Claiming Her Beasts #2 by Dia Cole
Lee
Another storm raged outside the Saguaro Valley Christian Academy where we were sheltering. It was the third in so many days. It never normally rained this much in our small desert town. Especially this close to Christmas. Mother Nature must have gotten word about the apocalypse and wanted to come to the party. Or maybe she was grieving for the billions of people who’d lost their lives to the canine flu vaccine that was supposed to save them.
I shuddered, remembering what the vaccine had done to my best friend, Cami. Three days ago, it’d turned her, like most everyone in town, into a cannibalistic monster. No, monster wasn’t the right word.
Zombie. Biter. Flesh-eater.
Those were better terms to describe what they had become. They’d died, but somehow their bodies reanimated with the sole purpose of attacking the living. We didn’t know if they actually consumed our flesh because they were hungry, or if the Z-virus drove them to attack the living in order to spread the infection. What we knew was that a single bite or scratch from one of them was enough to infect someone. Once infected, there was no hope of survival.
Outside, thunder roared and growled like the ravening creatures gathering in front of the private elementary school. Every day their numbers grew. The soldiers assured us we were protected in here, but then again, they’d also assured us military helicopters would evacuate us days ago.
No one had come to save us. Even worse, rumor had it all communication from the army base had ceased.
We’re on our own.
Fear, cold and slippery as a snake, coiled in my stomach. It wasn’t for me, though. I was terrified for the only two members of my family left in the world. I’d promised to look after Eden and Reed after Gran died, something I’d managed to do up until now.
Lightning flashed through the desks and chairs barricaded against the windows. The flickering light illuminated the interior of the classroom and the bodies of women and children sleeping around me. Only the pretty, stubborn brunette lying by my side held my focus though.
With her caramel-colored hair, oval face, and cleft chin, Eden was a dead ringer for our mother. At least Gran had always said so. My own memories of Mom and my older sister had grown fuzzy like old, yellowed photographs.
Eden let out a soft snore.
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. The brat could always sleep through anything including Reed’s band practices and the loud barking of all the dogs she’d fostered over the years.
Why would a raging storm during the zombie apocalypse be any different?
Shaking my head, I put the long jacket that was serving as my makeshift blanket over her. It’d been cold since the power went out and I didn’t want her catching a chill.
The small child burrowed in Eden’s arms let out a whimper. I’d forgotten the little girl’s name. Addie? Sofie? Rosie? Something like that. She’d been separated from her father, who like the other males, was sleeping in one of the other classrooms down the hall.
Always a sucker for lost souls, both the human and animal variety, Eden had taken the curly-haired five-year-old under her wing.
I readjusted the jacket so it covered the sleeping girl too.
A draft of cold air had me rubbing my arms. I was still wearing Reed’s blood-splattered shirt, and the feeling of the soft flannel brought his handsome face to mind.
I hope he’s okay. A stab of anxiety drew my gaze to the door.
Since knocking him out, Dominic had ordered Reed restrained and kept under observation in the nurse’s office.
Worry for him gnawed at me. I didn’t like the distance between us. I’ll check on him at dawn. That was when the soldiers allowed us to leave the classrooms.
Out of habit, I glanced up at the large round clock over the whiteboard at the front of the room. I couldn’t make out the placement of the hands, not that it mattered. They’d frozen in place when the power went out.
A bright light flashed in my periphery. I turned to see Zara’s pixie-like face lit up by her phone screen. I’d only just met the rainbow-haired, dusky-skinned woman, but her foul-mouth and attitude reminded me so much of Cami, I couldn’t help but feel an instantaneous bond with her.
I crawled around the sleeping bodies until I’d made it over to her spot near the windows. “Are you getting a signal?”
“Nah,” she whispered back. “The cell towers and the internet are gone.” She snorted. “So much for all the fuckers who said it would last months.”
“Oh.” My heart sank like a stone at the realization we had no communication with the outside world. Not that there was much outside world to communicate with. Saguaro Valley, like other cities around the world, had fallen the first night of the outbreak. News sites had gone dark along with most social media outlets. A few of our survivor group had been able to reach loved ones on the outside, but that was before the soldiers confiscated all cell phones and communication devices.
“You’d better be careful the soldiers don’t find you with that,” I warned in a low voice.
Zara rolled a striking pair of hazel eyes at me. “Or what? They’ll punish me.” She chuckled under her breath. “I’d like some of that action. Especially from that sexy hunk of man-flesh Mike or maybe even Dominic.” She made a humming noise and smacked her lips.
The mention of the sergeant in charge made my stomach tighten. The handsome soldier intrigued me more than I wanted to admit. Seeing him knock Reed out in the gym three days ago had definitely cooled off my hormones, though. Reed was lucky Dominic hadn’t killed him.
Zara tapped the screen of her phone. “Want to see my boyfriends?”
“Boyfriends? As in more than one?”
“Of course, that monogamy stuff is for suckers. My mom always said to be truly happy, a woman needs a minimum of three lovers entirely devoted to her.”
“Really?” I wasn’t sure if she was being serious or not.
“This is my harem.” She tilted her phone and showed me a photo of three blond, blue-eyed muscular guys with their arms slung around each other.
“Wow.” I didn’t even try to hide my shock. “So they are okay with you being with all of them?”
“They love it. Most of the time we all get sweaty together if you know what I mean.” Her wicked grin reminded me so much of Cami right then, my heart ached.
“Brothers?” I asked, noting the similarities between their blond hair and blue eyes.
“Nah, I just have a type, you know? Do you have a type?”
I shook my head. The three men who’d captured my attention recently couldn’t have been more different. Reed would look right at home among Zara’s harem with his lanky build, blond hair, and bright blue eyes. Javier, the leader of a dangerous gang, was smaller built and more exotic-looking with his amber eyes and darker skin. And then there was Dominic… My mouth went dry as I thought of the muscular giant.
Forcing the sergeant from my mind, I looked closer at Zara’s phone. “Have you heard anything from your boyfriends since…” I trailed off as her smile faded.
“No.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “And I don’t think I will.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, not knowing what else to say. We’d all lost people we loved. I still grieved the loss of my Uncle Duncan who’d been killed by Javier’s men the morning of the outbreak.
She blinked away the sheen in her eyes and swiped her screen to bring up another photo. It was of her standing with three attractive men who shared her swarthy skin tone and beautiful eyes.
“They’re your brothers, right?” I’d seen her eating with them in the cafeteria.
“Yes, and they can be your next harem.”
Caught off guard, I blinked at her. “What?”
“Dev is the sweet one, and he just turned 18 so he’s legal. Sai is a lady’s man, but he can be tamed. And Avi is… well he’s a prick, but I’m sure you can handle him.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I pressed my lips together trying not to laugh.
She gave me an expectant look. “So, what do you think?”
“Uh. I’m flattered you’d want to set me up with them, but I’m… kind of with someone already.” Just saying that filled me with enough anxiety to make my hands shake. I’d made it my mission to swear off guys, but then I’d gotten drunk and my platonic relationship with Reed had gone up in flames. My skin heated with the memory of how many times we’d had sex in a twenty-four-hour period. It had to be some kind of record.
Zara studied me over the screen of her phone. “Are you talking about Fruitcake?”
I frowned not liking the nickname she’d given him. “Reed’s not crazy. He’s just been through… a lot.” And maybe I was to blame for his condition. I mean, I’d allowed him to think the end of the world was some drug-induced hallucination instead of helping him accept reality.
“No offense, girlfriend. I’m actually a fan of fruitcake. Yum. Nuts and candied fruit. What’s not to like?” Zara smacked her lips. “Besides. The crazy ones are always the best in the sack, am I right?”
“You hussies need to be quiet, or else,” hissed a heavy, sharp-nosed, middle-aged woman aptly named Karen. When she wasn’t complaining to the soldiers about the lack of amenities at the school, she was giving us a hard time.
I mouthed “hussies” to Zara who glared back at the older woman.
“Bring it.” Zara yanked a long hunting knife from the inside of her boot and brandished it.
Karen’s eyes widened. “I’ll report you to the soldiers.” She gave me a quick look. “You saw her pull a knife on me.”
“Knife? I don’t see any knife,” I said in a mocking voice. “But I heard you threaten Zara and me. Maybe we should report that to the soldiers.”
Karen’s eyes narrowed. “I see how it is.”
“Good, now turn your fat ass around and let me and my new bestie continue our conversation.” Zara twirled her knife in a circle.
Muttering what sounded like obscenities, Karen flopped over with the grace of a beached whale next to her sleeping adult daughter and teenage granddaughter.
“Thanks for having my back,” Zara said with a grin.
“Anytime,” I replied, watching her slide the knife back into her boot. “You seem pretty sure of yourself with that.”
“You should see me with a gun,” she said, patting the handgun holstered at her waist. “My mom is Special Forces. She made sure we all learned to shoot before we could ride bikes.”
“Sounds as if you’re a good person to have around,” I joked, mentally cataloging her connection to the military. It seemed she, like everyone else who’d been brought to the school, had a close living relative in the army. My sister and I, on the other hand, didn’t.
“Girl, you have no idea. Stick with me and I’ll keep you alive. The only thing I want in return is first dibs on the hot soldiers. Deal?” Zara held out her palm.
“Deal,” I said, shaking her hand. It felt good to make a friend, even under these circumstances.
My happiness lasted only a moment before the classroom door flew open and a deep voice shouted, “Everyone, on your feet.”