Next to him sat his twin brother, Stanley. He was dressed in camouflage hunting attire and was holding a map to the outskirts of Valparaiso.
“This is ridiculous,” said Stanley, trying to smooth out a crease in the map. “They will probably have this road blocked. We need to get off the highway and go through the country.”
“Yeah, maybe,” said Bradley. “I don’t see any sign of a roadblock. If we leave the main road, we could lose valuable time.”
“Or lead us into a trap! Come on, brother, use your head. The military isn’t going to just let us pass through the city like nothing is happening. Hell, we already know their keeping the whole zombie thing a secret. Do you really trust them?”
Bradley looked into the side view mirror at the vehicles following behind him. He had more than his life to consider. If they did come across a military roadblock, it could pose a problem for all of them. He looked at the fuel gage. They weren’t in any immediate danger of running out of fuel. “Check the map. We know where the park is located. Is there a back road leading to it?”
Stanley followed a line with his finger on the map. He smiled and looked at his brother. “Remember they wanted the park away from the city. That works to our advantage. There are four roads leading to the park.”
“How do we get to one of them?”
Stanley looked out the window and back down to the map. “Take the first right we come to.”
“Taking the first right.” He paused for a moment. “I hope we have enough ammunition. We don’t know what we’re going to find there. We also have two kids to protect. I wish we hadn’t brought them, but if something had happened to them at home, I couldn’t live with it.”
“They’re my children, Bradley. I should be doing the worrying.”
“Aren’t you, Stanley?”
“Worried about them? Of course I’m worried about them. Their mother isn’t worried about them. It really sucks I have to do all the worrying. She doesn’t give a rat’s ass about them. All she cares about is where her next score is coming from. None of the rehabs she’s been through has done her any good. The last thing I heard about her was she was living in a trailer park with her drug addict boyfriend.”
“Settle down, brother, I didn’t mean to bring up the past. Besides, you’re so much better without her. I’m proud of how you are with your children. They both love and respect you.”
“I do the best I can for them. It’s not easy. I’m not always sure I’m doing what’s best for them. Taking them to a zombie outbreak probably isn’t the best idea I’ve had.”
“We’ll keep them close. They will be safe with us.”
Stanley pointed in front of him. “Take this right. It will lead us to where we need to go.”
Bradley turned right and left the highway behind them.
Behind the utility truck, in the squad car, six people sat with handguns ready for action. They were all excited realizing they were going on a zombie hunt. They were gun enthusiasts who were ready to face the enemy and destroy them. Ethan Jakes was riding shotgun. He was nervously tapping his foot against the floorboard, caressing his weapon. He hung his head out the passenger window and stared as the utility truck in front of them took the right hand turn. He turned to the driver, Clancy Evans.
“Why are they leaving the highway? That doesn’t make any sense?”
Clancy took the right turn behind the utility truck. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter anyway. We’re supposed to follow them no matter where they go.”
“Well, I would still like to know where we’re going.”
“Settle down, Ethan, your blood pressure is going to rise.”
“Don’t worry; I brought my pills. I never go anywhere without my pills.”
They followed the utility truck down several roads until they finally reached their destination. Ethan stared out the window as they entered the parking lot.
“Welcome to hell!” he shouted as the squad car came to a grinding stop.
Ethan and his friends exited the car and met with the others at the front of the entrance.
The park looked at first glance to be deserted, but they all knew they needed to keep up their guards. Just because they didn’t see any zombies, didn’t mean they weren’t there.
Bradley stood there with his arms folded staring at the entrance. His nerves were on edge. If the place was deserted, it meant he wouldn’t find his family there. He had to look, though; he needed to be sure they weren’t there. Stanley placed his hand on his shoulder.
“It doesn’t mean anything, Bradley. We need to search the place before we jump to any conclusions.”
Bradley sighed and turned to face the others. “Carol, I want you to stay with the children until we come back. I don’t think you’re in any immediate danger. The rest of us will split up and check the park. We’re looking for any survivors who can give us information on what happened here. Be on your guard; we don’t know what we’re going to find once we enter.”
They entered the park and Bradley and Stanley went in one direction and Ethan, Clancy and their two friends went in the opposite direction.
Bradley and Stanley made their way to the innovation center where his wife said she was calling him from. She was attending a costume party at the time of the call. What they saw inside saddened them. The floor was littered with mangled bodies that no longer resembled humans. Entrails were strewn across the floor and bloody footprints ventured in different directions, as if they were trying to find a safe place to run. Bradley felt his heartrate increase.
“Don’t abandon hope, Bradley,” said Stanley. “She could have escaped before this happened.”
Bradley continued to scan the area. “It doesn’t look hopeful. I don’t see how there could have been survivors. This is something out of a horror movie.”
Stanley moved past him and into another area of the building. The carnage didn’t look any better in that area. He figured there must have been at least fifty people dead and lying on the floor, their innards all exposed. He didn’t want to venture any farther. The stench in the room was sickening. He was about to turn around when all of a sudden he heard a noise coming from a closed door inside the room. He turned to look for Bradley.
“We’re not alone,” he said, hoping Bradley could hear him.”
Bradley came into view. “What did you say?”
“Shhh, something is behind that door over there.”
They both heard the noise and Bradley took a step forward. He was hopeful that it was his wife hiding behind the door. Stanley held him back.
“It could be a zombie, Bradley. I’m not sure you want to open the door.”
“I have to know. She could have gone into hiding after she called me, or she could have called me from behind the door.”
“What about your daughter. Did she say anything about her when she called?”
“Of course she did, Stanley. She said Christy was with her. She must be in hiding with her.”
They heard the noise again and looked at each other. Bradley took another step toward the door, and this time Stanley didn’t stop him. He raised his gun and waited for his brother to make it to the door.
Bradley carefully stepped over several bodies and stopped in front of the door to listen. He couldn’t hear anything coming from the other side. He wanted to call out his wife’s name, but the words got stuck in the back of his throat. He heard another noise. He looked at the doorknob and it was slowly turning. He wondered if it could be his wife. He turned to look at Stanley as the door burst open.
“Bradley, look out!” screamed Stanley. “Christy is a zombie!”
Christy sprang from the closet and went for her father’s legs, forcing him to the ground. Stanley rushed to his aid, but he was too late. Christy had already taken a large chunk of flesh from one of his legs. Bradley was screaming in terror.
“Stop, Christy! He’s your father!” screamed Stanley.
She stopped chewing the flesh long enough to loo
k up at Stanley. She hissed at him through the pulsing ruin of her ripped-out throat. He took several steps backward and fired several shots into her skull. She fell forward onto her father, blood gushing from the wounds in her head.
Stanley rushed over to his brother and kneeled next to him. “Dammit, Bradley, she bit right through your leg.”
“Don’t let me turn, Stanley. I don’t want to become one of those things.”
Stanley stared at his brother. “What are you asking me to do? I can’t kill my own brother.”
Bradley grabbed his brother’s arm. “Please, Stanley, you have to do it. And then you have to find Felissa. She could still be alive. She’s going to need your help.”
He looked at the wound on his brother’s leg. It was raw, infected, oozing with putrescent disease. He knew his brother didn’t have long to live. He knew he would shortly become a zombie. He shook his head in defiance.
“I can’t kill my own brother.”
Bradley helped him put the barrel of his gun to his temple. “Pull the trigger, Stanley. I don’t have much time. I already feel myself starting to change. Pull the trigger!”
Stanley pulled the trigger and tossed the gun to his side. He bent over his brother and took him into his arms.
“Damn you, Bradley! Damn you!”
Ethan and the others made their way across the park, checking the scattered dead bodies as they went. They wanted to make sure none of them were turning into zombies. The last thing they needed was one of them creeping behind them without their knowledge. They made their way toward the zoo and entered. Everything was quiet. They stopped momentarily to survey the area.
“Except for all the corpses, this place is a ghost town,” said Ethan, looking around. “The zombies must have exhausted their food supply and moved on to the city limits. I don’t think we’re going to find anybody alive inside here.”
“Let’s look around and make sure,” said Clancy. “Let’s check out the reptile building. I can see it from here. I want to see what kind of reptiles they turned into zombies.”
“You want to go see a bunch of snakes? That’s an utter waste of time.”
“Come on; we need to check the whole area. We need to search inside all of the buildings. If anybody is still alive, we’ll find them hiding inside them. You’re not going to find them out in the open.”
Ethan sighed. “And we also could find a bunch of hungry zombies who couldn’t figure out how to leave the buildings. Going inside of them could be dangerous.”
Ethan relented and followed Clancy and the others to the building and went inside. The lights were dim inside and it was eerily still. Ethan felt anxious. He didn’t like being inside knowing zombies could be lurking around the corner.
Clancy was amazed by all the species of snakes locked safely behind glass enclosures. He stopped in front of one of them containing a large black snake.
“A black mamba,” said Clancy. “This is one of the deadliest snakes in the world. You mostly find them in Africa.”
Ethan stared at the snake that was trying to attack them through the glass. “It’s even deadlier now. Don’t antagonize that thing. We don’t know if it’s strong enough to break through the glass.”
Ethan walked to the next exhibit and stood there with his mouth aghast. The glass was shattered and whatever was inside was now gone. He looked at the sign next to the display. A rattlesnake was supposed to be inside. He immediately looked around the room to see if he could see the snake slithering around.
“What’s the matter?” asked Clancy, seeing the look on Ethan’s face.
“There is a rattlesnake loose somewhere in the building.”
Clancy looked at the shattered glass and then immediately toward the floor. He knew rattlesnakes were not to be messed with, especially ones who had been turned into zombies.
“It has to be here,” said Clancy. “It could be hiding anywhere. I think it’s a good idea if we leave now.”
“I agree. The quicker we get out of here, the better I will feel.”
They turned to leave but quickly stopped as they heard something coming from somewhere in front of them. It was the sound both of them recognized. The serpentine rattling sound alerted them that they had found their missing rattlesnake.
“What do we do now?” asked Ethan.
“I don’t know. I don’t even know where it’s hiding. I think we should stand perfectly still. It may not know we’re here.”
Ethan looked at him as though he were crazy. “Really? I’m sure the snake knows we’re here. This was your stupid idea coming inside the building. Now we’re trapped.”
They heard the rattling sound once more, and this time it sounded closer to them. Ethan looked desperately around the room, hoping to find something to put over the snake, but he didn’t see anything. The only weapon he had was his gun and he wasn’t the best shot. Hitting the snake was going to need the skill he didn’t possess. He looked toward the back of the room that led to another area.
“Let’s see if they have a back door. That snake isn’t going to let us out the front,” said Ethan, grabbing Clancy’s arm. “Come on before it attacks.”
They swiftly made their way into another room where much larger displays were housed. In that room the reptiles were much larger and more aggressive. Ethan felt as though he was having a heart attack. Several of the large glass enclosures were also shattered and their occupants missing. He looked at the sign on the displays. His eyes widened in terror. They were looking for several species of anaconda. According to his figures, there were at least four of them. He looked at Clancy.
“We can’t miss them. These are the largest snakes in the world. They could swallow a person whole.”
“Don’t turn around, Ethan,” said Clancy, panicking. “Two of them are right behind you.”
Ethan felt as though he was going to pass out. He really hated snakes, and he particularly didn’t like anacondas. He wanted to turn to look, but he was frozen in place. “How close are they, Clancy?”
“Close enough. They’re moving closer to you.”
Ethan looked at Clancy. He had a plan and he hoped Clancy would go along with it. He felt the presence of the snakes drawing nearer, and he knew he was now out of time. He had to react now or become snake food. He leaped toward Clancy and snatched one of his friends and spun him around right into the waiting jaws of one of the anaconda. Clancy, realizing what he had done, did the same.
The snakes began swallowing their friends’ whole while they sprinted past them, not seeing two more anacondas waiting for them. They never saw it coming. The anacondas struck first, bringing both of them to their knees. They both fought to free themselves but within minutes the anacondas had swallowed them whole.
Stanley stood over his dead brother’s body with tears streaming down his face. He couldn’t believe he had killed his brother. He knew it was the right thing to do, but he knew it was something he would have to live with the rest of his life.
He looked at the opened door that Christy had come through. He knew he had to check it out. He owed it to his brother to find his wife. Even though he knew the chances of finding her were slim, he still had to do it. He moved around his brother’s dead body and made his way carefully into another room. In the middle of the room were two dead dogs with their bodies ripped apart. Next to them was a woman, dressed as a queen in a blue dress. He knew it was Felissa. She had worn the costume for the party. He didn’t need to venture farther into the room. He could see she was dead. Her throat had been completely ripped apart, exposing her trachea. He went back to his brother and snatched the gun from the floor. He went back into the room where Felissa lay on the floor and fired three shots straight to her head. He wanted to make sure she didn’t come back as a zombie, even though he was sure she wouldn’t. He raised the gun to his head and thought about ending his own life.
He lowered the barrel and looked around. He couldn’t end his own life. He had children who were depending on him. He c
ouldn’t deny them a father. He punched the wall near the door, producing a huge hole.
He turned to leave the building. All he could think about now was getting back to his children and holding them tightly in his arms.
Outside the park, Carol was nervously watching the entrance for any sign of her friends. They had been gone a while, and she didn’t like being left behind to watch the children. She felt as though she should be inside with the others, watching their backs. She considered herself the Xena type, not the Mary Poppins type. She was an adrenaline junkie who loved scuba diving in the ocean and climbing tall mountains. She threw herself against the hood of the truck and sighed heavily. Waiting for them was killing her. She looked at the children and one of them was pointing toward the entrance. She turned to look and saw Stanley running toward them. He stopped in front of Carol.
“The others are not back yet?”
Carol looked confused. “Didn’t Bradley go with you? Where is he? Did something happen to him?”
Stanley grabbed her arm and forced her away from the truck. “He’s dead. He got bit by Christy. He took his own life. I also found Felissa dead. I think Christy killed her, as well.”
She bit her lip in dismay. She punched Stanley in the chest. “How could you let that happen? You were supposed to watch each other’s backs.”
“I tried. Christy took us completely by surprise. She rushed Bradley and bit him before either of us had a chance to react.”
She glanced over at the children. “What are you going to tell them about their uncle?”
“I have to tell them the truth. I promised them that no matter how bad it is, I would always tell them the truth.”
Carol waited as Stanley approached his children and informed them about their uncle. She watched as they gave their father a hug. She didn’t want to interrupt the family moment. She turned and looked at the entrance. The sorrow she felt was almost too much for her to bear. She should have been in their watching their backs.
Z-Day: Day Of The Zombies (The Z-Day Trilogy Book 2) Page 10