Don't Dare Call Them Zombies : Books 1-4 (35 page)

“I will read them,” I said. “I'm so sorry this has happened.”

“I'm sorry too. Now just get out of the area as fast as you can,” she urged.

The soldiers in the Humvee must have heard her words, because they sped up.

“What is the radiation level?” I asked Candy.

“It's going down, slightly,” she said.

I kept my eyes on the road as we continued to the church. The only freaks we saw on the way were motionless on the ground.

“Is this a good thing or a bad thing?” Jennifer asked.

“I don't know,” I told Jennifer. “The radiatio
n is killing the freaks, but at the same time it is increasing our chance of cancer and potentially could make us sick.”

“Both of
you, take these now,” Candy said, handing us each a pill.

“What are they?” I asked.

“Potassium iodine pills,” she said. “They’ll help prevent you from getting thyroid cancer.”

“Hand me
a water from the back,” I said.

She handed me a bottle of water, I put the pill in my mouth, took a sip of water, and swallowed the pill. Everyone else did the same.

“Do you think we’re going to get cancer?” Jennifer asked.

“I don't think so, but we need to be careful,” she said. “I also want each of you to take one of these.”

She pulled out a bottle of pills.

“These are broad spectrum
antioxidants. They’re actually classified. In rats they both extend lifespan and prevent cancer after radiation exposure,” she said.

We each took one of the pills and swallowed it.

“The pills also activate the telomerase enzyme which both has an effect on aging and can defend against radiation,” she said.

“Do you take these pills regularly?” I asked.

“I've taken a few,” she said.

“Thanks,” I told her.

“You’re welcome,” she said.

As we neared the church the
radiation levels had dropped a bit more, but they were still high enough to cause radiation sickness after extended exposure. A few minutes later, we were pulling up to the church parking lot.

Just as when Jennifer and I first drove up to the church, we he
ard gunshots. However, this time we were being fired upon.

“What the heck,” I said as I stopped the van. “Get down!” I told everyone.

A moment later a blast went through our windshield.

“Get off our property!” I heard someone yell, followed by more gunfire
.

Jennifer and I slowly lifted our heads to try and see what was happening.

“It's us,” I said. “It's me Hank. Don't shoot.”

A loud gun blast filled my ears as I felt a piece of lead graze my arm. I turned and looked at Jennifer.

Small streams of blood were pouring from her chest.

She’d
been shot.

“Hank...” she managed to say.

“Screw this,” I said.

I hit the gas and the van surged forward. I swerved around a couple patrols on golf carts as I made my way to the fenced off area behind the social hall. I hear
d more shots being fired and I felt another piece of lead graze my shoulder, but I didn’t let that stop me.

The gate to the fenced off area was ahead and I hit the gas again. We rammed through the gate and knocked it open. A second later we crashed into t
he door of the social hall. An airbag in the steering column went off and knocked me backwards.

I shook off the impact and crawled out of the vehicle.

“We need help!” I screamed. “Help us!”

Two women from inside the social hall ran up to the vehicle that h
ad knocked the double doors down.

“Hank, it's you,” they said.

“You idiots were shooting at us and shot Jennifer,” I shouted. “We need help!”

“Get some help for us!” I yelled.

Two patrols then drove up in golf carts.

“It's you,” one of them said.

“Yes, it's me. Why were you shooting at us?” I asked.

“We didn't know it was you. Since you left we have been fighting with a group of bandits. They have been coming in a white van. We thought you were them,” he said.

“Well, you just shot Jennifer!” I said. “Help me get her out of the van!”

We proceeded to drag Jennifer out of the van. She was still bleeding from the chest and long red blood stains went all the way down her shirt. Once we got her on the ground, Candy emerged from vehicle with her bag. She t
ook her pulse, put her head to Jennifer's chest, and then took out a syringe and stabbed it into Jennifer's chest.

Jennifer's eyes popped open and quickly closed.

I then fell to the ground and wrapped my arms around Jennifer's head.

“Don't leave me,” I whi
spered to her. “Please don't leave me. Hang on.”

“
She’s losing a lot of blood. I need to work on her. Get out of here, now!” Candy demanded.

“I'm not leaving her,” I said.

“I can't work with you here,” she said. “Leave or she dies.”

I stood up and realize
d Meredith and Robert were watching, and that the dog was barking wildly.

Then I felt blood pouring out of my nose. I also felt a stabbing pain. My nose had been broken by the airbag.

I started to feel dizzy and suddenly collapsed.

Chapter 1

Where was I? As I slowly regained consciousness I tried to understand what was going on. When I opened my eyes I could see nothing but blackness. Wherever I was, it was cool, quiet, and devoid of any light source. Underneath me, I could feel a
mattress of some kind, with uncomfortable springs in it.

Over my body I could feel sheets or blankets, and with my fingers I could feel some sort of object strapped to my nose with tape. Oddly, I could feel little pain. I tried to remember what had just ha
ppened; I started to recall the events that took place just before losing consciousness. The memories of the nuclear power plant, of driving to the church, and the gunshots being fired at the van raced through my mind.

Oh my God, Jennifer had been shot!

I quickly tried to sit up, but I felt a wave of dizziness hit me. The whole world felt as though it was spinning, and I collapsed back onto the mattress.

“Anyone!” I said, trying to call out for help. However, my mouth was dry and my voice was weak. I waited
, but no one responded.

Lying on the bed for several minutes, I tried to figure out what was going on. I must surely still be in the church. Someone must have taken care of my broken nose as well. But why was no one around?

Slowly, I sat back up. This time I was not overcome with vertigo. I put my feet on the floor, and with my bare feet I could feel the cold, hard surface of a hardwood floor. Gingerly walking across the room, I flailed my arms about trying to feel for a light switch or a door knob, and finally came across a wall.

Suddenly, a door opened and a light switch was flicked on.

The light blinded me. I felt like one of the freaks. They would roam around in the daylight with their eyes fully dilated, just like me now.

“He's up!” I heard a woman’s vo
ice call out.

“Let's get you back into bed,” I heard the voice say to me.

I was guided back to the cot, and I collapsed onto it.

I
couldn’t recognize the voice, and my eyes were still not adjusted to the light.

“I'll take it from here,” I heard another wo
man say. “You can go now.”

“Just relax, Hank” I heard a voice say, as I felt something being wrapped around my upper arm. “I'm going to take care of you.”

I felt a pressure increase on my upper arm, and I realized my blood pressure was being taken. As my eyes started to adapt to the light, I could see Candy Beetle's face.

“Your blood pressure is a bit low, but it's improving,” she said. “I need to check your pulse.”

I felt Candy grasp my wrist as her perfect skin, attractive face, and gorgeous red hair mesmerized me for a moment.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” she asked.

“Three,” I said.

“Good,” she responded.

I saw her reach towards a small table beside the cot and bring a small glass of water up to my face.

“Here,” she said. “Take a sip.”

I quickly took a sip, and then proceeded to guzzle down the reminder of the water.

“Lean back,” she instructed. “I need to talk to you.”

Reality then hit me, and I remembered again that Jennifer was mortally wounded.

“How is Jennifer?” I
asked, my voice now stronger.

“I said lean back,” Candy ordered.

“Just tell me,” I said.

Candy then reached and pushed me back into the cot.

“I'm your nurse and you’ll do what I say!” she barked.

“Tell me about Jennifer!” I demanded.

“Hank, you’re weak. I want you to stay calm,” she said. “You have a mild concussion and you have lost some blood. I've put a brace on your nose and dosed you with pain killers. I don't want you moving around.”

“Jennifer,” I said again.

“You remember she was shot,” Candy asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Is she . . .
”

“
She’s alive,” Candy said.

I let out a sigh of relief as I felt Candy's hand against my forehead.

“But you need to know she isn’t in good shape. Most of the pellets didn’t penetrate too deeply into her, and they were not difficult to remove. However, one of them damaged an artery. I'm not a surgeon, but I did the best I could to repair it,” Candy informed me.

“Is she going to be alright?” I asked. I
couldn’t imagine being without her, not after all we had been through together.

“If
we were in a modern medical facility I would say yes, but the problem is that we’re not equipped here to give her a blood transfusion. She has lost a lot more blood than you, and I honestly don't know what’s going to happen,” Candy said.

“Can we take her t
o the relocation center?” I asked. “I'm sure they have a medical center there.”

“The trip there would probably kill her,” Candy said. “And I'm not sure they would even let us inside.”

“What do you mean?” I said. “I'm sure they would let us inside, as long as we were not infected.”

“The church patrols shot and killed the soldiers,” she said.

“Oh God,” I uttered. It was unbelievable news.

“
We’re stuck here for the time being,” she said.

“I want to see Jennifer,” I said.

“I can't let you do that. She needs to sleep. If she’s disturbed I'm afraid it could kill her. I wish I had an anesthetic to give her, but all I have been able to do is give her pain killers,” she said.

“God no, please don't take her,” I started to pray as I closed my eyes.

“Hank, she’s still with us,” Candy said.

“I'll do anything God, just please, don't let her die,” I continued to pray.

“Hank, you need to stay calm,” Candy said firmly.

I opened my eyes and looked at her.

“You love her, don't you?” she asked.

“Yes, I love her,” I said.

“Then she’s going to need you to be alright,” Candy said. “You need to get back to sleep.”

“I'm okay; I need to know more about what’s going on,” I said.

“The church is secure, for now,” she said. “The bandits haven’t shown back up since we arrived.”

“I need
to talk to Reverend Sikes,” I said. “I need to ask him to pray for Jennifer.”

“They’re already doing so,” Candy said. “They’re having a special prayer service in the sanctuary for her.”

“Good,” I said.

“You should know that the church folk are taking this
pretty hard. They’re very upset about killing the soldiers, and they’re even more upset about shooting Jennifer,” Candy said.

“They ought to be,” I said.

“Now take another of these and get some rest. I need to go back and check on Jennifer,” she said.

“Wha
t is it,” I asked.

“A pain killer,” she said. “If you stop taking them that nose of yours is going to start hurting really bad.”

“Here,” she said, handing me a cup of water.

I took a sip of the water, put the pill in my mouth, and swallowed.

“I'm going to leave now, but I’ll be back to check on you soon,” she said.

“Please tell Jennifer I love her,” I said. “Even if she’s not awake, please tell her.”