Pandemic Z (Book 1): Pandemic Z Read online

  Sean’s foot heavily pressed down on the accelerator. Time to clean the road of the trash. He crashed through the oncoming wall of zombies, knocking them over like bowling pins.

  He drove quickly through the morning streets and turned onto the street adjacent to Cartwright Lane. He was close to the Queen’s Best Kebab Shop. He turned the corner and pulled over, relieved to see his fellow platoon members gathered outside the small shop. He tucked his phone into his pocket and hurried out of the car to meet with his friends.

  Sergeant Turner was the first one to speak to Sean. “Ah, Welch, nice of you to join us,” he said dryly as Sean joined the group

  “I came as fast as I could,” Sean sheepishly muttered.

  Sergeant Turner nodded. “Yeah, and I bet that isn’t strawberry jam streaked all over your car.” He smiled.

  Sean opened his mouth to reply to the Sergeants wit but was interrupted by the important nature of their meet-up at such an odd place.

  Sergeant Turner looked at the brave warriors in front of him. “All right, fellas. We all know the situation is bloody awful!” he stated.

  “M25 is blocked,” Mallory Kearley pointed out.

  “I bet it was Welch’s idea that we met here.” Nathan David nodded in Sean’s direction.

  David’s was a rough-edged man from Dover with a rich family history of military service. He was always bragging about his family members who had been heroes in every war Britain had ever fought in, even dating back to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He was proud of his heritage, but he was outspoken about it. David’s was a strong and dependable soldier, and Sean felt safe fighting alongside him, despite his personal feelings.

  Sergeant Turner shook his head. “Actually, David’s, it was my idea because there are no zombies around, in case you hadn’t noticed that.” An uncomfortable silence followed for a moment.

  “So, we know how bad it is, but now what do we do?” Ryan Moo asked.

  “I wish we were in America then we’d have big trucks to work with,” Sean commented.

  “Me, too. We can all see how well your Renault faired.” Sergeant Turner nodded toward the blood-stained car.

  “Sir, there’s a Land Rover dealer close,” Kearley excitedly said.

  “Hm, good start,” Sergeant Turner replied, stroking his shaven face.

  David nodded. “We could see if it’s under attack.”

  Sean liked the way Sergeant Turner worked. He would never think of the ideas himself. He would let the different members of his team think of the ideas and then agree or disagree with them. It had helped Sean make reasonable decisions not only in his career but also with his family.

  “Then what?” Kearley challenged.

  “We could do what we did in Syria,” Sean said.

  “Blow them up?” David’s said.

  “Modify them,” Sean said, ignoring David’s’ comments.

  Sergeant Turner nodded. “Great ideas. So, where is this showroom?”

  Sean pulled out his phone and Googled the location. He scrolled through the search, looking for a location close to where they were. “It’s on…” he said.

  “C’mon man, the suspense is killing me,” Moo joked, playfully nudging Sean.

  Sean bit his lip, concentrating on the search. “It’s right on Wonder Way, literally parallel to Cartwright.”

  Sergeant Terry Turner nodded happily. His team had thought of the idea and figured out a way to execute it. “Great work, men. Do we all have a way there?”

  “I could use a drive. I cycled here,” Ryan Moo admitted.

  “You can come with me, Moo,” Sean said, nudging Ryan back.

  “So, what if the showroom is overrun with nasty little buggers?” David’s questioned.

  “Well, soldiers?” Sergeant Terry Turner said.

  “We shoot them!” Kearley mocked.

  “No guns,” David’s answered quickly.

  “It’s called sarcasm,” Kearley muttered.

  “Oh, my fuck, really? I had no fucking idea!” David’s said unpleasantly. He and Kearley didn’t get along at all.

  “We can scout out the area in our vehicles and then figure out a plan,” Moo suggested.

  “We can communicate through the group chat,” Sean added.

  “Great, let’s go!” Sergeant Turner agreed.

  Ryan and Sean made their way to his little beaten up Renault, and Ryan looked at the blood streaks on the window before giving Sean a concerned gaze.

  “My little Renault got a little war wound,” Sean replied and pushed past Ryan to get in the car.

  Ryan piled in beside him, and they started their journey to the Land Rover dealership. The platoon had experience in adjusting different motor vehicles to be stronger and better in combat. A large purpose of their role in the battles on the Syrian streets was to take what little the locals had and build them to be better and stronger.

  Sean had repaired many trucks so they could beat the outrageous amount of sand that got kicked up as they drove around. After a simple mission, half of the Syrian ecosystem was usually stuck to the underside of their trucks.

  “Coming up to the dealership,” Sean spoke into the communication system.

  “Copy that, be careful and keep a good lookout for zombies,” Sergeant Turner warned.

  “Will do. ETA three minutes,” Sean reported.

  “ETA two minutes and nineteen seconds.” Nathan Davids always liked to be precise in his calculations and schedule. If he said he’d be there at a set time, he would be there at exactly the time he set—down to the second.

  The two men arrived at the Land Rover showroom ahead of the others in the platoon. Sean carefully drove to the entrance, keeping an eye out for the infected. Ryan Moo scoped the left side in great detail, but they found no evidence of any zombies being close.

  “Clear,” Ryan reported, and Sean agreed.

  Ryan and Sean dashed quickly into the abandoned dealership and evaluated their newly acquired cars. Land Rovers were already tough cars, and they wouldn’t need a lot of modifying. Sean searched the facility to find any danger. He walked through the whitewashed showroom and admired the cleanliness despite the muddy situation happening around the country.

  “All clear?” Ryan asked when Sean returned from his quick tour.

  “Yes,” Sean simply replied.

  Sean and Ryan set to work adjusting a brand-new Land Rover to fare better against oncoming zombies and terrified civilians. Ryan fiddled with the under-work of the car when Sergeant Turner arrived with the Nathan David and Mallory Kearley in tow. Ryan slid out from under the car and awkwardly saluted the sergeant before pushing himself back under the massive, powerful machine.

  “Report?” Sergeant Turner asked.

  “The two off-roaders over there are ready to go. They needed no modifications,” Sean stated.

  Nathan David scoffed at his words and strutted to the two large vehicles. He walked around them, proudly inspecting them to see if Sean had been right. He didn’t say a word but had a sour look on his piggish face.

  “Ryan is working on this baby,” Sean added, gesturing to the Land Rover Ryan was working on.

  “How’s it going?” Sergeant Turned asked.

  “Great. Finishing up now,” Ryan’s muffled voice came from the underside.

  “And finally,” Sean pointed to the Rover he had been adjusting, “this is the one I’m improving.”

  “Good. Those two over there need some improving?” the sergeant asked, nodding at the two remaining Land Rovers.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “David’s, Kearley, take one each and get to work,” Turner ordered.

  After an hour of working, sweating, and cursing, the Land Rovers were ready to hit the streets. Sean was proud of the modifications he had made and was ready to head to the front lines. Sergeant Turner outlined the route to the power plant and told them to keep in close contact on the road. They would be in a convoy formation for safety, and any sign of danger needed to be reported.


  Sergeant Turner headed the convoy with Sean following next. Sean fired up the powerful machine and geared the monster into position. He was ready to get on the road. After the fight with the zombie and after improving the incredible machine, he was ready to take on the world.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lena, Captain Pertus, and Barry tried to formulate a plan that would keep the passengers safe until they reached the UK. Luckily, the flight wouldn’t last much longer.

  Female screams came from the cabin, startling everyone.

  Emily pointed at different seats in the cabin. “Oh my God!” she screamed.

  Lena and Barry rushed over to see five more grotesque figures. They emerged ominously, rising slowly from their seats with slow, robotic movements.

  Five more people have turned. Lena was shocked at the sight of the fresh zombies. “How the…” she began.

  “There’s more of them,” Captain Pertus stated obviously.

  The zombies had black eyes, and infectious spit threatened to drip from their dangling mouths. All five zombies had transformed together. None of them were bitten, but they all rose together like someone had flipped a switch, turning them into monsters. It was like someone had them under control

  Sunshine was still in his seat. Two more zombies were strapped in their seats, thrashing about while trying to force their way out of their prisons

  “Zoinks! There are eight zombies on this plane! Well, seven living,” Barry joked, imitating the voice of Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

  Lena and the others focused on the standing zombies, waiting to see their next moves. The closest zombie shuffled toward the aisle and lumbered toward the pilot. A zombie further back climbed over the frightened woman in the aisle seat without stopping to bite her. He seemed to focus only on a single target which made Lena curious.

  Why aren’t they biting the person closest to them? “They’re not biting indiscriminately,” Lena commented.

  “Not only that, but they just turned into zombies on their own,” Barry added.

  Captain Pertus staggered backward. “They’re coming this way!” he cried out, directing them back to the zombies.

  The other zombies climbed over passengers and the flight crew, determined to get to the front of the cabin where Lena, Barry, and the terrified captain were.

  “It’s like they’re being controlled…” Barry mentioned.

  “Uh… LENA!” Captain Pertus screamed as the zombies moved perilously close.

  The first zombie was just a few feet from Captain Pertus and thrashed wildly at him. The pilot screamed loudly and dashed back towards Lena. She pushed the captain behind her and aimed her gun right at the zombie’s forehead.

  “Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker!” Barry exclaimed as Lena squeezed the trigger.

  The first zombie crumpled to the floor, and the second one immediately filled the space the first one had left. She pulled the trigger again and watched as the next zombie fell forward.

  Three… Four… Five. Each zombie fell, and blood oozed out of their brains onto the carpet.

  Two more zombies flinched and turned in their seats, but their belts restricted them from escaping to cause more trouble. A grunt emerged from the premiere class area, and Emily squealed again. Lena only had two bullets left in her magazine, and she wasn’t going to waste them.

  “Yippee what again?” Lena attempted.

  Oh, right.” Barry cleared his throat dramatically. “Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker!”

  Another zombie pushed through to economy class. He wore a nice outfit, and his formal clothes had become wrinkled with each uneven step. He hunched forward, snarling and sniveling at Lena. She felt powerful with the gun in her hands.

  “Watch out. This is a first-class zombie. He only wants you to shoot with golden bullets and champagne scented gunpowder,” Barry joked.

  Lena was grateful to have Barry around, helped her focus on the oncoming enemy.

  “Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker!” he repeated as Lena shot another zombie head on.

  One more bullet left. “Why do you keep saying that?” Lena asked, taking another shot. She quickly changed magazines, readying herself for what came next.

  She turned briefly to Barry who looked shocked at Lena. He held his hand dramatically over his heart, pretending her confusion hurt him gravely. She laughed at him before turning back to the flow of zombies that had arrived from the other classes.

  “You’ve never seen Die Hard?” he asked, clearly shocked.

  “No, but isn’t that the Christmas action movie with Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman in it?” she asked, taking another shot.

  “Yeah, and Willis has hair!” Barry said excitedly.

  “Barry!” Lena pushed Barry into the closest row and shot a zombie in the head. Barry squealed a little as the zombie fell to the ground.

  These zombies didn’t seem to care at all about anyone else on the plane. They were all determined to get to the pilot. He needed to get back to the cockpit immediately.

  “Get behind me!” Lena shouted at the scared captain.

  The three of them slowly backed up as two zombies in economy class followed them. Lena had to be careful not to shoot any of the innocent civilians, or worse, the aircraft itself.

  She shot the two zombies, but more rose from their seats. Some came from first class. The zombies surrounded them. Lena shot two more, and she knew if this kept up, she’d be out of ammo in no time.

  “You know, if anyone was going to play me in a movie, I’d want it to be Alan Rickman,” Barry blurted out randomly.

  “Barry, my friend, I hate to tell this to you, but he’s dead,” Lena called back before taking another shot.

  “Oh, yeah. You’re right, he is.” His voice was suddenly sad as if this was news to him.

  “I’m going to need more bullets if more people keep turning like this,” she told Barry, hoping he could figure out where to get more from.

  “Where the hell am I going to get them from?” he answered.

  “I don’t know. Use your brain!”

  “Oh, yes. Excuse me, kind flight attendant, do you have any bullets stashed with those soft drinks, or are they with the red wine?”

  Lena fired repeatedly at the oncoming monsters, shooting each one in the head to ensure they didn’t get back up.

  “Barry!” Lena was down to her last bullet.

  “Oh, no. How about, excuse me, ma’am? What a lovely day it is. Can I use those bullets you keep in your handbag in case of emergencies?”

  “BARRY. I have no bullets left and loads more zombies to shoot.”

  Barry jumped back to seriousness and searched the plane. He scanned the remaining passengers, hoping one of them would miraculously produce contraband bullets for them to use.

  “Barry!” Lena cried uncertainly as more zombies spilled into economy class.

  The passengers had erupted again into chaos. There were no more indiscriminate attacks, but they were all afraid that they would suddenly turn into monsters.

  Dr. Dick Francis and Jack Enright were punching the closest zombie with no sign of them succeeding. Jack was bleeding badly, but he held the zombie as still as possible for Dick to swing powerful punches at the figure.

  The three jersey-clad individuals busied themselves by asking around for more ammunition. The atmosphere was infused with pure fear, but the fear brought on a desperation need for help. The different passengers tried their best to help the situation. It was a bizarre show of humanity.

  “…Eeeeerrrrrrrreeeeee…” a soft, faint groan came from the closest seat.

  Lena looked down at the man who occupied the seat and saw the ghostly pale air marshal clinging to life. Blood oozed from his wounds and had soaked the cardigan all the way through. The tattered bandages were crimson red and beyond use.

  The air marshal breathed heavily and could barely talk. He pushed his hand toward Lena with great effort and dropped a handful of precious bullets into her hand. They were covered with warm bl
ood from the air marshal. The blood made the bullets slick, and a few of them slipped from Lena’s hand as she grabbed frantically at the precious ammunition.

  Lena took the gift from the air marshal. “Thank you,” she said.

  As she looked at him, she wondered why he hadn’t turned yet. The zombies on the news reports changed quickly when they were bitten, but those on the plane had changed without being bitten at all. She’d need to work out what the hell was going on once the plane was under control.

  She quickly loaded a magazine and shoved it back inside the gun, a familiar click bringing her relief as she loaded a bullet into the chamber, readying it to fire.

  “Barry!” Captain Pertus called, and Barry quickly returned to Lena’s side.

  “I’m ready with some dramatic music,” Barry joked again.

  “Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker,” Lena repeated Barry’s phrase and shot at the zombies that had invaded the tight cabin.

  Dr. Dick Francis and Professor Jack Enright dived behind the row as Lena aimed the barrel of the gun at the attacking zombie. She pulled the trigger and watched as the zombie crumpled to a bloody mess.

  “We need the chariots of fire theme or something,” Barry yelled over the gunfire.

  “Nah, too slow!” Lena yelled back at him.

  “I mean a movie about running in slow motion!” Barry said as Lena aimed at the next zombie. The slow-moving figures had gained some ground.

  “I know, just despicable.” She laughed at Barry’s distractions.

  “Indiana Jones?” he asked.

  “Be serious!”

  “How about the Air Force One theme! It fits perfectly!”

  “Barry, all your suggestions are from Harrison Ford movies.”

  Barry grinned. “Yeah, but I don’t know many others, except cute shit from chick flicks.”

  “Do you watch chick flicks?”

  “Uh…” Barry stuttered for a moment.

  “It’s okay.” Lena laughed at his embarrassment. “I like them, too.”