The Zombie Chronicles - Book 4 - Poisonous Serum (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) (5 page)

She turned her head. “Yeah?” Claire said, arching her eyebrow at him.

“
Wanna ride with me, doll?” he asked casually.

“
Thanks for the offer, but I’m riding with Nick.”

He frowned. “Huh? Are you seriously going to ride with him in some jalopy when you could be riding in luxury with me? We’ve got leather seats, babe. Heck, I’ll even let you pick out some of your girly music to play on the stereo. Hop in.”

“
That’s a kind offer but—”

“
The lady says she’s with me,” Nick said, throwing his arm around her and pulling her close.

“
Whatever,” Howard said, then raced off, screeching his tires.

“
What a sore loser,” Jackie said as Nick and Claire climbed into the car.

Lucy beeped the horn as she drove past us, wearing a big smile on her face. She and Tahoe would finally be able to put their children to bed for the first time since the epidemic had begun. They would be reunited with their loved ones, a joyous feeling that I’d experienced firsthand when I’d looked into the eyes of my sister, Claire, and Jackie and seen life there again. I threw the bag over my shoulder and patted it gently.
This is it,
I thought.
We have the power to save humanity, and nothing’s gonna stop us now!

Chapter 4

After driving for a few hours, we found ourselves caught in the middle of a harsh rainstorm, the police cruiser being tossed mercilessly around in the forty-five to fifty-five-MPH winds.

I swallowed hard as rain pounded on the windshield.

“
Are they keeping up?” Nick asked.

I glanced back at the long line of cars trailing behind us to make sure our convoy of world-changers was keeping up. Some of the folks in our wagon train would stay with us to fight the good fight, while others were just along for the ride until we came across the next safe city. We knew there’d be safety in numbers, particularly with so many of them armed.

“
So, Claire,” I said in a joking manner, “you didn’t wanna ride with Howard in that sweet hotrod?”

“
The guy from the security check in Kingsville? Nah. I’ll pass.” She looked up at Nick. “Besides, I don’t need a cocky muscle-head like him. I’ve already got one right here,” she teased.

I smiled as Nick grinned and squeezed Claire’s hand.

Suddenly, Nick slammed the brakes, and my head jerked back, almost whiplashed.

“
Gosh, Nick!” Claire said. “What the…?”

“
Look!” he pointed.

I glanced out the windshield and noticed that the gusting wind had toppled a tree over into the roadway. “No way you’re getting around that,” I said, staring at the giant obstacle.

Nick backed up and made a left down a street called Mowry’s Lane. “There’s always an alternate route.”

The howling wind shook the trees that were still standing, and I could feel the car swaying and fishtailing on the wet pavement. I squinted to see out the window, but it was impossible to make out anything in those heavy sheets of downpour. I had no idea how Nick was able to navigate the car in such poor visibility, and I hoped the vehicles behind us weren’t getting lost or on the verge of a ten-car pileup.

“
Nick, you’ve gotta pull over! It isn’t safe to be driving around in this freaking hurricane or monsoon or whatever it is,” Jackie scolded. “How can you even see?”

My brother didn’t answer, as his mind was totally focused on the road.

The car slowed and shook, jolting me. Glancing out the window, I gasped. Rivers and pools of water were gushing everywhere; clearly, we’d driven right into a flash flood. The water wasn’t all that high yet, but I knew it wouldn’t take much of a tidal wave to topple our car or catch us in the undertow of the raging waters.

“
We should pull over,” Jackie repeated.

Claire let out a sigh. “Are you out of your mind? What…you have a bunch of lifejackets or something? Not to mention there are zombies out there.”

“
People die in storms like this because they’re too foolish to stay off the roads!” Jackie retorted.

Claire glanced over her shoulder at us. “I realize this isn’t a pontoon boat or anything, but I’d rather take my chances floating around in it than trying to swim away from a horde of bloodthirsty, soaked-to-the-exposed-bone freaks! You thought
Jaws
was bad, I bet you can’t even imagine the feeding frenzy that would happen if we stepped out of this car right now.”

“
I get your point, Claire,” I said, “but if we keep driving through this, the belts will get wet, and the engine might stall. At the very least, Nick might lose his power steering, and that would be bad right now, since he can’t see anything as it is,” I chimed in.

Nick gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Cars can be swept off the road in as little as one foot of moving water, not to mention that roads covered by water can collapse. Maybe we oughtta stop for a while, till the weather settles down a bit.” He tested the brakes, but they felt mushy and squealed, unwilling to stop the car immediately like they should have. “Crap! They’re wet. The water’s up to the center of the wheels.”

“
Oh no!” Jackie said. “If the water gets any higher, we’re gonna lose control of the car.”

“
Keep going,” Claire said.

“
No!” Jackie barked back. “The water’s gotta be two feet deep out there, enough to send an SUV or pickup floating away, and we’re only in a police car! If we get taken by the current and crash into something, the zombies will peel this car open and gobble us up like a can of sardines!”

“
Jackie’s right,” I said. “We need to stop somewhere…and fast.”

Nick peered out the window, somehow staying as sickeningly calm, cool, and collected as ever. “Hold on. Let me just find a safe place where we can hole up till the rain stops.”

“
Guys, I really don’t want to stop,” Claire complained.

Nick glanced over at her and touched her hand. “If the water gets any higher, babe, our car and all these others will be in danger. The onboard computers will go, and when water gets into the cylinders, the motor will suffer hydro-lock and seize up on me. All the fluids will have to be drained and replaced, and we’ll all need new filters and spark plugs. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen an AutoZones around here. We can’t afford to be without transportation. The best option—for our sake as well as the cars—is to park and wait the storm out.”

Claire glanced out the window, then back at Nick. She bit her bottom lip, as if she was unsure, but finally squeezed his hand and conceded. “You’re right. Just find us somewhere safe, Nick.”

“
I will. Trust me. I’ve always got your back.”

“
I know,” she said. “The zombies just freak me out.”

“
Remember that they’re not superhuman or anything,” he said, trying to reassure her. “They’re just slow, clumsy, and dumb. When we stop, we can outsmart them if we have to. I’ve been dealing with these monsters for a long time, and I know all kinds of different tricks and tactics. How do you think I’ve managed to survive this long out here?”

“
I’m sorry. I’m just not cut out for this apocalyptic, military stuff like you. I’m not gonna pretend to be something I’m not. I’m scared, Nick—
really
, really scared. Still, that doesn’t mean I won’t try and give it 100 percent.”

“
That’s all we’re asking for,” Nick said, smiling at her as he steered carefully, creeping along at a snail’s pace.

“
Maybe I’m better off behind the lines, ya know? I’m willing to help, but I’m not a frontlines kind of gal. I’m no Rambo.”

Jackie chuckled. “I think he figured that out the second you wouldn’t pick up a gun.”

Claire glanced over her shoulder from the front seat. “Hey! I’ve learned how to shoot.”

“
I, for one, am glad Claire doesn’t look like Rambo,” Nick said, smiling at her, “but she’s come a long way in just the short time we’ve known each other.” He patted her hand and smiled at her. “I’m proud of you, Claire, and I know you’re doing your best.”

“
Thanks, Nick.” She shot him a flirty grin.

I knew not everyone was meant to go out and fight for the cause, and I was sure Claire wasn’t. Still, like she said, there were other things she could do behind the scenes. The more I pondered, the more I realized I shouldn’t label the girl; I hated when my brother did that to me. I was sure Nick would have loved to keep me behind the scenes, but whether he liked it or not, I’d be out there fighting zombies right by his side.

Claire, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly cut out for hand-to-decayed-hand combat. She was a model, with long legs that I often caught Nick staring hungrily at. Her long red hair flowed down her back in a cascade of curls, and her blue eyes were stunning. She was beautiful, perfect, and girly, and it was easy to see why my brother was attracted to her, but I was sure she wasn’t right for him. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Claire, but all her whining tended to get on my nerves, and I was surprised it didn’t bother Nick. I suppose he just wanted to protect her from all the ugliness in this world.

The major roads were totally flooded, so we had to find a safe harbor to wait out the storm until the roads were passable again. When we turned a corner, I saw a huge, three-story, red brick
building. Squinting, I
could make out a sign in front, indicating that we’d arrived at Sunny Hills Nursing Home. “Hey, Nick!” I pointed. “How about there? There’d be plenty of room for everyone.”

“
Absolutely not,” Claire said. “Think about all the undead we’d have to fight to take control of the facility.”

Jackie nuzzled into my shoulder as I held her. “Claire’s right. I don’t want to fight zombies until we absolutely have to.”

I shook my head. “Who said anything about fighting zombies? The place is all boarded up.”

Jackie wiped the fog off the window. “He’s right! Every single window. Maybe some other survivors are here,” she said. “Maybe they can help.”

“
If
they’re not hostile,” Nick said.

“
We won’t know unless we take the risk,” Jackie said. “So what do you think?”

Nick slowed down and pulled into the driveway, a frown of concentration perched between his brows. “Not a bad idea, but we’ll have to check it out first. Better safe than sorry.”

Jackie stared at the building. “I’m sure if there are any survivors holed up in there, they’ll let us stay for a night. Surely they’ll understand our predicament, and there’s gotta be plenty of room.”

“
Fine. I guess it works for me,” Claire said. “If the place’s boarded up, I’m sure there are no zombies.”

Nick opened the car door, allowing a flurry of wind and rain to rush in. “Stay put for a minute, guys. I’m just gonna run back and tell the other drivers what we’re doing.”

“
I’m coming with ya,” I said. “After we tell the others, we’ll go inside and make sure the place is safe.”

“
Count me in,” Jackie said.

“
No, you stay here and stay dry,” I said. “I got this.”

She pulled me close and kissed me on the lips. “What girl doesn’t love a nice shower?”

“
Yeah, she’s right. We haven’t had one for days,” Claire said.

“
All kidding aside, you know there’s safety in numbers,” Jackie said. “I wanna be there to get your back if you need me. We still have no idea what’s in there. It looks safe, but I’ve learned what isn’t safe is assuming things.”

I was impressed with the girls’ courage and willingness to help. I smiled at Jackie. She had a Lara Croft trait that totally turned me on. “Well, come on then,” I said, grinning.

Cold water soaked through my clothes as the wind howled. As my brother walked over to the others and discussed ways to break in, Jackie and I walked up the long sidewalk, stepping over the weeds poking out of the cracks in the cement.