by Sarra Cannon
“Okay, mister I’ve-got-a-thousand-computers-running,” Karmen shot back.
“These computers are our only link to the outside world,” Crash said, his voice louder and much less amused. “Hardly as important as making sure your hair looks good for all the boys you’re going to meet, I know, but if you could please restrain yourself, I’d appreciate it.”
“Fine,” Karmen said.
“Fine.”
Parrish kept her mouth shut. She didn’t want to get in the middle of their argument. Besides, she couldn’t stop thinking about her sister. She had to find a way to get to her, but New York might as well have been on the other side of the world. They had barely survived the trip to Crash’s house, and he only lived twenty miles away. Dark hopelessness washed over her.
“As far as I’m concerned, your computers are worthless if they can’t even tell us exactly what happened back there in that office building earlier tonight,” Karmen said.
“What do you mean?” Crash asked.
“Um, I don’t know,” she said. “Scary monster zombies with glowing red eyes and long, pointy fangs? I figure someone with such an impressive link to the outside world would have some info on things like that.”
“I’d really like to talk about that more, too,” Noah said, entering the room. “We kind of got interrupted earlier when we started talking about it. Maybe we could bring everyone in here and try to make sense of it before we all crash for the night.”
Parrish’s heart skipped a beat as she watched him cross the room. The only thing he’d bothered to put on after his shower earlier was a pair of plaid flannel pajama pants. His body was tan and muscular, and as he came to stand beside Parrish, she could feel the heat of his skin through her shirt. She had to force herself to look away.
“I’ve been searching for more information on those monsters since we got home,” Crash said. “I can’t find a single instance of anyone talking about any kind of mutation or super-zombie, so I put the word out about your experience back there in the street. Hopefully something will turn up.”
“Wait, there are others?” Parrish asked.
“Sure,” Crash said. “Power’s not out everywhere. If a plane hadn’t taken a nosedive into the largest power station in the area, we might still have power here in the city.”
Parrish sucked in a breath. So they weren’t the only ones alive. As much as she hated to admit it, she’d been worried that maybe the whole world was gone.
“The internet’s still up for a lot of people out there like me who decided to hole up in their houses or apartments and survive on their own, but people are dropping off the forums everyday,” he said. “None of us know if it’s because they lost their connection or if they, well, you know.”
“But no one out there seems to have seen any of these super-zombies?” Karmen asked.
“You saw them appear on the infrared right before they attacked us, right?” Noah asked.
“Yeah,” Crash said, nodding. “Like less than five minutes before they came after you, they were just suddenly there.”
“Where did they come from?” the new girl asked from the kitchen. She’d barely said more than two words since they’d gotten to Crash’s.
“Not a clue,” Crash said, clicking on various websites and videos as he talked.
“So why did they show up on infrared if they were just zombies?” Parrish asked. “The regular zombies don’t show up, you said.”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Crash admitted. “At first, I thought maybe they were still alive. Like maybe they were suffering from a really bad fever or something. But when I saw them through the satellite feed, I knew they weren’t alive. They barely looked human at all.”
Parrish closed her eyes and tried to recreate the scene in her mind. They had been standing out on the street when Crash first warned them about the strange figures on his infrared. “Wait, where were they when you first saw them on the satellite feed? Where did they first appear?”
“They were on the roof of the building across from the accountant’s office. Why?”
“So, they were five stories up, all the way on top of the roof of the building, and they came directly for us?” Parrish asked.
“I don’t see why it makes any difference where they were,” Karmen said, pulling a bottle of pink nail polish out of her bag. “The important thing is figuring out what they are so that we can avoid them in the future.”
Parrish stifled a smart response.
“No, I get what you’re saying,” Noah said, placing his hand on her shoulder. Parrish tried to ignore the butterflies she felt at his touch. “They came after us fast. Like they knew we were there.”
“Maybe they smelled us,” Karmen said. Parrish couldn’t believe she was painting her nails like it was any normal Friday night in front of the TV. That girl was an anomaly.
“I think it was more than that,” Parrish said. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. It felt different somehow. Like they were coming for us, specifically. Like assassins or something.”
As soon as the words left her lips, she felt stupid for even suggesting it. Zombie assassins? How ridiculous. But she couldn’t deny the feeling that what had happened was more than just an unlucky coincidence.
Crash opened his mouth to respond, but apparently thought better of it, turning back to his monitors.
“What?” she asked, pressing him.
“Nothing.” He shook his head and ran a hand through his messy black hair. “I need to do some more research, that’s all.”
Parrish wanted to know what he was thinking, but it was getting late and everyone was starting to show their exhaustion.
“Maybe we should get some rest,” she said. They were all exhausted. “It’s been a long day. Tomorrow when everyone’s up, we can talk about all this and try to make a plan.”
“Good idea,” Noah said. “Maybe we’ll be able to look at it all with fresh eyes once we’ve had some rest. We’ve still got so much to talk about.”
Crash nodded and rose from his chair. “I’ll show you guys where you can sleep,” he said. “I don’t have beds for everyone, but I laid out some sleeping bags for the girls in the spare bedroom. I hope that’ll be okay. Any of you ladies are welcome to take my bed if you want.”
“No thanks,” Karmen said, making a face.
“I didn’t mean with me in it, Barbie,” Crash said, raising an eyebrow. “Although that could be arranged.”
“Do not call me Barbie,” Karmen said, walking past him toward the spare room.
Parrish couldn’t help but laugh, and the sound carried down the hallway.
She stopped herself, realizing just how strange laughter sounded at a time like this when the world was filled with so much horror and death. Would there ever again be a time when she could laugh without death looking over her shoulder?
Would anything ever be normal again?
She headed toward the small bedroom, but turned back and ran down the hallway.
“Parrish?” Noah called after her.
She grabbed her sword from where she’d stashed it near the recliner and made her way back toward the others. “Just in case,” she said.
Noah nodded and smiled. “Probably a good idea.”
“Where are you going to sleep?” she asked, her cheeks growing warm. There were no parents to keep them apart if they wanted to be together, but it still felt awkward to think about doing whatever they wanted to do. Besides, she wasn’t even sure he’d want to sleep by her side. It was probably a ridiculous thing to think about, and she suddenly felt stupid for asking.
Noah’s eyes searched hers and her stomach erupted in a thousand butterflies.
“I was thinking I’d take the couch,” he said. “If that’s cool with Crash. It’s closest to the door, anyway, just in case someone needs to keep watch.”
“Nah, man, you can take my room for a while,” Crash said, clapping a hand on Noah’s shoulder as he passed by. “I’m going to stay up for a bit and do s
ome research online. I’ll wake you up if I need to switch. We can take turns keeping an eye on the place while the girls sleep.”
Karmen and the new girl had already settled down inside the spare room. Crash disappeared into the living room again. That left Parrish alone with Noah in the hallway, neither of them making a move to go to bed.
She wanted him to ask her to join him in Crash’s room, but that would be weird right? Awkward for everyone in the apartment. But damn, she wanted to be close to him. Not for sex or anything like that, but just to know he was there. To feel the solidness of his body.
Was he feeling the same thing? This incredible pull, like the ocean’s current? She’d always felt drawn to him, but ever since the world ended, it had intensified. Maybe that was just normal when there were only a handful of people left in your world.
“I wanted to tell you I’m sorry about earlier,” she said, breaking up the tense silence between them. “I never should have hit that car horn. That was so stupid. I thought we could handle it, but there were more of them than I realized. I don’t know what I would have done if you’d—”
Noah lifted a finger to her lips and she stopped talking, her heart racing at his touch.
“I’m fine,” he said softly, taking a small step toward her.
He was so close, and all she could think was that it wasn’t close enough.
“Get some rest,” he said.
He leaned in, cupping his hands around her chin. He placed a whisper of a kiss on her forehead, his lips lingering for several seconds before he pulled away.
Before she could regain her voice or calm her heart, he had turned away and disappeared into Crash’s bedroom. Parrish stood in the hallway a little while longer, staring at his closed door and wondering again if they would ever be free enough to be happy.
Hours after the others had fallen asleep, Crash sat in front of the computer with his headphones on, replaying a video he’d recorded from just before the super-zombies attacked. He had a quick record button on his keyboard, and he’d gotten in the habit of capturing video images of things he saw with the help of the government satellites. He’d spent hours watching surveillance cameras in cities all over the world, hoping to find one place that wasn’t crawling with infected.
When he’d finally come to terms with the fact that nowhere on earth had been left untouched, he’d started recording the rotters just to watch their behavior. He’d never seen anything like the ones that attacked his new friends downtown, though.
When he first saw the figures on his infrared, there had been six of them. Five red-hot figures, and one normal, human-looking figure. As he replayed the satellite camera footage, he focused in on the human figure. He’d almost forgotten about the human until Parrish had said something about the attack feeling deliberate. Assassins, she’d called them.
But that didn’t make sense. He’d watched these rotters long enough to know they had no mind of their own. All they cared about was infecting and eating anyone who was still alive. Why weren’t they attacking the other human on the rooftop? And why would a group of them deliberately go after a group of humans down on the street?
They wouldn’t. Not unless someone was controlling them. Telling them what to do. Now, as he watched the human figure standing in front of the super-zombies, he realized Parrish had been right.
The attack hadn’t been random at all. This wasn’t just some new stage of whatever disease had ruined the world. The five super-zombies were standing in a line, like they were taking orders from the human. It was almost military in feel. Whoever it was standing there had been explaining their mission. Not once did they attempt to attack that human.
The whole scene gave Crash the creeps. The idea of super-zombies was bad enough, but the thought of a human giving them orders was even worse. Who would send a group of zombie assassins after them? And why?
Chills ran down his spine, and he sat back in his chair, staring at the video on his screen.
The zombies had special powers, but so did they.
Part of him wanted to believe it was all a coincidence. A terrible virus had caused all this, unlocking hidden abilities. It was evolution, not fate.
But he knew better.
The dreams had started long before the virus had taken over the world. He couldn’t ignore that.
When Crash had first started having those dreams, he’d searched the web looking for information about omens and prophetic dreams, but all he’d found were new-age type sites talking about destiny or clairvoyance. He knew what he’d been experiencing was different, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He’d honestly started to wonder if he was losing his damn mind.
But when the virus broke out and everyone got sick, it all started to make sense. He wasn’t crazy. He was connected to this thing somehow. Not the cause of it, exactly, but his destiny was tangled up with this virus. The virus wasn’t some catalyst for human evolution. It was a key, unlocking powers that had been sleeping inside him for years. Lifetimes, maybe.
When he’d started hacking into satellites and protected websites without even breaking a sweat, he knew he’d been right. The way he could control the power, the internet, even simple alarm systems, was no coincidence. When the world began to die, something inside him switched on.
The question was why? Why him? What was so special about the five of them?
He had a feeling if he could figure that out, he’d know exactly why those super-zombies had come after them.
Crash had no idea where to look for the answers.
Short of going onto what was left of the forums he visited and asking if anyone else had started manifesting some amazing powers like being able to control electricity and dreaming about the future, he was at a total loss.
Besides, he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to whether anyone else had powers like he did.
There was no one in the world like the five of them, and even though they hadn’t had a chance to talk about it yet, he was certain that each of the others had started manifesting powers just like he had.
He’d hoped getting the five of them together would trigger something. Memories, maybe. Or at least some path to the answers he was seeking.
So far, nothing like that had happened.
He leaned back in his chair again and stared at the reinforced door he’d had installed a month ago. Ten sets of deadbolts and a steel door had made him feel safe until now. No normal zombie was getting through that door.
But what about super-zombies? What about a human with the power to control them?
He thought about the three sleeping girls in the next room. He’d brought them here, thinking they’d be safe for a little while. Maybe months considering how much food and water he had stored away.
Now he wasn’t so sure.
Somewhere in this city, there was a human with a vendetta against them. Even if they were lucky enough to have escaped the area without being followed, that person had found them once. He didn’t think it would be all that hard to find them again. Not if they had a way of tracking their abilities. Hell, in terms of power usage, his basement apartment might as well be lit up like a fracking Christmas tree.
Crash closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
He needed sleep, but so did the others.
He turned back to his computer and started typing. He’d wake Noah up in a few hours to take the next watch, but for now, he was going to pull up every single surveillance camera in D.C. if that’s what it took. Somehow, he was going to find the person who’d sent those zombies after them.
He just hoped he found them before the next wave of zombie assassins came knocking at his door.
The infected rat crawled up the zombie’s leg. The rotting man leaned down, taking the animal in its decaying hands and petting it as if it were a tiny kitten.
“Good girl,” the corpse said. The witch cringed as the rat began chewing on an exposed sore on the zombie’s hand.
She had waited until the others
were all asleep before she left her room and made her way up to the abandoned apartments upstairs. Crash hadn’t seemed to want to go to sleep, so she’d had to use her powers to force him into a deep sleep. She knew she didn’t have much time before the spell she’d cast on him wore off, but she needed to tell the Dark One what she’d done and what she’d learned so far.
“Mistress,” she said, bowing before the corpse. “I did as you asked and infected five dead humans with enormous amounts of the virus, but—”
“You failed.” The zombie turned its head to look at her. One of its eyes was missing. “You failed when there were only three guardians. When their powers were still weak. Now, there are four. I can feel their connection to each other growing. They’re getting stronger, and it’s only just the beginning. They cannot ever reach the fifth or their memories and the full force of their powers will return to them.”
“I tricked them into believing I’m the fifth,” the witch said, bowing her head. “They won’t be looking for anyone else, now.”
“Foolish child, you are a slow learner,” the Dark One said. “Are you really sure you’re worthy of my attention? Of my presence?”
The witch sucked in a breath and bowed her head. The Dark One had been so nice to her at first, praising her and telling her she was special. What had she done to deserve this change in her mistress? Had she disappointed her that badly?
Her chest tightened. “Yes, Mistress,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“The five guardians will always be drawn to each other. As long as they are not together, they will always be looking for the one who completes their group,” she said. “And the fifth will be looking for them, too.”
The witch looked up, finally understanding. Her trick wouldn’t keep them apart for long. The spell that bound them to this world would keep drawing them back together.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Mislead them,” she said, her voice resonating in the head of the male zombie. “Get them to doubt one another. Put them in danger every opportunity you get. And whatever you do, don’t let them get to the island.”
