Zombie Rage (Walking Plague Trilogy #2) (5 page)

“
Easy, bro,” Mike soothed as he grabbed some paper towels. “You’re going to be okay now.” God, he hoped he was right.

Joe finished puking...not a pretty sight. He was still hand-cuffed. He was scared, he’d pissed his pants, and he was angry. He glanced from his chained hands to the toilet and then up to Mike. “Just what the fuck was all that about?”

Joe was ready to fight again. His anger turned to confusion as Mike laughed once more.

“
What’s so funny? You’re fucking crazy, dude. You tried to kill me and you’re laughing?” Joe looked uneasily around the bathroom. Shattered tiles. He’d done that. Because he was strong...wasn’t he?

“
I didn’t kill you. I cured you, Lieutenant Carter.”

“
How the hell does flushing my face in a toilet cure me?” Joe asked. But a realization was coming to him. He felt different.

“
That’s the cure,” Mike explained. “Look at me. Let me see your eyes.” Joe never withheld his eyes from anyone’s gaze and he didn’t do so now. He looked Mike straight in the eye. And when he did, he realized Mike’s eyes didn’t have those red streaks in them.

Neither did Joe’s, Mike realized. What a relief.

It was a lot to take in. Joe did feel different. He felt normal. He hadn’t anticipated it, and welcomed it like a fresh spring shower, which is exactly what he wished he had. Maybe he would take a dip in the ocean to get the piss, filth and toilet water off him. “But...how did you...?”

“
Anna figured it out.”

“
Anna? My niece?” and then a horrible thought occurred to him. “Is she all right?”

Mike sighed. This would be hard. “She’s fine. But Joe, your brother is infected now. And when I was cured, I was pretty far gone. Almost...terminal.” It was the most accurate description he could come up with.

Mike explained everything, from Jack’s slow-moving infection from the cut he’d gotten days before to his handcuffing in the basement. Mike confessed that he himself had been crazy for flesh, but still coherent enough to want revenge on Jack for locking him up. He even told Joe how he craved Anna most of all. To eat her flesh.

“
I don’t think I would have lasted much longer,” he said. “I was really losing it. Then your brother did it. Injured me enough to pass out in the pond. That was a miracle,” He affirmed. “I’m amazed that he was still clear-headed enough to protect himself and his family.”

“
So, he drowned you?” Joe was still trying to put together the puzzle.

“
No, he shot me.” Mike took another look at the side of his shirt, to where his stitches had opened during his struggle with Joe. It was soaked with blood. He winced and ignored it for now. “I ended up face down in the koi pond. That’s how I drowned. It was an accidental cure.”

“
Wow.” Joe was absorbing that he himself was no longer a monster. And taking in everything else he’d just heard.

“
Now we have to get your doctor friend and the Big Boss,” Mike was saying.

Joe shook his head. “No way. Why didn’t you do the same to Jack? He needs help. Where is he, anyway?”

“He’s at home. He’s in that no-brain stage. We figured we’d try it on you since you were further along, and if it worked, he would be next. But I figured while we were down here, we could take care of the doctor and the Man in Black. If you’re up to it.”

Joe tried to stand. “Take these off, for God’s sake.” As Mike complied, Joe stood and stretched. “So, I was a guinea pig? Thanks a lot.”

Mike was serious now. “You were farther along than your brother is now. This is all still new, and we didn’t know how much time we’d have. And, we had to make the decision for Anna’s sake.”

Joe felt foolish, selfish. It all made sense. Especially about Anna.
Anna, poor angel,
Joe’s heart welled up with the love he felt for his only niece. She’d be absolutely devastated if anything happened to her dad.

“
No,” Joe said, shaking his head. “We go to my brother first. Then we’ll deal with those other crazy bastards.”

“
But we’re already down here,” Mike protested again. Joe was in a hurry but he took the time to use the sink. He washed the vomit out of his mouth and took a good, long drink. God, even this bathroom tap water tasted like heaven. As he used some more paper towels to dry his hair—and still seriously considered taking a dunk in the nearby ocean—another knock came at the door.

“
Everyone okay in there?” It was the same guy. Since Joe didn’t remember, Mike explained: “You were sick. That’s the story. Now you’re better.”

Mike opened the door. A couple of guys stood outside, cautiously peering in. They were dressed in shorts and flip-flops, the expensive kind, and each had a forty of beer in hand. Locals just kickin’ it, obviously. Nice guys who didn’t want any trouble on their secluded beach front.

Joe stepped forward, showing himself. He was still a little shaky; he
wa
s just recovering, but from what, they didn’t have to know. They wouldn’t have guessed in their wildest dreams. Or maybe one day, they would. But it didn’t matter right now.

“
I’m okay,” Joe reassured them with a little smile. “I was just really sick. I’m sorry.”

“
Dude, it’s totally cool,” one of them said. “Everyone’s had a little too much to drink once in a while, right?”

You have no idea,
Joe thought, but all he said was, “Right. I’m feeling a little better.”

“
It’s all good,” the other man reiterated. “You know, we’re cool with this, but some people might not like you being down here. Everyone knows each other. You don’t want the cops, man, if you know what I mean.”

“
You’re right,” Mike said. Another gross understatement.
“We’re just leaving.”

Satisfied that all was right in their little world, the men turned to go. “Take it easy,” one of them said.

“You, too,” Joe answered. He thought of Stetson and added, “And be careful.”

Chapter Thirteen

David Stetson, the scientist, stood in the dark.

He’d carefully pulled aside the cutesy curtains his former girlfriend had made to see if Joe was anywhere in sight. Mostly, though, he
smelled
the scent of human flesh. Everywhere. Holy sweet hell it smelled wonderful.

He knew it was a mistake for Joe to drive to his friend. He had known it in his gut. It had been an hour and a half; they should have been back within thirty minutes.

He and Joe had planned to go hunting tonight, finally. Stetson was strong and very intelligent, but the craving for human flesh was overtaking his thoughts now. As if to confirm this, his stomach growled.

Where were they?
Anger was overtaking Stetson’s emotions as well.
If they’ve gone without me,
he threatened to no one in particular, but his thought process stopped there. What would he do?
I’ll go by myself
.

Stetson’s mind was talking to itself now. There were two trains of thought.
What if they’re in trouble?
He didn’t know what to do with that one.
They’ve deserted you,
he now realized.
You’re on your own, and oh yes, you have to eat.

He glanced back at Cole, who was sitting still in the dark, although his eyes were glowing softly red. All was quiet, except for the voices in Stetson’s head.

Go,
he told himself.
You have to
.

He sniffed the air and picked up on a small child playing outside a couple of doors down. Too small.

Stay,
he argued now.
Carter will be back, and there is strength in numbers.

Stetson turned to the last filet mignon on the table, grabbed it and bit into it. However, the meat had turned brown and didn’t taste fresh. Stetson grunted and threw it across the room. Cole stirred from the sound, and wrestled for freedom.

“To hell with them,” Stetson said out loud now, although he didn’t realize it. “To hell with them all. I’m going to get my dues.”

No, not yet. Soon, soon.

Yes, he’d wait, just a little while more. Joe promised he’d return. Except David Stetson didn’t know how long he could last. He looked down at Cole. Cole couldn’t be left alone. Could he?

Did Stetson even care?

Not really.

Still, he commanded himself to think clearly. He would wait twenty more minutes. Could he last that long? Maybe, maybe not.

We’ll see,
he thought...and thought again of the small child playing three houses down.

Chapter Fourteen

Mike Mendoza drove exactly sixty-five miles per hour up the 605 freeway, and even though Joe was anxious as hell to get to his brother, and equally importantly to Anna, he understood the need for caution. All they needed now was to get pulled over for speeding. According to the police, the two former lieutenant commanders were still AWOL, and there was an APB out on them. They were designated as Armed and Dangerous.

Not good.

But Joe smiled, rolled down the window and did that curvy thing with his hand, weaving it in and out to the oncoming wind. “Did I even thank you?” Joe asked, as he inhaled the fresh air deeply.

“
No, but you’re welcome,” Mike answered.

Mike was happy, too. Of course, he understood that this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. But if they could cure Jack, then there would be three of them. Three people who knew more than what 99.99 percent of the rest of the world knew. He was happy, for now. So glad that he’d saved his Army buddy, Joe. He believed Army buddies were for life.

They’d decided to keep the phone calls to an absolute minimum. Mike had promised to call Carla within a few hours. They would return within those guidelines, and although he felt bad that she was probably going crazy wondering what was happening, this was the time to be careful. Extremely careful.

So, it wasn’t surprising that Carla questioned them when they finally arrived at the Los Feliz home and knocked on the door.

Carla peered through the peephole, no doubt with her gun drawn.

“
It’s okay, Carla,” Mike said. “I’m back. With Joe.”

“
Why didn’t you call me?” She tried not to sound like a needy woman. The detective in her had to know without a shadow of a doubt that they were safe. And
sane.

Mike explained quickly, and then Joe appeared in front of the door with a huge smile. In Carla’s experience, those who were infected didn’t smile. Perhaps they grimaced viciously, but not with the joy Joe displayed now.

“Ta-da! It’s me! I’m back! Cured!”

Finally, convinced—and laughing lightly—Carla opened the door, with her gun still in hand, of course.

Anna, who had a reputation for not following orders, was, of course, listening at the top of the stairs. Jared stayed next to her, knowing he could do nothing to deter his beautiful but stubborn girlfriend.

And when Carla finally opened the front door, Anna flew down the stairs and into her uncle’s arms, almost knocking him over. She looked into his eyes. Yes, normal. Thank God! Anna started crying again, this time with tears of joy.

“Uncle Joe! Is it really you? And you’re okay?”

“
I’m back. Your Uncle Joe is here and we’re going to fix everything.” Joe wasn’t certain this was exactly true, but for Anna’s teenage-limited world, the promise would do. For now.

“
I knew you’d make it,” she said through her tears. When she was done hugging her uncle, she turned to Mike Mendoza. “Thank you,” her words were sincere. “I don’t know how to thank you enough. For bringing him back and making him...okay again.”

Mike was still new to this family and didn’t quite know what to say. “I did what I had to do.”

Anna took her uncle’s hand. “Oh, Uncle Joe. Was it horrible?”

Joe Carter understood that Anna hadn’t witnessed a real drowning.
Yet.
Mike had been shot and unconscious when his lungs filled with water. It had been much, much different for Joe. And he remembered all of it. The fighting, the panic, the absolute necessity for air in his lungs instead of the forced water that slowly but inevitably filled them. Then the insane realization that he wasn’t going to get any oxygen. Finally, the...fading away.

Joe embraced his niece again, gently this time. “It was necessary, angel. Mike saved my life.”

“My dad will have to go through the same thing?”

Carla stepped in. “Honey, we’ll do everything we can to make it simple and quick. And then your dad will be...fine,” she ended, more uncertainly than she’d intended.

Anna nodded. Jared came forward and took her hand. It was Anna he cared about most, although her father was growing on him big time. But he also knew that saving her father’s life was crucial to all of their survival. Before Jack had been infected, he was the glue that held them all together.