Apocalypse Z (A Zombie Novel)

by Swanson, G. E.

  XIV

  Mark went over to the couch where Jet sat and asked her, “What happened to your leg?”

  She looked at him with big sad eyes, but didn’t answer. He glanced at Jeff, then across the room to Sheryl, neither one of them said anything, either. Sarcastically, he said, “Funny, I can hear myself talking, but it seems no one else can.”

  Sheryl came over to him and sighed. Quietly, she said, “Jet was bitten.”

  He stepped back and gave her a blank look. Rubbing the back of his head, he asked, “Are you sure?”

  Lisa came into the room. “Sure about what?”

  Marked paused, then said, “Jet was bitten.”

  Lisa gasp, Dedee and Amy heard him too. Dedee ran to her and knelt down as she asked, “Is that true?”

  Jet’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded. Jeff put his arm around her and lowered his head. Mark looked at Lisa; she shook her head and said, “No.”

  Jet turned to Mark and took a deep breath. “I know what has to be done, but please wait. If I only have a little time left, please, let me spend it with Jeff while I’m still myself. When I start to turn, then do what you need to do.”

  Jeff said, “Please, bro, please. Just give us that.”

  Mark saw the tears on his brother’s face. “I need to think about this.” He said, and he walked down the hallway.

  Jet started to cry and Jeff pulled her close to him. Dedee sat next to her on the couch and started to cry with her. Lisa watched, then started down the hallway and Sheryl followed. They stepped into the room with Mark and closed the door.

  Sheryl spoke first. “Mark, I do need to point out that it’s not a direct bite. She was bit through her jeans and she might not even be infected.”

  “Can you say she’s not infected with 100% certainty?”

  She slowly shook her head. “No.”

  “Well, I can’t risk anyone else’s life, but I can’t kill my brother’s girlfriend, either.”

  Lisa sat him down on the edge of the bed. “Mark, if that were me out there, what would you do?”

  He let out a long sigh and said, “Find something to tie her feet and hands with.”

  Lisa went to the closet, found a couple of belts from some robes, and took them to the living room. When Mark returned, they had tied her ankles and started on her wrists. He said, “No, behind her back.” He looked Jet in the eye and said, “Once you start to turn, time’s up. Those ties will stay on at all times, even if you have to pee. Also, there will be no kissing my brother. If I catch you even thinking about it, I’ll shoot you right then and there, myself. Is that clear?”

  She nodded. “I promise… And thank you.”

  “Lisa, we need to make a quick run back to the gun shop while this area is fairly clear.”

  They emptied their packs so they could carry more supplies back. On their way out, Mark had to stop and look at the pile of bodies out front. He realized, at one time they had all been people and almost felt sorry for them, but he hadn’t forgotten what they had done, either. Now, they had caused Jet and his brother even more grief.

  As he and Lisa walked to the shop, he reached out and took her hand in his. He focused his thoughts on their destination, he figured in about a week they should be there. Only seven more days in zombie hell, then they could have a lifetime of peace.

  Suddenly, they heard a metal trashcan lid hit the ground and a loud hiss to their left. They both drew their pistols as they turned toward the sound. There, in the side yard of a yellow and white house, they saw two cats with their backs arched having a standoff. They looked at each other and started laughing as they holstered their pistols and continued to the shop.

  Inside the shop, Mark got another box of twenty gauge shells for Dedee and packed up all of the rest of the 9mm ammo they could find. He grabbed some camping lamps and Lisa got more water and MREs.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Tami checked the bite on Jet’s leg and cleaned it again before injecting an antibiotic. She was a little puzzled when she noticed it looked like it had started to scab over. Sheryl told her it was completely normal and the virus took more than just a few hours to show itself. Jet was quiet for a while, then asked to be alone with Dedee.

  Once the room was cleared, she said, “I want you to promise me something.”

  Dedee wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Sure, what do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to take care of Jeff for me. He’s a really special guy, and you know he’s having a hard time with his memory. Please, just look out for him and… be patient with him.”

  Dedee softly said, “Okay, I’ll promise, but he won’t need me. He’ll have you for that.”

  Jet called Jeff in and he sat down next to her. She asked, “Can I please have one last hug from you?”

  Jeff put his arms around her and held her tight. Her eyes began to tear up and she wept on his shoulder. He tried to be strong for her, but he had some rolling down his cheeks too. They heard footsteps from outside coming up the walkway to the front door.

  She told Jeff to move away so Mark wouldn’t get the wrong idea and shoot her. Jeff grabbed a blue reclining chair from the other side of the room and pulled it up close to the couch. That afternoon and evening, everyone sat around the couch with her and ate. Jeff helped her eat before he sat down and had his.

  Just before dark, Tami noticed about half of a dozen zombies off in the distance, but they seemed to stay at least two blocks away. She told Mark, and he thought all the dead rot-bags around the front of the house might be working as some kind of a repellant. Mark came in and checked on Jet before she went to sleep. He pointed to everyone in the room and had her tell him their names.

  Mark took first watch and he heard a lot of noise off in the distance. Just like Tami said, it was always two blocks or more away. He figured some of them might start to get bold and wander closer to the house, so he and Lisa should scout the area in the morning and do some clearing of the town. The thought of killing all the zombies in at least one town gave him a good feeling.

  Lisa came out and checked on Jet before she took over the watch. She was a little slow with remembering the names, but she did remember. Lisa figured that since she was just woken up, that may have been the reason and let it go. She took over and Mark went back to their room to catch some sleep.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Jet opened her eyes and noticed light coming in through the back windows. She saw Jeff still asleep in the chair across from her. Throwing her legs over the edge of the couch and fidgeting, she managed to sit up. She peeked over the back and saw Sheryl standing at the window, looking back at her. Sheryl came over and knelt down in front of her.

  Jet looked over at her pack. “Sheryl, can you please give me my pill?”

  She felt it wasn’t something Jet needed, but it wouldn’t hurt, either. “Sure, I’ll get you some water too.”

  Jeff woke up to see Sheryl giving her a drink. He waited for her to step away before he whispered, “Jet? Are you still you?”

  “Yeah, I’m still here. I know I’ll be changing soon, but I don’t feel any different.”

  Jeff leaned in closer and stared into her eyes. She asked, “What’s wrong? Am I starting to change? I swear I don’t feel it happening.”

  He glanced to make sure Sheryl wouldn’t hear him, then he whispered to her, “I don’t know, but do me a favor. Don’t look anyone in the eye for more than a second. Turn your head, look down, anything. Just don’t look them in the eyes, okay?”

  “Yeah… okay.”

  Mark and Lisa came out of their room and started going through the MREs. After they had eaten, they checked on Jet. She did what Jeff had asked and no one noticed her eyes. They said they were going out three blocks in each direction and take out every zombie they saw. When they left, they took Tami out with them.

  They walked three blocks and then went in a counterclockwise direction. There was plenty of ammunition, so they planned to take out any rot-bag they came acr
oss. On the second block, they ran into one wearing a lime green leisure suit and moving slow. Tami took advantage of this and said she would do it by herself. After she snapped its right femur with a quick blow, she broke both its arms then crushed the spinal cord.

  Lisa was impressed with Tami’s confidence and noted she didn’t even gag this time. As they continued down the block, they heard music coming from a big blue and gray house. Mark looked in through a window, but only saw furniture inside the living room. The front door was locked, so he used his good leg and kicked it in. Lisa went in first and Mark followed. Checking the living room, Lisa found an MP3 player in a speaker dock on the table.

  The living room was clear, but the sliding glass door leading to the back patio was covered with blood. Lisa slowly slid it open and peeked out. She saw more blood all over the cement and around the pool. The water had a red tint and there were a couple of beach balls floating in it.

  They saw a slightly overweight man with excessive body hair, wearing a blue Speedo, lying across a barbeque grill. His chest was well done, his skin had melted to the metal grill, his back had been eaten away and his white ribs were exposed.

  Not far from him, was woman in a yellow bikini at a patio table sprawled out in a chair. Her face and throat had been eaten away and there was dried, crusty blood all down the front of her. Lisa could tell by the chew marks on her shoulder that her left arm had been eaten off her body and was now sitting on the table in front of her.

  Mark stepped onto the patio, trying to find the zombie responsible. When he looked down into the pool, he saw three more bodies at the bottom. He heard a shot and turned, the woman that had been at the table was running toward him. Lisa fired another shot and sent her flying into the pool where she quickly sank to the bottom.

  The man melted to the grill started jerking and hissed. Mark drew his pistol and shot him once in the back of the head; it flinched and went limp. He looked at it and said, “That’s for that… whole Speedo thing.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Dedee sat down on the floor by the couch, when Jet glanced at her, her eyes got big and her jaw dropped. Dedee heard Jeff say, “Shhhhhh.”

  Jet whispered, “It’s me, Dedee. Please, don’t say anything.”

  Dedee stared in shock and whispered, “My gawd, Jet, you were infected.”

  Jet made sure no one was around before answering. “I guess I was, but I’m not sure what you’re seeing. All I know for sure is that I’m still me.”

  Jeff went to the table, “Jet, do you want turkey, ham, or meatloaf?

  “Turkey, please,” she said, then turned back to Dedee. “I might need you to help me. Try to keep anyone else from getting a close look at me without being obvious, okay?”

  Dedee nodded and said, “Okay.”

  Jeff returned and helped Jet eat her MRE. Sheryl came from the back and asked her, “How are you feeling?”

  She anxiously awaited an answer and was relieved when Jet said, “I’m doing okay. Jeff’s helping me eat some turkey.”

  Sheryl stepped over behind the couch and looked down at her. Dedee asked Sheryl, “Can you take a look at the blisters on my feet and put something on them for me?”

  “Sure, come over here and I’ll have a look.”

  Sheryl followed Dedee to the kitchen and sat at the table next to her. They heard a few gunshots in the distance and everyone looked toward the door. Jeff said, “I guess they found some.” He nervously looked at Jet. He wondered what was going to happen to her when they saw the changes. He was a little confused as to what was happening, but then he had never watched anyone as they turned before.

  Between his and Dedee’s efforts, no one got close enough to Jet to notice anything. A couple hours before sundown, Mark, Lisa, and Tami returned to the house. Jet quickly lay down on the couch and closed her eyes. Lisa came over to check on her. Jeff told her Jet was tired and resting. Lisa looked and wondered why Jet still appeared to be completely human. Sheryl mentioned her jeans may have been enough to prevent the zombie’s saliva from getting into the bite and she might be okay.

  Mark said they had looked for a truck or van while they were out, but couldn’t find anything larger than a compact, so they were still on foot. After Jeff helped her eat dinner, Jet lay back down and went to sleep for the night. During the night Mark, Lisa, and Sheryl checked on her, but didn’t wake her up.

  The next morning when Jet woke up, Lisa was kneeling down in front of her. When she opened her eyes, Lisa gasped and jumped back. She drew her pistol and pointed it at Jet. Jet closed her eyes and cried out, “Lisa! Please, don’t shoot me!”

  Jeff woke up and saw Lisa pointing her gun at Jet and he said, “Lisa, don’t! She’s okay!”

  Mark ran into the room and asked, “What’s going on here?” Everyone else came running down the hallway and into the room.

  Lisa pointed at Jet as she said, “Look at her eyes!”

  Mark came around the couch to see and jumped back when he saw them. “Shit!” And he carefully took a closer look. “What the hell? Jet, are you still in there?”

  “Yes, I am, Mark,” she said, “Please, tell Lisa to put the gun away.”

  Lisa looked over and Mark nodded, then she slid it back into the holster. They both took a close look at her eyes. Mark called Sheryl over to see what had happened. She gasped when she saw them and then looked around, confused. Mark told Jet to stay there while they went into the other room to talk.

  Mark asked Sheryl, “Can you explain this?”

  She shrugged as she shook her head. “No, I have never seen anything like this before. I have been there when a couple of people changed, but the pain of change is the first thing that sets in as the body slows down.”

  “But haven’t you been giving her some medication for her headaches? Could that have helped with the pain?”

  Sheryl and Lisa looked at each other, then Lisa said to Mark, “Sheryl hasn’t been giving her pain medication. Jet has been taking birth control medication.”

  Mark looked even more confused. “Do you mean her and Jeff…”

  Lisa quickly said, “No, but Jet has been considering it. I do need to add that she’s never been with anybody that way before and it’s a pretty big step for her, but she hasn’t said anything to Jeff about it yet.”

  He looked at Sheryl and she nodded; then he asked, “Do you think those pills could have had anything to do with this? Or maybe it was a combination of that and the antibiotic Tami gave her?”

  Sheryl shrugged. “I can’t say for sure, but I doubt it. If she has been infected, she should have turned by now. The most plausible thing I can think of is she’s somehow immune to the virus.” She turned to Lisa, “Didn’t you say her parents were bitten? What happened to them?”

  Lisa sighed. “They were, but I don’t know. They said they didn’t want to become zombies and hurt anyone. Jet doesn’t know this part, but after they dropped her off, they went some place took their own lives.”

  Mark asked, “So you’re saying she might be immune?”

  “That’s the only reason I can think of. With any pandemic such as this, there always seems to be a very small percentage of the population who is immune to it. I guess it’s nature’s way of preserving the species.”

  He thought before he said, “That might be true, but I don’t know. I’d feel better if we gave it another day, just to make sure.”

  Lisa said to Mark, “About the medication she’s been taking, please don’t say anything to her or Jeff. Let her be the one to tell him about it when she’s ready.”

  Mark nodded. They went back to Jet and told her they thought she might be immune, but were giving it another day. She understood and asked for a mirror so she could see what was happening to her. Lisa brought her one from the bathroom and held it up in front of her. When she looked into her own eyes, she gasped. There was a thin blue-white ring around her pupil that gently feathered into her brown iris.

  She said, “Oh my gawd, what happened to my ey
es?”

  Jeff put his hand on hers. “You know, I think it’s kinda hot in a way.”

  She glanced at him and then back to the mirror. “Really?” He nodded. With a nervous smile, she said, “I guess it does look kinda cool.”

  Mark said, “But you will still have to wear the ties until we feel it’s safe to remove them. And that kissing rule still applies until I decide otherwise.”

  Over the rest of that day and night, the blue-white feathering continued to slowly reach out until it nearly covered one quarter of her iris. The next morning, Mark untied the belts holding her wrists and ankles and set them aside. The first thing she did was to hug Jeff. Mark said, “Hugs are okay, but remember, the kissing rule still applies.”

  “But I’m immune,” she said.

  “You are, but my brother’s not. I just want to make sure all those zombie cooties are dead before you do anything like that. I think I’d feel better about it if you waited at least a couple more days.”

  She said to Jeff, “Your brother’s right. Besides, I couldn’t live with myself if I infected you.”

  Mark picked up his pack. “Okay, we’re still without transportation, so let’s start walkin’ before that stench outside kills us.”

  On the way out the door, Amy asked him how far it was to the next town. Mark said it was about twelve miles, and if they hurried, they could make it there before it got dark. They walked all day up and down through the mountains, stopping only twice for a break. An hour before sunset, they looked down on a small community in a valley.

  Mark said they could either go down there now to find a house for the night, or sleep there and go down in the morning. Amy and Dedee pointed out they didn’t push themselves all day just to look at it and sleep on rocks. Lisa laughed and told them he was only kidding and they would have a soft bed to sleep in tonight.

  They hurried down the hill and stopped at a house just outside of town. Jeff and Jet went in to check it out while everyone else waited outside. Jet was excited and she felt good about being back in action. In the entryway, they found two blue tennis shoes with the owner’s feet still inside them. There was a bloody handprint smeared on the wall, spatter all over the gray tile floor, and a large blood trail going across the carpet over to tan couch in the living room.