Surviving The Virus (Book 5): Extermination

by Casey, Ryan

Zelda saw darkness take over Eddie’s eyes.

  “What I was saying,” Eddie said. “About the cockroach. It survives. It finds a way. And it doesn’t give a damn how it finds that way. It does it. For itself. Well, that’s not entirely true. Not in my case.”

  Zelda frowned. She’d had enough of this shit. She reached out, went to yank him to his feet. “Get the hell off your ass, now—”

  It all happened so fast.

  Eddie swung his hidden arm from behind his back.

  In it, there was a chunk of broken tile from the wall.

  A chunk he must’ve pulled away while they’d been talking.

  And before Zelda could react, it cracked against her temple, and knocked her back to the floor.

  She winced. Her vision faded. Everything was muffled, blurred.

  She looked up and saw Eddie standing over her.

  Tile in hand.

  “The difference between me and a cockroach is that I don’t just do this for myself. I do it for the ones I love. I’ve got a second chance. And there’s no way I’m going to let anyone spoil it. I’m sorry, Zelda. Really. I am. I liked you. I did. But I have to think about my family. I have to… I have to think about my son.”

  She went to kick out.

  But it was already too late.

  Eddie cracked her over the head.

  Hard.

  And then again.

  Harder.

  And as she tried to kick and fight and squirm, her vision faded entirely, and everything went black.

  And in those fading moments, she was just terrified little Sarah again.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It was on the fourth day that everything changed for Kelly all over again.

  She stood in the middle of the road. Stared out into the setting sun. Baby Edward was in bed. Maria was watching him. She told her she just needed to go for a wander around the block. Get some fresh air.

  And that was true. To an extent.

  But there was another reason, too.

  And that reason was Sunil.

  He’d been gone for four full days now. No sign of Paula or Steve, either. And as much as she told herself that wasn’t unordinary, she couldn’t help feeling worried for him. She tried to tell herself he could’ve run into somebody out there. Somebody pregnant like she had been. After all, she’d been out there with him for a while. He’d stayed with her. Stayed away from this place for some time.

  She had to keep telling herself that was the case. That’s what the situation was here.

  But that contrary voice in her head screamed at her that something wasn’t right here.

  Nobody would go out to search for him. They had a deal that they wouldn’t send a search party out unless they were absolutely sure something was off.

  But there was something off. ’Cause Paula and Steve had gone with him, too. If this were the case of a pregnant woman or some situation like that, one of them would’ve come back, at least, right?

  And besides. Things were different now to when Sunil found her the first time.

  They had bikes now. They had speedier ways of getting back.

  Fuck. Fuck it.

  If he didn’t show tomorrow, she’d go out there her damned self.

  She’d—

  “Getting awful close to the threshold there, Kelly, huh?”

  Kelly spun around, jumped a little.

  Mick stood there, rubbing his arms, smiling. He was one of the guys in Freddie and Clara’s group she’d bumped into on the road. He was a nice guy. Very chilled. Very laid back. Very reassuring.

  But she wanted to be alone right now.

  “I’m just on a walk.”

  “Seem to be walking down here an awful lot.”

  “You following me?”

  Mick shrugged. “Maybe. I dunno. What’s botherin’ you? Lemme guess. Sunil.”

  Kelly took a deep breath and sighed. “Amongst many things.”

  “He’ll come back, Kel. And even if he doesn’t… well, you never struck me as someone who’d let summat like that tear her apart. Not like other people.”

  Kelly laughed.

  “Guess I got you wrong, huh?”

  Kelly took a deep breath and sighed. “I appreciate that you had me down as this hard-ass, take no shit woman. And that was true. For a while. But… I dunno. I guess Edward changed something about that.”

  Mick planted a hand on her back. Tapped it, gently. “Having a kid always changes these things. We think we’re prepared. We think we’re ready. But we ain’t never ready. No one can ever be ready for a damned thing like that. But we try our best, right? We try our best for our kids. For our new selves. But we can’t ever go pretending things are the same. But anyway. I sense there’s something more going on with you here.”

  Kelly looked at Mick and wanted to tell him to go away. To leave her alone. Because he was getting too close. Too near to the truth.

  But at the same time… she didn’t want to hold her thoughts or feelings any longer.

  “I feel this guilt. This deep sense of guilt. Everyone I get close to… I drive away. And I just worry the same thing will happen to my son.”

  It was out. It felt better for being out. Even if she did feel a bit awkward for airing it. A bit self-conscious.

  And then Mick patted her back, once again.

  “We all feel guilt, Kelly. We all feel guilt for a whole lot of things in our lives. Take it from me. I’m old and wise enough to have a few regrets in my closet. But you know what? We can only learn from it. We can only help it move us forward. We can’t let it hold us back. We do that, we might as well give up already.”

  Kelly heard Mick’s words, and she nodded. ’Cause he was right. She couldn’t wallow in the past. She wasn’t responsible for Eddie’s departure. She wasn’t responsible for whatever had happened to Sunil, either.

  And nothing had happened to Edward.

  She had to make damned sure it stayed that way.

  “Come on,” Mick said. “Let’s get you back to your boy. Where you belong. Not out here staring into the sunset like some rom-com cliché girl. Don’t strike me as suiting you too much.”

  Kelly smiled back at Mick.

  She looked back over the horizon, one more time.

  And then she took a deep breath and turned around.

  She walked back, Mick by her side. Back by the houses. Back through the street.

  Back towards her baby.

  Because Edward was her priority.

  She couldn’t let regret or guilt hold her back.

  She could only focus on being the best-damned mother she could possibly be.

  That was her purpose in life now.

  That was her—

  Footsteps.

  Somewhere behind.

  She turned around.

  Someone was walking towards the street.

  Kelly frowned. At first, she thought it was him. Sunil. About his size. Maybe a little larger. Same long hair over his shoulders. Similar height.

  She walked back towards him. Hope rising. A smile stretching across her face.

  Because there were three of them.

  Paula.

  Steve.

  Sunil.

  They were here.

  Something had happened out there for them not to be on their bikes, sure.

  But they’d made it back, and…

  She stopped.

  Froze.

  Her heart skipped a beat.

  Her mouth went dry.

  Because this was Paula and Steve, sure.

  But in the middle of them, it wasn’t Sunil.

  She recognised him.

  His limping walk.

  His slightly hunched posture.

  That long hair, ponytailed behind his head.

  And those wide eyes.

  He staggered towards her, tears in his bloodshot eyes. Blood seeping through his fingers from his shoulder.

  “We found him in the middle of the highway when we were looking for Sunil,”
Paula said. “Looks like he’s been through hell. But Kelly. Sunil. I’m sorry, but… there’s no sign of him. We lost him. We…”

  But she didn’t hear anything else.

  Because she could only focus on the person in front of her.

  “Eddie?” she said. “Ed… Eddie?”

  Eddie stopped.

  Looked into her eyes.

  A smile crept across his face, and tears poured down his bruised, scarred face.

  “Kelly,” he said. “Kel…”

  And then he dropped to his knees and passed out.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Curtis knew damned well something was wrong without the whole Zelda and Noah situation to add to his worries.

  It was late again. Another day had passed, and another night. A whole damned day since Noah had got away. Which meant two damned days since Zelda got away.

  His first instinct was to let ’em run. They wouldn’t make it a minute out there. Zelda was too reliant on her drugs. Noah was too damned weak.

  But then there was another fear, too.

  The fear that Michael might’ve told them something.

  Might’ve warned them about what he was planning.

  About their plans for that rival group out there, and their home.

  He sat back in his office and threw a ball against the wall. Kept on throwing it harder, harder, listening to it echo and radiate all around the shipping container, hearing it pound all around him, echo around his skull. He felt his jaws tensing. His anger growing.

  ’Cause as much as he’d insisted he had the upper ground over Michael, it worried him.

  Michael had gone behind his back. He’d defied his rule.

  Who was to say another wouldn’t do the same?

  He remembered what Michael said to him as he’d kneeled there. That look of defiance in his eyes.

  “Whatever you’ve got planned for me. I did what I felt was right. And others will see you for what you are. For what you’ve done. You’re a monster. Monsters don’t live forever. And you know what? People are already standing against you. You’re just too dumb and blind to see it. Sleep with one eye open, Curtis. You’re going to need to from now on.”

  Was he right? Was he telling the truth?

  And if he was, what in the name of hell was Curtis gonna do about it?

  Did he even have time to dick around with Eddie spying on that Westfield shithole?

  No.

  He needed to act quicker.

  He needed to be decisive.

  He needed.

  He closed his eyes. Took a few deep breaths.

  More than anything, he needed to be patient. He’d already sent a few out to look for Zelda and Noah.

  They’d find them.

  They’d bring them back here.

  Everything was under control.

  He threw the ball so hard it split in front of him, cracked, and fell to the floor.

  He pushed the chair aside then. Stood up, paced around. His heart was starting to race. Pound in his neck. Only ever got that way when he was stressed. He’d had a problem with his heart before all this shit. Needed a pacemaker fitting. They told him it might need tweaking from time to time. Might need retuning.

  Of course, he didn’t have that luxury anymore. Every damned day could be his last.

  Which was why he couldn’t afford to sit the hell around.

  He had to stand up.

  He had to seize the day.

  He thought about Marky as he walked around his home. Would he stab him in the back? Would he double-cross him? He was a wise guy. A shrewd guy. The kind of guy Curtis knew would start all petitions and coups and shit if he didn’t keep him close, keep him in the middle of things.

  Which was why he treated Marky like a right-hand man. Gave him the illusion of security. Of power.

  One day, he’d find a way to bump him off.

  No bird flew too close to the sun like that.

  But Marky. He seemed loyal. So maybe Curtis was just being paranoid. Would he betray him? Actively betray him?

  He shook his head as he paced further around the container.

  No. Marky wouldn’t do a thing like that. He wouldn’t…

  And then he thought of Eddie.

  Loyal Eddie. Funny-man Eddie. Eddie, who’d proven time and time again he could be trusted.

  Because he was a wimp.

  He was a goddamned wimp who knew which side his bread was buttered.

  He wouldn’t stab him in the back.

  He wouldn’t betray him.

  Unless…

  He tensed his fists. What if Noah ran into Eddie out there? What if they made up? Put their differences aside?

  Shit was falling apart.

  And Curtis didn’t like it when shit was falling apart. He liked shit under control. In order. He liked—

  A bang on his door.

  He turned around.

  Took a few breaths to compose himself, then walked over to it.

  Opened it up.

  Gregg stood there.

  A morose expression on his face.

  “Gregg?” Curtis had sent Gregg out there to see if he could track down Zelda or Noah. He didn’t look happy.

  “It’s Marky,” Gregg said. “Want to see him for yourself?”

  Curtis swallowed a lump in his throat. “Is he out there?”

  “In the car.”

  Curtis nodded. Then he went out, followed Gregg, out into the wind and the hint of rain.

  When he reached the car, he saw Marky lying there. Head bleeding. Cracked. Dead. Gunshot. By his own gun, it seemed.

  “Wasn’t just him, either. There was another guy. Asian fella. Dead beside him. Similar gunshots.”

  Curtis frowned. He tried to piece together what might’ve happened. “And Eddie?”

  “No sign. But the bullet. It was from one of our guns. Had our mark on it.”

  Curtis nodded. He didn’t need to be a genius to see what was happening here.

  Eddie had shot Marky.

  And then he’d shot this other guy. Maybe a guy from the place they were eyeing up.

  And then he’d made a break for it himself.

  That’s what it looked like.

  That’s what it had to be.

  “What do you want to do about it, boss?” Gregg asked.

  Curtis took a deep breath, turned away from Marky’s dead body, and smiled.

  “We’re going to change our plan,” he said. “Get the people armed and kitted out tomorrow, first thing. I ain’t waitin’ around no longer. We’re going to go find our new home, Greggy-boy. Ain’t no time to waste waiting around anymore. We get there. We take that place by storm. But first… we need to get someone in there. Someone to see to the Eddie problem. Before it’s too late.”

  Gregg narrowed his eyes. “What’re you thinking?”

  Curtis smiled. “What do you say to a little trip to Westfield, Greggy-boy?”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Noah held the puppy under his arm and saw his first sign of trouble up ahead.

  There were two cars parked up in the middle of the road. Didn’t look like they’d been abandoned. There was something different about the abandoned cars to the ones that’d pulled up. The dust. The rust. And just a sense that they hadn’t been inhabited for a while.

  He didn’t get that with these two cars.

  He kept crouched down. Kept his eyes up ahead, as the darkness crept over. He’d spent the day on the road. Found some food for himself, and for the pup. Kept it under his arm mostly. Hadn’t named it, yet. Didn’t want to get too attached just yet.

  The priority was reaching Kelly’s place. He knew where he was heading. Westfield. And yet being out here, on the road, the journey felt like it was taking longer than he expected. Longer than it should. He’d stopped a few times to rest. Easy to forget now he was out here that he was still weak. It’d take a long time before he got back to full strength—if he ever got back to anything like full strength.


  Fuck it. He was thinking too far ahead. Needed to reel it right back.

  Getting to Kelly’s, that was the focus. That was the priority.

  But these two cars.

  He studied them for a long time. He didn’t see anyone inside them, or anyone moving around them, either. He figured if someone were out there, they’d have got back to the cars by now. Wouldn’t have just left them here, so obviously ready to depart, so obviously filled with fuel and good to go.

  Besides. Time was ticking on down. The longer he spent here dallying around, the less time he had to reach that place before one of Curtis’ people got there.

  He had to keep moving.

  He heard a squeak inside his coat. Looked in there.

  The little dog peered up at him with his big, brown eyes. Rubbed his little wet nose against him.

  “You okay, pup?” Noah asked. “You just hang on in there. It’ll be okay. We’ll be there in no t…”

  He stopped when he looked up.

  Two people.

  No, wait. More than two.

  Four of them.

  Approaching the cars.

  He jolted down to the road. Fuck. How’d he let his attention drop like that? One moment there was nobody there. Now, four people.

  He held his ground. Stayed still. Kept his knife close.

  He’d act if he had to.

  But these people. They didn’t look like the type he wanted to mess with.

  They were armed.

  They walked up to one another. Pointed at the houses around them, like they were making it clear where they’d looked at, where they’d searched.

  And then one of them pointed up this way, over towards Noah, and one of that group started walking up the road while the others went off in another direction.

  Noah backed slowly behind a car. Held on to the knife. His hands shook. He still felt weak, still felt charged with adrenaline. He needed to keep out of this guy’s way.

  The more he thought about it, the more he thought he recognised him.

  Like he was one of Curtis’ people. Someone he’d sent out. For him? Probably.

  He tucked his knees back and listened as those footsteps got closer, closer…

  And then the man stopped.

  Right by the side of the car Noah was behind.

  His heart raced.

  He held himself as still as he could.