Meilin and the Challenger

By Cate Masters

Meilin has never believed in fairy tales. Happy ever afters might have happened in the old days – before zombies. But this is 2089. When her father promises riches to the one who can rid their city of zombies, Meilin and her sisters rush to develop a solution that won’t bankrupt Dad.
The war overseas left Will disillusioned, but fighting zombies at home is a cause he can embrace. Meilin’s another. Tough but sweet, she might make him believe in life again, and maybe even love, if she doesn’t kick his ass first.
When zombies kidnap her family, Meilin must rescue them. But can she and Will save them from the worst fate of all?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cate Masters
• Release date: Mar 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311682376

Cate Masters

Dog lover. Dreamer. Writer, reader, book hoarder. Multi-published in contemporary to historical, fantasy/dark fantasy to paranormal, award-winning author Cate Masters loves a good story, and sometimes mashes genres. She also writes women’s fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction as C.A. Masterson. Visit her at https://catemasters.wixsite.com/cate-masters---c-a, or her blogs at http://paintingfirewithwords.blogspot.com and http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

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Cate Masters on Smashwords

Meilin and the Challenger

Copyright © 2015 by Cate Masters

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For Gary, always.

Meilin and the Challenger

Chapter One

Miles from the boundary surrounding City, Will had somehow stumbled into their realm. He could tell by the stench, first of all, the unmistakable rot of flesh that permeated the air, made worse by the night’s humidity. Second, they left an obvious trail – they’d pushed through branches and snapped off the ends, shuffled across the forest floor and crushed undergrowth, basically clearing a path, visible enough in moonlight to follow. No wonder City residents had given up on farming the Grey Zone. Worse than grey – a fallow, and foul, wasteland.

Hopefully the zombies would make enough noise to cover the accidental snaps of twigs beneath his boots. It helped that some asshole blasted music somewhere nearby. Club music, of all things. Why so far from City? No one lived this far out, not these days. Like the other zombie-infested areas, people clustered their homes behind protected boundaries.

He caught sight of something moving ahead and ducked behind a tree.

Yep, a zombie. Hell. Figured he couldn’t make it home from the war without running into a fight before even reaching home.

How many, though? Sure, he’d studied zombie hunting in his downtime between conflicts, but theory only got him so far. Will found it difficult to guess, and it might end up being the one variable that could get him ripped apart. Nothing like practical experience. It would look good on his resume – if he survived.

One thing in his favor, he’d collected a few layers of dust from walking. The military plane dropped him at Base 10, in what used to be New Jersey. What money he’d saved during his military service, he planned to give to his mother. Hummer buses had limited room, and even less sympathy for suckers like him.

So it would take him a day to get home. He was a resourceful guy, and had prepared for zombie encounters. Just not so soon.

He followed them at a safe distance, always glancing behind and to the side. Two advanced from the rear, a few more on either side of him. Hell, he’d put himself in the middle of them. If he scrambled off, they’d charge him and not stop until they tasted blood. No, better to make like one of them and move slowly. And don’t sweat it – the phrase took on critical importance; perspiration would be a dead giveaway. No advance warnings for his prey. Will wanted to keep the element of surprise. Failing that, he had an Uzi.

Careful not to make any sudden movement, he increased his pace to get ahead of them. Every step brought him closer to the source of the music, and to the crazy lighting. In a clearing, about a dozen females danced on a makeshift floor. A freaking disco ball sent orbs of light fluttering across the forest, a disorienting effect.

Will had to warn them. The girls appeared to be about his age, so they had youth on their side, but where were their vehicles? Had someone dropped them off to dance in the middle of nowhere? Stupid. Really stupid, in every respect.

No sense keeping up the slow pace. He jogged ahead. The nearer he came to the dance floor, the more he couldn’t believe it. King’s daughters! He and his friends used to joke about wanting to get them alone, but he’d never dreamed he’d have the chance, and especially not like this. Adopted sisters, all about the same age, they looked more like a mini U.N., each one a different nationality.

Maybe he’d been in the service too long, but the four years he’d been away, the sixteen-year-olds he’d last seen had grown into amazing women. Strikingly beautiful, and their graceful moves meant they were in top physical shape. Good thing, they’d need to put it to use very soon.

Their names escaped him except for one. Meilin. Since the first time he’d glimpsed her, when they were both kids, she’d especially captured his attention. If their father hadn’t hired a private tutor, he’d have pursued her during school.

Still petite, but she had excellent muscle tone. Long dark hair cascaded like a silken waterfall down her back, flowing with each sway of her hips. Hands raised above her head, eyes closed, as if lost in the music. The sweetest face he’d ever seen.

He glanced back. No sign of the zombies yet. It would take them awhile to reach this place. After years of military service, it felt like he hadn’t danced with a girl in forever. With what awaited him, it might be years before he had another chance. He wanted to dance now. With her.

After shaking off his backpack, he set his Uzi near one of the tall speakers, and then gave in to the rhythm, slipped beside her and followed her moves.

Her eyes flared wide, and focused on him with deadly intent. She must have assessed him as passable; her gaze softened with a hint of pleasure. Maybe she hadn’t danced with a guy in a long time? Nah, too difficult to believe, with her looks every guy with a pulse in a hundred-mile radius would seek her out. If people enjoyed such frivolous things anymore.

She must be a rebel. Yeah, he liked her more for it; she didn’t let her privileged upbringing go to her head. The way she shimmied up to him, she liked him, too.

Not her sisters. One lowered the music volume, and then they closed in, glaring.

A gorgeous blonde jerked her head in his direction. Who the hell is he, Meilin?

You said you wouldn’t pull this again, said a dark-haired beauty.

Again? Shit. Whatever connection Will thought they’d forged meant nothing to her, then.

Meilin squared off against the tallest. I didn’t. I have no clue who he is. She faced him. How did you find us?

Time to break up the party, though he hated it to end so soon. I got caught in a wave of zombies. They’ll be here in a minute.

An olive-skinned lovely narrowed her gaze. Why didn’t you say so? She strode to the rear of the dance floor, opened a knap sack and tossed rifles to each girl.

Meilin set her gaze on him. Fringed with long lashes, her dark eyes mesmerized him, and her words filtered through the haze filling his brain.

She glanced behind him. Better go. Hurry.

What? Leave the party when it’s getting lively? He followed her gaze. Yep, here they came, right on time.

Seriously. The