Suddenly someone was shaking me, “JENNA! Snap out of it,” Reilly said.
I opened my eyes to find I was back in the factory. Pamela stood nearby holding Maddy, who was bawling her eyes out.
“What happened?” I gasped.
“You were screaming. You scared the life out of Maddy.”
He helped me to my feet, “Oh, Maddy, I’m so sorry.”
Pamela hugged her daughter to her, “It’s okay, Jenna. I think you should go and see your dad.”
I saw the look on her face. Despite what she said, it wasn’t okay. I was damaged.
Reilly supported me as I walked. He took me back to my room.
“I should get Tom.”
“No, please don’t. I don’t want him to know.”
“He’ll find out sooner or later. Pamela’s bound to tell him.”
“Well make it later. I just want to sleep for a while. Please.”
He nodded, “Okay, you rest. I’ll check in on you later.”
I tried to smile, “Thanks. I am okay, though.”
He squeezed my shoulder gently, “You’ve been through a lot. If you want to talk, I’m here.”
When he left, I collapsed onto the bed. I was shaking all over.
Stop thinking about it. But I couldn’t block it out. I leapt up and walked around the room. I could feel myself starting to lose it.
There was a knock at the door and Wesley came in on his crutches.
“Jen? I heard Pamela say something about you being upset? What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” I snapped. Then I burst into tears.
“God, Jenna, what’s happened?”
I buried my head in his chest and cried. He awkwardly put an arm around me, while trying to balance on his other crutch.
“I don’t want to go back with them.”
“Who?”
“The Alliance.”
“Hey, they’re not going to get you. I promise.”
I stepped back feeling stupid for falling apart. Wesley looked really worried.
“I’m sorry. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You need to talk to someone about what happened.”
“I don’t need to talk!” I shouted, “I don’t want to talk about any of it. I want to forget it ever happened. Just get out.”
“Jenna...”
“NOW!”
He retreated to the door, which I slammed in his face. Why did everyone think that talking about it would help? It wasn’t going to change anything. It wasn’t going to make it better. Nothing would.
Wesley
I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the sun beating down on me. I could hear the waves lapping around the boat, causing it to rock gently. It was so soothing.
The quiet was interrupted by a giggle. I opened my eyes and grinned at Jenna.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“You are.”
She was wearing a blue sundress. Her auburn hair was swept back in a ponytail. We were in the middle of a lake. I had no idea how we had gotten here but it seemed like a perfect place.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” she said.
“It’s not the only thing that’s beautiful.”
She leaned across the space between us to kiss me.
“I wish we could stay here,” I said.
“I wish you’d kiss me again.”
I couldn’t refuse a request like that. I pulled her closer, enjoying how good her soft lips felt against mine. She bit down on my lip, softly at first then she sank her teeth in.
I threw myself back, feeling flesh rip away in the process. Blood poured down my chin.
“Jenna! What did you do?”
Zombie Jenna stared back at me. Her eyes were sunken in her head and her skin was a sickly yellow. She lunged at me. The boat capsized and we both went into the water.
I woke up gasping.
“Bad dream?”
I nearly leapt off the bed, “Goddamnit, Tom, don’t do that? What are you doing in my room?”
He was sitting at my desk, drinking a cup of coffee.
“I came in to talk to you, but you were asleep.”
“So you decided to sit and watch me sleep? That’s a new kind of creepy.”
He looked amused, “I was enjoying the quiet.”
I stretched out on the bed. My leg was stiff. The stupid cast made it impossible to lie in a comfortable position.
“You said Jenna’s name in your sleep.”
Damn.
“Did I?” I sat up trying to avoid looking him in the eye.
“What was the dream about?”
“I don’t know, I don’t remember. Was there something you wanted?”
“I’m worried about her. Reilly said she was screaming hysterically before. I think she’s having flashbacks. We need to get her to talk.”
“She doesn’t want to. She has a right to be upset, just let her deal with it in her own way.”
“None of this should have happened.”
I stood up and grabbed my crutches, “Are we going to play another round of let’s blame Wesley?”
“No. I know you did all you could. She ran off to find her mom, didn’t she?”
“Yep, clubbed me with a two by four and stole the car.”
Tom laughed, “Yeah that sounds about right. She gets that from her mother.”
“A tendency towards violence and grand theft auto?” I moved to the sink to splash some water on my face. The dream still haunted me.
“Kind of. I actually met Angela after she hit me with her car.”
“And you still married her?”
“She’s a hard woman to say no to. Look I’m not blind. I know you care about Jenna.”
“I don’t...It’s not...” I struggled to find the right thing to say.
“She’s tough and she’s resourceful and it’s easy to forget sometimes that she is still just a kid.”
I looked away, “Yeah.”
“See if you can convince her to talk.”
I let out a long breath after he left. Was that some kind of veiled warning? Reminding me that she was a kid? But she wasn’t. I didn’t see one when I looked at her.
No, I see someone I desperately want to kiss. But she’s more interested in kissing Reilly.
I booted up my computer and settled into the chair. I remember what she looked like on the boat. I didn’t want that becoming a reality. Time to get back to work.
Jenna
After my little meltdown, I stayed in my room. I didn’t want to face anyone. Dad knocked a few times, but I wouldn’t let him in. Eventually Reilly returned. He refused to leave until I opened the door.
“You can’t stay in here forever,” he said.
“Yes, I can,” I tried closing the door,but he put his foot in it.
“Well I’m not going to let you. We’re going for a walk, come on.”
“No, I don’t want people talking about me.”
“No one is talking about you. And even if they were, what difference does it make if you’re in here or out there. I’m not taking no for an answer,” he said.
I sighed, “Okay, a short walk.”
We weren’t allowed to go outside, so we walked around the building. No one seemed to be talking about me, that I could see. Reilly tried to take my mind off it by cracking jokes and I soon found myself laughing. That was new to me. I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed. He came back the next day and the next.
One morning, to get some privacy, we went up to the main floor of the factory. There was a beam running across the roof. We climbed up to it to sit, using some old crates.
“Are X quadrants really as deserted as we’re told?” I asked, staring out the dingy window. All I could see was the barren land off in the distance. It had once been a town.
“Yeah. There’s a lot of zombie bodies there, from when they were dusted. Even if we could grow crops there, would you really want to live somewhere that had been so devastated?”
> I shivered, “No. Have you dealt with zombies much?
“I’ve encountered my fair share. I moved over here when I was ten with my dad. He was in the military and I followed in his footsteps. We were sent to red zones to take them out.”
“This was recently?”
“Yeah, the Alliance keeps it hidden from the public. They send in their best men to eliminate the threat. We weren’t allowed to talk about it to anyone. It was hard, lying to people, pretending we’re free of them.”
“What made you, what’s the word? Defect?”
“Yeah. About six months ago, I was sent in with a team of eight to a red zone. The Alliance told us there was maybe twenty zoms. It should have been an easy mission. When we got there, there was at least fifty zoms and they were different to the ones we usually encountered.”
“Different how?”
“They laid a trap for us. They were smart, sent out a few decoys to lead us in, and then they ambushed us. Only two of us made it out alive. Me and Gil. He saved my life. When we returned for debriefing, I overheard some Alliance leaders talking. They knew about the ambush, it had been a test.”
“Why would they test you all like that?”
“Not us. The zombies. They had been experimenting on them and trying to make them smarter. I guess they were trying to see if they could regain control of them. They called us expendable. That’s when I knew I had to get out. When I found out that Gil felt the same, we left together.”
“The Alliance won’t be happy until they end up killing us all.”
“Exactly,” he took my hand, “And that is why we are going to stop them.”
I liked his determination but it was going to be easier said than done. How could we bring them all down?
“We should get back inside, it’s cold in here,” Reilly said. He climbed down from the beam. Before he reached the floor, I landed beside him. He looked at me shocked. I had just dropped thirty feet.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah. Fine. Five years of gymnastics?”
He gave me a curious look, but didn’t push it. I had to be more careful. So far, he didn’t seem to know what I was. I wanted it to stay that way.
Dad called me to his room before dinner. I had to face him sometime. I took a seat on the couch in the corner.
“I think it’s time we talked,” he said.
I groaned and stood up again, “Well, I don’t.”
I walked around his room. It was covered in various test tubes and bottles. I picked up a jar of white powder and shook it.
“Jenna, that’s a poison. A strong one. Please don’t play with it.”
I quickly set the jar back.
“So who is this Gil guy? Why is he here?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“He has experience dealing with the Alliance. He could be an asset to us. I’m not used to being in charge, so I let him take care of the day to day stuff. What happened the other day? Talk to me, Jen.”
“Have you found a way to get Mom out yet?”
“No…”
“Then we have nothing to talk about.”
He sighed, “Jenna, please. I know you’re angry at me, but you haven’t heard my side of it.”
“Your side? Go on then. Let’s hear your amazing selfless reason for experimenting on your only child.” I crossed my arms and waited.
“You have to understand when I started the experiment I wasn’t thinking like a parent. I didn’t think of the consequences until it was too late. I couldn’t stop the zombies; I couldn’t reverse what had happened so I tried to make humans better. If they were immune and stronger, then the zombies wouldn’t be a threat anymore.”
“Great plan except the Alliance were improving zombies too.”
“I know. You have to know that no matter what’s happened, I do love you. I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’m going to fix this.”
“That’s the problem, Dad. Every time you try to fix something you end up making it worse. So do me a favor and just stay out of my life. Once Mom’s free, I’m going to live with her and you can stay away from both of us.”
The expression on his face was heartbreaking, but I couldn’t care about that now. I meant every word I said.
As I was walking out the door, he put a hand on my shoulder. “I know you hate me right now, but you do need to talk about what happened to you.”
“Not with you.”
I nearly collided with Gil on the way out. I lingered outside the door to listen to their conversation.
“Have you thought any more about what we were talking about earlier?” Gil asked.
“Yes, I don’t think we need to throw Wesley out. He could still be useful.”
They were going to get rid of Wesley?
“Look, Tom, I didn’t want to say anything because I know the kid has helped you in the past, but I don’t like the way he’s been looking at your daughter. It’s creepy. Plus there’s the drug problem.”
“What do you mean looking at her?”
“I don’t know, he’s constantly staring at her. Maybe I’m over reacting.”
Dad was silent. What was Gil up to? Wesley wasn’t always staring at me. Although I wanted to avoid him too, I went to find Wesley, still going over what Gil said in my head. I couldn’t work out his angle. Wesley was hardly a threat to him. And Dad was right. He was still useful. He could help me find Mom. If he could track her down, I could go in and get her myself.
He was in his room practicing on his crutches.
“Hey, I need your help.”
He lowered himself back into his wheelchair, “Wow, you mean there’s something super Reilly can’t help you with?”
“What is your problem with him?”
“I don’t have a problem. No, Reilly’s great. In fact, he’s perfect.”
I rolled my eyes, “Oh my God, what are you? Twelve years old?”
“What do you need?”
“I want to know where Mom is.”
“She’s in a concentration camp.”
“Yeah, I know that genius. Which one?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“What?”
“I know what you’re planning and I’m not going to help you kill yourself.”
I kicked out at his chair, “You said you would help me find her.”
“Yeah, when there was plan to get her out, not you trying to take on an army of AS by yourself.”
I snorted, “Please I’ve taken on more than a few soldiers.”
“What do you mean? What did they do to you?”
“They tested my abilities. I’m a weapon, remember?”
“No, Jenna, you’re not a weapon. Don’t say that.” He reached for my hand but I backed away. I didn’t need his pity.
“Just tell me where she is. I won’t run off, I just need to know she’s okay.”
He pulled up a list of camps and searched for her name. It came back with no results.
“What does that mean?”
He shrugged, “It could mean anything. She might not have been put in the system or they didn’t use her real name, in case your dad came looking for her.”
“But wouldn’t they want him to come? They should make it easier to find her, not harder.”
“I’ll try hacking the mainframe, see if I can get CCTV footage of the nearest camps.”
I sat down in the chair beside him to wait, drumming my fingers on the desk in rapid succession.
“Do you have to do that?” he asked.
“Why, is it annoying you?”
“Yes.”
I drummed louder, but I saw a smile on his face.
“Okay, I’m in,” he said. Suddenly a black skull appeared on the screen. It opened its mouth and a high pitched wail escaped its mouth.
“What the hell is that?” I cried.
“Someone knows I’m here.”
The skulls eyes ignited and it dissolved. Words appeared on the screen: THIS IS CHAOS. GIVE US
GENESIS OR PERISH.
“Oh my God, can they trace us?” I asked.
“They’re trying. What the hell is Chaos?”
I remembered the black skulls on the uniforms of the soldiers during my test. That was Chaos?
“Are they part of the Alliance?”
“I don’t think so. They’re trying to hack their files too. I have to cut the connection; I can’t let them find us.” The screen went black.
“They were the ones who took me. Not the Alliance.”
“We need to tell your dad.”
He called him into the room. When Wesley explained what we had been doing, he was livid.
“What the hell were you thinking? If this base has been compromised…”
“It hasn’t. I cut the feed before they could get a fix.”
“Who is Chaos?” I interrupted.
“As far as I know, they are a group of rebels who hate the Alliance.”
“Then shouldn’t they be on our side?”
“No, they are terrorists. No one’s heard from them in years. We assumed they had disbanded.”
“Well they took me. And from the set up, they have plenty of funding. They were training me.”
“What do you mean training?” Dad asked. I had no choice but to tell him now.
“They had assault courses and I was made to fight their soldiers…and zombies.”
“WHAT!” Dad barked.
“I’m fine,” I said, “it was nothing I couldn’t handle.” That was an outright lie, but he didn’t need to know that. Wesley had gone pale. I looked at the floor.
“This isn’t good. It was bad enough with just the Alliance. Chaos doesn’t care how they look to the public. They will do whatever they can to get you,” Dad said.
“We need to find a place to hide her,” Wesley said.
“Hello. Still in the room.”
“I’ll arrange something,” Dad said.
“What about Mom?”
“Look Jenna, above everything else your mother wants you safe. And I intend to keep you that way.”
He left the room to make ‘arrangements’ for me.
“I don’t believe this!” I cried. I kicked the trash can by the desk. It toppled over and I bent down to pick it up. That’s when I saw it. An empty Morphinal ampoule. I lifted it out of the trash.
Wesley saw it and froze, “I can explain,” he said.
After Zombie Series (Book 1): After Page 12
