One Crazy Rescue (Apocalypse Paused Book 8)

by Michael Todd

  Immediately, he made grunting sounds in the back of his throat. Manny released him and hopped back, looking more frightened than Ava had previously seen him in the Zoo. Kessler spewed a river of green puke, and the pilot retreated even further.

  “This gives me flashbacks to when some damn poachers tried to poison my family with a bunch o’ rabbits filled with poison. I still can’t eat that stuff. It will seriously ruin kale smoothies for me.”

  “Kale smoothies? Really?” Gunnar asked. “People actually drink those?”

  “What’s wrong with a good kale smoothie?” Manny asked. “It’s great for the constitution and a great source of iron. And it’s bright green, which is always fun.”

  Ava moved to the next soldier. Manny followed and pulled the gag out and Ava tipped medicine down his throat. He too began to vomit green liquid.

  “You know, I’m beginning to see where you’re coming from on the kale smoothies,” Manny said to Gunnar and wrinkled his nose. “Green’s maybe not the best color for liquid.”

  “Nine more to go,” she said. “I think I should do them all at once. Those two aren’t making a ton of noise, and the sooner we dose them all, the sooner they’ll all come out of it.”

  “You mean the sooner we’ll know if they all come out of it,” Peppy pointed out.

  Ava shot her a look. “Cort was cured. Why wouldn’t the rest of them be?”

  “Some people do fine with painkillers, while others get addicted or overdose on them. Biology’s a bitch.”

  “Jesus, Peppy.” Gunnar shook his head. “Sometimes, you’re too much, you know?” He fumbled for a cigarette and lit it. For once, Ava was thankful for the smell of burnt tobacco. It was definitely better than bile and bitter herbs.

  “Do you think I should wait?” she said.

  “Naw. Bring on the puking,” Gunnar responded cheerfully.

  Peppy nodded.

  “See if you can get them all going at once. That has to be some kind of record.” Manny moved to the next soldier and removed the gag. Ava fed her a bowl of slime and she responded as expected.

  Finally, they completed the circle until they were surrounded by a doctor and ten soldiers with faces and hands stained red. Green slime dribbled down their chins and onto the front of their uniforms.

  “This is like some sort of Christmas nightmare,” Gunnar said. “Red, green, and tied up with a bow. I hope the constrictadile doesn’t come to open his presents.”

  “You know, for once, I wish you’d used the other damn name for that big-ass bitch. It seems like bad luck to invoke the name of the beast when we’re so near his favorite berry patch.” Manny looked around furtively.

  Cort followed suit, much more nervously than the pilot.

  Ava felt the same way. The soldiers weren’t as loud as they could’ve been. Instead of screaming like the lieutenant had done, they gagged and puked a lot more silently than she’d expected. Still, there were ten of them, and they collectively made enough noise to carry. And there was the smell to think about. If some freaky Zoo creature came across the scent, it would probably come to investigate.

  They spent a few minutes in agonizing silence punctuated only by the soldiers barfing. The medicine seemed to run its course, however, and the victims began to pass out, one by one. Soon, their heads sagged against their restraints and they slipped into unconsciousness, oblivious to the stink that emanated from what was left of their tattered and soiled uniforms.

  Only Kessler didn’t pass out. While the others slept off their bout of vomiting like a pack of good drunks, the scientist continued to struggle against his restraints. They even had to gag him again. She studied him and tried to decide why his reaction was so different. Perhaps Kessler had ingested them for longer and so had higher levels. That, along with the fact that he was also older and his metabolism would be slower in general, might explain the differences.

  “Give him more,” Cort said. “He must have eaten more berries or something.”

  Ava shook her head. “It doesn’t work that way. He vomited as much as the others. There can’t be anything left in his stomach. Maybe he already has too much in his system—for all we know, his intestines might be filled with the zomberries.” That was not a pleasant thought.

  “Humor me,” the lieutenant said. The unexpected firmness had crept into his voice again.

  Ava glanced at Manny, who shrugged. “I appreciate a good sense of humor. It’s better than ordering folks around.”

  Gunnar and Peppy didn’t seem to care. They scrutinized the clearing and the jungle beyond, obviously fidgety from having to remain in one place in the Zoo.

  Ava scooped out another bowl of the medicine. There was nowhere near enough to give all the soldiers a second dose, but as they’d all passed out, she had to assume it had worked on them. Only Kessler still snarled and writhed against his ropes.

  “Bottoms up,” she said and brought the bowl to his lips.

  The scientist jerked his head forward and bit her below her thumb.

  She screamed and dropped the medicine, which spilled all over the man.

  Manny punched him in the face and the doctor released her hand.

  With a grimace of pain, she pulled it away. He’d drawn blood and left a half-circle of teeth marks on both the top and bottom of her hand between the base of her thumb and her wrist.

  Manny gagged Dr. Kessler again, looked at Ava’s wound, grinned, and slapped her on the back. “Holy hell, mate. That’s gonna make a wicked scar. A bite from an actual zombie. Maybe we should ungag him and all get one. That can be like our team tattoo.”

  Ava forced a laugh, but she really didn’t think it was funny. She hurried to her pack, retrieved a bottle of alcohol, and cleaned the wound. It stung, but she embraced the pain. Bite wounds were especially prone to infection, and although she knew that whatever had affected those people was caused by the zomberries in their stomach and not from wounds, she’d still seen her fair share of zombie movies. To be bitten by one was never a good thing.

  “If I start to turn—” She checked her bag of medicine and found it empty.

  “We’ll stick your face in Manny’s armpit. The fumes should be enough.” Gunnar winked at her.

  She nodded. Right. She’d simply have to purge her system.

  Fortunately, she didn’t have too long to dwell on the bite as the soldiers began to come to.

  The first was a woman whose short hair was snarled and matted. She raised her head, blinked against the dim light, and stifled a gag.

  “My name is Ava. You’ll be all right. Can you tell us your name?”

  The soldier coughed. “Mathers. Sarah Mathers. What the fuck is going on? I feel like shit.”

  “You’ve been resurrected,” Manny said. “From a mindless zombie back into a mindless soldier.”

  Peppy and Gunnar both shot him a look and Cort looked annoyed as well.

  “You’re in the Zoo, Mathers. You’ve been out here a while. Can you tell us what you remember?” Ava asked.

  “Yeah… I…who are you?”

  “Lieutenant James Cort.” He stepped up to Mathers and saluted. Ava knew enough of the military to know they normally didn’t salute in the field, but the gesture seemed to ground her. She focused on the familiar motion and frowned when she noticed the ropes that prevented her instinctive response.

  “We’re here on a mission to contact the team that was sent out three days ago and tasked with saving Kessler. Our mission is to recover any information you may have,” Cort explained.

  Mathers looked at the restraints and seemed to notice her stained and tattered uniform for the first time. “Three days? That’s impossible. It’s only been…” She shook her head, obviously confused. “Why am I tied up? And why does my throat burn? Shit, I feel like I’m hungover on gasoline.”

  “Tell us what you know,” Manny said. “Then we’ll release you.”

  “Bullshit,” Mathers said and struggled to free herself but had no strength. She barely moved
at all. Ava had a feeling they could’ve used yarn to tie the soldiers up, given their current weak state.

  “More are coming to,” Peppy said.

  “Do you hear that?” Gunnar asked and gestured beyond the clearing. Ava looked where he pointed but saw nothing. “Hyenamites. We have some time still, but not a lot.”

  “You’ve have to trust us,” Ava said, a genuine plea in her tone.

  Mathers seemed like she wanted to, but she looked at the other soldiers, also tied up and also with stained faces and hands and ruined uniforms. Her hesitation brought a frown of confusion.

  “I…just tell me what’s going on.”

  “You were fucked up. We saved you. That’s why you feel like shit. Sorry,” Peppy snapped. “Now, we need to know everything you know before the hyenamites get here and rip you and your entire platoon to little fucking bits. We’d appreciate it if you’d trust us since we’re people and not a bunch of goddamn Zoo animals. But if you insist on playing twenty fucking questions with the people who just saved your life, we’ll go to the next damn soldier and get them to talk.”

  “Peppy, right?” Mathers asked.

  “Again, with the twenty questions?” Peppy responded impatiently.

  “We did a mission together,” the woman explained.

  “Fast rewind to the last thing you remember.”

  Now, Ava could hear the hyenamites as well. She wasn’t so foolish as to think they could go unnoticed by the rodent-like creatures. The rescued soldiers absolutely reeked.

  “We found Kessler.” Mathers closed her eyes and wrinkled her face as she struggled to remember details. “In a clearing in the Zoo…some kind of berry patch and I remember Robertson saying— He…rushed us? I know that sounds crazy.”

  “Not really,” Manny said.

  “And then what?” Ava said.

  “He subdued Estevez—he didn’t have a chance, honestly—and crammed something into his mouth. Estevez turned and attacked me…and…” The soldier shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember what happened next.”

  “I think we can fill in the details.” Manny looked distracted, his attention partially focused on the clearing. Ava glanced briefly away from Mathers. She could see movement out there and knew the hyenamites were close. Really fucking close. “But unless we want to bring the whole damn Zoo down on us, I say we get a move on.” Manny drew a knife to punctuate his warning.

  “What? I answered your questions. What is this?” Mathers looked at Peppy.

  “Freedom,” the private responded.

  Manny cut the woman free.

  She dropped to her hands and knees and sucked in a ragged breath before she forced a laugh. “I thought… Fuck, I thought you would kill me.”

  “Sorry for our fucked-up friends,” Gunnar said and handed her a knife. “Now, help us cut your platoon free. We need to get out of here like yesterday.”

  “Are you sure?” Manny asked as he sliced through the ropes around another soldier. “I like dispatching hyenamites. The hard part is killing a decent number of the pack before they run off.”

  “It’s not the hyenamites I’m worried about,” Gunnar said and scanned the treetops.

  Manny, Ava, and Mathers released the others as quickly as possible. If Mathers was any indication, they weren’t in good shape. While the pilot easily untied the soldiers who’d been restrained with rope and Ava used a knife to saw through those who’d been tied with vines, Mathers couldn’t do either very effectively. Her hands fumbled at the knots, and she didn’t seem to be able to put enough force into her hands to saw through the thick vines. This was despite her having arms much thicker with muscle than Ava’s.

  All the soldiers seemed equally weak. When cut free, most collapsed and only forced themselves to their feet at Gunnar’s gentle prodding and Manny’s creative threats.

  “It’s time for a morning stroll unless you want to become a constrictadile pellet. There’s a rumor that hyenamites like to eat fingers and toes first, but that’s a lie. The little nasties like throats and crotches most of all.”

  The platoon managed to find their feet, an effort that seemed to drain them. Only one person maintained any of the strength the zomberries had granted them, and that was Kessler. Despite being absolutely soaked in vomit, he continued to struggle against the ropes that restrained him and snarled around the rag in his mouth.

  “If he’s been a here a week, it might take a lot longer for them to clear his system. He possibly needs a laxative,” Ava observed.

  “We don’t have time for that shit,” Gunnar said and grinned, way too proud of himself.

  Ava couldn’t argue with the need for haste. The hyenamites exploded into the clearing toward the band of humans. Their yipping grew louder and more urgent. Obviously, they smelled their next meal.

  Gunnar and Peppy trained their weapons on the frenzied rodent-like creatures, but they didn’t fire and Ava knew why. No one wanted to alert the constrictadile and they’d be foolish to assume it wasn’t nearby.

  “Can any of you fight?” Manny asked and looked at the soldiers as the hyenamites barreled forward. Two of the men and Mathers stepped forward on shaky legs. While Ava appreciated their willingness, the soldiers didn’t exactly seem like the sort of reinforcements they really needed. It was too late for debate, though, as the creatures were already upon them.

  The animals formed a rough circle around the humans, a raiding party of high-pitched, laughing monsters. One of them rushed forward to test their prey. Manny intercepted, stabbed the thing in its neck, and kicked it back toward its cronies.

  The attackers responded with even more fevered squeals.

  “What do you think, Manny? So you still want to fight these fuckers off by hand?” Gunnar had his gun raised and ready.

  “Don’t fire that rifle. We can drive these little bastards off. So far, that constrictadile probably thinks they found another of its turd-pellets. If we start shooting, this all goes north.”

  “Do you mean south?” one of the soldiers asked.

  “Naw, we say north in Australia.”

  Although the banter seemed to give Ava’s friends the calmness and outlet they needed to survive the jungle, it didn’t work that way for the others who weren’t familiar with it.

  The man who’d questioned Manny glanced at him—a serious mistake. As soon as he turned his head, a hyenamite darted forward and tried to sink its teeth into his crotch. The soldier flinched and flailed to protect himself, but the creature sank its teeth into his side instead. He screamed and immediately fell. The beast tried to haul him off but was far too small. The attempt drew a cry of pain from the soldier and blood blossomed under his rag of a shirt.

  Peppy kicked the hyenamite hard in the neck. It yelped and crawled away, dragging its back legs. But despite the fact that she’d paralyzed one of their pack with a kick, the attackers didn’t retreat. They simply yipped louder.

  The wounded man stood shakily, his face distorted in pain. Ava knew he would need medical treatment, sooner rather than later.

  “We need to get moving.” Gunnar tracked the animals constantly with his rifle as they raced around him. He was one part of the group’s defense that the creatures didn’t test. “Or start shooting. I like that plan more.”

  Another beast darted forward, bit a soldier’s ankle, and retreated. The man dropped to his knee, holding his leg. Two people were now injured.

  “We can’t leave Kessler,” Cort protested.

  A hyenamite lurched upward and crashed into the chest of one of the soldiers. The woman toppled and her attacker snapped viciously at her face.

  Gunnar shot it, turned on the other aggressive creatures, and fired a few more rounds.

  Peppy directed a short volley into the now enraged pack.

  In less than ten seconds, half were dead. The rest turned tail and ran off. While they halted their retreat well before they vanished into the jungle, they at least kept their distance.

  “I told you.” Gunn
ar reloaded his assault rifle.

  “No, I told you,” Manny said and gestured meaningfully at the canopy.

  The constrictadile began its slow, slithered descent.

  “All right. This is how I always wanted to go.” Peppy nodded and sounded strangely serene. “No cremation for me. I always told my family I wanted to be swallowed alive and regurgitated by a snake monster with T-Rex, arms, only to have my remains eaten by big-shouldered rats with slumpy butts.”

  “This isn’t the time to try new material,” Gunnar snarked as he fired at the constrictadile. The slugs didn’t seem to hurt it nearly as much as Ava would have liked.

  “Come on,” she said and immediately tried to push some of the soldiers away from the monster.

  “We can’t go without Kessler.” Cort remained where he was despite the terror in his voice.

  She honestly didn’t know what to do about that. The reality was that she didn’t want to leave anyone behind, but if they didn’t move, they would lose ten soldiers and Kessler. Still, that didn’t make it right. Maybe, if they distracted the constrictadile—

  Manny punched Kessler in the face.

  “What are you doing?” the lieutenant protested.

  The scientist looked dazed for a moment but immediately blinked his eyes open and snarled at Manny.

  “Did I ever tell you I studied muay thai under a master with no forearms?” Manny struck again, this time with an elbow directly to Kessler’s temple. The man went limp.

  “Damn it, man!” one of the soldiers cursed.

  “Good—bait. I like it,” Peppy said.

  “No way!” Cort’s outburst lacked conviction, although he seemed determined to make it. “If he dies, this whole mission was for nothing.”

  The constrictadile descended the last few feet and reached the ground with a soft hiss of menace.

  “Not so, pencil-pusher.” Manny sliced deftly through the ropes that bound Kessler. “You would never have grown a spine if you’d stayed back at the base.” The pilot hoisted the inert scientist onto his shoulder.

  “Now what?” Gunnar asked as he backed away from the approaching predator. He peppered its armored face with bullets as they retreated, although it seemed a fruitless endeavor.