Z Island Series (Book 1): Escape From Z Island

by Osborne, Terrence Jr.

  “I’m going to kill you!” Sam screams.

  Mark orders his men to shoot the rest of them, but they were shot directly in the head. Mark freaked out and turned around shooting, but he was suddenly shot in the arm. Mark put pressure on his wound and ran into the neighborhood, disappearing into the houses. Sam looks around for something to free himself with, but he couldn’t move. He fell over and the others struggled with the ropes tied tight around their wrists. Sam looks up crying to see Trace helping him up. Trace picked him up and untied him while the other survivors helped Tina and the others get free. Sam threw the rope down and ran to the dead man’s gun. He picked up his gun and proceeded towards the neighborhood, but Trace stopped him.

  “What are you doing? Jess needs you right now!”

  Sam stops and thinks about his decision. A tear ran down his cheek and he put down the gun. Tina yelled for Sam to help her with Jess. She appeared to have a gunshot wound on her side. Blood slowly poured out of her wound, but the gunshot had an exit wound.

  “The bullet went through her. It’s treatable!” Tina said.

  Sam bent down and picked her up. He carried her to another vehicle and Tina turned around at their vehicle. Alex laid against the steering wheel with blood drooling out of his mouth. Tina stared at his bloody corpse and this affected heavily inside. He was by her side since the beginning. They depended on one another. She was starting to like him. While Sam puts Jess inside of the car, he looks around and notices what happened to the other survivors. Bullet holes were embedded into their bodies and blood filled the street like a small river. Among those bodies were Michael, laying there with a hole in between his eyes. Sam looked deeply at Trace, but he walked past him and got into the car. Sam stood there for a second and thought about what he should do.

  “Go back to the neighborhood! We would be safer there!”

  “What are you doing Sam?” Tina asked.

  “What needs to be done,” Sam said as he closed the car door.

  Trace nodded at him and drove off back towards the neighborhood while Sam stayed behind. Sam looked around at all the dead bodies and sighed.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Trace drove the car inside and stopped hard. A couple of zombies were inside so Faith and David got out and began killing them with knives. The other survivors drove up and helped them out. Trace got out and told Tina to stay inside and watch Jess. While they were out there, Tina looked around and held Jess’s pressure, but she was bleeding out. She needed medical attention quickly. A zombie burst through the window and grabbed Tina’s head. She screamed and struggled with the zombie as it dragged her closer. He zombie opened its mouth wide and Tina screamed, but the zombie stopped screeching and it fell. Trace had saved Tina from the zombie and inside, she was truly grateful. Tina didn’t hesitate and got out of the car.

  “Help me!”

  She and Trace grabbed Jess and carried her to the house with the supplies and one of the survivors went with them, due to her being a nurse. David watched them carry Jess in and decided to help also. He knew he could help the nurse out since he had some experience as a doctor.

  They laid her on the bed and the woman looked at her wound.

  “She got here just in time! I can save her.”

  “We can save her,” David said.

  Tina sighed with relief and sat down. Trace smiled a little and walked over to her,

  “Are you okay?” Trace asked.

  “I am now, but thank you for saving me back there.”

  “No problem. It’s kind of what we do now. We have to stick together to survive.”

  “Aren’t you sad about Michael?”

  “Yeah. I am.”

  Trace smiled a little walked away. Faith yelled for Tina as she opened the gate for Sam driving one of the vehicles into the camp. Blood dripped from the bottom of the doors and they all looked at it. Faith closed the gate and looked at the ground, noticing the blood trail that came from the vehicle. Faith closed the gate and rushed over to the vehicle. Sam stepped out of the vehicle, but he was calm. He looked as if nothing in the past hour happened. He was bloody all over and had everyone worried. Tina ran up to him and cried,

  “What were you doing?”

  Sam said nothing and opened the car door. It was Alex and the other lost ones that died. Tina and the others stared with disgust because of the smell, but at the same time, they were mournful of the sight. Sam had brought all of them back to the camp to give them a proper burial and killed many zombies on the way back.

  “I couldn’t leave them there. They deserve to be buried.”

  Trace looked at Michael and almost cried, but he sniffled loudly and walked away. Sam pulled out each body one by one. First Alex, then Michael and the rest of the dead ones. David helped Sam drag the bodies out while Faith and Tina watched them.

  Hours later, Sam shoved the shovel into the dirt next to the burials of the dead. He stood there and looked at the graves outside of the gate. Above each grave stood a wooden cross they made for each person. Trace and the others surrounded the graves and stood over them in silence, some grieving and others just there for respect. Since day one, they have done nothing but kill and watch others be killed. Was it all worth it? Is there still hope? Are they even going to survive? These questions ran through Sam’s mind as he walked away from the graves. Trace was seen inside the gates, standing on the post looking for anything to shoot on sight.

  “You alright?”

  “No. Not really.”

  Sam walked up to the post with him, “How did you get free?”

  “That vehicle that flipped over was us. I managed to get out and hide before anything could happen to us. That’s how I was able to save my own ass.”

  “You saved more than yourself. We’re standing right here. Jess tried, but look how that turned out. You would have been the only survivor. Thank you.”

  Sam patted him on the shoulder and climbed down the post. Trace felt some sort of pride about what he has done. He felt like somehow, he was officially part of the group. The clouds filled the sky and the sun was blocked from shining onto the surface of the Earth. Trace felt dead inside. There was this unsettling feeling in his stomach that made him feel sick. Trace gripped his gun and climbed down the post.

  He walks into the house with Sam sitting next to Jess while David finished patching her up. Jess was sleeping, but she was breathing slowly due to her stomach pushing out and sinking in and the pain had rested inside. She shook sometimes because of the pain, but David knew what he was doing.

  “She’ll be fine.” The nurse sighed.

  Sam just sat there and gazed at Jess. He felt terrible. He couldn't protect anyone. Not Sarah. Not Dylan. Not Jess. He knows it’s not his fault, but it bothered him that he couldn’t do anything about it.

  “Hey, Sam.” Trace said.

  “What’s up?”

  “I’m leaving.”

  Sam stood up, “What?”

  “I’m coming back. I’m just leaving.”

  “Why?”

  Trace sighs, “I don’t know. I don’t. Maybe I’ll just find more survivors. Bring them here. We need the people…after what just happened.”

  “But…we need you here.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Sam exhales and rubs his eyes. He looked back at Trace and gave him a long, silent stare. Trace let out a huge exhale through his nose. Trace reached behind him and pulled a radio out.

  “Here.” Trace gave him the radio.

  “What’s this for?”

  “What else Sam?”

  Sam laughs, “I know what, but are you actually going to answer? Don’t be like those movies when I call you and all I get is static!”

  Trace laughs and extends his hands to Sam. Sam shakes his hand and Trace sets off out of the camp. Faith walked into the house, but she turns around and watches Trace walk away.

  “What’s he doing?”

  “Leaving.”

  “What? Why?”


  “I don’t know. I think it has something to do with losing Michael and that girl back on the island.”

  “In that case, it has everything to do with that.”

  Sam turns his attention back towards Jess and sits down. Thoughts ran through Faith’s mind and she walked out of the house. Sam heard her leave, but he ignored her and kept looking at Jess.

  Later, Sam looks around for David, but he can’t seem to find him. David then walks out of one of the other houses and looked directly at Sam. Sam smiled and continued towards David and they met each other halfway.

  “How are you doing man?” Sam asked.

  “I’m good. I’m just glad I am alive, but I just hate how…how everyone is gone that quick you know?”

  Sam looked around and seen only a few of the many survivors had once roamed the neighborhood, but now it’s like an empty area with a few helpless people.

  “Yeah. I know. We’ll be okay though.”

  David looks at the post, “Where’s Trace?”

  “Gone. Looking for survivors.”

  “Yeah. I highly doubt that. After what happened to Michael, I don’t think he will be okay.”

  “We have to believe that he is.”

  “Yeah. I guess so.”

  Faith opens the gate and runs outside, but quickly turns around and closes the gate.

  “Faith! What are you doing?” Sam yelled.

  Sam and David ran towards the gate, but when they got to it, they were panicking. They opened the gate, but couldn’t see where she went.

  “Shit!” Sam ran back inside the gates to get his machete while David stayed behind and looked for Faith. Sam ran into the tent where the nurse was and grabbed his knife.

  “Watch her! Protect yourself! Just in case.”

  Sam runs out of the house before the nurse gets a chance to speak. Sam and David ran out of the gate while another survivor closed the gate.

  “Sam!” Tina ran after them but they had already closed the gate.

  While running, Sam and David looked around for any signs of where they may have gone. Nothing showed. No footprints. Just nothing. The neighborhood was messy. Sam paid attention to his surroundings. The streets filled with dirt and trash and there was a couple of bodies around as they filled the streets with small spots of dried blood.

  “Where did she go?” David asked.

  “I don’t know. She just left.”

  “Well, I don’t see her.”

  “Shit!” Sam yelled as he pulls out the radio. “Trace! Where are you? Have you seen Faith? I think she’s coming for you!”

  The radio makes static noise and Sam grunts and puts the radio up, but he keeps it on.

  “I just told him not to do that!”

  “Do what?”

  “I’ll explain later.”

  Sam and David continued running, but they were soon interrupted by the static that made a noise that sound like a man talking.

  “Trace?”

  Not exactly.

  Sam noticed the voice on the radio. It was Mark.

  “Mark, you son of a bitch! Where is he?”

  I would watch you tone Sam. You don’t want to kill Trace now, do you?

  Sam frowns and speaks slowly and calmly, “Let…him… go.”

  Yeah. About that. I can’t. You see, you killed my men. I don’t like that. And then you shot me? You must pay for that Sam. And I figured, ‘Why not make him suffer?’ “Sam, don’t do it!” HEY! You shut up!

  The second voice on the radio was Faith. He had captured both of them and wanted to torture Sam. Not physically. Emotionally.

  “Come on Mark. Just let them go. Please. We can negotiate!”

  Mark sighs:

  Fine. Go where we met last time. There’s a neighborhood to the right of that point and you will find a house with red paint on it. Better hurry. Time’s ticking.

  Sam clipped the radio to his side and ran to the destination. Moments later, Sam and David showed up at the spot where they first met Mark. Sam looked to the right and observed the houses. David had seen how determined Sam was to finding Trace and Faith, but he wasn’t as determined. They ran through the small area of woods that separated the street from the neighborhood and once they appeared out of the woods, they automatically saw the house, just sitting there in all its glory. The red paint was fresh, so Sam knew Mark was there for sure.

  “There it is.”

  David stares at the house and looks at Sam, “Okay. Why are we still standing here then?”

  David starts walking, but Sam throws his hand on his chest, stopping him instantly.

  “No. I have an idea. I’m going in there alone.”

  “What! Are you crazy?”

  Sam pulls David to the back of one of the houses to prevent him from being seen.

  “Look. Of course, you are coming with me. You’re just not coming in with me.”

  “Oh. Well, alright.”

  Sam walks up to the house while David sneaks around the houses. Mark paces back and forth in front of Faith and Trace as he continues to glance out of the window every few seconds. Trace has a black eye while Faith was seen as untouched. He murmurs to himself and puts pressure on his gunshot wound.

  “We have a doctor!” Trace tells him.

  Faith tells him to be quiet, but he doesn’t listen, “We can help you. Just stop this.”

  Mark looks at him and laughs weakly, “Yeah right. You’re just trying to figure a way to distract me so I can feel sympathetic. Well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s not working. Just shut up.”

  Mark hears a loud noise hit the front window, alerting him to grab his gun and points it towards the window. Mark walks up to the window slowly and with short, deep breaths, shaking and grunting at the same time, he pulls back the curtain and doesn’t see anything. Mark chuckles a little bit and turns around.

  “Well, this-”

  Sam jumps through the window, plunges onto Mark, making him drop his gun, and it slides towards Trace and Faith. Trace tries to break free but keeps his concentration on the gun while Faith roles towards the gun. Sam managed to get on top of Mark and starts punching him in the face constantly. Mark kicks him in the groin and punches Sam off him. Sam falls on side of him and stands up looking for the gun, but Mark tackles him back down and starts choking him.

  “I…will…kill you!” Mark yells.

  Mark keeps beating him, but suddenly, a gunshot went off and Mark fell on Sam. Sam sits up coughing from the beating and looks up at Faith. She kept the gun holding towards Mark with smoke misting out of the front of the gun. Faith gives Sam the gun and Sam stands over Mark as he laughs while coughing up blood.

  “You bitch. You better hope I die!” He yells at Faith.

  Sam holds the gun up to Mark’s head, “You will.”

  “You think I’m the big, bad boss? You don’t know shit yet. Their coming. They will kill you. I know you have someone waiting outside just in case, but what you don’t know is-”

  Sam shoots Mark in the head, killing him instantly. Sam stands up and looks at Mark’s bleeding body. He didn’t flinch a muscle and he finally snaps to himself and throws the gun down.

  “No.”

  “What’s wrong?” Trace asked.

  “I’m used to it.”

  “Used to what?”

  Sam stutters, “Killing…people. I’m used to killing people. I don’t want to be used to it. I want this world to be back to the way it was. This changed me and I don’t like it. I don’t like the new me!”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but am I the only one who caught what Mark was saying before you shot him?”

  “Oh no.”

  Sam runs to the back of the house and opens the back door. David jumps and points the gun towards Sam, but he quickly puts it down when Sam yells at him to put his gun down.

  “Get inside!” Sam yelled.

  When David got up to get inside of the house, a group of men revealed themselves behind the houses and started shooting at them. Sam hur
ried him inside and slammed the door. They slid down onto the floor and covered their faces as the walls were punctured with bullets. Faith and Trace opened the front door and looked outside.

  “Come on! No one is here!” Faith yells.

  Sam picks up David and they headed out of the house. While running, they all constantly looked behind them to make sure they had lost them.

  When they arrived at the neighborhood, one of the survivors opened the gate and they ran inside. Sam breaths heavily as he leans over and places his hands on his knees. Tina runs towards him and hugs him tight.

  “Where were you?”

  “Mom, we have to get the weapons. They’re coming!”

  Sam walks into the house where the weapons were, but Tina was confused, “What? Who’s coming?”

  “The ones who made the virus. They shot at us and we ran here. They may have followed us.”

  “Oh my god.”

  Sam pulls out a shotgun and hands it to Tina. Tina looks at the gun with disgust and puts it down. She doesn’t like guns and he knows it. What is he trying to do?

  “What are you doing Sam?”

  Sam stops what he is doing and looks at her, “I told them that I didn’t want to be used to this kind of life. I don’t, but what other choice do I have. They are going to kill us and if you just sit around and wait for them to do so, that’s going to be on you. I’m not dying like this. I’m surviving. No matter what it takes.”

  Tina stares at him with sympathy, but all she does is walks away. Sam looks over his shoulder, but he doesn’t pursue her. He knows what needs to be done. He’s not the son she used to know. He’s become more than a boy with a dream. That life is gone now and he finally gets it. There is no escape to this kind of life. He continues packing the guns.

  Sam walks out of the house with a bag full of guns, but he stops when he catches Faith and Trace kissing. Shocked at what he is seeing, he simply smiles and drops the bag, scaring them into pushing each other away.

  “Well, isn’t this surprising,” Sam said.

  “Um…” Trace stutters.

  “It’s fine. I just don’t see why you guys are trying to hide it.” He turns his attention to Faith, “So that’s why you ran out! You liked him.”