Before The Shores Of The Dead: The Complete Collection Read online

  Before The Shores of the Dead

  The Collected Edition

  Josh Hilden

  ( [email protected] )

  Twitter: @Josh_Hilden

  Amazon Author Page (Check out my work)

  Facebook Author Page

  www.joshhilden.com

  www.gwspress.com

  www.shoresofthedead.com

  www.freestoryfriday.com

  Edited By – Gypsy Heart Editing

  www.gypsyheartediting.com

  Copyright © 2014 Josh Hilden

  All rights reserved.

  Introduction

  The stories in the “Before the Shores of the Dead” series are NOT strictly speaking zombie tales. These of the stories on my main and secondary characters before the events in the series. Or tales which take place during the run of the three books but were never covered in the original work. Sometimes the tales will be linked with events during the published work (either mentioned or implied) but these are character pieces. There are new books coming in the next few years but first I want to tell some small stories to add depth to the people who inhabit my universe.

  I hope you enjoy reading these tales as much a enjoyed writing them.

  - Josh

  Table of Contents

  Part 1

  06

  Part 2

  18

  Part 3

  37

  Part 4

  48

  Part 5

  61

  Part 6

  69

  Part 1: “Ben & Jenn’s First Kiss”

  Now – The Winter after the Rise of the Dead

  “Push Jennifer… now,” the doctor says motioning for his nurse to bring over the tray of surgical instruments. Only Dr. Aten actually looks at the terrifying bits of stainless steel, freshly sterilized and ready… just in case.

  “I… am… pushing!” Jennifer Millette grunts. Her face is beet red and her mouth is puffing sharp jets of air in and out.

  “I know you are and you are doing an amazing job,” Dr. Aten says. He looks over at Benjamin, his eyes pleading for the terrified young man to keep his mouth shut.

  Benjamin stays silent, watching his wife struggle to bring their daughter into this dark and uncertain world.

  “Okay,” Dr. Aten, former Air Force Surgeon now head of all medical services on Isle Royale, says. “Jennifer I need you to stay calm,” he sates matter-of-factly.

  “Why?” she asks weakly. The latest contraction having subsided Jennifer leans back on the pile of pillows behind her back. Labor had begun thirteen hours earlier, there seemed to be no end in sight.

  “Tina is stuck Jennifer,” Dr. Aten says. “There hasn’t been enough time for your body to heal since the fight in White Harbor,” he says slipping on a new pair of blue green latex gloves. “It’s making things difficult for your daughter.” He adds giving the beautiful but exhausted young woman a fatherly smile.

  “Please Jason,” she says addressing her friend and dropping all pretense of a separation between doctor and patient. “Please, please save her. Please…”

  Then - The Winter before the Rise of the Dead

  Please start!

  For the millionth time Jennifer Carson silently begged the stupid car to start. Tears were collecting in her eyes and she knew if the fourteen year old piece of shit didn’t catch life this time there would be no holding them back. She turned the key and the car made a weak cranking sound. This was followed by the diming of the headlights and dashboard illumination.

  “FUCK!” she screamed to the empty vehicle. Then she allowed her head to fall onto the steering wheel and the tears to flow.

  If she was asked later Jennifer would not have been able to say how long she sat there in the cracked leather bucket seat. All she knew was that it was long enough for the interior to cool down and begin to match the cold temperatures outside. She would have been able to say with certainty that the windows were effectively fogged over when she was startled from her despair.

  KNOCK!

  KNOCK!

  KNOCK!

  Jennifer yelped at the sound of banging on her driver’s side window. She had been in a semi-cationic trance and the banging scared her silly. Heart pounding she forced the stiff window handle to turn. Slowly the frosty glass slid down into the rusted door panel revealing a very familiar and much unexpected face.

  “Ben?” she asked in disbelief.

  Benjamin Millette smiled at her through the gap in the window.

  “Hey Jennifer, car problems?” With that goofy grin, which had always irritated Jenn now looking not so goofy on his lightly stubbled face, she smiled back a little shyly.

  “Yeah,” she said trying to keep the relief out of her voice. She’d never been the biggest fan of Ben. He was her older brother Kyle’s best friend and had never impressed her as one of the sharpest tool’s in the shed. “Ever since Mitch borrowed it the thing hasn’t run right.” She added helplessly.

  “Oh,” he said in reply.

  Jennifer cocked an eyebrow. He almost sounded jealous, but that had to be in her mind. Why the hell would Ben be jealous of her dumbass, recently ex-boyfriend?

  “Yeah, he took it to Kilcare last weekend with his buddies.” She added.

  Ben lit up at the name of the local race track. “I was there last weekend, funny I never saw him.”

  “Why were you at Kilcare?” she asked ignoring the part about not seeing Mitch

  “I work there on the weekends. I freelance as a mechanic for track time,” he said proudly.

  “I didn’t know you raced,” Jenn said giving Ben an almost respectful look.

  “Oh yeah, my uncle Larry in Lexington started teaching me and my cousins to drive when I was fourteen. He has a dirt track on his farm and we spent a lot of time when I was younger down there driving and learning to work on engines,” he said pointedly.

  “Umm,” she said not sure how to ask the question he was setting her up for. She knew that it should be easy, Ben had never been anything but nice to her but asking for help had never been in Jennifer Carson’s wheelhouse.

  “What?” he asked.

  The dimples in his cheeks made her stomach feel funny.

  “Could you help me…?”

  Now

  “Help her! I don’t care what you have to do but please help her!” Jennifer begged.

  Silence fills the room. Dr. Aten and his assistants are momentarily shocked into silence. In the time they’d been together they’d never seen Captain Jennifer Millette, hero of the battle of White Harbor, scared. But the other person in the room had seen every facet of this amazing woman, seen them all and loved her completely.

  “It’s going to be okay Jenny,” Ben says taking his wife’s strong battle hardened hand in his own calloused work hardened paw.

  “Make them save her Benjamin!” Jennifer hisses as another contraction seizes her body. “Please,” she sobs through the pain.

  “Ben,” Dr. Aten says. “She still has too many fractures and swollen areas…” he trails off searching for the right words to tell his friends.

  “Just say it straight Doc, we’ve been through too much for you to try and treat us with kid gloves,” Ben says kissing his wife’s knuckles as she fights through the pain.

  “I need to cut her, I need to open her up and make room.”

  “She needs a C-Section?” Ben asks confused.

  “No, nothing that drastic, I just need to widen the opening so I can help Tina be born.”

  They are all painfully aware that they are not referring to her as a baby but by her name, as a person.
/>   “Well do it!” Ben says wincing at the strength of his wife’s grip. “We trust you.”

  “I can do this,” Dr. Aten says hesitating, “And I will do it but I need you to know the entire situation.” Taking a deep breath he continues, “This is a clinic, a clinic attached to a national park complex. It was designed to set broken bones, put in stitches, and stabilize people until a helicopter could take them to the mainland.” He runs his hand through his thinning blond hair. “If there are no complications this place is perfectly adequate, but if there are complications this could be very bad.”

  “Are there any other options?” Ben asks looking at the pained and sweating face of his wife, the woman he loved, the person who meant more to him than any other in the world.

  “No,” Dr. Aten says firmly, radiating confidence.

  “Then let’s do it.”

  Then

  “Do it!” Ben called from under the hood of Jennifer’s car.

  Jennifer turned the key and this time there was a sickly death whine as the engine tried, and again failed, to turn over. Jennifer slammed her fists on the steering wheel and loosed a primal roar.

  “FUCK!”

  “Hey now,” Ben said coming out from under the hood and wiping his hands on a rag which seemed to magically appeared out of nowhere. “There is no need to explode. I think I have it figured out,” he said flashing that boyish grin at her.

  What the hell? This is Ben. I have known him my entire life he’s an idiot.

  Closing the hood Ben walked toward the open driver’s window. The cold air seemed to have zero effect on his rugged features.

  God damnit he is not rugged! He is Benjamin Millette. He is my asshole brother’s best friend. He works selling shit at Toy’s R Us and cleaning offices for my father. But oh… that smile and those eyes.

  “So the problem is,” he said leaning into the window.

  When the fuck did he start smelling so good? And what happened to that awful acne?

  “You are going to need a new alternator,” he said giving a sympathetic smile.

  He’s not fifteen anymore.

  “How much do you think that will cost?” Jennifer asked smiling shyly.

  “A professional mechanic will probably charge about $100 for the alternator and another $200 for labor.”

  Jenn’s heart sank. She had nowhere near that much money in her account. Asking her mother and father was out of the question, Carol Carson was a big believer in “Self Reliance” and all of the associated bullshit which meant she never paid for anything or leant out money.

  Maybe Kyle can help. I know he has a couple grand put away.

  “That’s more than I have,” she said out loud.

  “Well,” he said sheepishly, “I said that was what a professional mechanic would charge.”

  Jenn reached out and put a hand on his surprisingly firm shoulder. “Please don’t fuck with me Ben. On top of this crap Mitch and I split this morning.” She was embarrassed to feel her eyes stinging with tears. She hadn’t even liked Mitch that much and there had never been love between them. Being cheated on by anyone hurt, it didn’t matter if she’d particularly liked the asshole or not.

  “Hey, I’m sorry,” Ben said putting his large hand on her small one. “I always thought he was an idiot.” He added softly.

  Jenn fought to not react to the flesh on flesh touch of their hands.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  “It was over a long time ago we just hadn’t made it official.”

  “Well there is that then,” Ben said removing his hand and smiling. “Okay about the car,” he said returning to his business like tone. “I will do it for you at cost,” he said grinning.

  “How much is that?” Jenn asked not believing this was the same boy who used to help her brother water bomb her tea parties with her best friend Scarlet.

  “I have all the tools I need. I can borrow a two wheel towing rig to move the car tomorrow. It will be okay here on the shoulder till then. I’ll do the work in my garage and get the alternator from the junk yard down on Vance road.” He stopped and thought for a second. “Fifty bucks tops.”

  Jenn’s arms exploded through the open window and seized Ben around the neck dragging him in for a hug. His strong manly scent made her feel weak in her stomach and the roughness of his cheek made her warm in places she was not used to being warm.

  “That is too low. Let me give you at least a hundred,” Jennifer said releasing Ben and hoping he didn’t notice her furious blush.

  “Nah, fifty is more than fair. I’ve known you almost your whole life.”

  She was surprised to see he was the one openly blushing.

  “Why don’t I give you a ride home and I will come back tomorrow and take care of this,” he said looking down so she couldn’t see his face.

  “Are you hungry?” Jennifer asked without thinking.

  “Uh, yeah,” Ben said surprised.

  “Good, let’s stop at Holly’s and get a burger before you take me home.” She was shocked when she realized she’d just been playing with her hair and biting her bottom lip.

  Now

  “FUCK!!!” Jennifer screams nearly breaking her husband’s hand.

  “You are doing great Jenn,” Dr. Aten says. “She is nearly here.” He adds before nodding to his nurse who hands him a large needle.

  “What’s that?” Ben asks. He’s trying to get his wife to loosen her grip on his hand but with no effect.

  “It’s just Lidocaine,” the nurse says. “The doctor needs to numb the area before he cuts.” She adds at Ben’s quizzical look.

  “Oh,” is Bens only reply.

  “Benny,” the hoarse and desperate voice below him calls out.

  “Yeah babe, I’m right here,” he says kneeling so he is face to face with the love of his life.

  “Where is Kyle?” she asks. The exhaustion drips from her voice.

  “He’s not back yet,” Ben replies. His best friend and brother in law had been off the island on a salvage expedition in Green Bay when Jennifer went into labor. The group had been notified but there was no way of knowing what may have delayed them in the frozen dead zone.

  “I need him, I need both of you,” Jennifer says tears streaming down her face. “It’s so hard to be strong for everyone else, I’m scared.” She adds in a whisper.

  “It’s okay, I’ll be strong for you,” Ben says kissing her forehead.

  “I am injecting now, you will feel a pinch Jennifer,” Dr. Aten says from his position between her legs.

  “Ouch!” Jennifer hisses weakly.

  The nurse hands the doctor a wickedly sharp scalpel.

  Ben feels like his stomach is falling to his feet.

  “Cutting now,” Dr. Aten whispers.

  Then

  “Can I ask you something?” Jennifer said polishing off the last of the massive homemade French fries on her plate. They’d been reminiscing about when they’d all been kids when the elephant in the room exploded into her field of vision.

  “Sure,” Ben says taking a slug of the milkshake in front of him.

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked bluntly.

  “Nice to see you haven’t changed, always coming right to the point.” He added with a chuckle and smile.

  “Don’t avoid the question Benjamin, why are you being so nice to me?” Jennifer barely noticed that for the first time in all of the years she’d known him she had just called him Benjamin. She’d just addressed him as an adult and as somebody she respected.

  It felt good.

  “You needed my help,” he said lamely looking away.

  “No, that’s not it. You could have just offered me a ride home but instead you are doing everything in your power to help me and make me feel better. Why Benjamin? I’ve never been very nice to you, nicer than my mother has been but still… I’ve been a real bitch.” She finished looking ashamed.

  “Why don’t we go?” Ben said motioning for the waitress.
/>
  “No,” Jenifer said firmly, “I need to know.”

  “No you don’t, you don’t want to know. This has been a great afternoon let’s not ruin it,” Ben said looking her directly in the eyes. He was matching her fiery demanding gaze with his own solid one, neither blinked.

  Jennifer nearly screamed. She wanted to scream and throw things at him. She wanted to rage. Instead she clasped his hand in both of hers, took a deep breath, and lowered her defenses.

  “Please,” was all she said.

  The waitress arrived and Ben handed her three ten’s and told her to keep the change. Then he looked at Jennifer and she saw the pain and sadness in his young yet ancient eyes.

  “Because I love you,” he said. Then before she could reply he bolted from the seat and was out the door.

  Now

  “I’m so tired,” Jennifer gasps. Her body is shaking and her skin was taking on a pale waxy pallor from the exertion and blood loss.

  “You are almost done,” Dr. Aten says giving her a reassuring smile.

  Ben looks down at his wife and is filled with fear, love, and pride. She is his rock, she is his hero, and she is his heart. Gripping her hand in one of his own he reached down and brushed a sweaty lock of dark hair from her forehead.

  “What?” Jennifer asks. She smiles for the first time since this all began, albeit weakly.

  “I hope she looks just like you,” he says kissing her gently.

  Before Jennifer can respond another contraction begins to build.

  “Alright I believe this is going to be the last one. Push with everything you have Jennifer!” Dr. Aten commands.