Zombie Uprising Series (Book 4): The Hybrid

by Robbins, M. A.

  Jen opened her mouth, but Cartwright put a hand up. "But we've got Dr. Preston working on a new serum." One eyebrow rose. "And we've got you."

  Damn, she's practically drooling over me. Creepy much? "Do you think there's a cure for me?"

  Cartwright's head cocked to the side. "What type of symptoms are you experiencing?"

  Jen removed her sunglasses. "Yellow eye disease."

  Cartwright's gaze locked onto hers. She rose and walked around the desk, never taking her eyes off Jen. "Amazing. Do you see any differently from it?"

  "No."

  "And what other symptoms do you have?"

  Jen shrugged. I'll be damned if I tell her anything until I find out what was on those documents Butler hid. "Nothing else."

  "Hmm." Cartwright returned to her seat. "We'll do some tests while Zeke and Wayne are gone."

  "Gone?" Zeke said. "Where? When?"

  "I'm sending you two, along with two other agents, back on the train to Boston. This time you'll return with Dr. Preston."

  Jen bit her lower lip. Once Zeke and Wayne leave I'll be alone, isolated.

  Zeke frowned. "Why us?"

  "We're short handed," Cartwright said. "And I'm down another two agents."

  Wayne shook his head. "Rodriguez and Daniels."

  Cartwright nodded.

  Something heavy and cold formed in Jen's gut. I'm stuck. I can't refuse or Cartwright might suspect something. "You guys better get going so you can get back."

  Wayne gazed into her eyes.

  Another place, another time, bucko. Jen swallowed.

  Zeke gave her a hug. "We'll be back before you know it." He patted the katana's hilt. "There are more chances out there to kill zombies than there is in here."

  Jen let go of Zeke, put her arms around Wayne's neck, and laid her head against his chest. "Get back here fast," she whispered. "I don't feel good about this."

  Wayne wrapped his arms around her. "Then I shouldn't go," he whispered back.

  "Something's going on and I'm getting close to what it is. If you stay, we'll be watched, and I need the space to dig around a bit."

  He released her and stepped back. His gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips. Her heartbeat kicked up a notch. Not a good time, but I don't give a shit.

  She raised her face and he eased closer. Jen closed her eyes in anticipation.

  Zeke slapped Wayne on the back. "Come on. There are zombies to kill out there."

  Wayne winced and let Jen go.

  Damn, Zeke. It's no wonder your parents didn't have any more kids after you were born.

  "Let me know if you need us and we'll be back as soon as we can," Wayne said. Jen nodded. Wayne and Zeke left the office.

  Cartwright straightened her blouse. "Let's get you down to the lab." She stopped at the door. "Better put your sunglasses back on."

  Only three of the eight rooms with test subjects were occupied. Are they running out of volunteers or does Cartwright no longer need them now that she has me?

  Cartwright opened the door into the large cavernous room and the zombies went into a frenzy. Jen hesitated, then stepped out of the hallway.

  The zombies quieted.

  Cartwright glanced at Jen. "Interesting."

  Yeah. Interesting. Dumb-ass zombies making it worse for me.

  She glared at the one closest to her, a husky guy with shoulder-length black hair matted with chunks of decayed flesh. He stared blankly at her. She met his gaze as she passed. Why don't you at least growl?

  The zombie bared his teeth and let out a low, menacing rumble from somewhere deep inside.

  What the hell? He heard me?

  "He doesn't seem to like you," Cartwright said. "But you're having some kind of effect on them. No doubt about it."

  The lab door opened and O'Connor's assistant, Randy, stood in the doorway. "I'm all ready for you." He blinked and looked at the zombies. "What got into them?"

  "Something with Jen, and I need you to find out what it is," Cartwright said. "I'll check in later." She headed for the exit.

  Randy nodded and stepped to the side. Jen walked into the room and he followed. "Why don't you sit?" he asked as he squeezed past her and plopped into the chair in front of the desk.

  Jen took the seat next to him and rolled up her sleeves. "I'm right-handed." She stuck her left arm out.

  Randy wiped her arm down. "This won't hurt."

  He inserted the needle and Jen gasped. "Won't hurt?" she said.

  He smirked. "I was talking about me, not you."

  "For a guy who owes me big-time, you've got a funny way of showing your appreciation."

  "Sorry," he said. "I get awkward when I'm uncomfortable."

  He finished collecting her blood and bandaged her arm. Shaking the blood-filled tubes, he headed for the door. "Our fridge down here is on the fritz. I'll have to get these to the medical ward for refrigeration. Just hang tight."

  As soon as the door closed, Jen rustled through the desk. "Aha." She took a small screwdriver from the middle drawer. Although she'd never noticed the large cabinet in her previous visits, it stuck out like a sore thumb as her eyes scanned the room.

  She pulled on one side, her teeth gritted and muscles straining. It moved. Not much at first, but in several seconds she'd made a gap between the cabinet and the wall that she could squeeze into.

  Sweat pasting her shirt to her skin, she wriggled into the space. Although there wasn't much light, the white vent cover was visible, just as she'd seen in Butler's memory. She soon had the cover off. She peered in, but it was too dark to make anything out, so she stuck her hand in and fumbled along the top of the vent. She touched paper.

  Coughing from the dust, she ripped the envelope from its mooring and slid out from behind the cabinet and into the light.

  The brown manila envelope had been opened, just as Butler had shown her. But now I get to read it.

  She brought it to the desk and pulled the papers from it. The first page had the words Top Secret stamped in red, then it had a bunch of numbers to the left and a date of two years before.

  Jen's eyes went to the text beneath it.

  Dr. Linda Cartwright is assigned as the project lead for Project Svengali effective immediately. She will report directly to the Office of the President of the United States. All possible assistance and courtesy will be provided to her by all federal agencies.

  Jen's gaze went to the big, bold signature at the bottom. The president.

  She slid the paper to the side. The next sheet had the same stamp at the top and more numbers, but with a later date. She read the text.

  Once the spores have been populated with the virus, they will be released in a small rural center by military aircraft. Twenty-four hours after the release, a research team will be inserted to test the virus's effectiveness. If the test subjects are sufficiently compliant, further tests will be conducted in a larger area.

  If the second test is successful, further plans will be made to introduce the spores in all areas of the United States.

  Jen swallowed. "Sufficiently compliant"?

  She glanced at the signature at the bottom of the document. Linda L. Cartwright.

  The lab door opened and Jen spun, hiding the documents with her body. Cartwright walked in. "All done with your blood?"

  Jen nodded.

  "Let's get you set up with accommodations," Cartwright said. "You'll be staying here in the building. Don't want your yellow eye accidentally exposed."

  Cartwright put out her arm and Jen walked to the door, her pulse quickening. How the hell am I going to get back and hide those papers? And put the cabinet back?

  As she reached Cartwright, the doctor peered past her to the desktop. "What is that?"

  Cartwright walked to the desk.

  25

  Jen froze as Cartwright picked up the papers and studied them. Jen thought of running.

  That's not an option. Just play the cards you're dealt. "Is it true?"

  Cartwright dropped
the papers on the desktop and turned toward Jen. Her stern expression had softened. "I didn't want you dragged into this."

  Jen crossed her arms. "Did Doc know?"

  A horrified look crossed Cartwright's face. "Never. Like you, he was better off not knowing."

  "So the plan was to create a mycovirus that would attach to spores and infect everyone?" Jen asked. "How were you going to keep from infecting yourself?"

  Cartwright leaned on the desk, her hands at her sides grasping the edge of the desktop. "We planned on harvesting the spores from Alaska and modifying them to be short lived. Unfortunately, Mother Nature beat us to it."

  "What about Butler and Morgan? Butler wasn't planning on taking down the government just so he could run it, was he?"

  "No," Cartwright said. "When he found out Project Svengali would be used to control the civilian population and not just enemy forces, he played it straight, but watched and waited for the right opportunity. Morgan fled, and we spent plenty of resources trying to find him. We had no chance, though."

  "Why not?"

  "Colonel Butler was in charge of the search," Cartwright said. "I have no idea if he knew of Morgan's escape ahead of time, or if he found him and they decided to work together."

  Jen approached Cartwright. "But, why? Why control people? Does the president just want to be a dictator?"

  Cartwright took a deep breath and exhaled. "You need to believe me. It's nothing like that. We just see that the human race is an unhappy, warring people. Imagine if all decision-making was taken from you. How you'd be happy with fewer of the unnecessary gadgets and toys this world offers."

  The zombies outside the door went into a frenzy. "Someone's coming," Jen said.

  "I called them," Cartwright said. "Panic button underneath the desktop."

  Two burly security guards strode in. Cartwright pointed at Jen. "Detain her."

  Jen reached for her axe and her hand slapped an empty sheath. Shit.

  One guard grabbed her upper arm and she twisted away.

  "Don't hurt her," Cartwright said.

  The two guards came at her at the same time. Jen kicked one, missing his nuts and hitting his inner thigh.

  The other guard tackled her to the floor.

  She squirmed. "No."

  He held her down while the other guard handcuffed her. "No," she screamed.

  "Pick her up."

  Both guards grabbed one of Jen's arms and lifted her to her feet. She stomped on the first foot she saw. Nothing happened. Freaking steel toe boots.

  "Shh," Cartwright said. "You're all we have."

  "To defeat the zombies or to turn everyone into slaves?" Jen spat.

  Cartwright shrugged. "Why not both?"

  Cartwright left the lab and the guards dragged Jen kicking and screaming after her. The doctor went to an empty cell and held the door open. "In here."

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" Jen grasped the bars as the straight-faced guards tried to force her in. One of them peeled her fingers off one by one. She roared as each finger was pulled back. Her teeth gritted, she lost her grip and they shoved her inside. She fell to her knees and scrambled to her feet. The door clanked shut and she rammed it, but they already had it padlocked.

  "Don't do this," she yelled, grabbing bars on the door and rattling it. "Zeke and Wayne will free me."

  Cartwright stood back, her arms crossed. "Your friends won't be coming back from their mission. There will be an incident on board the train on the return."

  A guard handed Cartwright the key to the lock. Jen glared at her. "Doc would be so ashamed of you."

  Cartwright pursed her lips then turned and left, followed by the guards.

  Jen bowed her head, pressing it against the bars. I won't cry.

  She took a deep breath and exhaled. "I've never felt so alone," she murmured.

  26

  Jen looked at the zombie in the next cage. A middle-aged woman with bright red hair, she had no physical damage except a bloody stump where her left pinky finger should have been. The zombie stared at Jen with her mouth hanging open. "I'll bet those yellow eyes were once a deep blue," Jen said.

  She plopped herself on the bed in the corner of her cell. "Fucking great. No Zeke, no Wayne, and no D-Day."

  The zombies stayed as still as statues, each gaping at her.

  "So is Butler looking at me through you? Butler, you in there? Raise your right hand for yes."

  The zombies didn't move.

  Jen got up and paced. "You've only communicated through leaders, so maybe you can't with drones." The zombies' eyes followed her movements.

  She stopped and turned toward them. "Or maybe you can hear me, like a radio transmission instead of a phone." She approached the bars separating her from the redhead and peered into the zombie's eyes. "If you can hear me, Butler, I now know what went down. How you tried to save the country." She shrugged. "Maybe that's what you're still doing."

  The zombie's gaze didn't change.

  Jen sighed. "I don't know what I am now, and neither does Cartwright, but she won't have any qualms about cutting me open to find out." Jen threw herself at her cell door and yanked on it furiously. "I need to get the fuck out of here."

  Panting, she leaned against the door. The zombies hadn't moved. "Now you're annoying me. Why don't you all just sit down?"

  As one, they dropped to the floor in a sitting position.

  Jen's pulse picked up. She pointed to the redhead. "Stand up."

  The redhead rose and stared at her stupidly. The other zombies remained seated.

  Jen smiled. "Eight zombies. That's like having a squad at my command."

  She licked her lips. "I have my way out of the building. Now I just need a way out of this cell. And I think I know how."

  27

  Randy carried a tray of food to her cell two hours later. The guard took off the padlock and stood to the side with a wooden baton in his beefy hand.

  Jen rose from the bed as Randy stepped in and the guard shut the door.

  "Hungry?" he asked.

  Jen glared at him. "Really? That's what you ask? Hungry?"

  Randy swallowed and turned to the guard. "Lock it up and give me five minutes."

  The guard frowned.

  "It's OK," Randy said. "It's part of an observation Dr. Cartwright has approved."

  The guard slapped the padlock on the door and clicked it shut. "I'll be in the lab if you need me. Five minutes."

  The door to the lab clicked shut behind him.

  "Observation?" Jen asked.

  Randy shrugged. "I had to come up with something. Can't believe it worked."

  "You must think I'm not a danger," Jen said.

  "I know you're not a danger," Randy said. "Cartwright probably sent me because she didn't think you'd attack me."

  "She doesn't know me very well."

  "Even if you do," Randy said, "I'm expendable."

  He gestured to the bed. "Why don't you sit down and eat?"

  Jen's stomach rumbled as he took the cover off the plate and the aroma of fried chicken enveloped her. She sat on the bed and took the tray from Randy, balancing it on her lap.

  She picked up a leg and bit into it, the hot juices spilling down the sides of her mouth. In seconds, she finished the leg and dug into the mashed potatoes with a spoon.

  Randy watched her. "The guard won't be gone long."

  Jen squinted. "So what?"

  "I want to help you."

  "Because you owe me?"

  "Something like that."

  Jen put down the spoon. "Then have your head of physical security, Mark Colton, come see me."

  Randy shook his head. "He won't come. Cartwright told him you were bitten and turned. She convinced him that he wouldn't want to see you this way."

  "Then call Zeke and Wayne and let them know that Cartwright threatened to kill them. Have the decency to do at least that."

  "She said she'll kill them?"

  "Right to my face. They have two agents w
ith them. My guess is those agents are the ones who'll do it. Tell them to get away as fast as possible."

  Randy pushed a button on his phone. "They're in my directory. I'll call them as soon as I'm alone."

  "And you'll let them know I'm here."

  Randy nodded.

  Jen downed a glass of water. "Why are you helping? I know you think you owe me, but aren't you on team Svengali?"

  Randy shook his head. "I'd heard the name before, but had no idea what it was about until this morning." He crossed his arms and his eyes teared up. "All this bullshit. All those people dead. My mom and dad. My little brother. All because these assholes wanted to be in control." His hands clenched into fists. "No, I'm not on the fucking team." He glanced at the lab door. "But I'm letting them believe I am."

  Jen put the glass down. "So why not just leave?"

  "I may not know everything about Svengali and what's happened, but I do know one thing: you're the key to stopping this before we're all wiped out."

  The lab door opened and the guard lumbered out. "Time's up."

  Randy wiped his eyes with his shirtsleeve and gave Jen a slight nod. "I'll be back for the dishes. Take your time."

  He stepped to the door. The guard looked at him.

  "What?" he said.

  "Strip."

  "What?"

  "We need to make sure she didn't bite you."

  Jen nearly choked on the corn on the cob. She took a gulp of water. "You guys know I'm not a zombie, right?"

  "Doctor said there's no proof your bite won't infect someone," the guard said.

  I never thought of that. Could I bite someone and turn them into something like me? She turned away from Randy. "Go ahead. I won't peek."

  She concentrated on her food while considering the possibilities. What if my bite turned people into zombies? If they found that out, then I'd never get out of here. And if it turns them into a hybrid, Cartwright will want to milk that. Crazy bitch would create an army of them.

  The cell door shut. Jen turned.

  "I'll bring you breakfast in the morning," Randy said. He walked off with the guard trailing him.