MZS: Philadelphia (Metropolitan Zombie Survivors Book 3) (6 page)

Why does the new guy get the gun? Patrick has been taking the lead and I feel like he’s the one who should have the best weapon. I suppose if he wanted it he could have taken it, though.

We know the new guy’s name, but I can’t bring myself to use it. It’s weird, because until yesterday I barely knew Patrick and didn’t know the other guys at all. Yet Cupcake, Todd and especially Tucker already feel like old friends.

I’m so scared for Tucker. Being stuck in that Humvee surrounded by zombies must be terrifying. Even if he is physically safe and comfortable, the mental abuse must be horrendous.

Terri does not concern me as much. Getting blackout drunk when she held a critical navigation role pisses me off. She gives me the impression that she’s fine holed up all alone somewhere. In fact, she’s probably still passed out and unaware of what is going on.

“Ready?” Patrick asks.

The honest answer from me is no. My breathing has just recovered and I could use another five minutes. I haven’t had to kill any of these things yet and I wouldn’t mind putting it off for another day, but if we are outnumbered and overwhelmed I may not have that luxury.

“I’m going to take Todd and find some cover. I’ll help out when he’s secure,” I explain to Patrick.

“Hang back a little and let us clear the doorway before you come in,” he says, nodding in response. “Me, Cupcake, then new guy. Got it?”

Nods all around. It looks like new guy wants to say something, probably remind us of his name. Thankfully he stays quiet.

Patrick holds up his hand and counts with his fingers; 1…2…3.

The door flies open and Patrick and Cupcake explode through it. New guy hesitates but then steps in, his head swiveling so fast I’m afraid it will fall off.

All three men disappear from view. I focus my listening but hear nothing. The seconds inch past in what feels like complete silence. Not knowing what they see or are faced with makes my anxiety grow.

Breathe, I actually have to remind myself.

“All clear.” Patrick pops his head into the doorway and smiles out at me.

I push Todd through the door and then follow him in.

It’s a virtual oasis. No. It’s an actual oasis. Large, comfortable-looking couches, pergolas with fine fabrics gently billowing in the breeze and a long fully-stocked bar greet us in silence.

My eyes survey the space. I don’t know what I’m searching for at first. Soon I realize that I’m looking for blood, bodies and gore. There is none. This area is clean and appears to have never witnessed the horror that is the undead.

Finally, we can relax.

New guy is standing in the middle of the floor. He’s between Patrick and Cupcake, but looks like he’s confused about what to do.

Patrick walks around the perimeter. He’s pushing aside the blowing fabric and checking then rechecking space behind couches. He’s not yet completely confident that the place is clear and safe.

Cupcake is behind the bar. He is busy doing something, but I can’t see what it is. As much as I could use a stiff drink, I don’t believe that it’s a priority. Food, and maybe something to barricade the door, is what I want most right now.

Carefully I steer Todd over to the nearest couch. He sinks down into the cushions and lays back. I watch his eyes close and something resembling relief comes over his face.

“Todd, can I take him from you?”

A slight shake of the head is his only response. He’s not ready to give up Jaden’s body yet.

The scene is confusing for me. I’ve never thought long about someone having his or her head blown off, but if I ever did, it was not like this. There is equally too much head left to say the body is headless but too little left to say the head is intact. What is not confusing is the amount of blood—there is so much blood.

New guy has placed his gun on the bar and is now retracing Patrick’s steps. It can’t hurt to be extra-sure we aren’t going to get attacked, but he should keep his weapon with him. His actions are tentative, but I’m sure with time they will become more fluid and confident.

“Any word from Tucker?” I ask over to the bar.

“Crickets,” Cupcake says. “But I haven’t heard a gunshot since we’ve been up here. Hopefully that’s a good sign.” He places his phone on the bar and returns to his work.

Patrick makes his way to the edge of the room and carefully looks out around the rooftops. There are taller buildings around us; the elevated shooter that killed Jaden could also have us in their sights, unless Tucker really was able to take care of them.

Completing his search for anything obvious, Patrick looks over the wall and down toward the street.

“Looks like the zombies have moved off the Humvee,” Patrick reports while he turns to face the bar.

Cupcake places some plates on top of the bar and then sets out five glasses. New guy hurries over and grabs the plates. He brings them over to the table in front of Todd and sets them down.

While I look at the pizza, crackers and fruit, Patrick crosses to the bar. He and Cupcake manage to bring all five glasses over and we gather around the table. Our ability to sit down and eat with a dead body at the table worries me. It hasn’t been long enough to be this comfortable with death.

Cupcake slowly raises his glass. A somber mood has washed over us and replaced my feeling of comfort and safety. This is just a pause, a brief respite from hell.

“What’s up bitches?” Tucker bursts through the door like he’s arriving fashionably late to a party.

Cupcake runs and wraps him in the tightest bear hug I have ever witnessed. Patrick is there quickly as well and embraces his friend with equal vigor.

When Tucker gets over to the table, I also hug him tight. While we embrace, his hand slides down my back and cups my ass. He gives a little squeeze and then pulls back and winks.

I would slap him if I didn’t have such a weird fondness for him.

“No glass for me?” he asks in shock.

“Hold on!” Cupcake runs back to the bar.

“What about Terri?” Patrick asks.

“She’s fucking hysterical. I tried to wake her, right? But she’s all slappin’ at me and swearin’ and shit. Just won’t wake up, you know? She must have been hammered. Anyway, I texted her with Cupcake’s digits, but I wasn’t sure she’d know it was from me. So then I wrote a note on this receipt I had in my pocket and stuck it on her forehead. When she wakes up, she can’t miss it.”

“How did you stick it to her forehead?” I ask. I don’t know why that seems important.

Tucker picks up a napkin, licks it and then sticks it to his own forehead.

“Where is your phone?” Patrick asks, a better question.

“Under a tree or something.”

“What? Tucker how did your phone end up under a tree?”

“After I toasted the last asshole, there was a bit of a zombie problem around the rig. While I was trying to figure out how to get in here, the moaning and buzzing got so loud I couldn’t think. It was really pissing me off, because not only was it loud, but it kept attracting more fucking zombies.”

!” Cupcake has a revelation. “Holy shit. The buzzing is how they communicate and build a horde!” he says.

“I don’t fucking know how they work. I decided to try recording the racket and then playing it back. They seemed to pay attention, so I took a nice long sample, hit play, and tossed my phone off to the sidewalk. Bitches followed it like dogs on a bone.” Tucker has a huge smile across his face.

“That’s pretty creative,” the new guy says.

Tucker suddenly realizes there is someone new in the group. “Dude! What the fuck, Pat-O, you’re not gonna make introductions?”

“Tucker this is… Parker. Parker, this is our friend Tucker,” Patrick says, making the formal introductions.

“Parker” has replaced “new guy.” He has a name, and now he’s one of us.

“Nice to meet you, bro. You from Philly?” Tucker asks.

Cupcake walks away from the group and over to the bar. He works quickly. I shouldn’t be surprised that this isn’t his first time mixing drinks.

“No actually, just here for a visit,” Parker answers blandly.

Todd slowly gets up, still holding Jaden’s body.

At this point, I’m sure the weight is getting overwhelming. With things calming down, I also notice an odor from the body that I’m sure could be explained, but I’m not interested in the details.

The whole group watches in silence as Todd walks to a couch near the low outer wall. He lays Jaden down gently and carefully positions his arms and legs. Delicately, Todd adjusts the flaps of skin and bone that remain so that the boy has some semblance of a head. It’s a disgusting and tender scene.

Cupcake and Todd arrive back to the table at the same time. Cupcake hands Tucker the drink before picking up his own.

I assume I am the sensitive one in this bunch of guys. We should say something about Jaden or acknowledge Todd’s actions. But words just don’t seem sufficient to convey what we are feeling.

Todd stoops down and picks up his drink. With a purposeful stare, he looks at each of us for a long moment before moving on to the next person.

“Viva,” he says, raising his glass.

We all return his salute. “Viva.”

Author Note

Thank you for reading. The MZS Series was a fun story to write. I’ve always enjoyed stories about unlikely hero’s and the underdog winning. Hopefully you have also enjoyed this story.

If you have time to write a review it is greatly appreciated. Your input will be read and taken seriously, it is the best way for me to improve my prose and plot. Reviews are important for writers and readers in that they help people to connect with the books and authors they will enjoy.

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MZS: Boston
- Book 1 Pat-O awakes to find that zombies have taken over Boston. He needs to get across town to meet his friends and escape before the government destroys the undead and everything else in the city.

MZS: New York
- Book 2 The Boston survivors meet up with McLean in New York where she is trying to cope with the reality of the zombie apocalypse. Trying to rescue three kids from an apartment forces them to deal with an entire building of flesh eaters.

MZS: Philadelphia
- Book 3 Parker is in Philadelphia adjusting to life after his wife’s death. The Boston and New York crew arrive at Liberty Bell square in search of a survivors rally. When they are attacked by the living Parker helps them to safety and they make him one of their own.

MZS: D. C.
- Book 4 The survivors want to be done with cities. The detours and roadblocks around D. C. leave them no choice but to drive into the heart of the capital. Once there a power-hungry Senator shows them a new hell.

MZS: North East
- The Novel Follow Pat-O from Boston to New York, Philadelphia and Washington D. C. all in one book.

Annihilation Book 1
–
Teen genius Seamus Robinson and his family have survived the fast moving virus that is killing off the human race. If they are going to live much longer they need to get from their home in New Hampshire to California where his mother has the vaccine and a secret. Brains will be as important as brawn if they are to survive a post-apocalyptic road trip through raging wild fires and outlaw controlled highways.

Evacuation Book 2
–
The virus that wiped out most of the human race is adapting to defeat the vaccine and kill the survivors. There is a government response protocol but it will kill them too, it involves a nuclear winter. The NASA scientists believe they can leave Earth and achieve faster than light travel, but Seamus doesn’t want to slog through space. He knows that to survive they need to go somewhere fast. To save them all he needs to invent a warp drive and evacuate the planet.

Colonization Book 3
–
As a scientist Seamus Robinson prefers facts over chance. The harsh truth is that crashing into a planet that can support human life was never part of the plan, it was just good luck. His father has dubbed the new planet Locus, Latin for opportunity, and they are ready to put in the hard work to establish a human colony away from Earth. The opportunity may be short lived as the planet is bombarded with poisonous radiation and home to an unknown alien species. If the human race is going to survive Seamus will have to use his brains and take all the good luck he can get.

Confrontation Book 4
-
Locus is not an ideal planet for human survival but thanks to Seamus’s containment field and its ability to protect them from the deadly radiation the humans are thriving. They have built houses, established a productive garden and are having children. Life is becoming routine for the first time since the apocalypse that wiped out most of the human race. Seamus fears that the human race no longer needs him and wonders about the value of a physics genius in an agrarian society.