Zombie Games Book Five (End Zone) (6 page)

“Seriously?”
asked Allie. “There’s no way we can get over this thing without getting… impaled.”

“Well, what other choice do we have? Maybe we can find a ladder and use it to get over.”

“Maybe. First, let’s see if there’s another way out of here,” said Allie. “Come on.”

They followed the
fence to the back of the house, past the flower beds and a tennis court. When they found the only other gated exit, it was also locked.

“Oh God,”
moaned Kylie. “How are we going to get out of here?”

Before Allie could reply, several zombies staggered out of the woods and
moved towards them.

“Oh my God,” squeaked Allie, stepping
away from the gate. “They smell like a sewer!”

The zombies stumbled towards them, moaning and growling in anticipation. When the creatures made it
to the fence, they tried reaching for them through the iron grates.

“
Actually, I guess it’s good we didn’t get out that way,” said Kylie as they backed away from the fence.

Someone
cleared their throat and both girls turned around in horror to find Billie staring down at them from the white garden gazebo in the center of the backyard.

“Crap,” mumbled Allie.

Billie, who was puffing on a cigar, blew out a cloud of smoke. The girls watched as an image appeared in the swirling mists; an image of a head with horns and a menacing smile.

Frightened,
Allie and Kylie stepped closer to each other.

As
the smoke dissipated, Billie smirked. “Let me guess, you needed some fresh air?”

Neither girl said anything.

Billie sighed and began walking down the wooden steps. “Did you honestly think I had no idea that you were eavesdropping when Father Brambati arrived? That you’d escaped? Oh… girls… What am I going to do with you?”

Adria’s lip went down and she began to cry.

Cassie

We left a note for Billie, just in case he came to his senses and returned to the house. Then we all loaded into the Yukon. Tiny and Kristie sat in the front, I lodged in between Henry and Bryce in the second row, Paige and Justice sat in the third, and Nora crawled into the back cargo area.

“You
going to be okay there?” asked Justice, looking back at Nora.

She looked around and nodded.
“Yeah. I’ve got plenty of room.”

“Okay, but like I said before, I’d be more than happy to switch with you.”

“Your legs are a lot longer than mine,” she replied, yawning. “You’d be cramping up in no time. Anyway, I like it back here. I’m probably going to sleep on the way. I’ll need all the rest I can get if I’m going to kick Billie’s ass back to Atlanta.”

I
laughed.

Smiling, she
pushed her short dark hair back behind her ears.

“Do you miss your blue str
eaks?” I asked, noticing now that most of them were gone. For some reason, she’d cut her hair before we’d left, using my grandmother’s shears. I had a feeling she did it to keep her mind off of Billie, or maybe it was just the shock factor, since she’d always been kind of a rebel. It was now chin-length and made her look almost cute and perky, but I knew better than to tell her that. She’d probably shave it all off in horror.

She shrugged. “Not really.”

“I wish I would have been more daring back in school,” said Paige, glancing shyly at Justice’s eyebrow piercing. “Like, maybe have gotten some piercings or at least a tattoo.”

“
You were a little too young for a tattoo,” said Kristie, over her shoulder. “I told you before that when you were eighteen, you could get one.”

Paige
sighed. “Well, I guess that doesn’t help me now.”

“How old are you?” asked Justice
.

“
I just turned eighteen a few days ago.” She nodded towards me. “Same with Cassie.”

“
Well, if things ever get back to normal, I might be able to still give you one,” he replied.

Paige
raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

He
smiled. “My cousin owned a tattoo shop and I had just finished my apprenticeship with him when the zombie outbreak hit.”

“What happened to your cousin?” she asked.

The smile fell. “Not really sure.”

Paige’s eyes widened
. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry for bringing it up. That was… stupid.”

“Don’t worry about it. We all lost people. Besides, he was a pretty mean S.O.B. when he wanted to be. Chances are
that if he didn’t get the flu shot, he’s still alive, beating the shit out of the undead.”

“
Did he have any family, other than you?” she asked.

“His old lady and their new baby.”

“A baby?” Paige put her hand to her chest. “Oh, man, I hope they’re okay.”

He
sighed. “Yeah, me too.”

I decided
it might be a good time to change the subject. Death and babies were hitting it too close to home for all of us now. Especially with the current situation. I turned to Bryce. “I really like your tattoos,” I said, tracing my finger along one of the black dragons on his forearm. “I can’t believe the details. Whoever did it knew what they were doing. Um, when did you get them?”

“Got both of them after I graduated high school,” he said, looking down at his arms. “Kind of a graduation gift to myself.”

“Nice,” I replied.

He put his hand on my knee and squeezed it
. “What about you, have you ever wanted one?”

“
I thought about it, but never brought it up to my parents.”

“Why?” he asked.

I tilted my head to the side. “Come on, you met my dad. He wasn’t exactly open-minded about stuff like that.”

“
He was a little over-protective, but something tells me that if you really would have wanted one, he would have caved.”

I smiled sadly. “Maybe.”

“Hey, we should both get one at the same time,” said Paige. “When things settle down.”

If things e
ver
settled down. Everything seemed to be getting worse as time went on.

I licked my lips. “I don’t know. Does it hurt?”

Nora burst out laughing. “Wild, after everything you’ve been through, you’re worried about a little needle?”

My cheeks turned red. “I
just hate needles.”

“It’s not
that
bad,” said Justice. “Well, obviously in some places the skin is much more sensitive.”

“
You’ve got that right,” said Kristie. “I cried like a baby getting mine.”

Paige
mumbled something and looked out the window.

“
You have ink? Where?” asked Justice.

Kristie smiled
.  “Well, it’s hidden.”

“Where is it?”
asked Henry, coming to life. “On one of your bosoms?”

Paige rolled her eyes. “
No
. It’s on her back.”

Henry
sat up straighter. “Oh, she get one of them there
Tramp
stamps?”

Tiny
burst out laughing. “Damn right she did.”

Kristie reached over and slugged him in the shoulder.

“What?” he pouted. “I think
it’s beautiful.”

She wrinkled her nose.
“I just don’t like that term… ‘Tramp stamp’. I mean, I thought it was funny before, but now that I’ve gotten one, it’s irritating to hear the same jokes, over and over. My tattoo is a work of art… not a place to put your beer.”

Bryce and Justice burst out laughing.

Tiny struggled to keep a straight face.

Henry looked confused.

I glanced at Paige, who looked like she wanted to throw up and then crawl under the seat in front of her.

“Sorry, babe,” replied Tiny
, slipping his hand behind her neck and then squeezing her shoulder. “You know I think you’re one of the classiest women on the planet.”

“Thank you,” she said, pulling her dark hair over to the side. “You’re forgiven.”

“I love tattoos on women,” said Henry. “Although the last one I saw was on Sally Mae, a friend of mine at the nursing home. Her tattoo was supposed to be a clover-leaf, but damn if it didn’t look more like a bean-stock. Course, the thing must have grown over fifty years.”

Tiny laughed
and started the engine.

Paige rubbed her forehead. “God, I’m not going to even ask where
that was located.” She turned to Justice. “So did your cousin do your back?”

“Yeah.”

“It looks really good,” replied Paige, her cheeks turning pink as her eyes met his. “The tattoo, I mean.”

He grinned. “Thanks.”

“She really means your back,” chirped in Nora.

Paige clenched her teeth. “
Would you just quit already?”

Nora laughed.

“Girls, take it easy back there,” said Kristie.

“Yeah,” teased Bryce. “You’re going to embarrass Justice. You know, us guys don’t appreciate being treated like sex objects. It just isn’t right.”

“Speak for yourself,” said Henry.

This time w
e all laughed.

As we
drove around the block, Tiny glanced back at us. “Everyone keep your eyes peeled for headlights. We don’t want to run into those jerks in the truck again.”

I
reached down and touched the crowbar by my feet, making sure that I hadn’t forgotten it. I’d run out of gun ammunition, although fortunately, the guys still had a few rounds. I didn’t really care though; I was beginning to prefer hand-to-hand combat when it came to the zombies. The living, however, well they were a different story. “You have your gun, right?” I asked Bryce.

He nodded. “Yeah
, I also brought one for you. Don’t worry, we’ll get more ammunition. I want you to have a loaded gun whenever possible.”

I stared out into the darkness. “
Good luck finding any.”

“We’re going to check out
the police station in Saint Paul. They must have ammunition there. Who knows, maybe we’ll even find more survivors,” he replied. “Ones that still protect and serve.”

“That’s a great idea,” said Kristie. “I can’t believe we didn’t think of that before.”

“If there are any guns or ammunition, I’m sure they’ve been stolen,” said Tiny. “But it’s still worth a shot, anyway.”

“What time is it?” I asked.

“It’s almost four in the morning,” replied Kristie as she turned on the radio and began to scroll through static.

My eyes widened.
“Wow, I had no idea it was that late. You guys were gone for longer than I thought.”

“
It was those bastards in the truck,” said Tiny, turning towards the road that wrapped around the lake. “It took a long time to lose them. Too long. There was no getting around it though. Couldn’t have them following us back to you guys.”

“I know,” I replied, biting my thumb nail. “I’m just so worried about the girls.”

Bryce patted my knee. “It’ll be okay.”

Tiny looked into the rearview mirror and swore.

I turned around.

Headlights.

“Shit,” said Bryce. “I think that’s them. Everyone keep your heads down.”

I hunched down with the others while Tiny accelerated.

“What in the hell is wrong with these guys?” cried Kristie. “Don’t they know we’re on the same side?”

“Obviously
, we’re
not
on the same side, babe,” said Tiny. He frowned. “Oh yeah, that’s the pickup alright.”

The sound of gunshots exploded from behind.

“Are you freaken kidding me?!” hollered Nora.

I turned to look back at her. “Oh my God, are you okay?” 

“Yeah.”

“Should we fire back?”
asked Justice.

“Not yet,” said Tiny. “Hold on.”

Tiny turned a corner quickly and the tires squealed in protest.

“Oh my God,” moaned Kristie
, as another bullet hit the SUV. “Is everyone okay?”

“Screw this shit,” said Nora. “Hand me a gun!”

“No,” said Bryce. “Just stay down.”

“
Easy for you to say, I’m the one closest to the bullets!” she hollered.

T
he back window blew out from the next round of bullets and Nora screamed as the glass shattered all around her.

“Oh my God
!” yelled Kristie. “Are you okay, Nora?”