Zombified (Book 1): Hudson Place (2 page)

Once everyone was gathered together, Lilly took the youngest children up to the rooftop to play on a swing set she promised them they would have a lot of fun on. The teens, Brooke and Darrell Johnson’s son Jimmy, were allowed to stay.

Almost everyone knew one another, but Dave introduced each family and told a little something about them. Sean and Scott, seizing the opportunity, introduced themselves to each other, and then pretended to be shocked when they realized they both had the same parents and were born on the same day. Everyone laughed and it lightened the mood, if only for a moment. When they had settled back down, Dave walked over and stood in front of a large plasma TV mounted on the wall, running his gaze over each person in turn before speaking.

“
Some of you, like Mick, knew Lilly and I were working on a “project” here. He also knew the reason for this project was based on my belief that we were headed for a big pandemic, H5N1 or Avian Influenza. Bird flu seemed the most likely suspect, but it could have been anything. I wanted a place where I felt we could be reasonably protected, and as you’ll see on the tour, we had planned to invite all of you to join us here.” At their surprised looks, he smiled and held up a hand. “The reason why is simple. We consider all of you close friends, and we wouldn’t have felt right if we kept this place to ourselves and something terrible happened to the people we care about.”

He paused for a moment as though contemplating what to say next then tilted his head and said grimly, “A pandemic would have killed a lot of people, but it was something we knew could be overcome, but it would have been nothing compared to what is happening now. Since yesterday afternoon, I’ve been in contact with a lot of folks who convinced me that we needed to act fast if we were going to survive. Then I had to convince all of you. Some of you didn’t make it easy,” he continued as he gave Mick a quick glance. “Most of you even thought it was a joke, but believe me, I can understand that. After all, it’s not every day you hear we’re about to be overrun by zombies.”

The word zombie was enough to bring on a flurry of questions. Mick and Cindy hadn’t had the time to fully explain to Brooke what was going on, and the stricken look on her face nearly broke his heart. Cindy put an arm around her as Dave went on to repeat the story of what he’d told Mick on the phone.

When he’d finished he said, “Ok, now everyone’s on the same page, let’s talk about what to do.” He walked over to a large overstuffed leather chair and sat down.

There was silence for a moment before Scott spoke up. “We should probably start by monitoring the TV, internet, and radio stations to get as much factual news as we can.”

Dave nodded. “Agreed, and I also have a ham radio. I’m in touch with several people here in Ambrose and the surrounding towns. I’ll also keep talking to Bill at the CDC, if it weren’t for him we wouldn’t have known the danger we were in.”

Mick was suddenly grateful their work involved the medical profession. Dave ran a lucrative medical supply business and probably knew half the people who worked in labs and hospitals across the country. He had offered Mick a job over fifteen years ago as his Marketing and Public Relations manager. Darrell was in Research and Development. At the time, Mick had been reluctant to take the position because of his longstanding friendship with Dave, but Cindy had talked him into it. He soon found his fears unfounded; Dave turned out to be as good a boss as he was a friend.

“
We should be calling everyone we know to warn them, too,” Brooke said quietly. “I’ve been texting all my friends since we left home.”

Mick was proud of her for speaking up, although Brooke was often as outgoing and exuberant as her brothers, around people she didn’t know well she tended to be on the shy side.

Dave nodded in her direction and replied, “You know, that’s such an important thing, maybe we should spend the next hour calling people. Some may not believe us, but I think by now most folks know something unusual is going on.” He stood up and extracted his cell phone from his pants pocket. “Let’s meet back here in an hour, and then we’ll give you that tour we promised.”

****

An hour and many cell phone calls later, they all met back up to begin the tour. The adults stood around talking while Lindsey gave the hungry and thirsty children a quick snack. When they were finished, everyone followed Dave and Lindsey all the way down to the first floor.

The cement block building on Hudson Place faced north and had been painted a nondescript off-white color; at one time it had been the largest warehouse in town. There were four floors and a basement.

The first floor was almost empty, the walls a stark white, and the floor covered in the same type of generic tiles seen in hospitals or schools. There were several large windows on the east and west walls, but all of them had been covered on the outside with protective steel shutters. There were two areas partitioned off on the south end, one was full of medical supplies and the other served as storage for several cots, flashlights, oil lamps, and assorted camping gear. Along the inside wall ran what looked like a closet but actually held stairs that led down to the basement where the main water tank, heater, and miscellaneous items were stored. There wasn’t a lot to see and the group quickly moved up to the second floor.

Off the stairs to the left, there was a medium-sized room that housed a small library stocked with all types of books, CD’s, and DVD’s. There were even school supplies and three desks with computers sitting on top, each hooked up to the internet.

The main space contained rows of freestanding shelves holding all kinds of supplies from food and clothing, to seeds and kitchen utensils. Each row was labeled and Mick was astounded, Dave seemed to have thought of everything.

On the south end was a secured room with a myriad of weapons and ammunition. Shelves lined the walls and on the left were guns of all makes. To the right were boxes upon boxes of ammunition. The back shelves contained every kind of knife, in Mick’s opinion, that had ever been made. Under the shelves were boxes containing re-breathers, respirators, flak jackets, helmets, and even some riot gear. Sean and Scott were reluctant to leave the room; Mick figured they could have probably stayed there all day. Both of his sons had recently returned from Iraq with their Army National Guard unit, and they were practically drooling over what they saw. Dave promised the adults they would all be given the combination to the lock, but cautioned everyone to keep it secret from the kids.

Although most of them had been on the third floor to deposit their luggage, what they hadn’t seen came as a complete surprise; it was almost like stepping into someone’s home...a large one. Upon entry from the stairs, was a long entryway and hall. The walls were painted a warm shade of beige and the floors were wood, with rugs scattered here and there. A few feet down the hall and to the left, double doors led into a room almost the entire length of the building. This, Dave explained, was the sleeping area for the children.

Lilly had designed this floor, so she took over the tour. While the children rummaged through the toy boxes and jumped on the beds, everyone admired the bright primary colors on the walls, there was even a mural on the back wall sporting a huge rainbow above a forest full of butterflies and an assortment of wide-eyed forest animals. Under the mural was a play area complete with toy boxes, shelves holding arts and crafts, and two small colorful tables with matching chairs. The floor was covered in a thick beige carpet. Each bed was different, with brightly colored bedspreads. Four small dressers painted in bright blues, reds, yellows, and greens were placed between the beds. Sunlight filled the room through the large windows, since they were on the third floor they were open; this was a bright and cheerful place, just perfect. Dave and Lilly were never able to have children, and Mick could tell that Lilly had really thrown herself into the project. Mick noticed on his way out that there were exactly enough beds for each child.

Once back out in the hall, she began opening doors on the right side of the hall. Each married couple had a room, on opposite ends were slightly larger rooms, one for Brooke and another for Jimmy.

Brooke’s room was done in pastel colors of soft purples, blues, and greens. The walls were a bluish-green with white trim. All the furniture was painted bright white. There were two twin beds with matching light green bedspreads. There was a dresser next to a small closet, and between the two beds was a night stand with a reading lamp on top. There was even a vanity complete with mirror. The carpet on the floor was the same as in the children’s room, but between the beds was a rug done in a swirl of pastels. Curtains matching the rug covered the large window.

Jimmy’s room was the same size as Brooke’s, also with two twin beds. But there the similarities ended. Done in a rustic style with earth tones throughout, the carpet was darker beige, and the walls were a deep brown. Instead of a vanity, he had a desk/bookcase combination. The bedspreads and curtains were done in the popular camouflage style. His dresser, bed frame, desk, and night stand were all stained a dark brown, and he also had a small closet.

The bedrooms for the married couples were just as nice. Each held full size beds, dressers, and night stands in finishes from light pine to dark mahogany. There were slightly larger closets, but not by much. The rooms were all carpeted in slightly different colors to match the varying colors each room boasted. Once again, Mick noticed there was exactly the right number of rooms to accommodate them all.

As the tour progressed, Lilly led them to the south end, where there were two dorm-style bathrooms complete with a shower area. The women’s bathroom even had a large whirlpool tub and both bathrooms had changing areas with floor-to-ceiling cabinets for their personal belongings.

As they headed back up to the fourth floor, everyone talked excitedly about what they had seen. Mick saw a look of happiness pass between Dave and Lilly, and he smiled to himself. They looked so much alike in height and coloring that Mick often thought they could have passed for brother and sister. Both were of medium height and slim, with sandy blonde hair and bright green eyes, although Lilly’s eyes were flecked with gold.

The fourth floor they had already seen, but Dave pointed out an enclosed laundry room on one side of the kitchen, and a walk-in pantry on the other. All the appliances were heavy-duty, large, and stainless steel. The dining area was just in front of the kitchen, there were two matching rectangle dining tables, and Mick figured they would easily accommodate all of them. At the other end was the lounge area, with an overstuffed leather couch and four large matching chairs. Mounted on the south wall was the TV and underneath was an entertainment center with more DVD’s, two game consoles, and a small library of assorted video games. To the left of the lounge were sliding glass doors that led out onto the balcony.

Last was the rooftop, and Mick knew immediately it would probably end up being everyone’s favorite place to relax. There were two patio areas set up with outdoor furniture, and behind those on the north side, sat a covered barbeque/smoker. A stone walkway split the roof into two areas; one side held fruit trees and a grassy area with a large swing set for the children, the other held rows and rows of vegetables and herbs including a small greenhouse near the back. By the fruit trees, a small stone fountain gurgled away with a pond beneath, and the children were delighted to see several multicolored fantail goldfish dashing here and there in the crystal clear water. The entire rooftop was enclosed with strong fencing, Mick realized it was for the children’s benefit and there was definitely no danger of anyone falling off the roof.

After the tour, the adults trooped back down to watch what was unfolding on TV. Brooke and Jimmy decided to stay on the roof to keep an eye on the kids while they played. Mick sat next to Cindy on the couch and looked over at her as he felt her hand close over his.

“
Is this for real?” she whispered. She tucked a strand of her shoulder-length, curly chestnut hair behind one ear and gazed at him with a frightened look in her large hazel eyes. “What are we going to do?”

“
Truth? No idea yet,” Mick whispered back. “After what Dave told us, I think we do have a real problem. At least we’re safe for now,” he said as he gestured around the room with his free hand. “This place if really fortified and well stocked, so we should be ok for a while.”

Cindy nodded slowly, but doubt still clouded her pretty features. “I’m scared to think of what would have happened to all of us if Dave hadn’t called, but I think I’m so not gonna go there.” She shuddered and Mick let go of her hand to put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Chapter 2

Early the next morning, most of the adults were already up watching TV. To everyone’s dismay, the situation had drastically deteriorated during the night.