Z-Boat (Book 3): Z-End

by Robb, Suzanne

  "Try the handle, this room still has power. The damn generators are somewhere," Ally said.

  After a bit of elbow grease, they opened the door. The hallway in front of them stood untouched by violence, like the room behind them. No doors or windows, just a single passageway. They walked thirty feet to the exit at the end.

  A small glass window was covered with warning symbols and Ally knew they were entering a dangerous area. Steve kicked the handle and jumped back a few feet.

  "Clear."

  She followed behind him with Emma taking the rear. Bits of glass crunched on the floor beneath their feet and Ally realized the lights had been shot out. They walked by several doors, these ones standing open, still sporting their knobs, and not painted black. She peered in a few, but they were simple research offices. Any information she might find wasn't going to help them now. As they continued to move, they heard the now-familiar screech of a survivor.

  "Get ready," Steve said raising his weapon.

  Ally lifted her Micro Galil as the first one rounded the corner. She didn't fire immediately, so taken aback by what she saw. Steve showed no hesitation and put four bullets in the thing's chest and managed to graze the side of its head. While one of the men Ally recognized as part of Jason's crew shook his head to clear it she put a bullet between his eyes.

  "Well. Now we know we can get infected by them, as well. Fucking fantastic," Steve said.

  Emma stared at Ally's hand, the place where the night before she'd been scratched by one of the survivors.

  "I'm fine. Let's keep moving." Ally took over the lead spot from Steve in order to avoid a heart to heart with Emma.

  The hum of machinery and the smell of engine grease put her at ease. They were close. A few more turns and then it was a matter of following the signs. The floor showed several signs of foot traffic, new and old. The door was propped open and light spilled out.

  They spent a few minutes checking for additional exits, supplies, nooks and crannies until they felt safe. Ally had closed the door when they came in and locked it to insure no surprise visitors caught them off guard. Steve checked the circuit breakers and flipped a few, marking them as key to accomplishing their goal. Ally did some of her own searching and made sure the cranes were all on-line. She grabbed a portable diagnostic pack and picked up a stack of paperwork. She read over the reports of three subs; two were in for repair, one was its way out. Only two were in the clamps, so one must have been released by someone after the site went to hell.

  Emma wiped her hands on a rag and smiled. "Well, I have to give credit to the Firms, they knew how to design generators. This one runs on thorium, with an underground pump to suck in ocean water as coolant. As long as no one touches anything, this baby will run for a thousand years."

  "Seriously? I thought thorium was bought up and hidden by the Firms," Ally said.

  "Apparently not. My guess, that's what those scientists were developing down the hall."

  Both Ally and Steve looked at one another. "The new submarine."

  Ally accessed a console and pulled file after file until she found it. A submarine powered by thorium. A small amount in an engine roughly the size of a truck would run a submarine for six hundred years. The calculations were estimates and the research read like nonsense to Ally, but if it was true, it meant fuel would never be an issue. She checked the logs and the submarine in the clamp was being prepped for a test run. Skimming the notes she stopped at a section warning of the dangers, given the amount of debris in the ocean. Filters were built in, but nothing had been field tested.

  "Steve, is everything in here set so we have power where we need it?"

  "Yes, and if what I'm reading is right, we both know we need to get that submarine into the water."

  Emma stared at them.

  "Okay, we leave here, lock the door. Barricade it if we have to, and get back to the barge. We have a lot of work to do." Ally grabbed a length of chain from a box of discarded motor parts.

  Sweat covered Ally's body by the time they finished, but she doubted anyone would be getting inside the room. They started to go back the way they came when Emma opened a door that led to a different area. Steve ignored her and walked on, but Ally followed. She didn't know if the woman was trying to get herself killed because she thought she was infected or if she wanted to find Slip and Caleb.

  "Thanks," Emma said.

  "It's what Slip would have done…Caleb not so much."

  Emma smiled then turned forward, her face hidden in shadows. Ally built a basic model of the building in her head. The medical facility was newer, attached by two separate corridors. They'd never know why, but knowing how isolated the people here were, she doubted they were trying to save anyone.

  A raspy breath stopped their movement. Scanning the area, Ally found Caleb, claw marks covering his body. He glared at her when she shone the light in his eyes.

  "Turn that...damn thing…off."

  She examined him and found several deep wounds, none of which came from a zombie. He swatted her hands away weakly.

  "Jason…he's changing…get out."

  Ally figured as much after running into one of his goons. The three men who showed up at the barge last night were probably terrified, somehow avoiding infection. A high pitched laugh sounded, and this time the light was on Ally.

  "There you are. I was wondering when you'd show that pretty, pretty face. I bet Kevin misses you. What do you think?"

  Ally stayed within arm's reach of Emma.

  "Jason, still working the creep angle. I guess you have to use what you got." Ally noticed his skin was a few shades paler, and a large moon-shaped mark on his hand oozed pus.

  "Come now, this isn't the time for insults. I know loverboy gunned down my men in cold blood. That was not nice."

  Ally felt the anger in her gather. "He did no such thing. Your men threatened him."

  Jason took a slithery step forward. "They did no such thing. We wanted help. After you forced us into that alley we ran into some trouble. They cooked and ate one of my men, made us watch. Gave us some love bites. When I realized we were infected, I distracted those wretches while the others made for the barge to beg to get help."

  She felt her heart pound against her ribcage. "Then why did they have weapons?"

  Jason frowned. "They didn't. I forbade it so they'd be heard and not gunned down in cold blood!" He roared the last bit.

  Ally went numb, unsure what to believe. Emma grabbed her arm, but she pulled away. Laughter echoed all around her. Slip's face flashed in front of her. Emma screamed. Slip's body fell to the ground, his throat slit. The pool of blood grew. A man grabbed Emma, holding a knife to her throat.

  "I wouldn't do that," Ally said, snapped out of her stupor. She rotated her wrist and something small slipped into her hand.

  The man ignored her and before he had a chance to blink, Ally embedded a small blade in his throat. He let go of Emma to try and stop the bleeding but Ally knew he was as good as dead. Emma lurched forward and tripped over Caleb's dead body.

  A screech erupted from Jason's throat as he leaped toward her. Ally drove the knife into his chest, straight to his heart. Blood dribbled from his mouth and his eyes closed a final time. She pushed him off and got to her feet. There was another one somewhere. Emma crouched next to Slip and closed his eyes.

  "We need to move now. There's another one in here. And the survivors."

  Emma hurried to follow, babbling the whole time. "I guess I'm not infected. You think Steve's okay?"

  Ally focused on finding an exit. Conversations were for later. She checked doors, signs, and tracks in the dust. After twenty minutes Ally felt the tension leave her body as she saw light at the end of the hallway. She picked up three bags on the way out, wincing when the bottles clinked against one another.

  The moment she stepped into the light, she sucked in a breath of air. Her relief was short-lived when she saw Steve in the middle of the front area. He sat on the ground with his Groza
across his chest.

  No zombies around. No sign of the survivors. No visible wounds…just him, alone. She approached with caution, and saw the panel in his hand. He didn't move.

  "Steve, everything okay?"

  "What was my dad like?"

  Caught off guard, Ally fumbled for words. "He was, you know…Brian. Our goofy captain."

  "Was he a good man? A loving father to his kids?"

  Ally nodded, and then answered when she realized he couldn't see her. "He was one of the best. Had a lot of enemies, but far more friends. He didn't talk much about his family, but I know the whole reason he did what he did, took all those risky jobs, was to support them."

  "I wish he'd raised me. If he had, I might be a good man, too."

  "What are you talking about?" Ally put a hand on her Glock.

  "I don't know. Let's get out of here. I take it the others didn't make it."

  Ally accepted the topic change, though she worried he might be losing it, like Kevin...like her?

  "No, they didn't. One of Jason's thugs is on the loose, a bit faster than he was yesterday, and you saw there was no indication our group made it here. My guess is that bone pile was as far as they got."

  "Guys, can we go now?" Emma said.

  The three of them made their way back to the barge with no problems. What greeted them kicked Ally into red alert mode. Seven bodies with deep gouge marks were strewn about the pier and area in front of it. At least a dozen men and women held their weapons in shaky hands. One even let a shot off and barely missed Emma.

  "What the hell? Calm down people," Steve ordered.

  Ally checked the bodies, and relief flooded her when none of them were Kevin. A grizzled man with a long matted beard approached them.

  "'Bout fifteen minutes after you left, these things…banshees, I'd swear, came out of nowhere. They moved so damn fast, never seen anything like it. We clipped a couple, but they did far worse to us."

  Steve put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Harry, you're alive, I'm sure you and the others saved a lot of lives today."

  Ally added another name to her list, not happy about it. The only things she cared about were making sure Sean was okay and finding Kevin. She offered a few words of condolences and made her way onto the barge's deck. Kevin was underneath a bench, arms wrapped around his legs. He avoided Ally's eyes but accepted her hand when she offered it. Ally left Steve to explain what happened and the discovery of the submarine with the potential to run forever.

  "In the back with a knife. We lost seven today and killed two. They're very fast. Came right after you left. Think they knew." His voice was soft, like a child's.

  Ally stopped and stared at Kevin. "What do you mean? You were attacked? Are you okay? Where's Sean?"

  "Creatures came at us. Yes. Fine. Below deck."

  She rubbed his hands and felt his face. His eyes darted around. "Kevin, please you need to calm down. Everything's fine. I'm back now. We're going to be fine."

  Nothing worked, and then she had an idea. "Kevin, I need you to be fine. I need you to pull it together. I need you."

  His eyes met hers for a second then returned. "If you need me. I'll try."

  "Good." She gave him a kiss, not caring if anyone saw.

  Ally eased onto the cot she shared with Kevin. He went off to get them something to eat after she'd made sure he was back to normal. The weird way he spoke and the things he'd said earlier repeated over and over. Something about…the knife in the back. She'd have to ask about that. Did he feel betrayed?

  "Ally, are you going to stay now? I don't like it when you leave." Sean sat on the edge of the cot's frame and fidgeted with his hands.

  "Hey, kiddo, I'm doing my best. Trust me. This is all going to be worth it. Soon, we're going to be on a submarine and no zombie will be able to get us."

  "Promise?"

  "Promise," she said, holding out her pinky to entangle with his.

  She pulled him down next to her and ran her fingers through his hair the way he liked. In moments he was asleep and she dozed off soon after, visions of a knife in someone's back.

  Ally woke to a cold cup of broth and Sean nowhere in sight. She sipped the horrid drink, then realized she was dragging it out and forced it down in a single swallow. Voices floated down to her from above deck, and they didn't seem happy.

  "You've lost it. No guns, no weapons. I wouldn't trust you with a spoon right now," Steve said.

  Ally peered around the edge of the wall to see who he was talking to and saw Kevin, his nose bloody and lip split. She rushed forward.

  "What the hell is going on here?"

  Kevin paled and looked away.

  "Your boyfriend here tried to shove me overboard."

  "I did not." Kevin clenched his fists.

  "Did, too." Steve shoved Kevin in the chest.

  "Both of you stop right now. I don't care what happened, neither one of you is in a good place. I'll cut you some slack this time, but that's it. Get your shit together."

  Kevin left first, eyes downcast.

  "He's not okay, you have to know that. The others told me he's been acting strange when you're not around. I know you don't want to hear it, but you need to."

  Ally bit her lip. "Right, and you're the most together person right now? Do I even want to know why you were sitting by yourself in a field, questioning me about your dad?"

  Steve pulled the panel he'd been holding then and tossed it at her. "That's why. Have a look and then get back to me." He walked off.

  She sat on a ledge and wondered how much longer they could live like this. People were going stir crazy and the constant threats against them, zombies, sharks, people, and now savage survivors, had taken their toll.

  Ally slipped the panel into her pocket and wondered if she was crazy. Did she go around the bend and no one told her? She didn't think so, at least not yet. Her plan needed to be set in motion soon.

  Ally spent the rest of the day gathering items and eating another pathetic portion of soup. She went below to check on Sean and Amy, sad to see them sitting on their blanket playing some made-up game. Kids should play outside.

  Kevin snored softly. She picked his coat up off the floor and covered him with it. She'd taken Steve's advice and asked around about Kevin's demeanor, shocked to find his strange behavior went back almost a week. She blamed herself. She'd been so caught up in her own issues and focused on a specific goal, the people around her had gone neglected. Placing a kiss on his forehead, she whispered a promise to make it up to him.

  Sean eyed her when she sat next to him. "Okay, I'm leaving again, but if all goes well it should be one of the last times."

  "What about Kevin?"

  "What do you mean? He's going to stay here with you."

  Sean picked at a loose thread on his blanket. "Can't you take him with you? He's weird when you're not here."

  Ally glanced toward the cot. "Sean, what are you talking about? Kevin's doing his best to keep you safe."

  Sean stared up at her with wide eyes. "He says things that scare us. He only wants to protect you."

  She put her arm around him and ruffled his hair. "You know you have no reason to be jealous, right? You're my number one guy. No one is going to get in the way of that."

  "Please take him with you. Last time you were gone, he sat in the corner and talked to himself forever. He talked about getting rid of things for you." He squeezed her hand.

  "I'll see what I can do, but if Kevin comes with me, I need you to go back to that spot where you hid before. Deal?"

  Sean nodded.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Ally got to her feet, unsure where to start. She needed Steve to go with her, but he was no fan of Kevin. Her temple throbbed and she felt the beginnings of a headache. God, she hated drama.

  "Kevin, time to get up. We're going on a quick trip."

  He sat up, eyes wide, fully alert. "You need me to go with you?"

  "Yes."

  He gave her a strange look.
"Why? You have Steve."

  Ally didn't like his tone, but didn't have time to deal with jealousy. "Yeah, but I want you there, too. I need someone I can trust."

  His chest puffed out at the compliment and he dressed in seconds.

  Ally left him to finish what he was doing and track down Steve. If she explained the situation, he might understand. She found him near one of the meal push crates. Their ample supplies had suffered over the last week. Fewer than two dozen remained at the bottom.

  "What do you want, Ally? Here to tell me about good ol' dad?"

  She thought for a moment then remembered the panel. "Sorry, I haven't looked at it yet. I wanted to make a quick run to the control room for the cranes and get number three into the water."

  He slammed the lid shut and locked it. "Fine, I'll get a few people together and meet you up top."

  "Great, Kevin's coming–"

  "The hell he is. That man is unhinged."

  Ally squared her shoulders. "Listen, you wanted me to keep an eye on him, this is how. Plus, it might do him some good to get off this barge for a bit."

  Steve jabbed a finger at her chest. "I don't like him. He's your responsibility. If he so much as looks at me funny, I'll put him down."

  Ally rolled her eyes. "God, people are so dramatic. The planet is broken. The world is ending. Can we get some goddamn perspective?"

  Minutes later, Kevin waited next to her, hands in his pocket. She'd told him to stay close and gave him a Ruger. Steve would freak if he saw Kevin with an A-19, so she figured this was the lesser of two evils.

  She didn't think it would come to that. People were edgy, seeing shadows and enemies where there was nothing. Spending so many years isolated on a submarine with a handful of people had prepared her better than the others. The zombies and survivors, well no one could really prepare for that.

  "Steve doesn't like me."

  "Nobody likes anybody on this thing. It's a mix of three different crews, there's a lot of mistrust."