The Z-Day Trilogy (Book 2): Z-Day [Day of the Zombies]

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  The door suddenly opened and two more cigarettes were tossed out. He held his breath until the door closed. He peered through the window and the two soldiers had joined with the other one in the gym. He quickly snapped a few more pictures. He wasn’t learning much. All he knew was the military was bringing people to the gym, but he didn’t know why. He wondered if they were being rounded up for extermination. But why would they do something like that? It wouldn’t make any sense. Headlights filled the parking lot and he ducked. He heard soldiers ordering people out the back and to follow them inside. He tried to snap a couple more pictures from behind the bushes without giving his position away. He hoped maybe he would learn something from the soldiers once the survivors were inside.

  Once all the survivors were secure inside, two soldiers stood near the truck discussing something that was going to happen in two hours. The building was going to be gassed. Roger couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He now knew why the people were being brought to the school. The military was covering their tracks. They weren’t going to leave any witnesses behind. He waited until the men got into the truck and left. He made his way swiftly back to his truck, hoping he wouldn’t be noticed and got inside the back and crouched down. He knew he wouldn’t be able to drive his truck any more. He knew the military would notice him and try to stop him, or even worse, kill him.

  He wished there was some way he could save the people inside the school. What can I do? I’m only one unarmed man. He felt trapped. He had to get out of the area on foot. He had one major problem. He had nothing to protect himself against the zombies except for his camera, and he knew it wouldn’t help him unless he wanted to take photos of them. He searched the back of the truck, but he didn’t find anything useful. He looked around the truck and saw a shovel lying on the ground not two feet away. He jumped out of the back and snatched the shovel and looked around. For now everything seemed quiet, but he knew that could change in an instant. He decided he would head north toward the highway. He would eventually reach the hospital where he hoped he could find a safe place to rest and figure out what his next move would be. He knew the road ran parallel to the woods. If he kept just inside them, he knew he could avoid being seen. He held the shovel firmly in his hand and slung the camera strap around his neck and set off along the road, never taking his eyes off of his surroundings.

  Chapter Seventeen

  General Athens stood at the roadblock after returning from the factory. He was down a man since he had to kill one of them, but it didn’t matter. He had enough men left to accomplish the task at hand. It was now early afternoon and they could easily see anything making its way down the highway. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, unconsciously at parade rest. He surveyed his surroundings.

  He wondered how his men felt about killing civilians. It was their duty to follow his instructions, but he knew many of them would be remorseful. It was what being a soldier is all about–following orders. Killing the survivors at the factory was just the tip of the iceberg. They would have to kill more of them before the day was through. He had to make sure the apocalypse wrapped up before the end of the day. Uncle Sam didn’t have the extra money to waste on an extended engagement with the enemy. He knew his men wouldn’t be thrilled to hear the news they had to kill more civilians. It was the standing orders given from a higher power than him, and he was here to make sure the orders were carried out.

  Once the day was over, he was heading back to Nevada to work with General Poe and Doctor Krage. There was a second battle he had to win on foreign land. He was used to all the violence. It was what he had signed up for. If America was going to stay a free country, he had to shed some blood to keep it that way. He didn’t care if it was a zombie, a woman, or even a child he had to kill to accomplish it.

  “Good morning,” a familiar voice came from behind him. He turned to see Captain Lundray standing there with an M16 slung over his shoulder.

  “Good morning yourself,” he said, waiting for him to stand next to him. He handed him the dog tags from the soldier he had killed at the factory. “Here’s another casualty of war.”

  The captain took the dog tags from him and looked at the name on them and put them in his cargo pocket. “He was a newer recruit.”

  “I should have known. He wasn’t seasoned yet. I wish I would have known that earlier. Give my condolences to his family.”

  “We sure killed a lot of those flesh eaters last night. I doubt there are many left to kill.”

  General Athens stared at him like he was out of his mind. “Don’t get cocky, captain. There are more of them out there. Just because we can’t see them doesn’t mean they are not there waiting to sink their teeth into our flesh.”

  “Sorry,” said the captain. “I just meant we haven’t seen any near the border in the last hour.”

  “That only means they haven’t ventured out this far yet. Most of them are probably still in the city. We have men searching the city right now. They’ll find them and put them out of their misery.”

  “How long are we going to stay here holding this line?” asked the captain. “We should be scouring the city looking for them, not waiting for them to make an appearance.”

  The general looked at his watch. It was a present from his wife who had recently divorced him and started dating his cousin. Her reason was irreconcilable differences. He couldn’t believe it. He felt the rage building in the pit of his stomach. He dismissed the thought and turned back to what the captain had just said.

  “We can’t abandon our post. It’s what those flesh eaters want us to do. They want us to pack our bags and leave so they can move to the next city and infect it. Your orders are to keep this line, and it’s what you’re going to do. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

  The captain was taken by surprise by the general’s sudden outburst. “Perfectly clear.”

  “We stay here and make all the zombies pay in blood. Soon they’ll learn not to mess with us. They’re going to learn real fast.”

  “Listen to yourself. You sound half-crazed.”

  The general remained at parade rest and cocked an eyebrow. “We’re going to kill every damn last one of them. We’re going to make the streets flow with a river of their blood.”

  “Oh, hell,” the captain said, his posture stiffening. He wiped his brow as sweat broke out across his forehead. “You’re starting to lose it.”

  General Athens thought about the civilians that were killed at the factory. Their deaths made him feel powerful. It made him feel invincible. He smiled. He enjoyed watching people die, especially by his hand. It was what he imagined doing to his soon to be ex-wife. He turned to face the captain. “Are you going soft on me? Where is the fire in your blood? Where is the desire to kill everything that crosses your path?”

  He looked at the general as if he were the enemy. “The fire is there but only when it needs to be ignited. And to answer your other question; no, I’m not going soft. I’m ready for the zombies, but only the zombies, not humans. We’re supposed to be on a mercy mission. I doubt very much we’re supposed to be killing the uninfected.”

  The general glared at him. “With that attitude you’re never going to see a promotion. Do you want to remain a captain the rest of your military career?”

  The captain had heard enough. He pointed a finger toward him. “If getting promoted means I have to kill innocent people, then yes, I’d rather remain a captain.” He turned and stormed away from the general. He didn’t care if he was disrespecting him or not. Killing innocent people wasn’t what he signed up for.

  General Athens laughed. The captain didn’t have what it took to become a major anyway. He doubted any of the men around him had what it took to become the perfect soldier. He got back in the jeep and told the driver to head for the high school. It was time to set off the gas grenades in the school. He hoped it was filled to capacity with the survivors. He sat back in the seat. He knew he was the only one in the whole city that deserved to g
et a raise. After he was through with this mission, he aimed to make sure it happened. He looked at his driver.

  “Drive faster. We don’t have time to waste.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ned stood at the outskirts of town. His car had overheated and stalled in the middle of the road. He checked the front end of the car and saw the grille was smashed. He knew his only alternative now was to walk the rest of the way and hope he wouldn’t be spotted. He wove his way through the debris-strewn street, avoiding the burning husks of abandoned cars and stepping cautiously over prone forms that lay unmoving on the pavement. To the right of him, a fallen power line spat sparks, sporadically lighting the road. He crossed over to the other side to avoid being electrocuted.

  So hell has finally frozen over, he thought, as he continued down the sidewalk. I guess life can’t last forever. It’s like a dream. The whole place feels like a bad dream. He stopped a moment and searched his surroundings. All was still around him. Either the zombies had moved on, or they had all been killed. Still, the streets didn’t seem safe. They had an eerie feel about them. A chill shot down his spine as he imagined being ripped apart by one of the zombies. He didn’t want to know or feel what it would be like. It reminded him he needed to get inside somewhere until he could find out what was happening. He continued down the sidewalk until he saw a sign alerting him to the fact it was a pizza place. He figured it would be the perfect place to hide.

  He was getting hungry. He suspected this was how the government controlled people. They starved them until they broke and spilled their guts about everything they knew. It was plain torture. It was the government’s favorite tool to use against its own people. He knew the zombies were developed by the government. There was no denying it. Valparaiso was being tested and so far it was succeeding beyond expectations. He didn’t know what the significance of Valparaiso was, but it must be something really important. There were far better places in America to run their tests. Perhaps the mayor had his palms greased and allowed the government to perform their test here. He knew the mayor was a big fan of the almighty dollar. None of it mattered now. He was stuck in the middle of the test, trying the best he could to make it to the end.

  He stood in front of the pizza joint, staring at the door, trying to decide if he wanted to open it or not. He was afraid something could be hiding inside eagerly waiting for someone to enter. He looked around him to make sure nothing was following him. He was still alone. Deciding that it was better to be inside than outside, he pushed on the door, but it didn’t budge. It was locked.

  He knocked on the door, thinking somebody else might be hiding inside. It remained locked. He was about to leave when he saw the blinds move in the front window and someone looking out. He waved at the person and signaled for him to unlock the door.

  He stood there for five minutes waiting for the door to be unlocked. Finally, the door opened and a black man stood there. “Well, come in if you’re coming in.”

  Ned entered the store and Clive closed and locked it behind him. He moved past Ned. “Follow me.”

  Ned followed the man to the dining area where another man was sitting at a table drinking a soda. “This is Ralph and my name is Clive. We’re the only ones here right now.”

  “I’m Ned Pendleton. Thanks for letting me inside. I didn’t want to be out there for much longer.”

  “Take a seat, Ned,” said Clive. “Would you like a soda or a beer?”

  “A soda would be nice.”

  Clive went into the kitchen to fetch him one. While he was away, Ralph looked at him curiously. “How did you survive the night?”

  “It wasn’t easy. The whole area was filled with zombies. The things I saw last night I don’t want to remember.”

  “Be thankful you survived. These are some nasty creatures. I’ve spent the night hunting the animals and killing as many as I could. I have the sickening feeling several of them managed to leave the area.”

  “That means the government’s test is expanding to new areas.”

  Ralph stared at him. “What test?”

  “Do you think this zombie apocalypse happened by accident? The government wanted this to happen. These zombies are their new weapons.”

  “That’s crazy talk,” said Clive, bringing him a soda and placing it in front of him. “Why would they do something like that?”

  “Think about it. Why were bombs invented? Why were diseases developed? Why are weapons made? Every one of these things benefit the government. These are some of the things they control the American people with.”

  Clive stole a glance toward Ralph. “You know who you sound like. You sound like one of those conspiracy theorists,” said Clive. “You guys are always stirring the hornet’s nest.”

  “Look around you. Valparaiso has been invaded by zombies. Haven’t you been watching the news lately? The government is behind the park that housed these things,” said Ned. “Why do you think they opened the park in the first place. They knew they would eventually get out and infect the area.”

  “He does make a good point,” said Ralph. “I’ve wondered that myself. Why would they open a zombie park in the area? How would they be able to contain them in the park? Well, we already know they couldn’t. Maybe our friend here is right. Maybe this is a test and we’re the guinea pigs. I bet they’re watching us right now to see what we’re going to do next.”

  “Now you’re sounding like him, Ralph. Listen, none of this is making any sense. A zombie outbreak could infect the whole world. Nobody would be left to control anything. The whole world would be nothing but mindless zombies. Who will benefit from a world full of zombies? No, there has to be another explanation.”

  Ned and Ralph looked at him. Both of them were weighing what he had said. It made sense, but still didn’t answer the question of why all this was happening. Whether the government was behind it or not, they still had a zombie situation they had to deal with, and they were trapped inside the diner. They were safe for now, but they knew that could change at any moment. They didn’t even know how many zombies were still in the area.

  “We can’t stay locked in here forever,” said Clive. “Eventually, we have to find help or find a way to get out of Valparaiso. The longer we wait, the harder it’s going to be for us.”

  “We need to find a vehicle,” said Ralph. “It will be safer than walking.”

  “That’s no good,” said Ned. “The roads are blocked with abandoned and burning cars, not to mention dead corpses. We’re going to have to walk if we’re going to get out of here.”

  “We’re going to need more weapons,” said Clive. “All we have is a machete and a shotgun.”

  “I had a chainsaw,” said Ned. “I left it in my car on the outskirts of town. It overheated. It’s how I know the roads are blocked. We have no choice. We have to walk.”

  “Let’s gather what we can from here and set out,” said Ralph. “Perhaps there is still a fighting chance we can survive the day and get out of the area. I don’t know about you, but I want to get as far away from here as I can.”

  “What if everywhere around here in infected by zombies, then what?” asked Clive.

  “Then we do the only thing we can do,” said Ralph. “We pray we will be spared from being infected.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Donnie parked the vehicle on a side street in the downtown area. They had gone as far as they could due to the roads being blocked. He stood in the middle of the street with Ben and Chloe surveying the carnage. There were dead bodies as far as the eye could see. They looked at each other.

  “Somebody has been busy killing zombies,” said Donnie. “We should stay close. We don’t know who has killed them all.”

  “Do you think they’ve killed all the zombies?” asked Chloe. “It’s quiet out here.”

  Ben looked at three bodies lying next to him on the ground. All three of them had an entrance wound in their head. He looked at the others. “These three have head shots.”

&nb
sp; “So do the ones over here,” said Donnie. “Somebody has definitely been busy. But that doesn’t mean they got all of them. We need to be careful; we don’t know who our enemy is right now or where they’re hiding.”