Summers - Circle Z

Lacey, an ambitious college student, is worried about her future with her girlfriend, wily and unambitious Dylan. As if that's not enough to stress a woman out, suddenly the dead are walking and killing all who cross their path. Lacey and Dylan now have to escape the city, find out what is causing this disturbing anomaly, and hopefully survive to sort out their relationship.

Circle Z

By Brandon L. Summers

Published by Less Than Three Press LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except for the purpose of reviews.

Edited by Amanda Jean

Cover designed by Aisha Akeju

This book is a work of fiction and all names, characters, places, and incidents are fictional or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental.

First Edition December 2016

Copyright 2016 by Brandon L. Summers

Printed in the United States of America

Digital ISBN 9781620049082

For Brianne

The small apartment was still, its silence underscored by the humming of the light over the sink and the occasional rumbling of the old refrigerator.

Lacey was tucked cozily against the corner of the well-worn couch, with her legs folded under her, comfortable in an oversize college sweater and her favorite fleece bottoms, and blissed out with a thick, floppy textbook cradled in her lap.

The distant kitchen light nicely illuminated its pages.

She swept her silky blonde hair behind her ear as she read, a contented smile fixed on her lips as she learned more about advanced radio engineering.

As she devoured each paragraph, turning another page, her excitement only grew. Someday soon, she would be putting all this knowledge into practice. And the fact that she would be ahead in her classes next semester was a plus, too.

Lacey inhaled and shifted slightly as she continued onto the next page. It was late, but she knew she could keep going for at least another couple of hours.

Two more chapters, she thought.

She was ready for it, enjoying the calm and all the information she was absorbing.

It was going to be a good night.

Ding!

Lacey looked over sharply at the coffee table. She grabbed her phone, its screen lighting her face. It was a text. And it was urgent.

It read: I'm dying! Help!

Ding! Another text appeared, this one typically even more insistent: Help me now!

Lacey groaned softly and rolled her eyes. She gave the pair of messages another glance and smiled warmly.

"All right," she said.

She typed her response: Give me 20min

With that, she set aside her textbook, got up, and put on suitable enough clothes for going out. She would have been disappointed if she hadn't already guessed that this would happen.

She wasn't mad, and it wasn't unwelcome. She had just been really looking forward to having some time alone.

*~*~*

Lacey headed down the narrowing freeway, away from the city and miles from the apartment.

The strip malls and plazas became fewer and the road vacant. Finally, she reached the intersecting county roads.

A single building shined brightly in the dark, like a star in a void, its light cast over a modest paved lot.

She glanced up as she neared the too-familiar sight. In large red letters, its illuminated sign read: CIRCLE Z.

Lacey parked in front of the simple brick convenience store and then went inside.

An electronic bell sounded weakly as she passed through one of its double doors. Under the fluorescent lights, especially strong after so many miles of night, she casually looked around.

The only person there was standing behind the counter, a short, plump young woman with a sphere of thick blonde curls that fell over her sparkling eyes. She wore a black-and-pink Alkaline Trio tee under her red smock. One wrist was covered with bright silicone bracelets, and the other a violet sleeve.

Her nametag read: Dylan.

Dylan leered at Lacey and licked playfully over her wide smile.

Lacey grabbed a tall can of green tea from one of the refrigerators and a small bag of pretzel twists from a rack, and then brought both to the broad red counter. There was only a meager space for her items between the displays of candy and vape juices.

"Hey, sexy. I like that outfit," Dylan said. "Smart little blouse. Cute flats. And your ass looks super-fine in those tight jeans."

Lacey gave her a skeptical glare. "I hope you don't think I'm going to finger you under the counter."

"Ha!" Dylan barked. "No way! There's cameras all over the fucking place, and the owner would probably get off on it."

"He wouldn't be the only one," Lacey said.

Dylan laughed, a long snickering giggle, as she rang up Lacey's items.

It was that laugh, that joyful sparkle in her girlfriend's eyes, that made these late-night trips worthwhile.

She paid for her purchases with her debit card and cracked open her drink. "So what's up?"

"Take a look around. It's fucking dead, man," Dylan said. "And I figured you'd still be up, reading your nerd books."

"I like my nerd books," Lacey said.

"You like me better, though."

The words gave Lacey sudden pause. "I do like you better," she said, leaning into her warm smile.

Dylan's giggly laugh after assuaged her guilt. She wondered if Dylan hadn't noticed her reluctance, or simply didn't care.

"There hasn't been anyone at all?" Lacey asked.

"Like, two fucking people when I got here and no else. That's Mondays for you. Thanks, President Garfield!"

Lacey looked away, erupting uncontrollably. Dylan always knew how to make her laugh and charm her all at once. And look strikingly attractive while doing it.

"Anyway," Dylan said. "You know how I get when I'm alone like this."

"I do."

Lacey was smiling still, but she wasn't joking as the words slipped from her lips. There was an unmistakably dire quality in her tone.

"I did a bunch of laps. I tidied shit up. I fucking swept!" Dylan said.

"Whoa."

"Yeah! And that didn't even kill an hour! So I started thinking about you and getting all wet, but I can't step away to fucking do anything about it, so I called you," Dylan said. "Now that you're here, we can talk and have fun and shit."

It was a sweet sentiment, and Lacey adored how Dylan said in her unique way. It never failed to excite her. There was an amazing rock star of a girl who was desperate for her, even if it was at all hours. She couldn't help being won over so easily.

"It's my pleasure," she said. "Besides, you know I can't get enough of you in that cute smock."

Dylan shrugged and smiled wickedly. "You know, if you really wanted to, you could totally bang me under the counter."

"Why don't we do crosswords together instead?" Lacey suggested.

"Right on!"

Dylan ducked below the counter to retrieve the book of puzzles they had started, now nearly half completed.

Lacey exhaled, becoming tense.

Even though it wasn't going to happen, and she knew Dylan was doing it just to tease her, a part of her wanted badly to do it now, even in the dirty little store, and she was starting to resent being brought to that point just for the fun of it.

*~*~*

Dylan and Lacey were both leaning over the counter with the book of puzzles between them, looking over the clues and helping each other find the correct answers. Lacey came up with full answers faster, while Dylan effortlessly made the connections to form other needed words.