The Zombie Chronicles - Book 2 (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) Page 10

  “Our Lucy has never lost a game of pool before,” the man behind me hissed. “Obviously you cheated, you filthy piece of slime.”

  The man held tightly to my arm as a few guys tackled Nick to the ground. The situation quickly grew out of control. A shot fired, and the bartender pointed his rifle straight at us.

  In all the commotion, that was my chance. I jammed the dude with my elbow as hard as I possibly could, causing him to gasp and take a wavering step back.

  “Let the boys go!” the bartender said. “You know we need them alive.”

  I gulped. Need us alive? For what? What’s that supposed to mean?

  “Hey, Mike,” said the enraged man, breaking a pool cue in half over his knee, “nobody holds a gun on me. Nobody! I’m gonna break your arms in ten different ways.”

  The bartender didn’t even blink as he let out another warning shot. I gasped as the man called for his buddies, who all jumped to his defense, while five strong guys rushed in to help the bartender. One of them sucker-punched another and the dude landed on a table that collapsed underneath his weight. A blond man retaliated by grabbing a chair and pounding it over somebody’s head, and in minutes, the entire bar erupted into a warzone.

  My eyes locked on a man barreling toward me with a wooden barstool. With lightning reflexes, I dodged to the left, and the man took out the light that was swinging over the pool table. Another man came at me, swinging a chair leg in the air like a bat. I punched him in the gut, and he dropped and crashed to the ground while glass shattered somewhere behind me.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Nick muttered.

  In that moment, I wished our guns had not been taken away from us at the gate. A guy lunged for me, and pain exploded in my jaw when he caught me with a powerful punch. Out of instinct, I landed a left punch that connected squarely with his jaw, returning the favor, then Nick broke a wooden chair over his back. Another came at my neck with a broken beer bottle. I slammed into the idiot and head-butted him. Dancing amoebas flooded my vision as I tumbled to the ground. Wait…just how did we end up in a bar fight? I asked the little birdies that seemed to be chirping and flying in a circle around my head, but they had no answer for me.

  Nick held out a hand. “Get up!” he yelled through all the shouting and confusion.

  After I scrambled to my feet, we raced toward the door. I stumbled over a broken chair and overturned table, then opened the door and hurried outside into the fresh air. Nick grabbed my arm and motioned me down the sidewalk, and we briskly walked away. I raised my hand to my throbbing cheek as we went.

  “You gonna live, little brother?” Nick asked, slapping my back.

  “I’m fine.” I didn’t dare comment on my splitting headache or how much the sunshine was aggravating it.

  Chapter 17

  “Tahoe’s here somewhere,” I said, walking as fast as I could away from the bar where we’d unintentionally started a brawl. “We gotta find him…and quick. He must be visiting an acquaintance, so maybe the residents here don’t know him.”

  “Is it just me, or are all these people off their rockers?” Nick asked. “That guy came at you with a knife because Lucy lost a game of pool. Have they been cooped up here too long or what?”

  “I’ve got no idea. And what did that bartender mean when he said they need us alive?” I asked.

  “It’s all part of a mystery I’m not even sure I want the answer to. What do you think?”

  Before I could answer, a Boston terrier lunged at me, latched on to the leg of my jeans, then shook its head, snarling and growling.

  Nick laughed. “Today’s just not your day.”

  I smirked. The dog’s teeth hadn’t quite penetrated my skin yet, but as an avid dog lover, I didn’t want to kick the poor thing. I tried shaking my leg, but that didn’t work.

  “Bruno! Get over here now!” an elderly man bellowed.

  Bruno let out one last throaty growl, released my leg, then charged back to his owner.

  The darn dog had torn right through my pants, leaving a zigzag rip. I glanced up to meet Nick’s gaze. “Don’t worry. He didn’t bite me.”

  “No rabies shots then?”

  I slugged Nick; he knew how much I hated needles.

  “I’m so sorry about that, son,” the man said. “Bruno never used to do that, but he’s been acting a little crazy lately. I think it’s ‘cause there’s been too many strangers and visitors around. He thinks he owns the town. I’m gonna hafta get ‘im a leash, I s’pose.”

  Nick smiled. “It’s okay. It’s a dog’s nature to protect. No harm, no foul.”

  The man waved. “Thanks for understanding.”

  “Have a good day, sir,” I said, walking away.

  “Hey!” the man called.

  I turned around. “Yes?”

  His forehead wrinkled, and he looked around, as if to make sure nobody was watching. “What poor Bruno did to you is nothing compared to what they’re gonna do,” he whispered. “You boys oughtta get out now, if you still can.”

  I shook my head. “What does that mean?”

  He turned and started talking to somebody who was not there. “I know if I warn them, I’m dead meat, but gosh darn it! They’re just kids.”

  “Who is he talking to?” I asked Nick.

  “I think some of the people in this town are hallucinating, big time.”

  “Listen, Margaret!” the old man said. “I’m gonna tell ‘em whether you like it or not.”

  Nick inched closer. “Sir, uh…there’s nobody here but us. And who’s Margaret?” he dared to ask.

  “Huh? You mean you don’t see my wife?”

  I shook my head. “No, sir.”

  “Hmm. Well, maybe that’s because she died in a zombie attack a few months back.”

  Clearly, the guy was definitely hallucinating, and my heart went out to the old man. Obviously, the grief and stress of losing his beloved had simply been too much to handle.

  “Now, listen. You’re a nice kid. I think it’s best you get outta town while you still can.”

  “But why? What’s going on around here?” Nick asked sullenly.

  “Margaret told me not to tell you.” He then looked up, staring into thin air. “I know, but they have every right to know, honey.”

  “Know what?” I asked. “Please tell Margaret she can trust us.”

  Nick rolled his eyes at me, obviously thinking we would get nothing useful from a crazy person or his invisible, dead wife.

  The old man frowned. “They’re never gonna let you leave. That’s what’s going on.”

  I sucked in a deep breath. “What?”

  The man clapped my shoulder. “Hop the fence and leave, son—and the sooner, the better.”

  “Why not just leave the way we came?” I asked.

  “What? Haven’t you heard a word Margaret or I just said? They’re never gonna let you leave. Guests come in by the dozens, but nobody ever leaves.” His eyes grew wide. “Quick! Margaret says you’d better run…now!” And with that, the man hurried away, his little dog following after him.

  “Wait!” I called after him, but the man and his dog had already scrambled into a car and driven off. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, turning to my brother.

  Nick ran a hand through his hair as he pondered the man’s words. “Only one of two things.”

  I cocked a brow. “What?”

  “Either the man’s crazy, which is pretty obvious, or this town is doing something to the visitors of Kingsville.”

  I shuddered at the thought. “What could they possibly be doing?”

  “I have no clue, but any sane person would be getting’ the heck outta Dodge right about now.”

  “I’m willing to stick it out if that’s what it takes to save Val.”

  “I couldn’t be more proud of you, Dean,” Nick said. “You’re growing up right before my eyes.”

  “You know I’d do the same for you—and so would she.”

  He smiled. “And I�
�d go through hell to save your butt too.”

  Across the hotel parking lot, I noticed familiar figures. “Jackie!” I called.

  Lucas and Claire waved as we walked over to them.

  “Hey, guys. Find anything?” I asked, noticing the paper bag in Claire’s hand.

  “Nothing,” Claire said.

  “We got some food though.” Jackie grinned. “You and Nick need to eat, or you’ll be no good to Val.”

  “How could this town not know Tahoe?” Lucas shook his head. “Nobody’s ever heard of him, unless they’re lying.”

  “We had the same luck—none,” Nick said.

  “Somebody has to know him or else he’d be at the hotel with us,” I said.

  Jackie touched my swollen cheek. “What happened?”

  Nick cut in. “Bar brawl. Dean got nailed, but he’s fine. The people around here are freaking crazy.”

  Claire nodded. “Tell me about it. It’s like they’re possessed or something. I swear we’ve jumped into a real-life horror movie.”

  “Cue the scary music,” Jackie said.

  “Yeah, something’s going on,” Lucas said. “Something doesn’t feel right about this town…about these people. I swear half of them are hallucinating, all talking to themselves and crap. I just pray to God they’re not in transition. If they are, we’re so screwed.”

  I’d thought the same thing, and it made my stomach clench. “We just gotta hurry up and get the heck outta here.”

  Jackie lowered her gaze and rubbed her arms. “The people here are scary. The way they look at us and smile like they know something we don’t? It’s just flat-out creepy.”

  “I hate to say it, but it really does remind me of when Val was in transition,” I said.

  “Exactly,” Lucas said. “If they are transitioning, we don’t have more than a day or two.”

  “Why aren’t city officials taking care of the problem?” Claire asked. “Surely they must’ve noticed it too.”

  Jackie nodded. “The city’s trying their best with their strict protocol, but maybe the virus just got out of control.”

  “It happened back at the island,” Lucas said. “The virus spread like wildfire.”

  I bit my lip hard. I’d been trying so hard to not think about that, about my parents and my poor grandma. Pain tore through my heart as I said a quick prayer, hoping they were okay.

  “This old man told us to hop the fence and leave town,” Nick said.

  Jackie glanced up, her eyes wide. “Hop the towering barbed-wire fence? Why not just leave through the gates?”

  “Because he said they’ll never let us leave,” I answered.

  Claire gulped. “Do you think he was serious?”

  “He also said people come in by the dozens but never leave,” I added.

  “So where are they?” Lucas asked. “You think this place is some kind of cult? Maybe they sacrifice people on some ancient altar at midnight.”

  “That’s creepy,” I said.

  Lucas nodded. “Let’s just hope there’s not a full moon tonight, or else we’re goners.” He let out a low chuckle.

  Jackie nudged him. “Sacrifices? Full moons? Altars? C’mon! That’s totally farfetched, and it still wouldn’t explain why everyone’s hallucinating.”

  Lucas nudged her. “Maybe the whole town’s haunted and they’re talking to the dead.”

  “Lucas, we need to stick to theories that can actually happen in real life,” Jackie said.

  “You mean like…zombies?” Lucas said. “You oughtta take a look around. A couple years ago, that was the stuff of horror films and videogames, and nobody would have ever thought it could really happen.”

  “Maybe the old man was exaggerating,” Nick said, peering into the hotel office through the window. “Hey, look! The lights are off, and they’ve put up the ‘CLOSED’ sign. Wanna check out the office while they’re on a break?”

  “Yeah,” I said, “but how are we going to pick the lock?”

  He smiled. “I snatched a paperclip when we were in the office. I planned on coming back.”

  “Always thinking ahead,” Claire said, shaking her head and smiling at him.

  “Well, you know. Hey, can you guys be our lookout?”

  “Yep,” Lucas said.

  Nick looked around, as if to make sure nobody was looking, then sped off toward the office. I glanced around too, just to make sure, but the area seemed deserted. Nick opened the door with a click, as he was dangerously good at wielding a paperclip, and we both walked in. Daylight glared in through the windows, so we didn’t turn on the lights. Nick started rummaging around desk drawers while I jumped on the computer; of course it was password protected. I let out a frustrated breath.

  “What?” Nick said, flipping through papers in a file.

  “If this computer holds dubious secrets about its guests, we can’t access it. Where’s a hacker when I need one?”

  I could hear Lucas outside, trying to stall somebody from coming back inside the office. Startled, I jumped up, but Nick shoved me under the desk.

  “Sir, if you don’t leave, I will have every right to shoot you,” the man said to Lucas.

  “Okay, okay! Sheesh, mister! Put the gun down,” Lucas said. “I’m leaving.”

  My heart raced. I couldn’t believe the man was holding a gun on Lucas, just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time in a strange town. The people of Kingsville didn’t play by normal rules, and they were flipping crazy.

  The door opened, and the lights flicked on. Keys jingled, and my breath froze in my throat. If they caught us, I was sure they’d shoot us, but not before Nick and I pounded them. I’d take them at any cost; I’d been through hell and back fighting the undead, and I wasn’t going to go down at the hands of the living that easily, straitjacket crazy or not.

  “They’re asking about a Tahoe,” a female voice said. “You know who that really is, right?”

  I recognized the voice immediately as the receptionist, but the other voice, a male’s, was unfamiliar.

  “Of course I do,” the guy said. “Does he know people are hunting for him?”

  “I can’t find him,” she said. “He’s at the lab or something, researching some serum he got a hold of.”

  I knew the weasel was here! And he’s playing mad scientist with our formula—with Val’s serum. I could feel the heat rising through me as anger burned deep down. Ooh, I’m gonna kick his thieving buttt, if Nick doesn’t kill him first.

  “They want the guys,” the receptionist said.

  “What about the chicks? I’d love to see that.”

  “They’re more interested in the boys, perfect specimens.”

  “They are certainly that, but wouldn’t the girls really add to it?”

  I bit my lip hard. What the heck does that mean? What would a little town in the middle of nowhere want with male visitors?

  The receptionist walked in front of the desk, as if ready to sit down and scoot in.

  I held in a breath. We are so, so screwed.

  “This town has enough bloodshed on its hands,” she said.

  I met Nick’s gaze, wide-eyed. “What the heck?” I mouthed.

  “Sure, people are bound to notice their loved ones disappearing in Kingsville,” the man continued, “but we’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse—the perfect cover-up for murder.”

  “I guess if the mayor is spearheading the entire thing, there’s not much we can do to stop it. I’ll see you later. I’ve gotta get back to work.”

  Suddenly, a scream echoed from outside, and the receptionist gasped.

  “What the heck?” she said.

  “C’mon! Let’s check it out,” the man said.

  I heard the door click shut and peeked out. When we determined that the coast was clear, we knew we had one shot to make our getaway. Nick and I scrambled up from our hiding place and slipped out the door.

  “Is she dead?” Jackie yelled in a hysterical tone.

  “I’m dizzy
. I think it’s from this heat,” Claire said, scrambling to her feet. “I just need to get back to my hotel room and get some rest.”

  The man swung his gun around on all of us. His eyes bulged like a horse who’d just encountered a rattlesnake. I shuddered to think what would happen if he lost control and started shooting.

  “We need a doctor,” Jackie said, “not a sheriff!”

  “Put the gun down, mister!” Lucas said. “I was leaving, like you asked, but my friend about fainted.”

  I let out a long breath as he slowly lowered his weapon.

  “We’ll take her back,” Nick said. “So sorry to scare you.”

  The receptionist glared at me with those demon-possessed eyes, and I couldn’t help but wonder again if she was in transition.

  “Get her into bed,” the receptionist said, “and get some water for her to drink. She’ll be fine.”

  “Will do,” Jackie said, putting an arm around Claire.

  The tall man pulled the receptionist’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  “That was good,” I said, once they were out of earshot. “Without you, we’d never have gotten away. We were so busted.”

  “Well? Did you find any leads on Tahoe?” Jackie asked as we all briskly walked away.

  I shook my head. “No, but Nick and I overheard the receptionist and her friend talking. Tahoe is here, and he took the vials to some lab.”

  Claire let out a breath. “So the idiot is here? I knew it!”

  “Did they mention where this lab is?” Lucas asked as we rounded the corner.

  “They didn’t say,” I said, climbing up a set of stairs, “but they did admit that their little picture-perfect town has a lot of bloodshed on its hands, courtesy of their very own mayor.”

  “Really?” Jackie asked in disbelief.

  “Yep, and there was something else.”

  “What?”

  “Apparently, we guys are perfect specimens.”

  “What does that mean?” Jackie asked.

  “Put two and two together,” Claire said. “Lucas’s witchcraft idea is way off. I bet they’re doing some freaky Frankenstein testing on random people, and I’m no lab rat!”

  “I agree,” Lucas said. “I, for one, would prefer not to have my brain floating around in formaldehyde while some dude with Einstein hair straps the rest of me down, waiting for lightning to jumpstart my heart.”