Dying Days 4 (11 page)

She finally shoved John and smiled when he jumped up, ready to fight.

"Relax, killer, you're fine," she said.

John, still groggy and trying to blink life into his eyes, slumped back onto the floor. "My back is hurting. We need to either find a five star hotel or give up. I'm getting as old as my dad."

"But you complain twice as much," Darlene said. "I need to pee. Really bad."

"What's stopping you?" John asked with a grin.

She made a fist. "I'm going to punch your lights out and then piss on you."

"You get kinkier each day you're pregnant. I like it," John said.

"Help me get down the stairs before you die…" Darlene stopped. "Where is Tosha?"

"Shit," John said. "Who had last watch?"

Darlene was about to speak when she heard a muffled footstep on the stairs below. She didn't know if it was Tosha and she froze. They weren't armed and only John had a chance to fight off zombies.

John pointed at the left side of the door for Darlene to go to.

"And use what to fight with?" she whispered.

He shrugged and went to the other side, holding up his fists.

Someone was coming slowly up the steps, taking them one at a time. Not a zombie by the steady footfalls. Darlene couldn't risk walking across the room and letting whoever was coming up know they were here. She sidestepped to her left and away from John, hoping if she moved quietly she would be out of sight when the person got to the top of the landing.

Darlene was shaking, her hands trembling. She'd never felt this helpless or scared in her life. She felt powerless because of her present condition. While she was thankful to have found John and gotten pregnant with his baby, the thought of something unquestionably evil walking up those steps and killing the lot of them was more than she could stand right now. She wiped fresh tears from her face, stifling a sob.

John must've seen the look on her face because he looked at her with concern.

Darlene managed to slide over to the far wall and angled out of sight of the door, but Murph would be clearly seen from the hallway.

She pointed at John's dad just as the person stopped in the hallway. There was no way they would miss Murph now, and as if to help them and make Darlene almost throw up, Murph rolled over and snored loudly.

"I hope you two are in there with the old man, because he can be heard from two blocks away," Tosha said from the hallway.

Darlene relaxed. "You bitch."

Tosha walked in with a grin and a black garbage bag, putting it on the floor and kicking Murph's heel so he woke and stopped making so much noise.

"Where have you been?" John asked.

Tosha put up her hands. "Sorry, dad, I lost track of time. I was with Julie and Buffy at the mall. Am I punished? Are you going to spank me again?"

Darlene didn’t like Tosha talking like that, even joking around. She was glad Murph, pulling himself up, broke the awkward silence.

"I need to rain the main vein," the old man said.

"Dad, really?"

"Lighten up, John-John. Help me down the steps so I can drain the lizard, though, before I piss on myself."

"I need to go, too," Darlene said. She was amazed she'd held it this long.

"I'll get breakfast ready," Tosha said. She pulled some cans from the bag. "I had a secret stash I kept from Doug and Cowboy. I thought I'd never get a chance to get it, but luckily I hadn't gone too far before I ran into you three. I also found us some wheels."

"Nice, but I have to go," Murph said.

Darlene followed John and Murph down the steps, ashamed to be such a burden to John right now. She had to use the wall to keep from toppling over and crushing both men to death with her weight.

John made sure the downstairs was clear of zombies before shuffling both Murph and Darlene off into separate areas of the house, where they could do their business in peace. Darlene had to find a corner to brace against or she'd never get up. She was so uncomfortable and uneasy with each passing moment, and she was always hungry. Things needed to change.

By the time she lumbered back to the stairs, Murph was also ready. John helped them both back up, where Tosha was busy preparing a cold meal of carrots, chick peas and applesauce. They each had bottled water, which was the best part to Darlene right now.

"You seem to have a game plan for us," John said.

Tosha nodded. "We really have three options at this point. We find a way to get mobile, we stay here and eventually die, or we start walking down A1A and die sooner than later. I figured out a way to get a van started and load it back up with food and supplies, but we're going to run out of gas soon. I parked it up the road in case anyone was following me, and to draw off zombies."

"Where are we headed?" Murph asked.

"We have two options," Tosha said. She tipped the applesauce jar into her mouth and swallowed it, grimacing as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I always hated applesauce. My sister loved it." She looked around as if startled or looking for someone suddenly.

John tapped the side of his can of carrots. "You were telling us our two options."

"Shit. Sorry." Tosha put down the applesauce and reached for her bottled water. "We can either head south down A1A and see where that douche bag Doug ended up, or we can head west and inland."

"That's it?" Darlene asked. "Those are our only choices?"

Tosha narrowed her eyes. "We could also sail away on your fucking yacht, or maybe use you as an inner tube and float away."

Darlene clenched her fist. "Or maybe I just punch you in the fucking mouth and not worry where you end up, you skank bitch."

John stood up and got between the two women. "Everyone relax."

Tosha took a sip of water before looking at Darlene. "You're lucky I don't beat up on fat chicks."

"You're lucky I won't touch women infested with so many diseases," Darlene shot back. "But when I have this baby I'll be more than ready to kick your ass. And you'll still be a walking V.D. nightmare."

"If we head south, Doug is going to make our lives a living hell. Even if it means we steer clear of a safe haven. It's the chance we have to take. I know going north isn't an option. Have you been to St. Augustine again?" John asked Tosha.

"No, and I don't want to go back. After the last time, even if it is intact, it's probably a mess and not easily defended with the remaining survivors. I think we need to head west until we hit another clear area or the Gulf Coast." Tosha began collecting the empty cans and bottles in the room and putting them back in the garbage bag.

Darlene was reluctant to agree, even though what the bitch said made sense. While Darlene would love to confront Doug and put a bullet in his fucking face, she knew she wasn't physically capable right now. Hell, she nearly pissed herself.

"What do you think?" John asked her.

"It seems like the best plan," Darlene admitted. "Maybe we could turn north at some point, too. I think I'm over Florida."

"Where are you from?" Tosha asked.

"Maine," Darlene said.

"Panhandle of Florida for us," John said and laughed. "This isn't too far from home for us."

"Pennsylvania for me. I don’t want to go back, though. Nothing there but a dead sister and a lot of bad memories, and most of them came before this shit happened. No thanks. It doesn't matter where we go just as long as I can stay alive," Tosha said. "Let's get out of this shit-hole and go for a ride."

Chapter Fourteen

Jeff was pissed. Beyond pissed, actually. He marched right into the Ocean Center and got halfway across the dark floor, his motorcycle boots like gunshots as he stomped, before slowing down.
What the fuck are you doing? You're about to walk right into the hornet's nest, but this hornet is going to kill you 99 different ways
, he thought.

He heard The Lich Lord laughing softly in the darkness.

"Um, your highness, uh, lord… I need to speak with you at once," Jeff said.

"Proceed… with caution."

"He escaped," Jeff said. "And he took the two girls."

"Why are you still walking? I didn’t ask you to approach. Sit down on the floor," The Lich Lord said. "And be quiet until I tell you to talk. Calm down, too. You are huffing and if you have a heart attack I'm going to enjoy draining your blood. Understood?"

Jeff was smart enough to nod. He knew every conversation he had with the boss he needed to relax and watch what he said, because one stupid word wrong and he was a dead man.

"Who left?"

"Azrael."

The Lich Lord laughed. "As I knew he would. But I thought he'd go it alone. Even he can surprise me at times."

"He took two of the girls, uh, women," Jeff said.

"Your first and second pick for your future bride?"

Jeff looked away, even though he couldn't actually see The Lich Lord. "Yes."

"He doesn't like you very much. I'd be quite upset if I was you, but it is actually a good thing long-term."

"Why?"

"It gives you an even bigger reason to chase after him. It stokes the fire and anger you had for Azrael to begin with. As an added bonus, once you return from killing him, taking back both women and allowing me to bend my own rules and mate with both, bringing me the head of Darlene and the evil child, you'll be the boss inside and outside the compound. Everybody wins."

Jeff liked the sound of all that. He smiled. "I'll get a team together and we'll leave immediately."

"No, you won't."

"Huh?"

"Give them a head start. Let them actually find Darlene and her brat. They're on foot, and they'll be found easily enough with your thugs on motorcycles. Give them at least a day to get away. You can easily trail them."

Jeff didn't like this but wasn't going to argue. "Then when should I leave?"

"Soon enough. Come back tonight and I'll have a better grasp on where they are headed. You'll have the advantage of me getting a general direction. In the meantime, you might get lucky and they'll walk down A1A and right into the compound. But I doubt it. I see this as an epic chase, and not everyone will be returning in one piece."

"I don’t like the sound of any of this. I just want to go after this traitor and kill the chick while I'm at it. Oh, and bring you back the baby. I'm not a very patient man. I need some action," Jeff said.

"Trust me. There will be more action than you can stand. In the meantime, find someone who is capable enough to take over the garden duties. A woman this time. Someone you don't have any sexual interest in," The Lich Lord said. "It was my mistake for thinking Azrael would be anything more than a temporary leader among the living. I won't make the mistake again."

"I can lead them," Jeff said, offended the boss hadn't mentioned him. These idiots would do as he said, and Jeff would have a more aggressive approach to the growth of the compound, as well as being well-stocked for prisoners and slave labor, something Russ balked at. This was a new age. Slavery was illegal in the old world.

"You? I haven't seen you do anything to show me you are capable. Perhaps finding the woman and her child will be the first part of your proving to me you deserve to take over. I have my own agenda and don't need to oversee the day to day operation of you inferiors. Show me you are worthy."

Jeff smiled. "I will."

"Now get out."

Jeff rose and walked back outside. The sky was overcast and it looked like rain at some point this morning. Great. He hated riding in the rain.

"Sir? What's going on?" a woman asked Jeff as he went back onto Main Street, heading to the garden.

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked. He didn’t know the woman's name but she was one of the original ones caged in the Ocean Center. Jeff had been the one to kidnap her from a group of survivors in New Smyrna, in fact. She was in her late fifties and must've been something half a life ago, but now she was sloppy and her hair was turned to gray.

"At least twenty people have packed up and are at the gate waiting to leave," she said.

"Then they can leave."

"There's no one in charge to let them go."

Jeff nodded. Another reason to slice Azrael's throat. As if he needed another one. "What's your name?"