The Zombie Chronicles - Book 6 - Revelation (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) (8 page)

“
I thought I heard a rooster, but I was sure I was dreaming.”

“
Nope. They keep cows for fresh milk and chickens for eggs, and they’re growing all sorts of things in the garden. They’ve figured out how to live off the land.”

“
They’re true survivors.” I saw a jar of grape jelly on the coffee table, along with a bag of crackers, but I wasn’t hungry for breakfast. “Where is everyone?” I asked.

“
They went on some important mission to see if zombies are breaking through the city perimeter. Then they’re coming back and taking a shift of guard duty.”

“
What? I thought Val said they were going to wait a few days. Why are they always leaving me behind?” I asked. “It’s the story of my life.”

“
They didn’t do it to spite you,” she said. “Max, the great leader of this little community, has decided that you and I are risky business.”

“
Huh? Me? Are you kidding?” I asked, swallowing back the anger.

“
Max thinks we’re too upset about Jackie, not emotionally ready to work.”

I glanced down. “Oh well. We’re not gonna be here long anyway.”

Her lips pressed into grim lines. “Apparently, we’re staying at least a month.”

“
What? Nobody told me that.”

“
That’s the price of our rent. They need The Three Musketeers to help until the threat is over. I might just go back to the house I was promised in that gated community once everything is back to normal…well, post-apocalyptic normal, when the zombies clear out. I mean, what are the chances the zombie herds will ever crash into each other ever again? It’s like the perfect storm, just like that woman said.”

“
What about Nick?” I questioned.

“
What about him? Is he here with me right now when I need him the most? No. He’s out there doing what he loves. He lives and breathes zombie battles and strategies.”

“
Never mind. That was a stupid question. I know how my brother is.”

“
You warned me back at the nursing home, and I knew how right you were. Nick and I know it can’t work, but we can’t deny the feelings we have for each other.”

“
We can’t change who we care about. They are who they are, and there’s nothing we can do. We either accept it or move on.”

“
I’ll never be number one in Nick’s life though,” she whispered.

I knew she was probably right, but I wasn’t sure what to say.

“
It’s okay. I knew what I was getting into when I got involved with him.”

“
So…how long will it be before they let us do anything around here?”

“
At least a month.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not sitting around here that long. Next thing we know, they’ll be sending Dr. Phil in to talk to us.”

“
Let’s just be happy they let us in here. It’s nice having our own apartment.”

“
I’m not sitting here in this apartment all day.”

“
I agree. Let’s go back to the lab,” Claire said. “Maybe we can talk to somebody there.”

“
Sounds like a plan,” I said, grinning.

She reached for her gun. “Never leave home without it,” she said, then led the way.

* * *

We left on foot and walked down the center of the deserted main street, past residential buildings. We dodged all the litter, debris, and broken bottles. One patch of street was stained with dry blood and shell casings; I kicked one as I walked by. My gaze followed black skid marks to a vehicle that had veered off course and crashed through a window of a candy shop. Shattered glass was everywhere, and abandoned buildings, boarded-up houses, and tangled weeds lined the urban landscape, giving everything a gloomy appearance. Those forgotten buildings were reminders of Fairport’s proud past and symbolized its troubled future. It had once been a thriving city, but now it was nothing more than a dilapidated ghost town, inhabited only by rodents and insects and litter.

Low clouds hung in the air, and the cold wind whipped through my hair. It started to drizzle, so I zipped up my coat and put my hands in my pocket. My rifle was slung around my shoulder, and I had my pistol in my holster. As we walked, we could hear the echo of our own voices.

“
I bet this used to be a really busy street once,” Claire said, “but now it’s dead quiet.”

“
I know. I haven’t seen anybody—living, dead, or otherwise,” I said.

“
I think Steven was spot on about the zombie repellant. Whatever it is, they oughtta figure out a way to bottle it.”

“
Well, when Rachel was trapped on top of that statue, nobody could get to her because a herd had swarmed that side of the city. I wondered why they hadn’t come near the lab, but now I know why.”

“
I guess the only zombies here are the ones that spring up when somebody dies.”

“
Yeah. Those must be the ones Jackie summoned,” I said.

“
It’s still unnerving, just knowing all those zombies are out there, surrounding the city. What if the repellant stops working for some reason? This place will be swarmed.”

“
It’s held up this long. Whatever it is, the zombies hate it. Too bad the scientists can’t pinpoint it. It’d be a great weapon in the battle against those things. Imagine if every city had this kind of protection.”

“
Once again, people could go to bed at night feeling safe. Things could sorta get back to normal.”

“
Safe and normal,” I said, shaking my head. “So funny that we used to take those words for granted, and now they’re all that matter. Before this all happened, all people strived for was success, but now everybody’s just trying to stay alive.”

“
To live another day.”

When we arrived at the lab, the whole horrible scene played in my head again, back when the front of the lobby had exploded. I could almost hear the sound of thunder and shattering glass as the trembling building threatened to fall apart. I remembered a bomb-strapped zombie walking toward me, aimlessly wandering in to destroy us all. Now, as it all came back to me in vivid detail, I sucked in a deep breath. Reliving that moment made me shudder. “They fixed everything,” I said, “but they got rid of the glass windows.”

“
Glass is useless in a zombie apocalypse. If anyone knows that, I do.”

“
Yeah. Well, the place looks more…reinforced,” I said as I knocked.

Nobody answered.

“
Maybe they’re busy working on a project and can’t hear us,” Claire said, pounding harder on the door.

“
Let’s take a walk around.”

We walked around the perimeter and pounded on the back door, only to get the same lackluster response. Yelling and shouting didn’t work either.

“
There’s no one here,” Claire said.

“
That’s weird. A lot of people lived here before.”

“
Maybe they moved.”

“
Maybe, but the scientists wouldn’t desert the lab entirely. They were doing a lot of important research here.”

She turned to face me. “You don’t think they’re avoiding us, do you?”

“
Why would they? You think they’re mad that we brought Sam and Larry and that gang here? We didn’t do that on purpose.”

“
They had to cause lots of damage. You said they were shooting a million bullets at you.”

“
I guess the scientists could consider us security risks,” I said.

“
I bet they’d open that door in a heartbeat if you told them you have more of the serum.”

“
I’m not ready to disclose that to them at this point.”

“
We can always come back later, with Rachel or Steven. I bet they’d open the doors for them.”

“
And if that doesn’t work?” I asked.

“
We do a stakeout. If we can catch one of them going inside, maybe they’ll talk to us.”

“
All right. Guess this was a complete waste of time.”

“
Well, time is all we’ve got right now, right?”

“
Yeah,” I said, realizing she was right.

“
Let’s head back.”

“
I’m right behind you,” I said.

Chapter 9

A knock on the door made me turn my head. “Who is it?”

“
Steven,” the voice said.

I opened the door, and his eyes widened.

“
Your brother left you out in the cold, but I know you can—”

Rachel burst in. “We know what a gem you really are.”

Steven smiled. “You’re the best sharpshooter around, just the kinda guy we need. I’ve got a friend on the edge of the city who just received report from anther buddy that the house is being swarmed by the front of the herd.”

“
Dean,” Rachel said, “I know you’ve got a big heart and that you want to save as many people as you can. Last night, while Lucas was hanging out with us, he told us some of your near-death stories. You know what it’s like to be trapped in a house, surrounded by zombies, and these people are surrounded by more than you’ve ever faced at once. Can you help?”

“
If there are that many zombies, what makes you think they even have a chance?” Claire asked.

“
Because we have a smokin’ plan.”

“
A plan, huh? And just how many people does this plan involve?” Claire asked, skeptical.

“
Most of the teams are gone, dealing with the zombie threat or guarding the apartment building, but I’ve put a small posse together.”

“
A small posse? I hope it’s more than just you, me, Rachel, and that little kid,” I said, remembering how skillfully Ed had led us around in the sewers.

“
We’ve assembled a team of eight. Some are military trained.”

“
Eight people facing a herd of zombies? No way,” I said. “Rescue mission or not, it’s crazy. It’s suicide. I’ve gotta be more careful, so you can count me out.” When they said nothing and just looked at me in disbelief, I continued, “The last time I took off with you on a mission, I almost died.”

“
But you didn’t,” Steven said. When I didn’t answer, he continued, “If you change your mind, meet downstairs in twenty minutes. We’re gathering some supplies for the mission. I hope you’ll decide to join us. We need you, Dean.”

“
We’ll be there,” Claire said.

“
He was talking to me,” I said.

“
Can you fight, Claire?” Rachel asked.

“
She’s not cut out for this kind of thing,” I said.

She glared at me. “I can decide for myself,” she said sternly, glaring at me. She turned to Steven. “I’ll fight with everything I have.”

I looked at her, incredulous. “It’s practically a suicide mission, Claire. They’re gonna march right into a huge mob of zombies. They may as well hang ‘Come and get it’ signs from their necks!”

“
I’m well aware of the risks Steven and Rachel are willing to take, but those people need help. They don’t have much time, especially if they’re barricaded in.”

“
A handful of people can’t fight a herd, Claire. You should know that firsthand.”

“
Someone is meeting us with an armored truck,” Steven chimed in, “and I have flamethrowers too.”

That was definitely a plus, and I thought it might temporarily tilt the tables in his favor. As I thought about the risk involved, I realized it really didn’t matter. I was numb inside, and I had to distract myself from the pain. Claire was right: Those people needed our help. It wasn’t that I had a death wish, because I most certainly didn’t, but I had to help any way I could. I was no stranger to being surrounded by evil, and I’d felt that same terror more than once. I knew what they were feeling inside, and I couldn’t just desert them.