“She’s right. It’s rougher than hell out there; I can vouch for that,” Alex said. “It’s not just the zombies you have to worry about. It’s the people. You can’t trust anybody.”
“Look, I don’t expect you to come with me,” Tara said. “This is my responsibility. You’re welcome to stay here. It’s as good a place as any if you lie low and keep quiet. Or, you can take what supplies you want and go somewhere else.”
Tara paused, chewing on her lower lip before she resumed. “But I’d like it if we could all stick together. We’re stronger in a group. I need you guys.”
Dylan sighed. “I don’t know. It seems like a mistake to run from one Fort to another. What makes Fort Detrick any different? How do you know it won’t fall to the zombies just like Fort Knox did?”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Tara said, folding her hands together. “Besides, last we heard they were still standing and fully operational. It has great strategic importance, so it stands to reason there’d be more security.”
“You’d go alone?” Alex asked.
“She’s not alone. I’m going with her, and I’ll make sure she gets there,” Saul said with a determined look.
Alex looked at Amy. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to think about my sister. Such a journey will be incredibly dangerous. I don’t think we can go with you.”
Tara nodded, but her face fell. “I expected as much. Dylan?”
Dylan shook her head. “I agree with Alex. I’d rather stick it out here until we can find a safer place to ride things out.”
“Won’t you reconsider?” Tara pleaded. “You’ve got the cure in your veins. You’d be very valuable to my future research.”
“You’ve got Saul for that,” Dylan replied.
“Yes, but you are different people and might react to the cure in different ways,” Tara pressed. “We still have a chance to save the world, to save everyone. Think about it. With a vaccine, no one would have to fear getting infected anymore, and the cure could help those that are still in the window period.”
“That’s a tall order, Tara. Even for a brilliant scientist such as yourself. First, you’d have to make it to Fort Detrick, assuming it still stands. Then you’d have to mass-produce the cure while working on a vaccine. Is that even possible?”
“It won’t be easy, I know that, but have a little faith,” Tara said. “Even if we fail, at least we tried.”
After a few moments, Dylan shook her head. “I’m sorry. I owe you my life, and for that, I’ll always be grateful, but I’m sticking with Alex and Amy. I owe them too, many times over. They’re my family now.”
Tara brushed a hand over her face, feeling defeated. She’d hoped the group would stay together, but now it looked like it was just her and Saul again. She stood up, pushing her chair back. “Well, I can’t force you to come with me, and I respect your decision to stay. Let’s all get some rest and reconvene at dinner.”
The others nodded their assent, and she walked up the stairs, shadowed by Saul.
He hovered in her doorway. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just tired. It’s been a long night,” she said.
“You stayed up late again, didn’t you? Working.”
“You know me,” she answered with a rueful smile.
“Too well. You’ll kill yourself one day,” he said with a grunt.
“Probably, but at least I’ll die happy. I love my work. I always have.”
He studied her with dark eyes. “I know, but there’s more to life than work and other things that can make you feel that way. Like me.”
Tara stared at him, and a thousand unsaid words lingered on her lips. For a moment, she longed to throw herself into his arms and give him the chance to make her happier than she’d ever been. But, she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted. Not now. “Saul, I’m sorry. The time isn’t right. Maybe one day, when—”
“When you’ve saved the world and paid for your sins?” he said, finishing her sentence. “I get it. Let me know if that day ever comes.”
“Saul, please. Try to understand,” Tara pleaded, wringing her hands. “I need you. I…”
“I understand very well. It’s who you are, and it’s one of the things I love about you. Your dedication. Your focus,” Saul said. “But don’t let your guilt guide you. It’s a mistake.”
Saul shut her door, and Tara was left with an empty hole in her chest. He was right. She knew it, but couldn’t make herself take the leap. Not when billions of people were monsters, and the last of humanity clung to a fragile existence. I’m sorry, Saul. I love you, but this comes first. It will always come first.
Chapter 8 - Alex
After Saul and Tara left, Alex sat for a while longer playing with his empty cup. He stood up and reached out a hand to Dylan. “Want more coffee?”
“Please,” she said.
“Amy?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not for me, thanks.”
“Alright.” He filled up the kettle and placed it on the gas stove to boil. “Strong and sweet, right?”
“That’s the way I like it.”
“I’ll do the dishes,” Amy said, gathering up the dirty plates.
With the sound of boiling water and the clinking of plates in the washbasin, it sounded almost normal in the house. Domestic. As Alex spooned coffee, sugar, and creamer into the cups, he wondered if anything would ever be the same again. After stirring in the boiling water, he handed Dylan her cup and sat down once more. Moments later, Amy joined them with a glass of water in her hands, and the trio eyed each other.
“Do you think we made the right decision?” Alex asked.
“You mean by staying here?” Dylan said.
“That’s right.”
“I don’t know. It seems okay. The place is fortified, and Tara said we could have some of the supplies. We could live here for a couple of months. Maybe see through the winter,” she said.
“Kentucky winters aren’t so bad,” Alex said. “It’s usually mild with not a lot of snow. If we’re planning on riding out the season, this would be the place to do it. Maryland, on the other hand, is a lot colder.”
“What about the zombies?” Amy asked. “They’ll run right over this place.”
“Not if they don’t know we’re here. The walls are pretty high, and the windows are covered. As long as we keep quiet and stay out of sight, we’ll be fine,” Dylan said. “They’ll walk right by us.”
“Yeah, and if we need anything, Radcliff is close by,” Alex added.
“Okay,” Amy said. “But it’s going to be one long boring winter. I mean, no television, music, or anything.”
“Boring is still better than dead,” Dylan said.
“So, we’re decided?” Alex asked. “We’re staying here for the winter?”
Dylan nodded. “I’m in.”
“Me too,” Amy said.
“Good. Why don’t you guys get some sleep while I take the first watch?” Alex said. “I’m sure we don’t want any more nasty surprises today.”
Dylan shook her head. “No, thanks. Not me.”
“Me neither,” Amy said.
The girls trooped upstairs while Alex mulled over their conversation. He was sure they were doing the right thing by staying. The route to Maryland was long and dangerous. They’d have to face constant dangers. However worthy the cause, he owed it to his mother to keep Amy safe. She was all he had left and far too young to brave such perils.
Alex looked up when Saul appeared at the table. “Not tired?”
Saul shook his head. “Not really.”
“I’ll take the first watch to make sure nothing creeps up on us,” Alex said.
“Alright,” Saul said. “But, you’ll need ammunition for those guns of yours.”
“Do you have any?”
“Follow me,” Saul said, leading the way to a door next to the pantry in the kitchen. It opened to show a flight of stairs that led down into the basement. He raised his lamp
above his head to reveal a clean, well-ordered space filled with even more supplies.
Alex shook his head as he surveyed the plastic-wrapped pallets of water, canned food, dried goods, toiletries, and toilet paper. Boxes of candles, matches, batteries, flashlights, and other odds and ends rounded it out. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?”
“Not everything. I couldn’t get my hands on more medical supplies. Tara and I will need to raid a pharmacy on the way to Fort Detrick. You should do it too if you’re planning on staying the winter.”
“Is Tara okay? I know she’s disappointed in us.”
“She’ll be fine. She’s a lot stronger than she looks,” Saul said. “And I’ll get her to Maryland even if it kills me.”
“She’s important to you,” Alex said.
“She’s everything to me,” Saul answered.
Alex fell silent. Saul’s simple statement said it all.
“Over here,” Saul said, beckoning to a cage bolted to the far wall.
Row upon rows of guns lined the racks, and the bottom was filled with boxes of ammunition. There was a selection of knives, machetes, hatchets, and even a couple of metal poles with sharpened points.
“Holy shit! You don’t play around, do you?” Alex marveled.
“No, I don’t. We’ll need this if we hope to survive the zombie hordes,” Saul said, unzipping a bag to reveal a mass of grenades.
Alex shook his head. “Can I ask you a question?”
“That depends on the question.”
“How long were you in the army?” Alex asked.
“I joined when I was eighteen. That makes it about sixteen years.”
“Special forces?”
“Maybe.” Saul’s smooth expression gave nothing away, but Alex guessed the man had spent several years in a special forces unit.
“Career army, huh?”
“It was the only life for me,” Saul said.
“Me too, but I’ve only done six years, and my goal was to become a mechanical engineer. I was working toward that when we were called to active duty.”
“Mechanical engineer, huh? That’s interesting,” Saul said. “I was never much good at anything but killing.”
“Imagine my surprise when I found out we were fighting zombies. Our own people turned against us,” Alex said. “I saw terrible things during the early days, but I guess you’ll know all about that.”
“I do,” Saul said, stepping aside so Alex could reload his rifle and sidearm. “I don’t think any of us can forget the things we’ve seen.”
“I guess so,” Alex replied, tucking two full magazines into his pockets. “Right, I’m loaded up.”
“Take this,” Saul said, handing him a pair of binoculars. “There’s a balcony on the second floor that provides a good view of the surroundings. You should be able to spot trouble coming a mile away.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll catch some shut-eye while you guard. Wake me for the second shift.”
“Will do,” Alex said, following Saul back up the steps. The soldier disappeared to his bedroom, and he let himself out of the house to do a patrol.
The light outside was bright after the dim lighting inside, and it took several minutes for his eyesight to adjust. He did a quick round of the yard, and peeked through the gates, but saw nothing. The area was deserted.
Alex lingered outside for an hour, enjoying the sun on his face, before trudging back inside. He walked upstairs to the balcony and picked a good look-out point. There he made himself comfortable in a chair and leaned back with his feet propped up on a stool.
“Man, I could get used to this,” he muttered, studying the countryside through the binoculars.
He had an excellent view of the road and to the South-East lay Fort Knox. A gray smudge in the air confirmed it, and he felt a pang of sorrow for all the souls who’d died there the previous night. Feeling sorry for them was one thing, though. Letting their reanimated corpses discover the safe house was another, so he kept watch throughout the long hours of the day.
When night fell, the others awakened, and he heard them moving around inside the house. After a while, Amy stepped outside to join him. “Have you been here all day long?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep. How about you?”
“I slept okay. Are you joining us for dinner?”
“Of course. I’m starving. Besides, there’s nothing around for miles. Someone else can take over the watch after we’ve eaten,” Alex said, getting off his chair.
Dinner was a simple affair. More canned spaghetti and meatballs warmed up on the gas stove. Nobody complained.
After they’d eaten, Tara looked at Alex. “You won’t change your mind about coming with us?”
“I’m sorry, but no,” Alex said with a determined shake of his head.
“Dylan?” Tara asked.
“I’m sticking with Alex and Amy,” Dylan replied.
“I understand, though I wish you’d change your mind,” Tara said, her expression strained.
“We’re leaving first thing in the morning,” Saul said after a quick glance at Tara.
“Why so soon?” Alex asked. “Shouldn’t you take a day or two to rest?”
“I’m not waiting around for the horde from Fort Knox to catch up to us,” Saul replied with a quick shake of the head. “We’re taking the Humvee too.”
“Fair enough. You’ll need it, and all this stuff is yours anyway,” Alex said.
“We won’t take too much,” Saul said. “Just enough to see us through our journey. We’ll need food, water, weapons, and fuel. I’ll leave the rest for you.”
“We’re indebted to you,” Alex said. “And I wish you good fortune. I’ll help you load up once we’re done here.”
Saul nodded. “Good luck to you too.”
A thick, uncomfortable silence fell as everyone stared at the table.
Suddenly, Tara burst out. “You’re making a mistake.”
Alex turned a questioning gaze to her. “Why so?”
“There’s no riding this out. The zombies aren’t going away. Things will just get worse until we’ve found a way to combat the virus. I know this for a fact. I’ve studied the undead, live specimens in the lab, and out in the field. I’ve learned much about them in my time at Fort Knox.”
“Such as?” Alex asked. “Please, tell us. We must know these things.”
“Once the host dies, the virus takes complete control, and the corpse is reanimated. This, you know. During the process, a certain amount of decay occurs. You’ve all seen that. The bite wound rots, and the veins turn black as oxygen leaves the bloodstream.”
“Yeah, we’ve seen it.”
“What you don’t know is that once the turn is complete, the decay slows dramatically. I’m not sure how, but the body goes into a type of stasis.”
“Stasis?” Alex echoed with a frown. He exchanged a worried look with Dylan. “What does that mean for us?”
“It means, the zombies aren’t going to rot away to nothing in a few weeks or months like so many people hoped. They’re here to stay. At the rate they decay, they’ll be a threat for years to come,” Tara replied, spreading her hands on the table.
“Seriously?” Dylan burst out. “Won’t they at least slow down or something? Become like real zombies from the movies?”
“I’m afraid not. These are the real zombies, and while they might incur a certain amount of damage because of their initial wounds, lack of care, exposure to the elements, and so on, they’ll remain perfectly functional for a very long time.”
“Perfectly functional meaning fast,” Alex said.
“That’s right.”
“At least they’re not smart,” Dylan said.
“No, they’re not. Basic reasoning escapes them, which is why they can’t open doors, solve problems, plan ahead or set traps. Also, they’re not very agile. Their motor skills are severely lacking. That means they can’t swim, ride a bicycle, climb a ladder, that kind of thing.”
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“That gives us an edge, doesn’t it?” Alex asked.
“A very slight one,” Tara admitted. “However, they tend to swarm. That exhibits a kind of pack mentality. They prefer to hunt in groups. Couple that with their innate aggression, and you’re facing a dire threat to humanity’s continued existence.”
“You’re painting a very bleak picture, Tara, but it only serves to make me believe my decision is the right one. The only way to survive it seems, is to stay hidden. Unnoticed,” Alex said.
Tara sighed. “Don’t you understand? It might work for a while, but sooner or later, you’ll make a mistake. You can’t live like a rat in a hole forever. That’s why it’s so important that I get to Fort Detrick. We need to stop this thing, this virus, now.”
“And I hope you do,” Alex said, “but I made a promise to keep my sister safe. I can’t break that promise.”
“Alex, maybe we should help them,” Amy said, speaking for the first time. “I mean, it’s really important.”
“We can’t. It’s too dangerous.”
“But—”
“No, Amy. I can’t risk you out on the open road. I know what’s out there,” Alex said with a sense of finality. “We’re staying, and that’s that.”
He stood up. “I’m sorry, Tara. Saul. Let me know if I can help you in any other way.”
Alex retreated to the balcony and leaned on the railing. He stared out into the night, breathing deeply. He felt bad for turning Tara and Saul down. They could use an extra gun on the journey, and their mission was crucial. It was worth the risk. But I just can’t do it. I’m sorry.
After a couple of minutes, Dylan joined him. She leaned her forearms on the railing and gazed up at the stars. “It’s a beautiful night. Cold but beautiful.”
“It is.”
“You made the right decision, Alex. I know it sucks, but you don’t have a choice. Your sister comes first.”
“Yes, she’s my responsibility, and I promised my mom I’d keep her safe, but that doesn’t mean you should too,” Alex said, straightening up.
“Excuse me? I care as much about Amy as you do. I care about both of you. You’re my friends.”
Rise of the Undead Box Set | Books 1-3 | Apocalypse Z Page 20
