Zombified (Book 1): The Head Hunter

by Sowder, Kindra

  “What do you think they want?” Mark asked as they walked outside together. They pushed through the doors, and Mark turned to Joshua with a quizzical look.

  “I think it’s obvious it’ll have to do with Jenny, but there’s no tellin’,” Joshua answered as the crowd gathered around the podium where the G.O.D. representative would make his speech.

  One of the Teachers, the blond one, came to stand in front of the podium and tapped on the microphone to make certain it worked. As soon as she was sure she could be heard, she leaned forward and spoke into it in a cold and even tone.

  “May we have your attention, please?” she asked, her blue eyes sincere and her appearance slightly disheveled.

  The large group turned silent, Mark and Joshua watching from deep within it with skepticism that their government would have the answers to the questions everyone had. It didn’t stop Joshua from hoping that at least the answer to what they would do to save Jenny would be countered with some plan.

  She cleared her throat and leaned into the mic again. “As you all know, the Station was attacked last night, and a student was taken. Another was turned. A Government of Defense representative is here to answer any questions you have as well let us know what their plan is in regards to the Revenant’s demands.”

  The same representative who had just been there the day before to alert them that the other Stations had gone completely dark walked up to the podium as the Teacher stepped down, adjusting the mic so that he could speak into it without having to lean down.

  “Thank you,” he said as his eyes flicked to the Teacher and then back to the crowd waiting to hear what he had to say. “All Stations have currently gone dark, and we are certain that the Revenants are to blame. We do not know their numbers, but we do know that there are enough of them and that they are traveling at night. And we at G.O.D. have been told about their leader’s demand. The Head Hunter is what he wants.”

  A hand rose from within the crowd and as soon as he noticed it, he nodded in the woman’s direction.

  “Why are they demanding the Head Hunter if he’s a myth? We have been told this since the rumors started. What’s changed?” the woman asked.

  The Government of Defense representative sighed and hung his head low, a show of emotion that was never typically seen when it came to government officials, causing Joshua to feel as if something was happening they had been hiding for the last seven years. When he looked out to the crowd again, there was truth in his eyes.

  With a deep breath, he began, “There is truth to the Head Hunter story.” He paused and cleared his throat as if preparing to make an admission of some sort. Well, even more of one. “After the meteors fell, I was a member of a group of survivors. One day we made it to a lab of some sort, a government building. This building seemed protected, and Cranker corpses were everywhere. Turns out it was the headquarters of the Southern Sector of Area 51.

  “We entered the building through a bay door that had been left open. Inside there was food and equipment that would help us survive. We decided to go in deeper and moved into the main building. One floor had doors along a hallway with chains and locks on them. You could hear Crankers inside that screamed once they realized we were there. The farther we moved in, the louder they became, but we wanted to continue anyways. Curiosity got the best of us.”

  Joshua listened intently and began to move toward the front of the crowd with Mark tagging behind him. He was severely interested in the story. It was something they had never heard before, stories of the Head Hunter or any sightings being squashed and silenced by G.O.D. And the representative pushed on with the tale.

  “I couldn’t handle the noise, and I started walking back toward the bay doors we had come through to get in, but the rest of the group kept moving forward. I’ll even go as far as to admit I was a coward. Once I reached the bay doors, I heard those doors break open and the Crankers spill out into the hallway where my comrades stood. And then they were coming pouring through the door and toward me, but I froze and was backed into a corner. Another door off to the side broke open, and even more Crankers came. A man appeared, a man with red eyes and blue lines on his skin like a roadmap.

  “He grabbed me and pushed me out of the bay doors and triggered the sprinkler system, closing the bay doors and only leaving a sliver open. He hooked up the electrical wire to a massive generator outside the building, He pushed the wires under the door and flipped on the generator, electrocuting every Cranker inside the bay. Nearly cooked them to the point of burning. He helped me and introduced himself as the Head Hunter, a scientist who had worked with the former government. He got me to the border where a camp was set up by Area 51 for survivors, those living in that camp coming to work for the remaining Area 51 scientists and leaders, and this is where the Government of Defense was born. When I turned to thank him for his help, he had disappeared.”

  The crowd started asking questions, each one running into the other in a crescendo of noise. But Joshua wasn’t paying attention to them until one question was voiced from toward the back of the crowd.

  “How do we know this is the Head Hunter? Or if he is even still alive?” an older gentleman probed.

  “I’m glad you asked that question. After we built the Stations, we came across that same building again. Most of the equipment was broken or gone, and all the food stores had been raided. There were trails that led from that same bay he had saved me from to the mountains. In the distance, I saw someone watching us along the tree line, and I knew it had to be him.”

  Joshua felt he needed to step in, especially if this man was the only hope of saving Jenny. He knew there was most likely nothing they could do for Misty at this point. She had been turned, but it wasn’t too late for Jenny. Or so he hoped.

  “So you’re sayin’ he lives up there?” Joshua asked as he came closer to the front of the platform where the podium stood.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying, and to save Miss Meldano, we are going to go get him,” the G.O.D. representative replied.

  “But you can’t say for sure that it’s him so we’re going to risk our lives for what could very well be an apocalyptic fairy tale?” Mark asked from beside him, wanting to believe just as much as everyone, if not more.

  “Yes, I am certain. And yes, to save what is left of our people, I do expect you to chase him down,” the representative answered, his expression serious and firm.

  “And what about Misty?” Mark then asked.

  It was a question that had to have been in the back of everyone’s mind. It was in Joshua’s. The crowd fell silent again, waiting for his reply to the question that was on everyone’s mind. Misty, their friend, the one who had been turned by the Rev, deserved saving in whatever form it could come in. She hadn’t asked to be turned. She hadn’t asked to become a monster, and now Joshua was sure she would be treated as such, which bothered him. Then again, every Cranker or other creature they had killed over the last seven years hadn’t exactly asked to become anything, but they had killed them regardless. All in the name of survival.

  The man up front stared down at Mark after the question was asked, letting the silence stretch on until it was nearly suffocating along with the heat and humidity around them. It was as if his mind was searching for the answer to his question, like it hadn’t been discussed before he was sent to inform them of what was to happen. That let Joshua know that a lie was about to be told. Maybe not a complete lie, but one all the same. One that could result in Misty’s untimely demise at the hands of any number of G.O.D. officials.

  “I will send Government of Defense doctors in to observe the Miss Calhoun, but we will have to continue to keep her in isolation until we can be certain the extent of her change. While we know a little bit about the Revenants and the type of Sycophant infection they do spread, we are still unsure of how it affects certain individuals. While we cannot readily give out her medical information, we can state that there is a certain family history that concerns us when it
comes to how the infection affects her brain, but we won’t be certain until she makes the turn completely and survives it.”

  “And how long will that take?” another woman from within the crowd probed.

  “Sycophant infection can take anywhere from minutes to hours for completion. As of right now, she should be fully turned, but she is still unconscious, so we aren’t aware as to the extent of the change entirely. But, for now, she will remain alive and in our custody. As for Miss Meldano, we will do what we can to ensure her safety. We aren’t certain why the Revenants want the Head Hunter, but at this point, we have decided that the risk to Miss Meldano outweighs the risk of their possible use for the Head Hunter. So, as of this moment, we are taking volunteers to venture into the Smokies to go in search of him and bring him to the Station to make the trade.”

  Other implied words hung in the air. That was if they decided to make the trade to begin with, which wasn’t guaranteed. It never was with the Government of Defense. Ever. If they felt someone could better serve them, then they would do whatever it took to hold onto them and, as far as Joshua knew, Jenny was important in her own way. Her father used to work for Area 51 before the meteorite shower changed everything, so why wouldn’t they make the trade? Either way, Joshua knew what his next course of action was.

  “Now,” the representative said as his back straightened and he regained his air of authority, “who will volunteer to go out there into the Dead Zone, procure the Head Hunter, and bring him back here so we can save Miss Meldano?”

  “I volunteer,” Joshua stated as he raised his hand, barely even taking a second to think about what he was offering. If it meant saving Jenny, his friend, and the girl he had truly come to care for, he would do whatever it took. Offer up his body, mind, and soul to save her if that was what it took.

  The G.O.D. representative’s eyes met his, and they exchanged a silent vow between one another. Do whatever it takes. Joshua felt Mark shift beside him and, when he turned, Mark raised his hand into the air, giving himself over to the cause. The man up front nodded and a weak smile took residence on his lips, as if he was tired but still proud that others were still willing to fight the good fight to keep the human race afloat.

  “Good. Anyone else?” the man asked, looking out to the crowd.

  Joshua looked around, not once dropping his hand to his side to affirm his decision. After what felt like an eternity but had truly only been mere moments, other hands began to rise into the air. All of them belonged to young men except for one young woman who appeared as if she had been military her entire life based on her posture and was looking to get into the action more often. Joshua counted at least fifteen hands including his and Mark’s, and he sighed in relief.

  “Looks like we have our squad,” the representative said with a grin. “As a thank you for your service to your country, take tonight to rest. You are relieved of your duties for the evening. We leave tomorrow morning, bright and early. Report here in the courtyard and I will give each of you your assignments. Thank you for your patronage.”

  Joshua looked at Mark beside him. When their eyes met, Joshua knew he had made a true friend till the end, whenever that would be. And if they couldn’t save Jenny and Misty, that they would’ve done all they could. That he had a friend that would fight with him until death.

  ***

  Memphis, Tennessee

  July 2027

  Abandoned Memphis State Penitentiary – Isolation Chamber 4

  Jenny’s head hurt as if someone had let off a grenade inside her skull and it pounded in her ears along with her erratic heartbeat. And it was cold in the room. Wherever she was. Goosebumps spread over her flesh as her head hung low, eyes closed to whoever or whatever was around her. Her hands were bound behind her back with what she could tell was thick corded rope and she was in a basic metal chair, no padding to provide comfort of any kind. She uncurled her fingers, flexed them, and then twisted her wrists to see how tightly she was bound. Her wrists barely turned in her bindings, and she swallowed down the scream that built in her throat at not having control over her limbs. As she moved, she felt the same rope through her boots tying her ankles to the legs of the chair.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” a voice pierced the darkness her eyelids had offered.

  She recognized it instantly as the Rev who had taken her, ordering that G.O.D. bring him the Head Hunter or suffer the consequences. Those just happened to be Jenny’s death as far as he had stated, but she knew differently. She could feel it on the edges of her intuition like a lingering thing. Her body became a statue in the chair, not even daring to breathe.

  “No need to play possum, Miss Meldano. I can hear your heartbeat,” he said.

  Jenny sighed, opened her eyes, and turned her face up to look at Colonel Jenkins. Hiding in the shadows of the soft lighting, he leaned against the wall the farthest away from her, dressed in a pair of tattered dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a pair of hiking boots, hands shoved into his pockets. The room was a lot larger than Jenny had assumed, half the size of a basketball court from what she remembered about them. There was another metal chair sitting across from her with no occupant. Obviously meant for Jenkins.

  Anxiety pierced her heart again, knowing full well that she was tied to the chair in his presence. He could harm her if he wanted and she could do nothing to stop him. Maybe that was his plan all along. She flexed her wrists against the ropes again, wincing as the course material pinched her skin.

  “Why am I tied up? We all know I’m no match for you without a weapon,” she pointed out as she stared at him.

  He removed his hands from his pockets and took a few steps out of the shadows, the planes of his face becoming harsh under the direct glow of the few fluorescent lights in the room. She had heard before that Revs couldn’t handle light any brighter than this, their eyes giving them trouble because of their nighttime sensitivity. Jenkins looked angry just underneath the calm exterior.

  “We can’t be too careful. You are the daughter of Caesar Meldano, after all.”

  Jenkins came to stand behind the empty chair and placed his hands on the back, gripping the metal rails that made up the back until his knuckles were white, even the blue veins underneath blanching.

  “That’s right. You said you knew my father. If you knew him that well, you’d know he died during the meteorite strike.”

  Jenkins looked her in the eye, a shocked expression in his eyes, and then began to shake his head, making a clicking sound with his tongue as if she were a child who should know better.

  “Oh, how wrong you are. Looks like they haven’t told you,” he said more to himself than to her.

  Her brows furrowed as confusion moved through her mind. They hadn’t told her what? And it had to do with her father? And then she became even more flustered when Jenkins began to laugh, high, loud, and menacing all at the same time, causing her to startle. He was nearly doubled over with laughter as she watched him and, as soon as he stood, the smile and the light in his eyes died out completely and were replaced with hatred.

  “Of course they haven’t told you. You’re too much of an asset, and they couldn’t risk you going out into the Dead Zone on your own, now could they?” Again, this was more to himself. He didn’t seem to be speaking to her.

  In a blur of motion, he was before her and pushing her chair backward. She cried out as the back of her chair slammed into the floor. Her neck jerked as she attempted to keep her head from cracking into the concrete floor beneath her. Jenkins towered over her in an instant, leaning down over her to where they were almost nose to nose, a feral growl rumbling deep within his chest. And that was when terror finally touched her.

  “You are my key to the Head Hunter. Do you want to know why?” he barked.

  Jenny turned her face away from him, the smell of iron on his blood making her stomach turn. She gagged but swallowed the bile down, the hint of mint on his breath that he used to try to hide the smell of human blood on him only making it w
orse. Tears threatened to spill over as fear rippled through her entire body yet again. Closing her eyes, she forced the words from her throat.

  “Yes, I want to know,” she replied. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she knew exactly why. The thought that her father could still be alive had always flickered through her mind from time to time, even if she didn’t want to admit it. After all, she had never seen his body. Just that he wasn’t there after the meteorite crashed into the SUV.

  Jenkins chuckled again, his lips against her cheek as he smelled her fear rolling over her flesh like sweet smoke.

  “Fear, with a hint of resilience. You won’t stay that way for long,” he said as he sniffed at the air around her. “The Head Hunter and your father are one and the same, Jenny. Your father turned me into this—what you see before you—when he thought it was the only way out of our situation during the meteorite airstrike. He had no idea that it would turn us both into something else.”

  She turned her head to face him and ended up staring into a pair of gray eyes that were so bloodshot you almost couldn’t tell there were white underneath the red.

  “My father is dead,” she barked with conviction.

  More laughter greeted every single word she spoke.

  “No, he never was. He thought you were dead, killed by the same meteorite that took your mother. When the crimson fog descended, he ran as quickly as he could to avoid being turned by it, only to inject himself with something worse later within the walls of Area 51. The same thing he injected me with before turning the needle on himself.”

  Jenny couldn’t believe a word of it, not even a syllable as she looked into those eyes that never strayed from her own.

  “I don’t believe you,” she spat, so much anger filling her at this man’s accusation that she could only spit in frustration.

  But he didn’t back away. Jenkins lifted her from the ground and righted her chair, vertigo setting in from the slight impact her head had made with the floor. Dizziness, and then the world fixed itself, turning from the shifting atmosphere to the steady rock she so desperately needed at this moment in time.