Zombies Vs Aliens: Respawn

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Hey Curley, think you can hand me that socket wrench?" Kit had his face buried under the hood of the SUV. Someone, probably Ginger, had flipped it upright for him. The panels had been hammered out but the vehicle had seen better days. Beside the soldier stood one of the newly minted revitalized zombies. A bear of a man, clad in fatigues that strained at the shoulder when he moved. His bald white head was blinding in the sunshine as he pawed through a toolbox, handing off a wrench to Kit. He noticed me first, reaching over to tap the human's arm.

"She's awake," he said in a high tenor. Oh my, what an unfortunate combo of voice and body. I sidled up to them, acutely aware I was wearing the flannel and nothing else. Kit stood so fast he would have brained himself on the hood if Curley hadn't put his hand between noggin and metal. He moved fast for his size.

Kit winced, his tanned skin darkening with a delightful blush. "Thanks buddy," he muttered, easing himself out. He was smeared with grease, scruffy, and he smelled a little ripe from sweating all morning. He looked over at me, a grin lighting up his face. He had dimples. He was beautiful. I could admit that to myself now. Not that I could do much about it, not when he stood in front of me. His darker complexion made my black-veined, snow white one all the more freaky. I could hear his heart beating, feel his breath on my face. It smelled like dried fruit.

"I see you are roping the newbies into dirty work already," I teased, pushing through the awkward moment. It was my moment, not Kit's. I waved at Curley, who nodded back before continuing work on the engine. Good guy, he left us alone.

"Who named him Curley?" I whispered. "Isn't that one of the stooges?"

"Uh, I did," said Kit, rubbing the back of his neck. "He didn't seem to mind. Are you better now?" He peered at me, genuine worry in his eyes.

"Yup, all rested and refreshed," I answered too quickly.

He nodded. "Good, good." We shuffled together awkwardly, until Fred emerged from the sprawl of medical tents, whistling cheerfully.

"Top of the morning," he said, slinging an arm around my neck. He looked me over, raising an eyebrow. "Li, are you aware you have no pants?"

"Your shirt's on backwards," I told him, rolling my eyes are he struggled to fix himself. Kit turned to cover a laugh while a certain redhead slipped by behind us.

I could see more of the fort from here. Parts of the wall were being rebuilt but the smattering of regular zombies outside kept their distance. I wondered why until I spotted Bert and Ernie, standing shoulder to shoulder, arms crossed, and watching them. Princess's words played through my head. They were something different alright, and while the humans seemed to give them a wide berth, no one was throwing stones at my Muppets.

A booming voice called orders. Through the haphazard city of tents and low wood buildings I could see the towering figure of J.D. leading a mixed group of humans and awakened zombies in a series of combat drills. A man in his element, I thought, smiling to myself. I didn't see Wolf Girl until she slammed into me. Then again, I wouldn't have recognized her if she hadn't tackled me. They'd cleaned her up, truly cleaned her up. Someone managed to trim her dark blonde hair to her shoulders. She wore a t-shirt and shorts that fitted her lean form. It was difficult to reconcile her true age, but now she looked like the other half a dozen kids following in her wake. They paused a few yards away, glancing at us with wide, wondering eyes.

"Lannie, come on!" One of them called. Wolf Girl gave me an extra squeeze, standing on tip toe to place a peck on my cheek before chasing after them.

I raised an eyebrow at Kit. "Lannie?"

He raised his hands in surrender. "J.D. said it sounded better than Wolf Girl."

"She'll always be W.G. in our hearts," said Fred, rejoining us with his clothes righted. "So," he clapped his hands together, "what's the plan now, oh fearless leader?"

Curley lifted his head, looking my way. Even Kit waited for me to talk. I looked around, taking in the Fort, the mix of humans and mutated zombies. The aliens were still out there, still coming. We simply had a breather before the shit really hit the fan.

"We need to send word to that city you mentioned," I said to Kit.

"That was the first thing I did after you all passed out on me," he told me, "it will be a couple days until we hear back from them. News doesn't travel as fast as it used to."

"Okay, next item, I need pants," I gestured to myself. Kit bit his lip and looked away. It was a nice feeling to know I could make him blush. Fred nudged me.

"Oh, oh, I want to add an item to the to do list," he said. "Can we please come up with a new name? 'Mutant zombie' is so blasé. How about something badass like 'The Awakened'? Or 'Mumbies'? Wait, that sounds terrible."

I sighed. We had a lot of work to do. 

***End of Book 1***

****This final chapter is dedicated to AliceDemented, the real life inspiration behind Zombie Li. Cheers, my wonderful friend, and thanks for being awesome darling ;)****