“It would’ve been easier to let me kill you back at the diner,” Tosha said. “Get up… slowly.”
When the woman started to stand, Tosha shook the axe. “On your knees.”
The woman complied but she didn’t look happy. The blood on the side of her head was dripping between her fingers as she tried to cover it.
“Just kill me already,” the woman said.
“I intend to. But first: who the fuck are you?”
“Dana. You people attacked our encampment.”
Tosha shook her head. “I was minding my own business in the diner when you people attacked us. I don’t even know where you came from,” Tosha said.
“Toledo,” Dana said.
“I don’t care. None of this matters. You’re the enemy,” Tosha said.
Dana shook her head. “I’m not. We can work together. We’re both still alive, right? We can join forces. Two strong women can accomplish so much.”
“You expect me to trust you?”
Dana put her bloodied hand out to Tosha.
“If we can’t trust the living, who can we trust?”
Tosha snorted and put the axe head over her shoulder, keeping it loose in her hand so she could swing at a moment’s notice. She certainly didn’t trust the woman.
“I survived this long by only trusting half of myself, if that makes any sense,” Tosha said.
Dana laughed, forced and too hard. “It doesn’t make any sense. Where are you from?”
“Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Born and raised.”
“I’ve been to Philly and Pittsburgh,” Dana said.
“Again… I don’t really give a shit where you’ve been to or where you came from. This conversation is over,” Tosha said.
“I don’t want to die,” Dana said and actually curled her lips in a pout.
Tosha knew that bullshit might work on horny guys but it wasn’t working on her.
“Were you going to attack me inside the stockroom?” Tosha asked.
“I wanted to talk to you. I followed you into the mall. Your footprints in the dirt were easy to follow. I just wanted to talk and see if we could work together,” Dana said.
“We can’t.”
Dana shrugged and went back to covering her wound when Tosha refused to take her hand.
“Now what?” Dana asked.
Tosha put the axe back down into her other hand, the cold head slapping her palm. She was about to explain to Dana how she was about to die and ask for any last words when she saw the movement in the main area of the mall outside the store.
“We got company,” Tosha said quietly. She looked at Dana. “Do not get off your knees or I will kill you. Got it?”
Dana nodded.
Tosha knew she probably had a weapon or two on her but right now zombies were the priority. And from the shadows it could be close to a dozen.
The noise and the flashlight beam had gotten their attention and Tosha cursed herself for not just killing the bitch and taking her stuff.
Eight zombies were closing in when Tosha stepped out, shining the flashlight to make sure there weren’t stragglers following.
Tosha swung the axe sideways, aiming for the neck and connecting. The putrid head hit the floor seconds before Tosha was on to the next zombie, hitting it in the chest with the wooden end to push it back. She needed to keep moving and take them out one at a time.
She glanced back towards the store and wasn’t surprised to see Dana, using two long knives, coming to join in the fun.
Tosha would deal with her after the battle.
The next zombie stepped up and she only managed to cut a gash in its chest, putrid chunks of flesh hitting the floor. It was hard for Tosha to swing the axe one-handed while using the flashlight to keep them in sight. She made sure she moved away from Dana and kept her in sight when possible.
Dana had taken the first zombie she encountered down and stabbed it multiple times in the head before moving on to the next one.
The two women made quick work of the undead, keeping their distance from the other while they did their business.
Dana smiled and put her knives away, but Tosha could see they were loose and could easily be pulled in a second.
“I enjoyed that. Back with the group I ran with, they wanted to hide all the time. Restart civilization. I told them you can’t do it until you clean out the zombies, right?” Dana was trying to act casual and keep her distance.
“It keeps you sane to fight. I don’t want to live in a world where it’s back to boring and normal,” Tosha said. “I’m sure in my lifetime there will always be zombies but it gives us something to do.”
“Agreed.” Dana put a hand out.
Tosha stared at her and refused to take it. She balanced the axe on her shoulder.
“I’m not going to follow you anymore. I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want, but I don’t think you do,” Dana said.
“Oh yeah? Tell me what I want.”
Dana pointed at the zombies on the floor. “This. Someone to run with who enjoys this as much as you do. This is my calling in life, and I feel the same about you. At first I was mad at the crew I ran with and wanted to get away from them. When I saw you leaving the party, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I’m sure they’re all dead now anyway. They lacked the balls to do what needed to be done.”
“You’ve been on my ass for weeks. For what? Why not attempt to talk with me at any point?” Tosha asked.
“I was afraid you’d kill me before I could get a word in,” Dana said. “I wasn’t hiding from you. I know you’ve seen me a few times, following. I guess I hoped you’d talk to me first.”
“Now you think we’ll become best friends and kill zombies together,” Tosha said.
Dana laughed. “I guess it does sound stupid when you summarize it like that.”
Tosha shrugged and lifted the axe, tapping the head on the mall floor.
“How do I know you won’t turn on me?” Tosha asked.
“If I wanted you dead, I would’ve tried it already. I know where you were spending your nights sleeping most of the time. Obviously, I kept up with you. I took care of a few zombies following you, too. I wanted to see where you were actually going,” Dana said.
“I’m on the trail of a little girl who stole a newborn.”
“Who’s baby?” Dana asked.
“A woman I don’t really like.”
“Then why go through all this trouble?”
Tosha laughed. “What else is there to do? This was much easier than getting into a situation like you had. I’ve been trapped inside a city before and it isn’t pretty. I go stir-crazy. I need the excitement in order to feel alive.”
Dana nodded. “I completely understand. I say we join forces and rule this shitty world together.”
Tosha took a step forward and extended her empty hand.
“You have to swear you’re on the up and up. If you want to try to kill me, pull the knives now or forever shut your mouth. There’s no time for bullshit,” Tosha said.
“Agreed.” Dana stepped forward and extended her hand. The two women began to shake, smiling at one another.
“One thing you need to know before we continue,” Tosha said.
“What?”
Tosha gripped Dana’s hand tighter and swung the axe up and down, burying it in Dana’s head.
“I’m not interested in working with you or anyone else,” Tosha said and ignored her sister, suddenly standing down the hallway and staring blankly as Dana slumped to the floor.
Chapter Seven
Darlene woke to shouting.
She was up with her weapons ready in seconds, an act she'd done too many times to count now. She could see it was early morning, first rays of the sun slanting into the suite.
Bernie ran past the office door towards the back. That wasn't a good sign.
Darlene stepped out and saw two zombies face-down in the open doorway. Someone had let them in because the glass door wasn'
t broken. There was no one alive in the foyer, though. Someone was running outside the office space but it was still too dark to see who it was.
Not that it mattered to Darlene. She stomped on the rotting heads of the two zombies blocking her path and stepped over them, immediately wishing she'd stayed inside.
At least two dozen zombies were roaming the parking lot, all headed towards Ted, who was trying desperately to fight them off.
Darlene pulled her blades and calmly began moving in Ted's direction, stabbing the first zombie in the back of the head. Her goal was to give him a path back inside so, when he took it, she could more easily finish these zombies off before more were drawn to the noise. The worst thing would be for anyone to see the zombies ignored her completely.
"Get inside," Darlene yelled to Ted. "I'll lead them away from you."
As soon as she said it, she realized how stupid it was. She couldn't change the zombie's course at all because it was like she was invisible to them.
Darlene pushed a zombie over and stabbed another in the head, but they were all heading towards Ted.
She could see at least three more zombies coming down the sidewalk, too.
Ted fought off a zombie and managed to get a few steps closer to the door, but there were still at least four of them between Ted and Darlene.
All four zombies were turned and facing Ted, who started backing up.
Darlene started tripping zombies from behind and quickly dropped all four.
"Hurry up and get inside," Darlene yelled to Ted.
He shook his head, kneeling down to shove a spike through a zombie's neck. "I'm not going to leave you out here to die."
"I'll be fine. Trust me. I've battled ten times this many. It's easier with just one of us. If you go inside, I can handle this. Seriously. Now," Darlene yelled.
More zombies appeared from around the building.
Darlene acted like one of the zombies nearing her was about to attack and sidestepped before plunging a blade in its head.
She glanced back to see Ted hesitate as he rose. The zombies on the ground were trying to get up, too. If he didn't hurry, he'd be in trouble.
"Are you an idiot? Didn't I tell you to do something? There's no way you've survived this long on your own," Darlene said coldly to Ted. "Impossible."
Ted gave her the finger before he stabbed another zombie in the face.
Darlene moved from her left to right, trying to keep any and all zombies away from Ted and the office doors. She hoped someone would be smart enough to move the two zombies from it and close the damn door.
A zombie walked right past her and at Ted, who finished off another zombie before finally backpedalling to the office.
Darlene acted like she'd nearly been attacked by the zombie before stabbing it in the back of the head and dropping it to the pavement.
Ted stopped and was staring at Darlene, wide-eyed.
Fuck. Darlene walked slowly towards Ted. She hoped no one inside was looking. She didn't actually know what she'd do if she reached him before he ran. By the look in his eyes, he was a deer in headlights and Ted would bolt any second.
Darlene had done some bad shit in her life but could she murder someone to hide her secret?
Ted knew. He definitely saw the zombies ignoring her, and the first chance he got he would tell everyone.
Another zombie brushed past Darlene like she wasn't even there.
"Go inside, Ted," Darlene said and put a hand on her Desert Eagle in her waistband of her jeans. "Please. I am on your side."
Ted turned and ran inside the building and out of sight.
It was over now. Darlene couldn't go inside and face any of them, and the struggle in her mind about killing Ted was too much. Was the alien blood in her body doing something to her, or had she always had these horrible thoughts?
No, it was simply survival.
Darlene took down another zombie but kept one eye on the office, expecting one of the survivors to shoot at her or at least appear in the doorway and stare. She didn't want to face their judging eyes, especially Bernie. She'd grown to like the woman in the short time she'd known her, and felt ashamed for the deceit.
As she struck another zombie down, more out of anger and frustration, she began to angle away from the suite. She needed to escape from her situation and her mind right now, the morbid thoughts in her head.
Darlene felt like a monster. She was like The Lich Lord now, only without the added powers. At least she didn't want to kill everyone she encountered and prayed it would never happen. What if the blood was slowly going to turn her physically and mentally the wrong way?
She tapped her Desert Eagle and knew she'd use the very last shot to kill herself if need be. She didn't want to find her baby but then become a monster instead of a good mother before his eyes.
At least a dozen zombies were in sight, all called by the noise of fighting. Darlene wanted to simply walk past them and go on with her journey but knew she had put the survivors in danger. In her mind, they were going to be attacked because she led them to this office park.
Darlene stood her ground, moving side to side as she eliminated every zombie coming at her. It was like a videogame, and she got into the rhythm of putting each zombie down in turn. The office suite was behind her but no zombies had gotten past.
She did a spinning kick to drop one and turned to see the survivors all standing outside the suite, watching her.
Darlene turned away and kept killing. She moved forward when no zombies presented themselves. She wanted to yell to Bernie to go back inside. Her presence was taunting the zombies and more would come. How had these people survived for so long?
Someone shot off a gun and Darlene began to run away, fearful one of them had taken a potshot at her. It was more than likely.
Darlene got around the corner, ignoring two zombies for a second while she checked her body. She knew she wasn't hit but maybe the bullet had grazed her. She also needed to catch her breath and calm her nerves.
"Fuckers shot at me," Darlene said and laughed to force herself not to start crying.
She knocked over the two zombies and crushed their skulls with a few hard kicks before peeking back around the corner, expecting pursuit.
The survivors had wisely gone back inside the office.
She didn't want to think of what she'd have needed to do if they had tried to follow her again now that they knew what she was. Or imagined what she was.
Shit. I don't even know what I am, she thought.
Darlene made her way down the tree-lined entrance to the office park, high grass and weeds on either side. By the time she'd gotten back to Route 1 and was sure no one was following her, she'd eliminated a dozen zombies.
It was getting harder for her to walk and see where she was going through the tears now. Darlene stumbled over a curb and nearly fell before running blindly in the middle of the street and down the road.
She came to a pickup truck, all four tires flat and doors opened. She leaned against the side of the vehicle and wiped away the tears.
"I finally find someone to talk to and I let them down because I'm a monster," Darlene said.
A zombie, just coming around the truck and into sight, stopped and cocked its rotting head.
"Hey. Over this way," Darlene said.
The zombie began moving again, walking into the side of the pickup truck in search of human prey. It was blind to Darlene.
"Now I'm over here," Darlene said and took a few steps away from the truck. The zombie turned and tried to follow the voice.
Darlene was about to walk away, bored with this game, but thought better of it. The survivors a block away weren't to blame. If she were in their shoes, Darlene would do the same thing. A zombie in their midst? She'd have to do worse than let her go.
This zombie wandering blindly could eventually walk right into the path of Bernie. How could Darlene let this or any zombie between here and north still hunt?
Darlene had changed the
route of Bernie and the survivors but didn't know if they'd continue on south with Darlene gone and heading north.
Right now none of it mattered. Darlene wiped her eyes on a dirty sleeve, stabbed the zombie in the head, and headed out to the highway. She had nothing to lose at all.
Chapter Eight
"I've never had a child of my own," Eve said. She stroked Amber's hair lightly with a finger as the little girl played with the building blocks and dolls.
Eve turned to one of the men standing nearby, waiting for a command.
"Go find me a brush for her hair. It's all tangled," Eve said with a grin. She was going to make the little girl look pretty and make her happy.
"Go find me some proper clothing for her. Search the city for a pretty dress and matching shoes or else. Do I make myself clear?" Eve asked a second man standing at attention a few feet away.
"I understand. I shall return."
"Take the child's mother with you. She'll make sure she finds something pretty for her daughter... my daughter," Eve said. The woman wouldn't try to escape. It was always dicey to let any of her followers leave the stadium because she never knew if they'd try to run. None of them had ever gotten far, and Eve made sure their bodies were still hanging in sight at either end zone.
"What other toys do you want to play with?" Eve asked Amber.
Amber shrugged and played with the blocks.
"I can get you any toy in the world," Eve said. She had no idea if it were true or not. What children's items were left out there now? Soon it would all be a barren wasteland. Rotting corpses spread disease as well as the vermin which fed on the dead. Buildings were collapsing and streets overgrown with weeds, soon to be a natural hideaway for large predators. The world around them was unsafe.
Eve would get a crew together to take out all the grass and growing things in and around the stadium. She wanted her kingdom seat to be clear of debris and disease. If the humans were going to live under her rule, she needed better living conditions.
"You have given me an idea," Eve said to Amber.
"What?" Amber asked innocently.
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