Trepidation (29 page)

“Charlie can’t be trusted,” I finally said to his protégé. “He kidnapped innocent people and experimented on them.”

Shawn’s gaze narrowed. “Only because he was desperate to find a cure so we can—”

“I don’t care how desperate he was,” I snapped, cutting him off. “He tortured my friends, did cruel experiments on them. What he did down to all those people is inexcusable! He murdered my girlfriend and tried to kill me. I barely escaped from that house of horrors, and I plan to make him pay for it.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm my nerves. “And I’ll tell you what. Those hybrids were nothing more than murderers.”

“Charlie separated the hybrids who exhibited...less humanity,” Shawn argued.

“You mean the killers?” I asked.

“Yes. He put them in one part of the lab and put the rest of us, the loyal ones, in the new lab at the hospital.”

I shook my head. “No wonder Charlie and his men wouldn’t go to the basement. All the killers and infected animals were down there. That’s probably why Jonathon wanted to blow the place up.”

“Charlie was told to exterminate the dangerous hybrids, but he wanted to do a few more tests on them,” Shawn explained. “He’s a brilliant scientist, you know. Now, we have to destroy the gang, because that’ll make Charlie happy, and he promised to reward us with the cure.”

“How come we didn’t find the lab when we searched the hospital?” I asked. “We searched for where Charlie might hide the hybrids.”

“It’s hidden deep underground just like the last one. Without the right codes and a map, you would’ve never found it. Charlie keeps us safe like that. I completely trust him.”

“You shouldn’t put so much faith in him,” I warned. “The man is a lunatic, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s a liar too.”

“But I
saw
him cure a hybrid. I saw it with my own eyes.”

My jaw dropped. “Who?” I asked.

“A girl named Jackie...
your
Jackie,” he said.

The words struck me like lightning, but I wasn’t sure if I should believe him. “You’re a liar! And how do you know who I am? This is all a hoax, a big setup!”

“I know who you are because Jackie told me all about you. She had a picture of you in her pocket when she became a zombie, a Polaroid. She looked at it all the time.”

“More lies!” I shouted.

“She said the picture was taken in a cabin or something, someplace where you had to hole up for a while.”

Emotions overwhelmed me, and my throat constricted.

“Think about it, Dean. What would I have to gain by all of this?” the hybrid asked. “If this is a hoax, how did I know I’d be trapped inside of this place with you? This couldn’t be planned. It just happened.”

“Dean!” I suddenly heard a voice call. It was my brother’s, followed by the voices of the others.

I knew they wouldn’t hesitate to kill Shawn. I wasn’t sure if I should believe his story, but it certainly was a compelling tale. If he wasn’t telling the truth, at least partially, I had no idea how he would have known about the Polaroids and the cabin in the woods. After all, he hadn’t said anything about operating a psychic hotline in his former life. “They’ll kill you,” I said.

He leaned closer. “If they do, you’ll never find out where Jackie is.”

“She’s in the hospital lab deep underground,” I said.

“Or Charlie could’ve moved her to a more secure location hours from here. Haven’t you wondered why some of the scientists are missing?”

“But this is the safest city to leave. I don’t think he’d do that.”

“Are you willing to gamble that?”

“How do I know you’re not lying?” I retorted.

“You don’t, but what if there is truth to my claim? You’ll never find out what happened to her. I can give you the answers you so desperately need, Dean—answers you’ve risked your life to find but haven’t.”

“Dean, we’re coming in! Hold on!” I heard Val call. “Are you all right in there? Dean? Claire?”

“Don’t let them kill me,” Shawn begged.

I shot him a compassionate look. “I won’t.”

“Dean!” Nick shouted in a muffled voice.

“I’m here!” I shouted.

“Stay put,” Val said. “We’re coming.”

It was noisy as they tried to create an opening to get to us. I only hoped the entire building wouldn’t collapse on top of us, and I hated that they were again putting themselves in danger to save me.

“Nick,” I said, “what’s going on out there?”

“We stormed the warehouse. Most of Z’s men were killed by hybrids, but that slippery Z escaped with a band of soldiers. Max and his men went after him.”

“Where are the hybrids now?” I asked.

“Gone. We took out a couple, but most of them escaped.”

The rocks shifted, and Val heaved herself through an opening, followed by Nick and Lucas.

“Zombie!” my sister instantly shouted, taking aim.

J
ust as Lucas began to pull his trigger, I jumped in front of Shawn. “You can’t kill this one!” I yelled.

“Huh?” Lucas questioned, as if I’d gone nuts.

“He’s not like the others,” I said.

“Dean, you musta hit your head. Now move away from that thing!” Nick ordered.

“He says Jackie’s still alive, that Charlie cured her!” I shouted. “If you kill him, he can’t tell us anything.”

“What?” Claire said in complete shock as she stumbled to her feet.

Val hurried over to steady her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but I could do without the hangover. Musta been quite a party. Wh-what happened?”

“Hybrids tried to blow up this building,” I said.

She ran a hand through her hair as she contemplated having survived an explosion.

“Some of their explosives crapped out on them,” Val said, “so you’re okay.”

“Did I hear somebody say something about Jackie?” Claire asked, confused. “Is she really alive?”

“No,” Lucas said, then turned his attention to me. “They’re messing with your mind, Dean. It’s what they do.”

“Don’t be fooled by that things bull,” Nick said. “Now move aside, Dean.”

Lucas pointed the gun again, waiting for a clear shot, but I refused to move. I was sure Shawn could answer many of my questions.

Blam
!

In one swift move, and without another warning, Nick threw me to the ground and put a bullet in Shawn’s head.

My stomach clenched into a million knots, and I looked at my brother in utter disbelief. “No!” I shouted.

“Dean...” the hybrid said with a groan.

“Shawn,” I whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

“I-I just remembered...” he said.

I held his hand as he took a few dying breaths. “What? What do you remember?”

“I-I slaughtered my wife, my son. I-I...oh no! I didn’t remember till now. But now I can be with them, Dean. Now I can rest in peace. Now I can...” With that, he closed his eyes, and Lucas put another bullet in his head.

I glared up at Nick with disdain. “How could you?”

“It was just a hybrid. Chill out,” he said. “What’s wrong with you anyway?”

“Dean, those things just killed almost everyone in that warehouse,” Val said. “They’re beyond dangerous.”

Lucas shot me a look. “And in case you’ve forgotten, hybrids have tried to kill us more than once.”

“This one was different,” I whispered.

“I highly doubt that,” Lucas retorted. “Once a rotter, always a rotter, even if they do have a good grasp of the vocabulary and can figure out a door lock.”

“Let’s go,” Nick said.

I squeezed through the narrow opening of debris and walked outside. I stared at the demolished buildings and thought about everything Shawn had told me; it all weighed quite heavily on my mind. Bright flames licked up into the night sky, and smoke in various colors was swirling around everywhere. It was like being in the middle of a warzone.

“We gotta save Charlie,” Claire said.

“Again?” Val said. “Didn’t you and Dean risk your lives to save him from a house surrounded by a herd?”

“We did, and then found out he was the mastermind behind the experiments.”

Lucas raised a brow. “And you want to save him, why?” 

Claire sighed. “I hate him, but he knows where Jackie is.”

“You’re falling for that hybrid’s crap!” Lucas said.

“What if this was about somebody you loved?” she retorted. “I need answers. I need to talk to Charlie.”

Lucas looked at me. “What did the hybrid exactly tell you about Jackie?”

“Shawn said Jackie was alive, that she was cured,” I said. “That he witnessed it with his very own eyes. If I can talk to Charlie...”

“We don’t even know where he is,” Nick said.

“Dean!” a voice called.

Nick, Lucas, and Val trained their rifles on a woman emerging from the curtain of smoke.

“Put your guns down,” I said. “It’s Sandy. She’s from Z’s compound, but if it wasn’t for her and her sister, Asia and I wouldn’t have gotten out of there alive.”

Nick walked over to her. “I can’t thank you enough for saving my brother’s life.”

“Your brother is an honorable man,” she said. “I couldn’t let Z kill him.”

“We can’t thank you enough,” Val added.

They lowered their weapons, and Sandy hurried over and hugged me. “I thought you were dead. I saw you on the roof, and I tried to stop the hybrids from placing the explosives, but I couldn’t. I’m so sorry.”

“No need to be, Sandy. I’m alive,” I said, hugging her.

Lucas looked at me seriously. “You were trying to protect your own would-be murderer back there, Dean.”

“He was trying to save my life,” I said.

“Sure he was,” Nick said in a sarcastic tone.

“He said Charlie put all of us on a ‘no kill list’,” I said. “No hybrids were allowed to hurt us.”

“He lied,” Val said.

“I don’t believe he’d do that.”

“So zombies lie. Go figure,” Lucas retorted.

“It makes perfect sense,” I said. “It explains why that hybrid saved my life when those thugs attacked me.”

“Where’s Z?” Claire asked.

“He was pretty busy running from the other hybrids,” Lucas said. “I bet they woulda spit him out if they ate him though.”

“I know where Z is,” Sandy suddenly blurted out. “I tried to find Max, but he’s gone already.”

I gasped. “Where, Sandy?”

“Z just left, and they’re on their way to kill Charlie, then go after Max.”

“Charlie? Where? Do you know exactly where they’re headed?”

“They’re going to Charlie’s place in Fairport, on the edge of town,” Sandy said. “Do you know where the elementary school is? By the town hall?”

I nodded. “I’m learning  Fairport pretty good. So yeah.”

“It’s a huge, brown house with a wraparound porch you can’t miss.”

“I’ll find it,” I said.

Lucas shook his head. “Good riddance, if ya ask me. Maybe they’ll kill each other so we can have the day off.”

“Right. The scientist gets what he deserves,” Nick agreed, “but when Z comes for Max, we’ll be ready.”

“I agree that Charlie should pay for the evils he’s done,” Claire said, “but if he has info on this supposed cure or Jackie, we should—”

“Tell me you’re not falling for that fairytale, that crap the hybrid was spewing at Dean,” Lucas said. “Did you hit your head too hard too?”

Nick pulled Claire into a close embrace. “Listen to Lucas. I know you want to hope Jackie’s alive, but it was a load of crap. Now c’mon.”

Pointing his rifle straight ahead, Nick led the way to the car parked blocks over.

On the way, Claire grabbed my arm. “We have to warn Charlie that an execution squad is on the way. We have to stop it and find out what he knows.”

“Then let’s do it,” I said.

“You think you can beat Z’s gang there?” Lucas asked Nick.

“If we take Breech Street over to Maple, it’ll save a good ten minutes. We’re gonna need backup, and we need to tell Max what Z is up to.”

“There isn’t time,” Claire said.

I gripped her hand to try to calm her down.

“Let’s just go, you and me,” she said.

I nodded, then announced to everyone my decision. “Claire and I are leaving.”

Nick stopped and spun around. “Not without us, you’re not.”

“Then you better follow me, because I can hotwire that red car right there,” I said, pointing to the left.

“You’re not running off again without backup,” Val said. “Z’s men play dirty, and I won’t let you face them alone.”

“We just have to beat them there,” Claire chimed in.

Nick shook his head. “No. It’s too dangerous. You know what Z will do to you if you get caught? Remember what he did to you last time? He shows no mercy.”

“I need to do this...for Jackie,” she argued, “and if you ever cared about her one tiny bit, or if you care about me, you’ll help me or at least get outta my way. If you try to stop me, I will never forgive you, Nick.”

Claire’s trump card worked, and the others finally agreed, because they knew how stubborn we were and that we would go with or without them. The only choice they had was to accompany us or stuff us in the trunk, because we wouldn’t give up.

We drove to Charlie’s house, tires squealing as we sped there. We parked in the driveway, where we were greeted by his security team. Charlie had never had guards on duty before, since he’d never feared for his life, but now he was on Z’s hit list.

I jumped out of the car and rushed toward the armed guards.

“Halt,” one shouted, “or I’ll shoot!”

I heeded his warning. “Listen, I just need to talk to Charlie.”

“I got a better idea. I’ll give you ten seconds to haul your butt outta here,” said the towering, bearded, scowling man.

“But Z’s gang is coming!” I said. “We’ve only got a ten-minute lead on them, and they’re looking for Charlie.”

“You’ve gotta get him out of here,” Claire said, inching forward. “Charlie’s my friend,” she lied. “We’re only here to help.”

The men refused to budge.

“C’mon, fellas. Put the guns down. We’re all on the same side here,” Val said, trying to muster a flirtatious voice even though she looked like she wanted to murder them.

Claire resorted to yelling for Charlie as the security force swept toward us in full force.

The door creaked open, and there stood the mass murderer himself. In my book, he was on the same level as Z. They were both sick, twisted individuals, and Charlie had science on his side. “What do you want, Claire?” he asked.