Free The Death Doll by Brian P. White

strip called Tulip Lane.  The wind chilled her to the bone as soon as she stepped outside.  She hoped to find a good coat and some gloves, but the fact that most people around here died in the summertime made her doubt it.  She tried to follow Didi across the street, but Cody insisted she stay with him this time.  No explanation, just like with the revolver.  Their secrets!
    They hit house after house in an orderly fashion, thoroughly searching every room for bodies—living or dead—and materials.  They tossed the few items worth having in the truck bed.  She found a few good outfits, but nothing for the cold.  All Cody got out of it was a bunch of little devices.  And no rotters, either.  Bo-ring!
    Four hours later, she and Cody met Didi at the driveway between two big houses with a separate parking shack.  “Find much?” he asked Didi.
    “Canned goods and some clothes.  Not a hint of good music.  You?”
    “I found a gaming computer,” Cody said with a hopeful look in his eye. 
    Didi looked encouraged.  “Gamers did like to stock those suckers up.”
    Rachelle had no idea why computer stuff would be of any interest.  The camp had plenty of laptops and such.
    Didi shrugged, drew her sword, and nodded at the left house.  “Shall we?”
    Cody nodded and followed Didi up to the house.
    Rachelle’s heartbeat hastened as she followed, hoping something moved inside.  She tried to breathe steadily, but her excitement and fear— no, just excitement —proved hard to contain. 
    Didi approached the front door and tried to open it, but it was locked.  So, the badass mama kicked the sucker in like it was nothing and walked in.
    Rachelle waited patiently outside with Cody.  Something crashed inside, startling her into drawing her revolver.  Cody did the same, keeping his pistol aimed downward at the threshold.  A thud, then another.  Growling, then another thud.  Then nothing for the longest moment.  Her excitement grew with each sound, especially when something heavy scraped toward them.
    Didi emerged, dragging a headless corpse with one hand and toting its head in the other.
    “Is that it?” Cody asked.
    Didi dropped the pieces on the lawn and grinned at Rachelle.  “I saved you one.  Still think you’re ready?”
    Rachelle’s heart rate doubled.  This was the moment she waited for.  “Bring it on.”
     
    *****
     
    Isaac watched the pigs run around their little cage, unsure if fear of the face-munchers drove them or if they were just bored in their tiny space.  He could relate after that pale bitch tore into his neck.  He wished that Cody dude would get back already so Sean could have his pointless chat, and they could leave already.  Living under the thumb of that sword-swinging bitch was worse than being stuck in his old ‘hood for the last two years.  Did this Death Doll make all the other guys in the Power feel like that? 
    He glanced around at them.  Craig and Rusty laughed about something in a corner.  Some of the other guys gawked at the action in the cages.  A short, muscular dude everyone called “Chuck” played Solitaire at one of the two tables by the weapons.  They all seemed to be handling their lowly statuses well, but not Isaac.
    Hashim walked in with a Hefty bag over his shoulder, which he toted toward the chute in the fence.  The other guys greeted him as he passed by and dumped his bag into the pigs’ own dining hall.  On his way out, he said hi to Isaac.
    “Brothers here just can’t catch any breaks, huh?” he replied.
    Hashim stopped and looked at Isaac like he was on something.  “Say what?”
    “She made you fix all our meals.  Then she sticks me down here with these things.  We need more brothers to get better jobs here.  Am I right?”
    Hashim sighed and shook his head.  “No one made me do anything since I left the Navy, and I ran my own restaurant for over thirty years after that.  I just stuck with what I was good at when I came