KODHI

by Samantha Leal

  The zombies kept pounding and scraping at the steel door.

  Chapter 14

  There were at least seventy zombies loose in the resort's main area. Forty survivors, a mix of tourists and soldiers, were trapped in the band pavilion. They huddled together defending themselves with rifle butts, pool furniture and anything else they could lay their hands on. It was a hopeless cause. Just when it seemed all hope was lost they heard a sound in the distance… the load roar of some sort of industrial engine getting closer – and even louder - by the second.

  The fence behind them was levelled as the oncoming bulldozer easily crushed all in its path. To the survivors it was like the cavalry had just ridden in.

  Cass aimed the dozer into the biggest mass of zombies. She wasn't taking time to access the target, assuming anyone who knew what a bulldozer was would get the hell out of the way. This was not a time to nit-pick. Anything, or anyone not smart enough to get out of the way was getting squashed. Years back she had dated an army engineer who, wanting to impress her, and knowing of her love for all things tracked, had let her try her hand at dozer operation. Fortunately for those present, she was a good student. It was fortunate for those who were still living, she corrected herself, not so fortunate for the dead.

  The steel treads rolled over the first throng of the zombies, reducing them to a quivering pate. There was still the occasional finger or crushed arm trying to wreak havoc within its tiny radius of influence, but essentially they were now more like a big zombie hamburger than any real threat. Cass barreled on, crushing every zombie in her path. She rolled over another pack of zombies, then, after fumbling with the controls for a second, spun the bulldozer around. She did a second run through the main area, crushing another wave beneath the treads. Three of the more intrepid zombies were able to latch onto the dozer's front blade this time, however, and were trying to climb over.

  "Oh, you assholes want to play?" Cass steered straight for the concrete restroom building, smashing into the wall, and crushing the zombies nicely in the process.

  Chapter 15

  Jack and Fawn were now locked in a passionate sixty-nine position, focused only on pleasuring each other. It was their third round of lovemaking in a half hour. Jack wasn't sure how he mustered the energy, but guessed it was some primal survival instinct… You're about to die, so procreate as much and as fast as possible. Or something like that he figured. They also knew it was this, or have to face their inevitable demise. He ran his tongue across her labia, and then sucked on her hard clit. Her body shook in excitement, even as she returned the favor by rolling her tongue around the head of his cock and doing her best to swallow the top half. Just as he felt himself nearing orgasm again he came back to face her and plunge his rod between her thighs once more, as his cum coursed inside of her once again. The both gripped each other tight, even as their mutual orgasm continued. It was not log though before they realized that the deep rumbling they felt – and were beginning to hear – had nothing to do with the spasms that had been rocking their bodies.

  The room shook and there was a sudden thundering crash. Jack's first instinct was that the lock had finally broken loose. But the door was still secure. Another crash echoed through the room, followed by a strange sound.

  Fawn look confused, as they both strained their ears, "Hey Jack, is that … people… cheering?"

  Jack listened to the unmistakable sound of applause, "Yeah, and I doubt their cheering for the zombies. I think something good just happened."

  The pounding at the door had ceased. Jack approached the door tentatively and removed the assault rifle he had wedged against the door release and set it on the floor.

  "What are you doing?" Fawn asked, clutching his arm.

  "I think they're gone."

  He pushed the door open slowly. Sure enough, the kitchen was empty.

  "Don't you want your gun?" She asked.

  "I’m out of ammo anyhow."

  "What about your pants?"

  "That's probably a good idea."

  Jack slipped on his pants, giving Fawn his jockey shorts and T-Shirt. Cautiously, and semi-clothed as they were, they moved through the kitchen. There was a lot of blood on the floor, but no sign of any zombies, or even bodies, for that matter. Outside, the crashing sounds, and cheering, continued. Jack saw a glass case marked "in case of fire". He smashed the glass with a frying pan and removed a hefty fire axe.

  "This ought to do it," he said, first feeling it’s heft, and then taking Fawn's hand. They followed the crashing sounds, and for the first time since they had been backed into the cooler, Jack actually felt they had a chance of surviving.

  Chapter 16

  Within minutes the bulldozer had reduced the zombie horde to the rough consistency of pasta. Now Cass was just sweeping up a few stragglers to a chorus of cheers from the survivors. Cass was feeling pretty good, until she felt a clammy hand grip her windpipe, choking her. She tried to pry the hand loose as she realized with mounting horror that there was a zombie attached to it this time. It was already climbing over the seat onto her back, its gnashing teeth inches from her face.

  Then, suddenly the zombie was knocked clear of her by a solid kick to the torso. Before she had time to even register her relief a fire axe split the zombie's face in half as well. Jack Godwin had jumped onto the rolling bulldozer and attacked. The axe struck again, severing the creature’s arm. The zombie lost its purchase and Jack kicked it over the side where it got caught in the steel treads and quickly pulled under the dozer. In the tussle the bulldozer had been running blind. Cass now went to shut it down as it was dangerously close to the pool. Unfortunately the zombie’s arm was lodged in the throttle. At any other moment it would have taken a second to clear, but in this instance they had needed that second.

  The bulldozer crashed straight through the low cinder block wall and into the salt-water pool, unending itself so that the nose and blade went straight to the bottom and the entire dozer flipped over into the deep end. Cass desperately tried to release her seatbelt, but in her disoriented, upside-down state could not get it to budge at all. In her panic she tried to take a breath and choked on the water that threatened to fill her lungs. She was close to blacking out. Being the consummate man of action that he was, Jack had dove in almost as soon as the bulldozer had gone in. He swam down and managed to miraculously undo the clasp and pull her free. They broke the surface gasping for air and earned a round of cheering from the survivors, which only escalated as Jack pulled Cass toward the edge of the pool.

  "Oh God, Talin, he's still down there!" She yelled, quickly recovering from her ordeal. Before she could dive to the rescue though, the wicker basket bobbed to the surface. She swam over and towed it back to the deck.

  "I'm okay," Talin said, as he spit out half a mouthful of salt water. Disconcertingly, the other half seemed to sort of just leak out his neck

  Cass hugged the basket to her chest in relief.

  Jack looked at her curiously, "Umm, What have you got in that basket…?"

  Cass looked at Jack and shook her head. She wasn’t even going to get into it. After his double rescue of her, all she could say was, “Travel writer my ass." She then took a moment to recover both her wits, as well as her breath, before yelling to the crowd, "Somebody needs to run up the trail and get the old bus. Drive it down here." The survivors stared at her in stunned silence. "Now damn it!" She snapped. That got them moving.

  Fawn raced to the pool's edge, "Oh god you're so brave, you saved us all!" She yelled, choking back tears.

  Cass felt flattered, "It was no big deal, I just…"

  But Fawn threw her arms around Jack, "You're the bravest man in the world."

  Cass laughed, "Did I miss something?"

  The following few minutes seemed like hours, but the bus finally arrived in the compound. Cass guided it to the edge of the pool.

  "Do you want me to load everyone up," Jack asked.

  "No, these roads are too dangerous at night, espe
cially with all the rain we’ve had. We can’t afford to get stuck or stranded. For now I think it’s best to stay here. "

  "You think we'll be safe?"

  "Hell no, there's another swarm of zombies on their way here. And these ones are gonna be extra rotten and nasty, believe me. Now listen, here’s what we are gonna do.” She pointed to the bus, "The resort's water softening system uses salt. I threw twenty huge bags of it in the bus. We need to make a circle around the dining hall building. I’ll explain later. We should then have enough food and water inside to figure something out…or maybe just ride it out. Maybe they will get tired and decide it’s easier just being dead."

  "What? What's going to stop the zombies… high sodium?"

  "Trust me. Just get a circle made fast."

  Cass sat down next to Talin's basket while Jack organized a work party. She popped open the basket and picked up Talin's head. "I hope you can make a bigger circle work the same way you did before, ‘cause I’m kind of banking on it."

  "Such a clever girl," He said with a smile, "But remember, I need everyone inside the circle before I can start the incantation.

  Cass lifted up Talin's head and pressed her lips to his, "I love you Talin," She whispered. “And don’t you worry, as soon as we get organized we’ll find a way to get you your body back.”

  Fawn was handing out bottled water to the workers. She stopped, watching Cass, with a combination of shock, awe and revulsion on her face.

  Cass turned to her, "What, you've never seen two people kissing before?"

  The exhausted survivors hustled, encircling themselves with the rocky industrial salt as fast as they could. Jack gathered all the weapons and ammo he could find. He handed Cass a rifle and distributed three more among the most able bodied of the tourists. Other survivors were stacking furniture and broken rubble as a rough barrier. Fawn was busy handing out water, pausing intermittently to admire her new hero, and lover, Jack.

  Cass picked up Talin's head and handed it to Fawn. "Take him inside and give him a hand if he needs it… Sorry Talin, no pun intended. Do whatever he says…he’s gonna save us." Fawn just stared at the severed head for a moment.

  "Hello, my name is Talin." He said, with his most charming smile, "What's yours?"

  The smile calmed her down, "umm…hi, I'm Fawn," She held up a water bottle, "Are you thirsty?"

  Chapter 17

  The magic circle was only two thirds done… but the next wave of extra-dead zombies had arrived. Cass appeared calm, but she was just too numb to register any more shock.

  Cass watched the creatures shuffling across the lawn towards the compound. Some of them were surprising agile and quick. "Those are the cemetery zombies! Hurry up people!" She looked down at Talin, "We're lucky it took them so long to get here."

  "Maybe they stopped for lunch."

  The wave of zombies began to pick up speed, in response to the shouting and barked commands. They began to build a momentum like an oncoming stampede.

  "Christ, they're running." Cass said nervously.

  "Okay," Jack said to his shooters, "All you can do is slow them down, so aim for their legs. Use short bursts and hit the kneecaps if you can. But don't waste any ammo." The horde came within range, "Fire!"

  The first shots were effective. Cass shot the legs out from under at least two while Jack hit three. The other shooters missed but kept firing. The barriers of furniture and rubble slowed the zombies down … but only for a few moments.

  "We finished the circle!" Shouted a middle aged balding guy. He looked like he was having the worst mid-life crisis on record.

  Cass, Jack and the shooters quickly fell back into the dining hall, barricading the door behind them. Talin began the incantation as the zombies bashed at the doors and windows.

  Cass had a horrifying thought, "What if they're inside the circle when the spell is completed?"

  Talin just continued muttering the spell, louder with each passing sentence.

  A zombie ran headlong into a floor length window shattering the glass. Jack opened fire, shooting its legs out from under it. Another raced in behind it and pounced on Cass. They fell to the ground in a tangle of tanned and decaying flesh as they wrestled furiously. Its hands clasped around her windpipe. Cass felt herself becoming weaker, losing the battle as she did her best to keep it’s gnashing teeth away from her.

  Talin's voice reached a crescendo and stopped, "It is complete." He said.

  Cass was barely conscious when the zombie suddenly relaxed its grip. It stared at her for a moment…or would have if it still had eyes, until, in a rasping croak it said, "ahh…thank you," as if in relief. Then it went limp.

  The other zombies that had entered the circle weaved unsteadily and then collapsed as well.

  Cass examined her opponent's body, "It’s dead… again. I mean really dead…like supposed to be dead…oh you know what I mean."

  Jack looked out the window, watching in relief as the zombies outside the circle began to wander off into the jungle, "They're leaving," He shouted to the heaven’s as well as to the assembled crowd.

  There was tremendous excitement until Talin chimed in.

  "The circle makes us more or less invisible to them…but there is no need to tempt fate… So please keep it down!"

  The survivors complied.

  Fawn raced over to Jack, throwing herself around him with all her might. “Oh Jack, we made it!”

  Jack was surprised, as he actually felt his heart skip a few beats with her embrace. She was a cute kid, and truth be told he realized he had actually developed something of a bond with her. Maybe it was just the whole zombie thing that had kind of thrown them together, or maybe there really was something there…

  He hugged her back , kissing the top of her head, “Yeah, looks like we are going to be alright after all.” Maybe more than alright, he thought as he held her tight, caressing her back and nuzzling her to him.

  Cass picked up Talin's head and cradled it in her lap.

  She looked at him and smiled, "How long does the spell last?"

  "As long as the circle remains intact we are safe." Talin replied.

  Cass was beyond exhausted. It had been a hellish night, but they were finally safe, thanks to a circle of salt. She looked outside and did her best to smile. Surveying the carnage she knew they had paid a heavy price. It had been an insane night. Scores of tourists and soldiers had died, and then come back. Some of those were just so much hamburger, while many were even now wandering the surrounding jungles in search of human flesh. She had not had time to even think about the safety of the other villages on the island. They would be at the mercy of the horde. And then there was the whole my-boyfriend-is-just-a-severed-head thing to contend with. But she was confident that with his magic they could remedy that as well. They just had to bunk down for the night. With the new day they would figure out their next move. At least for now they were safe.

  Then the first drops of rain began to fall… thin rivulets of water were already coursing across the earth as it quickly turned into a downpour.

  THE END

  Finding Love in a Dark World: Book 1

  Cynthia Wilde

  Copyright © 2016 by Cynthia Wilde. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Prologue

  Earth is not what it once was, or so the story goes. It had been over twenty years since the third World War began. America was pulled into a conflict between China and Japan over a small set of islands that bordered the two nations. Russia and Iran jumped on one side and most of Europe and Australia jumped on the other. What had begun as a little dispute over a little island in the sea ended up killing billions of people.

  War no longer resembled the entity it once was in the beginning of the 20th century. There were no m
ore boots on the ground. Instead, war was fought with drones and weapons of mass destruction; nuclear weapons were a threat now turned into a reality. Once the first strike was launched, many more followed. No one even knew who started it or why it had begun, and there were few left to wonder. Less than one percent of the population survived the combination of bombs, radiation, EMPs, hunger, civil wars, weaponized flu strains and the full breakdown of society. Many people could not deal with the world the way things were. Many were driven to end their suffering themselves, taking their families with them.

  Large cities were turned to rubble and most people didn’t dare go near them. Hundreds of thousands of house pets had taken over the urban areas. They had changed from comfort providing companions into radioactively-charged beasts. A few human survivors still lived in the midst of the chaos, though they lived in the underground, only coming out in the mornings while the beasts slept. Humans were no longer the top of the food chain. They had to learn humility in their new role in the world.

  Humans now carved out small communities that were usually no more than a few hundred people, and they quickly learned to stay close together for safety. There were no governments, though there were leaders and followers as there had always been. Man’s evils still found their way into this new world, as they always had in the past.

  1

  Jessa sighed. It was going to be another hot day. She looked up at the sky and didn’t see a cloud in sight. There hadn’t been rain in weeks and the plants needed it. She resigned herself to fetching pails to water the garden instead. After she was done in her own yard, she still had to tend to the community garden in town. She braced herself for a long day.