Dead Life (Book 4) (18 page)

              We stood transfixed neither one of us wanting to shoot him. I heard a shot fired from behind me and a bullet hit Rick between eyes. I silently thanked Gina for doing what I couldn't; releasing our friend from what he had become. His head slumped to the ground.  Al and I turned around, ran to Gina, and reached down to help her up. She waved us off, buried her face in her hands, and sobbed.

              The gunshot had attracted a few zombies and we knew more were on the way. Soon the area would be crawling with the undead. There was no way it would be safe for us to stay here and bury Rick. At the same time we knew we couldn't just leave him like this so we decided to burn his body. Al and I drug him into the gun shop and poured gasoline all around the room. I lit the fire then we ran back to where Gina stood with her sword fighting off the ever increasing number of zombies.

              “Are we done here?” Gina asked.

              “It's not much of a send off but yeah we're done,” I said.

              “Then let's light these bastards up and get out of here,” she said pulling her rifle off of her shoulder.

              Al, Gina, and I sprayed the growing horde with automatic gunfire and made our way to our vehicles. I drove while Gina sat slumped against the passenger door. Both of us were crying for our friend and for ourselves. As I drove away from the fire all I could think was..........Who would be next?

Epilogue

              Fires and explosions filled the early morning as a lone driver leaves the burning missile silo. The Jeep Wrangler was a standard transmission which made it difficult to drive with one arm. Remembering to breathe while fighting with the clutch, stick shift, and gas pedal was proving to be more than he could handle but the breathing was important and had to be maintained. Without the breathing his heart would stop, causing his brain to shutdown, and without his higher brain functions he would become just another one of the undead.

              What used to be Dr. Jeffery Parks made his way to the northwest. He knew where he was headed; Fort Leonard Wood, but had no idea how to get there. He was hoping to find hitch hikers along the way. Best case scenario, they could tell him which way to go; before he ate them.

              Dead Life Shorts

Dear reader,

              When writing the series I constantly throw in characters that come and go in a flash and thought to myself that it might be nice to have a little back story on some of them. Hence this book. Yes it's only two very short stories but I plan on adding to it as the series grows. By the time I write Dead Life Book 275 this should be quite a collection of short stories.

              While waiting for my editor to finish correcting my many mistakes I decided to do this instead of pacing back and forth harassing her. Plus it gives her something else to edit.

              I'm probably going to put this at the end of Book 4 also so if your reading it there look for my compilation on Amazon.com download it and give it a marvelous review (it's free just do it). After that keep an eye out for updates. I imagine the way I'll handle it is just add new stories as I write them. We'll see how it goes. 

              The first short, Edgar's Story, is from a character you'll meet in Book 4. Edgar is somebody Tim, John (Sarge), and Lily run across later in the book. He seems like a nice guy and the three of them go out of their way to help him out. Along the way they learn that people aren't always what they seem to be. Hell maybe they didn't learn anything at all. We'll have to wait and see.

              The second short, Hidden, was first released in my good friend RR Haywood's blog. I asked him if he cared that I put it in here. He told me it was my story and I could wipe my ass with it if I wanted to. I don't know, seems a little harsh to me. I'll have to print out a copy on the computer and give it some thought. Rich writes the zombie series The Undead. It's a great series and if you haven't read it yet I recommend you give it a look see. Anyway, Hidden is from a character introduced in Book 3 and asks the age old question...zombie or not a zombie?

              There you have it. I hope you enjoy.

              Turns out Amazon wouldn't let me make the short stories free, bastards. Never mind the review.

Edgar's Story

A Dead Life Short

              Being trapped in the house the past two days had just about pushed Edgar over the edge. He had closed the bank on Tuesday emptying the safe of the two hundred twenty thousand dollars cash reserve they had on hand. He was sure he could hear his father turning over in his grave when he'd locked the doors and made off with the cash. It wasn't like he would be re-opening the bank anytime soon. The television news broadcasts of the dead attacking the living had stopped yesterday but from what he was hearing on the radio over the Emergency Broadcast System this was truly the end. Jenny, Edgar's wife, didn't want to believe what she'd seen and heard on the TV and radio but Edgar had seen it up close and personal for himself.

              Mrs. McNeely had stumbled into the bank three days ago and attacked Lisa, one of the tellers. The old biddy looked like an old turd when she'd come through the door but then again she always looked pretty rough. Mrs. McNeely walked in the door of the otherwise empty bank, reached over the counter, grabbed Lisa, and pulled her face to her mouth. Then she ripped the poor girls face off with her teeth. Edgar wasn't as surprised or upset by this as he should have been. He'd been waiting for something like this to happen. Even though the television news reports so far had been sporadic and lacking in details he had seen a few posts on some of the seedier internet blog spots. Edgar had just started carrying a weapon that morning. He pulled his revolver from the shoulder holster under his jacket and shot Mrs. McNeely in the head. Then he'd calmly turned to Lisa and done the same to her. After all last Thursday she had given Edgar an ultimatum. Twenty thousand dollars or she would go to Jenny about his relationship with Paula, the other teller at the bank. Then she went so far as to threaten him with the police; she was going to turn him in. Edgar wasn't just a small town bank president. He also ran the largest crystal meth manufacturing and distribution syndicate in the state. This whole turning him in to the police thing had really upset Edgar; Lisa was one of his best dealers.

              Paula was shocked that the normally mild mannered bank president had acted so decisively but she got over it fast enough. Edgar locked the doors, drew the blinds, then took Paula into his office for a quick fuck before calling the police. Something inside of Edgar had changed drastically when he shot that bitch Lisa in the head and he used the intensity of that moment on Paula. He took her in his office, bent her over his desk, lifted her skirt, and tore her panties off. Then he took her hard from behind. Smacking her in the ass with each thrust, feeling a change come over him each time he shoved himself against her. Edgar's love making had always been a soft gentle thing, up until today. This was the birth of a new Edgar. From this day forward he would the strong decisive man he'd always wanted to be.

              When the police showed up they seemed to take it all in stride. They even went so far as to commend Edgar on his quick response. After all Lisa had tried to attack Paula after being bitten by Mrs. McNeely. He had no choice in the matter. It seemed the local sheriff's department was well aware of what was going on in the outside world and had been preparing for what was coming to their small part of the world. They called the local mortuary within five minutes of arriving on the scene and had them haul the bodies off for immediate cremation. Once the dead bodies and the police were gone he had rough sex with Paula one more time. Edgar then closed the bank for the rest of the day, told Paula not to bother coming in tomorrow, and that he wanted her to get ready to leave town with him. If the world was ending Edgar couldn't think of a better way to go than in Paula's arms.

              This wasn't the first time Edgar had been unfaithful to Jenny. Being a successful drug dealer had given him the resources and seedy connections to meet quite an assortment of dirty little crack whores over the past few years. There was a time, before he started his crystal meth business, that he had been truly in love with Jenny. His affections for his wife had died sometime after his fifth or sixth affair; he wasn't too clear on the details. Paula was different than the others. What set her apart from the others was she didn't do drugs. The other women Edgar had been were with him for one thing and one thing only; free drugs.

              He met Paula about a year ago. Her brothers, Roy and Vern worked for Edgar. Roy ran the drug store he had acquired several years ago. After harsh regulations had been imposed limiting the quantity of cold medications a person could buy at a time Edgar bought a pharmacy. Now he had unlimited access to methamphetamine, an important ingredient in the manufacture of crystal meth. Vern ran Edgar's farm. There was a certain fertilizer, also necessary for making the drug, that the purchase of was also closely monitored. Owning a farm relieved Edgar of any scrutiny in the purchase of the nitrate based fertilizer he needed. The brothers introduced Edgar to their sister, who was well aware of their illegal activities, one day and it was hate at first sight on her part. She blamed Edgar for turning her brothers to a life of crime and had no qualms about letting him know exactly how she felt about him. On the other hand Edgar was quite taken with her and her disdain for him only made him want her that much more.

              He went out of his way to find excuses to be around the three of them and after a few weeks was able to melt through her icy exterior. It also didn't hurt that Paula was in desperate need of a job and Edgar offered to hire her on at the bank. After she came to work for him it was only a matter of turning on the charm, which Edgar felt he had in abundance. Within the first week at the bank they had their first dinner date. Well it wasn't really a date; they had carry-out in his office. From there things progressed nicely. Edgar set Paula up in a nice new apartment, bought her a new car, and showered her with gifts. He loved the way she protested every time he did something nice for her. It was nice to know that Paula was interested in him and not the things he could, and did, give her.

              Within a few weeks Edgar was head over heels in love with Paula. The only reason he hadn't left Jenny was that they lived in a small town and the scandal a divorce would cause would be ruinous to the bank. Many times Edgar had thought about just saying “to hell with the bank” and leaving Jenny and the girls but the bank, the pharmacy, and the farm were all essential to his illegal activities. A divorce would open the books and one thing he couldn't afford was to have some god damn lawyers sniffing around in his dubious financial activities. The bank laundered the money, the pharmacy supplied the methamphetamine, and the farm was the source of the nitrate fertilizer. It was a vicious circle that Edgar had lay awake many nights trying to find a way around. He had over five million dollars in off shore accounts and was slowly becoming of a mind to bring it all to an end. Then this zombie bullshit happened. All he had to do was walk away.

              “You can't really be thinking of going out there Edgar. The radio says we are supposed to stay in our homes. Your mother will be fine. We talked to Mrs. Jones right before the phone went dead. The nursing home was secure she said. Please don't leave us here alone,” Jenny begged.

              “Honey it will be fine. That's my mother. I should have brought her here when this first started. It's only a five minute drive there and five minutes back. I'll be gone less than half an hour,” Edgar said, trying his best to reassure Jenny.

              He had to get out. Paula had been waiting for him for two days now. He knew he was probably damning himself to an eternity in hell but he was leaving his wife and children. If the world was coming to an end, and from what he'd seen and heard so far it was, he wanted to spend whatever time he had left with Paula. The past two days had been torture for him. He was terrified of going out to face whatever horrors surely awaited him but he'd finally worked up the courage to take a chance of driving over to Paula's. He spent half the day trying to think of a good enough excuse to get away when his daughter had given him the seed of an idea. Sweet little Claire was worried about her grandmother and had been asking for her all day.

              “I'm not letting you go.”

              Edgar could feel his temper flaring. He still carried the gun he had shot Mrs. McNeely and Lisa with and for a second he was tempted to use it on Jenny.

              “I have to do this. Don't try and stop me,” he said, taking Jenny in his arms. “I love you. Lock the door and stay away from the windows. I'll be right back.”

              Edgar went to the door and turned back, taking one last look at his family. Then he went back to his girls and bent down. They threw themselves into this arms and he hugged them to him.

              “Always remember, daddy loves you,” he whispered to them. “Take good care of mommy. I'll be back before you know it.”

              He then stood up and held Jenny in his arms. “This is the right thing to do,” he said, tears in his eyes. “I love you.”

              “I love you too. Please be careful,” she sobbed. “Hurry back to us.”

              He kissed Jenny for the last time and walked out the door. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. When push came to shove he almost hadn't been able to leave them. Somewhere deep down inside he discovered that part of him still loved his wife. It had been harder than he thought but he was able to push all that aside. His future, whatever there was to be left of it, was with Paula.

              When he left the house he actually started driving toward the nursing home his mother was in. His thoughts were with his wife and daughters and he wasn't thinking clearly. It was okay though. All he had to do was head over to Main Street and backtrack to Elm. He turned onto Main and that's when he realized how bad things actually were. Cars lined the streets. He stopped and searched for a way through. He wasn't able to see very well sitting in his car so he got out and peered down the road. Not only were cars parked and abandoned in the middle of Main Street people were everywhere. They wandered aimlessly between the cars. Something was not right here.

              He started to get back in his car but stopped when he heard something behind him. Edgar spun around and came face to face with Billie Jo Spencer his wife's best friend. Only it wasn't Billie Jo anymore. The front of her torn blouse was covered in blood that oozed from the gnarled remains of her once lovely throat. Her opaque eyes stared into his and he could have sworn she was growling at him. She reached out with both arms, grabbed him on both sides of his head, and pulled him to her. Edgar jumped back in an effort to free himself before being bitten. This caused him to fall to the ground hitting his head, face first, on the cement roadway. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and for a split second he thought he would pass out. Turning his head to look up at Billie Jo he saw her bending down, reaching for him once more. Edgar panicked but knew he needed to act fast or he would die right here in the street. Rolling away from Billie Jo he fumbled in his jacket, grabbing for the pistol he carried under his arm. After what seemed like an eternity he freed the gun from his holster. Pointing it at the monster's chest Edgar pulled the trigger repeatedly. Nothing happened. The safety! In his panic he'd forgotten it. He thumbed the lever back and fired three rounds into it's chest. The first shot stopped it in it's tracks and the next two threw it up against the side of his car. The creature slid to the ground and landed on it's ass. Edgar tried getting to his feet but was still feeling the effects from banging his head on the ground. He sat back down and stared at the corpse of his wife's friend. Sobs racked his body. It lunged at him. The three bullets fired point blank into it's chest hadn't done a thing. Instinct took over and he raised the pistol, shooting it in the face. Billie Jo fell forward and landed on his legs. Blood covered his lower extremities and Edgar threw up all over himself.

              This time he wasn't wasting any time. Edgar kicked Billie Jo off of him and jumped up. He heard moaning from all around him. Every person that was on the street was looking at him and they were headed his way, coming from all directions. The gunfire had drawn them to him. Several seemed to be fighting with one another in an effort to be the first one to him. Some stared straight at him running headlong into the cars that stood in their way; only to bounce off and try again. Others scrambled over the cars and still others made their way around the obstacles that stood between them and their meal.

              Edgar jumped into his car and threw it into reverse, pressed down hard on the accelerator, and  backed into one of the trees that lined the street. He sat stunned, only for a second, then threw the gear selector into drive and sped away. There were other ways to get to Elm Street. He would just have to take his time. Edgar vowed to not get out of the car again until he got there.

              Along the way Edgar saw hundreds of the undead wandering around town. On three separate occasions he saw the creatures chasing uninfected people through the streets. Twice the person being chased saw Edgar's car and ran for him trying to get him to stop. He didn't. One woman ran along the side of him pounding on the hood of his car. He finally swerved into her side-swiping her and knocking her to the ground. As he drove past she was swarmed by the undead creatures and ripped to pieces before his eyes.

              By the time he got to Paula's apartment it was just starting to get dark outside. The parking lot was empty other than Paula's Lexus and one other car parked a few doors down. Edgar was excited to see that she had waited for him. He took one last look around to make sure all was clear and got out of his car. Edgar couldn't see into the breezeway that led to the covered stairway going up to Paula's second floor apartment. He couldn't make up his mind if he should run to the breezeway and up the stairs or if he should take his time, working his way slowly into the dark then move stealthily up. Something crashed behind him. The decision was made for him. Edgar ran for all he was worth to the breezeway then took the stairs two at a time on his way up.