"Sorry, Doctor. Consider this your termination notice."
O'Connor continued to stare. Like the zombies downstairs.
Jen lowered the gun just enough for a better view of the undead doctor. She stepped to the right and O'Connor's eyes followed her. She moved to the left and he never broke eye contact.
"What the hell's going on?" she asked.
O'Connor tilted his head back like he was going to let loose with a screech, but he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. He lowered his chin and reconnected his gaze with Jen.
A drop of sweat rolled down her cheek. This is something new. Are they evolving again?
O'Connor's mouth opened, then closed. Damn thing looks like it's trying to talk.
Entranced, Jen lowered the pistol to her side. "What are you trying to say?"
The doctor's jaw worked up and down. He looked like a fish out of water struggling for a breath.
"Jiinn."
The blood rushed from Jen's face. Did he just say...
O'Connor shook his head like a dog with a toy. He glared at her. "Jin."
You're telling me these fucking things are going to start talking now?
"Are you saying my name? Jen?"
O'Connor's head jerked forward, then back.
Jen gasped. "What the hell?"
Muffled gunshots came from the distance, getting closer. Jen took a step toward O'Connor. "Dr. O'Connor, is that you?"
O'Connor's head jerked to one side, and then to the other.
Jen took a deep breath. Her pulse raced and a rock settled in the pit of her stomach as an unbelievable thought rose in her mind.
It can't be.
"Butler?"
The corners of O'Connor's mouth pulled back in a grotesque leer.
8
Jen raised the pistol, her hand shaking. "I'm going to find you and enjoy killing you again, you son of a bitch."
The blast of a gun came from just outside the door.
O'Connor raised his arms in a surrender gesture.
"How are you going to surrender when you're not really here?" Jen aimed at his forehead.
"Help," O'Connor grunted.
Jen licked her lips. How'd I get stuck talking to a dead man who's talking through a dead man?
"Why the hell would I help you?"
O'Connor's mouth worked, but no sound came out.
The door burst open and three security officers rushed in, their handguns cocked and ready. The largest stepped in front of Jen and fired.
"Hey," she said, "I can take care of myself." She pushed the security officer to the side.
O'Connor lay flopped over a chair, the top of his skull missing.
Shit. Now I'll never find out what the hell is going on.
Jen spun. "Who asked you to do that?"
She looked up into Mark Colton's soft brown eyes.
He smiled. "You're welcome."
"Why'd you kill him?" she asked.
His brow furrowed. "What? What else do you do with a zombie?"
She bit her lip. Shut up, Jen. She shook her head. "Think I banged my head on the wall when you shoved me. I'm all right now."
"You should have someone look at that," Mark said.
Jen gave him a half smile. "Like I said, I'm fine. Besides, looks like the medical department's become a bit short-staffed."
A security officer with her blonde hair in a bun approached. "Chief, looks like we're clean."
"I want all security personnel not on perimeter duty to clear every room in every building on the campus. Start with this one," Mark said.
The security officer nodded and rushed out of the room, barking instructions on a radio.
Zeke jogged into the room, relief flooding his blood-specked face when his eyes met Jen's. "There you are," he said.
Jen pulled his lanky frame into a bear hug. "I don't know why zombies go after you. You wouldn't even make a quick snack."
Zeke gave her an awkward pat on the back and stepped back. "Except for worrying about you, that was a hell of a lot of fun for me and Crusher."
"Crusher?" Jen said. "As names go, it's better than Betty, but your katana slices. Wouldn't Crusher be a better name for a mace or a bat?"
"It's named after a character on TNG," Zeke said.
"TNG?"
"Star Trek Next Generation." Zeke beamed. "Wesley Crusher."
Jen sighed. "If nerdism was a super power, you'd rule the world."
Mark rolled his eyes. "Let's get you two somewhere safe."
Two hours later, Jen and Zeke walked into Dr. Cartwright's reception area. Cindy looked up from her computer. "Go right in." Without waiting for an acknowledgment, she went back to work.
O'Connor's assistant, Randy, leaned forward in a chair in front of Cartwright's desk, while the doctor faced a large monitor with a split screen. On one side was Howell's somber face and on the other was a young woman about Jen's age. She wore wire-frame glasses and sported short frosted hair. Cartwright glanced over her shoulder. "Good timing. Have a seat." She gestured to the empty seats in front of her desk.
Turning back to the monitor, she said, "Sergeant, I need a transport aircraft immediately. This is a matter of the highest national security."
"That's what I told the general, ma'am, but he shot me down. There's a fierce battle in Boise and all transport aircraft are needed there."
Jen took her seat. I hate coming in on the middle of conversations.
"What do we need the plane for?" she asked.
The woman on the screen said, "Is this Jen?"
Cartwright nodded and pointed at the screen. "Jen, this is Dr. Preston. Donna, this is Jen Reed."
Donna offered a petite smile. "Good to meet you, Jen."
"Pleasure," Jen said. "What do we need the plane for?"
"To bring Donna here," Cartwright said. "She works in a CDC-affiliated lab in Boston and is our next best option after Dr. O'Connor."
"I thought the train ran to Boston," Zeke said. "Why can't she take that?"
Donna rolled back from the screen so her wheelchair was in view. "Before the disaster, I would've had no problem taking the train," she said. "But now that it's the sole method of mass transportation, it's filled to capacity, which makes it very difficult to navigate in my chair."
Howell looked off camera. "Be right there." He turned to the screen. "Boise is critical and there's been another major attack. This time it's Phoenix."
He disappeared from the monitor and Donna's face filled it.
"Can't Randy work on it here?" Jen asked. "He worked with O'Connor."
Randy scoffed. "That's like asking an operating room nurse to perform brain surgery."
"Clearly that's not our best option," Cartwright said. She adjusted her glasses and looked at the ceiling. "We're out of best options, and now we're down to the best of the worst."
"Donna," she said, "if we can't get you down to our lab, we'll get our lab to you."
Randy frowned. "So I'm going to Boston? Not sure that's a safe trip."
Cartwright shot him a withering glare. "Relax, we need you here in case O'Connor left any written notes that haven't been transcribed into the system. You're the only one who will know where they are."
Randy's shoulders relaxed.
"No." Cartwright stood. "I'll send the serum on the train with some agents."
"Serum?" Zeke asked.
"Dr. O'Connor had two doses of the latest iteration of his serum," Donna said. "He used one in his last experiment."
"But it didn't work," Jen said. "So why do you want it?"
"It's the result of all his research," Donna said, "and I don't want to start from scratch if I can help it."
"Fine," Cartwright said. "I'll have two agents leave on tomorrow's train with the serum."
Donna stared from the screen. "As long as one of those agents is Jen."
"What?" Jen said.
Cartwright scowled. "I need Jen here."
"And Dr. O'Connor's lab notes are adamant that a comp
onent of Jen's blood is essential for the serum," Donna said. "I don't know how much I'll need."
"So the human pincushion needs to go along with the serum." Jen leaned back in the chair. "Great." And it'll get me farther away from Butler.
Cartwright stared at the wall. And uncomfortable silence fell over the room.
Cartwright turned back to the monitor. "I don't like this at all, but I don't see another solution. At least, not unless the military would shake some air transport loose."
Zeke jumped to his feet. "I go where Jen goes."
Jen smiled. My hero.
Cartwright sighed. "We'll set it up on this end. I'll send you the specifics."
Donna nodded. "Looking forward to it. And looking forward to meeting you, Jen."
Jen waved at the camera. "Same here. How about some of that famous clam chowder when we get there?"
"You've got it." The monitor went blank.
Cartwright swiveled the chair around. "Things are getting dicey out there, even on the east coast."
"I thought the protocols were keeping things under control?" Zeke asked.
"Go ask O'Connor how well that's turning out," Jen said.
Cartwright stood. "You'll leave on tomorrow morning's train. Jen will carry the serum, and Agents Rodriguez and Daniels will accompany you."
"My brother's heading home on that train," Zeke said. "Can he travel with us?"
"I think that's a great idea," Jen interjected. Zeke and Cartwright looked at her. Cartwright's eyebrows were raised.
Jen shrugged. "Safety in numbers, right?"
"Very well. Have him report with you to the armory to be equipped for the trip. Then muster outside the front entrance of this building by 6:00 a.m."
Zeke smiled. "Back into action."
Cartwright frowned. "Let's hope there's not too much of that."
9
Jen yawned as the SUV wound through the Atlanta streets the next morning. She felt the pouch threaded onto her belt for the hundredth time. She unzipped it and pulled out the stoppered syringe. Can't believe this freaking thing is humanity's last hope. She returned it, making sure the padding inside was wrapped completely around it.
They'd passed only a few pedestrians and bicyclists, and even fewer vehicles. It had rained overnight and the sun baked the streets, evaporating the puddles.
"I'll be glad to get out of this freaking humidity." Jen pulled her shirt away from her chest.
"Where are all the people?" Zeke asked. "It's like a ghost town."
Agent Rodriguez glanced at him from the front passenger seat. "It's getting worse every day." He cracked his neck. "A week ago we'd had our first major outbreak in Atlanta, but now there are several every day."
"We had a couple in Providence," Wayne said, "but the rest of Rhode Island has been pretty calm."
Zeke examined the cell phone he'd been given at the armory. "No social media. No games. How can they call this a phone?"
"It's for calls only," Wayne said. He sat between Jen and Zeke and his shoulder kept rubbing Jen's as the vehicle bounced over uneven roads.
Jen pulled her phone out. In a hardened case, it was pre-programmed with numbers for Cartwright, Howell, and everyone in the SUV. She rapped her knuckles on the case. "Could run this thing over with a tank and not hurt it."
The SUV swerved and Jen pressed into Wayne. She pulled back and murmured, "Sorry."
Wayne gave her a smile. "No worries."
Stop it, Jen. You've got a job to do. Don't start getting all gooey like in a bad novel. There's still an apocalypse going on.
A breeze caught discarded papers and they flew down the empty street. "Doesn't look like there's anyone left in the city," Wayne said.
"Everyone's holed up in their houses," Daniels said.
The SUV swung around a curve and Jen held onto the door handle to keep from tumbling into Wayne again. Two blocks ahead, a crowd filled the street.
"Looks like we found the party," she said.
"Shit," Rodriguez said. "Everyone stay close to me when we get out. We'll have to get through that mess."
Jen frowned. "I'm not comfortable with crowds right now."
Daniels looked at Rodriguez. "They're all trying to get on the train. It's the only reliable long-distance transportation unless you walk or bike." Rodriguez put a hand on the SUV driver's arm. "Stop here, Stan."
The vehicle pulled to the curb. The crowd's edge lay a hundred feet ahead.
Rodriguez turned to the others. "There's no time to be polite. We'll have to bull through. I'll lead and Daniels will take the rear. Stay with us and have your badges out when we get to the train."
"I don't have a badge," Wayne said.
"Stick close. We'll get you in," Daniels said.
Jen lined up behind Rodriguez, followed by Zeke and Wayne. Daniels called out from behind her. "Ready."
Rodriguez stepped into the milling crowd, holding his badge up. "Excuse me. Homeland Security. Let us pass."
Jen stayed on his ass as he wove through the mass of humanity. Halfway there, she glanced over her shoulder and was reassured that the others still followed close behind.
A woman's scream came from the top of the wide gradual steps leading into the terminal. Yelling and cursing followed, and the crowd converged on the spot, jostling and shoving. A fight broke out.
Someone slammed into Jen from her left and she stumbled, but managed to stay upright. Don't want to fall in this mess.
Rodriguez yelled over his shoulder, "We're gonna have to take a detour. This way."
He pushed to the left, and Jen glimpsed the crowd ten yards ahead. The people appeared calmer.
The fighting spilled down the steps like a wave washing over the mass of hot, sweaty Atlantans. Rammed again, Jen was shoved into a tall, beefy man who glared at her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
"You'll find out when I knee your balls up into your throat," Jen said. She tried to follow through on the threat but the mob was pressed so close together, she had no room to act.
Someone grabbed her other arm. Jen glanced over. Wayne had stretched out and clenched her upper arm. Zeke peered at her over his shoulder. He reached back and pulled his katana, but he might as well have left it in its scabbard for all the good he could do with it.
The beefy man wrapped one ham-sized hand around Jen's throat. "Just 'cause you're government doesn't make you special."
Jen choked and tried again to knee the asshole, but she was immobilized by the bodies pressing in on her. Dots speckled her vision as she struggled to breathe.
"Jen," Zeke yelled.
An explosion came from nearby and the hand released her. Jen's legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground, her lungs heaving for air.
Wayne lifted her to her feet. "Come on."
Everyone outside the station had hit the ground except the agents, Wayne, Zeke, and Jen. Daniels stood with his gun pointed into the air.
The beefy man stood and pulled a handgun from the small of his back. Rodriguez and Daniels put three bullets each in him before he dropped.
Zeke drew his katana and stepped over cowering civilians. "Can't let him turn."
The beefy man grabbed a young woman's arm and clamped it in his jaw. She screamed, and a two-year-old girl at her side cried.
Jen stepped on people to get to the child and snatched her up. Zeke sliced halfway through the beefy man's neck, but not before he'd bitten two more people.
The crowd panicked and fled for the street. Zeke lopped off the beefy man's head with his next stroke, and Wayne took position next to him with his bat. A teen zombie rushed him and he swung, but his timing was off and the zombie crashed into him, knocking him to the ground.
A well-placed bullet from Agent Daniels exploded out the back of the teen zombie's head. "We can't stay here to help. Our mission is too important."
With the toddler in one arm and her pistol in the other, Jen shot one of the yellow-eyed monsters sizin
g Wayne up. The baby screamed, tears pouring down its cheeks. "He's right," she yelled. "Zeke. Wayne. I need you with me."
The brothers backed toward her. Zombies sprung on humans in panicked flight.
Shots came from the terminal. Militia members stood in the doorways firing.
Jen followed Rodriguez as he dashed toward the terminal. Chaos reigned. A few gunshots boomed within the crowd, but they were quickly silenced.
The path up the terminal steps cleared as the mob rushed for the streets. Rodriguez bull-rushed up the steps and slammed into a thin middle-aged man with luminescent yellow eyes, knocking him to the side. Jen side-stepped a zombie and its throatless victim and ducked through the terminal door behind Rodriguez.
The train's doors were still open, but a line of armed men, in police uniforms and civilian clothes, blocked the only way through a makeshift fence. Panicked people pushed against it, threatening to knock it down.
Daniels zipped past the others, his badge held high. "Homeland Security. We need to get on this train."
The first of the zombies entered the terminal and clamped its teeth on an older man's shoulder. The crowd inside surged away from them, and many rushed the side entrances in a desperate attempt to escape.
"Path is clear," Rodriguez yelled.
Jen hugged the child tightly and sprinted for the gate.
Several rifles pointed at the group as they made the gate.
Rodriguez and Daniels shoved their badges against the chain links. "Homeland Security," Rodriguez said. "We have to be on that train."
A state trooper jogged over and glanced at the badges. "Let 'em in."
A man in cammies with no insignia lifted the latch and opened the gate.
More zombies surged through the doors. The men protecting the train opened fire. Jen cringed. The explosive sounds echoed off the walls.
Civilians behind the fence were lined up to enter the train. Rodriguez barreled through them, and Jen panted, trying to keep up.
The guard at the head of the line looked up as they approached. "Back in line."
Rodriguez showed his badge. "We're going on. You have thirty seconds to get as many of these people as you can on board and then this train is leaving."
The Zombie Uprising Series: Books One Through Five Page 49
