“Then make her happy!” Val shouted.
I shifted the gears deliberately and forcefully as we sped forward. “Let the fun begin!” I felt like a red streak in the fabric of time. We had to be going 200 MPH, and it was pure, unadulterated awesome. The wind blew in my hair, and the glorious sound of the purring engine filled my ears. The power was absurd, and I was sure that car had to be the greatest invention ever built. I wanted to take it on the winding, curvy back roads, but I knew that wasn’t safe.
When we finally arrived back at the lab, I parked the car in the same spot.
“Thanks, Dean,” Val said. “It was nice to get out and let my hair down—literally,” she said, trying to finger-comb her windblown mop.
“I had a blast.”
She looked away, as if in deep thought, then met my gaze. “I feel like I fit in with you and Nick. I always knew deep down in my heart that I didn’t belong in the family I was raised in. I felt like something was wrong, like a piece of the puzzle was missing, but when I met you, Nick, Mom, Dad, and Grams, something sparked. We just…connected.” She paused. “Don’t get me wrong. I loved my adoptive family with all my heart, but we were so different.”
“I’m just happy they treated you well.”
“They treated me wonderfully, and I can’t complain. They raised me from a baby, and they did an amazing job. I miss them, and I wish I could’ve somehow saved them, but I couldn’t.”
I squeezed her hand. “Are you sure you want to go back to jail?”
She nodded. “Answers, Dean. I’ll do whatever it takes to find out what’s going on.”
Val was a fighter, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. I helped her get back to the cell, said goodnight to her, Jackie, and Claire, put the keys back in Jonathon’s lab coat, then headed off to bed.
Chapter 21
When I walked into the lab the next day, Jonathon was in the back, looking at something under the microscope. “Hey,” I said.
He glanced up. “Hi, Dean.”
“I know it hasn’t been long, but I’m dying to talk to you.”
“Come on over.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What are you working on?”
“I isolated the virus and added one drop of the serum.” He got up. “Have a look.”
I pressed my eye against the eyepiece and saw cells multiplying like crazy. “What’s happening?”
“That’s the serum at work, my friend.” His face lit up, and there were tears in his eyes. “I don’t mean to be so emotional, but I think I’ve found our magic potion—the key to saving us all.”
“Are you sure about that?” I snapped. “It turns people into flippin’ monsters.”
“It just needs a few minor adjustments,” he said.
“That’s why we’re here,” I said.
“I’m still in awe about this cure.”
“But you saw it work in Kingsville.”
“I know,” he said, his voice quivering. “It was amazing then, but it’s even more amazing now that I’m able to look at it from a molecular level. I’m watching it happen inside the cells,” he said, his voice raising an octave. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
I nodded.
He continued, “It diffuses inside the cell and starts rebuilding at an amazing rate.” He shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. I need to talk to the scientist that created this.”
I held back a shudder. “You can’t,” I said sadly. “He’s…gone.”
“Oh. I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” He looked back into the microscope. “Do you think there would be any way for me to get my hands on his notes?”
“It all went up in the explosion,” I said. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I’d never even had the chance to grieve for my boss and friend.
He held up the vial and turned it around in his fingers. “Do you know what’s in it?”
“I’ve got no idea. Can’t you just analyze it?”
“I’m trying.”
“Why did it cause Jackie to become a hybrid?” I asked.
“I’m trying to figure that out too.”
“Will Val and Claire turn into hybrids?”
“I don’t know, Dean. I have to keep studying the infected cell to see how it holds up to the serum.”
“If the serum heals, only to turn someone halfway, what good is it? Why would you be so excited about it?”
“Would you want an extra week with your loved ones to say goodbye?”
“No!” I shouted. “Not if I was going to turn into a hybrid.”
“But what if it was planned? You could humanely go to Heaven before the change took place. You’d have an extra week.”
I rolled my eyes. “Some people turn in two days.”
“That’s still two extra days, on top of the dying process, to say goodbye, Dean. At least there’s some warning.”
“No!” I yelled. “That’s not a cure! I didn’t go through all of this to give Val a little bit longer to live.” I gripped his shirt. “You have to fix this.”
“Dean,” he said calmly, “let me go.”
I loosened my grip. “I’m sorry. You have no idea what I’m going through. Isn’t there any way you can add something to keep the cell from reverting back?”
“Add something? It isn’t that simple, Dean. This isn’t a recipe. Adjustments will need to be made, but it isn’t just a matter of throwing in some paprika or a pinch of salt.”
“Find a way to make it work,” I begged, tears welling up in my eyes. “Please, Jonathon.”
“I might be able to modify this formula, but that’s no guarantee that I can save those who’ve already turned.”
“What!?” My breath quickened. “Are you saying you can’t save Jackie?”
“I’m saying there are no guarantees. Of course we’ll try. My team has barely slept, and we’ve been working on this night and day, but even if we fix the cure, it might be too late for your friend.”
“It cured her once. It could work again.”
“We’ll keep testing,” he said solemnly.
“I can’t let Jackie down,” I said. “There has to be a way to save her, a way to save all of them.”
“Is there hope for Claire and Val?”
He swallowed hard. “I’m sure they’ll turn any day now. Do you really think we can solve this problem that fast?”
I was choked with emotion. “You’re telling me you’ve had them locked up in a cage all this time, and you can do nothing to help them?”
“They’ll all change at some point. It’s just a matter of how long their bodies can hold out.”
The news hit me like a sack of bricks, and it felt as if the room was growing smaller and hotter. I was suffocating under the pressure of the devastating news that my sister, my girlfriend, and Claire were all doomed. I needed answers and hope, not the grim truths that were coming out of his mouth. Anger flooded through me, and I was half-tempted to smash the microscope through the wall. Even my happy place on top of the roof wouldn’t be enough. I needed air and wide-open spaces, because I was about to explode. “Is that herd still in the city?” I asked.
“Why? If you’re worried about the lab or the courthouse, they’re both secure, and—”
“Are they here or not?” I asked, cutting him off.
“They’ve finally given up and left. Our spotters say they’re heading north.”
“Good. Then I know not to go that direction when I leave.” I spun toward the exit.
“Leaving? Dean, stop!”
“No,” I said.
“Where do you plan to go?”
I stopped briefly. “Just outside…to think.”
“But you can’t. You’ll—”
“I refuse to live my life in a bubble!”
“I can’t let you go.”
I stopped and glared at him. “So stop me, Doc.”
He inched back. “Dean, don’t make me…I-I don’t want to—”
“I didn’t think so.
”
He walked to the corner of the room and reached for a rifle.
“Are you pulling a weapon on me?” I asked in disbelief.
He walked up to me, holding my stare, and I contemplated taking him down. His gaze narrowed. “Take this so you don’t end up dead.”
“I already have a gun.”
“One is never enough.”
“You’re right. If one jams, I’m screwed.”
“Exactly.”
I couldn’t refuse his offer. Nick had hidden the keys to the U-Haul, and I didn’t want to ask him for a rifle, because I was in no mood for his big-brother bossiness or the third degree. Taking Jonathon’s gun was easier than dealing with my brother. I slung the rifle over my shoulder. “Thanks.”
He reached into a cabinet. “Also, I have something to calm you down.”
“What? You’re not gonna sedate me,” I said, turning to leave before he injected me with something.
“Wait!” he yelled. “It’s not what you think. It’s just candy.”
I stopped midstride and spun back toward him and smiled as he handed me a huge Hershey bar, a luxury treat I hadn’t had in a while. I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I just thought—”
“I’m not a mad scientist or some sinister scientist,” he said. “Enjoy it. The boys found it on one of the supply raids.”
I slipped it into my pocket. “Thanks.”
“You know I’ll have to tell Nick you left.”
“Sure, rat me out.”
“The herd left, but it’s still dangerous out there.”
“Trust me, I’ve been through a lot worse.” I swallowed hard, realizing I sounded just like my brother; in fact, it was the same line he always used that line on me, but now I knew what he was talking about. Without looking back, I headed down the twisting corridors and finally found my way out.
The cool air blew in my face as I walked down the lonely street. A few straggler zombies were walking around, but they were easy enough to handle. I didn’t know where I was going, but I really I didn’t care. I just couldn’t stand being in that lab another minute. It was risky to go outside, but I was beyond rational thought. I felt like a pressure cooker, about to explode. Over-the-top emotions hijacked my once clear and focused mind.
Everything was a blur as I turned up and down streets. I rounded the corner and saw no signs of life or living dead. I feared the latter, but not enough to stop my little impromptu hike. As I walked on, something caught my eye: a deep blue lake. The sun shimmered across tiny ripples, and I could see all the way to the other side. Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to it. I climbed down the hill and found myself on a rocky beach. That was when a bright yellow canoe caught my attention.
It would be harder to man a canoe by myself than it would have been to man a kayak, but I’d done it before. My dad always loved to canoe alone, and he’d told me it was like having a backstage pass to every inconspicuous, hidden lake cove. “You can go as fast or as slow as you want, and you don’t have to coordinate strokes with anyone else,” he’d told me.
Zombies couldn’t swim, and while some people thought they could walk along the bottom of lakes and rivers and emerge on the other side, we’d learned that rumor wasn’t true. As the dead bodies decayed, they released gas, so when the zombies fell in the water, the rotting organs would swell up, allowing them to float or be swept away by the current. Some rotted away in the water, and others washed up onshore. A few had ended up on our island that way, but I wasn’t afraid of zombies overtaking my canoe. If I saw any in the lake, I’d just paddle away from it. They weren’t coordinated enough to backstroke or even dog-paddle; that kind of stuff only happened in horror movies.
I inspected the nine-foot vessel, which appeared to be in great shape. I picked up the lifejacket and flung it to the back, then threw the rifle in the bottom of the boat. I climbed in easily and sat in the bow seat, then picked up the paddle, which I used to gently push the canoe away from shore. I dipped the paddle into the water until the blade was submerged, using a J-stroke to correct the bow drift away from the paddle side without killing momentum. As the paddle passed my body, I twisted my hands down and out. The paddle blade rotated a quarter-turn, and then I pried the blade away from the boat. It worked great for a one-man canoe trip, and I was quite impressed with myself. Most of what I knew about canoeing came from my days as a Boy Scout. My dad was a troop leader, so we went together on many wilderness adventures. Nick and I loved being in the woods, setting up a tents, and canoeing down the river.
Using my leg muscles and upper body strength, I made smooth, powerful, well-balanced strokes and headed west, propelling in a straight line. I had no idea where I was heading and didn’t really care; I just wanted to burn off steam. So many emotions were flooding through me at the same time. I was consumed with guilt, anger, frustration, and fear.
All I’d really done was extend Val’s life. It had given me extra time to know her, and I was thankful for that, but knowing that we’d done it all in vain cut me to the core. I was angry, completely enraged. My feelings were overwhelming and intense, rushing over me like a tidal wave. Looking upward at the sky, I screamed, “Why!?” I felt numb, withdrawn, and disconnected.
I rowed harder as the sun beat down on my face. Sweat poured down my back as I gasped for breath. We both had bad tempers, but Nick had been so angry over the last year. Although he tried to hide it, he was depressed. Anger was his way of feeling, of being alive so he wouldn’t be as dead as the zombies he fought. It was easier for Nick to feel anger than to control and manage the overwhelming feelings of sadness and grief. He grounded himself and released anger by fighting zombies. Every zombie he killed was revenge for Darla’s death.
But it was more than just the zombies. It was also Darla. He’d lost his childhood girlfriend, and I couldn’t help seeing things from my brother’s perspective. I hadn’t even known Jackie that long, but I couldn’t bear to lose her. I couldn’t even begin to feel what Nick felt. He’d been hopelessly in love with Darla.
Even I missed Darla. She was beautiful, funny, and smart. She loved life and her country. She had long, wavy, blonde hair and hazel eyes. My family adored her, and they’d immediately accepted her with open, loving arms. In a heartbeat, we all lost her, just like that. My mother had been close to her and couldn’t seem to stop crying. Worst of all, she was six weeks pregnant, and Nick and she planned to elope the following weekend. The funeral was a closed casket. After she died, Nick swore he’d never love anyone again, and I realized that had to be a lonely, pathetic, sad existence. I couldn’t blame him for harboring a personal vendetta against zombies and against life.
I sucked in a trembling breath as the boat bobbed up and down in the water. As hard as it was, I tried to leave my cares behind as I enjoyed the serene landscape. Out there, I couldn’t tell that the world was a mess, a living nightmare. I didn’t even see any zombies onshore, plotting my demise. Birds flew overhead, and the sun peeked in and out of white, fluffy clouds. It would have been perfect if Jackie had been there next to me. I knew she would love the place. There was something special about the healing solitude of the outdoors.
Whenever I had problems as a child, I’d build secret forts or go to private corners of the woods. It was my way of dealing with problems. I watched ants carry their leaves, picked up insects, and stared at spiders spinning their intricate webs. I’d make play boats out of leaves and follow them down the stream in the woods. Life was so simple and carefree back then as a kid, and I missed that feeling. Still, even though I was living in hell, I had to survive. Every day I grew stronger and somehow found strength to make it to the next day. My determination to fight and win was far greater than the zombies’ desire to bite into my flesh.
After paddling around the circular lake for what felt like hours, I decided to stop and rest directly at the center. Glancing around, I set down my paddle. I’d found what I’d paddled out there for: peace and quiet. I could be alone in my thoughts, without co
nstant interruptions. I could spend hours getting lost in my own thoughts out there under the big, blue sky.
The second Nick lost Darla, he’d become angry at the world. I knew anger could be a defensive strategy to push other people away. Nick wouldn’t let anyone close to him. He bottled up everything and dived into the world of fighting zombies. I wondered if I would be the same way. If I lose Jackie, how will I survive? Will I become as angry as Nick? Will I seek revenge on every zombie who crosses my path as payback for an epidemic that none of us can control? Will I push everyone away?
I reached deep into my coat pocket and pulled out my small photo album and thumbed through the pictures of Jackie and me. I stopped at one in particular. We both looked so happy in such a broken world. I remembered Crazy Jim’s words, his claims that love could never exist and that all happily ever afters were gone. I stared down at Jackie’s beautiful, smiling face. “No. I refuse to believe that,” I said, refusing to let him poison my mind. “I know love exists, because I still feel it, and hope is absolutely everything.”
I took a few deep breaths, inhaling the fresh air and enjoying the lake view. The rhythmic lapping of gentle waves relaxed me. I felt safe out there, as if nothing could touch me. I moved toward the back of the canoe and dangled my legs over the side, all sprawled out. The sun beat down on my face as I pulled out my chocolate bar. I hadn’t had a bite of chocolate in a long time, and it was so delicious that I even licked my fingers clean when I was done.
It was peaceful, serene, beautiful, quiet, and normal out there, a far cry different from the rest of the world. Not only was it free of zombies, but there were no ruthless people there, the ones who preyed on innocent humans just to survive. I thought back on some of the traitors I’d known, the people who were willing to kill other humans, and I wondered why all the survivors couldn’t just band together in peace and fight their common enemy to survive.
The Zombie Chronicles - Book 5 - Undead Nightmare (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) Page 20