Eve put a hand around Stephanni’s throat.
“I’ll see you soon,” Eve said and snapped the woman’s neck.
Darlene collapsed, her mind reeling, and the zombies around her began to do their own thing, wandering off.
Chapter Twenty-Six
One minute she was alone on the streets, moving in the direction of the stadium without a zombie in sight.
She'd gotten a block away, roughly the same spot Hayden had stopped at to monitor the stadium grounds, when she saw the zombies.
A veritable horde, hundreds of them, scattering in all directions but too many coming at her.
It was as if they'd been put at a specific starting point and now they were being unleashed, to bump into one another in a slow, maddening dash to find fresh victims.
Bri didn't want to be one of those victims but she didn't think spending time heading up into another building was the answer. With so many zombies on the streets it might take days for them to disperse, and there would always be a few that didn't go too far. Being trapped inside another building, this time with no food or water, wasn't an option.
She began heading west. Maybe she could circle around the zombies and get ahead of them, getting closer to the stadium. They seemed to be heading away from it, which was a good thing.
Bri ran for a few blocks, making sure the front line of zombies was at least two blocks away. Even if they changed course to chase after her, she'd be long gone by the time they reached the spot she'd been at.
That was the goal, at least.
Up ahead a few zombies had reached her street, some turning in her direction. She'd been quick but not quick enough, and the sheer mass of zombies was being pushed along and spread throughout the downtown area.
Bri turned right on the next block and increased her speed, hoping to cut back west even though her route was now taking her in the opposite direction of her destination.
She was getting tired, though, and her run became a jog and then a fast walk as she held her side and tried to breathe.
At the next intersection, she turned west and was glad to see she'd put distance between her and the zombies, although she was still moving parallel to the stadium and not getting any closer.
Two blocks later she ran out of real estate.
She was in a small warehouse section of downtown, with ruined fencing circling the property. Beyond it was the river.
Bri jogged into the parking lot and ran between the buildings, carefully sidestepping rotting body parts and an abandoned car that had been torched and was still smoking.
The back of the property was more violence. A battle had been fought and it looked like many lives had been lost. The ground was covered in dried blood, still staining the dirt even though it had probably rained many times since it had taken place.
Military vehicles were in a line at one end of the property with flat tires and scorched paint.
Bri looked over the side into the river and could see a half-submerged tank. It had been driven into the river, the back end just above the water level.
She looked down the bank and could see the stadium in the distance. She could also see the zombies as well, coming at her one shambling step at a time. A few of them were falling into the river because of the press of bodies.
There was no way she was passing them by land.
Bri went back to the buildings and searched around. If she got lucky... Bri smiled when she saw the small craft upside down and pressed against the side of the building, weeds nearly hiding it.
She dragged it out and jumped back when two black snakes appeared and they looked pissed. Bri screamed and picked up a broken piece of lumber from the ground, ready to use it if she had to.
The snakes disappeared into the underbrush.
Comfortable they weren't poisonous attack snakes, Bri used the wood to search through the weeds for a paddle. All she found was a few snake skins and a lot of ants and cockroaches.
She shook her head. How was she going to paddle the boat? She couldn't use her hands. Bri had a vision of her hand in the water and a zombie from below biting her fingers off. No, that wasn't going to work. The stadium didn't look too far but once she got on the river she was sure it would seem like a hundred miles, especially with the banks filled with zombies.
Bri tossed the piece of wood off to the side but stared dumbly at it.
You are the biggest idiot. No wonder Hayden left you she thought and retrieved the wood.
Her paddle.
The boat was placed in the water and Bri did her best not to get wet as she climbed into it, pushing away from the seawall with the wood and splashing it into the water furiously until she could turn the boat in the right direction.
The water was flowing in the right direction. This close to the side it wasn't moving as fast, but she couldn't risk going into the center of the river and never getting back to the right side before she was swept past the stadium area.
Zombies were now only a block away and too many were falling into the river. Close to the side was only a couple of feet deep and zombies were standing and wading through the water in her direction.
Bri paddled with the stick but she wasn't moving more than an inch or two. She drifted slowly like she was enjoying a lazy day of canoeing.
The zombies were getting closer, those on land faster than the ones now in the water, and new zombies were falling in at an alarming rate as she finally managed to get the boat going in the right direction.
Bri gave the horde the finger before resuming the paddling. She leaned forward, as close to the side as she could, and touched bottom with the wood. She pushed against it and the boat moved away from the river's edge and the zombies in the water.
A few were walking at her, only waist-deep in water. What if they simply walked across the shallow river and grabbed the boat?
Bri was now paddling furiously but only moving a few inches at a time, the current swirling where the boat sat and keeping her in place. She tried to remain calm and not panic.
Easier said than done.
As she began to propel the boat slowly in the right direction, the zombies changed course to intercept her. Bri estimated at least thirty were in the river and walking with more falling in behind them.
If she had to, she'd club them with the wood, hoping it didn't slip from her fingers. It was already getting heavy from being in the water.
Bri kept stroking and heading in the right direction but the zombies were gaining on her.
A zombie was only five feet from the boat, chest-high in the water with arms outstretched and eyes locked on Bri.
Bri lifted the piece of wood, ready to slam it into the zombie's head. There was several more a step or two behind, so the goal was to keep them from touching the boat and stopping what little momentum she had to get down river.
The zombie's hands were inches from the boat when it suddenly dropped underwater. Bri could feel it touch the bottom of the boat for a second.
Bri paddled directly away from the zombies, hoping the current would take her away. If she got into the middle of the river, so be it. Wherever the river took her was better than this spot.
Zombies got to the spot where the other had been and plunged into the water.
Bri smiled. There must be a shelf or lip right there where the river drops off steeply.
The river current finally did what it was supposed to do and increased her speed in the right direction.
Zombies, in the lead, that had been chasing her turned to watch her progress and collided with those behind them, forcing even more into the water. Soon the river would be packed with hundreds of zombies. Bri hoped most of them kept walking forward and were swept away by the current or stepped off into the deep end.
She used the wood to steer, keeping close to the banks but not close enough to be attacked. Bri managed to get past the massive horde of zombies. Only a few stragglers, those without legs or with only one working foot, were in the rear and they plunged
into the water when she waved at them.
Bri managed to paddle towards the shore as the stadium came into view, massive and welcoming. She felt exposed out here. If nothing else, she could hide in the stadium until the morning.
The sun cast its last rays onto the water, turning everything a hazy orange. Bri couldn't help but think it looked like diluted blood. Everything in the world was painted in blood.
Bri shot for the shore and broke free from the current, paddling as fast as she could with the stick until she could see the bottom. She hopped out since she was already soaked from all the splashing and dragged the boat to the thin beach, propping the boat against the side.
She waffled back and forth whether or not to bring the stick with her as a weapon, or leave it in case she needed to flee.
You never knew when you'd need an escape back to the river.
Bri decided she needed the piece of lumber in her hands now. There was no use thinking about the future.
The zombies in the area were badly decomposed crawlers, easily avoided. Bri smashed a few heads in with the wood, covering it in wet gore.
She walked over the highway, the stadium casting a massive shadow, and hit a few more zombies for effect.
Bri lifted the stick at a lone female zombie lying on her back. She didn't look like she'd been dead long. In fact, she looked untouched.
In fact...
Holy shit. It's Darlene. I stole her baby, Bri thought and lifted the wood higher, as Darlene opened her eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Mathyu was at her side, sitting on one of the stadium seats and staring at the field as if she was watching a game.
Tosha shook her head and gave her sister the finger. She'd once again snuck up and scared her, and Tosha knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she was doing it on purpose.
Nothing had been happening for awhile and the last rays of the sun peeked through the stadium and cast feeble light on the topmost reaches.
Tosha was watching the field, her back to the concrete wall when she heard something move below her.
She slowly turned, lifting her weapon and ready to shoot only if she had to. A blast would announce her position to anyone within a mile, echoing throughout the stadium.
Tosha was slipping a knife out of her boot when a woman appeared from the tunnel.
She was looking in Tosha's direction.
Tosha stayed still. She was obviously a sentry. Maybe she'd spotted Tosha even though she was hiding behind the seats and against the wall. Maybe she'd been on higher ground and noticed Tosha.
If she hasn't alerted anyone else I can take her down and dispose of the body, Tosha thought.
"Stay right there and don't run away," the woman said.
Tosha tensed. She'd been spotted. There was no way this woman was stupid enough to call her out by herself. Tosha turned her head, expecting to see someone with a rifle aimed at her head from above, but she couldn't see anyone but her sister, staring at the woman now.
The woman was walking up the stadium steps.
Tosha peeked through the chairs. The woman wasn't aiming a weapon at her and she seemed quite casual.
"Tell me why you led me here," the woman said but she wasn't looking at where Tosha was hiding. She was looking past her, at Mathyu.
How the fuck can she see my sister? This shit is creepy, Tosha thought.
Tosha stood, aiming her weapon at the woman's head.
The woman was startled and nearly fell back, holding onto the seat behind her.
"Don't make another move or I'll shoot your fucking head off," Tosha said.
The woman wisely put her hand's up in the air.
"Who are you?" Tosha asked. She glanced around to make sure no one else was sneaking up on her. The woman had given up too quickly. She looked tired and unarmed.
"I'm Bernice. Friends call me Bernie. I was following your friend... your twin? You look alike. I don't get it. Why lead me into the stadium to kill me?"
Tosha looked at her sister and frowned.
"We didn't lead you here. My sister did," Tosha said.
"Why?"
"I never know what she's thinking or doing. Especially since she died," Tosha said.
Bernie looked very confused, which made Tosha smile.
"I was following someone and she led me to Jacksonville. Your sister led me to the stadium. Is she really..." Bernie was staring at Mathyu.
"Dead as a doornail, whatever the fuck that is. Who were you following?" Tosha asked.
Bernie didn't speak right away.
Tosha waved the gun to get an answer.
"A zombie. I think she was a zombie. She was immune to them. It's all so confusing," Bernie said. "I think she tried to save us but we cast her out."
"Does this zombie have a name?" Tosha asked. Too many smart zombies running around the countryside, she thought. "Is she the one running this place?"
“I don’t think so. I don’t even really know where she went. I just know she was heading north looking for her baby,” Bernie said.
“Holy shit. You ran into Darlene?”
“You know her? You’ve run into her, too?” Bernie asked.
“More like been run over by Darlene. She is quite the center of attention. We ran in the same circles on and off a couple of times. The reason I’m heading north is in search of her baby and the little bitch and her dead boyfriend who stole the kid. You see them?” Tosha asked.
“No. Sorry.” Bernie looked at Mathyu. “How long has she been… uh…”
“Since Harrisburg. A long time ago. Really, right when this all started. I thought I was finally done taking care of her. It turns out she’s been taking care of me because she led you to me. So, the million dollar question: who the fuck are you and why is it important we meet?”
“I wish I knew. It isn’t like your sister actually talked to me,” Bernie said.
“She never does. Well, one time we ran into these two special kids and one of them could see her and actually talk with her, but you’re the only other person I’ve ever known who can see her. What special powers do you have?” Tosha asked.
Bernie was about to answer when Tosha saw movement on the field and ducked, motioning Bernie to do the same.
“Get over here,” Tosha said. When Bernie complied, dropping between the seats next to Tosha and peeking out, Tosha handed her a .22 and a box of ammo.
“I’m guessing you don’t have a weapon or you would’ve pulled it on me already. Sorry it isn’t anything bigger,” Tosha said.
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Bernie said.
“There’s something going on under the tent. A couple of women are talking and men are nearby. I think I can shoot and hit someone if we move closer but I don’t want to risk being seen,” Tosha said. She took another long look around the stadium, wondering where the snipers and scouts were hiding. It didn’t make sense to leave everything so open and unwatched unless the zombie was even more arrogant than Tosha thought.
“How do you know they aren’t just four people talking about the weather?” Bernie asked. “If you kill someone, you might start a war.”
“Life is a war,” Tosha said.
Bernie had no response, sitting down on the cement and putting her head against the hot plastic seat behind her.
“There can’t just be four people hanging around, under a tent, in the middle of a stadium. One of them is a zombie and we need to figure out which one it is. If I can kill him, maybe the others will flee. Even if they’re in cahoots with the zombie, it will panic them with their leader dead,” Tosha said.
Bernie laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You used cahoots in a sentence,” Bernie said.
“Shut up,” Tosha said and laughed.
Tosha turned to see if Mathyu was still around and maybe even cracking a smile but she was gone.
“Get out of my way. I need to get closer. Before you say anything, this is the plan I’m going to use so either follow me,
get out of the way or I’ll shoot you.”
Bernie got up, hunched over, and slipped out of the aisle. She fell in behind Tosha and the pair made their way to the lower section of the stadium.
Tosha would've been happier being closer but she wasn't about to get onto the field. If she were attacked, she'd have nowhere to hide.
She was going to use the rifle and handed Bernie her handgun.
"This is mine. I want it back. It will help more than the .22 I gave you... but I want it back," Tosha said.
"Not a problem."
"I'm going to shoot one of them and you watch my back. Once it rings out, I'm guessing all hell will break loose," Tosha said.
"That's a really bad cliché to use," Bernie said.
"Then I'm glad I don't really give a shit. Just cover our asses. Is that another bad one, teacher?" Tosha didn't wait for an answer. This bitch was getting on her nerves. If it wasn't for Mathyu wanting them to hook up she would've made sure the second shot caught Bernie in the temple.
Tosha aimed at the people in the tent, looking through the scope. She knew enough about guns and wind and shit to figure she had a decent chance to hit someone. They were all close together, which made it even better.
As she put her finger on the trigger and watched, it looked like the women were arguing. The two men stepped back, looking ready to flee.
One of the women was the zombie.
The zombie was the bitch who just ripped the other one's head off her shoulders.
Now Tosha noticed the little girl who'd been standing behind the zombie.
"What are you waiting for?" Bernie asked.
There's a little girl, Tosha thought but didn't say.
A little redhead.
The zombie grabbed the redhead by her arm and began leading her across the field.
"That's a kid," Bernie said.
"No shit."
Tosha put down the rifle. She couldn't risk killing the little girl. Of all the damn shitty ways to be blocked from killing a zombie... "We need to find out where they're going."
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