The Zombie Chronicles - Book 6 - Revelation (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series)

by Peebles, Chrissy

  Claire gasped. “Um, you shouldn’t have done that, Dean. You just rang the dinner bell!”

  “Sorry. I didn’t really have a choice,” I said.

  I clambered up the side, and Claire reached out her hand to help me up. The figures were pretty close, shambling toward us like moths to a flame.

  “Oh crap,” I said, my voice trembling.

  I aimed at the rotter directly in the path of my gun. Its skin had decayed and oozed off, and only the dark black muscles were visible. Before I could squeeze off a shot, it bit down on the barrel of my rifle with rapid, snapping jaws. I pulled the trigger, and gore exploded from its head. I gagged at the unmistakable stench of death assaulting my nostrils.

  “No more guns!” she said. “You wanna draw every single one of them over here?”

  “They’re already here!” I reminded her. “Let’s go!”

  She motioned me to follow her. “This way!”

  We zigzagged around tombstones and zombies. When we were a good distance away, Claire pulled me behind a huge gravestone. A huge group of rotters blocked our path up ahead. Luckily, they hadn’t spotted us yet. I took a quick peek to survey the situation. Some of the undead stared at the ground while others stared up at the stars. Some stumbled around, banging into headstones, and others wandered around aimlessly.

  When a zombie lurched toward us, Claire whacked it on the head without a second thought. The walking dead started stumbling toward our direction, so we took off to the right, made a few turns, and bolted toward a building in the eerie shadows. We hid behind the chapel mausoleum, a small building with a pointed rooftop and a cross on it. I peered out, my heart racing. Rising from the swirling fog, more shadows stumbled closer. When I glanced ahead at the approaching monstrosities, I gasped. “There are just so many of them,” I said.

  “Let’s try a different way,” Claire said.

  “We can circle around them,” I breathed out, “and then cut through the bushes.”

  “That might work,” she whispered.

  I bolted to the left, and we ran down another row of gravestones. Trying to lose the zombies, we went out of our way and took a different way back to the car. I stopped and motioned for Claire to stop as well. I saw a zombie dragging a dead baby doe through the leaves, and there was a pretty big group slurping and feasting on more dead deer in some kind of feeding frenzy.

  I spun and went a different way, only to run into another disgusting horde. I quickly pulled Claire behind a huge, out-of-order water fountain. Eerie howls, moans, and grunts echoed, making me shudder as I watched shadows shuffle all around me. The dead now dominated the graveyard, and I had to figure out how to make a stand or make an escape.

  I paused to catch my breath for a quick second. “Let’s ditch the car,” I said. “We can just make a run for it.”

  “No way. There are too many of them. We’ve got to cross back into the safe zone, where they can’t follow us. Because walking through these freaks all the way back to the city perimeter, well, it’s just not an option. We need wheels and we need them fast.”

  I stared into the big pool of murky and pondered what we should do. Getting back to the car would be dangerous, but being on foot could be equally as dangerous. “We’ll make one attempt to get the car. If it’s overtaken, we’ll go on foot.”

  She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

  A rotting face suddenly broke the surface of the water in the fountain, spraying droplets of stagnant mist everywhere. Arms covered in slime and algae reached for me, and I jumped back with a gasp. Claire grabbed my hand and pulled me along. We ran past crops of headstones glinting in the moonlight. When I saw the parking lot off in the distance, my heart leapt in joy. Gasping for breath, we sprinted through the trees and burst through the overgrown vegetation, ending up straight at the parking lot. Glowing white eyes stared at us, sending waves of panic flooding through my body. There were way too many of them; that was exactly why I wanted to ditch the car in the first place.

  A snapping zombie in a blue dress came out of nowhere and now stood inches from me. I’d had enough with battling them with my shovel, and it was time to use deadly force. We had both agreed that if it came to this point, we would use our guns. I loaded a cartridge into the chamber, then leveled the barrel at the zombie’s bald, rotting skull, and pulled the trigger. In an instant, its lifeless body lay dead at my feet. When more came, I aimed the barrel, focused, and kept pulling the trigger.

  “If we can take enough of them out,” Claire said, “we can get to the car.”

  “If it gets too crazy, then we abort!” I yelled.

  “I got lots of ammo!” she said. “I can take them out.”

  “Yeah, if more aren’t drawn from the gunfire.”

  No sooner than I’d taken that one down, another took its place. I kept firing into the undead, one after another. When I shot a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw more coming from behind me. I reloaded, then fired at any who were getting too close for comfort, their moans sending chills down my spine. My breaths became short, ragged heaves.

  Claire unloaded a full magazine into the outstretched hands and dead shuffling toward us. The sound boomed through the night. It took two more magazines after that before we even noticed a dent in the zombie population circulating the parking lot.

  When the last line crashed to the ground, Claire fumbled for the keys. “Quick. Now’s our chance!”

  Moans from the undead cut through the night air. More were pouring in from the graveyard but we had a clear path to our vehicle. And I knew we were way faster than the flesh-eaters walking toward us. Heart pounding, I ran toward the car like a bat out of hell. A stray zombie reached for me. Aiming straight for its brain, I put a bullet right between its eyes. Hissing, it fell sideways. When my fingers reached the door handle, I’d never been more thankful. I jumped in and slammed the door shut, but a zombie with a long beard matted with dried blood started pounding on my window with its bony hands.

  “Drive!” I shouted.

  Claire started the ignition, hit the gas, and backed up. A zombie flew off of the hood. I rolled down the window, then pointed my rifle and fired into the approaching crowd. The tires screeched as Claire raced out of the parking lot. A group blocked our path, and I screamed for Claire to run them over. The thuds under the wheels made me gasp, and a leg flew up onto the windshield. Claire shrieked and put the windshield wipers on. The rotting leg flew off, and I sucked in a deep gulp of air.

  I rolled the window up and glanced in the rearview mirror. Zombies had flooded the parking lot, and we’d barely escaped, in the nick of time. I set my rifle down on the floorboard as my mind raced. Claire pulled onto the main road, and we didn’t see any zombies. We swerved around all the abandoned vehicles that were littering the road. I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly as I tried to calm my rattled nerves.

  Clenching the steering wheel, she slowly breathed out, “Whew. That was close.”

  “The scientists still have Jackie,” I said, emotion consuming me.

  A tear dripped down her face. “But where? Where are those sickos keeping her body?”

  “I don’t know. I searched the entire lab and didn’t see anything.”

  “Do you think they made a mistake and put her in the wrong grave?” she questioned.

  “I thought that, but it was the only grave with fresh dirt.”

  “I’m gonna go to the lab and demand that they give me Jackie for a proper burial,” she said.

  “They won’t listen to you, Claire.”

  More tears flowed down her face. “Why’d they do it? Why’d they fake her burial?”

  “Charlie told me you and Val became friends with all the women there. They wouldn’t stand for the lab using Jackie that way, especially when you expressed to them how much you loved her. My guess is that the scientists used a fake body and a fake ceremony to appease the women in the group.”

  “I’m gonna kill the idiots who did this,” she roared with anger.<
br />
  “We gotta tell Nick about this.”

  She nodded. “I’m waking his butt up the second we get home.”

  “Be prepared for a lecture.”

  “I don’t have to put up with his lectures. I’m a grown woman, and I’ll tell him so.”

  I paused for a moment, then said, “I was so off base.”

  “About what?”

  “I never thought you were right for Nick before, but now I think you’re perfect for him. He needs somebody to put him in his place.”

  “I will. And I’ll tell you another thing. I’m never sneaking out again. I’m my own person. Next time, I’ll tell Nick where I’m going and what I’m doing. If he doesn’t like it, he can shove it.”

  “Nick said you’re his girlfriend,” I said.

  “Yeah. Well, we had a long talk and decided to label our relationship.”

  “Maybe you can save Nick. He’s sort of…well, it’s like he’s fallen into a dark pit. Don’t get me wrong. He does have his moments but for the most part, he’s become cold and heartless, not the brother I used to know a while back.”

  “Nick and I are survivors. We’ll be just fine. We just have to keep fighting.”

  “You’ve changed so much,” I said. “You’re not the girl you were when I first met you.”

  “Being out here changes a person,” she retorted, focusing on the long, dark road. “I’ll never be a zombie’s doormat again. I used to be scared, but now I’m putting the fear behind me.”

  “Yeah. The only way to deal with fear is to face it head-on.”

  “I know, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. But anyway, back to the problem at hand, I say we go get some answers from that lab.”

  “They’re not gonna tell us anything,” I said.

  “We need to sneak back in and search every little nook and cranny of that place. We obviously missed something. Maybe we should even do a stakeout. They could have another location, but maybe we can tail them.”

  “They have a sister building,” I said. “It’s connected to the lab via underground tunnels. When the gang busted in, I escaped through it. I never got a chance to explore the building. We fought zombies in the lobby and then escaped.”

  “Then that’s where we have to start,” Claire said. “We’ll tell Nick when we get back.”

  “He’s not gonna like it one bit.”

  “Like I said, I don’t care. He can go with us or not. The choice is his.”

  “Claire,” I said.

  “Yes?”

  “Why don’t you come with us when we leave?” I asked.

  She let out a sigh. “I don’t care where I go, as long as I’m with Nick. The only thing is…well, I don’t wanna be in Val’s shoes. I’ve been infected with the zombie virus. They might just kill me on the spot.”

  “We’ll find my parents and Grams, then we’ll leave the island. We’ll go to one of the uninhabited islands. One nearby was practically wiped out from the outbreak. Maybe we can start over there.”

  “If someone else hasn’t already.”

  “There are lots of islands. We’ll find the perfect one.”

  “I’d love to start over. Living on an island sounds like a dream.”

  “You’ll love it, and so will Val. I just want to live as normal a life as possible.”

  * * *

  A short while later, Claire pulled into the apartment complex, and the guards smiled at us.

  “How was target practice?” one asked.

  “We nailed every shot,” I said.

  We hurried inside and woke everyone up so we could explain our little grave-digging expedition.

  “Dean and Claire!” Val snapped. “I can’t believe you’d take a risk like that.”

  “You sound like Nick,” I said.

  Val sucked in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “You know Lucas, Nick, or I would’ve come with you to cover your back.”

  “Dean is the only one who really cared about Jackie like I did,” Claire said. “He understands my pain. We have to know what really happened to her, and she deserves a proper burial!”

  “I understand,” Nick said, trying to console her. “I’ve been there. I’ve been through it.”

  She cupped his face. “I know you understand my loss, but you didn’t have a deep love for Jackie like Dean and I did. I knew Dean would come without hesitation. We just want to put Jackie to rest. She at least deserves that.”

  “It isn’t safe to leave without telling anyone,” Nick said.

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. From now on, Dean and I won’t hide anything from you anymore. We’re sorry we weren’t honest with you in the first place.” She met Nick’s gaze. “We’re going back to explore the lab and the sister building.”

  “Let’s do it!” Lucas said. “But what happens if we don’t find anything?”

  “Then we stake out the lab every single day,” Val said. “Maybe there’s a third location. Maybe all those other scientists are in the new location, and that’s why we don’t see as many of them at the lab.”

  “Hmm. Maybe,” Nick said. “They could easily have another operation somewhere. I mean, they could have their pick of buildings.”

  “I saw a hospital in town, and one of the girls mentioned that she used to work there in a huge lab. Maybe they run experiments over there.”

  “We could split up,” Lucas said.

  I pointed to the city map pinned on the wall. “What’s with all the red tacks?”

  “Those represent the places where the infected animals have been spotted,” Val replied.

  “Well, you’d better add another tack. We were attacked by killer bats in that cemetery.”

  “Zombie bats? Wow,” Val said, pinning the spot. “That’s new.”

  I stared at the cluster of red tacks. “They all seem to be in one place.”

  She nodded. “Yep, from Pine Street to Barker Street.”

  “That’s a two-mile radius,” Nick said, touching his chin.

  “The concentration seems to be right by the lab,” Claire said.

  “Interesting,” Lucas said. “Sounds like we need to take another look at that lab.”

  “And the surrounding buildings,” Val added. “We can’t leave any stone unturned. It could be a fluke that the animals are being spotted there.”

  “Maybe the lab disposed of something, like biohazard stuff, and the animals got into it somehow,” I said. “Industrial waste pollution is nothing new, right?”

  “There are a million possibilities,” Claire said, “and we have no proof that’s it’s only happening here.”

  “Nick and I risked our lives to talk to countless survivors outside the city,” Val said. “Nobody outside the perimeter has ever seen an infected animal. I personally think it started in this city, whatever it is, and these tacks prove it.

  Chapter 25

  The next day, we begged Max for help, but he refused to alienate the scientists. For some reason, he seemed to put them up on a pedestal and thought they could do no wrong. When the others left, Max called Claire and me into the boardroom. It used to be a party room for residents to rent out, but now it was Max’s headquarters.

  When I sat down at the table, Max looked at me intently. “I’ve got a mission for you and Claire if you want it.”

  “We need to figure out what that lab is up to,” I said.

  “I’ll listen to your concerns, but I need you to do me a huge favor.”

  “You really have a mission for us?” Claire asked sarcastically. “Because if I remember correctly, you took me off active duty and put me on reserve not too long ago.”

  “Well, you’ve proven yourselves worthy,” he said, running a hand through his beard.

  “So…what’s up?” I asked. “What do you need us to do.

  “There’s a gang called The East Side Warriors who’ve been messing with the survivors of the city,” he said. “My nephew, Frank, has gotten mixed up with them, and now I haven’t heard f
rom him in weeks, which isn’t like him. He’s like a son to me and always checks in.”

  “That’s horrible,” Claire said. “Do you think there’s foul play involved?”

  “I have no idea. I’ve tried to get information myself, but they won’t talk. My informants tell me the gang leader, a guy who just goes by Z, is away on personal business, but he’s expecting friends, Marla Cinders and John Tagem, an engaged couple. None of the other gang members have ever met them because they are traveling from Michigan to be with him.”

  “So…what’s your point?” Claire asked. “What do these two supposed lovebirds have to do with anything?”

  “I need you to go in undercover, as them.”

  My jaw dropped. “What?”

  “I need you to pose as the Michigan couple and infiltrate the gang. Z’s supposed to be gone for at least two days. If you leave now, there will be plenty of time for you to get in, get some info on Frank, and get out before he gets back.”

  “So you’re sending us in as spies?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Find out what happened to my nephew, Frank Petera. It’d also help if you can dig up anything on what they’re up to. Since most of the city has been declared a safe zone, there’s been talk that they wanna take over the city and throw the remaining survivors out. If that’s true, we’ll have a war on our hands.”

  “Don’t we have enough on our plate with weird, infected animals and zombies?” Claire asked. “Who has time for this little covert operation to find your runaway nephew?”

  “None of us have time to do everything,” he answered, “but this isn’t just about Frank. We have to defend our turf. This is a safe haven, and I won’t give it up to a bunch of thugs.”

  “Nick won’t like this one bit,” I said, “and he certainly won’t want me dragging Claire into all of this.”

  “Worse,” she said, “you’ll have to pose as my fiancé.”

  I shook my head. “Right. That’ll never fly with Nick.”