Hungry Independents (Book 2) (27 page)

“Brittany? Are you all right?”

Her eyes snapped up and she hissed through
her teeth. Jimmy instinctively held the shovel between them for
protection. This was not the sweet little hostess he remembered
from the last time he was alive.

“Did you find the sweets?”

The tall, dark-haired kid from the night
before rounded the corner of the house, followed by the other three
Brittanys. All the Brittanys behaved like the youngest, with the
panting, fingers splayed and the same dull gray eyes. Their
unnatural manner was equaled by the boy leading them around
Independents.

“What did you do to them?” Jimmy asked, even
while he considered running for his life. “Who are you?”

The tall boy chewed on a fingernail then spat
the fresh clipping to the ground. He licked the front edge of his
pointy teeth. “I am Famine and I hunger. As for your friends, they
are now my servants, as was the one you now possess.”

“You mean, Billy?”

The kid shrugged. “That was his name, wasn’t
it? I knew him from before.” He spread his arms wide to indicate
himself. “So now I have a question for you. How were you able to
come back from the dead? I thought Plague killed you. He told me
so.”

The youngest Brittany sniffed at the edge of
the grave like she was locating a bone in the backyard. With the
other Brittanys watching, Jimmy dropped the shovel blade in front
of her.

“Move away. Now.”

She hissed, but crawled back on all fours
just the same. She stopped at the tall kid’s side. He patted her
head.

“Doesn’t seem right you coming back from the
dead and poor Billy out a body. Although after all he witnessed
succumbing to the demon’s possession, I’m sure he wouldn’t be the
same. Some people don’t stomach what I do very well. Oh, excuse me.
What we do.” Famine patted Brittany’s head again.

“You’re the one responsible for what happened
to Preston,” Jimmy said.

Famine grinned like he was burning with
pride. “I don’t know Preston. I can only imagine the horrors he
faced if he knew Billy. Demon possession is such a wonderful
transformation, just like my enchantments. Take my new pets, for
example. They hunger but have yet to dine on human flesh. They
recognize the smell of an easy catch. That’s what brought us to the
foot of your new grave. I think they would love to satisfy their
hunger on something other than spoiled meat. Something fresh would
be a proper first meal.”

Like they knew their turn had arrived, the
girls snarled at Jimmy. He held the shovel, but it was one little
boy against four stark raving mad Brittanys and Famine—who was the
craziest of them all.

“Did Chase send you here?”

“Chase? No, Chase is like me. He’s a
general.”

“What are you fighting for?”

“For the world, my tiny morsel. We’re
fighting for the whole wide world.”

Jimmy didn’t like the idea, but he had no
choice. He was going to have to hit the first Brittany to rush him
and the rest of them too, but he had little hope of escaping alive.
The youngest Brittany broke first, succumbing to whatever desire
drove her forward. Jimmy swung the shovel, connecting the backside
with her shoulder. The impact shivered up his arms, forcing him to
hang on. Chef Brittany charged, leaping over the stunned, smaller
Brittany. Jimmy jabbed the shovel in the air and she peeled off as
the last two Brittany’s followed right behind her. He knocked one
off course, but the next oldest came in clean and tackled him off
his feet. The landing jarred his body. His air whooshed out and he
gripped Brittany’s head as she snapped and growled at him. Jimmy
pulled his feet in and kicked up with all his might. Brittany flew
off and landed in the soft turned dirt of the grave.

Jimmy rolled to his feet and ran. Main Street
was a good four blocks away, with the pursuing Brittanys panting
behind him. He sprinted onto the street, leaping across potholes as
they came. One Brittany stretched out to grab him just as a pothole
arrived. Jimmy cleared the obstacle, but the Brittany stepped right
in and tumbled over the broken pavement.

Jimmy’s new body was faster than he thought,
but he was running for his life. Feet slapped concrete as another
Brittany caught up and he cut to the right. Chef Brittany sped past
and Jimmy crossed back to the left, sending her into a conflicting
spiral. Her feet tangled and she hit the ground face first with a
solid smack.

Jimmy pushed his legs faster when he saw the
buildings of Main Street two blocks away. No one else appeared to
be around, and he hesitated to call for help for the possibility of
getting more kids killed. Knowing his luck, one of the younger kids
would answer the call and then he’d be responsible.

He heard a growl and another Brittany took a
shortcut through a yard that Jimmy should have thought of himself,
except for the chain-link fence that would have slowed him down.
Brittany hurdled over the fence like an Olympian. She lowered her
shoulder and drove into him. Scraping across the gravel, Jimmy
screamed in pain, but fought his crazed attacker from chewing him
to bits. He pawed at her with his hands and one strayed too close
to her mouth. She bit down hard and tried to rip a chunk of his
hand away. Jimmy bucked like a bronco but she held on with her
mouth. He drove a thumb into her eye and her jaw loosened enough to
pull his hand free. He kicked, clawed and squirmed until he broke
loose, but before he could run again she grabbed his ankle and
hauled him back.

Despite their various injuries, two more
Brittanys hobbled towards them. Famine hadn’t appeared, but he
would be along to supervise the kill soon enough. Jimmy struggled
to kick free.

“Brittany, please! It’s me, Jimmy! Lord, help
me!”

Brittany stopped for a moment and tilted her
head. Her eyes focused and the grayness cleared. “Jimmy? You’re not
Jimmy. Jimmy’s dead.”

“You’re right. I’m Billy. You know me,
right?”

She shook her head as if a fog threatened to
cover the situation with layers of doubt. “Yeah, I know you. Why
does my head hurt?”

“That doesn’t matter. We have to get
away.”

“Get away from what?”

Jimmy knelt down and turned her head. “The
other Brittanys.”

Brittany scrambled to her feet. Jimmy tugged
her along by the hand. The other Brittanys stumbled after them, and
Jimmy was happy that the hits with the shovel and potholes had
slowed them down. They rounded the corner to Main Street and ran to
a Winnebago. Jimmy barely gave it a look before he dragged Brittany
past. He ran toward a small crowd gathered in the middle of the
street.

His heart thumped as his little brother’s
eyes turned on him and went wide.

“Jimmy?” Hunter said.

“Jimmy?” Scout repeated.

Catherine refocused everyone on the immediate
problem. “What’s wrong?”

“No time,” Jimmy said. “The other Brittanys…
something’s wrong… right behind us.”

A horrible scream came from the Winnebago.
The Brittanys tore open the side door and rushed inside. The RV
rocked like a party had started, and not the good kind.

Hunter swept past Jimmy, heading for the
trouble. Jimmy handed Brittany over to Catherine and followed his
brother.

Hunter wanted to believe his brother lived,
but that wasn’t possible. What was possible? A Winnebago full of
scared kids under attack by a trio of raving Brittanys turned into
cannibals. That’s hard enough to swallow without adding his
brother’s return from the dead. What’s more, how did he know Jimmy
was alive inside Billy?

Hunter heard the screams and the unexpected
defiance. The Brittanys had bit off more than they could chew. Four
kids had Chef Brittany pressed into the front windshield; her wild
eyes stared at Hunter like he was there to save her. He skidded to
a stop. Billy, or rather Jimmy, bumped into him from behind. Hunter
looked down at his brother and smiled.

“This isn’t the time, Hunter,” Billy said, or
Jimmy—whoever.

“You don’t realize the craziness I went
through yesterday. And now this morning’s starting out the same
way.”

“Try being dead for five months, then we can
talk about your crazy day.”

Scout ran up with Dylan, followed by
Catherine and Barbie. Nobody looked ready to go inside the RV.
Given enough time, they wouldn’t have to worry about it because the
Cozad kids were doing pretty well on their own.

“So what’s the story?” Hunter asked.

Jimmy pointed to the window where Chef
Brittany was squished above the dash. “The guy from last night who
calls himself Famine showed up again with the Brittanys this time.
He’s hypnotized them or something.”

“Barbie and I went through this in Cozad. It
sounds like they’re possessed.”

“Billy—I mean—I was possessed. I don’t think
this is the same thing.”

Catherine threw her arm around Jimmy’s
shoulders. “You’re right. It’s not the same. Possession takes more
effort and there are minor demons involved. The Brittanys are under
an enchantment. Leave everything to me and Barbie. As long as they
haven’t eaten, we should be able to free them all.”

“Eaten?” Scout asked. “Eaten what?”

Barbie shook her head. “It’s better not to
think about it. Just don’t get near their mouths and you’ll be
okay.”

A loud crash drew their attention and all
eyes watched a Brittany fly through a side window. She hit the
ground hard, gulping for air like a perch out of the pond. No one
should have to work that hard to eat.

“Scout, go hold Brittany down so Catherine
can straighten her out,” Hunter said. “The rest of you follow me.
I’ll help Chef Brittany out of the windshield before they kill her.
Billy, you and Dylan get the other Brittany out of the back.
Hopefully she’s still in one piece.” Hunter thought about calling
him Jimmy again but decided against it. Maybe his brother wasn’t
ready to announce his arrival to the whole town, and maybe everyone
else wasn’t ready to accept it.

“Is it safe for us to go in there?” Dylan
asked.

“I’ll tell the Cozad kids that you guys are
okay. They might listen to me.”

“You sure have grown up a lot,” Jimmy
said.

Hunter smiled at his brother, happy to have
him back in whatever form. “I wish I could say the same.”

Hunter threw the door open and was met by a
Brittany jumping out for her life. Two of the Cozad kids held her
by the hair while a third was busy throwing kidney punches. The
crazed cannibal look had been replaced by fear. Hunter grabbed
Brittany’s outstretched hands and yanked her to safety. She popped
loose and clawed at him before he tossed her to the ground. Jimmy
and Dylan took over, while Barbie crackled electricity from her
fingertips.

“Okay, everyone!” Hunter shouted in the
doorway. Those closest backed away like he was about to sprout
wings and kick ass. “If you’re not holding the girl against the
windshield, I need you to exit the RV. It’s safe. We have all the
cannibals accounted for. When everyone is off, except for those of
you holding the last one, Catherine or Barbie will come in and fix
her, unless you need me to take over and hold her now.”

“We have her,” Henry said. He was busy
pressing Chef Brittany’s face into the defrost vent. “She picked
the wrong day to mess with us.”

“Just don’t hurt her too much,” Hunter said.
“She’s a friend and we can probably still save her.”

Wesley smiled from his position at Brittany’s
feet. “She’s all right. We’re just keeping her warm for you.”
Carissa and Sophie shoved the middle of Brittany into the
window.

Hunter stepped out of the way and the kids
evacuated the bus. Many of them sneered at the Brittanys receiving
treatments on the ground. Those girls would be serving them food
after all of this was over, but those awkward circumstances could
be worked out later.

“How are we doing with these two?” Hunter
asked.

“I’m all finished,” Catherine said, brushing
her hands together.

“Me too,” Barbie said. “It’s a lot easier
when they’ve just been turned.”

“Let’s take care of the one that’s left then
we’ll go hunt down Tommy the Perv.”

“You mean the guy from Denver?” Jimmy
asked.

Hunter frowned. Of course Jimmy would
remember that guy. He heard the story of how Tommy had groped
Ginger at the diner. She had been so upset, and it pissed Jimmy off
because he didn’t get a chance to pound on the dude. Hunter
understood, but Jimmy wasn’t exactly all grown up in an eighteen
year old body anymore, and Tommy had undergone one seriously
extreme makeover.

“Let’s finish up here and then we’ll deal
with Tommy,” Hunter said, but Jimmy didn’t look like he wanted to
wait. “You hear me, right, Billy?”

Jimmy looked up at his brother, anger
brimming in his eyes. “Yeah, I hear you, but I want a piece.”

Hunter nodded. “Which one of you wants to fix
the last one?”

“You better let me,” Catherine said. “Barbara
looks tired.”

Tired or not, Barbie shot Catherine a nasty
look. “It’s Barbie, and I can do what needs to be done. Maybe it’s
time for you to have your morning nap.”

Catherine placed her hands on her hips.
“Barbie, huh. I have a whole collection of Barbies at home. All of
them are prettier than you, even the one missing her head.”

“I’m locked in a tower for over a year and
you’re playing with dolls. Nice.”

They stared at one another across the short
distance.

“Hunter, my arms are getting tired,” Henry
called.

“Girls?” Hunter said. “One of you needs to
come now.”

They broke eye contact at the same time.
Catherine had the advantage of being closer, but Barbie was speedy
and leaped over the fallen Brittany. They arrived together, but
Catherine threw her shoulder into Barbie’s hip. Barbie spun out of
the way with her head pinging off the side of the Winnebago.
Catherine hopped inside, glowing with pride.