This is the End 2: The Post-Apocalyptic Box Set (9 Book Collection)
Page 26
My desire to tear both of them limb from limb wrestled with the need to control my rage. Through clenched teeth I managed to say, “What do you want?”
Alter-Talon smiled, and it was an ugly thing to behold. He tossed the black detonator to Dr. Coursey, then raised one of his gloved hands. Using the other, he peeled the glove off.
The odor hit me before he even finished. Rotting meat, even worse than I’d smelled in the biorecycle chute. When he tossed the glove away, I saw his fingers and couldn’t help but flinch at the sight. The flesh was infected, sloughing off in strips. In the case of his thumb, the bone protruded from his skin.
“To start with,” Alter-Talon said, “I want your hands.”
FIFTY-FOUR
I stared, trying to make sense of what he’d just said.
“My hands?”
Talon wiggled his ruined fingers, one of the nails falling off. “My other hand is even worse. This is my sixth set of transplants. It always ends in the same way. My body rejects the cadaver donors, and they begin to rot while still attached. Can you guess where I lost them?”
I thought back, years ago, to the bomb I defused under the snack table at the retirement home. I nodded.
“You pulled the red wire,” Alter-Talon said. “I pulled the blue. Shredded my hands all the way up to my elbows.”
I followed his line of thinking. “And the donors don’t work, so you looked for a perfect genetic match.”
“I searched the multiverse for one, and found you.”
This went beyond my mentor just being crazy from steroid abuse. “Sata didn’t find you randomly,” I stated.
“No. I found him. I killed Aunt Zelda for him, and destroyed Boise because he asked me to.”
“Boise wasn’t destroyed. It was sucked into a wormhole and sent to a planet filled with dinosaurs.”
“On your earth, it was. In my parallel universe, I sent it to an earth without any atmosphere. They’re all dead.”
“You lousy SMF,” I said, clenching my fists.
“So the people of our Boise are still alive?” Vicki asked.
Alter-Talon shrugged. “I guess. Those who haven’t been eaten yet.”
I shook my head, amazed. “And you did all of this, just for my hands?”
“It’s actually more than that. After all these years of taking higher and higher doses of experimental immunosuppressant drugs, my body has begun to reject more than just the transplants. Both of my feet are now rotting. And so is a part very near and dear to me.”
He patted his groin.
“So you want my hands, my feet…and my junk?”
Dr. Coursey patted the metal table. “We’ll make you as comfortable as possible during the procedure. If you cooperate, we’re even willing to let you live. Both you, and your wife.”
“Maybe you’ll have better luck with cadaver parts than I’ve had,” Alter-Talon said.
I stared at Vicki. She seemed scared, and sad, but also determined.
“Don’t do it,” she said. “He’s a lunatic who killed half a million people.”
“I can’t let you die, Vicki.”
“A half million, Talon. I’m not worth it. Neither of us are.”
“You’re worth more to me than everyone else on the planet put together, Vicki.”
“We’re both going to die anyway, Talon. I couldn’t bear knowing this psycho was running around free, committing genocide.”
“I promise, no more genocide,” Alter-Talon said. “Cross my heart.” He dragged a bloody fingertip over his chest. “Besides, you really don’t have a choice. The nanopoison in your system will kill you unless I give you the antidote. I’m going to get your parts, alive or dead. I hold all the cards here.”
This was going to end badly, no matter how it ended. But if there was even the slightest chance I could save Vicki’s life, I’d do it. Even if it meant living without hands, feet, and Talon Jr.
“I love you,” I said to her.
“How much?”
“More than anything else.”
“Promise me something, then,” she implored.
“Anything.”
“Promise me if, given the choice, you’d save Boise over me.”
“Vicki…”
“Half a million are already dead. Don’t let it be a million. Please. Not because of me.”
Her eyes got teary. Mine probably did, too.
“I promise,” I said.
Vicki lifted up her chin, tilting her head to the right. Her gaze was rock-steady. I understood what she wanted. Though it made me sick, I gave her a nod.
“You know what you have to do,” my wife said. “Make it count.”
Without dwelling on it, I threw a haymaker, cracking her in the jaw with everything I had. Then I spun around and kicked Alter-Talon in the face, knocking him backward.
He staggered, then caught his footing.
“Kill the bitch!” he screamed.
I turned. Dr. Coursey lifted up the detonator, his thumb pressing the button just as a small, white projectile—trailing a thin line of blood—hit him in the face.
The bomb Vicki spit at him exploded with the sound of a firecracker, but packing considerably more power. Dr. Coursey fell, but both hands weren’t enough to stop the geyser erupting from the hole in his neck.
I faced Alter-Talon again, but he was already running toward Vicki, the TEV off his chest and clenched in his hand.
“This isn’t over,” he said. He held the device at arm’s length, pointing it toward himself and my wife.
Vicki and I locked eyes.
Just as I cried out, “No!” he and Vicki imploded, vanishing into a wormhole.
Alter-Talon’s TEV dropped to the floor.
I stared at the space where they’d disappeared, wondering what to do next. My knuckles still hurt from punching the woman I loved. Dr. Coursey coughed, gagged, and bled out on the floor of the brewery.
I picked up Alter-Talon’s TEV. Like Sata’s, it reflected light in a prism, and lacked dials and controls. But I’d learned how to use it while free-falling. I could follow Vicki and Alter-Talon into his world, and get her back.
Just as I was getting ready to mentally tune in to the octeract point, I caught myself and touched the TEV on my chest. This one was programmed to transport matter to the dinosaur planet. I’d promised Vicki, only a few seconds ago, that, if given the chance, I’d save Boise over her.
I wasn’t one to break my promises. And if I went after her, without trying to return Boise to this universe, she’d never forgive me.
WTF was I supposed to do? Save the woman I loved, or sacrifice her life, and mine (since the poison was slowly killing me) in order to save five hundred thousand innocent people?
What would you do?
I made my decision. Then I closed my eyes, pet the bunny, and stepped through the wormhole into a parallel universe.
GLOSSARY
In the future, tech and acronyms rule the day…
AFAIK – As far as I know/knew.
AVCL – All-vision contact lens. Allows user to see in a variety of conditions.
BHV – Bleeding heart volunteer.
Biofuel – Fuel made from animal and plant lipids and starches, along with the methane released when composting.
Bogu – Kendo armor, consisting of a dô (chest plate), kote (belt), tare (gloves), and men (helmet).
BRB – Be right back.
Carbon nanotube – The strongest substance known to man, created in molecular strings by factory labs.
Chip – A microchip implanted in the wrists of all people at birth, it serves as identification, a universal key, and a debit card.
CPD – Chicago Peace Department, aka the cops.
Credits – In a cashless society, a credit is the digital representation of a US dollar, existing solely as data.
CWII – The second US Civil War of 2034.
Dissy – One of the disenfranchised. Someone who rejects the modern way of living and exists of
f the grid without paying taxes.
DT – Digital tablet, a pocket computer.
Duckets – Paper money.
EPF – Electronic perimeter fence, used to keep suspects in a designated area.
Frog legs – Artificial, flexible spring stilts, used as leg extenders in powerbocking to run faster and jump higher.
Fuct – Screwed.
Genipet – A genetically altered pet.
GPS – Global Positioning Satellite.
Hang up – A vocal command to disconnect a headphone call, also synonymous with good-bye.
Headphone – An ear/brain implant allowing phone calls without phones.
Hobo – The act and equipment used to jump onto a moving train.
Intranet – Three hundred petabytes of stored information—every bit of knowledge and media from the history of mankind—that exists preinstalled on every DT.
IRL – In real life.
IRT – In real time.
Kermit – A pedestrian who powerbocks, using frog leg extensions on their feet.
LEO – Low-earth orbit.
Nife – A carbon nanotube knife, only a few nanometers thick.
Pet the bunny – Slang for tuning in to the fabric of spacetime using a TEV.
P&P bars – Clubs that sell pot and pills.
Pr0n – Pornography.
Roids – Steroids. Those who use roids are known as roiders.
Shinai – A sword used in the Japanese martial art kendo.
SLP – State-licensed prostitute. Aka “social workers.”
SMF – Sick motherfucker.
Space elevator – A woven rope of carbon nanotubes, tethered to the earth on one end and a low-earth orbit satellite on the other, which allows for inexpensive travel into space.
Tachyon – A subatomic particle that can travel faster than the speed of light.
Tesla field – A generated electromagnetic field surrounding the earth that supplies cordless electric power.
TEV – Tachyon emission visualizer. A timecaster’s viewfinder into the past.
TG – Transgender.
Timecaster – A peace officer who uses TEVs to record past events and solve crimes.
TTS – Tesla Taser satellite.
UFSE – The universal search application for the intranet, aka uffsee and Use the Fucking Search Engine.
Utopeon – A taxpaying citizen.
Van Damme – Slang term for a timecaster.
WTF – What the heck.
WYSIWYW – What you see is what you want.
ABOUT J.A. KONRATH
Joe Konrath is the author of more than twenty novels and dozens of shorter works in the mystery, thriller, horror, and science fiction genres. He’s sold over a two million books worldwide, and besides Tracy Sharp he’s collaborated with bestsellers Blake Crouch, Barry Eisler, Ann Voss Peterson, Henry Perez, Tom Schreck, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson. He likes beer, pinball machines, and playing pinball when drinking beer. Visit him at jakonrath.com.
EBOOKS BY J.A. KONRATH
Jack Daniels Thrillers
Whiskey Sour
Bloody Mary
Rusty Nail
Dirty Martini
Fuzzy Navel
Cherry Bomb
Shaken
Stirred (with Blake Crouch)
Last Call (with Blake Crouch)
Shot of Tequila
Banana Hammock
Jack Daniels Stories (collected stories)
Serial Killers Uncut (with Blake Crouch)
Suckers (with Jeff Strand)
Planter’s Punch (with Tom Schreck)
Floaters (with Henry Perez)
Burners (with Henry Perez)
Truck Stop (short)
Flee (with Ann Voss Peterson)
Spree (with Ann Voss Peterson)
Three (with Ann Voss Peterson)
Hit (with Ann Voss Peterson)
Exposed (with Ann Voss Peterson)
Naughty (with Ann Voss Peterson)
Babe on Board (short with Ann Voss Peterson)
With a Twist (short)
Street Music (short)
Jacked Up! (with Tracy Sharp)
Racked (with Jude Hardin)
Straight Up (with Iain Rob Wright)
Other Works
Symbios
Timecaster
Timecaster Supersymmetry
Wild Night is Calling (short with Ann Voss Peterson)
Shapeshifters Anonymous (short)
The Screaming (short)
Afraid (writing as Jack Kilborn)
Endurance (writing as Jack Kilborn)
Trapped (writing as Jack Kilborn)
Haunted House (writing as Jack Kilborn)
Draculas (with Blake Crouch, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson)
Origin
The List
Disturb
65 Proof (short story omnibus)
Crime Stories (collected stories)
Horror Stories (collected stories)
Dumb Jokes & Vulgar Poems
A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing
Be the Monkey (with Barry Eisler)
Grandma? (with Talon Konrath)
TIMECASTER SUPERSYMMETRY
FUNNY! SEXY! ACTION PACKED!
Chicago, 2064: Mankind Can Rewind
A libertarian utopia of biofuels, legalized drugs, and casual sex. There hasn’t been any violent crime in years.
Until now…
Talon Avalon is a Timecaster; a cop who is able to look back in time and view crimes that have already happened. But that was before he was framed by an alternate version of himself from another dimension. Now he’s being hunted in this world, and countless parallel worlds, as the biggest mass-murderer in history.
While trying to save his kidnapped wife and clear his name, Talon must fight to prevent a series of mishaps that could destroy the multiverse, along with the very fabric of spacetime. He only has a few hours to save an infinity of humanity. All it will take is guts, his fists, some high tech weaponry, and enough strength and savvy to survive genetically mutated monsters, homicidal robots, a zombie apocalypse, and a plethora of erotic encounters.
Time is not on his side.
WHISKEY SOUR
Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is having a bad week. Her live-in boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, chronic insomnia has caused her to max out her credit cards with late-night home shopping purchases, and a frightening killer who calls himself ‘The Gingerbread Man’ is dumping mutilated bodies in her district.
While avoiding the FBI and its moronic profiling computer, joining a dating service, mixing it up with street thugs, and parrying the advances of an uncouth PI, Jack and her binge-eating partner, Herb, must catch the maniac before he kills again…and Jack is next on his murder list.
Whiskey Sour is the first book in the bestselling Jack Daniels series, full of laugh-out-loud humor and edge-of-your-seat suspense.
FLEE
by J.A. Konrath and Ann Voss Peterson
CODENAME: CHANDLER
She’s an elite spy, working for an agency so secret only three people know it exists. Trained by the best of the best, she has honed her body, her instincts, and her intellect to become the perfect weapon.
FLEE
Then her cover is explosively blown, and she becomes a walking bulls-eye, stalked by assassins who want the secrets she holds, and those who’d prefer she die before talking.
Chandler now has twenty-four hours to thwart a kidnapping, stop a murderous psychopath, uncover the mystery of her past, retire five highly-trained contract killers, and save the world from nuclear annihilation, all while dodging 10,000 bullets and a tenacious cop named Jack Daniels.
Buckle up. It’s going to be one helluva ride.
TIMECASTER
Copyright © 2013, 2012 Joe Konrath
Cover copyright © 2012 Carl Graves
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are eit
her products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Joe Konrath.
October 2013
ZOMBIE PATROL
The Walking Plague Trilogy #1
by
J.R. RAIN
and
Elizabeth Basque
Other Books by J.R. Rain
STANDALONE NOVELS
The Lost Ark
Elvis Has Not Left the Building
The Body Departed
Silent Echo
Winter Wind
STANDALONE SHORT STORIES
The Bleeder: A Horror Story
Dark Side of the Moon: A Samantha Moon Story
Glimmer: An Abnorm Chronicles Story
Easy Rider: A Jim Knighthorse Story
VAMPIRE FOR HIRE SERIES
Moon Dance
Vampire Moon
American Vampire
Moon Child
Christmas Moon
Vampire Dawn
Vampire Games
Moon Island
Moon River
Vampire Sun
JIM KNIGHTHORSE SERIES
Dark Horse
The Mummy Case
Hail Mary
Clean Slate
THE WITCHES TRILOGY
The Witch and the Gentleman
The Witch and the Englishman
The Witch and the Huntsman
THE SPINOZA TRILOGY
The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo
The Vampire Who Played Dead
The Vampire in the Iron Mask
THE GRAIL QUEST DUOLOGY
The Grail Quest
The Grail Knight
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
Bound By Blood
SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS