by Siara Brandt
Everyone reacted to that.
“Project Deadrise?” Grey echoed, not sure he wanted to hear more.
“Yes, Project Deadrise. It was aptly named,” Ellis replied, holding the other man’s gaze. “They wanted the survivors to be more controllable.”
Everyone looked around at each other.
“So Project Deadrise was a plan to intentionally create zombies?” Grey asked.
“In a way. It was an inside joke among some of the scientists at the facility,” Ellis told them.
Jake let his breath out shortly. “Some joke.”
Ellis nodded. “Unfortunately it was one that had dire consequences for the entire world. Mandatory vaccines for the entire population was like signing a death sentence for the human race. We didn’t really have to worry about outside terrorists or biological weapons, or nuclear threats. We did it to ourselves. I didn’t know until it was too late that the main focus of Cambria Research Facility was genetically-altered biological weapons. They worked on anything and everything. From manmade diseases to super soldiers to transgenic cows.”
“What the hell is a transgenic cow?” Jake asked.
“Cows bred with human genes,” Ellis answered. “And there were plenty of other questionable, radical experiments.”
“So the rumors were true about pigs with mouse genes in them?” Grey asked.
“It’s been done,” Ellis confirmed. “Like goats with spider genes.”
“That’s frightening.” Hanna frowned and shook her head. She hated even normal spiders.
“It’s damned frightening,” Ellis agreed.
“Are we seeing Revelations being played out in some way?” Grey asked.
“I don’t know,” Ellis answered honestly. “I’ve wondered that myself.”
Grey ran a hand over his beard-stubbled jaw. “I keep thinking about Genesis, and how it kept telling us over and over again, each to its own kind. Maybe that was a warning. It’s one of the first lessons in the Bible, repeated so many times that it had to have a deeper meaning. Maybe it was mentioned at the very beginning of the book because ignoring that meant the end of things.”
“I believe in that particular book myself,” Ellis said. “And you’re right. We tampered with the rules. We ignored the warnings and thought we could play God. Technology was moving so fast that it was just a matter of time before it was used for evil purposes or we wouldn’t be able to control it. You may be on to something. If the very beginning of the Bible specifically instructed us over and over again with the words each to its own kind, now that we have ignored that, has it brought us to the end? Anyone who studies the Bible knows that scratching its surface always leads to profound discoveries and deeper knowledges.”
Grey looked over at Catra, who had made a faint, almost imperceptible sound under her breath. She was watching them with what he could swear was a slightly mocking expression on her face. She looked like she didn’t believe in the Bible. Nothing unusual there. There were plenty of people like that around.
“This all sounds like a bad science fiction movie,” Grey said, ignoring her.
“And it would all be unbelievable except that we’re living it right now,” Jake said soberly.
“Unfortunately you’re right,” Ellis told them. “The best that we can hope for is that the virus will bring about its own death. Infecting so many people will get rid of its food supply and the organism may eventually starve itself out.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Grey spoke up. “Aren’t we the food supply?”
“Yes. The delicate balance of the global food chain has been dramatically altered. It’s anyone’s guess how this is going to correct itself.”
“You think it will?” Gabe asked. “Correct itself?”
“We can only hope that it will,” Ellis answered him. “Nature sometimes corrects itself in unforeseeable ways.”
“What in the hell good did they think this was going to do for anyone?” Grey asked.
“Launching a successful new technology meant unbelievable amounts of money to the companies that were involved. It became a race to see who could get there first without any thought as to the possible consequences because they were competing with each other. And when the government got
involved . . . ” Ellis shrugged and left the thought unspoken.
“So they got paid to play around with nature,” Grey finished. “And the government backed them.”
“Yes, with billions in taxpayer dollars. They kept their experiments secret and there was enough money to control the law makers. Several companies were even conducting open air field tests. They didn’t tell anyone that they were releasing genetically-altered organisms directly into the environment Open air tests meant contamination into the environment. Insects, wild animals, migrating geese, anything eating the plants and the seeds had the potential to spread it beyond the test areas. In any case, the technology was so new that there weren’t any laws to regulate it. It’s hard to say how big of an impact this will have or how far it will spread.”
“We saw something,” Grey said with a frown. He went on to describe the spider they had seen. “Apparently this has the capability to jump from one species to another. You think this will go even further?”
Ellis didn’t have an answer for him. “We can hope that it was an isolated case. Maybe the spider bit an infected person.”
The doctor talked a lot about hope, Grey thought, something that was in short supply these days. “These staggers, these zombies, or whatever you want to call them, they seem to run on instinct alone. How much thought are they capable of?”
“They have limited intelligence.”
Grey asked around the table, “Have you seen them migrate in large numbers? I have. I have seen them coming in what I can only describe as a herd or a horde. I don’t know what drives them. Maybe it’s like a mob. They’re just moving in the direction of the crowd. Like a cattle stampede.”
“I saw that once, too,” Hanna said. “There were a lot of them. It was one of the most frightening things I have ever seen.”
“It may well be that some kind of migratory or herd instinct gets them on the move,” Ellis said. “Like any herd, they’re driven to look for a food source.”
Gabe spoke up. “I’m pretty sure I saw evidence that they were actually learning.”
“What do you mean?” Ellis asked.
“In Springfield it seemed like they were starting to get together in packs. To hunt.”
Grey thought that over. “I guess I saw that, too. In the cities. I started out in Ohio and saw a difference by the time I left the state. It definitely got more dangerous. By that time, the men with me wanted to get back to their families, so we parted company. Then I ran into Hanna, who was headed here.”
“We came from Springfield,” Gabe said. “We barely got out of there alive. And then we ran into Jake and Amanda and their kids. And Nygel and Catra,” he added. “The snarlers had started breaking into people’s basements when they realized people were hiding there. We were safe in our own basement for a long time. But then . . . I had to make a tough call.”
He had been raised on a farm, Gabe went on to say. He had seen chickens and hogs cannibalize each other. And now he had seen humans do it.
“We kept driving from town to town,” Grey said. “It was the same everywhere. Entire towns looked like ghost towns with the undead literally occupying them.”
In the end the group discussed the grim realities of what they were facing. They discussed possible future plans, fully aware of the fact that there was a majority of zombies while the food source, the living, was a minority.
“Why don’t they eat each other?” Hanna asked.
Ellis shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe there’s an answer in some of the tests we conducted on animals. Animals refuse to eat genetically modified food when given the choice between that and normal food. Maybe these things, these zombies, have some kind of change, a modification to their physical m
akeup because they were injected with a genetically-modified organism. Who knows what the full blown consequences of genetic altering are. It was new technology.”
“What do you think is going to happen when winter comes?” Hanna wanted to know. “I mean besides us trying to keep warm? What about when it freezes? Do you think they’ll freeze, too? And if they do, what will happen when they thaw out again?”
“That is a good question,” Ellis said thoughtfully. “Maybe we need to find out. It would help us to know what our future looks like.”
“Got any idea how long can these things can live?” Grey asked. “Or maybe I should say, how long they can be active?”
Again, Ellis had no answers. And neither did anyone else.
“We should be safe here for now,” Grey said. “It’s getting late. I suggest we all get some sleep so we can get an early start in the morning securing this place. Gabe already said he’ll take the first watch.”
Ellis picked Stefan up in his arms. The child was skin and bones. Half starved. He didn’t wake up, not even when Ellis laid him on the loveseat. And not when he pulled a blanket over him. Ellis would see to it that he got a good meal in the morning.
Ellis sat down on the sofa opposite the boy and wondered what horrors he had been through. He’d found out a little, that the boy’s parents had both turned and then his grandmother had been keeping him safe for a while, until she got killed saving him.
Unfortunately, there were countless stories like that. Was there even a chance of re-building society again? he wondered. It was a question no one could have an answer to. Not yet.
Grey settled back on the mattress, exhausted. He was grateful for the first decent night of sleep he’d had in a long time. Sleeping in a vehicle was one of his least favorite things to do. The seats were always too small.
After his shift, he planned to sleep in tomorrow. As long as he wanted. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to do that. But after that they’d have to get busy making this place safe. If they decided to stay on.
In his mind he was calculating perimeters and military preparedness procedures. It had become even more of a habit for him over the past few months. There was a lot to think about. They’d come through some rough places, but they weren’t safe yet. Not by a long shot.
The house was well situated for defense with a good stock of non-perishable foods and weapons. And ammo. Gabe’s father had been preparing for something for a while, though he probably hadn’t been expecting this.
Hanna had gotten over her squeamishness when it came to shooting staggers. In fact she didn’t hesitate at all when it came to taking them out. She had gotten efficient, almost methodical. She would have made a good soldier in the old world.
He glanced over at her. She had dragged her mattress over so she could sleep close to him. She hadn’t said a word, and the truth was that he had gotten used to having her by his side. He admitted to himself that he would have missed her if she wasn’t so close.
Gabe and Jake seemed to be capable enough. Jake was ex-military. He wasn’t so sure about Nygel and Catra. Nygel seemed a little uncertain. And he let Catra order him around like a trained poodle. She seemed to call all the shots. And something else he didn’t like about her. She was secretive. Almost aloof. She had an attitude like maybe she thought she was better, or smarter, than everyone else. Right away he had sensed an undercurrent of hostility between her and the other women, especially Hanna.
In general, however, it seemed to be a decent group of people. But they needed basic survival training. There was no doubt about that. Yeah, they would have to get started on that as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if he could get them to agree to it.
They’d secured the downstairs windows and doors, but there were a lot of other things that Grey considered weaknesses that needed to be taken care of. They were probably safe enough for the night, but that didn’t mean they could let their guard down.
Watching the world fall apart had taught Grey a lot about survival. A different kind of survival. And about human nature. He learned you couldn’t trust everyone. Fear changed people. He knew it just took one person to upset a life raft. He’d seen that firsthand.
Hanna had to adjust to being around a group of people again. Maybe, just maybe, if they worked together, they could turn this into a permanent safe place. Except she’d already learned that just when you thought you could start relaxing, everything had a tendency to start falling apart again when you least expected it.
She had found her brother and her cousin. She was grateful for that. She still didn’t know where her mother was, but she would keep on believing that no news was good news. Her mother was out there somewhere. She just had to find her. She would find her.
She glanced over at Grey. The sky was darkening but there was still a little daylight left. Grey was breathing evenly, apparently fast asleep. He must be exhausted. He had driven all night to get to Settler’s Grove. It touched her that he had accompanied her all the way here. Without her asking for his help.
As long as Grey was here, she already felt safe. She didn’t care anymore that she had begun to rely on him emotionally, too. It felt almost as natural to her as breathing. Was that what trust was all about? she wondered. Had she begun to trust Grey?
Gabe was relieved that they were now part of a group. He never wanted to go back into a dark basement and be alone and isolated. He never wanted Ana to have to live like that again.
He was home. He watched the last of daylight fade beyond the living room window. It gave him a good feeling to know that Ana was safe and comfortable upstairs in the bedroom that had been his when he had lived here. There were three windows in his old room. He knew that in the morning the sunlight would pour through the lace curtains. She would like that. He anticipated her smile when she woke to the sunrise and realized where she was. He thought about surprising her with breakfast in bed. She wouldn’t be expecting that.
He had been alarmed to see how pale Ana looked. He realized he probably looked the same from their months of forced darkness. Jake and Amanda and their two kids looked just as bad. He was glad the family had made it out safely. So many others hadn’t.
It had taken a zombie apocalypse to make him appreciate something as simple as a sunrise. Or a sunset. Or food to eat and comfortable beds to sleep in. Or human company.
There was still a lot to do. He couldn’t forget the ferocity of the snarlers in the city and the ones they’d encountered on their way here. They would definitely have to make this place more secure. But with everyone working together, he was hopeful that they had left the worst behind them.
He hoped his dad was all right. He hoped he had reached Cedar Ridge safely. He would go to Cedar Ridge eventually and try to find his father. But for now this was their best chance for survival.
Chapter 14
“If you close your eyes, and just listen to the birds, you can almost imagine that things are the way they used to be.”
Makenzie looked at Daniela. So much for that, Makenzie couldn’t help thinking cynically. It wasn’t safe to close your eyes any more. Or even to listen to the birds. The truth was that Makenzie was a little envious that Daniela had managed to hold onto her innocence and hope. Those were things that Makenzie had lost long ago.
Makenzie and Daniela were standing alone in the yard. Makenzie was categorizing all the weaknesses of the ramshackle trailer and the surrounding yard.
“Did you ever see so much junk?” Daniela asked in an undertone as she looked around. “They must have spent years acquiring all of this.”
“You’re right. I’ll bet it didn’t look any better before everything happened.”
There was junk piled everywhere. Old farm machinery, refrigerators, broken down lawn mowers, tires and various unidentifiable pieces of rusted metal were sticking up from the tall weeds everywhere, even at the farthest edges of the large, open field behind the trailer. In some places it looked like they had piled some of the junk arou
nd the yard as loose barricades, but everything was haphazard. No serious thought or planning had been put into it.
They had also erected a kind of wobbly fence around the trailer, but it didn’t look all that sturdy and Makenzie could see a hundred weaknesses.
So much for country charm, Makenzie thought to herself as she looked around. She didn’t feel at all secure behind the doubtful barricades. The high weeds seemed especially dangerous. Anything could be hidden there. And at night-
“I don’t feel very safe in a trailer,” Makenzie murmured, half to herself.
The inside of the trailer wasn’t any different than the yard. It was packed from floor to ceiling with everything from guns and piles of clothing to stuffed trophy heads. Homemade stuffed trophy heads. Poorly done. Calendar pictures of naked women adorned the walls, even in the bathroom. Or what had been the bathroom.
But it wasn’t the weeds or the junk, or the animal heads, or even the pornography that bothered Makenzie the most. It was the two zombies hanging from the sprawling oak tree at the side of the yard. They were hanging upside down by ropes that ran through slits in their ankles. They kept jerking and snarling, but they were helpless. Makenzie could only guess how long they had been hanging there. There were several arrows sticking out of both of them. Makenzie assumed they were used for target practice.
Whatever they were there for, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She picked up a shovel, walked over to them and bashed their heads in till they were still. Even an animal would be put out of its misery. And as frightening as they were, these were still human beings.
She turned as Laith walked out from the big shed where they kept the four wheelers. Makenzie kept watching the shed, wondering if the other two men were in there.
Laith correctly read the look on Makenzie’s face. “Mule and Tate aren’t here,” he told her.
