Omega Virus (Book 2): Gamma Hour

by Jake A. Strife

  “Why not car hop?”

  Office ginger heaved a great sight. “I like this car.”

  The corpses were just behind the car. “Decision time. We have company!”

  Arik turned and gasped. “I didn’t even see them!”

  “Let me think.” Charles scratched the stubble on his chin.

  I groaned. “At a time like this?”

  The corpses reached the car and shambled, surrounding us and pounding on the windows.

  “I can’t think with all this damn noise!” Charles threw open the door, knocking back a few of the undead. He jumped after them.

  “Is he a freaking idiot?” My eyes widened.

  “This is how he soul searches. Watch.”

  I twisted in my seat. At first, I thought Charles wanted to use his gun, but instead, he drew a combat knife from a scabbard on his hip. With amazing dexterity, he lashed out and stabbed the closest in the eye.

  “He’ll get himself killed!”

  Arik chuckled and waved a hand. “Let him have his fun!”

  “Are you stupid too? What if he gets bit?”

  “It’ll hurt.”

  “No, he’s dead!”

  Arik held up a single finger. “He’s immune!”

  “W-What?” I wobbled. “Immune?”

  “Yeah, he got bitten back at the Presidential Bunker but never turned.”

  Incredulous, I watched Charles work his magic. Corpses fell one by one.

  “As far as I know, he’s the only one...”

  “Can his blood make a vaccine?”

  “Dunno.” Arik watched his friend. “Imagine that! Charles could save the world!”

  “Then don’t let him die!” I opened the door to jump out, but Arik caught my arm. “Trust me. He. Will. Be. Fine.”

  A corpse broke from the group and came for me, so I pulled the door shut. Charles walked over in a nonchalant way and stabbed it, then rebounded to his massacre. His movements were those of that arrogant idiot, Wesley James. I never understood Wesley, but for sure the moron got himself torn apart one day, along with his stupid zombie killing hat.

  “This may take a while.” Arik kicked his legs up on the dash. “Wanna play truth or dare?”

  “What are you, ten years old?”

  “I like to stay young at heart.” He passed me a flirty smile.

  “Sorry, you’re not my style.”

  He frowned. “You don’t have a lot of options left. We need to repopulate!”

  “I saw someone who was pregnant. The baby died inside her and she somehow became a corpse. It killed her from the inside out and she turned. I’m not looking to be her.”

  Arik stared into the distance, voice low. “Think it happens to every preggo?”

  “How should I know?”

  “We can try.”

  I glanced to the side. “Death isn’t on my itinerary!”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I. Am. Sure. Not to mention, you’re at least five years older than me.”

  “What’s age in the ZPoc?” He wore a creepy grin.

  “Pedophile.”

  “I’m not a pedophile...” He sounded hurt.

  After a score of corpses or more, Charles finished, covered in blood. Before he returned to the car, a coyote howl brought us to attention.

  Arik shot forward. “What the in hell was that?”

  Charles’ eyes trailed to the road ahead—There came the returning pack of zombeasts coyotes.

  “They’re coming!” Arik waved at his friend, who spun and raced for the car.

  I pumped the shotgun. “Put down the window!”

  “What?”

  “Just do it if you want Charles to live!”

  “It doesn’t do that!”

  “Then cover your ears!”

  I aimed at the window and pulled the trigger—It ended up being a stupid move. The kick slammed me back, glass shattered, and I couldn’t hear a thing except ringing. Arik was moving his mouth, but I had no clue what he was saying.

  Recovery time, I didn’t have, so I scrambled and squeezed my upper half through the window. Charles skidded to a stop, blocked by the oncoming coyotes. I fired another shot, this time hitting the front-running zombeast, who collapsed and tripped another. The big boss of the pack came on, and I fired again. It took the hit but kept coming.

  His path cleared, Charles pushed me back inside as he yanked open the driver’s door. He bolted in just as the alpha undead leaped, and landed on the hood of the car, denting it. The guys screamed. Another zombeast mutt advanced on my window and snapped its jaws. I fell back, kicking at it with my bare feet—Not a good idea. If I fired inside a second time, I might go deaf. A worse idea.

  As I flailed, Charles turned the ignition key, and the engine sputtered. The lead coyote growled and slammed its head into the windshield, sending cracks expanding in every direction.

  The car sputtered again.

  I slammed the butt of the shotgun into my attacker, stunning it. “Why aren’t we moving?”

  Charles slammed his fist on the wheel. “The idiot who drove before didn’t tell me something important!”

  “What?”

  “We ran run out of gas!”

  Both of us glared at Arik and his face turned ashen. “Oops.”

  LEVEL 04:

  VILLE OF FARMS

  Arik’s stupidity sent me into a facepalm. “Oops? Did you say, oops?”

  He shrugged. “You try remembering to get gas when your navigator gets you lost every five miles!”

  “I didn’t get us lost!” Charles shoved Arik. “It was your ridiculous need to stop at every landmark and take pictures!”

  The big coyote stood outside looking pissed. I pounded on the window divider. “Pictures? Are you bozos on vacation?”

  The alpha zombeast howled, and threw its weight into the windshield again, further cracking the glass.

  “Oh, screw this!” Charles reached though the open window between us. He grabbed my shotgun.

  “Wait!” Arik and I threw our hands over our ear.

  Charles pulled the trigger. The windshield exploded, and I thought so did my eardrums. The big boss coyote flew off the hood, tumbling several feet in front.

  Arik slammed his hand on the glovebox. “Now what? They can get through that giant hole!”

  Charles shrugged. “I didn’t think far enough.”

  “You’re both morons!” I reached and seized the shotgun again. “Back inside the building!”

  Charles and Arik jumped out of the car and left.

  “Forget somebody?” I tried to climb out the window, but a furry, undead missile leaped through the windshield and shoved its face into the opening between us.

  There came two gunshots and its head exploded, splattering the interior with gore. Arik rebounded and pulled open my door. My feet touched the asphalt, and the ground rumbled.

  “What now?” I turned around, shotgun at the ready.

  The remaining coyotes behind the car froze and turned.

  “Guys, move!” Charles aimed his pistol.

  My jaw dropped as a massive pickup, the size of a monster truck, came rolling in my direction.

  We dove at the last moment, and the humongous vehicle popped the coyote’s heads. The driver didn’t stop there; they mounted the squad car, smashing it into a scrap metal pancake.

  “My camera!” Arik dropped to his knees. “I had hundreds of pictures!”

  “My baby!” Charles bolted after the offending automobile which had the name Pretty Unicorn painted on its side.

  Our insane companion leaped onto the back and climbed into the bed. He swung himself to the front and opened the door, an ear-shattering screech followed. The truck rolled to a stop.

  We exchanged glances and jogged over before more corpses arrived.

  My jaw hit the ground when I saw the driver; a young girl, no older than ten. On the floor, she had a pile of books tied together so her foot could reach the gas. The girl wore long dark hair,
and a black dress, with combat boots.

  Charles had his gun trained on her, so I smacked him. “What’s wrong with you?”

  He lowered the firearm. “This is our new ride.”

  “Bullshit!” The child swung at Charles, who ducked.

  I scaled the side and held my hand out to the girl. “Where’s your mom?”

  She glared with hateful eyes. “None of your business, bitch!”

  I flailed but caught my balance as Arik burst into laughter. “Isn’t she a princess?”

  “And you’re a cyclops!”

  “You little shit!” Arik flipped her the bird. “You’re lucky I don’t arrest you for underage driving!”

  The girl raised her hand and impersonated a moving mouth. “Arrest you, blah, blah! Pigs don’t exist.”

  “We are pigs!”

  Charles covered his face. “We’re cops, Arik, cops!”

  The tiny girl snapped up a handgun half the length of her arm. “In all seriousness, get the hell out of my Pretty Unicorn before I shoot you dead.”

  Arik narrowed his eye. “You’re under arrest.”

  “Shut up, Arik.” Charles reached for the magnum. “You smashed our car, so we’re taking yours.”

  The girl lifted the weapon to his forehead. “Get. Out.”

  I held my hands in the air. “Please, we need a lift.”

  “Why should I help you assholes?” Her eyes darted between us.

  “Like he said. You flattened our car.”

  The girl blew a lock of hair from her eyes. “Fair enough. Where are you headed?”

  “Ohio.”

  “I’ll never get to the D.C. at this rate.” She hung her head.

  Arik snorted. “You were going the wrong way, dumbass!”

  The diminutive girl aimed the gun at him, and she deserved to fire.

  Charles shook his head and sought the gun. “Look girl, we were in D.C. when the shitstorm hit. The whole city got decimated.”

  Her jaw dropped, and tears poured forth a moment later.

  “Don’t cry, little girl.” I wiped a tear, and she smacked my hand.

  “Mommy told me to go there if...”

  Arik walked to the truck. “They’re dead?”

  “Duh, cyclops!”

  He flipped her off again.

  Charles sighed and rubbed his temple. “Enough arguing. Let’s start with introductions.”

  “I’m Arik.”

  “And I’m Charles.”

  “Tiffany.”

  The girl lowered her gun and sighed. “I guess you should call me... Kiki.”

  “That’s not your real name, is it?” Arik smirked.

  “Nope. And I’m not telling. Ever.” She closed her eyes, singing.

  Charles tried to shove her. “Scooch. I’m driving from here on out.”

  Kiki’s jabbed the gun against his forehead again. “Only I drive the Pretty Unicorn!”

  I glanced at the dashboard. “You’re on half a tank of gas. You won’t get far.”

  “I had to try. If you’re coming, everyone get your asses in the truck.”

  Arik climbed the side. “Got to love a girl with a dirty mouth.”

  Charles followed. “You’ve no idea how wrong that sounded.”

  I squeezed into the seat beside the boys and Kiki. She hit the gas, and off we rolled.

  After a few hours of awkward silence or dismissed questions, I eyed the gas. We were running on fumes.

  I regarded Kiki. “Where did you get this truck?”

  “It was Mommy’s.” She kept her gaze on the road. “She was a professional stunt driver.”

  “And she taught you how to use it?” Arik cheesed. “A parent’s job done right.”

  Kiki stayed quiet, so we rode in silence again. The truck sputtered and stopped a mile later.

  “Out of fuel again.” Charles kicked open the door. “Time to get out and walk.”

  I reached for and rubbed my heels. “My feet are still killing me!”

  “We can’t leave Pretty Unicorn!” Kiki turned the key, trying to start the truck.

  “No other choice.” I patted her knee.

  The guys left, followed by the sad little girl. As I climbed across the seats, I spied an angel necklace hanging from the rearview. Did it belong to Kiki’s mother? She’d want it.

  As we trekked the middle-of-nowhere road, Kiki continued looking back saddened.

  I stopped Kiki and kneeled beside her. “Here.”

  She looked flabbergasted as I put the necklace around her neck and fastened the clasp.

  “You brought it?” Her brows creased.

  “Yes.” I gave a warm grin. “It belonged to your mother, right?”

  “Praying for an angel got her killed!” Kiki ripped the chain and hurled it into the fields.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

  “We should split up!” Kiki crossed her arms and looked away. “It’s not fun traveling with others.”

  “You gotta be kidding, right?”

  Without a response, she walked away. The boys watched her go, but I couldn’t.

  “Kiki!” I followed. “Nothing will bring your mom back!”

  “I never said it would!” Her hands balled into fists.

  “Why be on your own?”

  “Because that’s what I want!” She broke into a sprint.

  I moved to follow, but Charles’ hand landed on my shoulder. “What are you doing?”

  “I can’t just let her go! She’s just a kid!”

  “This is the apocalypse. There are no kids.”

  “Who knows how long ago she lost her parents? She might not know how to survive!”

  Charles shoved a paper under my nose. I scanned the news article. It showed a picture of a woman with dark hair hanging out of the door of the Pretty Unicorn. The headline read, “Kiki Shepard killed in freak monster truck accident, survived by her daughter Marilyn and husband Moggie.”

  “It’s dated a few weeks pre-ZPoc.” He crumbled and tossed the paper.

  “She’s been on her own for six months.” I watched Kiki climb inside her truck.

  “She survived so far.” Arik pointed. “See that house over there?”

  A farmhouse stood a few hundred yards away in the fields.

  “Kiki! We’ll be in that house for the night!” Charles cupped his mouth. “You’re welcome to join us!”

  “She has to decide on her own.” Arik shrugged. “The girl’s got issues.”

  My shoulders slumped. “You’re right.”

  “I always am.”

  “As if.” Charles smack his back.

  We made our way onto a dirt road leading to the two-story farmhouse. As we walked, I kept looking back, hoping Kiki followed, but she never did. A boom of thunder startled me, and on came a heavy wind. The thick storm clouds were rolling in and far to the south lighting lit up the sky.

  “She can’t be out here alone.” I preferred to stop worrying, but how?

  We made it to the house which looked abandoned since the apocalypse. The ancient, periwinkle paint curled and a few of the porch floorboards were missing. Vines even climbed around the support pillars.

  To the side stood a barn that didn’t appear in better shape. One door swung open in the wind. Lightning flashed and for a moment, something big stood inside, watching us.

  I sucked in my breath. “Did you see that?”

  Charles tested the porch steps. “What is it?”

  “I thought something moved.” Lightning flashed again, but the barn now looked empty. I shook my head. “Just keep your guard.”

  Arik saluted. “Right. Watching for zombie coyotes.”

  “Not just coyotes. Who knows what else turned undead.”

  Charles moved to the porch door, combat knife in hand. I looked back as lightning showed the inner barn. Something moved!

  “Wait!”

  Charles spun. “What now?”

  “There’s something in the barn. Let’s go check it out.”

/>   Arik crossed his arms. “You’re joking! It could be a zombie corpse thing!”

  Charles set his jaw. “It’s better we deal with this now.”

  Arik grumbled as we left the dilapidated porch and approached the hay-filled building. As the wind grew stronger, the door’s hinges squeaked. We stayed several paces back and readied our weapons.

  I took a deep breath. “Let’s see what Old McDonald had on his farm.”

  Arik shrugged. “On the count of E-I-E-I-O?”

  “E-I.” I rolled my eyes.

  “E-I.” Arik grinned.

  Before O, a large four-legged creature barreled out and knocked us to the ground, weapons flying.

  I rubbed the lump on my head. “What the hell?”

  Arik held his ankle, whimpering, while Charles scrambled for his knife. I straightened and looked around but couldn’t see the creature anywhere. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I grabbed my weapon and crept to Arik.

  “Are you okay?” His ankle didn’t look broken, maybe just twisted.

  He rolled around clutching the injury. “I’m dying!”

  “Come on, big baby!” I helped him. “We can’t just sit here!”

  “Where is it?” Charles brandished his blade.

  The wind howled as bolts crackled through the clouds. We stood back to back, fortifying our defense. The ground shook beneath our feet.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but a split-second later appeared a humongous horse, with huge, rippling muscles and a long black mane. Its eyes were glowing green and pieces of flesh were missing in various places. It charged.

  “Zombeast!” I pushed Arik, and Charles dove.

  The undead horse tuned in on me. I swallowed hard and tried to strafe, but the mighty creature clipped my shoulder and sent me spinning and slamming into the ground. A rope tied to its neck hooked my ankle, and I went for a ride. I lifted the shotgun and fired, but the uncontrolled blast sent the gun from my hands.

  “Tiffany!”

  My eyes flew wide as the horse cleared a fence. I slammed into and through the wooden barrier. The air blasted from my lungs, and the rope slipped loose. I tumbled a dozen feet or more and ended up on my back, gasping for air. Rain droplets smacked my face.

  “Tiffany, watch it!”

  I managed back to my feet as the zombeast came around the far end of the broken fence and charged once more.

  With furrowed brows, I climbed onto a precarious piece of fence and balanced. “Come on, you bastard!”