A New Death (Savannah's Only Zombie Novel) (10 page)

Chapter
Seventeen

“I said freeze!”

The guy speaking was holding what looked like an AK-47. He
looked like a guerilla soldier, as he was wearing a mixture of vintage and grungy-looking
clothing. He was short, skinny, and wearing black, thick-framed glasses. His
goatee was well manicured. It formed a sinister frame for his crooked smile.

The people behind him were also holding guns. They were a
mismatched group. Several were wearing clothes like the little guy, hipsters or
art students. Black V-necks and skinny jeans. But two of them were decked out
in camo hunting gear. The two of them were holding shotguns and stood on each
side of the main guy, like bodyguards. Besides the AK and shotguns, Jeremy
counted two hunting rifles, and one rather large handgun. These people were
very well armed.

“Hey, hey, we don’t want any trouble,” Jeremy said, holding
up both hands in a peace offering.

“Drop the sword then.”

Jeremy was still wearing his machete at the waist. He shook
his head at the guy’s wording, but reached for and lowered the machete. Tori
began to protest, but Jeremy gave her a reassuring look, and she backed down.
He sat the machete on the ground in front of him and looked back at the guy
shouting orders.

“Look,” he started again. “We don’t want any trouble. We’re
just looking for some gas, or maybe a hose to siphon some gas. We’re not
looking for a place to stay or anything else.”

The little guy walked up to Jeremy, giving him the look
over. He reeked of clove cigarettes and cheap beer. After circling around
Jeremy, he stopped in front of him and looked him in the face.

“My name is Albert. And this is our home.”

The word
home
caused both him and his friends to
giggle. Something was off with them. Jeremy looked back to his friends. Lexx
mouthed the word, “Homeless?”

Jeremy shook his head and mouthed back, “Hipsters.”

Lexx grimaced. He hated hipsters.

“We don’t have any gas for you,” Albert continued. “And you
can’t siphon any gas. That would be stealing.”

Again the group giggled like school children. If they were
trying to make Jeremy feel uneasy, they were succeeding. The whole situation
seemed off. Something deeper was going on here.

“We’d like for your friends to give us their weapons now,”
Albert said, his voice monotone and calm.

He motioned his rifle towards the others. Tori had her 9mm
drawn, finger on the trigger. Lexx was holding the shotgun; Ben his hand on his
hatchet.

“We’re not giving you our weapons,” Tori said.

“You don’t really have a choice, do you? We have much more
superior firepower than you do. I’m sure your friend’s hatchet there is good
for the dead, but it won’t do much against Agatha here.”

Albert held up his AK, bringing it to his lips and planting
a kiss on the barrel.

“Agatha? That’s a stupid name,” Lexx mumbled.

“It was my grandmother’s name!” Albert shouted, pointing the
gun in Lexx’s direction. His voice changed from shrill shriek to a deep
thundering.

“Did I say stupid? I meant that’s a great name. My bad,”
Lexx said.

Everyone stood in silence for a moment.

“Look, we’ll just walk right back out, and leave you here to
do, well, whatever it is you’re doing here,” Jeremy finally spoke.

“That’s just not going to work for us. You see, you know
where we are, and well, you could come back and steal from us. Or hurt us. I
won’t allow you to do that. Take their weapons,” Albert answered, motioning for
the two camo guys to relieve Jeremy and the others of their weapons.

They didn’t hesitate, like dogs to their master’s bidding.
They walked over and took the two guns, the hatchet and Jeremy’s machete.
Jeremy wished that they had brought the other two pistols, but they were still
in the Jeep. Tori started to put up a fight, but Jeremy again gave her a look
that told her to relax. She did, and begrudgingly let the guy take her pistol.

“Good, good,” Albert said. “Now we can be friends. Take the
men to the holding room. The girl, she’s a pretty one. Anastasia, why don’t you
take her to my room and get her cleaned up. The three of us might have to play
later.”

He motioned for the one woman of the group, who was holding
the pistol, to go over and get Tori. Her face at first seemed upset by Albert’s
new interest in Tori, but she quickly hid it with a smile. She held the gun to
Tori’s back and pushed her towards the stairs. Jeremy watched as the woman
escorted her upstairs. Tori looked pissed.

“I just want you to know,” Lexx spoke up. “This will go
badly for you in the end.”

Albert smiled and walked away.

“Lock them up. The big one especially.”

***

“What the fuck are we going to do?”

Lexx flexed trying to break free of the rope that he was
tied up with.

“First, you have to calm down,” Jeremy answered. “You’re not
going to be any good to us if you’re too tired to do anything if we do get
out.”

They were in some kind of supply room or closet. The walls
were lined with shelves, filled with store merchandise, and other supplies. The
room was dim, a single light bulb flickered light from the ceiling. Jeremy
looked around, his eyes adjusting to the darkness, trying to look for something
of use.

“I see some scissors up on one of the shelves, but from
where I am, I can’t reach them,” said a voice in the darkness.

“Who is that?” Lexx asked. “Who are you?”

“My name is Avery. These freaks took me captive too.”

“How did you get here Avery?” Jeremy asked.

“I was skating down in the park when things started going
bad. I ducked in here to stay safe and these guys jumped me. Started spouting
off nonsense about the end of the world and a new world order. Personally, I
think they’re all on drugs. Maybe even on alcohol. You guys want some Vienna
sausages? I can reach those.”

“No, we don’t want your soggy ass sausages,” Lexx said.

“Your loss,” Avery said.

You could hear the slurping of sausage juices in the dark.
Jeremy tugged at his ropes, trying to see if there was some sort of weak spot.
He fidgeted for a moment. Nothing.

This is not good
, he thought.
Not good at all.

He thought about Tori and what Albert meant by “play”. The
guy seemed off his rocker and his friends didn’t seem any better. They had to
get to her.

“Hey Avery,” Jeremy said.

“Yes,” he answered between sausages.

“There was a woman with us. They took her up to Albert’s
room. Do you know where that is?”

“I don’t know man,” Avery said. “I heard the girl,
Anastasia, talk about it. She’s the one they send in to check on me. Nice girl,
except for the fact she hangs out with these lunatics. Oh, and she’s banging
Albert. Not an attractive trait, y’know?”

He paused for a sausage.

“Sweet Jesus man, how many of those things do you have?”
Jeremy asked.

“There’s a couple of packs still down here. Not sure what
I’m gonna do when I run out, these are the only food I’ve had since I’ve been
here. I feel a poop coming on too. That’s gonna be real interesting. Being tied
up and all.”

“Did she say anything about the room?” Lexx interrupted.

“No, not really. Except that’s where they have sex. She told
me a lot about their sex life. Way too much. She must get bored because she
comes in here and tells me stuff. Gross stuff if you ask me. No, she didn’t say
much about the room, except that there was an outside balcony. She said they
did it there. In front of the zombies. Weird, right?”

“If he touches her…” Lexx said.

“Stay calm, Lexx,” Jeremy said. “Avery, do you know why
Albert is the one in charge? He just doesn’t seem to fit the role of leader.”

“Totally. Yeah, Albert wasn’t originally the one in charge.
It was some guy named Richie. He was one of the hunters, who shacked up here in
the building. I’m sure you’ve met his two lackeys, Hank and Clay? Well,
according to Anastasia, Richie thought he’d be the one in charge, so he was
bossing everybody around, and just being a real dick about everything. When
Albert and Anastasia joined the group, Richie took a liking to Anastasia. He
tried to rape her. So, Albert cut his head off. Ever since then, he’s been the
one in charge.”

“That’s crazy,” Jeremy said, his mouth hanging open.

“Yeah,” Avery continued. “He doesn’t seem like an alpha
male, but when I voiced concern about his methods of offing Richie, he locked
me in here. Which, I guess, is a lot better than getting my head cut off.”

Lexx was still squirming in his ropes.

“I’m fucking serious! If that psychopath touches one hair on
her head…”

“Don’t worry man; I’ll have you out of here in a jiffy.”

“What?” Lexx said, surprised to see Ben standing in front of
him. He had the scissors in hand and began to cut Lexx loose.

“How did you get out?” Lexx and Jeremy both asked at nearly
the same time.

“Eh, old magician’s trick. I studied a little magic when I
was younger. Went through this whole faze where I wanted to be a magician. If
you tense up real tight when someone ties you up and then later relax, the
ropes should be loose enough for you to escape. Houdini did it all the time.”

“Harry fucking Houdini!” Lexx said.

Jeremy started laughing.

“You’ve got a few tricks up your sleeves don’t you, Ben?”
Jeremy asked.

Ben smiled.

“Now, let’s get you out of here.”

Tori was seething as she squirmed to free herself from the
ropes around her ankles and wrists. Anastasia had tied her to an antique chair
and left her alone in the large room. There were several couches, chairs, and a
single mattress lying on the floor; the room had been made into a living area.
To her right, Tori could see a glass door leading to a balcony. If she could
get free, maybe she could get out there, and climb down the side of the
building. She thought of the pistols in the Jeep, but the tightness of the
ropes rubbing against her bare skin brought her thoughts back to the present.

That girl Anastasia may be dumb as a bag of bricks,
she
thought,
but she sure can tie her knots. I’ll give her that much.

As if hearing her name, Anastasia walked back into the room,
holding a towel draped over her arm and a smile on her face. Her smiling only
made Tori more enraged. Anastasia did not seem to notice or care, as she
kneeled down in front of Tori.

“Sorry, we don’t have any warm water. This will just have to
do,” she said, as she began to wipe dirt and grime from Tori’s face.

“Why are you doing this?” Tori asked. “I mean, what’s in
this for you? Obviously, the two of you are together. It doesn’t bother you he
wants me now too? That you’re not enough?”

Anastasia stopped for a few seconds to ponder Tori’s words,
but then resumed her cleaning. She began to whistle.

“I think it’s pretty fucked up,” Tori continued. “You saw
the way he looked at me. You’re not enough for him. What do you even see in
that guy anyway? He seems like a total dork, much less a leader.”

“He is a dork. But he’s my dork,” Anastasia said calmly.

“Why do you even stay here? For protection? Help us, and we
can protect you, Anastasia,” Tori tried to persuade.

“How will you protect me? You don’t have anywhere safe to
live. You’re just wandering around in a silly, old Jeep with no gas,” she said,
continuing to clean.

The girl’s voice was dull, emotionless. Tori’s words seemed
to go in one ear and right out the other. She had to argue facts.

“We’re heading west. Less people, less zombies. Think about
it. It’ll be safe there. You’re just a piece of meat to these guys. When
Albert’s done with you, who knows what these other guys will do with you.”

“He told me he loved me.”

“Of course he said that!” Tori yelled, rolling her eyes.
“You’re the only girl here! Think honey, the second I showed up or another girl
shows up, you’re history.”

Anastasia stood up and turned her back to Tori.

“Don’t say that.”

“You have to know it’s true,” Tori continued to press. “But
you can help us. You can make a difference. You can help us get out of here.”

Tori waited to see if Anastasia would respond. There was no
way she could just ignore common sense. She didn’t look that naïve. She looked
to be around the same age as Tori. She was too old to be hung up on a guy like
that. Anastasia began to snivel.

Hopefully she’s getting it and thinking it over
, Tori
thought.

Anastasia turned back around. She was smiling.

“Nice try bitch. Did you really think I’m that big of a
twit?” Anastasia said.

Tori was shocked at the sudden change in the girl’s
demeanor.

“What?” Tori asked. “So, you’re going to help us?”

“Help you?” Anastasia laughed. “Hell no! I’m not sure what I
want to do with you yet, but I’m sure I’ll figure out a good use for all of
you! I especially know what I want to do with that bigger fellow with you. He
looked rather tasty.”

Tori was confused.

“What do you mean that
you’ll
figure out something to
do?”

Anastasia laughed again.

“Well, you had one thing right blondie, Albert is no
leader.”

She walked away from Tori and the chair over to a bag
sitting near the mattress.

“You see, before you got here, there was another guy who
thought he’d be king of this castle. Well, he got a little rambunctious. And
that is never a good thing. Well, when Albert and myself got here, this guy
wanted to repopulate the planet. With me. I, of course, kindly declined his
offer. He didn’t like that.”

She pauses in her searching for a moment, as if to think
about what to say next.

“He,” she continued. “He took us up to this room and tied
Albert to that chair you’re sitting in. He was going to make Albert watch as he
raped me.”

Tori’s stomach turned.

“But that didn’t happen.”

She stood up and was holding something in front of her. Tori
couldn’t see what it was from where she was sitting. Anastasia slowly turned
around. Tori gasped.

“It didn’t happen, because I CUT HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF!”

Held in her right hand by the hair was the decapitated head
of the man she was talking about. Its eyes were rolled back up into its skull
and slack jawed mouth agape. The blood had dried around the neck, but the
occasional drip of dark red liquid fell to the floor.

“You’re out of your fucking mind!” Tori yelled.

Anastasia took the head and reared back like a bowler. She
sent the head rolling across the floor, all the way out onto the balcony. She
smiled.

“Maybe,” she said. “Anyways, I knew that if the other’s
found out I cut off poor little Richie’s head, they’d kill me. But, if they
found out it was Albert, they’d be afraid. You see, my brother may not be many
things, but he can be a very convincing actor.”

“Why keep us here then?” Tori again asked, trying to get the
conversation back.

“Isn’t it obvious? Both Albert and myself were hoping
another girl would come along. He’s not the only one wanting fresh meat. I like
girls too. Especially the way they taste. And well, that turns him on.”

Tori rolled her eyes. This girl was completely psycho.

“You’re pathetic,” she said. “And just know that when you
let me out of these ropes to play, the only thing you’ll be tasting is blood
from when I punch you in your pretty little mouth.”

“Ooh. Feisty. I like that,” Anastasia responded.

Anastasia planted a kiss on the top of Tori’s head and just
continued to smile. She walked over to a table in the corner of the room and
sifted through what looked to be a suitcase.

“Let’s see,” she said. “We’re going to have to dress you up
a bit. I notice you’re not wearing a bra. Not a problem. One of mine should fit
you just fine. We’re going to have to boost the girls up just a bit for Albert.
He like’s ‘em plump.”

“How you going to get my shirt off without untying me?” Tori
asked. “Cause I can promise you, the second these ropes come off, you’re dead.”

Anastasia giggled to herself. She walked back over to Tori.
She was holding the towel, a pink push-up bra and a large kitchen knife. The
blade was stained in dried blood. She took the towel and gagged Tori with it,
leaning in real close to her ear.

“Well,” she giggled. “We’re just going to have to cut that
shirt off then, aren’t we?”

***

“Alright Avery, where are we going?”

Jeremy turned back to look at Avery. He was around Jeremy’s
age, maybe a year younger. He was wearing a striped tank top and some cargo
shorts. He looked like he was headed to the beach rather than skateboarding.

“There’s a service elevator in the back. We can use that to
get upstairs.”

“How do you know that?” Ben asked.

“The girl would use it when she would come to check on me.
One time she left the door open long enough for me to see her use it. I know
it’s there.”

They walked down the hallway quietly although nobody seemed
to be around. When they came to the end, Avery pointed to an abnormally narrow
doorway. He mouthed the word “elevator,” and motioned up with his thumb. Jeremy
nodded, and checked to see if the coast was clear. He saw no one so he walked
over to the door while the others waited.

There was a button on the wall with no markings.

That has to be it
, Jeremy thought.

He pressed it, and the door slid open.

Ding.

They all cringed. It wasn’t really that loud, but against
the backdrop of silence, it was deafening. Jeremy waited for someone to come
out and investigate the noise, but no one came. He looked back to the others
with a shrug, and then motioned for them to come over to the elevator.

“There’s no way all of us are gonna fit in that tiny thing,”
Lexx whispered.

He was right. It would maybe hold two of them. It was
obviously a retrofit and not a piece of the original building.

“You’re right,” Jeremy said. “You go get her. Me and Avery
will go out this door and circle around to the Jeep. We’ll get the pistols out
of there and come back in to get y’all. Ben, you stay by this door so we can
get back in. Hang on to those scissors.”

Ben looked down at the large sewing shears he was still
holding and nodded.

“Alright, sounds like a plan,” Lexx said. “Make it quick.
Things might get dicey.”

Jeremy nodded as Lexx got in the elevator and the door slid
shut.

***

“Question: Why aren’t we just getting out of here? Why go
back inside?” Avery asked, as they snuck around the building towards the Jeep.

“We have to go back in and get our guns. I thought about
leaving them, but with those crazy, runner zombies, I’d like to have the
firepower if needed. Maybe we can snag some of their’s while we’re in there
too. I sure wouldn’t mind the extra firepower,” Jeremy answered, trying to keep
his voice down.

“Oh man,” Avery said. “So you think they’re zombies too? I
thought I was the only one who figured it out.”

“That’s just what we’re calling them. We don’t know for
sure,” Jeremy said, still trying to keep his voice down. He hoped Avery would
get the hint and keep his down too.

“These are definitely zombies man, no doubt about-”

“Avery, keep your voice down,” Jeremy interjected.

There were a few zombies littered around the surrounding area.
Avery nodded and put a finger up to his lips. He figured it out. The dead
seemed unaware of their voices.

The building itself was situated on one of Savannah’s famous
squares. Having survived the Civil War, much of the original colonial layout
was still very much a part of the city. It seemed that while General Sherman
thought it would be fun to torch the rest of the South, he decided Savannah was
too beautiful, and presented it to President Lincoln as a Christmas present. If
he could only see it now.

Most of the zombies were wandering around the square. A mix
of undead tourists and locals. The weather was beautiful this afternoon. Not a
cloud in the sky and a cool breeze kept the air cool. Perfect for an afternoon
downtown. The dead didn’t seem to notice the two men slinking along the
building’s edge.

“Good thing they boarded the windows. They can’t see us from
inside. That’s dumb. You’d think they’d want to be able to see outside,” Avery
rambled, forgetting the whole “be quiet” thing.

“Dude, shut up,” Jeremy hushed him.

Avery nodded and made a motion of zipping his lips. He
placed the imaginary key in his pocket.

This guy sure does talk a lot
, Jeremy thought to
himself.
But no doubt, he has been helpful so far.

Jeremy wanted to ask Avery questions about himself, to get
to know him better, but he’d already told him to be quiet twice. Didn’t want to
contradict that. The guy did not seem to have a volume control on his voice.
Jeremy will just have to wait to find out more about him.

They made their way over across the street without being
seen by any of the dead. Jeremy ducked down next to the Jeep and tried to open
the door as quietly as he possibly could. There was a faint click, but it
didn’t draw any unwanted attention. He reached in and picked up the two pistols
from the center console. His backpack sat in between the two front seats. He
grabbed that too. They might need it to carry spare ammo or other supplies.
They still had to find a hose too.

Turning to Avery he whispered, “Can you handle one of these?”

Avery nodded, reaching out for the gun. They turned to make
their way back to the building when Jeremy noticed a balcony outside a second
story window. It was the only one on the building. He pointed up to the
balcony.

“Is that the one you were talking about?” He asked Avery.

Avery nodded.

“Are you sure?”

He nodded again, slower this time. Jeremy noticed he didn’t
look too confident.

“Is it or is it not?” he whispered through his teeth.

Avery held up his hands and shrugged.

“Why aren’t you talking?”

Avery reached into his pocket and pulled out the imaginary
key from earlier. He put it up to his mouth and gave it a twist.

“You told me to shut up.”

Jeremy was dumbfounded.

“Are you serious?” He asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Mostly. Yeah, I don’t know for sure if that is the balcony
she was talking about, but I don’t see any others so that has to be it,” he
said, this time keeping his voice low.  

Jeremy turned and looked up at the balcony.

“Tori?” He whispered, just loud enough for her to hear if
she was there, but not loud enough for any zombies to take notice.

Nothing.

“Tori? You there?” He said, this time a little louder.

Again nothing.

“Tori?”

Again a little louder and again no answer. A zombie in the
square moaned. It had noticed the two men near the building and was beginning
to limp its way over to them, grabbing the attention of others as well.

“C’mon man, let’s go,” Avery insisted. “Maybe she just can’t
hear you.”

Jeremy nodded. They turned to run back to the door where Ben
waited on the inside, but as they started, a figure walked out onto the
balcony.