United States of Zombie (The Z-Day Trilogy Book 5)

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  Chapter Three

  Hays Leonard was staring at a map of the islands near Costa Rica. His sources had confirmed there was another zombie park on an island named Isla Zomblar. He peered over at his wife, Cheryl, and shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe they actually built another park. If that one fails like the one in Indiana, the entire world will be infected.”

  “Hays, haven’t you figured it out yet. People don’t learn from their mistakes. They’re doomed to repeat them.”

  “But it doesn’t make it right. Don’t we have a say in the idiotic things they do?” He punched the table the map was lying on. “At the rate they’re going, there isn’t going to be anywhere left in the world to get away from the zombies.” He looked at the map once again. “There is another island several miles from Isla Zomblar. We can take our team there. If we can secure it and build a wall around the border, we can have a safe community to live in. We have to get to it before somebody else gets the same idea.”

  “Is the plane ready?”

  “Our Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is on standby. We still have some more supplies to gather before we can leave. We’re waiting on Donnie. He’s coordinating everything. He told me we should be ready to leave within the week.”

  “I want to talk to you about him, Hays. I don’t trust him. I’m telling you he has his own agenda. He’s up to something; I can tell.”

  Hays took her into his arms. “Listen, I know he can be a prick at times, but we’ve been friends for a while. I’m telling you we can trust him with our lives.”

  “Then why didn’t his friends stay with him? Instead, they opted to head to Florida to get away from the zombies. I watched them around him. They didn’t act as though they fully trusted him. And now you’re asking me to trust…” She was interrupted by the sound of the bus.

  Donnie jumped out of the bus followed by the others. He knew he had some explaining to do about bringing other people to the hangar, but he figured they could use the extra help. Hays approached him and looked at the others, especially at Martina.

  “What’s wrong with her?” he asked Donnie, looking concerned.

  “She’s just scared,” said Angelo.

  Donnie raised his hand to let them know he was going to do the explaining. He took Hays to the side. “I know I shouldn’t have picked them up, but we need the help.”

  “So, the only reason you picked them up was because we need the help.”

  “That’s the only reason, Hays. I know we can’t pick up every stranger in trouble with zombies. If we did, there wouldn’t be any room around here.” He paused to let it sink in. “Listen, I’m tired of doing all the grunt work. It’s about time I get some help. We have a lot to do in a week. With their help, we can get it done much faster. The zombie outbreak is spreading across America. I would like to get out of the country before it’s too late.”

  Hays knew he was making sense. With more help they could get out of there ahead of schedule. “All right, Donnie, we’ll do it your way. Make sure you don’t tell them a thing about our plan.” He laughed. “I’m sure after spending some time with you they won’t want to join us, anyway. You just have that way with people.”

  “It wasn’t because of me they wanted to go to Florida. You’re the one who planted the idea in their heads they would be safe there. You didn’t want them to come with us.”

  “They were weak, Donnie. You even told me yourself they were weak. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sorry about everything they went through, but in the end, they wouldn’t be much use to us. They’re much better off in Florida. And about this group you brought here. None of them are coming with us, either.”

  “I wasn’t planning on inviting any of them. Besides, there isn’t going to be a lot of extra room on the plane, even as big as it is, once we get it loaded.” Donnie looked past his friend toward Cheryl. “Don’t say a word, Cheryl. I already know what you’re thinking.”

  “Then you already know how I’m feeling right now,” she said, turning her back to him. “I hope there won’t be any delays with the supplies.”

  “There won’t be if you don’t get in my way. Now if you don’t mind, I have a bus to unload.” He pushed past her, grabbing Angelo by the arm. “You’re going to help me unload the bus.” He got back on the bus and drove to their plane where a guard was standing near the front of it. He waved toward the bus when he saw it approaching.

  Donnie jumped off the bus followed by Angelo once he parked it near the rear of the plane. “How’s it going, Taser?” he asked the guard, while swinging open the back door to the bus. Taser was a nickname they called Keifer Paulson because he loved to stun people with his Taser gun.

  “It sucks. If you didn’t stop by here every day, I would say I have the worst job in the world.”

  Donnie lifted a box off the back of the bus and handed it to Angelo. “You have an important job. You’re keeping the thieves away from our supplies.”

  “There isn’t anybody here to bother our supplies. We’re away from the main runways.”

  Donnie tossed a box to Angelo. “Give it time, Taser. The outbreak is spreading across St. Louis. Before you know it, people are going to start looting businesses, and then they’ll find their way here. If they discover all the supplies on this plane…well, I’m sure you’ll get some use out of your toy.”

  Taser rubbed his fingers against his Taser gun. “Let them come. I have 50,000 volts at my command.”

  Donnie stared at the back of the massive plane. They already had a good supply of the things they needed, but he was still lacking in some of the essentials. He knew he would have to make another run for supplies, maybe two, before they would be ready to leave. Anything else he couldn’t locate they would have to try to bargain for in Costa Rica. He closed the door to the back of the bus and signaled to Angelo it was time to leave. Donnie tossed Taser a pack of cigarettes. “I didn’t forget about you. There are several cases of your brand in the back of the plane.”

  Taser caught the pack midair and put it into his black cargo pants pocket. “That’s why I like you, Donnie. You keep your word. You should bring me some lunch next time.”

  Donnie smiled for a brief moment. “Check the shopping bag I put on the ground behind you. There are a couple bags of chips and a couple beers waiting for you.”

  Taser looked at the shopping bag, and then back at Donnie. “I’ll see you on your next trip.” He watched as Donnie gave him a quick nod and then vanished onto the bus.

  He drove the bus across the airfield as a jet was coming in for a landing. He knew if the outbreak continued to cross state lines, air service would eventually cease to exist. He turned to look at Angelo. “It’s time to earn your keep.”

  Taser watched as the bus sped away. In the distance, he saw something or somebody slowly making its way across the airfield. He snatched his field glasses from the back of the plane and peered through them. It was as he figured. Somehow a zombie had made its way onto the airfield and was shambling toward him. It was moving slower than he was accustomed to. He looked at its feet and saw that one of them had been severed, and it was dragging it along the ground. That explains why it’s moving so slow. He took out a cigarette and lit it and then put the field glasses back onto the plane. As slowly as the zombie was moving, he figured he had time for a quick smoke. He kept his gaze on it as he exhaled a ring of smoke. That’s right, keep coming you slow-moving piece of crap. He tossed his cigarette on the ground and turned to head back inside the plane to retrieve an M16 he had leaned against a pile of boxes. As he turned, something caught his eye before he had a chance to react. He was forcibly brought to the ground by a grotesque creature. He lay on the ground with a zombie on top of him, pinning his right arm to the ground. He fought as its jaws snapped shut spasmodically trying to take a chunk from his face. The stench emitting from its mouth was sickening. Blood and saliva drooled from its mouth as it continued its assault. He stared at its hungry eyes. They were murky as if the life had been bleac
hed out. He fought against it with everything he had, but it was stronger than he was. No matter how he struggled, he was only making it worse. He was trapped like a bug under its dead weight. He didn’t give up hope and kept struggling until he was able to free his right hand. He went for his Taser gun and freed it from its holster and pressed it against the zombie’s head and squeezed the trigger. He watched as its head shook violently until it dropped. Blood flowed from its mouth and nose covering him. Fearing it would infect him, he forced it off of him and lay there trying to catch his breath. He stared at its lifeless body hoping it wouldn’t rise back to its feet and attack once again. After a few seconds, he stood slowly back up and turned to look in the direction where he saw the first zombie. He didn’t see any sign of it. A worried look came across his face. His first instinct was to get his M16 from the plane. He took a step toward it but something suddenly blocked his way. Before he had a chance to react, he felt a chunk of his flesh being ripped from his neck. He took several painful steps backward, eyes wide open with fright. He stared as the zombie stood in front of him chewing on his flesh. It continued to chew with a savage grinding sound. It swallowed its ghastly meal and came back for more, ripping more flesh from his neck. He stood with blood spraying from the wound and felt his eyes roll back into the back of his head. It was the last thing he saw before everything went totally dark.

  Chapter Four

  “Something is happening outside,” said Jewel Nissan from behind an oversized menu. She sat in the booth near the glass doors in a mom-and-pop restaurant directly across from her friend, Erica Blake. The place was dimly lit with an occasional flickering of an overhead fluorescent light. Jewel looked at her friend from over the top of the menu. “That’s the third cop car that has sped past in the last ten minutes. What do think is happening?”

  “It could be a two for one at the doughnut shop.”

  She stared at her friend in disbelief as she lowered her menu. “Would you be serious for one minute? Besides, you’ve read this menu a thousand times. What’s taking you so long to make up your mind? You always get the same thing–a double cheeseburger with fries–hold the onion and add extra tomato. Don’t let me forget ̶ add a side order of mayo to dip your fries in.”

  “I’m in the mood for something different. Something to break up the monotony. Maybe I’ll have the tuna special today.”

  Jewel laughed out loud as if she thought her friend was being screwy. “That will be the day. Besides, you don’t like seafood. Don’t you remember you told me it has a bad aftertaste?”

  Another police car sped past the diner. Jewel watched as it quickly disappeared. It was one of the reasons she didn’t like living so close to the city. St. Louis was too busy for her taste, but Erica refused to move farther away from it. They had been best friends since high school, both cheerleaders with promising futures until college when they both realized cheerleaders were as common as pepperoni pizza. They both opted out of their education and chose to pursue their careers in the big city. They were both unemployed and living off of Jewel’s inheritance. It was the only reason they frequented the restaurant. It was affordable and the owners didn’t care if they sat there all day as long as they ordered a menu item more than once during the day.

  “You’re right, Jewel, I don’t want to have bad breath. I guess I will stick with what I know best.” She motioned to the waitress they were ready to order. She approached the table and looked at them.

  “Let me guess ̶ one double cheeseburger made your way with fries and mayo ̶ and for you, the large salad with extra ranch dressing. Coming right up.”

  They watched as the waitress walked away to turn in their order. Jewel turned her attention back outside the window. A crowd of people were gathering in the street. “I wonder what all that is about.”

  “There is a riot in the city,” said a man, sitting in the booth across from them. He was watching a news report on his cell phone. “People are attacking each other. Apparently, it’s heading our way.”

  Jewel looked at her friend alarmed. “Do you think we should ditch our order and get out of here? I don’t want to be caught in the middle of a riot.”

  Erica stared out the window at the crowd across the street. They were all focused on their cell phones. “I think we’ll be all right. None of them look panicked. Besides, I’m hungry. You’re the one who wanted to get an early start so I missed breakfast. We’ll keep our eyes on them. If something happens, then we’ll leave.”

  Jewel kept her eyes on them expecting something to happen. “I’m out of here the moment something happens.” She turned her attention back to the man watching his cell phone. “What are they saying now?”

  He looked at her strangely. “I don’t understand what they’re saying. They are talking about zombies infesting the city. They’re not making any sense. They’re telling everybody to leave St. Louis and find a safe place to hide. The National Guard is being deployed and being sent to the city. This is all happening because of what happened in Indiana.” He stood up and looked at them. “If I were you, I would get the hell out of here while you still have the chance. We’re too close to the city.” He quickly made his way toward the door, knocking into the waitress, causing her to drop two plates of pancakes on the floor. She stared at him angrily as he left the restaurant. She looked at the pile of food on the floor.

  “I’m not cleaning up that mess.” She looked around. Every eye was staring at her. “What are you all looking at? Haven’t you seen someone spill food before?”

  Another police car sped past the restaurant. Jewel watched as it sped by. She looked at her friend. “I have a bad feeling about all of this. I think we should leave now.” She looked out the window and saw the crowd had disappeared. She quickly looked at her friend. “Please, Erica, I really think we should get out of here.”

  Erica could see by the look on her friend’s face she was scared. “All right, if it will make you feel better, we’ll leave.” They walked past the waitress who was busy cleaning up the mess. Erica looked at her. “Cancel our order. Jewel isn’t feeling well.”

  “I’ll have to add it to your bill the next time you’re here.”

  “That’s fine,” said Erica. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

  “Just don’t think I will forget about this.”

  They left the restaurant and stood looking around. Everybody who had been in the street just a moment before had all vanished. She scanned the area half expecting somebody to jump out at her and shout Surprise, but nobody did. Jewel looked at Erica. She didn’t know whether to run away scared or to be relieved they had the street to themselves. “Where did everybody go?” She took a step down the sidewalk, and then abruptly stopped. “I don’t like this.”

  Erica felt the same way. The entire area had suddenly become a ghost town. “I think we should go back inside the restaurant. There has to be a reason everybody just left.”

  “Let’s just get to our car. It’s parked around the corner. I just want to go home and forget all of this ever happened.”

  Erica didn’t want to argue with her. It made perfect sense to get to the car and go home for the rest of the day. She knew she would be safe at home. “Let’s go.”

  They hurried down the sidewalk toward the corner. As they neared it, they could hear a cell phone ringing. They stopped in their tracks and looked at each other and listened. The cell phone continued to ring.

  “Why aren’t they answering it?” asked Jewel, looking frightened. “Answer it already.”

  Erica tugged on her friend’s arm. “Let’s just get to the car. I don’t want to stand here in the open.” She led her friend around the corner and immediately stopped. They stood with their mouths open, too scared to scream. A zombie stood in front of them with a clenched hand dangling from its mouth like a bone. Inside the hand was a cell phone that kept ringing. The zombie looked at them as if it hadn’t expected them to emerge from around the corner. They couldn’t take their eyes off of the creature as it
stood trying to decide if it wanted to pursue them. From behind it, they could see a large horde of zombies slowly shambling down the street in their direction. Jewel grabbed Erica and made a mad dash across the street away from the horror. Her mind was troubled by what was happening. Her body signaled her to run and run as fast as she could to put distance between her and the zombies. All she could think about was getting home and locking herself safely inside her house. She crossed to the other side of the street and tried to find a car with its keys still inside. She was too scared to care if she would be stealing it. It didn’t matter as long as it could get her safely home. She frantically searched each car parked along the sidewalk but to no avail. It was as if everyone knew she would need their car to make a hasty getaway. She continued to drag Erica along with her as she came upon a man reaching into the back of an old Ford pickup truck. She went straight for him.

  “Sir, can you give us a ride out of here?”

  She waited impatiently for him to respond to her. She watched as he grabbed something from the back of the truck. She heard the sound of ripping flesh. She watched as he put something into his mouth and chewed noisily. She assumed the worst. She continued hurriedly past the truck, telling herself not to look at the carnage. She scoured the area trying to find somewhere safe to go. Down the street she saw a few people running to a church.

  “Let’s head for the church, Erica!” They continued down the sidewalk and saw someone run out of a bakery in front of them. She turned to look at them, and then screamed and ran across the street as a police car plowed into her. The collision sent her over the hood and through the windshield. The police car lost control and swerved into a parked delivery truck and burst into flames. The explosion sent both Jewel and Erica to their knees. They slowly got back to their feet and looked at the burning vehicles. She wanted to cry, but her instincts told her to continue running toward the church. She looked at Erica. “We need to get to the church.”