My Zombie Summer (Book 1): The Undead Road

by David Powers King

  Goodbye, Kaylynn . . . I hoped she could hear me.

  Wading our way through a white mist, we entered the laboratory airlock and kept moving for the office hallways. The mist made it harder for us to navigate through, and easier for Vectors to sneak up on us. Two of them jumped out of the haze, leaving me with two fewer bullets in my Glock. About six rounds left. I had to make them count. We had to keep running, had to keep fighting. I wouldn’t let Kaylynn die for nothing.

  Thanks to her, my sister was going to live.

  “Where’s Kaylynn?” Jewel asked again. “What happened to Doctor Sanders? How am I not sick?”

  “Later,” I said. “We’ve got less than five minutes.”

  “How do we get out?” Jewel cried. “I can’t see!”

  My lungs struggled to hold onto a fresh breath of air. The white mist had to be some kind of halon system. I kicked another Vector out of our way.

  “Don’t breathe too deeply,” I said.

  “Okay,” Jewel coughed. “I’m really dizzy, Jeremy.”

  “I’ll pull you to the elevator if I have to.”

  Four minutes and counting—evacuate immediately . . .

  That motivated me to pull harder. I wasn’t sure how we would get out. The undead had overrun the main door, and the first two alternate routes had led us to dead ends. Running around was pointless. In a few short minutes, we would die in an explosion that Sanders had described as a smoldering crater. To navigate through the thick mist, we would need a guide.

  The bark of a golden retriever renewed my hope.

  “Chloe!” Jewel cried.

  The dog darted through the mist, her tail wagging out of control. Jewel fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around Chloe’s neck. Now wasn’t the time. I’d sensed that Chloe agreed with me. Slipping out of Jewel’s arms, Chloe barked and pranced to a nearby corner. She must have scouted the place after chasing Cody away. We let her guide us out, and we ducked under the lunging Vectors when we entered the corridor, forcing me to use another precious bullet.

  Vectors this way. Vectors that way.

  No direction was safe.

  Hanging a right, Jewel and I flew past the chemistry wing. Another right later, we ran for the commons area, and we stopped at the elevator. Jewel tested the buttons. Nothing happened. I fished out the smartphone and swiped my finger on the screen. There were plenty of icons, but I wasn’t sure what to choose. The first two icons opened texts and algorithms, formulas and data. Nerd stuff. Only a programming expert could navigate it. The power icon flashed. The battery was about to die. Chloe barked, and Jewel tugged on my sleeve.

  “Jeremy!”

  I saw them. A massive horde had gathered at the other end of the corridor. Like water in a funnel, they had nowhere to go but towards us. Jewel tried the buttons again. I poked three more icons, including the Vector frequency and a Voice Command setting. If I stalled the countdown, it could buy us time—enough to figure out something. I activated the Voice Command.

  “Deactivate sequence Three Nine . . . err, Nine, clearance five?” I guessed.

  Voice command denied. Three minutes and counting—evacuate immediately . . .

  I wanted to smash the phone, so I yelled at it. “How do we use the elevator?”

  To request the elevator, please press and hold the call button for five seconds.

  I nearly face palmed myself. “Now she tells us . . .”

  Jewel already had her thumb on the call button. Five seconds later, we heard it coming down. The Vectors were also coming for us. Jewel grabbed the shotgun. It had no shells, but she could use it as a club.

  Chloe’s nervous pace didn’t help calm my nerves. Two of my bullets went into chests while the last found a head. Clicking on empty, I dropped the Glock, dug into my pack and pulled out the .500. Two rounds verses two-dozen plus Vectors. The worst odds ever.

  “Jeremy,” Jewel’s voice was hopeless. “We’re not gonna make it!”

  “Yes we are! Just a few more seconds . . .”

  Being so close to their dead skin and greasy hair made my insides twist. Jewel was right. This was it. If there was anything left of us, we’d become one of them. My heart was so loud I couldn’t hear their cries to eat us. Their arms rose. Their fingers curled into claws.

  I grabbed Jewel and pointed the .500 straight ahead. My hand froze. I couldn’t pull the trigger. Vector fingernails were inches away, but they didn’t scratch me.

  “What’s going on, Jeremy?” Jewel asked. “They stopped?” The Vectors answered by clearing a path for Kaylynn. “No,” Jewel cried. “Jeremy, she’s, she’s a—”

  “I know,” I said, a pang in my chest. “I know.”

  Kaylynn moved like the other bloodshot zombies, but her eyes had a new glow to them. The Vectors fell back, allowing her to step forward, as if they were following her command. The Vectors were like drones.

  And Kaylynn was their queen.

  I can hold them back . . . Get your sister out of here . . .

  “It’s not too late,” I said. “Control it, Kaylynn.”

  “Jeremy?” Jewel tugged my sleeve. She was scared.

  Apparently, she couldn’t hear what I was hearing.

  A soft ding meant the elevator door was open.

  Two minutes and counting—evacuate immediately . . .

  Kaylynn took another step. Her hand reached for me, her palm touching the dragon pendant on my chest.

  I believe in you, Jeremy . . . Keep her safe . . .

  Behind her placid face, I saw Kaylynn’s smile.

  I pulled my sister into the elevator with me.

  I promise . . . I said back, inside my head.

  Chloe ran inside before the doors closed. The Vectors resumed their attack, but their fists would never catch us now. I backed away until my shoulders pressed against the opposite wall. I slid down and sat on my heels while Jewel was holding back tears. As we went up, I tousled her head with my hand, holding back tears of my own. She knew what happened, but we couldn’t sit on our butts and feel sorry for Kaylynn. We had a lot of ground to cover and less than two minutes to spare.

  The elevator opened to the lobby with the eagle on the floor. With the alarm still blaring, we ran over to the other elevator. I pressed the call button for five seconds and waited. I knew by the time we reached the surface, we would never escape in time. So I wrapped my arm around Jewel’s trembling shoulders. Like many others before and after us, we were as good as dead.

  Chloe faced the tower elevator and barked at it. Jewel looked at me as the door opened. Three people were already inside. They had gasmasks on, and they wore blue military fatigues. They had bright flashlights on their M4s. I had no idea who they were until one of them dropped his light and removed his headgear.

  “Dad!” Jewel ran into his arms.

  His face brimmed with relief.

  I did the same when the other took her mask off.

  “Mom!”

  Chloe wagged her tail, her bark happier than ever.

  One minute and counting—evacuate immediately . . .

  The countdown was news to our parents.

  “I don’t like that,” Dad said. “Let’s move!”

  We made it to the surface thirty seconds later.

  The guy with his mask still on led us past a few hollow-headed Vectors on the ground and down the stairs to a loading area, carrying the empty 30.06 that Jewel had left behind. An armored Humvee waited for us on a narrow road. Once inside, Dad told the driver to take off. The wheels squealed on the pavement.

  I had so many questions. I had to know who the others were. We hadn’t driven passed the east pantheon when the car wobbled, as if its tires had gone flat.

  I imagined Kaylynn turning to face a wall of fire.

  Except—I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination.

  Jewel grabbed my arm, pulling me to reality.

  “What’s happening?” asked a woman.

  It wasn’t Mom, but I knew that voice.

  “A
n earthquake?” a man answered her.

  It wasn’t Dad. I knew that voice, too.

  The sky was still dark, but it brightened as fire blasted from the ground. We dodged the flame. Another pillar exploded ahead, forcing us off the road and onto the grass. The car made a hard right and stopped next to the Explorer. I looked out the front window. The memorial was on fire. Flames flew through the doors and out the windows. Seconds later, the memorial fell. The grounds close by sank into a crater, the closest thing to a fiery lake that I’d ever seen. The museum and part of the IRS building fell with it.

  I opened the door and walked to the edge of the pit. I still don’t know what possessed me to do that, but I did it anyway. Heat radiated from the hole and set fires to trees. Dirt melted as it lapped into the core. A strong hand held my shoulder, followed by a hug that only a father could give. Jewel and Mom came next. We huddled on the grass for the longest minute in history.

  Chloe’s nose touched my cheek. I rubbed the top of her yellow head. She was my responsibility now.

  “If we hadn’t seen that rifle,” Mom said, “we wouldn’t have known you were down there.”

  “Good thing you left it,” Dad said. “You’re the smartest kids.”

  “That had to be one hell of a facility.” The stranger took off his headgear. It was hard to see him in the dark. His voice and the firelight was enough to remind me who they belonged to.

  “Mason!” Jewel said it before I could.

  He chuckled. “I’m not that easy to get rid of, kid.”

  The driver door opened. A woman joined us. Her short red hair matched the glowing fire behind me. “You were right about your kids,” Sam said. “They can hold their own.”

  Even with my family holding me, my world spun.

  What was Sam doing here? “What’s going on?”

  “We found Sam after we contained the city,” said Mason. “We were looking for you when your parents showed up. We also saw what happened to the radio. Sanders messed with the frequency for some reason.” He looked over his shoulder. “What happened here?”

  “Where’s that slime ball?” Sam spat at the sidewalk.

  I glanced at Jewel. “He died. He saved us.”

  I’m still not sure why I covered for him. Sanders caused all of this. He was the one who infected the world with hungry Vectors. He may not have deserved it, but through me, history might forgive him.

  “What a mess,” Dad said. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Did Sanders have a cure?” Sam asked.

  Jewel looked at me, waiting for me to answer. “No,” I said. “There’s no cure for this.”

  “What about Kaylynn?” Dad asked.

  Chloe whined. Jewel and I had no heart to answer.

  Mom wrapped her arms around us. “I’m sorry.”

  “If we’d gotten here sooner . . .” Mason growled.

  “It may not have changed a damn thing, but at least this wasn’t a lost cause.” Sam held her hand out to me. “I was in a bad place too, Jeremy. No hard feelings?”

  I clasped her hand. Sam raised me to my feet.

  She did the same for Jewel.

  “Let’s not talk about this,” Mom said. “They’ve been through enough.”

  Thank you, Mom.

  “Well,” Sam said. “We found your kids. With Sanders and his research up in smoke, we have nothing else to do here. We’d better get back to David City.” She bit on her lip and looked at Dad. “Sure you won’t stay with us? You’ve more than earned your keep.”

  Dad shook his head. “We appreciate your help Samantha, but we’ve burdened you folks enough. We have plans of our own, better stick to them. If we find others or a better refuge, we’ll let them know.”

  “I hope you find this refuge.” Sam winked.

  Mason tipped his head. “Let’s cross paths soon.”

  As promised, they left enough gas for us to fill our explorer to the brim. Luckily for Dad, I had the keys.

  We waved farewell to Sam and Mason before we threw our gear into the family car. Mom shook her head at my lip. She came back to me with a first aid kit, bandaged me up and warned me not to touch it. Before long, Dad had the Explorer full. We sat in our seats.

  The car started. We picked up where we’d left of, heading for the cabin in the Colorado Rockies. Dawn hit the horizon a few hours later. Nothing seemed real to me, inside or outside. Everything that had happened to us was like a dream, making me question if it ever happened. Dad encouraged us to sleep. Like we could. Chloe sat between Jewel and me, resting her head.

  For the longest time, I held my sister’s hand. My other grasped my .45. After all we had been through, it would be a while before I let go of her—and my memory of Kaylynn. She was in my thoughts as I stared out the window, watching a Vector walk along the road.

  Jewel leaned next to me. “Was I infected?”

  “Yeah,” I whispered back. “The vaccine worked.”

  “You think I’ll have any powers, like Kaylynn?”

  “I have no idea, Jewel.” I glanced up to see if Mom and Dad had heard us. They were too busy looking at the road ahead. “They’ve worried about us enough. If they knew what happened, it would just complicate things.” Jewel seemed to agree. “Let’s keep it a secret.”

  She nodded and leaned back to her side of the family car. I still had questions about the Vectors and what Sanders had said about Jewel’s recovery. His smartphone had the answers, but it had no power.

  We had to find a way to juice it up later.

  I traced my thumb over the eye of Kaylynn’s dragon pendant that she left with me, knowing I would never see her again. It made me wish there was an afterlife, where I could see her—and she could see me.

  She believed in me. I swore to believe in her. As the sun rose, Dad started to sing Here Comes the Sun.

  Mom laughed, and then Jewel plugged her iPod into the stereo so the real Beatles could lead the chorus. They sang along. I was too busy looking for something to eat. I checked the back for snacks. We had chips and a granola bar. I wasn’t in the mood for any of that stuff. Except, there was one thing that I was hungry for . . .

  I looked up. “Do we have any jerky?”

  A ghost, a princess, and an adventure

  beyond life and death...

  Buy it now on Amazon!

  Two unlikely allies must journey across a kingdom in the hopes of thwarting death itself.

  All his life, Nels has wanted to be a knight of the kingdom of Avërand. Tall and strong, and with a knack for helping those in need, the people of his sleepy little village have even taken to calling him the Knight of Cobblestown.

  But that was before Nels died, murdered outside his home by a mysterious figure.

  Now the young hero has awoken as a ghost, invisible to all around him save one person—his only hope for understanding what happened to him—the kingdom’s heir, Princess Tyra. At first the spoiled royal wants nothing to do with Nels, but as the mystery of his death unravels, the two find themselves linked by a secret, and an enemy who could be hiding behind any face.

  Nels and Tyra have no choice but to abscond from the castle, charting a hidden world of tangled magic and forlorn phantoms. They must seek out an ancient needle with the power to mend what has been torn, and they have to move fast. Because soon Nels will disappear forever.

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  If you enjoyed The Undead Road, please consider leaving a review. It helps other readers discover great books, and it only takes a minute. It’s the best way to say “thank you” to any author.

  Since I was a young lad, Zombies have always been my favorite monster. I never imagined that I would write about them one day, or that my early readers would enjoy my take on them. To these readers I give thanks for their guidance in helping me find Jeremy’s voice and their feedback that provided meat (and brains) to this story. To my critique group for the honor and dread of r
eading the early drafts in all their glorious roughness, and for showing me the ropes in self-publishing.

  This book wouldn’t exist without the support of a terrific family who can’t wait for whatever I write, no matter what the subject is. Thank you for your patience and love. I do this for you more than myself.

  DAVID POWERS KING was born in beautiful downtown Burbank, California where his love for film inspired him to be a writer. He is the co-author of the YA fantasy novel WOVEN, published by Scholastic. An avid fan of science fiction and fantasy, David also has a soft spot for zombies and the paranormal. He currently lives deep in the mountain West with his wife and three children.

  To find out about new releases, visit his website and sign up for his newsletter. You can also friend him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, or follow him on Goodreads.

  Copyright © 2016 by David Powers King

  Published by Dashboard Books

  All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the author.

  Cover Design by Steven Novak

  Interior Design by Lindzee Armstrong

  Edited by Reece Hanzon

  Table of Contents

  Contents

  description

  title page

  dedication

  Preface

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine