The Zombie Chronicles - Book 4 - Poisonous Serum (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) (8 page)

Nick and I chose a room in the back, and the girls, Claire and Jackie, took a room next to us. Lucas and Val each had a room to themselves. We placed two of the giant flashlights on the dresser to serve as a makeshift lamp, and the girls and Lucas did the same.

“
I brought a little friend to keep us company,” Nick said, holding the axe he’d used to break in. “If any of those undead freaks get through and past our sentries, we’ll be able to break out through the boards and hop out the window.”

“
You wouldn’t be Nick if you didn’t think of everything,” I said. “You’re always prepared.”

“
Semper paratus
.”

“
What’s that?”

“
The Boy Scout motto. Always ready.”

“
Boy Scouts? Aren’t you a little old for that, or do they give out a special patch for killing zombies? Besides, I’d rather you be a Girl Scout. You could sell me some Thin Mints, and I bet your hairy legs would look great in that little green skirt.”

Nick tried to stifle his laugh, but the vision of himself in such an outfit had him chuckling. “Well, Scouts or not, we have to be prepared if we wanna stay alive.”

A second later, Jackie rushed in, holding a pile of clothes. She was dressed in a pair of slightly baggy pleated pants and a frilly floral top that looked like something my grandmother would have loved, but she somehow still managed to flash some serious curves. Even in old-lady attire, it was hard for me to tear my gaze away from her. She was gorgeous and literally took my breath away. “Look what I found,” she said, handing me a pair of pants and a shirt. They smelled a little musty but they were much better than my current outfit, which was muddy, ripped, and caked with dried blood.

“
Nice! Dry clothes.”

“
The dressers are loaded with all kind of things to wear,” she said. “They’re a little old-fashioned, but beggars can’t be fashionable, right? Besides, I’m sure they’ll fit you perfectly.”

Claire playfully poked me. “I told her to grab one of those backless hospital gowns for you instead, but she wouldn’t.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t do hospital gowns.”

Jackie smiled and smacked my butt. “I should’ve. I bet you have a gorgeous butt.”

I flashed her a shy grin, not sure what else to say in the face of such flattery of my gluteus maximus.

It was nice to relax for a minute since we always seemed to be on constant guard. Nick laughed and pulled Claire close, then kissed her on the forehead. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, as they seemed like the oddest couple of all time, but they seemed to be really hitting it off.

“
I got you something too,” Jackie said, handing him a polo shirt and some black slacks.

Nick held up the outfit and frowned. “Uh…not exactly my style.”

Claire smiled, playing with a strand of red hair. “C’mon, Nick. The newest style tips in the zombie era are to always think clean and dry.”

“
Am I gonna look as hip as Nick?” I asked.

Jackie winked. “Even hotter.”

“
Thanks for the clothes,” I said, grinning at her.

“
How could I resist helping you, with those gorgeous baby blues of yours?”

“
Oh, brother,” Nick muttered as he squeezed his large arms into the sleeve of the polo shirt.

“
I’ll see ya later,” Jackie said to me.

I kissed her on the lips. “Be safe, babe.

As she turned to leave, Lucas came in, holding a box.

“
Hold up, Jackie,” he said. “I’ve got us chow.”

Jackie smiled. “Chow? I’m starving. Okay, I’m staying for a little bit longer.”

“
What you got there?” I asked, curious.

“
A veritable buffet, boys…and uh, girls! Found a bunch of canned food in the kitchen, along with a can opener. Let’s see…we’ve got corn, beans, squash—”

“
I think I’m gonna like it here,” Claire said, snuggling up to Nick. “For the first time in far too long, we’ve got food, shelter, real beds, and clothes, and we’re all boarded up, safe and sound. Best of all, there aren’t any zombies loitering around.”

Nick pulled her close. “I think we oughtta rest here for a day or two.”

“
We sure do deserve to take a break after all we’ve been through,” Claire affirmed.

“
Definitely, and you know what? I’m gonna volunteer for first shift of guard duty,” Jackie said. “That way, I can sleep for hours when it’s over.”

“
How about we grab a quick bite to eat first?” I asked.

Lucas held up a can. “Mmm…Ensure!” He held it up and stared at the label. “Says here it promotes a healthy digestive tract.”

I laughed. “I mean, it’s not like we have 9,000 other things to worry about.”

We all shared a laugh and then chowed down. Sure, it was just cold canned food and health shakes, but it was the best meal any of us had eaten in a while.

Chapter 6

Nick said he’d hidden the black bag of vials in the nursing home, so I felt pretty secure about that. They were our most precious commodity and had to be guarded at all costs.

We had a major problem Nick was trying to keep under wraps so people didn’t panic…we were low on guns and ammo. Nick and Lucas said we’d look once we were on the road, but if we got forced into battle with a horde of zombies, we were in trouble. I had some ammo, but not nearly enough.

“
Knock, knock,” a female voice said, jarring me out of my thoughts.

She peeked her head in. “Hey, guys. I’m your next door neighbor.”

“
Kate!” I said. Kate was the blonde that fought alongside of us in that arena back in Kingsville. I had no idea she was in the caravan of cars that trailed behind us.

Kate had been in Kingsville to investigate her sister’s disappearance. When she learned her sister was dead, she was mortified, especially with the gruesome way she died. She’d been thrown into the makeshift arena and was killed by zombies. What that town did to strangers was criminal and insane. I still couldn’t believe we went through all of that.

Kate motioned to the girl behind her. “This is my roommate, Asia.”

Asia was about my age, and she was African American. She had the most beautiful, dark eyes and a cute figure. Her medium length hair was tied back in a ponytail. She waved as introductions were made between all of us.

“
Kate filled me in on the entire story,” Asia said. “I just wanted to thank you guys for saving my life.”

“
It means the world to us that you’d stop by and thank us,” Claire said. “We want to help as many people as we can.”

Out of all those people, she was the only one to come and express her gratitude. I couldn’t help but be touched by her sincere words.

Her voice started to tremble. “I’m not good at this kind of stuff.”

“
You and me both,” Nick chimed in.

“
But I just wanted to show you my appreciation,” she continued. “We’ve got to get this cure into the right hands.”

“
That’s the plan,” Lucas said, softly.

I met Kate’s gaze. “How are you doing?”

Her face hardened. “Hanging in there. I decided to go on living…for my sister. She’d want me to keep fighting to live. So that’s what I plan to do.”

“
You’ve been through so much,” Jackie said, gripping her hand.

“
We all have,” she whispered. “We live in a cold, cruel world now.”

“
Never give up the fight,” Nick said. “No matter what life throws at you. Always remember to keep fighting…especially when you’re hit the hardest. That’s what I do.”

Kate nodded. “Don’t worry, my survival instincts won’t let me sit down and take it. I plan on fighting until to the very end.”

I remember how valiantly she fought in that arena. I believed every word she said and definitely knew she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“
Well, if you need anything, don’t hesitate, neighbor.” She waved goodbye and left.

“
Bye,” Asia said, smiling. “Nice meeting you.”

“
Nice to meet you too,” I said.

***

A group of us decided we should take shifts and go to the top of the roof and keep watch from every angle. The roof had been deemed clear by Nick and Lucas and some of the other men, so I decided to join Jackie and a few of the others for the first shift of roof duty. We climbed up the stairs and opened the door, only to see a medium-sized greenhouse with glass walls over to the left. A short lady handed us some umbrellas and we headed out into the storm.

“
Hi, Dean and Jackie,” Howard said through the pouring rain. “Thanks for volunteering.” He handed each of us a rifle. “Your brother says you can handle one of these.”

“
Without a doubt,” I said.

“
Great. I’ve got every area covered excerpt the north side.”

I smiled. “The north side it is.”

“
If you see anything funny or out of the ordinary, feel free to call one of us over,” he said. He then walked away but suddenly stopped and looked over his shoulder, as if there was something more he needed to tell us.

“
What is it, Howard?” I asked.

He hesitated, then spoke. “I just…well, I really like Claire. I’d love to stand guard with her, if given the chance.”

“
She’s sleeping,” Jackie said. “She’s taking the next shift.”

“
So I’ll do a double. I don’t mind. She’s worth it.”

“
Howard, it’s pointless. My brother and Claire are dating,” I said firmly.

“
Dating? But how? They barely know each other!” Howard argued. “I hardly call that dating.”

Jackie gripped her gun tightly. “Listen, Claire’s not interested, so just back off. You got that?”

“
That’s not your decision to make,” he spat back.

“
Just forget it, Jackie,” I said, tugging on her sleeve. “He’s not worth the time and effort.”

“
I hate guys like him,” she said as we walked away. “They just won’t take no for an answer.” Jackie wrapped her arm around me and nuzzled into my shoulder. “I’m so glad my guy’s not like that.”

“
Your guy, huh?”

“
Yeah, my handsome, gorgeous, sexy guy.”

I smiled as she grinned.

Lightning flashed, zigzagging across the sky, and thunder rumbled. The men had set up spotlights, but we didn’t have nearly enough. We didn’t see any zombies, but it was so dark that I wasn’t sure we’d have been able to until they were right on top of us. All we could do was watch for shifting shadows.

“
You know, it’s gonna be really nice to stay here for a day or two and get our bearings back,” Jackie said. “We can all use a little R and R.”

“
Yeah, I know,” I agreed. “Being out on the road like that was really starting to take its toll. I bet I’ll be able to sleep for hours when we get done here.”

“
Me too,” Jackie said with a yawn.

“
Five more minutes and the next shift’s coming up!” Howard called over after several hours.

“
Okay,” Jackie said.

“
I can’t believe the rain hasn’t let up yet.”

“
I’ve always loved the rain,” Jackie said. “My mom and I used to sit on the porch and watch lightning storms late into the night.” She let out a breath. “I wonder where she is. I wonder how the rest of my family is. Are they alive? Did they even survive?”

Pain consumed me as I thought about my own family. “I’ve been wondering the same thing about mine. I wonder if my mom, dad, grandma, and friends survived the outbreak that infested the island.”