Zombie Games Book Five (End Zone) (22 page)

“It should
take your breath away, Cassie. It’s your idea of Heaven.”

My eyes widened.
“Am I in Heaven?”

“No
t exactly,” he turned. “Look behind you.”

I turned around and was stunned to see
a glittery golden bridge leading to a rainbow of beautiful lights.

“
Beyond that rainbow you’ll find
the real
Heaven.”

T
ears came to my eyes. I placed a hand to my lips as a rush of emotions spread through me. It was as if I could actually feel the love emanating from the other side of the bridge. It was strong. Comforting. Exhilarating. Yearning to get closer, I took a step towards it.

“
Wait,” said Bobby touching my arm.

Reluctantly,
I turned back to look at him. On the outside, he still looked like Bryce’s little brother, but I was now aware that he was so much more. Brother, son, protector, and the one who had been chosen to outwit Lucifer on earth. “Who are you, really?” I asked.

His eyes softened. “I am someone that God chos
e to teach Lucifer that he is powerless. That he will
always
lose in the end as will those who fall under his spell.”

My lips curled up.
“Because good always conquers evil?”

“Yes.”

“So, he chose you for this lesson?”

“
Yes, but I would have volunteered, wholeheartedly.”

I stared at him in awe.
“Are you the son of God, like Jesus?”

“In a way, we are all his children
.”

“Are you an angel?”

“Let’s just say that I am a very old… soul. Although you know me as a young boy, I’m…” he began to change before my eyes, until he stood as full grown man, possibly in his twenties. He kind of reminded me of Bryce, only his hair was long and he had a beard. “Whomever I decide to be.”

“Travis kept calling you the ‘Chosen One’.”

“And I am. But not who he thought I was. He thought I was the second coming of Christ.”

“But you weren’t?”

He shook his head. “No. Nobody knows when that will happen. Only God and he certainly won’t give it away to Lucifer.”

“Was Travis and Lucifer really responsible for the zombies?”

“Travis was sent to earth by Lucifer, because somehow he believed that the ‘End of Days’ would be soon upon us. Travis tampered with the vaccine, turning people into, what you call, zombies.”

“What about Father Brambati?”

“A bad man who Travis was able to manipulate into helping him. Nothing else.”

“So, they weren’t like… the Unholy Trinity or anything?”

Bobby sighed. “No, they may have believed that they were, but that particular prophecy hasn’t begun yet. At least, not that I’m aware of. If they were, they probably would have gotten much farther in their mischief.”

“What about the earthquakes and red rivers?”

“I believe that Lucifer played a hand in that as well. Trying to draw out the child of God.”

“So, they wanted to destroy you because they thought that you were part of the prophecy that would finally destroy Lucifer forever?”

“That about sums it up,” he said. “Unfortunately, many lives were taken. But thing will get better. The sun will rise and nature will be restored now. Your life will get back on track.”

I
sighed and looked back to the bridge. “Speaking of which, you told me to wait. Why?”

His face became serious.
“Because it’s not your time.”

“You’re saying that I’m going back?”

“The truth is, you’re needed now more than ever back on earth.”

“
Me? Why me?” I asked, almost disappointed. The pull to go over the bridge and see everything, was so strong that I felt a sudden sense of loss.

“
To rebuild and help the other survivors start over.”

“You mean help clean up the zombies?”

He nodded. “Yes. There are
also those who you’ve met along the way, who need you now more than ever. Those whose hearts you’ve touched and are counting on your return.”

An image of Allie, frighte
ned and hiding, made me sad. Then there was Kallie, the little girl at the orphanage. And Goldie…

“
Okay. I understand.”

He smiled.

I cleared my throat. “Uh, so how does this work? Do I click my heels and say ‘there’s no place like home’ three times?”

“Funny. No, it’s much simpler. There is one more thing, however.”

“What?”

He looked
over my head and smiled.

I turned around and screamed with
joy.

My parents.

I flew forward and threw myself into their arms, crying.

“Oh sweetheart,” said my dad, kissing the top of my head. “We’re both so proud of you.
”

Although we were hugging, it was different. Not quite the same as back home. Our physical bodies were gone but I could still feel the warmth of their love, in the form o
f what I could only describe as some kind of energy.

“I’ve mis
sed you guys, so much,” I said, loving them more than ever.

“We know,” replied my mom. “But what
you
didn’t know is that we’ve been with you. Watching and supporting you.”

“You have?”

“Yes. And like your father said, we’ve been so very proud of you. Looking after your sister, standing up for what you believe in. Caring for your friends.”

“
Thanks.” I smiled sadly. “I guess I have to leave here soon.”

My mother, who looked more youthful and vibrant than
ever, smiled back. “Yes, honey, but you’ll be back. Some day.”

“
Yeah, but I kind of wish that I could stay. I mean, I know what Bobby said, but it’s so hard…”

“
Once you return to earth, you’ll be glad that you did,” said my dad, who’d lost the gray wisps and the lines on his face from all of the stress. “They need you down there, Wild One, and your adventure isn’t over yet.”

“I just miss you guys… and,” I turned to look at the bridge. “I really want to cross that bridge.”

“Of course you do,” said my mom. “And some day you will. Right now, however, you have some other bridges that need to be traveled.”

Images of Bryce flashed through my brain.

I smiled.

“Stay honest and true,” said my mother. “And above all else, don’t give
up on the others. No matter how discouraging things may seem, don’t ever give up on fighting for what’s right.”

“
Stay strong, honey,” said my dad, backing away. “We love you.”

“Wait,” I cried, as my mother backed away too. “Can’t we just be together a little longer? Please? I’ve missed you both so much.”

“We’ll be with you,” said my dad, taking my mother’s hand. “And someday, we’ll be back to accompany you over that bridge.”

Before I could respond, they both disappeared.

Wiping tears from my face, I spun around, looking for Bobby. Instead, I was caught with yet another surprise.

Nora and Billie.

They were standing on the bridge, holding hands and smiling at me.

Relieved that they were okay and together at last,
I raised my hand and waved.

They both waved back.

“It’s time,” said Bobby.

I turned and found him standing in the grass again
. I laughed. “You really have to quit doing that!”

He smiled.
“Sorry.”

My smile fell.
“Are you coming with me?”

He shook his head. “That particular adventure ran its course.
You must go back alone.”

“But what about Bryce? He’s going to miss his little brother
dearly.”

His eyes softened.
“He’ll be fine. You’ll help him pull through it.”

“Can I tell him about you
?”

“Of course. That’s why you’re going back. To enlighten others. Give
them hope and tell them to live humbly.”

“Humbly? Even Henry?”

He chuckled. “Yes, even that Old Cowboy.”

“Okay.”

He suddenly looked troubled.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“You need to wake up.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“Wake up. Quickly!” he hollered as everything went black.

Cassie

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the parking lot of the mall, near Nordstrom’s. Surrounding me, were dozens of zombies. Unfortunately, these ones were
not
ignoring me.

“Really?” I asked, looking up at the stars. “You couldn’t have
put me in a safer place?

A star twink
led in the distance. Obviously, those upstairs were not too worried.

“Okay, so you’ve got me covered
.”

I quickly got up and began backing away as they approached me, growling and drooling
hungrily. Fortunately, there were only about thirty of them, which was much better odds then earlier. Too bad I didn’t have a weapon.

“
Crap.”

“Hey!” hollered a man’s voice, banging something loud
behind me.

I turned to find Rob beating a metal garbage can cover with a hammer. Next to him were Mac and Ca
rolyn, both holding weapons. I sighed in relief.

“
See you lost the ax!” yelled Mac, smiling grimly. “Guess we got here just in time.”

“I haven’t lost it, I gave it to my little sister,” I replied kicking a zombie in the face and sending him flying. I quickly turned and snapped
a side-kick to the chin of another zombie, knocking him backwards.

“Good move,” said Mac, smiling as he
began swinging his machete.

“Watch out Carolyn!” I yelled as another zombie approached her from behind. He was so tall that he made her look like a dwarf.

She turned and gasped, then fired a single shot from her revolver, hitting the zombie in the head.

“Don’t waste your bullets,” said Rob, slamming his hammer into another zombie.

“Did you see the size of that one?” she shouted. “I couldn’t reach his neck if I was on a stepstool.”

“Always an excuse,”
said Rob. “Good thing you have a list hidden somewhere so you don’t use the same one twice.”

“Men,” said Carolyn
, flipping him off. From the little smirk on her face, I could tell that their relationship was almost as interesting as mine and Bryce’s.

“Cassie!”” shouted Tiny.

I turned to find him and Justice jogging out of the Nordstrom’s. As soon as they got near, they started helping clear the zombies. When most of them were finished off, Tiny rushed over and gave me a hug, lifting me off of the cement.

“Girl, you gave us all a scare! Where in the hell have you been?”

“Long story,” I said, when he put me down.

“Where’s Bobby?” asked Justice.

I sighed. “He’s gone.”

Tiny’s expression was somber. “Dammit, are you sure?” he asked, struggling with words.

“Yes. But, he’s not suffering and I guess you could say, he always knew his fate,” I replied.

“He was the ‘Chosen One’ for real, wasn’t he?” asked Justice.

“He certainly was.”

“What happened to Nora?” asked Justice.

“Travis took possession of her body and she didn’t make it either,” I replied.

Justice shook his head. “Damn, what a nightmare.”

“Yeah, but I think the worst is over,” I said.

“Let’s hope so,” said Justice.

“Bryce is going to be heartbroken,” said Tiny. “He loved that boy so much.”

“I know,” I replied. “Uh, where is he?”

“Don’t know,” said Justice. “Those bat creatures flew out of the hole again and we split up. Tiny and I killed most of them and then decided to get Allie, since she was all alone.”

“Did you find her?” I asked.

“No,” said Tiny, looking grim.

“Crap.” I turned to Carolyn. “A young girl in her early teens didn’t show up at the restaurant, did she?”

“No. Nobody did. The only reason we came out here was because of this asshole in a white pickup started firing at the bar,” said Mac. “We decided that he needed to go.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Did you kill him?”

“That’s not an easy answer. Something crazy happened and I don’t know if you’ll believe it, but… the truck disappeared,” said Rob.