Virus Z | Book 4 | Outbreak

by Stewart, K. M.

  "What are we supposed to do now?" Karen asks with a frustrated tone.

  "We are terribly sorry for this detour. There was a private car scheduled to pick you up at the Seattle airport to take you wherever you needed. Mr. Chow has employees in Washington. Not California. I'm sorry ma'am. You are both on your own now. We are to report back to China immediately." The pilot says. While we are both grateful to be out of captivity and back in the United States, we don't know what the future will hold. All we know is that we need to find Emma.

  Chapter Seven

  Emma and Madison

  W e have to get out of here, and fast. The best chance we have is to outrun the zombies while they are distracted with the gunfire. I'm peeping at everything happening from the women's bathroom. I see an opening. There's a hallway with an exit sign pointing down it. It's a fire escape. I go get Madison and grab her hand. "We have to run, but quickly. The zombies are just walking into the gunfire. The noise is drawing them in. There's an exit down the hallway, across the food court." I say.

  Madison looks like a deer caught in the headlights. I grab her by the hand and together we run. I never got a chance to change out of the prom dress. I hike up the dress with one hand and continue to hold Madison’s hand with the other. We make it to the hallway, when suddenly one wandering zombie sees me. The bright white of the dress catches his eye. The zombie is limping our way. He's not very fast because he's missing a foot. I can't believe what I see, a total coincidence: this zombie is wearing a prom suit. Just my luck. I'm not even old enough for the prom, yet. This young guy was probably here trying on prom suits before he got turned. I won't be the date joining him for the zombie prom.

  Why can't this zombie just shut up? He growls loudly to call his zombie friends. A large group suddenly begin running towards us. I see the zombie who followed us here. We run to make it to the hallway across from the food court. We are still continuing down the hallway. We get to the end. The door is locked. I should have known. They didn't want zombies sneaking in the side door.

  The zombies are entering the hallway at a rapid pace. Madison keeps pushing on the door, trying to escape. I turn and walk towards the zombies.

  "Emma! What are you doing?" Madison screams. I'm not sure exactly what my plan is. I don't know what is coming over me. I just know my best friend and I aren't going to be zombie lunch. The zombies approach me. I walk closer. As we approach each other, I feel like the zombies and I are playing a game of chicken, except I'm not armed.

  "Emma! What do you think you're doing?" Madison screams. The zombies are inches from me. I flinch, putting my hands palms facing out. I scream at the zombies, "Stop!" Out of my palms shoots a force field. It's red in color, like rusty metal. A strange sense of power flows through me. I keep pressing forward and concentrating on the strange power. I circle the zombies and cage them in, pushing them out of the hallway.

  "Wow! What kind of Elsa power is that?" Madison asks. I'm getting suddenly tired. I'm feeling like I might faint. I run out of the hall towards the rest of the zombies, doing the same thing. My palms are facing out, continuing to shoot more of this mystery substance. I circle and corral more zombies. I capture small groups of zombies at a time. The force field is sharp. The zombies who try to escape get sliced.

  Ooh's and aah's can be heard from the upper levels. Everyone is witnessing what's happening below. I hear comments. "She looks like spiderman. A beautiful metal web she's weaving." A woman says.

  "She looks like Goku." Someone else says.

  "Who is that? Look at her dress, she looks like royalty." An onlooker says. It's me against just a few more zombies. These ones are a little smarter than the others currently caged like angry packs of lions. These zombies are ready for battle. I take a defensive stance. My palms are faced outward. I feel energy draining from me. I don't think my power is unlimited. I feel like I'm just about spent. I shoot this strange metal towards a pair of zombies. It opens like a cast net, circling towards them. They each dive in opposite directions. I miss. The remaining zombies circle me.

  They are holding their position, waiting to see what I will do. Throwing forcefields and nets won't help me at close range. I think quickly. I use both hands to conjure a baseball bat. It looks like rusty red metal, just like the force fields. The end of it is spiked. I swing at the zombie closest to me. Got him. I get the next two who lunge at me. One hit in the head and they are done. The last three zombies actually turn to run. I've never seen scared zombies before. These guys aren't missing feet, so they are quick.

  If I can't make a baseball bat, I can conjure other weapons. Appearing in front of my palms come three ninja stars. I'm about to black out from exhaustion. I throw two stars, one after the other. I get two zombies. The last one, I know won't hit my target. It's the same zombie who followed us here. He's getting away! I'm collapsing as I throw the last star and I fall back. I know I'm blacking out. I throw the last metal ninja star. I miss my target because I start blacking out. It's heading towards the second level. People scream and duck. The star decapitates a mannequin at the dress booth. I manage to look up before I black out. The mannequin had a tiara on top of it, and now it falls towards me. The stupid thing lands on my head, right before I finally collapse. Someone shouts, "Look, it's the zombie queen!"

  Chapter Eight

  Tom and Karen

  M y wife and I are at the Los Angeles international airport. We have no identification or money. We've just arrived after our captor Mr. Chow accidentally let us go. We were in captivity for 10 years. I've managed to use his private plane to get us back to the United States. We aren't that far from Seattle. We are just sitting on a bench in the airport trying to figure out what to do. We are watching news reports of various cities that have zombie outbreaks. Mostly, people think it's a hoax or a tv show. We know the truth. There aren't zombies in California, yet. Right now, we just want to find our daughter, Emma. She's probably in Seattle, with Karen's sister Susan.

  "I have an idea." Karen says, after thinking awhile. I follow Karen to baggage claim. She grabs two random suitcases off the carousel. She says to herself. "Sorry, I didn't want to do this."

  I grab one suitcase from her, and we go outside to pick up and drop off. We get in a taxi. "What's your destination?" The driver asks.

  "For now, please drive north. We don't have reservations at a hotel yet. So specifically, where isn't important." Karen replies.

  I whisper to Karen. "We can't pay him. We are going to have to run like hell, when he drops us off somewhere," I say.

  "I know. Hopefully we can pay him back someday." Karen whispers back. We open the suitcases. There are some useful things inside the first suitcase. A Pocket knife, sunglasses, hats, matches along with other miscellaneous objects. It looks like this person was going camping.

  "What a bunch of junk." Karen sighs as she opens the second suitcase. It was a bust. Bikinis, beach towels, suntan lotion, sun dresses, flip-flops. We keep digging through the suitcases.

  "Jackpot!" Karen says in my ear. She fans out some cash. Turns out it wasn't so bad after all. I put on a fishing shirt. It's a tan color. It has pockets all over the front. I also put on the fishing hat. I start stuffing the pockets with the small objects. I tap Karen on the shoulder. She stops digging around the suitcases and giggles when she sees me. I immediately grab a bikini out of the suitcase.

  "Are you sure you don't want to put this on?" I ask.

  "The driver would see me!" Karen says. We are having a little fun despite being thieves. It's a small way to celebrate our freedom. Suddenly, the cab stops on the highway. Cars ahead of us are stopping or slowing down.

  "Sir, what seems to be the problem?" I ask.

  "Look out this way. What is that strange group of people doing on the highway? Are they Rioters? Protesters?" The driver asks.

  "They're zombies!" Karen shouts.

  Chapter Nine

  Madison & Emma

  I s Emma going to be ok?" I ask. Mrs. Norris has Emma hooked u
p to all sorts of machines that are humming and beeping. We are back underground now. Right after Emma collapsed, I called for help. Mrs. Norris sent an armored car to get us. The room we are in looks like a typical hospital room. Except we are in a secret underground compound, under Washington middle school.

  "She's going to be just fine. She's exhausted. All she needs now is rest. Whatever she did drained her energy." Mrs. Norris replied.

  "Does Emma have magic powers?" I ask.

  "While it sounds and looks magical, there is a scientific explanation. I have a theory about it." Mrs. Norris says.

  "She's waking up!" I exclaim. Emma's eyes slowly start to open. She looks at her arms and then down to her legs.

  "I'm glad I'm not wearing that stupid dress anymore." Emma says.

  "Oh Em, I'm so glad you are okay!" I say.

  "Was I dreaming, or did something strange happen at the mall? It's all such a blur. I have a headache." Emma says.

  "You most definitely were not dreaming Emma. This is a most exciting discovery." Mrs. Norris exclaims.

  "My hands could be dangerous! I could hurt someone. I decapitated a mannequin! I need metal gloves." Emma says.

  "I actually don't think gloves are necessary. I've drawn some blood and done some tests already. It seems there is a mysterious zombie antibody, an unknown compound that only reacts and 'activates' when zombies are present. It's some sort of chemical reaction." Mrs. Norris explains.

  "What about Mr. Thatcher? He's a zombie." Madison asks.

  "I do theorize it's because he's not a threat." Mrs. Norris replies.

  "When you say 'antibodies', does this mean what I think it might? I'd have to have an immune response to the zombie virus if I'd been exposed, right?" Emma asks, "And what unknown compounds?”

  "I believe your parents gave you an experimental weaponized virus. It might have been fused with zombie DNA. In the wrong hands, this could be dangerous" Mrs. Norris says.

  "Have I been injected with zombie blood?" Emma asks.

  "Yes. A very small amount, I do believe. This is all a theory as I don't have their original research." Mrs. Norris replied.

  "Maybe that's why zombies don't bother you? You smell like a zombie to them?" I point out.

  "Fascinating indeed." Mrs. Norris exclaims.

  "How long was I asleep?" Emma asks.

  "Two days." I respond.

  "This is a lot to take in. I don't feel good. I think I might faint." Emma says. Before she closes her eyes, she asks me, "The last zombie, did he get away? There's something different about this zombie. He's smarter. Maybe he's their leader?"

  "You need to rest Em, it's going to be ok." I say.

  Emma closes her eyes and goes back to sleep.

  Chapter Ten

  Karen and Tom

  D ang it, I think the virus was released near airports around the world. They are trying to trap people like rats." Karen says.

  "I always say it's never an inappropriate time for a scientific observation, but we have to get out of here, if we don't want to be zombies ourselves." Tom says.

  "You, driver, move over." Karen snaps.

  "Traffic is blocked and there's nowhere to go!" The driver panics. He opens the driver door and is about to make a run for it.

  "You can run off if you want, but they'll catch you. These zombies look hungry. They'll rip you to shreds. Hurry up. We're running out of time." Karen reasons with him. The driver closes the driver door and slides over to the passenger seat. Karen climbs to the driver seat.

  She puts the car in reverse and turns the car around. She's driving the wrong way, on the side of the highway. The side of the highway is usually for emergency vehicles to pass and broken-down cars to pull over. Heads turn and look as we pass other vehicles.

  "If there isn't a lane, make your own." Karen says to herself, although those in passing cars can't hear her. At the first exit ramp, she swings around to take it.

  "That was amazing ma'am. You saved our lives. I know some back roads to take, to get us far away from here." The driver says.

  "You can drive again." Karen replies.

  "We need to get to Seattle and find Emma, before the roads become too clogged with abandoned cars." I remind her.

  "You guys going to Seattle?" The driver asks.

  "We are. Our plane made an emergency landing here. The airport there is also overrun with zombies." I explained.

  "You guys need a ride?" The driver asks.

  "Sir, that truly isn't necessary. I'm sure you have obligations?" I say.

  "I don't have a family. The only thing I have is this cab. Seeing as the world as we know it is probably over, I'm ready for an adventure. My name is Cameron, you don't have to call me 'Sir' anymore." Cameron says.

  "Are you sure about this? It's going to be dangerous." Karen asks.

  "What else could you do? Steal a car like those two suitcases?" Cameron points out. Karen blushes. She’s definitely embarrassed.

  "It's ok. It seems you two were stuck in a pickle. I'm not sure what your guys' story is, although I'm sure it's interesting. It's not every day I pick up a couple wearing lab coats." Cameron observes.

  "I should have ditched this thing hours ago." Karen says as she takes off her lab coat.

  "Let's swing by my apartment and get some things, I live close by. It was great for a short commute. God knows I won't miss paying almost four thousand dollars a month in rent." Cameron says.

  "Let's do this thing." Karen says.

  "Let's prepare for the journey ahead." Tom replies.

  Epilogue

  Y ou idiots!" Screams Mr. Chow. He pulls out his two guns and points them in the air. "I'm so mad I just want to shoot something! Anything. If we weren't all standing in my plane, I might shoot you both!" He continues screaming. "Tell me again, why did you just leave Tom and Karen stranded in Los Angeles, California?" Mr. Chow asks the pilot and co-pilot.

  "We had to make an emergency landing. The runway at the Seattle international airport is overrun with zombies." The pilots say, defending their decision.

  "Neither of you thought to call them a taxi or transportation of any kind?" Mr. Chow points one gun to the pilot, then to the co-pilot as he asks his questions.

  They shake their heads in response, not saying a word.

  "Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are several airports in the state of Washington?" Mr. Chow asks calmly.

  "Yes." They both manage to say.

  "Did you contact these airports first?" He asks, again pointing his guns to the pilot, then the co-pilot. They both don't say a word. Mr. Chow knows the answer.

  "You two idiots get out of my sight now! Before I blow your brains out and stain the new carpet! I thought pilots were meant to be smart people!" Mr. Chow screams, as the pilot and co-pilot run out of the plane. "How are they going to find Emma now? I guess I'm going to have to go and find them myself."

  Thanks for reading ! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

  Here is the links to all the books in order

  Patient zero

  Before the outbreak

  Creation and execution

  Outbreak

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