Zombies (18 page)

“You would abandon a friend at a time like this,” teased Michael.

“Why you little twerp, I just saved your butt; and you know it.  In fact, I saved yours too,” said Angelica, staring at Arnie.  The little man dropped his head.  Neither of them could hug her out of fear she could also become contaminated.  A subtle tear gathered in their eyes as they prepared to say goodbye without as much as an embrace, let along a kiss.  Both men so desperately wanted to hug her, but they held back the urge.

“Wait, I have an idea
about how we could make this work,” said Arnie.

“What are you talking about?” asked Angelica.

“You could stay with us and put a bullet in the brain of the first one that turns.”

“You are sick.  I can’t do that,” said Angelica.

“Why not?  You may be able to save the other if you do that.  Otherwise, it will probably be my luck that Michael turns and infects me in my sleep,” said Arnie.

“Hey, it will probably be the other way around.  After all you are the one with the knot on your head,” said Michael.

“You both have injuries.  Now stop that.  You are friends, remember?” asked Angelica.  “Now hug and make up.”

“It’s not happening
, lady.  One of us may not be infected yet,” said Arnie.

“Heck no
!  I don’t want to give this crap to Arnie,” said Michael. 

That surprised the little man
, and he dropped his head.  A moment ago he had thought only of himself.  After hearing his friend voice those concerns, he felt ashamed.  “You run on along, and my partner and I will work this out.  Just make sure you bring that gun with you when you come back to check on us,” said Arnie.

“Just make sure you two stay
out of trouble.  Besides, the girls are getting hungry; and we need more food,” said Angelica.

“We can go to the warehouse now if you like,” offered Arnie.

“No worries.  We will manage.  Just make sure you come back to us,” said Angelica.

“She need
s us,” teased Michael, looking at his little friend.

“You guys are pathetic.  I will see you in a couple of days,” said Angelica,
brushing them off and walking away.  With the sun shinning brightly, the whole scene looked much differently when compared to the night before. 

Once their friend was out of view, they searched for a place to
get some rest.  “You know, she never told us why she came here in the middle of the night,” said Arnie.

“There are lots of things about that girl we don’t know
; but I find it rather intriguing, don’t you?” asked Michael.

“Yeah, but for different reasons,” said Arnie.

“And just what do you mean by that?”

“Face it
, Michael.  You’re in love,” said Arnie, walking ahead.

“Love
?  Who said anything about love?  I just met the girl a few . . .”  He thought for a moment and couldn’t remember how long it had been since that day at school.  Even then, he wasn’t really sure where all the time had gone.  In fact, was it two, three, or maybe as many as four years later?  It could be as many as five years according to what they had learned.  Those thoughts had distracted him.

“You can’t say it
, can you?” asked Arnie.

“Say what
, my friend?” asked Michael.

“You can’t say
that you don’t love Angelica.” 

Michael
chose not to answer as that wasn’t really what was on his mind; but truthfully, he couldn’t deny it.  His companion took that to be a yes.  Finally, Arnie located a suitable spot to settle in.  They both collapsed onto the cool surface of the ground with a huge oak tree providing the shade.  Moments later they were sound asleep.

Chapter 16

The familiar knock at the door
of the hideout signaled the visitor was friendly.  Niki slowly opened the door to find Angelica standing just outside.  “Are they okay?”  Before she could answer, Niki noticed the battered condition of their friend.  “What happened to you?”

Slipping inside, Angelica began to explain. 
“We ran into a stinky little problem, but it has been taken care of.  It is a good thing I showed up when I did,” she said, taking a seat on the floor.

“Would you care to share it with us?” asked Misty
as the remaining girls began to congregate to listen for news of the outside world.

“The short version is that we may be rid of the zombies for good.”

“Are you serious?  So you were right.  You figured the men wouldn’t wait until morning to conduct the raid.  They are brave,” said Misty.

“Well I perceive it was because they couldn’t sleep
, and they decided to go it alone.  But, you are right about one thing.  They are very brave and wanted to spare us the dangers of getting involved.”

“You saved their butts, didn’t you?”
replied Niki, wide-eyed and anxious for the answer.

“Yep, and they saved mine.
”  The lengthy silence that followed sent a signal.

“What are you keeping from us?” asked Niki.  The others gathered
closer to hear her answer.

“We all know Arnie could be contaminated
, and that is why he is not here.  But, something terrible happened last night.  Michael was in the clutches of a zombie, and I was too far away to help him.  I shot the rascal in the head.”

“You shot Michael?”  Everyone was astonished to hear it.

“No . . . well yes, but I only nicked him.  I had no choice.  If I hadn’t shot the zombie in the head, Michael would have been a goner.”  She paused and took a deep breath before continuing.  “Michael may have become contaminated through the wound,” said Angelica.

“That
’s terrible.  You poor dear, that must make you feel awful,” said Misty.

“It makes me sick to my stomach,” said Angelica. 

Sensing the need to change the subject, one of the girls spoke up.  “When you mentioned stomach, it reminded me that we haven’t eaten in a while.  Is anybody else hungry?”  The poor girl was frail or otherwise the rest of the gathering would have severally chastised her for making such a suggestion at a time like this.

“You
’re right.  We need to get something to eat.  Would one of you like to volunteer to help me?” asked Angelica, looking around.

“Are you going to the warehouse?
” asked Misty.  “I don’t know about that.  What if zombies are still out there?”

“I
’ll help you,” said Niki.

“Good
.  Now you girls know the drill.  Don’t open that door until you hear the code,” said Angelica.

“What if something happens to you?  With the men in trouble already, we would be
left here all alone,” said one of the girls.

“Do you have a better idea?” asked Niki.  Nobody said a word
; and with their heads lowered, their silence provided their answer. 

“Okay, we should be back within an hour at most
; so listen out for us,” said Angelica, retrieving the sword and pistol.  However, she soon decided to leave the sig behind.  There were only two bullets left, and she may need them later.  There was no way she could bring herself to use the sword on her friends.

“Do you have a weapon for Niki?” asked Misty.

“She won’t need it.  I will watch her back while she retrieves the food,” said Angelica.  They all felt this mission was much too risky, but it could be days before the men came back—if they came back at all.

“
Guys, please be careful,” said the frail young girl.

“This is a piece of cake.  The men have seen
to that,” said Angelica.

“Yes, but there
could still be zombies out there,” said Misty.

“Don’t worry about u
s.  I have this,” said Angelica, holding up the sword.  “Now close the door behind us.”  Opening the door to peek out, she turned to her companion.  “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I will ever be.  I didn’t realize how dependent we had become on the men,” said Niki.

“We can do this.  Besides, I took out quite a few of those stinky creatures myself,” said Angelica.

“You know they can’t help being like that
, don’t you?” asked Niki.  There was no need to answer because everybody knew the zombies were also victims.  With the door closing behind them, they began walking toward the warehouse.  “Do you know where we are going?”

“I have an idea.  They said the warehouse was only a few blocks in this direction,” said Angelica.

“It seems awfully quiet out here.  Nobody would ever know what this was like only yesterday,” said Niki.

“My companion and I are fully aware of what this was like
, but don’t drop your guard.  Like you said, there may be others.  Small pockets could be scattered all about the city, and it only takes one,” said Angelica.  Hearing the warning, Niki quickly became nervous about this little excursion.  It actually worked in their favor by keeping her alert.

“I saw something,”
she said, pointing.

“Where?” asked Angelica.

“Over there behind that building.  It is watching us.”

“You are just
being paranoid.  If it was zombies, they would come after us and not be hiding from anybody,” said Angelica.

“I know what I saw
, and they are watching us.”  It sounded so convincing that she decided to keep a closer eye on it.  However, seeing nothing moving about, Angelica soon pushed aside those thoughts.  Minutes later they were staring up at a massive warehouse.  “This must be where the food supply is stashed,” said Angelica.

“How do we get inside?”

“I remember Michael saying something about a window that was partially open,” said Angelica.

“I hate to bring it up, but this whole building is full of windows,” said Niki
, staring at dozens of windows.

“Yes, but the one I am looking for is
well above the ground.  Michael mentioned that he didn’t see how Arnie managed to get inside alone.”  Noticing the confused look on Niki’s face, she explained.  “It was over his head.”

“Oh, say no more.  What about that window?” asked Niki, pointing toward the second story.

“That’s it!  Okay, follow me to the top of that flight of stairs.  Then you can go inside while I watch your back.”

“How will I know where to look?
” asked Niki.

“You won’t have any problem
locating food.  Michael said the whole warehouse if filled with anything you could desire.”

“How long has the food been there?  Won’t it spoil?” asked Niki.

“Well that chili was fine the other night.  So I am thinking the food will keep indefinitely,” said Angelica.  They descended the stairs, seemingly unconcerned about crossing paths with an intruder.  In fact, they had nothing to fear since the view was unobstructed.  Once on the second floor balcony, the girls approached the window in question.  Taking a look inside, Angelica confirmed their expectations.  “This is the right place.  Now be careful and I will wait for you right here.”

“Just don’t leave me,” said Niki, reaching for the opening.

“I wouldn’t do that and you know it,” said Angelica.

“Yes, I know, but I needed to hear you say it.  I don’t mind telling you this scares the crap out of me
.”

“I got your back,” said Angelica.

“Then how about giving my butt a boost?  I can’t seem to pull up.”  The girls were in a weakened condition from lack of proper nutrition.  That brought into question the excellent condition of the former wrestler. 

“Something doesn’t add up here.  Why is Arnie in such great shape?” asked Angelica.

“There is your answer,” said Niki, pointing toward the empty wrappers lying everywhere.

“I guess he ate befor
e bringing back all he could carry for the rest of you,” said Angelica, staring though the open window.  She stood there on tip toes, waiting for her friend to locate something suitable for them to eat.

“Are you watching for me?” asked Niki, noticing her looking inside.  That reminded her of her promise.  She turned away to examine the surrounding area.  That is when she noticed movement from a distance.
  At first she considered warning her companion.  Then she realized the poor girl would panic and probably leave without the much needed food.  So instead of confirming her earlier expectations, Angelica decided to subtly prod her alone.

“How are you coming in there?”

“I found a case of food that I can manage, but you are probably not going to like it,” said Niki.

“It’s chili
, isn’t it?”

“How did you ever guess?” asked Niki.

“Awe just a hunch I suppose.”  A nervous laugh followed, and Niki picked up on it.

“Is something wrong?” asked Niki.

“Nothing I can’t handle.  But if you don’t, mind let’s head on back.”

“I am on my way
.”  Struggling to deal with the extra weight, Niki asked, “How do they manage this heavy stuff?”

“Don’t tell them I said so, but those guys have muscles,” said Angelica.

“My lips are sealed,” said Niki.  Minutes later she was at the window and strenuously engaged in escaping with the case of food.  After considerable effort, they managed to get it through the opening and onto the landing.  With assistance, Niki climbed through the window.  Once on the balcony, they realized the distraction had set them up for trouble.

“Aren’t you ladies something to behold,” said a stranger with cold dark eyes.

“What do you want?” asked Angelica, staring at him directly, not flinching in the face of his harsh eyes.

“I think you know the answer to that question
, Angelica.”

“How is it you know my name?”  The evil expression on his face caused Niki to stare at one then another.  She wondered how all this would end.

“We have been expecting you, and I must say you have caused us a lot of misery.  But, this is where it all ends,” said the stranger. 

Like a bolt of lightening, it hit Angelica.  This was not one of the zombies
; neither was the creature human.  Action needed to be taken, but she must also consider her friend.  There was no way Niki would understand this, and time was running out.  She turned to smile at her friend before doing what she must.  “I should have done this in the beginning.  After all, that is why I was sent here,” said Angelica.  There was a concerned look on the face of the intruder.  Immediately Angelica transformed into a brilliant light while brandishing a flaming sword.  The creature became frightened and disappeared right before their very eyes.  Once that happened, Angelica became human once again—at least she looked human.  But, there was nobody present to confirm it.  Niki had passed out and was now lying on the metal surface of the landing. 

Angelica took a seat on the box of food and waited for her friend to come to.
  Minutes later she awakened with a startled look in her eyes.  “What are you?”

“I am your friend, remember?” asked Angelica.  She had spoken truthfully, but the rest was kept a secret.

“I must have been hallucinating.  For a moment, you looked like an angel.”

“I get that a lot,” said Angelica,
remembering Michael saying the same thing.  She reached down for the box to lift it onto her shoulder.

“We will take turns with that,” said Niki.

“Okay, it will get a little heavy I am sure,” said Angelica.  Together they descended the stairs with each having their own thoughts about what had just happened.  Niki wasn’t certain if it was real or an illusion created by malnutrition.  On the other hand, Angelica realized she needed to finish something she should have taken care of long ago.  After what had just happened, she was now determined to do it.  Until that moment she thought she had been abandoned and had lost her powers forever.  Niki noticed the confident look in her companion’s eyes and wondered what was going on, but she kept it to herself. 

The brief stroll ended with the familiar code requesting entry into the makeshift fortress.  Once inside
, the girls were ecstatic that they would have food to eat once again.  There were plenty of offers among the others to prepare the food.  In fact, Niki helped them while Angelica stood to the side in deep thought.  Just how she would end this battle was weighing heavily on her.  If she failed, the world was doomed.  The zombies would rise again and continue to plague humans until there was not a living soul left on earth.  She must not let that happen. 

Seeing she was troubled, Niki approached to inquire of her concerns.
  “It’s about the men, isn’t it?”

“Partly, but knowing Michael and Arnie like I do, th
ey will be back here better than ever.  Then we will have to listen to their boasting about how they defeated the zombies,” said Angelica.