Zombie Slaver (Zombie Botnet Book 4)

by Al K. Line

  "Fucking zombies," spat Ven, as they all ran as fast as possible to the truck and tried to get in before the countdown hit zero. The silence was cloying, worse than the roar of a thousand zombies. It exuded control and hinted at collective action, which was the scariest thing of all — co-ordinated attack held its own unique set of horrors now that it was obvious they would be capable of it.

  "What are we gonna do Kyle we can't just leave all of those people behind," she said, panting hard.

  "Doesn't seem like we have a choi—"

  Kyle was cut short by terrified screams coming from the direction of the slaver van. The doors were open and the people pouring out, blinking at the light, not knowing what was to greet them out in the open. Most not caring, just needing fresh oxygen and the feeling of freedom, if only for a moment.

  One of the slavers had been made to open it and was now on the ground, sans brains. The screams began to rise, people dragged down by clawing hands and snapping teeth. Many of the slaves were women, mostly young and pretty, obviously already badly abused. The others were young men, in their prime when they were captured, toned and slim, muscular and looking like they could put on a good show in the arena. Their muscle and strength was for naught against a horde of ravenous zombies deprived of food for so long. The infected set upon the human slaves with a fervent primordial abandon that was overwhelming in its urgency and ferocity. The cries rose louder, deep wails from the very souls of the young men and women that had gone from one hell to another — one that would soon be over. Bits of body flew in all directions, the infected inexorable in their savagery. Innards flew, skulls smashed, and flesh was consumed in an unforgiving feeding frenzy that was impossible for them to resist.

  All the while, amid the depraved carnage, stood a pale faced shaven headed ex-postman wearing a kilt. He smiled at Ven, stuck out a pink tongue and licked his top lip, before he grabbed a young girl and stabbed a dirty, broken-nailed finger into her eye, pulling out the eyeball then popping it slowly between his teeth. Liquid squirted out into the frigid air, his lips drawn back so Ven could see it pop.

  He swallowed happily, and never taking his eyes off Ven as the carnage grew around him, he shouted out, "Five," before ripping out the throat of the hysterically screaming woman and throwing her to the pack.

  Mandy got in the back with a little push from Kyle — too terrified and unable to understand what was happening to put up much resistance — then Al tried to get in himself, but was utterly exhausted and too badly beaten to get very far.

  "Give me a hand Ven, I'm never gonna move him on my own," said Kyle hurriedly. The sounds of the slaves screaming for help making it hard not to turn and sacrifice himself just to try to do something — anything. The sick sound of slick flesh being ripped and consumed a constant morbid background to their urge to escape alive. Ven gave a push as Kyle cupped his hands for Al to put his foot in, and with a mighty shove he was in the back. With no time to lose Ven and Kyle ran to the cab and Bos Bos leapt in as the door opened — he knew when it was time to leave. Al was too exhausted to utter a word, he was in a state of shock from extreme activity, his body shutting down all but motor function to try to preserve itself. It didn't make him easy to control, at little more than a dead-weight Al was one hell of a person to aid with moving.

  "Zero. Time's up peeps, let's get jiggy," shouted the kilted killer, cackling wildly as he gave a silent signal through the communal hivemind and hundreds of zombies surged forward, a swelling of foul flesh trampling anything in its way underfoot, intent on their meals to be.

  Kyle slammed the truck into gear, the unfamiliar large gearstick grating badly, but the tires gripped well on the gravel so he accelerated hard, shifting up a gear as speed increased. The tires kicked up handfuls of gravel, sending them flying at the first line of attack, a few small stones doing significant damage to the faces of a few infected. As the vehicle picked up speed the zombies ran faster and faster, grabbing for purchase, and Al, in his exhausted state, managed to stand and kick at any that somehow managed to get a grip on the rear. He was an automaton, driving his leg down and out with a blank look on his face, almost uncomprehending. He focused exclusively on the leg movement, counting as he slammed it down again and again, not stopping even when there were no more infected left to kick away.

  A few seconds later the chase halted, Kyle drove on as their ravaged pursuers receded into the distance.

  Mandy, an utter wreck of a woman, tried to coax Al away from his now useless task, until finally he was led to a bench and numbly sat, staring off into the half-distance, almost broken, too utterly drained of energy to even ask for food.

  "I think that bloody zombie leader was just messing with me you know. He really did mean to keep his promise. Guess he has a slightly dry sense of humor," said Ven.

  "Yeah, you could say that. Or you could say he is a fucking mental," shouted Kyle, totally bewildered by what had just happened. He was at a total loss as to how Ven had teamed up with hordes of infected and the skirt wearing madman from months ago. Never mind that his son seemed to be able to control hundreds of zombies and that they responded with a bent knee. His suspicions over the past few months that the botnet infection had done something to Tomas were finally validated, it seemed the closer he was to them the more of an effect they had. He didn't want to think about it, it was too scary a proposition to even consider that Tomas could turn and attack them at some point.

  Well, at least we managed to save the girl, he thought.

  Bos Bos lay crumpled on the floor of the cab, utterly exhausted from so much running back and forth, from the excitement of the activity, and from the relief that he managed to survive hundreds of zombies bearing down on him, all intent on food. He had been a very brave dog, more than deserving of rest. It isn't every day that dogs like Bos Bos have to use every ounce of their intelligence and go tell their owner that their friends have been captured by slavers. Before he slept the sleep of the exhausted he gave a little whimper of contentment — he had done his duty well today, he was seriously looking forward to a big reward later on, hopefully of the cheese and bread based kind.

  He felt he deserved it.

  Pedal to the Metal

  Kyle drove for hours — hours and hours. The truck's tank was mostly full so they siphoned it off and filled up the bus. It took some convincing from Ven for him to go back to the bus, he simply wanted to get away, as far away as possible as quickly as possible. Ven convinced him that they would be better off with the bus, it may not be as sturdy as the army vehicle but it had all of their things, and it was at least able to be closed off properly. The truck was open at the back and that would be a risk for anyone riding there.

  So they careened through the dark roads, splashing though large puddles and flooded lanes, masses of mushy dark leaves, until the truck skidded to a halt next to the bus. Everyone was quiet, intent on getting moving as quickly as possible, in shock at not only the narrow escape and the vision of hundreds of dead eyes staring at them, but at what had happened with Tomas. For Ven and Kyle it was almost overpowering in its sadness — the thought of what it might mean for the young person with his whole life ahead of him. Al and Mandy were still a little too spaced out to really understand what had happened. Al was clearly totally exhausted and Mandy was so bruised, battered, and maltreated that it would be a while before she came fully to her senses.

  They clambered onto the bus. Ven saw to Tomas, who seemed perfectly happy and fed well, then she rummaged around and piled up any food she could find on the table in front of Al and Mandy, leaving them to themselves while she went up front with Kyle to keep him company. Bos Bos lay next to Al in the aisle of the bus, munching greedily on the large bowl of dog food Ven had given him, plus the plate of sandwiches she had set down next to him. The poor dude certainly deserved it, that was for sure.

  The lights were low in the bus, the conversations hushed. Ven and Kyle sat up front, talking quietly about the day and the incredible turn of events.
Both were extremely worried about what the alpha zombie had said about Tomas, the obvious reaction from the hundreds of infected really did give great cause for concern. It was all hypothetical though, neither of them knew what on earth the future would hold for him, all they could do was wait and see. One thing was certain, they needed to keep him a long way from the infected if they possibly could. Certainly easier said than done with the creatures popping up everywhere they went, but they would have to try, harder than they already had. When he was close to them he obviously reacted to their presence. Kyle finally told of the times he had seen Tomas begin to darken and the veins pulse, when the infected were close, especially when they were fighting them and emotions were elevated for them, hunger for the infected.

  Ven told Kyle about the encounter with the man in the skirt again, recalling what he had done to Joe. She also told him about the temporary truce they had made so that she could rescue him and Al, and recounted what she could of the hivemind, with what little information she had been given.

  They spoke in hushed tones, the atmosphere was as dark as the night sky, the wipers squeaked back and forth, the rain splattered the windscreen. Kyle carried on driving through the night, neither of them knowing where they were going, only that they would do well to get as far away as possible from the self titled Saviour of the Zombies: the Alpha Zombie.

  "This hivemind thing is a real problem Ven, a serious fucking problem. If they can connect like that then there is no bloody stopping them is there? They can group together, act as a team, and what chance do people have then?" He really had thought that things couldn't get any worse but apparently they could. They could get a lot worse.

  "Well, that's not all though is it? With the alpha zombie able to control them, able to feel it when things change, able to enter the hivemind and control hundreds of infected, maybe even thousands, then he could get up to some seriously deranged stuff."

  "Yeah, but what exactly?" said Kyle.

  "That's the rub isn't it? I haven't got a clue. But think about it — if there is one of him, then there must be others that have sort of similar powers. Others that got infected but are different somehow. Remember months ago when we first met him? He said he was going to ask for help, to try to be human again. He was fighting it, and winning. But then he embraced it, so he's part infected but part human I guess. I don't know, it's all so confusing. But the point is that he was infected, but in a different way. Just how many more are there out there that can control the urges? That can control themselves to some degree and are aware of what they are doing? But they can also control other zombies, the true infected?"

  "Shit man, this is a bloody nightmare that just keeps on getting worse isn't it? There could be hundreds of them around the world, thousands, maybe even more. What if they all got together? What if all the infected become a part of the hivemind?" Kyle numbly shook his head, it was too much to think about clearly at the moment. He was exhausted but didn't want to stop, he didn't want to let Ven drive either. He needed to do something to stay focused.

  They carried on driving into the night.

  Ven checked on Al and Mandy often, but they seemed lost in each other, heads close together, talking quietly in the low light. Bos Bos stayed asleep in the aisle, legs running wildly as he chased down the zombies in his sleep. Every now and then he whimpered quietly.

  Probably wishing he hadn't leaned out so much, thought Ven. Thinking back to how different a dog he was now to what he used to be — a tubby Lab that loved his fluffy bed and going for walkies. Now the poor guy's days were filled with chasing down zombies and hoping he got to have a sleep at some point. Bos Bos now really did look like a mean killer, all muscle and only the hint of his once wobbly bum. Ven made a decision: she was going to feed that little doggie right up again. She knew that Boscoe loved his wobbly bits, truth be told she kind of missed them too. From now on she would give him lots of extra food and let him enjoy life to the fullest. The terrors of the day, the warning about the terrors to come, possibly from her very own child, hit home with her. Time really was against them all, anything could happen at any moment and it could all be over, so she was going to do her very best to make life as happy as she realistically could for her small, entirely dysfunctional family. Hopefully they could enjoy their time together as much as was possible, as long as the zombies stayed away and they managed to survive.

  "One day at a time, one day at a time," she whispered quietly to herself, as she went to check on Tomas. Really it was nothing but an excuse to stare at her darling baby boy, to pray to God that he managed to grow to adulthood — and stay human in the process.

  Ven was past self-recrimination now. Her hunting had released her from the grip of self-pity. What was done was done, and the blame, although hers in part, was not hers insofar as turning humanity against itself and ripping the world to shreds. That was somebody else's fault. She now accepted that and counted her blessings.

  But her baby boy? Please let him be safe, and sane, and always as beautiful as he is now. She prayed to any God that would listen, hoping that one would take pity on her and answer her desperate prayer. It was the only one she had ever truly wished for, all the rest were meaningless in comparison.

  Tomas was asleep, snug in his small bed, not a care in the world. He smiled shyly while he slumbered, blowing little bubbles when he pursed his lips.

  Ven stood and watched him for some time, soaking up the joy of watching her baby, thankful he was hers, and put dark thoughts away. This was no place for them.

  Slowly, the dawn broke, the bus stirred, and Ven could hear the birds outside heralding the new day. At some point they must have stopped, although she couldn't recall when, so lost was she in the cute face she found herself staring down at, for who knew how long.

  Before he awoke she went to investigate what was happening, and where they were.

  Al and Mandy were slumped in their seats, a pile of empty food wrappers before them. Bos Bos stirred as she walked past, jumping up and wagging his tail.

  They went to find Kyle, he didn't seem to be up front, he must have gone outside.

  To cook breakfast hopefully, Ven thought, realizing how hungry she was.

  "Bet you could do with a little snack eh Bos Bos?"

  Wag. Wag, wag, wag.

  "Let's go see what the day brings then shall we boy?" said Ven, as they both went to investigate their new surroundings.

  ###

  "Um, well, this is kind of surreal," said Ven, not sure what she was expecting, just knowing it wasn't what she encountered when stepping down off the bus. Yesterday's sheer madness was still too fresh in her mind, it made the scene before her hard to come to grips with.

  She stared around her, and startled one of the animals, which went running off into the long grass.

  Was it? No, it couldn't be. It is, it's a bloody giraffe, she thought. She rubbed her eyes, even Bos Bos seemed a little confused. He sat beside her staring around, nostrils flaring wildly, trying to get to grips with the myriad new smells assaulting his senses.

  "Morning," said Kyle, waving breezily. "Guess where we are then?" He smiled, seemingly the battle with zombie slavers of yesterday hadn't put an end to his optimistic nature entirely.

  "I dread to think. Kyle, tell me we aren't at the bloody zoo. I mean, really, the zoo!" said Ven, looking at the giraffe tearing leaves from the almost bare tree, looking like it could really do with some fresh and green fodder for it's four stomachs.

  "Better than that," he said, beaming. "We're at the Pobold-Upon-Slake Safari Park. How cool is that? You know, I've always wondered what would happen to all the animals after, well... You know what happened. I wondered what would happen to zoos, and what would happen to animal shelters, and honestly I don't want to think about that too much, so when I saw the sign for the safari park, well, I just had to turn off. Thought it might cheer us up a bit, you know, bit of a change and all that."

  Ven just stared at him, wide-eyed, at a total and utter
loss for words. She found it hard to believe that Kyle would want to do anything but sit in a very dark room and just try to recover from yesterday's ordeal, maybe cry a little. Not go looking at exotic animals.

  "Oh, also, I did kind of think that there might be some deer or something too. You know, we were going to go hunting yesterday, before it sort of went pear-shaped and we had to deal with the slavers and all."

  "Okay, that's it. You are babbling like a madman, what the hell is wrong with you? A safari park? To look at the animals and go hunting?" squeaked Ven, her belly suddenly rumbling at the image of a sizzling steak that popped into her head unbeckoned. "Don't you feel knackered? Done in? I figured you would want to go somewhere quiet and recover," she said, confused as hell.

  "Ven, what could be better?" he said with sincerity. "This is about as good as it gets. Watching the animals, looking at the grass and the trees, and if there is anything we can do to help them then wouldn't that be a good thing? Better than all the damn zombie shit we seem to be constantly having to deal with. And I just thought it would take our mind off things. Can't wait for Al to see all this, you know he is gonna love it, right?"

  He was right, Al would love it. Maybe something like this was a good idea after all? Ven was forgetting quite how much Kyle loved animals.

  An elephant sidled past. Luckily not too close, it did seem really rather interested in the new arrivals.

  "Um, Kyle, you do know that's an elephant, right? This is doing my head in, it's too bonkers for words."

  "I know, right. How brilliant is this? I've seen loads of stuff already, and I can't believe that they are actually still here, and alive." He looked around in wonder, not able to contain his excitement. Even in the ragged state he was in he seemed to be coming back to life through the joy of seeing proud and noble beasts carrying on like nothing had changed. "I wonder what will happen now that winter is coming though?" mused Kyle. "Lots of the animals are ruminants so eat leaves and grasses, that kind of food. But things like giraffes, they can't bend to the ground easily, they need leaves off trees and stuff. I think we should stay here for a while Ven, you know, do something good. Something pure and simple and with a positive result. Let's look after the place, or at least check it out for a while and see what's going on here."