The Search - A Post Apocalyptic Thriller (ROT SERIES Book 5)

by Damon Hunter

  “Okay, do it,” Vance told him.

  “It will take you forever to get there on one leg,” Ben said to Vance as Carter lowered the chopper. “You’re going to need to wait this one out.”

  Vance made a face showing how much he did not like the idea of staying behind.

  “We can handle it,” Ana said. “We run in and grab the stuff and run out. Maybe even take a detour to grab some ammunition from the transport. It won’t take all of us to do that.”

  “Besides,” Talbot added. “Someone needs to stay behind and make sure our pilot doesn’t decide to leave us.”

  “I won’t leave,” Carter said after he put the chopper on the ground. “I thought I could save my family and didn’t know the big guy was immune.”

  “In that case, the last thing you want is to stay here alone when you have the option of having a badass TMRT soldier watching your back, even if he only has one working leg,” Ben told him as he opened the door.

  Talbot got out to join Ana and Ben, saying, “You need me to make sure you pick up the right stuff. It will be a mess in there.”

  “You sure you can keep up?” Ben asked as he gave the Sick Slaying Stick a twirl and pressed the buttons on the side, releasing the blade on one end and the spikes on the other.

  “The question is can you keep up with me? I’m also the only one familiar with the checkpoint. It doesn’t matter how fast you run if you take a wrong turn.”

  “Lead the way, Doc,” Ben said.

  “Wait,” Ana said. She handed him one of her hatchets. It seemed wrong to send him off first unarmed. She picked up a combat knife so she had a weapon in each hand.

  “Thank you,” Talbot told her before he took off, moving at a brisk jog.

  Despite seeing from the air that the area was clear, they all turned the first corner expecting to be confronted by victims of the rot. They encountered no one and kept running. Talbot slowed as they approached the abandoned transport.

  “Should we get bullets first?” Ana yelled to him

  “Let’s keep going,” Talbot said as he picked up the pace. “My research is the top priority.”

  “We should stop,” Ben yelled, thinking if the medical center was full of vampire rotters, it would be nice to have some ammunition for the guns they were carrying, but Talbot was already past the transport.

  Ben slowed and looked back. He considered going in by himself. He was fast enough he could grab a handful of magazines and still catch up before they reached the medical center.

  Ana noticed he was no longer beside her. She looked back and asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Stay with the the doc,” he told her as he moved towards the open hatch in the back of the transport, “I’m going for the ammo.”

  “We should stay together,” Ana said.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll catch…” Ben began to say when a TMRT soldier turned vampire rotter leapt from the the open hatch and drove him to the ground.

  Chapter 26

  The TMRT Southeastern Checkpoint - Escondido, CA

  Vance looked to see several missed calls from his wife. He hoped she was calling to let him know she and Katelin were safely on the right side of the quarantine line. He didn’t think he could call her back yet. He was in the chopper, but they were still on the ground in an infected area. She texted him while he was putting it back in his pocket, asking if he was still among the living.

  While he didn’t feel he could call her, he did have enough time to send back a quick text letting her know he wasn’t dead yet.

  “Who are you texting?” Carter asked.

  “My wife.”

  “Did she make it out?”

  “I hope so,” Vance told him. “She should be.”

  Carter nodded and wiped his eyes. “Does that guy really have a cure?”

  “He has something. I wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.”

  “You know, you don’t have to worry about me leaving everyone behind anymore. I know I did it before, but…”

  “There’s no need to explain, or apologize. You were trying to save your family.”

  “I’m glad you understand.”

  Vance looked at the pilot and saw the vampire rotter loping on all fours towards Carter’s side of the helicopter.

  “Incoming,” Vance said just before the infected soldier threw his body into the side of the chopper.

  Carter turned to see the glass window on his side of the chopper shatter as the vampire rotter bounced off. Someone without the vampire strain of the rot hitting a solid object like the side of the chopper with the same force would not be getting back up quickly. Instead of lying on the ground writhing in pain, the infected soldier popped right back up and punched through the already shattered glass.

  “Get away from the window,” Vance said as he grabbed a handful of Carter’s shirt and tried to pull him out of the reach of the vampire rotter. He wasn’t quick enough. The rotter got a fistful of Carter’s ear and pulled him to the window.

  Vance pulled back but the rotter was stronger. If he had a gun, Vance could have shot it but all he had was his knife and the Sick Slaying Stick and neither were much help in this situation.

  Carter managed to twist around and get his hands on the door and push back, helping Vance keep him inside the chopper. While Vance pulled on his shirt and the rotter kept a grip on his ear, Carter twisted some more so he could get his feet against the side of the chopper and push with his legs.

  While engaged in the tug of war, Vance felt the chopper shake and heard the impact of another vampire rotter striking his side of the chopper. He was trying to decide how to keep Carter in the chopper and deal with the second threat when the resistance he was pulling against gave way, sending Carter tumbling into his lap.

  The rotter’s vise-like grip held fast but Carter’s ear did not. The ear came loose and he fell into Vance.

  Carter was trying to sit up when he saw the claws of the second infected TMRT soldier come through the shattered window on Vance’s side and grab him by the hair. Before Carter could do anything about it, his face was pulled to the window and into the waiting mouth of the infected soldier.

  Chapter 27

  The TMRT Southeastern Checkpoint Medical Wing - Escondido, CA

  Talbot did not notice that the other two were not behind him until he reached the medical wing. He looked back and considered going to see why they were no longer with him, but kept going forward instead. His samples and research were too close to go back now.

  Talbot paused by the door. The last time he was here, the entire place was filled with infected. This time it appeared to be empty. He still took his time, forcing himself to go slow and keep an eye out for a vampire rotter waiting in some dark corner to pounce on him. He looked at the axe in his hand and realized if a vampire rotter was inside, there was little he could do. His track record going against them was spotty even when he had a gun.

  Talbot moved to the spot where he remembered losing the samples. Just as he had remembered, nothing left was salvageable, but he wanted to check to be sure. He moved through his lab and found his laptop. He scooped it up and kept moving. The cold storage with more samples was on the other side of the medical wing. Before opening the door to the hallway, Talbot stopped and listened. He didn’t hear anything, so he opened the door. He waited a second before going through. When nothing jumped out at him, Talbot hustled down the hall to the big freezer at the far end.

  He felt some luck was on his side in that the medical wing still had electricity. It certainly made going down what would have been a dark hall easier, even though the dull yellowish glow of the fluorescent lights above him still made the hallway feel just plain wrong. More importantly, the liquified remains of the immune would not have spoiled.

  He reached the door and started to punch in the code to open it when he heard a crash in the medical wing, followed by footsteps. Talbot turned and looked down the hallway. The sound of steps faded away. When nothing came into the hallwa
y, Talbot punched in the code and opened the door.

  He found an aluminum storage case and filled it with samples. It also had a place for his laptop so he put it inside as well. Once the case was filled up, he locked it tight and left the cold storage. He was halfway down the hall when he heard the footsteps again. Hearing the steps reminded him that every room by TMRT policy had a firearm. He found the drawer with the standard issue TMRT sidearm. He checked the magazine and found it had ten bullets.

  He felt better with the gun, even though he knew it would better if he didn’t have to use it. He was still wearing the TMRT armor, so he put his empty pistol in the drawer and put the loaded one in the holster.

  Talbot stopped again as the footsteps became louder. He considered it might be Ben and Ana. He wondered if he should call out to them, but feared he would bring something else his way. He tried to ascertain where the sound was coming from but could not be sure if it was behind him, in front, or on the roof. He saw no other choice but to keep moving.

  He made it to the end of the hall without incident. Talbot felt good about his chances as he made his way out of the medical wing. While he couldn’t be sure where the footsteps were coming from, he was sure they were from inside.

  He was worried about the two kids. They should have made it to the medical wing by now. The important thing was the samples and the laptop. He could still hear the chopper rotors, all he had to do was make it back to the helicopter.

  Talbot started running when he heard something behind him. He turned to see the vampire rotter running across the roof on all fours, heading towards him. Talbot turned and ran, yelling for help as he sprinted back towards the chopper.

  Talbot had seen enough vampire rotters to know he wouldn’t outrun it. He remembered he had the pistol. Talbot drew it and turned as the vampire rotter hit him in the chest. He landed on his back and lost the pistol.

  He still had the aluminum case and swung it up, striking the rotter across the face. Talbot grabbed the case with two hands and put it between himself and the mouth of the rotter on top of him.

  Chapter 28

  Chuck’s Guns and Ammo - Quartzsite, Arizona

  “Donna,” Gavin screamed as he saw her go down through the window. He drew his knife and ran outside to help her.

  Katelin and Bo were in the back of the store looking at the meager selection of camping equipment while Jennifer was checking out some knives closer to the front. She grabbed one and followed Gavin out the door.

  Gavin made it two steps towards Donna when a second vampire rotter came around the corner and grabbed him.

  It was lifting him to its open mouth when Jennifer came through the door and stabbed it in the back of the neck with her new knife. She yanked the blade free and brought it down through the top of the rotter’s skull. It dropped Gavin as she pulled the blade free again.

  She was raising the knife for a third stab to the rotter’s head when the one that had leapt onto Donna came up from behind her. It sank two rows of teeth into her neck and tore away a large section of her flesh.

  Jennifer stumbled away, trying in vain to stop the blood gushing from her neck.

  The vampire rotter spit her flesh out and turned to the store just in time for Katelin to shove the long sword through its eye. Katelin shoved the short sword through the rotter’s neck. She pulled both blades free and kicked it in the the chest. The infected man hit the ground and his head popped off his body on impact.

  Katelin kept moving, charging the other vampire rotter as it made the howling sound they used to call the other infected. It raised its arms and took her sword swings on the forearms. Her blades cut it deep but it lunged at her as if nothing had happened.

  Bo swung the bat he had found in the gun store and caught the rotter in the head. Like everything else they had done that would have killed the old desert dweller before he became infected, this didn’t stop it. The bat did slow its assault on Katelin long enough so she could stab it in the chest with both swords. She put both blades through all the way to the hilt but it kept coming, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her head back so it had a clear shot at tearing out her throat.

  Bo picked up the bat as he ran toward it. He put his best home run swing to the back of the rotter’s skull as it was preparing to bite Katelin. The blow seemed to stun it and Katelin was able to push it away from her. Bo swung for the rotter’s legs and knocked it onto its back. Before it could get up, he rained down blows with the bat until the rotter’s skull split and brains started leaking out.

  Katelin pulled out the swords and then looked back to see Jennifer on the ground in a pool of her own blood. She then saw her mother sitting in the street. She took a step towards her but Donna held up her hand.

  Katelin stopped. “Mom?”

  Donna shook her head. She lifted up her shirt just enough to let them see the sore growing rapidly on her side.

  “No,” Katelin said. “You should be immune too.”

  “I’m not. You need to go. I can already feel the urge to get up and bite you.”

  “We’ve been through too much to let them get you now…”

  “You’re going to have to go through some more. Please go. I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want you to have to kill me.”

  “No…”

  Bo grabbed Katelin by the arm and said, “She’s right.”

  He pointed to the road and Katelin looked to see it filling with infected heading their direction.

  “Goodbye, Mom. I can’t believe how fucked up this is,” Katelin said as she, Bo and Gavin started towards the Humvee.

  “Language,” Donna said as she looked at her daughter with yellowing eyes.

  Bo and Katelin were in the car when Gavin said, “I dropped my knife.”

  “Leave it, kid, I’ll give you mine,” Katelin said, but Gavin had already turned around and started running back to where he dropped it.

  He was bending over to pick it up when Donna sprang up from her seated position and grabbed his arm. She was gnawing on his shoulder before any of them could react. She pushed the boy away and turned to the Humvee.

  “No,” Bo yelled as he got out of the vehicle. He made it one step before he saw Gavin stand up with yellow eyes and pus-filled sores on his face. Bo got back into the Humvee and fired up the engine as Katelin got back in her seat and shut the door.

  “It doesn’t feel right to just leave them,” Katelin said as her mother and the young kid they had picked up in the Quarantine Zone began to pound on the windows of the Humvee.

  “The only other choice is to kill them,” Bo replied. “Do you want to do that?”

  “No.”

  “Me neither,” Bo told her as he put the Humvee in gear.

  The two of them drove out of Quartzsite with tears in their eyes.

  Chapter 29

  The TMRT Southeastern Checkpoint - Escondido, CA

  Vance could see Carter turning while vampire rotters came in from either side of the chopper. With Carter on top of him, he was trapped. Even if he fought off Carter, one of the other two would get him. His best weapon for fighting vampire rotters was the the Sick Slaying Stick, but even if he could reach it, the weapon was not near as effective in the close quarters of the chopper as he would need it to be.

  Vance could still hear the rotors turning on top of the chopper. He didn’t know much of anything about flying, but he knew that when Carter pulled back on the stick by his legs the chopper went up. He got his feet planted on the stick and clamped down on it with his ankles. The rotter on Carter’s side was halfway through the window when Vance pulled back on the stick.

  The chopper began to rise. Gaining altitude did nothing to discourage the infected climbing in, but when Vance let go and the chopper went back down, the impact knocked the two infected off the chopper.

  Inside the chopper they were bounced around too, but he only got up a few feet before letting them drop, so the damage to the chopper was small and it worked to Vance’s advantage. Carte
r fell off him enough so that Vance could draw his knife and jam it into the chopper pilot’s throat.

  While Carter bled out, Vance saw the vampire rotters were already working their way back into the chopper. The arm of the one on the pilot’s side came through first. Vance lunged forward and drove the knife through its arm, pinning the rotter to the door.

  He turned to see the other one coming through. Vance left the knife and grabbed the door handle. He opened the door and pushed hard, slamming the rotter climbing through the window against the side of the chopper. With the door open, the rotter quit trying to get through the window and dropped down to go through the open door. Vance picked up the Sick Slaying Stick as he went into the back of the chopper.

  When the rotter came at him from between the seats, Vance intercepted it with the end of his Sick Slaying Stick. The staff stopped it and Vance hit the button to release the blade, sending it through the rotter’s chest. He kept the blade in it and lifted, banging the rotter’s head against the top of the chopper. When it came down he pulled the blade free and shoved it through the rotter’s neck. When he pulled the Sick Slaying Stick loose this time, the rotter fell face first to the floor of the chopper and wouldn’t be getting back up.

  Vance left the chopper by the side door and limped around to the rotter still stuck in the door. It was making the sound they used to call others as Vance approached. He spun the Sick Slaying Stick and crushed the rotter’s head with the spiked ball end, cutting off the low growl. It had not made the sound long, but Vance knew it had been long enough.

  He wasn’t sure how to turn off the chopper so he left it running. It seemed to him the others should be back by now unless they ran into trouble. Vance started limping in the direction of the medical center.

  Chapter 30

  The TMRT Southeastern Checkpoint - Escondido, CA

  Ana ran back, but could tell she was too late. The vampire rotter in a TMRT uniform already had a mouthful of Ben’s face. It dropped him and turned to Ana. It started to leap but Ben grabbed it by the leg. It turned back and backhanded him across the face, knocking Ben away.