“Shit!” I put my fingers to his neck and checked his pulse. While faint, it was there.
“Charles!” Arik screamed as he came running. He pushed past me. “Are you alive?”
“Don’t yell so loud, I have a headache.” Charles mumbled, but then his head hit his chest again.
“What’s happening?” Dyonna walked over, shaking her head.
Arik reached for the bladed feather but hesitated. “He’s breathing, but he’s losing blood!”
Somewhere behind us the bird still screeched. No rifles were in the wrecked vehicle, so I drew my pistol and aimed. Garrett smacked my hand.
I turned on him. “What’s your problem?”
“Girls don’t shoot guns!” He held up a finger. “And we don’t want to lure it. We need to get your friend medical attention.”
“He’s right.” Arik emerged from the Jeep, pain splayed across his face. He held Charles in both arms. “I can’t even pull the spikes out until we have a way to stop the bleeding.”
A pharmacy stood next to us. Luck was on our side!
“Let’s get inside the building!” I started toward the building.
“No!” Garrett blocked me. “I already raided that place. Everything’s back at the pen.”
“This is your fault!” I grabbed Garrett’s collar and shook him hard.
Arik choked on sobs. “And he may be Charles’ only hope.”
“Fine.” I resigned. “For Charles’ sake.”
“We’ll never make it with that bird about!” Dyonna watched the sky. “I’ll lure it away.”
Garrett held his hands before him. “Don’t shoot it!”
“Why?” She gave him a dirty look. “You fond of that thing, pretty boy?”
“N-No! It’s a waste of ammo. Plus, ladies shouldn’t—”
“Oh, shove it!” I pushed past him.
Dyonna scooped up a fallen rifle and jogged ahead. I glanced back at Garrett. He was too calm. Something screamed wrong with the entire scenario.
The bird left us alone, and we made it to the penitentiary. I’d only been inside it once at seven-years-old. I didn’t want to go with Zach on the Haunted Halloween Tour. Ghosts scared me too much. Still, I did it for him, and had nightmares for weeks.
I rolled my hand. “Go on, Garrett. Ladies first.”
“Your sarcasm is sexy.” He took Charles’ gun from its holster, but I seized it.
“You don’t get a gun!”
“You’ve gotta learn to trust me, babe.”
“Call me babe and I’ll kick your ass! But if you save my friend’s life, we’ll talk about trust.”
When we were inside, Garrett pushed the gates closed. I looked around the empty prison yard. He had done a good job of keeping the corpses out it on his own. A red flag. I felt as though we were walking into a trap.
He brought us to Cell Block A.
“In here.” Garrett opened the door, motioning for us to enter.
“You first!” I shoved him.
We entered a dark hallway, and Garrett lit a lighter and held a stick before him. He wrapped a cloth around it, dipped it in a bucket of liquid, and we had a torch. Crafty, I had to admit.
“Hurry!” Arik’s voice cracked. “Charles is growing paler by the second!”
“He’ll be fine.” Garrett led us to a steel staircase and then through a long hallway, to a door labeled Warden’s Office. “This is my room. I need to grab the first aid kit and we’ll treat him in the Medical Ward.”
He dipped inside and was quick to return with a red plastic box. In the next room, we got Charles into a bed.
Dyonna examined him. “I had training back on the island. But I don’t how I can save, boyo...”
She removed the steel feathers and Arik held pressure on the wounds. They stuffed gauze into them for the time being. An hour later, Charles had lost blood but stabilized.
I watched from afar, arms crossed. “Will he be all right?”
“I’m no doctor, ya?” Dyonna sat on a bed, covered in blood. “But he’s in big trouble. I’m hoping he still is here in the morning.”
Arik sat beside Charles’ bed and lowered his head, maybe praying.
Dyonna fell flat. “I’m too tired for this shit.”
“What about you?” Garrett regarded me.
I glared and stomped away from the ward. Assface and I could not be in the same room or I’d kill him. Not after what he’d done. Not after putting my friends in so much danger.
From the Warden’s Office, I heard a voice. I stopped, brows furrowed, and put my ear to the door. “I’m searching for you. And you know who you are. I’m searching for you. And you know who you are.”
I glanced toward the Med Ward. Garrett had found the radio message from Zach, but did he know what it meant? And if he did, then how? A huge red flag.
I walked into the office, picked up the radio receiver and pressed the button. “Zach... This is Tiffany. Please respond. Over.”
LEVEL 16:
SOLID CAUSE
I waited, and it tore up my insides. Zach needed to answer and then find me. The Gamers’ Guild might need its leader back, and three new members.
“Please, Zach!” I clutched the receiver.
His radio message continued and each time I cursed. After several more repeats, my will shattered. I let my drop to the desk. “Where are you?”
A tear formed in one eye, but I wiped it away. I promised myself I’d cry no more. The radio crackled, and I lifted my head.
“Tiffa, is that you?”
I dove onto the desk, sending a cup of pens flying. As I grabbed the radio receiver, I tumbled to the floor. “Zach? Oh, Zach, tell me it’s you!”
“Your voice is amazing. I worried you were dead.”
I held the receiver to my chest, and hugged it, as if it were him, my long-lost love. “For months, I thought I was the only one left. I’ve played tough girl, but every single day was terrifying.”
“Why did you do it? Why did you fake your death?”
The elephant had come to the forefront. He never heard my broadcast. “Forget that, are you okay? What about the Guild?”
Jessie’s voice crossed the frequency, “We’re fine, but we’ve been through so much. A helicopter crash killed Kessa. Do you remember her?”
“The crazy chick who blabbed about angels?” I rubbed my eyes. “That sucks... and Wesley?”
Zach’s voice crackled over, “He’s gone. A group called G.O.D. Mode murdered them both.”
I bit my lower lip and exhaled. Kessa was insane, and Wesley a jerk, but neither deserved death. Once again, the name G.O.D. Mode came into play. I wanted to know the whole story, but I had a more pressing question. “Where are you?”
“In Kentucky... Before he passed, Wesley told me of your faked suicide. We took out one of the G.O.D. family, and since, you’re our number one priority.
I shook my head hard. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster. A lot of shit has happened.”
“We?”
“My group. We were five but lost one. Another might not make the night. A zombeast got him.”
“The corpse animals? We’ve run into things, too. Listen, it’s getting too dangerous out there. Tiffa, tell me your location. We’ll come find you.”
A tear threatened to slip out, but I fought it. “Moundsville, West Virginia; the penitentiary. We’re heading for Bellaire. There’s a camp there, and I’d wager G.O.D. Mode, too.”
“Then don’t go alone. You’ll need my help. I’m different now.”
The image of evil Zach flashed through my mind. “What do you mean different?”
“You’ll see. Just promise you’ll stay put. See you soon.”
Panic filled me. “Please, don’t go! It’s too dangerous. What if we don’t survive?”
“My radio isn’t mobile. I’m no use to you from here. We’ll be together soon.”
The radio went silent.
I climbed into the chair with a knot in my chest. Zach mi
ght not arrive for days, but I needed him more than ever. Garrett cursed from outside the office. I jumped as he opened the door.
He tilted his head. “What’re you doing in here? Hell, you look like crap. You need your beauty sleep.”
“Thanks, sweet as always.” I shot a glare.
“There are showers down the hall.” He shrugged. “And they work. Go clean up and relax. I’ve already sent Dyonna down there. She smelled like manure, but don’t tell her I said so, okay?”
I rolled my eyes, but a shower sounded alluring. “Is there hot water?”
“Minimal. Don’t take long or we’ll run out.”
“Thank the gaming gods.” I had an itch I didn’t want to scratch in front of him. “A shower... It’s been months!”
I walked past Garrett, but he grabbed hold and pulled me close so close our noses touched.
“Even as filthy as you are, you’re sexy as hell.”
Before I pulled away, he forced his lips onto mine. I craved killing the bastard, not kissing him, but the warmth of another’s lips had me moaning.
My heart wanted to fall for him again, but then he reached around and squeezed my ass. I pulled back and punched him in the face.
Garrett stumbled and grabbed his lip, which I’d just busted. “You bitch! You hit me after I gave you a present?”
“What present? You’re no gift to the world!” I left and slammed the door. “Arrogant prick!”
The fact he’d kissed me made me want to tear off my lips. He had a death wish, putting his hands on me. My fists were so tight, my overgrown fingernails threatened to draw blood from my palms.
I continued stomping and followed the signs to the showers. No sound of water. Hadn’t he sent Dyonna to clean up, too? I pushed open the door. A torch sat in a sconce next to the door, providing light to the windowless chamber.
“Dyonna?”
She didn’t respond. Water rested on the floor by the farthest shower. Dyonna’s tribal outfit lay on a bench. She left her clothes? Did she want to walk around naked with Garrett able to see? Oh well, the scumbag was hers.
I turned on the faucet and hot water poured over my bare skin. It turned lukewarm but was still heaven. I pulled off my filthy vest, kicked off my boots, and threw my pants on the bench. As I stepped into the water, I let it run over my face. Pure euphoria. I realized how much I missed showering.
Against Garrett’s wishes, I stayed until the water cooled. With a found bar of soap and I cleaned myself every nook and cranny. The water stopped altogether.
Why did it have to end?
I walked to the bench, staring at my dirty clothes. Did I have to redress? They were so gross!
“Tiffany?” Garrett’s called into the shower room.
I covered my boobs and crotch. “Don’t come in, assface!”
“I brought you clean clothes!”
I scrunched my features. “You don’t get to see boobs or an ass!”
“Seen it all already!” his voice echoed. “I forgive you for punching me! It’s just that time of the month, I’m sure! I’ll leave the clothes by the door out here!”
“I should kill you!”
When he didn’t answer, I grew curious. Had he done something nice? I crept over, cracking the door. Outside, I found a bundle of clothes. Back inside, I wiggled into them. They weren’t my style. He’d given me a too small tube top, and a pair of hip huggers.
“There is no way I’m walking around like this.” I pulled my dirty vest over the top piece and kept the pants. I didn’t want to know why he had women’s clothes.
Dressed, and back in my boots, I walked upstairs and to the Medical Ward. I put my ear against it. Silence.
“They must be sleeping.”
I cracked the door. There wasn’t any light; night had fallen. I stepped through into the pitch-black room and made my way along the wall to a bed. “Dyonna? Arik?”
I felt the bed and found it empty. The next bed was the same. Then I found Charles’ vacant.
My gut twisted into knots. I froze as a clacking sound skittered across the floor. “What was that?”
More clacking from across the room! My heart filled with fear and I moved back toward the door, but the sound moved again. As my eyes adjusted, I saw a shadow swaying back and forth before my face. A snake? A scorpion?
My pulse pounded, and my heart threatened to explode through my ribcage. A zombeast was attacking! And where were my friends?
I took one careful step back, then another. The clacking followed. I bumped into a bed, and the frame creaked. The skittering sped at me and the swaying form stabbed my shoulder. I let out a screech and pulled the sharp spike free.
I tried to run, but my body stopped cooperating. Numbness spread through my arms, chest, and into my legs, forcing me to my knees.
As I fell onto my face, I mumbled curses. Everything felt weird and fuzzy. Strange lights flashed before my eyes, and I heard voices, but couldn’t understand the words. Venom crept through my veins and what I’d thought to be a snake, might have been a giant scorpion.
I needed to cry and beg for help, but my lips froze. A deep coldness spread through me, and I feared death. Zach and I’d never reunite.
My eyes closed, I knew it to be my end, but then my eyes opened again, and bright light filled the room. I didn’t see a zombeast. As I sat up from the floor, I found myself still in the Med Ward.
“Oh my gosh!” I sucked in air as it came flooding back.
I scrambled to my feet. The beds were empty, including Charles’. The only sign of him was blood.
I stumbled my way into the hall. “Guys? Where are you?”
The truth reared its ugly head. Garrett had to be to blame. He’d tricked me into showering, took my friends away, and unleashed a zombeast to attack when I came back.
“Garrett!” I stormed the hall.
I threw open the Warden’s Office door and spotted the back of Garrett’s head as the chair faced the other way. I stomped over and spun it. He stared at me with huge, terrified eyes. A gag stuck in his mouth, and his arms tied to the chair.
“What the hell?”
“Are you awake?” A female crackled from the radio.
Fury tore through me as I picked up the receiver. “Sister? You bitch! What did you do with my friends?”
“So, you know of me? Goody, this will make things much easier.”
“I asked you a question!” I glanced at Garrett, who mumbled something.
“Don’t worry. They’re alive, for now.”
“Why take them? Why leave me?”
She gave a sickening giggle. “It makes the game more fun.”
I slashed the air. “What game?”
“You have something I want. And my idiot minions weren’t smart enough to find it.”
I slammed my fist on the desk, making Garrett jump. “I’ll give you whatever you want! Just return my friends!”
“You must come get them,” she cooed. “And bring me the locket.”
“The locket?” I reached around my neck and found the chain missing. Could I have lost it in the crash? “How long do I have?”
“Smart question. You have, let’s say, seven hours. I trust you’ll make it to Bellaire in time.”
Zach’s words came to mind. He’d made me promise to stay put. Now I couldn’t. My friends needed me. By the time he arrived...
“I’ll be there!” I slammed the receiver and turned to face Garrett.
He still stared with fear. Everything inside told me to leave him; let him stay in that chair to dehydrate and die, or get eaten by wandering corpses or zombeasts, but I could never live with that blood on my hands.
“As much as I’ll hate myself later, I’m taking you with me, assface!” I pulled the gag.
“Wise choice, baby doll.” He made me regret the action.
Instead of breaking his jaw, I untied his bindings. “Grab whatever weapons you have. I’ll be outside by the wrecked Jeep. I need to find my locket.”
&nbs
p; After exiting the penitentiary, I ran to the wreck. I searched for fifteen minutes and discovered the heart locket stuck in the Jeep’s tire.
“Why do you want this?” I opened it and looked at the picture.
Zach smiled back, and it made my heart ache. I’d made the choice to betray my promise.
“Let’s do this, babe!” Garrett called.
I turned and found him holding a shotgun, with an assault rifle strapped to his back. He wore a red headband around his head as if he were Rambo or Solid Snake.
I walked up to him and snatched the shotgun from his grasp. “It’s a long walk. Let’s go.”
We walked toward the train tracks; the safest bet.
Garrett put his lips near my ear. “You should let me handle the gun. Ladies shouldn’t—”
I spun on my heel with a death glare. “Finish that sentence and I’ll shoot your ass.”
LEVEL 17:
SILENT VILLAGE
For every step we’d taken, Garrett moaned, bitched and complained. He wore on my last nerve.
He slowed, slumping his shoulders. “This is the longest walk of my existence!”
“Oh, shut your damn mouth!” I pushed him. “A minute ago, you were asking to carry me!”
“Rhetorical!” Garrett held up a finger. “Your weight would make this trip even longer.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you calling me fat?”
In the past, people alluded that I was overweight; the arrogant twigs. Garrett looked as if he’d been eating healthy since the ZPoc began.
He walked backwards. “I would never call you fat, my sweet love muffin.”
I aimed my shotgun at his face. “Turn around and follow the train tracks.”
Arms out wide, he grinned. “But you need this sexy face.”
“What I need is to see your stupid ass walking!” I grabbed his shoulder and spun him.
“Oh, I get it!” He doubled over, sticking out his butt. “You’re a booty kinda girl. I dig it.”
I wanted nothing more than to pull the trigger and shut him up for good but being a sexist prick didn’t justify me killing the bastard. “If you keep this up, I’m diving into the mouth of the next zombeast we see.”
“Why do you call them that? Zombeast sounds stupid.”
Omega Virus (Book 2): Gamma Hour Page 11