Zombie Road (Book 5): Terror On The Two-Lane

by Simpson, David A.

  Despite all the stops, they were still making good time. They were approaching the Iowa border, finally putting Minnesota behind them, when she pointed out a marker right on the state line.

  “There.” she said, indicating another stop was in order. Jessie slowed, turned on the gravel road and wheeled over the railroad tracks that paralleled the road. They pulled up at a little kiosk and learned that they were looking at the survey marker that every plot of land and property boundary west of the Mississippi was based on. If anyone had a dispute about property lines, it would be traced all the way back to the rusty metal rod stuck in the ground.

  “We should move it a few feet.” Jessie said. “That’d screw everybody up.”

  Nefertiti refused to get out of the car, which wasn’t unusual, but they noticed Bob was acting funny, too. Instead of peeing on everything or trying to find something to chase, he kept pacing with his nose in the air, constantly sniffing. He sensed something or heard something they couldn’t and his hackles were up. Jessies hands instinctively fell to his sides near his guns and they both started straining their own senses, looking and listening for danger. For an uncountable massive horde lumbering towards them.

  The breeze shifted and they heard it then, far off and faint, the beeping sound of a truck or some piece of heavy equipment backing up. Survivors.

  “See.” she said in triumph. “I told you it’s good to stop at these attractions.”

  Jessie rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I don’t have any settlements marked on the map in this area. Must be a new one we don’t know about.”

  They climbed back in and started chasing the sound, sometimes he’d have to shut off the car and they’d strain their ears to catch it but once they determined it was coming from a town just down the road, it was easy to follow.

  They cut through a small industrial district and Jessie caught movement a few blocks away, a truck backing into a dock.

  “There they are!” he said and rolled towards the next street to circle back around.

  “We should keep going.” Scarlet said, pointing out a turn ahead that would take them back to the river.

  Jessie pulled the car to a stop then turned in his seat to look at her. She stared straight out of the windshield, her face blank, not acknowledging him or the fact that they’d stopped.

  “You know who they are, don’t you?” he asked

  She remained silent, started biting her lower lip.

  “It’s your people, isn’t it?” he prodded, taking his hand from the steering wheel and absently dropping it to his leg. Near his gun.

  She said nothing.

  He waited.

  The seconds ticked by. Bob was alert and sensed their tension. He could feel the mistrust and mounting anger from his master and the fear and uncertainty from his new female friend. He stared from one to the other, confused by the way they were behaving.

  Jessie waited.

  “Can we just forget about them?” she finally asked. “Can we please just drive on?”

  “What are they doing?” Jessie asked in return. “Are they getting ready to attack Lakota? Raid our towns and take slaves? Kill our people like Casey does?”

  She started to reply, tell him they were nothing like the raiders, they didn’t eat people. She couldn’t lie to herself, though. It was true that they didn’t eat people, they let the zombies do it for them. Pretty much for the same reasons also, to teach a lesson.

  “I’m not a part of them anymore.” she finally said. “I’m helping you now, aren’t I? I’ve killed my own people for you haven’t I? Isn’t that enough? I see your hand, are you getting ready to shoot me? You don’t trust me, do you?”

  Jessie didn’t answer, just searched her face for the truth.

  “You’ve never trusted me.” she said and turned to stare at him, her eyes shining with barely contained tears.

  She opened the door and got out, closing it behind her.

  Jessie watched her walk off, his emotions raging inside. He didn’t want to be near anyone he didn’t trust, especially not the daughter of an enemy ruler. The commander of an army that was planning on conquering and enslaving his friends and family. They wanted to overthrow the government his dad had worked so hard to establish and set up their own.

  He should drive off. He should just leave her and she could join back up with her people.

  He should kill her. He should kill all of them before they could attack.

  He should apologize, tell her to forget about it, they didn’t have to be involved in the coming war. Let the soldiers fight it out.

  But they were all soldiers now. Every one old enough to hold a gun was a combatant, they didn’t have the luxury to let other people fight their wars.

  He watched her disappear around a corner, walking back to her people. The ones who had imprisoned and beat him to within an inch of his life. He dropped it in gear. They would meet again, he was sure. Next time, they’d be on opposite sides of the battlefield.

  23

  Lakota

  Sheriff Collins walked in a daze to the in-processing center. Bunny said she’d seen her husband there when she was setting out flyers for her new dance classes. He was supposed to be dead. He had disappeared days before the outbreak and she was sure he’d run off to join one of the mosques. She was sure he’d known what was coming, had been a part of it.

  She had never been a pretty or popular girl. She was too tall, too gruff, too opinionated and too beefy to attract the attention of the handsome men. The strong, toned and fit men who knew how to handle themselves, drove nice cars and wore nice clothes. When she’d met Bobby at the policeman’s ball she had honestly thought one of the guys had put him up to it. Had made him a bet or something to flirt with the horse sized woman, ignoring all the young and pretty officers. But he’d kept coming around, asking her out, taking her to lunch or remembering her birthday.

  He was a well-respected Arab-American in the community. He paid his taxes, owned the largest petroleum transportation company in the area and was full partner in a few other small businesses. He was swarthy and handsome and she loved his accent and the twinkle in his eyes when they were together. It was a whirlwind romance, she had been swept off her feet by Valentino and almost before she knew it, she had said “I do.”

  When the outbreak happened, the station had been overrun. Out of bullets and out of options, they ran for the jail cells in the basement. Sitting in the dark, trapped inside with the undead reaching through the bars for them, she had time to think. He’d left in a hurry, telling her it was business and he needed to use some of his trucks for a new client. Something big, he’d said. Something life changing. He’d smiled a funny smile when he kissed her goodbye.

  Back against the wall, scared, hungry, thirsty and waiting to die, she remembered all the times he’d done or said something that didn’t add up but she’d dismissed it because he was her husband. She told herself time and again to stop with the cop brain, be a good wife. Trust the man you married. He said he wasn’t religious but she knew he had a prayer rug and a Koran. She didn’t care if he was a Muslim just like he said he didn’t care if she was Catholic. She didn’t know why he tried to hide it.

  Weeks later, when she found out how the virus had been released, little pieces of the puzzle started to fit together. He’d used her as his “beard.” As perfect cover to carry out their plans. Who would suspect a well-established businessman married to an American law enforcement officer of plotting to destroy the world? She had hated him with a black hatred for nearly a year. For doing what he did, for using her like he did and for leaving her to die.

  Now he was back. Now he was here in Lakota and she had to start doubting what she thought she knew. If he was one of the radicals, why would he come here seeking shelter? Could he really have just gone on a business trip and been caught up in the craziness like everyone else had? Had it just been bad timing? Had he been fighting to survive all this time and finally made it to safety? To a walled city? It w
as possible, new people were showing up every week. Many hadn’t known there were any cities left until they happened across a retriever who told them or they were scanning the dial and came across Radio Lakota.

  If he was here, then she must have been wrong about him. He wasn’t one of the radicals. And what about Griz? She couldn’t be with him if she was still married. She didn’t want to be the first person in the new world to get a divorce and besides, she was Catholic, it wasn’t allowed. She walked towards the in-processing building with no idea what she would say or how she would greet him, the Bullet Brigade was completely forgotten.

  Later in the afternoon, the sound of an airplane flying in low over the town had everyone outside and pointing. It had been ten months since anything other than birds or kites had been in the sky and school let out early so the kids could ride their bicycles the three miles out to the grassy fields near the wall. Eustice taxied around and was surrounded by the curious as soon as he shut it down.

  Cobb nodded his approval at the aircraft, he’d seen these old Russian workhorses in action, they were good planes. Once he got it running and in the air, it only took a few minutes to cover the sixty miles. It would take the Hummer and all the radios another hour to get back. He was pleased, they had an airplane now and it opened up a whole new dimension to their war with Casey. They would have reconnaissance and he was pretty sure Tommy could figure out some way to rig up weapons. Of course, it brought up a whole new set of logistical problems: Avgas, getting a hangar to keep the plane in, putting up some fencing to keep the cows and sheep off the runway… it never ended.

  When Gunny got back from his trip to Mexico, he wasn’t going to let him leave again. He needed to start presidenting and run things, not keep putting someone else in charge then disappearing on missions he could easily delegate to others. That Anubis cult had started their attacks on smaller settlements in the States and they needed to figure out someway to deal with them, too. He just didn’t have the manpower to defend every town and maintain a quality of life with all the people it took to run the power, water, sewer plants and everything else.

  He had to keep a guard force manning the walls, they still had quite a few zombies chasing the trucks when they came in. Sometimes just one who managed to get out of where ever he was trapped, sometimes whole hordes who followed the sound that carried for miles. He had to have crews of truckers clearing out warehouses and making supply runs to feed everyone, he wanted to keep the trains running to lead the undead out into the desert, he needed to send an army after Casey and send an army to the north. What he needed was the sailors and Marines from the ships to help him clean this mess up but the satellite communications were down. They were on their own.

  24

  Jessie

  He hadn’t gone more than half a block before he grimaced and spun the wheel. He was supposed to be an emissary. He was supposed to be helping reestablish the States. They were already fighting a zillion zombies and umpteen thousands of Casey’s men. They couldn’t afford another huge enemy. They were already spread too thin. Jessie pulled up beside her and she stopped, turned to face him through the barred window.

  “You forgot your cat.” he said

  He almost grinned at the look of surprise and shock on her face but was quick to amend his words before it turned to anger.

  “I know a better way. Let’s talk to them, we don’t need a war. Maybe we can convince them that the Cult is the wrong way to go about doing things. Tell them about what we’re trying to do, about rebuilding the country.”

  “It won’t work.” she said. “They follow my father. They won’t go against him.”

  “You never know until you try.” Jessie said. “All they can do is say no thanks.”

  Scarlett stared at him for a long moment before answering and she chose her words carefully.

  “You’re not too bright, are you?” she asked.

  Jessie scowled. “You remember that part about me telling you that you need to work on your people skills? Well, this is a perfect example of you saying inappropriate things at inappropriate times.”

  “You don’t understand.” she said. “They’re not just brainwashed, it’s in the food they eat. It’s in the injections the Chosen are given. They can’t change their minds or realize the error of their ways. Dr. Stevens created some kind of drug that makes people subservient and loyal. They can’t be reasoned with.”

  They were still out of sight of the warehouse and Jessie shut off the quiet burbling of the engine. They could hear the sound of the diesel trucks then, the men working and tow motors beeping as they loaded the trailers.

  “Are you serious? Some kind of mind control, like a date rape drug?” Jessie asked, not sure if he believed it.

  “No.” she replied as he and Bob got out. “It’s called Devil’s Breath, all you have to do is breathe it and you’ll do anything someone tells you. Criminals used it to rob people. They could tell you to empty out your bank accounts and sign your car over and you would do it, smiling all the while.”

  Jessie looked skeptical. He hadn’t been a druggie before the fall but he was pretty sure he’d have heard about something like that on the internet. Bob was interested in the sounds, he wanted to go see what they were but Jessie held him back.

  “It’s called scopolamine.” she said, seeing his disbelief. “Dr. Stevens synthesized it. He’s the guy that created these super soldier shots you and I both have. You don’t think he can alter a chemical that already makes you susceptible to commands? He did and that’s yet another reason my father is unstoppable. Why do you think they all attacked back at the farmhouse as soon as the shock of seeing their goddess naked wore off? One of them got to the radio before I could stop him. They know that I have turned against them, they will kill me as soon as they see me.”

  Jessie let that sink in, shushed Bob for the third time and listened to the trucks being loaded.

  “Then why are you walking towards them?” he asked

  “To stop them.” she answered.

  Jessie looked into her emerald eyes and saw desperate sorrow. Deep regrets. Sadness at what she’d done and sadness at what she was about to do. This simple laughing girl had made up her mind, had chosen sides, and hadn’t bothered to try to convince him he was wrong about her. Hadn’t told him she’d prove which side she was on. She would have let him drive off, believing whatever he wanted about her while she walked into a battle by herself, knowing she may not survive. Something ran deep in her, some surety of right and wrong, some innate sense of duty that didn’t care who knew what she did. The only one that she had to justify herself to was herself. Jessie looked at her with new eyes, seeing something in her he hadn’t seen before and felt shame at doubting her. The laughing girl was a rod of steel. Unbending in her beliefs, willing to kill or die for them. He was a little in awe at her determination.

  “I’ll go with you.” he said. “But let me try to reason with them. Let me try to be a peacemaker. Let me try to stop a war that will kill thousands that we can’t afford to lose.”

  She smiled a knowing, sad smile that was years beyond her age and nodded her head. “If you wish, Ambassador Meadows.” she said formally, without any hint of humor or sarcasm, “But I will be ready to assist you when it is required.”

  Jessie tried to ignore her unshakable confidence that things wouldn’t go well and geared up, clipping Bob’s full armor in place. It would be less threatening to them if he walked in with a suit and tie but he didn’t have one and wouldn’t wear it if he did. Scarlet stuck with her batons but refused to approach the warehouse together with him.

  “You go ahead and get yourself shot.” she said, her humor returning. “I’ll go around, sneak in the back and avenge your death.”

  “You’re just full of happy thoughts.” Jessie grumbled at her.

  “When you’re dead, I’m taking the car, too.” she said “I’m going to paint it pink and put Hello Kitty stickers on it.”

  Jessie just scowled a
t her, clicked his tongue for Bob and started walking. He dialed in his ears and eyes. He’d know exactly when they spotted him, if they did before he was close enough to talk and be able to react one way or the other.

  One of the black uniformed men on the dock saw him crossing the parking lot and Jessie raised a hand in greeting, straining to hear what was being said. There were shouts and a flurry of activity as the fork lifts stopped, men grabbed guns and hustled for the open bay doors. They didn’t open fire immediately, that was a good sign. Jessie stopped by the front of the truck. Close enough to be heard, far enough away to be able to dive for cover.

  “Hey.” he said, gave a half wave and returned his hands to his M-4. It was slung and ready but he had it pointing at the ground. It was prepared to do business but wasn’t menacing at the moment.

  “I’m from Lakota.” he said, raising his voice to be heard by the gathered men. “We need to talk about what you guys are doing. We don’t need another war, we need to get along.”

  A man wearing only a sidearm and a few extra ribbons on his uniform stepped forward. An officer of some sort.

  “We know who you are, Road Angel.” The man said with a slight sneer. “The only way we can get along is with your unconditional surrender. The Anubis Movement cannot be stopped and if you want to avoid bloodshed, then join us. And turn over the heretic traitor, we know she is traveling with you.”

  Jessie wondered how many of them were enhanced, if it was only the officer. They last time he fought one of them, he’d nearly lost. He caught a flicker of movement in the shadows behind them and knew Scarlet had gained entry.

  “I was thinking you could stop advancing into our territory, stay up North and we can be unfriendly neighbors.” Jessie said. “Stop taking prisoners, stop raiding our outposts.”