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  Damon was hesitant to reveal his plans to the cons. He looked at Riley and Harper who were shaking their heads in disapproval. “Well either you came here looking for a place safe to stay or you were looking for supplies.” Damon snapped his head back to Marco. “So which is it? ‘Cause I will answer one of those questions right now, Homes. This isn’t a safe place to stay. You got about 2,000 zombies in there ready to tear you apart.”

  Damn . He had thought about what supplies would be in the prison. The mechanic sighed. He looked at the inmates. Could he really judge any survivors of a zombie apocalypse? The thought in itself was insane. It’s not like there were a billion people on the planet and for Christ’s sake he was part of a group made up of two marines, a teenager and a shut-in brother. He shrugged his shoulders at Riley and Harper. Riley shook his head and mumbled something to Harper. “We are making a safe zone far from here, and we came for the fence.” He looked at the prison again. “I thought we would be able to get in the prison for some supplies too, but I guess that’s not gonna happen.”

  Marco looked at the group and laughed. “Safe? No where’s safe…We were in a freakin’ prison and those fuckers got in.” The two inmates nodded in agreement.

  “Then stay. I’ve had enough of this bullshit.” Riley said. “We have a job to do, Damon.” Harper’s deep voice rumbled. Damon agreed. They had already wasted enough time killing all the zombies and saving the prisoners. “Look, we’re not asking you to come along. Frankly I’d probably feel better if you didn’t, but help us get the fencing we need, and we’ll take you with us.”

  “Or you can stay.” Riley reminded. “It’s your choice.” He grumbled. Damon was positive that Riley didn’t want any of the inmates to come along. He had his own feelings against Vincent and James, but Marco seemed cool enough.

  The inmates all exchanged glances. It was obvious they didn’t want to go back to their metal shack. Even Vincent cringed when he looked back at their other prison. It was also obvious that the three hadn’t eaten in a long time. Marco seemed to speak for the group. “Alright we’ll help if it gets us the hell out of here.”

  “Any funny business-” “And we’ll blow your brains out!” Chloe finished. Riley smiled at the teenager. She learned quickly.

  “Not exactly what I meant, but just no funny business.” Marco put his hands up in self-defense. “No funny business here.” The other two inmates didn’t say a word. Damon thought the one in the group was dead because he had fallen to the dirt again. What was his name? Damon was so bad with names. He was struggling to his feet again, and Damon watched him reach for Vincent again. The scarecrow batted his hand away. “Asshole…” The injured man muttered. Damon went to the man’s aid cautiously, and when he was convinced that he wasn’t a zombie he took his hand. When Damon pulled him up, he was shocked at how light the man was. It most likely had been a long since they had something real to eat. Just then Damon felt thankful for his own situation.

  The mechanic looked at Riley who was still standing in front of Chloe. “Let’s check out that shed and see if there is any useful shit in there.” Damon remembered that they only had one saw…and some wire cutters. He prayed for a little more luck; even though he had a feeling he was getting close to the bottom of the barrel.

  Riley reluctantly left the teenager’s side and hopped over the pile of zombies again. He let off a round to break the lock. Damon followed the tall marine into the dark shed knowing that Harper was more than able to handle the three inmates…even without a gun. The mechanic muttered his stumbled…literally…into a blades. He pulled the plastic trigger and smiled when he heard the loud whine of it. They also found some hacksaws that they would have to use when the batteries died. For a second after picking up the handheld saws he wished like hell they would have looked for fencing that wasn’t already cemented into the dirt.

  thanks to God when he

  battery powered sawzall and a few They two left the shed, and then Damon addressed the inmates. “We’ll take you to the trailers. He can lay there until we are ready to move.” Damon and Chloe led the way with the inmates behind them with Riley and Harper bringing up the rear. “We probably got some water and maybe somethin’ to eat.”

  “Thanks.” Both Marco and James said in unison. Vincent remained silent with his beady black eyes staring forward burning holes into the teenager’s back. Every once in a while he would look behind him.

  It was a quick walk to the trucks, and then a short drive to the trailers Marco helped James onto the closet trailer. It happened to be the one attached to the Silverado. Marco and James admired Damon’s handy work on the death machine. “Okay we need to get started. We've lost enough time already.” Damon stood in front of the group as he handed out the responsibilities. Marco sighed when he was assigned the task of rolling up the razor wire. Damon and Harper were going to be in charge of cutting the poles with saws the marines found in the shed next to the one that housed the surviving inmates. The creep, Vincent, was responsible for rolling up the chain-link. Riley and Chloe would watch their backs.

  Harper reluctantly stopped watching the inmates, Vincent in particular, and hefted the saws to the edge of the chain-link where they would start while Damon attached the trailers. Riley tossed Marco a pair of thick leather gloves he found in the work shed. “Seems like today is your lucky day.” He joked harshly. The short Latino put on the gloves and walked with shoulders slumped to join Harper next to the fence. He was given a pair of metal snips, and he started up the chain-link. His feet and hands made the metal cling rhythmically as he climbed. He snipped the ties that held the razor wire on and carefully rolled it up as he went. Marco made quick work of the one whole section before Damon and Harper even started cutting. Vincent followed close behind, his movements skittish like a rabbit and his eyes darted back and forth. They only held still when ogling over Chloe, who happen to be standing only a few feet away from him.

  Riley and Chloe paced up and down the fence straining their eyes against the bright sun to see if they were being hunted. They never strayed too far away from the working group. There was nothing in the distance they saw, but Riley didn't let his guard down because the loud whine of the saws was like a dinner bell to any zombie in the area. He just hoped that his ammunition would last and the entrances and exits to the prison remained sealed.

  Chapter 18

  The sun was nearly sitting on the horizon by the time the group loaded one trailer. The metallic stack glowed orange in the drooping sun. Damon joined the sagging group on the tail of the trailer. The only one that remained standing was Harper. His proud shoulders held up like a statue. Chloe hung her skinny shoulders and let her feet dangle carelessly over the edge as she drew a picture in the dirt with her toes. The prisoners had separated themselves on the other trailer. The injured prisoner, James, lay sprawled out on his back sleeping, or dead Damon didn't know which. Vincent sat arms crossed staring off into the plains while Marco inspected his hands and arms. The gloves did a good job protecting his hands, but not so good for his arms. Damon noticed a trail of red running down the inmate’s right arm.

  Damon decided it was good for them to sit and relax a little because he already figured they were staying the night. There was too much fencing and not enough working. He wished there were more uninfected inmates in the shed. After everyone had a breather and a little water it was time to get back to work. There was a universal groan when Damon said the words. The scarecrow's eyes narrowed to slits, but Damon ignored him. He was sure that if the creepo tried anything there were two marines that were more than happy to put him down.

  They moved to the south side of the prison and were met with more zombies. The hodgepodge crowd of zombies was dressed in a mix of civilian attire and guard uniforms. The zombies drug their broken limbs through the dirt kicking up a cloud of brown haze. One zombie was pulling itself across the dead grass because its legs had been eaten away. Black blood smeared behind him. Chloe pretended to gag when it lost its liver a
nd kept going. Riley and Harper stepped forward to deal with the mass with deadly accuracy. Vincent and Marco stayed clear from the firing area not trusting the two marines, both wondering if an accidental bullet would stray their way. Vincent's eyes raked over the teenager unnoticed while the zombies fell two by two. After the last zombie was relieved of its functioning central nervous system the group went back to work. Marco quickly removed the razor wire with practiced ease ignoring the pain in his fingers while the others took down the chain-link. Damon worked his blistered hands over the vibrating saw trying to find a more comfortable position but failed. He kept his mouth shut; he wasn't going to be the first to complain.

  The sun hung further to the west casting long shadows over the prison. The prison became a menacing scene with black windows allowing unknown horrors to look upon the group as they worked, and the atmosphere was complete with the faint moans of the undead who cried for flesh from unseen places. Chloe shivered in the creeping cold that seemed to come out of nowhere as her eyes scanned the plains for any danger. In all honesty…she was bored. Hanging out with all these guys while they cut down a boring old fence was not her idea of a good time. She kicked the dirt. She would much rather be listening to her iPod or even watching one of those stupid westerns at Keith's than freezing her butt off in the outdoors. She rubbed her free hand over her bare arms in an attempt to shake off the chill. She decided it would help if she walked to get her blood moving. That's what her teachers used to tell her at recess when she was freezing on the playground. Chloe if you walked around or played you would stay warm. She mocked the teacher in her head. “Damon, I'm going to check on James.” It had been over an hour since they last checked on him.

  “I don't think you should go alone.” Damon looked up to see the teenager already running for the other side of the prison. He shook his head. When was she ever going to learn that this world was not as safe as the old one? She had proven once again to him that she would not be ruled. He would check on her in a few minutes when his nerves finally convinced him to follow.

  With everyone paying attention to what they were doing, and the quickly disappearing light nobody saw Vincent slip away into the shadows.

  Chapter 19

  Chloe jogged around the corner of the prison and passed by the recreational yard. Zombies pulled on the immovable chain-link to get at her. They hadn't bothered to kill the zombies that were trapped behind that particular fence. It was a waste of ammunition. Between the weight machines, bleachers and basketball hoops, green robed zombies stumbled and fell into each other and over obstacles when they saw the teenager's little body dart passed. Chloe slowed to a walk and watched the zombies' drunken display. Even though the hair on her arms was standing on end and part of her brain screamed at her to run, she could not help but be intrigued. She even laughed when her green eyes came across a shirtless zombie that had gotten itself entangled in a rowing machine. The heavily braided cords were wrapped around its ankles. The zombie would take a few steps only to be pulled back to the machine. The deadish weight-lifter repeated the action over and over again in front of Chloe. She could only imagine how many times the zombie tried to get out of its bind and away from the machine. She thought briefly if she should put it out of its misery.

  Deciding not to the teenager continued on to the trailers. The sun was nearly set when she came to the trailers. She squinted her eyes in the low light to check the surrounding. She was determined not to end up like the brain-dead zombie tied to the rowing machine. She cautiously moved closer to the trailers. She froze. The spot where James had been sleeping was empty. A pool of blood ran through the cracks on the trailer to the dirt below, but the inmate was nowhere to be seen. Her skin pickled with fear as warning bells flared in her head. She tried not to freak out, but as the sun disappeared so did her light. Only the silver moon shone down on her. The teenager failed to control her breathing. She could almost feel herself hyperventilating. She also could still hear the whine of sawzalls cutting into metal. She suddenly felt very, very stupid. She immediately heard that famous scary movie line ‘Nobody will hear you scream,’ run through her head. Shut up! She yelled inwardly.

  She suddenly felt a presence behind her. The teen whipped around with her gun drawn to see the glinting eyes of Vincent. Shoot! Her brain shouted, but her body refused to obey. Vincent pulled back his thin lips revealing crooked yellow teeth. Chloe backed away until her calves hit the edge of the trailer. “What are you doing here? I could’ve shot you.” She tried controlling her voice to hide the fact that she was terrified.

  “He's dead, yanno?” Vincent hissed taking a step forward. He didn't sound at all remorseful. “That whiny pussy’s dead.” A sickening feeling hit the teen in the stomach, “What did you do?” She asked even though she didn't really want the answer. Chloe saw him pull something out of his pocket. It glinted in the moonlight. Damnit shoot!

  The grim reaper of a man scoffed looking away for only a moment. His eyes snapped back to molest her. He watched her small chest rise and fall like a scared rabbit. He was truly enjoying her fear. “You are awfully pretty. You know that?” Another step. “How old are you?”

  “Go fuck yourself!” This time the pistol was level with the inmate's black eyes. Why can’t I pull the trigger? Because he wasn't a zombie. That was why.

  “Old enough to carry that gun and point it at someone like they are ready to shoot. But you can't shoot can you?” He dared. “They tell me I'm sick.” An evil laughed erupted from his haggard throat. His mind went elsewhere, ignoring the weapon in his hand. “Sick...sick....sick...I feel fine. They’re all dead. I guess that shows what they know, right?” Her eyes watched the knife as he tossed it from hand to hand. In a flash the gun was knocked from the teen’s hands, and she was clutched with her back against the man’s skinny chest. His hot breath seeped over the back of her slender neck, and a cold blade dug into her throat. “Scream and I’ll slit your throat and leave you for the zombies.” He hissed into her ear. Chloe’s skin crawled.

  She felt Vincent’s pelvis press against her back, the knife never leaving her throat. A tear streaked down the teenager’s cold cheek. She pleaded. “P-P-Please don’t do this.” She choked down a sob. Her body irrepressibly shook with dread.

  Vincent chuckled malevolently deep in his chest. “Oh, I’m gonna do this…you want me to do this. You’ve wanted me to do this since we meet. You told me with the way you swung your hips in front of me at the shed. ” With a strong hand against her back he pushed down slamming her face and chest on the trailer. Chloe tasted blood in her mouth. She felt him start to work her clothes feverishly. “You are not gonna like this I prom-” Before he was able to finish his horrible thought, Vincent cried out in agony. He released his grip on the teen’s ponytail.

  Chloe wasted no time. She kicked away from Vincent and scrambled on her hands and knees across the trailer. She looked back to see the pedophile wrestling what was once James off his neck. Vincent threw the zombie off along with a chunk of himself. He stumbled forward bits of flesh splattered Chloe. She blinked her eyes watching the scene unfold. Her mind flashed back to her parents. She remembered that her father went first as he tried to protect her mother. Chloe remembered screaming when her mother tossed her in the restroom and pulled a fuel drum in front of the door to keep the zombies out. The screams were the worst. Her father’s deep shriek rang in her chest. She had crawled under the trailer to hide from any other zombies that may have heard the scuffle. She watched as Zombie James dragged Vincent down to the red dirt. Her nose picked up the strong smell of blood mix with the earthy fragrance of the dirt. He was losing strength as fast as he was losing blood. It wouldn’t be long before he was dead…and then undead. Chloe didn’t feel sorry for the piece of shit, and the way he would die was adequate.

  Chloe heard shouts off in the distance. Was it Damon? Maybe Harper? Riley? She didn’t know. She felt like she was underwater. It was hard to breathe, her ears felt suppressed. She pulled herself from unde
r the trailer and tried to make her way to the truck before Zombie James got tired of munching on what was left of Vincent. The shaking in her limbs increased to an earthquake when she was about a foot away from the door. She went numb. “Oh…..no….” She mumbled when her legs gave out, and she started to wobble. Her shoulder slammed against the cab before she could even reach out for the handle. Blackness filled her eyes as she passed out. Her body thumped against the ground. Dust enveloped her body.

  What used to be James lifted his grotesque head from the ruined neck of Vincent at the sound of Chloe hitting the truck. A growl escaped his bloody lips as he pulled himself to unsteady feet. Gore covered his hunter green garb. He awkwardly worked his arms and legs across the trailer.

  Chapter 20

  “Chloe!” Damon bellowed. He was positive he heard the teen scream. He was already moving when he spoke to Riley and Harper. “I knew I shouldn’t have let her go alone.” Unaware of the horror the teen was going through. He was running now.

  “Vincent’s gone too!” Marco joined them as the three ran back to the trailers “If he’s done something to her, I will feed that fucking bastard to zombies!” Damon shouted running faster than the others. He was thinking about all the unimaginable things that could be happening to her. When the four reached the trailers what Damon assumed was James had made his way across the trailer and was tumbling over the other side. Vincent lay in a gory pile of guts and blood. “Chloe!” Damon sprinted passed the lump of flesh and jumped the trailer hitch. Without a second thought he put a hole in the brain of the zombie that stood over the teen’s still body. James crumpled. He kicked the body making sure it was dead. It was then he confirmed it was James. The bastard WAS infected. Damon leaned over the body of Chloe. “Hey Chloe!” He shook her shoulder gently. Nothing. He noticed a trickle of blood coming from her mouth. His stomach sank as the mechanic gathered her small frame in his arms. Her eyes still didn’t open. “Chloe!” He shouted, shaking her. This time he got a groan from her throat. Another minute later her green eyes flickered open. Thank God they were green.