Survival In The Zombie Apocalypse | Book 1 | Worse Than Dead Read online

  ‘Too many dark rooms and dark corridors,’ she thought. ‘Too much running over uneven and debris scattered ground. Too much scaling old elevator shafts, climbing through windows and swinging from fire escapes.’

  “Nice stems.” Trent ogled her as he paced impatiently between his two captives.

  Kelly rolled her eyes.

  Trent was about to say something else but a rattle from out in the street caught his attention. “Keep going, sweetheart,” he ordered as he turned to walk back to the window.

  He stepped over her outstretched legs as he went and Kelly briefly considered leaping up and biting into him. She dismissed it almost as quickly, realizing that while it might be gratifying it would probably only make things worse.

  ‘Worse?’ She thought. ‘How could it get any worse? I suppose he could be feeding us to the hungry hordes out there. Something to look forward to, then.’ Her dark sense of humor bubbled up. ‘At least Trent seemed well enough distracted by whatever was going on outside that he wasn’t standing there leering at her anymore.’

  Chapter 2

  The dead weren’t fast, but they never stopped coming and, in numbers, could easily trap you or worse. They had found people, or what was left of them, trapped in basements, second floor apartments and other places with thick walls. Their bodies starved and emaciated. They avoided the undead but suffered an equally horrible death of dehydration and starvation. Trapped, they died slowly as the creatures pawed at the walls around them so that their safe havens had also became their tombs.

  Kelly’s shorts may have been purple… or pink at one time. She couldn’t remember. The color had faded and what remained was a greasy looking grey color. Some printed flowers were still barely visible on the waist band, and the swish logo still stood out on the side but the fabric was thin and torn in several places.

  Looking past the shorts she was also reminded that she had not shaved in ages. Thick fields of hair ran down her legs like grasslands over the Serengeti. She noticed the ink from her socks had left dark stains on her feet that made it look like they might also be covered in fur.

  ‘Great,’ she thought, ‘I look like a damn werewolf and smell like a bear, maybe Trent will be grossed out and leave me alone.’

  She considered fighting him if he tried anything frisky, but her face still throbbed from where he had hit her and she wondered how much good it would do. She didn’t even want to think about what he might do to Robbie if she resisted him. ‘He might do those things anyway,’ she fretted, ‘but maybe we can buy some time to think of something.’

  Kelly looked over at Robbie as he worked at his jeans. Although he still acted like a boy sometimes, she realized he had grown into a man over the last two years. The chubby boy of 16 was gone and replaced by a man whose body had been chiseled and tortured by the same harsh conditions of her own survival. She felt a kind of sadness for him since there were no girls around for him to keep company with. They occasionally met other living people, but it was rare and not usually friendly. Everyone was out for themselves these days.

  She looked away at the shadows in the hallway and tried to think of a way to escape but nothing practical came to her. She knew she would have to wait for an opportunity.

  ‘Something would happen,’ she thought, ‘something had to happen.’

  They had escaped death, and un-death, so many times over the last few years she wouldn’t let it end like this. She closed her eyes and escaped into herself trying to think of a way out of this mess.

  Robbie had seen Kelly start to undress but quickly looked away before she could catch him and assume he was ogling her. He made an effort not to look in her direction as he worked on his own clothing. He had a lot of respect for her and didn’t want things to get weird by making her think he was a perv. He also held out hope that his big brother, Roy would return one day. Soon, he hoped.

  ‘Right now would be good, Roy,’ he thought, ‘burst in the door guns blazing and take out that asshole Trent. But his older brother did not appear in the doorway and it seemed that the cavalry was not coming that day. Robbie kicked off his jeans and sat back against the wall.

  He looked over at Trent, who was still gazing intently down at the street, and wondered if there was time to try to unhook the collar. He slowly reached up to his neck and followed the leather around to the back where it was attached. The connection seemed to be held by some sort of clasp but he couldn’t find the release mechanism. He frantically felt around but the movement caused the chain to rattle.

  Trent turned around with a suspicious glare that turned into an evil smile. “Ok my little cupcakes is everybody comfortable?” He sang out while inspecting their efforts. He looked Kelly up and down then said. “Well done, good job. Now for part two. Lie down on your stomachs and put your hands behind your backs.”

  Trent took his time tying them up. Robbie tried to struggle at first but a few kicks from the older man put an end to that. When it was done, Robbie was stretched out under an overhead pipe with his arms above him. His feet were linked together with handcuffs and there were other straps or ropes he couldn’t see binding it all together so that his mobility was limited. He kept wondering where the hell Trent found all the ropes. He had just kept pulling them out of his backpack.

  Kelly was pulled up and tied similarly across from Robbie. Having not shaved or showered in ages, he figured he must look like a cave man.

  For the last two years, Kelly had been a combination of mother, big sister and teacher for Robbie. He was only 16 when Roy went out to scavenge for supplies one day. Ordinarily they would only go out together, but Robbie had twisted his ankle the previous day and was still recovering. Kelly was less adventurous back then and Roy had insisted he could move faster alone. It was supposed to be a quick run to a storage shed they had discovered containing supplies for a local convenience store. It was only a few blocks from their hide out and zombie presence was low so they figured he would be able to get there and back in a few hours. That afternoon when Roy had not returned they started to grow worried. They sat up all that night waiting and the next day they set out looking for him.

  With Kelly’s help, Robbie had limped all over the area but found no sign of Roy. When they reached the storage locker, the door hung open. They took this as a sign which probably meant he had to leave it quickly without relocking it. Unfortunately, he left no clues as to where he went next.

  They were searching an old gas station when a mob of undead began shambling after them. It took two hours to lose them and another few hours zigzagging their way back to their hide out. They arrived, exhausted, after sunset. Kelly had been sure that Roy would be there waiting for them when they returned. She was crestfallen when they found the loft apartment dark, undisturbed and as empty as it had been when they left it.

  In the last two years, he had grown up a lot and Robbie still looked at Kelly, not as a woman but, as his brother’s wife. He saw himself as her protector until Roy returned. It angered him to be hanging there unable to stop whatever Trent planned to do with them. Maybe he should have let Trent beat him to death. That may have been better than whatever he had planned. But, he knew he couldn’t do that. He decided he wouldn’t give up and leave Kelly alone with that miscreant. He wouldn’t give up. They had been through too much. He knew he had to wait for his chance.

  After Trent was done securing them, he circled a few times inspecting his work. He occasionally swooped in to re-tie or change the configuration of a knot, until he seemed satisfied. “Well yes,” he finally said with a salacious smile, “I think that will do.”

  Kelly’s eyes went wide when he walked behind her and spanked her bottom.

  “God damn!” he exclaimed with delight. “Your ass is fine, Kelly. Do you do Pilates or something? I do not know how Robbie there kept from jumping on this. How did you do it, Robbie? Are you gay or something?” He laughed as he groped her. “Holy crap you don’t know what you are missing. I am going to have some fun with you, Princes
s.”

  Kelly felt her face turn red with anger and embarrassment at their predicament. Making it worse was that Robbie was strapped just a few feet away. She struggled but the ropes burned and cut into her skin until she was frustrated and exhausted. She let her body relax so that she hung in the restraints and turned to stare down at the floor. She had no idea what Robbie must be thinking but she couldn’t bear looking at him while they hung there defenseless.

  “Now relax, Sweetie.” Trent instructed as he released her. “We will have plenty of time to play later. Don’t get all excited.”

  All Kelly could think about was that she was going to kill this asshole the first chance she got.

  “Ok, you two, I need to step out for a little while. I guess I don’t need to muzzle you, right? I don’t suppose you are going to be yelling for help or anything.” Trent stepped over and looked out the window before turning and walking out of the room. “Relax,” he said over his shoulder as he left.

  Robbie listened as Trent’s footsteps receded down the hall. Then he heard the click of the stairwell door being opened followed by the swish and light thump as it closed. They had oiled the door to reduce the noise but in the quiet of the building, Robbie could hear it well enough. He could even hear the light echo of his footsteps going down the stairs.

  When he was fairly certain Trent was gone, he tried again to free himself but after a few minutes he gave up, exhausted, and just hung there. Every time he pulled against the ropes in one spot, they seemed to tighten up somewhere else. Nor could he reach any knots or other connectors he could loosen. He wasn’t giving up but he was getting scared. He looked over at Kelly’s slumped body. She did not return his gaze but he could see that she was crying. Her head shook and trails of tears ran down her cheeks and dripped down onto the floor.

  “It’s ok, Kelly,” Robbie growled. “Were going to get out of this. It may suck for a while but we will survive and we will think of a way to get out. And when we do, we will fuck that motherfucker up!”

  Kelly responded with a sniffle but did not look up.

  Time is a relative concept. The two of them hung there silently as the shadows in the room got longer and the hot afternoon faded into the warm evening. There was nothing either could think to say. Their muscles ached and extremities tingled. There was no getting comfortable hanging in the ropes. Shifting their weight from one area simply caused the circulation to restrict in another. The pain grew until it felt as if the entirety of their bodies was cramping. All they could do is hang as if they were trapped in giant spider webs just waiting for the creature to return to suck out their insides.

  They were exhausted by the time they heard the sound of someone climbing back up the stairs. The sun had set behind the horizon leaving their little room in darkness. They felt terror at the thought of their tormentor’s return but also relief that he might loosen the ropes and let them collapse to the ground. Or kill them. That thought ran through both of their minds and in some way they both welcomed it over the continued pain of hanging in the ropes.

  They heard the stairwell door open and a beam of light flashed down the hall. This was followed by the sound of boots approaching. The light shined in the room blinding Robbie who for a moment prayed it was someone other than Trent. But then they heard the voice.

  “Well I see you decided to stay for the party.” Trent said as he ambled back in the room plunking down several gym bags. He then wandered around the room placing and lighting candles he pulled from the bags. “There,” he said, turning off the flashlight and admiring the flickering glow. “Now we have some ambiance.”

  “I bet you all are feeling pretty sore about now, yea?” Trent asked but didn’t seem to care about an answer. He pulled some items from his bag that looked like more ropes and chains in the candlelight. “Don’t worry. I’ll be taking you down now so you can get some circulation flowing. How about ladies first? You wouldn’t mind that would you, Rob? Would you like that, Kelly?”

  There was a moment of quiet as he seemed to wait for her answer. “What’s that? I didn’t hear you. Do you want to be let down or not?””

  “Yes,” Kelly finally said weakly.

  “Yes?” Trent queried. “Yes what? What’s the magic word?”

  “Please,” Kelly croaked, “yes, please.”

  “See there we go,” he praised and began working on the ropes behind her, “all we need is to show some respect and understand the rules. You see, Trent makes the rules. Trent holds all the cards, so if you do as I say, we all get along happily. You break the rules, well that won’t end well for you all. Understand?”

  “Yes,” Kelly gasped as her arms and upper body were loosened and lowered. She fell to her knees and rested her head on the floor with a groan. “Oh Jesus,” she moaned as the blood flow returned to her limbs in a rush of pain.

  She looked up when she heard the thump of Robbie being dropped to the floor nearby. She saw him kneeling with his own head on the ground in front of him and empathized with the relief and pain he must be feeling as the blood still returned to her own limbs.

  Robbie looked up and met Kelly’s eyes from across the room. They both winced in frustration at their situation. Although they didn’t speak, they conveyed an understanding to one another of the anticipated assault to come, and their powerlessness to stop it.

  Trent pulled at Robbie’s leash and led him on his knees back to the wall where he quickly secured him. “There you go Robbie. Best seat in the house. Just sit there and relax for a bit.”

  Robbie looked over at Kelly kneeling on the floor and quickly looked away. He sat back against the pipes and breathed deeply as feeling continued to painfully push the numbness from his limbs.

  “Comfy?” Trent asked.

  “Water?” Robbie replied. “Can we please have some water?”

  “Well now,” Trent answered, “since you were so polite and I’m in a good mood, I don’t see why not.” He walked over to the stacked boxes of water they kept in the room and pulled off two bottles. He rummaged through a bag and found a plastic dog bowl and tossed it down next to Robbie. Pouring one bottle into the bowl he said, “Sorry buddy, I don’t think I can untie your hands just yet but enjoy.”

  “What about Kelly?” Robbie asked.

  “Don’t you worry about her,” Trent said walking over to the bound woman who glared at him. “Hey now, don’t look at me like that little lady. I’m going to treat you real nice.” He unscrewed the lid of the second bottle and tipped it to her lips.

  Kelly’s thirst overrode her desire to tell Trent where to shove it and she began to drink. After chugging half the bottle, she felt better and pushed it away. Letting the cool liquid run down her throat.

  “There now,” Trent declared with his hands raised as if in surrender, “everybody had enough? Are we ready to get down to business?”

  “Business?” Kelly, newly hydrated, felt emboldened and fired back. “What do you want Trent?”

  Kneeling in front of her he said, “I just want what everyone in the apocalypse wants Kelly.”

  “And what is that,” she spit back.

  “Your supplies of course,” Trent said calmly, “your food, water, weapons, fuel, that kind of stuff.”

  “Fuck you!” She spit.

  “Maybe later,” he smiled, “but first you’re ‘gonna tell me where you keep your stuff.”

  “We aren’t telling you anything,” Robbie growled angrily.

  “Now, see” Trent said. “That’s the kind of attitude I thought we had moved beyond. Look. You’re going to tell me, so let’s just skip all the theatrics and the kicking and screaming and cuts and bleeding. Ok?”

  “Trent,” Kelly sighed, “we can’t tell you about what we don’t have. We’re living day-to-day just like you. You see what we have right here.”

  “Bullshit!” Trent yelled. “I’ve heard you talking about taking things to the ‘storage site’. Now you tell me where that is, or I will have to get rough. Is that clear? This
is your last warning.”

  “We really don’t…” Kelly began but Trent punched her, spinning her sideways on the floor. She saw stars and suddenly felt like she was falling into a vast empty abyss. She felt her body pulled down into a swirling pool of spinning lights.

  “Noooo!” Robbie screamed, pulling against his collar.

  “Damn, you’ve got a hard head, Kelly!” Trent said as he shook out the hand he used to hit her. “I told you I wasn’t messing around.”

  The older man unhooked Kelly’s leash and easily lifted her limp body over his shoulder. He turned angrily to Robbie. “Now, you’re ‘gonna see what happens, dumbass!”

  “Put her down,” Robbie shouted. “Leave her alone!”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Trent snarled as he strode from the room.

  “Bring her back you sick asshole!” Robbie frantically cursed after them. “Leave her alone! Just leave her alone!”

  Robbie thrashed and pulled against the ropes until he grew exhausted. His mind raced for a way to escape but he came up empty. Afterward, he sat alone in the flickering candlelight sobbing. His physical and emotional trauma merged into a dark agony that burned through him. He could only stare blankly into the dark corners of the room feeling broken and completely drained.

  As the hours went on, Robbie found himself on a plateau. His agony reached its zenith and, while it did not fall, it began to feel like a constant. After a time, it didn’t so much as become bearable as he began to accept it. He began to be able to move and think within it, in spite of it. The pain was there regardless, so he decided that he would work through it. As his soccer coach had always told him and his team-mates, “No pain, no gain!”

  Robbie snickered at how stupid this sounded. The giggle caused his lungs to hurt so he just lay there, still and quiet. Waiting. At some point he slid into darkness and either slept or simply vanished into a place with no light or sound.