What Zombies Fear (Book 2): The Maxists (14 page)

“
They will hurt you, Max. We will help you; we will get through this together. We’re not strong enough to talk to anyone else yet, but we’re starting to wake up.
” Max heard. “
When we’re all awake, we’ll help you make a plan and get you back to Daddy.
”

The men continued jogging at the slower pace until they reached a big road. They ran down embankment on the side of the road and then followed the road to some big brown trucks. Most of them took off their packs and got inside their vehicles, but the soldier carrying Max laid him in the cargo area of the truck, where Max continued to pretend to be asleep.

“
I don’t have any buckles. This isn’t safe,
” thought Max.

“
We are almost ready. Max, there are three humans we control over in the woods. We need you to call for them to come here.
”

“
Daddy calls those Zombies. He says to run if I ever see one.
” Max thought.

“
Max, you can control them, like we did for you a long time ago at that place by the bridge with your Daddy. Do you remember when they came for you in the truck and we made them stand still?
”

“
Yes, I remember.
”

“
You can do that too Max, with our help. Call out to them with your mind and tell them to come here. When the soldiers shoot them, you run. Run into the woods and keep running until we tell you. No matter what you hear or see, you keep running. Watch where you put your feet, the way will be rough. Be careful not to trip. Keep your eyes looking at your feet and run as fast as you can.
”

Max replied, “
Ok, I will run so fast. Call them now?
”

“
Yes, now. Then run when we say.
”

Max looked with his mind for the zombies. When he found them, three of them travelling in a group, he thought to them “
Hi guys. My bugs say you are nice. They say you’ll help me. I need you to come here and distract these badguys. Come now.
”

“
We come. Eat.
” They replied.

“
NO! NO eating. Just come.
”

“
We come. We eat.
” they replied again.

Max looked a little deeper. He searched their minds for anything, something to latch on to. There was nothing. Just eat and follow instructions, the only two things they knew. Max took those two thoughts, which were floating evenly and put “eat” under “follow instructions.” trying to hide it. “
Maybe if I put it underneath this one, they won’t see that and they’ll just listen.
”

“
Come. Do not eat.
” thought Max.

“
We come,
” they replied.

Max couldn’t see them with his eyes, but he could look through the first zombie’s eyes. He saw them stumble out of the woods. They’d made it up to the first soldier and bumped into him when he turned around and jumped back.

“
Contact!” the soldier shouted, drawing his pistol. He fired once, killing the lead zombie.

Max watched that zombie’s vision black out and then he was looking out of his own eyes.

“
Run Max!
”

Max rolled out of the big truck, scraping his arm on the pavement as he fell. He got to his feet as quickly as he could and started running. All of the soldiers thought he was still asleep, were facing the other way looking for more zombies. It was rare to see just three and the fact that they didn’t attempt to eat the soldiers was odd. They walked up to the truck and stopped. It only took them a few seconds to kill all three zombies. Then they spent another thirty seconds looking for more and another minute making sure no one was bitten. Per protocol, each soldier checked two others for bites or scratches.

“
All clear, Sir.”

“
Odd. Why didn’t they bite? They had Fellowes dead to rights. It’s your lucky night Fellowes,” replied Colonel Frye.

“
Yes Sir!” Fellowes replied.

“
Sir! The boy, he’s gone!” Yelled a soldier from the back of the truck.

By that time, Max was out of hearing range, running as fast as his tiny feet would take him. He watched his feet as the bugs had instructed him and only fell three times as he ran. He ran as fast as he could through the woods.

“
I’m going fast!
”

“
Yes, you’re doing great Max. Now it gets hard, we have to stay away from the soldiers. Our abilities are coming back slower than we expected. There must have been something other than a sedative in that shot. We will be Ok, Max. But we’re on our own for a while.
”

Running as fast as he could, Max tripped over a stick. When he fell, he slid forward, hands splayed out in front of him. He cut his hand on a large rock and blood started flowing out of his tiny palm. Max started to cry again, between the fear and the pain and being alone in the woods, it was too much for him.

“
Max, we’ll make your hand stop hurting, but we have to find a place to hide to fix the cut. Wipe your hand on the ground, then put your hand on your shirt and press it against your chest. Use your foot to kick some leaves over the blood on the ground.
”

Max did as he was told, trying to hide the drops of blood and using his shirt to absorb the blood running out of his hand.

“
We need you to turn left just past this tree.
”

Max ran past a huge gnarly oak tree and turned to the right.

“
Max, left is the other way.
”

“
Oh, I know that,
” replied Max turning around. “
This way?
”

“
Yes, good. Run faster, Max.
”

“
My feet hurt really bad. I think they’re bleedy too.
”

Max was wearing his PJ’s; he’d been asleep when they stuck the needle in his arm. The bugs woke him when they sensed the needle entering his arm but by then it was too late for him to run. They’d just had time to tell him to pretend to be asleep before the sedative and whatever else was in that needle began to work. They worked furiously to draw the chemicals out of his cells and into their own, knowing they’d need Max awake. They did not know that the other chemical was the closest thing the CDC had come to an inoculation for the infection before they were overrun.

“
Right here, Max. Follow this path, keep running.
”

“
My feet hurt really bad,
” replied Max. “
And my side hurts. I can’t run anymore.
”

“
You have to keep going friend. You can’t stop, or they will catch you.
”

Max kept running. His little lungs were on fire and he had a huge stitch in his side. He’d run as fast as he could for almost ten minutes now and was well over a mile from where he rolled out of the truck.

“
Just ahead, there is a small house. Its dark in there, but we’ll help you. In the back of the shack, there is a clean bed. You’ll be safe there.
”

Max saw the shed and kept running. He climbed the two stairs up to the door and reached for the knob, which was almost as high as he could reach. The knob wouldn’t turn at in his hand.

“
It’s locked. I can’t get in.
”

“
You know what the edge of a door looks like. Think about the little piece of metal that sticks out the side of the door. That piece of metal goes into the wall, that piece is what holds the door closed. Use your mind Max. Concentrate; think very hard about that little piece of metal going back into the door.
”

“
Ok.
”

The door knob shook a little bit and with very little noise, the door latch slid into the door, allowing Max to push the door open.

“
I did it!” Said Max, who was clearly pleased with himself
.”

“
Now close the door and imagine the piece of metal going back into the wall, where it was.
”

The latch slid back into place with a soft click, locking the door behind him. Max looked around the tiny house. It was a strange place, the smallest house he’d ever seen. One end of it was just big enough to hold a bed, in the middle was a kitchen and at the end with the door were two closets. Max was standing in the short hallway between the two closets. Just past the kitchen there was a ladder that led up to a small loft.

“
Climb up the ladder Max. Up there you’ll find a clean bed. We need you to go to sleep. We need your body to relax so we can repair you, we will be safe here. We will hide here until we are strong again and then we will get back to your Daddy. When we get back, he will make sure that the bad guys don’t ever try to hurt you again. Do you know why Max?
”

“
Why?
“

“
Because he loves you. He loves you more than anything in this entire world. And love is what makes you humans so strong. Love is what binds you together. Our kind can act in perfect unison. And we are not bound together as strongly as you and your Daddy.”

“
I miss my Daddy,”
thought Max. He started to cry, thinking about how much he missed Mommy and Daddy. He focused on finding his Dad, but his senses were dull. He concentrated as much as he could and thought “
Dad. Help.
”

Max fell asleep almost as soon as he put his head on the bed. His body was exhausted, his mind was completely overwhelmed. The parasites worked to augment his body’s natural healing ability and began to knit his palm back together. That would normally take them only a few seconds, but tonight it took nearly two hours. Then they began the work on his feet. He had no calluses on his feet at all. Every stone, every stick had cut and abraded his feet. He had hundreds of small cuts and on his heels and on the balls of his feet including one long one across the arch of his tiny foot. Once Max was fully repaired, the symbiotes went to work repairing themselves and replicating. They were going to need to be extra strong if they were going to survive this and they must. This was the relationship their kind needed to have with humans. They had to keep this little boy safe, until they could find a way to make all the humans like Max. The others didn’t realize how powerful the partnership was. They were only interested in using humans as a vehicle.

Chapter
13
Germantown, MD

Marshall and I were in the lead truck, with Leo and John following in the other. We crossed town without incident and pulled up along the road just before the turn in to the government installation. There was a guard shack there, but it had been leveled and the gate was destroyed. Clearly someone had been here before us.

We turned off all the lights and rolled slowly into the top parking lot, engines just idling. We parked in the middle of the lot and stepped out, still more than a mile from the building.

“
First of all,” I said. “Every time we use our abilities, it draws them to us. The supers can pinpoint us from very far off. Let’s try to limit use of abilities, unless lives depend on it. If we can’t figure out a way to kill them with our normal skills, then we’re in trouble. I’m of the opinion that we do this quick and quiet. Get in, look for humans. If we find survivors, let’s create a plan based on the situation. Keep an eye out for sentries and for traps. I don’t trust Frye, I don’t trust the intel he gave us and I don’t trust zombies.”

“
Amen,” said Marshall.

“
Leo, I’d like you to take a slow lap around the building, as quietly as possible and stay out of site. John, find high ground and give her as much cover as you can. Marshall, you and I will wait here to hear back,” I said.

So far we were undetected. John grabbed his telescope and Sammie, which I’d loaned to him for this operation. Apparently his 9mm bullets just wouldn’t fly far enough for this kind of shot, even with his abilities.