Pretty When She Dies (Pretty When She Dies #1)(99)

Looking under the truck, Sergio watched three figures walk through the overgrown foliage to the vehicle he was hiding behind. One of the three was wearing high heels and the other two were wearing battered sneakers. Sergio smelled the stink of death on them and crouched down further. The dead gathered on the other side of the Lexus and opened up the back door. He could hear them moving about, but none of them said a word. He realized they were removing the dead body from the truck.

Well, that was what he thought until he heard a terrible cracking noise, then saw another set of feet join the other three.

Jeff looked sharply toward Sergio and Sergio slowly shrugged, not sure what to think. Together they crept along the edge of the vehicle and watched as the four figures now walked away from the motel into the trees and toward a vast open field beyond the “Y” intersection where the motel was huddled in the darkness of the trees.

“Follow them,” Sergio barely whispered.

Jeff nodded.

Sergio looked back toward the blond girl walking along with the other three corpses. Her head bobbed strangely on her shoulders, but she was up and walking.

The walking dead.

Kind of like a Romero zombie film.

Totally creepy.

Jeff turned and motioned to the two women to hang back then motioned to Sergio to join them.

He was reluctant to leave Jeff, but he realized they would need more weapons and the truck. He'd give it a few minutes, then bring the truck up the road. Sweating profusely despite the coolness of the morning, Sergio ducked down and rushed back to his grandmother and Samantha.

***

Jeff crept after the dead making sure to keep his head down as much as possible. When he entered the field of overgrown grass, he practically crawled as he paced along behind the four animated corpses. Casting his eyes toward the horizon, he could see the sun was now further up and yet The Summoner's servants continued to walk.



This did not bode well for them. It meant The Summoner was awake in the motel behind him.

The four dead were heading toward a distant building that was hidden behind a thicket of trees and not visible from the road that slowly curved away into the Hill Country. A few wild peach trees were adorned with brilliant purple and lavender flowers near it and Jeff could now see it had once been a large farmhouse. Crouching down, he watched the four creatures draw close to the house, one of them stumbling over a fallen fence. Slowly, they maneuvered through the overgrown yard and up into the abandoned house.

Wiping the sweat off his brow, he considered his options and just decided to wait. After around five minutes, the four dead people reappeared and took up positions around the house. It was now obvious they were either guarding or watching the house.

Ducking down, he moved back toward the road until he was back a safe distance, then he ran back to the truck that was now idling near a burned out building away from the motel.

Hurrying around to the driver's side, he gestured for Sergio to lower the window.

“What's up?”

“I think there is a very good chance that one or two of your friends is in a farmhouse out in the middle of a field. I followed the dead out to this building. They went inside, then came back out and took up sentry positions.”

“What if it's The Summoner?” Samantha asked from the backseat.

“I don't think so,” he answered and looked toward the foreboding motel. “The dead came from the motel so my money is on that he's stuck in the there and Cian or Amaliya or both managed to make it to the farmhouse. I say we take out the four around the house and check inside. If we can avoid a direct confrontation with The Summoner, I am all about that.”

“But he's asleep, right?” Innocente's brow was furrowed and she was clutching her massive tote bag tightly. The head of the Virgin Mary statue was slightly sticking out the top.

“I don't think so,” Jeff confessed. “The dead are up and walking and he is controlling them. He has to be awake to do that.”

“Oh, crap,” Samantha said in an awed, yet terrified voice.

“Okay, so we go to the farmhouse, kill the already dead people, try to find sleeping vampires inside, somehow rescue them, and head back to Austin,” Sergio said. “And avoid The Summoner at all costs.”

“Yeah,” Jeff answered.

Sergio pondered this, then shrugged. “Let's do it.”

Jeff hurried around the truck. His leg throbbed a little but he ignored it. He had a job to do and he intended to do it. As he slid up into the backseat, Samantha looked toward him, her eyes wide with fear and excitement.

“You okay?” she asked, and touched his shoulder lightly.

He was surprised to feel a slight shiver inside of his belly and he suddenly blushed. “Yeah.” He looked away from her and felt immensely awkward. Of course it was probably the adrenaline, but the concern in her expression had touched him. And he'd be stupid not to notice she was a very pretty girl.

Frowning, he redirected his thoughts. It was time to kill...no rescue...the vampires. He reached down and unzipped his bag and pulled out his baseball bat. Against the dead minions, this should work just fine.

“Mine,” Samantha said, and snagged it from him.

He looked at her, startled, but her grim expression shut up his protest. With a slight bob of his head, he reached in and grabbed a machete.

“Mine,” Innocente said, and held out her hand from over the back of the passenger seat.