Z-Burbia 7: Sisters of the Apocalypse (10 page)

I tap my head. "Already thought of that," I say. "I'll get down. And I'll keep up. No worries, sugar bumps."

"You are one crazy chick," Audrey says and smiles.

She hugs me. Marcie hugs me. Antoinette gives me a huge hug which cracks my back and feels great. Froggy Girl just smiles at me and follows the others as they walk to the corner of the roof where the drain pipe is.

"You take the shots you need, but wait until you see us make our move before you help get us out of there," Audrey says as she hooks a leg over the edge of the roof. There are shouts down below from the Doyles like right away. "You hear me, El? Don't jump the gun. You'll know when we're ready."

"Me? Jump the gun?" I laugh. "Come on."

They laugh too. Sisters like to laugh.

Then Audrey is gone, followed by Antoinette. Marcie waits until Froggy Girl is over the ledge then turns to me as I secure the gear pack to my back and heft the duffel bag.

"Make sure Charlie knows how much I care for him," Marcie says. She hooks her leg over. "Just in case."

"He knows," I say.

"Just in case," she repeats. "Okay?"

"Okay," I say and she's gone.

I stand there and wait. Ain't nothing else I can do. I wait and wait. It ain't easy. I hear shouting and a couple of gunshots. But I still wait. Probably warning shots. There's more shouting and Antoinette cries out. Someone hit her. One of those shitfucking Doyles hit her. I hate Doyles so fucking much.

But I wait. It's what I do. It's my mission. Wait then follow.

The Humvees start up and drive off. I can hear that over the crackling of the fire. I count to thirty, my head turned so I know which direction they go. When I hit thirty-one, I sprint as fast as I can towards the edge of the roof.

My foot touches the small wall that rims the roof and I throw the duffel out into the alley as I jump. I stretch out as far as I can, my arms in front of me like I'm Super Elsbeth. I'd already memorized every inch of every building next to this one. The smoke hits my face and I'm blind, but I don't worry. Five, four, three, two, one.

My hands slam into the window ledge of the building across the alley. Second story. Still a long ways up and a long ways down. I cry out then bite my lip as one of my fingernails bends back. My shoulder ain't feeling so hot neither. But I don't let go. I grip that fucking ledge with every ounce of strength I have.

I pull myself up and elbow the window, shattering the glass. I don't have time to clear it, so I suck it up and roll inside. I'm able to get the Barrett through and it and the gear pack protects most of me, but I still take some shards in my side and backs of my arms. Fuck it. New mission, new energy. New El.

I'm in some office. Lawyer or accountant or one of those businessy types. I don't fucking care. Quick check to make sure I'm not bleeding out (I'm not) and I sprint for the office door. Kick hard, door goes down. Two Zs in the hallway. Fuck the Zs. I chop some heads off then run for the stairs.

Down the stairs, into a lobby. More Zs. Six. I kill five and shove the sixth out of my way. Burst from the front door.

Taillights far off down the street. Then they turn right and are gone. Lots of Zs in the street. Doesn't matter. I kill a dozen or so then fetch the duffel from the alley. I'll check the weapons later. Not now.

Now? I run.

My pack is heavy, the Barrett is heavy, the duffel is heavy, but I have a mission. Save the sisters. Save the preggers ladies. Kill all the fucking Doyles.

Yeah. I smile. I fucking love a good mission where a bunch of shitfuckers die.

Chapter Ten

I'm five blocks away when I hear the playground building collapse. I glance back and see sparks fly high up into the air like fireworks, but ugly. Smoke glows from the flames. The buildings next to it are gonna catch too. This town is gonna burn to the fucking ground.

Good. Fuck this town. It killed Steph. It deserves to fucking die too.

The duffel bag keeps getting heavier, but I don't care. Got a mission. Got to save my sisters and the ladies at the breeding farm.

Breeding farm. Where do these shitfuckers come up with this shit? Where do any of these assholes come up with any of it? Cannies? Who fucking decides one day they'll eat people? Pa decided. He seemed to like it. I never liked it, but Pa made me pretend I did. I pretended hard enough that I believed it. But I never really did believe it. Fuck Pa.

Cannies and crazies and scavengers just shitting on an already shitty world. They strip out the good and the fun and leave nothing but evil ass bullshit. It ain't hard to be good. But it's easier for some to be bad. Fuck them.

I switch the duffel bag to my other arm as I jog down the street. Side street to my right and I take it. I won't be able to keep up with the trucks and Humvees, but I can make my trip easier by using whatever shortcuts I can find.

Seven Zs lurch out in front of me, coming out of the shadows for my yummy people meat. I grip the duffel bag tighter and slash at the first one with one of my blades. His head tumbles to the feet of the others and they stop and stare down at it. Ain't never seen Zs do that before. They just stare at the head.

And all the blood. A lot of blood. Bright red blood. Not thick and gooey like Z blood, but bright red like people blood. Living people blood.

Shit. Not Zs. People.

Speaking of crazies…

"Hey!" one of the people hisses. "You killed Larry!'

"Get the fuck out of my way or I'll do the same to you," I snarl. "I don't wanna, but I will."

"Nice blade you got there," one of the others says. "You got a matching one on your hip. And a couple of pistols. We'll take those from ya."

"No, ya won't," I say and move to dodge around them. They fan out and block the street. I sigh. It's one of my exaggerated sighs that's really loud and really long. "Move. I ain't asking again."

"And we ain't asking again either," the first one says. "Gives us your stuff or we kill you."

They've done a good job at looking like Zs. Even smeared Z guts all over themselves to blend in. Probably how they can walk around without getting eaten.

"You all with the Doyles?" I ask.

"Shut the fuck up and gives us your stuff," the first guy snarls.

"You the leader?" I ask.

"I said to shut the fuck—" he starts saying.

He don't get to finish as I drop my blade and pull a .45, sending a bullet between his eyes. I turn the pistol on the others. They flinch. A couple run off, arms flailing like they're one of those puppet things on TV. I remember those things from when I was a little girl. A frog and a pig get it on, I think. Nasty stuff.

"You," I say to what I think is a woman underneath all the Z guts and grime. She's frozen with fear, her eyes on my pistol. "You know the Doyles?"

"I know them," she says. "But we ain't part of them. We're just folks trying to get by."

"You know where their breeding farm is?" I ask. She nods. "Good. You got a vehicle? A car or truck?"

She shakes her head.

A man stayed with her and he grabs her by the hand.

"Don't kill us, please," he says. "We just wanted your stuff. We didn't want to hurt you or eat you or nothing."

"I ain't gonna hurt you unless you try to hurt me," I say. The duffel bag feels like ten tons of shit and I grunt as I get a better grip on the straps. "You two know where I can find a vehicle? One that runs? The Doyles have any stashed around town?"

"Just let us go, please," the man says.

"Answer my fucking question first," I reply and give my pistol a little shake. I think he pees himself. "Jesus. Do you know where I can get a vehicle?"

"Not one with an engine," the woman says.

"Marjorie!" the man hisses. "No!"

"Hush, David," she snaps.

"What do you mean not one with an engine?" I ask, making sure I focus only on Marjorie. Fuck this David guy. "You got something without an engine?"

"No, we don't," David says and pulls at Marjorie's hand. "Come on. The Zs are coming. We need to hide."

"We have a trike," Marjorie says. "We use it sometimes to haul supplies when we know the Doyles ain't out on the streets. Why do you need a vehicle?"

"This shit is heavy," I say and lift the duffel a few inches higher. My shoulder is singing the song of angry muscles, but I try not to let them see that. "I need to save my strength for when I get to the breeding farm."

A shot rings out and the pavement at my feet splinters. I don't even think, just return fire with the .45. A man screams then falls over from his crappy hiding place behind a broken trash can down the street.

"Stop killing us!" David shouts. "Just stop it!"

"Well, stop being stupid and thinking you can take me!" I shout back.

"You gonna kill the Doyles and save the women from that farm?" Marjorie asks.

"She's just one woman," David says. "She can't do that. Nobody can save those women. They're goners."

"My baby sister is on that farm," Marjorie says. "I can show you where it is."

"No!" David yells. "Marjorie! Stop this! We keep our heads down! We keep hidden! It's how we live!"

"That ain't living," I say to pissy-bitch David. "That's being dead, but still breathing."

"If you promise to save my baby sister, I'll show you where the farm is," Marjorie says. "I'll take you there on the trike."

"What the fuck is a trike?" I ask.

"It's a bike with three wheels," David said. "Duh."

He almost gets shot.

"Follow us," Marjorie says and eyes the .45. "But can you put that away."

"I don't think so," I say. "David's kind of a dick and I don't trust him. I'll just hang onto it."

"This is ridiculous," David says. "The woman can shoot, but no way she can take on the Doyles by herself."

I hook my toe under my blade and kick it up into the air. I tuck the .45 in my belt, catch the blade, slip it into its sheath, then pull the .45 and have it aimed at David's nuts before he can blink.

"I can do a lot more than shoot," I say. "So can my sisters." I lift the duffel. "I show up with all this and we can take down the Doyles. Maybe not all of them, but the ones at the farm."

"Follow us," Marjorie says again and gives David one nasty look as she pushes by him. She waves at me over her shoulder. "Come on. Gunshots are bringing the Zs. We'll be surrounded in minutes."

"You got a lot of Zs in this town," I say as I hurry up next to her.

I let David get behind me, but I'm keeping an eye on him. I almost want him to make a move so I can put a bullet in his head. Almost. It'd be a lot of wasted energy. But then again, bullet in David's head. Hard choice.

"Doyles bring in the Zs and use them," Marjorie says.

"That's kinda what I heard," I say. "So why ain't you part of the Inezes?"

"They're useless," she says. David snorts, but she doesn't argue with him. "No ammunition and no hope to keep away from the Doyles. We stay hidden, so the Doyles leave us alone."

"But they know you're here, right?" I ask. "Eventually they'll get to you. Crazies always do."

"Yeah," Marjorie says. That's all she says. Just a yeah.

We make it a block and I swear my arm is gonna fall off. I want to ditch the duffel, but that can't happen. Marjorie takes us down a small alley and knocks on a metal garage door. It bangs loud in the night and the sound echoes everywhere.

"Sorry," Marjorie says.

"Why you saying sorry to me?" I ask.

Then David makes his move. Goddammit. Fucking crazies. Just when I think maybe I've met someone that ain't totally batshit nuts, I get double crossed and set up.

He swipes at me with a machete. Where the fuck did the asshole get a machete? Did he have it all this time? Was he hiding it up his ass?

It ain't hard to dodge his swipe. He's an idiot that don't know how to fight worth a shit. I duck low and put a bullet in his belly then holster my pistol and pull both blades as I drop the duffel bag. That's what Marjorie was waiting for.

The metal garage door slides open and she grabs my bag then ducks inside the garage as four men come out at me. They ain't much, mostly rags on skeletons, but they have that crazy look in their eyes that the ones that are really out there get. These men like to kill just because it's all that's left that makes them feel more alive than the Zs.

I get that. Been there. Not there anymore. I only kill because stupid shitfucker crazies keep pushing me.

Even being gutshot, David is crazy enough to swipe at me again. So I lop his arm off. The machete clangs on the ground and he starts screaming as he grabs his stump. Blood is spraying everywhere and it gets all over me. Great. Fucking David. I hate this guy.

The four men rush me. No firearms, just heavy chains and lead pipes. They should have brought firearms.

I slice open one belly and spin on my knees as I slice open a second belly. Hot guts spill out into the alley and I move out of the way. I already have David blood on me, I don't need more gunk on me.

The two gutted guys fall fast and I come up and stab a third in the thigh. I twist hard and yank even harder. His whole leg turns into a waterfall of blood and he's bled out and dead before he hits the concrete. The fourth guy swings his heavy chain at me, but I let it hit my forearm and wrap it tight. I yank the chain and the asshole on the other end is pulled right into my blade. I push up and he gasps as the blade pierces his heart.

I pull my blade free and wipe it on his dirty clothes as he falls onto his dead friends' bodies. They have nothing of use to me on them, so I leave the corpses in the alley and head for the garage. I don't run inside, not with a stupid Marjorie having my duffel full of weapons. She could take my head right off.

So I creep close and duck my head inside quick before pulling it back out. Zs moan from the street and I turn to see a shitload of them coming my way. Gunshots and fresh blood. That's how you bring the Zs.

No time to waste.

I'd dive roll into the garage with my .45s out, but I can't really dive roll with a Barrett and a gear pack on my back. So I stay low and crouch walk my way in. My eyes adjust to the dark and all I see are old cars and other shit everywhere. It really is a garage. Like a mechanic's place. Parts and tools and shit. Off in the corner, I see what Marjorie was talking about. A trike. There actually is one.

The bullet hits the wall right next to my head and I jump up and sprint for cover behind one of the broken cars. Two more shots hit the floor where I was running. Marjorie can shoot. Or someone can.

"Knock it off!" I yell. "You're wasting my ammo! I'm gonna need that!"

"Ain't yours no more!" Marjorie yells. "Ours now! Leave or I'll kill you!"

There's the scuff of a footstep off to my left and I turn and fire. A man crumples as his chest blows wide open. Not as wide as if I'd used the Barrett, but he's only about five feet away and a .45 slug will do a lot of damage at five feet.

"Call your people off, toss me my bag, and I'll let you live!" I yell.

Another footstep and I fire again. A woman starts screaming and falls out from behind an old, rusty barrel. I shoot her between the eyes to shut her up.

"Who are you really with?" Marjorie yells. "You part of some outside force coming to take this town from the Doyles? That it? You invading us?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I yell. "Who the fuck would want to invade this town?"

God, people are dumb.

"I am taking back my duffel bag!" I yell. "You can stay alive when it happens or you can die! Your fucking choice!"

"You one of the Heavies?" Marjorie yells. "Is that who's coming to take this town? You people finally gonna make your move on the Doyles?"

I have no idea what she's talking about and I don't fucking care. There's a wrench on the floor by the front tire. I pick it up and chuck it across the garage. It clangs on the wall and Marjorie opens fire. Fucking moron. She can shoot, but she can't think.

I stand and fire, emptying the magazine where I think she's hiding. The rifle fire stops and there's a loud grunt then a soft thud. I can hear Zs out in the alley and I know I only have a couple minutes to make my escape.

I pop out the spent magazine and slap in a new one. I have both .45s out and pointed at where Marjorie is slumped and bleeding. A shadow moves in the corner behind her and I kill it. Don't know if it's a man shadow or woman shadow, but it's now a dead shadow.

"Anyone else want to fucking die?" I yell. "Then go ahead and keep making moves on me!"