“Oh. Okay.” Jackie said. She began removing her blouse.
“Jackie. No. You don’t have to.” Herb said stopping her hands.
“What other choice do we have now, we have no Idea where the others went. We.”
“Stop talking and stip.” The smiling soldier interrupted.
“Taking too much time here, we should just shoot them. I’m sure there infected.” One soldier whispered to the other.
“No! No! Here, we’re not infected, look!” Jackie said quickly stripping off her clothes. Herb woefully followed suit and stripped bare. Once naked the soldiers did a quick examination and found no bites.
“Get dressed quickly and get on the boat.” On the boat ride over Herb watched the young soldier who had been and was still staring at Jackie. He adjusted himself in his pants several times throughout the ride.
Once on the boat things unraveled quickly. The soldiers were hooting and hollering at Jackie, she stood clinging on to Herb. The soldiers rallied around them. Jackie was cringing, praying for someone to put an end to this madness. Moments later her prayers were seemingly answered, a soldier came on deck and all the other soldiers quieted. He stopped and spoke with the two other soldiers who whispered in his ear. All remained quiet waiting for him to speak. He walked in front of Herb and Jackie and stood with his hands behind his back.
“The boys told me they did a precursory examination on shore, we need to do... a more thorough inspection.” The Colonel said. Herb and Jackie both looked at him waiting for what came next. “Please remove your clothing again.”
“Here? Now?” Jackie asked.
“Yes, right here, right now.”
“Don’t you think there is somewhere?” She was interrupted.
“No.” The soldier said letting his hands drop to his sides. “You’ll do it now or you will be executed and thrown overboard.”
They both slowly began removing their clothes. The crowd began to draw nearer. Dozens and dozens of prying eyes jockeying for the best vantage point. Once naked the Colonel signaled to one of the other soldiers that came over and stood behind Jackie. He began “searching” her for bites. When he reached around and grabbed her breasts she jumped and pushed his hands away. She was instantly struck on the back of the head with the butt of a rifle. Herb lunged to help her and received the same treatment and was knocked unconscious.
Herb awoke as two men were dragging him across the deck of the boat. He could tell that his head was bleeding, droplets of blood cascaded off the tip of his pointy nose. He thought of Jackie and instinctively bucked against his captors. He received another blow to the back of the head before being dropped onto the corrugated metal surface of the deck. One of the soldiers let out of string of incoherent curses as he brought his boot down on Herb around a dozen times. They grabbed him by the wrists and pulled him the rest of the way, blood now streaming from his face. He was thrown into this container and the doors were slammed shut with a resounding clash that rang in Herb’s ears minutes later.
Montana
Terry Whitaker was struggling holding on to the back of the semi. He had considered jumping off several times when they slowed for obstructions in the road, but they were in some pretty wide-open country and he only had a vague idea of their location. It was nearly impossible to read the signs heading the other direction in the dark by only the brake lights of the trucks. But he had the impression that they were heading into Canada.
The day had faded into night by the time the trucks made a turn and began to slow. He jumped down as quickly as his cramped muscles would allow him and scurried underneath the rig hiding next to the right rear tire as the truck came to a stop. He waited and listened as he heard drivers jumping out of the cabs and unhooking the trailers. Within a matter of minutes, the trucks were off, and Terry was left in the darkness.
As soon as the noise from the trucks faded into the distance Terry could only hear one thing. A constant guttural moan was emitting from each and every one of the trailers. Terry couldn’t tell how many there were, but it sounded like thousands.
New York
The highways and byways had been blissfully clear since Abeline and the boys had gotten out of the city. They were making good time and had only been forced to make two minor detours due to congestion on the road. Their little station wagon wasn’t built for off road, so they had just been doubling back and taking different routes venturing into upstate New York.
Alex was asleep in the back seat curled up next to John who was staring out the window into the blackness of night. Without any lights on the world seemed to end a foot out the window. He was remembering what it looked like when street lights passed by while driving on the highway and the little games he used to play with the light patterns.
“There it is.” Abeline said. Both Caleb and John perked up and looked around. Alex didn’t even stir.
“There what is Miss Abeline?” Asked John.
“The lord showed me a sign, but I didn’t know what it meant until now. There, look. That sign.
“Freehold Airport?” Caleb asked confused.
“Yes sir. We’re gonna fly to Canada.”
“Do you know how to fly?”
“Oh, a lifetime ago I was a wealthy woman. And yes, I took some flying lessons.”
“And you remember?” Asked Caleb.
“I remember enough. Jesus will help with the rest.” Caleb and John exchange a look of shock and bewilderment.
Fifteen minutes later the headlights were illuminating the sign for the Freehold Airport. It took some work getting Alex to wake up. He was still groggy as they exited the vehicle. Alex drug his backpack on the ground shuffling forward as the others swung on their backpacks and flicked on their flashlights. They walked together into the small airport.
Several long tense minutes were spent walking through the pitch black. Their flashlights only creating thin strips of visibility. Finally, their feet started striking concrete, and some small airplanes came into view. The children watched as Abeline walked past three different planes sitting on the tarmac. She walked directly up to a small aircraft, opened the door and hopped into the driver’s seat is if she’d been there a thousand times.
“Okay, fuel okay, flaps okay. Gear, all right, looks like we are good to go.” She pushed a button and engine sputtered to life and the little propellers up front began to spin. “Everybody ready?” Two of them answered yes there was a resounding no from the back of the plane.
“What’s wrong Alex?” John said turning around in his seat.
“I don’t think I like flying.” Alex said clutching tightly Abeline didn’t pay much attention to the conversation behind her, she was focused on trying to remember how to fly a plane.
“We’ll be safer up there than we are down here.” Said John.
“No zombies up there.” Added Caleb
“It’s not the up that bothers me, it’s the down.” The plane began to move through the darkness, taxiing out onto the runway.
“We can’t see, what if we run out of runway?” Alex asked from the back of the plane.
“We won’t. There’s plenty of runway.”
“How do you know?”
“The lord led us safely all the way to this plane, I don’t think he did that just to have me run off the tarmac into the grass. The boys exchanged another round of uneasy looks. “Have faith.”
Iowa
“She’s finally asleep. Corey is watching her.” Tim said as he walked in the basement door. “I think all of us know why we’re here” He turned and faced the group of children in front of him.
“We need to escape.” Said Emily from the corner of the dingy basement. Tim looked over at her, head down, blonde hair hanging in front of her face. Her red and white checkered dress is dirty and ripped in two places.
“Samantha is crazy. She killed Brandon, and Mr. Peters. She will kill any one of us who go against her.” Tim announced.
“It’s true, I was watching when she went to the
bus to help Mr. Peters.” Said Quinn standing up off of a sack of manure. His T-shirt used to be white, it’s now a light brown, almost red color. His jeans are faded and ripped at the knees. He has short curly hair and freckles all across his cheeks. “We were supposed to be out there to help him. She told me to hang back so she could make sure it was safe, but I crept out behind her. She walked up, talked to him for a few seconds, went behind his back and slit his throat.”
“Damn.” Said Chrystal. Her fingers twisting the ends of her long straight black hair. She had sad eyes, but a smile that lit up a room. Today she was wearing a Chicago Bulls T-shirt that was two sizes too big for her and a pair of dirty white shorts. “You saw that? For real?” She asked.
“With my own two eyes.” Answered Quinn.
“Bullshit.” Said Elliot from the corner of the room. He was sitting all by himself holding his sniper rifle on his lap. Rubbing the polished wood, caressing the metal shaft. He had honestly just started listening to the last two sentences.
“Why would I lie?” Asked Quinn.
“So, you and Tim can be in charge and boss us around.” Sneered Elliot. He looked up from his rifle and saw the entire room staring at him with distain.
“He’s telling the truth Elliot. And Mary told me that she choked Brandon to death just because he told a joke about her saying she was crazy.”
“Aw Mary’s full of shit too.” Elliot said. “I don’t need this crap, I have first watch.” Elliot stood up with his rifle and began walking towards the door. “I need to get some sleep.”
“Hey Elliot?” Quinn called from the back of the room. “You tell anyone about this, and I’ll fucking kill you. You hear me?”
“I’ll kill you right now you little fucking prick.” Elliot said turning and bringing the rifle up to his shoulder. Quinn froze not wanting to agitate Eliot any further. “Yea, that’s about what I thought.” Elliot said. Just as he began to lower his weapon Tim plunged a knife into the center of his back. Elliot froze in place and fell to the floor. A puff of dirt coming up off the floor as his cheek hit the ground. The dust clinging to his red hair.
“Jesus Christ! What the hell did you do Tim?” Emily cried. “You just killed us. You just fucking killed us!” A volley of discord and protest rose from throughout the room.
“Enough!” Tim yelled. “Planning time is over. What’s done is done. We need to move, now. We have three backpacks full of supplies, we’ll wait for the lookout to walk away and throw Eliot’s body where it can be seen, and we run the other way.”
“Oh God, we’re dead, we’re dead, we’re all dead.” Emily was pacing back and forth in the back of the room.
“God damn it Emily. If you want to stay, walk out the door and go upstairs. Any of you. Samantha will assume those that leave are guilty, and I’m going.” Tim said.
“Me too.” Said Quinn.
“I don’t know, I just don’t know.” Said Emily.
“We have to go.” Said Chrystal. “If she finds out. If she breaks you. Then she’ll. . She’ll punish us.”
“She’ll kill us Emily.” Tim added.
“Okay. Okay, let’s go.” Emily finally agreed.
“I’m staying.” Kevin said speaking up for the first time from back in the corner.
“Are you sure?” Tim asked walking through the group.
“I don’t want to go out there. With the monsters. I feel safe here.” Kevin paused, but no one spoke. “I won’t tell anyone, don’t worry.” Kevin walked through the room and up to Tim.
“Are you sure? I thought you were the one that wanted to go.”
“I thought I did.” His head lowered and he kicked dust with his shoes. “Now that it’s here, I’m too scared.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
“I’ll miss you buddy. Take care of yourself okay? Keep your head down”
“I will.” Kevin said. And with that he walked out the door closing it quietly behind him.
They waited until they heard the back door close above them before grabbing hold of Elliot, lifting him off the floor. Together they carried him out the basement door. The night was bright with a full moon, they walked the body up the short flight of steps and stopped at the back yard. Outside the crickets chirped in the still night air. Quinn let go and peeked around the corner of the building. He looked for only a second or two and turned back to the group.
“It’s Kyle. Do you think I could just go talk to him?” He asked.
“It’s too dangerous.” Tim said. “You’d have to go through the house, and there might be someone up there with him.”
“Yea, right.” He said. Quinn turned his attention back around the corner looking up at Kyle. Several long tense moments pass as he waits for the guard above to move. “Okay, let’s go.” He said. They all scrambled out, dropped Elliot’s body on the ground in the middle of the yard, turned and scurried away into the corn.
Seconds later Kyle returns to the edge of the railing scanning the endless fields of corn. Just as he is turning away back towards the front of the house he glances down and sees a body lying in dirt on the side of the house. He quickly turns and climbs through the window into the house. Yelling can be heard echoing throughout the building as flashlights and lanterns begin illuminating throughout the house. Children began spilling out the front door, they surrounded the body lying on the ground. A ripple of excited murmurs resounds through the crowd of children.
“Oh God, is that Elliot? Yea, Elliot. Yea, he was stabbed in the back. Oh, look at all that blood.”
Samantha strode out wearing a long black dress that flowed out on the ground behind her. Her long white hair was as wild and untamed as her eyes. The children clear a path as she approaches. Elliot’s body comes into view, his red hair is filled with dirt. Elliot stares down at the dirt unblinking. A small pool of blood forming underneath him.
“Who did this?” She asked the group. No one responded. “Who did this?”
“He wasn’t here a second ago.” Kyle explained. “I only walked away for a second, and then there he was, I never saw how he got there.” Her arm was already moving before he finished speaking. She backhanded Kyle across the mouth. His hand went to cover his face as he looked at her in shock, he had never experienced her violent side.
She turned to face the others. Her gaze penetrating the crowd examining face after face. “Who’s missing?”
“Tim.” Someone said.
“Chrystal and Emily.” Said another.
“Quinn.” Someone else said.
“I see.” Said Samantha staring off into the corn. “Prepare yourselves children. We’re going on a hunt. Special privilege to anyone who kills one of the traitors.”
Sprinting through the corn, the group of escapee children pushed themselves harder than most of them had ever tried before. They ran until their lungs burned and their legs felt like they were on fire.
They paused when they reached the road. Tim and Quinn were the first to emerge, Tim put his hands on his knees and lowered his head, gasping for air. Quinn was a soccer player and was used to running but was still winded. Emily and Chrystal emerged from the corn several seconds later. Chrystal walked up onto the road and looked off into the distance. To their right she could just see a speck of yellow off in the distance, she knew immediately that it was their bus.
“There.” Chrystal said. Quinn, Emily and Tim looked down the road at what she was pointing at. Emily, whose glasses were nearly two years old couldn’t see what she was pointing at.
“What? I don’t see.” Emily asked confused.
“The bus.” Quinn said as he began running again.
“What are we supposed to do with that? They’ll check the bus.” Tim argued.
“We can climb up underneath. They won’t check there.” Chrystal said.
They jogged down to the broken-down school bus and climbed underneath and try to hide as far up inside the bus as they could. The two girls climbed all the way up insid
e the engine compartment. The boys climbed up on top of the front axle and were able to hold themselves up off the ground.
It wasn’t long before they heard children shouting from the corn. Then they could see lights bouncing up and down in the darkness. Then there were footfalls all around them. They held their breath as they head people walking inside the bus. Emily closed her eyes tight and prayed that they wouldn’t be spotted.
Lake Ontario
The takeoff went smoothly despite the concerns of the three boys. Alex didn’t have an opinion, he was back asleep before the wheels left the ground. Once at altitude, Abeline leveled off the plane and headed northwest. Flying through the darkness every so often Abeline would become disorientated and have to check her gauges to make sure she wasn’t flying towards the ground. It felt like hours and hours had passed.
John and Caleb were talking casually about one of the last movies they had all seen. Intentionally trying not to look out into the darkness, keeping their focus on each other inside the plane. Abeline was staring out into nothingness trying to keep her eyes open.
It began as a silver needle laying on the horizon in the distance.
“Boys! Boys look!” Abeline yelled. All eyes swiveled to the front of the plane. The silver needle began to grow wider and spread further across the horizon.
“Wow! Is that? It’s Canada. The power is still on! Oh, I can’t wait to have a cold drink.” John and Caleb were jumping around in their seats bursting with excitement. Caleb’s little brother Alex woke from the back seat.
“What’s going on?” Alex asked sitting up from his sleeping position. A sprawling city against the coast of Lake Ontario stretched out on the horizon. The blue and yellow incandescent lights of the city glowing in the horizon. Soon the structure of the city, buildings came into view. “It’s so beautiful.”
“It sure is sweetheart.” Said Abeline.
The Z Strain Page 29