Jane Zombie Chronicles Box Set Books 4-6: Crisis Cell, Ominous Ordeal, Running Rampant (Jane Zombie Box Set Book 2)

by Gayle Katz

  It takes much too long to put one of them down and, unfortunately, I’m too slow. The rest of them surround me. I try to kick and punch and keep them at a safe distance, but it’s no use. Their repulsive mugs invade my personal space, pushing me to the ground. Inches from my face, I can smell their odious breath violate me, suffocating me with their stench. I can hear their jaws click clacking in my ears, deafening me. On my knees, trying to protect myself, they’re to my right, to my left, and on top of me. They huddle together, blocking out the light of the room. Pack mentality. Closing in on their prey. It’s then I feel the first bite slice into my neck. And then it feels like a million of them are biting me all at once. The pain is relentless and intense. I maneuver my head to look down at my body and see that I’m bleeding from multiple bite wounds on my neck, arms, torso, and legs. With each diseased bite, my energy is quickly slipping away.

  I slump to the floor, limp, unable to move, tears falling from the corners of my eyes. I can’t fight them anymore. They’re all I see. Zombie after zombie covers me, preventing me from seeing anything beyond their revolting and sickly corpses. I’m frightened, crying, and praying that the pain stabbing every inch of my body goes away fast. As they continue feeding on my flesh, I see stripes of light from the room cut through the darkness. I can’t move. My savior, Sleep, is calling my name.

  As I begin to succumb to my weariness, I hear what sounds like a gunshot. I hear it again and again. It’s in the room. I float in and out of consciousness, but my eyes are still open for now. I see the same guys who thoughtlessly threw me into this nightmare shooting the zombies in the head. I can feel burning hot shrapnel and body parts pepper me as I lie on the floor. I still can’t move. I can’t think. I can’t do anything.

  Not even guns are enough to stop the zombie onslaught. I manage to turn my head slightly and see a crowd of zombies overwhelm one of the guys in the white coats. They knock him down to the floor and start feasting on him. He shoots one more time, but the bullets hit the ceiling, not their intended targets. They surround him like they surrounded me. It reminds me of how a pack of wild animals surrounds newly-caught prey. I hear his screams. I hear the sounds of zombie lips smacking and chewing on his juicy flesh. It makes me sick. More gunshots explode into the room. Zombies fall to the ground. Heads bust open all around. Brains splatter on every surface. I glance over and see the dead lab coat guy. His lifeless body is lying contorted on the floor, his neck almost completely eaten away, a pool of blood surrounding him.

  After the zombie massacre is thwarted, the attack is over. Nothing in the room is left standing or moving, except the one remaining lab coat guy. He’s holding his gun and breathing heavily. After making sure nothing will attack him, he leaves for a moment and returns with a gurney. Another lab coat guy joins him and fills in for the one who didn’t make it. They roll the gurney over and lower it down next to me on the floor. With protective gloves on, one of them grabs my shoulders and the other one grabs my legs. Together, they lift me up off of the floor and carefully place me onto the stretcher. Staring up at the ceiling, I see their protective gloves and clothing are stained red. From the corner of my eye, Brie walks into the room and looks down at me.

  “Jane? Are you still with us? Can you hear me?”

  Disoriented and still in shock from the attack, I can’t answer or move, but my eyeballs eventually roll around to meet hers.

  “Good news! She’s still responsive. Very, very impressive. The others were already dead by now. She’s even stronger than I thought. Get her into the lab. Take care of her. Get more blood samples. Treat her wounds to stop the bleeding. Then hook her up to the blood transfusion machine. We need some time to analyze what’s going on inside of her and quickly concoct an antidote before she turns.”

  Flat on my back, they wheel me down the hallway. To where, I don’t know. I’m still staring up at the ceiling. Every part of me feels dirty, bloody, and diseased. My mind is in chaos. I hear something. People talking. Chattering. White noise. I move my head slowly and look all around me, but no one seems to be talking. I see Brie separate herself from her colleagues and go into another room. I don’t understand what’s happening. I try to stay awake. I need to know what’s happening, but sleep is calling for me and I can’t resist any longer. Is this it? Am I dying?

  Am I turning?

  Chapter 8

  ________________________________________

  Jack and I are walking in the park. It’s down the street from our place. It’s a nice day. The sun is shining bright, but it’s not too hot outside. The sky is a bright blue and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. A breeze blows through our hair as we continue walking, hand in hand, on the designated walkway through the lush, flowering park.

  “I don’t remember a day that’s been this perfect,” I marvel.

  “Yeah, it’s a beautiful one,” Jack agrees. “Almost as beautiful as you.”

  I blush upon hearing the compliment and smile. “You’re pretty amazing yourself,” I tell him.

  “Let’s go explore more of the park,” he suggests, pointing to where there’s no pavement.

  “You mean go off of the walking path?”

  “Yes, of course. Don’t be a stick-in-the-mud. It’ll be something different, exciting. We’ll get to see parts of the park others haven’t. C’mon!” He grabs my hand.

  “OK,” I reluctantly give in. He’s so excited that I begin to get excited. Our lives have been so turbulent these past few years, and so much has been taken away from us that a nice stroll through the park by ourselves may be just what the doctor ordered.

  As we step off of the concrete path, our feet sink into the bright green grass and we begin to explore, still holding hands. Jack isn’t talking anymore and he just looks around, taking in the scenery, I guess. I try to relax and enjoy the bucolic landscape. We pass by so many beautiful flowering plants. Being with Jack, holding his hand, and enjoying a regular day together makes me smile. It’s been a while since we’ve just enjoyed being with one another.

  He leads me to a secluded area and looks around.

  “Is everything OK?” I ask.

  “Yeah. Yeah. Sure. I just wanted to double-check and make sure we’re alone.”

  “Why? It doesn’t matter if we’re alone or not. Today has been wonderful.”

  We’re already holding hands so he pulls me close and kisses me on the lips. I kiss him back. Kissing him still gets me weak in the knees. After a few minutes, his lips run down my neck. I close my eyes and enjoy the moment.

  “Mmmm. Jack? Don’t forget. We’re in a public place. We can’t make out here,” I say.

  “Of course we can. Who’s gonna stop us? You look so beautiful right now. And we’re the only ones here.”

  “But…”

  “But nothing. Doesn’t it feel good?” He continues kissing my neck.

  “It feels amazing.”

  “Then relax, enjoy it, and let this happen.”

  “OK,” I say as I kiss him back. I feel so carefree kissing in the park like a couple of teenagers.

  It’s then that I feel a stabbing pain in my back. I fall forward onto Jack, breaking off our kiss, and turn around to look behind me. It’s me! I’m standing there with a bloody knife in my hand, smiling.

  “Jack!” I scream, as I try to escape my knife-wielding twin. “What’s going on?” I feel another sharp, stinging pain. This time the pain is in my chest. And it’s Jack brandishing a bloody knife in his hand, too. The pain is excruciating. I fall to the ground. I don’t understand what’s happening to me.

  “W-What are you doing?” I shout.

  “You’re a clone and you’re trying to steal my husband,” the other Jane says to me.

  “That’s not true! Jack!”

  “She’s right. I tried to deny it, but you’ve been acting weird for weeks. You’re not the Jane I married.”

  “No. No. No! I’m the Jane you married. She’s the clone, not me!”

  “You had your chance, but n
ow that we know the truth, it’s over.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I think you know.”

  “No way. Your solution is to murder me? Are you out of your mind? I’m a person. Look! I’m bleeding,” I say as I rub my hand over my wound. “You’ve got blood all over your knife. Jack, are you really prepared to kill me?”

  “Ignore her. If you want to live happily ever after, we need to get rid of her so she’ll never be able to bother us again,” the Jane clone says.

  “No! Stop! Jack! You’re going to let her kill me in cold blood? That’s not the Jack I know.”

  “You tricked me, but that ends today,“ Jack stammers as he stands there looking at the situation before him.

  “Jack, help me, all right?” the Jane clone says. “We’re doing the right thing.”

  “She’s the clone. I’m your wife!” I plead.

  “I don’t believe you,” Jack replies.

  They come at me once more and plunge their knives into my body again and again. It feels like I’m being punched. The stabbing pain continues. I can’t move, except to look up and see them both coming at me a third time. I put my arms up to protect myself.

  No matter what I say, they’re not going to stop their attack. I try to muster whatever strength I have left to push them off of me and get to my feet, but I’m too weak. With copious amounts of blood pooling around me, I fall down a few inches from where I just got up. I put my hands over my eyes and roll into a fetal position. Pain radiates throughout my body as I feel their knives continuing to pierce my skin.

  ***

  I jerk awake in a cold sweat. I feel a shooting pain in my arm. I try grabbing for my aching limb, but I can’t move. I’m lying down in restraints again. The stress on my body is immense and I can’t help that I’m all jittery. My hands are shaking. I’m really freaking out.

  “Am I dead?”

  “We thought we lost you, but no, quite the opposite. Welcome back,” Brie says.

  “W-What are you doing?”

  “Taking blood. Monitoring you.”

  “Get off of me! Let me out of here!” I struggle with my restraints again.

  “You really need to relax.”

  “Relax? You’re trying to kill me!”

  “On the contrary, we want to save you and everyone else on this planet who’s infected.”

  “I don’t believe you. I don’t believe you,” I repeat, sweating profusely.

  “She’s getting stronger. That’s good, but I’m concerned about her fever,” Brie says to Malik. “Her face is getting red. Feel her forehead. Do something about it. Strip her clothes off. Get some ice packs.”

  Malik points to his lab coat crew to get them moving on Brie’s instructions.

  “Working on it,” one of them responds.

  Brie turns back to face me and continues the conversation. “I have to give you credit. You put up a good fight with all of those zombies in there. No weapons. No assistance. You took a couple of them out all by yourself before they overwhelmed you.”

  “Is that what you wanted? A show?”

  “It’s not a show. On the contrary, this crap happens every day all over the world. People turn everyday. We can’t let this continue to happen. We can’t let all of these people die in vain. We have to find a cure, a vaccination that works for everyone.”

  The lab assistant comes back with the ice packs and begins to cut off my clothes. He wraps the ice packs in towels and then places them all over my body. I flinch when he first puts them on my hot skin. A few minutes in, they feel cold. And I’m not burning up anymore.

  “We wanted a realistic yet contained depiction of how people react, how the infection spreads, and the aftermath,” she says. “Then we take blood, see how the infection progresses within the body, and implement experimental serums to see if we have a cure on hand.”

  “And? How’s it going so far?” I say trying to remain calm as I cough up blood, realizing that these insane people are my only hope right now.

  “We’re still working on it, but don’t give up. If we can stabilize you so that you’re on the mend, we’re going to repeat this process a couple of times.”

  “A couple of times? So you’re not going to kill me, but torture me instead?”

  “Not torture, test. To save us from these unholy monsters.”

  I hear her words, but it’s becoming ever so difficult to understand them. The once-cold ice packs don’t even feel cool anymore. I’m warm again – burning up is more like it. I close my eyes. Maybe this is all a horrible nightmare? My eyes pop back open and I can see the zombies converging on me again. They have hunger and murder in their eyes. Their chattering is becoming louder and I can’t hear anything else.

  “Get away from me! Get away from me!” I struggle to break free, but it’s useless. Looking around, I see them coming out of the shadows, getting closer to me. “Jack! Please help me! Make it stop!”

  Then the zombies disappear. I’m back in the room with Brie and her lab coats.

  “She’s hallucinating and overheating again. That’s not good. Give her something to counter the effects.”

  She sounds so far away. And I’m all keyed up from these horrible visions.

  “Jane. Jane? Can you hear me? We’re giving you something to help your symptoms,” she says as she snaps her fingers in my face and then takes my hand. “We need you to focus.”

  I nod.

  “Let’s give her a few moments to collect herself. Remember to breathe. Stay calm, all right? Just focus on my words. How are you feeling? Any better? We lost you for a little bit,” she touches my forehead.

  “I feel sick,” I reply.

  “She’s responding to the medication. She doesn’t feel as hot as before,” she says to her team. “We have to bring her back and set it up again. Give her something to help her sleep.”

  Turning back to me, she pats my hand and speaks only one word.

  “Rest.”

  Chapter 9

  ________________________________________

  I wake up to the sound of alarms and screams. What’s going on? I’m still naked and strapped to the gurney.

  “Let me go! Untie me!” I yell to anyone within earshot, but no one responds to help me. I hear Brie shouting louder.

  “Goddamn freedom fighters. Why can’t they pick another cause to rally around? Grrr! The zombies have breached our security. Quarantine is broken! Move! Move! Move! Get our subjects out of here. We can’t lose all of our research because of these self-righteous zealots. Go!”

  I yell again, “Untie me! Please! Let me out of here! BRIE!” I try to wiggle my way out of the restraints.

  “We don’t have time for your games, Jane. We have to evacuate and get outta here or else everything we’ve worked so hard for is lost!” she says hurriedly as she covers me with a blanket, moves me out of the lab, gets me into the hallway, and hands me over to yet another one of her minions.

  Between the flashing lights in the hallway, the alarm bells ringing in my ears, and the bumpiness of the ride, I can’t focus on anything. My senses are being bombarded. The smell of zombie enters my nose and I start to freak out. I try to escape my restraints, but it’s no use. I’m strapped in tight, so tight that I have pins and needles developing in my arms and legs. Frantic, I’m looking around, waiting for them to attack. All I can do is lie here and pray someone gets me to safety. The retching sound of zombies is getting louder and closer. The lab assistant who starts pushing me has a frightened look on his face. I stare at him. He’s sweating and constantly looking behind him instead of looking forward. Seconds after he bashes us into a wall, he backs up and points us toward the exit.

  Before he can take even three steps, he screams as several disfigured monsters descend upon him. One of the zombies jumps onto his back. He falls face-first onto the floor, pushing the gurney faster for a few moments. I hear him screaming. I manage to lift my head up a couple of degrees and I can see a group of zombies on their k
nees feasting on him, his white lab coat now bloodied and their mouths soaked and dripping with red. I can still see his hand lying palm up on the floor. His fingers and thumb are twitching. I hope that’s just a reflex. Being alive when they eat you is the worst way to die. It’s one thing to have a zombie bite you once; it’s a whole other story to die while being eaten alive by a horde of them.

  My gurney is still moving forward, but only by the sheer will of inertia. As I start to come to a stop, I see Cate strapped down, too. I try to call her name, but I’m too weak to speak. She’s out cold so she probably wouldn’t hear me, anyway. Within moments, another one of Brie's staff takes the helm and continues pushing me. I feel another bump.

  For a moment, the air seems different. Are we outside? The fresh air is a welcome change that’s soon stolen away from me.

  Another helper gets on the other side of me and they lift me into a van. Where are we going? I don’t know.

  They also load Cate into the vehicle. She’s right next to me. The backdoors close. Darkness. As my eyes adjust, I look around and see shelves of people. Some of them are unconscious or maybe dead while others are making moaning sounds. That’s inside the vehicle. I can hear pounding on the outside. It’s a constant dull, thud against the outside. If zombies break in, that’s it. Cate and I were the last ones loaded in and will be defenseless if that were to happen. She’s out cold and we’re both strapped down, unable to move. Yeah, we’d be toast.

  “Cate?” I whisper.

  No response.

  “Cate! Wake up!” I plead. I can’t tell if she’s breathing or not so I stare at her chest, but I can’t see if it’s rising and falling. Everything is in flux. I want to reach out, touch her, and let her know I’m here so she’s not afraid, but I’m strapped tight to the gurney. I try to slide my arm out from under the straps, but they tied them on extra tight this time. They’re so constricting; pins and needles continue to shoot through my arms and legs. Soon my limbs grow numb and I can’t feel them anymore. The vehicle begins to haul ass and the banging from the outside eventually stops.