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

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  “What is God telling you?”

  “He is telling me not to lose my faith and to get everybody to safety. He has a plan, and when the time is right, it will be revealed to me.”

  Jewel stole a glance toward Erica, and then back to the pastor. “Do you really believe that? I mean, maybe God is responsible for the zombies. Maybe God is punishing us.”

  He looked out the back of the truck and saw several zombies in the distance following the truck. He could never blame God for what was happening. He could understand why she thought the way she did. She needed reassurance ̶ she needed faith. He gave her a serious look. “God is with us guiding this truck and taking us somewhere safe. He is watching over us. We have to believe that. We have to believe there is a plan in place. We cannot turn our backs on God. We need to trust Him.”

  “I don’t trust God,” said Erica. “Look around. The world has been infested with zombies. They are killing and devouring people. What kind of God would allow something like this to happen?”

  He was saddened to learn she didn’t trust God, but he knew the world was full of nonbelievers. It was one of the reasons he had turned to the church. He wanted to help them become believers. He knew it wasn’t an easy task. People who were nonbelievers were often closed minded and didn’t want to hear about God’s word or even accept the fact He existed. He also knew it would be especially hard to believe in God during a zombie outbreak. It was his job to prove to them God did in fact exist and was on their side. “I was once a nonbeliever. There was a time when I doubted God existed. I had a sister when I was younger. We were really close ̶ as close as any brother and sister could be. We had the type of bond where we knew we could go to each other no matter what the problem was, and we kept it between us. I thought I would have my sister in my life forever ̶ until something terrible happened to her. It was one of those cold, November winter nights. My sister was driving home from work during the beginning of a blizzard. The roads were icy and treacherous. It was the time of night when she shouldn’t have tried driving home. She should have stayed in town and paid for a room for the night. I guess she never saw it coming. On her way home she encountered a man who had been at the bar all day drinking, because he had been laid off from work. You probably heard drinking and icy roads don’t mix. He lost control of his car and hit my sister’s car head on. He survived the crash but my sister didn’t. She died on impact. My life took a drastic change that night, and I blamed God for taking her out of my life.” He paused to gather his thoughts. “If anybody had a reason to not trust God, it was me. I don’t know why, but God spoke to me in my dreams ̶ and here I am. My life has never been better.”

  Tears streamed down Jewel’s face. “I’m sorry that happened to your sister. What happened to the man that killed her?”

  “He’s in prison.”

  “He got what he deserved.”

  “I forgave him for taking her away from me.”

  Jewel looked at him curiously. “What? How could you forgive someone who took your sister away from you? If it were me, I would have made sure he got the death sentence.”

  “I’ve visited him several times over the years. We study the Bible and pray together. I forgave him as God forgave him. He’s a Christian now and bringing other inmates to God. It was all a part of God’s plan.”

  “That is unbelievable. I don’t think I would have had the strength to forgive him.”

  “Not alone you wouldn’t have. That is why it is important to have God in your life. I’m not saying your life will always be perfect ̶ but I am saying it will be better with God in it.”

  She didn’t know how to respond. She couldn’t believe he still would be talking about God while the world was falling to zombies. She couldn’t believe God would let something like that happen. She couldn’t believe God would have a plan that involved zombies. She looked at the pastor. “I don’t know what to believe.”

  “Faith doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes it takes some convincing. The only advice I can give you is pray to God with an open mind. He will talk to you and let you know what you need to do.” His attention was directed to the fact the truck had stopped, and he heard screaming coming from the front of it. He heard several shots being fired. A soldier suddenly appeared and told them to stay inside the truck. They had encountered a large horde of zombies blocking the road. He disappeared and several more shots were fired. The truck lurched forward and continued down the road. The pastor stared out the back as the truck rolled over several zombies lying on the ground. He looked back at Jewel. “God is reminding us that we’re safe. I will give you time to think about everything. When you’re ready, we’ll pray together.” He closed his eyes and prayed once again. Jewel looked at Erica.

  “What do you think, Erica?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what to think. Though, I do feel safer with Pastor Zobrist around. I don’t feel as scared. Maybe there is some truth to what he’s saying.” She felt the truck taking a right-hand turn and stop momentarily. Two soldiers appeared at the back and looked at the group sitting inside. He shouted for somebody to let the truck inside. The truck moved forward and through a large security gate. Erica watched as the gate closed and four guards stood inside with their M16s raised as if they were expecting trouble. The truck continued for what seemed like eternity before coming to a stop. The pastor opened his eyes and looked around.

  “I think we’ve reached our destination.”

  A tall woman wearing a white lab coat appeared with a clipboard in her hand. “Welcome to Safe Zone Nine. My name is Virginia North. I’m in charge of your registration. If you will please jump down from the truck, I will get you quickly through the process.”

  Jewel looked at the lady suspiciously. “What process?”

  Mrs. North smiled. “We need to learn more about you ̶ you know the basics like your name, age, and clothing size. We basically need to know who we’re feeding and keeping safe. You don’t have to fear us, young lady. We’re here to provide protection from the outside world. Now if you will all jump down, we’ll get the process started.” She moved away from the truck as the soldiers helped them jump down, and continue into the building. She met with a young man wearing a black business suit named Norman Rooker. He looked at her with confidence. “Well, how do they look?”

  “As far as I can tell, they’ll do just fine,” she said. “We’ll know more once we get them all inside.”

  “I hope you’re right. The last group didn’t fare as well. We’re not going to get this right if we don’t get the right people.”

  “If they don’t work out, we’ll get more people ̶ we always do. Eventually, we’ll get it right.”

  “If we don’t run out of time first. We have too much riding on this. We have to get it right this time.” They were interrupted by two soldiers bringing their new guests inside the building. Mrs. North smiled and motioned for them to follow her. Mr. Rooker moved aside to let the group through. He was encouraged by what he saw, but he wouldn’t know for sure until he learned more about them.

  Mrs. North led the group down a long, brilliantly lit hallway. She stopped momentarily to inform them the whole building was being powered by large generators. She continued down the hall until she came to a set of wooden double doors and opened them. She led them inside and told them to find a seat. As they filed in, Jewel kept her eyes on two men dressed in black and carrying M16s, staring at her. Something inside her told her there was something wrong with the situation. She kept quiet about the guards until she found a seat next to Erica in the large auditorium. She looked around to make sure nobody was listening to her.

  “Erica, something is off about this place. I saw a couple of men holding guns. Why would they have guards inside here?”

  “I suppose it’s to keep us safe.”

  “Keep us safe from what?” She looked around once again and saw Mrs. North talking to the two men she had seen holding the weapons. After a few minutes both men left the auditorium
and closed the doors behind them. She moved down the aisle with a purpose to the stage in the front of the auditorium, and they climbed a few steps and made her way over to a wooden podium. She looked around at all the confused faces staring at her. She could tell they were wondering why they were all gathered there. She tapped the microphone attached to the podium to make sure it was working. “I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Safe Zone Nine, or as we call it here, Paradise Inn. I know the name sounds strange, but I assure you, once you see what this place has to offer you will agree with me. This is a safe haven for anybody trying to escape the zombie apocalypse happening beyond our walls. This building sits in the middle of over three hundred acres. Before the outbreak, it was a research facility for the government. The entire perimeter of the property is surrounded by a twenty-foot concrete wall. I assure you we are safe inside. There isn’t any way a zombie can get inside. You will notice once we take you on the grand tour, there are guards walking the perimeter to keep everybody safe from the outside world. Now you’re probably wondering why you have been brought here and how I can keep you safe. The Paradise Inn will be your new home. It will be your safe haven away from the zombie threat. We will keep you safe, but you have to earn your stay here. We expect you to become productive members of our new society. We will soon learn everything we need to know about each one of you including your age, your work history, your medical history, and anything else vitally important for us to know. We need you to be honest about your medical history. If you’ve had heart attacks, we need to know. If you have diabetes, we need to know. If you have migraines, we even need to know that. We have a medical facility on the property, and it’s fully equipped and fully stocked, so we can handle any of your medical needs.” She paused to scan the room. She was searching for anybody she thought could pose a problem. After a few minutes, she continued. “If we have any married couples in here, I have some news you might find disturbing. Men and women cannot share the same buildings. As a matter of fact, the men’s living quarters are located on the opposite side of the property from the women’s. It is also the same for the children. I know this sounds extreme, but I assure you we have our reasons for this drastic action. We will feed you, clothe you, give you protection, but you must earn these privileges. We expect you to give back for what you take from us. Simply, you must work for each privilege we grant. If you eat an apple, you must help pick more. If you wear our clothes, you must help clean and repair them. I know not everybody here is a farmer or a tailor. We will find a job suitable for you and our needs. I’m going to stop right here, because I know you have a lot to think about. I just want to emphasize one thing right now. Nobody is a prisoner here. You can leave any time you like. I will give you an opportunity right now to make that decision. This is your chance to speak up. Do I have anybody who doesn’t want to enjoy the safety of Paradise Inn?” One hand immediately was raised by an elderly man near the back of the auditorium. Mrs. North acknowledged him. She left the stage and made her way across the auditorium toward him. She stood in front of him looking at him curiously. “Are you absolutely certain about your decision?” She watched as he nodded to her. “Very well.” She opened the auditorium doors and signaled to the men outside the doors. “Please take this gentleman to the gates. He has chosen to leave our fine establishment.” She helped him walk to the men and closed the doors behind them. She turned to look at the others. “In a minute, I will come back to get you to take you on the grand tour.” She opened the doors and left the auditorium closing the doors behind her. She looked at the elderly man. “Follow me.” She led him down the hall in the opposite direction they had come in. She knew the elderly man was staring at her confused. “Don’t worry. We’re taking the most convenient way to the front gate.” They continued down the hall and were met by two burly men dressed in white lab coats. They approached them and grabbed the elderly man by his arms and forced him into what appeared to be a functioning operating room. He stared at them in fright. Mrs. North stared at him seriously. “You made the choice to leave.” She looked at the men in the lab coats. “Prepare him. Mr. Rooker will be here momentarily. I have to get back to the others.” She left the room and made her way back to the auditorium.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Damn zombies!” screamed Donnie as he plowed through three of them with the bus. He was through trying to avoid them. He peered over his shoulder to see what reaction General Milkwood was having about his aggressive driving. “I hope I’m not scaring you, general. I don’t have time to play nicely with the zombies.”

  The general smiled. “Under these circumstances, I’m sure I would be doing the same thing.”

  Hearing the comment from the general infuriated him. He didn’t want him there. If Angelo hadn’t convinced him it would be an advantage to have him there, he would have left him at the airport. He continued the wild ride down the road forcing any zombie off of its feet that got in the way. He was taking his frustration out on them. He knew he had to find a way to channel it. He couldn’t risk getting into a heated argument with the general. They still had one more storage facility to check before they could leave. He smelled cigar smoke as he plowed through more zombies in the middle of the road. “I’m glad you have the time to smoke.”

  “There isn’t much I can do from my seat. You seem to have the situation well in hand. Unless you want me to drive.”

  “I can manage. Besides, I don’t think you know where we’re going. How many times have you been in the area?”

  The general blew a plume of smoke toward Donnie. “More times than you would believe. I’ve been all over this great nation once or twice. How many times have you been here? You don’t need to answer that. I saw the maps at the airport. I suppose you’re winging it. I hope you don’t get lost. Only women get lost.”

  Donnie bit his tongue to the point he thought he tasted blood. The general’s voice annoyed him to the point he wanted to turn around in his seat and shoot him straight between the eyes. It took all the strength he could muster to keep his composure. “I’m not lost. I know exactly where we’re going. In fact, we’re here.” He pulled the bus into a large parking lot where several semis were parked. He drove the bus around them and headed toward a large building.

  The general dropped his half-smoked cigar on the floor and extinguished it with his foot. He was eager to get inside, snatch what they needed, and get back to the airport. He watched as Donnie stopped the bus in front of a door across from the parked semis, opened the door and jumped out. The general waited until Angelo left the bus before getting up from his seat. If there were any surprises waiting for them, he wanted Donnie and Angelo to encounter them first. If need be, he could leave them behind and head back to the airport. He looked at the ignition. Donnie had taken the keys with him. He looked outside and saw Donnie standing dangling the keys in front of him. He shook his head angrily and left the bus.

  “Do you think I’m that gullible, general? I knew that would be the first thing you checked.”

  “So, you think you’re smarter than me. Should I give you a medal now or later?”

  “Guys, we don’t have time for this,” said Angelo. “We need to get this done. The last time we ran into trouble. I don’t want that to happen again.”

  Donnie stared at Angelo. He knew he was right. The constant bickering wasn’t going to get them anywhere. He didn’t want to look at the general. His face was the last thing he wanted to see at the moment. “Get your flashlights ready. We don’t want any surprises jumping out at us.” He made his way to the door and checked it. It was unlocked. He looked at Angelo. “We need this to be the last run so we need to get as much as possible.” He opened the door. They were immediately smacked by a cool breeze as they entered. They stood listening for any unusual sounds. The place was dead quiet. Donnie shone his flashlight around them to try to figure out in what direction they needed to proceed. “I guess the best direction to head in is straight ahead.”

  “Are
you sure?” asked the general. “You need to think this through.”

  “All right, general, let’s do it your way. In which direction would you go?” asked Donnie. “I will stand here and wait for your decision.”

  The general shone his flashlight in several directions looking for something to give him a clue in which direction they should go. “Let’s go straight ahead.”

  Donnie looked at Angelo and shook his head. They slowly made their way away from the door and to the aisle directly in front of them. The one thing Donnie had learned from his previous trips was not everything was as it seemed. They needed to be extra careful this time. Once they reached the aisle, he shone his light on some boxes on the shelf. They were marked as containing books of some sort. He knew they wouldn’t be any use to them. He continued down the aisle, keeping the light focused straight ahead of them. In the back of his mind he was worried about having General Milkwood behind him. He was relieved knowing Angelo was in between them. He was sure the general wouldn’t try to do anything crazy with Angelo there as a witness ̶ unless he took him out first. He wanted to turn to check on them, but he didn’t want the general to know he was suspicious. He kept moving forward checking the boxes on the shelves. So far, he didn’t see anything on his lists, but he knew what they needed had to be inside the building somewhere. At the end of the aisle he stopped to listen. He heard some scratching noises to the right of him. He shone his light to his right and saw a couple of wooden doors at the end. Whatever was making the noises was secured behind one of the doors. He didn’t worry about it. If there was a zombie inside, he was sure it couldn’t open doors. He peered back at Angelo. “My gut feeling is telling me to go right.”