Man Eaters (Book 3): Mob Rule Page 12

  Wendell, poured a little of his water on a washcloth from the pantry. “With zombies out here, folks are more inclined to stay inside. It’s the only reason for letting them live, and to be honest, it’s a pretty wide move.” Wendell pulled Butcher to him and started wiping the caked blood off her neck. “We need to get this cleaned up and bandaged again.”

  “Make it fast,” Butcher said.

  “We recon the area, see what we can do about the tank, and—”

  A strange whining sound caught their attention.

  “What in the hell?”

  “Is that a chopper?”

  Butcher stood back from the open front door while Hunter, wielding two machetes, whacked the heads off the incoming zombies. When he was done, they grabbed their gear and started walking.

  “I don’t see anything,” Hunter said.

  “Keep your eyes open, guys. This day just got hairier.”

  They’d walked about five miles without hearing the sound again, and before they knew it, they’d reached the shot up bus.

  “We’re going to need to head up to the ridge line,” Hunter said. “There are less eaters up there and we can get a view of the surrounding area.”

  “Whoa. Stop. Hear that?” Butcher said. The earlier whining noise was back and she knew exactly what it was.

  Hunter nodded. “Split up?”

  “No,” Wendell said, as he pointed to the zombies in the distance. “We can’t split up. I, I can’t defend myself against more than one at a time.”

  Butcher nodded. “He’s right. We’re going to have to take a stand. Stay calm,” Butcher said. “Let me do the talking.”

  They came from three different directions, two on each dirt bike for a total of six marauders.

  “They have eyes somewhere with communication,” Butcher said. “No other way they could have known we were here.”

  “Shoot our way out?” Hunter asked.

  “No. They don’t know we’re connected to Dallas and Roper. Be cool, but be ready. We aren’t going to be taken hostage, you understand? We fight here and win or die here.”

  “Roger that.”

  The bikes came to a stop and the riders leveled their weapons at the trio.

  “Well, lookie what we have here,” a skinny teen with a pock marked face said.

  “JB gonna be glad since that other one got et.”

  Butcher stepped toward the hillbilly. “What did you say? It sounded vaguely like retard English.”

  “Drop your weapons, bitch, and toss your bags in a pile over there,” the largest of the riders said. Half his face was tattooed and he sported a greying biker beard.

  Butcher crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, I don’t think so. Not today. But thanks.”

  One of the other riders got off his bike. “Lady, you’re surrounded by us, by zombies, and by cactuses. Your best bet is to come with us. We have a safe place with plenty of food and water. All you gotta do is give us your shit and no one gets hurt.”

  Butcher shook her head. “You aren’t getting our shit. Period.”

  The first rider got off his bike and walked up to her. He towered over her by a good five inches. “You wanna live to see another day, then step the fuck aside.”

  Butcher glared at him and considered her limited options. “Make me.”

  “Yeah. What if we say no?” Wendell asked.

  The hillbilly walked over to Wendell. “No is not an option, pilgrim. You’re coming with us. A transport will be here sh—

  Thwup.

  An arrow went through his eye.

  Thwup.

  Thwup.

  Thwup.

  One of the riders managed to get off a harmless shot before Butcher put a bullet through his upper lip.

  Hunter laughed as he reached for his gear. “Only one person I know can shoot a bolt like that.”

  “One person, you douche? What am I? Chopped liver?” Zoe asked when she and Fletcher walked out from behind a bunch of trees.

  Fletcher embraced his son in a bear hug that lifted Hunter off the ground. “Damn good to see you, son.”

  Once his father let go of him, Hunter grabbed Zoe and crushed her to him. “Damn if it isn’t great to see you, girl.”

  “I knew you’d make it back,” Zoe said. “I knew you would never leave me out here.”

  “Never, short stuff. Never ever.”

  “But I never expected to see her.”

  Fletcher walked up to Butcher and saluted her. Butcher threw her arms around his thick neck and hugged him. “Damn glad to see you, Fletcher, and not a moment too soon.” She pulled away, and picked up her gear. “Hunter didn’t want to think you might not have made it. None of us did”

  Fletcher looked at Hunter. “Me? Oh hell no, Butcher. I got me plenty of years left on this chassis. I ain’t fixin’ to leave this planet any time soon.”

  Everyone hugged or shook hands before Wendell asked “You guys okay?”

  Zoe nodded. “Been reconning the area. We can get you up to speed, but we have to get out of this danger zone. This is where they come to scavenge and to pick off travelers.”

  Zoe told them how she and Fletcher caught up with each other.

  “Well, I, for one, am sure as shit glad you two were out there. That was getting a little dicey.” Wendell walked over to the motorcycles and studied them.

  “What now?”

  Butcher picked up the dead men’s weapons and split them between her and Wendell.

  “Everyone grab one of those bikes,” she said.

  “I’ve never ridden one,” Wendell said.

  Zoe and Hunter picked up the smaller bike and she slid onto the saddle. “Hop on, Poindexter. I’ve got this.”

  They rode up the ridge where Fletcher and Zoe had made a small camp on top of a large, smooth boulder the zombies could not reach.

  “Okay,” Butcher said dropping the kickstand with her heel and leaned back on Fletcher. “What do we know?”

  “Well, something big went down last night. There were sirens and lots of activity. They opened the front gate and we heard shots. It’s possible someone escaped. They sent a bunch of guys out, but it was too dark to see what they were up to.”

  “Well it sure as shit wasn’t to clean up the place. There are eaters everywhere.”

  Fletcher walked over to a dirt area but held his hand out to stop anyone from following him. He pointed to a diagram scratched in the dirt. “Don’t mess up our map. Here’s the layout of the warehouse district.”

  Butcher knelt in front of the large map and studied it. They had marked roads, buildings, cars, everything they’d seen so far. “Excellent work, you two.”

  Fletcher and Zoe smiled at each other. “We had faith my boy and Wendell would make it back.” Fletcher studied Butcher a moment. “But to be honest, I expected the cavalry to be a bit larger.”

  “They’re on their way. We brought the plane.”

  Zoe glanced up. “Then where’s Colby?”

  All three shook their heads.

  “No. Oh, no.”

  Butcher nodded. “Yeah. It totally sucks. Got bit and we put him down. It was awful. We’re about all you got for now.” Butcher looked to Fletcher. “Are they—”

  “Alive? Last we saw of them, yes.” Fletcher picked up a stick and pointed at the map. “We saw them yesterday, but Zoe will tell you about that. We’ve spotted a number of areas where we can easily get in. With three bowmen we can take out a good number of them silently, make room to get to our people.”

  Zoe pointed to a rock that was a building. “We think they’re holding them in this building here. Guards are everywhere. Heavy tactical armor and weapons. A good number of the higher level guards wear tasers.”

  “Tasers? What the fuck for?”

  Zoe explained the zombie chained to a pole and what she heard and saw before she met up with Fletcher. “I think they move it like a cattle prod. Assholes.”

  “My god,” Wendell murmured. “That’s…that’s horrific. W
hat…what is the purpose of the zombie in the cage?”

  “Well, Roper and Dallas dismantled the last two, so I’m not really sure what it’s about. Entertainment? We’re not sure.”

  Butcher pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s obvious we can’t sit around waiting. Take us to that rooftop. I want to see it with my own eyes. From there, we can figure out when and where to attack.”

  Fletcher and Zoe looked at each other. It was Zoe who spoke. “Butcher, we can’t attack them. They outnumber and outgun us. The best we can hope for is a rescue mission. Anything bigger than that is suicide, plain and simple.”

  Butcher looked to Fletcher for confirmation.

  “Z is right. Their firepower alone is too much for us. Our best bet is to go in at night in stealth mode and grab our folks. It’s a crap shoot no matter how you slice it and I don’t know how we’ll get out safely. We’ll need a ride.”

  Butcher pulled a chain necklace from around her neck. There was a key dangling from it.

  Everyone stared at it.

  “I got exactly what we need, and here’s how we’re going to play this.”

  ****

  They stood in another line before the caged zombie. This one creeped everyone out. It was a female ZB from Angola who had been with them on the bus.

  “Shit,” Dallas said. “Jeannie.”

  JB walked in front of the group of women, Churchill and Einstein. “Since you folks seem to enjoy killing our zombies, we thought it might be harder if it was one a yer own doin’ the judgement.” He nodded to the six guards, who raised their rifles at the group. “Now, I’m sure you all know that Roper was killed trying to escape last night and—”

  “What?” Einstein demanded. He took a step toward JB before Churchill could wrap his arms around him. “You’re lying!” Einstein looked at Dallas. “Dallas? It’s not true, is it? Tell me he’s lying.”

  Dallas lowered her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “I wish I could, Kid. I really do…but…it’s true. She was killed trying to escape.”

  Cassie and Burnett both cried out before sobbing into their hands.

  Einstein stopped struggling, the blood draining from his face. Tears rolled quickly down his cheeks. “You…you killed her?”

  JB shrugged. “Filly killed herself, son, tryin’ to escape. Let it be a good example to all of you what happens when you don’t follow the rules. It was a waste, really. She was so—”

  Einstein leapt for him, but Churchill managed to contain him. “Don’t you speak her name, you fat bastard! I swear I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you, you sonofabitch!”

  JB was nonplused. “Get ahold of yourself, son. What’s done is done. The filly attacked one of my men, broke his nose, and paid the price.”

  “Don’t. Call. Me. Son,” Einstein growled through clenched teeth.

  “Son, you don’t wanna get on my bad side. I understand she was your friend and all, but don’t push me too far. You won’t like what’s on the other side.”

  Dallas cleared her throat and locked eyes with him. “Einstein, I need you to calm yourself, okay? Wherever Roper is, is a better place than here.”

  JB shook his head. “Tell him how she died, Miss Dallas. Let your people know what’s out there that ain’t in here.”

  Dallas stared at him a protracted moment before slowly nodding. “Einstein, look at me.” Her voice caught once and she waited until he looked at her with tear-filled eyes. “The zombies…they ate her.”

  Einstein stopped struggling. “Wait…what?”

  Dallas stared into his face. “Ate her. They found her ripped up clothes.”

  Einstein caught her look and her tone and nodded. “I see.”

  “Good. Now get a hold of yourself and be a man.”

  Blinking back the tears, he wiped his face and swallowed hard. “I hope you at least mourn for me when I’m dead, Dallas. You aren’t even phased.”

  “You don’t know what we’re subjected to, so keep your mouth shut.”

  “Enough.” JB said. “And stop all that catterwallin’. People die. It’s the way of the world now. Let that be a lesson to ya’ll.” Motioning with his chin, JB waited for Clint and Sarge to open the gate. Clint had two black eyes and a bandage across the bridge of his broken nose.

  “What happened to him?” Burnett whispered.

  “Roper,” Dallas answered.

  “Good for her.”

  Grabbing Burnett’s arm, Sarge pushed her toward it. “Your turn.”

  She looked at Dallas for strength, but Dallas knew Burnett could never snap the neck of someone she knew. It was never going to happen.

  “Go on,” Dallas said. “You’ll be fine.”

  Burnett nodded and slowly walked up to the cage. One glance over her shoulder and she gulped down air and stepped into the cage. Their undead friend paid her no heed, but kept walking in the path worn bare by the others before her.

  “Closer!” JB yelled. Turning to Dallas, he said, “I have things to do, Miss Dallas. Please move the ladies along.”

  Dallas looked over to Cassie, who was trembling so much her teeth were chattering. Then she returned her gaze to the cage. “Burnett?”

  Burnett walked up to the zombie. For a moment, she just stared at it. Then, she lowered her head and cried. “I…I can’t.”

  “That’s good enough,” JB said, making shooing motions with his hands. “Move it along, Sarge. I don’t have all day.”

  Burnett was still sobbing when she came out of the cage. “I’m so sorry…” she whispered to Cassie. “I’m so…very, very sorry.”

  Cassie began backing away, but backed into a guard who shoved her forward. “Please, no. I can’t…I can’t.”

  “Can and will,” JB said, studying his fingernails. “And if you don’t,” he whipped a gun from his waistband and pointed it at Einstein. “I’ll shoot your boyfriend.”

  Cassie held her hands up. “Stop! No! I’ll go. I’ll go.”

  “Cassie—no. Don’t,” Einstein pleaded. “Please. Please don’t do this.”

  “Einstein,” Dallas admonished. “Don’t.” Dallas looked around for something, anything to stop the inevitable.

  “Thank you, Dallas…for everything,” Cassie said, trying to sound brave. Cassie stood fifteen feet away from Einstein, her big eyes filled with fearful tears. “Einstein, stay alive. They need you. They will always need you.” Cassie inhaled a long, deep breath before moving toward the cage. Once there, she turned, smiled, saluted, and said, “Thank you for the extra year of my life. I…I love you all…” she looked at Einstein. “Very much.”

  “No…Cassie…please.”

  “Einstein, if I’ve learned anything from you all, it’s when to be brave. Now is that time.”

  Cassie hadn’t entered the cage when the zombie turned and hobbled toward her moaning. Cassie threw her shoulders back and walked into the path of the man eater. It saw her and lunged, baring its teeth, snarling.

  Cassie stepped away from it just as Einstein broke free from Churchill’s grasp. He bolted into the cage and pushed Cassie to the ground just as the zombie bit the air. Shoving the man eater away, Einstein bent down to help Cassie up. “Come on!”

  “No!” she cried as the man eater reached for Einstein’s throat. “Run!”

  As Einstein turned to defend himself from the teeth of the zombie, Churchill took several long strides launching himelf toward Einstein and the zombie. Churchill managed to grab Einstein and fling him to safety, but not before the zombie dug its teeth into Churchill’s arm.

  “Fuck me!” Churchill cried, tearing his arm from the mouth of the zombie. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! You fucking piece of shit.”

  It all unfolded painfully slowly to Dallas, who heard herself cry out when Einstein shoved Cassie away. She watched helplessly as the zombie made a play for Einstein, and then stood amazed at the speed of Churchill, who managed to push Einstein aside before getting bitten himself.

  That was when everything came to a near standstill for her.
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  Movement to her left made her turn her head in time to see Sarge raise his rifle, aim, and shoot Cassie in the head. Her body fell forward into the dirt.

  “No!” Dallas reacted too late and couldn’t stop the next shot.

  Sarge turned the rifle to Churchill, who looked up from his bit arm. “No! I’m not—”

  Sarge squeezed off a round that entered his forehead and blew out the back of his head.

  “No!” Dallas started for the cage. “You son of a bitch!”

  Sarge had the rifle pointed at her chest. “Stop right there.”

  “He wouldn’t have turned, you stupid motherfucker!”

  “Right. And I’m Little Bo Peep. Now back the hell up before I lose my patience with you.”

  A sound like a wounded animal made everyone turn to the cage to see Einstein trying to drag Cassie out of the cage even as the zombie was eating her leg.

  In a movement so fast no one could stop her, Dallas tore the rifle out of Sarge’s hands and shot the zombie in the head.

  All other rifles swung toward her.

  “Son of a bitch!” Sarge growled.

  “I’m done. I’m done.” Dallas knelt down and set the rifle on the ground before raising her hands in surrender.

  “Take them back,” JB commanded, a low growl in his voice. “They been nothin’ but a handful of trouble since they got here.”

  His men moved in unison, but Dallas ignored them and whatever else he was saying, because all she could hear was this loud, horrific wailing coming from Einstein as he held Cassie’s body and rocked back and forth.

  Pushing past them, she made her way to Einstein.

  “Boss?”

  “Let her go. Maybe she can talk some sense into them.”

  Kneeling next to Einstein, Dallas wrapped her arms around him. “Come on, buddy. Let her go. You have to let her go now.”

  Einstein kept his head down and bawled. “Not her. Not her.”

  “I know, Kiddo. I know. Come on, before they shoot us.”

  “I don’t care. I don’t care about anything.”

  Dallas grabbed his face. “Listen to me, because I am only going to say this once.” Putting her mouth to his ear, she whispered, “Roper is still alive and Cassie was right—she is going to need you. So straighten up.”