A Girl a Dog and Zombies on the Munch Read online

  “They go after people in the towns and cities,” Niles said. “We’re way out in the middle of nowhere.”

  “How many have you waylaid like you did us?” Sally Ann said.

  Floyd responded before Niles could. “Waylaid? Where’d you learn to talk, girl? You one of those college brats.”

  “I’m in high school,” Sally Ann said.

  “Even better,” Floyd said, and once again several of them laughed.

  Courtney was trying to put on a front, to pretend she wasn’t scared, but she was more worried about these creeps than she was about the zombies.

  The end of the world kept getting worse and worse.

  The cabin was no such thing.

  Courtney didn’t know why, maybe because she had seen one on TV sometime, but the words that popped into her head when she laid eyes on it was, ‘Swiss chalet’.

  Twice the size of her family’s house in Minneapolis, the peaked roof was a good three stories high. The front and backs—except for doors—were glass from top to bottom. The sides were composed of logs. A deck ran along the entire front, with chairs and a table and a grill with a cover over it.

  To one side was a garage, the door open. Inside were motorcycles, dimly lit in the glow of a single small overhead bulb.

  As they approached the front deck, a spotlight blazed bright.

  The front door opened and out came a couple more Claws. One was young and skinny with a Mohawk and a gap where two of his upper front teeth should be. He leered at Courtney and Sally Ann. “Goody! Goody! Goody! You brought back some sweets for my sweet tooth!”

  “Cool your tool, Spike,” Niles said. “They’re not to be touched until and when I say so.”

  “You’re the leader, leader,” Spike said, and tittered.

  Floyd giggled as if he thought the comment was funny, too.

  “Any trouble?” the other biker asked. He was wide across the chest, with gray hair and a salt-and-pepper beard.

  “Not much, Gramps,” Niles said.

  Spike hooked his thumbs in his concho leather belt and swaggered to the steps. “I’ve got me an idea, bros. How about we have us a dog roast and for desert treat ourselves to the sugar pots?”

  “I told you to cool your tool,” Niles said.

  “Hey, we could all stand a meal, and dog meat is as good as any other,” Spike said.

  Courtney balled her fists. “You touch one hair on our dogs…."

  “And what, girlie?” Spike taunted. “You’ll glare me to death?”

  Some of the bikers laughed.

  “Look,” Sally Ann said, stepping up to Niles. “Does it have it be like this? Why can’t you treat us right? Oh, sure, you can try to rape us...”

  “Try?” Spike said, and snorted.

  Sally Ann ignored him. “...but we’ll fight like hell and you could end up killing one or both of us. And, sure, you can kill and eat our dogs but there’s got to be better things to eat....”

  Niles held up a hand, stopping her. “What’s your point?”

  “Why not try to get along? Why not treat us decent? We can cook for you and whatever else around this place you don’t like to do.” She sniffed a few times. “Like wash your clothes, maybe.”

  “Give me a break,” Floyd said. “Who cares about dirty clothes?”

  “Then there’s the place we’re headed for,” Sally Ann said. “Have you heard about it? A safe haven with a lot of people.”

  “What are you talking about?” Niles said.

  “A survivalist compound,” Sally Ann elaborated. “It’s got high walls to keep the zombies out. And provisions.”

  “What the hell are provisions?” Spike said.

  “Food and stuff,” Niles said, sounding interested. “Bet you’re just making this up. Where’d you hear about this place?”

  Courtney felt she should come to Sally Ann’s defense. “On the radio. When we were in the Twin Cities. We caught a broadcast from a radio station. It mentioned the compound. Said anyone who could hear them should go there.”

  Spike let out with a bleat of mirth. “Yeah, right.”

  Billy broke his long silence. “I heard it to. So did Sal’s father but he was killed. It’s where we were headed.”

  “Survivalists?” Niles thoughtfully rubbed the stubble on his chin.

  “You’re not buying this crap, are you?” Spike said.

  “I think they’re telling the truth,” Gramps put in.

  “So do I,” said the biggest one, Bradley.

  “Makes three of us,” Niles said.

  “So what?” Spike snapped.

  “Yeah, so what?” Floyd said.

  Niles stared at each of them. “God, you two are dumb. I’ll explain it to you later.” He faced the rest and raised his arms to get their attention. “Listen up. No one is to touch our....guests. There are still cans of soup and whatever in the cupboard so if you’re hungry grab a bite. We’re having a meeting in about twenty minutes.”

  “Do we have a deal?” Sally Ann said.

  “Let’s just say you get to live a little longer while I think things over,” Niles said.

  “We’ll take what we can get,” Sally Ann said.

  CHAPTER 14

  “I hate this,” Billy whispered. “I want to bash in their heads. Blow their brains out. Cut their throats.”

  “Calm down,” Courtney said.

  The three of them were restricted to the kitchen. A long marble counter separated it from a spacious living room. There was a fridge and a stove and oak cupboards, and off around a corner, in a nook, sat a large freezer.

  Sally Ann had put the dogs by the freezer and blocked them in by placing a couple of chairs on their sides on the floor. “For their own good,” she explained when Sansa objected. “The less those bikers see of them, the better.”

  Power to the chalet was being supplied by a generator in a shed. When Courtney stood by the back window, she could hear it running. But the sound was muffled and wouldn’t carry far.

  "I hate this,” Billy continued to gripe.

  “Give it a rest,” Courtney said.

  Sally Ann was at the counter, her arms folded, watching the bikers. “I wonder what they’re up to.”

  Courtney was curious about the same thing. All nine were gathered together, either on chairs or sitting on the floor Niles was addressing them in low tones, and to a man, they hung on every word.

  “What’s that about,” Billy said.

  Courtney had an idea. “You two stand here and pretend you’re shooting the breeze.”

  “What are you going to do?” Billy asked.

  Dropping flat, Courtney twisted around. Sally Ann and Billy gaped in surprise. Courtney put a finger to her lips, then quickly crawled past them until she came to the end of the counter.

  Inching around it, she strained to hear.

  “.... all we’ll ever need and it’s ours for the taking,” Niles was saying.

  “How so?” Floyd said.

  “This compound,” Niles said. “These survivalists. How about we go there? How about we act all peaceful and get them to let us in? How about we bide our time and when the moment is right, we take over the place for ourselves?”

  “I get you,” Jenks said.

  “I don’t,” Spike said. “What do we want with some stupid compound?”

  “Use your brain for once, will you?” Niles said testily. “We have maybe two to three days of food left. Then what? We scrounge for more and bring it back. And do the same thing, week in and week out. And the whole time, we’ve got those damn dead things to worry about. What if one of those swarms shows up?”

  “We take our bikes and cruise where the wind blows us,” Leroy said.

  “Yeah. Sure. With zombies and those pus-covered things and whatever else is out there waiting to rip us to shreds,” Niles said. “How long do you think we’d last?”

  “We’re the Claws, bro,” Spike said. “We’ll kick anybody’s ass.”

  Ni
les sighed. “And that green fog. You going to kick its ass, too?” He shook his head. “Everything has changed, damn it. The world isn’t like it was. We might last a while, but sooner or later we’ll be done in like most everyone else. Unless....” he paused.

  “Unless we take the compound from the survivalists so we’ll have a safe place of our own,” Gramps finished for him.

  “They probably have food enough to last years,” Bradley said.

  “And stuff like gas masks and geiger counters,” Niles said.

  Spike rubbed his cheek. “So you’re saying that we make nice for a while and let the cuties lead us there, then kill however many we have to so we can take the place over?”

  “You’re slow but you get there,” Niles said.

  “It could be our base,” Gramps said. “Live there and roam the countryside for whatever else we need.”

  “A sweet setup,” Jenks said.

  "But that means we don’t get to lay a finger on those young fluffs,” Spike said.

  “Not until we take over the compound,” Niles said.

  “So what if we have to put on an act for a while,” Gramps said. “It’s no big deal.”

  “Well, hell,” Spike said.

  “Everyone has to agree,” Niles said. “If you like the plan, nod.”

  Courtney risked a peek. One by one they nodded. Last, reluctantly, Spike did, too. She supposed she should be happy that she and her friends were being spared.

  Courtney barely had time to scramble back to Sally Ann and Billy, and stand up, than Niles and Gramps came to the counter.

  “We’ve decided to go see this compound for ourselves,” Niles announced. “What with everything gone to hell, it’s dog eat dog out there.”

  “You better not eat Willis,” Sansa said.

  “That’s not what I meant, kid,” Niles said. “We need to be somewhere there’s less chance of us being eaten.”

  Gramps nodded. “Hopefully, these survivalists will let us in.”

  Billy opened his mouth to say something but Sally Ann beat him to it with, “They should. The radio made it sound as if they would.”

  Which Courtney knew was an outright lie.

  “So here’s how it will be,” Niles said. “You keep to yourselves. Don’t get in our faces. Pick a room for the three of you to sleep in tonight. We’ll head out tomorrow about noon.” He started to turn. “One more thing. We don’t have bikes to spare. Each of you will have to ride double with one of us.”

  “I’d rather walk,” Billy said.

  “You sure try a man’s patience, asshole,” Niles said. “But if you want to try and make it there on your own, be my guest.”

  “He’ll ride double,” Courtney said. “He’s just grumpy from being hit on the head.”

  Niles motioned at Gramps and they rejoined their friends.

  No sooner were they out of earshot than Courtney whirled on Billy. “When will you stop being so pig-headed? she whispered, and went on before he could respond. “These bozos are our best bet of reaching the compound alive. Think about it. On their bikes we can get there in two days, tops....”

  “Depending,” Sally Ann said.

  “....so play along until we’re there,” Courtney advised Billy. “I’d hate to lose you after all we’ve been through.”

  Billy brightened. “Really?”

  Courtney knew he was thinking about his confession of love for her. He confirmed it by what he said next.

  “Then there’s hope for me yet.”

  Courtney sighed and took Sansa’s hand and went around to the nook. She moved a chair so they could step through. Sinking down with her back to the wall, she petted Gaga.

  Sansa picked up Willis and hugged him, his little tongue licking her like mad. “I hate that they talked about eating him.”

  “They’re buttheads,” Courtney said.

  Sansa laughed. “I’m glad I’m with you. I’d be so scared if I wasn’t.”

  “Sally Ann and Billy will protect you,” Courtney assured her.

  “Do you like Billy?”

  The blunt question caught Courtney off guard. “We’ve been friends since forever.”

  “No,” Sansa said. “Do you like him? You know. Boy, girl stuff?”

  “Aren’t you a little young for that?”

  “Oh, eww,” Sansa said. “I’m talking about you, not me. He likes you. Do you like him?”

  “If by like you mean love, I’m not sure,” Courtney said. “We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. We’re just friends. He’d like to be more, but....”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know,” Courtney said. “Maybe if he’d told me how much he cared a week ago, before the missiles and the bombs, I’d have given it a try.” She bowed her head and Gaga nuzzled her. “Now, I just don’t know.”

  “I’m never going to fall in love,” Sansa declared with absolute conviction.

  “Is that so?”

  Sansa nodded. “I know about kissing and things. It’s yucky. I’d kiss a frog before I’d kiss a boy.”

  Courtney snickered.

  “I’m serious,” Sansa said. “I’m never having a boyfriend. I’m never getting married. I’m never having kids.”

  “Have your life all worked out, I take it?”

  “I did,” Sansa said, and became sad. “Until all of this terrible stuff happened. How about you?”

  “I was taking it day by day,” Courtney admitted. “I didn’t have any plans. My parents wanted me to go to college but I was like, why bother? Why put myself in debt so I can hold a dull job somewhere?” She rubbed Gaga’s neck. “Life for me was mostly a bore. School. My family. I just didn’t care.” She closed her eyes as images of those times washed over her. “God, I was stupid. A good life was right there in front of me and I didn’t see it.”

  “You see it now?”

  “I sure as hell do.”

  “You sound mad?”

  “I sure as hell am,” Courtney said.

  “There’s not much you can do about it now though, huh?” Sansa said.

  Courtney almost burst into tears.

  CHAPTER 15

  Courtney was nervous about the motorcycles. They were so loud, she feared their combined din would draw shambling dead from all over.

  She was riding double with Niles. Not that she was given a choice.

  Sally Ann had to ride double with Gramps. Billy was with Jenks. The really big biker, Bradley, offered to take Sansa. At first Courtney was hesitant but Bradley treated the girl as nice as could be. From comments he dropped, Courtney gathered that he had a young girl of his own somewhere.

  The dogs were another matter.

  Spike and Floyd were for leaving Gaga and Willis behind. Several other Claws agreed but Courtney flat-out told them that if they didn’t take the dogs, she’d refuse to go. When Spike laughed and said the Claws would force her, she vowed to fight them every foot of the way from then on.

  Niles intervened. The dogs were coming along. Courtney was responsible for Gaga. Sally Ann brought Willis.

  So for three hours now, as the Claws roared steadily northward along a series of back roads they knew like the backs of their hands, Courtney held tight to Gaga, who wouldn’t stop trembling. It was awkward and uncomfortable and Courtney’s arms were growing tired.

  The Claws rode two abreast. Across from Niles was Gramps. Now and again Courtney and Sally Ann would catch each other’s eyes and Sally would smile encouragement.

  Courtney’s own spirits were low. Despite heir best efforts, each day found them deeper in an unending nightmare. She supposed she should be grateful that the Claws were playing at hands off for the time being. But that would change when they reached the compound.

  The day was overcast—as every day had been since the war. Instead of clouds, the sky was a sickly blanket of yellows and browns and greys.

  And as was often the case, there was a faintly toxic smell to the air.

  The roar of the cyles seem
ed to shake the ground.

  Several times Courtney spotted zombies near the road but the bikers swept by before the creatures could reach them.

  Abandoned vehicles were fairly common. According to Sally Ann, something called an EMP had destroyed the electronics and brought a lot of cars and trucks to a stop.

  The Claws expertly avoided every obstacle.

  Courtney had to hand it to them. If there was one thing they did well, it was how they handled their heavy machines. They swerved and braked so smoothly, it was as if they and their bikes were one.

  By Courtney’s reckoning it was close to noon when the Claws swept around a curve—and the road ahead was blocked by a large creature.

  Niles applied his brakes so hard, his cycle swerved, nearly causing Courtney to lose her grip on Gaga. The other bikers did the same, Spike coming within a few inches of slamming into Leroy.

  “Hell no!” Gramps hollered.

  It was a black bear. Or had been, before the war. Huge for its kind, most of its fur was gone, replaced by scabrous flesh and scores of putrid sores that oozed a yellowish-green pus. Its eyes, once brown, were now as red as blood. Part of an ear and a cheek had been eaten away by the chemical cloud that had transformed the bear into a living monster.

  Woods hemmed the road on either side, the trees so packed that riding between them on a big bike would be impossible.

  “Turn around!” Niles shouted, waving an arm over his head. “Hurry! Hurry!”

  There wasn’t enough room.

  And there wasn’t enough time.

  Niles and Gramps were starting to turn their cycles when the mutated bear gave voice to a gurgling bellow of mad rage and came at them like an out-of-control express train.

  Courtney acted as fast as she could. Sliding her right leg over and around, she threw herself off the Harley, clutching Gaga close. Gaga, panicked, struggled to break free. Courtney had no choice but to let go. As she did, she stumbled, tripped, and fell.

  Sansa screamed.

  Billy yelled something.

  Flat on her back, Courtney saw Niles grab at a pistol. His bike was halfway around, broadside to the bear. He tried to aim but the mutate slammed into him with such force, both he and his bike were smashed to the asphalt. Niles lost his hold on his pistol, which went skidding, and lost his head, literally, when the mutate swung a large paw—and severed Niles’s head from his body.