Plague of the Dead | Book 3 | Plague of the Island

by Rayfield, Alli

  Praise for Plague of The Dead

  “It is highly recommended for horror readers who do not like all the gore and violence, but a story horrifying enough to keep them hooked till the end.”

  ~ Serious Reading

  “I could not put this book down. From start to finish the tension was palpable.”

  ~ Reader Review

  “Great book written by an amateur writer. Can't wait for the next one.”

  ~ Reader Review

  “The writing is very fluid, and the characters are believable.”

  ~ Reader Review

  Plague

  Of

  The

  Island

  Also By Alli Rayfield

  Plague of the Dead

  Plague of the Desert

  Plague

  Of

  The

  Island

  Alli Rayfield

  This is a work of fiction. All similarities to persons living, dead or undead is entirely coincidental.

  Text & cover copyright © 2020 by Alli Rayfield Ruiz

  For Crysti

  Chapter 1

  The humidity hung heavy in the air making sleep difficult to come by. Though it wasn’t the only reason I wasn’t sleeping. I kept having the same reoccurring dream that could only be described as a nightmare.

  I kept dreaming about a zombie child, a little girl, with her decaying skin gray and chunks falling off. She was chewing on a human finger. The little girl was sometimes Jackie, sometimes it was Lasa but most of the time it was a little girl I didn’t know in real life. Yet it was like I knew her. I knew she was family. At the end, she would spit out the finger and lunge at me. It was at that moment I always woke up.

  Remembering the dream, I sighed and rubbed my stomach. I turned over listening to Phoebe and Lasa’s heavy breathing.

  Sleep was also difficult because I knew I would be finally getting an answer to the question I’d been asking for a good three months. A question I didn’t know what I even wanted the answer to be. A question that had caused me to push Daniel away.

  I didn’t want to push him away, but it happened. Fear has a way of controlling us. A way of destroying our lives.

  I had enough fear in me to last three hundred years or more. The situation we lived in caused more fear than anything else. The possibility of adding life to the scary state the world was in is what terrified me.

  I got up from my cot careful not to wake Lasa or Phoebe. I dressed as quietly as I possibly could. I grabbed my gun and placed it in my holster. I wrote a note to Phoebe and left it where she could easily find it.

  The little shack we slept in was recently finished. A project that was high priority after security and food.

  The decision to not sleep in the caves was made when the group swelled past what could’ve comfortably slept in them. It wasn’t a big group of survivors, but it was a decent size. When we reached a dozen, the decision was made to use the caves only for shelter when a storm hit again.

  We had a good and comfortable set up. At least as comfortable as we could be given the plague-ridden walking among us. Three shacks were built and the rec building for the beach was converted into a medic area and food storage as well as shelter for the doctor and his son.

  The rainwater was collected for drinking. Luckily on Guam it rained a little every day.

  The showers on the beach to rinse off were converted for more privacy and we had outhouses. To keep the Zombies out, we had made a wall of cars that was guarded in shifts. The other side was the ocean. A natural defense against the plague of the dead hunting us.

  Truthfully, we were as safe as we could hope to be. But the fear however never went away.

  I went out the door and breathed in the salty air. There was light from the rising sun, but it was still mostly dark out.

  Dr. Luther Cole was standing by the rec area waiting for me already.

  “How are you feeling Shelly?” He asked.

  I shrugged in response. “Let’s just go,” I said wanting to avoid the pleasantries.

  He nodded seeming to understand how I was feeling. I followed him as we began to make our way to the not so heavily guarded area of the cars to not be noticed.

  Dr. Cole was the only one I had spoken to about what was going on. It wasn’t his specialty, but he was very considerate and understanding. He had encouraged me to tell my friends, not wanting me to feel like I was on my own. But until I knew for sure, I needed to keep it mostly to myself.

  After we got past the line of cars, he got into the Jeep parked outside the cars that were used for the wall. It was the one I had driven here with Lasa. I got in on the passenger side.

  I plugged in my cell phone out of habit more than anything else. I had given up on it regaining bars and being able to contact my sister a long time ago. At least on the surface. Yet I was still plugging in my phone every time I got into a car.

  Luther started the vehicle and began driving towards the Navy Base.

  We drove in silence. The sun was getting higher in the sky and lighting up the world around us. There were a few zombies on the road as we drove but not many.

  The threat of the undead was always lingering but sometimes it didn’t feel as big as it did when this began, and the world went to hell. I guessed it had to do with us being on an island. There were only so many of us that could turn. Or it was a false sense of security. Maybe we weren’t seeing what was out there. Regardless, it seemed like being here was as much a blessing as it was a curse.

  “Daniel was asking me about how I thought you were doing. He still cares about you, you know,” Luther said.

  I squirmed in my seat. “I know,” I said pretending to be extremely interested in my shorts.

  “You could tell him what’s going on. He’d want to be there for you.”

  “I will tell him if I need to,” I said honestly.

  I purposely waited to find out since miscarriages were most common in the first twelve weeks. I would be a bit past that by now. I had tried to get pregnant after Adam and I had Jackie but had issues. I’d had one miscarriage and then a number of complications after. I didn’t think I could have more children.

  It drove me crazy when people would ask if we’d wanted more children. I did. Growing up, I thought I’d have three or four, but it wasn’t in the cards for me. I hated people asking. I couldn’t believe that was something they still felt appropriate to ask. It was a painful reminder that I was broken every time someone brought it up.

  I know on some level that’s what pushed Adam away and into the arms of another woman. Not the not having more children part so much as my inability to deal with it. It was the wrong way for him to handle it and that I can’t forgive him for but deep down I can see how I may have pushed him away.

  That was also the main source of my fear with Daniel. If I had pushed my husband away, how could I not push this man away? How would he not see me as broken if I lost the baby? Well, if there even was a baby. It was the standard push him away before he can push me away. It hurt but it would hurt less than his potential rejection.

  “It could just be early menopause,” Luther said. It wasn’t the first time he’d suggested this.

  “Maybe,” I said, though I didn’t think so.

  “It’s going to be alright regardless.”

  I nodded and gave him a weak smile.

  We’d made it to the Navy Base grounds. The gate long since knocked down. It looked like an eerie ghost town now. The last time I saw it, Lasa and I were running from a hoard of zombies. Now there were one or two stragglers but not what we had left behind.

  “You remember wh
ere the house was?” he asked.

  I gave him the directions. Remembering it surprisingly well considering the state I was in the last time I had been there.

  Lasa had been waking up crying at night saying how she was scared she was going to forget what her parents looked like. I had decided to go back and get a photo of her family for her. I cursed myself for not thinking of it when we left. I had remembered to grab a photo album when I left my house. I guess the stress we were under when we left was what caused me to forget it for her. Still, I wish I had been of sounder mind and remembered a photograph at least.

  Luther pulled up into the driveway. The house felt familiar and not. I had spent a month there with Vanetta and Cal after they were kind enough to let me in their home. I missed them. They were good people. I just hoped I was raising their daughter to their approval.

  I followed Luther as we proceeded cautiously into the house.

  The smell inside hit me first. It was overwhelming. I instantly wanted to vomit. Which wasn’t entirely uncommon for me as of late, but it was a stronger wave than usual.

  Next was the mess strewn about the place. It had been ransacked. Furniture was flipped and on its side. Dark blood ran across the walls.

  There was a low growling and munching sound coming from the corner of the room. Luther made his way to the corner and put a knife through the zombie’s head before it ever noticed us.

  “Let’s be quick,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll find much here.”

  I nodded as I shut the door behind us.

  We had been hoping to find a couple of items. Either food or medical supplies in the house so we could get back to camp quickly. But that didn’t seem likely to happen. Hopefully we could find supplies at a drug store while we looked for my test. It would help justify us leaving the camp on an unapproved supply run.

  I made my way upstairs and went into the master bedroom. I found what I was hoping for as soon as I walked in the room. There was a photo of Lasa and her parents in a frame on the dresser. She was sitting on her mother’s lap with Cal sitting next to them. They all looked so happy.

  The lump began to rise in my throat and my eyes began to sting. I choked back the tears as I knew now was not the time. I grabbed the frame and put it in my bag.

  I looked around the room. It wasn’t in as bad condition as the downstairs. I had hope that maybe we’d be able to find something after all.

  I headed into the master bath and checked the medicine cabinet. It had been untouched and was still fully stocked.

  I thanked the powers above for the good luck and added the various medicines to my bag.

  I then looked under the cabinet and found peroxide and band aids. Also, behind several packages of feminine hygiene products, I found an unopen box with two tests.

  I didn’t dwell on why Netta had purchased it. It would just break my heart. Instead I added into my bag to test when we got back to camp.

  I walked out of the bathroom and saw Luther.

  “I found a ton of stuff,” I said smiling, “we don’t need to…”

  I stopped talking at the look in his eyes. He put his finger to his lips and motioned me to follow him.

  I noticed he had closed and locked the door.

  He had me follow him into the closet after looking in with a flashlight to make sure there were no zombies dwelling inside.

  He shut the door quietly and tied the door handle to the clothes rod with one of Cal’s old ties. After he did, he turned off the flashlight.

  I was about to ask him what he was doing when I heard menacing laughter from down the hall and someone yell, “Hey dude, come out and play.”

  Chapter 2

  I heard banging around from outside the bedroom. It sounded like they were still in the hallway.

  “I locked all the doors,” Luther said in a whisper, “not to give us away.”

  “They armed?” I asked.

  “With knives.”

  I nodded, “I have my .45.”

  “I know but I’d rather not shoot anyone.”

  “And if they give us no choice?”

  “Then aim for the head.”

  There was a rustling noise coming from the room next to us. The closet shared a thin wall with it, and we could hear them extremely well.

  “Come on man, let’s just go,” I heard someone say through the wall.

  “No, I want to have some fun.”

  “This is not what we’re supposed to be doing,” the other one argued.

  I sighed and untied the tie on the door, letting myself out.

  “Shelly no!” Luther said.

  I don’t know what came over me, but I wasn’t in the mood for this shit.

  I opened the bedroom door to find two men. Boys really as they couldn’t have been a day over sixteen. They were in the hall having just exited the room next door.

  One looked scared to death. His eyes widened at my presence. The other got a sinister smile on his face reminding me of the last time I saw Freddie. A chill ran through my veins as I thought of him.

  “Well, well, well we may have more fun than I thought,” the smiling devil boy said taking a step closer to me.

  As he did, I pulled out my gun and put the barrel right between his eyes. His smile disappeared and he dropped the knife he’d been holding.

  “Give me one good reason not to decorate that wall with your brains,” I said.

  “I…I…” he started, and I saw the front of his pants become damp as he pissed them.

  “Hmm,” I said, “Interesting reaction. What were you hoping to do exactly?”

  “We don’t want any trouble,” the other boy said.

  “No? You just chased my friend, broke down doors and what was the phrase ‘we may have more fun than I thought’?”

  “He didn’t…”

  “He didn’t what? Mean to suggest he was going to take advantage of me? Hurt us?”

  “I’m…I’m sorry,” the boy in front of me said.

  I finally moved my gun cautiously from his head.

  “You should be,” I told him.

  He let out a sigh of relief.

  “I haven’t completely ruled out shooting you,” I told him.

  “How old are you two?” Luther asked.

  I watched as he put his own gun away. I didn’t hear him come out of the closet behind me. No wonder the kid pissed his pants. I smiled as I knew Luther just wanted to avoid confrontation or a bloody mess if he could. But he had my back when I decided to get reckless.

  “We’re both 15,” the one closest to me said.

  “And what are you doing here alone?” I asked.

  “We were trying to find medicine,” the innocent one said. “For Mark’s sister. She’s got a fever.”

  I looked back at Luther. I could see the battle with himself in his eyes. He wanted to offer help, go with them. As a doctor that was his first reaction, but it was too dangerous. This could be a trick. They could lead him or us into an ambush.

  I didn’t trust the change in their behavior. I still had a desire to put a bullet in this Mark kid.

  Instead I reached into my bag and pulled out the children’s cold medicine I found in the cabinet. I knew a fever could mean the girl could be about to turn like Jackie did. Nevertheless, maybe it was just a simple cold.

  “Here,” I said handing it to Mark.

  “Thank you,” he said and I almost pistol whipped him as he moved forward to give me a hug.

  I awkwardly patted his back before he let go.

  “It’s been hard you know. I just think if I act tough the dangerous people will be too scared to do anything,” He said.

  “And it almost got you shot,” Luther pointed out. “Don’t go looking for a fight. Only fight if you have too.”

  The boy nodded and they both said “thank you” again.

  They both headed towards the stairs and awkwardly waved before descending.

  “What the hell just happened?” I asked.

  “
I guess a blend of teenage years meets apocalypse sprinkled with an unhealthy dose of daddy issues.”

  “Well, let’s not run into that blend again.”

  Luther laughed then said, “Let’s get back to camp. And keep your gun out. I don’t trust those two.”

  We headed down the stairs and out to the car without a hitch. I didn’t see the boys. We made sure they weren’t hiding in the back before getting in to drive back to our camp.

  We headed towards the gate to leave the base. The sun was fully up and shining now. I had a sinking feeling as we headed back to the camp.

  There seemed to be a few more zombies roaming around as we drove by. I wasn’t sure why there were more. It’s not as if zombies slept and the sun being out meant they were awake. They were always awake. Always lurking. Always feeding.

  As we pulled into the space the Jeep had previously been occupying. I saw Gerald, the head of security run up to us.

  “Where did you guys go?” He asked more concerned than anything else.

  I pulled out the family photo in my bag to show him. It was our cover if anyone asked because I wanted to do that for a while as it was. Though it was always considered too frivolous to be approved.

  “I told Luther I was going. He insisted on coming with me. Sorry Gerry,” I said.

  “That was reckless Shelly. Daniel wants to talk to you both. He said to send you to the food storage area as soon as you got back,” he said, the look in his eyes sympathetic.

  I should’ve seen that coming honestly. Gerald was the head of security, but Daniel had become the leader of our little camp. As he was for our group when I ran into them, his take charge personality had caused everyone to decide he was best to be the leader. He was of course willing to seek help and advice from those around him which everyone liked. He was fair and considerate of everyone.

  At least with everyone but me. We mainly didn’t communicate. I got my assignments brought to me by Phoebe, which she hated being our go between. The camp meetings we had, he avoided looking in my direction at all.