Zombie Playlist: A Rock Zombie Romance

by Kirsty Dallas

  “Raleigh,” I murmured in a low voice. “There are cacti everywhere, without an actual address we could spend days rolling around out here looking. We don’t have the gas to spare.”

  Raleigh’s eyes narrowed marginally. “I said I’d share what I had with you.”

  “And you don’t have an endless supply.”

  “What exactly do you expect me to do? He’s our only chance.”

  Her temper was rising, and it reached out to caress mine.

  “You don’t even know this crazy ol’ fucker. Why are you relying on someone you don’t even know?”

  “Because Alan trusted him!”

  The pounding of boots from somewhere behind me sent a jolt of adrenaline straight to my heart but before I could turn around, rough hands grabbed my shoulders and began pushing me forward into the RV. Dipping down low, I managed to break free from the hold and turned to throw a right hook at whoever had snuck up on us, only to find Lawson with a terrified look on his face.

  “What the fuck? You scared the shit out of me!” I cursed.

  It was then I noticed an equally frightened looking Noah being pressed forward into my arms. Lawson was trying to get us inside the RV, fast.

  “Lawson, have you lost your fucking mind pushing us around like this?”

  Frustration sliced through his features before he pulled me forward by my elbow, dragging me away from the RV he was just trying to squeeze me into. Then he pointed and my eyes followed his outstretched finger. Shit. There were shadows in the distance. Lots of them. Noticing the binoculars in his hand, I wrenched them free and, in a panic, zoomed in on whatever was headed this way. Trucks and cars lined the road, some of them with the vaguely familiar khaki green of the military.

  “Soldiers?” I wondered out loud, my heart galloping.

  Glancing to Lawson he shrugged before taking the binoculars back.

  “Might not be soldiers,” I answered my own question. Lawson agreed with a nod, his face grave. With sharp and direct signals, he pointed at me, then Noah, and then the door to the RV. His eyes were narrowed, lips pinched, cheeks flushed, it was obvious he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Without words he was effectively being a bossy asshole. Before I could respond, he turned his back on me and jogged to the far end of the RV.

  “Inside Boo,” I ordered. I could be a bossy asshole too. Justin was clinging to Noah’s chest as she ran up the stairs and into the home. “Lock up, Raleigh.”

  The staunch woman’s anger had disappeared and was replaced with worry as she shut and locked the door. Running back to the Toyota, I grabbed the two weapons from the glove compartment and the ammunition, then followed the direction Lawson had retreated, up the ladder to the top of the RV. He was sprawled on his stomach, binoculars to his eyes, rifle resting beside him. The rain had begun to spill from the heavens again, a light sprinkle that didn’t do anything to wash away the stinking humidity. Lawson cast me an irritated glance before returning to his position of watching the oncoming convoy. He looked so handsome, even while pissed off. Water fell down his temple and disappeared into his sexy as sin beard. One of his broad shoulders touched mine, and I gave him a gentle nudge.

  “I know, you’re pissed I didn’t run inside with the other women folk.”

  Sparing me a frustrated glance, I smiled, despite the fear thrumming through my veins. For someone who didn’t speak, his expression said so much.

  “I’ve got your back, soldier, that’s how this team shit works, and if you want to get all moody about it and argue I’m all in. You better find us somewhere private to battle though – and bring a condom – because I get horny after fighting.”

  Now I had his full, undivided attention as I settled on my stomach and made sure my weapons were within reaching distance before me.

  “What?” I asked when he continued to stare, looking at me like he couldn’t figure me out but didn’t really want to anyway. He gave me a single, sharp nod, as if to say “okay”, and returned to watching the cars and trucks approach.

  Gradually the sound of heavy vehicles got closer and closer, the noise bringing with it a sense of doom. I counted ten cars, six trucks, and five military Humvees. Lawson let me peek through the binoculars every few minutes and soon enough I could make out the men and women filling the first couple of vehicles. They had the look of soldiers, military fatigues with the same severe look Lawson wore when he wasn’t being distracted by me or Noah.

  Lawson didn’t reach for his weapon, which gave me some semblance of comfort. As the vehicles drew up alongside ours, the lead Humvee didn’t even stop. By this stage Lawson had risen to his feet, and I climbed up alongside him, watching the passing convoy. The civilian cars were full of just that, civilians. Women, men, and children, all with the same muted look of defeat, shoulders slumped and fear in their eyes. Eventually an armored truck pulled off to the side of the road, and a dark- skinned soldier climbed from the passenger seat. Lawson seemed to tense beside me, then turned and scrambled his way across the roof of the RV and down the ladder. Fucker just left me hanging up here. Jogging across the asphalt, he drew the tall, ripped soldier into a manly hug.

  “Well shit,” I whispered, wandering across the RV roof. I didn’t have quite the same enthusiasm as Lawson. If anything, this moment felt like a threat to my new world. It wasn’t the kind of threat that would turn me into a webbed, red-eyed freak who wanted to eat human flesh, but Lawson had found his people, which meant, he might want to stay with them. The thought was sobering. I didn’t want to lose him. I liked having him around. He had a confident, steady presence that made me feel at ease. His teasing smiles made me want to jump his bones. He was amazing with Noah, unlike any man had ever been, our father included. Fuck it…I fucking liked him. Climbing down the ladder, I jumped the last few rungs, landing on the dirt with a crunch. Shoulders back, one gun tucked uncomfortably down the back of my shorts, the other in my hand but pointed towards the ground, I made my way towards the two men.

  Coming to a standstill beside the happy reunion, I watched Lawson’s hands move swiftly. He was creating symbols with his hand.

  “You know sign language?” I asked with a dumbstruck tone in my voice.

  Both the men turned my way. Lawson’s grin was bright, his eyes lit up with a happiness I hadn’t seen in him before. It hurt my heart that he was so happy right now, and it wasn’t because of me. Why wouldn’t he smile like that at me? I was a cynical bitch who hated the world, that’s why. Turning away from Lawson’s happiness, I took in the stranger. His eyes were so dark they looked black, but they weren’t frightening or wicked, they were kind. His teeth were perfectly straight and white, his lips curled into a heartbreaking smile, cheekbones sharp. He was beautiful, and I’d seen him before. Hanging from a photograph in Lawson’s home.

  “Major Louis Bourgeois, ma’am,” the man purred.

  He held out his hand, and I stared at it for a moment before remembering my atrocious manners, and shaking it firmly.

  “Shiloh Summers. I take it you and Lawson are friends? If not, I have to tell you this manly hugging business is super weird.”

  Louis grinned, his smile as sublime as Lawson’s.

  “You could say my brother and I are friends.”

  Blinking a few times to clear the fog in my head that his words had created, I looked between the two men. Brothers?

  “Not brothers by blood, but in every other sense of the word,” Louis explained when he noticed my obvious confusion. “It’s good to see you alive, brother, and with a beautiful celebrity no less!”

  Lawson began to sign, and Louis laughed loudly. I didn’t much like not understanding what he was saying, but I also felt a sense of gratitude that he could communicate with someone without damn notes or a stick to draw in the dirt. It made the lump of sorrow sit heavier on my chest. This was where Lawson belonged. Louis’ smile disappeared, and his features grew somber.

  Shaking his head from side to side, he
said “Mathew is MIA, last I heard Rix was somewhere up north, just outside of L.A., but headed for the Marine Corps Station, Yuma. That’s where we’re going, we have orders to secure the facility.” Lawson was quick to move his hands with more signs, and Louis nodded. “Yeah, most of the bases are compromised, but we need to begin again somewhere, and Yuma is as good a place as any.” The men were silent for a moment. “You should join us, brother. There’s nothing in the direction you’re headed, only Red Rage and people rage. The worlds gone crazy.”

  Lawson nodded, and my heart sank. We couldn’t go back. I wouldn’t go back. We had a plan, and it was solid. If Lawson wanted to be with his people, it would mean we’d be parting ways. Unconsciously I rubbed my stomach, thoughts of the child that could be growing inside me at this very moment crossing my mind. Lawson’s gaze followed my movements, and I froze.

  “You got something to tell me, brother?” Louis asked, his eyes also following my movement.

  Lawson stared at me a moment, his eyes full of torture and grief. He held up one finger in Louis’ direction and took me by the elbow, pulling me carefully back toward the RV. Noah, Felix and Raleigh all sat up front, watching with wide eyes and curiosity. I didn’t want to let Lawson go. In the past, I’d been a spoiled brat who reached out and took whatever she wanted. Having money and power helped to create that blind egotism. As much as I wanted to take Lawson and keep him though, he wasn’t a possession to be kept. He was a human being, a good human being, too good for me. He could help the soldiers at the base, he would be amongst friends, even someone he could communicate with. Each time I’d broken up with Cullen the sadness had been dull. My anger had been colossal, but grief? Not really. Perhaps it was because I knew we’d always end up back together, maybe it was because I didn’t care in the right way. Cullen was comfortable, like an old pair of shoes you were reluctant to part with. Lawson wasn’t an old shoe. He was like a rare sparkling diamond that I couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from. It felt as if my heart was being torn from my chest, the still beating organ wrapped tight in a constrictive vice. This was surely going to break me.

  “Fake it until you make it,” I whispered under my breath.

  At the side of the RV, Lawson let my elbow go and turned to face me. The twisted torment in his handsome features hurt.

  “You know, it’s okay Lawson. I’m okay with this, I mean, it’s not like we’re lifelong friends or anything. We’ve only known each other, what? A couple of weeks? You stumbled across us at the right time, hell of the right time,” I emphasized, trying not to remember that terrifying moment. “And it’s not like I expected you to stay with us forever, it’s not like we’re your responsibility or anything.”

  Lawson’s features had gone from torment to anger in a single breath, and suddenly my shoulders were dragged forward, my chest pressed hard against his, and the thin line of Lawson’s angry lips slammed down on mine. He didn’t just kiss me, he fucking devoured me, and there was nothing gentlemanly about it. This was primal, raw, and honest, and in this moment it didn’t feel like he was saying goodbye. It felt like a marking, a declaring of ownership. And hell if he didn’t motherfucking own me. When he abruptly pulled away, I stumbled further into his chest, and Lawson steadied me with a hand under my elbow while at the same time dragging me back to his amused friend. From behind me Noah was shouting out the window, “OH MY GAWD, YOU KISSED LAWSON!”

  “The hell I did, he kissed me!” I yelled back.

  Once we were again standing before a chuckling Louis, Lawson let go of me and signed, his hands moving fluid and fast. All the while Louis nodded and tried to contain his laughter. Eventually both the men became quiet and still. Louis reached out his fist and bumped it with Lawson’s.

  “Elmendorf, it sounds like a solid plan. You know where we’ll be if you need us. Be safe, brother.”

  Lawson nodded.

  “Don’t take any of his shit, Shiloh.” Louis’ sharp gaze moved to me. “This whole mute thing don’t mean he can’t be any less of an asshole. You put him in his place if he needs it.” Louis smiled and winked. “And know he’s one loyal son of a bitch. Once you’re under his skin, you stay there.”

  I guess I was pretty good at getting under people’s skin, though normally it wasn’t in a good way. I liked the thought of being deep in Lawson because I’d quickly come to realize he was buried deep inside me, like somewhere precariously close to my heart. Nodding, I watched as Louis eyes moved from me to over my shoulder.

  “Any civilians in there who might want to travel west?”

  Lawson gave me a sideways glance, and I knew what he was thinking. This was a perfect opportunity for Raleigh and Felix to find some stability and safety in the chaos that was this new world.

  “Yeah,” I breathed. “I think there could be.”

  Track Twenty-Nine: White Stripes, Seven Nation Army

  CHAPTER 29

  And then there were three.

  Noah sniffled from beside me, and I wrapped my arm around her neck. Raleigh and Felix were strangers, but they were human, alive and normal. We were losing a sliver of humanity that was sorely lacking from our world, and Noah was deeply upset. The military convoy offered Raleigh not only safety, but companionship and a possible future when the outlook seemed so downright dismal. Justin was poised on Noah’s shoulder, and he rubbed his face against my stringy hair as I hugged my sister. Her lips were moving but barely a sound was coming out. I knew what she was doing though. She was giving them a prayer, one of safety for the band of survivors who had all but disappeared over the horizon. A fine mist of rain fell and water gathered on my skin and formed droplets that dripped down my face, arms and legs. Lawson stood stoically beside us, his rifle over one shoulder. This felt right, just the three of us. The weight of being responsible for more people had lifted and with it so had my spirits.

  “I’d love a fucking cigarette right about now,” I thought out loud. Noah cast me a confused look, and I remembered she had no clue about my forced abstinence from nicotine. “Oh yeah, I’m quitting.”

  “For real?”

  “Real as I’m standing here before you wishing I had a cigarette.”

  “Good, you stink after you smoke them,” Noah replied. “I don’t know how Lawson can kiss you when you stink so bad.”

  “Boo, the smell of tobacco is a thousand times better than the stench wafting from my body right now. I’d kill for a shower.”

  Lawson reorganized the car so the back seat wasn’t full of medical supplies while Noah and I sheltered from the rain in the front of the car.

  “Where to now?” Noah asked as she followed my direction and strummed a G cord.

  “Nan and Pop’s, we’ll be there in the next day if we don’t have any more surprises.”

  Her eyes lit up, and she gave me a smile before resuming to chewing her bottom lip as she concentrated on strumming another cord. Justin tumbled off her knee and onto his back. From this position, he reached up a paw and swiped at Noah’s moving fingers. He really was a cute little shit. We’d never had pets, mom’s acute allergies making it impossible to keep anything furry. I spent so much time on the road it was useless entertaining the idea once I was an adult. Distracted by the little black beast, Noah laughed and passed Maybelle back to me.

  “I wonder if Nan and Pop still have that ol’ farm dog?”

  “Lenny,” Noah giggled, remembering the mutt’s name. “Dad hates him because he humped his leg that one time.” Seeming to realize she had mentioned our father, Noah’s smile dimmed. “Do you think they’re okay?”

  Mom and Dad were one of those many things I was trying hard not to think about. Shoving them back into the box where all the other awful shit lay, I shrugged.

  “I don’t know, Boo.”

  “I pray for them every night.”

  Sighing, I passed Maybelle over to Lawson who gave me a knowing look. “Yeah, Boo, I know you do. But sometimes we need more than prayers.”


  Soon enough we were moving again, the car sitting on a steady eighty miles per hour, the road in front of us a wide open pathway leading us toward home. We avoided towns as best we could and saw little life that wasn’t affected by Red Rage. Those who did seem healthy and whole looked tired and as wary of us as we were of them. Noah wanted to stop for everyone, and threw a hissy fit the first time we’d flown right by a party of five, all with packs hitched to their backs. We didn’t know them, they were strangers, people who would likely do anything to increase their chance at survival. Stopping to help them could ultimately kill us. No matter how many times or how many ways I explained it to Noah, she still begged us to stop each time we saw a non-infected. This was why she needed me. Where Noah was soft and trustful, I was hard and skeptical. In this world, my cold indifference meant Noah lived, so I wasn’t sorry for it.

  After five hours of singing, playing eye spy and napping, a loud bang quickly followed by an unusual whooshing sound broke the silence in the car. Lawson’s face scrunched up as he struggled to keep the car on the road, slowing us down safely until coming to a complete stop.

  “Was that a tire?”

  Lawson nodded.

  “Well shit.”

  We had to unpack the entire trunk to get to the spare tire compartment, and an impressive load of expletives fell from my mouth when we discovered there was no fucking spare tire in there. While I kicked rocks and shouted to the heavens, Lawson and Noah re-packed the car.

  “Carlsbad, five miles,” Noah read the sign a little further up the road. “Are we going there?”

  “Un-fucking-fortunately.”

  Lawson slipped a piece of paper into my hands.

  We walk into Carlsbad and find another car, then we come back and get our stuff. We’ve got too many supplies to just leave them.

  Nodding, for the thousandth time I wished for a cigarette before we set out on foot. Lawson used some string to make up a leash and collar for Justin, and we left him tied up to a small bush with food and water. Noah was terrified something might happen to him while we were gone and demanded we leave him in the car, but it was too hot for the little beastie in there. The cat had survived the initial outbreak of Red Rage, he could handle a few hours tied up under a bush.