The Walking Plague Trilogy

by J. R. Rain

  Joe lifted her chin, looked into her eyes. “You didn’t choose this. You never meant for this to happen. You’re a good girl. It’s bad, yes. But we’ve all been there for each other... you were there for me.” He wrapped his arms around her waist to draw her close. “Oh, honey, whatever you decide will be all right. Believe me. You’re my favorite niece. Always.”

  She giggled. “I’m your only niece.”

  “Oh, right,” he said, chuckling. “There’s no way in hell I’m gonna lose my only niece. I’m right beside you always. No matter what.... Okay?”

  Anna pulled on his arms to hug her tighter. They stayed that way, sitting on the roof that overlooked Los Angeles. A car alarm sounded in the distance until it died on its own. The wind brought with it the scent of surrounding pine trees.

  He hoped she was beginning to feel better. He felt her relax further, and prayed her worries were slipping from her.

  “Thank you, Uncle Joe.”

  Her loving tone made him smile. “Any time, kiddo.” He playfully socked her shoulder. She socked him back.

  “Oww,” he faked. They both chuckled.

  “Come on,” Anna said, standing. “It’s freakin’ cold up here.”

  * * *

  The delicious smell of food wafted toward them as Anna and Joe made their way back to the others. Carla had been busy, putting Jared to work. They’d found a little hibachi in the basement, along with some charcoal.

  Uncle and niece found Jared tending hamburgers on the grill and Carla preparing the buns.

  “A hot dinner!” Anna exclaimed in delight.

  Jack came out from the corner in which he’d been brooding and approached his daughter. Anna pushed the pain in her ear away and gave him a big hug. “I love you, Daddy.”

  Jack embraced her, catching Joe’s eyes. Joe gave him a thumbs up. “I love you, too, darling.”

  They dined on what seemed like a feast. At least compared to lately. Carla had brought mostly canned goods to their sanctuary, but also some perishables; the beef patties and buns, pre-made potato salad and crisp apples. Along with chips and soda, they ate to their hearts’ content. Jared remained close to Anna. He seemed relieved by her calmness. But she knew he was dying to ask her what had changed, but wouldn’t dare, lest he jinx her good mood.

  He didn’t have to wait long. The group had finished dinner, grateful for full bellies, when she spoke, “I’ve been thinking about the ear thing.” Anna glanced around to see all watching her. “The thing is, we don’t know if it will work.”

  “But honey, we don’t know that it won’t work either,” Jack countered.

  Anna took a deep breath. “I guess that’s true. But I know you will all take care of me.” She meant the drowning cure, and they knew it. “Daddy, if you could do it—and Uncle Joe and Mike—then I can do it, too.”

  The great hall was silent. Jack was about to speak when Anna raised her hand. “It’s the only way to be sure. I mean, if you cut off my ear,” she couldn’t believe she was actually saying that, “then we still won’t know. The waiting period could be slower. And in the end, it still might not work. I want both of my ears. I want to live as a whole human being.” She paused, looked each of them in the eye. “And, so, I choose the water cure.”

  Chapter Six

  After dinner, the group locked up the observatory to go get more food and supplies from Jack’s Los Feliz home. Covering each other as they scurried to their respective cars, they took out six more zombies.

  Filthy business, thought Jack. How many had they killed now? Dozens, certainly. Dozens and dozens.

  The trip down to the house was mostly uneventful. They swerved around a handful more of the infected gathered over what appeared to be a dog carcass.

  When they reached the house, everyone piled in and locked the doors and windows after doing a perimeter and interior sweep.

  Home sweet home.

  * * *

  “I’m going alone,” Carla was saying. She gave Jack that ‘I dare you to argue’ look. He hated that look, and stepped closer to her. They were alone in the kitchen; the others were upstairs watching a DVD movie. The cable was out, but the electricity still worked. For now.

  “But why?” he asked.

  “I already told you why. I want to see what’s happening out there, Jack, and I can do it better on my own. I don’t need someone breathing down my neck. Besides, you should stay with your daughter.”

  “She’s in good hands with Joe,” he said, indignantly. He suddenly felt a premonition that if she left, he’d never see her again. “Let me come with you. Please.”

  Carla sighed. “I need this time to myself. It will help me wrap my head around what’s happening. Besides, it will give me a chance to see if I can learn anything new.”

  “I get it. And I want to come with you—”

  “Accept you’re ignoring that I want to be alone.”

  “Being alone, in these times, is a bad idea!”

  “Just a couple of hours,” Carla insisted. “I have my radio, and you have one. I just need an hour to clear my head.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “The station.”

  He took a seat in the kitchen. Defeated. “All right... fine. But I want you to tell me when you get there, what’s out there, and call me again when you leave. Okay? Is that too much to ask?”

  Carla knelt before him, smiling lovingly. She took his hands and kissed them. “I’ll be back before you know it. Thank you, Jack.”

  He waited for her to leave the house and then ran upstairs. Everyone was gathered in his bedroom watching Rush Hour. Singing along with the “War” song.

  “I’m going with Carla to check out a few things at the police station,” He told Joe. “Be back in an hour or so.”

  Jack’s brother muted the movie. “You want some company?”

  “Naw,” Jack answered, smoothly. “I’m just going with her while she gets the latest news. We’ll be fine. Got your radio on?”

  Joe nodded and watched his brother carefully as Jack gave him a fake smile and left.

  * * *

  The Los Feliz Police Department parking lot was empty.

  Carla frowned at the lack of staff cars. She’d seen increasing numbers of people walking around dazed—more than double the number of zombies she’d seen on the drive just a couple of days before. She parked, checked her gun and got out of the car.

  The ever-present front desk officer was noticeably missing from the lobby. The halls were lit, but empty as well. “Hello?” she called out. The last thing she wanted was to surprise a colleague.

  She moved cautiously down the empty hall closest to her. There was a small holding tank to the left. Three men sat inside, but when they saw her, they jumped up. “Hey! Hey, Officer!”

  She paused in front of the cell.

  “You gotta get us out of here,” one of them said, a young man with a stubbly beard. “It’s not safe. We’re locked in here, and there are some seriously screwed up crazy people out there! Ya know what I mean?”

  “You’re safer here,” Carla answered with police-like authority.

  An older, disheveled man said, “Miss Officer. I don’t want to contradict you, but—”

  “Watch out!” It was the younger man who yelled. Carla’s ears pricked at movement behind her. She spun around.

  “Taylor?” She barely recognized the officer. He didn’t know her either; he moved toward her slowly, his arms hanging down by his side, the pose she had come to dread.

  “Move back, Taylor. This is an order.” He didn’t obey, dragging his feet. She backed up, careful to avoid reaching distance of the inmates. “Stop!” she said again.

  Taylor kept coming. Carla couldn’t believe what she was about to do. He was a young deputy with a wife and kids. Operative word: was. Carla raised her gun and aimed for the head. When she pulled the trigger, Taylor’s forehead disappeared and he fell to the floor in a heap.

  The gunshot resounded throughout the buil
ding. The two prisoners began to whimper.

  Stay calm, she told herself. It’s all right. She was about to address them when she heard someone else in back of her. She whirled, still holding her weapon up.

  Sergeant Manning trotted down the hall, concern written on his face. “Carla! What are you doing here? I thought you’d disappeared like the rest.” He looked down at the corpse. “Oh shit. Taylor, too?”

  Carla felt her lower lip quiver. She thought of the picture Taylor had shown her recently of his wife and two little girls. “I had to do it,” she heard herself saying. “He was going to kill me. It was self-defense.”

  “You did what you had to do.” He stepped over the body, shaking his head as he looked down. “Let’s go to my office. It’s safe in there.”

  Carla let out a pained sigh. “What’s going on around here?”

  Manning glanced at the inmates, then motioned for her to follow him. While the prisoners begged again to be released, she left the holding area to follow the Sergeant. He led her to his office. A desk radio nearby played oldies. Manning locked the door behind her as she sat down. She felt like sobbing but held it in.

  “What’s going on here?” she asked again. “Do you know anything?”

  “The world’s gone crazy,” he said, sadly, biting his upper lip as he shook his head. “There’s hardly any of us left.”

  “So it’s just you holding down the fort?”

  He nodded. “Someone has to be here, you know. This place. It’s been my life. Honestly, I don’t know where else to go.” He paused to study her. “When you didn’t report for duty, I thought they got you, too.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I’m dealing with this on a personal level. People I care about... it’s been horrible. Like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”

  “Like no one has ever experienced. I need you though. Badly. I don’t even have a 9-1-1 dispatcher.”

  “It’s just us? How is this supposed to work?”

  “We can figure it out together. You’re the last man standing, Carla.”

  She nodded, smiling at his sexist comment. Probably didn’t even realize what he’d said. “What do the latest reports say?”

  Manning pointed to his pile of paperwork. “Not good. This ‘zombification,’ for lack of a better word, is spreading fast. Hell, it’s not just our group that’s been decimated. In fact, I think it’s safe to say it’s just me and you for this side of town, kiddo.”

  She leaned forward. “Can’t we get help? The National Guard? Coast Guard? Anyone?”

  Manning shook his head again. “The National Guard is protecting the White House, Pentagon, and all related facilities, including certain disbanded military bases. Coast Guard is helping the Red Cross at this point. Looks like we’re on our own here in Los Feliz.”

  It seemed unbelievable to her... despite what she had already witnessed. But seeing the precinct in disarray brought it home.

  Just me and you, kiddo, she repeated in her mind.

  “Well, do we have anyone else?” she asked.

  “No one’s been here today, except you. And apparently, Taylor.” Manning thumbed absently through the pile of paperwork. Jesus, he was acting odd. “But Thompson is all right, from what I understand. He called today; he’s relocating his family. Same with Reins....”

  Carla considered herself an astute cop. She prided herself in sensing people’s vibes, the odd ones especially. A prickly warning tingled along the back of her neck. What was it?

  “Manning. There’s something you’re not telling me.... Look at me.”

  Manning hesitated a moment, then raised his eyes to meet hers. Her reaction told him everything. She knew.

  Carla looked into his red-streaked eyes and stiffened. “Manning...”

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry but not sorry, Carla. I was sick, but now I’m better. Hey, don’t worry!” He rose from his seat, but she was already at the door. “I won’t hurt you.”

  “Jesus,” she muttered. “Listen, Boss. I know the cure. Not many do. I’m with a group of people that have been through what you’re going through now. We could help you, and you’d be normal again.”

  “Cure?” Manning laughed. “Normal? There is no normal now. Don’t you see what’s happening? I’m strong, Carla. And I’m still okay, trust me....” A hint of uncertainty seeped through this last statement. “And, I would never hurt you.”

  “You’re hungry, I bet,” she said. She didn’t dare reach for her holstered gun. Not alone, not with his new strength.

  “I am,” Manning told her. “I’ve decided I will not feed on the good guys. You included. There are plenty of deadbeats in this city. I can be a good cop, and bring down the number of losers.”

  Carla shook her head. “What in the hell?! That’s not what I meant—“

  “It’s just the way things are now, Carla. You think we can stop this? If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

  “You don’t understand,” Carla tried to reason with him, reaching for the doorknob. “You think this way now. But it will overcome you. You will become one of them.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” He didn’t seem to care, but noticed her hand turning the knob. “Yes, I’m hungry. But you’d better leave now. Because I do intend to feed.”

  Immediately, Carla understood why Manning was keeping the three men in that cell. “No,” she told him, “whatever they’re in for, those prisoners don’t deserve death.”

  Manning took a step toward her, anger in his expression. “Who made you judge and jury?”

  “And who made you executioner?” she dared.

  “That’s enough insubordination. Carla, I’m telling you to leave. There’s a new sheriff in town now. Different rules.”

  He advanced closer, and she opened the door and backed into the hallway. “Okay, okay.” She placated him. “I’m leaving. Do what you have to do.”

  But Manning’s eyes flashed a deep red now. “I don’t believe you,” he sneered. “You never should have come back!”

  Carla turned and ran down the hall. His new chemical makeup made him faster than her now, she knew. She turned a corner and quickly ducked into a corridor with her gun drawn.

  She could hear him slow to a walk. “I know you’re here,” he called out. “Really, Carla, it’s so much better on this side. You say you want to help me? Hell, I could help you. We could be true partners.”

  Carla heard the radio play “You Can’t Hurry Love” as she listened to him drawing nearer. She backed up as far as she could, ashamed that she was shaking.

  Manning sniffed the air and snickered. He was somewhere near the edge of the corridor. Perhaps to throw her off, he called out her name, and an instant later he jumped in front of her, lips pulled back with the obvious intent to take a very big bite.

  She screamed and prepared to fire her gun, but Manning sent it flying before she pulled the trigger.

  “Too late, my dear. Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to make you a partner. I’ll take care of—”

  A shot fired and Manning’s head blew apart, burying her in a crimson shower. Her boss fell to the floor.

  * * *

  Jack came to her, wrapping his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest. Jack understood the camaraderie Carla shared with her fellow officers. He had his own buddies in his field, which wasn’t so different from hers. This was much more than taking out just any Zombie. It was a colleague. Her sergeant.

  Jack stroked her hair, fingers lingering on her jaw and neck. She quieted after a while. “Shh,” he whispered. “It’s okay.”

  “God, I’m glad you’re stubborn and followed me,” she said as she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

  “Me, too. Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said.

  Carla nodded and grabbed her gun from the floor.

  Jack slipped his arm around her and they stepped over what was left of Sergeant Manning.

  As they drew close to the holding cell, the younger guy yelled out, “Please l
et us out. Please. We’re sitting ducks in here!”

  “I’ve got to let them out,” Carla whispered. “It’s the humane thing to do.”

  “Yeah,” Jack replied. “I don’t think they’re going to get due process of law any time soon.”

  She took her keys from her belt. “Listen,” she told them, “you guys better remember that I’m doing you a favor. Get safe and stay out of trouble. Whatever any of you are in here for... take this as your last chance to redeem yourselves.” She waited to turn the key in the lock, looked each of them in the eye. “Understood?”

  The three nodded enthusiastically and stumbled over each other running for the door like the hunted prey they still were.

  Jack caught her arm when she turned to leave. Drawing her close, he pulled her body against his. “I’ve been waiting a long time to do this,” he whispered into her ear, caressing it with his lips. He drew her mouth to his and kissed her long and hard.

  She kissed him back, maybe even harder.

  Chapter Seven

  Over the next few days, back at the observatory, there was much to do.

  As everyone got to know each other better, they drew on each others’ knowledge and skills. Jack knew how to set traps. Although he didn’t care to kill animals, he understood the need for protein. Carla was extremely resourceful; she gathered furniture and other goods. Before long, their ‘living section’ at the end of the hall was fairly comfortable. She organized the stock and kept track of what was still needed.

  Mike and Joe set about increasing security and taking out wandering zombies nearby. They also brought the SUV down to the lower level at the back of the building, parking it at a loading dock used to haul large equipment and machinery. The likelihood of someone taking it from the front of the premises was slim, but they didn’t want to take any chances. Julie’s squad car finally ran out of gas and they left it in Jack’s garage at home. That left his truck and the SUV. Both had about a half tank.