Slow Burn: A Zombie Novel (21 page)

“
Did it in one trip too,” I added as we threw the bags aboard.

Stephen climbed back inside the cab, threw the ambulance into gear, and took off to finish our long trek to his place. This time he gave us the courtesy of first finding a seat in the now heavily loaded back end of the ambulance.

Looking out the rear of the rig, I saw the large group of zombies pursue us for a few moments and then retreat into the darkness, disappearing out of the reach of the street lights. I was sure they were seeking out new and easier victims.

This city is done for
, I thought to myself. And probably the entire country as well, if Joliet was any indication.

A bump in the road knocked me out of my daydream and returned me to the present, thankful I was still alive and with friends. Mattie was sitting next to me on the floor resting her head on my lap, while Stephen turned up the radio and was greeted on all stations by the Emergency Alert Tone and the message:

“
This is The Emergency Broadcast System. This is not a test. Your area is experiencing civil unrest. Do not make direct contact with anyone who appears sick as they may be highly contagious. Local authorities are working to restore order at this time. Please remain in your homes and stand by for further instructions. This is not a test.”

The tone and message played in a loop over and over again as Stephen quietly drove west on Rt. 52 to his residence and relative safety. Crossing over I-55, which ran through Joliet, I looked down to find headlights in gridlock on the highway. Several trucks were struggling through the ditches and many people appeared to be on foot after abandoning their vehicles.

“
What a mess!” Stephen said.

I had to agree.

* * * * * * * *

Chris sat on the roof of Stephen’s house, still in a state of shock. His trip to Megan’s school had ended tragically, her body in her classroom next to several of her students. Chris could still taste the vomit in his mouth. He sat just behind the roof peak, next to the two-meter radio antenna that gave a commanding view of the neighborhood and cornfields that stretched as far as the eye could see to the west. He knew the code to Stephen’s garage and let himself in, finding Stephen’s squad car gone. All the lights were off and Stephen’s beagle, Buddy, had greeted him at the door with a wagging tail. The friendly beagle cheered him up a little.

“
Not much of a watch dog,” Chris remarked, giving the dog a biscuit from a container on the counter.

After Chris grabbed a Coke out of the fridge he made a quick sweep of the house to make sure it was empty. Not sure how long he would be staying, he had left his truck loaded and backed into the driveway, then gotten out a ladder and climbed onto the roof with his rifle to wait and watch for zombies or anyone else to show up.

The backyard was enclosed by a six foot cedar fence, so he was not overly concerned about that direction. Chris focused his attention to the east and the subdivision streets that led to the house. An observation duty was easy for Chris after his last deployment, and it felt good to test his senses again. Off in the distance, he could hear the tornado warning sirens, but the neighborhood itself was quiet. An occasional car would speed by and a few gunshots could be heard to the east in the next neighborhood over. He lamented the fact that he did not have a radio to listen to and find out what was going on everywhere else. He had forgotten to check the television as well.

It was shortly before midnight, and Chris was starting to wonder if anyone was going to make it when he observed the headlights of a truck turn up the street towards the house. It looked like an old landscaping truck, and sure enough, it slowed to a stop in front of Stephen’s house.

When a man exited the driver door, Chris yelled, “Stop or I’ll shoot!” in his best police voice.

His finger was on the trigger waiting for the man to give him any reason to put him down.

“
Hey, hold on, buddy!” Dan Wayne said as he stopped and raised his hands. “My name is Dan, and I’m a friend of Stephen’s. I was supposed to rendezvous here in the event of an emergency. And call me paranoid, but I think a fucking zombie pandemic fills the requirement of an emergency.”

Chris thought back to some of the “meetings” Stephen would insist on having that would usually end up turning into a drinking party, and vaguely recalled that there was a guy named Dan who would show up from time to time. He always had some drama going on that usually involved his crack whore stripper girlfriend. He thought her name was Julie or something.

Chris hit the light on his rifle and Dan’s silhouette was unmistakable.

He relaxed a bit, and then asked, “Where’s your girlfriend?”

“
She’s a zombie,” Dan replied. “Where’s yours?”

“
She’s gone man,” Chris grunted.

Dan frowned. “Can I put my hands down now?”

“
Yeah, back your truck into the spot next to mine," Chris replied as he climbed down the ladder. "Where did you get that old ride? I thought you had a Durango or something?"

“
That’s a long story,” Dan replied. "I’ll just leave the other spots in the driveway for someone else. I don’t have too much stuff.”

Stephen had a three car garage but only enough room for two vehicles in the driveway.

”
It’s just you here?” Dan asked Chris as he walked up to shake his hand.

“
Just me,” Chris replied. “Nobody else’s made it yet.”

“
Stephen and Mike will make it,” Dan added with a chuckle. “You can bet on that. Stephen has been dreaming of this shit for years. He wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The two men unloaded the few items located in the bed of the truck, and heard the sound of a large diesel roaring down the street. They turned to see a Joliet Fire Department ambulance barreling down the roadway, slamming to a stop directly in front of the driveway, the headlights blinding them.

The driver’s side door opened and they heard a familiar voice.

“
That was awesome! I’ve always wanted to drive one of these!”

The passenger door opened, and Mike stepped out and turned to help Mattie exit the raised truck. They walked to the front of the ambulance and saw Chris and Dan standing in the parkway.

“
Look who made it!” Dan and Mike said in unison.

“
Who’s the hot chick?” Dan asked, scanning her head to toe and stopping his scan on the “good” parts.

Mattie chuckled, “Nice to meet you too.”

While Dan continued to stare at Mattie, Stephen gave him a friendly shove. “Hey buddy, glad you made it, and Chris, well I’m not too surprised. Let’s get this thing backed up into the driveway and get inside. I want to be out of the open before we draw any more attention to ourselves."

"Anyone else make it here?" I asked, grabbing his backpack out of the ambulance. “Megan?”

"Nope, it's just us, buddy," Chris replied, and I could see the hurt in his eyes. "How much stuff do you guys have?"

"Plenty," Stephen added. "We cleaned out Mike’s place. You haven't heard or seen anything from Nick or Brooks?"

"Not yet," Chris replied. "I know they were working today though."

Stephen just shook his head with a grimace. They were also good friends and knew the drill if things went south.

“
Back me into the driveway, Chris,” Stephen requested. “I wanna get the ambulance as close to the house as possible.

With that completed and everyone carrying a full load, the group headed inside. As the garage door closed everyone let out a sigh of relief at the prospect of some rest and relative peace. There was some safety in numbers, and they all felt like together they now at least had a chance.

Marcos walked tiredly down the opulently decorated hallway towards the large, intricately carved wooden doorway. His cowboy boots echoed his footsteps on the imported Italian marble floor. He and the other Cartel leaders had been summoned to Cesar Lopez’s residence to discuss their plans for invading the United States. The meeting had been scheduled late in the night upon Cesar’s request, and Marcos hoped it would not take long. His men had located some fresh “talent”, and Marcos had two of the young women waiting for him at his estate.

The fact that they were waiting in handcuffs didn’t really matter. Marcos smirked.
I enjoy taking the fight out of them anyway
.

As he neared the meeting room, he could hear raised voices arguing from within and he wondered what the problem was. He nodded at the armed guards who opened the door for him.

When Marcos entered the room he saw a large wooden conference table with four plush chairs around it, the empty one for him. His close friend and fellow kingpin Juan was leaned forward in his leather chair with a face that was red with anger.

“
I cannot believe that it was a good idea to release the virus amongst our very own people!” Juan roared. “The number of people being slaughtered can’t be good for business.”

Cesar was sitting across from Juan and was about to reply when he noticed Marcos enter the room.

“
Ahh!” Cesar interrupted. “Marcos is here. Now we’re all together and can discuss our options.”

Juan glanced over at Marcos, acknowledged his presence and then turned back to Cesar.

“
Do not try and change the subject, Cesar,” Juan said sharply. “Have you been watching the news reports? Mexico City is burning, and there has been no word from our people there since the riots started.”

Cesar folded his hands and arched an eyebrow. “Are you questioning my decision to infect not only the United States, but also the entire planet?”

Juan visibly paled at the idea that Cesar was questioning his loyalty. Juan knew how short life could be at the top when vendettas formed. Marcos saw this and smirked as he took his seat.

“
No, no, my friend,” Juan replied, choosing his words carefully. “I would never say that you made the wrong choice. I am just worried that there will be no more customers to buy our drugs when it blows over.”

“
Did I really want to kill billions of people?” Cesar chuckled. “No I did not, but what do you think might have happened when China found out a country loaded with as many natural resources as the U.S. was now free for the taking? What about Russia? Even that cesspool the Middle East would salivate at the opportunity.”

Cesar stood and walked over to a large map covering the wall. It was a map of the entire globe with several of the countries dotted with red pins.

“
Of course I was unable to spread the infection as thoroughly elsewhere as in the United States. These red markers represent the most recent verified infection outbreaks that we can be certain of.” Turning back to the other three men seated at the table, Cesar continued, “The real numbers are most likely three times what we have marked. Notice that the majority of the infections are concentrated in the countries with large standing armed forces or nuclear capabilities. With those players out of the equation, our own plans for taking over the U.S. become much easier.”

Juan just shook his head silently. The man to Marcos’s left, Carlos, who up to this point had been quiet, now spoke up.

“
I think what my friend Juan is trying to say, Carlos, is that we had little warning before the outbreak here at home and many of us have already lost family and friends. I myself have lost my wife to this virus.”

Cesar nodded his head in understanding. “I do apologize for your suffering, but secrecy was of the utmost importance.” Cesar had anticipated the remark. “This is more than just selling drugs to some yuppie from New York City; this is about ruling a nation!”

Marcos sat back in his chair and thought about what could stop their plans of conquest. “Have you thought about what Matvei thinks of this?” he remarked.

“
I don’t care what that gun-toting foreigner thinks!” Cesar snorted in disgust. “In fact, I do believe that he has outlived his usefulness. Matvei was just a means to an end, and now he has become expendable.”

“
I never did like that barbarian,” Juan said with a hint of jealousy. “Let me take care of that ignorant gringo.”

“
You may do so, Juan, and I want it done quickly,” Cesar replied with satisfaction. “But be careful. The Russian has gained much loyalty and admiration among our people. We cannot have anyone find out that it was us who killed him.”

Cesar sat back down and looked each of the three bosses in the eye, gauging each man’s resolve before finishing. “Let me be clear, gentlemen. By this time next year we will be richer and more powerful than any other men have been in all of history!”

* * * * * * * *

Matvei looked up from his desk as a knock at the door pulled him from his pile of papers. He was looking over inventory totals for the push north, which he originally hoped to begin in the next several weeks but now worried that he might not have that much time.