The Z-Day Trilogy (Book 3): Plague of the Living Dead

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  “What can I do for you?” he asked her, trying not to sound annoyed.

  “I just wanted to know if there is anything I can get you. Perhaps you would like a coffee or soda.”

  He smiled and looked at her. “What I want is to know what’s going on out there. I can’t reach anybody for any information. It’s as though the whole world has gone dark.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He looked at her for a moment. “I don’t know. We were supposed to get more troops deployed here, but I haven’t heard anything. The problem now is the longer we wait here for more troops, the longer the zombies have to grow their forces out there. Soon we’re going to be fighting a losing battle. We need reinforcements if we’re going to get through this thing.”

  “We’ll be all right inside the mall,” she said, encouraging him. “We have plenty of food, water and weapons. You already said they can’t get inside the mall.”

  He smiled again. “I wish I could feel your optimism. For now we’re safe inside here. It’s a big place; it’s going to take more manpower to keep it safe. It’s not the supplies I’m worried about. It’s how many exits this place has. Any of them can be compromised at any given moment. If that happens, we won’t know about it.”

  “Doesn’t this place have an alarm system for the doors?”

  Captain Spanner jumped to his feet. “Ma’am, you’re a genius. That one fact eluded me. Of course this place has an alarm system. Every door has a lock and key system. I’ll send one of my men to check one of the security guards for keys. I saw a few of them being carried out of the area. Thanks, that was brilliant.”

  “I’m glad I could help. I’m going to check on the rest of my group. I will try to find a way to comfort them.”

  “Please do,” he said sternly. “They need to keep calm while we try to figure out what our next move is going to be.”

  She left and headed for the food court where the rest of her group we’re sitting at tables discussing their situation. She joined Daniel and the girls.

  “Are we getting out of here?” asked Patricia. “I want to go home.”

  “I don’t think there is a home to go back to,” said Brinke. “I was told it’s getting worse outside. I have been reassured we’re all safe inside the mall. We have enough supplies to survive inside here.”

  “I wonder where my parents are,” said Emily. “They’re going to be worried about me.”

  “I guess hell has finally opened up and released its demons into our world,” said Terrance.

  “Don’t you start now,” said Daniel. “We already heard enough with the crazy lady earlier. I’m sure that’s not what’s going on out there.”

  “Then you explain to me what’s going on out there.”

  “I don’t know,” said Daniel. “I don’t have a clue. None of this makes any sense. I think it might have something to do with Indiana.”

  “It probably does,” said Terrance. “This all has to do with that zombie park. That’s where all these zombies came from. It’s not because of hell; it’s because of the zombie park. The rest of the world is going to suffer because of that place.”

  “It’s too late to worry about that now,” said Brinke. “What we have to worry about is surviving.”

  “We won’t have to worry about coffee,” said Christina. “The coffee shop has plenty of back stock.”

  “So does every restaurant in the food court,” said Brinke. “But don’t forget everything has an expiration date.”

  “Just like us,” said Terrance.

  “Thanks for reminding me of that,” said Patricia. “Thanks for reminding me I can die, or even worse, become one of those things.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to you,” said Daniel. He glared at Terrance. “Will you please watch what you say? You shouldn’t say things like that. It upsets people.”

  Terrance looked at Patricia and back at Daniel. “She needs to hear the truth. These are going to be different times now. We all have to face the fact our days are now numbered because of those things trying to get inside the mall with us.”

  “Enough!” screamed Brinke angrily. “We’re not stupid. We all have seen what happened inside the mall. But that doesn’t mean we have to sit here talking about it. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not planning on dying today. Look, the military is going to protect us. They are highly trained. They know what needs to be done.”

  “But have they been trained to protect us from zombies?” asked Terrance. “Do they really know how to protect us from zombies?”

  “What difference does it make if the enemy are zombies or not?” asked Captain Spanner, approaching the table. “An enemy is an enemy. We’re highly trained to fight any enemy foreign or domestic. I don’t care who the enemy is. If they can die, we can protect each and every one of you.”

  Brinke stood up and approached him. “Did you come to get a coffee or something?”

  “A coffee would be nice.” He waited until she left before turning to the others. “I realize some of you think we can’t keep you safe. Let me tell you that I have great men under my command here who are protecting the mall right now. I trust each and every one of them with my life. You should, too. They will fight with every ounce of strength they possess to keep the zombies from getting inside the mall. I suggest you stay here and let them do their jobs and enjoy what comforts we may have around here.”

  Brinke came back with his large cup of coffee and handed it to him. “I didn’t know how you took it.”

  “Black will be fine,” he said still looking at the others. “If I find out anything I think you should know, I’ll send the word. I suggest you find a more appropriate topic of conversation. We’ll worry about the zombies for you.” He left and headed back to his post. Brinke sat back down at the table.

  “What did you say to him while I was away?”

  “Nothing,” said Terrance. “He didn’t give us a chance to speak.”

  Outside the mall the zombies surrounding it were growing in numbers. They were continuously pounding on the doors leading inside. The doors were holding for now, but the soldiers guarding certain ones around the mall were worried. None of them knew how long the doors would hold, or even if they could defend the mall against the creatures. None of them could see outside the mall into the parking lot because of the large number of zombies, so none of them had any idea what was happening behind them. It worried the soldiers. Deep down, they all knew if the zombies got inside, there wouldn’t be any survivors.

  Captain Spanner was desperately trying to reach the outside again, but he still wasn’t having any luck. “This is useless!” he yelled, looking around to see if anybody was standing near him. He drank some of his coffee and stood up. He knew that if any help did arrive, they would try to come through the main entrance. He decided it was where he needed to wait so he could watch what was going on in the parking lot. Once he arrived at the entrance, he was met by Specialist Moran.

  “What’s the current situation?” asked Captain Spanner. “Is there any activity out there?”

  “As you can see, you can barely see through all the zombies out there. I could have sworn I saw an ambulance drive by a few moments ago, but I couldn’t see who was driving. The zombies keep coming. I don’t know where they’re coming from, but inside the mall is where they all want to be.”

  “They know we’re inside. You know the doors are made of glass. They can see us standing here staring at them.”

  “Maybe they want to be here. Captain, do you think they’re coming here by instinct? Maybe this is the place they spent most of their lives. If I were a zombie, this is the last place I would want to go.”

  Captain Spanner smiled. “I’d go to my favorite fishing hole.”

  “Excuse me, sir.”

  “I was just agreeing with you, specialist. I wouldn’t come to the mall, either.” He tried to look beyond the zombies trying to reach him through the glass. “I wish our reinforcements would show up.
There are too many of them for us to mount an offensive by ourselves.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t. I mean if they can’t get inside the mall, we should be able to stay here for a long time. We might be the only survivors left.”

  Captain Spanner shook his head. “That’s not what our mission is, soldier. We can’t stay inside the mall forever. People out there are depending on us to rescue them and that’s what we’re eventually going to do. And I refuse to believe we’re the only ones still alive.”

  They heard some noises like glass cracking. They looked at each other. Neither of them thought it could happen. But they now knew there was a chance the zombies could break through the glass and get inside. Captain Spanner looked at Specialist Moran.

  “Don’t tell any of the civilians anything about this. We don’t need any of them panicking and starting a riot to get out of the mall. We have to keep in control of the situation.”

  “How long do you think the doors will hold?”

  “I don’t have an answer for you. They just need to hold until our reinforcements arrive. Then we’ll be able to thin the horde from both sides.” He looked at the doors. “I’m sure they’ll hold.”

  Specialist Moran didn’t feel the same way as the captain did. He wasn’t sure the doors would hold. Too much pressure was being pressed against them. The doors weren’t meant for that much pressure. He looked at the captain thinking he didn’t know what he was doing. He was just a mortal man like he was. How could he possibly know if the doors would hold or not? If the doors couldn’t hold the pressure, they would shatter. He stared at the doors as the zombies pushed harder against them. He definitely didn’t like their chances. If the reinforcements the captain was talking about didn’t come soon, he knew they would be killed, and the zombies would claim the mall as their prize.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Gerald was reluctant to enter the Oval Office with the news the zombie outbreak was expected to spread into Michigan and Missouri. It was inevitable. So far, none of the military had been successful in slowing the zombie outbreak’s progress across the state of Illinois. He wasn’t expecting President Cooper to have a solution, but still, he had to inform him of the unfortunate news. He entered the Oval Office and approached the desk as President Cooper was hanging up the phone.

  “I’m afraid I have bad news for you, Mr. President. The zombie outbreak is spreading more swiftly than initially feared. By the end of the day it will spread across the state lines into Michigan and Missouri. If it continues, Canada will be infected as a result.”

  “Canada will blame us. I’m sure they will retaliate against us.”

  “That’s the least of our problems, Mr. President. It wouldn’t matter if they retaliated or not. The simple fact is the entire United States will eventually be overrun by zombies. And by my calculations, so will Canada. We have to stay focused on the crisis were facing in our country.”

  “Do you have any suggestions?”

  Gerald was anticipating that question. Unfortunately, there aren’t any reasonable answers. The military isn’t making any significant progress against the outbreak. He cleared his throat. “We pray.” He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. “I’m sorry you were brought into this situation. The only thing we can do now is get you to safety.”

  “You want me to hide while the rest of the nation faces certain extinction?”

  Gerald had already made the arrangements for both of their families to be taken to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. “You don’t have any choice, Mr. President. That’s why I’m here. I will escort you there immediately.”

  “What about the rest of the nation? It almost sounds like you’re telling me they don’t have any hope.”

  “They don’t, Mr. President. Unless the military can achieve a victory, life as we know it will soon be over.”

  “You really don’t believe that, do you? There has to be something we can do. The government doesn’t turn its back on its citizens.” He stared at Gerald angrily. “Now you want me to run and hide from the American people when they need me the most. Gerald, I’m not going to do that. I have to find another option to protect them.”

  “You can do that from the bunker, Mr. President. You’re the most important person in the United States, and I have to make sure you stay alive.”

  “Gerald, why do we have to do this now? The zombie virus hasn’t reached us here yet. We still have time to put an end to all of this. We don’t need to go into hiding until all hope is lost.”

  Gerald was trying to contain his emotions. “You don’t understand, Mr. President. All hope is already lost. We have to move you to safety before it does reach here. If we wait until the last minute, it could already be too late. We need to move now, and then we’ll discuss any ideas we can come up with to help the nation. But we need to do it from the bunker, not your office. I’ve been informed General Milkwood is close to Illinois. If we’re fortunate, perhaps his smart zombies will provide us a way out of this situation.”

  “I hope you’re right, Gerald. What about President Andrews; will he be joining us?”

  “He’s locked himself in his living quarters. Secret Service is trying to convince him to join us. His family is already at the bunker.”

  President Cooper moved away from his desk. “He feels guilty about the whole situation. He’s not going to join us. Come on; let’s get to the bunker so we can get to work on the problem.”

  He followed Gerald out of the Oval Office. Hiding away from the problem was the last course of action he wanted to take. But he knew he wasn’t being given any choice. If all hope was lost, he was going to be one of the last humans alive while the rest of the nation became a country of mindless zombies. The United States of America would soon become the United States of Zombie.

  President Cooper found his family waiting for him inside the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. His wife approached him and looked into his eyes.

  “Is it really as bad as it’s being reported?”

  “I’m afraid so. Details are filtering in, but they’re sketchy at best. We don’t have any intel on how much of our military is left in the infected areas. More military personnel are being deployed to the infected area, but it’s unknown if they will be of any use. They will be facing an enemy nobody knows anything about. It feels like they’re being sent to their deaths.”

  She stared into his emerald eyes. “They are trained for battle. I’m sure they will defeat the enemy.”

  He appreciated hearing her optimism, but they were only words. When it came down to the battle between the zombies and the military, he knew who was going to have the upper hand. And, of course, there was the other part of the problem. The virus was airborne. Even if the military was able to kill the zombies, they still had to face exposure to the virus. He knew the men couldn’t keep their chemical masks on forever. It would only be a matter of time before they were infected, and eventually become zombies themselves. It was a vicious circle. He suddenly realized Gerald was right. All hope was gone. Eventually the whole nation was going to fall. It made him consider what good he was going to be able to accomplish being hidden inside the bunker. Nobody inside it was ever going to be able to leave again once the virus took its toll on America. He looked at his wife wanting to show her his emotions, but he knew he had to remain strong. For now he was forced to keep how he was feeling bottled up inside.

  “I hope you’re right,” he said softly. “They’re the only ones who can save the nation.” He was interrupted by a familiar voice.

  “Where’s my husband. Why isn’t my husband here?”

  President Cooper turned to face President Andrews’ wife. “He’s locked himself in your quarters. I don’t think he will be joining us.”

  “Why not? What’s going on? I don’t understand him right now. Why did he relinquish his position to you?”

  “I’ll handle this,” said Gerald. He led her away from the others as President Cooper was briefed on the curr
ent situation in Illinois.

  “General Milkwood is close. He thinks his smart zombies will be effective. He will meet with Captain Spanner at the mall. That’s all we know at the moment.”

  “I hope General Milkwood is correct about his smart zombies. He’s our only hope at the moment. What about the virus being airborne? Is anything being reported about this problem?”

  “We lost communications with Nevada, Mr. President. Dr. Krage last reported the virus had killed several of his key personnel, and he feared he would succumb to it, as well. I believe he’s dead.”

  “Are we certain? He could still be alive and hiding somewhere. We really need him to find a solution to the airborne problem. Without his help, we won’t be able to stop the virus from spreading.”

  “I keep trying, Mr. President. Nobody is responding. I wouldn’t count on any help coming from Nevada.”

  He looked alarmed. Even if General Milkwood was successful in killing all the zombies, they would still be at risk for being infected with the airborne virus. If Dr. Krage and his staff were all dead, there wouldn’t be anybody left alive that could figure out how to stop it. He stole a glance toward his wife. What am I going to tell her? I don’t want to tell her all hope is gone. There has to be something we’re missing, something being overlooked. If anything was being overlooked, he couldn’t see it. For now the only people who could help him were either presumed dead or on their way to Illinois.

  Several soldiers dressed in chemical gear walked slowly among the zombie animals searching for Dr. Krage. The last they heard about him was he was sitting on one of the benches watching one of his creations. They split up and searched in different directions. Their mission was to locate him and bring him safely back to the main lab and guard him until a cure was developed. There were only a few scientists left alive and a dozen soldiers. Everybody else had succumbed to the virus and had turned. Most of them had been located and eradicated before they had a chance to infect any of the others. Only two of the scientists who had turned were unaccounted for.