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

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  She looked at Morana. She didn’t know what she was talking about, but something was telling her they were in danger. She didn’t know what it was, but judging by how fast the two women were running down the hall, she knew it had to be something she didn’t want any part of. She anxiously waited until the two women reached her, and then tried to ask them what was happening. Erica looked at her alarmed.

  “We don’t have time to stop to talk. If you want to get out of this place, follow us.”

  Mrs. Smith felt Morana squeeze her hand. “We must follow them to the light.”

  She didn’t want to stand there analyzing what Morana had said. She was scared and her heart was racing inside her chest to the point she thought she might pass out from fright. She squeezed her hand back. “Come on. Let’s follow them. I just hope they know what they’re doing.”

  “They do! They’re heading to the light.”

  “Morana, how do you know this?”

  “I don’t know. I just do.”

  They kept up behind Jewel and Erica the best they could not realizing somebody was closing in on them from behind. Mrs. Smith wished she knew where they were heading and what the alarms were about. She wished she could ask some questions, but Jewel and Erica were too fast for her. She was having difficulty keeping up with them. She watched as Jewel and Erica turned the corner, ignoring a woman standing in the hall with her hands over her ears. She looked scared and disoriented. She stopped to speak with her. The woman’s eyes were wide open and she kept repeating the same sentence over and over. “I’m Martina Garcia. I’m Martina Garcia. I’m Martina Garcia.” She didn’t know how to help her and once again felt Morana squeeze her hand.

  “Reasoning has left her. Insanity is her only friend,” she said, looking at Mrs. Smith. “Danger awaits us. We need to keep moving.” As she finished her sentence, Martina took a large knife she was holding firmly in her grasp and slit her own throat. Morana didn’t see it happen. “We need to find somewhere safe.”

  It was at that moment Mrs. Smith knew Morana was special. In all of her years of teaching she had never come across a child like her. She squeezed her hand and continued down the hall and around the corner. All she could think about now was keeping them both safe. She saw Jewel and Erica making their way toward a set of glass doors and tried to quicken her pace to catch up to them until she felt herself being pushed hard to the side, causing her and Morana to crash into the wall. A determined woman made her way past them. “I’ll get the both of you!” she screamed as she made her way toward Jewel and Erica.

  “Danger awaits them,” said Morana. “The evil woman stalks them.”

  Mrs. Smith watched as the woman continued toward them. “Morana, are you saying that woman is after them? What does she want to do to them?”

  “The evil woman wants to kill them.”

  “We can’t let that happen.” She looked along the wall of the hallway and saw a red cabinet fastened to the wall directly in front of them. She knew it had to be a fire extinguisher. The school she worked at had several of the red cabinets fastened to the walls. “Come on, Morana, I have an idea.” She made her way to the cabinet and took the bar fastened to the cabinet and shattered the glass window on the front of the cabinet. She snatched the fire extinguisher and made her way toward the evil woman as she caught up to Jewel and Erica. She stood behind her as she grabbed Erica by her arm and pulled her away from Jewel.

  “Get your hands off of her!” screamed Mrs. Smith from behind her. “I have a weapon and I’m not afraid to use it!”

  Rashida turned to face the stranger. She laughed once she realized the weapon she was referring to was a fire extinguisher. “Do you even know how to use one of those? And what exactly are you planning on doing with it? I don’t see any fires around here.”

  “I don’t need to know how to use it. I can hit you in the head with it!”

  Rashida released her hold on Erica and held her hands up. “Go ahead and give it your best shot. You’re not strong enough to hurt me.” Her eyes suddenly rolled to the back of her head and she toppled over. Jewel stood there holding a metal bar in her hands.

  “I guess I was strong enough to hurt her. She tossed the metal bar onto the ground next to Rashida’s lifeless body.

  “Where did you find the metal bar?” asked Erica, looking surprised.

  “It was propped up in the corner.”

  Mrs. Smith put the fire extinguisher on the floor in front of her. “I guess I don’t need this.” She took Morana’s hand. “Now what?”

  “We get out of here,” said Jewel. “I’d rather take my chances out there rather than being stuck here.” She opened the glass doors, took one step outside, and then suddenly stopped. “On second thought, I think we’ll be safer inside.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Erica, joining her at the doors. Her eyes widened as she realized what Jewel was talking about. From where they were standing they could see the fence surrounding their area had been brought down and hundreds of zombies were entering Safe Zone Nine. Several soldiers were trying their best to thwart their advancement, but they were quickly being overpowered. Jewel grabbed Erica’s hand and led her back inside. They turned to look at Mrs. Smith and Morana.

  “Death has come for us,” said Morana. “He’s come to take us home.”

  “What’s she talking about?” asked Mrs. Smith. “What’s going on out there?”

  “The fence is down and the zombies are coming through. There isn’t anywhere for us to go. The little girl is right. We’re going to die.”

  “It can’t end like this,” said Erica. “There has to be something we can do. This isn’t how I want to die.”

  “We’ll soon be in the presence of God,” said a familiar voice. “They have a church here. We can go there to pray.”

  Jewel looked at Pastor Zobrist. “I was wondering what happened to you. Are you sure the church is the safest place to be?”

  “In what other place would you rather be?”

  “God is calling us home,” said Morana. “We must go to the church.”

  Pastor Zobrist looked at her. “You heard the little girl. We must go to the church.”

  General Poe couldn’t believe his eyes. He knew the fences weren’t going to keep the hordes of zombies out forever, but he didn’t think it would happen this fast. He had barely returned with the grenades when the first section of the fence line was knocked down. He heard a familiar voice from behind him.

  “Is this a part of your plan?” asked General Cochran. “If it is, I don’t find it amusing.”

  “Are you armed?” asked General Tomes not turning to face them. Instead, he kept his focus on the approaching horde. “We have to hold as many of them off as we can. We can’t let them get inside the buildings. We have to give everybody a fighting chance.”

  Sergeant Hardwick joined him. “I don’t see what choice we have. I might remind you that you’re the one who had us brought here. We should be in the air by now getting out of the country.”

  “I was doing what I thought was right. Nobody could predict a breach in security. If you want me to apologize, I won’t. What’s done has been done. Let’s just work together and keep the zombies from getting inside the buildings.”

  “I’m way ahead of you,” said the sergeant. “If I survive this, you’re going to owe me big time.” He began firing several head shots at the approaching horde. “Keep the clips coming, General Cochran. I don’t plan on dying out here today.” He snarled as he continued to pull the trigger, sending shot after shot. He was trying to keep the promise he made to himself. He wasn’t going to die today. He emptied the clip and immediately loaded another one and continued firing. The zombies were falling, causing the others to trip over them. He was making some headway, but he knew for every zombie he brought down, two more emerged. “We’re losing this battle!”

  General Tomes knew he was right. He didn’t have the manpower to increase the odds of stopping the large horde. He knew he
was rapidly running short on time and would have to eventually retreat back inside one of the buildings. He painfully watched as some of his men were brought down to their knees and became the zombie’s feast. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he had to admit defeat and make a hasty retreat toward the nearest building. “Retreat!” he screamed, turning to look away from the carnage. He didn’t want to witness his men being ripped apart and devoured like a Thanksgiving meal. Sergeant Hardwick stood his ground.

  “Officers aren’t supposed to run from danger, General Tomes!” he screamed.

  “If they want to continue living they do!”

  General Cochran joined Sergeant Hardwick. “I’ve got your back, sergeant. This officer doesn’t run from trouble.”

  “You should, my friend. You’re going to die if you stay here with me.”

  It was the first time he had heard the sergeant refer to him as a friend. He wasn’t aware he even considered him as one. “I’m not going to abandon you. We fight this battle together, and if we die, we’ll die fighting side-by-side.”

  “You don’t have to, general. You should make sure the buildings stay secure, or what I’m doing right now will be for nothing. Leave me the bag with the spare magazines. I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”

  “Are you sure, Sean? I’ll stay with you if you want me to. You don’t have to do this alone.”

  The sergeant kept firing. “Of course I’m sure. There’s no sense both of us dying out here. Find General Milkwood and get to the airport. You don’t need to die with me today.”

  General Cochran looked at him for several seconds as he emptied another magazine. He was proud of him. He wished there would have been more soldiers like him in his command. He considered him one of the true American heroes. “I will never forget you, Sean.” He turned and swiftly made his way toward the building General Tomes disappeared inside. He really didn’t want to leave him, but he was right about two things. There wasn’t any reason for him to die, and he needed to find General Milkwood so they could get out of there and get to the airport. As he entered the building, he heard the rapid-fire cease. He heard the sergeant shout something loudly and then there was silence. He didn’t want to turn to see what had happened. He already knew. The zombie horde had finally reached him.

  Donnie and Angelo were running down the hall after the alarm suddenly sounded. Neither of them knew what it meant, but they knew in all the confusion, they could find a way to escape and make their way back to the airport. Donnie knew if he could make it back to one of the trucks, he could drive it through one of the gates before anybody knew what was happening. As he made it down the hallway, he saw General Milkwood standing in the hallway. This was an opportunity he couldn’t ignore. With all the confusion happening around them, he could attack the general before he realized he was there. It didn’t matter to him he didn’t have a weapon. All that mattered was that he had the chance to strike first. He quickened his pace and headed straight for him intent on hitting him with his fist as hard as he could. If he timed it precisely, he figured he could knock out the general with one single blow to the face.

  General Milkwood caught Donnie in his sights as he sped toward him with his fists clenched. He had been an officer long enough to know what he was planning. He looked away trying to give him a false sense of security. He knew Donnie wasn’t ready for his years of training, especially when it came to hand-to-hand combat. He stood there luring him, waiting for the precise moment to catch Donnie off guard.

  Donnie kept moving toward him with a purpose. He didn’t care if he got hurt in the process. All he cared about was getting to the general first. He was oblivious to the fact the general knew he was rushing toward him and was waiting for him. The general kept watching Donnie from the corner of his eye until he was upon him and sending his right fist at him. The general blocked the punch with one arm and then threw a punch of his own. He connected with Donnie’s face. His hairy knuckles slid across his jaw with a meaty thwap! The devastating blow sent Donnie sprawling to the ground. He lay on the ground spitting up blood and fragments of his teeth. General Milkwood stood above him. Anger was writ large on his face.

  “That was a stupid move, Donnie. Did you really think you could get one over on me?”

  Donnie spit blood on the floor and looked up at the general. He felt foolish for letting him get the first blow in. He slowly stood up and faced him. He had a decision to make, and he needed to make it quickly. He knew if he tried to throw another punch, the general would most likely push it aside once again. He definitely wasn’t quick enough for a street fight. He would have to find another way to fight the general, even if it meant he had to fight dirty. He looked down the hall and decided he would have to get the general to follow him until he could find something he could use as a weapon. He had to find something substantial, because he knew the general wasn’t going to go down easily. He made his way down the congested hall knowing the general would be close behind him. He could hear him mumbling under his breath. As long as he could stay ahead of him, he knew he would be fine. His mouth was filling with blood, which angered him. It was his own fault. He had made the mistake of thinking he could attack him by surprise. He knew he needed to give him the credit and respect he deserved. He had to keep that in the back of his mind if he was going to defeat him. He reached the end of the hall and stopped long enough to see where the general was. To his dismay, he was standing over Angelo’s limp body. Angelo must have tried to disable the general himself while he was leading him down the hall. Damn you, Angelo. He knew there wasn’t anything he could do for him. Angelo did provide him with an advantage. He bought him some time to reach a fire ax hanging on the wall a few feet away in a red cabinet. He quickly continued toward it as he heard General Milkwood screaming for him to stop and fight him like a man. There wasn’t any chance of that happening. If he was going to even the odds, he needed to reach the ax and retrieve it. He heard the general screaming his name as he reached the cabinet and opened it and secured the ax. He turned to face the general in a threatening manner. He now had his weapon of war. He held it firmly in his grasp and glared at him, daring him to take another step forward. The general didn’t seem worried by the weapon he was holding. Instead, he took a step forward motioning for him to take his best shot.

  “If you’re going to use that on me, you better kill me. If you miss, it will be your death sentence.”

  The tone in his voice worried Donnie. It sounded deeper and more sinister as if he were suddenly possessed by the devil. He thought about dropping the ax on the ground and running away, but he knew it wouldn’t be the end of it. He knew the general was dead set on taking his life. The ax was the only thing that stood between the two of them, and he wanted to keep it that way. He tightened his grip on the handle while keeping his eyes locked on the general as he took another step toward him. “Stay back, Milkwood! I’m not afraid to use it!”

  “Those are some tough words coming from a complete coward like you. I’m going to make you pay for what you did in Valparaiso. Because you let the zombies free at the park, you put me behind schedule. Not to mention, some of my friends have died as a result. You should have minded your own business and left the park alone. So, if you’re going to use it, make it count.” He took another step forward daring him to attack.

  Donnie felt as though he was being backed into a wall. He lifted the ax so the general could have a better view of it. “I had my own reasons for freeing the zombies. The government shouldn’t have created them in the first place. What did you actually think would happen? Did you really think you could keep them contained forever?”

  “It was never in our plans to keep them contained forever. As soon as we perfected the smart zombie program, we were going to release them on the public ourselves. That way we could test our smart zombies.”

  Donnie was surprised by what he had heard. “What?”

  “Don’t make me say it again. You know, we could have worked together. I could h
ave used a man like you.” He took another step forward. “I could have made you a lot of money.”

  Donnie lowered the ax after hearing what the general had just said. None of it was what he was expecting to hear. Did I make a crucial mistake by setting the zombies free at the park? It was too late now. He couldn’t take back what he had already done. He was about to drop the ax on the floor when all of a sudden, the general rushed toward him. He immediately lifted the ax and buried the blade deep into his skull. The general stood with the ax stuck in his skull with a look of confusion. He had deeply underestimated his opponent. Donnie let go of the ax handle and let the general fall to the floor. He looked around. Nobody had seen what he had done, and if they did, they didn’t appear to care. He suddenly remembered Angelo. He made his way back to where he saw the general standing over his body. He was lying on the floor in a pool of blood with a survival knife protruding from his skull. He thought about pulling it from his skull, but he didn’t. He felt remorse. It was a feeling he wasn’t used to feeling. He didn’t know how to feel. He knew he was a different person from the one who freed the zombies in the zombie park. It took several people to help him change and make him see life differently than he had seen it before. But he knew it was too late. He hadn’t realized how many people would be affected by the decision he had made that day at the park. He didn’t realize how many people would die as a result of what he had done. He knew there wasn’t anything he could do to change any of it. The only thing he could do was make sure nobody else died. He suddenly heard an angry voice from directly behind him. He turned to look to see who it was.

  “You murderer!” screamed Mr. Rooker, holding a bloodied ax in his hand. “You killed him! General Milkwood was my last hope! I will make you pay for what you’ve done!”

  Donnie couldn’t believe he was being threatened again. He stared at the ax in his grasp. “He didn’t leave me any choice. I was only protecting myself.”