Dawnland (Book 2): Hella Kills

by Karen Carr

  I stopped next to two large monuments that had fallen over long ago and another few smaller graves. “Galen, Broder,” I said, offering them a seat on the monument. “I have something to tell you Galen.”

  “Now?” Galen said. He was scanning the place, like he feared the dead. A couple of thunder claps boomed overhead, the wind picked up some more and the rain drops came down faster.

  “Now,” I said, wiping the water from my face. It felt good to get a natural shower.

  “Go on then.” Galen folded his arms. “But I’m not sitting on that thing. Have some respect.”

  I proceeded to tell them all about my virus. By the time I was done, Broder had a big grin on his face and gave me the thumbs-up. He believed me one hundred percent. Galen took more convincing, and had to examine more of the bodies, but in the end he believed me too, especially with Zora convincing him by getting angry and saying we were wasting time. Huck was the only one who looked disappointed in me. I had to get it off my chest, I had to tell them. They had to know for their own safety—we owed them that much after losing Candy.

  Next, we discussed the plan to invade Haverlyn Village even though it was pouring heavy rain. No one seemed to mind getting wet, Zora lifted her face to the sky and let the rain drops clean it, Lily tossled her hair and combed it with her fingers and Stan cupped his hands, caught the drops, and brought them to his mouth. What felt odd was planning a sneak attack into my own home, but we had no choice.

  We determined that we could make it to the Professor’s apartment and I since I had the keys we would be able to enter. The Professor’s apartment was loaded with surveillance equipment, he had cameras positioned all over the green—on rooftops and electric poles and even on top of the stage. We would all go there first and then decide what to do next. It was a half plan, but these days we couldn’t really plan that far into the future, so it would have to do for now. By the time we were done with the plan, the rain had lighted up again, but had not stopped completely.

  We snuck through Purefoy Park and every time we past a corpse, Broder would kick it over and marvel at the brain damage, giving me a sweet smile when he was done. I gave him the thumbs up and winked at him several times, which made both of us laugh. Galen was amazed at hearing Broder’s laugh, which in turn warmed Huck up to the idea of revealing my secret. In all, letting my secret go was the best decision I had made in a long time. It had to bring Galen and Broder courage, so much that Broder may find his voice again. I smiled silently as we walked out of the park and toward the rows of brick townhomes and apartment leading us to the green.

  Galen rolled over a fresh kill and I noted that my virus had caught up to us from our dirt bike ride, explaining that it only stayed around me if I walked—running would pop the bubble for around five or more minutes. Stan and Galen jogged ahead down the sidewalk to make sure we were safe from the humans. Huck was nimble, his ankle giving him minimal pain and I had all forgotten about my elbow.

  I hadn’t been through this part of the village in a while. We mostly stayed in the center of town, where Oval Park Place circled the green in the middle, and outlined the shops across from the green. The times I had been close enough, walking through the alleys on the other side, I had not walked down the sidewalk in front of the townhomes.

  Leathered corpses were scattered everywhere, hanging out the windows, draped over the steps, in parked and abandoned cars. Halloween decorations were still evident too, with shells of shriveled up pumpkins, ghostly figures draped in sheets, and fake cemetery stones on the small lawns in front of the townhomes.

  We held our breath as we walked over several small children, all face down in the dirt, their clothes faded and worn with the weather, their flesh rotted away and their skin sticking to bone. No one said anything, but we exchanged horrified and sorrow filled looks. Huck grasped my hand and held it tight. He knew about my twelve year old sister and how painful it was for me to have no knowledge of her whereabouts, whether she was living or dead.

  The trek was too long, it was taking too much time. The light rain had grown into a downpour and we were all soaked to the bone. I wanted this over with. I wanted to finish the job, to rescue my friends, and to go back to the relative peacefulness of Pittsboro. My ambitions to save the world were muted by the fear in my stomach.

  The sound of the helicopter snapped me out of my despair and sent us scurrying for cover. We each ran up separate townhouse steps and plastered ourselves against the doorways. I heaved a sigh as I savored the dryness of the doorway while the helicopter flew over us. It was the same one from Walmart. Zeke was in that helicopter and it was heading for the green. Hopefully Zeke was still undercover. Hopefully the soldiers didn’t know each other well and would think he was one of the rest. My heart contracted when I thought of bad things happening to Zeke.

  The Professor’s house was a block away, through an alley. It was a third story condo facing the green. We’d be able to see everything from up there. We regrouped under the cover of an awning and whispered details of the plan. I was in charge of unlocking the place. Lily and Zora would go with me, with Broder and Stan in the middle and Huck and Galen covering our rear.

  Lily, Zora and I ran down last block, trying not to slip on the wet sidewalk and wiping the drops from our eyes to see. Stan and Broder were right behind us. We raced to the underground garage in the alley behind the condo, where we caught our breath. The garage had spaces for over two dozen cars, but only a few remained. Lily rested against one of them, a black Mercedes, while we waited for Huck and Galen. My heart pounded as the seconds ticked by. Minutes later they appeared and we gathered against the wall, all flicking water from our bodies, all except Broder. I opened the door to the back staircase and we all raced up it as swiftly and quietly as possible.

  The Professor’s apartment was on the third floor. We made it in no time and hadn’t been spotted. Opening the door was like opening a time capsule to our past, unbelievable that it was only a few nights ago when we were all here enjoying the Professor’s company. Snowball appeared meowing like crazy, and came right up to me—something she would never do if the Professor was home. I picked her up and petting her soft fur her while Lily and Zora jumped on his laptop.

  We dared not open the heavy red drapes covering the windows that overlooked the green, or turn on any of the lights, so we had to operate on what sunlight came from the transoms above the windows and the glow of the laptop. Lily opened the surveillance software and flipped through the cameras. Huck, Stan and Galen all struggled to get a view of the screen. I stayed back with the cat while Zora paced impatiently and Broder examined everything in the apartment with curiosity.

  “Stop,” Huck said when Lily reached the camera focused on the green.

  I dropped Snowball and peered over Huck’s shoulders. The screen showed the helicopter, now landed, with its blades slowly twisting down to a standstill. I stood transfixed on the helicopter’s open cargo hold, waiting to see who would disembark. I wasn’t disappointed when I saw Zeke come out first. He was armed and walked freely, like he was not a prisoner. Trevan came out next making Lily gasp with excitement.

  “He’s not hurt,” Lily whispered to herself.

  Zeke grabbed Trevan’s arm and shouted something at two other men dismounting from the helicopter. They ran off in another direction while Zeke brought Trevan toward the movie theater. Lily switched cameras to watch Zeke bring Trevan inside the theater. All of a sudden, before they made it inside, two zeroes wearing combat fatigues came barreling around the corner.

  I gasped. The zeroes were alive. I knew my virus had kicked in, but they were still alive. Galen and Broder gave me a puzzled expression.

  “I bit someone,” I explained. “When I bite a human who isn’t infected, who is not a zombie, they turn into one. My bite turns people into zombies,” I clarified, using the term zombie instead of zero so that they would understand better. I spoke slowly as I watched Zeke on the screen. He aimed his gun towards the zeroes. “T
he zombie I bit in turn bit others, and those people must have been bitten by him.”

  Zeke pulled the trigger twice, quickly slaying the zeroes, shooting them in the head while keeping his grasp on Trevan’s arm.

  “He’s being kind of rough with him,” Lily whispered.

  “Trevan can handle it,” I said.

  “We have to get down there,” Huck said.

  “Boa is in there too,” Zora added. “Locked up in the substation in the movie theater. They must have a set of keys if they are locking people up. You have a set of keys to the cells, Hella. I remember Boa and I took them. They were in that bag we gave back to you.”

  “Yea, I have keys. I took them from the zombified cop left in the substation. I have handcuffs too. They’re in my apartment now.” I looked at the computer and the picture of the green. There were over a dozen fatigue-clad soldiers strolling around, the helicopter and other military type vehicles driving around Oval Park Place. It was a verifiable military base in action. “We are going to have to get them.”

  “You’re not,” Huck said. He then turned toward Galen. “How fast can you change?” he asked Galen.

  “Why?” Galen asked.

  Huck touched his chin. “If we can get to those zombies Zeke just killed and take their uniforms, we might be able to make it to Hella’s apartment to get the key. We’ll pretend I was injured and you’re taking me to an apartment to rest.”

  “It may work,” Galen said.

  “Hella,” Huck said, turning to me with an apologetic look on his face. “I know you want to come, but will you sit this one out? You wait here, in the Professor’s apartment, while Galen and I get the keys?”

  “Is that a request or an order?” I asked. My shoulders tensed up.

  “It’s a request, Hella,” Huck let out a sigh. “I know better than to order you.”

  “Girl,” Zora said. “Those uniforms aren’t going to fit you or me, we have to let them go.”

  I reluctantly agreed. Huck and Galen left all their equipment, including their packs and extra guns and knives in hopes that the dead soldiers would have enough for them to carry and would help them fit in with the other soldiers. Before Huck left, he held me in his arms and kissed me on the forehead. When he was gone, the rest of us did our best to dry our hair and our clothes while we took turns watching the monitor.

  CHAPTER 15

  Zora, Lily and I with Broder and Stan waited and watched the laptop for Huck and Galen to appear by the dead guards. I sat at the desk, taking over control of the laptop while Lily did her best to dry off.

  I flipped away from the dead guards back to the camera that overlooked the entire green. The rain had mostly stopped, leaving the green muddied and puddled. Our vegetable garden was completely destroyed, trampled or run over by the helicopter and other vehicles they drove onto the green.

  The men and women were of all ages, shapes, and sizes. Some looked healthy and lean, some were overweight and obese. Not everyone wore a uniform, the larger men and some of the women wore olive green shirts and drab brown sweatpants instead. Also their shoes were not all regulation black boots. Some wore hiking boots, others were in running shoes, and a few were in shiny black wingtips, but all were carrying some kind of weapon.

  “Get back to the theater,” Zora said impatiently behind me.

  “Sorry, I wanted to check out the others.” I flipped back to the two zeroes and shortly thereafter, Huck and Galen appeared on the monitor. They quickly dragged the bodies away without being spotted. We waited for them to emerge again. I started to panic thinking how far they had to go. They had to get all the way to my apartment, which meant they would have to cross by everyone on the green.

  “There they are,” Lily said.

  Huck and Galen returned into the footage. We watched as they strolled toward my apartment. Everyone else was milling about the green. Some were examining our garden, others were reaching down and digging up our plants as if to see what they were, still more were on our band shell looking through our things, but no one noticed Huck and Galen. Swiftly, they made it to my building and ducked up the stairs.

  We waited for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes. While we waited, I caught sight of Zeke again, and this time he was leading Trevan around the corner. Just as he disappeared Galen and Huck reappeared and started to walk across the green.

  “We have to get down there,” I said. “Zeke doesn’t know we are here.”

  “You don’t,” Lily said. “We need you here, safe.”

  “Now you sound like Huck,” I said.

  “She’s right, Hella,” Stan gave my hair a shake. “You stay here with this guy and Zora, and I’ll go with Lily.”

  Broder looked at me with a curious stare.

  “Stop trying to protect me,” I said. “I’m going. Nothing personal, Broder, but I think we all have to go and get out of here.”

  Broder nodded in agreement.

  “We’re all going,” Zora said. “It’ll make for an easier escape.”

  Before we left, I emptied all the dry food for Snowball into several large containers and left her with bowls of water to drink. Hopefully we would be able to come back to Haverlyn Village and retrieve her to Pittsboro soon, or we would be able to come back and live in the village again if we got rid of everyone else. I left the Professor’s back window open in case Snowball ran out of food, she would be able to escape. She’d have to fend for herself if we didn’t return, but that was better than starving to death in the Professor’s apartment. I was sure he would have wanted me to do that.

  We arrived behind the movie theater and saw Zeke and Trevan in a deep conspiratorial conversation. When I saw him, my heart skipped a beat and I felt a flush grow over my face. I had to tell myself it was not because he looked so strong and handsome in the soldier’s uniform, with his short hair spiky from the rain, but instead it was because I was happy to see him alive. I didn’t hold the same regard for Trevan, but by Lily’s squelched squeal I knew she did.

  When Zeke saw us, his eyes immediately went to mine and he let out a deep, savory breath. At once he forgot about Trevan and rushed to join us. Lily rushed in the opposite direction, to Trevan and soon we were all reunited again, all except for Huck and Galen and Boa. When Zeke reached me he grasped me with both of his strong hands.

  “Are you hurt?” Zeke asked. He was carrying several extra guns, including several guns that resembled the automatic weapons I’ve seen in movies.

  I shook my head. “Not hurt.”

  “We’re all fine, Zeke,” Zora said. “Thanks for caring.”

  As if he was embarrassed by his reaction to me, he let his hands drop and turned to Zora.

  “Boa is behind the bars,” Zeke said. Zora’s face lit up like it was Christmas. “She looks great. We’re going to get her out. Trevan and I were just figuring out how.” He turned to everyone else. “Broder, Lily, Stan. Hella, where is Huck?”

  “Huck went with Galen to get the cell keys from my apartment,” I said.

  “You have a set, of course you do.” Zeke smiled. “How did Huck manage to get over there?”

  “Same way you did it,” I said. “They took the uniforms of the zeroes you shot.”

  Zeke looked at me. “Have you been here long?” he asked.

  “Longer than five minutes,” I said, and then referenced Broder with my hands. “And he knows about my virus. So does Galen.”

  Zeke’s mouth gaped open. “Good for you,” he said. “Trying honesty this time.” He then pulled me in closer. “We’ll get you out of here,” he whispered. “I made a promise to Huck to keep you safe, but I know you can take care of yourself. Would you just do me a favor and listen to me once in a while, if it’s important?”

  I nodded, but then jumped when I heard an engine roar, tires screeching, and a horn honking and then I jerked my head in that direction. From my location, I saw the wheelchair van screech into the entrance of Haverlyn Village and down Oval Park Place. The only one who
could be driving it was Miles. The wheelchair van circled one more time and then drove straight through the bushes on the green. What the heck was Miles doing?

  Broder made an anguished sound and grabbed two of the machine guns out of Zeke’s hand before he had a chance to stop him. Broder then ran into the green with the gun aimed forward.

  “Zeke, we have to stop him,” I gasped. “He’ll be killed.

  Broder aimed both guns and started shooting everybody that ran toward him. Before the fake soldiers figured out what was happening, Broder had shot at least a dozen people.

  “He’s on a suicide mission, Hella,” Zeke said. “All we can do is find Huck, get Boa and get out of here.”

  Broder ran to the green at the same time that Miles exited the van. Miles ran across the green to the band shell. I scanned the green for Huck and Galen and saw them coming toward us. They hadn’t figured out what was happening yet and l

  Zeke watched Huck and Galen turn around in confusion. “I’m going to get them,” Zeke said. “Stay here with the others and get ready to raid the substation.” For a brief moment Zeke stared at me, lowering his brow and narrowing his eyes like he was trying to read my mind. His eyes were filled worry and concern and not with hatred, like they were when we first met. “Take the Uzi.” He handed me his last machine gun.

  “But I…”

  “Yes you can,” Zeke cut me off and jogged toward Huck and Galen, all-the-while Broder kept firing his gun.

  I watched Zeke jog in heavy even strides. For such a muscular man, he was very graceful. Zeke knew I was going to say I couldn’t fire it, that I didn’t know how to use it, but he believed in me. I examined the gun and the trigger, felt the weight and put it in a firing position. I believed he was right.