rev of an engine.
“Oh my god,” Mike said.
The slam of metal was louder than I’d expected, and I felt my head slam hard against the steel frame. It hurt like hell.
I heard the car doors open, along with what must have been the sedan’s.
“Shit!” Kathleen yelled.
There were boots scraping along the gravel shoulder, and then a gunshot.
I heard a woman scream.
I stayed in the trunk.
It was quiet for over a minute. Then I heard the sound of knocking, echoing in the distance. Three long knocks. Two short knocks. A pause. Two long knocks. Another pause.
I pulled the lever and slowly climbed out of the trunk.
The two cars had hit almost head on; it looked like Kathleen had tried to veer onto the shoulder, but whoever had been driving the silver sedan had reached us first.
I walked towards the banging, still tapping along in a pattern that made no sense. It was coming from the trunk of the sedan.
“Who’s in there?” I asked.
Two more knocks. Whoever it was couldn’t talk.
I ran to the open drivers door of the sedan and found the trunk release. By the time I’d reached the trunk again Cadance and Tiara were already climbing out.
“Why didn’t you say something?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Cadance said. “I was trying to do ‘SOS’ or whatever.”
“Are you two okay?”
“We’re okay,” Tiara said.
“Good.”
I took a look at where her ear had been bitten off. Someone had done a pretty good job of bandaging up the area.
“That was Arty,” Cadance said.
“Arty?”
“The big Chinese guy. The one who took the shotgun and shoved us in the trunk.”
“He seems nice.”
“Are you going to hurt us?” Tiara asked.
“I wish,” I said. “But seriously... we need to get out of here.”
“We aren’t safe,” Cadance said.
“We can take my old banger,” Tiara said. “It’s back at the livery stable. If we can get there --”
“You mean your car?”
“Yes.”
I sighed. “I’m kinda hoping that Pouchon will find a way to bite off your tongue.”
“Hate me later,” she said. “Right now we should all be focused on staying alive.”
We started walking back towards the stable, both Tiara and Cadance glancing from one side of the road to the next, like they expected Pouchon to come crashing out from the trees for a midnight snack.
There was another gunshot.
“He told me he wasn’t a murderer,” I said. “Of course, Pouchon said that, too.”
“They’re all murderers,” Cadance said. “That’s why we chose them.”
“Because you’re all idiots?”
“Because it’s justice,” Tiara said. “They take a life, and we take theirs.”
“And where’s my justice?” I asked.
“Anyone who performs the cinnamon challenge should be considered a write-off.”
“I’m glad you’re going to prison.”
“Nothing’s set in stone.”
“Quiet,” Cadance said.
We all stopped walking and listened.
There was a car coming up behind us. The silver sedan.
“We should cut through the woods,” I said. “Get off the road.”
“Go ahead,” Cadance said. “We’ll wait here for Arty.”
“Am I missing something? You want him to shove you back in the trunk?”
“Better than getting eaten alive.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Nothing.”
“Fuck me,” I said. “What’s out there in those woods?”
“Zombies,” Tiara said.
“Wait... so Arty let them out? Those guys are wandering around out there?”
“Wrong zombies.”
“What are you talking about?”
The sedan drove up beside us.
“Get in,” Arty said, the shotgun propped up beside him.
“No trunk?” I asked.
“Trunk’s full. I killed them... I didn’t know what else to do with the bodies...”
The three of us climbed into the back seat.
Arty started turning the car around.
“We need to go back to the stables,” I said.
“We’re going to Derby Line,” Arty said. “Easiest way into Canada. Once we’re across you girls can do what you want.”
“What
“Oh my god,” Mike said.
The slam of metal was louder than I’d expected, and I felt my head slam hard against the steel frame. It hurt like hell.
I heard the car doors open, along with what must have been the sedan’s.
“Shit!” Kathleen yelled.
There were boots scraping along the gravel shoulder, and then a gunshot.
I heard a woman scream.
I stayed in the trunk.
It was quiet for over a minute. Then I heard the sound of knocking, echoing in the distance. Three long knocks. Two short knocks. A pause. Two long knocks. Another pause.
I pulled the lever and slowly climbed out of the trunk.
The two cars had hit almost head on; it looked like Kathleen had tried to veer onto the shoulder, but whoever had been driving the silver sedan had reached us first.
I walked towards the banging, still tapping along in a pattern that made no sense. It was coming from the trunk of the sedan.
“Who’s in there?” I asked.
Two more knocks. Whoever it was couldn’t talk.
I ran to the open drivers door of the sedan and found the trunk release. By the time I’d reached the trunk again Cadance and Tiara were already climbing out.
“Why didn’t you say something?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Cadance said. “I was trying to do ‘SOS’ or whatever.”
“Are you two okay?”
“We’re okay,” Tiara said.
“Good.”
I took a look at where her ear had been bitten off. Someone had done a pretty good job of bandaging up the area.
“That was Arty,” Cadance said.
“Arty?”
“The big Chinese guy. The one who took the shotgun and shoved us in the trunk.”
“He seems nice.”
“Are you going to hurt us?” Tiara asked.
“I wish,” I said. “But seriously... we need to get out of here.”
“We aren’t safe,” Cadance said.
“We can take my old banger,” Tiara said. “It’s back at the livery stable. If we can get there --”
“You mean your car?”
“Yes.”
I sighed. “I’m kinda hoping that Pouchon will find a way to bite off your tongue.”
“Hate me later,” she said. “Right now we should all be focused on staying alive.”
We started walking back towards the stable, both Tiara and Cadance glancing from one side of the road to the next, like they expected Pouchon to come crashing out from the trees for a midnight snack.
There was another gunshot.
“He told me he wasn’t a murderer,” I said. “Of course, Pouchon said that, too.”
“They’re all murderers,” Cadance said. “That’s why we chose them.”
“Because you’re all idiots?”
“Because it’s justice,” Tiara said. “They take a life, and we take theirs.”
“And where’s my justice?” I asked.
“Anyone who performs the cinnamon challenge should be considered a write-off.”
“I’m glad you’re going to prison.”
“Nothing’s set in stone.”
“Quiet,” Cadance said.
We all stopped walking and listened.
There was a car coming up behind us. The silver sedan.
“We should cut through the woods,” I said. “Get off the road.”
“Go ahead,” Cadance said. “We’ll wait here for Arty.”
“Am I missing something? You want him to shove you back in the trunk?”
“Better than getting eaten alive.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Nothing.”
“Fuck me,” I said. “What’s out there in those woods?”
“Zombies,” Tiara said.
“Wait... so Arty let them out? Those guys are wandering around out there?”
“Wrong zombies.”
“What are you talking about?”
The sedan drove up beside us.
“Get in,” Arty said, the shotgun propped up beside him.
“No trunk?” I asked.
“Trunk’s full. I killed them... I didn’t know what else to do with the bodies...”
The three of us climbed into the back seat.
Arty started turning the car around.
“We need to go back to the stables,” I said.
“We’re going to Derby Line,” Arty said. “Easiest way into Canada. Once we’re across you girls can do what you want.”
“What
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