Indeadpendence Day

by Gregory, S. K.

  Indeadpendence Day

  S. K. Gregory

  Copyright © 2015 S. K. Gregory

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Prologue

  Chicago

  Three Years Ago

  “What have you done? Oh, God,” Alan cried. He frantically raced around the lab searching for a syringe. There had to be one somewhere. He tossed files onto the floor, tearing the room apart. This couldn’t be happening.

  Diane sat on a stool at the workbench, clutching her bloodied hand. She was staring blankly ahead, not moving. Alan paused in his search to stare at her. Was he too late?

  “Di?” he said.

  Slowly she raised her head to look at him. She tried to smile, but couldn’t quite manage it. Relieved, he turned back to the desk. He unearthed a syringe and opened it.

  Hands trembling, he had difficulty inserting the needle into the vial of amber colored liquid. He forced himself to take a breath and managed to fill the syringe.

  “We don’t even know if this will work. We haven’t even tested it yet,” he said. Lifting Diane’s sleeve, he wiped her arm with an alcohol swab.

  “Stupid,” she muttered. “I’m so stupid.”

  “It’s going to be okay. It was an accident,” Alan said, but despite how scared he was right now, he wanted to grab her and shake her. It was a stupid move, she should know better.

  “Just do it,” Diane said and he realized he was hesitating. They had worked on this for the better part of a year; it was supposed to neutralize the virus. But they hadn’t started clinical trials; he had no idea what it would do to her. He did know what the virus would do though and that didn’t bear thinking about.

  He found a vein and the needle went in, she didn’t even flinch. He took a seat opposite her, reaching for her hand. Her skin was cold to touch.

  “Now we wait,” he said.

  “If it doesn’t work…” she said, her voice a whisper.

  “It will. It has to.”

  “If it doesn’t work, promise me you will do the right thing.”

  He didn’t trust himself to speak. He knew exactly what she was saying. If the virus took hold, she would have to be stopped.

  “Promise me,” she said again.

  Nodding, he pulled her against him. She was his wife. There was no way he could hurt her. If the worst came to the worst, he would lock them both in the lab. At least he would be with her in the end.

  One

  Rachel

  I stared out at the road, wishing for the thousandth time that I’d gone with my friend Valerie to the Lake, instead of agreeing to this ridiculous road trip. It would have been a hell of a lot safer.

  "Let it go Rachel," my dad said, from behind the wheel.

  "I will not let it go. The little brat bit me," I snapped.

  "She's two years old. That's what kids do," my mother said from the passenger seat.

  I glared at Cady, who was strapped into her booster seat beside me, looking like butter wouldn't melt. Her golden curls giving her an angelic look that didn’t match her personality. Meanwhile, I was left with bite marks on my shoulder. I rubbed at the wound wondering how the hell we ended up with her.

  Her parents had died recently of a mystery illness. Some kind of virus or something. They were Mom's second cousins, yet for some reason it was decided that Cady was to live with us. We were on our way back from Chicago, after the reading of Cady’s parents’ will.

  Cady spent the first few days with us, crying relentlessly. Nothing we did would calm her down and now she was biting people. She was the antichrist in the making.

  Well she's their problem when I go to college in a few months, I thought. I was going to keep my distance from now on.

  "You know you were the same when you were her age. Your dad still has scars," Mom said.

  "Yeah? Prove it," I said.

  "I'm driving at the moment," he replied, shooting Mom a look. She was lying, trying to make it better. She seemed to have this need to constantly find excuses for Cady.

  Poor Cady, the orphan, I thought. Then I felt guilty. I guessed it wasn’t the kid’s fault that she had been dumped on us. Sometimes though, it felt like I was getting pushed out. I knew I was leaving soon anyway, but it still hurt. Mom always said she had wanted more kids, now she’d gotten her wish.

  "Can we stop the car? I can't sit here any longer,” I complained.

  "We'll stop for lunch soon," Dad replied.

  I groaned and closed my eyes. The July heat was unbearable and the AC had given up the ghost in our ancient station wagon. I tried opening the window but the air that blew in was just as hot and filled with dust so I closed it again. We were getting closer to the coast though. Maybe it would cool down then.

  A few miles further down the road, the car began to make a rattling noise.

  "That doesn't sound good," Dad said, peering at the dash.

  "There's a town up ahead. It's bound to have a garage there,” Mom said.

  He pulled off the main road, past a sign that said, "Welcome to Williamsburg."

  The town was in full swing with the Independence Day celebrations. Most of the town's residents seemed to have gathered in the town square. Flags hung everywhere and I could smell barbecue even with the window closed. It smelled delicious. I’d never get to try any though. Mom had packed sandwiches and we would be made to eat them whether we liked it or not.

  If I was at the Lake I could be swimming right now, I thought.

  "Oh look, this is great," Mom said. "Maybe we can eat lunch here while we get the car looked at."

  "Yeah. Rachel?" Dad said.

  "I don't care where we stop. I just want out of this car."

  "I guess that's a yes vote," he muttered.

  After stopping for directions, he took a side road towards the edge of town. The garage was small, but at least it was open. He drove inside and got out to talk to the mechanic.

  "I'm just going to use the bathroom. Can you watch Cady?" Mom asked.

  "As long as she keeps her teeth to herself,” I muttered, resting my head against the window.

  I let out a cry of alarm as the car was ratcheted up with me and Cady still inside. I rolled down the window.

  "HEY!" I cried.

  The mechanic, a middle aged guy with a beer gut, grinned at me, "Relax, kid. I'm just going to check the brakes. I'll let you down in a moment."

  Cady was laughing and clapping her chubby hands.

  "I'm glad you're amused," I said. I put my earphones in and turned the volume up full to drown her out.

  Valerie said that her parents let her do what she wanted at the Lake. A few days lazing by the water and I could have an awesome tan. Why couldn’t I be there? Not babysitting mini Dracula.

  A loud crash across the garage made me jump. I ripped out the headphones and looked out the far window. The noise had startled Cady, who was crying.

  "It’s okay, Cady. It was just a bump," I said. I couldn't see what had made it though.

  "Bump?" Cady said.

  "Yes, a big bump," I said, pulling a funny face at her. Cady's face broke into a grin.

  Well that was easy.

  I scrambled over Cady to get a better look at the garage below. A black Impala had collided with the far wall. The driver’s door lay open and smoke was escaping from under the hood.

  Some idiot was probably drink driving, I thought. He didn't seem to have hit anything vital just a workbench.

  I got back into my own seat and rolled down the window again, "Hey, can we get down now?
"

  There was no answer.

  "Hello? Lower the car!"

  Eerie silence greeted me. Where were Mom and Dad? The mechanic?

  I would just have to climb down and lower it myself. I glanced at Cady.

  "Cady, I'm just going to see what happened. I'll be right back."

  Cady stared blankly at me as she sucked on her fist.

  I opened the door and began to climb down. Once Cady realized she was being abandoned she began howling.

  I hesitated, "No, Cady. It's okay. I'll be right back."

  This made her howl louder.

  Damn it.

  "Hey, Cady. Why don't we sing a song? Huh? What song do you want?"

  Cady paused in her wailing to open and close her fists. I recognized it as the action for Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

  Rolling my eyes, I started to sing and Cady joined in with her own version of the words.

  As I climbed down I kept singing loudly, feeling like an idiot but at least she had stopped the crying.

  When I reached the floor, the garage appeared to be deserted. I found the controls and lowered the car. It was about three feet off the ground when something clattered behind me.

  I whirled around looking for the source.

  "Hello?" I called.

  I stepped around a sports car and found the mechanic. He lay on his back on the ground.

  "Hey are you okay?" I rushed forward then stopped when I saw the blood. His throat had been ripped open. Blood covered his overalls and his eyes were frozen open in horror.

  "Oh my God," I whispered, backing away. What the hell happened?

  "Mom? Dad?" I called. I ran past a small office to find a man in a suit hunched over another man. I recognized my dad's watch; it was his body on the ground. Did he collapse? Or was he attacked?

  "What happened to him?" I cried.

  The other man's head whipped round. His mouth was smeared with blood and in his hand he held what looked like part of someone's intestines. When he moved back I saw my dad. He had been ripped open from his chest to his stomach. There was blood everywhere.

  I doubled over, gagging, "Dad! No!" I screamed.

  The man launched himself at me and I ran back to the car. I climbed back up into the car, slammed the door shut and locked it. A second later, the man hit the door hard. I screamed and that set Cady off again. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I would pass out.

  He continued to beat at the door, but didn't seem to know how to climb up to it. If he did he could easily break the window. I couldn't wait around for him to figure it out. Climbing into the driver’s seat, I started the car, thankful that the keys were still in the ignition.

  There was a brief moment of panic when I wondered if the car would simply tip over if I drove off the ramp but when the man appeared at the passenger side window, I slammed my foot onto the gas. The car launched off the ramp and crashed onto the garage floor, jolting me hard. I spun the wheel towards the exit.

  The car was sputtering and rattling dangerously, but it was moving which was all I cared about. I needed to find a cop fast. Where was my mom? Did she lock herself in the bathroom or had that crazy psycho killed her too?

  I felt overwhelmed, struggling to draw breath. I knew I was in full blown panic mode and I needed to pull myself together.

  "Momma," Cady cried. I glanced in the rear-view mirror.

  "It's okay, Cady. We're okay."

  Cady obviously didn't believe me because she kept crying.

  About a mile down the road the car gave out completely. I managed to pull it over to the side of the road. Smoke seeped out from under the hood.

  I had to keep moving. If Mom was still alive then I needed to get to the police.

  Grabbing the carrier, I put Cady's pink hat onto her head, loaded her into the carrier, and strapped it to my back. For a two year old, she was really heavy.

  I had no idea where the police station was or even which direction the town was in but I didn't like the idea of standing still. The sound of cheering in the distance gave me a direction to go in. I started walking.

  Two

  Gabe

  I wove the car through the crowds, searching for any sign of Acker. I narrowly missed an elderly couple and had to swerve around them.

  "You want to take it easy, Gabe," Adam said, "We aren't going to catch him if we're done for felony hit and run."

  I shot him a glare and pulled the car over.

  "He has to be here somewhere,” I said.

  "Surprised he even got this far in that piece of shit car," Adam said.

  "You mean my car?" I growled. That had been Acker's second mistake, stealing my car. The first had been getting his stupid ass bitten. I hated to admit it, but Adam had a point. My baby had been acting up lately. There was a problem with the alternator that I had been meaning to fix.

  "He had two choices. Ditch the car and steal another or try and get it fixed,” I said.

  "I doubt he knows how to hotwire a car. Let's see if there is a garage nearby."

  Adam got out of the car to ask one of the locals, while I drummed my finger impatiently on the steering wheel. I hated sitting still.

  Acker was a bloody liability right from the start. He never should have been let near Patient Zero. The second he started showing symptoms he had fled, rather than do the right thing and put a bullet through his brain. He was a ticking time bomb and if he turned it was only a matter of time before the infection spread.

  If we got to him first, we could end it once and for all.

  Adam hopped back into the car, "There's a place just down the road."

  Adam gave me directions and we arrived there ten minutes later. I parked a few yards from the building and checked my weapons. A 9mm Glock at my waist and my hunting knife.

  "Let's do this fast. If you get a shot, put him down," I instructed.

  Adam nodded and we headed for the building on foot.

  Stopping at the entrance, I chanced a quick look inside. I spotted my baby right away. She was crashed into the wall. I guessed I would have to burn her anyway after Acker being in it. Damn it. I loved that car.

  There was no sign of Acker though.

  We swept the entrance then moved in. As we passed a two seater sports car, we found what was left of the local mechanic. Adam checked for any signs of life while I covered him. I could see another body further in. A soft growling came from the back. Signaling Adam, I headed towards it.

  Taking a second to check the other body, a middle aged man missing most of his internal organs, I entered the office.

  I found Acker hunched in the corner still wearing that damn suit. He was greedily stuffing intestines into his mouth. I felt bile rise in my throat, but forced it back. Acker spotted me and growled.

  "Yeah, you recognize me, don't you, you bastard?" I said.

  Acker rose to face me. Before he could take a single step, I put a round between his eyes.

  "Serves you right," I muttered. I returned to the middle aged man and put a bullet in his head too. Just in case.

  Adam had already done the same to the mechanic.

  "Is that all of them?" he asked.

  A thump from the back answered that question. The only other room appeared to be a bathroom and the noise came from inside. We flanked the door.

  I nodded and Adam threw open the door. A blonde woman, fully turned, leapt out at us, chomping her teeth.

  I fired, but the bullet missed its target and took out her left cheek instead. Adam put one in the back of her head and she toppled forwards. I leapt aside to avoid her.

  "Losing your touch?" Adam grinned.

  I narrowed my eyes at him, "Why don't you play the target and I'll show you how well I shoot."

  "Relax, man. We got him."

  "Yeah, well you better hope this is all of them."

  Adam took a look around.

  "Well there's your piece of crap that we know Acker was in. The mechanic. And the two seater must belong to the Mr. and
Mrs. here. Both wearing rings."

  "So is the mechanic," I pointed out.

  I kneeled beside the middle aged man and carefully extracted his wallet.

  "John Kirkland. Tourist from the look of it."

  I flipped through the wallet and discovered a photo. It was of John and a teenage girl with straight black hair. Daughter most likely.

  I held the photo out to Adam who shrugged.

  "So?"

  "Where is she?" I asked. She didn’t look old enough to be skipping out on a family vacation although it could be an old photo.

  "She could be anywhere. The car is a two seater. She wouldn’t fit. Do you think they were keeping her in the trunk?"

  I headed for the sports car in search of the registration, "We need to make completely sure."

  If one of those things escaped then we were all fucked.

  As I moved to the passenger side of the car I noticed the tire marks on the floor. Someone had left in a hurry. I found the registration. The owner was a Raymond Santos.

  "Not his car. Someone drove out of here. We need to find them."

  I checked my car before we left and discovered Acker’s briefcase on the passenger seat. It lay open. I grabbed his notebook and voice recorder. He was anal about keeping notes; there could be something useful in them.

  We headed back to the car, locking the garage behind us. There were more tire marks heading east so we followed them.

  Further down the road we came across an abandoned car. Adam jumped out to check it. He returned a few seconds later.

  "It's empty. But it gets worse. There's a car seat in the back."

  I just stared at him with a 'what's your point?' expression.

  "You would really shoot a kid?" he asked.

  "If it's infected? Yeah. Don't get sentimental man. You know what happens if it spreads."

  Adam nodded, "I know."

  We both knew that what we did wasn't easy, but someone had to do it.

  *

  Adam

  I spotted the girl first as we drove down the road. She was hiking along the side of the road with a baby carrier on her back.