To Read more about the Florida Zombie Outbreak, Check out Hargood and the End.
JB had two problems at hand - the police and his gang. He was on the run from the authorities, who'd caught him robbing a house earlier in the week. He had somehow escaped, but not without giving them a clear view of his pretty face. He was now on the lam, and while his buddies had called him "bro" and swore up and down to get his back in anything, that was suddenly not the case. In fact, his gang was after him too. They figured they should get to him first before he lead the fuzz straight to them. So there he was, JB, a 22 year old thug against the world on the streets of Palm Beach. Hiding in a gutter for three days, he was hungry, tired, and just about ready to start praying for the first time in his life. Couldn't hurt to try something new, at this point.
"God," he began quietly, surprised at how easily it rolled off the tongue. "Hey God, I uh... I'm in a lotta trouble here. And I never really been much of one for prayin' before, but I got nowhere else to go. I dunno what I'm asking, exactly, but if you could help me out, I'd appreciate it... Amen..."
When the sun came up the next morning, JB noticed three things as he awoke. First, on a good note, he'd fallen asleep, which was rare these days. Second, on not that positive of a note, he was not where he was when he fell asleep. And third, on an even worse note, he was not alone. To be more precise, he was awakened by the stock of a gun against his face. The gun belonged, he well knew, to Alonzo, the leader of his gang. As he came to his senses, his slowly opening eyes focused in on the tall, greasy boss.
"Where ya been, JB?"
JB said nothing. Alonzo leaned in so that their noses nearly touched. His breath was hot and rank. Had he every brushed his teeth? Ever?
"We picked you up in a gutter, JB," continued the big-nosed boss. "I been in some tight spots myself, let me tell you, but that... That's desperate. Who ya hidin' from?"
JB blinked repeatedly, hoping he was just dreaming. He wasn't.
"You weren't hidin' from us, were ya? Cuz that'd just be foolish."
Alonzo wasn't moving. His nose was still at JB's nose, and the boss glared with the wide, dark eyes of a killer. Sweat dripped from both of their faces. JB knew this was all just a rhetorical monologue. He'd heard it before, when he'd stood behind the boss. He looked there now, over Alonzo's shoulder, and saw the row of his friends. Or at least, they used to be his friends. In a few minutes, they'd be his butchers and that's all. He knew what was coming.
"See, what I hear, you went out and done a silly thing. You got yourself earmarked by the fuzz, and now they're lookin' for you and whatever boys you run with," - Alanzo struck a thumb over his shoulder - " which is these guys, last I checked. So, to avoid further loss of manpower, we've found you first. The cops have got enough on their plate as it is. And besides, we've gotten pretty good at this line o' work, haven't we, JB?"
Alonzo laughed, stepped back, and lit a cigarette. He nodded to the rest of his gang, and they smiled. All of them. Some JB had never seen smile, but there they were. The biggest of them, the one called Oso, lifted JB by the collar and carried him with one hand out of the room. By the docks outside, where they always did their dirty work, Oso dropped JB like a rag doll. The others circled him with knives and chains, and the 22 year old gangster cringed at the coming pain.
But nothing happened.
Before anyone took the first swing or jab, they all heard footsteps behind them. Someone on the dock and approaching. It was a slow walk, shuffled and spastic, but heavy. Crab-Leg turned first, and gasped first. Then it was Shivers, then Oso. Little, scrawny Gato, who was always the most vocal, turned then and produced a run of curses at the oncoming creature. It was a man, or had been at one point, but now lacked an arm and part of his face. Still, he limped toward the gang, and JB wondered if this was better or worse than his fate a few seconds ago. He especially wondered this as more of the creature's friends appeared, and they soon outnumbered the confounded gang.
Books on Sale
