I spun around and saw a five-year-old boy with red hair and blue eyes, holding a blue ball in his hands. “I don’t see any monsters,” I answered.
“My name is Ben. What’s yours?”
“Dean.”
“Hi.”
“Hey,” I said. “Nice to meet you, little guy.”
“Can I go outside and play ball?”
I knelt down. “It’s not safe, buddy.”
“When will it be?”
“That’s the question of the century.”
“Will the monsters break in if they come back?”
“Jonathon told me these windows are unbreakable, so you should be completely safe from robbers, a hurricane, a tornado or—”
“Monsters?”
I patted him on the head. “You’re too young to be worried about stuff like this.”
“But I hate it. I can’t even play outside.”
“You know what? You’re right. Kids need sunshine.”
“Will you take me outside, Mr. Dean?” he squealed.
I gripped his hand and laughed. “No mister, kid. It’s just Dean. C’mon.” I opened the stairwell door and headed upstairs.
“But I thought we were gonna go outside to play,” Ben said, stomping up the stairs.
I smiled. “We are.”
We climbed up the stairs until we reached the roof. The sun felt wonderful on my face, and I took a deep breath of fresh air. I had always loved the outdoors, and I couldn’t blame the kid for missing it.
Ben looked around in complete disbelief. “I’ve never been up here,” he said as the wind ruffled his hair.
It was a shame that he couldn’t go to the playground outside and was forced to play on the roof, where I knew I could keep him safe, but that was the way of the world now. We bounced his ball back and forth. I’d never heard a kid laugh so hard, and his giggles made me smile. It was a good feeling to see that someone could still be happy in the world, and I wondered if I’d ever be that carefree again. He was just a child, though, naïve to the dangers outside those walls—kind of like I was before I left my island home. When I thought back on that life, I realized I had been just as naïve as that little boy. But now I knew there were monsters, and they were just beyond those walls.
Back on the island, I’d been a senior in high school. While so many people in the world were dying and suffering, I was slow-dancing at my prom. I stood there and drank punch with my date, laughing and listening to music, all while people outside my little bubble of comfort were fighting to live another day.
As I thought about it, I realized I couldn’t blame Nick for being so upset with me when we first crashed. I was absolutely clueless to the horrors beyond my tiny life. The people on the island strived to make kids’ lives as normal as possible, and they protected us from the horrors at all costs; we weren’t even aware of what was really going on. Most of them didn’t lie, but they certainly downplayed the truth. Nick often told me how bad it was, but I didn’t believe him, and I accused him of exaggerating just to get attention and glory. Boy, was I wrong!
After we played for a while, I took Ben back downstairs and grabbed a lawnchair I’d seen in the junk room. I took it back up to a corner of the roof, where I made myself a little quiet spot, a place where I could think and ponder in the fresh air and sunshine. Being cooped up in the lab was stifling, and I hated it, and my strength and hope were removed when I stepped outside those four imprisoning walls.
Day after day, night after night, it was the same routine, and as I sat in my quiet place on the roof, I wondered, How much longer do we have to wait for answers?
Chapter 20
I’d been boxed up all day at the lab and was going stir crazy, but an idea struck me. I smiled and gripped the keys tightly in my hands, the ones I’d swiped from Jonathon’s coat before he went to bed. I sneaked out the front door and scanned the streets for any activity. When I saw that the coast was clear, I hurried across the street, gazing up at the night sky as the moon peeked from the clouds. I went inside the courthouse and raced to the jail cells.
Jackie was sleeping, but I said a few loving words to her anyway. When she didn’t respond, I said them again, but she still wouldn’t answer.
I slowly walked over to Claire’s cell. “Claire?”
No answer there either.
“Claire!” I said louder, hoping to wake her up out of her dead sleep.
“She can’t hear you,” Val said from the next cell.
“Val? You’re awake!”
“Claire hasn’t been sleeping well, so they gave her some sleeping pills. She’ll be out cold for at least eight hours.”
“Guess it’s just you and me then.” Walking over, I dangled a set of keys.
“Dean, what’s going on?” Val asked.
I opened the cell. “I swiped these, so—”
“Swiped?”
“You make it sound so dirty, sis. Let me rephrase it. I borrowed them.”
“You’re breaking me out?”
“Yeah, something like that.” I gripped her hand and pulled her along.
“Wait.” She went back and threw a pile of clothes on the bed in the shape of a body, then slung the covers over. “There. Now they’ll think I’m sleeping if they come to check. A lot of them have keys to this cell.”
“Good thinking.”
“Where are we going?” she asked.
I grinned. “You’ll see.”
“Dean,” she said, running down the corridor to keep up with me, “I know you haven’t known me long, but I hate surprises.”
“You won’t hate this one,” I said, locking the door behind me. I reached deep into my pocket and pulled out two keys on a silver keychain, the ones that would fit in the ignition of Steven’s sports car.
Scanning the lonely streets for any zombies, I pointed my gun. “It’s clear,” I said. “C’mon.” I led her to the red Ferrari, a sporty, two-passenger coupe, and opened the passenger door.
“No way! This is a dead-drop gorgeous car!” She ran her hand across the hood, smitten, then jumped inside and admired the leather seats. “Who does this beauty belong to?”
“Steven.”
“Who?”
“Jonathon’s son. He’s sixteen, and we’re friends. He said I could take it for a spin.”
“Why would he—”
“Well, let’s just say he owes me one. I did him a big favor.”
She smiled. “Some favor, huh?”
“A very big one, and a dangerous one at that.”
She arched a brow.
“You don’t wanna know.”
“Right.”
“You wanna go on a joy ride or what?” I asked.
“You better have it back before midnight, or else it might turn into a pumpkin.”
“Actually, we don’t gotta have it back that soon—as long as it’s back in the parking slot before his dad wakes up in the morning.”
She smiled. “Can I drive? I’ve got a need for speed, little brother, and I’ve heard these things can go over 200.”
“Can you handle 700 horsepower?” I asked. Her excitement was contagious, as I’d never driven anything that could go that fast. Like all guys, I’d dreamt of driving a high-performance Thunderbird, Corvette, Lamborghini, or Porsche, and now I had the keys dangling in my hand.
“C’mon,” she begged. “I’ve been locked up all this time, and—”
“Are you really going to try to guilt me, Val?”
“That depends. Is it working?”
I couldn’t help but cave as I looked into her pleading eyes. “Okay, but I’m driving back.”
She shook my hand. “Deal.”
I opened the door, and we switched seats. When Val dropped the top and sped off, the freeing feeling of the wind blowing through my hair took my breath away.
“Let’s hit the freeway,” Val said. “I wanna see how fast this baby can go.”
“Go for it, Speed Racer.”
We pulled onto the h
ighway, and Val pressed the gas. The car roared with power as we exploded forward, going zero to sixty in just under three seconds. RRRWWWWWWOOOOOOOOO! She snaked over into the left lane, and we sped down the hilly, curvy road. It was pure bliss.
“This is so much fun!” she yelled.
“It feels like warp speed.”
“I know! It’s like a rollercoaster,” she said, “only better because I’m controlling it.”
“There’s something magical about clicking through all the gears and hearing the engine do its thing.”
“Hold on, Dean,” she yelled, shifting gears, keeping her right foot glued to the pedal. “It gets better!” She brushed her hair behind her ears, but the wind blew it around again and again. “I feel like I’ve got wings. Gosh, if I owned this thing, I’d have enough speeding tickets to wallpaper my house!”
The car was obnoxiously loud, but I loved every minute of it. “It’s such a power rush.”
“Better than having a super model for a girlfriend?”
“I don’t know about that,” I said, laughing.
She grinned, then turned the corner and steered gently. “It handles like a dream. Feel the G-force?”
I nodded with a big smile.
Minutes trickled by, and I wasn’t sure how much time passed. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.
When we came to a bridge, she stopped. “Ready to drive back?”
I laughed and grabbed the keys. “We had a deal, right?”
“My toes are tingling,” she said. She opened the door and got out.
I followed suit and met her gaze as we switched places.
“What?” she asked. “Are you jealous that I drove it first?”
I shook my head.
She put up her hand. “Hold that thought.” She glanced around and slowly scanned our surroundings. “I don’t see anything, so spill it. What’s up?”
“I’ll tell you in the car,” I said.
She leaned on the hood. “Listen, I really need some fresh air, and it’s nice to stare at the stars. Being locked in a cell will do that to a girl. I think we’re safe from zombies here, and we’ve got a getaway car if we need to leave.”
“Speaking of leaving…”
“What are you getting at, Dean?”
I met her gaze. “We could leave this city right now. I could unlock Claire and get Nick and Lucas. We could sedate Jackie and bring drugs with us to keep her calm.”
“It’s tempting, but why not wait it out? I’m dying to get the results of those tests.”
“I know, but—”
“Shh,” she said, then began pacing back and forth, as if she was considering my plan.
“It’s been longer than they said. Maybe they aren’t as smart as we thought. Maybe the scientists here can’t figure it out,” I muttered.
“You think we should find a bigger and better lab?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
She glanced out over the bridge and down to the highway below us. “I don’t see how it will work, Dean. It’s too dangerous to take Jackie with us. Besides, any lab we go to will lock Claire, Jackie, and me up in a heartbeat. There’s no escaping that.”
I let out a long breath. Deep down, I knew she was right. If we were honest with people, with scientists anywhere, they’d have no choice but to lock the risky ones up.
“Asia refused to be locked up,” I said, “even if it meant getting answers to her questions.”
“I know, and I’m beginning to understand why, but I’m not like Asia. She doesn’t care about answers and just wants to live life to the fullest until she takes her last breath. I, on the other hand, need answers. I can’t bear the thought of knowing I could turn and rip someone apart. I respect Asia’s decision, but it’s not the decision for me.”
“Both of you are tough girls, but other than that, you’re so different.”
“I know, right? Listen, Dean. The men and women here seem like good, honest people. Many of the scientists have talked to me for hours, and the women make sure to bring me things to make me comfortable and just to chat with me so I don’t feel so lonely. Cops know how to read people, and I don’t sense anything sinister going on. They have every right to keep me separate from the general population because I’m potentially dangerous,” she said. “I’m a threat, and even you shouldn’t be alone with me.”
Her words tore at my heart. “Val, don’t say that.”
“You know it’s true. I can’t blame them for not wanting me around their friends or relatives. You can’t get mad at them for trying to protect their loved ones.”
I didn’t answer.
“If I was well and not a threat, would you bring a potential threat to live with me?”
My stomach clenched. “No. I love you way too much to risk your life for a stranger.”
“So you can see how they feel.” She let out a long breath. “Like I said, I shouldn’t even be alone with you.”
“It’s okay.”
Her gaze narrowed. “What would you do if I turned and I lunged at you?” she asked, jumping at me for dramatic effect. “Would you kill me, Dean?”
Again, I didn’t have an answer for her.
She gripped my throat and continued, “Kill me, Dean! Get your gun out and kill me. Pull the trigger. Do it!”
“I can’t!” I shouted back at her. “I never will!”
“If you can’t, if you won’t, you’d be dead.” The lines in her face softened, and compassion flickered in her blue eyes. “The truth isn’t always shiny, little brother. Sometimes it’s grim and gray and dark and impossible to swallow.”
I kicked the guardrail with a loud bang. “You’re right. It doesn’t.” I slowly glanced up at Val and met her gaze. “I will never quit looking for answers, trying to end all this.”
She embraced me in her arms. “And neither will I, even if it means being locked up for a while.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I kinda lost it.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” she said. “It’s understandable that you’re extremely pissed off.”
“It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way,” I said softly.
“But it has, and I’m aware that I could hurt someone, even the people I care about. I can’t be like Asia. I know I’m dangerous and that I need to be locked up until the scientists figure this all out. Asia’s out there living her last days, watching sunsets and living free. But when she turns, people are going to die.”
“I respect you for staying. You’ve chosen the long, hard road. Being locked up can’t be easy.”
She gripped my hands. “We can’t leave, Dean. I need to know what’s going on with me. We have to stay and see what their tests show.”
“It could take months,” I whispered.
“Dean,” she said, her voice a touch louder, “I need answers, even if it takes a year, and I can’t go prancing across the country until I get them.”
I stared up at the night sky. “I get it.”
She held out her hands like I was going to handcuff them. “Then take me back to jail.”
We both burst out in laughter.
“You’re just like Mom,” I said. “She can always make me laugh with her lame jokes, even in the worst of times.”
She playfully slapped me. “Lame?”
“How do you stay so strong?” I asked.
“When life knocks me down, I fight like a warrior to get back on my feet. I know I’ll probably just get knocked down again, but I’ll just come back stronger each time, and I never give up.”
Suddenly, a scream echoed through the air, coming from below the bridge. I held my breath and felt my pulse speed up as I peered out into the bright moonlight. I rushed over to the guardrail, leaned over, and saw three women being surrounded by a group of zombies in the middle of the highway. Val started screaming to draw their attention while I placed the rifle firmly against my shoulder. I looked through the scope and trained the gun on my targets.
“I’ll keep watch up here,
” Val said. “Just concentrate. Make every bullet count.”
A zombie stepped into my line of fire. With a steady, firm grip, I squeezed the trigger, dropping it. I took careful aim and squeezed the trigger again, hitting a bull’s-eye that sent the second one crashing sideways. Another shot cracked through the air as I nailed the third one.
“Good going, Dean! You’re awesome!” Val said. “Keep going!”
I squeezed the trigger, letting out one shot after another, giving the women enough of a break to get away. They shouted up to thank us, then disappeared into the roadside vegetation. I finished off the remaining zombies so they wouldn’t follow them.
I swallowed hard when unearthly groans echoed from somewhere behind us.
Val suddenly straightened. “Get in!” she said. “The gunshots invited company.”
I jumped in the car and revved the engine. There was no better feeling than being in the driver seat.
She smiled. “No need to panic. There’re only about twenty of them coming straight for you.”
“Only?”
“At least they’re coming from the rear.”
I sped off and cruised down the freeway.
Val smiled. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Why?”
“You saved those women back there. You’re a real hero, Dean. I’m sure our parents and Grams would be proud of you too. Nick would probably have something smart to say, but deep down, he’d know how great you are.”
“Val, I only did what anyone would do.”
“Not everyone. I’ve seen countless people walk away, but quitting isn’t in our blood. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because we care too much.”
“Even Nick?”
“Especially Nick. Why do you think he’s so messed up? He cared so much about Darla.”
“She would’ve loved you,” I said. “She was compassionate and generous like you and just as tough and blunt but in a good way.”
“Thanks. I wish I could’ve met her.”
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her. She was part of the family. Nobody gets over a loss like that. Darla was just…a fantastic woman.”
“I know what you mean. Some people are just impossible to forget.”
I pressed the gas and let the scenery blur around me. I just wanted to forget all the pain and gloom. From acceleration and braking to cornering and unmistakable control, I couldn’t get enough of that little red rocket. It glided over giant potholes like they were mere bumps in the road. “This engine is happiest when it’s pushed its hardest,” I said.
The Zombie Chronicles - Book 5 - Undead Nightmare (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) Page 19
