Infamy: A Zombie Novel (5 page)

Robert
places his hand on the girl’s head.

Even after losing Kathy, My heart
has never been as broken as this guys right now.

“You’
re a great daughter, Ashley,” he says. “I love you so much. Your sister will watch over you. Daddy’s just a little sick. I don’t want either of you to catch it. I’m going away for a bit. You need to stay here with Anna and wait for help, okay?”

“
Please come back soon,” Ashley cries.

“I will.”
Robert does his best to smile at Ashley.

She
nods and wipes tears.

I can’t look
him in the eyes, even as he stops in front of me.

“
Don’t feel bad. You were just trying to save people,” Robert says. “I don’t want to be a danger to my little girls. I just want to thank you. I pray you never have to go through this with your little girl.”

After he walks out the door,
a skinny man in a pair of blue coveralls locks it behind him.

The
baby starts crying . . . again.

I find a place to sit down and take her out of her carrier.

An elderly woman with curly hair and pink glasses held around her neck by fake pearls has a huge grin.

“
Name’s Sandy,” she says. “Would you mind if I feed her? I need something to keep my mind off everything. She looks a bit like my granddaughter.”

“
That’ll give me time to use the restroom,” I say.

The woman holds the baby in the air to get a better look.

“Oh, you’re darling. Pretty blue eyes too. What’s her name?”

“
Don’t really know. Doing my best not to get attached.”

“She doesn’t have a name?”

“Afraid not.”

Sandy is puzzled as she takes the baby to a sofa
.

While walking toward
a bathroom sign some young woman yells at me.

“You’re an asshole,
” she says.

I
stop.

She’s
about seven or eight inches shorter than me. I’m taken off guard by how pretty she is. I start swimming in her green eyes.

“All these people were perfectly fine until you got here and
started shooting off your mouth,” she says.

 
              “Why don’t you go yell at the guy who shot someone?”

“
He might not have shot anyone if you hadn’t yelled at Jane.”

“I’m l
eaving after I take a piss. All of you can do whatever the hell you want to get yourselves killed.”

She mutters
as I walk to the bathroom.

I’ve seen a lot of
horror films in my lifetime, so I make sure to check every stall before doing my business. Funny how as I’m washing my hands the Latino guy walks in.

“I’m glad to run into
you,” he says. “You’re not blind like all those sheep out there. You see what’s really happening. It’s gonna help you make it out of this alive.”

I don’t know what to say. I dry my hands on my pants like a tough hombre.

“Let me cut to the cash. I’m in need of someone who knows the city and can keep his shit together. Are you such a man?”

“
For what?”

“If you can he
lp me get to the El Cortez, I’ll make it worth the effort. Say, fifty thousand?”

 
           “How about I tell you how to get to the hotel yourself.”

“
This isn’t a fucking joke.”

Damn it.
This dude is going to off me in the bathroom.

As he
reaches into his coat, I think it would be better to get shot in the head because pain sucks. But he isn’t holding a gun. He slaps a fat wad of cash in my hand.

“That’
s twenty thousand,” he says. “Once we get to the El Cortez, I’ll give you ten thousand more. Then the other twenty after we leave the city. Do we have an agreement?”

I nod.

“Good. You can call me Caesar.”

Just as my name leaves my lips it hits me how I know this guy. He’s the man they were showing on the news back at the hotel. He’s the guy who led
the assault on the border. Probably best to keep that to myself.

Chapter 5

Resident Evil

It’s nightfall. Will this spreading infection never rest?

A large group of
zombies surround the building, pound on doors and windows, breaking their fingers from clawing for hours on end in search of a way in.

Grab a rock,
you fucking idiots. My mother’s cat use to do the same thing to my hamster cage. Mom never did replace little Sherman when the cat finally found its way into the hamster buffet.

Everyone has moved from the lobby to the fifth floor. After knocking on all the doors and making our presence known to any that may be living here, we took the liberty to break into a few of the condos. To be honest we
got lucky no one shot at us as we kicked open doors.

A
couple of condos do raise suspicion. They might be occupied. I mark them with a sharpie, drawing little stick people and drops of blood. Some of the condos we secured belong to timeshare holders. Others belong to more permanent residents who may have left in a hurry.

Everyone is still
uneasy over Caesar shooting Jane’s fiancé. I can’t say I’ve become Mr. Popular over my speech. I have found some comfort knowing these people won’t be around me forever. We all die eventually, right?

“Hey everyone, we got the news on. Come quick!”
Annie Garrett yells. She lost her husband to the horde. Now he’s one of the bastards out there trying to find a way in. She pointed him out through one of the windows. He was only wearing a bathrobe. I didn’t ask.

The condo
has an eighty-inch plasma TV mounted on a wall with built-in speakers in the ceiling. I really want to play video games on it. We huddle around.

This is
the first I take notice how many of us there are. Counting myself, we have fourteen and a half (the baby). Only a few I know by name despite trying to keep my distance.

As everyone settles in, some douche comes
on camera and begins his report . . .

Ground evacuations of San Diego are currently at a standstill due to congested roadways and the overwhelming number of hostile infected marching toward the San Diego River.

Helicopters fly overhead, rattling windows so loud it drowns out the television.

The
report changes frames from the douche to U.S. Army General Xavier Mendez standing in front of a podium for a press conference. I kind of like this guy. Looks like he could take down about a thousand zombies with his stare.

We are continuing to give our best efforts in this current pandemic plaguing our border cities, but must halt all evacuations at this time. Infected areas as of 0700 are now under Military Quarantine. The safety of civilians within these areas is important to us. However, we must ensure there is no further spread of this disease to the surrounding populous throughout Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California.

All branches of
U.S. Military are coordinating with the CDC and local law enforcement to contain and police these areas.

Unfortunately
, due to the nature of the disease, those afflicted, as you know, become extremely hostile. Deadly force has and will continue to be used. I have personally given authorization to use such force to aid in the security of our soldiers and civilians alike. I alone bear this responsibility.

My message to those
of you watching or listening from within these areas, please do not attempt to leave your homes. If you are out in the streets, you must immediately seek shelter until help can arrive. Our prayers go to all of those trapped within the infected areas . . . I now open the floor to any questions.

            The camera never wavers from General Mendez. Hands raise and voices shout as reporters try to gain his attention. Finally, General Mendez points to a reporter in a blue suit.

             
General! Has the origins of the virus been established? Is there any truth to the rumors the virus might be linked to a terrorist plot against the U.S.?

            General Mendez doesn’t even appear to blink . . .

Our intel at this time points to the virus originating somewhere within Mexico through a narcotic that bears the name Infamy. A more precise origin location has not yet been established, nor has any identity of the person or persons responsible. Neither has there been any evidence to suggest the infection is terror-related.

           
Has it been established as to exactly how the virus is transmitted?

           
Studies are still being conducted by the CDC. I can say the disease is similar to Rabies, in which it spreads through direct contact of bodily fluids from the host to the bloodstream. We do not believe this virus is airborne.

However, there is still the question as to how the Infamy n
arcotic became infected with the virus. I have time for one last question.

 
          
How do you plan on handling the situation if no cure can be found?

            The General looks over to his right as if he is asking a question to someone out of view. He then faces the row of microphones.

No comment. Thank you.

The TV is left on but most of us just don’t give a shit about the rest of the news—especially the way the news anchors smile. They’re always smiling. Fuck faces. We walk away.

I’m hungry,
so I head to the kitchen. I hit a jackpot with the fridge. It’s loaded with condiments, booze and bottled water. The freezer is stocked with Hot Pockets. Not the healthiest of dinners, but it does fill a void when you’re hungry. As I’m waiting for my food to nuke (thank God there’s still electricity. How long will it last?) Sandy walks up to me with the baby asleep in her arms.

“I’m going to lay
her down in the condo next door,” she says. “It has a nursery. I’ll be taking the bedroom next to it. Would you like to say goodnight?”

“No,
that’s fine. Thanks for the help.”

Sandy walks away sha
king her head.

Soon as the
microwave timer goes off I hear a familiar voice.

“You mind making one of those for me?”

It’s the hot chick who hates my guts.

“
What?” I ask. “Aren’t you going to say, ‘Make me a Hot Pocket, asshole.’?

She looks apologetic.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you in the lobby. My name’s Jessica. I was angry. We’re all angry right now. And you don’t seem to have a filter on your mouth.”

Since when do hot chicks apologize for anything?
“You noticed?” I say. I decide to ask a question, pretending to care. “How is Jane holding up?” I take out the Hot Pocket, take a bite and burn my tongue.

“She’s
my cousin,” Jessica says.

Oh shit.
My tongue really hurts. I drink some water.

“
She’s grieving,” Jessica continues. “Our mothers are sisters and they hate each other. I came down from San Francisco for Jane’s wedding. Was supposed to be this weekend.”

Jessica
really thinks I care about her life story. If she wasn’t as hot as she is, I’d be eating my Hot Pocket on the balcony watching the light show.

“Sorry
, I’m a little tipsy,” Jessica says. “Jane and I found some vodka and had a few drinks.”

“Shouldn’t you be
helping her?”

“
She’s passed out. Where are you staying? Sleeping in this building? Or are you leaving somewhere?”

Wait a minute
. Did she just hit on me? I try not to laugh. Besides, I have a lot of Hot Pocket in my mouth right now. “I haven’t had a chance to look for a place to crash,” I say with my mouth full. Pepperoni is really good during an apocalypse. Too bad Domino’s doesn’t deliver. That shit would be heaven.

“W
e should go find one,” Jessica says. “I mean, find you one.”

What is it about chicks and assholes anyway? Ah well, here we go . . .

No one really takes notice of us. Maybe they just don’t care. We head down the hall kissing and stumbling over each other’s feet. I’m not too sure how my breath is (haven’t had a chance to brush in almost two days), but by the taste of vodka in hers, she probably doesn’t notice.

We wander through an open door into a dark living room
, not paying too much attention to where we are. A couch makes for a soft landing when I collide with the armrest and fall onto it with Jessica in my arms and our faces still connected. That is, until we hear the noise of something hard rolling on top of a table followed by the crash of shattered glass, topped off with a baby crying.

Lights in the hall kick on as
Sandy walks in the room with the baby in her arms.

“What’s going on in here? Are we being attacked?”
she asks.

Jessica
hops to her feet, attempts to straighten out her clothes.

“
Fuck,” I say.

Sandy smiles big.

Goddam it.

“
If this isn’t something life threatening, then can you put the baby back to sleep?” Sandy asks.

Triple fuck.

Sandy hands over the baby, which is now in full-rage mode. Mrs. Old Face heads back to her room and shut’s the door.

Jessica takes the
baby from me and sits on the couch while rocking her. “Oh you poor baby. Were we being too loud?” She then turns to me. “Don’t just stand there. Go get Ella a bottle.”

“Sure,
” I say. Wait, what did you call her?”

“Ella. That’s her name right? It’s on the shirt she’s wearing.”

“Fine by me. Sandy must have put it on her. She didn’t have a name earlier. I was thinking about calling her, It.”

 
           The baby stops crying as I go find a bottle to warm up. Here I’ve been pining over Kathy and finally I’m seconds from getting laid. Why does this happen to me? Maybe it’s the
fuck
pocalypse on top of all this zombie shit. Why is it women can shut their stuff off at the drop of a hat? Damn babies can be such cock blocks. Am I being selfish? Well fuck it. It’s my apocalypse too.

 
           Ella falls asleep, but the damage has already been done. Jessica has zero mood as she lays the baby down in the room. She leaves me with a kiss before walking back to wherever she left Jane.

Fuck you, cheap-ass vodka.

              I go back to the room with the eighty-inch plasma and find Fight Club playing on a movie channel. When I’m about to fall asleep there’s another shit of a problem. Caesar is standing with his black bag. Looks like it weights a ton as he sets it next to the couch.

He
holds out a cigar. “Care to join me on the balcony?” he says, sniffing the cigar. “These are Cubans of course.”

“Sure, why not,
” I say. “It’s the end of the world. Who needs sleep?”

It’s chilly outside but in a good way.
Five floors down, undead press against each other, still trying to enter the building.

Caesar hands over one of the Cubans
after cutting off the end. He produces a lighter and cups the flame so I can light mine.

“
Be sure to rotate as you puff. That’s the secret for giving it an even burn.”

He takes a long drag then blows a ring of smoke.
“Here’s to our business agreement. It’s a good night for smoking don’t you think?”

“So what is it you do exactly?”

Caesar takes another drag from his cigar before answering. “In Mexico I own some manufacturing and distribution companies. Lots of exporting.”

Yeah for drugs you lying sack.
“Why do you need to make it to El Cortez?”

His relaxed manner fades a little.
“My reason is not of your concern. Just think of how we will get there. Preferably in a speedy manner. While I might have been able to eventually find my way, I find it is far better to travel in a pair. We must watch out for each other.”

“
Money over knowledge,” I admit. “Probably best that way.”

“With a mind
set like that, you and I can go far. Now what about that baby of yours?”

“More like a stray that needed to be rescued.
Sandy seems fond enough. Maybe she’ll take her. These people will probably stay here until help arrives. The baby would be better off.”

“Excellent. Now for one more gift.” Caesar reaches
to his waistband as he takes a quick puff of his cigar. He then presents a handgun. “I prefer you were armed during our journey. Have you ever fired a weapon?”

“
Many times.” In video games, you sleazeball. Is there a difference? I can do this.