Ground Zero (Patient Zero Book 1) Read online

  I nodded toward Rex, and stepped away from the skirmish to allow my emotions to build up—my fear of losing my friends, my anger at what had been done to me, and the loathing that filled me at the life we were all forced to lead—all built up until I couldn’t take it anymore.

  The zombies weren’t the only ones to cringe away from the scream I released. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks and my sword hung limply at my side. The creatures couldn’t wait to get away. My friends backed away, uncertainty and fear clouded their features.

  “Z… Are you…” Rex began as our attackers fled back through the destroyed window. Those who hadn’t been killed, anyway.

  I sank to my knees, hollowed out and worn.

  “Zero, we should go,” Jake spoke normally. “Someone is still trying to get in through the door.”

  That sunk in. I narrowed my wet eyes in confusion. “They would have been through the door by now. Who’s trying to get in?”

  The pounding revved up as the unknown attackers continued their assault in earnest. That woke me right up. “Go, now!” I exclaimed.

  The group grabbed up as many supplies as they could, including a few things that had been left on the shelves in the old station, and rushed outside to toss them into the cart.

  I always had to grab my own bedding to avoid anyone being contaminated, and turning into a horror movie monster. So as the others threw their items into the cart and took off down the road away from our attackers, I rushed to the back of the station to get the blanket I’d used.

  It was while I was crouched grabbing the blanket that the door finally crashed open. My head shot up and I saw a large man enter the room. Without waiting to see what he was after, I raced away. The blanket trailed behind me when I launched through the window. Before long, I caught up to my group.

  “Faster!” I urged them. We needed to get out of the area. The horde I’d frightened away would be back, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that the attack had been connected to the person I’d seen at the gas station. I risked a glance back and saw the huge man standing next to one of the fuel pumps. He held a radio and was seemingly speaking to someone.

  He must have somehow sensed me looking at him, because his bald head suddenly swiveled toward me, and he smiled.

  Totally creeped out by the strange smile, I frowned and rushed away.

  We took several random turns and ended up outside of the mostly abandoned, little town in a wooded area. As distracted as I was, it was lucky we didn’t end up running directly into another threat.

  Finally we stopped, everyone breathing as if we had asthma, and I stretched my senses to figure out if we were alone.

  “I think we’re good for now, but don’t get too settled,” I warned breathlessly.

  Jake and Rex joined me as the others walked around to lower their heart rates and settle their breathing.

  “What was that?” Rex asked urgently. He pointed back in the general direction of the town. “Why didn’t you sense the attack? Why didn’t the ones behind us get through the door?”

  Jake settled a hand on Rex’s shoulder, and the smaller boy startled slightly, looking up at him. “Settle. She probably doesn’t know more than you do.”

  My head was throbbing, most likely from the exertion and the scream. “They did break through,” I answered quietly. “There was a man, and he broke through as I was getting my things from the back. He saw me, but I took off. Didn’t want to risk anything.”

  Sadly, one thing a lot of the fictional accounts of zombie apocalypses got right was the way some humans began to act toward others. We’d already had some bad experiences with supplies being stolen by a couple adult survivors. We’d also had to fight our way through an area that was clear of the zombies, but not of monsters. I shuddered at the memory of what had almost happened to Aly and Kristy when those monsters had their hands on them.

  “We’re all okay, and we have at least most of our supplies,” Jake said calmly, possibly sensing the path of my thoughts. “You made the right move, Z. Someone tries to break into that obviously abandoned gas station on the night we happened to stop there? That doesn’t seem like a friendly coincidence.”

  No, it didn’t. I let the conversation die for the time being. My gaze drifted toward the shadowy woods. Something about the unknown man’s gaze still sent shivers down my spine.

  I may not know him, but I got the feeling he knew me.

  Chapter Five

  Back before I’d been kidnapped and experimented on, I was a normal kid. I went to school, took swimming lessons, and learned martial arts. I also enjoyed watching cartoons and old movies. Not the horror movies like I was living now, but old action movies.

  Somehow, it always seemed like it would be so fun and exciting to be the hero of one of those movies. To be the one who comes up with plans and ideas to save lives. What those movies like to gloss over is how stressful it is to be the one people turn to when everything goes wrong. Sure, the hero would get beat up, but they’d always bounce back with a quippy one-liner and still manage to save the day.

  Reality was far more difficult. There were no serious injuries from our latest fight—only a few cuts and scrapes from the broken glass and slivers of wood—but the emotional impact of constantly having to run was wearing on all of us.

  The prison had been our last safe spot, and it had been overrun. I had the feeling Jake was right. We had to somehow get out of this zone, and into one that was—at least so far—unaffected by the outbreak.

  It might also be easier to break up into smaller groups. A group of three or four could move faster and with more stealth than our current group of thirteen. And if I wanted to make it back to the first outbreak zone… back home… then I needed to be able to move.

  Prati shifted in her sleep with a slight whimper, and I sat by her and rubbed her back gently. The girl settled and I leaned back against the rough bark of a tree. Prati was only four years younger than me, but the difference seemed huge. She was only just able to handle a bow, and the kick of our rifles nearly sent her into tears the first time we’d had her shoot. The girl was our weakest link, but I could never even consider abandoning her.

  Unless it was to save her.

  The thought stopped me for a moment. If we managed to find a safe place for the others to stay, a small group could continue on. It didn’t have to be a forever separation. We would rejoin them when possible. But they shouldn’t have to live this life.

  It wasn’t fair. I wanted a normal life like anyone else, but because some sadistic person decided to mess with my DNA, that wasn’t possible. Despite what I’d been through, I would still do whatever I could to give the others a shot at normal. They’d lost their families, but gained each other. If we found a clear zone, they could live safely.

  “Z, you look like you’re thinking hard. What’s up?” Case asked softly.

  The fourteen-year-old was on watch at the moment, and he was clearly having trouble remaining awake. A bit of conversation would help. Potentially for both of us.

  “Just trying to figure out our next move,” I answered. “We can’t keep going like this.”

  He nodded wearily, eyes blinking slowly. “You’re right. But what can we do?” he asked with a shrug. “We’re being hunted. I don’t think that bodes well for a nice, peaceful journey.”

  I huffed a breath before hesitantly replying, “What if you could?”

  “If I could what?” His eyes narrowed, and he appeared more alert.

  I sighed again. “If you could be peaceful. If you could stop running, and stop being hunted. Would you… would you want to give up on the journey?”

  It was his turn to hesitate. Case was a nice kid, and I could generally trust him to be honest with me. If he said he couldn’t see the group separating, I would rethink the idea before sharing it with anyone else.

  “Honestly?” he asked softly. He tilted his head slightly, the longish brown hair shifting away from his face. “I would love to feel safe again, but
I’m not so sure that’s possible.”

  “If we get out of this zone, and into an area where the outbreak hasn’t hit, would you want to stay there?”

  He tapped his fingers against the dagger he wore strapped to his belt. His eyes closed as he answered. “Yes. If I could get out of the warzone, I would love to stay there.”

  My heart sank, but I felt my resolve growing.

  “You have to understand though, Zero,” he continued urgently, “there is no guarantee that any so-called ‘safe zone’ will remain that way. There is safety in numbers.”

  He was beginning to suspect what I was planning. “But if you and some of the others could potentially be safe for a time, wouldn’t you want that? Consider it down time before the next war.”

  I wasn’t sure why I was trying to convince him to agree to the separation, but it felt right.

  Case crouched in front of me. “We’re family now, Z. Distance wouldn’t change that. If you feel that a smaller group would be safer for travel, I would back your play. That is what you’re going for, right?”

  I could feel tears burning, but refused to let the toxic drops fall. “Yes,” I replied in a choked voice. “I think Jake, Rex, and I would be able to travel faster and hopefully end this thing. Then we can all be together as a family again.”

  He looked away into the darkness of the woods as he considered the plan. Several moments passed before he turned back toward me and nodded. “Do what’s necessary. Just make sure you stay safe too. We need you.”

  I felt a crooked smile growing on my face. “Yeah. I need you guys too. You’re what keeps me human.”

  “Nah,” he argued. “You’re about the most human person I know. All you want is to protect people. Even those who’ve turned. Now, get some sleep. You may have at least part of a plan, but it will still take some time to reach a safe zone.”

  Case adjusted his grip on the rifle and began to rise. He paused and turned back toward me. “When are you going to bring this up to the others?”

  “Not sure,” I admitted. I sank down onto my blanket, blinking tiredly. “Within the next couple days, for sure. Don’t say anything yet, ‘kay?”

  He nodded. “No prob. Sleep well, Z.”

  Chapter Six

  After the crazy and eventful previous day, we finally had a nice easy travel day. Of course now, we were between towns. The country area had been sparsely populated before the outbreak, so not as many of the creatures roamed here. It made for a much easier and more relaxed day.

  We stopped for a rest break about half-way through the day.

  “Z, we should check the maps,” Jake suggested.

  I nodded and he grabbed the old paper maps from the cart. We’d been able to get a general idea of the edges of the quarantine zone we’d been stuck in since it had been sealed off, but had only a slight idea of where we currently were in the space.

  The quarantine of this zone had taken almost an entire year of the outside people putting up fencing and closing their hearts to any uninfected who lived within the area. Anyone attempting to break out was subject to getting shot on sight. Thankfully, the zones were so large that guarding them was nearly impossible. They mostly counted on electric fencing and razor wire to prevent anyone, or anything, from breaking through.

  I wasn’t sure exactly where the guard posts were, but I figured we could get close enough to the edges to find a weak point.

  “What’s our position?” I asked as I approached Jake.

  He peered at the paper, then at the visible street sign we were near. “Looks like we’re about fifteen miles or so from the nearest section of border fencing. It’s kind of in the middle of nothing, so I’m hoping we can figure out a way through right there,”—he pointed to a spot on the map—“and then try to get to the next town.”

  “And hope the outbreak hasn’t spread there since this zone was shut down,” I muttered cynically.

  Jake sighed. “Yeah. Hope. Not an easy thing to do with the monsters around every corner in here.”

  Rex sauntered over to us from where he’d been talking to Case. “Hey, Case is acting a bit odd today. Any idea why?”

  I cringed, but tried to hide the reaction. Case was obviously trying to keep my comments from last night secret.

  “What is it, Zero?” Jake asked sternly.

  Apparently, I hadn’t hidden my reaction quickly enough. I had hoped for a little more time before sharing my idea with anyone. The expectant looks on both Rex and Jake’s faces told me I wouldn’t have that time.

  “I talked to him last night about some ideas I had. Just asked him to keep them to himself for now. He’s fine,” I answered simply.

  Rex took a step back, a hurt look flashing over his face, then gone in the next instant. “Gotcha,” he answered, feigning nonchalance. “I’ll let it go then.” He turned to walk away.

  “Rex, wait,” I called after him. It would do no good to alienate my closest friends, so it was definitely time to share my thoughts with them. “I wanted to talk to you and Jake about it before I brought it up to the others. Case was a sounding board for me last night.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me. Petulance practically oozed from his pores, and his reaction ignited my temper.

  I huffed and snapped. “Fine. You two come with me.” I raised my voice to address the rest. “Everyone, stay within sight of each other, don’t leave this area. We’ll be back shortly.”

  Once again, Shanti gave me a fiery glare. At some point I needed to figure out what was going on with that girl. The others simply nodded. Rex, Jake, and I moved toward the barn on the old farm property. Strangely, the house looked ready to collapse, but the barn seemed pretty solid. Entering the abandoned building, we left the door partially ajar so we could hear if the others yelled.

  “I want to split the group,” I spoke without hesitation. It felt right, so I wanted to exude confidence in the plan. “Not yet,” I added, one hand raised to forestall any argument. “But at some point we should split up.”

  “When? And why?” Rex asked. He still appeared upset, but the tightly folded arms had loosened a bit.

  “Not until we reach an uninfected zone,” I answered. “I think a smaller group will be more likely to make it all the way to the original outbreak area. We will need to sneak through guarded areas. Kinda hard to do with a dozen kids.”

  Jake nodded, his eyes closed. “Putting all these kids at risk in those areas… it would be bad.”

  “Especially if I’m recognized,” I nodded. “If they realize we escaped from another quarantine area, they could just shoot us all on sight.” Or shoot all my friends and bring me in for more experiments. I wasn’t entirely sure what their goal would be.

  “But how many people know about you?” Rex asked. “The people who took you, sure, but the rest of the population wouldn’t have a clue. Right?”

  Jake shook his head. “We can’t count on that. Whoever infected Zero would likely have pictures of her. They could have circulated them in the uninfected zones. She’s a hazard, and they may think she has information about them.”

  The only information I had was that whoever did this to me was evil. They either had no idea what the experiment could do and didn’t mind the risks, or they knew and did it on purpose. Whatever the case, they weren’t people I wanted to see again. Unfortunately, for the sake of protecting people, I had to hope someone in their ranks would be able to reverse the effects. Maybe we could even find someone capable of coming up with a cure.

  Rex watched me expectantly, but I had no idea what he wanted at this point. Unless he thought I might have information about my kidnappers. Like I wouldn’t have shared it with him and Jake if I had.

  “I don’t know anything,” I stated. “Which doesn’t mean we can’t find out. It’s the main reason I… we need to find them. My hope is that we can find some clues in the original outbreak zone.”

  “We’ll do what we have to do,” Jake assured us. “In the meantime, h
ow ‘bout you guys get some food and sit for a while. We still have a decent amount of walking to do today, and we need our energy in case the enemy pops up again.”

  Chapter Seven

  Even with the threat of attack, a nearly fifteen mile hike gets a bit monotonous. Some of the others would occasionally strike up a conversation, but it would inevitably die out after a few minutes. I could tell there was a horde behind us, but the sense was weak. They weren’t close enough to worry about, and we were getting further from them. I tried to sense the area ahead of us so we wouldn’t run into any trouble.

  It was nearing dark when we had the first sign that something might be going wrong. A whistle pierced through the air, and we froze. Several answering whistles came from around us. We gathered around the wagon, each facing out and grabbing the first weapon available. Next to me, Jake chambered a round in his rifle, while I held my sword at the ready.

  “Lookie here, boys! A buncha kids think they’re fighters!” An amused man chortled.

  When he finally showed himself, I tensed. He was dressed in black tactical gear, carrying some sort of fancy rifle. All I could see of his face were his eyes. Cold blue eyes that stared at me as if he could see right through me.

  “What do you want?” I asked, praying my voice wasn’t as shaky as I thought it was.

  The man cocked his head. “Children shouldn’t play with such dangerous toys, little girl. I think I want to take them away before someone gets hurt.”

  Jake scoffed. “Right. Because it would be so much better to leave these kids unprotected from the walkers? You’re a true hero, sir.”

  The man took a menacing step forward, but Jake didn’t flinch.

  “Leave now, and you can save yourself the trouble of explaining how you lost a fight to a bunch of kids,” Jake offered.

  His bravery caused me to straighten up, ready to face our current adversary. My special abilities wouldn’t help in this case, but my learned skills definitely would. Still, a sword in a gun fight wouldn’t necessarily be a fair match up.