Dead Endz Read online

  “Appears that way,” he said.

  Her eyes eyed him appraisingly. “So, who are you?”

  “I used to work for your brother until the zombie shit hit the fan.”

  She stood up straighter, sucking in her stomach and pushing out her chest. “So…what’s your name, good looking?”

  Surprising even himself, he opened his mouth and answered, “Bryce.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was after ten o’clock by the time they’d circled back around to the C.D.C. Because it was much too dark to search the city as well as it being the last place anyone had seen Paige, they decided to stay close to the facility.

  “My poor baby,” mumbled Kristie, staring absently at the flame of her lighter as she flicked it on and off. “She must just be terrified, wherever she is.”

  “Paige is a survivor,” said Tiny. “I mean, obviously I don’t know her that well, but I can certainly see it in her eyes. She’s going to put up a good fight. Hell, she’ll probably escape.”

  “It’s…it’s just so hard. I mean what do they want with her? We’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse for Christ’s sake!”

  “Maybe they’re just lonely and want company?” asked Kylie.

  Henry took off his hat and scratched his head. “That might be true, young lady. Zombie apocalypse’s do crazy things to people, even brings out the loneliness. Maybe they just wanted someone to talk to. Or maybe they thought Paige was alone and in danger, so they took off with her. You know…to save her.”

  Kylie smiled. “Yeah. Maybe it was someone who really did think she was in trouble. There were zombies nearby.”

  “We’ve got company,” interrupted Tiny as he stared into his rearview mirror.

  A pair of headlights moved towards them from out of the darkness. It drew up next to them and stopped.

  “Would you look at that…” said Henry.

  “Someone put in a call for help?” smiled a familiar face in the driver’s seat of the ambulance.

  “Are you shitting me!?” hollered Tiny. “We’ve been looking all over for you!”

  Dave’s lips curled up. “Well, I ran into a little trouble along the way. Speaking of trouble, here comes some more. Why don’t you follow me for a safer place to catch up?” he asked, rolling up his window.

  They’d caught the attention of a small group of zombies.

  “Oh, crap,” grumbled Kristie.

  Tiny started the engine right as the four zombies stepped into their direct path. “Get out of the way!” he yelled, laying on the horn. “Or I’m going to run your asses over!”

  Kristie snorted. “Get out of the way? Like that’s really going to work…”

  Incredibly, the zombies did step out of the way and began gravitating towards the C.D.C. as if they had a purpose.

  Kristie frowned. “That was odd. I guess whatever’s going on in there is more entertaining than us. I wonder if we should check it out.”

  “Come on, there’s nothing happening in those buildings,” said Tiny. “Those zombies are probably familiar with that place and are drawn to it. Shit, maybe they used to work there in their previous life.”

  “Actually, mom, I think the zombies really understood Tiny,” said Kylie.

  “Honey, I doubt they have any thoughts at all, let alone rational ones,” said Kristie.

  “I don’t know,” said Henry. “What do we really understand about these things? Maybe they can understand simple instructions.

  Kylie giggled. “I wonder what they’d if you asked them to lie down and play dead?”

  Henry smiled and patted her on the head.

  Tiny started the engine and they followed Dave as he drove for several blocks until they reached an abandoned furniture warehouse. Dave sounded the horn and within a few minutes, a large garage door opened near the loading area. As they followed him into the building, several people watched their arrival warily from inside.

  “At least we know we’re not the only ones in Atlanta,” said Kylie.

  When Dave parked the ambulance, they watched as he got out and spoke to a tall thin man with glasses. After several seconds, Dave motioned for them to get out of the van.

  The man’s eyes widened when he saw Tiny approach.

  “Hey, brother how’s it going?” asked Tiny, holding out his large paw.

  “Let me introduce you, Dan, this is Tiny, Kristie, Henry, and Kylie,” said Dave.

  “Nice to meet you,” said the man, shaking all of their hands. “I’m Dan Schultzenheimer.”

  “Dan’s actually a scientist from the C.D.C. The one that’s been working on a cure for the zombie virus.”

  “Is that so? Have you found one yet, Doc?” asked Henry.

  He shook his head. “No, unfortunately not quite yet,” said Dan.

  “So, Dave, where’s the rest of your gang?” asked Kristie as she glanced around. There were several clusters of people from every shape, size, and nationality camped out around the warehouse, talking quietly or playing cards. They’d set up several sofas, chairs using lanterns to light up the dark building. Almost everyone was armed with some kind of weapon and looked on edge.

  His lips thinned. “Well, Cassie’s being held somewhere by the government. Ever since I brought her into the C.D.C for help, they’ve been giving me the runaround. Now they’re refusing to let me see her and I don’t know where they’ve taken her.”

  “What happened to your face?” asked Tiny.

  Dave touched the bruise on his cheek and smiled humorlessly. “That’s the answer a couple of the soldiers gave me when I put some pressure on them for answers. Cheap bastards.”

  Tiny cracked his knuckles. “Looks like I’ll just have to come with you next time.”

  “Appreciate it, Tiny. I’d like to see the look on their faces with you standing by my side.”

  “So, where’s Bryce?” asked Henry. “That feller who Cassie was moonin’ over?”

  Dave sighed. “Bryce is M.I.A., haven’t seen him since yesterday morning after we were shot at by those guys in the truck. They grabbed him and I took off.”

  “Oh, no! Did they kill him?” asked Kristie.

  He sighed. “I don’t know. I feel lousy for not being able to help, but he was behind my truck and they started shooting right as I got in. I saw them grab Bryce and I took off because I didn’t want any of the kids getting hit by stray bullets.”

  “What a nightmare,” said Kristie, shaking her head.

  “Well, what about the others? Sara, and the two kids?” asked Henry.

  “Bobby’s upstairs with Kris and Allie. Sara got ahold of her brother, who’s in the Air Force and picked her up in a helicopter yesterday. He’s took them both back to Washington where he has some kind of underground shelter.”

  “At least they’re safe,” said Kristie.

  Kylie’s eyes lit up. “Allie’s here? Can I see her?”

  “Yeah, I’ll take you to her.”

  “How’s she doing?” asked Kristie.

  “She’s pulled through,” he said with a relieved smile. “It’s a miracle.”

  “It is,” replied Kristie.

  “Wait a minute,” said Dave, looking around. “Where’s Paige?”

  Kristie’s eyes became shiny and she couldn’t speak. She turned away and wiped her eyes.

  “We don’t know,” replied Tiny. “Someone kidnapped her.”

  “Kidnapped her? Are you kidding me?”

  “Wish it was a joke. Someone took her in front of the C.D.C. earlier today, actually ran off with her. We have no idea where they took her,” said Tiny.

  Dave frowned. “Interesting that you said that. My wife’s friend Carly is also missing. She disappeared earlier today, too. We thought it had to have been zombies but after hearing your story, I’m starting to wonder if foul play was involved there, as well.”

  “Sounds very plausible,” said Dan, who’d been listening to the entire conversation. “From what Kris said, Carly shouldn’t have been taken dow
n by a couple of zombies. Not when she’s survived this long and knew how to use a gun.”

  “We need to start searching right away at daybreak, again,” said Kristie. “We need to find our family. If anything happened to Paige, I just don’t know what I’d do.”

  “Babe,” said Tiny, pulling her close. “She’s alive. Have faith.”

  “You know,” said Kristie. “When this all started I would have never guessed that the real danger wasn’t the zombies, but other living people. It’s truly a messed up world.”

  “It always was,” replied Dave. “Even now the undead can’t top the evil that still lurks in many of the living.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  It took a while to convince Belinda that Luke was indeed her nephew, which was making him nervous. He knew her friends would be back soon and when they saw him, he’d probably be a goner. The one thing he did have going for him was that Belinda was warming up to him.

  A lot.

  “So,” she purred, pouring both off them a shot of tequila, “You worked for my brother, huh?”

  He nodded. “Just for a few weeks.”

  “Mm…so what’d you think about him?”

  He shrugged. “Kind of cheap but business smart.”

  It was a safe answer.

  “He WAS a cheapskate,” she said, raising her shot glass. “And may he rot in cheapskate hell.”

  “Wow,” he said after drinking his shot. “He must have really been an asshole to you.”

  She scowled. “I practically raised him,” she said, her eyes slightly glossy. “I spent most of my childhood wiping his nose and making sure he was fed. See, our dad died when we was really young and mom, well she was always working. I mean she fucking worked two jobs so we’d have a roof over our head! Anyway, my no-good brother had the audacity to tell me to fuckoff when I really needed him last year. I’d lost my job, my husband had cheated on me, and I needed some money. I asked if he could borrow me some until I got myself back on my feet and he said no. Can you believe that shit?”

  He poured her another shot and handed it to her. “That is bullshit. You don’t do that to your family,” he said as she downed the shot. “Especially to a sister who sacrificed so much for her little brother growing up.”

  “You got that right,” she slurred, her eyes raking over his chest. She laid a hand on his pecks to steady herself. “By the way, I love your t-shirt.”

  The way she was looking at him now was clear that she loved what was underneath the t-shirt even more. “It’s a little tight,” he replied. “Not mine.”

  She caressed his chest. “You must workout. If your t-shirt’s too tight, maybe you should remove it, handsome.”

  He smiled. “How about one more shot, first. I’m a little shy.”

  She burst out laughing. “Oh, you are a tease aren’t you? Okay. One more shot and then maybe we can lose my nephew for a little while and have ourselves a little private party?”

  “Maybe,” he said, smiling.

  He poured two more shots and as she drank hers down, he quickly flung his over his shoulder instead of into his mouth. Fortunately, she was much too drunk to notice.

  “Lithen,” she said, trying to focus out of the one eye she had open. “I’m…”

  Then both of her eyes rolled back into her head. He caught her before she hit the floor.

  “Now that’s a lightweight,” said Bryce, lifting her into his arms. “Hey, Luke?”

  “Yeah?” he answered from down the bar. He’d been sitting there and watching the entire time.

  “She’s out. I’m going to take her back upstairs and put her into bed. We’re out of here as soon as I come back.”

  “Okay.”

  Bryce carried Belinda upstairs, tucked her in, and stuck her gun into the back of his pants. As he was making his way back downstairs to Luke, he heard voices and his blood ran cold.

  “Who in the fuck are you, kid?” growled Charlie.

  “Um, I’m Belinda’s nephew,” said Luke.

  There was a long pause. “Is that so?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  “Tell me kid, does your aunt know this?”

  He snorted. “She was just down here talking with me. She had a couple shots of tequila and then needed to lie down.”

  Bones chuckled. “Sounds like her.”

  “You arrive here all by yourself?” asked Charlie. “You’re daddy or mommy isn’t around?”

  “I’m not two years old,” snapped Luke. “No, my mother and father are not here. They’re both dead.”

  “Shit, sorry kid. Good thing your aunt is still alive.”

  “Yeah, I love Belinda.”

  Bryce didn’t know what to do. He had a gun but there were more of them and obviously they were armed. He snuck upstairs into Belinda’s bedroom and opened up the window.

  “Where’ you going, sexy?” slurred Belinda, looking up from the bed as he began climbing out.

  “You’re boyfriend’s back,” he whispered. “Belinda, we just had such an amazing round of sex, I mean it was spectacular! Lord knows he’ll probably kill me if he finds us together.”

  She gave him a lopsided smile. “It wath pretty fucking awthome,” she slurred. “You’d better get out of here while you haf the chance. Charlie’s got a real bad temper.”

  He nodded. “Take care of your nephew, Luke. He’s a good kid.”

  She closed her eyes and mumbled, “Don’t worry about him. I always take care of my family, one way or another.”

  ***

  Snowflakes and bright stars lit up the nighttime sky as he walked. It fell all around him, light and cool on his skin.

  “Bryce!”

  He turned around and his breath caught in his throat. A beautiful girl with long dark hair smiled at him in the distance. She wore a flowing white dress and there was a shimmery light surrounding her pale skin.

  She held out her hand, beckoning to him. “Come here!”

  He smiled and began walking towards her. Something about this girl was so familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

  “Hurry up, pokey,” she teased.

  “Okay,” he said.

  Her brown eyes were dazzling and he felt something tugging at his heart as he drew closer. Just as he was about to grab her hand, she picked up the bottom of her dress and began running away.

  “Wait!” he called after her.

  She looked back at him and giggled. “Can’t catch me!”

  He grinned and then began chasing her through the woods. He hadn’t felt so free or happy for a long time. He could spend all day chasing this beautiful sprite.

  Then he noticed the cliff.

  “Wait!” he cried in horror.

  She turned back towards him and laughed again. “Don’t be a chicken, come on!”

  “No, stop!”

  She didn’t notice the cliff until it was too late. She slipped over it as if in slow motion and her screams of terror followed.

  “Bryyyyccce!” she cried, reaching up towards him as her body fell towards the ocean and rocks below.

  “Cassie!” he choked, kneeling over the edge.

  ***

  Bryce woke from the dream in the early morning and stared up the street towards the bar where he’d abandoned Luke. He was responsible for putting him in such a dangerous situation and was determined to make it right. When Charlie and his crew left again, he’d rescue the boy and get the hell out of Atlanta. But for now he’d just sit and wait. As far as he knew, he had nowhere else to be.

  He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Although he’d remembered his name, his mind was still muddled and everything else was a mystery. Even the girl in his dream, he wasn’t sure if she was someone he used to know or a just a figment of his imagination.

  Sudden movements by the bar caught his attention. Charlie along with his two goons, were leaving the bar, again. They appeared to be stumbling and drunker than all hell. Unfortunately, this time, Luke was with them. He could hear their voices as th
ey echoed down the street.

  “Going to make a man out of you yet, kid!” roared Charlie with laughter. “Make your aunt proud!”

  “Shit,” mumbled Bryce.

  The four of them got into the pickup truck and it began to move down the dark streets. From the sloppy way Charlie was driving, it was fortunate that there weren’t many zombies cluttering the road, or it would have gotten really ugly.

  He waited until they were far enough away, then started his engine and began following without using his headlights. As he followed Charlie he noticed they were moving less than twenty miles an hour; zombies stumbled faster than that. It then occurred to him that the group was on the hunt for women. The thought of that put a sour taste in his mouth.

  After about an hour of driving without apparent success, Charlie changed his speed and they eventually pulled in front of a luxury hotel where they were greeted on the curb by two well-dressed men carrying assault rifles. Charlie spoke to the men for a few minutes and then finally got out of the truck, taking Luke with. As he watched them disappear into the hotel he experienced a nauseating feeling of dread.

  Two Days Later…

  Chapter Sixteen

  I’m not sure which woke me first, the horrifying screams or feeling so parched that my lips felt like drying cement. One thing I knew for certain, I’d been asleep for far too long and was no longer among friends.

  My eyelids felt weighted down and kept refusing to respond. When I finally managed to lift them, I thought for a moment that I was still trapped in a nightmare because the scene unfolding near me was too horrible to be real. But then I remembered, I was living in some sort of crazy zombie apocalypse and disturbing images were now the norm.

  “Help…” gurgled the bloody soldier curled up just outside of my cell.

  I blinked and sat up.

  My cell?

  His hand reached towards me but there was nothing I could do for him, even if I’d wanted to. Attached to his torso was a zombie who seemed to be relishing every morsel of the warm dinner.