Infected

by Anthony Izzo

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rob circled the building again, drumming the steering wheel and still seeing no sign of Kayla. He was in panic mode, worse than the time she'd slipped away from him at the Galleria Mall. After alerting security and nearly puking from worry, he'd found her in the Build-A-Bear store across the mall. Grounding had ensued. After he'd hugged her hard enough to take her breath away.

  His phone jingled and he answered.

  “Rob, we're on the elevator.”

  “Okay boss,” he said to Ramsey. “I'll be out front.”

  He hung up with Ramsey and called Emma. She picked up on the fifth ring.

  “Where are you? Are you okay?” Rob asked.

  “The hospital's overrun with things. The living dead. I can't explain it.”

  “They're here too,” Rob said.

  “I got out. Where are you?”

  Rob told her his location. “There's something else.”

  Silence on the other end.

  “Kayla's missing,” Rob said.

  He heard Emma take a deep breath on the other end, maybe stealing herself for bad news. “How Rob? How is that possible?”

  Rob explained how he'd taken her to the basement and Kayla running from him. Then climbing out of the subbasement and escaping the zombie.

  She blew out a stream of air. “I'm headed over. Stay put.”

  “The others are on their way out of the building. I'm going to grab them,” Rob said.

  “And you can't wait around for your daughter?” Emma said.

  “That's not fair. You know I wouldn't abandon her.”

  “I'm sorry. Just wait for me. We'll look for her.”

  “All right.”

  He ended the call and pocketed the phone. He rolled around to the front of the building and saw Mary leave the building, followed by Ramsey. The boss did a waddle-shuffle and attempted to keep up with Mary, who was now barefoot. Where the hell were Ryan and the cop?

  He stopped the van and shortly after, Mary reached the passenger's side and pulled open the door. Her mascara ran in tributaries down her cheeks and her bottom lip quivered.

  “What the hell happened?” Rob asked.

  Mary shook her head and a chorus of sobs shook her. A moment later, Ramsey caught up to her, huffing and puffing. He gave her a nudge and urged her into the van. She climbed up, Rob getting a whiff of rosy perfume mixed with sweat. Mary took a seat on the bench seat just behind the driver and passenger.

  Ramsey slammed the door shut and looked at Rob, sweat slicking his forehead. “They got the cop. Ryan holed himself up, wouldn't come with. Don't know what happened to him.”

  “Emma's on the way. We need to wait here for her, then look for Kayla.”

  “I don't think that's a good idea,” Ramsey said, looking at the front doors.

  The undead – a mob of them – poured from the lobby.

  They charged from the building, heading straight for the van. Rob noticed a few in the front of the mob had fresh blood stains on their clothing, perhaps what was left of Ryan and Tim. He prayed they didn't suffer.

  Rob put the van in gear and realized the undead were nearly at the van. Close enough for him to see the milky whites of their eyes. They might not make it.

  The hum of chopper rotors came from above, and Rob craned his neck to see a large, black helicopter hovering over the lot. There was a heavy machine gun mounted by the door and Rob could see the gunner, vaguely insectile in his helmet and goggles.

  “Lieutenant, have a look,” the gunner said. He was a burly kid from Arkansas. Went by B.J. Or D.J.

  A blue van was parked near the front of the building. It was as the cop had described it, the tallest building in the little country town. A mob of somethings were headed for the van, and Stamford figured they were responsible for tearing up the town.

  The poor sap in the van wasn't going to get away without some help.

  “Light 'em up. Don't hit the van,” Stamford said.

  Rob heard the heavy machine gun open up and hot fire came from the sky like a killing rain, exploding zombie heads, tearing off arms, and shredding muscle and bone. The front of the mob had collapsed, and their brethren climbed over the dead, eager to get at the van.

  The hot lead didn't seem to deter them, and they came in another wave.

  “Drive, man. What are you waiting for?” Ramsey said.

  Rob realized he'd been fixated on the mutants and the death that was raining down from above.

  One of them got to the van, smashed its hand through the glass, and grabbed Ramsey by the arm. The old man clawed at the attacker, who was pulling Ramsey from the seat. Rob reached across and grabbed the boss's other arm, creating a tug-of-war. More of them came to the van and there were several arms reaching in the broken window, all of them trying to get a piece of Ramsey.

  Rob braced his feet against the bucket seat and pulled, fearful he might dislocate the old man's arm.

  “For fuck's sake, don't let go!” Ramsey said, the veins in his neck bulging.

  Up in the chopper, Stamford knelt next to his gunner and saw the things surrounding the van. They were doing their damndest to pull someone from the passenger seat. He told the pilot to find a spot to let them off. Had to get down their and help the civilians.

  The pilot swung the chopper around. While the chopper banked, Stamford addressed his squad.

  “We're touching down. We need to get to those civilians. Take out the hostiles.”

  The chopper started to descend at the edge of the parking lot. They touched down and Stamford led the squad towards the mob. Stamford spied more of them coming from the lobby. He motioned for the men to stop, knelt down, and aimed his M16. The squad got in position and the opened fire, the weapons barking.

  The horde started towards Ramsey and his men.

  “Steady.”

  Ramsey fired and shot a pale-faced kid in a Danzig t shirt. Felt a little queasy about that one, even if it was a monster. Within a few minutes, they had cut down the mob, including the additional ones that had come from the building. A few of them lay on the ground, twitching and moaning. Stamford and his men went around and delivered two in the head to the survivors.

  He approached the van to find a doughy man of about seventy on the passenger side. He was sucking air hard and he looked at Stamford as if he were going to shoot the old guy.

  “Lieutenant Stamford, United States Army. Are you hurt sir?”

  Still trying to catch his breath, the old man shook his head.

  A younger guy in a shirt and tie was behind the wheel, and he spied a twenty-something girl in the back seat. “Anyone else hurt?”

  The young guy leaned over. “My name's Rob Ross. The building was overrun. My daughter's missing. “There were two more of us, but I think they're dead.”

  “What the hell's going on here?”

  “Don't know. It's happening at the hospital, too. My wife's the sheriff, just escaped a bunch of these things. She's on her way here.”

  Stamford radioed for the chopper to swing back. “We're going to get you on the chopper, get you away from here.”

  Rob said, “I'm not leaving without my daughter.”

  Stamford could hear class breaking and the crashing of what he presumed was furniture. He had a feeling they were about to get more visitors. “Sir I suggest you evacuate.”

  “I'm going to look for her,” Rob said.

  Stamford looked at the squad. “Matthews, Anthony. Come here.”

  Rob eyed the lieutenant, who he guessed was under thirty. The man's eyes looked weary, hardened. Something you would never see in most men who hadn't seen war. Now, the two soldiers the lieutenant called came forward.

  Stamford turned to Rob. “Where's the last place you saw your daughter?”

  Rob explained how she escaped the subbasement and his subsequent search around the building.

  “All right. My guess is she's hiding somewhere. Do you live close? Would she have tried to go home?”

&
nbsp; “We're about five miles away.”

  “My men will help you search. Take the van. Saw a Wal-Mart the other side of town on our way in. Rendezvous with us there. You got a half hour.”

  “Thank you,” Rob said.

  “Thank me when we find her.”

  Ramsey and Mary climbed out of the van. Some of the soldiers eyed Mary like starving men sizing up a steak. It probably didn't help that she was wearing a short skirt and made no attempt to keep her legs closed.

  Rob heard things being smashed inside the building. “Lieutenant, only about half of them came out of that building. There might be thirty or forty more inside.”

  “That's what worries me. Where the hell is my chopper?”

  Chapter Twenty

  Kayla sat on the shoulder, the gravel digging into her butt. She'd run as fast as hard as she could. Maybe a mile. That was like six thousand feet, right? Or maybe five thousand. They'd learned it in math, but she couldn't remember.

  She'd seen a big black helicopter over Dad's office building. Watched it land. She was thinking about going back, but first she had to catch her breath and let her legs stop burning.

  Kayla looked to her right and saw the Rite Aid that marked the start of Anderson's business district. Its parking lot lights glowed a hazy yellow and it seemed another five miles away. She felt really stupid for running from Dad in the basement, but those two zombies had terrified her. She wanted to see Mom and Dad, hug them. Tell Dad she was sorry for running and she would never do anything like that again. If they were attacked by zombies again.

  She stood up and brushed the gravel from her pants and it fell to the ground. The helicopter might be bringing help, but she wanted to walk home. Or to the police station. She started toward town.

  She continued down the road, walking parallel to a drainage ditch. As she was walking, she saw people on the road up ahead, near the Rite Aid. She froze. At first it seemed like ten or twenty, but there were more. They took up the width of the road, and they were coming her way.

  Kayla turned and began to run. She had to get off the road.

  The road was flanked by pine trees and she hopped over the drainage ditch and ducked behind a thick-trunked tree.

  Ten minutes went by before she saw them. They moved in a pack, hissing and gurgling. She saw her teacher, Miss Cleveland. She had on a bloody pink bathrobe. Her bare feet were caked with mud. She had loved Miss Cleveland and wanted to cry.

  Miss Cleveland – or what she'd become – stopped and began to sniff the air. Kayla never thought about her scent. Her teacher turned and stared, eyes white. She was maybe thirty or forty feet away and started to lurch toward the trees. Kayla backed up, bumped into another tree.

  Her former teacher drew closer. Kayla turned and ran. She heard the zombie grunt, her footsteps pounding the ground as she came for Kayla. The woods seemed dark enough to make her disappear and she realized she'd get lost if she kept going. She made a sharp right, going parallel with the road. Somewhere in the darkness, off to her right, she heard footsteps.

  Kayla turned right again, heading toward the road. As she ran, branches jabbed at her face and she felt blood trickling down her cheek. She stumbled, banged her knee, and got up. She could see the road and the zombie horde moving forward. There was nowhere to go.

  “See anything?” Rob asked.

  Matthews, one of the soldiers Stamford had sent with them, leaned out the window with a flashlight. He shined it along the road, checking the woods for signs of Kayla.

  “I”ll let you know.”

  Matthews was a smooth-cheeked kid with a skull tattoo that snuck up the side of his neck. Anthony, who wore dark-rimmed glasses, sat humming to himself in back.

  “Thought we would've found your girl hiding near the building,” Matthews said.

  “She had to head for town,” Rob said.

  Anthony said, “Hope she's not up in those woods. Be tough to find at night.”

  “Thanks for mentioning that,” Rob said.

  “Just trying to help.”

  They were on Roosevelt Road, heading toward town. Rob kept switching his gaze from Corporal Matthews to the road. They were about a mile from the Rite Aid when he saw them. Another horde, like the one that had attacked the Ramsey building. Spread across the road.

  Rob slowed the van. “Shit.”

  Corporal Matthews looked at the road. “Turn it around.”

  “Not without Kayla.”

  “We can't look for her if we're dead,” Matthews said.

  Kayla reached the edge of the woods. The footsteps grew louder. Coming up behind her. She would have to go deeper into the woods.

  She was about to turn and run back through the trees when she saw headlights. From a van, which was stopped in the road. It started to back up and her heart sank.

  It could be her last chance. She broke from the woods.

  Rob looked out the van's rear windows as he backed it up. As he started to swing the van into reverse, Matthews said, “Wait. Look.”

  Rob braked, turned, and looked out the windshield. From the woods at the side of the road, about fifty yards diagonal to the van, he saw a small form emerge from the woods. Kayla. “That's her.”

  He moved to get out of the van but Matthews grabbed his arm. “Wait.”

  “Bullshit. I'm going.”

  “I'll go with you. Anthony, take the wheel.”

  Once out of the van, Rob called for her and Kayla broke into a run. He saw someone come after her, a loping thing that could only be one of the newly risen. He sprinted toward her, the shotgun with him.

  A burst of gunfire crackled and the thing that had been following Kayla dropped dead. He looked around to see Matthews aiming down the sight of his M-16. Kayla met him at the roadside and he scooped her up. “You okay kiddo?”

  “I'm okay.”

  They got back in the van, Rob and Kayla taking the first bench seat. He took out his phone.

  Matthews glanced at him. “Not playing Angry Birds, I hope.”

  Anthony swung the van around and they tore down the road.

  “I have to warn my wife. She'd headed this way.”

  Emma stopped the patrol car and stared down the road at the mob of things that had gathered. They hadn't spotted her yet. They wandered down the road. Looked human until you got up close and saw the the gray skin and freaky eyes.

  Rebecca said, “Well?”

  “We won't be safe anywhere in town,” Emma said. “Have to try the main road out so we can get help.”

  “I heard a helicopter,” Rebecca said.

  “I'll call Rob. He's expecting me,” Emma said, and took out her phone. “Wonder if that chopper hooked up with Tim and the others.”

  “Can't that wait?” her mother said.

  Emma ignored her. Rob picked up. “We're cut off from your building. Things blocking the road.”

  “I've got Kayla.”

  “Thank God. What happened?” Emma asked

  “I'll explain later. There's a mess of zombies coming down the road.”

  “Where are you?”

  “On Roosevelt, about a mile from the Ramsey. Can you make it through? We'll wait for you.”

  “We're going to try,” Emma said. “Time's wasting.”

  They ended the call. Emma gauged the distance between her car and the zombies, thinking she could get the car up to around sixty, maybe enough to plow through them.

  “What are you thinking?” Rebecca asked.

  “One way through. My family's that way.”

  Rebecca said, “And a helicopter. Possibly the calvary.”

  “Punch it?”

  “Punch it.”

  Emma stepped on the gas, the cruiser gaining speed. She drew close to the first group of creatures and as they turned, the bumper threw them aside. Emma steadied the wheel, the car jerking. She kept the pedal down and plowed into a zombie in plaid pajama pants. He was thrown forward and Emma rolled over him, the car bucking.

  They were clear of t
he zombies, and Emma looked in the rear view mirror, seeing them chasing after the car. She pushed it up to seventy five and left them behind.