Eric reached for his revolver and drew it from his holster as he rolled onto his back. Three shuffling corpses stared down at him. He could see puss dripping from their open wounds. An elderly corpse in soiled bathrobe’s started to lunge towards Eric, so he raised his gun and fired off a shot. A red wound opened on its forehead and its head jerked back violently. The creature plunged face-first into the snow. “Eric stop.” Hank bellowed over the loud bang. Another elderly corpse toppled over the fallen body and landed in Eric’s lap. The creature craned its neck up, fixing her dead gaze on Eric’s neck. The woman’s breath reeked. Eric could feel it on the nape of his neck as the freak let out a gargled moan. Eric smashed the handle of the revolver into her temple. A loud, wet pop sent a gush of blood and brain fluids rushing out of the gaping wound. The last zombie’s teeth were clicking together as it snapped its jaw, blackened saliva frothed around its lips. A pair of glasses had been smashed into the creature’s face and now the dead skin had started to grow over the frames. White puss oozed from the festering gash and its eyeball was so inflamed it looked like it would explode. Eric aimed his weapon right between the creature’s eyes.
“No!”
BANG
The bullet tore through the decrepit flesh. The zombie twitched violently and collapsed to the ground in a mangled heap.
“What the fuck have you done?”
Eric looked up in horror. A pair of wet eyes stared down at him with sadness. Snow and ice had built up in the viking’s beard. Blood seeped out of his lips and he held his hands over his neck. Steam and vital fluid gushed from between his fingers, soaking into the grey and silver furs draped over his shoulders and chest. He dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, his armour clattered when he fell. Eric watched as the life left his body, his arms dropped to his side exposing the bullet wound in his neck. A gurgled choke and a blood bubble spewed out of the wound. He landed on top of his axe with a thunderous crash.
A pair of hands grabbed Eric’s shoulders and yanked him out of the chaos, dragging him backwards. The grizzly scene took place right in front of him. The zombies piled on top of the viking warrior and started dismantling him. Teeth sank into his flesh and they tore hunks of meat from his face and arms, quickly ripping apart his body armour to get at the rest of their meal.
Once they were far enough away from the gory mess, the hands let go of Eric and let him fall backwards. Eric stared up at Hank and two other vikings. They looked distraught and angry. “I tried to warn you not to fire.” Hank’s voice was laden with regret and bitter heartbreak.
“Who… who did I kill?” Eric couldn’t believe what he had done. He didn’t even see anyone behind the zombie.
“That was Jarvik.” Hank was grief-stricken. His voice cracked and a tear rolled down his check for the loss of his old friend.
CHAPTER SIX:
TIL DEATH DO US PART
Jason could hear the doctor’s shallow breathing. Hr felt sick to his stomach and he was still in shock. He opened his mouth to speak, but it was so dry the words stuck in his throat. The doctor’s dress shoes clacked as he walked over the floor, the sound of running water quickly followed. “Have a drink of water.” The doctor placed his hand on Jason’s chin and tilted his head back. “It will help you feel better.” The doctor poured the ice cold water into Jason’s mouth. Jason coughed as some of the liquid went down the wrong pipe. He turned his head to avoid anymore. “Sorry.”
“Let me out of these restraints.” Jason’s voice was still dry, but at least he was able to speak again.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” The doctor paused for a moment. “They won’t let me.”
“They don’t need to know.” Jason sounded pitiful. He heard the doctor place the glass down on what sounded like a metal countertop.
The doctor chuckled to himself. “They are watching me. They are watching you, too. They watch everything that happens here. It is all recorded and documented, every last detail.” His voice trailed off and he started nervously rattling his fingers on the counter. “You can’t even sneak a cookie from the cart without them knowing.”
Jason wasn’t sure if he wanted to know why they blinded him, but he needed to find out. His mind was racing; he didn’t know what he was going to do. Would Tracy rescue him or would the doctor help him escape? Would he ever see his wife’s face again? He had finally found her, but now, more than ever, he felt hopeless. “What did you do to my eyes?”
“I was directed to remove them.” The doctor sounded disgusted.
“What the hell do you mean?” Jason raised his voice, nearly barking the question at the man. “Why the fuck would you do that.”
“They thought it might help persuade you.” His answer was cold and calculated.
“Persuade me to do what?” Jason couldn’t imagine what they could possibly expect from him.
“To help Pharmakon in their fight against the surviving people around the world.” The doctor poured himself a glass of water, swallowing it with several loud gulps before slamming the glass back down on the counter.
“Why would I do that? What could they possibly do to persuade me to help those bastards? Never.”
“Never say never, Mr. Cook.” David Steele whispered into Jason’s ear. Jason could feel Steele’s warm breath on his neck.
Jason fought against his restraints in a desperate attempt to strike David. He felt the table rock beneath him. “You actually think I’d ever help you?”
“I actually do. You see, I have something that you want. I actually have everything you want if you want to go into details.” David spoke louder now. The doctor drummed his fingers nervously on the counter and poured himself another glass of water.
Jason let out a sarcastic chuckle. “You are going to need a lot more than everything I’ve ever wanted to get my help.”
“You say that now Mr. Cook, but I guess I should explain myself. Then maybe you’ll see things from my point of view. I have your wife, Tracy, working for me. I’m sure you will join her.”
“Is that all you have? Now that my wife knows I’m alive she will stop helping you. I’m sure whatever lies she was told won’t be enough to keep her on your side anymore. The truth will set her free.” Jason knew Tracy would side with him.
“Mr. Cook I wasn’t done. I can give you your sight back. Isn’t that right doc?”
“I … I think it will work. I’ve worked out what I think will be the solution.” The doctor sputtered out rapidly.
“Doc, slow down. It will work. I’ve heard you’ve been making great progress on the other test subject, but I want Jason to be the first success story. Your vision, Mr. Cook, will be better than it ever was. Electronic eyes with all kinds of bells and whistles. Isn’t that right doc? Go on and tell Mr. Cook about some of the special features in soldier sight.” David’s voice was jovial; he was enjoying their little conversation too much.
“Well, Jason, soldier sight is something that Mr. Purchase and I have been working on together. I will replace your human eyes with robotic vision. They will allow you to have night vision, thermal vision, optic zoom, and, well I’m sure if we come up with anything else, we can upgrade.” The doctor was still speaking rapidly. Jason felt like he was talking so fast because the sooner his part was over, the sooner David would leave him alone.
“If you could do this, why would you want me to have it?” Jason couldn’t imagine any possible reason why David would want him to have this incredible power.
“No one survived the experiments yet.” The doctor chimed in.
“So if it works, Mr. Cook, you will be a valuable soldier for Pharmakon.” David paused for a brief moment. The doctor started to speak, but David cut him off. “And if you don’t live, I’ll be extremely disappointed that I didn’t get to do the honours.”
“How do I know if this experiment even works you won’t just kill me after?”
“Well, Jason old friend, thats something else I have that you want. One last fight to settle things
between us. I want that just as much as you do.” David was sincere about that. His hatred for Jason was intense and his desire to be the alpha male was eating away at him.
“I still wouldn’t work for Pharmakon even after I killed you,” David laughed at Jason’s response. “Besides, there’s nothing that you can take away from me now that would make me agree to help you.”
“There is one other thing that you still don’t know Mr. Cook, I’ll let the doctor give you the great news since this is his area of expertise and all.”
“Congratulations Mr. Cook, you’re going to be a father.”
Jason still couldn’t believe what he had heard. He hadn’t seen Tracy since this terrible plague had befallen the earth. That was just about two months ago now. “How far along is she?”
“Well, Mr. Cook I’m not an expert in the matter, but from what I can gather somewhere between three and four months.” The doctor’s voice didn’t sound confident. “From the information your wife told me.”
“Congratulations Jason, I’m so happy for you.” David mocked Jason.
“Shut the fuck up,” Jason snapped. Everything was happening too fast. His vision had been taken from him making him a helpless prisoner and now he had to face the fact that he would never see his own child. “This doesn’t change anything between us.”
David’s laugh was heartless and villainous. “It changes everything, my friend.” David clapped his hands together. “You see, if you don’t do what I say, not only will I kill you and your wife, I will kill your child. So I know you have a lot to think about, but I don’t have all day to wait. I’ll allow Tracy to try and persuade you to do the right thing and then I want your answer.” A chair scrapped against the floor as David stood up.
“Do you want my advice Mr. Cook?” The doctor asked. “Take their offer. This world isn’t getting any safer. They’ve created monsters far worse than those dead freaks roaming the earth.” The doctor offered his advice.
Jason couldn’t picture anything worse than the dead rising from the grave to walk amongst the living, but he had no doubt that Pharmakon was capable of creating such a monster. “What’s your name?” Jason had been alone in the room with this stranger for too long.
It took a few moments before the doctor responded. Jason wondered if the man had forgotten his own name. “I’m Doctor White. My friends call me Alvin.”
Jason quickly realized why he had paused before answering. He recognized the name from the news. The doctor had lost his licence for sleeping with his underage patients. “You’re a monster far worse than the dead. You fit right in with these bastards.”
“I know.” Alvin agreed. “I’ll let you speak to your wife in peace.” Doctor White scuffed his feet as he left the room.
Jason waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity. His head was spinning, his stomach was nauseous. It was everything he could do not to scream out in anguish. He wanted nothing more than to kill David Steele, but he was afraid of the consequences. He tried to weigh the ramification of his choices, but an endless string of possibilities kept scrolling through his mind. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard in the hallway walking back and forth. Jason’s body tensed awaiting Tracy. Several minutes passed without the sound of the door opening, every moment that past making Jason increasingly anxious.
“Jason.” Tracy’s voice appeared from thin air.
“Tracy.” Jason was startled. “What have they done to you? Are you okay?” A rush of concern flushed over him.
“I’m fine Jason, Mr. Purchase has taken good care of me.” Tracy put her hand on Jason’s arm. “They gave me a purpose in this world.”
“A purpose in this world?” Jason was puzzled by the cold tone of his wife’s voice. “Is our baby okay?”
“Jason the baby will be fine, you don’t need to worry about it.” Her tone was void of any real emotion.
“I don’t need to worry about it?” Jason could feel his blood pressure rising. “What’s going on with you? You’re not acting like the woman I married.”
“Listen to me Jason. Me and the baby will be fine as long as you don’t do anything stupid. You need to do what David tells you so we can be a family.” Tracy squeezed his arm.
“What did they do to you? How could you work for them after what they did to us? Do you have any idea what they tried to do to me.” Jason was having trouble controlling the volume of his voice.
“The only thing that matters anymore is that we are alive. The past doesn’t matter. All that matters is finding a way to survive. You can’t do that out there.” Tracy continued to squeeze Jason’s arm, squeezing harder now. “Do you have any idea of what’s out there?”
“I’ve been surviving out there with those dead freaks since day one. I know there has to be a line you don’t cross or you end up being worse than those creatures.” Jason felt a rush of emotions wash over him. Anger, fear, regret, passion, and sadness tugged him in different directions. He didn’t know if he could bring himself to work for Pharmakon, even if it meant keeping his family safe.
“You have survived so far but not for much longer.” Tracy didn’t respond to Jason’s burst of emotion, she remained calm and in control. “Mr. Purchase has continued to evolve his serum.”
What the hell has Pharmakon done now? “What does that mean?” Jason was afraid of what evil creation had been brought into this world. “What else could he possibly do?”
“He created the alpha zombies.”
“What is an alpha zombie?”
“Mr. Purchase got the idea watching a pack of wolves hunt one of the zombies. He upgraded the serum to give the zombies the characteristics of a pack leader. These alpha zombies can give directions and control other zombie’s actions. The serum has also slowed down the decaying process and rigor mortis barely settles in anymore.” Tracy sounded proud of this new abomination roaming the earth.
“Why would he want to do this? What could they possibly expect from these creatures?”
“They have been sent to eradicate the rest of mankind. Pharmakon’s plan didn’t go exactly as designed in the sheltered locations such as Newfoundland. Places like Toronto and New York have been completely wiped clean, but areas like Newfoundland have more survivors than they expected. These alpha zombies have been created to help finish off the survivors with our help.”
Jason shuddered. “With our help? Your one of them now?”
“Yes, I am. I want to have a family and you can’t do that out there.”
“You expect me to join you. What kind of family could we have if we become monsters? How could you live with that?” Jason didn’t know how to feel.
“Remember your vows, Jason. You said till death do us part. You said you would honour and protect me. You didn’t just forget that, did you?”
Tracy was tugging at Jason’s heart strings now. He knew he what he needed to do. “Okay Tracy. I’ll do it for the sake of our family.” Jason wasn’t sure if he could follow through with his promise, but he was going to play along for now.
“I knew you would see the light. I’ll inform Mr. Steele. He’ll get the doctor to restore your sight. Then we can get started.” Tracy let go of Jason’s arm and started to walk away.
“Tracy, please don’t leave.” Jason called out, but his wife didn’t respond. Her footsteps echoed down the hallway as she left without saying another word.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
REGRET
“I know you didn’t try to kill him…. I just can’t believe he’s gone.” Hank’s voice was cracking, the emotion still strong in his voice. The vikings had left to bury their friend once the herd had passed by the cabins. “We escaped the slaughter that the bandits had brought to our shore.” The sunlight glistened in the powdery snow, hurting Eric’s eyes. The road back to the Pelley compound was littered with snow-clad tree branches.
Eric rocked back and forth in the saddle. He hadn’t ridden a horse since basic training. It was never supposed to be part of his job, just tradition. H
e was rusty and felt uncomfortable atop the mighty beast. Hank seemed much more comfortable guiding his steed down the slippery roads. “Do you have any idea who they could have been?” Eric shielded his eyes from the glare with his arm as he tried to look down the road. The sun was shining brightly without a cloud in the sky. Eric’s footprints were still in the snow. It was the only way he knew he was still on the right path.
“I still don’t know who they are or why they ever came to Newfoundland. They just started shooting.” Hank looked back over his shoulder at Sasha.
Sasha hadn’t spoken much at all the whole trip. Her golden hair shimmered in the sunlight. Long strands of shimmering, golden blonde hair covered her face, her gaze fixed on the ground below. “We have nowhere to go.” Her voice was dry and cracked.
“We can stay off the main roads.” Hank’s voice hardened. “They caught up to us in Deer Lake. They didn’t seem interested in chasing us through the abandoned city streets. They kept driving down the highway towards Grand Falls. Maybe they’re on a mission, maybe they don’t have a clue where they’re going. All I can say is I think we should stay out of their way.”
“Are you sure they didn’t follow you here?” Eric didn’t want any unwanted attention. He had to get Dana to a doctor, or, more likely, get a doctor to Dana.
“I can’t say for sure. I don’t even know how many of the bandits crossed over, but they had a ferry. They even brought their vehicles across.” Hank slowed his horse and trotted alongside Eric. “All I can say for sure is we need to keep moving.”
Sasha let out a low, defeated moan. “I’m so tired.”
“We can’t stay still. If they don’t find us the dead will.” Hank snapped at Sasha, Eric was surprised at his reaction to Sasha. He watched Sasha shrink into herself. Eric could see the strain of stress in Hank’s eyes; the dark bags that formed underneath his eyes were profound.
Zombies On The Rock (Book 3): The Republic of Newfoundland Page 4