End Zone E-Book

Kristen Middleton

• Herausgeber: Kristen Middleton
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Written by NY Times Bestselling Author Kristen Middleton
Book 5 of Zombie Games

The Conclusion - As a cold darkness settles upon the world, our heroes search frantically for their friends and family. Meanwhile, two evils come together and try to destroy the child they believe to be the true "Chosen One". Will they succeed and annihilate all of mankind?
 

Leseprobe

Zombie Games

End Zone

Book 5

Kristen Middleton

Copyright ©2013 by Kristen Middleton

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without express written permission of the author.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. 

––––––––

Also by Kristen Middleton

Carissa Jones Mysteries

Searching for Faith

Looking for Lainey

Daughters of Darkness

Deviant - Jezebel's Journey Book Two

Jezebel (Daughter's of Darkness): Jezebel's Journey Book 1

Jogos Zumbi

Jogos Zumbi Livro 1

Summit Lake Mysteries

Forget Me Not

Hear Them Scream

Tangled

Tangled Beauty

Tangled Fury

The Night Roamers

Whisper

Tremble

Penance

Deception

Vagabundos de la Noche

Confusión

Estremecer

Venom

Venom

Slade

Toxic

Witches of Bayport

Enchanted Secrets

Enchanted Objects

Enchanted Spells

Zombie Games

Running Wild (Book Two)

Dead Endz (Book Three)

Road Kill (Book Four)

End Zone (Book Five)

Origins

Standalone

Awaken at Twilight (A Vampire Anthology)

Venom ( Books 1-3)

Witches of Bayport (The Series) Boxed Set

Zombie Games Boxed Set

Night Roamers (Boxed Set)

Paxton VS The Undead

Billionaire at Sea Books 1 & 2

Tangled (Boxed Set)

Dragon's Blood

Watch for more at Kristen Middleton’s site.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Also By Kristen Middleton

End Zone (Book Five)

You don’t have to like zombies to appreciate this story (Readers)

Enchanted Secrets | (Witches of Bayport) | By | Kristen Middleton

Prologue

Chapter One | (Now – 25 Years Later) | Bayport, Michigan

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

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Further Reading: Jezebel (Daughter's of Darkness): Jezebel's Journey Book 1

Also By Kristen Middleton

About the Author

Also included in this download is the first book in my Enchanted Secrets series.

Follow Kristen Middleton on Bookbub

Follow Cassie Alexandra on Bookbub

www.kristenmiddleton.com

www.cassiealexandrabooks.com

Prologue

Travis

He inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of rot and decay as the zombies stumbled around in the indoor amusement park below. To him, the scent of death meant victory was on the horizon and this brought him great pleasure.

Smiling in approval, he reached for the cigar tucked behind his ear and bit off the end. Lighting it with his fingertip, he wondered how the ally from the east was faring, not that it truly mattered. The human population had dwindled to such an insignificant number, that it wouldn’t take much to control the remaining survivors.

Just as predicted.

He looked up toward the glass ceiling of the mall. “And you thought that you could outwit Lucifer? Obviously, you underestimated his power.”

Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a thunderous boom that made his teeth vibrate.

He sneered. “Really? That’s all you got?” 

Jennifer, his newest follower, cleared her throat. “Excuse me, sir?”

He turned around to find the lovely and easily manipulative young woman standing next to a man dressed in black.

“Good evening,” said the stranger, his blue eyes twinkling. He was in his sixties, with white hair and a kind face that hid the true nature of the soul lurking inside.

Travis puffed his cigar and released a thick stream of smoke. “Well, look what the cat dragged in. I was just wondering if and when you’d show up.”

“It wasn’t an easy journey here, let me tell you.”

“If it were easy, then I’d be concerned.”

The priest hesitated. “You’re not exactly what I expected.”

“Sorry to disappoint. He made me leave my horns at home. True story.”

The priest’s laughter turned into a rattling cough. “Sorry,” he said in a raspy voice as he pulled out a handkerchief from his trouser pocket. “Bronchitis.”

He tapped his cigar, sending ashes to the ground and grunted. “I take it that a celebratory stogie is out of the question?”

“Probably not a good idea, sir.” The priest wiped the spittle from his mouth and then shoved the handkerchief back into his pocket. “It’s an honor to finally meet you, face-to-face. I’ve waited so long... I -” 

“Save the handshake,” he interrupted as Father Brambati raised his hand and took a step toward him.

The priest froze. “Of course.”

Travis nodded toward Jennifer. “Leave us.”

She lowered her eyes and walked away while the priest turned and watched her hips move in a way that would shock his church congregation.

Travis chuckled. “Ah... the sins of the flesh.”

The priest licked his lips. “She’s a lovely young woman.”

“Be honest, she’s not really your type, however, is she? A little too... womanly?”

Father Brambati’s face turned red.

“Hell, I’m not judging you.” He smiled darkly. “We’ve always admired your insidious ways, Father. Anyway, all of that aside, I have some excellent news.”

The priest leaned forward in expectation.

“We’ve located the child.”

Father Brambati’s bushy white eyebrows shot up. “Is that true? Are you certain?”

“The signs that Lucifer mentioned pointed to the small group of survivors from this part of the world. When I finally located these people, she was among them.” 

He tilted his head. “She?”

“Yes, the infant is a girl. It just goes to show that the man above tried to pull one over on us, but,” he smirked, “He failed.”

Father Brambati frowned. “Well, I hope you’re right and this really is the one we’ve been searching for. It will certainly save us a lot of time.”

“We’ll know soon enough,” he replied, his eyes turning the color of molten lava. “If that little shit really is the second coming.”

1

Belinda

––––––––

Belinda parked the car across the street from the C.D.C. and shut off the lights. She looked over at the sleeping boy next to her and his furry companion, the young pup who never left Bobby’s side.

Closing her eyes, she sighed, yearning for a cigarette. It had been thirty-six hours since she’d smoked her last one and was now completely and totally out. It was making her edgy and more than a little frustrated. A zombie apocalypse was never a good time to stop smoking. If anything, it was a reason to start.

Bobby’s eyelids fluttered open. He sat up and looked around.

“The prince has risen,” she said, ruffling his dark brown hair. 

“Are we there, Linny?” he asked, stretching his short little arms.

She wrapped her own arm around the boy’s shoulders and pulled him in closer. He smelled of baby shampoo and the cherry sucker she’d given him earlier. “Yes, honey.”

He hugged her back and closed his eyes. “Good.”

For the past few days, he’d insisted that she drive him to this place, never letting up. Originally, she’d said ‘no’, shocked that he’d even been aware of the C.D.C. But he’d thrown a few fits, which wasn’t like him. In fact, Bobby was normally so mild mannered and sweet, that she hadn’t been prepared to deal with such tantrums. Grown men with tattoos and beer bellies, yes, but not a small boy with Down’s Syndrome, one who’d wrapped her around his finger already. In the end, because he’d been so adamant and Belinda hated to see him upset, she’d caved in.

“I love you, Linny,” he whispered.

A wave of emotions made her eyes burn. She blinked back tears, not wanting him to see them. “I love you, too, Bobby.”

He smiled up at her and her heart swelled.

“Oh, Bobby,” she said, kissing the top of his head. “How did you get to be so damn cute?”

His face grew serious. “I don’t know.”

She chuckled at his innocence, loving him even more for it. In just a short period, she’d grown so attached to Bobby, loving the child like he was her own. In fact, the truth was, although they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, she’d never felt more alive. Caring for him had opened up a part of her life that she hadn’t even realized she’d been missing.

Motherhood.

Now, she wasn’t about to give it up for anything. As far as she was concerned, Bobby was now her responsibility until Bryce returned.

She touched the boy’s cool cheek. “Bobby, do you know why we’re here?”

He looked up at her, his large almond-shaped blue eyes unusually serious. “Yes.”

“Well, would you mind sharing it with Linny?”

Bobby nodded solemnly. “Friends.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh?”

“Yes.”

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed three zombies stumbling down the block toward the Cadillac, and grew tense. She quickly locked the doors and grabbed her gun from the glove compartment. Although Atlanta was still riddled with zombies, she’d never get used to their constant presence.

“It’s okay,” said the boy, smiling up at her reassuringly. “They won’t hurt you.”

“Right,” she said, expecting the zombies to surround her car, drooling and moaning like they usually did. Instead, this time, the creatures ignored the car and walked aimlessly by as she held her breath. Belinda released a ragged breath and slid the gun under her seat.

Goldie, who’d been sleeping in the backseat, raised her head. She turned and growled toward the back window at the retreating forms.

“Yeah, you tell them,” said Belinda, reaching back to pet her fur.

“Tell them what?” asked Bobby.

Belinda grinned. “Nothing, honey. I’m just trying to be silly.”

He giggled. “Yes, because Goldie can’t talk.”

“Well, not like us.” Belinda looked at her watch and frowned. It was almost six-thirty in the morning, and the sun had not yet even begun to rise. It was very odd. She turned to Bobby. “Wow, I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming out here this early in the morning,” she said. “And without my morning coffee.”

His smile fell. “I’m sorry.”

“Why you ought to be,” she teased, tickling him.

Fortunately, the generators were running in the hotel at a bare minimum, and she was able to still have her coffee in the morning. That, along with the other small luxuries she’d enjoyed at the hotel, like warm meals and hot baths were a privilege. She knew they weren’t going to last if things didn’t change soon. The government, whatever was left of it, hadn’t been able to contain the virus or the zombies as of yet, Professor Schultzenheimer wasn’t having any luck coming up with a cure for the infection, and from what she understood, the generators ran on fuel and that had to be getting scarce. Luckily, the night before, some of the other survivors had been able to confiscate a fuel rig that had been abandoned just outside of town and bring it to the hotel. When that ran out, however, she wasn’t sure what would happen. She could only hope that Bryce, Henry, and the others returned soon.

Henry.

Admittedly, she had a soft spot for that old fart as well. He was a little past his prime, but he certainly had charm. And his stories, she could sit and listen to him talk about his days in the rodeo for hours. She hoped he made it back in one piece as well. She’d grown very fond of him.

“There,” pointed Bobby.

Belinda sat up straighter and stared at the tall headlights creeping toward them. Her eyes narrowed. “Now, who is that?”

“Friends,” said Bobby, with a wide smile.

Friends?

No, this had been a bad idea, she thought to herself as she reached under the seat and grabbed the revolver. What in the hell was I thinking, coming out here with the boy and the dog?

“It’s okay,” said Bobby as a black Sierra, with a large grill-guard in the front, pulled up to the curb on the opposite side of the road. 

“I guess they haven’t noticed us yet,” said Belinda, watching the truck nervously. She pointed to the seat. “Why don’t you get down, Bobby.”

But Bobby had other ideas.

Before she could react, he threw open the door, jumped out, and ran over to the pickup.

“Bobby!” hollered Belinda, opening her door quickly and scrambling out.

Goldie, barking excitedly, leaped out and chased after the six-year-old.

She caught up to the boy and the dog just as the door opened up on the passenger side of the truck.

“Do you need help?” asked the middle-aged woman as she climbed out of the truck and scanned the streets nervously.

Belinda smiled at the stranger, who thankfully, looked about as threatening as Goldie. “No, we’re fine.”

The driver of the truck, a man with glasses and dark hair, leaned over and smiled wryly. “I take it the C.D.C. is closed for renovation?”

Chuckling, Belinda glanced at the building and nodded. “We wish. No, as you can see it’s been abandoned. Either the employees turned into zombies, or just plain took off.” She decided not to mention the professor, just in case these people weren’t as friendly as they appeared. Besides, the military was probably still looking for him, and from what she knew, he didn’t want to be found.

Goldie jumped onto the woman’s knees and began licking her hands.

“What a sweet puppy,” she said, bending down to pet and hug the dog. Smiling, she turned and looked at Bobby. “Is she yours?”

“No. I’m watching her for someone else,” he replied, gazing at the woman in fascination. “You miss yours, don’t you?”

She looked surprised. “Well, uh, you could say that.” She smiled sadly. “It’s certainly hard saying goodbye.”

Goldie, her tongue hanging out, decided she wanted more attention and leaped into the truck.

The man laughed and started petting her. “Never thought I’d get to see another dog,” he said as she licked his face. “Doesn’t she look like Maggie, Irene?”

Tears filled the woman’s eyes. “Yes... she kind of does.” She turned to Belinda. “Maggie was our last Golden.” Her voice grew thick. “She passed away last year, before any of this happened, thank goodness. She wouldn’t have made a very good zombie killer.”

Belinda smiled and pulled Bobby closer. “I reckon so. Where you from?”

“We’re from Minnesota,” replied the woman, brushing at her tears. “We came out here to find our family.”

Belinda’s eyes widened. “Oh really?”

“Yes. I just hope we locate them,” she glanced toward the C.D.C. “It’s not looking very promising right now. We thought for sure they’d be all over this thing. But, obviously, nobody has a handle on anything.”

“It looks that way. I’m Belinda, by the way,” she said, holding out her hand.

Before the woman could take it, Bobby introduced himself. “I’m Bobby De Luca,” he said proudly, extending his hand like his brother had been teaching him.

The woman smiled and shook it. “Hi Bobby, I’m Irene Wild and that’s my husband Steve.”

“See,” said Bobby, turning around to look up into Belinda’s eyes. “Friends.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” whispered Belinda.

***

“They went back?” repeated Irene, wiping fresh tears. Belinda had brought them back to the hotel, to try and find a way to soften the blow. Unfortunately, there had been no easier way to tell them that their granddaughters were on the road.

Belinda nodded, hating to bring them more bad news. It was horrible enough that she’d had to inform them that Dave and Kris had died, but now to find out that their grandkids were somewhere between Atlanta and Minnesota, it made everything that much worse. “Yeah, a couple of days ago. Hopefully they’ll be back soon, but it’s hard to say. It’s not like we have a way to reach any of them.”

“Oh, I just can’t believe they did that,” sighed Irene. “With so much danger on the roads.”

Grief-stricken, Steve sat down on a club chair, the news of Dave and Kris’s death still sinking in. “I just can’t believe it,” he replied, his voice husky. “Dave left me a message a few days ago, saying that they’d made it out here. Now you’re saying that they were murdered, and not even by the damn zombies?”

Belinda swallowed. “Um, yes. That’s right. The ones who did it were part of the mob,” she said, leaving out the fact that she’d been related to one of them. “But, Dave and Kris, they saved a lot of people. You should be very proud of them.”

“We always have been,” sighed Irene, stepping over to her husband. She grabbed his hand. “Haven’t we?”

He nodded tearfully.

Belinda raised her index finger. “I’m sure you’re aware that Allie beat the virus after getting bitten, but your other granddaughter did as well. Cassie was sick for a couple of days, but she also pulled through.”

“He never mentioned anything about Cassie,” said Irene, looking relieved. “They both pulled through and there were no complications?”

Belinda nodded. “Yes. They were very lucky girls.”

“Or maybe it’s something else,” said Steve. “Some kind of immunity to the infection.”

“You know... that that might also explain how Victoria survived getting bitten, too, Steve,” said Irene, turning to him. “Maybe our family has some kind of immunity?”

“Maybe all of the remaining survivors have some kind of built-in immunity,” he said.

“Or they just didn’t get the vaccine,” she answered.

“Who is Victoria?” asked Belinda.

“Our other granddaughter. She’s in Texas right now, staying at a zombie fallout shelter with some friends. We were going to check on her next. Tell her the news about her parents.”

Belinda frowned. “Where they killed?”

Irene sighed. “We believe so. They’d been on a cruise with Judy, Steve’s ex-wife, and... well, we haven’t heard from either of them. It’s not looking good.”

“It’s certainly not a good sign,” sighed Belinda.

“No,” said Steve, looking beaten. “It’s not. As you can see, the grandchildren are all we have left.”

“What a nightmare, huh?” said Belinda.

“Much worse than a nightmare,” he replied. “You can’t wake up from this.”

Irene rubbed her forehead. “I just can’t believe the girls took off like that. When we heard that everyone had made it here, we just assumed that Allie and Cassie were safe.”

“Nobody is safe,” said Belinda, glancing at Bobby. “Not here. Not anywhere.”

“I know,” she replied. “And that’s why I’m so scared.”

He patted her on the back. “Irene, it’s okay. We’ll find them.”

She looked up at him. “I hope so. We can’t lose anyone else.”

“We won’t,” he said, his voice cracking.

As Belinda stared at them, she couldn’t help but feel slightly responsible for the turn of events her dysfunctional family had created. All her life she’d had to put up with their crazy, violent ways, and she’d longed for the kind of relationship that these people had. Now, ironically, it was her family that had ruined theirs. She reached over and placed a hand on Irene’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“We’ve all lost,” replied Steve. “I’m sure you’ve lost plenty of family yourself.”

“Yes, but yours is nothing compared to mine.”  She glanced at Bobby, who was looking at a picture book on the floor and felt nauseated at the thought of losing him. “That little guy, however, I don’t know what I’d do if he ever got hurt.”

“Oh, is he yours?” asked Irene, turning to look at the small boy.

“Actually, he’s your granddaughter’s future brother-in-law.”

“What?” they gasped in unison.

Belinda chuckled. “I take it you’ve never met Bryce De Luca?”

Irene shook her head. “No. Cassie is engaged? Seriously?”

“Seriously.  He’s a nice guy, too,” said Belinda. “Handsome, strong, a real fighter.”

“Well, she’s a little young to be engaged,” said Steve, frowning.

“Maybe, but Bryce adores her, and believe me, he won’t stop searching for Cassie until he finds her.”

“Let’s hope he finds Allie and Kylie, too,” said Irene.

“He did,” said Bobby, out of nowhere.

They turned to him.

“What was that, Bobby?” asked Belinda, walking toward him. She bent down. “What did you say, honey?”

“Bryce gave this to me” he replied, holding up his book. “He loves me.”

“He certainly does,” agreed Belinda, ruffling his hair. “We all love you, kid.”

“Well, what do we do now?” asked Irene, turning to Steve.

“We go back,” he replied, picking up his rifle. “Find our granddaughters.”

“I’m coming with,” said Bobby. He stood up and walked over to them. “Let’s go. Right now.”

“Honey, you have to stay here,” said Belinda.

“No,” he said. “I have to go and save the baby.”

The adults looked at each other, surprised at his response. “Baby, what baby?”

“They call her the ‘Chosen One’,” he replied.

“The ‘Chosen One’?” asked Belinda.

“Yes,” he replied. “And she really needs me.”

“Oh, Bobby... I’m sorry, honey, but you’re not going anywhere,” said Belinda. “It’s much too dangerous to go on a road trip right now.”

“They’re going,” he replied.

“That’s different,” said Belinda.

“Linny, please, I have to leave with them.”

She knelt down next to him again. “Bobby...”

His eyes took on an intelligence that shocked her. “Belinda,” he said evenly. “You don’t understand. We are running out of time. All of us.”

2

Allie and Kylie

––––––––

“Did you hear that?”

“No,” whispered Allie in the cold, musty darkness.

“I think someone’s coming.”

It had been a few hours since the girls had been taken to an old house somewhere in Minneapolis by Billie. There, they’d been welcomed by a small group of people, who were now holding them prisoner in a bedroom up in the attic.

Allie sat with her back against the wall, staring down at the quiet baby in her arms, who surprisingly, hadn’t slept or fussed for hours. In fact, Adria gazed up at her intently, and she almost felt like the baby was trying to somehow console her.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered down at her. “I’m scared too, but I haven’t given up yet. Neither should you.” 

“Hey, did you hear me?”

Allie sighed. “Yes,” she replied, trying to remain calm. As much as she wanted to remain positive, the truth was that they were being held prisoner by a bunch of psychopaths, and nobody knew where to find them. Not Cassie, Kristie, or even Bryce. “Well, maybe they’ll bring us some food, I’m starving.”

The noises out in the hallway drifted away and Kylie crawled over to them. “I wouldn’t trust eating their food. They might poison us or something. Anyway, we have to try and escape, before they hurt Adria.”

She held the baby closer. “I’m surprised they haven’t tried taking her from us.”

“I think they’re afraid to touch her.”

“Good. Crazy whackos. Do you really think that Adria is what they say she is?”

Kylie lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling. “The ‘Chosen One’?”

“Yeah.”

She paused for a few seconds. “Oh, I don’t know. Heck, I don’t even know what being the ‘Chosen One’ really means.”

“What about the ‘End of Days’ thing you were talking about before? The signs of the apocalypse and all that?”

Kylie sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, they never mentioned anything about a baby or any other kind of person saving the world. This just doesn’t fit in to what it is supposed to say in the Bible.”

“Have you read it?”

“No. I’m just going by what I saw on cable.”

“I haven’t read the Bible either. It just looked so long and confusing. What else did it say on that documentary show?”

Kylie sat back up. “Well, from what I remember, there would be a lot of bad things happening, like the seas turning red, earthquakes, volcanoes, and then complete darkness. There were also supposed to be two evil men who would join forces. One of them gets possessed by Satan, making him the Antichrist. They referred to all three of them as the ‘Unholy Trinity’.”

“Now that’s confusing,” said Allie, wishing she would have gone to church more. To her, church had always made her sleepy and even a little bored.

“I know. You’ve heard of the ‘Holy Trinity’, right? Father, Son, Holy Spirit?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, this ‘Unholy Trinity’ is supposed to be Satan’s mockery of that. So, it’s Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.”

“Is the Antichrist supposed to be Satan’s son or something?”

“Not sure. I think that Satan takes over his body though, or something later.”

“Oh, well what about the False Prophet? Where does he fit in to all of this?” she asked, now really getting the chills. All of this talk about the Devil was freaky.

Kylie thought back to what they’d said. “Um... oh yeah, I think the other dude is supposed to try and turn people away from God or something. That’s why they called him a ‘False Prophet’.”

“Oh.”

“This just doesn’t seem right, though. This isn’t happening the way they explained it. And I definitely don’t remember anything about a ‘Chosen One’.”

Allie rubbed Adria’s back. “Honestly, the more I think about it, the harder it is to believe that a small baby could have that kind of power and be able to save the world.”

“Well, those people in the next room obviously believe that she is a real threat. I think they’re planning something for her and I’m getting some really bad vibes about it.”

Allie studied Adria’s face. All she could see was a pretty baby blowing bubbles and making gurgling noises. “Adria can’t even crawl yet, how is she supposed to be a threat to anyone?” she replied as the baby tried to grab a lock of her blond hair. 

Kylie reached over and touched the baby’s head. “I know. Obviously, they’re all wacked in the head and all of that talk about the End of Days happening right now is really just a bunch of crap. We have to keep her safe from those delirious freaks. No matter what.”

Voices on the other side of the doorway startled them. Kylie and Allie stood up and backed away from the door.

“Ah... here are my girls,” said Billie, turning on the light.

A younger woman stood behind him, carrying a metal tray. She smiled pleasantly.

“Why are you just sitting around here in the darkness?” asked Billie. “There’s a generator, you know. The lights actually do work.”

Neither girl responded, just stared in unease as the couple stepped closer.

“We brought you some food. I’m sure you’re famished,” he said, motioning toward the tray as the woman set it down on the old pine nightstand next to the bed.

Allie stared at the cheesy pizza and cans of grape soda; her stomach growled.

“See, you’re hungry,” said Billie. “You girls must like pizza? Am I right?”

They both nodded.

He grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “Just what I thought. As you can see, there is a lot of cheesy goodness on the pizza, and it’s probably one of the last ones edible on this planet.” He inhaled. “Smell that sauce? Let me tell you, I had a piece of this earlier, and it’s to die for.”

Kylie glanced at Allie, her eyes wide.

“Come on now, don’t let this treasure go to waste,” he prodded, lifting one of the plates. He held it under Allie’s nose and smiled again as she bit her lower lip. “It’s all yours. Don’t be foolish and waste such a treat.”

Allie, unable to take the smell or the hunger tormenting her inside, turned to Kylie. “Maybe one piece wouldn’t hurt? We haven’t eaten for such a long time.”

Kylie frowned. They’d just talked about this. “Allie.”

Allie sighed.

“Look, even the baby wants some,” giggled the woman.

Adria, staring at the mouthwatering food, tried reaching for the plate.

“No,” said Allie, stepping away from the pizza. “You can’t have that, Adria. I’m sorry.”

“Oh... hell, just give her some,” said Billie as Adria began to whimper in frustration. “She needs to eat. Just like you two.”

“But not this, she’ll choke. Do you have any bottled water?” asked Kylie. “She’s dehydrated and needs water.”

“I’ll see what we can find,” he replied. He turned to Jenny and nodded.

Allie’s stomach rumbled again; she wanted nothing more than to eat. “Billie, please let us go,” she begged. “We just want to get back to our families.” And food we can trust, she thought.

“Tell you what,” he said, sitting down on the bed. “If you do what you’re told and help me with something, I’ll release you.”

“Help you? With what?” asked Kylie.

A cold smile spread across his face. “Retribution.”

3

Cassie

––––––––

“What in the hell is going on?” repeated Kristie for the fourth time. “Why would that numbskull take off with the girls like that? I mean, who does that?”

Kristie, Paige, Nora, and I were in my grandparents’ family room, stunned and confused as to why Billie had disappeared with Allie, Kylie, and Adria.

I looked up from the sofa as Kristie paced across the room, obviously on the verge of a panic attack. “Maybe he took them to Atlanta?”

She looked at me like I was crazy. “Without us? It just doesn’t make any sense. Nora, what do you think is going on? You knew him better than any of us.”

Nora, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, flicking a lighter, looked up. “I don’t know. I’m as confused as you guys. I mean, he seemed fine, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, actually a little too fine,” I replied. “He went from mottled and zombish to acting like he could run a marathon. It was beyond creepy, even for Billie.”

“Billie isn’t creepy,” defended Nora. “He’s just obviously... confused.”

“Frankly, his confusion is going to bring him a royal ass-kicking when I get my hands on him,” replied Kristie, pulling out an empty pack of smokes from her purse. Scowling, she crumpled it up and threw it across the room. “No offense, Nora.”

“Don’t be. He deserves a beating. I’ll even hold him down for you,” she replied.

“If we can even find him,” I replied. Truthfully, I was worried that he was going through the same psychosis as Austin. If that was the case, then the girls were in more trouble than anyone could possibly imagine. I was almost afraid to bring it up.

“Okay, this is what we should do - once the guys find us a decent ride, we’ll head back toward Atlanta,” said Kristie. “I don’t know, for some reason I feel like that’s where he’s taken them. Obviously, we all know that Billie is a nice guy and I find it hard to believe that he would hurt them intentionally. He’s probably just confused. Like Nora said.”

“Exactly,” said Nora. “He is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. The Billie I know would never hurt anyone, especially those girls.”

“Okay, I hate to bring this up, again,” said Paige, who was sitting next to me on the sofa, “and I know you all think that I’m crazy, but... is it possible that he was being controlled by Travis and that’s why he left?”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” said Kristie. “You can’t possibly believe that after Travis died, his soul jumped into Billie’s body?”

“Why not?” she asked. “We all agree that Travis was some kind of demon, right? So maybe his demonic spirit is inside of Billie now, controlling him.”

Kristie sat down on a recliner and put her head in her hands. “I’m sorry, but I’m still having trouble accepting that Travis was nothing more than a freaken psychopath. Hell, he died from getting shot in the chest. If he was really a demon, I doubt that would have happened.”

“Not if he was just borrowing the body. He probably goes around jumping from victim to victim. Like in the movies... you know?” answered Paige.

Kristie sighed. “Honey, this is not the movies.”

“Obviously. It’s real life, one that’s filled with zombies, bloody rivers, and death. If we can accept that, then why are demons so hard to imagine?”

“Good point,” replied Kristie, sitting back. “Now I’m really going to lose my mind worrying about this. Thank you.” 

“I’m sorry, mom, but we have to consider everything. What about you, Cassie?” asked Paige, turning to me. “What do you think?”

I stared down at my nails, which were bitten down to the skin. It seemed liked years ago that I’d been sitting in Mae’s chair getting my nails done and my eyebrows plucked. I sighed. “Okay, fine... I think he’s either going crazy from the zombie virus, or,” I looked up, “you’re right and he’s been possessed by Travis. Both ideas are pretty scary.”

“Billie is not possessed,” said Nora, putting the lighter back into the pocket of her faded blue jeans. “That’s totally ridiculous.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” said Kristie. “I just want them safe. I hope the guys get back here soon so we can start looking for them. I should probably check on Henry. See if he’s up so we can get moving right away when they return.”

Henry was in one of the guestrooms taking a nap while Bryce, Tiny, and Justice had gone in search of a vehicle that we could all fit into.

“Good idea,” I replied. I stood up and walked to the large bay window and stared outside. It was dark, well past midnight, and the yard looked like something out of a horror movie massacre. I glanced at the slaughtered zombies sprawled out all over the lawn and wondered if Bryce and the others were having problems with any more undead.

“You see them yet?” asked Paige.

I looked over my shoulder at her. “No. They’ve been gone for over an hour. I can’t believe it would take this long to find something in this neighborhood.”

Paige walked over and stood next to me. “It’s finding a large enough vehicle with gas in it that’s difficult, I’m sure.”

Before I could answer, a zombie staggered into view from the side of the house. We watched as it wandered into the center of the yard and then stopped under the moonlight, swaying back and forth. Like the others, it was in rough shape, with its bloody torso and stringy decayed flesh barely covering bone. This one also had a stump for an arm and was one the verge of losing its ratty flowered dress. With her long red hair, she reminded me of Eva a little, and I couldn’t help but shudder.

“It’s pretty bad when you see something like that and it doesn’t even shock you anymore,” said Paige as we stared.

The zombie turned around, as if it heard us talking, and started in our direction.

“Oh, great,” said Kristie, now standing behind us. “I hope it doesn’t attract any other ones that may be hanging out in the other yards. They’re much scarier in packs. Like rabid dogs.”

The zombie, now clearly on a mission, stumbled up the first two steps and then tripped on the third, landing on her face.

“What a life, huh?” sighed Kristie, staring at the zombie with empathy. She shook her head. “It’s just a damn shame. I’ll bet that girl had it all before. Now, she’s just a walking corpse with her bra hanging out and her dress stuck in her panties. Kind of reminds me of college. Those parties were crazy.”

“Actually, if you think about it, they don’t have it too bad,” said Paige. “Think about it - no cares in the world except finding food. They’re not conscious about how they look, if they need a shower, or what may have happened to their missing arm. Nothing matters but finding food.”

The zombie slowly lifted itself from the ground and then staggered to the window. Placing a hand on the glass, she stared at us silently with her pale eyes.

“I don’t know what’s creepier – her staring at us or us staring back. What do you think she’s thinking?” mumbled Kristie.

“Remember going to the bakery and staring at all of the donuts through the glass?” said Paige. “Thinking they all looked so yummy.”

I grimaced, and the zombie’s black lips pulled up into a black toothy grin, as if it knew what we were talking about. Its eyes traveled slowly to Kristie, who took a step back.

“Okay...why in the hell is that thing smiling at me?” she asked in a strained voice. “Like it knows something that I don’t.”

Page smirked. “Hell, I think she just found her donut.”

“Time to close shop,” I said, pulling the cord on the curtain. Seeing that cold smile on the zombie’s face was giving me the creeps. It made me wonder if there was something actually going on up there.

Paige and Kristie stood back. As the curtain started to close, the zombie began to moan its frustration and slap at the glass with its one hand.

“That window isn’t going to break, is it?” asked Paige when I dropped the cord.

“No,” said Kristie. “It should hold up.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “Actually, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have your weapons within reach, girls.”

“I think we’ll be fine. That glass is pretty thick,” I said. “She’d have to throw something pretty heavy at it for it to break. I doubt she has enough sense to do something like that.”

The window slapping sound stopped.

Paige snorted. “Don’t give her any ideas, Cassie. I think she can hear us through that glass.”

“Even if she could, she’s not intelligent enough to do that,” I said. At least I hoped.

“Don’t underestimate those things,” said Paige.

Now, feeling nervous, I peeked through the curtain and watched as she shuffled away from the window and toward the steps. I winced as she missed them completely, landing on her face once again, this time in the grass.

I almost felt sorry for her. 

She stood back up and turned around.

I closed the curtains quickly.

“What’s it doing?” asked Kristie.

“Leaving,” I said. “Hopefully.”

“Good,” replied Paige. “Maybe she’ll bother the neighbors and forget all about us.”

The neighbors.

I wondered if they’d all turned into zombies or if any of them were still around. It would have been devastating for my grandparents if they’d had to shoot any of them on their way out of here. They’d been good friends with most of the people on their block.

“You know, I’m surprised we haven’t seen many survivors. What about you, Kristie?” I asked, turning toward her. “Did you run into any on the way back?”

She took out a tube of Chapstick and applied it to her lips. “No,” she said, putting the cover back on. “We haven’t seen much. Just Adria, that creep Travis, his driver, and your grandparents’ friends on the Saint Croix. Other than that, nobody else.”

“They really didn’t want to leave, huh?” I asked, still not liking the sound of that. If things weren’t so complicated, I’d try and talk them out of staying.

Kristie nodded. “Guess not. I wasn’t there, but they told Bryce they felt safer on the boat.”

I thought about the zombies entering the water and it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. The possibility of it actually being tainted with blood was unsettling. “Well, I hope they have weapons.”

“Tom pulled a gun on Bryce,” replied Paige. “So I’d have to say so.”

I sighed. “That’s good, I guess. I still wish they’d come back to Atlanta with us.”

Paige sat back down on the sofa and pulled her hair over her shoulder. “I know. I think Bryce may have told them about the hotel, so they can meet up with us if they change their mind.”

“Hey, are those headlights?” asked Kristie, opening the curtain again.

I stepped next to her. “I think so.” A rush of relief warmed my stomach as they grew closer. Although I knew the guys could pretty much take care of themselves, they weren’t superhuman. A bullet or even one wrong step when combating a zombie could prove deadly.

I looked outside as a large SUV stopped in front of the house. I could see Bryce in the passenger seat and I had to fight the urge to rush outside and throw my arms around him. With my luck, the zombie that looked like Eva would be my demise.

“Thank God,” said Paige. “I thought they’d never get back here.”

“Missing Justice, Paige?” asked Nora.

Her eyebrows flew up.  “No,” she protested. “Why would I miss him? I don’t even really know him.”

“Oh, come on, we all saw the way you’ve been drooling over that guy,” she replied with a smirk. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

Paige rolled her eyes. “Whatever, I haven’t been drooling over him.”

Kristie chuckled. “She’s definitely got it for Justice. Her voice even changes when she talks to him.”

Paige scowled. “What do you mean my voice changes?”

Kristie fluttered her eyelashes. “Justice,” she gushed.  “I love that tattoo of the scorpion on your back. It’s so dreamy!”

“I didn’t say dreamy, I said cool,” snapped Paige. “Dreamy is like from the sixties.”

“Oh, come on, since when have you thought scorpions were cool?” asked Kristie.

“Since Justice removed his shirt earlier,” teased Nora. “Ever since then, she’s wanted to get stung.”

“That’s ridiculous,” replied Paige, crossing her arms under her chest.

“Oh, we’re just teasing,” said Kristie. “Lighten up.”

“Whatever,” she said. “I don’t think it’s funny.”

Kristie sighed.

Paige raised her chin. “Seriously, though, you guys have to admit, the tat was really cool.”

“It was,” I replied. It had been really cool but the sparkle in Paige’s eyes earlier hadn’t been from the tattoo. It was the guy under the ink.

Just then, the front door opened up and Tiny, Bryce, and Justice walked in.

“Well that was certainly a pain in the ass,” said Bryce, looking weary.

“Why? Did you guys run into some problems?” I asked as Tiny locked the door.

“You could say that,” replied Tiny, moving toward the window. “We were almost shot taking the Yukon that’s now parked in the alley. I think we lost them, but I don’t want to take any chances. Let’s get moving.”

“Who were they?” asked Kristie, looking out into the darkness nervously.

“Looters, I think,” said Tiny. “They took us by surprise after we located the keys for the SUV at one of the neighbor’s homes up the street. They chased us for a few miles until we finally lost them. That’s why it took us so long to get back here. You girls haven’t noticed anyone near the house, have you? A big white pickup?”

“No,” I said. “Unless they drove by without lights and we didn’t see them.”

Tiny rubbed his chin. “Well, like I said - let’s get packed and moving. Just in case.”

“I just don’t understand people,” said Kristie, frowning. “You’d think you’d want to ban together with people, not try and rob them.”

“How many were there?” I asked.

“Couldn’t tell,” said Bryce. “They started firing at us and we took off.”

“What happened?” asked Henry, stepping into the family room wearing a clean, white button-down shirt. The other one had splattered blood from Travis and we’d burned it.

“Looters again,” I said. “The guys ran into some when they went out to search for a vehicle.”

He smoothed down his white hair and put on his Stetson. “You get them bastards?”

“No, but they almost got us,” replied Tiny, walking over to Henry. “You get much sleep?”

“Just rested my eyes some,” he replied, rubbing his lower back. “Feller like me can’t sleep too long with a herniated disc.”

“You need to take it easy,” said Tiny. “You’re always overdoing it.”

“No way around it when you’re trying to fight zombies and rescue people,” he replied, patting the pocket of his shirt. “Oh, hell, where’s my chew?”

“Forget the chew, why don’t we find something for the back pain? In fact, I think I have some aspirin,” said Kristie, walking to her duffel bag.

He waved his hand. “Just keep them,” he said. “If I don’t feel the pain, I might mess it up even more.”

“You sure?” she asked, pulling out a bottle of pills. “I’ve got some right here.”

“If you really want to help my back, you’ll massage it,” he replied with a wide grin. “Haven’t had me a good back massage since the nursing home.”

“We don’t really have time, gramps,” said Tiny, frowning. “We need to get out of here and search for the girls.”

“I know,” he replied. “Obviously, my old bones can wait.”

“Don’t worry, Henry, I’ll rub those old bones of yours later,” said Kristie, kissing him on the cheek.

His eyes twinkled. “Haven’t had me a kiss or a promise for some bone rubbin’ in a very long time. This is a good woman, Tiny. Better treat her well or I’m gonna steal her from you.”

Tiny put his arm around Kristie’s waist and brushed her lips with his. “Whatcha think, babe? Am I treating you good, or do I need to step it up?”

She smiled grimly. “You find me those girls and there’s no higher step than that, Tiny.”

His face became serious. “I’m going to do everything in my power. I promise you that.”

“I know,” she replied, staring up at him. “And I have total faith that you will.”

“Damn right,” said Henry. “If we have to search the ends of the earth, we’ll find them.”

Ends of the earth.

His words made me shudder. The truth was they could be headed anywhere and it was going to take a miracle to find them. If they were still alive. 

“You okay?” asked Bryce pulling me into his arms.

“Yeah. Just worried.” I closed my eyes and rested my cheek against his chest. As usual, his embrace gave me strength. “I’m just so glad you made it back to me.”

His kissed the top of my head. “Me too, Wild.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry.”