Once Bitten, Twice Dead

by Bianca D’Arc

  He shot her a sly smile that turned her stomach. Nothing seemed to bother this guy. He really was one for the record books. Sarah had never encountered such a strange but strong personality before. She’d have to work to find his Achilles’ heel. If he had one. Of course, it looked like she’d have nothing but time to work on her little project.

  She knew Xavier and his guys would move heaven and earth trying to find her, but she also knew it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. While they searched for her she had to do what she could to both stay alive and try to escape.

  Chapter Twelve

  “What’s the plan, Captain?” Sam asked as they took to the air, Reno behind the controls of the big military helicopter.

  Bred for speed and stealth, this chopper was a little quieter than its civilian counterparts and more maneuverable. Nothing could cancel the noise of the engines and blades entirely, of course.

  “I’m going to rappel down and find Sarah. I want you three to be ready to evac us and provide air support if needed.”

  Sam tried to offer assistance. “I’m more than willing to go in with you, Xav, to better your odds.”

  But Xavier wouldn’t send his best friend into this kind of danger. “And worsen yours, my friend. Thanks, but the answer is still no. Even with the serum McCormick thinks might work on some people.” He emphasized the shakiness of the argument he knew would be coming. “Go dark,” he ordered Reno.

  The chopper was black, and full night had fallen. Without lights they wouldn’t be seen, and there was enough ambient light in the area that they could easily see features of the land. Luckily, there was no fog on this part of the coastline.

  They were on the famed North Shore of Long Island, where million-dollar mansions on the beach abounded. This particular neighborhood was one of the more expensive, boasting multimillion dollar houses on acres of land.

  The address they sought was a beachfront property. To get to the beach from the house far above, it looked like one would have to use a set of wooden stairs that led from a small cove upward toward a wooded area. From above, they could see a large villa hidden among the trees. It was a perfect spot for zombies. A lot of cover and a lot of land. The nearest neighboring house was quite some distance away. Far enough away that Xavier didn’t worry about the neighbors getting involved.

  “Hover by the edge of the cove. I’ll work my way up from the beach. Then I want you to go high and watch from above. Use the infrared to follow my progress and let me know over the com if there are any hot targets coming my way.” Xavier inserted a small tactical radio into his ear, adjusting the small mic that lay along his cheek. He’d have two-way communication with his team. The infrared would pick up live bodies, but it wouldn’t register the zombies well. The longer they were outside, the more their bodies acclimated to the temperature. They would be hard to distinguish from the trees and growth everywhere on the property. Still, it was something. Sellars might have some living accomplices with him.

  Sam asked the question Xavier dreaded. “What if she’s not there?”

  “She has to be.” All of Xavier’s instincts told him this was the place.

  They’d gotten lucky with McCormick. She could have just as easily turned out to be playing for the wrong team. Xavier had looked into her eyes and his gut told him she was genuine. Her information was good, but would Sellars have taken Sarah to this location? He just didn’t know.

  He prayed as he had never prayed before. Sarah had to be here. It was as simple as that. He didn’t have any other leads and he couldn’t stand the idea of her staying under Sellars’s control for one second longer than necessary.

  “Son of a bitch,” Reno swore. “Captain, do you see what I see?”

  Everyone looked out of the chopper at the beach far below. Xavier could make out the figures walking with oddly staggered steps through the one open area at the rear of the villa.

  Zombies.

  They looked like they were running patrols. The damn things must be capable of following someone’s directions to organize something like that. These had to be the new-and-improved versions.

  “Sellars is here. His trained pets are running security,” Sam said, summing up the situation.

  “Edge of the cove, now, Reno!” Xavier ordered. He grabbed his gear and checked the lines as he prepared to leave the comparative safety of the helicopter’s interior. “Hold it steady. I’ll signal when I’m on the ground. Stay sharp.” Xavier backed out of the chopper, only a thin rope between him and the ground far below.

  It wasn’t the longest descent he’d ever made, but it was close. He signaled his team through his headset the moment his feet touched the hard-packed beach. The strip of sand wasn’t wide, and there was a residue of seaweed and the occasional jellyfish gleaming in the dim light of the moon as he made his way toward the wooden stairs.

  Weapon at the ready, he mounted the winding staircase as quickly as possible. The higher ground that the house was built on wasn’t too far above. Forty steps and he was ducking into the cover of the trees and bushes that lined the path leading to the house.

  Sellars had taken a few vials of blood, then left. He’d turned off the light again, so Sarah was in the dark. It took a while for her eyes to adjust, but her body was busy working on a way out of the straps holding her down.

  The table had been designed for a larger person, which worked to her favor. There was a bit of slack in the strap that covered her waist and forearms. There was another strap around her shoulders and one on her forehead, plus a few that laddered down her legs, holding her in place. All the straps went around her from one edge of the table to the other and disappeared beneath the hard surface of the table. No doubt they were secured somewhere below the platform she was lying on.

  There was enough play in the forearms’ strap that maybe if she twisted a little, she could work her hands free one at a time. It would hurt like hell and probably strain most of the muscles in her arms and middle, but she didn’t see any other way. She set to work, grinding her teeth to keep from moaning at the pain she inflicted on herself.

  She tried wiggling out the arm that didn’t have the IV stuck in it. It hurt like a bitch, but by the time her eyes were used to the dark again, she had worked her hand free of that middle strap. She used that hand to help her get the one with the IV out of the binding next. It was looser now, so it was a little easier. She was tempted to yank the IV out of her arm but didn’t want to do it in the dark, in case she started bleeding too much.

  With her hands relatively free, she concentrated on her next step. Her shoulders and upper arms were still pinned, but she could move from her elbows and wiggle a bit. It would have to be enough.

  She looked around and saw the instrument tray. If she could just…reach…

  The back of her right hand made contact with something metallic. Twisting her wrist at an unnatural angle, she tried to pick up one of the instruments she could feel under her hand. She was careful, in case she came in contact with the business end of a scalpel or something.

  In fact, that’s just what happened. She sucked in a breath as something sliced the side of her finger. It was a shallow cut, like a paper cut. It hurt and it told her what to concentrate on. She wanted that blade.

  She ended up slicing up her fingers some more after a few more tries. But finally, she worked the damn thing around to where she could grasp it awkwardly between her third and fourth fingers. Bending her elbow like a crane, she brought the instrument to her waist and dropped it on her abdomen. Repositioning her fingers, she picked it up in a much firmer grip. At last.

  Sarah immediately went to work on the strap holding her hips in place. The sharp blade sawed through the thick strap a little at a time. It took some doing, but she finally was able to move her hips. Next came the strap at her knees, which she could just reach. Once that was gone, she bent her knees and forced her ankles out from under the straps at the lower end of the table.

  Free from the waist do
wn, she was able to scoot downward on the table and wiggle out from under the upper straps. A few minutes later, she was free.

  She didn’t dare flip the lights on in case anybody was monitoring the room. She did pull the IV from her arm now that she could stand. There were packets of sterile gauze on the tray, which she made use of after yanking the sinister tube from her arm. She waited to disengage the heart and pulse-point monitors in case the readings were available somewhere else besides the machines that recorded her vitals inside the room. She’d take them off at the last possible moment. No doubt they were already registering her elevated heart rate and pulse, but she hoped if anyone was reading the stats, they’d assume she was panicking about being tied up and helpless.

  Sarah was anything but helpless and she was about to prove it. She buttoned her shirt and looked around for her shoes. They’d been thrown in one corner along with her socks. She slipped them on quickly, knowing it would be easier to escape if she was properly outfitted. She’d been lucky so far. Her utility belt and weapons were nowhere to be found, however She couldn’t be that lucky.

  So she armed herself as best she could from the instrument tray. It wasn’t much. A few blades and a couple other pointy things. It would have to do. She also pulled the wire leads off her body, leaving only the suction cups they’d been connected to.

  Sarah headed for the door, watching the gap at the bottom for a few moments to see if there were any changes in the light patterns. That might give her some indication about whether people were moving about on the other side, but she couldn’t tell anything. There wasn’t enough light, for one thing, and for another, anyone moving would have to be right near the door for her to see their motion this way.

  “Screw it,” she said under her breath as she reached for the knob on the door. It wasn’t locked. Sellars had been too confident, assuming she couldn’t get free.

  She opened the door and found herself in a cluttered lab area. It was dimly lit and empty of people, like it was shut down for the night. Stalking silently forward, she finally plucked the suction cups off her skin. If someone was watching the monitors, they’d know she was up and around. But it couldn’t be helped.

  There were no windows anywhere, which led her to believe she was probably underground. She moved as quietly as she could. Hanging out with Xavier the past few days and watching the way he moved so stealthily had apparently rubbed off. She didn’t make much sound as she went through the empty lab toward the brighter light she saw near a door at one end. She was going under the hope that where there was light, there might be a way out.

  Sarah was at the door when she heard a voice drifting down the corridor. It was a one-sided conversation, as if the man was on the telephone. She recognized the voice. It was Sellars. She peeked around the edge of the door to find a corridor. There were a few doors along the hall. One was open with light spilling out, and at the end of the hall there was a staircase leading upward.

  Listening carefully for a moment, she realized the volume of the conversation remained constant. Sellars was stationary. Probably inside that well-lit room, which was most likely his office. She had to get past him to get to the stairway.

  She weighed her options. He might leave for the floor above if she waited until his call was over. Or he might decide to check in on her again in the room she’d just left. It was late at night. Chances were he’d go to bed soon…unless he was on the same schedule as his creations were. Damn. That was a very real possibility she had to consider.

  Looking around the lab area, she picked up a few more objects she could use as weapons but nothing really good. Nothing that would work against the zombies. Of course, right now, Sellars was the real danger.

  “…should be fine for now. I’ve got twenty of them on the grounds right now. Well, at least until they start chewing on the neighbors.”

  Sellars laughed. Actually laughed. It made Sarah sick to her stomach that he talked so casually about the flesh-eating zombies he had created.

  But this was good intel. She’d have to run the gauntlet of creatures if and when she got out of this building. Without the special toxic ammunition or even a decent weapon.

  “No way, Jennings.” Sellars sounded miffed for some reason. “I’ve got it under control. I’ve got her blood and access to more anytime I want it. I’ll crack the puzzle and we’ll have something to sell Zhao inside of a few days. See if you can get in touch with Rodriguez. I’m still working on McCormick. She cancelled on me for lunch. If she doesn’t come around soon, I may snatch her and force her to work with us.”

  The bastard. Talking about kidnapping another woman like it was no big deal. The more she heard him talk, the more she hated this guy.

  “No, I like the house. Krychek came through with a good location. There’s even a boat I could use for a quick getaway and plenty of woods for my little army of ghouls.” He snickered again but cut it short when an alarm sounded inside his office. “Fuck. No, there’s someone on the grounds. The proximity alarm just went off. No, I’m not taking any chances. I have her blood. She can rot for all I care.”

  Nice. Sarah knew he was talking about her. There wasn’t anyone else in the building that she could detect. At least not on this floor. And he definitely had her blood. The bastard wouldn’t leave that behind after the difficulties he’d had in acquiring it. The good news was that it sounded like he was leaving. Sarah felt her pulse leap at the idea.

  Sellars’s voice increased in volume, speed and pitch. He was nervous. She heard him end the phone call, and then she heard cursing and rustling sounds from within the office.

  A few minutes later, he was jogging down the hall, a big satchel slung over one shoulder, a large handgun in one hand and a cooler bag in the other. No doubt that was where he’d stored her blood. She couldn’t let him get away, but she also didn’t have a weapon. If she tried to stop him now, he’d shoot her at point-blank range.

  Better to bide her time, follow him out of the house and hope to hell it was Xavier who’d breached the defenses. She knew he would be coming for her. It was only a matter of time. Hopefully, he would find her and they could work together to bring Sellars down.

  She crept along the corridor as Sellars ran up the stairs. The lights went off as she hit the bottom step and she heard a door slam shut above. She was in the dark, but she knew where she needed to go—up.

  Sarah took the stairs as quickly and quietly as she could. She encountered a light switch at the top of the stairs, but she left the light off. When she opened the door, she didn’t want the light betraying her in case Sellars or anyone else waited above. Suddenly she had a bad moment: Had Sellars taken the time to lock the door from the other side? She hoped he’d been in too much of a hurry.

  Only one way to find out. She turned the knob. Much to her relief, the door opened. The room beyond was dark, but there were windows, and some ambient light came through them from outside. She was on the first floor, in the kitchen of a very well-appointed house. Of course, she had no idea where the house was. With a sinking feeling, she realized she might not even be on Long Island anymore. Sellars could have taken her anywhere. She didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious.

  Before she could start to panic about that, a shadow passed in front of the kitchen window. She crossed the room to peer out cautiously and came face-to-face with a hideous apparition. It was a zombie and half its face had been chewed off. A single eye stared at her blankly, and she had to swallow the yelp of fear that threatened to erupt from her throat.

  Too late. It saw her. She jumped back as its fist crashed through the window, its clawed hands reaching for her.

  Xavier started shooting the moment he saw the first zombie in the woods. He had no idea how many of them were on this property, but one thing he did know—there wouldn’t be any when he was through. He systematically plugged four shots into each target before moving on to the next, counting as he went.

  He’d taken care of four zombies by the time he reach
ed the small clearing that surrounded the house. They hadn’t started to disintegrate yet, but the first would go any time now. Xavier did his best to ignore the four who followed him from the woods while he plowed his way through the clearing, shooting four darts into each of two patrolling creatures. Six down, who knew how many more to go.

  “Alpha One. Two more targets coming around the north side of the house,” Reno reported from his vantage point in the sky far above. “We’ve also got two heat signatures. One in the house and one heading down to the beach.”

  “How’d that one get past me?” Xavier wanted to know.

  He lined up his shots and fired at the two zombies as they rounded the north corner of the house. As he finished darting the second of the pair, the first of the previous batch began to implode. Behind him, he heard the hideous moaning come to an abrupt halt, time and time again as the creatures dissolved.

  “Must’ve been a tunnel from the house,” Reno told him. “The heat signature popped up on the infrared near the top of the stairs to the beach. Before that, we saw it in the house for a quick second before it disappeared. I figure it went belowground or into a shielded area.”

  “Son of a bitch. But there’s another one still in the house?”

  “Yeah, and it’s on the move. Movements are erratic. It appeared in the same spot as the first one, about one minute after. Now it’s moving around the rooms inside the house.”

  “Current position?”

  “Northeast face, three windows down. It’s in that room right now.”

  Xavier was already on the move. Of the eight zombies he’d shot, six had dissolved. The other two were in his way, and he detoured in a sprint, passing wide around them. These creatures moved a little faster than the previous versions he’d dealt with, but most of them were still hampered by uneven gaits. They couldn’t run like Xavier could.

  They tried to grab him as he passed, but he was too quick. He counted down to the third window on that side of the house and saw another of the creatures doing his best to break down the window and force his way inside. Xavier took aim and fired on the run.