Z Island Series (Book 2): War After Z Island

by Osborne, Terrence Jr.

  “Hey Sam!” Lisa said.

  “Hey there!” Sam smiled as he changed his attitude, “How are you guys?”

  “Same as every other day. Boring!” John laughed.

  “Well, it’ll get better. Have you seen my mom or Jess?”

  “Yeah. They’re in your house. Well…they’re house. You all kind of stay together anyways.”

  “Yeah. You know how she can be.”

  “Hey, where’s Trace and Faith? I’ve been looking for them.” Lisa asked.

  “Um…I don’t know where Faith is now, but Trace…he…”

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to say it.” John interrupted.

  Lisa sighs and walks away while John ran after her. Sam didn’t move a muscle. He just watched John pull Lisa around to look into her watering eyes and tell her everything was going to be okay, but it was much more complicated than that. Faith and Trace practically raised them since their mother died. Trace was more than a person who saved them. He became a father figure to the both of them. John hugged Lisa and looked at Sam. He was hurt terribly on the inside, but he hid it from everyone, including himself. It was almost like Sam was looking at himself.

  “Sam?” Tina said.

  Sam turned around and greeted her with a warm, hard hug as Jess slowly walked behind her. Sam immediately cried in her arms and Jess looked at him with confusion.

  “Trace is dead.”

  Tina and Jess gasped and Jess ran to Sam. She hugged him tight as Tina stared at Faith’s home. Jess cried softly along with Sam as they both gave a moment to grieve for Trace.

  “I’ll go check on Faith, okay?” Jess asked.

  Sam nodded his head as Jess walked away crying, but Tina remained close to him.

  “I’ll go back to the house and…figure out something to do. I’ll check on Faith after Jess.”

  “Alright. I’ll be there in a moment.”

  “Hey, Sam?” Eddy asked.

  “Yeah?”

  “I was playing around and stuff earlier, but I’m terribly sorry about Trace. He was a good man.”

  “He was a lot of things Eddy. It’s just hard to lose someone you’ve known for five years, you know.”

  “I can imagine. So, I was working on that radio we found, but I can’t seem to find any signals to pick up.”

  “Alright, let’s go.”

  “Cool! So, about the-”

  “No.”

  “What?”

  “We’re not doing it.”

  “Please Sam!?”

  Later, Sam opens the door to the house he, Tina, and Jess stayed in, but the house was quiet. He figured no one was here, but he knew Jess. He walked around and looked around every corner. Suddenly he heard one of the windows upstairs close and someone dropped down on side of the house next to Sam. He looked outside and noticed the person wearing a black hoodie with pants and black gloves, but his knife was bloody. Sam immediately ran outside and chased after the man, but he ran too fast.

  “Stop him!” Sam yelled.

  Some civilians tried to stop him, but the man dodged them and stabbed one man in his side. He yelled and fell to the ground as people backed away from the man. He went inside of the houses close to the gate and ran upstairs. Sam burst inside the house and saw the people inside screaming and pointing up the stairs. Sam rushed up the stairs, but by the time he had looked around, the man was gone. Sam looked into one of the rooms and seen that he jumped out of the window and outside the gate. Sam watched as the man disappeared into the woods. Sam looked outside in a panic mood and looked around for Jess or his mom.

  “Sam!” a voice yelled from behind him.

  When he turned around, Jess ran up to him and asked what’s wrong.

  “No!” Sam cried as he pushed past Jess and ran towards the house.

  “Sam!”

  Sam rushed into the house, upstairs, and shoved the door open. He jerked back when he saw blood on the floor and looked onto the bed to find Tina’s body lying there with no sign of life. Sam jumped into the bed and picked up Tina’s body crying. He noticed multiple stab wounds across her chest and groin. He cried aloud and got the attention of the whole community. Jess rushed in and covered her mouth in shock. Sam didn’t hear her come in and continued crying.

  “Sam.” Jess cried.

  She tried to get Sam, but he kept crying and holding on to Tina’s dead body. Jess finally convince Sam to let her go and she hugs him. She grabs Sam’s hand and leads him outside the room.

  “I’m so sorry.” Jess whispers.

  As Jess leads him outside, Eric walks out of his house and looked at Sam covered in blood. His eyes widened with despair, but he was more concerned on what happened.

  “What the hell just happened?”

  “Sir, someone snuck into our community and killed someone.”

  “Well, who was it?”

  “His mom.” Jess said as she walked past him.

  “Pity.” Eric mumbled.

  Sam overheard him and pulled out his knife. He swung away from Jess and tackled Eric to the ground and forced the knife by his throat. Three men surrounded him with guns, but Eric signaled them to put them away.

  “Go ahead. Do it. Make it look like an accident.” Eric whispered.

  Sam cried and pushed the knife closer to his throat, “Did you have anything to do with this?”

  “Sam, you know I-”

  “Don’t bullshit me! Did…you…do it?”

  “Of course, I didn’t. I would never.”

  Sam grunted, snatched the knife away and stood up. Gun fire was heard outside the gates and everyone ran towards the sound to see what was happening.

  “Open the gate!” a man yelled.

  Three men opened the gate fast and David ran inside and fell to the ground in pain. Sam ran towards him and helped him up as the others searched in front of the gate for the someone. While raising him up, he noticed a cut under David’s arm.

  “What happened?”

  “I saw a guy jump over the gate. As soon as I looked, he was running away. I followed behind him to kill him, but he saw me and threw his knife at me. It cut me and I ran after shooting, but the pain threw my aim off. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

  “He didn’t get anyone, did he?”

  “He got to my mom.”

  “Oh man.”

  Jess and Faith came by and walked David and the stabbed man to the medical house while Sam walked away and went back to his house. No one said anything to him. They just watched as he went into the house quietly and came out with Tina’s body in his arms minutes later. He looked down at her and teared up again, but he smeared the tears on his right shoulder as he walked outside the gates to bury her. Eric watched him and scoffs as he walks back to his house.

  Hours later, when the sun had settled in the earth, Sam stood over Tina’s grave mourning over all the memories they had surviving all the years. Jess walked behind him and placed her arms around him.

  “I never thought it would happen like this. This easy. It doesn’t make sense. How did he get in?” Sam asked.

  “I don’t know. We need to find out. Fast. If he came and went that quickly, it can happen again. Maybe with more people next time.”

  Sam moved her arms and turned around, “There won’t be a next time.”

  Jess looked down at the grave and felt bad for Sam. The only survivor of his family. He’s lost too many people. Every death took a toll on him, but he couldn’t handle it. She saw it in his face, but she knew the one death that hurt him the most would be Tina. She sighed and walked back inside the community.

  Faith sat next to Lisa and John on the couch and smiled at the both of them, “What’s wrong with you guys? Y’all are usually loud and running about now.”

  “Us? What about you?”

  “Me?”

  “Sam told us what happened. He was like a father to the both of us. I know how much you cared about him.”

  Faith
laughed faintly and hugged the both of them, “It’s alright. I’ll be okay, but I want you two to be strong because every time we go out there, there is no guarantee that we will survive. Soon we are all going to get off of this earth and when we do, I want the two of you to be strong. Fight for your future like I am.”

  “This is our future.” Lisa said.

  “I hate that it is.”

  They stood there in silence and each thought to themselves what was ahead in the future. Where do they see themselves? Faith stood up and walked into the kitchen while John grabbed the cards on the table and handed a few to Lisa.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Killing time.”

  “But Trace is dead.”

  “Look, I remember when Mom died. It sucks, but death is a very common thing now. We have to get used to.”

  “I will never get used to it. I loved Trace like a father.”

  “So did I.”

  Dexter walked into his home and looked for Eddy. Eddy laughs while coming down the stairs and looked at Dexter.

  “What’s wrong?” Eddy asked.

  “Sam’s mother is dead. Someone snuck in the community and killed her.”

  Eddy gasps in shock, “Oh my God! How’s he doing?”

  “He’s being Sam. You know how he gets. He keeps to himself. I kind of need a laugh right now. What are you laughing at?”

  “But, Sam-”

  “Eddy! Just tell me what you’re working on! I’m begging for laughter right now.”

  “Well, big bro, I created a weapon!” Eddy laughs.

  “Okay? What’s funny about that?”

  “Oh nothing. I just wrecked a couple of things with it.”

  Eddy swings the weapon in front of him: a hard, wooden, thick stick that he brought from the closet with tape wrapped around the top, but there was something in the form of a cylinder taped on it.

  “What is it?” Dexter laughed.

  “Well I’m glad you asked. It’s the wooden pole I got from you closet-”

  “What?”

  “Don’t interrupt! Anyway, it’s that with a bike peg taped to the side here. I just tested it and all I have to say is: it’s pretty freaking awesome!”

  “Um…why?”

  “Why not?” Eddy laughs.

  “Okay…and did you wreck things in your room?”

  “One could say that.”

  “Eddy?”

  Eddy slowly backs away and runs upstairs while Dexter chases behind him, “Eddy! You are so fucking childish!”

  Sam gazed out of the window and looked in the sky. The stars were vividly flashing throughout the sky and wondered if things were ever going to change. Jess walked behind him and sighed.

  “How are you doing?”

  “I don’t know. For once I don’t know. Usually every time someone dies, I know how I feel. Now I don’t. Another person I love lost their life. I mean…how am I supposed to feel? And then there’s Austin.”

  Jess stares at him with remorse, “Stop blaming yourself. Right now!”

  “It’s my fault. I killed him. That community was never safe. I should have seen it.”

  “No one did. That’s not on you.”

  “I was the leader. I needed to be better. I’m supposed to see things no one else would. That’s what made me a leader.”

  “What makes you a leader is the determination to continue when no one else would. To make the hard choices where everyone else doubt. To fight…for everyone who don’t have the strength nor courage to do it themselves. That’s what makes a leader. Austin was at the wrong place at the wrong time and,” Jess begins to cry, “what happened to him is not on you, okay?”

  Jess walks up to Sam and placed her hand on his cheek. Sam grabbed her hand and looked into her crying eyes. They never stopped hurting after Austin’s death. It was too hard on the both of them, but Sam knew it had to be him to be strong for both him and her. He hugged Jess as she cried into his arms and rubbed the back of her head.

  “I’m sorry.” Sam whispered.

  The next morning, Sam and Jess were getting dressed and someone knocked on their door downstairs. Sam threw on a t-shirt and proceeded downstairs, opening the door to Eric.

  “Andrew’s not back.”

  “Good morning.” Sam sarcastically replied.

  “I don’t have time for your shit!”

  “This affects me how?”

  “You’re still here aren’t you?”

  “Don’t play that card.”

  “Don’t make me.”

  Sam stared at Eric with disgust and offered Eric inside the house. Jess came downstairs and saw Eric, but she didn’t say anything.

  “Jess.” Eric said.

  “Eric.”

  “Alright Eric. Andrew’s not back. So, what? What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to go check if he’s still there. See if he’s alright.”

  Sam scoffs, “Really? Why not send Gary’s group out there?”

  “He’s not back either. I told him to check on Andrew’s group and he hasn’t come back either.”

  “So, you want me to go somewhere I could possibly die just to see if their still alive?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re crazy! If they haven’t come back yet, it means something bad happened. I’m not putting my group through that again!”

  “You’re the only group left. Andrew messaged me on the radio and told me he found something big. Food, supplies, you name it! We need that Sam!”

  “What you’re asking for is suicide.”

  “Please,” Eric scoffs jokingly, “If it’s one group that can make it, it’s yours. You’ll be fine.”

  Eric walks away and exits the house. Sam is lost in his own train of thoughts while Jess goes upstairs and gets her shoes. Sam turns around and stops her before she puts her first shoe on.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You heard him. We have to move.”

  “No! you’re not going!”

  “Sam-”

  “This isn’t a discussion. You are not going. I can’t risk it.”

  Jess looks at him in disagreement, but she puts her shoes down next to her and stands up, “What am I going to do then?”

  “Stay here with Faith. You two should stay here and watch out for each other and the community. If we all go out there, Eric might try something. She lost Trace.”

  “And you lost Tina!”

  “I can’t sit around and grieve. Things need to be done. We need the numbers.”

  “For what?”

  “Survival.”

  Jess immediately hugs him, “You better come back.”

  “You know me.” Sam chuckles lightly.

  Sam and the others got into the vehicle while Jess and Faith watched them drive towards the gate, but one man stopped them before they drove away.

  “Hey man. Please find them. Eric’s getting on my nerves.”

  Sam looks at him, “Keep your radios on channel three. Just in case.”

  The man nodded his head as he and another man opened the gates and waited for Sam to drive out before closing the gate quickly.

  “Do you think we should’ve told them?”

  “No. They’ll figure it out soon. Just follow his orders.”

  “What if his plan doesn’t work? What if Sam’s group survive?”

  “Then we keep following the next plans. It’s going to work.”

  The man smacks his lips, “I don’t think it will.”

  30 minutes went by and Sam didn’t find anything. The tracks from their vehicles had disappeared and he was unaware where they could have gone.

  “Ugh. They said he would be around this area, but where?” Sam asked himself.

  “What about that?” Eddy points towards an abandoned warehouse building that was surrounded by a couple of zombies that groaned while cruising around blandly.