My jaw dropped as I turned around to face the monster. Its nostrils flared, and it roared. I stumbled back away from the diner’s window. “Oh, shit.”
The evolved undead strode towards me. Even though a mindless corpse, it didn’t perceive me as a threat. I pulled out my handguns and unloaded both clips into its ugly face. Every bullet hit its head, but the hulking thing kept coming.
The diner doors opened and three people emerged, guns readied. They fired their weapons into the monster, accomplishing nothing. It stopped and turned to them.
“No, stay inside the building!” I threw my empty pistols and cracked the side of its face. It whipped its head, glaring at me with a growl.
“Yeah, over here!” I waved at it. “Come get me!”
A red stick with a lit fuse flew from the window. On reflex, I caught the object and stared in horror. “Dynamite!”
The level two opened its mouth wide, roaring. I lunged, shoving the explosive stick in its throat. With my momentum, I bolted into the diner. Everyone inside, the doors slammed shut. Kaboom. The building trembled as sickening splats and rained outside the windows.
I clenched my jaw. “I’ve had enough of this shit.”
A woman stood over me, gun in my face. “Just who the hell are you?”
“Stop, Becca.”
An elderly guy with a cane sat in a booth. He was in his seventies or older.
“But she let Adam’s mom die!” Becca glared.
“He’d be dead if not—”
“Shut your mouth, old fart!”
“Becca! Don’t speak with such disrespect!” The old man stood and approached. He offered his hand, but I swatted it away and stood on my own.
They stared with jaded eyes.
“Sorry about your friend.” The old guy lowered and shook his head.
I shrugged and laughed. “Dragoon? She’s fine.”
A knock came from behind me. The doors swung open, and everyone gasped. Dragoon stood in the doorway, with shredded clothing, but she looked fine.
Something thudded to the floor behind me. I turned to see Becca on the floor, unconscious. “Oh crap, what about her?”
The elder glanced at Becca and nudged her with his cane.
“Don’t worry.” He kept his wide eyes on Dragoon, incredulous. “She’s fine, too.”
LEVEL 34:
CHALLENGE
Guilt weighed on me. If I’d been a few moments quicker the woman might’ve lived. But guilt was pointless. Kiki, Charles, and this boy’s mother? The lesson had been harsh enough. No more blaming myself, no matter how much I thought I should.
We sat in a booth across from the elder, while the survivors were around the diner, or keeping watch.
Dragoon wore her blank expression. “A tragedy. The boy’s mother.”
The old guy gave a deep sigh. “She was the fifteenth to fall to those minions of evil.”
I stared at him blinking. “Fifteenth?”
He stroked one end of his mustache. “Yes, we started as a group of thirty-two. Everyone was part of the same church. It was during a morning sermon when the zombies came.”
“I was in school.” I envisioned the day again. Jessie asked me to find Zach because he knew stuff of zombies. None of us, save Jessie, thought the bloody lump creature was a zombie.
“How old are you, dear?”
I looked up and met his ancient blue eyes. “Seventeen now and was sixteen when it happened. I was with friends that day.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry to learn they’ve passed.”
“It’s not like that. I left them.”
“Why on Earth would you do that?” He adjusted his glasses and brought a Bible from the seat next to him.
I held up my hands, stopping him. “Please, I need no preaching. Not in this world.”
“Oh, no!” He chuckled. “I would never preach. This old thing? Let’s say it’s a fond memory. I like to touch its cover when things are bad.” I watched as his shaking hand brushed the leather cover. We met eyes again, and he gave a weak smile. “Now tell me why you left your friends.”
“I left because of one in particular.”
“A boy?”
I nodded. “His name is Zach. I feared he’d become a monster; he killed two lunatics to save me.”
“So you assumed hatred would devour him?” The elder scratched his chin. “Why is that?”
I glanced to the side.
“You don’t want to talk about it.”
“No, I do! But I have told no one, my true reasoning.”
“Well, talk before I die of old age.”
I smiled but frowned. “I have these memories, or dreams, whatever you want to call them. It’s about the future. And in these visions, Zach and I are together, and we have twins. Because of our daughter, Zach...he turns evil. He kills our friends. I’m afraid of him, afraid for our other child... and I die; our daughter pushes me off a building.”
“Do you expect our fates are set in stone?” He caressed the Bible’s cover.
I shook my head. “No, but with all I’ve seen... What if it’s true? I even met this... cult. They told me I’d have Zach’s offspring. They wanted to hold me captive, so I’d one day give birth to a girl. She would be the savior—but how can she be a savior if she turns Zach evil? If she kills me? And what of our son? All of it feels like it will happen if I like it or not.”
“Do you love Zach?”
I glanced away again. I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice caught in my throat.
“What a silly question to ask, it’s written all over your face.”
The man nodded and peeked between the window boards. “Here’s how I see it. The future isn’t a thing; only right now exists. I can say I’m meant to do this tomorrow, but what if I die today? Then it will never happen. Fate is a manmade thing. Once I thought it was God’s will, whatever happened, but now I understand that if I eat an apple, it was my will to eat that apple. No one could make me do it. I had to choose. Me. No one else.”
“The future can change?” I felt hope in my core.
“Have you listened to a word I said? I don’t accept the future! Only the now. That’s it. No past, no future. Only now. Live in it. Make your decisions with complete and total freedom, just like Zach did.”
“You’re wise. So, you were once a pastor?”
“My gosh, no.” He burst into laughter. “The pastor was the first to die. He tried to help an infected man who wandered through our doors. Got chomped on real quick, he did.”
“Then what was your profession?” I tilted my head.
“I was the custodian at the church.” He continued to laugh.
I couldn’t help but smile at the crazy old fart. He may not have been the church’s leader, but he was the leader of this group. And he had good advice. If I worried too much, I could never live with the freedom of my decisions. I’d never let Zach turn into a monster!
“Thank you.” I put my hand on his and gave a tight squeeze.
“No, thank you, young lady. My, you haven’t told me your name.”
“I’m Tiffany Gainsborough.”
He smoothed his mustache again. “Unique. A pretty name.”
I gave a tired smile. “Thanks.”
Adam appeared, tugging the elder’s sleeve. “Pappy Tom?”
“Yes, my little pupper dog boy?”
“I’m hungry...” He sniffled.
When he mentioned food, my stomach growled so loud the boy jumped back and covered his mouth.
“S-Sorry!” I rubbed the back of my head. “I haven’t eaten in days.”
“You look it.” Pappy Tom scanned me. “You’re so skinny I bet a breeze could snap you in half.”
“Ina.” He motioned to an old woman across the diner. “Could you be a dear and get these two young one’s something to eat?”
The old woman stood. “What about the other one? She hasn’t said a word all evening.”
Dragoon peeked out a hole in a window boar
d, looking for danger.
She didn’t need to eat, but I’d still ask. “Dragoon, you hungry?”
“I do not need sustenance.” She had no emotion in her voice.
“Girl must be a robot!” Tom dry cackled.
I almost told him but decided against it. Dragoon being an android might give him a heart attack.
As Ina walked to the kitchen, I looked around at the tired faces. Most had rifles and were engaged playing cards. One man, though, fiddled with a radio receiver.
“I’ll be back.” I stood and approached the man with the radio. “Is that thing working?”
The man turned to regard me. Clean shaven, he looked as though he couldn’t even grow facial hair.
He rubbed his chin. “Yeah, it works, but I ain’t discovered no one on any of the frequencies.”
“Can I try it?”
“Sure.” He pushed the radio console and the receiver. “All you gotta do is flip that switch and hold the button. Don’t expect to find anyone. Been searching for days.”
“I think I have one that works.” I turned the dial to the same frequency from Zach’s message. With a deep breath, I spoke into the radio. “Zach, it’s Tiffany.”
Several seconds passed, but then there was a crackling. “Tiffany?” Dave’s voice came. “I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! Your voice is amazing!”
I grinned wide. “Dave? I’m flattered, but I thought you were dead!”
“Uh… no. Who told you that?”
The asshole siblings said it. The lying bastards. “Nevermind. Where’s Zach?”
“He’s out on recon with a few others.” There came the crunching of chips. “I’m at the base eating my nachos.”
He still loved nachos. A good sign. “Where?”
“I can’t say. Those G.O.D. Mode pricks listen in on every channel.”
“Well, let them listen to this, then. A friend and I are heading to San Diego. We will finish them; Brother and Sister. She narrowed their location to within a mile.”
“If you can wait until tomorrow afternoon, I can tell Zach.” More crunching. “He can help you. He’s all badass now; you wouldn’t even understand!”
I smirked. “You’re right. I don’t get it, but either way, I can’t wait.”
“Listen, be careful. I’ll tell Zach as soon as I see him, but if you get yourself killed, he’ll never forgive himself for not finding you sooner.”
“It’s my fault. I was the one who faked my death.”
“That wasn’t cool.”
I cringed with guilt. “I shouldn’t have done it, and I’ll explain later why, and we can make sense out of this.”
Dave gave a laugh. “Oh, there’s a lot of explaining you owe us. You know, the other day I saw this corpse platypus and was it vicious!”
“Cool story, bro, but I gotta go for now. I need to recover before we go kick G.O.D. Mode’s ass tomorrow.”
“I look forward to seeing you. Good luck. Don’t die out there.”
“You too, Dave.” The frequency went quiet.
I looked at the radio guy and nodded. “Thanks.”
“Who are these people?” He eyed me with hope. “They sound stable.”
“They are.”
“We should join. We’re in a bind here. Not much ammunition, and even less food and water.”
I stood, hands on hips. “When I meet up with them, we’ll come back for you. They’re with a group called Devil Code.”
“You hear, guys?” The man jumped. “This girl’s friends will rescue us!”
Everyone hushed him. He sat and lowered his voice. “She’s gonna send the resistance for us.”
Smiles crossed the faces of almost everyone in the diner. I smiled too until the radio crackled again.
“Oh, dear Tiffany.” Sister’s sickening voice came. “You’re brave enough to broadcast your intentions over a frequency we know so well?”
I seized the receiver. “Yeah, we’ll kill you, cowards!”
“We’ve nothing to fear. To prove it, we’ll stay right where we are. Come to Seal Land, the aquarium amusement park?”
“There’s nothing you can throw that’ll scare us!”
“It’s not about fear, child.” Sister giggled. “It’s about one word. S-U-R-V-I-V-A-L. If you can’t make it, oh well! Tee hee hee.”
Anger surged through me. “You’d better prepare. Because when we get there, I’ll kill your brother first, then I will stomp my boot down into your face until it’s an ugly pile of mush.”
“You talk big for a girl with no strength or skill. Remember we have the gamma spheres made from your friend’s blood? Just one of those will make us strong enough to tear you to pieces and feed you to our pets.”
I narrowed my eyes. “We’re not afraid of you or your pets.”
“Come if you dare, Tiffany. Just know you and your Devil Code allies will all meet your doom here.”
“I accept your challenge and know; there’s not a challenge I’ve ever failed.”
“In video games.” She scoffed.
“To your family, isn’t this all just a game?”
“Touché. The world is our game.”
Then the radio went silent again.
“Maybe we shouldn’t join you...” The guy lowered his head. “You’re enemies with these G.O.D. people?”
I cocked a brow. “You’ve heard of them?”
“What survivor hasn’t by now? They leave their mark on buildings, billboards, and cars, everywhere. Then soon the undead follow. We traveled all the way down here from Oregon where we started. In fact, I saw their mark the first day of the outbreak before it even happened.”
“I’ve never noticed their mark. I guess I’ve been too busy surviving.”
He grabbed a napkin and pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket, then sketched a symbol. It was an Omega with the letter V struck through it. On each leg of the omega were burning wings. The word G.O.D. sat below it.
“Now you mention it...” I thought back to the day the ZPoc began.
I saw the symbol on the alley wall behind the school. I’d never paid it much mind, but the more I thought, the more times I remembered seeing it; everywhere. I grabbed the napkin, scrunched it up, and tossed it.
He swallowed hard. “Are you going to stop them?”
With fury still boiling within, I nodded.
Dragoon, still stared out the boarded window. I cursed myself for being human. If I didn’t need food, and sleep, I’d end the evil siblings sooner.
LEVEL 35:
MONKEYING AROUND
The next morning, after a good, nightmare-free sleep, Dragoon and I stood at the doors of the diner. We were ready to kick G.O.D. Mode ass.
I faced Pappy Tom and glanced over the hopeful faces of the survivors.
“Thank you for everything. The food, the shelter, and the advice.”
Tom smiled, and for the first time, I noticed the strain behind the act. “We were fearful that we’d all end up zombie chow. We almost fail to fend off each attack. Now you young ladies have given us hope! It is us who owe you thanks.”
Most heads nodded in approval while others said words of agreement. The woman called Becca sat in the back, shaking her head.
I offered a close-eyed smile. “We’ll be back with Devil Code. It’s a promise.”
“Yes, a promise.” Dragoon nodded, with a face akin to a doll.
Tom chuckled. “I’ll hold you girls to it.”
I gave a wave, and Dragoon mimicked my gesture. Everyone waved back, and with that, we left the diner. Tom had offered us minor provisions; food, water, and even ammunition, but we denied it. I never planned on taking from the group of kind strangers.
We retrieved our motorcycle, and I looked at the diner. The sign no longer stood, so I didn’t even know its name. Either way, for once, it was nice to meet other humans who weren’t trying to kill us.
“Are you ready?” Dragoon got on the bike.
I climbed on behind her. “As ready as I’ll e
ver be.”
The android revved our cycle’s engine, and we were off again, driving into the dawn’s light, and onto the next highway ramp. I tried to fight off the fear of Sister’s challenge. Were they going to fight us themselves, using gamma spheres? Or might they throw zombeasts and corpses at us? I believed in our chances, but I was afraid. Only several months prior, I’d been only a high school gamer girl. I never imagined one day I’d be driving a California highway, with an android, off to face two power-crazed siblings and their monstrous pets.
On the path to San Diego, we passed hills, we drove alongside the ocean, and saw where millions had once lived. It amazed me; Milpeg was small, this was not.
We were nowhere near our destination when the bike engine cut out, and we rolled to a halt. Dragoon used the kickstand. “Unfortunate.”
I released my grip around Dragoon. “Why’d we stop?”
She shook her head. “It appears we have run out of fuel.”
“Oops!” I facepalmed, growling. “How the hell did that happen?”
“A slight miscalculation. There are plenty of cars. I’m capable of hot-wiring one, or if we can find a hose, I can siphon fuel. We will soon be on our way.
A red mustang sat to the side looking pristine. I climbed off the bike, drawing my rifle. “I’ll check over here; you look ahead.”
Dragoon drew her shotgun and walked away, peeking inside every car to which she came.
I arrived at the Mustang and leaned close, but with tinted windows, I couldn’t make out the interior. Hesitating, I reached for the door handle. A reflection in the glass caught my eye. I spun, ready to kill, but only found our gasless bike and other cars.
“Are you seeing things? Yep, you’re going crazy! Insanity always has the best timing.”
As I turned back, a heavy feeling fell my being. That feeling you get when you’re being watched. I turned again; nothing.
“Dragoon?” I lowered my voice.
The longer I looked around, the faster my heart beat. I swallowed hard and tried not to panic. The second I looked back, I saw it again. A warped face right behind me. I did a quick one-eighty and found myself alone. Again.
“This is getting ridiculous!”
Omega Virus (Book 2): Gamma Hour Page 23