I Dream of Zombies, page 7
Most of my missions had taken place in the Queanbeyan section by choice, and I hadn’t heard this sort of intel previously. It was sobering. I glanced back out the window.
I don’t know exactly what I expected as we entered the beginning final stretch some two hours after leaving the camp in Chisholm. The overpass wasn’t a section I’d traversed in months. We’d usually moved into the more residential zones, looking for equipment, food supplies, and anything that would ensure the comfort of our residents.
The driver pulled the bus to a stop about half a kilometer away, with the truck driver doing the same. The two drivers hopped out, conferred, then returned to their vehicles. Once our driver was back in his seat, he turned toward us, and my guts tightened at the look on his face.
“All right, boys and girls. This is the hairy part. Underpasses are notorious hang-outs for the reanimated zombies, and they like to drop down and take passengers by surprise, so look alive. We’re going to gun the vehicles and move as fast as we can, but chances are good we’ll come under a sustained attack. Do not open any windows, and close any you have open now. I have retrofitted a mirror to the roof, through a plexiglass casing. I’ll get an accurate look at any combatants on the roof, so wait for my heads-up before attempting to fire on any zombies or noises.”
I picked up my rifle and checked it. “Clear.” The echo through the cabin reminded me once again that we were in the middle of a war zone.
He grunted, restarted the engine, and flashed the vehicle ahead. Now they rumbled forward, increasing their speed, and the bus rattled and shook.
I got my first look at the overpass and almost swallowed my tongue at seeing the heads pop up.
Dove, in the seat opposite Leroy and myself, pulled on his scarf and began to pray, murmuring and making symbols in the air. I knew under normal circumstances he’d be shaking his dipper with holy water or oil, but since we were inside the bus with the windows closed, he merely pointed.
Rolling under the bridge, I heard the first thud, the scratch of nails grappling onto the metal of the roof, and the sounds of scurrying above us. Unnerved, I swallowed, the gulp audible, and my gaze collided with Leroy’s.
“We’re safe,” he assured me, but I wasn’t so sure.
After long seconds that stretched interminably, we drove back out into bright sunshine, and the driver called out, “Two, middle of the vehicle.”
One of the guards at the back opened a reinforced sunroof, and he and another shooter filled the hole. Two loud bangs echoed, thuds sounded, and they dropped down, closing the roof swiftly. “Got them!” one called.
In the large side mirror, I caught sight of two bodies dropping to the ground. Just as I started to breathe easy, a hand squirreled up my window. Long, black nails attached to a scabby, gray arm. “Holy shit! One here,” I yelled.
Someone else called out a similar statement, and I stood up as the creature on my side crawled up the side of the bus until it clung before me, nails sliding down between the rim and window.
I heard windows slide open, heard twin booms, and watched as black-red blood sprayed. The creature fell away but not before I’d seen the eyes, yellow-red orbs that sent frigid shocks through my system.
We trundled on, but the horror of that view stuck with me, and even as we rolled into the grounds of the hospital I wondered, for the first time, if I was done as a warrior.
* * * *
Leroy
I’d seen J’s reaction to the zombie in the window. She’d paled, her eyes unfocused, and when she slumped back to the seat, as much as I wanted to comfort her, I knew it would be hypocritical. After all, I had been part of the system that allowed this to take place.
When the bus stopped, I kept silent, moved away and into the building until Allan got off. I indicated I needed a word, and he stared at me. “What?”
There was no time left for hesitation, so I inhaled. “You need intel, and I have some.”
“What?” His gaze roamed my face, as if checking to see if I was serious.
“Inside.” I gestured with my thumb, then headed directly for the cafeteria, not that I’d tell him there, but I needed coffee before I spilled the beans.
“What do you know?” he asked.
“Coffee first, then I think the commandant’s office would be the best place for this discussion.”
“Now,” he demanded, but I shook it off. What I had to say wasn’t going to be easy or pretty. So I hurried off, grabbed a mug, then determinedly made my way to the office.
J was sitting outside, likely waiting to make her report, and for the first time, my decision to tell all wavered. I had nothing to personally gain, yet explaining why and how became vitally important if I had any hopes of coming to terms with my part in the mess, so I settled in beside her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Well, I have to confess, I know more about the outbreak than most would guess.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you know?”
Allan rounded the corner, the commandant at his side. “Leroy?”
“Sir, in your office would be best.” I stood up and strode into the small room. Better to be on the offensive, because I sure as hell didn’t know how they’d treat me when this was done if I didn’t bull my way in.
J followed, and I wondered how she’d react, then sighed. It was too late for regrets. Once the door closed, they all turned and looked at me.
“The virus was planted through certain applications to the water system. A group of about fifty of us were recruited for a special mission by an ASIO operative through standard military procedures. At the time we didn’t know it was a virus. We were informed it was a top-level security vaccine that needed covert deployment. Those of us chosen to spread it were injected with a different strain, they said ‘just in case of mutation’, but their testing proved it would be an unlikely outcome. We were kept in isolation for three weeks then each sent to a variety of locations. I was sent to Brisbane. Every state except Tasmania was treated, because they said the flow through from traffic across Bass Strait would make it unnecessary. I have the documentation they gave us.”
I reached into my backpack, removed the small, brown envelope I’d carried since the beginning, and handed it to Allan.
“It’s not a lot, but there’s a list of contacts and the process for spreading the inoculation into the water source there. Plus, another contact for after the fact. Once I realized what was happening, I ran. I saw the media reports where they stated someone escaped and was Patient Zero, but I knew that wasn’t right. I ran as fast as I could, hoping to halt its spread and seek the assistance of the head of the project, but he was dead. They told me in Townsville that he had committed suicide. I also had private reasons for returning, but it was too late.” Memories of Katrina, the zombie woman I’d been engaged to, circled through my mind. The thud of the bullet hitting her skull was a sound I revisited in my dreams nightly.
J made a noise, somewhere between a hiccup and a soggy snuffle, and I closed my eyes. I knew the revulsion she was likely feeling. I’d seen it in my own eyes for the first couple of months after the virus outbreak. I knew I’d been used, and that scalded me. “Allan secured information about—”
“You knew about this? Even when you came here?” The commandant halted my words, fury infusing every sound.
“I did. Once I grasped what the mission was about, I was thankful.” I now stood rigidly to attention. They’d probably shoot me, or out me, and I deserved nothing less.
“Kevin, he’s giving us everything he knows, and that might be helpful to the cause. We use his contacts and knowledge along with what I’ve retrieved. What else can you tell us, Leroy?”
“The plan was political. Came out of one of the departments, which you already know. He worked with the ASIO operative and chose us. Made the arrangements through our CO for the secondment.”
“Allan?”
“We knew a lot about that, but hadn’t managed to find any surviving operatives thus far.” Allan circled the desk and sat down, the chair squeaking beneath him as he sighed. “The information I brought has the DNA sequencing of the virus, and the strains these boys were inoculated with. Just not the names of those involved.”
The commandant shook his head. “We can’t share this, otherwise Leroy—”
“They’d kill him,” J piped up. “We need to keep him out in the field until we can undertake damage mitigation.” I stared at her, and she shrugged. “Middle-management training comes in handy these days.”
“We should go through our findings then strategize,” intoned the commandant, and J nodded.
Foolish though it was, a wave of relief washed over me. They weren’t going to shoot me or cast me out. For now, that was enough. It just remained to be seen what would happen next.
Chapter 6
Julia
I lay on my bed, listening to Leroy’s breathing. He’d dropped to sleep pretty quickly after we’d settled into the small room that was mine. At least I think he had. Allan, the commandant, and I, reluctantly agreed that he needed to be supervised. For his safety, in case the truth got out. Until we could relocate to a safe location.
Actually, I was thankful he was sleeping, because the conflicting emotions inside me were too damn confusing for me to deal with the added stress of him personally! First, I had to come to terms with the fact that he’d been involved in the whole zombie apocalypse thing. Then came my attraction—because that’s exactly what this was—complete with wanting to jump on him at any given time. Then came him. His proximity to me, the scent and size. That he made me feel safe.
“I’m not a retiring wallflower,” I muttered then stilled, shocked as he turned and opened his eyes.
“No, you’re not, J.”
Oh God! My body began that warming, firming, hungry thing, and I wanted to melt into a pile of goo in front of him. Nuh-uh!
“I wasn’t talking to you,” I said.
He smiled, and a dimple made an appearance in one cheek. Fuck! I am totally screwed! I wanted those lips on mine, and even more, I wanted that body—that body, naked—in this bed and twined around me. Holding me. Loving me.
“You’re no flower that wilts, but you are a woman. A beautiful and strong warrior. A leader. And I want you, Julia.”
It was the first time he’d said my name, and he made it a caress. My gaze roamed over him, from the tight-fitting shirt that clung to his muscular chest to the bulge in his pants.
The gulp I swallowed gave away the emotions roiling inside me, because I saw the way his gaze moved to my throat, then his smile broadened.
“I could come over there.” His breathy words stole my senses, and I watched him slide off his bed and advanced toward me on mine.
All I could do was wait as the tiger prowled toward me, my mouth dry and my body burning with sexual hunger.
“I…I want you, Leroy. But I’m not sure I trust you.”
That stopped him in his tracks. He flinched, and I felt bad, but I had to be honest. Nothing else was acceptable to me.
“Why?”
I must have looked like a gaping fish, mouth open. “I… Uh….”
“The virus.” He threw the words at me, like hurled abuse. “I get it. But I won’t apologize, J. I was doing my job.” Now he spoke stiffly, as if each word was a cinder block in his mouth.
Sitting up, I turned and let my feet dangle over the side of the bed, needing to feel equal. A silly thing of course, as I was his team leader, but still. “Look, we all lost a lot of people in this, and passions and emotions are difficult to set aside. Maybe it doesn’t feel like it should matter or whatever, but if and when we make love, I want to know it’s with a man I respect.”
God! Talk about taking a foot out of your mouth and replacing it with another!
“Fine.” He stomped back to his bed. “You’re sure you can manage sharing a room with me then?” He sounded peevish, and I guess I couldn’t blame him, but still his words shredded my emotions.
He lay down and turned his back to me.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuckety fuck!
“Don’t be like that,” I cajoled, but he didn’t turn around.
It was ages before I lay down again and allowed myself to fall into a fitful sleep.
* * * *
Leroy
Waking in the morning, it was with the knowledge that I was a pariah. I mean, I’d known from the beginning that when I shared what I knew, I’d be unwelcome, but that J didn’t trust me, speared me. Scoured my insides so they ached and bled continuously. I’d never experienced that before.
All of which was inexplicable. After all, I’d known this woman less than a week, and somehow, she’d become more important than Katrina? “No way.” I’d just make myself stop caring and wondering. That would solve the issue, and I’d move on as soon as possible. In fact…
The thought bloomed, and I rose, pleased J was still asleep. I hastily tossed my few possessions into my backpack, keeping my actions as quiet as possible. My hand was on the door when she spoke. “Where are you going?”
The sound of her voice, sleep-roughened, had me turning in surprise. I should have known better, because she was heavy-lidded and her hair was mussy. Enticing.
“Leaving. I don’t belong here.”
J rubbed at her eyes. “None of us do, but we need you, Leroy.”
Her words stilled me in my tracks. For all of a second the warmth that had dissipated during the night returned. Then the reality of her words intruded. Not because they need me so much as what I know.
“I have to leave.”
“Maybe, but not until we find some place safe to stash you. I mean, there’s too much ill feeling here.”
“I planned on joining Liam and Elaine.”
J squinted. “What?”
“They offered me a place. A role helping teach their younger members self-defense and so on.”
The silence had me wondering what was going on in J’s mind. “I see. You were just going to leave. Not tell anyone, including me.” Hurt echoed in her words, and I nearly laughed out loud at my stupidity in thinking she’d care.
“Come on, J. You said it yourself last night, you don’t trust me.”
She screwed up her face, a delightful move, but it pierced me, and I had to remind myself ‘do not care or react’. That, it appeared, was easier said than done.
“J and Leroy to the commandant’s office. J and Leroy.” The echo of the intercom broke the fraught moment, and I was thankful for that.
I grasped my backpack and swung it over my shoulder. J jumped out of the bed, scraped back her masses of hair, and tamed it with an elastic band.
“We’ll discuss this later,” she warned.
I shrugged. I didn’t plan on staying.
* * * *
Julia
The commandant paced as I outlined the problem. “He’s got no intention of staying, and I think…actually, I’m fairly sure that any attempts on our part to find another safe house will result in him disappearing. The best chance we have of keeping track is to release him to Liam and Elaine’s camp.”
“But we need information that only he has, J. Is there some way you can convince him?”
I saw that look in his eye, speculation followed by calculation. I wanted to smack the man but simply balled my fists, stood my ground, and answered with a firm, “No! No, I think sending him there means we can keep track, and that’s the best option open to us currently.”
The commandant sighed and turned. I knew he was planning and plotting. I just wondered what else he had in mind, given the way his thinking had just turned.
When he turned back his face was pained. “All right then, but you go with him. I need someone I can trust there. Besides which, there aren’t any members of our coalition on-site. You could liaise with Liam and Elaine, bring them into the fold.”
Now, I’m no one’s fool, least of all the commandant’s. “Sir, I’m not sure they’re interested in joining sides—”
“But I didn’t ask what you thought. I need you there to sell the coalition to them. Do it, J, or I’m not sure there’ll be a place here for you.”
Poleaxed didn’t even begin to describe my emotions. “Sir?”
“Dismissed, J.”
I stepped blindly into the corridor, shutting the door behind me, while attempting to make some kind of sense out of what he’d said. Not sure there’ll be a place for you… I’d given so much to this damned camp. I’d bled and worked and slaved. Fought and killed!
In that moment, I understood. I was expendable. It sat poorly, but it also made the decision for me. “I’m going,” I murmured, and it was like a great weight lifted off my shoulders.
I turned to find Dove there, frowning. “Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving the camp. Going to Liam and Elaine’s, along with Leroy.”
He blinked slowly. “Why?”
The laugh I offered was mirthless. “Because I’m expendable, and I want more for myself.”
Dove’s frown deepened. “Can I come with you?”
The words stopped me in my tracks. “What? Why?”
“Because you’re the only one who understood why I don’t fight. That even with that, I have skills to offer. They won’t let me simply serve God, I have to be useful here. On their terms. At Liam and Elaine’s, they didn’t care about that. They accepted my skills as a medic, but it was my pastoral side I was able to practice. They need me more than I’m required here. Please?”
“I…” At a loss, I didn’t know what to say for a moment, then I nodded. “Sure. Why not? We better find Liam’s team though and let them know we intend to travel back with them.”
Dove shadowed me into the cafeteria where the men were gathering, clearly ready to leave. “Wait!” I called, and the bus driver turned to look at me.
“Hey, we’re just about to head out.”
“Have you got room for three passengers? We want to come with you.” Here and now wasn’t the time to explain the whys and wherefores.
The man jittered from leg to leg. “Well, probably, but I need to be gone in the next half hour or so.”
