Saving Humanity Series (Book 2): Edge of Humanity

by Sinclair, Pembroke

  Venger narrowed his eyes at Caleb. “I don’t believe you.”

  Of course, he had no reason to, but it was his fault Caleb was there in the first place. The annoyance flowing through Caleb quickly turned into anger. “I don’t care what you believe. You attacked me and then brought me here.”

  Footsteps thudded down the hall, followed by pounding. The walls shook again. Whoever—whatever—was out there sounded like they tore the place apart door by door. The urge to run surged through Caleb. His leg muscles twitched, his heart rate increased. The only thing keeping him from moving was knowing he couldn’t outrun a bullet—and he didn’t want to find out how serious Venger was about using his weapon.

  “Time is running out, Venger. It won’t be long before the threat comes pounding on our door.” Caleb had to practically yell to be heard over the ruckus outside.

  Still, Venger didn’t waver. He must have been convinced Caleb was involved in some way and had leverage with the gun pointed at him. In most cases, his assumption would be correct, especially if Samuel had the truck followed for safety. Caleb imagined a car, with Hale and a few other officers, following them out of the city. He didn’t notice them because they kept their distance and he wasn’t looking for them. Caleb had no idea why it would have taken them this long to get here or why they wouldn’t have helped after the accident, but they were here now with a vengeance. If his goons were outside, Caleb wouldn’t be hurt—and Venger had a bargaining chip.

  However, from the sounds of it, the goons had come with backup. As the footsteps continued to thud closer, Caleb was positive it was really big backup of the undead variety. RBZs certainly made the situation more complicated. The thought of warning Venger about what was coming flicked across his mind, but there wasn’t enough time. Venger would never believe him and would more than likely ask ridiculous questions. It was a moment where he was going to have to learn a life lesson the hard way.

  When the opportunity presents itself, take it. Don’t hesitate, don’t think, just run.

  The door behind Venger exploded into the room. Caleb expected his attention to be drawn behind him, but Venger took the opportunity to step forward and grab Caleb by the collar. He positioned himself behind Caleb, securing him as a bargaining tool. Caleb wasn’t going to fight him. He had to worry about his opportunity and wait for the chance to get away. Maybe Venger was his chance. Along with the door came splinters of wood and dust, adding a haze to the room. Caleb blinked to clear his vision. Once the creature was in the room, chaos would take over. Caleb actually preferred to be Venger’s prisoner. At some point, he would be able to reason with the human— not something he could do with an RBZ.

  The footsteps thudded into the room and stopped. Caleb’s eyes still watered from the debris, but he sensed the creature’s presence. The room felt heavy. The stench of rot drifted into his nostrils. A shadow fell across them. Caleb didn’t want his vision to clear. He didn’t want to see the abomination standing before him.

  A grunt echoed through the room. Venger had his arm around Caleb’s neck, the gun pointed at his head. His body jerked behind Caleb, and his arm tightened.

  “What the hell?” His voice rose an octave as he asked the question.

  Caleb cracked an eye to look at the RBZ. It stood directly in front of him, looking a bit uncomfortable in the confined space. It had to stoop to keep from hitting its head on the ceiling, and its shoulder pressed against the lockers on its right, denting the metal like it was paper. It appeared to have been male at one point. Caleb preferred to think of it as a thing. The skin was gray and wrinkled with chunks missing under the eyes and on its bald head. It wore a faded, tattered plaid shirt and shredded jeans. One of its ears was missing. As its gaze fell on Caleb, the corners of its mouth curled upward. It grunted again.

  “What is that?” Venger hissed in his ear.

  “An RBZ.”

  “A what?”

  “A Really Big Zombie.”

  “How?”

  Caleb glanced at him over his shoulder. “You’ve never heard of an RBZ?”

  “Of course I have. But I never believed they actually existed.”

  Caleb pointed at the creature. “Well, there’s your proof.”

  “What does it want? Why isn’t it attacking?”

  “It wants me.”

  “What? Why?”

  Caleb sighed. “We don’t have time to explain at the moment.”

  The RBZ snorted and stepped forward. Instinctively, Venger moved backward, pulling Caleb with him. The RBZ stopped; what was left of its eyebrows pushed together, evidently unhappy with the direction the situation headed. The smile turned into a snarl, revealing gray teeth with black specks.

  “What do we do?” Venger’s voice shook.

  “Is there another exit from this room?”

  “It connects to the bathroom, then there is another door in there leads out into the hall.”

  “How far?”

  “To our left at the end of the lockers.”

  “Okay. Start backing toward it. Don’t lower the gun. It’s your only ticket out of here.”

  Caleb heard Venger swallow before taking a step backward. Caleb’s eyes darted to where they headed. The locker room wasn’t overly large, but the exit seemed a million steps away. Surprisingly, he was much calmer than he thought he’d be. His heart beat faster than normal, but it wasn’t threatening to pound out of his chest. Maybe it was because he focused on getting away. Whatever it was, he was going to take it. He focused back on the RBZ. The creature’s scowl deepened, its eyes narrowed to slits as it watched the pair move away. The urge to take off running surged through Caleb. If he thought he could get away, he would have taken off, but he knew how fast the creatures were.

  Caleb and Venger had taken another step backward when the RBZ leaned forward and let out a skull-shattering howl. The sound echoed off the shower tiles and metal lockers. Caleb’s teeth rattled in his skull. The way Venger tightened his grip, Caleb was sure the sound threatened to explode his eardrums too. The need to escape became dire, so Caleb pushed into Venger to get him moving. They were probably six steps away from the door when the zombie finally fell silent. The cry had left Caleb feeling dizzy and disoriented. His ears felt like they had water in them and had a slight ring. He opened and closed his mouth as if the action would help him get his hearing back.

  Through the ringing and static, Caleb heard footsteps. They sounded heavy and fast—and right behind him. He turned to look over his shoulder, and as he did, the door to the next room flew open. Behind it was another RBZ. This one didn’t seem as desiccated as the other one. Thick black hair covered the creature’s head, and the skin was a light gray where it wasn’t stretched over bones and was virtually wrinkle-free and intact. While the clothes had a few tears and blood stains, they weren’t faded or caked with filth. If Caleb had to describe it, he would say this RBZ looked fresh. If Caleb had time to worry about it, how new the creature looked, it would concern him.

  Venger tightened his grip on Caleb. “Now what?” he hissed in his ear.

  Caleb glanced from one RBZ to the other. This complicated matters to a point.

  “I guess we go with Plan B.”

  “Which is?”

  Caleb didn’t know what Plan B was, but he felt he needed to say something. He wanted to ask Venger if he had any ideas, but he never got the chance. The first RBZ charged. Metal screamed against metal as it pushed off from the lockers. It would cover the distance between them in a few steps.

  Venger didn’t hesitate. He threw Caleb out of the way and fired. Two shots hit the creature in the chest and shoulder, barely slowing it down. As it drew nearer, the third shot found its mark right above the right eye. It wobbled on its feet. Caleb waited for it to fall and for the second one to attack. Instead, the creature reached up and touched the spot where the bullet hit. It grabbed the projectile, stared at it for a moment, and then dropped it. It made an ominous clank as it hit the floor. The world stopped as
Caleb’s mouth dropped open and he and Venger’s gaze met. They shared looks of disbelief and a silent question of what just happened. In a way, they looked to each other for confirmation that what just happened was real—at least Caleb was. He didn’t want it to be real because if it was, RBZs couldn’t be killed.

  The moment was cut short as the RBZ growled and stepped forward slowly, as if toying with its prey. Venger readied to fire again, but the creature was close enough to knock the gun from his hand and grab him around the head. Venger screamed and tried to pry the fingers loose. The RBZ squeezed tighter.

  Caleb stepped forward and placed his hand on the RBZ’s arm. The flesh felt cold and clammy beneath his fingers, sending a shiver up his spine. He couldn’t fight it; Caleb would never win.

  “Let him go.” He tried to make his voice low and menacing.

  The RBZ snarled and tightened his grip. The rotten flesh muffled Venger’s cry of pain. Caleb hardened his look.

  “I will go with you if you let him go.”

  The creature snorted, the snarl falling from its lips, then opened its hand. Venger collapsed onto the floor and gasped in a breath. The RBZ jerked its head to the side and turned to head out of the locker room. Caleb was supposed to follow him. Caleb glanced at Venger. He seemed disoriented and unable to catch his breath.

  As he turned to follow the RBZ, the second one from the other room stepped forward and grunted, stopping the first in its tracks. Caleb watched the exchange; a sinking feeling entered his stomach. The second zombie held up a backpack and shook it. The first zombie nudged Caleb, causing anger to surge through him.

  What does it want?

  The creature nudged him again and pointed at the backpack. Caleb stared at the RBZ, his hands out to his sides.

  “What? You want me to fill it for you?”

  The RBZ shook its head, then grabbed the backpack and threw it at Caleb’s feet. Annoyed, Caleb picked it up and cocked his arm to throw it back when something about the bag caught his attention. He held it up and looked at it closer. He’d seen it before, hanging on the back of a chair at Zomtech. He recognized the faded patch on the pocket. He’d always thought it was ironic to have a biohazard sign stitched on the backpack, but now he realized Samuel had done it on purpose.

  “This is Samuel’s.”

  The RBZ nodded.

  “You’re also looking for Samuel?” He lowered the bag.

  The RBZ nodded again.

  “I don’t know where he is.”

  The creature stepped forward and reached for Venger. Caleb intercepted it before it reached him.

  “He knows where Samuel is. It’s best if you don’t harm him.”

  The RBZ snorted and straightened up.

  Caleb knelt in front of Venger and touched his shoulder. Venger’s eyes crossed and rolled in their sockets a few times before resting on Caleb’s face.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Venger coughed. “I’ve got a pounding headache and can’t see straight.”

  “Yeah, you might be the one with a concussion now.”

  Venger frowned and blinked slowly.

  Caleb shook his shoulder gently. “Stay with me. I need your help.”

  “I can’t think straight.”

  “I need you to try. I need you to tell me where they took the other guy who was with me.”

  Venger’s eyes opened wide, and he stared at Caleb. “Your friend?”

  Caleb rolled his eyes. “Yeah, my friend. Where is he?”

  Venger’s gaze glazed over as he became lost in thought. The features on his face became pinched; it took a lot of effort for Venger to recall the memory. “They moved him … to intensive care.” His gaze focused on Caleb.

  “Great. Where?”

  “In another building.”

  “Show me.”

  Venger moved to get onto his feet, but he didn’t have the strength to stand up. Caleb grabbed his arm and supported his weight. The RBZ growled as Caleb placed Venger’s arm on his shoulders. He narrowed his eyes at the creature.

  “He knows where Samuel is,” Caleb spoke between gritted teeth.

  The creature growled again, then stepped back so the humans could walk past.

  Venger’s weight made it difficult to navigate the destruction in the room. He slipped on debris and caught himself with his hand or his knee multiple times. Sharp pain radiated through his extremities each time he hit, but he didn’t lose his grip on Venger. Several times he contemplated letting the scavenger go, but he held on. The path didn’t get easier when they stepped into the hall. It looked like the building had been hit by a tornado. The walls leaned in various directions, making the building look twisted. Splintered wood and broken doors littered the floor, along with shattered glass. At the sight of the destruction, Caleb wondered if anyone else had been in the building. The last thing he needed on his conscience was the death of those who had helped him.

  “Where am I going?” Caleb asked Venger.

  “Head back to the room you were treated in, then we’ll head to the building across the street.”

  Caleb adjusted Venger’s weight on his shoulders and headed down the hall. His gaze focused on the floor so he didn’t trip, and when he finally looked up after stepping into the room, his mouth fell open. The entire back wall had been torn down. The hot, dry desert wind stirred medical supplies scattered on the floor. The sun shone in with blinding orange light. The bed Caleb had been in was turned upside down. The IV bag had exploded on the floor; the saline evaporated into the dry air. His eyes scanned the area, taking in the broken equipment, and his gaze fell on his tennis shoes. He propped Venger on the leg of the upturned bed and pulled the shoes onto his feet.

  Venger pointed across the room. “Your friend is straight across there.” His hand dropped to his side like it weighed a ton.

  Caleb’s stomach knotted as he placed Venger’s weight back across his shoulders and stepped cautiously across the room. He glanced outside to figure out where he was going. Shadows moved in the sunshine, and visions of his dream came back to him. This must have been how he got out. A sense of relief and excitement washed through him. This nightmare was about to end. The moment of jubilance faltered. Realization hit him, the shadows were moving with purpose and order, taking defensive positions around the building; they weren’t showing him a way out. On one hand, the shadows weren’t more RBZs, but on the other, he could only imagine what he was about to step into.

  This isn’t going to be good.

  CHAPTER 11

  Caleb stopped at the edge of the wall where the building had been torn apart. His eyes had adjusted to the brightness outside, and he saw the humans positioning themselves in various places with their guns pointed at the gaping hole. They would open fire on the RBZs the moment they had a clear shot. He didn’t want to save the undead creatures, but he wasn’t sure if the attack would have any effect. Venger’s handgun couldn’t penetrate their skull, what if these couldn’t either?

  Caleb didn’t have any allegiance to the people living here. He wouldn’t even know about this place if he hadn’t been attacked. Still, he didn’t want to see them viscously slaughtered. He had no doubt pumping the RBZs full of hot lead would send the undead into a destructive, unstoppable rage.

  As he stood there weighing his options, he was shoved roughly from behind. He turned to take in the large creature. It was the desiccated one; its lips curled into a snarl. It pointed out the opening.

  “You realize you’re walking into the line of fire, right?” Caleb didn’t attempt to keep the contempt out of his voice. The creature probably had no idea what was going on outside. It may have had some intelligence, but it didn’t have enough to fully comprehend the situation. It certainly didn’t have any fear. It probably didn’t bother the creature one bit to step into the line of fire. It was already dead.

  The creature responded with a “Huh,” then pointed again.

  Caleb bit his bottom lip and held the creature’s gaze. “There’s
no reason for anyone to die. Give me a second to talk them down.”

  The RBZ cocked its head to the side and stared at Caleb. It appeared to be contemplating his words. His mind drifted to the conversation he and Samuel had in the pizza place when Samuel told him the RBZs had the mental capacity of a four-year-old. So it could understand what Caleb said, but he highly doubted the creature could comprehend the consequences of any of its actions. If it truly was like a four-year-old, it acted on a whim.

  They stood in silence, staring at each other for several long moments. Eventually, the creature lifted its head and straightened up. With its chin, it gestured toward the opening. Caleb readjusted Venger’s weight.

  “Wait here until I say to move.” He said the words slowly and loudly to the RBZ before turning toward the hole in the wall.

  “You should let my people destroy them,” Venger whispered.

  “If I had a guarantee they could, I would let them. But you saw what happened when you shot it.”

  “Good point.”

  The pair stepped into the sunlight. The warmth and brightness instantly surrounded Caleb, filling him with despair and heartache. Normally, the sun gave him welcome release from the darkness, but now it illuminated how he would never be free of the blackness. They were surrounded by guns. Thankfully, none of them were pointed at him, but there was enough firepower to take down a small zombie horde. The thought of grenades or other explosives being able to take the RBZs down crossed Caleb’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. They would also cause untold damage to the buildings and potentially the canyon walls, causing an avalanche. It wasn’t worth the risk.

  It’s not worth it. Give them Samuel, then get out.

  Caleb nodded mentally. It was the best escape plan he was going to get at the moment. He would be stupid not to take it.

  When they made it halfway across the street, True and a couple others relieved Caleb of his burden.