“If you lie low, yes. You’re perfectly safe here, as long as you don’t stir up trouble. Survive this thing, and then tell the truth. Or don’t—I don’t care.”
Crystal huffed at this statement. “You’re out of your damned mind if you think that I can just sit back and benefit from my connections. I can’t possibly stay here. I’m leaving too.”
Matthew buried his head in his hands. He thought Crystal was a nice girl and didn’t want her to get hurt all because he had to spill the beans.
“Don’t you dare try to talk me out of it,” she snarled, pointing accusingly at him.
He dropped his hands to his sides in exasperation. She was clearly not one who could be told what to do.
“I won’t,” he said, feeling a little fonder of her. He didn’t expect her to ditch a comfortable lifestyle in exchange for the warzone. “I want you to know what you’re getting into if you leave here, though. You might find yourself fighting through a crowd of angry zombies, armed with nothing but a knife. You could so easily be killed or turned, especially if you don’t have a lot of practice fighting.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Besides, I think I’d rather die than live knowing that I benefitted from a social cleansing.”
Matthew couldn’t help but smile at her. They needed all the allies they could get.
“Just be careful out there,” he said. “It’s going to be hard.”
Crystal frowned. “Can’t I go with you? Once I tell Adele, she’ll want to leave, too.”
Matthew hadn’t prepared to take on any survivors, even though it was part of the original plan. But the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Their group could grow by two intelligent, like-minded women.
He knew Sergio wouldn’t like it, seeing as he distrusted everyone associated with the community, but Matthew thought the women could be trusted. After all, there was no reason for them to double cross the soldiers. They were at a much greater risk by leaving than the men were.
“Sure.” He sighed. “We’re leaving soon, so go talk to Adele now. If you see anyone else, lie about what you’re up to. We’re not sure it’s going to be easy to get out of here.”
She nodded and ran from the room. Matthew continued gathering items, placing the loaf of bread meant for an apology on top of his bag before zipping it shut.
Carl poked his head into the room before entering with Sergio, both lugging bulging bags.
“Time to work out a game plan,” Carl said conspiratorially. “That witch is going to set the dogs on us, so we need to be quiet and inconspicuous. When we get to the car, we’re going to coast down the street with the lights off, then blaze out of the gate. If we exchange some gunfire, so be it. I know we said we’d never fire at living people, but I think it’s more important to the world if we survive, no matter what that mayor says.”
“I’m tempted to take her out now,” Sergio seethed. “Maybe even tear down some of their border to see if they like having to deal with other people’s messes.”
“No time for that,” Matthew said. “Let’s just focus on getting the five of us back to the office building. It’s going to be dark, which makes it all the more difficult.”
“Five?” Carl sputtered. “What are you talking about?”
“I told Crystal everything. Naturally, she’s horrified and went to find Adele. They’re going to come with us. I think they’re the perfect addition to our army.”
“Seriously?” Sergio groaned. “They’re going to screw us over. I just know it.”
“I really think they’re okay,” Matthew insisted. “They’re not originally from here. They’re different than the rest. Give them a chance. I think they could be really useful.”
“Whatever,” Sergio grumbled as the girls returned. Adele looked like she was about to cry. They both clutched small bags filled with whatever personal belongings they could snag in three minutes.
“Is it really true?” Adele sniffed. “How could they lie to us like that?”
“I don’t know,” Matthew said morosely, “but it’s much worse than we could have ever guessed. Now, we just need to worry about getting out of here and getting back to our base. What can you tell us about security’s policy on people leaving the community? Are they going to try to kill us?”
Crystal gave them a blank expression. “No clue,” she breathed. “I don’t think it’s ever happened before. Every once in a while, people leave to get supplies, but the guards are aware of it. Do you think Mayor Schilling is going to try to stop us?”
Adele bit her lip. “I wouldn’t think so, but I also didn’t see this coming.”
“Then we’ll act like everyone is a threat,” Sergio said. “We’ll make it back to the office building. We have to.”
He turned on his heel and began to make his way toward the back exit. The others followed single-file down the hall, buzzing with nerves.
No one spoke as they walked to the Jeep. Matthew scanned their surroundings, constantly looking for trouble. But he was surprised when they got to the car without spotting another person.
The first thing that Carl did when he got in the passenger’s seat was load the firearms. He passed one to Matthew as he crawled into the back seat with the women.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m scared,” Adele said. “I’m still so shocked by everything.”
“Me too,” Matthew said, trying to comfort the young woman. “But we’re good at what we do. When we get to the gate, duck down. We’ll handle the rest.”
Sergio cruised down the quiet street, past the fountain where they first met the mayor. It felt like a lifetime had passed since earlier that morning. Everything they thought they knew about the zombies turned out to be a lie. It was disorienting.
When they reached the gate, the group collectively held their breaths. The blockade in front of the entrance was too strong to plow through. They would either need the security team to let them out or they would have to move the gate themselves.
Matthew’s heart pounded when he saw Mayor Schilling sitting casually inside the guard booth. When the car stopped, she sauntered toward the window and tapped on the glass with a long, manicured nail.
“Goodbye, gentlemen,” she sang. “I’m sorry we couldn’t make it work.”
Sergio and Carl were too stunned to speak. Carl gripped his rifle with both hands, ready to aim if threatened.
“I’m also sad to see two bright, young ladies leave as well,” she said, peeking into the backseat where Adele and Crystal were hiding. “I’m afraid you’re making a terrible mistake.”
Instead of waiting for a response, she backed away from the car and waved at the five.
“Why?” Sergio blurted out before she left for good. “Why are you just letting us go? Aren’t you afraid we’re going to tell your secret?”
“Shut up,” Matthew whispered from the back. He found it baffling that she hadn’t seemed to think of that idea herself. He especially didn’t want her to be introduced to the fact that she could silence them with ease.
“Don’t worry, dear.” She smiled, taking one step toward the car. “I don’t need to waste any of my resources to take care of you. No, I’m quite confident that you will take care of yourselves.”
“Excuse me?” Sergio said rudely.
“You will never find protection like you had here. It’s only a matter of time before fate takes care of you. Remember what I told you—this virus is designed to get rid of the unsavory characters of the world. Your time will come before you know it. Good luck.”
She turned and walked back to her house without looking back. A stern-looking guard waved them through. Sergio rolled up his window and drove, still looking shocked by how easily they’d managed to escape.
Matthew kept looking out the rear window, expecting to find cars following them, but the road was clear. After a few minutes of watching, he returned to face the road ahead.
Crystal sighed loudly and buried her face in her hands.
&nb
sp; “Do you regret leaving?” Matthew whispered, bending his neck to speak directly to her.
“No,” she whispered back. “I’m so relieved.”
Matthew sat back in his seat and looked out the window. He was also relieved to be leaving the compound of someone who was perhaps the most horrible person he had ever met. Yet, he was fearful for their future. It was as if the five of them had been deployed to fight in an unwinnable war. Not only did they have to fight the zombies, but they would also have to battle the people who caused their misery.
18
When Matthew was a child, his grandmother used to tell him about his great-great-great- (he couldn’t remember exactly how many greats) grandparents offered their home as a hideout for runaway slaves during the days of the Underground Railroad. They had married young and moved away from their families to start a family of their own and to give farming a try. In the summers, they would work their own land by hand, doing backbreaking work from sunrise to sunset. In the winter, they would set out a lantern by the storm cellar so those escaping their owners could find a way to freedom.
Grandma Swift always emphasized how dangerous and frightening their actions were. If they were caught, not only would it be bad news for their relatives, but the slaves would be returned to be punished or sold somewhere even worse.
In their cellar, the couple kept the quilts they were gifted for their wedding and a supply of that fall’s harvest for the runaways to nourish themselves with while they rested comfortably. Each year, the couple found themselves in poverty, though they didn’t dare sell their extra yields. They would rather go hungry before they saw someone worse off than themselves starve.
“Why did they do that if it was so difficult and scary?” Matthew would ask his grandma, unable to fathom such consequences.
“Because they knew right from wrong,” she answered with a glimmer in her eye. “They saved countless lives and were never given the recognition they deserved. Some of the slaves they helped went on to do amazing things. They were no different than you or me, but they weren’t given an opportunity to succeed. Your relatives could help, so they did. If you’re in the position to do the right thing, you must. You never know who can benefit from a little help.”
When Matthew enlisted in the military, years later, his grandmother was one of his biggest supporters. Before she died, she sent him a letter during his first deployment, telling him how proud his ancestors would be of him for defending those who couldn’t defend themselves. He kept the letter until he was forced out of his home, as the epidemic took hold.
This was one of the reasons that he felt so embarrassed when people would gush over him when he wore his uniform and strangers thanked him for his service. His great-grandparents died young and poor but did so much in such a short amount of time. It seemed ridiculous that there was any other option than to try to make the world a little less scary for people who were never really given a chance.
So, while it was extremely discouraging to come across individuals who had no problem watching others suffer, at least he was able to surround himself with others who wanted to do good in the world.
Even Sergio, who spent a good portion of the drive muttering curses under his breath, had a strong sense of justice. Though some of the threats he said were questionable, it was not much worse than the punishment for committing war crimes would be. Unfortunately, the government had been silent on such matters since the virus began spreading uncontrollably.
That was something else that Matthew couldn’t wrap his head around. He had been a soldier for the United States government for a big chunk of his adult years. While he didn’t always agree with public policies and even the orders he was given, he still trusted those in charge to steer the country in the right direction. He was trusted with classified information as a soldier and shared the same level of trust right back. In return, he was given a paycheck, healthcare, and funds to use toward his education.
He loved his country, even though he didn’t always like what was happening in it. He was far from the only one who felt that way, too. That’s one of the reasons so many people fought in conflicts that didn’t directly affect them—it often led to change that had a wider impact on the world.
“Where are we going?” Crystal asked shortly after they left. No one had said a word since they left the compound, as if Mayor Schilling and her cronies had spies.
“Downtown,” Sergio answered. “It’s a bit of a drive. I guess I didn’t realize how long it was when we were searching for a place to get supplies. We never did end up getting food and water for the others.”
“We packed some extra clothes and blankets,” Adele said helpfully. “I don’t know if anyone needs them or if they’ll even fit, but at least you can check that off the list.”
“They’ll be happy to have some fresh clothes,” Carl said. “Their clothes might not be as dirty as ours, but we’re all kind of caked in blood and zombie goo. I guess we’re outnumbered by women now.”
“Good.” Adele smiled. “You can’t say that’s a bad thing.”
“We have some food,” Matthew offered, “but it’s probably not enough to share with the others. It’s probably just enough to get us back to the camp.”
“Unless they’ve left, which I hope they haven’t,” Carl said, “we’re going to need more supplies.”
“Especially now that we have two extra people,” Sergio added.
Adele nudged Crystal. “We’re pretty good at grocery shopping. If you find us a secure place to go, we can clean house in less than an hour.”
Carl smiled. “We might be able to manage that. Although, we’re running out of room in this vehicle.”
“Then we’ll just find another.” Crystal smiled. “I still want to try hotwiring a car.”
“Let’s hold off until morning,” Matthew suggested. “I think it’s a little late and much too dark to be running around the city. Should we find somewhere to stop for the night?”
“Damn it!” Sergio shouted, causing the other four to jump.
“What?” Carl asked, his heart pounding.
“We’ve lost another whole day—all for nothing! I really want to get back to the office. We shouldn’t have to be away from our friend for this long.”
“It’s only been a few days,” Carl said cautiously. “We’ll pick up supplies first thing in the morning and head back. You’re not the only one with people you want to see.”
Sergio muttered something about Mayor Schilling under his breath. Adele and Crystal’s eyes were wide with apprehension.
“Dude, you need to calm down,” Carl said. “We all need to stay level-headed so we can get out of this mess. I don’t think today has been a total loss. Now, we know what we’re up against.”
“I’m not sure if it changes anything besides the fact that I now have a face to be angry at.”
“We have to stay rational. We can find a place to rest until it’s light again. Then, we can gather whatever we need to take care of our crew. But we can’t do any of that if we’re in a rage.”
“Fine,” Sergio said, holding his breath. “It’s just so messed up, you know? There are people who are really suffering out there. We have it bad, but at least we have each other and we can kick ass on our own. Doesn’t it make you sick to think of everyone out there who can’t defend themselves?”
“Yeah,” Crystal said, finally speaking up. “It’s absolutely horrifying. How do you think I feel? I’ve been living in luxury, completely oblivious to what’s really going on out there. Now, I know that I’ve been safe while the people I surround myself with are purposefully killing off people who haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Same.” Adele sighed. “And I don’t even know what to do.”
“I do,” Crystal said. “I can’t undo all the damage that people like Mayor Schilling have created, but I’m going to do my best. I’m going to go out into the outside world and save some lives.”
Matthew smiled. “That’s awesome.�
�
“I don’t really see another option out there,” she said after a few seconds of silence. “If someone would have been there to save Finn, then I’d still have my fiancé with me. But he was disposable to Mayor Schilling. I don’t want anyone else to think they’re disposable.”
“How do we save people?” Adele asked. “I like the sentiment, but I’m not much of an athlete or soldier.”
“But you’re smart,” Crystal said, smiling at her. “You can figure out how to hotwire cars so we can pick up more people. You can figure out how to keep the people we rescue safe. I want to go back to your office space and set up shop there. Is that okay?”
Carl grinned. “Of course. We’ve talked about doing this all along. Once we get back, we can focus on going on missions to clear out different parts of the city. How well do you know New York?”
“I know some part of the city,” Adele offered.
“That’s more than we know,” Carl replied. “Maybe we can find a map and create a system—get organized, you know? I know it’s a long shot, but maybe we can really beat this thing. I’d love to see the look on Mayor Schilling’s face when we survive the virus.”
“That would make me very happy,” Sergio said, his face pulled tight in a grin.
“See?” Carl laughed. “We could make Sergio happy again!”
“Why wait until we get back?” Matthew asked. “Why don’t we start sooner? I wouldn’t be surprised if we see someone on our way back. Let’s just make an effort to bring in anyone we find. I still feel bad about leaving those people on the burning street.”
“I think that’s reasonable,” Carl said.
“That’s what got us in trouble last time,” Sergio reminded them.
“I just want to be able to do something soon. I have so much guilt,” Crystal said, looking at the floor. Her eyes turned shiny with tears, though she tried to hide her emotions.
“Hey, you didn’t know what was going on,” Matthew said gently. “It’s not your fault.”
“But once you told me what you learned, it was so obvious. I should have figured it out, but I was only thinking about myself. Then, after Finn died, I was so messed up about it that I couldn’t think at all. When you guys showed up, that was the first time I spoke to anyone besides Adele in a while. I just have to make things right. That’s what Finn would want—he was a much better person than me.”
Last Man Standing (Book 2): Zombie Annihilation Page 14