Rise of the Plague (Book 1): Endemic

by Jeannie Rae

  Hank nodded, then shrugging, looked at Joe. “It’s your call Joe,” Hank sounded unsure.

  Dave glanced back to the alley. From this angle, he could only see a few feet into it. He wondered why Mara hadn’t come along to see what the hold-up had been and if Roxy had made it into the alley yet. He had a sinking feeling in his gut. In all this coercing, he had lost precious seconds. Ignoring the three before him, he turned toward the alley and trotted over. As he came to the corner, he froze. Rhino had one of his massive arms wrapped tightly around Mara’s neck, with a gun pressed to her cheek.

  Junior stood a few steps closer to Dave, and looked like he’d been was searching for him. Dave knew from their vantage points that Junior and Rhino couldn’t see Roxy’s family yet, a few feet around the corner, and vice versa.

  “Well, well, well, you aren’t that hard to track down Dave. You had all of Port Steward to hide in, and you chose the place across the street. You are stupider than I thought,” Junior’s voice echoed down the alley.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN

  Roxy struggled to stay awake after the strike to her skull, when she heard something familiar. For some reason, the sound almost made her want to smile, but she couldn’t imagine why. The sound in her head was difficult to make out at first. A tapping—no—a scratching, maybe. She opened her eyes. Randy stood above her in the doorway of the truck. His head turned away from her. He must hear it too. She took a deep breath, trying to bring back her consciousness.

  “You are stronger than I was at this stage, but not stronger than I am now,” Randy said, touching her face.

  Roxy fought her eyelids open. She looked in the direction of the familiar noise. It was louder now, closer. Just then, Gypsy darted from the alley like a racehorse from the gate. Her short legs were moving so fast that she looked as if she’d topple over at any time. Randy turned his head again, toward the dog.

  Seeing her beloved dog coming out to save her, gave Roxy a resurgence of energy to carry on. She punched her fist into Randy’s gut with everything she had. He doubled over clutching his stomach, before dropping to his knees. Roxy tried getting her bearings, focusing on her will to make it to her dog.

  Stumbling out of the SUV, Roxy balanced on unstable legs. While Randy squirmed in pain, gasping for breath on the pavement, she unsteadily moved forward to head off Gypsy. Crouching in front of her dog, she extended her hands, catching Gypsy as she sprang up into her arms. The amount of unexpected force behind the jump nearly knocked Roxy over. She let Gypsy down to the ground. Gypsy whimpered with delight in being reunited with Roxy, her tail wagging with such vigor that her entire body wobbled with each quick step she took. Still crouched over petting Gypsy, Roxy turned her head back to Randy.

  He stood, rooted at the end of the SUV, beside the bodies of Mattie and Lynn. His gun was gripped tightly in his hand now, as he shed all semblance of sanity. His arm slowly rose, pointing the weapon at Roxy.

  “I thought you needed me alive,” she reminded him, narrowing her eyes. Gypsy, crouched at Roxy’s side, eyed Randy with distrust. Gypsy aimed her concerned barking at him, her body jolting with each release.

  “You are mistaken. I wanted you alive. I did. You don’t matter to anyone else, except Mara—and like I said, we are the same. Why would she need to you, when she has me?” His eyes shifted to Gypsy, who continued barking mercilessly. “Shut her up, before I put a bullet in her,” he said, pointing the gun at the dog.

  “So you were going to kill me all along? Why didn’t you just use the gun in the beginning? When I was on the roof? You could’ve made the shot,” her eyes welled up as she watched him saunter closer.

  “I wasn’t going to kill you…I’m not going to kill you. But this is the only way that I am going to get you to come with me,” he said, waving the gun back and forth, stopping ten feet from her.

  Roxy felt confused by his statement. He said that he’s not going to kill me, but he has a gun pointed at me…He must not intend on using it. He’s only waving that thing around to scare me—he’s not actually going to shoot me.

  With a renewed sense of safety, and seeing that the odds were finally in her favor, Roxy knew that she needed to stop this murderer before he hurt someone else or changed his mind about keeping her alive. She pushed her feet off the pavement and lunged toward his feet. He fired the gun. She felt the bullet whiz by her torso. As the bullet penetrated the ground, pieces of busted asphalt sprayed her rib cage. She took out his ankles, and he toppled over onto his shoulder. He rolled to his back, only a few feet from her.

  She rose to her knees, ignoring the searing pain in her ribs and crawled toward his head. He lifted the gun. Aiming it at her face, he shifted it to her neck. Checkmate. With the gun pointed at her neck—in that fraction of a second—her mind raced.

  He lied about his intentions of keeping me alive. He’ll pull the trigger—I can see it in his eyes. Pure madness. I’m not fast enough to stop him. I tried to be strong—to be a fighter—for Mattie and Lynn, and what this psycho did to them. I couldn’t save them and now. I can’t save myself.

  As he pulled the trigger, Gypsy darted in front of Randy’s hand, knocking Roxy to the pavement. The dog’s mouth tore a hunk of skin from Randy’s wrist, before the bullet took flight. Randy dropped the gun, clenching his arm in pain. Gypsy took two steps before collapsing on the pavement.

  Scrambling to her dog, Roxy found her on her side releasing shallow breaths. As she caressed her dog’s head, she could see blood gushing from Gypsy’s neck. She put her hand over the wound, to try to stop the bleeding. Gypsy was slipping. Roxy could hear her dog’s heart rhythm decrease, as Gypsy’s eyes seemed to become heavier and heavier. She gently scooped her arms under the dog, moving Gypsy near the curb, not far from Mattie and Lynn. With trembling hands, Roxy picked up Randy’s bloody tee shirt that had been discarded near Lynn’s body and tied it around Gypsy’s throat.

  Roxy’s eyes widened as she perked up her head. Faint moans and shambling feet could be heard in the distance. The sounds crept into her head like a like a burglar through an open window. Infected were coming. Mattie’s shot probably caught their attention, and Randy’s shot gave them a location. It won’t be long before this area is overrun by those gluttonous fiends.

  Roxy stood, her hair drenched, clinging to her face and neck. Her hands trembled with a flood of emotion pulsing through every cell in her body, as absolute terror tore through her bones like a freight train that had jumped the tracks. The look upon her adversary’s face was that of a crazed demon. He had the force of ten men and even with her recently attained strength, she simply could not compare, not yet at least. Knowing this truth, that she could not match his power, did not deter her, she would make her stand here, whether she remained after the battle or not. This was her moment to prove to herself that she wouldn’t be weak any longer.

  As her fear began to dust away like parched desert soil on a gusty afternoon, rage in its purest form welled up from within. Feeling as though her life before this day were a layer of skin that was molting away, changing her, evolving her, it was as if a new person entirely had emerged. I will end this right here and now. I will do what I have to—one of us will not survive this night.

  Roxy stalked Randy as he rose to his feet. With an explosion of power, she charged him. Her shoulder ramming into his ribs, they both tumbled to the ground, the asphalt taking its payment in skin from them both. Mounting him, her fists rained down on his face. He made his best attempt to block some of the blows with his uninjured arm.

  She wanted to kill him. The feeling was so foreign to her. Something inside her, wrath—perhaps, became a driving force behind every blow to him. She didn’t just want to escape anymore; she didn’t just want to stop him. She wanted him dead, for Mattie, for Lynn, but especially for Gypsy.

  Randy bucked his torso, causing Roxy to slide over the top of him. As she hit the pavement, her jaw and shoulder hit hard, and something solid jammed into her abdomen. The torn skin on her ja
w and shoulder stung with fiery intensity as she reached down and felt Randy’s gun on the pavement, underneath her. She climbed to her knees, clutching the gun behind her thigh. Across from her, Randy pulled out his hunting knife from his utility belt.

  His bitten hand had already begun the healing process. A layer of a mucus-like substance had glazed over the wound, sealing it. His skin surrounding the injury, closed in on it like an army closing in on an island.

  His healing capabilities are on an entirely different level. It must have something to do with how long he’s been a carrier of the disease. My bite took hours to heal, but his hand seems as if it would only take minutes to heal.

  Gripping the handle with his thumb over the butt of the knife, the lengthy blade reflected a shimmer of light from a nearby lamp post. She remained on her knees, looking into his eyes, hoping to see a glimmer of humanity in them.

  Randy revealed himself as a frenzied, wild animal. Curling his lips in a snarl and grunting, he charged her, running full speed with the knife held out like a maniac. She raised the pistol, but the sight of the weapon did not dissuade his attack. She knew what she needed to do, but now, holding the weapon and knowing that she could end it all, felt overwhelming.

  Randy approached, drenched in the falling water, at a speed much faster than she anticipated. She pulled the trigger three times in quick succession. The first two bullets missed him entirely, but the third struck his skull over the left eye. He fell forward, hitting the pavement just before her feet.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

  Drawing his index finger to his lips, Joe let out a light “Shhh,” looking to Kate. He waved her over to the building. She cautiously walked through the debris filled street, careful not to step on any glass shards from the busted out windows. She took a spot against the wall of the thrift store. Joe could hear the voices echoing from the alley. Dave still hadn’t gained his trust yet, but this guy knew things. From what he could hear, there were two or three people around the corner with Dave. It sounded as if they had been following him.

  With a nod to Hank, Joe switched off the safety to his hefty gun. They slowly drew closer to the edge of the thrift store, listening to the conversation unfold from around the corner.

  “We need the doc, and Randy is taking care of that Harper girl. But you, you are just as worthless as that brother and sister. And you’ll be just as dead in a minute,” a soft-voiced man declared.

  “Mattie and Lynn are dead?” Dave asked, as shockwaves echoed through his voice.

  “Yup, and you’re next bro. Shotgun should be here any minute with that girl’s family, and they’ll join you shortly. Then we can get the hell out of this place before the air strike,” the soft voice said.

  “Air strike?” Dave repeated.

  “Yeah, it’s not like you’ll be around for it, but they’re going to firebomb this place. Come midnight, everybody in this tiny town is toast, literally,” he laughed.

  The sound of a lone gunshot in the distance, stole the wind from Joe’s chest. He turned to Hank with trepidation—and that was all it took. They both rushed around the corner with their guns raised. Before them, Dave faced the barrel of a pistol held by a scrawny, baby-faced man in a uniform that matched the one worn by Shotgun. Three yards behind, a hulking man restrained a woman, pressing a similar gun against her cheek, not far from a mini cooper parked in the alley.

  “Dave down!” Joe yelled, after a quick survey of the scene.

  Dave knelt down, as the lanky man out in front turned his gun. Hank fired a single shot into the man’s upper body. As the man fell in a backward stumble, reaching for his chest, Joe pointed his weapon at the giant—using the woman as a shield.

  Hank circled around Joe walking toward the sky-scraper of a man.

  “Get back, or I’ll shoot her,” the giant growled.

  “Give it up Rhino, three on one—not great odds. Especially since I know you need to take Mara back alive,” Dave said, retrieving his shotgun from where he’s left it, against the thrift shop wall.

  “I’ll shoot her, I swear,” Rhino repeated, backing up.

  “I don’t know this lady, so go for it. But you’re going down too big man,” Hank said, still moving forward.

  As Rhino backed up, he bumped into the red and black car, causing a dog to bark fanatically at the window. Joe recognized that bark immediately, Rogue. He peered through the window from his spot and could see her, but he couldn’t see or hear Gypsy. The window was open, only a crack, but the barks sounded like the dog was out in the alley with them. Rhino twisted in panic, just enough to look at Rogue. With that, he gave Hank the opening that he needed. Hank fired off a shot that struck Rhino in the lower stomach, as three more, nearby gunshots rang out, nearly at the same time.

  Rhino pushed Mara at the three men closing in on him and dashed down the alley. He rounded the corner and disappeared. Hank started after him.

  “Just leave him. We’ve got to go, there’ve been too many shots fired in this area. It’s not safe,” Joe called out. “You okay Miss?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I’m Mara, you must be Roxy’s family. She is helping us—I mean me, with developing a cure for all this,” Mara said quickly, in a shaky voice.

  Dave peered inside the little car and tapped the window. He turned back to Mara wearing a confused expression.

  “Mara, where’s Gypsy?” He questioned, motioning to an open door on a building across the alley.

  “I got Rogue to the car by myself, but when I brought out Gypsy, she got away from me. She ran out on Eighth. Before I could go after her, Rhino and Junior got me. They snuck in through the entrance on D Street to the video store as I was getting the dogs to the car,” she sighed, looking downward.

  Joe looked back to see Kate poking her head out from behind the thrift store building. He waved her over, putting his arm around her.

  “What about Roxy, she hasn’t come out yet? Are Mattie and Lynn dead?” Dave asked with anxiety.

  “I don’t know, but I heard more gunshots, two or three of them, I think—I lost count,” Mara said pursing her lips.

  Pop, pop, pop, pop, the sound of gunfire erupted from the other side of the alley, where the wounded giant had escaped.

  “Roxy!” Dave called out running toward Eighth Street.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

  On her knees, Roxy dropped the gun on the ground. Knowing that Randy no longer posed a threat, her thoughts went to her dying dog. She scrambled to Gypsy, and then heard more gunshots. Four shots. A hot tugging between her shoulder blades and in her chest gave her a slight discomfort. She looked down to see a hole in her chest, blood pumping out of it. She felt another, in her stomach, near her belly button. Reaching around, groping her back, her fingers found two more wounds. She’d been shot three or four times in the back. At least two of the bullets had gone straight through, exiting her body through her chest and abdomen.

  The sight of the blood sent her head spinning. Her breathing immediately became shallow and rapid as shock set into her mind. She expected pain, but felt none, as though her entire body went numb at the sight of the red substance leaking from her wounds. A sleepy sensation came over her, as her vision began to blur. All the while her breathing remained shallow, as if on the verge of an anxiety attack.

  Suddenly lightheaded, she turned to look behind her. Rhino jogged closer. He carried his gun in one hand and held his side with the other. Her eyes had difficulty bringing him into focus, before she fell over. Roxy’s cheekbone slammed into the pavement, her eyes facing toward the SUV.

  She laid on the asphalt watching as Rhino quickly scooped up Randy from behind. Grabbing Randy under the armpits, Rhino made his way to the SUV, while Randy’s boots grated across the soaked pavement. Rhino was speaking. Roxy tried to hear what Rhino mumbled. But it all seemed jumbled. Her body weakened with each breath expelled. She could feel her life slipping away, as she focused on Rhino’s voice.

  “…Boss, we have to go…lab will fix us up…ge
t out of here…they’re taking out the town at midnight,” Rhino’s words sounded distorted, as he heaved Randy up into the Expedition.

  Roxy heard something else, it sounded like a strenuous gasp for air. But Roxy was sure it was her gasping for air. She tried to keep her eyes open as they became increasingly weighted. She thought she saw Randy’s arm reach up toward his head as Rhino hoisted him into the back of the vehicle. But her eyelids were much too heavy to hold open any longer. With her last smidgen of power, she lifted her arm, letting her hand drape across her loyal friend’s ribs. Roxy gently moved her fingers across Gypsy’s damp fur, as everything began to fade to darkness.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY

  “Wait here with Rogue, stay in the car,” Joe said, anxiously slamming the door to Mara’s Mini Cooper. Glancing back at Kate for just a moment, he could see her through the windshield, sitting in the passenger seat, stroking their red Pit Bull. She’ll be safe here with Mara.

  He turned, offering an appreciative nod to Mara, then barreled toward Eighth Street after Hank and Dave. As he rounded the corner, he heard more gun shots. These shots were coming from Hank’s gun. He shot at a black SUV speeding down the street. The bullets ricocheted off the vehicle as the tires screamed across the wet pavement. A fire hydrant spewed water skyward that descended back down onto an overturned truck and the street.

  Joe sprinted closer. Dave crouched on the ground next to someone, but he obstructed the view of the person on the ground. Then, Joe saw Gypsy, lying beside Dave in a pool of blood, with a bloodied tee shirt tied around her neck like a scarf. Closer to the sidewalk, two more bodies were near, that of a man and a woman that Joe could not identify. His eyes fell back to the person blocked by Dave, only the legs were visible as Joe neared. He recognized the brown, zip-up boots…belonging to his daughter.