Zombie High Chronicles (Book 1)

by Amy Miles

  “What are they saying?” Flynn calls out from several feet away.

  “I don’t know. I can’t hear anything. It’s all muffled by the gunfire.” Coleman is right. It is too hard to hear anything over the rapport of gunfire and the occasional explosion in the distance, but by the sounds of it, they are getting closer. Of course, they are heading in our direction. We are sitting in their fall back shelter and they are successfully leading those things straight to our front door.

  The radio is nothing more than static with an intermittent scream for help that usually cuts off shortly after. I can’t understand why the other soldiers who high-tailed it out of here aren’t communicating with those we remained behind here. Are they on another frequency? Do they know something we didn’t?

  “Roan, what do you think the chances are that those jerks are going to double-cross us?”

  Looking over at Flynn, I know that I don’t want to answer him aloud. There are too many people nearby listening. I have to remain positive even when I know the risks are high.

  “They know what’s at stake. We can trust them.”

  Ember snorts from beside me and does not lower her sniper rifle. “Those guys would turn on your in a heartbeat.”

  “Sure,” I agree, knowing without a doubt that if the circumstances were different they would have thrown us to the curb without a second thought but as it stands they need us. “but I’ve got a feeling they will see reason.”

  She looks at me from the corner of her eye. “And Austin? Do you think it was really wise to send him to the gym door with Darby? She’s not exactly the brightest light bulb in the box.”

  “No, but she can run faster than Austin can. If he gets into trouble she can relay the message and we will come running.”

  “If there’s anyone left out here, you mean,” she mutters low enough that I hope I am the only one who hears her.

  “Lathan,” I step back toward the stairs and call up to the third floor. A sandy blond head appears over the railing a moment later “You guys still ok up there?”

  “Nice and cozy. Any chance we could get some food for Teegan?”

  “Sure thing. I’ll send Sammy right up.”

  Even from the first floor I can hear Lathan’s groan and I can’t help but smile. “Sammy, you’re needed upstairs!”

  Five minutes later, I continue to watch the stalemate on the front lawn. The soldiers who remain, no more than twenty in total, are in the middle of a heated debate that has left me pacing a hole in the foyer tile.

  “Is it really that hard to speak reason to these guys?” I growl, turning for another pass. “We need to be barricading the front door, not gabbing like stupid girls!”

  “Maybe we should go out there and help,” Flynn suggests. He pats an asian kid on the back to hand over his gun and then leaves his post near the western wing barricade.

  I think it over for a minute and have to admit that the idea has crossed my mind more times in the past few minutes. I was stupid to think Ugly Face and Jacobson could handle a task like this by themselves.

  “I’ll go.”

  “Hell no, Ember. The last thing we need is for you to go out there bossing those guys around.”

  She rests her rifle on the top of the table in front of her and looks back over her shoulder. “I’m not always bossy, and I do have certain...attributes that you guys don’t. Trust me, I can sweet talk them to come inside.”

  Flynn rubs at the back of his neck. “She does have a point, man.”

  “No.” I clap him on the arm and start backing away. “You and me. That’s it. I need Ember here to hold the line if anything goes south. You got that, sweetheart?”

  Ember flips me the bird but presses her eye back to her rifle scope. As much as I know she loves to buck my temporary authority, I also know she is itching for a good fight. That is the soldier in her that I can relate to.

  I call out orders to Vaughn and Bex to back up Ember before Flynn and I head toward the gym but come up short when Roderick crosses our path. “I must protest this course of action. To allow two of our leaders to just walk outside into the line of fire is highly unorthodox.”

  Flynn snickers. “Why don’t you come right out and tell us what you really think?”

  Roderick ignores Flynn and turns on me. “Let him go then. He’s expendable.”

  “Hey!” Flynn protests but I place a hand on his arm to calm him.

  “As usual, your opinion, though perhaps valid in this instance, is overruled. We know what we are doing, Roderick. You need to get back to your window and prepare to shoot.”

  “I am hardly a good shot. I’m sure my services would be of better use in other places.”

  I look him over. “Perhaps you are right. I might have underestimated your usefulness so I have a very important task for you, Roderick.”

  He presses back his shoulders and raises his chin in that pompous manner that I’ve quickly grown to hate. “Name it.”

  “Go relieve Lathan on the third floor and send him down here to replace you.”

  “The...the third floor?”

  “There is a storage room up there with some of the younger kids, a few whiny girls, and Teegan. It’s very important that Teegan is cared for.”

  “She is the one who is with child?”

  Flynn snorts at his accentuated proper wording and I can’t help but wonder what Roderick’s life was like before all of this. Prep school? Rich, snooty parents? A helicopter to take little Roderick to school each day?

  “Yes.” I rest my hand on his shoulder and draw him in close. “The government has been experimenting on her and I think she may be the key to all of this. Can I trust you to guard her?”

  “Of course. I shall do my best.”

  “Excellent.” I shove him away and watch as he hurries along, running more like a duck than a boy.

  “Was that stuff true about the experiments?” Flynn asks.

  I glance over at him and nod. “Yeah. I figure if things do go bad with the soldier boys outside they may take a bit more precaution because she’s here.”

  “You’re using her as bait? With soldiers who probably don’t give a rat’s turd about her?”

  “Hell no.” I turn and head for the gym. “But I’m not opposed to letting them think that if the time ever comes.”

  “Devious and good looking. Well, aren’t you just the total package, Roan Sterling.”

  I grin and march ahead. Flynn struggles to keep up with my rapid pace. Even though we are the same height and he can match me step for step, I feel a sense of urgency. We need to get those soldiers inside and fast.

  “You do also know that you sent Sammy up there a short while ago and he never came back.”

  “Did I? How forgetful of me. I’m sure dear Roderick will manage just fine.”

  I shoved through a set of doors, only to turn and lock them behind us. Austin and Darby have left them unlocked for ease of retreat but if I have to retreat I want to make darn sure that whatever is following me isn’t getting in easily.

  We weave down the darkened hallway, pausing occasionally to bring a few extra tables and chairs out into the hall to create a maze of debris just in case. Once the sun rose the hall was still only dimly lit so the obstacles would hopefully prove to benefit us.

  “Yo, Austin!” I raise my hand on our approach. He already has his gun up and aimed at our chests when we come around the corner. That is good. He is on alert for an attack within as well. I looked all around. “Where’s Darby?”

  “She said she had to use the girl’s room.” He jerks his head toward his right where the door to the girl’s locker room stands partially open.

  “How long has she been gone?”

  “A minute. Maybe two. I don’t exactly have a watch on.”

  “Alright.” I lean back against the wall and give him a quick rundown of the plan. It isn’t a very lengthy one, or even well thought out, but it is something. Austin looks scared standing in the doorway. I imagine with Da
rby no longer around to keep him company the shadows outside have suddenly become rather spooky.

  “If we are not back in five minutes, I want you to close this door and lock it.”

  “But—”

  “That’s an order,” I interrupt Austin’s protest. Of course, I know that none of these kids are soldiers or accustomed to taking orders like this but I need to know that I can trust him to follow through.

  “Five minutes,” he nods.

  “Cheetos is the only word that you need to hear to open this door. I don’t care what else you hear. Got it?”

  Flynn shifts beside me and I know my over precautions with Austin are starting to get to him. I don’t blame him one bit. The moment we step outside those doors we are bullet bait at best and I fear something else might be far worse. If Ugly Face and Jacobson decide to turn on us we are about to be in a world of trouble.

  I lightly punch Austin on the arm. “You got this.”

  “Sure.” He nods with a smile. “I know that.”

  As I pass Austin I hear Flynn say, “if you hear me yell chips, cookies, cake or candy bars open that door too, man!”

  I grin at Flynn as we stick to the bush line, ducking low as we approach to get a lay of the land first. The buses have been moved and shoved between the double row of fencing, blocking much of our view of the neighborhood behind. For that I’m grateful. I don’t want to see what’s happening behind this courtyard until I’m safely back inside.

  When we are within fifteen feet of Ugly Face, I can finally hear their conversation and it isn’t good.

  “We just heard that they took down a whole squadron over in sector 10 in two minutes flat. Reports said there were bodies everywhere when the cavalry arrived with flame throwers,” one soldier says. The cigarette dangling from between his lips trembles as he sucks in another lung full of smoke.

  “What about the hospital? I heard they set the self-destruct on it, just like the research facility the other day. Must have been someone on the inside that knew the codes. No way would Iris have given the go ahead to cleanse it!” The man standing beside Ugly Face seems far more in control of his fear.

  Iris? I mouth to Flynn but he just shrugs. Seems like an odd name for a commanding officer.

  “Man, I’m telling you, something ain’t right. Those Rotters outside the gates aren’t acting normal either. One of them looked right at me this morning and I swear it licked its lips. Freaked the hell out of me.”

  I can’t see who spoke this time. Flynn nudges my shoulder and mouths Rotters but I shake my head. It must be another name for the Dead Heads.

  “Look, I get that there’s some crazy shit going on around here,” Ugly Face finally speaks up and I perk my ears to listen, “but you all know that this school is the safest place for us. They’ve got guns, the bunker, and supplies. We can just hole up until this blows over.”

  “But you said there were kids in there running things?” The nervous guy practically hops from foot to foot. If he does come inside I vow to make sure he is the last person to keep a gun.

  “For now,” Jacobson said. “The kid may be a punk but he’s not stupid. He’s got it sealed up pretty good in there. I think we could last for a while.”

  The soldier nearest him scratches at an overgrown beard. “It’s treason to leave our post, you know that, right? You’ve heard what Iris does to people like that? I don’t know about you but I’m just fine standing right here until those guys get back.”

  Ugly Face lifts his hand toward the distance where the gunfire has become sporadic. “Do you really think there’s anyone left to charge you with it, Smalls? That shit over there is real and it’s coming our way. So either you join us and live or stay out here and just be another voice screaming on the radio for help that ain’t coming. It’s your choice.”

  I glance at Flynn and exchange a surprised glance. Even I am impressed with Ugly Face’s speech. That tells me he knows exactly what we are facing and he’s not taking any chances.

  “I’m in.” A man with a ruddy face says and steps toward the inside of the circle. “I didn’t sign up for this. I figured I’d get shipped off to some tropical island where I’d be sipping beer and watching the natives sunbathe after my shifts when boot camp ended. Instead, I got landed here three months after graduation and have been stepped on ever since. I’m game to run the shots for a while.”

  I hear a few more mutterings of agreement and have just motioned for Flynn to head back toward the gym door when the soldiers fall quiet. “Did you hear that?”

  Craning my neck, I look all around for the sound, unable to place it until it comes a second time. “Shit! Run, Flynn!”

  Grabbing him by the back of his shirt, I yank him to his feet and dash toward the edge of the building as another rattling of the chain link fence comes. Then another. And another.

  “Jacobson, move your asses,” I yell back over my shoulder.

  By the time we reach the end of the building I can hear the soldiers firing into the early morning light. The eastern horizon now glows a deep soothing lavender, which feels at odds with the sight behind me.

  One of the soldiers has raced to a jeep that faces the outer fence and fights to crank over the engine. The row of lights seated on top flares to life and my heart stops. Standing in a heaving line on the other side of the outer fence is at least ten men and women. A couple wears camouflage and visible bite wounds. Another wears a lab jacket and enough gore down her front to make her look like a gruesome version of a slip and slide.

  Their eyes were all white and unblinking, streaked with red just like the soldier Ember took out that attacked me on the third floor. Their fingers curl around the fence, yanking at the barrier as they open their mouths and gnash their teeth.

  Just before Flynn shoves me around the corner I see something unusual.

  “Move, Roan!”

  “Wait! Did you see that?”

  “What? The messed up Dead Heads who are way more alive than they should be?” Breath pants out of him as we skirt the end of the gym and race full out for the closed gym doors.

  Flynn bangs on the door the instant we arrive. “Let me in, Austin.”

  “What’s the password?”

  “Are you freakin’ kidding me right now?” He wheezes, gripping his side.

  “Cheetos,” I yell at him and wave my arm to the soldiers hot on our tails. “Over here.”

  I can hear the rattling of metal and pray that it is Austin fumbling with the chain instead of the perimeter fence falling. The instant the door opens I shove Flynn inside and step back to let the soldiers through. I count fifteen before Ugly Face and Jacobson arrive.

  “There are three more,” I say, looking behind them. I can hear gunfire around the front of the building but can’t tell if it is ours or theirs.”

  “They stayed behind,” Jacobson pants.

  “You let them?”

  “Look, kid, if they want to save the world and get killed in the process then that’s on them. I ain’t nobody’s mama.” Ugly Face shoves by me.

  “What’s going on?” Austin’s face appears in the doorway. I can see far more definition of his features than I had only moments before. The sun is rising fast.

  “You really don’t want to know.” I cast one last look behind me then close the door and engage the lock. I let the chain swing back into place and step back to look at it. “I think we’re going to need a bigger chain.

  13

  THE BEGINNING OF THE END...

  The interior of the gym feels gloomy and heavy laden with fear when I turn to face the group of soldiers standing behind me. Flynn and Austin stand rigid, facing off with men of varying ages. Some look battle hardened while others look too young to even qualify for boot camp.

  “Is this the pup calling the shots?” a gruff man with a full beard and tattoos lining his knuckles steps forward. He looks like a redneck biker dude and I am pretty sure I don’t want to mess with him.

  “No. I’m the guy who
just saved your ass so how about we stow the “I’m older than you so I should be in charge,” crap for now, huh? You’re here only because I allowed you to be. If you can’t agree to those terms I’ll show you back outside with no hard feelings and you can find your own way. Otherwise, I could sure use your help securing this place so those things out there don’t find a way in.”

  The man stares me down for a moment before a slow smile spreads across his face. He steps forward and holds out a hand. “The name is Mac. Any kid that can grab his balls and talk back to me like that is fine by me, but we will have that chat later about leadership roles.”

  “Looking forward to it,” I growl and take his hand in a hard grip.

  “These are my boys. Most of them are good shots but a few of them can get a little trigger happy, truth be told.”

  “You know your men better than I do, Mac. Place them where you think is best and we can coordinate together with my men.”

  “Men,” a man to my left scoffs. “You’re nothing but a pack of scared kids.”

  Flynn starts to protest but I hold out a hand to stop him and smiles as I point toward the man’s chest. He looks down and flinches when he spies the red laser pointed directly at his heart. Flynn whips around and sees Ember standing in the doorway with her rifle ready for action.

  “That’s Ember. She doesn’t like being called scared or a kid for that matter and I can guarantee you that she can drop three of you before you blink.”

  “You’re bluffing!”

  The soldier cries out when a bullet pierces the fabric of his shirt, cleanly removing the numbers from his arm. “Alright, I get it. You’re good. Ease up off the trigger little lady and we’ll go about our business.”

  “Oh, you did not just call her a little lady,” Flynn snickers. A second later another bullet goes straight through the spare fabric on the man’s cap and he stumbles back.

  “As I was saying, we aren’t all unskilled kids here. We managed to take down a few of your friends before the breach happened. We are hunkered in and plan on fighting it out.”