The Zombie Chronicles - Book 6 - Revelation (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) (6 page)

BOOK: The Zombie Chronicles - Book 6 - Revelation (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series)
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Don’t go that way!” the lady with the hat screamed, then ran over to explain to them what was going on. “You’ll be sorry if you do.”

Nick put the truck in park and hopped out. I also tried to warn more cars speeding past us not to go that way because they were heading straight toward a herd and would have no chance, but most of them wouldn’t stop.

Lucas rushed over and started questioning the driver.


Zombies are coming!” the driver said. “You gotta turn around!”


We can’t,” I said. “They’re coming from that direction too.”


An entire army of them,” Claire said, her eyes wide.


Are you sure?” he asked.


Why would we lie?” Val shouted.

The driver pondered our words for a moment. “What are the chances that two armies would come at us from separate directions?”


It’s a fluke,” somebody shouted. “The perfect storm.”

A woman grabbed his arm. “It’s the end of the world, Ted!”


It’s over,” another man shouted.


No!” Nick retorted. “I’m still alive and breathing, and so are you. Now let’s get it together and fight.”


Whatever we’re doing, we don’t have much time,” Lucas said. “We need to head east before we get sandwiched in.”

Claire shot me a terrified look. “He’s right,” she said.


We’re not going that way,” the sunroof woman suddenly said.

I shook her hand. “It was nice meeting you, and thanks for everything, but I think it’s time we go our separate ways.”


You’d be a fool to head east. There are mountains and hills that way,” she said, “and they’re teeming with undead.”


What are you saying?” the man named Ted asked. “We’re blocked in every direction?”


That’s exactly what I’m saying,” the woman said.


Then we’ll just have to fight our way out,” Nick said.


No!” the woman said. “We need to hide.”


Hide?” Val asked. “Where?”


We have to make a run for it,” Claire said.


Whatever we decide, we’ve gotta let the people in the back of the U-Haul know,” Val said.


Right. They have the right to make their own decision,” Claire added.

Lucas grabbed her arm. “Just make sure none of them take off with our guns. We’re gonna need all the firepower we can get. Nick gave enough of them away at the last battle.”


I’ll keep an eye out for sticky fingers,” she said. She bolted off to open the back of the U-Haul and explained to everyone what was going on.

I wasn’t sure what to do, so I pulled Nick aside.

He shot me a grim look.


Nick,” I said, “do you believe that driver?”


Yeah. Didn’t you see the look in their eyes? It was fear, Dean. They’re not lying, and they’d have no reason to.”


In that case, we’ve gotta move.”

Val stepped up next to me. “We should go west.”

Nick gripped her hand. “We can’t. George said there are too many zombies that way.”

Nick, Lucas, and Val began debating, along with the others, and I rolled my eyes as heated arguments broke out between all of them. We didn’t have time for petty fighting. I grabbed Nick’s arm. “Let’s just go.”

A car screeched to a stop, and I was shocked when somebody called my name. When I walked over to see who it was, I recognized a familiar face.


Steven!” I said.


Dean,” he said. “We gotta go, man. Herds are coming from both sides.”


Where are you going?” I frantically asked.


Back to Fairport. I live in an apartment building not too far from the lab.”


Those herds will close in on you in no time. Our best bet is to find a weak spot and sneak through.”


Dean, I don’t have time to argue with you, but if you wanna live, you need to come with us right now.”

Nick grabbed my arm. “We’re leaving…and not with him.”


Nick,” Steven said, “there was an explosion before you got to the lab, about two weeks before you arrived. I know it sounds awful, but it helped us to learn something truly amazing. We can’t explain it, but the zombies won’t cross into certain parts of the city. They’ll go under it and around it but not in it. It’s as if the explosion left behind some kind of electromagnetic pulse that’s surging through the city, fending them off.”


Like…zombie repellant?” Lucas asked, smirking.


But we saw zombies outside the lab a few times,” Nick said.

Steven shook his head. “Only stragglers, most likely people who died there and became zombies.”

I looked at Nick. “He’s right. There was never much zombie activity around the lab, except when Jackie called them. Besides that, I only saw a few. I noticed that when I went canoeing by myself on that lake. I didn’t see much of anything, and I thought it was really odd.”


We’re completely safe in Fairport. We even blew up the stairs to the building, and we’ve got armed guards on post twenty-four hours a day.”


Sounds good to me,” Val said. “How far?”


Not far at all,” Steven answered. “Just follow us.”

Val nudged Nick. “What do you think?”


It’ll do for now,” he said. “Besides, it’s not like we have much choice.”

Steven shot me a sad look. “I heard about Jackie. Rachel and I are so sorry.”

I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat.

Val looped her arm in mine. “Let’s get our butts outta here.”


Looks like our stowaways decided to find other passage,” Lucas said, pointing to the back of the U-Haul, which was now vacant. “They got in the truck with the two women heading west, and a couple hopped in the Mad Hatter’s car, the one with the sunroof. She’s heading east, and she says Steven’s crazy.”


She’s one to talk,” Nick said. “I believe the kid, and the less baggage, the better.”

Then, just like that, everyone went their separate ways.

* * *

We followed Steven into Fairport, where we drove uphill to a small apartment complex. I knew zombies could walk uphill, but it would slow them down; the terrain was a definite advantage. We parked and all got out of the cab. Steven waved us over to the gate and we followed.

A group of men holding rifles nodded at Steven.


Steven, you’ve been gone for two days,” one said. “I thought something happened to you.”


Nah,” he said. “I’m way too hard to kill.”

They gave each other fist-bumps.


Listen,” Steven said in a more serious tone. “Herds are coming from the north and the south. Looks like we’re gonna be right smack dab in the middle of a zombie civil war.”


I know. We just received the same news,” he said, “but we’re safe here.”


When that explosion happened, everyone flipped out. Turned out to be our saving grace.”


Well, every catastrophe has a silver lining, right?” Steven joked.

The man’s face suddenly grew stern. “I’m gonna have to ask that your friends now exit the truck and leave.”

My head throbbed.
This is the last thing we need,
I thought, glaring at him in disbelief.


They’re with me,” Steven snapped.


Just because you’re dating the boss’s daughter, that doesn’t give you the authority to let people in and out of here. You know the rules, Steven, and you’re not immune to them any more than I am.”


I’m sure Max would think differently,” he said.


And why is that?”


Because Dean, here, helped me save Rachel’s life.”

I lifted my hand and waved. “That’s me. Guilty as charged.”


Hmm. Let me radio this in,” the guard said and walked off with his walkie-talkie.

I looked at Nick. “You were mad I went on that little sewer mission by myself, but now it looks like I just scored us a free pass inside.”


Sure does,” he said. “I was madder than a hornet, but now I’m eatin’ my words.”


It was a piece of cake,” I lied.


Even though Nick blew a gasket over it, I’m glad you helped that girl,” Val said.


See?” Lucas said. “A genuine Mother Teresa under all that mouth and muscle.”


Yeah,” Val said, “and you’re right. One day it’s gonna get me killed, just like Travis.”

I swallowed hard, recalling painfully that her fiancé had been killed while trying to find a cure for the zombie virus. Val and I weren’t as cold as Nick and Lucas, and we could never leave someone who was desperate for help; it was a trait we’d inherited from our mother, who cared deeply about people and was always willing to go out on a limb for them, no matter what. I was sure Nick had a little of that compassionate spirit in him too, but he’d snapped after Darla’s death.


What’s with the U-Haul?” another man asked.

Lucas joined in. “Well, we couldn’t find a limo, so we had to settle for this.”

The man looked at Steven and laughed. “It suits you, but you know I’ve got to check the back.”


Don’t worry,” Lucas said. “We demolished all the zombies that were back there.”

I shuddered as I thought back to that moment when the zombies had climbed out of the U-Haul to get at us, like snakes slithering out of a nest. We were on our way to go save Jackie at the jewelry store. Jackie’s face flashed in my head, and I swallowed hard and tried to hold it together.

The security guy smiled. “I’m not worried about zombies. We can handle them. I just have to make sure you aren’t trying to sneak any survivors in.”


You’re gonna love their precious cargo,” Steven said.

Lucas rolled his eyes at him. “Uh, sorry, buddy, but those weapons belong to us.”

The guy went back and slid the door open. A second later, the group screamed like they’d hit the jackpot, and I was sure they’d take the guns from us. I shot Nick a glance, but he just looked away, pissed beyond belief.

Steven sighed. “Listen, I’ll talk to Max and convince him to let you keep your stuff. Don’t worry, boys.”


We’d appreciate it,” Lucas said. “Those aren’t exactly easy to come by these days.”


Okay!” a man yelled. “You’re good to go, Steven. Max wants to have a few words with you. But your friends will have to wait out here.”


Come on. Just let them in. They saved Rachel.”

He pondered, and then shook his head. “Okay, take them to Max. He’ll sort this issue out.”

Steven pulled into a parking spot right next to a red Lamborghini, and we followed him.

Val grabbed Nick’s arm excitedly. “Hey! That’s the car we took out for a test drive!”


Yep,” Steven said.

Nick cocked his brow in confusion. “What? Test drive? When?”


Dean sneaked me out of jail one night for a little road trip,” Val said. “It was the most thrilling ride I’ve ever taken in my life. We took that baby out on the highway and clocked over 100 miles an hour!”

BOOK: The Zombie Chronicles - Book 6 - Revelation (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series)
7.92Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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