Plague of the Living Dead (The Z-Day Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  “He doesn’t know in which direction she went. Maybe she went back inside the house without him realizing it,” said Officer Delgado.

  “He already checked inside the house,” said Norman. “He said he heard her throw up and when he turned to check on her, she was gone. He’s blaming himself for all of this. He said he was the one who sent her outside to fetch the paper.”

  Officer Delgado looked at the father and then back to the dead pilot. “Why does he look like he’s been dead for a long time?”

  “That’s the question of the day. By all accounts this man should never have made it to this neighborhood. This is the pilot from the helicopter crash,” said Sean. “There is only one explanation for how a dead man got to this neighborhood.”

  “Don’t even suggest it, Sean,” said Officer Delgado. “The only zombies on this planet are locked up safe and secure at the zombie park in Indiana.”

  “Isn’t that where the terrorist attack took place?” asked Norman. “Maybe one of them got loose.”

  “It’s highly unlikely,” said Officer Delgado. “Valparaiso is more than a day’s walk from this side of Illinois. No, there has to be another explanation. Besides, if one of those zombies got loose from the park, it would be all over the news. I haven’t heard any reports about escaped zombies.”

  Sean looked at the father still shouting his daughter’s name. “Somebody better help him find his daughter.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” said Officer Delgado. “You guys get the body out of here, and I’ll deal with the missing girl. She couldn’t have gone far. I’ll see if I can find a blood trail to follow. Let’s hope the coroner can determine why this guy looks like he expired a long time ago.”

  Norman and Jamie loaded the dead pilot in the back of the ambulance and made their way back to the hospital. This time they were taking the body straight to the morgue. They turned on the radio on the way and listened to the report about the terrorist attack in Indiana. It was reported that no survivors had been located in the first hours of the search and rescue mission. Ground zero wasn’t being searched for another week or so due to the area being too hot. Nobody was expecting to locate any survivors in the area.

  “I’m glad we’re not working in Indiana right now. Can you imagine what the bodies would look like after a nuclear blast?”

  Sean glanced over at Norman. “There wouldn’t be any bodies left to pick up. Most of them would have been incinerated. They’re going to need plenty of shovels for that job.”

  “I’m going to turn the station. After everything we’ve been through, I want to hear some uplifting music.” Norman switched through the stations until he heard his favorite Taylor Swift song. “This is what I’m talking about!”

  They continued down the road with their sirens off, lip synching to Taylor Swift. They weren’t in any hurry to reach the hospital.

  Doctor Crownover stood over one of the bodies brought in. He shook his head. He had never seen anything like this before. The victim was missing most of the back of his head, but he was still breathing, barely, but still breathing. He checked the victim’s pulse. He looked at the nurse. “This one is going to die within the next hour. There isn’t anything that can be done for him. The other one shows more promise, but just barely. I have to run my rounds, so alert me if either one of their vitals changes.”

  He headed behind another curtain to check on a skateboarder who sprained his ankle while trying to jump over the hood of a car. It was nothing he was concerned about. He had the sprain wrapped and wrote a prescription for the pain. He wished all of his patients were this easy to diagnose.

  He went into the lounge to get a cup of coffee. He needed to take a break so he could ease his mind. He knew from experience loading his mind wasn’t a positive thing for him to do. It often led him to make hasty decisions. It never got him into trouble, but he feared one day it possibly could. He turned on the television and sat back in a chair to catch the news. A report on Valparaiso, Indiana was being televised. He was about to change channels when his nurse came in to alert him there was a change in one of his patients.

  He followed her to the emergency room and went to curtain one. He heard some low growling coming from behind the curtain. He stole a glance toward his nurse before pushing aside the curtain. His patient was sitting up in the bed trying to get up.

  “I wouldn’t advise that,” said Doctor Crownover. “You need to lie back down.”

  The patient looked up at the doctor with milky-white eyes that were clouded over. The doctor took several steps backward and turned to his nurse.

  “Go call security right away.” He turned his attention back to his patient who was standing up. He staggered toward the doctor on jerky legs, trying to grab him with outstretched arms.

  The doctor took several more steps backward, fearing the patient was no longer human. He had somehow turned into something inhuman. The creature staggered toward him, making a low, sinister sound. He heard the nurses screaming behind him as he bumped into the nurse’s station. The creature was slowly moving closer to him.

  “Duck, Doctor Crownover,” he heard from across the room. He did as he was instructed and heard three shots fire in succession. The creature fell face first and landed directly in front of him. He looked back toward the security officer who was making his way toward them.

  “Thanks, Chuck, I’m not quite sure what just happened here.”

  “That thing looked like a zombie. Lucky for me I got here when I did. That thing wanted to take a chunk out of you.”

  Doctor Crownover rolled it onto its back and looked at its eyes. They stared back at him blankly. He looked at Chuck. “Whatever happened…he’s no longer human. I can’t explain this. It isn’t humanly possible for someone to turn into a zombie.”

  “Have you forgotten, doc? They were creating zombies at the zombie park in Indiana.”

  Doctor Crownover stood up and looked around. “The terrorist attack in Indiana. I wonder if those zombies had something to do with what just happened here.”

  “Are you suggesting they had a zombie problem and they nuked the place to get rid of them? That would mean it wasn’t terrorists after all; it’s just one big cover-up.”

  “Doesn’t it make more sense than a terrorist nuking Indiana? I knew their story sounded far-fetched.”

  Chuck looked at the creature lying on the floor. He looked at curtain number two. “Didn’t he have company when he was brought here?”

  “Yes, he did.” The doctor went to the second curtain and opened it. The patient was lying there lifeless. He checked his pulse to make sure he was still dead. He looked at the wound on his head. “This one isn’t going anywhere. He suffered a brain injury. He won’t be coming back from the dead anytime soon.” He looked at Chuck. “We need to get both of these bodies cremated right away.”

  “Should we call the authorities? They will want to know we had a zombie in the ER.”

  “I’m not sure they will believe me, but I will handle it. In the meantime, let’s get these bodies out of the ER.”

  He left to go back to his office for some privacy. He had to make a call that would sound more like a Halloween prank call. He thought about what had happened in Valparaiso. Is it a cover-up? Have zombies escaped Indiana? Will they encounter more zombies in the ER? The last thing Illinois needed was a zombie outbreak. He made it to his office and closed the door behind him. It was time to place the call to the police.

  Chapter Three

  President Andrews and Gerald Thornton, Secretary of Defense, were led down a long hall to an awaiting golf cart by General Milkwood.

  “It’s a privilege to have you here, Mr. President. I’m sure you’ll be impressed by our progress here with the smart zombie program.”

  “I hope so,” General Milkwood. “I need to hear progress is being made. I just gave one of my worst speeches to the American public. I should have stuck with the official speech, but I wanted to feel more in touch with the American people.
Instead, I think I sounded distant.” He looked at Mr. Thornton. “What did you think, Gerald?”

  “You said what you thought what was right. I’m sure the nation is satisfied with your speech.”

  “That’s what I like about you, Gerald. You’re not afraid to lie to my face. We both know the speech was crap. Heck, I would suspect something was wrong myself if it was the speech I heard. I need to hear and see something positive today, General Milkwood. Please don’t disappoint me.”

  “We’re here,” said General Milkwood. “Once we’re inside, don’t be alarmed by the lion walking loose. Ares won’t hurt anyone unless he’s ordered to.”

  “A lion?” questioned President Andrews. “Are you positively sure he’s safe to be around?”

  “He’s part of the smart zombie program. He will remain friendly until we order him to attack.”

  President Andrews looked at Mr. Thornton. “If this is true, this could be the progress I was hoping to see firsthand. This is the type of weapon America needs to have in her arsenal.”

  “Follow me, and stay close. I don’t want you to get lost in this place.”

  He led them to an area toward the back of the building. On their way, they passed through several areas where men and women dressed in white lab coats were bustling around and looking through microscopes. President Andrews appeared fascinated by all the commotion happening around him.

  “General Milkwood, can you tell me some of the things happening here. I can tell a lot of money is being funded here.”

  “More than you know,” mumbled General Milkwood under his breath. “You will have to ask Dr. Krage all those questions. He’s the only one who understands most of this.”

  “I’m confused,” said President Andrews. “Don’t you work closely with him?”

  “I do, Mr. President, but it doesn’t mean I understand everything he’s doing. I’m not a scientist.”

  Doctor Krage came into their view. He was busy working with a polar bear. President Andrews stared at General Milkwood.

  “Are you sure it’s safe to be around the bear. The one thing I know about them is they will attack people.”

  “Normal bears will attack people. This is a smart zombie. Like the lion, the bear will only attack once it’s given the order. Relax, Mr. President, you have nothing to fear.”

  Doctor Krage looked at the group approaching him. He turned to his assistant. “Take Thelma back to her cage. We’ll continue our work with her at another time.” He waited until General Milkwood had brought the group to his work station. “Mr. President, it’s an honor to have you here.”

  “This is quite a place you have here, Doctor Krage. I’m impressed with all the hustle and bustle.”

  “There is more happening here than just hustle and bustle. The entire future of our world is being developed inside this building. I would be honored to take you on the grand tour, but first let’s get to why you are here. You are interested in our progress with the smart zombie program. I assure you, Mr. President, we’re ahead of schedule. Thanks to late Professor Kathy Hollman, most of the work was completed before it reached me. All we basically had to do was tweak it a bit. The smart zombie program has been perfected. We now control the world’s greatest fighting force. Imagine an army that can withstand being shot several times and can still keep fighting. At another section of the building we’re developing a bullet proof helmet stronger than any helmet ever developed before. When our smart zombies are wearing the helmets, nothing can kill them. Their heads will be protected from head shots. Injuring the brain is the only way to kill a zombie.”

  “What about the animals? What happens if they take a headshot?” asked President Andrews.

  “Helmets are being developed to fit them, as well. We’ve thought about everything here,” said Doctor Krage. “How would you like to meet your smart zombies?” He saw Ares was walking toward them. “Here comes Ares now. He’s the leader of the animal army. Every single one will obey their orders.”

  General Milkwood’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out and answered. “General Milkwood.” He paused to listen to the person on the other end. “What are you talking about? When did the helicopter crash? I see–there wasn’t any bodies at the crash site. Did you check the local hospital? None of our men are at the hospital? What about General Poe?” He paused for a moment. “His body is missing, too? Listen, we need to find him, whether he is alive or not. Take a team and search the area for him as well as his cell phone. We don’t know how careful he was. Whether you find him alive or injured, make sure he gets here.”

  Doctor Krage waited until the general put his phone away before speaking. “What is it? It sounded like bad news.”

  “The helicopter crashed in Illinois. Captain Spanner informed me they are on the scene and all the bodies are missing.”

  “Missing,” repeated Mr. Thornton. “How can they be missing? They didn’t just get up and walk away…or did they?”

  Doctor Krage had a sickening feeling engulf him. He looked at President Andrews. “If General Poe was infected when he got on the helicopter, he could have caused the crash.”

  “What are you getting at, doctor?” asked President Andrews.

  “It means bombing Valparaiso may have been for nothing. The missing bodies from the crash site could mean they’re zombies. I’m afraid if that’s the case, we’re about to have another outbreak.”

  “I can’t use another nuke,” said President Andrews. “We have to get ahead of this thing right now.” He looked at Ares. “Can these animals track zombies?”

  “They can track whatever we want them to track. Why? What do you have in mind?”

  President Andrews turned to Mr. Thornton. “Gerald, get in contact with Captain Spanner and inform him we’re sending him help in searching for the missing men. Tell him to stand down until his help arrives.” He turned to General Milkwood. “This will give you the opportunity to run a field test. I want you to take Ares and any other animals you want to help track our missing men. Do whatever it takes to clean up this mess.”

  “I’ll take Ares and Thelma.”

  Doctor Krage took General Milkwood aside. “Thelma isn’t ready for a field test as of right now. Why don’t you take the grizzly instead?”

  “I trust Thelma, doctor. I can finish her training in the field. She’s almost there. We just need a little more time.”

  Doctor Krage thought about it for a minute. “All right, but I’m holding you personally responsible for her. She’s my favorite so you better take good care of her.”

  “Should I take the protective helmets for them?” he asked the doctor.

  “I wish I had better news for you. The helmets won’t be ready for at least another week. I wasn’t expecting a field test so soon. I wouldn’t worry about it; I’m sure they’ll be fine. Just hurry and find the men and get back here with them.”

  “I’m sure they will be found. Soon we’ll know for sure how effective our smart zombies will be in the field.” General Milkwood looked at President Andrews. “I’ll keep in constant contact with Mr. Thornton.”

  Mr. Thornton looked apprehensive. “What happens if our missing men are found by civilians? I mean, if they have turned into zombies, we might already be too late in preventing another outbreak.”

  President Andrews knew it was a possibility they were already too late, and a zombie outbreak could already be happening. If it was, he knew they probably wouldn’t be able to contain it. He looked at General Milkwood. “If you find we’re in a crisis, some plague of the living dead, forget the mission and come back here. This might be the last safe place in the world.”

  “You’re abandoning hope?” asked General Milkwood.

  “Hope will already be lost. All four of us have to survive. If we become one of those things, then the whole world will be lost.” He turned to Dr. Krage. “Is this place stocked with supplies?”

  “We could survive here for years. If we limit the amount of personnel, we can survive much lo
nger. We have everything we need–food, water, medicine, guns and ammunition. Pretty much anything we will need to continue living comfortably.”

  President Andrews thought for a moment. “This is our secret. Project Living Dead goes into effect immediately.” He looked at Dr. Krage. “Make sure more supplies are brought here. I want to make sure nothing is missed. I have this feeling we are going to be spending the rest of our lives here.”

  Chapter Four

  Sean listened to Norman discuss his vacation plans en route to the emergency room. Norman wanted to relax on the beach in Florida, sipping margaritas and watching scantily clad women walking up and down the beach. It was the vacation he took twice a year to allow his mind to see something positive instead of all the suffering and death he witnessed as a paramedic. Witnessing the trauma people suffered through reminded him of his own mortality, and it frightened him. He never wanted to be any of the patients he often rushed to the hospital, trying to arrive before the patient flatlined. It was the race against time the patient sometimes lost. He hated those times. He had become a paramedic to save lives, not watch them die in the back of an ambulance. Visiting the beach was the only thing that relaxed him–let him melt into another world. His thoughts were interrupted by his partner slamming on the brakes. The ambulance skidded to a halt.

  “Sean, what are you doing?”

  Sean didn’t say a word. Instead he pointed directly in front of him, as if he was trying to show him something. Standing in the middle of the road was an elderly woman wearing a bloodied white night gown with her dark hair done up in curlers. He could see blood flowing down the side of her face.

  She looked as though she was in shock. She stood there staring at them as if she waiting for them to get out of the ambulance. Norman got out first and made his way slowly toward her.

  “Ma’am, are you all right? We’re paramedics; we can help you.”

  She growled at him as he took a step closer toward her. His partner, Sean, held him back. He saw something was strange about her eyes. He shone a light onto her face with his flashlight. Her eyes were milky-white and lifeless.