Serial Killer Z: Volume One

by Philip Harris

  “I should have some antibiotics. I’ll get them.” I didn’t really want to give the tablets away, but if it would help get them out of the camp, it was worth it.

  They both thanked me.

  I walked toward the dining room.

  Lucy called after me. “What’s your name?”

  I hesitated and considered telling the truth. Then I said, “Marcus Black.”

  Lucy smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Marcus.”

  I shrugged, hopeful it would imply it wasn’t a big deal, and went to the kitchen.

  I swung my backpack up onto the table and removed the supplies I’d scavenged from the store. The only drugs I’d picked up were the painkillers. I picked up one of the containers and then retrieved the antibiotics from the cupboard above the sink. There were less than a dozen tablets left. The sight of them lying in the bottom of the container made me clench my teeth.

  The shadow whispered to me, reminding me that there was an easy solution to the problem. My hand moved to the knife on my belt before I could stop it. I pictured myself cutting Lucy’s throat while she tended to Mike. Alex would be harder to surprise. He’d see me killing her, and he was taller than me and probably heavier. I shook my head. No, I didn’t need to kill them.

  I considered holding some of the antibiotics back. I’d been lucky so far, but it was inevitable I’d get an infection at some point. Especially working so closely with the dead. In the end, I left all the tablets in the bottle. I put my backpack in the corner of the room and took the antibiotics and painkillers through to Lucy, along with a glass of water.

  She thanked me and managed to get one of the tablets down Mike’s throat.

  “Will that help?” Alex said.

  “There’s not enough for a full course,” Lucy said, “but I hope so.”

  The shadow eased back into my mind. I’d need to act before Mike recovered. I dismissed the thought. He’d get better, and then they’d leave.

  Lucy, Alex, and I spent the day circling each other, warily—exchanging brief snippets of small talk when we had to but for the most part keeping busy and out of each other’s way.

  As night fell, they gained a haunted, nervous look and glanced nervously toward the window so often I don’t think they even knew they were doing it. If I’d doubted that they’d spent time sleeping rough in the forest, that look would have eased those fears. I recognized it from my own face—too much time waiting for death to come stumbling out of the shadows.

  They took turns watching Mike. Even though I’d gone through my normal checks and the perimeter would warn us if any zombies happened our way, they insisted on acting as lookouts for the camp itself as well.

  When I went upstairs to my room, I left Lucy sitting by the window, watching for signs of danger while Alex snored loudly in the armchair. She was tense, nervous. The relative safety of the lodge seemed to have done nothing to dull the memories of whatever horrors she’d seen.

  After my trip to the store, I was tired. My arms and legs were aching, and there were two red marks on my shoulders from the backpack.

  Despite my weariness, I couldn’t sleep. I lay in bed, thinking about the other people in the lodge. Their presence stuck in my mind like grains of sand—grist for my thoughts. No matter how I tried to distract myself, no matter what tricks I played, my brain kept dragging me back to the existence of strangers in my sanctuary.

  I felt violated.

  The shadow was restless. It muttered in my ear. It insisted that these new arrivals were an opportunity not a threat. The shadow could sense their guilt. It was draped around them like a cloak and oozed from the pores in their skin.

  The zombies we’d killed had provided a release for the shadow, but these people ignited memories of the years before the outbreak. The lodge was a perfect location to resume my true calling.

  I resisted. I’d always picked solitary targets; it was safer that way. Even with Mike injured, it was too risky. I’d survived this long by being careful. This wasn’t the time to throw that caution away.

  I lay in bed, battling with the shadow, for what felt like hours. Eventually, exhaustion won out, but my dreams were filled with imagined confrontations with Lucy and Alex. All of them culminated in the same thing—the discovery of the workshop and my handiwork and the two of them turning on me.

  Chapter 19

  The Cult

  I woke early, hoping to get some time to make sure I hadn’t left any incriminating evidence lying around the lodge, but the intruders were already up. Lucy was tending to Mike while Alex made breakfast. She’d removed the old bandage and was dabbing Mike’s brow with a wet cloth. The cut on his head was deep and crusted with blood, the edges an angry red.

  The smell of food hit me as soon as I opened the kitchen door. Alex had found the supplies I’d brought back from the store and was cooking vegetable soup on one of the portable gas stoves. The smell made my mouth water.

  He heard me enter the kitchen and gestured toward the table. “Morning. Grab a bowl.”

  My immediate reaction was anger. This was my home. These people had come here uninvited. I’d let them stay but only under duress. Now they were treating the lodge as though it was a hotel. At least he hadn’t tried to get the generator working.

  Lucy walked into the kitchen. “How’s breakfast coming along?”

  “I’m not sure soup is really breakfast, but it’s ready when you are.”

  Lucy smiled and grabbed a bowl.

  She gestured to me to go first, but I shook my head. “No, go on.”

  “Thanks.”

  I watched her spoon the soup into her bowl. She looked worn down, but there was determination in her eyes. I wasn’t sure how Alex had managed to live through the early days of the outbreak, but Lucy’s strength was obvious. I’d need to be careful around her.

  “What’s that?” Alex said.

  He walked out of the kitchen and through the back door. Frowning, Lucy followed him. I hesitated for a moment and then did the same.

  Outside, Alex was staring up into the sky. His brow was furrowed in concentration.

  Panic hit me as I realized the sound he’d heard was an incoming helicopter.

  “Get inside!” I said.

  I urged them back into the lodge. Alex followed my instructions, but Lucy stood her ground. I put my hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to move.

  She batted it away. “They can pick us up!”

  “No!” I said.

  “Why not?”

  The sound of the helicopter grew louder. “Come on, it’s not safe.”

  Lucy half turned to go inside, but she was still reluctant. “What do you mean, not safe?”

  I beckoned to her, desperately searching for an excuse. “There’s no time to explain. Come on!”

  Finally, she gave in and followed Alex into the lodge. Once they were both inside, I checked the sky. There was no sign of the chopper, but the sound of its engine was getting louder by the second. I ducked inside, swung the door shut, and bolted it.

  I went to the window, searching for the helicopter and running over everything that had happened since the others had arrived.

  Was there anything outside that would show the camp was inhabited? I was always careful not to leave any signs of life out in the open. My perimeter alarm was a calculated risk. The wires and cans were too small to be spotted from the air. But I couldn’t be sure Alex and Lucy hadn’t changed something.

  What about heat signatures? If the army was using some sort of infrared camera to look for survivors, they might see the heat from the lodge. Visions of the military touching down in the clearing behind the building flashed through my head. I slammed my hand against the wall in frustration.

  Lucy appeared at my side. “What the hell is going on?”

  I raised my hand to cut her off as the helicopter roared over the building. There was no gunner this time, and its side door was closed. I hoped that was a good thing.

  “Marcus,” Lucy said. “T
ell us why we aren’t outside, trying to flag down that helicopter.”

  I waited until the aircraft was out of sight then turned to her. “It’s not safe.”

  Her lips pursed slightly before she spoke. “You said that. Why isn’t it safe?”

  I grasped at the excuses flickering through my head, clinging to the first one that sounded plausible. “They aren’t the military.”

  Lucy frowned. “Then who are they?”

  “They’re some sort of gang. A cult maybe.” She looked skeptical, but I carried on, the lies slipping neatly into place. “I ran into them in the forest a couple of weeks ago and only just got away. If they find us here, they’ll kill us, if we’re lucky.”

  “And this cult has a helicopter?”

  “Yes, they must have found it somewhere. There’s junk like that all over the place.”

  Lucy moved past me and looked out the window. “If it was them, they’ve gone now.”

  “It’s for the best, believe me. I saw what they do to people.”

  Alex winced. “Sounds like we had a lucky escape.”

  When Lucy didn’t respond, he put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Luce, let’s get something to eat.”

  She nodded, still staring after the helicopter. Eventually, the two of them went back into the kitchen, leaving me in the dining room with my stomach twisted into knots.

  Chapter 20

  Perimeter

  I ate my breakfast of lukewarm vegetable soup in the kitchen while Lucy tended to Mike. Alex sat in the dining room. He seemed to have been taken in by my story—a post-apocalyptic cult probably fit very well with his pop culture–inspired expectations.

  Lucy hadn’t bought it. She didn’t challenge me, but she barely said a word as Alex dished out the food. I’d considered following her into the lounge to try to make conversation, but I didn’t want to have to embellish my story further. Lies are best kept short and to the point.

  Once I’d finished the soup, I went out onto the bench behind the lodge. There were a few clouds in the sky, but otherwise, it was another idyllic day. It was as though nature were trying to compensate for the horrors mankind had unleashed by stringing together endless weeks of good weather.

  The lodge door opened, and Alex came out. He stood near the bench, gazing out across the clearing as though he was searching for something. I let him stand there, happy with the silence, but after a couple of minutes he turned his attention to me. “Is there really a gang out there? With a helicopter?”

  I shifted on the bench. “Yes, there is.”

  “And their camp’s close by?”

  “I think so.”

  “Is that how come they nearly caught you? They found this place?”

  “No, that was before I came here.”

  Alex ran his hand through his hair, pulling it into a ponytail before letting go again. “So… what happened?”

  I took a deep breath then let it out again. I put on a pained expression as though I were dredging up memories I’d prefer stayed buried. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “I shouldn’t have asked. Sorry.”

  I waved his apology away.

  Alex looked out toward the forest. His eyes grew distant, and he rubbed at his arm, as though he was cold. “There’s some dark spirits out there, man. Really dark.”

  He might not have been the smartest person I’d ever met, but he was right about that, and they were closer than he thought. “That sounds like you’re speaking from experience?”

  Alex nodded slowly, but before he could elaborate the back door opened, and Lucy stepped out into the sunshine. She exchanged a look I couldn’t read with Alex, and he stayed quiet.

  “There’s bloodstains upstairs in one of the bedrooms,” she said. “Do you know how they got there?”

  I thought I could detect a hint of accusation in her voice. She’d been snooping around. Maybe she’d even gone into my room. Did she think I’d killed someone?

  “It was the counselors from the camp.”

  “The ones from the photo on the stairs?”

  “Yes, they killed themselves.”

  Alex sucked in a breath and muttered something I couldn’t hear.

  “Where are the bodies?” Lucy said.

  I gestured over my shoulder. “I buried them in the forest, away from the camp.”

  “What about the others?”

  I frowned as though I didn’t know what she meant.

  “From the cabins. There’s cases and clothes in a couple of them.”

  I caught myself about to look in the direction of the workshop and stopped, hoping she hadn’t noticed. “I don’t know. There’s no sign of them. Other than the clothes, I mean.”

  “Maybe they went for help?” Alex said.

  I shrugged but didn’t speak.

  “Maybe,” Lucy said.

  I avoided her gaze while still trying not to look guilty. The inquisition was making me tense, but the shadow was reveling in the attention.

  There was a pause, just long enough to become awkward, then Alex said, “I’m going to take a look around.”

  “Be careful,” Lucy said.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll stay close.”

  I tried to think of some way of discouraging him, but my mind went blank. He wandered out onto the grass, toward the forest and the path to the workshop.

  Lucy came over to the bench and sat down. I shifted sideways to give her some more room then instantly wondered whether that made me seem more or less guilty.

  “How is he?” I said. “Your friend, I mean.”

  “Mike? He’s okay. Still unconscious, but I think the antibiotics are helping. Thanks for letting us have them.”

  I thought of how small the bottle of pills was and how likely it was that I’d need antibiotics myself at some point. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “Well, thank you anyway.” Lucy’s voice was soft, all trace of suspicion gone for now. Did that mean I was in the clear, or was she just setting a trap for me to stumble into?

  Something cracked in the forest to our right, and we both turned to look. Alex was at the opposite end of the clearing and didn’t notice. The noise came again, and then a pair of crows took off into the sky, squawking as they chased each other. Lucy’s shoulders relaxed, but she kept her eyes fixed on the trees.

  “It changes people,” she said, quietly. “Having to fight for survival, constantly worrying about dying.”

  “No, it doesn’t change people. It reveals who they really are.”

  Lucy looked at me. There was sadness in her eyes, deep and painful. “Do you really think that?”

  I pretended to consider the question for a moment. “Yes. I do.”

  Lucy shook her head. “I can’t believe that’s true. I won’t.”

  She looked at me, her eyes boring into mine. I think she was daring me to disagree with her. When I didn’t respond, she turned back to the forest. Her gaze wandered around the edge of the clearing. She was looking for something, or someone.

  When she spoke again, the sadness had gone from her voice, replaced by her normal confident self. “Do you have a map of this area?”

  Fear trickled down my spine. The map was in my backpack in the kitchen. It was only a matter of time before someone found it, and then they’d know the helicopter was probably from the ranger station, not some psychopathic gang.

  “No,” I said, “but I wish I did.”

  “Where did the supplies come from?”

  “There’s a store a few miles southwest. It hasn’t been raided, so there’s lots of food there.”

  “Is it safe?”

  “No. I walked right into the middle of a swarm on the way there.”

  “A swarm?”

  “That’s what I call a big group of zombies.”

  Lucy nodded. “We’ve met a couple, twenty or thirty zombies in each.”

  I gave a little laugh. “There were well over a hundred in the group I met. I had to hide in a tree.”

&nb
sp; Lucy’s eyebrows flicked upward, her eyes wide. Her lips curved into a slight smile. “A tree? That must have been interesting.”

  “If by interesting you mean a terrifying experience I’d rather not repeat, then yes.”

  “How did you find the store? If you don’t have a map.”

  “I passed it on the way here. I’m pretty good at remembering where things are.”

  “Boy Scout?”

  I laughed again and shook my head.

  Alex had made it to the far side of the clearing, and he was getting closer to the path that led to the workshop. He hadn’t seen it yet. I’d been careful not to disturb the bushes disguising the gap in the trees, but I still grew tenser with every step he took toward it.

  “Are you okay?” Lucy said.

  I frowned. “Yes. I was just thinking… about my trip to the store.”

  “Was that when you met the gang?” The hint of skepticism was back in her voice.

  “No, that was after the store.”

  “I thought you said it was a couple of weeks ago?”

  “Yes, it was. I meant after I found the store the first time. The second time I didn’t see the gang. Just the swarm.”

  Alex was getting closer to the path, and that, combined with Lucy’s questions, was making me uncomfortable.

  “Ah okay,” she said.

  There was a cough from inside the lodge.

  Lucy stood to go back inside. I kept watching Alex.

  “Do you have any more blankets?” Lucy said. “I need to keep Mike warm.”

  Alex was a couple of feet away from the entrance to the pathway. “I think there’s some upstairs. In the second room. I’m in the first one.”

  Lucy said something, but I was already moving across the grass toward Alex. He was peering through the trees, trying to pull the bushes aside to get onto the trail.

  I called out to him. “Alex?”

  He half turned toward me. “Yeah?”

  “I need your help.”

  “Sure, anything.”

  I moved around Alex so that I was between him and the pathway. “We’ve got to check the perimeter. Make sure nothing brought it down in the night.”