“No!” Danni cried, racing for the thing, not at all sure of what she was going to do, but determined to get the thing off the man.
Where the hell did it come from? Did the thing manage to crawl out of the boxes and put itself back together?
She wrenched at it as it attacked Mason.
The police officer was down on his knees, grasping his throat.
The zombie nun turned. It stared at Danni with skeletal empty eyes and a gaping mouth that appeared to drip blood.
She turned and ran, heading as fast as she could for the police car, screaming for help.
The driver didn’t respond. She raced around to him and she quickly knew why; the man was dead.
Screaming as loudly as she could for anyone, help from anywhere, she turned back to the house.
It was still moving—the zombie nun.
And now….
It was coming after her.
Chapter 8
Quinn was nearly frantic.
He had combed bar after bar; he had shouted her name in the streets. He’d called the station again and her cell again. She had completely disappeared.
He decided to return to the house—and if she wasn’t there, he’d tear apart the police station until they sent every officer they had in search for her.
As he headed off Duval, he paused. There was a woman heading down the side street by the old Episcopal Church.
There was something about the way she moved.
She was alone; she walked with her head down and her shoulders hunched—in a hurry.
Quinn ran after her—then kept his distance, watching.
About a block in, she stopped and looked around.
He saw her face. It was Vanessa Green.
“Vanessa!” Quinn called her name and quickened his stride.
“Stop!” she cried, lifting a hand when he would have come close. As he neared her, she thought that she had a look of pure panic.
“Vanessa, its Quinn. Michael Quinn, from Louisiana.”
She nodded and looked around nervously. “What do you want?” she asked him.
“I’m looking for Danni. Have you seen her?”
“Earlier today,” Vanessa said. “She was at the beach.”
“Since then?”
“No, no—I haven’t seen her.” She swallowed and asked him, “Have you see Joe?”
“Joe Tybalt—your leading man?”
“Yes.”
“I saw Andrew and Sasha and some of the others, but not Joe.”
“Where could he be?” she whispered.
“I don’t know where Joe is, but, Vanessa, what are you doing? People are on Duval—your hotel is on Duval.”
“I don’t know!” she said. “I don’t know. I’m scared. We were together. We got separated at a bar…I thought I saw him go this way.”
“Vanessa,” Quinn said, “go back—go back to Duval. Call Andrew and meet up with him and the rest of your crew. Its not safe out here.”
She nodded. “Duval, yes, people!” she said. “I’ll watch for your Danni. I’ll watch for her.” She turned and raced past him—heading back for Duval.
Quinn watched her reach the street. And people. Even with so many deserting the island, he could still see groups on Duval.
Joe Tybalt was among the missing. Joe Tybalt had a lot to gain if the movie they were filming did exceptionally well. In fact, his career might depend on it.
But….
Was that reason enough to kill—and kill in such a bizarre manner?
He turned himself, his feeling of urgency growing. By the time he reached the house on Elizabeth Street, he was running.
At first, he was relieved to see the sheriff’s department car.
Then he saw that the dead man in it.
And the door to Colby Kennedy’s house gaping open.
He rushed in, his cell phone out, dialing 911 even as he entered the house.
There was a man on the floor in the parlor. He hurried to him, hunkering down.
Detective Mason.
There was blood pooled around him on the floor. But, when Quinn felt for a pulse, he found warmth—and a faint beat of life.
Mason had been cut; the slash, however, had missed the artery. Quinn quickly found a towel and wrapped it around the wound. As he did so, he lifted his head, a cry tearing from his lips.
“Danni!”
There was no answer. He could hear a siren coming; he couldn’t leave a dying man.
He couldn’t stay. He had to find Danni.
But, suddenly, he felt a weak touch on his arm. He looked down. Mason’s eyes were open. He was trying to speak.
“Zombie…gone…Danni…ran….”
Police burst into the house.
“Help him!” Quinn shouted.
And he was back out into the night himself.
***
Danni ran blindly at first—terrified, knowing that the thing was after her.
She realized where she was then, and where she had come from. She was close to Ralph Mason’s house on Angela Street.
Close to the cemetery—where a number of police cars were parked.
She ran toward the cemetery. But, when she arrived on the side street, the cars were gone. One ripped by her, its siren blazing.
Then another…and another.
She sucked in breath to let out a curse tear from her lips. Where were they all going?
In the growing dark, she could make out a figure.
And another figure, not far behind it.