The Creeping Dead: A Zombie Novel (6 page)

He was weaving his way through the crowd when he suddenly came face to face with Dharma. Great, as if this night couldn’t get any more awkward.

She didn’t look upset. She was smiling at him.

“Hey,” she said, waving hello.

“Hey,” he said, feeling awkward and self-conscious.

“What happened to that sweet honey you were puttin’ the moves on?”

“Oh, that? That was nothing.”

A smile began to creep onto Dharma’s face, but she bit her lip to stifle it. “Oh, I see. So we’re just all interchangeable to you.”

“N-No, not at all. That’s not what I meant.”

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “So what did you mean?”

“I meant that I was only being friendly. It was just a little dancing.”

“So let me get this straight…I break my ass to try to get you to notice me—I drop by your pizzeria
every
day, I flirt with you every time I see you—yet you feel the need to be ‘friendly’ with a complete stranger, a Benny no less, and you think it’s completely okay to ignore me?”

“I-uh-I…”

She smirked at him. “You know I’m just breaking your balls, right?”

Vinnie looked relieved but embarrassed. “C’mon, give me a break. As you can see, I’m not great at this.”

“Well, at least I got your attention this time.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. He wanted to look down, but her eyes caught his, and he couldn’t look away. “I guess so.”

“Well, now that you have my attention, what are you going to do with me?”

Jesus, she was forward. She looked beautiful, too, now that he allowed himself to look at her. He drank in her golden mane of hair, sun-kissed skin, and athletic physique. She looked amazing in her short white shorts and pink halter top. Her belly-button ring glinted in the lights of the dance floor.

“Wanna dance?”

“Nah, that’s what you did with the last girl. I think I deserve something better.”

Vinnie swallowed hard. “What did you have in mind?”

“Let’s get out of here, and I’ll show you.”

Vinnie was terrified beyond all capacity for rational thought, but like good boy, he agreed. He followed her back across the dance floor, waving to his two buddies.

They waved back and elbowed each other, grinning like idiots at their friend. They gave him a thumbs up, and Vinnie’s face became hot. He turned back around and was relieved when he saw that Dharma hadn’t seen their sophomoric display of approval.

He followed her right out of the club.

Chapter 5

“So where are we going?”

“I figured we go up to the boardwalk and play some games, go on some rides.”

The boardwalk became a bit rowdier past eleven o’clock as some of the seedier elements came out to play. It was just past midnight.

“Uh, do you think that’s a great idea given the time?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh, c’mon Vinnie. We’ll be fine.”

They walked the two blocks back to the boardwalk. Vinnie saw from the street that it was as packed as ever. They ascended the ramp and merged with oncoming traffic. He felt overdressed.

“I wanna play some video games first.” Dharma grabbed his hand and pulled him into Big Shot Arcade. She pulled him over toward the racing car games and threw herself into one of the seats in front of the steering wheel. “Go heavy or go home,” she said, winking.

Vinnie reached into his wallet, pulled out two dollars, and sat in the seat next to hers. He handed her a dollar, and they both fed their machines.

“Now you’re talking,” he said. “But don’t think I’m going easy on you.”

They selected their cars. He chose a yellow Corvette and equipped it with nitrous. She chose a Camaro and equipped it with neon underneath.

“Very useful,” he teased.

“You just worry about your car as you choke on my dust.”

A scantily clad girl appeared on the screen between their two cars at the start line.

“Hey, Vinnie, maybe you can ask her to dance.” She laughed wickedly.

“Do I win her if I win the race?”

Dharma playfully punched him in the arm.

Vinnie took advantage of her distraction and was first off the line. “See, violence will get you nowhere.”

“We’ll see about that.”

He bumped into another car that jumped into his way, and she pulled up right alongside him.

She jerked the wheel left and plowed her car into his, sending him crashing into a street lamp.

“Hey, no fair.”

“All’s fair in love and war.”

“Oh yeah, which is this?” He didn’t believe he had the balls to ask, but he was nervous and the game distracted him.

Dharma looked over at him with a playful look, surprised at his forward quip.

Vinnie hit the nitrous and zoomed ahead of her. “Ah, you have to keep your eyes on the road.”

Dharma bit her lip and weaved in between the other cars.

Vinnie looked at her tan, toned legs out of the corner of his eye.

“You’re one to talk,” she said, having caught his not so furtive glance.

They came around to the end of the final lap, laughing all the way, and Vinnie had one nitrous left. “It’s curtains for you, kitten.” He hit the button, and his car went barreling forward, the background blurring to imply his speed.

“Hey, Vinnie…” Dharma reached down, grabbing the bottom hem of her halter top, and yanked it up, exposing her white bra.

Vinnie looked, and his jaw fell open as his car careened off a wooden bridge.

Dharma pulled her shirt back down and flew ahead, taking second place.

“I beat you!”

Vinnie blushed. “That’s not fair.”

“Weren’t you the one who said you should always keep your eyes on the road?”

Vinnie looked around nervously. “This is a family establishment. There are kids here.”

Dharma jumped up out of her seat. “C’mon, I wanna ride the carousel.”

Vinnie got up as she grabbed his hand and yanked him out of the arcade, back onto the boardwalk. She didn’t let go of his hand as they walked.

“So, I hear you have a classic car you’re working on.”

“Yeah, it’s a 1969 Mustang.”

“Is it fast?”

“It’s got some muscle. Not the fastest car out there, but it’s a classic. They don’t make ’em like that anymore.”

“Cool, so do you drive it around? I’ve never seen you in it.”

“Right now I’m in the process of rebuilding the alternator, so at the moment, no.”

“Where’d you get it?”

“You know Mike Brunello?”

“Over at Blackbeard’s Pier? The guy who runs the carousel?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“
He
sold it to you?”

“Yeah. It’d been sitting in his garage for years. He stopped driving it and decided he wanted to unload it. Said he was getting too old for a car like that.”

“Wow.” She looked impressed that ol’ Mike once owned a car like that. “Can’t picture him in a muscle car.”

“Why not? He was younger once.”

“Oh, excuse me. So why did you get that car instead of a new Camaro or something?”

“He practically gave it to me. Besides, there’s something cool about keeping a classic on the road. I’ll tell you, that car is timeless.”

“Kinda like the carousel and Smuggler’s Bay for that matter.”

Vinnie smiled at this. This girl
got
him.

They practically ran into the Blackbeard’s Pier Arcade, Dharma in the lead, and Vinnie following right behind her. It gave him an opportunity to check out her ass.

Because of the hour, the carousel was less crowded. All of the little kiddies were snug in bed back at their motels. Mike probably was too.

Vinnie walked up to the ticket machine and reached for his wallet, but Dharma put her hand up. “I got this.”

She fed the machine four dollars, and she pressed the button. Four orange tickets slid out.

Vinnie put up his hands. “Oh, you shouldn’t have gotten me a ticket. You go. I’ll watch.”

“Oh, no,” said Dharma, grabbing his hand again. “Not after all of this talk about classics and why we love ’em. The carousel is a classic, and you’re going on with me.”

She let go of his hand and curled her right index finger, beckoning him to follow her, flashing him her best ‘come hither’ look.

Vinnie cursed himself silently for not being able to resist. He got on the short line with her and looked around, hoping no one he knew saw him.

Dharma started kneading his shoulders. “Loosen up, Vinnie. You’re always so nervous. You’re having fun, aren’t you?”

“Yes, of course I am.”

“Unless you’d rather be back at the meat market asking Benny girls to dance?”

“That’s not fair.”

“C’mon, I’m only joking.”

“No, about the Bennies, I mean. They support this place.”

“I know. That’s what my mom says, too. My Dad think’s they’re obnoxious, though.”

“Well, some of them can be,” Vinnie conceded.

The carousel operator that Vinnie only knew as Ethel (she was a new employee, around Mike’s age, maybe a little younger) opened the gate, and Dharma went skipping through.

Dharma hopped onto the carousel and selected a blue seahorse. Vinnie chose the horse right next to hers. They hopped up and strapped themselves in. After a minute or two, the bell began to ring, and the horses slowly sprung to life.

As the carousel picked up speed, Vinnie enjoyed the cool breeze on his face and in his hair. He remembered riding the carousel as a kid with his mother, the lights and electronic sounds passing by as he waved to his father.

He looked at the pretty girl on the horse next to him and thought his mother would’ve been proud. Proud that he was out with such a pretty girl, and proud that she got him to ride the carousel again. He watched as the breeze tossed Dharma’s long, blond hair around. He marveled at her beautiful smile.

This night couldn’t have been more perfect.

The ride began to gradually slow until it came to a complete stop. Dharma quickly unstrapped herself and hopped off her horse. She waited for Vinnie, and they stepped off the ride and strolled out the exit, thanking Ethel on the way out.

“I want some ice cream,” announced Dharma. She took his hand in hers and they were off to the frozen custard stand next door. Dharma ordered a vanilla cone, and Vinnie a chocolate one.

“Let’s get a bench looking at the ocean,” Vinnie suggested.

“Okay.”

They walked, frozen custard in hand and Vinnie already sporting a brown mustache, over to the benches at the edge of the boardwalk on the side facing the ocean.

They picked a pink reversible bench with the back set up so that they would be facing the boardwalk. Vinnie switched the back, pulling it forward, so they would be able to sit facing the other way.

He gestured for her to sit.

“Oh, how gallant,” she smiled. She sat, putting her feet up on the chain link fence.

Vinnie sat beside her, leaning forward, digging into his chocolate frozen treat. It felt good going down, another little guilty pleasure in the midst of a brutal heat wave.

It was dark, so they weren’t able to see the water, but they heard the rhythmic crashing of the waves on the sand in the dark void before them. Vinnie found the black void ominous, a stark, dreary contrast to the hustle and bustle of the boardwalk behind them.

Dharma swallowed a mouthful of vanilla. “So, are you happy with how the night turned out?”

“Definitely.”

“So, does this mean that we’re friends now?”

Vinnie wasn’t quite sure how to react to the ‘F-word.’ He had actually hoped they were on their way to becoming more than friends. He felt something between them. Now he wondered if she felt it too.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“You guess so? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean…well, I like you…I mean, we’re definitely friends…”

Dharma leaned over and planted a kiss on Vinnie’s cheek. Her lips were cold from her frozen custard, which somehow enhanced the pleasure of the sensation of being kissed by her.

Now he wondered if that was a friendly kiss or…something else. Well, if there were feelings above and beyond friendship…if she really liked him, it was too soon for her to just make out with him. Wasn’t it? Or…

“Vinnie, I’d think by now you’d realize that I like you…a lot.”

Bingo.

“I-I like you too,” he replied rather awkwardly.

“Good. So does this mean I get the friends and family discount at Marco’s?”

That damned F-word again. No. He wouldn’t allow his neurotic doubt to creep back into his mind. She liked him. She said so herself. She came by the pizzeria every damned day, she flirted with him, she just kissed him on the cheek, and she just said she liked him…a lot.

“Well, you get the friend’s discount now…but the girlfriend’s discount is so much better.”

Dharma smiled, her eyes widened in surprise at his bold statement, and then they narrowed. “Well played, Vinnie. Well-played, indeed.”

She slid a little closer to him on the bench, almost imperceptibly, and they enjoyed the rest of their custard in a shared, comfortable silence. There was now an understanding between them where there was once confusion and doubt. The Smuggler’s Bay Boardwalk had worked its magic.

After they finished their custard, Dharma looked at her watch, which caused Vinnie to look at his. It was almost 1:15. The boardwalk was thinning out and businesses were starting to shut down for the night.

Vinnie was reminded of a time he and his friends walked the boardwalk at 3 a.m. It was eerie to see it completely dark and empty. It was off-putting.

“Walk me home?”

“Sure.” He just realized that he had no idea where Dharma lived.

They stood up as two police officers on bikes passed by, scanning the sparse crowd of pedestrians. Vinnie saw a staff member of the Blackbeard’s Pier Arcade getting ready to pull down the metal gates.

Dharma began to walk, and he walked beside her, but Vinnie was really following her. They stepped off the boardwalk at Ocean Avenue and walked parallel to the boardwalk for two blocks. A police car crept past, shining its light on the young couple. Satisfied there was no mischief or wrong doing going on, the cop moved on to a group of staggering Guidos farther down the street that was very loud. He flipped his lights on and they turned to look, hurling curses at the police car.

Vinnie was not interested in seeing how that was going to turn out. Dharma had them turn left on Nautilus Street. They strolled on until she stopped in front of a small bungalow with yellow siding.

“This is me.”

“Great. This was fun…maybe we can do this again.”

“I’d like that.” She leaned forward, closed her eyes, and gave him a quick peck on his mouth. Her full lips were warmer this time. “G’nite, Vinnie.”

“G’nite, Dharma.”

He watched her fish for her house key, enter her house, and close the front door behind her. He then turned back onto Ocean Avenue and headed north.

He wanted to skip home. This night was completely unexpected, and he felt a reluctant gratitude toward his two friends who cajoled him into going out tonight. The rest…well, that was pure magic.