The two men had scattered, running as fast and as far away from the zombie as they could.
Tosha wanted to shoot one of them in the back out of frustration. Instead, she put the rifle over her shoulder and started moving.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
She didn't open her eyes but sensed she was in danger. Darlene swung her feet out from under her and did a three hundred and sixty degree spin on her hip.
Darlene connected with someone, who went down hard next to her.
In seconds she was on top, knocking the wooden stake away and punching the woman in the face. Darlene raised up her hand to strike again and saw who it was.
"Bri?"
Bri blinked twice and spit blood from her mouth.
Darlene punched her in the face again and knocked her out.
"Damn, why'd you do that?" Darlene asked out loud. Now she'd have to wait for the girl to come to before she could question her about the baby. Bri was the thief who'd taken little John and she was going to answer a few pointed questions. Darlene would decide if she lived, depending on the answers.
The zombies she'd been controlling had scattered but a few were coming at them, drawn by Bri.
Darlene decided using more energy was wasting it so instead of controlling the zombies she simply picked up Bri and walked to the stadium gate. It was unlocked.
Inside she found a main entry to the stadium, and a low table where she put Bri down.
Darlene paced back and forth through the area, using her powers to make sure no one snuck up on her.
She smiled when she felt the minds of two people she knew, and they were in close proximity to one another: Tosha and Bernie.
Tosha was a bitch but she was a tough fighter, one Darlene needed on her side. She hoped she didn't scare off Bernie when they met again.
She needed to figure out what to do with Bri. When she’d carried her it was like she weighed nothing. Darlene’s strength seemed to be increasing as well. She felt like a superhero.
Darlene could leave Bri just outside the gate to the stadium and call every zombie in a mile radius to rip her apart if she wanted.
Looking at the unconscious girl who’d taken her baby… she really wanted to. But first she needed to find out where the baby was.
Darlene looked inside Bri’s mind but it was all a mess. The girl’s thoughts were jumbled. Maybe Darlene had hit her a little too hard.
If I’d broken her neck, I wouldn’t feel bad, she thought.
Darlene tried all of the doors in the area but either the locks had been broken or they were still locked, and breaking them would make them useless. She needed to stash Bri somewhere safe until she could figure out what to do with her.
She was wasting time with a zombie on the loose who could best her.
Darlene finally carried Bri into the stadium itself and found a storage room just off the main aisle where it looked like cardboard boxes of dishes and cups had been stored, a few crushed ones on the floor.
The door didn’t lock but Darlene propped a twisted metal rack against the door and hoped it would keep Bri inside and zombies out of it.
The survivors would be another story but Darlene hoped she could run into one or more and not frighten them. If she could get them on her side, she could organize the group to help her overthrow the zombie.
The other zombie, Darlene thought sourly.
Tosha and Bernie were also going to factor into this assault as well but Darlene decided she needed to see them in person. The last thing she needed was to try to get inside their heads to talk to them and have them freak out. She needed them as allies right now.
Darlene walked up the ramp to the upper levels of the stadium, keeping to one side and glad it was getting dark now. With any luck she could get into a higher position to survey what needed to be done. If she had to spend the night watching and seeing what was happening so be it. The zombie wasn’t going to sleep and neither was Darlene.
The stadium was definitely clean on the ramps. She peeked onto the next landing and saw it was also clear of debris, unlike the level she’d left Bri on. Maybe they were still in the process of straightening up.
Darlene realized she could probe the mind of a survivor and find out but she didn’t want to alert the zombie. She was still interested in facing her, especially in person.
She continued to the top level but before she entered the stadium itself she turned to survey Jacksonville.
The river. The coffee factory. The bridge. The highway. All of it.
Darlene wondered how long before it would all be covered in trees and brush, fallen into the river and reclaimed by nature. Already she could see more green than there should be. Tiny trees poking through cracks in the asphalt. Grass reclaiming dirt patches. Rodents and bugs, now free to roam, expanding their own territory.
The world will never be the same, even if every zombie is destroyed, Darlene thought.
Once this situation was dealt with, Darlene wanted to see how far out she could probe and find where other zombies were marking out their own kingdoms. It could be hundreds. It could very well be millions, all evolving and becoming aware of their situation and their rights to the land.
First things first. Darlene needed to face the zombie and free these people.
It all came down to needing the help of Tosha and Bernie.
Darlene didn’t want to use her powers but she couldn’t risk wandering the entire stadium looking for the pair. She sensed the survivors here weren’t necessarily loyal to the zombie but they were scared enough to do whatever she wanted, and, if Darlene or the others were spotted, the alarm might go up and Darlene didn’t want to hurt or kill innocent people if she could help it.
They’ll all be zombies at some point and the enemy, Darlene thought.
She shook her head, ashamed for thinking such a horrible idea but knowing on some level it was true. No one lived forever. Any new baby born would just perpetuate the zombies and not the human race.
But if all of the humans were dead, what use was it to still be alive?
I am no longer human. I am no longer part of their world, Darlene thought. Yet… she still wanted to find Tosha and Bernie and let them help her to defeat the zombie and free the enslaved.
She didn’t know why, though.
Darlene had doubts her ideas were pure. She had the nagging sensation in her that each and every freed survivor would someday be part of her hunt if she couldn’t control her feelings. She understood what the other zombies were going through: the incredibly strong urge to hunt and kill. The anger had been pushed down and Darlene thought she was better than the rest. She thought she could control it.
She’d been lying to herself.
Darlene needed to focus on finding Tosha and Bernie. She needed their help. She needed to face the zombie without interference from the survivors.
She needed to control her urges to kill everyone.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Where are we going?” Bernie asked Tosha, who’d been ignoring her the moment she’d lost the shot to kill the zombie.
If the zombie could be killed.
Bernie didn’t think talking to Tosha about the pros and cons of facing a zombie was a wise choice right now. The woman was focused on moving around the stadium to get closer to where the zombie had gone inside.
If it were up to Bernie, they’d be heading in the opposite direction and escaping while they could. She’d lost the taste to face another smart zombie.
A smombie.
She missed the rest of the group she’d run with telling her to stop calling them that. Bernie thought it was stupid, too, but she did it to mess with them. It had stuck and was catchy.
Tosha wouldn’t be amused if Bernie said it out loud.
The stadium was quiet but every step they took sounded like someone was banging on a drum. The echo was unreal and Bernie imagined the stadium filled with fans, screaming and cheering for their team. She wondered what had happened to all of the p
layers who’d been here, maybe when this mess had started. Was there a game going on? Had the zombies spread throughout the crowd, pulling people down like they were doing the wave?
Tosha led them back into a tunnel and they moved as quickly and quietly as possible, making sure nothing was sneaking up on them or out in front.
At a junction, Tosha stopped and cocked her head.
Bernie watched the sun go down, the last rays fading away to nothing. With it brought a chill. She didn’t like being this exposed at nighttime.
Tosha turned to Bernie and leaned into her, getting their noses so close they touched.
“We need to go to higher ground and find a secure skybox or broom closet. Wait this one out and see what the morning brings. If this zombie running this place is really a bad ass, we’re in real trouble. I’d rather stay out of her way. At night she might be able to see us but we won’t be able to see her coming,” Tosha said quietly. “Follow me.”
The pair got to the outer ring of ramps and headed up, watching for signs of trouble.
It was eerie not seeing another person roaming the vast building. Where were the rest of the living? Maybe they were being penned in like cattle underneath the stadium. It made sense. The zombie wasn’t going to let them roam free and try to herd them like cats. Rounded up like steer.
Bernie smiled at her own cliché metaphors running through her head. It felt like something to do besides jump at every dark corner or sound.
Something in the distance caught her eye and she stopped.
Even though it was night time, there was still moonlight and she could see to the river. There was movement down there, among the ruins and the weeds.
More than likely zombies, but what if it was people trying to escape or hide? Bernie remembered hiding in the trunk of that car and how scared she was. She imagined all of the people still alive right now and trying to find a safe place to hide from the zombies, which probably outnumbered the living by a thousand to one. Hell, maybe even a quarter of a million to one.
“You still with me? You’re not planning to jump, are you?” Tosha asked close to her ear, startling Bernie.
“I’m fine,” Bernie lied and turned away, knowing everyone down below was already dead.
“Hopefully this zombie bitch is so arrogant she doesn’t have any guards posted in the skyboxes or upper level. She thinks her crazy powers will keep her safe,” Tosha said.
“She’s probably right.”
Tosha laughed and patted Bernie on the shoulder. “Yeah, you get it. We’re truly fucked. If we stay, she’s going to rip us to pieces. If we leave, she’ll hunt us down and rip us to pieces. We may as well fight her and die with our boots on.”
“Die with our boots on?” Bernie asked.
“I guess you’re not much of an Iron Maiden fan. Oh well. No one is perfect,” Tosha said and began moving up the ramp.
Bernie got next to her, keeping a few feet of space between them and hugging either side so they didn’t make an easy target if someone was watching.
Why wasn’t anyone watching?
Tosha was trying to act casual, like none of this was bothering her, but Bernie knew better. She could see the look of fear on the redhead’s face when she thought Bernie wasn’t looking.
Bernie wanted to ask her more about her sister but decided there would be time to once they got out of this mess. If they didn’t live through it, her dead sister wouldn’t be an issue, anyway.
They were at the topmost level of the stadium. Bernie felt like she could reach out and touch the stars if she wanted to. They stood back in the tunnel.
“I’ll go and check it out,” Tosha said.
Bernie saw the glowing red eyes before anything else. Tosha took a step but Bernie grabbed her arm.
“Holy shit,” Tosha said and raised her weapon.
“Don’t bother. I come in peace,” Darlene said and stepped out of the shadows.
“Your eyes… they were…” Bernie was unable to finish her thought. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt Darlene was different but actually seeing something physical was scary.
Darlene smiled and stared at Tosha.
“Put down the gun before you accidentally shoot me. You’ll alert Eve and we’ll all be dead,” Darlene said. She turned to Bernie, who looked away. At least her eyes weren’t bright red anymore. “Bernie. I want to apologize for lying to you the first time we met. I should’ve been truthful. You being here means something bad happened to your group. I feel like maybe it’s my fault.”
“People are dying all the time. Let’s get over this friendly bullshit and figure out how to kill this Eve chick,” Tosha said.
“Innocent people might get in the way,” Bernie said.
“Collateral damage. I’m fine with killing everyone as long as we can destroy the zombie and get the fuck out of this stadium. I’ve always hated sports,” Tosha said. “A stadium is a great place to hold a concert, though.”
Darlene took a step towards Tosha, who took her own step back.
“Something is coming. I can feel it. Eve has called everyone to the field,” Darlene said.
“How do you know this?” Tosha asked.
Darlene grinned. “She’s not the only zombie around here. I battled her through the body of an innocent person awhile ago.”
“I’m guessing you lost or we wouldn’t be talking about Eve except in past tense,” Tosha said.
Darlene stopped smiling. “I learned a few things about her.”
“Like why she doesn’t have guards set all throughout the stadium?” Bernie asked.
Darlene nodded. “She doesn’t trust them. She intimidates the humans and rules by fear. We can save them. All of them.”
“If we kill the zombie, another will find the survivors and enslave them all over again,” Tosha said.
“I have a plan. I need both of you to help. When we kill Eve, they’ll be led back to Daytona Beach. The Lich Lord will take care of them for me,” Darlene said.
“You want to kill a zombie so you can lead them to another zombie to fuck with? That plan sucks, if we’re being honest,” Tosha said.
“I agree with Tosha. We’d be marching them a hundred miles to their death. They may as well stay and die here,” Bernie said.
Darlene looked angry. “Nothing bad will happen to them in Daytona Beach. I call the shots. No one else. You’ll see.”
“I notice you didn’t say anything about you going to Daytona Beach,” Tosha said.
“I need to find my baby,” Darlene said.
“What if I want to come with you?” Tosha asked. She’d beaten Bernie to the question.
“You’ll both slow me down. The zombies ignore me unless they’re smart, which ironically makes them stupid because I can crush most of them without even trying. Once they’ve evolved as much as Eve has they are truly dangerous. They’d use you against me. I can even control zombies to scare off any survivors who might try something foolish and get in my way. No, I need you to help the survivors to safety. I will talk to The Lich Lord when the time is right and he will take them in with open arms. No harm will come to them,” Darlene said.
“I guess you have it all figured out,” Bernie said.
“Not all of it. We need to figure out how to kill Eve,” Tosha said.
Chapter Thirty
Bri woke, in darkness, and she had a clear second before the pain in her face nearly knocked her out again. She touched her face. Her nose might be broken. Her lip was split and she tasted blood. At least two teeth were loose and would come out soon. She might also have a black eye.
What had hit her?
Bri sat up and shuddered. She remembered Darlene knocking her down and pummeling her before she could react.
Where was Darlene now?
Bri used her hands to feel around in the darkness. It felt like cardboard and debris on the ground but she couldn’t be sure. She sat up and tried to clear her head.
Why hadn’t Darlene killed her?
I would’ve killed me, Bri thought. In a heartbeat. I stole the fucking woman’s baby and ran away, leading her into this shit-hole.
Bri felt like she was on borrowed time and needed to get up and get out.
She stood, shuffling her feet so she didn’t stumble and fall, feeling around the cold walls. She felt a door and it moved as she pushed at it.
Bri managed to push it open a crack and saw a large metal object was blocking her in. It was dark outside. She must’ve been out for at least an hour. Maybe more. Had it been getting dark when she’d run into Darlene?
She pushed against the obstruction and it scraped loudly against the floor.
Bri panicked. What if someone heard it and came to investigate? She didn’t even really know where she was.
She remembered being a little girl and her mother yelling at her whenever she got hurt. Mom would put a Band-Aid on the cut and after a few days, when it was healed, Bri would be afraid to peel it off. It was going to hurt. It was the same routine: the arguing, the begging, the pleading until her mother would grab a greasy end of it and yank it off in one swift move.
It never hurt as badly as Bri thought it was going to.
Bri ran against the door with all of her might and pushed the object out of the way. The noise it made was crazy loud but only for a few seconds.
By the time the sound had echoed down the hall and faded away, Bri was free.
She was inside the stadium.
Bri crept down the nearest tunnel to the field but it was dark. She didn’t see movement in the stadium and didn’t want to move around out there exposed. She knew from her experience with Hayden a zombie could see in the dark.
Instead, she decided to leave the stadium. Darlene was most likely in here somewhere and was more than likely still pissed. Bri couldn’t blame her.
It would make more sense to go back to the building downtown and wait for Hayden to return with the baby. Maybe he was already there and worried sick about her.
Bri knew she wasn’t fooling herself. Hayden was long gone and she didn’t need his magical zombie powers to know it. She’d messed up and lost the love of her life.
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