Hunter nodded. “We can do that.”
“Thanks, wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Beth whispered as he took a deep breath and headed back inside to put his plan into effect.
****
With five other zombies, he managed to make it unmolested to his destination. Once inside, they began to feed on the dirt covered remains they brought with them. They would feed until dawn, then take what was left of their feast and retreat further down into the basement where it was dark and cool.
At this point he didn't know or care where the others were. He found it was much easier to control the ones who made the decision on some level to follow him without any type of persuasion. With their support, he was certain they would continue to be successful. Perhaps there were more who would join them, only time would tell.
He felt fairly safe where they were, the abandoned mill was a place that was out of the patrol zone and no one should bother them. He would have plenty of time to plan their next move, which would be driven by their need to feed.
Slowly, they were continuing to become more aware of the world around them, which didn't bode well for the people trying to survive. Only time would tell who would get the upper hand that could spell the difference between victory or defeat. Satisfied, he tore off another chunk of flesh from the arm he held and closed his eyes as he chewed.
Chapter 24
When they stopped so Sean could take a call on his walkie, Mick deliberately hung back. He wanted to call Charlie to see how Brooke was doing. Despite what was going on around him, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He was so worried about her and wanted to tell Cindy, but he knew it would be a really bad idea and even worse timing if he told her now. He was standing next to Scott and he tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey,” he whispered in his son's ear. “I need you to distract your Mom for a few minutes, I want to call Charlie and check on Brooke.”
Silently, Scott gave him a curt nod and moved off toward Cindy. Mick turned his back to the group and holding his flashlight with one hand, quickly fiddled with the dial. His hands were shaking and it took him a moment to find the frequency.
“Charlie, come in,” he said in a harsh whisper. “Can you hear me?”
“Mick! That you? What's up?” replied his friend.
“I can't talk long, but I wanted to check on Brooke. How is she?”
“She's good, still sleeping,” Charlie replied. “We had a little set back here, Malcolm showed up.”
Mick's blood froze and his mouth went dry. He swallowed hard. “What! Is everyone all right? I'm guessing it is or you wouldn't be talking to me.”
“Everyone is fine. I can't talk for long; we dealt with Malcolm and his guards, now we're planning to take out his personal bodyguard. Beth and the others are helping.”
Mick turned to check on Cindy, who was still talking to Scott, but she now had her eye on him. He turned back around. “I have to go, too,” he replied. “Please take care of my little girl, Charlie.”
“You got it. Jenny and Jimmy are with her now, she's in good hands.”
“I know,” Mick said nervously. “I will get back to you as soon as I can. Good luck on getting the other guy.”
“Thanks, I don't think he'll be a problem when he sees his boss trussed up.”
Despite his worry, Mick chuckled. “You're probably right. Talk to you soon.”
“Copy that.”
He placed the walkie back on his belt and walked over to his wife and son. He was saved from answering any questions by Scott, who was finished with his own conversation.
“They're making some progress downtown,” Scott told the group. “He also said there's no one in this area so we can proceed without worrying about someone accidentally shooting us. They will rendezvous with us at the apartments to get those zombies taken care of, I'm supposed to let them know when we get there. We don't have time to waste, so let's move on out and we're not going to stop again until we get to the church.”
Mick hoped once they were at the apartments that they would be able to quickly deal with the zombies there, then head across the street to join in the bigger fight. The sound of gunfire was almost constant and occasionally he could see flashes of light.
They stopped for a moment when they reached the street the church was on so Cindy could let Judith know they were there. The church, a quaint two story building painted the traditional bright white, sat across the street on a well-manicured corner lot surrounded by large oak trees.
Judith was still watching from the second story windows and she reported no one around, so they quickly darted across. As they approached the door, they heard the dead bolt click and the door swung open. Casey stuck his head out, grinning and waving them inside.
Once he was inside, Mick looked up to see Judith hurrying down the stairs. Cindy rushed over to give her a hug.
“Good to see you too!” Judith said with a laugh as she hugged Cindy back and patted her on the back. “We're ready to get out of here!”
“Good thing because we do need to get going,” Sean said with a small smile. “They're having some problems with zombies over at the apartments. No one can get in or out right now, which is hampering our ability to fight because we need every man we've got.”
“I did check in that direction,” Judith said as she grabbed her backpack. “The fog is starting to lift a little and it looked clear as far as I could see.”
Scott opened the door and after a quick look, stepped outside and everyone began to file out. Mick grabbed Casey's bag when Cindy pointed it out to him and flipped his flashlight back on.
Sean and Scott once again took the lead and moved cautiously as they walked across the lawn down to the street, turning right and heading in the general direction of the apartment building. They planned to stay about a block away until they could slowly move in with Captain Sears' men from the back side. They knew there were too many zombies on the other side that faced and was only a block away from the downtown area.
As they walked, Mick put an arm around Cindy and as she slipped an arm around his waist, gave her a hug. He felt so guilty and he was worried about everything. He worried about Brooke, even though she was in good hands. He worried about Cindy and his sons, he didn't want anything to happen to them either, and they were in extreme danger. He worried about his friends. He even worried about their new homes. He hoped all their hard work hadn't been destroyed by rampaging pieces of rotting flesh.
As though she could read his thoughts, Cindy hugged him back, looking up at him and smiling. “Don't worry, you know we've been through tough situations before and we'll handle this one like we did the others – together.”
Mick made a wry face and gave her another hug. “You're right, I know I need to stay optimistic, but you know me - Mr. Doom and Gloom.”
She gave him another squeeze around the middle and they walked together silently until Scott and Sean came to a stop in front of them. Mick looked around; they were now at the funeral home and a short distance away from the apartments. The sound of vicious fighting was much closer now. The almost incessant shooting, coupled with a lot of shouting, yelling, and screaming was unnerving.
“We wait here,” Sean said curtly. “Let's put our gear down under the overhang and rest a bit until the others arrive.”
Mick sat down against the building with Cindy and the others and watched his sons as they talked together. They loved to joke around and were always the life of any party, but when it was time to get serious it was as though they flipped a switch and all joking disappeared. Mick was proud of the men they had become and how others in their new community looked to them for help and support.
Movement at the end of the street caught his attention and he saw Sean and Scott stiffen as they noticed, too. They relaxed when a few seconds later two rows of soldiers in formation came into view. They were jogging or double marching, and Mick was amazed at how quiet they were.
He heard someone give the co
mmand to halt in a low voice, but loud enough for all to hear and the soldiers stopped, still at attention. From behind, Sears' jeep swung around and pulled up to where the twins stood.
Mick and the others quickly stood up and gathered around. He didn't like the grim expression on the captain's face.
“We're going to wait a little longer, most of Nelson's men will be joining us and we're going to need them,” Sears said. “Some of my men positioned at the school report downtown is completely overrun.” He glanced up. “I need to get up on that roof.”
“We'll make that happen,” Scott replied. With a glance at his brother, who nodded, they scurried off to find a way in without drawing unwanted attention or making too much noise.
Mick turned to see Cindy talking on her walkie again. She held it out and frowning, gave it a shake. Mick knew what that meant, her batteries were dying.
Batteries were precious and all of them were tested before being deemed unusable. Sometimes only one battery was drained. He heard someone was experimenting with recharging regular batteries with limited success. He walked over and handed her his walkie.
“Thanks,” she said with a grateful smile. “I was telling Dexter where we are and that we were waiting, which didn't make him too happy.”
“I can imagine,” Mick said as he took Cindy's walkie and flipping it over, extracted the batteries and put them in a jacket pocket. “There are not too many things that ever make that man happy.”
He always tried to carry spares and as he put fresh batteries in Cindy's walkie, Sean and Scott appeared from around the side of the building. They were running and Mick knew that whatever the reason, it most likely didn't bode well for them.
****
Charlie put the walkie back and hurried inside to find Jenny still standing guard over Malcolm, who was shooting daggers at her with his eyes. He gave Charlie an equally fierce glare as he approached.
“So what do we do now?” Jenny asked as she gave Malcolm a nudge with her foot.
“I don't think those doctors and scientists back there are any threat, so we probably need to figure out a way to get that bodyguard up here. If Jake comes to check on Brooke, he'll be with the bodyguard and then we would have a problem.”
Jenny snapped her fingers and gave Charlie a big grin. “I know what to do! I'll go back there and tell Samuel, I think that's his name, that Malcolm wants him to come up by himself, that I'm to stay and see if the rest of them need anything.”
Charlie thought for a moment then nodded. “I think it might work, he doesn't have any reason to be suspicious.”
“As long as I can act like everything is fine,” Jenny said with a sigh. At Charlie's inquisitive look, she grinned and patted his arm. “Don't worry Dad, I got this.”
“You got this,” he repeated while returning her grin. He shook his head. Kids. He glanced at Jimmy, who was now sitting next to Brooke and holding her hand again. He still looked groggy and was stoically watching and listening to what was happening.
He cast a bleary-eyed look at Charlie. “Don't know how much use I can be, but if you need me, I'm your man.”
Charlie chuckled and shook his head. “Thanks, I think if you can watch over Brooke for us that will be a big help.”
“No prob,” Jimmy replied with a lopsided grin.
Charlie turned to his daughter, and then pointed. “I'm going to duck down by those boxes right next to the plastic partition. When he heads this way, grab Jake and both of you follow him, but stay back far enough that he doesn't see you. Soon as he comes out, run up here and I'll grab him from behind, then you two can help me get him down.”
Jenny glanced down at Malcolm, who was still glaring at them. “We should probably move him to the front so he can't be seen.”
“Good idea.”
She pointed at Brooke. “Should we move her, too?”
Charlie thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I think she's fine, even when we tussled with old Malcolm here we didn't get anywhere close to her and we're going to be several feet away.”
With Jenny's help, they drug Malcolm to the front and sat him with his back against the side of a large metal desk. A tall bookcase on the other side obscured anyone's view of Malcolm if they were approaching from the rear of the tent.
“Perfect,” Jenny remarked as Charlie grabbed a nearby cord and tied Malcolm to a desk leg. “Now he won't be able to wriggle around and cause a lot of noise.”
Charlie straightened up. “Okay, let's get this Samuel guy up here before he comes on his own and catches us.”
Jenny put a hand on his arm, her eyes big with concern. “Please be careful, this guy isn't Malcolm's bodyguard for no reason.”
“Oh, don't worry, I'll be careful. Besides, I'm counting on you and Jake to help me out,” Charlie said as they walked over to the plastic partition and he took his spot behind the boxes.
“Duck down, want to make sure no one can see you before I go back,” Jenny said, worry evident in her voice.
Charlie dutifully hunkered down. “Can you see me?”
“Nope, not at all. Just be sure he is completely past you before you go after him, okay?”
“I got this,” Charlie said with a wink and a grin as he stood up.
Jenny's eyes narrowed for a moment before she grinned back. “Cute.” She sighed loudly and squared her shoulders. “Okay, here I go, wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Charlie replied. “Don't worry, this will work.”
“I hope for our sakes it does,” his daughter retorted before disappearing on the other side of the partition.
As Charlie resumed his position behind the boxes, he hoped so, too. If things didn't go well, Beth and the others would have to find a way to get them out, and he didn't want them to put themselves in jeopardy. Heaven knew they had already been through enough.
He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm even though he could feel adrenalin begin to surge through his body. To his dismay, he could hear Jenny arguing with someone, most likely Samuel. Since he could hear her he knew they were almost to the partition. Back in the lab you couldn't hear any noises from up front due to all the hissing and whooshing coming from various tubes and lines feeding into Connor's chamber.
“Malcolm's not going to like this,” Jenny said in a loud, angry voice. Charlie knew it was for his benefit and he decided to stay in place. Maybe they could somehow still pull this off; he would have to see once they came out.
He heard the rustle of plastic and froze. He could almost feel them step through and pause. Fear mixed with adrenaline and he began to sweat. He was afraid to confront the bodyguard, but even more fearful not to – the last thing he wanted was to be under a furious Malcolm's thumb again.
“Where are they?”
“Not sure,” Jenny said with a light, but slightly shaky chuckle. She moved past the boxes. “Looks like they probably went outside.”
Charlie could barely make out the top of Samuel's head as he followed Jenny and moved beyond the boxes. He tensed and forced himself to wait.
“Maybe,” the man grumbled. He gave Jenny a nudge forward. “Let's go check.”
Charlie peeked around the corner of the boxes just in time to see Jenny fake a stumble and fall to her knees. As Samuel bent down to help her up, she chanced a quick glance at Charlie, signaling with her eyes.
Without another thought, Charlie stood and launched himself forward.
****
He sat in the dark. For the moment, all was quiet inside his head and he liked the respite. The others were in a type of food-induced stupor. During the day they tended to retreat and lapse into a trance-like state. At night, they stirred and began to interact, sending images back and forth. They never slept. The stronger ones, like himself, could transmit emotions based on needs and a few commands.
He didn't realize it, but he was the strongest of them all. For a time, he didn't realize what he was able to do, but comprehension was slowly dawning. Only he could command complete
obedience and call others to him. As he rested, he felt stronger by the moment and decided that perhaps it was time to reach out. He knew what to look for and when he connected with one of his kind, he quickly scanned the mind. If he liked what he found, he didn't command, but invited them to come.
He actually felt a little surprise at how many were out there. Before sunrise their numbers would once again grow quickly as most of those he touched decided to join him without any coercion on his part.
This is going to be easy, he thought to himself and for the first time in a long time, the corners of his rotting mouth turned upward into a ghastly and gruesome smile.
Chapter 25
Mick poured water into a rag he kept in his bag then rubbed it all over his face, wiping off some of the dirt and sweat in the process. He was grateful that they were all still in one piece and more importantly, still alive.
When Sean and Scott went around the front of the funeral home to find a way in, they literally ran into a huge swarm of zombies. They seemed to know there was a large concentration of people by the funeral home because Dexter later told them the zombies suddenly lost interest in the apartments and headed straight their way.
Mick and the others spent the next two hours alternating between fighting and retreating. They ended up at the high school where they now sat licking their wounds. He could still hear fierce fighting coming from the downtown area.
He had no idea how many people they lost on the way. Nelson and his men were still trying to make their way to the school. Judith was still with them, but Casey, Megan, and Darrell were nowhere to be found and not answering their walkies. In the midst of the confusion and chaos, he almost lost track of Cindy and his sons, but they managed to stay together with the help of Captain Sears and his men.
The situation was bleak everywhere. Cindy managed to contact Dexter and he told them that after they retreated, zombies once again swarmed the apartments and this time they broke through. As a last resort he blew the stairs and now they were trapped on the upper floor and roof. They did have the ladders and when it was clear they would be able to get down, but for now they weren't going anywhere.
Zombified (Book 2): Shady Oaks Page 17
