Vanessa sat in the front next to Dean, armed with a shotgun, while Chas and Emily occupied the two seats directly behind them. They each carried a handgun and a knife as a backup. Emily also had a first-aid kit with her in case some of the survivors needed medical care, and there was a cooler box filled with bottled water and protein bars.
Both in front and behind, stretched a long row of similar vehicles, all for the sole purpose of evacuating survivors from the so-called safe zone. The front, back, and sides of the convoy consisted of smaller cars, trucks, and quad bikes operated by soldiers for added security and the road ahead had been cleared of all debris and wandering undead.
As for the base, those staying behind were readying for the mass influx of people. Volunteers were making beds, sorting out clothes and toiletries, preparing meals, readying the infirmary, and stashing supplies.
Lieutenant Stokes and his team were responsible for safety, guarding the walls and gates against possible attacks. Even now, groups of people were shoring up the defenses. Only the very old, young, and sick weren’t busy in some fashion or another.
Chas fidgeted in her seat, eager to get moving. She wiped her sweaty palms on her legs and craned her neck to see ahead. Beside her, Emily quietly hummed beneath her breath, the picture of tranquility.
“How can you be so calm?” Chas asked.
“I’m meditating,” Emily said, her eyes remaining closed.
“Meditating?” Chas rolled her eyes, but after wiping a trickle of sweat from her forehead, she asked, “Does it work?”
“Obviously,” Emily said, quirking her lips. “Just close your eyes and lean back in your seat.”
Chas obeyed. “Okay, now what?”
“Concentrate.”
“On what?”
“Nothing. Empty your mind of all your troubles and fears,” Emily said in a soothing voice.
Chas resisted the urge to snort. How did one concentrate on nothing? But, she tried anyway. After several seconds, she couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m still mad at Julia for what she did.”
Emily sighed and sat upright. “Okay, fine. Let it out.”
“She’s supposed to be my friend,” Chas said. “I mean, look what you and Vanessa did. Dean too. You got me on this bus, didn’t you?”
“Yes, we did, but we know how it feels to be ignored by the adults,” Emily said. “Julia doesn’t.”
“She’s supposed to be on my side,” Chas insisted. “That’s what friends do.”
“They also look out for one another, and that’s what she’s doing,” Emily said.
“Yeah, right. She stabbed me in the back.”
“You can’t blame her. She just lost her whole family, you know? She’s scared of losing you too.”
“Her family?” Chas said. “Aren’t they in Washington?”
“Exactly,” Emily replied.
Chas’ eyes widened when she realized what that meant. Until now, she hadn’t thought about it, but the city was gone. Overrun. “Oh…I forgot about that.”
“You did. Julia doesn’t even know what happened to them, but it’s unlikely they’re still alive.”
“Now I feel like crap. I didn’t even tell her I’m sorry,” Chas said.
“Let’s hope she makes it back, and you get a chance,” Emily said.
The rumbling of engines all around them interrupted their conversation and reignited the excitement within Chas’ belly. She jumped up and down as their bus headed for the gate with Dean at the wheel.
“Here we go,” he said. “Ready?”
“Ready,” they all shouted.
The tense atmosphere lasted all the way to the mine but faded once they settled into the queue. They inched forward slowly as each vehicle was packed with people emerging from the mine. Chas watched as they drove past, their pale, hollow-eyed faces in the windows tugging at her heartstrings. “They look so sad.”
“I can only imagine what they’ve been through,” Emily agreed. “Poor things.”
When it came to their turn, things happened very quickly. Captain Williams and a few of his men had built a sandbag funnel around the mine’s entrance. This was manned around the clock in case infected broke through.
A soldier waved them closer, and Chas opened the sliding door to admit a row of survivors. They were mostly women, children, and seniors carrying bags with their meager belongings. Sick people from the infirmary were loaded into separate vehicles equipped with mattresses and stretchers.
Once the minibus was full, Dean turned around and drove back to base while Emily and Chas handed out protein bars and bottled water. The survivors were silent for the most part except for a couple of crying kids, frightened by all the strange faces.
One woman paused next to Chas and gripped her hand. “Is it really safe? This place that you’re taking us?”
Chas nodded. “As safe as it’s possible to be.”
“And they’ve got food?”
“Yes, plenty of food.”
Tears streamed down the woman’s face. “Thank God.”
She took a seat in the back, crying the entire way.
They all looked equally shell-shocked, and Chas didn’t have the heart to question them despite her burning desire for information. She was just glad she could help get them off the mountain and to a place of safety.
After the third trip, the group had settled into the routine, and Chas was starting to think it would all play out like that. With regimented precision and care. It was all very low-key, quite different from what she imagined. On the fourth trip, however, the value of their services was driven home.
They had returned to base with yet another load of people, and Chas was helping them out of the bus. Vanessa stood nearby, shotgun in hand, when she suddenly cried out. “Mom!”
Chas looked over in time to see her running toward a woman in a wheelchair. It was her foster-mom, Sarah, freshly arrived with another bus. “Emily, look. It’s Vanessa’s mom.”
Chas and Emily stood in awed silence, watching the two meet after so much time had passed. Sarah, thin and frail, but otherwise looking alright, burst into tears when she saw Vanessa, and a joyous reunion followed.
After a few minutes, she was taken to the infirmary, and Vanessa returned. She wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand and sniffed. “I’m so glad she made it. This whole time, I was so worried I’d never see her again.”
“Aw, I’m so happy for you, Vanessa. Do you want to stay with her? I can take the shotgun,” Chas offered. “It’s not like anything is happening anyway.”
“Would you?” Vanessa asked with a look of relief. “I’d be so grateful.”
“Of course. Off with you,” Chas said, taking the weapon from her friend.
“Oh, and Emily,” Vanessa said. “My mom says your parents went ahead of her, so they must be here too. Do you want to come with me?”
Emily hesitated then shook her head. “No, I’ll find them later. Somebody might still need medical care during the evacuation. I’ll stick it out.”
“Alright. I’ll see if I can spot them to tell them you’re okay. Lala and Vivienne too, Chas,” Vanessa said.
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that,” Chas said, returning to the bus with Emily.
Vanessa ran off with a final wave and a yell. “Look after Dean, okay?”
“Sure thing!”
Chas took Vanessa’s seat in the front, a massive smile on her face. Suddenly, their mission seemed a lot more critical. Not only were they saving strangers, people they didn’t know, but family too. “Ready to go again, guys?”
Dean nodded. “Count me in.”
Emily gave a thumbs up from the back, her first-aid kit sitting on the empty seat next to her. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 18
When they arrived back at the mine, Chas contented herself with waiting in the queue again. She propped one foot up on the dashboard and lay back in her seat, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. The low drone of the engine was relaxing, and
after a while, her eyelids began to droop.
The roar of a quad bike past her window barely registered, but when a second, and then a third followed, she sat up straight. Suddenly, the radio on the dashboard crackled to life, causing her to jump. “Attention all vehicles. Proceed with caution. Keep to a minimum speed.”
Chas looked at Dean and Emily. “That’s it? Proceed with caution? What’s happening?”
“Good question,” Emily said, standing up to join them in the front. “Maybe a few zombies found us. All the activity is sure to draw them to us.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Chas replied, craning her head in an attempt to see to the front. “It would explain why the soldiers are rushing there on their bikes.”
A bus rattled past them at that moment, going much faster than it should’ve, and the survivors inside were screaming and crying. Not at all like the previous evacuations filled with shocked but hopeful people.
“But, it doesn’t explain that,” Chas said, alarmed when two more trucks sped by at speed. “Something is wrong, and I intend to find out what it is.”
Chas reached for the sliding door, halting when Emily grabbed her arm. “No, Chas. We’re supposed to stay on the bus.”
“I’ll be quick, I promise,” Chas said, ducking out before her friend could stop her. Her feet hit the ground, and she slammed the door shut behind her.
Shotgun in hand, Chas ran to the front of the line, stopping once she reached the mine entrance. It was chaos. Almost every soldier available lay behind the sandbags erected in front of the exit, and their rifles were trained on the opening.
Captain Williams was bellowing out orders, and she strained to make out what he was saying. It sounded like, “Hold steady, men. Don’t shoot unless I give the order.”
The mine was lit inside thanks to strategically placed spotlights, and three more soldiers rushed survivors through the opening. The panicked people ran past Chas to a waiting truck. Each had an expression of terror etched on their faces as they scrambled to get onboard.
By now, every alarm bell in Chas’ head jangled loud and clear. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
A soldier ran past her, and she grabbed him by the arm. “What’s happening?”
He shot her a wild look. “Get back to your vehicle, miss. You shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous.”
“Tell me what’s going on first,” she insisted. “I have to know.”
“There’s no time. The infected have broken through the barrier. We have to get the last people out before blowing the mine shaft. Get to safety. Now!” he shouted, shoving her back in the direction she came.
Without waiting to check that she obeyed, he joined his troop at the sandbags, and Chas realized what the soldiers were waiting for: Infected.
If the zombies had broken through the barriers, that meant they’d chase the last survivors into the mine shaft. While it had been part of the plan to lure them there and blow the mine, this was premature. They were supposed to get all the survivors to safety first. What about Lala and Vivienne? Are they out yet? And Julia, Alvarez, and Sanchez? What about them?
Chas stood still, unsure of what to do. How could she help her friends? Or her family? The only thing she could think of was staying put and helping people onto the waiting buses.
With her decision made, she began directing the panicky survivors onto the vehicles and to safety. The air hummed with danger, and the cries of frightened women and children filled the air, overlaid by the voices of soldiers as they sought to evacuate the last people from the mine.
Captain Williams was everywhere, talking on his radio, and she managed to catch a few snippets of information. Most of the survivors had gotten out by now, with only a small group still waiting for the lifts. The guards, led by Alvarez, was trying to keep the zombie horde at bay and give them a chance. A knot of infected had broken through, however, and run into the mine. It was up to the soldiers to stop them now.
Chas held her breath as she watched the mine opening, waiting. There was a brief lull when no more survivors appeared. She prayed with all her might that Vivienne and Lala weren’t among the last group, stuck on a lift filled with zombies.
Her breath hitched in her throat when a figure ran toward them from inside the bowels of the mine. It was a man, his shirt and face covered in blood. He screamed when he spotted the soldiers, an insane howl of hunger.
The soldiers opened fire, and he dropped to the ground, twitching.
A second figure appeared, and a third.
All zombies.
All killed within seconds of appearing.
Behind Chas, the waiting bus had departed, and a new one pulled up. She opened the sliding door, hoping against hope that a few more survivors would make it out alive.
“Please, please, please,” she begged, biting her lower lip until she tasted blood. A group of people showed up at a stumbling run, their fearful cries identifying them as survivors, and she gasped with relief. “Yes!”
“Don’t shoot,” Captain Williams shouted. “Survivors.”
A couple of soldiers directed the evacuees out of the mine, and they ran toward Chas. She scanned their faces but recognized no one. Grabbing the nearest man by the arm, she asked. “Are there any more of you?”
“No. We’re the last.” He gulped, his eyes wide. “The rest…the rest are dead.”
Chas nodded and directed him to the waiting bus. As she helped the last survivor onboard, the screeching of more infected followed by shots echoed from the mine. It was done. All that remained was for Alvarez, Julia, Sanchez, and the rest of the guards to get to safety before they blew the mine. In the meantime, she could only hope her mom and grandmother had made it to safety with the rest.
Suddenly, a familiar voice growled at her. “It’s you.”
Confused, Chas glanced up through the open sliding door of the minibus and into the face of Major Brown. He stared at her with such fierce hatred that she flinched. He was driving the bus she had helped to load, and his nephew sat next to him.
She recalled her conversation with Julia about them helping during the evacuation, and here they were. In the flesh. Of all the rotten luck.
Chas prepared to back away. There was no point in fighting the man. Not here. Not now.
Major Brown had other plans.
With bared teeth, Major Brown leveled a gun at her head, his finger tightening around the trigger. Chas stared at the open barrel, frozen to the spot. She knew he’d do it, and braced herself for the impact of the bullet.
In an instant, her life flashed before her eyes. Vanessa, strong-willed but also kind-hearted. Emily, her spectacles sliding down her freckled nose below eyes sparkling with intelligence. Dean and his goofy smile. Vivienne, Lala, Grumps. Everyone she’d ever loved. Anke, her eyes empty of life as the virus took hold.
I regret nothing, she realized, except for not saying goodbye.
The blast of the shot filled her ears, and a blow struck her in the side. A burning sensation followed, and hot liquid flowed down her hip and leg. Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground. The metallic smell of blood coated her nostrils.
Above her, a struggle was ongoing as Major Brown fought with his nephew. They wrestled for the gun, rocking the bus back and forth.
Chas frowned. Major Brown’s nephew is helping me?
“Let go,” Major Brown screamed.
“No, you’ve done enough. Murderer,” the nephew shouted back.
With her hands pressed to her wound, Chas could do nothing but watch as they struggled for supremacy. Suddenly, the gun went off again, and she froze, praying it wasn’t the nephew.
Major Brown slumped against the steering wheel, and a trickle of blood flowed from his lips. His nephew paused for a second, his face shocked, before turning toward Chas. He jumped out, stripping off his jersey and pressing it to her wound. “Here. Put pressure on it.”
“Thanks, Sergeant Brown.”
He glanced at her. “Call me Ian.”
> “He was your uncle.”
“Yes, he was.” Sadness washed across Ian’s face before he looked away, averting his eyes.
The next moment, Chas heard Emily shout her name. Her friend’s freckled face appeared at her side, and Chas grinned. “I missed you.”
“Of all the crazy, inconsiderate, selfish, irresponsible…” Emily pinched her nose and closed her eyes before taking a breath. “I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”
“If you say so. Where’s Dean?”
“Organizing a stretcher for you.” Emily turned toward Ian. “Get those people in the bus to safety. They’re your responsibility. I’ll take care of Chas.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ian saluted her before jumping to his feet. “I’ll see you back at the base, Chas. Alive, I hope.”
Chas waved at him. “See ya.”
Emily dragged her medical kit closer and set to work on the bullet wound, staunching the blood flow with gauze and bandages before tying the jersey over the lot. “That should hold for now.”
Chas grabbed her arm. “My mom. Lala.”
“They’re out,” Emily said. “I saw them drive past us on another bus. They’re safe.”
Chas slumped with relief until shouts from the mine drew her attention. She turned to look and spotted a knot of people led by Julia, Sanchez, and Alvarez running toward the exit. Hot on their heels was a horde of zombies, howling like banshees.
It all happened in slow motion. Time seemed to slow down to a trickle, like syrup sliding down the side of a glass.
Chas zeroed in on Julia. Her shirt was stained with blood and sweat, and her ponytail flew like a flag behind her. Each step was a fight for survival, a race against time as every zombie that had besieged the safe zone, flooded the mine.
Captain William’s contorted face shouted something. A word. “Now!”
A soldier pushed a button.
The rest dropped down beneath their sandbags.
A mighty roar sounded, and earth blasted into the air as the explosives inside the mine blew. The shaft collapsed, boulders crashing down to block the exit. A cloud of dust puffed out, covering the opening in a thick haze as the earth beneath them rumbled.
Gen Z Boxed Set Page 44
