26
Jen looked at the zombie in the next cage. A middle-aged woman with bright red hair, she had no physical damage except a bloody stump where her left pinky finger should have been. The zombie stared at Jen with her mouth hanging open. "I'll bet those yellow eyes were once a deep blue," Jen said.
She plopped herself on the bed in the corner of her cell. "Fucking great. No Zeke, no Wayne, and no D-Day."
The zombies stayed as still as statues, each gaping at her.
"So is Butler looking at me through you? Butler, you in there? Raise your right hand for yes."
The zombies didn't move.
Jen got up and paced. "You've only communicated through leaders, so maybe you can't with drones." The zombies' eyes followed her movements.
She stopped and turned toward them. "Or maybe you can hear me, like a radio transmission instead of a phone." She approached the bars separating her from the redhead and peered into the zombie's eyes. "If you can hear me, Butler, I now know what went down. How you tried to save the country." She shrugged. "Maybe that's what you're still doing."
The zombie's gaze didn't change.
Jen sighed. "I don't know what I am now, and neither does Cartwright, but she won't have any qualms about cutting me open to find out." Jen threw herself at her cell door and yanked on it furiously. "I need to get the fuck out of here."
Panting, she leaned against the door. The zombies hadn't moved. "Now you're annoying me. Why don't you all just sit down?"
As one, they dropped to the floor in a sitting position.
Jen's pulse picked up. She pointed to the redhead. "Stand up."
The redhead rose and stared at her stupidly. The other zombies remained seated.
Jen smiled. "Eight zombies. That's like having a squad at my command."
She licked her lips. "I have my way out of the building. Now I just need a way out of this cell. And I think I know how."
27
Randy carried a tray of food to her cell two hours later. The guard took off the padlock and stood to the side with a wooden baton in his beefy hand.
Jen rose from the bed as Randy stepped in and the guard shut the door.
"Hungry?" he asked.
Jen glared at him. "Really? That's what you ask? Hungry?"
Randy swallowed and turned to the guard. "Lock it up and give me five minutes."
The guard frowned.
"It's OK," Randy said. "It's part of an observation Dr. Cartwright has approved."
The guard slapped the padlock on the door and clicked it shut. "I'll be in the lab if you need me. Five minutes."
The door to the lab clicked shut behind him.
"Observation?" Jen asked.
Randy shrugged. "I had to come up with something. Can't believe it worked."
"You must think I'm not a danger," Jen said.
"I know you're not a danger," Randy said. "Cartwright probably sent me because she didn't think you'd attack me."
"She doesn't know me very well."
"Even if you do," Randy said, "I'm expendable."
He gestured to the bed. "Why don't you sit down and eat?"
Jen's stomach rumbled as he took the cover off the plate and the aroma of fried chicken enveloped her. She sat on the bed and took the tray from Randy, balancing it on her lap.
She picked up a leg and bit into it, the hot juices spilling down the sides of her mouth. In seconds, she finished the leg and dug into the mashed potatoes with a spoon.
Randy watched her. "The guard won't be gone long."
Jen squinted. "So what?"
"I want to help you."
"Because you owe me?"
"Something like that."
Jen put down the spoon. "Then have your head of physical security, Mark Colton, come see me."
Randy shook his head. "He won't come. Cartwright told him you were bitten and turned. She convinced him that he wouldn't want to see you this way."
"Then call Zeke and Wayne and let them know that Cartwright threatened to kill them. Have the decency to do at least that."
"She said she'll kill them?"
"Right to my face. They have two agents with them. My guess is those agents are the ones who'll do it. Tell them to get away as fast as possible."
Randy pushed a button on his phone. "They're in my directory. I'll call them as soon as I'm alone."
"And you'll let them know I'm here."
Randy nodded.
Jen downed a glass of water. "Why are you helping? I know you think you owe me, but aren't you on team Svengali?"
Randy shook his head. "I'd heard the name before, but had no idea what it was about until this morning." He crossed his arms and his eyes teared up. "All this bullshit. All those people dead. My mom and dad. My little brother. All because these assholes wanted to be in control." His hands clenched into fists. "No, I'm not on the fucking team." He glanced at the lab door. "But I'm letting them believe I am."
Jen put the glass down. "So why not just leave?"
"I may not know everything about Svengali and what's happened, but I do know one thing: you're the key to stopping this before we're all wiped out."
The lab door opened and the guard lumbered out. "Time's up."
Randy wiped his eyes with his shirtsleeve and gave Jen a slight nod. "I'll be back for the dishes. Take your time."
He stepped to the door. The guard looked at him.
"What?" he said.
"Strip."
"What?"
"We need to make sure she didn't bite you."
Jen nearly choked on the corn on the cob. She took a gulp of water. "You guys know I'm not a zombie, right?"
"Doctor said there's no proof your bite won't infect someone," the guard said.
I never thought of that. Could I bite someone and turn them into something like me? She turned away from Randy. "Go ahead. I won't peek."
She concentrated on her food while considering the possibilities. What if my bite turned people into zombies? If they found that out, then I'd never get out of here. And if it turns them into a hybrid, Cartwright will want to milk that. Crazy bitch would create an army of them.
The cell door shut. Jen turned.
"I'll bring you breakfast in the morning," Randy said. He walked off with the guard trailing him.
Jen looked at the zombie in the next cell staring at her. "What do you think, Red? Can I trust Randy?"
Red stared.
Jen sighed. "Never thought I'd say this, but I miss Zeke's rambling stories."
Jen sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What the hell time is it?"
Rising, she scanned the room. The zombies were still prone in their beds where she'd told them to go. Should've told them to close their eyes, too. They'd look less creepy.
"Red," she said, "stand up and keep me company."
Red rose, slack-jawed, and faced Jen.
Jen laughed. "My bestie is a flesh-eating corpse."
The hallway door opened and Randy entered, followed by a different guard.
"About time," Jen said. "I ordered room service an hour ago."
Randy carried a tray into the cell and the guard locked him in. Jen sat on the bed and lifted the plate cover. "Bacon and eggs." She licked her lips. Just the smell made her less hungry.
Randy stood, his hands going into his pockets, then back out and clasped in front of him.
"What are you so nervous about?" Jen said with a mouthful of eggs. "Told you I don't bite."
"Once you've eaten, I need to get a sample," he said.
Jen laughed. "Don't give me one of those little cups. I've been sitting here overnight with no bathroom."
Randy removed blood collection supplies from his pocket. "Blood sample." He looked at Red, and then at the other zombies still in bed.
"What are they doing?"
Jen downed a glass of orange juice and let out an ahh. "Don't know. Maybe they're tired."
She stood and walked to the cell door. "How about a bathroom break? I'm about t
o burst."
The guard grunted and removed the padlock. With a baton ready to strike, he pulled the door open. "In the lab. Nice and slow."
Jen took her time walking to the lab. What would Randy do if I could take this guy out?
She entered the lab with the guard a few steps behind. The door closed behind him. "Bathroom's in the back."
Jen's eyes scanned the room. Need something. A weapon. A diversion. Something.
She shuffled into the bathroom and closed the door. The guard's foot stopped it. "It'll stay open."
"Bullshit, you creep. You get off on seeing the zombie girl pee?"
The guard's face reddened. "It'll stay open two feet wide. I won't see you, but you also won't be able to pull any funny stuff."
Jen sighed. No help in here.
Minutes later, she approached the cell door. Randy stood inside, his arms crossed. "Ready for the sample?"
The guard pressed closer behind Jen.
Oh, shit. I've got it.
She glanced at the zombies. Blink your eyes.
The zombies blinked their eyes.
Yes!
She stepped around the cell door, leaving the guard on the other side.
As loud and as fast as you can, attack the guard.
The eight zombies sprang to the bars with a roar, pulling and reaching for the guard. His eyes went wide and he took a step back, ready to defend himself.
Jen grabbed the cell door and slammed it into the guard, striking him on the chest and jaw. He stumbled backward, dropping the baton and covering his broken jaw with his hands.
Scooping up his baton, Jen charged him. He reached out for her, but she ducked and raked the baton across his kneecaps. The guard howled and collapsed. Jed swung the baton and clipped his forehead, knocking the back of his head into the concrete floor. He lay still.
Jen scrambled to her feet, ready for an attack from Randy, but he hadn't moved.
The growling and clambering continued. "Stop," Jen said. "Everyone quiet."
The zombies went still, their empty yellow eyes gazing at her.
Randy's jaw dropped. "Holy shit. They listen to you?"
Jen knelt next to the guard and checked his pulse. Still alive. Good. She rustled through his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. "Did you make the call to Wayne and Zeke?"
Randy shook his head. “They took my phone.” He gestured to the unconscious guard. “And one of these guys was always shadowing me.”
“I’ll have to find a phone and warn them,” Jen said. “I hope they’re not being watched as closely as you.”
She went to Red's door and tried three keys before she found the one that opened her padlock. Before opening the doors, she made eye contact with each of the zombies. She pointed at Randy. "He's off-limits. Do not harm him."
Randy pulled his cell door closed. "Not that I don't trust you."
Jen let Red out and she shambled to a position behind Jen. Within minutes, Jen had all eight zombies freed. I could just escape, but then Cartwright would come after me. Need to keep that from happening.
"Hand me your security badge," Jen said.
Randy unclipped it from his belt and stuck it through the bars. "What are you going to do?"
Jen squinted her eyes. "Time to pay Cartwright a little visit."
28
The elevator doors opened on the second floor. Jen pointed at two zombies, an older woman with a shredded chest and a twenty-something man with the skin peeled from one side of his skull.
"Chase anyone you see," she said. "You harm no one. Just keep running and causing chaos."
The zombies dashed out of the elevator and down the hallway. A chorus of shrieks reached Jen as the doors closed.
When they opened on the third floor, Jen picked out two more zombies. She pointed to the left. "The Security Office is just down there. Take it over. Break every piece of equipment in the place. Go."
The zombies raced from the elevator and the doors closed.
After having sent zombies out on the fourth floor, Jen was left with two: Red and a muscular bearded man with a chunk of meat missing from his shoulder.
She pressed the button for Cartwright's floor. "You two will follow me."
The doors slid open and Jen stepped out. Soft music played from the speakers and she strode down the carpeted hallway to Cartwright's reception area. Cindy sat behind her desk and looked up as Jen walked in. "What are you—" The zombies appeared behind Jen. Cindy wrenched a drawer open and pulled a pistol.
Jen ducked. "Get out of here."
Cindy's shot took the top of the muscle man's head off and he dropped to the floor. She took aim at Red, but the zombie disappeared into the hallway.
Clenching the baton, Jen rushed Cindy and drove her to the floor, knocking the pistol from her hand. Jen wrenched Cindy's arm behind her and pulled her to her feet. Pushing Cindy toward Cartwright's office door, Jen said, "Open it."
The door opened into an empty office. "Damn," Jen said.
She pushed Cindy into a chair. "Move and I'll kill you."
She strode into the reception area and picked up Cindy's gun from underneath her desk before returning to Cartwright's office. "Where is she?"
"I don't know," Cindy said.
Jen aimed the gun at Cindy. "You're her assistant. You know, all right. Where is that bitch?"
Cindy returned Jen's glare, but said nothing.
"The bitch is right behind you," Cartwright said.
Jen spun and Cartwright stood in the doorway with a revolver pointed at her.
Jen lowered her gun. "Still looking for your ruby slippers?"
Cartwright gestured to Cindy. "Come with me. This facility is compromised. The outbreak is spreading rapidly."
Cindy walked over to Cartwright. "Where are we going?"
"To the roof. I have a helicopter coming."
"I thought they were all in the west," Jen said.
Cartwright shrugged. "Executive privilege. The president kept one for emergencies and he's sending it here."
"Are we taking her?" Cindy asked.
"Definitely," Cartwright said.
Jen jutted out her jaw. "I'm not going with a whacko like you."
"Whacko?" Cartwright said. "Is it insane to want peace and order in the world?"
Jen spat on the floor in front of Cartwright. "By taking away everyone's free will? You bet your ass it's insane."
"No matter," Cartwright said. "It's inevitable, and you're going to help make it happen quicker."
"Like hell."
Cartwright cocked the revolver's hammer back. "I'd rather you're alive for my studies, but undead should work as well."
Red sprinted into the room, colliding with Cindy and slamming her into the wall. Jen raised her gun and shot at Cartwright in one motion. A piece of doorway trim splintered and Cartwright ducked into the hallway.
A high-pitched screech pierced Jen's eardrums. Red clamped onto Cindy's neck and tore her throat out. The scream broke into a gurgle as Cindy slumped to the floor.
"No time for a snack," Jen said. "If we don't stop Cartwright now, we may not have another chance."
She raced out the door.
29
Jen raced into the corridor. Gunshots and shouting echoed from both ends. A flash of movement caught her eye. The stairway door slammed shut. Jen ran to it with Red on her heels. Several fresh zombies rushed past them, one of them leaping onto a fleeing technician. He hit the floor, his blood soaking into the carpet as the zombie tore at his back.
Innocent people are dying. What the hell have I done?
Jen flung the stairway door open and caught a glimpse of movement above. Cartwright had a head start.
Taking the steps two at a time, they reached the next floor just as the door opened and a flood of humans rushed in, knocking her and Red down. Zombies poured in after the humans, chasing them down the stairs.
Jen rubbed the back of her head where it had banged into the wall. Got to get Cartwright.
Cindy.
All undead but Red and Cindy, stand down. Do not attack anyone.
Jen struggled to her feet and stared into Cindy's yellow eyes. "I don't know if that worked or not, but it's the best I can do."
Cindy stared back.
"Take us to the roof to find Cartwright, but don't get too far ahead of us."
Cindy ran up the stairs.
Jen gestured to Red. "Let's go."
Breathing heavy, she ran up the stairs, keeping Cindy in sight. More refugees passed them going down the stairs, but Cindy and Red ignored them as they followed Jen's directions.
Cindy waited at the top of the stairway. Jen caught up with her and bent over with her hands on her knees. Her chest heaved and her heart slammed her chest. "Top floor," she gasped.
Jen pushed the door open and stepped into a quiet tiled hallway. A corridor stretched ahead and another to the right.
Jen held the door open. "Get in."
The two zombies lumbered in and stopped.
Jen listened. "It's like the outbreak hasn't hit here yet."
A gunshot echoed down the corridor and a piece of the doorframe behind Jen exploded. Jen ducked.
An armed guard knelt in a room at the end of the hallway with a pistol propped against the door frame. He shot again, and the bullet buried into Cindy's shoulder.
Jen took cover around the corner. "With me."
The zombies followed.
Sticking her gun out, Jen fired off three blind rounds. The guard answered in kind.
"Who's betting Cartwright went that way?" she said. She peered farther down the corridor they hid in. "I wonder if there's a back way."
Footsteps came from the direction of the guard. Jen popped her head out and back in. A barrage of gunshots replied. Three more guards had made their way halfway down the corridor and another stayed back providing supporting fire. Where the hell did those other guys come from?
She fired two more blind rounds then peeked around the corner. The guards returned fire and Jen barely pulled her head back in time. They're holding position. Too far away for us to rush them. But if I can get one of them on our side...
The Zombie Uprising Series: Books One Through Five Page 57