Omega Virus (Book 1): Beta Hour (6 page)

I
shook my head fervently. Human beings or not they couldn’t be allowed to act
the way they did. The world had changed in mere hours and who knew why Wesley
killed that woman, Serenade, but if she were anything like these people, this
‘Pastor’ and his lackeys, then she deserved what she got.

I
walked out into the hall, guns drawn and decisive, my enemies deserved what
they were about to get.

LEVEL 08 – CLIMBING THE LADDER

Dead Kissers,
purification methods, and Pastor Pa Bernard; they were all causing my stomach
to turn. Anger bled from my veins. I couldn't stand by and let the bastard get
away with anything more. I'd kill him, even if I had to die trying.

I
walked through the second-floor hallway, past a mirror, and for a brief moment,
I could make out the expression on my face. It scared the crap out of me.
Hatred and rage had taken over my features. I'd already lost myself due to the
ZPoc
. Had it changed me so drastically in a matter of hours?
Could Pa have once been good? I shook my head. Pa and his people were evil;
they weren't programmed. They chose to be evil, and for that reason, I would
end them.

I
tiptoed from one hiding spot to another, ducking behind displays, and under
tables. My enemies likely guarded the gun section. Kitchen and cook wear
wouldn't provide much help.
Maybe a frying pan as a
bulletproof vest?
No time.

As
I came to the furniture section, I spotted the first
;
an old, fat man, with a white beard. This guy had to be Santa. He'd come back
upstairs. He lay on a comfy-looking bed, with his arms were behind his head,
and his legs crossed. White cords were leading up to his ear buds. To my
advantage, his eyes were close. He wouldn't see me coming.

A
beautiful black blade stood against the bed unsheathed. I shoved my guns into
my belt, then crept in and picked up the machete. My prey still hadn't noticed.
Being extremely sharp, it would get the job done before anyone even noticed.

I
inched forward and put the deadly weapon to the man's throat. What if he hadn't
committed any crimes?
A victim of manipulation?

After
a silent sigh, I moved the blade away. No! I needed to do it.

I
moved the blade closer. He wouldn't even get to scream, and no one would even
know. I tried to jerk the weapon, but Tiffany's scream echoed through the
entire store. My eyes flew wide. As I turned, a cast iron grip clamped my
wrist. I slowly turned back, to find Santa glaring.

“
Whatcha
doin' boy?” He grumbled.

From
across the store,
Merla
yelled, “What's going on?”

I
struggled and tried to push the blade toward him, but he held my arm out wide.

“Let
go!” I whispered.

His
fat smile tripled his chin. “Not a chance.”

The
slapping of shoes echoed. I had to deal with him quick.

“Just
give me my friends!” I said.

“Screw
you, brat.”

If
they made it to us and had a gun, that would be it.

I
tore my arm free and drew the Smith & Wesson from Wesley. He tried to smack
it away, but I shoved the gun under his blubbery chin. His eyes widened, but I
couldn't pull it. Why wouldn't my finger move?

“You
ain't
havin
' no guts kid!” He laughed. “Now ya gonna
die!”

I
couldn't afford to die, so I swallowed hard and curled my finger around the
trigger. He couldn't believe it, and neither could I. The gun went off, and his
head jerked, crimson gore splattering the white pillows behind him. I pulled
free from his grasp and fell back.

I'd
killed someone! Not just a Corpse,
but
a person.

“Oh
crap,” I whispered as my legs became rubber, and vomit rose into my throat.

A
bullet sizzled past and shattered the bottom part of a mirror to my right. An
unbroken piece of glass showed a girl in the reflection. It had to be Merlda. I
turned, holding up my gun. I hadn't expected her to be as tiny as a child, yet
still a woman. Her blue hair hung over her eyes.

“You
son-of-a-bitch!” she shouted.

She
released every bullet until her pistol clicked over and over. I expected to
feel the cold embrace of death, but only a trickle of blood ran from my cheek
to my lips. I reached up and found my fingers stained red. A bullet had nicked
the side of my face. Somehow she'd missed every shot. Merlda kept clicking her
gun.

She
stared with utter hatred. As I lifted my gun, she dropped hers and went for
another gun strapped to her back, a shotgun; she wouldn't miss with a spread
shot.

“Freeze!”
I snapped.

She
froze and held up her hands. “W-wait.”

“I'm
sorry.”

“I'll
do anything!” she said, “You and I, we can leave here together. Just us, huh?
You can do whatever you want to me. Sound good, huh? Your own little dirty, slave?”

The
first guy downstairs, Henry; he wanted me to kill her for cheating on him.
Could I judge her for such a thing?

“Get
back ya stupid bitch!” A giant of a man appeared from nowhere.

He
smacked Merlda, sending her flying. An utter beast built like a pro-wrestler,
his head gleamed. His salt and pepper beard hung to his tank top, covered in
blood. Tattoos ran up and down his arms. Each muscle rippled with a personality
of its own.

The
man glared at me over an enormous nose. To add insult to injury, he turned and
spat on Merlda.

“I
ought to kill you myself ya little slut!” He coughed loudly and spat on her
again. “You don't offer yourself to Dead Kissers.”

“I'm
sorry Pa!” Merlda scrambled away.

“He
don't
need to be purified. He needs to be killed!” Pa kicked
her in the gut.

She
cried out, “I'm pregnant you asshole!”

He'd
probably just killed her baby.

I
drew my other pistol and aimed both at the giant.

“Go
ahead and shoot,” he said, “The Lord won't let you hit me. And with him as my
witness, I'll see you dead.”

“I
doubt it,” I said. “I'll give you the same chance I gave Santa. Give me my
friends.”

“The
two Dead Kissers over there are your friends?” He laughed. “I was gonna purify
the girlie nice and good-like. Bend her over and--”

Bang.
I'd pulled the trigger, but he laughed. I'd completely missed.

“See?
Lord ain't on yer side!”

The
giant closed the distance in two great strides. He thrust his arms out,
smacking my hands wide and sending both guns flying. Terror filled me as he
brought back his enormous bowling ball-sized fist and slammed it into my chest.
I flew through the air as my breath exploded from my chest. I crashed into a
stack of kitchen appliances, banging my head and cracking my back. He hit me so
hard; I didn't think I'd ever breathe again.

I
wheezed. “Oh, crap.”

I
tried, but I couldn't budge. A half-fallen cabinet flew away, and there stood
the
minotaur
. He reached down and grabbed my head,
lifting me up with one hand. I kicked, and scratched, but he had me tight.

“Ye
ain't going
nowhere,
but Hell!”

He
slapped me and once again I flew, skidded, rolled and slammed into a mirrored
pillar. Glass rained down on me. I choked and tried to pull myself away, but
the glass cut into my hands and arms.

“Come
on, at least, fight back!” Pa said. “Damn Dead Kisser!”

An
elephant-boot stomped me. More glass shredded my flesh as he used me like a
rag, dragging me. I didn't even have the breath to scream.

He
kicked, sending me rolling forward. I came to a stop and opened my eyes;
Tiffany sat
before me, eyes full of terror, and a gash
on her temple.

“Zach.”
she whispered.

Wesley
sat beside her, unconscious. They were both tied up.

“Get
up, ya Dead Kisser!” Bernard laughed.

He
kicked me away from Tiffany, and I rolled to the escalator. My head bounced on
the moving steps. With that, my strength faded. I cursed myself. My
noobish
weakness had allowed this fate.

A
scream came from downstairs, a previously unspoken member. “Pa! They came from
the stairwell! Too many of—” His death cry ended his sentence.

Pa
stood over me. He smiled and put his foot on my chest. “I'll deal with the
deadies
later, for now, ye ready to give up and see ya
poppy, the dark one?”

I
glared through blood stained eyes as he put more weight on my chest.

“You
didn't even put up a fight.”

“Please,”
I said.

“What's
that Devil Spawn?”

A
metallic clank came up the stairs behind me. Could it be a weapon? With my hand
back, I reached out.

“Go
to hell,” I said.

“What
was that, ya little piece of crap?” he leaned in close. “I couldn't hear ya!
Speak up!”

I
felt the cold steel shape of a pistol touching my hand from behind.

“Let's
see your Lord protect you now.” I grabbed the gun and spun it to the side of
his head.

“Long
live the Gaming Gods,” I said.

The
gunshot went off, and the bastard fell, crushing me beneath him. I couldn't
breathe. Then a long groan came from just down the escalator.

The
Corpses were coming.

I
gasped, pushed, wiggled and kicked.

“Help!”

The
Corpses would be upon me any second.

I
turned the gun back and started firing blindly. I might have hit a Corpse in
the torso, but only a headshot would kill them.

“Please!”
I begged.

The
large body of Bernard jerked to the side, and a hand appeared. I grabbed it
just as the first Corpse lunged. The monster missed my head and shattered its
teeth on the escalator.

With
a deep sigh, I found a small group
;
Kessa, Wesley,
Tiffany, and for some reason Merlda. Wesley patted my back and went to do his
thing, slaughtering the Corpses.

“Oh,
Zach!” Tiffany rushed me and wiped the blood from my face.

I winced
,
the cuts were everywhere
.

“My
angel!” Kessa said. “You saved me!”

“Angel?”
Tiffany scoffed.

Kessa
pushed Tiffany aside and hugged me tight. I cried out, and Tiffany pulled her
away. “He's hurt, you dumb bitch!”

“But
he needs me!” Kessa replied.

“Back
off!”

“Let
the girl take care of her guy,” Merlda scolded Kessa, who quickly backed away,
sighing.

“I
saw what you did,” Tiffany said.

“I
beat the bad guys,” I grinned. “I guess PvP isn't so hard after all.”

“You
nearly got yourself killed, moron!”

“But
I—”

“And
you killed someone.”

“Two,
but--”

She
slapped me. “Never take a life! Life is too precious!”

I
bit back the stinging pain. “I couldn't have saved everyone if--”

Tiffany
looked at Kessa. “You can have him. He doesn't understand anything.”

“What
don't I understand?”

“Are
ya alright? My angel?”
Kess
asked.

“Please,
my name is Zach,” I said but focused on Tiffany walking away.

I
swore I heard a sob. What had I done to make her cry? Something beeped over and
over.

Wesley
appeared with the radio receiver in hand. “What's wrong?”

Dave's
voice cried across the radio. “Corpses! Hundreds! Maybe thousands! They came in
through the front door!”

“But
it's impenetrable!” Wesley snapped.

“The
hand scanner!” Dave yelled. “Someone let them in.”

The
intercom piece went quiet.

“Someone
let them in? Who, dammit, who?” Wesley shouted.

A
scream exploded over the radio, followed by nothing but hungry moans.

LEVEL 09 – WAYPOINT

Dave's scream
sent a shockwave through the air; then a heavy silence fell over us. Merlda and
Kessa looked confused while Wesley and I exchange glances.

Tiffany
broke the silence, “We have to get back there, like now!”

Wesley
shrugged and cleaned his dagger on dead the Pa Bernard's shirt. “I’m sure they
can handle themselves.”

Tiffany
stomped and shouted, “Did you not hear that?”

“Hush,
Tiff-baby. You’ll just draw in more zombies. In fact, never mind, scream all
you want.”

“What
did you call me?” Her nostrils flared.

“They're
our friends!” I scolded Wesley.

Merlda
held her stomach, and groaned, “They ain't my friends.”

I
turned on her. “Why are you even here?”

“You
killed my boss.” She shrugged.

“You
tried to kill me! Get lost!”

“I’m
sticking with Kessa, and Kessa says you’re her fiancé.”
   

“Fiancé?”
Tiffany cried, and shoved past me, getting in Kessa's face.

Kessa
played with one of her pigtails. “And you care, why?”

I
held up my hands. “Leave her alone; she's had it rough.”

“You
proposed?” Tiffany raised her first to hit me, but I blocked my face. “N-no!”

The
enraged girl's eyes softened at seeing my cut up arms.

“He's
injured.” Kessa walked over and cupped my face in her warm, soft hands. “He's
my guardian angel; we've got to save him.”

Tiffany
swallowed a scream. “He’s not an angel!”

“Angels
come in many shapes, and sizes. This time, it's just a little chipmunk-faced,
cutie.”

I
started to blush, but Tiffany screamed in anger, “
Medkits
and then we’re gone!”

Wesley
sighed. “About time, Tiff-Baby! We've gotta save the Gamer's Guild.”

Tiffany
stormed past Wesley, and it amazed me she didn't stab him in the face. I raced
after her. “I’m coming with you.”

Kessa
grabbed my arm, “Don't leave me!”

Tiffany
glanced back, rolled her eyes and left. I wanted to go after her but didn’t
have the heart to be
mean
to Kessa. She'd just been
through trauma of the worst kind.

Wesley
clasped his hand on my shoulder. “She’s right about one thing.”

“What’s
that?” I asked.

“You
need to stop bleeding, Anyhow, which way are the guns?”

Merlda
pointed. “That way.”

He
offered her his hand. “Why don’t you come with me, pretty lady?”
   

Merlda
sighed. “Whatever.”

They
left toward the back part of the store, leaving Kessa and me alone.

“Is
she going to try to kill him?” I asked.

Kessa
ignored the question. “Y’all have other friends?”

“They're
at the game studio across the town. I feel horrible we're not rushing over
there!”

She
gently examined my hands. “You can't help them in your condition.” Kessa leaned
down and blew on a nasty cut, much like my mother had once done before my aunt
took me in.

“They
just said hundreds of zombies broke in,” I said. “That building was going to be
our waypoint.”

“Waypoint?”

“A
place to temporarily stay.”

“They
must be your best friends if yer going to risk yer cute little butt to save
them.”

I
walked towards the escalator, shaking my head. “They're the only friends I
have.”

A
sudden sharp pain assaulted my side. I sucked in my breath as dizziness swept
through me. Had my appendix just burst, or had gallstones found the worst time
to attack? No, it had to be blood loss.

Kessa
rushed to help me stay standing. “We’ll get you fixed up, Sugar. I think I know
how to do sutures.”

I
lifted an eyebrow. “You do?” I couldn’t imagine she knew how to do anything
medically.

She
pulled my arm over her shoulder. “Always wanted to be a doctor or a nurse at
least, but everyone told me I wasn’t smart enough, ya know?”

As
mean as it sounded, she didn’t seem like the brightest crayon in the tool shed.

“You
can be anything you want now. Not a lot of competition.”

An
adorable grin curled at the edges of her luscious, wide lips.

I
looked out the second story windows. “Do you think this is bigger than the
city?”

“I’d
reckon it’s spreading around everywhere, like in them movies. Pa said the
plague had spread as far as Arizona and Louisiana. Those are other countries,
right?”

I
should’ve corrected her, but what did it matter? States didn’t exist any
longer. If the virus had traveled so far, we were in an epidemic, a true
ZPoc
event. How long before some infected passenger on a
plane landed in Tokyo or London? Or had the virus come from there? There were
no answers, and in zombie 'them' zombie movies, no one ever truly knew.

“We
have to go,” I said.

Kessa
gasped. “Now?”

I
tried to bend over and pick up the gun I'd killed Pa with, but I cried in pain.
My wounds were too bad to hold a gun properly. I needed bandages.

“I
might need your help,” I muttered.

“Anything,
Sugar”

“Be
my hands. Hold these guns and shoot the Corpses that get near.”

She
waved her hands. “Corpses? I can’t shoot a gun! The
Lord'll
never allow that!”

“No
‘Lord’ is coming to save us. We’re all officially in hell.”

“W-what
if I miss?” she whimpered.

“Then
you take a deep breath and try again.”

“If
my angel says so!”

We
found both pistols and retrieved the dagger from Henry’s body.

“It’s
freezing outside. Why are you dressed like that?” I asked as we passed the
women's clothing section.

“Pa
made me dress like this.” She sighed.

I
waved my hand. “The store is yours. Pick out what you like, but hurry.”

Her
only wardrobe addition became a button down flannel shirt.

On
our way to the front, we bumped into Tiffany, who had two backpacks slung over
her shoulders.

“Medical
supplies,” She explained.

“Looks
like Kessa knows how to do sutures,” I faked a smile.

Tiffany
looked the girl up and down. “I don’t have any of that here. I only could find
pain killers and some bandages.”

“It
will only be a temporary fixing then, my—”

Tiffany
groaned. “Please don’t call him an angel.”

Wesley
shouted from upstairs. “You guys didn’t leave did you?”

“That
bitch Kessa better not have left me,” Merlda added.

“No
way! Tiffany has the hots for me!” Wesley argued.

Tiffany
trembled with rage, so I quickly shouted. “We’re down here!”

“Oh
goodie!” Wesley cheered. They stepped onto the escalators, but halfway down
they stopped moving.

“Annnnnd
there goes the power,” Wesley said.

“It
was only a matter of time.” Merlda sighed.

Tiffany
walked up to Wesley as he reached the bottom. “We’ve taken too much time as it
is. Let's go!”

Wesley
shook his head. “Changed my mind. I think I like it here. We aren’t leaving.”

“Yes,
we are.” Tiffany snatched Wesley’s hat off his head and sprinted for the exit.

Wesley
screeched like a two-year-old. “My Zombie Killing Hat!”

He
bolted after her, a backpack full of weaponry over his shoulder.

“Did
he just say his ‘Zombie Killing Hat’?” Merlda asked.

I
shrugged. “He’s got a high score to keep.”

“So
he’s a nerd? Disappointing, I had plans for him later.”

I
narrowed my eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with nerds.”

“Are
you okay?” Kessa asked Merlda, who had broken into a sweat.

She
shrugged in response. “My stomach just hurts, is all.”

“Well,
time to go!” I announced and turned for the exit.

At
first,
Kessa didn't want to walk, but finally
,
she helped me hobble away
.

Outside
the rain drizzled, and soon became freezing rain. Tiffany had already reached
the SUV while Wesley trailed her, waving his hands like an idiot.

“Please
don't hurt her!” He screamed, drawing the eyes of every Corpse in the parking
lot. “They don't make them anymore.”

I
might have laughed, but given the hungry undead everywhere; I held it in. Even
with Kessa's help, every step felt like labor. Merlda barely kept up herself.
Halfway to the car, she came to a full halt and doubled over coughing.

“Are
you okay?” Kessa and I turned as Merlda lowered her now
blood-stained
hands.

She
cursed. “Crap. I’m pregnant, ya know. I think it's the baby.”

“Are
you miscarrying?” Kessa gasped.

“Something
isn’t right.” She muttered then fell to her knees.

I
looked around frantically. The SUV sat a few dozen yards away. If I yelled, I
risked drawing the Corpses.
 

“I’ll
be fine,” She wiped her mouth.

“Are
you sure? Maybe we can—” I asked.

Merlda
slowly stood. “I said,
I’ll
. Be. Fine.”

I
wanted to help, but at the same time, I didn’t. My friends were worth more than
her.

“Let’s
get her in the car,” I told Kessa.

Ahead,
Tiffany glared through the SUV’s window. Her and her attitude; always mad for
one reason or another.

We
made it before any Corpses caught us. Merlda sat in the middle seat, resting
her head on Kessa's shoulder. Tiffany took the driver's seat while Wesley
grumbled next to her without his hat, which meant she hid it from him.

“You
know how to drive?” I asked.

Tiffany
nodded as she turned the key, and the SUV roared to life. “Just got my permit
last week on my birthday.”

Kessa
took one of my hands and wrapped bandages around my wound.

“You’re
birthday was last week?” I asked.

Tiffany
shrugged as we pulled out of the lot. “We played a game of D&D; the Gamer’s
Guild that is. It sucked. I had to DM. I always have to DM.”

I
chuckled. I’d never played a tabletop RPG, only the video games.

“What
day exactly?”

“December
11th.”

“Belated
happy bir—,” I said, but she slammed on the gas, and we shot over a bump,
causing my head to hit the roof. Between the pain in my hands, and Tiffany’s
driving, Bleeding out didn't seem like such a bad idea. Kessa held my hand
steady and kept wrapping. I glanced in the mirror and saw Tiffany’s eyes. They
were red and puffy. As tough as the girl tried to act, deep down she had a
sensitive side, although she’d never admit to it.

The
rain came down harder as we sped through town.

“Whoa!”
Wesley grabbed the roof. “Careful!”

Tiffany
ignored him.

“There’s
no way you’d ever pass a driving exam!” I complained.

Tiffany
ignored that too.

More
than once Merlda cried out and each time I wondered if she could be dying?
Bleeding internally from that bastard, Pa, hurting her? I didn’t want to care
because she’d nearly killed me. But cruelty didn’t run in my veins.

Out
of nowhere Tiffany slammed the breaks. We all lurched, saved only by our
seatbelts. There were hundreds, maybe even a thousand Corpses swarming outside
of Epic Impossibilities Games.

Wesley
leaned forward putting his nose against the windshield. “This is effing
amazing. Imagine the score I’ll get if I kill them all.”

“Idiot!”
Tiffany grabbed him by the collar and smacked him hard across the face.

His
head snapped to the side, and he stayed that way, cursing under his breath. The
back end of the Corpse horde noticed us.

Tiffany
released Wesley. “We need a way inside! Is there a back entrance?”

He
laughed. “It’s built like a fortress, remember? We were ready for the Zombie
Apocalypse!”

Tiffany
put the SUV in reverse. “Now would be the time to tell us.”

“Tell
you what?”

“The
back entrance!” She jerked the wheel.

The
SUV slammed into a flipped school bus. She tried to drive forward we were stuck
on something. The tires squealed as she slammed the gas, which only drew the
attention of every last Corpse in the horde.