Devour: Death & Decay Book 1 (12 page)

A few of the infected sat strapped into their seats in their cars, too brain dead to unbuckle their seatbelts. Liv would have to be careful to avoid them. If they started making noise, they could attract others.

The median wasn’t more than twenty feet wide. Liv had to shimmy along several cars before she found a space large enough to once again move forward. As she moved around another car, her foot slipped in a puddle.

With little grace, she caught herself on the nearest bumper. Confused, she looked down at the puddle. It hadn’t rained in weeks and the city didn’t waste money watering wild grass. The puddle was black with small rainbows that danced across its rippling surface in the sunlight. Oil. It was hardly surprising that fluids had leaked from the wrecked vehicles. Liv righted herself and continued forward. Elli began to twitch and fidget as she woke up.

“Mama!” The word, which was usually so warming, chilled Liv’s blood as they sat in the middle of a busy highway that had been overrun. Liv jammed her hand into her pocket and fished out a binky to offer Elli in hopes that it would keep her quiet. She could hear the rhythmic slurps as Elli sucked eagerly on the small rubber piece.

Anxiously, Liv peered around the cars. A number of them cast about restlessly, unable to locate the source of the noise. One advanced in their direction.

She hastily moved around a nearby van to stay out of its sight. The infected man stopped just on the other side of the van. Through the windows, Liv watched as his head darted back and forth. His body was tensed as he frantically searched for the source of the noise.

Every muscle in Liv’s body tensed as she watched him, not even daring to breathe. Wordlessly, she willed Elli to be still and quiet.

“Mama!” Elli’s voice was garbled as she tried to speak without removing the binky. The creature’s head whipped around, and through the windows he made eye contact with Liv. They were eerily empty, like looking into the eyes of a mounted deer’s head.

The momentary calm was shattered as he let loose a mind-numbing scream. More screams answered from around them as he began to beat on the van, simply trying to go through it instead of around it.

Down the row, another of the infected sprinted towards her with frightening speed. Liv popped up like a frightened rabbit and bolted down the row of cars. Her eyes darted back and forth as she searched for any opening that would allow her to cross the unending sea of vehicles. At an opening, she darted between two more vehicles and left the median behind.

The eastbound lanes were no less crowded than the westbound lanes. The infected closed in on her as she floundered to find a passable route. Liv dug into the outer pocket of the satchel and retrieved one of the knives. With the cars so close, she wouldn’t be able to freely swing the mallet, and it might become more cumbersome that helpful.

With a few quick turns, she cleared the eastbound lanes. Her heart began to race. She could see the trees. Their cover promised safety and security. Just two more lanes and she might have somewhere to hide, or at least she could lose a few of her pursuers.

When Liv hit the grassy divide between the highway and the service road, she broke into a full sprint. The open space was a chance to try to put some distance between her and them. The tall grass pulled at her pants as she crashed through it, but the open sprint felt good.

As Liv reached the blacktop once again, her feet suddenly slid out from underneath her as her feet rolled across tiny, loose pebbles. She reached out for the truck in front of her to steady herself, but it was too far away. A blaze of fire blossomed at her temple and she landed hard against the road.

Little flashes of light dotted her vision as blackness crept in from the edges. A rushing sound filled her ears. Desperately, Liv fought to keep the blackness at bay, despite the throb that every small movement induced.

A weight bore down on her back and at first her mind could not comprehend what had fallen upon her. Elli’s terrified wails reached her through the rushing in her head. Liv’s mind instantly became crystal clear again. The darkness that had threatened to engulf her evaporated like fog under the bright rays of the sun.

It was the infected. Her clumsiness had allowed them to catch up to her. To catch her.

With all her might, Liv scrabbled at the pavement as she tried to pull herself underneath the truck. The hands of the infected clawed at the sled and her legs. She kicked and flailed as she tried to throw them off, but as quickly as one lost its grip another took hold.

Teeth clamped painfully down on her calf and she screamed. It was a sound she had never heard herself make, a sound of pure pain. The pressure was relentless, but Liv didn’t feel the liquid warmth that usually meant the free flow of blood. Hopefully, her magazine armor would hold out.

She managed to pull her head underneath the truck before the sled caught against the underside. The vehicle wasn’t tall enough for it to fit underneath.

Liv tried to will herself to flatten like a rat that could squeeze through impossible openings. Despite her best efforts, though, she couldn’t force her skeleton to move against its nature.

The pressure on her continued to grow as more of the infected descended on her with hopes of sinking their teeth into her vulnerable flesh. Elli’s cries only increased with the clamor. The sled dug into the back of her neck as the infected leaned against it. It felt like a vice threatening to pop her head right off her neck. Liv struggled to push her elbows up to take the weight of the infected off of Elli.

They were trapped.

She couldn’t push herself up. She couldn’t fight them off. She couldn’t wiggle her way to freedom underneath the truck. All she could do was wait for them to tear her to pieces, to tear Elli to pieces.

“If you leave this house now, all you will find is death. You can’t run from it. Wherever you go, they will be there waiting for you. Elli will be torn to shreds at their hands…perhaps even by you. Is that what you really want for her?” Nate’s words once again echoed through her mind and tears ran down her cheeks.

She had failed.

A parent was supposed to protect their child and she had failed. Aaron was dead but he had died in his mother’s arms, peaceful and calm. He had never seen it coming.

Elli shrieked. She cried for her mother to save her, to make everything better, to fight off the monsters. Liv was helpless to do any of it.

She could feel their future slipping through her fingers. All the things that could have been. All the moments that Elli would never have. How could this be the end? It wasn’t right.

Shaky and tired, her right arm collapsed under the pressure they continued to put on her. A small cry escaped her lips as the pressure resumed against her neck. As she struggled to bring her arm back up, if only to bring Elli some relief, her fingertips brushed against the grip of the pistol at her side.

Her mouth grew dry.

There was another option. Horrific though it was, getting ripped apart by the infected would be worse. Liv thought of the horror and disgust she had felt when looking upon Nate as he stood over the lifeless bodies of those dearest to him. Her mind recoiled from her own self-image as she took hold of the pistol and unsnapped the holster.

Her breathing was ragged and shallow. Thoughts swirled around her brain so fast she could only grasp fragments of them.

This couldn’t be right.

The infected beat against the back of the sled.

It couldn’t be the only way.

They pulled at her clothes, searching for flesh.

There had to be some other way out.

They gnashed at her limbs.

She slipped the safety off with a flick of her thumb.

A wet thud stopped the whirlwind in her mind. It was quickly followed by a second and a third. The clawing slowed. The growls and snarls quieted one by one.

“Shit!” The voice was male. “She’s got a baby!” They couldn’t possibly see Elli, but her cries continued even as the siege upon them ended.

“Oh god!” The second voice was female. Both of the voices sounded young but not adolescent. “Keep an eye out. I’m going to try to pull the baby out before she changes. Just keep them off us.”

“I’m not one of them.” Liv finally managed to find her voice. Her limbs were shaky as she pushed herself up.

Both of her saviors jumped back as she stood up. The woman looked to be in her early twenties. She was athletic-looking with caramel-colored skin. Her long, jet-black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She wore a simple white tank top and denim shorts with a pair of nice but grimy running shoes.

Her appearance would almost have been normal if it weren’t for the flecks of red that stood in stark contrast to the white of her shirt and the aluminum baseball bat held tightly in her hand.

She was alert and constantly surveying their surroundings. Despite this, her attitude towards Liv seemed relaxed as she allowed the bloodied bat in her hand to dip towards the ground. The man with her was a different story.

He was lean and wiry with the same caramel-colored skin. His short, black hair curled slightly at the ends. His black t-shirt hid much of the gore that he must have been covered in. His jeans were torn and dirty. He carried a slim, wooden-handled ax as his weapon of choice. The straps of a plain black backpack wrapped comfortably around his shoulders.

But he was not the least bit comfortable with their situation. The ax circled slowly as he held it. His feet were placed wide, giving him the option to run or fight.

“We need to get out of here.” The woman glanced around nervously. “More will be coming soon.”

“Jen, she’s bitten,” he hissed. “We can’t travel with her.”

Jen’s eyes widened as Liv stood up. Liv couldn’t see herself but she must have looked like something out of a nightmare. Gingerly, she touched her throbbing head. It was wet and sticky. The glove was red where it had come in contact with her head. Her clothes were a patchwork of dirt and blood. A perfectly laid red handprint stood out among the other random smears on her pants.

As Jen looked between Liv and her companion, Liv decided to step in. “I think I’m OK.” She desperately wanted them to stay, to have other people around to keep the loneliness and fear at bay. More than that, she needed them to believe that she wasn’t infected. If they thought she was infected and possibly a danger to them, the man might try to kill her. “I made this kind of crummy armor.” She pulled up her sleeve a bit to reveal the patchwork of magazine and duct tape. “It still hurts like hell when they bite, but I don’t think they got the skin.”

Jen smiled, letting out a quiet breath. “Let’s go. We’ll find someplace to settle in and then we’ll double check.” She looked to her companion. He opened his mouth to argue, but Jen had already turned away.

Though she felt like she had been hit by a train and her feet felt like lead as they trudged off to find shelter, Liv couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Day 2
6:07 pm

After about a mile, they found another empty house next to the Persimmon Woods Golf Club. It sat at the end of the barren street. Trees surrounded the house, separating it from the golf course on its west side.

As the sun sat low in the sky, they had watched and waited to see any sign that someone was home. The house had remained quiet. An eerie stillness had settled over the neighborhood, and even the wind didn’t dare rustle the leaves on the trees.

The doors to the house were all locked, but a small bathroom window had been left cracked open. Jen had managed to wiggle through it. After a tense few moments, she appeared at the front to let them in.

“Alright,” the man said as he dropped the backpack onto the sofa. “We’re here. Now show us you’re safe.”

“Corey!”

“Well, I just want to make sure she isn’t going to go all dark-side and try to eat our faces off. I think that’s a legitimate concern.”

Liv could understand his point. The infected had been swarming all over her when Jen and Corey had come to her rescue. “That’s fine. I think we’ve all had our share of run-ins with those things. Jen.” Liv looked to the woman for confirmation that she’d gotten her name right. “Would you mind stepping into a bedroom with me? I’m going to have to pull off some clothes—”

“Oh, yes of course!” she quickly responded. Corey looked down at the floor as a light flush came to his cheeks. Down the hall, they found a bedroom and Liv began the laborious task of taking off her gear.

“Well hello there, pretty girl!” Jen cooed as Liv removed the sled shield to reveal Elli. Elli eyed the newcomer suspiciously. She had calmed down a bit and once again settled into the hiccups and sniffles she got after being really upset.

“That’s a pretty good idea.” Jen motioned to the sled. “Corey and I thought it was just to protect you from getting attacked from behind.”

Jen’s attitude amazed Liv. She was all smiles and positivity. Some of the blood on her clothes was older and dried. This wasn’t their first encounter with the infected, but she still managed to exude optimism.

As Liv fidgeted with the straps of the carrier, Jen stepped over to hold Elli so Liv could easily slide free. “Thanks. I can’t move fast with her, so I figured I had to have some way to keep her safe if we got caught.”

“Well, that was really good planning on your part.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two as Liv contemplated what the outcome could have been.

“Listen. I’m sorry for the way Corey is acting. He’s just in protector mode. He just wants to keep me safe.” Jen busied herself by tickling Elli.

“He does have some right to be concerned. Things have changed so much so quickly.” Liv shook her head as she pulled off the gloves and slid off her jacket. “Those…things are everywhere. And I’ve seen it happen.”

“Seen what?”

“People change into them.”

Jen’s eyes widen. “Corey’s seen it too. Does it really happen fast? He said when he saw it, the person was dead one second and then up like a rabid animal the next.”

Liv nodded. “I’ve seen it happen twice. The infected would attack someone and the person would seem dead. In just a few seconds, they would be up again.” Liv thought back to the pair of paramedics on the highway. “Corey has every right to be concerned about people who have come in contact with them.” Liv pulled off her pants.

“Whoa!” Jen exclaimed when she saw the homemade armor. “I wouldn’t ever have thought of that. Can I take a closer look?”

As Liv nodded, Jen knelt down next to her to inspect one of her legs. “It isn’t the most comfortable and it’s a chore to put on, but I’m hoping it’ll do the job.”

Jen nodded. “I’ll have to tell Corey about this. It would probably be a good idea for us to do this too.”

Jen stepped back as Liv pulled out one of the knives and began to cut the magazine off. As she pulled off each separate piece, it revealed chaffed but unbroken skin. Inside, Liv breathed a sigh of relief. The idea had seemed good enough, but she hadn’t been sure it would actually work.

Elli tottered over to the bedroom door and patted on it as she looked at Liv expectantly.

“Do you mind?” Jen asked.

“As long as Corey doesn’t mind keeping her out of too much trouble. Although I’m not sure she’ll be his biggest fan. She can be a little shy with men.”

“Hey, Corey!” Jen shouted through a crack in the open door. “The little one—”

“Elli,” Liv supplied.

“Elli is headed your way. Just keep an eye on her.”

“Alright.” His voice sounded a little hesitant. Jen closed the door but didn’t latch it, so Elli could come back if she wanted.

“Well, it looks like my legs are clear at least.” Jen nodded her agreement as Liv began the process of replacing the covers. It might be nice to spend the night without it, but if Liv had learned anything in the last few days it was that anything could happen at any time. She didn’t want to be caught in the night without it if they had to leave suddenly.

She straightened out her pants so she could look them over before putting them back on. They were covered in bloody fingerprints and smears. She quickly tossed the pants aside. Each smear had to be treated as potentially infectious.

As Liv picked up her satchel, Jen strode over to another door and peeked inside. She disappeared for a moment and reappeared with a damp washcloth. Jen picked up Liv’s jacket and began to scrub at the gore marks on it. Carefully, Liv pulled the clothes from the bottom of the bag.

A realization hit Liv as she began to wiggle out of her shirt. She could have kicked herself for not saying something sooner.

“Thank you for saving us. We would be…” She remembered the weight of the Glock in her hand, made heavier by the weight of the decision she was about to make. “We would have been goners if you guys hadn’t stepped in to help us.”

“Oh gosh, it was nothing.” Jen waved her hand. “It was the right thing to do and we just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I think any decent person would have done the same thing.”

Liv thought about the man she had seen outside of the Westchester house. She had tried to help him but had turned and run when he had been attacked. Could he have been saved? Her stomach roiled with guilt.

“It was dangerous and it took courage. Really, I don’t know if I could ever thank you enough.”

“Well, I’m really glad we did. It’s nice to have someone else with us.” Giggles echoed down the hall from the living room and Jen smiled. “I’m especially glad to have helped save Elli.” A new burst of giggles rang through the house. “It’s really nice to hear that.” She sighed contentedly. “Nothing can perk up the mood like a child’s laughter.” For a moment, Jen just listened before she returned to cleaning the jacket.

The laughter continued in frequent but irregular bursts as Liv inspected her upper body for any potential markings.

“What happened here?” Jen lightly touched the corner of her own forehead.

Liv’s fingers brushed across the tender, sticky skin. “I think I hit my head when I fell.” She explored the edges of the bruised tissue. The cut ran straight from her hairline to the middle of her left eyebrow. It was deep and it would scar eventually.

Reluctantly, Liv pushed open the bathroom door and flipped on the light. The image that stared back at her was more horrific than before. Though the cut wasn’t big, blood spread across half of her face like a mask. The blood was dried and flaking, making it seem as though her face had cracked.

A quick wash made Liv feel more human again. The gash was swollen and irritated but lacked the fine black lines that would have indicated she was infected.

“Well, I think we’re done. I don’t think you’ll try to eat our faces off. Unless of course we keep putting off dinner. I am starving!” Jen smiled and hopped off the bed. Liv was hungry as well. Right now anything edible sounded good.

Elli stood in the middle of the living room, her attention focused on the couch. After a few seconds, Corey’s head popped out slowly from the side. His eyes were barely visible before he ducked behind the sofa again. Elli shrieked with laughter, taking a few tentative steps forward.

They watched as Corey continued to delight Elli as he popped up from behind the couch in different places. A sheepish grin spread across Corey’s face as he caught sight of his added audience.

“So.” He fumbled to right himself. “Are we all good?” Jen nodded, delighted by his awkwardness.

“All clear,” Jen affirmed. “Also this one”—she jerked her thumb towards Liv—“has some nifty tricks we’ll have to discuss later tonight.”

During dinner, they had decided to all sleep in the living room. There was safety in numbers and they needed to be close to one another in case something happened in the middle of the night. Corey and Jen had insisted that Liv sleep on the couch with Elli while they slept on the floor.

Elli fell asleep quickly. After dinner, she had done nothing but yawn and rub her eyes, all the while insisting she wasn’t sleepy. Sleep eluded Liv, though, like trying to hold onto a handful of rain. Flashes of the past few days played out against her eyelids like a slideshow.

The Boone Bridge as the infected swarmed between and around the cars like angry bees.

Nate standing over his wife and son, highlighted by the flickering of the television.

The infected police officer as he lunged into the fray with the other infected.

The infected man that had been on fire, ambling around the yard, unaware of his condition.

The feel of the gun gripped tightly in her fist.

Liv once again squeezed her eyes tightly shut and willed the images to vanish. When that failed, she relinquished and opened them, despite how tired she felt. The sight of Elli curled up in her arms was soothing.

As Liv lightly nuzzled the top of her head, words carried to her ears through the silent house. Jen and Corey had opted to stay up a bit later so they could prepare for tomorrow. Now that Liv’s mind had settled, she could make out some of what they were saying, even though she knew the words were not meant for her ears.

“Don’t you care about them at all?” Corey’s voice was accusing.

“Of course, I do. How can you even ask such a thing?” Jen sounded hurt. “But I just think that there was a reason that we ended up where we did today.” Her words softened a bit and became hard to understand. “…can take care of themselves. At the very least we need to…”

“I just don’t think we should…”

“What would they do…”

“Can we just watch something tonight? Today has been so long and if I have to move, it may just kill me.” Liv collapsed on the couch in her old one-bedroom apartment. The furnishings were a hodgepodge of items she had acquired through garage sales, things that had fit into her limited budget.

“Sure.” Colin turned on the television and began to peruse the choices until he settled on something sufficiently mind-numbing. They didn’t live together, they weren’t married. Not yet. Colin, however, spent the majority of his free time at her apartment, playing video games if she was busy. Liv had already made herself comfortable on the couch. It was a big couch but she managed to fill up as much space as possible as she sprawled across its soft brown cushions.

“Rude,” he said flatly as he gave her a playful glare. He gently tried to nudge her aside. Liv smirked as she clutched the cushion. After a few quick, playful jabs to the ribs, Liv relinquished her hold on the couch and Colin plopped down at the end.

As they settled in, Liv pulled a light, soft blanket up. Even in the summer she liked to be wrapped up and cozy. Since she couldn’t have the whole couch to herself, she commandeered Colin’s leg for a pillow. His fingers trailed gently across her forehead and through her hair. Liv closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax under the soft caresses.

Colin seemed to have a knack for getting her to relax.