The Zombie Uprising Series: Books One Through Five

by M. A. Robbins

  Jen's jaw dropped. "How did you get those?"

  "Easy," Zeke said. "They were busy with you and being pretty noisy. I even dropped one of the swords on the floor and no one turned around."

  "And even if they had," Doc said, "your costume blended into the shadows."

  Zeke nodded.

  Mark let out a laugh. "And I thought it was just a costume."

  "It was highly fortunate you stayed behind in the comic shop to get something," Doc said. "But what was so fired-up important that you couldn't leave without it?"

  Zeke fished something out of his costume and held up a laminated card.

  "What the hell is that?" Grant asked.

  "A rare character card for my favorite game."

  Doc laughed.

  Jen picked up a pistol, ejected the magazine, and slapped it back in. "Let's load up and get out of here. Anyone know how much time we have?"

  Doc looked at his watch. "Eleven hours, three minutes."

  "Damn," Grant said. "That went by quick."

  Mark hefted his mace. "So we go back out through the mall?"

  Zeke walked to the door on the other end of the room. "Nope. This goes outside. Since it's not a glass door where they can see in, zombies don't seem to stop here as much. And it's got a peephole so we can see what we're up against."

  Grant nodded, one eyebrow raised. "You knew this was here?"

  "I've had my escape route planned for weeks," Zeke said. "Just in case."

  Jen strode to the door and peered through the peephole. The fish-eye lens distorted the front end of a mini van parked against the curb, its driver still belted in and growling.

  Four zombies stumbled through the parking lot, swaying between the cars and avoiding each other. Jen pursed her lips. Do they ever fight each other? She'd have to ask Doc about that.

  She turned to the others. "I see five zombies, and one is trapped in a car."

  Mark looked through the peephole. "This isn't an especially wide view. There could be a hundred more just out of sight."

  Jen pulled the bolt back on the door. "Only one way to find out." She held her axe up with a smile, then swung the door open and stepped into the sunshine.

  19

  The zombie in the car reacted, snarling and snapping its jaws until it let forth a zombie howl. Jen ignored it and turned to face a tall, fat man in a torn and bloody jogging suit racing toward her at full speed. She swallowed and grasped the axe with both hands, holding it back like a baseball bat. A silver cross on a chain around Jogging Suit Zombie's neck caught the sun as it swung back and forth.

  Closer. Almost there.

  Six feet from her, the zombie opened its mouth, showing several gold teeth. Jen stepped forward and swung with all she had, aiming for its head. She missed, but bashed in its shoulder. The zombie stumbled to the side and attacked again, knocking her back into the car.

  He dove for her and Jen rolled to her left. Jogging Suit Zombie slammed into the car, driving the creature in the car wild.

  Jen staggered several steps away and caught a glimpse of Grant driving the point of his sword into a bearded zombie's eyes.

  Jogging Suit Zombie roared and rushed her. She had just enough time to deflect it again with the axe, knocking it to the ground. Her damn arms felt like lead, but she planted a foot on the zombie's chest and let out a grunt as she swung the axe down and into the zombie's forehead. He fell still. Jen moved her foot to his neck and yanked the axe out.

  Mark stood between two women zombies, ducking away from one and swinging his mace into the temple of the other. Doc buried a couple of spikes from his bat into the back of the other woman's head, dropping her.

  Jen leaned on the car, panting. "That was a workout. Maybe I'll make an exercise video called 'Zombie Aerobics.'"

  Zeke laughed.

  Oh, great. Now I have a fan.

  The zombie trapped in the car shrieked. Zeke put his face against the window. "She's still strapped in."

  "We should shut her up," Mark said, "before she alerts any more."

  Zeke held his katana in one hand and opened the door with the other. The zombie strained against the seatbelt, its head out of the car and jaws snapping. Zeke stepped to the side and swung the katana in a downward arc, lopping off the zombie's head.

  "Nice," Jen said. "You made it look easy."

  Zeke shrugged. "Not the first zombie to fall from my sword."

  Grant leaned on his bloody sword. A zombie in a cop's uniform lay at his feet. "We can't keep doing this."

  "We should be fixing to avoid zombies as best we can, and especially avoid fighting them," Doc said.

  Jen stretched. "I'm for that. How much time have we got left?"

  "Ten hours, fifty-eight minutes," Doc said.

  "Are you kidding?" she asked. "The fight only lasted five minutes? Feels like it's been at least thirty."

  Mark stood watching the others breathing heavily. He looked like he hadn't broken a sweat. Showoff.

  "Don't we need to be going?" he asked.

  Jen wiped the blade of her axe on the jogging suit. "Why do you look so damn rested?"

  Mark shook the blood off his mace. "Which way?"

  "Back to the tracks." Jen pointed to a bridge that crossed the road. "They go over there and keep heading north."

  She jogged toward the tracks, zigzagging between cars to keep from stirring up the thirty or so zombies in the parking lot. The others followed, Grant and Doc looking ragged. When she reached the tracks, Jen turned back toward the mall. Mark and Zeke stood next to her, but Doc and Grant were still climbing the slope.

  A group of ten people burst out of the mall. Even from that distance, Trip stood out. If anyone deserved to be zombie food, that asshole did.

  Trip shouted and pointed at Jen. His group fired and Jen dropped to her stomach. "Shit."

  A zombie howl went up and was joined by more across the parking lot. Three groups of zombies swarmed toward Trip and his people. They switched to targeting the undead.

  Jen jumped up. "Let's get to the bridge while these guys are busy. If we're lucky, the zombies will get them. But if they don't, I want to get a head start. I've got a feeling old Trip isn't one to let things go."

  Doc and Grant reached the tracks and Jen ran, leading them to the bridge. She took one last look back before crossing it. Trip's group had taken out several zombies. Why couldn't they be shitty shots?

  Reaching the halfway point over the bridge, Jen looked west toward King Street, about two hundred yards away. Ten zombies milled around, but none reacted to the humans on the bridge.

  Jen took cover in the trees on the other side of the bridge. Mark took up position next to her. A minute later Grant and Doc arrived. "No time to rest," Mark said.

  "We just follow the tracks for now," Jen said. "Mark, can you take point?"

  "Sure."

  She pointed to Grant. "You OK on rear?"

  Panting, Grant nodded.

  They walked at a good clip, covered by trees on their right and industrial buildings on the left. Mark kept them close to the trees.

  Doc moved to Jen's side, his hands on his back. "Notice the zombies up the road as we crossed the bridge?"

  Jen nodded. "Not a peep out of them."

  Doc pulled a bottle of water out of his pack. He took a sip and put it back. "Remember that last drone footage I showed you? Seems we were far enough away, and quiet enough, to keep from attracting their attention."

  Mark glanced back. "So how far away do we need to be?"

  "I wouldn't want to put that fine a guess on it," Doc said. "I imagine it depends on how quiet you are. Maybe even depends on the zombie." He shrugged. "Just something to stick in your back pocket for now."

  Twenty minutes later, the tracks crossed Campbell Creek Trail. Jen stopped. "We have a choice to make. If we follow the tracks, they'll take us downtown and cross over Ship Creek to the base. Problem is, the tracks will cross a lot of roads, and those are always open areas."

  "Dow
ntown was overrun with zombies at the beginning," Zeke said. "I saw it on TV. A lot of downtown burned."

  Mark gestured to the trail. "What about this way?"

  "It takes us more east, but near enough to Boniface Parkway, which runs right into the base. Best part is we have a lot more cover taking the trail."

  "If I had my druthers," Doc said. "I'd prefer to stay hidden as much as possible."

  "I agree," Grant said.

  Jen looked at Mark and Zeke. "I'm with Doc and Grant. Anyone against?"

  Zeke shook his head. Mark shrugged. "You should take point. I'll be right behind you."

  Jen led them onto the trail. It wound through the greenbelt with trees on both sides. They came to a fork and Jen took the left one. The trees grew thinner on the right and a neighborhood of duplexes appeared through occasional breaks in the foliage. Woodsmoke hung heavy in the air. Jen caught a breath of it and coughed. Was it just wood, or were there more organic things being burned?

  A rapid series of gunshots came from the duplexes. Jen ducked. "That sounded damn close."

  Zombie howls rose from several directions. Mark dashed for the tall undergrowth across the trail from the duplexes. "In the bushes."

  Jen wasn't about to question Mark and was right on his tail, diving under cover. Zeke, Grant, and Doc tumbled in next to them. Zombie howls drifted closer, and Jen gripped her axe so tightly her knuckles turned white.

  A group of three zombies burst from the trees a few yards away. Jen's heart hammered and she stifled a gasp. Even expecting them, their appearance was sudden.

  The zombies sprinted across the trail and disappeared into the trees on the duplex side. The whole thing had taken fifteen seconds.

  Doc went to rise, but Mark grabbed his arm. "Not yet," he whispered.

  An unearthly guttural howl came from down the path. The trees in that direction shook and branches cracked. What the hell is that?

  A moose galloped out onto the trail and headed straight toward them. Jen couldn't move. They would be stomped to death.

  Ten feet away, it made a sharp turn toward the duplexes. It disappeared in seconds, but not before Jen's mind snapped a picture of its side missing several chunks of fur and meat. Not to mention its yellow eyes.

  Jen squeezed her eyes shut. What a nightmare this had turned into.

  Another series of gunshots came from the duplexes, followed by a long scream that cut off, and then silence.

  "Best we get to where we're going before the zombies start wandering back this way," Doc said.

  Jen stepped onto the trail. She wondered how much time they had left, but didn't dare ask. "I don't know about you, but I'm not waiting for Frankenmoose to come back."

  Grant shook his head. "Can you beat that? I've never even dreamed of something like that, much less seen it."

  "I'd surely love to study that creature," Doc said.

  "Screw that," Mark said. "That thing looked bad enough, but can you imagine if there's a bear out there that's been turned?"

  Jen's skin prickled at the thought. She shook it off. "Mark, point. Everyone else, you know where you are. And let's pick up the pace. We've been sitting too long."

  Mark jogged down the path with the others close behind. They continued in silence, and Jen kept her eyes moving. After that moose coming out of nowhere, even the tree coverage didn't feel safe. They made good time, following the trail under Dowling Road and as it threaded between neighborhoods and industrial areas.

  Mark stopped. "Road ahead."

  "Old Seward." Jen pulled up behind him. "The trail should follow Campbell Creek under the road again."

  "Not gonna help us," Mark said.

  She crept up beside him. A damn burned-out car blocked the path under the bridge. No signs of movement. "Shit. We'll have to cross in the open."

  She turned to Grant and Zeke. "We need you two to stay here and watch our flank. Mark, Doc, and I are going to scout out ahead."

  Zeke gave her a smile, and Grant nodded.

  Jen ran with Mark and Doc to the edge of the road and popped her head up, scanning the area. A large horde of thirty or so milled around at the intersection of International Airport Road, and another group of a dozen gathered to their right in front of an RV dealer.

  "What do you think, Doc?" Jen asked. "Are they far enough away for us to cross?"

  Doc cleaned his glasses with his shirttail. "I'd estimate they're about two hundred yards away on either side, give or take ten yards." He shrugged. "As I said before, I don't have enough data to tell for sure. Two hundred yards might be enough, or it might not."

  Mark pointed across the road. "And we've got another problem."

  Two zombies stumbled around the parking lot across the road. "If they see us and howl," Jen said, "we're screwed."

  "Maybe we should go further up the road and find another place to cross," Doc said.

  "But do we have time for that?" Mark asked.

  Running feet approached from behind. Jen spun, cocking her axe back.

  Grant and Zeke scrambled up the embankment next to them. Breathing heavily, Zeke said, "Trip and nine of his people are coming. They'll be here in a few minutes."

  Jen looked at Mark. "Looks like the decision is made for us. You and I have a couple of zombies to kill across the road."

  "And hope we're far enough away from the two hordes," Doc added.

  Jen sighed. "Why did the zombie killer cross the road?"

  "I give up," Zeke said. "Why?"

  "I guess we'll find out." Adrenaline flooded Jen's veins, giving her a rush. I think I'm getting used to this. She hunched over and crept onto the road, her axe ready for more zombie blood.

  20

  Jen and Mark had made it to the solid lines dividing the road lanes when Mark grabbed her wrist. She stopped and followed his gaze. A zombie in the horde at the intersection had stopped milling around and faced them, its head tilted back. Shit. Can they smell us, too?

  Jen's breathing slowed. She glanced at Doc and the others waiting at the roadside. Doc watched the zombie's actions, then shrugged at her.

  Her attention went back to the sniffing zombie. She didn't dare turn around to check out the other horde in front of the RV dealership. All it would take was for one zombie to howl and she and Mark would be stuck in the middle of two converging hordes. Not to mention the two zombies they were on their way to kill.

  The sniffing zombie lowered its nose and turned away. Jen let out an audible sigh, then clamped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes snapped to the two zombies on the other side. One of them was a middle-aged man dressed in bloodied mechanics overalls, and the other was a twenty-something woman with long blonde hair dressed in a torn pair of medical scrubs. They stumbled around aimlessly, their heads down and backs to Jen and Mark.

  Mark tapped her shoulder. He pointed to her and then the mechanic, then to himself and the blonde. Jen nodded. She moved forward on the pads of her feet, the axe heavy in her hand.

  Reaching the grass, she raised the axe over her head. The remaining ten feet to the zombie were covered in gravel. She took her first step on it and the stones ground together. It sounded as loud as a gunshot. The zombies turned and Jen sprinted to the mechanic. Before he faced her, she buried the axe into his temple. Mark slammed the mace onto the forehead of the blonde a second later. She fell, blood trickling onto the gravel.

  Jen blew out a breath and waved the others over. Zeke jumped onto the road, and Jen waved at him to slow down. They weren't out of danger yet. Zeke nodded and tip toed across in an almost exaggerated way. Doc kept his eyes on the two hordes as he crossed, and Grant kept glancing back over his shoulder. I almost forgot Trip and his gang.

  When they caught up, Jen led everyone down to the trail and north into the greenbelt. She walked with a quickened pace. Five minutes later, Doc said, "That was uncomfortable. What do y'all think?"

  "I was about to piss my pants," Zeke said.

  Grant glanced over his shoulder. "I think we got out of sigh
t just in time. Trip and his people had to be close to the curve in the trail."

  "That's good," Mark said. "That way they can't be sure we went this way."

  Jen frowned. "I don't know. I think they do."

  "How do you figure that?" Mark asked.

  "They know we're heading for the base," Jen said, "and unless they all came off some tourist bus, they know the area. So they'd know we'd either go through downtown or up Boniface to get to the base."

  Doc shoved his hands in his pockets and hung his head. "I shouldn't have told them we were heading to the base."

  "Not your fault," Jen said. "It was a good bluff to tell them the military would come looking for us."

  Grant pulled out the cell phone. "Speaking of the military, we should check in."

  "Not here," Mark said. "We need a place to hole up."

  Jen rounded a curve in the trail, then stopped and pointed ahead. "What about there?"

  A couple hundred yards down the trail, on the outside of another curve, a three-story office building loomed over the trees.

  "Nice," Mark said. "From the top floor, you can see all the way down here. If we spot Trip, it gives us plenty of time to move on without him being the wiser."

  Mark broke into a jog, and Jen and the others followed suit. They broke through the trees in front of the building and came out the other side in a parking lot that surrounded the building on three sides. A large sign in front advertised a dentist, orthodontist, and physical therapist.

  Jen pulled on the front door and it opened. She turned to Mark. "What do you suggest? Do we clear the whole building?"

  Grant frowned. "We don't have time."

  Jen raised an eyebrow at Mark.

  "He's right," Mark said. "We should go straight upstairs to the back corner room, take out anything in our way, and then block the door."

  "Couldn't we get boxed in?" Jen asked.

  Mark's eyes pierced hers. "Absolutely."

  Well, I asked. Jen entered, her axe cocked and ready to swing. Mark went up the stairs first, followed by Zeke and then Doc. Grant gestured for Jen to follow. She thought to drop a smart-ass remark, but Grant had done his part and she saw no reason to mess with him.