Zombies Ever After: Sirens of the Zombie Apocalypse, Book 6 (16 page)

“So, let me guess. Duchesne had a wife.”

“Oh, it’s worse than that. He had a fiancée.”

4

“Sooo, this bad guy dies while trying to capture us, and his
girlfriend is going to come and get revenge? While zombies are
killing everyone. Seriously?”

“I know how it sounds, but these people spent their whole
lives preparing for a very specific set of events. The woman in
question, Ms. Elsa Cantwell, was a fitness champion in Iceland—her
home country. She is a master of close quarters combat and has
studied police and military reactions to mob violence and chaos—why
do you think she did that?”

Victoria could guess, but he was on a roll.

“I’ll tell you. She was preparing herself for the
extreme violence of the fall of man.”

He looked at her, seeming to want a response.

“And?” she said with a bit of impatience.

“And, the iron bitch was smitten by that asshole and his
cowboy boots. They were both...” Hayes looked around the small
room filled with video monitors as if deciding if any were pointed at
them. “They were both going to have a prominent place in the
new government. Their marriage would have bound their two families
during the transitional period.”

“You know, the more you talk, the less I believe you. This
sounds more like fairy tale material than real life.”

“Or any number of arranged marriages over the centuries in
the monarchies of Europe.”

“Whoa? Are you saying this has been going on that long?”

“No, not at all. I’m saying that what I’m
telling you is not that unusual. Powerful people work together. These
are some
very
powerful people.”

Victoria felt the frustration. Here, in front of her, was a
medical experiment showing some important keys to unlocking the
virus—maybe finding a cure. And the one man who seemed to be at
the forefront of the research was distracted by a revenge-seeking
Icelandic woman. The world was upside down.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but why the hell
should I care about Duchesne and his crazy girl? Though I don’t
want to help you, specifically, I do want to help my fellow humans in
getting a cure worked up. What I see here is an incredible advance
toward that end. I want to...” she swallowed hard, emphasizing
the pain in the words, “help you.”

“Ahh, my young friend. How I wish that were possible.”

“What? Why? The cure could be right here,” she pointed
at the walking zombies.

“It probably is. But I have to leave. I should already be
gone.”

“Why? What aren’t you telling me?”

Hayes grabbed a chair, spun it around, then sat on it so he was
facing the wrong way. He used the wooden back to support his crossed
arms.

“When Janey and I left the Riverside Hotel in our
helicopter, we could have gone anywhere. We probably should have gone
and found a quiet forest and hunkered down until the end. Instead, we
came here. My sources said the hospitals in this area had managed to
hold things together, and the research at the University continued
throughout the disaster. The community came together, where most
others broke apart. Well, you saw what it was like downtown. Total
chaos.”

She nodded.

“I had Marty’s blood. I had a responsibility to at
least look at it. This was the only place I could go,” he said
quietly.

“We figured you were going to Washington, D.C. to give it to
the President, or something,” she said with a slight laugh.

“Yeah, I guess I came across that way. But blood wouldn’t
have lasted that long. So we flew here. I was lucky that Federal
authorities were already working with the locals, and I was able to
insert myself into their org chart. Walk in with blood and a lab coat
and you’ll be golden,” he said with his usual charm.

He nervously tapped his fingers on his elbows on the back of the
chair. “That arrangement lasted all this time. Because I happen
to be a real immunologist, and I do know a lot about how this disease
was created,” he tapped his nose. “I was able to run this
place after a few days. It helped that lots of the medical staff
melted away. Pretty much only the foreign educators and grad students
stuck around. The administrators running the refugee camp eventually
put me in charge of all medical research at the university. And we
made great progress. Finally.”

“But?”

If you tell me this is all going to be ruined because of a
jilted lover, I’m going to scream.

“I did something bad.”

She pursed her lips with a painful look on her face. Like she’d
just watched a figure skater do a Triple Axel and land in the stands.

“Yes, it's true. And you’re going to hate me for this.
I couldn’t give them my real name when I came here. Remember, I
was part of the NIS organization. They know everything about me,
though I may have tinkered with my DNA tracker code,” he
giggled. “But I assumed with all the other problems they’ve
got going on, it would be a long time before they had a free hand to
go searching for me. I helped you guys along by killing Duchesne’s
men, and I figured you’d gotten away clean when I saw you
coming back across the wreck on the river. I didn’t realize
you’d—I didn’t realize he’d died. I might
have done things differently.”

“Why? What name did you use?”

“Sam Stevens.”

She’d heard the name before, but she couldn’t place
it. Her face said as much.

“You kids have the worst memory. Too many video games.”

“I don’t play—”

“I’m kidding. Geez. That’s the name Liam gave to
Duchesne when he was trying to trick him. Dutch told me the story as
you guys were coming up into the hotel. While we were...administering
to Grandma Marty.”

“Infecting her,” she said, to clarify.

“Well, when we got here I needed a name, and I thought it
would be funny to assume a name created by my favorite teen thorn in
my side, Liam.”

“I still don’t get it. If it’s a fake name, how
would anyone find you? Like, ever?”

Hayes spoke fast. “Victoria, listen. When Liam gave Dutch
that fake name, it was associated with a photograph taken on that
interchange back in the early days. Back when you refused my
assistance, the first time,” he said pointedly. Before she
could protest, he held up his hand so he could continue. “The
name was associated with the face, and eventually, when they figured
out Sam was actually Liam, it became a known alias. Duchesne was last
seen with two teens and myself and my wife after a major battle with
the Marines and Army units. She’s going to be looking for all
of us. And it won’t take her long to plug in the pseudonym and
find out that person is doing scientific heavy lifting here at the
university. I doubt she’ll be fooled into believing Liam is the
scientist,” he said with a laugh.

Victoria tried to piece together the timeline. Keeping track of
time was very difficult when the rhythm of the days and weeks was
upset so completely. “That was over a week ago. Wouldn’t
she be here seeking her revenge, by now?”

“Ah yeah, that’s just it. I was able to keep my
identity a secret up until today. I’ve been ‘Doctor
Stevens’ to all the people here in this building. Very simple,
right? Could be anyone, right?”

She nodded.

“But this afternoon the head cheese came here and wanted me
to fill out a W-4!”

He’d been waiting for a different reaction than the blank
look she gave him.

“Tax forms. He wanted to make sure I filled out the proper
paperwork so the government could pay me. Can you believe that?”
He paused, seeing it still wasn’t registering. “So, I
filled out the form with the full name. Sam Stevens suddenly existed
in the Federal data warehouse. A hit showed up on a running search on
a computer and Elsa ran to the nearest helicopter for St. Louis with
her strike team.”

“How can you be so sure? I thought the government was
supposed to be inept, and everything takes forever? You probably have
weeks before they figure it out. You should stay and finish your
research.”

“Nope. It was keyed in, and she got it, almost in real time.
I know because I know how the NIS operates. They’ll be here.”

“But how can you be sure,” she repeated in almost a
whisper.

“Because there is one thing you never want to do when you're
working with someone who operates at routine peak efficiency:
underestimate them. The second you let your guard down, there they
are. Elsa is the kind of woman who does push-ups in her sleep. Running
a search of the Federal database for select keywords is probably how
she relaxes. You can’t assume she’s anything but top
notch.”

So,
this is about a jilted lover.

She considered screaming as she promised but heeded Hayes’
advice. Elsa could be outside the door, listening for her.

5

“So what are you going to do?”

“Me? Don’t you mean us? If she’s coming, she’s
coming for all of us. I blew it for you two. I admit that, and maybe
I’m sorry. But you and Liam are on her radar, too. Probably
more than me since you were there when he...died.”

“Why do you keep saying it like that? Oh, I don’t
care. How the heck can she possibly know where me and Liam are?”

“Sam Stevens is here. Liam’s alias. She’ll know
it isn’t him, but she’ll be looking for him in the area.
And Victoria Hennessey, resident of a dorm very close to the building
where Douglas Hayes was moonlighting as a researcher. I erased the
video of your room—I promise—but how many of these other
cameras do you think you’ve been on? Cameras in the hospitals.
Have you been in the hospitals?” he asked with recrimination.

“Actually, I’ve been to the top floor. Talked to Mr.
Deveraux about work you’d done on the cure.”

He seemed taken aback. “Well. There you go. You’ve
hitched yourself to my fate. And when was that?”

“Today. He gave us approval to pull blood from a local
man—105-years-old—who lives just across the street from
the park. I’m here tonight because Doctor Yu was uncomfortable
with your experiments.”

“She’s a good Doc. Now it all makes sense. I thought
it was strange how this all went down. You kids show up blabbing to
the authorities, probably trying to make yourselves look important,
and you pull me into this, in effect destroying all the work we’ve
been doing—”

“You said you used the fake name that brought her here. You
can’t blame us.”

“So it's a total coincidence you talked to Bos this very
day, and then he comes over here collecting information about his
research team?”

She looked sheepish.

“That’s what I thought.” He took a deep breath.
“OK, I admit I may have had some culpability with this. It
doesn’t matter, in the end. She’s coming, and she’s
bringing revenge with her. It’s how these people operate.
They’re all a little unhinged.”

I know someone that fits that mold. I’m looking right at
him…

“And she’s going to find us if we don’t take
measures to make sure that doesn’t happen.” He turned
very serious. “I know you hate me for what I’ve done.
I’ve created a monster with this virus—”

And you shot me. Don’t forget that one!

She felt like rubbing that in his face, but his tone and sudden
seriousness wasn’t Hayes at all. He was scared.

“—but I’ve been trying to atone for my mistake
by working on the cure. You see that, right?”

He waved his hands at the video screens. The monitor with the
zombies moving at fast-forward was looping as if to support his
words.

“Liam said you lie about everything. I absolutely trust him.
As much as I absolutely don’t trust you. For all I know this is
an elaborate plan you’ve set up to capture Grandma again.”

He was going to speak, but she held up her hand, much as he had
done moments before. “But. In this instance, I do believe you.
It sounds nuts on the face of it, but every NIS person I’ve met
has had a streak of crazy in them. Including you.”

“Thanks. I—”

She held up her hand again, more forcefully, she imagined.

“I’m not done! The first thing we need to do is find
Liam. He’s supposed to return to Forest Park after he does...a
task...for his mother.” She danced around why he was really out
of the park. He was getting a tank for the mysterious Hans Grubmeyer.
A man who had already been brought up in her conversation with Hayes.
A man who seemed to tie them all together. “He’ll be
returning to the home of Mr. Grubmeyer.”

“Aged 105?”

“The very same.”

“I have to ask. Who else knows about Liam’s, ahh,
task? Is it something that would have been told to others? Over
radio, perhaps? Where is he?”

She wasn’t going to tell him where he was. Even torture
couldn’t do that—she prayed. But his question about who
else knew was a tough one. Hans knew, of course. Some of the Patriot
Snowball people knew. Liam’s mom knew. Jason Hawkes knew. In a
few moments she had a list of over ten people. It suddenly seemed
like a major security hole.

“I think a lot of people know, but I don’t think they
would be sloppy with that knowledge.”

Hayes stood up and stretched like he was prepping for a foot race.
“Step 1 is to get out of this building. It will be a priority
of the strike team. Step 2, we can try to find Liam, but we can’t
waste a lot of time. Our own priority should be finding transport out
of here. We have to get to Grandma.”

“Ah ha!” she echoed herself, “You
are
trying to capture her.”

“Yes, you caught me,” he said in monotone. Then, in
his regular voice, “You still don’t understand. If I
wanted Marty now, I would just ask you. You can see what we’re
doing here. Progress is being made, and it doesn’t involve the
unfortunate deaths of my early research. You have to see that.”

She stood, unmoved.

“OK. I have a helicopter, which you know. I could have
drugged you and put you on the copter and forced you to take me to
Grandma—”