Zombiemandias (Book 2): In the Year of Our Death

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Zombiemandias (Book 2): In the Year of Our Death Page 22

by David J. Lovato


  “It’s ‘Randy’ in here. We can’t afford to mess up, not now.”

  “Randy… don’t tell Beulah about this. She would probably understand, but—”

  “Not a word. Not to Maddock, either. He can’t know what happened. No one can, not ever. We take this to our graves, Samuel. God willing, the day after tomorrow.”

  The two men climbed down the scaffolding, then split up to head back into the city apart from each other.

  37

  Inside Ace Crazy Hotel and Casino

  “Rise and shine, beautiful mind!”

  Nelson sat up terrified, realized it was Bart and calmed down, then slowly felt terrified again.

  “What time is it?”

  “Early. Sun’s not up. But it’s time to get to work! We don’t waste time around here. Need you to make some explosives for the road.”

  “About that,” Nelson said. He took the glasses from their case on his nightstand and put them on. “Isn’t it better to stay here? There are beds, rooms, showers… Hoover Dam doesn’t have any of that.”

  “I’m feeling a little exposed, friend,” Bart said. “We’ve been comfortable here, sure, but never safe. Lost two men just yesterday, we’re down to less than a dozen. Been losing someone every month or two since this thing started. But you’ve only seen one zombie in your whole time there. I’d say the dam is safer. As for beds, we can move some over there, over the course of a few weeks. Bathe in the dam if we have to. Don’t worry, I got this all figured out.”

  Nelson had gotten dressed, though he wasn’t sure what for. “It’s out of the way. What about supplies? Your guys will have to come all the way out into the city to get food or whatever else we need.”

  “Trust me when I say I have things figured out. You just put that brain of yours to work making things that go ‘boom’, yeah?”

  Bart led Nelson through the halls to a room on the third floor, where Emilia and Tom, another guard, were waiting.

  “Listen, Bart—”

  “I’ve been hearing a lot of complaining these past few minutes,” Bart said. “I’m starting to get bored.”

  “Just… don’t expect me to work miracles. I’ve never made an explosive before.”

  “But you’re an engineer, and you know how?”

  “…In theory, maybe. Maybe.”

  “Then maybe I won’t kill you. Get to work! Emilia and Tom will get you anything you need. And, you know, make sure you don’t try anything cute. I’ll check in on you later.” Bart headed out the door, but stopped with his hand on the knob. “Oh, and be productive. We leave for the dam in a week, and I want enough firepower to get us through any trouble we might encounter. Pipe bombs, molotovs, and some heavy-duty stuff. Enough to take down a building, say. Maybe a radio station or an Air Force base. We have a lot of neighbors running around my Southwest, and you and I are going to remedy that, capiche?”

  “Sure,” Nelson said. His stomach was turning, his heart was fluttering around in his upper chest, and he found no solace in the two guards to either side of the table, where all kinds of tools and materials rested in boxes and lay strewn around.

  A week, Nelson thought. A week to start a revolt.

  ****

  The hours were long and he worked hard. He thought about making the bombs faulty, but after the first batch, Bart sent his men to test some. They came back happy, which made Bart happy, which made Nelson miserable.

  At night he spent moments with Abril and Uriel, the only other people in the entire world he liked or even trusted, but if he didn’t want to consign himself to a life of blowing people up, that would need to change.

  He started with Emilia. She guarded him most often, had saved his life back at the store, and all in all wasn’t a gigantic asshole like most of Bart’s men. He began with smalltalk, conversation about life before everything collapsed, and life since. “I’ve done a lot that I’m not proud of,” she said once, and Nelson knew he had found the right person. Plus the others liked Emilia; if he could convince her, she could convince them. Maybe not all of them, but enough of them. Bart was the real problem, and he was one man.

  Two days before the end of the week, with Emilia the only guard watching him, he decided to steer conversation in that direction again.

  “That couple, a few days back,” he said while tightening a screw. “I can still see them.”

  “It’s never pretty,” Emilia replied.

  “Does it happen often?”

  “Not really. But often enough.”

  “What if it didn’t have to?”

  Emilia reached behind her and scratched her back, looking around, then moved away from the door, closer to him. “What are you talking about?”

  “Look, Bart’s the one behind all this. Nobody else likes doing these things, right?”

  “I don’t think even Bart likes doing it. He just doesn’t want to lose control.”

  “That’s the point, though.” Footsteps in the hall made Nelson stop talking, but they continued past the door. “He wouldn’t be afraid of losing control unless he knew he was one incident away from actually doing it.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  “We create that incident. Get rid of Bart, and you don’t have to get rid of people for Bart anymore.”

  “We shouldn’t be talking about this—”

  “You can do it, Emilia. And you could lead the others. They would follow you.”

  Emilia didn’t reply for a long time. Nelson kept working on his bombs, in low spirits, but when it was almost time to quit, Emilia suddenly said, “Okay.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “I’ll do it. Don’t say anything to anyone, okay? But I’ll need your help. I’ll come get you, sometime tonight.”

  Nelson smiled. “Thanks, Emilia. I can’t do it without you.”

  “Just keep quiet about it, okay? I’ll let you know when it’s time to move.”

  Nelson finished the rest of his shift, ate dinner on the main floor of the casino, then went to his room, waiting for Abril and Uriel to visit later in the evening. When they finally did, Nelson watched Uriel play his game on a little handheld gaming machine.

  “Abril, I have something to tell you, but I can’t say much,” Nelson said.

  “Oh?”

  “It’s going to work. Later tonight. That’s all I can say.”

  Abril smiled. She wasn’t particularly pretty; her beauty came from the strength she conveyed. “I’m glad to hear that, Nelson.”

  “It’s Stephen, you know.”

  “I thought your name was Nelson,” Uriel said. Nelson laughed.

  “Nelson is my last name. Stephen’s my first. You can call me whichever you want.”

  “Cool!” Uriel said. “That butthole Bart doesn’t let me do anything. He doesn’t even let me talk around him.”

  “Not so loud, loved one,” Abril said.

  “Hey, kiddo,” Nelson said. “You don’t worry about him, okay? Someday you’ll be able to do whatever you want. Maybe sooner than you think.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. But let’s keep that our little secret, okay?”

  “Okay,” Uriel said.

  “Finish this race,” Abril said. “Then we have to go. I have a few more rounds to make. Leslie needs his medicine.”

  “What kind of medicine?” Nelson asked.

  “Doctor-patient confidentiality,” Abril replied. She leaned in close. “Laxatives. He has bowel troubles.” She winked.

  “Poor bastard,” Nelson said. He watched Uriel finish his race, fold up his game system, and put it in his pocket. Nelson had always thought he hated kids, but he realized now he had never truly known one. He liked this one; in time he might even love him. “Good night, Uriel,” Nelson said.

  “Good night, Stephen,” Uriel replied. As he and Abril left, Nelson thought, Tomorrow you’ll wake up to a different world. A better one.

  ****

  “Nelson. Nelson!”

  Emilia was shaking hi
m. He reached for his glasses, but she handed them to him. “Here. It’s time.”

  She led him out of the room and down the hall. The casino was dark except for a lantern on the ground by the wall here and there, and utterly quiet. None of Bart’s men were around. Emilia led him to a closed door Nelson hadn’t seen before, and then he thought to ask the question he should’ve asked minutes ago.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  Emilia opened the door and shoved Nelson inside. The light blinded him, he covered his eyes. As his vision cleared, he heard laughter. Bart’s men were gathered in a ring around the room. Emilia shoved Nelson again, this time to his knees, and then shoved a gun against his head.

  In the middle of the room stood Bart. Just behind him Abril was crying, tape covering her mouth, held by either arm by one of Bart’s men. Bart himself was holding a gun to Uriel’s temple. Uriel wasn’t tied or taped, but just stood there, staring through space.

  “I don’t understand,” Nelson said.

  “An uprising, really?” Bart replied. “Some genius you turn out to be after all. Maybe you know machines, my friend, but you don’t know people. Emilia’s one of mine. You think I’d pick someone who would turn on me?”

  “I thought—”

  “No you didn’t think.”

  “Please, leave the kid alone, he didn’t do anything!”

  “No he didn’t,” Bart said. “Never has, never does really. But I finally found a use for the little shit! See, I need his mom to patch us up when we get hurt. And I need you around to keep the lights on and build my bombs.”

  “Bart, don’t—”

  Emilia punched Nelson in the face. The next thing out of his mouth was blood.

  “The kid, though, he’s my lesson to you. This is what happens when you fuck with me.”

  “Bart, no—”

  Bart pulled the trigger. The gunshot faded into Abril screaming against the tape across her mouth. The worst part was her eyes; she never closed them, she kept them pinned on Bart. Nelson had never seen anything so terrifying.

  Emilia let her arm drop. Nelson made no attempt to run, he only stared at the mess he’d made.

  “You son of a bitch,” he said. Bart’s men laughed.

  “Now now, no need to get so down.” Bart kneeled in front of Nelson, jerked his head up, stared into his eyes. “You’re going to your room to work now. You’ll work through the day, and the day after tomorrow, we head for the dam. Don’t even think of anything stupid like revenge, got it? You’ll be watched the whole time. Same with your doctor friend. Now, either one of you tries anything… well, the doctor dies first, either way. After that, I start cutting off your limbs. You can keep the lights on with just one arm, right?”

  Nelson spat in Bart’s face. Bart punched him so hard he fell over, then he stood up and wiped his cheek. “Get this motherfucker to his work bench. And watch him good. I’m going back to bed.” He turned to one of his men. “Clean this shit up.” He gestured to Uriel’s lifeless body in the middle of the room. Nelson stared into the boy’s eyes, still staring into nothing. Tears welled into his own, and he cried against the carpet until Bart’s men jerked him to his feet. As they yanked him toward the door he looked at Abril.

  “Abril, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know, I didn’t…”

  The one thing Abril couldn’t do was meet his eyes, and Nelson thought of Uriel’s all the way to his work space, where Bart’s men shoved him into his chair and set him to work on his bombs.

  38

  In the Basement

  When Will woke, the back door of the basement was open. Cold air was blowing in, and the light from outside was dim and pale.

  He sat up and saw the room was empty. The blankets and bags and clothes he was used to seeing were all gone, except for his own.

  Jeremy stepped in through the door. “I was just coming to wake you. It’s time to go.”

  “Yeah,” Will said. Memories of the previous day flooded back to him. He dreamed he had spent the day hanging out with Annie and fell asleep listening to music in her bed, but it was only a dream. Will started to gather his things, and Jeremy helped him. Will was glad, because his arm hurt whenever he moved it, and he couldn’t lift it very high.

  He got all of his stuff together, tucked his sword into his pack where he could easily get it out, and then Jeremy helped him stand up. “Do you know where Annie is?” Will asked.

  “Haven’t seen her.”

  “I hope I get to say goodbye before we go.”

  “Everyone’s out here.” Jeremy motioned toward the door. He headed for it, and Will forced himself to follow.

  All of his friends were gathered outside, but Annie wasn’t around. Will realized he might not see her before they left, but going back inside the house when everyone was about to leave didn’t feel right.

  Steven and Bill were talking over a map sprawled out on the hood of a truck resting in the grass. No one made eye contact, even Bill and Sarah, and most people were saying goodbye and thanking each other and apologizing. Everyone looked tired. The teens had their bags (and a few extra filled with food Bill and Sarah gave them), but what they really needed was a home.

  “You can keep the map,” Bill said.

  “Thanks,” Steven replied. He folded it and put it in his pocket. “We all ready?”

  “Ready,” Annie said. She was rounding the house with a bag of her own things, as well as her guitar slung around her back. Bill’s face turned red, and Sarah shook her head.

  “We talked about this,” Bill said. “You’re not going.”

  “I’m an adult,” Annie replied. “Most kids leave home when they grow up.”

  “It’s not the same. Get back in the house.”

  Will stared at them as they stared at each other, then Annie looked at Will and smiled widely.

  “This isn’t a game,” Bill said. “It’s dangerous out there.”

  “Not too dangerous for my friends, though?”

  “I don’t like this! You know that! It just isn’t working.”

  “Exactly,” Annie said. “I have to go sometime. I’ll never have a better, safer chance.”

  “Annie—”

  “Bill,” Sarah said. All eyes went to her. “She’s right.”

  Bill stared at his wife, his face unchanging, as though what she said didn’t register. Then he frowned. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Bill… This world isn’t the same anymore, but not everything has to change. We always knew Annie would leave us someday. And I’m not saying I want that… but it is one tiny thing we have from the way the world was before.”

  “It isn’t safe, Sarah.”

  “Was it ever? If we sent her to college, she could’ve gotten in a car wreck. If she moved into the city she could’ve been murdered. It was never safe, Bill.”

  “It was safer.”

  “And it’s safer to let her be with people than go off alone someday.”

  Bill began to cry, and he rushed across his yard and hugged his daughter, and she hugged him back.

  “I don’t want to leave you,” Annie said. “I don’t want to leave anyone. But it’s my life, Dad.”

  “It is,” Bill said. “I just hope you’re doing the right thing with it.”

  “Me too.”

  Ten minutes later, the group was heading down the street, and Bill and Sarah were waving from the front of their house. Annie waved back at them.

  “So where are we headed?” Rob asked.

  “I don’t know,” Steven said. “We can’t stay too close, we’ll just run ourselves and Bill and Sarah out of food.”

  “Well, can we find another suburb somewhere? Do what they’ve been doing, start catching rain and draining the nearby grocery store?”

  “I think so. It worked for us for years. We can do it again.”

  “What if it doesn’t rain for a while?” Will said.

  “We have some water to get us started, and hopefully whatever store we find will have some. But I�
��d say it’s safest if we get where we’re going as quickly as we can. We’ll have to take the highway around the city, though.”

  “Why not go through it?” Ed asked.

  “The city will be full of zombies, hon,” Sharon said.

  “Most likely,” Steven replied.

  “But what if we run out of water before we have time to find another suburb? And what if the store has none and it stops raining?”

  “That’s a lot of things to go wrong at once,” Alex said. “Sounds like just our luck.”

  Steven stopped and pulled the map from his pocket. He looked around, as if to make sure rain wasn’t about to fall, then spread the map on the ground. Everyone gathered around.

  “Here we are.” Steven pointed to a spot on the map. “Here’s the city. Here’s the closest suburb.”

  “It’ll take us at least two weeks to walk there,” Jeremy said. “But look here.” He pointed at the map, where the road ahead of them branched off, and traced it into the city, then back onto the highway. “What if we send a few people this way? They can check out the city, see how bad it is. Then they can come up this road and wait for everyone else. If it’s safe, we all cut back through the city. If not, we stick to the highway and go around it. Worst case scenario, we all end up going the long way.”

  “Worst case scenario someone gets bitten,” Steven said, “but I see what you mean.”

  “It’s a risk,” Hannah said. “Who would go?”

  “We’re running low on adults.”

  “Everyone’s an adult these days,” Kalli said. “We should send whoever is fastest and quietest.” Everyone looked at Will. He met each of their stares in turn.

  “I’ll do it if you guys need me to.”

  “It’s up to you,” Steven said. “It’s your life.”

  “Well, we’re basically working off of likelihood, here,” Will said. “The city is likely to be full of zombies… but we have no promise the highway will be all clear. For all we know, I’ll be safer than any of you. In the meantime, if it turns out the city is clear enough, it could save us a lot of time in the end. Might even save our lives. I think the good outweighs the bad.”

 

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