Z.E.D.S. Series (Book 2): Z.E.D.S. Wayward Son
Page 30
“Atlas, what’s going on,” Aurora asked.
“Dad are you okay,” Kiere asked.
Warren stood at the top of the hill with a smile on his face. Shadows surrounded all sight except for Warren. Energy arose from within and I screamed a shattering echo that caused everyone to cover their ears. My boots dug into the mud as I pushed forward across the field. Some of Warren’s people tried to block my path, but blood splattered around them. Warren stood alone. As I thought I was running alone, Aurora, Mark, Sloan, Seth, Shaun, Brock and Kiere appeared beside of me clearing the path. Bodies fell as my family slaughtered whoever tried to come after me. Warren became closer. His glow disappeared as I screamed and leaped into the air applying a force from my fist into Warren’s face. I rose from the ground after landing near him where he staggered backwards as I kept forcing each fist into his head. With every jab I felt the monster’s power exerting through me. I planted my foot into his chest and Warren lost his stance.
Warren stood quickly from his back and said, “Wow. I did not believe you had that kind of fight in you. I sensed something back in Gamaliel, but this is much stronger than I realized.”
I stood in front of him with my fists clinched with no control over my breathing.
“You are strong for a mortal. I underestimated you.” Warren’s smirk vanished to a surprise emotion as he wiped the blood from his mouth. “I’m bleeding? I don’t bleed. What is in you?”
I continued to swing my fists towards him connecting with his body. Blood spit from his mouth as I stood staring at him.
“This ends now,” I yelled as I ran towards him again.
His hand clinched my throat, and he rose me into the air.
“Yes, now it does end Atlas. You pathetic little insect.” Warren said behind his anger. “Whatever is inside of you has given you a slither of power, but you are no match for my kind. I’m going to squeeze the life out of you.” Warren held me high above the ground. “You are not special. You are nowhere near the man my father thought you were. You are ruled by emotion. You are nothing but an insignificant mortal.”
His grip became tighter around my throat as air became harder to find. I heard Kiere run from behind me before her fist impacted Warren’s face. Blood exited his nose as his head turned. He struck Kiere with a swing from his hand and she fell down the hill.
“Kiere!” As the beast began to take over again, I reached for the knife in my boot. I gripped the handle, held it above my head and pushed it towards Warren. In a rapid return from his other hand his fingers clutched my wrist as I pressed against him.
“Face it. You have lost,” Warren said as I struggled against his strength. “Once I’m done with you, I’m going to kill your girlfriend and make everyone watch. Then your precious orphan girl will be my slave until I’m done using her,” Warren explained as he held me in the air. “The Z.E.D.S. have fallen. The name will never be spoken again. You failed. You all will die.”
I felt the darkness grow stronger. My eyes widened. A gunshot appeared from behind me and blood escaped Warren’s shoulder. He grunted as he turned back from the impact with his eyes presenting a flame. His gaze turned from me to behind me.
“Let go of my husband you son of a bitch,” Aurora said as she helped Kiere stand next to her.
“You will die next you bitch,” Warren yelled. “You all will die!” A demonic voice scoured through Warren’s voice has he reached for his six shooter in his holster. He lifted it towards Aurora and Kiere as I struggled to escape his grip.
I released my grip on the knife and let it fall into my other hand. My palm gripped the handle as it fell. The warm steel pierced the skin of Warren’s chest. His eyes grew and his grip loosened releasing my neck. As I was falling, I placed my foot into the handle of the knife and forced Warren away from me burrowing the blade deeper into his chest. As I rose from the ground, Warren ripped the blade from his chest while staring towards us in a panic.
Aurora walked up to me placing the gun in my hand. “Z.E.D.S. mother fucker,” I said as I aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.
Blood showered behind his head as the bullet coursed through his skull. His arms rose into the air as he fell backwards onto the hillside disappearing into the tall grass. His hat floated in the wind and rested in front of us.
Aurora and Kiere stood next to me asking, Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Are you guys okay,” I asked as I wiped a trickle of blood from Kiere’s lip.
“I want to see him,” Kiere said. “I want to see his dead body.”
Aurora and Kiere gripped my hands as we walked to the hillside. Warren’s body had vanished without any trace of him walking away. Only a print of his body where it fell existed.
“Where’d he go,” Kiere asked.
“I honestly have no idea,” I replied as I looked around.
The moon gave away to the suns light as the clouds cleared and the rain began to hush. I turned my focus to the ground and saw my knife laying in the grass. It was soaked in black liquid with crimson blood. I turned to the field and saw a massacre of bodies resting amongst the ground. Some surrendered as others fought to hang on to whatever life they had left. Chase and Riley staggered across the field as Ophelia helped them. Brock and Selest held some of the followers’ captive with their hands behind their heads. Vincent and Mara stood in the field sharing a kiss amongst the dead. Julian walked amongst the fallen with his bible giving them their final rights as they faded away. We walked down the hill and as I gazed upon everything, I saw my dad kneeled to the ground with my brothers, Piper, Mark, and Amelia holding Jackson and Laura.
“This isn’t right.” My dad said with tears in his eyes. I kneeled next to him holding all of them while fighting tears.
“I’ve lost two of my sons and my wife. Did you kill him Atlas? Did he suffer,” my dad asked.
“He’s gone dad. He can’t hurt anyone anymore,” I reassured. “Let me take Jackson. Sloan, you grab Laura.” Seth had Emmitt lifted from the ground while cradling him as he cried.
Shaun and Brock walked over with Selest and Karmen to us with tear filled eyes. “They are gone.”
“Who is gone,” I asked.
“Mom and dad. We can’t find them,” Shaun replied while fighting his tears.
I looked around at everyone and saw sadness in their eyes. My heart broke as we sat in the field. In our victory we had lost.
“I know we have lost some of our family today. I can’t even begin to show comfort because I need it myself. But what I can say is that we will see them again. They may not be with us now, but we will see them again,” I said as I rose with Jackson in my arms with Aurora and Kiere’s help. “Our family may have been broken, but it is not shattered. We will continue to fight. We will continue to live. We will fight for all of them. We will live for all of them. They will not be forgotten. They will live on through us until we are reunited. I love each and every one of you.”
I looked down at Jackson as is eyes rested for the final time. My dad stood holding Laura’s hand as Amelia and Mark carried her from the ground. Emmitt was finally resting in Seth’s arms after protecting me one final time. While the rest of us were still at war, they were at peace.
Aurora stood in front of me wiping the tears from my eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I said as her thumb outlined the tears of my face and I gripped Kiere’s hand. “Let’s go home.”
Z.E.D.S. Rising
Book 1
Experience the beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse and follow Atlas as he chronicles when the apocalypse starts and the trials he faces.
Z.E.D.S. Wayward Son
Book 2
The war withing Z.E.D.S. Rising is explained within these pages. A forgotten tale of survival, heartbreak and revelation surround the team as they battle new enemies.
Thank you to all who have supported me in my dream to be a writer. A special thanks to my hometown Tompkinsville, Kentucky for providing me with inspiration and scenery fo
r my story.
Thank you to Craters Point, Ky, Red Boiling Springs, Tn, Gamaliel, Ky, Summer Shade, Ky and Bennet Hill, Tn for the scenery of the main battles that occur within the book.
A special thank you to all of my friends and family who characters are based on. Without you The Z.E.D.S. would not exist.
Thank you to my future wife who always told me to sit down and write my book. A true inspiration of love and sacrifice.