Marionette Zombie Series | Book 12 | Dead Reckoning

by Poe, S. B.

  “Me neither.” Jennifer said.

  “You’ve seen people turn right? People who have been bit?”

  “Just a few.”

  “And?”

  “And they knew they were dying. Kate’s husband locked himself in his car right away. He knew.” Charlie said.

  “Just as you knew.” Naomi said. “Just as you know too.” She nodded at Jennifer.

  “Yeah.” Jennifer smiled.

  “That makes you special.” Naomi said. “The both of you. You understand that right?”

  “Sure.” Charlie said.

  “Do you really understand what it means though?” Naomi asked.

  “I don’t get you.” Charlie said.

  “It means that all these people you’re with, they’re not like you. They won’t survive. They will always fear the dead. They have no choice.” Naomi said.

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying you do. You don’t have to stay and wait for everyone to, I’m sorry, die. You can come with us. We would welcome you.”

  “Come with you? Your group?” Jennifer asked.

  “I don’t mean now, of course. We would welcome you any time.” Naomi said. “Perhaps we’ll talk again.”

  “You’re leaving?” Charlie asked.

  “Right now.” She said. “Goodbye Charlie, goodbye Jennifer.” She turned and walked down the hallway. Raj nodded as he held the door open for her. She headed down the street towards the gate.

  Jahda glanced back over her shoulder and watched the shadow top the hill. She reached down and picked up the walkie.

  “She’s coming.” Jahda said.

  “Is he out?” Kate asked.

  “Barely.”

  “I’m on my way. Stall her.” Kate said.

  “Will do.”

  Naomi approached the gate. Jahda climbed down the ladder. She took out her flashlight and began fumbling with the latch. She dropped the flashlight twice. The third time Naomi spoke up.

  “You can just ask me to wait.” Naomi said. “You might need that flashlight when it gets dark.”

  Jahda looked around. The sky was ashen gray. She flipped the light off. She caught movement coming down the street.

  “Sorry. Kate wanted to say goodbye.” Jahda smiled. “Here she comes.”

  Kate and Evelyn walked to the gate.

  “So where is my son?” Kate asked.

  “That’s why I am going.” Naomi said.

  “They get you back, I get my son back. That was the deal.” Kate said.

  “The deal was I come and go as I please.” Naomi said.

  “Deals change.” Kate said.

  “Not this one.” Naomi said. “Remember what he told you. Everything that happens is up to you. Everything.”

  “Is that a threat?” Kate asked.

  “It’s the truth. I’m leaving now.” Naomi said. “Or …”

  She was interrupted by a knock on the gate. Kate looked up at the top of the bus but Ham was already climbing down the ladder.

  “Open it.” Ham said. “Hurry.”

  Jahda reached up and worked the latch. She pulled the door away. As the door opened first Kate saw a girl holding a spear, then a large man, then a young girl, then her son. She felt her knees go weak. She barely saw the other man standing beside Scott and she didn’t see Bridger at all. Ham bolted by her and wrapped her arms around Scott’s neck.

  “I’m sorry I left you.” She said.

  “I’m not. You’re safe. Now I’m safe. Just like we said.” Scott said.

  “We crossed paths.” Bridger said. “They’re here to see you.” He nodded at Naomi.

  “Hannah? Joel? What’s wrong?” Naomi stepped forward.

  “It’s Caleb. He took Noah.” Hannah said. “We have to talk.”

  Naomi looked around at the others. She nodded at Hannah and they walked up a few yards away. Joel, Abby and Cyrus followed. Bridger stayed by the gate as Jahda swung it closed. Kate stepped forward and hugged Scott. Tears streamed down her face.

  “You’re here. Really here.” She said.

  “Yeah, mom. I’m here.” He hugged her back.

  “What is going on?” Jahda asked.

  Scott pulled back from his mom and glanced up the road. The five of them had stopped at the top of the hill and were talking. The sky had turned almost white as the sun climbed behind the clouds.

  “Their group. Something happened to them. Like a rebellion or something. Hannah, that’s the girl with the spear, she said that someone named Caleb was holding Noah and we had to get to Naomi before they did.” Scott blurted out.

  “And they brought you? Why?” Bridger asked.

  “I don’t know. Just did. I guess they figured I wasn’t safe there any more. They didn’t mistreat me. They looked out for me, especially Hannah.” Scott said.

  “So this guy, this Caleb, they think he’s coming for her? Here?” Kate asked.

  “Looks that way.” Scott said.

  “What do they want from her?” Bridger asked.

  “Not sure. It has to do with their mission.” Scott said.

  “Mission? What mission?” Bridger asked.

  “Oh, shit. Sorry mom. But y’all don’t know. These people. This group. They know how it all started. They were part of the government. Noah told me all about it. There’s this secret government plan called Operation Afterlife. Noah and Naomi were part of it. That’s how all the immunes got together. It was their mission.” Scott said.

  “Slow down. You’ll need to tell us all about that but right now we have a much more pressing matter. This guy is going to show up soon and he’s going to want her.” Bridger nodded up the hill. “Probably gonna want all of them.”

  “And?” Kate asked.

  “Well, I guess we need to decide how hard we want to fight to keep that from happening. Personally, I don’t give a shit what happens to them.” Bridger said.

  Raj stood on the sidewalk and watched as Jennifer and Charlie came through the door. Lori and Josh waited in the street as they made their way across the yard. They both approached cautiously.

  “Are you okay?” Lori asked. She looked at Jennifer and tilted her head. Her eyes were clear. “Jen?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” She began tearing up.

  “I’m so sorry.” Lori said. She stepped forward and paused before wrapping her arms around her neck.

  “All’s forgiven. As usual.” Jennifer hugged her back. “We just needed to get a second chance.”

  “I won’t waste it.” She said.

  “Let’s go get something to eat. I guess we need to let everyone else know the good news.” Jennifer said.

  “Miraculous news. That’s what it is.” Charlie added.

  They turned to sound of footsteps running in their direction. Bridger came up to the group and paused.

  “Josh I need you. Probably you too Lori.” Bridger said.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing yet. But we may have some trouble at the gate.” Bridger started to head towards the big house. He paused and turned back. “Oh yeah, your brother came back in one piece. He’s down at the gate too.”

  “Wait what? Scott’s back?”

  “Yeah, hurry. I’ll explain when you get down there.” Bridger trotted up the steps and through the door. Evelyn met him in the hallway.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know for sure but we may have some trouble at the gate. Let Emma Grace and Cody know, then meet us down there.” Bridger said.

  Naomi and Hannah stood in the middle of the street. Cyrus, Joel and Abby were sitting on one of the benches just off the road. They were all waiting. Bridger made his way from the gate to where they waited.

  “Nothing yet.” He said.

  “What are you going to do?” Naomi asked.

  “Well, that really depends on what they do.” Bridger said. “And what you do.”

  “We’re not doing anything. Your two friends over there are making sure of that.”
Naomi nodded at Jahda and Josh. They were seated in folding chairs just on the sidewalk with their rifles across their laps.

  “Just making sure I keep my options open.” Bridger said.

  “You’re going to give us to them aren’t you?” Hannah asked.

  “Maybe I should. Maybe that would be the right thing to do. Who knows?” Bridger said.

  “That would not be the right thing to do.” Naomi said.

  “Says you.” Bridger said. “Tell me why.”

  “Because what they want is for people like you to be gone. They see you as the problem.” Naomi said.

  “Me?”

  “Non-immune.”

  “How are the non-immune a problem?” Bridger asked.

  “The immune will survive. The non-immune won’t but they will fight, kill and destroy on their way out the door. And the whole time they’re killing each other they’ll be adding to the walking dead that fill the world, prolonging the day that they all just rot away. When that day finally comes the immune will be all that is left. What they build will be what becomes of humanity. At least that’s what they think.” Naomi said.

  “But that’s not what you think?” Bridger asked.

  “Noah and I had a job. We thought that job was over. It’s not. Not yet. Not after what I learned.”

  “About what?”

  “If you turn us over to them, it won’t matter.” Naomi said.

  “You’re lying.” Bridger said.

  “There are things you don’t know.”

  “Like Afterlife?” Bridger asked.

  “Do you know what happened to Afterlife when Colorado fell? It wasn’t over. Noah found the airfield. It was so close. But there was nothing there. But I found where they went. It’s still out there.” Naomi said.

  “What?”

  “Hope.” Naomi smiled at him.

  “Gonna need more than that.”

  “Okay then. How about a cure?” Naomi asked.

  “Now I know you’re lying.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You’re saying you’ve found a cure?”

  “No I’m saying that there is a chance that the one person that was close to having one may still be out there. And for the first time in months I’ve learned something new about what happened to them.” Naomi said.

  “And they don’t want you to find a cure?” Bridger asked. “These people that are coming?”

  “They don’t believe it’s still out there.”

  “You can’t convince them now? With what you found?” He asked.

  “I don’t know. But I don’t think they care any more.”

  “So why even come for you?” Bridger asked.

  “For this?” Naomi held out a small leather notebook. Bridger took it and flipped through the pages.

  “A codebook?” Bridger asked.

  “It’s Noah’s. It’s for the map.”

  “Map?”

  “A coded map of shelters, supply depots, communications drops and Afterlife pods.” Naomi said.

  “Pods?”

  “Places that the immune were to be gathered. The plan was for front line shelters to identify immunes and shuttle them through the system to the pods.”

  “Did it work?”

  “In some places.” Naomi said. “Everything got overwhelmed so fast.”

  “But everything else? The supplies, the shelters?”

  “Still sitting out there waiting to rebuild the world.” Naomi said.

  “So give it to them.” Bridger said.

  “Bridger there’s someone coming.” The walkie on his hip came to life. He thumbed the button.

  “How many?”

  “Just one. I only see one person coming. They’re walking down the middle of the street.

  “No vehicles?” Bridger asked.

  “Nothing. Just one guy.” Lori said.

  “On my way.” Bridger put the walkie back in his pocket. “Everybody listen up. We’re going to the gate. No one talks unless I say so. Understand?” He waited for all five of them to nod. “Josh, Jahda stay close. Let’s go.”

  They led the group down the hill to the fence. Bridger looked up. Lori nodded at him.

  “Jahda?” Bridger turned. “Open it up.”

  Somewhere, Out There

  Scott folded his hands and waited. Ham sat in the chair next to him. He looked up at his mother sitting across the table. Emma Grace spooned some of the oatmeal into a bowl and set it in front of him.

  “I’m fine.” He said. “For the hundredth time.”

  “I know. But I’m not letting you out of my sight again. At least not today.” Kate smiled.

  “Did they figure out how I got away?” Ham asked.

  “I did. Hannah did too.” Scott said.

  “What happened last night? Why did they bring you home?” Kate asked.

  “I don’t know for sure. There’s so much other stuff to tell you too.”

  “What happened out there?” Kate asked.

  “I know what caused all this.” Scott said.

  “What caused them to fight each other?” Ham asked.

  “No. What caused this. All of this. The deaduns, all of it.”

  “What caused the deaduns?” Ham asked.

  “A comet.”

  “Comet?”

  “Yeah, something about the stuff in the tail of the comet. That’s what caused this.”

  “How do you know that?” Kate smiled.

  “Noah told me.”

  “How does he know?”

  “He was there. He was part of it. Naomi was too.” Scott said.

  “Part of what?” Kate asked.

  “The government. They knew things about this virus years ago. Years. Noah and Naomi were the first immune people they found. Five years ago.” Scott said.

  “And Noah told you all this?” Kate asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And you believed him?” Kate asked.

  “Why shouldn’t I?” Scott asked.

  “Not saying you shouldn’t. It makes as much sense as anything else. But it doesn’t really matter, does it? All we can worry about is what we do now. And with you home I think we’re doing pretty good.” She leaned back in the chair.

  The gate swung open. Bridger stood in front of the others. Naomi stood just behind him. The man at the gate was tall and thin. The black knit cap he wore pushed his long gray hair against the side of his face. His beard was still salt and pepper gray but turning more salt than pepper. He waited for the gate to stop swinging and then stepped a few steps forward.

  “How can we help you?” Bridger asked.

  “Give me the book Naomi.” The man spoke past Bridger.

  “This book?” Bridger held it up.

  “She tell you what it is?”

  “Yep.”

  “She tell you why I have to have it?”

  “She told me something. Not sure I believe her. Why don’t you tell me?” Bridger said.

  “Because we were chosen.” The man said.

  “HE chose you Caleb. HE found you.” Naomi said.

  “Are you going to give me the book?” Caleb asked. “You really don’t have to be involved in this any more. Just give me the book.”

  “What about them?” Bridger nodded over his shoulder.

  “They’re welcome to come with us. But they won’t. She won’t. It’s over Naomi.” Caleb raised his voice. “It’s all over.”

  “It’s not over. I found something.”

  “You found nothing. Just like all the other nothings. It’s over Naomi. For all of us. I don’t care what you do or what you found or what you want. I’m done. We’re done.” Caleb said.

  “Where’s Noah Caleb?” Naomi asked.

  “Are you going to give me the book?” Caleb asked.

  “WHERE’S NOAH?” Naomi raised her voice.

  “Are you going to give me the book?” Caleb stuck his hand out to Bridger.

  “WHERE’S NOAH??” She yelled.

  “HE’S DEAD. Ok
ay. He’s dead.” Caleb said.

  “Dead?” Naomi paused. “He’s not dead. He can’t be dead.”

  “He’s dead Naomi. I’m sorry. It wasn’t what I planned. I didn’t want it to happen. But he tried to run. He tried to, I don’t know.” Caleb lowered his head. “It’s over Naomi. Just give me the book. All we want is to leave. We tried to tell him that. He never listened. He never wanted to.”

  “He couldn’t quit. You don’t understand, he couldn’t.” Naomi seethed.

  “Yeah, well we see where that got him. I’m sorry Naomi, sorry it came to this.” He said. He turned to Bridger. “I’m sorry you and your people got mixed up in this. I’m going to give you one chance to get yourself out of it.”

  “Give you the book?” Bridger asked.

  “Give me the book.”

  “What happens if I don’t?” Bridger looked at him.

  “I’ll pile dead husks outside your gates until they crash it and then walk in here and take it from you.” Caleb said. “Either way I’ll get the book.”

  “I thought the ones like us were the problem, anyway. Wouldn’t that be the best option for you?” Bridger said.

  “Maybe. But you’re right. You are the problem. It’s just that I haven’t had to cross that line. Yet.” Caleb said. “Probably will have to at some point, just hoped it wouldn’t be on the first day.”

  “Give it to him.” Naomi said. “It’s useless now, anyway.”

  “Not useless to me.” Caleb said.

  “No, I suppose not. Where is he Caleb?” Naomi wiped her eyes.

  “By the creek. At the rocks. Figured that was best.” Caleb said.

  Bridger looked at the book. He handed it over to him.

  “You’ll leave?” Bridger asked before letting go.

  “Packing as we speak.” Caleb said. “Heading back south.” He turned towards the others.

  “Abby? Joel? Hannah? You can come. You are still chosen. You can be part of it.”

  “Not with you.” Hannah said.

  “We’ll stay with Naomi, thank you.” Joel said.

  “Okay. Well, I guess this is goodbye.” Caleb said.

  “Guess so.” Bridger said.

  “Naomi?” Caleb turned. “I really am sorry it came to this. Goodbye.”

  “Goodbye Caleb.”