The First Days (As the World Dies #1)

The First Days (As the World Dies #1) Page 17

Maybe they were being foolish for thinking Jason was still alive. Hell, it was sheer luck that she and Jenni were both alive. Right place at the right time. She didn't want to dwell on it too much but what if she hadn't slipped free of her coat and ended up in the maw of that horrible undead thing that had tried to drag her from her car? Or what if Jenni's zombified son had made it out the window just a little faster?

Up to this point luck had a lot to do with the fact they were still alive.

Now it would be more about them keeping their wits in situations like they had just experienced that would dictate if they survived or not.

So far, so good.

Katie glanced at Jenni, who was staring straight ahead. Her lips were pressed firmly together and her brow was knotted. Jenni wasn't exactly expressing how much this rescue meant to her, but Katie knew. She understood. Jason, even if he wasn't Jenni's flesh and blood, was all she had left. Yes, technically she now had Katie and Jack, but Jason was a connection to her past. To her previous life.

Katie was envious of that fact. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, left of her former life but a picture of her wife in a phone that's battery was slowly running out and she did not have a charger for.

Again, Katie looked at the gas gauge. It was dropping faster than she liked. And, she sighed, she hadn't told Jenni yet, but they had blown one valuable point of their plan when they had escaped from the hunting store.

The extra jugs of gas for "just in case" scenarios were still sitting in the back of that old beat up white truck. In their panic to get safely on the road, they had forgotten that part of their overall plan.

Now they could not deviate one iota.

What was in the tank was all there was. Pure and simple. Simple and terrifying. The needle was dropping far faster than she thought it would.

"We're close," Jenni said softly. She was downright pale as a ghost now.

Katie nodded. The trees were growing taller and more numerous. They had turned onto a logging trail and they had seen large patches of freshly hewed stumps. But so far, no undead.

So far, so good.

They were a mere five miles from the interstate and they had to consider this entire area a danger zone.

"Katie," Jenni said in a hushed tone. "I'm scared."

Katie took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Just keep breathing."

Finally, a sign appeared directing them toward the back entrance to the camp. Jenni drew out the shotgun and laid it next to her.

Katie could feel her chest tightening and her stomach fluttering.

Please, God, please, let him be alive.

The dirt road was very winding. Dry red dirt flew up in a cloud. It hadn't rained in a month and the earth was cracked. Finally, they could see the cabins used for youth camps through the trees as they continued down the dirt trail. There was no sign of anyone.

Jenni was close to hyperventilating and her hands fluttered around her face.

"Jenni, calm down. Calm down. He needs you to be calm," Katie said firmly.

Jenni nodded, gulped air, nodded again. "Yes..yes…yes…"

The whitewashed mess hall came into view and Katie slowed the truck to a stop. It was the main meeting hall for campers and, from where the truck sat idling, they could see the long road to the front entrance to the camp. One lone van sat in the gravel parking lot.

The scream of the zombie girl as she hit Jenni's window made them both jump. The girl, her face a mask of blood, guts, and a gaping mouth with no tongue, slammed her hands continuously against the window.

"They're here," Jenni whimpered.

Jack barked angrily at the zombie.

Katie reversed sharply, making sure not to end up in a tree, temporarily losing the girl. The zombie girl ended up right in front of them confused at their sudden disappearance. She realized where they were and charged.

Katie slammed her foot down and the truck roared forward. When they hit the girl, her head hit the deer guard and blood, bits of brain, and grayish fluid spewed across the hood.

Katie felt sickened yet satisfied at the same time.

Jenni sobbed next to her and wrung her hands.

"Jenni, calm down!" Katie ordered. But inside of her, she feared that Jason was gone. Gone like the rest of the world.

She realized the mess hall shutters were all down and that there were smears of blood on them. The door cracked open for a moment and someone stepped out onto the front step, shading their eyes to see who was in the truck.

"Jason!"

Jenni was out of the truck and running before Katie could even try to grab her. Jack bounded out of the truck and ran at her heels. Her gun lay on the seat.

Katie cursed, reached over and slammed Jenni's door shut, grabbed the shotgun, grabbed the keys, shoved her door open, and was on her feet and running in an amazingly short period of time.

Jenni was just ahead of her, running, crying, calling out to the form on the step. She was almost to the figure when she cried out in anguish.

"You're not Jason!"

Katie was right behind Jenni, shotgun cocked and ready in her hands.

And a good thing. A zombie came screeching around the corner, his hands held out, and Katie didn't hesitate to blast him in the face.

The boy on the doorstep grabbed Jenni and pulled her inside.

2. Unraveled

"Jenni!" Katie screamed, terrified, the shotgun raising to shoot the shadowy person in the face.

Jack ran in, growling.

"Get in," the figure called out.

Human! She barely kept from pressing the trigger. Katie jumped through the doorway and the door slammed shut behind her. Instantly, there was banging on the door behind her.

Oh, God! There had been a zombie or zombies right behind her and she hadn't seen them she had been so panicked.

Jenni stood nearby crying with her hands over her face. Katie grabbed her arm.

"Don't do that again! We can't afford to screw up!"

Jenni looked at her stricken and Katie suddenly grabbed her close and held her tight. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I thought…I thought…"

Katie became aware that they were standing in a hallway into the kitchen. Beyond the door at the end of the hall stood a tall, good-looking boy with masses of straight brown hair falling into his eyes.

"Jenni?"

"Jason?" Jenni's voice rose in a scary pitch. She ran down the hall into the arms of a boy almost as tall as she was. "Jason! Oh, Jason."

"Jenni, where's Dad? And the kids?"

Katie glanced at the door and the other boy standing there. He was staring at her with such sorrow it made her wince.

"The door will hold. The others won't," he said simply. He pointed at another set of doors. They probably opened into the mess hall. They were trembling under the onslaught of someone or maybe quite a few people, throwing themselves against it. Heavy kitchen equipment had been piled in front of the door, but Katie knew the boy was right. It wouldn't hold.

Jenni was sobbing to the point she couldn't answer the handsome boy who was cuddling her close.

"Jenni? Jenni? Where are Dad and the boys?"

Finally, all she could do was shake her head "no" and the boy's face crumpled and he fell against her and began to sob.

Katie collected herself, forced her fear down and looked at the other boy.

"What is the situation here?"

He sighed. "My family drove out here to get my sister last night. They got here this morning. All day yesterday people were showing up and picking up kids. Me and Jason and a few other kids ended up here all night. The counselors bailed and left us here, saying our families would get us. Around midnight one of the families showed up, but one of them was bitten. We didn't know that. We thought the mother was just asleep. We were all asleep in the mess hall…you know…to stay together and safe. We woke up and she was eating one of the girls. The one you creamed outside. Jason hit the Mom over the head with a chair and kept hitting her until she was really dead. We ditched the girl out the door before she could…come back."

Katie nodded, but motioned to him to hurry up. Behind her, Jenni and Jason were crying together, holding each other, mourning.

But they didn't have time for that and Katie knew it.

"What we didn't know is that others had gotten bit by her in the scuffle.

Jason and I had come in here to get some food when the screams started. We looked in and saw another attack. But this one was bad. He was a football player before. We…just slammed the doors shut and bolted them. But…" He showed Katie his hand. "I got bit. "

Katie looked sharply at Jason.

"He's fine. We were going to try to escape, but that was when my family got here. But…the girl outside…she bit my Dad. He's over there with my Mom. Dad lost the keys out there in the scuffle. I…didn't…We couldn't leave…" The boy's sad eyes looked at Katie again. "I know we're dead. I watched zombie flicks with Jason. But take my Mom, okay?"

Katie looked back at the door behind her that was being systematically tackled over and over again. Jack sat in front of the door growling low in his throat. She looked at the door to the outside behind the boy.