Pandemic Z | Book 2 | Pandemic Z 2 Page 5

  In a matter of minutes, Harry, Isabella, and Oliver were mounted on their bikes and ready to ride off to rescue George.

  “Cue epic battle music!” Oliver called over.

  Harry pulled his helmet over his head, and his long hair stuck haphazardly out of the bottom. He looked over at Oliver, and Isabella squeezed his hand tightly. He felt confident and ready.

  Chapter Five

  Lena and Barry watched as the large yellow slide finished inflating and was ready for the passengers to use. Barry eagerly bounced from one foot to the other as he saw the captain finish getting everything ready. This was the first—and last—time Barry hoped to use the emergency feature on an aircraft.

  Lena, Barry, and Captain Petrus made their way back to the hub of passengers. Emily was talking quietly with a passenger, offering her tissues. The passenger gently dabbed the tissue under her eyes, but the tears kept flowing. Emily didn’t hesitate to hand over more tissues for her to use, though.

  “Is the fucking slide ready or what?” Dr. Dick Francis was growing impatient. He’d never had to wait this long for anything.

  Jack Enright nodded in agreement. “It’s taking forever.” He tried to be polite, but his voice was obviously urgent.

  “Yes, the slide is ready, but we ask that you be civil and wait in an orderly manner for your turn,” Lena told the crowd. She didn’t think that the impatient crowd would wait and actually listen to her, but she tried anyway.

  “Thank fuck!” One of the men wearing a jersey jumped up, grabbing his wheeled case. He pushed his way down the aisle, knocking people to the side. “We’ve been waiting for hours!”

  “It hasn’t been hours. We only landed an hour ago,” Barry corrected the impatient man.

  The jersey clad man shot Barry a hard look. He was hungry and tired and wanted to breathe fresh air. “Don’t mess with me, sunshine.” The man got close to Barry’s face.

  Barry pointed behind the man. “That man over there is sunshine. My name is Barry.” He smiled politely and squeezed past the man.

  “Yeah, and my name is Benedict,” He stood taller. “Folks call me Ben, though.”

  Barry turned around to face Ben. “Benedict. Great name.”

  Ben smirked and continued on his path down the aisle. Other passengers had followed suit, pushing and arguing and eager to get to the slide.

  Barry stood in the row, watching the chaos unfurl in front of him. He felt he should have cared about the pushing crowd, but he felt safe in his row. A sleeping man was in the window seat, his head leaning against the glass. Barry didn’t dare wake him either. He knew all too well how angry people got when they woke up early, and that man had been cranky when he’d sat down to nap. Barry decided to give him a few more minutes.

  The first passenger reached the exit of the plane, stopping abruptly and causing the passengers behind her to collide heavily with her.

  “What are you doing?” The Eaton guy held his beaten briefcase in one hand and his wheeled suitcase in the other. The suitcase was way too large for hand luggage and dragged awkwardly behind him.

  The woman stuttered out gibberish while pointing down at the slide. “There’s… It’s… They…” She stared wide-eyed, terrified at what she saw at the bottom. She couldn’t even piece together a coherent sentence.

  The Eaton Guy sighed heavily and pushed forward as he craned his neck to see around the woman. From his vantage point, he couldn’t see anything unusual. Several more passengers pressed forward then, making balance almost impossible. They were being squashed like sardines from the back and sides. The only way to escape was forward, and the woman in front had no desire to do that.

  But it seemed she didn’t have a choice.

  The force of the impatient crowd behind the woman shoved her forward. Her eyes widened even more as she twisted and reached for the door of the plane. She scratched and clawed at it and the Eaton guy who had been shoved into her, but it was too late.

  A blood curdling scream escaped her as she fell back hard onto the slide, bouncing before tumbling violently to the bottom. She stumbled several times as she tried to stand. Trying once again, she fully tripped off the edge of the slide and into a small crowd of zombies whose attention had been grabbed by all the impatient shouting from the plane door before she’d fallen.

  They grabbed hold of her by the arms and hair, yanking her unmercifully off the ground as they bit into her. She screamed, the sound of it chilling the other passengers to the bone. Several passengers screamed as they averted their eyes to the massacre happening just below them. Within only a few seconds, the screams turned to gurgled, bloody cries before stopping altogether.

  Barry looked away from the massacre, swallowing hard. There was a bit in the bottom of his stomach. “How horrible,” he whispered, his voice shaky and barely audible. “They’re like hungry sharks. She was shoved off the plank of the ship and torn apart.” He had to force his jaw closed as he fought the crowd of passengers to take a step back.

  Lena looked over at him. She hadn’t seen the horror, but she’d heard it. Everyone’s mood had instantly changed, no one moving or speaking now as they stood frozen, staring out the door of the plane.

  She’d seen Barry’s mouth move a few moments ago but hadn’t been close enough to hear what he’d said. She shuffled over to the exit, trying to control the gaggle of people trying to get down the slide. The zombies were now gathered around the end of the slide, waiting for the next person to fall or be pushed from the plane. Lena and Harrison grabbed people and moved them back as the zombies continued to gather. Those in the back of the crowd were becoming more impatient. They couldn’t see the zombies that awaited them, and the loud complaining and chatter in the plane had prevented them from hearing the horror that had gone on not far from away.

  “Dude, get moving!” The Dude Guy pushed the person ahead of him.

  The small woman standing in front of the annoying man scowled back at him. She was pushing a large rolling suitcase with a large palm tree on it. She couldn’t see over the crowd and joined in pushing the crowd forward.

  “Hold it!” Harrison barked back at them. He wanted to turn into his werewolf form, but knew it was a bad idea. He quickly turned to Lena. “I can’t turn here,” he whispered as he held the crowd back.

  “Why not?” Lena asked.

  “I’ll puncture the damn slide with my claws. I won’t put these people in danger.” He strained to keep the passengers back, but their impatience proved to be fatal for yet another of them.

  “No, no! Stop! No!” a man shouted before screaming as his foot slipped out the door. He tripped and helplessly fell down the slide. The way he’d fallen, he didn’t even have a chance to turn and grab hold of anything useful in an attempt to stop the inevitable end. He screamed and called for help as he flailed against the slide, frantically searching for a place to grip as he slid to his fate at the end.

  Just as before, the sounds of growls and chomping teeth could be heard just inside the plane door. The victim screamed as his flesh was stripped away from bone until there was a final, gurgled cry only a moment before death mercifully took him.

  Barry was now standing several feet away from the door, pressed against the wall of the plane. He couldn’t see outside, but he’d seen the man fall out the door, and he could hear what had happened.

  He turned to the flight attendant. “Emily, head to the front. Try help them stay back,” he called out.

  Emily nodded and carefully made her way through the crowd. She asked people to move in a calm, sweet tone, and they all seemed to step aside as the kind air hostess picked through the crowd.

  A loud and low grunting caught Barry off guard. He’d heard the same sound many times before. He knew the sound but couldn’t place it. The grunting grew louder, and his face went white as he suddenly remembered what was sitting behind him.

  “Barry…” Emily was halfway through the crowd when she looked back to check on Barry. Her eyes widened as she saw the fig
ure flexing into life behind the frozen video game designer.

  Barry glanced behind him slowly, praying he wouldn’t see a grey, snarling, lazy form that was after his flesh. Like every time before, it seemed that no one had heard his prayers. In the small window seat was a large, lazy zombie waiting to jump on the fresh flesh.

  “LENA!” Barry squeaked out as he dove into the crowd. He repeatedly looked over his shoulder as he forced his way forward, away from the snarling zombie.

  The passengers were getting terribly close to falling down the slide. The Eaton Guy now gripped his briefcase tightly as he toppled awkwardly forward. As mortality suddenly seemed very short, he remembered back to the woman who he’d shoved out of the plane because of his impatience.

  He shook his head before turning in a last-ditch effort to get back into the plane. Instead, his feet slipped, and he fell out the door and made his way down the slide. A zombie staggered closer to him, and he squealed before swinging his briefcase, knocking the zombie down to the ground.

  “I’m going to kick your ass!” He stood, brandishing his briefcase at the line of zombies. They didn’t seem impressed by Jonny’s rousing speech and lunged forward, but the boy from Eaton roared and fought back.

  The next passenger held herself firmly in the open plane door. She looked down at the slide and then at the zombies, knowing she had no luggage or bags with her. If she fell down the slide, she would be left defenseless.

  Someone several feet inside the plane grunted and shoved as he began to panic from being trapped with so many people shoved against him. “Just go! I need out of here!”

  The force shoved one person into the next before finally pushing the woman clinging to the door out onto the slide. She tumbled over once, landing on her back and easily sliding down, but her destination was not a happy one.

  Lena’s eyes widened as she saw the woman fall. She grabbed a seat cushion and hurled it down the slide to the scared, unarmed woman. It wasn’t much, but it was what she could get in the moment.

  The woman grabbed the cushion, knowing it was all she had, and stood on wobbly legs on the slide. She swung with all she had as she fought her way off the slide. The two passengers kicked and whacked the zombies, pushing them back.

  One of the zombies lunged forward and struck the cushion but was unable to pull his strong nails out of the material. The woman took the opportunity given to her and kicked the enemy hard in the chest, sending him back and onto the ground. She rushed forward and kicked him hard in the side of the head before turning back for more.

  Harrison looked at the fighting below, visibly impressed with the courage of the passengers. “Wow, they’re doing a surprisingly good job, but I need to get down there. They won’t last forever,” he said as the first passenger to voluntarily go down the slide jumped out the door to join the action.

  “Lena!” Emily called out. “There’s more zombies on board!”

  Barry and the other passengers pressed forward to the exit. Lena looked down the cabin and could see three new zombies slowly making their way to the remaining passengers. She felt torn between helping the fighters on the ground and the passengers on the plane.

  Harrison looked urgently at Lena. His body shook with the need to shift. Not only were his nerves on edge, but the innocent lives at stake needed him to. If he didn’t change quickly, the casualties would continue to rise.

  Barry looked back over his shoulder, his eyes widening. A zombie was closing in on him, and he didn’t have long. He grabbed the closest suitcase and hurled it at the oncoming undead. It snarled loudly as the corner of the case struck it directly in the face, dropping it in a heap on the floor of the plane.

  Lena saw the desperation in Harrison’s eyes, and she nodded. “We’ll cover you,” she said, grabbing a large green case close to her. She used all her strength to throw the case down at the battlefield of zombies and humans.

  It narrowly missed Jonny Wray’s head as he dove out of the way at the last second. He quickly righted himself and went back to fighting as a zombie collapsed next to him from having been hit by the small but heavy green luggage.

  Emily fought her way to the front of the plane and shoved Harrison. “GO!” As he turned, she picked up a briefcase and followed Lena’s actions, throwing it down the slide.

  Barry arrived at the exit door just as Ben, the jersey clad man, jumped out the door and sailed down the slide, wildly swinging his briefcase as he came to the end.

  “Harrison, go!” Barry added, joining in on the action. He wheeled a heavy black suitcase to the top of the yellow slide.

  Dr. Dick Francis cowered as a zombie smacked his briefcase from his arms. The medical doctor didn’t have any weapons and feared he was about to die. He’d spent his life trying to save people from physical injury and illness.

  As he looked into the zombie’s cold, empty eyes, Dr. Francis had tears in his own. The zombie in front of him had stood beside him during earlier battles. He’d once been an acquaintance.

  “So long, Dr. Jack Enright. It was a pleasure to know you,” he whispered nobly to the unaware figure.

  Certain he was going to die and unaware of any way to prevent it, Dr. Dick Francis accepted his fate and fell to his knees at Jack’s feet. A thousand memories rushed through his mind. He thought of his mother, friends, and colleagues. Most of all, he thought of his regrets—the biggest one being that he couldn’t do anything to save these people or himself.

  “Oh, for God’s sake. Dick, get off your damn knees,” Barry yelled from the top of the slide.

  Dr. Francis jerked his head up. “What?” he stuttered out.

  “Were you planning to suck it or kill him? Here! Use this, you dramatic bastard!” Barry yelled as he tossed the heavy black case down the slide.

  Barry watched as Dick Francis stood slowly and carefully while the black suitcase picked up speed down the slide, heading straight for his waistline.

  “Dick is going to get hit in his namesakes.” Emily giggled as she tossed another cushion down the slide.

  “Out of the way,” Harrison said as he pushed his way to the front. He jumped down onto the slide, following the case down toward Dick.

  He pushed the luggage quicker towards Dick, and the confused man excitedly looked at the case. Dr. Enright, the zombie closing in on Dick, straggled closer. As soon as the case was within reach, Dick grabbed hold of it and swung, striking Zombie Jack directly in the waist.

  The momentum spun Dick around, but he pulled back and swung again, this time striking Jack in the head.

  “Tsss… Ouch,” Lena commented as she threw a briefcase down, smacking a zombie in the shoulder.

  Dr. Dick Francis thanked his lucky stars for the suitcase as he looked at Dr. Jack Enright sprawled out on the ground. He wished there was a way to reverse the effect, but he knew that Dr. Enright was no more. Dr. Richard Francis, however, was alive and well and would live to see another day.

  Harrison reached the end of the slide and ducked with haste under the enormous yellow inflatable. Looking down at his favorite black t-shirt, he pulled it off and tossed it where he hoped it would be out of the way. No matter where it landed, it stood a much better chance of surviving than it did on his body once he began the change.

  The zombies howled like dogs, drawing other brainless figures to where they were—straight to fresh meat. Without another thought, Harrison let the shift take over him, knowing he had no other choice.

  Chapter Six

  Harrison leaped out from behind the slide, howling at the gang of zombies. The sluggish grey figures stopped, several turning in Harrison’s direction before slowly dragging themselves toward the noise.

  Harrison jumped high in the air, landing hard on the closest zombie and crushing him to the ground. The werewolf bared his teeth only a short moment before he bit down on the gnarled grey flesh. Within seconds, the black pupils of the zombie turned lifeless, and the infected was no more.

  “When I first designed my video game, I h
ad my main character in a wet suit,” Barry said, watching Harrison slaughter the oncoming enemy.

  Lena stepped up as another person jumped down the slide, ready to help out now that the werewolf had been unleashed. “A wet suit?” she replied without facing Barry. She was too interested in the werewolf down below.

  Emily smiled sweetly at Barry as she handed him another cushion to toss out the door. “Why a wet suit?” she asked, confused. Her son, Harry, had liked zombie shows, but she’d never seen anyone in a wet suit.

  “Well, think about it,” Barry said. “Zombies are just humans, right?”

  “Yes, they are,” Lena responded as she stood watching the action. Harrison had killed three zombies and was approaching the one attacking Dick Francis.

  “Right? They don’t have sharp teeth or fangs, so human teeth wouldn’t get through a wet suit.” He shrugged joining Lena in watching the fight.

  Harrison let the zombie fall at his feet. The terrified Dr. Francis sped quickly away from the towering werewolf; frightened Harrison might take a chunk out of him next.

  Something tugged at the fur on Harrison’s back. He spun around to face a tall, muscular zombie. The figure thrashed at the werewolf and pulled his hair even harder, only angering Harrison further just before he howled at the sky again in pain.

  The zombie didn’t retreat, but instead he continued to attack the werewolf, determined to do damage. Harrison had humored the zombie long enough. He used his powerful claws to throw the zombie to the ground, and with an effortless bite, his thick fangs tore open the zombie’s neck. The annoying zombie became a dead corpse in a matter of seconds.

  Barry squirmed at the graphic scenes happening at the base of the emergency slide. They were out of luggage to throw because some of the passengers left in the cabin were protective of theirs. They kicked up a fuss when Barry and Lena had tried to use them as projectiles.