Jen pushed past the guard and ran into the first car. A few startled passengers looked up.
"When are we going?" asked a thirty-something woman with short platinum-blonde hair and a Georgia twang.
Jen took a seat. The child, a girl, kept her face buried into Jen's shoulder.
Zeke and Wayne hopped on and took positions at the door. Both had their rifles aimed toward the gate. Zeke fired. Wayne glanced at him. "Now?" he asked.
"You don't wait for orcs to be slicing you up before you start swinging your sword," Zeke yelled.
Rodriguez zipped into the car, his eyes searching for something.
Daniels backed into the car, his pistol out and firing. "They're breaching the damn fence."
Got to help.
Jen tried to lower the child to the seat, but she whimpered and clamped her arms around Jen's neck.
Three figures darted into the car just as the doors closed. One barreled into Zeke, knocking him to the floor, another attacked the platinum blonde, and the third landed face-down in the aisle next to Jen.
The zombie in the aisle sprung to its feet and gaped at Jen and the girl with its hungry yellow eyes.
10
The zombie on top of Zeke was almost a mirror image of him. Its hair half dyed in blue and half in red made its yellow eyes seem almost stylish.
Jen pulled the little girl's arms from her neck and pushed her away from the aisle. The zombie from the aisle hit Jen full force before she could fire. Her gun hand flung back, slamming into the wall. Pain exploded in her wrist and the gun dropped to the floor.
Jen held the zombie back with a forearm across the throat, but the barrel-chested man was bigger and heavier than her. He snapped his jaws and lunged at the same time.
She kneed him in the crotch as hard as she could and the zombie lunged again. Damn. They don't feel that?
A hand grasped the zombie's shoulder and spun it around. Wrist throbbing, Jen fished her tomahawk from its sheath.
Wayne had the zombie by the shirt and reared back with the bat, but the zombie was too fast and tackled him onto the seat across the aisle. Wayne shoved the bat handle into the zombie's mouth, but it didn't let up.
Jen glanced to make sure the girl was all right, then brought the pointed end of the tomahawk down toward the back of the zombie's head. It moved at the last second, and the point ended up buried in its shoulder.
"Shit."
Jen yanked the weapon from its shoulder and swung again, planting the point firmly in the creature's skull. It collapsed on top of Wayne.
Zeke still wrestled with his attacker. Its teeth were inches from sinking into his throat and his arms trembled with the strain of holding it back. He's not going to last.
The platinum blonde had turned and tore a chunk of meat from a teenage boys arm before turning and leering at the little girl.
Shit. Zeke's about to bite it, but I can't let that monster bite the girl, either.
Jen grabbed the barrel-chested zombie and yanked it off Wayne. "Help Zeke."
Without waiting for an answer, she spun, bringing the tomahawk overhead, and sliced the platinum blonde's arm. Less than a foot from the girl, the blonde turned and hissed at Jen.
Pandemonium broke out in the front of the car as the teenage boy turned and attacked several other passengers.
This shit's getting out of hand. Jen lowered her shoulder and rammed the platinum blonde to the side. It stumbled, then leapt. Jen ducked and straightened as the zombie landed on her. She catapulted the blonde into the wall, where it fell to the floor, stunned.
The little girl shrank against the wall between the seats. A quick glance toward Zeke showed Wayne knocking the snot out of the zombie's skull with the bat.
Jen fell upon the blonde and chopped at its head with the blade. Once, twice, three times. Her lungs burned with the effort. Blood splattered in her eyes, and she stepped back and wiped them with her sleeves.
The blonde lay in an unmoving heap.
Rodriguez ran to the other end of the car and picked up a phone cradled on the wall. "Engineer? This is Agent Rodriguez of Homeland Security. You are ordered to get us the hell out of here."
A man slammed into the outside of the door, his eyes wide in panic. He clawed the edge, straining to pull on it. It took a second for Jen to recognize the state trooper.
A large woman in a torn and bloody floral print dress grabbed him from behind. She twisted his head and sank her teeth into his cheek. Blood sprayed the glass on the car door as she ripped flesh and muscle from the trooper.
"Start this fucking thing now," Rodriguez screamed into the phone.
The train jerked, almost knocking Rodriguez off his feet, and it slowly made its way down the track.
The platform was blood-splattered carnage. No one was left alive. Dozens of zombies rushed the train but fell away as it pulled out of the station.
Jen lifted the girl onto the seat and let her wrap her arms around her neck again. Zeke and Wayne sat on the floor in the corner and leaned against the wall, catching their breath. The bloody remnants of their zombie lay in front of them.
Daniels stood over the third zombie, a bullet wound in its temple.
Of the six passengers that were already in the train car when Jen arrived, only two still breathed. One, a boy barely in his teens, stood in the corner with glassy eyes and a trembling lip.
Across from him a burly guy in biker colors and a porn star mustache stood over two dead zombies. Blood dripped from a machete he held. He cracked his neck. "Don't usually get my workout so early in the morning."
Zeke stood and stepped over bodies to get to the biker. He held out a fist for the biker to bump. "I'm feeling ya. My name's Zeke, and I'm a ninja."
Biker Guy glared at Zeke from beneath bushy brows, his grip tightening on the machete handle.
Zeke lowered his arm and backed away. "We're cool."
Rodriguez sat on a bloodied seat and talked on the phone.
"Who's he talking to?" Jen asked.
Daniels wiped his hands on his suit coat. "Cartwright."
Wayne pushed past Daniels and approached the boy. "You OK, buddy?"
The boy remained quiet.
Wayne took a knee in front of the boy. "I'm Wayne. What's your name?"
The boy's gaze rose to meet Wayne's. "Jamarcus."
He pointed to a thirty-something man sprawled at Biker Guy's feet. "That's Uncle Floyd."
Biker Guy licked his lips and moved away from the body.
"I'm sorry about your uncle," Wayne said.
Not only hot, but Wayne's a saint, too? I feel like I'm stuck in the Hallmark movie from hell.
Jen's heart ached for the boy.
Rodriguez snapped his phone shut and stood. "Listen up. Cartwright's getting resources in New York to meet us when we stop. They'll quarantine the train and go through it car by car, but we'll be the first car."
"Who's Cartwright?" Biker Guy asked. "For that matter, who are you suits?"
"Homeland Security agents," Jen said. "All of us. And Cartwright's someone who can get shit done."
Biker Guy eyed her up and down as if he'd just noticed her.
"I'll vouch for you," Jen said. "You'll get out of here with us."
Daniels' eyebrows rose and he exchanged a glance with Rodriguez, who shrugged.
Biker Guy nodded. "You're a helluva fighter. What's your name?"
"Jen. Jen Reed. And yours?"
"Call me D-Day."
Zeke smiled. "That's so cool. I want a name like that."
"D-Day?" Jen asked.
D-Day wiped a smear of blood off his forehead. "Did I stutter?"
He grunted and sat on a dry section of seat, facing away from the others.
Guess he's done talking.
Jen checked the serum. Still there. Still intact.
She sat next to the girl the rest of the way to New York City. She never said a word, even though Jen tried to get her name.
The train rolled into the station
. Armed law enforcement lined the platform, while a set of armed men in civilian clothes, each wearing a red arm band, stood in a group to the side. Militia. There has to be a hundred of them.
When the train stopped, the militia members disappeared toward the rear cars. A squad of armed men dressed in black with helmets and vests approached their car, their rifles up and ready.
Rodriguez stood at the door and pressed his badge to it. "Agent Rodriguez," he yelled through the glass.
The SWAT leader spoke into a mic clipped to his shoulder, and a few seconds later, the door whooshed open.
Rodriguez stumbled back as the squad rushed the car. Calls of "all clear" came from the SWAT members as they fanned out in the car.
A man in a blue jacket with the letters FBI on it stepped in. "Agent Rodriguez?"
Rodriguez raised his hand, then pointed at Daniels. "Agent Daniels."
The FBI agent nodded. "I'm Hess. All the rest are with you?"
"All except the kids and the biker," Rodriguez said.
Hess stepped out the door and waved another agent over. "Get these kids to DCS."
The little girl clutched Jen's neck so tight, she coughed. Prying the girl's arms away, Jen said, "Come on, honey. These people will take care of you."
Tears rolled down the girl's face as the agent took her. She screamed, "I want to stay with you. I want to be safe."
Jen swallowed and dropped her gaze to the floor. I'm the last person to be around if you want to be safe.
11
Hess led them to another platform, where a line of people waited to board a train.
"This looks a lot more organized than Atlanta," Jen said.
Hess nodded. "We have a ton of people wanting to get on, but we preprocess them a couple of blocks away. Only those who are boarding are allowed in the station."
He walked right up the line to the front, where a couple of militia men with red armbands stood cradling AK-47 style guns.
"National security," he said. "These folks go on first."
One of the militia men eyed D-Day. "The big guy doesn't look government to me."
D-Day stared the guy down and cracked his knuckles.
"He's with us," Rodriguez said.
There's a surprise.
Rodriguez gave Jen a slight nod.
"We can't fit him in this car," Hess said, "but we'll get him a seat a few cars back." He called a militia man over and pointed at D-Day. "Get the big guy in the closest car to number one that you can."
"Yes, sir." The militia man led D-Day farther down the line of cars.
An older couple stood at the front of the line. The lady was shooting daggers at the group with her eyes. "We paid to be here," she said. "It's a shame some people don't know their place."
This bitch would make a good zombie.
One of the militiamen guarding the train pointed to the first car. "Go on in," he said to Rodriguez.
Rodriguez waved them on. Zeke pushed past the old couple and gave the lady one of his patented silly grins. She scowled.
They entered the car and Jen plopped onto the back seat and adjusted the serum bag on her belt. Zeke went to sit next to her, but Wayne slipped in first. Zeke frowned and took the seat in front of them.
He turned around, his arm on the back of the seat. "Do you think we'll see some action up north?"
Jen sighed. "I hope not. Shit's stressful enough as it is. I wish I knew how it's going on the front."
Zeke shrugged. "Call Howell."
"Howell?" Wayne asked.
"He's our contact at the Pentagon," Jen said. "He'll give us the straight poop."
Rodriguez and Daniels took seats on either side of the aisle in the middle of the car. They leaned across the aisle and spoke in low tones.
"Are you going to call him?" Wayne asked.
Jen broke from her thoughts. "Who?"
"Howell," Zeke said. "We were just talking about him."
"Oh, yeah." Jen pulled her cell phone from her pants pocket and flipped it open. She scrolled down the list of pre-programmed contacts. All the members of the team were listed as well as Cartwright, Mark, and Howell.
She highlighted Howell's name and pressed the Call button. It rang on the other end.
A click, then "Howell here."
"Sergeant Howell, it's Jen."
"Jen. I heard you had a hard time getting out of Atlanta."
Jen laughed. "Nothing compared to making our exit from Spokane."
"I heard that," Howell said. His voice became serious. "I've got a ton of shit going on here, what can I do for you?"
Jen swallowed. "What are we headed into?"
"In Boston? Big city with some small outbreaks here and there, but they've been keeping the lid on it."
"That wasn't a small outbreak in Atlanta," Jen said. "I saw how it started, and it spread faster than Big Bertha's ass at an all-you-can-eat buffet. I don't want to imagine it happening like that elsewhere."
Howell didn't answer.
"Howell, you still there?"
His voice lowered. "I'm seeing that same pattern. I know the brass are worried about it, but they can't break any forces off to go back east and deal with it. Did you know Boise and Las Vegas fell?"
Shit. "But what if we have an outbreak here that can't be put down?"
"Then we're lost," Howell said.
Jen frowned. If I didn't know Howell, I'd think he's losing hope. "I'll get this serum where it's supposed to go and we'll shut this shit down before it gets too bad."
"We're all counting on you, Jen," Howell said. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you. I have access to local law enforcement reports, satellite images, and intel reports."
"Will do."
"And Jen, keep me updated. Don't bother Dr. Cartwright. Call me instead."
Really?
"OK. Talk to you later." The call ended.
Zeke peered at her over the back of the seat. "So what did he say?"
"Hordes are still making gains out west and there've have been flare-ups in the east like what we saw in Atlanta."
Zeke smiled. "More zombies to kill."
Wayne raised an eyebrow. "You actually looking forward to that, little brother?"
Zeke turned back around.
Heat rose in Jen's face. She elbowed Wayne in the side. He flinched. "What the hell?"
"Your little brother saved me more times than I can count," she said. "He's trying to keep his head in the game, so don't fuck him up."
Wayne gazed into her eyes, then said, "I can protect you."
"Oh, great. The big testosterone-fueled man is going to protect little old me." She poked a finger in his chest. "I've killed far more zombies than you've ever seen. Maybe I should protect you."
Wayne's lips pressed together and he looked away.
"I said Zeke saved me," Jen said. "I didn't say he protected me. We protected each other, and so did a lot of other people. Most of them are dead."
She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. Welcome to the real world, dude.
Passengers boarded. The first were the old couple. They took the first seat on the right. The lady placed a coat-draped case between them. She glanced back and her eyes met Jen's. The old bag scowled and turned away.
What's she got in that box? Gold bricks? Or maybe something more valuable like a personality?
Zeke was twisted around in his seat, facing her. "Can't wait to get going, but there are still empty seats."
"I wonder how many seats are in this car," Jen said.
"Sixty-two," Zeke replied.
"Now how the hell did you know that?"
"I counted when we came in."
A thirty-something balding man with an enormous beer gut and a scowl led a mousy woman to the seat across from the old couple. "In here, honey," he said as he guided her to the seat.
The woman's eyes darted back and forth. It looked like a loud cough would be enough to send her into a panic.
Perfect person to be with in a z
ombie apocalypse.
The old lady up front surveyed her fellow passengers, most dressed in casual clothes. She whispered something to her husband.
Poor rich bitch has to put up with the rabble.
The doors whooshed closed and the murmur of conversation picked up in the car. Rodriguez and Daniels broke off their conversation and sat back in their seats.
A voice crackled from the speakers. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your conductor. We are about to begin our journey to Boston, Massachusetts, with stops in between. All cars are full to capacity and all seats taken, so please remain in yours. Nonessential cars have been replaced with passenger cars for maximum capacity, so there are no food and beverage services on this route."
"No beer?" Beer Belly wailed.
The train jerked and rumbled from the station. Breaking into daylight, it picked up speed. Jen looked out the window, squinting her eyes in the light. She jostled shoulder to shoulder with Wayne, but neither of them spoke.
The train rolled through the city and picked up speed. Several passengers leaned back and closed their eyes.
This'll be a piece of cake at this rate.
The conductor burst in from the next car and spoke in hushed tones to Agent Rodriguez. Rodriguez picked up the direct line to the engineer and listened. He pulled the phone from his ear and looked at the conductor, shaking his head.
So much for the piece of cake.
The conductor disappeared into the next car and Jen caught Rodriguez's gaze and shrugged.
Rodriguez beckoned Daniels over and whispered something to him. Daniels frowned.
Jen jumped up and made a beeline to the two agents. "What's going on?"
Daniels motioned for her to lower her voice. "Don't want to panic anyone."
"The engineer's not answering his intercom," Rodriguez said.
"Is that unusual?" Jen asked.
"According to the conductor, the only time that's ever happened was when the intercom wasn't working or the engineer had a medical emergency. Since they did a successful sound check before they left, he's concerned for the engineer."
"What have you got in there?" Beer Belly's booming voice filled the cab.
He stood in the aisle glaring down at the old lady, who cringed away from him. Beer Belly pointed at the covered case between the old lady and the old man. "There's something alive in there."
The Zombie Uprising Series: Books One Through Five Page 50