Jess began to stand up when she had to place one hand over her mouth to stifle her scream and with the other push Patches away. “What the hell, Patches?” she asked, noticing the droplets of blood that welled up through her jeans.
“Fool girl, what do you think he’ll do to you or your brother if you go out there!” Patches spat back.
Jess recoiled. She had never seen the cat act so aggressively towards her or any person for that matter.
“They have Riley?” Ben-Ben asked, struggling to keep up with the conversation. “We’ve got to get her back!”
“You too?” Patches asked. “Got any good ideas that DON’T get us killed?”
Ben-Ben’s head bowed a lot like Jess’ did. “It’s Riley, Patches,” Ben-Ben said sadly.
“I know, little dog, I know, but there’s nothing we can do right now. There are six of them, and they all have guns,” Patches said in as soothing a voice as possible.
“Oh, Riley,” Jess sobbed.
Jess jumped when she heard Icely yell again. “Listen, little bitch,” he bellowed. “I know you’re heading to Colorado. Just so happens I’m heading that way, too. If I don’t see you soon, I’m putting a bullet in that dog’s skull. It doesn’t have to be like this,” he added almost sweetly.
Jess let loose a sob as she heard the cars pull away. “How...how could he know where we’re going? How am I going to get Riley back?” Jess asked as she slumped back down the side of the house.
Patches wheeled on Ben-Ben. “This is your doing!”
“What?” Ben-Ben cried.
“You told that bird!” Patches said, referring to the parrot in the home in Vegas Ben-Ben had been staying at.
“Stupid bird,” Ben-Ben sulked.
Jess and Zach were going at it tear for tear, each seemingly trying to outdo the other.
“Why are you crying, Zach?” Patches asked, trying to calm herself down.
“Because I’m a baby,” he replied. “This is what I’m supposed to be doing. I miss my mommy and my daddy, my brother…Mia, and now Riley. I’m hungry and my diaper is dirty.”
“That’s a lot of good reasons,” Ben-Ben said solemnly.
“That’s a lot of good reasons,” Patches echoed.
It was the smell that finally got Jess moving. “Zombies,” she said softly, looking about wildly. She scooped Zach up, wishing he had some sort of hearing protection in case she needed to shoot. “I’d just better make sure that doesn’t have to happen,” she told him. “We have to find a car,” she said aloud.
“There’s my Jess,” Patches said supportively.
“That way we can chase those bastards down and kill them,” she said with vehemence.
Patches did NOT like the sound of that. In her own way she was saddened by the loss of Riley. But risking the lives of the rest of them in a fruitless bid to get her back was not a wise decision and she would do what she could to make sure that didn’t happen.
Jess looked from house to house as she walked down the street, being mindful to stay in the shadows as much as possible. She dared not attempt to enter one; too many dangers could be hidden within those walls. She had gone more than a mile before she had found a car that wasn’t completely out of gas or did not have its keys.
She approached the vehicle cautiously. It appeared as if the person who had vacated it had just done so. The door stood open and the keys dangled from the ignition, a Power Rangers keychain glaring a shocking pink back at her. The dome light was on, possibly not as bright as it could be but it shone a dull yellow.
She looked from the car to the convenience store ahead of her and back again. Patches hopped onto the driver’s seat and then over to the passenger’s.
“Hurry up!” she meowed.
Jess was not quite as convinced the ride was theirs. She thought to ask the person in the store if it would be alright if she could borrow it or perhaps get a ride. “Yeah stupid.” Jess berated herself, “I’m sure they’d be more than willing to drive to Colorado so they could get in a gun battle. Take the stupid car.”
She knew it was a dog eat dog world now, more so than it ever had been. But taking this car was paramount to killing the person inside that store; perhaps they had a family they were trying to provide for.
“Ben-Ben, get in the car! And then she’ll have no choice,” Patches said.
Ben-Ben hopped in, he placed his front paws on top of the steering wheel and was looking outside the windshield. “I sure could go for a biscuit,” he said, looking at the storefront.
Jess took two steps towards the store when she saw the door begin to swing outwards.
“I...I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to take...” she started, and then the words caught in her throat.
What came out the door had been human once but that was a long, long time ago. Whoever had vacated this car most likely now resided in the intestinal walls of the creature that stared back at her. Pure malevolence radiated off of the zombie that stared back at her. Not only did it want to eat her, but it appeared as if it wanted to make her suffer as it did so. The zombie had ragged strips of flesh hanging from its sallow cheeks; milky white eyes ringed by dark black circles stared intently at her. It wore a grey t-shirt, the logo on the front stained in blood and gore. Jess was just able to make out ‘What would T—’ the rest was ripped away or obscured by viscera. A savage bite had torn part of its thigh away, but that did not seem to impede its movement as it started towards her.
“Stop,” Jess said weakly, attempting to reason with it.
“We have not saddled ourselves with the smartest human,” Patches screeched. She hopped over onto the driver’s side. “Help me, Ben-Ben,” Patches said as she pressed down on the center of the steering wheel.
“I would, but I don’t know what you’re doing,” he replied.
“Use that fat head of yours for more than chewing! Press your paws here!” Patches said in a panic.
She reared back and used her entire body weight to press upon the horn. On the third attempt, Ben-Ben finally picked up what she was doing. Sort of. It wasn’t necessarily what she was thinking but it worked when he face-planted himself into the center of the wheel. He fell away reeling but had accomplished what he’d set out to do as the car bleated out a response. Both Jess and the zombie paused their prey-and-game contest to look.
The zombie started running, Jess turned to get back in the car. She nearly sat on Ben-Ben who didn’t have the wits to get out of her way as she sat. Patches was staring out the front windshield as the zombie caught the front edge of the car. He spun slightly as he lost a little of his momentum. Jess shut the door just as he came around. He leaned down so he could look through the window at her. She pulled back as he was no more than inches from her.
“Start the car, start the car, start the car!” Patches begged.
“I agree with the cat!” Ben-Ben barked as he pulled himself free.
Zach’s eyes were the size of saucers. “They’re right!” he intoned.
Jess was transfixed, almost as if the zombie were a snake charmer and she the snake. A long gray-black tongue streaked with blood fished through the fissure in the zombie’s face. He licked the window leaving a trail of innards most likely from the previous owner of the car. The zombie’s hand came up, black cracked fingernails scraping at the smooth surface attempting to gain purchase and get at its newest meal. The hand lowered, its head cocked to the side as it came in contact with the door handle. It was working at thinking so hard it was almost audible. Jess just watched in terrified horror.
Her breathing stopped when she heard the mechanical sound of the handle being moved. In the silence, the occupants of the car heard the hitch catch slightly and then fall back into place as if the zombie hadn’t quite figured out the puzzle. Patches hoped it didn’t have the dexterity to open the door, but she wasn’t leaving anything to chance. She was terrified and had forgotten to retract her claws as she ran across Jess’ thighs. She plummeted on the door lock, pushing it down. She turned to Jess, getting between her and the visage of the zombie. She hissed and spat so loudly she was finally able to release the invisible grasp the zombie had upon Jess.
“Start the car!!” Patches yelled. “Or so help me, when I’m done with you you’ll wish the zombie had gotten a hold of you!”
Ben-Ben was cowering in the back seat, his tail firmly entrenched under his belly. “You scare me, Patches.”
“You’re hurting me!” Jess cried.
Patches hopped back over to her side. It was then she noticed the welts of blood seeping through Jess’ pants where her claws had been. “I’m sorry but if it gets us out of here...” She left the rest unsaid, it really didn’t need clarifying.
The zombie was once again working at the handle. Something was working in his festering brain as the attempts became more frequent. His expression began to change when he realized he was having no success. The crust on his face cracked as his eyebrows furrowed in first confusion and then tilted downwards in anger. Jess jumped as one fist slammed into the window and then another. Her hand shot to the ignition, the dome light dimming as she tried to turn the car over. The engine whirred slowly as a spider web crack appeared under the assault of the zombie.
“Oh poop, oh poop, oh poop,” Zach exclaimed.
The car finally started with a catching sputter just as a crack bisected the entire length of the window. Jess was once again staring at the zombie. Patches dug a claw into her hand that was still clutching the key.
“Fuck, Patches!” Jess said, pulling her hand towards her mouth so she could lick her wound.
One quick wince and her hand went to the transmission column. She almost compounded their problems as she slammed the car into drive and tried to create a new drive-in opening for the store. The zombie careened off the rear of the car as he came back for them. The car revved in high gear as Jess inadvertently placed it in neutral. The zombie had come up the trunk and slammed his fist on the rear windshield.
“Is he behind us?” Ben-Ben screamed not daring to look. “He is, isn’t he?!”
Jess finally got the car in the right gear. Her wheels screeched as she reversed out of the parking lot, the zombie going for a short ride with the group.
When Jess had enough room, she once again placed the car in drive, the transmission changing gears with a sickening thud as she didn’t slow down and stop to make the change.
“Is it gone?” Ben-Ben asked, his paws overlapping his eyes.
“Sure,” Patches said.
“Thank the biscuits,” Ben-Ben exhaled. He hazarded a look behind him; the zombie stared back at him. A puddle of urine formed on the seat as the zombie slid down and away.
“Sorry,” Patches said sarcastically.
Ben-Ben didn’t say anything, but he didn’t think he would forget the cruel joke anytime soon.
“We’ve got to find Riley.” Jess said.
Do we? Patches wondered.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, places and events are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual names, characters and places are entirely coincidental. The reproduction of this work in full or part is forbidden without written consent from the author.
Copyright 2013 Mark Tufo
Discover other titles by Mark Tufo
Visit us at marktufo.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-Tufo/133954330009843
http://zombiefallout.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/ZombieFallout
Cover Art:
Cover Art by Shaed Studios, shaedstudios.com
Electronic Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
Dedications: To my wife because without her, I’d be screwed!
Thank you to my beta-readers, Vix Kirkpatrick, Joy Buchanan and Kimberly Sansone. I lucked out when you guys hopped on board to help out!
As always to the first responders and men and women of the armed forces, you have mine and my family’s admiration and respect for all the sacrifices you endure to keep us all safe.
A shout out to my friend across the pond Steven Simpson, he promised me the best fish and chips should I ever visit his fair country, I’ll be over at 5!
