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

by Morris, SJ

  “That is peculiar. I was hoping the infected would die off soon enough, not become more deadly. I hope this is just a one-off thing like maybe they were newly turned or something, but I’ll head to the security room and talk to the kids. I’ll find out if they’ve seen anything out of the ordinary,” Jimmy said as he left me to stew in anticipation.

  The door to the surgical suite opened slowly, Jasmine peeked her head out and spoke softly, “Hey, Chris. Come on in. The babies are fine, both girls are healthy and doing well. Dr. Nasser says you can hold them.”

  “What about Abby?” I asked anxiously.

  “She’s still out cold, but no one really seems to know why. Her heart rate and blood pressure are all normal, but she’s not waking up. We pulled the breathing tube out because after the girls were out, she started fighting it. That’s when we expected her to wake up, but she hasn’t yet. I’m sorry, Chris. We’re just going to have to wait and see what happens next. You know Abby, she’s strong. Maybe her body just needed to rest.”

  “I hope so. Can I go in now?”

  “Sure, go ahead. Go be a daddy,” Jasmine said, smiling.

  “Hey, can you go let Tyler know that he’s a big brother? He’s in the security room.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll grab him. Let Doc know I’ll be right back.”

  “Thanks, Jaz.”

  I slowly walked into the room, and there was Abby, laying in the hospital bed, covered in blankets from head to toe. She looked like she was sleeping. I reached under the blankets and grabbed her hand. “Come back to us, Abby. You’ve got two beautiful baby girls who need you. I need you,” I whispered to her, kissing her hand.

  Doc Baker came in and stood next to me. “She’ll be all right, Chris. All of her vitals are stable, and there were no complications with the caesarean. We’ll take care of her. How about you go see your daughters?” she said, grasping my shoulder.

  “I hope you’re right, Doc. I need Abby to be okay. We all do. She’s been through so much already. We can’t lose her, not like this.”

  “Like I said, all of her vitals are fine, so there’s no need to let your mind wander to the worst possible scenario. I know, I know,” She said rubbing my back supportively. “That’s easier said than done. But, let’s get you to those girls. Have I mentioned how adorable they are?”

  Doc led me through the doors to the second surgical suite that was now modified to be a makeshift nursery. There were two bassinets, and each had a screaming, pink, wiggling newborn inside. Doc left to check on Abby, and Dr. Nasser, who was watching over the newborns, smiled up at me, “Congratulations, Dad! You have two beautiful, healthy babies here. They’re both absolutely perfect. Do you have names for them? Baker just told us to call them ‘A’ and ‘B,’ so they could use some names.”

  The prospect of naming the girls without Abby hit me hard. I never thought I’d have to worry about this. In all of the scenarios that ran through my mind, Abby was always right there by my side. “We never really talked about names. We just found out they were girls when Abby went into labor. She didn’t want to find out before the birth. She wanted the genders to be a surprise.”

  “That’s okay, we’ll stick with baby ‘A’ and baby ‘B.” Hey, that guy Troy has already taken blood samples from the babies and disappeared to his lab. Do you have any idea what that’s all about?”

  “Oh, yeah. There are probably a few things I should tell you.”

  I held each of the girls as I relayed the story of what Abby had been through, about the Anti-Virus 1015, Dr. Brigantine, and her genetic testing, all of it. Dr. Nasser was enamored the entire time I spoke. She didn’t say a single word until I finished telling her what I knew about the virus and what we had all been through this last year or so since the outbreak started.

  Dr. Nasser seemed to take everything well enough. “So, you’re telling me it’s possible Abby’s genetic makeup could be the key to a cure or at least some sort of inoculation against the ghouls?”

  “Yes, it’s possible. Troy’s been working on it for quite some time now. And since Brigantine inseminated Abby on purpose, the girls may have something to do with it too.”

  Dr. Nasser looked me over thoroughly. “I can trust you, right, Chris? You seem like a decent human who’s genuinely worried about the state of the planet and the well-being of the human race. I mean Merv vouched for you, so that has to mean I can trust you.”

  “I would hope you could trust me. I owe you my life for helping Doc with Abby and these beautiful girls here. Why?” I asked, putting baby ‘A’ back in her bassinet slowly as not to wake her.

  “Well, we have a doctor of our own back at the main Wawayanda camp. He showed up a few weeks ago with a bunch of armed men saying they were scientists and soldiers who worked for the government at a facility up north, but they were overrun, so they were looking for sanctuary. I’m a firm believer in the do unto others as you would want them to do unto you philosophy, so we let them in. We took their weapons, and I had the lead scientist explain what he’d been working on before we agreed to let them stay, but after I heard what he was doing, I almost had no choice. He said he was close to a cure, and I want to believe him, but there’s something off about him. Something I can’t seem to put my finger on. Maybe we could get Troy and our scientist in the same room together to come up with a solution for this whole world ending epidemic. What do you think?”

  I thought about everything Dr. Nasser had just shared. Abby had come back from Brigantine’s compound about five weeks ago and that Peter guy who came up here with her was in the wind. We knew he was after the weapons in the bunker, and we knew there was some kind of struggle in that bunker leading Peter and those with him to flee. “What’s the name of the scientist guy?” I asked, needing more information.

  “Dr. Stuart Dodges. Why do you ask? Do you know him?”

  “I think I remember Abby saying his name. I think he used to work with Brigantine, the insane mind that brought us the Perdition Virus in the first place.”

  Dr. Nasser was shocked by my words. “What? You mean the men I’ve got living with my group was part of this whole plague?” She questioned angrily.

  I put my hands up to try and calm her. “Woah let’s not get too excited about this. Let me talk to Jimmy. He was with Abby at the compound, so he knows names and roles better than I do. We could ask Jimmy if this Dr. Stuart Dodges was one of the good guys trying to help or one of the bad guys who we need to bring to justice.”

  With the babies safely tucked in and being taken care of by Tyler and Jasmine, and Abby being monitored by Lynn and Doc Bakers, Dr. Nasser and I were off to find Jimmy to get some answers.

  We found Jimmy, Chuck, and Kamil outside trying to secure the animals in the barn and putting away anything that might fly away or become a projectile in the more substantial storm that was threatening to hit us. It was still raining from the last storm, but thankfully the wind had calmed. Unfortunately, what little weather knowledge those in our group did have all pointed to a much larger spring storm brewing, so we needed to be prepared.

  Dr. Nasser and I began helping Jimmy feed the animals while we questioned him.

  “Hey, Jimmy. I know you don’t like to talk about your time up at Brigantine’s compound, but Dr. Nasser and I have some concerns that some of the people from there may have made their way up to Nasser’s group. Do you recall a man by the name of Dr. Stuart Dodges?” I asked him.

  Jimmy continued to shovel hay into the stalls with the horses while we talked. “Stuart? Yeah, sure, I remember him. He was a squirrely little shit, but he helped Abby and me escape. If I recall correctly, he said he was staying behind to try and save his work. There were a bunch of soldiers with him that were attempting to protect the compound while it was being overrun. We didn’t stick around to find out what happened, though.”

  “So, Stuart’s a good guy, someone you would trust?” I asked as Dr. Nasser stopped what she was doing to watch Jimmy’s reaction.

  “Yea
h, he helped screw up Brigantine’s plans of creating an antivirus just for her people and her plan to nerve gas the planet, so I’d say we could trust him. I think he even had a real shot at creating a cure or whatever for all of this. He’d been working with the virus since the beginning I think, so if anyone has a shot of fixing this mess, my money would be on Stuart for sure. Not to sell Troy short or anything.”

  Dr. Nasser spoke up. “That’s good to know, Jimmy. Thank you. I appreciate you putting my mind at ease. I don’t know what I’d do if I found out that a man living and working side by side with me and my family was a complete sociopath.”

  “Well, you wouldn’t be able to do much of anything until this storm blows over. It looks like it’s going to be a big one. I should get back to work.” Jimmy said, patting one of the horses.

  “Yeah, thanks, Jimmy,” I said, turning to Dr. Nasser. “It looks like your group is safe for now with those guys. I think getting Stuart and Troy together like you said, might be a great idea, though.”

  “I do need to get back to my group to make sure everyone is safe and that Merv and Owen were able to get the supplies back. I think Jimmy is right though, we’re going to have to wait until this storm passes. It looks like it’s going to be a bad one. Maybe we should get back inside ourselves and check on your girls. Maybe Abby is awake.”

  The thought of Abby being awake reinvigorated me. We weren’t going to be going anywhere until the weather cleared, so I was going to enjoy as much downtime as possible with my family.

  Chapter 8

  Abbigail Norrington

  I woke up groggy and in the dark. Everything was sore from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. It felt like I was run over by a tank. Looking around, I noticed I was in one of the make-shift hospital rooms down in the surgical suites, and I instantly remembered why I was here.

  I reached for my swollen belly, but it was significantly smaller than I remembered, and my abdomen hurt like hell. I tried to sit up, but the pain was so intense I saw bright spots of white light behind my eyes. Not a good idea. No sitting up for me just yet. Lilly, our dog, jumped up trying to lick my hand at the edge of the bed.

  I called out, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

  Doc Bakers rushed into the room, whipping her stethoscope around and plugging it into her ears. “Abby! You’re awake. Don’t try and move around just yet. Let me get your vitals first. I want to be sure you’re really in the clear. We don’t need you slipping into a coma on us again. Who let the dog in here? This is supposed to be a clean room.”

  “Lilly is fine where she is, she’s family too. And what do you mean by a coma? How long was I out? Are the babies okay?” I asked, feeling an overwhelming sensation of anxiety sweep through my body.

  “Don’t worry, Abby. It’s only been two days, and yes, the girls are doing wonderfully,” she smiled.

  “Two days? What happened?”

  “Well, as far as I can tell, the stress of the birth put too much pressure on your brain, causing you to slip into a coma. You were unresponsive to any stimulation or pain, even when we stabilized your oxygen and heart rate levels. That doesn’t matter now, you’re back with us, and you get to meet your beautiful daughters. Your vitals are good, but you need to take it easy. Let me get Chris in here with the girls. He’s barely left their sides since they were born. Oh, and he went out and got some help, so there are two new doctors for you to meet.”

  “Sheesh, I’m glad nothing important happened while I was out,” I chuckled painfully.

  Chris walked in with Christine, Tyler, and two new people I hadn’t met yet. Chris and Tyler were each holding one of the girls, and I immediately began crying. I wished so badly at that moment that Allycia and Lance could be here with us to share this moment. I had lost two children and birthed two children within the last year. Life was undeniably cruel.

  I couldn’t think about that now though, I have two newborns to take care of, so I wiped my tears away and reached out for Chris and Tyler to let me hold them. With one in each arm, I felt a sudden calm wash over me like I knew everything was going to be okay. The girls smiled up at me as they fussed and wiggled in my arms. I felt so connected to these babies. It was a bond I had never felt before, not even with my other children.

  “Did anyone name them yet? I see the tags on their arms only say ‘A’ and ‘B,’”

  Chris chuckled. “No, we didn’t name them yet. We were waiting for you to wake up.”

  “I think we should name them after our mothers. You know, keep a little bit of the past alive,” I said, looking at my daughters fondly.

  Chris laughed again, “My mother’s name was Elouise, don’t you think that’s a bit of an old lady’s name?”

  “Sure, but we can call her Ella for short, and don’t try and tell me Kasey is an old lady name,” I smiled.

  Tyler sat down on the bed next to me. Lilly jumped into his lap looking for attention since the new babies were getting all of it. “So, Ella and Kasey it is. They’re perfect names, Mom. Right, Lilly? You like those names too, don’t ya, girl?” Tyler smiled as he held the dog like she was a baby.

  Chris introduced me to Dr. Emily Nasser and Dr. Lynn Madison. We all chatted about old times, and they shared their own stories of birthing babies before the apocalypse. It was nice to be able to forget the world outside was dying all around us. Even if it was just for a little while.

  Dr. Nasser and Dr. Madison needed to get back to their community now that some massive storm I missed while I was unconscious was over. Chris didn’t want to leave my side, so Jimmy and Kamil were going to go with them to be their escorts, they were also bringing Troy as well to meet up with Dr. Stuart Dodges.

  I was surprised to hear Stuart’s name, but I was glad to hear him, and a few of the decent men and women from Brigantine’s house of horrors made it out safely and were integrating well with the Wawayanda group. Troy was bringing his research to Stuart to see if they could come up with some kind of solution to the Perdition Virus. Apparently, Troy had some sort of breakthrough recently with the idea of using the shells we recovered from the bunker Peter led us to.

  Troy figured out a way to use the nerve agent delivery system to disperse the antivirus serum he had made previously. This meant that we wouldn’t have to spray each of the undead, we could just load it onto the bombs and deploy them into the atmosphere. Now we just needed a way to get a large number of the infected corralled into one area.

  With Troy working on the solution to the already infected, Stuart was working on an antiviral that would stop the transmission of the Perdition Virus altogether. Hopefully, with these two men working together, we were going to be able to stop this mess and make the world one where the living could not only survive but thrive again.

  Chuck, my old friend who saved me from a group of degenerates, and Barry, our resident Police Lieutenant, turned Security Commander for our little band of misfits, were already at the bunker where Brigantine’s weapons were housed, and they were going to do their best to ready the shells with Troy’s zombie-killing serum.

  It sounded like we were finally on the road to finding a workable solution to this entire mess.

  Chapter 9

  Kamil Dunbar

  It was going to be a beautiful spring day. Jimmy and I were taking Dr. Nasser and Dr. Madison back to the Wawayanda compound with Troy so he could review his findings on the Perdition Virus with the doctor they had staying with them. I was hoping it would be an uneventful trip since I hadn’t been outside of the walls of our home for quite some time. I experienced plenty of what this new world had to offer the living before Abby found me and brought me here.

  We had the quads gassed up and ready to go before the sun was up. Dr. Nasser and Dr. Madison were understandably excited to get on the road and get back to their people, so we weren’t wasting any time. The recent stormy weather we had made it difficult to travel, so I was thankful for the quads to get us where we needed to go.

  Even with all of the m
ud and debris strew everywhere from the storm, it was a fairly decent ride until we hit Route 284. There was a mudslide that left staying on stable concrete incredibly tricky, if not virtually impossible. Dr. Nasser’s vehicle got stuck in the mud, so we had to stop and help push her out.

  Jimmy took watch so we wouldn’t be ambushed by the undead while we were working, and I was just about finished getting Dr. Nasser on her way when I heard Jimmy yell from behind me, “The dead are coming. We have to go now!”

  Everyone rushed back to their vehicles as I helped Dr. Nasser get onto hers. Everyone sped away as I jumped on my quad and realized that I was now stuck. I needed to get away from the group of infected heading in my direction, and quickly. There were at least a hundred of them heading right for me, too many to shoot or fight my way through, so I ran into the thick, dense woods hoping they would pass by rather quickly, and I could meet up with everyone else.

  I found out promptly that wasn’t going to be the case. As I tried to hide in the trees, I found there were more infected in the woods than I had initially thought. They were everywhere. My only option was to run, and my only direction was whatever way the zombies weren’t coming from. My route was out of my control, but I tried to remember which way I was running to be able to make it back to my group as soon as possible.

  I ran for what seemed like forever, and I had seen more infected now than I had in the last few months. It reminded me of the time when Dana and I were on the road by ourselves before Abby came along. I had wanted to forget that time because of how horribly painful it was to remember everything Dana and I had been through. Especially since losing her after we had finally found the safe haven of Abby’s cabin.