After Zombie Series (Book 2): Before

by Gregory, Samantha

  “Where is it?” I said.

  “Where’s what?” he said.

  “The virus. You hid it, where is it?” I yelled.

  “I can’t tell you that. If they capture you they could torture it out of you.”

  “They could torture you too,” I argued.

  “I wouldn’t tell them where it is.”

  “So you can withstand torture now? You should have just left me back in New York. I would have been fine on my own.”

  This was what happened when you let people into your life. They either screwed you over or died on you.

  Jack came towards me, “I’m sorry, Danny. She asked me not to say anything.”

  She seemed genuinely upset, but I couldn’t talk to her. I started walking again and the others followed me.

  Half a mile down the road, I saw something lying in the sand. Flies buzzed around it. I had an idea of what it might be, even before I got closer.

  My stomach heaved at the sight of it. A man. He had been torn apart.

  “Oh God,” Candace said, “Is that Patrick?”

  I don’t know why she was asking us, I had no idea what he looked like. And even if I did, it wouldn’t help in this case considering his face was a mangled mess. There wasn’t enough of him left to get back up.

  She kneeled down beside him and fished a set of blood-covered keys from the body. She wiped them off in the sand and put them in her pocket.

  “At least we know the bus is still here. It isn’t too much further.”

  She stepped over the body and stalked off. I stared at the remains. Didn’t she care that he was dead? Maybe I could take lessons from her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lance

  Gunshots were going off all around me. The town center had become a war zone as more and more zombies appeared. The rate of contagion wasn’t supposed to be this fast. Was it evolving? God, what if it was airborne now?

  I sheltered behind a car as our soldiers took them down. I had my own gun, but the bullets were reserved for Reese and Spratt. I got caught up in this as I was passing through town. The truck the bodies had been on was parked just beyond the town line. At least one of them had gotten back up and started all this. They had all been told to aim for the head. Couldn’t they get anything right? If this showed how easy it was to start an apocalypse through idiots that couldn’t do their jobs right, then we were all screwed.

  A woman ran past screaming at the top of her lungs, pursued by three of them. She tripped and went sprawling onto the sidewalk. The three of them descended on her to feed. One of the soldiers beside me saw what was happening and took the three of them down with shots to the head. At least one person could do it right.

  A few minutes later, the woman rose from the ground. Her back was drenched in blood, her hair a sticky mess. She turned around. It had taken seconds and she was one of them. If Breton ever released this into the field, it wouldn’t be a case of one country against another it would be the world against them. Hell, maybe that was what it would take to get humanity to work together. World peace through an undead invasion?

  Raising my gun, I fired at the woman. The bullet struck her in the side of the head and she spun wildly before going down.

  In all this chaos, Reese and Spratt could have easily skipped town. I had ordered the blockade to be extended but right now we needed all the available men to take down the zombies.

  Zombies. I couldn’t believe I was actually using the word. But that’s what they were. Zombies. I never cared for the movies when I was younger. I always thought it was stupid to be afraid of a bunch of dead people who could only shamble along. It would be easy to outrun or kill them.

  Here in Trinity though, I watched as they would attack a soldier. He would take out the first couple, but then they would surge forward and overwhelm him. They were like flies. Easy to swat one or two but when there was a whole swarm…

  I needed to get out of this area and track down Reese and Spratt. My car was boxed in. I spotted a pickup down the street with the driver’s door lying open.

  I broke cover and ran towards it.

  The keys were still inside. I noticed the blood smears on the door. It looked like someone had been dragged out of the truck. I quickly pulled the door closed and locked it. The truck started and I sped off down the street, dodging people as they ran around in fear.

  My radio crackled to life on my belt. I unclipped it, “This is Snow, over.”

  “Where are you, over?” It was Breton.

  “Sir, I am in the town searching for Reese and Spratt. The situation has deteriorated. Over.”

  “I know. I can see it from here.”

  As he said that, I heard a helicopter fly overhead. He was getting out.

  “What are your orders, sir?” I said, pissed that he didn’t bother to inform me.

  “You have three hours to locate Spratt and Reese.”

  “What happens in three hours?” I asked.

  “We blow this town off the map.”

  I pressed the pedal to the floor.

  *

  Jack

  Danny wouldn’t talk to me and I didn’t blame him. I should have told him about Lela. I kept checking behind me as we walked, in case any zombies were sneaking up on us, but the road was clear so far. I could still hear faint gunshots in the distance.

  Obviously some zombies had gotten through and killed Candace’s driver. So where were they now?

  I guess they could have headed back to town, drawn by the noise. That’s where the food was. I shuddered as I thought of all those people. If they were all infected that would mean over a thousand zombies. How many could they turn before being taken down? Ten people, twenty, fifty?

  Speaking of noise, I could hear music coming from somewhere. It was distant, but it sounded familiar. The further we walked, the louder it became.

  “…’cause I’m sweet like candy, you can’t deny…”

  I looked over at Candace. She closed her eyes, “Crap.”

  “What is that?” Danny asked.

  “It’s coming from the bus,” she said.

  I could see it now in the distance. It was black and purple and surrounded by a dozen zombies.

  Crap was right.

  “How are we going to get past them?” Candace asked. We were sheltered behind some rocks, watching as the zombies banged on the side of the bus. They were attracted to the music that was playing inside. I wondered if any of them had once been Candi Sweet fans.

  “How is it playing if you have the keys?” I asked Candace.

  “There’s a stereo system on board, it can run on battery. Patrick must have left it on when he headed back to town,” she said.

  “We need to find something to distract them,” Dr. Kettering said.

  Danny stood up.

  “What are you doing?” I said.

  “Just get inside the bus,” he said.

  He took off towards the zombies waving his arms wildly.

  “Hey! Over here! Come and get me dead heads.”

  “Is he crazy?” I said. He was going to get himself killed. Even if they couldn’t turn him, they could still eat him.

  Candace took off running for the bus. Since she had the keys, we had no choice but to follow. The zombies were shuffling after Danny as he led them down the road, staying just ahead of them.

  Candace hit the emergency button to open the door and leapt on board. We followed her. The music was much louder inside. I searched for the stereo. It was at the back of the bus. I switched it off. I definitely hated that song now.

  “Who can drive this thing?” Candace asked.

  “I can,” Dr. Kettering said. She handed him the keys and took a seat in the back. Queen Bee ready to be escorted out of here.

  “We need to go after Danny,” I said.

  Dr. Kettering started the bus and spun the wheel, turning it away from Danny.

  “What are you doing? We need to help Danny,” I cried.

  “If we open th
e doors they could get in.”

  “You’re not leaving him. Mow them down.”

  He hesitated, “Jack,”

  “Do it!” I snapped.

  He shifted the bus into gear and drove forward. He hit several zombies as he went, but most of them got out of the way. I could see Danny running up ahead.

  Dr. Kettering drove alongside him. I opened the doors, “Danny!” I yelled.

  He tried to get to the door, but couldn’t.

  “Slow down,” I said.

  Dr. Kettering dropped the speed. Danny leapt towards the door but hit it wrong and fell. He was half in, half out of the bus, his legs dragging.

  “Help me,” I yelled to Candace.

  I reached down and grabbed one of his arms trying to pull him inside. Candace grabbed his belt and pulled. A zombie appeared and tried to get inside. It lunged almost getting inside the bus. Candace screamed and retreated back into the bus.

  Keeping a firm grip on Danny’s arm, I lashed out with my foot, trying to kick it in the face. My foot connected and it fell.It bounced once and landed in the dirt. I dragged Danny inside.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Danny.

  He nodded, “Peachy.”

  He got up and sat down in the back, “Why did you do that? They could have killed you.”

  “I'm immune, aren't I?” He said.

  “Not from being eaten,” I snapped.

  “Just drop it, Jack!”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Lance

  The blockade was no longer being manned. Either the men had taken up the fight or had fled. Or had been eaten.

  I didn’t have time to wonder as I crashed through the barricade. I managed to maneuver around the spike strip and get back on the road. Night was coming fast and I did not want to be stuck out here when it came. I didn’t have much time left to find Reese and Spratt. My gut said they had gotten out. They were nothing if not resourceful. Too resourceful.

  A zombie appeared in the road. I sped up and mowed it down. Blood and gore spattered against the windshield.

  The body fell under the wheels and I could feel them grinding against the body. I had no choice, but to pull over or risk wrecking the car.

  I got out and moved to the front. Kneeling down, I looked underneath the car. The body was wedged between the undercarriage and the ground.

  Bracing myself, I reached out and snagged the zombie’s shirt. I dragged it out. I was horrified to find that its legs were missing. I stood up and looked down the road. I could see them lying in the road. I had severed it in two on contact.

  Stomach rolling, I knelt again to move it out of the way. It was a man at one point. The face was half chewed off and one arm was hanging on by a few strips of flesh.

  The eyes snapped open, causing me to fall over backwards. I scrambled away, as it tried to push itself up with its good arm.

  I raced back to the car, jumped inside and sped off, running over its torso in the process. My windshield was still smeared with blood.

  “Disgusting,” I muttered.

  I put the windshield wipers on to get rid of it. It felt like the whole damn world was coming to an end.

  I kept glancing at the sky expecting to see a plane go overhead to wipe out the town. It was still too early, but knowing it was coming spurred me on.

  I had no idea what the blast radius would be. The further I got from Trinity, the better.

  *

  Jack

  The further we drove from Trinity, the better I felt. Danny was sprawled out on one of the seats, staring at nothing.

  Candace had disappeared into a small bathroom. She was a real pain, but without her we wouldn’t have this bus. I just wanted to get back to somewhere that didn’t have zombies, if such as place still existed.

  I took a seat opposite Danny. I didn’t want him to hate me for what happened, although I hated myself. Lela didn’t deserve what happened to her. No one did.

  “You said before, when you first showed up at the docs place that you could make yourself disappear. Can you really do that?” Danny asked.

  “It’s possible. You would have to live completely off the grid,” I said. Right now it sounded like a definite option.

  “I already live off the grid. They still found me.”

  “Yeah, well it can be done. Once we get back to civilization, I’ll get us new lives.”

  He fell silent.

  “About Lela…” I started.

  “It’s not your fault. None of us asked for this.”

  “Still…I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged, “She was a nice girl, but she’s gone. That’s what people do.”

  I reached over and put my hand on his. He didn’t move it away. We sat in silence watching the desert go by outside.

  The adrenaline was starting to fade and I could feel exhaustion set in. All I wanted to do was sleep for a month. Maybe when I woke up the world would be normal again.

  *

  Candace

  I leaned against the bathroom wall. The small room felt constricting and I had to use my deep breathing to stay calm. I held up my right hand. It trembled badly, but I could still see the bite mark. It happened when I grabbed that idiot to drag him back on the bus.

  It was so fast.

  I had washed the wound out in disinfectant, but I didn’t think that would be enough. I could almost feel it moving through my veins. The poison.

  “No,” I whispered, I wasn’t going to be brought down by a virus. I was Candace Sweet. I finally had the chance to live my life my way. I could fight this. Once we got back to town I could get myself the best doctors. They would figure it out.

  I pulled out my phone, there was still no signal. I opened the video app and pressed record.

  “This is Candace Sweet. I’m near the town of Trinity and something awful has happened there. A virus was unleashed that turned the residents into zombies. No doubt the town will be quarantined or destroyed. I know the truth. I know what happened there and people have a right to know too. Gene Pharm was responsible for this. They have to pay.”

  I hit stop. Imagine the book deals that would come my way as a survivor. My record sales would go through the roof. I attached the video file to an email and sent it to my agent. There was still no signal, but once we got near a town it would send.

  I just needed to keep it together. I was almost home.

  Composing myself, I went back out into the bus, keeping my hand in my pocket. The other two were seated at one of the tables.

  I moved up front to the old man, “Where are we?”

  “Still in the desert. Don’t worry; we’ll reach a town soon.”

  I nodded and took a seat across from the others. I lay back and closed my eyes, practicing my meditation.

  The first thing I needed to do was get my agent on board with this new plan. He would probably want a bigger cut, but he would play ball once he saw what I could do.

  I started my chanting.

  The ginger one gave me a funny look, but I ignored her and kept humming.

  My stomach growled loudly and I realized I hadn’t eaten in hours. There wasn’t much left on the bus.

  I would kill for a steak right now. I opened my eyes, wondering if I would actually kill for one. No, I wasn’t feeling murderous. No more than usual any way.

  I glanced over at the girl. She was talking quietly with the idiot. I hated self-righteous bitches like her. Thought they were better than people like me. It was jealousy. I had more talent then she could ever dream of.

  Look at the way she was drooling over the idiot. Was she so stupid that she couldn’t see he was interested in that other chick? What was her name? Lisa? Whatever, she was dead. I had bashed her brains in.

  I remembered the blood and my stomach growled again. I doubled over as my stomach cramped up.

  “You okay?” Ginger said.

  “Fine,” I replied, but the pain was getting worse.

  She stood up and came towards me. I didn’t like her b
eing in my personal space.

  “I said I’m fine,” I barked.

  She took a step back, “Calm down.”

  I pressed my hands over my eyes and started my chanting again.

  “Oh God,” I heard her say. “You’ve been bitten.”

  Those were the last words I heard.

  Chapter Twenty

  Jack

  We’re upside down. That was my first thought. My second was to wonder where Zombie Candace was. She had been bitten in the hand and I watched her change right in front of me.

  The first thing she had done was to go after Dr. Kettering. She had charged down the aisle, throwing herself at Dr. Kettering. He tried to hold her off and keep the bus under control, but we had come off the road. I remember flying through the air before I woke up at the back of the bus covered in debris.

  The bus had not only turned over but was tipped at an angle. In order to get out, I would have to climb up to the door. I tested my limbs to check if anything was broken. It didn’t seem to be, although my head felt like a heavy metal drummer was inside it.

  “Danny?” I croaked, “Dr. Kettering?”

  They didn’t answer me. I looked around for any sign of them or Candace but I couldn’t make anything out in the dark.

  I started to climb up through the seats. My whole body ached from the crash. I wondered if Dr. Kettering had survived. Candace could have bitten him or the crash could have killed him.

  I grabbed one of the seats near the top of the bus. As I put weight onto it, it broke free and with a scream, I plummeted back down to the bottom.

  I landed on a body. Throwing myself off it, I waited for Candace to get up and chomp on me.

  A moan came from the body. A male one. Now that my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I could make out Danny.

  “Danny? Are you okay?” I whispered.

  “No, I think a freight train hit me. I may have internal injuries.”

  Even injured he still couldn’t be serious. “The bus crashed. I don’t know where Candace is. We need to get out of here.”