Alex wasn’t so lucky. His zombie was tall—well over six feet. He swung the bar and caught him on the shoulder. There was a crack, but he didn’t slow down.
Behind us, the engine whined again. This time, it caught. Lucy let out a shout of victory.
“Go on!” I said and stepped between Alex and the tall zombie.
He reached for me, and I hit him in the chest with the bat. My arms were tired, and the blow was weak. I changed tack and smashed the bat into his right leg. His knee collapsed inward, and he pitched forward. Swinging the bat over my head, I slammed it into his back, driving him to the ground.
Not caring whether I’d actually killed him, I turned and ran toward the bikes. Alex was already sitting behind Lucy, a backpack of supplies clutched in his arms. The bandages on his hand were stained red, but it wasn’t clear who the blood belonged to. Lucy revved the engine and accelerated forward. The jumper cables snapped free and bounced along behind her.
There were two more zombies half a dozen feet from the back of the other bike, both of them young boys. Mike looked over his shoulder and shouted at me to hurry. Not needing to be told twice, I grabbed a backpack that was lying on the ground then climbed on board. Mike had the bike moving before I was even sitting down, and we sped away from the zombies, spraying gravel and dirt in our wake.
The swarm had spread out, and the road was a sea of shambling, rotting corpses. Lucy was already well ahead of us, weaving through the crowd as best she could.
Her bike jerked sideways, out of the way of an oncoming zombie, but it wasn’t enough. The back hit him and knocked him to the ground. The bike tipped. Lucy leaned left, righting it again. She twisted the handlebars, trying to dodge another zombie. The front fender slammed into him. His legs buckled, and Lucy’s bike bounced as she ran over him. She slowed, let the bike settle, then accelerated again.
Mike pushed on, slaloming through the path Lucy had cut. As we reached the top of the hill, the swarm ahead of us thinned out. Lucy was able to slow, and by the time we were heading down the other side, we’d pulled alongside her.
Alex gave a thumbs-up, but his face was pale, and he was clutching a backpack as though his life depended on it. I checked my hands and face for cuts and bites. Mike’s cheek was bruised, and there were splashes of black blood on his jacket, but otherwise, he seemed fine.
We accelerated away from the swarm. The aftereffects of the adrenaline-filled fight had left my arms and legs feeling weak. I tried to focus on not falling off as the bike raced along the highway.
I smiled. We had food now, maybe not as much as we’d hoped, but enough for Mike and the others to get to the ranger station. Enough for them to leave.
The path through the forest was nearer than I remembered, and my excitement grew as the bikes turned onto the trail that led to the camp. Within a few hours, I’d be alone again.
We were almost back at the camp when we hit the zombie.
She lurched out of the forest in front of us, just as we rode over a blind crest. Lucy swerved to miss her, and the back end of the bike slid into a drainage ditch. It slewed sideways as she twisted the handlebars, trying to stay upright. For a moment, it looked as though she’d manage it. Then the front left wheel hit a rock, and the bike bounced over the lip of the ditch and tipped sideways. It skidded to a halt in a cacophony of twisting metal and shattering plastic.
Mike and I weren’t so lucky. He braked as soon as he saw the zombie, but it was too late. The bike slid forward on the loose earth and hit her head-on. The impact caught her at the knees, throwing her forward on top of the bike. She grabbed at Mike. Ragged nails tore across his cheek, and he screamed in pain.
The zombie’s legs were a mass of shattered bone and torn muscle where the bike’s metal grill had torn them apart. She ignored the damage and attacked Mike. Her injured legs stopped her from getting much traction, but she managed to get one hand within reach of his shoulder. She clutched it, digging in clawlike fingers and using the leverage to drag herself forward. Mike struggled with her, but with me behind him he had no room to move.
I threw myself off the bike. Mike punched at the zombie. The blow caught her on the side of the head, but as he pulled back she lunged again. Her teeth clamped around his wrist. He screamed as she tore into his flesh. Blood poured down his arm.
Pulling out my knife, I ran at the woman. She lifted her head from Mike’s wrist, ripping away a chunk of flesh. I rammed the knife into the base of her neck and twisted. She screamed—a high-pitched wail that set my teeth on edge and sent the shadow into paroxysms of excitement. I stabbed at her neck again, and the screaming stopped. I shoved her away from the bike with my foot.
Mike was lying on the bike, his hand clutched around his wrist. His face was contorted in agony. Blood poured from between his fingers, soaking his jeans and the bike. He was already turning pale.
Chapter 33
The Bitten and the Broken
Lucy dragged herself free of the other bike and clambered out of the ditch. “Mike! Oh God, no!”
There were tears streaming down her face. Blood trickled from a cut across her forehead and turned the tears red. She grabbed Mike’s face and turned it to look at her. His eyes flickered open.
“You fight it, Mike. We’ll find a way to stop it spreading.”
Mike shook his head slightly, and his eyes closed again.
“Marcus, we have to do something!”
I looked at the wound on his wrist and the blood still pouring from it. It was too late. “Get me the medical kit.”
Mike’s head tipped forward.
“Hey!” shouted Lucy. “You stay awake, or I swear I’ll kill you. You hear me?”
He didn’t reply. She let go and ran to get the medical kit.
I lifted Mike’s arm, and he cried out.
“Sorry, but you need to keep it raised and press hard on the wound.”
He groaned, but I saw him tighten his grip.
Ahead of us, the trail widened. We were only a few minutes from the camp. We could get him back to the lodge, but then what? He’d been bitten, and there was no coming back from that.
Lucy reappeared, clutching the medical kit. She opened the case and held it out to me. The contents seemed so inadequate. A few bandages, the remains of the bottle of antiseptic, a couple of squares of gauze, and some off-the-shelf painkillers. I pulled out the antiseptic and unscrewed the cap. Then I lowered Mike’s arm and tipped the contents of the bottle onto the wound. The air was filled with screams and the smell of hospitals. Lucy turned her head away.
I threw the bottle aside and grabbed the bandages and gauze. “Give him the painkillers.”
Lucy took the bottle and unscrewed the lid. Her hands were shaking. “How many?”
I hesitated. “As many as you like.”
Anger flashed through her eyes, but she didn’t speak. She tipped a few of the tablets into her hand and raised it to Mike’s mouth. “Here.”
He pulled his head away.
“Go on,” she said, her voice cracking.
Mike relented and took the pills in his mouth. Lucy watched until she was sure he’d taken them. I think she was right—he would have spat them out if she hadn’t.
The antiseptic had washed away some of the blood, but more had already taken its place. The bite was too deep. I pressed the gauze onto Mike’s arm and wrapped a bandage around the wound. It immediately turned red.
“Lucy? Marcus?”
It was Alex. His voice was tight, laced with pain.
“Go and help him,” I said.
Lucy placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder, but he knocked it away. “Go,” he said. His voice was rough, full of pain.
I wrapped the rest of the bandage around his arm, pulling it as tight as I could. Blood was still soaking through, but it did seem to be slowing. I raised his arm again.
Mike grunted in pain. “You’re wasting your… time… You know what needs to be done.”
I looked over at Lucy. She was knee-d
eep in the ditch, trying to shift the bike.
“Marcus!” Mike said. “We all know.” The words came through gritted teeth.
He was right. I retrieved my knife from the zombie. Without thinking, I wiped the blade on the ground to clean it. Mike nodded to me.
“No!” screamed Lucy. “Don’t you dare!”
She was standing back on the trail with her gun pointing at me. “If you try, I’ll shoot you.” The barrel of the weapon wavered but not enough for me to be sure she’d miss.
“Luce…” Mike said.
“No, Mike. I’m not going to let you die.”
He fell forward until he was draped over the front of the bike. Sweat beaded his brow, and his skin was pale and waxy. He managed to raise his head to look at Lucy. “Please…”
A fresh wave of tears broke over Lucy’s cheeks. I could see her fighting with herself. Mike was right; we all knew it was too late. She shook her head, and Mike’s shoulders dropped. His head dipped, and his eyes closed.
“Come on, Marcus,” Lucy said. “I need your help.”
She waved the gun at me. I held up my hand and slipped my knife back into its sheath.
Alex was pinned by the bike. His eyes were open, but his shirt was slick with sweat. The cut in his hand had opened up again. Blood had soaked through the bandage and into the sleeve of his jacket.
I crouched down beside him, peering beneath the bike. He tried to smile, but the movement turned into a grimace. I could see his leg was wedged between the storage rack and the ground. There wasn’t enough light to make out more than that. We’d have to move the bike to get him free, but the edge of the ditch was too steep for us to be able to pull it out.
“We’ll need to roll the bike off you,” I said.
Alex nodded and winced.
I moved around to the other side while I decided whether to warn him that moving it could actually make things worse. His leg was pinned so tightly, the pressure might be stopping any serious bleeding. If we got the bike off him, he could bleed out quicker. Lucy watched me. I couldn’t tell if she knew the risk we’d be taking.
“Okay, we’re going to have to lift together from this side. We’re only going to get one crack at this. Alex, we’ll try to roll it over completely, but as soon as you’re free, get out of the way. If you can.”
He gave me a dubious look, but he nodded anyway.
Lucy and I crouched down beside the bike and felt around underneath for something to hold on to.
“Ready?” I said.
Lucy nodded.
“On three. One… two… three!”
We lifted the bike upward. My fingers slipped. Lucy yelped as the bike slid away from us. The dirt beneath our feet was loose, and my right foot twisted sideways.
“Lift!” I said.
I leaned forward, putting my weight behind the movement. The wheels caught, and the bike tipped. The metal frame dug into my hands as I pushed the bike forward. Lucy lost her balance and let out another yell. Alex screamed, but the bike’s momentum carried it over, and it crashed into the opposite side of the ditch.
I knelt down beside Alex. His foot was twisted awkwardly, but there was no blood that I could see. His boot seemed to have protected him from more serious injury.
“Okay, your ankle’s probably broken. It looks pretty clean, but you won’t be running any marathons in the near future.”
Alex snorted through gritted teeth.
The ditch was about four feet deep—just enough to make it hard for Alex to climb out.
“We need to get you up there,” I said. “But it isn’t going to be easy. It’ll hurt.”
“Can’t you get… a stretcher? From the camp?”
“I didn’t see one, and even if I had… Mike’s been bitten.”
Alex rolled his head back. “Oh crap…”
“You’re going to be okay. Both of you,” Lucy said.
“You’re the boss,” Alex said.
“You bet I am; now come on.”
Lucy and I knelt on either side of Alex, our arms hooked beneath his. He screamed as we lifted him upright. For a few seconds, he looked like he was going to faint, then he swallowed, took a deep breath, and nodded. He leaned against me, keeping the weight off his broken ankle while Lucy climbed up to the trail to help him.
The sides of the ditch were steep, and the earth was dry. It crumbled away every time Alex tried to clamber out. Twice he ended up screaming in agony after sliding back down and knocking his injured foot.
In the end, he lay back against the slope, and I used my hands to provide a foothold. He managed to push himself part of the way up, and Lucy dragged him the rest. His broken ankle bounced against the edge of the ditch as she hauled him over the top. He screamed again, and I winced. If there were more zombies nearby, they’d be attracted by the prospect of convenient food. Alex leaned heavily into Lucy, but I still thought he was going to collapse. I managed to scramble out of the ditch and get my arm under his shoulder before he did.
We led him over to the remaining roadworthy bike. Mike was still leaning over the front. We approached him carefully, and when he raised his head, I reached for my knife. His eyes were clear, but his skin glistened in the sunlight, waxy and pale. He caught my eye, but I looked away. Lucy was still carrying her gun, and I had no doubt she’d use it.
Alex leaned back against the bike while I looked at his foot. The crash had twisted it to the right, and when I moved it slightly, he cried out in pain. His foot had swollen until it was wedged tight. I had no idea how we were going to get the boot off. Even if we cut the laces it was going to hurt like hell to remove it.
“How’s it look, Doc? Will I play professional hockey again?”
At least his sense of humor was intact. “We can’t do anything here; we’ll have to get you back to the camp.”
“I don’t want to sound like a wimp, but I don’t think I can walk that far.”
“We can take the bike. The three of you can ride, and I’ll walk along behind with as many of the supplies as I can carry. Assuming Lucy’s okay to drive?”
She nodded.
“Good. Alex, you can sit behind Lucy. Mike? Will you be able to ride on the back?”
Mike raised his head and looked over his shoulder at me, but Lucy spoke first. “Yes, he’ll be fine.”
“We’d better get going. We don’t have a lot of time.”
I pulled the backpacks off the bikes and checked their weight while Lucy helped Alex and then Mike onto the bike. Mike sat on the rack, facing backward. They were both pale and in pain. Neither of them looked like they’d survive the journey back to the camp. I stashed the lightest of the backpacks next to the crashed bike and swung the other over my shoulder in the hope it would have the most useful contents. Maybe I could come back for the rest later.
Mike rested his injured arm in his lap and used the other to hold on to the rack.
Lucy started the engine.
“You’ll need to take it slow,” I said.
Mike leaned over his shoulder and called to Lucy. “Give Marcus the gun, Luce.”
“No.” Her voice was flat.
“Luce, I’m not letting you do this unless you give him the gun.”
She held out until Mike started to climb off the bike.
“Here.”
She held out the gun, but when I took hold of it she tightened her grip. She held my gaze for a few seconds until I understood her unspoken warning, then she released the weapon.
I removed the clip. It was empty. I showed it to Mike, and he gave a wry smile. He had another clip in a pocket on his belt. He threw it to me. I fumbled with it, trying to work out how it fit. When it eventually clicked into place, I slipped the gun into my belt. It felt awkward and heavy, as though it would fall out at any moment or just spontaneously go off. I removed it again and carried it instead.
Lucy accelerated slowly down the slope. Mike winced as the bike’s movement jostled him. I walked behind, watching him closely as we rolled ste
adily toward the camp.
Chapter 34
Mercy
Lucy parked the bike outside the lodge and climbed off, immediately putting herself between me and Mike. She needn’t have worried; I wasn’t going to kill him. When she held out her hand for the gun, I gave it to her. I put the backpack on the walkway outside the lodge, grabbed the pair of the ski poles from the side of the building, and gave them to Alex. He swung his leg over the side of the bike and hesitantly stood up, using one of the poles to support himself. They were a little short for crutches, but they’d do.
Lucy moved to hook her arm under Mike’s shoulder. He knocked her arm away. She stared at him.
“Guys, can you leave us alone for a minute?” Mike said.
“Sure,” I said. “Come on, Alex.”
I held the door open for him as he struggled up the steps and into the lodge. Lucy had already started crying again when I closed the door behind us.
I led Alex over to the couch and helped him sit down. Then I dragged the coffee table over and placed his foot on it. He hissed in pain but thanked me anyway.
“We’ll need to get that boot off, but it’s going to hurt.”
Alex stared at his foot as though he was willing the leather and rubber to evaporate. “You need to deal with Mike first.”
I let out a slow breath. I could hear Lucy and Mike talking, their voices too muffled by the lodge walls to be understood.
“You have to, Doc.”
“I’m not a doctor.”
“It’s what he’d want.”
I nodded.
We could hear Lucy shouting now, her voice filled with anger, frustration, and pain. She was begging Mike, pleading with him. I went to the window. He had his hands on hers, pressing the gun into them. She shook her head, but her shoulders sagged in resignation.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped at her face with her free hand then raised the gun. The barrel wavered as her shoulders shook. Mike said something, and she tensed, pulling herself upright, just a little.
Serial Killer Z: Volume One Page 24
