I’m so mad right now that I don’t even feel the pain in my feet from running in heels and as I reach the gate on the inner fence I’m prepared to fuck some zombies up. I yank the gate open, tearing apart the ivy that’s grown across it and I am definitely not prepared for what’s waiting on the other side.
Everything slows down as my eyes take in a man, standing sideways right in front of me, holding out a gun. His head turns my way and I catch a glimpse of shocked green eyes before that gun starts turning my way. I don’t even have to think as my next move is one that Ryan drilled us on so many times.
Right-hand goes to the gun barrel, left hooks under and around the shooter’s arm, yanks toward me. Duck under the arm, step forward with the gun now in my hand. Another step, pivot while shifting the gun into my grip. Keep pivoting until I’m behind him and bam, Bob’s your uncle! I am now behind the intruder, his own gun jammed into his neck. Then I freeze and assess.
The guy I just disarmed has frozen like a statue and thanks to my heels I can just see over his shoulder to the four other men that are staring our way with dropped jaws and shocked faces. A quick scan shows me three of the four are armed with handguns and the fourth is clutching his side like he’s in pain. The dead are pushing against the outer fence, attracted in part by a moaner making a racket a few feet past where the others stand, so I pull the silenced weapon from my left-hand holster and bring it up in one smooth move beside the guy’s arm in front of me and take the shot. The moans are silenced instantly from that spot but the fence still shakes as more and more dead push against it. The dead know we’re here so there’s no point being quiet at the moment. A silenced gunshot isn’t actually silenced like in the movies, it’s just not the loud bang it would normally be. I swing the barrel towards the group of four keeping buddy’s gun pressed firmly to his neck.
“Weapons down. Now,” I order in a low but firm tone.
As one, they all look to the guy I’m using as a shield. That’s interesting, looks like I hit the leader of this group. His head moves slowly in a nod and his outstretched hands make a lowering gesture for them to comply. Two of them do it right away and toss the guns where I indicate - a few feet in front of them. The third guy hits me with a fierce glare from ice-blue eyes and I take a minute to get a better look at him. Holy hot cakes, he is smoking hot in an angry bad boy kind of way. Thick black hair hangs to his shoulders, surrounding a jawline that could slice bread. Long dormant parts of me start to sit up and take notice but, hello? Not the time or fucking place so I repeat myself.
“Last chance, weapon down.” My tone is even, not even a hint of anger in it as he tries to stare me down. I’m thinking I’ll have to shoot him in the leg or something when their leader guy speaks up.
“Dev! Put it fucking down, man!”
Dev curses but finally lowers and then tosses it toward the rest of the guns in the grass.
I go up on my toes so I can get closer to their leader’s ear and murmur, “Thank you.”
He turns his head towards my face not even worried about the gun in his neck and opens his mouth to say something but stops and takes a deep breath, inhaling through his nose. His eyes track over every feature of my face in the fading light and a small grin pulls at his lips.
“First, you smell fucking amazing. Second, you could put your guns down too. We mean you no harm.”
I’m sure it’s the booze in my veins talking or maybe it’s the sexy green eyes framed by thick dark lashes that are filled with interest but my reply comes out waaay flirtier than the situation warrants.
“Hmm, I like to use protection on the first date. Maybe next time.”
The tiny grin on his lips grows, making me shake my head to get the thought of kissing them out of it.
“Zombies, Kelsey. Strange men with guns! Focus!” I reprimand myself internally.
“How many dead followed you to my fence?” I say out loud, all traces of flirtation gone from my voice.
He winces and looks apologetic. “It’s a horde. Hundreds, maybe even more. We’ve been running for days trying to stay out in front of them. I’m sorry.”
A few feet behind me another moaner hits the fence and starts calling for his friends so I step back and pivot enough to take another shot through the fence at head height, silencing him.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I turn back to leader guy and catch him looking through the gate on the inner fence but thankfully the corn growing there should block most of his view of the jackpot treasure they just stumbled upon. I place my hand on his back and feel way too many muscles ripple under my touch and push him towards his friends.
“Ok, go to your friends and all of you take a seat. I’m going to need you all to be quiet while I take care of this before they breach the fence. Once they’re gone, we can talk.”
I see him nod and when he moves toward the others I quickly close the gate to keep any more eyes off my home. Once he moves out of the way and sits down, the others have a clear view of me in the dying light and the expressions on every one of their faces shift to disbelief. Not sure if they haven’t seen a woman for as long as it’s been since I’ve seen a man but their reaction to me is a little over the top. I reach for my phone and that’s when it hits me that I’m standing here strapped with weapons in a fucking sparkly, strapless party gown and high heeled boots. The first living people I’ve seen or spoken to in four hundred and thirteen days and they’re going to think I’m a goddamn lunatic. Ok, I kind of am at this point but we could have worked up to that fact. Fuck my life.
“I-I was at a … a hen party so …” I wave vaguely at my outfit and then just shrug. Fuck it, it is what it is. After that I mostly ignore them, too embarrassed to see the judgment on their faces as I get to work opening apps and making the first call.
I hear Dev, the icy blue-eyed hottie mutter. “Who the fuck is she calling and how …” But I hit him with a glare and hold up a ‘wait for it’ finger, cutting him off. Two beats later, the song “Who Let The Dogs Out?” comes blaring out from further in the forest on the other side of the fence. It only takes seconds for the dead to unhook their bony claws from the fence and start to move away. I peek up and see grins on three of the five faces staring at me as I make a few more rapid taps on my phone. I switch apps to security and see all green on the fence line map so I tap back to the next level and send the call.
“Somebody call 911, shorty fire burning on the dance floor.” Can be heard but from further away than the first song. I keep at it until the next song is barely a whisper in the air and finally hit the last measure to ensure the dead will keep streaming that way. I tap the button and drop my phone to my side, look up and just wait until the first firework soars into the sky and bursts into life. I space the next two shots five minutes apart for the best coverage and as soon as the last one goes off, I wave the men to their feet, putting a finger to my lips in warning so they’ll stay silent and motion for them to move down the path between the fences away from where their guns are piled and in the opposite direction than the horde came from. I frown when I see two of them help a third to his feet and almost carry him between them. I keep a safe distance from the others with my gun carefully trained on leader guy’s head as we follow from behind. We move along until we reach a corner. I wave them on but place a hand on leader guy’s broad back causing him to freeze in place as the others keep walking. I move up close and rise up on my toes again so I can whisper.
“Your friend is injured. Was he bit?”
Once again, he turns his head so our faces are close together and takes the opportunity to look me over again, causing me to bite my bottom lip. When his eyes go straight to my mouth, shit starts fluttering down south.
“No, a jagged piece of metal sliced him on his side as we were dodging the dead. It’s why we climbed your fence. He can’t run anymore.”
I pat his back twice and nod to let him know he can keep going and also – muscles to feel. When we’ve made it halfway down the path and I see the huge tree on my home side of the fence I whisper for them to stop. I step back a few feet as they all turn to look at me and chew on my lip while I think of the best way to play this. On the one hand, people! On the other, strange people – men, who could kill me and take over my home. The light of the day is gone, leaving them barely outlined, so I activate the flashlight on my phone and angle it towards the inside fence just in case there’s still any dead nearby. The ivy is a thick barrier covering both fences making it hard for anyone to see in but best to not take any extra chances. Now that we can see each other again, I wave them back down to the grass and crouch down, keeping a tight grip on my gun in case one of them makes a move.
Inspiration hits me with a half-ass plan but it’s all I’ve got so I run with it. I tap out a text message on my phone to Tara’s old cell and send it in full view of them and then turn my best hard-ass look their way.
