I Zombie I [Omnibus Edition]

by Jack Wallen

  “This is commander Faddig. I want all ships to return to the location of the drop off and open fire on the survivors. I repeat, return to previous engagement and shoot to kill.”

  “Yes, sir,” was the only response.

  Faddig stood and turned to leave. One other soldier was present—a female. The woman stood at attention, visibly shaken and desperate to leave the scene.

  “Get rid of this body and take over communications.”

  The woman nodded to Faddig’s command as he left the room. As Faddig marched away, he could hear the woman weeping softly.

  chapter 32 | bad news good news

  The concert finished, every band managed to play, and every living being remained alive. The only sounds were random voices—bands promising to come together again to continue celebrating life and music. Autographs were signed (most of the bands even asking for my signature), and hugs were exchanged.

  My crew said its good-byes, but not before making sure they offered their sincerest thanks to Rip Vanity. It wasn’t just about helping to remind the living how precious life was, it was also about taking down a vast number of the undead.

  “We haven’t won the war yet, but we won a major battle,” Vanity whispered into my ear as he hugged me.

  Before we could leave the site, the thrumming sound of airships drew my attention.

  “Jamal,” I stopped and turned. “Are those—?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why? They didn’t have time to load another army of undead.”

  Before I could continue, the first shots exploded in the air. Screams joined the tattoo of whatever high-powered rifles were fired.

  “Oh my God,” Echo shouted. “They’re…killing them. We have to do something.”

  “No way,” Rizzo spat. “Not on my watch.”

  With a rifle in her arms, Rizzo took off. Morgan and Josh followed after her, arming themselves as they ran. Echo turned to me, tears rushing down her cheeks. Echo’s eyes flashed to her bow and back to me. The girl wanted permission to help defend the innocent. The last thing my conscience needed was the death of another young girl.

  Against my better judgment, I nodded.

  “We have to help, Jamal.”

  “With what? We’re not armed.”

  I pulled out two pistols from a pack and handed one to Jamal.

  “Against those ships? That’d be like throwing rocks at King Kong.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We can’t sit back and do nothing. The rules have clearly changed. The Zero Day Collective has just displayed an act of desperation. We can’t let them win this—at all costs. Fight with me.”

  “I have always been and always shall be—”

  “Your friend.” I finished the quote for him. He kissed me. We sped off toward the sound of shooting.

  By the time we returned to the area, dead bodies lined the rows of makeshift seating. Blood pooled in the dust and dirt. The chaos of cries and shouts littered the air.

  “There,” Jamal pointed. I followed his finger to the location of the ships.

  I scanned the area for our team to find them returned to the towers, their weapons hot. I was about to shout to Jamal to follow me to one of the towers when I noticed him doing his thing—calculating some secret solution.

  “Follow me, Bethany.”

  I chased Jamal around the perimeter of the situation into a small copse of trees off to the side. When we arrived, Jamal’s reasoning became quite clear. The doors to the drop-ships were open and we had clear shots at the snipers from our new vantage point, as the ships flew by.

  “How’s your shooting, Jamal?”

  He looked at me, a wide grin on his lips.

  “Much better than you would think.”

  Jamal raise his pistol to shoot. Before he could fire, we heard a scream. I pulled out my binoculars and trained their sights on the tower. Rizzo was down. I grabbed my radio and called out.

  “Echo, Echo…what’s going on?”

  Seconds ticked by before the reply came.

  “Rizzo’s been hit.” Echo’s voice shook with fear.

  “I’m fine, it’s just a flesh wound.”

  “She’s not fine; she’s bleeding badly.” Echo left the call button depressed so I could hear Rizzo let loose a litany of profanity as she opened fire on the ships.

  “Motherfucking, ass-faced, monkey-raping, doucherammer!” Rizzo screamed. I pulled the binoculars back up to my eyes to see Rizzo unleash a salvo of ammunition along with her f-bombs.

  As one of the planes did a flyby, Rizzo connected with the pilot and the plane veered off. Given the low altitude, the craft didn’t stand a chance. Without losing any speed, the plane slammed into the ground. The sound was like Godzilla ripping a giant metal phonebook in half and then slamming it to the ground in a rage. A blaze of smoke and fire quickly followed.

  Jamal steadied his aim. As a second plane flew by, he took two shots. His second bullet took out the sniper, who plummeted to the ground below.

  I nudged Jamal out of the way and gave him an apologetic glance. “This one’s mine.”

  Jamal nodded and grabbed his binoculars to start giving me the play-by-play. I didn’t need the commentary; I had already figured out the flight pattern, so taking out the final sniper would be too easy.

  I wanted more.

  The plane flew off in order to turn and make another pass—this time toward us. I was ready. I held the pistol before me, steel steady. As the plane drew nearer, the image of Jacob Plummer flashed into my memory. Remembering what the ZDC did to us pushed me beyond boundaries I never knew existed—helped me to become someone okay with taking another life. I resented the Zero Day Collective for taking away that innocence. My feelings for them went well beyond hatred. I wanted them dead—each and every one of them.

  I held my breath. As soon as I had a bead on the pilot, I took the shot. The plane continued forward for a moment and then took an immediate nosedive into the field. The crunching metal of the fuselage was nothing more than a prologue to the explosion of the fuel tanks and engines that challenged the decibel levels generated by every metal band to ever exist. I’d underestimated the carnage from the crash, as fire raced toward the entrance and the towers.

  “Echo,” I screamed into the radio. “Get out of there now!”

  I trained the binoculars on the tower to watch Josh and Morgan climbing down, followed by Echo.

  “Where’s Rizzo? Fuck, Jamal…where’s Rizzo?”

  Finally she stepped off the platform and lowered one foot after another down the ladder, her right arm dangling uselessly at her side.

  “Bethany,” Jamal demanded, “we have to go.”

  I pulled the binoculars away to see the fire spreading toward us. I stood and took off…toward the stage. Jamal grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.

  “No, B, we’re done here. You have to think of yourself for once.”

  He was right. We had so much more to do. Besides, Rip Vanity had proved himself a survivor and I had a feeling we’d meet again someday. With that in mind, I raced off with Jamal. Once we were out of harm’s way, I radioed the crew.

  “We’re heading back to headquarters. Meet us there. Do not fail me.”

  *

  Jamal and I arrived at the wall without incident. Instead of climbing over and waiting for the crew on the other side, we decided to hang out and play welcoming committee.

  “They’ll make it.” Jamal’s words were a hollow comfort at the moment. The only release from my current state of panic would come when I saw the rest of the group arrive safely.

  “I can’t believe they did that!” Jamal surprised me with an angry shout. When I jerked my head his way, I finally caught the tears falling down his cheeks.

  “Jamal…what is it?”

  His breathing grew deep, almost painfully so. “All that senseless death and carnage…and for what? Those people didn’t need to die. They were just there trying to enjoy a moment in time. I feel…”

  Ja
mal went silent, his eyes closed in thought.

  “…I feel like the Zero Day Collective cheated, rewrote the rules. Here we’ve been preparing for a war against the undead and they unleash a barrage of bullets, turned the hands of time back to traditional warfare.”

  When Jamal glanced back at me, he wore a look I’d never before seen on his face.

  “If they won’t play fair, we won’t play fair. Bethany, this is war and we won’t stop until those bastards are dead. By any and all means, we will destroy those ass maggots.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Jamal lived and breathed by the rules—they were his guiding principles. To see him renounce fair play was a revelation that could effectively turn the tides of this nightmare.

  Before we could start quoting Sun Tzu, the rest of the group arrived. Josh had Rizzo in his arms.

  “She’s lost a lot of blood.” Echo spoke through tears.

  “How are we going to get her over the wall?” I asked.

  It was Morgan who saved the day. From a sizable length of rope, she fashioned a harness that allowed us to pull the limp body of Rizzo up and then lower her over the wall. It was a feat of strength we couldn’t have pulled off without Josh’s massive arms and a bit of counterbalancing trickery thought up by Jamal. After about fifteen minutes of heaving, Rizzo was on the other side of the wall and we raced with her back to the church.

  *

  The wound wasn’t nearly as superficial as Rizzo claimed.

  “How did she manage to shoot down that plane with this wound?” I asked.

  Morgan looked up as her hand continued to stroke the sleeping girl’s hair. “That’s Rizzo; she’s stubborn and loyal as hell. I’ve never known someone to cheat death the way she does. I wouldn’t trade her for anything.” Morgan looked up at me, her dark eyes begging for strength. “She’s going to be okay, right?”

  I nodded.

  After sedating Rizzo, we wound up cauterizing the wound. It would leave a fairly sizable scar, but she’d at least live to brag about it.

  “Come on, Morgan. She’s going to be out for a while and we all need to clean up and rest. I’ll check on her before bed.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’ll be sleeping in here with her.”

  Morgan caught my concerned stare.

  “She’s had a hard enough life. Her family, cancer…Rizzo’s spent so much time fighting back death and seeing those she loved turn their backs when she needed them most. It’s time someone was there for her. We all need to know someone is looking out for us. I’m going to be that someone this time.”

  I wrapped my arms around Morgan and held her tight. She was a fighter, one of the strongest women I’d ever known, but everyone, at some point, needs a moment of weakness.

  “Thank you, Bethany…for everything.”

  I started to leave when a phone chime called me back. Morgan furrowed her brow and grabbed the sat phone from her waist. She depressed the answer button and placed the call on speaker.

  “This is Morgan. Copy.”

  “…José…have…baby…I’m en route to drop…”

  My breath and heart momentarily stopped.

  “This is Morgan, repeat.”

  Static.

  “José, do you copy?”

  “Roger. I have the baby and am en route to the drop off zone. I lost my entire crew, am alone, and on foot. I need backup now.”

  Morgan shot a look of joyful surprise at me. My lungs reminded me they needed oxygen and my chest spasmed.

  “Roger that. I’ll have a unit waiting for you. Out.”

  Before Morgan said a word to me, she dialed a number on the sat phone and instructed the closest unit to immediately report to the drop off zone. When she hung up, neither of us could hold back the flood of joyful tears. Jacob had finally been wrestled from the clutches of the sinister nation. I would have my baby back. I kissed Morgan on the cheek and raced out to find Jamal.

  *

  “Oh my God, Bethany, that is…I can’t imagine how you feel.” Jamal’s grin was a mile wide. He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me into the air. As my feet returned to the floor our lips connected and remained to enjoy the warmest, most meaningful kiss to ever grace my mouth.

  “In one fell swoop we took down the Zero Day Collective drop-ships and rescued my child. Jamal, is this really happening? I’m not going to wake up in the morning to find out all of my nightmares had turned into one wonderful dream, only to have it shattered as soon as the light seeps between my eyelids? Please tell me this is real.”

  “It’s as real as you are brilliant. At some point in the next couple of days you will be reunited with Jacob and we’ll begin planning our next attack—”

  “No,” I interrupted. “I don’t want to plan anything at the moment. I just want to be. We can remain here for a while—regain some semblance of sanity and remind ourselves that we are still human. We’ve spent so much time improvising our way through this; it’s time we organized. If we put our brains together with Morgan and Josh’s survival skills, the Zero Day Collective won’t stand a chance.”

  I so badly wanted to melt into Jamal’s embrace. The second the thought crossed my mind, my breathing dove deep into the realm of dreams. The next thing I knew, Jamal had lifted me in his arms and carried me into the sanctuary and laid me on my pew. When the blanket rested on my shoulders I looked up into Jamal’s eyes and smiled.

  “I love you, Jamal.”

  “I love you, Bethany.”

  A single kiss sent me off into a world of dreams.

  chapter 33 | wild horses

  It was the first time I’d slept through the night without being tossed into nightmare theatre. I woke completely refreshed—an altogether foreign concept since the zombies had begun mingling with reality. I sat up in my pew and the scent of dark, earthy coffee wafted my way. As I neared the kitchen area, laughter greeted my ears. The sound stopped me in my tracks. It had been so long since I’d heard the sound of joy. I felt human, alive.

  When I entered the kitchen I was met with cheers and a mug of hot, black gold. The bitter liquid warmed my core and brought me to life.

  Once the coffee had my eyes fully open, the first thing I noticed was Morgan’s hair.

  “Oh my God, Morgan, when did you—?”

  Morgan grinned. “I know, right? This morning. Josh and I were talking and realized my standard issue ponytail had become nothing more than a leash for the undead to grab onto. So, I handed him a pair of scissors and…” She struck an adorable pose. Her hair was choppy, just past her ears, with bangs that would eat a hipster girl for breakfast and mock her with an irony only the truly hip would get.

  “Brave woman. It’s adorable! Josh, I’m next.”

  Josh bowed his head and smiled.

  Morgan grinned. “I’ve got good news, Bethany.”

  “Other than your fabulous new look? What is it?”

  “Jacob is on his way here. He should arrive within the next three to four hours.”

  Thanks to the chaotic battlefield that had become of my emotions, I wept. This time, however, the tears were a celebration of hope. I knew the second that baby was in my arms nothing could hurt me again. It would stand as the final sign that the Zero Day Collective had failed to break me. With Jacob returned, we’d won, and nothing could take that away.

  Jamal held up his mug. “To Bethany.”

  I offered mine up. “No, to us. We wouldn’t have made it through this without a collective effort. Thank you all so much for being a part of my life.”

  “Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Morgan said. Josh nodded in agreement.

  Echo rushed me and wrapped her skinny arms around my waist. “I love you, Bethany.”

  Jamal grabbed my coffee so I could return the hug. The second my arms encompassed Echo, she released a sigh the likes I’d never witnessed.

  “I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.”

  I pulled back and looked the girl in the eyes. “I think
it was you who saved me.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” Morgan asked.

  Jamal shook his head. “No plan…at least not now. We’re going to take a break from fighting wars and just be. Franklin and his group have offered to remain and help us rebuild this place into something a bit more stable. It might take a while, but the routine might do our souls some good.”

  Morgan lifted her mug and nodded. “That’s the best plan I’ve heard in a while.”

  *

  The hours passed slowly—slower than I ever remembered time ticking by. I suppose the anticipation of having Jacob back in my arms caused the time dilation. Moments like these made me wish I could jump back in time and have a chat with the good sir, Einstein. He’d argue my situation had nothing to do with dilation. I’d comb his hair, give him a hug, and challenge him to a game of chess.

  At least that would pass the time until my baby arrived. If ever I needed a distraction, it was now.

  *

  “You’re listening to WZMB, Zombie Radio. Your personal sound…track, to the end of the world. That was The High Violets and ‘Chinese Letter.’ A shoegazer of a song, if ever I’ve heard one. I spent the better part of the nineties gazing at my scruffy Doc Martens wishing like hell I could muster up the courage to ask out a particularly delightful wallflower who I knew only by the name…Lizzy. She was an odd mixture of goth, librarian, J-pop, and waif. I know, I know…it sounds crazy but it worked. But alas, I never took the necessary leap of faith to get me to the other side of that dark and stormy chasm.

  “Speaking of leaps of faith—let’s talk about Rip Vanity and the Metal Meltdown known only as Arise. What looked as if it would be the Woodstock for the new world order turned into a nightmare of tragic proportions. Of course, the Zero Day Collective was behind the disaster. Hopefully, those rat bastards will pay for what they’ve done. But before the barrage of bullets strafed the flesh of the living audience, before the undead horde attempted to break living bread with one another…there was music. The bands were epic and the music was pure metal; but every note, every lyric paled in comparison to one particular song—what will most likely become the anthem of our age, ‘Cry Zombie Cry,’ by UnSun. Aya and company unleashed that beast for the first time ever during the festival, and WZMB was one of the only stations to get a direct feed of the song. And so, for the first time ever, I want to premier for the Zombie Radio Nation a song written for Bethany Nitshimi and the rest of the survivors of the Mengele Virus, UnSun’s ‘Cry Zombie Cry.’”