The Z-Strain Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3]

by Morris, SJ

  “I’m not sure either, honey, but I do know we have to get up to the cabin as soon as possible. The why of it is something we can worry about after we’re all safely there.”

  “Okay, so what next?”

  “Well, we need to get leather riding gloves. It looks like they’re over here.”

  We continued shopping without another incident. Then, we headed back to the truck to go home.

  Chapter 4

  On our way home, I checked the gas gauge for the truck and realized it was just under a quarter of a tank. I remembered it taking at least a full tank of gas to get to the cabin, so I decided to top her off. I also thought it would probably be a good idea to get as many gas cans as I could and fill them up. Gas was going to be a very hard to get commodity in the near future, possibly. Where to put them, though?

  I pulled into a gas station that has one of those big stores attached to it, where you can get new spark plugs or lipstick in the same aisle. I left Lance in charge to keep an eye out, keep the doors locked, and his brother and sister safe while the truck was filling. I went inside to get the gas containers. I looked back to the vehicle just as I got to the doors and remembered we were going to have the Johnboat hitched to the truck. The Johnboat had a cover on it and some fishing gear stored in it. That’s where we could put the gas cans.

  I turned around to go back so we could hook up the boat first, and then get the gas cans. Otherwise, the kids would be riding with them on their laps.

  Just as I hoped off the curb, the convenience store door opened behind me. The couple leaving were talking loudly enough that I could hear their conversation.

  “I bet it’s some kind of Chinese pig flu. Damn Chinese always bringing their damn flu over here! I’m running out of sick days at work, thanks to all these fucking germs!”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. My office has those stupid cover your cough signs all over the place as if that’s going to help! I know some people that if you stuck a sign in their cubicle where they’d see it all day, every day, they still wouldn’t listen. People are just gross.”

  I decided it might be a good idea, after all, to go inside and see if there was a news broadcast or something going on that sparked their conversation. I opened the door and was greeted by the typical loud ding of someone entering a convenience store, but there was also the noise of loud talking. It didn’t take long to realize the volume on the already blaring TV was being turned up more.

  “Everyone be quiet! I can’t hear the news lady talking over all of you!” The clerk barked at the group of people in front of his counter.

  Everyone quieted down and looked up at the TV hanging from the ceiling as if it were going to start shooting money at them at any second. Their stares brought my attention to the TV and a black screen with the caption that read, “Growing violence and unrest in China due to an unknown viral outbreak.”

  The newswoman came back into view instead of the black screen and apologized that the video they were attempting to show was too graphic for television, and the network decided last minute to not air it.

  Yeah… I call bullshit. The United States government already knew what this really was, where it came from, and how awful it could get. They didn’t want anyone to panic in the US while they tried to clean up the mess they let out before it got here. I’d bet that’s why they couldn’t show the images.

  Troy had only told me about the Z-Strain initially getting out in Germany a few short hours ago, and it had made its way to China already. It was spreading pretty quickly. I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket to make sure I hadn’t missed a call from Troy or maybe even Justin by now since it had hit the news, but there was nothing. My cell still showed the picture of the five of us at the Fall Firehouse Bake Sale two years ago. We were all smiles back then. Oh, how I wished I could go back to those days.

  I’d heard enough. We could put the news on at home while we got all geared up to head out to the cabin and get just as much information then as I would now with my kids waiting in the truck, unprotected. I think I walked a little faster than I wanted on my way back to the car.

  Lance looked at me, questioningly, “What’s wrong, Mom? You have a look, and you were running.”

  “I was not running, and I don’t have a look... do I?”

  “Yes, you have a look, and it’s scaring me.”

  “I’m sorry, guys, but I’m pretty sure it’s starting. There was a TV inside, and the news is reporting an unknown viral outbreak in China. They’re talking about it, but the pictures and video they’re trying to show are being censored.”

  Lance was surprised, “Censored? What do you mean, censored? It’s the news, isn’t it? They show everything!”

  “Well, I’m guessing the government doesn’t want to start a panic in the States, so they’re somehow not allowing the news to broadcast the pictures or video just yet. They can’t stop them from talking about it altogether because people will hear about it somehow, but I bet they’re still trying to do as much damage control as possible while they attempt to contain this.”

  Tyler looked worried, “So, this is really happening? This isn’t some made-up story or some really sick joke you’re playing on us?”

  “No, I’m sorry, Tyler, it’s not a joke. I wish it was.”

  Lance looked around and put his seat belt on, “Well, then I’m glad we got all this shopping crap over and done with.”

  “Me too. I was thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get as much gas as we can and bring it with us to the cabin too. I don’t know how much longer things are going to stay normal, and gas is going to become the new gold in a few weeks.”

  Lance pointed to all of the stuff packed into the truck, “Okay, great idea, Mom, but where are we going to put it? We’re out of room in the truck as it is.”

  “I thought about that already. We need to go home anyway to get suited up for the drive up to the cabin. Let’s hook up the Johnboat to the truck, fill up the motor and buy as many gas cans we can fit under the boat’s cover and fill them up too. It shouldn’t get that crazy around here before we make it up to the cabin, so traveling with that much gas won’t be too dangerous. What do you think?”

  Lance didn’t seem too keen on the idea, “Um, I don’t know if I’m comfortable with us driving that far with a possible bomb hitched to the back of the truck.”

  “You’re right. Maybe we just worry about it when we get there.”

  “Well, it wasn’t all a bad idea. I think we should take the boat so we can fish for food if we need. I also think we should buy as many gas cans as we can fit under the tarp and take them with us. I just think we might not want to fill them up until we hit the last gas station before the cabin. This way, we minimize our risk of getting blown up.”

  “You’re such a smart boy, Lance!” I grabbed him from the passenger seat and hugged him tightly. He stiffened like he didn’t know what to do, but he didn’t want to hurt my feelings by pulling away either. Lance was seventeen. Almost a man and he went out of his way to make sure I knew it. With Jack gone, he took it upon himself to take out the recycling and garbage every week, and he mowed the lawn without anyone asking him to. I think if he had the money, he’d insist on paying the bills as well.

  He wanted to make sure that in his father’s absence, we were all still taken care of, which was sweet, but it made him grow up a lot faster than he should have.

  The drive home was still pretty standard. Nothing had changed in the world around us from the outside, but I was sure the panic was starting to set in. It would be as more and more people sat down to watch television and were told of what was going on around the world. We pulled into our driveway, and the boys went to jump out and hook up the boat, but I locked the doors and stopped them.

  “Wait! We need to be sure there’s nothing out there that can hurt you before you go running around.”

  “Mom, you said so yourself that it could take weeks, and they’re only reporting it in China so far. We’ll be f
ine. Especially since we already know you have to smash the zombies in the head!”

  “Tyler Anthony Norrington! I said it could take weeks and I only saw a few seconds of the news before I walked out. There could be more going on than we know. What if someone down the block just got back from China on a business trip, and they were scratched by someone who was infected? Plus, what are you going to do, huh? Bash in the brains of one of your neighbors with a stick? You have no weapons, and you have no idea what it’s like to have to defend yourself against someone. You think about that before you let another thought like that slip out of your mouth! This is serious, and before it’s over, a lot of innocent people are going to be dead!” The children just stared at me, wide-eyed for a few seconds.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just want to help get us ready to go to the cabin.”

  “No, I’m sorry, Tyler, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. This is a serious situation, and you were just trying to make light of it. We just have to remember to be careful. You can joke all you want but don’t be careless. You guys are all I have left, and I love you all very much.”

  I hadn’t planned on this being an end of the world, I love you moment, but it felt right to tell them, and it seemed to have the positive effect I was hoping for. Everyone smiled, and Lance even reached over to hug me. Tyler joined in, and so did Allycia after a few seconds. For that brief moment, it was just my kids and me, and there was nothing else in the world that mattered.

  “Let me get out first and just check the side of the house and the yard to make sure there isn’t anything out of the ordinary. I’ll be right back.”

  “That’s what they say in every horror movie before someone gets attacked. Nice choice of words, Mom,” Tyler laughed, bringing some levity back into what had become a very serious moment.

  I feigned a laugh as I hopped out of the truck and took a good look around. There didn’t seem to be that many people around. There were some kids down at the end of the block playing basketball in the circle. The old lady that lived three houses down was elbow-deep in her flowerbed, getting it planted for spring. Other than that, it looked as if it was business as usual. So I went around the side of the house to check the yard where the boat was.

  “Hey, Abby! Beautiful day to start the camping trip, huh?”

  “Oh my God, Mark, you scared the shit out of me! Ugh, yes, it really is a nice day.”

  “Going to take the boat with you and do some fishing?”

  “Yes, we are. It should be a lot of fun.” I felt terrible, not telling Mark about what was probably going to happen. He had a wonderful wife and two grown boys of his own. They’d been our neighbors since we moved here seventeen years ago, right before Lance was born.

  I just hoped it wouldn’t get here, and all of my neighbors would be safe. This thought sobered me a little. I scanned the neighborhood before looking for threats. However, it was now that I realized I was looking around at all the people I had seen over the last few years on an almost daily basis. Their lives were about to change dramatically.

  It made me mad at myself that I couldn’t find a cure for this damn virus when I had the chance.

  “I’m going to go get the boys to hook up the trailer. You take care of yourself, Mark.”

  “Sure, you too, Abby. See you when you guys get home!”

  I turned and walked back to the truck with tears in my eyes and motioned for the kids to come on out.

  “Mark is in his yard, but everything’s okay. Just make sure you act like everything’s normal, okay? I mean it, we don’t want to start a panic.”

  “We understand, Mom,” Lance replied.

  “Allycia, will you help me get everything laid out inside so we can get suited up? We need duct tape to seal any gaps in the clothing. Can you get it out of Daddy’s toolbox in the basement, please?”

  “Sure thing, Mom.”

  I walked in the front door and turned on the TV in the family room. I didn’t need to look too hard, it seemed like every channel had interrupted their regularly scheduled programming to broadcast what was going on overseas. This was not good.

  The first video I saw was of the airports in China being shut down and quarantined. It was a madhouse. People with white masks over their mouths were clamoring to keep their families together, and armed guards in SWAT gear, with full gas masks, were trying to keep the people from the terminals in lines that led to plastic tubes ending with white quarantine tents. The newscaster was saying there were over three thousand people in the airport when they made the decision to shut it down and that all airports that had received passengers from China in the last twenty-four hours were being shut down and quarantined to stop the possible spread.

  So, that’s the story the government was using to get the airports shut down. They were telling everyone they were trying to stop the spread of some virus and blame it on one country. This way, all you had to do to shut down another airport was say they received passengers that were from China, and there you go, instant shutdown. It was nice that they weren’t saying anything about Germany and how the outbreak actually started there.

  I presumed the reason for that was that China was an easy target. Even that couple from the gas station had no problem blaming them since we have seen so many different flu and other viruses come from that region. It crossed my mind that maybe it didn’t just show up in China. Perhaps it was intentionally released there since they were a more believable culprit than Germany for the outbreak. All this was beginning to be a bit too much.

  I needed a drink!

  Allycia broke my thoughts as she came running in with two rolls of duct tape in each hand.

  “This is all the duct tape that was down there, Mom. There are a lot of tools down there too, and Daddy’s ax. Don’t you think we should bring them?”

  “We probably should, shouldn’t we? It feels like there’s just so much that’s important to take. But we definitely might need tools, and I don’t think Daddy kept any at the cabin. So, why don’t you grab the basics? The ax, a flat and Phillips head screwdriver, pliers, saw, nails, and screws. Get the basics, no specialty tools. Sound good?”

  “Yep, here’s the duct tape. I’m going to grab the little pink toolbox Dad got you and put stuff in that.”

  “Great idea, it’s small but unmistakably a toolbox.” This made me smile.

  I remembered Jack giving that pink toolbox to me for Mother’s Day a few years ago. He gave it to me with a massive smile on his face. I asked him when I was ever going to use it.

  “You never know when it might come in handy,” he told me.

  It’s eerie when you think about how right he actually was.

  I grabbed all the motorcycle store bags from the truck and laid out the pants, jackets, helmets, and gloves. They looked funny, all laid out over the couches in our living room, but what they would possibly protect us from was not amusing in the least.

  Allycia came upstairs with the ax in one hand and my pink toolbox in the other. She smiled at me and went out to put them in the truck.

  I stared up at the television. They were now doing a shot from a helicopter over the airports that were shut down. The caption on the first shot showed it was LAX, then they switched to Newark, NJ, which made me catch my breath, but it looked as orderly as Newark ever looked. They changed to one in Sydney, Australia, which seemed rather calm, and then it went to Beijing Capital International Airport in China. It was absolute pandemonium.

  It looked like someone had dumped acid in an anthill. People were pouring out of every entrance and exit in the building headed away as quickly as possible.

  The newswoman began to explain, “We have received confirmation from our helicopter crew that there are now gunshots coming from inside the airport in Beijing. It’s currently unknown what is causing the violent disturbance. Please be aware that the images we are showing are graphic and disturbing.”

  She grew silent as the helicopter hovered around for another
pass at the main entrance to the airport. The images were of the same masked people I saw earlier, but there was now extreme fear in their faces as they ran away from the building, screaming.

  Shot after disturbing camera shot seemed to shift from scared people just running to people covered in blood, trying their hardest to escape with their lives.

  The police officers I’d seen before wearing gas masks came out in a sudden rush, turning every few seconds to fire at something I couldn’t see yet. Suddenly, there was nothing.

  It was just the visual of no one going in or out of the main doors to the airport, the sound of the helicopter rotors, and screaming people in the distance with sporadic, automatic gunfire amid mass hysteria.

  Then, it happened.

  The first one came into view. It was very blurry on the shaky camera, then the camera operator refocused and zoomed in. It was a little boy, shuffling towards where everyone had run from just seconds before. He had a white paper face mask dangling from his left ear, and blood covered his mouth.

  The helicopter continued to swing around to the left and showed the boy was missing his right arm from just below his shoulder. There was dark, black colored blood dripping from the wound where the muscle was dangling.

  The little boy walked with a gait, very slowly. However, it seemed that once he heard the screaming, he picked up the pace and stretched out his remaining arm towards the people that were pushing at each other to get away.

  A woman broke free from the mass of people that were clogging up the street and screamed as she reached and ran for the boy.

  One of the officers tried to grab her, but she was running so fast he couldn’t get a hold of her.

  The other officers opened fire on the little boy. It was a heartbreaking scene to watch as this little boy that couldn’t have been any older than eight or nine was just pummeled with bullets.