THE VALUE OF JADE (Mace of the Apocalypse #2)

by Daniel J. Williams

  She jumped out of the car, screaming as she switched on her flashlight and waved it over her head, “Over here, you bastards!” The infected turned their attention towards her and away from the motel.

  Mace fired his weapon from inside the bathroom, obliterated the bulging and blood red eyes that peered through the cracks in the door, knowing the gun was almost drained of ammo. He jerked backwards as Jade hit the wall of their room, stunned by the sudden and sharp vibration and explosion. He understood the cause a second later when he heard the car tires as they squealed in reverse, and a second later there was enough of a space where he could see the destruction and carnage Jade had created through the cracks in the door.

  He flung open the bathroom door and sprinted by the remaining infected. It felt to him like they were reaching for him, and he thought he could feel their fingers rake across his back. They were slow in their reactions, with most having turned back towards the SUV, and he tried to keep his wits about him as he sprinted past the last of them.

  He felt a burst of relief as he cleared the confinement of the room, but immediately began screaming as an infected crept up behind Jade. She whirled around at the last second and put two bullets in its head as it reached out to grab her. She quickly pulled herself together and ran to the back of the SUV. She popped open the back as Mace caught up to her.

  “Get the flares! Get the flares! We’ve got to get them away from here!”

  Jade and Mace began digging through the back of the vehicle, tossing items out until Jade found the pouch of flares. Mace grabbed a T-shirt from one of the bags and unscrewed the gas cap to the SUV. He stuffed the shirt inside and grabbed a flare, igniting it with a snap and lighting the shirt on fire. He turned towards Jade and shouted. “Run!”

  Inside Lisa’s room, Buster was going berserk, barking, jumping, and growling at the infected whose hands were thrust inside the open window. They were trying to climb inside, but were clumsy and awkward. There were at least a dozen pulsing at the window as Lisa rushed Chelsea and Yvette to the bathroom where she slammed the door behind them. Chelsea was hysterical with fright, and Yvette was doing everything she could to keep her calm while Lisa stayed in the room, blasting away at the infected around the window opening.

  Bill sat in a corner of his room, weeping and tugging on a bottle of whiskey he kept in his bag. He was out of ammunition and was waiting for them to come inside. Jim and Mike had retreated to the bathroom, sitting silently on the edge of the tub, hearts furiously pounding like jackrabbits cornered by the wolves, waiting for the final assault.

  A few seconds before the SUV blew, Hannah came barreling out of her room, swearing and blasting away at the infected who swarmed around it. They were close enough to touch her and she kicked one in the stomach with her foot before turning to shoot another point blank in the face. Her fear had turned to anger, and she felt an adrenaline rush and invincibility as she raged at the infected who threatened her.

  The explosion shook the ground and brought everything to a halt. A huge fireball ignited the sky for a few seconds and seemed to stun the infected, who slowly turned towards the source of the explosion, covering their eyes and hissing in defiance.

  Hannah stood outside her motel room, watching in fascination as the infected forgot about her, and she began shooting the remainder directly in the sides of their heads, her adrenaline peaking with each burst of gunfire. Rushing out of the open door ten feet away stormed Paul Turchett, full of infection and bleeding profusely from numerous gashes and wounds, his face a raw mess and unrecognizable. He saw her and shrieked, lunging towards her as she lifted her gun, firing two rounds into him, one in the neck and one in the forehead. Mace had been running in her direction, watching in disbelief as she calmly disposed of the infected around her. He didn’t think he’d ever heard her utter more than one or two words and he was completely blown away as he watched her kill Paul.

  He stopped within a few feet of her, astonished. The infected were all dead around her. She turned towards him, smiling wildly at the sight of him, then swiftly walked up and passionately kissed his mouth. He could feel her tongue eagerly searching him and felt an odd tingling of excitement. He pulled away, shocked, and she laughed before turning and running away into the cover of night to hide the redness that covered her face.

  Jade came running up beside him a second later. “Did I just see what I thought I saw?” Mace was momentarily overcome with shock and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I don’t know. I’m not sure what just happened.”

  Jade quickly scanned the immediate area with her flashlight, then said, “We’d better see if everyone’s alright.” She turned to head towards Lisa’s room then stopped, glancing back towards Mace. “You’re in trouble. Just so you know.”

  Mace’s eyes followed Jade as she ran off, then towards the direction he had last seen Hannah. “What the hell just happened?” he said quietly to himself.

  Within five minutes, they were all gathered in front of the motel. All, that is, except the Turchett’s and Hannah. She was still trying to put herself together enough to face them. Mace had done his best to try to escort Lisa and Chelsea away from the carnage and put them in Mike’s truck for safety.

  The front of the motel looked like a war zone, with rubble and bodies strewn everywhere. The only bodies that were covered were Noreen and Paul's. Mace had covered them up almost immediately, wanting to ensure that Chelsea wouldn’t see them, although he figured the distorted and monstrous figures that littered the front of the motel would probably scar her for life anyway. They were the stuff of recurring nightmares and closet monsters. The only way he had recognized Paul was by his clothes. He wanted to spare the rest of them the horror show.

  No one had ventured into the Turchett’s room yet, wary of what they would find. "We should go," said Shawn, coming up from behind the hotel. He had done a quick sweep of the perimeter and relayed what he had seen. "This could still turn hopeless. There are more out there."

  "I know, but we've got to find out about Melissa," Mace said, nodding towards their door.

  "Okay, I'll start a couple bonfires. Should keep than back for a while." Shawn took off and Mace turned to see Hannah standing off by herself, eyeing him lustfully in the dimming light of the burning car. She rubbed her hands over her body as she stared at him. He didn't have time to think about it. He turned towards Mike. "Let's check out the room and get the hell out of here."

  Blood was splattered everywhere inside the Turchett's room. Mace stepped around it, motioning to Mike. “We’ve got to find out what’s behind that door,” motioning towards the bathroom.

  Mike shook his head. "I really don't want to go there."

  “Neither do I. Let’s just get this over and done with.”

  Mace raised his weapon and faced the door. “Melissa?” There was no response. He reached forward and turned the knob, pushing the door inward. His heart sank as he stared at Melissa’s body sprawled across the bathroom floor. He was about to turn when he realized there was no blood anywhere. “Hold on. Let me check her." Bending over her, he felt her neck for a pulse. “She's alive!"

  Mike looked uncomfortable. "My dad was a veterinarian. He might know what to do."

  Mace seemed surprised by the news. He'd only seen Bill sober a handful of times. "If you think he could help then go get him."

  Noticing the look on Mace's face, Mike said, "He didn't start drinking until after my mom died. He's had a rough time."

  Lisa sat with Chelsea in Mike’s truck. She was holding her and rocking her gently, humming a Sesame street tune to keep her calm. Chelsea’s head was resting on her shoulder. Lisa stopped humming when Chelsea raised her head and whispered a question in her ear. “Mommy, are the bad people ever going to go away?”

  They sat in silence for a few seconds as Lisa debated how to answer the question. Putting her hand behind Chelsea’s head, she gently pushed it back down on her shoulder as she began rocking her again. “I don’t know, honey. B
ut when we get where we’re going, we’ll make it safe again like the hospital, okay?”

  Chelsea lifted her head again and touched her mother’s face. Lisa stopped rocking and noticed the seriousness in her daughter’s expression.

  “Mommy, I want to be able to play outside. I want to play on a swing and a slide. I don’t want to live in a hospital.”

  Lisa wanted to cry. She reached up and grabbed Chelsea’s little hand, squeezing it gently as she kissed her on her nose. “I’ll get you a swing set, honey. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get you a swing set. I promise."

  Lisa could see a smile cross Chelsea’s face as she lowered her head back down on her shoulder.

  Rocking her daughter in the silence of the truck, tears spilled down her face.

  Feeling strange yet completely alive, Hannah was having trouble calming down. Her adrenaline was pumping hard and she felt like she was hooked up to a generator. She could see little sparks from the corners of her eyes as if electrical currents were shooting off her body. She wanted to have sex. The desire was almost overwhelming. Kissing Mace had just fired up that drive and left it hanging. She was standing off to herself thinking about how to deal with the craving when Jade came walking up. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Hannah turned towards her and laughed uneasily, trying to compose herself. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”

  “Melissa's alive. Maybe you could help us take care of her," she said, trying to be helpful.

  Hannah avoided eye contact with Jade. “Right now I don’t know how to take care of myself.”

  Jade reached over and touched her arm, and little electrical currents shot through Hannah from the touch. "It’s going to be alright. We’ll figure out how to get this under control.”

  Pulling away from her, Hannah walked away into the dark, saying over her shoulder, “There is no control. Don’t you understand? It takes your control away.”

  Jade watched her go, wondering if she should chase after her. “Hannah,” she called after her. “I’ll leave you alone, okay.” She started backing away in the opposite direction. “Just don’t go too far away from the light. Please.”

  Back with Mace, Jade felt lost. “What are we going to do? We just can’t stay here.”

  Mace gave her a serious look as he pondered the situation. “For now I think it’s best if we do. We’re now short a car and we’ve got an injured kid. We’ll just make sure we keep a few big fires going tonight. It will keep them at the outskirts. I don't want to think of what we could find out there in the dark."

  In the flickering light of the vehicle fire, Jade could see Hannah’s outline, watching them.

  “What are we going to do about Hannah?”

  Mace followed Jade’s eyes and slowly shook his head. “I don’t know.” He paused for a second, reflecting on Hannah’s recent actions. “She was really fierce out there.”

  Jade didn’t reply, staring now into oblivion and not listening. When she looked back at Mace her gaze had the look of silent despair. “Get us all out of here in one piece.”

  He stared out at the burning vehicle and said quietly, “I wish Father Jack were here. Or John.” He turned back towards her, holding her gaze for a few long seconds before sharing something so personal and deep that he knew it would change their relationship forever. “I saw him, J. After he died, I saw Father Jack. After I got shot at the hospital, I was just bathed in this light. It was supremely peaceful and he was just there. He was just standing there. He told me it wasn’t my time and that’s when I realized he had died.”

  Jade’s eyebrows scrunched as she studied his face. “Don’t you think it could have just been a dream? What makes you so sure it was real?”

  “I’ve thought about it every day. I know it wasn’t a dream. I have no clue who or what God really is, but I know for sure that there is a greater power out there and it is filled with love.”

  Her face softened and her eyes grew moist. “I believe you,” she said with conviction. “But why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “I don’t really know. I guess it just sounded so crazy I wasn’t sure if you’d believe me.”

  “I’ve believed in you since the first day I met you.” She reached up and kissed him on his cheek.

  “He told me I’d hear his voice from time to time. Every day I wait to hear it and everyday it doesn’t come. I’m not sure if he meant I’d just hear his voice in my memories of him.”

  Her love for him was so prevalent that he ran the backs of his fingers along her jaw line. “I'll get us all out of here. I love you.”

  From behind them Mike came up, awkwardly watching and not wanting to intrude. “Excuse me.”

  Turning their attention towards him, he said, "The girl woke up. My dad thought it would be best if a woman was there."

  “Thanks,” Mace said, patting him on the shoulder. "Jade will go. Could you get Jim and try to get a few good bonfires going? We’re going to have to finish out the night here.”

  “Sure thing.”

  They arrived at Hannah’s room, where they had moved Melissa to keep her from seeing the blood pools and splatters. Melissa was sitting up on the bed, looking bewildered. “I don’t remember anything after my parents fighting. We were all jut standing in the room…” A long pause followed as Melissa seemed to look out into oblivion. “Oh my God. Oh my God! They were everywhere!” She began hyperventilating as the memory came flooding back and Jade stepped in, taking over for Bill, who seemed greatly relieved. Jade began speaking softly to her in a reassuring tone. “They’re all gone, Melissa. You’re safe now. I want you to try to calm down. I know a little trick that works, okay? I want you to take a deep breath and hold it for a count of six, okay? Let me know when you’re ready? Are you ready?”

  Melissa put her hand on her chest, feeling the racing of her heart, and nodded weakly, still on the edge of panic.

  "Go.”

  Closing her eyes, Melissa held her breath. Mace could see her lips moving as she counted. She came to six and opened her eyes, exhaling loudly. Jade squeezed her hand and said, “Okay, now I want you to breathe slowly for a count of six, okay?”

  Melissa nodded and started breathing slowly. Jade studied her eyes and felt her wrist for her pulse. Once Melissa was done Jade instructed her to do the same thing all over again, but count to three both times instead.

  By the time she was done Melissa had calmed down enough to begin asking questions. She wasted no time getting to the heavy stuff. “Are my parents dead?”

  Jade's features softened and Mace thought he was looking at the face of an angel. Her head just nodded slightly. “I’m sorry, honey. They’re gone.”

  She grabbed her hand and squeezed it again as Melissa’s face showed no hint of emotion.

  “Am I going to be okay?”

  “We think so. We just want to watch you for a couple of days to be sure.”

  Mace had been so mesmerized by the interaction that he had, until then, failed to remember that Melissa had never received the antidote. He caught Jade's attention and pointed outside. She held her hand up and nodded, as if to say ‘okay, but give me a minute,’ and he slipped back out the door.

  Jade showed up a few seconds later. Mace leaned in and whispered, “Where did you learn all that? You were incredible.”

  "From Maria. She was an excellent nurse."

  Feeling a twinge of regret, Mace nodded. "Melissa never received the antidote. Are you sure she didn't get cut?"

  "She said one grabbed her wrist but there were no marks."

  "Good. Let’s just keep an eye on her for a few days."

  Hannah could see Mike standing by himself in the light of the burning Jeep. She felt her body quiver at the thought of relief from her desires. He was young, no older than 22 or 23, and she knew he’d be able to satisfy them. She looked around quickly before heading in his direction, light bulb flashes of electricity shooting off her body. She could feel herself getting more excited the closer she got to
him, and when he caught her eyes she could see a look of surprise on his face.

  She walked up and slid her hand against his crotch, rubbing it as she whispered in his ear. “I thought we were all going to be dead. It made me think of all kinds of things,” she said playfully. She leaned back and looked into his eyes. “I thought I’d never get to fuck again.”

  Mike was stunned. She could see that his face had turned a bright shade of red, even in the flickering light of the fire. She smiled and lifted his hand to her breast, letting out a moan as she rubbed it hard against her nipple. “Tell me you want me.” She let go of his hand, grabbing his head and kissing him eagerly and deeply. She began rubbing herself against him and could feel his body responding swiftly.

  She pulled back again and could see the lust in his eyes. His mouth was gaped open but she could tell that he was ready to play. She grabbed his hand and led him towards the bushes just out of sight of the motel. “Come here. I’ve got something for you.” She let out a little laugh and could see the light bulbs continue to pop off her body. Mike said nothing, letting her lead him, thinking of nothing except the fact that he was about to get extremely lucky.

  She stopped in a private spot, swiftly took off her pants and then ripped his belt off, kissing him hungrily, as she quickly undid the button on his jeans. She moaned as she pulled down his zipper, reaching inside his underwear to grab hold of his already erect penis. With his pants still on, she pulled him down on top of her, spreading her legs and begging him for relief. “Please,” is all she could say. “Please. Come on.” He needed no further prodding.

  The thing heard them before it ever caught sight. It had been lumbering rabidly around the perimeter of their encampment, lost in the grip of madness and rage. The explosion had turned it away from its original path, and it now staggered about in a daze.

  Hannah’s moaning caught its attention and it stopped, sensing its own form of release nearby. Her moans grew louder and it moved towards the source of the commotion. It shrieked in outrage, recognizing something in their act that tore at the blackness of its soul, and it stumbled and fell in its rush to destroy them.