Thanks to her push, I swung back hard this time. The momentum of the back swing sent me flying forward, my feet pushing heavily into her chest. She flew backwards, landing on the jutting wood from the broken tree.
Page 36
My hands couldn’t take it anymore, and I fell to the ground. The tree had only gone through her stomach, so she wasn’t dead. She couldn’t figure out how to push herself off the tree, but she might eventually, so we had to hurry.
“That was awesome!” Lazlo said, sounding way too impressed as he scrambled to his feet.
“That was stupid. ” I shook my head, walking quickly. “I almost got my foot bit off. I didn’t have a chance to time that right, and I’m in the woods without a weapon. I’m practically suicidal. ”
“No way, you’re-”
Lazlo’s undue praise was cut off by a pretty horrific sight. The fat zombie that I had eviscerated earlier lurched around a tree towards us. I could actually see a gravel driveway, presumably leading up to the carriage house, but this half-dead zombie stood in our way. His engorged, green intestines hung out, dragging on the ground around him.
“What’s your plan?” Lazlo asked as the zombie stumbled towards us.
“I don’t really have one. ” My only recourses were running away or hand to hand combat, and I did not want to hit him. My fist would pop his skin like a water balloon.
“Go. ” Lazlo took a step forward, so he was standing next to me instead of behind. “Go to the car. I’ll hold him off. ”
“Don’t be ridiculous. ”
“No. You saved my life. ” Lazlo looked at me earnestly, as the behemoth lumbered on. A long string of his intestines caught on a branch on the ground, momentarily slowing him. “I’m not gonna let you die. ”
“Dying to save me defeats the purpose of me saving you. ”
Before I could think of something, I heard a roar behind us. I turned around, expecting some horrifically fast zombie, but what I saw made my heart soar.
Ripley came tearing through the trees, her mouth pulled back in a fierce snarl, revealing her long, bloody teeth. I took a step back so she could go flying by us, and she pounced onto the zombie. He exploded in a terrific mess as her claws pierced his flesh, but she didn’t seem to mind.
The trees were suddenly bathed in yellow from the headlights, and a beaten up station wagon rolled down the driveway. It came to a stop when they saw Ripley gnawing on a corpse. Harlow sat shotgun, and she rolled down the window.
“Come on, you guys!” Harlow waved us on.
Without further prompting, Lazlo and I jogged over to the car. Lazlo slid in the backseat, but I ran around the back and opened the hatch. I called Ripley, and she looked uncertainly at me.
Echoing through the trees, we could still hear the death groans of more zombies. She flicked her tail sharply, then decided against zombie hunting, and hurried over and dove in the back. I ran around and jumped in the backseat next to Lazlo.
I got in just in time to see three more zombies emerging from the shadows, including the one I had impaled on a tree. One of the zombies slammed its hand onto the back of the car, leaving a bloody handprint and making Ripley growl, but then we were moving too fast for any of them to catch us.
“Now I’m really glad I came with,” Harlow said, watching out the window as we drove away. She had rolled it up as soon as she saw us coming, but she stared out emptily at the world hidden under a blanket of fog.
“What are you talking about?” I leaned back in the seat, catching my breath.
“They’re overrun with zombies. ” She didn’t sound relieved or even upset by the thought. She said it in the same way she might mention that it looks like rain today.
“Good thing we had Remy,” Lazlo smiled at me, trying to lighten the mood. He brushed his black hair from his eyes, and I didn’t appreciate the gleam in them. “She was so badass back there. Did you see her? She took down like five zombies by hand. ”
“Yeah, and two of them got back up,” I muttered.
Lazlo continued talking, but I could still hear Ripley in the back, slurping loudly as she licked herself clean. It reminded me of my own wounds in need of cleaning, and I looked down at the scratch on my arm.
It wasn’t a bad cut, and it’d already scabbed over. If I wasn’t afraid of catching the zombie virus, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. Next to the thin red line down my arm, I had speckles of greenish blood, splatter from the zombies.
“Did you get hurt?” Lazlo noticed me inspecting my arm.
“On the bushes,” I said, barely above a whisper.
My heart clenched in my chest, and I had to swallow hard. After everything I had gone through, a damn bush was the thing that would get me.
“What?” Lazlo moved across the seat closer to me. The cut was on my right arm, the one on the opposite side of him, and he leaned over me to see it.
“What’s going on? What are you talking about?” Harlow already sounded panicked, and she sat on her knees on the seat so she could turn around and face me. “What happened?”
“I got a scratch when we came out of the building. ” I kept my voice as even as possible. I didn’t want to frighten or upset them anymore than I had to. “And I have zombie blood on my arm. I might be infected. ”
“Let me see. ” Lazlo grabbed my arm, as if looking at it changed what happened.
“You guys should leave me here,” I told them.
“No!” Harlow shouted instantly, her eyes wide and appalled. “No way!”
“We’re not gonna leave you,” Lazlo reiterated, his words soft and low.
He stopped looking at my arm and turned his attention to me, so I pulled my arm back from his hands. I tried to move farther away, but I was already against the door.
I rubbed my temple and stared out the window. Tears wanted to form, but I refused to let them. I knew I should make them leave me on the road. It’s what I had done, several times before.
But I was too selfish and afraid, and too hopeful. I hadn’t been bitten, and I couldn’t see zombie blood or saliva directly in contact with my own wound. So there was still a chance.
“The incubation time is a maximum two to three days before it’s all-out zombie,” I said thickly. I chewed my lip and looked back at them. “As soon as it starts happening, the high fevers, headaches, chills, vomiting… I need you to shoot me. I don’t want to turn. I need you to kill me first. ”
“I’m not gonna kill you,” Lazlo shook his head, unable to even process the idea.
I wanted to argue that he’d be saving me from turning into a monster, and that if he didn’t, I’d end up killing him. But I didn’t want to think about it, and saying it aloud would make it worse somehow.
Page 37
I looked away from Lazlo and met Blue’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He hadn’t said much of anything since we left, but the serious look in his eyes meant he was thinking the same things as me. I was so grateful to have another rational person in our group, otherwise none of us would survive.
“I’ll do it,” Blue promised me, and I nodded.
Harlow had been staring back at me, but she gave Blue a hurt look, as if he had betrayed her or me somehow. Really, he was doing us all a favor. If he were a more of a leader, he would’ve insisted that I stay behind, and I wouldn’t have fought him on it. I just wasn’t strong enough to insist I stay behind myself.
“Hey, I’m not dead yet,” I forced a smile. Harlow looked sadly at me for a second before turning around and sitting down.
Lazlo returned to his side of the car, sitting low in the seat. He reached over and took my hand. I let him, but I refused to look at him. I wouldn’t acknowledge any amount of comfort it gave me, or even the slightest bit of butterflies that overcame the nausea and fear that had swept over me.
I stared out the window at the graying world around us and wondered how much longer I’d get to enjoy the view.
As the day progressed, the sun burned off the fog, revealing scenery lush with grass and trees. It reminded me of back home in Iowa, and I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it living in the desert for so long.
The sun also warmed the car, and I cracked the window, relishing the green scent of the earth around us. Everything smelled so sweet, but that might’ve just been because I knew this might be the last time I ever got to breathe it in.
Not that much longer, we came into another small town. This one looked like most of the other towns we’d seen, evidence of havoc and death, but not quite as devastated and volatile as the town with the marauders.
After our experience in the last one, Blue meant to just drive on through it, avoiding trouble as much as possible. But Harlow said she needed to go to the bathroom, so Blue looked for the nicest, least destroyed house he could find, and pulled in for a pit stop.
Butter yellow with shutters and a white picket fence, the house looked quaintly picturesque. The lawn and flower gardens had become overgrown from lack of tending, and some of the siding and shutters had splatters of dirt and blood on them.
Despite all that, it had something sweet about it, and that made it a little depressing. It stood as a sad reminder of what we had once been, what the American dream had strived to be, and now would never be again.
Ripley didn’t feel like getting out of the car, so I cracked the window for her before we went inside. Blue and I led the search, conducting a quick once over to make sure that nothing dangerous was hiding out.
The décor inside the house matched perfectly with the outside. Warm, homey furniture, books, and knick knacks, even a fireplace. Things had been disrupted, with shattered figurines on the floor and torn throw pillows, but in general, it didn’t look that bad. A layer of dust covered everything, and I suspected that the place had been abandoned for a while.
Once we determined that it was safe, Blue called in Harlow and Lazlo. Harlow went to the bathroom, and Blue went upstairs to see if they had anything of value that we could use, like weapons or medicine. I went to the kitchen to raid it for food.
Ever since the zombie attack, I had felt too nauseated to be hungry, and I hoped that was from nerves, and not a symptom. Either way, Harlow would complain of hunger pains as soon as she finished going to the bathroom, and it would be nice if they had some food here.
I didn’t even bother opening the fridge because it would just let out the awful stench of rotten meat and milk. I climbed up on the counter to rummage through the cupboards and happened upon a gold mine: graham crackers.
I turned around so I could sit down on the kitchen counter, my legs dangling over the edge. Determined to override any nausea, I opened the box of crackers and bit into them. Stale and sweet, I relished it more than I normally would have.
I did love graham crackers and always had, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this might be my last meal. At least, my last real meal that didn’t involve biting and eating anything I could get my mouth on.
“Hungry?” Lazlo leaned on the doorway to kitchen.
I noticed that he’d changed into a different slim fitting tee shirt and jeans. This one had a panda holding a rainbow-colored umbrella, and I’m sure it cost a pretty penny at some fancy retailer. He and Harlow somehow managed to make the end times look fashionable.
“Not really. ” I held out a cracker to him. “Want one?”
“Sure. ” He walked over and took it from me, then leaned on the counter next to me.
“You changed,” I commented, setting aside the box of crackers. As much as I wanted to enjoy them, my anxiety finally got the best of me, and I gave up on the idea.
“Yeah, I didn’t really like the whole ‘covered in zombie blood’ look,” Lazlo said, and we both glanced down at my stained apparel. I’d wiped off what had gotten on my skin, but the bottom of my jeans had taken the brunt of the splatter. “But you totally rock that whole look. ”
“Well, my clothes weren’t as nice as yours to begin with,” I shrugged. It’s weird how accustomed I had become to having zombie blood on my clothes. “Are all of your outfits designer?”
“Not designer. This isn’t an Armani suit or something. ” He shifted uncomfortably, as if I had been saying something negative about him. “These are just my regular clothes. ”
“I know. But you used to be pretty rich, right?” I realized I knew very little about his life, other than what I had seen on TV before all this. He’d said very little, and I never bothered to ask. “You used to be a rock star. ”
“Yeah, I did. ” Lazlo looked almost wistful for a moment, then shook it off and lowered his eyes. Something he had been proud of now made him look ashamed, and he let his hair partially cover his face.
“That’s pretty awesome,” I said honestly.
In another life, hanging out with Lazlo Durante would’ve been a high point. It still was, except now it had nothing to do with the infamy of it.
“I used to think so. ” Lazlo stared at the floor. “That’s all I ever wanted to do, and it started happening. The music videos and the money and the fans and the fame. And I was so wrapped up in it all, but even when I had a chance to think, I still thought, ‘This is it. I’ve really made it. ’ But now… it’s all so fucking useless. ” His forehead scrunched up, and he shook his head. “It didn’t mean anything, and I don’t have any skills to do anything. ”
Page 38
“Nobody’s life really prepared them for this,” I said. “And at least you got to do stuff with your life before this happened. I grew up in Iowa, and I’ve traveled more in the past year than I ever did before. I haven’t seen or done anything. You got to see the world. ”
“I got to see airports and hotels when we were on tour,” Lazlo smiled sardonically. “That’s not really seeing or living. I had a normal life, and then it was all just constantly touring, recording, and selling myself. And then zombies took over the world, and I lived underground for nearly a year. ”
“That doesn’t sound so bad. I mean, until the zombies part,” I said.
“You know something?” He lifted his head, and when he turned to me, he had this strange look in his eyes. Almost as if he was really seeing me for the first time. “I don’t think I ever really lived until this. I’ve never done anything that mattered before, but now I’m fighting to save my life, and yours. And I know it sounds really cheesy and lame, but I don’t think I ever really felt alive. Not until I met you. ”
“You were in a hole for nine months. Your definition of ‘feeling alive’ has got to be a little skewed right now. ” I rolled my eyes to keep from blushing.
“I don’t think so. ” Lazlo moved so he was in front of me, and he chewed his lip. “You’re pretty much the most amazing person I’ve ever met. ”
“I’m really not that amazing,” I shook my head.
My heart thumped in my chest, and my mouth felt dry. His dark eyes latched onto mine, and I wanted to look away, but something compelled me to stay.
The butterfly way he made me feel reminded me of who I used to be before. I’d been trying to push him away, but I always gave in because the only time I really felt like a normal teenage girl was when I was with him.
“There’s something I have to do, that I’ve wanted to do since I met you, and I have to do it before it’s too late. ” He put his hand on my cheek, so his thumb rested on my cheek and his fingers nestled in my hair.
“No, I can’t,” I said, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart. “I might be infected. ”
“Do you feel sick? Headache? Fever?” he asked, rubbing his thumb gently on my skin.
“No, but-”
“Then I don’t care. ”
Before I could protest further, he leaned in, and his lips pressed firmly against mine. There was something unexpectedly hungry in the way he kissed me. His mouth searched mine, and I found myself returning it with equal fer
vor. He knotted his fingers in my hair, pulling me closer to him, and I wrapped my arms around him.
– 14 –
Harlow’s gasp broke the spell. I pulled away from Lazlo, and I had to put my hands on his chest to keep him from coming with me. His eyes were fixed on me, and I don’t think he’d heard her.
Harlow stood in the kitchen doorway, her jaw slacked. Guilt washed over me when I saw her.
At thirteen, she was too young to be a real love interest for Lazlo, but that hadn’t stopped her from nursing a pretty major crush on him. I hadn’t exactly stolen him from her, since he’d never been hers, but I had betrayed her trust.
“Harlow,” I pushed Lazlo back further, and he realized we had an audience.
I slid off the counter, so he took a step back, but he still looked confused by her stricken expression. In true Lazlo fashion, he had been oblivious to her feelings for him.
“You’re such a liar!” Harlow was nearly shrieking. “I can’t believe you!”
“Harlow, I know you’re upset, but I didn’t lie about anything,” I said and held my hand palm out. I wanted to reason with her before she got hysterical.
“You lied about everything!”
I’d never seen her this upset, but she’d finally reached her breaking point. With everything that happened the last few days, it was amazing that she’d held up this long.
“What’s going on?” Blue rushed to the kitchen in a mild panic.
“You can’t trust Remy!” Harlow took a step back, as if I was chasing her.
“I think we all need to calm down,” Lazlo said, still bewildered by her reaction.
“You said you wanted to leave me behind to protect me, but you just wanted me out of the way!” Harlow yelled at me, and Lazlo made a sound as it finally dawned on him why she was so upset.
“Harlow, no, I can promise that’s not true,” I shook my head.
“What happened?” Blue turned to me for answers.
“You keep saying that we can’t slow down because we have to find your stupid little brother,” Harlow said, ignoring Blue. “But you have time to stop and make out with Lazlo?”
“We weren’t making out,” I said, realizing too late that that did nothing to help my argument. In fact, it only pissed her off more.
“I bet you don’t even have a little brother, do you?” Harlow narrowed her eyes.
“You know I do. You were at the quarantine with us. ”
“But I never saw him!” Feeling emboldened, she took a step towards me. “We were there for over two months, and I never once saw your supposed kid brother. ”
“He was in the sick ward,” I said, but her line of questioning made me nervous.
“With what? What was he sick with?” Harlow asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“What does it matter? He was sick. ” I tried to play off my vague answers as exasperation, but Blue looked at me with a new scrutiny.
“So you say!” She rolled her eyes. “But that doesn’t even make any sense, Remy! In a quarantined building full of healthy people, why would they even waste energy treating a sick kid when they’re struggling to keep everyone else alive?”