ankles.
“Tell me where Fisher is.”
She shook her head. “No, I won’t.”
“Where are the others you were with?”
“There aren’t any others. You killed the two men who came with me.” She struggled against the hands that held her to the pavement.
The Red Man turned his head slightly and one of the soldiers ran forward.
“Find the others she had with her. Bring them back here alive, if you can. If not—just bring them back here.”
“Yes, sir,” the soldier said. He cast one last longing look at Niki Booth’s bare ass and then climbed into one of the trucks.
“If you tell me where they are, I won’t turn them. They’ll die quickly. I promise.”
Niki didn’t speak.
“No? I think that’s too bad, Niki. And a bit hypocritical. I remember you from school. Little Miss Homecoming Queen. Gooding County Corn Princess. You made me sick with your Meals on Wheels and your church choir. Someone who puts such a premium on life shouldn’t give it away so casually.”
He reached out a diseased hand and stroked her ass longingly.
“You know what I’m gonna do?” He grabbed himself by the crotch. “I’m going to take away everything you love, Niki. And when it’s all gone, I’ll be there waiting for you.”
The Red Man stood and walked around Niki until he was behind her. He forced her thighs apart. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled over top of her. She could feel his bare chest pressing down on her back and feel the heat of his breath at her ear.
“Remember back in the old days?” he said. “I think they used to call this a tramp stamp.”
A moment later, the orange-hot poker tip was frying the skin at the small of her back, and Niki Booth’s screams echoed down the lonely street as the windowless buildings and the swaying zombies silently watched.
C HAPTER 5
There was a storm coming. Richardson could smell it in the air as he and the two women watched the Red Man’s soldiers moving south through the abandoned buildings. He figured they had two, maybe three hours before the rain started and he wanted to be out of this place and tucked in someplace warm and dry when the weather hit.
But there was Sylvia and this other woman here with him, and that was a problem he hadn’t counted on.
“You guys know someplace we can hunker down before the rain gets here?”
Sylvia Carnes gave him a quick look, then went back to studying the street. Richardson had the feeling he’d just been dismissed. Evidently she had decided he wasn’t much of a threat. Or perhaps the least of her worries. Either way, she wasn’t saying anything. And as the soldiers and the zombies moved off to other lots and searched other buildings, the younger woman calmed down as well. Richardson was glad for that. He’d never had much patience for sobbing, and even less since he started wandering the roads.
Maybe too much of the old roving camera, he thought. Not enough empathy.
He smiled.
No, screw that. Empathy had led Marshal Ed Moore and the rest of the Grasslands survivors to their deaths. It wasn’t going to get him too.
“Hey, you hear me?”
It was Sylvia. She was looking at him, expecting an answer.
“I . . .” he said, shaking his head.
“I said we can’t stay here.” She motioned for him to head toward a large section of tar paper that was hanging from the side of the roof behind him. “Over there.”
“Sylvia,” the younger woman said, “what are we gonna do about Niki?”
Sylvia’s expression softened. If Richardson was reading her right, the tenderness in her face almost looked motherly. “Avery, listen to me,” she said. “I know we have to get her back, but we have to get ourselves out of sight first, okay? We can’t help her if we’re dead.”
“But they shot her.” Even in the low light, the girl’s plump face looked stricken.
Sylvia took the woman’s hands in her own. “They were using riot guns, sweetie. They were trying to take her alive.”
“So they could
“Tell me where Fisher is.”
She shook her head. “No, I won’t.”
“Where are the others you were with?”
“There aren’t any others. You killed the two men who came with me.” She struggled against the hands that held her to the pavement.
The Red Man turned his head slightly and one of the soldiers ran forward.
“Find the others she had with her. Bring them back here alive, if you can. If not—just bring them back here.”
“Yes, sir,” the soldier said. He cast one last longing look at Niki Booth’s bare ass and then climbed into one of the trucks.
“If you tell me where they are, I won’t turn them. They’ll die quickly. I promise.”
Niki didn’t speak.
“No? I think that’s too bad, Niki. And a bit hypocritical. I remember you from school. Little Miss Homecoming Queen. Gooding County Corn Princess. You made me sick with your Meals on Wheels and your church choir. Someone who puts such a premium on life shouldn’t give it away so casually.”
He reached out a diseased hand and stroked her ass longingly.
“You know what I’m gonna do?” He grabbed himself by the crotch. “I’m going to take away everything you love, Niki. And when it’s all gone, I’ll be there waiting for you.”
The Red Man stood and walked around Niki until he was behind her. He forced her thighs apart. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled over top of her. She could feel his bare chest pressing down on her back and feel the heat of his breath at her ear.
“Remember back in the old days?” he said. “I think they used to call this a tramp stamp.”
A moment later, the orange-hot poker tip was frying the skin at the small of her back, and Niki Booth’s screams echoed down the lonely street as the windowless buildings and the swaying zombies silently watched.
C HAPTER 5
There was a storm coming. Richardson could smell it in the air as he and the two women watched the Red Man’s soldiers moving south through the abandoned buildings. He figured they had two, maybe three hours before the rain started and he wanted to be out of this place and tucked in someplace warm and dry when the weather hit.
But there was Sylvia and this other woman here with him, and that was a problem he hadn’t counted on.
“You guys know someplace we can hunker down before the rain gets here?”
Sylvia Carnes gave him a quick look, then went back to studying the street. Richardson had the feeling he’d just been dismissed. Evidently she had decided he wasn’t much of a threat. Or perhaps the least of her worries. Either way, she wasn’t saying anything. And as the soldiers and the zombies moved off to other lots and searched other buildings, the younger woman calmed down as well. Richardson was glad for that. He’d never had much patience for sobbing, and even less since he started wandering the roads.
Maybe too much of the old roving camera, he thought. Not enough empathy.
He smiled.
No, screw that. Empathy had led Marshal Ed Moore and the rest of the Grasslands survivors to their deaths. It wasn’t going to get him too.
“Hey, you hear me?”
It was Sylvia. She was looking at him, expecting an answer.
“I . . .” he said, shaking his head.
“I said we can’t stay here.” She motioned for him to head toward a large section of tar paper that was hanging from the side of the roof behind him. “Over there.”
“Sylvia,” the younger woman said, “what are we gonna do about Niki?”
Sylvia’s expression softened. If Richardson was reading her right, the tenderness in her face almost looked motherly. “Avery, listen to me,” she said. “I know we have to get her back, but we have to get ourselves out of sight first, okay? We can’t help her if we’re dead.”
“But they shot her.” Even in the low light, the girl’s plump face looked stricken.
Sylvia took the woman’s hands in her own. “They were using riot guns, sweetie. They were trying to take her alive.”
“So they could
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