Impact
Authors: Chrissy Peebles
Tags: #Adventure, #Fantasy, #Post-Apocalyptic, #Apocalypse, #Zombie
Impact
(Book 8 in The Zombie Chronicles)
By
Chrissy Peebles
Copyright © 2015 by Chrissy Peebles
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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Sneak Peek Cover Reveal
Siege - Book 9
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T
he next morning, we headed back to the demolished building. Max’s men rode behind us, as backup. Jackie insisted on coming because she knew the layout of the hospital. As much as we hated bringing her along just after getting her back safely, we knew we needed her, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
The scientists were still desperately looking for a cure, a cure we held in our very hands. It wasn’t without flaw, but Charlie had figured out a way to make it work. That was why we needed his notes so badly. Sure, he was a lunatic, a mad scientist if there ever was one, but he was also brilliant, and his research had paid off. It still had to be sorted out, but we were confident that any other competent scientist could make sense of it. Those precious formulas and equations, all those notes, were the key to getting our world back to normal, and we had to do whatever it took to implement them into a real solution.
Jackie smiled as I squeezed her hand. I couldn’t have been happier if I’d have tried. Having her there with me again made me feel alive. I
was
alive, and so was she. And, even better than that, there really
was
a miracle cure to the zombie plague.
After feeling hopeless for so long, it was almost hard to wrap my mind around the fact that our world might just have a chance after all.
Maybe in a few years, we’ll all lead normal lives again
. Sometimes I wondered if I ever should have left the island in the first place, but if I hadn’t, we never would have found the cure. That was what it took for us to have a chance to save the world; all things considered, I would have done it all over again.
I still couldn’t believe I was sitting next to Jackie. It almost seemed like a dream. She didn’t remember much in her zombie state, and I was glad for that. So far, she didn’t seem to be suffering any horrible side effects. We all waited on her hand and foot, and she cried when we told her how hard we’d all hunted for her. Claire was a hot mess and carried a tissue box with her from room to room, crying happy tears that wouldn’t stop. We were all so happy to see Jackie. I held her all night, and it seemed as if nothing had changed between us, as if we’d never really been apart at all. We just picked up from where we had left off. It was such an emotional reunion, and I knew I would never love any other girl more than I loved my Jackie.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” I asked her.
“We’ve been through worse, Dean.”
“Can you believe we’ve almost licked this thing?” Lucas said.
Nick shot him a side glance. “And you said the only cure was a bullet or axe in the brain.”
“At this point, it still is,” Claire retorted. “Who knows how long it will take the scientists to figure it all out?”
Nick parked near the hospital, and we all hopped out. It was a bit eerie, considering our history in that place: our last battle with Z, the hybrids, and me thinking Charlie had injected me with a deadly disease.
Within minutes, everyone was organized and split into teams that walked off in different directions to secure the perimeter. Team Six came with us, just in case we encountered any zombie run-ins. I didn’t know the team members too well, but I knew Rex, Nancy, and Buddy. Buddy stuck out like a sore thumb because he always complained.
Scanning ahead, I pointed my rifle. I didn’t see any signs of zombies or hybrids. The hospital looked like some sort of ancient ruins, as if a bomb had been dropped on it. Only part of it was still standing, and even that section was on the verge of collapse. Rubble and bricks spilled onto the sidewalk and cracked asphalt of the parking lot. I hated the idea of going back in there, but I bravely stepped over the cement blocks, twisted metal, and rocks. We squeezed through two beams and a pile of debris.
“Wait,” Buddy said. “Max said not to go in.”
“Suit yourself,” Nick responded.
Nancy cleared her throat, then tapped on Nick’s shoulder. “Why can’t you wait?”
“Why? Because Max might not be back for hours, and this building could collapse by then. We need to act now.”
Lucas nodded. “I agree. We’re not twisting anybody’s arm. If you don’t wanna come, then don’t. It’s every man...er, and or every woman...for himself. Our small group is more than willing to go.”
Nancy looked at Buddy and Rex, then the other men. “Should we proceed?”
“Of course we should,” Rex said. “We’ve gotta get those notes before this building collapses.”
They muttered among themselves. Some of the men wanted to leave, but others wished to keep going. I ignored them. As far as I was concerned, if they weren’t willing to risk their lives like we were, they could shut up and go back.
Jackie pointed her pistol straight ahead and led the way. We all shined our flashlights inside, illuminating the darkness with our beams. Glass crunched beneath my boots with every step I took. I’d just gotten Jackie back, and we were taking her back to the place where she’d been held hostage for so long. I wasn’t sure how she felt about it, but her courage was inspiring to me.
Max wanted us to scout out the area, then meet up with him later. We were obviously complying with his orders, but I couldn’t believe his team decided to follow us in. I helped Jackie over some cracked slabs and broken cinderblock. The ceiling suddenly shifted, showering all of us with white dust and plaster, and we all erupted in a chorus of coughs.
“This is suicide!” one of the men shouted. “This place ain’t safe!”
“Yeah, whose brilliant idea was this anyway? It’s freakin’ crazy to be walkin’ around in here!” another complained.
“You know we’ve gotta find those notes and that research,” Nick scolded. “Then we can save mankind and put an end to zombies forever.” Nick spoke with such conviction and emotion that nobody dared to argue with him.
Breathing shallowly, I continued to climb over the dusty rock mounds.
“Watch out for that stiff,” Nick said, his voice echoing in the crumbling building.
Pointing my flashlight down, I kicked the dead zombie in front of me, just to make sure it was really dead. When there was no movement or reaction, I exhaled in great relief and slowly stepped over the corpse, taking note of the bullet hole in its rotting forehead.
“I don’t like this, not one bit,” Claire said. “It doesn’t feel very good to be back in Charlie’s evil lair. I killed Z here. Not to mention, those hybrids give me the creeps.”
“Tell me about it,” Val whispered, “but Charlie did have a cure, so we need those notes and samples for other scientists.” She stepped over a precarious pile of bricks. “It’s creepy, but I’m not scared. If one of those things so much as bats a decayed eyelash, I’ll feed it a steady diet of bullets.”
“They’re dead,” Kate said. “Max’s men got any stragglers Z’s men missed.”
Claire shot her a side-glance. “I hope you’re right.”
We stepped through the rubble, our flashlights casting eerie shadows on the walls. I dodged the occasional rat as we made our way through the wide main corridor.
A growl echoed in the air, and Kate shot me a look. She stopped mid-step, eating her own words.
“Was that a...?”
“Yep.”
“Great,” she said, turning to Nick. “We need Claire or Val to scope it out with their night vision.”
Claire stepped forward and peered. “Looks like a loner,” she said, her rifle drawn.
“Maybe that’s what it wants you to think,” Lucas said. “Hybrids are sneaky, remember?”
I grabbed Lucas’s bat and headed toward the zombie that was missing half its face. “Batter up!” I said. “It’s time to join your friends on the ground.” I swung so hard that its head was decapitated, knocked right off its shoulders. It flung against a pile of rocks, and the body slumped to the ground in a sickening heap.
When footsteps echoed behind us, I stiffened. I held the bat in a white-knuckled grip and stiffened.
“Calm down, Babe Ruth,” Val said. “It’s just Asia.”