Apocalypse Cowboy: Futuristic Romance with Zombies (10 page)

Brody could hear the pain in her voice. Hell, he could still remember how lost and hurt she’d looked when he left. A pang went through him at the agony he’d caused her. It had all been his fault. He never should have gone and left her alone. It was a wonder she could forgive and love him again. He still hadn’t forgiven himself.

“I knew it was wrong to leave, even as I drove away.” Brody started to talk, needing to explain himself so they could start fresh. “But I was so angry and proud that I didn’t stop. I wanted to prove to my dad that I could be something, and I wanted to show you that I was worth loving. That I could give you all the things you deserved.”

“All I wanted was you,” she said in the darkness, her voice small.

“You know what they say about hindsight. Well, there I was, cocky and determined to make it big. I’m still not sure how I figured that would happen. I didn’t have all that many skills, and I’d never finished college. A fact I sadly regretted, as the only jobs I got offered were menial grunt work. I wanted to come home when I realized the world was a much more cutthroat place than I’d expected. I was one of thousands of young men looking for work. But I couldn’t come back a failure—”

“So you kept looking?”

Brody traced her spine with fingers callused from the manual labor he’d done since he’d abandoned his home and Hannah. “I kept moving every few weeks, desperate to find something, anything to justify why I’d left, but it was the same thing everywhere I went. I just wasn’t good enough.”

“You were good enough for me. And I know your father was always proud.”

“Again that hindsight thing. So many times, I gassed up the bike and picked up the phone, ready to quit and come home. I wish I had.” Brody fell silent as he bitterly recalled the dreams he’d had. A dream he’d followed westward, chasing a rainbow that never ended in a pot of gold and made him lose Hannah. By the time he realized just how good he’d had things, what he’d lost, it was too late. He’d woken up one morning and found the world dying. As the weeks passed, and the death toll mounted, Brody’s hatred of himself multiplied. He’d spent precious time chasing fool’s gold and lost everything that meant anything to him.

“I waited for you, you know,” she admitted. “Every time the phone rang or I heard a motorcycle, I thought it was you finally coming back to me. Then the flu hit, and everyone died, and I think that’s when I finally admitted to myself you were never coming back.” Her voice choked, and Brody felt his eyes dampen, glad she couldn’t see him.

He had to swallow hard before he trusted himself to speak. “I was coming back to you, I swear. Then the virus hit, and it was chaos everywhere.”

She had actually been his first thought when the plague hit. Terrified for her, he’d wanted to travel back, but quarantines and military roadblocks made it impossible. And the longer he waited, the more fear made him hesitate. What if he arrived too late?

Eventually, the not knowing grew worse, and he left the somewhat safe haven of his friend’s cottage, diverting around abandoned roadblocks that manned empty streets as the world faded with a cough and a sneeze. “I started for home, but as I traveled, I kept slowing down.” Doubt and fear grabbed him. What if he returned and found her dead? What if she’d survived and moved on with someone else?

Or, worse, what if she’d turned zombie? Could he bring himself to kill her?

He expected her to ask him why it took so long, but it seemed he’d given her the answer she needed. She snuggled him closer, and again he felt moisture dampening his lashes. Damned dust. It still amazed him that she loved him, even if that love was tempered with hesitation.

I’ll never hurt you again,
he silently promised. He’d die first.

Much like Hannah, Brody had never moved on to someone else. He’d never even tried. Offers from other women materialized, but he’d never been able to muster interest. All he’d ever wanted was his golden kitten.

He just hoped that now that they’d found their way back to each other that fate would let them have the life she deserved. The life together they both deserved.

Hannah woke before Brody the next morning. Remaining still, she watched him as he slept, memorizing the new lines he’d gained from the hardships he’d faced. Some had smoothed out in repose, leaving him looking more like the boy she’d fallen in love with a lifetime ago. While she still loved that boy, she loved the man he’d become even more.

Easing out of bed, she threw on some clothes and exited the room, heading for the front office and the vending machines Brody had said he’d found inside. With no coffee, she needed to get a caffeine fix in the form of a cola. She opened the glass-paned office door, the rising sun still at her back. The pop machine stood, a sentinel of a bygone time, at the back of the room. Two steps in, just enough for the door to swing shut, calamity struck.

The good news? Despite the rancid stench, it wasn’t a zombie about to rip out her throat and mock her complacency.

The bad news? She’d left her gun in the bedroom.

A hand clapped over her mouth while something sharp and pointed pricked the skin at her back through her shirt.

“If you move or scream, you die.”

Brody woke alone with a sense of something not being right. Hopping out of bed, he pulled on his jeans and poked his head in the bathroom, looking for Hannah. Empty.

She wasn’t in the room and for a moment his heart stopped.

She left.

And the very idea crushed him. Just like he’d crushed her when he’d gone.
How could she go? I thought we connected.
For a moment, his darkest fear took over, then he bitch slapped himself. Hannah hadn’t gone anywhere. Their stuff was still there which meant she’d probably not gone far.

He retrieved his gun from under the pillow and tucked it into his pants before he left the room, his feeling of urgency increasing.

Where could she have gone?

The bike still sat in its spot, untouched. He scanned the area around the motel, but nothing moved. No shambling virus victims. No bodies to show a fight had taken place. Not a single moan or scream to split the early dawn.

Also, no Hannah.

Fuck me, where did she go?

He pivoted on his heel, trying to decide on a direction. A flicker of motion from the corner of his eye caught his attention. It came from the office. But he knew better than to barge in, even if his gut clenched tight in fear.

He pretended nonchalance and wandered to the end of the strip, as if he was going away from the motel. In truth, as soon as he hit the corner, and was out of sight, he raced down the block then over so he could double back. He encountered the back of the motel and hugged the side as he jogged to where he gauged the office sat. A trash bin sat in his way and blocked his view.

Quietly, he inched along its side. He heard something. Scuffing sounds from up ahead. He held his breath and peered around the corner of the trash container. His jaw clenched and his blood ran cold at the sight of Hannah being led away by a grimy bastard holding a knife to her throat.

Rage bubbled. How dare he threaten his woman!

Brody stepped out and aimed his gun. “Let the girl go, or I’ll blow your fucking head off.” Probably not the most diplomatic thing to say, but he doubted he could manage politeness at the moment.

The ruffian whirled, one hand tangled in Hannah’s hair, the knife moved to a point below her chin.

“One move and she dies.”

The absolute look of terror in Hannah’s eyes stabbed like a sword in Brody’s gut. “You picked the wrong woman to terrorize, asshole. I am not telling you again. Let her go, or your brains will end up as pudding on asphalt.” Brody cocked the gun, stilling his breath, entering the zone he needed for a steady hand and a perfect shot.

“You wouldn’t dare shoot. My hand might accidentally slice something important. Say like a jugular.” As if to stress his point, the bastard pressed the point of the knife, hard enough that Hannah let out a whimper and a drop of blood rolled down the column of her throat. “So, cowboy, here’s what you’re gonna do. Put your hands up in the air. Nice and high. And keep them there while me and the pretty lady go on our merry way. One twitch from you, though, and I slice.”

And he would too. Brody could see it in his eyes. The bastard would murder her even if doing so would see him dead a millisecond later as Brody took him out.

With no choice left, not with her life hanging in the balance, he raised his arms high, hardening his expression against Hannah’s abject terror, hoping she understood he did this not to surrender but to hopefully give him an opening, a chance to act where she wouldn’t end up dead.

With slow, shuffling steps backward, the knifeman eased away, his eyes trained on Brody, watching for a twitch. But keeping his gaze on Brody meant he didn’t watch the ground.

The guy’s foot caught a chunk of raised asphalt, his leg buckled to the side, and the knife jerked away from her neck, not completely, but enough.

Brody yelled, “Now!”

His girl didn’t hesitate or question. She stomped her foot down on the knifeman’s instep, further distracting him. As he yelped and jerked back from her, Hannah lunged to the side.

Brody lowered his gun-wielding hand and fired.

Crack
!

The gunshot echoed loudly, and Hannah could have sworn she felt the whizzing breeze as the bullet flew past her face and hit the vagrant who’d caught her unaware. With a scream, the hand in her hair let go, and she ran straight for Brody.

Thunderclouds brewed in his eyes, and his lips were taut with anger. He reached an arm out to curl around her. He tucked her face-first into his chest, and she pressed her cheek against him, eyes closed, feeling the reassuring thud of his heartbeat.

“You fucking bastard. You shot me. I’m going to fuckin—”

Another crack of the gun and the invective-filled screaming stopped.

“Let’s go back to our room.”

A good idea. Hannah kept her eyes averted so not to see the body splayed on the ground. Killing never got easier even if death in this case had been inevitable and justified. Scum like that couldn’t be allowed to live and prey on others. She only hoped Beth hadn’t run into him as well.

Had all the men left in the world gone crazy? Was her uncle right? Did they all want to hurt and rape? She thanked god that Brody hadn’t turned feral. She also prayed with all her might that Beth hadn’t found herself waylaid.

Shaken, she let him lead her to their room. Once inside, safe with the door closed, he tenderly lifted her chin. His finger swiped at the wetness streaking down her neck. He left her for a moment, only to return with antiseptic and bandages from a kit he kept in the saddlebags. Silently, he cleaned and covered the nick on her neck, and then he engulfed her in a huge hug, a bone-crushing one.

“Don’t you ever go out on your own like that again,” he said, his tight voice.

Still in shock, Hannah just nodded. She’d even do one better. Once they found Beth, she’d go back home and never leave again. The world was a dangerous place. Too dangerous for her.

In silence, Brody packed their things and signaled to her it was time to go. Only leaving was delayed. The noise of the gun had brought the virus stricken from their hiding spots. Not many, a bare handful. Grabbing the bat, Hannah ran at the closest one, screaming, a wordless yell of frustration that gave her momentum behind her swing.

She closed her eyes before the impact of metal and flesh. Just like she pretended not to hear the firing of the gun or her own harsh sobs as she swung and swung and swung…

She didn’t even realize she aimed at nothing until Brody caught her arm and stopped her.

“It’s over, Hannah. He’s dead.”

Indeed, the zombie lying at her feet was more than dead. But it didn’t ease the pain in her chest.

“It’s hopeless,” she wheezed. “This quest. This world. Everything. Everywhere I look I see death. Death. And despair. And—”

Brody grabbed both her arms and forced her to face him. “I’m not dead. Neither are you.”

“What about Beth?”

“I don’t know, but I have hope. Hope that we can have a future, kitten.”

“How?” she cried. “How, when everywhere we go we’re fighting for survival. We struggle for food. We struggle against the elements. Our lives are threatened by the zombies, and now, we even have to fear other people. How can you still believe we have a chance?”

“Because when my despair reached its lowest point, just when I thought I should give up, I found a miracle. I found you. Of all the people in the world. Of everyone left miraculously alive, you survived. I have to think that means something.”

“But—”

He silenced any further protest with a kiss, a soft one that she savored even as tears ran down her cheeks.

“I love you, kitten. Trust in me. Things might be hard now, but together, we will overcome any obstacle. We will have a future. A happy one, dammit. And we will find Beth. Alive. So wipe those tears, pull up your panties—”

“I’m not wearing any,” she admitted with a wry smile and watery eyes.

He groaned. “Great. Now I get to think of that all day as we ride. You’re killing me, kitten.” He dropped another kiss on her lips, a more thorough one that left her panting. “We’ll finish this later. Right now, it’s time to saddle up and get going before we get more visitors.”

After checking their route on a map he’d brought along, they hopped on his bike. A man on a mission, Brody drove all day, only stopping for gas.

As the miles passed, Hannah found herself getting more and more tense, especially since they’d yet to see any signs of Beth or civilized life.

Then again, what did she expect? That her little sister would leave written notes on posts saying, “Dumb little sister passed this way”?

Still, the longer they traveled, the more the futility of their mission struck her. They could drive forever in this vast, barren landscape and never catch sight of her. One wrong turn, a different route and they’d pass like ships in the night.

And then there was the danger of the zombies and crazy guys like Hannah had encountered. How would poor Beth handle that kind of threat?

Oh god, please let her be all right.

Late the following day, after a night spent in another abandoned motel, this time without incident, they began to spot indications of life. Signs of people in the area were glaringly obvious from the road that had been cleared of vehicles allowing them to make good time, to the smoke spiraling in the sky on the horizon, which pulled at them like a beacon.

Trying to ignore her anxiety over Beth, she found herself thinking back on Brody’s confession of a few nights ago.

He never stopped caring, and he wanted to come back.
She didn’t have a hard time picturing his pride standing in the way of common sense. Brody had never been the type to tuck tail and admit defeat. But his stubbornness had cost them both a lot. Hannah wished she could trust in him completely. The pain of the last year and a half was still an ache in her heart, and her skeptical side couldn’t help wondering if he’d leave eventually looking for greener pastures again.

Brody cursed and downshifted the gears on the bike, startling Hannah. Lifting her head from where it rested on his back, she peered around his wide shoulders to see two men dressed ruggedly in jeans and ball caps, standing in the middle of the road, rifles aimed menacingly.

“What do they want?” she asked, fear pitching her voice high.

“I don’t know, so let me do the talking,” he said as he slowed the bike down. She noted he pulled the gun from his waistband and placed it on his lap.

Brody stopped about fifteen feet from the two men, one of whom had his rifle pointed at them. The other lowered his gun and held a hand up in a stopping motion. When Brody killed the engine, the man spoke.

“Howdy, folks. You wouldn’t be Brody and Hannah, would you?”

Hannah knew her jaw dropped, even as her heart sped up. If they knew their names and expected them, that could only mean…

“Beth!” she cried. “Is she here?”

The one pointing the gun lowered it and smiled, and Hannah noticed how young he was. “She sure is. When we heard she’d run away and that you’d probably come looking for her, we stationed some guys to keep an eye out for you.”

“Why the guns then?” asked Brody, his body still tense.

“It always pays to be safe. Not only have the zombies begun roaming in search of food, but we’ve had run-ins with a few dickheads who seem to think that no cops means they can do what the hell they like.”

Brody relaxed. “Fair enough. A shame the virus didn’t specifically target assholes.”

“No kidding. My name’s Joel by the way,” said the older one, holding out his hand. Brody leaned forward and shook it. “And this here is my son, Mike.”

Another handshake. All this polite introduction crap was enough to make Hannah want to scream. She bit her lip to hold it in. She didn’t care about their names. She wanted to see Beth.

Impatient, she blurted out. “Where’s my sister? Can I see her?”
And shake her for scaring the crap out of me!
Hannah couldn’t believe they’d actually found her. A part of her had thought their search would be fruitless.

“She’s back at the village. Why don’t you follow us?”

Boarding some dirt bikes of their own, Joel and Mike led the way down the road, passing farms with tilled fields and livestock grazing. They eventually entered a bustling town—an extremely outdated one with clapboard and stone buildings.

Brody parked his bike in front of a house that Mike claimed was his. They dismounted, Hannah rubbing her sore posterior.

“Hannah!” Beth squealed as she came running out the front door. She threw herself into Hannah’s arms and promptly burst into tears.

Hannah squeezed her little sister tight and closed her eyes as tears leaked in relief. She allowed a few minutes of sobbing and hugging before she shook her sister. “What did you think you were doing? Do you have any idea how dangerous your road trip was? Or how worried we all were?”

Beth ducked her head. “I know it was stupid. And lucky. I ran into some zombies the next town over. It was only by chance I got out alive. Mike was on a supply mission when he and Joel heard me screaming. They killed the zombies and rescued me.” Beth darted a look over at Mike, who talked with Brody, the hero worship in her eyes evident.

“Oh, Bethie,” said Hannah. “I’m so glad you didn’t get hurt. You were damned lucky.” Beyond lucky. If those guys hadn’t heard her… Hannah shuddered to think of the outcome.

“I know what I did was stupid. Mike lectured me pretty good. I’m sorry, Hannah. I shouldn’t have run off like that.”

Beth apologizing? Hannah couldn’t have been more stunned if she’d been slapped. “Yes, well, at least you’re safe.”

“Safe and so happy. Oh, Hannah, this place is so amazing. I only got here a day ago, but Mike gave me a tour. And there’s so much going on. So many people. Can we stay please? There’s all kinds of things I could do here, and they’ve got extra houses and…”

As her sister gushed, Hannah found herself overwhelmed and held up her hands. “Whoa, Bethie. We just got here, and it’s too soon to really make a decision.” Her sister’s happy smile faded, and Hannah said, “But, I guess if you really want to stay, then I can’t stop you. However, just so you know, I am going back. We had to leave Uncle Fred alone while we came after you.”

“Are you serious though? I can stay?” Without waiting for confirmation, Beth clapped her hands in glee and turned to Mike, who had approached. “Did you hear that, Mike? I can stay.”

Looking at the smiles they exchanged, Hannah felt like sighing. It would seem Beth had found more than a new community. Hannah was happy for her. Beth deserved to have someone to love her and give her the family and home life she craved.

Thing was, could Hannah leave everything she knew to join her?

They spent the rest of that day touring the Amish village. As with the rest of the world, everyone in the Amish village, save one family, had died. That family had welcomed the newcomers as they straggled in. In return for protection from the zombies and survivors gone mad, they showed them how to live off the land.

The village seemed very self-sufficient with a windmill and waterwheel for a limited amount of power and for the grinding of wheat into flour. They had a smokehouse for curing meats, a general store for people to gather in and exchange produce, and even a schoolhouse with a dozen children.

The community itself had gathered over forty people, and as Joel confided, they expected that number to swell as some of the young men had gone out on scouting trips and brought back not only goods but also survivors.

“We could use a healthy couple like you,” Joel said as they sat around that evening playing cards by the light of an oil lamp.

Couple? It startled her somewhat to hear of them referred to that way, but then again, wasn’t it true? She and Brody had reconnected, but what were their plans for the future? Was it here where everything was so strange? Or back home where she had her memories and things?

As Brody glanced her way, Hannah realized he wanted her to answer.
He’s leaving me the choice.
“I appreciate the offer, but my Uncle Fred is back home, and, well, I don’t think I’m ready to leave my family home quite yet. But we’ll definitely be back to visit.”

Hannah kind of expected Beth to protest, but engrossed in Mike’s presence, she barely paid Hannah attention. Brody, however, bore a crease between his brows.
Does he want to stay?

She could see the appeal of all these people and resources. But she’d also seen the fires outside and heard the men talking about how having such a high concentration of folk drew not only thugs looking to cause trouble but zombies. Lots of them.

“We first noted it once the snow melted and the roads cleared. At first it was one or two at a time, every other day. Now we get some almost daily. Not many mind you, but enough that we don’t recommend people wander around on their own or without protection.”

“What’s drawing them do you think?” Brody asked.

“Us. To them we’re food. And, I imagine, given the state of most of them, they’re starving. I don’t know how they keep finding us, but we’ve had to up our vigilance. We’ve even created some blockades out in the fields in order to force them to go around. Funnel them if you will to come at us in areas we patrol.”