Dead Hearts (Book 1): Morbid Hearts

by Susanne L. Lambdin

  The Professor sighed. “I really don’t know what this new strain of the virus does and the report isn’t clear,” he said. “Thing is, while you may have been told that our government has fallen, it’s not true at all. This report was meant for the President. I don’t know where he’s hiding, but I do know your pilot came from Cape Canaveral, which is supposedly where the last of our scientists are working on a cure. Only there isn’t a cure, Highbrow. Your father thinks the virus will go on mutating, spiraling out of control, until the human race is obliterated.”

  Highbrow felt his mouth grow dry. “Wait. My father?”

  “Son, your father isn’t dead and he never went to prison. Senator Powers wrote the report. I know it’s hard to believe, but your father was working for the C.I.A.” The Professor put his hand on Highbrow’s shoulder, trying to calm him. “All that hype about his embezzling money and being sent to prison was a cover. From what I gather, your dad was working for the Agency a long time. He’s leading a think tank at the Cape, trying to discover a cure. It’s a shame that pilot died. I have a million questions begging for answers.”

  Highbrow’s mind spun, and he buried his face in his hands. “All this time! All this time I thought my dad was a creep. I had no idea.” He looked up. “This is crazy, Professor. Are you sure it was written by my dad?”

  “The report was signed by him. I know it’s been hard on you. Your father wasn’t there for you or your mother when the Scourge broke out. I’ve heard how the other kids in camp tease you. I’m sure the scandal was hard on your family. You’re a good kid and you have nothing to be ashamed of, but no one can know what I told you.”

  Highbrow crossed his arms, feeling frustrated. “My dad left us when we needed him. I tried to take care of my mother, but one of those things, when it broke into our house . . . I couldn’t save her, Professor. I couldn’t even kill her. I left my mom in the house and came to the Peak with friends. All this time I’ve tried to believe my dad was coming here to save us. Now you tell me he wrote the report and he’s in Florida, a thousand miles away. He doesn’t even know I’m alive.”

  “Don’t give up hope yet, son. A few minutes ago you thought your father was dead. Somehow his report landed in your lap. I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe in coincidence. Would you like to come inside and take a look?”

  Highbrow wiped his face. He had to be tough. His father was alive and trying to sort things out. It seemed a miracle the box had landed in his possession.

  “I don’t know if I want to see it,” said Highbrow. “It kind of freaks me out. Freeborn is always talking about fate and how we’re destined to fight at the Peak, but I always thought she was full of it. Now I don’t know. You think the pilot really meant for me to have this report? Do you think it’s fate, Professor, or just dumb luck?”

  “Son, your dad is alive and he’s trying to get the word out about this virus. Does it matter which it is?”

  “Professor, you should burn that report and forget you ever read it. If the soldiers knew, they’d start killing anyone with a hiccup. They won’t know who to trust, and this place is crazy enough without those jerks getting trigger-happy.”

  Highbrow was unsure of what to do and stuck out his hand. The Professor looked at him, amused, and shook his hand.

  “Why don’t you go check on your new friends? You can come back and chat with me later. I won’t burn the report quite yet.”

  “Thanks for telling me,” said Highbrow. “I know you could be in big trouble for doing it, but I’ll keep it secret. I’m just blown away by what you told me. I need to sort things out in my head. I’ll be back later.”

  “I’ll have a cup of tea and conversation waiting when you do.” “I’d like that. See you, Professor.”

  Highbrow pushed the collar of his coat up and walked toward the hospital. He resisted the urge to contact Cadence and tell her the news. Instead, he went inside and looked for Savannah. Her smiling face was all he wanted to see in that moment.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Ten

  Cadence and Star went searching for Luna. The two all-girl patrols had a large fire roaring between their tents and sat around talking and eating. At the approach of Cadence and Star, they nodded and pointed to Luna’s tent.

  Cadence heard muffled voices inside, and realized Luna was not alone. Star grinned and unzipped the tent, intent on catching Luna in the middle of something wicked. They both looked inside to find two girls wiggling together under a sleeping bag.

  “Greetings,” said Star, trying hard not to laugh.

  The first head out of the sleeping bag was Luna’s, with her platinum-blonde ringlets, heavy blue-frost eye shadow, and thick, black eyeliner. The Head Hunters were gruesome in appearance, and in battle Luna was as blood-thirsty as the rest of her team, but she was beautiful as any Hollywood starlet.

  Her accomplice was none other than Raven. Before anyone could reply, Cadence tossed a light blue beret at Raven who caught it mid-air, laughing in delight.

  “Thanks! I thought you’d forgotten,” said Raven.

  “I did or I would have given it to you at lunch,” said Cadence. “Mind if we come in? We want to talk about the Code 4.”

  Without waiting for a reply, Cadence entered the tent and Star followed. Luna struggled into a pair of tight, designer jeans. She grinned at Raven as the Viking got dressed.

  “What the heck are you guys doing here?” asked Luna. “I thought my team was standing guard? I’ll need to chat with them about privacy. No one was to come in here.” She pulled a sweater over her head. “If you’re interested, we’re going to the Panthers tent. They found bottles of scotch and vodka. It’s going to be a fun party.”

  “You do know there’s a Code 4 in effect, right? We could be called into action any second,” Cadence said, reaching into her coat. “I have something for you.”

  Cadence produced the care package for Luna and tossed it to her. Luna let out a joyful cry upon seeing the makeup and pink lipstick. Raven wasn’t in the least bit interested in more lipstick, but the pink bra Luna pulled out of the bag was another matter. Both girls liked fancy lingerie.

  “Keep it down, goof balls,” hushed Cadence. “I don’t want to draw attention to the fact we’re all in here.”

  Luna perked up. “Secrets. I love secrets. Tell us what’s really going on.”

  “The Freedom Army brought in some prisoners. Destry showed up a little while ago with a medic, and I thought you might want to come with us to find out details. The scavengers from Denver have to be here by now. Soldiers have been scouring the road all evening, so it looks like something big is happening.”

  “Who cares?” Raven said. She had finished dressing and was lacing her boots. “It’s not our business what they do to prisoners. We’re gophers, nothing more. Stop acting like you’re a real soldier, Cadence. Give it a rest.”

  “Show a little respect,” said Luna, exasperated, now dressed in a light green sweater, jeans tucked into fur trimmed boots, and a black, down-filled jacket. Pink lipstick was in her hand and ready to apply.

  “Freeborn dropped by earlier,” said Raven. “I already told Luna about the fight your team had with the zombies.” She glanced at Cadence as she dabbed on lipstick. “I think your guard is going around camp telling everyone what happened.”

  “It’s true,” said Luna. “Freeborn said you blocked a huge hole in the fence, but apparently zombies still got through. I really don’t think that’s the kind of secret people need to know about, especially during a Code 4. The Bulldogs will be looking to shoot anyone who looks suspicious. Freeborn needs to be careful what she brags about.”

  “And she’s drunk,” added Raven. “You need to get her under control.”

  Cadence let out a soft curse. “She knows that kind of talk can land us in trouble, especially me. No one was supposed to know we all had guns. If they find out we took extra weapons, I’m the one who will pay for it.

  “Can’t blame the Vikings this t
ime,” Raven said with a smirk. “We didn’t take credit for your kills and we didn’t talk about it. Nor did we turn in our guns. I was true to my blood oath. I told Freeborn to keep quiet, but you know how she gets. That girl is trouble.”

  “Loose lips sink ships,” said Luna, smacking her newly painted lips.

  “I’ll deal with her my own way. If you two are ready, let’s go do a little damage control.”

  Cadence was pleased when Luna gave a nod. She started out of the tent and stopped when she heard a garbled sound coming from Star’s leather jacket. Star reached inside and pulled out a radio. Cadence let out a growl and tried to grab it, but Star evaded her.

  “Give it to me. That’s got to be Highbrow!”

  “Hush. You don’t know that.” Star motioned for the girls to be quiet. She fiddled with the dials and heard someone speaking softly. “It’s on a classified channel. I don’t think it’s Highbrow.”

  “Turn it up,” hissed Raven. “I want to hear.”

  Star turned the volume up and held the radio so they could listen.

  “. . . sir, we found two soldiers half-eaten up here.” The voice belonged to Nightshadow. “Found another body in the shower. She was rising to feed, so we took her out.”

  The Captain answered. “Nightshadow, you’re in charge of the Peak right now, so you deal with it.” The sound of gunfire peppered the background. “I’m busy right now. We’re fighting scavengers at the north fence. I’ve got reports that zombies broke through at Cascade. They have us surrounded. Send all the reinforcements you can muster from Base Camp and do it now!”

  “What about the civilians?” said Nightshadow. “The virus might spread, sir. With all these kids up here, I don’t know who has it and who doesn’t. Rafe was reported as acting sick earlier. Apparently he’s missing, and so are two infected Little Leaguers. Mother Superior gave orders to shoot them on sight.”

  The handheld filled with static.

  Raven let out a whistle. “So that was his boggle. Rafe is infected. He’s a zombie!”

  “You need to find Freeborn,” said Star, grabbing hold of Cadence and shaking her from her thoughts. “Things are heating up fast. We should gather our teams and meet at the Tiger tent in ten minutes. We can go to HQ together for more info.”

  “Agreed.”

  Cadence could not say more without getting emotional. Rafe was a zombie. It was not what she expected. She crawled out of the tent and gazed up at the Peak, drying her eyes. For all his faults she still cared about Rafe, and now he was to be shot on sight. Why hadn’t she been more understanding when she last saw him? Why had she been so mean to him? He was infected and she hadn’t noticed.

  Trying hard to keep it together, Cadence felt both relief and rage when she spotted Freeborn stumbling around and drinking. Cadence charged the girl and Freeborn froze in her tracks. Cadence knocked the beer can from her hand and punched her in the jaw. Freeborn hit the ground, laughing.

  “Why did you have to blab your mouth? Why did you tell people what happened today?” Cadence wanted to strike her again. “You’re so damn stupid sometimes. This is no time to be drunk. Get up. We have work to do.”

  Cadence reached down for Freeborn. The girl slapped her hand away and staggered to her feet.

  “So I bragged a little,” grumbled Freeborn. “People should know zombies are on the loose. They need to know the Freedom Army is a joke. This isn’t the U.S. Army. It’s not like these idiots know what they’re doing. Let’s just stop pretending, okay?”

  Everything important to Cadence was suddenly reduced to insignificance by her friend. The Freedom Army was not perfect, but they tried. They survived for a year, and that was something. Without rules and respect, there would be only chaos. She could not believe that’s what Freeborn wanted, but when she was drunk not even she knew what she wanted.

  “I should kick you out of the Tigers for this,” Cadence said in anger. “The only reason I’m not is because the Captain is in a battle and surrounded right now. We’ve been called in to help. That means you need to sober up, and do it fast. I know the Army means nothing to you but you need to realize that if any officer learns what we did today, I’ll be the one who is punished.”

  “I seriously doubt any officer is going to give a damn if the Tigers have a few extra guns,” Freeborn said. She reached into her coat pocket for another beer, but tossed it in the grass.

  “If you don’t want me around, kick me out of your unit. The War Gods are looking for a replacement. One of their members vanished. Just took off yesterday.”

  “You are my guard,” said Cadence, grabbing Freeborn by the arm. “I’ll be damned if I let you join those show offs. You’re better than any War God, and you’re better than this. I don’t know why you drink, but as of today it’s over. You’re going to pull yourself together and get back to the Tigers. That’s an order.”

  “Screw you!”

  Cadence narrowed her eyes. Freeborn backed down and lowered her head. Cadence was the dominant one between them and the reason was simple. When Freeborn first arrived at camp, she was confused, hurt, and angry. She had been unapproachable and everyone avoided her. No one liked her or wanted her on their patrol. Her drinking had been worse then, but Cadence saw something in the proud Cherokee that no one else noticed. The girl had heart. Nightshadow gave her the name because she was wild and free, and born to kick ass. Cadence was not about to lose the toughest girl in camp over a can of beer and gossip. She extended her hand once more. This time Freeborn shook it firm.

  “Okay, chief. I’ll go to the tent and get the team ready.” Freeborn turned to go, and then stopped. “I’m glad I told everyone what we did. We never get any credit. No one ever hears about what we do to keep this place safe. Well, now everyone will say we are heroes.” She pulled her braid around and brushed her hand along the eagle feather in her hair. “I want my people to be proud of me, and of the Tigers.”

  “I’m sure they are,” said Cadence. For Freeborn, her people were still alive. The spirit world was as real and tangible as the physical world, and meant a great deal to her. “I am too, Freeborn.”

  Cadence grabbed Freeborn’s arm and they marched toward the Tiger’s tent. They arrived to find Thor and Whisper staring at a dying fire.

  “I see Crazy Horse is at the liquor again,” said Thor.

  Thor patted the ground next to him and held out the edge of the plaid blanket he was wrapped in. Neither of them realized they were about to be thrown into the middle of a fight. The other teams hadn’t shown up yet. Cadence noticed a flurry of activity among the soldiers camped nearby. They were loading up and getting ready to leave. The Captain’s order was swift in its reach. Cadence knelt beside Thor and Whisper.

  “Listen up. We just heard the Captain on Star’s radio. He is surrounded by zombies and scavengers at the north fence. The fence is compromised and all soldiers have been mobilized. Look,” she pointed toward the military units. “They’re already on the move. Put out this fire and get ready to roll. Our teams are meeting here.”

  Thor jumped to his feet. Whisper was slower to rise, but he was up.

  “There’s more,” said Cadence, catching hold of Thor’s arm. “There’s been an outbreak at the Peak. Nightshadow is there with only a handful of soldiers. Apparently Rafe brought the virus back with him. He’s turned and is to be shot on sight.”

  “Rafe? Infected?” Thor was shocked. “I thought you said he was fine when you saw him last? Why didn’t you strip him down and check him? You know the rules. Why didn’t you follow him?”

  “He was clean, except . . .” Cadence remembered the blood on Rafe’s face, eyes widening.

  “You should have known something was wrong when he bugged out on you the way he did. That’s not like Rafe and you know it.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Cadence. “We’re in for a fight. Stay here. I need to go to HQ and find out what’s going on. I still haven’t heard from Highbrow. He might be at the Peak and I intend to go g
et him.”

  “I’ll go get the Vikings,” said the hulking blonde, and hurried off.

  “Our savior,” said Whisper, shaking his head.

  Smack, Blaze, Dodger, and Freeborn appeared from their tent, weapons loaded and at the ready. Whisper reached inside and dragged out three saddlebags filled with more weapons. He located his favored M24 and made sure it was loaded.

  “Anyone need a bigger gun?” asked Whisper.

  In the next few minutes, the camp bustled with activity. Soldiers were loading into trucks and pulling out. Others from base headquarters dashed out, climbing onto their motorcycles. A mass of teenagers gathered in the parking lot. There were not many vehicles left. Less than two dozen four-wheelers, a motorcycle and a large Army transport with a smashed windshield remained.

  Cadence took a fast head count. There were more than a hundred teenagers standing around, looking confused and asking questions. Not one officer or soldier was left in the camp. They had all deployed to join the Captain at the north fence.

  “Are we going to join the Captain?” Blaze asked with a cigarette clenched between her teeth. “Or are we going to the Peak? You think Highbrow is up there?”

  “I do,” said Cadence.

  Thor walked to the Tiger tent accompanied by the Vikings. Raven stood beside him wearing her blue beret. The Head Hunters arrived following Luna with their customary war paint, and dressed for a fight in metal-studded leather and chain mail. Barbarella, a large, square-jawed girl carrying a double-edged axe, marched behind Luna, leading the Amazons. They were adorned with all manner of armor and carried a range of weapons, from swords to axes to crossbows.

  Star and China Six rolled up on their ATVs. More teams filed in and joined the Fighting Tigers.