When Breton found me... Well it had been bad. He promised to help me stop; now he was bribing me with the stuff to finish the work. Not that I refused it. No, I had taken everything he gave to me. I needed it anyway. It helped me stay awake to work.
Two of the tranqs usually knocked me out. I put four in the guard’s cup. He chuckled as he collected the cup, and looked at it suspiciously, “Did you spit in this?”
“I’m a little preoccupied with the massive amount of pain I’m in right now. How about those painkillers?”
“You can ask Mr. Breton for them, when he comes back.” He returned to his post.
I watched as he drank the coffee, waiting for my opportunity. Ten minutes later, his head tipped back and he began to snore. The cup rolled onto the floor.
“Dick,” I said.
The second he was out, I began downloading files. I emailed them to sciboy13. He was a contact who emailed me, just before I was brought in here, claiming to be a friend. I only knew his online name, but he seemed to know a hell of a lot about Tom’s work. Maybe it even was Tom. Breton sure seemed to think he was still alive. I knew Tom. He could always surprise you. Either way, I needed leverage if I was going to get out of here. I also needed help. I pulled up the camera on Jenna’s cell. She was sitting on her bunk.
I pressed the door release button.
Six
Jenna
The hours ticked by and no one appeared. Were they going to starve me? Night fell, still no one. My stomach was growling like crazy and I could feel my energy start to lag. Leaning back against the wall, I closed my eyes.
The cell door slid open and I leapt up, brandishing the bar. No one came in. I inched forward, I reached the door and still no one appeared. Was this a trick? Hesitating wasn’t going to get me out of here. Just go for it.
I ran out of the cell and up the corridor. I skidded to a halt, my shoes squeaking on the floor, as I reached the main room. The guard was asleep at his post. Wesley was typing furiously.
He glanced over his shoulder, “What took you so long?”
“You let me out?”
“Yeah, we don’t have a lot of time.”
“What about him?” I asked, pointing at the guard.
“I slipped a little something into his coffee. He’ll be out for a while. Come here.”
He pulled up a schematic of the building.
“There’s an emergency exit past containment. It leads straight to the surface.”
I stared at the screen, trying to memorize the route. “And the exit is unlocked?”
“No, there’s a code.”
“Okay..?” I waited for him to tell it to me.
“Not so fast. I’ll help you get out, Jenna, but you have to help me get out too.”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your legs are broken.”
“Yeah, that’s why I need your help,” he said, like I was an idiot.
“What am I supposed to do? Carry you?”
“You’re going to have to figure out a way, because I’m not giving you the code.”
“Screw it, I’ll find my own way out.” I ran to the elevator and pressed the up button. Nothing happened.
“You need a key card.”
The guard. He had to have one.
“I already checked. I couldn’t find one.”
“How? You can’t walk.”
He pushed away from the desk, his chair had wheels. I really didn’t want to waste time trying to get him out. As harsh as that sounded, wasn’t it better that at least one of us got out?
“I can’t finish the work. They’re going to kill me.”
His voice had taken on a pleading tone. He was right. Look what Breton had done already. But why should I risk myself for him? If the roles were reversed, he would walk straight out the door without looking back. As much as I wanted to do the same, I still needed the code. And I wasn’t a monster.
Sighing, I grabbed the back of the chair and began pushing it along the corridor. It was slow going, I expected the soldier to wake up at any moment.
We reached the containment area where Z-183 was being held. As I attempted to maneuver the chair around the corner, I lost control of it. It rolled out of my grasp, colliding with the glass with a thump. The noise woke Z-183. When she moved, the lights flicked on. She had been lying on the floor. Did zombies sleep?
“Thanks,” Wesley snapped.
“I’m sorry,” I snapped back, “This isn’t exactly easy.”
Z-183 was back at the glass watching us. I couldn’t help but wonder who she had been before she was bitten. Then I remembered what Wesley said earlier. She was created in the lab - deliberately turned. He said it so casually. Like it didn’t matter that a girl had been murdered and turned into a monster.
“Who is she?”
Wesley was trying to use the glass as leverage to propel himself along. He had his palms pressed against the glass, but he couldn’t get a grip. They squeaked loudly which seemed to excite Z-183. She followed him along the glass. He propelled himself off the glass, away from her.
“Who?”
“The girl. You said she was created here. So who was she, before she was turned into a monster?”
Wesley stopped struggling, “I don’t know. The Alliance created her. I only know from the files I hacked.”
Z-183 was drooling. She began to beat her forehead against the glass. Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap. She soon got a rhythm going.
“They’re supposed to be destroying them, not making more.”
“What do you want me to tell you? Surprise, the world isn’t perfect.”
I turned away from him. To think that dad had been here. Working with zombies. I couldn’t get my head around it.
“Look, I don’t have all the answers, okay? Your dad stopped working with me. I’ve been in the dark until the Alliance grabbed me. But there’s a guy on the outside that might have answers. He seems to know a lot about your dad’s work. I’ve been secretly emailing him since I got here.”
There was a loud crack. Z-183 had managed to crack the glass.
“That’s using her head,” I half joked, trying to ignore my racing heart. The glass was still holding. Surely she couldn’t break through it. There was a determined look in her eyes now. Maybe she could.
“We need to go now.”
I grabbed the chair. Digging my heels in, I began pushing it again. Z-183 continued to work at the glass.
“What if she escapes?” I asked.
“That’s the Alliance’s problem,” he said, but I heard the fear in his voice.
The exit lay at the top of a steep incline. Gritting my teeth, I used all my strength to get the chair to the top. Panting, I wedged the chair by the wall, so it wouldn’t roll and went to the keypad.
“What’s the code?”
“One, five, seven, one.”
I punched it in and the door unlocked. Behind it was an access hatch, leading to the outside. I spun the lock and the door opened. A cold breeze blew in. It felt good on my hot skin.
It was hard to see much in the dark, but we appeared to be on more waste ground. From the light in the doorway I could see that the ground was littered with rocks.
“There’s no way to get the chair across the ground. I’m sorry,” I stepped outside.
“Not so fast. I have a car. It isn’t far from here.”
I hesitated, I wouldn’t get far on foot and all public transport was monitored by the Alliance. They had cameras everywhere. If I swiped my ID anywhere, they’d be on me in a second.
I sighed, “Fine, I’ll try.”
He put his arm around my shoulders, as I tried to lever him off the chair. When he put his full weight on me, I nearly collapsed.
“You’re going to have to help me or we’re not going to make it,” I snapped. He managed to put some weight on his right leg, just as an alarm went off.
“The guard?”
“No, that’s a containment breach. Get the door closed.”
“It won’t move,” I said.
“You need to hurry,” he said, unhelpfully.
I groaned, continuing to pull on it, “Come on,” I muttered.
I heard a soft growl. Z-183 appeared around the corner. There was a welt across her forehead from hitting the glass, but it wasn’t slowing her down. Run! A voice screamed in my head. There is no way she can keep up with me.
I ignored it. There was still time to lock her in, so I pulled harder on the door.
“Please move,” I said, panic rising in my chest. I kept thinking of those teeth biting into my flesh.
Z-183 was making grunting noises as she picked up speed. The door closed halfway and she crashed into it. I fell back onto the ground, scrabbling back out of her reach. She squeezed through the opening, her arm reaching for me. As she lunged at me I remembered the Zombie Attack Protocol, we had been taught in school. Well Infected Attack Protocol, but nobody called it by its real name. It was designed to stop you from getting bitten. I got hold of her head, holding her back as she gnashed her teeth at me. I planted my foot in her stomach and pushed as hard as I could. She fell back on her butt. I backed away towards the hatch, which was slowly closing behind me. I dived through it.
“Did you do that?” I cried.
Wesley shook his head, “No, it must be automatic.”
Z-183 ran at the door reaching through the gap at me. Her arm caught in it and when it closed the arm was severed from her body. I gagged at the sight of it.
“Oh, God,” I choked.
Wesley had slid to the ground. He was inches from the arm, which he was staring at in horror. The fingers flexed and he let out a yelp. Although it made every inch of my skin crawl, I kicked it out towards the rocks where it disappeared out of sight.
I took some deep breaths to calm myself. We were outside, away from her. We were safe. Well safer than we had been. But we couldn’t linger.
“Come on,” I said, helping Wesley up again. The car was only a hundred yards away, parked behind some dumpsters, but it seemed to take forever to get there. I was surprised no one had vandalized it.
He better have the keys, I thought.
A few feet from the car, an old style Cadillac in mint green, Wesley stumbled and we both went down. I winced as sharp rocks cut my knees.
“Get up,” I ordered.
He tried but sank to the ground again. “I can’t.”
“Then give me the keys,” I said, searching his pockets.
He grabbed my hands, “You’re not leaving me here.”
“Then get in the goddamn car!” I snapped.
I dragged him up and into his seat. He handed me the keys, “I guess you’re driving.”
Seven
Jenna
I took the corner a little too fast and managed to take out a couple trash cans on the curb. Wesley gripped the dash, “Exactly how many lessons have you had?”
“Lessons?” I spun the wheel, trying to straighten the car up. Wesley gave me a horrified look.
“My dad showed me the basics when I was fifteen,” I said.
“And how many times have you driven since?”
“Including this time? Once.”
“Oh God. I was safer with the Alliance.”
I shot him a glare, “Well, I was happy to leave you. Now where is this house? We’ve been driving for hours.”
“A few more blocks.”
So far, no one seemed to have followed us. We avoided the Alliance checkpoints that were posted around the city, which wasn’t easy.
“Who is this guy, anyway?”
“He calls himself sciboy13. I don’t know his real name.”
“Is he going to help?”
“I hope so. Pull up on the left here.”
I did, striking the curb in the process.
“This car is a classic!” Wesley groaned.
“I’m sorry!” I snapped, “Which one is it?”
“That’s it there,” he said.
I leaned forward to get a better look at the two storey brownstone. It was in darkness. I helped Wesley out of the car, just making it up the path. Letting him drop onto the front step, I rang the doorbell.
“Well, you’re his problem now. Goodbye, Wesley.” I headed down the path.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“To find my mom, so we can get out of the city.”
“If you go anywhere near your house, the Alliance will know. This guy might be able to get us all out of the city.”
“You’re putting a lot of faith in someone you’ve only spoken to online.”
The light above the door flicked on. We both waited to see who answered. The door opened slowly and then he stepped outside.
I froze, not quite believing my eyes. He was thinner than I remembered and his hair had grown out.
I gasped, “Dad?”
I took a hesitant step forward, certain I was hallucinating or that this was some cruel trick that the Alliance had cooked up, but it was him. He was really here.
Dad stared at me, his face a mixture of shock and sadness. He seemed older somehow even though it had only been a couple of months.
“Dad? Is it really you?” I said, stepping towards him, not believing my eyes.
“Jenna, you shouldn’t have come.”
That snapped me out of it. I shouldn’t have come?
“It was you all along?” Wesley said. I noticed he didn’t sound entirely surprised. Dad looked down at him, as if only noticing him now.
“Why is she here? Why did you bring her?” he cried.
“I didn’t have a choice! They broke my legs when I couldn’t do what they wanted. They took her for leverage. They know you’re alive.”
Dad swore under his breath, “This isn’t good.”
He grabbed Wesley under the arms and dragged him into the house. “Come on, Jenna. I’m going to need your help.”
Part of my brain was still trying to process everything. He was alive. I thought about telling him to shove it. He had lied to me. Made me think he was dead. He didn’t deserve my help.
“Jenna!” he barked. I hurried inside.
He had a lab set up in what must have been a dining room, once upon a time.
“Help,” Dad ordered.
I took hold of Wesley’s legs and together we lifted him onto a portable gurney.
“How could you do it? How could you leave me and Mom like that?” Dad didn’t answer straight away; he busied himself cutting away Wesley’s pant legs to check his injuries.
“How could-” I started again in case he hadn’t heard me.
“I had no choice!” he snapped, “There was a lot of stuff happening and I knew the two of you would be safer if the Alliance though I was dead.”
“Clearly, you were wrong. They kidnapped me; God only knows what they did to Mom.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. They’re not interested in her.”
“I’m going to find her.”
“Don’t you walk out that door!” Dad yelled, at my retreating back. I kept walking. I was so angry right now. He chased me down, stopping me at the door.
“It’s too dangerous. If the Alliance captures you again, they could really hurt you. I can get you out of the city, your mom too. But I need you to trust me.”
“Trust you?” I sputtered.
“Fine, then help me at least.”
I followed him back, Wesley lay moaning on the gurney.
“Don’t you have any Morphinal?” he asked.
Morphinal was a drug Gene-Pharm had manufactured about five years ago. It was similar to morphine, acting as a painkiller, but it also caused a sense of euphoria and the user could go for days without sleeping. It was taken off the market a couple of months after it was released because it was so addictive. If Wesley was using it, then he was an addict. I remembered the ampoule Breton had given him. That�
��s all it took to get him to work for them? To feed his habit? Disgusting.
“I have something better,” Dad said.
He opened a small fridge and lifted out a vial. Wesley shuddered, and then started coughing. He leaned over the side of the gurney and spat up a mixture of blood and phlegm.
“Um, Dad?” I asked.
Dad set the vial down. He grabbed a stethoscope and lifted Wesley’s shirt.
I gasped. His torso was covered in bruises, some of them days old. Lewis’ handy work no doubt.
“There’s an obstruction in one of your lungs. Could be a clot or a bone fragment,” Dad said.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“If it moves, it could travel to his heart or brain. It could kill him instantly.” Dad filled a syringe with the contents of the vial. “Wesley, I need you to listen to me,” he said. His head lolled back. Dad shook him.
“What?” Wesley slurred.
“Listen to me. I need you to do something for me.”
“Give me the Morphinal,” he said, trying to grab the needle.
Dad held it out of reach, “I need you to get Jenna out of the city. I need you to make sure she’s safe.”
He laughed hysterically, “Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my legs are BROKEN!” he screamed the last word.
“Not for long.”
Dad jabbed the needle into his thigh and pressed the plunger.
“What are you? NO!” Wesley cried, but it was too late.
“What did you give him?” I asked.
Before he could answer, Wesley screamed in agony.
“What’s happening?” I cried.
“Give it a couple of minutes to work,” Dad said.
“Are you crazy?” Wesley screamed, “You know what it will do.”
“Relax, I’ve perfected it. You won’t turn.”
“Turn? Tell me you didn’t just inject him with the virus?” I cried.
“It’s a new version. One I’ve been working on. He won’t turn into a zombie.”
After Zombie Series (Book 1): After Page 4
