The Infected (Book 4): Death Sentence

by Zuko, Joseph

  The Infected: Death Sentence

  By Joseph “Zombie” Zuko

  This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are fictitious. Any

  resemblance to actual persons, living, dead

  or undead, is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2016 Joseph Zuko

  All rights reserved

  Thank you to Josh McCullough, Linda Kim, Katie Zuko and Pam Anderson for helping me edit my book.

  Thank you to my Mom and Dad for always being so supportive.

  Thank you to Sam for the idea to start writing this book.

  Thank you to my wife Katie Zuko. She cheers me on like I am her local sports team and thank you for not letting me give up on my dreams.

  Dedicated to all three of my zombie loving children.

  Thank you to the fans of Jim’s First Day, Karen’s First Day and Nightfall.

  Without your support I wouldn’t have had the guts to attempt to finish any of The Infected series. You have all changed my life for the better. Your positive reviews and comments kept me motivated to finish these books. Thank you again.

  Cover art by Paul Copeland

  paulsartspace@yahoo.com

  How this whole damn thing started.

  A short story about Joe Zuko.

  In 1997 I was a freshman in college, had a full time job and just turned nineteen. I still lived at home with my folks and they told me that if I wanted to start building credit I should go to Sears and get a credit card. I was a man now so I needed to have credit in order to buy things in the future, right? No one wants to marry a man that isn't up to his eyeballs in soul crushing debt. At least that's what I thought back then. I ran down to Sears, applied for a card and got approved for about three hundred dollars. I didn’t need a Kenmore washer and dryer. I didn’t need Craftsman tools. I owned a TV already and computers cost too much. I did the manliest thing I could do and bought a Playstation and the game Resident Evil 2. The game scared the poopoo out of me. I played late at night in my dark room and jumped at every scare. After that I was hooked. Zombies terrified me and I loved it. The idea that anyone can get infected and be turned into a lethal killing machine thrilled me to the bone. Grandma gets bit on the hand and now she can’t be trusted. She wants to eat your face. That’s really, really scary. I don’t care who you are. If Grandma wants to tear out your guts and chew on them, that’s scarier than sharks, chainsaws, dying in your dreams or camping with a maniac. I hope you enjoy reading my nightmare.

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  Character recap

  Jim Blackmore - Husband to Karen Blackmore, father of Valerie and Robin. Yesterday he was an average appliance salesman. Now he is doing whatever it takes to keep his family safe from the infected monsters roaming the streets. Armed with his trusty spear and a heart full of determination he fought his way out of Oregon and into Washington State to get home to his loving family. On his way across the city he was aided by his store’s warehouse worker, Devon, a young woman Jim saved in the graveyard, Sara, and the gun expert, Frank.

  The group was only a mile from Jim’s apartment when they were captured by an organized church run by a man known only as, Brother Paul. Jim’s team was released after they promised Brother Paul one thing: No killing. No matter what, they were forbidden to murder the living.

  Karen Blackmore - This stay at home Mother of two put up one hell of a fight the day the infection broke out. Armed with only a pistol, she kept her five-year-old and two-year-old out of the hungry zombie’s mouth. Karen traveled across the warzone known as Vancouver, Washington with her shotgun toting older brother, Troy and their wheelman, Leon. The group headed for the safety of Karen’s mother’s house only to find, Penny, had been turned into one of the undead. Leon and Troy went searching for supplies while Karen was visited by a nasty crew of men led by a bastard, Eric.

  Cliff and Tina Morgan – They lived in the upstairs apartment from Jim and Karen. Their day started with a terrifying zombie attack at the local grocery store. They raced home with three young children and a van full of food. Cliff’s elderly mother, Morgan, lived only a few miles away in a retirement community. Tina convinced Cliff it was worth the risk to insure Morgan’s safety. His wife told him to leave her with the kids and bring home his mother. Cliff and Tina helped Jim’s group escape a horde of zombies once they reached the apartment complex. A fire started in the middle of the night and flushed the family from their home. With nowhere else to go, they decided to follow Jim to his mother-in-law’s. Poor Cliff has lost more than anyone. When they arrived at Penny’s house a group of gunmen opened fire on his van. He escaped with his life, but nothing else. In the click of a few seconds Cliff lost his mother, children and loving wife. His sanity has slipped through his blood soaked fingers. With an improvised weapon, consisting of a circular saw blade on a metal stick that he assembled before leaving his apartment, Cliff exacted revenge on the gunmen. He diced them into pieces before becoming catatonic.

  Devon – Jim’s coworker, horror movie fan and abuser of the word “dude” helped Jim survive the dangerous streets of Portland. Armed with a razor sharp spear and a determination to stay alive, the two of them hacked their way out of Portland, across a destroyed bridge and into Vancouver. Less than a mile from Jim’s apartment Devon suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and had to be carried the rest of the way to Jim’s. His story came to an end when Jim’s crew, followed by Cliff and Tina, arrived at Penny’s home and discovered a group of well-armed men waiting outside Penny’s home. Inside the house Karen was fighting for her life.

  Sara Foster – Don’t let this fiery redhead’s age or size fool you. This tough as nails college student can dole out zombie deaths as good as anyone in the group. Whether she’s using her custom bat blade or a rifle, she can hold her own. Jim found her being attacked in a graveyard by four teenagers. She feels a debt of gratitude for the man that saved her and she’s in this fight till the end. Devon’s death hit her hard and she is eager for the gunman’s blood.

  Frank Ellwood – This retired shop owner and hunting/fishing enthusiast was looking for his brother on Government Island when he ran into Jim’s group trying to escape the horde of zombie cows. After Frank’s attempted suicide was thwarted by Jim, he quickly became Jim’s right hand man. Frank’s a goddamn surgeon with his SKS rifle and two Berettas. With a duffle bag full of ammo, Frank helped carve a path through Vancouver on the way to Penny’s house.

  Troy – This detail oriented big brother of Karen showed up in the nick of time, rescued his sister and his two nieces from a nasty horde of monsters. With a shotgun and two crisscrossing fully loaded bandoliers on his chest, he blasted the heads clean off the growing horde of zombies that surrounded Karen’s apartment. A car crash left them stranded outside a police station. Seeking refuge and help from an officer they ended up finding Leon in a cell. They escaped again in a stolen police cruiser and continued their journey to Penny’s house. Troy and Karen worked together to bury their deceased mother.

  Leon – He’s a jack of all trades. You want a perfectly cooked flapjack, he’s your man. You need a car hotwired so you can get the hell out of dodge like a NASCAR star, you call Leon. Karen and Troy found this odd bird locked up in a Vancouver Police station. They sprung him on the promise that he would help them get to their mother’s. Leon developed a crush on Karen and the idea occurred to him that her husband may never show up. If he played his cards right Leon felt he had a solid chance to ease in there and fill Jim’s shoes. To Leon’s amazement Jim showed up this morning with a group of people. During the gunfight Le
on had Jim in his sights and could have snuffed him out right there. Troy got between them, not realizing Leon’s intent, and inadvertently blocked his shot. “I got time,” was Leon’s final thought on the matter.

  Brother Paul – He is a mysterious gentlemen who is the leader of a highly organized religious group located in the center of Vancouver. The church is well stocked with medical and food supplies. On top of that, they were armed to the teeth with automatic rifles. Jim and his crew stumbled upon them by accident and after a tense interrogation about where they were going and what their intentions were, Brother Paul had one final question for them, “Are you evildoers?” The goal was to discover if they were “good people.” He didn’t want murderers running wild and slaying civilians. Brother Paul finished by telling them he believed they were good Christians and God had told him to trust Jim to do whatever it took to protect the others, but he was going to hold Jim personally responsible for the group. If Brother Paul got wind Jim’s group was out needlessly killing humans, he promised he would find them and make Jim’s family suffer.

  Chapter 1

  A wet cough sent a spray of blood two feet into the air. As it fell back to Earth it hit the cougher in the face and splattered the kitchen floor. Jim rushed from the living room, his rifle raised and aimed at the body making the noise. He expected to find a set of black eyes staring at him from Karen’s attacker. Instead the man was looking around the room with bloodshot, but not infected peepers. He was completely disoriented by his surroundings and laid out like a starfish. A full drawer of silverware was spread to every corner of the kitchen along with a shattered coffee pot. Jim focused his anger. It’s not often a man has his wife’s attacker at his mercy. The man’s face was so badly beaten Jim almost, almost, felt bad for him, but the empathy passed.

  This asshole interrupted my family reunion. Jim spent the last five minutes holding his wife and children and it was absolutely heavenly. Twenty-four hours of Jim’s painful life slipped away with a few gentle kisses from his little girls.

  Jim rubbed the stubble on his chin. “She was the wrong woman to pick a fight with,” he sneered as he knelt down. Jim got a good look at the man’s wounds. “Eric?” Jim asked as he set his rifle on the floor next to the busted range and slid a knife from the sheath attached to his belt. Eric’s gaze met Jim’s.

  A bubble of bloody snot formed in the beaten man’s nostril. It popped and covered his upper lip in dark red goo. He had a lump the size of a golf ball under the skin on his chin and when he spoke his jaw was cocked to the side. “Please… get me to the…” Blood pooled at the back of his throat. He coughed and let the fluids drain from his wrecked lips.

  Jim raised his knife so Eric could see it. He pointed the tip at each of Eric’s wounds and listed them. “You got a split skull, busted nose, dislocated jaw and a permanent bald spot from where Karen took a bite out of you.” Jim leaned in closer so he could whisper the next part. “She told me what you wanted her to do.” His lips curled around clenched teeth. “I hope you’re in a lot of pain you son-of-a-bitch.”

  “Take me to the chu…” Eric coughed again.

  Karen shuffled into the kitchen behind Jim. Her face was swollen and she clutched her bloody shoulder where Eric had stabbed her with a fork. “He’s still breathing?”

  “Not for long.” Jim turned to face his wife. “You should go back into the living room and rest. Let me take care of this.”

  Troy entered through the front door and spotted his sister’s beaten face for the first time. Rage festered as his cheeks went flush. “Where’s the bastard that did this?” He reached for Karen and pulled her close to his chest.

  Eric spoke to anyone listening, “The church… Please, get me to the church… They have medicine… a doctor… I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have…. I’m sorry…” Eric’s mind skipped a groove and he drifted off into space.

  Troy leaned his shotgun against the wall and wrapped both arms around Karen. “What’s he mumbling?”

  “Something about a church,” Jim said over his shoulder.

  Karen gave Troy another squeeze before she let go and entered the kitchen looking for a towel. She soaked it in the sink. “What are we going to do with him?”

  Jim got to his feet and took the wet cloth. He gently worked at her face and neck. Slowly he cleaned the blood from her soft skin. He looked into her pale blue eyes and said, “Nothing. He’ll bleed out soon and-”

  “-Then we’ll take care of him together,” Troy said as he picked up his shotgun.

  Jim nodded at his brother-in-law. In the other room Valerie and Robin were already back to playing, as if nothing had happened. Jim wished he could be more like his kids and instantly forget this horrible day.

  Karen studied Jim’s busted face. He had a broken nose, black circles around each eye and a bandage on his forehead. “Do I look as bad as you?” She attempted to smile at her husband, but her swollen lips made it a challenge.

  There’s that dark humor I fell in love with. Jim smiled back at her. “We’re twins.”

  “Should we try and help him?”

  Jim was shocked Karen would even consider it after what the asshole did to her.

  Troy leaned over Eric’s wrecked face. “We don’t owe him a damn thing.” He kept the barrel of the shotgun pointed at Eric.

  “I know, but should we try?” Karen looked deep into Jim’s soul.

  He kept at his work and cleaned more blood from her face. He didn’t have an answer. Not yet.

  Something occurred to Jim and he asked, “Where’s Paris and Penny?”

  Karen’s ocean blue eyes became glassy. It was abundantly clear she had horrible news for him.

  Frank opened the passenger door to the crime scene that was Jim’s PT Cruiser. Devon’s limp arm flopped out at him. Little crimson droplets fell from the young man’s fingertips. Once Frank was sure Devon’s body wasn’t coming back as an infected, he swung his SKS out of his way and adjusted the gun’s shoulder strap. Just yesterday Jim helped Frank carry his brother, Bob, off Government Island. Prior to that, Frank hadn’t touched a dead human since his Mother passed fifteen years earlier. As he reached for Devon a horrible thought occurred to him.

  At the pace this world is falling apart, I’m going to have to get used to touching the dead.

  A sting of realization stabbed at his brain. He had a shot lined up on the gunmen, but he hesitated.

  If I had pulled the trigger when I had the chance…just maybe he would still be with us.

  Frank made a vow to himself. The next time someone had a weapon drawn on his group he would take the shot and end it right there.

  Screw that religious weirdo, Brother Paul. He has no idea what it’s like out here.

  Something moved behind him, Frank turned quickly, his hand instantly reached for the gun.

  “Let me help,” said Sara. She had a full grown toad in her throat. Frank let go of his rifle and faced her. Each nostril had a red ring around it and her eyes were glassy. She sniffed loudly and her index finger caught a tear as it fell.

  “I got it. Go inside and rest.”

  “I’m not tired and I’m not broken,” she said as she pushed her way next to Frank and grabbed Devon’s legs.

  “Alright, let’s get him to the backyard.” Frank tugged Devon’s collar until his body leaned out the passenger’s door. Frank hooked his arms under Devon’s and the two of them lifted his body from the car. They made a beeline for the closed gate next to Penny’s house.

  Sara lied when she said she wasn’t tired or broken. She was exhausted and she could feel her resolve crumbling with every passing second. The loss of her parents yesterday put the first crack in her foundation. The death of Devon was like a keg of dynamite set to demolish what was left. A burning fuse smoked as it inched closer to the explosives wrapped around her soul and Devon’s cooling body fanned the flames.

  No. I can’t break. Not now. Sara snuffed out the fire. She wouldn’t allow herself to implode. Not after everythin
g she had been through.

  If I let myself get soft and turn to mush, the infected will tear me apart.

  Sara reached over the top of the fence and popped the lock. The gate swung open and they moved quickly into the backyard. Behind the house was a large yard and fence that ran the perimeter. Beyond the fence stood a forest of towering evergreens that were so thick and dark she couldn’t see more than forty-feet into the woods. Sara noticed the freshly dug grave by the flower garden. She hustled in its direction and set Devon’s feet down on the ground.

  Frank lowered his end. He grunted, but kept his voice low. “Looks like they already started a cemetery.”

  The word cemetery sent a shiver racing down Sara’s spine and a flashback of the teens tearing at her jeans strobed in her mind. It was quickly replaced by the image of Jim beating the holy hell out of them. She instantly felt better, knowing Jim and Frank had her back in a fight.

  She flattened Devon’s wrinkled shirt. “I didn’t get to know much about him. I only met Jim and Devon a little before we ran into you.” Sara held strong as she spoke softly.

  Frank bowed his head. “He was a good fighter and uhm…he always seemed to keep a positive attitude, even when things got dark.” Frank cleared his throat. “I’m sorry kid… I let you down.”

  Sara’s brow dropped. “You didn’t let him down.”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Frank growled at himself. “I had a goddamn shot lined up on those fucking bastards and I hesitated.”