The Dead War Series (Book 1): Good Intentions (20 page)

“What kind of emergency?” Logan asked as he ran his fingers through his dark brown, unkempt locks.

“If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I would swear it was an elaborate hoax. Unfortunately, it's not. Chicago is being attacked by what the media is calling zombies and they'll be here soon. We need to prepare.”

Logan stared at Ovidius for several seconds. “Are you serious?”

“When have you ever known me to tell a joke?” Ovidius cocked an eyebrow as he stared sternly at his child.

“You've told plenty.”

“Today, I'm feeling rather serious and a bit peeved. Don't test me.”

“I'll get dressed.” Logan decided not to argue any longer.

“That'd be best. Meet me upstairs when you're done.” Ovidius turned, heading back towards the staircase.

“Master, I've packed all of the spare blood that's in the house,” Ericka announced upon Ovidius’ return.

“Good. Are you aware of what's going on?” he asked.

She nodded. “For the past hour, I've been aware.”

“And you did not think to contact me?”

Ericka gasped. Her heart-rate began to quicken as her brain registered the anger in Ovidius' tone. She lowered herself to one knee.

“Master, please forgive me. I had only wanted to protect Logan.”

“As if you could from a threat of this magnitude. He was safest where he was at. You were the one who was in danger. It's my job to protect all of the vampires and their servants in my territory. The next time you are aware of a threat, you are obligated to contact me, is that clear?”

Ericka nodded. “Yes, Master. Crystal.”

“She was only doing as I instructed, Ovidius,” Logan said as he entered the room.

“You should train your human in the ways of vampire etiquette.”

“She knows. She knows she belongs to me. She knows her life is mine for the taking,” Logan commented.

Ovidius smirked. “She should know that all must answer to me.”

Logan gave him a slight nod. “She does... in all respects.” He walked over to Ericka, brushing the back of his fingers along the delicate flesh of her jawline.

“My lovely,” he whispered.

Ericka blushed and smiled. “My love,” she replied.

“We have work to do,” Ovidius stated. He didn't bother with tact as he let his annoyance show in his tone and body language. He stood there, arms crossed over his chest as he glared at them.

“Very well,” Logan said, with a sigh. “What is our first order of business?”

“I want you to help Cassian. He's claimed he doesn't want help and doesn't need it... I fear that he will.”

“And what if I incur his wrath when I arrive? I do not wish to be on the receiving end of his anger,” Logan said.

“You are acting under my orders. He will not hold you responsible. However, I don't believe anger is what you'll be greeted with. I'll take your human with me for safe keeping. You, on the other hand will need to arm yourself with a sword.”

Both of Logan's eyebrows shot up. “A sword?”

“Yes. These things are very difficult to kill. Bullets have very little effect on them and—I simply can't stress this enough—you cannot allow yourself to be bitten. Vampires are susceptible to this virus from what I've been told.”

“A virus that can affect us? How is this so?!” Logan's eyebrows creased as he pondered this unsettling news.

“I do not know. That is what Cassian is trying to discover. You have your orders, go now,” Ovidius commanded.

Logan nodded. He walked over to the pile of swords lying on his sofa that Ericka had gathered. He picked up one that he favored and left the mansion.

“You and I are leaving now.” Ovidius approached the sofa and scooped up the swords.

Ericka gathered the cooler containing the blood then opened the door for him. Together they left the mansion and climbed into Logan's Cadillac Escalade.

“Where are we going to go, Master?” Ericka asked.

“I have my vampires securing two locations that will stand as our strongholds until this calamity is over.”

“What if the police or army try to attack us?”

“We'll be prepared for that as well. My concern isn't the police; it's the things that are coming this way.”

“Are we heading there now... to the stronghold, I mean?”

“Yes. That's where I'm taking you.” Ovidius stopped the car abruptly when he hit gridlock traffic. Cars were bumper to bumper. Angry and panicked drivers honked horns and screamed at each other. He had flown to Logan's home and managed to avoid the growing traffic, but now it was worse than it was before.

“This isn't going to work,” Ovidius said, looking around.

“What do we do now?” Ericka asked.

“I will have to secure the weapons as best I can. You will have to carry the cooler and I'll fly us there.” Ovidius put the SUV in park and climbed out. He walked towards the back, opening the hatch door. After a quick search, he found a pair of jumper cables. He quickly tied them around the swords, holding them together.

“Ericka, let's go.”

Ericka exited the SUV and walked away from the traffic and prying eyes into the trees. Ovidius slipped his arm around her waist. “Hold on to that container.”

“I will, Master.”

“Good.” Ovidius took flight in the direction of Costco.

***

              Ovidius landed on the rooftop of the huge shopping complex. He released Ericka, making sure she was steady on her feet. One of his vampires approached him, bowing her head, slightly.

“Master, we have taken over this location. Cassandra is waiting below,” Madison informed.

              “Did she have Roman and Robert with her?”

              “Yes.”

              “Very good, and thank
you
. You've done well,” Ovidius complemented—to Madison's utter delight.

              She led both Ovidius and Ericka through the roof entrance that was currently being fortified by two vampires with a thick steel door. They traveled down the back stairs and into the main shopping area. Ovidius looked around. Some of the store's shelves were in disarray. Hundreds of items were scattered over the floor in various aisles. The scent of blood was fresh in the air, especially where several glass bottles had been broken. Three of the windows had been shattered, leaving the floor cluttered with dangerous shards.

              Ovidius pointed to the exposed windows. “We need to secure those.”

              “We're on it, Master,” Madison assured him. “This location has outside shutters and we'll be adding more protection from inside. Jared and Michael are going to use solid steel to cover all of the windows.”

              Ovidius nodded.

              “Very good.” He looked around. “And the people who were here?”

              “Took us a minute to get them all under control. There are a little over two hundred people here. We have them confined to the back of the store over there.” She pointed toward the far corner.

              “Excellent. Are any infected?” Ovidius asked.

              Madison shook her head. “Not that we could tell. Their blood smells fresh and it's pumping accurately. They're terrified. They think we're here to rob them or something. Jared did explain that we're here to protect them. Whether or not they believe him is another story.”

              He nodded. “Cell phones, laptops and tablets?”

              “We had everyone remove them from their person the moment we took over. We took purses, backpacks, duffel bags, everything. The telephone lines were shut down in preparation before we entered.”

              “Good. Now about the perimeter?” Ovidius gestured to the parking lot.

              “I realize these things are strong and fast. They could easily climb a gate or fence. So I decided to surround the grounds with cargo trailers. I've got the vampires in my sector gathering tractor trucks with big enough trailers where we can line them up and even stack them up around the building leaving only one entrance to secure maximum protection and give us an overall peripheral advantage.”

              “Were you able to take over this location without showing supernatural abilities?”

              Madison smiled then nodded. “We were.” She reached behind and pulled the 45mm handgun from her pants, showing it off. “They think we're humans holding them hostage for some ransom. We've already had several pleas of 'we'll give you whatever you ask,' blah, blah.” She rolled her eyes.

              Ovidius chuckled. “Excellent. This is why you're one of my most prized vampires. You're ability to make the most rational decisions.”

              Madison winked. “This is why I am your
best
lieutenant.”

              He laughed. “Ah, I would think Logan and Cassie would strongly disagree.”

              “Let them. The truth can't be argued.” She bit her bottom lip as she fought to contain her inner glee that her actions had pleased her Master. She didn't want the squeal of joy to leak out and make her look immature in his eyes.

              Ovidius caressed the back of her neck, pulling her head forward as he planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

              “I am pleased,” he said before letting her go.

              “I wish to address our captives.” He followed Madison as she led him to where they were keeping the humans. The people were huddled together. Some were standing, others sitting, but all were in one section. The look of panic and uncertainty was evident on their faces as their eyes settled on the newest player entering the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. What may seem as a threat now are only the necessary measurements that must be taken to insure the survival of the human race. We are securing this location because it is loaded with plenty of resources for both your comfort and your needs,” Ovidius said with a disarming smile. “You, who are with us, are fortunate. We have all seen the news footage and we know what's coming. They'll be here soon and although you are unaware now, we are the only ones who can save you.”

              An African-American male in the crowd tentatively raised his hand.

              “Yes?” Ovidius acknowledged him casually.

              “Are you with the government? I mean… how can you save us?” the man asked.

              Others in the crowd gave murmurs of agreement with his questions.

              “No, we are not with the government. We are a group willing to take the proper action on our own. The government would have you trying to vacate this area. But to where would you go?” Ovidius remained silent as he awaited a response—if any of them had one to give. When no one said anything, he continued. “Right now, people who tried to flee have found themselves stranded and unprotected. Many in Illinois are already dead and transformed. The government has no clue as to what to do, and they are taking standard precautions that have done more harm than good. Do not look for the government to help you.”

              “But how can you help us?” A middle-aged, Caucasian woman reiterated the other man’s question.

“That is something you will learn in time. All you need to know now is that you are being helped.”

              Ovidius turned and walked away. Madison followed him, leaving the humans to be watched over by several other vampires.

              “Are you staying here?” Madison asked him.

              Ovidius shook his head. “I have other matters with which to attend, and it looks as though you have things under control here. I have to visit the other location as well.”

              “All right.” Madison walked outside to monitor the construction of their barricades. Some of the vampires were starting to show up with the trucks and trailers.

              Ovidius followed her out before taking flight to the Target location that was closest to check on its progress.

Chapter Eight

“They still didn't answer?” Vincent asked Sarah.

“No. I'm so scared,” Sarah ended the call she'd made to Linda's cell. They have been trying to reach them but with no success.

“Maybe their battery died,” Vincent offered a lighter explanation rather than, “maybe they're dead”.

“I'm sure that's it,” Sarah agreed. It was better than thinking the worst. She was happy that her parents were still alive in California and were now safe in a government controlled safe house. Her sister was in England with her husband and children and was all too relieved to learn that Sarah was still alive. Sarah didn't bother to tell her family about Vincent's involvement concerning the zombies. She felt it was best that they didn’t know.

Vincent had called his mother in Florida to see if she was someplace safe. He was so grateful she lived close to military base. He just hoped it was going to be safe enough. The thought that something he had a hand in creating could kill everyone he loved disturbed him to no end. They spoke briefly and told each other how much they loved one another before she had to hang up. Knowing his mom was still alive was enough for him right now.

They all braced themselves as the helicopter began to descend.

Vincent and the others climbed out once the helicopter landed and were immediately greeted by one of the three soldiers approaching.

“Let's get you inside,” said the soldier who Vincent guessed was a Major based on the shiny gold leaf on the lapels of his jacket.

The group kept their heads ducked low as they ran towards the rooftop entrance of the state Health Department Headquarters. Once inside, introductions were made briefly. Vincent was correct in his assumption, the soldier was a Major—Major Gregory Garrett to be exact—and the good Major didn't seem all that fond of him at the moment.

“I have strict orders from the President of the United States to assist you in any way possible so that we can put a lid on this before it gets any worse,” Major Garrett said, addressing the entire group. “Unfortunately, we can't stay here for long. The rate at which people are being attacked—along the highway alone—only means it will be a matter of time before the virus and those infected reach this location. Our main objective is to get a team inside SciTech Labs and gather the information you say we critically need.”

“We do,” Vincent said. “And, if they're still alive, we need gather whatever test subjects we may have left in the lab. That will help.”

“You didn't mention anything about 'test subjects' earlier when you told us about the files,” the Major pointed out.

“Actually I did—I told them.” Vincent pointed to Felicia and then made a sweeping gesture towards Samantha and William.

“And I relayed that information to our Deputy Director, Dr. Wheaton,” Felicia added.

“Regardless, that information isn't in our report,” Maj. Garrett said.

“I'm hoping the one ape we had that took to the test successfully is still alive. Listen, I haven't had a long time to think things out, I'm sorry. Is it going to be a problem?” Vincent asked. He tried hard to hide the anger in his voice.

“It might be, Mr. Masterson.”

“Doctor, please,” Vincent corrected.

Garrett paused for a moment, and then continued. “Dr. Masterson, how many subjects are we talking about and what are they? My men need to be informed and properly prepared.”

“Two apes—chimpanzees to be more exact. One of them turned out to be a successful trial run. The other was sick, but not as sick as our subject zero was—the one that died and resurrected, I mean,” Vincent said.

“So, my men have to make room on the helicopter for two apes. Doctor Masterson, we'll do what we can to bring these specimens back, but if we find survivors, they'll take priority.”

“I don't think you understand how important those apes are to my research. They are the priority,” Vincent said.

“You would ask that I leave humans behind and take your lab animals instead?” the Major asked.

“In all honesty, Major, I don't think you're going to find any human survivors left in that building. But if your men do, I would suggest they take them only if they can fit on the helicopter along with the apes. I'll leave it at that,” Vincent said. He hated having to be heartless, but it was for the greater good.

“Very well, if you say you need these apes, I'll instruct my men to bring them in. I just wanted to make sure we have an understanding. With all of the chaos erupting in several states now, we were lucky to get the team we have on such short notice. We've got the National Guard and every law enforcement agency in the state trying to keep a quarantine blockade around the infected areas. The rest are trying to get residents out of the other areas before it's too late. We've got military personnel and reinforcements flying in right now, but that's still going to take a while.” Maj. Garrett said.

“So in other words, we don't have time to waste,” Vincent clarified.

Maj. Garrett gave him a quick nod. “Exactly.  We have people dispatched already because there's a time limit on this mission. We need you to direct the team so that they can be in and out of there as quickly as possible.”

“I'll do whatever is needed to get that team back in one piece with what we'll need.” Vincent's tone was as deep and commanding as he could make it. The last thing he wanted was to be so close to a cure only to discover a piece was missing from the puzzle.

“That's what I wanted to hear. Now, we have the ETA on the team. They should be arriving at SciTech Labs in less than three minutes, so follow me.” Maj. Garrett led them to a room filled with monitors and other communication devices. The employees who worked there busied themselves—typing away on keyboards, or chatting on Bluetooth headsets, or both—as they tried to manage the public response.

“Here, this is our workstation we set up where you'll direct the team. They should be landing right about now.” Maj. Garrett pointed to a chair in front of a desk with several computer screens on it.

Vincent sat in the chair and peered at the screens. He ignored the shaky movement from the camera and instead paid close attention to what each soldier was doing and seeing. One looked out of the window of the helicopter seeing people on rooftops waving and screaming to be rescued.

“This shit is fucked up,” one of the soldiers commented as he surveyed the stranded people.

“Tell me about it,” said the soldier whose camera Vincent was looking through. 

“Santiago and Marks, keep your heads in the game,” commanded another soldier whose ID on the screen said “Sgt. Jackson”. 

“Yes sir,” they said in unison.

Inside the headquarters, the others had gathered behind Vincent, watching the monitors as well. They saw that down below, on the streets, more and more of the monsters were rampaging, searching for fresh victims. Through the microphones, one of the other soldiers commented that the zombies didn't seem to be attacking each other.

“Makes you wonder just how rational these fucking things really are, don't it?” Another soldier commented.

“Either that, or maybe they don't smell as good to each other as we do to them. Man, this is like some 'Night of the Living Dead' kind of shit,” Cpl. Gary Marks said.

“Yeah, except 'Night of the Living Dead' was fake. This shit is real and the zombies in that movie ain't nothing like those fucking things down there,” said Sgt. Jackson. 

“Fuck. That was one of my favorite movies, too. I don't know if I can watch it now after all this shit right here,” said another soldier off camera. The name on the screen said PFC. Wilson. 

“Listen. Time to focus and get your shit in gear. We're about to land. Check your ammo. We can't kill these things, but if we shoot these fuckers in the head, they stay down for a little while. Everyone got that?” Sgt. Jackson looked around the helicopter awaiting confirmation.

“Yes, sir!” the soldiers said.

“Hell yeah,” Sgt. Jackson said, slamming his clip back into his M16.

Vincent couldn't help but ponder the aspects of the soldiers’ conversation. In his adrenaline fueled quest to get to safety, he hadn't really taken into account that the zombies—or whatever the hell they were—didn't attack each other upon rising from the dead. They went straight for the living and terrified.

“Team, this is Maj. William Garrett, I have Dr. Vincent Masterson with me. He's going to be directing you on this mission. I want you to keep your eyes and ears open and get in and out of there in one piece as fast as you can,” Maj. Garrett said, then gestured for Vincent to take over.

“Can you hear me?” Vincent asked through the Bluetooth headset Maj. Garrett had given him. He fiddled with the headset until he felt comfortable with it attached to his ear.

“Loud and clear, you're speaking with Sgt. Jackson,” one of the soldiers curtly responded.

Vincent decided to ignore his tone. He couldn't worry about everyone's opinion of him if he was going to get through this. “Okay, from what I can see, it looks like you're coming in on SciTech Labs.”

“We have the blueprints downloaded, just tell us where we need to go,” Sgt. Jackson said.

“When you land, our lab is on the sixth floor. Bio-engineering Level 4, room 608,” Vincent said.

“Copy-that,” Sgt. Jackson said.

“What about your weapons, do they have silencers?” Vincent asked.

“Of course. We know that sound attracts these things,” Sgt. Jackson assured.

“Good.” Vincent took a deep breath as he gave them another prayer.

The helicopter landed on the rooftop and the team jumped out. They double timed it to the rooftop door, taking positions to cover the door and each other’s backs. Vincent held his breath as he watched the progress through the soldiers’ viewpoints. As a younger man, he was never interested in joining the military, but he always respected the men and women who did and the sacrifice they made. He appreciated it more now than ever before. It wasn't him going back into that hellhole; it was United States Marines braving the worst of situations. He had to take his hat off to them and at the same time, he gave a silent prayer for their survival.

The soldiers made their way inside SciTech Labs and quietly headed down the stairs to the 10
th
level. Sergeant Jackson gave the hand motion for the others to stop and they did. They waited as he cracked open the entrance door, taking a quick peek.

He closed the door, turning to his team. “We've got four of these things chowing down on a few dead bodies. Shit, I was hoping they'd be gone by now—or at least be on the lower levels. We're going to have to be quick about this. Every bullet's got to count. Aim for their heads.”

The men in his team nodded and he turned back to the door, opening it slowly. Sgt.  Nicholas Jackson took the lead, aiming the barrel of his M16 at one of the feasting zombies. The zombies looked up at the soldiers and Nicholas pulled the trigger. His bullet hit home, blowing out brain matter and shards of skull through the back of the zombie's head. His team reacted quickly, firing their weapons at the others and taking them down. Stealthily, the team made their way towards the mass of dead and undead bodies covered in gore, blood and severed body parts.

Vincent watched the live action feed and saw the gruesome and dismembered remains of dead humans the zombies were feeding on. He knew them all, fellow scientists and friends. His heart sank to his stomach as he watched the video feed. Just when he was starting to feel guilty again, something caught his eye. His eyebrows creased as he came to a realization.

Those corpses were so damaged, they stayed dead.

They were just as horribly mutilated as many of the zombies were that he'd seen so far. Eviscerated, dismembered, but not beheaded.

“Hey, I think I’ve discovered a connection,” Vincent said, alerting the others.

“What's that?” Sgt. Jackson and Felicia asked in unison. 

“Look at the dead bodies—the ones those things were feeding on. They’re headless.” Vincent pointed to the bodies.

“They can't survive or reanimate without their heads,” Felicia concluded.

“You get that, team. Cut the heads off of those fuckers before they get back up,” Maj. Garrett ordered.

“I'm already ahead of you, sir,” was Sgt. Jackson's response.

He and three soldiers were already bending over the bodies of the zombies they'd shot and had taken out their knives. They began to cut through the flesh and bone as fast as they could.

“This is so fucking disturbing. Poor son of a bitch was probably someone's father or husband,” one of the men commented as he completely decapitated one of the zombies.

“Better them than us. Keep quiet,” Sgt. Jackson said, slicing through the last bit of skin connecting the zombie's head with his neck.

The soldiers made quick work of the zombies, tossing the heads away from the bodies. Next, they took a look at the blueprint files on their devices.

“Okay, we need to get to that end of the hallway. The main stairwell is down there. Keep your eyes and ears open,” Sgt. Jackson said, leading the way. After clearing the stairwell, he lead his team down the staircase to the sixth floor entrance door and gave the hand signal, halting their advancement. Cracking open the door, he took a peak.  The hand signal went up again when Sgt. Jackson immediately spotted a body dragging itself along the floor. Its stomach had been ripped open, insides half-eaten. Its throat torn to shreds and it was missing a leg. From the bio-suit it was still wearing, Sgt. Jackson knew it was one of the scientists who worked there.