“What are we going to do?” Felicity asked, sounding really scared for the first time.
“Just stay here,” I spoke low, trying to sound confident and in control, when really I was on the verge of freaking out as well. Tank was a nightmare by any standards, but this new version of him, the one John had worked so hard to bring back, well, that Tank was somehow even worse.
I slid out of bed and unsheathed my sword, just as the front door creaked open. A dark shadow flitted through the doorway and into the corner. It moved so fast I barely had time to register that it had happened. I couldn't tell how big it was either.
Great, I thought. He's in total stealth mode. At least if he came at me head-on I'd have a fair chance.
I brought the blade up ready for attack, catching a sliver of moonlight from the high windows. The man stepped out of the shadows and slowly took his hood off. It was Moto.
“What are you doing here?” I gasped, not knowing what to say.
“What does it look like, genius? I'm rescuing you,” Moto said, sounding annoyed at my less than enthusiastic greeting. “Now grab Felicity and let's go.”
“We can't leave,” I whispered back in reply. “John already told me that he'd kill Sam…my friend…if I tried to run. He's just a kid, man.”
“We've already grabbed Sam,” Moto assured me. “You're the last item on the list. Now hurry.”
I turned back to see that Felicity was out of bed, and already slipping her shoes back on. I returned my sword to its sheath and quickly pulled my sneakers on, grabbing my ring master coat for warmth.
“Stay right behind me and don't stop,” Moto cautioned us before turning and slinking out the front door.
We crept out the front door and past the two guards, now soundly snoring in front of the building. Moto darted between shadows cast by trees, encouraging us to do the same. We were less than a hundred feet down the hill, heading for the main road, when I first noticed the sound of low moaning all around me. After a moment, I realized it was the wind bringing the chorus of the dead up through camp, the sounds of the growing zombie army below were like a crashing wave of human suffering.
We came to a clearing and Moto just raced through it as fast as he could, trying to balance being in plain sight by not wasting any extra time there. When he was safely tucked back into the spidery shadows of the opposite tree line he beckoned for us, silently commanding that we follow his example once more. Felicity went first and I held my breath, listening for sounds of John's stealth warriors heading in our direction. All I heard was the ragged beating of my own heart.
We've got to make it, I thought. There's no turning back now. Otherwise, who knows what John will do to us all. No, it's full out fight or die time.
Felicity was gesturing to me from the cusp of the gauzy shade cast by the large oak trees. I couldn't see Moto, but I assumed he'd gone on. Her face looked different, concerned in a strange way. I took off as fast as I could, nearly tripping as I raced across the open plain.
Keep your knees up, I told myself. Dig in and give it all you've got.
My heart beat fiercely in my chest. I could hear it thumping in my ears, along with my shallow gasping breaths, as I reached Felicity. She took me in her arms and, looking past her, I saw what had stirred her fear. Tank stood ahead of us, facing off with Moto. Before him, Apache knelt with his hands tied together with string. His right eye was bruised and swelling, but his face revealed no expression of defeat or even self-pity. He just looked like he was calmly biding his time until the situation was rectified, at total peace with it all. Little Sam however, looked like he was on the verge of coming completely unglued. Tank held the small kid by the throat several feet off the ground. Sam's eyes bulged, and his face turned a ripe shade of red as he struggled to free himself from the iron grip of his captor.
“Put him down and I will let you live,” Moto warned him. Tank threw back his head and cackled like a crow.
“You got it all wrong, Big Bro,” Tank sneered. “You take one more step in my direction, and I will pop his head like a grape.”
“I'll cut you in two,” Moto countered, waving his katana menacingly at Tank. “You'll be dead before you hit the earth. This is your last chance, pal. Put him down and walk away.”
“Nice bluff,” Tank chuckled. “We both know that's all it is. You're not going to sacrifice some little snot-nosed kid, and your Indian friend here, on the off chance you might take me out. It's not your style. It doesn't let you look like the big shot hero who saved the day, not when the kid dies no matter what.”
Sam squirmed harder than ever at the news of his impending death, managing to claw just enough air in to bellow out a cry for help.
“Please, Xander,” he brayed in a high-pitched gasp. “Save me!”
Felicity held on tight, but I pulled away from her and started for Tank as I drew my sword.
“Hold up, bro,” Moto cautioned as I reached his side.
“I've got some unfinished business with you,” Tank roared.
“Take it easy, Tank,” I said, my mind racing for an answer.
“Don't tell me to take it easy,” he roared. “I tried to tell John about you. Oh how I've tried. Again and again. He just don't ever want to listen. Thinks he sees a little of himself in you. Thinks you have all this potential, that if he can only get you to see things his way you'll be a great ally to our cause.”
“That's not gonna happen,” I volunteered. “Not ever.”
“I know that,” Tank hissed, annoyed by my interruption. “That's exactly what I explained to him. I tried to tell him that you're a liar, that you'd trick him again, that the only way to deal with you was to torture you for information, then kill you when you begged us for mercy, but he just doesn't get it.”
“Put Sam down, Tank,” I said calmly. “This is between you and me.”
“John likes to talk about the big picture all the time now that he's got his new friends,” Tank said scornfully. “It used to be about chasing scum off our streets, creating a pure neighborhood of white brothers and sisters, and defending our race at all costs.”
“Sounds like a Nazi paradise,” I mocked him. “And you wonder why he's interested in making new friends. Listen to yourself. Racism is so ignorant, so small-minded.”
“The old John would have let me skin you like a stray cat, and hang your carcass up as a warning to the others,” Tank reminisced, a far away look in his glossy black eye. “Now he wants to negotiate and barter and make backroom deals. When I talk about getting justice, he tells me I need to think outside the box. Even after what you did to me, John still can't understand why I need to tear your limbs off and see you suffer.”
“I think you should have stayed dead,” Moto advised.
“You know the problem with keeping your eyes on the future all the time,” Tank said, still smiling his evil, icy grin. “it means you often miss what's right in front of your face. I told John there was no way you accidentally wandered into our hands today, that you were sent here on a mission to see our zombie army in person and report back your findings. He said I was being paranoid, that I wasn't making sense, but here we are on the first night of your capture and you've already got a full rescue team in place.”
Slowly I began to inch forward as Tank spoke, doing my best not to make any noise. Sam's face was now turning purple. He was struggling less as Tank squeezed harder with each sentence, letting his anger build like an old boiler overheating. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Moto was keeping pace with me, shortening the distance between Tank and us, and preparing for an attack.
“I warned John you'd try to escape and to chain you up, but he insisted you wouldn't be a problem. Talk about having the wool pulled over your eyes. All I had to do was sit back and wait by Sam's sleeping quarters. Just like clockwork, your friends here began slinking through the shadows and taking out our posted sentry. They'd have taken a swipe at me too, if I hadn't kept out of sight. So I waited and followed them down here, kn
owing they'd meet up with you eventually, and here you are.”
“Here I am, Tank,” I said, tightening my grip on my sword. Sam was limp and all but passed out now in Tank's big paw. He didn't have much longer. We had to act soon. I tried to think of what Moto might be planning, how we could strike together and prevent Tank from killing Sam or Apache, but nothing seemed to come to mind.
Why is Apache still smiling? I wondered. It's like he's watching this whole thing unfold, as if it's a movie of the week.
“So how's this for the big picture? I'm going to kill you and your brother tonight,” Tank said.
“Smart move, tough guy,” I shot back. “How do you plan on getting your hands on the Ibogaine after that?”
“John will figure something out. He always does. Sure he'll be mad at first, but then I'll explain how it all went down and that I didn't really have a choice; how it was just me versus your three-man rescue team and I had to fight for my life.”
A loud whizzing sound filled the air. A shiny black dart stuck in the side of Tank's neck with a sickening thump. Almost immediately afterward two more followed, hitting him smack in the chest near his heart. In his surprise, Tank opened his fist and let Sam fall to the ground. Sam crumpled into a pile at the giant man's feet, and remained still and unmoving. Tank looked confused and angry as he ripped the darts out of his chest and threw them on the ground, completely neglecting the one still sticking out of his neck, looking like a bolt on the neck of Frankenstein's monster.
“You son of a...,” was all Tank managed to slur as he stepped forward, his front leg buckling and causing him to topple hard to the ground with a thud.
“Four-man rescue team,” a man corrected, stepping out from behind a cluster of trees. He was dressed like one of John's ninjas, with his mask still on as he approached us. I held my sword up, but Moto lowered his as the man got closer. Apache smiled wider than ever, as if he'd been waiting for this ending all along. The man took off his mask to reveal a familiar face.
“Thanks, Haki,” Moto cheered, taking him by the shoulder and shaking him. “I didn't know if you got my message.”
“I wasn't expecting you to get here so fast,” Haki shrugged. “But it's a good thing you did. Looks like the bikers will be here as early as daybreak. I couldn't stall them any longer. Seems they're all revved up for vengeance and wanna see the kid burn.”
“He's not winning any popularity contests lately,” Moto laughed. “That's for sure. We'll be long gone by then. You just make sure you cover your tracks and don't blow your identity. If John finds out you're working for us there is no telling what he'll do to you.”
“I knew the risks when I volunteered,” Haki said. “I've never let you down, and I won't start now.”
“What about him?” I asked at last, pointing to Tank.
“Leave him,” Moto ordered. “He's out cold anyway. He won't be up for well over six hours, and even then he'll be disoriented. He took a heavy dose.”
“We can't just leave him,” Felicity begged, looking around wildly. “He's going to keep trying to track us down and kill us. Besides, won't he know you're a double agent?”
“He never saw my face,” Haki explained. “I made sure he was already down for the count before revealing myself.”
“We can't murder him in cold blood, Felicity,” Moto said softly. “It just isn't right. I agree that he's a problem for us, but knocking him out and then dispatching him is just wrong.”
“It's better than he deserves,” Felicity yelled fiercely, surprising me with her sudden intensity. “If the roles were reversed here, he'd tie us up and torture us to death. He said so himself. I'm talking about taking out a dangerous enemy with a clean kill, and you're all acting like I'm the crazy one for thinking it.”
“You're not crazy,” Moto assured her. “Not at all. But if we kill Tank like this then we're no better than he is, and what we're striving to protect and save is no better than what John is trying to build. Once we start making excuses for killing, where will it end? I'm sorry, sis, this isn't the way.”
I walked over and hugged her. She was tense at first, but then melted into me, letting me hold her close and comfort her as hot tears splashed down my neck. Apache tended to Sam who was now stirring back to life, coughing and holding his throat.
“We better get moving,” Moto said as he put his sword away. “We've got some ground to cover and we want to make sure they can't track us.”
“Stay safe my friend,” Haki implored.
“You too,” Moto replied. Without another word, Haki slipped off into the trees and vanished. Moto turned and walked ahead of us. Apache took Sam's hand and they followed. Felicity let go of me at last, and stepped back. She walked over and kicked Tank hard in the back. He didn't even stir.
“Come on, sweetie,” I urged her. “Let's leave before they figure out we're gone and send more people.”
Felicity came back and took my hand. We hurried to catch up with Moto and the others, keeping a grueling pace after that as we cut across the wild forest. Eventually, we came to another clearing and found two large horses tied up waiting for us.
“We ride from here,” Moto said. “We should be out of harms way before the sun comes up.”
I made Felicity ride with Moto, while Sam and I rode with Apache. The cold air burned in my lungs as we swiftly traveled across a shadow-blurred landscape, weaving in and out of riverbeds and up through unseen trails, at times seeming to cut back entirely on our own path. As the first rays of sunlight came up, we rode over a ridge and descended into a manicured patch of lemon trees before cutting up a nearby hill and descending into untamed forest anew. Around ten minutes into the forest, we were lost in a thicket so dark it obscured the rising sun. We came to a clearing walled in by a steep mountain with a jagged face. Moto slowed as he rode into the brilliant sunshine, and then got off his horse. He was helping Felicity dismount as Apache brought us out into the warm daylight in a small stretch of wild grass and berries. He stayed on the horse as I climbed down, helping Sam back onto solid ground. There was nothing in sight that looked remotely manmade in any direction, and I couldn't help but wonder what we were doing there.
“Why are we stopping?” I asked.
“We're here,” Apache informed me, smiling again and patting his horse.
“I don't understand,” Felicity said. “Are we going to camp out here and wait for reinforcements? Is that it?”
Apache just laughed, pointing to the cliff wall to the right of us. As I focused, my perception began to shift causing the harsh angles to pull apart like a mirage as it revealed a narrow entrance. Another Indian, one dressed just like Apache, came out and waved at us before disappearing back into the mountain, never saying a word. Apache climbed down at last, and walked his horse through it.
“Go on,” Moto smiled. “It's safe.”
Sam wasted no time chasing Apache through the hidden access. Felicity and I held hands again and made our way into the dark mouth of the cave, the sound of running water echoing off the dark mossy walls around us. There was a small light up ahead and we instinctively followed that. The light grew as we approached, revealing a bustling village tucked away on the other side as we exited the damp cave. There were dozens of smiling faces going about their busywork as we walked out among them. Only a small child who had been playing with a toy bow and arrow gave us a second look, stopping to smile and wave as we passed him. Felicity smiled and waved back.
“What is this place?”
“This,” Apache spoke at last, spreading his arms out to indicate the village now swarming with life around us, “is Xanadu.”
“Wow,” Sam exhaled, his eyes big with wonder.
“You said it, Sam,” I added with a smile.
“Come follow me,” Apache said. “We need to talk about what happens next, and I could use a poultice for my swollen eye.”
“I still can't believe you let someone sneak up on you,” Moto teased. “You must be getting old or something.
”
Moto grinned as Apache shook his head, turned and walked to a big tree house, tying up his horse before making his way up a series of rope and wood stairs to the entrance above.
“It's like a dream,” Felicity sighed as she watched him go. “Isn't it?”
“I couldn't have put it better,” I agreed.
CHAPTER FOUR
Apache's tree house was actually just an entrance point to a sprawling network of platforms that ran through the small forest. We hurried to keep up with him, passing a pack of small, squealing children too caught up in a game of tag to give us a second look. Looking up I could see the fresh blue California sky, but it seemed like a dome floating over our heads a million worlds away. We were in a valley surrounded by tall cliffs with no visible entrance or exit in sight, completely insulated from attack by any other means except by air. There was even a waterfall that flowed into a small pool, draining off and returning into the mountain tunnels.
“The trees give us more than enough coverage,” Apache said, not bothering to look back in our direction. “It's a smaller window than it looks over our heads. You have to know where you are supposed to be looking to catch a glimpse, and then the thick canopy usually obscures all traces of us. Outside of the tunnel there is no realistic way in or out.”
“What are you protecting?” Sam asked.
“For starters, there's our village,” Apache said in a happy tone. “This is an uninfected and uncontaminated place in the world with all the resources needed to indefinitely remain that way. As you can see we have a river that runs through the mountain bringing us fresh water to drink, our own crops including fruit trees, and a fair selection of livestock. We've even managed to make our own dairy. That's reason enough to need extra protection in the new world.”
“Because you can make cheese?” Sam asked. Apache laughed lightheartedly.
“I meant all of the rest of the stuff too,” Apache assured him. “Although now that you mention it, there probably are some people who would be willing to risk dying for a bite of nachos.”
Zombie Attack! Army of the Dead (Book 3) Page 4
