Zombie Hunter (2 page)

              Dregs Outpost Chicago, Illinois

Gregory Salazar sat behind his desk in the small government complex in the outpost located in downtown Chicago.   His chapter of the Dregs spent several months fortifying the complex, surrounding it with high wooden fences to protect it from any zombie invasions.  He had been the leader of the Dregs for several years now.  Helvian Vegara, his second-in-command, was away on a mission to find the girl who possibly possessed a cure for the zombie plague.  If he could get to her first, then he would have the leverage needed to take possession of the main compound in Washington, D.C. where people had been living safely since the zombie apocalypse had begun.  He heard machine guns in the distance, his troops taking out zombies that wandered too far into their turf.

He thought back to the days of his youth when he was an aspiring musician, a guitar player in a Mexican metal band.  His band, Plexia, was in the process of being signed to a major record company when the zombie plague had first begun.  His music days were quickly replaced by his zombie fighting days.  A lot of his friends escaped Chicago before the bombs were dropped by the government. They had all gathered in large buildings, like office buildings or shopping malls, outside the areas being bombed.  After a few years of battling zombies and protecting his friends, he had become their leader.  As the years went by, his group became the Dregs.  Most of the members were from motorcycle gangs, a tough crowd to keep under control.  With the help of drugs, alcohol and prostitution, he was able to keep them under control.  He offered them outlets to forget the everyday post zombie apocalyptic life in return for their service to him.

“Gregory, I have the prisoners you’ve requested,” Militia Vaughn said as she walked into his office with two muscular men in blue denim jackets walking behind her.  She had long cranberry red hair and a small muscular physique.  Her arms were covered in tattoos of zombie heads, each representing a zombie she had to kill in combat.  He had seen her naked.  Every inch of her body was tattooed with the zombie heads. Most guys feared her since she was tougher than any of the men in the Dregs.

“Jar Kepton and Julio Tyres, you were the two that started the major bar fight last night?”

“He started it,” Jar said, pointing over to Julio.

“Well, let me be the one to finish it,” Gregory said.  “Bar fighting will not be tolerated here.  We all need to live in peace for all of us to survive the chaos.”

He pulled out his gun from behind his desk and shot Jar Kepton straight in the head.  He fell backward, blood covering the wall behind him.  Gregory looked straight at Julio.  “Now I assume that you will avoid being in any future bar fights.”

“Yes, I promise,” Julio said, shaking in fear.

“Good, now get out of my sight,” Gregory said calmly and put his gun in his desk drawer.

“The proper way of dealing with crime,” Militia said with a smile.

“Fetch someone to clean that up,” Gregory said, pointing at Jar’s corpse.

“Right away,” Militia said as she walked out of the room.

                           
     Cave Outside Chicago

              “Haley, maybe you should get some rest,” Nick said, putting out the small fire with his left boot.

              “It’s hard to sleep when you know you are not fully protected,” Haley said, staring at the remaining smoke coming from where the fire used to be. 

              “Jorn is on watch right now.  If any zombies approach, he’ll kill them,” Nick reassured her.

              “I’ll try.  The cave floor is soft enough,” Haley said sarcastically. 

              Nick sat down against the back cave wall.  He watched Haley as she tried to fall asleep.  He had been assigned to her for her protection for the past month.  They were on their way to rendezvous with the chopper to take her back to D.C., when they witnessed its destruction.  They quickly found the cave to hide from the Dregs.  If the Dregs found them, it was certain death for Jorn and him.  They would be no use to them, but Haley’s possible cure for the zombie plague made her a very valuable asset.  They had to protect her no matter the cost.

              Nick could hear the sounds of something hitting the ground.  Most likely, a zombie being beheaded by Jorn’s blade.  Jorn walked into the cave to report that the area was secured, for now. 

Haley shivered in the cold night air.  Her long jacket was the only protection she had from the cold.  They had to extinguish the fire at night so they didn’t give away their position to any zombies or the Dregs.  She tried to sleep, but kept snapping awake every few minutes.  She finally gave up and sat next to Nick. 

“Give up?”  Nick asked.

“It’s hard to sleep when you know there are things out there wanting to eat you and there is no door to protect you.”

“We’re safe for now.”

“For how long?”

“Don’t know.  We haven’t seen any Dregs in the area.  That’s a good sign.”

“I doubt they’ll give up looking for us.”

“Haley, don’t give up hope.”

“Nick, I think everybody gave up on hope a long time ago.”

                        Somewhere in Ohio

Devlin studied the clouds above head as he ate a can of potted meat.  There was a full moon out giving the sky a threatening look.  A storm was approaching and judging by the fork lightning, it was going to be a severe one.  He sat on the porch of the small farm house and waited for the storm to pass.  He opened a bottle of whisky and whistled an old metal tune he hadn’t heard in years.  Jamming to his favorite heavy metal music was something he missed.  The rain fell down cooling off the hot evening.  He watched the lightning.  Because he was starting to fall asleep, he stood up and walked into the house.  He jumped onto the couch and fell asleep.

                         Cave Outside Chicago

Jorn watched the sky.  A severe storm had just passed, and the morning sun was starting to peak through the clouds.  It was time to see if Haley and Nick were awake.  As he was standing up, somebody grabbed him from behind and slit his throat.

“The morning sun looks beautiful,” Haley said.

“Hard to believe that there can be something beautiful in a world so dark,” Nick said.

“You just have to believe the darkness can go away permanently.”

“You’re an optimist...”  Nick started to say as he saw the shadow of two separate figures outside the cave entrance.   “Haley, we have company.”

“If you have a weapon, drop it now.  Your friend is dead.  He had an incident with my knife,” one of the figures said. 

“Unless you want to join him, I would surrender now,” the other figure said.

“We don’t want any trouble,” Haley said.

“Trouble is what you found,” one of the men said as he entered the cave.  He was tall and wore a beige camouflage uniform.  He had a scar across the left side of his face and a tattoo of a dragon on the right side of his neck.  “You must be the girl that Gregory so desperately wants us to find.”

“I would leave us alone,” Nick said, pointing his gun at his face.

Nick fell backward, dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

“He’s no use to us,”   the other guy said and walked into the cave.  “Grab the girl.  We have a long trip back home.”

                                Outskirts of Chicago

              Devlin rummaged through the wreckage of the helicopter.  There were skeletal remains in the wreckage, most likely the pilot and the co-pilot.  There were multiple footprints in the dirt heading north.  He climbed onto his motorcycle and slowly followed in the direction the footprints were leading.  He knew the Dregs had a major lead, and he hoped they hadn’t found the girl yet.  The sun was glaring down making the day even hotter than it actually was.  He opened up his thermos and took the last sip of water. He would have to find some water and soon.  He wouldn’t be able to survive in the heat with whisky alone.

              Fifty Miles out from the Dregs Outpost, Chicago

Helvian Vegara stared at Haley as she sat tied up in the backseat of the black jeep next to Novane who held his gun pointed at her head.

“Helvian, we have a zombie horde ahead,” Krevin, who was driving the jeep, warned.

“Pull over, we’ll take care of them,” Helvian ordered.

Helvian climbed out of the jeep as it stopped and grabbed his semi-automatic machine gun out of the trunk.  “I’ll show you how it’s done.”  He stood to the side of the jeep and opened fire on the zombie horde.  They instantly fell to the ground as he shot their heads off.  After the last of the zombies fell to the ground, he placed the machine gun back into the trunk and climbed back in.             

“Stopping the zombie apocalypse one zombie at a time,” Krevin said and burst out laughing.

“And my mother said playing those violent video games would never amount to anything.  No, I think that was time well spent.  Move on,” Helvian said.

                Dregs Outpost Chicago, Illinois

Militia walked into Gregory’s office.  “I have news.”

“You have my complete attention, Militia.”

“Helvian is on his way back with the girl.”

“I would say that is good news.  Have the scientists on standby.  If she is in fact the cure for this madness, then I want to be the one to possess it.  The other Dregs chapters will have no choice but to swear their allegiance to me,” Gregory said with an evil smile.

“What about Washington?”

“Once I have discovered the cure, I will share it with them in exchange for the control of the Washington compound.  They will have no choice but to accept my offer, or they will never have the cure.”

“You know it will only be a matter of time before they send troops to find her,” Militia warned.

“Our army can take on whoever they send.  I’m not worried.  Now go let the scientists know she’s on the way.”

                   Cave Outside Chicago

Devlin stood over Nick’s body. There were multiple sets of footprints leading to and from the cave.  Judging by the condition of the body, he had been dead less than half a day.  There were tire tracks leading away from the cave.  If he drove as fast as the motorcycle could through the rough terrain, he could possibly catch up with the vehicle.  He hoped it was before the vehicle reached its destination.  The last thing he wanted was to have to sneak into a Dregs outpost to rescue the girl.  The less Dregs he had to encounter, the better.

He could see a shadow coming from behind him. He quickly spun around and shot the zombie of Jorn in the head with his laser rifle.  He ran for his motorcycle and headed in the direction the tire tracks were leading.

              Dregs Outpost Chicago, Illinois

Militia walked into the science lab.  Dr.  Johan Sapatinas waived at her.  He had a zombie corpse strapped to an operating table and was cutting into its skull with a bone saw. 

“Dr. Sapatinas, the girl is en route,” Militia informed him.

“Good.”

“What are you doing with that corpse?”

“Learning as much as I can about the brain after it is infected with the virus.”

“Are you still learning new things about the zombies?”  Militia asked.

“All the time.  With each new specimen, I come close to unlocking the secrets of the zombie plague.”

Militia walked past the cages that housed several zombies.  They desperately tried to reach out for her.  She smiled sinisterly at them and their failed attempts to grab her.  “What have you learned?”

“That the virus was genetically engineered.”

“Are you saying that it was a biological weapon?”

“It could have been, or it could have been accidentally released while developing a biological weapon.  The true nature of how it got released will never be known.  Once I can draw some blood samples from the girl, I should be able to create an antidote,” the doctor said.

“Let’s hope so for all our sakes.”

She heard loud sounds of gunfire coming from outside the medical lab.  She ran outside and saw Helvian with his gun pointing upward as he climbed out of the jeep.

“What the hell are you doing?”  Militia asked.

“Celebratory gun fire.”

She walked over to Krevin who was forcibly dragging Haley forward.  She grabbed her away from him.  She ran her left hand through her blonde hair and yank her forward.

“Ouch!”  Haley screamed.

“I will let you go if you promise not to struggle,” Militia said, dragging her forward.

“Yes, just let go of my hair.”

“Fair enough child.”

Haley looked at her angrily.

“Helvian, Gregory wants to see you now.  I’ll take her to the doctor.”

Outside the outpost, Devlin hid behind a large hill.  He finally caught up with the jeep, but not in time.  He would have to be very clever sneaking into the outpost.  He would wait until the cover of night.  He surveyed the outpost.  He saw three armed guards on this side of the large fence.  When nightfall approached, he would use his bang blade to take the one on the far right out and then quickly climb the side of the fence and cut through the barb wire on top with his laser knife.  He could see Haley being led into a small building through his high vision binoculars. He hoped that was where she would still be when he entered the outpost.

Dr. Sapatinas smiled as Haley, followed by Militia, walked into his lab.  “Set her on the table over there.  What’s your name?”

“Haley.”

“My name is Dr. Sapatinas.  I want to take a few vials of your blood.”  He quickly examined her.  “When was the last time you ate?”

“Yesterday.”

“Militia, send for some food.  She looks very weak.  She’s going to need her strength so I can do all of the tests needed.”

“Will you be able to handle her?  She’s a fighter.”

“I think I can manage. Besides, Haley, there isn’t any place to go.  The safest place for you here is in my lab.”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Don’t be afraid, Haley.  I’m only interested in finding a cure.  Your blood may be the only chance the human race has to survive.  Nobody is going to hurt you here.”

“You promise?”

“Trust me.  I’m the only ally you’ll have here.”

Gregory dropped a bag filled with cans of food at Helvian’s feet.  “As promised.  Payment for bringing the girl to me alive.” 

“What’s next?”

“Make sure all our soldiers are ready. Once the doctor has the cure, we are going to attack the other Dregs outposts and kill their leaders.  We need one unified Dregs chapter to have the necessary force to take control of the compound in Washington D.C.”

“Right away,” Helvian said and grabbed the bag of food. 

Gregory watched him leave his office.  If everything goes as he planned, the zombie nightmare will finally be over for him and the Dregs.

Haley sat next to the doctor as he studied her blood under a microscope.  She enjoyed a large helping of stew.  She didn’t want to know what the meat was made of, but she enjoyed every bite of it.

“This is amazing,” the doctor said.

“What?”

“Look in the microscope.”

Haley stood behind the microscope and looked at the sample of blood.

“What am I seeing?”

“I took a sample of the zombie blood and mixed it with yours.  What you are seeing is the zombie cells being destroyed by your blood cells.  Your blood is the cure.  I can replicate it.”

“I’m not a scientist.  What does that mean?”

“What it means, Haley, is that when people get bit by a zombie, we can stop the infection from taking over their bodies.  There will be no more people turning into zombies.”

“A cure?”

“Yes, a cure.”  He stood real close and whispered into Haley’s ear. “We need to get this to Washington.”

“What was that, Doctor?”  Militia asked, walking over to his desk.

“I was thanking her for possessing the cure.”

“Then we have what Gregory wants?”

“Not yet.  I still need to replicate it.”

“How long?”  Militia asked.

“Another day or two and I’ll have perfected it.  Be patient.  There is no margin for mistakes.”

“I’ll inform Gregory,” Militia said and walked out of the lab.

Once she was out of hearing range, the doctor whispered into Haley’s ears, “The cure must not fall into Gregory’s hands.”

Devlin watched as a group of jeeps and tanks left the outpost heading in the opposite direction of Washington D.C.  The gates closed.  With a portion of the outpost’s army gone, he had a better chance of sneaking in unnoticed.  The sun was setting and soon he would have his chance to enter.  An hour later, he slowly crawled toward the outpost and stood up when he was at the right side of the fence.  He waited for the light from the guard tower to pass by, and then he shot the bang blade upward.  It hit the guard’s neck killing him instantly.  The bang blade returned to its base.  He attached it to the back of his jacket and quickly climbed the wooden fence.  Once on top, he cut the barbwire and jumped down before the light from the guard tower passed by.  He ran for the building he saw Haley enter earlier.

Haley watched as the doctor injected a sample of the antidote he made from her blood into one of the zombies in the cage.  It stared at them for a few seconds and then tried to bite the doctor.  They stood back as it slammed itself repeatedly into the cage.  Its eyes rolled back into its head and then it collapsed.  Its heavy breathing slowed to a calm pace.  A few minutes later it stopped breathing and died.

“That’s encouraging,” the doctor said with a smile.  “We will never be able to return them to being human, but we now have a way of killing them for good. If we can make this airborne, we may one day be able to leave the compound and live anywhere we like.”

“The world will turn to normal,” Militia said, walking over to them.  “I’m not sure how I would be able to readapt to times like that.  We’ve been living in chaos for so long.”

“We had to change to adapt to the zombie era, so we can revert back to the pre zombie era,” the doctor said.

“Are you sure everybody is ready for that?”  She asked.

“That all depends on the individual person,” the doctor answered.

“Gregory would never allow that.  He wants to rule,” Militia said.

“That is why I will never let him possess the cure,” Devlin said from behind them.  He pointed his laser rifle at her.

“Who are you?”  Militia asked.

“My name’s Devlin.”

“The Zombie Hunter.  I’ve heard the legend about you,” Militia said.  “In another situation, it would have been an honor to meet you.  You’re here for the girl?”

“Yes.  She and the doctor are coming with me.”

From behind, Krevin hit him in the back of the head with the back of his rifle.  He fell to the ground.

“Not much of a hero,” Krevin said.

“Take him to Gregory.  I know he will want to meet him,” Militia said.

Devlin’s eyes slowly opened.  Standing before him was Gregory Salazar.  He had his gun pointed at his head.

“The infamous Devlin, the Zombie Hunter.  The stories of your heroics are talked about throughout the Dregs.  You are a legend among my people and yours as well.  Do you realize how my people will turn on me if they knew I killed you?”

“Then I suggest you avoid doing that,” Devlin said with a smile.

“Very amusing Zombie Hunter.  Oh I won’t kill you,” he said and placed his gun on his desk.  “Krevin over here will have the honor of doing that.  Soon I will have complete control of all the Dregs chapters.  I will possess an army big enough to successfully attack the compound in D.C.  I have the cure and everybody will bow down at my feet for it.  I will not only be their savior, I will be their God.”

“That won’t last very long.  Even the Gods of Rome fell eventually.”

“Devlin, you are a smart man.  Even a smart man can’t survive a bullet to the head.  Krevin if you will.”

Before Krevin could pull the trigger, Militia kicked him hard in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground.  Gregory quickly grabbed his gun, but was shot in the chest by Militia.

“You traitor!”  Gregory said as he collapsed.

Devlin looked at her in shock.

“If the girl’s blood is the end to all of this madness, then I’m on your side.  I will help you bring her back to D.C.  Follow me,” Militia said.

“Glad you’re on my side,” he said, looking at the two guys lying on the ground.

The doctor filled his briefcase with as much of his files as he could.  Haley filled a bag with as much medical supplies as she could.  Devlin and Militia walked into the building.

“You’re alive!”  Haley said excitedly.

“We need to get out of here and fast,” Devlin said.

“I have everything of importance here,” the doctor said, holding up his briefcase.

“There is a jeep parked out front.  Get to it.  I will take out the guards,” Militia said and ran out of the building.

“This way,” Devlin said.

They heard gunfire and a loud thud as Militia killed the two guards on the guard towers.  They ran for the jeep.  Militia climbed in after them holding a portable rocket launcher.

“Go!” she ordered.

Devlin drove forward while soldiers fired at them.  Militia aimed the rocket launcher at a large fuel tank next to the soldiers and fired.  They scattered avoiding the blast from the explosion of the fuel tank.  The jeep drove away from the outpost and headed for Washington D.C.

Gregory slowly pulled himself up from the ground.  He was bleeding badly from the gunshot wound in his upper chest.  Krevin pulled himself up and walked over to him.

“Get me a medical kit,” Gregory ordered. He sat down at his desk and grabbed the portable radio.  He pressed the button and spoke into it.  “Helvian.”

“Gregory, it’s me.”

“The girl escaped.  Militia betrayed us.  The Zombie Hunter is with her.”

“Orders, sir?”

“New plan.  I want you to head toward D.C. and intercept them.  I want the girl alive.  Kill the others.”

“Understood.”

Krevin walked into the room carrying a medical kit.

“Can you pull this bullet out of me?  It hurts.”