Pandemic Z | Book 2 | Pandemic Z 2 Read online

  “Maybe he landed from a spaceship!” one businessman mocked. His suit was crumpled and creased, but he still held himself with great importance and authority.

  Dude Guy scoffed at the unrealistic comment. “Spaceship? You seriously think he came from a spaceship?”

  The businessman laughed heartily. “I guess that sounds no crazier than a zombie or a werewolf existing, but here we are!”

  Harrison emerged from the corner, carrying his backpack with ease. He was dressed in a larger t-shirt with Adele’s face on it. The tour name was in big, bold letters across the bottom of it. Harrison wore it proudly.

  He picked his way through the crowd to where Emily, Lena, and Barry were standing. “Ta-da!” he joked as he made a dramatic pose. “Why do all of you look like statues?”

  “How many clothes do you have in that thing?” Lena asked, amazed at the amount of outfits Harrison had worn from his small backpack.

  “I managed to run back and save my favorite black shirt. It’s wet, but salvaged.” He sighed. “Still, I don’t have nearly enough.”

  Lena smiled as she looked down at her feet. She could feel her cheeks changing to another shade of red. “That’s not a bad thing.”

  “You know, Lena, when you blush, your stomach lining turns red, too.” Barry chuckled, nudging her playfully.

  The red shade grew even deeper. “Oh, shit. I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

  Barry nodded, laughing harder at Lena’s embarrassment.

  “Okay, so what’s the plan now, Captain?” Harrison asked, saluting Lena jokingly.

  Lena mulled over the situation. “Guns. Nowhere around an airport will we find guns, but we need some.”

  “Maybe in the police office, but not anywhere else,” Harrison replied.

  “Look, guys, if we get to the main part of the airport, then I could rig up weapons from store supplies.”

  “I can help by keeping the passengers under control,” Emily pitched in. “They’ll get rowdy with more zombies.”

  The gaggle of passengers were restless. A scruffy, poorly dressed man with a long, matted beard pushed his way towards Barry, Harrison, Lena, and Emily. “I’m going to go to the main terminal. Anything is better than here,” he said harshly.

  “Sir, we need to stay together,” Lena calmly told the man. Splitting up and wandering around alone was the worst idea possible.

  The man’s face distorted with irritation. “No, I ain’t waiting.”

  Lena sighed. “Did you not see what we just did out there with a group? Imagine being alone and taking that on by yourself. Please, it is in your best interest to be patient and hold on.” She tried to remain calm, but the angry passenger was testing her patience.

  He shook his head. “I’m goin’, lady, and ya can’t stop me.”

  The rough-edged man turned abruptly, leaving Lena and the others behind. Several others watched as the bearded man pushed his way past.

  “Wait for me,” a small lady called to the man.

  The lady wheeled her large case behind her and joined the bearded man on his journey down the long hallway of the airport. Some of the more restless passengers foolishly joined the retreating few. A small, scared group of passengers remained, waiting for Lena, Barry, Harrison, and Emily to tell them what to do.

  “First off, we need to see how many zombies are in the main part of the airport,” Lena said, returning her full focus back to their conversation. She couldn’t make the others stay if they didn’t want to, and she needed to take care of those who valued their lives over their comfort.

  Harrison nodded. “It’s pretty much a guarantee that there will be more zombies.”

  “Thanks for that, Captain Obvious,” Barry joked. He secretly wished they were in a marina instead of an airport. If they were by the ocean, then they could wear wet suits to protect them from the zombies.

  Harrison swung his backpack onto his shoulders. “Let’s get going. Lena and I will take the front. Emily you do your thing, and Barry…” his voice trailed off, unsure what to say.

  “I can be up front with you. When we get to the main hub of the airport, I know how to make weapons to kill these bastards.” Barry tried to remain calm, but Harrison’s rash judgements had offended him.

  “No, I don’t want you at the front,” Harrison firmly said, almost spitting the words out.

  “Barry will be with you!” Barry argued, mocking Harrison’s gruff voice.

  Harrison shook his head. “No way!”

  “Yes way!” Barry shot back, refusing to let the hairy werewolf win.

  Lena jumped in, not wanting the boys to get into a petty fight. “Boys, can it, will you!” The two men stopped bickering immediately. “You both can be at the front,” she assured them.

  “Fine.” Harrison growled.

  Harrison, Lena, and Barry made their way through the crowd. The hallway was wide and continued on as far as the eye could see. The group that had left were nowhere in sight. Those who remained with Lena and the others were eager to get moving but tired as well from all the action. Despite their exhaustion, they were determined to win the fight.

  Jonny Wray had discarded his expensive Eaton blazer and tie. His white button-up shirt was wrinkled and spotted with muddy stains. Ben stood beside him. His jersey was beginning to fray, and it had a small hole on the back.

  Roy applied more orange scented hand cream and lingered in the back of the group. Emily stood lovingly beside Beth, assuring her that things were going to work out.

  “We’re going to make our way up to the main terminal,” Harrison called over the silent crowd. No one said a word.

  “Follow closely,” Lena added, looking at the passengers’ faces.

  The crowd moved together, not wanting to fall behind. The hallway extended onwards for what felt like forever. The lights flickered on and off, threatening to plunge the windowless hallway into utter and complete darkness.

  “This is totally like a horror movie,” Barry observed, avoiding the steady drip of water that fell from the ceiling.

  Harrison rolled his eyes. He had been in worse hallways than this one. “I would pay to see you in a horror movie,” he joked.

  “Me, too.” Lena turned her head to look at Barry. “You always wanted to be like Bruce Willis.”

  The words had just left Lena’s mouth when a colossal noise shook the group. Harrison stopped immediately, sniffing the stale air and trying to hear any slight movement. He stood poised, ready to attack.

  “What the devilled egg was that?” Jonny Wray questioned as he came to an abrupt stop.

  A loud screech echoed down the halls. The noise rose again, and more of the group stopped. The few well-dressed businessmen made their way down the long hallway. They were dragging large suitcases behind them, slowing themselves down considerably.

  “Drop the cases!” Harrison yelled towards the oncoming businessmen.

  His voice echoed, bouncing off the walls and filling the uncomfortable air with eardrum rattling noise. The men didn’t bother to listen and instead continued dragging their luggage.

  SCREACH.

  Barry let out a long sigh. “Thank God. It’s only the damn suitcases,” he said, relieved it wasn’t another story book monster.

  The suitcases were making a lot of noise that could alert the zombies of their location and cause them to attack. Lena knew they had to be as quiet as possible.

  “Leave the luggage,” Lena said, hoping they would listen.

  Emily looked at Lena, Barry, and Harrison. “I’ll handle them. You guys go ahead!” she bravely said, turning to the noisy businessmen.

  “Deal,” Harrison nodded before taking off toward the end of the long hallway.

  Lena gasped at Harrison’s quick reaction. “What? No,” she told him. “We are not leaving Emily,” she said down the hallway.

  Emily spoke quietly with the two businessmen. Their suitcases looked large and heavy enough to be exhausting to tote around. The men nodded and exchanged more w
ords with Emily. Lena wanted to know what was going on, but she was confident that Emily was controlling the situation well.

  “Your luggage is creating a shit ton of noise. It’s putting you and everyone else in danger,” Emily quietly said to the two men, pointing at their suitcases.

  The first businessman licked his lips while shaking his head. “Oh, my. They have you fooled, too.” He scoffed.

  “They say they’re zombies, but I know they’re fat ass liars,” The second businessman agreed.

  Emily couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you really that fucking stupid?” she replied.

  “Lady, you can play any game you want, but do it on someone else’s time,” the first businessman said, rolling his eyes.

  Emily stood firm. She could hear the faint grunts of zombies coming from outside the hallway. “Tell you what,” she began, not knowing what else to do, “leave your luggage here and join the group. If we’re wrong, you come back and collect your things—no harm done.” She bit her lip, hoping they would buy it.

  “No,” the second businessman said confidently.

  “How do you intend to haul them up the spiral stairs?” she questioned, gesturing behind her.

  At the end of the dark hallway was a winding flight of spiral stairs, the rusted metal creaked and groaned. The lights in the long hallway continued to flicker as the group gathered at the base of the terrifying stairs.

  After a short few minutes, Emily and the two businessmen joined the group without their large suitcases. Lena was impressed with her negotiation skills. The battle had been won by a flight of spiral stairs. The two businessmen had no idea how to haul their personal belongings up them but were confident they would be back soon to retrieve them as they believed there were no zombies.

  The noise from the suitcases had aroused a faint shuffling at the top of the stairs. The grunts of zombies floated down to the group.

  “I’ll go first,” Lena said bravely. She mounted the first step carefully. “See you at the top.”

  The entire group waited with bated breath as Lena slowly climbed the stairs. Barry watched, his anxiety rising as he hoped his friend would be safe. He’d designed many games like this before. A horrifying monster would await the hero at the top, but Barry always made sure a good weapon was available. This time, Lena had no weapon, and Barry had no idea what was waiting for her at the top.

  Her feet disappeared as she stepped off the final step. “It’s safe!” she excitedly called down to the rest of the group, doing her best to use only the minimum volume needed to be heard.

  Lena looked on at the bustling scene in front of her. At the top of the stairs was a completely unpredicted situation. The main terminal of international flights was filled with confused people, smashed glass, and failing power.

  One man sat nervously on one of the many rows, picking at his already broken nails. A tall lady watched the static of the television, expecting something to happen. A mother held her two children close, hurrying across the busy floor and heading somewhere with haste. A man consoled another man gently, patting his knee lovingly. An older man was fast asleep, sprawled across three separate seats, and no one bothered him from his peaceful slumber.

  “People!” Barry exclaimed as he joined Lena at the top of the stairs.

  The small group from Flight 1997 emerged slowly from the service hallway. They joined the hustle and bustle of the main terminal, excited to see other humans who had survived so far. Everyone was unsure of where to go and bumped into others haphazardly. The terminal seemed safe. There didn’t seem to be any zombies around, though the occasional zombie corpse lay defeated in a corner, and some were rolled under the rows of seats.

  Emily gasped at the hopeful sight of people. “They’re safe…” she said, shocked. “And… they’re alive.”

  Emily watched a mother button up her son’s little shirt. The material was ripped and full of holes. A harshly stitched up patch of material covered the biggest gap. The boy smiled at his mother, reminding Emily of her own son, Harry.

  She was worried about him since she hadn’t been able to get any messages through to him. With all the excitement in getting off the plane, she had forgotten to grab her mobile phone. Harry was a smart boy, so she felt confident that he would do what was right. The news had advised everyone to stay inside, and Emily reassured herself that Harry would follow that council.

  The group of passengers stood gawking at the people in the terminal. After the long hours they had spent with only each other, the sight of more people caught them off guard. Jonny Wray looked at the crowd with sadness. His father had promised to be there when he landed, but Jonny couldn’t see him anywhere. He feared the worse might have happened.

  “I don’t see my dad,” Jonny said.

  Ben stepped up next to him, patting him on the back. “There are quite a few people here. That’s good. That means he could still be here. Don’t worry until you have good reason to.”

  Ben was returning home from a prestigious tournament. It was his first international competition, and he had expected to come home to his wife who had promised to be at the airport.

  He turned to the direction the voice had come from and smiled. “Jessie!” He ran right into the open arms of his beautiful wife.

  The couple embraced for a long time, grateful to be reunited once more. Lena, Barry, and Emily watched as the couple hugged. Lena always loved to watch airport reunions. It was like arms couldn’t hold loved ones tight enough. She loved to see the beautiful conclusion to a long period of waiting and missing one another.

  “Airports have sweeter kisses than churches,” Barry mumbled softly.

  Lena inhaled deeply and blew it out in a longing sigh. She had often seen reunions of military families after returning home from tours. Eager families would wait for their soldier to return home, alive and well. Other times, no one was waiting. She was used to seeing no one wait for her at the airport terminal. Seeing Ben and Jessie embrace reminded Barry too much of his parents. He’d left home when he was twenty years old. Barry had loved his parents dearly, and he knew they only wanted the best for him, but they wanted him to go to Harvard or Yale. Somewhere prestigious, so he could get a good job and be able to support a family.

  Barry had wanted to go to film school in London. After being accepted with a good scholarship, he lied to his parents, telling them he was just going on holiday. He left his parents behind him at the airport gates, unaware that he would never return.

  Jonny Wray took one last look around the terminal, determined to find his father. He searched every face that was visible and had almost lost hope. Then a burst of excitement and happiness exploded in his chest as he saw his father walking toward him, but that all but evaporated only a fraction of a second later when the dread and heartbreak followed.

  “Dad?” he gasped.

  A sluggish, almost clumsy figure walked towards him. Tears filled Jonny’s eyes as he realized it was definitely his father, but the gnarled flesh and low grunt, black dilated eyes, and heavy shuffle was not what Jonny had expected. His heart immediately broke in his chest.

  Jonny’s dad was followed by a large mass of zombies who had come in from one of the other hallways. The grey figures were dressed in airport uniforms and wore radios and ID badges that hung from their belts. Their shuffle was amplified by their heavy cargo boots. Screams erupted in a chain reaction as more humans saw the crowd of undead approach.

  “Oh, not again.” Barry sighed at the sight of the zombies.

  Jonny looked at his father with tears in his eyes. He had worked so hard for his father to be proud of him. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. I hope I made you proud, Dad. Please forgive me,” he whispered as he kicked the zombie to the ground.

  Chapter Nine

  Harry, Oliver, and Isabella pedaled fast as a light drizzle began to pitter patter around them. The pavement was cracked and bumpy, but as the rain fell, it became slick.

  “Watch out!” Isabella
screamed as the bike slid slightly to the left.

  Harry hated pedaling in the rain. Getting soaked didn’t bother him. That was the best part, and it was a perfect excuse to have a long and relaxing bath. He hated the energy required to ride in the rain because his bike was older and didn’t grip too well. It required a lot more strength and concentration.

  Oliver sped ahead of them, laughing as he flew by. His new sports bike was well equipped to ride in any condition. The rain had no impact on him whatsoever.

  Oliver rode around the corner at the end of the street at lightning speed. The deserted street was just what they needed—no zombies to interfere with them and no onlookers yelling at them to stay inside, just the wide-open road.

  “LOOK OUT!” Harry screamed into the wind.

  Oliver skidded to a halt as a tall, thin, and gangly zombie turned the corner. Oliver was frozen still as the zombie stopped and sniffed at the air. He could detect Oliver’s strong scent.

  “God, no!” he whimpered. Oliver had imagined cool ways to die but being eaten by a zombie didn’t rank anywhere on his list.

  Isabella wriggled herself into position. “Harry, get as close as you can before braking. With the road conditions as they are, if we time it right, we can flip the bike just from braking, so I can attack the zombie with newspapers!” she said in a rush.

  Harry blinked the rain from his eyes, his long hair sticking to his already soaked skin. “You’re a fucking genius, Isabella!”

  Harry picked up more speed as he frantically pedaled towards Oliver’s oncoming zombie. The zombie was slowly shuffling closer to Oliver, sniffing and grunting as he went. Oliver scooted backwards slightly, trying to put space between him and his attacker. With every step Oliver took, the zombie advanced faster.

  “Zombies don’t like fast food Oliver!” Harry yelled as he pedaled closer to the zombie.

  A moment before they collided with the zombie, Harry shoved the old brakes down. The bike skidded and jittered on the moist road as it tried to grip the tarmac. Harry leaned sideways, hoping to encourage the bike to skid the right way, and sure enough, the bike slid around and made a donut shape on the tarmac. Isabella hurled wet newspapers in the zombie’s direction as they slid, distracting the zombie and knocking him off balance before it fell to the ground. The waterlogged newspapers were heavier than normal and worked to their advantage.