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

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  Simon looked at his wife and then back at Lizzie. “You’re going to have to trust me, Lizzie. I need you to do everything I ask of you now. It’s vitally important that you understand this.”

  “What’s going on, Daddy?”

  Cassandra turned to look at her daughter. “Did you forget what you promised me in the house?”

  “No, I didn’t forget. I’m sorry. I won’t ask another question.”

  “We’re going to head to Kansas,” said Simon. “We’ll go to my brother’s house. We should be safe there for now. We’ll keep up with the news, and if it’s no longer safe, we’ll continue to Colorado, and we’ll continue until we reach California.”

  “Then what happens?” asked Cassandra.

  “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to us having to go there. Maybe we can cross into Mexico. At least they have a wall securing most of the country.”

  Cassandra tried to look optimistic, but deep down she knew if the zombies reached California, the United States would be lost, and then there wouldn’t be anywhere safe to run. She wanted to cry, but she didn’t want to appear weak in front of her daughter. It would only lead to more questions. The less they had to explain to her the better. She laid her head back in the seat as her husband drove the car out of the driveway. She knew they had a long drive ahead of them, a long drive of uncertainty. If luck was on their side once they reached Kansas, they would find out the nightmare was over, and they could return home. If not, everything they had worked so hard for over the years would be lost forever. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her home, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the life they built there, and she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Missouri. She felt several tears welling in her eyes. She choked them back. She had to remain strong for her family.

  Chapter Two

  Angelo Lopez stacked the last of the day’s shipment in the corner of the stockroom. He watched as Martina Garcia signed the invoice and handed it back to the truck driver so he could move onto his next delivery. He hated delivery days. They reminded him how much he hated working as a stock boy at the local grocery store. It was the same routine day in and day out. Nothing ever changed, except for management in the store. They went through them faster than he could learn their names. He had heard from fellow employees that they had to maintain a certain amount of sales each week or their positions were in jeopardy. He looked at the stack of boxes towering in front of him and tried to come up with an excuse for why he couldn’t start filling the shelves inside the store.

  “You know, Angelo, staring at them isn’t going to get them put away. You don’t want you know who coming back here and giving us the thirty-minute lecture again.” She handed him the copy of the invoice the truck driver had left with her. “Speaking of you know who, would you do me a favor and take this to him? I would do it myself but he gives me the creeps. If we’re lucky, they’ll replace this store manager as quickly as they did the others. Maybe this time they’ll give us a female store manager. That would be a welcomed change.”

  Angelo took the invoice from her and stared at it. This wasn’t how he pictured himself one year out of high school. He was only nineteen and full of ideas for what he wanted to do with his life. He had dreams, but he needed to go to college to reach them. He wished his grades would have been better in high school, but school bored him. He spent most of his time doodling instead of listening to the teacher ramble on about things like kinetic energy and slow metabolisms. Art was his passion, and he thought about becoming a graphic artist or something similar. The only problem facing him was money. He didn’t have any saved, and he didn’t have anybody knocking at his door offering to pay for his college. He tried to get a school loan, but his grades were making it difficult to get any loan officer to take him serious. His thoughts were interrupted by Skeet Mason, the store manager, rushing into the back area.

  “Martina, secure the back door! We’ve been instructed to close the store and make sure it’s secured.”

  Martina could tell he was worried about something. He appeared to be out of breath as if something had scared the life out of him. “What’s going on, Mr. Mason, you’re scaring me.”

  “Hurry and secure the door and both of you meet me in front of the store. We’re having an emergency meeting. I’ll explain everything to you there.” He rushed out of the area and headed back to the front of the store. Martina stared at Angelo with her hands on her hips. Angelo shrugged his shoulders.

  “Beats me. What’s so important? I’ll meet you up front.” He turned and made his way out of the back area.

  Martina felt nervous and confused as she approached the back door. She was about to close it when she saw a young man standing near the dumpster staring at her. “Take a picture, it will last longer,” she said annoyed by his presence. She stood waiting for him to leave, but he didn’t. He stood there as if he were in a trance. She looked more closely at him from the back door and saw his face was covered in blood. On further examination, she also saw there was a large gashing wound on his arm. She wanted to scream, but it got caught in her throat. She stood frozen in place trying to retreat back inside, but she couldn’t take her gaze off of the man. He slowly took a step toward her with his mouth wide open, growling hungrily at her. Maggots were dangling from his milky-white eyes. He was the most grotesque thing she had ever seen. She stared as he slowly crept closer to her with his arms stretched outward. Fear kept her frozen in place, even though her mind was telling her to turn and run back inside. She was forcibly grabbed from behind and she then heard the back door slam shut. Angelo appeared in front of her and grabbed her shoulders as they heard pounding on the back door.

  “Get a grip, Martina. You almost let that thing get you.” He looked at the back door. The pounding was getting louder. “It’s a good thing Mr. Mason sent me back here to make sure the back door was locked. He was worried something had happened to you when you didn’t come up front. All that matters is you’re all right.” He looked toward the front. “It’s the same thing outside in the parking lot. People are attacking each other. Mr. Mason is locking up the store so nobody can get inside. Are you listening, Martina?”

  She stared at him as though all reasoning had been drained from her. Her gaze reminded him of a young girl he had encountered leaving one of the local haunted houses. She had been terrified. He shook Martina’s shoulders trying to release her from her trance. It wasn’t successful. He led her over to a chair and helped her sit down. He didn’t have time to continue worrying about her. His main concern now was to move some large shelves in front of the back door. Anything he could do to make sure that none of the creatures outside could find a way inside. The pounding continued as he pushed a large shelf in front of the door and bent over to catch his breath. The shelf had been heavier than expected. Mr. Mason suddenly appeared and saw Martina sitting quietly on the chair. He looked at Angelo.

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “One of those things almost got her. I came back here just in time. I think she’s in shock.”

  “Great!” yelled Mr. Mason. “That’s all we need right now–as if I don’t have enough to worry about.” He turned his attention to Angelo. “Are you sure none of them can get inside back here? We don’t have enough employees to watch both the front and back.”

  “I think so.”

  “What do you mean you think so? Either they can get inside or they can’t get inside. Which one is it?”

  Angelo looked around the room. “We’re good. None of them are going to get inside.”

  “Good,” said Mr. Mason. “Now grab Martina and take her up front. Now I have to make sure all the windows up front are secured. I don’t know how strong those things are. The last thing we need is for one of them to come crashing through the windows.” He stared frightened by a couple of them stood outside the front door scratching on the glass. “God’s punishing the world.”

  Angelo joined him after bringing Martina up front. “What did you say?”

>   “I was referring to the zombies. I said God is punishing us for all of our sins. Look at them trying to get inside with us to devour our flesh.”

  Angelo stared at the zombies at the front door. “No es la obra Dios. Esla obra del diablo.”

  Mr. Mason stared at him in disbelief. “Do I look like I understand your language?”

  “I said it’s not the work of God. It’s the work of the devil. God would never send a plague of zombies to the world.”

  “Are you sure about that? That zombie by the white truck is wearing a suit, and he even has a Bible in his hand.”

  “It’s nothing but a coincidence. Besides, the devil appears to us in many disguises.” He stared at the growing horde outside the front windows pressing their decaying bodies against them. “No, this is the work of the devil.”

  They watched as some of the windows were spider webbing. Mr. Mason watched in fear. “Devil or not, I don’t think the windows are going to hold. We need to find a way to block the windows just in case.”

  Angelo looked around. “Let’s move as many of the displays as we can in front of the windows. We can put the shopping carts in front of the doors. It will hold them for a while.”

  “It should hold,” said Mr. Mason, “unless they’re stronger than they appear. I’m sure; however, if there is enough of them, they’ll be able to push those things out of the way.”

  “Then we’re screwed no matter what we do. But I’d rather be inside here right now instead of being out there with all of them.”

  Mr. Mason went over to the store’s phone and picked up the receiver. To his horror the line was dead. He went into his office and snatched his cell phone and checked it. He didn’t have any service. He tossed it back on his desk. “Damn useless phone!”

  He watched from his office as Angelo blocked the doors with a row of carts. Some of the other employees were helping him as well. He didn’t like their chances while being trapped inside the store. If any of the zombies got inside, he knew there wouldn’t be anywhere for them to escape to. He was at a loss for what he should do. He was stuck inside the store with a bunch of people he didn’t really know, and one of them was already completely useless to him. Now to make things worse, he was cut off from the outside world. There wasn’t any way he could call anybody for help. He knew he would have to be the one to remain strong and to try and find a solution to their problem. He left his office and joined the others. He immediately saw more glass spider webbing as he approached them.

  “We need to get out of their sight,” he said, realizing what the problem was. “They’re going to keep pressing on the glass as long as they can see us. We need to get to the back where there aren’t any large windows. Maybe if they don’t see us, they’ll go away.”

  “It might work,” said Angelo. “There isn’t much more we can do up here.” He helped Martina from her seat and led her back to the storage area. He wished he knew how he could bring her back to reality. In a way, he envied her. She was able to shut her body down so it didn’t have to witness the horror happening outside of the store. He helped her back to the chair she was sitting on before and watched as Mr. Mason checked for weak areas where zombies could gain entry. He felt Mr. Mason didn’t trust his work, but he figured it was better to be safe. If any of the zombies found a weak spot, it could mean certain doom for them. “Did you try the phone?”

  “Do you think I’m a complete idiot, Angelo? It was one of the first things I tried. Service is down. I’m sure it’s down across the entire area. We’re on our own right now. I wouldn’t count on the cavalry coming to our rescue any time soon.” He looked at Martina. “Is she still out of it?”

  “I’m sure she’s going to be fine.” He listened as there was more pounding at the back door. “I just hope we’re going to be fine.”

  Mr. Mason ignored his remark and looked at a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall near the back door. He wondered if he could use it as a weapon if deemed necessary. He snatched it and held it firmly. He could tell it was heavy enough to inflict some damage. He turned to look at the others. “I have my weapon.” He approached Angelo confident he would be able to protect himself. He looked at Angelo. “Go check up front to see if the zombies have left yet.”

  Angelo glared at him as if he had been asked to walk the plank. “Why don’t you go check yourself? You’re the one with the weapon.”

  Mr. Mason gave him a disapproving look. He didn’t like it when his authority was challenged. He was the store manager, and his employees should follow his orders without question. He pushed past Angelo, pushing him out of the way. “If you were too scared to check, you should have said so.”

  “I’m not scared. I’m just not as willing to go on a suicide mission as you are. Besides, we would have heard something if they had gotten inside.”

  Mr. Mason ignored his remark and cautiously made his way up the snack aisle, listening for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. He was furious Angelo had defied his order. He held the fire extinguisher tighter. It could be the only thing that could save him if everything turned for the worse. He continued down the aisle. So far he hadn’t heard anything that alarmed him. He figured his plan must have worked. He reached the end of the aisle and stood silently listening. Overhead, coming through the speakers, he heard the song, It’s The End Of The World, by R.E.M. He found it ironic that song would be the one playing while he was checking the store for zombies. He looked behind him as if he were trying to decide if he was going to continue and try to convince Angelo to take his place. He knew he would only resist and then they would waste time they didn’t have. He looked around and nothing seemed out of place, which was a good sign nothing had gotten inside the store. He continued to the front keeping the fire extinguisher outstretched in front of him. He was determined not to let anything get the jump on him. He reached the checkout area and it was silent. He looked at the front windows. His plan had indeed worked. He didn’t see any sign of any zombies pressed against the glass. He turned to head to his office when he heard glass smashing. He hurriedly turned to look and saw a large, muscular male zombie breaking through one of the doors. It stared at him hungrily with blood dripping from its lips as if it had just had a feast a moment ago. Mr. Mason stared at it in disbelief. He ran into his office and closed the door behind him as the zombie pushed the row of shopping carts out of its way and entered the store. Mr. Mason heard the carts being moved and quickly pushed his metal desk against his office door hoping it would keep the zombie from getting inside the office. He didn’t know what good it would do judging by the size of the thing. He picked up the receiver of the phone, but there still wasn’t any dial tone. He dropped it on the desk and looked around. He was trapped like a mouse. The only way out of the office was blocked, and a thin wooden door was the only thing separating him from the zombie. He snatched the fire extinguisher from the desk and held it against his body. He was doubtful it could actually inflict any damage to the muscular zombie, but holding it against him gave him some sense of security. It didn’t take long for it to reach his office and begin pounding on the door. The sound of his thuds echoed inside his office. He could do nothing but listen, paralyzed with fright. This wasn’t how he pictured himself dying. He pictured himself dying on a beach in Florida, drinking margaritas, and watching the young women in their skimpy swimwear. He figured it would be because of them that he would have a massive stroke. At least, it was how he hoped he would die ̶ with a smile on his face, not being cruelly devoured by a savage beast. It just didn’t seem fair. He was an honest taxpayer, never in trouble with the law, and he believed in God. What is it all for? Have I been living my life wrong all these years? Another loud thud splintered the door. He held the fire extinguisher tighter against his body like a security blanket.

  Angelo led the others toward the front after witnessing Mr. Mason retreating to his office as the zombie broke through. He figured he had enough time to get them safely out of the store while the muscular zombie had its s
ights on Mr. Mason. He held on to Martina as they went through the broken door, being careful while walking through the shattered glass that littered the floor. He turned in time to see the muscular zombie smash through the door to Mr. Mason’s office. He heard him scream and then all went silent. He felt fortunate he hadn’t listened to Mr. Mason. If he had, it could have been him being murdered in the office. He looked around the parking lot. There were only a few more zombies slowly walking between the parked cars. They were moving slow enough he figured he could get the small group to safety before any of the zombies reached them. Behind the zombies he saw a school bus entering the parking lot and heading directly toward them. He felt relieved to see it, but cautious at the same time.

  The bus circled around the parking lot and stopped directly in front of them, alerting the zombies to their presence. The door opened and a man looked at them from the driver’s seat. “My name is Donnie Jorsen. If you want to live, get on board quickly.”

  Stranger or no stranger, Angelo helped Martina on the bus. He didn’t care who Donnie was. All he knew was he had a bus that could get them away from the store. Once seated, he shouted to Donnie. “I’m Angelo Lopez, and I’m really glad to see you.”

  “Don’t be glad to see me just yet. I still have to get us out of here in one piece. It looks like Indiana out here.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I have to get us back to the International Airport. I have supplies in the back of the bus I need to get there. You’re lucky I noticed you when I did.”

  “I thank you for that, Donnie. We all thank you.”

  “Hold that for now. You can thank me once we reach the airport. I would get some rest while you can. There is a lot to be done once we get there.”

  Angelo closed his eyes. His mind had a lot to process. He didn’t understand what was happening in his city. He didn’t understand how the zombies got to Missouri ̶ right now, he didn’t understand anything.