EDGE OF HUMANITY
Book 2 in the Saving Humanity Series
By Pembroke Sinclair
Copyright 2018, 2019 Pembroke Sinclair
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative
Works 3.0 Unported License.
Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
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Inquiries about additional permissions should be directed to: [email protected]
Cover Design by AG
Edited by Deanna Cooley and Donelle Pardee Whiting
Previously published as Edge of Humanity, Stitched Smile Publications, 2018
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to similarly named places or to persons living or deceased is unintentional.
ISBN-10: 9781081717537
Descent Into Darkness
Caleb felt the pounding before he heard it. The vibrations traveled through the door, through his backpack, and buzzed his spine. When the sound reached his ears, it made his eardrums pulse and throb. He lifted his head and stared into the room. His sister pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed and stared at the door behind him, eyes wide. Her hair stuck out on the sides of her head, and her face was blotched red from crying. Her limbs were tense, ready to run at the first sign of trouble. It was obvious she was afraid—and she had every reason to be.
Wearily, Caleb pushed himself off the floor and stepped to her. He and Nina had been in a situation like this more times than they should have been. He was tired of the routine, frustrated it had become an everyday part of life. The pounding was loud and unrelenting, but it wasn’t coming from inside. The undead hadn’t breached the house yet. They pounded on the walls in hopes of getting to the living. Caleb knew it wouldn’t be long. One lucky creature would stumble its way through a window, and the rest would follow. Another would aimlessly wander up the stairs, bringing the horde with it. As long as Caleb and his sister stayed quiet, the zombies would soon forget about them and wander off.
He placed his hands on his sister’s arms and waited until her eyes focused on him. Caleb needed her to quit worrying about the undead. If she focused on him, she would realize they were safe. It took several moments, and she trembled beneath his touch. When her gaze finally met his, the tension didn’t ease. A pleading entered her eyes. She pressed her lips into a line exhaling sharply through her nose—aggravation and uncertainty present. Nina was as weary as he was. Caleb wanted to fix the situation for her, but there was nothing he could do. He nodded once and squeezed her arms gently. They were both aware of the hopelessness of what the world had become. There was nothing they could do at this point but survive. He turned to the bed.
With slow, steady movements, he slid the backpack straps from his shoulders. Placing it softly on the ground, he turned his attention to the bed covers and attempted to pull them off. Nina unclenched her jaw and blinked slowly before standing from the bed, cautiously removing her backpack and setting it next to Caleb’s. She helped him remove the blankets and sheets and placed them in a pile on the floor. She tiptoed around the foot of the bed to the opposite side. Caleb reached down to put his hands under the mattress; she mirrored his movements. Their gaze met, and Caleb nodded. In unison, they lifted the mattress from the bed and quietly placed it against the door. She held it in place while Caleb got the box springs and placed them against the mattress. She held that in place too. Caleb stepped back to the bed frame. Taking a deep, silent breath, he lifted the foot of the bed and slid the frame across the room. It hitched and hesitated on the carpet, refusing to move. The pounding increased.
Irritation and anger flashed across Caleb’s face, but it fizzled out just as fast. Caleb shrugged. The zombies already knew they were there, he wasn’t exposing a secret. With the extra padding against the door, they had plenty of time to escape if/when the zombies figured out where they were. With a grunt, he pulled the bed toward the door, no longer caring if it was quiet. It thumped on the floor, then knocked into the mattresses, which proceeded to bang the door. The pounding became louder and more determined. Then came the sound of shattering glass. Caleb and Nina glanced at each other with wide eyes and scrambled to secure the bed in place. Once the headboard had the mattresses propped up, they moved the dresser and nightstand to the foot for added security. Once those were in place, they sat with their backs against it, ready to brace the barrier with their remaining strength. If they didn’t have to leave, they weren’t going to. The zombies may have been right outside the door, but Caleb and Nina were safer in this room than they were outside.
Footsteps echoed throughout the house, along with the sound of pictures sliding off walls and more breaking glass. The floor vibrated beneath them from the flurry of activity below. Nina grabbed Caleb’s hand and held on tight. Her nails dug into his flesh, but he didn’t mind. He welcomed the pain. It reminded him he was still alive.
Yes, but for how long?
The voice was soft, almost nonexistent. Still, the question made Caleb’s stomach knot and his heart slam into his ribcage.
If you survive this, you should really reconsider your survival techniques.
Footsteps thumped unevenly on the stairs. Nina inhaled a sharp breath and dug her nails even deeper into Caleb. He closed his eyes and focused on the steps. He had to be ready if they made it to the door and tried to get in. He wasn’t sure where it would come from, but he had to muster the strength to keep the undead out and his sister safe. He clenched his jaw and squeezed Nina’s hand back to keep the raging fear under control. He kept telling himself the door was secure and the zombies wouldn’t be able to break through the barrier, but part of him didn’t believe it. Part of him knew they were doomed.
Both of you are going to die in this room.
Caleb’s breath hitched, his body tensed. Nina tensed too. The footsteps thundered down the hall. The vibrations in the floor turned to shakes. He planted his feet into the carpet and pressed his back harder against the nightstand. It was an action both to ensure their safety and to keep his muscles from shuddering because of fear. Nina’s breathing came in pants. They were so quick, Caleb was convinced she was going to hyperventilate and pass out. Her grip remained strong though, and Caleb focused on her fingers tight around his instead of focusing on the worst-case scenario.
Time stopped. It always stopped when they were being hunted. As if the universe wanted Caleb to experience every excruciating moment of fear, to remember every detail of panic and dread. He hated it. Every moment changed him, pushed him deeper into despair, and made him realize how awful and hopeless the world had become. All that existed was the deafening footsteps of the undead. They paced the hall with determination. The pounding would come next, followed by the splintering of wood and the gnashing of teeth. They’d figure out they couldn’t get through the door and break down the walls instead. The thought quickened Caleb’s already fast heartbeat. His eyes flew open. If he had to run, he needed to know where he was going. There wouldn’t be much time, but Caleb and his sister would have to make it to the window to get away. With any luck, there wouldn’t be a sea of monsters waiting for them below.
Caleb tried to count how many creatures there were by isolating the different sounds their s
hoes made, but it was impossible. They all blended together in a cacophony of thuds. He bit his bottom lip. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his head started to pound. Between his rapid heartbeat and quick breaths, dizziness threated to wash over him, but it was held at bay by the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The scream rose into his throat. The urge to run twitched his legs.
Go. Get out and keep going.
If only he could. If there were a safe place, he’d go in a heartbeat.
Sweat dripped down his forehead. He held his breath in intervals to keep the scream from escaping and to prevent himself from hyperventilating. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold it in. Heat burned his face. Just when he thought he’d lose the battle, his sister’s grip on his hand loosened. He jerked his head toward her, sure she had passed out. Instead, she stared at him wide-eyed, her face pale. As Caleb stared back, he became aware the footsteps had lessened. There was no longer a stampede outside the door. The undead were losing interest. Time started again. Caleb’s breathing slowed, but the tension remained in his body. His muscles shook from fear and adrenaline draining from his system. Exhaustion settled over him, but he knew he’d never be able to rest.
Caleb squeezed Nina’s hand to let her know it was going to be all right. And for a while, it would be. He just wished it could be like before. Tears pooled on her lower lids and spilled down her cheeks. Her chin dimpled.
“I can’t do this anymore,” she whispered.
CHAPTER 1
Caleb stood by the window on the 37th floor of the Zomtech building and looked out over the city. Zomtech was one of the tallest buildings in the city, but Caleb had believed most of the floors were used as labs or areas to imprison the undead. He didn’t know the higher floors were penthouses. This apartment—and a rather impressive one—was the size of the ground floor of the house he had grown up in. The living room flowed into the kitchen, and the two walls forming the outer edge were banks of windows. Caleb hadn’t been given a grand tour, but he assumed the five closed doors behind him opened into bedrooms and probably at least one bathroom.
Darkness settled over the city. Lights blinked on and illuminated a small radius of buildings. At the far corner of his vision, almost at the edge of where the apartment’s windows ended, was a large concentration of white light. From this distance, it was about the size of a baseball, but the whiteness cut through the night obscenely. The zombie ghetto. It was supposed to make the humans feel more comfortable knowing the creatures were constantly being monitored, even in darkness no movement would go unchecked. He’d seen the light firsthand while hiding in the ghetto, and the thought of the place made Caleb’s skin crawl.
The events of the past few days ran through his mind. So much had happened, so much had changed. It all began with a video leading to Caleb discovering he was immune. It felt like a dream—he wanted it to be a dream. Rachel had been killed because of him, he’d discovered Big Zombies and Really Big Zombies actually existed, and he’d become a pawn in someone’s struggle for power.
A lump developed in his throat. Samuel. He said the name with distaste even in his mind. He had been the driving force behind it all. He had manipulated Caleb into the position he was in now. Caleb should have known; he should have suspected. But how? At the time, nothing seemed suspicious. It wasn’t like he knew Samuel very well, so he couldn’t tell if he was deceptive. Sure, he talked a lot about his conspiracy theory friends, but it wasn’t an indication of treachery. Of course, now everything was clear. But hindsight was always 20/20.
A door opened and closed behind Caleb. He continued to stare out the window, attempting to avoid looking at the zombie ghetto, but his gaze kept it in the corner of his vision. He didn’t know why he was so drawn to the place. Perhaps it was because it offered him protection and safety. As much as Caleb hated being around the undead, they wouldn’t bother him. They thought he was one of them. If the living came after him in the ghetto, they wouldn’t be afforded the same luxury. The zombies would attack, giving Caleb yet another level of protection. As much as the thought upset him, the ghetto was the safest place he could be. Even so, Caleb had no intention or desire to go back.
The sounds of cupboards opening and closing in the kitchen reached his ears, followed by the crinkle of packages and the clunk of pans on the counter. It reminded Caleb where he was and who he was with, along with what had happened to get him there.
“You were wrong, you know,” Caleb spoke without turning around.
“About what?” Samuel’s voice sounded distant and disinterested.
“About the world being black and white. Even before zombies, it was covered in gray.”
Caleb referred to the conversation he had with Samuel when he and Jan got caught at the pizza place. Samuel argued the world was no longer black and white, there was no more good and evil, and it was only about survival.
The rustling from the kitchen stopped. Several long moments of silence followed. Caleb turned, wondering if Samuel was still in the room. He stood at the counter, his hands flat on the surface, a look of contemplation covered his face. More moments of quiet slipped by. A small smile crept across Samuel’s lips. He turned his gaze to Caleb as if seeing him for the first time. His smile grew wider.
“I feel like I could argue that point with you, but I’m trying to figure out the best words to use.” He cleared his throat and straightened up, pulling his hands from the counter. “The way I see it, the world is only full of binaries. Love, hate. Strong, weak. Control, chaos. To see it any other way is a confusion of reality. It’s complicating things that don’t need to be complicated.”
Caleb pushed his eyebrows together. “Those are oversimplifications, don’t you think? I mean, love and hate are emotions, and those aren’t always clear-cut.”
Samuel held his hands out to his sides. “How are they not? Sure, you can have a range of emotions from kind of liking something to flat out hating it, but you don’t like and dislike something at the same time.”
Caleb opened his mouth to argue, but Samuel silenced him by pointing a finger at him.
“I know what you are going to say, but your argument doesn’t work. When you like or dislike the same thing, you’re not taking it in its entirety. You’re breaking it down into parts.” He shook his finger. “Let me give you an example. You hate that I’ve trapped you in this apartment and plan to use your gift to exploit people, but you like that you have a gift that can be exploited. You’ve been looking for a reason for your existence, and now you have one. It seems like one of those things couldn’t exist without the other, but they are only parts of the whole.”
Caleb shook his head. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have immunity. If you ask me, that’s the whole.”
Samuel dropped his hand to his side. “Exactly. Your immunity is the only thing that matters and what you should focus on. There’s no reason to dwell on the details, to break the big picture into smaller parts and let your emotions dictate how you act. Your emotions will only distract you from what has to be done and what is the greatest benefit to the world.”
Samuel brought his index finger to his lips and sat in silent contemplation for a moment. “Let me give you another example.” He lowered his hand to the counter. “Since humans have existed, there have always been two types of people: those who are hungry for power and will do anything to get it and those who let them. I know what I have to do to be successful and do it, while you sit back and let it happen.”
Caleb scoffed. “You make it sound so simple. Like I had so many other choices I could make. I didn’t. It was either do what you wanted, or people would get hurt.”
Samuel leaned forward. “That’s where your gray areas come in. You let it get complicated. You look at every part and try to figure out how it will impact the whole instead of just looking at the whole. The result was I wanted you. I want to know what you’re capable of. If you had just come with me, none of this other mess would have happened.” Samuel straightened up an
d shook his head. “But I knew you would never do that. I knew I had to manipulate and encourage you to do what I wanted you to do.”
Caleb’s jaw muscles tightened. “Well, I guess it means I don’t fit nicely into your black and white category.”
Samuel laughed. “On the contrary, you were the textbook definition of it. Just because a person lets things happen to them, it doesn’t mean they are aware of it. They’ll chalk it up to fate, or the universe, or that things happen for a reason. They believe they don’t have control and outside forces can’t be changed. While it’s true for some things, it’s not the case for others. It just makes you susceptible to suggestion.”
Anger squeezed Caleb’s chest. Samuel’s tone was smug and condescending. He acted like he had everything figured out, like he could bend the world to his whim.
“What about the park? You plan to have the RBZs attack us?”
His mind drifted back to the day when Samuel had been waiting for him at the police station. He was going to stay the night at Samuel’s apartment so he would be safe from his attacker. The RBZs had emerged from the woods with regulars on a leash. They said they wanted Caleb to go with them. They indicated Samuel would get hurt if he didn’t, and Caleb didn’t want Samuel to get hurt. He felt the need to protect his friend.
And look where thinking about others got you.
Caleb replayed the scenario through his mind. Had there been any indicators Samuel had been behind the whole thing? Where in their journey had Samuel given himself away? The memories were hazy from the fever he endured after the bite. He stared at Samuel, studying his face, hoping he would find the answers there.
Samuel cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips. “Of course I planned it, Caleb. I had to appeal to your sentimental side. You were so adamant about going to the police and doing things by the rules, I had to force your hand. There was no better way to do that than by exploiting your empathy.”
Saving Humanity Series (Book 2): Edge of Humanity Page 1