The End of the Road: Z is for Zombie Book 8 (Z is for Zombie: Book)

by catt dahman

  DeVon asked, “Adam was her boyfriend?”

  “Yes. So I think she’s going to be pissed off he’s dead. He thought being a hybrid was a good thing, and given the choice, a lot of people would take it, I guess.

  But the serum was burned up, and Diamond is dead. We don’t feel that hybrids need to inherit the world.”

  “Some would say that isn’t your choice, but I agree. I have worked hard to rise up from a stripper to someone stronger and more respectful. Anyone being a hybrid takes that away from me. Not Hannah and John Ponce. They didn’t make the choice.” DeVon stretched. “Will I like your compound?”

  Kim laughed and said she would love it:the people were hard workers, the area was secure, plenty of food was available, and she could meet many new people. “We just need to get Hannah well and able to travel. You’ll like my wife Beth, and she’ll take to you fast. Julia is a good person…and Rae…everyone with us is good.”

  “I think Cory and Kevin will be glad to get news of us and see me.”

  Kim went in to check his daughter in the morning, and Ponce was smiling. “She made it another night and was awake earlier for a little bit.”

  “Hannah?” Kim sat next to her and held her pale hand in his.

  She began to cry, “Daddy?” He felt his heart soar.

  “Baby, don’t cry. Your momma is gonna be fine. You know I love you, Honey. I need you to get well so we can all go home.”

  “Adam?” she asked, but Kim shook his head.

  “He’s gone. John Ponce told you that.”

  “I’m sorry. As bad as it is being made to take the treatment, choosing it can screw your mind over, too.

  Adam began thinking he was better than regular humans. I wanted someone though; I want a family, too.” Hannah cried softly, making Ponce nervous.

  Kim noticed that Ponce winced a little. The man was a lot older than Hannah, but was there something there on his part?

  “Why don’t you let Ponce mentor you, and stop fighting with him? Let him teach you what he’s learned? Honey, please, stop running.”

  “I’m here for you, Hannah,” Ponce said.

  Hannah was already drifting back to sleep, but Kim let Ponce take her hand and gave him a nod of approval. The next two days would determine if Hannah would survive being shot.

  Meanwhile, the team showed the others how to use the gates to better serve themselves, taught better melee weapon fighting, help them plant crops, and showed them how to dig out a new sewer system. With a few solar panels, they showed the

  rest how to construct a shower that would have hot water.

  “From the ashes we rise,” Cal smiled and said, “we give so many thanks to you good people from Hopetown and to those here at the zoo who welcomed us.”

  Unpleasant as it was, they had to excavate Pascal’s grave and exhume the body because the soil on the grave went sour, turning it black and stinky, and making people uncomfortable when they went near it.

  Taking the sheet-wrapped body out of the gates, they burned the body, and Cal prayed differently over it, treated it as a body of pure evil and asked the soul be sent to hell where it belonged. The ashes were scattered away from the zoo, and where they lay, the grass dried up and turned brown.

  They let the wind take the ashes and send them where they should lie.

  It was peaceful then.

  Hannah survived and began to heal.

  Chapter 21

  Time Was Right to Take Out An Evil

  “Your people did good with Wheeler,” Dale said,“he wanted a bloody Mary, which was some running joke with his original group, but we didn’t have exactly what we needed.”

  One of the ladies with Cal fixed some tomato juice and used the pulp from the tomatoes for soup she made; we added a little hot pepper.

  The citrus trees just went in to grow so no limes, but someone had vodka--gut-rot crap--so we added that to the juice of the tomatoes, along with salt, pepper, and other seasonings--lemon pepper, I think or something.

  His drink was a great big glass, and he gulped it down. He said it was the second best bloody Mary he ever had and the only item missing was the ice.”

  “That’s good,” Kim said, “I hardly knew him, but he seemed a very good man. I wish there had been ice for him.”

  “He was the finest man I have ever had the honor of knowing,” Dale said.

  “I wish I could have saved Wheeler and saved my daughter the pain of being shot, but the time was right to take out an evil that would have grown and destroyed everything.

  I can’t imagine the horror Pascal has caused and what he might have done. His working with the mad doctor means he was probably up to something with changing the infection and maybe wiping us out.”

  “You did the right thing.Wheeler’s poor eye began to leak pus, and he said it

  ached. He drank the alcohol down and smacked his lips. He even had a fever but was

  feeling good after the drink.”

  Teeg and Carl, they sat and talked to him about stuff: hunting and the old days, and Big Bill, I think his name is, did the deed. Wheeler went in a peaceful, easy way,” Dale told him. “He was a character.”

  “We call it ‘George’s Terms’ after a good man who said people deserved to die in a respectful, kind way without fear and pain. He believed people deserved to be treated humanely and deserved to be let go of their lives on their own, good terms.”

  “Sounds like a wise man.”

  “He was. He set the basics for out settlement. You can borrow George’s terms, too if you want to give your people the respect. He believed in justice and responsibility, but he also believed in kindness and in being gentle.”

  Dale wanted to do that, so he asked more questions, and with the answers, he would go over them with Cal as they planned the new settlement.

  Kim knew that Dale and Cal would have a good settlement and with them as allies, Hopetown would be strengthened.

  Despite the horrible things the people had gone through, the attitude in camp was one of hope and happiness as they saw this as a final place to live with many possibilities.

  When Hannah could ride again, they decided to go home. Devon shed some

  tears at her leaving, but promised to send word after she saw Cory and Kevin.

  “Lucy Ann would be so proud of you,” Robert told her as he hugged her good bye. “You tell Kevin and Cory they can come for a visit anytime. I hear they are strong fighters. We’ll get together soon now that we know where the others are.”

  Bella colored her hair darker so it was blue-black, and she added a nose piercing and a lip piercing.Kim thought his stepson, Jet, would like her and on a whim, asked her if she would come to Hopetown for a visit, promising, he would take DeVon and her back when they wanted.

  “You could learn a lot and could take the information back if you wanted to

  return,” Dale said. He knew it was time Bella met some young men.

  Bella finally agreed, curious about the world beyond the zoo.

  Chapter 23

  Zooville to Hopetown

  When they rode out, it was as the original team: Gabe, Hannah, DeVon, and Bella. The residents of Zooville, as they called it now, hugged them and begged them to come back soon for visits and trading. Carl said elephant dung would be something to trade for to use a fertilizer.

  Outside the gate, a small horde of zombies moaned and shuffled; they went to the gate.

  Instead of allowing it, Matt called for a killing spree: they used melee weapons to bash the creatures, split skulls with swords, break heads open with pipes and tools, and beat them down with bats, and they used sharp instruments that they wiggled into the eye sockets to put them down for good.

  On horseback with their weapons, they found it was fast and easy to put two dozen down. One was a pregnant creature, and when she went down, her uterus pushed the baby out.

  In a wash of slime, the little fetus slid onto the pavement, wriggling and shuddering. It was toothless and gr
eenish-pale. Several gagged.

  Big Bill leaned down and stabbed it in the head so it stopped moving. “’Bomination,” he said.

  The things were so rotten and weathered that they were hardly a threat. As more rotted away, the people gained hope that the reign of the shamblers wasn’t going to last.

  They might outnumber the humans, but they were not able to reproduce viable children and were falling apart.

  “They stink,” Rae stated as she waved her hand in front of her face to dispel the odor.

  The trip home was easy and uneventful except for the few groups of zombies they encountered and destroyed.

  When they passed the mall, they looked sadly at the spot where Alex was burned for his burial. Passing the airport, they felt more confident, as if a puzzle piece were found. At the Texas/Arkansas State Line, Kim shuddered and avoided looking very closely.

  At the gate at Hopetown, Matt went into protocol mode: “Eleven from Hopetown and two from Zooville settlement. Two hybrids are with us. We have no bites and no infection.”

  Johnny took in the information but followed the rules, allowed one at a time to come forward so he could give his information and be checked for infection before he were allowed through the second gate.

  Conner spoke to them, was glad they were home as he checked them. After examinations and note taking, Johnny allowed Hannah and Ponce to go to the comfortable quarantine area and the rest to enter the settlement.

  Beth stood at the gate, smiling; she was the best gift Kim could have gotten, and he grabbed her to hold her close. “You’re okay.”

  “I am fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I had a headache and awoke right after you left: hell-bent on revenge,” said Beth.

  “I brought Hannah home, and that little bastard Adam is dead.”

  “Kim, we lost Zane.”

  “I figured.”

  “Huh?” Frown lines creased her face. “He was on the bluff, and Katie saw him…she took this hard…she said he did like a swan dive into the air and fell to the rocks and water,” replied Beth.

  She said…get this…for a second, she saw a horrible young man with a withered face and only one eye…Pascal. It gave her nightmares for a few days.”

  “I’ll explain later, but yes, some weird things happened, and Zane was part of it…his magic, but Pascal is dead. I blew his head open. I’ll tell Katie how Zane did this for everyone so we’d have a chance. He was a hero.”

  “Good. She needs to hear that.”

  He told her Hannah had been shot, which upset her, but he was able to tell her how well Hannah had done with the injury.

  “Steve and Doc can take over. They called them to look her over.”

  Kim hugged Beth again. “I am so glad to see you. I was pretty mad…went off half cocked.”

  “I heard. But I knew Matt and Jules and the rest were there with you. What about Adam?”

  “He’s dead. Matt handled it…after the bastard infected a good, kind, older black man who was a leader for a group we met and who welcomed us.”

  Beth sighed. “I can’t say I’m sorry about Adam. Now. Let’s go see this wayward daughter of ours.”

  Chapter 24

  Time Bomb Ticking

  Jessie sat with Derek and Manuel.

  Manuel had spent ten years wandering with the other two men, sometimes in larger groups for a few months and sometimes alone, but always working his way toward Texas from Washington State. Vegas was partially cleaned out of zombies, but the gangs left behind were worse; luckily most fell apart over the years, so survivors were more randomized again in that area.

  Manuel banged his fist on his leg and gritted his teeth as he heard that his baby brother, Juan had been at Hopetown and helped to settle it but had been infected

  and killed years ago.

  “I am much too late,” he said, ‘I had hopes of finding him here, but I was a long

  time getting here.”

  Beth knew it bothered Kim some, but she still told Manuel about how good his brother had been to her, showing him an emerald ring she still wore on her right hand. “He protected many and risked his life for all of us. He died a hero.”

  “He was a good man,” Kim said softly.

  Jessie leaned closer to the table. “You settled the area, and it’s a good home, so

  why are you still here? You have work to do.”

  “Ummm. We did settle it; that’s why we’re enjoying it.” Len chuckled.

  “Do it again, and again, and again. Do it until at least this one state is clear,” Jessie said. “We can do it.”

  “You don’t think we’ve earned rest and peace?” Mark asked.

  Jessie shrugged. “I hear you just got in from a mess up a little north, you call that rest? You are warriors at heart. Like we are.”

  “I like the work,” Len said. The question made him think, however, and Jessie saw that.Jessie gave him a wink.

  “What are you hinting at?” Mark asked.

  “Hinting at? I’ll say it. We’ve been all over the west and down south and here.No one has a set up like this. Not this big. You folks are a legend.

  We want to clear more places, thinking about down in the Gulf on one of the islands. People can live off the sea and plant things as well. The zoms don’t go into the water. Now, some were there, fell or whatever, and those you have to kill, but the ones that sink are eaten by fish, and most avoid the water, maybe because of the fish eating them. Once there, then we can make safe areas in between, and in time, we can safely run this state.”

  “That’s a tall order.”

  “I bet people long ago felt that way when they had to settle Texas and then fight for it several times over. But they did it.”

  Beth laughed. “Jim Bowie didn’t have to fight zombies.”

  “I don’t think we’d ever do that...leave,” Kim said, but his voice had a little lilt at the end almost if he were asking a question.

  “Exactly. We wouldn’t do it. Why would we anyway?” Julia asked.

  “Because you’re bored, because it is right, because you can,” Jessie told her with

  a lazy grin, “because you miss shrimp and lobster and salt? Why not?”

  “Oysters, fish, crab,” Derek added.

  “We have children.”

  “I didn’t say leave them behind or put them in harm’s way. I said to make a new settlement.”

  “All we can promise is to discuss it,” Mark said, “you said you had other news?”

  They had been there a full day:looked around and picked up news of the settlement. Derek was careful how he began, not wanting to insult anyone. “I know your daughter was inoculated as was her friend who are both in isolation….”

  “Yes.” Kim went defensive at once.

  “I’m sorry about that. That was cruel to do that to them. Pinks,” he suddenly stopped talking.

  “What?”

  Jessie shrugged, “Don’t take it as bad; we were out where they called what you call hybrids…Pinks. They are part Red. Pink.”

  “The Pinks…fucking Diamond didn’t just use that inoculation here. He was in Dallas when this began or so the gossip says. The Army grabbed him to protect him;

  that was your military group, but several groups carried that shit out on people all over.”

  “Hannah said that Adam told her the group he was with found an abandoned vehicle that carried the stuff and their notes.”

  “That makes sense. The stupid bastard sent that shit out, and they presented it to a lot of people…we understand some of the…what was it Construction Army?” Derek asked. He was corrected. “Okay, Reconstruction Army; they had a lot of the Pinks? You may say that a bunch of bad people grouped together, but why would so many of them…the bad guys…happen to have been inoculated?”

  That statement made some people think. It was a good point. Derek explained:

  “A while back, they were with a larger group who met a small group they staye
d with a

  while. They had a doctor with them, a good man who tended to a little girl’s scraped

  knee by cleaning it and applying a bandage.

  She was about three, and she and her parents were healthy looking, seemingly free of infection, friendly natured, and fun to camp with. However, the doctor had a tiny cut on his finger, and when he cleaned her wound, he hadn’t used gloves, which were scarce. He tried to use gloves when dealing with people who were bitten and contagious.

  Her blood got into his cut.

  In a half hour, his finger was swollen, red, and he had what looked like bruises on his hand. In another thirty minutes, the cut was oozing yellow pus that everyone recognized by the terrible scent.

  It took some questioning and prodding, but the group found out the parents had the inoculation and understood what it was, somewhat.

  The mother gave birth to a child, and she carried the mutated, lesser disease in

  her body.

  In a few hours, the doctor turned into a zombie and injected himself with an overdose before he was shot.

  Those listening to the story didn’t ask what became of the family.

  “The infection…changed as it is…is passed to children,” Len mused over that, “interesting. We knew Reds tried to reproduce, but the things they deliver aren’t viable.”

  “Listen to another story,” Jessie asked the group, “because people can’t tell them from us.There was a nasty little group that settled in northern Arizona who kept humans as test subjects. If someone wanted to come in to their camp, the person had

  to put his blood on one of the humans and go to isolation for a few hours. If the person didn’t turn, the newcomer was deemed safe. If he turned…two were shot...the one newly infected and the Pink.”

  “Oh.” Beth was stunned. “That’s horrible.”

  “They claim they use outlaws but…what if one is also a Pink and doesn’t turn because he is immune? Then, that plan falls apart, and they still get a Pink into camp,” Derek said.