Pandemic Z | Book 2 | Pandemic Z 2 Read online

  “Did he give you answers?” Lena pressed for more information.

  “He told us about the rebirth and about Asher Brannick,” he paused for a moment. Lena held her breath, waiting impatiently for the rest of the story. “We asked about the different vials we’d seized from the lab, and he told us about the different infections. We learned how the Z Virus is the zombie’s virus, the A Virus is for the ‘perfect race,’ and the good old W Virus is, in fact, a werewolf virus. We also learned that it acted similar to the other in the sense that the zombies don’t smell the werewolf.” Sergeant Turner sighed as he finished.

  “That’s not too bad, though, if you found vials of the different infections,” Lena said optimistically.

  “It is. The werewolf virus is being offered and administered to the military, the police force, and us here in the UKSF,” he said. “We figured an army of werewolves would have a better chance at defeating the zombies.”

  “Did you take the virus?” Lena asked, slightly afraid of the answer. There was something in the way his voice shook as he spoke and the direction the story was going that made her question it at all.

  “Yes, I did. I have another shot ready for you. It completely up to you to decide.” His words were firm but hopeful.

  Lena sucked in a long and thoughtful breath. It was a noble cause that would help in the fight against the zombies, but part of Lena was uneasy at the idea of her own father being part werewolf.

  “Lena? You still there?” Her father’s voice came through the line faintly.

  “Yeah, is there any cure for the zombies?” she asked, wanting to move on from the idea of her father being a werewolf.

  “No. Unfortunately, those who have been infected are gone. There’s nothing we can do for them now,” he said solemnly.

  “Poor Adele,” Lena whispered.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  “I will contact you later. Thank you for the updates,” she quickly said, hanging up before he could say anything else.

  The line went dead, and the silence was heavy. Lena sat in silence for a long time, processing what had happened. She loved her father even more for risking his life by taking the werewolf vaccine, but she was afraid of what could happen in the process. Still, she was proud of him for protecting his nation and doing his part for the safety of the country.

  Barry knew something was off with Lena. He’d seen it before and knew the signs. He hated seeing her that way. “Hey, what’s going on up there?” he asked sweetly.

  “My father took the werewolf virus,” Lena quietly said, looking up at Barry’s kind face.

  “No way! That’s so cool, Lena,” Barry exclaimed excitedly.

  “It’s part of the commitment we made when we joined the UKSF.” Her voice was steady, and her words were evenly spoken. She was deep in thought about protecting the country, both happy and sad, calm and afraid. Everything was spinning around her sober mind.

  Barry looked flabbergasted. He raised his eyebrows and struggled to find words. “That’s… I… What…?” he stuttered. “Part of your job is to commit to becoming a werewolf? I’m so in the wrong career here.”

  Lena looked up, confused. Surely, Barry knew that he was being silly again. She tried to make sense of his words but couldn’t figure it out. “Barry, I can’t imagine you kicking ass the way I do,” Lena joked instead.

  “I could do it!” he protested.

  She shook her head, smiling. “I have to be tough and interrogate terrorists. I have to protect the Prime Minister while wearing high heels. I would pay to see you do that!”

  He laughed. “I run very well in high heels, thank you very much. You would be impressed!”

  She smiled at him, grateful for the moment of peace.

  Harrison turned to face Lena and Barry. “Isn’t it odd that we’re still on the plane even though we landed?” He’d been pacing the aisle, trying to come to terms with the fact that Adele was a zombie and there was nothing that could be done to change her back.

  “I want to say something witty, but I can’t think of anything,” Barry replied.

  Barry and Lena rushed to the small window where the exit was. Figures bustled about on the ground in bright, high-visibility vests, and others milled around in airport uniforms. One particularly large figure had a black security t-shirt on similar to the one Harrison was wearing.

  “Why haven’t they brought the stairs?” Barry asked, pointing at the airplane steps a few yards from the plane.

  “Look closer,” Lena told him.

  “Oh, my fucking God. Are you serious?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yep.”

  “We’re going to have to use the slide! I’ve been waiting to do this for most of my life!” Barry said excitedly, pointing at the moving figures.

  Lena chuckled and shook her head at Barry’s enthusiasm. The figures continued moving around underneath and around the plane. Their sluggish movements were clumsy, and their greyish skin glimmered in the gentle rain.

  The aircraft was surrounded by zombies.

  Chapter Two

  Barry sighed as he looked at the zombies wandering around on the ground. He’d known that the zombie problems wouldn’t be over when they landed, but he was tired of continuously fighting them and the frightened crowd of passengers. He just wanted a break and a good cup of tea.

  “You know what?” Barry asked Lena, doing his best to hide his feelings.

  “Another fight. I know,” Lena replied, slightly defeated. She loved being part of the UKSF and felt great pride when she protected those who couldn’t protect themselves, but like Barry, she just wanted a break.

  While Barry was hesitant to let Lena know how he was feeling, he knew the atmosphere might be better if he was honest. “If someone had told me I would be friends with a kick ass woman from the United Kingdom Special Forces when I initially boarded this flight back in New York City, I would’ve laughed at them. I mean, me? Friends with someone from such an elite group like the UKSF?” Barry said, ignoring Lena’s despair. “It just wasn’t something I’d thought of, but here we are, and my God, am I grateful we’ve made it this far.”

  Lena was taken aback by Barry’s sweet words. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts of fighting and winning against the zombies that she had forgotten completely that Barry was a stranger to her that very same morning.

  So much had happened over the course of just a few hours in the air. She had been occupied with zombies and Harrison’s good-looking birthday suit. Her mind was too concerned about Sunshine and the red wine giving her a hangover. The last thing she’d been concerned with was Barry and their friendship. It just felt normal to be friends with him.

  “To be honest, I forgot we were even strangers,” she said bluntly.

  Barry nodded in agreement. “Me, too,” he added.

  An uncomfortable silence followed as Barry and Lena watched the zombie ground crew circle the plane like a hungry group of sharks waiting to eat their prey. Lena knew she had to think of something, but her brain was drawing blanks. She couldn’t even blame her hangover for her foggy thoughts.

  Barry hated the long ongoing silence between them, but both of their minds were in other places. The sight of the zombies on the ground filled him with an odd sense of fear, despite all he’d gone through. He only knew of one way that would cut the overbearing silence between them.

  He cleared his throat, gathering enough courage to speak. Finally, after a few short moments that seemed like an eternity, he found the words he was looking for. “Did you know that New York would’ve been New Amsterdam if the British hadn’t arrived first?” He pulled the fact effortlessly from his brain, filling the silence between them.

  Lena opened her mouth to reply with something witty, but Harrison had stopped pacing in the cabin. He was getting angrier the longer he waited. Harrison liked to think of himself as a patient man, but he hated waiting around when he could be doing something useful.

  Staying on the airplane and l
ooking at Adele made him feel worse. She was a zombie, and there was nothing he could do to change her back. Instead of dwelling on that, he just wanted to do something to help.

  He’d had enough of aimlessly pacing and smacked his balled-up fists against the headrests. “That’s it!” he cried out in rage. “I cannot just sit around watching and doing nothing.”

  Barry and Lena looked down the rows to where Harrison was. He was only a few rows away from Adele who didn’t even sense his presence. The werewolf virus in his veins worked well, but Lena thought it could be influencing his human emotions, too. Harrison’s anger seemed random to Lena, but she knew he had a valid reason for it.

  While she understood his impatience, she didn’t understand why he would be so quick to move without a solid plan. No one had even the tiniest idea of what to do, and the thought of leaving the safety of the aircraft sounded like a suicide mission.

  “Harrison, we need a plan to remain alive,” she said, uncertain if her words would make him see reason or anger him further.

  He looked calm for a split second before his eyes narrowed and intense anger filled his features. “A plan? Look lady, I’m the fucking werewolf who will kill those little shits down there!” he yelled. His accent became heavier, and he spoke faster than before.

  He couldn’t see their reasoning. All he knew was that he would be the one to kill the zombies, and all he wanted to do was get down there and start doing something.

  “I know you are, Harrison, but there are a lot of people here we need to look after.” Lena tried her hardest to remain calm as she spoke to him, but it was difficult.

  “Damn them. Why don’t I just go down there and do what I’m fucking meant to do!” He was seething mad.

  Barry stood a little taller. He tried to see both points of view, but Harrison was beginning to frighten the passengers with his angry yelling. It was a difficult situation to juggle. There were so many things that could go wrong, and Barry knew he had to go and calm the other passengers before Harrison became even more upset and potentially dangerous.

  He quickly shuffled out of the row, trying to be as quiet as possible. He didn’t want to redirect Harrison’s anger towards himself.

  Within a few moments, Barry had successfully exited the row without Harrison noticing him. He tiptoed down the aisle towards the tight cluster of other passengers and wasn’t surprised that so many of them were as far from the action as possible. If he wasn’t friends with Lena, he would have been shoehorned in the tiny bathroom for safety.

  He chuckled while remembering the Hawaiian shirt zombie crammed into the other bathroom. It made him imagine himself in a similar ugly button-up shirt, bursting out of the tiny room. That thought made him feel better as he continued to cautiously make his way towards the remaining guests.

  Harrison’s mood was still escalating, and Lena was doing her best to keep him in check. Barry had to be quick, even though he had no idea how he was going to keep the passengers calm.

  Emily, the strong and caring air hostess, stood as Barry got closer. She had been taking care of her friend, Emma, whose face was still streaked with mascara from the zombie encounter so many hours earlier.

  The grey skies outside the windows made the soft airplane lights glow even brighter. Barry hoped the weather wouldn’t impact the passenger’s morale. It was hard enough to control the small crowd without the added worry of terrible British weather.

  Emily approached Barry after carefully assessing the remaining food rations. She had seen countless crime and post-apocalyptic shows with her son Harry and his friends but had never been in a real-life crisis.

  “I counted up food supplies,” she informed Barry, trying to hide her nervousness, but he hadn’t even noticed. He was so impressed at her proactive approach to the grim situation that he didn’t think anything of her nervousness. “I didn’t know what else to do…” she added quickly when he didn’t respond.

  “Good. Well done. Thank you.” Barry was just as lost for words as she was. He’d never thought he would have to face such a unique situation outside of the games he designed. “How much do we have?” he stuttered.

  Emily showed Barry to the back part of the cabin, an area he’d never been on any plane. The space was slightly cramped. Chairs for the flight attendants lined one wall, cupboards were stacked neatly along the back, there was a fridge for the drinks under the small counter, and there was an empty hole where the large first aid kit once hung.

  Emily sighed, knowing there wasn’t too much left. She showed Barry the stacks of airplane meals that were meant for the flight but had remained untouched because of the zombie outbreak.

  “These,” she said, gesturing to the rows of boxed meals, “were meant for this flight, but the zombies sort of invaded, and dinner time was suspended.” She smiled, hoping Barry had picked up on her humor. She was always light hearted when things got rough.

  “Shame. Dinner is my favorite part of flying,” Barry replied jokingly. “The gourmet airplane food is just to die for.” He emphasized his words carefully, adding to Emily’s humor. He liked the way she handled tense situations because it made him feel better about his own dark sense of humor during such times.

  “There isn’t a whole lot of food remaining for the number of passengers on board. The food wouldn’t even last a day before there would be nothing but a handful of pretzels,” Emily said.

  He nodded. “That’s too bad because I like pretzels.”

  Emily shifted from one foot to the other. The mandatory high heels were killing her feet, and she was dying to remove them. “We were, uh…” She cleared her throat as Barry leaned in to hear her speak. She tried to increase her volume a bit. “We were going to stock up on food here while we were refueling.”

  Barry’s nodded, his neck hurting a bit from straining to hear Emily. “So, we don’t have much grub. We need a plan,” Barry said.

  Emily followed him out of the back area. He didn’t know if he should tell Lena, given she already had a lot to deal with. Harrison still wanted to get out of the stuffy cabin and fight some of the enemies, and Barry knew he would eventually have to. In the end, he decided the truth was sometimes harsh to hear, but it was the best thing to do.

  Barry made his way over and calmly pulled Lena aside. “Not to alarm you, but we don’t have much food. From the looks of it, it won’t even last the day.”

  She looked down the cabin at the passengers and then back at Barry. “That’s not good. What about water?”

  “We have a few bottles, but we need a plan to get off this plane,” he replied.

  “You’re right.” She bit her lip as she thought. They would have to use the inflatable slide.

  “‘Get off my plane,’” Barry said, quoting a line from a movie in Harrison Ford’s voice.

  Lena looked at Barry with confusion. She laughed at him and his steadfast humor. “What?”

  “Air Force One? You know, like kick ass Gary Oldman and fucking Harrison Ford? Have you never seen Air Force One?” Barry was taken aback.

  Lena shook her head. “No, but I know who both Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman are though.” She focused on the exit as she spoke.

  “Fair enough.” Barry wasn’t certain how to reply then, seeing her attention had diverted back to their current situation. He wandered down the cabin to the exit, excited again about using the emergency slide.

  “Does Emily know how to operate the slide?” Lena asked him.

  “No, I didn’t ask her,” he said.

  Captain Petrus finished the flight log as the grey skies hovered heavier over the grounded airplane. He made his way out of the cockpit to economy class, followed closely by Crystal, a short, slightly larger woman. She was Captain Petrus’s trusty copilot. Lena saw them exit but quickly dismissed them as she focused on getting the slide operational. “Barry can you go ask Emily…” her voice drifted off as she realized the Captain was now standing right beside her.

  “What do you need us to do?” Captain P
etrus asked.

  Lena turned to face him. “You know how to use the slide on this thing, right?” Lena asked.

  The captain’s face lit up like a kid receiving exactly what he wanted for Christmas. “I’ve always wanted to use that damn slide!” Captain Petrus said, practically beaming at the thought.

  Lena rolled her eyes. Everyone around her was so excited to use the inflatable slide, but she didn’t see they appeal. “Why the fuck does everyone want to use that God damn inflatable slide? I mean, it’s just a damn slide.”

  Captain Petrus nodded. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. It’s just a stupid slide, but it’s a slide on an airplane. We always outline emergency procedures, but we’ve never had to use them. Just once, I wanted to.”

  “Barry?” Lena said. She could see he was good with the overall passenger morale, and he’d helped her keep the crowd under control.

  Barry looked at her expectantly. He was afraid she wanted to talk to him about the passengers. He didn’t mind it because he was good at it, but he was growing tired of always fighting with the same group of confused people.

  “We need to talk to the passengers,” Lena said. Barry sighed in relief.

  “I’ll have them gather in conference room five, ready for you to brief them,” he joked. “I bet you they’re just as excited to use the slide,” he added promptly.

  Lena chuckled. He was probably right. “Not at all,” she said, even though she knew the truth. “It’ll be nothing special.”

  Barry snorted but followed her to the main hub of gathered passengers. They looked up earnestly at Lena, worried and scared that more zombies were going to attack them. They were hungry and tired, battle worn and confused. They hoped Lena was going to bring them hard fought good news.

  “Hey, listen up guys,” Lena began casually. She wanted to address them as her friends and comrades instead of like a group of diplomats at an important formal conference. “We’re about to get off this plane, but it’s not going to be easy.”

  The crowd was silent. Some of them clung to the seats in front of them while waiting to hear the news. Others clutched their luggage, ready to dash off the plane. The silence was overwhelming.