The Undead Adventures of Chas (Book 4): Next Gen Read online

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Anke replied with a laugh.

  As Chas walked back to her room, she did so with a lighter step. Sure, a little voice in the back of her head was telling her she was wrong. Wrong to sneak out, wrong to belittle her friends, and wrong to disobey Grumps, but she squashed it before it got too loud. “I’m doing the right thing. I’m saving my family, or at least trying to.”

  Chapter 5

  Chas was sitting on her bed when her friends returned from supper. Vanessa was somewhat sympathetic upon hearing that Chas had been grounded, but Emily pointed out that she should’ve known better. “We warned you, Chas. Both of us did. Neither Grumps nor Stokes are to be trifled with.”

  “It’s not just about you,” Vanessa agreed. “It’s a team effort. Everything we’ve accomplished so far, we’ve done together.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” Chas grumbled.

  “It’s true. I started out in the infirmary washing patients and emptying chamber pots,” Emily said with a wrinkle of her freckled nose. “Now, I’m dressing wounds and checking vitals. You just have to show them what you can do, Chas, and running off on your own isn’t the way to do it.”

  “They already know what I can do,” Chas said. “Haven’t I done enough?”

  “They weren’t there to see that, and over here, it’s the community that counts. You have to do what’s best for everybody,” Vanessa insisted. “I mean…I know you might not want to hear this, but…”

  “Spit it out,” Chas said, slumping back against her cushions.

  “I’ve been promoted to squad leader. I’ve got my own team to command now,” Vanessa said.

  Emily squealed with joy, while Chas’ jaw dropped to the floor. “Seriously?”

  Vanessa nodded. “Are you angry with me, Chas?”

  “Angry? No, of course not. Congratulations. You’ve earned it,” Chas said, but her smile was stiff as she tried to find even a spark of genuine happiness within herself. She failed. Instead, the sour tang of jealousy burned the back of her throat. It’s not fair. I deserve it more than she does. I’m the leader here, not Vanessa.

  Her tummy growled as she sat listening to them talking and laughing about their great new lives, feeling more like an outsider than ever before. They were both so happy while she was utterly miserable.

  “Did you sneak me anything to eat?” she asked at last, interrupting the two’s happy chatter.

  Vanessa’s smile fell away. “I’m so sorry, Chas. We should’ve gotten you something, but I clean forgot.”

  “Me too,” Emily cried. “Sorry.”

  “Forget about it,” Chas muttered.

  “You can have my bacon tomorrow,” Vanessa said in a placating voice.

  “And my toast,” Emily offered with a guilty look.

  Chas stared at them, surprised at how hurt she felt. It wasn’t about the food. It was the fact that they hadn’t even considered her. In the old days, if one got detention at school, the others would volunteer for it too. At least, Emily did. Vanessa would simply do something bad until she was punished as well. Now, it seemed like they couldn’t be bothered.

  Are we even friends anymore? Chas wondered.

  It was an ugly thought, but she couldn’t help but feel that she was becoming the third wheel. The loser. The forgotten one.

  “It’s fine, guys. Don’t worry about it. I’m going to bed now. I’ve got a long day ahead of me. Night,” Chas said with another forced smile, before turning her back on them.

  “Goodnight,” they chorused, soon returning to their conversation.

  She pulled the covers over her head and listened to them while praying they would shut up and go to sleep. At last, they crawled into their beds. She waited until close to eleven before taking her chance to escape from the room.

  She’d stuffed all her things into a bag earlier and now made her way to the bathrooms down the hall to get ready. Her bare feet made no sound on the thick carpets, and she kept her breathing slow and steady.

  Inside one of the stalls, Chas got dressed and pulled her hair into a tight knot. Her gun and knife went onto her belt, and she wore a jacket to ward off the cold. After stuffing her pajamas into the bag, she checked the rest of the contents. It contained the bare essentials. A bottle of water, gauze, bandages, a flashlight, and a box of matches. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. Grumps and Lieutenant Stokes had confiscated all the fancy stuff they’d brought along from the camp including the night vision goggles.

  “They’d have sure come in handy now,” Chas grumbled as she slipped out of the bathroom.

  The corridors were dark and silent. Everyone was asleep as she made her way toward the parking lot in full stealth mode. At this point, she no longer cared what anyone thought. Or even if she was caught. I’m not a kid anymore, and I won’t let them treat me like one.

  Chas reached the exit without mishap and opened the door with slow movements, careful not to let it creak. A gust of wind sent raindrops flying into her face, and a shiver crawled down her spine. She zipped her jacket up to her chin and tucked her hands into its pockets while searching for her friend. “Anke?”

  “Over here,” came a low whisper.

  She spotted Anke hunkered down next to a single-cab truck. It was an old model with a dark blue paint job. An excellent choice as it would be easier to start and the color would blend into the night.

  She hurried over, and they climbed inside, closing the doors with soft clicks. Outside, the rain continued to fall, blurring the view through the windows. The wind screamed around the corners, drowning out all other sounds.

  “Are you sure we can do this?” Chas asked. “The guards might not watch the vehicles, but they do watch the perimeter. How will we get through the barricades?”

  “I’ve got a friend who’s on guard tonight. He’ll let us through, no questions asked.”

  “How come?”

  “He thinks we’re going on a mission. He’s not very bright, and he knows you’re our leader’s granddaughter,” Anke said.

  “So, you used my name to arrange this?” Chas asked, amazed at Anke’s daring.

  “Yup. Besides, this is excellent weather for an adventure,” Anke said. “All the other guards will be huddled inside. If we stick to the plan, we’ll be fine.”

  “Okay. Here goes nothing,” Chas said, pulling out her knife. Remembering her near disaster while trying to hotwire a car before, she reached for the steering column with trepidation. Then a thought occurred to her. “Wait a minute.”

  She reached up and lowered the visor, and a set of keys tumbled out. “Why hotwire it, when we’ve got the keys?”

  “How did you know it’d be there?” Anke asked.

  “I didn’t, but it’d be the easiest way to store the keys. It makes for a faster getaway in the event of an emergency,” Chas said. “It’s the kind of thing Grumps would do.”

  “Smart,” Anke said with a nod. “Now, let’s get out of here. Can you drive?”

  Chas nodded. “A bit, but not very well.”

  “Let me do it then,” Anke said, and they exchanged places. “My dad was giving me lessons before all this happened. I’d have gone for my license next year.”

  “You’re fifteen?” Chas asked.

  “Almost sixteen,” Anke answered as she pulled out of the lot. “So, you can relax. I’m practically an adult.”

  Chas snorted. “I don’t think Grumps or Stokes would see it that way.”

  Anke shrugged. “Probably not, but this is the zombie apocalypse, and we’ve had to grow up pretty fast. If they can’t see that, tough for them.”

  Chas pushed aside the last of her reservations as Anke passed through the barricade without a hitch. The guard even waved at them as they passed and a sense of freedom washed over her. “Woohoo!”

  Chapter 6 - Julia

  “I wonder what Chas is up to?” Julia mused as she picked through the canned goods on the shelf.

  “No good, probably,” Alvarez answered in a low rumble.

  Sanchez chuckled at his words. “My kind of girl.”

  Alvarez snorted. “Your kind of girl would have to be crazy. Just like you. You take insane chances, you know that? One of these days you’ll get killed. Or bitten.”

  Sanchez shrugged. “I’m still here, aren’t I?”

  Julia glanced from one to the other. “You’re both nuts when it comes to the zombies. I just hope none of that rubbed off on Chas. That girl has a good head on her shoulders, and I’d like it to stay that way.”

  “She also has a knack for getting into trouble and ignoring her elders,” Alvarez said.

  “So, she has an independent streak. That’s a good thing,” Julia said.

  “Not in the army,” Alvarez answered.

  “Being in the army isn’t the only viable career in the world, you know?” Julia said with a raised eyebrow.

  “Maybe not, but it’s the best.” Alvarez puffed out his chest and raised a haughty chin.

  “Spoken like a true soldier,” Sanchez crowed, throwing a packet of napkins at Alvarez.

  He tossed the packet back before shouldering his bag. “I’ve got a full load. See you outside.”

  “I’m right behind you,” Sanchez added, hefting her full backpack with both hands. “Julia?”

  “I’m almost done. Give me two minutes,” Julia said, tossing two more cans into her bag.

  “Hurry,” Sanchez said as she exited the small supermarket. “We’ve got a long way to go still, and this has not been an easy trip.”

  The door swung shut behind her, and Julia was left alone in the deserted store. Not that she minded. After the near disaster of earlier when they’d burst a tire, she needed a few moments of silence. The entire trip had been stressful. Plagued with one setback after the other. “I’m beginning to think this mission is cursed.”

  Satisfied that she had enough food to last them a couple of days, Julia moved to the next aisle searching for powdered sports drinks. She found a few sachets and checked the flavor. Orange. Her favorite.

  As she was about to leave, a low click caused her to freeze. The sound was followed by a slow creak and heavy breathing, harsh rasping breaths that sawed in and out of the lungs. Her right hand crept toward her gun while she searched for the source of the noise. They’d cleared the store when they came in earlier…didn’t they?

  Through the racks, her eyes caught movement right next to the door that led to what she’d presumed was a storage room. She’d checked the door herself, and it had been locked. It couldn’t be a zombie then. It had to be a living person.

  Placing her pack on the floor, she gripped the gun with both hands and stepped into the open. “Stop right there.”

  The stranger froze for a second before slowly turning to face Julia. A single shaft of light illuminated the person’s face, and Julia gasped. It was a girl, a teen. Around sixteen or seventeen. Her eyes were blank, and her skin was a pasty white. She was chewing on a piece of raw meat, and the bloody juices ran down her chin to stain her t-shirt.

  Julia swallowed and stepped beck, her sensitive nose picking up on the stench of rot. Her eyes honed in on the meat, noting the wriggling forms of maggots. They crawled between the girl’s fingers and fell from her lips onto her chest. She didn’t seem to notice…or care.

  Julia fought against the urge to vomit, and managed to ask in a calm voice. “Hello? Are you okay?”

  The girl didn’t answer. She simply continued to chew and swallow the putrid meat like it was a gourmet meal. Her empty gaze jumped around, settled on Julia’s face for a moment, before moving on again.

  Is she infected? In the last stages maybe? Julia wondered, taking another step back for safety. The end stages were characterized by aggression, extreme hunger, and lack of rational thought, but you were still you. Mostly.

  “Are you okay? Do you need help?” Julia asked again, more forcefully this time.

  The girl jumped and looked straight at Julia, seeming to focus. “Who are you? What do you want?”

  “I’m Ju—”

  “Get out! This is my home. Mine,” the girl screamed, baring her teeth.

  “Okay, calm down. I’m leaving,” Julia said, reaching down for her bag. She swung it onto one shoulder and backed away on cautious feet. The girl watched her retreat with hostile eyes, but didn’t move to attack.

  Julia studied her as she retreated, noting the filthy, bloodstained bandage on one hand. Probably a bite wound. She’ll turn soon. Maybe in an hour. Two, at most.

  This raised a problematic question for Julia. Did she leave the girl to turn and become a zombie? A danger to others. Or, did she kill her now? They couldn’t wait for her to turn. If she was going to kill her, she had to do it now, while the girl was still alive. Human.

  Julia hesitated, her finger hovering over the trigger. I should do it. It might save a life later on. But…how can I? I’m not a murderer.

  The girl stared at her, and her lips moved. “Please, go. This is my home.”

  “Are you infected?” Julia asked, hoping it wasn’t so. That the girl was simply traumatized even though all the signs of infection were there.

  The girl didn’t answer.

  “Did you get bitten? On your hand?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Who did it?” Julia asked.

  The girl raised her wounded arm and stared at it. “He didn’t mean to. My brother. He couldn’t help himself. It’s just a small bite. It will be alright.”

  Julia’s heart sank. “Where’s your brother?”

  “In the back. I locked him up. This is our home now.” She smiled at Julia with rust-colored teeth.

  “Your home? Oh, sweetie,” Julia said, saddened beyond belief as she looked around the dingy supermarket, its shelves covered in dust and the fridges filled with rotting meat. There was no power, no water. Nothing but death.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him. He needs me. He’s only eight,” the girl said, taking another bite from her…meal.

  Julia sighed. She had a duty. A duty to this poor girl to prevent further suffering and a duty to others. To save lives. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

  With a swift move, she raised the gun and pulled the trigger. The girl slumped to the ground, the rotten meat falling from her hand to the floor. A thin trickle of blood ran down her face and dripped onto the tiles.

  Vicious growls followed the gunshot, sawing through Julian’s eardrums. Suddenly, Alvarez was there by her side. He stared at the girl. “What happened? Where’d she come from?”

  “The storeroom,” Julia whispered. In low tones, she told him what happened.

  He shot her a sympathetic look. “You did the right thing, Julia. Now, go to the truck. I’ll take care of the brother.”

  “Are you sure? I can do it,” Julia said.

  “I know you can, but you don’t have to,” Alvarez said with grim determination.

  “Thanks.” Julia walked out of the store with her backpack, flinching when Alvarez’s gun went off. The growls stopped, silenced forever.

  Sanchez didn’t ask questions. She just shouldered her gun and settled into her seat with a muttered, “It’s a crazy world out there.”

  Julia agreed. Crazy…and horrific.

  Chapter 7

  Several miles into the trip, Chas was beginning to regret her decision to go on this adventure of theirs. First off, the rain kept pouring nonstop, and she doubted they’d be able to see anything at all, let alone come up with a plan. Secondly, she felt guilty for cutting out her friends. They might not be on the same page at the moment, but they were still her best friends. Thirdly, there was Grumps and Lieutenant Stokes. If they found out about this trip, there’d be hell to pay.

  “Having second thoughts?” Anke asked, throwing Chas a quick look. “Don’t. I have a plan.”

  “Plan?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t want to mention this earlier, but I know of another way into the safe zone,” Anke said.

  “How? It’s on top of a mountain, and the only entrance is blocked by the barrier they threw up and a sea of zombies,” Chas said with a frown. “As for the river, it was dangerous enough for my friends and I to escape that way. Evacuating hundreds of people through there would be impossible. The zombies would swarm the water, and people would get hurt or killed.”

  “I know. I’ve seen the layout. But…I also know of another way in. A mine shaft,” Anke said with a secretive smile.

  “A mine shaft? Wouldn’t someone have known of it if it was there?” Chas asked.

  “It’s very old, and it’s been empty for years. The entrances have all been blocked off by rocks and rubble. The headgear is still on top of the mountain, but abandoned.”

  “How do you know about it?” Chas asked.

  “My grandfather used to work there when he was young, and he showed me once or twice. There’s a shaft that leads right to the top of the mountain,” Anke said.

  “Wow, a mine shaft,” Chas marveled. “And that’s where we’re going now?”

  “Yup. I want to see if the opening is still there, and if it can be cleared to grant access to the mine,” Anke said. “I wouldn’t recommend us going in, though. It would be too dangerous.”

  “Yeah, I bet,” Chas said, picturing a dilapidated old mine with crumbling walls and rusted picks lying around. Maybe even a few boxes of dynamite.

  “Your grandfather would need to send in a crew to clear the entrance and the exit on top of the mountain. They’d also have to reinforce the walls and roof so it doesn’t cave in,” Anke said.

  A thought occurred to Chas, and she turned to Anke. “Why didn’t you tell someone about it? They’ve been trying to come up with a plan for days now. They could’ve started working on it already.”

  “I didn’t think about it until yesterday, okay? I clean forgot about the mine until I saw some kids watching an old cartoon on television. You know, the ones where they chase each other on rails inside skips? That reminded me of the time my grandfather took me there.”

  “Okay, so why not tell them yesterday? Why sneak around like this? It’s not like we can clear the mine ourselves, can we?” Chas asked.