by Bushman, LJ
“Oh, Serena. You’ve been a very naughty girl. You killed some of my best zombies. Such a sweet trap for some of those fine, upstanding FBI guys and whatever criminal they intended on hiding in that safe house. But my favorite got away. He’s still useful dead. The Ultimate Virus is wonderful. It takes a lot longer for the body to deteriorate, which gives me more time before they’re obviously infected. You went and spoiled it. It was such a simple plan,” she said, her Mary Poppin’s voice rearing its obnoxious head. “And you and Agent Joseph Connelly had to ruin it.
“Then again, if my resource is correct, your Agent Connelly was scratched in the melee. I’ll have to put the word out to leave him alive for now. I need to see how the virus does second generation. If it keeps its potency or if it mutates too much. This is such a wonderful opportunity. But what I’d like to know is, how did the two of you escape?”
A retort rested on the tip of my tongue, but I bit down hard. My unruly mouth would be the death of me yet. How the fuck did she think we escaped? She was baiting me. She had to be. Andrea knew my triggers a little—a lot—better than she had before. Probably the first thing she’d learned in our little drug sessions; implying I was an easy kill brought out my ego. A negative by-product of the virus was an inflated ego. No exception here, unfortunately.
I tasted blood before the urge to mouth off vanished. Her continued silence confirmed my suspicion, she’d tried to egg me on. Well, too bad. Some of us had a little self-control. I stayed as still as I could with all my aches and pains, trying not to moan when my injuries sent stinging rays of fire up my nerve endings.
Then I heard what had to be one of the most chilling sounds when hiding in a dark place—the harsh echo of stiletto-clad footsteps. Why it ranked right up there with the sound of zombie’s eating, I didn’t know, but it sucker-punched me right in my bravery spleen.
I held the gun ready in case she got too close. She walked up and down the lines, coming closer. Andrea fired a shot and the sound startled a small scream out of me. I covered my mouth. She must have heard the echo, though. Everything went absolutely still, as if the whole building held its breath.
In the stillness, I heard the sound of vehicles approaching. The night crew had arrived. I wasn’t lucky enough for it to be my rescue team.
“There’s the night guards,” she said, confirming my fears. “They’re here to relieve Ben and Jerry, whom I sent home earlier. Now they can help me find you.”
Ben and Jerry. No way. Tweedledee and Tweedledum’s real names were Ben and Jerry. An irreverent and obviously poorly timed laugh threatened to blow my cover. Holy hell, their mother must’ve hated them.
In my amusement, I almost missed the drone of a different type of engine. It was nearly drowned out by the other vehicles. There were more cars coming. The cavalry? Maybe I’d be saved after all. Tears of relief stung my eyes.
Slowly, I unfolded from my position, flexing my muscles to make sure nothing had fallen asleep. I desperately wanted to check the gun’s magazine and count bullets, but the clicking would alert her to my general whereabouts before I was ready. As it was, I tried to figure out how to stand without using the table and keeping my gun in my good hand. Then I saw her legs in the next aisle over. If I’d stood like I’d intended, she would’ve shot me before I finished untangling my limbs.
I held my breath, and then slowly breathed through my nose. My heart pounded against my chest and I swore it echoed. I tamped down my fear, but I knew my scent had changed.
Andrea took a deep breath in. “I smell your fear, Serena. You should be afraid. Aside from the regular guards, I’ve called Ben and Jerry back.”
She really shouldn’t have said that if she wanted me to remain afraid. The urge to giggle came back. The whole thing was a joke; I’d been calling them after fat characters in a kid’s book when all this time they’d been named after ice cream. I knew what made them tick. They were only a minor threat.
“I’ve also called someone you’ve met before. In the little house in El Paso. I believe you shot his hand and since it’s not healing well, he has a beef to settle with you.”
Oh fuck, that was the sickest joke I’d heard all year. If it was the zombie who got away at the safe house, he was intelligent. I had an intelligent, strategizing zombie bent on revenge on the way over to catch me. Fucking great.
If she expected reinforcements, the cars I heard weren’t likely to be the saviors I wanted. Well, at least I was out of the chair. Who knew what else she would’ve done before she tired of the games and conditioning. This way, I’d gotten a break. I winced. Bad choice of words. I’d gotten rest. Yes, rest. Much better.
If the damn guards weren’t moments away from strolling in, I’d shoot her in the legs and scramble away, hoping to get a couple more shots in. But if I shot her and didn’t find another hiding place before they were inside, they’d shoot me and put me back in the chair. I didn’t know how long I could keep hidden, but every minute out of the special chair was a minute without torture. A minute without being the victim. Me and victim didn’t do well together. I was better at the tough role.
Now that my fear had dissipated, Andrea and I were at a stalemate until her flunkies walked in and started a search. It wouldn’t be long. Even as the thought rolled through my head, I heard car doors slam and indistinct voices. Shit on a cracker. My time was up.
I closed my eyes and centered myself, slipping into fight mode. Immediately, my fine-tuned senses kicked into gear and I felt like Hammy from Seth’s favorite show, Over the Hedge. Time slowed down. With my finer senses came two problems. One, my hormone levels shot off the charts, something Andrea could sense. It was completely unexpected. And two, Robins stirred. The sounds of his clothes rustling and a grunt came from my left, near the room where they held me.
Andrea could smell my pheromones; she’d know where to send the men. There was no point waiting for them to find me. Adrenaline numbed the worst of my pain. Taking the chance, I shot Andrea’s leg and crawled out of my hiding place.
The impact of my shot on her made her stumble and she reached back reflexively to catch herself. She shot back, but missed. I heard the ping-zing of the bullet ricocheting off the conveyor belts before coming to rest. Fuck me. I’d nearly got hit through her carelessness.
I backed away from her and down the aisle, away from the room with the special chair. My entire being instinctively wanted to stay away from the room. Which was fine, a zombie stirred at the room’s doorway.
Andrea should be able control Robins, but I had serious doubts. Robins was coming unglued before she killed him. Unless she could convince him I was the one who snapped his neck, as I figured the crepitus sound had been, he would be just as pissed at her as me. Or so I hoped, anyway.
I saw another opening in the line, far away from her. Using an army crawl, only with one hand doing the majority of the work, I scooted under it. The gun clanked on the floor, but I didn’t care. Since I’d shot her, she no longer kept absolutely silent. Her breathing was louder—healing fast didn’t take the pain away; I knew it too well—and I heard her heels scrape across the floor. Not as loud as the noise I made, but still not silent. The sounds carried differently and it became harder to pinpoint each one, but I managed. Almost simultaneously, we shot at each other again. I cringed at the lack of advantage going up against someone with the super virus who had training.
“You bitch.” Sweet, she was finally angry and back to using the voice from the hotel, the one that showed a hitch in her stride as much as any limp. I preferred it. The gap in her confidence put us on a more even keel. “I’m going to send the medic off to an early grave and make your wrist irreparable, you hear me?”
Loud and clear. Not that it mattered. She’d have to kill me before putting me back in the chair. A grin split my face. I’d look like a smiling fool if anyone saw me. I’d hit her. Not in a drugged stupor spurred by the need to get away—the drugs may have interfered with her conditioning me not to hurt her—but using
cold, calculated aforethought. I still needed to get away. However, in the back of my mind there had been a tiny seed of doubt because of the conditioning—what if I couldn’t hurt her, after all?
The last toehold of fear swept away. On or off the drugs, I could hurt the bitch. I felt more myself and ready to take them on. The grin wouldn’t leave my face. What a relief. She’d tried to mind-fuck me and failed. I wanted to dance. Aside from the fact that it would turn me into a handy target, I wasn’t sure my leg had healed enough to dance. Instead, I made contingency plans based on a varied number of Andrea’s guards, and the possible help from Joseph and the FBI.
I dropped the magazine from the gun for a quick count. Cool, nearly full. Robins kept his weapon locked and loaded to give him an extra bullet, I was only missing two in the magazine. Sweet. For once, the asshole came in handy.
Speaking of the asshole, his moaning grew louder. Something crunched near the room housing the special chair. “That’s better. Now where’s that bitch? I’m going to fucking kill her.”
Chapter 20
I wasn’t sure which bitch he wanted, me or Andrea, but I wasn’t about to volunteer myself. I’d filled my quota of martyrdom for the decade. Andrea must’ve had the same idea about not giving her location. His statement was met with silence.
Robins roared and threw one of the folding chairs toward the conveyor lines. I didn’t think he knew where either one of us were hidden. His anger ruled him, not logic.
“You stupid bitches. I’ll kill you. Andrea, you and your high and mighty ways. I’m worth ten of you. As for Serena, you’ve sure fucked things up royally. Why couldn’t you have just done what you’re told like a good little writer? All you had to do was convince the world our vaccine was safe. No one fucking told you to come in and be a fucking female James Bond. Who the hell do you think you are?”
The only light, a single bulb over the stairwell to the offices threw Robins’ shadow across the white walls of the warehouse. He stormed in circles, trying to catch our scents. I wasn’t afraid of him. I’d dealt with zombies in this state. I’d feel a hell of a lot better if I had my own weapons, but he was manageable. Andrea was probably just as well versed in how to dispose of him. But since, like me, she only had a gun—which only slowed a zombie down—she probably wasn’t looking for any action until backup came through the doors.
All of a sudden, Robins stopped throwing things. The silence was deafening. Out of nowhere he laughed. I flinched. Thankfully, I was too cramped to move and give away my location.
“I smell two bitches and they smell delicious. Such sweet blood.” So much for him not being able to smell us. Between my torture wounds and her stab wounds, we probably smelled like a Sunday barbeque in the park to him. His biggest problem would be finding where the smells came from, which wasn’t exactly a problem for a zombie.
Shit. Most of my blood soaked into my clothes. Whether that helped or hurt my cause, I had no idea. Robins started walking. He moved on the other side of the lines from where I crouched, following the path I’d seen Andrea take.
“Serena, you have to help me. You know we can bring him down together. Work with me, here,” Andrea hissed from somewhere too close for my peace of mind.
I contemplated it. I didn’t want Robins coming after me, but Andrea was right. Together, we could pump him full of enough lead for one of us to get a knife and finish him off. On the other hand, if I gave myself away, the people who were on their way in would have a convenient target. I wasn’t sure how far sound traveled at night, but I knew I didn’t have enough time to assist in taking Robins down and get out.
“I swear, I won’t have you killed. I’ll let you go as we’d planned from the beginning. I’ll keep it to myself that you’re an Infected.”
Desperation wavered in her voice. She meant what she said now. Who the fuck knew what she’d say once we’d taken down the bigger threat.
Gene’s footsteps stopped suddenly. “Serena’s an Infected?” He sounded much too intrigued for my peace of mind. Why the hell did he care?
“Yes, you’ve seen the beatings she’s taken. Only an Infected could heal so fast. She also needs copious amounts of food to stay strong. Sound familiar?” Andrea’s voice was sly. She hooked me as bait, with or without my willing cooperation.
This woman was a freaking genius. She’d gotten him thinking. Not the first tacit in the defense against zombies book, but it fucking worked.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Robins sounded like my ten-year-old when he discovered he didn’t get to have ice cream. I’d like to know what the fuck was so important about me being an Infected.
What the hell was taking her men so long?
“I was getting ready to tell you before she attacked us. Remember that, Gene? She kicked you while you were down,” she cajoled. “I was only protecting you. She’s the one you want.”
Mother of hell, she wanted him to attack me. I was real glad I hadn’t shown my face yet.
He growled. “I want you both, you cunt. I remember her kicking me, but I also remember you dragging me out here and breaking my neck.” He paused and I heard a gurgling sound. Was that a laugh? Andrea must have twisted his larynx or something when she broke his neck. “You wanted a monster and now you’ve got one.”
“Serena, please,” Andrea cried. As if I wanted to help her after she tried to sic him on me. She’d stayed low throughout the exchange with Robins. Maybe I could help her without giving away my position. Not that I wanted to save her, but if we killed Robins, she could be dealt with later.
I looked low, watching for movement in the shadows. It was harder down low; I didn’t have the white wall as backdrop for his shadow. His feet shuffled down the neighboring aisle. I squeezed my wrist through some mechanical parts and carefully aimed the gun at his leg. I shot him in the calf, almost the same spot I’d hit Andrea.
He yelped. Zombies didn’t heal as well or as fast after death as they were used to. Robins knew it.
“Fucking bitches. You’re all the same. Using your fucking wiles to get men to do what you want, then screwing them over. You’re lying cunts and I’m going to kill and eat as many as I can get my hands on, starting with the two of you.”
Well, that settled it. Not only would I kill Robins, but he definitely retained his pompous ass personality. “You’re a pig, Robins, just like you were in real life. You’re nothing. You’re less than nothing. Andrea’s a woman and she beat you. I’m a woman with no tactical training like the FBI or military, and I beat you. You’re nothing but a blood-sucking pig.” That ought to enrage him beyond fancy thinking.
His roar echoed through the building, followed by a loud crash. Yep. It worked. I crawled to a slightly different hiding space while his tantrum echoed through the building. By the time the sound abated, I’d settled.
“I’ll find you, Serena, if it’s the last thing I do.”
Great. Come and get it, douchebag. He shoved the lines, throwing stuff around and generally being a nuisance. He may have kept his intelligence, but he was already more animal than man. Another growl came out of his mouth, as if to emphasize my thoughts.
Another shot rang out and he bellowed louder. Robins headed back toward the room they’d kept me captive in. I had no idea why. He disappeared through the door. A heartbeat later, the clang of metal crashing on a cement floor rang out. Shit. He was armed with at least one scalpel now.
“Great idea you had there. Was a rogue zombie what you had in mind when you broke his neck?” My voice echoed strangely in the warehouse.
“Not exactly. He should’ve been more receptive to my voice. It’s ingrained in them from the moment they come to work for me. But Gene’s different. I always had more trouble controlling him. The virus didn’t respond the same in him. His blood-work showed he’d reached a stage normally found in those already turned.”
Thanks for the science lesson, princess. “What do you mean it’s ingrained?” Shit. Did all the people who turn into zombies listen to her?<
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“Part of what the virus does is make them more suggestible under hypnosis. The drug I use reinforces that. Everyone in our organization who’s been exposed to the virus has been put under hypnosis and told to listen to my commands at all times.”
“Didn’t fucking work, did it, Andrea? I’m not your dog to be told what to do all the time. You’re nothing compared to me.” Robins was back. Although I couldn’t see him, I was sure he’d armed himself with something sharp. Or a couple somethings. Andrea and her damn scalpels.
He walked with a step-drag. I snorted. My shot turned him into a classic shambling zombie.
“How’s that leg there, Special Agent in Charge of Fuck Ups?” I could totally be a stand-up comedian.
“Feeling left out, Serena? Don’t worry. I’ll get to you soon enough. First, I’m going to take care of this witch and shove her off her fucking highfaluting horse.”
“Come on, Gene. You don’t have what it takes to take care of me.” Andrea laughed. “You’ve been trying to bring me down to your level since we brought you in. You’re not man enough for a woman like me.”
Her voice tugged at me. I could only imagine what it did to Gene.
He whimpered. “I’m a man. I’m more than man enough for you,” he said, voice thick.
Wow. Her voice must really go deep into a zombie’s psyche.
“You never let me prove it, Andrea. You always preferred your twin idiots. They were human and not good enough for you. Yet you let them touch you whenever you wanted. I had to beg. Do you know what that does to a man? When I tried to tell you, you laughed at me. You laughed!”
Shit, he was angry and sounded like a kid throwing a tantrum. I was glad he was so angry with her, it gave me a respite.
“Of course I laughed. You’re such a boy. You’re not a man. A real man doesn’t snivel about how another man got something. He goes and gets his own.”
Robins moved faster, the drag of his foot a macabre dance step in his attempt to find Andrea. I peeked over the top of the conveyer belt line I hid behind. Hearing and not seeing was much scarier for me. Another shot rang out. His shoulder jerked and immediately bounced back. The unstoppable soldier plan backfired on Andrea a bit.