The Zombie Chronicles - Book 5 - Undead Nightmare (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) (28 page)

After paddling around the circular lake for what felt like hours, I decided to stop and rest directly at the center. Glancing around, I set down my paddle. I’d found what I’d paddled out there for: peace and quiet. I could be alone in my thoughts, without constant interruptions. I could spend hours getting lost in my own thoughts out there under the big, blue sky.

The second Nick lost Darla, he’d become angry at the world. I knew anger could be a defensive strategy to push other people away. Nick wouldn’t let anyone close to him. He bottled up everything and dived into the world of fighting zombies. I wondered if I would be the same way.
If I lose Jackie, how will I survive? Will I become as angry as Nick? Will I seek revenge on every zombie who crosses my path as payback for an epidemic that none of us can control? Will I push everyone away?

I reached deep into my coat pocket and pulled out my small photo album and thumbed through the pictures of Jackie and me. I stopped at one in particular. We both looked so happy in such a broken world. I remembered Crazy Jim’s words, his claims that love could never exist and that all happily ever afters were gone. I stared down at Jackie’s beautiful, smiling face. “No. I refuse to believe that,” I said, refusing to let him poison my mind. “I know love exists, because I still feel it, and hope is absolutely everything.”

I took a few deep breaths, inhaling the fresh air and enjoying the lake view. The rhythmic lapping of gentle waves relaxed me. I felt safe out there, as if nothing could touch me. I moved toward the back of the canoe and dangled my legs over the side, all sprawled out. The sun beat down on my face as I pulled out my chocolate bar. I hadn’t had a bite of chocolate in a long time, and it was so delicious that I even licked my fingers clean when I was done.

It was peaceful, serene, beautiful, quiet, and normal out there, a far cry different from the rest of the world. Not only was it free of zombies, but there were no ruthless people there, the ones who preyed on innocent humans just to survive. I thought back on some of the traitors I’d known, the people who were willing to kill other humans, and I wondered why all the survivors couldn’t just band together in peace and fight their common enemy to survive.

For a quick second, I wondered where all the zombies were. I expected to see a herd standing at the edge of the lake, reaching out for me. Jonathon had told me the place didn’t have much zombie activity, other than a few stragglers, but he was still convinced it was risky. I wondered why the zombies were so quick to leave the city, why they insisted on flooding the sewers and drain systems rather than staying on the streets to devour the remaining citizens. For all I knew, there was a scent or some kind of energy that repelled them, and I decided it was worth looking into.

It’d take a while for the scientists to fix the cure and even longer to produce it and distribute it to everyone. It could take years for my life to be normal again. As I floated on the lake, I began to ponder writing a book, a zombie survival handbook.
I could interview survivors and scientists and put in all kinds of tips people may not know, like using fire extinguishers to temporarily disorient them.
Maybe it was a stupid idea, but it would be something to focus on to distract myself from all the pain. I decided I’d jot down some notes when I got back. I could even talk to people about their stories. We’d all lost loved ones, and so many lives had been destroyed. More than ever before, everyone had a story to tell.

I realized I’d been gone a while, and I was sure Lucas and Nick were furious and worried about me. It was somewhat selfish to go out on my blowing-off-steam adventure on my own, but it had done me good and kept me from punching Jonathon in the face or smashing his microscope.

As I approached shore, I dragged my paddle, as if putting on the brakes. Peering around, I didn’t see any zombies or anything out of the ordinary. I hopped into the shallow water to pull the canoe toward the shoreline, doing my best to put it back exactly where I’d found it. I didn’t know if the owner was dead or alive, but I wanted to be respectful. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and headed back the way I’d come.

Chapter 22

I searched the shadows and maneuvered past the empty downtown streets and lonely alleys. It was absolutely quiet, even on streets that I was sure used to be booming and buzzing with activity. All that was nothing more than a distant memory, and the place had morphed into a lonely wasteland. As I walked, I felt like I was the last living person on Earth. Of course, that feeling only lasted for a minute, because I saw Lucas and Nick stomping toward me, shooting daggers with their eyes.

“Dean!” Nick said. The deep furrows between his eyebrows smoothed, and his shoulders relaxed as he drew in a deep breath. “I’m glad you’re alive, but what the heck?”

“I’m fine. Jonathon is sure Val’s gonna turn into a hybrid. I kinda flipped, so I took a walk to cool off.”

“Out here?” Lucas retorted. “Seriously?”

“Like I told Jonathon, I refuse to live in a bubble.”

“Man, that free spirit of yours is gonna get you killed,” Lucas scolded.

I glared at him; he was acting just like Nick. “I thought you liked my free spirit,” I said. “You’re always encouraging everybody to break the rules.”

“Yeah, but you’ve gotta have a brain about it, man. If you’re talking about the helicopter, I thought you’d all be safe,” he said, shooting Nick an apologetic look. “If I’d have known you were gonna crash, I would never have encouraged the escape. I might be a jokester, but I’d never knowingly endanger somebody for some reckless act.”

“Saving my sister was not reckless. If we hadn’t worked together as a team to get her outta there, she’d already be dead.”

“Right. Saving Val was worth it,” Nick cut in. “I think we all agree on that one.”

I blew out a breath.

“But
you’re
reckless, Dean,” he said without even blinking. “I can’t believe you’d be out here risking your life like this…and for what? Did you at least get us supplies?”

“No. Like I told you, I just needed to clear my head.”

He lifted a brow. “Where did you go?”

I paused, considering my words, but I realized there was no reason to lie. I was eighteen, an adult, and I could do whatever I wanted, whether my brother liked it or not. As he impatiently waited for my answer, I found myself looking into harsh blue eyes. “If you must know, I canoed to the middle of the lake and ate a Hershey bar,” I said, knowing it would piss him off.

My brother shook his head. “So you’re out taking a boat ride while we’re risking our lives to find you?”

“I didn’t ask you to come looking,” I snapped.

His lips pressed into a grim line. “This isn’t a game, Dean. You knew we’d come after you, and you put
our
lives in jeopardy by just being out here.”

“I’m sure you’ve been through worse,” I said, throwing his own words back at him.

His gaze narrowed. “I’m not gonna stand out here in Zombieville arguing with you. Get your bony butt back inside…now.”

Lucas slapped my back. “C’mon, man. All this drama isn’t gonna do any of us any good.”

I nodded, and we all headed back inside. Nick immediately locked the doors and stomped away without one word.

“What’s his problem?” I asked.

“What do you think is wrong with him? We were worried sick, Dean.”

“I was fine. I didn’t even have to use my weapons. Just took out a straggler here and there with my bare hands and steel-toe boots.”

“You lucked out.”

“Yeah, well, I guess that happens every now and then.”

“Remember when you were ten and Nick and I were fourteen?”

“I guess. What about it?”

“Back then, you followed us everywhere, like a freaking lost puppy. When we went to climb that old, jagged wall by the Rapid Transit Station, we tried to send you home because we didn’t want you to get hurt, but we could never get rid of you. You followed anyway and—”

“Yeah, yeah. So I fell and broke my arm. What’s your point? That I can’t keep up with you and Nick? I’m not ten anymore, Lucas.”

“Maybe not, but you’re sure as heck acting like it,” he said. “You weren’t ready then, and you aren’t ready now. We’ve been trained by the military and have countless hours of experience dealing with this. You’re a fighter, but you haven’t been out here that long. Getting cocky equals getting killed.”

“I can handle myself just fine,” I said.

“I know you think so, and if you want to join the fight when we get back, that’s fine, but before you go out on any one-man excursions, you need some combat training. You need to be prepared, and you shouldn’t leave the safe zones unless it’s for good reason. Taking foolish risks isn’t gonna bring Jackie back, and it isn’t going to save your sister.”

I contemplated his words and swallowed hard.

“In some ways, it’s good to look up to your brother, but you can’t follow all of his footsteps, Dean. Nick takes all kinds of stupid chances because he’s hurting deep down, just like you. He still loves Darla, and he’s not gonna get over her anytime soon.”

“Right. Sometimes I wonder if he even cares if he dies. He’s a different person, Lucas.”

“I’ve noticed that too.”

“He needs to grieve for Darla instead of keeping it all bottled up. He’s gonna explode one of these days, and I hate to think what might happen. Maybe he’ll sacrifice himself in some epic zombie battle, thinking he’ll be with Darla forever.”

“He does take crazy risks.”

“So now you know where I get it from.”

“Well, in all fairness, his risks are for the greater good, not for Hershey bars and canoe trips.”

“Right. What’s up with him and Claire?” I asked.

“He’s lonely and brokenhearted, and I think she fills a void in his life, but no one will ever replace Darla.”

“Well, he’d better not be using her or playing her. She’s my friend, and I don’t want her to get hurt in the end when he walks away.”

“Speaking of that…”

I leaned against the wall. “What?”

“Val and I have decided it’s best to just be friends. I like your sister a lot, but all things considered—”

“Yeah, it’s better that way,” I said. “You are an awesome friend, but I’m sure you’re not into settling down.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean? I’m completely capable of being serious…sometimes.” He laughed nervously.

“Right. You’re a regular groom-in-training,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I just don’t want Val to have her heart broken, and with you being in the service and all—”

He looked away. “I know. I hate this world. I’ll never have a normal life, not ever.” He shot me a hard look. “Don’t enlist to fight the zombies, Dean. It’ll make you something you’re not. I’m not the same guy I was.”

“I don’t think any of us are,” I said, and we chatted for a while longer, then went our separate ways.

Chapter 23

I stood on the roof and stared down at the city as Nick paced. His Glock .22 was wedged tightly into his waistband. It was just the two of us, and it reminded me of the nursing home, on the rooftop. The only difference was that we weren’t on guard duty, since the city didn’t seem to be swarming with zombies like every other place on Earth.

“It’s been too long, and we still have no answers,” I said.

Nick let a long breath out. “I know.”

“Do you trust them?” I asked.

“They don’t seem like snakes, if that’s what you’re asking. They’ve given us shelter and food, looked after the girls, and nursed Lucas back to health. They’re desperately working on the serum and all the samples they took.”

I held his stare. “They’ve kept the girls locked up like caged animals.”

“They have to, Dean. They can’t risk them hurting anyone. There are little kids and civilians here.”

“We’re supposed to meet with the scientists in an hour. Let’s see what they have to say.” I shifted my stance. “Does Claire still have the vials, or did you hide them somewhere else?”

“She still has them, as far as I know, and they have absolutely no idea. They still think we only had a couple.”

“Even that scientist from the nursing home?”

“Yeah, Jonathon’s clueless. He thinks the gang stole the bag and that I had a couple hidden in my pocket.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

He gave me a fist-bump, then stared into the distance. “I can’t lose Val, not again.”

“I know. We went through so much so save her.”

“This can’t all be in vain,” he said, turning away to hide the tears welling up in his eyes.

“I love Val,” I said. “She’s our sister, and I’ll fight for her. I can’t face Mom and Dad again unless I can tell them we gave it 120 percent.”

“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to endure,” Nick said. “I feel numb and sad at the same time. I wanna scream, shout, and punch a wall—maybe more than once.” He let out a long breath. “Sometimes I want to lock myself in a room, and other times I just wanna pound one of those scientists and tell them to fix her. I want to scream at them, to demand that they develop another serum that will keep her from changing.”