Nurse Alissa vs the Zombies II:
Escape
Scott M. Baker
Also by Scott M. Baker
Novels
Nurse Alissa vs. the Zombies
Shattered World I: Paris
Shattered World II: Russia
The Vampire Hunters
Vampyrnomicon
Dominion
Rotter World
Rotter Nation
Rotter Apocalypse
Yeitso
Novellas
Nazi Ghouls From Space
Twilight of the Living Dead
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things During the Zombie Apocalypse
Anthologies
Cruise of the Living Dead and other Stories
Incident on Ironstone Lane and Other Horror Stories
A Schattenseite Book
Nurse Alissa vs. the Zombies II: Escape
by Scott M. Baker.
Copyright © 2020. All Rights Reserved.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any electronic system, or transmitted in form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the authors.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Art © by Christian Bentulan 2020
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
A Preview of Nurse Alissa vs. the Zombies III: Firestorm
A Thank You to My Readers
Acknowledgments
Author’s Bio
To my mother.
My mother is a phenomenal woman. She never tried to make me something I wasn’t, and never pushed me to join clubs or extra-curricular activities I wasn’t interested in. Instead, she encouraged me to be the person I wanted to be, even if it that happened to be a weird little Monster Kid. She instilled in me a sense of individuality and determination that saw me through my years as a CIA officer and now an indie writer.
Chapter One
Alissa Madison stood on the stern deck of the cabin cruiser, watching Nahant slowly recede into the distance. In the past thirty-six hours, she had escaped from a deader-ravaged Boston, made her way home through a society falling apart, and now had to evacuate the island when the outbreak spread this far. Fortunately, the combination of distance and the encroaching darkness prevented her from witnessing the death throes of her hometown. Even the screams and cries for help from the islanders had faded, although she could not tell if that was because they were too far away to hear them or because everyone had been slaughtered.
A warm, gentle hand touched her shoulder. Miriam, whose husband Steve owned the cabin cruiser, stood behind Alissa. “Is everything okay?”
Will it ever be? Instead of speaking her mind, Alissa nodded her head and muttered, “Yes.”
“Steve wants to meet for a few minutes. After that, I’ll take you below so you can clean up.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“It’s the least I can do. My family is alive because of you and Nathan.”
Alissa said nothing as she followed Miriam inside. Nathan stood by the steering compartment with Steve, who sat behind the wheel, guiding the ship. Both men had their attention glued to the radio broadcast coming through the console speaker.
“We can now confirm our earlier report that New Hampshire and Vermont have closed their southern borders to all traffic. The governors of both states have ordered state and local police as well as their respective National Guards to shut down all roads and highways from Massachusetts and New York to stop the spread of the violence northward. According to a State Police representative in Salem, New Hampshire, the use of deadly force to prevent border crossings has been approved. No one has officially commented on the rumors that the violence has been caused by a highly infectious disease, but one New Hampshire public health worker noted, off the record, that they cannot afford to let rabies spread into the forests because it would be impossible to contain. According to unsubstantiated reports we’ve received, Maine will also seal off their borders from traffic within the hour. Stay tuned to this station for further updates.”
“My God,” Miriam gasped. “It’s insane out there.”
“I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse,” Nathan replied.
Steve shook his head in frustration. “We need to get to New Hampshire as soon as possible before they close down the waterways.”
Miriam glanced around for Kiera and Little Stevie. “Where are the kids?”
“I sent them downstairs so we could talk in private.” Steve turned to Alissa. “I told them they could play with your cat as long as they weren’t rough with him. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Archer is an attention hog. He’ll love it.”
“Good.” Steve paused. “I know we’ve all been through a lot, but I wanted to plan out tomorrow.”
“I thought we were heading for Alissa’s cabin?” asked Nathan.
“We are, but I don’t know where it is.”
“It’s near North Conway, not too far from I-93.” Alissa thought for a moment. “Sorry, I can’t remember the address.”
“I don’t need that. I need to know the town so I can plot a course.”
“Are we heading there now?” Nathan asked.
“It’ll be too dangerous to travel at night under these conditions. I’m going to anchor ten miles offshore. We’ll head north in the morning.”
Miriam grew concerned. “Will we be safe out here overnight?”
“We should be. Just in case, we’ll post a guard. I’ll take the first watch until nine. Miriam will go on watch until midnight. Nathan and Alissa can do the next two shifts, and I’ll relieve you at six and get us ready to head out. Does that sound fair?”
Everyone nodded in the affirmative.
“Good. Nathan, any chance Miriam and I could borrow one of the weapons you brought on board in case we need to defend ourselves.”
“Of course. Any preference?”
“Bring me whatever you can spare as long as it can blast apart deaders.”
“Miriam?”
“I want one. But I’ve never shot a gun before. What do you recommend?”
Steve and Nathan looked at each other and simultaneously replied, “Shotgun.”
A spark of excitement lit up Miriam’s eyes. “Really?”
Steve chuckled. “My wife’s becoming a bad ass.”
Miriam leaned over and kissed him. “I thought I already was.”
Nathan faced Alissa. “What can I set you up with?”
“I’ll take a shotgun as well.”
“Are you sure you don’t want one of the semi-automatics?”
“I want to make sure I hit what I aim at. I’ve never fired anything bigger than a handgun before.” A tidal wave of images flooded her memory as she recalled her escape from the hospital and all the deaders she had to shoot. “Until yesterday.”
“You got it,” said Nathan. “I’ll get them ready and pass them out later tonight.”
“Thank you.” Miriam smiled at Nathan and wrapped her hand around Ali
ssa’s arm, leading her below deck. “As for you, we need to get you a hot shower and a change of clothes.”
“I didn’t bring any with me.”
“Don’t worry about that. I can lend you some of mine. My husband says I have too much anyways.”
* * *
Miriam showed Alissa to her cabin, pulled a facecloth and several towels from the linen closet, and told Alissa she could take whatever clothes she wanted from her wardrobe. Once Miriam had left, Alissa stripped out of her bloody outfit and placed it on the tiled floor in the bathroom. The blood had soaked through to her underwear, so she added them to the pile. She also removed the bandages around her right pinky and chest, leaving them on the counter. A minute later, hot water streamed over her face and down her body. This time, Alissa did not use the shower to relax and wind down, merely to clean herself. Once she had rinsed away all the blood, she dried off and re-entered the state room.
Archer sat on the bed with his legs folded under him, like a furry loaf of bread. Upon seeing his mistress, he meowed once and rolled onto his back, stretching out his legs and exposing his belly. Alissa sat beside him and slid her right hand across his stomach, massaging his chin with her thumb and forefinger. Archer allowed himself the simple pleasure for a few seconds before wrapping his front paws around her wrist. He gently bit her hand while kicking at her arm with his hind legs, an affectionate gesture on his part. After a minute, Archer let go, rolled onto his paws, and rushed onto the pillows where he proceeded to groom himself.
“I love you, too, asshat.”
Despite everything, Alissa had been able to save Archer. He had been her sole source of comfort since Paul had asked for a separation eleven months ago. Losing Archer would have devastated her. For the first time, she began to realize how lucky she had been. So many families had lost loved ones or were completely devastated by the spread of this virus. Sure, Alissa had gone through her own Hell and had lost her home, yet everything truly important had survived. Once they made their way to her cabin, with luck, they could all ride out this crisis and be able to begin their lives over.
Alissa returned to the bathroom and checked her wounds. The pinky still hurt from where she had caught it in the scaffolding while trying to escape from the hospital, but it had ninety-percent mobility. The skin around the ribcage under her left arm was heavily bruised, the black and blue now nearly a foot long and six inches wide, having doubled from the day before. She winced when she pressed against it, the area still being extremely tender. Luckily, she had not broken or cracked a rib otherwise the pain would be crippling. All she needed were pain killers and a few weeks to rest, the latter of which she doubted she would get. Searching through the cabinets, Alissa could not find new bandages. No big deal. The original ones were still relatively clean. She wrapped the longest gauze tightly around her chest and secured it, then shifted to her pinky, reusing the makeshift splint she had made from an old emery board.
Returning to the stateroom, Alissa opened the closet. She slipped on the panties Miriam had given her. The bra, however, was much too big. No problem. She could go without one until they reached the cabin. No one would be paying attention one way or the other. Sorting through the closet, she eventually picked out a pair of jeans and a white sweater that were comfortable and durable enough for what lay ahead. She draped the clothes over the back of a chair and prepared to go to bed, then thought about it at the last second. Things went south quickly back on Nahant, and she and Nathan had only minutes to get to safety. She would hate to have to face another emergency while naked. She pulled on what she had picked out and slid under the covers. The sway of the ship along the waves relaxed Alissa and she fell asleep within minutes.
She remembered Archer curling up in a ball against the back of her head and purring contentedly before she dozed off.
Chapter Two
Alissa woke to a gentle knocking on her cabin door. At first, she mistook it for the thrumming of the engines. Then it grew slightly louder, accompanied by Nathan’s voice.
“Alissa, are you there?” Knock. Knock. “Wake up.”
She snapped out of her sleep. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. We need you on deck.”
“Wait a minute.” Alissa swung out of bed, crossed the state room, and opened the door. “Come in.”
Nathan entered.
“Close the door behind you, please. I don’t want Archer getting out.”
Nathan pulled it shut and leaned against the wall. “Are you okay?”
“Just tired. I’ll wake up in a minute.” Alissa sat on the end of the bed and slid on her boots, lacing them up. “When does my shift begin?”
“It began about an hour ago.”
“Let’s get something straight,” snapped Alissa. “You may have gotten me off Nahant, but I made it out of Boston by myself with no one’s help. I can take care of myself.”
Taken aback, Nathan raised his hands. “Where did that come from?”
“Paul gave me that macho bullshit crap for years. Treated me like his damsel in distress. I’m not going to take it from you.”
“Calm down. The shit hit the fan two hours ago. Steve and I have been topside making preps to get out of here.”
“Sorry.” Alissa’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“I do.” Nathan sat on the bed a few feet from Alissa. “You went through combat you were never trained for.”
“You’re saying I have PTSD?”
“Probably not, at least not yet. But no one can go through what you’ve experienced without it making them edgy.”
“Thanks.” Alissa forced a smile.
“Forget about it. Come on, they’re waiting for us.”
When they reached topside, Steve sat on one of the benches, only half listening to the broadcast, concentrating on the map spread out on the dining table. Miriam stood beside him, one hand resting on his shoulder, her gaze switching between her husband and the radio.
“What’s going on?” Alissa asked.
“Things are getting worse,” Miriam answered. “The police and National Guard have pulled their roadblocks off the I-95/Route 1 corridor back to Route 101, which will be the defense line for the eastern part of the state. Reports are coming in from the western part that the check points on the roads between Massachusetts and New Hampshire have been overrun or are being abandoned. Rumor is the governor will declare a state of emergency within the hour.”
“Shit,” Nathan said under his breath.
“That’s an understatement,” said Steve. “That’s why I want to head out now.”
Alissa checked her watch. “Sunrise is not for another four hours.”
“It’s worth the risk. I want to make sure we’re inland before they close off the rivers and those things overrun the state.” Steve spun the map for the others. “I figure we’ll sail up the coast and head inland at Portsmouth. We can follow the Piscataqua River as far north as Dover before we have to abandon the boat. That should put us ahead of the deaders and give us a chance to make it to the cabin.”
Nathan pointed to Newburyport along the coast of Massachusetts. “What about this river here?”
“The Merrimack?”
“Yeah. It flows all the way to Concord.”
“From there it’s less than a two-hour drive to my cabin,” Alissa added.
Steve shook his head. “I thought of that, but it won’t work. There’s a damn in Lawrence, south of the New Hampshire border. We’d have to leave the boat and travel north through deader territory. Chances are, we wouldn’t survive a day.”
“I won’t argue with that,” said Nathan.
Alissa pulled the map closer and studied it. “How do you know so much about the rivers from this?”
“I don’t.” Steve punched his password into the laptop and opened a file that displayed dozens of close-range satellite photographs of the region. He spun the computer around so Alissa could see the screen. “I called up Google Maps and used t
he imagery to plot our route.”
“The Internet is still working?”
“It’s sketchy. It took me almost four hours to download these.”
“Good thinking,” said Nathan.
“He’s a smart man.” Miriam kissed her husband on the cheek. “That’s why he married me.”
“Where do we go from here?” Alissa asked.
“We head full speed for Portsmouth.” Steve closed the laptop. “We’ll be there in less than two hours, which should give us plenty of time to sneak through the city and be within the river system before the sun rises. The police will try and stop people from entering but, if we can make it past Portsmouth, they’ll have too much on their plate to track us down.”
“What about the two drawbridges in Portsmouth? How are we going to get by them?”
Steve folded the maps and laid them on top of the computer. “I’m working on the assumption the police will have both bridges raised to prevent deaders from crossing into Maine.”
“That’s what I would do,” said Nathan. “It’s the smart move.”
“Suppose the authorities in Portsmouth aren’t that smart?” asked Alissa. “What if the bridges are down?”
Steve shrugged. “We’ll have to deal with that when we get there.”
Chapter Three
Staff Sergeant Downey stood on the raised portion of the Sarah Milford Long Bridge, one of three connecting Portsmouth, New Hampshire with Kittery, Maine. With the rapid advance of the deaders up the seaboard, the governor had decided several hours ago to abandon the five-mile stretch of corridor along the coast, an overpopulated area with no natural barriers to stop the advance. Everything east of Route 108, from the Massachusetts border to Great Bay-Newington-Portsmouth area, which included the I-95 corridor, was being left to the deaders.
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