“You need a doctor,” Cat said, frowning. “Your concussion must be worse than I thought.”
“There’s none to be had,” Lisa said. “It’s the apocalypse, remember?”
“If we can get you to Queenstown and there really is a quarantine zone there, they might have a doctor,” Nadia suggested.
“It’s a long shot,” Lisa said.
“When is it not?” Cat replied. “Besides, according to the map, it’s about six hundred kilometers from here to there. Now that’s pretty far, a good six hours drive if all goes well, but…”
“What?” Lisa asked.
“From Queenstown to St. Francis, it’s only about another four hundred kilometers or so. So if it comes to the worst and the quarantine zone is a bust, we can get you to St. Francis in a few more hours.”
“Music to my ears,” Lisa said with a faint laugh.
“You don’t want to go back?” Cat asked.
“It’s not that, just the manner of my return, with my tail between my legs,” Lisa said.
Cat shook her head. “Don’t think like that, Lisa. You’re the bravest person I know and the strongest fighter. You saved my life yesterday.”
“You saved mine too,” Lisa reminded her.
Nadia threw her hands in the air. “Let’s not keep count here, girls. We all know I’m the best and you owe me.”
Lisa laughed but stopped when her ribs twinged. “Ouch.”
Cat swatted Nadia. “Whatever. Now, let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
Lisa lay back again with a smile still hovering on her lips. No matter what happened tomorrow, she could die easy knowing she had the best friends in the world.
Chapter 10 - Nadia
The next morning, Cat and Nadia sat around the kitchen table debating their next move over a breakfast of oatmeal and tea. It seemed the teen boys didn’t believe in coffee, their British mother raising them on the tea leaf from their baby days.
Nadia gulped hers down, not a fan of the weak brew. She preferred proper coffee, hot and strong. Oatmeal wasn’t her favorite either. Too healthy for her taste. She wasn’t about to complain, however, not when these kids had laid their lives on the line for them, and were about to do it again.
Lisa was in bed where she belonged, dozing off after Cat treated her wounds and dosed her with a stiff amount of painkillers. They’d helped her to the bathroom as she was too dizzy to walk on her own, and she still hadn’t managed to eat anything, a worrisome fact. At least, she could keep water down. At this point, dehydration could kill her if they weren’t careful.
“The question is, do we go back for our own truck, or do we start from scratch?” Cat asked.
“Starting from scratch will take longer. We’ll need fuel, food, water, and a reliable vehicle with a battery that works,” Nadia said. “Plus, we don’t have any spare ammunition.”
“Yes, but going back for our truck is more dangerous. The area is flooded with zombies by now, all worked up into a frenzy by yesterday’s ruckus. And we’d have to change two tires. We only have one spare,” Cat pointed out.
“We can draw the zombies off, no problem,” Ralph said.
“I don’t want you to risk your lives for us,” Nadia protested, looking at little Sam doodling with his spoon in his porridge.
“This isn’t for you,” Ralph replied. “It’s for us. Without you, we’ll never see our mother again.”
“Are you sure about this?” Nadia asked. “It’s a lot to risk.”
“We’re sure. You’re one hand short with Lisa down. You need us, and we need you,” Ralph said.
Nadia nodded. “All right, how do you propose to draw the zombies off?”
“Easy. About a block up, there’s a bunch of cars parked at a doctor’s office. We’ll set off a few alarms, let it draw the zombies away from the civic center.”
“What about you?” Nadia asked. “How do you get back to us?”
“I know of a way around. The zombies will never catch us,” Ralph said with an air of confidence.
“Well, it looks like you know what you’re doing,” Nadia said, “but it still doesn’t solve the problem of the extra flat tire.”
“We’ve got that sorted too. I jumped the wall into the neighbor’s yard this morning. He had a truck similar to yours, and I nicked one of his tires,” Ralph said.
Nadia stared at him. “What about the neighbor?”
Ralph shrugged. “He didn’t mind. Or at least, not anymore.”
Nadia looked at him a bit longer before dropping her gaze to the tabletop. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Should she celebrate the fact that he could take such risks and kill without blinking at the age of fifteen? Or should she cry for his lost innocence?
***
An hour later, Nadia and Cat were crouched behind a low stone wall where Ralph had deposited them. They were safe, hidden from view, and had an escape route up a ladder and over the rooftops should they need it. Between them, they carried the extra wheel. It was looped through a canvas band, and each of them gripped one end and shouldered it when they ran.
“How long still?” Cat asked, mouthing the words to Nadia.
Nadia glanced at the watch Ralph had given her. “Seven more minutes give or take.”
Cat sighed and hunkered down, her facial expression one of extreme impatience as her good leg jiggled up and down. Nadia understood how she felt, for she thought it too. They had no time to waste. Not with Lisa as sick as she was. They either had to get her to Queenstown or St. Francis. It was imperative that she see a doctor.
The minutes crawled by with excruciating slowness. When she thought she couldn’t wait any longer, a symphony of blaring car alarms went off in the distance.
Nadia perked up, as did Cat. They waited for several more tense minutes while the zombies in their vicinity leached away like water flowing down a drain after the plug is pulled.
They groaned with their longing for flesh as they shuffled past, some faster than others, a few so slow that not even the girls were worried about them anymore. Men, women, children, it didn’t matter to the virus.
Nadia shuddered as the flood of humanity streamed past, the bodies once containing real souls, real minds and personalities. Mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, all part of the fabric of life, and now…now it was all gone.
Not for the first time, Nadia wondered where the virus had come from. Was it Mother Nature? A lab accident? A bio-weapon?
Either way, she’d never know. None of them would.
Once the street grew quiet, Nadia nodded at Cat. “Let’s go.”
Together, they ran for the truck, the spare tire swinging between them on the canvas belt. Cat yanked open the back door and removed the jack while Nadia stood guard.
Working fast, Cat jacked up one side of the truck, and after a quick look around, they loosened the slashed tire together, took it off, and put the new one on. Nadia held her breath as they worked, giddy with relief when the new tire fit, arms churning as they tightened it in place. “Thank, God.”
Cat returned her smile and dropped the jack, preparing to move to the other side. Something made her freeze, though, the smile sliding off her lips to be replaced by a look of horror.
Nadia stared at her then whirled around, looking for whatever it was that had scared Cat so much. She saw nothing. No zombies, nothing. Just an empty street.
Nadia turned back to Cat. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Cat shuddered. “I don’t know, I…I saw him.”
“Him? Him who?” Nadia asked.
“I thought I saw…never mind, I must be seeing things.” Cat gave her head a deliberate shake and turned away. “Let’s get going before the boys get here.”
Nadia hesitated, uncertain, but time was running out. Once more, they changed the tire, whipping off the old one and popping on the spare. When both tires had been changed and tightened in place, Nadia couldn’t help herself. She jumped and whooped with delight. �
�We did it!”
With a skip in her step, she tossed the tools into the back of the truck while Cat stood guard, unable to stop smiling. “We’ve got our stuff back. Yay!”
“Now we just need the boys,” Cat said.
As if on cue, the two teens came around a corner waving their arms in triumph and yelling like banshees. Nadia jumped into the front of their vehicle and cranked the engine letting it roar to life. Cat filled the passenger seat while the boys got into the back, panting from their exertions.
“Glad you could make it, “Nadia said.
“Easy as pie,” Sam said with a broad smile.
“I said we’d do it, and we did,” was Ralph’s response.
“We’re thrilled you two made it in one piece,” Cat said.
Nadia roared out of the driveway. “Next stop, Lisa, and after that, Queenstown.”
***
An hour later, they were on the road and headed to Queenstown. Nadia drove, while Cat rode shotgun, consulting a crumpled roadmap on her lap every time they faced a turn. On the back seat lay Lisa, her slender form balled up beneath a blanket with a cushion under her head. Next to her sat Ralph and Sam, both looking excited by the prospect of seeing their mother again.
To Nadia, the trip carried a twin responsibility and a twin possibility. Not only was she in charge of getting Lisa safely there, but also the two brothers, and when they got there, she hoped they didn’t face the disappointment of an abandoned quarantine zone, both for the boys and Lisa’s sake.
They’d elected to stick to the back roads and go through smaller towns rather than risk any cities and their possible dangers. Thus, the trip would take longer, but it would be safer.
With a full tank and spare jerry cans in the back, fuel wasn’t a problem, and Nadia set a steady pace for the duration of their trip. Nobody wanted to stop, and they took only one brief break to stretch their legs and relieve their bladders. The atmosphere inside the cab was tense too, each lost in their own thoughts and unwilling to share, even little Sam who normally couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
When their destination was at hand, things became even tenser, and Nadia’s knuckles turned white as she clung to the steering wheel. Please let there be people. Good people. Doctors.
She turned onto the main road of Queenstown and stared about her with hope churning in her stomach. Cat and the two boys were likewise craning their heads, trying to spot anything that looked promising.
“See anything?” Sam asked.
“Not yet,” Ralph replied.
Even Lisa perked up a bit, blinking at their surroundings.
“Over there!” Cat cried, pointing at a large painted sign that said: “Queenstown community. All survivors welcome.”
The sign looked new, the paint fresh and not yet ruined by the weather, and relief crashed over Nadia, causing her to expel an explosive breath she hadn’t even known she was holding.
She took a left turn, following the arrow on the sign. Barely a kilometer further, an imposing wall presented itself, stretching as far as the eye could see. On this side, the corpses of dead zombies littered the ground. A no man’s land of bodies, car wrecks, and debris. Any buildings near the wall had been demolished, the material carted away for use on the wall.
A colossal set of gates loomed, sided by another sign. This one said: You have arrived. Please wait for assistance.
Nadia slowed to a stop and turned her head, looking at the others. “Well, we’re here, guys. Let’s hope for the best.”
Cat looked at her and smiled. “It’ll be okay, Nadia. I know it.”
“How?” Nadia asked, unable to still the nervous titters in her stomach.
“I just do.”
Nadia watched with trepidation as the gates swung open and a pair of guards walked out, each armed with an automatic rifle. They looked imposing…dangerous even, and Nadia swallowed as her mouth suddenly went dry. “I hope you’re right, Cat. I really do.”
Chapter 11 - Jay
Jay watched from a distance as the girls were admitted into the Queenstown community by a pair of guards. A large sign proclaimed its name and welcomed all. After slashing their tires, he’d watched with interest as they fought the zombie horde and made their escape. Their stay at the beige house proved brief, however, and he suspected it had to do with Lisa’s injuries.
He hadn’t bothered them further, simply following their trail here. So this is where they were headed all along, following on the trail of somebody they knew, likely a family member.
He frowned as he panned his binoculars up and down the wall, taking in its height and sheer expanse. Guards patrolled the top of the wall and guarded the gates. The demolished buildings around the walls provided a clear view and open field of fire. Numerous zombie corpses testified to the undead’s failure to breach the town.
“Anthony, what do you think?” he asked his second-in-command.
“It looks like a tough nut to crack, but not impossible.” Anthony pointed at the zombie corpses. “They’re good at keeping the infected out, but how good are they against living people with brains and tactics?”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Jay agreed. “We need to get a spy in there to find out just how tough these people really are, and how well-armed”
“I’ll pick two of my young ones and send them in,” Anthony agreed.
“They let the women in easily enough,” Jay said. “Your boys shouldn’t be a problem as long as they act the part.”
“Oh, they’ll act it. That I can guarantee,” Anthony said.
“Good. Send them in and have them report back tomorrow at noon over the radio,” Jay ordered.
“Yes, Sir,” Anthony said with a sharp nod.
“Next, we need to suit up for war. Send out a call, gather everybody, and I mean everybody.”
“You want the entire Ravager community here?” Anthony asked, his surprise apparent.
“You heard me. This is going to be our new home, Ant. We’ll need every hand on deck to take this town and hold it.”
Jay smiled when he thought about the resources at his command. While Nadia had done a good job of demolishing the Ravager’s main camp, there were many smaller outlying places staffed with fighters. Safe houses, ammunition dumps, supply depots…now he was calling them all in.
“Send out raiding parties. Strip the area all around and capture anyone you find. We need information. If you spot a patrol call me and set up an ambush,” Jay added. “This is our future, Ant, and we need to win.”
“Yes, boss.” Anthony walked away to carry out his orders, and Jay resumed his study of the community. It looked perfect for his needs, every man’s dream during the apocalypse, and he was determined to make the place his own.
Jay walked toward his truck, gesturing for a guard to come over. “Get in. You’re my driver for the day.”
“Yes, Sir. Where to?” the man asked.
“Take me all around the community, but stay out of sight. Be careful. I want to see what we’re up against.”
They circled the wall’s perimeter, keeping out of sight of the guards on top. It took the better part of an hour to do so. In the end, Jay was satisfied there was only one entrance.
As they drove, he thought back over the years. He’d never been the winner in the family. No, that honor went to his brother, Paul. Always the clever one, Paul had studied after school becoming a lawyer. It suited his conniving nature to perfection.
Jay got involved in the wrong crowd and ended up in jail before the age of twenty-one for petty theft and arson. His father had disowned him for dishonoring the family name. It was an ugly scene, one he’d never forget.
“Get out of my house. I never want to see your face again,” his father said.
“But father,” Jay protested, holding the small bag containing his meager belongings in one hand. It was all he had left after his stint inside, and he needed a place to crash.
“I’m not your father. Not anymore,” his father said, icily cal
m. “Get out.”
“Please…”
“I said out!” his dad roared.
Jay’s mouth worked, but he had nothing left to say. “Give my love to Mother, please.”
“I’ll do no such thing, now get out before I throw you out.”
Jay dropped his bag and his hands closed into fists. Before he could stop himself, he lashed out, catching his father on the jaw.
His father stared at him, astonished. “What did you do?”
“What I should have done a long time ago,” Jay said between gasps for air, hatred bubbling in his chest like molten lava.
“You? You haven’t got what it takes,” his father taunted him.
Blind rage overtook Jay, and he lost all control as his vision clouded over. His fists pummeled into his father’s face and body, crunching cartilage and bone, splitting skin and tissue. Blood coated his knuckles and flecked his shirt. It was the screams that pulled him back to reality, the shrill cries his mother made while tugging at his arms. “Jay, stop it. Please. You’ll kill him!”
Jay stepped back, his chest heaving. His eyes flew from his mother’s terrified expression to his father’s mangled face. The damage was brutal, and Jay’s knees went weak at the sight. He’d just gotten out of jail, and the slightest infraction would land him back inside. He shook his head and backed away. That day, he left the house and never looked back.
His father survived the attack, and for some reason never pressed charges. His mother passed away from a mild heart attack a year later. He was not invited to the funeral, nor did he attend his sister’s wedding.
It was Paul who found him after the apocalypse. Paul who told him his family was dead, and Paul who began the Ravagers. Now Paul was dead too, and he was in charge. Who’s the loser now?
Jay smiled with grim amusement. “Long live the King.”
Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set Page 136
