One day, when Eli was at his lowest, Lieutenant Lily Nelson walked into his office. She served as a Navy Seal and then for the CIA’s Special Operations Group before the world ended. Lily was twenty years Eli’s junior, but love at first sight struck them both the day they met. Private conversations after intimate moments divulged all of Eli’s concerns and his hope for a vaccine to save those who still lived. He wouldn’t call it a cure since the walking dead were already clinically dead and their souls lost forever.
Lily told Eli to be patient because a day would come when they could escape President Stevens and the NUS. Then Eli could use his knowledge for good rather than furthering the agenda of an evil despot. Eli hoped they might reach the labs at the University of Virginia to continue his research. It felt like a dream that would never come true.
###
A group of researchers at the CDC developed an inoculation they thought would create the new super soldier Present Stevens desired. It combined a potent virus along with the pathogen they isolated, which caused the zombie affect. They lacked a strong enough test subject to perform their proposed experiment on. Every prisoner they tested the drug on died a slow and painful death because their bodies couldn’t handle the stress of the transformation. Those who succumbed to its power didn’t even revive as a normal zombie. A total failure, and Carl Stevens looked for someone to blame and kill for the failure.
Rumors spread about a giant of a man living nearby in the mountains of Tennessee, and the researchers hoped he would be a strong enough test subject. President Stevens demanded the NUS Army go out and capture him for a proper test. This giant’s blood would provide the mechanism to adapt the inoculation for mass consumption in weaker test subjects. Carl Stevens himself would accompany the army to assure their success with this important mission, because he trusted no one. It would leave only a skeleton crew behind to provide guard duty at the CDC because the principal fighting force of the NUS Army marched on the mountains of Tennessee.
“Eli, it’s time to leave. With most of the soldiers gone, we can finally make our escape. Gather anything you need to take with us. We’re leaving at dark.”
“Isn’t it dangerous to travel at night?”
“Normally, I’d say yes. But the cover of darkness will allow us to bypass the few remaining guards. The best and strongest soldiers left with the President, so there’s no one left behind I can’t handle. Just be ready to go when I tell you it’s time.”
###
Night came, and Eli prepared himself for their escape. An afternoon summer thunderstorm continued into the evening, and Eli wasn’t sure if they should still leave during the storm. However, Lily operated with a singular focus. She assured him the pouring rain and total darkness provided them the perfect cover to escape the camp unnoticed. They snuck out the back of the CDC compound, through the woods, and emerged near an older F150 pickup truck.
“This is our ride. Get in.”
Eli climbed inside the musty smelling interior of the truck. It had seen better days, but the engine roared to life when Lily turned the key. She put the truck in gear, and they drove away from his lifetime of work. His heart ached because he wished he finished his tasks and saved the world before it fell. But he failed, and they didn’t live in that dream world anymore.
“What’s the matter?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be escaping with you, Lily, but the CDC was my life’s work. I just wish I could have finished my work here rather than run away. Maybe, I could have stopped this thing in its tracks a year ago if I had a chance and we’d never be in this mess.”
“It will be ok. I’ll get you to the University lab, and you can start your work again. Besides, we wouldn’t have met if the world hadn’t collapsed.”
“Without my samples and my assistants, I’m afraid it will all be for naught. Who knows what state the lab is even in? We could travel all the way there and find nothing useable.”
They continued their night time escape, driving on in silence since there wasn’t anything else left to say. Eli’s mixed emotions made him an unpleasant traveling partner.
###
The rain let up as they drove across the border into South Carolina. They stopped to rest at an older two-story house at the end of a cul-de-sac. At one time, it had been a nice place to live, but someone abandoned it long ago and the neglect showed. Neither planned on making an offer to buy it, so they looked past the wear and tear for their temporary stay. After driving through the night, they needed to grab a few hours of sleep before they continued their escape. Eli realized he didn’t possess the skills needed to survive in this harsh world, and he had to follow Lily’s lead.
He awoke a short time later because the second-floor bedroom became stifling in the summer’s afternoon heat. Somehow, Lily slept on, so Eli explored the house on his own.
Three other bedrooms and two bathrooms sat behind closed doors on the second floor. All were smaller than the one Lily slept in. Two had been kids’ rooms, and the third most likely a guest suite. Eli’s search was cursory since it felt like a violation of the privacy of the former owners by his presence. The stairs creaked as he descended into the living room. A large flat screen TV, sofa, loveseat, and two recliners furnished the room. None of the items were top of the line, but none were bargain basement either. Behind a closed door, he found a home office decorated like an English library covered with dark stained wood. One corner had a glass case with guns stored inside it. He had never fired a gun before and knew nothing about the weapons inside. Once Lily woke up, he’d point them out to her. As he continued down the hall, he came to the kitchen filled with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. In another time, this would have been a pleasant suburban home to live in.
An unexplained noise from outside drew Eli to the windows at the front of the house. During their stay, a group of zombies descended on the neighborhood. He didn’t take the time to count, but estimated the crowd at over one hundred undead monsters. The shock caused him to freeze in place and stare outside at the morbid block party taking place. They escaped the horror of President Stevens, but now faced certain death in some suburban town in South Carolina. What would they do now?
###
A creak came from the stairs behind Eli, and it caused him to jump and turn away from the window. Lily descended the stairs with bloodshot eyes. She only had a few hours of sleep after she drove throughout night.
“I wondered where you were when I woke up alone. Are you ok?”
Words escaped Eli because of the horror outside of the house, so he pointed out the window he stood in front of. Sweat covered his body, but not all of it had to do with the heat. He struggled to find the words to describe the horror gathered outside the house and the certain death they faced. Lily walked over to the window and looked outside.
“Holy shit!”
They both stared through the glass and watched the wandering crowd. The numbers grew since the first time Eli looked outside, but neither took a census to find the exact number. A platoon of armed soldiers would make quick work of the zombie horde, but they had one trained soldier and an unprepared research physician. Eli lacked the skill set needed to help facilitate their escape.
###
“I found some guns in that room over there. Maybe they can help us?”
“Dear, unless you found a tank or a squad of armed Seals in the other room, they won’t be enough to help us. You have to destroy their heads to kill them, and that’s only an easy shot in the movies. Besides, have you ever fired a gun before?”
“Uh… Sorry, no.”
“That’s what I thought. We need to come up with a plan. They gathered here overnight. Maybe they’ll just wander away?”
“I’m not sure what’s drawing them all here. I guess we could wait and see what happens.”
After two more hours of waiting, the crowd hadn’t measurably grown, but it hadn’t shrunk either. The air inside the house became sweltering, so they nee
ded to do something before they succumbed to heat stroke. Eli’s attention remained focused outside, so he hadn’t noticed Lily’s disappearance. Noise from the garage had been the trigger announcing her absence.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Trying to find a way out. We need a distraction. I found some gas in a plastic can, some powdered laundry detergent, and some leftover paint from a home improvement project. If I can construct a detonator, we can create an IED.”
“How’s that going to help?”
“We use this car to deliver the payload, and it will draw the zombies to the explosion. Then we can make it to the truck and get out of here. At least, that’s the plan.”
Lily fabricated her bomb while Eli searched the house for the keys to start the car. He found them hung on a hook inside a cabinet in the home’s mud room. She rigged the car to drive straight toward the house across the street. With any luck, it would strike the house before it exploded and light the place on fire. Eli would open the garage door while Lily started the car and sent it on its way.
“Do you understand the plan?”
“Yes, I do have a medical degree and it’s a pretty simple plan.”
“We both have to do our part so we can make it out of here alive. I need to make sure you understand.”
“Open the garage door after you get the car started. Step out of the way while the car drives out. Run for the truck. Did I miss anything?”
“No, you got it. Don’t hesitate to get inside the truck once the car is out of the garage. I don’t know how long this distraction will work or if it will work at all.”
Eli leaned over and kissed her full on the lips, and he hoped it wouldn’t be their last kiss. He would die without her, and that wasn’t hyperbole because he didn’t have the skills needed for survival in this dead world.
Lily turned the key, and the car sputtered and stalled. Not a good start to their escape attempt. The second time proved to be the charm because the motor started and stayed running. It stumbled and backfired, but the engine continued to race. Eli reached down and drew the door up while Lily put the transmission in gear. As she jumped from the open door, the car lurched forward. Its trajectory had been sure because it crashed into the garage door of the house across the street. But the bomb didn’t explode. A few zombies turned their heads at the commotion, but no mass exodus of the dead ensued.
They stood in front of the open garage door, and Eli wondered what to do next. Lily lashed out at the group of zombies closest to the open door. The ground shock as the bomb finally did its job, exploding and igniting the entire house in bright flames. It did the trick, drawing the zombies’ attention toward the fire.
“Yes, let’s go.” Eli said. He ran toward their truck, gasping for breath as he went.
When he turned back, he discovered Lily ambling across the yard. She held a hand pressed to her side as she stumbled to the vehicle. Blood oozed from the wound and Eli stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do.
“Get in and drive… We can’t… wait forever.”
Her words shattered the fear freezing him in place and drove him to action. Eli started the truck, and they raced away from the horde and the burning wreckage.
“Are you ok? What happened?”
“I got bit… You’ve got to promise me.. you’ll kill me before I change. I can’t stand the thought of becoming one of them.”
“No… I can save you. You can’t die.”
“Nothing can change the outcome... I only wish I lived long enough… to get you to the lab. Follow the maps… You’ll be ok.”
Grief threatened to crush him, but he pushed it down. As a resident, Eli did a turn as a trauma surgeon in the emergency room. He needed the cool, disconnected efficiency he possessed then to get them through this mess in one piece. Lily couldn’t die after getting them this far.
After he drove a sufficient distance from the mob, Eli stopped to tend to Lily’s wounds. She faded in and out of consciousness since suffering the bite. Eli retrieved his medical bag and got to work. After Eli cut her shirt away, he found the wound deeper than he expected. Human mouths were a cesspool of germs, so he thoroughly cleaned and dressed the wound before giving her a shot of antibiotics. It was the best he could do under the circumstances, and he hoped it would be enough to save her. With no other plan, Eli continued to drive and prayed for an answer and for luck to bless them.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
RON
Ron drove south for an hour before he pulled off the road and let the tears flow freely. He cried over the loss of his brother and sister, and now the love of his life, Rosie. Why hadn’t his love been enough for Rosie? She gave in to her desire for human flesh, and it cost Rosie her life. Miracle and Ron paid the price of her crime with their banishment from the safety of the camp and life in a community. Their kingdom now comprised this piece of crap truck and a few meager supplies. It was too much for one man to take. How would he carry on?
Miracle’s shrill cry joined with Ron’s tears. The noise attracted the undead monsters, and Ron found five pawing at the parked truck. When he consumed human flesh, these zombies would leave him alone. It gave Ron the ability to walk among the dead with no fear, like the invisible man. Those at the cannibal camp worshipped the walking dead as some false deity, but he viewed it as an unexpected bonus to a vile deed.
The baby’s sharp howls drove the zombies into a fever pitch as they scratched and banged at the Ranger’s glass and sheetmetal. Ron considered throwing Miracle out the window and letting them feed, but he shook the idea from his head. He wouldn’t become a monster like Abigail or his dear Rosie. Instead, Ron opened the window enough to stick his arm through and stabbed the closest monster through its skull. Then he started the engine of their piece of junk truck and drove away.
His duty became keeping his daughter, Miracle, safe from harm. Miracle ended his family line, and he needed to live on through her life. No training prepared him for this burden, so he learned as he went. How could he keep Miracle satisfied and quiet? Her cries would end up being the death of them both.
Before the sky quenched the last light of day, Ron found an abandoned house to spend the night in. The meager supplies they gave them provided food for that evening, and he hoped to find more during their stop. Whoever lived here previously hadn’t believed in preparation, so Ron found the home’s pantry empty. He discovered no weapons or ammunition either when he searched the structure. Surviving on their own would be harder than Ron expected.
###
Miracle awoke Ron the next morning with her shrill sobbing. He discovered his body covered in a sheen of sweat as he rose to his feet after too little sleep. Miracle settled down content after Ron changed her diaper and feed her the last of the formula. That’s when Ron noticed the tremors that racked his body; and he hoped he wasn’t coming down with something. A fever from some random bug might mean death for them both.
As he struggled to force some food down, he turned his head and saw her. Rosie stood before him and she spoke. “Sweetheart. Kill and eat. You’ll be cured from your weakness. Sacrifice Miracle to Moloch and he will take care of you. You know the way back home to me.”
“You aren’t real. Leave me alone.” Ron spoke out loud to the apparition, while he clamped his eyes closed at the frightful sight. When Ron opened his eyes again, the spirit of Rosie disappeared. Miracle and he were the lone residents of the haunted house.
“Daddy’s not losing it, sweetheart. It’ll all be ok.” He said this to Miracle this time, even if he didn’t believe his own words.
Ron kept the paltry rations down, but his stomach continued to churn after Rosie’s unexpected visitation. He loaded Rosie into the Ford and drove away from the ghost house as fast as the truck would go.
“I swear I won’t eat human flesh again and I’ll keep you safe, Miracle.” Ron said to the baby again, not trusting his sanity or his ability to keep his promises.
###
Miles pas
sed and Ron drove the rust bucket pickup truck farther south. His stomach continued to churn, and he experienced repeated hot and cold flashes. A new symptom for him to consider. What was happening to him? He needed a doctor, or at least WebMD, but neither were available.
With no actual plan except to drive south and then west, Ron continued to travel straight down the interstate highways. Travel was slower than pre-apocalypse days because of the number of disabled vehicles parked both in the travel lanes and on the shoulders. Some had been in obvious accidents, but others were a mystery of why someone abandoned them. Before they reached Connecticut, Ron took interstate 84 rather than 91. Both passed through the capitol city, but 84 followed a route less populated and he expected their trip to be smoother following that highway.
The ratty truck wheezed with every hill it climbed as Ron drove on. He pushed the accelerator to the floor as each approached and found the Ranger slowing before it reached the top. Please don’t quit running now. He needed to get them both to safety, and this was all they had.
“Sacrifice Miracle to Moloch and you’ll get strength and favor, lover. You know the ritual. Eat her heart and gain strength.” The specter of Rosie sat across the cab from Ron. He couldn’t outrun her with this piece of junk truck.
“No. You’re a monster. I won’t do it.”
“It’s your only hope, Ronnie. Otherwise you’ll end up dead like me. Kill and eat.”
“No!” He shook his head and slammed his eyes shut to rid himself of the evil vision.
A crunch of metal and a shutter of the steering wheel jolted him back to the present. Rosie’s ghost left the two of them alone, but the Ranger crashed into a parked full-sized pickup truck on the side of the highway. Never close your eyes while driving, especially during the apocalypse. No roadside help would come to assist them with this breakdown.
Miracle shrieked because of the impact, and Ron’s back and shoulders ached. He shook his head again to clear the cobwebs and assess the situation. Steam poured from the front of the truck, telling Ron the radiator sustained damaged in the crash. The rattle trap of a truck would get them no further on their journey. His body ached from the accident, and Miracle’s howl pierced his skull. Please shut the hell up, brat. Ron tried the driver’s door, and it wouldn’t budge. He’d have to climb over Miracle and try the passenger side door. Her sobbing continued unabated. This door swung open about six inches before it hit the guardrail. Not enough for him to squeeze out of the truck. His last option was to break the back window and climb out into the bed.
Retribution: Operation Z Book 2 Page 18