Run from the Dead: Book 5: A Zombie Apocalypse, page 18
The person in the other corner of the cage lifted her head and pushed her reddish hair out of her eyes with dirty hands. “Dude. There’s no getting out of here. We tried early on and look where we ended up.” Her voice came out hoarse, like she hadn’t had water in days. She dropped her head again, as if it was too much to lift it.
“What’s your name?”
“Mor—” She coughed. “Morgan.”
“Look, we can all get out of here. Help us help you—”
“There’s no getting out, Tess!” Sumiko spat her name at her. “Don’t be a fucking moron. Morons get themselves killed around here. Look at us, for fuck’s sake.” Sumiko laughed. “Actually, you’re in here with us, so you’re already fucked.” She laughed louder. “Might as well accept your fate.”
Tess frowned, taking in Sumiko’s words. Was the woman right? We’re they fucked now that they’d been caught? She shook her head and tried to breathe, but failed miserably, falling onto her bottom as all strength left her.
Liz’s voice reached through her mental fog. “We’re not fucked at all. I don’t think you know who you’re looking at, because Tess here… and Anna and Frankie, don’t just roll over and take it.”
Tess twisted her head to Liz, and saw something like pride or anger radiating there behind her eyes.
“I’ve seen what these women can do when they set their minds to it—especially Tess. We might be in a cage right now, with our hands bound and soldiers surrounding us… but we’re not finished. I know we’re not.” Liz glanced across at the other figure in the cage’s corner. “And if you’d like to get out of here as well, Sumiko and Morgan, I suggest you tell us what we need to know about this place.”
Liz nodded at Tess before moving back to stand with Frankie and Anna. Tess followed her movements until Sumiko cleared her throat.
“Call me Sumi. That’s what my friends called me, anyway.”
“Sumi. Ok.” Tess didn’t know what else to say after Liz’s speech. It seemed the woman had much more faith in them than she had right now. But she wasn’t going to let anyone else know that. If Tess and Anna and probably Frankie, too, all thought they still stood a chance of getting out of this alive, then she’d fight alongside them. She didn’t believe that just yet, but she had a flicker of hope, and maybe that would be enough.
Anna crouched next to Tess and whispered, “I have a knife in my boot. I can free our hands, but obviously we’re being watched, so it’ll have to wait. Sumi, Morgan, I see your hands are free.”
Sumi nodded. “Yeah, they never bothered with us.”
“The question is, do we try to break free whilst we’re in here or wait ’til they put us in there?” Anna asked.
“In here. Always in here…” Sumi looked up at the stadium again. “Once you’re in there, you’re dead.”
“So, what’s in there that’s so terrifying?” Frankie asked.
Sumi sighed. “It’s probably empty at the moment, but once they put you in there, they let the dead in.”
Frankie huffed. “We can kill the dead. As long as I have my sword, anyway.”
Sumi nodded. “They like it when you have your weapons. It makes the entertainment longer.”
Tess narrowed her eyes. “Watching people kill the dead?”
Morgan lifted her head this time. “No, dummy. They like to watch your terror as the zombies overwhelm you and tear you limb from limb. They like to watch you think you might survive and fight your little heart out. And they fucking love it when they see you run, trying to find a way out.”
“How do you know this?” Tess asked softly.
“Because they made me watch. I’m sure it was so I’d tell the others and put the fear of God into them. Keep ’em in line, you know.”
“But they give us our weapons?” Frankie asked.
“Yup.”
Frankie shrugged. “We can kill quite a few zombies. We’ve done well in the past. I mean, how many do they put in there?”
Morgan laughed, but no smile reached her lips. “They only put a handful in at first to see how you do. Then they keep adding more and more and more until you’re finally ripped apart and either become one of them or are so fucked up you’re a bloody mess on the grass of a once famous footy ground.”
“It’s cool, we got this.” Frankie moved away again, as if surveying the area around the cages.
“You do, do you?” Morgan said, incredulous. “Well, what if they decide to keep you instead and make you their playthings? What then?”
“Sumi said if we’re in here, then we’re probably going in there, right?” Tess asked.
Sumi answered, “Well, yeah, as far as I know. But maybe they wanna play with you first. Depends, doesn’t it?” She shrugged.
Anna frowned. “On what?”
“How much they hate you and how useful you are,” Morgan answered.
Tess pushed herself to her feet and looked at Liz, then Anna. “That Collins knows Rob, doesn’t he?”
Anna pressed her lips together and nodded with her eyes shut. “Yep, they know each other all right.”
“And Collins seemed particularly gleeful to see Rob too,” Tess added.
“Yes, he did.”
Sumi splayed her hands. “Playthings it is, then.”
“No.” Liz’s voice came out determined. “Not a fucking chance of that happening. I won’t let it happen to you, Tess. To any of you.”
Tess slumped. “But how can you stop them?”
Anna set her jaw. “We make sure we’re not useful anymore, the biggest pains in the arse ever… then make sure they put us in there.” She flicked her head towards the stadium.
Sumi pushed out a huff of air. “You set of fucking idiots… Do it, then. Maybe I’ll go in there with you, and they’ll kill you before me, and I can hide under one of your dead splattered bodies that wasn’t even good enough to turn.” She shook her head. “Fucking loons.”
Frankie smiled. “There you go, that’s the spirit. You’re no longer giving up. You’ve got a plan to survive.”
Sumi’s mouth dropped open before she looked across at Morgan. They shared an incredulous look before bursting out laughing.
“Fine. Fine.” Sumi shook her head. “Just make sure you guys end up in there with us.”
Anna winked. “No problem.”
Chapter 37
The fist connected with Rob’s face for what felt like the hundredth time. The bloke’s knuckles were broad and damn hard, and Rob’s head flung back as explosive pain rocketed through his eye socket. The man standing over him—wide shoulders, muscular chest, and thick arms—grunted with the exertion of throwing his hardest punches.
Rob wouldn’t be able to take much more of this, but then it wasn’t like he had a choice. They’d bound him to a chair in the middle of Collins’s makeshift office; the man himself sat behind his desk, watching closely. The dark smirk remained on his ugly face when Rob opened his eyes again. Blood coated his mouth, a familiar taste at this point.
“Are you done yet, Rob? This man here could pound your face into mush. He looks happy to do it as well.”
Rob spat the blood from his mouth, landing the red glob on the dull boots of the big man’s uniform. The man’s nostrils flared, and he glared at the blood before he lifted his eyes and snorted like a monster. Then he slung another fist.
The man mountain grunted as he pulled back, shaking out his hand. Grimacing, he held the hand the size of a shovel in his other, looking down at it.
The stupid bastard hit me wrong. Rob laughed, a small rumble in his chest at first, then louder and louder, his blood-coated teeth on full display.
“Shut up.” The enormous man grunted, his eyes wide with fury. “Shut the fuck up!”
Rob couldn’t help the next words out of his mouth: “Or what?”
The man grabbed the front of Rob’s T-shirt. “Or I’ll fucking—”
Rob reared back his head and slammed it into the fine-looking nose of the massive head in front of him. The crack ricocheted around the tent and the big man howled, falling backwards and gripping his face. He landed on his arse on the concrete floor as blood streamed from his broken nose through his meaty fingers.
Collins jumped up from his seat and glared at the man on the ground. “Get out.”
Another of the soldiers helped the big man to his feet, half dragging him out. Collins moved around the desk and headed over to Rob.
“I see you still have your ways, Rob. Always was a vicious bastard, wasn’t you?”
Rob shrugged. “I do what I need to.”
“Is that right?” Collins sat on the edge of his desk and folded his arms. “What about your little harem of women you arrived with? Will they do what they need to as well?”
“What does that mean?”
Collins curled the corners of his mouth up. “Well, will they do as they’re told? Will they need to be punished and pulled into line? Do they listen to instructions? Will they comply or fight back?” His cold, dark eyes bored into Rob’s, watching for a reaction, for him to kick off, to get upset and rage at him.
But Rob pushed down the urge to do everything Collins expected of him. “Don’t really know ’em.”
The eerie grin spread farther across Collins’s face. “Of course you do. I could tell you’re fucking that blonde one, at least. The way she looked at you.”
“So? It’s only fucking.” Shit, I’m not convincing enough.
Collins wagged his finger at him. “Uh, uh, uh. Not true, Rob. Not true at all.”
Rob tried for an eye roll next. “Believe what you want. Doesn’t matter to me.”
“Rob, you seem to forget I know you. I know what you would do, even for a stranger. You would still fight for these women if you’d just met. I saw you do it enough with new recruits and those being bullied in the army. You could never leave alone.”
Rob lifted his chin and locked eyes with him. He knew they were with him. There was no denying it. “And you only know that because you were the worst one of the fucking lot. You’re a sadistic fucker, and I really shouldn’t be surprised you’re running things here. It’s right up your alley.”
Collins dipped his head in a small bow, as if it was a compliment.
Rob continued, “What I don’t understand is how you got so many men to follow you and do your bidding. Did they transfer you after I left? Because I don’t recognise any of these idiots. Ohhh, wait…” Rob let the grin spread across his face, “you were a problem, weren’t you?”
Collins turned to face the other guard. “You can leave us.”
“Yes, sir.” He saluted and left the tent.
Collins took a moment. “Most of these are just grunts, easily swayed with the promise of women and other delights.”
“And the rest?”
“Too chicken or too smart to object. The early ones that tried reaped the consequences of trying to leave or rebel. It quickly put the others in their places.” He lifted his hand up to inspect his fingernails.
Rob cleared his throat of the blood congealing there. “And the rest of the army?”
“Abandoned the cities early on. Decided they were already too overrun. Removed the other forces from around this city—Hull too. They sent us here and there when initial reports came through, but changed their minds fast when they realised how quickly the dead could take over.”
Collins was answering all of Rob’s questions as if they were old buddies catching up. The man liked to talk; always had. He especially enjoyed pointing out how smart he was. Rob asked, “So, you saw an opportunity in a bleak outcome and jumped on it?”
“Absolutely.” He pointed at Rob. “See? I always knew we had an understanding, you and I. We may not like the other person or what they do, but we always understood each other.”
Rob couldn’t help but agree, nodding his head. As much as he despised the man, they had both always known where they stood.
Blood dripped in a long thread from Rob’s nose and trickled from the corner of his mouth. His body throbbed, everything hurt, but he needed to see that Anna was ok. And if that meant playing along with the arsehole in front of him, then he’d do that.
“Where are the girls?”
Collins flicked his hand off to the side. “In a cage somewhere over there. They haven’t been touched, if that’s what you’re asking. Not yet, anyway.”
Rob ground his teeth, then flinched at the pain in his face and jaw. “They’re strong, capable women. You’d do well to get them on side and helping in your operation.”
Collins narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. “They won’t obey, will they? They’ll fight to their very last breaths.” He tapped a finger on his lips, looking to a spot on the tent’s far wall.
“No. They will listen. And they’ll be great at looting and killing the dead for you.” The thought of the girls doing anything at all for this complete bastard and the once soldiers that followed him made Rob want to be sick. But he’d convince him the best he could so they’d at least stand a chance.
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“What do I do with you, Rob? Are you going to obey my commands now when you never did before? Are you going to fall in line and not cause problems? Are you going to stop being the arrogant son of a bitch you always were?” Collins leant forwards, elbows on his thighs.
“I’ll do what I need to do to survive.”
“LIES!” Collins bellowed across the short distance between them. “100 per cent lies. You are not made that way, Rob. You cannot and will not ever do the wrong thing. It is so far beyond impossible for you.” Collins paced in front of Rob and pointed down at him. “So, the question is still the same. What do I do with you?” He twisted to glare down at Rob, then the corners of his mouth lifted, and he nodded slowly to himself. “Yes. Oh Rob, I’ve got the perfect thing for you.” He turned and faced Rob square on, squatting in front of him. “You can watch your little harem of bitches die.”
Chapter 38
When Marcus stormed back into the house looking about fit to explode, Ollie looked for Tess behind him, but nobody followed. He hadn’t seen her since she left the house after chatting with her nan. She hadn’t looked happy, and he wanted to know if they were still going to storm the stadium. He also wanted to know she was ok—which felt a little odd if he was being honest.
He moved to the front window and peered out through the curtains. No one was out there, but that didn’t mean they weren’t around the back. He dropped the curtain back in place and turned for the front door before Marcus stepped in the way.
“Ollie. Come with me, please.”
“What’s up?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute.” Marcus’s eyes flicked to the young and old faces surrounding them. “Out of earshot.”
Ollie nodded but wasn’t sure why Marcus might want to talk to him, of all people. He’d hardly been around the bloke.
They moved into a small bedroom at the top of the stairs where Daz, Dean, Scarlett, Craig, and Tina all waited in silence. Craig sat on the bed, frowning heavily and looking about ready to puke with his head injury. The room, although small and tidy, smelled damp and fusty. It was one of the better smelling places he had been in a long time, though.
Ollie rubbed at his beard and, for the first time in a while, wished he’d shaved it off. The long hair kept his skin warmer than he needed in the summer weather. It would get colder soon enough, but right now, he was sweating through his clothes.
Marcus exhaled loudly. “Right. Seems we’re the last abled-bodied people around.”
Ollie frowned and looked at the others. They were all capable, but Rob and the others were much stronger in the field. “Marcus. I think I speak for everyone when I say… What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Rob, Anna, Tess, Frankie, and Liz have been taken by the army.”
“What the fuck?” Daz yelled and dived at the window to look out.
“They’re gone, Daz. I saw it unfold.”
“And you did nothing?” Daz whirled on Marcus. “You just stood there and watched?”
Marcus slumped. “I’m not exactly feeling great about it myself, but Rob signalled to me not to. I think he wanted to make sure someone was coming after them.”
Ollie scratched his jaw, absorbing what Marcus was saying. The original plan was out of the window. “But we’re half in our numbers now.”
“We don’t have a choice. We have to go after them.” Marcus clenched his fists. “I wanted nothing more than to jump at the fuckers and fight each one of them, but they had guns on the girls already in the back of the truck.” He shook his head. “I hated every second of watching that. Anna was in the back of that fucking truck… with those bastards.”
Ollie scanned the faces in the room. They were nervous, he could see that; Tina wrung her hands, Scarlett stared at the wall, wide eyed, Craig had his head in his hands, and Dean frowned hard, appearing deep in thought. This wasn’t a great team. It seemed only Daz and Marcus had anything about them. The army had dealt a crushing blow by taking Rob and the others.
Ollie blew out a breath. “I’m not sure we can do this.”
“They have our friends and family, Ollie. I know you haven’t known us long at all, but surely even you wouldn’t walk away and leave them to it,” said Marcus.
“Even me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’ve clearly had your own agenda from the start. You may have fooled some of us, but I see you, Ollie. The funny thing is, I actually like you. I think you’re a decent bloke under all of that other crap.”
“Well, you definitely don’t need me tagging along, do you?” Ollie made to leave the room.
“You still want your revenge, though, right?”
He did. He desperately did. But he didn’t take well to being backed into a corner. “This won’t work, though.” He waved his hands towards the others. “I’m prepared to die, but I’m not prepared to die without taking those bastards with me.”
