Z-Boat (Book 3): Z-End

by Robb, Suzanne

  The truck slowed and she scoped out the area. Turning her head, she rapped on the window. Noah slid it open.

  "What's going on?" Ally asked.

  "Flynn here thinks we should go to the strip mall down there."

  Ally stuck her head in the opening and looked at their passenger. "Are you mental? Those places were the first to get looted in the outbreak."

  He sneered at her. "So you never even checked it, did you?"

  She considered the length of pipe in his hand. She hadn't wanted to arm him, but they had to give him something, and settled on the least threatening item if he turned on them.

  "We did look, you idiot, but feel free to go check for yourself. We'll wait right here."

  He glanced at the stores a hundred feet away, and then shrugged. "Fine, I'll be right back…with supplies."

  Ally's jaw dropped. The man had to be suicidal, and when he slammed the door shut, she figured he wanted them dead, as well. She flipped down the night vision goggles to check the shadows and other areas these things liked to hide in. The truck bounced again and she watched in horror as Kevin jumped out.

  "What are you doing?" she hissed.

  "I can't let him go alone."

  "Yes, you can. Get the fuck back in."

  He ignored her, jogging to catch up with Flynn.

  "What do you want to do? You remember what that place was like when we went in last time," Noah said.

  "Shit, we don't have time for this. Why can't people listen?"

  "Because they think we come up here for the beer and strippers?"

  Ally chuckled then hopped over the side of the truck. "Noah, stay here. I'm going to try and get them back …if it doesn't work out, you get back to the base, no looking back."

  She ran, catching up to the two men easily. "Flynn, this place is crawling with bastards, you know that? The hard to kill assholes."

  "Yeah, right. You'll say anything to cover your ass."

  "Lower your voice. Christ, you're going to get us all killed."

  Something moved to their left, knocking over a pile of trash. Flynn slowed down, Kevin gripped his axe, and Ally wondered if she would make it out of this alive. Of all the times she'd done this, to die because of an idiot like Flynn would piss her off to no end.

  Nothing jumped out at them, and the wind didn't carry the rancid smell of the infested. The narrow alleyways didn't echo with the sound of groans. All of which meant they were in trouble. People did not understand the zombies' ability to work together. They'd had months to watch human behavior and adjust their tactics.

  Ally undid the clasp holding her knife in its sheath and made sure the crossbow was loaded and ready. Flynn walked faster.

  "I know there's supplies in there you were too chicken shit to get. They can't all be gone." His voice pitched high with desperation.

  Ally saw something move and watched in horror as a pack of zombies blocked their path. Behind them she heard more shuffling and knew they were surrounded.

  "Goddamn it, Flynn. This is what I was talking about."

  The man stood frozen, Ally didn't know if it was shock or fear, and it didn't matter. Kevin hefted his axe and swung at the ghoul closest to him, slicing its head right to left, from ear to lower jaw.

  Ally raised her crossbow then decided to go with her knife, instead. A cold hand gripped her thigh and she looked down at a child, no more than five years old. She kicked it away, cursing under her breath.

  "We need to get out of here, now."

  The large man still didn't move. Kevin elbowed him with no reaction. As Ally fought with Kevin by her side she tried to keep an eye on Flynn. A zombie approached him, and Ally heard the man howl. He jammed the pipe he held through his attacker's eye socket and swung it almost ten feet away.

  "Bastards, all of you. Where's the shit?"

  Her machete lodged in the skull of a fresh zombie and Ally had to put her foot on its chest to leverage the blade out. Kevin held his own, the axe gliding through necks with ease. Flynn, on the other hand, bashed in skulls and crushed writhing remains beneath his feet.

  A man possessed.

  Ally didn't know what to make of him anymore. A man exacting revenge for what he lost, or had his mind broken under the stress of this new world? Either way, they needed to get the hell out, and fast.

  Kevin screamed and she turned to see a zombie tackle him. They hit the ground with a thud, Kevin wincing in pain. He held up the axe, jamming the handle between the snapping teeth.

  "Watch your fingers," Ally yelled as she fought her way over. She was not about to lose him as well. Flynn could handle his own shit.

  She hacked her way through half a dozen zombies, hands, arms, torsos split in two, falling to the ground. Once within reach, she yanked on the gore-encrusted hair, pulling the monster off Kevin. "Close your eyes and mouth," Ally said, severing the head from its body.

  After tossing it away, she helped Kevin to his feet. No time to check him for bites, they needed to move. Headlights caught her eye and she figured Noah drove the truck as close as he could manage, ignoring her orders.

  She shoved Kevin. "Get to the truck, now."

  "What about you and Flynn?"

  "Noah needs help, go!" she yelled.

  He staggered away and she caught sight of Noah stepping around the truck to help. Flynn grunted and continued to scream behind her. When she turned her eyes widened at the number of bodies he amassed. At least a dozen, with no sign of slowing down.

  "Flynn, we have to go. More are coming."

  "Leave me here, I'm going to get the goddamn supplies."

  Ally breathed, reminding herself he wasn't the enemy At least not out here, he wasn't. She ran to him, slicing a zombie at the knees then kicking it in the head with enough force to decapitate it. She skewered another one, shoving it to the ground with her boot and stomping its head.

  "Flynn, there are no supplies, take a look around. This place is a ghost town."

  "No, it can't be. My sister and her kids need food; they've been crying for days."

  In that moment she saw Flynn not for the arrogant ass he pretended to be, but a man who'd failed his family and couldn't let it go. She'd seen similar reactions in people, and there was nothing to do but let them deal with their grief in their own way. However, this particular coping mechanism put lives in danger and that was unacceptable.

  "Flynn, whatever happened…it wasn't your fault. Let's go before more people die." Not the most moving speech, but she didn't have time to hold his hand and talk him down.

  Something wet hit her shoulder and she moved to the side to see a corpse fall over, green strings of flesh and thin strands of muscle holding together a skeleton. Patches of long dirty hair, a strip of what might have been a shirt were all that was left of the person. Ally tripped as she swiveled and came face to face with it. A milky eyeball rolled around in its socket, she jammed her knife in under its chin, the tip of the blade piercing the crown of the skill.

  She got to her feet, ready to knock Flynn out and carry him if she had to. The zombies came out of the shadows and hollowed-out stores and apartment buildings. The street flooded with the undead.

  "Flynn, we have to go."

  "I told you, I'm not leaving!" He leveled a glare at her and she knew he was gone. There was no bringing him back from the edge. Wherever his mind had taken him, he was a permanent resident.

  "Shit." She ran for the truck, where Kevin and Noah were fending off a smaller group. She jumped in the back, falling on her face when something grabbed at her ankle. A squelching noise and the sound of something snapping like a long dead twig made her skin crawl. Noah put the vehicle in gear and Ally found herself thrown against the side of the bed. Looking at her feet she saw a hand tangled in her boot laces, the arm bouncing around. Kicking it away from her she braced herself for the bumpy ride ahead.

  "Ally, you okay?" Kevin asked through the small partition.

  "Fucking dandy, what about you?"

  "I'm good�
��"

  The truck stopped with no warning. Ally slid headfirst into the cab, then lifted up to see what the hell. Zombies, hundreds of them, at least it seemed that way. On all sides it was the same; no matter what Noah did, he would run into a wall of flesh, and there was no guarantee they could push through.

  "Got any ideas?" Noah asked.

  Ally shook her head, and then realized he couldn't see her. "Other than trying to punch through them, I got nothing."

  A sea of hands grabbed at the rear of the truck. Ally swiped at them with her machete, severing hands and fingers. The stumps leaked dangerous green ooze. Heads with open maws and snapping teeth closed in.

  You bastards finally won.

  Chapter Six

  Ally closed her eyes, taking a moment to ground herself. If she was going down, she planned on taking as many of those things with her as possible. An explosion rumbled the ground beneath the idle truck. She cracked open a lid and saw huge orange flames forty feet to their left, a smoldering heap of tires burning merrily.

  "What the hell was that?" Kevin and Noah said at the same time.

  "Who cares? We need to deal with this," she yelled as she kicked at a head and lopped off another set of hands.

  The rapid pop of gunfire sent a chill down Ally's spine. They were the only group she knew of, so that sound was either a well-armed group passing by, which she knew was unlikely, or it was Daniel. The latter was the only logical explanation. An engine roared and several of the ghouls trying to get in the truck did a jittery dance as bullets ripped through them.

  "Hey, you guys okay there? We're heading to a safe place if you want to come with us," a low voice grumbled.

  Ally made a face at the announcement. The guy knew damn well where they were from. Standing, she saw the massive vehicle they were in. A dark military transport, capable of carrying forty men and supplies. Four inch armor plating, special grade tire support, and she thought, glancing at the top, a radio antenna. The engine revved louder as it ran over the zombies not moving fast enough.

  "What do you want us to do?" Noah asked.

  Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ally opted to see how this played out. She motioned for Noah to pull the truck up and follow in the wake of the larger vehicle. When they pulled in behind, Ally saw a man leaning over the back. He waved, and then jumped onto the hood.

  "Is this guy crazy?" Kevin gripped his axe.

  Ally shrugged and shut the partition. Standing, she offered her hand to the man, who bypassed it with a smooth vault over the cab. He landed next to her with a smile.

  "Name's Daniel. And you?"

  "Ally. We've spoken before," she said, picking up a few stray hands and tossing them out like she was cleaning up cigarette butts. Nonchalant. And he surprised her when he joined in.

  "Ah, the woman who likes to play things close to the chest. I take it your boss was the one who extended the invitation?"

  She wiped her slick hands on a dirty rag, grabbed an envelope from her pocket and ripped it open. Pouring the disinfectant on her palms, she scrubbed them together and then sprinkled it on exposed areas. Daniel raised an eyebrow and motioned to it. Ally tossed what was left to him, measuring him up while he cleaned. He was average height, about five-ten with a compact, muscular body. No way was he scrounging for meals. His hair was cut short, and in the dim light it appeared black.

  "Yeah, he was. I wanted to wait until we knew more about you."

  He dusted off his pants, plopping down in a corner. She sat across from him cleaning her knife with a piece of cloth.

  "So, you're the cautious type? Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. My friends and I need a place to crash and reorganize. Those of you who want to come with us are welcome."

  Ally slipped her blade into its sheath and dropped her hand on the machete which lay across her lap. "You know, it's been my experience that anyone who starts a sentence with 'trust me' can't be trusted."

  He stared at her with dark eyes. His clothes were dirty but not ragged like most survivors she'd come across. The way he jumped to the truck was impressive and let her know he possessed certain skills. Or he was mental, as Kevin had said.

  The silence stretched out, a trick she used to get people to talk. Uncomfortable people had a tendency to try and fill the void with nonsense and babble, and the occasional kernel of useful information. Daniel rested his head on the edge of the truck bed and crossed his hands over his stomach.

  So much for that.

  "You have a way to communicate with your people? We can't take this beast to our front door. It'll attract every zombie for miles."

  He reached into a side pocket on his pants and raised a hand-held communicator, tapping a button on the side. "Hey, you need to let the small truck take the lead. They have a special place they park for safety."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Happy now, Ally? I can call you that, right?"

  She didn't like his tone. It was full of confidence and something else she couldn't put her finger on.

  "Whatever. I hope you guys brought your own supplies, because we're almost out."

  She felt their truck lurch to the side and watched as they moved ahead of the big APC. The driver-side window was blacked out so she didn't get a look at anyone. Her head was full of questions. How many people did he have with him? How heavily armed were they? Did they plan to take over their little safe haven? What would she–

  "We have enough supplies, and some extras. As I said, we're not sticking around long. And I can hear the damn wheels turning in your head, so spit it out. The end of the world is as good a reason as any to throw niceties to the side."

  "Uh huh, easy for the man with the large gun to say."

  He raised his eyebrows and pulled the Desert Eagle from its holster. Ally tensed for second until he pushed it across to her.

  "You noticed. Well, now you have the large gun. Fire away," he said with a wink.

  Ally trapped the weapon with her foot, unsure what to think of his offering. He probably gave it to her because it was empty, or he had a back-up on him. Or both. No matter what, their first meeting was not going as she'd predicted.

  "Where'd you pick up that...truck of yours?"

  Daniel looked back at the vehicle in question with a grin. "That's Trudy, she's been with me since I joined the protective detail for visiting dignitaries."

  "You're military then?" This could cause problems.

  "In my past life. Now I'm just a guy with an armored personnel carrier who wants to survive. I know you think I'm going to be an issue, or something more sinister, like I'm going to steal your supplies or kill your people.

  Ally almost let a grin slip. "I didn't think you were going to kill my people, but I'll add that to my list."

  Daniel raised an eyebrow again. "A list, huh? What's on your mind? I'd rather get it out of the way."

  "Sure you don't want to talk to Joseph? He is the one who gave you our…address."

  "Nope. I've been on the move for a long time now. The place we were holed up fell when a bunch of those things showed up and I lost half of my people…I've been cautious ever since. Scared to death most of the time and carrying the responsibility of their lives on my shoulders."

  Ally felt Kevin watching her from the front of the truck. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and bought herself a few seconds to sort through the most important questions she had.

  Daniel let an arm hang over the side lazily, lifting it with the breeze. From the tense set of his soldiers and furrowed brow she knew he wasn't nearly as relaxed as he pretended to be. Maybe he was afraid they would turn on him, steal his supplies, or worse. Today's world didn't exactly engender trust. Most people you met were likely to slit your throat for a food pouch.

  "How many people do you have with you?"

  "Including me, eleven. But we're all good people. Many of them are highly trained from the military sector of the Firms."

  Firms. Even now she couldn't escape people associa
ted with them. They used to run the world, then the world ended. Now only relics existed of that life, but how Daniel and his men ended up here was curious.

  "We never had a Firm in the States. How did you and your men end up here?"

  Daniel brought in his arm looking at her with a dark expression. "We came over during the first round of outbreaks. I worked in protective detail and was assigned to some scientist who was investigating the crop issues. The others were part of a squad sent over to deal with the food riots."

  Ally sighed. More questions, but for now they would have to wait. Noah slowed the vehicle and waved the other one to pull aside. They exited and Noah took the lead with Kevin in the center, Daniel and his guys following and Ally in the rear. Rustling in the dead bushes on both sides made them all stop and pull their weapons.

  And did Daniel's men have weapons...loud ones that would attract lots of unwanted attention. She approached him with care, and nodded toward the guns shaking her head. He must have understood because he gestured with his fist and their weapons were holstered and knives unsheathed.

  Up ahead, Noah screamed. Ally moved to get to him but a hand across her chest held her back. She glared at Daniel, ready to do whatever it took to get to her friend. Then, it was over. A man with red hair and a grim look came up to them.

  "Your friend's…okay, but we should get moving."

  More noise, and another scream cut off by a gurgling noise Ally knew all too well. If it was Kevin…

  Daniel raised his blade. There was no mistaking the murderous intent in his eyes. She grabbed her knife but was too late. His arm came down and…behind her a zombie crumpled to the ground. Stunned, she looked from the body to Daniel.

  "You can thank me later. Or not. Right now we have some uninvited guests to take care of."

  Chapter Seven

  Ally struggled to breathe while she fought off the largest horde she'd seen yet. Noah was on the ground, the extent of his injuries unknown. Kevin was holding his own, but she could tell he was flagging. Daniel and his men had returned to firearms when they realized how badly outnumbered they were.