Rise of the Necrotics (Books 1-4) Read online

  Part of me toyed with the idea of saying the hell with Holly and just going for my parents. It wouldn’t take me long to boost a car, and if I could round them up before daylight, we had a good chance of sneaking through any checkpoints the Hilltop set up. As I continued to jog I felt the net around Phoenix closing in.

  Still, it felt wrong to think of Holly as just a bargaining chip. We’d had a moment earlier, a moment I was rather fond of. Sure most of that early flirting had been destroyed when I locked her team in a death trap behind us, but I liked to remain optimistic about these things. When it came right down to it, I wasn’t sure I could hand her over to Director Chen even if my parents’ lives were on the line.

  Holly was a woman of values. Sure, hers might have been a little corrupted by her thirst for knowledge, but I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather have trying to solve our current predicament. She’d done her best to help Garfield, and when that failed Holly did her best to help the rest of humanity.

  Hopefully, she was still alive. I felt like I paid the karmic price for my action already. Getting left behind had a way of putting things in perspective. Nothing reminded you of your place in the universe faster than getting shit on by the people in charge. The Hilltop had used me and tossed me away like a plastic bag from the grocery store. I thought my gift made me indispensable, but in the end I was just as expendable as everyone else.

  There was an alley headed south, and it looked as if it would get me pretty close to the smoke I could see over the rows of one-story houses. Not only that, but the sirens heading in my direction confirmed I didn’t have a ton of time. A helicopter crashing into the city was just the kind of thing that brought in the reporters. Once the news had a hold of this, they’d trace it back to the hospital and then the neighborhood where this all started. Once those greedy bastards made the link between the three sites all hell was going to break loose.

  The night seemed to disappear, and I watched my shadow stretch out before me almost in slow motion. It felt like God had said screw it, today the sun is going to start at high noon instead of peaking over the equator. My shadow decided it had enough fun for one day as it shrank back towards my feet and the bright light behind me started to dwindle. Quickly turning off the night vision on my glasses, I turned around, knowing full well what would be waiting for me. Chen had actually pulled the trigger. Saint Luke’s Hospital was gone.

  A building that had been part of the Phoenix landscape for over fifty years was destroyed in an instant. In the hospital's place was a flaming ruin. How many people had Chen just killed? That was if anyone left inside was still actually a person. Things didn’t seem to be trending in a direction that said there were a lot of uninfected people left in the building. Still, I had the feeling we could have done more, that I should have done more than try and save my own ass.

  Seemed as though Chen didn’t have a problem saving his own ass even when it meant destroying a landmark. As much as I wanted too, I couldn’t disagree with the call. The only thing that would have made it better was if we had been able to save some of the people. Saving people came with risk though. If just one of those things got out we’d be living in a brand new world by tomorrow. A world where we were no longer on top of the food chain.

  My gut twisted slightly as I thought about what all of this could mean. Had I unknowingly unleashed the apocalypse on this world? It kind of felt like that was what happened. If the guards at the house had only followed my orders maybe this would have turned out differently. Or it could have turned out worse. If Ramirez changed at the hospital and hadn’t been contained we could have been dealing with a hundred of those things instead of one or two.

  I was getting tired of playing the what if game, though. It was time to get out in front of this thing. At least then I’d be able to stop trying to heap all of the world’s problems on my shoulders. Give a man a job to do and you put his worries on the shelf for a day. It was something my father used to tell me. Some men just need a task to feel like they are doing something. Apparently, I was one of those men.

  There would be time for me to come to terms with my action after all of us were safely out of town. For now, I had to get to Holly and find out if she was alive, then try and wrestle her away from a group of armed Hilltop agents. Piece of cake.

  The alley ended abruptly at an eight-foot wall. I didn’t even slow as I ran towards the wall. Instead I jumped, planting one shoe on the wall about three feet up, and then used the momentum to vault myself over the top. A second later I was flipping over the other side. Somehow I landed on my feet like a cat, and just continued to run. That was some James Bond shit right there. Daniel Craig, eat your heart out.

  The sound of roaring flames was easy to make out over the sirens. I wondered what would be considered the bigger priority, the hospital or the house. My money was on the hospital, even though a house on fire in this neighborhood would do a lot more damage if it raged out of control. All I could do now was hope I was right and get out of here before anyone really noticed me.

  There was still a part of me that felt like this run to save Holly was a fruitless endeavor. The helicopter had fallen out of the sky from pretty high in the air and had crashed into a neighborhood. The chances of people surviving a crash of that magnitude seemed slim, but crazier things have happened. There was nothing to do now but stay committed to the plan. I kept running.

  The smoke was getting thick now and making it harder to breathe. The sirens had stopped, but I could make out a few flashing lights just around the next bend in the street. If the cops were there I had to be careful; if it was just fire department and EMTs, then I’d flash my ID and bully my way through to Holly before the police showed up. Then it was a quick skip to my folks’ place, and we were out of here before Chen could box us in.

  I pulled out my Hilltop badge as I jogged around the corner. I made it about fifteen steps before I had to flash it to a fireman. The badge was up in the air and back in my pocket before he could really see anything. He looked over my clothes and the weapon on my hip before waving me forward.

  “Be careful, we’re still trying to put out the fire,” he called as I walked past him.

  It wasn’t worth the risk to get closer if there weren’t any survivors. Pausing I turned back toward the man. “Anyone make it?”

  He pointed off to my right toward an ambulance that had the back door open. “Over there. Not all of them are in great shape.”

  Turning away from the fireman, I headed toward the ambulance. There was a crowd over there of five or six firemen and two dedicated EMTs. They were looking over two or three of our agents outside of the ambulance. Inside of the ambulance, there was only one person I was focused on, Holly.

  It felt kind of weird to be watching her in the distance. Kind of made me feel like I was the creeper in a scary movie, instead of a roguishly handsome spy. Ok, I wasn’t exactly a spy, but when the chips were down sometimes I liked to give myself a little pep talk. It was either what would Rick Grimes do, or Bond. You really couldn’t go wrong following the lead of either man. Still, there was something to be said about being able to watch someone when they didn’t think anyone else was around. You got to see the true nature of things instead of the mask people put on when they left the house.

  Holly looked a little banged up, but she was wearing her injuries with pride. It reminded me of the time I was in a car that rolled over. At some point I’d been thrown from the vehicle and found myself lying unharmed twenty feet away from a car that was upside down. It hadn’t dawned on me at the time just how lucky I was. It hit me years later when I was just sitting at home. No one lives through an accident like that, let alone comes out untouched unless it’s a miracle. Or maybe even divine intervention. So while I might not enjoy the pettiness found in most churches, I’m a huge believer in God. How could you not be after a miracle like that? It made me wonder if Holly felt the same way now, or if it would take a while for the reality of the crash to sink in.

>   One of the EMTs finished wrapping a bandage around Holly’s hand and then gave her a pill and a big smile. Holly swallowed the pill and smiled back at the EMT before climbing out of the ambulance. There was some blood staining her hair, and a few scratches on her leg, but she looked stable. The EMT watched her for a moment before pulling one of the other agents into the back of the ambulance.

  Thankfully the EMT released her. If Holly needed further medical attention, my plan was moot. Despite the desire to use her as a bargaining chip, I wasn’t going to put her life at risk. Holly looked up and scanned the crowd of people around her, when her eyes passed over me they widened in surprise. At the same moment I felt my gut drop, and I ducked behind one of the firemen as a Hilltop agent glanced in my direction.

  Holly looked off to the right, where the ambulance would shield us from the view of the Hilltop agents receiving care. I nodded to her once and then started moving through the crowd of first responders. At least she was awake and cognizant enough to form a plan. Whatever kind of tranquilizer dart they hit her with must have already worked its way out of her system.

  I moved as silently as I could and tried not to draw any attention. Eventually, I was behind the ambulance and looking right into Holly’s eyes. She rushed forward and pulled me into a hug, completely throwing me off balance. How could she be so happy to see me after what I’d done back at the hospital?

  Holly pulled back just enough to look at me again. “You’re alive.” Her words came out in a raspy whisper.

  I couldn’t help but smile back. Far be it from me not to enjoy being embraced by a beautiful woman. “I think Nandy might have bailed me out.” There was no way to know for sure unless I spoke to her again, and I wasn’t sure that would ever happen.

  “So what are you doing here?” Holly looked at me like I lost my mind. “Don’t you have family to save?”

  “I came for you.” It’s a line that would have wooed over any princess in the movies, but when I said it, it just sounded like I was slightly desperate and maybe even a little lovesick. “I mean…ah...when I saw the helicopter go down I just had to know if you made it. The way we left things on the roof, and how you were taken didn’t sit very well with me. Kind of felt more like a kidnapping than an extraction.”

  Holly leaned in close again almost like we were lovers. “That’s truer than you know.”

  “Then let’s get the hell out of here.” If she wanted to leave with me, it just made things easier. Somewhere along the way I’d realized that I couldn’t just take her against her will and trade her off like you would have with the baseball cards we collected as kids. It had to be her choice to come, and it sounded like she wanted to.

  “Max, I can’t just leave. I might be the only one that can crack this thing open. If just one of those things got out of the hospital, our very humanity could be on the line.” Holly looked slightly panicked at the thought.

  “All the more reason to get you to the Hilltop in Flagstaff. They should have all the equipment you need, and I doubt Director Chen would interfere when you’re already in a secure location.”

  Holly thought about it for a moment. “Screw it, let’s go.”

  I almost pumped my fist in excitement, but I managed to keep my emotions contained to a giant shit-eating grin. Reaching out for Holly’s hand I started to walk away. We made it to the next street over and ducked into the alley just as the police started to close off the area. It took them quite a while to get here. Guess blowing up the biggest hospital in Phoenix had that kind of effect on first responders.

  A helicopter crashing into a house didn’t scream terrorist attack like an entire ten story building burning to the ground. It wouldn’t take the police long to realize terrorism wasn’t involved. The Hilltop wouldn’t let them close enough to investigate, and the cover story about the explosion would have already been circulated to our media outlets. I’d seen the Hilltop do it all before, but that was always in someone else’s country. I expected more from them in our own backyard. Especially when said backyard included my parents in it.

  The conversation we were bound to have when I showed up on their doorstep unannounced was going to be interesting. They didn’t exactly know what I did for a living. I tried to put myself in their position, and already I knew the entire conversation was a dud. When the kid you haven’t seen in six months shows up on your doorstep at five am raving about zombies and needing to get away, the outcome couldn’t be great.

  If someone showed up at my house spouting that kind of nonsense, I’d think they lost their mind, or were as high as kite on something you couldn’t buy at a dispensary. My folks would probably think the latter. Get caught smoking a little cannabis and playing Final Fantasy until four am one too many times, and your parents think you might be a drug addict. Guess what, sometimes people just like to vape a little flower and chill. It certainly doesn’t mean they’re going to dip into a mystical stash of heroin later.

  Out of all the people I’ve known in my life who have indulged in a little recreational cannabis use, almost none of them have moved on to harder stuff. I wish I could say it was all of them, but sometimes life throws something traumatic at someone and they just look for any means to put it behind them. Sometimes that means is self-destructive, and not everyone can come back from that.

  Needless to say, convincing my folks that the zombie apocalypse was upon us wasn’t going to be easy. At least Holly would be there to back me up if my folks couldn’t see past my own shortcomings as a son. Maybe they’d prefer to take the word of a beautiful doctor and respected scientist. Not that it mattered. If they refused to come, I’d tranq them, and they’d wake up in the middle of a nice little road trip. Sure they’d be pissed, but I could live with that if they were alive. At least Basil would be happy to see me.

  Letting go of Holly’s hand, I started to jog. The sound of her feet soon matched the pace I was setting, but Holly was already breathing hard. The crash must have taken a lot more out of her than it appeared at first glance. It probably wasn’t a good idea for her to be running anywhere.

  We ducked up one side street and then into another alley. When we reached the first of the massive black dumpsters I slowed to a walk. “Holly, hunker down here, and I’ll find us a ride.”

  “I’m fine,” Holly hissed through gritted teeth.

  “And ten times tougher than you look.” I pointed at the dumpster. “Just wait for me. The last thing I want is something to happen to you. If your ribs are cracked, running around isn’t exactly going to help anything.”

  Holly looked like she wanted to argue. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and her eyes were daring me to imply she couldn’t keep up because she was a woman. “I’ll be fine.” She took a step forward and clutched at her ribs.

  She sat back down wedging herself between the dumpster and the wall. “On second thought, I think I’ll just stay here.”

  I had to give it to her, she was a trooper. There were plenty of men out there that couldn’t deal with what Holly had been through tonight, and twice that number that wouldn’t have even tried to run after dropping from the sky like a rock. She had some big brass lady-balls, but Holly needed to save her energy for when we might really have to run.

  Holly’s eyes were alert and open, so I didn’t feel too bad about leaving her sitting in the wet alley. I flashed her a quick smile and turned to run. It wouldn’t take me long to find an older model car in the street. Then it would only be a matter of minutes before we were on the way. If only putting the rest of this nightmare behind us would be so easy.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Max Meridious

  New cars have all those fancy electronics and locking gizmos, but older cars are simple. In this case simple didn’t mean easy to repair, it meant easy to steal. A broken passenger side rear window got me into the car, and a couple swift kicks to the steering column ripped off the cheap plastic guarding the wires. From there all I needed was my knife, and thirty seconds later I was drivi
ng away.

  Part of me felt bad for stealing the car. This was the kind of neighborhood where people worked for a living, and not the kind of work that made you a hundred thousand a year. These were my people, the people that wake up every day and make sure the world keeps spinning. They mow lawns, do electrical work, and clean houses. Basically whatever it takes to survive, and all of it is to give their children chances they never received. If you want to be successful at anything in this world you have to put in the work, and the people living here do that every day.

  Those were the kind of people no one should steal from, and yet here I was driving away in one of their cars. Thankfully the registration was current and in the glove box. I tucked the document inside of my vest. If the apocalypse didn’t go down, I wanted to make sure I covered any expenses and possible loss of employment. Of course, I’d have to throw in a bonus for stress. I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to walk out of your house in the morning ready for work, only to see that your car was gone.

  It wouldn’t do me any good to worry about it now. I made my choice when I decided to save my own ass to get Holly on the roof. So far, the road to hell wasn’t paved in good intentions, it was paved in bad decisions and recklessness. The sad part was, I wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. Not until my family was safe.

  Holly rose from where she had been resting against the wall when the car pulled up. I had the lights off so there was no way she could see me. The first of her shuffling steps forward were worrying. If Holly was seriously injured, I’d have to get her to a hospital. She wasn’t going to be helping anyone if she died. That and there was always the possibility she died when I was gone, and I’d have to put her down. Seemed like the kind of luck I was bound to run into sooner or later. I couldn’t live my whole life feeling blessed, could I? My fears were quickly put to ease as I heard her mutter a string of swears as she grabbed the door handle and yanked it open.