Dead Cold (21 page)

“If we start killing everyone what’s the point?” Destiny knew what was coming as soon as she said it.

“Roland killed lots of people if I’m not mistaken, and you weren’t complaining when I shot that crazy guy in the store.” Jack’s face was hard and Destiny knew the situation was bad.

“Roland was different and that was different. This is our friend and he’s not crazy he’s just worried about the only person he has left.” Destiny was pleading with Jack now.

“She’s right baby, if we kill him are we any different than those things outside?” Angela had her arms around Jack’s chest as she spoke.

“Fine but we should lock him up until we figure out what to do with him.”

“Okay, well he’s tied up let’s put him in the office while we dig the truck out.” Destiny could tell Jack wasn’t happy with the arrangement but knew he would go along with it.

“That works, but I think we should have someone watching him at all times just in case.” Jack and Destiny began to drag the still struggling man towards the office.

“Agreed.”

Cory was placed under watch for two days while the other four took turns guarding, digging and sleeping. The lower temperatures outside and the slightly warmer temperature inside caused the snow to constantly thaw and freeze making digging more difficult. Late on the second day the snow had finally been cleared enough to allow the truck to exit the shop. It was time to pack up and get moving; Angela was watching Cory who had been quiet for the two days since being placed in the office.

A scream cut short told Destiny why as she turned to see Cory standing behind Angela his hand covering her mouth, a large knife in the other caressing her neck. Destiny and Jack both had weapons which they both raised immediately only stopping when Cory pressed the knife point against Angela’s throat drawing a few drops of blood.

“Now, now, how about you put those down so we can be real civil, okay?” Cory’s voice was cold and flat now.

“Cory just let her go and we can work this out.” Destiny placed her gun on the ground and stepped back her hands in the air.

“If you hurt her I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch.” Jack seethed as he too placed his gun on the floor.

Cory waved the knife in the air side to side. “You’re not very nice you know that, now we are all going to get in the truck and we are going to go rescue Breanna, understood?”

“I don’t think so you piece of shit and the second you let her go I’m going to kill you!” Jack was foaming at the mouth in rage.

“See, now you shouldn’t have done that because we were all getting along till now.”

Before anyone could move Cory plunged the large knife into Angela’s chest and pushed her towards Jack while taking the gun out of her hand. Caught off guard Jack was knocked over by Angela and they both collapsed in a heap on the floor. Destiny was reaching for her weapon when the click of a hammer told her it was too late.

“Goodbye, Destiny. On the plus side you’ll be with Roland.” Cory’s smiled seemed to divide his face as he pulled the trigger.

The pain in her stomach started before Destiny even heard the gunshot. It was like a great, fiery hand had reached into her stomach and was looking for something. The pain was worse than anything she had every imagined and it took everything she had not to scream. The scene seemed to be playing out in slow motion as pain overwhelmed her nervous system. She could see Jack holding Angela’s body and crying. She was aware of Eve rushing out the door; a bullet impacting the concrete behind her.

She watched as Cory knocked out Desire with a single punch and after tying her hand behind her back threw her in the backseat of the truck. Deciding he had done all he could Cory hopped into the driver’s seat and started the truck. Jack was still cradling Angela and asking her to wake up and Destiny did not want Cory to get away tried to reach for her gun lying nearby. She blacked out from pain before she could reach it; the last thing she heard was the truck driving away.

She awoke to Jack kneeling over her and doing his best to stem the bleeding in her stomach. There was a pillow under her head and she could see that a sheet covered the lifeless shape that had been Angela. The big garage door was still open and snow was blowing into the garage.

“Thank god you’re awake, Destiny; I thought I lost you too.” Jack’s eyes were red and puffy and his voice was hoarse.

“I thought you lost me too.” It hurt to talk or breathe and Destiny tried to limit both. “Eve?”

“She escaped during the fight I’m not sure what happened to her.”

“Angela?” Destiny felt sorry for asking.

“The knife pierced her heart, she died before we fell. It was quick.” Tears began flowing again as he spoke.

“I don’t think I’m gonna make it.” Each breath was becoming more difficult and Destiny knew her time was short.

“You have to make it Destiny; you can’t leave me alone here.” Jack’s voice was pleading and child like.

“I’m sorry…” What she was about to say was cut of by the sound of barking and voices.

Seconds later Eve came through the door, going right to Destiny and licking her face. The pain was getting worse and Destiny could feel the world going black again. She could see through the haze of pain as four people came through the garage door following Eve. A large black man, a young Japanese man with white hair, a person in a strange outfit and Destiny could not believe her eyes when the fourth person walked through the door. A wave of pain washed over her and the world went black again.

“No fucking way.” Jack’s voice was the last thing she heard.

Dead Reckoning

Chapter 1: Awakening

Closing his one eye he waited until she was gone. He wasn’t quite dead yet but he was close and he knew it. There was no point in letting her die too; not after everything he had through to make sure she stayed alive. They were close now and there were three of them. They knew he wasn’t dead yet and they were coming to finish the job, thankfully she had gotten away.

Closing his eye he prepared to embrace his fate and meet his maker when the sound of a small engine reached his ears. It sounded like a snowmobile and it was getting closer. Snow had started to cover his body and became quickly aware of the fact that whoever was driving was very likely to drive right over him. That made him smile; kill every ghoul around only to be killed by a living person on a snowmobile.

Holding his breath and waiting for the end he was surprised when the snowmobile came to a stop beside him. Opening his eye he saw that the driver wore a snowmobile suit and an open faced helmet; he looked like somebody’s grandfather. Without a word the old man pulled a small caliber pistol from his snowsuit and with three shots killed the encroaching ghouls.

Kneeling down the man placed two fingers on his neck and looked at his watch. Couldn’t this man see he was dead; his legs, arm and eye had all been destroyed and he had been bitten. Even if he could stop all the bleeding he would turn into one of the creatures before too long. Why wasn’t this old man putting a bullet in his brain and ending his misery. Instead he just looked in his one good eye and smiled.

“Hold on son, we’ll fix you up.”

How could he fix the infection? Had he found a cure? These questions raced through his mind as the old man lifted him on to a makeshift stretcher that was the snowmobiles trailer. He could feel and hear the old man strapping him in and he found he could no longer keep his eye open. The last thing he heard before the blackness took him was the snowmobile’s engine as it turned around.

The next time his eye opened he found himself blinded by bright white lights and he could tell he was still strapped down. Becoming distinctly aware of someone moving nearby he turned his head to look and saw instead his own reflection in a stainless steel wall. What he saw would have made him scream if he weren’t sedated; his legs, left arm and left eye had all been removed. Only stumps remained of his limbs and a cavernous hole where his eye had been; he was also aware of a large scar on his chest.

“You shouldn’t be awake yet, back to sleep until I’m finished.” The voice was kindly, like what he imagined Santa Clause would sound like and he succumbed once again to unconsciousness.

When he opened his eye the next time he immediately became aware of two things; he could see out both eyes again and he was no longer in pain. Looking over towards the stainless steel he saw that the hole in his face had been replaced with a silver metal plate with a golden eye in the middle. There was a white sheet covering his body and he became immediately aware of the fact that the sheet out lined a full body with all its limbs.

Look for the second of the Dead Cold series: Dead Reckoning to be released in the spring of 2013.