“Look,” Max said, “I need you because the gang already knows all my men and women. As far as I know, they’ve never seen you. I can’t very well send you in there with your sister, because you have to seem like a couple in love.”
“Why me and not Nick?”
“Nick is too old for the part. The real guy’s only seventeen. Claire looks young enough to pass for it. You two are the perfect ones to pull it off.”
“When do we leave?” Claire asked.
He stood and handed her a backpack. “Right now…and I’ll deal with Nick.”
“He’s not going to want me to go,” I said again.
“Pssh. And when has that ever stopped you?” Max said. “This isn’t a dangerous zombie mission. You’re just acting and getting some info, then coming right back.”
“Sounds easy enough. As long as they don’t find out we’re imposters,” Claire said.
“Do they live inside the safe zone?” I asked.
“They recently moved in. They used to live outside the city, and they’ve been quite successful living out there in the red zone. However, when the herd moved in, so did they. They’re living in an abandoned warehouse inside the safe zone, inside my city. If they’re willing to live in peace, I’ve got no problem with them staying, but if they’re planning some kind of mutiny, all bets are off.”
“So our mission is to find out their agenda and get news on your nephew, right?”
“Yes…and the clock is ticking. We’ve gotta get you in and out of there before Z comes back from his trip,” Max said.
“What happens if the real couple turns up?” I asked.
“No worries. My teams will cut ‘em off and take them to a safe location until you’re free and clear. When we get word of your safety, then we’ll release them.”
“Wait…you plan to kidnap them?” Claire asked.
Max crossed his arms. “Think of it as delaying them. I give you my word that they won’t be harmed.” Max handed a backpack to me. “Remember, the people you are supposed to be have been on a long, zombie-infested journey. You gotta pretend your feet hurt and that you’re hungry, thirsty, and dead tired. Think you can pull it off?”
“Acting like we’ve been dealing with a zombie apocalypse? Uh…yeah. I’m pretty sure we’ve got a handle on that,” I said.
He shook my hand. “You’re one of us now…and I won’t forget this.”
“What are you gonna tell Nick?” I asked.
“I’ll tell him I sent you on a harmless mission inside the city, to take food to people in need, and that you might be gone overnight.”
“Val’s not gonna be easily swayed,” I said, “and neither is Lucas.”
“Don’t worry,” Max said. “I’ve got it covered.” He handed me a list of information. “Here’s the intel we’ve gathered so far. Memorize it, then dispose of it.”
I nodded.
Chapter 26
Claire and I walked the lonely streets of the city.
She glanced down at the paper that contained all the information Max and the others knew about the couple we were supposed to imitate. “Z’s real name is Edward Jackson, but they call him Eddy. He grew up in Detroit, and I’m his best friend’s sister. You’re just tagging along because you’re my fiancé.”
“That’s good. That means they’ll know nothing about me.”
“Yeah, especially since we’ve only been dating three months.”
“But we’re engaged already? Talk about a whirlwind romance.”
“Yeah, well, apparently, I’m a little…fast.”
“Hmm. They could have at least given you a role that would have been a challenge,” I joked.
“Very funny. But you’ve made a valid point. Nick and I did move very fast. I can’t explain it. We had this crazy chemistry and we just couldn’t help but move a million miles an hour.”
“Sometimes that’s just the way love works.”
“It totally caught me off guard.” She glanced down at the paper. “Okay, I memorized everything.”
“Sure?”
“Yep. Let’s burn it.” She pulled out the lighter Max had given her and lit the corner of the paper. After it burned down to a smoldering pile of ashes, she then stomped on it.
“Let’s go, John,” she said, getting into character.
“Okay, Marla,” I said. “It feels weird calling you that.”
“Well, we can’t slip up and use our real names,” Claire said.
“I feel like a spy on some secret James Bond mission.”
“When this world gets back on its feet, they oughtta make a sequel for a post-apocalyptic 007.”
As we continued to walk down the street, I thought I smelled smoke wafting through the breeze.
Claire pointed. “There they are.”
A little ways off, a group of people were surrounding a ten-foot hole in the lawn, a makeshift hog roast.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man threw me up against wall. “We don’t like trespassers much ‘round here!” he said. “You wanna be zombie bait, kid?” Without letting me answer, he frisked me and took all my weapons. Claire flailed in his tight grasp as he disarmed her too. “What are you doing on our turf?” he gruffly demanded.
“If you don’t answer me, I’m gonna kill your pretty little girlfriend,” another man threatened.
“We’re here to see Eddy,” Claire said.
The man loosened his grip on her. “Z?”
“Yes, Z. Now go get him. If I tell him how you greeted me, you might be the zombie bait, pal,” she snapped.
The man swallowed hard, then slowly stepped back. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Marla Cinders, and this is my fiancé, John Tagem,” she lied without even wincing.
“Oh! Well, you’re a couple days early, so I didn’t—”
“Whatever,” she said, cutting him off. “We took a shortcut that paid off, and we’ve been through hell and back to get here. We barely got past the zombie herd outside the city.”
“Yeah, well, how’d you manage that?” the guy asked, sounding suspicious.
Claire sighed. “Johnny,” she said to me, “do you mind filling this guy in? I’m tired, and I’m losing my patience.”
“We found a boom box with a CD player,” I said. “We positioned it strategically, and it was enough of a distraction to create an opening for us to sneak through.”
“Bobby, my brother, told us this city is some kinda safe haven,” Claire said, “so we got here as fast as we could. I gotta say, I’m not much liking the welcome wagon.”
The man caught Claire off guard when he pulled her into an unexpected hug. “Marla,” he said, “I’m a friend of Eddy’s, of Z’s. I’m sorry. It’s just that—”
“No, I understand,” Claire said. “One can never be too careful these days.”
The man then held his hand out to me. “My apologies, buddy. We didn’t know who you were.”
“Just get Eddy,” Claire said. “I wanna talk to him right now.”
“He’s not here,” the man said, “but I’m Collin.”
“Whose wise idea was the barbecue?” Claire asked. “There are all kinds of infected animals running around on these streets.”
“Yeah, we’ve seen them,” I said. “There was this crazy raccoon with white eyes.”
“Yeah,” Collin said. “We can’t explain that one for the life of us, but we’ve shot and killed most of the vermin.”
“How can you be sure?” Claire asked.
“We can’t be sure of anything anymore, but for now, everything is under control. We’ve killed lots of critters, and we haven’t seen any in a few days. In the meantime, we can’t just live like prisoners. Besides, if any decide to show up for the party, we’ve got plenty of guns and ammo.”
“Aren’t you worried about the virus spreading to all the animals?” I inquired.
“Well, yeah, but there’s nothin’ we can do to stop it, right? Whatever happens happens, que será, será and all that. I
guess it’s just…fate,” Collin said nonchalantly, as if he had finally accepted the end of the world and come to terms with it. It was a common attitude, considering that people had to roll with the punches somewhat in an effort to survive, but it was still sad nonetheless. “Come on inside, and I’ll introduce you to everyone. Friends of Z’s are friends of ours, so make yourselves at home.”
The warehouse had been fashioned into a bunker, of sorts. About fifty beds lined the left side, and on the right side was a lounge area, with couches and chairs.
I opted to sit on a leather couch, end everyone came over and introduced themselves. Unlike the gangs I’d always seen in movies and read about in books, they weren’t thugs at all. In fact, they were rather friendly, just more people trying to live another day, trying to survive in a decrepit, desolated world.
An old woman led us outside to the lake. “You’ll need to bathe before joining us for dinner,” she said, then handed us some soap, shampoo, washcloths, and towels.
Claire glanced up at the machinegun-wielding men guarding the perimeter, then glanced back at me. “C’mon, Johnny,” she coaxed, stifling a laugh. “Get your clothes off. It’s not like I haven’t seen you before.”
I laughed a bit sheepishly, then stripped off my shirt and slipped out of my pants, making a valiant effort to keep my eyes off of my supposed fiancée who was, in reality, my possible future sister-in-law.
“Get those skanky underwear off too!” she demanded.
With no other option, I removed them as well, then jumped into the lake. It felt wonderful to wash my hair and cleanse my body of all the grime and sweat we’d worked up.
Claire shot me a look, arching her eyebrow at me.
“I was a perfect gentlemen,” I whispered. “I didn’t even look.”
“Thanks, John,” she said.
“Anytime, Marla.”
As we dried off, they brought us new clothes that fit us perfectly; clearly, they’d raided enough houses that they had every size known to man. Claire, reformed princess that she was, was quite happy with the fashionable outfit they’d picked out for her: a cute, glittery, low-cut top and light blue jeans that hugged every curve perfectly. She brushed her hair and threw it up into one of those messy buns Val loved so much.
Once we were clean and dressed, the old woman led us back inside. “Are you hungry?” she asked with a smile.
“Starving,” I said.
She handed each of us a plate topped with salad, ham, and mashed potatoes.
“Wow. I haven’t had a hot meal in forever,” I said. “Thank you.”
Claire reached for a napkin. “I don’t even remember what a hot, home-cooked meal tastes like. This is fantastic. How will we ever thank you for your kindness?”
“Eat up,” the woman said and winked at us. “That’ll be thanks enough.”
“It tastes wonderful!” Claire said as she bit into the ham.
“It’s Hawaiian style.”
“Wow,” I said, chewing the succulent, salty meat. “It’s to die for.” It truly was heaven, and I savored every bite. Until that moment, I didn’t realize just how tired I’d grown of Spam, beans, and Vienna sausages, and I was convinced that if I had to go through it all again just for another taste of that ham, it would have been worth it.
“You got yourself a real pretty lady there,” one of the men said.
I smiled. “Thanks. We’re gonna get married as soon as we find a preacher to perform the ceremony.”
“Well, Darrin’s a minister. He can marry you both right now if ya want.”
I looked at Claire, and she bit her lip hard. Me and my big mouth.
“We really want Z to be here,” Claire said.
I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for her quick comeback.
The man stood. “Folks, we’re gonna have ourselves a wedding! These two lovebirds are tying the knot!”
Those who had forks and glasses clanged them together, and others cheered and yelled for us to kiss.
Claire stood and reached her hand out. “C’mon, baby. It’s just a harmless kiss.”
I stood and awkwardly wrapped my arms around Claire’s waist and kissed her on the lips.
“You’re gonna marry that gorgeous girl, and that’s the only kiss you can muster? Heck, kid, my grandma gave better kisses than that!” the man said.
I wasn’t sure how to take that remark, but I kissed Claire again on the lips. This time, she pulled me close and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss.
“That’s more like it,” the man said.
When the excitement died down and the attention wasn’t on us any longer, Claire looked at me. “Sorry,” she said, blushing a little.
I looked into her dazzling blue eyes, and it instantly became clear to me why Nick was so crazy about her. She was such a wonderful person, so beautiful, and an amazing kisser to boot. It made no sense why Nick insisted on playing games with her. She could have had any guy she wanted, yet she chose my stubborn brother. “You don’t have to apologize. It wasn’t even real,” I said.
“Yeah, you’re right. It was 100 percent fake.”
“Right. Just…acting,” I said.
“And we won’t say a word to Nick.”
“It never happened,” I said.
“What never happened?” She laughed.
I sat back down, and Claire left to start mingling with the women.
“Your fiancé is so sweet,” a dark-haired girl said as she sat down next to me.
“Yeah, Cl…er, Marla’s wonderful,” I said, “the love of my life.”
“How long have you been engaged?” she asked.
“Three months,” I answered.
“Wow! That was quick.”
“When you find your true love in the zombie apocalypse, it’s best to snatch her right away, before a zombie does.”
The girl laughed. “I’m Sandy.”
“John,” I said, resisting the urge to tell her my real name.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure’s all mine,” I said. “So…is it really safe here?” I asked, looking around.
“Yeah, for now, but we’re gonna claim the whole city as our own before long. Maybe you and your fiancée will have a real home here, since we’re dividing all the houses.”
“I’d love that, but what about the people who are already in the city?”
“Z plans to throw them outside the safe zone.”
“Isn’t that kinda cruel?” I said. “Why can’t everybody stay?”
“Most of the people inside the city support that lab.”
“And what’s wrong with the lab?” I asked.
“We got into a huge fight with those scientists. After that, people started to mysteriously disappear. I mean, we don’t have any solid proof or anything, but they’re our lead suspects. Then we came across a group of men who said the scientists stole their vials. They had gotten their hands on a cure from a lab back in Ohio.”
“Whoa. So…what happened?”
“We decided to help the men get their vials back, and we planned to question the scientists about our missing people. Unfortunately, everything went wrong, and a battle ensued. Long story short, only a few of our men came back. Larry and Sam just sorta disappeared.”
“Maybe this Larry and Sam actually switched sides and left with their group,” I suggested. “I mean, I don’t know the guys, but…”
“Yeah, I’ve considered that,” Sandy said. “Maybe they got their hands on the vials, then killed everyone. But my gut tells me it was something else, because Sam and Larry were pretty nice. Besides that, I’m a pretty good judge of character.”
I knew Sam and Larry didn’t get the vials, but what I didn’t know was why they left in such a hurry, what spooked them and their group. I thought about Lucas’s hybrid theory. If they saw one of those things, no wonder they took off, I pondered.
“We sent people to the lab,” Sandy said. “The lab says zombies devoured them all, yet most of the
scientists survived. How is that possible? I mean, we sent men in there with military training, well armed, and not one of them made it back. How did the zombies know to pick them off? Do you think it’s possible that the scientists can control them somehow?”
“Hmm. That’s a good question,” I said. “It’s a big mystery,” I said, secretly wondering if the lab had let out a couple of hybrids to wipe out the gang.
“It doesn’t matter though. We’re gonna march in there and burn down that lab and throw every single person out of the city. We’ll take care of our own, and we won’t let anyone hurt us, not ever again.”
“Those people won’t leave without a fight,” I said.
“If a fight is what they want, a fight is what they’ll get. They’ll die in the streets there or outside the safe zone. It makes no difference to me. One way or another, Fairport will be ours.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
“My brother went on that mission, and now he’s missing,” she said. “My heart aches for him and for all the others who are hurting. We have to know what happened to our missing loved ones, and we’re tired of living like caged animals here. We deserve to have our own places, to live like humans, and we’ll have wonderful lives once we take over Fairport.”
“But at what cost?” I asked. “There are enough houses for everyone. You don’t have to throw anyone out.”
“We’re not monsters, John. Once we clean house, we’ll decide who can stay and who must go. Worthy survivors will be allowed to join our clan, as long as they’re willing to obey Z’s rules. If we decide to let some of them live, they’ll have to pay tribute. They’ll have to bring us supplies and food.”
“And bow down to Z?”
“Yes.”
In that moment, I realized just how right Max was: The gang had to be dealt with, even though I wasn’t sure how. In essence, they were nice people who were just trying to survive, and I didn’t want to see Max or anyone else burning down the warehouse with a flamethrower. There has to be a compromise, a way everyone can live peacefully. My thoughts drifted back to Sam and Larry. If they left Fairport without their prize, those vials, they had to have seen something horrific. But what? I couldn’t figure it out. Besides that, like Sandy, I had my suspicions about the lab.
The Zombie Chronicles - Book 6 - Revelation (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) Page 17