealing our four wheeler.”

  “Let them go, Tate.” It was Laith.

  Makenzie hesitated. She was torn.

  “I don’t want any trouble, Tate,” she heard Laith argue. “I just want to let the horses go free. They don’t stand a chance penned up like that. You know that as well as I do.”

  “You don’t know anything.” In the lightning, Tate’s mouth was twisted with fury. “You touch that gate and I’ll shoot you down like a damned dog. I don’t care who you are.”

  “I am going to open that gate,” Laith told him, raising his voice above the thunder.

  A shot rang out.

  “Laith!” Daniela screamed.

  Laith reached out toward the gate. Whether it was to open it and let the horses out, or whether it was to steady himself because he had been shot, there was no way of knowing.

  Tate’s gun went off again. The impact of the second bullet spun Laith halfway around.

  “I warned you, you stupid bastard,” Tate snarled.

  Laith dropped to his knees. He struggled to get back to his feet. The first bullet had hit him high up in the arm just below his shoulder. It wasn’t clear where the second shot had hit him. He sagged forward against the gate.

  “Is he dying?” Mule yelled. “What if he- ” Mule didn’t finish the statement. Tate kicked Laith visciously. Laith stumbled forward and disappeared. Straight over the edge of the ravine.

  Both Makenzie and Daniela stared in horror. Laith was gone. And there was nothing they could do about it.

  “Stop them,” Makenzie heard Tate shout. She had seen briefly, in a flash of lightning. the murderous rage on the man’s face as he turned toward them.

  She turned the key in the ignition and revved up the engine. Immediately, the four wheeler lurched forward and sped down the gravel road.

  Daniela was sobbing. She wanted to go back and help Laith. Makenzie wanted to do that, too. But they would all die in that case. The only thing they could do was to escape so that they could live. Maybe they could come back for Laith. But only if they survived.

  “Stop them,” she heard Tate’s high-pitched yell again, but it was already fading into the distance. As the four wheeler raced down the road, it began to rain.

  Laith felt the first heavy rain drops on his face as he grasped at a tree trunk to try and stop his fall. But the leaves gave way under his boots and he couldn’t get his footing. Branches raked cruelly at his body as he slid down into the ravine. Thorns tore at his clothing. Shot twice, he knew he was bleeding badly. He could feel the warmth of blood running down his body. But survival was a powerful instinct and he mindlessly grasped at a branch to try and save himself. Down below, he could hear distinctly a snarling, growling sound.

  “They shot him.” Daniela was still crying. “He’s down in the ravine. What if he’s still alive? Or what if- “ She covered her face with her hands. “We left him behind and he helped us. He didn’t deserve that.”

  The rain was letting up, but a thick fog was rising. The combination of fog and darkness terrified Makenzie. They’d had to slow down. She couldn’t see twenty feet in front of her. They were surrounded by a world of impenetrable blackness and drifting mist.

  At least they were on the right road. Laith had been right about the signs still being there. Thankfully they had found the County Line Road before the fog got too thick. But here, because they were descending into lowlands and because a creek ran through the bottoms, the fog was getting thicker. Soon, she suspected, the headlights would barely be able to penetrate it. Soon they wouldn’t be able to see anything at all. A zombie could be right on top of them and they wouldn’t even know it until it was too late. They had no choice, however, but to continue on.

  She had to be careful that they didn’t pass the house. It would be easy to do. And if they did- She didn’t want to think about that. They would find the house.

  “Just go slow, Kenzie,” Daniela almost begged behind her. She was still quietly sobbing.

  Go slow? There wasn’t any other option. She could barely see to even stay on the road.

  “I see a headstone,” Daniela cried out, pointing. “There’s another one. This must be the cemetery.”

  Daniela was right. Makenzie saw headstones, too. But a cemetery on a dark foggy night with zombies prowling about was anything but comforting.

  Makenzie prayed that any zombies that might be around wouldn’t be attracted to the lights. Or to the sound of the four wheeler. But, of course, she was wrong.

  Chapter 19

  Without warning, a zombie detached itself from the fog and leaped for them with a feral snarl. Daniela kicked it hard with her boot while Makenzie put a bullet through its forehead. But zombies weren’t the only thing they had to worry about. They could hear another four wheeler in the distance. It came up behind them fast, not stopping until it actually hit the back of the black four wheeler.

  Tate and Mule jumped off the four-wheeler and lunged towards them. Tate grabbed hold of the back of Makenzie’s hair, giving it a vicious yank. At the same time he tried to wrestle the gun out of her hand.

  After a desperate struggle, he did succeed in getting the gun away from her. She tried to get it back, but he gave her a brutal, backhanded blow that almost knocked her off the four wheeler. Then he grabbed her shirtfront with both hands and dragged her from the seat.

  But Makenzie wasn’t going to give in so easily. She was still full of fight. She swung her fist hard and hit Tate in the face.

  ”You damned- ” Tate howled. The rest of his words were muffled as he held his hand over his bleeding nose.

  “What are you doing, Mule?” Tate shouted over his shoulder. “Get that bitch off of there.”

  But Mule didn’t move towards Daniela. He was sucking air into his lungs in deep, hard pants. He doubled over and vomited up a thick stream of dark blood. When he straightened, it was easy to see that he was turning. He looked ghastly pale in the twin white headlights that probed the drifting fog.

  Tate turned suddenly towards Makenzie, who was slowly backing away. He lunged again, swung his rifle butt and knocked her to the ground. She lay in the road unmoving. Whether she was dead or merely unconscious, he didn’t care. He turned his attention elsewhere.

  With both Mule and Laith gone, he realized he would be completely alone. Making a quick decision, he decided that Daniela would be the more controllable companion. He grabbed her arm and jerked her toward him. When she struggled, he drove his fist into her mouth to quiet her. He didn’t expect any more fight from her.

  But he was wrong. Daniela flung herself to the other side of the four wheeler, catching Tate off guard. She bit back a cry of pain when she landed hard on her shoulder. But she managed to roll away from the four wheeler before Mule could get to her.

  “Get back here, damn you,” she heard Tate snarl.<
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  Tate swore furiously as he struggled to get his gun up and keep an eye on Mule at the same time.

  Tate could not chase Daniela, but he fired wildly with his gun. Frantic, Daniela ducked under some brush. And then she ran, all the while knowing she had to somehow find a way to go back for Makenzie. And Laith.

  Makenzie moaned. She turned her head to one side and tried to remember where she was. That’s when she saw Mule heading straight for her. Mule with black blood dripping from his mouth. With his colorless eyes, he was a terrifying apparition in the headlights.

  They had all heard the approach of the four- wheelers. Grey stepped outside with Gabe and Jake to check it out. From the porch they could see the glow of headlights, which from this distance was a blurred haze in the fog. They had no idea what was out there. And then they heard a woman scream.

  Thump.

  Everyone looked up at the ceiling as there was another thump, louder this time.

  “What is going on up there?” Amanda asked.

  “Maybe they’re fighting.”

  Everyone looked at Stefan, who had come into the living room. Fighting sounds would be better than the other kinds of sounds they usually heard coming from the attic.

  Hanna looked down at Stefan and tried to ignore the noises. She gave a tight smile. But something fell heavily against the ceiling above them. And then there was a loud crash. Glass shattered.

  “I think it’s gotten to the point where someone has to say something,” Amanda said and pressed her lips tightly together.

  “I’ll take care of it.” It was Hanna. She picked up a lantern and went up the narrow flight of steps that led to the attic. She jumped back as something hit the door. What was going on in there? She knocked, but no one answered. Were they that oblivious to what was going on around them? She heard a moan. Followed by a deep, prolonged groan. They had let this go on long enough.

  She pushed the door open. Immediately something came crashing through the doorway, lunging straight for her. She flattened herself against the wall and avoided the wildly swinging arms. She watched as Nygel somersaulted heavily down the wooden steps. Only it wasn’t Nygel anymore. He had turned.

  That had been close. Too close. It was a miracle that he hadn’t dragged Hanna down the stairs with him. And if the lantern had dropped, the house could have burned down.

  The steps were covered with blood. And Nygel was at the bottom of them, thrashing around wildly, trying to get to his feet.

  From inside the attic something else staggered toward her. Catra. Who had also turned.

  Hanna slammed the door shut and then looked down just as Nygel got to his feet. She screamed a belated warning.

  Nygel looked up at her, focusing, but he couldn’t climb the stairs. His arm was clearly broken and hanging limply at his side. But that didn’t stop him. He turned and focused on Stefan who was trapped and backing up against the hallway wall. Stefan did the only thing he could do. He ran into the kitchen.

  Hanna flew down the steps and saw the back door just closing. Her gut clenched in fear. Stefan was gone.

  She heard a gunshot. Ana had taken Nygel out in the kitchen.

  Hanna ran outside and called for Stefan.

  “Here,” she heard. She heard the sob in his voice. He must be terrified. She would have to go to him wherever he was.

  She found him by one of the sheds. But there were staggers around. She could hear them moving around in the bushes. The staggers seemed to know they were there. Hanna and Stefan moved off to their left, away from the snarls.

  Another more distant shot rang out. Hanna heard shouts, too. She thought she heard a woman’s voice. There were people out there in the foggy darkness. By the time she heard another gunshot, Hanna had already realized her mistake. She had gotten completely disoriented. She didn’t know in which direction the house lay. They were lost in the fog. And they were weaponless.

  “Ana,” Hanna called. But the sound of her voice didn’t carry. It was as if the fog muffled everything.

  They couldn’t be that far from the house. But Ana would have answered her if she had heard her.

  She kept holding onto Stefan’s hand. He must have been through this enough times to know to be silent. He wasn’t making a sound. She was sure the house was before her. But she heard snarling in that direction. Close by. She moved off in the opposite direction.

  Luckily they found themselves at the other shed.

  “We can go inside and wait there until morning or until someone comes to get us,” she whispered to Stefan.

  There was at least a door on this shed.

  But when they reached the shed they found that the door was padlocked. Hanna froze in stunned shock. Who had put the lock on? And when?

  Something slammed hard against the wooden door. A stagger. There was a stagger locked inside. Had Grey given in to Catra? Or had Catra defied Grey’s rules? Whatever the reason, there was no chance of them staying safe there.

  They couldn’t stay in the other shed. From here it wouldn’t be hard to locate, but with no door on it, if a stagger found its way inside, they would be trapped.

  There were clearly staggers between them and the house. They were cut off. But there was an old tractor with a glass, enclosed cab. It wasn’t too far away. If they could get inside it, maybe they would be high enough to be safe for a while-

  Another hissing snarl nearby decided the matter for her. They didn’t hesitate. They began to make their way to where she thought the tractor was located.

  But they didn’t reach the tractor. And they weren’t safe.

  Grey turned to go back to the house the instant he heard the shot.

  He reached the porch, panting as he asked, “What do you mean she’s out there?”

  His heart slammed into his ribs. Dread immediately clenched at his gut.

  He was standing on the porch with Ana, but Hanna was nowhere in sight. And neither was Stefan. They could be anywhere out there in the fog. How far he couldn’t even begin to know. How would Hanna even see a stagger coming at her? Ana said she wasn’t armed.

  ”Hanna!” he yelled.

  But there was no answer.

  Daniela had gotten away from him, too. And the other bitch was still lying on the ground. But this one would do. Tate had been backing away from Mule and he hadn’t expected to see another woman. She surprised him coming right up on him that way. She had a kid with her. But he didn’t need the kid. He just wanted her.

  She was standing in the farthest reach of the headlights, looking like a ghost in the fog. Tate lunged forward, grabbing the front of the woman’s shirt.

  Hanna fought hard. Her adrenaline kicked in and she automatically used some of the self-defense moves that Grey had taught her. Stefan got in a few good kicks, too.

  But Tate was ruthless. And he was armed. After howling in pain from Stefan’s kicks, Tate knocked Hanna down to the ground and pointed his weapon at her chest. Stefan froze, afraid to make a move.

  The scene held as lightning flashed and thunder rolled. Tate was still enraged that two women had made off with one of his possessions and had already gotten the best of him. He didn’t intend that it would happen again. He leaned over and hit Hanna again with his fist. Just to put some fear into her. He grunted with satisfaction when he saw the blood from her split lip.

  Blinding pain exploded in Hanna’s face. She had heard Grey call her name from a distance, but she was thinking that Grey wouldn’t be able to find her in the foggy darkness. She shook her head instinctively, trying to clear it. Her thoughts seemed as foggy as the night air. Where was Stefan? Grey had to help Stefan. Because she wasn’t able to do it.

  And suddenly he was there. Grey was standing there. With his camouflaged clothes, and his weapons strapped to his body. Another gun was leveled in his two hands. And he had a look on his face that awed her.

  “Who the hell are you?” Tate growled, snapping his face around towards Grey. But he didn’t let go of Hanna.

  “Th
e man who’s going to kill you if you don’t let her go. Right now,” Grey vowed in a voice cold as the iceberg that hit the Titanic.

  Tate’s lips twisted in a sneer. “No, I don’t think so.” Tate tightened his hold on Hanna’s shirt. And on the weapon aimed at her chest.

  “I’ll take her with me for security. You can have her back when I’m safely away from here.”

  In the stark and colorless light, Hanna could see the muscle flex in Grey‘s rigid jaw. He was like a figure in a dream. Like a superhero suddenly emerging from the mist. He looked lethal. And larger than life.

  The scene held. Tate hissed another, more profane warning through clenched teeth. He swung his gun and said that Grey would die if he did not back off.

  “Then we’ll both die together,” Grey promised in a voice that was soft as the mist surrounding them.

  Something big lunged out of the fog. A horse. It startled all of them. It headed straight for Tate. Tate was knocked heavily to the ground. His gun went off but the shot went wild.

  Laith was on the horse, riding bareback. He was half slumped over, bleeding from his wounds. But he was alive. And he had Daniela with him.

  Mule came staggering out of the foggy darkness. Grey couldn’t get a clear shot at him. Tate had gotten to his feet and he was in the way.

  Tate screamed as Mule lunged for him. He couldn’t get his gun leveled on a new target in time. Mule had already torn a huge, bloody chunk out of Tate’s chest.

  The look of shocked surprise on Tate‘s face was frozen in the headlights as he stared down in disbelief at the hole in his chest. Blood spurted as he dropped to his knees. Mule, in a feeding frenzy, leaped for Tate’s throat and the two men grappled in a life and death struggle that was over almost as soon as it had begun. Grey’s gun roared. Once. Twice.