Infection Series (Book 1): Preservation

by Nelson, S. L.

  Bethann watched the shuffle of people as they inched closer, “How fast do you think this will spread?” Frowning she continued, “Why don’t we hear sirens everywhere?”

  No one had an answer to her question.

  Pulling out her cell phone, Veronica typed in a message to her Dad, “I am sending my Dad an emergency code. It lets him know that I am on my way to him. He’ll be ready for us.”

  “Your Dad’s a bit nuts isn’t he?” Ian spit out from a few feet away. “He lives on a compound. Fences, security lights, and stuff like that. Acts like a crazy survivalist or something.”

  “Ian, you’re dumb.” Bethann said sadly.

  “Veronica’s dad was a high ranking service man in the military,” Bethann raised her hand, “Don’t ask how high or what branch. We don’t know and he won’t tell. Anyway, he retired and yes, built a compound but not because he’s crazy. Because he knows things. We would be safe there. Probably until whatever this thing is has runs its course.” Bethann finished.

  Ian walked over close to the four, “You guys aren’t serious are you?” He whispered harshly, “That trek would take us months on foot, through all kinds of cities. We would be overrun.”

  Cody looked around at the group of people, at the boys, his team, and Dana, and decided it wasn’t his decision to make for them. He walked toward the boys and motioned for everyone to come close, “Colby, is there anyone we should be contacting for you?”

  “I already offered to call for them,” Dana responded, “They only had their dad.”

  Cody reached out and touched each of the boys, “You have us now.”

  Matt and Colby nodded their heads, unshed tears making their eyes shine.

  “What about you Dana? Is there some place we can get you?” Jake asked.

  “I’m at the UW Madison, originally from Michigan.” Looking at her phone, she thought about calling her parents but didn’t know if she should, looking up at Veronica and Cody she said, “Honestly, I don’t know what to do. I’m scared and don’t want to be out on my own.”

  Matt grabbed onto Dana’s hand, “We should stay together.” He whispered.

  Nodding her head, “Yeah, I’ll stay. Should I call my family? Warn them?” Dana questioned.

  Ian snorted, “For all we know, this is some kind of local drug thing and will be dealt with by our police. If you start calling people and tell them the walking dead are real, who’s going to believe you?”

  “Sadly, I have to agree with Ian at this point.” Cody replied, “We have a plan but would like to know what everyone else thinks,” Cody looked each person in the eye and received a nod of understanding before he explained; “Jake and I would like to head to the State Patrol Headquarters. First trying to stop at our apartment buildings to retrieve weapons, food, clothing, and anything else we would need.”

  No one objected to the plan yet, so Cody continued, “Depending on the strength and stability of headquarters, we many need to scratch that plan. Veronica suggested that we head to her Dad’s home, a retired military man that has prepared for any kind of disaster. The difficulty with that is the distance. We need to get to the Minnesota/Canadian border.”

  Cody stopped talking when Ian scuffed at a rock, sending it crashing into the plywood wall. Everyone held their breath at the loud ping of contact. They relaxed when there was no answering screech but each person glared at Ian for his childish behavior.

  Cody continued, “Our other option is to try to find a place to hunker down. Try to gather supplies and wait it out somewhere local. What do you think?”

  Each of them took a moment to weight their options. Dana spoke first, “I owe my life to Veronica and Bethann, if they believe we will make it to her dad’s compound and we’ll be safe, then I am in.”

  Matt and Colby looked at each other, a silent communication between brothers, and then Colby spoke up, “We will go too, with Veronica.”

  Cody nodded his agreement and turned toward Cindy, “What do you say partner?”

  “If the patrol center is in anyway operational, I will be staying to help. It’s why I signed up for the job.” Cindy replied, “I do think that you should get whoever you can to a safe place. If you think it will be with Veronica’s Dad, then I’ll do what I can to get you what you need for the journey.”

  Cody was sorry to hear her decision but was not surprised by her response. Cindy has always been independent and focused on her career. “We’ll see what’s happening when we get done with the apartment building.”

  “Jake, what do you think?” Cody held his breath waiting for his answer. He didn’t know if he would be strong enough to protect this group if he had to head out by himself.

  Jake had been punching keys on his phone, “I don’t care how loony it sounds, I sent a message to my Mom and my sister Amy.” Jake stuffed his phone back into his pocket, “If it is alright, I would like to send them your Dad’s address so they can meet us up there.”

  Veronica noticed Cody’s shoulders drop in relief, “Yes, of course. If, whatever this is spreads, we will need to keep as many people as possible safe.” Jake offered a smile as thanks.

  “Well, I guess that settles that.” Caleb announced, “We’ll send messages to our families and get as many as we can to safety. No matter how crazy it sounds.”

  “What if they don’t believe us or don’t want to come?” Matt asked.

  Lucas crouched down so he was eye level with Matt and Colby, “There are always going to be people who refuse to believe that something as unbelievable as this could happen and we won’t be able to change their minds. There will also be people who will believe us but will try to stay and fight for their home and family. All we can do is stick together and help those who are willing to accept it.”

  Matt nodded his head, not really understanding everything that Lucas said but he was sure that he and Colby were safe as long as they stayed with Cody and Veronica.

  “Are they Zombies?” Colby whispered, afraid if he said it too loud that it might come true.

  Dana reached over and squeezed Colby’s knee, “No, they are sick though and it seems that it might be contagious, so we are going to do our best to stay away from them.” Dana looked at her new friends in the fading light, willing them to agree with her.

  “Well Ian, you can make your choice now or later.” Bethann offered. Ian’s response was a cool glare.

  Chapter 16

  The smell of the infected was getting stronger; Cody knew they had to move. Taking a quick look out of each opening, he told the group what he suspected, “I think we have roughly a quarter mile of a safe distance, they can’t hear, smell, or see us. As long as we keep that distance and stay quiet, we should be fine. Let’s get ready to move.” Cody asked everyone to pair up, making two lines.

  “I need a second to pee, I’ll catch up,” Ian countered Cody’s directions.

  Ian watched as they slowly left the structure two at a time. Cindy and Caleb were the last to leave. Ian walked over to what he imagined would be the living room and stood in the corner. He unzipped his fly and took his time soaking the walls and the dirt.

  “Hope you enjoy that smell.” Ian snickered to himself.

  He didn’t know why he was still with the stupid bunch of losers. He didn’t need them, he was perfectly capable of defending himself. He took a peek out toward the fields, “Look at them, they’re just standing there.”

  Ian mimicked shooting each one with a pistol and laughed as he imagined each one falling to the ground. He imagined Dana falling at his feet in gratitude and Veronica begging him to take her back. Ian even imagined her saying, “I don’t mind sharing as long as I get to be with you.” Ian sighed in contentment at his fantasy. Looking around, he figured he should get out too but should he stick with them or go on his own? Ian stepped through the front door and took a few steps, coughing at the smell that assaulted him. He whistled and waved the air away from his nose. His actions were rewarded with an answering shriek. Ian whipped his h
ead toward the sound and saw that two of the sick people made it into the boundary of the yard.

  They appeared to be young men but it was hard to tell under the blood and torn clothing. They had bite marks on their faces and hands. Their stumbling walks became more focused and determined when they saw Ian just a few yards from their reach. Twin shrieks racked the air.

  Fear filled Ian, freezing him for a second before he took off at a sprint to catch up with the group.

  As Ian cleared the yard, he heard another shriek from the fields. Turning his head, he could see a handful of people galloping in his direction. Ian couldn’t help the scream of terror that flew from his throat. Ian realized now that his act of defiance could cost him his life. He had no idea what direction they went and blindly went down a street filled with children’s play toys. He could hear the pounding of feet behind him but was too afraid to turn around.

  “HELP!” Ian screamed at the top of his lungs.

  It was late enough for most people to be in at night but not too late that they would be sleeping. He could see people flashing on porch lights and hear the sweep of opening doors as he ran by. Soon the sound of footsteps were replaced by the screams of those who opened their doors. Ian couldn’t help the tears that slipped down his face. He pounding through the street, breath heaving, relief easing the tightness in his chest knowing that his attackers found other prey. Ian continued to run hard toward the towering buildings he saw in the distance. He knew they were the apartment buildings and he hoped he would find one of his group soon. Ian slowed as he came to another break in the wall, offering a footpath out of the housing complex. He took a few deep breaths to ease the pain in his chest from running. He noticed the air was absent of that putrid smell. Slowly, he walked along the wall and peered around the corner. He was just in time to see the red of Veronicas head as she ducked around the corner of the building. Without hesitation, Ian sprinted in her direction, taking the corner as fast as he could and ran right into the back of Lucas, bouncing off and landing flat on his back.

  Veronica turned to look at the commotion and saw Ian on the ground, “What is your problem?” she hissed.

  Veronica could see that he was in distress. Noticed how he continued to look behind him, as if expecting someone or something to follow.

  “What did you do!” Veronica demanded in an angry flat voice.

  Now that Ian was back in the relative safety of the group, fear left his body. He picked himself up off the ground and wiped the dirt from his pants.

  “Nothing, I didn’t do anything,” Ian responded defensively.

  Relieved that no one heard him scream, “I just wanted to catch up. Didn’t realize you all stopped. What are we waiting for? Are we going in?” Ian demanded.

  Veronica didn’t believe a word he said but had no choice but to accept it.

  “We’re waiting for Jake and Cody. This is Jake’s apartment building. We’ll head to Cody’s, which is four buildings that way.” Veronica replied, pointing behind Ian.

  Within fifteen minutes of Ian’s arrival, Jake and Cody were back with the group, each carrying a large duffle bag.

  “It’s mostly weapons, clothes, and first aid supplies. I don’t keep much food in the cupboards” Jake explained, “Cindy, are you sure you don’t want to try and get your gear?”

  Cindy shook her head, “No, our apartment building is too close to the part of town quickly filling in with sick people. I don’t want to risk anyone of us for a shotgun and a couple of mags” Cindy replied, “Besides, I’m sure you and Cody will have enough to go around.”

  “Is anyone else wondering why it’s so quiet here?” Caleb asked. “We just ran from two different groups of infected people. Why aren’t there more stumbling around, screeching?”

  Caleb was the smallest of the recruiting class. What he lacked in muscle and brute strength he made up for in intelligence.

  “Is that what we are calling them now?” Ian smirked, “Very original.”

  Caleb shrugged, “They have a problem and it only makes sense that they are infected with something that is contagious.”

  “What are you thinking?” Cody inquired. He knew that Caleb wouldn’t have spoken up unless it was important.

  “This is just a quick theory. First, we are assuming that the zombies...” Caleb stopped at the interruption.

  “Let’s not use that word,” Dana implored while nodding her head at the brothers.

  “Ok, the contagious people, can see us. I don’t think that is completely accurate. I think they can see movement but not clearly. Also, most of our encounters were closely followed by a commotion or loud noises. Second, they smell bad. Newly infected give off an ammonia type smell while the rest of them smell like sun warmed three-day-old garbage.”

  “I don’t think they can see movement after about a quarter of a mile. It may even be closer, if what you think is right.” Cody responded, “When we were at the house, Ian was still running toward us about that distance, and they didn’t follow him.”

  “Alright then, stay quiet, keep your eyes open and let’s get to Cody’s” Jake directed the group by taking the lead. Veronica held back to make sure Ian got in line with the rest of them. She knows he got into trouble, she just hopes it doesn’t follow them.

  They all hustled toward Cody’s building, making sure to keep quiet and looking out for movement of any kind. It was late on a Wednesday night, so there weren’t many people out on the streets. Veronica didn’t know what to think, part of her was hoping that this was some kind of weird anomaly. If it is an infection, we have the technology to keep it from spreading, right?

  Chapter 17

  It took them fifteen minutes to reach Cody’s apartment building. Exhaustion was starting to creep in. They needed to get to a safe place soon.

  “Cody, do you know these two people?” Veronica asked when she saw two men exit a large white van. Veronica watched as they made their way toward the group.

  Lucas and Jake stepped forward, “Can we help you with something?” Jake addressed the men.

  “Excuse me, do any of you know Peter Wilson?” one of the men asked.

  Cody stepped toward the men, “Who are you?” he questioned.

  “My name is Samuel and this is Dennis.” Samuel pointed a finger toward Dennis, “We work with Peter. We need to speak with him, do you know him or where he may be?”

  “Pete’s dead” Cody said sadly, “There is something really bad happening now. We are trying to gather supplies and head to a safe place.”

  Samuel was not surprised to hear that Peter was dead. He just hoped that he was not the undead, “What happened?”

  Cindy put a hand on Cody, silently asking to explain. Cody gave a curt nod and stepped back, giving Cindy room.

  “Peter attacked people at the movie theater. He was biting and tearing off body parts, killing them.” Cindy looked at Samuel and Dennis, expecting one of them to negate her story. When none came she continued, “The real problem is the people he bit turned into what he was, a crazed monster, and attacked other people. Cody had to shoot Pete in the head to actually kill him.”

  “Can you tell us what is going on?” Veronica inquired.

  Samuel stood there absorbing what Cindy described. He didn’t know what to do. Samuel looked at Dennis, searched his face for an answer when Dennis hitched his head in the direction of the van. Understanding dawned.

  “All I know is Peter, somehow, created a contagious strain of bacteria. He managed to get infected and what you saw was the result.” Dennis supplied.

  Caleb stepped forward, “So, this is an infection?” Samuel nodded his in confirmation.

  “Would you all be willing to come to the lab and talk to Dr. Hollowman about what you saw and experienced?” Samuel wanted to demand they come but figured that approach wouldn’t work. “You all could have important information vital to producing a cure or a vaccine against this contagion.”

  “Who is Dr. Hollowman?” Veronica questioned. Sh
e didn’t want to go anywhere that would put any of them in danger. If Peter is the cause, then maybe going to the place he started this isn’t a good idea.

  “If what you said is true, that an outbreak has occurred. She is our only hope of finding a way to stop it. Please come with us.” Samuel implored.

  Everyone stood around, looking at each other, trying to come to some kind of agreement without talking about their plans.

  Cindy decided that there was no reason for secrets, “Look, you guys go with him. My plan was always to go to the station. I will text you if it’s safe to come.” Cindy paused and focused her look on Cody, “If you do not hear from me, don’t come looking.”

  Cody started to protest but Cindy placed a hand on his arm, “You know I’m right and that I’ll be fine.” She gave his arm a squeeze.

  “Veronica, do you have an address for your dad?” Cindy figured she would get Cody to agree with her plan if he knows she could find them again.

  “The closest town is called Flat Foot.” Veronica responded as she tore a piece of paper from a discarded magazine she found on the ground. She wrote down the name saying, “When you get into town go to the east part of town, there’s a large brick building, it’s the courthouse and police station. They have a shortwave radio, we’ll be listening for you.”

  Veronica handed Cindy the paper then leaned forward to give Cindy a hug. Cindy was taken off guard by the show of affection. Realizing that this woman saved her life as well, she reached up and returned the hug.

  “Make sure you get there,” Veronica whispered into her ear, then let go.

  Jake dug through one of his duffels and pulled out three extra mags for her pistol and one of his State Patrol sweatshirts and handed the bundle to her.

  “We’re going to have to use our cell phone, text only, as long as they work. We can check in with each other as often as we can. Also, I’m expecting to get that sweatshirt back, it’s my favorite,” Jake quipped.