The Demented Z (Book 3): Contagion (3 page)

Tom fired into the group, dropping one of them, and then his
pistol ran out. He quickly holstered the
pistol and grabbed the rifle off his back.  
The two of them started storming up the hill, blasting away at anything
that moved.    Hannah rushed up beside
Tom, blazing her own trail and freeing up her view ahead.
  They reached the top and climbed over the
guard rail.

Tom hunched over, desperately sucking in air.
  He heaved up the morning’s breakfast onto the
snow.

“Movement beyond the truck.”
  Hannah said.

Still bent over, Tom glanced at Hannah to see her standing
rock steady, revolver held out with both hands in front of her.
 
She’s
barely breathing…must be a robot.
He
thought with a shake of his head.

“Hurry, they’re coming up the road.”
  She said.

Beyond the truck was a large group of demented, all working
their way up the road, drawn to the chaos.
  For there to have been this many this far from
populated areas meant they must have been drawn to Hannah’s truck from her
drive up.

“Too many.”
  Tom shouted as they raced toward the truck.

Hannah sprinted out ahead of him, holstering her pistol as
she ran. She slid to a stop at the
driver side door, already reaching for her keys.
  Out of her periphery she could see the first
demented nearly to the back of the truck.

Tom piled into the passenger seat just as Hannah was jamming
the key into the ignition. Before he
even had time to say “please start,” the engine roared to life.
  Hannah slammed the shift on the column into
reverse and stomped on the gas. The
tires spun trying to get traction.  
Demented raced up to the windows and began pounding on the glass.
  The tires caught and accelerated the truck
backwards, hitting bodies as they went. The
truck bounced as they plowed over infected.  
Hannah kept on the gas even after they were well past the group.
  As they came to a wide section of road she
hit the brake, spun the wheel, and jammed the gear shift into drive.

Hannah felt more alive than she had in months.
  With a smile she said, “Now we go get someone
you’re really going to like.”

“Look sharp, we got movement.”
  A man in faded camo
said.

The man next to him looked up from a magazine, the worn
cover mostly white from use. “Whatta we got?”

They both leaned forward, resting their elbows on the edge
of the lookout tower railing. A narrow
gravel road twisted its way through the forest out of sight.
  Patches of snow still clung to life in the
protective shade of trees. Back in the
forest, flashes of movement could be seen.

Charlie felt a sense of dread, reached over for his
crossbow, hesitated, and then grabbed his rifle instead.
  He pulled the stock up to his shoulder and
sighted through the scope.

“Don’t shoot if ya don’t have
to.” The other man said.

“Really?
  Boy, I didn’t know that.”
  Charlie looked over at the other man.
  “You tell me that every flippin’
time.” He shifted back to the scope,
scanning the trees for movement. He saw
it again, a blur of red hidden amongst the thick canopy.
  It was moving fast…too fast to be infected.
  “We got a vehicle.
  Call it out.”

The other man grabbed his rifle and quickly stood.
  He hesitated, then took a few steps toward
the drop ladder, and then stopped again.

Without looking at him, Charlie said, “The council, go tell
the council a car is coming.” He let out
a deep sigh and continued to watch the tree line, waiting for the car to appear
in the clearing.

The aluminum ladder rattled as the other man made his way
down to the ground.

What a
dufus
. Charlie
continued to glass the road as a red truck came bursting out into the
open. He immediately recognized this as the
truck Hannah left in. Still using the
rifle scope, he tried to get a look in the windshield, but the sunlight glared
off the glass, making it impossible to verify the occupants.
  The truck continued at high speed, stirring
up loose pine needles and sending them billowing to the sides.

Charlie quickly stood and raced for the ladder.

******

Tom and Hannah emerged from the forest.
  Ahead of them was what Hannah had referred to
as “The Compound.” Tom was impressed by
the structure they had built out in the middle of nowhere.
  It looked like something out of the frontier
days – tall lookout towers surrounded by log walls.
  The forest had been cleared in a 200 yard
swath all the way around, offering an excellent view of anything that
approached.

Tom looked over at Hannah and said, “Lot more work to build
than take something over.”

Hannah began to slow the truck as they neared the front
gate. “The council deemed it
necessary…mostly to get away from populated areas.”

“Makes sense.
  Who built it?”

“Everyone earned a spot by building.
  The council has—“She started to say, but was cut short when
she hit the brakes to stop before a giant metal gate that looked to be made
from a couple green farm gates and a mile of barbed wire.

The truck sat idling.  
Hannah didn’t say anything, which made Tom think this must be normal, so
he just waited it out as well. A couple
minutes later a small, man sized door to the side of the gate swung open and
several men poured out of the opening.  
They all shouldered black assault rifles, aiming them at the truck’s
windshield as they spread out, circling the truck.

Hannah rolled her window down.
  “Hi Charlie.”

The man lowered his rifle.  
“How did it go?”

Ignoring the man’s question, she said, “We need to see the
council.”

“Any contact?”

“No.”

The man leaned in toward the open window, looking past
Hannah. “What about him…quarantine?”

Tom sat still, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

“No, I can vouch for him.”

“Not up to me, but we can clear you through the gate.”
  With that he stepped back and signaled to the
man directly in front of the truck.  
“Alpha charlie.”
  He shouted.

Once the “all clear” was given the man in front disappeared
through the man door, presumably to open the gate.
  Two of the men that had stood pointing their
rifles at the truck, now moved to the back of the truck, training their rifles
at the distant woods. Their vigilance
gave Tom some sense of safety.

The gate swung inwards allowing the truck through.
  Unlike the frontier style outside, the inside
was something out of a third world country.  
Buildings were hobbled together from sheet metal and plywood.
  The most extravagant homes were single wide
trailer houses pulled into place. An
occasional tent dotted the area with some color.

They came to a stop in front of an old two story
farmhouse. A pair of men with rifles
resting across their laps sat in rickety wooden chairs on the covered,
wrap-around porch. Both of them slowly
stood as the truck doors were opening.  
When they saw Tom, an outsider, both of them raised their rifles,
pointing the barrels directly at his head.

“Whoa.” Tom said
while raising both of his hands.

Hannah came running around the front of the truck.
  “Come on guys, he’s with me.”

“Don’t matter. Needs
quarantined.”

“He hasn’t been around any infected.
  He lives up— “Hannah started to say, but stopped
short when a man stepped out of the front door.

“Well hi Hannah, I am so glad to see you return safely.”
  The nicely dressed man said.

A huge smile broke across Hannah’s face.
  “Miles!  
Glad you came out.” She said
while moving up the steps. “I was just
telling Logan that Tom is clean.”

Miles looked over at Logan and said, “Why don’t you two go
patrol around. I’ll take care of this.”

They both hesitated for a bit.
  Miles gave them a shooing motion with his
hands, causing both of them to share a look with each other, shrug their
shoulders, and move off down the porch.

“I’m sorry about that dear.”  
Miles said while stepping over to Hannah.
  “Guards are just doing their thing.
  I trust you know what you are doing.”
  He glanced at Tom, then back at Hannah, never
breaking a smile. “So, who is our new
guest?”

“Remember what Hank said?”  
She glanced back at Tom, sweeping her arm out.
  “This is the guy…Tom.”

For a brief moment Miles’s smile slipped, but was
immediately back in full force. “Well,
well, well, great job.” He said.
  “So do you—“

“They found it.” The
man hollered as he rounded the corner of the house, pounding across the wooden
planks. It was one of the two guards
from before. “The guys were searching
house by house, like you said, and came across the pendant.”

Miles turned to the worked up man.
  “That was rather rude to come barreling up
here and interrupt our conversation.” He
said in a scolding tone.

The man took a step back.  
“Sorry…I can…later.”

With the smile turned back on, Miles said, “No, you have
already interrupted, so let us make it valuable.
  What have you found?”

“Brenda’s heart thing…has Nathan’s name in it just like her
sister said it would.”

Nobody said anything for a bit.
  Miles looked over at Hannah and Tom with a
grin, and then back to the man. “So what
do you think this means?” He asked.

“They think we have the killer.”

“What?” Hannah
said. “Killer?”

Miles nodded his head slowly and held both hands up in front
of his chest. “Now let us not get ahead
of ourselves. Doctor Moraine just said
it was possibly a homicide, I thought it prudent to pursue all
possibilities. Since we have the pendant
it will be up to the council to decide the charges and punishment if
appropriate.”

Tom was trying to keep up with the conversation and wondered
what all had happened here. He didn’t
like the idea of staying close to so many people he didn’t know.
  While he was thinking of how to get back out
of this little compound as fast as possible, Hannah asked the question Tom was
surprised Miles never asked.

“So who is it?”

“Isaac.” The man
said.

Hannah was visibly shaken and took the remaining steps to
the top of the porch. “Can’t
be.”

Miles put his hand to his mouth.
  “You are positive?”

The man nodded his head rapidly.
  “Oh yeah, I was in his pad when we found it.”

“There is no way.”  
Hannah’s face reddened with anger, at whom, Tom was not sure.
  “He’s one of our best providers.
  He would never.
  I’m…there’s no way.”

Tom rested a hand on Hannah’s shoulder and leaned in by her
ear. “Not right now.”
  He whispered.

Miles stepped over as well and looked Hannah directly in the
eyes. “I know this must be terribly
difficult for you right now.” Grabbing
one of her hands he said, “I promise you, we will look at all possibilities and
evidence before any decisions are made.”

Hannah smiled and wrapped her arms around Miles in an
embrace. Tom stood back and watched,
wondering why an alarm was going off in the back of his mind.
  Something wasn’t right.

“Nice to see your ugly face.”
  Hank said as he walked down the small
trailer’s front steps. He pointed his
thumb over his shoulder. “I don’t
recommend this hotel.”

Tom wasn’t about to admit it, but he was really glad to see
the old timer. “Someone finally put you
in quarantine.”

“Yeah…guess they thought my cool was contagious.”

“We gotta get out of here.”
  He looked over at Hannah and added, “We’re
headed for the military base. Hannah
said you’re up to speed on this thing spreading…maybe we can find something there.”

“Sounds like a bloody good time, you know I’m in.”

******

The group stood around a large table piled with guns, MREs,
ammo, and various other supplies.

“Just one crossbow?”
  Tom asked.

“We have more.” A
giant man said. “Infected are almost
always in clusters. We’ve had a lot of
people die pack’n one.
  Looks nifty in the movies,
but without being able to fire rapidly.”  
He shook his head. “Game over.”

Tom held out his bow.  
“Used this a couple times, but then we made it to the mountains…haven’t
seen any since.”

“Well don’t rely on it, unless you got real firepower for
backup. Otherwise you’ll be a
meatstick in no time.”

Hannah started filling a pack in front of her.
  “Wish Isaac could go…he would be a huge
help.”

The big man hesitated.  
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard.  
Seemed like a straight shooter…crazy.”  
He said, shaking his head.

“I know it Bear. I’m
still in shock. I think there was a
mistake.”

“Council will figure it out.”
  Bear said.

They all finished packing items into backpacks, double
checking magazines, and looking over weapons.  
After going over maps and talking through options, they had all decided
it was best to drive to within about a mile of the base.
  From there they would hike in the remaining
distance to keep from drawing attention.

Tom was just talking them into strapping a couple extra
crossbows to their packs when Miles came storming into the room.

“Hannah, you don’t need to go.
  Let these guys do the…the grunt work.”
  He said, almost spitting out the word
“grunt,” like the word itself was vile.

“This is our chance…I’m in.”  
She said without hesitation.

A look of anger flashed across his face.
  “Isaac is in captivity.
  He will remain at this location until the
truth is made apparent.”

“I know.”

He stood staring at her.  
After a few awkward moments he spun around and stormed out.

“That was strange.”  
Hank said.

“Miles is great…he’s just worried for me.”
  Hannah said.

******

“She’s going with them.”  
Miles said.

Logan was trying to pick up on what he was saying, but his
head was cloudy and aching. He sat staring
at Miles’s mouth as it opened and closed.  
Inside he knew words were coming out, but his mind would not focus
enough to pick up on the words.

“Even with Isaac…she won’t…he’s in the…”
  Miles kept rambling.
  “Are you even listening?”
  Miles shouted.
  He strode over, right in front of Logan and
grabbed him by the shoulders. “Focus,
this is grave. It is essential that you
go with them.”

The angry voice pulled Logan out of his stupor.
  “With them?”

“Yes, like I expressed, keep an eye on Hannah.
  Protect her.”

Logan felt like he was burning up, but hated the thought of
spending the next week or two in quarantine.  
Tiny little trailer was creepy with all the plastic crap.
 
I’m not
sitting in a bubble
. “Yeah, whatever
ya need.”

“That’s right. Hurry
and get yourself to the armory. Convey to
Hannah that I directed you to join forces.”

With a nod, Logan stood and moved out the front door.

“Bring her back to me and I will reward you.”
  Miles shouted at the closing door.
  He had waited so patiently, almost teasing
himself being so close to her. If she
was to die at the hands of one of those monstrous creatures he would make a lot
of people pay.

******

“Okay, who ripped one?  
Enough to gag a maggot.”
  Hank said while rolling down his window.

With the five of them packed into the SUV it was a tight
fit, and the odors coming out of one of them was brutal.
  Despite the cold outside they
now had all the windows rolled down, letting the chilly air whip through the
cab. Bear rested one hand on the
steering wheel and the other draped out the window.
  Tom sat across from him, watching the snowy
forest roll by. God’s blanket covered
the death and destruction that dotted the landscape just months before.
  In the distance above the trees, small trails
of smoke swirled in the breeze, signs that there were other survivors out there
trying to eke out an existence.

“See many others?” He
asked Bear.

“In the fall.
  Some would come looking for handouts…or to
steal. We
persuaded
them otherwise.”

“What about when you were out of the compound?”

“Hannah was the first to leave in a long time.
  Stocked up.
  Hunkered down with what we had.”

“What did you do all these months?”

Bear let out a little laugh.  
“Girls, thought about girls, wished there were more girls.
  Same old, same old.”

Hank looked over at Hannah to see how she reacted to this,
but she was stone faced, peering out her window.
  He glanced at Logan.
  A bit surprised by the distant look on his
face, Hank said, “You okay?”

Logan just nodded his head in response.

“You look like— “Hank started to say.

“Girl!”
  Hannah shouted.

Bear eased off the accelerator.
 

In the center of the snow covered road was a girl, likely in
her teens, wearing only a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
  She waved her hands over her head, signaling
not only for help, but also to let them know that she was not an infected.
  Her clothes were in tatters.
  Her emaciated body barely held the baggy clothes
on.

“Gun it.” Tom said
while pulling his pistol.    He quickly
started scanning the trees across from the girl.

Bear stomped on the gas, accelerating directly at her.
  She glanced to the side of the road, fear and
indecision crossing her face. She
lowered her hands partway, and then fear took over.
  A diving lunge to the side rolled her across
the snow and into the ditch. The SUV
barreled past, washing the girl in an icy white cloud.

Tom eyed his mirror and watched as a pair of people raced
out from behind a large fir tree. One of
them raised a rifle toward the SUV, while the other ran over to the fallen
girl. “Get down.”
  Tom shouted while ducking low in his seat.

They all flattened down, but the shots never came.
  Opportunists that knew when
their prey was gone.

Tom felt for the girl.  
She was likely being held against her will and used in who knows how
many different ways. If he had learned
anything in the first days, it was that no lives were as critical as those in
your group. With all the time he had to
sit and think over those initial weeks, he mulled over the decisions he had
made and the lives that had been lost.  
It was a burden he would carry till he died.

“Should we go back for her?”  
Bear asked.

Tom shook his head.  
“Nope, let’s stick to the plan.”

“Until we start shooting anyway.”
  Hank pitched in with a grin.

They all sat in silence as Bear weaved through the snaking
mountain road. As they rose in elevation
the snow piled up, covering the road in rolling drifts.
  The SUV was beginning to struggle to keep
moving forward, deep snow taking its toll.

“Keep on it.” Hank
said.

“Lose momentum we’re done.”  
Tom added.

“Car full of drivers.”
  Bear grumbled.

The SUV slid around a sharp corner and onto a narrow
straightaway. Directly in front of them
were a pair of deuce and halfs parked nose to nose,
blocking the road. The SUV’s tires spun
as the snow deepened, hitting the bumper and beginning to high center the
vehicle.

“She doesn’t have much left.”
  Bear said.

“Good enough.” Tom
said.

Before they even came fully to a stop, Hannah was out of her
door, rifle at the ready. She surveyed
the tree line, scanning for threats.

Hank piled out a moment later with a crossbow.
  “Stupid stick shooter.”
  He grumbled half to himself.
  Despite the attitude he moved toward the back
of the SUV checking the trees and the road behind them.

Once all of them were out on the road and had decided the
immediate area was clear, they began to load up their gear.
  Each of them carried a backpack filled with
extra ammo, some MREs, water, and various items Tom had insisted upon.
  They had spread out weapons as best as
possible to not only get a variety of options, but fit their individual
preferences as well. Bear, Logan, and
Hank each had a crossbow. Tom had his
compound bow hooked on a pair of belt clips, allowing it to rest on his rear
end for easy access. All of them had a
holstered sidearm for final backup.

Tom couldn’t find a good way to shoulder his AR15 in
addition to having his bow across the small of his back and a quiver of arrows
over a shoulder. A few tries at slinging
it in different configurations and then trying to draw either the rifle or the
bow proved that they would not work together.  
He glanced at the last crossbow lying in the back of the SUV.
  He knew he was much more comfortable with his
bow and confident that he could reload it much faster.

Hank stepped over to him and said, “Got your panties all in
a knot?”

“I can’t seem to— “Tom said while messing with the rifle.

“Ditch your Glock and rifle…use
these.” Bear said while holding out a
pair of MAC-9s.

Tom took the pair of Uzi looking guns and strapped the
holsters to his thighs. He was surprised
how comfortable the large weapons were on his legs.
  “I like it, thanks.”

Hannah felt much more comfortable with her high capacity
rifle and the group felt it would be good to have at least one person with
immediate access to a weapon with some serious stopping power.
  Hank shouldered his hunting rifle.
  Both Bear and Logan were happy to have short
barrel AR15s strapped across their chests for quick access.

They stood in a circle at the back of the SUV.
  “From the maps we are a little over a half
mile out. We move in silent…only fling
sticks unless there are too many.” When
all of them nodded in agreement he went on, “There may be nobody here, but we
play it safe. We’ll use the road.
  Just before the base is a final turn, once
there we’ll move into the woods to scope it out.”
  More head nods.

As they moved off toward the large trucks blocking the road,
Hannah’s heart pounded in her chest. She
was finally doing something, finally making a difference.
  When she joined the force in Seattle she knew
she would make a difference and get some action doing it.
  It was disappointing.
  Lots of tickets, paperwork,
and sitting. This was
different…thrilling was the best she could describe it.

The group eased up to the monstrous trucks, sweeping around
the back to check for any unwanted guests.

“Clear.” Bear shouted
from the back of one.

“Clear here as well.”  
Hank responded from the other side.

The two trucks were connected with several massive chains
wound around bumpers, axels, and the frames.  
Whoever put these here didn’t want anyone moving them.

“Made a C.F. of this.”
  Bear said.

“Yip, let’s move on.”  
Tom said.

The landscape was eerily quiet, like the blanket of snow
absorbed every sound. The only audible
noise was the shuffling of feet through the deep powder, and the pounding of
each individual’s heart in their own head.  
On the military base grounds they all had a heightened sense of
foreboding, like the silence was truly the calm before the storm.