Z Strain

by SJ Morris

  They started hitting and clawing at the doors and windows. I didn’t want to move at all, for fear of making more noise, but I had to reach for my gun. I needed to be prepared for the worst. I closed my eyes and held my gun tight, praying silently for these monsters to go away. As I opened my eyes, I saw hands pushed up against the windows and then, a spattering of black.

  I looked out the windshield and saw the number of infected at the front starting to lessen and I realized they were not losing interest. They were being shot down. It was only about five minutes before the infected were no more, but it was probably the longest five minutes of my life.

  Even with their buddies dropping all around them, the other infected didn't care.

  They continued to come at me like nothing else was happening around them.

  By the time they were gone I had to use the windshield wipers to be able to see through the pane of glass and found that it was cracked.

  Chris had told me it was supposed to be bulletproof, so the fact that they were able to crack the glass was extremely unnerving.

  All of us got out of the trucks to survey the scene.

  It was gruesome and smelled awful.

  However, we had planned for this, so we had scarves and Chris had even packed some gas masks.

  It was so bad, that we ended up using the gas masks. We needed to move some of the bodies out of the way so we could safely get the trucks through.

  I was not worried about the two Jeeps but the van might sustain some damage climbing over the piles of the now, finally dead infected.

  We used crowbars like meat hooks and dragged the dead off to the side of the road. I couldn’t help but feel like I was looking at a scene from Auschwitz. All of the dead, men, women, and children were emaciated. Their clothes were hanging in tatters from their broken bodies and their eyes…

  Their eyes; they were the most disturbing.

  They were all glazed-over, in white, and the skin around the eye was black and gray as if they had all been truly dead for weeks and had started to decompose.

  I knew then, that those faces, and those eyes, were going to haunt me for the rest of my days.

  When I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I hooked into a body without looking and as I began to drag it away, something caught my eye, as it fell from the corpse.

  It was a dirty, stuffed, purple unicorn. I forced myself to look at the body and found a little girl that was probably Gia or Amelia’s age. She was wearing a little purple nightgown with a unicorn on the front. The unicorn was running down a rainbow.

  I looked at the happy pajamas and then I looked into the face of the little girl that was in them. She was no longer an innocent little girl. The Z-strain had turned her into a monster and the bullet that had been shot through her skull destroyed the top left half of her head, making her now, completely lifeless.

  I felt my breakfast churning in my stomach and I now regretted eating at all. I quickly ripped my gas mask off and the foul smell of the infected hit me like a brick wall.

  I ran into the woods and began throwing up everything I had in me, and then some. Chris ran over to check on me and I tried to wave him away.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. The smell got to me, is all.”

  “We can finish if you need. Go get some water and catch your breath.”

  “Thanks, I might need to do that. I don’t know if I can look at them much longer.”

  “Are you sure it was just the smell and not the little girl that got to you?”

  “Chris... this just feels like it’s all my fault still. Before you start in on me again I know it isn’t, but it still feels like it is, and I can’t help that.”

  “I know. You’re a strong and caring woman, Abby. I’d be worried if you couldn’t drag away the body of a small child without it affecting you. Take some time. The woods are pretty clear but stay close, please and let me know if you need anything... anything.”

  “Thanks, Chris. I will. I just need to collect myself and I’ll be okay. I’ll stay close. Believe me, when I say I do not want to meet up with a horde like that without at least the Jeep to protect me.”

  I grabbed a bottle of water from the truck and took a few rinses before I swallowed any of it. I gave Tom a quick wave as I walked into the tree line. I walked far enough away that I could not hear or smell the cleanup that was going on, but I could still see my friends.

  I leaned against a tree and took some deep breaths. I had my eyes closed, but I was listening to everything that was going on around me. I heard the birds chirping and squirrels rustling around in the leaves like it was just another beautiful late spring day.

  To the animals of this forest, that’s all it was.

  For me, it was a different kind of day. I felt my humanity slip just a little further away, as I closed my eyes again and all I could see was the hazy, white, sunken eyes of the little girl…those eyes and her dirty stuffed unicorn.

  I began to cry and then I wept. I had no control over what came out of me, but it felt good to cry. I heard a noise behind me and stood up straight, reaching for my gun but stood still, so I could listen harder. I heard a twig snap behind me and just as I was palming my gun, my hands were seized, some kind of cloth was shoved in my mouth, and a bag was thrown over my head.

  “Hello, Abby. It’s a pleasure to finally meet the wife of the late, great, Jack Norrington. Let’s leave your friends to the cleanup, while we go have some fun getting to know each other.”Said a very raspy voice, in something just over a whisper.

  I tried to kick and scream but the cloth in my mouth muffled my attempts and my feet were quickly secured as I was thrown over someone's shoulder. I guessed it was the man that spoke to me, but I couldn’t be sure as I now heard the quiet footfalls of a number of other people. It sounded like at least four, maybe five.

  I began to really panic as I realized what four men I could be dealing with, who knew who I was, and started to fight harder.

  I felt a sharp pain in the side of my head just above my ear. I registered some quiet laughter and then it was lights out for me.

  Chapter 17

  I woke up with the bag still over my head and the cloth still in my mouth.

  It was an uncomfortable feeling.

  It was hard to swallow and I couldn’t see anything.

  Plus, I was dizzy and disoriented.

  I figured whatever I was hit with caught me right in the temple and might have done some real damage.

  I tried pulling on my hands and feet but I was tied. My hands were above my head, I was clutching something metal and my hands were tied tightly with very coarse rope. My shoes and socks were off and each foot was tied to something. I was lying on my back and my legs were spread wide. It hurt to pull against my restraints. Every time I tried to move my legs I felt the insides of my thighs pull tightly like I was trying to do a split and I definitely can’t do one.

  This was not a good position to be tied up in. I didn’t want to think about what these men had planned for me, tied up like this.

  I heard a deep chuckle from across the room and the scrape of metal, like someone had pushed a chair out.

  Then, I heard the heavy footsteps of large boots coming towards me.

  The hood was pulled off of my face and the cloth was ripped from my mouth.

  It took a few seconds to adjust to the low light and to get some saliva back to my painfully dry mouth.

  I tried to look around, but what little light there was in the room was pointing right at me, so I couldn’t see much of anything or anyone around me.

  It was extremely frightening to not be able to tell who, or how many people were around me. I could have been surrounded by infected, for all I knew.

  “Would you like some water, Mrs. Norrington? I know the sock must have made your mouth pretty dry.”

  “Who are you and what do you want?”I said with as much anger as I could muster, with my head spinning and my mouth dry.

  �
�Well there, boys, I guess we got a woman who likes to just get right down to it. No foreplay for you, huh? I guess I can see that coming from Jack’s old lady. I bet he was as cold as a cucumber in the sack and probably just as pleasing, with his limp dick.”

  There was laughter from men I couldn’t see. With my head spinning like it was, they seemed to be all around me. I was happy to still feel I had my t-shirt and jeans on but I wasn’t sure, with how this guy was talking and how the others were laughing, how long that was going to last.

  “Never mind, I don’t care about who you are anymore since I know you’re the low life pieces of shit that used to work with my husband doing the government's dirty work. Let’s cut the theatrical shit and get down to it. What do you want from me?”I figured trying to show no fear would have gotten me further with this group since I had known them to victimize helpless women and girls in the past.

  “Oh, sweetheart, you are sorely mistaken. Yes, we’re old buddies of your husband, but there’s nothing we want from you. It is more of what you are going to want from us and what you are going to do to get it. You see, we know where your little cabin is and with Chris and most of the big boys busy looking for our buddy, Jake, and now you, we’re going to take the cabin by force... if necessary.”

  “No! You can’t hurt my kids and all of those innocent people!”

  “Well, darlin’that part’s up to you. Here’s the deal. We are going to take you back to the cabin and you are going to let us come in with you. You’re going to tell everyone inside that Chris and the others didn’t make it, but that you found us to take care of you all and keep you safe. Then, you’re going to be a good little mommy and pretend that everything’s hunky-dory. If you do this, I promise no one will get hurt. On my soldier’s honor, I promise.”

  “Soldiers honor? Are you fucking kidding me? After what I’ve heard of you and your little platoon here, I would never trust you! Especially with the lives of my family and other peopleI care about. You can just go fuck yourself.”

  “What a potty mouth this one has on her. What do you think we should do to help her clean it up, Ben?”

  “I think we should rinse it out nice and good.”A huge dark shadow blocked out one of the lights. I figured it was this Ben guy that started coming closer. I couldn’t tell what he had but his arm was raised high above me when he got to my side. I tried to struggle but I was tied so tightly that every move I made caused unbearable pain.

  Then, the ice-cold water hit me right in the face. It kept coming and I tried to rock my face to catch some air but the water was all around my head. I felt as if I was drowning and then it stopped.

  I coughed up as much water as I could, but being on my back, it was difficult to get it all out. At that moment, I felt as if I was going to die.

  My children’s faces laughing and having fun together flashed in my brain and then I felt I was being lifted on my side. The entire bed I was tied to was raised and someone hit me hard in the chest. I coughed up the rest of the water and the bed or whatever I was tied to was put back down.

  “So, darlin’is your mouth clean enough? I would hate for Ben to have to do that again. He likes to get carried away and sometimes he doesn’t stop when he should.”

  I coughed and rasped through my words but I got them out.

  “You’re going to have to kill me... I will never... help you.”I spit as hard as I could in the direction the voice was coming from and from his reaction I hit my target.

  “You fucking bitch! I offer you a way to save what family you have left along with your friends and you spit in my face. You will learn to have some respect for my men and me, or you’ll pay dearly. Ryan cut her pants and shirt off. I want to show our little pistol here what kind of pain she’s going to feel, should she not go along with our plan.”

  It didn’t matter what pain I felt. I was fighting these men. I tried to kick and scream but all I got was the sock back in my mouth. My clothes were cut off and thanks to my fighting, I got clipped with the knife that was used to remove them a couple of times.

  “I think we should be formally introduced before we get to the fun stuff. Ben, can you get the lights please?”

  The lights were one by one turned to face the ground and I could finally see the room and the men that shared it with me.

  It looked like an old basement. The floor was cement and there was only one window, high up on the wall. I saw the stairs, that I assumed led up to the house, and one of those big slanted metal doors that led outside.

  I also saw four large men in dark fatigues with huge smiles on their faces. They were truly enjoying torturing me.

  There was no way I could let these men anywhere near my family. I closed my eyes and promised myself that either all of these men would die here or I would die trying to make that happen.

  “I am Liam Huntington. I’m the captain and I will lead your little ragtag group of survivors at the cabin when we get there. This here is my second in command, Benjamin Jackson. Over there is Ryan Owens, my weapons and explosives expert. He’s going to have some fun making you want to work with us. Last, but certainly not least, is Carson Whitmore, my technical specialist. He just loves all the little gadgetry in your watch. He was even happier to take it apart and destroy the GPS chip in it.”He laughed again, making my skin crawl.“Aw, I’m sorry, sweetie. Did I just crush your hopes of being rescued? Sorry pumpkin, not going to happen.”

  His words almost crushed me. I hadn't really thought about it, but it would have been nice if they didn’t find the watch at all, but then, I remembered they took most of my clothes and everything else I had on me, why wouldn’t they have taken my watch?

  Yet, I still held out hope that we were close enough to the address Jake said he was at, so Chris could come looking for me. I just had to stay alive long enough for that to happen.

  I motioned my head in a manner that portrayed I was ready to talk and Liam removed the sock.

  “Okay. I’ll do what you ask. I’ll take you to the cabin like you said.”Tears were streaming down the side of my face because with the look in this man’s eyes, I realized I was not going to get out of this in one piece, no matter how much bullshit I fed him.

  “Oh, don’t cry. It’ll all be okay, just like I said. If you do this for me, no one will get hurt. I must ask, though, why the quick turn around? Did you think we wouldn’t find your tracking device?”

  “I just want to keep my family safe. That’s all.”

  “Sure you do. We’ll still have to show you a little preview of what’s to come if you decide that you’re going to try and cross us, though. You do know that, right? We’ll call it a lesson. Like I said, you have to be taught some respect.”With those words Ryan came back with his knife and started slowly dragging it up my leg, towards my face, and around my neck.

  “Remember what I said, Ryan. You can’t cut up her face. If you do, the people at the cabin will suspect something. Make sure you keep your lessons where no one will see them. Oh, and put the sock back in her mouth. I don’t want her screams to attract any zombies that may be in the woods. The ones her friends didn’t already take care of for us, that is!”He said with a laugh and a huge smile as he turned and left.

  The other two followed him up the stairs, leaving me alone with the terrifying Ryan and his knives, which I saw were laid out very nicely on a black cloth, that looked like it was made of velvet.

  Ryan walked around the bed a few times, tapping his huge bowie knife on the metal bed frame as he went. The second lap around the bed, he put all of the lights back up, so they were shining in my face and I could no longer see him unless he passed in front of them.

  “I don’t want you to know I’m coming. It will add to the suspense and thrill of it all.”He said as if he was reading my mind.

  “You are a sick fuck; you know that?”

  “Yes. We are who we are. I don’t question that. I also know that I’m going to have a lot of fun with you. Don’t worry, though, I’ll listen to Liam
and make sure that pretty face of yours is safe.”

  Ryan sat on a metal chair with one of the lights behind him and began to hum and sharpen his knife. He swiped his knife up and down to the beat of his humming as I prepared myself for what was to come.

  He moved the chair a little closer to me and then began to sharpen again. He did this until he was right next to me, where I could smell his rank breath. He continued to hum, louder now, as he dragged the knife up from my hip and into my armpit. He went up and down and pushed a little harder with each pass. He was using the back of his knife to toy with me and it was working.

  He didn’t put the sock back in my mouth like Liam had said, but he leaned in close to my face, keeping his eyes locked with mine. He looked like he knew I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of screaming if I could help it.

  He smiled, backed away from my face and twirled the knife in his palm so that now the blade was facing my skin. He wiped the blade with a cloth and touched the tip to my hip. That was when I felt it pierce my skin.

  He dragged the knife up the same path he had before, but slower.

  His humming was loud now. It felt like a scalpel, burning through my flesh, so I closed my eyes to muster all the strength I had left, refusing to make a noise.

  I heard a quiet whoosh of air and Ryan’s humming, as well as the burning, suddenly stopped.

  I opened my eyes and saw nothing but the light in my eyes. Ryan was no longer in his chair, that much I was sure of, but since I couldn't see him, I had no idea where he had gone.

  That, in a way, was far worse than the scorch of the knife or his damn humming.

  I closed my eyes again, just waiting for him to start cutting in another spot on my body like he promised he would.

  Instead, I felt a warm hand caress the side of my face as my hands and feet were cut free.

  Confused, I opened my eyes and there was Chris, Tom, and Reed.

  Chris wrapped me in a blanket as Tom walked quietly to the stairs, leading to the house.