The Zombie Chronicles - Book 6 - Revelation (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) (21 page)

A second later, my brother was towering over me, lifting the debris and beam off my aching body. In spite of the pain and shock, I instantly scrambled to my feet and started fighting. A rotter with fizzy white hair and missing lips came at me, along with two more even uglier ones behind it. I aimed and squeezed off three more shots.

More shots sliced through the air as the others fought hard.

Another zombie approached with long red hair and half a jaw. I aimed straight at the wretched being, drew a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger. Two crashed to the ground. The bullet had exited the first zombie’s head and nailed the one behind it; I’d literally killed two creeps with one stone.

One of the women stood up, with blood gushing from her neck. She fell to the ground and took her final breath. Another woman screamed, and a few men darted over.

The casualties upset me to my core. I wanted all of us to make it out alive, to complete our mission without any losses, but that wasn’t always how it worked out. Looking around me at all the death and injuries, the blood and gore and fear, I began to wonder if it was worth it.

Finally, the groans grew quiet, and we all fumbled around trying to get our bearings.

My heart leapt in response to Claire’s familiar voice. I glanced at the gaping hole above us.

Claire peered over the ledge. “Good job, everyone.”

“
What’s the status up there?” a woman shouted.

“
All clear,” she said. “I took out every single one of them. Is everyone okay?”

“
We lost Tom and Judy,” somebody said sadly.

A woman sobbed, and a man held her close.

The zombies had indeed been cleared out. The job was done, the mission accomplished, but sadly, two would be buried because of it. It was a bittersweet victory, but the lives were not lost in vain. We all knew the risks, and we knew the city was safer with the zombies destroyed.

Glancing around, I was able to see as people shone their flashlights around. It was then that I noticed that the stairs were still intact. I stepped over the broken rubble and raced up the stairs, with my brother right behind me. As soon as we reached the top, Nick hugged Claire, then spun her around and kissed her as emotion consumed both of them.

* * *

Back in the apartment, the girls and Lucas went to bed, but Nick and I couldn’t sleep.

I propped my feet up on the coffee table.

“
You know, Mom would kill you for that if we were at home,” Nick said.

I laughed. “Yeah, she was always lecturing me about keeping my feet off the furniture.”

Nick was quiet for a moment, then finally said, “I’m really proud of you, Dean.”

“
I’m glad I have your approval.”

“
I’m sorry for all the times I’ve left you behind. I shouldn’t have sneaked out like that.”

I sighed. “It’s okay. You thought you were doing what you had to do to protect me. You’re my big brother, and that’s your job.”

“
You and Val mean the world to me. You’re my family, and I love you. I only do what I do to keep you safe…and alive.”

“
I know.”

“
But the more I do it, the more you rebel and go on missions behind my back.”

“
I’m sorry about that.”

“
Don’t apologize,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll do it again.”

“
And so will you,” I retorted.

“
Touché,” he said.

“
So…when are we leaving?” I asked. “I mean, to go back to our real home.”

“
We’re surrounded by a herd now, so not anytime soon.”

“
Val likes it here,” I said. “Also, she might be right about not being accepted on the island. You know full well they might put her up for execution.”

“
We’ll find another way.”

“
Like what?”

“
I don’t know. Maybe we can go to one of the other islands.”

“
I miss
our
island,” I said. “I never knew how good I had it.”

“
When we get back, you’ll appreciate it twice as much, man.”

“
We’ve just gotta get that serum in the right hands,” I said.

“
Yeah.” Nick stood. “I’m headin’ to bed. I only got three hours of sleep last night. See ya in the morning, little bro’.”

I glanced up at him. “Isn’t it nice that we can all sleep at the same time instead of in shifts?”

“
Yeah. It’s real nice to be able to close our eyes and feel…safe.”

“
Goodnight, Nick.”

“’
Night, Dean.”

Chapter 22

A few days had passed and I knew Max was impressed with me because he started giving me routine jobs. It made me feel good that I could help out and keep my mind off of my grief, because I was never one for just sitting around. Just like Nick and Lucas, I loved the action. Max had even given me some jobs close to the edge of the city which made Nick nervous. But I assured my brother that I wasn’t going to let a flesh eater take me out.

It was early in the morning and I decided to go for a jog. I threw on jogging pants and a t-shirt, and some good tennis shoes one of the guys had recently given me. I figured it was a great way to stay in shape and be alone with my thoughts. It was chilly so I made sure to wear a sweat shirt jacket. I strapped on a knife and hand gun, then took off. It felt good to run and it felt good to just have some time to myself with nobody around.

When I came back, I ran into Rachel near the front of the building. She looked cute with her blonde hair blowing around in the wind.

“
Looking good,” she said.

Sweat rolled down my face and back, and I had to admit I was kind of embarrassed. I leaned over to catch my breath. “Thanks. I just needed to get out.”

“
See any zombies?”

“
Nope.”

“
So what’s with the big work out this morning?” she asked. “Did you need some fresh air?”

“
Yeah, but I need to stay in top shape too…because I want to be a zombie’s worst nightmare.”

She smiled. “Got it. But there is a small gym in apartment 306. Val and Claire have been using it. It might be a little safer than jogging out here all by yourself. I mean, ‘cause you just never know.”

“
I’ll keep that in mind. But don’t worry. I was really careful.”

“
We both know that doesn’t matter. You can be careful as you want, but in this new world, you’re bound to run into trouble, accidents happen. Anybody can die in this town, and if that happens, then that makes that person a dangerous brain-eater. A stray zombie can dart out of the bushes and take a chunk of your arm before you knew what hit you. Just because the rotten shamblers can’t get inside the city won’t save you from the zombies that can be born the second somebody takes their last breath.”

“
You’re right,” I said.

“
If you need a jogging buddy, then just call me or Ed. But please don’t come out here by yourself.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m just worried about you, that’s all. But why get attached, right? I hear you’re leaving soon anyway.”

“
It’s all up in the air,” I said.

“
We’d really love for you to stay.”

“
I know Val wants too.”

“
But I understand about wanting to get home. I’m from Arkansas myself. Just kind of ended up here with my dad a while back.”

“
It’s funny where we all end up.”

“
Bet you thought you’d never end up here.”

“
No, not a chance.”

“
I knew something like this was going to happen,” she said. “Not the zombies. But I knew there was a virus spreading around.”

I raised a brow. “Really?”

“
Yeah. Especially when 100,000 drum fish suddenly died in the river.”

“
I heard something about that. It was in the news.”

“
That was totally odd, but then something even odder happened.”

“
What?”

“
On New Year’s Day, over one thousand red-winged blackbirds fell dead from the sky. I mean they were everywhere from lawns and streets to rooftops and sidewalks. My dad and I knew something was up. Those could’ve easily been the first signs before the virus mutated.”

“
Are you sure they’re connected because this virus focuses on human hosts.”

“
Maybe it mutated once again and it’s going back to its original roots, animals.”

“
In this day and age, I say anything is possible.”

“
I’d say so too.”

We chatted a little more and then I went inside to get a drink. Val and Claire were all excited over a few jars of peanut butter they held in their hands. Two bags of groceries and a huge bag of dog food sat on the table. I knew our dog was going to be a happy camper.

“
Where did you get groceries?” I asked.

“
We found a house with goodies being stored behind a false wall. The owner was a zombie and we had to take him down.”

Claire put a clump of peanut butter on her finger, then held it near my mouth. She laughed as I licked the peanut butter off her finger.

“
Get Dean a spoon,” Val laughed.

She handed me a spoon and I dug in, then washed it down with a bottled water.

“
We have other goodies too,” Claire said. “We got lots of beef jerky, hard candy, beans, almonds, walnuts, canned meats, deviled ham, noodles, chili, rice, zip-lock bags, and sports drinks. And uh, do you like dried fruit? Because we’re all stocked up with raisins, cherries, and prunes.”

“
You guys rock,” I said, reaching into the bag and grabbing a long package of beef jerky.” I tore the plastic off and took a bite. “Mmmm. Man, this stuff is delicious.”

“
Bet you thought you’d never miss things like peanut butter and beef jerky,” Val said.

“
I’d kill for some bread,” Claire said. “I’d love to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

“
We might not have bread, but we do have,” Val held up a jar, “Ta-Dah…instant coffee.”

“
Nick’s been dying for coffee,” Claire said.

I smiled. “Yeah, he’s going to love you guys.”

“
Especially when he sees how many jars I got,” she replied. She pulled out a jar of honey. “We also got something for a sweet tooth.”

“
How long does honey last?” Val asked.

“
A long time,” Claire said. “I heard that honey was found in a tomb back in Egypt 3,000 years ago, and it was still good. So it’s perfect for a long time disaster.”

Val started unpacking the rest of the groceries. “Let’s just hope the zombies rot out and this won’t be a long time disaster.”

We all nodded. I really hoped that was the case, but at this point I wasn’t sure of anything.

Later that day, I volunteered for guard duty and was just about done when I glanced up at our window. A lit-up jack-o-lantern, with a carved spooky face, sat in the window. I couldn’t help but smirk.

Just then, Ed approached. “Hey, like your pumpkin?”

I smiled. “I love it.”

“
It’s a great idea,” he said. “Nick thought of it. I’m to going to do one too, to keep October alive. I mean, isn’t that what Halloween’s all about?”