Dead, But Not For Long (Book 2): Pestilence and Promise

by Kinney, Matthew

  Brandi wrinkled her nose.

  “I can’t stand kids. I think I’d puke if I had to change a diaper.”

  “The collective is more than happy to assist with raising children,” Henry replied. “As I’m sure you are aware, the old world was filled with people who had no business being parents. We like to help ensure that all of the children are being raised to our standards, and in the cases where the parents are unable or unwilling to take on that responsibility, we raise the children for them, allowing them time to do other things that they find more important.”

  “Sign me up,” Brandi said, smiling, “but, just out of curiosity, what’s going to happen to Lindsey?”

  “I’m afraid that when the cavalry arrives, there won’t be much left of her. I just haven’t decided whether to drop off her remains at the hospital, or to leave them on display for her would-be rescuers.”

  Brandi smiled. “Good. I hate that bitch.”

  “Perhaps I’ve assumed too much,” Henry said, directing his attention to Lee. “You seem to be a little quiet, Reynolds. Since your current love interest had to be dragged to the community, kicking and screaming, I would think that being married to a gorgeous model would be quite the step up.”

  “I can’t argue with that,” Lee sighed. “I gave Lindsey plenty of chances. I guess she can deal with the consequences.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Henry said. “Now if I could use the radio, I’ll let Wayne know that he can begin the interrogation. He’s been begging me to let him do it. If she hasn’t cooperated by the time we get back, I’ll let Loto give it a try. I have yet to see him in action but, judging by his size, I’m sure he can be very persuasive.”

  Loto nodded his head solemnly.

  “The radio isn’t operational in this unit,” Lee said. “I have a hand-held, but it won’t work inside this metal beast. We’ll have to land and make a quick call outside. He spied a park in the distance and headed for it, setting the chopper down.

  ~*~

  Whispering Springs, Nevada

  Dan walked inside with Miranda, soaking wet from a cloudburst that had caught them unprepared. They were deep in conversation as they entered the kitchen.

  “I was starting to worry,” George said. “There’s a thunderstorm going on . . . with lightning!”

  “You always worry, George,” Miranda said, kissing his cheek. “And we noticed the rain.”

  “Well, you’re the only family I have,” he told them. “Now go get cleaned up so we can eat.”

  “Yes, Dad,” Miranda teased.

  Dan grinned and hurried off to change into some dry clothes.

  “How did the training go?” George asked when Dan returned. He put three bowls of stew on the table.

  “Very well,” Dan said, “until the rain started, anyway. I think she’s going to be okay as long as she keeps practicing.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Miranda said, walking back into the room. “I do feel more comfortable than I did yesterday.”

  “We’ll keep working on it,” Dan said. “As long as you practice and keep working out, you’ll be fine.”

  “And don’t make any mistakes,” George added. “You could be the best zombie killer in the country and still make a mistake and end up dead.”

  “She knows that, George,” Dan said. “She’s very careful, and I’m going to keep working with her.”

  Miranda gave Dan a smile and sat down at the table.

  When they were done eating and had finished washing the dishes, George asked, “Can we play a board game tonight? I saw a bunch of them in the closet.”

  “Sure, George,” Miranda said. “Are you getting tired of movies?”

  “I am,” Dan said. “I’ve never watched so many movies before in my life.”

  “I’ll never get tired of them,” George said. “I just like games, too, especially on a stormy night.”

  “Well, the rain’s died down,” Dan said. “But I still hear thunder.”

  “That’s how it usually goes here,” Miranda told them. “We don’t get light rains in the summer. We get storms that dump a ton of water on us all at once. Flash flooding is a real problem.”

  Dan opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when they heard the police scanner suddenly start squawking. It had happened several times since they’d been at Miranda’s house, but the previous times it had only been someone checking in or updating the others on the zombie kill for the day. This time, Dan distinctly heard someone mention California, and he hurried over to turn up the volume. George and Miranda joined him, and they listened to the announcement.

  “That’s the Chief of Police,” Miranda whispered. “Walt Roberts. I recognize his voice.”

  Walt went on to announce that there were two men who were wanted for questioning and that they were thought to be in the area.

  “These suspects may be the ones who started the plague,” he said, causing both Dan and George to mutter quiet comments. He proceeded to describe them both perfectly, down to Dan’s green eyes and George’s messy gray hair.

  Dan glanced at George, who was frowning as he ran a hand over his hair.

  “They were seen in Cholla Ridge, and they were driving an older model pickup at that time. There’s a good chance they’ll pass through here if they haven’t already. Their trail has ended, so we think they may have found a place to hide out for a while.”

  Dan swore quietly.

  “People, listen up,” the voice continued. “These men may appear to be harmless, but if they’re the ones who have unleashed this plague upon us, then they’re the most dangerous men that the world has ever known. I think that we’d all like to get our hands on them, but if you find them, please use caution because the doctor may be immune, and he may be the only person on this earth that can stop the plague. It is critical that he be taken alive for this reason. I cannot stress this enough. The man with him, the soldier, will do everything in his power to protect Dr. Rayburn, so you can understand how dangerous he is. From what we’ve learned, the plan is to sell the vaccine to the highest bidder and keep it from the rest of us. I’m sure you can imagine what a powerful weapon the vaccine would be in the wrong hands.”

  There was some static, and then the voice came back. “Once it’s light tomorrow, I want every street in this town searched, and if that truck is here, I want it found. There is a reward for anybody that brings Rayburn in alive. That’s all.”

  ~*~

  Lansing, Michigan

  “Can you turn that thing off? I can’t hear myself think,” Henry snapped as he took the radio and stepped out the door.

  “Sorry, sir, but we don’t dare,” Reynolds said. “We need to be able to take off the second we sight any infected. If they grab onto the chopper, they could keep us from lifting off.”

  “Loto is fully capable of keeping the deviants away,” Henry said.

  Loto stood in the distance, holding his Uzi like it was a long lost friend.

  “Sir, I’d feel better . . .”

  “Fine,” Henry barked, as he strolled a few feet from the passenger door, one hand covering his left ear.

  “Oh, my God, I can hardly wait to get back into some designer jeans,” Brandi said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. She moved to sit in the copilot’s seat, leaving the door open as she watched for any sign of movement near Henry. “I am so tired of the rags they forced us to wear at that hospital. Just wait until you see me dressed up. You’ll forget all about Lindsey. You know, I think she’s doing those bikers. It would explain why they let her hang out with them when they won’t even give me the time of day. Well, Dumbo does my work for me, but he’s a moron. I don’t even have to put out.”

  Lee inhaled slowly, trying to ignore Brandi’s incessant chatter while he kept his eyes fixed on Henry. The old man seemed to be frustrated as he pulled the radio away from his ear and looked it over.

  Loto had his attention on several of the dead that had undoubtedly been drawn over by the sound of the helico
pter. After a couple short bursts from the gun, they dropped, but were quickly followed by more.

  “Come on, old man, move away,” Lee whispered under his breath.

  Henry stared at the radio for a moment longer then slowly lifted his head, eyes narrowing as realization began to set in.

  “And maybe I can finally get my hair touched up,” Brandi said. “Those pricks wouldn’t even get me stuff so I could do it myself. I really hate . . .”

  “Just shut up,” Lee said, grabbing the controls as Henry ran for the chopper. As it started to lift up, Henry was already there, reaching his arm out to Brandi.

  “Help me!” he yelled.

  “What are you doing?” the blonde turned her head to scream at Lee as she reached out for Henry.

  The minute the old man had a grip on her arm, he yanked hard, pulling her from the helicopter as he grabbed onto the frame to pull himself in. Brandi managed to grasp his jacket, and when she tumbled to the ground, Henry went with her.

  As Lee looked down, he saw that Loto was too busy eliminating an ever-increasing slew of predators to notice the scene unfolding behind him.

  Henry got to his feet, yelling in rage as the chopper lifted high into the sky.

  ~*^*~

  ~57~

  Lansing Compound

  “We need to find her before Henry returns, or there’ll be hell to pay,” the captain told the other guards.

  “We have people scouring the streets,” one of the men said.

  “I want more. I want every available guard searching for her.”

  “We’ve got ten people on the walls, captain,” said a man who was holding a radio. “Shall I call some of them in?”

  “Go ahead. Henry’s keeping an eye on her friends, so we don’t need to worry about them just yet, and the woman’s not stupid enough to go over the wall. She doesn’t have a weapon, so she wouldn’t last ten minutes out there with the dead. She’ll be hiding inside the walls, hoping for a rescue.”

  Nodding, the guard lifted the radio to give the order.

  ~*~

  Lindsey could see the wall ahead of her, but she had no idea how she was going to get over it. There were guard towers, and they all appeared to be manned. She was still trying to come up with a plan when a guard hurried down from the closest tower. Lindsey flattened herself against a fence, praying that the armed man wouldn’t look her way as he ran past. Thankfully, he hurried down the street without even a glimpse in her direction. Wasting no time, Lindsey ran up the stairs but hid inside the tower when she saw two more people run past with guns. She waited until she was sure there was nobody else in sight then she looked over the wall. The streets were filled with the dead, many of them clawing at the concrete barriers that enclosed the community.

  The drop to the ground was going to be a long one. Trying not to think about what she was doing, Lindsey climbed over the top of the wall and lowered herself until she was hanging by her hands. She looked down once more to make sure that her intended landing spot was clear then she let go, hitting the ground hard. She fell backward and found herself looking up at a dead man. He leaned over to reach for her, but she rolled away and got to her feet before he could grab her. Already there were others shuffling toward her, moaning loudly. Lindsey ran, dodging the infected as she wove through their ranks.

  It wasn’t long before she was spotted by a tower guard who began to fire at her. A few of the dead around her began to fall, and one bullet hit the ground close to her feet, but Lindsey was able to make it across the street unharmed.

  ~*~

  Instead of putting the chopper back in the lot where it was normally kept, Lee dropped it down into his front yard. He jumped out and hurried over to Henry’s house, already trying to concoct a story to tell the guards. He had decided that, whatever it took, he was going to get Lindsey out of there. They’d go somewhere safe, and maybe he’d even be able to redeem himself.

  The guard at the gate was listening intently to something on his radio, barely looking up as the pilot used his key card to get through the gate. The front door opened before Lee even reached the house.

  “Where’s Henry?” the door guard asked, nervously looking past Lee.

  “He decided that evacuation wasn’t a bad idea after all,” Lee said, hoping the other man would believe the lie. “We saw several vehicles coming this way, and it concerned him a bit.”

  “Good,” the guard said, looking relieved.

  “He told me to come back for Lindsey and take her to the farm compound. He’s afraid that her friends might succeed in their rescue attempt, and she’ll be taken away before she gives him the information he wants.”

  “That’s going to be a problem because she escaped.”

  Lee swore silently. “How long ago?”

  “It’s been about twenty minutes,” the guard said. He told Lee everything he knew. “I’ve been listening on the radio, and they haven’t found her yet.”

  “I’m going to go look for her,” Lee said. “I’ll take the chopper back out.”

  “I hope you find her.” The guard looked worried. “Heads are going to roll if she’s not here when Henry gets back.”

  Lee ran to his house and grabbed his handheld radio which he put on the kitchen table. He quickly stuffed some food and water into a duffle bag along with clothing since he knew it wasn’t likely that he’d be coming back. The only personal belonging he owned that meant anything to him was a photo album containing snapshots of his parents and his deceased wife. It went into the bag with the other items. He gathered up everything he was taking and started for the door, but stopped when he heard voices speaking on the radio.

  “She’s over the wall!”

  “You sure, captain? You said she wouldn’t do that.”

  “She sure as hell did. One of the tower guards spotted her running down the road. I want five men out there now!”

  “Out there?”

  “Yes, dumb ass. That’s where she is! That’s where you need to be. Take Brett and Wayne, since they were supposed to be watching her.”

  “Shit,” Lee said, dropping the bag to the floor. He had hoped to find Lindsey while she was still in the compound and desperate to get out. Now that she was already outside the walls, it wasn’t likely he’d convince her to go with him.

  Deciding that it would be best to wait until she was brought back, he sat down at his table. Once she was back inside the walls, he’d take her away from the compound. She’d have no option but to go with him.

  ~*~

  Lansing, Michigan

  Lindsey noticed that the wall of the compound seemed to follow a road, at least on the side where she had gone over. Large, older homes lined the far side of the street, and most of them had open back yards. She darted between two houses then made her way to the next yard, moving quickly across the open expanse. The sniper on the wall shifted his rifle toward her, but by that time, she had sprinted across to another yard. Each time she moved between properties, she got a good look at the wall across the street, and there was always a shooter in sight. She guessed that the ones who had been called away to search for her had been sent back.

  Some of the houses had sheds or garages behind them, and Lindsey considered breaking into one to see if she could find a crowbar or something else that could be used as a weapon. Realizing that it would take time that she probably didn’t have, she moved on, feeling vulnerable in her unarmed state.

  She easily made her way to the next intersection but was discouraged to see several lurching figures moving down the cross street toward the compound, presumably drawn by the gunshots. As long as the gunfire continued, she knew that even more of them would be lured in by the noise.

  Emerging from the last yard on the block, Lindsey found herself looking down the street at the wall again and wondered just how far the compound stretched. As she looked around, she realized that she had been there before. The place had looked different in the fog, but she was certain that the walls were the same ones that
she had encountered when she was with Snake, Wolf and Wombat. She wished there was a way to contact Snake to tell him where she was, but she’d need a radio, and even if she could find one, she wouldn’t know what channel to use. She figured she’d probably end up contacting someone in the walled city by mistake.

  She took a tentative step into the street, but a guard on the wall spotted her and quickly picked up a radio. Ducking back behind the house, Lindsey began to wonder if the guards had been intentionally missing her with their rifles since Henry wanted her alive. She wasn’t quite willing to risk her life to test her theory, so she began to carefully make her way up the street, hiding behind cars as much as possible. She flinched when she heard the report of a rifle, but the dead began to drop around her. There was no way that Henry would have a sniper who couldn’t hit his target from such a close distance. The shooter had to be taking out the dead to help keep her alive. A slight smile touched her face. She hadn’t planned on the extra help from the snipers. Of course, someone would need to retrieve her if they wanted to make her talk, so she knew that she could count on having live company soon.

  ~*~

  “I should have known better than to trust another pilot,” Henry ranted as he flung the useless radio into the street. It hit the ground hard and bounced before coming to a rest, the antenna landing a few feet away.

  “You pulled me out, you jerk!” Brandi said. “I don’t believe you did that!”

  Henry’s hand shot out fast, slapping Brandi before she even finished speaking. “On the contrary, you pulled me out,” he snarled. “You were supposed to pull me in! It’s not my fault that you weren’t strong enough to do it. You should have let go!”