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

by Morris, SJ

  His look softened a little as if he knew that I wanted to be an ass and say something stupid and childish, but I was holding it in.

  With a quick thank you, he motioned for me to hop over the fence, which was easier done when you were over six feet tall like him, but little old me had to get my footing.

  He laughed a little as I finally made it over, and this time, I stuck my tongue out at him with my visor up so he could see it.

  “You know, I saw you do that the last time, and it was just as cute then as it was now, but what are you, twelve?”

  “Shut up, jerk. Go help Tom, please,” I replied, flirting and smiling at him, even in the midst of all of this chaos.

  He hopped the fence in one quick jump and snuck up the wall toward Tom. I went to my corner at the far end of the yard with my gun drawn and put my visor back down, just in case.

  I still felt so uneasy with all of the dead bodies everywhere. I felt that at any moment, one of them was going to decide it wasn’t really dead enough and come after me.

  As I sat, scared shitless, in my corner, Tom and Chris had a quick conversation I couldn’t hear and then hastily disappeared inside.

  I wanted to close my eyes and be somewhere else so badly. I had no idea what was going on inside the building, and it terrified me. I heard a loud moan and the ever-familiar thump, thump of the silenced rifles that Chris and Tom were using. Then, more moans, some crashing noises, and more thumps in quick succession.

  Everything was quiet for a few minutes, and then there was loud crashing noise that sounded like furniture being thrown around. I didn’t hear any more silenced rifle shots, so I hoped things were going okay inside.

  Either there was no more infected inside, or there were no more alive inside.

  Thankfully, I got my answer quickly after the thought crossed my mind. Chris and Tom came strolling out the back, hopping over the three dead bodies, and propping the door partially open.

  “We’re all good. We barricaded the front door since the power is out in the building. We saw a few infected outside the building but only two or three, so we took them out before we barricaded the door. We checked all of the rooms to make sure there were no more infected inside, too. Do you want to come inside and help us look for hidden survivors? It smells awful in there, but if there are any kids inside, they’ll probably go to you a little easier than they would to either of us. Especially since they may have just watched us shoot the remaining infected in the building who might have been some people they knew.”

  “Sure, Chris. That’s what I’m here for, right? Are you guys okay?” I looked over, and Tom had tears in his eyes. I would have hugged him, but then I’m sure he would have cried more, and I would have started too.

  “Yeah, we’re okay. It’s just... some of the infected were kids. Like, Cooper. We had to put them down, though, because they would have killed us if we didn’t.” Tom was really broken up, and I’m sure when I got in there, as soon as I saw one of the younger infected, I’d start bawling my eyes out too. I hadn’t looked around the playground too much in fear that I’d see one of the kids that Chris had said were out there.

  “It’s okay, Tom. We know this is what we have to expect now, but it doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to deal with.” I started to reach out my hand to comfort him, but he just put his hand up and shook his head. He walked away from us, over to the corner that I was standing in just a few moments ago. He just looked out at the woods, with his back to us.

  “Tom has a bit of a soft spot for kids if you haven’t noticed. He was going to have a family, a long time ago, but it didn’t work out. Because of his history, kids and families being split up is a bit of a sore spot with the big guy.”

  “What happened? I thought he was never married and had no kids?”

  “He wasn’t. He got his high school sweetheart pregnant when she was sixteen. He enlisted soon after he found out she was pregnant, so he could take care of his girl and the baby. He proposed to her right before he left for basic training, and she said yes. They were going get married as soon as he finished boot camp. He was only in basic for a month, and there was a drive-by shooting outside his girlfriend’s mother’s house. She was killed, along with their unborn daughter. From what he told me, after that, he made the military his life. He was never going to love any woman as much as he loved his girl and their child, so he said it wasn’t worth trying. He’s really a strong guy, but every strong man has his weaknesses,” Chris said as he stared into my eyes. My stomach did flips, and I felt my face flush. I turned away before the moment could get any more serious, and just as I did, there was a crash from inside the building.

  Chris jumped up and ran to the door with his rifle leading the way. Tom was not far behind him. I stayed where I was because I didn’t want to be in the way.

  There was a sharp scream from inside. Chris and Tom both pushed their way through the door and disappeared again. There was another scream, and Tom started yelling for me to come inside. I jumped over the three dead flesh eaters at the door and followed Tom’s calls.

  I found him in a classroom where Chris had his rifle slung behind him, and Tom was on his knees with his gun hidden as well.

  There was a young girl that couldn’t have been more than eighteen, crouched in the center of the room with tears streaming down her face. She was holding the lifeless bodies of two infected children that Tom or Chris had taken down earlier. I assume the girl was hiding somewhere, and when the gunshots stopped, she came out to find the two children, who she was probably responsible for, dead. She was rocking back and forth, covered in their thick black blood. This frightened me even more than the thought of these children’s senseless deaths.

  If she had any cuts on her arms or anywhere, she was infecting herself with the virus she had spent the better part of the last twenty-four hours hiding from.

  I looked worriedly at Chris, and he looked back at me with a face that said, ‘I have no idea how to handle this, you take it.’

  I took my helmet off so she could see my face, so she could see that I was an average person like she was used to seeing every day and that I wasn’t infected. “Sweetie, what’s your name? We’re here to help you.”

  “Like you were here to help Tony and John! You didn’t help them! You killed them! You’re monsters, just like everyone else!”

  I reached my hands out to show her I meant her no harm, “These poor boys were gone long before we came here, and you know that. Somewhere deep inside, you know that. They were infected with a virus that made them try to kill you and every living person around you. That’s why you were hiding. They were gone long ago, sweetie. We just helped them finally rest.”

  This seemed to quiet her down some. She just looked up at me and finally stopped rocking. She looked down at the faces of these two little boys. Their eyes were still open and whitened with the decay of death. Their mouths hung open as well, with bits of flesh hanging from their teeth.

  She seemed to truly see what she was cradling and pushed the bodies away from her, backing up quickly.

  Reality seemed to hit her fast and hard. All at once, she noticed the death that surrounded her and the awful smell that came with it. She stood quickly, with her arms out, dripping with blackened blood, as if she thought by holding them away from her body, she’d magically be cleaned. She looked up at me again and immediately threw up what little was left in her stomach since yesterday.

  “Oh my God! This is awful. What’s happening?” she asked through her tears.

  I spoke as softly as I could, “What’s your name, sweetie, and are there more people hiding in here that you know of?”

  “I... I... my name’s Megan, and I think there was a woman in the closet in the hallway. I saw her run and lock herself inside as I was running in here to hide from the parents. They were tearing through everyone. They were tearing through their own children. Oh my God! Everyone is dead!”

  “Shh, it’s okay, Megan. We’re going to find
some water to get you cleaned up, and we’re going to check out the rest of the school for any more people hiding like you were. Where’s the bathroom, sweetie?”

  “There’s a bathroom in the back office that has a shower in it, is that okay? Is it okay if I shower?”

  She seemed like she was bordering on complete hysteria, her mind only allowing itself to focus on one thing at a time, which was a suitable defense mechanism for this awful new reality.

  “Yes, showering is good, Megan. Why don’t you show me where it is, and these two gentlemen will look in that hall closet you were talking about?”

  “Okay, it’s over this way.”

  She started leading the way out of the classroom, and Chris motioned to me as I passed him. He whispered to me that they had checked the office already, and it was all clear, they even checked the bathroom, and there were no infected. This was good to hear. Now, I just needed to get Megan showered up and check her for infected cuts so we could figure out what to do next.

  I followed her to the office and helped her out of her clothes. She seemed as if she was truly going into shock now. She had the hundred-yard stare going and had stopped talking.

  I asked her questions about where the towels were, and she just stood there, naked, and pointed to a closet by the sink.

  I turned the water on fairly hot and was glad to find that even though the power was out, that the hot water heater was still working. I pushed Megan into the shower, under the water, and she just stood there.

  I went to get the towel and drew my gun, just in case there was something or someone in the closet. Luckily, it only opened to a bulk supply of diapers, wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, and bath towels.

  There was a box labeled lost and found at the bottom of the closet, and I was lucky enough to find a shirt big enough that I supposed should fit Megan, but I had no luck with finding pants or shorts. There was also a box of latex gloves that I took out and opened.

  I took off my leather gloves and replaced them with the latex. I didn’t want to get any of that blood on me, but I didn’t want to get the leather wet either. I still wasn’t sure of what this virus was capable of, so I was airing on the side of caution.

  The thought of it becoming airborne crossed my mind, and I had to push it away quickly, or I’d be in the same boat as our new friend, Megan… catatonic. When I returned to her, she was still just standing in the shower, with her hands curled up to her chest, under the steady stream of steaming water.

  I pulled the showerhead down and began to rinse her off. The black blood washed away quickly, but it seemed to be everywhere. I found some soap and tried to hand it to her, but she just stood and stared blankly.

  I soaped her up and rinsed her off. I let her stand there in the water while I did my best to wash out her pants and the shirt she was wearing. Chris came in to see how things were going just as I was getting her wet pants back on her.

  “We’ll be ready to go in a few minutes. Were you able to look around really good for other people that might be hiding?”

  “Yes. There was a woman in the closet, and it turns out that she’s Cooper’s mother. I didn’t say anything to her about her son, but if she’s coming back with us, I don’t see a way around telling her.”

  “Is she coming back with us? Did you ask her?”

  “I didn’t yet. She’s sitting in the hallway. We gave her some water, and she is in a daze, trying to take it all in, I guess.”

  “Yeah, Megan, here isn’t doing so well. I think we need to get her out of this place and somewhere she can rest. She stopped talking, so I’m going to take her back with us. Once she feels better, she can make the decision to stay or go.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Tom found a little boy hiding in a closet of one of the other classrooms. He’s trying to coax the little guy out with some candy, but he doesn’t seem to want to move. Do you think once you’re done with Megan, you could help him?”

  “Sure thing. As soon as she’s dressed, I’ll bring her out.”

  I finished getting Megan’s clothes on, no small task when you’re trying to dress an adult in wet clothes. She just let me move her arms and legs where they needed to go but didn’t seem to register what was going on.

  I walked her out into the hallway where, thankfully, Chris had covered up the bodies of the infected with some blankets. I wasn’t sure what reaction this fragile girl would have if she saw them again.

  I walked into the classroom where I heard Tom’s soft voice coming from and saw him crouched down, helmet off, and gun hidden behind his back. He was holding out a chocolate bar to the closet and saying how yummy it was. I tapped him on the shoulder and asked him if I could have a try. He stood up and backed away. He looked defeated that he couldn’t get this little boy to move from his hiding spot.

  I got on my knees and peered through the wooden slats on the door, I gave it a little knock.

  “Who’s there? Go away!” said a small voice from behind the doors.

  “It’s okay, sweetie. We’re here to help you.”

  The closet doors slammed open, almost knocking me over, and the little boy came rushing out.

  “Mommy, Mommy! I knew you would come and get me!” the boy screamed.

  I just looked at the little boy who hugged me as tightly as he could. I didn’t have it in me to tell him I wasn’t his Mommy, not at that moment.

  Tom reached over and touched my shoulder to point out that he was covered in black blood, and his shirt was torn in the back. I couldn’t let go of the boy, though.

  Even if there was a threat of him being infected, I just couldn’t do it. He didn’t feel warm, so he didn’t have the telltale fever, and when he finally pulled back from hugging me, he looked me right in the eyes. There was no fear in them, only relief. He had a giant smile on his face, and I felt tears welling in my eyes.

  “Are you hurt at all?” I managed to choke out.

  “No, Gia’s Daddy tried to grab and bite me, but he only got my shirt. Miss Kim put me in the closet and told me to stay there until someone came and got me. No one came for a long time, but you’re here now, Mommy.”

  I looked at this little boy softly, “What’s your name, young man?”

  “Michael.”

  “Michael, you know I’m not your Mommy, right?”

  “Yeah, not my first Mommy. My first Mommy got hurt really bad in the parking lot. Miss Kim told me she was really sick and couldn’t get up. You’re my second Mommy. You’re going to take care of me, right?”

  “I will, Michael. We will. We’ll keep you safe. Hey, do you know where your dad might be?”

  “I don’t have one. My first Mommy always said that I was her gift from God and that I didn’t need a Daddy.”

  This poor kid had just lost everyone he knew in the last day, just like I imagined so many others had, as well.

  It looks like I now have four children, not counting the other three back at the cabin who we still didn’t know if their parents were alive or not.

  That reminded me. I wanted to go back to the office and see if I could find the emergency contact paperwork for the kids. It would have names, addresses, and phone numbers, so we could try to find the kid’s parents, if at all possible.

  “Okay, Michael. Do you see this big strong man over here?” I pointed to Tom, who still had the candy bar out in front of him. “His name is Tom, and he’s a very good friend of mine. He would never hurt you or let anyone else hurt you, okay?” He nodded in agreement. “There’s another man with us, and his name is Chris, he wouldn’t hurt you, either. Now, make sure that you stay close to us, so we can take a look around some more and then we’ll head back to our house, all right?”

  “Okay. Mr. Tom? Can I have a bite of that candy bar? I’m really hungry.”

  Tom immediately lit up like a Christmas tree. He was so happy that this little boy was not scared of him anymore. The candy bar made the two fast friends, and after it was gone, Michael grabbed Tom’s hand and just
stood next to him. I took this time to look over Michael pretty good for any bites or scratches, and he thankfully had none.

  I asked Tom to take his new best friend to the bathroom and get him cleaned up a little. I also mentioned that there were a few shirts in the box in the closet for him to get Michael changed into, so he had decent clothes.

  We did a pretty thorough check of the rest of the building and found no one else alive.

  There were now more than ten infected walking past the main doors, though. I assumed they were attracted by the noise but still couldn’t pinpoint it, since they were not trying to get inside, yet.

  I grabbed three book bags and went through the bins in the classrooms that held extra clothes for each child. I stuffed them in the book bags and grabbed a bunch of coloring books and crayons, as well. I gave a book bag to Michael, and he was happy to be able to help. He had not let go of Tom’s hand yet, though, not even to put the book bag on. He just switched hands, which was cute.

  I gave one to Cooper’s mom. I found out her name was Nicole Meyer. She was still very quiet but said thank you to Chris and Tom for getting her out of the closet.

  I put the last one on Megan. She still was not talking or moving on her own. I had to put the book bag on her and clip the strap over her chest so it would stay on. She just continued to stare. She was beginning to worry me, but she didn’t have a fever, so it seemed like it was all stress and the shock of what she’d seen and experienced over the last day or so. PTSD was going to be the new normal for a lot of people if they survived.

  We went out the back, the way we came.

  Chris had already taken all of the IDs from the dead that were in the building and out in the playground. Tom picked up Michael and covered his eyes so he couldn’t see the bodies outside and told him it was a game of peek-a-boo.

  Our group of three had set out this morning to see if we could help the kids find their families, and we were only coming back with three more people and a handful of IDs from the dead. I didn’t know what to expect when we decided to come out here, but I couldn’t help but feel like we had pretty much failed.