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

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  Sergeant Nevels felt nervous as he maneuvered his way around an open area with an elephant and a rhino. He didn’t like being inside with the zombie animals; he didn’t trust them. To him they were still wild animals with animalistic instincts. He just wanted to find the doctor as quickly as possible and escort him back to the main lab. He heard a noise sounding like shuffling feet behind him, and he turned to look. He didn’t see anything but a couple of monkeys in a cage staring back at him. He turned his attention back to the elephant. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but he thought he heard a shallow growl coming from several cages to the left of him. He dismissed it thinking it was coming from one of the animals and continued down the aisle with his weapon raised. Sweat was streaming down his face making it uncomfortable wearing his chemical mask. It was causing the lens to fog up, making it difficult to see. He heard the noise once more and stopped to listen. He felt a presence, but he couldn’t tell if it was one of the animals or something else. He wanted to take the mask off, but he couldn’t take the chance of being exposed to fowl air. He continued walking forward until something grabbed him from behind and forced him to the ground. He felt a searing pain course through his body as he felt the back of his neck being ripped apart. He tried to roll to his side, but whatever was on top of him was too heavy. It had pinned him to the ground. He felt teeth ripping through his flesh. He fought hard to free himself, but he knew it was too late. All he could do now was to pray his death would come quickly and spare him any more pain. He felt another chunk of flesh being ripped from his bones as all went black.

  Specialist Wong stood staring in front of a closed door at the rear of the large area. His hand was shaking as he reached for the handle to open it. He feared something could be on the other side and could jump out at him. He didn’t like surprises, and he definitely didn’t like the idea of zombies lingering around the facility. He knew he was one of the last remaining soldiers, and he wanted to keep it that way. He was searching the facility for Dr. Krage in protest. He was being made to search for him, and he was angry about it. He stopped for a moment to listen. He couldn’t hear anything on the other side of the door, but it didn’t mean nothing was behind it. He feared something was on the other side waiting for the chance to attack. He stopped reaching for the door and looked around. As far as he could see, there wasn’t anything in the area with him. He turned his attention back toward the door and once again reached for the handle. With a trembling hand he slowly opened it. It opened with ease, exposing a dark storage room. He slowly made his way inside as he saw something moving behind a stack of boxes. He switched on the light and looked at them curiously. He heard a low growl and the shuffling of feet heading in his direction. Doctor Krage had turned into a zombie and was slowly making his way toward him. Fearing the worse, he turned tail and left the room, slamming the door behind him. He closed his eyes and leaned against the door, hoping the zombie didn’t know how to get out of the room. He heard a loud thud on the other side of the door and loud growling. He breathed a sigh of relief. He figured he was now in the clear.

  He now had to get back to the main lab and inform the others the doctor was now a zombie. He felt ashamed he didn’t have the courage to stay in the room and shoot the zombie, but he didn’t feel it was his job. He wasn’t assigned to the security team at the facility. He had been assigned as janitor, and his main job was getting rid of hazardous waste materials, not going around shooting zombies. He turned to run down the nearest isle until something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He thought it was Sergeant Nevels, but he couldn’t tell. Whoever or whatever it was moved quickly out of his view.

  Cold terror gripped him in its icy embrace as he took a step forward, wondering if it was a zombie he had seen. It was extremely hard to know what was inside a chemical suit. Anybody or anything could be wearing one. Fear continued to beat in him even louder than his heart. He didn’t know what direction he should go in. He decided to take the isle to the left away from where he saw something moving a minute ago. He headed for it and made his way past some predatory cats staring at him with milky eyes. He didn’t like the way they were glaring at him. It made him feel vulnerable.

  He quickened his pace as though his life depended on it, and sprinted past the large cats and toward a couple of crocodiles with their mouths opened. He knew once he got past them, he would come to the area in the front where the smaller animals were housed. He felt safer around them; they didn’t seem so threatening. He quickened his pace, practically at a full run, heading toward some small dogs. His heart was racing, causing his chest to hurt with every breath he took. Something suddenly blocked his path and knocked him to the ground. He looked up at his attacker. He could tell it was Sergeant Nevels, but at the same time it wasn’t. His chemical suit was covered in fresh blood, alerting him the sergeant was no longer human. He swiftly raised his M16 and fired several shots in succession. Sergeant Nevels fell to the ground. Specialist Wong got back to his feet and stared at the motionless figure. A large pool of blood was forming around the body. From behind him he heard more shuffling feet heading in his direction. He was about to run when he was violently hit from the side and tossed into the air. He landed hard to the ground next to the tigers that smashed against their enclosure trying to get him. He looked in the direction of where he was hit and saw a rhinoceros staring him down. His body felt as though he had been hit by a freight train. From behind him, he continued to hear the tigers trying to free themselves. He slowly and painfully got back to his feet and realized the rhino was blocking his way to the door leading out of the area. He was at a loss for what he should do. He looked at the rhino and then to the main door. There had to be a way to reach it safely. He sprinted toward the rhino hoping he could pass by it without it afflicting any more harm to him. His plan failed. Once again he was sent sailing into the air, crashing down on the ground a few feet away from the door. He looked at the rhino and his eyes widened in fright. Behind the rhino he saw an elephant and a hippo swiftly making their way in his direction. He quickly made it back to his feet and made haste toward the door and entered the main hallway, slamming the door behind him. He looked through the window to see if he was being followed and saw the rhino running full speed toward the door he was standing behind. He didn’t know if the door would be able to stop the creature or simply fall to pieces under its weight. He didn’t want to stay to find out. He left the door and headed down the hall. He had to get to the main lab and inform the others of what had happened to the doctor and to inform them about the animals. Except for the humming of the overhead fluorescent lights, everything had become still. It felt as though the place had been abandoned. He quickly made his way down the long hall, forgetting there could be zombies lingering nearby. He kept focused. He reached the main lab and entered and closed the glass doors behind him. The lab was empty. He found this strange. There were three people here when he left, and they promised they would still be here when he returned.

  Now he was faced with a major problem. He scanned the room for any evidence a struggle may have taken place inside, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He thought about leaving the lab and searching for them, but he didn’t want to take any unnecessary chances. As far as he knew, they all could have turned into zombies by now, and if they had, he wanted to be as far away from them as he could. He locked the door and ventured farther inside the lab. There were a couple more areas off of the main lab he still needed to check before he could relax.

  He entered the next area and did a quick scan, but it didn’t reveal anything. Satisfied nobody was there, he went into the next area and stood frozen in place. He found two of the people he had left in the lab lying on the white tiled floor with their entrails exposed. Blood was splattered in every direction he looked. It looked like the grisly scene from a low budget horror movie. He took a step forward and then abruptly stopped once again. There were several bloody footprints leading away from the scene of the crime. His
heart sank. It could mean only one of two things. There was either a survivor of the massacre, or he was in the same area with a zombie. He raised his M16 and slowly made his way past the bodies, following the footprints on the floor. At least he knew in which direction they were heading. He followed the prints across the room and around the corner. He stopped to listen. He could hear chewing coming from a back area where supplies were stored. He looked at the ground. The footprints were leading in that direction. He now knew there was a zombie in the area with him. He thought about turning tail and getting out of the area as fast as he could, but he realized if he left the zombie alive, it could later pose a problem for him. The best thing he could do was shoot it now before it realized he was in the room.

  He continued to follow the footprints toward the sound of ripping flesh and chewing. So far the zombie hadn’t sensed his presence. He readied his weapon and moved closer. A female zombie was standing there with a leg in her hands. He watched as she tore flesh from the leg and chewed. The sight of it made him queasy. His instincts told him to get away from her as fast as he could, but he resisted. Instead, he raised his weapon and fired a couple of shots in succession. The first slug shredded the trachea just at the hollow of her throat. The second death-dealer plowed through the right frontal lobe. She slumped to the ground still clasping the severed leg.

  He lowered his weapon and watched for a few minutes making sure she wasn’t going to rise again. She remained motionless. He retraced his steps back to the main lab and went to the door leading to the hallway. He was uncertain what he should do. He didn’t know if there were any more zombies roaming around the facility. He sat down and thought about his options. He placed his weapon on a desk and looked around. He didn’t see any way out of his situation. He stared at his weapon on the desk and wondered if he wanted to continue living, or if he wanted to take his chances trying to escape the facility.

  He stood up and snatched his weapon from the desk. If there was a way he could survive and make it outside, he had to take the chance. He heard knocking on the glass door and looked up. Two people wearing chemical suits were standing on the other side waving at him and motioning to him to join them. He knew who they were. He smiled and went over to the door. He wasn’t the last one still alive. He opened the door and joined them in the hallway.

  “Come on, Specialist Wong, a helicopter is en route to rescue us. It looks like we’re the last ones left alive.”

  “Are all the zombies dead?”

  “I don’t know, and I don’t want to stay here to find out. They’re going to bomb this place once they get here. Come on; let’s get out of here before it’s too late.”

  They were interrupted by the sounds of heavy footsteps swiftly making their way down the hallway. Specialist Wong knew what was making the sounds. “We have to get out of here fast. Some of the bigger zombie animals are free. I got attacked by a rhino already.”

  Without wasting another moment to find out what animal was making the sound, they sprinted down the long hallway until they finally made it outside the facility without crossing paths with any zombies or animals. They watched as a military helicopter landed across the way from the building and two soldiers jumped out and fired several shots at them.

  The soldiers stood by their bodies making sure they were all dead. They turned as Colonel Evans joined them. He looked at the soldiers.

  “Take their bodies back inside. Our mission is to bomb the hell out of this place and leave no witnesses behind. I’ll make sure everybody who worked here is remembered as patriots.”

  He watched as the soldiers carried the bodies inside the facility before retreating back to the helicopter. This was the part he hated about serving his country. He didn’t like the government cover ups that were necessary for the security of the nation. He waited until his men returned to the helicopter before carrying out his orders. He took out his cell phone. He waited until he heard a voice on the other end and then said, “It is done.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Roxy helped Officer Delgado inside her house. He wasn’t getting any better. She knew it would only be a matter of time before he turned into one of the hideous creatures roaming the streets. She helped him over to the couch and went into the kitchen to make the soup she promised to make him, even though she still knew she was wasting her time. It was the only thing she knew to do when somebody was feeling under the weather. It was the one thing she did whenever she felt sick or rundown. A bowl of hot soup always did the trick, whether it was chicken noodle or tomato, it always made her feel fifty percent better. She put the soup on the stove because she didn’t think the soup tasted the same when cooked in the microwave, and she then went to her room to fetch a pillow and blanket and brought it to him. His eyes were closed, leading her to believe he was sleeping. She lifted his head and placed the pillow underneath and then covered him with the blanket. She had the feeling this was the last stage before he changed. She snatched her ax and took it into the kitchen with her to turn off the stove. She knew it was too late for him to eat any soup. She went back into the living room and sat on the reclining chair opposite the couch. She placed the ax in her lap and watched as he slept. For the moment he looked peaceful, but she knew his body was going through chaos. She wondered how much pain he was experiencing. She hoped the medicine he took dulled some of it, but she was doubtful.

  She grabbed the TV remote and turned on the TV. The local news came on and a reporter was reporting the zombie outbreak was getting closer to the Missouri and Michigan state lines, and it was feared it could reach as far north as Canada within a week. The Canadian government was already working on a contingency plan. They were also blaming the American government for the outbreak and warned if the outbreak reached the Canadian border, they would take action against America. The image of the mall appeared on the screen. It was completely surrounded by zombies. The story was being covered by a news helicopter and had an overhead view of the mall. An ambulance was driving around the mall. She guessed whoever was driving it was searching for somebody.

  Officer Delgado shifted his position, and she peered over at him expecting the worse. He lay there motionless. She stared at him for a few moments and then turned her attention back to the TV. The news helicopter was now focusing on the streets around the mall. There were hordes of zombies in every direction. She knew she wasn’t going to be able to reach the mall…at least not by herself. She really needed Officer Delgado’s help, but she knew in his condition, it was going to be impossible. She thought about what she was going to do once he had turned and she put him out of his misery. She was a strong willed woman, but she didn’t feel like she would stand a chance against the monsters in the streets. She questioned if she would be safe inside her house and if she had enough supplies to survive for an extended amount of time. There were too many factors to consider. Her house had too many vulnerable spots. She remembered what happened in George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. They had boarded up all the windows and doors, but still the zombies managed to gain entrance into the house. Even if that was an option, she didn’t have the necessary materials needed to complete the job. Water wouldn’t be a problem unless it became contaminated. Then there was the question of food. She never kept much food in the house because she was rarely home.

  She made her way into the kitchen to see how much food she had in her cabinets and freezer. She went to the freezer first and opened it. She was met with the cold air. It made her shiver but she shrugged it off. She looked through the contents but was disappointed. All she could find was an old bag of freezer burnt fish sticks, a carton of old vanilla ice cream, and a half box of hamburger patties that were two months past their best by date. She closed the freezer and walked over to one of her cabinets and opened it. It was empty except for a small spider that ran toward one of the back corners. She didn’t bother opening any of the others. She knew the results would be the same. The only food she knew she had in the house were six cans of tomato soup and
now five cans of chicken noodle soup. That would probably only last her one week at best. Staying at her house wasn’t going to be an option. She would have to eventually locate somewhere else if she wanted to survive.

  She went back into the living room to check on Officer Delgado. She found him still lying on the couch asleep. She checked his pulse. It was weak and his breathing labored.

  “It won’t be much longer,” she said, placing her hand on his chest. “Don’t fight it, just let it happen. I will take care of everything; I promise.”

  She sat back down and stared at the TV. The reporter was talking about the military bringing helicopters to the area to combat the zombies and that inside the mall a command center had been set up. It sounded encouraging, but she knew there were too many zombies for the military to battle. It would take a miracle for them to be victorious. She laughed. Too bad they couldn’t land in my yard and rescue me. They could take me somewhere safe. The idea didn’t sound bad to her. She could try to get to the mall, and if she was lucky, they might be able to relocate her to a safer place. It was her best option. All she had to do was wait for Officer Delgado to turn, and she could try to get to the mall. It would be risky, but she had to try. She heard Officer Delgado gasp and then become silent.

  She stared at him wide-eyed. She held her breath and secured the handle of her ax and waited. She didn’t know exactly how long it took for someone to turn, but she was ready. She stood up and moved closer to him and watched anxiously. The sooner she got it done, the sooner she could set out for the mall.

  Officer Delgado’s eyes opened. She could see they had changed to a milky-white color. He sat up, knocking the blanket away. He turned and looked at her with a hungry look and growled at her. She held the ax above her head ready to bring it down upon him as hard as she could. He sat there staring at her as if he recognized her.