The Horror Squad Read online

  The Horror Squad 3.5

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events

  portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  The Horror Squad. Copyright © 2017 by TJ Weeks. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For information, email [email protected]

  Weeks, Kris

  The Horror Squad/TJ Weeks. - 1st ed.

  Title ID: 7927878

  ISBN-13: 978-1981896523 First Edition: December 2017

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to take the time to thank Karen Dziegiel for all of her hard work going through each of my books. My wife for all her editing and support. Chelley Jordan and Bobbi Payton for so awesomely helping with running my pages. I’d like to thank all of my military buddies for staying by my side with their support.

  Most of all, I’d like to thank all of my fans for pushing my work out there. If it wasn’t for you none of my books would have been put on the best sellers list on Amazon and I wouldn’t be up for as many awards as I get put in for.

  www.facebook.com/authorkrisweeks

  Prologue

  JENNIFER STAYED and

  talked to Karlin for a while and was surprised that she was ‘allowed’ to do so. Theycould hear the rustlingoutside of everyone putting things up. Jennifer knew that she should be helping, but really did not have the patience to deal with Eric right now.

  After a bit, Mary and Adrianna came to the roomwith some snacks for Karlin and Jennifer.

  “Sorry I didn’t help.” Jennifer quickly apologized. Mary waved her hand at her with a no big deal kind of meaning and walked over to Karlin. “How ya feeling kid?”

  Karlin nodded and stuffed the soft granola bar in her mouth. “Actually, I feel pretty good. I think I want to get out of this room.”

  Adriana laughed at her. “Well, you can come help us in the morning then.” Karlin nodded and laid back on her pillow. The girls talked for a while before falling to sleep.

  The guys had already piled up in their room and didn’t make any noise. Eric made his way back to the back office and viewed all of the children lying across the floor in their assigned spots.

  “These children wi ll all be raised to survive. This is good. We are building.” Eric voiced.

  Rue refused to talk too much to Eric or it would cause argument she had learned quicklywhen she met him.She would rather pick her battles than argue with anyone, Eric especially. She sat in chair in the far corner feeding Rowena a bottle and listening to Eric.

  “These people are going to understand that it is in their best interest to be here and follow my rules.”

  “She will kill for her children, she is not the kind of mom that is just going to liedown and take your shit. We need to be careful.” Rue let out what she thought.

  Eric pulled his hand to his chin and looked at Garrett and Caden. “Guess I will need to make sure that she does not interfere. She will do what I tell her. These people don’t understand that they are stuck here and have no choice but to follow my rules.”

  Rue nodded in agreement. “She needs to be taken care of. These kids need a safe place to stay and that is here with me.” Rue requested.

  Eric looked at Rue, knowing that her suggestion was for the best. “I will take care of it.” He told her. ***

  “Good morning ladies.” Marycalled from behind the makeshift curtain they had put in the corner to get dressed away from each other.

  “Good morning Ms. Mary!” Karlin belted out in the middle of a stretch. The other two moaned a bit letting them know they were awake. “Let’s get moving, we will make a tray of morning stuff and set out, I think I am going to try and make some tea today. If I can set it in the sun without some asshole taking it we will be good.”

  Karlin got up and stretched a little seeing how she felt before moving. “I am good to go, let’s get at it.”

  Mary moved the curtain aside and stepped out. Karlin pulled on her shoes and followed Mary into the hallway. She knocked on the door to where she knew the guys were sleeping and Karlin copied her and knocked three times. Mary giggled and both of them made their way into the breakroom. She handed Karlin three boxes and pointed to a table to take it to. Mary searched for the large platter she knew they had brought back and finally pulled it out.

  “AHA!! Found it! Let’s take all of those out of the boxes and unwrap them and arrange them on the platter. Here is some of the powdered milk we will make.”

  Karlin nodded and started at her instructions from Mary. Jennifer and Adrianna joined them by sitting at the table with their head in their hands still half asleep. “Good morning ladies!” Mary bellowed out.

  Both of themwave and went back to being half asleep. Mary poured water into a large jug and dropped in a few tea bags. “Is there a back door to this place?” Mary asked.

  She looked at everyone as they shrugged their shoulders. “Guess I will find out.”

  Mary started off around through the lobby and down the small hall that led out to the warehouse, there was onlyso much she could see. She opened the door and looked out into the dark. A small window was the only light she had since they had closed the roll up door. She squinted her eyes and watched for a moment for anything moving. She stepped over the threshold and saw a small stream of light coming from what looked like a door to the side of the loading doors. She made her way to it, stepping over a few bricks that she was thankful that she saw. She ran her hand across the door and found the knob. She gave it a turn and pulled with no give of the door, she ran her hand over the knob to find the lock; the knob was smooth. She ran her hand up from the knob and hit a deadbolt lock. She turned the lock slowly and listened for the click. She was not sure what would be behind the door and quietly slid her hand back down to the knob, gave it a half turn, listened and then turned it the rest of the way. She pulled the door open just enough for her to put her eye up to it and look out. She could see the sun fighting for its way in so she pulled it open a little more. She could see the fence that surrounded the back and assumed that there would not be any zombies inside the fence line and started to open it the rest of the way when the door slammed shut. Mary jumped and turned ready to punch.

  “There is not even one reason I can think of that you should be back here!” Eric’s voice roared through the warehouse.

  “I am going to make some tea. You have to put it in the sun.” Mary filled him in.

  “Well, sounds like your plan should have been run by me. I want no doors open unless I say so.”

  Mary’s hands dropped to her side and she turned away from Eric and made her way back to the lobby. “Guess we will see if sun tea can be madeinside.” Marytoldthe other girls.

  Mary explained what had happened to the girls and tried to find a sunny spot near a window to put the tea. Willy and Andrew finally made their way to the breakroom and bee lined to the platter of sweetness that Karlin and Mary had set out for them as well as the milk.

  “Hey Karlin, you look like you feel a lot better!” Andrew said with his mouthful.

  Karlin nodded at him and handed him a napkin. Eric stayed back in the warehouse and investigated the area since the guys had only been just inside the door of the warehouse to get the weapons and a few things fromthe shelf and had not gone back in since. He shined the small flashlight around that he kept with him and scanned the piles of bricksandtoolsthathadbeencollected to run the company. The warehouse covered the whole width of the building and provided a lot of roomfor things. Eric ran across a lot of things that could be used for weapons as well as material they could use at another place if they could find one.

  Back in the breakroom, half of the platter was gone before Mary had
asked where Nate was to make sure that he got some of the food. Both Willy and Andrew shrugged still shoving food in their face. They all sat around the trayenjoying their feast and waited for Nate.

  Nate came out of the bathroom bathed and dressed at the same time that Rue came fromthe backoffice and headed down the hall towards him.

  “Good morning Rue, how are you. You look beautiful.” Nate greeted her. Rue stared at him as she passed by him and disappeared from his sight into the bathroom. He contemplated waiting for her, butvotedagainst it and moved on to drop his night clothes off to his room before joining the others that he could hear in the breakroom.

  Nate closed the door to their office room and turned running into Rue again as she came out of the bathroom. He put his hands on her hips and swung her in a half circle to the other side of him.

  “Have you been drinking? You sure are stumbly today.” Nate laughed. Rue put her hands on Nate’s shoulders to catch herself and then pushed away from him. “I am not sure what your fascination is with me, but I would get rid of it.” She spat at him.

  Nate let go of her. “Hell, I just think you are pretty and think you deserve this kind of goodness in your life.” Nate ran his palms down his torso to compete his joke.

  Rue rolled her eyes as a small smile crept to the edges of her lips. “See I make you smile. Does he?” “Who?”

  “Eric?”

  “I am not sure that is y our business what he does.” The smile disappeared and anger covered her face. “You have no idea of anything about Eric.”

  “I know that you are pro bably his possession and you let that be.” Nate searched for answers.

  “His? I am not his property! I am me, bottom line. No one owns me.” Rue stared into his eyes and he into hers as he searched for the answer of why she was the way she was.

  “Why do you jump at his every command?”

  “You don’t need to worry about anything I jump to.”

  “You deserve better than the way he treats you.”

  “I deserve to be whatever I want to be.” Nate leaned over and kissed her on the mouth and brought his hands to her face and held her steady as he stuck his tongue between her lips and she opened her lips to allow him in. Nate pulled back and let hishands dropfrom her smooth skin and walked down the hall away from her. He turned to the breakroom and stopped looking back at her. She stood staring at him in shock of his actions.

  “Have a good one Rue.” Nate leaned out of the door and whispered down the hall to her.

  CHAPTER 1

  NATE MADEhis way into what

  used to be a full magnificent tray of breakfast.

  “Really guys, a little hungry were you?” Andrew and Willy stopped, looked up at Nate, shrugged, nodded and then went back to eating. Nate reached in carefully and quickly grabbed a piece of a donut stick with worry of not being able to get it away from the wolves. He sat on the far end of the table and stared at the wall going over the feeling of what her lips felt like against his.

  “What’s up Nate?” Adrianna sat down in front of him.

  “I kissed her.” “Who do you think you kissed? All of us girls were in here.” Adrianna asked and was confused.

  “Rue” He whispered.

  She stared at him with surprised huge eyes. “What!”

  Nate licked his lips, still tasting the sweetness. “Yep.” Adrianna didn’t know what to say. She knew this would cause nothing but bad issues within the group.

  “Nate, you can’t do this? We have no idea what the deal is with Eric and Rue, but it will cause major problems.”

  Nate waved off her concerns and went back to reliving the feeling. *** Eric gathered all he could from the warehouse and stacked it by the door thatledinto the building. He dustedoff his hands and headed back in to the clatter of noise from the others in the breakroom of the non-existent business.

  “I need some materials brought in from the warehouse.”

  Everyone looked at each other waiting for the other to get up. “I got it.” Nate echoed from the back. Nate stood, took a deep breath and headed to the door. He looked Eric straight in the eyes with a smirk as he walked past him. Eric was a bit confused by the look from him but took it as politeness and let it go. Eric proceeded to turn and go down the hallway. He opened the door to see Rue sitting on the floor with all of the kids. She may have been sitting with them, but she wasn’t there in mind. Eric noticed that she was staring off at the wall with a blank look, she never noticed the door had even opened. Eric watched her for a moment before clearing his throat.

  Rue jumped at the sound and turned to him. “Hey Eric.” Rue went back to playing with the kids as she should have been.

  “What’s up Rue?” She shook her head and handed toys back to the smaller ones. “Kids, go play over there.” Eric ordered.

  Rue rose from the floor and sat on the small desk that had been pushed against the wall. She swung her legs back and forth watching the kids play.

  Eric looked at her with wonder. “What…is going on?”

  Rue never made eye contact with him. “Not much, what’s up?” Eric felt the difference in her demeanor but shook it off to his fatigue, he had not been sleeping well lately. He laid down in the corner of the room on a blanket and watched the kids play until he dozed off. A knock came at the door that made Rue quickly hop off the desk before a louder one woke Eric. She quietly pulled the door open to a crack to see Jennifer standing with a plate of food. “I brought the kids some food.”

  Rue looked to Eric sleeping then back to Jennifer. “Thanks.” She took the plate and started to push the door close when Jennifer stopped it. “I want to see my kids.”

  Rue looked backto Ericand again at Jennifer. “I can’t Jennifer, I’m sorry.” Jennifer dropped her head and pressed her lips against her teeth with a nod. “Alright then.”

  Rue watched Jennifer walk back down the hallwaybefore she closed the door, almost with remorse that she could not let her see her own children. Eric let out a half of a snore, she quickly shot herself back to reality of what Eric was doing and knew she had to get back to that mindset. She stood with her hand on the doorknob wondering where her harshness went that Eric had taught her in the past. She had to get back to not caring about people’s feelings and worrying about herself, her children, the other children and how to survive.

  Jennifer slowly made her way to the front lobby and stood at the glass door looking into the parking lot scattered with the undead here and there. She needed her children and planned on getting them back, she just had to wait for the right time.

  Nate walked into the lobby with his armful of dirt clad tools and dropped them onto the tiled floor. The loud clang made Jennifer jump as the others come running from the break room.

  Nate threw up his hands stopping everyone from wanting to kill what was making the noise. “Sorry, sorry, just me.”

  Everyone calmed down quickly once they realized it was just Nate and began picking up the tools that had slid across the floor and started stacking them in the corner. Willy and Andrew looked over a few of them, chose a couple to keep out of the bundle that would make great weapons and took them to the room they were staying in. Nate moved quickly back to the warehouse and gathered the rest to bring them in to allow the group to arrange them against the wall to load up into the van.

  Karlin, Adrianna, and Mary arranged everything so that it was out of the way and Jennifer still stood at the door lookingoutside, withher arms crossed over her chest. She turned to the remaining ones in the lobby and looked over the ladies that she had been spending so much time with.

  “I’m leaving!” She solemnly admitted to the three girls. They immediately stopped and turned to Jennifer. “What do you mean?” Mary moved over to Jennifer.

  Jennifer took a few steps to them and whispered quietly. “I’m taking my kids and leaving tonight.”

  “No, you can’t go out there at night!” Karlin exclaimed.

  Jennifer shrugged. “I have no other way to have
my children with me.” Adrianna stepped over and put her arm around Jennifer. “Where are you going to go?”

  Jennifer shrugged away, walked around them, down the hall and to the room without an answer. She began packing her things and sat down against the wall to catch a nap.

  The women of the group, except for Rue, chatted about how they could convince Jennifer to stay; but all of themunderstood thather children were being held hostage and she needed to be with them.

  Nate came back in with the rest of the tools that Eric had stacked. Trying to be a little quieter this time, he put them on the floor and began helping the girls arrange them against the wall. Andrew and Willy came back as Mary was telling Nate that Jennifer was leaving and caught the conversation. All of them agreed that there was nothing they could do except to tell her how dangerous it was going to be to leave at night. The group picked out a couple of weapons for her and stuck them next to the door with hopes that they would help her on her journey. They knew that unless they found another vehicle they would not all be able to leave together; but wished the best for Jennifer.

  Eric woke a little after two o’clock and stretched. He popped up from the floor, caught Rue with her back to him making out pallets for the kids getting ready for later in the evening, grabbed her waist and slid hishandsaround her.

  “Hey!” She pushed away his hands. Eric stepped back with raised eyebrows and half laughed. “What is that about? You okay?”

  Rue nodded her head at him and flung out another blanket. Eric was confused since she was usually more accepting of his advances than her denying him a hug.

  “I am going to check on things, when I come back, I expect a little less attitude.” He demanded with a scoff.

  Rue absently nodded and continued her chores of taking care of the kids. She thought about the situation wondering how this was all going to play out; wondering if he was really going to use people’s children to make people do what they want and if she would be able to continue to support him. She knew how bad his childhood had been and howhe had not been able to fight off any bullies because of his extremely small size, which somewhat explained why he wanted the children of the group to be able to take care of themselves. However, keeping the children from their parents is what confused her. Since he was kept from his family by the state for so long, she would have thought he would want parents to be with their own babies.