“A pit bull?”
“It’s true.” Nicky picked through a bowl of mixed peanuts. “She already had the bite when I met them over an hour ago. If that were a zombie bite, she’d already be sick from it. Or turned - into one hot zombie chick, I might add.” He winked at Rachel and tossed a peanut in his mouth.
“You should clean that up before we go,” Adam said. “The bathroom is in the back. I can give you a dose of antibiotics when we get to the fire house.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Cage helped Rachel to her feet. She laid a tentative hand on Nicky’s back. “I’m sorry about earlier,” she said to him. “You know, pulling a gun on you and calling you a criminal. Thank you for helping us.”
Nicky shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been called much worse.” He winked again. “Besides, I’d probably threaten to shoot me, too.”
“Let’s clean your arm.” Cage pulled Rachel away from Nicky.
“I can do it,” Rachel said.
“There might be more zombies in the back,” Cage said. “I’ll go with you.”
Rachel looked like she wanted to protest, but she didn’t say anything. Selena tossed a soft cloth bandage at Cage. “This might help.”
“Thanks,” Rachel said. They walked to the girls’ restroom in the back of the bar. She flipped on the light switch. “Zombie-less.”
She unwound the t-shirt from her arm and chucked it in the garbage. The bite was still bleeding, but not too badly. The skin near the wound was puffy and Cage knew it had to hurt like hell. Rachel winced when she rinsed her forearm with soapy water.
“Are you all right?” Cage asked.
“It stings a little.”
“I didn’t mean the bite.” He watched her reflection in the mirror. “I mean, with what happened out there with your foster father.”
Her eyes dropped to the sink. “I’m sorry. I lost my cool.”
“I understand.”
Rachel gave him a look in the mirror that told him he clearly didn’t understand.
Cage shifted his weight. “He wasn’t a nice man?”
She laughed, but the sound was humorless. “Nope, not at all.”
Cage didn’t know what to say. It was clear that she didn’t want to talk about it and he didn’t want to upset her.
She glanced at him in the mirror and her features softened. “Gene was one of a string of foster fathers that Morgan and I had the joy of living with. Actually, he wasn’t as cruel as some of the others, but he was a nasty, terrible man. Trust me, the fact that he’s out of this world makes it a better place - even if it is crawling with dead people.”
“Where are your real parents?” Cage asked.
“Gone.”
“I’m sorry.”
Rachel leaned against the sink. “That’s why I have to get Morgan. I’m the only person she has in this world. No one else is looking for her. Just like no one is looking for me. I have to find her.”
Cage unwound the cloth bandage and held out his hand to her, not sure if she’d accept his help. “Here, let me do it.”
She tentatively placed her injured arm in his hands. Standing face to face, he realized how small she was – the top of her head came to his chin. He wanted to kiss her forehead and tell her everything would be okay, but he didn’t know how she’d react.
Instead, he wrapped the bandage around her tiny arm. “You know, if you are the only person in the world searching for Morgan, I’d say there wasn’t a better person for the job.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome.”
“I feel bad that I was mean to Nicky.”
“Nicky? Nah, he gets it. You were protecting us.”
“He’s not so bad. We wouldn’t have made it inside without him.”
“Probably not,” Cage conceded. “Though, I have a vague suspicion he might be drinking himself giddy right now. That or harassing those girls.”
“What do you think of the others?”
“I like them,” he said. “Adam seems like a nice guy and Selena didn’t have to open the door, but she did. There, all done.”
She inspected her newly bandaged arm. “Thank you. You should rethink that whole football thing.”
“Yeah?”
“You clearly have a promising future in the medical field.” Rachel tugged the rubber band out of the messy bun and shook out her hair. “I’m sorry for how I treated you, too.”
Long hair fell to her waist. It was wavy with dark and light streaks of blonde. Cage had visions of those shampoo commercials with the models shaking out their hair. He caught a whiff of strawberries and had to stop himself before he breathed in too deeply. Her words finally floated to his ears. “What? Treated me? What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been selfish. All I’ve been talking about is Morgan, but I know you’re worried about your parents, too.”
“Hopefully, I’ll see them soon. Then we’ll get you to Ann Arbor.”
“Should we go see what the plan is?”
They walked out to the main room. The place was a mess. It looked like a tornado had hit – tables and chairs were overturned. Glass and zombie bodies covered the floor.
“You place the rags in here, like that.” Selena ran her hand over a row of liquor bottles. “Then we light them like a giant candle. Molotov Cocktails are a Russian specialty.”
“I think I’m in love,” Nicky said.
“Hands off,” Adam said playfully. He kissed the top of Selena’s head. “She’s taken.”
“What about her sister?”
Vivienne made a face. “I have a name and I’m standing right here.”
Adam noticed Cage and Rachel. “How’s the arm?”
Rachel held it up. “Better. Thank you for the bandage. What’s going on?”
“We were discussing our escape plan. We’re going to firebomb their asses.” Nicky took a swig of vodka. “Whew, I needed that.”
Selena grabbed the bottle from him. “You’re drinking the ammunition.”
“Where’s your truck?” Cage asked.
Adam led him to a small window and pointed across the parking lot. “That beauty over there.”
A two-door red Chevy Silverado was parked thirty yards away. Twenty-five zombies filled the space in between them and the truck. Street lamps lit the parking lot like it was daytime. There was no way to stay in the shadows and sneak to the truck. They’d have to make a run for it in plain sight.
A dirty palm smacked the glass.
“How will the six of us fit in your truck?” Cage stepped away from the window.
Adam winced. “Not everyone can fit in the front cab.”
Nicky slapped his forehead. “A truck. Why couldn’t you have a Hummer or something?”
“I’ll ride in the back,” Cage said.
“Me, too,” Rachel said.
“I’ll ride in the back, too,” Vivienne said. Cage noticed Vivienne’s hands tremble. She squeezed them together to stop the shaking.
“No,” Selena said. “No, you’re my sister and it’s Adam’s truck. You’re riding in the cab.” She frowned at Cage, Rachel and Nicky. “I’m sorry, but I think that’s fair. We’re already giving you a ride.”
“We understand.” Rachel nudged Nicky.
“No,” Vivienne said. “I’m a good shot. I’ll be more effective in the truck bed.” Sweat glistened across her forehead. She tossed her apron on the table.
“Vivienne,” Selena said.
“No more arguing. I’m the older sister, remember? I’m riding in the back of the truck.” Vivienne started separating the liquor bottles into groups.
“Does everyone have a weapon – besides the Molotov cocktails?” Rachel asked.
“These pool sticks would be cool to use,” Nicky said. “I could poke one of those things in the eye.”
Vivienne grabbed her forehead and slid to the floor. The liquor bottle she was holding crashed to the ground.
“Vivi
enne! What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Selena unleashed a string of Russian.
Vivienne’s face was pale. “I’m fine. Just a little dizzy.”
“You’re not fine,” Adam said gently. He kneeled beside her. “Where were you bit?”
Selena gasped. “She wasn’t bitten! What are you talking about?” Sweat dripped in beads off Vivienne’s forehead. “Tell him you weren’t bitten,” Selena said to her sister. “Tell him.”
Vivienne lifted the hem of her t-shirt. Four angry claw marks ran the length of her stomach. The scratches were red and swollen. Water filled Selena’s pale green eyes. “When did that happen?”
“When the zombie knocked me down by the dumpster. He clawed me before I could get away.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think it mattered. It was only a scratch.” Vivienne lowered her shirt. “I started feeling bad about an hour ago. I guess it’s not only the bites that will do you in.”
“You’re going to be okay.” Selena lowered her forehead to her sister’s. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
Vivienne wasn’t going to be fine, but Cage doubted that Adam or Selena would be in favor of leaving her behind. Vivienne was turning into a zombie because of the scratches, but maybe the transformation would take longer than an actual bite.
The window shattered. Bloody arms pushed through the jagged glass. Nicky tried to cover the window with a piece of broken table.
“We need to go before this place gets overrun,” Cage said. “I can carry Vivienne.”
“No, we need your gun.” Adam shook his head. “And mine.”
“I’ll carry her,” Nicky said.
Several arms reached through the window. The growls grew louder. Cage turned to Rachel. “Do you want my gun?”
She shook her head. “I feel better with the bat.”
Nicky slid his arms under Vivienne’s body and scooped her up like a rag doll. Adam gave Selena the lead pipe and placed a bottle of vodka in her hand. “Can you do this?”
Selena nodded.
“As soon as we light these bottles, we need to be out the door.” Adam patted his pants until he located his truck keys. “Nicky, Vivienne and Cage will ride in the back,” he said. “Selena and Rachel, you ride up front with me. Is everybody ready?”
Cage breathed a sigh of relief. Rachel would be in the safety of the truck cab. She could roll up the windows and not worry about claws and teeth.
Adam lit the dirty rags protruding from the bottles. Tears streamed down Selena’s cheeks – she didn’t look ready to fight a mass of zombies. Nicky carried Vivienne. Her eyes were closed and she was sweating despite the air conditioning.
Cage handed Rachel a Molotov cocktail. “Stay beside me when we get outside.”
“Watch yourself in the back of the truck,” Rachel said. “They’ll grab at you from all sides. You can’t get scratched.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Rachel tapped her finger against Cage’s chest. “You better.” Cage kissed her forehead right before they lined up.
Adam’s hand hovered over the door. “Are you ready?” Everyone nodded and Adam opened the door.
Chapter Ten
The heat from the Molotov cocktail’s dirty rag threatened to burn Rachel’s hand. It was an ingenious idea, but she felt like it was about to explode in her face at any moment.
She had a knot in her stomach. Well, multiple knots, but the newest edition was because Cage was riding in the back of the truck. An unprotected truck bed surrounded by a swarm of zombies was the last place anyone wanted to be. Especially since they learned that scratches could turn you into a zombie, too.
Nicky held Vivienne close to his chest. Her skin had a sickly pallor to it and she trembled like she was cold. Rachel positioned herself near Nicky so she could cover him. It was courageous that he had volunteered to carry Vivienne, but once they were outside he would be completely exposed and weaponless.
Cage kissed her on the forehead, but before Rachel could react, Adam opened the door. Mobs of zombies crowded the entrance. Hands, arms, blue eyes and snarling mouths melted together to create a wall of cannibalistic death. Zombies tried to push inside, but Adam swung the burning towel at them. They reacted, not how a human would react to flames, but how an animal would – primal. The fire didn’t scare them, but they instinctively backed away.
One woman’s hair caught on fire. Flames flickered up her hair and over her head. She didn’t flail around in pain; she simply burned to a crisp and fell to the ground.
Adam shot a zombie between the eyes. He shoved the zombie’s body into the crowd to make room for their escape. Cage and Adam fired their guns round after round to create space.
Cage and Rachel pulled up the rear with Selena and Adam in the front. Nicky was tucked in between them. Rachel was conscious of Cage beside her and Nicky in front of her. It was distracting – the zombies’ growling was the most abysmal sound she’d ever heard. Crazed hunger.
Selena launched a Molotov cocktail. The bottle smashed twenty feet away in a brilliant explosion. Light from the blast seared Rachel’s corneas.
“Hurry!” Adam launched his liquor bottle. The stench of high-proof alcohol filled the air. The explosion ignited three zombies near the truck. “Chuck the bottles before they explode!”
“Throw it, Rachel!” Cage fired his gun.
Rachel still held the bottle of vodka. The dishrag burned toward the lip of the bottle. She hurled it. The bottle rotated twice before it shattered against the bumper of a parked car. A moment passed. Was it a dud? Did she throw it wrong?
The car exploded in a plume of blinding flames. Heat blew over her skin as the blast obliterated the zombies near the parked car.
“Now that was an explosion,” Nicky said.
Adam unlocked the truck. He flung the door open and shoved Selena inside. “Hurry! Get in!”
Cage bashed the mop stick across the face of a zombie with glasses. Why wasn’t he shooting his gun? A female zombie lunged at Rachel. Yellowed fingers clawed the air inches from her face. Rachel swung the baseball bat.
Another zombie reached for Nicky, but Rachel kicked it to the ground. The zombie’s head smacked against the concrete.
Nicky whirled around with Vivienne in his arms. “Did I just see you karate kick that zombie?”
“It technically wasn’t a karate kick,” Rachel said. “Only a regular kick.”
Nicky grinned. “That was the most awesome thing I’ve seen all night!”
“Get in the truck!” Adam screamed.
Rachel unlatched the gate to the truck bed, but pressure from behind snapped her neck back and dragged her to the cement. She smelled the zombie before she saw it - the putrid odor of blood and decay. The zombie, who looked like a housewife, had Rachel by the hair. Rachel kicked the woman’s femur, snapping it like a twig. The housewife stumbled to the ground, but the broken leg didn’t discourage her. She continued to crawl forward on her hands and knees.
Rachel staggered to her feet.
Nicky heaved Vivienne into the truck bed and kicked the housewife zombie in the face. “I’m a fan of the kicking,” Nicky said to Rachel conversationally. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before.” He hopped into the truck and dragged Vivienne behind him.
Adam fired another shot. “Rachel, get up front!”
Rachel ran to the passenger side. “Cage! Let’s go!”
Cage swung his mop stick like a tomahawk. He hopped into the truck bed and closed the gate. Rachel pushed a zombie down and slid into the cab, slamming the door shut behind her.
“Hold on back there!” Adam shifted and smashed his foot down on the gas. The truck flew in reverse, smacking dozens of bodies to the ground. The truck lurched up - like they had run over an enormous speed bump.
Rachel was sure the truck would tip over. She gripped the seat. Arms clawed into the truck bed from all sides. Nicky and Vivienne pressed against the back window. Cage crouched low and swu
ng the mop stick at anything that came near them.
The truck slammed down on all four wheels and Adam gunned it. They sped through the red light, leaving the horde of zombies in the Wooden Barrel’s fiery parking lot.
~ ~ ~
Every muscle in Cage’s body ached. He was in good shape, but in the last few hours he’d used muscles he never knew he had. Who knew killing zombies was such hard work? He tried to slow his pulse. Too much adrenaline pumped through his system and it felt like his heart was going to explode.
The truck sailed down Van Slyke Road. He welcomed the whipping wind in his face, anything to relieve the suffocating heat. Night had fallen hours ago, but it still felt like mid-day.
“Nice shooting kid,” Nicky said.
Cage retrieved the extra bullets from his pocket. “Yeah, not too bad, until I ran out of ammunition like an idiot. I should’ve counted the rounds before I went guns blazing into a mob of zombies. Good thing I had my mop stick.”
“I guess those are things you learn once the world goes to shit.”
“How’s she doing?”
Nicky shrugged. Vivienne’s eyes were closed. Sweat dripped down her forehead. Her lips were parted and she was sucking in little gasps of air. “She’s probably getting ready to bite my face off.”
“I can hear you, jerk,” Vivienne said, but she smiled. “I have to die before I turn.”
“Don’t die,” Nicky said. “I foresaw a future between us. Your hotness and my hotness would be a force to be reckoned with.”
Vivienne laughed, but it turned into a deep wet cough. She rolled on her side and closed her eyes.
“Speaking of hotness,” Nicky said to Cage. “Your girlfriend is oozing it.”
“Rachel’s not my girlfriend.”
“So you’re saying I have a chance?”
Cage’s muscles tensed. “I didn’t say that.”
“Because if you’re not sampling the goods, one of us should be.”
“How old are you?” Cage asked in disgust.
“Twenty-one.”
“You’re too old for her,” Cage said icily.
Nicky laughed. “Dude, I’m yanking your chain. I know she’s yours. And, for the record, I’m not too old for her. It’s the end of the world. All of those stupid borderline rules are history. Besides, what is she? Seventeen? Eighteen?”