Dead South | Book 2 | Dead Lies Read online

  “Yes, sir. I understand.”

  Malcolm reached under his shirt and clutched the pendulum hanging at the end of the necklace. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. But all he saw when he did was Judah. He knew he was going to need something more to calm his mind.

  “Prepare a caravan,” Malcolm said to his second-in-command. “I have somewhere I want to go.”

  9

  Jon rode in the back of the truck, staring out at the broken world. The road was mostly clear of abandoned vehicles, though many still remained for Terrence to steer the truck around. Most of them had been stripped of all valuable parts. Jon wondered what future generations would think of these metal carriages, left on the barren highways to rust. One day, no vehicles in the world would work. It would take years to get there, but that time would eventually come.

  He’d seen several zombies during this ride. The truck had zoomed right past a group of four standing just off of the highway’s shoulder. They’d pathetically reached for the truck and tried to run after it. Then, within mere moments, they’d been nothing but blips on the horizon before Jon hadn’t been able to see them at all. But that hadn’t bothered him. Only days before, Jon might have thought about urging Terrence to slow down so he could jump out of the truck to go pick a fight with the creatures. But the truth of what had happened had brought a certain calmness to him, and Hope’s Dawn had given him new purpose. No longer did he want to challenge the dead, secretly hoping he might get bit or swarmed. Jon South wanted to live.

  Brooke slid the back window open. “We’re almost there. Just a few more miles up the road.”

  The truck slowed down several minutes later, and Jon turned around to see where the truck was going. They passed under a traffic light that had long ago died like the rest of them. More stripped cars covered the streets. But there were several buildings to be seen as the truck approached a main strip of businesses. Terrence brought the truck to a stop moments after passing under the traffic light, and Brooke slid the window open again. Terrence kept the truck running, but set it in park.

  “How’s it look compared to the last time you were here?” Jon asked.

  “Quiet,” Terrence said. “Almost too quiet.”

  They were silent for a moment. All Jon heard were the sounds of the light breeze and the birds.

  “Maybe they went away,” Brooke said. “Why would they hang around forever? It’s been a while since you’ve been here.”

  “Don’t try to predict the behavior of these things,” Jon said. “Trust me.”

  “Yeah, I hope you’re right, Brooke,” Terrence said. “But we need to be sure before we start searching the buildings.”

  “We should leave the truck here and go scope the place out on foot,” Brooke said.

  Jon nodded. “Shut it off and grab the keys. For all we know, there could be people watching us as we sit here. We have to be prepared for anything.”

  Terrence shut off the engine and climbed out of the truck with Brooke. Jon picked up one of the shotguns lying before him and jumped over the side of the truck.

  “You sure you don’t want one of the rifles?” Terrence asked Jon.

  “I’ll be good.”

  Terrence and Brooke grabbed their weapons, and Terrence shut the tailgate.

  “Stay together and keep your eyes peeled and ears open,” Jon said.

  Jon was the first to arrive at the corner of the aptly named Main Street. The town must only have had a few thousand residents at most before the world had gone to hell. It seemed like the only reason anyone would stop in Taylorville would have been to fill up on gasoline before continuing their trip into the mountains.

  “Last time we were here, zombies were all over the street,” Terrence whispered.

  “Maybe they really are gone,” Brooke said.

  Jon hoped so, but didn’t want to let his guard down yet. “It seems possible, but let’s remain cautious.”

  He started scouting the stores. The first one to his left was a general store, and next to that was a pharmacy. Those would likely be the most critical two places to look for the supplies they needed, and he felt thankful they were right next to each other and close to the truck in case they had to make a run for it. But they needed to stick with the plan and check all of the shops for zombies or people before going into either of those.

  As they walked by, all three looked into the general store. The place looked ransacked, further discouraging Jon that this trip was going to be worth it. He didn’t see any zombies loitering inside, though. They reached the pharmacy next, and Jon almost didn’t even want to look inside, worrying that it would be wrecked, too. Unlike the general store, the pharmacy didn’t have large windows covering the front of the store. Terrence walked up to one of the small windows and, cupping his hands, looking inside. He studied whatever he saw for a moment before turning around.

  “Anything?” Brooke asked.

  “It’s kind of hard to see in there because it’s so dark,” Terrence said. “It definitely looks like the place has been searched, but I also don’t see any zombies.”

  “There’s a chance that maybe the zombies you saw before were what wrecked these places.”

  I don’t think we’re that lucky, Jon thought. “Let’s make sure the other shops are clear.”

  They continued down the line, scoping out an antique store, a laundromat, and a general store before crossing the street and examining the buildings there. When they were done, the three friends looked at each other.

  “They all look clear,” Brooke said.

  Terrence shrugged. “This place definitely ain’t like it was last time.”

  “It looks pretty safe,” Jon said, “but let’s keep our guards up. We don’t know what we might find once we get inside.”

  “Let’s check the pharmacy first and then we can try the general store,” Brooke said.

  Jon approached the pharmacy first. Pulling the door open, Terrence and Brooke held their rifles at the ready, aiming them inside. Without the large windows at the front of the building, not much sunlight shined inside. Jon stowed his shotgun on his back and drew his pistol along with a flashlight. He pointed the flashlight with his left hand, observing the space while aiming the gun with his other hand.

  Scanning the store, he saw that the place had been ransacked. Store shelving lay on the ground amongst other debris, and it quickly became apparent that anything salvageable had long been picked from the site. Jon didn’t want to waste any more time there, but knew they should do their due diligence just to be sure. He didn’t want to wonder later if they should have looked a little harder while they’d been there.

  While Brooke and Terrence continued to watch his back, Jon kneeled and pushed aside debris, looking underneath it. He did this for several minutes, and Brooke even joined him while Terrence kept watching for anything lurking in the dark. They found nothing.

  “This is useless,” Terrence said. “We should get the hell out of here.”

  Brooke stood, rubbing her hands together to remove the dust and grime. “We’ve gotta be sure. There could be medicine in the back where they usually keep the prescription stuff.”

  Jon agreed with both of them. Deep down, he knew they weren’t going to find anything. But they were there, so it was worth checking.

  “We can do a quick sweep and then leave,” Jon said. “This is only one part of the town. Maybe we can ride down the road a little bit and see if we can find a grocery store or maybe even another pharmacy.”

  Terrence sighed. “Let’s get this over with, then. I don’t like hanging around here in the dark like this.”

  Jon stood, pointing his flashlight toward the back of the store. Empty shelves obscured his view of the back wall, and he shined the flashlight around to check the space as they walked in that direction. He pointed the flashlight at the ground every now and then so they could watch their steps. Not only was he concerned about tripping over the crap on the floor, but also traps. If there was a camp
nearby, who was to say they wouldn’t have laid down traps in these places to catch trespassers?

  They checked the shelves as they walked through the store, still finding nothing. Jon pinched his lips together, growing frustrated. He’d brought up the idea of trying to find a grocery store in another part of town, but what were the odds that they’d get a different result? And if they traveled even farther to find another town, why would that be any different? He wondered if the time to scavenge had long passed and thought of what their other options might be. They could be better off trying to find another community with whom they could barter. But what did Hope’s Dawn have to offer in return?

  He tried to push aside these thoughts and keep his spirits up in hopes that they might still find something in the store, though that possibility died more with each passing moment.

  “Do you hear that?” Terrence whispered.

  Jon stopped and listened. He heard something, but couldn’t make out what it was.

  “Sounded like the wind outside,” Brooke said. “It did look like it might storm earlier.”

  Terrence shook his head. “I don’t think that’s the wind.”

  They reached the end of the aisle, and Jon pointed the flashlight as they approached the back wall. He walked around the corner of the shelving and flashed the light down the back aisle. Jon saw the counter where they kept the prescriptions.

  Stepping over to the counter, he shined the light through a broken window. Like the rest of the store, the area had been looted. Nothing appeared to have been left on the shelves.

  “Goddammit.”

  Jon then turned to give his friends the bad news. But as he did, he saw something else. He froze, and Terrence ran into him.

  “What are you doing?” Terrence asked. “Why did you—”

  Brooke covered his mouth, shutting Terrence up. She’d seen the same thing Jon had.

  What the fuck is that?

  10

  Jon remained motionless, staring at the sleeping horde of zombies. They stood shoulder to shoulder and emitted a slightly high-pitched groan, making Jon understand how Brooke had mistaken it for the wind outside. He also didn’t get how they remained upright while they slept, and the curiosity overtook him. He kept his flashlight shining on them for several moments before Brooke reached over and pointed it down to the ground. The light hadn’t seemed to disturb them, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

  “What the fuck is this?” Terrence asked in a whisper.

  In all of the interactions Jon had had with the infected, he’d never seen anything like this. He’d always encountered them out in the woods, and had assumed they wandered aimlessly twenty-four hours a day with no reason to sleep. He stood in a daze, listening to the creatures as they slept.

  “How many of them are there?” Brooke asked.

  “At least a dozen.” Jon gripped the flashlight tightly and slowly raised it.

  Brooke grabbed his arm to stop him, but he put up his index finger, asking her to trust him.

  “Fuck, let’s just get out of here,” Terrence said, slightly raising his voice.

  One of the zombies wheezed and trembled, and the three humans grew even more still. After several moments, Jon turned around to look at his friends.

  “Sorry,” Terrence said.

  “It’s fine,” Jon said. “You’re right; we need to leave before these things really do wake up. Be careful and watch where you step.”

  Brooke and Terrence turned around, careful not to make too much noise. Jon knew they’d been lucky up until this point. The zombies hadn’t heard them rummaging through the debris when they’d first come into the store, and they hadn’t even been going out of their way to be too quiet. He actually wondered if the zombies could be woken up by sound, but he wasn’t going to risk any more than they already had in order to find out.

  Turning around, Jon followed Brooke and Terrence. He shined the flashlight onto the ground in front of them, helping them to see what was on the floor and to avoid stepping on anything that would make too much noise. He stayed right behind them, mimicking the path they took.

  They remained on this path until they came to a shelf obstructing them and had to adjust course. Knowing the horde was in the back of the shop now, Jon could hear the zombies’ labored breathing. The sight had opened up so many questions, making him realize just how little the survivors of this plague really knew about the creatures.

  Jon continued to provide light for Brooke and Terrence with the flashlight. But when he heard a loud noise come from the back of the store, he got distracted and pointed the light back there. A loud crunch followed as either Brooke or Terrence stepped on something. The three of them froze.

  The zombies continued to sleep in the back of the store, and it didn’t sound like the sudden noise had stirred them. Jon sighed in relief.

  “Sorry,” Terrence said, confirming he was the one who’d stepped on something.

  Jon nodded, letting him know it was alright. It had been his fault just as much as it had been Terrence’s.

  They stood in the middle of the store now, and could see the exit. It seemed so close and yet so far, knowing that they had to travel there slowly. The sleeping horde had shown no signs that they could hear the three humans, but Jon wasn’t willing to risk waking them.

  Again, they continued to leave the store, moving slowly. Jon was looking at the ground, watching his step and paying attention to where he pointed the flashlight, when his two friends stopped in front of him. He looked up and saw Brooke covering her mouth and Terrence with his open. Both of them were looking toward the front of the store, and Jon followed their gazes.

  A group of zombies lumbered across the sidewalk in front of the pharmacy. They moved in a line, walking only a few feet apart from one another. Jon remained still, watching the half-a-dozen creatures move past the front of the store.

  Stay still, and they won’t notice us. He wanted to say this aloud, but he also knew Brooke and Terrence were smart enough to stay quiet. Neither of them had moved an inch since noticing the creatures outside.

  Jon watched what he hoped was the last zombie in the line walk past the front door, following the others. It had almost made it past the door when one of the creatures at the back of the store made another wheezing noise. Outside, the zombie at the end of the line stopped and looked inside. Jon’s eyes went wide as it watched the creature stare through the door. It tilted its head to the side, staring toward the three humans.

  Keep walking. You don't see a fucking thing.

  But the zombie didn’t move. It kept looking through the front door. Sweat dripped down Jon’s face, and his grip on the flashlight grew slick. He thought he was going to drop it, so he adjusted his grip to hold on tighter.

  The zombie took a step back like it was going to join its friends in the line again, and Jon felt a surge of relief.

  Then, the creature screamed.

  At the back of the building, the sleeping horde stirred. The familiar snarls of the creatures sounded, piercing Jon’s ears. Outside, the zombies that had already passed by returned, and they all tried coming through the door at once. Jon looked around the pharmacy. They were trapped.

  He shined the flashlight on the opposite wall and saw a door. “That way! Run!”

  They headed for the door. The zombies outside struggled to get in from the front, falling over each other as they tried squeezing through the doorway. Two of them had already made it inside and to their feet, running toward Jon and the others. Jon could also hear the zombies from the back of the store coming for them, but he kept his eyes on the door.

  Brooke was the first to reach the door and turn the knob. It opened, sending a quick jolt of relief through Jon’s body.

  “Come on!” Brooke said, holding the door open.

  As Terrence made it into the room beyond, Jon nearly tripped over debris and fell. He raised his gun to shoot one of the zombies approaching him from outside, but then decided against it. Shooting only
one of these things would do no good, and if he missed while running, it would be nothing but the waste of a bullet. He dived through the door, and Brooke slammed it shut and locked it.

  Moments after she shut the door, the creatures arrived and began pounding against it, screaming and snarling.

  Leaning against the door with her shoulder, Brooke said, “I don’t know if it’s going to hold.”

  A desk sat beside Jon, and he jumped to his feet and grabbed one side of it. Without him having to say anything, Terrence came over and took the other side. Grunting, they slid the heavy desk across the floor and in front of the door.

  “I don’t know if that’s going to do much if they get in here,” Terrence said.

  Jon looked around the space. It had been used as an office and was only about a hundred square feet. There were no windows, and no doors other than the one they’d come through. That was the only way in or out. He looked up at the ceiling, hoping he’d find tiles they could crawl out through, but the ceiling was solid, with no method of escape.

  Outside the door, more snarls joined the pack. Bodies and fists continued slamming against the industrial metal door, but it held.

  “How are we going to get out of here?” Brooke asked.

  “We know now that they sleep,” Terrence said. “Maybe they’ll eventually get tired, and we’ll be able to sneak out of here.”

  “I’m not sure that’s how that works.” Jon shined the flashlight all around the room, searching for any idea of a way out. The only thing he could think was that they could break through the ceiling and try to escape that way. “Maybe if we can find something to—”

  Gunshots blasted, and Jon hit the deck. He lay down on his stomach, covering his ears. Brooke and Terrence joined him as bullets hit the wall outside of the office, and the zombies cried out. The banging on the door stopped, and most of the snarls faded away.