Hamsikker 2 (23 page)

“So where were we? I hope you’re not plotting anything.” Javier waved the gun menacingly. “That would be a
bad
idea.”

“She’s slipping away,” said Erik. He slumped back, and Jonas could see what he meant. Pippa’s face was pale, and her eyes closed. It was only going to be a matter of time before she passed.

“Moving on, Rose is going to play a little game with Quinn.” Javier couldn’t care less about Pippa. Quinn was dispensable, too, and Rose was caressing her knife with such eagerness Javier knew he couldn’t hold her back any longer.

“Stick, or twist, Quinn?” Rose licked her lips, and sunlight glinted off the knife as she approached Quinn.

The sound of the gun left a ringing noise in Jonas’s ears, and at first he didn’t realize what had happened. He knew for a fact that Javier hadn’t fired. Rose had been walking toward them, undoubtedly ready to kill Quinn, when she spun away from them. Her face was torn apart by the first bullet, and the next ripped open her chest. A cascade of blood fell to the ground as she collapsed, dead before she hit the ground.

“Fuck you,” said Mrs. Danick. She had pulled the gun from her handbag when Javier and Rose had been arguing, unaware what she had been doing. Everyone had forgotten she had it, so discreetly tucked away in her handbag was it, and even she hadn’t been sure if it was still loaded. She turned the gun on Javier, pleased to see the surprise in his face. The shock that had embraced Javier spread to an ice-cold fear as he stared at Mrs. Danick. The old woman. That was how Rose died? That was how
he
died?

Mrs. Danick pulled the trigger, and her gun clicked empty. She pulled the trigger again, and again, but she knew her luck had run out.

Javier looked down at Rose’s dead body. She had been knocked down so many times in her life that he still expected her to get up. He half expected her to get up and laugh, to give him a kiss, and carry on where she had left off. But her head was in pieces, and dark red blood poured from her chest where the bullet had ripped her open. She would never be getting up again.

“You.” Javier angrily spat out the word, and pointed the gun at Mrs. Danick. He fired twice at close range, killing her instantly. He put both rounds straight through her skull, and Dakota screamed.

Quinn scrambled away from the van, and Jonas dragged Dakota away, too, trying to get away from the firing.

“Stop!” Javier swung the gun around. “Nobody move.”

Dakota was trembling, horrified, unable to comprehend what she was witnessing. “What did you just do? What did you just do?” She kept repeating it over and over as her brain tried to absorb what had just happened.

Jonas pushed Dakota behind him and stood up. He walked toward Javier, no longer thinking of the consequences, just wanting to put a stop to the madness.

“Jonas, don’t!” screamed Dakota.

Jonas didn’t even hear her as he marched toward Javier. He ignored the bodies of Pippa, Rose, and Mrs. Danick, and looked at Javier’s eyes. The man showed no remorse, and Jonas knew if he didn’t do something now, he wouldn’t stop. The lazy heat surrounded him, and he heard the whispering moans of the dead carrying over the wind. The sound of the gunshots had carried far and wide, alerting the zombies to their presence. The sun had dried out the crusty earth, and every step he took seemed to crackle with energy. He had to end this now.

“Javier…”

Javier punched Jonas square on the side of the jaw, sending him reeling backwards. Dakota screamed, and there were gasps of horror from Quinn and Erik as blood spurted from Jonas’s broken nose. Blood fell to the dusty ground in great big globs.

Jonas was caught off guard, and he tumbled backward. Tripping over his heels, he crashed to the ground painfully.

Erik jumped up, and Javier whipped out his gun. He pointed it at Erik’s head.

“I don’t think so. Back off, big guy.”

“Javier, stop this. Please. Like Hamsikker said, we go our own ways. Let’s call it a day. Nobody’s going to stop you. Just let Freya out, take the van, and go.”

Jonas got back on his feet and clenched his fists. Javier could see that both Hamsikker and Erik were ready to take him on. The cop had plenty of practice taking down armed criminals, and Javier knew better than to try to play this out. Erik would keep him talking, try to make him see sense, whereas Jonas would simply try and fight. It was a fight that Javier would be happy to engage in, knowing Hamsikker would never win.

“Get down on your knees. All of you,” ordered Javier. “Now.”

“You can’t be serious,” said Hamsikker. “You’re kidding, right? You’re going to execute all of us?”

Javier pointed the gun at Hamsikker. He looked at Rose’s inanimate body and felt the pain burning in his chest. “I despise you, all of you. To me you’re just cockroaches and rats, scavenging what you can from the rotten debris of humanity. Everything you do, everything you say, you’re pathetic. All you think about is yourself; what can
I
get out this. Oh, what’s the point? I thought I could convince you to see things my way, but I’m not going to waste my breath.”

Javier pulled the trigger, and the gunshot echoed across the Illinois River.

Jonas could feel the wetness of his own blood begin to seep through his shirt. He hadn’t felt any pain when the bullet entered his body, just a slight pinch of the skin, as if a bee had stung him. It was all over in a split second. There was no pain, just a sense of lightness, of the world falling away beneath his feet, and then he fell. The clear blue sky cartwheeled above him, and he felt the hard ground rush up to meet his body.

Dakota rushed to her husband on her hands and knees, ignoring the stones and gravel that cut her hands.

“Jonas, talk to me.” She could see Jonas’s eyelids fluttering as he struggled to maintain consciousness. She ran her hands over his chest, trying to find where the bullet had entered his body. “God damn it, Jonas, stay with me.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Javier was watching Dakota, wondering who to shoot next. With Hamsikker out of the way, he thought he should probably finish off the family line and take out Dakota. That was when Erik took his chance. He lunged at Javier, and both men tumbled to the ground. Erik threw a succession of quick punches, some of which hit their mark, some of which missed. He knew he had scored some good hits, though, and was sure he felt Javier’s nose break. He had motivation in spades, and kept Javier’s arms out of reach, ensuring the gun was well away. Erik used his stronger right arm to pound Javier’s side, causing him to drop the gun. Erik was just about to lay into Javier, to let him know how he really felt, when he sensed a stinging in the side of his head.

“Umph.”

Javier curled his hand around the rock, and struck Erik again, knocking him off balance. The skin around Erik’s temple split open, and Javier pushed the dazed man off him. He grabbed his gun, and kicked Erik in the stomach.

Seeing Quinn running at him from the corner of his eye, Javier whirled around and pointed the gun straight at her. Quinn skidded to a halt and stared him down.

“Playtime’s over,” said Javier, coughing. He spat out a stringy, gooey lump of phlegm and blood as the pain from the beating Erik had given him started to kick in. The contusions around his jaw were forming into black and blue shapes, and the blood in his mouth was warm and sweet.

“What happened to sweetness and light? What happened to trust?” asked Quinn.

Javier laughed. “Sweetness and light? Don’t make me laugh. You guys are living in cuckoo land. That shit went out about the same time as all the lights. This is a land of darkness now. You need guts, guile, and a fucking steady hand to get through this. You don’t need friends or someone to hold your hair back when you puke, you just need a big fucking gun and even bigger balls. Sweetness and light? You crack me up.”

“Why don’t you just leave us?” Dakota helped Jonas up. Despite her protestations, he refused to stay down. “Just go.”

Javier was surprised to see Hamsikker standing. His arm was covered in blood, and Dakota had ripped off the bottom of her shirt to use it as a makeshift tourniquet.

“Looks like my aim is a little off,” said Javier.

Jonas’s left arm hung limply at his side, but he knew he was lucky to be alive. Three inches to the side, and he would be stone cold dead. Erik had given it his best shot, but Jonas could see he was beaten. His wife lay dying in the sun, and his daughter was trapped. Erik was curled up on the ground, nursing his aching head, and Jonas tried one last plea. “Just go, Javier. You’ve had your fun.”

“Oh, no. After what you did to my Rose, I’m only just getting started.” Javier looked at Rose. It was such an odd sensation, seeing her like that. She really had brought it upon herself. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake though. It wasn’t the end he’d wanted for her, but that was her reality, not his.

“What makes you think you have the right to tell any of us what to do? Just who died and put you in charge?” asked Jonas.

“Hell is the absence of God.” Dakota’s shoulders slumped. “We’re in Hell,” she whispered to herself. Despite the strong overhead sun, she was cold, and found herself longing to feel a warm pair of arms around her. How could she bring a baby into this world, into this Hell?

Javier strode up to Jonas, smiling. “Who put
me
in charge? I would’ve thought that was quite obvious. Your God has forsaken you. Any more questions?”

“Yeah,” said Jonas. “I got one.”

Javier looked at Hamsikker, studying him. Even though he’d been shot and his friends were dying all around him, he was strangely calm, not like the others. When Javier spoke most people looked away, scared to catch his eye, all too aware of the inherent violence that always threatened to erupt, but Hamsikker stared back at him.

“What is it?” Javier noticed the groaning sounds of the dead coming from apparently all around them. He was going to have to wind this up. “Well?”

“How long do you think you’ll take to die once I take that gun from you?”

Javier’s smile briefly faltered. Hamsikker was serious, Javier was certain of that, but he cast aside any thoughts of defeat. No, Rose had made a mistake, a deadly one, and he wouldn’t do the same. Hamsikker really thought he could take Javier down, but he was mistaken.

“Dream on, Hamsikker. You’re a relic. Cops and cowboys don’t exist no more. Jugheads like you couldn’t catch me even when you had real power. You’re a nobody, Hamsikker, so keep on dreaming about how you’re going to kill me. What we’re doing, what we’re trying to achieve here - you know we could’ve helped each other out. We’re in the same predicament, and for a while there I almost believed we could be like…brothers. I thought underneath it all that we might be the same. Instead, you get all preachy on me, and you just bitch like the rest of your sorry group.”

“We are
nothing
alike, Javier. The difference between you and me is a chasm,
almost
large enough to squeeze your ego into. The difference is that I kill to survive. I know what’s right and wrong. You have no idea of morals, selflessness, or survival. Everything you do is just leading you closer to death.”

“Is that so?” asked Javier. His face was stinging from the blows he and Erik had traded, and his broken nose stung. It would probably stay crooked from now on, but he was past caring. He looked to either side of the van and could see them coming. So many zombies, so many of the dead coming from both east and west that the only way to escape would be the way they came in. He would have to backtrack to get back onto the Interstate. He couldn’t use the sun as a guide to find his way. It was directly overhead, cooking those dead bodies that were slowly shuffling toward them from Du Pue, Utica, and Spring Valley.

“So what’s to stop me shooting you now? If I’m no more than a killer, with no regard for anyone or anything, then I should just blow your kneecaps off and feed you to those zombies, right?”

“You tell me. What
are
you waiting for?” Jonas knew this was the end. Either Javier was going to shoot him again, or there would be some sort of trade-off. Javier must want something, or they would all be dead by now. “Take away the bravado and the gun in your hand, and you’re just like all the other little boys out there, running around thinking they’re real men. Try looking out for someone else for once. Try fighting for something that counts, like a family. Try literally having to beat zombies to death with your bare hands, knowing if you don’t your family is going to die. You could’ve stopped Rose, but you didn’t. You let her die. You’re pathetic. You’re nothing but a pantomime villain.”

“Me? I’m the fucking hero!” Javier launched a fist at Jonas’s face, and connected sweetly with his jaw. Jonas fell back, and rolled to the ground.

“Stop it!” screamed Dakota, but Javier had seen red. Nothing was going to stop him now.

Javier aimed a boot at Jonas’s head and kicked it like a football. Jonas rolled away as blood spurted from the fresh wound on his head, a cut erupting above his left eye. Another boot landed squarely on his back, and then another planted itself on the back of his head, making him see stars. He tried to scramble away, but the blows kept coming, thick and fast, and soon his face was covered in cuts and bruises. In the background he heard Dakota screaming at Javier to stop, but it was futile. Pain spread throughout his body, and he wasn’t even sure if he was still conscious. He was aware of a dull thudding which was the sound of Javier’s feet kicking his head. Jonas ran his tongue around his mouth, and realized he’d lost a couple of teeth. His left eye had swollen shut, and he knew there was nothing anyone could do to stop Javier. As another boot split open his lip, he rolled onto his back and looked up at the blue sky from his one open eye.

Javier watched Jonas try to get up from the ground, but the man was weak and dizzy. “You accuse me of being pathetic? Look at you. Crawling around in the dirt like a fucking pig. I don’t need a gun to finish you.”

Javier wiped the blood from his mouth. He felt strong. He had Jonas just where he wanted him.

“Stop it, stop it, stop it.” Dakota rushed toward Javier, her salty tears stinging her eyes.

As she ran toward him, Javier screwed up his hand into a fist and planted it on the side of Dakota’s face. His fist collided with her cheekbone with a smack, and with one blow he knocked Dakota out cold. Her body fell to the ground and lay in the dirt next to Jonas.

“Javier, stop this.” Quinn was disgusted with Javier, yet also with herself for not stopping it sooner. She couldn’t stand by and watch this anymore, just waiting for her turn. She walked toward him, her hands up defensively. “If not for us, then for yourself.”

Javier looked at her, hoping she would come at him too. He was really in the mood now, and he didn’t need her interfering in this. He wanted to finish Hamsikker.

“In about thirty seconds there’s going to be a million zombies here. Look. You’ve run out of time.” Quinn was barely a foot away from Javier now, and she could see Erik curled up in the fetal position beside Pippa. He had given up. Quinn was the last one who could do anything to stop this. She knew she had to stop it, and was going to have to start playing Javier at his own game. The man was a compulsive liar, and she had told enough in her time to know she could pull it off. When she had been with Roger, her whole life had been a lie. Now she was going to have to go back there and bring the old Quinn back. “Javier, let me help you. Look at you. You’re in no state to drive. I can get you out of here.”

Javier had to admit his strength was fading fast. The dead were getting mighty close too. He wouldn’t trust Quinn for a second with his life, but he did need a driver. Maybe he could turn this situation to his advantage. “Get in the van. Take Erik with you. He’s coming with us.”

“What about Hamsikker? And Dakota, right? I’m not leaving them here,” said Quinn folding her arms.

Javier pointed the gun at Quinn. “
Get in the van
. If you want to live to see the next sunrise, then you’ll do as I say. Get Erik. Get in the van, and wait for me. You even think about driving off, and I’ll put a bullet in Hamsikker and Dakota’s heads.”

“You’re going to do that anyway, so why should I listen to you?”

Javier chuckled. Quinn had guts, he had to admit. “Fine. You promise not to drive off without me, and I promise not to kill them. Deal?”

Quinn hesitated, but she knew she couldn’t argue any more. Javier would surely shoot her dead, and she reassured herself that she had at least bought them some more time. She reached down and pulled Erik to his feet. He was like a big baby and followed her unquestioningly. Quinn opened the van’s side door and pushed Erik inside, where he wrapped his arms around Freya. Quinn closed the door, went around to the driver’s side, and got behind the wheel. She started the engine, and tapped impatiently on the wheel.

“Come on, Hamsikker, come on,” she muttered.

Jonas got to his knees and looked up. Both his eyes were almost swollen shut now, and blood caressed the side of his face, mingling with the dirt that had stuck to his cheeks. He could see Dakota next to him, unconscious, and he wished he had the energy to get up and fight Javier, but he was spent. Jonas looked at the van, at Erik and Freya tucked in the back, and he guessed it was Quinn sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Well, Hamsikker, it’s been fun, and credit where credit’s due, you put up a fight, but it’s over.”

Javier kicked out once more, catching Jonas full in the face. Jonas’s nose shattered, and blood squished out as he fell onto his back. Javier sank to his knees and straddled Jonas’s prostrate body. He leant over his victim.

“What’s that, I can’t hear you,” said Javier grinning. “Are you still breathing, boy?” Javier put his ear down over Jonas’s mouth, and heard a faint breath escape his lips.

“Please…” Jonas heard Javier talking, but his head was fizzing, and he knew the blackness was coming to take him.

“Still hanging in there, huh? Listen up. I’ve got something to tell you,” said Javier with delight.

The group that had survived for so long in Jeffersontown over the last few months had disintegrated over just a couple of days. Javier felt proud, knowing he had used them to the fullest. It was a shame about Rose, but he could always find another woman if he wanted. There was no time left now to truly enjoy the moment, just enough to dispense with some advice. He smiled, remembering the story he and Rose had told them about how they had arrived at Saint Paul’s. The part about Rose being pregnant, and the tale about them being high-school sweethearts was pure gold. Every single one of them had taken it in hook, line, and sinker. Rose had taken on Mara’s moniker with ease, and he had been surprised how quickly she had adapted. He had found it difficult to suppress his urges to kill them all, especially that interfering old woman Mrs. Danick, but she had got hers in the end. It had been easy to use Gabe’s name. There was a part of him that would always be Gabe now, but it was time for a fresh start. Gabe was dead and gone.

Quinn sounded the horn, alerting Javier to the fact they were out of time. He could smell the dead now, and knew it was time to go.

Javier pulled Jonas close, making sure he could still hear. “You know I’m going to find my brother, but I just thought you’d like to know you’ve left an impression on me. I’m going on a little trip to Thunder Bay. I think I’ll look up your sister while I’m there. Janey, wasn’t it? Lives in a little red house by the lake? Yeah, that was it. I’ll be sure to say hi from her big brother.”