The Darkening (A Zombie Awakening) (8 page)

The motorcycle gang tooted their horns and sped past. She’d miss the added sense of security their presence gave her
, but agreed that larger crowds were more detectable
and they could move faster on the bikes
.

“So, what’s your story, Colton?”

He glance at her from the corner of his eyes. “Same as yours, I suppose. Fire fell from the sky, I fled, here I am.”

“What about your family?”

“What about
your
family?”

She folded her arms around her middle. “I watched my mother die when a meteor set her on fire.” She blinked against the ever present threat of tears.

“I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath and expelled it hard enough to flutter his bangs. “I lived with foster parents. I’m not sure what happened to them. I’d been watching the meteor for months through my telescope and figured they couldn’t blow it up enough to prevent damage to us, so I hid supplies in a cave and spent the last month there. The town I lived in pretty much burned to the ground.”

“My mom stocked our root cellar with enough supplies to last us six months.” Chalice glanced out the side window. “We’ve been frugal so it should last longer than that.” She prayed they wouldn’t have to test the limit of their food and water. Surely they’d find a place where damage was minimal and life continued with its wonderful day-to-day routine.

“It won’t last as long if you continue picking up strays.”

“You brought in more food than one person needs. Besides, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t help someone who would starve without my help
, and I can’t leave anyone out there to be chewed on
.” She studied his profile. The strong chin. The long lashes. A good looking boy that was almost too pretty
, but his toughness showed a different side of a handsome boy
. She smiled.
W
th his six foot football build, she doubted anyone ever told him
how good looking he was
.

He stared at her and frowned. “What?”

She shook her head and transferred her attention out the window. “Nothing. I’d just like to get to know you since we’ll be spending a lot of time together in this boat.”

“Then there’s plenty of time.” He turned the wheel to take them down a dirt road. “There’s supposed to be a store down here. Probably a tackle store, but they might have some things we can use.”

“Are you planning on going fishing?”

“No, but the sky will clear someday. We need things for when it does. Seeds, a shovel. Stuff like that.”

“So, you’re an optimist.”

“Aren’t you?
Zombies have to die sometime, right? Their bodies deteriorate to the point they can no longer hunt for food. Then, the surviving people kill them off and start all over.
”

“
Maybe
.
It’s a good theory anyway.
”
Maybe her optimism died when men tried to break into their shelter. Or maybe it was witnessing the brutal beating of the pastor. Most likely it was due to the dejected look on the faces of people she passed on the road
and the half-eaten dead that roamed the ditches
.

Junior and Sissy rarely said more than a word or two, even when asked a question. What had they endured in the last month? Or Colton? He was as close-mouthed as a child at the dentist.

###

             
Colton stopped the motor home in front of the tackle shop and stared at the door hanging off the hinge. Chances are the store was cleared out, the owners moved on, and no zombies lingered. On the other hand, one of the face eating cannibals could b
e
lying in wait for fresh blood.

             
“Are we going in?” Chalice leaned against his seat.

             
“I don’t know. It looks deserted.”

             
“We should check it out. I’ll leave Mychal to watch the young
er
ones. If they keep the motor home locked and stay quiet, they should be okay.”

“Maybe.” Colton cut the ignition. There might be stuff they needed in there. They couldn’t pass up any opportunity to forage for supplies. “We’ll have to make it fast.”

Chalice stood in front of Mychal and the others. “We need all of you to stay here and be quiet. There’s ammo in the gun, but don’t use it unless you have to. Colton and I will be back as soon as we can.” She gripped her brother’s shoulders. “If we don’t come back
within thirty minutes
, wait until those things are gone, then take the children out of here. Find
other
survivors.”

“You’ll be back.” Mychal’s voice quivered.

“I will.” Chalice grabbed her rifle.

Colton waited at the door and opened it just far enough to peer out. The world was silent. No planes, no cars, no birds. As if evil hovered in the grey sky and smothered everything good. “It’s clear.” He stepped out and held the door for Chalice. Weapons held at the ready, they approached the store.

With only two of them, Colton felt vulnerable. Even Mychal would have made him feel more secure and the boy was only fifteen.
They made their way to the porch of the store and stopped again to listen. Nothing other than the wind through the trees.

“Let’s make this fast. Anything we can use for the future, anything for weapons, and food stuffs, warm clothing, any—”

“I get it.” Chalice slung her rifle strap over her shoulder. “My mother was a prepper, and my brother is a self-proclaimed expert on zombies. I probably know more about survival than you do.”

“Point taken.” He led the way inside. The shelves were full. Some of the stock lay on the floor, but for the most part, it didn’t look as if anyone had been there
in quite awhile
. Where were the owners? Nobody in their right mind would leave all these things behind.

He grabbed a
n empty
box and started tossing in ammo, fishing gear, propane canisters, two axes, a couple of spears
and a whole rack of seed packets
.

Chalice loaded another box with canned goods and toilet paper. He supposed that was a necessity
, especially if you were a girl
. There were a couple of Mylar blankets, batteries… He froze at a shuffling sound from behind the store. Grabbing his box, he backed up. “Chalice…”

“I hear it.” She slung her rifle back around.

“No.” Colton set his box on the counter and pulled out an ax. “Guns are too noisy.”

“No, I can’t.” She shoved it back, her eyes too wide for her face.
“I’d have to get too close.”

“You have, too. We’re a team.
I
can’t do this alone.”

“I can’t kill anyone.” Tears ran down her face.

“These aren’t people.” A door creaked open, banging by the wind. Colton relaxed. Nothing but…

Chalice screamed.

He whirled.

A moaning apparition of horror rushed at him, teeth gnashing, yellowed eyes
wide
. A tattered shirt hung over exposed ribs.
A visible bite wound oozed on the man’s hip.

Colton raised his arms and let the axe fly. It buried into the zombie’s head, splashing brain matter and thick black blood
onto the wall
.

Colton turned and vomited over the counter.

“Was that Mr. Hastings?” Chalice lowered her weapon. “Where’s—” She gasped and
dashed past him
.
He turned as she buried her axe in the zombie’s head.

The
woman slumped over a rack of magazines. Colton wiped his mouth and retrieved the axes, wiping them clean on the dead woman’s skirt. “I guess we know why the store hasn’t been scavenged yet. Thanks for saving me. She would have bit me for sure.”

“I guess I can kill
when the need arises
.” Chalice sagged against the counter. She pointed over his shoulder again and wiped her tears on her shirt sleeve. “Mychal’s always wanted a bow and arrow
, and it’s a quiet way of defending ourselves
.”

Colton pulled down the two crossbows, and cleaned the store
out
of arrows. Only twenty, but maybe they’d find more somewhere down the
road
. His stomach still protested
against the violence and disgust
as they hefted their boxes and hurried back to the others.

He thought about taking all the food, but couldn’t.
They were getting cramped in the motor home as it was and t
here might be other survivors coming later. They’d be hungry, too.

###

             
Mychal was thrilled with
his
bow. Chalice stored the axes around the trailer, hoping the places she chose would make the weapons within easy reach if they needed them. After witnessing the undead first hand, she feared for the condition of the trailer. Even a broken window could mean death for those inside.
The way she used it to clear deserted vehicles might not be the wisest choice.

             
If a noise or a smell got out, the zombies would come. Not in one or two, but in hundreds.
Her group
needed to find other survivors, and fast. People with weapons. People who knew how to fight.

             
She plopped at the small dinette table in the camper while Colton maneuvered the vehicle down the road. Just over a month ago, her mother had shoved her down the cellar steps to save her life. Now, Chalice and her siblings were on the run from a nightmare
,
and they had
extra children along. Chalice wasn’t an adult. She was a teenager
,
and she wanted to have the life of one. It wasn’t fair.

             
She folded her arms and rested her head. Exhaustion spread through her like a fog. She was tired, that was all. If she got some sleep, she’d feel better. Maybe she could forget the sight of the axe sticking
out of
a woman’s head.
The thick dark blood. The stench of rot and death.
The pain that went up her arm from the hardness of the woman’s skull.

No wonder Colton threw up.
Walking dead or not,
the woman had
once been breathing, maybe somebody’s mother.

The plague had to have started with someone. If it was airborne then wouldn’t everyone have it? Or did it infect the people close to whatever facility had been destroyed and those people bit others? None of it made any sense.

             
“Did your mom get eaten?” Junior dropped onto the seat across from her.

             
Surprised at his finally speaking to her, Chalice stared at him for a moment before
saying anything
. His almost black eyes and coffee-colored skin contrasted with the retro pumpkin color of the seat.
He was a cute kid with bright eyes and teeth that shown against his dark skin. Too bad he couldn’t enjoy being a kid.

             
Chalice shook her head. “No, she got hit with a meteor. There weren’t any zombies yet.” She didn’t think, anyway. She pushed aside the image of a charred woman coming out of her house. “What about yours?”

             
Tears filled his eyes. “We lived down by the river ‘cause Daddy thought we’d be safe there. Away from people. We though
t
zombies were only in the movies and that the
sickness
the government talked about was not as bad as they said it would be.” He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “They came while we was fishing. One bit Mama’s face, then Daddy threw me and Sissy in the river before he picked up a big stick. Good thing we could swim, huh?”

             
“A really good thing.” Chalice cried with him, taking both his hands in hers. “I’m really glad you’re with us.”

             
“Sissy’s scared.”

             
Chalice was, too. Very scared. “That’s okay. We’ll all take care of each other.”

             
“We have a problem!” Colton slowed the vehicle.

             
Chalice made her way to the front passenger seat and stared out the window. The Arkansas State line was blocked with every type of vehicle imaginable, and wandering in a nearby pasture was at least twenty zombies, stumbling around like
blind
cattle.

Chapter 8

             
“What do we do?” Chalice plopped in the passenger seat. “We can’t walk around that herd and barreling through all these cars might do more damage to the motor home than we can afford.”

             
“We don’t have a choice but to go through.” Colton glanced over his shoulder. “Tell everyone to buckle their seatbelts. Those things have seen us
,
and they’re coming.”