The Zombie Chronicles - Book 4 - Poisonous Serum (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) (19 page)

Nick crossed his arms. “I can’t promise you that, Dean. All’s fair in love and war.”

“
Darn it, Nick!”

Footsteps came up the dark hall, and Nick pointed his gun. “Who is it?”

“
It’s me, Larry.”

I rolled my eyes. “Just the man I wanna see,” I said sarcastically.

Tension filled the air and an awkward silence ensued.

Finally Larry broke the silence. “You’re still mad at me. I get it.”

“
Mad? Try pissed,” Jackie said.

“
There’s no way we could’ve carried him out. We barely got back as it was. I knew we couldn’t get him back, and I didn’t want him to suffer. I put him out of his misery like he asked me to. I saved him from feeling it when those freaks ate him.”

“
With a friend like you, he didn’t need enemies,” Jackie said sourly.

Larry shot her a cold stare.

“
Hey,” Lucas said, “we can’t fight amongst ourselves. Enough of this, all of you.”

“
What Nick and Larry did was inexcusable,” I said.

Nick shot me a look. “You need to man up if you’re ever going to survive out here.”

“
That’s enough, Nick!” Jackie said. “We’re both a little freaked right now. We had to hide under a porch for an hour while a giant mob of zombies prowled the yard. When we eventually managed to scramble out, we were attacked by a zombie with an axe in its head, blood on his shirt, and a still-warm-and-practically-beating human heart in its hand, obviously from one of our people. The last thing either of us needs right now is drama or a lecture.”

Larry closed his eyes tightly. “That was Jared. He was fighting with an axe in the kitchen.” Larry bent over as a sob escaped his lips. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” He turned and walked away.

“
I’m sorry,” Nick said. “I should’ve been there for you.” He clapped my shoulder. “I refused to let those things get you though. I had to do whatever it took to save your life, even if I knew it would piss you off.”

My brother’s voice was so emotional that I had to fight to keep it together. I was overwhelmed by everything I’d been through, and it was all becoming a bit too much for all of us.

“
Right now, we need to have an emergency meeting,” Nick said. “We need to inform everyone what’s going on.”

Jackie gripped my hand. “Absolutely. Let’s go.”

Following Nick, I rushed down the corridor and into the lounge. I leaned against the wall and waited for Nick’s instructions. I had no idea how he planned to proceed.

“
People, we’ve got problems!” Nick yelled. “I need everyone’s attention right now.”

Everyone gathered around, their curiosity piqued. We all took turns explaining what had happened as murmurs, shocked gasps, and whispers wafted amongst the crowd.

“
I don’t know how, but the zombies in this city can think,” Nick said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“
I don’t believe it,” Kate said slowly. “The virus must’ve mutated. It had too.”

“
Do you really believe zombies have brains?” a man asked. “Come on, people! Let’s use our own brains.”

Lucas nodded. “I do. While a zombie was being pursued, it hid. That calls for intellect, and it’s not the behavior we’ve seen before in the undead. Ultimately, it means we can’t stay here.”

“
Are you saying they broke in here and started feeding on us one by one?” a woman asked, her voice wavering.

“
Pack up whatever supplies you can and let’s get out of here,” a man said.

Jackie hugged me tightly. “They killed Claire,” she sobbed between breaths.

I wrapped my arm around her. I wished I could take away her pain, but I couldn’t. I assumed Claire was dead, and my throat tightened at the thought. It would be the second time we’d have to grieve her loss, and this time, she wasn’t coming back.

Lucas grabbed Nick’s arm. “C’mon. We need to start gathering supplies.”

Nick shook his head. “I can’t leave Claire.”

“
You know she’s dead,” he whispered.

“
Prove it! I didn’t see her body. That means there’s hope.”

“
Nick, I’ve never seen you this emotional. You know better than to let anyone get the best of you. You’re the one who taught me that.”

Nick just stared at the wall with a blank look on his face.

Lucas continued, “Look at the facts. There’s no way she’s alive. I know how much you cared about her, and I’m so sorry, but we’ve gotta—”

Heavy wrinkles formed on Nick’s forehead. “I’ve gotta find her.”

Jackie gripped his hand. “We’ll find her together.”

“
That’d be a suicide mission, and you know it,” Lucas said. “If this town is overrun with smart zombies, we’ve gotta get the heck out of here now.”

“
I know that. I just need a little more time,” Nick said.

Lucas tried to state his case. “We barely survived against zombies who couldn’t think. Can you imagine how hard it will be to fight the ones who can put two and two together? They were smart enough to hide out in here somehow and wait for their meals. They’ve even been doing ambushes and sneak attacks, picking us off one by one, and they’ve figured out how to break in and out of this place. This is some scary stuff.” He turned to face me. “Dean, what do you think?”

“
I-I’m not sure what I think, but I need to know one way or the other. Is Claire alive or not? If she is, there’s no way we’re leaving her behind.”

Lucas spun to face Val. “How about you?”

“
I can’t leave Nick and Dean here to their fate. They’ll need backup. And if Claire is alive, I couldn’t bear to leave her after everything she has done for me.”

“
How do you propose we find her?” Lucas asked. “Where else can we possibly look?”

“
We find their lair,” I said. “I’m sure they’re smart enough to have one.”

“
We’ll have to be careful,” Val said. “They know how to lure us into a trap. I would’ve fallen for the baby trap too,” she said, looking at Jackie.

“
A group of people just left,” Lucas said. “They’re not even waiting for us. They’re just getting out of town as fast as they can.”

People in the corridor shouted, and I rushed out to see what’s happening. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“
Our tires were slashed!” a woman shouted. “How do we leave now?”

Nick, Val, Lucas, Jackie, and I raced to the opening in the window. Braving the rain and wind, we ran outside and bolted to the cars in the driveway. Every single tire was flat.

“
Did zombies really do this?” I asked.

“
Somebody
did it,” Nick said.

“
That’s crazy!” one of the men shouted. “How do you know some thugs didn’t do it? Maybe they’re pissed we’re in their territory.”

“
Zombies want to keep us here,” Jackie said. “We’re their food source.”

The thought made me cringe, and we headed back to the lounge to discuss it further. It was a new horror for all of us, even for Nick and Lucas, who’d seen just about everything. I watched Lucas run a nervous hand through his hair while Nick paced back and forth as he tried to make sense of it all. Val sat at a table and loaded handguns and rifles with ammo.

I looked at man who wouldn’t believe us. “I know it’s hard to imagine, but zombies lured us in with a baby doll, ambushed us, and then climbed out the window to the roof. Old-fashioned zombies can’t do that. Ask your friends who survived if you won’t believe me.”

“
He’s right,” Larry said. “They have intellect, and if they got their grimy hands on a knife, I’m sure they could’ve slashed our tires. They’re smart, and they’re stalking us. We on their turf, and they’re making us pay some hefty fines for trespassing—with our lives.”

A woman burst into the room, gasping for breath and as pale as a ghost. “My friends and I tried to leave on foot. We were attacked. They’re….they’re all dead now!” She burst into tears as soon as the words left her mouth.

Larry ran over to her. “Mary? Is she—”

The woman sobbed and shook her head. “Gone, Larry. They all are.”

“
They planned this!” he shouted. “They knew some of us would be so scared from the slashed tires that we’d try to leave on foot. And they even let one person live from the group to tell the tale. That takes brains.”

“
That’s it. Nobody else tries to leave,” Nick said, “until we figure out what’s going on. The safest place is right here in this room.”

“
We should all sleep right here tonight,” the woman said. “We’ll grab blankets and post guards everywhere.”

Larry looked at Nick. “Surely we can’t stay the night here.”

“
If you leave right now,” the woman said, “you’re as good as dead.”

“
We can’t go out there blind,” Nick said. “We need to send a scouting party and figure out the best escape route.”

“
I’m on it,” Val said.

Lucas touched her shoulder. “I’m sure we can find a weakness in their perimeter.”

She cocked a gun. “Got that right—or else we’ll create one.”

I didn’t want to stay, but I didn’t want to leave either, knowing those things were waiting for us and not knowing what had happened to Claire. Nick was right, as usual—at least from a tactical standpoint. It was best for us to stay put and not to panic. We needed to stay calm, think straight, and look for the best way out instead of just running blind, right into their trap. I hoped we could find Claire in all that mess, but deep down in my heart, I was afraid it was too late for that, and that bothered me more than anything. My heart broke for Claire and for Jackie, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

Jackie started to cry and I was going to go over and comfort her when I saw Kate walk over. I sat down in a chair nearby and decided to give Jackie some time with Kate.

Kate wrapped her arm around Jackie. “If anyone understands what you’re going through, it’s me. When I found out my sister was killed in such a violent fashion, I was hit by the most unbearable grief. We both have had loved ones murdered, and I know the gaping hole it leaves in your heart.”

“
I feel like I was struck by lightning,” Jackie said.

Kate tucked strands of long, blonde hair behind her ear. “I screamed and cried but it didn’t take the hurt away.”

“
I know the feeling,” Jackie whispered, gasping between sobs. “My world is shattered and it doesn’t make sense. I’ll never know what happened to her, even though I’m sure she died in a zombie attack. I couldn’t even give her a proper burial.”

“
I never got to bury my sister either. When I went to investigate her murder, I was thrown into the arena and forced to fight zombies. Knowing my sister went through that tears my heart. I can’t imagine how she died and it haunts me to this very day.”

“
I’m so sorry,” Jackie said.

“
We can help each other get through the pain. And you have so many people who care about you.” She looked up at me. “Dean here is an awesome guy. You’re so lucky to have him.”

Jackie wiped her eyes. “I don’t know why he puts up with me.”

“
Because you’re a beautiful person inside and out. And you can’t give up on life because that’s not what Claire would want.”

“
What hurts the most is that I couldn’t help her. I should’ve been there to fight and save her life.”

“
It’s not your fault,” Kate said. “Don’t blame yourself. Life’s not fair and bad things happen to good people. Her sudden death has left you shaken and unsure.”

“
I never got a chance to say goodbye.”

“
I never got to say goodbye to my sister either.”