Deadrise (33 page)

"Maybe the survivors fled up to the lake." Matt said.

"Only one way to find out…" Jenkins gunned the throttle and guided the chopper east, up the canyon.

"This is the only road leading up to the lake. It goes up there, circles the entire lake and comes back down." The road was three hundred feet below them, lost in the overhanging forest. A narrow, fast moving river flowed down the canyon alongside the road.

"Easily defendable…" Mac said.

"These mountains are littered with motocross, horse and snowmobile trails."

"I saw some horses running wild a few miles back." David said.

"Once we get settled we might want to round up some of the tame ones and use them ourselves." Jenkins said. "

The chopper climbed over the forested ridge of the canyon and Rainbow Lake was below them, the sun rippling off its surface like liquid fire. The lake was approximately one mile across and another three miles long. It was surrounded by thick forest and mountains on all sides with the occasional boat dock or expanse of beach breaking the forest. Most of these opened to the yards and estates of homes and cabins.

"Adam and Kelly’s cabin is on the northeastern corner of the lake." Matt said. Jenkins swung the bird to follow his directions.

"I see smoke coming from the chimney of one of the houses." Mac said from the back.

Jenkins swung the chopper around to look at a large, multi-storied brick mansion located on the west bank of the lake. "I’m going to take a quick look-see."

There was a small boathouse at the waters edge and a large well-kept yard that led to the house. A large bonfire pit, unlit, sat in the center of the yard. Just then two men came out onto a balcony on the second floor. Both were dressed in white, hooded robes and held rifles in their hands, which they aimed at the chopper. One of them was motioning for the chopper to go away.

"Problem number one…" Jenkins said, peeling away from the yard and heading towards the opposite side of the lake.

"Do you think they’ll give us problems?" David asked.

"We have to think of everybody as hostile until proven different." Mac said.

"Not to mention the fact that they looked like charter members of the KKK." Matt said.

They continued across the lake in silence until Matt finally spotted his friends cabin. It was set just fifty feet back from the lake with a narrow path that led to a wooden dock. An aluminum canoe was tethered there.

"There is a large meadow behind the cabin." Matt pointed to it. "There should be enough room to land."

Jenkins swung the chopper over the top of the cabin and it became hidden in the thick forest. About twenty yards behind it the forest broke into a large wild grass meadow that stretched to the road one hundred yards back. The cabins private driveway cut through the center of the meadow. He slowly landed the chopper down on the flattest part of the ground.

"Ok we do this by the numbers."

Mac and David distributed the clips to the assault rifles.

They exited the chopper as the rotors were still winding down. Mac and Jenkins took point on either side of the driveway while Matt and David brought up the rear twenty feet behind them. All of them kept a sharp eye out for any movement in the forest ahead. They passed across the meadow out of the glaring sun and into the shady coolness of the trees.

"That’s Adam's SUV parked next to the cabin." Matt said softly. His heart was fluttering with excitement at the prospect of seeing his friends.

Please, God, let them be alive...

They emerged from the forest onto the cabins back patio. A basketball hoop was set into the cement at one end, an aluminum lawn table and several chairs on the other. The cabin itself was authentic, build from logs and inset with thick paned windows covered with drapes. The only sounds they could hear were the birds and the wind.

"They must have heard us land." Jenkins said.

"Maybe their just being cautions." Matt said optimistically. He slowly walked over to the front door and reached a hand out to the knob. It was unlocked. He pushed the door open slowly, peering into the dark interior.

"Adam? Kelly? It’s Matt. Matt Robbins." There was no answer. He stepped in and winced at the stale, musty air, laced with a hint of rot. He moved deeper into the room and Jenkins came in behind him. "Adam? Kelly?" Again but there was no answer.

Mac and David came in and Mac tried a light switch set into one wall. The lights stayed off. "There's no power here."

"The generator probably ran out of gas." Matt said.

David opened the front windows drapes. Sunlight filled the room. The window offered a magnificent view of the lake.

A shuffling noise came from up the back hallway that led to the kitchen. They all trained their guns on the shadows, and out from the hallway shuffled two zombies. The first one was a man. His long blond hair fell in front of his face. His only apparent wound was a large bite mark in one of its outstretched arms. The second zombie was a woman. Her throat had been ripped out and her stomach cavity was a gaping hole with bits of dried, rotting internal organs hanging on the ragged edges. Both of them let out soft moans at the sight of the four humans. Thick, viscous liquid, pus and rotted internal mush drooled from the male zombies mouth.

"Are they your friends?" Jenkins asked.

Matt could only nod his head in agreement.

Adam and Kelly had become zombies.

Jenkins fired two quick shots, one into each zombie's head. Both crumpled to the floor without another sound.

"I’m sorry." Jenkins said after the roar of the gun had faded from their ears.

"I need a little fresh air." Matt said.

"Mac and I will secure the rest of the cabin." Weapon's raised, the duo moved down the hall into the kitchen.

With a final glance at his friends fallen corpses Matt walked back outside, David a few paces behind him.

"Are you ok?" David asked.

"I’m ok. I just need to clear my head. A lot of shit has happened in the last three days." Matt wiped the tears from his eyes before they could form. He took a deep breath and exhaled quickly, bringing himself under control.

"This cabin won’t be big enough for all of us." David changed the subject. He had barely gotten his own emotions under control last night. He didn’t want to deal with them for a while.

"Jenkins talked about that before. We’re going to have to move into one of the mansions. Besides, I don’t really want to live in this cabin now. Zack didn’t make it. Adam and Kelly didn’t make it. This house has nothing but ghosts." They both felt silent, chewing over their own thoughts.

They became aware that the silence was punctuated by the stillness of the forest. Not a bird was singing or an insect chirping. The silence was like a heavy blanket, pressing in on them from all sides. Then, in an explosiveness that startled them both all of the birds the nearby trees suddenly took to flight, climbing straight up above the trees then away toward the lake.

"I think we're being watched." Matt said softly and raised his gun into firing position. David followed his cue and readied his own M-16.

"What do we do?" David asked. Although the forest was thick he could see a good fifty feet into the foliage. To the east was the meadow where they had landed and he could catch a partial glimpse at the helicopter through the trees. But he could spot no movement. The front door to the house opened up and out walked Jenkins and Mac, rifles at ease.

"What’s going on?" Mac asked.

"We may have a situation." Matt said…

Chapter 34

Monday, June 25, 2001

Rainbow Lake, UT

9:51 AM

Fffeeeeeeeed!

The thought burned through Zack’s brain like molten lava, spreading through his entire body and concentrating in his gut as a gaping hole of hunger. He must feed. He lay flat against a thick tree trunk, thirty feet off the ground. His clawed hands and feet held him tight against the trunk and his face was covered by a thick patch of foliage leaving only a narrow strip for him to see through. His black, bloodshot eyes narrowed even further as he focused on his prey; three grown men and a boy less than fifty feet away. He sniffed the wind, catching their scent and sensing the strength and vitality in all of them. Good. It would make the nectar in their brains all the sweeter.

Another part of his brain also interpreted these smells as familiar and through the fog of hunger and bloodlust Zack found himself thinking of them as friends. This confused him. How could one befriend prey? He was no longer a puny human but a superior Creature! Humans were his prey! So what was this other feeling in his gut, an oily, icy ball of confusion competing with the hunger, driving it out so only it remained? Suppressing a growl of frustration Zack narrowed his eyes even further, peering at his prey/friends one at a time, feeling forgotten memories creep into his mind.

"Matt." He whispered the name. The flood of memories washed through his mind, almost causing his claws to lose their deep bite in the tree bark. In the span of ten seconds a lifetime worth of memories of Matt came to him. Some of these memories featured the boy standing down there and Zack’s eyes went to him. "David." He mouthed silently. There were vague memories of the other two men, mostly hazy glimpses from when Zack’s human body was near death. But there was still sufficient information available to put names to the faces. The shorter man with the black hair and mustache was "Jenkins." The other was taller, leaner. "Mac." Quickly all the gaps filled in and he remembered everything, including the implantation of the Krylok embryo down his throat by the
Master
. With these new memories of what had happened came an echo of his humanity. Zack looked at his flesh. Mottled gray and black, covered with a fine glistening slime. He had shed his clothes last night and now ran naked. He was a monster!

'FFFEEEEEED!'

It was the mental command of the master, far away. The
Master
could sense his indecision caused by these faint trace of humanity struggling to reassert itself. With a frustrated hiss he pulled his claws from the tree bark and pushed himself away. He fell the thirty feet to the ground and landed with the grace of a cat, rolling aside and flattening himself on his belly and seeking cover in the foliage.

"I think I saw movement." He heard the faint voice of Matt.

Keeping his belly to the ground Zack slowly prowled round to the right, moving quietly through the trees toward the lake.

"We should have brought the dog." This was the human named Jenkins. "He sniffed out the brainsucker that got Zack." Zack paused at hearing his name and the context it was used. His prey knew what had happened to him then? He started moving again, now less than twenty feet from the water.

'FFFEEEEEED!'

The
Masters
mental command came at him again, this time lanced with pain. An uncontrollable cry of rage escaped his lips. Before he had finished he knew he had given his position away. Zack scurried to the waters edge.

"Look! By the water!" Jenkins exclaimed. "Some kind of animal!" Zack stopped and looked over his shoulder and peered straight into Jenkins eyes. Zack pushed himself up onto his feet and smiled as the realization that he was no animal crossed Jenkins face.

All four of his former companions now looked at him with eyes of confusion and fear. They all saw a monster. Not Zack Thomas. Jenkins was the first one to raise his rifle and fire. The tree next to Zack spit bark splinters as the bullets dug into it. He continued to stare at them while the other three raised their weapons and fired. Zack felt three bullets tear into his chest and exit out his back, staggering him. He was surprised at how little pain there was. He instinctively knew the human rifles had little chance of killing him; his Krylok metabolism was already beginning to knit his flesh. But better not to take chances. With a final snarl he ran three steps and dove into the lake, disappearing beneath the surface with barely a ripple...

Chapter 35

Monday, June 25, 2001

Rainbow Lake, UT

9:58 AM

"WHAT WAS THAT?" David exclaimed after they had all quit firing.

"I nailed it right in the chest, and it only staggered." Jenkins said.

"Was it a superzombie?" David asked.

"It was in the shade of the trees, silhouetted against the bright lake. I couldn’t make out many details. But all of the superzombies we’ve seen have been wearing body armor and armed to the teeth. That one appeared naked. David, you keep the door secure. Matt, Mac, lets check it out." Guns raised the three of them hurried to where the mysterious zombie had jumped into the lake.