Just when I’d begun to grow tired of festering in my anger and sadness, Trevor returned from planting the supplies, making sure he stayed far away from the zombies on his return. “You guys ready?”
“Course we are, boss. Where’d you put them this time?” Ulysses asked.
“You and your team will have to find that out yourselves,” Trevor replied. “I’m going to find a tree to get nice and comfortable. I’ll be watching your video feeds on my tablet and listening in to your radio communications. Try not to get yourselves killed?”
“No promises,” Ulysses said, and I could’ve sworn he gave a sideways glance to me. It could’ve been something I was just projecting onto him, but if he’d really done that, it wouldn’t have surprised me. “Let’s go.”
Ulysses and Victor crouched slightly and began quickly making their way to Fields, their guns raised, scanning the area. Cody and I got behind them and began doing the same. Knowing Trevor would be watching our progress made me feel strange, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. Then it hit me. I realized that I was actually a little bit worried I would disappoint him. I tried to shake those thoughts from my mind. I convinced myself that I wasn’t worried I would disappoint him; I was scared that I wasn’t going to impress him enough to gain his trust. I told myself there was a difference.
We reached the road that skirted the outside of Fields, and the familiar sound of zombies brought me back to reality. Ulysses led us across the parking lot of a laundromat. Victor opened the door, and Ulysses and Cody entered the building with their guns raised, quickly scanning the area for any signs of hostiles.
It was something I’d done many times, but when I entered the room and did my own scan, I couldn’t help but feel I was out of place. Ulysses, Victor, Cody, and Trevor were a team that had worked and trained together for a long time. Now I was shoehorning myself in, and I had no idea what their normal operating procedures were. I didn’t know their formations or anything. I guess that was the point of this exercise, and I was glad Trevor wasn’t wasting his time, but I still felt out of place. I knew enough to know that if the team wasn’t gelling properly on the outside and when the threats were real, that was when people got taken out.
I found myself thinking back to the last time I went out with Ashley, when she got killed by the Roves. She was off ever since we’d rescued her from being a slave. Not paying attention and walking out into the open was what got her killed. I never should’ve let her go out there with us until she was at one hundred percent, but she did, and now she was dead.
I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that—in this squad—I was the Ashley. I wasn’t at one hundred percent, and I could only hope that seventy-five percent would be enough to see me out of this alive.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Miles
I stood outside the door of a convenience store a few blocks into Fields. I was keeping guard with Cody, while Ulysses and Victor searched inside for supplies.
“You come out here often?” I asked, trying to pass the time.
“We’re supposed to be keeping guard, not making small talk,” Cody said.
I looked around. There was nothing but abandoned buildings and shells of cars. No zombies, atras, Xenomortises. Nothing. Everything was quiet, and it seemed it would stay that way. “Doesn’t look like there’s going to be any problems,” I said.
Cody sighed and gave me a glance from the corner of his eye. “Yeah, once or twice a week. Just to make sure no zombies breached the perimeter, or shit like this.” He gestured with his head at the convenience store behind us.
“You get along with those guys?” I asked.
Cody shrugged. “Well enough, I guess. It can be a bit of a circle jerk with Ulysses, Victor, and Trevor sometimes, but it doesn’t really bother me. Just nice to be able to get some fresh air.”
“I agree with that,” I said. “The air in the bunker feels so artifi—”
“We got it!” Ulysses shouted from inside the store, interrupting me.
“Sweet! Let’s get outta here!” Cody shouted back at them.
Ulysses and Victor walked out with their backpacks filled with supplies. Ulysses got down in front of the small camera that was attached to the pocket on the chest of Cody’s shirt. “Got the supplies, sir,” he said to Trevor. “We’ll meet up where we left off at.” Ulysses stood up straight.
“Actually,” Trevor said, his voice coming from a speaker in the camera, “it looks like you guys have some company behind Miles.”
My hair stood on end as I turned around to see what he was talking about. The horde from the gas station earlier must’ve found their way deeper into town, because a group of fifteen zombies emerged from around a building across the street.
“All right, Victor, far right. Cody, take the right sector, I’ll take left, and Miles, you take the far left,” Ulysses said. He grabbed a handful of my shirt. “You’d better not get in my way.”
My reflexes took over and I slammed the butt of my gun into Ulysses. He stumbled back, and caught himself on the convenience store window. He was surprised by my outburst, but he shouldn’t have been. He should’ve known that grabbing me like that would have consequences.
I was fuming. Anger clouded my judgment. My stomach felt like hot lead, turning over and over. I turned around and pulled my gun up to my shoulder. I began firing into the crowd of zombies in bursts, my rage and need to prove myself helping me aim. It was time for me to show Ulysses who he was messing with. It was time for me to show him that I knew what I was doing. It was time for me to show him that he was no better than the dirt beneath my boots.
My gun clicked as I ran out of bullets. Without stopping, I reloaded my gun. I was still walking forward and began firing into the crowd again. Zombies fell left and right, and with each head that exploded, I felt a little bit better. I could just imagine the looks on the faces of the phonies behind me. There were three left, and after two bursts, only one remained.
I put my assault rifle down, and pulled my pistol from the holster at my side. The last zombie was completely naked. He gave a halfhearted lunge for me, but I sidestepped him easily. I got behind him and grabbed a fistful of his hair. I began walking forward with him, over to Ulysses and the rest of the guys, who were staring at me with eyes wide. They had no idea what I was doing, but they began backing up as I walked toward them.
The zombie was unaware that I was behind him, of course. As soon as I was out of sight all he cared about were the fresh meals in front of him. I just kept a grip on him to make sure I was leading him the right way.
It was time for me to show Ulysses who was boss. I stared straight at him, and everything faded away. He had no idea what I’d been through. The people I loved who died. That I had to watch die. He was some spoiled brat who thought it was fun to go outside. Who thought it was cool. He thought he was some sort of badass. There were no badasses anymore. There were just people better at surviving than others.
I reached Ulysses, vaguely aware of Victor and Cody who stood a few feet behind him. Ulysses stood his ground, trying to act tough.
But then I shoved the zombie in his face. Ulysses backed up, but I took a step forward. The zombie snapped its teeth, wanting more than anything to sink its teeth into Ulysses’ flesh. Its arms were outstretched, swinging back and forth, trying to grab Ulysses and pull him close.
“That’s enough, Miles,” he said, looking from the zombie to me. “That’s enough!” he shouted.
I still walked forward, keeping the zombie’s outstretched hands just a few feet from Ulysses’ face.
Ulysses continued to stumble backward, until he tripped and fell to the ground. When he did that, fear filled his eyes as he realized that he might not be able to get out of the way in time.
I shoved the zombie downward, keeping a tight hold, but now it was closer to Ulysses’s face than ever. He stopped moving, paralyzed by fear. “Will you ever grab me like that again, Ulysses?” I asked in a calm voice.
Ulysses looked from the zombie to me. He shook his head. “No, I won’t. Just get that thing out of my face.”
I pushed the zombie in closer, and Ulysses let out a whimper.
“Cut that shit out!” he yelled.
“Tell me you’re sorry,” I said.
“I’m sorry!”
“What are you sorry for?!” I shouted. The zombie got an inch closer.
“For grabbing you, man! I’m sorry!”
“No, tell me you’re sorry that you thought you were better than me. Tell me you’re sorry for thinking that a self-entitled prick like yourself was better than someone who lives on the outside, fighting for their lives and the lives of the ones they love every singly day. Tell me you’re sorry!” I shouted.
“I’m sorry for all of that! I don’t know what I was thinking! I’m sorry!” Ulysses shouted.
I threw the zombie to the side, holstered my gun, and stomped on the zombie’s head, killing it. I looked at Ulysses, Victor, and Cody who all stared at me with terrified faces. I became vaguely aware of tears rolling down my cheek. I wiped them off with the back of my hand.
“Well?” I said, looking at them. They said nothing. “Let’s go meet up with Trevor.”
I turned around and began walking back to where we came. I felt strange. Almost sick to my stomach. I had no idea what had come over me, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it. I’d lost control , and it scared me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I walked. I wished I had someone I could talk to. Someone to whom I could explain what just happened, and who wouldn’t judge me. Someone who would try and understand, and be there for me. Someone to listen. All I wanted was to just talk to someone.
All I wanted was Ashley.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ira
Ira’s eyes shot around the room, trying to take in the whole situation. Andrew said that the people were harmless, as long as she didn’t suggest anything to them like she ’did with Darren. Apparently, they were really susceptible to suggestion, which frightened Ira. She didn’t want to slip up again, so she just kept her mouth shut.
She sat in one of the larger living areas where people lounged around reading books and talking.
She watched a young man with ginger hair read a book. What struck her as odd, though, was that he didn’t seem to be reading the book at all. He’d been staring with glazed-over eyes at the same page in the book for fifteen minutes, never turning it. Ira would glance over at him every once in a while, and he was frozen in the same spot, having never turned a page.
The whole situation made Ira feel uneasy. She wasn’t even sure if she should feel too guilty about Darren shooting Bethany. Of course, she did a little, but everybody who lived in Jefferson Memorial seemed like they were sleepwalking.
Andrew came in the room, and Ira’s heart leapt with joy. He told her to act “normal”—as in, like everybody else at Jefferson—so Ira couldn’t jump up and run out of the room with him. She wanted to, though. She wanted to get out of the creepy room with the people who didn’t seem human. She wanted to leave Jefferson Memorial and everything in it behind. She didn’t care about redeeming herself anymore. She just wanted to get to a place where she could try and be normal.
“Hey, Ira,” Andrew said as he came and stood by the chair Ira sat in.
“Hello, Andrew,” she said. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, nothing,” he said.
Ira began to realize that Andrew was sweating, and his cheeks were flushed, as if he just ran around the block. “Is everything okay?”
“I think you should come with me. Right now,” he said as calm as he could.
Ira didn’t like the sound of that. It didn’t seem like they were about to do the running away that she wished they would.
Ira stood and followed Andrew out of the room. He led her down the narrow hallway that once held offices but now were retrofitted into tiny bedrooms. They reached the back door and exited the building.
The mid-afternoon heat from the sun beat down Ira as Andrew led her to the stairs that led to the large wall that surrounded Jefferson Memorial.
“Andrew, what’s going on?” Ira asked as the ascended the steps.
“Just hurry up, okay?” Andrew said.
Ira noted the fear in his voice and started taking the steps two at a time.
They reached the top and were standing on the platform that went around the length of the Wall.
“Look,” Andrew said, pointing to a building that was a about a hundred yards away.
Standing at the edge of the building’s shadow was the most horrifying creature Ira had ever seen. It was black and shiny like it was covered in ink. It looked wet, and Ira began to wonder if it might actually be covered in ink.
Her body went cold as her hair stood on end. She tried to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat. Her eyes stared directly at the creature, and she could almost feel it staring back. It just stood there, watching.
“That’s what attacked us,” Andrew said. “I saw it while I was keeping watch up here. A whole group of those things came, killed everybody, and left those human shells behind.”
Ira still couldn’t find the words to speak. Her legs felt weak, and she thought she might throw up.
The creature moved closer. Ira fought back the urge to scream. She looked up and saw that a cloud was moving over the creature, allowing it to move.
“It’s staying in the darkness,” she said.
“Oh shit,” Andrew said.
Ira saw it too. The cloud was coming right for Jefferson Memorial, bringing the ink-creature with it.
“Run to the vault!” Andrew shouted.
Ira turned and ran down the stairs, trying her best not to trip. Andrew was right on her heels. The two of them ran across the yard, past people of Jefferson Memorial, who stopped what they were doing to stare at them.
Ira barreled through the back door and ran down the hallway. The windows got dark. The cloud was directly overhead.
She pushed herself to run faster as she maneuvered through the tight hallways. She turned a corner and saw the vault door up ahead. She looked behind her and saw Andrew running close behind. She looked past him, and coming right around the corner was the ink-creature.
The sudden attack of terror almost brought Ira to a halt. The creature ran on all four of its thick, black appendages. It let out a noise that sounded like a hiss and a roar. The sounds echoed down the hallway, filling Ira with dread.
She crossed the threshold and entered the vault. Andrew ran in right behind her, and the two of them shut the vault door as fast as they could. As soon as they pulled it shut, there was a thud from the other side as the creature slammed into it, followed by another of its roars.
Ira and Andrew pulled on the handles as hard as they could. She doubted the creature would have the know-how to pull the door open, but she had nothing to base that assumption on. She had no idea what that creature was capable of, and she was perfectly okay with never having to find out.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Daniel
Daniel got into the front seat of the truck and started it up. The engine roared to life, and a Taylor Swift album started playing. Daniel turned the CD player off.
“Jorge’s what my niece would call a ‘Swiftie,’” Ron said from the passenger’s seat with a chuckle.
“You can’t deny her mass appeal,” Mike said, leaning into the front seat from his position in the back.
Daniel said nothing. He put the car in drive and drove out of Riven. The three of them drove in silence for a few miles before Ron spoke up.
“So, Daniel. Mike and I…well we’re just, uh,” Ron began.
“We’re really sorry, man,” Mike said. “We didn’t mean to leave you behind.”
“Yeah, we didn’t, honest,” Ron said, nodded in agreement. “We thought you’d be right behind us. We didn’t think you’d stay behind either. We tried to get Jorge to wait, but those Roves stuck
around, so we just couldn’t.”
“Don’t worry about it, guys,” Daniel said. “I’m cool with you two. It’s Jorge I have a problem with.”
“Oh, us too, man,” Ron said.
“ We never trusted Jorge, no sir,” Mike said in agreement.
“Yeah, always something off about him. Something in his head not wired right or something.”
“You guys ever find out anything about what he’s hiding?” Daniel asked.
“You think he’s hiding something?” Mike asked.
“Of course he is, Mike,” Ron said.
Daniel sighed. He was already getting annoyed by Ron and Mike’s banter. “I don’t know. Just seems like he is. But I guess we all have our secrets, right?”
“Nah, Ron and I know everything about each other,” Mike said.
Daniel had to fight hard to hold back a groan. It was going to be a long ride to Jefferson Memorial.
*
Daniel drove along. Everyone in the car was silent. They all kept their eyes on the road, having quickly grown tired of conversation. Daniel forgot how much he enjoyed driving. He cruised down the road, almost in a trance. He was deep in thought, the hum of the truck relaxing him.
He almost didn’t see the large truck up ahead, stopped in the middle of the road.
Daniel slammed on his brakes, causing everything in the truck to fly forward. The tires skidded across the road, and the truck eventually came to a screeching halt.
The hood of the truck was open, and standing all around it were the people Daniel saw the day before at Brinn. They were all Roves.
In a split-second, Daniel found himself looking down the barrels of six guns.
“Get out of the truck right now!” one of the Roves screamed.
“Dammit,” Daniel said beneath his breath. He raised his hands.
“What are you doing?” Ron asked in a frenzy.
“You see all them out there? You see those guns? We’re outnumbered. Just do way they say and keep quiet. I’ll try and handle this,” Daniel told him.
Retaliation: The Mortis Desolation, Book Two Page 10
