Heavy breathing echoed in the air, and my heart thumped wildly. A few long growls made the hair on my neck stand on end. My finger hovered over the trigger, and I felt like I was cornering a wild animal. I took slow, measured steps. “Jackie…” I said. “Baby, please come out.”
A shriek pierced my ears, a sound that only a hybrid could make. “Dean,” a demonic voice called out.
A cold chill flooded through my entire body as I carefully felt along the stacked boxes. “Jackie, where are you?”
“Come and find me,” the raspy voice said.
“Zombies don’t talk,” Nick said. “That’s gotta be her.”
At the sound of another shriek, I jumped back. My heart had never beat so fast before, and the floor creaked with every step I took. My flashlight beam swung around, but I didn’t see anything in the dim light. I aimed my gun and took a few more steps, then glanced around. Sweat coated the palms of my hands. I stood there holding my breath, listening for any sounds. I tried to hang on to what was left of my sanity and said in a shaky voice, “Jackie? Baby, talk to me.”
A ravenous moan echoed across the room and sent chills down my spine. A sudden panic flooded through me. I paused, drew a deep breath, and willed myself to keep going.
The signature zombie moans began to echo from the other side of the attic.
I took a deep, trembling breath.
“Zombies!” Val said.
“And more than one!” Asia said, her beam wavering as she whipped her flashlight all around.
Shapes began to emerge, and shadows shifted in the dim light. I could feel my hands shaking in fear as zombies started to stumble from all over the place. I was finally armed with a suitable weapon, but I had to be careful with each shot; the last thing I wanted to do was to put a bullet in Jackie, Nick, Val, or Asia. “Guys!” I yelled. “Don’t shoot Jackie. She’s wearing red.”
I wrapped my finger around the trigger and squeezed. A zombie in front of me fell back. Gunfire rang through the air as the others let shots off. Taking careful aim, I fired again. Another zombie in a blue suit fell sideways. Three more shots equaled three more down.
Suddenly, it was eerily quiet.
Asia shined her flashlight around. “I don’t see any more, but where’s Jackie?”
Val’s green eyes glowed through the darkness. “I see her.”
“Where?” Nick said.
“To the left.”
We all shined our lights, and as I swung my beam around to the left, I found myself staring into the milky white eyes of my girlfriend, looking at me in desperation, as if she was somehow trapped inside her own body. Her skin was torn and tattered, her lips black, like a living nightmare. “Jackie, don’t give up hope,” I said. “I’m here for you, always and forever.”
“Dean,” Jackie said, her voice garbled, “just hold me.”
Nick forcefully pulled me back. “Stay away from her! She already exhibited dangerous behavior when she bit Asia. We can’t trust her right now, Dean.”
“Dean,” she pleaded, “I-I don’t wanna be like this. I’m not strong enough to handle this.”
“I’ll be strong enough for the both of us,” I said, “but I need you to cooperate, okay?”
Suddenly, she began to laugh in a twisted, sinister chuckle. “Not a chance!” her voice thundered.
“She has a knife!” Asia said when the beam of her flashlight glistened across the shiny blade.
Before Asia’s words could even register, Jackie lunged at me, wielding the knife, but I flung myself sideways. I tried to seize her and knock the weapon out of her hand, but before I could, Val slammed her to the ground. Jackie shrieked and dropped the knife, sending it clattering to the floor. I trembled as a feeling of dread encompassed my body. Nick and Asia made quick work of tying my hybrid girlfriend up, and Val found a pillowcase to put over her head, and that immediately calmed her down. Nick heaved her over his shoulder, and we walked down the stairs.
As we walked, Asia and I scanned in front of us with our flashlights. “All clear,” she said.
We crunched over glass and hurried through the shattered door.
“Jackie!” Claire said, rushing over.
Nick motioned for Claire not to come any closer. “Get in the truck, Claire,” he said, rubbing his thumb on her cheek. “Kate will drive. She knows where to go.”
“I wanna drive, Nick,” Val said.
“Not today.”
“Why not?” she asked, staring at him and putting her hand on her hip the way our mother always did when she was angry. “Oh wait. You’re afraid I’m going to turn—”
Nick didn’t sugarcoat it. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. Driving under the influence of serum isn’t safe.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t know everything, Nick, and it’s not a foolproof plan. What if Claire and I turn and attack Kate while she’s driving?”
“Kate, Val, and Claire will ride up front and Dean, Lucas, me, Jackie, and Asia will ride in the back,” Nick said.
“Nick, I—” Val began.
Nick gripped her shoulder. “I know it’s not a perfect plan, but Kate has a walkie-talkie and can alert us.”
“So let me drive, and she can alert you if I turn.”
“Kate’s driving, end of discussion,” Nick said in his drill sergeant voice.
Realizing there was no point in arguing with him, Val and I obeyed our brother and got into the truck to sit in our assigned seats. It was a bit infuriating that Nick insisted on asserting his authority all the time, and I was sure our plan would have worked, but yet again, Nick insisted on his way.
I walked to the back of the truck and heard a series of moans echoing through the air. Sure enough, a glance down the street told me that flesh-eaters were on the way, a whole sea of them lumbering toward us. For the first time in a long time, the herd didn’t frighten me; we were armed and ready to fight if we had to, but we also had a vehicle and could easily just drive away.
“Everybody get in!” my brother roared.
I slammed the door shut, and Kate floored it, taking off with a jerk. Lucas sprawled out in a deep sleep. Jackie was lying in the corner, tied up and with the pillowcase over her head, quiet as a mouse. It took everything I had not to go over to her and whisper words of encouragement, but Nick had made it clear that if we didn’t keep our distance from her, he wouldn’t help us get her to the lab. I almost wanted to call his bluff, but I was afraid he’d separate me entirely from Jackie if I tried.
“Dean…” Jackie whispered, her voice scratchy. “Dean, help me. Please come here.”
Unable to resist her, I stood to go to her, but Nick gripped my wrist.
“Not a chance,” he said in a stern voice. “She’s already tasted human flesh, and now she wants more.”
I couldn’t imagine my girlfriend trying to hurt me, but I’d just witnessed it with my very own eyes when she’d come at me with the knife. “Just stay with me, Jackie. You know I’m here for you.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“Hold on, baby,” I said. “Try to fight it.”
“I-I’m trying.” She wailed out, as if she was in pain. “Dean, help me!”
I straightened and opened my mouth to speak, but my throat felt coarse and dry. It was about five p.m., and I knew we wouldn’t reach the lab until morning. I’d been through a lot, but nothing had ever been as hard as ignoring Jackie’s pleas for help, and watching her go through that horrible transformation was my worst nightmare. I wanted Jackie back, the Jackie I knew.
Chapter 13
We drove through the night and took shifts sleeping in the bumpy back of the truck. By the time dawn finally came, my thoughts were a blur. I felt I’d somehow failed Jackie. We had made progress on our journey and had saved many lives, including Val’s, but now Jackie was a hybrid, and we were in a worse situation than we were to begin with. Why does every solution we come up with create more problems? It’s always one step forward and two steps back. Still, as
bad as things were, no matter how long it took or what I had to do, I’d save Jackie somehow. Our journey in the zombie wastelands reminded me of an EKG. We had our ups and downs, peaking sometimes and then crashing back down into deep, dark valleys. At the moment, as I stared at my helpless, seemingly hopeless girlfriend, my heart felt as if it had flat-lined.
The truck came to a sudden stop, and my pulse pounded as someone or something started banging on the truck. The banging grew louder, and the truck began to shake.
With her gun drawn, Asia crept toward the back doors.
“Don’t you dare go out there,” Nick said, jerking her back. “We have no idea what we’re up against.”
Every muscle in my body tensed. “Uh…zombies, ya think?” I said, slightly sarcastically.
He grimaced at me. “Let’s find out how many.” He picked up the walkie-talkie. “What the heck’s going on out there?”
“Don’t get out!” came the reply.
I swallowed hard, wondering how many were outside.
“Don’t leave us in suspense, Kate,” Nick said. “What are you lookin’ at?”
“I’m driving us through a small herd,” her static reply said. “They came out of nowhere.”
“We’ve got a freaking arsenal back here,” Asia said. “I say we all get a little target practice in on these brain-slurpers.”
“Uh-uh,” I said, shaking my head and looking at Jackie. “We haven’t got time. Besides, Kate can probably mow ‘em down with the truck or maneuver through them.”
The truck backed up and turned around, then jerked forward as tires spun. We jerked once more, then started moving again.
“We’re good,” Kate said over the walkie-talkie.
Asia walked toward us, her lips pressed into a thin line, as if she was pouting or angry.
“Please stay seated while the vehicle is in motion,” Nick asked politely, mimicking an airplane stewardess.
“No.”
“What’s wrong with you, Asia?” I asked.
She was hesitant, then finally asked, “Did you notice something odd?”
“No. What?” Nick asked.
“Don’t play dumb,” she said. “You know full well what I’m talking about.”
Nick looked at me, then nodded back at her. “Sit down, Asia.”
She looked at him sternly and refused to back down. “Not until this is addressed.”
“What the heck are you two talking about?” I asked.
She stepped toward me, hanging on to the truck wall for balance as we flew over bumps. “Your girlfriend is a zombie magnet.” Her gaze shot to Jackie, who was still huddled up in the corner, whimpering slightly, with a pillowcase over her head. “You called them, didn’t you?” she asked.
Jackie said nothing.
“Think about it,” Asia said. “When I left Jackie at the jewelry store, she was alone, but when we went back to get her, there were zombies up in the attic. When we left town, a multitude of them were coming down the street toward us, even though they hadn’t been there seconds before. And then…well, there’s now. A horde of zombies just tried to take down our truck.”
“It’s no secret that the world is overrun by zombies, Asia,” I said. “It’s just a coincidence.” I shot my gaze to my brother. “Right, Nick? Tell her,” I said, in complete denial.
He let out a breath. “We know hybrids communicate somehow with other zombies, Dean. Jackie could be doing the same thing.”
A chill shot through my entire body. I knew it was true, but I didn’t want to believe it.
“Even tied up and blinded, your girlfriend is beyond dangerous,” Asia said.
“But…well, the zombies coming at us when we left coulda come because we fired off all those shots when the zombies poured out of the U-Haul. You know they’re attracted to gunfire and loud noises, and—”
“Maybe,” Nick said, shrugging, “or maybe not.”
“Maybe isn’t good enough. We need to know for sure,” Asia said. “If Jackie’s paging her friends with some kind of zombie telepathy, we’re gonna have major problems.”
My emotions surged at her implication. “Problems? What are you saying, Asia? We can’t just ditch her.”
“She’s gonna get us all killed,” Asia retorted. “She can call them. This totally changes things. I’m all about saving Jackie, but our survival has to come first.”
“She just wants to get rid of me, Dean,” Jackie said in a grating whine. “She wants to kill off her competition. She’s just jealous.”
As my head jerked in her direction, Asia touched my arm. “You know I like you, Dean, but I’d never do that. I’ve done nothing but try to help her.”
“Help me?” A maniacal, gravelly chuckle escaped Jackie’s throat. “She came at me with an axe! I only bit her in self-defense. She wanted to kill me, Dean…so she could have you.”
“No!” Asia said. “That’s not true.”
“Don’t engage her, Asia,” Nick cautioned. “You can’t reason with a hybrid.”
My heartbeat thumped in my chest as I carefully stood and said, “I-I don’t believe you, Jackie.”
“Sit down, Dean!” my brother said.
I kicked the side of the truck as hard as I could to release the pent-up anger that was lurking inside of me. Nobody stopped me or said anything as I continued kicking the steel truck wall.
Asia tried to comfort me after I stopped kicking, but Nick pulled her back. “Just let him be. He needs to cool off.”
She nodded and sat back down.
We had a decision to make. No matter where we hid Jackie, she’d be able to call for the zombies to help her. The other hybrids had called hordes to surround the nursing home to keep us from leaving the city. I knew it was dangerous to haul Jackie around, because she could always alert her undead counterparts with the strange psychic connection that hybrids had. It was no coincidence that zombies had tried to attack us three times since we’d come to Jackie’s rescue, but as true as it was, that didn’t make the harsh, cold reality any easier to swallow.
Nick’s flashlight wavered as we hit the bumps.
Asia turned to look at him in the dim light. “Zombies can’t get us while we’re moving, but the second we stop, we’ll be in trouble. She’s like bait, and they’ll always come for her. I understand friendship, Dean, and I know you care deeply about Jackie, but when it comes to survival,” she said, pausing and taking a deep breath, “well, I wanna live.” She slung her rifle over her shoulder. “Thanks for the weapons, and it was nice to meet you all, but I’m afraid I’m gonna have to part ways with you at our next stop.”
“What!?” I said in disbelief. “Asia, you can’t just go out there like some rogue, all by yourself. It’s too dangerous, and you’ll—”
“Yeah, the zombies are dangerous, but it’s far more dangerous to ride around with a come-and-get-it beacon summoning the zombies right to us. The truth is, I’ll be far safer out there.”
“Let her go, Dean,” Jackie said in a deep, frightening voice. “She isn’t worth it.”
I ran a hand through my hair as I tried to think things through. Asia was tough, and she’d made it through a lot, but I feared for her safety, and I didn’t want to lose her. “I thought we were a team.”
Asia shook her head. “So did I, but real teams look out for one another and do what’s best for the group. You’re willing to put every single one of us in danger because your judgment is clouded by the crush you have on Jackie.” She motioned to Nick. “He won’t ditch her because he’s loyal to you and because he has a crush on her cousin. He knows Claire will ditch you guys in a heartbeat if you refuse to help Jackie. You’re both endangering the group because you’re blinded by love, and I won’t be part of a team with blind leaders.”
“What do you expect us to do?” I asked. “Just drop her off and desert her?”
“Not at all,” she said, looking at me with a dark gleam in her eye. “Dean, you want to rid the world of zombies, and you and I both know w
e can’t just unleash a stray hybrid on the unsuspecting public. That killer over there has all of Jackie’s cunning, and she’ll use it to devour dozens of survivors.”
“Are you suggesting that we...” I shuddered unable to finish the question. There was no way I could kill Jackie, especially before we found the lab. “No!” I said, my voice thundering. “I’ll have no part of it!”
“That’s Nick’s decision, not mine.” She looked over at him. “Well, fearless leader? Set your emotions and your feelings for Claire and Dean aside for a moment, and tell me, what’s really best for the group?”
Nick looked at me and winced, as if he was about to break bad news. “Dean, Asia brings up some good points. Jackie’s a hybrid now. I’m sure Asia’s not trying to hurt you purposely, but she sees things more clearly because she isn’t…well, personally involved like we are.”
“How can you defend her, Nick? We’ve gotta give Jackie a chance,” I pleaded. “You fought for Val when she was a zombie, and if things were reversed, Jackie would fight for any of us!”
“Val couldn’t call other zombies,” he said in a stern voice. “Like Asia said, we were nearly attacked three times the second we had Jackie in our possession.”
I rolled my eyes, realizing that Asia was winning him over. “We have to at least get her to the lab so the scientists can examine her. They’ll need her blood because she’s the only hybrid we have.”
“Examine her? Dean, nobody’s gonna touch her with a ten-foot pole when they realize what she can do,” Asia said. “She’ll only bring death to any human near her, and her appetite hasn’t even kicked in yet. Sooner or later, she’s gonna get hungry, and—”
“Fine. Just let Jackie and I go,” I said, “and we’ll meet up with all of you in a few days. I’ll take her to the lab myself. I know she’ll never hurt me.”
“Absolutely not!” my brother chimed in.
“Even if you did get to the lab without her or her zombie buddies eating your heart out—literally—you’d be risking the lives of the scientists if you showed up at the lab with her,” Asia argued. “For someone who claims he wants to save the world, Dean, you sure are selfish!”
The Zombie Chronicles - Book 5 - Undead Nightmare (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) Page 12