Zombified (Book 1): The Head Hunter

by Sowder, Kindra

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” the older Rev taunted.

  She watched in pure terror as nothing moved around the orchard, not even one of the few remaining squirrels that she knew lived in the trees. She had had to rustle them from their homes just to pick the fruit and avoid being bitten. Her breathing stopped and she held it, straining her ears for the sound of their boots in the grass. Nothing. No noise. No movement. When she still didn’t hear anything after a few fear-stricken moments, she moved silently and slowly from her hiding place, looking both ways every few seconds to ensure there was no one there waiting for her. Determining there was no one, she stood fully upright and held her gun down at her side with the safety still switched off.

  In an instant, she was greeted with the smell of death and an unfriendly hiss from right beside her right ear. Without hesitation, she turned and pulled the trigger, not even certain she had hit her mark.

  ***

  The gunshot rang through the silence, and Misty’s heart stopped beating for all of five seconds as the thought hit her that Jenny could be dead. But what was the reason for any of this? They hadn’t received any answers, but they did know that the Revs were looking for Jenny and they wanted her badly enough to do whatever they had to. Even possibly kill their only food source. The shot was quickly followed by animal howls and high-pitched, female screams.

  Misty moved without thinking.

  “Jenny!” she cried as she moved to the side of the group and toward the gates leading into the Station. She felt Mark and Joshua’s hands attempting to stop her, but she pushed them away.

  “Misty, please,” she heard one of them yell, but she couldn’t tell who.

  She was stopped quickly by the Rev who seemed to be their leader, his pale skin stretched thin over a network of blue veins that even reached up into his light gray eyes. His face was twisted in anger, but most of all, amusement at her attempt to make a difference in the fate of her friend. A strangled gasp left her throat as the Revenant grasped her arms and pulled her close to him, their faces almost touching nose to nose. His breath smelled like a mixture of iron and sweet mint and made her stomach turn, but she held back the bile that threatened to spill over along with the terror.

  “That’s sweet you’re worried about your friend, but you may want to watch your step. I hear us Revs like to rip out the throats of young girls and turn them,” he taunted her.

  Fear licked at her, but she didn’t let it show, staring the monster in front of her down with every ounce of strength she had in her small body. The Revenant sniffed at her and smiled a grim smile filled with a deadly promise.

  “I can smell your fear, human. You may want to keep that under wraps. It only makes your blood taste sweeter,” he purred at her.

  He began to laugh as he pushed away and back toward the crowd, where she felt the rough hands of Joshua and Mark grab her and pull her to what little safety they could offer. Misty stumbled and almost fell even as their hands gripped her arms. Mark steadied her and held her against his chest as Joshua’s hand rested on her lower back. The laughter moved through the air and caressed her as she stood there in Mark’s warmth, fighting off the slight chill.

  The Rev who had teased her, their leader she assumed, shifted his head like he could hear something coming beyond the walls of the Station. She strained her ears to hear whatever it was but she detected nothing, deciding to give up and watch the man’s actions instead. Despite what she thought of him and what he was, there was a certain grace about him that was hard to miss and couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. A quality that Revs seemed to have, but him even more so than the others. The younger they were, the more human attributes they still had. This was the case since the Syc hadn’t yet had the chance to penetrate every part of the person’s being. In a Rev, the Syc wrapped around their heart and transformed their blood. That transformation spread through the blood and then moved throughout the entire body, changing every bodily function as well as the person who had used to be housed inside.

  Another shift and the man sniffed the air, a malicious grin taking residence on his face.

  “Well, well, boys. It’s about time you joined us,” he said as he turned to the now open gate.

  Beyond it, Misty watched three figures walk toward the Station, following the dirt road that lead to the town below. It also forked, one side of it leading straight to the Dead Zone where the monsters were supposed to live. Now some of them were here, and they were searching for Jenny for an unknown reason. And where were the G.O.D. officials who were supposed to guard them and keep them safe? Even the ones working inside instead of outside seemed to be missing. As soon as the thought came to mind, she spotted the officer who had given Jenny the break she needed. Xavier Jackson was his name, and he had helped her friend in a time of need, but she had never once spoken to him on her own. He turned his head slightly and their eyes met, nearly distracting her from the three shapes coming toward them, the light from within the walls flowing over them in a white wash of brightness.

  She turned away from Xavier and back to the approaching forms, the two Revs flanking someone she could barely make out. As they moved closer, Misty saw the figure dressed all in black, brown hair pulled up in a high ponytail, wide brown eyes that gave her terror away even though her body was relaxed and her face showed no other outward signs of the emotions. Her fingers gripped Mark as Jenny came into full view, being corralled by the two Revs the leader of their outfit had sent to look for her. There was nothing she could do. Nothing anyone could do, for that matter, and even though she knew she should at least try, she couldn’t move. Not just because she was frozen to the spot, but because both men were holding onto her. Their muscles were tense as adrenaline moved through them and they flexed involuntarily to ready themselves for action, if it was needed.

  “Look what the cat dragged in,” the Rev said with that deep, demonic voice older Revs were known for. The depth of his inflection alerted her to the fact that he could have very well been one of the first Revenants made. If not the first.

  Jenny looked confused as she stared at him, her brows furrowed and her lips turned down into a frown as she struggled to recognize the man. From what Misty saw she could tell she had no idea who this man was, but that they were all about to learn. The Revs at Jenny’s sides jerked her slightly and forced her to her knees. She fell to the ground with a pained grunt, but didn’t give anything else away in an effort to look strong. ‘Saving face’ as they used to say before the apocalypse. Her brown eyes turned up to him and, as Misty watched in awe, Jenny gained her voice.

  “Who are you? And what do you want with me?” she demanded. It was almost brazen enough to earn a backhanded slap from the man before her, but he took a step back and turned in a complete circle so he could make eye contact with every human in the courtyard to intimidate them. And it worked. Misty’s knees shook, and adrenaline from the fear broke her out into a cold sweat.

  The Rev pulled the hood on his jacket back, the moon and lights outside bouncing off his bald head in a shining display of pale flesh and blue-colored veins. He sauntered over to Jenny and leaned down just enough to be eye to eye with her.

  “That’s right, I didn’t get to meet you. I only knew your father. Well . . .” He paused and turned around with his arms outstretched as if putting on a show, “let me introduce myself. I am Colonel Jenkins, ex-government peon for Area 51 and father of every Revenant within the beautiful, former U.S. of A.”

  “And what does that have to do with me?” Jenny asked the Rev as she looked up at him.

  Misty watched in horror as the Rev she now knew as Colonel Jenkins turned back to Jenny and slapped her into silence. Her head whipped to the side, but she never reacted besides this. When she turned and Misty could see her face again, she was calm, cool, even collected. No terror in her eyes and no intimidation. She could tell that Jenny had taken the training seriously and that her time in the Dead Zone had truly turned her into the machine she need
ed to be to survive this awful world they had been thrust into.

  Xavier Jackson stepped forward, separating himself from the crowd and putting him in direct line with Colonel Jenkins. “What is it that you want, Revenant? I’m sure that one human being isn’t worth what you are asking for,” he said to Jenkins.

  He was baiting the Rev. Misty could tell as she watched his stance shift and then freeze when Colonel Jenkins turned to look at him. The look on the Rev’s face was one of irritation and awe that a human being wasn’t so terrified of him that he screamed and ran for cover under his stare. No, Xavier was the picture of pure bravery as he stared the man down. As a G.O.D. official in charge of conduct he had come up against violent, even deadly, offenders before and he was not about to back down at the risk of losing Jenny. She had even told them that he had spared her another stint in the Dead Zone for her behavior and now he was risking his life for her. What was it about Jenny that everyone deemed special enough to die for? Misty was genuinely curious and wanted to know now more than ever, but decided that it would be prudent to get through the current situation before she began asking questions.

  “Ah, finally, someone asks what I want,” Colonel Jenkins boasted as he walked toward Xavier.

  He stopped in front of him, and Xavier stood his ground, not even backing up a few steps like most would have. Misty had to give him brownie points for that.

  “I want the Head Hunter, and I have a feeling you ladies and gents at G.O.D. know exactly where he is. So . . . I am offering a deal.”

  With a deep breath, Xavier replied, “We do not negotiate with terrorists, Colonel.”

  There was silence for a moment and then Colonel Jenkins smiled, laughter building in his throat in a deep crescendo. It moved through the air and seemed to touch every human being within the courtyard in a deep, dark place that made them shiver. Misty tried to suppress it but couldn’t, and felt Mark do the same as he wrapped his arms even tighter around her shoulders. Jenkins’s shoulders shook as he chuckled, taking one step back from Xavier as he doubled over with what Misty could best describe as a bout of ‘the giggles.’ It made him seem a little less intimidating but, as he came to stand stick straight after a few moments, his face hardened and turned back into the monster that had invaded their home. His gray eyes met the brown orbs of Xavier, fascination in the exchange rippling through the crowd of those who lived in the Station.

  “Oh, you must have misunderstood me, Officer . . .?”

  “Jackson. Officer Xavier Jackson,” he replied. He never looked away from Jenkins. If anything, his stance and his stare only grew stronger and more resolute the longer they spoke.

  “Officer Jackson,” Jenkins repeated as he nodded. “See, this is not a negotiation. I do not negotiate. I give orders and I expect them to be followed, especially if you want to see this beautiful young woman alive again. And you want the Station to survive.”

  He pointed at Jenny without turning to look at her, keeping his eyes fixed on Xavier in front of him. Xavier looked at Jenny and she stared back at him, the fear finally registering on her face with wide eyes and parted lips.

  “The Head Hunter is a myth, Rev. You’d probably want to remember that,” Xavier pushed.

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Of course, some of you thought we were, too, until someone saw us, so you do as I say or she dies. Is that something you can understand, Officer?” Jenkins said the last word grudgingly, jabbing a finger into the center of Xavier’s chest in an attempt to exert power over the man, but Misty couldn’t tell if it was working or not.

  Xavier was immovable and unstoppable when it came to the things he wanted. She had heard such things about him before that moment. But she wasn’t certain that he could stand up to the Revenant before him.

  “And to make sure my message gets through crystal clear,” he said with a snap of his fingers, “bring me the friend.”

  Misty immediately realized what he had just said and wanted to run with everything she had, but she remained frozen in place as Mark and Joshua attempted to get in between the Revs who came for her. Plus, if she had tried to flee, she wouldn’t have made it far, and everyone knew it. The Revs easily moved both men out of the way and gripped her arms to drag her to Jenkins. She tried to resist, a cry leaving her throat in unison with Jenny screaming to leave her alone. So many voices shouted in her defense, yet she knew none of them would make a difference. Tears streamed down her face despite all the training they had been given in consideration of situations like this, but it didn’t matter. She knew she was about to die. The Revs placed her between Xavier and the Colonel, both men towering over her as she faced the Revenant who she was certain was going to be the last thing she ever saw.

  His lips curled into a snarl and an animal growl left his lips before he struck, biting Misty. Stinging agony moved through her entire body as his sharp eye teeth penetrated her skin, injecting the Syc parasite into her bloodstream. She cried out in pain and her knees gave out, but the colonel’s arms came around her to hold her up and in place. And, just as soon as the strike had come, it was gone. With one delicate hand, the colonel moved her red hair away from her ear, and she almost couldn’t hear what he said underneath the screams that struck the air around her with ferocity. Blazing fire began to flow through her veins as he whispered to her.

  “You will be my eyes and ears in here, girl. Welcome to my side of the war,” he whispered directly into her ear, his breath chilled on her skin and the smell of her blood filtering through her nostrils.

  He dropped her to the ground at Xavier’s feet and the last thing she saw before the fire eating the inside of her veins carried her into darkness was Jenny, screaming and reaching out for her in the night.

  “You kill the girl, I kill Miss Meldano. If you don’t produce the Head Hunter, I’ll be back and none of you will make it out of these walls,” Jenkins threatened as he walked away from them.

  Chapter 13

  Memphis, Tennessee

  July 2027

  Government of Defense Headquarters

  “What have we found out?” Colonel Tann asked as he moved toward the front of the control center located within G. O. D. Headquarters where the best and brightest were housed.

  The control center was a large room filled with computer stations and those who controlled them, and a massive screen projected onto the far wall where transmissions came in when needed. At that point, there had been no interaction with any of the Stations, each of them going dark within days of each other. The colonel had asked his question to the three people sitting in the front row, speaking amongst themselves when he came in. Blue letters flashed on a black screen, with images and satellite readouts on the others.

  The dark-skinned woman adjusted her glasses on her nose, pushing them back from the elegantly pointed tip, and replied, “Oh, Colonel. We have been able to make one connection, and this is based on careful deduction and not anything we have been able to find out from our search through their systems or the satellite uptake.”

  “Okay, and what is that?” Colonel Tann probed as he leaned against the row of desks behind the three.

  Colonel Tann was a patient man, but there was only so far that that patience took him when it came to what was left of humanity as he knew it. They had not had an episode where a Station went dark in years, and the person who had been in charge of that Station was let go. And not in the traditional sense of the word. G.O.D. took security seriously, so when you messed up, you were dealt with permanently.

  The man with curly brown hair spoke up next, looking the colonel directly in the eye as he spoke instead of looking away like most people did.

  “Well, we have been able to deduce that the Revenants are responsible, but we can’t say how or why.”

  Colonel Tann crossed his arms over his chest. “And how can we assume it’s them?”

  The other man didn’t say a word, just typed away on the computer in the form of code that the colonel didn’t understand. All the blu
e letters and numbers looked like a foreign language to him, and they may as well have been speaking Japanese.

  “It is an easy conclusion to come to, Colonel Tann,” the woman replied as she turned in her chair to speak to him directly. “The Revenants have been an issue since day one. Everyone knows that. Jenkins is the one in charge of them, correct? He pulls all the strings?”

  Tann nodded and looked her square in her hazel eyes.

  “Yes, he does.”

  “And he was the first Revenant turned with the ‘Faith’ serum created by Meldano and since Area 51 created the Government of Defense after the meteorite shower and the spread, it would only make sense that this is the moment Jenkins chose to make his move. I just couldn’t begin to tell you what his goal is, sir.”

  “And, make due to remember that Meldano is the reason we have the Shadows and the Barbarians. His blood is the key to what we are trying to do here at the Government of Defense. I sure hope they aren’t after him or we’re screwed.”

  Tann turned away from all of them and walked away.

  “Do what you can to figure it out, gentlemen. We’re sending an official in to check up on them, and we need the answers before they get there,” he called over his shoulder to them.

  “Yes, Colonel,” all three of them said at once.

  ***

  Near the Kentucky Dam

  July 2027

  Station 4 – The Next Morning

  Joshua followed Mark outside as they walked out into the courtyard of Station Four. Everything seemed dull without Jenny or Misty there. With Jenny in the hands of the Revs, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He had grown quite fond of her over their time together, not only becoming close friends, but he had developed feelings that he was confident she had, as well. Misty had been locked in a containment room after being bitten by Jenkins, being deemed too dangerous to keep in the general population because of the infection that was turning her into one of those monsters herself.