“We’ve got to keep looking for Jordan,” I insisted, pulling her into the hallway.
“Casey,” she offered cautiously. “He may have already been injected.”
“I know, but we have to be sure,” I answered her.
We found Jordan in a room by himself near the end of the hall. He too was restrained, but unlike the others, he turned to look at us when we came in.
“No, not again,” he pleaded. “Please leave me alone.” He was shaking. There were bruises, sutured cuts, and needle marks all over his arms and legs.
“Jordan,” I cried. “It’s Casey. I’ve got Kyle and Hoffstedder with me. We’ve come to get you out of here.”
“Thank God!” he cried. “I can’t take any more of this.”
Verna checked Jordan’s chart. “It looks like they’ve only been taking blood and tissue
samples. I don’t see where he’s been injected with either the vaccine or the virus,” she said.
We loosened the Velcro straps that held his arms, midriff, and legs and helped him up from the bed.
“Jordan, do you know anything about Harley?” I asked.
“I know she’s here and that she’s very sick,” he answered.
“She must be in one of the last rooms,” I said. “Let’s find her!”
Harley’s frail body was restrained and sedated two doors down from where we had found Jordan. I ran to her side.
“Don’t touch her!” Verna said sternly. “Look at her arms.”
Harley’s arms were broken out with bleeding blisters. She was infected, and the virus was already beginning to take its terrible toll on her body. Seeing her there like that made me feel hollow inside. Verna began looking at her chart. “What can we do?” Jordan asked.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Verna said. Her voice was heavy with sadness. “They’ve scheduled her for dissection tomorrow morning.”
“Their vaccine isn’t working,” I said. It had been my last hope for Harley. And now that was gone too.
“You know what you have to do, Verna,” Kyle said. “Do it now. We have to get out of here.”
Verna took the syringes from her pocket and injected them one after the other into Harley’s IV line. We stood quietly watching until she drew her last breath.
“We’ve got to go now,” Kyle said urgently.
“We can’t just leave all of these people here,” I cried.
“There’s nothing we can do for any of them if we don’t get out of here alive,” Kyle said.
I took one last look at Harley’s face and then left the room.
“What now?” Verna asked.
“We’ll go out the back door at the end of the hallway and get one of the utility trucks they’ve been using to collect the tranquilized zombies. We should be able to exit through the back side of the compound,” Kyle said. “I’ve been watching the trucks going in and out of here, and there has to be another gate in the back.”
We hurried down the hallway and opened the back door. Outside the research facility, piercing zombie screams filled the air. In front of us, there was a walkway bordered by what looked like dog kennels on both sides. Inside the enclosures were zombies clamoring at the bars. Decomposing arms reached through the openings and tried to grab us as we walked by. Others threw themselves against the steel frames in a futile attempt to break free. Some seemed not to notice that they were knocking off their own body parts as they slammed themselves against the sides of their cages.
I noticed one lone figure that stood out from the others. It appeared different somehow. As we walked past its cage, it simply sat on the ground watching us as we moved. Its blood-streaked eyes looked at me and followed me as I moved. I stopped and looked back at it. An eerie feeling crept over me. The way its eyes met my gaze, I felt it could see through the biohazard helmet. Unlike the vacant looks on the faces of the others, this one appeared to be thinking. I could tell by the tattered clothing it wore that it was probably female. A few matted locks of strawberry blonde hair hung from what was left of its scalp. It unnerved me the way it studied my face and sniffed the air as if learning my scent. There was a disturbing aura of intelligence about it. The figure lifted its chin, looked down its nose at me, and exhaled sharply through its nose as if it found me repulsive, and a guttural moan escaped its gaping throat.
“Did you see that?” I asked Kyle. “It stared me down!”
“Yeah, I did,” he said. His hand tightened around the stock of his rifle. “The smart ones scare me more than the stupid ones. I saw a few like that before when I was hiding out in downtown Ft. Wayne.”
“Weird how it singled me out like that,” I whispered.
“Yeah, let’s keep moving,” he instructed, grasping my arm and nudging me forward.
Beyond the cages, there was a large, iron structure with a heavy-looking door. It radiated heat and a smell that reminded me of the horrible night I fended off the zombies at the high school with Molotov cocktails. “That must be an incinerator,” I concluded. “It smells like they’ve been burning bodies there. Disgusting!”
Kyle pointed ahead. “There are the trucks! We have to get to them.”
The vehicles were parked across the compound about the distance of a football field away. As we ran toward them, an ear-splitting alarm sounded in the night. Large floodlights snapped on and lit up the grounds. I heard voices yelling and turned to see that the metal gate we’d entered through was opening. Armed soldiers barreled through it.
“They’re coming after us!” I yelled. I took Verna’s hand and pulled her along. “Run faster!” I screamed.
“I’m moving as fast as I can,” she panted.
We’d closed the gap between us and the trucks by about half, but the pack of armed personnel had spotted us and were coming in our direction. Suddenly, I heard gunfire, and Verna fell to the ground. I looked down at her. She was holding her leg, where a red-tipped dart was sticking stuck out of her calf. Her eyes looked dazed.
“Kyle! Help me!” I screamed as hard as I could. I prayed he could hear me over the noise. I saw his figure stop. He turned and ran back to us and lifted Verna onto his shoulders.
“Run!” he ordered.
I sprinted ahead with Kyle at my side.
Gunfire sounded again and again, and all around us, tranquilizer darts whistled through the air. We reached the trucks, and Kyle heaved Verna into the back. Jordan jumped in with her. I ran around to the front of the truck with Kyle. I climbed in first and slung my gun into the seat. As Kyle was stepping into the cab, he fell forward. A dart was sticking out of his back.
“Kyle! Wait! Fight it! I need your help.” Despite my pleading, it was too late. He slumped onto the seat. I pulled with all my strength, and his dead weight barely budged. I grabbed him under the arms and wedged my feet against the seat so I could harness the strength of my legs. I heaved, and his body moved a foot closer until it stopped. I pulled again and felt resistance. He was stuck!
My heart was pounding in my ears, and panic constricted my throat. I looked over his body and saw that his gun was wedged between the door and the truck frame. I couldn’t release the tension without pushing his body backward. Thinking fast, I jumped out of the truck and ran around the front of it to reach the driver’s side.
“Kyle! Casey!” I heard Jordan’s frantic yells. “Get us out of here! Now would be great!”
I looked back and saw the soldiers were coming closer, and one was kneeling to take a shot. I grabbed Kyle’s gun and dislodged it from the frame. I heard several darts whiz by me at close range. I ran toward the back of the truck. Two soldiers were on the ground firing at us. I lifted Kyle’s gun to my shoulder and fired. The first soldier fell face forward into the grass. I pulled the gun from my shoulder to reload, but I couldn’t get the dart chamber to release. The other soldier stood up and charged forward. He aimed and fired.
Jordan cried out. “Casey! They hit me! You’ve got to get us out of…” His voice trailed off as the tranquilizer to
ok effect.
I stood there, stunned as I watched the soldier advance toward me as he reloaded. He yelled out, and his body gave a sudden jerk. He fell forward as I realized he’d been hit by someone else’s dart.
I seized the moment and sprang back to the driver’s side. I heaved Kyle’s legs into the cab and climbed in after him. The keys were in the ignition, and I frantically turned them to start the truck. Its engine growled with power, and the entire truck bucked. Then the engine died. My arms were shaking in fear as I looked around me to figure out what I’d done wrong. My hand flailed and hit something sticking up out of the floor.
Holy crap! It was a standard shift! I hadn’t driven a stick in years. Even then, it was just a friend’s truck I borrowed. I looked out the window, glanced at the side mirror, and saw the soldiers were closing in. I pulled the biohazard headgear off. There was no time for mistakes. I had to remember. My foot found the clutch and pushed down hard as I turned the key in the tumbler. This time it started and whirred to life. I shifted the stick on the floor up and to the left, and the truck jerked forward as I gave it gas and let out on the clutch. The bucking continued as we moved, and I worked to get a feel for how much fuel to give it. I floored the gas pedal, and the truck peeled out, raising a cloud of dust in the air. The soldiers were firing at the truck, and the darts were bouncing off. Not sure where to go, I turned the truck to the right and followed the deep ruts in the field that were left behind from the frequent runs of many heavy trucks.
Several yards ahead, I saw what had to be the back perimeter of the compound. A chain link fence with double gates like the ones at the front of the facility loomed ahead. I braced my arms against the steering wheel and drove hard and fast into the gates. Metal grated against the sides of the truck as the gates burst open. I continued following the tire tracks. They led me around the compound and back to the front. The truck bounced over the deep furrows in the ground.
I drove about a half a mile and then hit the pavement. It was the Interstate. The abandoned cars were still littering the road, and both sides were blocked. I guessed they’d reversed the traffic on the other side to speed up the evacuations. I steered onto the shoulder until I reached the end of the bumper-to-bumper cars. I steered back onto the pavement and sped into the darkness. I kept checking the rearview mirror, knowing they would be after us soon. I had to find a place to hide. There was only one place I knew of where we could hide a truck this size. I had to get to the truck stop in Ransdell.
I had no idea what time it was when I reached the garage and swung onto the concourse. The headlights lit up the dining hall, and it looked deserted. As I suspected, everyone had been evacuated. I shuddered to think they’d been safe here and that I’d placed them in harm’s way. I drove to the garage behind the building and eased the truck up to one of the doors. Deciding to keep the vehicle running, I popped it into neutral and pulled the emergency brake. Picking up the tranquilizer gun, I put a dart in the chamber and looked around the parking lot. I didn’t see anything moving, so I climbed out of the cab. I kept the gun ready as I walked around to the back of the truck.
“Jordan?” I called out. “Verna?” They were both out cold. I needed to get the garage door open, but I couldn’t leave them here like this out in the open; not even for a few minutes. They’d be defenseless.
“Think, Casey! Think!” I paced back and forth. I looked around the area and noticed a building nearby where a delivery truck was left abandoned, backed up to a loading dock. ‘I’m so stupid!’
I ran around the side of the truck and climbed back into the driver’s seat. I put the truck in reverse and turned it around in the parking lot. Backing up was harder than I expected. I had to ease the vehicle against the garage door, and it was slightly uphill so I couldn’t use the mirrors effectively. I could only use my best guess to align the truck with the doors. Moving slowly in reverse, I backed up the grade until I heard the smack of my bumper against the door. I engaged the brake and shifted into neutral. Taking my gun and Kyle’s, I hopped out of the cab and gently closed the door until I heard the click of the clasp engaging. I checked to ensure I was aligned with the garage door and that I was as close as I could get. Everything looked good except for the fact there was a sizeable gap where the upper part of the truck bed sat at an angle to the overhead door as opposed to being flush against it. A zombie could easily climb into the back, and Verna and Jordan wouldn’t have a chance to escape, even if they were conscious.
I knew I had little time. It would be only minutes before helicopters were dispatched in search of us. I looked toward the restaurant section of the truck stop and realized that part of the concourse was flat. I could back the truck up against the glass door and pull Verna and Jordan into the diner. Then I could figure out what to do about the truck. Kyle would be safe in the cab for now. I got back into the truck and pulled it around to the diner. I backed up as close as I could to the door while leaving what I thought would be enough room to squeeze through. Again, I shifted into neutral and engaged the emergency brake, painfully aware of how much precious time I was losing every time I went through this routine. Jumping out of the truck, I closed the door and went to the back of the truck. I turned to open the diner door.
Sometimes when you’re stressed, you do stupid things, I realized as I pulled on the diner’s front door. It opened outward until it hit the truck, leaving less than a foot-wide gap. There was no way that I could squeeze through it, and there’s no frustration quite like being in a life-threatening situation, making stupid mistakes, and knowing you can’t scream about it. I climbed back into the cab again and pulled the truck forward several feet. Again, I engaged the brake and pulled the gearshift into the neutral position.
I ran back to the diner, propped the door open, and went inside to ensure no one was there. I locked the door on the other side of the diner and secured the one leading from the diner to the garage. When I was certain the building was secure, I ran back to the truck. I laid the guns down on the floor and climbed into the back of the bed. Slipping my arms under Verna’s shoulders, I slid her body across the cargo compartment’s floor. The back end was filthy and reeked of death and decay. Thank goodness truck stops had showers.
Pulling Verna to the edge of the truck was like dragging a deadweight uphill through mud. My arms ached and shook from the strain, but I managed to hold her while I slid her legs off the truck. Straddling her back, I eased myself down between her and the bumper and inched my way forward. I leaned backward as I walked, trying to keep her center of gravity above my hips. Inside the diner, I sank to the floor, easing her down with me. I was careful not to drop her or allow her head to hit the floor as I lowered her down.
I sat there for a few seconds with my arms around her. Out of breath and weak, my body pulsed from the strain. Verna’s body slid off me, and I stood up. I turned to the truck to see Jordan sitting there watching me. “Jordan?” He looked dazed.
“What happened?” he asked. “Where are we?”
“We’re in Ransdell at the truck stop. There’s no time to explain.” When I reached the back of the truck, he was climbing out. “Easy there!” I cautioned. Springing forward, I wrapped my arms around his waist to steady him as he stood up. “Why are you awake? They shot you with a tranquilizer dart. You should be out cold!”
He rubbed his face. “I guess because I pulled it out fast before all the medicine injected into me.”
“Are you okay?” I asked. I released my grip on him and backed away to see if he could stand on his own.
“I think so,” he answered, his body undulating before me.
In the distance, I could hear a rhythmic thumping from the west. “Hear that?” I asked. “They’ve got the helicopters out. They could be looking for us. We don’t have much time. I’ve got to get the truck into the garage. Come with me, and I’ll show you what to do.”
I pulled him into the diner and closed the door behind him. Turning the knob on the inside of the jamb, I clicked th
e deadbolt into place. I picked up the rifles and slung one over my shoulder. “Come with me,” I said, taking him by the arm. We went to the doorway to the garage, and I carefully unlocked it. “I’m going in to make sure it’s safe.”
The garage was completely dark. I stood listening for a long moment as my eyes adjusted. A single shaft of light shone through the skylight overhead. I felt the wall behind me, and my hand found a rack of screwdrivers. I pulled one out and tossed it at the spot where the moonbeam hit the floor with a clatter. It rolled a few inches and came to rest beside a floor jack. I waited. Silence.
“Come on in, Jordan,” I urged. “It’s clear in here.” I felt him moving beside me as I ran my hand along the wall. I reached the outer wall by the garage door, and I flattened my hand against the cinder block, splaying my fingers wide. I moved my hand across the wall in front of me feeling for the controls to the overhead doors. Discovering the buttons, I reached for Jordan’s hand and placed it on the top button.
“I need you to stand right here and wait until you hear me back the truck up to the door. When the truck is close, I want you to push this top button to raise the door. I’ll back in, and you push the bottom button to lower the door. Do you think you can do that? If you don’t think you can, let me know now because we’ll need another plan.”
I waited for his response, and I hoped he was just taking a moment to think; not that he was too drugged to process what I’d said. After a moment, I could see the shadow of Jordan’s head bobbing in the dark. “I’m still dizzy, but I think I can do this,” he said.
Viral Series (Book 1): Viral Dawn [Extended Edition] Page 27