Dangerous Nights: Boxed Set (A Zombie Apocalypse Thriller Books 1-3)

by Baileigh Higgins

  “Yes, boss.” Anthony walked away to carry out his orders, and Jay resumed his study of the community. It looked perfect for his needs, every man’s dream during the apocalypse, and he was determined to make the place his own.

  Jay walked toward his truck, gesturing for a guard to come over. “Get in. You’re my driver for the day.”

  “Yes, Sir. Where to?” the man asked.

  “Take me all around the community, but stay out of sight. Be careful. I want to see what we’re up against.”

  They circled the wall’s perimeter, keeping out of sight of the guards on top. It took the better part of an hour to do so. In the end, Jay was satisfied there was only one entrance.

  As they drove, he thought back over the years. He’d never been the winner in the family. No, that honor went to his brother, Paul. Always the clever one, Paul had studied after school becoming a lawyer. It suited his conniving nature to perfection.

  Jay got involved in the wrong crowd and ended up in jail before the age of twenty-one for petty theft and arson. His father had disowned him for dishonoring the family name. It was an ugly scene, one he’d never forget.

  “Get out of my house. I never want to see your face again,” his father said.

  “But father,” Jay protested, holding the small bag containing his meager belongings in one hand. It was all he had left after his stint inside, and he needed a place to crash.

  “I’m not your father. Not anymore,” his father said, icily calm. “Get out.”

  “Please…”

  “I said out!” his dad roared.

  Jay’s mouth worked, but he had nothing left to say. “Give my love to Mother, please.”

  “I’ll do no such thing, now get out before I throw you out.”

  Jay dropped his bag and his hands closed into fists. Before he could stop himself, he lashed out, catching his father on the jaw.

  His father stared at him, astonished. “What did you do?”

  “What I should have done a long time ago,” Jay said between gasps for air, hatred bubbling in his chest like molten lava.

  “You? You haven’t got what it takes,” his father taunted him.

  Blind rage overtook Jay, and he lost all control as his vision clouded over. His fists pummeled into his father’s face and body, crunching cartilage and bone, splitting skin and tissue. Blood coated his knuckles and flecked his shirt. It was the screams that pulled him back to reality, the shrill cries his mother made while tugging at his arms. “Jay, stop it. Please. You’ll kill him!”

  Jay stepped back, his chest heaving. His eyes flew from his mother’s terrified expression to his father’s mangled face. The damage was brutal, and Jay’s knees went weak at the sight. He’d just gotten out of jail, and the slightest infraction would land him back inside. He shook his head and backed away. That day, he left the house and never looked back.

  His father survived the attack, and for some reason never pressed charges. His mother passed away from a mild heart attack a year later. He was not invited to the funeral, nor did he attend his sister’s wedding.

  It was Paul who found him after the apocalypse. Paul who told him his family was dead, and Paul who began the Ravagers. Now Paul was dead too, and he was in charge. Who’s the loser now?

  Jay smiled with grim amusement. “Long live the King.”

  “Excuse me, sir? Did you say something?” his driver asked.

  “Just thinking out loud,” Jay replied. “You can head back now, I’ve seen enough.”

  ***

  Three days later, Jay called a meeting in his war office as he liked to call it. All the Ravager leaders had arrived, trickling in from every direction, bringing their men and supplies with them. As per Jay’s orders, they lay low, not alerting the community to their presence.

  Anthony was there along with a few others. Even the infamous Red, a woman in charge of their biggest ammunition depot. As tough as any man, if not tougher, she inspired fear in all her followers. With her Mohawk haircut and half her face blacked out with paint, she was an exotic sight. Many of the men ogled her muscular body dressed in leather pants and vest, but Jay found her too abrasive for his taste.

  Jay gathered them together and faced them over the table. “Before we begin this meeting, let’s get one thing straight. I’m in charge, and if any of you wish to challenge me, now’s the time. We fight to the death, and the winner takes all as per Ravager rules.”

  A ripple went through the gathered men, their faces growing speculative as they sized him up. Despite his fearsome reputation as the Beast, the offer was tempting. In the end, only one man stepped forward.

  Jay and his opponent stepped outside, facing off across a small clearing. A crowd gathered, forming a circle around them and Jay studied his opponent. The man was every bit as large as Jay, his body thick and muscular. A black beard covered his jaws, and his eyes were crafty. He pulled out a blade as long as his forearm, the steel glinting in the sun.

  “Nick, was it?” Jay asked.

  “That’s right,” Nick said.

  “May the best man win,” Jay replied.

  “Aye,” Nick said.

  Jay circled to the left, his hands low and ready to grab. He wanted no weapon, planning to take the man on with his bare hands. He wanted to put on a show for the crowd. To let them know once and for all who was the boss. I need to make an example of him.

  Red stepped up, arm raised. “Ready?”

  They nodded.

  She dropped her arm. “Fight!”

  Nick lunged at Jay, the knife aimed for his stomach. Jay sidestepped, slapping the blade aside before grabbing the man’s arm and shoulder and tossing him over his head to slam onto the ground.

  The breath left Nick’s lungs in a pained whoosh, but he was up in a flash. This time, he was careful, watching Jay’s every move with wary caution. Jay raised his hand and beckoned. “Come on. Don’t be a pussy. Are you scared?”

  The taunt worked as Nick stormed Jay with a thunderous roar. Jay stepped forward to meet the charge, slamming his hand into the man’s windpipe with his fingers held stiff. Something crunched, and Nick’s throat collapsed inward. Blood bubbled from the man’s mouth, and he choked on the fluid, falling to his knees before pitching forward onto his face.

  Jay let his arms dangle by his side, his manner relaxed as he surveyed the crowd. “Anyone else?” he asked.

  Silence reigned.

  “Anybody at all?”

  Nobody answered.

  “Then it’s settled. From here on forward, I’m your undisputed leader. You follow me!” Jay raised his fists in the air, and a cheer broke out as the Ravagers hailed him. He let his gaze drift over the gathering, his insides warm with satisfaction. “Now, let’s go to war!”

  Chapter 12 - Cat

  Cat watched as the guard walked toward Nadia’s open window, his expression wary but open. He nodded at them and said, “Good day, ma’am. How can I help you?”

  “Is this the quarantine zone?” Nadia asked.

  “It used to be. Now it’s the Queenstown community.”

  “Do you have a doctor here? Our friend is sick.” Nadia pointed at Lisa who shivered in response, huddling deeper underneath her blanket.

  “What’s wrong with her?” he asked. “Has she been bitten?”

  Nadia shook her head. “We think she has a concussion. She fell pretty hard.”

  “All right, we’ll let you in, but you have to follow protocol first. No free passes. You’ll have to give up your guns too.”

  “What? We can’t do that. What about the zombies!”

  “There are no zombies inside the walls, ma’am, and we don’t know you, nor can we trust you yet. You’ll be allowed one handheld weapon each, but that’s it.”

  Nadia hesitated, clearly torn, and Cat nudged her on the shoulder. “We don’t have a choice, Nads. Think of Lisa.”

  “You’re right. We can sort everything out later on, but first we have to take care of her,” Nadia said. She turned
toward the guard who waited patiently. “Okay, we’ll give up our guns. Let us in.”

  Cat could barely contain her excitement as the guards waved them through the gates after a cursory examination of their truck, checking underneath for lurkers. Once inside, the same guard ordered them to disembark and waved over a buddy. “Sorry, ma’am, but it’s time to hand over your weapons.”

  Together, they collected all the guns in the truck and on the girls along with their stored ammunition. Like Nadia, Cat was loath to give up her weapons but knew she had to for Lisa’s sake. “Do we get our stuff back when we leave?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the guard answered, writing each item down on a pad of paper. “You’ll get it all back, down to the last round. Unless you choose to stay in which case it becomes part of the community’s arms.”

  “I see. Thank you.”

  Even their hand weapons were gathered up, each of them being allowed to keep only one. Cat kept quiet about her walking stick, not revealing it to be a sword, and chose a machete as her one piece to keep. Nadia did the same, also keeping mum about her cross. At least, they weren’t completely helpless should a fight arise.

  “Now, if you’ll follow Suzanne over there, she’ll examine you for bites,” the guard said once he was done with them, and a lady in a white coat waved them over with a friendly smile.

  Cat grabbed Nadia’s arm. “What about your scars? What if she recognizes them as zombie bites?”

  Nadia shrugged. “I doubt it. The one on my shoulder is undoubtedly a bite mark, but I’ll tell her a dog bit me, or a crazy chick hopped up on drugs at a party. The one on my arm is too messy to tell what it was. That zom tore me open like wet paper.”

  “Man, I hope she passes you,” Cat said, chewing her lip.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Nadia replied.

  “Hi, there, I’m Suzanne,” the lady in the white coat greeted. “I know you’re tired, but we’re almost finished. I’ll make this quick.” One by one, she took them inside a tent to examine them for bites.

  Lisa went first because she was ill. When they emerged, Suzanne called over the guard. “She’s not infected, but she’s badly injured and needs treatment right away. Please take her to the clinic and ask for Doctor Heinz personally.”

  “But…we have to go with her,” Cat protested.

  “You can’t. Not until I’ve cleared you,” Suzanne said. “Anyway, Dr. Heinz is very strict about visiting hours, especially for new patients, and he won’t let you in until tomorrow morning ten o’ clock.”

  “Tomorrow morning!” Cat cried.

  “Yes, the afternoon visiting times are over already.”

  “That’s ridiculous. We have to see her,” Cat said.

  Suzanne gripped her arm with a retraining touch. “Please. I promise she’ll be fine. Our medical care is of the highest standards, and she’ll be well taken care of.”

  Cat sighed, her excitement draining away in the face of all these rules and protocols. “What about if we’re looking for someone?”

  “Someone as in?”

  “I think my mother might be here. Matilda Adams,” Cat said before pointing to Ralph and Sam. “And these two boys are sure their mother is here as well.”

  “What’s her name?” Suzanne asked.

  “Olivia Johnson,” Ralph answered, his face as somber as ever.

  Suzanne jotted the names down on a piece of paper and called another guard over. “Can you try and find these people for me, please? They might have family over here. Ask Hilda to announce it over the loudspeakers for you.”

  “Will do,” the guard answered, walking away with all their hopes on a piece of paper.

  “Now, where were we?” Suzanne asked.

  Cat sighed. “You can do me next.”

  “Great.”

  After Cat was cleared, she waited impatiently for Suzanne to finish with the others. She wanted to find her mother and visit Lisa. She wanted…no needed to move to get rid of all the pent-up excitement within her.

  While waiting, she studied their surroundings. The entrance to the community was set up in such a way as to offer little or no view of the inner workings. An extensive concrete pad served as a parking lot to various vehicles, flanked by an auto shop and rows of fuel drums. Fork lifts zipped about, carrying supplies from incoming vehicles to a nearby warehouse while a second wall and set of gates protected the citizens in their homes.

  It was a clever set-up, but also unwieldy. While the walls would keep out infected and require minimal manpower, Cat doubted there were enough men to guard the place in the event of an attack from other humans. She much preferred St. Francis’ more compact build, the walls extensive but not impossible to patrol. “This place is too big, unless their citizens number in the thousands.”

  She was waiting with the boys for Nadia to finish when a shrill cry pierced her eardrums. Startled, she whirled around and pulled out her machete. It was an automatic move, one learned after years spent ducking flesh-eating zombies. Two women cried out and skidded to a halt, not happy with the blade waving in front of their faces.

  Cat’s eyes fixed on her mother’s face, and she gasped, dropping the machete. “Mother!”

  “Cat? Is it really you?” her mother asked, her eyes round and disbelieving.

  “It’s me, Mom,” Cat said, reaching out to take her mother’s hands. They looked older. Worn. As did the woman she hadn’t quite believed she’d ever see again. “It’s really me.”

  “I can’t believe it. It’s been…what? Two years?”

  Cat shrugged. “Something like that.”

  Matilda dragged her into a hug, squeezing the breath from her body. “I’ve missed you so much. Every day, I hoped and prayed, and here you are. Safe and sound.”

  Cat allowed silent tears to well up and run down her cheeks as she breathed in he mother’s familiar scent. It soothed her, reminded her of the good days when everything was still perfect. Beside her, Ralph and Sam were undergoing the same happy reunion with their mum, Olivia, and it was hugs and tears all around.

  Nadia emerged from her exam and gave Cat the thumbs up in answer to her unspoken question. All good.

  Finally, when all was said and done, Suzanne escorted them to a small building and sat them down around a table. “Could you please wait here? Someone will be around shortly to ask a few questions and assign you to a home, though in this case, I think you’ve found it already.”

  Not long afterward, a man showed up carrying a clipboard and a pen. Cat eyed him, finding him quite attractive in a bookish way, his spectacles enhancing his blue eyes and blonde hair. Tall and slim, he extended a hand and greeted each of them. “Hi, I’m Neil, leader of our humble community. You are most welcome.”

  “Thank you for taking us in,” Cat said.

  Nadia echoed her, and they waited for him to carry on.

  He beamed. “It’s my pleasure. I’m always happy to see new faces. Our community needs new blood.”

  “Don’t you get a lot of new survivors?” Cat asked.

  “Not so many nowadays. People have grown scarce,” he replied, his smile fading away. “Anyway, I was supposed to assign you to new homes, but I guess you’ve already found them? Matilda? Olivia?”

  Matilda nodded. “Yes, she and her friends can stay with me.”

  “Of course,” Olivia said.

  “Perfect. Here are extra ration tickets for you,” he said, handing over slips of paper. “Olivia, I suggest you take the boys to school tomorrow for an evaluation. They’ll be graded and placed according to their abilities. Don’t worry. The system is quite lenient, and they’ll be caught up in no time.”

  Olivia nodded. “Is that all? I’d like to take them home now if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all,” Neil said, waving them away. “You must be eager to have them to yourself.”

  Olivia got up to go but paused when she reached Cat and Nadia. “Thank you for bringing my children home. I owe you both a debt of gratitude.”

/>   “It was no trouble, ma’am. None at all. You’ve got two strong young men there.” Cat watched them leave with sadness, but she was sure she’d see them again. “Bye!”

  Ralph and Sam waved at her and Nadia, their faces wreathed with smiles.

  Once they were gone, Neil resumed his talk. “If you decide to stay, we can see about more permanent accommodation as well as jobs for each of you. Until then, enjoy your stay.”

  “What about Lisa?” Cat asked.

  “I stopped by the clinic, and Dr. Heinz is conducting tests to determine the extent of her injuries. You will be allowed to visit tomorrow morning only, I’m afraid, but fear not, she’s in good hands.”

  Cat sighed. “I guess we’ll have to wait.”

  Matilda squeezed Cat’s hand. “She’ll be fine, you’ll see. I’ll take you to see her as soon as you’re allowed.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “I’m sure you’re both exhausted, so I’ll release you for the night, but I’d like to talk again soon,” Neil said.

  “Thank you, Neil,” Matilda said, hustling Cat and Nadia away. “We’ll see you soon.”

  Matilda led the way to her home, and Cat followed, shadowed by a silent Nadia. “What about our stuff?”

  “I’ll have someone bring your truck around, don’t worry,” Matilda said. “For now, I just want to spend a little bit of time with my girl. And, of course, you too Nadia.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Cat said, allowing herself to relax a little. She reached over and gripped Nadia’s hand. “We made it girlfriend. We found my mom, delivered Ralph and Sam, and we got Lisa the help she needed.”

  Nadia smiled. “I guess you’re right. We can’t ask for much more than that, can we?”

  “Maybe just one more thing,” Cat teased.

  “Yeah? What’s that?” Nadia asked.

  “A hot bath and a warm meal.”

  “That’s two things.”

  “Don’t forget a comfy bed,” Cat added.

  “Now you’re pushing it,” Nadia said with a grin. “That’s three things.”