The Zombie Uprising Series: Books One Through Five

by M. A. Robbins

  “You have five minutes,” Howell said.

  “And then what, shithead? Are your Humvees going to grenade me?”

  “Of course not,” Howell said. “We have an Apache five minutes out that has two missiles remaining in its load. I’ve ordered it to return and use those missiles to destroy the command center.”

  Jen swallowed. Was that a checkmate?

  “You can still surrender,” Howell said.

  “Blow this building up and you kill Cartwright,” Jen said.

  “Definitely not what I want,” Howell said. “But Dr. Cartwright would agree it’s our best move.”

  Jen locked eyes with Cartwright. The steely old bitch didn’t flinch.

  Looks like we’re not getting out of this one after all.

  32

  Jen strode to Zeke. “Come with me.”

  She pointed to the hostages. “Wayne. Zombie Radio Girl. Watch them. Bite anyone who moves.”

  Guiding Zeke to the corner of the room, she lowered her voice. “Any ideas?”

  “Tell me what you think first,” he said.

  She took a deep breath, then slowly released it. “At best we can take Cartwright out. That’s something, I guess.”

  “What about the other hordes? Have you tried them lately?”

  Jen slapped her forehead. “What a fucking idiot I am.” She put up a finger and closed her eyes.

  A single view appeared. Wayne.

  He stared down Cartwright. Move six inches to your right.

  Wayne shuffled to his right. “Son of a bitch,” Jen whispered.

  Have Radio Girl scratch her nose.

  Radio Girl’s hand lifted and rubbed the side of her nose.

  Jen opened her eyes. “It’s coming back,” she whispered. “I can command Wayne.”

  Zeke scratched the bald side of his head. “That’s good news, but he’s practically right on top of you. Can you get any of the others?”

  “Maybe. I’ll try.” Jen shut her eyes. Anyone else out there? How about the Kansas City horde?

  Something flickered in the darkness. Kansas City horde?

  A new view appeared. Thousands of zombies flowing down city streets, gun and rocket fire hitting them from the tops of buildings and helicopters. Zombies fell in droves.

  “I’ve got Kansas City,” Jen whispered. “They’re doing what I ordered. They’re attacking and it’s keeping the military busy.”

  “What about Atchison?” Zeke asked.

  Jen furrowed her brow. “Nothing yet. No Omaha, either. I sent Omaha and Kansas City in to keep the military busy so the Atchison horde could slip through.”

  “Without Atchison, we’re screwed,” Zeke said.

  Atchison horde, are you there?

  “Nothing,” she said. “How much time left?”

  “Four minutes,” Zeke said.

  Atchison? Come in.

  Another view shimmered then died.

  Come on, Atchison.

  The view blinked on then held steady.

  Jen focused on it. Zombies streaked down railroad tracks with a river to their right. They approached a sign.

  Look up.

  The sign came into focus. Downtown Kansas City Left Lane.

  “Got anything?” Zeke asked.

  Jen opened her eyes and smiled. “Cavalry’s coming.”

  33

  “How long before they get here?” Zeke asked.

  “Don’t know exactly, but soon.”

  A familiar sound came from the flight line.

  “Shit,” Jen said. She lifted a window blind. An Apache descended to a hundred feet from the tarmac and off to the side of the Humvees. “We’re out of time.”

  Howell’s voice came over the radio. “Time to make a decision.”

  Jen gritted her teeth. How do we buy time?

  She glanced at the hostages. Cartwright’s gaze burned through her.

  Let’s make you useful, you bitch. “I got it,” she whispered to Zeke. “Follow my lead.”

  She strode to the radio, picked up the mic, and keyed it. “Howell.”

  “All I want to hear is your surrender,” he said.

  “How do I know you aren’t planning on killing us if I give up and join you?”

  “Why would we do that?” Howell said. “We want your abilities. Hell, we could’ve already killed you.”

  “We’re going to let the hostages go first,” she said. “That will make our surrender simpler.”

  “That’s a start,” Howell said.

  Zeke’s face dropped. Jen whispered, “Buying time.”

  He gave her a slight nod.

  She checked in on the Atchison horde. The railroad tracks they ran on split into multiple tracks all going in the same direction. The horde spread out even more.

  Show me.

  Jen swallowed. Thousands. Hundreds of thousands.

  Run your asses off. I need you here now.

  Zeke poked her shoulder and Jen blinked.

  “No more waiting,” Howell said. “You’ve got one minute to release the hostages or the Apache fires the missiles.”

  Jen licked her lips. The soldiers around the table looked at her with hope. Cartwright gave her a flat stare.

  “Wayne, Radio Girl,” Jen said. “Come over here with us. Let everyone leave the building.”

  As soon as the zombies moved aside, the soldiers jumped up from their seats and scrambled out of the building. Cartwright didn’t move until they all had gone.

  “You haven’t lost,” she said. “You’ll see. I think this will be the best outcome for you, and everyone else.”

  Cartwright rose, leaning on her cane, then hobbled to the door.

  “Cartwright,” Jen said.

  Cartwright paused, but didn’t turn.

  “Who said we lost?” Jen said.

  Cartwright limped through the door.

  “What now?” Zeke asked.

  Closing her eyes, Jen said, “The cards are on the table. Time to see how they play out.”

  34

  The Atchison leader followed the train tracks around a curve and the airfield came into view only a hundred yards away.

  There are soldiers in the middle of the runway. You will turn them all, then continue on to swarm the rest of the airfield. Remember my friend, Zeke, who’s with me and is untouchable.

  The zombies raced past a huge hangar next to the end of the runway and the whole airfield opened up to them. Like an avalanche, the horde rumbled down the tarmac.

  Jen opened her eyes. The window blinds were raised and Zeke watched the battle unfold. Jen rushed to his side.

  Shouts came from the line of Humvees. Several soldiers dropped their rifles and ran while the others opened fire. The Apache turned to bring its power to bear.

  Zombies fell in droves to the Humvees’ grenades and the soldiers’ bullets. Still the horde came. When the leading edge went down, the next wave rolled over them and pressed on.

  The Apache let a missile loose. It hit the horde dead center on the leading edge, the explosion rattling the control center. Body parts and bits of gore rained down on the airfield and a huge gap appeared in the zombie lines.

  “Holy shit,” Zeke said.

  The zombies streamed forward, clamoring over the broken bodies of their comrades. The impact had been no better than pissing on a forest fire. The Apache banked and flew off.

  Jen tuned into the leader.

  The leader reached the Humvees and barreled through. He sprung and landed on the back of a fleeing soldier. The soldier rolled over, panic in his eyes, and attempted to fend off the leader.

  Howell.

  Bite his ass.

  The leader latched on to Howell’s throat and shook its head violently, ripping away flesh and tissue. Howell’s screams ended in a gurgle.

  Show me the rest of the soldiers at the Humvees.

  Rising, the leader scanned the carnage.

  Where’s the old lady?

  With no more resistance on the flight lin
e, the zombie horde dispersed across the airfield, into the buildings, and as far out as the river’s edge.

  The leader went to each body inside the Humvees, but none were Cartwright.

  Shit. Did that bitch get away?

  A bloody figure stumbled across the carnage.

  That one. I want to see that one.

  The figure stopped as if it were under remote control. It turned and staggered toward the leader.

  Cartwright.

  With an arm hanging by a thread and yellow eyes unwavering, Cartwright stared straight ahead as she obeyed her leader.

  Jen opened her eyes and clapped Zeke on the back. “Howell and Cartwright have been turned. Their asses belong to me now.”

  35

  Six Months Later

  The taxi driver pulled onto the I-70 bridge above the Mississippi. Jen peered out the windshield toward the checkpoint at the bridge’s midpoint. No sign of Zeke.

  After bringing the cab to a stop at the twenty-foot-tall gate, the driver jumped out and opened the trunk. Jen pulled her pack out and slung it over her shoulders. She handed the driver a bill. “Thanks.”

  He tipped his hat, climbed into the taxi, and drove back into Illinois, passing a Humvee approaching the bridge.

  A guard strode out of the entry control point. “This is a restricted area.”

  Jen turned toward him and he took a step back. “Sorry. Didn’t recognize you.” He returned to the gate shack.

  The Humvee pulled up. It had government plates and a placard on the side. A ninja stepped out of the passenger side, adjusted the katana strapped to his back, and jogged up to Jen.

  The guard came back out. “Can I see your ID, please?”

  Pulling a black tab down on his shirt, the ninja exposed a badge.

  “Why don’t you take your hood off?” Jen said.

  “Forgot,” Zeke said. He pulled the hood off and gave her one of his goofy smiles. He looked at the guard. “Captain Tripp, Zombie Quick Response Unit.”

  The guard squinted at Zeke’s badge, then nodded and went back inside.

  “Doing pretty good for yourself,” Jen said.

  Zeke shrugged. “They let me wear a ninja uniform and kill zombies. What more could a guy want?”

  Jen laughed. “America can sleep safe with you on the job.”

  “It’s working so far,” Zeke said. “A few zombies cross the bridges and we take them out, but the Mississippi keeps the bulk of them away.”

  He snapped his fingers. “Almost forgot. We have a vaccine for the mycovirus.”

  “Damn,” Jen said. “That didn’t take long once we cleaned out the assholes in the government. Why haven’t I heard about it?”

  “It’s not official yet,” Zeke said. “But I hear things because of my position.”

  “Oh, yeah? Like what?”

  “The network’s doing a documentary on the whole thing: the conspirators, the outbreak, everything. You’ll be a celebrity.”

  Jen sighed. “I already am and it sucks.”

  “I guess,” Zeke said. “They’ve asked me to be a technical consultant. They’re going to use Mercy and Josh’s footage.”

  Jen licked her lips and gazed across the bridge into St. Louis.

  Zeke shuffled his feet. “I guess it doesn’t matter since you won’t be around anymore...”

  This is going to be harder than I thought. “I haven’t seen you much since Wayne’s funeral. I stopped in Rhode Island on my way here and visited with him. Left some flowers.”

  “That’s good,” Zeke said. “I stop by anytime I can.” His eyes became moist. “You two made a great pair.”

  Jen nodded. Still too soon to think about.

  “Anyway,” she said, her voice thick. “Time for me to go.”

  He took her hand. “Why don’t you stay? We can use you in the ZQR.”

  Jen looked down and scuffed a foot on the asphalt. “Zeke.”

  An awkward silence fell between them.

  She swallowed. “You know I’d love to stay. You’re like the little brother I never had.” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. “But I need to be out there. Out with the zombies. Keeping things controlled.”

  “But you’re half-human, too,” he pleaded.

  Jen scooped him into a hug. How many times have I had to say goodbye to someone I love?

  “It’s because I’m human that I’m doing this,” she said. “And I’m the only one in the world who can.”

  Zeke sighed and pulled back. He wiped his eyes. “I know.”

  Jen patted the tomahawk on her hip. “Guess I better get going.”

  Zeke stepped past her and gestured to the entry control point. “Open the gate,” he yelled.

  A hum came from the gate then it rolled slowly to the side.

  Jen bent down and squeezed Zeke in her arms. “You take care.” Her eyes burned. Please don’t let me cry.

  “You, too,” he said.

  She kissed him on the cheek and whispered, “Thank you for protecting me. I never would’ve made it without you.”

  Letting go of him, she strode through the gate.

  “Will I ever see you again?” Zeke called out.

  Jen stopped. I don’t know.

  She turned and waved. “Of course you will.”

  He waved back, a big smile on his face.

  Jen adjusted her pack and strode into an uncertain future.

  Keep Up to Date

  Keep up to date on new releases, book recommendations, free offers, and free drawings by subscribing to the M.A. Robbins mailing list at uprising.marobbins.com

  Thank You

  Thank you for reading the Zombie Uprising. I hope you’ve enjoyed it.

  Can I ask you a favor? Please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads because all reviews help other readers decide on books to add to their reading list.

  Author’s Notes

  It’s been a wild ride from the tundra of Northwest Alaska to the mighty Mississippi. I’ve enjoyed the heck out of writing this series and appreciate all the feedback. This last book took a little longer to write because life doesn’t stop even when my head’s stuck in another world. There were some gloomy days that were brightened by a review, an email, or a Facebook post. They made a big difference. Thank you.

  So we leave Jen and Zeke for now. I’ve got tons of ideas for stories; far more than I could ever manage to write in one lifetime (and I’m no spring chicken). I’ll continue to write stories that I hope are interesting to you.

  Guess I better get at it. Until next time.

  M.A.

  Acknowledgments

  My wife, Debbie, is my life. We met when we were from rival high schools and worked at a McDonald’s together. That was several lifetimes ago. Our first conversation consisted of me saying something unflattering about her school and her dumping a milkshake over my head. How could I resist her after that?

  Domi at Inspired Covered Designs knocked another one out of the park. It’s so awesome that I don’t have to sweat how the cover will look. It’s always a guaranteed winner.

  Same goes to Tamara Blain of A Closer Look Editing. I do my best to send her the cleanest manuscript possible, but I know I don’t have to worry when it’s published. Tamara will catch my silly typos, lack of commas, and too many commas (I suck at commas).

  Beta readers get the manuscript before Tamara and make sure the story itself makes sense, is exciting, and flows well. Thanks to this book’s group of beta readers: Ami Agner, C. Deanne Bourgeois, Lyn Eubanks, Marinda Grindstaff, Wayne Tripp, Rachel Wagner, and Helen Zawacki.

  Also by M.A. Robbins

  The Tilt Series

  The Tilt, Book One

 

 

 
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