Hunter Of The Dead (5 page)

Chapter Six

The thump of an erratic baseline combined with an annoying twang tore through the near-silence of the town, growing louder by the second. Eden sighed; Oz had picked the soundtrack again. Minutes later she could see them, the Humvee crawling into sight, its hazard lights augmented by flashing red and blue lights on the roof. It was tacky, but it did the job. There was a trail of ten infected following the vehicle, a bizarre scene that always made her think of the Pied Piper.

Jordan said something, but Eden could barely hear her over the music filtering through the connection. Then something shifted and, although the music didn’t dim, she could hear her sister clearly. “You have a clear shot of the whole square?”

Eden double-checked the open space even though she knew what she’d find. This wasn’t something she could screw up, not with Jordan’s life hanging in the balance. “There’s a blind spot directly to the south, but I’m good everywhere else.”

“How many?”

She swept her scope over the town, picking out three small groups of zombies. “There’s the ten behind you, two groups of three coming up from the north and another two coming from my direction to the west.”

Jordan’s deep breath hissed through Eden’s earpiece. “Eighteen. Nothing we can’t handle.”

Eden made a half-hearted noise of agreement. The question wasn’t whether they could handle eighteen zombies. It was whether eighteen zombies were all there were. “Let me know when you want me to start shooting.”

She watched them move closer to the square, her heart in her throat. No matter how many times they did this, she still got nervous right before the fighting started. That was her sister down there, the very last of her family. And while Jordan would never replace Dad in Eden’s eyes, she’d done a damn good job of stepping up when he died. Eden would never forgive herself if something happened to Jordan when she could have prevented it.

Eden closed her eyes, breathing in and out several times before she opened them again. The mental static descended, blurring out everything but what appeared in her scope and Jordan’s voice in her ear. The Humvee rolled to a stop in the middle of the square.

“Fire,” came Jordan’s voice.

Eden sighted on the group of two. Half a second later, the first was on the ground. She yanked the bolt back and sent the second there as well. By the time she looked back to the square, Jordan and Taro were out of the Humvee, quickly followed by Oz. Her sister and Oz sent a volley of bullets into the heads of zombies following them, taking down half. Taro flew at the other six, wielding his
Shaolin Spade
in a blur of movement that defied Eden’s attempt to follow it. He knocked one onto its back with the long pole and swung around to behead another with the crescent blade on the other end of the weapon without a pause. The man really was beautiful to watch.

Yanking herself back into the static and her purpose, Eden turned to where Jordan and Oz fought. Oz had switched from his rifle to his preferred weapon—his sword—while Jordan kept up a constant stream of bullets.

Eden scanned the surrounding area. “Four more at your six o’clock.”

Jordan turned on cue and blew the heads off two of them. Eden shot a third and Oz stabbed the fourth. Maybe he was good for something, after all. “More coming from the south, little lady,” he said.

Eden didn’t see anything. “Shit, it’s my blind spot. How many?”

“Five.” Bringing the total up to twenty-seven. But it didn’t matter because the team was moving like a well-oiled machine. They’d taken out forty with no problems before and this time would be no different.

“I’ll take care of them.” Jordan moved in that direction. “Eden, help Taro.”

“As if he needs it.” But she zeroed in on him, waiting for an opening. As if he felt her gaze, he ducked and she shot the zombie he’d been facing off with. It dropped to the ground with a spasm and Taro was up again, moving in on the two he’d kicked back seconds before. Damn, he was fast.

Movement brought Eden’s head around. In the mist of the early morning, it took her a moment to figure out what she was seeing. Lumbering shapes moved through the whiteness, evolving into bodies of the infected, covered in blood and looking for their next meal. “Jordan, you have to get out of there.”

Her sister didn’t pause in her shooting. “What?”

“Get out of there! There’s a whole crowd of them coming up the north road—at least fifty.” Even as she spoke, they poured into the square, swarming around the Humvee toward her team, toward her sister. Eden shot one going for Oz and then grabbed her bullets and reloaded, her fingers flying over Bernice.

“Eden,” Kaede’s voice was tense beside her.

Eden didn’t look up as she threw herself back on her stomach. “Go. I don’t need you up here.”

Kaede didn’t need any more encouragement. Quicker than should have been possible, she was off the roof and sprinting towards the square. Feeling sick, Eden sighted again, firing twice in quick succession at a pair closing in on Jordan’s back. Panic welled and she fought it back, fought to reclaim the static in her head.

Eden wanted to watch over her sister, but Oz was in danger of going down. She sighted on a zombie coming at his back, switching to another at his side immediately after. Her bullet hit the zombie—a tiny female—in the neck, spinning it around before it regained its footing. Shit.

“Calm down, Eden. Breathe.”

It was pathetic that her sister, who was in immediate freaking danger, was the one telling her to chill out, but Jordan never lost control when she was stressed. If anything, she got even calmer. Eden forced her breath out slowly, denying her lungs the freedom to pant. She looked at Taro in time to see the spade end of his weapon get stuck in a zombie and nearly pulled out of his hands. When he stumbled, a male leapt at his back. Eden’s shot took it in the air.

How many shots had that been? Four, five? She couldn’t remember. Her next one clicked empty. Crap, crap, crap. Eden reached for her bullets, reloading them automatically, eternally thankful for Dad’s training that enabled her to do this blindfolded while under fire. She threw herself back on her stomach and shot a zombie grabbing Jordan. Before relief could take hold, a sound reached her ears over the report of gunfire from the square. Eden looked over in time to see half of her perfectly lined up bullets rolling down the slope of the roof and disappearing over the edge.

She only had fifteen bullets left.

“You have to get to the Humvee. More are coming and I can’t cover you.” Even with Kaede, they were no match for so many without Eden’s help.

Jordan swore. “Do what you can. We’re coming to get you and getting the hell out of here.”

“Just go.” Eden systematically shot down every zombie she could see in between them and the Humvee. There were just too many. She had to stop and reload before they were out of the square. Ten bullets left.

Jordan reached the Humvee and spun around, slamming a new clip into her M4. She opened fire on the infected mobbing them. As far as Eden could tell, only half the bullets were head shots, but at least the remaining zombies were forced to move over their fallen comrades. Even if it didn’t slow them down much.

Oz yanked open the driver’s door as an infected jumped half over the hood and took him down in a tangle of limbs.
Oh God
. She gagged as the zombies bit into him. “Oz is down.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

Jordan looked to where their team mate had fallen. “Fuck! He’s gone.” She paused, obviously torn between going to him and running, as yet more zombies poured into the square. Where the hell had they come from?

Her sister threw open the door and leaned into the driver’s seat. A few seconds later the music and lights cut off and she was back outside and shooting. “Taro and Kaede. Now,” Jordan shouted.

After killing another zombie apiece, Kaede pulled open the back door and jumped in, quickly followed by her twin. Eden shot a zombie who tried to follow them into the Humvee and the door slammed shut. Now there was only Jordan left. “Come on, big sister. Now’s not the time to be a hero.”

Jordan laughed mirthlessly and slid into the driver’s seat. Eden killed two infected that got too close and her sister slammed the door. Safe, at least temporarily. Almost immediately, the crowd closed in on the Humvee, reaching up to bang on the windows. They were reinforced glass, but they wouldn’t hold up to that kind of damage indefinitely.

Jordan started forward, mowing down the infected in front of the Humvee with minimum effort as she forced the Humvee around. “Shit.”

“What?” Eden looked, but she couldn’t see any reason for alarm. Well, beyond the obvious problem of the zombie horde. But even that wouldn’t be enough to make Jordan lose her cool.

“The goddamned Humvee won’t fit through the streets. We can’t get to you.”

Cold wrapped around Eden’s heart and squeezed, but she forced herself to sound calm. “I suppose you have a plan.”

“We’ll draw them away, and you get off that damn roof and circle around. Meet up with us as the mouth of the valley.”

It made sense, even if she’d rather swallow glass. Eden watched the Humvee circle the square. “Just go, okay. Get out of this alive.” She didn’t know what she’d do if something happened to Jordan.

“You too, little sister.”

Eden’s heart swelled even as she sighed. “I can take care of myself.” Or at least she could when she wasn’t being an idiot and scattering her ammo. A quick count told her she had five bullets left. Once Jordan drew the infected away, she could go down and get the lost bullets. They’d be good to have, even if she couldn’t use them while she hiked through the jungle.

A painfully familiar sound brought Eden’s head up. A child crying. She spun around so fast, she almost tumbled off the roof. There, on the far side of the church, was a little girl calling for her mother. “Oh my God.”

The force of the memory hit her squarely in the stomach, stealing her breath. For one eternal moment, a different image assaulted her, of another little girl running through the sand to reach her fallen mother. Of her father grabbing her up and turning her face away as her mother jerked back to life and sprang towards them, mouth gaping. Of the man putting a bullet in the infected’s head while the little girl cried; the little girl who was Eden.

“What?” Jordan’s voice cut through her horror, jerking her back to the present.

“There’s a kid.” Even as she watched, three zombies came into view, their moans growing aggravated as they closed in. “Oh God, Jordan.”

“Shoot them.”

But it wasn’t that easy. There was another group coming in from the opposite direction, drawn by the child’s cries. She couldn’t just sit up here and pick them off while the girl cried for her mother. “I can’t.”

“Don’t you
dare
.”

“I have to.” Eden grabbed Bernice, throwing the rifle over her shoulder as she slid down the far side of the roof. “I’ll get her and be back on the roof before you know it.”

“Stay on the roof, damn it! I swear to God, Eden, I’m going to shoot you myself.”

“I look forward to it.” She paused briefly at the edge of the roof, eyeing the drop. The girl screamed again, making Eden’s decision for her. She turned around and slid backwards, gripping the edge until she was fully extended and dropping the last ten feet. The impact jarred her ankles and almost sent her to her knees, but she forced herself to stagger forward. The ladder lay on its side; she’d put it up after the girl was safe.

Eden sprinted, her rifle bumping painfully against her back with each stride. She pushed herself faster, aiming to intercept the girl before the infected did. The child was a tiny thing, probably no more than six, with dark hair cut just above her shoulders. She was barely more than a baby.

She swung Bernice up as she ran and shot at the zombies behind the girl. Only one of her bullets was a head shot, and it was more accident than skill. If she lived through this stupidity, she was going to train herself to shoot while running.

“
Stop shooting
. Damn it, Eden. You’re going to draw more,” Jordan shouted. In the distance she heard the blaring country music start up again. Her sister was trying to distract the infected, was willing to sacrifice herself and their entire team to protect Eden. Then again, they were far safer in the Humvee than she was out here on the ground. The distraction wouldn’t work with these zombies, but hopefully it would discourage more from coming.

She shrugged Bernice onto her back and poured on the speed, reaching the little girl seconds before the zombies did. Pushing the child to the ground, she took up a wide stance over her, yanking her
bolo
out of its sheath.

Eden ducked under the nearest zombie’s hands and brought her blade up through its chin, straight into its brain. She grabbed the knife from her boot and sprang up as the male slid to the ground. The child screamed as she caught sight of his blank eyes.

“Shut up. You’re going to draw more.” Harsh, but this sure as hell wasn’t a time for coddling.

She stabbed an infected female through the chest and followed up with her knife in the eye. Eden yanked out her blades as a weight slammed into her back and took her to the ground. She immediately rolled, trying to throw off her attacker, but she was at a serious disadvantage. The zombie was heavy and it had her face-down on the ground, her arms splayed to either side. The little girl screamed again and Eden twisted her body violently, managing to turn halfway over. It was then that she got a good look at the infected on top of her. The male was huge, probably over six feet and on the far side of two hundred and fifty pounds. And it was going for her throat.

Chapter Seven

She whipped her arm up in time to jam it into the zombie’s neck and stop its forward motion. Its teeth snapped wildly, inches from her face, spraying blood and thicker things at her. Eden closed her eyes, terrified its saliva would get into her mouth or eyes or something. She had to get it off of her.
Now
.

Her eyes snapped open as she brought her knife arm up. The blade skimmed over the infected’s skull, missing its eye socket by an inch. The male clawed at her and she was forced to drop her knife and use her free hand to support the one holding it off. Even using all her strength, the distance between them shrank.

The girl screamed again, and Eden was painfully aware of the other group of zombies closing in. They’d be here in seconds.

This was bad, so very, very bad.

Eden threw all of her reserves into one last push, straining against the suffocating weight on top of her. She managed to lift the infected several inches before her arms gave out and she collapsed to the ground.

This was it. She was going to die, and the little child would be torn apart. Eden resisted the nearly overwhelming urge to close her eyes. If she was going to die, she wouldn’t do it like a coward. It was because she had her eyes open that she saw the exact moment the machete embedded itself between the zombie’s eyes, inches from her nose. She bit back a scream and clawed out from beneath the infected, climbing shakily to her feet without making a sound.

Eden
knew
that machete. But it was impossible. There was no way he could be here...

“Should you not worry about the rest of them,
querida
?”

She froze in the act of picking up her fallen blades. No. No way. She had not just heard the voice that, even now, made her think of their single sweaty night and all the days leading up to it. Better to think she was losing her damn mind than to accept that Alejandro was here, standing close enough to touch.

Eden scooped up her
bolo
and knife and straightened, ignoring the man standing on the other side of the girl, looking like so much sin. He shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t have come. And yet here he was, messing with her head when she needed it clear the most. Bastard.

Alejandro sighed, a small sound she felt all the way to her toes. “I am truly sorry,
querida
.”

She tried to pretend she didn’t know what he was apologizing for. It didn’t work. “Fuck off.”

He walked over and yanked his machete from the zombie’s face as four more infected came around the far corner of the church. The little girl’s shrieks were a lot quieter now; she hugged her knees to her chest and keened softly. Eden wanted to comfort the kid, but there wasn’t time. There wasn’t time for a lot of things, least of all getting back on the roof.

“Eden, what the fuck is going on?”

Damn, she’d completely forgotten about Jordan. “I’m fine. We have an unexpected visitor.” She paused, fighting for control. It was a losing battle; it always had been where he was concerned. “Alejandro.”

And then, thankfully, there was no more time for talking. Eden ran at the infected, her anger giving her strength and speed despite her sudden exhaustion. She threw her knife at the nearest zombie, but, again, the blade skittered across its skull, leaving only a bloody trail in its wake. On a human, that would have been enough to slow it down, but zombies didn’t feel pain, didn’t feel much of anything at all beyond the desire for living flesh.

She wanted to fight until she couldn’t move, but it wasn’t a rational desire. They were still in danger. There was no time for the emotional breakdown she could feel looming at the edge of her consciousness.

Eden impaled one zombie through the temple and then Alejandro was there. He moved through the remaining infected like a beam of light, never there when they reached for him, leaving extreme damage in his wake. His machetes were a blur of movement, sending two heads rolling before he stabbed both into the skull of the final one.

As she watched Alejandro disentangle himself from the final zombie, Eden forgot she hated him, forgot he’d hurt her, forgot she never wanted to see him again. Hell, she forgot to breathe. His thin gray t-shirt clung to the muscles of his back, damp with sweat. She distinctly remembered running her hands up the muscles lining his spine and tangling her fingers in his hair as they kissed.

Eden turned around and rubbed her hands viciously over her face. There wasn’t time to moon around like a love-struck teenager. She had to get her shit together. As far as pep talks went, it wasn’t a good one. But when she turned around again, she was able to focus on what was important. Saving the girl and then getting the hell out of there.

Already she could hear more moans. The roof was no longer a feasible option. If they climbed up, they would be trapped and Jordan needed her to be on the move. Eden glanced down at the girl. She couldn’t move fast with the child, but it wasn’t like she could leave the kid here to fend for herself.

Alejandro scooped up the girl. “We need to move.”

“Not yet.” She had Bernice up and aimed at his head before he could move. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Now is not the time.”

He was right, but Eden hadn’t been born yesterday. It was too damn convenient, him showing up here like this, just in time to save her. “Answer the question.”

“I came for you.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I have been searching for you for some time and I received a tip that you would be here on an assignment.” He shrugged. “So I came.”

“That’s bullshit.” They didn’t know where they were going before they got a call. There was no way he could have found out earlier.

“You don’t have time for this. He’s there, just deal with it.” Jordan’s words echoed in her ear. “It’ll be dark in a few hours. Hole up somewhere and meet us in the morning.”

“But—”

Her sister continued, talking over her. Just as she always did when Eden brought up something she didn’t want to hear. “Eden, take care of the kid. We can function without you for a little while.”

It wasn’t the child she couldn’t deal with—it was the man who held her. “Fine. I’ll see you soon.”

“Turn off the earpiece unless you get into trouble. The batteries aren’t going to last forever.”

“Okay. Be safe.” Eden switched off her earpiece and turned to Alejandro, not quite able to meet his eyes. She would have rather faced down twenty infected than spend the night anywhere near him. “We need to find someplace safe to spend the night.”

“I know of one such place.” He turned and started north through the village.

Eden followed, forcing her attention to their surroundings so she wouldn’t obsess over how well he filled out those pants. Damn the man for coming back into her life now. Or ever. She would have gone quite happily to her grave never having seen his face again.

Rustles echoed from between the houses on her left. Eden half-turned, raising her
bolo
, but it was only the wind. She bit back a curse and hurried to catch up with Alejandro. He murmured in Spanish to the girl, but she couldn’t make out the words. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to shut up, but something stopped her. The girl was, no doubt, completely traumatized. And if Eden could barely hear him, the infected were unlikely to.

They passed the edge of the village and plunged into the jungle. If anything, it was hotter beneath the trees than under the fading sun. Eden blinked away the sweat dripping into her eyes. Where the hell was Alejandro taking them?

They hiked on and on. Right when her—admittedly limited—patience reached its breaking point, the trees gave way to a clearing with a cabin in it. She eyed the cliffs making up the rear wall of the building. They’d hiked all the way to the north wall of the valley. No wonder it took so freaking long.

The clearing looked smaller than it was because of the tree branches stretching toward the cliff wall, as if insulted they’d been denied even so limited a space. While Eden took in the surrounding area, Alejandro opened the door and disappeared into the cabin.

She followed him, taking in the small bed, cot, and table for two. Across the room there was a small doorway, probably leading into a kitchen. Before she could say a word, Alejandro was there, kneeling in front of her and running his hands up her legs.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Checking you for bites.”

She knew she hadn’t been bitten, but
he
didn’t know that. It was standard procedure to check for bites because saliva was the only way the infection spread. Just because she didn’t want Alejandro touching her didn’t mean she could refuse to be checked. “Hurry it up.”

His hands continued their path up her legs before going over her hips, stomach, back and arms, finishing at her neck, his fingers tracing along just inside of her body armor. Eden shivered and looked away. Before she could think better of it, she gave him the same treatment. It was an effort not to linger over his chest, where the muscles were more defined than she remembered. She was left cupping his face and Eden quickly dropped her hands. “Where’s the girl?”

Alejandro pointed to the low cot set up on the other side of the bed. The little girl was shivering, her arms wrapped around herself. He knelt and carefully checked the girl’s limbs. Eden’s only warning was his sharp inhale.

She looked down as Alejandro held up the little girl’s arm. There, between her wrist and her elbow, was a bloody wound. A very distinctive wound. The child had been bitten.