The Zombie Chronicles - Book 5 - Undead Nightmare (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series)

by Peebles, Chrissy

  Asia’s gaze never wavered as she held up her hand to stop his lecture. “Look, Nick, I completely understand why you didn’t want Val and Jackie going with Dean, since that could have ended up being two possible hybrids against one, but this will be two humans against one hybrid. I’ll look after them, and they can keep an eye on me.”

  Kate nodded. “Don’t worry, Nick. If she gets out of line, I know what to do.”

  Asia shot Kate a look. “You’ll shoot me?”

  Kate laughed uneasily. “No. I’ll tie you up.”

  We argued with Nick for what seemed like an eternity before he finally agreed to let Asia go with Kate and me. Asia was tough and had no problem standing her ground, even with hardheaded types like my brother and sister. Nick wouldn’t dare admit it, but I could tell he was impressed; she was just like him, a brave, strong asset to our group.

  I wrapped my hands around a baseball bat I’d found in the closet of the cabin. Kate had a crowbar, and Asia had the rifle. We walked around the perimeter, shining the one flashlight we’d found. The night sky was dotted with thousands of shining stars, which helped a lot.

  Asia nudged me. “Hey, you see that in the grass?”

  I glanced to the ground where she was pointing and saw something silver glimmering in the moonlight. “What is it?”

  “A ladder,” she said. “Help me drag it over to the cabin.”

  “I think we should keep perimeter checks on the ground,” Kate said, her blonde hair blowing in the night breeze.

  “Afraid you’ll break a nail?” Asia teased.

  “What? Heck, I chewed them all off when we were under attack by hybrids.”

  “We’ll have a better advantage at a higher elevation,” Asia said. “We’ll be able to see better and get the drop on the enemy from the roof. C’mon.” She positioned the ladder and began to climb from rung to rung.

  “You cheat,” Kate said. “Not all of us have night vision.”

  “Trust me,” Asia said, “I’d rather be…normal.”

  “If you insist on playing sniper, why don’t you just stay on the roof yourself, and we’ll stay down here. Heights aren’t really my thing.”

  Asia glanced down at me. “Care to join me?”

  Kate chuckled and whispered, “Careful, lover boy. She’s got a mad crush on you.”

  I smiled. “Pssh. I’m not worried about that. I already have a girlfriend,” I said, even though it was quite flattering that such a hottie would have the hots for me.

  Asia stared down at me with her dark eyes, casting a gleaming smile my way. “Well? You comin’?”

  “I can’t let a girl outdo me, can I?”

  “Right. Then what are you waiting for? Get up here!”

  Grinning, I nodded at Kate. “You gonna be all right down here by yourself.”

  “With two guardian angels watching me from above? Sure. Why not?” she said.

  “Good. Just holler if you see anything,” I said. I turned and climbed the ladder to the sloping roof, then eased over to where Asia was. “You sure you don’t wanna come up?” I called down to Kate.

  “I’m good. I’ll just patrol down here.”

  “I don’t like us splitting up like this,” I told Kate.

  “I’m not like Claire,” Kate insisted. “I’m tough enough to handle it.”

  “Hey, for your information, Claire’s getting a whole lot better,” I said, sticking up for her. “She actually took down a zombie with nothing but a rock.”

  “Impressive,” Kate said. “I took down half a dozen.”

  I smiled as she walked off, shining the flashlight into the dark foliage.

  “You watch the north and east sides,” Asia said. “I’ll keep my magic zombie eyes on the south and west.”

  I held the Louisville Slugger tightly and found the perfect position on the roof next to Asia. She diligently kept watch in the opposite directions, so we never made eye contact. I watched the forest for any movement; in our new reality, a snapping twig usually had far more to do with a zombie than a deer, and we had to be ever vigilant.

  After about an hour, Asia finally spoke to me again. “Hey, Dean?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m not a hybrid. If I thought there was any chance I might be, I wouldn’t have asked you to come sit with me up here.”

  “Good, because if I really thought you were going to turn into a hybrid, I wouldn’t be sitting up here with you either.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure we would’ve turned already if it was gonna happen.”

  “Me too.”

  “Thanks for believing in me.”

  “Not a problem. So…what’s your story?” I asked. “What makes you so tough?”

  “I grew up an Army brat, with nine older brothers.”

  “Whoa! Nine? I can hardly handle one.”

  She laughed again. “Heh, I know, but I didn’t get any special treatment just because I was the youngest and the only girl. I learned how to handle a gun when I was thirteen, and all ten of us kids joined the armed forces.”

  “Really?” I asked, only half-surprised.

  “Yep. I decided to be all I could be, and I was at Army boot camp when this whole zombie thing broke out.”

  “What about your brothers? Where are they?”

  “I don’t know. I have no idea if my family is alive or dead.”

  “I know how you feel. I’m not sure about mine either.”

  “We can’t give up hope, Dean. I’m gonna put all the training my brothers and my parents gave me and put it to good use so I can survive out here. I refuse to die, not without one heck of a fight. I might be a woman, but I’m also a warrior, and those zombies don’t wanna screw with me. Most of ‘em got nothin’ on my nine older brothers, and I survived growing up with them.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re part of the team,” I said. “You’re so much like my sister.”

  “Yeah, Val’s a tough cookie, and those little fashionista girlfriends of yours and Nick’s are catching on pretty quick too—becoming real G.I. Janes in their own right.”

  I glanced below us and saw the beam of a flashlight waving around. “Kate’s pretty tough too,” I said.

  “Yeah, but she needs a thicker skin and a bit of a reality check. She still thinks this whole zombie mess is just temporary, like some nightmare we’ll all magically wake up from and return to our normal lives in a couple years.”

  “You don’t think we can rebuild?”

  “No. Dean, we’ll never get rid of those dead freaks, not even with that deadly magic potion of yours.”

  “The serum just needs to be researched and adjusted, like all medicines. Don’t give up just yet, Asia.”

  “I’ve been running, running, and running some more, and I’m tired, Dean. Still, I’ve accepted that this is how the rest of my life is going to be. Kate has a long way to go…and so do you.”

  “Wow. You’re almost as blunt as Nick,” I said.

  “Yeah, I guess we’re both straight-shooters. Thing is, I admire Nick. He’s tough, loyal, and clearly always has your back. He doesn’t put up with any crap, and he tells you how it is, whether the truth hurts or not.”

  “Yeah, everyone loves Nick.” I chuckled. “Well, maybe not the gang who ran him over the bridge.”

  Asia laughed. “Yeah, definitely not them, but they were just jealous and wanted to run things. That’s why they gave you all that trouble back at the nursing home.”

  “Probably.”

  “Hey, Dean?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’ve made mistakes, and you’re still learning the ropes, but deep in my heart, I believe you’re destined for something great. Not everything and everyone in the world is still hopeless.”

  My face beamed. “Thanks. Nice to have your vote of confidence.”

  She glanced over at me, taking her eyes off her assigned coordinates for only a moment. “You know what movie character you remind me of?”

  “Hmm. Rambo? Rocky? Dirty Harry?�
� I said.

  She laughed. “I think you’re more like that kid, John Connor, in those Terminator movies.”

  “Not exactly who I had in mind.” I shook my head as she smiled. “So you think I’m a rebellious teenager?”

  “No, but you are a rebel, of sorts, and you have a mission in life. John Connor might have grown up to declare war on the machines, but Dean Walters is gonna lead the rebellion against these freakin’ zombies.”

  “But I thought you said you don’t think we’ll ever get our world back. You must think I’ll suck as a leader or something.”

  She smiled. “Meh, maybe I’m having a change of heart. Maybe fate has destined you to lead humanity into a glorious new zombie-free existence.”

  I was flattered to know that Asia didn’t think of me as a bumbling idiot like my brother, that she saw me as a leader. I felt honored. She was so beautiful, and I couldn’t help being attracted to her. It felt like a mistake to be on that roof with her alone, especially when I was so tempted to kiss her.

  “John Connor, huh? Hmm. That’s pretty deep,” Kate said from below, letting us know she’d been eavesdropping. “Nice of you to stroke Dean’s ego, Asia, but I’d feel a whole lot safer if I knew you were paying more attention to the woods than to flirting with Mr. Connor reincarnate.”

  “Sorry, Kate,” she said, staring at me with the most beautiful smile on her face. “You can relax. My eyes are right back where they’re supposed to be.”

  I let out a nervous laugh, like a little boy with a schoolyard crush.

  “Um, Dean, how about you take a turn patrolling down here?” Kate asked. “Maybe I can face my fears and come sit with Asia up there for a little while.”

  “Sure thing.” I shot Asia one last smile, did my best Arnold impression and said, “I’ll be back,” then climbed down the ladder.

  Kate and Jackie were good friends and had bonded back when Jackie was sure she’d lost Claire forever. Kate had lost her sister, and she was so supportive to Jackie. I knew Kate was worried that something might transpire on that roof that would hurt Jackie, and it really was for the best that I was taken out of that situation.

  We finished our patrol without any problems, and I went to sleep in the upstairs bedroom by the bathroom, dreaming of robots and zombies and rebellions.

  ***

  “Wake up!” Nick said. “It’s morning, time to go.” He jerked the dusty curtains open, and a bright beam of sunlight shot straight into my sleepy eyes.

  I threw the covers over my eyes. “Nick!”

  “Get up!” he said, yanking the covers off of me.

  I slipped into my pants as my eyes adjusted to the light. “What time is it?”

  “All I can tell ya is that it’s dawn.”

  “Breakfast anybody?” Jackie asked, opening the door with a big smile.

  She was a radiant vision, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning.” She handed me Vienna sausages on a plate, along with a tall glass of water.

  I smiled. “Oh, yum.”

  “Breakfast of champions,” she said with a smirk.

  Nick shot her a look. “What is this? The Ritz-Carlton? We’ve got no time for room service and breakfast in bed. We need to get our butts outta here.”

  She didn’t even back down from him. “Calm down, Nick. It’s finger food. He can eat it on the run.”

  “Dean, for goodness’ sake, get up and get dressed and packed!” Nick ordered like a drill sergeant. “We need to get a move-on, people.” He raced out the door and stormed down the stairs.

  I caught Jackie staring at my chest and smiled.

  She smiled back, then picked up my shirt from the ground and tossed it to me. “C’mon. We’d better get going before your big brother has an aneurism.”

  I couldn’t help noticing the soft waves in her hair. “You look beautiful,” I said. “You’re such a sight for sore eyes.”

  “I found a brush and got eight hours of beauty sleep,” she said. “I guess it’s good that our fearless leader deemed me a risk to the group.”

  I pulled my boots on and threw on a jacket. “I’ll talk to Nick about that, Jackie. I’m sure you would have turned already if you were going to turn at all.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “He said something about packing, but what am I supposed to pack? We didn’t find much here, other than a flashlight, a shotgun, and lemonade.”

  She kissed my lips. “The little we do have was packed an hour ago, but I do have some bad news.”

  “What?” I asked, grabbing my bat.

  “Lucas’s wound is starting to seep, like it’s infected. We need to find some antibiotics and fresh bandages.”

  “All right. We’ll find something.”

  Jackie handed me a small black photo album. “Here.”

  “What’s this?”

  “I found a bunch of empty albums in one of the drawers, so I took one and put it to good use.”

  I smiled. “Those Polaroids!”

  She grinned. “Yeah. It only holds about fifteen pictures, so I picked our best shots of the gang and the ones of you and me. I used the rest of the photos to make an album for Claire. I know we can’t afford to haul too many personal luxury items around, but they’re not too big or bulky.”

  I kissed her again. “I love it. Thanks.” I glanced down at the first page and read the inscription she’d written: “Victims or survivors. It’s our choice, and judging by these pictures, we choose to smile, to laugh, to protect, to love…and to survive. Stay strong and never give up. Love, Jackie.”

  I ran my finger over the words, then closed the album and put it deep in my coat pocket for safekeeping; I knew it was something I would cherish forever, especially in those difficult moments, when I needed to look back on happier ones.

  As we headed down the stairs and out the door, I did a quick sweep to make sure we hadn’t left anything behind. We found our friends sitting on the front porch. The birds were chirping songs to greet the morning, the sky was bright blue, and the sun was shining; for a moment, I felt the false illusion that the world was normal again—that everything was okay and peaceful and beautiful and that reincarnated dead were not roaming the planet, devouring people. I quickly shook off the feeling, because I knew what was really in store for us: zombies, death, and gore.

  Lucas glanced around. “Quick, somebody check and see if there are some striped socks sticking out from under the cabin!” he shouted.

  “What?” Val asked, looking at him in confusion.

  “Look at this out here, all peaceful and sunny and perfect, with no teeming hordes of dead or ravenous loner zombies to fend off. It’s like we’ve landed in Oz or something. Tell me, Val, are you really a good witch?”

  “Shut up, Lucas,” she said, playfully punching him. “Glad somebody’s in a good mood.”

  “Meh, why shouldn’t we be? We’ve gotta accept life for what it is now. I’ve already said goodbye to my old life, and we just gotta make the best of things.”

  “Sorry, but I disagree. I can’t accept zombies roaming our planet,” Val said. “I still have hope that we’ll find our Oz again,” Val said sternly.

  “No use living in a dream, Val. There is no somewhere over the rainbow. Heck, there aren’t even any rainbows. That’s our reality now. This beautiful, sunshiny morning is just…a façade. It’s just a cover-up for the filthy sickness that lies beneath.”

  “Gosh, Lucas. How can you be in such a good mood, so blasé about all this, and still be so depressing?” She leaned into him and sighed.

  Lucas pulled her in for a hug. “Don’t worry. We’ll get through it either way,” he said. “I’m not blasé. I’ve simply accepted the reality, but I refuse to be depressed all the time. Those corpses have taken enough from me already. They won’t take my spirit—or my jokes.”

  “Well, your spirit’s one thing, but as for your so-called jokes…” Val said, smiling up at him with weary eyes.

 
“Ha! Very funny.” He smiled back at her briefly, and then a serious look came over his face. “Look, I know how tired you are, how tired we all are. It’s exhausting to live like this, but we’ll survive. We have to.”

  “I know, but it gets hard sometimes. It’s just so…ugly.”

  Lucas smiled. “All we can do is make the most of life and try not to dwell in all the death all around us.”

  “Hey, Dean,” Asia said, leaning against the railing with the rifle slung over her shoulder.

  I smiled. “Mornin’.”

  “I didn’t think you were ever gonna get up.”

  I ran a hand through my messy hair. “Were you guys waiting on little ol’ me?”

  Claire threw an arm around my neck. “That would be a yes.”

  “Man, I’m sorry. I was just…beat.”

  She motioned me to be quiet as Lucas cleared his throat, requesting our attention.

  “People, we had a good night, with a few laughs and some beauty sleep, which some of us apparently needed more than others,” he said, looking at me and smirking. “Now, I can’t promise every night will go as smoothly, but we’ve gotta take the good moments when we can get ‘em. Hopefully, you’re all well rested, because we’ve got quite a hike ahead of us. Does everyone have a weapon?”

  I gripped my Louisville Slugger, and everyone else held up their own weapons and nodded. We’d managed to put together quite a zombie-bashing arsenal for a ragtag army, and that made me feel better.

  Lucas walked over and threw a black bag over my shoulder. “Think you can handle carrying some supplies, bro?”

  I grunted a little when he surprised me with the bag, but then I nodded. “No problem.”

  He continued, “We split everything up so everybody’s carrying equal weight.”

  “Let me take yours too. You’re still pretty banged up,” I said, nodding toward the bandage on his injured shoulder.

  “Naw, I’m good. God gave me two of ‘em, and my other shoulder’s fine, man.”

  I gripped his arm. “Lucas, I know you think you’re invincible, but you’ve got an infection. I’m taking that bag, whether you like it or not.”