Z-Strain (Book 3): Fallout

by Morris, S. J.

  While we moved the vehicles out of the way, we attracted the unwanted attention of a large number of the undead. I was maneuvering the Jeep into place so we could move the last vehicle when I saw them exiting the tree line. There must have been hundreds of them. “Hey, guys! It looks like we might have a situation here,” I yelled out the window to Kamil, Lynn, and Jimmy.

  Kamil yelled back, “I’ve got it. Keep going. As soon as we move this last car, we can get the hell out of here.”

  Kamil pulled his 9mm Glock pistol he had been practicing with for months back at the cabin. For a guy who didn’t like using guns when this all started, he was getting pretty accurate with it. I waited for Lynn and Jimmy to finish hooking up the straps as I watched Kamil take aim and begin to fire. Kamil’s bullets ripped into the shambling corpses leaving holes in their heads as they dropped to the ground. While I waited, I decided to help Kamil out and planted my M200 Intervention Sniper Rifle in the window of the Jeep and began picking off the stragglers that were further away. I paused after ten rounds looking over the smoking barrel of my rifle. The infected I had taken out, men women and children among them, all had their heads blown to chunks of black tissue and pulp. The scene was gruesome, but I was numb to all of it by now.

  Lynn and Jimmy were tying off the last strap when I saw Kamil about to get blindsided. “Kam! To your right, look out!”

  Kamil turned and saw the infected covered in fresh red blood, limping toward him. Kamil fired three rounds, hitting the burly man in the neck and shoulders. The bloodied zombie paused briefly at the assault, but only for a short moment before he continued toward Kamil.

  Kam pulled his trigger again, but his gun was empty. “Kam, I thought I told you to keep track of your rounds! Count in your head as you shoot, damn it!” I yelled at him.

  “I got this. Don’t worry about me. Get the damn car out of the way so we can get the fuck out of here!” Kamil yelled back.

  “Go, go, go!” Jimmy yelled, banging on the hood of the Jeep, signaling me to pull the last car free.

  I threw the Jeep in reverse and slowly pushed on the gas, all while keeping a side eye on Kamil, who was in the process of reloading and opening fire with only feet to spare before the infected reached him. The shots rang out, tearing through the undead’s neck, spraying black infected blood all over the tall grass, but he still kept moving forward. Then one hit its head. The back of the infected’s skull exploded, sending chunks of gore and dark brain matter behind it as it fell lifeless to the ground. Then the worst thing that could possibly happen happened. A loud, ear-piercing shriek erupted from the forest, followed by matching screams from all around us. The super-infected were in the area, a lot of them, and they were going to be on us soon.

  Seeing that Kamil was relatively safe, and Lynn and Jimmy were out of the way, I slammed the gas pedal to the floor rocketing the Jeep and the crumpled car it was tied to backward. I pulled the vehicle free and screamed to the others, “Cut me loose now! You heard that, right? We’ve got to get the hell out of here and now!”

  Jimmy ran to the straps, unhooking them from the other vehicle quickly. “Roger that, Chris.” Lynn ran over to help him. “Shit, you don’t have to tell me twice. I want nothing to do with those fast fuckers.” Lynn wrapped the straps in her arms and jumped back into the Jeep.

  I pulled my rifle scope to my eye and scanned the edge of the trees. “Shit! Here they come. Kamil! We’ve got company. Let’s go now!” I shouted at him.

  The shrill screams from the super-infected still surrounded us, growing louder and closer. This situation gave me an uneasy feeling in my gut. It reminded me of the first time I realized what was happening a year ago when the dead started to rise. I was able to adapt to the apocalypse before. It was just a new kind of warfare for me. We knew how the infected operated for the most part. They were slow and easy to dispatch individually, but get them in a group, and they were a force to be reckoned with. This new breed of zombies, though, they were a whole other animal. They were fast, vicious, and they seemed to retain basic intelligence. When they looked at you, you could tell they were working things out, finding the best way to rip you to pieces or deciding if the effort was worth it to even try or go for easier prey. There were too many unknowns now, too many variables. The sooner we brought Abby home, the sooner we could work towards dispatching the undead with the serum in massive numbers and hopefully win back our planet.

  Right now, though, I was unsure of myself for the first time in a long time hearing those visceral screams.

  Chapter 18

  Kamil Dunbar

  I ran for the Jeep as quickly as my feet would carry me. The yells from the newer, faster infected were all around us. We needed to get out of here as soon as possible. If those things caught up to us, we were going to be in a whole world of trouble.

  I jumped in the truck, and Chris took off at full speed before I could even get the door closed. I hated running away from the infected. I’d rather stay and take them out so they wouldn’t be a threat for later, but it was getting dark, and these new infected were nothing to mess with.

  The screams grew even louder as we pulled away. I turned to look behind us and the super-infected collected in the road behind us, pumping their arms and running after us like a pack of crazed wolves. Just before they were out of sight, I watched them slow and finally stop, screaming maniacally at their unsuccessful siege. They gave up. Since when did the infected start thinking for themselves?

  That was going to have to be a question for another time. I needed to rest after the previous long night and day. Adrenaline was no way to keep a body going, and that’s about all I had left in me at this point.

  I grabbed two protein bars from my pack, devoured them, and drank an entire bottle of water before I decided to curl up in the passenger seat next to Chris as he drove into the night. I needed rest, and I let sleep take me.

  I woke up to the bright sun on my face. Jimmy was now driving, and I could hear Lynn and Chris snoring in the back seat. “Where the hell are we?” I asked Jimmy.

  Jimmy looked over at me and smiled. “Oh, hey, Sleeping Beauty. Good morning. Did you know you talk in your sleep?”

  “Shit, no. What did I say? Anything embarrassing?”

  “Nah, just that you wanted to be a ballerina when you grow up,” Jimmy laughed. “Agh, I’m just playing with you. You did mumble Dana’s name a few times, though. That’s got to be tough, man. I’m really sorry I never got to meet her. From what Abby told me, she was a pretty great girl.”

  I wiped the sleep from my eyes, trying to distract myself from the ache growing in my chest at the mention of Dana. “Yeah, she was. I miss her like hell. If you and, ugh, Lynn are hooking up, you better make the most of it. Your last moments on Earth might be right around the corner nowadays. If she means something to you, you have to let her know. You never know if you’re ever going to get another chance,” I replied somberly remembering my last moments with Dana.

  Her death hurt in so many ways. I know it’s cliché, but I would give anything to have more time with her. I wanted one last kiss, one last hug. Even just to smell her again or hear her laugh.

  I was torn from my thoughts as Jimmy slammed on the breaks, and the seatbelt caught me, pulling tight, securing me to my seat. “What the fuck, Jimmy?” I yelled while Chris and Lynn shouted different versions of the same.

  Jimmy’s face was practically frozen. “Look.”

  I squinted my eyes, trying to see further ahead of us when the barrel of Chris’s rifle crept past my shoulder between Jimmy and me. “What are you seeing, Chris?” I asked.

  “It looks like a herd of infected, but there are people driving quads and motorcycles around them like they’re trying to guide them along. Get a little closer, Jimmy. I’d like to see exactly what’s going on.” Chris replied, never taking his eye from the scope of his rifle.

  Jimmy moved the Jeep slowly towards the scene in the distance.

  “What the fuck are they doing
?” Chris asked aloud.

  “I don’t know, you tell us. You’re the one who can see them. All I see is dirt kicking up and dark shapes moving around and through the dust,” I replied, wishing I could see better.

  “They herded the group of infected off the road, and it looks like two of the guys on the quads are rolling out some kind of rope between them. Shit, they’re driving around the edges of the undead, and the rope they are holding is cutting through them. They’re cutting the infected... in half. Get us closer, Jimmy. We have to help these guys in any way we can.”

  Jimmy turned to Chris, looking at him like he was crazy. “What? We don’t know what the hell these guys are up to. I count four on quads and three on motorcycles, and they all look armed. There are only four of us and seven of them. Hell, if they’re going to go after the infected like that, these guys have giant-sized balls and are armed to the teeth. What if we go up there and we’re all, ‘Hey guys, we’re here to help!’ and they’re like, ’Fuck off assholes and give us your stuff!’ Did you ever think of that, Chris? Not everyone out here is going to be looking to help like we are.”

  “These guys don’t look like the marauding type,” Chris answered without looking away from his scope.

  Lynn chimed in, “I’m with Jimmy on this one. What does the marauding type look like anyway, Chris?”

  “I’ve got a feeling about these guys. If we help them, they’ll help us. I know it in my gut.”

  “Your gut feeling better not get us killed,” Jimmy replied as he let his foot off the brake slowly, and we inched forward.

  Jimmy wasn’t one to question Chris’s gut, I guess. Lynn didn’t look very happy though as she sat back in her seat, huffing and crossing her arms angrily. “If they turn out to be rapists, I hope you guys like anal sex because I’m not getting forced into the zombie sex trade. I’ll shoot myself in the brain before I let that happen.”

  Jimmy laughed. “I hope for all of our sakes that you’re just being overdramatic.”

  “I’ll bet your puckered little ass hole hopes so too.”

  Chris shushed Jimmy and Lynn, “Shh, let’s all just be ready for anything, all right. Ammo in and guns up ladies. No offense, Lynn.”

  Lynn looked at Chris sideways. “None taken, cockgobbler.”

  All of us, including Chris, laughed at that one.

  We pulled alongside the armed men on quads and motorcycles who were riding in circles, stabbing spears into the heads of the infected they had already cut in half. Chris hopped out of the back and began opening fire at the stragglers who weren’t cut in half. Jimmy, Lynn, and I followed suit. I took out my 9mm, letting the bullets fly.

  The torrential deluge of bullets and the thunk of Chris’s silenced sniper rifle filled the chilly morning air mixing with the sounds of the ATVs and the motorcycles. The guys on their vehicles stopped their spear work and watched as we annihilated the remaining undead that were still standing.

  When the noise from the vehicles and our shooting stopped, the group of five men and two women walked over to us with their hands up, showing that they meant us no harm.

  The men were all on the tall side and burly. They wore tattered dark military gear and looked to have been through some rough shit. The guy leading the group over to us was the oldest of them, probably in his early fifties if I had to guess. He was dark skinned with a thick greying beard and a black bandana covering his long salt and pepper hair. The ladies were pretty, but they looked tough. Like the kind you would never approach at a bar because they would drink you under the table and kick your ass for looking at them wrong. One of the other men was a huge Irish gentleman. He was pasty white under a thick layer of dirt and build like a tree. His bright red hair was a huge contrast to his dark looking demeanor. The other guys were all built the same as Mr. Irish, but shorter even though they all looked formidable.

  Chris whispered under his breath, “See Lynn, they have two ladies with them. Does that make you feel any better?”

  Lynn let a squeak of a laughter slip out of her mouth before she whispered back, “Yeah, because women don’t do horrific shit to people, right? I hope you boys wore your pretty panties and shaved your legs today. You might just be in for some butt-knuckling.”

  Jimmy couldn’t contain his laughter again. Where do you come up with this shit, Lynn?”

  Before she could answer, one of the men from the group spoke up, “What the heck is so funny over here?”

  Chris spoke, “Lynn, here was worried that you all were going to be rapists and had a colorful way of telling us how we should be prepared for some unwanted ass play.”

  All seven of the group started laughing, and I relaxed, hoping this was a good sign.

  “Well, we’re not rapists, but we do enjoy a good laugh every now and then, so thank you for that. And thanks for the help with the revenants too,” the man said with a heavy southern drawl.

  Chris held out his hand for the man to shake. “That’s a perfect name for them, and it was no problem. We saw you cutting them down before. How’d you manage to do that? I’m Chris, by the way. This is Kamil, Jimmy, and Lynn.” We each gave the new group a wave as we put our guns away.

  The man smiled and shook Chris’s hand. “Pleasure to meet ya’ll. The name’s Admiral. This is my second in command, Benning, our two razor wire artists, Arrow and Jet. Then we have our mechanic, Garrison, and these lovely ladies, who might just rape you because they’re tired of looking at our sorry ass mugs all day, are Bowie and Mace. We’re 0321, Special Operations Capable reconnaissance assets of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. We provided division-level ground and amphibious reconnaissance to the Ground Combat Element within the United States Marine Corps. Well, we did until the shit really hit the fan, and even the military fell apart. We’ve been on the move together since all of this started. And the razor wire, that was Arrow’s idea. He just thought it would be cool to try, and when I said it would never work, Jet was on board to prove me wrong. Amazingly enough, it worked, so we’ve been herding groups of the revenants together, cutting them down and then spearing the brain to reduce the number of threats. It gives us something to do. How about yourselves? What are ya’ll doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”

  “We’re actually on our way to the city. One of our group, my wife, actually was kidnapped recently by soldiers in a Black Hawk helicopter. Private First-Class James Smith here said two others from our group who are scientists, were also taken by these same men and it looked like they might be heading southeast toward the city. Plus, Jimmy only knows of one other black site in this direction they could have been going to, and it’s in New York,” Chris replied.

  “Private First Class, eh? We all gotta start somewhere, don’t we?” Admiral joked, hitting Jimmy in the right shoulder. Jimmy cringed in pain.

  My own wound in my gut ached in response to seeing Jimmy in discomfort. We were all kind of beat up.

  The Admiral reached out to Jimmy, trying to help steady him. “Shit, I’m sorry, son. You okay there?”

  Jimmy talked through his teeth, “Yeah, I’m fine, sir. I took some shrapnel to the shoulder recently.”

  The Admiral’s face lit up. “Shrapnel? It sounds like ya’ll have been having some fun out here in the shit. Care if we join you on your way into the city? I’m sure we could help one another out. We’d get to kill some revenants, and you’d get to find your wife and the scientists. Plus, we saw the Black Hawk helicopters recently, and we’ve been tracking them too. We’d like to see if maybe we can get our hands on one of ‘em. We spent the winter in Canada thinking it would be safer in the colder climate from these undead bastards, and we’ve been making our way south to warmer climates since the weather broke. It’s colder than a brass toilet seat in the Yukon up there. If there’s no hope for the human race, we ain’t spending what’s left of our days up there in that icebox. We were planning on finding a boat and sailing down to the islands. Somewhere warm, we could try and secure against the revenants and maybe live out the
rest of our days in peace. A helicopter would prove mighty useful in getting us to the coast and helping us find a good boat. What’d ya’ll say?”

  Chris looked at the three of us, and we all nodded in agreement. “Absolutely, happy to have you and your crew on board, Admiral.”

  The woman who the Admiral said was named Mace looked me over like I was a piece of prime rib. I smiled back at her cautiously, and she blew me a kiss giggling and elbowing the other woman, Bowie.

  Bowie looked at me, guardedly. “What’s the matter? Is the big tough black man afraid of some strong white pussy?”

  I laughed cautiously at her crude comment, “Well, I did recently have a run-in with a crazy cat lady where I ended up stabbed. So, yeah. You could say I’m a little scared and traumatized by pussy.”

  Benning heard the interaction and laughed. “Hey, Kamil. I’d be careful with those two. They’re like praying mantis’ when it comes to men.”

  “Yeah, how so?” I asked him.

  “They like to eat their mates after they screw em,” Benning laughed as he turned away back to stabbing the infected with his spear.

  I was about to respond when a dozen shrill screams broke up our friendly conversation with our new friends.

  I turned to Chris. “Shit, it didn’t take long for them to catch up, did it?” I asked pointing at the figures exiting the trees onto the roadway behind us.

  “I guess not. Look at that one with the bright orange vest. He looks almost alive, doesn’t he? If it weren’t for the blood running down his clothes I might just stop and ask him if he needed help. This virus is adapting right in front of our eyes, and quickly. Admiral, you and your team should probably go ahead. If the super-infected catch you on those, you’ll be lunch meat in no time,” Chris said, motioning to the bikes and quads.