Hella Rises: Dawnland Read online

  HELLA

  RISES

  By Karen Carr

  Text Copyright © Karen Carr 2014

  All Rights Reserved

  I dedicate this book to

  my amazing husband and

  wonderful children.

  My life would be

  dull and boring

  without you.

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as read. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright 2013, 2014 by Karen Carr. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright conventions.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  I stood in the center of the Pittsboro Roadhouse and General Store, with its clean oak floors and bright sunny windows, surrounded by my friends. “Hella Paige—zombie killer,” were the murmurs from the crowd that had gathered outside and had escorted me to the door of the Roadhouse. Hipslow had blocked their entrance, only allowing me inside to be with my friends.

  The people outside all wanted to touch my arms, my shoulders, my head and my hair, perhaps thinking my zero-killing virus would rub off on them. They were a bit like the zeroes themselves, clinging to me in humble desperation, grasping and pulling me into their bosom. I hugged them back and cried when they did, whispering in their ear that they were safe, but enforcing the rules of my virus.

  A thousand feet, a thousand feet, a thousand feet, I said over and over again. These people were only safe if they stayed within a thousand feet of where I stood. If they made a mistake, and left my virus-bubble boundary with their guard down, they would surely be zero meat. My protection, however strong it was, was also a magnet, attracting the undead from miles around.

  Inside the Roadhouse, I soaked in the pastel colored bookshelves housing local crafts, glass display cases with handmade jewelry, artwork on the walls, and a mixture of semi-circle booths and square tables. It could have been any day at the Roadhouse, my college friends meeting up for lunch and some music, only my college friends didn’t exist anymore, except for Stan and Saudah and this was the apocalypse.

  Fareva glided over in her aged-hippy splendidness and handed me a glass of wine, making me feel like I was at a gallery opening. Fareva the enchantress, as old as my mother but with a heart as young as my sister’s and a beauty shining through with her smile. Hipslow obviously respected Fareva and on rare occasions she gave it, he followed her advice, but I wasn’t sure if they were intimate.

  Zora and Boa mixed with Stan and Saudah speculating and tittering and giving each other updates all at once. I didn’t join in their conversation, preferring to take in their presence in silence. They didn’t seem to mind my lack of exuberance, or perhaps perceived that I felt too overwhelmed to throw myself into a happy reunion.

  I was tired, beyond warn out, but did not want to leave my friends side. Instead, I examined Zora’s new scarf, a bright yellow and green shawl which contrasted sharply with her brown skin. Her sister Boa, wore a bright yellow scarf tied around her head. These girls caused me grief when I first met them, but now we were bonded by fighting and surviving together.

  My attention turned to Stan and Saudah, my dear friends from our previous life. Stan had been my college sweetheart, and Saudah my best friend—all of us had known each other since we were freshmen at UNC in Chapel Hill. They were complete opposites in looks and personality, Stan was pale and wane and some would say upper-crusty and Saudah was from Nigeria, dark and regal and sincere and strong. They had found love in the aftermath and their feelings seemed to be genuine, unlike mine which started out strong with Huck and ended up stronger with Zeke. I still didn’t know where my heart lay but I knew I might have to give it away to the people.

  Broder’s laugh made me turn my head, it was deep and rich and rarely heard. In fact, he seldom spoke words in full sentences, preferring to remain silent. His posture was relaxed as he listened to Hipslow, Fareva and Georgia, all in deep and laugh filled conversation. Georgia, in charge of the bed and breakfast across the street, touched Fareva lightly on the arm as they reminisced about some exciting event.

  The two tweens, Harper and Mike, gathered near the Professor who seemed to be imparting his knowledge on them. Ana was left on her own until the Reverend swooped in and began speaking Spanish to her. The Reverend and Huck were some of the few that spoke Ana’s native tongue.

  The only ones missing were Trevan and Lily. Lily had been my best friend after the apocalypse, rescued me from the kids in downtown Chapel Hill and then from Trevan when he wanted to kill us all. Trevan had freaked out and joined Mace’s gang and a reluctant Lily had followed him. I wondered what they were doing now and who they were surrounded by. Not friends, that’s for sure. Lily’s love for Trevan crushed her. I made a vow never to let love drive me into making stupid decisions.

  My eyes caught Zeke and Huck, who were reuniting in a small bay made by large glass windows and a circular table. Several people were still standing outside and looking in the window with puzzled and curious expressions. Huck’s face was drawn in anger and he was targeting his index finger toward Zeke’s chest like a gun. Zeke, in turn, threw up his arms in disgust and shouted some expletives at Huck. I hoped they weren’t talking about me.

  I walked closer to Huck and Zeke, careful to stay out of their line of vision. Huck spit out his words like venom, accusing Zeke of something dastardly and Zeke shouted back his defense with incredulous fury. When I heard my name my muscles in my shoulder tensed and I slid behind a pillar. From my vantage point, I saw the outline of Huck’s strong jaw and the stubble that covered it. I watched the muscles on the side of his face expand and contract as he listened to Zeke who was talking too softly for me to hear.

  Huck in his tense and angry state, all presumably in defense of my honor, made me question my loyalties to Zeke. Huck had given me his heart and had been the first man I had seen after the devastating plague hit the earth. I glanced over at Ana sitting at the bar, whose relationship with Huck wasn’t clear. Sensing my gaze, she shifted her face and our eyes connected. I felt a brief hint of bitterness directed at me before she turned her back against us all.

  Mace Duce and Sargent Enroy had held Stan, Saudah and I captive in a small room for days. Huck and Ana had been held too, in a different room. Their shared experience must have brought them closer together and I sensed that there was a deep attraction between them. A feeling of jealousy surface in my heart and I struggled to bury it deep inside. Who was I to want the attention of both men? I had to make a choice and my choice had to be neither.

  My attention snapped back to Zeke as he let out a loud trail of expletives and then Huck fired back with his own. Zeke kicked a chair, sending it bouncing against the glass window and Huck pushed the table in his direction making the dishes on it reverberate. The people outside gasped and covered their mouths as they watched the fight unfold. Zeke grasped the table, hoisted it on two legs and shoved it back in Huck
’s direction creating a landfall of dishes and glasses and silverware.

  Zeke made his way out of the bay, stomping his feet on the wooden floor as he walked toward the entrance of the roadhouse. He glanced around the room as he opened the door, stopping when he found me standing by the pillar. Zeke’s eyes acted like a magnet to my heart, drawing me away from the pillar. I took a tentative step forward, but then Zeke’s jaw clamped shut, his brow furrowed and his eyes went blank.

  Two men, thin and weathered from their rough new life, peered around Zeke. One stood on tiptoe and the other squatted and craned his neck sideways to see inside the roadhouse, to get a glimpse of the zombie killer. The squatter spotted me and beamed a smile at the tiptoed, pointing discreetly in my direction. For a moment the sunlight framed the three figures in a perfect moment before Zeke’s muscular frame blocked their view and the door thudded shut behind him.

  My breath caught in my throat as I watched Zeke storm past the bay windows, disrupting the crowd that was still trying to look in and making them aware of his anger. The two men from the doorway appeared at the window, and covered their eyes to look into the shaded restaurant. They caught Huck’s attention, making him snarl and walk out of the alcove, but not before he erected the table and picked up some of the dishes. Fareva and Georgia swooped in to help, thanking Huck for his effort and shooing him away.

  Huck strode to the bar and sat down far enough away from Ana for her to give me another bitter glance. I had to know what they were fighting about, which gave me two choices. I could run after Zeke like a girl obsessed to find out what had upset him or I could slink over to Huck at the bar and talk to him. By now everyone had noticed Zeke and Huck’s fight. They were all moving their heads from the slammed door to Huck and to me. I shrugged my shoulders and gulped, shaking my head when Zora made a move to approach me.

  Leaving now, even just to be on my own, would signal my lack of compassion for Huck. I cared about him and I owed it to him to stay away from his best friend. I owed it to him to sit down by his side to try and understand his feelings, whether he had them for me or not. It would be dissing Ana, but if Huck and I were meant to be together, it would lesson her pain if we did it now.

  I walked over to the bar, with all eyes still on me, and sat next to Huck. “Hi,” I said as Ana got up from her stool and walked out of my sight.

  Huck glanced at me and ran his fingers through his hair, a gesture I always felt hard to resist. His steel blue eyes penetrated mine like they were looking for answers. I didn’t know if I would be able to give him any. I felt a reluctant tug on my heart, like it was telling me to remember what it was like to be with him, like static electricity on Christmas Eve.

  “You look tired,” Huck said.

  “I am tired,” I said. “We’re all tired. But I can’t stop thinking, Huck. I want things to be right. I want things to be perfect. I want everyone to get along and when I saw you fighting with Zeke, it crushed me.”

  “You crush that easily?” Huck gave me a bewildered stare.

  “You know what I mean,” I said. I had to look away from him and focused on the odd assortment of bottles behind the bar instead. In front of the bottles were stacks of Plenty, the currency that the people of Pittsboro used instead of money. The wide sheltering oak tree printed on the currency reflected in the green, yellow and blue bottles.

  “You’re a rock star, Hella,” Huck said.

  I smirked. “Not really.”

  “Zeke’s attracted to stars,” Huck said with genuine concern. I glanced back in his direction, puzzled by his tone. He hadn’t shaved in a while and his stubble was curling around his jaw, making me remember what it was like to feel it on my skin. I wanted to reach out and touch it, to feel his lips on mine, but I shook those thoughts from my head. Why was I even thinking of him in that way?

  “Zeke’s not, we’re not…” I stumbled over my words, not knowing what to say.

  “I know you’re not, not completely at any rate,” Huck said. He gazed at my lips for so long, I brought my hand up to cover them. “Eliza was a star. She was the prettiest girl, had the longest legs of anyone in our county. She was the girl to get.”

  “She was beautiful,” I said. Eliza had been with them in the mountains. I mistook her for Huck’s wife, but she had been Zeke’s girlfriend. It was a long and complicated story and I was sure I didn’t know all the details. I knew she was beautiful before she turned into a zero.

  “You know when Zeke got that tattoo of her name on his chest?” Huck held my gaze. His eyes reflected sorrow and longing and I hoped mine didn’t mirror the same feelings.

  I shook my head. I was familiar with the tattoo etched over Zeke’s heart. Eliza was the girl he supposedly loved, the one that died in his arms after she had been bitten. Zeke was destroyed when she died. I was there. I remember the look of sheer agony on his face.

  Huck took a sip of beer. “He got that tattoo on my brother’s wedding day.”

  “Your brother and Eliza’s wedding day?” I asked. “Why?”

  “Because Zeke wanted to marry the prettiest girl in town and Eliza was it. He was furious at my brother for marrying her instead.” Huck took a swig from his bottle and gazed at the counter as if he was reliving the past in a slow motion movie.

  “And you think Zeke wants to be with me because of my power?” I asked. A chill went up my spine.

  “And because you are beautiful, much prettier than Eliza.” Huck moved his eyes over my body and blushed, like he wasn’t supposed to hold me in that regard anymore. I reached out and touched his open palm, feeling the calluses on his fingertips. “And because of the way you smell. You smell like mint and something else, something sweet like molasses or honey?” He held my hand under his nose and sniffed his lips grazing the surface of my skin. “How come I never smelled it before? Zora find you a new soap?”

  “Are you kidding me?” I asked in such a way that Huck dropped my hand and recoiled in surprise. I couldn't believe it. In my very small experiments, anyone who smelled honey and mint on my skin was immune to the zombie’s bites, like Zeke and Saudah and Mace Duce.

  Zeke and Saudah had both been bitten by zeroes and lived. They didn’t develop the zombie killing virus that I had, but they survived the bite. If Huck smelled my scent, then he was immune too. I jumped from my stool and hugged him as he got up from his. Our bodies molded easily into each other like they used to.

  “Huck, do you know what this means?”

  Huck held my shoulders, pushing me away from his chest, and for a brief moment I thought he was going to kiss me. My lips parted automatically in anticipation, but my jaw clamped shut when he glanced around the bar.

  “What does it mean?” Huck spoke through gritted teeth. “It means that you know how to stay clean.” His fingers tightened their grip on my shoulders, making me shrug in pain. “Don’t push your body into mine anymore. It sends the wrong signals to my bones. It’s not like that anymore between us, is it Hella?”

  “It can be,” the words fell out of my mouth in pathetic sounding desperation. Why was I trying to lure him back in? “It’s different now.” I touched Huck’s chest, not intentionally but it was like my hands had a mind of their own. My body tingled and my voice quavered like it was telling me to follow my heart and not my home.

  “What’s different Hella?” Huck penetrated my flesh with his steel blue eyes, heating it all over and making me yearn for his.

  After I had bitten Harper’s brother, he had turned into an undead monster. I realized that my bite turned humans into zeroes. I had pushed Huck away thinking that I would eventually kill him by accident, scratching him or biting him or swapping blood or spit. The truth was, I didn’t know how my virus transferred to others.

  “Answer me,” Huck said, his voice raising in intensity.

  I looked briefly around the bar and found that the only person staring at us was Ana. I bit my lip and swallowed my nerve, ignoring Ana’s emotional response. This wasn’t about her or me. T
his was about Huck.

  “Huck, there’s something I have to tell you.” I took Huck’s hand and let my fingers curl around his palm. He placed his other hand on top of mine and held it there for a while. We stood in silence while I gathered the words to tell Huck he was immune.

  Huck’s hand tightened over mine. “No, don’t.”

  “It’s good news.” I moved in closer to him. His hand squeezed my fingers so tight, that I thought he was going to break them.

  “You can’t,” Huck said as he released my hand. He stepped backwards and away from me, shaking his head. “I can’t.”

  “You can’t what?” I asked, distracted by the cloud of anger and sorrow he had released above our heads.

  “You can’t. I’m not.” Huck held up his hands, palms forward like a stop sign.

  “Blurt it out, Huck,” I said.

  Huck heaved a big sigh. “I will always love you, Hella. From the first moment I saw you, I knew it. Before I knew about your crazy virus, I loved you. I believe in it. I believe in what we had. Call it love at first sight or whatever, it was there.”

  “Huck, I know,” I said. “It’s not like that with me and Zeke. We’re more like home, a good book and a comfortable couch. It’s not like it was with you, so powerful and passionate and overwhelming. Your feelings, my feelings…they scare me.”

  “Hella, stop it.” Huck stepped closer to me, but the warmth in his eyes had been replaced by coldness, like a switch had been turned off. “It doesn’t matter how you feel. It doesn’t matter how I feel because I can never have you. I don’t know if anyone can, Hella. You are special, like superman or the incredible hulk. You’ve got a mission to do and all of us have to step aside.”

  “What are you saying? I can do both. I want it all, Huck. I want happily ever after and I want to save the world.”

  “That’s a tall order, and a little selfish, don’t you think?” Huck had the nerve to pick up his beer and take a swig out of it, like we were having a casual bar conversation.