“Well, don't think that's gonna happen,” she murmured grimly, her eyes full of fear. She gripped her gun tightly and took a deep breath to steady herself. Once again she wished Mick were at her side.
Everything was eerily quiet for several minutes when directly below them, they heard glass breaking as the door to the hardware store was kicked open. Without speaking, both women quietly readied their weapons as they listened to what sounded like several people moving around and talking below.
Cindy felt her heart race as they both focused all their attention on the stairs. Please don't let them come up here, she prayed silently. She wasn't sure when it came right down to it that she could actually take another person's life, or even be able to pull the trigger, and she didn't want to find out.
“Please,” she whispered under her breath when she heard footsteps approaching the stairs. More gunfire erupted below.
“Please,” she whispered again as she brought up her gun with shaking hands and took aim in the direction of the stairs.
“Please.”
****
“Let's go inside the tent so we can talk to everyone,” Scott said. He gave his father a troubled look as they followed Sean and Jenny inside. Within moments they were all assembled. Their serious demeanor scared Mick more than anything and he was sure what they had to say wasn't going to ease his fears.
“Right before we got to Charlie's truck we ran into Captain Sears, they were regrouping and planning to head into Shady Oaks to take on Malcolm's men. They went with us to the truck and on the way he told us that right in the middle of fighting the zombies, they all seemed to disappear into the forest.”
“Yep,” Sean interjected with a nod. “One minute they were almost overrun and the next – not a zombie in sight. No one has any idea where they went or where they're headed.”
“Anyway,” Scott continued with a glance at his brother. “They were regrouping when we ran into them, they should be on their way to Shady Oaks by now to help out. Captain Sears told us he'd sent a few scouts ahead to assess the situation and it doesn't look good. They reported that Malcolm's men have taken up positions outside of Shady Oaks and they watched a few vehicles beginning to infiltrate and put men on the ground.”
Mick rubbed the scar on his cheek nervously. “So are you saying the attack has begun?”
Scott nodded grimly. “Sounds like it. We're hoping everyone in Shady Oaks was ready for them and can hold them off until the troops get there. We really need to get everything and everyone loaded up so we can get down there to help out.”
“Well, let's get to it then,” Charlie said as he got up from the stool he'd been sitting on.
Without another word everyone got busy and within ten minutes they had all the supplies piled into the back of both trucks. Charlie, Jenny, and Jake were sandwiched in between boxes, with more boxes on their laps in the big truck. Brooke waited outside Charlie's truck as Mick and Sean carefully helped Jimmy into the back seat. Scott already had the truck running and in gear.
Mick turned to Brooke. “Hop in,” he said with a grin as he held a hand out to her. Returning the grin she took his hand, but suddenly jerked back and away with a shriek.
Mick watched in surprise as she fell to the ground and began to scoot backward, still shrieking. She was looking down at her feet and as his gaze followed hers, he froze in place and felt his mouth go dry.
Like a dog reluctant to give up a favorite bone, somehow one of the collared zombies from the meadow was loose, and now dug its filthy and ragged claws into her ankle. The wretched and naked creature, which was once a woman, was trying to pull itself up her leg to bite her, jaws snapping rapidly.
Mick stared in horror and before he could react, Sean calmly stepped over and grabbing it by the collar, jerked it off his sister and flung it toward the front of the truck.
Mick hurried over to help Brooke and grimaced when he saw her left ankle. There were several long and deep scratches running almost up to her knee, and he knew from the experience they had with the former mayor of Shady Oaks, that this injury could be a death sentence.
He was barely aware of Sean walking over to get something from Scott. As he crouched down next to a sobbing and shaking Brooke, he saw Sean flip the zombie over as it was trying to crawl away and pin it to the ground. He drove the metal spike in his hand right through the its bald and rotting skull. As he pulled the spike out, he leaned forward and frowned.
Sean motioned for his brother. “You gotta see this,” he said with a shake of his head. Scott jumped out of the truck and together the brothers took a good look. After a brief discussion, Scott walked back to the truck and reaching in, turned off the ignition.
“I think we should take her back inside so I can get a good look at those scratches,” Jake said in Mick's ear.
Mick nodded and together they helped Brooke up and hurried her inside. Jenny followed with a flashlight and grabbed a nearby lantern. She handed it to Mick, who placed it on the stool Charlie sat on earlier.
Mick knew the fear in his daughter's face mirrored his own and he took a deep breath to steady himself. He gave her a small, but what he hoped was an encouraging smile as he helped her to sit down on the cot.
“Don't worry,” he said as he smoothed her hair back from her face. Jenny handed her a box of tissue and patted her hand before heading outside. “Jake will get those scratches cleaned up and you'll be fine.”
“I wish Mom was here,” Brooke said in a scared, little-girl voice.
Mick winced. Cindy would probably never forgive him for this, and he deserved whatever wrath she threw his way, but he wished she was with them, too.
Jake thoroughly cleaned the scratches and after applying a thick salve of antibiotic ointment, wrapped gauze around the wounds. Jenny returned with Jimmy and helped him sit next to Brooke. Jake stood and faced Mick.
“Let's talk,” he said with a nod of his head toward the entrance. Mick followed him outside. Jake walked about fifty feet and stopped. Turning toward Mick, he frowned.
“I'm not going to mince words, we don't have time for that,” he said in a low voice. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “Brooke is probably infected from the scratches and we both know what can happen.”
Mick didn't want to hear what Jake was saying, but he nodded bleakly.
Jake continued, now looking down at the ground and dragging the toe of his tennis shoe in the dirt. “We do have an option, though.” He looked up at Mick again, then glanced past him and nodded.
Mick turned to see his sons approaching, concern etched on both their faces.
“I was about to explain to your dad what options we may have in regard to helping Brooke. I believe that Malcolm's scientists and doctors finally perfected a cure for this disease and I do believe I have a few vials of that cure. However, I can't be sure it will work because I'm certain they had no time to run tests. If we do nothing, Brooke will die and turn, we all know that. What I want to suggest is that we don't put her in a coma like they did with Connor, but to sedate her instead to relax her and slow her system down, which should buy her more time until we're absolutely certain we have an effective cure. We have everything we need right here to do what needs to be done.”
Mick thought over what Jake told them. He felt more hopeful than before, at least there was a good chance Brooke could be saved.
“Brooke is young and healthy and although nothing is for certain, I'm very optimistic about a very favorable outcome if we indeed do have the cure.”
“I can see the sense in everything you're saying,” Mick said slowly. He felt sick to his stomach. “I'm not sure it's such a good idea to stay here though, what if the zombies come back? Or Malcolm? I'm sure they were planning on returning for all of this, there's no way he'd abandon everything now that he's so close to getting his son back.”
“With everything that's going on down at Shady Oaks, this is probably the safest place to be right now,” Scott said. He waved his flashlig
ht around where they were standing. “Sean and I will stand watch. Those tethered zombies had their vocal chords cut so they couldn't make noise and there's no telling how many more may be loose and crawling around. We'll have the trucks ready to go at a moment's notice, too.”
“The sooner we get started, the better it will be for Brooke,” Jake interjected. He looked at Mick. “Well, what do you say?”
Mick bit the bottom of his lip before nodding. “Guess we'd better get back in there and explain to her what needs to happen.”
With a heavy heart, Mick led the way back in to the tent, his mind racing on how he was going to explain everything to his very scared daughter.
****
They were on their way, finally. Although stronger than most of them it still took all his concentration, such as it was, to corral the others. When thirst was their driving force, it was sometimes difficult to get through to them.
There were times when he had trouble himself staying focused as the thirst in him became stronger. He didn't know how long it had been since the fluids were delivered intravenously through an artery in his neck, all he knew was that his thirst was slowly increasing, which in turn weakened his ability to control the others. He knew what they needed and in his muddled mind, he remembered where they had a good chance of finding satisfaction.
If he could keep them together long enough, they would soon come to a place where all of them could find relief, even if temporary, from the raging thirst inside.
He shared this image with the others, which spurred them eagerly toward their destination. Along the way, they picked up stragglers wandering aimlessly through the woods, slowly increasing their numbers. Almost three hundred strong, they steadily drew closer to their destination.
Chapter 17
Cindy took a deep breath and stole a fearful glance at Judith, who quickly hurried over to her side.
“C'mon!” she hissed under her breath as she grabbed Cindy by the elbow. “Let's get out of here before they come up, there's a set of stairs in the next room, they come out on the back porch.”
Cindy silently followed close behind as they crept quickly into the next room. Judith eased a door open and looked down, with Cindy peering over her shoulder. Judith flicked on her flashlight and revealed a set of tiny and very narrow wooden stairs descending into the darkness below.
“I didn't realize these were here,” Cindy whispered as she turned on her own flashlight and quickly descended behind her friend. Judith paused on the last step and cautiously peered around the door jamb.
“It's clear, let's get the hell out of here,” she whispered as she turned toward Cindy. “I think we should head for the apartments, someone will be there and we can let them know what's going on here. We sure don't want to use the walkies right now.”
“Okay,” Cindy whispered back. She aimed her flashlight toward the ground. “Right behind you.”
Judith scurried toward the back door and quietly turned the lock on the door then slid the dead bolt open with a faint click.
They both hurried out and trotted across the street and down the road until they reached the apartments. To her surprise, it seemed as though no one was around. Ever since the first day Shady Oaks was reclaimed, someone was always there.
Cindy remembered when they first arrived in Shady Oaks, it was the first place they stayed and it seemed as though everyone went through a short stay at the apartments first before settling into a home. Now it seemed totally deserted and the only sound she heard was her own rapid breathing.
“I'm going to check inside,” Judith whispered and without waiting for a reply trotted over to the door and disappeared from view.
Cindy followed and lingered outside the door, alert for any sound or movement. Judith reappeared a few moments later, followed by an elderly man Cindy recognized as Casey McMillan. According to Dexter and Charlie, Casey and his friend Barry did a lot to help get Shady Oaks up and running again. Cindy often saw him doing odd jobs and although they always exchanged friendly nods when seeing each other, she had never actually spoken to him. Judith had known him for years and after quick introductions, she turned to Cindy.
“Casey here says there was a skirmish along the main road and everyone not assigned a post high tailed it over there,” Judith said as she flicked her flashlight back on. “I think we should go get the truck and find Dexter, most likely he'll be somewhere near the main road. We definitely need to let him know about the people in the store and see what he wants to do.”
“I'm supposed to stay here and keep an eye on things,” Casey interjected. He cocked his head to the left and grinned at them. “But I'm thinkin' you need to get to Dexter right now so let's take my truck, it will save you time.” He nodded toward a small, beat up red truck sitting alone in the small parking area.
“Thanks, and you're right, we should hurry,” Cindy replied with a smile as she holstered the pistol.
“I'll ride in the back so you two can get better acquainted,” Judith said as she turned and headed toward the truck.
They quickly got settled in the truck and as it rumbled to life, Casey glanced at Cindy as he threw the truck into gear and headed for the street. “I've heard a lot about you and your family, you should be proud.”
“I am, and thank you. I've also heard good things about you, too.”
Casey turned onto the street and to Cindy's surprise, stomped on the accelerator, causing her to grab for support as she fell back into her seat. She heard a muffled yelp from behind and turned to see Judith righting herself in the truck bed. After Judith grinned and gave her a thumb up, she chuckled and turned back to Casey.
He was looking in the rear view mirror and Cindy chuckled again at the look on his face. “Sorry!” he yelled at Judith. “Sometimes I have a bit of a lead foot,” he said contritely to Cindy. “I want to get us there, but I'll take it a little slower.”
“I think we'd appreciate that,” Cindy said lightly. She patted him on the shoulder and could feel he was not much more than skin and bones. She'd definitely have to invite him over for a few dinners. “But yeah, we should probably try to get there in one piece.”
He glanced at her again and winked. Her eyes widened and when he laughed out loud, she joined in. She was beginning to like this feisty old man and was sorry she hadn't met him sooner. She decided then and there that when everything settled down, she would make it a point to get to know as many people in town as she could.
“I'm taking the side streets and coming up from behind,” Casey said as he took another turn. His headlights lit up still-deserted homes as they swung by and headed toward the main road into town.
“Someone needs to head back over here and mow those yards,” he remarked. “High grass just begs for rats and other vermin to come investigate.”
Before Cindy could respond, she heard a strange noise. Suddenly the whole windshield shattered and she realized someone was shooting at them. They both automatically ducked.
“Turn on the next side street!” Cindy yelled, pointing. She turned to see Judith lying on her side in the back, eyes wide with fright.
“Don't have to tell me twice,” Casey yelled back. Fortunately, the next street appeared quickly and he jerked the wheel hard to the right.
As he accelerated, Cindy turned back and pointed to a small stand of pine trees. “I think we'd better stop, so why don't you pull in over there?”
Casey nodded and flicked off his headlights before reaching the trees. He turned into a neighboring driveway and drove across the yard right into the center of the trees, then turned off the engine. Cindy opened her door and Judith immediately jumped in.
“Well, wasn't expecting that,” she said in a shaky voice. She rubbed her arms vigorously. “Scared me to death.”
“These Connor people must be everywhere,” Cindy said as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear with a shaky hand. “I think we should go on foot from here, it's not that far and we will probably be safer if we're not such
a big target.”
No sooner had she spoken than a flash of light behind them briefly lit up the truck. Within seconds, they were making their way carefully down a ditch about eight feet deep with steeply slanted sides that ran along the other side of the trees.
Judith had Casey by the arm to help him and Cindy reached the bottom of the ditch first. The night was turning cooler and damp, Cindy could see a light mist beginning to form off to her right. For a moment she allowed herself to think of Mick and wondered if he was doing better than they were. Once Judith and Casey were beside her, they turned and silently walked single file down the middle of the ditch, occasionally dodging small puddles of water. Cindy hoped they were walking away from the danger behind them and toward the safety Dexter and the rest of their friends offered.
****
Brooke took the two small blue pills Jake offered her and with a small smile, put them in her mouth and washed them down with several small sips of water. She handed the glass to Jake, who passed it on to Jenny. Jimmy was now sitting in a small overstuffed desk chair next to her cot.
“Okay, why don't you lay down now, before you know it you'll feel very relaxed and will probably fall asleep,” Jake said as he returned her smile. “Jimmy and your Dad will be right here, so don't worry about a thing.”
Mick wasn't sure how much she really understood, but he was glad she accepted their plan so readily. Charlie found another generator in the other tent and already had it up and running.
He watched Jake head straight toward the back, Mick knew Jake would be booting up the computers in the hopes that he could find out if they indeed had the cure to the virus.
If they didn't, they would have to test Brooke to see if she was one of the lucky ones whom the current vaccine wouldn't kill. Jake was almost certain that Malcolm's people didn't have the time to reformulate the vaccine to make it safe for everyone, but he had to check, and that would take time.
With another glance at his daughter, he patted Jimmy on the shoulder. “I'm going outside to talk to the boys, but I'll be right back.”
Zombified (Book 2): Shady Oaks Page 11
