Those around him began to stir as he filled their empty minds with an imagine of them moving as a group down the smaller dirt side road that led off into the thick stand of trees that lined the base of the mountain. As they stood, he turned and made his way slowly up the stairs.
Those waiting on the first floor made way for him and fell into line behind him as he passed by. He wasn't sure where to go, he only knew they needed to go the opposite direction from where they recently fed. He stepped outside and slowly shambled toward the dirt road.
Chapter 26
Cindy wiped her eyes again and sniffed. Mick watched her with concern. She was taking what he told her better than expected. She hadn't even said anything about him leaving Brooke at the camp.
She looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. “I knew eventually something would happen to one of us, the odds weren't in our favor to stay fairly unscathed by all this.”
He rubbed her back silently as she continued. “I knew I should have made her stay here, I was uneasy about her going, we didn't even know what it was like up there. I feel like this is all my fault.”
Mick tilted his head to look at her, surprised. “If anyone has anything to feel guilty about, it's me. I was supposed to watch out for her. Not only did she get hurt, but then I left her up there.”
Cindy shook her head. “I guess we are both going to feel guilty no matter what, but the hard truth is we can't protect them from everything. Besides, she's in the best hands possible right now and she'd only be in more danger down here.”
“True. Hadn't thought about it that way,” Mick admitted. He heard voices coming from down the hall and looked up. “Sounds like something's going on, let's go check it out.”
Cindy gave him a faint smile. “All right, just promise me that as soon as this is over we'll head up to be with Brooke.”
“Promise,” he said solemnly before heading for the door. He almost ran into Scott at the threshold.
“C'mon you two, Nelson made it here with his men and he's got Dexter with him!”
Mick raised an eyebrow and taking Cindy's hand, followed his son down the hall. As they approached the thick glass doors that led outside, he saw a large group of people standing around.
As they exited the building and went down the short flight of steps, Cindy pointed and leaned toward him. “There's Dexter,” she said loudly in his ear so she could be heard, it seemed to Mick that everyone was trying to talk at once.
Mick squinted, then nodded. A slight but steady breeze was blowing away what was left of the fog, and the nearly full moon was high in the sky, illuminating everything in a pale, cold light.
Scott stopped abruptly and Mick saw Captain Sears approaching, with Nelson and Dexter on his heels. They bounded up the steps and turning, the captain held up a hand.
“Can I get everyone's attention, please?” Instant silence greeted him and he smiled. “Thank you. After much discussion, I wanted to explain what's going on. Nelson here tells me he believes we can defeat these things and that there's no reason to put it off. Mr. Reed,” he said with a gesture toward Dexter, “Informs me that his men up on the apartment roof were beginning to make a rather large dent in the numbers as they picked them off one by one.”
He looked around at the men and women standing before him. “We need to decide if we want to stay and fight, or should we head back up to the camp where we can regroup and do some planning.”
“If we let those things run around willy nilly while we're lounging around at this camp, they're going to do even more damage. We've worked too hard to get this town up and running again to just hand it over,” a dark-haired woman Mick knew only as Milly said. “And what about the people in the shelter? They would be stuck in there until we returned.”
There were several murmurs of agreement, and Mick knew right then what the final decision would be. In the end, it was unanimous that they would stay and fight. After another hurried discussion, Nelson gathered up his men and disappeared into the night.
To Mick's dismay, Dexter was put in charge of all civilians and he immediately began to bellow orders in true Dexter style. The last thing Mick wanted to do was fight his way through zombies again. Fortunately, Cindy, Judith, and a few others were to stay at the school and keep a watch on the roof and take out any stray zombies who headed their way.
Mick wasn't the least bit surprised that Sean and Scott were going with Sears and after a few quick hugs and reassurances, they hurried off.
He turned to Cindy and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his chin on the top of her head and held her tight. He was afraid to leave her alone, although he knew that other than the shelter, she would be safe up on the school roof away from the reach of any zombie. He held her until he felt a large and heavy hand fall on his shoulder.
“Time to go,” Dexter growled.
Cindy looked up as Mick released her. “Have you heard from Darrel, Megan, Casey, or Rose?”
“Haven't heard from anyone other than Rose, I talked to her when I was stuck on the roof. I was able to reach her on the walkie when I saw some of the people from the shelter come up when the church bells rang. Told her to get them back inside. I saw her come up and talk to a few of them before Nelson's men showed up. She ran back in when they started rounding people up.”
“Oh, I'm glad she didn't get caught,” Cindy remarked.
“She was back inside the shelter with Kevin when the zombies made their way down there,” Dexter said. He grunted as he shifted his backpack from one shoulder to another. “She said they had to fight them off to get the door closed and some people didn't make it.”
Cindy gasped and Mick put an arm around her shoulders. “What! How in the world did zombies end up down there?” he asked in dismay.
Dexter shrugged. “No idea, maybe they were attracted to the commotion Nelson's men were making when they were taking themselves some prisoners and found an open door. By the way, what's up with all these naked and bald zombies – and some have what looks like medical scrubs or paper gowns on?”
Mick shook his head. “We have Malcolm, the leader of the Connor Group to thank for that, but I'll explain more later when we have more time.”
Dexter looked at his watch. “Speaking of time, we really gotta go. Are you ready?”
Mick sighed. “Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose.”
He turned to Cindy as Judith walked up and linked an arm through her's. “Take care of her for me,” he said to Judith and gave her a small smile.
She smiled back. “Don't worry, she can take care of herself, but I'll be there if she does need me.”
Cindy blew him a kiss as Judith began to drag her away by the arm. “See you soon!”
“I'll call you on the walkie when it's all clear,” Mick said with a small wave.
Dexter grunted again and gave Mick a nudge. “C'mon man, we don't have all day; everyone else is in place and ready to move.”
Mick hesitated. “Go on ahead; I'll be there in a few.”
Dexter gave him a quizzical look, but for once didn't push the issue and ambled off.
He wanted to let Charlie know what was going on so they could start preparing. With what they were up against, Mick was certain they were going to have several more injured on their hands. He quickly keyed the mike.
****
“Charlie here, what's up Mick?”
“Sean filled me in on what you two discussed,” came the reply. “He passed the info on and I wanted to let you know we're about to go finish this, one way or the other.”
Charlie frowned. “Wish I could be there.”
He heard Mick give a wry chuckle. “No you don't. Trust me. I wanted to give you a heads up so you have time to get ready for the injured we'll be bringing up.”
“From what I've seen, I think we have everything we need.”
“Sounds good, but if you haven't already, you might want to set up a quarantine area. We know there will be some who won't be able to tolerate the vaccine and we'll nee
d a place to put them.”
Charlie gave himself a mental slap upside the head. “Good idea, I knew there was something we were forgetting!”
“I'm hoping we get lucky, but we both know not everyone will make it,” said Mick with such sadness in his voice that it carried over the walkie.
“Well, let's stay optimistic then,” Charlie said with forced reassurance.
“How is Brooke, is she still sleeping?”
“Like a baby,” Charlie said as he glanced toward the tent.
“Any news from Jake yet?”
“Not yet, but could be anytime now.”
“All right, guess I should get going. No matter what though, the minute you know anything give me a shout, okay?”
“You got it. How is Judith?”
“She's with Cindy and they are safe and sound up on the high school roof.”
“That's a relief,” Charlie responded.
“Dexter's glaring at me and heading this way so guess I'd better go,” Mick said with a sigh.
“All right, take care of yourself,” Charlie said as sudden tears stung his eyes. He felt a deep and surprising fear. He tried to swallow, gulping past the large lump in his throat.
He heard a chuckle. “I'm always careful,” Mick replied.
“You'd better be,” Charlie said. “If you haven't heard from me by the time you're finished down there, give me a call.”
“Will do, signing off for now.”
Charlie stared at the walkie in his hand for what seemed like minutes. At that moment, he didn't know what to say, do, or think. His friends and the place he'd come to know as home was in mortal danger and all he could do was stand there. He looked up into the now clear sky. The moon shone brightly, illuminating everything around him, for which he was thankful.
From the corner of his eye, he saw someone emerge from the tent and as they approached he was surprised to see it was Jake. He was waving what looked like a large folder.
He skid to a stop in front of Charlie and waved the folder under his nose. “I didn't realize this, but before they had to leave Connor's blood was already being tested and we just got the results.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. “Really? So what does it tell us?”
“Well, it tells us we need to talk to Malcolm,” Jake replied.
“So I'm guessing the vaccine will work for Connor,” Charlie said with a growing excitement. If it worked for Connor, he couldn't help but hope it would work for Brooke and the others.
Jake smacked him on the arm with the folder. “You got it! Now we need to talk to Malcolm. We know what he will say, but he's still Connor's father and I guess it's kind of ingrained in me that we should get his permission to go ahead with treatment.”
Charlie nodded. “Lead the way.”
As they approached, a man sitting by the front door stood up. Charlie recognized him as Hunter's father. He was holding a shotgun in both hands and silently eyed them up and down.
Jake nodded toward the door. “We need to talk to Malcolm.”
Without a word, he turned the knob and opened the door for them. Once inside, Jake turned to Charlie and grinned.
“Guess he's a man of few words.”
“I'll say,” Charlie said as he grinned back. He looked over Jake's shoulder where he could see into the next room. Another man, one he didn't recognize, sat in a chair watching their two prisoners. His hands rested on a rifle lying across his lap.
As they entered the room, the man gave them a nod, stood up, and offered a hand to first Jake and then Charlie.
“I'm Jose Gonzales and I'd like to thank you for saving my wife and me,” he said with a wide smile as he vigorously shook their hands.
“Glad we could help,” Jake said quickly. He glanced at the men in the cell. “We'd like a few minutes with Malcolm, please. Would you like to take a break while we're here?”
“Sure thing, thank you,” Jose replied. He turned, then hesitated. “Here,” he said as he handed Charlie the rifle. “You might want to keep this, just in case.”
As the man hurried out, Charlie leaned against the wall as Jake grabbed the chair and pulled it closer to the cell where Malcolm and Samuel sat staring at them.
“Well, what did we do to deserve the pleasure of your company?” Malcolm asked with a sneer.
“We're not here to play games with you,” Jake said, ignoring the taunt. “I've got some news about Connor.”
Immediately, Malcolm stood up and strode over to the cell door, grabbing a bar in each hand. Charlie tightened his grip on the rifle.
Jake held up a hand. “Calm down, Malcolm. We got the results back and the news is good. Connor should tolerate the vaccine with no problem.”
Malcolm visibly relaxed and let out a big breath, then his eyes narrowed. “Should? You haven't given him the vaccine yet? What are you waiting for?”
“Why, your permission of course,” Jake said casually. “Even though you're a cold-blooded murderer, you're still his father and I felt we still needed your go-ahead to treat him.”
Malcolm shook his head. “Of course you have my permission, but I do have one request.”
“What would that be?”
“I want to be there when he wakes up.”
Jake gave Charlie a quick glance and he shrugged with a slight shake of his head.
“That's a decision that has to be discussed with the others first,” Charlie said to Jake, pointedly ignoring Malcolm.
“Once he's given the vaccine, it will be awhile before we even attempt to wake him and then it will be a very slow process,” Jake added as he glanced back at Malcolm. “He's been down for a long time and we have to be very careful.”
Malcolm glared at the young doctor. “If anything happens to my son...”
Jake stood up, frowning. “Your threats mean nothing to me. Not everyone is a heartless bastard like you.” As Jake turned on his heel and strode out, Charlie walked closer to Malcolm.
“You're the worst kind of stupid, aren't you?” he spat out in disgust. “Jake will take care of Connor like he was his own son and he will even ask that you be present when he wakes up, which is way more than you deserve.”
He turned without waiting for a reply and after returning the rifle to Jose, hurried to catch up with Jake, who was still silently fuming. Charlie placed a hand on his shoulder as they walked. “Don't let him get to you, try to stay focused on what you're doing, which is saving a lot of lives.”
Jake glanced at him before nodding. “I can't help wondering how men like that are able to not only survive, but thrive without someone taking them out. Malcolm seems to have the ability to take normally decent, good people and turn them into versions of himself.”
“Makes me wonder what kind of person Connor is,” Charlie commented.
Jake slowed his pace. “Well, the truth is, we may never find that out. Malcolm knows as well as I do that there's a good chance Connor may never wake up.”
“If he doesn't wake up, we'd better make sure we keep Malcolm under a tight reign, no telling what he'd do,” Charlie muttered. He didn't like the idea of a raging Malcolm getting loose to exact his type of sadistic and brutal revenge.
As they neared the entrance to the tent, Jake stopped. “I'm going to go administer the vaccine to Connor. I'll keep you posted on his condition.”
Charlie nodded and as he followed Jake inside, he prayed that all would go well. His thoughts drifted to Mick and the others, and he said another prayer for them, too. They could use all the help they could get.
****
He stood on a ridge that overlooked what could be called a small village. Haverton was fortunate, they acted quickly and were able to keep the infection at bay. The perimeter was heavily patrolled and all entry points protected by at least two guards.
None of this mattered to him or his horde. He was only waiting for his stragglers and for the sun to set behind the mountain, then they would proceed down the ridge and take what they wanted.
Sev
eral towns and small farms lined the base of Fletcher Mountain, they would prove fairly easy to invade and overcome.
Each conquest would make them stronger and at the same time provide more followers. They were already a formidable army of the undead and they were about to get even stronger. He gave the mental signal to move forward and as one, they silently took their first step off the ridge.
Chapter 27
“So what are we supposed to do?” Mick asked as he trudged along at Dexter's side.
“Since we don't have the same level of training as the others, we lag back and catch any strays that get by.”
Dexter's group was waiting quietly and as they approached, Dexter began shouting orders again. He pointed across the street at the apartment building where most of the zombies were currently swarming.
Mick could see several dark figures of men on the roof. They were running back and forth, yelling and whooping to keep the zombies' attention on them so the men on the ground could sneak up from behind.
They were picking the zombies off with carefully placed shots, but stopped with all the men below them. The possibility of accidentally shooting one of their own was too great a chance to take.
In the waning fog, Mick made out the line of uniformed men slowly moving forward. He squinted, hoping to see Sean or Scott, but it was too dark. He didn't know where Nelson and his men were, but he assumed they were probably coming in from either side. He knew the idea was to box the zombies in, pushing them toward the apartment building where there would be no escape.
“We stay twenty paces back,” Dexter told the men and women standing before him. “If any of those things get by the men in front of us, it's our job to take them out. Don't shoot unless you have a clear target, we don't need any deadly mistakes. Most of you have other weapons like axes or machetes; try to use them if you can.”
Zombified (Book 2): Shady Oaks Page 19
