Mail Horror Bride (One Nation Under Zombies Book 1) (25 page)

“I didn’t hit the deer on purpose.”

She didn’t say a word to him, simply took the ten steps toward the groaning zombie that had reached them and drove the point of her blade into its skull. Beyond it, a group of a dozen or more lumbered forward, drawn by the sound of the accident.

“What do we do now?” Janjai asked, voice trembling. “Can we outrun them?”

“We need to get our stuff,” Hal said. “We packed for a ride, not a walk. We need to get rid of these guys and then pack bare essentials into backpacks.”

“Can’t you shoot some from here?” Maura suggested. “Thin out the herd a little?”

He looked over at them, now fifty feet away. Far enough he could pick them off one by one. “Gunshots can draw more.”

“So the three of us are just supposed to hack our way through what, fifteen or so of them?” Maura jerked her head in Janjai’s direction.

The woman stared straight ahead at the zombies, eyes round, both hands white-knuckling the handle of her knife. The deer they’d hit jerked and she jumped, crying out.

Hal checked his gun again as the deer thrashed its front legs, making sounds of distress as it tried to stand but couldn’t get its back legs to work. Thirteen bullets. Twelve after he took care of the deer.

“What are you doing?” Maura asked as he squatted next to the injured animal.

“Sorry, friend.” He shot it in the temple, ending its suffering.

“No!” Maura shoved him, knocking him down. “How could you kill it?”

“It was in agony!” He gestured toward its back legs as he stood. “Its back legs were broken, probably its hips as well. Letting it die slow would have been cruel.”

“You’re a bastard.”

“A bastard would have let it feel pain.” He turned toward the zombies, now twenty feet away, and aimed at the closest one. He lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger. The body went down so he moved to the next, picking them off one by one. “I’ll pick off the majority then we switch to blades. Be ready in case any get past me.”

“They won’t get past me.”

He turned to see Angela come around the other side of the vehicle before taking aim and dropping one of the zombies.

“Angela! I told you not to come out here.”

“I’m fine.” She shot another zombie. “Stay alert.”

Hal blinked, registering the sharp tone coming from the young girl.

“Hal!” Janjai pointed her knife at an approaching zombie, bringing him back into the moment.

He turned and pulled the trigger. Between he and Angela, it only took a matter of minutes to shoot them all down. No one had to draw a knife.

Until one that no one had seen approaching from the other direction snuck up behind Janjai.

She screamed and Hal turned, but before he could move another inch Janjai’s survival instinct kicked in. She twisted around, knife raised, and sank the blade into the zombie’s neck as she used her free hand to shove its chest. The zombie, what looked like a blonde female, fell on its back and Janjai followed it down, her knee weighing it down as she stabbed it in the forehead, then repeated the move over and over, blood and brain matter flying.

Hal allowed her ten strikes before grabbing her wrist. “She’s dead, Janjai. You got her.”

She dropped the knife, shaking, tears streaming down her face. He saw her struggle for words but none would form so he pulled her up and turned her around.

“Hey.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “You’re all right. You did real good.”

She nodded, her breaths sharp.

Hal led her to the back of the Explorer where he opened the hatch and rooted around for something to clean her up with. He shook his head as he moved aside a large container of cat litter, having no idea why Maura thought to bring that, and opened a box of baby wipes.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said, careful to keep his tone soft as he removed a wipe and gently wiped the crimson blood spray off her face. “How’s that?”

Janjai nodded. “Better. Thank you. I, I never killed anyone before.”

“You still haven’t. Those monsters aren’t people.”

He rooted around the cargo area again, retrieving plastic storage bags and a clean knife. “The front of this thing is more folded than an accordion. It’s not going anywhere. You all need to pack the bare essentials. Food, water, weapons. As much as you can carry. I’ll pack my own as soon as I carve us some meat to take.”

“Carve some meat off what?” Maura crossed her arms, machete still in her tightly fisted hand.

“The deer.” He gestured toward the dead animal at their feet. “We haven’t eaten real meat in what, a month?”

“Was that your plan when you hit the poor thing? A free meal without having to waste a bullet?”

“Are you serious?” He stepped closer, his normally calm temperament heating up. “Do you really think I would wreck our mode of transportation just to get some venison? And I did use a bullet, to put this creature out of its misery. If you want to have a PETA protest you’ll have to save it for after all the zombies have been exterminated. Right now, our survival depends on us moving and staying healthy. We’ve been eating rice and vegetables for over a month. We need the protein in that meat. I’m taking it. If you don’t want to eat it, that’s on you.”

Maura turned away but not before Hal saw the pure hatred in her eyes. He grabbed her by her upper arm and pulled her a few feet away from the others, carefully stepping over zombie bodies.

“What is it with you?” he asked after releasing her, his voice low so the conversation stayed between the two of them. “I haven’t done anything but help you and the others. There is no reason for this attitude you’re constantly throwing my way. I didn’t kill the deer on purpose, but even if I had it would have been to feed us. Deer are for food. You act like I killed your family pet.”

“It’s not about the deer,” she said between clenched teeth.

“Then what is it about?”

“Who are you?”

“What?” Alarm bells sounded in Hal’s head. “I gave you my name.”

“Yeah, you did. I wonder what results a Google search would give me on that name, if it’s even real. I guess it’s good for you we don’t have internet access, huh?”

Hal narrowed his eyes. “What are you getting at?”

“I heard you and Angela the night she killed Hank. Hank knew something about you and wanted to take her and Janjai away. What’s your dirty little secret, Hal? What did you do to make that man fear you?”

Hal smirked. “I imagine not much. A man who beat his wife wasn’t much of a man, now was he? I don’t know what you think you know, but this needs to stop. We need to work together, not be at each other’s throats.”

“I heard you,” Maura said again, enunciating each word. “Hank’s brother was a cop and knew what you did in Mississippi. What happened in Mississippi, Hal? What are you doing with that little girl and why should I let you keep doing it?”

“It doesn’t matter what happened in Mississippi. All that matters is what happens here.” Hank stepped closer, invading Maura’s space, fueled by the fierce protection he felt over Angela. “Know this, woman. I don’t care who you are or how you feel about me. All I care about is that little girl. My best friend, a man who was my brother in spirit, trusted me to look after his child and I will do anything to keep her safe. Anything.”

He heard Maura gulp and knew he’d delivered his message effectively so he turned around and headed back to the vehicle, turning after a few steps. “I’m going to go carve some meat off this deer and then we’re headed for Colorado. You can bury whatever feelings you have about me and come with us or you can go your own way. Just know that if you come with us, you’d better not even think about doing anything to separate me from that little girl or it will be the last thing you do.”

“Are we there yet?”

Without even looking in her direction, Hal reached over and pressed Angela’s lips shut, making the girl laugh.

It would have been a charming father daughter scene if not for the fact that Maura knew Hal wasn’t the girl’s father, he was a man who’d all but outright threatened her life a few hours earlier. That type of man couldn’t be trusted to take care of a young girl. She didn’t know what his previous crimes were but after the threat he’d made against her she knew Hank was right to take the girl from him, even if Hank was no better himself.

Angela jerked her head away and swatted at Hal, connecting with his arm. He held his arm and faked an exaggerated moan, making Angela laugh harder. Classic Stockholm syndrome. The girl thought her captor cared about her when he only wanted to own her.

Janjai made a small sound and Maura looked over to see her smiling, amused by Hal’s antics. Maura rolled her eyes. Typical. The woman was once enslaved to her husband, now she was following Hal blindly. So many stupid women in the world and she used to be one of them. She would have followed Daniel anywhere and had just let him hurt her. She’d had no shield whatsoever, just like Janjai and Angela.

Well, she’d put Daniel in his place. Now he was nothing more than a voice in her head, forced to exist only through her, as she’d existed only through him for so long. It was time for Hal to be put in his place. She wouldn’t carry him with her afterward though. No, this was one piece of shit she’d kick grass over and leave behind without a second thought. Angela and Janjai needed her guidance, not his. She’d make them strong and independent thinkers, not weak followers. They wouldn’t understand why Hal had to leave but they’d come around. They wouldn’t have a choice. They’d need her to survive.

“Let’s go down this off ramp and see what we can find.” Hal nodded toward the exit.

“I thought we wanted to stay away from cities and towns,” Angela said.

“We haven’t found another working vehicle and this expressway could stretch on for miles before we find one. It’s going to be dark soon also. We need to find a vehicle or find shelter for the night.”

Nobody protested Hal’s decision, not that Maura expected them to. She didn’t dare protest herself. She’d already tipped her hand to Hal, letting him know what she knew. Daniel had always told her she let her temper get the best of her. Even now he whispered that she’d messed up. She should have followed along, baited the trap. Played the game. She hated games though, but even she knew sometimes you had no other choice but to just grit your teeth and play.

So she’d play. She’d follow the group, wait for the right moment, and take out her opponent. She felt Daniel smile, approving of her strategy. She smiled back, feeling victory within reach.

They found a gas station right off the exit and next to it, a small shopping center. Small houses lined the opposite side of the street. Unfortunately, the buildings were surrounded by zombies, as were the few cars in the shopping center parking lot.

“Any other great ideas?” Angela asked.

Hal scanned the area quickly. “There’s too many. The risk we’d take fighting our way through is too dangerous. We’ll have to get back on the expressway and try the next exit.”

“There won’t be another exit for miles,” Angela whined. “I say we go for it. You give us some cover fire while we run for that yellow house. Janjai can break a window and get us inside while Maura and I cover her on the porch, then we cover you.”

Maura perked up at the sound of that plan. Leaving Hal exposed and vulnerable made it easier for her to get rid of him.

“Too dangerous,” Hal said, shaking his head. “We need a diversion, something to make them go right while we’re going left.”

“They’re slow,” Angela said. “One of us could run toward the gas station while the rest get in that house.”

“That might work if they were all in one spot,” Hal said. “But they’re scattered all over, making it easy for them to surround us. If any of us goes for any of the buildings, we’re good as dead.”

“So we get back on the expressway?” Janjai asked, shifting the pack on her back to ease the weight.

“No,” Maura answered, removing her pack and unzipping one of the outer pockets. “I used these as a diversion before. It saved my life.”

She retrieved a grenade and a smoke bomb before shrugging her pack back on. “They like the noise, or maybe the light of the fire? Either way, we toss this sucker and wait for them to go check it out then we use the smoke bomb to make it harder for them to see us as we cross over to the house and find a way in.”

“That’s a pretty good plan,” Hal said, “but remember what happened the last time you did that? Flaming zombies spreading fire to nearby houses?”

“Fine. There’s shelter within reach, a place to cook your meat, and cars, but let’s just get back on this endless expressway and walk until our feet are too blistered to take another step.”

“Why do you think all those zombies are down there?” He turned toward her. “They stay where they find food. There are probably people in those houses, or at least there have been recently. We can’t just toss a grenade without being sure we won’t be killing anyone.”

He jerked his head toward the direction they’d come from and led them back up the ramp. Maura looked back over her shoulder and paused, thinking about going it alone. She could try. Toss the grenade, go into a house, find car keys, and leave these people behind. She owed them nothing. Sure, Hal had given her a ride when she’d needed one but who was to say she wouldn’t have survived on her own? She might have found a car. And she wasn’t truly alone. She still had Daniel, a soldier to guide her. But Angela and Janjai were lost without her. They blindly followed a man who would likely kill them to save himself. He’d already wrecked their vehicle, now waved shelter in their faces and yanked it away. She had to save them so she followed along.