Surviving The Aftermath (Book 1): The Dead Linger (18 page)

“Have you guys seen Jeff? He was on this side trapped down one of these aisles.” Everyone shook their head no. Crap on stick, where did that fucker go. Running back to where she had left Casey and the others originally only a few people were there now and none of them the ones she was looking for.

“Where did Casey go with the others?” She asked getting slightly frantic. They pointed off in the general direction where the guys had gone, towards the back of the store.

“Get as many people as you can with weapons in here, that Jeff guy is in here somewhere and he’s the cause of this. We need to hunt him down and kill him before he kills us.” She instructed to the woman whose name she didn’t know. Having over a 100 survivors and only being here a few months wasn’t long enough for her to meet everyone.

Finally emerging out in the back lot, she stood for a moment looking around. Jill sprinted over towards the lumber yard where she thought she caught a glimpse of movement. She heard a car start in the distance and thought nothing of it. Some more distant gun shots from inside the buildings and the roof, she can hear people trying to get organized and maintain the barriers that were still in place and getting new ones situated. She started slowing down as she reached the main entrance, no one was around. What the hell, why couldn’t she find anyone out here? Then there were headlights encompassing her, she turned to see the lights barreling toward, she heard the engine rev as the SUV went in gear and accelerated at her. Jeff.  With the headlights so bright she had mere seconds to decide before the car would be on her, she realized she could jump out of the way possibly getting clipped and let the car possibly crash through the gate behind her spilling more zombies into this place or she could stand and shoot. Jill pulled her gun out walking quickly in the cars’ direction and started firing one shot at a time in rapid succession at the driver’s side windshield until the slid clicked empty. The last bullet must have hit home as the car swerved, tipping on its side with a horrific crunching sound as the glass and metal shattered and buckled on its self. The vehicle rolled over 3 or 4 times before coming to rest on its roof only few feet from Jill. Armed only with her swifter broomstick that she picked back off the floor, she went over to the driver’s side door, it was the only part of the vehicle that wasn’t completely flattened and smashed. An arm emerged, covered in cuts and blood, the other arm followed and they drug the body they were attached to out.  Long blonde hair was attached to the head when it appeared.

“Oh god no!” Jill shouted and reached down to help drag the woman clear. She carefully rolled her over already knowing it was Cindi, Tom’s eldest daughter of a whopping 19 yrs. old.

“Cindi no! What were you doing, why didn’t you stop when you saw me raise the gun? Why?” Jill had started to cry when she noticed the blood seeping through the girl’s shirt, a bullet caught her mid chest right side and another caught her upper left shoulder. Jill was trying to put pressure on both wounds. “Somebody help me!” She screamed and cried. “Help!” It was like the 2 of them were all alone. But people had seen, and were rushing over as fast as they could. Chocking on her own blood, Cindi coughed, which Jill knew was a bad sign, Cindi was trying to speak. She managed utter “why?” Jill was shaking her head, crying, now, watching this girl slowly die, not believing what she had just done. She had never killed another human before, not like this. She didn’t like the feeling at all. Footfalls could be heard, instantly there were half a dozen people upon her, including Tom.

“Oh no! Noo!” He shrieked falling to his knees beside his daughter. Stroking her blood and tear stained face, he started whispering the empty promises of miraculous recovery that everyone knew would not happen.

“Who did this?” He demanded in a harsh whisper.

“I did.” Jill said without even thinking. It took Tom a couple seconds, but he looked up at Jill with watery eyes and finally said “What did you just say?” He clenched his teeth.

“I shot her.” Jill whispered still putting pressure on the wounds. Tom shoved her hard away from his daughter, she fell back crying harder now, but trying to keep it in.

“Get away from her you Bitch! I hate you, I swear to fucking god I hate you!” Tom’s voice dripping with damning words, as Jill just kept sitting where she landed but looking down now. Several people were around trying to help stop the bleeding and get Cindi into a more comfortable position.

“Holy shit what’s going on?!?” Casey and Jack came around the back end of the car trying to assess the situation. Beth and some others with basic medical knowledge were all there now trying to do whatever they could, though it was hopeless as Cindi coughed more blood up.

“She shot my daughter!” Tom said pointing an accusatory finger at Jill’s still form.

“What? Don’t be ridiculous.” Casey said.

“Tell him he’s crazy.” Jack said coming down by Jill and putting his arm around her. Very quickly in a monotone voice Jill quietly and quickly relayed the events in what lead up to the now dying girl lying in her own pool of blood. Tom sick from the details of hearing how his baby girl was shot grabbed Jill up by the shoulders and shook her, screaming she was the one that should die. Suddenly his hands were wrapped around her neck as he tried squeezing the life out of her, Jill gasping for breath struggled but not much, maybe more out of reflex than anything her hands went up to his, the guys around them managed to pry Tom off Jill quickly. She fell back to the ground in a heap of tears, bruises and self-loathing. Seething, Tom stood above her glaring down as Casey put his arm on his shoulder. “Calm down. Think of Cindi.” He whipped his head around at Casey and said nothing, just glared at him now.

Coughing and choking started again, Cindi was trying to talk again, Beth leaned in still holding on to the girl’s hand. “He . . . .” her breathing now labored. “ . . . . He loved me.” She closed her eyes as more tears spilled out. “Tyler. . . .our baby together . . said he’d take me away. . . . .” she rasped into between bouts of choking. Casey and Jack stood up looking down at the girl.

Tom was down by her side trying to soothe, “Shhhhhh princess don’t talk, don’t worry now.”

Cindi rasped, and her body convulsed a bit, “she did it  . .” Tom looked at Jill over his shoulder. “she killed Tyler . . . . I had to . . . .  get her.” And Cindi was gone. Her now lax body draped over Tom’s arm and he closed his eyes and cried softly. Everyone all had turned to look at Jill, she very much felt the accused, not only had she killed this young girl, now she been accused of a second murder she didn’t even do. “She’s lying.” Was Jill’s automatic response to the accusation of having killed Tyler.

“Don’t you dare call my daughter a liar.” Tom was now burning holes into her with his eyes.

“She’s right though.” Andy spoke up, stepping in front of Jill.

“Tom, we saw the video of Jeff killing Tyler you know what happened.” Andy always being very logical, explained how two other girls including Cindi, were lead to believe they could have a better life if they helped Jeff and Tyler get supplies, guns and ammo. They saw on the video how eventually Cindi came in the room sometime during all the chaos and found Tyler’s body.

“I don’t get it, why would she want to leave me and her mother?” Tom frowning as waves of confusion hit him.

“She’s a young girl, a seductive stranger flirting with her, probably felt exciting, and she went with it.” Beth filled in for everyone that was thinking it. Jack was trying to comfort a shocked and stunned Jill still sitting on the ground. Casey was trying to worry about her, and gauge Tom’s reaction this new news.

“Do you think she was really pregnant?” Jack asked softly with his arms tightly wrapped around Jill. She cried harder at this statement, not only did she kill a teenager, but that girl’s possible unborn child too. She felt sick.

“Aside from some sort of autopsy, I don’t think there’s really anyway to tell.”

“What am I going to tell my wife?” Tom said out loud.

“Let’s get Cindi’s body inside with the others and work on clearing this car out of here, Andy can you get some guys on that part?”

“Sure thing Casey.” The others all started helping carry Cindi inside. Tom, Casey, Jack and Jill all remained in place, the 3 men now standing and Jill still on the ground with her head hung down. She didn’t feel like she could look at any of them.

“I suppose you think I owe you an apology?” Tom said not even looking at Jill. His question met silence.

“Well I think you do. At least something, you just accused her of being a murderer when it was clearly self-defense.” Jack being bold and brazen said. Based on what the others had seen from the roof and the gate area, everyone vouched that the SUV was speeding towards Jill and she acted in self-defense. It seemed pretty open and shut to everyone, except Tom.

Tom turned to look at Jack. “Well I can’t give it.” He shoved the kid hard, and he walked away. Casey finally came over and kneeled down next to Jill.

“I swear to you, I couldn’t see who was driving that car.” She whispered as Casey’s hands cupped her shoulders. “Let’s get you inside.” He whispered.

“Wait Jeff is still out here somewhere.” She snapped back into action.

“Now that we have the zeds under control and everyone is on high alert it’ll be only a matter of time before we get him.”  He said. Jill really hadn’t moved. “Jill let’s get you cleaned up, you need to rest. The last couple of hours, especially the last few minutes have been rough. Why don’t we go in and try and get some sleep?” Putting his arm around her now as she stood up. Her bruised and battered body fell weak and vulnerable, and she was scared for the first time in a long time about what lay ahead for her future. She knew there was a new dynamic happening. This death was a huge change to this community and it had to be played out. 

“No I want to be alone, I’m fine.” She shrugged off his arm and walked off with no real direction.

“You know she’s not fine right?” Jack said coming to stand next to Casey.

“I do.”

“Well aren’t you going after her?” He said ready to sprint.

“No. She needs some time alone. She’s just done something she considers a horrific act of malice. I will be there for her when she’s ready.” Casey stated as he and Jack watched as Jill walked away from the wreckage.

Running. Sprinting like her life depended on it, tears started to fall again, she ran to the opposite side of the complex until she hit the wall. She laid her head against it and cried, why couldn’t this place have been perfect? She couldn’t believe that she had survived, that that young girl had survived, all this time just to die now. After everything that’s happened, she still felt like she had accomplished nothing, not that she was really expecting too. She had been sitting now against the wall for a few minutes, having decided tomorrow she would leave. With her gone, Jeff would probably leave too, or he’d be flushed out to try and finish the job. Everyone else would be safe, it just seemed horribly ironic that this place, these people survive a year plus of the zombie apocalypse and she shows up and in a matter of months the whole place almost goes to shit. Jill got up, and started heading back into the building. As she entered people were mourning there losses, 15 in all, including Cindi, who’s younger sister and mother were now by her blood soaked body. Her face had been whipped clean, but that was about it. Tom had looked up and saw her right away, Jill couldn’t even look at them, and she just turned quickly and walked towards her room. She pushed the door open, hit the lights and immediately started packing her bag. Not much to pack, another pair of shoes, jeans and extra hoodie, but she’d grab a few essentials in the morning before she’d jet out.

“Going somewhere?” Jill jumped and spun quick just having had the shit scared out of her.

“What are you doing here?” She realized her door hadn’t been locked when she opened it. Stupid! She mentally biffed herself.

“I was waiting for you, I thought you would have come back a lot sooner.”

“Well I had some shit to work out.” She told Casey while he lounged on her bed.

“Well I was worried.” He continued to lay there, shoes off, arms tucked behind his head, his expression very non-committal. Jill wasn’t really sure where to look or how to proceed, so she continued to pack.

“Are you running away?” He asked casually.

“Absolutely.”  Was her quick rebuttal to him.

“I never thought you were a chicken shit, but I guess I can be proven wrong twice in one night.”

“You got that right.” She continued to pack.

“So you’re just going to tuck tail and run away? Abandon Jack? Leave me?” He asked incredulously.

“I don’t know if you missed the little scene that just happened out there, but I just . .” Casey cut her off with a slash through the air with his hand.

“Oh that’s such bullshit!” He said rising off the bed. “Tom will come to grips with what has happened, and if he can’t that will be his cross to bear and not yours. You can’t let his anger and your guilt run you out of this place. If there was somewhere else to go I’d say sure, let’s go, but there’s no other safe place.” Casey was getting frustrated trying to reason with everyone all night. Jill just continued to stare at him, not really sure what to say.

“Just know, if you leave Jill . . . . “ Casey came over to stand in front of her and sat her down in the only chair in the room. “I’m going with you.”