The Zombie Chronicles - Book 6 - Revelation (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) (27 page)

With no other option, I removed them as well, then jumped into the lake. It felt wonderful to wash my hair and cleanse my body of all the grime and sweat we’d worked up.

Claire shot me a look, arching her eyebrow at me.

“
I was a perfect gentlemen,” I whispered. “I didn’t even look.”

“
Thanks, John,” she said.

“
Anytime, Marla.”

As we dried off, they brought us new clothes that fit us perfectly; clearly, they’d raided enough houses that they had every size known to man. Claire, reformed princess that she was, was quite happy with the fashionable outfit they’d picked out for her: a cute, glittery, low-cut top and light blue jeans that hugged every curve perfectly. She brushed her hair and threw it up into one of those messy buns Val loved so much.

Once we were clean and dressed, the old woman led us back inside. “Are you hungry?” she asked with a smile.

“
Starving,” I said.

She handed each of us a plate topped with salad, ham, and mashed potatoes.

“
Wow. I haven’t had a hot meal in forever,” I said. “Thank you.”

Claire reached for a napkin. “I don’t even remember what a hot, home-cooked meal tastes like. This is fantastic. How will we ever thank you for your kindness?”

“
Eat up,” the woman said and winked at us. “That’ll be thanks enough.”

“
It tastes wonderful!” Claire said as she bit into the ham.

“
It’s Hawaiian style.”

“
Wow,” I said, chewing the succulent, salty meat. “It’s to die for.” It truly was heaven, and I savored every bite. Until that moment, I didn’t realize just how tired I’d grown of Spam, beans, and Vienna sausages, and I was convinced that if I had to go through it all again just for another taste of that ham, it would have been worth it.

“
You got yourself a real pretty lady there,” one of the men said.

I smiled. “Thanks. We’re gonna get married as soon as we find a preacher to perform the ceremony.”

“
Well, Darrin’s a minister. He can marry you both right now if ya want.”

I looked at Claire, and she bit her lip hard. Me and my big mouth.

“
We really want Z to be here,” Claire said.

I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for her quick comeback.

The man stood. “Folks, we’re gonna have ourselves a wedding! These two lovebirds are tying the knot!”

Those who had forks and glasses clanged them together, and others cheered and yelled for us to kiss.

Claire stood and reached her hand out. “C’mon, baby. It’s just a harmless kiss.”

I stood and awkwardly wrapped my arms around Claire’s waist and kissed her on the lips.

“
You’re gonna marry that gorgeous girl, and that’s the only kiss you can muster? Heck, kid, my grandma gave better kisses than that!” the man said.

I wasn’t sure how to take that remark, but I kissed Claire again on the lips. This time, she pulled me close and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss.

“
That’s more like it,” the man said.

When the excitement died down and the attention wasn’t on us any longer, Claire looked at me. “Sorry,” she said, blushing a little.

I looked into her dazzling blue eyes, and it instantly became clear to me why Nick was so crazy about her. She was such a wonderful person, so beautiful, and an amazing kisser to boot. It made no sense why Nick insisted on playing games with her. She could have had any guy she wanted, yet she chose my stubborn brother. “You don’t have to apologize. It wasn’t even real,” I said.

“
Yeah, you’re right. It was 100 percent fake.”

“
Right. Just…acting,” I said.

“
And we won’t say a word to Nick.”

“
It never happened,” I said.

“
What never happened?” She laughed.

I sat back down, and Claire left to start mingling with the women.

“
Your fiancé is so sweet,” a dark-haired girl said as she sat down next to me.

“
Yeah, Cl…er, Marla’s wonderful,” I said, “the love of my life.”

“
How long have you been engaged?” she asked.

“
Three months,” I answered.

“
Wow! That was quick.”

“
When you find your true love in the zombie apocalypse, it’s best to snatch her right away, before a zombie does.”

The girl laughed. “I’m Sandy.”

“
John,” I said, resisting the urge to tell her my real name.

“
It’s nice to meet you.”

“
The pleasure’s all mine,” I said. “So…is it really safe here?” I asked, looking around.

“
Yeah, for now, but we’re gonna claim the whole city as our own before long. Maybe you and your fiancée will have a real home here, since we’re dividing all the houses.”

“
I’d love that, but what about the people who are already in the city?”

“
Z plans to throw them outside the safe zone.”

“
Isn’t that kinda cruel?” I said. “Why can’t everybody stay?”

“
Most of the people inside the city support that lab.”

“
And what’s wrong with the lab?” I asked.

“
We got into a huge fight with those scientists. After that, people started to mysteriously disappear. I mean, we don’t have any solid proof or anything, but they’re our lead suspects. Then we came across a group of men who said the scientists stole their vials. They had gotten their hands on a cure from a lab back in Ohio.”

“
Whoa. So…what happened?”

“
We decided to help the men get their vials back, and we planned to question the scientists about our missing people. Unfortunately, everything went wrong, and a battle ensued. Long story short, only a few of our men came back. Larry and Sam just sorta disappeared.”

“
Maybe this Larry and Sam actually switched sides and left with their group,” I suggested. “I mean, I don’t know the guys, but…”

“
Yeah, I’ve considered that,” Sandy said. “Maybe they got their hands on the vials, then killed everyone. But my gut tells me it was something else, because Sam and Larry were pretty nice. Besides that, I’m a pretty good judge of character.”

I knew Sam and Larry didn’t get the vials, but what I didn’t know was why they left in such a hurry, what spooked them and their group. I thought about Lucas’s hybrid theory.
If they saw one of those things, no wonder they took off,
I pondered.

“
We sent people to the lab,” Sandy said. “The lab says zombies devoured them all, yet most of the scientists survived. How is that possible? I mean, we sent men in there with military training, well armed, and not one of them made it back. How did the zombies know to pick them off? Do you think it’s possible that the scientists can control them somehow?”

“
Hmm. That’s a good question,” I said. “It’s a big mystery,” I said, secretly wondering if the lab had let out a couple of hybrids to wipe out the gang.

“
It doesn’t matter though. We’re gonna march in there and burn down that lab and throw every single person out of the city. We’ll take care of our own, and we won’t let anyone hurt us, not ever again.”

“
Those people won’t leave without a fight,” I said.

“
If a fight is what they want, a fight is what they’ll get. They’ll die in the streets there or outside the safe zone. It makes no difference to me. One way or another, Fairport will be ours.”

I shook my head in disbelief.

“
My brother went on that mission, and now he’s missing,” she said. “My heart aches for him and for all the others who are hurting. We have to know what happened to our missing loved ones, and we’re tired of living like caged animals here. We deserve to have our own places, to live like humans, and we’ll have wonderful lives once we take over Fairport.”

“
But at what cost?” I asked. “There are enough houses for everyone. You don’t have to throw anyone out.”

“
We’re not monsters, John. Once we clean house, we’ll decide who can stay and who must go. Worthy survivors will be allowed to join our clan, as long as they’re willing to obey Z’s rules. If we decide to let some of them live, they’ll have to pay tribute. They’ll have to bring us supplies and food.”

“
And bow down to Z?”

“
Yes.”

In that moment, I realized just how right Max was: The gang had to be dealt with, even though I wasn’t sure how. In essence, they were nice people who were just trying to survive, and I didn’t want to see Max or anyone else burning down the warehouse with a flamethrower.
There has to be a compromise, a way everyone can live peacefully.
My thoughts drifted back to Sam and Larry.
If they left Fairport without their prize, those vials, they had to have seen something horrific. But what?
I couldn’t figure it out. Besides that, like Sandy, I had my suspicions about the lab.

“
We’re gonna provide you and Marla with a safe, happy life,” Sandy said, “a life most people only dream of these days.”

“
That sounds fantastic,” I said, playing along. “I’d love to give my girl a real home.”

“
She deserves it. And you know what?”

What?”

“
You already fit right in with us.”

I shot her a smile, then glanced up. My grin grew even wider when I saw Claire approaching the table. “Sandy, meet Marla, my beautiful fiancée.”

Claire kissed my cheek. “I hope you didn’t miss me too much, darling.”

“
You know I can’t be ten seconds without you in my loving arms.”

“
Aw. Such a sweet-talker,” Claire said in a sickeningly flirtatious tone.

“
You two are too cute,” Sandy said before she walked away.

Claire sat on my lap and wrapped her arms around me, then whispered in my ear, “Max’s nephew, Frank, went along on that ambush of the lab. He’s been missing ever since.”

“
Hmm. Well, Sam and Larry haven’t been seen since either. I guess a few barely escaped, and they don’t know what happened either.”

“
Sam and Larry left town because they were scared of getting their butts kicked by the gang,” she said softly.

“
If zombies finished those gang members off, I see why they didn’t come back. They probably ran as fast as they could to get out of town.”

“
There are rumors that the lab is involved,” she whispered.

“
I know. Do you think Larry and Sam played up on their grief? This gang believes the scientists at the lab kidnapped some of their loved ones. I bet our good old boys played the ‘revenge card’ good just to elicit their help and support, maybe their guns? They probably went on and on about how the scientists screwed them too.”

“
It would make sense,” she said. “I didn’t see any signs of foul play in the lab. Even when Val and I were there, they went out of their way to make us comfortable, and they even gave you free run of the facility. If they were hiding something, they would’ve never let you roam around in there like that.”

“
I know. I’m sure Larry and Sam just ran off, not wanting to face the wrath of those gang members. Still, I have to wonder…”

“
Wonder what?”

“
Do you think the lab let a few hybrids out just to help them gain the upper hand?” “It sounds crazy, but if that is the case, I’m sure the hybrids killed Larry and Sam along with all the others.”