“Yup, sorry. Until you win your fight, that’s where you’ll be,” the guard said.
Nadia saw an opportunity to infect a few more men and backpedaled. “You’re putting me in there? No, way, it’s disgusting!”
“You have to,” the guard said. “It’s only for a few hours until tonight anyway.”
“No way in hell!” Faking a panic attack, Nadia fought against their hold, kicking and thrashing as they forced her toward the stockade. Whenever she got the chance, she bit down on bare skin, breaking through and tasting blood. A passing Ravager pitched in to help, and together, the three men got her inside, slamming the door shut.
“Holy crap, she’s a hellcat,” one said, nursing his bleeding arm.
“No, kidding,” the other agreed, blood dripping from his wrist.
“Fuck her, the bitch. She can rot in hell,” said the guard who’d promised initially to vouch for her to fight in the Ring. She’d gotten him the worst. Three wounds on the upper arm.
Nadia smiled as they walked away. Four infected. Not bad. Then she turned and looked around. “Cat? Are you there?”
At first, she encountered nothing but apathy and indifference. The prisoners were long since broken, their spirits ground to nothing beneath the heel of their enemy. Then she spotted a familiar camo vest and canvas jacket in the corner. “Cat?”
A disbelieving face turned toward her. “Nadia? Is that you?”
“It’s me!” Nadia ran over and crouched next to Cat, noting the pained look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
In fits and starts, Cat told her the story of Jay and Lena before allowing Nadia to look at her injured foot. The joint had swollen to twice its size, and she’d had to loosen the laces of her boot.
With care, Nadia slipped it off entirely along with the sock before inspecting the ankle. Any movement or prodding elicited cries of agony, but in the end, Nadia was sure of one thing. “It’s not broken. You tore a ligament, I think.”
“Is that bad?”
“Pretty bad in here.”
Nadia slipped off her jacket and long-sleeved shirt before donning the jacket again. Tearing the shirt into strips, she securely bandaged the foot before putting the open boot back on. It was a tight fit. Exactly what she wanted.
From her pocket, she pulled out a handful of painkillers and a small bottle of water which she fed to Cat bit by bit. She’d come prepared, after all.
While waiting for the meds to kick in, Nadia looked at the stockade, testing each pole until she found a weak one which she broke free with a grunt of effort. The end was sharp and splintered, and the other she wrapped in the last piece of her shirt.
She handed it to Cat and whispered, “Keep this as a weapon, and be ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“I infected a few of the Ravagers before they tossed me in here. This place is going to hell in a handbasket soon.”
Cat’s eyes widened. “But we’re stuck in here.”
“Not for long. Come on.”
With Nadia supporting Cat, they made their way to the exit and sank down next to it. Nadia eyed the lock on the chain with a smile, before picking a bobby pin out of her hair. “Easy peasy. Now we just have to wait.”
A few hours passed, punctuated by captives coming and going. None would talk to either Nadia or Cat. Nadia watched the going-ons outside the stockade, alert for any signs of the infection taking hold. Finally, when the sun dropped below the horizon and night set in, she heard it. The telltale screams of fresh victims falling to the teeth of hungry zoms. She tugged Cat to her feet. “This is it. Get ready to run.”
With swift movements, she picked the lock on the chain, ignoring the other prisoners who crowded around shouting out fearful questions. As sorry as she felt for them, they were on their own.
When the lock sprang free, she grabbed Cat around the waist but paused for a single moment to give instruction to the hapless prisoners in the hopes a few might make it out alive. “There’s infected in the camp. Run for the nearest vehicle you can find and get out of here.”
Most simply stared at her, too far gone to care, but a few nodded and followed her outside. For them, she harbored a slight grain of hope. “Godspeed to you.”
Without waiting any longer, she turned toward the water tower, half-carrying, and half-dragging Cat along with her. “Come on, Cat. We need to get to the tower. That’s where Lisa is picking us up.”
Cat nodded and sped up, even though every breath she took ended in a grunt of pain. Suddenly, a man hurled himself at them, screeching and snarling. He grabbed Nadia by the arm, and she screamed as he bit into the tender flesh above her shoulder, tearing into the skin.
She let go of Cat and shoved the infected away, booting him in the stomach. When he stumbled, she bent down to rip the hidden knife from her boot. As he sprang at her again, she stabbed him in the eye, sinking the blade into his brain. He crumpled to the ground, and she turned to gather Cat up once more. “Let’s go.”
“But you’re hurt,” Cat protested.
“It’s nothing. We have to hurry before the whole place goes to hell.”
Together, they set off again at a stumbling run, Nadia wincing as the pain in her shoulder grew to a raging fire. There was no time to stop, however, or to create the signal she’d promised Lisa. She could only hope Lisa got to them on time.
They reached the water tower just a great explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet. Shocked, Nadia looked back in time to see a great ball of fire shoot up into the sky. One of the ammunition warehouses had caught fire. “Yes! There’s your sign, Lisa.”
Certain now that Lisa would come charging to their rescue at any minute, she hustled Cat into a secluded corner to wait it out. The next moment, a woman with red hair came sprinting out of the night and charged straight toward them. She wielded a machete and screamed when she spotted Cat. “There you are, you black-haired bitch.”
Cat gasped, lifting her stick in front of her. “Lena.”
Nadia realized in an instant that the woman was no friend of theirs, and launched herself forward. She caught Lena by surprise, her good shoulder smashing into the woman’s stomach. The air left Lena’s lungs in a whoosh, and she dropped the machete.
That didn’t seem to faze her, though, and she lunged at Nadia with a screech of rage. Her fist caught Nadia on the nose, and the cartilage crunched as the bone broke. Nadia cried out in pain as blood sprayed forth, coating both her and Lena in a fine spray of crimson.
She fought back, punching and kicking blindly through teared up eyes, but Lena had gone berserk, her every move like a wild animal’s. “It’s your fault. You did this. The camp, Jay, all of it’s gone because of you. You killed him. I saw him go down!”
Nadia felt the strength leave her limbs, weakened by pain and loss of blood from her shoulder. She grunted as Lena punched her in the mouth, splitting her lip. All she could see and taste was blood.
Suddenly, Lena cried out in triumph. She’d found the machete and grabbed it, raising it high above her head to cut Nadia down. Nadia turned her head away and raised her arms, but she knew it was futile. This is how it ends.
Lena stiffened, her next breath leaving her lungs as a gurgle. Blood spilled from her lips as she looked down at the sharp end of Cat’s stick poking out of her chest. “What the…”
Those were her last words as she tumbled to the side, revealing a heaving Cat who reached out a trembling hand to Nadia. “Come on, Nads. Let’s blow this joint.”
Chapter 18 - Lisa
As the hours passed and day faded to night, Lisa waited for a sign. Any sort of warning. Twice, her nerves caused her to throw up until finally, there was nothing left in her stomach but acid and bile. She paced up and down, stared at the camp through her binoculars, and swore until her throat went dry. “Come on, Nadia. You can do this.”
At last, when she could no longer contain her impatience, she heard distant cries rolling in on the breeze. Still, she hesitated, not sure if she
was charging straight into a trap. Then she saw it. A huge explosion rocked the earth, and a ball of fire shot up into the sky, lighting the night with streaks of orange and yellow.
“Yes!” Lisa cried, starting the truck’s engine with a roar.
She barreled up the road and toward the gates, noting at once that they were deserted. Without slowing down, she plowed through and headed straight for the water tower, ignoring the screams of the dying and fleeing people around her.
For the camp was dying. That much was obvious. Flames licked up the sides of buildings, and more explosions rocked the earth as ammo dumps caught alight. The contorted faces of fresh infected filled the grounds, darting from the shadows to pounce on hapless victims.
Lisa ignored them all, making straight for the one place she knew she had to get to before it was too late. She roared around the corner, kicking up a cloud of dust as she pulled to a halt in front of the tower. The truck’s yellow lights illuminated the area, and she spotted Nadia and Cat in an instant.
She opened the passenger door with her gun held ready to back them up and screamed. “Come on!”
Nadia stood up from her crouch, her bloody face contorted with pain. She lifted Cat with her, and together they staggered toward the truck. A snarling infected spotted them and charged, but a bullet from Lisa’s rifle cut it down.
Together, the girls reached the dump truck and climbed inside, gasping for breath. Without wasting a second, Lisa jammed it into gear and drove back through the camp, mowing down the infected in her path. She crashed through the broken remnants of the gate, and they were free, charging away from the Ravager’s camp at full speed.
Lisa shot Nadia a look. “Are you okay? Both of you?”
“We’re fine,” Nadia managed in harsh tones.
“Do I need to stop?”
Nadia shook her head. “No, keep going until you get to the safe house. We can wait until then.”
“All right. Settle in.”
Lisa drove through the night, periodically passing water and painkillers to the two injured girls who lay curled up in the seat, their arms wrapped around each other for comfort.
When they reached the second getaway vehicle, they switched over while Lisa dumped the truck in the veldt, parking it out of sight of the road. If any of the Ravagers sought to follow them, they would find nothing. Nothing at all.
Once more, they hit the tar, driving throughout the long hours until dawn lit up the sky in pastel pink, yellow, and lavender streaks. Not long after, she spotted the safe house, and with a sigh of relief, she pulled the car into the garage.
“Wait here,” she said. “I’ll clear and lock up the place first.”
After making sure no infected or people lurked nearby, she locked the gates and garage, sealing them in behind the property’s high walls. Only then did she allow Cat and Nadia to enter the house.
“Let’s see what we’ve got here,” she said, setting out a slew of candles to light the kitchen and unpacking the first aid kit.
“Help Nadia first,” Cat said. “Lena hit her pretty hard.”
“Lena?” Lisa said, examining Nadia’s face in the flickering flames of the candles.
“It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got time. You might as well tell it,” Lisa said, wincing as she prodded Nadia’s nose. “This is broken.”
“Great,” Nadia mumbled in a nasal pitch, her eyes swelling shut and turning blue already. “Now I’ll have a crooked nose forever.”
“It adds character,” Lisa said. “Now, hold still.”
While Cat told their story, Lisa set Nadia’s nose, causing the poor girl to scream before disinfecting her various cuts and bruises. She wasn’t too badly off, considering she went a few rounds with a deranged maniac. The worst was the zombie bite on her shoulder which needed stitches, but at last, Lisa was satisfied.
“Next,” she said, crooking a finger at Cat whose injuries turned out to be serious, but not as bad as it could be either. A torn ligament in the ankle, and a few broken ribs courtesy of Jay.
“A few days, and we’ll be right as rain,” Nadia said.
“More like a few weeks, I think,” Lisa said, waving them away. “Right. Off to bed with both of you. I’ll be Mama Bear for the next few weeks, so you might as well settle in.”
And indeed, it did take several weeks before Cat could walk again without too much pain. Nadia healed fast physically, but it took longer for her mental wounds to close up. They’d always leave a scar, though. The loss of Logan and Caleb, her part in Manny’s death…it was all there. Forever.
Still, Lisa had faith in her. In all of them. They’d come out the other side stronger than before, and closer than before. A true friendship bond had now been formed. One that could never be broken.
On the last night, she gathered them all together in the kitchen. “Now comes the big decision, guys. Tomorrow, we’re leaving. Where are we going?”
“I don’t know,” Nadia said. “I haven’t given it much thought. Have you?”
Lisa nodded. “I have, and I feel we should either continue with our mission, though that doesn’t feel right to me, or we can go home.”
“Home?” Nadia asked. “As in St. Francis?”
“That is our home, yes. Everybody we know and love stays there,” Lisa said. “Maybe it’s time we went back and helped them to build a better future.”
Nadia nodded. “I don’t think I can carry on with our old mission either. So, if that’s the case, home it is.”
Lisa looked at Cat. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. I like the idea of going home, but I’d also like to think it over. Can I give you my answer tomorrow?” Cat asked.
Lisa nodded. “Sure. We can finalize tomorrow. Now for the last time, off to bed with you lot while Mama Bear makes sure everything’s in order. You young ones need your rest.”
Nadia and Cat pretended to moan as she ushered them away, but it was all in good fun. As she crawled in between her own sheets, Lisa realized that for the first time, she was really looking forward to another day.
Epilogue - Cat
Cat woke long before dawn, a sense of excitement driving her from her comfortable bed and into a flurry of activity. After making the bed, she washed and dressed with care, taking the time to braid her hair and change the bandages around her ribs and ankle as well.
Her outfit was simple, practical, and comfortable. Sports underwear, a camo vest, black tights, light canvas jacket, and hiking boots. The boots had the added bonus of providing support to her injured limb, and with her new walking stick, she managed to move around with relative ease while she packed. A couple of painkillers and a glass of water made it even easier.
A knock on the door announced Nadia, her face no longer banged up and with a nose that was only slightly crooked. Behind her stood an excited looking Lisa who looked ready to tackle the day. Cat greeted them both with a huge smile while putting the finishing touches on her luggage. Her friends shuffled inside, noting that she was up and dressed already, her things packed and the bed made.
“Huh. I thought you’d still be in bed,” Nadia mused. “You were never much of a morning person.”
“Yeah, me too,” Lisa admitted, offering Cat a steaming cup of coffee in a mug covered in little hearts. “I even brought a peace offering for waking you so early.”
“Not today,” Cat said. “Today is the start of a new era for me. One where I’m in control of my destiny.”
“How so?” Nadia asked with a quizzical frown.
“Well, I thought about everything you said last night. About how I should think about what I wanted to do, and I realized something,” Cat said, straightening up and faced her friends with a confident stance. “I don’t want to go home to St. Francis. Not yet, anyway.”
“You don’t?” Nadia asked, her brows arching. “But, I thought―”
“You thought wrong. I’ve got unfinished business here on the outside that needs to get taken care of f
irst. Only then will I consider going home.”
“What business?” Lisa asked with wary caution. “Please, don’t tell me it’s another suicide mission. I’ve had enough of those to last me a lifetime.”
Cat chuckled and shook her head. “It’s not. It’s pretty simple, actually. I want to find my mother.”
“Your mom?” Nadia asked. “But, I thought she was dead.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know if she’s dead or not. Maybe she is, or maybe she’s stuck somewhere waiting for rescue. Or maybe she’s perfectly fine and living out the apocalypse in a safe place. Who knows?” Cat said. “That’s the problem.”
“So you want us to look for your mom? Is that it?” Lisa asked.
“Pretty much,” Cat replied. “If you’re willing, that is. I don’t think I can do this without you guys, to be honest.”
Nadia looked at Lisa and shrugged. “We might as well. We haven’t got anything else to do.”
“You realize this is probably a wild goose chase?” Lisa asked. “Finding one woman in a million…it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“I know,” Cat said, raising a hand to forestall further objections. “And I also know I might not like what I find. That my mom could be a zombie.”
“Are you sure you can handle that?” Nadia asked.
“I’m sure. It’ll hurt like hell, but anything is better than not knowing at all. Besides, something tells me she’s still alive. I know it.”
“Okay. If you’re sure, then I’m in,” Lisa said.
“So am I,” Nadia added.
Cat felt tears well up in her eyes, and she stuck her arms out to pull them into a group hug. “I love you, guys. I really do. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know where I’d be.”
Nadia snorted. “You’d be perfectly fine, I’m sure. You’re the strongest person I know. If not the nicest.”
Lisa laughed. “I’m sure you’d be fine without Nadia too. She’s a bad influence.”
“Hey,” Nadia cried, swatting her on the arm. “Watch your mouth, or I’ll return the new ride I got for us.”
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