Dark Horizon (Pandorum Series Book 2)

by N. M. Black

  We manage to get the machine to the truck without any other hiccups, as well as all the other teams. I’ve never been more thankful than I am at this moment knowing that they all came through to help Bea.

  We don’t waste any time as we all help load, keeping the noise down as much as possible. It’s hard with metal equipment on a metal truck and metal ramps. Some sound is to be expected.

  However, the sound that we hear is not that of metal or the equipment we are currently trying to liberate from the facility. I stop, unsure that I heard correctly and take a step away from they crew as they grapple the last of our haul into the truck.

  Another howl breaks the silence and we all freeze and this time I’m sure. That howl is not from a fucking dog.

  Fuck! That’s the sound of a Demon Z. And based on the fact that the sound was closer this time means it’s closing in on us. The problem is, where there’s one, there’s always more.

  “MOVE IT!” I barely have time to get the words out, when three of the scariest, loudest Demon Z’s come around the corner at a concerning speed, their screech deafening.

  “What about you?!” Travis shouts as Jake takes his last shot before having to get in and drive.

  “GO! I’ll distract them.” I grab the handgun and two machetes that were set aside by someone and head towards where the infected are coming at us firing off a shot at the closest one.

  “Lucie, NO!” Rowan shouts.

  “Meet me around front when you’re done loading up. I will draw their attention away, but when I come running, make sure you’re ready to go!” I shout out, before taking off at a dead run away from the vehicle and changing the trajectory of the incoming z’s.

  Here we go again.

  Having done this before and being aware of my strengths and what I’m capable of now, I feel like a total badass knowing that I’m practically invincible. Ya, I can still die, but it sure is a helluva lot harder to kill me know. And I relish that feeling and own the shit out of it.

  I hear shouts from behind me, but I can’t afford to look back, sensing the Z’s swallowing the distance between us.

  I make it around the corner and launch myself onto the roof of a discarded car and hold my ground here. The high pitch squeal of the Z’s sound out, bouncing off the brick buildings of the city scape and amplifying it by a hundred.

  I cover my ears as the shrill cry wreaks havoc on my sensitive hearing, almost buckling my knees in the process. I push through the pain as the Z’s close in on me, circling the car for a moment before the first one launches up.

  I don’t waver as I spin on my heel, deftly removing the head and watching as it plunks down into the mass of claws and teeth.

  Black ichor coats the blade and everything it touches as I begin the process of removing limbs and heads of anything that moves in my vicinity. But the herd becomes too large and more and more infected join the chaos that is literally surrounding me.

  Out of nowhere, shots begin to ping off the vehicles surrounding me, thinning the herd and giving me an opening. I don’t know who it is, and frankly I don’t give a shit.

  I leap from the roof of the car and take off towards where I told Rowan to meet me, but the second I round the corner I see the U-Haul idling and zombies litter the area around it.

  I start to shoot at whatever I can, but my aim is not great. One of the many reasons I use my bat or blades over firearms. Not to mention, bats and blades don’t run out of ammo.

  When the group surrounding the truck realize I’m shooting from behind they turn and face me ready to get their meal on the go. I fire off what’s left of the bullets in the gun I confiscated and make my way to the truck.

  I’m gonna have to fight them all off, but I have no other option. I have to get this equipment back before it’s too late.

  “I’m going after her!” I shout at the room as they all gather around the table trying to figure out what to do next. I’ll tell you what we need to do, we need to go after Lucie before she gets herself killed.

  “Don’t be stupid, Chris, you won’t make it back alive and you know it. You barely made it with Bea!” Lochlan fires back, irritation in his voice. But his words only piss me off further.

  “Don’t fucking tell me what to do, Lochlan. You and I both know that if the situation was reversed and Adira was out there, you would have already been gone, so don’t preach your holier than thou bullshit to me.”

  “Chris,” Lochlan sighs, exasperation evident in his voice as he runs his hand through his beard. “If you go out there, you could potentially make things worse. The best thing we can do right now is wait until we hear something from her. Think of Lucie,” he finishes off, but that was not the right statement to make right now.

  “I AM FUCKING THINKING ABOUT LUCIE! Why do you think we’re even here right now?!” I scream at him and get right in his face ready to go toe to toe with him.

  I’m ready to walk through hell, and take on the devil himself in order to bring Lucie home safe right now, and I almost dare someone to get in my way at this point.

  “Chris, listen to me. How do you think Lucie would feel if she returned and you were gone? You and I both know that it would destroy her if something bad happened to you.”

  Fuck! He’s right.

  I storm out of the station, fuming mad at the leash Lochlan’s put on me, telling me to stay put while Lucie is out there all by her damn self. Even though I understand it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t piss me the fuck off.

  Somehow, ending up back at the clinic, I barge through the doors and into Bea’s room, throwing myself down in the chair beside her.

  “What’s wrong, Romeo? Your girl kick your ass for being a moron?” she chuckles, thinking she’s clever.

  “She left,” I say, my head in my hands as helplessness consumes me.

  “What? Who?” she asks, clearly confused about the happenings being cooped up in here.

  “Lucie! She fucking left to go do the medical run everyone else is trying desperately to complete by her damn self.” I stand, sending my chair skidding across the floor as I begin to pace.

  “She’s stronger than you think, boy. She’s been through a hell of a lot worse than this and come out on the other side. Trust me, she’ll make it,” Bea says, her words sure and clear, but I’m not convinced.

  Why does everyone keep saying that?!

  No one knows if she will make it back or not, for Christ’s sake. No one even knows which location she’s going to or when the fuck she left.

  Thoughts of what could possibly happen to her begin to flourish and dread threads its way in, weaving its poison into my mind and taking root. My heart rate skyrockets and my chest tightens, taking me to my knees as my body begins to shut down. Tears cloud my vision and overwhelming despair is all that I can process as I wrap my arms around myself, desperately trying to hold it together but failing.

  Brittle fingers grip my upper arms as I’m being shaken, but I can’t make out who it is.

  “Christopher!” Bea’s voice finally breaking through, but sounding so distant. I reach for the sound and clawing my way out from the hole I’m in but I can’t gain ground and I just continue to slip further into nothingness.

  “Boy, you had better get your ass up. I did not drag you in from the snow that day only to have you leave her when she needs you the most. You promised me that you would take care of her when I couldn’t and I am going to hold you to that until the day you die.”

  Bea’s angry voice breaks through just a bit more, but when she cuffs me upside the head, I’m able to latch onto that pain and drag myself through the darkness towards her words.

  “Now get your ass up, get out to the fence, and wait for our girl to come home. ‘Cause she is coming home. You hear me?!”

  Bea’s conviction is the only thing that breaches my consciousness enough to pull me out of my purgatory and see reason.

  Bea was the one who hauled my ass to the hospital the day Lucie was bit because she believed I would be
the one to care for her when no one else could and she couldn’t be more right.

  I pull myself together and prepare myself to sit at that fence and wait until she returns, even if I’m waiting forever.

  She’ll make it.

  I step into the swarm and commence hacking at whatever reaches towards me. Head, hands, arms and whatever else I come in contact with are removed from its body as I push my way to the truck.

  Black and red liquid drips down my blades and hands, making it hard to hold on as I wield them through the frenzy of bodies as hunger drives them forward. I’m starting to slow down as my limbs become like weights, making it almost impossible to lift them and I stumble slightly.

  I hear in the distance the horn blaring from the truck, not sure if it’s to catch my attention or of those infected around me, but that’s all it takes to catch me off guard and I’m thrown to the ground with extreme force.

  I scramble around trying to get my feet under me and get out from whatever crashed into me but it’s no use, the weight is too great. I’m at the bottom of a dog pile as teeth and claws try desperately to breach my leathers as I continue to fight off whatever I can.

  I hear a door shut, followed by shots as zombies rain down around me. I hear the sound of Rowan shouting to get the fuck up, but before I can pull myself up, I feel that familiar searing pain as teeth puncture my flesh.

  “FUCK!” I scream into the air as a new wave of adrenaline crashes through me and I renew my attack on the infected around me.

  I swing out and a head lolls off and tumbles away, I use the lifeless body to block the others coming in for a bite and continue to hack my way through from the inside while Rowan and whomever else cuts down the mass from the outside.

  “Start the truck!” I yell as I kip to my feet and begin to feel the telltale sign of power coursing through me.

  “Run, Lucie!” Rowan shouts again, but I don’t need to run now. I can feel my body begin to adapt to the pain and my strength increases in spite of the venom.

  “START THE FUCKING TRUCK!” I shout again as I leap up using a fallen zombie body as a launch pad and throw both arms out to my side and removing multiple heads as I part my way through the herd of z’s.

  I land hard on bended knee, but don’t pause and catapult myself towards the truck. I yank open the door and fold myself in slamming it shut behind me as the zombies throw themselves at the doors and windows.

  “GO, GO, GO, GO!” I slam my hand on the dashboard hoping to spur Rowan into gear and it works. Her foot slams on the gas, tossing us back into our seats as she pries the truck away from the undead and leaving a trail of hungry z’s in our wake.

  She takes a corner a little too fast, sending me into the door and I groan from the pain as the rush of endorphins slows, magnifying the agony and making my vision blink.

  “Shit, Lucie, you were fucking bit!” Rowan says while trying to keep her eyes on the road.

  “It’s fine. Just keep going.” I brush it off, needing to keep focused on staying conscious and not on the unbearable .

  I can feel my body begin to shut down from the bite, as venom courses through my body, urging the hunger into high gear. The need to feed is pressing down on me and if I don’t do it soon, I’m not exactly sure what that will mean for me.

  Or anyone else.

  It’s been hours, but I’m not leaving this gate entrance until Lucie is back inside these walls, where I know she’s safe and alive. If I have to wait forever I will, because without her, I have no life to go back to.

  “Hey man, how you holdin’ up?” Tripp asks, coming to sit next to me on the watchtower. Truth be told, I really don’t know how I’m holding up to even try to answer, so I just shrug. Everything in my shitty existence is disappearing and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

  “She’ll be back, Chris. If anyone can make this run, it’s fucking Lucie. Have some faith,” he says while resting a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

  That’s the thing, everyone thinks I don’t think she’s capable of the run, but I know better than most that she is no doubt the most qualified to do that run. They don’t realize what the run could mean for Lucie. They don’t understand what has been going on with her and what we’ve recently discovered. Lucie is in more danger than they could even fathom right now.

  Granted, she could drink anyone’s blood and still have the same effects, but we discussed that we wouldn’t let anyone know about this until we knew what this meant because everyone might not take too kindly to the fact she is drinking blood to survive.

  The sound of an approaching vehicle snares my attention and I’m instantly on my feet, grabbing the binoculars to see better. I hear Tripp radio into Lochlan to let him know about an incoming vehicle, but I don’t listen further.

  Come on, little one, please be you. Please be you.

  When the truck comes into view I strain through the binoculars praying for a glimpse of blonde hair or her black bandana, anything that will prove it’s Lucie, but that’s not what I see at all.

  “That’s not Lucie!” I shout out, pressing the alarm on the walkie talkie alerting everyone of the incoming unknown.

  In seconds, everyone moves into position, rifles at the ready, prepared for whatever is coming in hot.

  Shit, why the fuck aren’t they slowing down?

  “They aren't slowing down. Get ready!” Lochlan booms over the channel.

  Fuck!

  Before we have the chance to brace ourselves, the truck crashes through the gates, pulling the front panels and everything down with it, causing a lot of ruckus. They plow through cars, and tear down the streets heading straight for the fucking hospital.

  Shit.

  I see Tripp as he stops to set up his shot to take out a rear tire of the U-Haul, hoping to not send it flipping into the buildings or people as the rest of us ready ourselves to chase it down.

  When the rear passenger tire blows we all hold our breath, but when it does nothing to slow the trucks momentum. Along with Lochlan, Tripp and Grey, we all take off at a dead run towards the vehicle, hoping at least one of us will be able to catch it or take it out before it’s too late.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Adira come from between the buildings running full tilt for the truck. Her speed is something to marvel as she catches the speeding truck and hops on the drivers side door smashing in the side window.

  “Adira, stop!” Lochlan’s shouts can be heard from every corner of the compound as he chases the vehicle carrying his girl and leaving a path of destruction.

  “Someone stop that fucking truck!” Lochlan roars over the radio as it begins to weave out of control.

  Suddenly, a body is tossed from the drivers side door and the trucks brake lights come on as it slows down to a stop just outside the hospital.

  As soon as it’s stopped, Adira jumps out, grabbing something from the back. Wait, not something, someone, and runs into the clinic. The discarded figure begins to lumber to their feet, a little worse for wear and heads in the same direction.

  Shit, Bea!

  I pick up my pace.

  “Stop them!” Lochlan shouts, but all of us are too far away to get there before they make it inside.

  Fuck, I hope they’re not infected.

  Lochlan, Tripp, and I fly into the hospital searching for whoever came in here and see a dark haired woman dart into a room at the end of the hallway.

  “Stop!” we shout in unison, but it’s too late, she’s already inside with whomever else is in there.

  Thank fuck it’s not Bea’s room.

  We make it to the room ready to restrain this woman and toss her in a cell, but we all come to a stop when we see her standing next to Lucie, bloody and bruised but alive. The woman stands there holding Lucie’s hand while she writhes in pain, whispering words of encouragement in her ear and pushing damp strands of hair away from her face.

  “Where the fuck did Adira go?” Lochlan’s thunderous voice vibrates the walls, causing the woman t
o start and Lucie to wince.

  “Who the fuck are you?” I demand of the person holding my woman’s hand as I make my way further into the room. Tripp begins to circle in behind her at the same time as I keep her attention forward on me.

  “Who the fuck are you?” she sasses back. This chick has balls, and based on the muscle she’s packin’, she actually might.

  “Don’t take another step mountain man or you’re gonna have a new haircut, catch my drift?” she tosses over her shoulder at Tripp, more aware of his presence than she let on. I see Tripp freeze and curse under his breath, drawing a feminine chuckle from the woman.

  “Last time I’m gonna ask. Who. Are. You?” I emphasize the words, making sure she understands this is not a fucking game.

  But before she can answer, Lucie’s eyes snap open donning the most vibrant yellow glow I’ve ever seen, and a keening cry let loose into the air causes my body to crumble at the sound.

  Fuck, she needs to feed.

  Dr. Tanner comes crashing through the doors with Adira hot on her tail ready to jump in if needed.

  I know that nothing they do will work fast enough, but I step back and let them flit about her. But I already know. Her body is violently pumping the virus through her veins from the bites but unlike Adira, her body is accepting it and demanding more instead of shutting down and fighting it off.

  Watching her thrash around in pain does something inside me, and I don’t hesitate as I step up to the opposite side of the bed and begin rolling up my sleeves. The dark haired woman doesn’t say a word as she watches in fascination, while Dr. Tanner and the other’s continue to try and work out what’s happening.

  I know what’s happening and what she needs, and it’s nothing they have or can do here.

  I go to pull my switchblade from my pocket, but it’s not there. I look up ready to ask one of the guys, when the raven haired Rambo pulls one from her tactical vest, causing a chain reaction of shouts and weapons being drawn.

  She tosses her hands in the air and steps back with a wide smirk on her face as she nods at me to continue, clearly privy to our little secret. I whip it open and drag the blade across the opposite palm I used the first time we did this little dance.