Page 10
“Wake up, princess.” Brie’s acidic words yanked her from her dream.
Renee couldn’t remember exactly what she’d been dreaming about, but it was better than reality. In her dream, someone had held her while kissing her neck. It made her feel cherished. In real life, she’d never felt that way. Her fingers fumbled for the sunglasses. She slipped them on her face, sat up and drank a bottle of water.
Renee was so excited to walk in silence with someone who didn’t like her for miles and miles, then witness another massacre. And to top off her evening, she was sure she would have another horrible encounter with the king of the undead. Yeah, she was real motivated to get her day started.
“Get out of the van, now,” Brie said as she slipped her red lipstick into the top of her bra. Good idea, considering she didn’t carry a bag or anything.
“Okay. Okay. I’m coming. Can I please talk to you today?”
“No.” Brie led them into the horde.
“I’m really trying, Brie. I don’t want you to hate me. I get it, you’re mad because your king is making you babysit me, but you don’t have to. I won’t run. You can go be with him and do whatever your queenly duties are.”
Brie stopped and stared at her like she was crazy. The horde shuffled past, unfazed by how they’d stopped.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
“I said you don’t need to babysit me and-”
“Stop. It was rhetorical. I can’t believe this.”
Brie’s raised voice only caused a few glances from the more coordinated zombies that shuffled by.
“Are you blind, deaf, or just stupid?”
Renee straightened her shoulders. Perhaps it was her childhood trauma, but when someone said crap like that, it hit a little too close to home. “I am not blind or stupid!”
Brie’s brow crinkled, and she flicked her eyes to the front. “I have to monitor you during the day.”
“But I won’t run. I said I wouldn’t, and I won’t.”
“You wouldn’t make it far, but it doesn’t matter. If you try, I’m dead.” Brie grabbed her forearm. “Come on, we need to catch up.”
“Wait, why would you be dead? Did the king tell you that?”
“Why are you calling him that?”
“Because he’s your leader.”
“We don’t have a title for him,” Brie said dismissively. She narrowed her eyes. “Why did you call me his queen?”
“Because you’re important, almost like his second in command. And you’re pretty like a queen. Dressed better than the others.” Renee shrugged and peeked at her own filthy clothes. The only zombies who seemed like they’d bathed in all the years she’d seen the undead were the king and Brie.
“That’s because you haven’t been around the other chosen.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Brie’s eyes widened, and she squeezed Renee’s arm until it hurt. “Do not repeat that to anyone,” she said in a hushed tone.
Renee covered Brie’s hand with hers. “I want to be your friend, Brie. I won’t say anything, I promise. I haven’t had any friends in a long time.”
“You only want to be my friend because there isn’t anyone else.” A vulnerable expression crept over Brie’s face.
“No. It just makes you befriending me potentially easier, for both of us. I was never the cool or pretty girl, but I can tell you were. Before all this, I know how things would’ve been. You’d be popular and make fun of cringy girls like me. It sucks, but now we’re on even ground. I have a chance for a girl like you to actually see me and maybe, like me. It could be good for you too, unless I’m totally off base when I say that most of your friends weren’t real friends, and I would be. You could be who you really are around me.”
“Hate to disappoint, but there wasn’t much to me before and now...” She shook her head. “I’m a fucking zombie. Even less interesting. Good looks no longer matter, and being pretty was all I ever had to offer.”
“Maybe that’s true, and it sucks, but this is also a second chance.”
“How in the fuck can you say that and be so positive? Look around you.”
“Because I haven’t given up, and you shouldn’t either.”
“You can’t get away. There’s no escape, especially for me. I have to...” She averted her eyes.
“I know you have to keep eating people or other… things, or you’ll die, right?”
Brie nodded but didn’t look at Renee.
“From what I’ve seen, the horde eats the live prey first, preferably humans. Then they finish the scraps.” Renee swallowed. “If they can’t find humans, that’s when they go after animals, right?”
“Yeah.”
Becoming Brie’s friend might speed up her plan to get all the info she needed. “Well, if there weren’t so many of you, it wouldn’t be such a problem. I mean, if you and I got free, we’d need to make sure there were big animals for you. Sounds tough, but it wouldn’t be, not if you are hunting only for yourself.”
“Are you batshit crazy? Why would you even suggest that? I’d probably end up eating you. It doesn’t matter, he won’t let me leave.” Brie tugged on Renee’s arm and started walking.
“Because you’re his and have to do what he says?” Renee whispered.
Iris’ words from before they entered the city crept back into her mind. Evil leads that one. A demon controls it, demanding nothing remains but bones . As much of an ass as the king was, she didn’t believe he was evil. Arrogant and ruthless, sure, but evil? When he said they were the superior species… but last night he seemed to hate all the words that came out of his mouth.
“Something like that. He calls the shots. If you do what he says, he won’t lord over you. You keep fighting him, he’ll never let go.”
Renee thought about her words. Perhaps Brie was trapped by him because she’d fought against him, so he kept her on a tight leash. Brie wasn’t his queen as much as a prisoner, same as her. Except she was dead and Renee was still alive, for now. She considered changing tactics with the king. If she didn’t push him so hard, perhaps he’d lose interest, and she could get a little more freedom, allowing her more time to plan her escape.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10 (Reading here)
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40