Moms Against Zombies Read online

  biggest die-hards stay with their homes and plan to weather

  it out, but I believe the entire city was trying to evacuate,”

  Dawson informs the group.

  “But Dad, did you actually see anything that could even

  be considered a zombie?” Andi looks up long enough to

  glance at her dad, then returns to the tablet she’s working

  on.

  “By the time I got out of downtown, the reports were

  saying it was a hoax, but then screams would erupt and

  people would run past with wounds dripping blood. So I’m

  going to say that it’s really happening.” Dawson’s face

  pales as he recounts what he had witnessed.

  “Right. So I’m going to check off the box ‘didn’t see a

  zombie,’” Andi mumbles sarcastically.

  Haley was obviously used to Andi’s comments. “The

  few times I saw someone who had been hurt last night,

  there weren’t any “zombies” following them. The box store

  I work at got really busy last night around seven, when

  most people got home from their jobs. Instead of the

  normal items we run out of like batteries, bread, and milk,

  the customers really cleared the store out. I haven’t seen it

  that sold out except on Christmas Eve, or from the Black

  Friday sales.

  “We knew there would be lines out of the city last

  night, so we decided to get started in the daylight. At least

  we could see if the world was going to end,” Dawson jokes, but turns serious as he continues. “This morning, we woke

  up to helicopters circling the city. They were focused on

  the downtown area and the hospital districts. As we left, the

  military was already downtown doing sweeps. They were

  closing off roads and sending people back to their homes.

  “I was scared that they would force us to go back, but

  they were more focused on keeping people out of the off-

  limit areas. When we went on an overpass and got to the

  top, you could see the line of cars leaving in all directions, but there was a long line of Humvees headed into the heart

  of the city.”

  “We were barely able to make it out of the city, blah,

  blah, blah.” Andi snickers.

  “Adrian! Be respectful,” Pop admonishes.

  “The military presence tells us that Brad was on the

  correct track. This is coming into the cities and spreading.

  Unlike some of the movies you’ve seen, this illness isn’t

  turning people into “zombies” as soon as they’re infected.

  Even if they can contain the ones who have been infected, I

  don’t think we’ll have to worry immediately because it will

  take a while for people to really head to the mountains,”

  Mason, Brad’s dad, speaks for the first time.

  “Mason’s right. We need to act like this is the end of all

  time and build up our mountain.” Pop’s head nod includes

  his six children that are present. “Dawson, Allen, and

  Clayton should go into Gatlinburg and bring back supplies

  that we can use to fortify the fences in the lower areas

  where people are bound to come.

  “Girls, I need a few of you to go into town and grocery shop for things that will last a while like canned goods,

  boxed goods, and I want you to stop at the seed store and

  order the list of plants I’ll send with you. They can deliver

  them for us and the rest of us can get the fields ready for

  them.” Pops puts his family army together. “The rest of you

  are dismissed to watch over the kids and meal prep. Also,

  we’re going to need someone to organize the medical

  supplies and make a run to one of the bigger cities

  tomorrow.”

  “I can reroute some of the larger trucks so that we can

  go hijack them.” Andi volunteers.

  “No, ma’am. We are not going to start robbing people.

  The world hasn’t officially ended yet so let’s not get ahead

  of ourselves.” Pop draws the line in the sand as to where

  the family’s moral line will be drawn, even if the world

  ends.

  As the group disperses, I get up and follow Nana into

  the kitchen. “Is there a job that you want me to do?”

  “Not at the moment, dear. Just make yourself at home

  and after lunch, the girls will go up the mountain to see

  Granny Earlene. She’s going to want a peek at her great-

  great grandbaby.” Nana moves around the kitchen with

  ease, getting items out of the freezer for lunch.

  Nana seems to sense that I’m unsure of how to proceed,

  but continues to move on with her preparations, leaving it

  up to me if I want to talk about it.

  I readjust Pierce in my arms and gently bounce him.

  “I think I need your help…” I start, but I’m not sure of

  exactly what I need.

  “Are you having trouble with being a new mommy and not really having a job or title?” Nana asks.

  My amazement must show because she’s explained it

  without me even knowing what’s really wrong.

  “Here, can you peel the carrots for me?” Nana asks,

  giving me an appraising look.

  “Sure. Pierce can sit in the bouncy seat.” I sit it on the

  table right behind us as I pick up the peeler to tackle the

  carrots.

  “What type of work were you doing before Pierce was

  born?” Nana shakes her head, frowning. “I can’t

  remember.”

  “I did several different types of jobs during college, but

  I was going to school for data entry and IT. I got sent to

  many different companies and got to teach them how to

  update and improve their efficiency by using their

  computers.” I sigh as I pick up another carrot to peel.

  “I really thought that when I had Pierce I would be

  content to stay at home, and I love my little man.” I turn to

  give his little foot a squeeze. “It’s just that I’m not really doing anything important except counting how many

  ounces he eats and how often he poops. You know?”

  “Aw, sweetie. It’s a hard adjustment at first, but taking

  care of such a precious bundle is the most rewarding thing

  in the world. Yet, some of us aren’t meant to stay at home

  all day because, well, our minds would go to mush. Why

  don’t you go into the study and use the computer to put

  together a spreadsheet of what a family of over a hundred

  people will need to make it through a year?”

  “Oh, no, ma’am. I’m peeling carrots, but when we’re done here in the kitchen, then I might sneak away and use

  some computer time.” I grin at Nana. “If only I had a

  reliable person to watch him while I was doing that?”

  “Hmm, I think if you were to disappear and even take a

  nap, no one would even notice.” Nana winks at me. “Then,

  when the group gets back for lunch you’ll feel much

  better.”

  “Honestly, I’m fine. If I had more children than just

  Pierce, I might be more tired. Last night was amazing and

  plenty of rest to last me until tonight.”

  “There! That is the last of the carrots that we need

  peeled so run along, and I’ll take care of this little man

  while the soup cooks.” Nana starts s
peaking words that

  only a baby can understand, so since I’m not needed

  anymore, I almost run to the study.

  I glance around furtively, hoping no one caught my

  escape. I close the door and boot up Nana’s computer.

  Since we’re in the rural mountains, Wi-Fi and wireless

  are words rarely used here. You could always hook a

  satellite up, but when there are large trees in every

  direction, it’s not always the best option.

  Nana and Pop have DSL internet, and it’s so slow. I

  boot up my email and while I wait for it to load, I open a

  spreadsheet. What on earth does a family of over a hundred

  people need to survive a few years? Food is a must. And

  clothes. Baby Pierce will outgrow all his clothes in the next

  year. What if he gets an ear infection and we need

  medicine? A list. That’s what I’m supposed to be doing.

  Time passes quickly and two hours later, I stretch and realize that my email should have uploaded. There’s an

  email from Brad.

  I excitedly open up my missive.

  My darling Emma,

  I hope that you and Pierce are both okay and that you

  made it to Nana and Pop’s. I hated that I had to scare you like that, but the situation is getting urgent. The illness over here has spread like wildfire. We don’t know what started

  it, but several infected people showed up about three weeks ago and we sent them to the infirmary. When they died,

  they reanimated and started biting the staff. Of course, we did what the army always does, we shoot people. So the

  first infected died, but what we weren’t expecting was the staff who had been bitten to start dying from their bites. We have managed to contain it here in the camp by burning the bodies. The countryside surrounding us has been greatly

  affected, so much so that we have pulled out of our camps

  and returned to the main base where there are bigger

  walls. We are on a shoot on-site threat level. I expect us to be pulling out of here in the next few weeks if conditions don’t change. This is all classified and obviously, I would get in trouble for telling you this, but I know that you are with the Jackson clan and you need all the information you can get to stay alive.

  Stay on the mountain with the family. Don’t go back

  into the city. So far, this sickness doesn’t spread unless you are bitten or scratched by one of these things. We’re not

  sure if it’s a head shot or a heart shot that stops them, but we have been shooting until they’re not moving any more.

  My family has survived many different wars. Okay, it’s been a few years since the Jackson clan had to do anything like that, but they will make sure that you and Pierce are taken care of.

  I love you, babe, and I hope we can see each other

  soon. Kiss my boy for me.

  Brad

  I sit and stare at the message Brad had managed to get

  out to me. So this is real. The only difference this time is

  that the Jackson clan might be going to war against the

  dead. A shiver runs down my spine. The world is ending. I

  should at least be able to have one good meal before I tell

  the family what Brad had to say. Feeling that I’m on the

  way to the executioners, I go out to join the family for

  lunch, forgetting the email that is still open on the

  computer.

  Chapter 5

  Cooper

  Jessica and Trish sit at the table in stunned silence as I

  explain my absence.

  “When I called and told you to leave, I tried to do the

  same thing. Security was gone so I followed the protocol

  and wiped the system clean. The roads that had been so

  congested were almost empty, and there weren’t any people

  running around, so when I saw someone come around the

  corner I didn’t think anything of it. The person wasn’t

  moving very fast, but I was in too much of a hurry for it to

  register.

  “Part of his face was hanging to the side and there was

  a hole where his stomach should be. He lunged toward me

  and I barely had time to pull my knife out. Trying to put a

  knife blade into someone’s temple isn’t as easy as the TV

  shows make it out to be.”

  “Did you kill him?” Jessica asks.

  “He was already dead. I just gave him some peace.” I

  grimace at the memory of his bloodstained hands reaching

  toward me and latching onto my backpack.

  “It took three tries before he finally fell to the ground

  and stopped moving. I heard screams coming from the alley

  so I moved down the street in the opposite direction from

  home and the distant lines of traffic.”

  I lift the warm cup of coffee to my mouth and try to still the shaking of my hands. Both my wife and her sister sit in

  silence, waiting for me to continue.

  “The few blocks seemed to stretch into miles, and I

  finally slowed down enough to take a deep breath. The last

  office building on the edge of downtown was a private

  firm. I’d heard of them in passing, but as I came close I saw

  the front doors open and instinct made me duck behind the

  fountain as two men came out. It looked like the two that

  had been in my office, but I couldn’t be sure so I followed

  them a few blocks back into the city.”

  “Why would you go back?” Trish reaches across the

  table to grab my hand. “It wasn’t safe.”

  “I needed to find out where they were going next. They

  were obviously on some kind of mission and if we could

  stop them from accomplishing it, we needed to.” I smile at

  my wife’s concern. “I was thinking of my family, but at the

  same time, the needs of the many outweighed my desires.

  “The guys didn’t get far because the screams from that

  alley were because a group of…” I pause, trying to think of

  how to phrase it best. “Well, I’m just going to say

  “zombies” because they were dead humans in a group,

  mindlessly headed toward the two ninja like men.

  “The two men didn’t even pause when they saw the

  zombies. In fact, they walked toward them and started

  trying to talk to them.” I just shook my head at their

  stupidity.

  “They wanted to have a conversation with the

  zombies?” Jessica asks incredulously.

  “Yeah, it was weird.”

  “Could you hear what they were saying?” Trish leans in closer, forgetting that what I mean is that I was close to

  these killing machines.

  “It wasn’t quiet, but with the noises the group of about

  ten people were making, it was hard to hear. ‘Hey, you

  don’t have to keep pretending. The timeframe we hired you

  for is over, but you have to go to the arranged place to get

  paid for your gig.’ The first ninja, I don’t if it was Steve or Gary, but he walked over toward the group and they

  jumped him. It didn’t take the other guy long to realize that

  these things were real and started shooting.”

  “Why didn’t you take off running?” Jessica asks,

  hanging on everything I say.

  “I thought that if I moved, the group would notice me

  and I didn’t want their attention turned in my direction. I

  just watched as he shot those closest to him and took off

  running downtown. What was left of the group of z
ombies

  just stood there, then they seemed to realize that the man on

  the ground was still alive so they finished him off.”

  I take another sip of coffee to help brace myself for

  what I have to say next. “The man that they attacked, laid

  on the ground for a minute as he died. Within seconds, his

  body started twitching and he got off the ground.”

  “They didn’t come after you when they finished with

  the guy?” Trish asks anxiously.

  “Smell and noise seem to attract them the most. I was

  hidden behind the building and could see them through the

  glass lobby, so I wasn’t really in their range of motion. I

  was trying to decide if I should move back toward the edge

  of downtown when gunshots rang out and echoed through

  the streets. All the zombies’ heads shot up and listened for a minute, I guess getting their bearings. As the shots

  continued, they lumbered in that direction. I didn’t need to

  be given a chance twice and I ran until the last of the tall

  buildings were behind me.

  “It took a long while to make it to the meeting place

  Martin had mentioned, but most of the area that had been

  deserted gave way to food chains with lines of cars outside

  and people moving frantically somewhere. Seeing live

  people was a relief from what I’d just come from, but I

  wanted to scream at them and warn them of what was

  coming.”

  Trish gets up from her chair and comes around the table

  to slip her arms around me for comfort.

  “I’m really okay, babe,” I assure her.

  “You might be, but I’m not. You could have been

  killed, and those things are still out there. It sounds like

  they can spread this disease every time someone is attacked

  and dies. If this keeps happening, then the cities will be

  overrun very quickly.” Trish’s very observant comment

  gets me thinking, but I’m interrupted by Jessica.

  “We need to hear the rest of the story before we start

  panicking. We’re several hours from the city, and the

  military will be called in before it takes over the entire

  place,” Jessica calmly suggests as Trish moves back to her

  chair.

  “Continue, dear. I may not want to hear it, but I guess

  there’s no help for it.” Trish shrugs helplessly.