Zombie Games Book Five (End Zone) (7 page)

“I’m not dead…
yet
! Someone, give me a gun
now
!” she growled. “Come on!”

“Stay down, Nora,” ordered Justic
e as he crawled into the back and began firing his gun through the broken window.

Noticing that we were firing back, t
he truck slowed and putting more distance between us.

“
They’re hanging back. Nora, why don’t you climb over and get next to Paige,” said Justice.

Nora crawled over the seat swearing. “My hand’s bleeding from the glass,”
she said, clenching her teeth. Wincing, she pulled out a piece of glass. “Does anyone have a rag or something?”

“Here,” said Bryce, removing his T-shirt. He threw it at her and she wrapped it around her hand.

“Thanks. Dammit, if I get my hands on the person that did this, he’s going to need more than a bandage to stop the blood,” she muttered.

We pulled onto the highway. “Let’
s see how far they’re meaning to go with this,” said Tiny.

I looked back. Sure enough, the white pickup turned onto the highway too. They weren’t giving up.

.

Allie and Kylie

Billie walked towards them. “Girls, girls, girls… there is no escaping me, haven’t you figured that out yet?”

Kylie tightened her hold on Adria, who was staring up with frightened eyes. “Please, Billie, just let us go. We’ve never done anything to you.”

“Still think I’m Billie, huh?” He took another puff of his cigar.
“Tell me, where does your faith lie?”

“What do you mean?” asked Allie.

“
Who
do you serve?”

“You’re asking us if we serve God, right?” asked Kylie, getti
ng angry. “Obviously, I’m on his side. What does that have to do with anything, Billie?”

“
Just curious. What about you?” he asked, turning to Allie who stared at him in fear. “Do you feel the same way?”

“
Yes.”

“Really?”
His eyes bore into hers. “You mean to tell me that you would love a God who has allowed all of this death and destruction without so much as offering a helping hand?”

Her eyes widened. “I-…”

He raised his voice. “A
God
who allowed
your
parents to be struck down so viciously? Does that sound like someone who has your back or cares what happens to you?”

“Don’t listen to him, Allie,” said Kylie. “He’s trying to confuse you.”

“The only thing
confusing
is why the planet has gone to piss and he,” he wrinkled his nose, “hasn’t raised one finger to help any of you.”

Kylie raised her chin.
“Maybe he has and we just don’t know it.”

“Or, m
aybe this was his plan all along.
Maybe
, he’s taken all of his favorites and has turned his back on the rest of you. I mean, if you really take a look at the big picture, it makes much more sense. He has certainly taken more souls than what has been left behind.”

“No,” said Kylie, her face paling.
“I don’t believe that.”

He smiled darkly. “Come on now.
Deep inside, you’re beginning to have doubts.”

“You’re just trying to
mess with our minds. To try and get us to do what  you want,” said Kylie.

He
snorted. “Pfft, I can already do that. But, I have to admit, you girls impress me. Your spunk and will to survive is very admirable. Qualities that shouldn’t be ignored.” He pointed his thumb up towards the sky. “Too bad someone else doesn’t appreciate you like I do.”

Neither girl said anything.

Lightening lit up the sky in the distance followed by a low roll of thunder.

“
Here comes the rain again
,” sang Billie as the drops began. He raised his palms up as it began to pour and tilted his face towards the moon. “Tears from the sky!” he hollered, grinning. “Excuse me while I relish this.”

“Creepy,”
mumbled Allie as she and Kylie took cover by the side of the gazebo.

Still standing in the rain, he wiped his
face with his hand and looked over at them. “Girls, we’re going for a ride!”

Allie and Kylie looked at each other.

“Don’t even think about trying to escape,” he said. “It will never happen. Just face it.”

“Where
are you taking us?” asked Kylie.

He walked over and leaned against the side of the Gazebo. “
Well, now, it’s a surprise.”

“We’re tired of surprises,” muttered Allie.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you won’t want to miss this one. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen.”

The girls
stepped back.

“Don’t be frightened, now,” he said. “
Jenny has prepared a bottle of formula for the baby and we have a guest who’s going to be joining us. Father Brambati.”

“Is he really a priest?” asked Allie.

“Of course he is,” replied Billie, tossing his soggy cigar onto the grass. 

Kylie’s eyes narrowed. “
You forget, but we heard what you said - about sacrificing Adria. A real priest wouldn’t allow it.”

He studied her quietly in the darkness and then smiled. “
Actually, I only said that because I knew you were listening. I was pissed that you were trying to escape. I didn’t mean it.”

“
You didn’t?” asked Kylie, in disbelief.

His eyes widened.
“Sacrificing a baby? What kind of a person do you think I am? Now, if you want to know the truth, we’re taking you back to your family. It was Father Brambati’s suggestion. He actually helped me come to my senses, can you believe it? I have to admit, I haven’t been thinking clearly the last few days.”

“You are
now though?” cried Allie, feeling relieved. “Really?”

A louder boom of thunder caused both girls to squeal.

Billie frowned. “The storm is going to get worse. We’d better leave.”

Kylie and Allie looked at each other
nervously again.

“Well? You coming,”
he asked, walking away from them and back towards the house.

“
What should we do?” asked Allie.

“I don’t
know if I really trust him,” replied Kylie.

Allie sighed.
“You know what? Me neither, but, for some reason, I kind of feel that going with him is the right thing to do.”

Kylie nodded. “I know. Strange but, me too.”

They both looked
at the baby who was sucking noisily on her fingers again.

“
Don’t worry,” said Allie, touching the baby’s soft hair. “We won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Adria lowered
her head against Kylie’s shoulder and closed her eyes.

Cassie

The truck continued to follow us as we entered Saint Paul.

“What are we going to do?” asked Kristie, looking back. “Just let them follow us all the way to the Mall Of America?
See if they’ll join us for breakfast?”

“I think we should feed them to the zombies for breakfast,”
sneered Nora. “Dirt-bags.”

“Actually
,” said Tiny, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel. “I have a better idea.”

“I hope so,”
answered Kristie.

I glanced
back at the lights, wondering why
we
were so important to the people in the truck. If they were only trying to steal from us, and now knew that we were armed, why wouldn’t they just go to an easier target?

As if reading my thoughts, Bryce leaned over. “
Don’t worry, we’ll pull through this. We always do.” He looked back. “I swear, some people are just plain assholes.”

I stared at his shadowed profile, thankful that we were facing this together. His strength and confidence helped put me at ease.
“They’ve got to know there are more of us than them. Why are they so gung-ho on chasing us like this? I just don’t get it. Especially after knowing now that we’re armed.”

Our eyes met again. As usual, I could feel myself blush under his
scrutiny.

His
blue eyes traveled to my cheeks and he grinned. “Hold still.” Raising his fingers, he removed a stray lash from under my right eye. “In answer to your question, they’re obviously nuts. Don’t think too hard about it. We’ll be rid of them soon. Either they’ll get tired of trailing us or, there will be some kind of standoff. Obviously, we’ll win.”

“Obviously,” I repeated, smiling at his cockiness.

Henry grunted. “I say we just pull over to the side of the road and have it out with the sons-of-bitches right now. Quit playing cat and mouse.”

“That’s too dangerous,” said Tiny.

“Well, from the look of things, we’re going to have to face them sooner or later,” he replied. “I’d rather do it now. Get it over with before I keel over and you have one less gunner.’”

Tiny turned on the windshield wipe
rs as the rain began once again. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got a plan.”

“
So you said before. Well, I hope this plan involves some serious shooting, because my trigger finger is getting itchy,” said Henry, curling and uncurling his right hand. “And I tell you what, if anyone deserves a cap in their ass, it’s those fools.”

I
ginned. “A cap in their ass?”

He nodded.
“Damn right. Firing at us like that. We’ve got women and children in this truck. Hell, at least the zombies attack for good reason- they’re hungry. The rest of these yahoos are just doing it for kicks.”

Tiny pulled off
the highway.

“
Uh, where are you going?” asked Kristie, tensing up.

“Police
station,” he said. “We need more ammunition and maybe we’ll get lucky and find some actual help.”

“They’re still following,” said Justice.

“Yeah, but they’re keeping their distance. I’m going to try and lose them,” said Tiny looking into his rearview mirror. “Everyone hold on.”

Kristie sucked in her breath. “Oh Lord.”

He turned a corner and then weaved through a couple of abandoned cars. When he reached the next corner, he took it sharp, and then floored it to the next street.

I looked back as he turned again and noticed the other vehicle
still trying to keep up.

“Keep at it!” called
Justice from the back. “A few more turns and we might get lucky.”

“T
urn off the lights,” said Bryce.

“I can barely see as it is with the rain
, but what the hell,” said Tiny, shutting them off.  “Danger is my middle name.”

A few turns
later, we lost them.

“Good job,” said Bryce.

“See,” said Tiny, grinning back at us in the rea
rview mirror. “Didn’t I tell you? My plans work, Dawg.”

“They’re obviously not too far away, so don’t go celebrating
just yet,” scoffed Henry. “Dawg.”

“
Tiny, do you know where the nearest police station even is?” I asked.

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
“Not exactly. Fortunately, I’ve never had to deal with the police in this state.”

“Turn left up there,” said Bryce. “We’re only a few miles away. I’ll give you directions.”

“Oh, and you’ve been there?” I asked.

He smiled. “
Yeah.”

My eyes narrowed.
“Why?”

Wouldn’t you like to know?”
he teased.

I cocked an eyebrow
. “What kind of a question is that? Why?”

He
chuckled. “Relax. Just a couple of speeding tickets. My motorcycle has a mind of its own.” His face grew solemn. “Or at least it did.”

I reached down and squeezed his hand.
“You miss your bike, don’t you?”

“I miss a lot of things,” he replied.

“Me too,” I said. “More than anything… I miss a normal life. One with my parents and sister.”

He pouted.

“And you,” I said, elbowing him playfully in the stomach. “A normal life with you, my family, and all of our friends.”

“You got that right,” said Kristie. “A normal life with
out zombies or assholes in white pickup trucks.”