Siege: The Zombie Chronicles, #9

By Chrissy Peebles

This is book 9.

Dean and the gang head home to Sandusky, Ohio. Dean, Val, and Nick want to meet up with their parents and grandmother. Not knowing if they're dead or alive, they keep hopeful. Can they make it back to their old home? Can they get the cure into the right hands?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dark Shadows Publishing
• Release date: Feb 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524297213

Book preview

Part 1: On the Road

Chapter 1

Dean

THE LAND OUTSIDE WAS changing, I thought, as I looked out the window of the armored Knight SUV. Ohio had always been a pretty gold-and-green state; lots of good farming land with all kinds of green vegetation. Everything was growing out of control. Saplings now crept down from the edges of the road, some even sprouting up from cracks in the road. I could see small farms choked by tall grasses, wild wheat, and out-of-control weeds. The ghosts of abandoned cars off to the side of the road peeked out from their greenery as we zipped along the interstate.

Well, it sure looks like home-sweet-home went to crap, Lucas said from the passenger seat.

You think it’s just here? Nick gripped the steering wheel tightly. It’s everywhere, buddy.

Welcome to the zombie apocalypse, he said.

My older brother chuckled as he drove.

I had to agree with Lucas. It did look like Ohio was pretty much deserted and abandoned. The zombie apocalypse had forced people to flee their homes, head for the coasts, or (even stupider) head for the cities in hope of finding government bunkers that didn’t exist.

Ugh. I shuddered. We had seen first-hand what had happened in the cities: close quarters, zombies everywhere, lots of places to hide but nowhere to run.

Nah, give me the open roads and wide spaces any day, I murmured.

Hmm? A warm weight lifted from my shoulder.

Jackie. I felt a surge of love lift my heart. Jackie–who would have thought that this was real? That I got to be here, with her? After all we’d been through she was still by my side.

What did you say, hon? she said sleepily.

Tenderly, I brushed away a lock of her long brown hair that fell out of her ponytail.

Nothing, babe. I was just thinking how I’m glad to be back here in Ohio.... with you, I added, a little softer.

That’s so sweet. Jackie smiled, her hand squeezing mine where she had held it as she slept. I could smell her hair under my chin, and felt the warmth of her pressing against me.

I wonder what the future holds.

Good things, I said. And we will never join the zombie horde. I promise you that. If we’ve survived this long, then we’re making it to the very end.

I’m shocked at how fast we adapted to all these life and death situations.

Well, we rise to the occasion or we die; it’s that simple, I said.

We’re pretty adaptable.

And that’s why we’re still alive. We’re survivors. The world just suddenly stopped...and we did what needed to be done. Sometimes, we had to make hard decisions. I thought back to the first man I ever killed in self-defense. I was still haunted by taking another life. But I knew I didn’t take his life intentionally. I did what I did....to live.

I personally know the pain of surviving. It’s a long, painful process. And I fought for every single breath I took.  I knew the constant battle to stay alive reinforced emotional numbing and avoidance of painful emotions. I’d been through so much, but I stored it away so I wouldn’t have to deal with it. I didn’t want to deal with it. But would it all come tumbling back one day? Would I be buried underneath all its weight? My spirit remained alive under the worst conditions imaginable. Yet, I was alive. I knew eventually I would have to deal with it.  But not right now. Right now, I only dealt with immediate survival.

Ever since doomsday hit, my world has been full of violence, fear, and hostility. Lack of food, water, and trust had led to terrible choices, compromises, and conflict. Sometimes I feel like I have no control over my life. It’s like climbing up a mountain. One wrong misstep, and down you go. But whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

I don’t want my heart to be hardened, Jackie said. Sometimes in this grotesque new world, I feel like I’m soulless. Just going through the motions, pushing hard to survive.

If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm. And I know we’ve been weathering one long heck of a storm. But I promise the sun will eventually come out. We’ve just gotta keep on believing it.

You just blew my mind, she said, stroking my hair out of my eyes.

Do you want me for my mind or my zombie-killing skills? Or maybe my good looks?

She laughed. Oh, it’s the blue eyes for sure.

Really? I thought maybe you’d say it was for my big, strong muscles.

She gazed into my eyes. I love you. For your beautiful mind, sexy body, and compassionate soul. And you’re my end-of-the-world legendary hero. You rescued me when I was at the lowest point in my life. And you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.

She looked so adorable, so beautiful. She flashed me her perfect white smile. Her hair hung in a long, dark braid. She had high cheekbones and pretty eyes. I kissed her on the lips. I love you too.

She stroked my face. I couldn’t imagine doing this without you.

You’re the only thing that gets me through this, I said. And I about died when I thought you were dead.

I knew I had her in my arms, but I’d never forget that deep pain I’d felt when I thought she had left my life forever.

Her hand brushed across my cheek. Oh, baby. Don’t even think about that. I’m here, and I promise I’m never leaving you ever again.

We shared a tender kiss, then cuddled up and drifted off to sleep.

GAS! NICK SHOUTED, waking me up from my stupor.

If you're having gas, we can stop, Lucas laughed, ’cause I can’t handle the stench.

You know that’s not the gas I’m talking about.

I had managed to fall asleep, again with Jackie curled up next to my side, and Kate on the other side of her. If we needed gas, then we’d have to stop the convoy and fill up somewhere. And gas was a rare commodity these days. It was always a challenge to find some. But all we had to do was get back to the Sandusky area. Once we were on the island, we wouldn’t need gas as often.

How long do we have? I asked.

Uh, about fifteen minutes more, maybe? Nick said, looking out the window. The wind began to pick up and the sky was starting to get darker. Lucas zipped up his body armor and checked the ammo on his guns. Stopping to get out of your car in zombie country meant you had to be fully prepared if anyone dared take a step outside.

There was a place, a little way back, Kate suddenly spoke. A turnoff on the left. It had a gas sign on it. Didn’t you guys see it?

Nick looked over to Lucas. The question went unsaid, but we were all thinking it. Can we risk it? What if it’s overrun?

BZZT! The walkie-talkie in Jackie’s lap buzzed. It had to be one of the others in the RV coming up behind us.

This is Val. Why are you slowing down? she asked, her voice crackly with static.

Jackie spoke into the radio. Need to fill up. Kate says she saw a gas station a little way back.

Skip gas stations. You can’t get gas from electric pumps anyway. Those pumps don’t work. I think we all know that. Let’s find an abandoned car or parked truck.

Jackie looked questioningly at Lucas, who just shrugged, slowing the Knight down to a crawl.

Tell her we haven’t seen a salvageable car or truck, Nick said. And what are the chances we’re going to run into one in the next fifteen minutes? So we’re stopping at the gas station and checking it out. It’s better than nothing. And we can’t run out of gas.

Jackie related the message.

Nick hates your car idea, she said.

Val laughed. Of course he does.

Most gas stations have huge underground tanks, Nick said. If we’re careful, we can access it without power.

The message was related, but Val said we didn’t have time for that.

If we pry up the lids over the main tanks, we can either hand-pump or use a bucket to bring fuel up. And if she doesn’t like that idea, most farmers have diesel or gasoline stored in large quantities to power their farming equipment.

Why don’t we vote on it? Jackie said.

Sure.

There was a mumbled agreement from everyone inside the vehicle. We didn’t have much choice.

They all voted for stopping at the gas station, Jackie said.

Okay, Val said over the walkie-talkie.

We turned our vehicles around and started crunching over the trash-laden interstate back to the turn-off Kate had spotted.

I joined in the discussion Jackie, Nick, Lucas, and Kate were having on zombie traps.

Building deep ditches around your shelter is a must, Kate said. Unless you’re on an island. And then you have the water as a barrier.

Lucas wrapped his arm around her. Something basic like strong rope can stop lots of zombies.

Yeah, we’ll just make a rope wall. I’ll weave that rope in a zigzag pattern. That way we can squeeze between but zombies won’t.

I like it, Jackie said. It can slow down a zombie and give a survivor a chance to run.

Wooden stakes, string, or wire braided across the ground will trip zombies too, Nick said. We could easily walk past it with no difficulty.

Lucas nodded. Yeah, everyone should have that little number. It would slow the zombies down in case of a breech.

Metal poles could be installed deep into the ground to slow zombies to a trickle if there was a breech. And if they all bunch up, they’d topple over.

We went on to talk about all the creative zombie traps that we could build. The possibilities were endless. 

Chapter 2

Val

THE RV WASN’T AS COOL as the Knight with all its neat features, but I guess that we should still thank the good people of Fairport for giving it to us after we’d helped them out over the winter. But she handled like a whale, I thought, as I steered her down the ramp to Kate’s turn-off, and started down the smaller access road.

My thoughts drifted to Max. I missed him so much. I knew he would want me to go on. And I would go on for him. But it hurt...bad. I couldn’t even lean on Lucas. He was dating Kate now, and they seemed to be hitting it off. I was glad he was happy. He deserved happiness. Maybe I would get it one day. My heart might still be hurting, but I’d never give up on hope. I hoped against all odds that my parents and grandmother were still alive. If they were still on the island, I wouldn’t be allowed there. I knew that. It was why I didn’t want to come back home to our parents in the first place. I had a safe place to live in Fairport. Would I have that same opportunity in Sandusky? I didn’t know. I’d never forget how the security team ripped me from my mother’s house and took me into isolation. They took Jenny, Kyle, and Sammy from me.

I took a deep breath as emotion consumed me. They left me in a room to rot, and were going to give me a shot to end my life because I had been bitten by a zombie. My life literally flashed before my eyes the second I was bitten. Going back to a place where I was given a death sentence was very hard for me. Dean and Nick didn’t understand why I wanted to stay behind in Fairport. They were so sad and upset when I told them I wasn’t coming. They thought family should stick together no matter what. And I do believe that. But they were taking me to a place where I could be put in isolation all over again. What if the leaders of that island decided to humanely end my life once again? It hurt to think about it. And it scared me to death. Yes, going back there instilled a terror deep in me that I couldn’t even begin to explain.

I could hear Sammy’s screams as they tore her away. I could see Jenny’s tears. And then there was the love of my life: Kyle. He told me he loved me. I knew he meant every word. I shook all those thoughts away. How could I ever get past all this pain?

But I decided that I loved my family. So I conquered my fear of going back so I could be with Dean, Nick, my parents, and my grandmother. I just prayed it all turned out the way I wanted it to. 

Asia cut into my thoughts, Boy, this is a tight squeeze.

I snapped back into reality.

Are you okay? she asked.

Sorry. I was deep in thought.

Yeah. You looked like you were a million miles away.

I was.

She smiled as she playfully nudged me. Well, girl, get your head back into the game. Or let me drive.

I’m fine, Asia.

Okay, then.  

Maybe taking the RV in first wasn’t such a great idea, I started thinking, as the road narrowed, and then narrowed more, until the sounds of the overgrown tree branches scraped the top of the RV.

Need me to do some whacking? Asia asked, one hand on the door, the other on her machete.

I peered out the window. Nah, I got this.

We had a variety of weapons at our feet, from guns and rifles to bats and axes. No matter what situation we ran into, we’d be ready for anything.

Yeah, it widens out right here, I said, nodding up ahead to where the road dipped, and then rose up, the trees and overgrown weeds falling away on both sides.

This would make an excellent place for an ambush, Asia muttered, and I remembered why exactly I liked her. She thought like a survivor. We all knew we had to be ready for anything.

Yeah, but pity the poor people who try to ambush us, huh? I grinned back, and Asia nodded.

We kick butt, she said, keeping her eyes on the woods. We’re better at it than anybody else.

You bet! Now you’re getting your head back into the game.

I laughed.

No sign of zombies, no sudden lurches from the shadows of the trees, no signature zombie moans. No drifters. No gangs. No cannibals. This place was deserted.

So far, so good, Asia said, tapping the dashboard.

I realized that the road was starting to widen and bend, approaching a truck stop and a wide turning circle next to a small gas station.

You know the drill, I said. Let’s get this done as fast as possible, then get back on the road.

Gotcha, Claire responded.

There in the truck stop was a tanker, still emblazoned with the oil company’s logo, one door open, and the window smashed.

Ransacked? Claire asked. If so, there might not be any gas.

Guess we’ll see soon enough, I said, pulling the RV around in a circle so that we were facing back out the way we’d come in. The Knight had roared up to the truck stop, spun around in a spray of gravel, and parked right next to us. At least we’d be in the right direction when we had to leave. And we’d be ready if we needed a quick getaway. You always have to run eventually. Run or fight. That was the story of my life. For all of us, actually.  

Okay, let’s get this done, Claire said. She opened the side door and jumped down onto the dirt. She stuffed her revolver in her waistband then glanced around.

It’s a ghost town, I said.

I like ghost towns, Claire responded. The quieter, the better.

She zipped up her leather jacket, tying back her long red hair. Then she grabbed her gun and pointed it in front of her. Asia and I will secure the perimeter. You guys do your thing.

I unbuckled my seatbelt as Claire and Asia stepped around the front of our vehicle, up to the cab of the tanker, holding their revolvers out in front of them. I jumped out of the vehicle. Gun drawn, I followed them. There was only the sound of our footsteps and the wind in the tree tops. There were big rigs parked all over the place. But all the eighteen-wheelers were devoid of drivers.

I then heard the others. Nick and Lucas went straight into what I always thought of as their ‘military mode’, acting in tandem – with very few spoken words between them. In just a second my brother and Lucas had fanned out on either side of the vehicles, scanning the periphery. They were walking around the entire gas station and securing it. Dean and Jackie acted as lookouts.

Claire glanced up at the rig. Wow. We’re missing a door.

I glanced inside. The driver had been decapitated. It was a bloody mess.

Any zombies? Kate asked, stepping around in wide strides, swinging her rifle from her shoulders as she checked for any signs of possible danger.

Nah, just this poor guy, Claire said.

Not good, I said. "If this guy was hijacked or jumped, then there’s probably nothing left here. This whole place has been sucked dry by psychopaths or lunatics."

Not necessarily.

I sighed. Okay, let’s see if this place has any gas. If it doesn’t, we’re screwed. And it’ll be a total waste of time. I told you we shouldn’t have backtracked.

Jackie approached. C’mon. We didn’t have much choice. Do you think we were just going to run into a car full of gas? Dream on.

If we’re desperate, we can do what Nick said, I said. Get gas from underneath the gas station.

Last resort, Claire said, because I don’t want to hang around here any longer than we have too.

Agreed.

SCKR! the radio crackled. Everything looks secure, Nick said. How about you?

I picked up the walkie-talkie attached to my belt. We got one dead driver, but no zombies – not yet, anyway. It’s secure here.

Good. We’re getting gas. Found a Sedan back here with a full tank.

Great. Hurry up and let’s fuel up.

Jackie looked over at the gas station. I’m hungry. Wanna look for any snacks?

No, Claire said. We have no idea what could be hiding in there. We take no unnecessary risks. Especially when we’re this close to the island.

Jackie playfully nudged her cousin. I’m kidding. Lighten up, will ya?

She smiled.

There. I missed that smile.

Claire gripped her gun tightly. Well, you’ll see it a lot more once we’re safe on the island.

I agree, I said.

Jackie looked at me. Are you glad you came, Val?

Yeah. I know I had created a safe place in Fairport, and I loved the people there. But I need to be with my family. And I need to know if my parents and grandma are alive. I’d rather create a safe place with all of you guys and with them too.

I loved everyone we met in Fairport, Asia said. But I wasn’t leaving you guys. You guys are my family now.

I threw an arm around her. And you’re our family too. I’m so glad we met.

She grinned. Awww. Me too. And I think we’ll be safer on an island. If that force-field breaks around Fairport, they’re screwed like everyone else.

Jackie pointed. Did you see that?

I pointed my gun in her direction. What?

I saw an old man peek out the window, she said.

Claire glanced over. Oh, man. I thought this place was deserted. I don’t want to steal some guy’s gas. We’re not thieves.

I looked at Jackie. Are you sure it wasn’t a zombie?

Positive.

Maybe we should check it out. I don’t need somebody shooting us in a blaze of glory because we’re trespassing.

I leapt to the hood of the car and looked around. A zombie with torn and tattered green skin came from behind the semi.

Straggler! I said.

It let out a snarl as jaws snapped. It grabbed Claire’s shoulder. In a flash, she broke the zombie’s arm with a tremendous downward jerk. With her free hand, she grabbed the zombie’s head and slammed it off the car until it was dead. I holstered my axe and nodded to her.

What a fine brawl, girlie, I said in a Scottish accent.

Thanks. She pushed her hair out of her eyes. I was overdue for a workout anyway.

I laughed, then looked around some more. I didn’t see any others around us.

I walked across the parking lot of the gas station. I tried the door, but it was locked. I peeked inside through the window. Asia stepped up and moved me aside. With her tool she used to break into cars, she attempted to jimmy the door open, but she couldn’t get any leverage on the lock because of a metal lip.

Here, Claire said, let me.

Asia and I stepped aside as Claire took out a pocket knife and began to work it around the edge of the window. In a few minutes, she had the rubber cut loose. I couldn’t believe my eyes when Claire pushed the point of her knife under the window and pried it up. The window fell out. Kate and Asia grabbed the glass before it could hit the ground and shatter.

I looked at Claire. You’re not the girl I first met.

She grinned widely. Nope. I’ve got skills now.

I reached my hand in through the now-open window and unlocked the door from the inside. The door squealed on its hinges as I opened it.

Is anyone here? I asked. I mean you no harm. I just wanted to know if we could buy some gas from you. We can give you weapons in return.

Instantly, I froze. For a moment, I thought this place was clear of zombies, but a growl from deep in the back meant that they were indeed here.

I looked at Jackie. There’s nothing here but zombies. Are you sure you saw somebody?

I thought I saw an old man. Maybe it was a zombie. We’d better just go. No use stirring up a hornet’s nest.

Three zombies suddenly charged from the back