Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set

by Baileigh Higgins

  The bright floodlights that lit the gates came into view, and they met a tired but exultant Max. The area was a hive of activity as people bustled around. Corpses littered the ground, and the stink of decomposed bodies hung in the air. The excavator stood next to a big hole, and a mound of raw earth stopped up the gap in the wall.

  “What’s going on?” Lisa asked.

  “We won, plain and simple.”

  “We did?” While Lisa understood what he was saying, the words didn’t feel real to her yet. Guess it’s a delayed reaction.

  “We killed all the undead, and Ke tau’s men have pulled back. Those that survived, at least.” Max grinned. “We’ll take a team tomorrow to smoke him and the last of his men out.”

  “I’d like to go with you, and so would Mpho,” Michael replied.

  “Fine by me.”

  “You don’t have to worry about Ke Tau, though. His corpse is over there.” Michael jerked his head in Ke Tau’s direction.

  “You got him?” Max asked.

  “Nope. Ruby did.”

  “Ruby?” Max’s face registered the same surprise Michael’s had initially. “My God.”

  “You’re telling me,” Michael said. “What about casualties on our side?”

  Max’s face darkened. “There’s a few. They’re all in the infirmary. I’m still waiting on a final report from Jonathan.”

  Lisa sensed Max was reluctant to discuss it and was putting the issue off. She couldn’t blame him. They’d just won a significant battle. The death or injury of someone near and dear was the last thing anyone wanted to think about.

  “I’m posting a guard at the schoolroom and another at the clinic. The rest of us will sleep in the common room tonight, except for rotating four-man teams on the walls. Food and water will be distributed, but I want no one wandering about on their own in case of trouble,” Max continued.

  “I’ll get Mpho and meet up with you later,” Michael said.

  “Make sure to stop by the clinic. You’re bleeding all over the place,” Lisa said.

  He chuckled and nodded before vanishing into the night.

  “I’ll go check on Lonny if you don’t mind,” Lisa said, turning back to Max. “After that, I’ll stick with Ruby. She’ll want news of her brother, and she could use a friend right now.”

  “Okay. See you in the morning then,” Max replied. “Oh, and Lisa? Would you mind showing these three where the common room is? They’ve come a long way and could use the rest.”

  He indicated two teen girls and a slightly older guy, all of whom had arrived with Logan’s party. They looked battle weary, and she smiled to show her appreciation for their help in defending her home. “Sure, no problem. This way.”

  The trio trooped along beside her in silence until one spoke up. “Hi, I’m Nadia. Lisa, is it?”

  “That’s right. Nice to meet you.” Lisa looked Nadia over from beneath her lashes and approved. She looks tough enough.

  “I hope you haven’t lost too many people tonight,” Nadia continued in sympathetic tones.

  The other girl snorted and threw Nadia a nasty look. “Yeah, right. As if you care whether people die or not.”

  “Donya,” the boy growled. “Enough.”

  Lisa looked from one to the other, puzzled by the undertow of hostility. “You are?”

  “I’m Caleb, and this is Donya. You must excuse them. They have a history.”

  Nadia looked pained at his explanation, and a hint of real sorrow shimmered in her gaze. “You’ll understand soon enough.”

  Lisa shrugged. “None of my business, I’m sure.”

  Their route took them past a few cottages, and Lisa explained about the layout as they walked. The lights from the wall faded away, but the infirmary appeared ahead, brightly lit from within.

  Lisa led the way past it and toward the dining room when she spotted a figure lurching toward them. The hair on the back of her neck prickled, and she froze in her tracks. Infected, inside? How?

  She reached for her knife, but the zombie surprised her by breaking into a swift run. She had just enough time to jump aside. It’s a fresh one!

  The infected collided with Caleb who threw up his arms to ward it off. Before it could bite him, Donya gripped it by its shirt and flung it aside. She pushed the thing in the direction of Nadia, who stumbled back with a cry of surprise.

  Lisa gaped at the unfolding spectacle. Did she do that on purpose?

  Caleb recovered fast and tackled the zombie by its feet. It fell, but regained its feet with shocking speed and turned. Its diseased eyes fell upon Donya first, and it lunged at her.

  “Oh, shit,” Lisa cried.

  Donya grabbed the thing by its throat and pushed it away from her with what strength she possessed. It snapped at her face, spraying spittle with each snarl.

  “Help,” she cried.

  Even as Lisa sprang forward to help, she knew she was too far away. The infected wriggled loose from Donya’s hands and went in for the kill, but Nadia got there first and thrust her naked arm between its teeth as an offering.

  It bit down on the tantalizing flesh. Blood sprayed, Nadia screamed, and Caleb yelled, but they were all eclipsed by the whirlwind that blew past her and wrenched the dead man away from its meal. Logan.

  He tossed the infected to the ground and whipped his rifle from his back, roaring his fury. With one foot on the thing’s chest, he lined up the barrel and pulled the trigger. The infected’s skull exploded into a million fragments. Then he gathered up the injured Nadia and ran to the infirmary.

  Lisa trailed behind him, sorrow for the poor girl filling her. Jonathan and Lange rushed forward to help, though their expressions mirrored hers. Nadia would die; they all knew it. So when Logan announced the girl was immune, they couldn’t believe it, and neither could she.

  She wasn’t the only one. Julianne gripped her arm and said, “Lisa, fetch Max. Now.”

  “What?” Her eyes never left the bleeding Nadia, fixed on the gruesome wound on her arm.

  “Max needs to know about this, Lisa. Get him.”

  “O…okay.” She turned away and stepped into the night, her mind going in circles. Immune. Nadia was immune. What did that mean for them? Could Dr. Lange use her to make a cure? A vaccine? Suddenly the future seemed filled with possibilities.

  Chapter 23 - Logan

  In the aftermath of the battle, Logan joined Martin as they swept the grounds for signs of either Ke Tau’s men or infected. It had been a long day, filled with excitement aplenty, but he didn’t think he could sleep and wanted to keep busy.

  They walked in silence at first, flanked on either side by Jed and Josh. With slow care, they combed both the walls and grounds, even checking inside all of the buildings, no matter how innocuous. They found nothing except a few bodies, all of them from the enemy. These they dumped over the walls to be dealt with in the morning.

  “So Bloemfontein,” Martin said. “What did you guys think of that?”

  “I don’t know,” Logan admitted.

  He thought back to earlier that day. It now felt like an eternity had passed instead of just a few hours. They’d broken camp and set off with the full intention of bypassing Bloemfontein if the highways proved impossible to navigate. None of them were keen on getting trapped between a quarter of a million zombies, after all.

  But instead of clogged streets filled with crashed car wrecks and wandering undead, they encountered cleared highways with no signs of infected. All the cars were pulled over to the side where they stood in neat rows. No zombies walked about, and they encountered numerous sites where mass graves had been dug. All bore a cross with a biblical message on it commending the poor lost souls to the hereafter.

  Along the way, they stumbled across a place meant to be a safe house. The small building was both clean and supplied with food, medicine, and water. There were even blankets. A message on the wall told them to take what they needed and leave what they didn’t while a map provided directions to a nearby san
ctuary. They left everything the way it was except the map. That they took.

  Finally, on the way out of town, they’d seen a giant billboard announcing that a safe haven was nearby and to follow the directions. It had all come as a considerable surprise to Logan who’d never seen anything like it before in his travels.

  “We have to tell Max,” Martin said.

  “Of course,” Logan replied. “It’s a big deal.”

  “We should send a group there to check it out,” Josh suggested.

  “Maybe,” Martin said. “But in the meantime, we’ve got plenty to do here.”

  They finished the rest of their sweep in silence, and Logan paused to take his leave. “I’m going to the infirmary. Check you guys later.”

  He made his way there and stepped into a space bustling with activity. The air was warm and the people brisk. In the rush, he spotted Julianne’s blonde hair and blue eyes and called her closer. “Hi, Julianne. How’s Breytenbach?”

  She pulled him aside and smiled. “He’s doing all right. Jonathan gave him something for his heart, and he’s resting now.”

  “His heart?” Logan wondered if he’d heard wrong.

  “Yes, it came as quite a shock to me also. He’s been keeping it a secret all this time.” She shook her head with a sad smile.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right. He’s had a rough few days which taxed him severely, but Jonathan said as long as he takes it easy from now on and looks after himself, he’ll be fine. He’ll be on medicine for the rest of his life, though.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Do you know what happened to him in Hennenman? And Mike? He hasn’t said much himself,” she asked.

  “Not really. I heard there was a gas explosion. Mike got the worst of it, and they were all stuck there for most of the night and the following day. We found them on the road on the way here and patched Mike up with what we had in the truck.”

  “I’m glad you found them. Jonathan said most of Mike’s burns are second degree except for his right hand and arm.” She sighed. “I think he’ll be okay, but he might never have full use of the limb again.”

  “What about everyone else?” Logan asked. “How many casualties are there?”

  “We were lucky, I guess. There are a few people with minor injuries from the fight, nothing serious. Nombali should be fine if no infection sets in. The bullet passed right through her shoulder, and Lenka’s with her now.”

  “Lenka?” Logan frowned.

  “Oh, yes. He’s got quite a thing for her, you know.” Julianne laughed. “You’ve been gone awhile. It’ll take time to catch up.”

  “I’ve noticed. It’s like a soap opera around here.” He chuckled. “You and Breytenbach, Max and Kirstin, and who’s that Michael guy? He’s quite the fighter.”

  “That he is. You just missed him. He swung by for a few stitches. Man doesn’t feel a thing.” Julianne shook her head in wonder before sadness filled her eyes. “It’s too bad about Ben, though. That’s a real loss for us. And have you heard about Joanna?”

  Logan nodded, his mood turned somber. “Michael told me about Joanna and Ben. I’m sorry.”

  “Perhaps, it’s better for Ben. He never really recovered after…you know.” Her voice hitched in her throat.

  “After Angie,” Logan said, his mood darkening as remembrance set in. “I guess it was hard for him.”

  “It was. At least, Sean is okay. He’s got a cracked rib and a concussion.”

  “Poor guy. How’s Elise?”

  “She’s recovering from the shock.” Julianne sighed. “We all are.”

  “It’ll take time, but we always rebuild,” Logan said.

  “Julianne?” a deep voice interrupted. “Who are you talking to?”

  “Logan,” Julianne replied.

  “Well, bring him in.”

  Julianne led Logan behind a curtain where he found a pale but otherwise healthy-looking Breytenbach lying in bed. “How are you?”

  “I’m good. Don’t need to be here; I can tell you that,” Breytenbach said with a gruff look in Jonathan’s direction. “The doc’s just overreacting.”

  Logan chuckled. “If you say so.”

  Julianne shook her head and sidled closer until Breytenbach pulled her down onto the bed. “I’ll tell you one thing, though. I don’t mind using this as an excuse to take it easy for a while. I’m tired of fighting.”

  Logan nodded. “I get that. I’m tired of running. Why don’t you let Ronnie take over from you for a bit? Maybe sign up a few new recruits.”

  Breytenbach nodded. “That’s not a bad idea. The team could use fresh blood.”

  “How about Lisa?” Julianne suggested.

  “She’s a mean one,” Breytenbach agreed. “She’ll fit right in.”

  “Christo,” Julianne admonished him with an elbow in the ribs.

  “I mean it in the best possible way, love.” Breytenbach shot Logan a sharp look. “You seem better. Did you find what you were looking for?”

  “Sort of.” Logan laughed. “It came in the form of a rebellious teen called Nadia.”

  “Nadia?” Julianne asked with a frown. “A teenager, Logan?”

  “It’s nothing like that, I promise,” Logan hastened to reassure her. “She’s just a friend. We saved each other’s lives, you could say.”

  “I see,” Julianne replied. “I’d like to meet her.”

  “I’ll bring her over as soon as I can,” he said. “But I’d better get going now. Max needs me.”

  “It was good seeing you,” Breytenbach said.

  Logan prepared to leave, but a shrill scream froze him in place for a brief moment. He bounded to the exit, his head swiveling as he followed the sounds of a struggle.

  Not far from the entrance, in a pool of golden light cast by the clinic’s flickering bulbs, a girl struggled against a snarling figure. It snapped at the air with ivory teeth, its movements unnatural and inhuman. Zombie.

  Donya had it by the throat and was barely keeping it away from her flesh. Her fingers slipped, and the infected dove forward to take a chunk from her unprotected face. Logan watched helplessly, knowing there was nothing he could do. It’s too late.

  Caleb and Lisa likewise watched with horrified expressions, both of them just out of reach. Suddenly a slight figure with spiky black hair hurtled toward Donya. Nadia! “No, don’t!”

  Her pale face was determined, her lips were set in a thin line.Their eyes met, but she never paused. Without hesitating, she pushed her arm into the zombie’s mouth. With her elbow, she shoved Donya aside.

  Logan’s blood turned to ice as the infected sank its teeth into her flesh. The incisors dug deep, and its jaws closed. Blood welled up then spurted as the zom reared its head back. A chunk of meat tore loose. Strands dangled from the thing’s lips as it chewed, and Nadia screamed in agony.

  With a yell of insane fury, Logan launched himself at the zombie with his bare hands extended. He grabbed it by the throat and ripped it away to throw it to the ground. With one swift move, he whipped his rifle from his back.

  The cold eye of the barrel lined up with the zom’s head. It snarled at him through bloodied teeth. He pulled the trigger. The bullet demolished the skull, spraying brains and bone across the ground.

  Logan’s lips curled back in disgust as he eyed the corpse. It was fresh with a bullet wound to the chest that had bled. A bite mark on the shoulder explained the rest. One of Ke Tau’s men. Bitten just before he got shot.

  Dismissing the zombie, he turned toward Nadia. She lay on the grass, cradling her arm while she whimpered with pain. He pushed the others aside and gathered her into his arms.“I need a doctor right now!”

  Jonathan rushed outside, summoned by cries for help. He was followed by Dr. Lange, and they ushered Logan inside. He laid her down on an open gurney and stepped aside while they assessed the bite wound.

  Reaching for a syringe, Jonathan looked at Logan with resignation. “I can make her as
comfortable as possible, but you know what this means. She’s infected, and in a few hours, she’ll turn.”

  Logan shook his head. “She won’t turn.”

  “I know this is hard for you, but…”

  “She’s a carrier,” Logan burst out. “She was infected months ago already. The virus can’t kill her.”

  Jonathan stared at him. “You’re sure of this?”

  “She carries the bite mark on her shoulder.”

  “This is…I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Jonathan said. His expression spoke of utter disbelief. “A carrier? She’s immune?”

  “It’s true, believe me, doc.” While Logan couldn’t blame Jonathan for his disbelief, it frustrated him to no end. He ground his teeth together and clenched his fists.

  “He’s right,” a pale Donya said, speaking for the first time. “I was there when she was bitten. I saw it with my own eyes.”

  Jonathan sucked in a breath. “I see. That changes things, but we’ll still have to take precautions.”

  “Yes, yes, just help her all right? She’s in pain.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “You’d better.”

  Dr. Lange cleared his throat. “If what you say is true, this girl is the most precious being in the world right now. I’ll personally look after her.”

  Logan nodded, somewhat mollified by his assurances. He looked down at Nadia. “How do you feel, sunshine?”

  “Like shit,” she said with a tremulous smile.

  “We’re taking her now, Logan. We need to stitch her up before she loses too much blood.”

  Nadia reached out with her good hand. “Stay.”

  “Don’t worry; I’ll be right here when you come out. I won’t leave.” He winked. “I made a promise, remember?”

  “I remember.”

  They wheeled her away to a separate room reserved for surgery, and Logan sank down on the nearest chair to keep his vow. His legs twitched while he waited.

  “I gather that’s your friend?” Julianne took the seat next to him. “Don’t worry. She’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks.”

  “She seems like a tough girl.”