Mark Tufo - 'Til Death Do Us Part

“Now please kindly show me the way to your boss,” Mrs. Deneaux said as she put her weapon away, a slight smile across her lips.

Mrs. Deneaux was led up to a small group. She noticed the idiot Tommy who was standing next to a big man she figured was ‘the boss’. She began to think of a story that would position her in the best light and get her out of here. As she got closer, she noticed the slight woman that had been blocked from view. Eliza , she thought as she took in a sharp breath doing her best to remain calm.

Eliza looked past the big man to see Mrs. Deneaux’s approach. Kong turned also when he saw Eliza looking. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw Beans leading the old woman towards him.

“Whoa…far enough,” Kong said, putting one hand up and the other going for his hip.

“I caught her coming out of the house,” Beans said excitedly.

“And you didn’t think to take her sidearm? You dumbass,” Kong told his subordinate.

“I...I she pulled it on me...we had an understanding,” Beans stammered.

“Beans, you’re an idiot. Ma’am, I’m going to need you to gently take that gun and put it on the ground.”

“The name is Vivian,” she said as she handed the gun to Beans. “Could you be a dear and place that on the ground for me? Bad hips,” she told the group.

Eliza moved Kong over with her hand and stared intently at Mrs. Deneaux. “Is there a reason I should not immediately kill you?” she finally said.

“I want Mike dead as much as you,” Mrs. Deneaux said as she struggled to find her reserves of courage.

“Is that so?” Eliza questioned.

“I killed two of his men that attacked you on the highway,” Mrs. Deneaux said, now wishing that she had stayed with Michael. Nothing he could have done to her would have been equivalent to looking upon the embodiment of evil. She failed to mention that she was one of the bigger reasons for the success of the attack; that was better left unsaid. “I killed his childhood friend.”

“Paul Ginson?” Tomas asked.

“Yes,” Deneaux answered.

“You know of him?” Eliza asked her brother.

“Yes, they were very close, grew up together. I believe they considered themselves brothers,” Tomas stated.

“Why?” Eliza asked. “Why would you kill him? Certainly not in preparation for meeting me.”

“He had suspicions about the other man that I killed.”

“Ah, self-preservation, I understand that all too well. None of this however has led me to any other conclusion except to kill you. We are not allies, you did not kill those men as a show of solidarity.”

“I have allowed your zombies in past the fence,” Mrs. Deneaux said, quickly running out of ways to save her skin.

“Is that true?” Kong asked Beans.

“I don’t know,” he answered.

“Find out, ass hat.”

“How did you come across one of my vials?” Eliza asked.

“I stole one of the ones Mike brought in with him,” Mrs. Deneaux said as she licked her arid lips.

“How is Michael?” Eliza asked with a faraway look as if she was asking about a lover from long ago that she still harbored feelings for.

“He’s different.”

“How?” Eliza asked, snapping quickly back from her abstraction.

Mrs. Deneaux stood there for a few moments thinking about how to answer the question to her best benefit and could not think of anything more convincing than the truth. She was convinced Eliza would smell out any falsehoods like a hound dog on the trail of an escaped convict. “If I didn’t believe Michael would exact revenge on me, I would have stayed in that house. He is...determined, and whereas he was sometimes non-committal or unwilling to do whatever it took, I think that has changed. I do not think that you can win here.”

Eliza’s full cruelty came to the fore. “You believe I can not destroy that pathetic man?” she roared.

Mrs. Deneaux put her head down waiting for Eliza to slash her open from neck to navel. “I am not always right,” Mrs. Deneaux said weakly.

Beans came running back. He nearly handed Deneaux back her weapon. “The old bat was telling the truth, zombies are all over the yard.”

“You will live long enough…if only to watch him die!” she yelled. “Kong, get her out of here.”

“Beans, you screw this up and I’ll personally kill you. Take the lady back to your truck and guard her,” Kong told him.

Mrs. Deneaux once again found herself thrust onto Michael’s side. She had to hope that he bested Eliza, or her death would immediately follow his. Beans opened up his passenger door and let her in. he walked around the front of the truck and got on his side.

“What are you doing here?” Mrs. Deneaux asked him as he closed the door. He looked infinitely happy that he was no longer in harm’s way, although he quite possibly didn’t realize he had allowed a pit viper in his cab.

“Just trying to stay alive,” he answered ashamedly. “Why are you here?”

“Same reason.” The wheels of survival began to spin in her head.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Mike Journal Entry 16

Angel’s words hung in the air. Gary was the first one out there, he echoed her alarm. Mad Jack looked quickly over the railing and ran back into the house. Within a few moments, a fire spouted from the trench, the sizzle of burning zombies was the only sound. The footbridge burned also, at least a couple dozen zombies had made it into the yard and were now all underneath the deck.

“Well that’s a slight design flaw,” I told BT, looking over the rail trying to see the invaders. He shrugged his shoulders. “What’s the plan for this scenario?” I asked Ron.

“We should get in. The gunmen are still out there,” Ron said ushering us in.

“I’m not really thrilled with having zombies banging up against the house,” I told him.

“Don’t worry about it, Mad Jack has got it handled,” Ron told me.

“Did you get laid?” BT asked in my ear.

“What are you, fifteen?” I asked him back.

“Sorry, man, even while you were looking at the zombies you’ve got this shit-eating grin on your face. I was just wondering if you were now shitting out gold pieces,” he said referring to my failed love making attempt way back at the Big 5 sporting goods store.

“Even if I had gold pieces coming out of my ass, I wouldn’t offer you any.”

“I knew you did!” He smiled, pointing at me.

Tracy took that inopportune moment to show up at the doorway. “You get me in trouble and I’ll toss you over this railing,” I told the big man.

“We’re cool, man, we’re cool,” he said as he smiled at Tracy and went in.

“What’s that about?” Tracy asked as I went in.

“BT thinks I owe him some money,” I told her.

“What would he do with it?” Tracy asked as she followed me into the room.

“Gloat…laugh…probably both.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about?”

BT popped his head into the living room from the kitchen. “Ooh, Tracy you’re hair is a mess do you need a brush?”

“Fuck,” I mumbled.

Tracy spun on her heel. “You told him?” she accused me.

“He guessed,” I said, throwing my hands up. Like what was I supposed to do?

“I hope you enjoyed it because that’s the last apocalyptic sex you’re going to have!” she said as she left the room.

“Man, that’s why I’ve never dated redheads,” BT laughed. “Don’t sweat it she’ll get over it.”

“I didn’t do anything for her to ‘get over’, that was you remember?”