“You trust the guy who injected me with a zombie virus while I was pregnant with my son? The guy who has been working with Mom? The guy who helped create the very drug that killed my Jake?!” Rae growled, getting louder with each word.
“The guy who let you leave Los Alamos laboratory when you bumped into him because he knew who you were and has been working with your father ever since.” Louis interceded with a monotone voice. “I made mistakes during my time at the lab, yes but I knew no other way. I was under the influence of the drug, but as the percentage of usage in my brain became higher, so did my reasoning. I realized what was going to happen and voiced my opinions but was ignored. So, I found someone who would listen. I found the one person who could help me end this nonsense before humanity was wiped from existence.” Louis explained strongly. Rae narrowed her eyes on him.
“How do I know you aren’t lying?” She demanded. Louis shrugged.
“I don’t know how I could possibly prove that other than for you to trust me first and learn that I am on your side. This drug defies what humans were meant to be and I believe that is why it has backfired. Humans weren’t meant to use all their brain, otherwise they would have been created to do so, now we must put it right. You are how we do that. So, I am prepared to tell you what I know, if you are prepared to not kill me.” Louis offered. Rae wanted to say no, but they needed to get going, she had a life to save and a marriage to end, she didn’t have time to waste. She looked at her dad, who nodded slowly.
“He's on our side Rae. If I can trust him then you can too.” Andrew said. She gave one last wary look in Louis’s direction then clicked the safety back on and put her gun away.
“Go on then, what do you know?”
“I was a test trial, as was Edgar my co-worker and the drug did enhance me. I have superhuman like abilities and incredible knowledge, unlocking over 50 percent of my brain. The drug worked in that sense, but it had side effects, just like the others.” Louis gestured to his face, grey and drooping. “We turned into what you humans are calling zombies, but it went in three stages, the first stage being what is taking over your homes. We were insane, rabid, you would have seen videos of this stage in our files. Literally bouncing off walls and foaming at the mouth, amazing strength and speed. It enhanced our body first and Katherine didn't like it all, because it was meant to effect the mind.”
“Wait, are all those things out here, eventually going to be versions of you? Smart superbeings with rotting, drooping skin?” Nix interrupted.
“Exactly, but before they get to my level, there is stage two. That is when the initial high of the drug starts to wear off and their body becomes slower, but their mind begins to work faster, but differently. As if being reprogrammed. When it happened to me, things slowly became clearer, more logical and I couldn’t remember anything of my life before I took the drug. As my insides stopped feeling like they were trying to climb out my skin, my cravings began to lessen, and I found it harder and harder to move. Like gravity was trying to hold me down while my brain absorbed everything.” Louis said, pacing slowly as if he had all the time in the world, but Rae didn’t.
“And you’re the last stage?” Raelynn assumed “If you’re brain function is doing what it is meant to then why were you deemed a failure on your file?”
“Two reasons. The first one is obvious; the side effects were drastic. They wanted to cut out the first two stages and stop the skin from peeling off like mine does. The second reason is because I, nor Edgar were good enough for your mother. She had promised the investors that a certain percentage of the brain could be unlocked, and we weren’t there. We weren’t high enough for her to get paid, so she marked us as a fail and carried on altering the drug and testing on more people. Eventually, they found a success story and released the drug, despite only finding one person not susceptible to its effects.” Louis explained.
“Maria.” Rae assumed. Louis nodded.
“Exactly. She was the only one who passed, but as I understand it, she is now slowly getting them as we did. I feel I must correct one thing though. These creatures are not the same as the zombies you seem to think.” Louis began.
“How do you figure?” Nix asked quickly.
“Well their bite does not infect. They are simply hungry and rabid. Right now, their bodies are on fire and screaming to be appeased, that’s their goal-to find something to appease it. Their carnal desire tells them that human flesh will do that, so they go after it.” Louis said, and Rae got the distinct impression he was telling her that from personal experience. She also felt a huge bout of relief sag through her. The bite not being infectious was definitely an upside. It didn’t mean those creatures were any less deadly though. They still wanted to eat them.
“I guess that’s a plus, any other words of wisdom, o-wise-one?” Nix teased.
“Only a warning. Katherine is determined to use your blood to save the day and get back her investors, so she has sent Edgar after you, as well as José. They will be close now.” Louis spoke and with every word after her husband’s name, Rae tensed.
“How is that possible?” Rae demanded.
“Because they have been tracking your phone ever since you stopped using his credit card.”
“Great, so now what do we do? I have to get to Los Alamos, but I can’t have those two catching up.” She reminded. Her dad stepped forward, interrupting them.
"Like I said, I have a plan.” He said “We’re all going to get to Albuquerque, that’s on the way to Los Alamos. From there Nix, Louis, and Kenji will distract José and Edgar. Edgar's from the lab and doesn’t know Louis is on our side. He's going to pretend that he's on Edgar’s side and lead him on with false information. Jen, James, Evie and John, you lot are going to hide. The only reason you're going with them John, is because I know you'll protect them." Andrew began getting in before John could demand why he was getting lumped with the hiders, but dad was right, they still had the other monsters to deal with.
"Such flattery will get you everywhere. Alright, so we rendezvous afterwards?" John asked and Andrew nodded.
"Rae and I will carry on to Los Alamos where we will handle things there then meet back at the hideout in Albuquerque." Andrew finished and everyone agreed then went back inside to pack up their things and get themselves ready.
Within the hour they were back on the road in the RV and the closer they got to Albuquerque, the more the forests changed into highway. Kenji swerved around abandoned cars and took out the ravenous zombies trying to attack the RV with a heavy foot on the gas pedal. Each crunch of their bodies against the side had Evie curling further into Rae’s arms. She smirked over at Nix who had his eyes scrunched shut, holding the table he sat at with white knuckles, refusing to look at the carnage. They finally reached Albuquerque and Kenji swerved the RV around corner after corner, looking for somewhere safe to park.
“Why don’t we hole up in one of the buildings?” asked John.
“Because we are almost outta gas and I was hoping we could find somewhere a little more isolated to break down.” Kenji smiled tightly. Rae’s eyebrows raised at that and she moved to the window to check out where they were. The buildings were getting sparser and so were the zombies so Rae found the first building she could that looked comfortable enough, and untaken by the infected. She pointed out the window to what looked like an office space with a big ‘FOR LEASE’ sign on the door.
“There. That office space. They usually have a bathroom and at least a bench and a sink in them.” Rae said. Kenji followed her line of sight, pulling the RV over just as it began to cough and sputter, eventually coming to a halt right outside of the building.
“Well, that was scary perfect.” Kenji shrugged. Rae frowned, she didn’t like it when things went perfectly, it meant that the bad things were coming next. Rae sighed and stood, stretching her legs as Everlynn looked out the window, her eyes darting around them. They were alone though, having ditched the last zombie at least a mile back, but that didn’t m
ean the building was clear. It was two stories high and full of office spaces that had to be cleared before she was leaving Jen or the kids there, whether they were with John or not.
"Jen, you stay here with the kids while we clear the building." Kenji ordered. Jen nodded once; James’ capsule already next to her. Everlynn moved over to Jen, sitting up on the bed next to her as Kenji, John, Andrew, Raelynn and Nix scouted the building, taking out every hiding zombie that quickly came to life when they entered. Phoenix swung his bat without hesitating, which she had to admit made her pause. He was damn hot when he was fighting zombies. Rae glanced over at John who was shooting the zombies he found, in the head, while Andrew had his back with his revolver. Rae aimed her gun but had yet to come across a single one and Kenji swung his axe at every shadow that moved. Once the building was clear, they dragged all the bodies into one of the cupboards and out of sight for the kids and Jen to come through.
“Alright, now that’s clear, we should barricade the front, with all that glass there, I don’t want anything getting in.” Andrew said, hands on his wide hips. They went downstairs and Rae got Jen and the kids inside as the guys moved all the cars and dumpsters they could find, into the way of the building creating as much of a barricade as they could, only leaving a small side window available for access. After what seemed like forever, Nix poked his head inside the window.
“We’re ready to go, but we need Jen to jumpstart the car for you and Andy.” He said. Rae looked over at Jen who nodded and climbed through the window, having already said her goodbyes to the kids, a very brief goodbye because that’s all she could manage before her tears began welling. She wiped them away and turned with impatient taps of her fingers on her arm, reminding her of each second that was passing that she wasn’t closer to getting to the labs. They had to go. Eventually the sounds of a car engine sputtered to life outside and Jen climbed back in with a triumphant smile on her face. She took over, looking after the kids and Rae took her turn climbing out the window. John was waiting for her on the other side.
“I think asking me to climb through this thing is just cruel while I’m trying not to drown my sorrows in alcohol.” John snickered and although his comment seemed light-hearted, his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He was struggling and Rae worried for him but there was nothing she could do for him; it was his battle to face and she had her own. She walked over to where Nix, Kenji and Andrew stood waiting by the car.
"Nix, are you sure you can do this?" Raelynn asked and she wasn’t sure what she wanted the answer to be. If he said yes, then she had to let him go but if he said no, then she had an excuse to make him stay with her. It wasn't long ago that he wouldn't have dared volunteer to fight off the bad guy, now he was running off purposely to be chased by them. All because of her. All for her.
"For you, I'd fight the world." Nix vowed and kissed her deeply and it would have been romantic if John wasn’t gagging out the window in the background. She sighed and pulled away.
“I guess you guys better get going then, before they catch up. Here’s my phone.” Raelynn handed it over with a shaking hand. She couldn’t lose anyone else; she couldn’t lose him again. She didn’t have it in her.
"You watch him please, Kenji." Raelynn begged.
"He's got a nice ass; I'll keep a really close eye on him." He winked and Rae chuckled rolling her eyes as Nix pretended to cover his ass.
"His ass is mine, but you can look." Raelynn teased back laughing with the others before sobering. It was time to go.
"Louis. You better make it back mate. You'll be a scientific explosion with the government if they catch you.” Andrew said shaking his hand. Louis nodded back then walked away, go. Kenji gave a fake salute to her and Andy,
“See you on the flip side.” He smirked then grabbed Nix’s arm “C’mon lover boy, you’re mine. Well for the next few hours at least.” Kenji teased. Nix let Kenji drag him off, looking back a few more times before breaking into a jog with the others and rounding the corner, out of sight. Rae sighed and climbed into the car, resisting the urge to run after Nix and change the plan so he had to come with her. She sat in the passenger side and looked at her dad who got behind the wheel. He smiled sympathetically.
“He’ll be okay, Raelynn.” Her dad tried to comfort, but she didn’t want to think about the alternative, so she simply nodded, staring straight ahead and turning on the car radio. She pressed play on whatever CD was in there, rolling her eyes as Matchbox 20 ‘Let’s see how far we’ve come’ blasted through the car. The world was ending around her, she didn’t want to hear about it on the radio as well. Despite that though, she left it going, letting the rhythm take away her thoughts. By the second chorus she was fully immersed in the beat, belting out the words with her dad like they used to.
The three-hour trip from Albuquerque to Los Alamos consisted of replaying the annoyingly accurate song on the CD, avoiding the abandoned cars on the road and collecting zombies with the grill on the front of their bright red, hatchback car. They stopped just before entering the car park of the lab and observed the area from the car. She didn’t know whether it was a trap or if it had already been cleared, but the carpark was dead and the lights in the lab were dark, as if no one was there. Rae’s heart rate sped up a notch. She had trusted Julian as soon as he had mentioned annulling her marriage but what if it had been a mistake? Raelynn took a steadying breath, her hand tightening on the door handle.
“Dad…” She started, planning on telling him that she loved him and that she was worried it was a trap, but he stopped her with a shake of his head.
“Don’t. Think about why you are doing this instead of what is in there.” He interrupted. She looked out at the building. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over everything. She squinted through, still unable to find a way passed the banging of her heart against her ribcage.
“How?” She asked.
“Tell me. Why are we here, Rae? Why did you decide to risk your life to come here, despite knowing who you were going to find in there?” He asked, in no rush to get out before she was ready, and she definitely wasn’t.
“You know why.” She snapped.
“Tell me again. Remind me. Remind yourself.” He replied with a calm, strategic parenting voice. Raelynn rolled her eyes like she used to when she was fifteen before letting out a sigh.
“Because there is a girl in there who is literally wasting away because she needs my blood to cure her.” Raelynn repeated, making her voice sound frustrated so he couldn’t see how much it was helping, validating herself out loud.
“And?” He prompted. Rae bit her lip. And Nix. She was there because it meant she could have a future with Nix. She wasn’t sure how much of a future that would be considering the whole zombie thing but that didn’t matter, she could be with him without fear of José.
“Because I can finally be free of José, of everything he did to me. I can be with Nix without feeling guilty.” She said softly. Andrew nodded.
“Good girl. Now do you want to go in and kick some butt or do you want to stay in here and sulk?” Andrew smirked. Rae rolled her eyes again trying to hide her smirk.
“Kick some butt.” She whispered. He grinned and placed his hand by his ear, leaning over to her.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that?” He prompted.
“Kick some butt!” Rae yelled, laughing with him as she did. He nodded with a proud smile.
“That’s my girl.” He said then got out of the car. Rae did the same and together they walked over to the building. As they got closer, the security cameras began to move, watching them. She didn’t like them knowing where they were coming in from and held her gun up to shoot the cameras, but her hands were shaking so much, she couldn’t get her aim lined up. She tried to hold herself steady for a few seconds before sighing and dropping her arm, with an angry shake of her head. She had almost given up when her dad came over, lifted her arm and stood behind her. He put one hand on her shoulder and cupped her hand with the other. H
e helped her hold the gun, aiming it straight for the cameras, then stepped back.
“Breathe, kiddo. Hold it, shoot, let go.” He whispered. She did as he encouraged, pulling in a deep breath, her finger on the trigger before she closed one eye, and released her breath in the same second she pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced the glass in the very centre of the small screen, lodging in the shards. Rae grinned and looked back at her father.
“Perfect kiddo.” He grinned.
“You got the last one, old man?” Raelynn asked and he chuckled, aiming for the camera on the other side and shooting it directly in the middle without hesitation. His aim perfect. Now they just had to get inside without being eaten or killed.
Chapter Fourteen
Nix ran through the streets with Kenji and Louis, the afternoon sun beaming over them, the cold air whistling around them, fighting for dominance. Nix waited until they were at least fifteen minutes away then pulled out Raelynn’s phone and messaged José.
‘I know you are tracking me; I’m waiting for you. Come find me.’
Nix taunted José, pretending to be Raelynn, hoping he would take the bait. The phone buzzed in Nix’s hand as they stopped for a breather in a side alley, in between two tall buildings that blocked out the sun and wind. Nix checked the reply.
‘Turn around, ‘Raelynn’.’
Turning around, Nix stood meters away from the man himself, José. He had caught up to them and as Nix looked the guy over, rage boiled through him. A white-hot anger that flared in every part of him, his hands fisted at his sides, his jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed at the miserable excuse for a human being that was Rae’s husband. The very husband who had beat her, taken her son from her and put a sadness in her eyes that he still saw every day. A haunted sadness that he would do anything to get rid of.
“Leading us on a false trail, huh? How annoying. Where is Raelynn, my wife?” José taunted. Nix snickered.
Survival Instincts (Book 1): Sacrifice Page 16