Julia opened her eyes and yawned. “Really? We made it?”
“We made it, but you’re gonna want to see this,” Sanchez replied with a grim note in her voice.
“Is it bad,” Julia asked, shifting to an upright position while rubbing her eyes. She was still half asleep, and her movements were sluggish.
“See for yourself,” Sanchez said.
Julia leaned forward between the gap in the front seats and stared at the scene before her. Alvarez hadn’t gone straight into the city. Instead, he’d driven around until he could find a good vantage point, topping out on a rise that offered a good view.
Julia gasped, one hand fluttering to her chest. “Is that Washington?”
“Yup. What’s left of it anyway,” Alvarez said.
Smoke rose above the city in a thick cloud, forming a charcoal blanket across the rooftops. In the early morning light, the orange glow of numerous fires were clear to the eye. One skyscraper, in particular, formed a pillar of flame that reached to the heavens while belching out more pollution.
“Is that a plane?” Julia asked, pointing to a strange structure that stuck out of the side of the burning skyscraper, its tail, and one wing visible through the smoke.
“Looks like it,” Alvarez said.
Julia looked from him to Sanchez. “What now? Do we go in?”
“What’s the point? There is nothing left,” Sanchez said.
“She’s right,” Alvarez agreed.
“But…what about the safe zone? We need to take back help…soldiers,” Julia protested, unwilling to admit what the others already knew. It was a futile endeavor.
“The mission is over. We’ve failed,” Alvarez said with a note of finality. The decision was made. “It’s just us now. We have to return and do what we can, even if it’s not enough to save everyone.”
“No! Can’t we take a closer look? Maybe there’s something left. Someone,” Julia insisted.
Without answering, Alvarez handed her his binoculars. “Look at the streets.”
Julia took the proffered binoculars and pressed them to her eyes. She instantly wished she hadn’t. The powerful lenses brought the destruction of the once magnificent city right up close until she felt like she could reach out and touch it.
The streets teamed with infected. She could tell it was zombies by the way they moved. Not a single living soul was in sight. Car wrecks, rubble, and bodies littered the streets. Storefronts were smashed, and glass fragments created a carpet of glittering diamonds in the pale light of morning. A cat ducked into an alleyway, chased by a knot of hungry infected. She hoped it got away.
Slowly, Julia lowered the binoculars, swallowing hard on the painful lump in her throat. “There has to be survivors. Government. Soldiers.” Her words were hollow, though, and without any real hope.
Alvarez nodded. “It’s possible. Even likely. But, we wouldn’t last five minutes in there.”
Sanchez shook her head. “It’s over, Julia. Admit it.”
“I guess so.” With a heavy heart, Julia sat back in her seat as Alvarez fired up the engine again and drove away. All their hopes had been pinned on this place with its promise of salvation. She now realized how naive they’d been. We should’ve known.
She thought about her family. Her parents lived close to the center of the city with her little sister. I’ll never see them again. They’re gone. This whole time, I’d hoped the army would keep them safe while I performed my duties. I was wrong. I should’ve gone to them while I still could. Now, it’s too late.
Unable to help herself, she scooted over to the window and looked again. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she was looking for life. For hope. Any signs of living human beings.
Alvarez and Sanchez left her to it. They knew about her family. Heck, they had family of their own too. All gone now. Their fates unknown but almost one hundred percent certain. It would take a miracle for anyone to survive the chaos going on below them.
As the truck took a turn that would lead them back to Red Rock, Julia spotted movement. A different kind of movement from the jerky figures of zombies milling about. “Wait. I see something.”
Alvarez stopped abruptly. “What is it?”
“It’s…it’s a convoy. I can see several humvees, a couple of Jeeps, personnel carriers, even a light tank.” Julia jumped up and down in her seat as excitement set in. “There are civilian vehicles in the center too. A whole bunch of them.”
“They must be evacuating survivors,” Alvarez said. “Which way are they going? We can intercept them outside the city.”
With Julia pointing the way, Alvarez took a route that would lead them right to the convoy as they exited Washington. After twenty minutes of frantic maneuvering, they reached a crossroad and halted.
“They’ll be here any minute,” Julia said, unable to keep her voice steady. Was this the answer to their prayers? Maybe not, but she sure hoped so.
Within minutes, the low rumble of numerous engines vibrated through the air. It added to the intensity of Julia’s emotions until she felt like she’d burst out of her skin. The first vehicle, a Jeep, topped over the rise, and Alvarez climbed out. “Wait here.”
Julia wanted to protest, but she understood. He ranked above her, and his army uniform was in better shape than hers. It’d be better for him to approach whoever was in charge of this outfit.
The Jeep slowed to a stop, and the passenger opened to let out a man dressed in army uniform. Several gun barrels were visible, each of them trained on them. She watched as Alvarez and the stranger met in the middle, and a long conversation ensued.
Finally, just when Julia thought she’d explode with impatience, Alvarez returned and climbed back behind the wheel. Without saying a word, he started the engine and continued driving. Behind them, the Jeep followed. So did the rest of the convoy.
Julia fidgeted with the binoculars on her lap until she couldn’t handle it anymore. “And? What did he say? What happened? Where are they headed?”
“They’re following us to Red Rock,” Alvarez said.
“It was that easy? How did you convince them?” Sanchez asked with a look of astonishment on her dusky features.
“It didn’t take much. They’ve got nowhere else to go,” Alvarez said.
“Nowhere else to go? What about the government? Other military bases?” Julia asked.
“There are none. It’s all gone. Fallen. We’re on our own now.” Alvarez didn’t meet her gaze in the rearview mirror, fixing his eyes on the road instead. She noted the way his fingers clenched around the wheel, however. The way his knuckles turned white, and she knew this was it.
“So, it’s over? No more government? No more army?” Julia asked as her body turned numb with shock.
“No more America,” Sanchez said, her face pale and set.
“That’s right. We’re on our own now. It’s up to us to rebuild this country, to take it back from the zombies,” Alvarez said. “And we will do it. We have to.”
“I guess you’re right,” Julia said, but the reality had yet to sink in. It was all too much for her brain to comprehend.
“Oh, and one more thing. They’ve got Major Brown with them.”
“What? Major Brown? That cockroach. If I see him, I’ll strangle him with my bare hands!” Julia exclaimed.
“Relax. They’re not that fond of him either. To them, he’s a nobody. A troublemaker, at best.” Alvarez laughed. “It seemed he thought he could waltz in and take over. But to the army, he’s just another politician. Not even his position in the National Guard can change that.”
“Huh. He’s a lot more than that.”
“I know, and I’ll make sure they learn of his crimes in due time, but for now, we need to focus on getting back. For all we know, Red Rock might be the last big hold-out for survivors in the entire country.”
“Yeah, we’d better hurry too. Who knows how bad things are in the safe zone. They must be running low on supplies by now,” Sanchez added.
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Everything they said was true, but Julia couldn’t let go of the fact that Major Brown was still alive. Of all the rotten luck. I’d hoped a zombie got him along the way. As if this day couldn’t get any worse.
Chapter 13
“I win. Again!” Chas cried with a triumphant smile as she tossed down her last Uno card.
“No fair,” Vanessa said, throwing her handful of cards onto the bed.
“Cheater,” Emily grumbled as she gathered up everyone’s hands and reshuffled the deck. “That’s the fourth time in a row.”
“It’s not my fault you suck at this,” Chas said, leaning back against her cushions.
It was the time of day she liked the best. The hours between the end of the day’s work and supper. The only time her friends were allowed to visit her. They’d troop into the infirmary with a game to play, a few jokes, warm smiles, and best of all, snacks. Right under Nurse Inge’s watchful eye too. Today, they’d smuggled her three chocolate chip cookies, and she couldn’t wait to eat them later when she was alone.
Not that there was an end to the day’s work anymore. Since the discovery of the mine shaft, Lieutenant Stokes and Grumps were up at all hours, leading teams inside to clear the way and service the enormous emergency generators. Without electricity, they’d never be able to get the lifts going, and without those, nobody could be evacuated from the top of the mountain. Dean was with just such a team at the moment. Even Emily had volunteered to help, leaving the relative safety of the infirmary behind for once.
“How are the evacuation plans coming along?” Chas asked.
“Grumps said we shouldn’t bother you with such details,” Emily said with a raised eyebrow. “It might tire you too much.”
Chas snorted. “Yeah, right. It’s been three days, and I’m doing fine. Spit it out.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “It’s going great. The entrance has been cleared, and the generators are working.”
“I sense a but coming.”
“They don’t have enough fuel to run the generators, so Stokes has taken a scavenging team out to find more.”
Chas frowned. “Where? Aren’t all the places nearby tapped out already?”
“Not all of them. There’s a gas station a few miles outside of Red Rock. If the underground tanks are still full, we’ll have enough to proceed with the evacuation,” Vanessa said.
“That’s if they can clear the top entrance and get the headgear going again,” Emily chimed in.
“How on earth are they going to manage that?” Chas asked.
Emily leaned forward and spoke in a stage whisper. “There’s talk of a team going into the safe zone.”
“How?”
“Same way we got out. The river,” Emily answered. “They’ll jump in upstream, swim across, and get out at the embankment where we got in.”
Chas shuddered, remembering the icy black water and numbing cold. “Good luck to them. Who’s going?”
“Lieutenant Stokes and a few others,” Emily answered, still leaning forward.
“Why are you whispering? It’s not like it’s a big secret, you know?” Vanessa interrupted.
Emily’s cheeks flushed. “I don’t want to jinx it, that’s all. A lot depends on them getting into the base.”
Chas nodded. “Well, I hope they succeed. There’s nothing that could make me get into that river again.”
“Me neither,” Emily agreed. “I almost became zombie chow.”
“Almost.”
Vanessa glanced at her watch. “I wonder where Dean is? They should’ve been back by now.”
“They’re probably on their way. There have been delays every day so far,” Emily said.
“Delays? Like what?” Chas asked.
“Nothing serious,” Emily said. “The usual. Vehicles breaking down, ammo running out. Nothing to worry you. Dean will be fine.”
“Mm,” Chas said, not believing a word. Emily was hiding something from her, and so was Vanessa.
They played another two rounds of cards before Dean stormed in. Smears of mud and dirt covered his clothes. Or was that mud? To Chas’ eyes, it looked more like blood, but she decided to keep quiet. He gave her a messy hug, leaving crumbs of sand all over her bed covers despite her protests. “How is my favorite patient doing?”
“Fine, thanks. At least, until Nurse Inge sees this mess. She’ll take away my jello if I’m not careful.”
“You get jello? Why don’t I get jello?” he grumbled.
“It’s the only thing I can eat around here,” Chas said. “The rest of the stuff they feed me in here is revolting, so don’t ruin it for me.”
“At least we still have food to eat,” Emily said. “We might soon be put onto short rations to save supplies. With the people from the safe zone, our numbers will triple, if not more.”
“Do we even have enough space for them all?” Chas asked.
“We’re working on that too,” Dean said, sitting down on the nearest chair with a sigh. “These past few days have been crazy with us running around doing a million things.”
Vanessa nodded. “It’s hectic. We’re all putting in extra hours clearing buildings, extending our walls, working in the mine, and scavenging for supplies.”
“And here I am, eating my head off while doing nothing to contribute,” Chas said, feeling a stab of guilt when she noticed the dark shadows beneath her friends’ eyes. They all looked exhausted.
“Don’t worry. When you’re up and about again, you’ll be put to work too. None of us are sitting this one out,” Dean said, rubbing a hand across his eyes.
“But only when you’re healed, Chas,” Emily said. “Don’t get any ideas, okay?”
“I won’t, I promise,” Chas said.
“I mean it. It’s dangerous out—”
“Dangerous? What aren’t you lot telling me?” Chas said, leaning forward with eager anticipation.
“Emily, come on,” Vanessa. “We agreed not to tell her.”
“Tell me what?” Chas asked. “You might as well. It’s too late to hold back now.”
Vanessa sighed. “All the activity is drawing infected from the surrounding areas. They’re filtering in from everywhere.”
“Yeah, we’ve even had small groups break off from the horde surrounding the safe zone and making their way to the mine’s entrance,” Dean said.
“Is that why you’ve got blood on your clothes?” Chas asked.
“Blood?” Emily jerked around and stared at him with horrified eyes. “You can’t be in here like that. You need to decontaminate first. This infirmary is full of sick people. What if you infect someone?”
“Oh, come on. It’s just a little bit, and I sprayed it with disinfectant earlier. That would’ve killed the germs, wouldn’t it?” Dean protested.
“It doesn’t matter. You know the rules. Off to the showers and laundry with you,” Emily said while fussing over Chas’ bed. She vigorously wiped and sprayed every surface around them with disinfectant and even stripped off the top sheet.
“I’m afraid Emily is right, Dean. Off with you,” Vanessa said. There was a twinkle in her eyes when she said it, however, which belied the stern tone in her voice. “I’ll go with you. See you later, Chas.”
Chas watched Vanessa and Dean leave with regret, more than just a little miffed at Emily for cutting the visit short. “Thanks a lot, Emily.”
Emily glanced at her before ducking her head. “I’m sorry, but it needs to be done. What kind of friend would I be if I let you get infected?”
It was true.
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Emily,” Chas said. She watched as Emily changed the top sheet for a fresh one. She topped up the glass of water on the bedside table before taking her leave. “Bye, Chas. See you soon. I’ll take this dirty sheet for a wash.”
“Okay. See ya.” Chas watched Emily walk away with regret. She was doing what she thought was best, and there was no changing her. “Nor should she change. She’s perfect the way she is. A good frien
d who worries about me. I couldn’t ask for better.”
Chas stashed her cookies away in her bedside drawer for later before lying back with a sigh of boredom. Being in the infirmary was the worst. She was of no use to anyone. Nor did she really know what was going on. Plus, she could only see her friends for short visits. The whole situation sucked.
If it weren’t for Liam keeping her company, she’d long since have screamed her head off. He’d been spending a lot of time with her since the disastrous visit with Anke. At that moment, she spotted his dark head and smiling face walking toward her. “Speak of the devil.”
“All alone again, I see,” Liam said.
Chas smiled, happy to see him. “Don’t you have other patients to worry about?”
“Not right now, I don’t. Care for a game of Uno?”
“Sure, why not? It’s not like I can go anywhere,” Chas said.
He shuffled the deck and dealt their cards, his movements swift and practiced. She liked watching his hands. They were so deft, so graceful. Like a pianist’s hands. “Do you play the piano?”
He glanced at her. “No, but I do play the guitar.”
“Really? You should teach me one day,” Chas said.
“Maybe, I will. When all of this is over,” he said, winking at her.
Chas blinked, taken aback at the warmth that unfurled in her stomach. “Erm, do you think this will all blow over in the future?”
“The zombies?” he asked. “I don’t know. But, I do know we won’t give up, and that we’ll rebuild one day. It might not be the same as before, but we’ll still be here. Surviving. Living.”
“That’s deep,” Chas said.
Liam chuckled. “I guess so. I’ve had a lot of time to think about these things.”
“You’ve been alone all this time?”
“Yup. Mostly.”
“But…what happened to your family?” Chas asked.
Liam’s smile fell away, and he quickly gathered up the cards he’d dealt. “They’re dead. All of them.”
“What happened?”
“I’d rather not talk about it. I have to go. Sorry.” Liam stood up abruptly, placing the Uno deck back in its spot. “We can play later after I’ve done my rounds.”
Gen Z Boxed Set Page 41
