The Z Word Read online

  Holy crap, I thought this was all just a Full Throttle and Smirnoff-sponsored nightmare. Then again I don't remember drinking. I went to the tanning salon with Verity, and now I'm here. This just can't be possible. Or...

  God, could this be real?

  Seffy rubbed her face, trying to formulate a logical thought about her circumstances—before and after the explosion—and failed. Peering out at the strange world beyond the window, she watched the lightening shadows. A pale pink incandescence crept through the blue, creating bands of lavender haze.

  As creepy as it is, it's still kinda pretty. Kinda like that My Little Pony I had when I was kid. She let out a harsh breath. First Bonnie Bell and now the damn pony. Old memories were a no-go. She shivered, deciding her thoughts were almost as scary as sitting in an abandoned car in the middle of a post-apocalyptic nowhere land. Listening to the quiet breathing of her friends, she wished things were back to normal.

  Well, duh.

  Seffy watched as the pastel colors outside grew stronger. So I'm guessing this is dawn? Beyond the closest shrub, sporadic clumps of plants and stunted trees dotted the landscape. How could a dream have such specific detail? What would the day hold? How would they get home? Would she ever make that audition?

  Something flickered in the bushes farthest off. Seffy stiffened and watched for another movement. Her eyes widened as a large shadow shifted just beyond the Caddy. She lurched forward, scrabbling for the door lock and pushed it down. Lani's head dislodged from her shoulder and she in turn jostled the others. Several sleepy moans broke the stillness.

  Seffy kept her attention fastened on the scene outside the window, her heart racing in her chest.

  “What's going on?” Addison said on a yawn.

  “Lock the door. There's something out there.”

  “What?” Gareth said, his voice groggy. “What's happening?”

  “Lock the door. Hurry!” She heard the thunk of the opposite door lock. Easing farther forward, she reached and pushed down the front door lock. “Get 'em both,” she whispered.

  Gareth hit the other lock on his side. Seffy released a breath and continued her vigilance.

  “Why are we locking the doors?” Addison said. “Maybe it's help.”

  “Shhh!”

  “Don't shhh me, Seffy. Just because—”

  “What's out there, Sef?” Lani peered over her shoulder. “Maybe it is help.”

  “No, I don't think so.” She closed her eyes, willing her respiration to decrease. “I don't know why, but I just have a bad feeling about it, okay?”

  “Oh!” Lani said, “maybe you have a new superpower from the explosion thingie. Maybe you have Second Sight.”

  “Wow, that's brilliant.”

  “Let's not start the day by insulting each other, Addy.”

  “Is it day, Gareth? How do you know? We don't even know where we are.”

  “All I'm saying is just relax. Sef, what do you see?”

  Seffy's breath fogged the window, but she was afraid to wipe away the condensation and draw attention to herself. “I, uh, was just looking and I saw something moving out there.”

  “Like an animal?”

  Seffy faced Gareth and shook her head. “No, something bigger.”

  “Like a person?” Lani said.

  “Like help.” Addison crossed her arms. “Someone's probably looking for us and just because Miss Sees Evil Eye is freaked doesn't mean the rest of us need to join the paranoia party.”

  “Then why aren't they calling out?” Gareth said, his brows furrowed. “If it was help, they'd be hollering, right?”

  “Maybe it's just someone out for a morning stroll...in an abandoned sparkly desert.” Lani wrinkled her nose.

  “Well, how long are we going to sit here?” Addison said. “I'm hungry and I have to pee.”

  “Yeah, what about food?” Lani's brow furrowed. “Maybe we could dig up plants and get moisture from the roots—”

  Addison scooted forward. “I need to get out of here. You guys are losing it.”

  Gareth grabbed her arm. “We can wait a few more minutes, okay?”

  She pulled her arm away but sank against the seat. “Fine.”

  “Maybe we can just wait until it's lighter out there. Or pinker.”

  “Good idea, Sef.”

  Seffy returned to the view beyond the glass. The sense of dread in her gut was unmistakable. But was it an irrational fear? That was a feeling she was familiar with. Like when Verity met Gareth for the first time. She closed her eyes. Get a grip. Whatever is going on here is way worse than Verity. She opened her eyes, and gazing out the window, wished more than ever she was in a dream.

  “What time is it?” Lani asked.

  Gareth checked his watch. “Five thirty.”

  “I'd be heading to Tae Bo class by now,” Addison said.

  “And I'd be brewing a cup of chai tea.” Lani leaned to the side. “What about you, Sef?”

  She clasped her hands together, trying to keep her cool. “Still in bed, wishing I could skip my Pilates class. Definitely not in a rusted out car in apocalypseland.”

  “Well, at least it's got leather.”

  Seffy ignored Addison, who never was much fun in the morning anyway.

  Gareth stretched his arms. “I'd be stirring up a protein shake and getting ready to hit the gym before work.”

  “And we were all supposed to meet for lunch today,” Lani said. “Now we'll miss it!”

  “Um, we're together now,” Addison said, as if humoring the insane. “In fact, we're always together.”

  Seffy thought of the cute little house they all shared near Elysian Park. Everyone except Verity. And it will stay that way if I have anything to do with it.

  If we ever make it back.

  Lani dipped her head. “Except for Verity.”

  The stuffy air in the car thickened in the silence. Seffy leaned her head against the window, realizing Verity was the least of her problems at the moment. She forced her mind to more pleasant thoughts. Like grabbing a skinny latte on her way to the clinic near Cedars-Sinai Hospital where she worked as a receptionist until her acting career took off. On a regular day, after pulling files and catching up on voice mail, she'd join a couple of the other office girls for lunch at the Farmer's Market. Sunlight would reflect off the sports cars and limos, cell phones would twitter, and all would be right with the world.

  “Okay, I've waited long enough,” Addison said, reaching past Gareth to pop the door lock. Gareth appeared annoyed but eased open the door.

  “I don't remember it squeaking that loud yesterday,” Lani said, her blue eyes huge. “At least it's more or less light out. I don't know where you're gonna go though. No privacy behind those weedy shrubs.”

  They watched as Gareth climbed out, followed by Addison. The two stretched and looked around.

  “Is it safe?” Lani asked.

  Gareth peeked back into the interior of the car. “Seems okay. We can see pretty far and there's nothing around except this car and an old broken down shed a ways off.”

  “Maybe it's an outhouse,” Seffy said. Geez, did I just say that out loud?

  Lani giggled and scooted across the seat. “I need to stretch my legs. Are you coming?”

  Seffy rubbed her face. “I guess we have to get out of here sometime.” Her own bladder was becoming an issue.

  When she joined the others next to the door, she scanned the horizon, wondering what could've spooked her so—besides her actual surroundings. The sand still shimmered, the sky was an eerie purplish-pink and the sun burned over-bright, like a pink light bulb about to pop.

  Seffy saw Addy head toward the shack. “Watch out for black widows in there,” she called sweetly, unable to resist the dig.

  Addison waved her off and continued trudging toward the small structure with single-minded intensity. Gareth followed at a slower pace.

  “If it's a good place to go, I'm next,” Lani said, scrunching up her nose.

  “We
ll, this isn't going to get awkward.”

  “Yeah, it'd be nice to have proper facilities in a doomsday world.”

  If that's what this is. Seffy took a deep breath. “And a coffee shop.”

  “And a boutique.” Lani looked down at her clothes with a rueful smile. “I'm filthy.”

  That's right, think positive. “Me, too. Hopefully, we'll figure out which way L.A. is and head that way. When we get there, I think I'll splurge on a whole new wardrobe at the Grove.”

  Lani's face clouded. “Or maybe this is all that's left after—”

  A scream cut off her words. Seffy shielded her eyes and gazed toward the shack. “Looks like she found spiders after all.”

  Addison stumbled from behind the structure and broke into a run. Gareth met up with her and tried to grab her arm, but she flew by him, racing toward the car.

  “RUN!”

  Lani and Seffy glanced at each other.

  “Snakes?” Lani said.

  Another figure emerged from behind the shack. A man. Heebeejeebies skittered up Seffy's spine as she grabbed Lani's arm. What the hell?

  Gareth motioned toward them as he neared. “Get in the car!”

  “Why? Who is he?”

  “Just do it!”

  The fear in his voice made them move. They dove through the open door of the Caddy, Gareth and Addison right behind them.

  “Lock it!” Addy screamed.

  After the doors were secure, they sat there breathing hard.

  “What happened?” Seffy asked, her heart slamming against her rib cage like a rabid weasel. Which convinced her this was all too real.

  Addison burst into tears. Gareth put his arm around her while peering through the window. “It's not help. Must be who you saw earlier.”

  “Who was it?” Lani asked in a small voice.

  “You mean what was it,” Addison said through gritted teeth.

  “A man,” he said. “But something was wrong with him. He was apparently in the shed.”

  “He tried to bite me!”

  They all looked at Addison, then at each other. Okaaaay. Seffy had never seen Addison so scared. “What do you mean something was wrong with him?”

  Gareth drew in a breath. “His skin was gray...and there were bloodstains on his shirt.

  Addison pulled her hands from her face, her eyes wild. “He was a freaking zombie!”

  Lani gasped. “No way!”

  Seffy blinked. Well, there went the reality theory. “A zombie. Um, there's no such thing. Gareth?”

  Gareth avoided her eyes and kept checking out the rear window. “Let's just say that if he was pretending, he'd win a Golden Globe.”

  Cleansing breath time. “Guys, I know we're rattled from the whole blastamajiggy, but couldn't he just be a victim like us who got hurt?”

  No one answered. The air in the car seemed to solidify. Trying to ignore her rising anxiety, Seffy looked out the rear window. She jumped when she realized the man was nearing the car. Pressing herself against the seat, she cleared her throat. “So we're just going to sit here and hope he goes away?”

  “Yes!” Addison said, seething. “We're going to sit until forever if that's what it takes!”

  Gareth pulled her head to his shoulder and shh-ed her. “I have to agree, for the time being. That guy, uh, doesn't seem interested in helping us.”

  Seffy jumped again at the sound of a thump on the back of the car. “Oh, crap.”

  “Remain silent,” Gareth whispered.

  “Um, he just saw four people get into this car.”

  “I don't know what else to do, Sef,” he hissed. “Just be quiet.”

  They held their collective breath, which only made them able to hear a sudden moan all the more.

  “Oh. My. God,” Lani croaked.

  The man lurched around the car, moaning. Seffy watched in horror as his hand pressed against her window, leaving a bloody print. Next came a filmy, sightless eye staring through the glass.

  Lani and Addison shrieked in unison.

  Seffy reared away from the window, squishing Lani. “What are we gonna do?”

  Gareth's dark eyes were wide with shock. “I don't know. I can't think!”

  “Look around on the floor. Maybe there's something we can use as a weapon,” Seffy said. As she and Gareth began the search, Lani started to cry.

  After ransacking the front and back seats, they came up empty. Seffy looked at Gareth, a roaring in her ears. “Is there any way to access the trunk from here? Maybe there's a tire iron inside?”

  He paused. “I'd have to go outside.”

  Addison shook her head. “No! No one is going outside!”

  Gareth ran a hand through his hair, his expression tense. “We may have to.”

  “What?” Lani cried.

  “If this is the worst case scenario, and that dude is a—”

  “Zombie!” Addison cried, her lips white.

  “—then we need to think this through with zombie logic.”

  Seffy threw her hands in the air. “Which is?”

  He licked his lips. “We have to assume there's more than one. He's got blood on his shirt and that would mean he—”

  Lani clapped her hands over her ears. “Don't say it!”

  He glanced at her with regret before continuing. “He won't stop until he...gets to us. If there are more, the moaning will attract them to where we are.”

  The moaning outside intensified as if in agreement.

  “Okay,” Seffy said, attempting logic despite the fact she was beginning to hyperventilate. “We're contemplating injuring a person who is already injured. Maybe he just needs our help.”

  “You're the one who freaked first,” Addison snapped.

  “He's not just someone who got hurt, Sef,” Gareth said. “He's someone we need to avoid.”

  Seffy squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “So you're saying we have to make a run for it while there's only one? But where would we go?”

  His brown gaze implored hers. “I don't know. But if we're surrounded here and they break through the glass, then we're trapped.”

  “They can break glass?” Addison said, clutching her head.

  Seffy gulped. “How do you know that?”

  Lani sent her a pinched look. “It's what happens in the movies.”

  “I've never seen a zombie movie,” Seffy said, wondering how her sweet friend could stomach such a thing.

  “There are actually books that document—”

  Seffy turned to Gareth in disbelief. “Books? You've read about this?”

  “—actual occurrences.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Did you read these books before or after you were at Radio Shack?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Addison yelled. “God, Seffy!”

  Seffy ignored Addison and tried to prioritize her thoughts, but the moaning outside made it impossible. The hand began thumping on the glass. “Yeah, okay, which way do we run?”

  Gareth leaned forward, scanning the landscape through the windshield. “Um...I guess away from any structures in case that's where they're hiding.”

  “And we're sure they can't run, right?” she said. “They shamble or something?”

  “They're shambolic,” Gareth said.

  “Correction noted! So we count to three and bolt?”

  “I guess.” Gareth looked at the other two. “You girls ready?”

  “Ready for what?” Addison said. “How are we going to do this?”

  “I'm going to unlock my door since he's on the other side of the car,” Gareth said. “I'll ease it open and we will hurry out. When we're all out, we start running...that way.” He pointed to a hill far off. “Head up there.”

  “The way we came. Great.” Seffy looked out her window and saw the man press a gray cheek against the smudged glass. Her stomach lurched. “Okay, we can do this.”

  “Like we have a choice,” Addison said on a sob.

  Gareth looked at everyone in turn. �
��We're going to stick together and we're going to be fine.”

  “In the movies, everyone is picked off until there's one person left and the camera zeros in on the last act of carnage—”

  “Not helping, Addison,” Seffy growled. “Okay, this guy is getting antsy. I say we do this now.”

  Gareth unlocked the door. The man continued thumping on the glass. Gareth eased open the door, which sounded like a rabbit caught in a wolf's jaws. The man jerked upright and reoriented himself.

  “Go!” Gareth jumped outside and pulled everyone out. In a tangle of arms, legs, and screams, they rushed in the direction Gareth had indicated. The sand made running all but impossible but they clambered up the hill as fast as their adrenaline would take them. When they reached the crest, they turned and looked back toward the car. The man stood by the open door and moaned as if in existential disappointment.

  “All right,” Gareth said, gasping for breath. “Everyone keep a sharp lookout for any others.”

  Everything was the same as the day before. Occasional trees and bushes under a weird sky, low bluffs, rubble, the car...and now the icky guy lurching in their direction. Seffy couldn't bring herself to use the Z word. “And here I was hoping this was all just a dream—”

  “THIS IS NOT A DREAM!” Addison's tear-stained face flushed red as she glared at her.

  Gareth tried to put his arm around her, but she avoided his touch. He turned to Seffy. “Why do you keep talking about this not being real?”

  She lowered her voice. “Addison always thinks I'm in denial, but seriously, all this could not happen in real life. I...I must be having a drunken dream, right?”

  “Seffy, what is the last 'real' thing you remember?”

  She concentrated sifting the normal memories from the unreal ones. “Being at the tanning salon with Verity.”

  “I was at the electronics store, the other girls were doing their thing. And we all experienced the blast. We're all here together.”

  Seffy clasped her hands together. “It still doesn't prove anything.”

  “You say this is a drunken dream,” he said. “Were you drinking at the tanning salon?”