Broken World (Book 3): Mad World (7 page)

6
Axl

IT TAKES THREE TRIES TO FIND A CAR with an alarm. Soon as it goes off, the zombies come runnin’. We’re only one street away from the Strip, but this time we’re behind Paris. We’re gonna get in through the back door.

Winston speeds away from the shriekin’ alarm and heads toward the Paris hotel. The fake Eiffel Tower is right in front of us. I stare out the window as it gets closer, searchin’ for an alley or some other way to get in the back. There’s gotta be an employee entrance or something.

“There!” Trey yells from behind me.

Winston slams on the breaks, and I almost hit my head on the back of his seat. I woulda missed it if Trey hadn’t pointed it out. The street is mostly blocked by a burnt-out car.

The alley leads to a narrow street that runs behind the casinos. We turn the corner, and the employee parkin’ lot for Paris is right in front of us. There are zombies back here, but it ain’t nothin’ like out on the Strip.

“Can’t be more than thirty of ‘em,” Angus says.

“Better than the Strip,” Nathan says from the passenger seat.

“I told you there was a back road,” Darla calls from behind me. She’s grinnin’ so big I wouldn’t be surprised if she patted herself on the back.

Angus gives her one of his stupid-lookin’ monkey smiles. His lips all puckered and his jaw tight. I look away. Makes me sick to my stomach. But Angus don’t know she’s Vivian’s mom, and I try to convince myself he’d care if he did. It don’t really work.

Winston parks the car and looks back at us. “Everyone ready? It’s going to be rough.”

I grab the duffel bag off the seat next to me and hop out without waitin’ for anybody else. We’re only ‘bout ten feet from the back door, but I doubt it’s unlocked. And it’s metal. It ain’t like we’re just gonna be able to break the glass or nothin’.

I run up to the door, stabbin’ two zombies in the head as I pass ‘em. First I try the handle, but it don’t budge. “Fuck,” I mutter, tossin’ the duffel to the ground and rummagin’ ‘round ‘til I find the crowbar I brought. I can hear the others behind me, so I don’t even bother lookin’ over my shoulder. Angus’ll have my back.

It only takes a few minutes of pryin’ at the door to get it open. It comes loose with a crack that vibrates through my body. I shove the crowbar back in the duffel and get to my feet.

“Got it!”

I don’t even look back before I rip the door open. Thankfully, I’m ready. A zombie with almost no skin on his face is just inside the door. Chunks of flesh are missin’ from its arms and legs, and most of its clothes have been ripped off. Looks like a lot of the damage was done when it was still human. It moves slow, draggin’ a broken ankle behind it. I slash my knife deep into its brain just as the others run inside.

I move further in, motionin’ for everybody to follow. Never been in this part of the casino, so I ain’t sure where to go, but it don’t take me long to find the stairs that lead to the pool. The stairwell is empty, just like the last time I was here. So I charge up, not restin’ ‘til I’m out on the roof.

I hafta stop and catch my breath when I reach the top. The sun’s bright on the roof, reflectin’ off the pool. The rocks in my stomach get heavier when I think ‘bout the last time I was here. With Vivian. Her naked body. Damn.

I gotta get her back.

I toss my duffel aside while I wait for the others. They’re all huffin’ and puffin’ when they reach the top. Angus looks pretty pissed off.

“We gotta block the door,” I say, ignorin’ the dirty looks from my brother.

He’s bent over tryin’ to catch his breath. Breathin’ harder than anybody else. He ain’t used to physical activity. I played football in high school and worked construction, so I’ve always been in shape. Angus ain’t done nothin’ but sit on his ass his whole life. Shoulda taken better care of himself.

Trey recovers faster than the others, then helps me pull chairs and tables over to stack in front of the door. It ain’t much, but it’s all we got.

“Now what?” Nathan asks.

“We can see out onto the Strip from behind them cabanas. It’s a tight squeeze, but Vivian and me did it last time we was up here.”

He nods and heads that way. “Let’s check it out.”

I follow even though I ain’t real happy ‘bout workin’ with him. But he’s willin’, and I need an extra set of eyes. The Monte Carlo ain’t close, and with all the bodies walkin’ ‘round down on the Strip, it could be pretty hard to check things out.

“You have those binoculars?” Nathan asks as he squeezes in between the cabanas.

“Yup.”

He glances back and frowns. “You ever going to stop hating me?”

I shrug and find myself puckerin’ my lips. Just like Angus. I hate it when he does that. “Maybe, if you help me get Vivian back.”

“I get it,” he says over his shoulder.

There ain’t much room behind the cabanas, and it’s hard to get close to the edge with all the bushes planted back here. Nathan tries to push his way closer, but it don’t work. After a couple minutes strugglin’, he grabs a bush and jerks it up, then tosses it over the rail. He pulls a few more up ‘til there’s enough room for us to squeeze behind the building.

I climb on back next to him and look through the binoculars, studyin’ the Strip ‘til I find the Monte Carlo. It don’t look no different from the other casinos. There are just as many of the dead in front of it as every other hotel.

“See anything?”

I shake my head. “Fuckin’ zombies.”

I move the binoculars up and down, studyin’ the whole building. The sun’s up, so it’s impossible to tell if the electricity is on inside. We may be able to get a better look at things after dark.

Angus squeezes in behind us and stands next to me. “What’d you find?”

“Nothin’,” I say. “Not a damn thing.”

The three of us stand there in silence for a few minutes, passin’ the binoculars back and forth. I’m startin’ to think this might be a waste of time. I’m gonna hafta go in.

“I gotta get in there.”

Angus frowns and puckers his lips. “No way. You don’t know what’s goin’ on in there.”

I yank the binoculars outta his hand and look back down at the Monte Carlo, studyin’ the sidewalk in front of the casino. The only thing that looks even slightly outta place is the van parked in front. But that don’t mean nothin’. Somebody coulda broke down there before the dead took over the city.

“So now what?” Nathan asks.

“We wait. We watch the place and come up with a plan,” I say, but I know exactly what I’m gonna end up doin’. No matter what Angus says, I gotta get in there.

Angus puckers his lips again. He looks even dumber in this light than usual. More like a monkey tryin’ to figure something out.

“You ain’t gonna run off half-cocked. You’re smarter than that, little brother.” I shake my head, but he don’t let me get a word out. “She’s gotten in your head and you ain’t thinkin’ straight.”

My shoulders tighten. We’ve had this conversation already. I told him I loved her. Guess I shouldn’t expect him to understand. Angus don’t love nobody. Probably not even Angus.

“I won’t leave her there, Angus.”

He swears and spits over the side of the building, wipin’ his mouth with his hand. “I ain’t tellin’ you to. I just wanna be sure you don’t run off and ditch us. You can’t do this alone.”

“You got any ideas?” I spit at him.

“I’m workin’ on it. Just give me some time. Have I ever steered you wrong? I always been there for you. Always.” Nathan clears his throat behind us and shuffles around like he wants to get out, but Angus is blockin’ the way. “You andd me against the world. That’s what we always said. You think I forgot it just ‘cause you did? Just ‘cause you’re gonna choose a pair a tits over me don’t mean that’s what I’m gonna do.”

My jaw tightens, and I cringe when my teeth scrape together. Angus has steered me wrong lots of times, only he can’t see that. All that hatin’ people and tellin’ me that trailer trash was all I could ever be. He held me back. Not that it matters none now. I’d still be screwed if I’d gone to college. Zombies don’t care if you got an education. But I am worth something. Vivian taught me that.

“You still gonna do it, ain’t ya?” Angus spits again, and it comes awful close to landin’ on Nathan’s shoe. He makes a face but don’t say nothin’.

“I ain’t promisin’ you a thing,” I say. “She’s in danger, and I won’t just walk away.”

7
Vivian

I WAKE UP IN A NICE, WARM BED with a warm body pressed up against me. My hand moves across the sheets, reaching for Axl. Just as my fingers touch his chest, everything that happened yesterday comes screaming back, and my eyes fly open. It’s Jon sleeping next to me, not Axl. A sob forces its way out of my mouth and I roll away. I don’t remember falling asleep in the same bed with him.

His green eyes flutter open, and he tilts his head my way. His mouth turns up into a tentative smile. “Sorry. I didn’t want to sleep on the floor.”

I nod and scoot further away, very aware of the fact that I’m not wearing pants.

Jon moves to the other side of the mattress, but he doesn’t get up. He yawns and stretches. Acts like being in bed with me is the most natural thing in the world. I pull the sheet up to my chin.

He rolls his eyes and cracks his knuckles. “So tell me about your group. Where have you been staying? How many people do you have?”

I take a deep breath. How much do I tell him? I’m still not sure about this guy. I made it through the night without being attacked, but I can’t forget how I got here. I don’t trust him completely. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

“We have a safe place outside the city.” I meet his gaze, but there’s no way he’ll be able to miss how elusive that answer is. “There will probably be four or five of our people at Paris.”

He narrows his eyes. “Okay. So who will be there? Other than this Axl guy.”

Who will be there? That’s a good question. “Axl’s brother, Angus, for sure.” He isn’t really a big fan of me, but he’d never let Axl go without him.

Jon frowns. “Angus and Axl? How white trash are these guys?”

My shoulders tense, and I sit up. Axl may be trailer trash, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let someone else put him down. Especially this guy. Angus I don’t give a shit about. “Watch it. Axl may not have grown up with much, but he’s smart and resourceful.”

Jon smiles, and I have the sudden urge to punch him. “You’re not going to stick up for Angus?”

I shrug and lean back against the headboard. “Angus is an ass and he’s trash all the way through, but he has his uses. And Axl loves him. I wouldn’t put up with him for anyone else. But for Axl…” Tears sting at the back of my eyes, and I have to look away.

“I get it.”

I clear my throat and swipe the back of my hand across my eyes. “Anyway, Winston and Trey will probably be there too. We picked Trey up on Route 66. He and his girlfriend were headed west after New York fell. We found Winston up in San Francisco along with another group.” I bite my lower lip and consider who else might be there. Anne? Probably not, she has Jake. Would Moira let Nathan out of her sight? It’s hard to say since I don’t know them very well, but it’s possible. He was the leader of their group. “Probably Nathan,” I say hesitantly. “We just found him a few days ago.” Has it really been only a few days since we went to Sam’s Club? It feels like years.

Jon nods and lets out a sigh. “I’m really sorry for getting you into this.”

He doesn’t sound too sorry, more like he’s only saying it to make me feel better. He’d probably slit my throat if it meant getting his sister back. Not that I can really blame him that much. I’d slit his throat if Axl were in danger and it would somehow save him. That’s the kind of world we live in now. Kill or be killed. Not a pleasant thought. Thinking about how much the world has changed in such a short time makes me nauseous.

“Let’s focus on something else,” I say.

He nods and climbs out of bed. He’s wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs, and I pull the covers up to my chin, feeling even more vulnerable than before.

His green eyes meet mine, and he grabs a pair of pants, shaking his head. “I’m not going to touch you.”

“I think you would,” I say. “If you had to do it to save Megan.”

Jon stops mid-zip and presses his lips together. “How would raping you save Megan?”

My throat tightens just hearing him say the word. He’s not going to do it, though. I’m safe with him. Hopefully. “I’m not saying it would. I’m just pointing out that you would do it if you had to.”

He looks down at the floor and swallows, but eventually nods. “You’re probably right. She’s all I have left.”

Panic builds in my chest. Even though I knew it was true, hearing him acknowledge it is terrifying. But it’s a stupid thing to worry about. There’s no way it would ever come to that. It doesn’t even make sense. Then again, neither did zombies a few weeks ago. Anything can happen these days.

Jon zips his pants and pulls a shirt over his head. Now that he’s dressed, my chest isn’t quite as tight. “They’ll be back to get you in a bit. Do you want to take a shower before you go?”

“Yeah,” I say, stepping out of bed on shaky legs. He looks away. Probably to make me feel better. “Thanks.” I hate to thank him for anything, but in the suite there are two showers for about thirty women. It would be nice not to have to fight for my turn.

I make it quick. The warm water feels fantastic, but I’m not comfortable being naked in this hotel room with Jon. And it’s not just him. They could come back for me at any moment. Who’s to say they won’t rip me out of this shower and make me walk back to the suite naked? I wouldn’t put anything past these men.

Jon’s laying on the bed when I come out. Cool air from the AC whooshes across the room and goose bumps form on my arms and legs. I wish I had more clothes on. Jon is just staring at me, and even though it isn’t sexual, it makes me squirm. I cross my arms over my chest as if that will cover up the fact that I’m not wearing a bra. It won’t, of course. Not for the first time, I realize how much of a liability these double D’s might be in this new reality I’m living in.

I can’t focus on all that right now. They’ll be here to get me any minute, and we still need to nail down a few details. “So what are you thinking? How will you get word to me after you meet with Axl?”

Jon sits up and runs his hand down his face. He looks exhausted. Like he hasn’t slept in months. We probably all look like that nowadays. “I’ll figure out a way. Get you or Hadley for a night.”

“Hadley,” I say firmly.

He shakes his head and frowns like he thinks I’m stupid. “I don’t know if you’re really thinking this through. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for her?”

“I am.” I look down so he doesn’t see the uncertainty on my face.

“Alright then, if you that’s what you want.”

“It is.” It isn’t, but I know I could recover. I don’t know if Hadley could.

“What if I can’t find your friends? What should I do if they aren’t at Paris?”

“They will be.” But he has a point. What then? I sigh and shake my head. “If they aren’t there, I guess I’ll have to tell you where our shelter is. But for now you need to get to Paris.”

Someone pounds on the door, and I almost jump out of my too-big T-shirt. Jon gets to his feet, giving me a sympathetic look as he crosses the room. My heart pounds when he opens the door, revealing the now familiar face of Linebacker One.

“Time’s up.”

Jon squares his shoulders and turns to me, then tilts his head toward the door. “Go on.” His voice is cold, just like it was in the van.

I do as I’m told and walk toward the door. The linebacker grabs my forearm, jerking it so hard I’m forced to uncross my arms.

He puckers his lips and nods, looking me over before turning back to Jon. “She a good fuck?”

I shudder and look up to see Jon smiling. “Oh yeah.”

The linebacker doesn’t respond. He drags me down the hall, looking me over as we go. “Gonna have to go out on a run,” he mumbles to himself as we wait for the elevator to open. “Get you on a free night. You already got somebody tonight, though.” He smiles and raises his eyebrows as he jerks me forward again, stepping into the elevator. “You’re gonna be a popular one.”

I swallow as my body starts to tremble. Someone has already requested me for the night? It can’t be Jon, so that means I’m in trouble.

I
can
handle it. I’ve been through worse.

The words go through my head over and over again while we walk. Thinking them doesn’t make them true, though. My dad beat the shit out of me more times than I can count, but I’ve never been raped. Never.

When I get back to the suite, I find Hadley sitting in the exact same place she was when I left. Her eyes meet mine as I head her way, and her face crumples.

Yes, I’ve made the right decision. If I can protect her, I will.

I lower myself onto the floor next to her, and she puts her hand on my leg. “Are you okay?”

I nod and glance across the room. Megan hasn’t moved either, and I can barely see her face. If anything, she’s even more covered by blankets than she was yesterday.

“He didn’t touch me,” I whisper.

Hadley’s eyes get huge, and she opens her mouth to say something. Probably ask questions. But I shake my head. I don’t want anyone to hear. Who knows if these women would turn us in?

I lean so close to Hadley that my lips almost touch her ear, then tell her what happened with Jon. She grabs my leg, and the longer I talk, the harder she squeezes. By the time I’m done, she’s shaking with excitement and hope.

“We’re going to be okay?” she whispers.

I bite down on my lip and swallow. “Yes. Eventually.” My insides constrict. Eventually. But first I have to get through tonight. Hopefully, no one comes looking for her.

Hadley glances toward the battered girl across the room. “We need to talk to her.”

I look around, but no one seems to be paying attention to us. Still, I don’t want them to start. Drawing attention to ourselves right now would be bad. “Let’s wait a bit. Try not to make it obvious that we’re seeking her out.”

Hadley nods and we go back to sitting in silence. There isn’t much else to do. The other women in the room do the same, talking to one another occasionally in hushed tones, but mostly they just sleep or stare off into space. As a whole they’re a pretty defeated bunch.

And we’re going to be leaving them behind. My insides tighten even more, and I clench my fists. We don’t have a choice, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. These women are going to spend the rest of their days like this. It’s almost too much to bear.

***

My stomach is growling when the door opens and one of the linebackers brings in a box of food for lunch. More vending machine junk, but still food. Just like yesterday, they dump it in the middle of the floor. The women go crazy. Hadley and I are all the way across the room, so there’s a crowd already fighting for the food by the time we get there. We have to push our way through. By the looks of it, there’s even less to choose from than there was last night.

I do my best not to feel guilty as I elbow my way through the crowd. These women may be starving, but I have to keep my strength up if I want to make it out of this alive. I get my hands on one bag, but go in for another. Megan needs something.

Just as my fingers wrap around a second one, somebody shoves me back. A red-faced, smelly blonde woman in her thirties snarls at me like a rabid dog. “Move!”

I stumble back with my food clutched to my chest and watch as the blonde woman wrestles someone for a Twinkie. She was probably attractive once, but she’s clearly stopped trying. Her hair is filthy and matted to her head. She smells like death and body odor mingled with just a hint of piss. She’s probably doing it on purpose. Trying to make herself less appealing. I wonder if it works.

I won’t be around long enough to try out her approach, though. Not if I have anything to say about it.

“What’d you get?” Hadley asks as we walk back toward our pillow.

“Cheez-Its and animal crackers. You?”

“Strawberry Pop-Tarts.”

I stop when we reach Megan and tilt my head toward the sleeping girl, holding up the bag of animal crackers. “Now’s our chance.”

Hadley looks around and nods. No one is paying attention to us. They’re too busy eating. Tearing into the packages of processed food like animals. They’re starving, so I try not to judge. Maybe I’ll be the same way if I’m still here in a few weeks. I’d like to think I’d be able to hold it together a little better, but no matter how strong a person is, everyone has their breaking point.

I kneel down next to Megan and gently tap her shoulder. She flinches, and her eyes fly open. Wide with terror. They look exactly like her brother’s. Green and intense, swimming with the pain and loss they’ve endured. Her face is spotted with bruises, but a lot of them have faded and turned into an ugly yellowish color. Her eye is still pretty swollen though, and her lip is split. It’s going to be a while before she’s completely healed. If ever.

“It’s okay.” I try to sound as gentle and reassuring as possible, but she doesn’t relax. I sit down next to her and brush the hair from her face. “It’s okay. Jon sent me.”

A sob shakes her body, and her eyes fill with tears. She trembles and opens her mouth, letting out a strangled sound that could only be her brother’s name. It sounds more like a wail.

I hold the bag of cookies out to her. “I brought you some food. Why don’t you sit up?” She hesitates, and I decide not to give her a choice. I grab her by the arm and pull her up to a sitting position. She winces but doesn’t lay back down.