Once Bitten, Twice Dead

by Bianca D’Arc

  That made nine. How many of them were there?

  Entering through the window wasn’t an option until the tenacious number nine disintegrated, so Xavier kept running until he found a sliding glass door several yards away. Using his rifle butt to smash the glass, he jumped inside a moment later, ready for action.

  “Xavier?”

  He heard Sarah’s voice calling his name. Relief washed through him like a fresh spring rain. Thank heaven he’d found her.

  “Where are you, Sarah?”

  “Kitchen,” came the terse reply. “I could use some help and a weapon. There are three of them in here and one trying to get in the window. I’m cornered.” Her voice rose as she talked fast, panic entering her tone.

  He stalked through the house. The kitchen was right next door. He stormed the room, firing as soon as he had a clear shot. Sarah was standing on the center island in the big gourmet kitchen, flinging pots off the overhead pot rack at the creatures who blocked three sides of the rectangular table.

  It was a good position for someone who was otherwise unarmed. The heavy pots and pans kept the creatures at bay somewhat, and the width of the table kept her out of their reach as long as they remained on the floor and she on the island.

  “Don’t move your legs,” Xavier ordered. He sent four darts into each zombie with deliberate thoroughness. The creatures didn’t seem to notice. They kept trying to get to Sarah, and she kept them at bay with broad swings of a long-handled frying pan.

  “Can I move now?” She spared a moment to look at him, and the zombie on the right took the opportunity to swipe at her legs. The claws connected, and Sarah’s face showed her shock and pain. Blood welled and she nearly lost her footing from the force of the blow.

  “Come here, Sarah,” Xavier yelled over the inhuman moaning of the creatures. The top end of the table closest to him was clear for the moment. “Jump. I’ll catch you.”

  He held out his arms and caught her. There was no time for the hug they both needed. The creatures followed as they left the kitchen and headed for the room next door where Xavier had busted in. He gave her a pistol from his belt, plus an extra clip of darts, as they moved through the hall.

  “Bravo One, I have Alpha Two,” he reported over his headset. “We’re heading out of the house now. Stand by for evac.”

  “Roger that, Alpha One. We’re ready and waiting,” Sam said. He was the leader of the B Team, hence the Bravo One designation.

  Xavier could hear the triumph in Sam’s voice even though he kept his talk professional and calm over the radio.

  Xavier turned to Sarah as they came to the broken glass door. There were more zombies out there, gathering in the clear space between the house and the woods. That was the space they’d need to use for the helicopter extraction. Damn.

  “Can you run?” he asked her.

  “I can run,” she assured him.

  “Good.” Because they couldn’t stay there. Hot on their heels were three zombies from the kitchen, taking their damn time to disintegrate. Xavier and Sarah would have a better chance of avoiding the creatures out in the open. “Let’s go.”

  “Alpha One, eight more targets entering visual range,” Reno told Xavier as he heard the chopper lower closer to the ground in preparation for extraction.

  “Roger that. We’ve got three behind us, already dosed but not going down. Total of twelve already dosed.”

  “Sellars said there were twenty on the grounds,” Sarah reported as she ran, having heard his side of the conversation.

  “Alpha Two reports total of twenty.”

  “Roger that, Captain. We see eight more from above, so that sounds about right.”

  “Sarah, do you know where Sellars is?”

  “He made a run for it, I think. He was the only person I saw in the house. He kept me in a lab in the basement. He used the phone, but aside from the zombies, I don’t think there was anyone else here.”

  Xavier reported the information back to his men. “Clear for you to drop down,” Xavier tacked on to his radio message. “We could use some air support, but under no circumstances do I want to see any of you on the ground. Standing orders are still in effect.”

  Xavier was firing at the zombies coming into view from the edge of the woods as he relayed messages. He saw eight of them and reported that there was too little space to maneuver.

  A half minute after his last transmission, the helo dropped into view. The roar of the blades was loud as both Kauffman and Sam leaned out either side of the bird and began to dart the remaining creatures. Sarah and Xavier did the same, but they were surrounded. The zombies from the house had closed in from behind. The stubborn bastards had been shot but still hadn’t dissolved. The other eight fresh zombies had fanned out and formed a circle around Sarah and Xavier that drew ever tighter.

  Not good.

  One by one the fresh zombies were slowly but surely getting their four doses each, but it was taking too long. They were too close. Kauffman sent down the rope ladder, but Sarah was having a hard time negotiating the swaying rungs. She hadn’t even cleared enough room for Xavier to grab on and secure a foot- and arm-hold.

  Then a blond blur rappelled downward and Xavier saw Sam clinging to a rope in midair, taking the final shots needed to give each zombie four darts.

  “Dammit, Sam,” Xavier muttered under his breath.

  The son of a gun had disobeyed orders—though not technically. His feet weren’t touching the ground. He was suspended on a rope from the helicopter.

  The zombies were too close. In what felt like slow motion, Xavier saw one reach for Sam from behind. Xavier screamed at Sam, trying to warn him but it was already too late.

  Sam jerked as the zombie bit into his leg. Using the butt of his rifle, Sam beat the creature off. It was one of the kitchen zombies. Even as Sam pushed it back, it disintegrated. But it was too late for Sam.

  Xavier had had enough. He launched himself onto the rope ladder, caging Sarah in his arms and reaching around her to grab relatively secure handholds.

  “Take us up, Reno!”

  “You’re not secure, sir.”

  “Don’t argue, just get us away from this group. Set us down on the other side of the house and we’ll do it right.”

  “Roger that, Captain.”

  A second later, they were soaring over the roof of the mansion. Reno lowered over the small clearing in front of the house, hovering. Sam was working his way back up the rope into the copter while Xavier jumped down to the ground and held the rope ladder taut for Sarah to climb. She made steadier progress this time, and Kauffman leaned over and pulled her into the chopper even as Xavier made the quick climb up himself.

  When everyone was aboard and the doors shut, Reno sped upward.

  “Where to, sir?” Reno asked, but he already seemed to know what Xavier would say. It was obvious from the direction he’d sent the bird in.

  “Police station. I want McCormick to look at Sam. Meanwhile…” Xavier unzipped the bag holding McCormick’s precious serum. The pouch included some serious-looking needles, and she’d given Xavier instructions on how and how much to administer. He hadn’t thought he’d need to try it—at least not so soon—but it was the only hope for Sam. Already, Sam was going into shock. Death from the contagion was fast.

  Xavier prepared the dose and stuck Sam in the heart muscle with the long needle McCormick had packed. It was nasty and caused Sam a huge amount of pain, but it was better than dying and rising to become a fucking zombie.

  “Come on, buddy. Make this work,” Xavier prayed under his breath.

  Sam’s heart distributed the serum fast, sending it throughout his system, where it combined with the contagion. They’d know in the next few minutes whether Sam had the right antigens and whatever other voodoo he’d need to stay alive.

  He started to convulse when they were setting down on the helipad behind the police station. Reno had radioed ahead and Dr. McCormick was waiting for them, escorted by the SWAT command
er and a few of his men. She ran up to the chopper as the blades slowed, and Kauffman pulled her inside to help Sam while Xavier let Sarah out the other side to make room.

  Sarah balked at the idea of leaving before they knew Sam’s fate. Xavier stood beside her, looking into the chopper as Dr. McCormick examined Sam. The roar of the engines lowered as Reno shut down the chopper and they were able to talk and be heard without the use of headsets.

  “Will he be okay? What was that shot about? And who is she?” Sarah asked, leaning against his side as they watched Sam settle down on the floor of the chopper. He’d stopped convulsing, at least.

  “She’s a scientist who was part of the original navy team. Sellars was courting her, trying to get her to work with him. She gave us the location of that house where he was keeping you. The shot was something she cooked up. It might counteract the contagion and save Sam’s life. Or not. It’s experimental.” Xavier’s words were clipped as he watched his best friend fight for his life.

  He put one arm around Sarah’s waist, supporting her against his side. It was good to have her back safe. She was a little banged up and her uniform was a mess, but she was alive. Thank heaven. He kissed the crown of her head, not caring who might be looking. The time for hiding his affection for Sarah was over.

  McCormick looked up from her patient and sought Xavier’s eyes.

  “What’s the verdict, Doc?” Xavier asked. Sam looked better, but Xavier wasn’t a doctor. He didn’t know for sure.

  “I think he’s one of the lucky ones.” McCormick sat back on her heels, hands on her thighs as she crouched inside the helicopter. “He’s started to stabilize and I think he’s out of danger, but I’d like to keep an eye on him. Is there any way we can get him back to my lab? I can rig suitable facilities to make him comfortable, and if he takes a turn for the worse, I have the toxin on hand to deal with it.” Her expression was grim. “I don’t think it’ll be necessary, but I wanted you to know that I’m equipped to handle any contingency. Your friend won’t suffer if he does turn into one of those creatures.”

  Xavier weighed his options. They still had a lot of work to do before they could call it a night. He looked over toward the SWAT team and realized he could use their help after all.

  “Wait here a minute.” Xavier walked over to the man in charge, Sergeant Luke Tomlinson.

  “You got our officer back, I see.” Tomlinson’s raised eyebrow said he realized Xavier and Sarah were more than just coworkers.

  “Safe and sound,” Xavier agreed. “I could use your help, Sergeant. I have an injured man who needs to go with the lady you’ve been looking after for me, back to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. She’s a scientist there and has agreed to watch over my man until he’s recovered.”

  “Is he contagious?” Tomlinson looked skeptical.

  “Not at the moment, and if Dr. McCormick has anything to say about it, he’ll remain that way. I can’t tell you the exact nature of the threat, but it’s something we have a reasonable handle on. It’s also been offered for sale to terrorists, which makes it a threat to national security.”

  “So not anthrax or sarin. Something new.” The man’s face paled, but his expression said he was ready for anything.

  “Definitely something new,” Xavier agreed. “Something we can’t let get out. It’s worse than anything that’s come before.”

  “And your man was exposed tonight?”

  “He was.” Xavier nodded grimly. “But McCormick can take care of him. What I need is to get her and him to Cold Spring Harbor. Can you help with that?”

  “I’ll take them myself.” There was no hesitation in his voice, only a willingness to help avert disaster.

  Xavier sent Lewis Kauffman along with Sam and Dr. McCormick. Tomlinson was acting as chauffeur. In short order, they were in one of the SWAT vehicles and on their way.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “What now?” Sarah turned to Xavier. She’d taken a few minutes to go into the police station and call her chief, assuring everyone that she was safe and fit for duty, and then left some instructions for campus security.

  “We have to go back to the beach house and make sure we got them all. We also have to tag the remains for the cleanup crew.” He looked tired and worried, which was understandable under the circumstances.

  She knew enough not to mention Sam. They both knew he was in trouble, but they were powerless to help. Xavier had already done what he could by administering the serum. The best thing they could do for Sam now was to catch the bastard that had caused all this. She wanted Sellars with a vengeance. The man had kidnapped her and his intentions had been horrific. He’d told her flat out he intended to torture her. The man was truly a monster. Never mind the monsters he created. The real contagion was in his mind, and as far as she was concerned, it had to be stopped by whatever means necessary. If the doctor didn’t walk away from this, she wouldn’t shed a tear.

  “I’d like to search the office where I heard Sellars on the phone. He left in a big hurry. He might have left something behind.” Sarah tried hard to focus on the case. They needed a lead to tell them where Sellars had gone.

  “Let’s go. We’ll decide where we go next based on what we find at the beach house.” Xavier signaled to the pilot as they got back into the helicopter. Reno fired up the engines as all three donned headsets so they could talk over the noise of the blades. “Reno, I want you to do a sweep and see if you can find Sellars’s trail while Sarah and I take care of the house.”

  “Sellars said he had a boat waiting if he needed to get away fast,” Sarah put in. Xavier turned to her, clearly surprised. “I told you he was on the phone. He was talking to someone named Jennings about his plans. He said Krychek had come through with a good location. I assume this Krychek person was the one who set him up in the beach house. He also told Jennings to get in touch with Rodriguez, and that with my blood in his possession, the technology would soon be ready for sale to Zhao.”

  Xavier seemed shocked, pleased and worried all at the same time. “We need to get this information back to Commander Sykes and the brass. I bet they’d be interested in those names.” Xavier’s expression turned grave. “This also means others know you’re immune, Sarah. Dammit!” He grit his teeth as he looked away, clearly angry.

  “Do you recognize any of the names?” she asked tentatively. She thought she understood the anger in his expression. If others knew about her, she would still be a target, even after they caught Sellars. She’d realized it the moment she heard Sellars discussing her on the phone, but the enormity of the problem came home to her only after seeing Xavier’s response. He knew as well as she did that she’d never be free of danger until this problem was solved once and for all.

  “There was a Jennings and a Rodriguez on the original science team. It would make sense that he’s in touch with them, if they’re working with him to sell the technology.” Xavier got himself back under control. He unlocked one of the bins holding their weapons and began to restock his supply of ammo. He also passed a spare utility belt to Sarah. It was already loaded with extra clips of darts and a place for her to holster the pistol he’d given her earlier.

  If felt good around her waist. She’d been feeling kind of naked without a weapon or the usual weight of extra ammo and tools settled around her hips.

  Xavier had rescued her and she’d nearly wept when he’d come into that kitchen where she’d been surrounded. She’d wanted more than anything to fling her arms around Xavier and never let go, but circumstances had prevented her from doing any such thing. Even now, they both knew they had to see to their duty before they could revel in the fact that they were both safe for the moment.

  She wondered if Xavier felt as strongly about her safety as it seemed. He’d certainly put a public claim on her when they were standing next to the chopper before. She hadn’t expected the way his arm around her waist had made her feel. For a moment, she’d simply accepted the echoes of caring and tenderness that threatened to make h
er cry like a baby in front of his men, the cops and the doctor. She’d swallowed the emotion and simply leaned against Xavier’s tall form. His warmth had seeped into her, heating the cold places inside with his gentle strength. He was her rock. Her safe harbor. In that moment, he’d said more with that single hand at her waist than she would have believed had she not experienced it herself.

  Was she fooling herself? Did he really feel those same momentous emotions? She wasn’t sure, and they didn’t have time or space to sort it out now. The mission was still on. They had to finish the job before they could even begin to address anything personal.

  Whether Xavier would want to explore anything bordering on emotional was another question. He hadn’t made her any promises. They were together for now. That had to be enough. But yet…her foolish heart yearned.

  He’d come after her when she’d been kidnapped. That was his job. But she hoped he’d come after her for more than just the job. She hoped there was some element of feeling for her as a person behind his mad rush to save her from Sellars. She knew if the roles had somehow been reversed, her heart would have been fully engaged in saving Xavier’s life.

  In all too short a period, he’d become important to her in ways that defied logic.

  She felt the helicopter begin to descend. Xavier distracted her by taking a more traditional handgun from another locker and passing it to her.

  “It’s loaded with armor-piercing rounds, just in case,” he told her over the headset.

  Armor-piercing bullets. Also known as cop killers. Highly illegal for civilian use, but she was with the army now. If anyone had the authority to use this kind of weaponry, it was Xavier and his team. Anyone who would pursue and hope to sell zombie technology didn’t deserve to get away. If she shot anyone with this kind of ammo, they’d go down and stay down. Which is probably why Xavier used it.