Z-Boat (Book 3): Z-End

by Robb, Suzanne

  "Maybe later."

  The woman shrugged and fell in stride with no further comment. Ally saw the old Wildlife Refuge Center building. Now it was one of the machine rooms that the cranes were operated from. She waved the group ahead, not wanting to risk a run-in with Jason. They passed two more sets of water tanks, eroded metal legs moaning in the breeze. Years of being left at the mercy of the ocean air and toxic rain had turned them into disintegrating towers of rust.

  Two streets ahead was the main airplane hangar, ten times the size of the one where they'd found the small group of deformed people. Could a larger group have locked them in there because they knew something was wrong? Would a stronger, or more deformed collection of people be waiting for them?

  Her mind swirled with questions, none of which she voiced. The others were antsy enough because of her, no need to freak them out any more. She noted the paint job, and after closer inspection, scratches. A fingernail stuck in place by blood.

  "You three, circle east. We'll meet in the back."

  Ally took Emma with her and two others she whose names she didn't remember, not that it mattered. She'd learned to avoid remembering names until someone lasted on three separate outings. Small stones crunched beneath their boots and Ally noticed a spot where liquid had leaked out. From the color, it could have been blood or rust, too old to identify. They heard gunfire and raced to the back to find the other three members of their team surrounded by Jason and his men. Weapons were raised and pointed. If anybody fired, it would be a bloodbath. Jason's voice reached her ears before he picked up on her presence.

  "You have no idea what's going on here. This island is cursed. You're dealing with zombies made from mutated people. We need to leave." His voice was high and frantic.

  Ally moved so a concrete barrier protected her. She crouched before speaking. "We know, Jason. We saw the hangar. I take it you knew about it and kept it from us?"

  He spun and fired a shot in her direction. "Go to hell, Ally. I'm sick of you."

  Five more rounds bit into the ground beside her, spitting gravel into her face. "Tell me how you knew."

  She heard him kick at something and swear. "Someone told me, I can't remember who. I didn't believe them, but the shit I've seen. The survivors here are more dangerous than the zombies."

  What little light they had was fading and Jason was making enough noise to attract the dead from the other side of the island. She got to a knee and took out of one of Jason's men. He fell, clutching at his leg. Emma dropped another. More shots sprayed, and Jason yelled for a retreat before scrambling behind a building. Four bodies lay on the ground, three from Jason's group and one from Ally's.

  "Get their weapons," Ally said.

  "Behind—"

  She felt her hair move and the tiniest sting on her cheek as the bullet whizzed by, taking her glasses with it.

  Emma knocked her to the ground as something jumped over her and smashed into one of her men. He screamed as shots echoed between the buildings, and the moans of approaching undead filled the air. She looked around frantically for a better vantage point, more cover, safety.

  "Should I pop a flare?" a male voice asked.

  "No, we're not that desperate yet," Ally said.

  She backed up against the wall of the hangar. A ladder dangled five feet above her. Could these things climb? They were about to find out. "Everyone up that ladder, now, one by one, if you aren't climbing you're on guard."

  One of Jason's men forced his way to the front of the line. He jumped up and caught the first rung. Shots to her left, she turned to see a zombie fall to the ground.

  "On your right," Emma said.

  She turned with her weapon raised and fired. It screeched at her, sharpened teeth gleaming in the last bits of daylight. Ally fired three times before she took it out with a shot to the heart. The son of a bitch was fast. She assumed it was the creatures that had Jason spooked.

  Two more came tearing out of an alley between an old storage shed and a modern office. Ally got one in the knee to slow it down and took out the other with a lucky shot to the head. Emma finished off the one on the ground.

  "Emma's next in that goddamn line," Ally said.

  One person after Emma, and then Ally would go up. She wanted to ask how things were up on top, but waited. The building he hid in was next to the alley where the two survivors came from, and she wondered if he'd stirred up a nest. No sense letting him know what he couldn't see.

  In front her lay seven dead zombies and three dead survivors. When the last person went up the ladder, she shouldered her Micro Galil and went after them. The roof provided them a measure of protection. The zombies milled around, making easy targets. The survivors ran all over the place shredding anything they came in contact with.

  Near-panicked gunfire tracked the running targets, and Ally ordered them to stop when they'd expended a full clip each with only two of monsters down. When the smoke cleared, the screeches echoed for several minutes, but there was no other sign of the things.

  "Do you want to send a flare up now?" A middle-aged man stood in front of her, blood dripping from a cut on his hand.

  Ally debated the pros and cons. Did they need help? What about the gunfire from earlier? Would she be alerting other survivors to their whereabouts and then leading her crew into a trap?

  Emma's voice stopped Ally's musing. "Doug, I think right now we need to talk to Jason's men."

  Ally caught the look sent her way: suck it up and learn people's names. Either Emma was perceptive on a level Ally had never seen, or her reluctance to get attached to people was nothing new. She guessed it was the latter, after a quick inventory of the rooftop. Each of her people were on their own, staring down off the side of the building. Only one pair stood together.

  Jason's men.

  They stood in the middle by an air outlet. One of them was trying to kick the cover off with his foot.

  "Hey, genius, what do you plan on doing when you get that off? You fancy a plunge of a hundred feet to your death?"

  She moved to the side in time to avoid the glob of spit aimed at her. She reached out and wrapped her fingers around his windpipe. Slapping his hands away with her free one, she dragged him to the closest ledge and hauled him up so he was half over it. His struggling stopped when he realized what was happening.

  "You crazy, bitch, you can't kill me."

  "You killed one of mine."

  "Because…you can't…I know things, important things."

  "Wow, I'm convinced." Ally let him fall forward a few inches.

  "Okay, hold on. I know about the survivors, what happened to them."

  Ally gripped his collar and leaned him over another inch. "I want to know everything Jason has done since he stepped foot on this island and what his plans are."

  The spray of warm liquid on her face confused her. The remnants of the man's head shocked her into dropping him. "What the…"

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The man named Doug kicked her legs out from beneath her. "Get down."

  No more shots rang out. Ally crawled toward the two of Jason's men left. "You see what he's doing? He's going to kill you. If you want to end up like your friend, by all means, take a walk around the perimeter. If you want to live, I suggest you share what you know and give me a reason to think your life is worth it."

  She heard the clink and roll, a sound so familiar to her there was no need to question her body's instincts. Her hand found the grenade and tossed it back in the direction it came. Three seconds later, screams erupted from the alley between buildings.

  They looked at her with something close to awe. Her hands shook and she gripped her rifle to hide the tremors. Old habits were hard to break, but she considered consistently risking her life might be one she should hang up.

  "That was pretty badass." Doug slapped her on the back.

  She smiled in return. The remaining two prisoners looked at one another then nodded. "We'll tell you what we know."

 
; "Good." She turned to Doug and Emma. "I want two people with me. The others find a place and check on the situation below intermittently. If anyone goes to the hangar, they'll see my message to head this way. Though, we made enough noise to alert them that something was going down." Ally stole one last look to see if anyone on the ground was moving in their direction, but saw nothing.

  Ally, Emma, and a man named Stewart formed a half circle to listen to their captives' information. Jason had gotten to the back-up generators and found some of them on. They worked to fix the others, but the survivors surprised them and they lost two men. When they found the crane control room, Jason discovered a panel with all the information about all the submarines in dock. He wanted the one in Clamp Three and planned to lower it after begging Steve and Ally to take them back .

  "You want me to believe that Jason wants to hug it out? After taking off on us and throwing a grenade up here?" She dared to raise her voice toward the end of her statement. The men cowered.

  "He's not thinking rationally," one of them said.

  "You don't say," Emma said.

  Ally grinned into the scope, looking at the crane they mentioned. The newer model submarine. A good choice, but tough to get down with a small team. Jason needed their help, and then they'd be dispensable...again.

  "We've got someone approaching."

  Ally ran toward the voice and took a peek over the side. In the darkness, she barely recognized Steve.

  "Careful, you're in the middle of a standoff with zombies, psycho survivors, and Jason."

  "Good to hear your voice, and thanks for the heads up. Think you can cover us?" Steve asked.

  "Nope. They picked off one of their own men. You need to find somewhere else. Try the inside of the hangar. I'll figure out a different way in."

  "Sounds good, see you soon."

  Ally waited until the footsteps below were out of range. Another minute and she felt confident enough to return to the center area. Eight exhaust vents and four air intakes were their only options. The roof spanned further than she could see, so she broke the team into two sets, one of Jason's men with each.

  Doug and Emma came with her, Ally's choice so she didn't have to learn too many new names. There was a teenager losing a fight with acne named Slip, a guy with a cocky smile who said his name was whatever she wanted it to be, and an olive-skinned woman in her thirties with dark eyes and hair called Liv. Last but not least, Joe, Jason's man.

  They pushed and shoved the covers on the vents. Ally knew it was a longshot, but with the corrosion from the ocean air mixed with the age of the buildings, they might get lucky. Someone from the other group whistled, and then a scream pierced the quiet.

  Ally ran over, not bothering to crouch. Two bullets missed her. When she reached the others, they were kneeling around a hole. A beam of light shone down on an old air vent, and on top of it, Jason's guy.

  "What the hell happened?" Ally tried to make out their faces, but the darkness made it difficult.

  "He slipped."

  Ally sized up the man talking. The four with him bowed their heads. Was it out of respect or fear?

  "Got a problem with a traitor getting what he deserves?"

  Ally remained silent.

  "Caleb, calm down. We're on the same side here." Emma eyed Ally who rolled her eyes in response.

  She didn't care what his name was. What mattered was whether or not he tossed someone to their death to find out what was waiting for them.

  What was Steve doing? He should be inside by now.

  "Emma and Slip, go take a look and see if Steve found a way past those front gates."

  Ally kept an eye on Caleb in case he decided to chuck someone else in the hole. The beam of her flashlight covered a lot of area, but not enough. Two super cargo jets were parked inside, their wings sticking at odd angles. Something glistened on the floor. She strained to listen, but other than the breathing of those around her, nothing registered.

  Lights flickered in the barracks area and she guessed the other team decided to set up camp there instead of walking into a bad situation in the dark. She hated not knowing what was going on with the others. Was Sean okay? Did Jason try to go back to the barge now that their numbers were split three ways? Her hand clenched and she tasted blood in her mouth from biting her tongue.

  "No sign of them, maybe they went to a different building," Emma said.

  "Let's get in there. I don't like being out here." Ally hung over the edge of the hole and examined the ceiling; as she suspected it was a basic skeletal structure made of straight metal beams forming V shapes at the top.

  If she made it to the lowest beam she still had a good twenty foot drop to the highest point of the cargo plane. She weighed her recent injuries, and in all likelihood, she'd make something worse. A quick look at Caleb let her know he'd be teaching people to fly if she didn't figure something out. She slipped on her gloves and made a decision.

  "First things first. I'm going to try and make it way to the center beam. If I do, follow my lead, if not, try something else." She flashed a smile. "Whichever. It won't be my problem, then."She dropped down, her hands sticking to the metal with ease.

  The first beam didn't pose a problem, but the second one was farther than she'd anticipated. On her first swing, she felt stitches tear and her tender areas burned. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to keep moving. Her left hand stuck, the right fumbling. Her arm swung in the air and she saw the ground beneath her. A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead and onto her cheek.

  "Don't look down. You can do it," said Liv's calm voice.

  Ally imagined Sean's face and forced herself to get hold of the bar. She kicked her feet until they found traction. Five minutes later, she balanced above the angled wing of the larger plane.

  She looped her arm and her elbow locked in place around one of the support rods to scan the area with her flashlight once more. Nothing moved in her limited scope. She killed the light, secured her rifle, and took a breath before falling to the wing. Her hip flared with pain when she hit, her shoulder next when she bounced. Reaching out for traction, she rolled a few times then slid to the joint where wing met body.

  Not moving, she took a quick inventory of her body. More bruises, a wet spot from something bleeding on her side, and a numb shoulder. Worse than she'd hoped, better than she'd expected. Rubbing her arm, she saw Emma making her way over on the thick center beam.

  "Hold on, I'm going to see if I can get you some rope. No sense in all of us having to make that jump." Ally used the fading beam of her flashlight once more, this time seeing things that made her uneasy.

  The hangar was larger that she'd thought. A section of it was hidden from view because of the L shape. The floor was marked with puddles of a dark liquid and the odor of mildew and rot assaulted her senses. She searched for anything that might double as a rope. A collection of cables in the back corner next to a portable maintenance station gave her hope.

  She eased herself down so she hung off the edge of the wing, her feet about eight feet from the ground. Letting go, she hit the floor, rolled, and got to her knees, Micro Galil at the ready. The dead body of Jason's man had landed a few feet away. A shadow moved in the corner, the sound of something running on the floor, a groan, wind from a broken window.

  With slow deliberate steps she approached her destination. Shredded wires, splintered diagnostic screens, and jagged bits of metal were scattered on the floor. She heard steps behind her, turning she saw a zombie and resisted the urge to pull the trigger. The thing made a gurgling noise in its throat and reached for her.

  She doubted it was a bastard, the island being isolated from the mainland. Every time it lifted its feet she heard a slurping noise. Ally reached down for one of the metal fragments and drove it into the top of the thing's head when it got close enough. Her hand sunk in three inches before she stopped the momentum. She stripped off the glove and tossed it to the ground.

  "Ally, you okay down there?" Emma's vo
ice trembled.

  Ally didn't respond right away in case something else lurked nearby. She gathered up wires and ran back to the plane. A work ladder nearby helped her get to a safe height so she could knot the cables together.

  "I'm almost done, hang on."

  Ally used her knife to strip off bits of plastic and weave wires with one another. Blood flowed freely from tiny cuts on her fingertips. When it felt secure enough, she tested it with her own weight by hanging off the wing. Happy with the results. She threw the make-shift rope up, trying several times before it went over the beam and Emma could tie it.

  Emma hit the wing a second later and held the base of the lifeline while Joe, Slip, Doug, and then Liv descended. Caleb was the last to come, and when he was at the halfway point the cables gave out and he tumbled, hitting the end of the wing and falling to the floor. He yelled something about Ally's inability to do anything right, then quieted. She went to check on him but he waved her off.

  When they were all on the ground, three more zombies ran toward them and were dealt with in quick succession. Ally debated turning on the lights, but decided if any of those crazy survivors were in here, they'd need all the advantage they could get.

  "Emma and Doug, you're with me. I want to see if the power works in here, if not we need to find the breaker box."

  Ally headed for the nearest wall and flipped several switches in hopes one of them was for the lights. Nothing happened. She used her flashlight to follow a series of cables encased in metal. They rounded the room, and came to the corner where the rest of the hangar remained hidden from view.

  Backing up, she turned to Emma. "We'll check out the planes, then as a group we'll tackle the other side. It's twice the size of this area." Ally noticed Caleb's limp. "Caleb, you think you can watch the gates over there while we go through these things?" She pointed at the planes beside her.

  "Yeah, make it quick. This place gives me the creeps."

  She nodded and went up the narrow staircase to the smaller of the two planes. Bullet holes riddled the side and a smear of red ran across the inside of the hatch. Emma's flashlight lit the cabin up and eight gaunt faces stared back at them. Ally almost lost her stomach when one of them reached to grab her.