Rise of the Necrotics (Book 6): Gas and Go Read online

  She glared back at me, eyes almost calling me a coward, but there was something else there as well. It clicked for me a moment later, Holly was pissed. Not in the that bitch just took my parking spot or snagged the last pair of shoes in her size kind of way, but in the I just walked into the bedroom and found my husband of twenty years cheating on her with the nanny kind of way.

  I almost took a step back, the rage in her eyes burned as hot as I’d ever seen it. It was the kind of rage that bubbled over into killing with barely a whisper. For a moment I didn’t realize why she was so angry, but then it started to sink in. She felt betrayed. By me, by Director Chen, by the man who tried to lead us to our deaths. It was a lot to handle, and I wasn’t sure that I was qualified to help, being that I was on the naughty list, but I was willing to try.

  Right now wasn’t the time to get all warm and fuzzy with our feelings, though. Once we were back on the road I’d see if I could get her to talk. For now I would settle for getting the hell out of here. “There’s too many of them in there, Holly. Let’s just get the chain back on and get out of here.”

  Holly peered into the darkness beyond the door. “I know you’re right, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to put that fucker down.”

  “That’s probably what he’s counting on. Don’t do anything stupid, we can’t let them win.”

  “Win,” Holly paused as if the word left a bad taste in her mouth. “They’ve already won. I don’t even know if I can stop this. We might as well kill as many as we can and call it a day.”

  That was a bleak outlook, and probably more realistic than my own. I’d done so many things wrong in the last two days it was hard to keep count. The one thing I did know was that we were in this together, and I wasn’t going to die in a fucking Walmart.

  “I’ll make you a deal. We get to Flagstaff and try to stop this thing with that beautiful brain of yours.” She made a sour face. “If for some reason we can’t come up with a miracle cure, I’ll load up my rifle and stand by your side while we kill as many of them as we can.”

  Holly’s eyes hardened against the despair she was feeling moments ago, but they still hadn’t lost the hint of rage. Her eyes almost glowed with it, and it didn’t stop there. Every movement was sharp and jagged, the anger rolling across her body like a thunderstorm. “Deal.”

  Holly picked up the chain and started moving back toward the door. As she got closer I started to angle my body so I had a clear line of sight around her. The last thing I wanted was to be out of position for a surprise, and let’s face it, this journey had been full of them. As she reached the door I almost couldn’t take the tension. My mouth had a way of running away from itself when I was stressed and now seemed to qualify. So when I blurted out the question I should have been surprised.

  “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in a store like this alone at night?”

  Holly looked back at me as she started working with the chain. “Now that I’ve experienced it first hand, I can’t say that I’m interested in doing it again.”

  So there was a little life in her after all. “I don’t mean now, I mean before. Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have the entire store to yourself, no rules, no consequences?”

  Holly looked as if she was warring between being exasperated and enjoying the question. “Maybe once or twice.”

  “I can see the clickbait title now: Holly Quinn Strikes Again. This time her pigtails are going to strike at a Walmart near you. Then there would be this picture of you riding a tricycle swinging a bat at displays as you went by.”

  Holly turned back to the chain, but not before I caught the hint of blush on the top of her cheeks. “That’s an oddly specific fantasy. I’m not sure yet if I’m intrigued or if I should be trying to get a restraining order.”

  “I’d vote for intrigue. I mean, where are you going to find a judge for the other one?”

  Holly let out a laugh. “Yeah, I guess you have a point. Plus, I’m having my own little fantasy right now. I never knew you looked so good in a pink tutu with bunny ears.”

  I spun in a little pirouette. “If the lady desires it, it shall be so.”

  “Stop showing off and help me so we can get out of here.” Holly turned back towards the door.

  She was right. One of the fast ones was in there, and I’d become so engrossed in pulling her away from the emotional brink that I was doing dance moves. That was the kind of shit that got you eaten. Since becoming tonight’s meal wasn’t on my to-do list, I wiped the big grin off my face and focused on the door.

  Holly had the door closed and the chain over it. All she had to do now was secure it, and we could hit the road. She had the metal bar in her hand and was about to slide it through when something rammed into the door hard enough to send Holly flying backward. She threw the chain at the door even as she landed on her back. The woman running through the door stumbled as the chain hit her in the ankles. Holly rolled to one side, but she didn’t have to worry. Before either of the women could find their feet again, I’d put a bullet in the head of Holly’s attacker.

  Holly pulled one of her guns free and snapped off a few shots through the open door. I heard a thud with each one and knew she’d hit something. This open door might as well have been a portal to hell. We needed to get it closed and now.

  “Try not to shoot me,” I grunted as I rushed toward the door and slammed into the steel surface with my shoulder forcing it closed for the moment.

  A second later, I felt Holly loop the chain around the handle. “It’s not going to hold them for long. Holly turned and started heading for the Bronco. “Maybe you were right after all, I think it’s time to go.”

  “Those are the three words every man likes to hear.”

  “And the three every woman loathes to say. Don’t make me regret it.”

  “As you wish.” That’s right. I went full Westley on her.

  Holly just grunted in response as she hit our little camp like a tornado. Before I’d done more than get my sleeping bag rolled up and tossed in the back, Holly had the rest of our little campsite broken down and put away. It almost made a guy feel like he wasn’t needed. I wanted to turn to her and say I man, grunt, lift heavy things, grunt, kill many spiders. Just so she’d know I was still needed for some things. Instead, I tossed her the keys as she walked around the driver’s side.

  Holly snatched the keys out of the air and slid behind the wheel. The necrotics were starting to bang against the door we chained, and I started to get my ass in gear with the same urgency Holly had. My original plan was to poke my head outside first, but I didn’t think we had time for that now. I was just going to open the rolling doors, and Holly was going to have to floor it. Hopefully, the necrotics, if there were any, wouldn’t be stacked deep enough to stop us. The Bronco could take out a few, but it wasn’t a tank.

  Sprinting around the Bronco, I skidded to a halt just in front of the chains to the rolling warehouse door. It took me a few seconds to get the bar Holly wedged between the chains out, but once it was free I popped the lock and hit the button. The chains started to whir as they moved pulling the door open. I didn’t look back or wait to see if everything was working. Instead I ran for the Bronco, imagining the breath of hungry necrotics on my neck.

  I slipped into the Bronco, and Holly gunned it. The chain on the door behind us broke, and a stream of necrotics tried to push through the door at the same time. The first few stumbled and a few more tripped over the bodies we’d left behind. I watched through the back window as they slowly filled the space.

  The necrotics shambled towards us as the Bronco peeled away. It was like the tidal wave of rolling flesh. Thankfully, this tidal wave moved as slow as a turtle, and we wouldn’t be drowned today. The mass of rolling, shuffling flesh receded further behind us as Holly turned to the left and ran over two more necrotics. The Bronco bounced as they fell under our wheels, and then for some reason, Holly hit the brakes.

  Now it was my turn to
have a little panic attack. “I think going would be better than staying.” Seriously, what in the hell was she doing?

  Holly ignored me and promptly put the Bronco in park before jumping out. “Take the wheel.”

  I pushed my door open before sliding over. The alley between buildings was clear as far as I could tell. My eyes kept darting from the rearview mirror to both sides of the Bronco. If I didn’t know a horde of hungry zombies was descending on us from behind, the night might have been called serene. That quiet didn’t stop my nerves from jangling as Holly darted back inside the loading dock door.

  The large door started to roll closed, and I almost jumped out of my seat and started running for her. I wasn’t going to let Holly commit suicide by zombie. Things weren’t that bad yet, were they?

  Holly slid back into the alley with a flourish, and I could see the look of shock on her face as she ran towards the Bronco. The door had obviously closed faster than she expected, or she could have run into our metal enhanced friend. Based on the slide, though, I was betting on it being the door. Now that Holly had escaped the temple of doom it was time to roll.

  The passenger door slammed shut, and Holly growled, “Go, go, go!”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. The back wheels spun as the Bronco slipped into gear, and we took off into the silent night with the sound of screeching tires drifting in our wake. The horde I’d been expecting to chase us down the alley between buildings didn’t manifest, so I slowed down. Driving without your headlights on was dicey at the best of times, these weren’t the best of times.

  The cops could still be looking for us, but I was starting to have my doubts. If things had deteriorated this far, they’d be long gone, and turning on the lights wouldn’t matter unless you were trying to spot us from the sky. The government probably had satellites over this area nonstop, and they could detect things like heat and movement, they didn’t need headlights to do it. On the plus side, at least we wouldn’t have to try and dodge the cops on our way out of town.

  I grinned over at Holly. Despite how bad things were, I was kind of having fun. It was easy if you didn’t think about all the people that had died, or that you could be next. What was it people always said, you had to embrace the experience. Plus I kinda felt like the star in an awesome video game. Who didn’t love zombie mode?

  Tapping the dashboard, I made my voice crackle like a megaphone had been turned on. “Attention Walmart customers, chances of being infected and possibly eaten by the undead are extremely high. As such, all items have been marked to free. Take what you can, or run for your life, the choice is yours.”

  Holly couldn’t stop herself from smiling back. “Not the kind of shopping trip I’m into. I prefer to do my shopping curled up in bed with a laptop. Two-day shipping from Amazon Prime is no joke.”

  “The only problem I see with Prime shipping now is it might take a little longer. Zombies really do ruin everything.” I flashed back to watching The Postman starring Kevin Costner. Deliveries could be a deadly business. That would be some kind of job, braving the necrotic infested wastelands to deliver packages for people.

  Holly let out a small giggle. “Ok, now I’m really ready to stop the apocalypse. You can’t screw with a girl’s two-day shipping.”

  “I hear that.” Man I loved getting stuff shipped to the house. The neighbors probably thought I was some kind of reclusive hermit. My car never left, and all my groceries were delivered. Hey, if you didn’t have to deal with other people, sometimes it was worth it. My home was my sanctuary. I could order the ingredients for chicken parm, walk Basil, take a shower, and by then my groceries would be sitting outside of my door. Life was pretty wonderful, or at least it used to be.

  Turning right out of the alley, I turned on the lights and immediately brought the Bronco to a stop. There wasn’t exactly traffic, not like we used to know it anyways. Under the streetlights small packs of necrotics roamed the streets. The sound of the Bronco’s engine seemed to pique their interest, so staying still wasn’t going to be an option.

  The good news for us was that the necrotics weren’t all jammed together. Driving through a herd of people wasn’t an option. Eventually we’d run out of steam or the Bronco would break. Either option led to our deaths. I hadn’t even asked Holly out to dinner yet, so we couldn’t die until I knew if she’d say yes. Not that now was the right time for foolish thoughts. Hundreds of dead bodies were shambling around in the street, it wasn’t exactly romantic.

  The few that were closest to the Bronco turned and started moving toward us in a slow shuffle. “They must not like the noise.”

  “Or the vibrations,” Holly said as she watched them drawing closer. “Let’s not stick around to find out which.” Holly pointed forward. “Hi ho, Silver, away.”

  “Oh man, you had to dig down deep for that one.” Some of my light-hearted mood was returning despite the fact we’d been woken up and chased out of Walmart by a bunch of hungry zombies. “But don’t worry, this Silver’s got a brand new bag.” I hit the gas, dropping one of the necrotics under the Bronco. The familiar double thump followed as we sped into the night.

  Chapter Three

  Max Meridious

  I tried to keep us heading north on the surface streets. Heading back to the freeway might have made things easier, or it might have led to another chase. The last thing I wanted to deal with was the cops. I could just imagine them shooting at us as we tried to weave through the zombies. It might have made a fun video game, but in real life I was starting to lean in a more stress free philosophy.

  For the most part, I’d been able to dodge the necrotics, but every now and then the choice was between hitting one or five so I made the easy call. Every time the familiar double thump came from under the vehicle Holly grimaced. It almost felt like she was blaming me for not avoiding the unavoidable. Still, we seemed to be in a good place, and I was determined to keep that going.

  “How about those Suns?” Wow, did I really just open with that? I mean, I guess it was better than opening up with something about zombies, or locking her team in behind us and leaving them to die.

  “I wonder if any of them made it out alive?” Holly said flatly killing the conversation.

  “Probably a question that is going to be asked in a lot of places soon.” I probed, trying to sense her mood.

  Holly had just a hint of smile on her face. “Their draft pick was pretty good, though, wasn’t he? Did you see that dunk right before halftime?”

  “See it, I was close enough to feel the breeze go by as he ran past me.”

  Holly’s eyebrows rose in a questioning manner. “I didn’t know being a mercenary paid so well?”

  Laughter bubbled through my lips. I wasn’t sure if it was the thought of being called a mercenary, or the fact she thought I made enough to afford courtside seats. Technically, I was a mercenary since the Hilltop Initiative wasn’t affiliated with any government, but I never really felt like one. Does it matter what your job title is, when you are working to save the world?

  Both of us watched the mirrors as I weaved through another pack of necrotics. Most of them turned to follow us. A few lost interest as we pulled away, but more of them kept coming. Stopping now wasn’t a choice, not unless we wanted to turn into zombie kibble. Tapping gently at the dash, I let out a swear. Seemed like we weren’t going to have much of a choice on the stopping part.

  “So Holly?” I started, trying to keep the edge of panic out of my voice.

  “I know what that tone means. That’s the sound of a man who wants to order pizza, when he knows I’ve been dying to eat Chinese.”

  Not exactly how I would have put it, but I was picking up what she was putting down. Holly was right after all, I had some bad news. “How would you feel about a quick pit stop? You know, grab some snacks, maybe a drink, before hitting the road again.”

  Holly looked out the window at the following horde and then turned back to me. “I’m not sure stopping for a packet of Donettes is
a prudent choice.”

  “Would it be considered more prudent if I said we needed gas as well.”

  The questioning look she gave me turned just a bit harder. “More prudent, yes.” Holly pointed behind us. “But getting gas is still going to present a challenge.”

  “I thought you liked a man that was up for a challenge.” Sometimes I just couldn’t help myself.

  “I’m starting to think that I’d prefer a quieter lifestyle at the moment.”

  “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing. What kind of odds do you give us of pulling this off successfully?”

  “Probably about fifty/fifty. Don’t worry, I’ll tell your parents that you didn’t make it and give Basil a kiss from you.”

  “Ah, so not so much of a we won’t get the gas, just that only one of us will make it out.” I didn’t really like the sound of that.

  “And of course I have to be the one to make it. You know, since I can save the world.” She delivered the line with deadly seriousness. She even snuggled back into her seat afterward as if to say deal with it.

  Oh, I was about to deal with it all right. I turned to glare at her, but the mask she had in place was already slipping. Peals of laughter broke out, and she pounded her hand against the dash.

  “You should have seen your face,” Holly snickered.

  “You mean the face I made when I thought you were using me for zombie bait? I hope it looked angry and fierce.”

  “More like scared with just a hint of incredulousness.” Holly managed to stop laughing, but she was still grinning ear to ear.

  “Now that we’ve settled upon me not turning into a zombie all you can eat buffet, what do think about the gas situation?”

  Holly took a moment to think about it. Her face turning sour as she mulled over the prospects in her head. “Something doesn’t make sense to me. I mean when they announced the zombie apocalypse on TV, I doubt people were content to just sit at home and wait to be eaten. So where are they?”