The Apocalypse Chronicles (Book 2): New World [Undead]

by DeLeon, Jon

“It has a name!”

  “I’m sure he did at some point, but who cares now? Odds are, anyone who cared about him and anyone he cared about are gone now. So here it hangs, starving but never dying.”

  “You can’t just let him hang here like this.”

  “I’m not going to.” The mayor picked up a handheld tranquilizer gun that sat on the table next to the clipboard and aimed it at Aaron. The mayor shot a dart filled with the Enerjax booster into Aaron’s stomach.

  “Wait!” Joe yelled too late. The zombie that Aaron had become quickly grew angrier, shaking violently. Seizures overtook its form as foam oozed from its mouth. Then in an instant, in a blink of the eye, it stopped.

  “Simple as that. It’s over,” Collin said, shrugging his shoulders.

  Joe had been clenching his fist. He let it relax. At least it’s over now for him.

  “So you see, this can end the zombie plague rather fast. We are starting production, and soon we can start cleansing this earth. Hopefully start over and make the world better. With this solution, we can fly over cities and crop dust with this stuff. Soldiers can use the darts or handheld gas bombs. We could use a fire hose and spray zombie crowds with it. Hell, everyday people could spray it with Super Soakers. It absorbs through the skin, so everything is possible.”

  “Wouldn’t you just be polluting the world and the water?”

  “No. We have developed a modified Enerjax enhancer. This one only bonds with Enerjax, and it renders itself inactive after twenty-four hours.”

  “So there isn’t a risk?”

  “Not unless you’re already infected.”

  “So why aren’t you already using it?”

  “It’s complicated. Until this week, we didn’t have the supplies for mass production. We rely on consistent shipments from convoys returning from Europe. Before I can secure enough of the supplies we need, we have to provide this chemical as a shipment to the leader of Newlantis. Some of the materials are hard to come by these days. He has a stockpile, but we have to prove it works first before he’ll start a new trade of chemical zombie kill, to get the supplies we need to make it.”

  “What does this have to do with me?”

  “You came to New Miami to join a convoy, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Well we have one leaving, tomorrow morning. In most cases, we require you to stay a full convoy cycle here in town before joining. We want to make sure not to send a pirate into their midst.”

  “I can’t wait that long.”

  “And I need someone to help me. I need you to do something for me.

  “Which is?”

  “I need you to carry the shipment of the drug with you to Europe.”

  “Me? Why don’t you send one of your men on the trip?”

  “Two reasons. One, I can’t spare the men here. A gang is constantly fighting us and really is on the brink of overthrowing our small semblance of a government here. I need all the men I have. Two, if I sent one of my men, he would be ambushed before he reached the docks. They are well known by the people.”

  Joe thought about it.

  Collin continued. “Look, Joe, I trust you. I know the kind of man you are. Stephen told me a lot about all the times you helped him. You coming here has solved a major problem I have had. I need you to do this.”

  “I’ll need you to help arrange one other thing,” Joe said.

  “What’s that?”

  Joe leaned in, whispering into Collin’s ear. They were alone, but he wanted to ensure no one else heard this request.

  Collin smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Okay then.”

  “Great! Come back to the tower tonight after dark, and retrieve the drug. I’ll be packing several vials in a silver briefcase. You come pick it up, get back to the boat, head out to the convoy, get out of New Miami and be on your way.”

  New Miami Market: Outbreak Day +69

  Kira skulked down the row of vendor booths. After a short walk, she saw what she had come for. The young girl she had watched being pulled by the massive, horrid man known as the boss was sitting on the ground. Her leash had been tethered to a handle mounted on the wall, next to a door. On the door, a board read, “Zombie Fight Club.” Kira could hear muffled cheers from inside. She watched as a man walked past the girl, looking at her for a moment. Then seeming to notice something, he stepped back from her and went inside the fight-club door. Cheers, screams and laughs emanated out of it as it opened.

  Kira looked around. No one was watching the young girl. No one was around. Judging by the man’s reaction, Kira assumed that everyone must know this is the boss’s girl. No one would dare cross him, no one but Kira. Kira studied the girl.

  She was kneeling, her hands tied together in a way that made her look like a Disney princess wishing on a nonexistent star. Tear streaks marked her face. Kira could see red rash areas around her leather handcuffs. The chain that was used as a leash was looped through the handle on the wall and locked with a thick master lock. A smaller yet sturdy lock held her leather handcuffs shut.

  Kira moved quickly and quietly to the girl. The girl pulled away from Kira in fear. Kira tried to calm her, but the girl continued to slide away from her. Kira pulled off the head wrap, showing her face to the girl. The girl calmed instantly.

  Kira pulled out the combat knife Joe had given her. The girl pulled away again. Kira put her finger to her lips, signaling quiet. She then slowly reached and grabbed the leather cuffs. She cut the girl free after a little sawing with the knife. The girl pulled free of the bindings and rubbed her wrists. Kira wrapped the scarf around the girl’s face and led her by the hand down the aisle of vendors.

  When they reached the stairs, they leaped upward, skipping steps. After reaching the top, in less than a minute, they were in the light now. It was refreshing, the sunlight a stark difference to the dark underworld they had just left. They paused for a moment, catching their breath after their hasty escape.

  The girl took off the scarf and said, “Thank you.”

  “Are you okay?” Kira asked, looking at the girl’s red wrists.

  “Yes, they’re just friction burns. Thank you. He just took me this morning. If you hadn’t helped, I don’t want to know what would have happened to me.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “I’m Jolie.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Kira.”

  “Why did you help me?

  “What?”

  “Why would you risk your life for me?”

  “Because you needed help.” Kira was confused by the question.

  “Sorry, I’m just not used to people helping each other. Around here, it’s every man for himself.

  “Well I’m not that way. Neither is the man I’m traveling with.”

  “Must be nice.”

  “It is. So where is your family?”

  “Dead.”

  “I’m sorry. Zombies?”

  “No. The boss sent his men after me. Well my brother and father tried to fight them off. The boss killed them both in front of me. He called it a wedding gift.”

  Kira’s face showed how appalled she was.

  “Speaking of which,” Jolie continued as she handed the scarf back to Kira, “you need to hide. The boss is going to come for you. No one crosses him and gets away with it.”

  “What about you?” Kira asked.

  “I’ll have to run. I don’t know where, but I don’t have any other options.”

  “Why don’t you come with us?”

  “What?”

  “We’re leaving for Europe. You could join us.”

  “Are you serious? You don’t even know me.”

  “So?”

  “Well you don’t know the kind of person I am. I could murder you all.”

  “Are you going to?”

  “Well no.”

  “Good, then you can come with us. Look, I saw you tied up down there. You weren’t dreaming of revenge or hate. You were wishing to be sa
ved. You still have goodness inside you. I can see it. We have an awesome boat. It’s a Marquis 630 docked at the temporary mooring. There is room for you, and we can all get away. The man I’m with is meeting with the mayor right now, and then we are leaving ASAP.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’m serious. The boat is called La Vida Dulce. You can leave this shitty place and live the sweet life with us. But there is one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Jolie asked, suspicious of the good fortune that was coming her way.

  “You have to be okay with kids. Innocent, sweet kids.”

  Jolie teared up. “I didn’t know there was any innocence left in the world.”

  “Come on. Let’s go,” Kira said.

  “Okay.”

  Kira and Jolie quickly walked past the vendors, heading for the marina.

  Just around the corner of the stairs stood a man, puffing on his joint. He had watched two girls sprint from the underbelly of the market. They hadn’t seen him sitting by the wall at the bottom of the stairs as they bolted by. He knew they were up to no good, so he followed them.

  The conversation he had just listened to was more than he had expected or could have hoped for. He smiled as he walked toward the “Zombie Fight Club” door. The boss would be grateful for this information.

  Key West Harbor: Outbreak Day +69

  Joe walked down the steps leading to the boat docks in the marina. One of Raul’s men walked close to him, an AK-47 slung over his shoulder. Joe nodded to the man. The man nodded back. After a few minutes of walking down floating docks, he was home. He walked up the stairs of the boat and knocked on the door.

  Knock-knock-knock . . .

  Knock . . .

  Knock-knock-knock-knock.

  Kira opened it and hugged him hello. Joe looked behind her and saw a face from the past. He released Kira, staring at their new traveling companion.

  “Jolie?”

  “Joe?”

  Joe stood in shock, staring and frozen for a half-second. The next second, he was running across the living room of the yacht, picking Jolie up in a big, embracing hug. Jolie laughed and cried as she hugged Joe back.

  Kira felt a tinge of anxiety color her yellow. She and Joe had shared a wonderful night, but she couldn’t compete with history. If Joe and this girl were something before the zombie apocalypse, then she could be a way for him to reclaim the past. Kira could never offer him that.

  Joe released the girl and held her by her shoulders. They were both crying at this point. He looked her in the eyes. “I can’t believe you’re alive. How?” he asked.

  “Well Danny, Dad and I survived the initial outbreak.” Jolie’s face drained of color, and her tears changed from joy to anger. In the past day of captivity, she had cried out all her despair. “Then that fat piece of shit came to take me. They tried to hold him off, so he killed them. He would have done worse to me if Kira hadn’t cut me loose.”

  “What?” Joe glanced back and forth at Kira and Jolie.

  Jolie told the story as best she could, not sparing any obscenities when it came to describing the boss. Jolie turned to Kira. “Yeah. So she saved me, saved me from what the boss was calling a wedding-night celebration to come.” She shuddered as she said those words.

  Joe turned to Kira. “You did that?”

  She quietly nodded.

  Joe leaned in and gave her a deep kiss. She hadn’t expected it. After a second, she melted into his lips. He released the kiss and hugged her. He whispered in her ear, “Thank you.”

  He let her go and sat down on the couch, letting his weight fall and exhaling in relaxation. “What a day.”

  Kira asked, “So I guess you guys know each other?”

  Joe laughed. “You could say that.”

  Jolie understood what Joe didn’t. Kira expected that their relationship was more than friendship. “We have been friends since we were little. Well Danny, my brother, and Joe went to school with each other from kindergarten through high school. Kurt, his brother, and I are the same age too, so our families became super close. We used to go on family vacations together and everything. The four of us—Danny, Joe, Kurt and I—were known as the four amigos. They were like extra brothers to me. Danny and Joe even . . . whoa. When Danny got sick, do you remember your promise?”

  “Promise?” Kira asked.

  Joe answered. “A couple years ago, I was going overseas, and Danny had lymphoma. We were both so afraid, and so were Kurt and Jolie. They were afraid to lose their older brothers. We . . . we were each afraid of leaving a younger sibling behind unprotected. For us, taking care of our little brother and sister was a major concern. Well we promised each other and them,” Joe pointed at Jolie, “that no matter what, if anything happened to one of us, the other would be there as an older brother. I think we made the promise more for each other than anything. It gave Danny a reason to fight and me a reason to keep fighting. Well we both made it.”

  “But now you’re honoring that promise.” Kira had a tear running down her cheek.

  “Yes he is, and Danny is looking down somewhere, smiling,” Jolie added.

  “I didn’t save you. She did.” Joe was pointing at Kira.

  “Yes, but you saved me first. So in a roundabout way, you still saved her,” Kira said.

  “You both saved me. Thank you so much. Earlier today when I was sitting in that place, do you know what I was doing? I was praying for God to kill me.”

  Joe and Kira both swallowed hard.

  Jolie continued. “I had no reason to live any longer. I had no will to go on. Now I have family again.”

  Joe smiled. “More than you know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Kira, have you introduced her to the others?”

  “Not yet, we just got back to the boat ourselves. Christine answered and recognized that I had a stranger with me. So they went downstairs and hid.”

  “Smart kids,” Joe said.

  “That’s right, the kids,” Jolie said, looking back and forth between Joe and Kira.

  “Not ours, well not in that way at least,” Kira answered.

  Joe stood up. “Jolie, you’re a big sister now.”

  Joe walked to the stairs heading down to the bedrooms. “Jack, Christine, Elizabeth, it’s okay. You can come up.” The three kids peeked their heads around the corner in single file. Two of them hung onto his legs, hiding behind him, shying away from the new person in their home. Jack was in Joe’s arms, staring at her. “Guys, I want you to meet Jolie. She is a good friend of mine from when I was younger, when I was your age, Jack. She’s very nice.”

  Jack hadn’t broken his stare. “Where is she going to sleep?”

  Joe hadn’t thought about that, but it made sense to give her the bed the three children had been sharing. It was more of an adult’s room. “Well that’s the good surprise I have for you all.” He had to word it correctly so that it didn’t seem like Jolie was taking something away from them. “You know how we have talked about building a fort in your playroom?” Jack bobbed his head in fast, excited nods. “Well we are going to, and you all get to stay there with all your toys. How does that sound?”

  Jack nodded again enthusiastically. The two girls nodded as well, still clinging to Joe’s pant legs.

  Jolie got down in a crouch. She brushed her hair back from her face. “Hello there, I’m Jolie. It’s very nice to meet you. What’s your name?” She was looking at Christine.

  “Christine. What happened to your wrists?” Christine asked.

  “Oh this, it’s nothing. It’s nice to meet you, Christine.” She turned her attention to Elizabeth. “What’s your name?” Elizabeth didn’t answer but hid farther behind Joe’s leg.

  Jack answered for her. “Her name is Elizabeth, and I’m Jack. Do you like toys?”

  Jolie stood up, looking at Jack. “Actually I love toys. Do you have some cool ones?”

  Jack’s eyes lit up. He squirmed, and Joe put him down. “Come on, I’ll sh
ow you.” He extended his little hand, and she took it. He led her down the stairs. Christine and Elizabeth followed, wanting to be part of the show.

  Joe and Kira were alone on the main deck now.

  He hugged her tightly. “Thank you so much for doing this. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  “Then you’re not upset at all?”

  “Upset? Why would I be upset?”

  “Because I did what you told me not to do. I broke the normal way of things.”

  “No, I’m not mad. You saved someone close to me.”

  Kira leaned closer Joe.

  Joe eventually pushed away. “I have to go back out tonight.”

  “What? Why?”

  “The mayor has given us a spot on the convoy, but I have be a courier for something for him.”

  “What do you have to carry?”

  Joe told Kira the whole story, only interrupted occasionally by laughter echoing up from downstairs. After he was finished telling his tale, Kira wiped a tear from her face. “Poor Aaron.”

  “Yeah,” Joe said.

  “Well do you have time for a family dinner before going back?” Kira asked.

  “Yeah, that I can do,” Joe said.

  Kira began cooking a late dinner as Joe and Jolie helped the kids set up the fort in the playroom. The energetic burst had tired the kids out. Shortly after dinner, the little ones were ready for bedtime. Kira went to read then a book and tuck them in. Joe stayed upstairs to get his gear ready. Jolie had just finished a shower erasing the day’s events. She came and sat by Joe as he reassembled his M4 assault rifle.

  “Hey, how was your shower?” Joe asked Jolie.

  “Great! I feel like a whole new person,” Jolie replied.

  “That’s good.”

  “Hey, Joe, I didn’t ask earlier, but Kira mentioned we’re leaving for Europe in the morning.”

  “That’s not really a question.”

  “Well why?”

  “You want to stay here?” Joe asked sarcastically.

  “No obviously, but there are uninfected islands in the Caribbean that we could be going to, and the trip isn’t as dangerous.”

  “Kurt. We need to go get him.”

  “What?” Jolie asked with shock in her voice.