Flesh-Eater (Book 1): Fear the Fever

by Stacey Broadbent

  Fly, sweet angel, fly so high,

  I promise you, I will not cry.”

  ZEKE

  With the dark of night setting in, and the wary looks on the faces around him, Zeke suggested that they stay the night at his place.

  Zuckerman had got to work cutting some kindling to start the fire, while Chad helped to drag bedding out to the lounge. They had decided that sleeping all in the one room was the best idea, so they could each take turns keeping watch.

  Zeke stood in the kitchen surrounded by his mother’s baking. It was hard to believe that it had only been this morning that she had been standing in this very spot, whipping up all of these treats for the bake sale. It seemed so trivial now.

  Knowing that she would hate to see it go to waste, he loaded up a selection of goodies to take through to everyone. It went down a treat. Not one crumb remained. Zeke hadn’t realised how hungry he was until he had sat down with the rest of them. It appeared that no-one had eaten much, and given the circumstances that wasn’t really a surprise.

  With their bellies full, they sat around the fire, an awkward silence falling over them. Now that all the drama was over – for the time being at least – they had gone back to being strangers.

  “Don’t everybody talk at once,” Zuckerman joked, breaking the ice.

  “I ah, I don’t think we actually had a chance to introduce ourselves. I’m Chad, this is Zuckerman and Tammy.” He pointed at each person in turn.

  Zeke laughed, “You think you need an introduction? I think everyone in town knows the starting quarterback.” He grinned, feeling strangely normal.

  “What about me?” Zuckerman asked, puffing out his chest. “Did you know who I was?”

  “Ah, yeah, sure,” Zeke humoured him. “Obviously, by now you know that I’m Zeke. And that’s Harper.” He nodded in her direction. She was already curled in a ball by the fire, the day having exhausted her. “That was her sister we buried, in case you hadn’t figured it out already,” he paused. “What did you guys mean when you said you were looking for me? What did you need me for?”

  Tammy looked at Chad, “We uh…”

  “We wanted to ask you about your dad,” Zuckerman blurted out.

  “But we can talk about it in the morning,” Tammy said, “It’s been a long day, I’m sure you want to get some rest.”

  “No, it’s okay,” he smiled his thanks at her. “What did you want to know?”

  “Well, we think that maybe he was the first one to… catch whatever this is. We wondered if you had any ideas about how he got sick,” Chad said.

  “Not anything concrete. Someone said they thought he’d poisoned himself when we did the crop dusting the other night. But I’m not buying it. Dad was always so careful. Safety first, and all that.” He scratched his neck as he thought. “What we use to spray our crops is harmless to us, just not for the…” he stopped, snapping his head up. “The mice! They carry all sorts of diseases, don’t they? He was bitten by one before he got sick! Maybe that’s where it came from?”

  “Seems feasible.”

  “Ma asked me to set traps yesterday, before we got the call… about Dad. I never actually got round to doing it…”

  “Hey, at least we have somewhere to start now. We can search the shed in the morning and set some traps too,” Chad said, finally feeling as though something was going their way. “We should probably get some sleep while we can. I can take first watch if you like,” he offered.

  “Nah. You rest. I’ll do it. I don’t know if I’ll get much sleep tonight,” Zeke said pensively.

  “If you’re sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  “Thanks, man. Wake me in a few hours to take over,” Chad said with a yawn. He stretched out on the mattress that Tammy was perched on. She peeked at him through her lashes. “Come on,” he said, patting the bed. “I’ll be the perfect gentleman, I promise.” He held up three fingers like a Boy Scout salute, a grin spreading across his face.

  Tammy giggled and curled up next to him, her back nestled into his torso. He wrapped an arm around her waist and settled in to sleep.

  Zuckerman rolled his eyes. Trust Chad to hook up in the middle of a Goddamn apocalypse! He leaned back in his chair, letting it stop in its reclined position, before closing his eyes. Within a matter of minutes, they were all sleeping soundly.

  Zeke sat in the large window seat that his mother had loved so much. If she wasn’t baking, she was sitting there, reading in the sun. On more than one occasion he had come home to find her sleeping there, her book dropped in her lap. It had been one of her favourite spots in the whole house.

  He rested his head against the frame, staring up at the stars, wondering if she was up there looking down on him. He hoped that his parents had found each other and that they were looking after Millie.

  He still couldn’t believe that they were all gone. He kept expecting to see them walk through the door, and had to remind himself that it wasn’t going to happen.

  He was all alone in this crazy world now.

  CALEB

  “Open the gate, man!” Colton’s voice came through the static of the intercom.

  “Colton? What are you doing here?” Caleb asked.

  “Just open the fucking gate!”

  Caleb hesitated a second before pushing the button beside the intercom to unlock the gates. Civilians weren’t allowed in the lab without clearance, but seeing as there was no-one here to stop him, he didn’t see the harm.

  When he had arrived the night before, a few others had hung around, but it hadn’t been long before panic began to set in and they all left to be with their families. He didn’t blame them, he would’ve too if his family was here.

  His parents lived upstate in Cleveland. It had crossed his mind to give up and get on the road to see them, but he knew it would be pointless. The roads would be gridlocked as people tried to flee from the fever that was spreading like wildfire.

  In the end, he had called his mother and told her to be prepared. If it got that far, they would need to bunker down in their shelter under the house. It was small, but there was enough room for the two of them to live comfortably for a while. They had a bed and toilet down there, and his mother liked to keep a fully stocked pantry in her house, so they should be fine for food.

  Thinking of them made him all the more determined to find a cure. There had to be something that could combat it. He refused to believe that this was the end for mankind.

  Grabbing his ID card, he jogged down the stairs to the entrance. He waved his card at the scanner, allowing him access to the first of the security doors. He could see Colton’s car parked on a diagonal and him running full speed for the door, three others following in hot pursuit.

  Caleb quickly scanned his card again, opening the final security door. “Run!” he cried, as he realised what was chasing him. “Hurry!”

  Ducking his head, Colton sped up, his arms pumping. He fell through the door, panting. “Close it!” he screamed as he lay sprawled on the floor. Caleb pressed a button, sealing the doors just as his assailants reached them. They ran head first into the door, their hands pawing at it, trying to find a way in.

  “Oh Jesus,” Caleb whispered, staring at their grey, drawn faces. Their red eyes almost glowing as they flicked between him and his friend. One had a gash across his face, exposing his jaw.

  “Can they get through that?” Colton asked, catching his breath.

  “It’s security glass, they shouldn’t be able to. B-but we should move just in case.” He backed up to the other door, unable to take his eyes away from the scene in front of him. He felt around for the scanner and fumbled with his ID card, before the door finally whooshed open. They stepped through and he again punched a button to seal it. He pointed down the hall to the elevator shaft. “This way.”

  “It’s crazy out there, man. People have gone nuts. They’re looting, and setting fires. The highways are all backed up, and those things are fucking everywhere man!�
� Colton threw his arms around in an arc to make his point. “They just came out of nowhere. It happened so fast,” he was rambling, the reality beginning to sink in. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he whispered, raking his hand through his dishevelled hair. “The screaming,” he stopped, looking him in the eye, “Caleb, it’s really fucking bad out there.”

  Caleb puffed out the breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding. “Do you know how far it’s spread?” he asked quietly.

  “I don’t know, but there are reports that it’s all over Ohio,” he said deflated. “I’m sorry, man.”

  Caleb nodded. “I told them to be prepared. You know them, they always have enough food to feed an army.” He tried to smile, hoping that they had listened to him and took up shelter.

  “Yeah, your old man’s a tough old buggar,” Colton agreed. “They’ll be fine.” He looked around the lab that Caleb had been holed-up in since he’d last seen him. “So this is where it all happens, huh?”

  “Yup. Welcome to my sanctuary.” He fell back into his seat, his arms outstretched. “Cosy, isn’t it?”

  “It’s a helluva lot better than being out there.” Colton hitched his thumb behind him. “I figured this place’d be safer than anywhere else.”

  “We’ll soon find out, won’t we?” He turned to the screen on the wall beside the intercom, switching it on. “We can use this to see around the outside; keep an eye on our friends out there. Did any others get in the gate?”

  “I don’t think so, but you know, I was kinda busy running for my life. The details are a little fuzzy.”

  “As long as no others get through the gate, we should be pretty safe.”

  “What about the ones that are inside already?”

  “Hmm. I don’t know. It would be good to get a sample of their blood…”

  “Ha ha, very funny.”

  Caleb watched them continuously pawing the door on the screen. “No. I’m serious. This could be the only way to find a cure. I need to study them,” he said with an excitement that scared Colton. Under different circumstances, this would have been his dream job; finding the cure to a life-threatening disease.

  “You know how crazy this sounds, right? You have a death wish I don’t know about?”

  “Come on, think about it. The only way we can know for sure what we’re dealing with, is if I get some samples.”

  “And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

  “I’m not sure yet. How human are they?”

  “How human are they? They’ve come back from the dead and are eating people. I don’t think that qualifies as human,” Colton said incredulously.

  “I know that,” he said. “I mean, what can they do? Do they think like us? They can obviously run. Can they climb?” he asked, beginning to pace. “What are they capable of? You’ve seen them out there. Tell me what you know.”

  TAMMY

  Rolling onto her back, Tammy stretched her arms above her head and yawned. She looked around the room. For a brief moment there, she had forgotten where she was and the happenings of the previous day. She sat up, scanning the room. Chad sat by the window, watching her with a smile. She crawled out from under the blanket, careful not to wake the others.

  “You’re just in time,” he whispered, as she joined him by the window. She raised an eyebrow in question. “The sun is just starting to come up, look.” He pointed across the fields to the pink-orange colours breaking over the horizon.

  “Wow, it’s so beautiful,” she said, watching in awe. “So much better than the view from my place in town.”

  “Yeah, it sure is something.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in to his side. “You look cold.”

  “Mmm, it is a bit nippy.”

  “I’ve got a jacket in the car, I can go grab it if you want,” he offered.

  “I’m actually quite happy to just warm up like this. If you don’t mind that is,” she said shyly. Chad grinned at her.

  “Of course.”

  “Get a room,” Zuckerman mumbled from his recliner, making her giggle.

  “Aww, don’t be jealous Z,” Chad grinned. Without opening his eyes, Zuckerman lifted his hand and flipped him the bird. “Classy,” Chad chuckled.

  “Hey, do you think it would be alright if I rustled us up some breakfast?” Tammy asked.

  “I’m sure that would be fine. Everyone could probably do with a decent feed, given the day we had yesterday, there’s no telling what we could be up against today.”

  Tammy nodded, releasing herself from his grip and padded over to the kitchen. There was a basket of eggs on the counter, so she decided on scrambled eggs. After filling the kettle and switching it on, she rummaged through the cupboards to find a frying pan and a large bowl. She found some sausages and tomatoes in the fridge and pulled those out too. She turned on the oven and got a blob of butter melting in the frying pan while she whisked the eggs. She pricked the sausages and put them in the oven, before slicing the tomatoes. She went back to the cupboards and pulled out a smaller pan for those. While the pans were heating up, she grabbed some mugs down from the shelf and scooped coffee into each one.

  With the tomatoes sizzling in the small pan, she poured the egg mix into the other, gently pushing it around with a wooden spoon until it was cooked. She took the pan off the stove and set it down while she went to look for plates.

  “Here, let me help,” Zeke said as he pulled them out of the cupboard.

  “Oh, sorry, I hope you don’t mind. I wanted to do something nice for everyone,” Tammy stammered.

  “It’s fine, Tammy. Thanks.” Zeke smiled, handing her the plates. “I’ll pour the coffees.”

  With plates full, they carried them through to the lounge where the others were now rousing from their sleep, the smell of cooked food making their stomachs grumble.

  “Legend,” Zuckerman said as he stuffed a forkful of egg into his mouth.

  “You’re welcome,” Tammy smiled, handing a plate to Chad. “There’s coffee too.” She went back to retrieve the tray of steaming mugs. “I didn’t know how everyone took it, so there’s cream and sugar if you want it.”

  “Sit down. You’re making me feel lazy,” Zuckerman said, adding three scoops of sugar to his cup. Tammy looked on with a raised brow. “What? I like it sweet.” He grinned.

  “Where’s Harper?” she asked.

  Zuckerman nodded his head to the window, “Out there.”

  “Oh. Do you think I should take her some food?” Tammy asked.

  “I think that’s a really sweet thing to do,” Zeke said. “She needs to eat.”

  Tammy grabbed one of the coffees from the tray and a plate from the counter. She carried them outside, stepping gingerly down the steps towards the big oak tree.

  “Harper?” she said as she approached, so as not to scare her. “I’ve got some breakfast for you.” She held the food out in front of her.

  “I’m not really hungry,” Harper sniffed, and Tammy felt bad for interrupting her.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. It’s just that, you didn’t eat much last night and you need to keep your strength up. Please eat something.” She set the plate down beside her. “I made eggs,” she sang, in an attempt to get a smile.

  “Thanks.” Harper ignored the food and continued picking the petals off the flower in her hand as she stared at the makeshift cross the boys had put up. “I miss her,” she whispered.

  “Oh, honey, I know you do.” Tammy dropped to her knees beside her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Harper clamped her hand over Tammy’s, leaning her head to rest on her chest. “We’re all here for you.”

  “I know. I’m just used to being the one looking after people, not the other way around.”

  “Everyone needs to be looked after every now and again. Come on, why don’t you come back inside?”

  “I will. Just give me one more minute with her.”

  Tammy nodded, getting to her feet. “Okay. But if you’re not back
inside soon, I’ll drag you in there myself.” She gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “See you soon.”

  CHAD

  “How is she?” he asked when Tammy came back in.

  “As good as can be expected. They must’ve been really close.”

  “They were,” Zeke said softly, watching out the window. “That’s why I want to help you. We need to make sure no more of our friends end up…” his voice trailed off as visions of Millie flashed through his head.

  Clearing his throat, Chad said, “We really appreciate it, man. We’re gonna get to the bottom of this.” Zeke nodded, his eyes following Harper as she made her way back to the house. “I know it’s crazy in town,” he continued, “but I was hoping that after we set the traps, we could head back. Just for a little bit. I’d like to check on my family. If that’s okay.”

  “You haven’t seen them?” Tammy questioned with a worried expression. “I just assumed…”

  “No. We were on a bus heading out of town with the team, when one of the guys…” he motioned between himself and Zuckerman, “we got out with two others and we were trying to get to the hospital to get help for Coach. Then he turned too. We had to leave our friend behind when he got sick and couldn’t go any further. We were trying to help them,” he whispered.

  “When we got to the hospital, they told us there was nothing they could do,” Zuckerman added. “That’s when we decided to start our own search. We couldn’t just give up.”

  “In our haste to find answers, it never occurred to us to check on our families. That’s really bad isn’t it? Family should be the first thing you think of in times like this.” Chad hung his head in shame, rubbing the palms of his hands over his eyes.

  “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. You were trying to help your friends. I think that’s really courageous.” Tammy rubbed his back. “If they’re anything like you, I’m sure your family will be fine,” she offered.

  “I didn’t even say goodbye to them before leaving,” he muttered.

  “We all do things we regret, man,” Zuckerman said. “Hell, Ma was down at the shop buying ciggies, and Pop was passed out on the couch. You think I bothered to say anything to them? It was our chance to get a scholarship outta this shithole.”