Dying Days 4 (17 page)

Lilly hugged her father and Doug went to the bed and pulled a small box of ammo from underneath, taking the shotgun as well. There were three long knives in the bed with Jameson.

Lilly went out of the room and down the hall.

"Kill me and make it quick," Jameson said and closed his eyes.

Doug nodded and slit the man's throat, wiping the blood on the sheets.

When Doug went out into the hall the girl was crying. "Listen to me. We're going to go with some very dangerous men. One in particular. You'll know who he is soon enough. Do you trust me with your life?" Doug asked.

Lilly nodded, still crying.

"Then wipe those tears. Very soon I'm going to ask you to do me a solid. Got it? And you will not hesitate or you will die," Doug said. "You need to turn off your brain and go with the flow."

Lilly wiped her face with dirty hands and nodded.

He grabbed her by the arm and led her to the parking lot. "Grab those two gas cans. Let's go."

They walked back across the street and Jeff frowned.

"Where's Cowboy?" Jeff asked.

"I'm not his keeper," Doug said. He grabbed a gas can and began filling his Harley. "I was told to get gas and I did."

Jeff looked past Doug and Lilly. "I sent two men out to find food."

"Maybe they got lost." Doug handed another man the gas can. "Are we going to wait for them or leave? We have more important things to do."

Doug knew Jeff was pissed but he couldn't blurt out he'd sent the two men to kill him. The two men stared at one another until Doug winked, letting him know he knew the score.

"Who is your new friend?" Jeff asked, breaking the stare-down.

"This is Lilly." Doug gripped her arm and shoved her toward Jeff. "A present from me."

"Why do I want a present from you?" Jeff asked.

Doug grabbed Lilly around her throat and turned her around, pulling up her shirt and revealing her breasts. "Because she has some great tits. Unless you're a fag."

Jeff stared at Lilly before smiling. "You ride bitch with me, bitch."

Chapter Twenty Two

"We're getting out on the count of three," John said.

"Don't… I'll be fine. They have guns," Murph said.

"Then we stay and watch you die, old man," Darlene whispered. "Is that what you really want?"

"Hell no. I just felt I had to say something. Go and find me a Band-Aid. I'm bleeding to death."

John leaned close to Darlene. "You stay with Murph. I can't risk you getting hurt."

"Bullshit," Darlene said.

"I'm serious. Tosha will back me up. No argument, please." John slid the door slowly open.

"What happened to counting until three?" Tosha asked.

John smiled at Tosha but caught the evil eye from Darlene. He turned and slipped out the door, pushing the boxes away as quietly as he could. He sat up and looked around but the front room was empty, although he could see people outside.

He dropped back down when he heard a gunshot but it wasn't in the building. He knew he'd need to move fast before the new gunfire would alert the two people inside.

Tosha was up and over the counter, sliding quietly as she moved. She squatted down in front of the door, her eyes watching behind John.

There were at least two people in the store and maybe more.

"I'm going first," Tosha whispered. "You get my back. But don't stare at my ass too long or your wifey will get pissed."

John nodded and watched Tosha as she began moving in a crouch. He kept his eyes off of her backside. When he was sure she was in a good spot, he followed suit, slipping a heavy metal creepy-looking display doll off a table. He tested it with his hands. It was a good weapon to use if he had to use it, and he knew he would.

Tosha was into the next room, moving quickly behind a table. She looked back at John and put two fingers up.

John nodded and pointed to the opposite side of the door Tosha was on, letting her know he would go to that side. Instead, she ran over to it and put her back against the wall. John shook his head but now she looked confused, so he waved at her to forget it.

Which she took to mean run into the next room before he could move.

John sighed and got up, careful not to make too much noise. The wooden floor was uneven, and the room was filled with tables packed with odd items for sale.

The worst thing to do would be to knock something over or step on a loose floorboard and have Tosha lose the element of surprise, but she also might need some backup.

John went through the door and stopped. Tosha was standing at the open back door and staring across the back yard.

"What’s the matter?"

"I'm just waiting for them to come back inside," Tosha said. "I don't know where they went off to. They left everything."

John was about to reply when he smelled the smoke.

He walked outside, not worrying about being spotted, and saw two bodies against the side of the house. They were both on fire, the wooden outside wall aflame as well.

"Shit. We need to get out of here," Tosha said next to him. "We need to grab Murph and Darlene."

"Why would they set them on fire, and the house? With all this stuff in it," John asked. It made no sense.

They got to the front of the store just as a man stepped inside the front door, with a lit Molotov cocktail. When he saw Tosha, he tried to react but she kicked him in the balls and he fell, shattering the incendiary bottle. The flames spread quickly in all directions.

John yanked open the door to the cubbyhole and helped the two out of their hiding place. "We need to move quickly."

"I can't," Murph said. He stood, blood covering his side, grimacing in pain. "Let me be the distraction."

"Shut up and walk old man. You're such a drama queen," Darlene said and began helping him. Tosha led the way.

John grabbed a couple more heavy statuettes from a table. They would be better than nothing in a fight. He heard a few people outside arguing and someone was clapping and yelling about the witch house burning. Even in these dark times, superstitious assholes prevailed. With resources depleted, the smart thing would have been to salvage anything they could from the building. Instead, they were torching it. Ignorant fools.

Tosha was already at a back wooden gate, peering through a gap. Darlene and Murph were slowly moving across the yard. At any moment, a horde of angry people could be coming around to catch them.

They made it through the fence, Murph bleeding profusely.

"We need to find somewhere safe to hide again, and quickly. He'll bleed out soon," Tosha said. "I'm going to run ahead."

John nodded. He took over helping his father from Darlene, who was having a tough time walking on her own. They couldn't go on like this. No food. No weapons. No speed and nowhere to hide…

"I found a place," Tosha said as she ran back. "It's only a couple of blocks. Can you carry him?"

John nodded.

"You aren't carrying me," Darlene said.

"I don't think I have the strength," Tosha said and then grinned. "No offense."

"None taken from you," Darlene shot back.

John felt like it took them an hour to walk to the building Tosha had found: State Street Diner, sitting in front of a torched motel and next to an abandoned gas station.

He could smell the smoke from the fire and see it behind them.

They entered. The windows had been boarded up but the front door was wide open.

"Did you check it out?" John asked Tosha.

She nodded. "Yeah… kinda. I poked my head inside. The place is a mess but everything seems intact. There's no blood or bodies or anyone hiding."

"Did you check the kitchen and bathrooms?"

Tosha grinned. "I'm about to now."

John wanted to argue with her about this not being safe, but Murph was in no shape to keep moving. Darlene helped John get the old man into the dining room area, where they put him in a corner booth.

"I'll find something to staunch the bleeding," John said.

Tosha was coming out of the men's bathroom and had a small hand sanitizer bottle. "Look what I found. It's like Christmas."

"Did you find paper towels or something for Murph?"

Tosha shook her head. "Give me one of your figurines so I have a good weapon."

The pair entered the kitchen. It looked ransacked but there was a pile of dish towels near the sink as well as three cooking pots and a skillet.

John prayed silently before turning the water faucet, and it was still working. He began filling a pot with water. "We can clean up his wounds."

"John, he's not going to make it," Tosha said quietly.

"He'll be good as new. Take this out with towels so Darlene can start cleaning him up."

"John…"

John turned and stared at her. "What the fuck did I just ask you to do?"

Tosha gritted her teeth but took the water and grabbed a stack of dishtowels, walking out of the kitchen.

John sunk down and put his head under the water, letting the grime run off his face before filling another pot. He wiped the dripping water from his eyes, mixed with tears.

Chapter Twenty Three

"Do you want me to get out and talk to him?" Ben asked and laughed at his own joke. "Oh, wait… my legs are broken. Anyone want to carry me?"

"Shut up," Russ said. He gripped the steering wheel.

The zombie tapped the AK-47 with his left hand and kept smiling. "Step out slowly so I can see you."

"I can't do that," Russ yelled. He glanced in the rearview and side mirrors in case another zombie was sneaking up, but it was clear. "And my passenger is in no shape to walk."

"Why not?"

"They broke my legs," Ben yelled. "Bastard humans. You know how they can be."

The zombie looked confused and took three steps forward. "Let me see your hands. All of you. Now."

"Do as he says and he won't shoot you right away. Let him get closer," Ben said.

"Fuck that," Bri said.

Ben put his two hands out the window. "Do it. I'll get us out of this. Trust me."

Russ kept his hands on the steering wheel. "I have no reason to trust you."

"True. But I can take him out and we can be on our merry way. I want to find the preggo just as much as you do. I want to taste her baby. We'll figure out all that when we get there. But we need to get there. Bri, put your hands on the dashboard so he approaches," Ben said. "But drop your pistol to me. Now."

"No fucking way," Bri said.

"Then we all die."

Russ glanced at Bri. "Don't you dare."

Bri moved to the open window and for a second Russ thought she wasn't listening to the insane suggestion by Ben until she heard the pistol hit the floor of the backseat.

"Thank you, ma'am," Ben said. He leaned in and out of the car. "Buddy, what's your name?"

"Shut up," the zombie said and started walking toward the car. "You're not my friend. Remember that and we'll all get along." He kept a wide angle but went to the driver's side of the car and pointed the rifle at Russ. "Get out. Slowly."

"Are you here to rescue me?" Ben asked. "Will you carry me?"

The zombie shook his head but kept his eyes on Russ, who reached down and opened the door. Russ put one foot on the ground, judging the distance between the car and the zombie. It was too far to make a move and he knew it. The zombie smiled, knowing it as well.

"Maybe we can make a deal," Russ said.

"Get on your knees." The zombie looked at Bri. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

Russ tried to lean against the car. He'd have a better chance of subduing the zombie if he was on his feet.

The zombie pointed the AK-47 at Russ. "Do you want me to shoot your legs out from under you so you do as I say? On your knees."