Zombie World
Zombie Apocalypse #3
Published by Samantha Hoffman at Amazon
© 2015 by Samantha Hoffman.
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Prologue
Twelve Months Ago
Dr. Carter Richards pushed his thick-rimmed glasses higher up on his nose as he studied the chart in his hands. Carter was a short, older man, possibly in his early fifties. His dark green eyes were hidden beneath bushy eyebrows, he had a long, hooked nose, and a slight weight problem that caused him to break out in sweat at the most unfortunate of times. He had never been much of a looker, but the government hadn’t wanted him for his appearance, but instead for the brain and intelligence he possessed.
Carter was capable of doing things most other people weren’t. He could always see the big picture, and that was what made him the prime candidate for the project he currently found himself the head of. After Carter had read through the reports—twice, just to make sure he hadn’t missed anything the first time—he bent to examine the subject on the table in front of him. It was bound down with leather straps, and it squirmed in an attempt to free itself as its eyes rolled into the back of its head in sheer terror.
Carter refused to allow himself to feel any sympathy for the subject. She was cute, in an annoying, distracting kind of way, but he felt no sorrow for what he was about to do. It was impossible to make scientific leaps without sacrifice and experimentation, and what he was currently working on could very well be the greatest scientific discovery in all of history.
You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet, Carter thought to himself with a dark chuckle, despite the fact that he had never made an omelet in his entire life.
He bent down closer to the subject once more, and she turned to look at him with clear gray eyes. “Please,” she said, making a whimpering sound that reminded him of a mewling kitten. “Let me go.”
He hated cats.
Carter ignored her pleas as she continued to make them, sounding more and more desperate each time. When the door at the end of the room slid open and two assistants in lab coats walked in with the tray he was waiting for, the woman bucked against the straps in one last wild attempt to free herself. Carter placed his hand on her chest and shoved her back down to the table, causing her to whimper in pain.
An assistant placed the tray on the table beside Carter, and turned around and left. Carter didn’t blame them for not wanting to stay, not after what happened to their last subject. No matter, Carter thought lightly. They would just be in my way. I’m better off on my own.
He grabbed a syringe off the tray that was filled with a thick, black liquid. He waved it in the face of the subject tied to the table, and her eyes widened in terror. “Do you know what this is?” Carter asked, bringing it closer. “This is the future of warfare. You should be honored that you’re helping the United States of America win future wars before they start. Think of all the American soldiers you’re going to help save.”
Let’s hope this new formula works better than the last one. I don’t want anymore liquefied bodies to clean up.
Carter leveled the syringe over the subject’s chest, trying to gauge where her heart lay beneath the protective layer of ribcage. When he had a close guess, he brought his hand up, and slammed it down, breaking through the bone and sending the needle straight into her heart. She screamed and fought, but it was no use.
Carter pushed down the plunger on the syringe, and the thick black liquid filled her heart to the brim. He extracted the needle and placed it back on the tray beside him. He jotted down a few notes in his clipboard while he waited for the serum to spread throughout her body and take effect. He knew the second the serum hit her brain stem, because she began to thrash on the table and scream in agony. He guessed the serum probably felt like acid burning its way throughout her entire body, but he was much more interested in the side effects of the pain she was experiencing than he was in the fact that she was hurting at all.
She continued to thrash and fight her bonds as Carter catalogued her reaction. It was surprisingly different from his last test subject, who had quickly lost consciousness and hadn’t even felt himself begin to liquefy. How anyone could sleep through melting alive Carter wasn’t sure, but he was glad to see the same thing wasn’t happening here.
He looked down at the stop watch in his hand that was timing her reaction, and as the timer hit one minute, the subject went still. He glanced up at the clock on the wall, jotted down the time of her death, and bent down to examine the now dead subject. When he was sure that the liquefaction process wasn’t going to start, he turned to the giant glass partition and announced, “Gentlemen, I think we’ve done it!”
He could see a few other scientists begin clapping and congratulating each other, and even the General that had arrived today was looking on with a grim smile on his face. Carter knew that if they could master this serum, they would never have to deploy their troops to another country ever again. All they would have to do was spread this serum into the drinking water of any country at war, and the fight would be over before it started.
There was absolutely nothing that Carter loved more than his science and his country, and knowing that he could potentially spare the lives of those that fought for his beloved home filled him with a huge sense of overwhelming pride.
The laboratory door slid open again and several of the scientists began to congratulate Carter on his miraculous work. An assistant stepped forward. “Sir? What now?”
“Get rid of that,” Carter said, jerking his head at the subject strapped to the table. “I don’t care what you do with the body, just get rid of her and make sure nobody ever finds her. The last thing we need is cops in the area poking their noses where they don’t belong.”
“Yes, sir.”
The assistant stepped up to the table and began to quickly undo the leather restraints holding down her legs and stomach. He undid the first arm, and as he leaned over the subject’s body to undo the last one, movement caught Carter’s eye. He turned to look, and he almost dismissed his eyes as playing tricks on him…until the subject’s fingers began to move once more. Before Carter could begin to make sense of this new development, the subject sat up with a wild screech.
She sank her teeth into the assistant’s neck, ripping away a chunk of flesh. Blood spurted from the wound, coating the subject’s face and chest with bright red liquid. It slowly dripped down her chest as everyone began to panic. Carter ran for the door as the subject leapt off the table, tackling another scientist and bringing him down.
Carter began running scenarios through his mind—faster than anyone else could have—and he went with the most logical course of action. He slid his keycard through the keypad, closing the door shut firmly behind him, trapping the remaining four scientists in the room with the subject. They pounded on the glass partition, begging for the door to be opened, and Carter stared coolly back at them as the subject tore into them, slaughtering them all in only a matter of minutes.
As the subject dragged the last scientist away from the glass and down to the floor, Carter leaned forward to get a better view. Blood splattered the glass, and he jumped back, completely amazed at the subject’s ferocity and brutality. He didn’t know why the serum affected the subject the way it had, but he was determined to study her and learn just what he had created.
As he looked at the bloody bodies in the room, a smile slowly crept onto his face. Good God…she is magnificent…
Chapter One
“Breakfast is ready,” I shout, loud enough to be heard over the ruckus in the living room. Walking over to the kitchen doorway, I lean against the frame and watch the contest going on. Both Ryder and Aaron are sitting on opposite ends of the living room table, clasping each other’s right hands. Their free hands are behind their backs, and the others are watching and cheering them on, waiting to see who wins the arm wrestling contest.
As I watch, Ryder begins to get the upper hand. Slowly but surely, Aaron’s smaller arm begins to lower to the table, but it doesn’t go down. It hovers just above the wood while Aaron struggles to hang on for just one more minute. Before Aaron can recover, Ryder slams his arm down on the table, effectively winning the contest.
Reese and Naomi cheer while Todd and Madison pat Aaron on the back. “It’s okay, Aaron. You’ll get him next time,” Madison says.
Aaron smiles good naturedly, and leans across the table to offer Ryder his hand. The two shake, and everyone is in a good mood as they pile into the small kitchen for breakfast. I notice that Aaron still has a slight limp when he walks, but it’s barely noticeable as his right leg has healed amazingly well over the last six weeks.
Not only is Aaron feeling better, but Ryder’s arm has recovered, too. Every once in a while I’ll see him reach for something above his head and wince, but he’s gotten to the point where he can shoot a weapon again, and that’s a very good thing, considering we’ll most likely be doing quite a bit of that on the road.
I glance over at Madison as she eats her scrambled eggs with ham and red and green peppers. Over the last few days, I’ve noticed her watching both Ryder and Aaron with the same look as me, and I know that she’s anxious to finally get on the road. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can potentially save what’s left of the world. I just hope we haven’t waited too long. If we’re living in a zombie world and we just don’t know it, the odds of us making it to Montana and then Detroit are slim to none.
It will be hard enough getting there without having to battle a world full of the undead. Just the thought of getting torn apart by ravenous, flesh-craving monsters has shivers running down my spine, but I refuse to think about that now. Finding and implementing a cure will be worth any risk to myself, and even though it makes me feel awful, I know it will also be worth the risk to my friends.
I look around at the large group of people I’ve become so attached to over the last couple of months, and I can’t fathom living without any of them. There’s Madison, my cousin and the only real family I have left, and her boyfriend, the ever annoying Todd, who every so often manages to surprise me with his sweetness and hope. Then there’s Reese, who has looked after me from the very beginning, and Ryder, who I’ve already given my heart and body to and has done more for me than anyone else in my entire life.
I think about Aaron’s good natured self and leadership abilities, Naomi’s quiet determination and unwavering friendship, and even Daisy, who has battled her inner demons and found the will to live, despite all the odds being stacked against us. I know the road to Montana will be a treacherous one. One that we all probably won’t survive, and the thought of any of these people being taken from me has me clenching the side of the table so hard my knuckles turn white.
I’ve grown tremendously since the infection started almost nine months ago, and even though I’m stronger than I’ve ever been—both physically and mentally—I know I’m not Wonder Woman. There’s a very good chance I won’t be able to save all of these people. The best I can do is hope that they don’t suffer, and that I’m not the cause of their death.
I already have enough nightmares…I don’t need my dead friends blaming me for their fates as well…
Ryder’s hand brushes against mine as he reaches under the table to comfort me. His fingers curl around my hand, and he holds it tightly, never looking up from his breakfast. I smile at the contact and try to will myself not to blush. Even after months of being together, Ryder’s touch still has the ability to drive me crazy, and I know he enjoys watching me flush with heat every time.
When I look up, I notice that Reese is scowling into his bowl of breakfast. Over the last couple of days, I’ve been dropping hints that I want to consider leaving soon, and he obviously isn’t happy about it. It’s been two months or so since we voted as a group to try for Montana, and he still hasn’t gotten over it. He thinks it’s the wrong decision, but he’s given up on trying to talk me out of it. He knows my mind is made up, and that nothing he can say will change my mind about this cure.
Madison glances at me out of the corner of her eye, and I nod my head ever so slightly. She clears her throat, gathering the attention of everyone in the kitchen. Reese puts down his spoon with a resigned sigh, and Ryder doesn’t look all too excited either. They know what’s coming, and it doesn’t take the others too long to figure out either.
Madison dives right in. “Ryder and Aaron have healed—probably as much as they’re going to—and Sam and I think it’s time we consider starting this trek to Montana. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get this over with, and the sooner this nightmare can hopefully end.”
“Is it wise to leave yet?” Naomi asks. “They’re in good shape, but they’re not in great shape. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed this yet, but Ryder is kind of our top dog. If he’s not in the best possible shape, we’re at a serious disadvantage out there on the road.”
“My shoulder is fine,” Ryder says, rotating his right shoulder. “I can fire a gun again just like I could before, and it doesn’t hurt anymore.” I alone know that last part is a lie, but I keep my mouth shut after a discreet look from him. Ryder’s arm will probably always pain him some, but if he thinks he’s ready to get out on the open road, then he’s ready to go. I trust his judgment more than anyone else’s—even my own.
“I think we should wait,” Reese says, surprising no one.
“Reese, we can’t put this off forever,” I say, trying to reason with him yet again. “We need to get this done. Just think, if we succeed, we’ll be able to live our lives without looking over our shoulders. No more nightmares and no more losing the people we love. Can you imagine that?”
“But as nice as that sounds, it’s not a guarantee,” he says patiently. “What if none of us even make it to Montana? What if we do manage to miraculously get there unscathed…and there’s no cure? What if this guy turns out to be just crazy? What if he’s dead and the place is overrun?”
“We can’t think like that,” Madison says, cutting in. “We have to have hope that everything will turn out alright in the end.”
“I think we should go for it,” Aaron says. “My leg feels fine, and it’s not going to slow me down. I think if we start getting ready now, we could be ready to go by tomorrow and be on the road by noon.”
Reese sighs but doesn’t say anything else. He just finishes his last bite of breakfast, drops the bowl in the sink, and walks out. Ryder squeezes my hand under the table. “Don’t worry about him. He’s just scared.”
“I am, too.”
Ryder looks down at me. “Don’t worry, Sam. I’ll take care of you, I promise.”
I lean over and kiss him on the cheek, feeling the scratch of unshaved bristles on my lips. “I know you will. I just hope I can take care of you, too.”
“We’ll all take care of each other,” Madison says. “Don’t worry about it so much, Sam. If you worry so much, something is bound to go wrong, and we don’t want that.”
Naomi clears her throat
from near the fridge. “Um, how exactly are we all going to get to Montana? We sure as hell are not fitting in one car.”
“Reese and I will go into town later to find another vehicle that can make the trip. We’ll start siphoning gas while we’re there. That way we’ll have enough room for everyone, and all the supplies we’ll need to make the trip.” I look around at everyone in the room. “We’re really doing this. We’re going to make a difference.”
*****
Hours later, the jeep jerks to a halt in front of the only car dealership in the area. Reese pockets the car keys, but he doesn’t exit the car. He just sits there rubbing his temple as if he has a migraine, and I wait impatiently for him. After a thirty minute drive into town from the middle of nowhere, I’m feeling anxious to stretch my feet, and to get this done, and waiting for him does not make me happy.
Finally Reese slides out of the jeep, slamming the door shut behind him. Rolling my eyes at his attitude, I head into the dealership parking lot to look for anything that will be able to fit us all. The sound of Reese’s boots clunking against the pavement is the only indication that he’s deciding to follow me, and I hope he’s paying more attention to our surroundings than I think he is.
I constantly scan our surroundings, always on the lookout for any sign of movement. The gun belted to my side feels right at home on my hip, and with it always within my reach, I feel more confident than I ever have before. With this weapon, I can do anything, survive anything.
“What are we looking for exactly?” Reese asks, sidling up beside me. He’s holding his rifle so tightly his knuckles are white, and I can tell that he’s angry about this.
“We are looking for a vehicle that will have enough room for us, and as many supplies as we can bring,” I explain patiently. Reese’s attitude is starting to get on my nerves, but I understand his fears when it comes to this plan of ours. I know that he’s worried about his brother, and about me, and even about the people we’ve only just started getting to know.
Zombie World (Zombie Apocalypse #3) Page 1