I tried to push the body off of me, but his pure white eyes snapped open, and he wrapped his dead fingers around my wrist and squeezed. As what was left of Crazy Jim peered deep into my soul, my heart lurched. I was so startled that no sound came out when I tried to scream. His teeth snapped as I shoved him as hard as I could with my feet. A second later, the living corpse of Crazy Jim spun ahead of me, and the current slowed enough for me to stop my momentum.
I scrambled up and scooted to the side to wait for the others. I peered around, worried that the zombie of Crazy Jim would come back for me, though I was sure he wasn’t coordinated enough to stand on the uneven terrain. I ran a hand through my wet hair and pondered everything that had happened. Goosebumps dotted my skin, and I shivered. Up on the surface, we’d all been sweating like mad, but in the sewer, it was freezing.
When dots of wavering lights came rushing toward me, I squinted. It was the headlamps from Ed and Steven. I frantically waved my arms but didn’t dare yell for them. They kept quiet as well and greeted me with few words.
Rachel touched my face and smiled, thankful I was alive. “Crazy Jim didn’t make it,” she whispered.
“I know,” I whispered back. “I’m so sorry.”
The light on my hardhat lit the way as Ed led us up a different ladder to a smaller tunnel. “Time to crawl,” he whispered.
“I’m claustrophobic,” Rachel said, staring at the entrance.
I touched the shaking hand she rested on my shoulder. “You can do this, Rachel. We’ve got no choice.”
Steven guided her over. “I’m right here with you, baby.”
Rachel let out a trembling breath and climbed in, then shuffled forward on her knees, continuing to mumble under her breath.
I dropped to my hands and knees and peered in. I wasn’t keen about it either, but I didn’t argue. At that point, I would have done anything to get out of that underground nightmare. One by one, we squeezed through the crawlspace.
“It’s gonna get tight enough that you’ll have to crawl on your belly, like an inchworm,” Ed warned.
I inched my way along the cramped interior, crawling, sliding, and squirming on my stomach, using my elbows and feet to push me along the narrow tunnel and break through the spider webs galore; it gave me a whole new appreciation for groundhogs, gophers, and snakes. The scent of rotten eggs and spoiled milk hung thick in the air around me. My knees burned, and my breath came in labored heaves. I had no idea where I was, and I couldn’t imagine how Ed had committed such a complex network of tunnels to memory. He’d made a few mistakes in our hurry to get away, but his sense of direction was truly amazing, and I was glad we’d brought him along. When we emerged into the next tunnel, I was able to scramble out and stand up. I peered into the hole, I quickly helped the others out.
Zombies moaned, and again I was on high alert. I turned toward their voices, but I didn’t see anything illuminated in the path of my headlamp. I could hear that they were close, and it was unsettling that I couldn’t see them. My mouth dropped open as Rachel’s horrified gaze locked with mine.
“Steven, give me your bat,” she whispered. “Use the gun. I hear tons of those things, and sports equipment isn’t gonna cut it.”
“Where are they coming from?” Steven asked, drawing his gun.
“I dunno.” I pointed my gun ahead, resting my finger readily on the trigger. I walked twenty feet and reached a ledge with a sharp drop. “Looks like a dead end,” I said, doubting Ed once again.
“It’s not,” the boy said. “Over there.” He shined his flashlight to the far wall.
“No way!” Rachel said with a shudder as the blood drained from her face. “You want us to walk across the room on that narrow ledge?”
“Exactly,” he said.
My light beam from my headlamp swung down, and I could see hundreds of white eyes staring back up at me. A nervous, cold sweat began to trickle down my face as I gazed at the herd of zombies shuffling around below, moaning excitedly, as if they were sure a meal was near. I jumped back and turned to Ed. “There has to be another way.”
“It’s not that bad. Just follow me.”
“Falling into a dark pit of zombies isn’t that bad?” Rachel retorted.
“You’re not gonna fall,” he said. “I never have.” He bravely climbed onto the ledge and started inching his way over to the other side. “Are you afraid of heights or what?” Ed asked. “How many phobias can a girl have?”
“I’m not,” she answered between clenched teeth. “I’m afraid of falling though.”
“Yeah, well, I’m afraid of a great white shark coming out of my shower drain, but that don’t mean it’s gonna happen,” he said.
In spite of our dire circumstances, I had to chuckle at the kid. I didn’t understand how he could be so calm.
My boots stepped on the black muck that caked the two-foot wide ledge with a fifty-foot drop into a lake of the infected. I knew they would be the scariest footsteps I’d ever take in my life, but it was do-or-die time—again. I pressed my back against the rough, green wall and took small, sideways steps. The stone was wet and cold, the ground treacherous and uneven. I knew if I made one wrong step on the slippery slime, I’d fall straight into the sea of undead. It didn’t help that my entire body was shaking all over.
The undead shuffled below, their moans intensifying as more of them joined the feeding frenzy.
I sucked in a trembling breath. My feet were plastered to the rock as I made my way over. I knew if I could focus on my footsteps as I slowly edged along, I’d be okay, but the second I looked down, my stomach lurched. I took a deep breath to regain my composure, then took several slow, measured steps. As I moved along, I wondered what made me put myself in harm’s way so often. What possesses me to go on missions like this? I wondered. The answer to that was one my mother had told me long ago: I had a huge heart, and there was no way I could let a girl die on top of a statue if I could do something to stop it.
“Come on, Dean,” Ed coaxed. “You’re almost over.”
When I got to the end, I stepped off and looked down the next dark tunnel. I reached out my hand and helped the others. Rachel let out a long sigh and hugged Steven. Without another minute to waste, we walked down the drain.
We walked for a few minutes in silence before snarls echoed from behind. “Will this nightmare never end?” I said aloud, a thought I’d intended to keep to myself.
Chapter 19
When I glanced behind me, I saw zombies coming from one of the tunnels we’d just passed, the one that had branched off to the right, flooding in fast. I didn’t want to die down there, but I didn’t know if I’d have much of a choice.
“Hop over the smart blockade!” Ed yelled.
With my heart pounding, I saw the concrete structure a few strides away. I decided I’d take out the closest zombies so the others would have a fighting chance to escape. A zombie with a black face and the biggest white eyes I’d ever seen lurched at me. My foot collided with its decaying, brittle, cracked ribs while I reached for my gun. Aiming carefully, I fired shot after shot, till my gun clicked empty. I had no time to reload, so it was time to make my escape. In a flash, I clambered on top of the concrete structure. Just as I was about to swing my leg over, something gripped my boot. I flailed and shouted.
Steven, Ed, and Rachel grabbed my shoulders in a frenzy and tugged, trying to pull me away from the monster. I gazed down into the sea of zombies waiting to pull me into their mob and pounce on me like a piece of raw meat. Their snarling, their bloodthirsty moans, and their dead eyes were something I would never get used to. I kicked with every ounce of strength I had and finally fell back into the arms of my friends, still alive and well.
As I glanced up, I could see dozens of zombies reaching over the top of the cement block. I stared at their white eyes and disease-riddled flesh that drooped from their faces as they rotted. The thought of falling into their grasp mortified me, and I was so glad my friends had pulled me over. I had
to remind myself that in spite of their numbers, they couldn’t bust through that thick slab of concrete. Not quick to give up, the small army flailed their arms around, screaming for our flesh, and I knew those cries would haunt me forever.
“The manhole!” Rachel shouted, pointing. “It’s right above us!”
The rungs reaching the manhole were right next to the concrete blockade, where the flailing hands were coming over the top. The fourth rung was the danger point; a zombie could easily reach it and grab one of us, and we’d have to lean very far to the left to escape their grasp.
Rachel started to climb, but Steven reached for her. “Let me or Dean go first. I don’t need something ripping your head off at the top.”
“Whoever’s going, just go!” Ed’s voice thundered.
Swarms of undead moans filled my ears, making me shudder. I’d never been so happy to see a manhole in my entire life. Please let it be open! I climbed up the rungs as fast as I could, and when I got to the fourth rung, I leaned way to the left, just out of the clutches of those dead hands reaching for me.
“Time to get out of Hell,” Steven shouted. “I hope there’s not a welcome wagon at the top this time.”
Shaking off his words, I scooted the lid off with a big heave. I craned my neck and looked, then sighed in relief when nothing jumped out at me. Peering out, I took in everything around me. It was dark, but the street was empty. The night sky was a beautiful, glorious sight. Covered in dirt, grime, and spider webs, I climbed out and scanned my surroundings, keeping my reloaded gun drawn. I was so thankful that I’d survived that underground would-be tomb that I wanted to kiss the asphalt.
“Is it safe?” Rachel yelled urgently over the groans of the dead from below.
“Yeah, for the moment,” I said. “C’mon.” My labored breathing eased, though my lungs still burned and my head pounded. I helped Ed climb out, then Rachel.
Rachel gazed into my eyes and hugged me. “Thank you, Dean. I owe you my life. You’re so brave.”
“It has nothing to do with bravery. My survival instincts just kicked in. I’ll never go down without one heck of a fight. It kind of runs in my family,” I said with a grin, thinking of Nick and Val.
Steven climbed out and gave me a fist-bump.
I smiled. “Today, we all looked fear in the face—”
“And we all survived,” Steven finished with a chuckle, slapping my back.
Ed threw himself on the ground and looked up at the stars. “Am I really alive?”
“You are,” I said, “but you and your dad better rethink your plans. I think you’ve seen proof that you’re never gonna be able to secure these drains and make them safe. There are too many zombies down there.”
“Meh,” he said, dismissing my negativity, “we’ll get it done. We just need more time and manpower.”
Steven’s face lit up when his eyes connected with Rachel’s. She let out a deep breath, but the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. She wiped at them, then suddenly laughed through even more tears.
“I wasn’t about to let anything happen to you,” he said
Rachel exhaled and wiped more tears away, overwhelmed with relief. She threw her arms around Steven. “We made it,” she whispered.
He spun her around in a circle and kissed her deeply. Steven’s voice wavered as he stroked the hair from her face. “Let’s go home.”
“You bet,” she said.
“Aw. I guess Crazy Jim was wrong,” Ed said.
“About what?” I asked.
“There’s still such a thing as happily ever after,” Ed said, “even though Prince Charming stinks worse than a million dead corpses,” he said with a smile, looking at Steven. “I think our blonde Cinderella here should run.”
“Hey! You better can it, mole, or I’ll throw you back down in the hole with the other rats.”
I smiled at their banter and looked away, wondering if I’d ever have my own happily ever after. Grief swarmed through me as I thought about Jackie and her condition. I felt awful knowing that she was sedated, stuck in a jail cell, but we had little choice. I was also saddened about my sister and Claire, and I was worried about Kate and Asia. As I thought about my team, I had to swallow a lump in my throat once again.
As we walked back under the moonlight, I looked sideways at Ed. “I thought you said there weren’t many zombies in the drains.”
The kid shot me an innocent look. “And you believed me?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Didn’t you wonder why the adults wouldn’t come with us?” Ed asked. “Why they dismissed Steven's idea?”
“I did think that was strange, since it was the quickest route to get to Rachel,” I replied.
“Well, now you know.” Ed walked briskly to keep up with me. “We just lucked out that we didn’t run into any packs on the way there.”
Steven shook his head. “I was sure he’d figure it out when he didn’t see any rats.”
A deep chill ran through me as I tried to make sense of his words. “You knew,” I said, “and you didn’t warn me?”
He met my gaze as he tilted his head slightly, his eyes sad. “Maybe I shoulda been a little more forthcoming, but I was afraid if I told you how bad it was, you wouldn’t come with me. Ed’s great as a navigator, but I needed somebody to cover me.”
I pointed down at another random manhole and stomped down on it. “Down there, what we just went through, all those zombies…that’s the story of my life.”
“What do you mean?” Ed asked.
“Every time I leave the safe confines of my environment, I find myself caught in a life-or-death battle, fighting those freaks!” Anger flooded through me as I gripped his jacket and threw him up against a lamppost. “Ed’s just a kid, so I can’t really blame him, but you? You should have warned me!” I thundered. “I was willing to put my life on the line to save your girlfriend, and I had a right to know what we’d be up against.”
“Let him go!” Rachel demanded.
“I’m sorry,” Steven apologized.
I loosened my grip and sucked in a calming breath. There was so much pain, anger, sadness, and worry lurking in my thoughts, and I knew I was taking more of it out on him than I needed to.
“I should have been up front with you, man,” Steven said. “I’m really, really sorry. I was just afraid you wouldn’t—”
“I would’ve come with you anyway,” I said. “I would have, but I wouldn’t have let a thirteen-year-old go with us. You had no right to risk a kid’s life like that. He’s only thirteen.”
“Nobody knows the sewer like Ed,” he shot back.
I motioned toward Ed. “You lured him into a pit of vipers, and he didn’t even have a real weapon to defend himself.”
“Not true,” Ed said, shaking his head. “I had a crowbar.”
I turned to face him. “What if four had come at you at once, kid? You should have had a gun. No, better yet, you should be back on my island, safe and sound, living the life a thirteen-year-old should be living.”
Ed crossed his arms. “It was my idea, not Steven’s. You keep calling me a kid, but I’m way more grown up than you think.”
“My point exactly,” I said. “You shouldn’t have to be. You shouldn’t even be thinking about life-or-death decisions and search-and-rescue missions at your age. You had to decide whether to hide or go into another drain. One wrong move, and we would’ve all been dead! That kind of thing shouldn’t be on a kid’s shoulders.”
Steven then gazed into Rachel’s eyes. “Ed’s plan was dangerous but brilliant. I love this girl, and I’d do anything to save her life. From what you said to me, Dean, I thought you could understand that.”
She smiled. “I love you so much, baby. Thank you. You know I’d do the same for you.”
I let out a breath. “I get it. Love conquers all. I’ve got a girl in my life, too, and I’ve gone to extremes to save her.”
“So why are you yelling at me?” Steven asked. “What if it was your girl
stuck on that statue?”
I rolled my eyes. The kid was in love, and nobody knew how awesome that felt more than me. “I guess you’re right, but I still deserved a warning.”
“You’re right, and I’m sorry,” he repeated. “How can I repay you?”
“For starters, I need you to keep this little underground excursion a secret. If my brother or Lucas find out about it, I’m dead meat.”
“Your secret is safe with us,” Steven said with a smile. “I can’t thank you enough, man. To make up for all the trouble I put you through, I’ll let you drive my brand new red Ferrari.” He reached into his pocket and handed me a set of keys. “Take it out sometime in the next few days. It’s not like I’m going anywhere. I think Rachel and I will be chilling out indoors for few weeks.”
“Yeah, trotting around the city almost got me killed,” Rachel said. “I’ve learned my lesson.”
I tightly gripped the keys.
“The best part is, there won’t be any traffic or cops to worry about,” Steven said. “I know I can never fully repay you, but—”
I smiled. “It’s definitely a start.”
***
Days passed. Rachel was safely back in the facility, and she and Steven couldn’t stop thanking me for my help and support. Lucas and Nick didn’t come back until late that night, and they had no idea I’d even left the lab. The group of men that had tried to rescue Rachel hadn’t been able to break through the zombie street gangs, so I felt some sense of accomplishment that I’d done something several grown men couldn’t.
I sat in the lobby and stared out the huge windows. No zombies were pacing up and down the street, and it looked like any street in any city.
“Are the monsters gone?” a squeaky voice asked.
The Zombie Chronicles - Book 5 - Undead Nightmare (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) Page 18