Dead Heat: A Hollow Dead Novel

by Young, D. M.

  Through the windshield he could see a brown paper bag in the backseat. He could see the necks of several glass bottles protruding from the top of the bag. He moved to side window and saw that the bag contained a hefty amount of hard liquor. Beer was all well and good, but he wondered how long it would last him. He figured he could probably stretch it a lot further if he used it as a chaser for something stronger.

  Ray looked toward the store. Matt and Adam were still inside. He could grab the bag and bury it beneath the food. They’d never know the difference, and, by the time they got back to the cabin, it would be too late for them to do anything about it. Ray smiled, thinking how Matt would lose his shit when he figured out that Ray had gotten one over on him.

  He reached for the door handle and pulled. An alarm sounded. It took a minute for his mind to catch up to what had just happened. Ray looked toward the back of the parking lot, panicked. He could see a few of those things coming over the top of the hill back behind the semis, and Ray ducked behind the car to conceal himself.

  His eyes darted toward the store. Matt and Adam were running out the door now, but they paused at the corner of the store. Some of the zombies were moving quickly, pouring out from between the trucks. A few of them were nearly running. Matt and Adam would soon be cut off from the car. It was a big parking lot, and they weren’t much closer to the car than the zombies were.

  Ray looked back at them. They might make it if they moved quickly, but those things would be getting mighty close to him in the meantime. If he made a break for the car, the zombies were going to follow. They were moving toward the sound of the car alarm, and they were bound to notice him as soon as he broke cover. Then he’d be trapped in the car, waiting for the others while those things surrounded him.

  Matt and Adam started across the parking lot as Ray shouted, “Take Margaret’s car.” Then he turned his back on them and ran toward Matt’s car, hoping he would make it to the driver’s seat before those things made it to him. He moved quickly back across the highway and up the gravel road to where the car was parked.

  At the car, Ray jumped into the driver’s seat and pulled away. As he rounded the first curve, he checked the rearview mirror and saw the first several zombies stumble from the tree line onto the road behind him. He drove as fast as possible on the bumpy, narrow road. He needed to put some distance between them. He didn’t want to lead them back to the cabin. It was bad enough knowing that they would be wandering around in the woods nearby.

  As Ray neared the driveway of the cabin, he checked the rearview mirror. No zombies. He thought maybe he had lost them. Still, he didn’t want to take any chances. He pulled the keys, hurried to the cabin door, and knocked. Edward opened it. He frowned when he saw that Ray was alone.

  “The others are in Margaret’s car. They should be here any minute, but some of those things were following me when I left. I think I lost them somewhere back there, but we need to get the food unloaded, just in case.” Ray said.

  Edward called for the others. In a few minutes all of the food was inside, but Adam and Matt had still not appeared. Ray stood in the kitchen, drinking a beer. He could see that everyone was getting nervous. Melissa kept looking out the window. Finally, she confronted him. Ray could hear the accusatory tone in her voice. “Where are they? What happened?”

  Ray shifted uncomfortably. He couldn’t tell her the truth, at least not until Matt and Adam were back safely. “I had just loaded a bag of food into Matt’s car and was headed back into the store when a big group of those things started wandering over. They saw me before I could hide. The other guys were still inside the store, so I yelled for them. They came out and saw the zombies heading my way, so Matt shouted for me to take his car and get the food back here. He said that he and Adam would take Margaret’s car. Those things were getting close so I did like he said. Last I saw, they were getting into the other car. I don’t know what happened. They should’ve been right behind me.”

  Ray studied Melissa’s face carefully as he spoke. As far as he could tell, she was buying it. Melissa looked at Edward, “Should we go out and try to find them.”

  Edward spoke to Ray, “You said some of those things followed you up the road for a while. Could they have blocked the road and kept Matt and Adam from getting through?”

  “Don’t think so. I only saw about five of them behind me. They were spread out, too. Even if they were still in the road, Matt could have probably gotten around them or over them, I guess, if he had to,” Ray said.

  “You’re sure they had the keys to the car with them?” Edward asked.

  “Yeah, Matt had Adam check before we even went into the store.”

  Edward turned back to Melissa. “Let’s give them a few more minutes. Ray says they were almost to the car when he left. Matt’s smart. He wouldn’t let them back him into a corner. If he saw that some of them were already following Ray, he might have tried to lead the rest of them a different direction so they wouldn’t show up here. If we go out looking for them right now, we might make things worse.” Edward checked his watch and marked the time. “If they aren’t back here in another fifteen minutes, we’ll go see if we can find them.”

  Melissa agreed to wait, but she didn’t move from the window. Ray paced nervously, wondering what he would do when they did show up. Matt was going to be pissed at him, and everyone would know he had lied. Well, as long as everyone survived, they’d just have to deal with it. He didn’t have any choice but to leave, and it’s not like he left them without a ride.

  Alicia walked over to him and put her hand on his arm, “Why don’t you sit down. I’m sure it’s like Edward said. It’s not your fault. They told you to bring the food back, and you did. I’m sure they’ll be back any minute.”

  Ray gave her a tight smile, “Yeah, but, if they don’t show up, they’re all going to blame me.”

  Alicia led him to the table and pulled a chair out for him. “Just calm down and wait. I’m sure it will be fine.”

  She sat down in the chair next to Ray and grabbed his hand. He looked at her surprised. They hadn’t’ spoken much since the divorce, but, if Ray was honest with himself, he had to admit that he still cared for her. For a long time, he was angry at her for leaving him. He blamed her for all that happened afterwards. Eventually, the anger faded, and all he was left with was regret and memories.

  They’d really been in love in the beginning. He wasn’t sure they’d ever fallen out of love, but Alicia was always too uptight. Ray liked to have a good time, and she was hell-bent on putting a stop to it. Neither was willing to change. Eventually, she left him, but Ray noticed she never found anyone else so maybe she still cared, too.

  They sat in silence at the table. Time seemed to drag on forever. Melissa still stood at the window with Edward and Booger. Margaret, Rose and Gracie began unpacking the food and storing it in the cabinets. The cabin was quiet as they waited.

  CHAPTER 26

  Adam was holding a box of frozen fried chicken when he heard the car alarm. He dropped it and ran to the front of the store. Matt came out of the storeroom and followed. The parking lot to the front of the store was still empty so they eased toward the corner of the building to see what was happening. Adam looked across the side lot and saw Ray hidden behind a black car parked near the highway. The car’s taillights flashed in time with the alarm.

  Adam looked at Matt. Horrified he asked, “What the hell has he done?

  Matt didn’t answer. His mouth hung open as he stared at Ray. Adam looked toward the truck parking lot in back. The infected were moving quickly toward the car and Ray.

  “We can make it,” Matt whispered.

  “Yeah, there’s time,” Adam said.

  Matt pulled his gun, and Adam did the same. They began running toward Ray. They were halfway there when Ray stood up and yelled for them to take Margaret’s car. They watched as he turned and ran back toward Matt’s car, leaving them in the parking lot with the infected. Many of the infected followed Ray,
but more than a few of them had noticed Adam and Matt and began moving their way. Adam started to chase after Ray. Surely he wouldn’t leave them if he saw them following so closely behind him. Matt called him back. The infected were closing in.

  “Get to Margaret’s car,” Matt said as he turned to run to the opposite side of the parking lot.

  Adam followed. They were halfway there when more infected began to appear from the other side of the store. The others were still closing in behind them. Now they were blocked on two sides. They would have to fight their way through them to get to the car.

  “Shoot!” Matt yelled, and Adam raised his gun.

  There were six of the infected between them and the car now. Matt aimed and fired. One dropped. The day was too bright. The world had taken on a blue tint as the July sun beat down on the parking lot and reflected from every mirror, every windshield.

  Adam squinted to see the dead in front of him as he chambered a round. He aimed at an infected man stumbling toward them and fired. The bullet went wide. With his second shot, he hit the man’s shoulder. He tried again, and the man went down. Matt fired another two shots and killed another one of the infected, as two more of them appeared around the corner of the store. More were sure to follow.

  Matt glanced behind them. “There’s just too many. We’ve got to move. Shoot if you have to, but don’t stop. Just get to the car. I’ll try to clear a path for you as you go, and then I’ll follow.”

  Adam made a run for it. Behind him, he heard Matt fire again, but he didn’t look back. One of the infected was coming up fast on his left. Another shot rang out, and the creature fell to the ground. He reached the car and turned in time to see Matt sidestep as one of them reached for him. Adam raised his gun and fired at it, but he missed. The thing grabbed Matt’s arm, but Matt pulled free and kept moving.

  Matt was almost there, but the infected were close behind him. Adam fired a few times, and the one directly behind Matt fell. He fired three more times and another fell, as the slide on his gun locked back. Empty. He fumbled for the fresh magazine.

  “Just get in,” Matt yelled as he approached the car. Adam pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked the doors. He jumped into the driver’s seat. Matt pulled on the passenger’s handle and the door opened. Before Matt could get inside, one of the infected lunged forward. Matt moved out of the way, but the thing crashed against the door, slamming it shut. He raised his weapon and fired, dropping the creature. Two more were nearby.

  Adam heard a sound at his window and turned to see three of the things crowding around his closed door. When Adam looked back toward Matt, he saw that one of the infected had his arm. Matt was fighting to free himself as two more stumbled up. Adam watched, helpless, as one of the things leaned toward Matt’s outstretched arm and bit him. Matt screamed and shoved the creature holding his arm. It fell, taking another down with it. He fired, killing the third and then looked at Adam.

  “It’s too late for me. Just go,” he screamed. Adam hesitated, and Matt yelled again, “Go!”

  The parking lot was full of the infected now. Adam started the car and pulled away as quickly as he dared. He couldn’t risk damaging the car and getting stuck. He heard one last shot ring out behind him, but he didn’t look back. He didn’t have to. He knew Matt was gone.

  Adam pulled onto Highway 62 to avoid the parking lot and drove the short distance to the intersection with the smaller highway. He drove on the shoulder to get around the cars that were blocking the highway and turned onto the county road. The infected from the parking lot still followed behind him. He continued driving, up and down the hills, around the sharp curves. Somewhere along the way, he lost them, at least for the moment.

  Adam could feel himself shaking. His breath was short and shallow as anger and grief overcame him. He screamed. It was a sound full of rage and sorrow, and, yes, a touch of relief. He was alive. For that he was thankful, but Matt was gone. Just yesterday he’d saved Adam’s life, but today Adam could not do the same for him.

  His thoughts raced. He should have waited a little longer before getting into the car. Maybe he could have cleared a few of them out and given Matt more time. Why didn’t he just roll down the passenger’s side window and fire through it? Surely, at that range, he could have killed at least a few. Another thought hit him and drove out all of the others. He shouldn’t have let Ray come. He should have known better.

  In his mind, he saw Ray drinking the first beer and the second. How many more did he have? Two, maybe three? They couldn’t have been at the truck stop for more than a half an hour. The bastard couldn’t even wait until they got back to the cabin. A deep rage filled Adam as he thought of Ray running away, leaving them there to die.

  With every passing second, his anger grew. Hot tears rolled down his face. The blood pounded in his ears. He drew great breaths between his sobs. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that they began to hurt.

  As he neared the cabin, he saw more of the creatures in the road ahead of him. He drove around them as best he could, but the car bumped several. One disappeared in front of the hood. Adam recognized her as the nurse who had performed CPR on the officer in the parking lot yesterday. Her sundress was now stained a dark brown in front.

  He felt the car bounce as his wheels rolled over it. Something inside of him snapped, and crazy, maniacal laughter erupted from him through the tears. He rounded the last curve before the cabin. He pulled into the drive and parked close to the porch. He stepped out of the car and hurried toward the door.

  Melissa met him on the porch. Her smile faded when she saw the look on his face. He turned and watched as she rushed to the car, frantically looking inside. “No, no, no!” he heard her whisper. She stared at Adam, wide-eyed. “Where…how?”

  Adam stood rigid. He couldn’t speak. Melissa turned toward the road as if she expected to see Matt walk up the drive. Edward crossed to where she stood and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder at him for a moment, and then something inside her seemed to give. She let out a deep, low wail and stumbled as her legs gave out beneath her. Edward caught her before she could fall to the ground. Booger hurried to help. The men led Melissa inside as she sobbed, her whole body shaking each time.

  The rage inside Adam reached a boiling point. He stormed through the door, pushing past Rose. Ray was standing in the kitchen, watching as Margaret directed the men to take Melissa to her bedroom. On his face was a look of absolute panic.

  “You fucking coward!” Adam yelled from the doorway. Ray looked at him, shocked. Adam charged forward.

  Ray held up a hand to stop him, obviously still hoping to defuse the situation. “Hold on, now. What hap – ”

  A screaming, roaring sound of fury escaped Adam’s lips as ran toward Ray. Adam pulled his fist back and drove it hard into Ray’s nose. He stumbled backward. Adam swung again, and his fist connected with Ray’s jaw, knocking him backward into the cabinet behind him. As Ray tried to steady himself, he attempted to raise his own fists, but he didn’t get the chance. Adam punched him again, this time in the stomach. Ray doubled over and fell to the floor.

  Ray was pleading for him to stop now. Blood dripped from his bottom lip and his nose. Adam dropped to the floor and straddled him. He rolled Ray onto his back and hit him again in the face. Adam heard Alicia scream. Edward’s voice called for him to stop.

  Adam ignored them and kept punching until he felt two sets of hands dragging him up and away from the sniveling man on the floor. He struggled against them. Ray pulled his knees up and covered his face, sobbing. As they pulled Adam to his feet, he kicked Ray hard in his lower back. Ray cried out, and the men dragged Adam away as he attempted to kick again.

  Alicia rushed to Ray and fell to her knees beside him, throwing an angry glance in Adam’s direction. He stopped fighting as Edward and Booger slammed him down on the sofa.

  “What happened out there?” Edward asked, in a sharp tone. He was out of breath.

&nb
sp; Adam suddenly realized they didn’t understand. None of them had any way of knowing what Ray had done. Well, he would be happy to enlighten them. “The dumbass somehow set off a car alarm while Matt and I were in the store. Then he took off in Matt’s car and left us there to die.”

  Edward and Booger turned to look at Ray. He was sitting up now, leaning against the kitchen cabinet. “Now, that’s a whole different story from what he told us,” Booger said.

  “There was no time,” Ray said. “I told you take Margaret’s car!”

  Clearly, Ray had learned nothing. Adam started to stand, but Edward put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down. Adam glared at Ray, “There was plenty of time! We were halfway there when you took off. By that time, we were further from her car than Matt’s, and why was the alarm even going off anyway? What the hell did you do?”

  “It was an accident. I just tripped,” Ray said, but his eyes slid to the side away from Adam’s as he said it.

  “You were drunk.” Adam said. “You were drunk, and you left us. How many beers did you drink?” He didn’t wait for Ray to answer. “We tried to get back to the car. We fought, but…You did this. All of it. Matt’s dead, and it’s your fault.”

  Ray stood up and grabbed a duffle bag that had been discarded on the table. “Fuck you,” he said as he began stuffing food into it. “Fuck all of y’all. You wanna blame this all on me? Fine. I’ll leave.”

  Alicia grabbed his arm, “Calm down. You can’t leave. There’s nowhere to go. We’ll figure this out. Right?” she asked looking at Edward and Booger.

  Ray looked at them and stopped packing. Adam realized the packing was for show. When no one spoke, Ray laughed humorlessly. He looked at Alicia. “Nah, these self-righteous motherfuckers don’t want me here. Keep your damned food,” he said shoving the bag across the table. He stomped to the door, and Alicia followed. She reached for his arm, and he batted her hand away.