Page 17 of Creepy (The Zombiepidemic #1)

A knock on the door woke me. The sun blaring through the window made me squint my eyes. Sitting up, pain greeted me. My side, knee, and ankle still hurt. The view, Arlo’s naked back. He’d slipped on his boxers. The knock sounded again.

Troy. Whipping my neck, I glared at my watch on the bedside table. Fuck. It was ten a.m.

Before I could even try to get to the door, Arlo was out of my room, going to go answer it.

Fuck. He was in his boxers. Regret hit me like a speeding semi-truck.

Scooting to the edge of the bed, I hopped down onto my good leg.

I’d thoroughly enjoyed sex with both men, but I wasn’t ready to choose.

I dreaded the potential fight, Troy so extra-large and powerful and Arlo large as well, but lean and quick on his fancy feet.

Or worse, them both deciding I was a whore and leaving me forever alone in this zombie wasteland.

I limped around my room, trying to dress, trying to clear the evidence.

Too many fucking candles.

I could hear Arlo answer the door. “Hey dude,” he said, in his usual ultra-positive way.

“Where is she?” Troy sounded strange. “What the hell have you done to her?” The voice boomed.

I stopped dead in my tracks, dropping Arlo’s shorts. Fuck. It couldn’t be Dillon, could it?

Geezus.

Like I’d been kicked by a horse, I flung myself out of my bedroom door, shutting it behind me so he wouldn’t see the fifty shades of candles in there.

Heeding his heavy footsteps, I tried to straighten my pink frilly nightgown and my hair.

Tasting Arlo’s semen on my lips, I wiped at my mouth.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I braced myself for the oncoming storm.

I imagined him slapping me across my face.

He stepped around the corner, into the kitchen.

Feeling him in front of me, I opened my eyes a hair.

It wasn’t Dillon. It wasn’t Troy either.

Not even Rowan. My eyes wide, the man before me sported a beard red as my hair.

My hand went to my mouth as I broke down in tears. “Peace Joseph Landry.” I hugged my brother Joey’s neck.

He hugged back. “Innocent Silya Landry, you’re a sight for sore eyes. Where’s the Beast?”

“Really, you’re asking for your truck?” It figured.

He cocked his head sideways. “And are you sleeping with Arlo?... I’d promised my buddy, Wade, you’d go out with him,” he whispered.

I punched his shoulder. “It’s none of your business.” I laughed. Things hadn’t changed.

Come to find out, my idiot brother had been the one who’d told Arlo about the Jules’ Estate.

They’d become buddies on the road. Assuming they had evacuated me, he didn’t tell his new acquaintance about his sister.

Arlo had never said Joey’s name or anything about him to clue me in.

My brother had brought the other’s Arlo mentioned, another guy I knew.

Tagging along was his best friend from high school, Wade Kline, who I’d always had a crush on, and him, nothing for me.

That was old news. With them were two women around our age.

One blonde, being Wade’s cousin, Lucy, and my brother’s new girlfriend.

I guess he and Tonya broke up, news to me.

The other woman with the bunch, a brunette bookend to Lucy, was her cousin Mabel, not actually related to Lucy’s cousin Wade.

Mabel had a lapdog of some kind. It yapped constantly and had already taken a shit on my floor.

I pictured the tiny thing being eaten by a stray zombie in one bite.

I found my boot quick, cleaned up, and dressed for our makeshift family reunion.

They were all hungry, so I let Arlo drive me in the Buick, and my brother and his people followed us in the van they’d arrived in, over to Mrs. Dean’s Diner for a real treat.

I’d been thinking maybe we’d run into Troy while we were out.

Since he hadn’t shown up yet. I was beginning to worry in between catching up.

Once in town, I’d also show Joey to his truck, I promised him, after our supper of course.

When we made it to the diner, I noticed right away the generator hadn’t been filled.

My heart sank thinking Troy not only stormed off mad at me, but he also didn’t top off the generator like he said he would.

With plenty of help, I filled the generator and cooked up food to order.

Soon we crammed into one of the big booths to eat, all six of us.

Wade talked about us all shacking up at the Jules’ Estate.

Arlo told them about its ample amenities.

I kept quiet about all I’d done to gather my supplies there.

I’d talk to Joey about it later. At least, I knew for certain my brother, the obvious leader of this new bunch, not counting me, wouldn’t steal my haul. I’d have to share it, though.

Ugh. Nevertheless, I’d finally have some help around here.

With a toast, my brother called us a happy family. Lucy wasn’t drinking, and Joey announced his girl was pregnant. “Here’s to repopulating the human race.”

Ladies and gentlemen, my brother.

Wade made eyes at me, and Arlo hugged me into him.

Ugh, again. I suddenly felt like breeding stock.

Drinking the IPA, I thought of Troy again.

He said he was going after Rowan. What if he was hurt?

I didn’t think Rowan was any match for Troy, but a zombie had caught me unaware just yesterday.

Relaying the story to my brother, who’d finally asked about my bandaged neck, about my ankle, I mentioned how Troy shot the zombie and saved me.

Joey stopped me when I mentioned Troy. His eyes narrowed.

“You mean there was someone else here besides you and Arlo?”

Had he not been listening? That was par for the course. “Yeah, Troy. Why?”

“I wasn’t going to mention this until later, in private, but we ran into Dillon today, and you wouldn’t believe it.” Joey knew all about my ex-fiancé, Dillon and our breakup, so it made sense he’d want to wait to talk in private.

“What? Where?” I begged him to go on.

“Aren’t you with Arlo?” My brother was getting too personal.

“Arlo was just taking care of me on account of my ankle,” I explained, sitting up from the blond’s arm to save face. “Right, Arlo?”

As pleasant as ever, surfer dude seemed unharmed by my words. “Yeah, man... don’t get into your sister’s business. I was just taking care of her... needs.”

I elbowed him after the word “needs”. “What about Dillon?” Joey was stalling.

Giving in, he blew out air and told the story. “On our way in. Dillon was leaving town. A whole slew of roughnecks on Harleys stopped us. Dillon, on a hog.” He belted out a laugh. “Can you believe that shit?”

I blew out my nose like a raging bull. “And what?”

“When that dipshit recognized me, he let us go, probably remembering that one summer, Wade and I kicked his...” He turned to Wade. “Remember...” He turned to his girlfriend, explaining, “Sissy’s ex... Wade and I went over to his daddy’s mansion to stomp him a new asshole when he left her.”

“Are you done? Get to the point,” I urged him, crossing my arms.

My brother held up his beer, his finger pointing at me. “Dillon told me, to tell you, he had your fella.”

Troy... “Why didn’t you say anything right away?” I all but screamed at my brother, rising to lunge over the table at him.

Arlo squeezed my shoulder and eased me back into my seat. “Why didn’t you say so right away?” He asked Joey, echoing me.

Joey jutted his chin toward us. “When I saw you two, I thought you must’ve been... fuckin’... an item.”

“Fuck. Joey, I swear to God...” I started.

“Don’t blame me. I thought Dillon was full of shit, as usual.”

“Dillon must think Troy and I are together. He has Troy?” Beside myself, I said the obvious, to myself but out loud.

“I didn’t see anyone,” Joey said, still making excuses.

“I did,” his girl, Lucy spoke up. “I saw them roughing someone up. Is he a, pardon me, but a black feller?” Lucy asked ignorantly, confirming it.

“Anyway,” my brother went on, “whoever he is. Dillon says to tell you that you need to come over and get him. I told him to kiss my country ass. He threatened to cut my balls off. I’d like to see that pretty boy try...”

“Anything else you’re forgetting to tell me?” I was pissed as all get out at Joey.

Unbothered, my brother took a bite of food. He covered his mouth to talk. “Oh, Dillon said you have until Monday night. Whatever that means. And here.” He reached in his pocket. “He told me to give you this.”

Joey handed me a letter. It read, To Creepy with Love.

“I didn’t open it,” my brother said.

It being from Dillon, I wouldn’t read it in front of anyone. My head spun, so I laid it on the table.

As much as he loved to tease me, Joey finally saw I was visibly distraught.

“Don’t worry Sis, we’ll go get your friend.

I’ve kicked Dillon’s ass before.” He had no idea Dillon was not the civilized Senator’s son he remembered.

He knew nothing about the Stayers. He didn’t know like I knew that Dillon would kill Troy before letting him go, especially if he suspected there was anything between Troy and me.

Arlo tried to comfort me. He patted my back, saying he’d drive over there and help rescue Troy.

He knew nothing about the Stayers either.

As they all tried to come up with their own plan to go rescue Troy tomorrow night.

I knew when everyone went to sleep tonight, I’d be driving to Alexandria myself, hurt foot or not.

I’d confront Dillon myself and do whatever it took to save Troy.