Squinting, I aimed my rifle at the door as one of the men walked up to the entrance and started shouting. It worked like a charm. As the zombies poured out, we all fired away. Glass shattered with a boom and zombies dropped one by one as a hail of shots rang all around me.
I sprinted across the parking lot firing at zombies as I approached the restaurant. Nothing stirred and it was eerily quiet as raindrops splattered on my face. Zombies littered the ground. I climbed over the sea of dead monsters when one of the cursed things suddenly grabbed my boot and wrapped its cold, bony fingers around my ankle. I carefully aimed at its head and fired. As the shot pierced its skull, it immediately let go.
“Some of them are still alive,” I said.
Kate shot me a look. “Not when I’m done.”
“Go on in,” Asia said. “We got this.”
I nodded, then peered in the huge, glass window. A few stragglers roamed in the back but I knew we could easily handle that. My boots crunched over glass as I walked in. Slinging my rifle over my shoulder, I switched to my handgun. Aiming, I took a deep breath, and then let it out. I fired at anything moving and neutralized five targets in a matter of seconds. I shifted my aim and fired again, more bullets slamming into three more zombies shuffling by the industrial-sized sink.
“The boy has good aim,” a tall man shouted.
“He’s Nick’s brother,” another chimed in.
I planted my feet a shoulder width apart as three more zombies came at me. Exhaling slowly, I struck hard. I fired one at a time in rapid succession, nailing each undead freak straight in the forehead. They crashed into a trembling heap of rotting flesh. I was sure they’d killed the people who were running this restaurant, and nothing angered me more.
I glanced around at Ed’s personal armory in the kitchen. Stacked everywhere, were a wide variety of rifles, shotguns, and ammunition. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was in a gun shop. Ed must’ve been collecting weapons from everywhere. Pounding echoed in the air and broke my concentration. The knocking sound was coming from the freezer.
“Who wants the last stragglers?” a man asked.
Suddenly, I could hear people screaming and that’s when I realized there were air holes drilled into the top of the freezer.
I aimed, my finger resting on the trigger. “Open the door. Let’s see who it is.”
He opened the freezer door and my jaw dropped as a woman came running out, followed by a group of people with a crying baby.
My group of men aimed their weapons at the people we found in the freezer.
“Who are you?” one demanded to know.
“Don’t shoot!” the woman cried, holding her arms up. “We mean you no harm.”
I immediately put down my gun. It was the woman from the picture…Carla.”
“Carla?” I said.
“Put down your weapons,” a guy said. “It’s the owner’s granddaughter of the nursing home. We found her. She’s alive.”
Carla gazed up at me shocked. “How do you people know my name or even who I am?”
“We found your diary at the nursing home,” I said. “What happened here?”
“I came to visit, to help my friend have her baby. And the place got overrun with zombies. We ran in the freezer to hide and got locked in by accident. There was no way out. We were running out of air!”
A lady rocked a newborn baby bundled in a blue blanket. “Luckily my father drilled some air holes in the top of the freezer in case we had to hide out from zombies for days. It was like our “panic room”. But not enough air was coming in for all of us. I don’t think we would’ve made it much longer.”
“The panic room was an ingenious idea,” I said. “Why didn’t you install a lever to open the door if you got trapped inside?”
“We did, but it didn’t work. We had no idea it was broken.” Carla ran over and hugged me tightly as emotion overwhelmed her. “You saved us.”
“It was Kate and Asia who discovered you,” I said, looking around for them. When I spotted them, I motioned them over and explained the entire story. The entire group hugged us and expressed their sincere gratitude.
“By the time my family came back, I would’ve been dead,” Carla said, her voice quivering.
Asia embraced her in a tight hug. “You’re so lucky Kate and I are nosey and decided to read the diary.”
“I know,” she said. “It’s a modern day miracle.”
“We want guns and ammo as payment,” one of the men in my group barked.
“No,” I said. “We’re not going to take these weapons.”
“Why not? We saved their butts!” a man said. “We deserve compensation.”
“Yeah,” another guy chimed in. “We risked our lives and we were promised guns!”
“What if we would’ve left them in the freezer to rot?” another man said. “They would’ve died and we could’ve had all their weapons.”
I was really starting to question the morality of the men we were traveling with. I made a mental note to discuss that with Nick. Nobody in my little group would’ve ever made that remark. Another thought struck me. What if these men we were traveling with stole our cure? Just like Tahoe. I didn’t trust any of them, and I thought we should break away from them as soon as we could.
A tall man with white hair stepped forward. “I’m Ed, the owner of this restaurant. These are my weapons. You saved our lives and we can’t thank you enough.” He motioned around him. “You can have half of everything.”
Rapturous applause, shouts of joy, and fist bumps broke out among the men as they went to collect their promised treasure.
“That’s very generous of you,” I said.
He grinned. “It’s the least I can do for the men and women that saved our lives.”
Kate, Asia, and I explained that we were staying at the nursing home and Carla couldn’t have been more thrilled to have guests. When we told her our group was leaving as soon as we could, she told us she was just going to stay with Ed at his sister’s until her family returned in a week. She really didn’t want to be at the nursing home without them, but granted us permission to stay. Ed was going to clear the remainder of his weapons and take them to his sister’s. He had a big, black van outside and I helped him pack up. He knew staying at the restaurant wasn’t safe anymore.
We packed up the guns and supplies we were given, thanked them, and went back to the nursing home. Everyone was thrilled we had obtained so many new weapons, and that we’d saved Carla. But Nick wasn’t too happy I went behind his back. It was the perfect mission without any casualties, and I didn’t see what the problem was. He ensured me not every mission would turn out so smoothly, and told me I just got lucky.
Chapter 9
It was almost four p.m., but Nick said the roads were still impassable and that we’d have to stay in our makeshift hotel for one more day. I took a shift of guard duty on the roof.
“Your shift’s over,” Mike said.
Mike was a cool guy I had gotten to know over my eight hour shift. He was a big, muscular guy with long black hair tied in a ponytail and a bushy beard. He had ten grandchildren that were all alive last he heard. And he said eventually he’d make his way to them. We laughed and chatted over everything.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to stick around,” I said. “I’m supposed to meet Jackie up here.”
He smiled. “Not a problem.”
I looked out over the city as my thoughts consumed me.
“You’re doing a fantastic job,” Mike said. “Getting us those supplies was essential to surviving.”
“Thanks, but I had a great team.”
He stared at the city landscape. “We watch the world unfold before us, and it’s not a pretty one.”
“No,” I said. “It’s not.”
“But no matter what life has dealt us, don’t you ever give up hope. Not ever. Period. Even when it seems impossible, something will always pull you through. Always believe and keep moving forward.�
��
“Thanks, Mike. Those are encouraging words to live by.”
“I think suffering produces perseverance and character. And each day brings us new hope. I truly think it has to get ugly before it can get beautiful.”
“Well, we’ve had lots of ugly, that’s for sure.”
“We’re going to conquer this virus and get our world back.”
“I believe that.”
“Always believe in yourself, Dean.”
“The sky’s the limit,” I said.
He met my gaze. “The sky is not the limit, not when they’re footprints on the moon.”
“True,” I said. “Never thought of that.”
“Well, life is pretty amazing. Let’s stay for as long as we can.”
“Definitely.”
“Dean!” Jackie said.
My face beamed. “Speaking of amazing, here comes Jackie. Thanks for the pep talk. And it was great to work with you.”
He grinned. “Anytime.”
I focused my attention back on Jackie. Every time I saw her, my day instantly brightened; I got such an adrenaline rush being with her. Jackie was the last person I thought about before I went to sleep and the first person I thought about when I woke up. I couldn’t stop staring at her. She’d done her makeup again and had somehow managed to find another low-cut number amongst all the elderly clothes in the dressers and closets. I wrapped my arms around her, and she kissed me.
“My shift on Two East is done,” she said. “All is well.”
“Here too.”
She cupped my face. “I hear congrats are in order! Everyone is talking about what a hero you are, saving that girl and her friends, and getting us all those weapons, and all those bullets.”
“Kate and Asia read the girl’s diary and figured it all out. I just went along on the mission.”
“You did it all alone to piss off Nick, huh?”
I nodded. “He’s all fired up, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. He’s mad you didn’t take him, Val, or Lucas. I bet it’s probably because you’re getting all the glory and not him.”
We both laughed.
Her gaze drifted to the downtown streets, alleys, houses, and other buildings in the city. “I can see much better in daylight.”
“Zombie at two o clock!” one of the guards on the north side shouted.
A zombie lumbered up the street toward the nursing home. The man standing guard peered through the scope of his rifle, then fired, knocking the clumsy thing backward. The man held up his gun and shouted in victory, and a chorus of cheers and cat-calls sounded from the rooftop.
A woman in a long black coat leaned against the wall and shook her head, not the least bit impressed. “Look at you guys. How can you be happy about that? You used to be one of them. What if that had been you or me or someone you cared about?”
The man shot her a look. “Do you wanna be safe, or do you want to play the moral game?”
“I want to give anyone who has ever been infected a chance.”
“We will, once the authorities get the serum and can reproduce it and find a safe and effective way to administer it, but for the time being, we’ve gotta look out for ourselves.”
“I realize that. It’s just that they’re so…well, I hate seeing them killed when I know they could be cured.”
“It’d be impossible to run down there and heal every single zombie,” another guy chimed in. “It’d be beyond dangerous, not to mention stupid. We have to make sure the zombie numbers don’t get too high, or they’ll overrun us. We can’t have a herd of those cannibals storming our little castle here, can we? We have to keep this place guarded for our own safety.”
“I get it,” she whispered, looking away.
It was a dilemma, but I didn’t know how to handle it. They’d both made good points. I threw my arm around Jackie and led her to the greenhouse. “C’mon. Let’s go take a little walk.”
“I’ve been dying to check out the greenhouse,” she said, “and I’ve been dying to get a little time alone with you.”
We opened the squeaky door and walked inside. Rows of plants were lined up neatly on tables that filled the medium-sized room. Most of the flowers and plants were dead, brown, and lifeless, just like the world we lived in.
Jackie pointed to a little room way in the back. “Wow! Look at that.”
The floor was covered in green turf, and there was a fake tree and all sorts of vegetation. Artificial flowers, from ivy to orchids, decorated every single corner. A statue of little boy and girl stood in the middle, surrounded by colorful flowers. I surmised that it must have been a fountain at one time, but even in that neglected state, it was beautiful and serene. The two of us made ourselves comfortable on the turf beneath the tree.
Jackie stared up through the glass ceiling. “I could lay here and listen to the rain forever.”
“Doesn’t look like it’s gonna let up anytime soon, so you just might get your wish.”
She chuckled.
For a few minutes, we said nothing. We just held hands and just watched the rain plop down on the glass above us. Even though nothing about my life was perfect at the time, there were many reasons to feel good. For one, Jackie liked me and considered me to be her boyfriend. I felt as lucky about that as I did to be alive. For another, we knew the cure worked. My brother, Lucas, Val, Claire, and Jackie were all alive and well, and some of them had been given a second chance. For the time being, we had shelter and food. Countless people had been wiped out from the zombie virus, but I had made it, as had most of my loved ones—at least to the best of my knowledge. The road back to normal would be a long and hard one, but I refused to give up. I’d overcome the odds and would live to tell about it. I would persevere, and unconditional victory would be mine. I believed that, and I was ready to fight for it.
“It’s pretty here,” she said. “You know, for hell.”
“Hell? No way! I’m in heaven, lying next to a beautiful angel.”
She smiled and snuggled against me.
“It’s so hard to steal moments like these when we’re constantly on the run,” I said.
“I know. This stupid zombie apocalypse. But I want to live, to enjoy life, and not just survive. Does that make sense? I guess what I’m trying to say is that I desperately wanna live this awesome, fantastic, amazing life, not just attempt to survive it by dodging zombies every hour, every minute, every second of the day.”
I gave her hand a squeeze. “We never know what the next moment might bring. Every day is a new challenge, but we can still appreciate the little things.”
“Like holding that special person’s hand and listening to the raindrops on the glass?”
“Exactly,” I said, cupping her face. “I plan to live life to the fullest. We have to enjoy each and every moment, because we all know tomorrow’s not promised.”
“Survival has become routine, and I know it has to be that way if we want to live, but I still want more out of life. One thing I’ve learned through all of this is that we’ve got to enjoy life more deeply.”
I nodded, for I’d learned the same hard-fought lesson. “I’ll never take life for granted again. I can tell you that much. I don’t think anyone will.”
“Any word when we’re taking off for the island?”
“Nick said we’ll leave tomorrow morning, no matter what,” I said.
“But I kind of like it here,” she said. “For the first time in a long time, I feel…safe.”
I stroked her soft hair. “Me too.”
“I know it won’t last, but it’s nice that we’ve had it for this little while. It’s the perfect getaway.”
“As long as I’m with you, it doesn’t matter where I am,” I said, and I meant every word. I’d never felt that way about anyone else, and she deserved to hear it.
Her grin widened. “Aw! It’s moments like these I cherish the most.”
We talked for a while and enjoyed the time away from the others. I gazed into her eyes.
The darkness seemed to melt away when I was with her. She made me forget the pain and, for once in my life, I could breathe easy. “You’re so beautiful, Jackie,” I said, aghast at how simply amazing she was. I pulled her in close and placed gentle, passionate kisses on her lips, then left a trail of soft, tender kisses down her neck.
“Dean!” Val yelled. “Are you in here?”
I jumped up, my eyes wide. “Right here.” I sprinted through the greenhouse, back to the door, and onto the roof. I noticed instantly that the men seemed to be in a panic. “Is everything okay?”
“The guys on the roof told me you’d headed into the greenhouse.”
“We were just hanging out,” Jackie said.
Val frantically motioned us to go with her. Something was wrong, and I was desperate to find out what it was. A few scenarios crossed my mind, and every single one of them had to do with zombies.
We made it back to the first floor and ran into Nick, Lucas, and Claire.
I looked at Val. “So what’s up?” I said. “What’s with all the freaking out?”
“Howard’s missing. We’ve looked everywhere, but we can’t find any sign of him.”
“Did he leave?” I asked. “Are you telling me that idiot breached our security perimeter?”
“He wouldn’t have gone without telling me,” a woman said with long, reddish-brown hair, sobbing. “We’ve got to find him!”
Claire grabbed Jackie’s arm. “C’mon. Let’s check the wing and his room.”
“I’ll catch up with you later, Dean,” Jackie said.
I nodded. “We’ll scout out the upstairs.”
She kissed me on the cheek and turned to leave.
Suddenly, the woman looked at Nick and lashed out. “It was you!”
Nick cocked a brow. “What was me? I have no idea what you’re talking about, lady.”
“What did you do to Howard?” she yelled. “Where is he?”
“Uh…nothing,” he said, stumped. “I have no idea where he is.”
“Liar!” she yelled. “Howard told me that he was happily dating the redhead, but then you kept trying to weasel your way in. You killed him out of jealousy, didn’t you? Over her!” she screamed, pointing at Claire.
The Zombie Chronicles - Book 4 - Poisonous Serum (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) Page 8
