DEAD: Darkness Before Dawn (19 page)

I looked around for a gate and did not see one. At least until the barricade folded down in a spot about twenty feet away to not only provide me a way to enter their compound, but it also acted as a bridge over the trench. Yep, these folks had their stuff together. Jake was in way over his head.

I did as instructed and entered through their open gate. I was in a chute that reminded me of the kind you would find at a rodeo, only this one had a cover on it that looked to be made of old pallets. I had to duck to keep from hitting my head and there was very little room to maneuver. I looked down to find the ground almost black with blood stains. Also, there were bits and pieces of what had to be rotten flesh on some of the rough slats and nails. This thing had not been made for anything more than a utilitarian purpose. Twice I felt my clothing catch.

“You might want to be careful in there…you cut yourself mov
ing around too much and…well…” The man let his voice trail off, he didn’t need to explain. It was clear that these people had figured out that you didn’t just need to get bit to be infected.

There was a
squeak and click as the section of barricade returned to its normal shut position. I was now effectively trapped and at their mercy. I decided that the best thing I could do would be to just stay still. I let my hands drop to my sides after I turned sideways to minimize any contact with the surfaces in this stinking cesspool of a chute.

I was just starting to wonder if this is exactly where I’d be when Jake and his mob arrived when a voice called down, “Is your name William Hay
nes?”

“Yeah.” I saw no reason to lie, although I was curious as to what they might have done to Carol in order to obtain that i
nformation.

“Okee doke,” was all he said. The far end of the chute opened. “Come on out, but put those hands on your head and don’t so much as twitch when approached. You will be relieved of your weapons and then you will follow. Anything you do would end in your death, so please don’t be foolish.”

That all sounded like reasonable advice. I moved to the opening and was quickly greeted by three men who started removing anything on me that resembled a weapon, including my studded gloves.

I felt a prick on the back of my neck and jerked away to di
scover one of the men holding on to a syringe. “Sorry about that,” was all he said.

I had the feeling that his face would be the last thing I saw in my short life. It did not make me happy. I tried to lunge fo
rward and at least take a swing at the guy, but I ended up falling flat on my face.

“Truss him up, fellas. This one needs to be brought to Randy,” the man who had just stuck me
and then said he was sorry called out.

And then everything went black.

10

Vignettes XLVI

Vix reached down and pulled Gemma up onto the roof. The two stood panti
ng as each tried to get her breathing back down to something close to normal.

“
Bloody hell!” Gemma exclaimed.

“
Those things were everywhere!” Vix gasped.

“
I don’t see how with as many that were around the perimeter wall.” Gemma flopped down and pulled her canteen up, giving it a shake to confirm that it was not empty.

“
I didn’t think there were that many people in all of Harlow.”

The two sat quietly for a moment and handed the canteen back and forth. Vix noticed the slight smokiness of bourbon in that first sip, but said nothing to the younger girl. She must have poured in a splash when they had sat in that old snooker hall and shared stories.

From the roof they sat on, they could see the bulk of that pack of zombies that had been on their heels moving along the mostly washed out road just beyond the trees. The plan had been working to perfection…until another large mob of the undead emerged from some trees that bordered the right-hand side of the stretch of road they were running along.

Twice they had reached the top of a low hill and scanned for Harold. The last time, they had seen a mob of zombies vanishing over the grassy crest of a mound in the middle of a large pasture. Straining to listen, they both were able to make out a garbled and distant voice that had to be bellowing at ear pounding decibels. If it was anything like the bawdy song that he had trotted off yelling when the trio had split up, Vix was glad that she couldn’t hear it. She gave Gemma a long look before treading out onto the ice.

“So does he know that you fancy him?” Vix blurted.

Gemma’s head snapped her direction and the expression on her face said it all. When the deep red blush climbed her cheeks
and made them look like they had each been slapped, Vix did not need the girl to actually give her a verbal answer.

“
Why don’t you say something, you silly cow?” Vix asked with a laugh. “You two have been elbow to elbow the past several days. I don’t think he has ever had a girlfriend if I were to guess.”

Gemma was silent for a moment. A single tear welled up and trickled down her cheek
. She turned her head and scrubbed it away, took a deep breath, and then faced Vix with a look of absolute sorrow carved into her normally pretty and cheerful features.

“
I had my first kiss the day the zeds came,” Gemma said. Her voice started in an almost inaudible whisper, but grew louder and stronger as she continued. “His name was Dale Lipton and he and I went to the cinema that night. He was an absolute lamb…took me to see the new Tom Hanks movie. Thought I didn’t catch him staring at that movie poster with all the blood splatters and the girls in bikinis, the stupid oaf.

“
So we went in and watched the movie, I even let loose with a good cry at the happy ending. He was the sweetest thing, even handed me a tissue to wipe my eyes. The credits were rolling and we were getting up when there was this terrible scream…”

Vix shuddered involuntarily. Nobody alive today could have possible managed to live without having heard that sound. A person being torn apart has a scream unlike anything else.

“We were just standing there. I don’t think either of us knew what to do. Then…the doors flew open and a bunch of people came in. They were all bloody and torn up. Some of them were trying to fight off what turned out to be zombies. It was a mess. Then that woman came in…” Gemma’s voice trailed off and Vix thought that the younger girl might be finished.

“
She had her insides falling out of this ugly rip in her belly,” Gemma eventually spoke again, staring off into the distance, obviously seeing it all in her mind’s eye. “Dale stepped between me and her even though we were about fifteen rows away. He turned to me and kissed me quick…right on the lips. I don’t think he knew that was the first time I had ever been kissed by a boy that wasn’t family. He told me to run and pushed me away towards the other exit.

“
I only went a few steps, I was watching him as he ran into that mess and tried to pull another boy free from one of those things as it was tearing into his arm and pulling away a good chunk. There was so much blood. And then that woman reached out and grabbed Dale from behind. Her head came back, and for some reason it reminded me of a snake about to strike. I wanted to yell, but nothing came out and all I could do was watch as she tore into the side of his neck.” Gemma went silent and Vix reached over and held the girl’s hand.

Together, they watched the zombies continue to trudge by. They sat there for almost an hour before the last of the stragglers was well gone. Without a word, they got up, brushed themselves off, climbed down from the roof where they’d perched, and headed back to see if the way was clear to get to the cottage.

***

Mackenzie was frantic. She
woke to discover the bed empty. That had not been such a big deal, but when she got up and walked out into the hall that led to the living room, she felt her heart skip a beat. Juan’s machete was on the floor. She rushed to the living room proper.

The front door was open!
One of the small panes of glass was broken, the glass still scattered all over the floor; although it had been disturbed. Something had been dragged through it…and it looked as if whatever it was had been cut by the jagged shards.

She rushed back into the bedroom where Tigah lifted his head and began to observe the woman. Mackenzie saw Juan’s clothes from the night before still tossed on the floor where she had thrown them as they undressed each other before making love.

Dressing hurriedly, she ran outside and looked around. The morning was just breaking, and a low fog clung to the ground in places. She also easily spotted a set of drag marks. Somebody had taken Juan—that much was now certain.

Her mind swirled at the improbability of it; especially after the amazing response at last night’s meeting. Juan did not have a single enemy on the island…that she had known of. He was a
lways one of the first, if not
the
first, to help when others needed it. He had gone on every single supply run to date and pulled more than his load. Plus, he was simply one of the biggest teddy bears she had ever known. One of the best barometers in her mind was the reaction of children. They just seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to people. Children loved Juan…dogs too for that matter.

Mackenzie started to follow the tracks and stopped sudde
nly. Whoever did this obviously meant harm. She ran back to the house and grabbed her machete as well as Juan’s crossbow. There was no telling what she would find at the end of this trail. It would behoove her to be prepared.

Juan was dragged through the yard and to the street. Unfo
rtunately, that is where the trail seemed to end. Searching frantically, she began to run along the road towards the closest houses. After ten minutes or so, she stopped. Tears threatened, but she fought them off. She needed to keep her mind focused.

She ran back to where the trail ended.
The other direction was fewer houses, plus, she knew the residents better. These were some of the earlier arrivals. However, a thought was beginning to form in the back of her mind. She did not like it in the least, but it was becoming like a thorn with the insistence of its presence.

She barely cast a glance as she passed the first two houses. She came to the third and felt her mouth go dry. The tracks were there, leading across the lawn to the gate that opened to the back yard. Standing there for a few moments, Mackenzie warred with what to do. She knew Juan was in
side. What she did not know was who else besides April Cable might be in there with him.

Turning, she ran back. There were a few people that she could almost certainly count on. She realized that every single second would be precious, but she would do nobody any good if she rushed in blindly.

She was actually proud of herself for being so level headed in the moment. She was fighting against everything in her that screamed that Juan was in danger and needed her help. Besides, if whoever it was—and right now all signs pointed to April—had simply wanted Juan dead, they obviously had the opportunity.

And she ruled out somebody killing him and dragging the body away. That just seemed highly unlikely. Whoe
ver this was, they wanted Juan alive for some reason.

April!
the voice in her head screamed.
It does you no good to try and deny it. You already know who…and you are pretty sure that you know why.

A moment later, she found herself on a porch that she had been steering clear of for quite a while. Ever since Juan had di
scovered that she and Keith Thomas had been engaged at one point, he had been visibly uncomfortable whenever she and her ex were in proximity of one another.

Knocking on the door, she was surprised when a younger, dark-haired woman
wearing nothing but a towel answered. “Yes…wait, you’re Mackenzie. Right?”

She nodded and was
just about to speak when the woman (although Mackenzie doubted she was much past nineteen, and therefore would hardly qualify as such) hollered over her shoulder. “Keith, Mackenzie Sims is here!”

Hmm
, she thought,
she knows my last name…Keith has obviously told her at least something about me.
She quickly dismissed the notion and chastised herself for being so petty; especially considering the situation.

“
What’s up, Mack?” Keith came to the door wearing a pair of tattered gym shorts. Mackenzie got the feeling that she had just interrupted something.

“
Juan—” she started, but Keith cut her off.

“
Did he hurt you?”

“
What? No…nothing like that.” She only spent a split second wondering why men always went there first, like every guy but them is a woman beater. With a shake of her head to clear it, she continued. “He was kidnapped last night.”

Keith was staring at her skeptically. Meanwhile, the young woman was gaping in open-mouthed fascination like she was watching a daytime soap.

“Juan is a pretty hefty fella,” Keith finally said. “Maybe he just went out for a stroll.”

“
No!” Mackenzie snapped. She gave a very brief synopsis of what she woke to discover, as well as the events of the past few days regarding April’s seemingly peculiar fascination with her and Juan.

“
You think it is some sort of fatal attraction crap?” Keith asked over his shoulder as he went to his bedroom to get dressed.

“
I don’t know what it is,” Mackenzie called back, starting to get edgy at the amount of time this was taking. She did not think that April would kill Juan right away. She had something else in mind. The problem was that Mackenzie did not know what exactly the woman was up to…or just how much time she had before it would be too late.

“
C’mon!” Keith startled Mackenzie out of her train of thought. She was suddenly embarrassed as she realized that she was wearing a pair of sweats and carrying a machete and an unloaded crossbow. Meanwhile, Keith was in his field gear with weapons hanging from practically everywhere.

The two headed out after he gave the towel-clad girl a quick kiss. At a brisk jog, they were at April’s house in moments. They were moving quietly through the back yard when they heard a female voice shriek.

“I AM NOT CRAZY!”

***

Kyle crawled on his belly through the tall scrub. Much to his discomfort—as well as the others he was sure—there was an inordinate amount of thorns, thistles, and other skin prickers mixed in with the otherwise innocuous weeds. Because everything was a parched brown in color, it had been impossible to tell just how bad it was until they had been forced to their stomachs by a roving patrol of at least five individuals; all armed with actual rifles.

He watched until the group disappeared around a corner and t
hen turned to address the other two who were sharing in his misery. “Next time they pass, I will start a count. We should probably let them go by at least three times to see if they are regular or if they are spaced out.”

Nobody had any arguments, much less any better ideas, and so they simply made it a point to lie as still as possible. Event
ually, the same group—Kyle had already made it a point to look for a few identifiers—passed by. He began counting, using the old schoolyard “one alligator, two alligator…method.

That gave them all a chance to get a better look at their su
rroundings. The house actually looked like it had been owned by a very wealthy person. It was a mansion that would rival many from the Palm Springs area that they were so familiar with. All of the ground floor windows looked to have been boarded up. The second and third floors were curtained with what looked like some very heavy drapes which were drawn in many, but not all, instances. A few opened out to balconies, but so far, there had been no sign of anybody coming outside onto any of them.