Z-Boat (Book 3): Z-End

by Robb, Suzanne

  "What now?" Daniel asked.

  "There's a back entrance, but it's probably closed as well. I wish I knew who locked it, Ben or Victor."

  Behind her a man laughed, she forced herself to turn. Victor smiled at her, no guards with him.

  "Your big friend did it, but I'm sorry to say, he did it too late...and I might add, without a thought to your well-being. You might want to rethink how you choose your friends."

  Ally placed one foot in front of the other, controlling the urge to kill the man, stuffing it down inside her. "What did you do? I saw that…that room with the cages. I know what your plan is and why you killed Joseph." She stood less than six inches from him, rifle in hand, aimed at his heart.

  He gave her an odd look. "Did I mention the panel we use to operate the hatch to get in and out of here has been reprogrammed to recognize my voice scan and hand print only? Oh, thought I'd told you that."

  Ally refused to lower her weapon. Daniel came up beside her.

  "Put it down," Victor said. "I know you won't kill me. No matter how much you might want to, Sean wouldn't approve."

  At the mention of the boy's name her anger subsided enough to let worry wiggle its way in. "You know if anything happens to him you're dead, and it won't be quick."

  "God, do you people really go around with threats like that? Come up with something original–"

  Ally dropped a hand and had the tip of her knife in his belly button. She pushed hard enough to pierce his sweater. "How about this? If Sean gets hurt, I'll take this knife and saw you in half starting...here."

  Victor lost a bit of his cool, but his smile never faltered. "Better, but pointless. I have no idea where the brat is, or your boyfriend. But everyone else is sealed in that room…and you know what that means."

  Ally didn't want to believe him. She couldn't. Who would do such a thing? Thousands of people turned into zombies because the prick standing in front of her didn't want to share? Did he understand the danger of so many freshly-turned zombies against their meager forces? Maybe Ben wouldn't let people drink the water. He was smart enough to know Victor didn't offer gifts.

  Pounding started on the door behind her. They were out of time.

  "You need to start getting people to the top," she said. When Victor didn't move she slapped him. "Hey, if you want to live, move your ass. Daniel, get some men to go with him. Play nice for now."

  She turned to run, but Daniel stopped her. "Where are you going? You have to come with us."

  "I need to get Kevin and Sean." She twisted out of his grip and took off. In only a few seconds she swung open her door. Kevin bolted up and almost shot her, Sean, who had in bed asleep, rubbed his eyes.

  "We're getting out of here." She grabbed a bag from underneath the cot and slung it over Sean's shoulder. "Keep an eye on this, okay?"

  He nodded and she ushered them down the corridor toward the exit.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Victor waited, a triumphant look on his face.

  "What the hell are you doing?"

  "Ally, do you really think they can break through that door?"

  She forced herself to calm down and not think about the hundreds of fresh zombies down the hallway.

  "I know they can, you moron, and so do you. At this stage, they can think and plan. Opening a door is not going to stump them."

  "That's why I have the safe room. Sorry, there's not enough room for you and your friends."

  The pounding from the main room sent chills up her spine and she felt goose bumps sprouting over her arms and legs.

  "I don't have the time for this." She grabbed Victor by the arm and twisted. A few of his guards stepped in her way, but Daniel and Victor's less-loyal men took control of the situation. When she reached the panel she lifted his clenched fist to the scanner.

  She pushed his head against the wall, hoping he would mutter anything to activate the program. Pulling out her knife she held it to his face. "I will cut out your eyes and leave you here for the zombies to feast on."

  "Screw you."

  The green light clicked on and a white line went up and down the panel. She wrenched his hand open and slapped it onto the flat surface. The hatch hissed as it slid open and Victor's men were the first to start climbing.

  Metal doors slammed into the walls outside the main room and Ally heard the footsteps of hundreds of ghouls heading in multiple directions. They had less than a minute before they would be engulfed in reaching hands and gaping maws.

  The last of Victor's men went and she pushed Sean into the small room with Kevin behind him.

  "What about you?" Kevin asked while she watched Sean get to a safe height.

  "I'll be up in a minute, go."

  Daniel's hands were holding his weapon so tight his knuckles were white. "You decide who goes next. I'll hold them off as long as I can."

  "What about me?" Victor seemed scared for the first time.

  "Shut up, Victor," several people said.

  Ally caught sight of Ben as he rounded a corner from the back. Heart pounding in her chest, stomach tightening, she lifted her Glock.

  "Wait, it's me…I'm not—"

  She turned when something moved behind her, too late. Two zombies tackled her to the ground. Kevin looked down from the ladder, eyes watering. Gunshots drowned out anything she might have said. Screams made her focus on one of the few things she was good at: killing.

  Teeth snapped in front of her face, somewhere lower down the second zombie gnawed on her thigh. For now, the battle plating in her uniform was holding. She moved herself to the right then to the left, hoping to gain some freedom.

  Victor sat behind her, doing nothing. Two more people went up the ladder and she hoped Daniel made it out. He was Sean's best chance of survival.

  Her hand gripped the hilt of her machete, with barely enough room to pull it from its sheath. She couldn’t swing it, or build up the momentum she'd need in case of bastards. Jabbing at the mid-section several times released a tepid ooze, which leaked out and soaked her jacket. She continued until she was able to get the blade out and drove it down into the head of the zombie slobbering on her leg. It bounced off the thing's skull like she suspected it would.

  Her left arm shook from the weight it held, the creature above her pressing down harder every second. A thin line of drool hung from its mouth and she turned her face away. In the background she heard guns firing. She pushed with her right arm, trying to stop the other ghoul. More screams and the sound of tearing flesh in a moment of silence. Gunshots filled the narrow hallway once more and she wished someone would help her out. She screamed in frustration, the noise pausing the zombie trying to eat her. She took the opportunity and sunk the tip of the machete about five inches into the monster's mouth. Shock ran through her when it pulled away and reached for the blade, the sharp edge cutting three of its fingers off.

  What the hell? Had the doctor's meddling created some sort of super zombie? Whatever the answer, she was relieved they'd be staying down here. With her right arm free she dropped the long blade and pulled out a small pistol. Holding it up to the ear of the one above her she fired. The first bullet stunned the thing on top of her, but didn't stop it. She adjusted the angle to make sure the next one entered the brain. The second pull of the trigger had the desired effect.

  Pushing the now-still zombie off of her, she focused on the one working its way up her body. A hand with missing fingers clawed at her, leaving trails of syrupy blood. She kicked at it, wondering why the firing of guns was slowing to a few lonely pops.

  Stealing a look at the exit hatch, she saw a pair of boots hustling up: Victor's. Hoping it wasn't already too late, she put the tip of her pistol into the eye of the zombie snaking up her body and fired. The orb ruptured spurting liquids of all colors onto her chest. She pushed back with the heels of her feet until she reached the wall. Once she sat up, she saw Ben fighting off two zombies with his bare hands. He punched one in the throat, grabbing the spine and yanking. The bone d
idn't break—a bastard—but enough damage was done that it couldn't move well.

  Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she looked up at Daniel. He motioned her to the ladder but she shook her head. "You go first, I'll cover you."

  On her feet, she accepted the rifle Daniel handed her before he scrambled up the ladder. She fired a few knee-shots at the approaching zombies, staggering them a bit, buying her mere seconds.

  Ben kicked one in the chest and sent it sprawling into a zombie trio. He glanced at her through the gore covering him. She wanted to ask how he survived, if there were others, but she didn't have the time. Tossing the A-19 over her shoulder, she went for the ladder, with Ben right behind her.

  "Ally, these bastards can climb, move it," he said.

  She picked up the pace, almost losing her grip a few times. Strong hands pulled her up and into the crumbling hallway of the building that once used to be the security headquarters of the United States. Ben's head peered over the ledge and large hands hoisted him out.

  "Back away," yelled Daniel.

  Ally saw him activate a grenade and drop it down the small chute, jumping back when a blood-covered hand reached for his boot. Ally shoved the cover in place and rolled away as the explosion rumbled beneath them. The floor rippled in places but didn't give way.

  "Glad that part's over," Daniel said.

  Moans and the shuffling sound of dragging limbs echoed around the room they were in. "Might have spoken too soon. They've been gathering up here. We've been feeding the damn things by putting people in that pit," Ally said.

  Sean came up and helped her to her feet. She grabbed the bag off his shoulders, so nothing would slow him down in a run for it. Kevin smiled at her, relief easy to see in his eyes, no matter how dark the room was.

  "Okay, let's get going. The trucks are that way," she said, pointing down the hallway where the offending noise came from. "But we're going to take the long way around, yeah? It'll increase our chances of making it out of this in one piece."

  "What about him? He was locked in the room…he should be one of those things," Victor said, pointing at Ben.

  Ben roared as he charged Victor, wrapping a thick hand around the former leader's throat. No one moved to help Victor, and Ally knew no one would.

  "Asshole! I tried to tell them you weren't the kind-hearted type. That anything you did would be for your benefit, and yours alone. Over half the group drank your poison because they were too thirsty and hungry to think straight." He lifted, picking Victor's heels off the ground. "They turned quick, faster than I've ever seen before. Those of us who didn't fought them off, and most of them died because these smart ones blocked the exits. I fought my way through, killing people I knew, maiming others. When I left the room there were others in there…alive, and I left them. I have to live with that, but you…what you did? You deserve to die." Ben's hand tightened, Victor's face turned bright red.

  Ally walked up to her friend, putting a hand on his shoulder and glaring at Victor. "Make it quick, we need to move, or toss him out front so his screams provide a diversion." She didn't look into the man's eyes. He was a mass murderer by proxy and would have killed her without a second thought. There was a low thud and then a thump as the body hit the ground. Ben was going to use him as a diversion.

  "I hate to do this, Ally, but I saw you covered in zombies, and Ben…we need to make sure you guys aren't infected," Daniel said.

  Ally shrugged. "Do what you have to, but everyone gets checked."

  He nodded agreement and the next few minutes were spent inspecting everyone. One of Daniel's men started to scream, backing up when someone found a bite mark.

  "I'm not…I was careful. You're lying, Benson! You just want to save your own ass."

  Daniel walked through the center of the group. "Hawkins, shut your trap, you want to get us all killed? Let me see what Benson found."

  "Sir, I can't be…I don't want to die."

  Daniel approached the young man like one would an injured animal. Cautious steps, hands low and visible. "Kid, trust me, okay?" When Daniel was within reach, he disarmed Hawkins and had him on the floor in a second. He pulled up the man's sleeve, the one with a dark stain on it. A small section of skin, paler than the surrounding area, oozed with small bits of green.

  "Told you it would be okay. Take a breath and relax, Hawkins." The young man sighed as he closed his eyes in relief. Ally didn't see where the knife came from, but it was fast, and the man under Daniel spit up blood, hands grasping at his chest, eyes full of betrayal. And then he went limp. Daniel pulled the blade free and stood.

  "We good?" Daniel asked.

  No one spoke, or even seemed upset to Ally as she gave them a quick once over. This wasn't the first time something like this had had to be done, and it wouldn't be the last. Memories of living topside came back to her. She'd been sheltered, the occasional run for supplies not nearly enough to help her keep a killer edge. Sean's brown eyes stared at her and she firmed up her resolve; people were depending on her.

  "Let's go, we're out of time."

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ben grunted when he picked Victor up. "I can buy us a few minutes."

  The big man walked thirty feet down the outer hall. He lowered the limp body and tied the hands and feet together. Then he punched Victor hard enough in the face to flatten his nose. Blood dribbled out, coating the semi-conscious man.

  Staring at her friend, she wondered if she could be that heartless. If she could be like Victor, cruel and manipulative. Putting an arm across Sean's shoulders, she turned him around, he didn't need to see this.

  "Ally! I know you can hear me. I did a lot of things, but I didn't touch Joseph. I know who did, though." She turned in time to catch Ben kicking the prone man in the face. His teeth cracking together made her wince.

  The others looked around, unsure what to think. When Ben was close enough, she asked what was on the tip of everyone's tongue. "Why didn't you wait? He said–"

  Ben laughed. "The guy would have said anything to save his ass, you know that. Not to mention, he would have said you did it. Remember his 'Ally is the murderer' witch-hunt the last couple of days?"

  She thought about everything that had happened. Had it only been a few days since everything went sideways? A quick look to Daniel and the remainder of guards used by Victor made her feel tired. Fatigue kicked in and it felt like weeks since she'd last slept.

  "Can we go now?" Daniel asked.

  Ally led them out the back entrance. They needed to stop several times to push aside beams and other bits of debris they'd put in place months ago to block the huge hole. When they cleared it, Ally and Daniel went out first. Decrepit zombies roamed on burnt fields of grass. Their skin rippled with the movement of the bacteria inside them.

  "I'll go prep the truck. We'll be able to fit in mine."

  Ally nodded, and two by two, their group rounded the side of the building. The first eight went with no problem, and then they heard a scream. Ben moved forward, a jagged length of metal in his hands. Ally followed, Kevin slipped into place behind her with Sean.

  "Ally, they're catching up to us."

  Kevin left the rest unsaid, which Ally was grateful for. She smiled at Sean and made a snap decision. Pulling him to her side, she held a finger to her lips. He nodded and stood behind her. Another scream followed by a gunshot propelled her forward.

  A small group of zombies was making a meal of someone. The body, hidden by ghouls ripping and tearing at flesh and muscle, could not be identified. One of Daniel's men had panicked, taking a few shots to stop the progress of the zombies who snapped their teeth in anticipation, which had alerted the rest: meals were nearby.

  Ally grabbed the man's shaking hand and lowered the Glock. "Idiot! You'll bring them all running."

  He mumbled something and ran after the others. Ben was off, hacking and slashing with his crude, but effective, weapon. He sunk the torn end into skulls and yanked them open. He tore rib cages out, He shattere
d legs. She watched in fascination as he moved with skill and precision, balletic destruction. Everything was calculated, and it occurred to her to wonder if it applied to all aspects of his life...like killing Victor before he could say who killed Joseph.

  Gurgling at her feet stopped her wandering thoughts. She could ponder who the murderer was later; right now she had zombies to kill. Raising her boot, she ground it into the neck of the pathetic carcass clawing at her leg. Two more from the group passed behind her, only a few more left. She checked on Sean, and stepped forward, shoving her knife in the face of what might once have been a handsome man. Another one of the undead approached her from the left and she kicked it into a piece of rebar sticking out of a crumbled mass. The thing tried to wriggle free, but it was good and impaled.

  Her body finally slipped into gear and she didn't have to think about her actions. Roundhouse kick to the side of the head, knife twist in the eye, blow to sternum, crush head. She performed these actions with a few interesting variations until two more people scooted past her and she caught sight of Kevin rounding the corner. He signaled the all clear.

  A female zombie in a crusty dress ambled out of nowhere, bringing Ally back to the frenzy. She yanked her machete and slashed at the things neck. The skin split, but the head remained in place. Ally stumbled a bit in slick entrails on the ground, then took a breath to settle herself. This time when she swung, the head slid off and hit the ground rolling.

  Backing up, she met Kevin who was leading Sean to the others. Ally yelled at Ben to get clear, and soon the four of them were running toward Daniel's truck. Kevin jumped in the back first, Ally handing up Sean; she turned to see where Ben was and found herself pulled back by strong hands. Ben rounded the corner, dropping the hunk of metal, tripping the zombies close on his heels. He leapt into the truck and a barrier slid up, then whoever was behind the wheel gunned it.