Dead Endz (18 page)

“This is truly a miracle,” said my mother.

My dad picked up his rifle. “Well, I think we’d better get the hell out of here. Kristie needs to know that Paige is safe.”

“Yeah. By the way, how in the world did you find us?” I asked.

He sighed. “We’ve been scouring the city for you and Paige, day and night. It was by chance that I noticed her running away from the hotel earlier. Good thing we were armed or I don’t if things would have turned out in our favor.”

“Yeah,” said Billie. “I’m a horrible shot so if it wasn’t for your parents, I don’t know what would have happened.”

“That’s an understatement,” snickered Nora, who’d been busy picking guns off the dead criminals. “You couldn’t even commit suicide without missing.”

“Wow, has she always been so witty?” asked Billie.

“You just have that effect on me,” she replied.

I was starting to think it was something more from the way she was looking at him. He didn’t seem to have a clue, either.

Men.

I walked over and gave Billie a quick hug. “That’s okay Billie,” I said. “I appreciate your help.”

“Thank you,” he said, giving Nora a sideways glance. “I haven’t felt appreciated at all since you disappeared.”

“Oh, stop being such a whiner,” she said with a snicker. “Fine, you’ve done a great job, okay? Feel better?”

“Gee, thanks Nora,” he said with a wry smile.

Nora rolled her eyes.

“So, what now?” I asked.

“We’d better get back to our group. Paige’s mom is going to be ecstatic when we bring all of you guys back. We shouldn’t keep her waiting any longer,” said my mom.

“We have to get a friend of mine, Luke,” said Bryce. “He’s up in the penthouse.”

Belinda, who’d been in a silent kind of daze the entire time, cleared her throat. “Well, um he is my nephew and should probably stay with me,” she said. “In fact you all are welcome here. This hotel is pretty secure and the generator’s still working.”

“You know,” said my dad. “This place would be an ideal zombie fallout shelter. It’s got to be better than the furniture store we’ve been staying in.”

I nodded. “It’s pretty luxurious. Or at least it will be once we get these dead bodies out of here.”

We all looked down at the bodies and grimaced.

My dad sighed. “Let’s let Dr. Schultzenheimer and the others know we’ve secured this place. He can probably move his lab over here, too. It’ll be much safer for everyone, especially the children.”

“My God!” gasped Bryce with a stricken look on his face. “Bobby! How could I have forgotten…is he okay?”

My dad nodded and smiled. “He’s doing fine. Misses you but we’ve been keeping him entertained.”

Bryce looked mortified. “I just can’t believe… how could I forget about that little guy? He’s everything to me.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “It’s okay.”

“Man, I feel like such a jerk. I still can’t believe I’d forgotten about my own little brother.” He scowled. “I had some kind of injury and things are just coming back to me. Slowly, too slowly apparently.”

“You’re alive and that’s what counts,” said my dad. “We’ll take you with us so you can be reunited. I’ve even taken him under my wing. He’s a very special kid.”

“He really is,” agreed Bryce. “Thanks for looking out for him.”

Seeing that Bryce was still torn up about Bobby, my mom walked over to him and gave him a hug. “You know, Bobby is going to be so excited to see you. Don’t be so hard on yourself. He’s taking all of this very well.”

“I guess it’s kind of a blessing that he’s special,” said Bryce. “Most kids would have lost it or completely shut down.”

Bobby is six and has Down’s syndrome. He’s so lovable and his attitude towards life, even after everything that’s happened, is still surprisingly innocent and filled with joy.

“Let’s go get the others. Belinda, isn’t it?” asked my dad.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Why don’t you and Carly go back to the penthouse and lock yourselves in while we’re gone?”

She smiled and grabbed Carly’s hand. “Let’s go Carly. I think both of us could use a drink.”

“Save one for me,” smiled my dad. “It’s been a long week.”

“Billie and I can stay behind and toss out the stiffs,” said Nora. “Make sure no other zombies get inside.”

My dad nodded. “That sounds great. Thanks.”

“Ready, Wild?” asked Bryce, grabbing my hand.

I nodded and then glanced back at my parents who were now also holding hands and looking rather pleased. She whispered something to him and he laughed heartily, then reached over and kissed her on the lips. The look on her face was of pure happiness and it made me smile. Now that I’d fallen madly for Bryce, I had a new appreciation for my parent’s relationship.

“I can’t wait to see Bobby,” said Bryce.

“I can’t wait to see Allie,” I answered as we walked out of the atrium. “I feel like it’s been a lifetime since I’ve last seen her.”

“You’re dad’s right. It
has
been a long couple of weeks,” he said.

Bryce had just pulled me towards the lobby of the hotel when the ding of the elevator surprised us all. I turned around and watched as one of the elevator doors opened up and Rico started firing his rifle. Bryce quickly pulled me through the revolving door, but not before my mother’s screams and my father’s cries crushed my very soul.

Two weeks later….

Chapter Thirty-Two

After moving everyone from the warehouse into the hotel, we’d held a special ceremony for my parents and for Carly who’d also been killed by the gunfire, to honor their memories. I was there but can honestly say I don’t remember much. The pain in my heart was so overwhelming that all I could do was clench my fists and keep from screaming at the top of my lungs.

Other than that, I could barely speak and I could barely move. I had to keep reminding myself to breathe.

When the service was over I stayed in bed for two days, until Bryce found me sulking there and dragged me out.

“You have to keep going,” he said. “There are still people who love you and need you. Don’t do this.”

“Two of those people died,” I mumbled into my pillow.

“But the rest of us are still here,” he said.

So was the pain and it was burning a hole in my heart.

“At least get up for your sister,” he pleaded. “She really needs you.”

My sister. She was what finally gave me the energy to get out of bed. Plus, I was tired of the nightmares which were relentless and terrifying, full of death and misery. I was tormented by them within minutes of closing my eyes, whether it was day or night, it didn’t matter. So after I left my bed, I simply avoided sleep whenever I could, by drinking energy drinks and staying busy by helping to organize the shelter, scouting zombies, or giving blood to Dr. Schultzenheimer for his research. But when exhaustion overrode my war against sleep, the sounds of my parents cries as they were being riddled with bullets, tortured my dreams. My only consolation was that Allie hadn’t been around when they were killed.

As expected, my sister hadn’t taken their deaths well, either. Her agonized cries would haunt me for the rest of my life. She’d actually cried non-stop for two days and then just quit making any kind of sound, including talking or answering questions. She just sat in her room all day, staring out the window. It was hard getting her to eat or even shower. To me she seemed like a shell of her old self. I couldn’t really blame her. Hell, I was barely hanging on myself.

“You have to do something,” pleaded Kylie after trying to talk Allie into getting out of her room. “It’s been two weeks. She doesn’t even respond to Goldie anymore.”

I guess when Allie and Goldie had first met, she’d fallen in love with the bundle of energy and they’d been like two peas in a pod, totally inseparable. Now the poor dog was confused because my sister wouldn’t play with her anymore. Goldie returned to my bed every night but I could tell that she was also affected by the melancholy in the air.

I stared at her. “Like what? I don’t know how to get through to her. She’s devastated and frankly, I understand it. She just needs more time.”

“It’s much worse than that and you’re her sister. She needs you.”

I sighed. “She needs more than me.”

Kristie, who was stacking supplies in the hotel’s pantry, must have heard our conversation because she had to put in her two cents. “No,” she said squeezing my shoulder. “You both need each other. Now more than anything.”

The truth of the matter was that I was overwhelmed with guilt. My parents had come to my rescue and had lost their lives because of it. Whenever I looked at Allie, I felt like I’d betrayed the both of us. I should have done something more to help them. I’d let my guard down and now the two people who brought me into this world were gone, forever. And even worse, today was my eighteenth birthday. The pain of them not sharing it with me was just another blade in the heart.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I mumbled, walking away.

Later that afternoon Bryce came to the hotel suite that Allie and I were sharing. She was sleeping in her bedroom and I was feeling sorry for myself and thinking about the year before and how special it had been. My parents had thrown a big party for my birthday and all of my relatives and friends had been there. It now felt like a dream.

“You too busy to talk, again?” asked Bryce as he kneeled down to pet Goldie. I’d been doing my best to avoid him the last couple of weeks but was secretly pleased with his persistence to be near me.

I stared at the twin dragons on his forearms, remembering the first time we’d met. Everything was so innocent then and it felt like eons ago. “I guess not.”

“Hey girl,” he said, laughing at the dog’s antics.

I watched Goldie attack him playfully, jumping on his legs, nuzzling his face, totally starved for attention. Even I felt ashamed of not giving her enough time lately.

“So,” he said standing back up. “Happy birthday.” He then walked towards me and pulled me into his arms.

I closed my eyes and inhaled a slight woodsy scent. He must have gotten his hands back on some cologne because he smelled awesome. “Thanks,” I murmured.

He lifted my chin and smiled. “So…you’re legal now, Wild.”

I shook my head.

“What?” he asked with laughter in his.

Of course I knew what he was talking about. I could feel his desire every time he held me close. I was kind of impressed that he hadn’t put any kind of pressure on me.

Goldie was over by her food dish so I stepped away from him and grabbed her bag of food. “Legal huh? To whom or for what?” I asked, pouring kibble into the dog’s dish.

“Open up your imagination,” he said with a devilish grin.

I turned to him and raised my eyebrows.

He burst out laughing and then grabbed me by my waist. “Oh, Wild.”

“Obviously, I know what you’re talking about,” I said. “But I thought you and Belinda had something special going on.”

He burst out laughing. “Oh..God…you still won’t let up about that. Nothing happened!”

“That’s not what she remembers, you “dirty boy”,” I said with a cocky grin.

I knew he’d never have sex with her, memory loss or not. It was pretty funny though and I just couldn’t bring myself to stop teasing him.

“Well, I am a dirty boy,” he said, pulling me closer. “But I’m all yours; if that’s okay with you?”

“Maybe.”

I could feel the blush on my cheeks as he traced a finger alongside it. His ice blue eyes burned into mine. “Seriously, though, how are you
really
doing?”

I blinked away a new threat of tears. “Well…I’m trying to deal with things.”

“You don’t have to do it alone, you know. I’m here for you,” he whispered into my hair after pulling me close.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’ll be fine.”

He ran his fingers through the back of my hair. “It tears me up inside, knowing the pain you’re in. Jesus, Wild…let me help you.”

“Bryce, I’m not going to burden you with my problems,” I said, stepping away. “You have enough of your own. Plus, you have a little boy to raise now and I’m not going to make that any harder.”

“Come on…there’s nothing that you could do that would make it harder for me to care for Bobby. If anything, you make my life easier. You definitely make it better.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. “You make mine better too.”

“Jesus, you’re so beautiful,” he said. “I could stare at you all day.”

Then his lips captured mine and he kissed me with such passion my legs began to tremble. The pressure of his hands on my hips stirred a need in me that I had no idea even existed. It was deep, intense and I suddenly felt like I just couldn’t get enough of his mouth. I grabbed the front of his t-shirt, pulled him with me to the couch and sat on his lap, returning his kisses with everything I had.

“Wild,” he groaned as his hands began to massage my back. Slowly, they moved over to the front of my shirt where he cupped my breasts, squeezing them gently.

“You okay?” he whispered, his lips now on my neck.

“Mm…,” I murmured, not wanting him to stop kissing me.

This time he reached under my shirt and touched my bare skin with his hands. He froze. “You’re not wearing a bra,” he groaned.

“Is that okay?”

“Jesus.”

From the hardness in his jeans I knew he didn’t mind at all. Nor did I mind his excitement. In fact I pressed against him further, enjoying all of the sensations; the pressure below, the way he squeezed my breasts and his hot mouth moving around my neck.

He suddenly removed his hands and mouth. “Not here,” he said his voice husky.”

I nodded.

Just when I thought he was going to pick me up and carry me to my bedroom he surprised me. “You know, I’d love to keep doing this but I really came here to invite you to dinner.”

Part of me was beyond disappointed. I was intrigued with the new sensations he’d caused my body to feel and wanted to explore them further. A bigger part of me was still too shy to declare that kind of thing out loud. So, instead, I just got off his lap and mumbled, “Dinner?”