Hell in a Handbag, Book 2
Horror, Zombies, Urban Fantasy
Date Published 03-01-2022
Publisher: DLG Publishing Partners
Dying is anything but rosy. I wake with Caleb at my side. Having someone next to you during the zombie apocalypse is always a comfort until he explains a mysterious illness almost finished the job of the undead and ended my life.
It can always be worse, and it is. Outside the fortified High Point Inn, the zombies keep coming, there’s turmoil within the ranks, and my best friend, Lilly, has been kidnapped.
I slept through it all. Sure, I was suffering from an unknown malady, but that’s no excuse.
Unable and unwilling to sit in bed, I develop a rescue plan. As soon as I’m recuperated, Caleb and I are off into the wilderness to find Lilly.
Zombies, I expect. The other surprises nearly send me to the grave again. Some days, it’s hard to face the ugly truth, but I realize that not every monster is evil, and not every human has a soul.
Hordes of zombies, mysterious illnesses, and the death of friends. Now there’s a kidnapping. How much can one woman take?
Excerpt:
“Ready?”
Caleb sauntered to the front of the jeep to open the passenger door for her.
“Absolutely.”
Her answer steady and sure, she turned from the porch. Instead of getting in
the car, she ran and gave her friends a final hug, clinging for long seconds.
“Be
careful, girlfriend.” Emma said.
“I’ll
try.”
“Your
track record isn’t great. Try harder.”
Jenna
laughed. “I will.”
She
headed to the car, not daring to glance back.
Caleb,
standing by the passenger side door, waited for her to sit and get settled
inside, then he shut it. He slung himself into the driver's seat, smiled at
her, started the engine, and he waved goodbye to troop on the porch.
“The
blind leading the blind,” he said.
Clouds
blew in and a murkiness overtook the skies. They were on their way to
Chincoteague and then the smaller islands to search for Lilly.
The
first few days reminded Jenna of camping trips with her family. The car ran,
they found gas to keep it going, their supplies were ample, and Streakers
avoided.
Once
darkness fell on the fourth day, they settled into the black Jeep, the same
vehicle they’d gone to find medicine for an injured Quentin, and lucked out
once again, finding a source of fuel for the close to empty tank.
It
held more than half a tank of gasoline and should take them through much of the
night. The roads remained clear of both the undead and impassable, abandoned
vehicles. Huddled in her camouflage jacket, she prayed for some additional
warmth. The cooler weather had forced her into it often lately, and the additional
wear showed. Still, she refused to discard it for something warmer. It had kept
her alive in the past, and she hoped tonight would be no exception.
Although
not overtly tired, her thoughts turned pensive, and the car ride started in
silence. For all her concerns about leaving the inn behind, Jenna enjoyed the
time alone with Caleb free of her friends’ speculation and prying eyes. She
loved waking next to Caleb each morning, even if the hard ground and a tent
acted as her accommodations. These thoughts had her glancing at him, sneaking
looks at his gorgeous profile.
“What?”
Caleb shot her a glance and a smile.
A
blush colored her cheeks. “Nothing. Just thinking about how good it feels to
have some alone time with you, even if there are Streakers out and about. I
know we had time alone at the inn, but someone often needed or wanted something
from one or both of us. This is different.”
“That
blush tells me so much.”
“That
I’m happy to be with you?”
“That
you’re happy to be alive. Do you know that people used to wear rouge back in
the Egyptian days?”
“I
didn’t know that, and I’m slightly concerned you do.”
Caleb
shrugged. “I had this quirky professor for my World History class. She’d throw
out random factoids. She performed a 'who tangent' on makeup, which she never
wore.”
“I
have my mom’s lipstick. Maybe I should start adding to my collection. I’m sure
blush wasn’t a hot post-apocalyptic necessity.”
“Don’t
try to make your own blush whatever you do. They did that in Rome and ended up
giving themselves cancer and dementia.”
“I
promise. There’s enough roaming dead around here. Don’t need to add a blush of
death more.” Jenna turned to face Caleb in the front seat. “Our luck has held
up the last couple days. We haven’t run across anything we had to kill.”
Caleb
took his hand off the wheel and squeezed her knee. “Does that mean something?”
“You’re
beginning to smell like a Streaker. The evil dead can no longer tell the
difference.”
His
chuckle had her heart beating and a knot form in her stomach.
He better not be able to hear my heart race. “Do we have a chance of finding
Lilly?”
He
took one hand off her knees and trapped her fingers with his. The simple
gesture had everything inside her simmering.
“Let’s
review our history,” he said. “After surviving numerous Streaker attacks, we
procured medicine to save Quentin, held a daring rescue from Tundra and her
evil sidekicks, and somehow managed to make a relationship work. We’ll
accomplish anything we set our mind to. If you believe it, you can achieve it.”
“What
a load of gibberish.” She loved how he stayed a constant by her side, no matter
how crazy her ideas were.
Jenna
leaned across the seat and kissed his cheek.
“What
made me deserve a kiss?”
“Because.”
“You
love me more than life.”
“A
possibility.”
“A
definite.”
“You’re
a little sure of yourself.” The moment the words exited her lips, she heard the
squeal of brakes. Jenna launched forward. Her arm swung out to brace against
the dash.
About the Author
Lisa Acerbo enjoys teaching high school and is an adjunct at local community colleges in Connecticut. She is a graduate of the University of
Connecticut where she earned a BA in English Education. When not reading, writing, hiking, drinking coffee or wine (depends on the hour), she spends her time with her husband and three rescue dogs.
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