Hella Rises: Dawnland Read online

  “It doesn’t matter, Huck,” I snarled and picked up my wine glass. “I just wanted to let you know you are safe from zero bites. You are immune and now I’ve got things to do.” I tossed back my wine and put the glass on the counter, readying my exit.

  “What do you mean?” Huck grasped my elbow and twirled me around. Our bodies were separated by an inch.

  I looked him in the eye, trying hard to remove any sign of passion. “Zeke, Saudah and I figured it out when we were together. They both smelled Mint and Honey on my skin, just like you. They both are immune. No one else smells it. Huck, you are immune to zombie bites. You are just like Zeke.”

  Huck’s expression went from surprise to thoughtfulness to lust. “That changes things.” He smiled and took a step forward.

  “No it doesn’t.” I took a step backwards in mirror of his. “I’m on a mission to save the world.”

  Just as I was about to leave Huck’s side, Hipslow stood up and cleared his throat.

  Chapter 2

  Hipslow clapped his hands together to get our attention. The silver streaks in his ponytailed hair reflected against his weathered bronze skin. His tall, slim frame drew attention to Fareva’s shorter and healthier stature as she joined his side. Georgia came next, taking a stance on Hipslow’s other side. The three elders of Pittsboro, tribesmen from a newly formed tribe.

  “You all are probably pretty tired,” Hipslow said. “It’s also going to be dark soon, so we’d like to ask you all to join us in the gym for the night.” He paused to take in our expressions. “No, we’re not going to play a game. We’ve setup cots there for everyone--easier to guard one big space. We had to do a lot of guarding while you were gone, Hella. We had so many people coming in from all over. It’s amazing how word travels around here.” Hipslow came up next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “They’ve all heard about you. Our zombie crusader.”

  “We’re sleeping in the gym too?” I asked, afraid of being so close to strangers.

  “Just for the night,” Hipslow said. “Until we can make other arrangements. We haven’t quite figured out this thousand foot thing of yours, and I’d hate for anyone to leave your barrier and get attacked. Some of the townsfolk have been spraying thousand foot barriers around their property, but the red paint became so ugly we had to ask them to stop. I’m afraid you are going to have a lot of people trying to recruit you to walk their lines, but for now we’ll get you some rest.”

  “I understand,” I said, glancing anxiously at Huck and then to the door that Zeke left through.

  “Don’t worry about Zeke,” Hipslow said. “I had Broder tail him. He’ll bring him back to the gym so that he’s safe too.”

  “Come on, Hella,” Saudah said. She took my hand and we walked out the door together.

  Surprised by the bright red and orange light from the setting sun, I shaded my eyes against its rays. Numerous people standing on the sidewalk were illuminated by the colors. I smiled and waved with my other hand and they began to clap slowly and softly.

  Hipslow put his hand in the air like a stop sign. “Let her breathe, folks.” He took my elbow and escorted me down the sidewalk.

  “She’s killed a bunch of them already,” a man said as we walked past him. “I just came from Elm, three blocks away. Don’t know how they got so far into town, but they’re gone now. Thanks to the zombie killer!” The crowd cheered as he raised his fist. What had I become? I didn’t feel like a rock star. I felt like a shriveling wall flower and wondered if I could come up with a disguise, a wig and some big sunglasses, maybe even a cape and a mask.

  “Thanks for the update, Roger.” Hipslow reached out his hand and the man shook it. “We’ll keep going now.”

  “Oh sure, sure,” the man said and then gestured for me to pass, bowing at the same time.

  “You don’t need to do that,” I said to him, embarrassed by his admiration.

  “Sure I do,” the man replied. He smiled with a crooked, toothless grin.

  I regarded the sidewalk ahead of us and then turned to look behind us. Scatterings of people gathered in both directions and all sides. There must have been at least fifty people surrounding us. They all kept their distance, but also hovered near me. I felt like the hub of a wheel travelling forward with invisible spokes attached to my new companions.

  “Let’s take to the streets,” Hipslow said. The concerned grin on his face caused me some alarm. His expression lightened when he saw Galen and some of his men ushering the people away.

  The May air cooled quickly in the shadows and felt refreshing against my sore muscles. We trudged silently along the road walking past garbage left from the crowd. The last time we visited Pittsboro the streets had been clean, but now they were laden with car parts and half opened suitcases and empty bottles of water mixed in with weathered shoes and old clothes.

  Zora, Boa, Stan, Saudah and Huck had formed a loose circle around of us, with Huck in the lead, acting as a shield against the ever-expanding crowd. It crossed my mind that Ana wasn’t walking with us, but I did not want to look for her. She was probably with the Reverend travelling close behind.

  People wanted to be respectful of me and keep their distance, yet they did not want to get too far away. It was like they didn’t quite know how far a thousand feet was from where I walked. I wanted to shout that a thousand feet is a long distance. They were safe for blocks. They could give me more room. I never thought I was claustrophobic until now. The crowd surrounding me, with no easy way for me to get out, made me gasp for breath.

  Hipslow noticed my erratic breathing and ushered the crowd farther away.

  “Are you worried about the crowd?” I asked Hipslow when most of the folks following us were too far away to hear.

  “Oh no, Hella,” Hipslow spoke softly. “It’s just that some of these people are strangers to most of us and we want to be extra cautious with your safety.”

  “You have so many people here,” I said.

  He nodded. “Yes, we do. We’re at eighty-nine now, all kinds of folks. You would think only young men survived, but we have several pairs of octogenarians in our midst. Some folks have formed new families and we even have a pregnant mom and another who just gave birth. The good news is that we have far more survivors than anyone thought possible. The bad news is that we’ve had to plant more fields to keep up with the growth. It’s been dangerous work. We lose a person every other day and not just to the zeds. We had one chap who didn’t know how to use a tractor and was raked under the wheels while it was in motion.”

  “You don’t expect me to help in the fields?” I asked.

  “You?” Hipslow laughed. “And risk injury? No. Zeke signed up for that job, remember?”

  I caught myself looking into the crowd and beyond for Zeke’s face. “Zeke,” I said under my breath. “Yea, and Lily too. She signed a contract, didn’t she?”

  “Lily, yes. She owes me. Fareva needs help around the kitchen.” Hipslow stuck his hands in his back pockets. “And Trevan, what a shame about him. He was a bit neurotic, for sure, but I never expected him to be a traitor.”

  Someone from the crowd, an older woman, ran in between Zora and Boa and up to me. Huck turned around from his position in the lead and grabbed the woman’s arm.

  “Sorry,” the woman said. She looked embarrassed as she tried to twist out of Huck’s grip, but he wouldn’t let her go. “I was just wondering if you could come with me to Sanford. My family is back there. My husband is sick. He is a doctor.”

  “Not now, there’s enough to do here,” Hipslow said. He ushered the woman away and she fell in step with the others behind me.

  I was beginning to see how difficult my life was about to become. Eighty nine people all were certain to have their own stories, their own rescue missions for me to join. I was bound to Hipslow at the moment, and for that I was unexpectedly grateful. He would not let the others interfere with his mission, which would let me live in peace for a while. He would protect me at all cos
ts until I was no longer useful to him.

  “What are you going to do with all these people?” I asked, trying to get some reassurance.

  “We’re typing up an ample number of contracts and printing more of our currency, the Plenty bills, tens and twenties and hundreds. No one is allowed to stay here without a deal. So far most folks have been peaceful and those who weren’t were asked to leave, or were sent away. I still have three dozen of my own men and women protecting the place, so odds are still in our favor.”

  “What if Mace Duce invades?” Mace was probably back at Haverlyn Village trying to figure out how to capture me.

  “Invades?” Hipslow asked, tilting his head to the left. “That’s a peculiar choice of words, something that an army would do to a neighboring country.”

  “I didn’t mean for it to sound like that,” I said.

  “Oh no, I suppose you’re right.” Hipslow touched his chin. “We are starting over again. We could be our own country.”

  “Oh no.” I shook my head. “I didn’t mean to get that thought in your mind.”

  “We could call our new country Dawnland,” Hipslow said.

  “Dawnland?” I asked. The dusk had turned everything around us a bright red, a new beginning coming out of the flames like a phoenix, everything around us rising from the ashes.

  “Yes,” Hipslow said. “The Native American term for this country. That’s what they called it, you know? Before the Europeans got here, this land was known as Dawnland.”

  “I didn’t know,” I said. “Dawnland. I don’t know. I’m an American, I always will be.”

  “So were they,” Hipslow said. “The first Americans.”

  “I do feel like I am living in a foreign land, and a Dawnland. I guess it suits us.” I took a deep breath of the fresh air, air that hadn’t been this fresh in hundreds of years. This was a new dawn, the earth was being reborn and taking it with us in this land.

  We walked along in silence for a while, my friends maintaining the loose circle around me like a walking fort. The crowd had become subdued. Most of them had moved behind us and fanned out in a triangle. Broder had joined Huck and they were leading the way down the road toward the college. When I saw Broder, my heart reached for Zeke, but he was still nowhere in sight.

  Hipslow cleared his throat as if he knew he knew I needed a distraction from my thoughts. “I’d love for you to tell me how you kept Haverlyn Village protected. We might be able to improve on your transportation method.”

  “You mean my feet?” I asked, referencing the very sore attachments to my legs. “I walked in circles every night to try and keep us safe.”

  “You ever fly in an ultralight?” Hipslow asked. His face creviced as he smiled broadly.

  “A what?” I looked in the sky, which was a deep black red, expecting to see something flying in it.

  “You know a mosquito helicopter?” Hipslow made a twirling motion with his hands and pointed to the heavens.

  “No, actually the Hind was my first helicopter ride.” I smirked, guessing where this conversation was leading.

  “Well, you’re going to learn how to fly one,” Hipslow said. He put his shoulders back and raised his chin, like he was confident in my abilities.

  “I am?” I asked. I was a pretty good driver, but flying was different, thinking of controlling all that up and down motion made me nervous.

  “You are.” Hipslow nodded, holding his confident stance. “I figured it’s the best way for you to get around, to do those circles you need to do. Plus it’s a good skill for a girl like you to have.”

  “A girl like me.” I laughed. “You mean with supersonic killing abilities?”

  Hipslow ignored my comment and continued to describe the ultralight, including the fact that they could fly three hundred miles on a tank of gas at speeds up to sixty miles an hour. Parts of it were made by Mattel, it had a Volkswagen engine and washing machine belts. It was an old one, made in the era of the Hind, called a Hughes 300c and could hold three people. Another vintage machine. What fun. I hoped it held together as well as the Hind.

  “If you need to leave town suddenly, they’ll get you out in a pinch.” He snapped his fingers. “Nobody will be able to follow you either, unless they got one of their own.”

  “Thanks Hipslow,” I said, feeling my cheeks blush with gratitude. I was sold. I added helicopter pilot to the never-ending list of things I hadn’t done before the apocalypse and had to do after. Helicopter pilot, zero killer, expert marksman, horseback rider, first aid applier, the list was endless.

  Hipslow extended his hand. “You are welcome. Just make sure you can fly the thing before you go out on your own, OK?”

  I shook Hipslow’s hand with vigor. “OK.”

  If I learned how to fly, I would be able to kill fields of zeroes at once. I could hover over their undead bodies and watch their heads go splat. Almost as important as killing the dead, I could be alone, away from all the needy people below. It’s not like I didn’t enjoy their company, but I had become used to a small group of people. I had a commitment to every undead-living person on this earth. I had to try and save their lives, one helicopter ride at a time.

  Chapter 3

  Hipslow and I walked into the parking lot of the community college where Willie ran a used car shop. The banner he had made and tied between two trees still fluttered in the wind. Two more signs had been added, one advertising a sale on mopeds and another offering financing through financing, whatever that meant.

  Willie was nowhere in sight. I imagined he was somewhere safe inside since it was getting dark out and he had no way to illuminate his lot. The lot was full of more vehicles and all were polished clean. I felt strange as we walked through the parking lot heading toward the gym with an ever enlarging stream of people following me. I felt like a bride and they were all in my wedding party, the way they kept their distance but kept following me at every step. I wondered what they would do if I decided to run, to bolt over the fields to the woods. Would they follow me?

  “Business has been picking up,” Hipslow said as we maneuvered between two rows of tightly packed golf carts. “Willie’s sold a half a dozen new vehicles. He offers great financing.”

  “I’m sure he does,” I said. “But where does he get the mopeds?”

  Hipslow squinted at me. “He finds them.” When I roll my eyes, Hipslow squints even harder. “I assure you he makes sure the previous owners are dead or gone first. Folks here are more than welcome to find their own vehicles, but we’ve found they don’t like to poke around where they might be in danger. With you here, Willie might lose some business. People will feel more comfortable exploring, for sure. Let’s hope people find other ways to earn their way around here. There is a lot to do.”

  “Speaking of things to do, how much are you going to pay me?” I asked.

  Hipslow twirled his gray beard around his fingers. “Let me think about that.”

  We walked out of the parking lot and across campus as Hipslow contemplated his answer. I knew he already had an idea of how much I was worth, he probably had the contracts all drawn up, and nonetheless he pretended to think deep about the answer.

  While I was waiting for his reply, I gazed at the setting sun. It stooped low in the sky, making shadows appear larger than life. The shadows could hide anything, buildings and trees and cars and ordinary things all turned spooky under cover of night.

  Hipslow put his arm on my shoulder in a friendly gesture. “I believe we can pay you a good amount. Plenty of Plenty will be printed for you, straight off the presses, and bonuses too—if you do a good job.”

  “I promise you, I will do a good job.” I smiled and watched Huck stride forward toward the gym, my eyes absentmindedly rolling up to his rear. “And my friends too? We work as a team. They need to be paid as well.”

  “Of course they will be,” Hipslow said. “Let’s negotiate tomorrow. Today is for resting and relaxing.”

  Hipslow stopped our parade in front of
the gym and turned to address the crowd, raising his hands to quiet them down, even though they were fairly peaceful already. “People, here’s where we stop. Everyone, if you don’t mind, please pile in the gym. It’s time to get some rest. We have a lot of work to do. I’m going to take Ms. Paige, here, around the gym for a stroll so that we can be extra sure you will be safe at night. When she comes inside let her rest. Do not disturb her, understand?”

  A few people murmured to their neighbors and asked a few questions, but Hipslow would not answer them. Instead, he gestured for Galen to guide them inside. I stepped back as Galen and his men escorted everyone inside, lightly touching some on their elbows when they paused to get a good look at me. I felt a bit like an animal in a zoo, a lion or tiger, the way they stared with gaping mouths and tensed muscles.

  Several of Hipslow’s men joined Galen, all were carrying side arms. Seeing the guns made me instinctively reach for my own, safely in the holster that Zora had made me. I hoped the guns were for undead encounters and not for the many strangers entering the gym.

  The Professor walked by with Harper and Mikey, followed by Ana and the Reverend. Each greeted me with a soft hug and warm words, all except for Ana smiled while looking at my feet—nice effort. When everyone else was inside except for Zora and Boa, Stan and Saudah and Huck who was standing close enough to me where I felt his warmth, Hipslow spoke again.

  “You too,” he said to my friends, pointing to them individually. “You all need some rest. We have some privacy screens setup in the back of the gym for you and some bottles of water and other supplies by your cots. You will be comfortable, I promise.”

  Zora turned to me. She was holding her sister’s hand, their fingers intertwined in love knots. Their closeness warmed me up like a cup of hot chocolate. “You going to be ok?” Zora asked.

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Good, because I’m exhausted.” Zora hugged my left side with her free arm, and Boa hugged my right. They smelled so wonderful, I wanted to stay in their arms all night, but we said our goodbyes and they disappeared into the gym.