Zombie Rules (Book 3): ZFINITY (10 page)

Andie and I started out at day break. Julie had no interest and said she’d rather wash diapers than fool with a zombie. After a quick breakfast we geared up, jumped in the truck, and headed toward the location where we had put the cage the afternoon before. Andie insisted on driving.

“How’re things with you?” I asked as she turned onto Concord Road. She shrugged.

“Okay, I guess.”

“How’s the journal coming?”

“It’s mostly up to date, except I keep getting the names of everyone in the new group mixed up. Do you?”

“Well, let’s see, there’s Benny, the Asian guy, and his wife, Tonya. Then there’s Tonya’s little brother Anthony, and his wife Carla. They’re the smarmy looking couple who walk around acting like they’re superior to everyone else. There’s Gus, the jowly, pear shaped looking dude, and his three little brats, Vince, Melinda, and Melissa, and, don’t forget Marc and Ward.”

“Yeah, how can I forget them,” Andie said with a little sarcasm in her tone.

“How’re your talks going with them?” I asked tentatively.

She sighed. “Okay, I guess. I’ve only had a couple of sessions with them.”

I nodded, and was about to change the subject, but she apparently wanted to talk about it. “They believe I’ve been confusing sex for love, and that’s why I’ve been so promiscuous.”

“Are you talking about your past?”

“Yeah, my uncle wasn’t bullshitting you that night. It didn’t take very much for a boy to talk me into giving a blowjob, and when the good Captain began molesting me, I was convinced it was an act of love. The docs said I was using sex as a way of getting the attention I was otherwise missing.”

“I hope they’re helping,” I finally said. I sincerely meant it. She had been through a lot and I knew she had nightmares as much as I did.

“Oh, and when I started talking about you, they seemed surprised when I told them you turned me down for sex.”

I glanced over at her. I was a little uncomfortable that my name was coming up, and a little perturbed at their reaction. “Oh yeah? Why is that?”

“They said most teenage boys let their overactive hormones override their sensibilities. I think they were impressed you established boundaries in our relationship. They said you were a true friend to me.”

I glanced over at her again. “What do you think of their assessment, Miss Andrea?”

She grinned. “Oh, you can come up with the craziest ideas, but yeah, you’re a good friend.”

She suddenly stopped the truck, leaned over, and hugged me. I responded by ruffling her hair, which I knew irritated the crap out of her. She slapped me on the chest and sat back in her seat.

We rode the length of Concord Road and turned onto Franklin Pike before either of us spoke again.

“Zach, is Tommy retarded or something?” Andie tentatively asked.

I took my time before answering. “I don’t think he’s mentally retarded, but yes, he is a little slow. He’s one of those kids who needed a little more tutoring and parenting than the average kid and he hasn’t had either, so I’d say he’s a little underdeveloped emotionally and intellectually.”

“Oh, I guess it makes sense.”

“Don’t worry though. He’s got a lot of mentors now and a sister who dotes on him. He’s going to be fine.”

“As long as you don’t go teaching him any of your bizarre ideas, like this one for instance,” Andie replied with more sarcasm in her tone. “This one is definitely bizarre, even for you.”

“Yeah, I heard you the first thirty times you told me,” I muttered.

With Benny’s help, Fred and I had a trap built quickly. It was a six foot by six foot configuration of scrap metal welded together to form a square cage with a spring loaded door, designed to shut and lock when a zombie walked inside it.

“Why did you decide to put the cage there?” she asked, pointing down Franklin Road.

“The day we had the picnic on the golf course, remember the zombies who eluded us?” she nodded at me. “That group seemed to be more than mindless flesh eaters,” I explained as we approached the Mack Hatcher Parkway. “I specifically want to catch one of those,” I gestured with a nod of my head, “and I believe we’ve succeeded.”

Andie peered closer. “Holy shit, we did!”

There was one of them inside the cage and three more standing around it. They all turned at the sound of us approaching and stood there, watching us approach. Andie stopped fifty feet away and watched them for a moment.

“Are they protecting their friend?” Andie asked.

“Hell if I know,” I replied. It was three men, or what used to be men. I gestured at them. “They’re all dressed in winter clothing and each one is wearing a heavy jacket.”

“So, what does that mean?” Andie asked.

“When the shit really started to happen, it was cold, but not freezing cold. They’re dressed like they were outside during freezing cold.”

“So they turned sometime in December?”

“Yeah, I’d say so,” I answered. “Plus, the heavy clothing has protected them somewhat from the elements. Well, except for their faces.” The decomposition was extensive. There was also a lot of scabbing, and of course, the black eyes, those black soulless eyes.

I got out of the truck with my AR-15 and began firing. When I shot the first one, the other two turned around and started hobbling off. I shot them in the back of the head and watched as the one in the cage became very agitated, grabbed the cage, and started violently shaking it. He tried to force his way out, but the locking mechanism held fast.

“Well that was different,” Andie said. She was right. Normally, the things would have started making a beeline toward us in a mindless, primal urge to attack and eat. We got back in the truck and drove up to the cage. The one inside had calmed down now and glared at us silently. It took me a moment before recognition dawned on me.

“Hey,” I said, “that’s the one who was leading the group. We made a lucky score indeed. Okay, park beside the telehandler.”

“Why the hell is it called a telehandler?” she asked as she parked near it. “It looks more like an oversized forklift.”

I chortled. “I guess, in a way, it’s a forklift on steroids. It’s a material handler made by Caterpillar. It has enough power to pick up the cage and anything inside it easily.”

“Let me guess, it’s one of Mac’s toys,” she quipped. I chuckled. Over the last few months, Mac had amassed quite a collection of heavy machinery. She kept them neatly parked behind the radio tower and could be seen playing with them regularly.

“Hold on a minute,” I instructed, got out of the truck and checked the three zombies to ensure they were dead. Andie scanned the perimeter with binoculars. Seeing no threat, she nodded at me and exited the truck.

“Tell me why we’re doing this again?” Andie asked.

“These things are changing, evolving. We need to figure it out, and in order to do it, we need a live test subject. The doctors have volunteered to conduct some experiments.”

Andie nodded as we stared at our captive and he stared back at us. The cage was six feet in height, but this dude was at least four or five inches taller. He was hunkered over with his neck crooked. There was black ooze on the steel bars, and fresh contusions to his hands and face, as if he were trying to escape like a panicking animal would.

“Alright, I’ll haul him back using the telehandler, you follow in the truck. Oh, and there’s something I need to ask you,” I said, as we walked back to the truck. Andie stopped and looked at me questioningly.

“Try as I might, I can’t figure out when your birthday is. I’m sure I missed it, but I got you a present anyway,” I reached into my jacket pocket, pulled out a small package, and handed it to her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“According to the label on the box, it’s an intimate massager,” I replied innocently.

“A vibrator?” she asked incredulously as she fumbled with the box.

“Well, I figured since you’re single again, it was the perfect gift, but after what you just told me about your therapy sessions, maybe it’s not such a good idea,” I shrugged. “Anyway, happy birthday,” I said with lighthearted sarcasm.

Andie chuckled. “Smart ass,” she said and poked me in the ribs. “Maybe I’ll use it right now.”

I slapped my forehead. “Oh gosh, I forgot to bring batteries. No worries, we have some back at the house, maybe.”

“Damn it, it would have been a nice way to pass the time on the way back.”

“So, when is your birthday?” I asked.

“January ninth.”

“Wow, I’m only a week late.”

Andie snorted. “Typical male, forgetting my birthday
and
the damn batteries,” she quipped.

The telehandler took its sweet time starting in the cold air, but it finally grumbled to life. I maneuvered the forks under the cage, lifted it up, and started slowly moving down Franklin Pike. It took almost an hour to make it back, and our new acquisition stared at me malevolently the entire trip.

When I got to the I-65 overpass, I made a snap decision and stopped. Andie drove up and stopped beside me. Rolling down her window, she looked at me questioningly.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you go get the docs and bring them here, I’ll be waiting.”

She drove off without asking for an explanation. I maneuvered the handler up against the bridge abutment to where the cage was sticking out over the Interstate, set the brakes, and cut the engine. Andie drove up ten minutes later with the two doctors.

“Why’d you park it like that?” Ward asked.

“If he’s successful in getting out of the cage, he’ll take a thirty foot fall. Even if it doesn’t kill him, it’ll bust him up enough where he won’t come wandering into the church while everyone is asleep. By the way, it looks like he already solved one test.” I said, pointing at the remains of the rabbits I had used as bait. The zombie – thing, had figured out how to open up the cage the rabbits were in. “It was nothing more than a simple bird cage though, so maybe it’s not a valid test.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Marc said, as he tentatively stepped closer to the cage. “It shows at least a modicum of a problem solving thought process.”

Ward was obviously anxious about being in close proximity with a zombie, but his partner’s bravado helped his confidence. He took another tentative step closer. The thing made a sudden hissing noise, which made both of them jump back.

“He’s certainly feisty,” Ward quipped.

“Can we go now?” Andie complained. “I’m tired, hungry, and I need some batteries.”

I chuckled tiredly. “We’re going home. He’s all yours,” I started walking back to our truck and casually glanced over my shoulder at our prisoner. I stopped suddenly, causing Andie to bump into me. The zombie was hunched forward with his face pressed against the metal bars, staring at me with those opaque black eyes. As I looked back, he stuck one of his hands through an opening, and slowly pointed a finger at me. It looked like a long stub of blackened leather.

My blood ran cold as I realized I had dreamt of this moment.

The cold air burned my throat and lungs as I ran, but after a mile, I got used to it. Julie was following behind on Prancer, with a rifle astride her lap. I slowed at the one mile mark, which coincidentally was the same spot where I had set a trap on the side of the road. Seeing it empty, I increased my stride. The next two traps were also still in place, without anything trapped in them. I took it as a good sign. The coyotes and feral dogs had hopefully left the area.

I turned around at the three mile point and headed home. As we turned into the driveway to the old homestead and crossed the bridge, Julie stood in her stirrups.

“Zach!” she said in a hushed shout. She pointed toward the field and took off at a gallop. I ran after her. When I caught up, she was stopped near a cow lying on her side in obvious distress.

“What’s wrong with it?” she asked. I carefully approached. The cow rolled her eyes, saw me, and starting panicking.

“Easy, girl,” I said gently. “Easy now,” I waited until she calmed down and then slowly moved closer to her. When I was close enough, I put my hand out so she could smell me. “That’s it, girl, it’s your buddy, Zach,” I cooed, gently stroking her face. She let out a distraught sounding moo, which I hoped meant she recognized me. I slowly worked my way down her body looking for any injuries. I ended up at her backside before I figured it out and looked up at Julie.

“She’s giving birth and the calf has turned.”

Julie wrinkled her nose. I knew what I had to do, Rick had taught me how to deliver a calf back when I first started working for him, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I wished for Konya and his veterinarian skills as I squared off with the cow’s backside. I got down on my knees, held her tail to one side, and started slowly working my hand in. Moving gently, I eventually worked in half of my arm, feeling around with my hand as I went. When I found one of the hooves, I grabbed and started pulling. It took several minutes of finagling, but the calf finally came out, along with a large amount of shit and placenta which splattered all over me. Julie giggled uncontrollably.

“Yeah, very funny,” I replied and watched as momma cow slowly stood up. She sniffed her calf and mooed. It was a good sign. We watched her eat at the placenta a minute before I turned to Julie.

“Alright, you get to walk while I carry this calf on the back of the horse, unless you want to carry it and get messy too.”

Julie conceded quickly and dismounted. I loaded the calf on Prancer and walked her slowly toward the barn with momma cow following dutifully. Terry was in the barn when we rode up, and he wasn’t alone.

“Oh, hi, guys,” he said. “I was just showing Anthony and Carla the layout.”

They were looking around as if they’d never seen a barn before. When I dismounted, they both stepped back with a look of disgust on their faces.

“Oh, my God, you smell like shit warmed over! Don’t you ever bathe?” Carla implored.

“Watch your mouth, bitch,” Julie warned in a low tone. Terry quickly held a hand up.

“Okay, ladies, let’s play nice,” he pleaded.

I glanced at the woman briefly and appraised her. She and her husband had cleaned up, and were even wearing fairly clean blue jeans with pullover sweatshirts. Carla was an attractive woman who filled her sweatshirt nicely. Her hair was a little bit lighter in color than Julie’s was, and although she was a few years older than Julie, their figures had the same proportions.

I think the similarities ended there though. When Carla looked at a person, it was with an aloof, condescending stare. At the moment, she was glaring at Julie as if she were a serf who had dared speak out to someone of nobility. Her husband stood back passively, as opposed to Terry, who stood by her protectively. It made me wonder.

“For your information, Zach just delivered a calf. The stuff covering him is called placenta. Maybe your stupid ass will learn some of these things one day,” Julie said as she grabbed a rag and wiped the saddle off. When she was finished, she glared at Carla.

“And if you disrespect my husband again, I’ll break your pert little nose.”

Carla arched an eyebrow, as if to say, how dare you talk to me in such a manner. I hid a smile and went about putting the calf and her momma in a stall. I motioned Terry over while the two women glared at each other. He watched while I put hay and water in the stall. Momma cow took a long drink of water before she began licking her newborn calf. The calf, with its innate behavior, found the udders and started suckling.

“So, what’s going on?” I asked quietly.

“They cornered me yesterday and insisted they check out our set up,” he replied in the same low tone. “Apparently, Benny has been praising our accomplishments.”

I nodded in understanding, but I wasn’t sure I liked it. I guess it was my suspicious nature, but said nothing more about it.

“Are we still on for operation Cool Springs?” I asked.

Terry nodded. “Yeah, everyone is assembling at the church after breakfast.”

I nodded. When we first thought of the idea, Terry spent the entire evening developing a plan. I wanted to talk more, but time was limited, I needed a shower and my stomach was growling.

“Julie, why don’t you head on back and get breakfast ready. We’ll be along shortly,” I said.

Julie blew me a kiss and nudged Prancer. As she left the entrance of the barn, Julie pulled on one of the reins sharply, turning the horse as she exited. The result was Prancer’s flank bumping into Carla, who in turn lost her balance and fell on her butt. I stared at her a moment, and eyed Terry. He was trying to suppress a smile and acted like he was very interested in the newborn calf.

“Terry, I’m heading back to take my monthly bath. Rhonda is going to babysit, so Julie will be joining us for the mission. I’ll see you in a few.”

I then looked down at Carla, who was still sitting where she fell, with an utter look of disbelief on her face. “You’re sitting in a pile of horse shit,” I informed her before walking off.

Terry had them all gathered in the front of the church. Someone had moved the pulpit to the side and in its place were two large dry erase boards. He had the route drawn out, the team lists, and a rough drawing of the interior layout of the building. He began the briefing with the standard military five-part operation order. The ‘mission’ was to take this group of strangers with us to the Cool Springs shopping mall in an attempt to scavenge for anything of use.

Unfortunately for Terry, he had only gotten about ten seconds into his briefing before he was interrupted by Tonya waving her hand.

“I’m curious, who put you in charge?” she asked in a demanding tone and looked around the room for support. “I mean, I don’t recall taking a vote or anything. How exactly are you qualified?”

It seemed to snowball then. Before Terry could respond, Anthony started complaining about the team set up. Terry tried calmly to explain, but it was no use. Even Marc and Ward started voicing their opinions. I was about to do something, but was stopped by Fred when he put his hand on my shoulder as he stood up. He let out a loud whistle, which got everyone’s attention.

“Everyone shut your pie hole right now!” he demanded.

“We have a right to voice our…” Tonya’s complaint was cut short.

“I said shut the hell up!” Fred bellowed. I’d never heard him yell so loud. The room fell silent. When all eyes were on him, he continued in a stern voice. “Let’s get one thing straight. We’re glad you people are here. We want to help y’all get settled and more comfortable. This scavenging mission could yield a lot of precious items which you people so desperately need, but, let me make one thing perfectly clear, we don’t need you.”

Fred paused and looked them over, one by one. His last statement seemed to shock them a little. “If you people are not prepared to act as respectful guests in our neck of the woods, get the hell out of here, and when I say get the hell out of here, I mean you have ten minutes to leave.” Fred looked around again for emphasis. Nobody met his stare, which even I thought was very intimidating. Julie grabbed my hand and squeezed. Fred stared a moment longer.

“This man is a professional soldier,” he said, pointing at Terry. “The entire purpose of this mission briefing is so everyone will act and move as a cohesive unit, which, hopefully, will keep you from getting hurt or killed.”

Benny slowly stood. “Mister Fred, I apologize for our behavior. We certainly did not mean to come off as ungrateful.”

There was an immediate mumble of agreement from Marc and Ward. I also heard some mumbling from Anthony, which I assumed was an assent as well, but Tonya sat there, silent and sullen.

Fred looked up at Terry. “Corporal Alexander, please continue,” he sat, and the mission briefing continued without a single interruption.

After getting everyone loaded up on the bus, we got underway, but not before Julie and I directed our new acquaintances to hold their rifles with their barrels pointed down, fingers off the trigger, and safeties on. Julie and I exchanged a knowing look. We could readily see they were in dire need of weapons training, I only hoped they’d be receptive to it. Benny drove the bus while Terry, Fred, Joe, and Tommy led the way in the truck.

As we crossed the bridge over the Interstate, I looked over at our captive zombie. He was sitting with his legs splayed out, staring at us blankly.

“How’s it going with the test subject?” I asked Ward. He looked at me and smiled nervously.

“I must admit, your proposal was very intriguing to us and we looked forward to it, but when we were up close with it, we became rather - anxious.”

Marc chortled. “More like scared out of our panties.”

Ward nudged his partner playfully. “However, once we started, it has become most interesting.”

“What tests have you done?” Julie asked.

“We started with offering him various food products. The short version, he has no desire to eat anything other than living creatures. He will drink liquid though. Then, we devised several puzzles where he would have to perform tasks in order to get to his food. At first, he was totally befuddled, but he eventually was able to open a cardboard box in order to find a tasty treat inside,” he said with a grin.

“A live squirrel,” Marc added, and then he grinned. “Oh, and Ward taught him how to pee.” Julie and I exchanged a questioning look as both men giggled.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but his digestive process is working,” Ward explained, “but, he’s been soiling his pants. While I was observing him one day, I took a moment to urinate over the bridge. Our friend watched me unzip my fly and pull it out.”

“The next thing we know, he pulls his own member out and proceeds to urinate,” Marc finished.

“You mean it hasn’t rotted off?” Julie asked. Both men tittered gleefully and shook their heads.

“I hope you guys aren’t forgetting that thing will sink his teeth in you and rip you apart if he gets a chance,” I cautioned. The two men looked at each other and grinned.

“I think we’re fine, Mister Zach,” Marc replied. “Oh, and per your instructions, we’ve been keeping meticulous notes.” The two men continued grinning warmly, and I had to admit it was infectious.

I smiled back. “Okay, I just hope you guys are careful. Now, to the mission at hand, those assault rifles you two are holding are mine.”

“And mine,” Julie admonished with a nudge. I nodded.

“They’re clean, functional, and loaded. Keep your fingers off the triggers unless you have to shoot at something. Make sure you aim for the head and please don’t accidentally shoot someone. If you do, I can’t be responsible for what the Corporal does to you.”

Marc gasped at the implications. I looked over at Julie and winked. She hid a smile.

“Zach, are we going to encounter any zombies?” Kelly suddenly asked. Marc and Ward leaned forward, wanting to hear my answer.

“It is very possible. Last March, Rowdy and Cindy came here to shop...”

“Who is Cindy?” Marc interrupted.

“She was Wanda’s daughter. Anyway, they went to the mall to shop for clothes. They didn’t realize the place was infested. They were quickly surrounded and attacked. Rowdy got the two of them locked in a bathroom and we rescued them. Sadly, Cindy was bitten. She became infected,” I looked at the two men somberly. “We killed over a hundred and sixty of them that day. We may or may not have killed them all.”

The three of them went pale and suddenly looked very anxious. I thought back to that day and remembered how we attempted to cauterize Cindy’s bite wounds with cigarette lighters. I had a better method now. Stored in the truck was a plumber’s propane torch. I hoped I didn’t have to use it on anyone, especially myself.

“Was there anything else y’all have questions about?”

The three of them looked nervously at each other before Marc cleared his throat. I looked at him expectantly.

“Uh, well, during his briefing, Terry mentioned a running password and a duress password. What does he mean?” Kelly and Ward quickly nodded. I groaned inwardly. These people weren’t ready to do any missions with us. Their survival skills were virtually nonexistent. I patiently explained the purpose and proper usage of the running and duress passwords, and the rest of the trip explaining simple things, like fields of fire, covering fire, room entry; as many things that I could. We had arrived at our destination all too soon. I looked them over. All of them, with the exception of Andie and Julie, appeared very nervous.