Children of the Apocalypse (Mace of the Apocalypse #3)

by Daniel J. Williams

  ~~~

  Ignoring the fever, Shawn was putting together an arsenal. With the toxin in his system, the outrage he felt was stronger than the sickness in his body. After learning what Angela had done, any love for her was replaced with a need for vengeance. It felt like a knife twisting in his heart. She had lied to all of them, she had murdered Sarah, and she needed to die. He had an idea of where she might go.

  The world they found themselves in had changed them. Despite the safety of their compound, there was always an air of hopelessness just below the surface. As much as they tried to ignore it, they had all grown harder, more quick to violence, and for this betrayal blood would have to be shed. It was a world filled with monsters, and in order to survive there was part of them that had to become one with it. There was a part of them all that had become infected.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  The search for Angela had proven fruitless. Woody was already aware that something was wrong when a five-man crew came through the jail with guns drawn. An hour earlier, all the women who had been hovering over them had been quietly instructed to leave. Something was up. Staying locked in the jail cells was not going to keep them safe.

  Only a handful of kids had received the antidote before the camp went into lockdown. Watching the guard converse with the team, Woody plotted his next move.

  "What are you thinking about, Woody?" asked Hot Dog, who was watching him with interest.

  "Just follow my lead," he answered quietly. "And call me Peter."

  As soon as the crew left the building, Woody called out to the guard. "Excuse me, sir. Our toilet just overflowed. We've got poop on the floor." The toilets were in the back of the cell with a metal shower next to them.

  The jail erupted with laughter from the other cells as the guard sighed. "What happened?" the guard asked over the squealing kids, who were now adding comments.

  "Who did it?"

  "How big is it!"

  "Is it brown or yellow?"

  Woody tried not to smile at the commotion he'd caused. "Make sure he can't see," he whispered to Hot Dog, who moved with the other boys towards the rear of the cell as the guard approached.

  One of the only kids not laughing was Alexi, who had her ear pressed to the wall of the cell, listening closely to what was being said on the other side.

  "What's happening?" asked Maya, staring up at her.

  "I don't know yet. We'd better be ready, though."

  "Is it time for Neverland?"

  "Maybe. Just be quiet and wait."

  A little grin spread across Maya's face. She hoped it was. She loved Neverland.

  The guard pushed a mop and bucket in front of the bar doors. Looking around to make sure no other adults were near, he murmured, "You're gonna have to clean it up yourself."

  Woody just stared back. "How long do we have to be kept locked up?"

  "I don't know." The guard inserted a key into the door and slid it open. Pushing the mop and bucket in front of him, he entered. Once he was fully inside, Woody squirmed by, sliding the cell door shut behind him.

  The guard swung around, confused by the action. "What are you doing?"

  "Getting out of the cell. Your answer sucked, man."

  "What?" the guard asked, getting perturbed.

  "Tie him up," Woody instructed, keeping eye contact with the guard. The guard tried to turn around to see what the boys were doing, but they'd already wrapped a sheet around his ankles. Starting to lose his balance, he grabbed onto the mop to keep from falling. Hot Dog pushed the wheeled bucket with his foot, sending the guard crashing into the side of the cell before landing hard on the floor. The bucket spilled, washing dirty mop water over his face.

  "Get him!" Woody yelled as the guard started to rise off the floor. The boys pounced on him, punching and kicking him fiercely. The guard tried to escape but slipped on the wet floor. Hot Dog grabbed his hair, slamming his head against the ground. The guard stopped moving.

  "I think I killed him!"

  The jail erupted with shouts and screams.

  "Shhh!" Woody motioned with his finger in front of his mouth, running to each cubicle. "We all need to stay quiet." He ran back to his own cell and motioned towards the guard. "Give me his keys and then tie him up."

  Five minutes later the kids were all out of the cells. "What now?" asked Alexi as they all nervously gathered around Woody.

  "Nothing. We wait." The tension in the room mounted. They looked to Woody for leadership.

  "For what?"

  "For whatever is coming. Something's going on. We can't do anything if we're locked up." The kids looked confused. "Let's just keep watch."

  ~~~

  Inside the cellar, Jade and Lisa were trying to deal with their grief. Sarah had become their closest friend, and her loss was devastating. Chelsea couldn't understand their sorrow and tried to cheer them up. "Sarah's okay," she insisted. "She's just with her mommy again." Sarah had discussed the afterlife with Chelsea a few times.

  Lisa wiped away a tear and reached out and hugged her."I know she is, honey. We're just going to miss her."

  "Me, too. I liked Sarah." Lisa hadn't told Chelsea any specifics surrounding Sarah's death. Just that she was gone. After a few minutes of thinking about it, Chelsea finally asked, "Was it the tumor that got her?"

  Jade laughed out loud. "You are so precious," she said, moving over to hug her, too. She held her tight for a second and then smiled as she took in her innocence. "No, honey, the tumor didn't get her."

  "Then what happened?"

  Looking to Lisa, Jade wasn't sure how to respond.

  "She had an accident, Chelse," said Lisa. "It was an accident."

  "Like the time she fell down outside?"

  "Yes, something like that."

  "See, then it was a tumor."

  Both women couldn't help but smile. They'd let Chelsea win this argument.

  "I guess it was a tumor," said Lisa.

  "I knew it!" Chelsea said, pleased with herself. After a second she asked, "How long do we have to stay down here?"

  Before Lisa could answer, Jason let out a strong bubble of gas from the crib that sounded like a slow-running motor boat, causing Chelsea to have a giggle fit. "He farted long!" she squealed. "I hope it doesn't smell like Buster's." Running over to the crib she took a deep whiff. "Nope, Buster still holds the record."

  Both women almost fell out of their chairs laughing, leading to a laughing fit for all three of them until their faces hurt.

  Once they were able to catch their breaths again, Chelsea devoted her time to fussing over Jason, allowing Jade and Lisa to express their feelings about Angela.

  "There was something not quite right with her from the beginning," said Jade, shooting a quick glance at Chelsea. "She was just too much of a risk-taker. I just don't understand why the infection took her so far over the edge so fast."

  "I still have nightmares about Gilbert. If she's become anything like him, then she's completely psychotic. We need to find her."

  "Agreed." As Jade watched Chelsea play with Jason's toes, she remembered the discussion she'd had with Mace about this very scenario. A chill ran through her veins. "We need to find her right away," she said, her voice suddenly cracking with intensity.

  The added emotion hadn't been missed by Lisa. "You okay?"

  "Not as long as she's still walking around. I just thought of something Mace said before. If someone gets infected and knows that Jason is immune, what might they do?"

  "Oh my God, I never thought of that." Lisa said, sharing a concerned look with Jade. "If anyone even looked at Chelsea funny after what we've been through, I'd cut their heart out without blinking."

  Nodding in understanding, Jade said quietly, "If I see her, I won't think twice. Trust me."

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  "It'll be getting dark soon. She got out somehow." Mace was not happy. Addressing the guards that weren't covering the compound, he laid out their next course of action. "I want double guards w
alking the perimeter tonight. We're going after her in the morning. I'll need some volunteers since it'll mean a double shift. Something tells me she hasn't gone far."

  The looks on the faces of the guards let him know there would be no shortage of volunteers. While Sarah had been a beloved member of the compound, Angela had been outspoken enough to make more than a few enemies. The camp wanted blood. Blood would spill soon enough.

  ~ ~ ~

  Angela motored the ATV slowly forward. Turning constantly to keep an eye on the following horde, she felt a sense of raw power as she led the army of unrelenting corpses towards the camp. A storm was gathering overhead. In Angela's mind, she could picture it raining blood.

  ~ ~ ~

  Bill was walking sentry just inside the rear fence-line. He had volunteered for guard duty after hearing about Sarah's death. Sarah had held a special place in his heart after sharing her gift with him. They'd talked almost daily since.

  Hearing a shuffle in the back field, he flicked on his flashlight and beamed it through the chain-link. He couldn't see a thing, especially with the deepening cloud cover. It was pitch black outside the reach of the funnel of light.

  A branch cracked in the distance. He was about to get on the radio when a soft thwack punched through his orange down hunting-jacket. Little tufts of feathers floated up from his chest, and he looked down at the hole. He stumbled backwards, confused, before landing solidly on his back.

  He couldn't feel anything in his body as he struggled to get up. He couldn't. His chest felt heavy, like a great weight was pressing down on it. Tears began sliding down his face, but he couldn't understand why he was crying.

  More shuffling in the field let him know something was moving closer. He felt his body getting lighter until it felt like he was floating. He started feeling cold. As his vision started to fade, he could see his son, Mike, standing in the distance, waving him over. Mike was holding a kite in his free hand.

  ~ ~ ~

  Angela moved swiftly through the field after taking out Bill with the M24 sniper rifle. She had a night-vision scope mounted and stayed low and quiet as she moved into position to take out the rear tower guard. She was over three hundred yards out when she pulled the trigger, watching as the guard dropped from view. She moved further still until she caught sight of a third guard, dropping him as well.

  Behind her, she could hear the infected gaining. Turning the gun to view them through the scope, she saw they covered the entire field. It was truly an army, she thought, and she could feel the sparks pop off her body as she imagined the bloodshed to come.

  Running to the flap in the fence, she quickly undid the wire holding it together. She pulled the wire cutters from a pouch on her belt and cut away the remaining section. Feeling a drop of rain on her face, she smiled as the wind picked up and the drops grew heavier. She looked up briefly and opened her mouth, wondering if the rain would taste like blood. It did. The metallic taste felt wonderful on her tongue, and she laughed as the wind grew stronger and the blood fell harder.

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  Inside the jail, the sound of wind and rain brought whimpers from some of the younger kids.

  "Put them back in the cells and bundle them up." Woody was standing on a chair scanning the front of the jail from a small window. Alexi stood beside him and nodded as Woody motioned towards his Lost Boys. "The bus is still parked out front. We'll need to see if the keys are in it."

  A blood-curdling scream from somewhere behind the jail almost caused him to fall of the chair. Everyone stopped in their tracks. The whimpers from the younger children grew instantly silent. Everyone remained frozen, waiting to hear what would happen next. A few seconds later, a second scream pierced the cell walls. The children began to panic.

  ~ ~ ~

  Angela was having trouble seeing through the downpour of blood but could make out a dark figure moving towards her from the compound. Her whole body tingled, and she wondered if she was being cleansed by the falling plasma. Her mind was taken over by the toxin. As the figure drew closer, slowly and deliberately, Angela put down the sniper rifle and pulled her 9mm, lining up a shot.

  A surge of terror shot through her as she recognized the approaching figure. It was Sarah, looking anything but peaceful. Sarah stopped, wavering as she stood, her hair filthy and matted. Staring at her with dead, milky-white eyes, her face was filled with rage. Wearing the same robe she'd been in when Angela smashed her skull in, she was now covered with blood.

  Sarah's head wound squirmed with maggots, and Angela watched in alarm as they wriggled out, dropping to the ground in large numbers. They began squirming towards her, getting larger as they came, and Angela screamed in fear.

  As soon as Angela screamed, Sarah's mouth opened wide and a dark, ungodly sound came forth, echoing through Angela's brain. The hair all over her body stood on end. Angela dropped her gun and covered her ears with her hands. Falling to her knees, she cried out, "No, please! Please! Quit torturing me!"

  Sarah's voice could be heard through the thick droplets of blood that fell heavily upon the ground. The ground was becoming saturated with blood, and Angela started sinking waist deep into a pool of thick red plasma.

  "You're infected," Sarah said bitterly. "You'll be forever lost."

  Sarah shuddered violently as more maggots squirmed out of her head and wriggled towards Angela, who was sinking deeper into the pool of blood. Angela screamed again as she fought to keep from going under as the maggots reached her, swimming across the blood and crawling up her face and into her mouth. Angela's eyes were wild and desperate as the number of maggots grew. Soon they were moving down her throat, choking her. She gagged and choked, trying to breathe. They climbed higher and wriggled into her ear canals. The sound of them moving inside her head was deafening. She started to black out.

  All of a sudden Sarah was gone, and Angela was standing upright, alone in the rain. The maggots had all disappeared. Shaking with fear, she could hear moans all around her. She turned around and the horde was right behind her. Their red eyes bulged as they reached for her. They were everywhere. She screamed once again in horror.

  One grabbed a hold of her shoulder, pulling her towards it, its mouth opening as it bit rabidly into her shoulder. She screamed as she pulled away, her flesh separating as a chunk was ripped away.

  More came on her as she tried to get away, and she slipped, falling on her back. Her handgun lay next to her, so she grabbed it and brought it up, blasting away at the one that bit her. The pain in her shoulder was incredible, sending torrents of pleasure rippling throughout her body. She felt completely alive as she got to her feet. With more toxin funneling through her veins, the throbbing felt exhilarating. She shot two more that reached for her, laughing madly as they dropped.

  As she ran away, a part of her felt unfulfilled for not fighting them until the final slaughter. That would come soon enough. She had a few other things to take care of first.

  The nightmare she was lost in was exhilarating. Blood poured down her arm but she didn't notice or care. Blood was falling from the sky. It was everywhere.

  Angela ran towards the compound, laughing maniacally as maggots spilled out her pores with each stride. She'd bring them all death. She was the death-bringer.

  ~ ~ ~

  Mace was going to check on the kids after learning that they were only supervised by one guard. In the distance, he could see the back fence sparking from where the infected pushed against it but couldn't determine the cause through the storm. He lifted his walkie talkie and called out for the rear guard, but got no answer. Then he heard a woman scream.

  The wind was howling through the rain, and a flash of lightning momentarily lit up the back of the compound. Mace's jaw dropped at what he saw. Even through the rain he could see their numbers. A steady stream of infected had spilled through the opening Angela had cut, with hundreds more coming. They were going to be overrun.

  He turned and sprinted towards the command center. They wouldn'
t have time to evacuate. They'd have to bunker down and ride out the storm and the assault. He lifted the radio off his belt as another lightning flash struck closer, and he yelled, "Mayday, we're being overrun! Back fence is compromised. Infected in large numbers." A thunderous boom followed directly afterwards.

  In the distance, Mace could see a long, black funnel cloud reaching towards the ground. The wind picked up considerably as the funnel grew larger. Another lightning strike hit a tree to the right of him. "Storm is coming in strong. Seek shelter and arm yourselves." He lowered his head and fought through the storm.

  Turning a corner towards the command center, he was shocked to see the infected had already worked their way through. He was cut off. They were spreading all over the compound.

  He only had his 9mm on him. He needed to think of something. A low moan behind him let him know they were closing the gap fast. He was out of time.

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  Inside the storm cellar, Jade and Lisa were using the time to do an inventory of food and survival gear. They needed something to keep themselves busy. They'd missed the radio communication, as had everyone else in the camp. The close proximity of the lightning strike disrupted it, leaving nothing but a low hum coming over the radio. It was a perfect storm. They were in serious trouble.

  Chelsea sat at the top of the cellar stairs listening to the steady pounding of rain. Lying below the bottom step, Buster stared blankly at the wall, looking bored and needing to pee.

  Someone pounded on the cellar door, causing Chelsea to jump. Chelsea could hear Gene's voice yelling above the sound of the rain. "Please, let me in. Something's gone wrong."

  Before Jade or Lisa could even react, Chelsea undid the latch to the door. "It's Gene!" she yelled. The door flung open, and Gene stood at the entrance with Melissa next to him. Behind him, Angela had a gun pressed to his head. At the sight of Chelsea, Angela shoved Gene forward, sending him flying down the stairs. They could hear his arm snap as he hit the ground, and he cried out in pain, grabbing it.