Mountain Sickness: A Zombie Novel

by Frank Martin

  But as if in some act of fate, he was presented with an opportunity to control the epidemic at its source. And he had to do his best to push down his rising excitement as he volunteered for the job old Mrs. Sheridan passed on.

  At first, the group was a little skeptical of Scott's willingness to help. But this crowd was hardly the most difficult he'd ever had to sway in his favor. Talking was what the sharp businessman did best, and it wasn't long before everyone was convinced of his sincerity. Everyone except Peter.

  On the flipside to Nellie, the group also assumed that Peter would be the one to join her in causing the avalanche. Seeing as how Mountain Village was his creation, they all thought he would want to be the one to destroy it. But to their surprise, he jumped at the chance to assist Scott in his effort to collapse the mine.

  The only person who expected him to tag along was Scott himself. Although he never bothered to say hello, Scott knew he and Peter lived next door to one another. They were certainly aware of each other's existence, but neither one ever bothered to act upon it.

  Now they were both forced into a situation where they had to confront their suspicions, which Scott could see were swirling around in Peter's mind as he volunteered to join him. Peter was mostly silent for the rest of the meeting, but Scott could tell from his leering eyes that his neighbor was wary of his intentions.

  Once that was settled, Nellie's other partners fell into place. Only the girl and her ski patroller were left. It was obvious the two had formed some sort of bond in the few hours they'd known each other, and so they both would be joining Mrs. Sheridan on her way up to destroy the village.

  Unfortunately, the last member of their group was in no shape to move. They briefly discussed putting Hunter out of his misery, but it was unanimous to just honor the man's wishes and let him be. Out of everyone, Chris took that decision particularly to heart. As a trained EMS professional, his job was to keep people alive no matter how close to death they were, but even he gave in to the group's grim consensus. After all, he knew better than anyone that without a proper doctor the odds of the old man surviving the night were practically nonexistent.

  Once everyone finally accepted that sad reality, the two teams were ready to wait for the signal by the cabin's back door, away from the ever-growing crowd of zombies in front of the house. Before they did though, Peter secretly pulled the ski patroller to the side of the room. Scott was more than curious as to what his partner was scheming but couldn't get close enough to hear without drawing attention to himself.

  Were they planning against him? How could they? Peter certainly knew he was up to something but didn't know enough to stop it. Besides, what could the young man possibly do from the other side of the valley?

  Whatever it was they talked about didn't last more than a few exchanges. And both men soon returned to the back door ready to head outside. They still had to wait for the signal, but once outside they would be in a better position to move.

  After receiving a quick nod from everyone behind her, Nellie pulled open the door only to be met by a rapidly approaching body on the porch. The quick event happened so fast that Nellie lifted her rifle up without ever having time to think. But she hesitated on pulling the trigger.

  And lucky she did, for her hesitation was soon followed by a series of frightened pleas. "Don't shoot! Please, don't shoot!"

  Scott purposely placed himself at the back of the group so that if they were bombarded by zombies he would have plenty of cannon fodder in front of him. But now he cursed himself for not being able to see who was at the door.

  With the sudden burst of panic settling down, the group slowly piled outside onto the back porch. Scott was the last to leave and finally catch a glimpse of their new arrivals. The first was an older woman he didn't recognize who introduced herself as Dr. Anna Morris. The second was a younger blonde whose face was hidden behind Peter's chest as the two hugged each other.

  At first glance, Scott swallowed deeply at the thought of who that might be. What other young woman would the village manager be excited for? His suspicions were then confirmed when the two released and Peter introduced her. "Everyone, this is Beth. She is...or was my assistant."

  Beth gave a brief wave to the party but locked onto Scott's eyes for longer than anyone else. Besides a greeting, her stare and subtle smile had a whole nother meaning to it. But for now, Scott was just happy her message was silent. If he was to deal with Peter then she had to keep her mouth shut. The girl was smart, but he also knew how excited Beth could get when she was eager to please. Especially with emotions running high amidst a zombie Apocalypse.

  Luckily, the crisis hadn't deterred Miss McCabe from playing the role he assigned her. How long she would be able to keep that up was another issue entirely. There was nothing Scott could do about it now, though, so he bit the bullet and prayed the girl could hold herself together long enough for him to succeed.

  When the excitement of seeing new faces finally faded, Dr. Morris surveyed the ragtag group in front of her with a hint of disappointment. "This cabin was the only place with lights on. Are you all that's left of the town?"

  Always figuring himself as the default leader, Peter answered the almost rhetorical question. "Well, we left a group of survivors up at the village. There might be others holed up in their homes, but that's probably the safest place for them right now."

  Chris's guilty conscious then forced him to step up and include their fallen comrade. "We also left a man injured inside. He's lost a lot of blood, and I don't think he's gonna make it. He wanted to be left alone, though."

  The doctor responded by turning to Beth and nodding her head. "I should give him the cure."

  At the sound of those words, the entire group's face lit up at once. They remained speechlessly staring at the woman, hoping she would elaborate. But it took a moment for her to realize they were waiting for her to explain more. "We came from the temporary med clinic set up at the school. Before it was overrun, though, I did some drug trials. And one of them reversed the effects of the transformation."

  Again, everyone was speechless. But Scott was the only one with a manipulative mind that allowed him to take notice of the case in the woman's hand. "Is that it there?"

  Anna nodded. "I only have several doses, though. Not enough to cure everyone, but it’s a common medication. If we can get a message to everyone, I'm sure we can stop this thing from spreading."

  The situation was morphing quicker than Scott could adapt his plans. For now, though, his main concern was getting his hands on whatever was in that case.

  He quickly thought of a reason to make her part with it but was surprised when Peter spoke up first, beating him to the punch. "Well, I can get the word out, but there's just too many infected to handle. As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve come to realize that a cure can't save Telluride. What it can do is keep this epidemic from leaving. First we need to contain it. That's where we were headed. It’s a dangerous plan, though, and we can sure use all the help we can get."

  His suggestion was subtle, but Peter's eyes, locked onto the case, made it clear what he wanted. Scott assumed the doctor would refuse. She obviously discovered this cure in the hopes of being Telluride's hero. But he was surprised to see her readily open the case with a smile. The doctor then proceeded to fill up two syringes from a vial and recap them before handing the needles over to the village manager.

  Peter took one for himself and handed the other to Chris with a blinding stare. They each nodded in unison as if communicating some hidden message to one another. Once again, Scott was slightly concerned about this secret covenant the two had formed, but there was nothing he could do about it now. They had the syringes, and he would have to evolve his plan accordingly.

  The bigger shocker was how silent Nellie had been to this news of a cure. She'd been the strongest advocate for destroying the mine, and Scott assumed that went hand in hand with utilizing a cure. But she failed to utter a word when the woman handed it over so
easily.

  In fact, she just as quickly dismissed the doctor when there was nothing left to say. "You should help the man inside."

  Anna then nodded with a smile and took the remaining syringes inside the cabin as Chris yelled out to her. "Just keep a radio on and listen for the evacuation call."

  As soon as the door shut behind her, Stephanie, who spent the entire conversation around the edge of the house, called out to everyone. "Guys, I think that's the signal."

  Now with Beth added to the group, they all joined Stephanie at her position and could see the top of a large fire roaring in the distance. The tips of the flames reached up and over the rooftops between them, stretching high towards the full moon in the dark, star-filled sky. No one said a word, not even Scott, but they all knew that the fire signaled the beginning of Telluride's end.

  23

  Despite both being Telluride residents, the DJ and schoolteacher couldn't have been more different. And besides her job, that was one of the appeals that originally drew Georgia to the quaint mountain town. Even though it was small, Telluride managed to be populated by a wide range of people and families. Everything from old world cowboys to free-loving hippies.

  Unfortunately, those differences didn't help the two women spark up any conversation between them. They just continued to sneak along through the town's side roads and dimly lit backyards, completely avoiding the overwhelming horde of zombies filling up the main streets.

  Georgia wasn't much with a gun, so she held onto the handheld radio assigned to each team while Molly carried the weapon. Their first stop was a corner of the valley far away from the radio station where they were ultimately headed. But if the others were to have any chance of reaching their goals, Georgia and her partner had to take a short detour to conduct some arson.

  The DJ was certainly feeling the nerves of excitement, but their journey was relatively calm and uneventful by design. The women went out of their way to ensure they avoided any unnecessary run-ins with a stray zombie lost from its pack.

  But after about ten minutes of trudging through the snow, Molly decided the quiet was too much for her. "You don't really think aliens caused this, do you?"

  It wasn't the question Georgia was expecting, but it interested her enough to pursue the conversation. "Do you really think it’s an Indian curse?”

  "Well, Native Americans did live in this valley."

  A reflexive yet subtle smile appeared on Georgia's face. "And then cursed it?"

  "I think whatever the reason all this is happening, knowing it won’t make things any easier to accept.”

  The smile faded as Georgia nodded in strong, sober agreement. "Now that I can believe."

  Georgia expected Molly to continue with a follow-up, but the schoolteacher remained silent as she led the way. Molly had an exact idea as to where they were going and stayed on a fixed route with unwavering determination. Georgia didn't know what direction they were headed but felt comfortable as long as they were out of danger.

  In fact, she got so used to just following Molly's lead that it caught her by surprise when her guide suddenly stopped. Georgia looked up and found herself in a pretty unremarkable neighborhood of evenly spaced, cookie cutter houses. The street was an isolated corner of the valley. And as Georgia turned around, she noticed it was just outside the fringes of the zombie mass infesting the center of town. No matter how much Georgia focused, she could barely hear their moans.

  Molly then drew the girl’s attention as she continued on towards the house in front of them. "We're here."

  Georgia turned back around but Molly was already halfway to the front door. Surprised, the young woman gave a quick jog to catch up to her older counterpart just inside the house. But when Georgia stopped, Molly kept moving deeper into the living room without missing a beat.

  The place seemed tidy and organized like it was staged for sale. However, Georgia could sense a family’s warm touch as her eyes darted around the room. "How do you know this place has what we need?"

  Molly was too busy locked in her task to respond, but Georgia received an answer when her shifting gaze met a portrait of Molly smiling alongside her husband and kids. She stared at the photo, utterly mesmerized by how happy they all looked. That trance was soon broken, though, when the loud shattering of glass echoed throughout the house.

  Georgia turned around to find Molly tossing liquor bottles randomly in every direction. The kitchen, dining, and bedrooms were already covered in broken bottles and the stench of alcohol. When she ran out, Molly returned to the living room’s wet bar to restock. She then continued to further drench the room before retreating to the front door and stopping next to her young companion.

  Georgia was fairly shocked by the emotionless display of savagery she had just witnessed. But for some reason, she was more frightened by the cold and deliberate manner in which Molly proceeded to remove a lighter from her pocket and stare at its flame.

  A moment of quiet passed between them before Georgia finally asked the question that her conscience pressed on her mind. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  After a deep breath, Molly answered plainly without looking away from the flame. “Mrs. Sheridan was right. This isn’t our home anymore.”

  She then tossed the lighter to the side and watched as it ignited a set of wet curtains dangling from the window. The fire quickly grew in just a few seconds, and the two women quickly exited the house without bothering to look back. They both could hear the roar of the flames expanding behind them, and judging by the limping army that was now inching its way in their direction, the blaze had already attracted the zombie horde’s attention.

  Of course, Georgia wasn’t too certain as to how effective it would be, but she wasn’t sticking around to find out. Both her and Molly took off towards the radio station on the other side of town, once again staying as far away from any unwanted encounters as possible.

  ***

  Peter wasn’t surprised that Beth decided to accompany them up to the mine. There were really only three options available to her; stay with Hunter, join the other team to Mountain Village or go with him and Scott. She wanted to help with the plan, and Chris’s group already had three people. It just made sense that she would join the group of two. Besides, she was his secretary (or used to be at least). It figured that she would want to help him.

  But that didn’t stop the village manager from being frustrated by the situation. Not that Beth was a burden. He was more than confident that she could carry her own weight. Peter just wanted him and Scott Brooks to be alone. That way he could keep a better eye on the shady egomaniac without any distractions.

  The man was obviously hiding something, and it bothered Peter that he hadn’t yet figured out what that was. He didn’t want to let on that he knew Brooks had an agenda, although the tension between them wasn’t helping.

  After Georgia and Molly’s fire had grown up into the night’s sky, the parade of dim-witted zombies lining the streets began gaping at the bright, blazing light in the distance. There wasn’t much to see through the blackness, but under the moon’s glow, the outline of the horde resembled a shadowy mass flowing together as one.

  Chris and his team immediately took off through the adjacent backyard on their way towards the gondola. Peter’s group, however, wasn’t able to begin their assignment immediately. There were still too many of the moaning walkers surrounding the truck they needed to get up to the mine.

  Instead, they continued to creep around the side of the house, hiding in the darkness while the slow moving crowd lumbered back and forth towards the fire like a mystified moth to a flame. It took longer than Peter expected, but eventually the crowd dispersed from around the truck in the direction of the burning house. He could feel Scott anxious to get going. With Peter in the front of the line, though, Mr. Brooks had to wait until their leader made the first move.

  Even once the truck was completely free, the village manager still waited until the mob was at least a bloc
k away before darting out into the street in a dead sprint towards the vehicle. Beth and Scott kept up behind him, although the man they followed wasn’t exactly sure where he was headed. He obviously knew where the truck was. Even with the town covered in darkness, it would’ve been hard to miss the only giant car shaped structure in the road. But the closer Peter got to the truck, the more it came into focus, and he could make out exactly where the driver’s side door was located.

  Even with the zombie swarm moving considerably slower than before, Peter still realized they were working on a tight window of time. He quickly opened the door and saw the keys exactly where Nellie said they would be: dangling from the ignition. A brief and subtle smile perked onto Peter’s face. At least the plan was going well so far.

  He reached forward, grabbed onto the door’s inside handlebar and prepared to step up into the seat when a firm hand latched onto his shoulder. It was a man’s grip, so there was only one option as to who it could’ve been. But even when the answer was so obvious, Peter still hoped, for whatever reason, that it wasn’t Brooks.

  This hope caused Peter to keep his head forward, refusing to look Scott in the eye. But that didn’t keep Mr. Brooks from initiating a conversation. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Peter finally turned to face the man keeping him from entering the truck. “What does it look like?”

  Unexpectedly, Scott responded with an obnoxiously arrogant smile. “Didn’t your parents ever tell you it’s rude to answer a question with a question?”

  “What the hell is your problem?”

  “My problem is that you look like you’re about to jump into the driver’s seat of my truck.”