Pedal to the Metal (Riders of the Apocalypse Book 4) Read online

  Akiko looked up from her patchwork and nodded to Yuko as she said something in Japanese.

  Yuzo bowed slightly before opening a pocket on her left thigh from which she withdrew nunchucks––two wooden handles with a chain connecting them. Only the best of martial artists could handle nunchucks with any efficiency.

  Dallas’s eyebrows rose as she pulled away from the REI store. “Seriously?”

  Yuzo smiled.

  “To make herself more useful to her family, she sparred with her older brother,” Akiko explained without looking up. “There are very few ancient weapons she has not handled.” She wiped her bloodied hands off on a sweatshirt on the floor. “The stars are far harder to wield accurately than one would imagine.”

  “She nailed them both.”

  Akiko nodded once. “I have seen her cut a moth in half thirty feet away. She is quite proficient, but nothing compared to her brother. He is a national treasure.”

  “Well, please tell her she is a treasure to us.”

  Akiko slightly smiled. “I believe she is aware of that.”

  “How’s Roper’s arm?”

  “It will be sore for a few days, but she should suffer no long-term effects.”

  “That’s my lovemaking arm,” Roper offered.

  Zoe spit out her water as Hunter whipped his head around.

  Everyone laughed.

  Dallas leaned over and kissed Roper’s forehead before whispering, “It’s pieces of shit like these guys that make me know leaving is the right thing, love. I won’t risk anymore of us fighting for the likes of these sickos.”

  Roper gazed into Dallas’s face. “Point taken.”

  “Okay, Zoe, you’re up. As soon as we get that motorcycle, you’re outta here.”

  Zoe nodded. “No worries. Let’s get that one parked near the marina. Drop me off--I’ll get her started and follow you guys to Emeryville.”

  Roper and Dallas looked at each other. “Just like that?”

  Zoe grinned. “We’ll need to jump her, but yeah… just like that.”

  Stealing a motorcycle had never been so easy.

  They had to drive the trailer of zombies to an easier location for the chopper to pick them up, and that location was Emeryville, a stone’s throw away. Both Roper’s boat and Dallas’s Beast arrived at the pier safely.

  Zoe stopped for fuel, but once everyone was on the pier, they finished with their scheme.

  Dallas looked at Roper’s arm as she got out of the boat. “How’s it feeling?”

  “Like it was shot.” Roper stood in front of her and took her face in her hands, wincing slightly as she did. “If this doesn’t work––”

  “It will. It has to. They won’t be expecting it at all. Let’s secure this so they can lift her up, up, and away.”

  Dallas walked over to the U-Haul and pulled the pin holding the latch shut. “The back door has to open upon impact.” She scanned the ground for a stick and used that in place of the pin.

  Roper pulled three lengths of chain she’d procured from the marina and began attaching them to the U-Haul. “One zombie bomb, coming up!”

  Just as she finished attaching all three chains together, Zoe checked the Ducati motorcycle over before giving it the thumbs up.

  “Nice bike,” Dallas said, smiling. “But it’s not a Harley.”

  “Nope. Needed something fast, maneuverable, and reliable. None of those fit a hog.” Zoe laughed as she flipped the kickstand out. “We ready?”

  Akiko nodded. “I am ready.” She turned to Yuzo and said something in Japanese, then she turned back to Dallas. “Yuzo is ready as well.” She reached into the Fuchs and handed Hunter one of the helmets. “We will use the comm in the helmets one last time, and then you must destroy them.”

  Zoe stood in front of Dallas and Roper. “We’ll get the chopper and let you know when we are taking off. If you guys don’t hold up your end, we’re dead in the air. You have to be a major distraction or they’ll take us out.”

  “Trust me, Z, we’ll have so many things coming at them, they won’t know what hit them.”

  Akiko nodded. “As I mentioned back on the island, the ships from Japan all have skeletal crews. We have pulled our men off the perimeter details in order to protect ourselves from any of your allies who might choose to attack us once they know what we are doing here. Besides keeping them busy enough to not take down the chopper, I will try to communicate with them from my helmet. See if they might be willing to let a chopper land.”

  Roper nodded. “Good point, especially since they are using regular helicopters to do their shit.”

  “Exactly. The timing will need to be flawless, or the three of us are screwed.”

  Dallas nodded. “We won’t let that happen.”

  Akiko extended her hand to Dallas. “It’s entirely possible they might blow us out of the air, Dallas. If they do, it was very nice meeting you and your people. Thank you for taking us in.”

  Dallas pursed her lips. It has been Akiko’s idea to go after the helicopter. There was simply no other way to get the zombies on board other than dropping them like the choppers had done to their own group.

  Dallas pushed aside Akiko’s outstretched hand and hugged her. “You sure about this?”

  Akiko backed away and nodded. “It’s the only chance we have of getting on that ship. I have codes. I speak the language. If I can make them believe we are carrying something they need or want, we might just be able to pull this off. It has been a long year for the men on that ship, so something…from back home will certainly give them pause. I will lead them to believe that there is something worth having in this package.”

  Dallas stepped back and held Roper’s hand tightly in her own. “Be safe, then.”

  Akiko nodded. “I have become rather fond of Zoe. I’ll not let anything happen to her if I can help it.”

  Dallas squeezed Roper’s hand. “We’re rather fond of her ourselves. You three make the drop, then get the hell out of there.”

  “Will do.”

  Dallas walked over to Zoe and looked down into her young face. She had grown up seemingly overnight. “You sure you want to be the one to do this? I ride pretty damn well, myself.”

  “No offense, Dallas, but you ride like an old lady. Me and that Duc will get us there in half the time.”

  Dallas started to say something when Zoe waved her off. “No goodbyes, Dallas. In the movies, whenever there is a tear jerky goodbye, you know someone is going to bite the dust. That’s not going to be me. Trust me.”

  Dallas pulled Zoe to her and hugged her tightly. “See you soon, punk.”

  Zoe hugged Roper and then stopped in front of Hunter. “You too. No goodbyes. You’ll see me shortly…you know…being the heroine and all.”

  Hunter nodded and swallowed hard. “Don’t make me come after you.”

  “I won’t.”

  “I love you, Z.” Hunter embraced her.

  Zoe pulled away and nodded once. “I’ll return the sentiment when I see you later.” Hopping on the bike, she nodded to Akiko and Yuzo to pile on the back, which they did.

  As Zoe took off in a flash of red, Roper, Dallas, and Hunter made sure the U-Haul’s gray tarp was secure and that the chains were fastened.

  Now all they could do was wait.

  They didn’t have to wait long. At the pier two hours later, Dallas, Roper, and Hunter sat in silence on the boat, hoping to hear the familiar rotor sounds of the blades chopping the air.

  They had managed to grab two other boats and four jet skis, and Hunter made sure each had enough gas to do the job they needed.

  Then, Dallas messed with the throttles on all four jet skis while Hunter and Roper finished securing the zombie bomb.

  Once they had finished preparing the bomb and the second boat, Hunter and Roper returned to take care of the kids, most of whom were resting. Only Matthew remained on the seat next to Hunter.

  “Poor things are so tired.”

  Roper nodded. “Aren’t
we all? I’ll be so glad to be a boat in the middle of an ocean. Any ocean. It doesn’t matter anymore. I just want a chance to breathe.”

  The trailer filled with zombies had quieted, and Roper and Hunter managed to get the kids to sleep. Just before Adam fell asleep, he said the U-Haul, covered in the tarp, resembled an elephant more than a boat.

  Roper caressed his cheek and told him he was right. It did.

  When the kids were sound asleep, Roper looked at Dallas, who was staring at something in the marina. “What is it?”

  Dallas blinked and then smiled softly. “See that yacht? That’s the one. It’s perfect for when we need to sail away. It probably has everything.”

  “I miss The Survivor. That was a great boat.”

  “This one is even bigger. Think about it. We can go anywhere we want, wherever the winds take us. We can fish, dock on islands, and get fresh fruit and water. We don’t have to stay here, Roper. We don’t have to be connected to the land at all.”

  Roper walked over and slid her arm around Dallas’s waist. “Now that sounds almost too good to be true.”

  “But think about it. Land is where the danger is. It always will be. For all we know, the virus has broken out in other places like Europe or South America. At least with the yacht, we can be comfortable. We can sleep at night without having one eye open. We can leave a place as soon as it stops being safe or healthy.”

  Roper inhaled deeply then let it out. “God, baby, you make the apocalypse sound like a paradise. Only you, my love. Only you.”

  “What do you say?”

  “I say if we live through the next twenty four hours…ahoy matey!”

  Dallas laughed and kissed her. “It’s something to think about.”

  Emeryville’s western most pier jutted out over the bay, and there were several impartial skeletons scattered about the area. None of the group bothered getting off the boat once the zombie bomb was secure and ready to go. Disengaged from the Beast, the U-Haul now waited to take flight, and the zombies, under the darkness of the tarp, had finally stopped moving.

  “I wish there were another way to get these things on board,” Hunter said softly. Matthew had his head in Hunter’s lap and was snoring quietly.

  “If there were, we’d have done it. I think it’s as solid a plan as we’re going to get, Hunter.”

  He nodded, his right hand absent-mindedly stroking the boy’s hair. “I took a short poll last night. Looks like at least half of the folks want to accompany the destroyer to Hawaii.”

  Roper, standing like a statue with her binoculars pointed southeast, murmured, “Who can blame them? Anything is better than here.”

  “I was thinking that my dad should go.”

  Roper lowered her binoculars from her face. “Seriously? How come?”

  “He’s too old for this shit. He needs a place to just rest. I guess…I guess him getting shot made me realize how much he’s slowed down. He’s not a young man anymore.”

  Roper put the binoculars back up. “Good luck with that, man. Your dad’s still one of the best out there, but I understand why you’d want him to be safe.”

  Hunter Sighed. “He shot me down when I brought it up, so I was sorta hoping you guys might back me up.”

  Before either could answer, Roper shouted, “There they are! Hot damn!”

  Dallas jumped up as the black helicopter approached.

  “I had no doubts,” Hunter said, waving with both arms as if helicopter might actually miss them.

  The water kicked up from the churning of the rotors, but when the hook was lowered, Dallas was able to grab it and attach the claw-like device onto the three chains they’d bound together. It took several tries to get the chains onto the claw correctly, but once she did, Dallas gave the thumbs up to Akiko, who was expertly flying the chopper.

  “Is there anything she can’t do?” Roper yelled.

  Hunter ushered the kids below and returned to help.

  None was needed.

  The U-Haul, secure in the claw, slowly lifted off the ground, suspended by heavy chains and looking, indeed, like a giant elephant.

  Zoe waved out the passenger window and gave a thumbs up. Yuzo was in the cargo hold of the helicopter leaning out the window. She held up a rifle and waved. It was the first time they’d seen her smile.

  Roper hopped in the second boat with the jet skis being hauled behind, and Hunter joined her.

  “Life jackets secure?” Dallas asked.

  “Roger that. You just be there to pick us up.”

  Dallas smiled at her lover. “Have I ever let you down?”

  “No, so don’t start now.” Roper smiled “And the kids?”

  Dallas could only shrug. “Nothing we can do about that now. For better or worse, they’re all in.”

  Roper nodded. “All in then?”

  “All in.”

  The chopper positioned itself far across the bay so that when it came at the destroyer, it would be from the opposite direction as Dallas, Hunter, and Roper. Once it was in position, Dallas jumped in the driver’s seat and shoved the throttle all the way forward, the boat rising up as it tore through the water.

  When Roper pushed her throttle down, she sped parallel to Dallas’s boat, about a hundred yards apart. Remaining in visual contact was crucial for this plan to work.

  As Dallas’s boat skimmed across the water, she reached down and put the helmet on. “All she could hear was Akiko’s voice speaking Japanese.

  At last, when the conversation ended, Akiko’s voice came inside her helmet. “Dallas? Akiko. They do not want the cargo. I repeat, they are unwilling to take the cargo. We are going to take it anyway. Zoe says this will piss you off, but it is for the best. If you can divert them, we just might be able to drop this before they know what’s happening. We’ll see you soon.”

  When the comm ended, Dallas could only shake her head. She knew Zoe would go through with it even if there was only a slim chance.

  It was now up to Dallas and Roper to give her more than that.

  The two boats raced toward the destroyer sitting low slung out in the bay. The wind was calmer than usual, and the waves not nearly as aggressive or angry as they tended to be this time of year.

  “Hunter?” Roper yelled without looking behind her.

  “Good to go!” He yelled, leaning over the jet skis trailing behind the boat.

  “Do it!”

  Releasing the jet skis, Hunter stood back and watched as they caught the top of the water and zipped off in three different directions. The fourth cartwheeled several times and then stopped dead in the water.

  Turning around, Roper watched as the jet skis skipped across the water. “Go!”

  Hunter kissed her head before leaping into the water.

  That was when the first jet ski took gunfire from the ship and blew into tiny pieces.

  With the throttle all the way forward, Roper looked up to see the chopper approach from the east, its heavy cargo swaying as it moved nearer the destroyer.

  Without a second thought, Roper jumped from the boat into the cold bay water and went under a few feet before resurfacing, buoyed by her life jacket.

  Wiping the salt water from her face, she watched as the empty boat careened toward the destroyer. “Come on, you son of a bitches, focus on the boat…focus on the goddamned boat.”

  The second jet ski flipped high into the air, exploding as it took a second shot.

  The chopper was now right on top of the ship, the U-Haul swaying back and forth a moment. Then it lowered even more…more than was necessary, and Roper couldn’t see what she thought was a smokestack from behind. It disappeared for a few moments and by the time the claw released the cargo, sending the U-Haul twenty or thirty feet to the deck below, she could only see the tail. When the cargo dropped and the bird did a 180, Yuzo, who was sitting in the open bay door, fired down at the deck.

  The third explosion came from Roper’s boat as it blew into thousands of little pieces. The shooter in the c
hopper kept shooting and shooting. Just as the boat blew up, the chopper peeled away, nearly making a clean run for it.

  Nearly.

  Whether it was from anti-aircraft weapons or just some shmoe firing his rifle on the deck, Roper couldn’t tell, but the tail of the chopper took several hits before the tail spun around once, twice, and the bird splintered into huge pieces as it crashed into the water below.

  “No!” Roper yelled, looking around for Dallas’s boat.

  Suddenly, the sound of machine gun fire filled the air as Roper start swimming toward the sinking chopper.

  Sea water slapped her in the face as she fought against the waves trying to prevent her from reaching Zoe. She could no longer hear anything except her heart beating in her ears as she dug into the water toward the few pieces of helicopter floating on the water’s surface.

  Her arms felt like lead weights, and the arm that had been shot pierced her with unimaginable pain…pain that did not matter…pain that would feel nothing compared to the loss of Zoe.

  Behind her, she heard a high pitched whining sound, but she couldn’t stop to look. She had to get to the spot where the plan landed. She had to get to Zoe.

  Or what was left of her.

  Suddenly, she felt something come upon her. Was it a shark? She remembered the stories of escapees from Alcatraz being eaten by sharks.

  “Roper! Stop swimming!” Hunter said from behind her.

  Turning around, she saw him sitting on the fourth jet ski, his hand extended to her. “Get on!”

  Taking his wrist with her good hand, Roper threw her leg over the seat as if it was a saddle.

  “Get them!”

  Hunter shook his head and pointed to Dallas’s boat as it pulled up to the floating wreckage. “We gotta get out of here!”

  “No! We need to help!”

  “We can’t help right now! We’re sitting ducks!” Hunter yelled above the whine of the jet ski. “We have to give Dallas a chance to pick them up!” Hunter turned the ski about and started a zig-zag pattern to evade shots that never came.

  As Hunter made his way back to Alcatraz, Roper yanked on his life jacket and told him to stop and wait. “Slow down, we can’t just go back.”