“The one and only.”
“No way!”
“Yes way.”
“I-I had no idea. She sure moved on pretty quick.”
“And you didn’t? Besides, it’s not like you guys ever had a relationship or anything.”
“No, but I really cared about her. I still do.”
“Maybe you two should talk about it, clear the air.”
“Yeah, I will,” he said.
“Good.”
“But Max isn’t right for her. I mean, he’s, like, forty, isn’t he?”
“He’s definitely older, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t like it,” he roared, “not one tiny bit.” He threw the empty, fishy-smelling can away, then looked at me. “I’m going to bed. I’m pretty beat.”
“’Night, Lucas,” I said.
“’Night.” And with that, he walked off and shut the door, obviously all out of jokes.
I knew he was pissed that Val was dating Max, and I wasn’t too happy about it either. I tried to tell myself it was because he was too old for her, but I had to wonder if I was just being selfish. I was scared that she’d choose to stay with Max when we left, that she might want to put down roots in Fairport, and that scared me more than anything.
***
I was walking down the street with a group of guys. We were coming back from a perimeter check. It was freezing and we wanted to hurry back to the apartment complex to warm up. The bushes rustled and armed hybrids surrounded us. Six of us against fifty of them was no match. They took our weapons before we knew what hit us. They had everyone lie down flat on the snowy grass except me. I soon found out why. Charlie walked toward me and smiled.
“I’ve wanted to talk to you for a long time,” I said.
“That’s touching, Dean. It is, but that’s not why I’m here.”
“You killed Jackie!” I said as emotion consumed me.
“That was Jonathon. But he’s dead now. So your vengeance should be appeased. He got what he deserved.”
“He said it was you.”
“I can honestly tell you that I did not kill Jackie.”
I could feel the heat in my face rising. I wanted to tackle Charlie and sucker punch him. I knew that wouldn’t solve anything. But a few hits sure would make me feel a whole lot better.
“I hope we can be friends,” he said.
I shook my head. He must be delusional. “No, not ever. You left me down in that lab!”
He tapped his chin. “Wait a minute. If memory serves me correct, you knocked me out to go down there.”
“That was Lucas, not me.”
“I couldn’t let you out,” he said. “One of the idiots down there tinkered with the wiring opening all the cages to the infected animals and to the hybrids. And I had no idea where you were down there in the dark. How was I supposed to find you in all that mess without getting infected or killed?”
“You sent in zombies when we tried to escape through one of the exits.”
He smiled slyly. “I figured they could clean house and eat all the infected animals. How else was I going to get my lab back?”
“You’re sick, Charlie!” I shouted. “And you would’ve never got your lab back from those hybrids without getting killed. You’re lucky Jonathon destroyed it.”
He peered at me intently. “You weren’t my target at all. I really felt bad especially when you came to my rescue and saved my life.”
I shuddered at the memories. “I almost died.”
“I can’t believe you survived,” he said. “It’s truly amazing. You define the word ‘survivor’.”
“No thanks to you.”
“If I could’ve gotten you out, you know I would’ve. Those hybrids were murdering everything around them. And you could’ve let the virus out, infecting every single animal around here.”
“As you can see, I didn’t spread the virus. The animals are fine.”
“You’re lucky. But then that does run in your blood.”
“Didn’t you learn from the last fiasco that breeding hybrids is a dangerous business? Especially when you lost control of them?” I motioned around me at all the hybrids.” Looks like you cooked up a new batch. I hope these ones don’t go all psycho on you like the last batch.”
“You’re cocky, Dean. And I like that. I could kill you in a heartbeat, yet, you still run your mouth.”
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I want you to give Max a message,” he said.
“And what’s that?”
“There’s been lots of violence in this town. And I don’t want to cause any more. I’m taking over Fairport. I’ll give Max and his people a few days to pack up and leave. If he doesn’t, then I’ll be forced to unleash my army.”
“Did you give Z the same courtesy warning?”
“Yes, I did. But things didn’t go so well. His group shot at us and we had to dispose of the group. I thought that if I told you, things might go more smoothly and we wouldn’t have a repeat situation.”
“I’ll deliver your message to Max. But he won’t back down.”
“He’s been warned.”
“Gotcha ya.”
“I was born and raised here in Fairport,” he said proudly. “Max just came to the city after the outbreak. Z is even newer. He only came a few months ago. This was my town way before it was any of yours. And I love it more than anything. Just remember that.”
“I will keep that in mind,” I said.
And with that Charlie and his minions disappeared into the foliage. They left our weapons in a pile and we quickly reclaimed them.
“Let’s go after them,” one of the guys said.
I blinked. “No, there are way too many hybrids.”
“We can ambush them by surprise.”
“And end up dead like Z’s men when they thought they could fight against Charlie and his hybrids? This is not the way to go about it. We need a smokin’ hot plan. It needs to be planned precisely and well executed. Let’s just leave and tell Max what happened.”
They agreed and we walked back through the snow to the Windsor apartment complex. We told Max everything and everyone vowed to give Charlie and his minions’ one heck of a fight because we weren’t leaving. Nobody was.
***
The next day, I learned more horrible news: Things had heated up between Max and Z. Z had launched an attack on the city, killing ten innocent victims. We were all outraged, and Max was prepared to take out the warehouse at nightfall, ready to put Z out of his misery. We all knew there was no way to make peace with that warmonger, and we couldn’t wait any longer. The time had come.
Max went over the battle plan, and when the time came for action, I was more than ready. I’d had enough of that maniac, and I wanted him out of commission.
We parked a few streets away and split up into groups, just the way Max had instructed. The thing we wanted to do was hurt any of the survivors in there. We didn’t want to hurt any of the survivors. We just wanted Z, the brains behind that operation, the sick mastermind who had no problem torturing and killing men, women, and even children without even batting an eye.
Nick, ever my bodyguard, wouldn’t let me or Claire be on the frontlines, so we took positions on the roof on the adjacent building. Nick and Lucas had taken out the security detail guarding the building, and Val had thrown a smoke bomb inside once the door was open, to smoke out any guards in there.
I was the best sharpshooter around, so I got into position and waited for my cue to play sniper. Through my scope, I watched Max’s men set up tripwires and tape small explosives onto the buildings. When they scurried away, I noticed several shadowy figures walking toward the building. I aimed my rifle and looked through the scope. “Are those hooded men Z’s guys?” I asked.
Claire peered through her scope. “I’m locked on. They’re not with us.”
When the shadowy beings turned and revealed their faces, I gasped at their greenish-black skin and white eyes.
&
nbsp; Claire must’ve seen the same thing, because she looked at me with wide eyes, stunned. “They’re zombies,” she said.
I stared through my scope again. “Okay, then let’s take ‘em out.”
“On it,” she replied, pointing her weapon at the corpses.
I focused on the first zombie’s head, but just as I was about to squeeze the trigger, one of Z’s men screamed in agony when a zombie savagely bit into his neck like a rabid animal. I squeezed off a shot, and the zombie dropped.
Another zombie bent over and spoke to the fallen one, as if they were friends, and I noticed that one of them had a gun. I shuddered at the realization. “That’s a hybrid!” I shouted. “Charlie’s launched an attack against Z.”
“Wow. Talk about biological warfare!”
“Yeah, and they’ll take down anything in their path. They could bite Nick or Lucas, who aren’t expecting them.”
Claire glanced over at me in horror. “Then we need to eliminate the threat.”
I nodded and positioned my gun, looking for my next target. “Let’s do it.”
“Okay. Target locked,” she said.
“Fire!” I breathed out as I squeezed off one shot and then another.
The corpses crashed to the ground in a trembling heap.
I stopped, but Claire kept firing while I glanced over my shoulder to make sure nothing was sneaking up on us. So far, so good, I surmised, then went back to firing.
Through my scope, I could see one hybrid peering up at me, scowling. Before I could even grasp what was happening, it pulled out a gun and fired up at me.
Claire nailed it in the head, but its friends hurried and took cover behind the parked vehicles.
I heard a crash from below and froze.
“What was that?” Claire asked.
“Z’s men...or worse,” I said.
“Well, either way, I’m blowing it away.” Claire pointed her gun toward the door and slowly made her way across the roof toward it, with me right behind her.
We both walked into the stair corridor, but neither of us saw anything. I walked down a few flights of stairs, but nothing moved or stirred. I knew it wasn’t smart for us to leave our positions, but I didn’t want to get ambushed by any ghouls or maniac Z-lovers.
A loud bang suddenly reverberated through the building, and everything shook. The boom echoed everywhere around us, nearly bursting my eardrums, and I was suddenly surrounded by smoke, debris, and darkness, my head swirling with confusion.
Chapter 32
When my eyes fluttered open again, I looked around a bit confused, unsure of what had happened. Did the building cave in on us? Did they use the tank? The whole place was immersed in a hazy darkness, so I unfastened my flashlight from my belt. My hands shook as I held it, causing the beam to waver. I coughed as I inhaled the smoke that was swirling around me.
As my eyes regained focus, I glanced around for an exit, but there didn’t seem to be one. The whole place was in shambles, with piles of brick, cement, and drywall everywhere, everything coated in plaster and dust. It didn’t look like we were getting out of there anytime soon, at least not without a bulldozer.
Suddenly, there was a cough behind me, and I remembered I hadn’t been alone. “Claire! Are you okay?”
“Not Claire,” a low, raspy voice said.
Chills rushed over me. I spun around in the direction of a hybrid’s voice. The thing shined a bright flashlight in my eyes, temporarily blinding me again. I fumbled around for my gun, only to discover that I’d been disarmed while I was unconscious, but I wondered why it hadn’t killed me while it had the perfect opportunity.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
I shined my own light right back at the towering figure, and I gasped when I saw the hybrid’s hideous face. My eyes flew wide open, and my mouth fell agape. It was just standing there, grinning at me, toying with me; quite like Z, the hybrids seemed to enjoy terrorizing their victims, and it wanted me to see its face before it killed me.
The creature shuffled through the debris and aimed its rifle straight at my head.
In that moment, I was sure it was all over. My life flashed before my eyes again, and I thought about the others mourning my death. My heart beat like a runaway train when the cold barrel touched my forehead. Suddenly, though, I felt the cold tip of the rifle lift from my skin. Another near-miss? I wondered.
“You’re not gonna die here and now. You’re not on my hit list. I’ve done enough recon to know that, and I have to follow orders.”
He then reached out his hand, and I swallowed hard as he helped me up. I’d never touched a hybrid like that before, and I was thankful I was still wearing my leather gloves. When he stared at me, I stepped back in complete disbelief. He was huge, and I was sure he’d been a bouncer or a wrestler in life. His size mortified me, especially since I only had a flashlight, a piece of nearby debris, or a broken two-by-two for a weapon, if I even had time to jerk it up from the pile of rubble.
“Where’s Claire?” I frantically asked. “You better not have hurt her.”
His putrid finger pointed to the left.
There, I saw a body covered in dust and debris. I instantly rushed over and felt for a pulse; I was happy when I felt her heart beating strongly. I gently caressed her soft but dirty face. “Claire?” I said. Tears welled up in my eyes when I saw her lying there like that, and I took a moment to compose myself.
“She’ll be okay,” the hybrid said, his throaty voice cutting through the fog of panic that was enveloping me.
My mouth opened, but no words came out. I couldn’t bear to lose Claire, and I couldn’t imagine how my brother would take it. Nick had finally opened up and let himself have a shot at love, and losing Claire would absolutely destroy him, even worse than when he’d lost Darla. So many thoughts raced through my head, but I didn’t know what to say or what to do.
“I checked her out before you came to,” the hybrid said. “You’ve been out a long time now. You missed all the action outside. Then again, I guess we both did.”
The thought of being stuck in that claustrophobic little space with a hybrid sickened me, even if he hadn’t pulled the trigger. I swallowed back the rising panic and looked around. My eyes fell on a large piece of concrete, perfect for bashing the things head in if he tried anything funny. I coughed and wiped my burning eyes.
“Why didn’t you do it?” I asked. “Why didn’t you kill us?”
His face contorted into something akin to shock. “Do you think we are only capable of doing the worst possible things? Truly, you ought to give us more credit.”
“I’ve seen what your kind can and will do! I’ve seen it firsthand. I know what you are. Did the scientist put a chip in your brain or something, to make you behave?”
“No,” he said, almost laughing. “Those rumors are amusing though, are they not?”
“Then why didn’t you kill me when you had a chance?”
“I still have a chance, and part of me wants to more than anything, but I...well, I’m fighting it,” he said in the typical demonic voice of those of his white-eyed ilk.
“So you’ve got some shred of humanity left, a conscience?” I said.
“Yes,” he said. “You are very observant.”
I’d never met a hybrid who was quite as human as he was, and I’d always thought of them as monsters. I thought about the ones in the lab, how they’d feasted on a patient still hooked up to an IV, or the ones who had murdered my friends from the nursing home in the infamous baby doll attack. I’d thought they could only hold on to their wit and intelligence, not humaneness. They had their minds but were stuck in zombie bodies, and I wouldn’t have wished such a cruel fate on anyone, but I had no idea they had any shred of compassion in them, so he surprised me.
The hybrid inched closer, and I stepped back. “You don’t trust me,” he said.
“Why should I? I’ve been tricked before, and I’ve seen too many people die.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What happened here?” I asked.
“We were blowing up the buildings like Charlie told us to do. And then I saw you and Claire on the roof. I told my comrades to wait because you two were on Charlie’s ‘do not kill’ list.”
“You’re lying. Charlie tried to kill me in that lab. I barely survived.”
“Because you were stuck in that lab with all those infected animals. But once he heard you were safely out with no ill effects, he put you on his ‘do not kill list’ for the hybrids.” I cocked a brow and he continued. “Because you and Claire saved his life once. You rescued him from a house that was surrounded by a herd of zombies. He thought he owed you that. So he put your whole gang on the list so he could repay his debt to you for saving his life.”
“That’s crazy. But how do I pick the mind of a madman?” And then a thought occurred to me. I remembered how that hybrid had shot those two thugs who snuck up from behind me. I wondered why the hybrid had saved my life, and now I knew.
“We’re attacking Z’s gang hard,” the hybrid said. “If your brother and friends were not on that list, they’d surely be dead right now.”
I swallowed hard. “How do you know they’re even here?”
“Charlie said they could never turn down a good fight. And Charlie heard through his spies that Max was attacking Z tonight. So he sent us to take out both sides. Don’t worry. Your little posse will be spared. But I can’t say the same for the rest of Max’s group.”
“So you came up here to warn Claire and I to leave the building because it was going to blow up?” I asked.
“Yes. But the bomb must’ve detonated.”
I shook my head. “Then how are we still alive?”
“Lucky for us, our homemade explosives weren’t all that powerful, and they didn’t completely destroy the building. By the way, my name is Shawn Balaston.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
He handed me my gun back. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
I slipped my gun into my holster, then he handed me back my knife and rifle. I thanked him and knew he must’ve trusted me enough to give me back my weapons.
Trepidation Page 22
