by A. R. Wise
Clyde nodded, and I nodded back. Then I turned around to hide my tears.
Zack was at the church's entrance, silhouetted by the wildfire that blazed behind him. His thick frame took up most of the threshold, as if his very existence protected me from the war I had to return to.
"Hey beautiful," he said and held out his hand.
I reached out, set my hand in his, and watched it all but disappear as he held it. He was such a large man, but as gentle as a person could be when he needed to be. He gingerly pulled me into his arms, and didn't need an explanation for the tears. For years, he'd been the closest thing I had to a life partner, and he knew what I was feeling by the anguish in my eyes.
"We'll make it through this," he said and put his cheek down on the top of my head. "You and I'll be just fine, darling. I'm not going to let anyone kill either of us until I get you to finally break down and marry me."
I laughed and slapped his chest.
He chuckled, and held me tighter. "One of these days you're going to say yes."
CHAPTER TWENTY - A MOTHER'S RESPONSIBILITY
Kim Laporte
The Electorate's facility wasn't far from where Jerald had trapped the Rollers. I traveled through the foothills to what used to be a major highway that went through the center of Colorado. I saw smoke in the distance to the north, and I went as fast as I could towards it. Dusk was fast approaching, and the bike couldn't accelerate higher than sixty-five miles an hour, but I was determined to do everything I could to save my family.
I'd taken the clothes from the soldier that we'd captured back at the facility, but I was still caked with blood from the zombies. William had screamed that I was endangering everyone by leaving before sterilizing myself, but I didn't pay any attention. I didn't trust anything he said after discovering his role in developing the virus.
I could smell the stench of metal from the zombie blood on me, as well as the sticky residue of the pheromone that they'd been pumping into the facility. It seemed to intensify the longer it was on me, as if drying only made it more powerful. The stench nearly gagged me every time I slowed down to cross a crack in the pavement. I was driving as fast as I could, but couldn't afford to have an accident. I needed to get to the Rollers to warn them that they were headed into a trap.
Then the earpiece that I'd taken from the soldier chirped to alert me to an incoming message. "We have them in the center of town," said the familiar voice of General Jerald Scott. "I want the helicopters on standby, but I don't think we'll need them. If they aren't going to give us Courtland's experiment, then we'll just release the Undying we've got stored there. We've got the one we need anyhow. Wolves, you're on standby for now."
"Check that," said a different voice. "We'll be here if you need us."
I was busy listening to them, and not paying attention to the road, when I passed a spike strip that had been laid out. I saw the rusty metal zip by to my right and then tried to hit the brakes before I ran over another strip in front of me. I narrowly avoided the second strip as my tires squealed. The bike leaned to the side as I tried to regain my balance. Then it pivoted suddenly to the other side and before I knew it I was skidding in the opposite direction as I struggled to stay upright. I finally came to a stop as my leg skipped across the pavement. The bike's rear tire skid to a stop just inches from one of the spikes.
My luck stunned me. I wasn't far from the fire now, and the wind was pushing the smoke out to the east. I ignored the scrapes on my leg and ripped pants as I got the bike back up. The road ahead was littered with spike strips, which was probably how Jerald had planned to herd the Rollers into the trap.
I heard organ music coming from the town, and then the low murmur of a voice singing something that I couldn't quite understand. Gunfire drowned out the music as I got back onto the bike and started to drive through the ditch on the side of the road.
It was difficult terrain to maneuver through, and I was forced to slow down much more than I wanted. I couldn't risk an accident. I'd been lucky with my last fall, and didn't want to chance another.
The gunfire ceased, and I could hear a man's voice that I thought I recognized. I was still too far to discern what he was saying, but as I got closer I knew it was Jerald. I remembered that he said he had cameras set up in the town and guessed that he'd also installed speakers so he could mock my family. I worried that I was too late, but prayed I could still save them.
There were five quick gunshots, followed by a sixth. Then the Rollers cheered, which gave me heart, and I continued to ride through the rough terrain. There was an access road that led off the highway towards the town and I hopped off the shoulder onto it, finally able to go faster. There were spike strips set up here as well, but there were fewer than had been on the highway. I was able to get to the main thoroughfare, which had been cleared of strips or had never been littered with them to begin with, and saw the Rollers set up around the church in the center of town.
I sped towards them just as I heard a loud crash near me. It sounded like something had slammed into a metal barrier, but I didn't have time to investigate. Dante saw me coming and started waving both arms in the air.
I held my fist up and pumped it twice, signaling to him that I was friendly. He did the same, acknowledging that he was welcoming me in. That's when a shop door to my left burst open.
A zombie roared in anger as it appeared, but a rifle shot echoed through the streets at the same moment that the creature's face exploded. It slumped to the ground and I looked up at the steeple of the church where Annie was perched. She started to wave, but then focused back on the door that had opened. I looked back and saw that more creatures were appearing.
I pulled up to the side of the Roller's wall and heard Dante screaming out my name. The partition wall was built on the outside of the circle of trucks, and was designed to prevent anyone from getting over it. There was razorwire looped around the top, and the Rollers had built the circle without an entrance this time in preparation for a siege.
"Kim!" I heard my mother scream from the other side of the wall.
"Mom, I'm here."
"Hold on," she said. I could hear her climbing the ladder on the other side of the truck. Gunfire exploded above me as the Rollers gathered to fend off the horde. I got off the bike and stared back up the avenue that led to the fire in the fields past the highway.
Greys were bursting from the doors of nearly every building I could see. I took the soldier's F2000 assault rifle and quickly picked off the closest zombies.
"Kim, we'll get a rope," said my mother. I looked up and saw her through the looped razor wire above the partition. "We'll get a rope and get you up here. We'll save you, baby."
That's when I knew what I had to do. My eyes began to tear up as I stared at her. She was screaming my name, and turning to plead for rope, but I couldn't hear her over the gunfire. She turned back with a tortured expression as she cried out to me. She started to hang off the edge of the truck as she reached her hand through the razorwire. She pleaded with me to take her hand, and I could hear sporadic bits of her voice between the gunshots.
"Take my hand!"
I didn't.
"Tell Artie that I'm sorry."
"No Kim! Give me your hand."
"David has to stay safe. He's immune. He's the one that can save everyone. Tell him that I love him. I love him so much, and I'm so sorry. Tell him that I'll be waiting for him in heaven."
"Kim!" She nearly crawled off the edge of the truck as she screamed. Zack was there to hold her back as I walked away.
I faced the fire, and started to run towards it. I was doused in the pheromones that attracted the zombies, and tried everything I could to get their attention. I screamed at them, and fired the rifle indiscriminately into their ranks. The walls of dead closed in around me, but the Rollers were firing into them, trying to save my life.
I ran as fast as I could, down the thoroughfare that led to the blazing field. The creatures rushed in, and I could
feel their breath on my neck. Hands grasped me, but I pushed on. I needed to get as far from the Rollers as I could. I shot the ones in front of me to clear a path, but the rifle quickly ran out of bullets. Soon, there was nowhere left to run as the horde closed in around me. Their chorus of growls seemed to wash over me as I ran out of room to flee.
Above it all, I could hear Annie's rifle echoing through the night. I glanced back up at the steeple and saw the glint of her scope as her muzzle burst forth another shot. Her aim afforded me a few more seconds, and I blew her a kiss.
* * *
Annie Conrad
David had heard Dante screaming his mother's name, and rushed to the bottom of the ladder that led to the steeple. He screamed out to me, "Can you see her? Is Mommy out there?"
"Get back inside," I yelled down to him.
"Can you see my mom?"
"Yes."
He started to climb up the ladder. It was nearly impossible for him with his missing foot and hand, but he was determined to get up to me. He wrapped his good arm around one wrung and then hopped up to the next.
"David, get back down. You can't climb up here."
I was precariously perched in the wooden loft, with the bell at my back and my feet anchoring me at an uncomfortable angle. There were zombies appearing from buildings throughout the town, and I had to focus on killing the ones closest to Kim. I couldn't waste a second to argue with David or force him not to climb up the ladder.
Then I watched as Kim started to walk away from our circle.
"What are you doing, Kim?"
My mother was on the truck closest to Kim, and was screaming out to her. She tried to crawl through the razorwire to help Kim up, but my sister started to run in the opposite direction. She was headed up the hill, into the maelstrom of Greys. I held my breath, afraid that I might scream if I didn't, and then started firing. I took shot after shot, with hardly a pause between. I had a line of magazines on the edge of the steeple's window and it only took me a few seconds to reload when needed.
The rest of the Rollers gathered along the top of the trucks and were trying to provide cover for Kim, but she was already too far for any of them to accurately aim at the zombies closest to her. I wasn't concerned about hitting her, and continued to kill whichever of the creatures dared come near her.
I expected the horde to focus on the noise from our gunshots, but the entire wave of creatures escaping the buildings that lined the road seemed to surge only at Kim. I did everything I could to keep her safe, but it was only a matter of time before she was overwhelmed.
"Can you see her?" asked David.
"You need to get down, David."
He ignored me and pulled himself up onto the ledge to my right.
"What's she doing?" He was terrified, and his voice cracked when he saw her.
"Close your eyes."
"What's she doing?"
"David, close your eyes!"
I kept shooting with Kim in my sights. She stopped, and then turned to look directly at me. I fired at a zombie to her side, but it only afforded her another second.
She blew me a kiss, and then I saw a bottle in her hand with what looked like tissue paper hanging from the top. She lit the tissue fuse, and I suddenly understood what she was doing.
The horde closed in on her, and then an explosion ripped them to shreds. Whatever bomb Kim had been hiding was strong enough to destroy the façade of several buildings around her. Debris shot into the sky as hundreds of zombies evaporated into mist.
"Kim! No, no, please, no! Kim!" I heard my mother screaming and then I reached back to grab David.
I pulled Kim's son to my chest as I burst into tears. I screamed out my sister's name and held David as close to me as I could. I trembled and wailed. My legs buckled, and I nearly collapsed off the edge of the steeple as grief overwhelmed me. My sister was dead.
David was calm as I held him. I could hear my mother screaming out with every ounce of strength she had. Her agonized cries echoed through the dusk as I whimpered with her.
Kim's son put his hand on my face and I looked at him, terrified that I'd have to explain what happened. He was calm, almost emotionless, as he asked. "Did Mommy save us?"
"Yes, David. Yes she did."
Then he started to cry, but he did it calmly, almost as if his grief was too much for his body to express. A tear fell down his cheek as he looked out at the fire in the distance.
He stared into the bleakness and said, "I always knew she would."
TO BE CONTINUED
EPILOGUE
Beatrice was anxious to get off the helicopter. It had been years since she'd flown in one, and never cared for it. They touched down on the basketball court outside of the cottage that sat above the facility. She waited for the pilot to come back and unlatch her from the harness that secured her to the bench.
He smiled and said something as he approached, but the whirling blade of the copter was too loud for her to hear him. The helicopter had an enclosed seating area, but she was still forced to wear a helmet that blocked out the noise. She pointed at the cumbersome helmet when the pilot looked at her, and he nodded to let her know it was okay to take it off.
"Thank God," she said as she pulled the helmet off. "That thing is murder." She pushed at her wig to make sure it was still on straight.
"How was the ride?" asked the pilot, trying to make small talk with her. She despised it when they did that.
"Absolutely dreadful, if you must know."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
She nodded and glanced down as he unbuckled the straps that held her in. "Sure you are. Just hurry up. I'm sick of being on this damn thing."
"Yes, Ma'am."
He went to the door of the helicopter and pulled at a few latches to allow it to open. Then he used both hands to slide the huge door to the side. The wind from the spinning blades rushed in and Beatrice covered her face as she yelped.
"God damn it," she said. "Why are you opening the damn door when the blade's still spinning?"
"Sorry. I thought you wanted to get out as quick as possible."
"Shut up." She pushed him to the side and started to descend the steps that led to the concrete below. "You're hopeless. Isn't anyone going to help me?"
A tall, black soldier rushed to greet her from the other side of the court. She took his hand and allowed him to lift her off the final step and down to the pavement. The pilot waved to the soldier, who gave a thumbs up back, completing a greeting that Beatrice didn't care about. She scowled at her surroundings, squinting to avoid getting any debris in her eyes as the soldier guided her towards the cabin.
The helicopter behind her started again, kicking up the wind once more, as the soldier opened the door to the cabin for her. She rushed in, and then brushed herself off. "I swear, there has to be an easier way to do this." She adjusted her wig again and looked at the soldier. "Do you know how long I've been traveling?"
"Nope," said the tall stranger. He had a tattoo of a gun on his neck and she grimaced at it.
"Fourteen hours. Can you believe that? This is barbaric, plain and simple. And to not have Jerald here to meet me? Well, I promise someone's going to hear about this. Here," she said as she took off her coat. She held it out for the man. "Take my coat, you oaf."
"Fuck off," said the belligerent man.
"Excuse me? I'll have your head on a spit if you don't change your attitude. What is your name soldier?"
He pulled out a pistol and pointed it at her. "The ugly bitches call me Levon."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
What can I say about that? Perhaps I should start by apologizing for leaving our friends at such a low point! Believe me, it wasn't easy, but this is what the story needed. This series has had a lot of ups and downs, and I knew that I wanted the end of this book to bring us as far down as we've ever been. This is the dark chapter of the saga, where our characters reach their worst moment. For me, the end of this book works perfectly, even if it kills me to have
written it this way. I was devastated when I realized that Kim had to die!
So, as is the case with the Author's Notes in this series, let's examine the theme I was going for in this book. At its core, Deadlocked 6 is about the degradation of family. The original series was about what makes a strong family, so I knew that I wanted this series to focus (at least partially) on what can pull a family apart. In this book, we step into the story and discover that things aren't all that great between the characters we met from the first series. Billy and Laura are at odds, and there is a deep schism threatening to separate the family that was built up in the first series. That was the central theme here, and I tried to focus in on that.
I decided to try a new way of writing this book, by switching between characters for each chapter and dealing with a wide assortment of them. Each part of the book (there were 4 parts total) focuses on a few different characters and allows each of them a chance to give us their perspective on things. One of the big debates in the writing world is whether or not first person narrative is an effective way to write a novel. A lot of people think that doing a novel in first person is too limiting, but I've tried to tackle that headfirst in this book. In my view, the switching perspectives helps to provide a richer experience here, giving us a chance to see how characters feel about one another, without an omniscient third person voice telling us. Instead, we get an inside view of each person's mindset, and I think that works well for this story.
The relationship between Hero and Kim was the most important one here, and my favorite example of the use of first person narrative happens with them. The character of Faith is first viewed through Kim's eyes. At the time, Kim's a cold-hearted soldier, and she kills Faith without a second thought. In the next chapter, we're given a chance to see her victim from Hero's viewpoint, and suddenly we learn that Faith's death has a much larger impact than we'd initially thought. That is the catalyst for Hero's change, and I really think the switching perspectives makes it more powerful for the reader as well. I was happy with how that part turned out.
