by Jack Hunt
The Wild Ones 2
Jack Hunt
Contents
Also by Jack Hunt
Prologue
Under Attack
Good Cop
Bull’s-Eye
The Mark
Road Trip
The Ring
Skinheads
Live Or Die?
Hotel California
Chef De Jour
The Last Supper
White Power
Duck and Drive
On the Run
Doc
Haggle
The Raid
Daniels
Safe Zone
A Plea
Reading Team
About the Author
Copyright © 2017 by Jack Hunt
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
THE WILD ONES 2 is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
For my Family
Also by Jack Hunt
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The Agora Virus series
Phobia
Anxiety
Strain
The War Buds series
War Buds 1
War Buds 2
War Buds 3
Camp Zero series
State of Panic
State of Shock
State of Decay
Renegades series
The Renegades
The Renegades Book 2: Aftermath
The Renegades Book 3: Fortress
The Renegades Book 4: Colony
The Renegades Book 5: United
Mavericks series
Mavericks: Hunters Moon
Time Agents series
Killing Time
Single Novels
Blackout
Defiant
Darkest Hour
Final Impact
Prologue
Dear Mom and Dad,
Okay, so we found the cure.
Actually, I’m not sure why I wrote that. It’s not entirely true. However, there is a doctor here who thinks she has vital information for a group of scientists in Boston who are working on a cure for the outbreak.
Will it help? That’s still to be seen. Right now no one really knows why the dead aren’t staying dead, or why they’ve gained a sweet tooth for flesh. But what I can tell you, is don’t underestimate them. They are beginning to outnumber us and while most are slow, the fresh ones will have you on the floor and tear your face off in a New York minute. Which brings me to how to stop them. There are only three ways to end them: Aim for the head, destroy the brain or obliterate entirely. I suggest shooting, severing the skull, stabbing, crushing, or exploding, but burning will do the job. Whatever way you choose to eliminate, don’t take chances. Put two rounds in the noggin instead of one, follow through with that axe, and when in doubt get the hell out.
As for how it started? That depends on who you ask. From the little we’ve gleaned from a group of military guys here at the hospital, it seems someone attacked the USA just over a week ago. They hit multiple locations with what is believed to be some kind of biological modified virus. Beyond that they didn’t know much more. Ryland doesn’t buy it. I mean, Ryland Barkley, a guy from camp. He thinks they’re lying or have been misinformed by their superiors. Hell, if you dared pick his brain, he’d say the government screwed up and was testing out a new pandemic. Again though, take that with a grain of salt. Ryland tends to exaggerate, especially when it comes to women, his manhood or anything that challenges his beliefs.
Still it’s what we’ve got to go on right now.
As for camp? Don’t beat yourself up over sending us here. I know if you’re still alive right now, you’re going to be guilt tripping pretty hard about taking that vacation, but it was meant to be, at least, that’s what Eli says — Eli Roberts, a good kid, goes a little hard on the candy bars but he means well and I get the feeling he’s smarter than he lets on. He’s one of many whose skills have come in handy. Tobias, Alexa, Jamal, Lola, Tom and Daniels, they all bring something to the table even if they do knock heads. To be honest, I’m still feeling my way out, learning more about them every day.
Maybe that’s why I don’t feel as scared as I should.
I wish I could introduce you to them but maybe I can once this is over. Over? Did I really write that? It seems like a dream right now. I wish it was, but it’s real and getting worse out there every day.
It’s 4:30 in the morning and in a couple of hours we’ll be heading back to camp to see what happened to Sean Telle. The last we saw of him was five days ago speeding away with our truck, weapons and Brooke Sanders who he’d threatened. Look, I don’t know if you will ever read this or if you’ve even survived, but I didn’t want to leave without letting you know what’s happened, what we’ve discovered and where we’re heading.
Boston. That’s where we’ll be if we make it.
Diane Whitlock, the doctor, says we can survive there. Strangely enough out of all the cities in America, she said that’s the one place that humanity could ride out something of this nature. Of course I had to ask why. Her response? It’s something to do with the economics and employment records — seems the city is overflowing with engineers, doctors, military and scientists. All of which means it’s better prepared to defend itself against violence, protect itself against a virus, well suited for finding a cure, and perfect for surviving long-term because of the abundant food supply drawn from the ocean. Ryland calls bullshit on that. For once I agree. I’m not sure where she got those stats but if it’s true, maybe there is hope for humanity.
By the way, Diane was the one who tended to the wound in my arm. No, it wasn’t a bite or a scratch which is how this infection seems to spread. It was a gunshot from some deranged convict. I know I probably shouldn’t have told you that as it won’t make reading this any easier but I want to reassure you, I’m alive and well, and so is Nick.
Home. I’m standing in it right now but it doesn’t seem that way anymore. Right now everything seems upside down. Everywhere that once felt safe isn’t.
In fact I don’t think you’d recognize us.
In a short time we’ve changed.
Adapted to survive.
We have to, there is no other choice.
Stay safe, Mom and Dad.
Love, Scott and Nick
Under Attack
A bullet grazed Jamal’s ear. He clamped a hand over it, pulling it away with a look of surprise and anger, his fingers gloved in blood.
“Get out of there!” I yelled at Jamal and Ryland who had circled around the camp in an attempt to get Brooke. He wouldn’t listen to me. Jamal hopped down onto his belly and unloaded a flurry of rounds punching holes in the compound walls. I knew it wasn’t a good idea sending them around. What should have been a simple conversation with Sean Telle had now turned into an all-out war.
Ten minutes earlier, we arrived at the camp. It was around 9:30 that morning. It had been five days since the incident at the Marketplace Pub and Deli. That night would forever stay with me as would the scar on my shoulder. Leading up to our arrival that morning, it had been agreed that no one was to shoot. Tom Sanders was fully aware of the incident and he’d managed to talk Tobias down from the ledge of wanting to kill Sean. I
didn’t blame him; if he’d shot me in the leg, I would have wanted his head on a stick. However, it wasn’t Tobias or even Tom that concerned me, it was Nick. Ever since hearing what Sean had done, he’d been biting at the bit to get back to the camp and deal with him. There was already bad blood between them and this only added fuel to that.
Tobias, Nick and Eli would hang back with the doctor while Tom would speak with Sean. First off we weren’t even sure if any of them were alive. We figured we’d roll up to the camp and find the place had been turned into a bloodbath. I envisioned Sean as one of the dead which would have been a satisfying end to a guy who had been an asshole from day one. Instead, when our trucks rolled up, we found that several vehicles had been pushed into place to prevent Zs from getting into the camp. After rolling them out of the way, we drove up the winding road unsure of what we’d find.
I’m not sure who fired first, just that when it began, any hope of being able to resolve matters amicably went out the window. Sean backed up keeping his semiautomatic trained on us. Had it just been him and Rob, I was pretty confident that he would have begged for forgiveness but by the looks of the show of force, it appeared he’d gained a few friends over the past week. Six of them had fanned out, each one pointing a rifle after we exited the truck.
Sean stepped forward and gave a nod. “Tom.”
“Sean,” he replied in a stern voice. “We need to talk.”
He agreed.
I had to give Tom his due, he certainly remained composed but then again he hadn’t seen the way Sean grabbed Brooke by the hair and tossed her into the truck, or heard the cries of his son after being shot in the thigh. Tom had told Nick to remain in the truck as he didn’t want him flying off the handle. Instead, Officer Daniels and I, along with Lola and Alexa, provided additional support. Minutes before we pulled into the lot, I’d seen Ryland and Jamal hop out of the back and dart into the woodland. Unbeknownst to Tom, they’d told me earlier that they were going to circle around and try to get Brooke out while we spoke with Sean, just in case things went south and he attacked. I know, I should have told Tom, but I knew he would have stopped them and the way I saw it, his view of Sean was a bit skewed. The truth was, Sean’s betrayal had nearly cost us our lives. Jamal promised they wouldn’t shoot unless required but what they didn’t factor in was those patrolling the area at the time.
Sean? Well he wasn’t stupid enough to just attack. He wanted to hear Tom out. See what he had to say and hopefully reach an agreement. Obviously he hadn’t conveyed that to the others. He would do anything to get back in Tom’s good books. Rob Stanton on the other hand? That was a different case. He’d spotted Jamal and Ryland slipping through the woods and took a shot figuring they were about to launch a surprise attack.
I felt my pulse race as the deafening staccato of rounds filled my ears. Sean cast a glance over his shoulder then started backing up, his boots scuffing the dusty ground. His face a picture of fear, panic and…
“What the hell is this?” Sean yelled as he raked his rifle over us. “You promised me you wouldn’t attack.”
Tom put a hand out to try and get him to calm down. “And I meant it. Tell Rob to put the gun down,” Tom said. “There’s been a mistake.” He turned back towards us and then it must have dawned on him that Jamal and Ryland weren’t with the vehicle.
A flurry of bullets lodged themselves in the building behind Sean. Windows cracked and wood exploded sending a fine dust into the air.
“Too late,” I yelled noticing that Ryland and Jamal were returning fire and tearing up the compound. In an instant there was a lot of yelling and running as everyone scattered seeking cover while returning fire. All of us scrambled behind the rear of our trucks.
“We can’t stay here. These vehicles will be torn to shreds,” I said as another four rounds punched through the windshield shattering it. Glass burst all over the seats. We kept low as hot metal rained down; I raced over to the passenger side and jumped in with the keys in hand. I shouted for everyone to get in but my words were lost in the rain of gunfire.
“Nick! Nick!” I yelled. He was over at the second vehicle with his back to the side of it, down near the wheel well trying to avoid getting struck in the leg. He glanced my way for a second and then swung around and squeezed off a three-round burst from an M16. He shuffled sideways making his way over to the passenger side as Tom hopped into the rear of the truck and banged on the top for me to get the hell out of there.
I slammed the gear in reverse just as Nick dived in. He didn’t even have time to close the door. The truck’s tires squealed as it tore up the gravel path. I couldn’t spin it around without putting those in the back in the direct line of fire so I kept my foot on the accelerator and tried to put as much distance as I could between us and them. We weren’t going to leave the camp. There was no chance in hell of that happening. No one was leaving until we had Brooke, but on the other hand we weren’t going to have the trucks ruined. The windshield was destroyed on the one I was driving but the other was in one piece. Alexa was driving that one, she raced past me before we turned the vehicles and came to a halt.
“What about Jamal and Ryland?” Eli yelled through the rear sliding window.
“Trust me, they’ll be okay,” I replied.
Sean and the others weren’t going to risk their necks chasing them through the woods. There wasn’t anything to be gained in that. The engine ticked over as I glanced over the dashboard. Gunfire had ceased but we could hear shouting, probably coming from Sean and Rob trying to withdraw back into the compound.
Alexa pulled up her truck close to mine and yelled over. “Anyone hit?”
I turned and did a quick check. That’s when I saw him.
Tom had taken two in the back. His breathing had become labored, and he was clinging to his chest. Tobias yelled for Diane who was in Alexa’s truck. Carefully she made her way over and Eli dropped the tailgate so she could slide in. She had a bag in hand with medical supplies. We watched in horror as she went about assessing the damage. Now unlike movies, not everyone dies immediately unless the shot is fatal. More people die going into hemorrhagic shock if the bleeding isn’t stopped immediately. That was something I’d learned from the doc after surviving my wound.
We looked on helpless. Tom’s face was a mask of pain. Tobias stepped away so Diane could do what she was good at. Tobias’s hands were covered in blood. Right now, fate had rolled the dice and the chance of Tom surviving largely came down to the path the bullets had taken. Bullets were known to bounce, ricochet and change direction. Once two bullets tore through the flesh, they could strike multiple organs and cause the kind of damage that four could have inflicted. It all came down to where the bullets went.
As Diane tore off his jacket, I noticed he wasn’t wearing any Kevlar. Oh my God. I couldn’t believe it. After all that he’d taught on at the camp and he still hadn’t taken the basic precautions. Then again, as my eyes washed over everyone, I noticed only a few were wearing them. It was mostly those of us who’d hit the gun store in Tupper Lake.
I glanced across the field surveying our surroundings for immediate danger. We weren’t out of hot water yet. As soon as Diane tore away the shirt we had a clearer view of the trouble, he was in. The skin had swollen and started to change in color. She was trying to prevent air getting sucked into the hole by plugging it with occlusive dressing. She tore open foil packaging and yelled out for someone to give her a hand.
Seconds turned to minutes and although she was feverishly working away, we could tell by the look on Tom’s face that he wasn’t going to make it. He drifted in and out of consciousness. Tobias gripped his hand, fingers intertwined, and was crying hard.
“Dad. Dad. Please. Stay with me.”
As he succumbed to his injuries, Diane lifted her face and shook her head. Out of all of us she was the only one that didn’t look shell-shocked, just sad. She was used to seeing trauma victims, dealing with gun violence and death. Us? This was the first time I’d s
een anyone I knew die.
“Come in, guys?” Ryland whispered over the two-way radio. I could hear Jamal in the background moaning about his ear burning and to get Diane ready for when they got back. “You there?”
I pressed the button and replied. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“Fucking guy spotted us. Sorry.”
As I cast a glance over my shoulder, Tobias who was still holding Tom’s head looked at me. There wasn’t anger in his expression, just disbelief. I thought it was best he didn’t hear any of the comments that Jamal was saying so I turned the volume down.
Ryland continued, “I saw Brooke. She’s alive inside the compound.”
I hopped out of the truck and put a little distance between me and the others. Alexa looked my way, and I had a sense she knew what I was thinking. Besides me, she was the only one who knew what Jamal had planned. I looked at Tobias. He didn’t know it but it wouldn’t take him long to connect the dots and then look for someone to blame.
“Listen, Tom has been hit,” I said over the radio.
“What?”
“He’s dead.”
All that could be heard was Tobias sobbing hard. If that wasn’t difficult enough to watch, it was what was coming next that bothered me. Tom wouldn’t stay dead. We’d finally seen it on the way back from the hospital after encountering a group of looters set on lightening our load. One of them had shot and killed a surviving teen from the original group that had gone out with Nick and Tom. It was a fatal wound that killed her instantly, however, within ten minutes her muscles began to jerk, then came the groan synonymous with the dead. That’s how we knew whatever this thing was that was preventing the dead from staying dead, it had to be an airborne virus. At first we thought the virus required a bite or a scratch, and that is one way for it to be transferred, but now we know that all it takes is to die from a bullet.
All of which meant someone was going to have to put a blade in Tom’s skull. I shook my head. By the way Tobias was clinging to him, whoever made that decision was going to have one hell of a battle on their hands.