Z-Day: Day Of The Zombies (The Z-Day Trilogy Book 2)

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  Stanley rejoined her. “The others should have been back by now. Something must have happened.”

  “What should we do?”

  Stanley checked the other vehicles to make sure the keys were left in them. He returned to Carol. “We’ll wait fifteen more minutes and then we’ll take your truck. Once the others get back, they can take their car home. I want to get my children out of here as quick as possible.”

  Fifteen minutes passed and there was no sign of the others. Stanley took a couple steps toward the entrance and stopped. “We can’t wait for them any longer. We need to get my children out of here.”

  Carol motioned for the children to get in the bed of the truck, and she got inside the cab and waited for Stanley who was still staring at the entrance. She honked her horn and rolled the window down.

  “If we’re going to go, Stanley, let’s get a move on it. I don’t think they’re coming any time soon.”

  He got into the passenger side of the truck and looked at her. Neither one said a word. They were both thinking the same thing. The others should have been back by now. They were positive that whatever they came across inside the park must have killed them. Carol drove out of the parking lot and back onto the road. She looked back in the rearview. She was now leaving one of her close friends behind.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  John was getting restless. Hiding in the store wasn’t going to accomplish anything. He needed to find a way to get out of the area before the soldiers discovered them. He looked at the back door. It was the only option they had to get out of the store. He knew the soldiers were patrolling the streets. He stood up and walked over to Gus and Cindy.

  “We have to leave now. If we stay here any longer…well, I don’t know what will happen. I just need to get out of here. We have a fighting chance out there if we just make our move.”

  “There could still be zombies out there,” said Cindy. “Do you think it’s safe enough?”

  “I think we’ll be all right. I’m sure the military has taken care of all of them.”

  “I think it’s rather ironic. I left my job to get a job at the park. Now I’m without a job and I probably won’t be able to get my old one back,” said Gus. “Then to make matters worse, I get stuck in the middle of a zombie outbreak. I don’t think my life will get any better.”

  Cindy grabbed his hand and squeezed. She knew how he felt about everything. Her job at the park was the only one she could find. It was slim pickens out in the world and it didn’t care if you survived in it or not.

  “Come on, guys. I think John is right. Now is the time to make our move. I don’t want to stay here forever,” she said, standing up. “Come on, Gus, the quicker we get out of here, the quicker you can find another job.”

  He looked at her. He knew she was right. Nothing would be accomplished if he stayed locked in the store all day. “All right, let’s go.”

  Jake and Marie were speeding down the highway. They finally came to a patch of road that was passible and it led out of Valparaiso. Marie held on tight as he maneuvered around a van with its back doors open.

  “Hold on,” he said as he swerved around it. They never saw the zombie until it was too late. It knocked both of them off the bike, causing them to slide across the street, crashing into the side of a car with a zombie frantically trying to break through the glass. Marie’s head hit the side of the car forcibly enough it snapped her neck on impact. Jake lay in pain and covered in road rash. He looked toward the van and saw the zombie slowly making its way toward him. He felt sick. Vomit steamed out of him like gasoline on a bonfire. He tried to stand but the pain overwhelmed him. He blacked out as he heard gunfire in the distance.

  The zombie fell to the ground on top of a pile of dead carcasses. The two soldiers went over to the car and checked on Marie. She was dead. They moved her body aside and opened fire on the car, killing the zombie that was locked inside. One of the soldiers bent over Jake’s body and checked his pulse.

  “This one is still alive.”

  “What do you want to do about him?”

  “We have our orders.”

  They looked at Jake and opened fired on him. His body was riddled with bullets. The two soldiers looked at each other. They still had the rest of the highway to sweep through. So far, they had killed eight more zombies and six humans. One of them checked the time.

  “We need to wrap this up soon. We only have half a day left before we move out. I don’t want to be around here when they begin bombing this place.”

  “We should check out that bank. Let’s get all the money we can carry. Hell, this city is going to make us rich.”

  “What are you going to do with all your money?”

  “I’m going to get a new truck.”

  They continued walking down the road toward the bank. They were nearing a firetruck totally engulfed in flames. They both had a good laugh. They made their way around it just as it exploded, sending the firetruck straight up and landing on top of them as they fell to the ground.

  John unlocked the back door and slowly opened it. He stopped and listened. It was silent outside. He didn’t even hear the sound of an occasional bird flying by. He looked at Gus and Cindy.

  “Follow me; I don’t think we’re in any immediate danger.”

  They followed him outside and stopped to survey the area in the alley. They didn’t see any movement in either direction they looked. Cindy felt relieved. She bowed her head and said a silent prayer that God would safely guide them out of the area.

  “Say one for me,” said John, noticing she was praying. He waited for her to finish and pointed east. That will be our best option for getting out of here. Just watch for soldiers. I’m positive their orders are to shoot us on sight.”

  Cindy looked confused. “Why would they kill us? We’re not zombies.”

  “We’re still considered a threat. We are witnesses to what happened around here. You know this zombie outbreak will be swept under the rug. Nobody will ever know about it.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” she said. “I’m sure somebody out there knows this happened. Besides, I’m sure some of the zombie animals got away. They could bite somebody and we’ll have more zombies in the world.”

  “Does the Bible say there will be a zombie apocalypse?” asked John.

  “Of course not, that’s a silly thing to ask.”

  “Then I wouldn’t worry about the rest of the world getting infected. I’m sure it’s going to end here in Valparaiso. I’m sure the military already has a plan in place.”

  “Wait a minute, John,” said Gus. “Most military plans involve bombs. You don’t think they will drop a bomb on Valparaiso, do you?”

  “Why do you think I want to get out of the area so bad? I have already considered that scenario. If they do drop a bomb here, I don’t want to be here when they do.”

  “They wouldn’t do that,” said Cindy. “People who haven’t turned into zombies will be killed.”

  “That’s the point, Cindy,” said John, taking a step down the alley. “It’s about time you guys realize the government doesn’t care about you. They only care about themselves. Think about it. The government used to have programs setup to help the poor like welfare, food stamps and disability. Now look what they have done. They’ve cut into those programs like they didn’t matter any more. Hell, some states have cut the food stamp program because they don’t want to admit they have poor people living in their state. Some cities have even gone as far as making their homeless disappear. I heard the zombies from the park were created from homeless people. That’s your government for you.”

  “How can they get away with it?” asked Cindy. “Isn’t that against the law?”

  John laughed. “They only write the laws, Cindy. They don’t actually follow them.”

  “Wait a minute,” said Gus. “You see government officials getting arrested all the time. Look at the city of Chicago.”

  “You have to read between the lines. They only got
arrested because they pissed off some other government official. Think of it like this. Their whole organization is one big club. If somebody gets out of line, they give them the boot.”

  “I’m not voting ever again,” said Cindy. “It’s not worth it.”

  “I don’t. It’s like sealing your own fate. I voted once and I’ve regretted it ever since. The man I voted for totally screwed up the whole system and then lied about it.”

  “Guys, we need to change the subject,” said Gus. “We have zombies to worry about right now. I guess neither of you noticed the zombie in the alley in front of us.”

  They stopped walking and looked at the zombie just standing there looking at them at the other end of the alley. Its clothes were badly torn, and its face looked as though a pack of wolves had been at it. Its chest was a raw wound that should have made it impossible for it to live. It staggered toward them intent on feasting on their living flesh.

  “It looks like the military missed one,” said John. He pulled out a hunting knife he had found inside the store. “Stay behind me if it gets closer. Turn around and head in the opposite direction.”

  They did as he said and swiftly made their way down the opposite end of the alley. John peered over his shoulder. The zombie was following them, but it was having difficulty keeping up. Its legs were severely injured. He could see the flesh wounds through its ripped pants. He was grateful for that. He knew they would be able to easily lose the zombie without getting into a confrontation with it.

  They heard a shot ring out behind them, and they turned as the zombie fell to the ground.

  “Run faster,” ordered John. “It could be the military.”

  They ran faster and John peered over his shoulder. He saw a black man and two white men bending over the zombie. He stopped running and watched the men kicking the zombie in the face. He knew they weren’t from the military. He told Gus and Cindy to stop running.

  “Look, more survivors,” he said, pointing down the alley. “They took care of the zombie.”

  “Should we trust them?” asked Cindy. “They could be bad people.”

  John continued to watch the men as they turned and saw him standing there. They waved at him and started walking toward them.

  “I don’t think we have a choice now,” said John. “Here they come. I think they’re on our side. They’re not acting aggressive.”

  “How do you know for sure?” asked Gus. “We don’t know them.”

  “God sent them,” said Cindy. “I don’t know how I know but I do. God sent them to join us.”

  “Is that what you prayed for?” asked John, looking at her.

  “I prayed for help and here they are. After all, they did kill the zombie that was following us.”

  They stood there as Ned, Clive and Ralph reached them.

  “Thank God,” said Clive. “We didn’t think we would find any survivors on the street. My name is Clive and this is Ralph and Ned. We’re trying to find a way out of here.” He looked at John. He was the man who had left him to be attacked by the zombies in his store.

  “I’m John and this is Gus and Cindy, and we’re trying to do the same. Thanks for killing the zombie.” He looked at Clive. “I owe you an apology. I’m glad to see you made it out alive.”

  “No thanks to you,” said Clive. “But I forgive you. Are there any more zombies around here?”

  “I’m not sure. I saw the military sweeping through here, killing zombies. The zombies are the least of our worries right now; they’re also killing the survivors,” said John. “I don’t want to be around here if they show back up.”

  “That’s standard procedure,” said Ned. “They don’t want any witnesses to what happened here.”

  “Do you have any idea how to get out of here?” asked John. “We can’t take a vehicle; they will spot us for sure.”

  “We have to walk,” said Ralph. “The six of us can deal with whatever we come across.” He raised his weapon for them to see. “This baby will help us.”

  “Wait a minute,” said Cindy. “I know who you are. You’re the man we met in the woods. You were hunting the animals.”

  Ralph looked at her more closely. “I thought I recognized you. It’s good to see you’ve survived all the carnage.”

  They were interrupted by the sound of running feet. They peered down the street and saw two men and one woman running in their direction. John looked at Clive.

  “Let’s get them on our side. The more people we have in our group, the better our chances will be.”

  Clive nodded and stepped out of the alley so he could be seen. The others followed behind him and waited for the runners to reach them.

  Donnie, Ben and Chloe stopped in front of them, trying to catch their breath. They looked as white as ghosts, as if they were desperately trying to get away from something. After catching his breath, Donnie was the first to speak.

  “Have you seen a pack of wolves? There are six of them.”

  “There aren’t any wolves around here. At least none we’ve come across,” said John. “Where did you guys come from?”

  “We were hiding from the wolves down the street,” said Ben. “We were lucky to get away from them.”

  Clive looked around. He felt as though a hundred eyes were watching them. “Come on; we need to get off the street. Let’s hide inside where we can talk and formulate some kind of a plan.”

  The group retreated back to the building John, Gus and Cindy had been hiding in. They needed the time to plan what their next move was going to be and share information about what each group already knew.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  General Athens pulled into the school parking lot as another bus was dropping off survivors from the surrounding neighborhood. He got out of his jeep and made his way over to Captain Strain.

  “Is the perimeter secure since I see you left your post?”

  Captain Strain looked at the general. He was concerned about what was about to happen. “Lieutenant Morris has taken charge there until I return. Everything is secure for the moment. Listen, general, I need to talk to you about what is about to happen here. This isn’t constitutional.”

  He grabbed the captain’s arm and moved him away from the school so nobody could hear them. “Do you have a problem with following orders? We’re not to question our orders; we’re only supposed to execute them.”

  “I understand that. It’s just…it’s just these orders are unjust. Are we really supposed to kill American citizens? They’re not the enemy here. They’ve survived the enemy. We shouldn’t have to kill them because they survived.”

  “Listen, Lipton, these orders came from the White House. President Andrews has ordered us to silence them. Do you want to go against his executive order? Should we get a hold of him right now and explain your concerns? Besides, you’re not the one who is going to do it; I am. This is the sort of thing I’m paid to do.”

  “Then there is no way of stopping this. We’re moving ahead as though this is the right thing to do.”

  “Captain Strain, I’m ordering you back to your post. I don’t want to hear another thing about any of this, or I will make sure you get court martialed. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

  “Perfectly. I don’t know how you’re going to sleep at night after you do this. I feel sorry for you that you’re actually planning on going through with this. Have fun with your massacre.”

  He watched as the captain left. He didn’t care what he thought. An order was an order and he was going to make sure the order was carried out. He made his way back to the school and waited until the survivors were all inside. He turned to his soldiers and looked at them, wondering if any of them felt the same way as the captain did. He didn’t have any time to waste. He was growing tired of weak soldiers. He didn’t feel like he had to explain his actions to any of them. When all this was over, he meant to start weeding out the weak soldiers and make examples of them.

  He ordered all of the doors in the gym to be locked
and chained from the outside except for the main door he needed to toss the poison gas grenades inside. He looked inside the gym. There were more women and children inside than he was expecting, but it didn’t matter. Any one of them could be a potential threat to national security.

  A couple of soldiers approached him and informed him the doors were secured. He ordered them to be ready to secure the main ones as soon as the task was done, and if they refused, they would be shot.

  He handed two grenades to four other soldiers and gave them the same warning. In total, they would be tossing ten grenades inside the gym. He knew it was probably overkill, but he wanted the mission to be a success.

  He counted down from three to one, and all of them tossed the grenades inside, and the other two soldiers quickly secured the door. The general walked away with them. None of them needed to see the aftermath. He walked outside and got back inside his jeep. He turned to one of the soldiers.

  “Burn down the building. Send a detail for a final sweep of the area. Shoot anybody who is not military. You have four hours until detonation.” He left the parking lot and headed back to the roadblock leading to Wanatah.

  Inside the gymnasium, it looked as though a war had broken out. Bodies of the innocent lay strewn all over the floor. Some were by the doors leading out of the gymnasium where several people were trying to escape the poisonous gas. One of the soldiers stood outside in the hall wearing a chemical mask, staring inside through the glass. Tears were streaming down his face. He couldn’t understand how his government could authorize such a thing. It was not what he signed up for. This wasn’t the country he wanted to serve. This wasn’t the world he wanted to live in. He heard a voice from directly behind him asking him if he was all right. He turned to face his friend with the barrel of his sidearm pointing at his skull. Without thinking about what he was going to do, he fired the death shot. He fell to the ground with his sidearm still clenched in his hand. His friend stood above his body, trying to figure out why he had taken his own life. He watched as the other soldiers surrounded him.