The Zombie Chronicles - Book 4 - Poisonous Serum (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series)

by Peebles, Chrissy

  “I’m so sorry, buddy.” Mike pulled the trigger then jerked me toward the back door as zombies flooded down the stairs. I could hear them splashing through the water.

  I glanced over my shoulder, gasping. Letting out excited moans, they pounced on Mike and tore at his skin like wild animals. His piercing screams turned into soft gurgles, and then there was nothing but the eerie sound of ravenous crunching and slurping and chewing.

  I squeezed through the ragged opening Jackie had made. As we cut through the yard and hopped a silver fence, everything was a blur around me. I had just seen a man get murdered, right before my very eyes, and for all I knew, my brother could be in trouble and might need my help. The wind howled again, and droplets of rain pelted our exposed skin as the moon came out for a split second before dark clouds consumed it.

  We avoided the streets and moved slowly from back yard to back yard. Whenever we saw a group of zombies heading for us, we turned and went in the other direction. The trouble was, they were coming from everywhere.

  “They’re surrounding us,” Jackie whispered. “We can’t take them all on. There’re too many.”

  Chapter 13

  Zombies had spotted us and were coming from the front yard and from the back.

  “They’ve got us cornered,” I said.

  “I know!” Sam said. “Let’s go this way.”

  Suddenly, bony fingers grabbed Jackie’s arm, and she gasped. She aimed her gun to shoot, but I was a quicker draw. With one shot, I nailed it in the forehead, sending it back to the grave, this time forever. Blood oozed from the bullet hole as it slumped into the wet grass with a splash.

  Larry and Sam panicked, darting over a fence without us. I saw zombies in that direction, over by a giant oak tree, so I didn’t understand what they were doing. I tried to warn them, but before I could get a word out, they’d made a fatal error. Gunshots rang out one after another, and I knew they were fighting for their lives. We were trying to get over there to help them when more zombies stumbled from the bushes. If we didn’t hide, we would have been as dead as our friends were about to be, so we had no choice.

  I pulled Jackie underneath a dark porch, behind a pile of logs. We made it in the nick of time. They passed by the porch as they shuffled around the yard, squishing their tattered shoes and whatever toes they had left in the mud. I felt pure evil emitting from them. I didn’t move a muscle and dared not even breathe. Through the wooden lattice of the porch, I could see that one was close. I cringed at its signature moan, coming from those decaying lips. It took everything I had not to gag at the sickening stench. Every minute felt like eternity, but finally I watched those filthy brown shoes clomp away as it dragged its useless foot across the grass.

  I wondered if it could hear my heart beating, because it sounded like a tribal drum on a warpath. Jackie squeezed my hand tightly, and I held her shivering body close to mine. She nuzzled her head into my shoulder. I felt like her protector, and I was ready to die before I’d let anything happen to her.

  I listened to the rain falling, and somehow that steady rhythm carried my thoughts to the men and women we’d lost. All of them had just been trying to survive, just like us. Grief overwhelmed me at the thought. It had taken brave hearts to leave the relative safety of the nursing home to come look for the missing, and Mike was, in my opinion, a modern-day hero. I couldn’t really say that about Larry or Sam who just deserted us, but my heart went out to Mike and Jack. I thought about Mike and shivered. The last thing the man had seen was a good friend of his pulling the trigger on him. I wished I would have done more to save him, and the guilt of that threatened to consume me. Maybe Nick’s right. Maybe I’m not cut out for this. I wasn’t coldhearted, and I could never have shot a friend in the head the way Larry shot Mike right before my eyes.

  We were stuck under the porch for an hour, listening to those chilling wind chimes. We didn’t dare speak to one other, not even so much as a whisper. After a while, the moans dissipated, and I peeked out. When I didn’t see any trace of zombies, I let out a long, relieved sigh.

  I could feel Jackie trembling in the darkness, and I cupped her face. “We’re gonna make it, baby,” I whispered.

  “I know,” she whispered back, her voice cracking.

  “Are you ready?”

  She gave my hand a squeeze, signaling that she was, then shined her flashlight.

  I started to crawl from our hiding area, confident that we’d make it back in no time. We’d survived the hard part, and I was sure we could sneak back through the vegetation without being spotted. When I went to stand, I could smell the stench of death. A zombie with an axe protruding from its head lurched from the shadows and reached for me. I could clearly see it through the flashlight beam Jackie was shining. Drops of fresh blood dripped from its mouth and blood-soaked shirt, and it was holding a human heart in its hands. I gasped when its soulless eyes met my gaze, its rotting, snapping jaws moving dangerously close to my face. With my heart pounding like the hooves of racehorses, I fired shot after shot. Even after the zombie collapsed in a heap of rotting flesh, I still continued to fire.

  “That’s enough!” Jackie said, grabbing my arm. “You’ll attract more!”

  I shot four more times as rage flooded through me. “The fresh blood…that heart…it…oh, Jackie, it had to belong to one of our men! And that axe…I-I’m sure it’s one of ours.” My voice wavered. I wanted to send that demon back to hell. I was about to fire again when Jackie tugged my arm once again.

  “No point in overkill,” she said.

  More groans echoed through the air, and I knew I’d foolishly attracted more with the gunfire. The shots were like a megaphone, summoning every zombie within hearing distance. Jackie gripped my hand. “Let’s get out of here!”

  I quickly looked around and saw nothing but an empty yard equipped with a swing set where children had happily played once in a far more carefree world. I had no time to ponder the normalcy that was no more, though, so we cut through about ten yards, then hid in a large bush. It was so dark, and I wished we could turn on a flashlight, but I wasn’t willing to give away our position to the undead. I surveyed the area carefully. Jackie peeked out and motioned that it was safe. We stayed within the lurking shadows cast by towering oaks and weaved in and out of trees, bushes, and vegetation.

  When I spotted the nursing home, we both took off in a sprint. I knocked on the boarded-up window that we’d used as an exit. “It’s us, Dean and Jackie. Let us in!”

  Somebody loosened a board and peeked out. “Dean!” Val shouted.

  My heart jumped for joy that she was alive and had made it. Wood planks were removed so we could squeeze through, and—ever the gentleman—I let Jackie go first.

  Val immediately hugged me. “Dean, you scared the crap out of me!”

  “What happened?” Nick asked, gripping my shoulder. “When you weren’t here, I went back out with Val, Lucas, and another team, and we searched for you and the others.”

  “I-I—”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you’re alive, so I’m not gonna lecture you. All that matters is that you’re here, in one piece.” Nick embraced me in a tight hug, then hugged Jackie.

  I hung my head and looked at the floor. “Mike was killed after you left,” I said. “It was horrible, Nick.”

  “Larry and Sam just made it back not too long ago,” Val said. “They filled us in on all the horrible details.”

  “They did?” I asked, shocked.

  “Yep.”

  Before I could answer or tell them what Larry had done, Lucas grabbed me and pulled me into a strong-armed bear hug. “You’re beyond tough, bro. You’re downright invisible. I’m proud of you for this one, even if I oughtta kick your butt for scaring me.”

  “Two other guys and one woman made it back too,” Nick said. “We quarantined them to Three West because they’re covered with bites and scratches.”

  “Besides us, Larry, and Sam, I didn’t think anyone else survived
,” I said. “If they’ve been bitten, are you going to give them some serum?”

  “They’ve already had it before,” Nick said, “back in Kingsville.”

  “This is new territory,” Jackie said. “I guess we’re not really sure how to tread.”

  Lucas shook his head. “Exactly. I mean, how do we know if the old dose will still work? Then again, double-dosing might kill them.”

  “So what are we going to do?” I asked. “If they were bitten, they’re going to turn.”

  “I don’t think it’d hurt to give them the serum again,” Jackie said. “What’s it going to matter? I’d rather die by somebody trying to help me than stand by and do nothing because they’re afraid of double-dosing me. I’m sure they’d feel the same way. Besides, no one wants to turn into a zombie and have to be shot in the head.”

  “We’ll try a drop of the serum and see what happens,” Lucas said. “I have a vial right here.” He motioned us up the stairs.

  I walked in and stared straight ahead. Three beds had been placed in the center of the room. “It’s me, Dean,” I said to the brave victims.

  The lady moaned. “Dean?”

  “I’m so glad you made it out alive,” I said.

  “Was that crazy or what?” she mumbled. “Bob and Steve are sleeping.”

  “We’ll be quiet,” I promised.

  “Can we look at your wound?” Nick asked.

  She pulled back the dressing, and we all examined it.

  “It’s healing already,” Lucas said, “and I don’t see any sign of infection or pus.”

  “This is just like Asia’s bite wound,” Jackie said. “It’s healing.”

  “How about the scratches?” I asked.

  She lifted up her shirt to reveal three long, red claw marks stretched across her flat stomach. There was no pus or infection there either, which was a relief, since zombie bites and scratches usually began to fester almost immediately.

  Nick stared down in disbelief. “They’re immune to the zombie virus. The cure actually works—like a vaccination!”

  The woman cupped her mouth in surprise. “Does that mean we’re not going to turn?”

  “Your body is fighting off the virus,” Jackie said, “and your skin is already healing.”

  Sobs of joy escaped the bitten woman’s lips, and she got up and shook the man next to her. “We’re gonna beat this thing, Steve! We’re going to live!” she shouted as happy tears slipped down her face.

  “What?” Steve asked in disbelief, hugging her.

  She explained everything, and they all hugged each other, shouting and laughing.

  “We’re going to keep you quarantined for a few more hours, just in case,” Nick said, “but everything is looking good.”

  As we walked out of the room, the guy guarding the door smiled. “Thanks,” he said. “This is the best news we’ve had in a while. Last thing I wanted to do was have to shoot my own brother, though I would have if I’d had to.” He clapped Nick’s shoulder and walked into the room.

  Though I was glad to be back, I couldn’t stop thinking about Nick leaving me on that roof. I hadn’t pursued the issue yet because too much had been going on, but the horrible feelings weren’t going away, and I knew I had to confront him. Anger flooded through me as I pulled him to the side.

  “What’s wrong?” he said.

  An awkward silence ensued before I finally spoke. “Why did you leave me like that, back on the roof?”

  “I did what I had to do to save your lives.”

  My throat tightened. “But I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”

  “Dean, I know how to handle zombies, okay?” he said. “Just think of me as an expert in the field.”

  “Nick knows what he’s doing,” Val said. “He’s experienced in this area. Just trust his judgment.”

  I pointed at him. “Val can stick up for you all she wants, but you’d better never do that to me again,” I said firmly.

  Nick crossed his arms. “I can’t promise you that, Dean. All’s fair in love and war.”

  “Darn it, Nick!”

  Footsteps came up the dark hall, and Nick pointed his gun. “Who is it?”

  “It’s me, Larry.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Just the man I wanna see,” I said sarcastically.

  Tension filled the air and an awkward silence ensued.

  Finally Larry broke the silence. “You’re still mad at me. I get it.”

  “Mad? Try pissed,” Jackie said.

  “There’s no way we could’ve carried him out. We barely got back as it was. I knew we couldn’t get him back, and I didn’t want him to suffer. I put him out of his misery like he asked me to. I saved him from feeling it when those freaks ate him.”

  “With a friend like you, he didn’t need enemies,” Jackie said sourly.

  Larry shot her a cold stare.

  “Hey,” Lucas said, “we can’t fight amongst ourselves. Enough of this, all of you.”

  “What Nick and Larry did was inexcusable,” I said.

  Nick shot me a look. “You need to man up if you’re ever going to survive out here.”

  “That’s enough, Nick!” Jackie said. “We’re both a little freaked right now. We had to hide under a porch for an hour while a giant mob of zombies prowled the yard. When we eventually managed to scramble out, we were attacked by a zombie with an axe in its head, blood on his shirt, and a still-warm-and-practically-beating human heart in its hand, obviously from one of our people. The last thing either of us needs right now is drama or a lecture.”

  Larry closed his eyes tightly. “That was Jared. He was fighting with an axe in the kitchen.” Larry bent over as a sob escaped his lips. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” He turned and walked away.

  “I’m sorry,” Nick said. “I should’ve been there for you.” He clapped my shoulder. “I refused to let those things get you though. I had to do whatever it took to save your life, even if I knew it would piss you off.”

  My brother’s voice was so emotional that I had to fight to keep it together. I was overwhelmed by everything I’d been through, and it was all becoming a bit too much for all of us.

  “Right now, we need to have an emergency meeting,” Nick said. “We need to inform everyone what’s going on.”

  Jackie gripped my hand. “Absolutely. Let’s go.”

  Following Nick, I rushed down the corridor and into the lounge. I leaned against the wall and waited for Nick’s instructions. I had no idea how he planned to proceed.

  “People, we’ve got problems!” Nick yelled. “I need everyone’s attention right now.”

  Everyone gathered around, their curiosity piqued. We all took turns explaining what had happened as murmurs, shocked gasps, and whispers wafted amongst the crowd.

  “I don’t know how, but the zombies in this city can think,” Nick said, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “I don’t believe it,” Kate said slowly. “The virus must’ve mutated. It had too.”

  “Do you really believe zombies have brains?” a man asked. “Come on, people! Let’s use our own brains.”

  Lucas nodded. “I do. While a zombie was being pursued, it hid. That calls for intellect, and it’s not the behavior we’ve seen before in the undead. Ultimately, it means we can’t stay here.”

  “Are you saying they broke in here and started feeding on us one by one?” a woman asked, her voice wavering.

  “Pack up whatever supplies you can and let’s get out of here,” a man said.

  Jackie hugged me tightly. “They killed Claire,” she sobbed between breaths.

  I wrapped my arm around her. I wished I could take away her pain, but I couldn’t. I assumed Claire was dead, and my throat tightened at the thought. It would be the second time we’d have to grieve her loss, and this time, she wasn’t coming back.

  Lucas grabbed Nick’s arm. “C’mon. We need to start gathering supplies.”

  Nick shook his head. “I can’t leave Claire.”

&n
bsp; “You know she’s dead,” he whispered.

  “Prove it! I didn’t see her body. That means there’s hope.”

  “Nick, I’ve never seen you this emotional. You know better than to let anyone get the best of you. You’re the one who taught me that.”

  Nick just stared at the wall with a blank look on his face.

  Lucas continued, “Look at the facts. There’s no way she’s alive. I know how much you cared about her, and I’m so sorry, but we’ve gotta—”

  Heavy wrinkles formed on Nick’s forehead. “I’ve gotta find her.”

  Jackie gripped his hand. “We’ll find her together.”

  “That’d be a suicide mission, and you know it,” Lucas said. “If this town is overrun with smart zombies, we’ve gotta get the heck out of here now.”

  “I know that. I just need a little more time,” Nick said.

  Lucas tried to state his case. “We barely survived against zombies who couldn’t think. Can you imagine how hard it will be to fight the ones who can put two and two together? They were smart enough to hide out in here somehow and wait for their meals. They’ve even been doing ambushes and sneak attacks, picking us off one by one, and they’ve figured out how to break in and out of this place. This is some scary stuff.” He turned to face me. “Dean, what do you think?”

  “I-I’m not sure what I think, but I need to know one way or the other. Is Claire alive or not? If she is, there’s no way we’re leaving her behind.”

  Lucas spun to face Val. “How about you?”

  “I can’t leave Nick and Dean here to their fate. They’ll need backup. And if Claire is alive, I couldn’t bear to leave her after everything she has done for me.”

  “How do you propose we find her?” Lucas asked. “Where else can we possibly look?”

  “We find their lair,” I said. “I’m sure they’re smart enough to have one.”

  “We’ll have to be careful,” Val said. “They know how to lure us into a trap. I would’ve fallen for the baby trap too,” she said, looking at Jackie.

  “A group of people just left,” Lucas said. “They’re not even waiting for us. They’re just getting out of town as fast as they can.”