I Dream of Zombies, page 5
“Fine. We need to pack everything up. Make sure anything we need is easily at hand, because once we leave, coming back will be almost an impossibility. Do either of you know how to shoot a rifle?” I glanced at the two scientists.
The older man shook his head.
The woman, in her early thirties, smiled. “I can. I grew up on a farm, so I learned young.”
“Can you handle this one?” I handed her Julia’s bolt action .33
She took it gingerly and ensured the bolt was disengaged. She glanced down, checking to make sure there was no bullet in the action, and shrugged. “Sure. It’s pretty simple.” She slung it over her shoulder.
“We’d best be quick, so we can get across the way and into the building before night falls. By the way, I’m Leroy.” I held out my hand and she clasped it.
“Veronica. This is Dave, and you already met Allan.”
I waved the others forward. “Dove and Jack. We’ve also got Ju—” I stopped myself, then breathed deeply. “J. She’s sprained her ankle, and according to Dove, she’ll require assistance to get back to the garage.”
“Fine then. Maybe if we get Abby and Helen to push the trolleys, leaving Dave and Allan free to help J, the three of us can protect the group. We can each carry a laptop, because they’ll swing over our shoulders without getting in the way.” Veronica spoke briskly and started packing up the boxes as she spoke. I admired her planning skills.
Once we were ready, I organized the group, after a glance at J. Her white face and a quick nod of her head when I suggested that perhaps it might be best if she let us take the lead, did little to disquiet my concern.
So, with Helen pushing a trolley, and Dave and Allan bolstering J while the younger sister pushed the other trolley at the center of the group, we made for the door. We’d lashed the boxes to the trolley, so if we needed to move quickly, they wouldn’t fall and have to be abandoned. Jack led the way with a laptop bag hung over his back, Dove slightly left and similarly loaded, while I took up the right rear. My bag swung annoyingly, but we needed all the information we had on hand. It wasn’t perfect, but the best we could do under the circumstances.
“Ready to move?” I cast an eye over the group.
“Just a minute,” the young woman, Veronica, toting the rifle stopped us. “I’m going to rig an alarm and the lighting so it attracts the zombies to the front of the building. That way, we should be able to get out without being accosted.”
I had to admit to finding her lack of fear both refreshing and slightly disturbing at the same time.
Veronica tugged on a cover, revealing a power board, lights blinking on and off. A few quick input taps seemed to do the trick as she shut the metal door with a slam. “We’ve got maybe five minutes until it attracts them. Wait by the door and keep an eye out.”
Jack cracked the door open while everyone else waited, quiet and ready to move at any second. Time passed slowly. It felt like hours yet must have been a matter of minutes, then Jack nodded and I gave the unspoken ‘move out’ gesture with my hand.
We stayed together, moving up the stairs, Julia limping in the middle of the group, and I knew it must have been intolerably painful, yet she didn’t so much as squeak.
We stopped, and once more took a precious second, searching for anything untoward. Danger lurked everywhere, and caution had kept all of us alive for a long time.
Satisfied, we started across the road. It wasn’t wide, but it was dotted with abandoned dumpsters. We walked quickly without a word when the growl started.
“Shit. Dogs.” The words slipped from Julia’s lips as she looked around wildly.
“Keep moving.” I kept my voice as low and as calm as I could. We didn’t want to act scared, as whatever kind they were, it was clear we had a problem on our hands.
Even as we stepped onto the concrete at the other side of the road, three hideously disfigured forms appeared.
I didn’t want to split the team, but someone had to check through the door and ensure it was safe, while others needed to focus on the looming threat.
“Dove, you get the door. Check carefully, then protect the flank. Jack and I will cover this. Veronica, you stay with them. If anything happens to us, Julia will tell you what to do.”
“No,” J muttered. “If we split the team—”
“No time.” I dropped to my knee, shouldering my rifle and sighting the first dog. “Left.”
Jack grunted, likely mirroring my action. “Right.”
We fired, the boom resounding up the alley created by the two buildings. Dimly, I noted the sound of the door opening as the first two dogs dropped. Now the growl was joined by the moans. Zombies, and by the sounds of it a large pack.
I rose and stepped back, sighting again, and squeezed the trigger. The third dog had been bounding toward me, but I caught it in the chest, enough to slow it down.
“Come on!” Veronica screamed, and we dashed into the building, then turned back to fasten the door.
I took a second, sucking in a deep breath and feeling the prickle of sweat pooling at the back of my shirt, things I hadn’t allowed myself to feel before now. I looked at the door and grimaced. It was wooden and heavy, but if they were motivated… I swallowed heavily. It wouldn’t hold for long. What could we do? Even as I glanced around, I spied an old, concrete planter. The greenery had long since died, but it would be heavy. Hopefully, it would do the job.
“Help me.” Jack and I dashed over and dragged the wood structure against the door then hurried after the group.
Julia hobbled, leaning heavily on Dave and Allan. “We need to get secured quickly.” In her voice I heard resignation. “I’m holding you up.”
I knew exactly what she was alluding to and refused to allow that thought to take root.
“No way. We’re all in this together.”
“Leroy—”
“Damien. My name is Damien. Now let’s get to the garage. The door is metal and has a lock on the right side. Once there, we can relax and consider what to do next.”
I thrust my rifle at Jack and scooped the slight woman up in my arms and strode forward, avoiding the searching, questioning gazes. There’d be time for answers later.
* * * *
Julia
It felt like I was a liability, hanging onto Leroy. Damien. He was strong and made me feel important when I was at my weakest.
Right now, I wasn’t much use to anyone. I’d had to make decisions in the past, ones that didn’t just impact life but were all about death. I’d been ready to make the sacrifice, yet he’d overruled me. In the stupidest of ways, it showed he valued me.
We weren’t out of the woods. There could be zombies even in this building, yet here I was, in his arms.
“I can handle your rifle if you insist on carrying me.” God knew, uselessness wasn’t an experience I enjoyed.
“It’ll be fine.” The vibration of his gruff voice took me by surprise.
“I could walk you know.” I was too close, it felt too darn intimate.
“No. This way we can move quickly.”
Of course Leroy was right; we were moving at a fair pace down the long hallway.
The rest of the team had already gone ahead and were waiting at the door when the crash sounded. “Shit!” Now he bolted, jolting me, and pain shot through my entire leg as I bobbed up and down.
I reached to my back; the holster at the small of my back chafed, but I was thankful I’d kept the small pistol close by. I’d come across it on my first mission, in a house that had been evacuated, among other useful items. My fingers gripped the wood handle tight.
“What are you—”
“Just keep running. I’ll keep them busy.”
With the juggling movements, it was hard to aim, but I squeezed off a shot, and the lead zombie in the pack giving chase went down. I’d hit its leg, and others behind tumbled over it.
Our team was screaming at us to move faster. I heard Leroy panting from exertion as I hit another zombie, but they were closer this time, almost near enough for me to smell them. They swarmed around the fallen, heading in our direction, and the stench of rotting flesh and the heart-pounding dread that iced me over were debilitating.
Hands tugged and pulled at us, the team drawing us to safety before the zombies could lay even a finger on us. The metal door clanged shut as the zombies loomed too close.
“That was too close,” panted Leroy, and I had to agree.
He lowered me to the ground, and I lay there, eyes fixed on the concrete ceiling, my chest heaving. Someone shoved a cup of water into my hands, and I took it, drinking deeply as the throb of my leg once more captured my attention.
Dove crouched down beside me. “Shimmy out of the pants so I can get a better look.”
* * * *
Leroy
Too damned close! I’d almost bought it out there with the woman in my arms. The one I didn’t want to feel anything for but did. Now Dove was hunkered down beside her, her long pants shucked, and all that covered her modesty was a pair of pink panties.
I tore my eyes away, hoping to clear the cloud that settled in my mind. The motley assortment gathered beyond the sleeping area we’d roughly erected earlier with blankets strung across.
Night was drawing in. The worst time to be out as zombies naturally became active, hunting for survivors.
I rounded up Allan. “Have you seen any other survivors around?”
The shake of his head was slow, and I wondered what he wasn’t telling us.
“What can you tell us then?”
He hunkered down, chewing slowly on the jerky he’d been offered. “We’re the only country affected. New Zealand had a couple of early cases, but they were neutralized before the virus could spread. All other developing countries washed their hands, because the situation was too grave for them to take a chance. There have even been a couple of cases at sea, so no boats will dock here. We’re on our own until we get on top of the virus.”
“Holy fuck!”
Everyone stared at Allan, and I wondered how much truth there was in what he said, and yet… “How do you know this?”
“I had people who knew people in Parliament House. Some intercepted information, and others were in senior positions until the pre-virus purge.”
The purge was where a number of high-ranking ministers and their teams had been replaced in the weeks leading up to the virus taking hold of the population. It had been huge news—blasted out over the internet, television, and radios that ministers were sacked and replaced with others without any reason. Joining the dots was easy now in hindsight. Agriculture, Science Research and Development, and even Health portfolios had seen a massive upheaval, and now we knew why.
“So, these people who took on the roles? They were tied to the prime minister—”
Allan shook his head. “The prime minister didn’t know. Those who replaced the heads were of the other persuasion.”
“Then—”
“The prime minister was overthrown once they were sequestered in a remote location. That’s all I know on that front. What I do know is they’d been covertly testing vaccines on service personnel with limited success. The virus release was a major cock-up as it wasn’t ready for release because the vaccines weren’t working properly, but they needed to speed up the timeframe. They released virus to the public, and there were catastrophic results. There is also talk that there is more than one Patient Zero.”
Allan’s telling shrug chilled my guts.
The sound of hobbling caught my attention, and J, together with Dove, joined us around the circle. “What have you learned?”
She lowered herself down slowly, grimacing all the way, in the center of the group, and Jack passed her a plate of food. Dove accepted another. One was thrust into my hands, but I stared at it. “Allan was saying the PM didn’t know, and someone in power replaced all the high-level pollies who were purged. They started the virus, and the situation got out of hand real quick. The worst is there’s not just one place where the virus originated.”
J grunted and scooped up some re-heated stew. “Doesn’t surprise me really. But if that’s the case, why didn’t you say something, Allan?”
I could feel the tension running between them but waited to hear his answer.
“I worked for the government, Julia. I was bound by the Official Secrets Act until the dissolution of the government. Then I promised the camp commanders I’d keep it quiet until we found whatever research was left.”
Abby and Helen, J’s sister and mother, joined the group. They slid down to the cold concrete, sitting beside the small fire, and J’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “It feels like a dream to see you both alive. I thought… When I couldn’t find you…”
Tears dribbled down her cheeks, and she slid her plate to the floor, wiping them away with her hand. Inside my chest there was a lump that settled heavily. I didn’t doubt others were feeling the effects of this miracle reunion too.
“We can talk later, Julia. Once we’re safe. Allan says there’s a camp only a few days away, and we need to head there.”
I swiveled toward the man. “We were told to return.”
“And you will. But first we need to get Abby and Helen to a secure location, and I want to offload these serums. The camp is on the outskirts of town, about two days on foot. They’ve built a farm in an old school, and there’s proper housing. A doctor too.”
I glanced at J to see the flattening of her lips. “We have a mission to complete—”
“And I’m over-ruling you, Julia. Check in with your commander and he’ll tell you I can do that.”
“Bastard.” She rose and retreated with a fast hobble. I couldn’t help but watch her leave and wonder if this tension was a precursor of the next few days.
Chapter 4
Julia
The next couple of days were among the hardest I’d experienced since the outbreak of the virus.
Abby and Mum were alive. I’d lost then regained my entire family. I couldn’t really call Allan family though, more like an intruder who Mum acted like a new bride around. She fawned like she’d done straight after their wedding. Hell, I had too. In my defense, I’d only been ten when they married soon after Dad died. I’d been pleased she’d found love again after nursing Dad who passed from the big C.
Now I questioned Allan’s motives and actions. Abby was over the moon, but she was only thirteen, and her Dad and Mum were in the same place, both alive and neither zombified. In these days, that was no mean feat. Actually, it took on the status of a miracle, and for some reason everyone—except me and Leroy—accepted this at face value.
Stuck on the back of the dray, I swayed, watched for zombies, and my brain moved through the confusing mass of emotions I rarely allowed myself to consider.
Then there was Leroy. Damien Leroy, it turned out.
He’d saved me, even when I’d been prepared to give it all up to save the others. One hell of a sharpshooter and a leader. I’d seen that in the way he stepped up after I’d been injured.
We crept along the road, the clop of the horses’ hooves echoing, with Dove at the reins. Everyone except me walked, and I felt downright foolish.
“How much further?” Abby whined, and I smiled. I’d take that whine any day of the week over her death.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw the large fencing, glinting in the distance as it surrounded a clutch of houses. “Not far now, Abs.”
“My feet hurt,” she said, and I sighed.
“Hey, Dove, can we carry Abby for the rest of the way?”
He nodded after taking a moment to think, stopped the dray, and my little sister climbed up beside me.
“Sit next to Dove, Abs. Just in case we need to engage zombies. I need to be able to see a full three-sixty.”
Abs nodded, but before she climbed along the length of the dray she bent down with a deep frown. “You’ve changed, Julia.”
That hurt. I’d changed because I had to. Sure, she had too, but there was still a level of innocence, and I wondered how she’d managed to foster that in these dangerous times.
Instead of dwelling, I shifted my rifle and glanced out. Something moved behind us. I squinted and swore, scooped up the binoculars and peered. “Fuck! Incoming. Let’s move it up, people.”
We’d had a pretty quiet ride since leaving the heart of Canberra, but with people here now, zombies naturally gravitated near the living.
The team snapped into formation, those unarmed or incapable of fighting—including my mother—in the center, the armed on the perimeter.
We weren’t that far away from the settlement, and yet safety never seemed further away. The pack on our tail was growing and moving quickly.
“Mum, get on the dray.” I reached out and pulled her up, Leroy hoisting her. “Get up near Abs.” I rose now, shifted around, and braced myself against one of the metal feed drums. “Move faster,” I yelled and aimed with the rifle.
Dove gee’d the horses, and the movement of the platform made sighting pretty close to impossible. The team was moving at a trot now, Jack moving backward while Van hurried the scientists along. Thankfully, during our break in Canberra he’d gotten himself back under control, but I was aware he’d need help before ever being included in a patrol again.
We drew level with the fencing as voices started calling to us. “Up here,” they yelled, and our team sped up, running now for the gate which opened halfway.
Just when I was sure we’d all make it a scream captured my attention, and I watched as Jack dropped, a zombie clutching him. The movements slowed to a frame-by-frame speed, and I watched the bite. The spurt of blood.
“No!” I aimed and fired. The zombie spun and fell to the ground. “Jack!”
Even as I attempted to jump from the dray Leroy was there, pushing me back. “It’s too late. You know that.”
“But he’s one of my team!” I strained against him, my heartbeat a frenetic pound.
“It’s too late, J. He’ll turn. One. Hundred. Percent. You know that.”
I did, and it rent me apart, pain ricocheting through my chest. Hot tears scoured my cheeks. “Jack!”
