True Faith (3 page)

“Thanks,” said the woman.

Gavin put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Moira knew Gavin liked to have that physical connection. Gavin said, “Please, give me your name.”

“Um,
Zac
,” said the boy.

“Give me your friend and children,” said Gavin.

“What?” asked a confused looking
Zac
.

“Their names,” prompted Moira. Gavin had an exact way of speaking to convey his desires and intentions. Sometimes newcomers needed help understanding his expectations.

“Oh, this is Judy. Holly is my daughter, but we haven’t named my son yet,” answered
Zac
.

“We’re looking for some friends that may have come this way,” said Judy.

Gavin waved his arms about the opulent lobby. He said, “Rest first and then we will discover your business. The Ocean Sapphire will comfort you. Moira, take the children to be bathed and fed.
Zac
, the men will help you with your needs.
But Judy.
Judy, I would love to have you...tour our sanctuary.”

The New Way

Zac
found himself escorted from the lobby rather abruptly. He noticed that Gavin had a hypnotic aura about him. Everyone seemed enthralled by the long-haired, sparkling-eyed man.
Zac
felt a tingle of it when the man touched him, but it faded as soon as he was out of sight.
Zac
remembered old TV shows like The Mentalist and Psych. He knew a fake psychic when he saw one. Gavin used basic tricks to convince people to do things his way.
Zac
would not allow himself to be tricked. At the first opportunity, he would get Judy and the kids out of here.

The other men led
Zac
to a room on the first floor. Three other men sat inside the dark room. Between them, they shared two queen size beds. The sun had not fully reached this side of the Ocean Sapphire and the men had the curtains drawn. Even in the shrouded room,
Zac
recognized the figure of the reclusive author sitting in the lounge chair near the sliding glass doors.

“Matthew!” he exclaimed.
Zac
honestly never expected to see the older man once they left Disney World.

The man in the chair swivelled his bearded head toward
Zac
. He said, “My boy, what are you doing here? You should have known better.”

Zac
stepped past the other two men. The one that led him there, the one
Zac
thought of as a guard, lingered a moment before closing the door.
Zac
could tell the man did not like him. He had a feeling that something might happen very quickly. He would be ready.
Zac
scooted a second chair in front of Matthew.

“Is Liz with you?”

“I should have known that would be your first question. I should have told you that first,” started Matthew. “Yes. Liz made it out of
Orlando
with me. I wanted to keep going south, but the silly girl saw those blasted signs. She wanted to come here. She thought you would have brought the kids here. How are the girls?”

Zac
fought an ache in his chest, “Gladys didn’t make it.” He recovered quickly and said, “They are giving baths to Holly and the baby.”

Matthew leaned in close, “Listen to me boy. Get your children and get out of here. That Gavin will not let anybody challenge him in any way. Don’t wait for me. Don’t wait for Liz. Save those kids. Otherwise, you’re going to go swimming with me.”

The former author pulled back the curtain with dramatic flair.
Zac
looked across the lanai toward the pool area. He could see a makeshift fence had been constructed and several decayed hands trying to claw their way out of the deep end of the pool.

“It’s a cage match to the death,” explained Matthew. “Weak-minded fools get to live a happy existence of scavenging and sharing their women with Gavin. Anyone with half a brain goes in The Pool. He makes a party out of it and I’m next on the guest list.”

Zac
did not want to think about anyone being thrown into an empty pool. The waterless drop would be bad enough. He would not want to play Marco Polo with some zombies besides.
Zac
felt his stomach turn. He knew he had to take care of his baby boy and Holly, but he could not leave Liz. She meant more to him than his own life. He would not want to leave Judy in a place like this either.

“Where is she?”
Zac
demanded.

The hall door swung open. The guard had returned with two bigger men. He pointed at
Zac
and said, “That’s the one.
Time to go swimming.”

As the first man came close,
Zac
struck out wildly and his fist connected with the man’s jaw. The big guy toppled in surprise. The other men that
Zac
now regarded as prisoners pressed themselves up against the wall.
Zac
jumped up on the closest bed and leaped onto the next one. The second thug grabbed for
Zac
, but Matthew smashed a lamp over his head.
Zac
moved for the door and managed to catch the original guard behind it.
Zac
slammed the door wide open and pinned the original guard. The man dropped to the floor, unconscious.

“Do you know where they took the kids?”
Zac
asked Matthew.

The older man nodded.

“Grab them and meet me outside,”
Zac
instructed.

Matthew said, “He keeps the women on the second floor. We’ll meet you at the MacArthur Causeway.”

The other two prisoners pushed past them, heading for the lobby.
Zac
and Matthew separated before any more guards came. The second floor did not show any signs of being a prison. Various women moved from the bright sun-filled rooms without a guard in sight.
Zac
found Judy being led by the same women that first introduced them to Gavin. He paused for a moment when he realized she had bathed. Her wet, glistening hair and milky skin caught his attention. He had not realized before how beautiful she was.

Shaking his head like he had been asleep,
Zac
said, “Liz is here. We have to find her and go.”

“I’m going to the mezzanine,” offered Judy. “Gavin wants to have dinner with me tonight.”

Zac
could not believe it. He did not think Judy could be so weak-willed. Somehow, Gavin had already brainwashed her. He hoped Liz was not the same.
Zac
grabbed the other woman by the shoulders and pushed her against the wall.

“What’s your name,” he demanded.

“Ma...ma...Moira,” she stammered.

“Moira, I am looking for my girlfriend, Liz. She came in a few days ago.
Long, dark hair.
About this tall,”
Zac
gestured with his hand a few inches below his own curly hair line.

“Oh yes, I know Liz,” said Moira. “She and your friend Judy here are going to the welcome bed tonight. Gavin will take care of both of them for you. She’s in room 217.”

Zac’s
heart raced. He thought he might have lost Liz forever, but now he knew she was only down the hall. He said, “Come on, Judy.”

Judy pulled back from
Zac’s
open hand. She said, “I think I’m going to stay here. Gavin says I need to rest. His words are so comforting.”

The thought of the
guards
most likely coming after him caused
Zac
to turn away from Judy. He did not have the luxury to stand around trying to convince her.
Zac
ran down the hall to room 217. He found Liz asleep on the king-size bed. In that instant, his whole world stopped. He focused on her light brown skin wrapped in a sheer white evening gown. Her hair spread out across the pillow and everything else fell away in a haze. The shouting of guards broke through his fantasy.

Instead of trying to wake her,
Zac
lifted Liz from the bed and carried to the hall. He could not take the chance that she would insist on staying like Judy did.

“What’s going on?” murmured Liz. She must have been deeply asleep, realized
Zac
.

He carried her to the stairwell before putting her on her own bare feet.

“We’re leaving. Matthew has Holly and the baby,” explained
Zac
.

“But I don’t want to leave,” started Liz.

Zac
said, “I was afraid of that. Please forgive me.”

Without another word,
Zac
smashed Liz on the head and knocked her unconscious. He carried her down the stairs and across the lobby. He could hear guards yelling as he forced his way out into the street.
Zac
ran south on Ocean Drive as the sun started to dip behind the faded giants that used to house so many tourists.

Whatever Floats Your Boat

When
Zac
and Liz finally made it to MacArthur Causeway, he
rememberd
the sign he saw a few days ago warning him to avoid it.
Seeing parts of the bridge collapsed into Biscayne Bay made him understand why. The next causeway had to be at least a mile away. They might not make it if any of Gavin’s men were searching for them. At least Liz stopped insisting on going back.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter now. I have you. Matthew should be around here somewhere,” said
Zac
.

As if on cue,
Zac
noticed some movement in the dark windows of an old Pier One store. He reached over his back for a weapon, expecting the
undead
to march out of the store in a moment. Panic instantly racked
Zac’s
mind. He left all of his weapons and supplies back at Gavin’s hotel. Then the broken glass door started to open.
Zac
and Liz stood in the middle of the street. The closest cover looked like a dilapidated Burger King or a three-story shopping mall.

Before they could run, Matthew revealed himself. Holly carried the baby, walking a few steps behind the old writer, as they left their hiding place.

“Hold your fire, it’s us,” exclaimed Matthew.

“I don’t have anything to hold,” said
Zac
.

“That is bothersome,” said Matthew. “Never mind that now. Remember when I told you about Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas?”

Zac
had a recollection of the older man’s plan to sail to the isolated national park. He decided an island surrounded by a brick wall would be the safest place to spend their days.

Matthew continued, “The marina is right down Alton Road. We can find a boat and sail right around the Keys.”

The noise of an approaching crowd interrupted Matthew’s explanation. In the growing darkness,
Zac
could not tell if the small group was alive or dead. The fact that they carried torches gave him the answer he needed. If they had come to take them back to the Sapphire, they would have to take his corpse.
Zac
prepared for a fight.

At the head of the group of seven people, Moira called to
Zac
, “We want to come with you.”

“What do you mean?” asked
Zac
. “We don’t even know where we’re going.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Moira. “There’s something about you that made me see Gavin for who he truly is. We’ve got food and guns.”