The Zee Brothers: Zombie Apocalypse Now?: Zombie Exterminators Vol.4

by Grivante

  Jonah grimaced, clutching his bloodied left hand to his chest. “We blow this place up, burn it to the ground.”

  “I—” Judas looked at the gas cans, struggling for words. “But, she, Dr. Nit—”

  “Just killed her entire staff and tried to massacre us!”

  “Yeah, I know,” Judas sighed. “It’s just hard to wrap my brain around… blowing everything up.”

  “If we don’t stop her now, who knows what she’ll go on to do.”

  Judas nodded. “I know… I get it.” He shook his head as if to clear it. “What do you want me to do?”

  Jonah pressed the elevator button, opening the door. “Load them in there.” He grabbed a gas can himself and removed the lid. After Judas put the other containers in, he dumped the gasoline on top of them and threw the empty can in. He pulled a cigar from his pocket, lit it and took a few puffs while Judas watched.

  “Do you think this will kill them?”

  “Not all of them, but it’ll prevent her from escaping. We’ll have to go to the warehouse and get more weapons. If she infected more than just the workshop, we might have a lot more work to do.”

  “But what about your hand, Jonah? You need a doctor.”

  Jonah puffed on his cigar. “Not until this is done.” He reached in, pressed the button for the floor below, and waited until the door was almost closed before tossing the cigar inside. “Run!”

  Jonah and Judas ran, busting out the side door and into bright sunlight. They blinked and shielded their eyes. A few zombies milled about outside, appearing to have come from a large warehouse nearby.

  “Should we take them out?”

  “Let’s get better equipped first,” Jonah said and took off toward the building where their equipment was stored.

  As they came upon the building, Jonah noticed the large vehicle door stood open. They had closed it before they left, then his heart skipped a beat. Their truck, Sasha, was gone. They had parked it in front of the warehouse when they arrived for work that morning. His mind raced over where it could be until they walked inside. The same green residue covered the ground in their warehouse and, near the back, he could see the truck. He flashed a cautious look at Judas.

  They made their way to it and stopped as a man with long red hair called out from behind it.

  “Hi, boys,” Hank greeted through his own gas mask. “Glad to see you survived. That crazy bitch finally lost it, huh?” He tilted his head, seeing the bloody towel wrapped around Jonah’s left hand. “What happened there?”

  “Bit,” Jonah answered.

  “Whoa,” Hank stepped back a pace.

  “I’m okay, but that’s what set this whole thing off.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That outbreak you sent us to, she started it. She killed dozens of innocents at the mall. Things got out of control and I ended up with part of my hand in a zombie’s mouth. We came back here right away and confronted her. She had a vaccine and she gave it to us.”

  Hank’s brow furrowed, one eyebrow raising.

  “We made her give it to us,” Judas added, to which Hank’s eyes widened.

  “Afterward,” Jonah continued, “she escaped and released the toxin. Killed everyone in the lab.”

  “Everybody on the grounds I think,” Hank said. “At least anyone inside the buildings she had plumbed to release the gas in.” He grimaced. “I got lucky, was out back having a smoke. I’d seen you guys bust through the gate and knew something was happening and high-tailed it to my office waiting for you to turn up. When I heard the hissing sound and noticed the gas, I grabbed a mask and realized the shit had finally hit the fan around here. She’s been getting crazier for months.”

  “What are you doing with our truck?” Jonah asked.

  They saw the grin spread across his face, even through the mask. “Well, I figured if you made it out of there you'd need some help bringing this under control.” He bent down, then lifted a large metal column up and into position. “Judas, could you give me a hand?”

  Judas walked over and looked on Sasha’s tailgate. The largest, prettiest gun he had ever seen sat there, twelve sparkling barrels, one-inch in circumference each. They had seen Hank building the gun their first day on the job thirteen months ago. “Dee-Dee?”

  “Yep!” Hank beamed. “I couldn’t install it on any of the company vehicles, so I built this stand for the back of your truck. I had a feeling you would need it someday. Now get up here so I can show you how to mount it. You have to lock each latch in place to hold it tight. Trust me when I say, you don’t want to miss any. This thing is a beast.”

  Part VIII - Special Delivery

  Jonah puffed on his cigar and looked over at JJ. “We got the gun mounted and exterminated the undead employees, then used Dee-Dee to blow up the large industrial propane tank next to the lab. The fire had spread and smoke billowed out of the windows at that point, but the blast pretty much leveled the building. There’s no way she survived. If the zombies didn’t get her, the fire or explosion surely did.”

  Judas grinned at the memory. “That was a horrible day, but damn Dee-Dee was fun.”

  JJ thought for a moment. “You mentioned she had an escape panel in her office, could she have had another one somewhere?”

  Jonah shook his head. “Maybe, but we never heard from her again after that. Her company fell into complete disarray. Everyone quit or left when their paychecks stopped showing up. They reported the explosion at the facility on the news and mentioned that nobody had seen her since, the media suspected she had died. They didn't mention the zombies or the other atrocities she kept there.”

  “Hmm,” JJ took a drag from her cigarette and watched as Judas popped a mint in his mouth. “You know, sugar,” she said to him. “I’m sure proud of you. Quitting is hard. I’ve tried a hundred times and…” she looked at the cigarette in her hand, went to flick it away, then thought better of it and drew another puff.

  “Thank you,” Judas smiled, beaming. “It hasn’t been easy. In fact, I apologize if I’ve been an ass to either of you. I realize I’ve been moody.”

  “Nah,” Jonah interjected, “you haven’t been that bad.”

  Tears rolled down JJ’s cheeks.

  “What’s the matter?” Judas asked her.

  She blinked at him through the tears. “I just need to know who to hate. If it’s not that Dr. Nitsau, then who is it, and why Xanadu? Why did they steal my dog?” She put the cigarette out and lay her head in her hands. “I’m… I'm such an asshole. The last memory he has of me is me smacking him on the nose and beating him with my panties. He gave me such a heartbroken look and… and all I want now is to be able to kiss his little feet and smell those tiny black toe beans of his.” She sobbed.

  Jonah reached out and put an arm around her, saying nothing.

  “They smelled like Fritos, you know?” she said after a minute.

  “What did?” Jonah asked.

  “The dark pads on his paws. I call them toe beans and if you sniff them, they smell like Fritos.”

  This brought a chuckle from the brothers.

  She stood. “Whoever it is, it’s time we find Xanny.” She turned toward her car. “I’m going to go get my phone. I can use the app on there to track him through his collar and then go meet this bitch. I have a few things to say to her.”

  Jonah and Judas stood up next to her, nodding.

  “Judas and I will gather up whatever equipment we can recover and meet you at your Charger,” Jonah said, then stopped as the screech of a large truck’s brakes filled the air.

  They looked at each other. It sounded like a semi-truck and the same thought occurred to each of them.

  “That isn't what it sounds like, is it?” Judas said, looking at the others for reassurance.

  Jonah bit his lips. “Goddammit, no more! Judas, go get whatever weapons you can find! We can’t survive another truckload of those things with what we’ve got, especially if they’re being directed.” He and JJ ran towa
rd the gate where the first semi still remained to see what they faced.

  They squeezed passed the trailer and out onto the street, both with guns drawn and a readiness to shoot anything that moved. What they saw there stopped them in their tracks.

  Atop a flatbed trailer sat a huge silver truck. The metal sparkling in the early morning light.

  “That’s a beautiful truck,” Jonah said, marveling at its size and design.

  The driver exited the cab, hopping to the pavement, carrying a clipboard in his hand. He looked up to find Jonah and JJ with their guns pointing in his direction. “Whoa, whoa, don’t shoot! I’m here to make a delivery” the man exclaimed, holding the clipboard in front of his face like it could protect him if they fired. “I’m sorry, I’m early. I can come back later.” He backed away.

  Jonah’s forehead scrunched, and he lowered his gun, glancing at JJ as her lips spread into a wide grin. “What’s going on?” He holstered Brutus and the man relaxed.

  “Do you recognize her?” JJ asked, slipping the gun into her pants pocket and beaming.

  Jonah studied her, puzzled, then looked back to the driver and the truck.

  The man approached cautiously, peering behind them and studying the semi-trailer smashed through the gate. “Is this the home of Jonah and Judas Zee?”

  Jonah nodded, stepping forward and holding out a hand. “Yeah, I’m Jonah Zee. What is—”

  From behind, Judas let out a loud battle cry as he rounded the entry and came into the street with an assault rifle in each fist, pointing straight at the delivery driver.

  The man hit the ground, lying flat and putting his hands and the clipboard above his head. “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! I’m just here to deliver the truck.”

  “Put them down, Judas,” Jonah yelled. “It’s not what we thought.”

  Judas blinked at the scene before him, his mouth falling open. “Sasha?”

  “What?” Jonah said glancing back and forth, noticing for the first time, the black letters stamped into the driver’s side door reading, ‘ZX’. He turned to JJ, eyebrows raised. “What did you do?”

  She grinned and bounced on her feet. “It’s yours!”

  “But…” Jonah sputtered. “But that’s brand new.”

  “Nope. It’s your Sasha. She’s got lots of fresh parts, but Dave’s Custom Remodels kept whatever they could fix after her tumble and then they pimped her out.”

  Jonah’s face broke into a smile as he studied the vehicle anew, whispering, “Sasha. I can’t believe it.”

  The truck still held the basic shape of the 1950s pickup they had driven backward off a cliff the night they met JJ, but it was also a completely different vehicle. The body consisted of a shining stainless-steel alloy. Massive tires lifted it high into the air and a large blue/brown camo colored box replaced the truck bed. It made for a fascinating blend of designs, looking both tough and fast.

  Jonah swiveled to JJ. “How? This must have cost a fortune.”

  JJ kept smiling and jumping. “Do you like it?”

  “Yeah!” he answered as Judas walked up, joining them and echoing his brother’s praise.

  “It’s amazing,” Judas said.

  “But how?” Jonah asked again.

  “The owner's a friend of the family and…” JJ looked at the ground, “I used some of Xanadu’s little presents to pay for it.”

  “Wow,” Judas and Jonah stared at Sasha, awestruck.

  “I hope it didn’t set you back too much,” Jonah said. “I knew when you offered to have it repaired for us it wouldn't be cheap, but this is beyond any expectations.”

  “You’re worth it,” she answered, then gasped as Jonah stepped close, swept her in his arms, and kissed her.

  She swooned, melting into him and feeling his hard body press against her soft flesh, sending a flush through her. They separated a moment later when the driver spoke up from the ground.

  “Hey, um, can I get up now?”

  Jonah turned to him, letting JJ go. “Yeah, we apologize man.” He rushed over, offering a hand. "Let me help you up. We’re sorry about that greeting, we’ve had a hell of a morning.”

  “I’m guessing,” the guy said, getting to his feet and dusting the dirt and pebbles off of his clothes. He picked up the clipboard and held it out. “I only need a signature and this baby's yours!”

  Part IX - 8-Ball, Corner Pocket

  The flatbed delivery truck pulled away as the trio stood before the new, very shiny and greatly improved, Sasha.

  JJ rocked back and forth on her feet, beaming as both brothers continued to stare at it in disbelief.

  “She’s a beauty, JJ,” Jonah said.

  “Yeah, the truck of our dreams,” Judas answered.

  “Wait till you sit in it. The upholstery is leather, and they replaced the worn-out seat cushion. The only thing I couldn’t do was have them give us more room in there, but that’s okay, I enjoy being the third butt in your two-butt truck!” JJ walked to open the door and then spun. “Oh, hang on! There’s one more piece!”

  She ran off, heading back into their compound, leaving the brothers staring after her.

  “What is she up to now?” Judas asked.

  Jonah shook his head. “With her, there’s no telling, but in a couple of minutes, she’ll remember that Xanadu’s gone and we’re gonna need to get moving.”

  Judas’s face tightened. “It has to be her, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” Jonah nodded. “I don’t know how, but Dr. Nitsau is still alive and has completed her work. Which means she’s getting ready to launch her crazy-ass scheme of turning the world’s population into zombies.”

  “Why do you think she came for Xanadu?”

  “That I don’t know either, but if you’re a mad scientist and you saw what that dog could do, you’d want it too.”

  Judas nodded as JJ re-appeared, her phone in one hand and something round and black in the other, Jefe’ at her heels.

  Jonah grinned, realizing what she had for them.

  “Good news,” she said, walking up with a huge smile. “Jefe’ came out of hiding, so did Pots and Pans, though only long enough for me to pat them on their heads.”

  “That’s excellent,” Judas said.

  “And,” JJ stopped in front of them, mouth hanging as she searched for her words. “When I was inside, I saw Larry.” She let out a heavy sigh. “We should have a funeral for him or something.”

  Jonah nodded. “Good idea, JJ.”

  “Yeah,” Judas agreed, then seeing the object in her hand, asked. “What do you have there?”

  JJ smiled and held out the magic 8-ball shifter. “Sasha won’t be complete without this!”

  Judas grinned and took it from her, reading the message in the window aloud. “It is decidedly so!”

  They laughed, and for a moment, everything felt right in the world.

  Judas opened Sasha’s driver’s side door and climbed in. “Whoa, it smells like fresh leather in here.” He ran his hand across the top of the shiny dash, grinning. “She's amazing, JJ!”

  JJ beamed.

  Jonah reached over and took JJ’s hand. “Thank you for that. Sasha means so much to us. We spent quite a bit of our childhoods riding around in that beast, and a good part of our young adult years restoring her. Once we were old enough to know what we were doing, anyway.”

  “You’re welcome, Jonah. It was my pleasure to do it, besides,” she peered in as Judas screwed the 8-ball onto the gear shift, “I have a special relationship with her now too.” Her cheeks flushed at this and she looked him in the eyes.

  “Yes, you do.” He chuckled, rubbing a hand across his whisker-covered face. “I must remember to put more peanut butter cups in the glove box, just in case.”

  “That's a good plan.” She grinned at him.

  “Hey, what’s this?” Judas pointed at the dashboard a few inches below the stereo where a red switch was encased in a clear plastic box.

  JJ burst into giggles. “Oh yeah! The
y did it!”

  Jonah cocked his head sideways at her.

  “Did what?”

  “Well, you two have told me lots of stories about your exterminating adventures and more than once, being able to make a quick getaway would’ve been helpful, so I had them install nitrous.”

  “What?!” Judas exclaimed as he slid off the seat and stepped back onto the street. “That is so awesome!”

  “That’s cool,” Jonah chuckled.

  “Thank you!” Judas said, leaning over and planting a kiss on JJ’s cheek. “I can’t wait to drive her!”

  “Soon enough,” Jonah said, then turned to look at JJ. “Now, let's find out where Xanadu is and get loaded up.”

  JJ’s hands trembled as she lifted her phone and unlocked it, tears welling up in her eyes. She swiped through screens filled with icons until she located the iDog app.

  A cute animation of a lost puppy being found by its owners played out on the screen as they waited. When the apps primary menu loaded, JJ clicked the button that said, ‘Find Pet’ and they held their breath. A pixilated map appeared, the screen zooming out from their current location to display a large view of the surrounding city. It moved slowly at first, heading from the outskirts into central Tucson, going faster and faster until it came to stop with a blinking green light on top of a building.

  Jonah studied the phone then pinched on the display to zoom in. “That’s the warehouse district.”

  JJ sighed in relief. “Xanny! Oh my god, I miss him so much. I just want to kiss his little toe beans!”

  “Ok,” Jonah turned to Judas. “Let’s get moving. Load up everything, including DeeDee. It’s time to put an end to this madness.”

  “You got it, bro!” Judas said.

  After checking for booby traps, they moved the semi out of the entrance and packed Sasha with every spare weapon and round they could find. While the brothers loaded their big gun, DeeDee, into the truck bed, JJ fed the cats and Jefe’.

  “You all be good,” she said, scratching Jefe’ on the back of the neck as he chowed on the food in his bowl. “We’re going to get Xanny back and make that bitch pay.”