Dead Endz Page 19

  “Bryce,” said Paige. “You have to let me come with. She’s my best friend. Please!”

  “Paige…” warned Kristie.

  “I know you want to help but it might make things harder for me if I have to worry about you as well. I’d rather have you stay back with these guys and keep an eye on Allie. She’s going to be freaking out when she finds out Cassie’s gone.”

  Paige sighed. “Fine. But you find her and drag her ass back here so I can bitch her out for not taking me with.”

  “For the love of God,” snapped Kristie. “It’s not like she was going on spring break to Mexico and left you behind! This is a very dangerous situation she’s in. I still can’t believe she just left without thinking it through.”

  They were in the restaurant and Bryce still couldn’t believe that less than twelve hours ago he’d asked Cassie to marry him and now she was gone. It was maddening.

  The door to the restaurant burst open and Billie stormed in. “I heard what happened. I’m coming with,” he said.

  Bryce stared at him for a minute and then nodded. “Okay.” Cassie had told him about Nora and Billie’s budding relationship and it made perfect sense for him to come with. He’d actually been thinking about asking him, anyway.

  “Good,” said Billie. “Let’s go before they get too far.”

  “Grab some clothes, food, and water,” said Bryce. “Don’t forget a weapon or two.”

  “I’ve got rifle,” said Billie. “And a new set of golf clubs.”

  “I don’t know if we’ll have time for a game, but you’re welcome to bring them with. Meet me back here in twenty minutes and we’ll go.”

  The door opened again and this time Belinda hurried in. “Have you seen Henry or Luke?”

  Bryce frowned. “No, I haven’t.”

  “Luke might be with Allie and Kylie,” said Paige. “They’ve been hanging out a lot lately.”

  “We stayed in Bryce’s suite last night and I don’t think I even heard Luke get up this morning. He went to bed late and just assumed he’d sleep in. And Henry, he usually doesn’t venture far from my side when it’s yoga hour. I found this dvd in the store and he loves watching me do “Downward Dog.”

  Bryce sighed. “Go check Allie’s room and see if they’re having some kind of powwow or something.”

  “I’ll go,” hollered Paige as she scurried away.

  “I’ll help you find Henry,” said Kristie. “I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.”

  Belinda sighed. “I just get so worried about that old timer.”

  “Henry’s as tough as nails,” said Tiny. “Don’t worry about gramps.”

  A knot started forming in the pit of Bryce’s stomach. Too many people were missing and something was up. A half hour later his gut feeling became a reality when he found Kristie freaking out in the lobby. Tiny was trying to calm her down but it wasn’t working.

  “Shit, shit, shit!” hollered Kristie. “Those little shits!”

  “What is it?” asked Bryce, setting down his rifle.

  “They left,” she cried, on the verge of tears.

  “Who?”

  Tiny sighed. “We found a note from Allie. I guess Luke is taking both her and Kylie to Minnesota. To find Cassie.”

  “How is that even possible?” asked Bryce. “Luke is only fourteen. They don’t have a car and he certainly doesn’t have his license.”

  Kristie rubbed her forehead and then stared at him with tears in her eyes. “No but we do. Our van is missing and I don’t think they’re worried about getting busted by the cops for underage driving.”

  Bryce groaned. “Your van is missing?”

  “It is. So are the girl’s clothing,” said Kristie. “All of the new outfits they collected are gone. They’d never leave them behind if they weren’t in it for the long haul.”

  “Goodbye whirlpool tub,” muttered Tiny, knowing their stay in Atlanta was soon ending.

  “So, Henry’s driving?” asked Bryce.

  “I can’t imagine Henry taking those kids to Minnesota,” said Tiny. “He’d never do that.”

  “Maybe he left with Nora and Cassie?” said Bryce.

  “That would be more feasible,” said Tiny.

  Kristie scowled. “Looks like Paige is getting that road trip she wanted. Dammit.”

  “It’ll be okay,” said Tiny, rubbing her back. “We’ll find all of them, hon.”

  “I hope so,” she muttered as reached under her shirt and ripped off her nicotine patch. “Because this isn’t helping my Z.S.S. Someone had better find me a damn cigarette before I lose it completely.”

  Belinda held out a pack of smokes. “Here you go, hon. I suffer from that shit too and these really do seem to help.”

  Kristie put her hands over her heart. “Then you know my pain.”

  “If these kids don’t drive us crazy, and the zombies don’t eat our brains, then Z.S.S. will surely be the end of us. Keep that pack, I have many more cartons upstairs.”

  “I think I love you,” choked Kristie, hugging Belinda.

  “Good Lord…” muttered Paige.

  ***

  “Do you know how to get to Minnesota?” asked Allie who was sitting shotgun next to Luke.

  He smiled. “Does a bear shit in the woods?”

  “That’s gross,” she replied, but was still smiling.

  “My dad used to say that all the time,” said Luke.

  Allie laughed. “Mine did too.”

  “Actually, he has a map,” said Kylie from the backseat. “Tiny left the map in the glove compartment.”

  “Well, anyway, thanks again for driving us,” said Allie.

  “No problem. Maybe after we leave the city and find a place not so crowded with zombies, I can teach you how to drive this beast.”

  Allie nodded. “That’d be great. How long have you been driving?”

  Luke straightened up. “Oh, today was the first day. But it’s not that difficult.”

  Kylie started laughing. “That explains a lot.”

  They’d had a rough start. Luke had put the key in the ignition started the van and thrown it into reverse where they’d crashed into a wall. Fortunately, they’d also taken out a couple of zombies.

  “What did you girls bring for food?” asked Luke.

  Kylie opened up the paper bag. “We have a couple bags of chips, a six pack of soda, and three bottles of water.”

  Allie nodded. “Yeah, and don’t forget the jar of almonds.”

  “Yeah, that should tide us over until we get to Minnesota,” said Luke.

  “Did anyone else bring weapons?” asked Kylie. “I grabbed Paige’s bat.”

  “I grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen,” said Allie, taking it out of her over-night bag.

  Luke nodded. “Good. I grabbed a gun.”

  Allie’s eyes widened. “You know how to use a gun?”

  He snorted. “Yeah. It’s a piece of cake.”

  “This is going to be fun,” said Allie. “I’ve always wanted to travel across the country. My parents never seemed to take vacations.”

  Luke nodded. “Yeah, mine either.”

  Allie smiled at Luke. “We have so much in common.”

  He smiled. “I guess we do.”

  Kylie noticed the way Allie stared at Luke, it was of pure adoration. It was certainly going to be a long ride back home to Minnesota.

  “Oh brother,” mumbled Kylie as she stared out the window.

  Author’s Note

  Thanks again for all of your support. I hope you enjoyed book three of Zombie Games. The fourth book should be out within the next six months.

  If you’ve enjoyed this book, please, please, please, add a review. Not only does it help other readers it also lets me know what you did or did not like about the story.

  If you are interested in anymore of my books, most of them can be found on Amazon and will soon be available on Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, as well as other E-reader sites.

  Please read on for
a sample from “Blur” (Night Roamers). It’s another paranormal book that I’ve put out. I’m currently working on the next in the series and hope to have it out by November 2012. Enjoy!

  Thanks again,

  Kristen Middleton

  Blur Excerpt

  Blur

  (Night Roamers)

  Book One

  Copyright © 2012 by Kristen Middleton

  This book is purely fiction. Any resemblances to names, characters, and places are coincidental. The reproduction of this work is forbidden without written consent from the author.

  This eBook is licensed for your enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this with others, please purchase additional copies for each individual. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  To

  My family and Friends

  Thanks for your support!

  Prologue

  “Mom left the door unlocked,” I hollered at my twin brother as he slammed the door to his ’67 Mustang. It was the last day of eleventh grade and we’d stopped off for burgers and malts at Grannie’s Diner with some friends to celebrate after school. Nathan and I were officially seniors and neither of us could wipe the grins from our faces.

  “That’s weird,” he said, brushing a hand through his sandy brown hair. “You know how she’s always nagging us about it.”

  I grinned and held the door open for him. “Well, I’m certainly not going to let her live this one down.”

  Mom was married to a cop once, my father, and he’d drilled into her head how important it was to keep the doors locked, even when you’re home.

  Nathan followed me into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

  “Oh, my God,” I teased him. “How can you still be hungry after eating that monster burger and malt?”

  He flexed a muscle. “I’m growing,” he said. “Just ‘cause you’re a skinny little twerp doesn’t mean everyone else has to eat like a bird.”

  I walked over and punched him in the arm. “Very funny.”

  He smiled and raised the milk carton to take a swig when we both heard it.

  “What’s that?” I whispered in horror.

  He slammed down the milk and rushed out of the kitchen.

  “Nathan?” I yelled, chasing him upstairs. The sobs, were coming from somewhere in the upper level of our house.

  “Oh my God,” he choked, entering our mother’s dark bedroom. She was lying naked on the floor, her face swollen and bleeding, her body badly bruised.

  We rushed to her side and she cracked open one of her black eyes. “Call the police,” she mumbled, barely coherent.

  I started to cry as I grabbed the phone and dialed nine-one-one. I don’t even remember talking to the person who’d answered. All I know is that I was blubbering and she was trying to console me with the fact that help was coming. I hung up and stared at my broken mother in shock, feeling helpless.

  Thankfully, Nathan handled stress much better than I did. He grabbed a comforter and covered her, gently.

  “Mom, what happened?” he asked.

  The shame on her face was heart-wrenching and I knew by her appearance what had happened. She’d obviously been beaten and raped.

  I brushed the tears from my face, kneeled down next to her, and lightly touched her hand. “The police and ambulance are on their way.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes.

  “Mom?” prodded Nathan. “What happened?”

  “Nathan, think about it,” I whispered. “She’s obviously been raped.”

  His lips trembled as he searched her face. “Mom? Some stranger broke in here and did this to you?”

  She stared at both of us for a few seconds. “No…no stranger,” she whispered, “It was your father.”

  Chapter One

  “Are we almost there?” I sighed, staring at the endless rows of corn fields. We’d been driving for hours through the countryside and I could no longer tell the difference from one town to the next. I just wanted to get out of the car and stretch my legs.

  Mom cleared her throat. “Pretty soon.”

  Nathan was following us in his Mustang and I glanced back to see him talking on his cell phone, again.

  “Oh, Lord,” I said. “He must be talking to Deanna, for the tenth time. She just won’t get over the fact that we’re really moving.”

  Mom tightened her hands on the steering wheel and glanced at me. “I’m sorry about this. I’m just so sorry… about everything.”

  I frowned. “Mom, it’s not your fault. Nobody had any idea that he could be so violent.”

  It had been less than three months since my father had brutally attacked my mother. They’d been separated for the last couple of years because of his temper tantrums along with his inability to stop screwing other women. When my mother had finally gotten up the nerve to leave him, he’d actually been pretty civil about it. Then, when he’d found out she’d moved on emotionally and started dating again, he’d went off in a jealous rage, striking back at her.

  “I just wish they could find him and lock him up,” she said, staring straight ahead.

  I nodded. I was so ashamed that any thoughts of him made me physically ill. It was still really hard to believe that my own father was capable of being so violent, especially since he’d been a cop and responsible for keeping people safe. After the attack, he’d disappeared and my poor mother had spent several nights in the hospital, recovering. When she finally came home she wasn’t able to sleep at night without drugs, terrified that he’d show up and beat her again. Then, just recently she’d been given a gift; a way out. Her employer offered her an accounting job in Montana and now that’s where all three of us were headed; to start a new life.

  “Well, I think it’s good that Nathan’s getting away from Deanna, anyway,” I said. “She’s so whiny and annoying.”

  Mom smiled wryly. “Now Nikki, you haven’t liked any of Nathan’s girlfriends.”

  I shrugged. “Well, it’s not my fault he attracts the psycho ones.”

  Deep down I knew I wasn’t being fair because the truth was, I was a little jealous. My brother and I had always been very close, especially living in such a dysfunctional family environment. My earliest memories were of my parents screaming and fighting, especially during the holidays. So, we’d withered the storms together. In fact, for all of our lives, we’d been best friends, sharing and doing everything, together. That is, until the tenth grade, when he’d discovered boobs, I mean girls. Of course, I’d discovered boys as well; I’d discovered that most of them in my school were crude, boring, or just plain... boobs.

  “So,” I said, changing a subject that I had to admit left me feeling a guilty. “What were you saying about this place we’re renting?”

  She smiled. “I guess it’s just beautiful. It’s a cabin on Shore Lake that’s been on the market for some time. The owners are related to Ernie and because of our circumstances they’re letting us stay there relatively cheap.”

  Ernie was my mom’s boss; a really nice old man who’s been really supportive of my mom. He’s been almost like a father-figure to her, which is good because both of her parents passed away several years ago.

  “Do they have a boat?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Ernie says there’s a boat and he’s caught hundreds of fish on the lake. I’m really excited about staying there. Honey, are you okay?”

  “Something in my eye,” I muttered as I pulled down the visor. I blinked until I finally got the eyelash out.

  “I need a haircut,” I noted.

  “We’ll get you one before school starts,” she said.

  I nodded and examined my reflection. Sandy brown hair, light blue eyes, and a pug nose. I’d always considered myself average looking, even though my mom said I looked exactly like her when she was
growing up and she turned out to be attractive. In fact, most of Nathan’s friends said she was a hot MILF, which was pretty gross, but I guess that meant there was still hope for me.

  I closed the visor and leaned my head back. “I wonder what the school is like.”

  I was a little nervous about school. Truthfully, I knew I wouldn’t miss the old one that much. In fact, you could say I was sort of a loner. Sure, there were a couple of girls I’d hung out with back home occasionally, but I preferred to be alone most of the time, or hanging out with Nathan.

  “Ernie didn’t say much, but honestly, I don’t expect him to know. He’s in his seventies and never had children.”

  I shrugged. “Well, I’m sure it will be fine.”

  I really didn’t want my mom to worry about me. She was the one that needed the extra support from us and I wasn’t about to make her feel any more guilty about moving then she already did.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you, they have a computer, so you can surf the internet.”

  “Awesome,” I smiled. Although we used computers at school and my mom had her own laptop, I’d been nagging her forever about getting me one of my own.

  She nodded. “Yes, but you’ll have to share it with your brother. I’d let you guys use mine, but…”

  I sighed. “I know, you have too many important files and you don’t want anything happening to your computer.”

  “Well, now you have one to use,” she answered with a smile. “In fact, I heard that you can download free books to the computer and read them.”

  “Since we’ll be in the middle of nowhere, I’m sure I’ll need something to do.”

  “Oh, you’ll find plenty to do. Wait until you start school and meet some new friends. Or even some cute boys.”

  I snorted. “I doubt it.”

  “Why do you say that? You’re a very pretty girl.”

  I shrugged. I could care less about meeting anyone at the moment. “It doesn’t matter.”