The Z-Day Trilogy (Book 5): United States of Zombie

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  Angelo watched as the light approached him. He was relieved to know Donnie was all right. He didn’t want to return to the airport to report he had died. He heard Donnie tell him to stand up and follow him. They still had to locate a cart and the boxes they needed to load onto the bus.

  “Do you think there are any other people inside?” asked Angelo. “He said something about his men.”

  “I think he was bluffing. I’m sure it was only him inside the building. If there were any other men inside with him, there would have been more lights penetrating the darkness.”

  “What about zombies? Do you think he got all of them?”

  Donnie didn’t immediately answer him. He had to think about the possibility of any other zombies still being in the building. “I don’t think so. I’m sure they would have found us the minute we entered the building.”

  “What about you? Did you get bit?”

  “I hate to admit it, but I nearly got bit. I was lucky. I was able to kill him before he bit me. Luck was definitely on my side.”

  “Now what?”

  “We have to get what we came for, and we have to do it quickly. We can’t take the chance of another whack job making claims on everything inside here. I wish we had better light so we can see what we’re looking for. We’ll just have to do the best we can.”

  Angelo didn’t like the idea of being left in the dark with only one flashlight to illuminate the area. Anything or anybody could still be inside waiting for them to make another mistake. He wanted to discuss his concerns, but he knew it wouldn’t matter to Donnie. He was on a mission, and he could tell from the short time he knew him that he wasn’t going to let anything stop him. Without thinking, he blurted out, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Donnie didn’t respond.

  Chapter Nine

  The sound of pounding on the doors leading inside the church filled Pastor Zobrist’s ears. The dead were relentless, and they were dead set on gaining access to his church. He felt helpless and confused on what he should do to protect everybody who was hiding safely inside. He held his Bible tightly and said a silent prayer. He prayed for God to give him the strength and guidance he needed to help his congregation. He also prayed for forgiveness for starting to lose his faith. He felt ashamed. If this was a test from God, he was sure he was failing. He shouldn’t be faltering at the first sign of trouble, but he was and he knew it. He wouldn’t be any use to his congregation if he did. Why would God let zombies walk the streets? It wasn’t making any sense to him. What is the purpose of a zombie outbreak? He looked around. It shouldn’t matter. He had a job to do. There were dozens of people who had found refuge at the church, and it was his job to comfort them. He had to convey to each one of them that God was with them. God would protect them from the evil infesting the streets. God had a plan and all he had to do was listen and convey it to his congregation. He made his way to the front of his congregation and looked around the room. He didn’t know what he was going to say. It wasn’t as though he had a sermon prepared. How could you actually prepare a sermon for something like this? He focused on Jewel and Erica who both looked scared. God had brought both of them to his church for a reason. It was what God’s plan was. God had brought people to the church to hear the Word of God. He now knew what he had to do. He had to spread God’s Word while he still had the chance. He cleared his throat and looked around the room. Everybody had become silent and was waiting for him to speak. He wasn’t sure what he should preach. He could talk about the mark of the beast and the end days, but it seemed different. This beast was different, and he wasn’t sure this was considered being the end days. The sound of breaking glass diverted his attention away from his congregation. He watched as a tall man ran toward him.

  “They’re inside! They’re inside!”

  Panic spread through the congregation like a plague. There wasn’t any time for comforting words. He had to get them to safety and he had to act quickly. “Follow me!” He led the congregation to a door located in the rear of the church as the zombies entered. They quickly swarmed two elderly women in the back of the church. Pastor Zobrist heard their screams, but he knew there wasn’t anything he could do for them. He continued through the door. He had to get as many of them to safety as he could. The back door led to a long hall leading to another door. The door would lead them outside the church and hopefully to safety. He knew there could be more zombies waiting for them, but he had to take the chance. If they stayed inside the church, everybody would die. He prayed as he reached the door and opened it without hesitation. He took a step through it and immediately stopped. A zombie was standing directly in front of him with a severed hand dangling from its mouth. He raised his hand to inform everybody there was a problem as several shots echoed nearby. He watched as the zombie toppled over sideways. He watched as two men wearing camouflage ran toward him with their M16s raised.

  “How many people are with you?” asked one of the men.

  “I don’t have an exact count,” said Pastor Zobrist. “Over twenty I think.” He watched as the man looked at his partner and then back at him. “All right, follow me. I’m Corporal Jennings. We have a truck nearby. We’ll do our best to get all of you there. There are more zombies here now than there were before. Stay close. It could get messy out here.”

  Pastor Zobrist was relieved to see God had sent soldiers to help them. If they hadn’t shown up, he wasn’t sure what he would have done. He knew God worked in mysterious ways. He followed the soldiers as they made quick work of three more zombies. He heard one of them shouting about how they were drawing unwanted attention every time they fired. He watched as one of them looked back toward him. “The truck is across the street. It will get you to a safe zone established by the military.”

  Pastor Zobrist hoped the soldier was right about there being a safe zone. If there really was such a place, he knew it would have to be guarded by God. He followed closely behind as he saw the truck the soldier was talking about. Several more soldiers were standing around it with their weapons raised and ready to protect it if it became necessary. He appreciated them. They weren’t experiencing the fear he was. They stood bravely as soldiers should ready to protect him and his congregation if the situation turned ugly. There was a time when he wanted to be like them. He had wanted to join the army and fight next to the men and women who swore to keep America safe and defend it with their lives. He remembered driving to the recruiter’s office with the intention of enlisting until he heard a sermon over the radio discussing becoming a minister of God. The sermon had touched his soul and soon he found himself turning away from the recruitment office and looking for the nearest church to learn about God. Now he was there with both worlds colliding and reminding him what was more important. God had spoken to him and now God was providing protection by the people he almost became a part of. He didn’t second guess or regret his decision. He had done a lot of good work for the Lord so far, and he knew he still had much to do before he was called home. He stood behind the deuce and a half as the soldiers helped his people climb into the back of it. He watched as Jewel and Erica stopped momentarily in front of him.

  “I want to thank you,” said Jewel. “You didn’t have to help us.”

  He smiled. “God helped you. He just used me to do it.” He watched as they were helped inside the truck before joining them. He sat staring toward the church. He knew some of his people hadn’t made it out, but he had to try to put it out of his mind. He got as many of them as he could to safety. He didn’t know where they would be taken, but he knew God would have a purpose for him once he arrived. He heard one of the soldiers shout for the truck to get out of there, and that they were going to look for more survivors. He closed his eyes and prayed as he felt the tears welling up. He prayed for God to keep him strong for whatever was in front of them and to keep them safe on their journey. He prayed that Jewel and Erica would find their purpose. He opened his eyes and looked at them. They were both praying together. He
knew God was already talking to them. Whether they believed it or not, God was trying to get through to them.

  Chapter Ten

  Pain shot through General Milkwood’s body like a streak of lightning. He was tired, but he didn’t have the time to recoup after his helicopter had crashed after escaping Illinois. He was on a new mission and Cheng Liu was a big part of it. Cheng was going to share some important information with him about how to take his zombie creations to the next level. He was going to be able to do something the Hollmans weren’t able to do. The plan was to weaponize the new zombies and send them into war zones to efficiently take out the enemy. He was currently on his way to the St Louis airport to meet General Cochran. He had enlisted him to help him with his mission. Both of them were eager to lead an army of weaponized zombies and to take total control of the world. He wanted the world to fear them, bow down to them, and do their bidding. With the new types of zombies, nobody would be able to stand in their way. They would have the world in their grasps and would possess all of its riches. Cheng promised him they were on the brink and the zombies would be ready soon. Now the only people standing in the way were Hays and Cheryl Leonard. Once General Cochran arrived at the airport, he would discuss with him how they would eliminate the couple. For now, he needed them because they were collecting the supplies and arranging the transport to the island near Costa Rica. He was nearing the airport and was pleased he was making good time, but the blocked interstate was slowing him down, not to mention the zombies who kept trying to get at him as he drove past them. He thought about shooting them from his seat as he drove past them, but he didn’t want to waste the ammunition. He wasn’t sure how much of a supply of it was waiting for him at the airport. For now, he had to conserve what supplies he had on hand. He passed a sign informing him the airport was close. He noticed somebody had written Stay Away Zombies! on it with black spray paint. He didn’t care if there were zombies there or not. He could deal with them if they became a problem once he arrived there. He looked at his watch and then laughed. He didn’t know why he looked at it. He turned on the radio to his favorite station, but all he heard was static. He switched through the channels but it was the same. Every station had stopped broadcasting shortly after the first sightings of the zombies. He wondered if any of them now in Missouri had actually made it this far from Indiana. He doubted it, but he couldn’t be sure. They were relentless and kept moving until they were dealt with. From what he knew about them, it was quite possible they could continue shambling toward both coasts. He took the next right and headed toward the airport. He hoped General Cochran was already there. He didn’t want to waste any time at the airport if he didn’t have to. All he wanted to do was get in the air and head across the ocean. As he circled around the airport to a security gate, he passed a murder of crows sitting on the side of the road, ripping the flesh off of a young girl with a blue balloon tied to her wrist that had the words Happy Birthday imprinted on it with black letters. He detested crows. It was crows that had caused his helicopter to crash. He could still see them in a group of at least twenty heading toward the rotor blades. The next thing he knew the helicopter spun out of control and crashed. He was the only survivor. He didn’t understand why he survived. He figured it was because he was ornery and stubborn. People like him weren’t easily disposed of. Instead, they were the ones who survived disasters. He smiled sinisterly. He was ornery and still had a mission to complete. His mission was to take over the entire world, bring the world leaders to their knees, and develop the most destructive weapon ever known to man. With an army of weaponized zombies in his command, there wouldn’t be anybody in the world who could stop him. He thought about how he would deal with the world leaders. All he had to do was round them all up and ship them to America and feed them to the zombies. It was the perfect plan. He turned his attention back to the crows. They turned to look at him with hungry eyes, giving him the respect he deserved. He continued through the opened security gate and headed for the hangar where he could find Hays Leonard. As he continued toward the hangar, he passed a bus heading toward a Boeing B-52. He knew it was the plane he would soon be leaving for Costa Rica on. He continued across the airport until he reached the hangar and parked in front of it. He made his way inside until he located Hays and his wife. They were busy behind a desk looking through several maps. He made his way over to them and stopped behind the desk to look over their shoulders at the maps.

  “What are you searching for?” he asked in a commanding voice.

  Hays glanced at the general for a moment before turning his attention back toward the maps. “I’m surprised you made it here, General Milkwood. I heard about your crash. I didn’t think there were any survivors.”

  “So you thought I was dead? So am I to assume you were going to leave without me?”

  “You didn’t expect us to stay here just because you might not have died.” He looked at his wife. “I guess we don’t have to look at the maps. We now know exactly where we’ll be flying to.” He looked at the general. “Our destination is Isla Zomblar where they built the new park.”

  The general stared at them suspiciously. “Wait. You knew I was alive. You knew I would come here. That’s why you were searching the maps. You didn’t have any intention of going to Isla Zomblar. Where exactly were you planning on going? Where could you possibly go where I couldn’t find you?”

  Hays stared at his wife. He hoped she realized he wanted her to keep their plan a secret. The less the general knew about their plan, the better off they would be. “We weren’t planning on going anywhere, General Milkwood. We were waiting here for you to arrive. The plane is almost loaded and ready to go.”

  “I saw it as I made my way here. How long before we can leave? Time is money ̶ not that money is worth anything in this country. I need to get to Isla Zomblar as soon as possible.”

  “Not for at least a few days,” said Hays. “We almost have everything we need. Donnie Jorsen will let us know when we’re ready to leave.”

  The name Donnie Jorsen slapped the general across his face. It was a name he wasn’t expecting to hear. He grabbed Hays’ shoulder and violently turned him around on his chair. “What name did you just say?”

  “Donnie Jorsen.”

  “Are we talking about the infamous Donnie Jorsen? Are we talking about the Donnie Jorsen that started all the trouble in Indiana? I don’t understand. How did he survive ground zero?”

  “I guess he’s like you, general. He’s too stubborn to die.”

  The general was infuriated. “He’s nothing like me! I’m an officer and he’s just…he’s just a little peon! How dare you say something like that! It’s absurd!”

  “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. I guess you’ll have to take it up with him once he gets here.”

  The general took his sidearm from his holster and held it in front of him. “We’ll see who survives that conversation.”

  Donnie pulled the bus near the plane and left it to find Taser. He hoped he would only have to go back into the city one or two more times. Each time he left the airport, there seemed to be more zombies than there were the previous time. He didn’t know how much longer his luck would hold out. He knew he was already operating on borrowed time, and he didn’t want to push it any further. He turned to look at Angelo. “Watch the bus. I’m going to find Taser.” He walked onto the back of the plane, but he didn’t see him anywhere. He knew he couldn’t have gone far because he was guarding the plane, and he never knew him to leave his post. “Taser!” he yelled, trying to get his attention. “Taser, are you listening to me?” He listened for a few seconds and swore he heard growling coming from outside of the plane. A cold worm of fear gnawed at his spine. It was a sound he had heard many times and it didn’t need any introduction. He knew a zombie was nearby. He quickly made his way outside of the plane to check on Angelo. He saw him standing there wide-eyed and pointing to something on the other side of the plane. Donnie’s eyes widened with both fear and empathy
as he saw a creature that was once Taser. He reached back inside the plane and snatched a hunting knife and looked at Angelo. “He’s my friend. I’ll take care of it.”

  Angelo watched as Donnie approached the zombie and sunk the knife deep into its skull. He watched as it toppled backward onto the ground with the knife stuck firmly in place. He continued to watch as Donnie forcibly ripped the knife away and tossed it on the ground. He turned to look at Angelo. “This is one of the reasons people shouldn’t get too attached to one another. One minute they’re here, and the next they’re one of those creatures from hell. Listen to me. you’re probably a whole lot better not having me in your life. Besides, I work better alone.”

  “You need my help. Let me worry about myself. If I become one of those things, it won’t be because of you.”