“It looked like a zombie.” Her gaze flew to his, the ghost of a self-conscious smile hiding at the corner of her mouth.
Sam nodded. “That’s what we’ve been calling them.” He buttoned his camo pants and pulled out a pair of combat boots from the bottom of his bag. “What they are is a science experiment gone wrong. A team of scientists, selected and hired by the military, were working on ways to make soldiers heal faster. What they ended up creating was a contagion that kills people and reanimates them into what you just saw.”
“Dear Lord,” she breathed.
Sam propped one foot on the lower edge of the car door and bent down to lace up his boot. All the while, he kept a careful watch on their surroundings.
“Keep a sharp eye out, Emily. There could be more of them. For some reason, the creatures seem intent on spreading the contagion and making more of themselves by scratching or biting people. After death, the contagion does something to their nails. The formerly dead cells regenerate into longer, sharper versions that are ten times as strong. They can scratch you bad and infect you with the contagion at the same time. That happens, you die and rise again to become one of them.”
“It’s like something out of a horror movie,” she exclaimed, clearly appalled by the situation.
“Welcome to my world. I’ve been fighting these things the past few months. That’s why I went undercover at Praxis Air. A couple of the scientists who developed this technology want to sell it to the highest bidder.”
“Are you kidding me?” Oh, she looked angry now. “Spread this like a weapon and have us all kill each other? Unchecked, this could wipe out everyone, couldn’t it?” Emily grasped the implications quickly, he’d give her that.
“That’s the fear.” He couldn’t tell her about the special few who were immune to the contagion. That information was more top secret than the rest. Immunity was something that would make the technology even more expensive to the right buyer. If the user could pick and choose who would be immune and who would not, the contagion could be used as a weapon without fear of the consequences.
Sam finished tying his other boot and took one last look around before climbing into the car. He shut the door and turned to Emily. She still looked shaken but she hadn’t become a pilot without learning how to handle unpredictable situations. She was holding up well.
“I’ve still got to find out where that van went,” he said softly.
“What’s the plan?” She visibly held her fear in check, which he appreciated. She was turning out to be a good partner in this totally screwed up situation.
“I want you to drive me back down the road to the curve just beyond the driveway where the van disappeared. I’m going to bail out of the car—”
“Bail out?” she interrupted him, looking appalled.
“It’s easy. You slow down to about thirty miles per hour and I’ll jump out. I’ve done it before and it’s the best way to avoid being seen. Stopping on a curve isn’t safe.”
“Neither is what you’re planning,” she interjected.
Sam had to grin. He liked the way she argued with him, but he didn’t really have time for it now.
“Do you trust me? Seems like you have so far, Em.” When she grudgingly nodded, he continued. “So trust me now. This is the easiest and safest way for both of us. I know what I’m doing and I won’t get hurt if you do as I ask.”
“Okay. So I slow to thirty and you bail out. Then what?”
“I’m going to do a sneak and peek to see if I can find out what happened to our cargo while you continue down the road, then turn around at that coal company lot we saw down the hill and come back this way. I’ll meet you back here at the gas station in about forty-five minutes. By that time, you might see some of my teammates here, cleaning up the area. If so, pull in. If they try to run you off, tell them Commander Sykes knows. Only that. Commander Sykes knows. You’ll be challenged with two questions. They’ll ask you what the color of the day is. You say orange. Then they’ll ask what the animal of the day is. You’ll say the penguin.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s the pass code. They set it up before I left for this undercover assignment. Just go with it.” She nodded and he looked at his watch. “Okay, we need to get going.”
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Absolutely. Don’t worry. It’s my job and I’m good at what I do. Now drive on, captain. Time’s a-wastin’.”
She gave him a worried look but managed to get the car on the road. It didn’t take long to get to the driveway where the van had disappeared.
“All right, just past this next curve, slow down to about thirty.” Sam readied himself, his hand on the door handle.
“For the record, I don’t like this.”
“Don’t worry so much.” He winked at her but she didn’t respond. Nothing would prove to her that he wouldn’t be hurt doing this until he did it.
Sam watched the road and the upcoming curve. Almost there.
“I’m going,” he said as he opened the door and rolled out of the moving car.
He sprang to his feet out of the diving roll and stood to see her brake lights still on as she slowed, but didn’t stop the car. He waved at her before melting into the trees. He watched for a moment to see her safely around the next bend. He wasn’t thrilled about leaving her alone and unarmed knowing there were zombies in the area, but she was in a moving vehicle. As long as she kept moving, she should be relatively safe. As long as there wasn’t an army of zombies out there.
The thought made him pause.
“Oh, hell.” He couldn’t worry about it now. He had work to do.
Sam spent the next fifteen minutes moving through the woods as quickly and silently as possible. He followed along parallel to the driveway until it ended at what could best be described as a shack.
He could see the crates standing alongside the small structure. There was one man walking from the shack into a darker, wooded area behind it. The terrain rose steeply and there was a mountainside not too far from the back of the shack.
Sam stalked the man through the woods, keeping off to one side, hoping to discover where he was going. Sam’s suspicions were raised when he saw the pitiful surface structure. Those suspicions were confirmed when Sam caught sight of the gaping maw in the earth, almost hidden by the dense forest ahead of his quarry. Sure enough, the man disappeared into the mouth of the huge cave.
Sam’s further reconnaissance only confirmed that the shack was simply a delivery station. The real action was going on inside that cave. Sam sat back in the forest and watched for a few moments. His patience was rewarded a few minutes later when an older man in a blue lab coat followed the first man out of the cave and headed back toward the shack.
Sam had counted only two small vehicles parked near the shack. There was the possibility that the two men he’d seen were the only two here. There was also the possibility that more bad guys were hanging out inside that cave. Sam had to find out which was the truth. The team would need that recon when they got here.
He decided to take a quick look to see what the men were up to. He slid back through the woods in time to see the first man open several of the crates. It looked like the guy in the lab coat was inspecting the equipment and giving instructions to the other man. In Sam’s mind, lab coat was the brains. The other guy was the muscle.
When it looked like they were going to unpack the crates, which would take some time, Sam decided to head back to the cave to see if he could get a closer look. He approached with stealth, using the senses he’d developed over years of field work to note things about his environment. For example, there weren’t any obvious booby traps or sensors in the area. The whole setup didn’t have a lived in look. He’d bet the scientist and his friend hadn’t been here long.
Of course, they’d been around long enough to lose at least one zombie. Sam approached the cave entrances from the side. The mouth of the cave was wide and squat. The men had emerged from an area about five yards to the left of Sam’s position.
He examined the entrance of the cave minutely before he moved forward. As he’d thought, the place was empty except for a few boxes and tables. There was a caged area with a raised table in it. That looked new. There was still construction debris around the base of the bars. Sam would bet they’d installed it after they lost the guy he’d dealt with at the convenience store.
Sam didn’t go far inside the cave. Just a few feet. Enough to get a general idea of what was inside, but not far enough to get caught inside should the men from the shack come back. Sam glanced at his watch. The team would be there soon. He had to get clear to meet up with them.
He made his way out of the cave and faded back into the woods. The convenience store wasn’t far as the crow flies. Sam decided to trek back through the woods and scout the trail for the team.
He found nothing that would slow down the team. The approach was clear. Whoever had set up that little hole in the ground hadn’t secured it very well. Perhaps they’d thought being in a cave would be defense enough. Boy, were they going to be proven wrong in a big way. Sam couldn’t wait to see it happen.
When he got to the convenience store lot, he approached from behind—probably the same way the zombie had. Only there was no unsuspecting clerk for him to surprise. Instead, he was challenged at the perimeter of the woods by one of his teammates.
“About time you joined us.” Xavier Beauvoir, Green Beret captain and all around Cajun badass, greeted him.
“Doing my sneak and peek, as ordered, captain.”
Sam went into detail about what he’d seen as they walked toward the front lot of the store. He wasn’t surprised to find the place had been cordoned off and taken over by his teammates. The evidence of the two men he’d had to shoot was already gone. He could see techs in hazmat gear following the blood trail around the grounds. They wouldn’t leave anything to be discovered later by unsuspecting and unprepared locals.
Sam also saw the rental car. Relief flooded him so hard he almost missed a step. Emily was safe. She’d gotten past the low-key guards and was talking with Simon Blackwell, former Navy SEAL and the original zombie hunter.
Simon had been the first man to prove immune to the contagion and he’d led the way for the precious few who’d followed. Emily smiled at something Simon said then glanced in Sam’s direction and the smile turned into a huge grin of relief. He could read her now. She was as pleased and relieved to see him as he’d been to see her. But they didn’t have time for a sloppy reunion just yet. Sam had to pass along his intel and help his team.
As soon as the other guys saw him, they gathered around. Simon left Emily at the car with one of the support staff. John Petit and his sister, former police officer Sarah Petit, who was also Xavier’s fiancée, walked toward him from the other side of the lot. Donna, newly engaged to John was walking on his other side. It was strange to have women on his combat team, but Sam had gotten used to these two over the past months. Both were tough, though Sarah was a much better shot than Donna. Ultimately though, the thing that made them most suitable to the team was that they were both immune to the zombie contagion.
The only personnel sent to confront the zombies—or into any situation where zombies were expected—were the fortunate few who had already been proven immune. Sam had been made immune by the serum Dr. McCormick had developed, as had their team leader, Matt. Another scientific intervention had made John immune. The rest of the combat team had been attacked and survived because they were naturally immune. Simon, Xavier, Sarah and Donna. They gathered around, exchanging short greetings before the informal debrief began.
Sam told them everything he’d seen at the cave and they quickly devised a plan.
“You look like you’re a little light on equipment, Sam,” Xavier observed. “Go get whatever you need out of the truck. We’ll head out as soon as you’re geared up.”
Sam gave Xavier a quick salute and headed for the truck parked close to Emily’s rental car. She saw him and pushed past the man who’d been talking to her to intercept Sam. He waved the other man off and motioned her to join him as he picked up a combat vest from the truck.
“Did you find where that thing came from?” Emily’s voice was breathless with what sounded like worry she was trying to hide.
Sweet of her, but not necessary. Still, it was nice to have someone worry about him again. It had been a long time since anyone had given a damn about whether Sam lived or died, except maybe his teammates.
“Yes, ma’am. They’re in a cave not far from here. We’re going there now to solve the problem.”
“You’re going with them?”
“I scouted the place. I’m going to lead them to it.” He grabbed a spare rifle and slung it over his arm. The vest was already loaded with clips of the specially marked ammo. He’d done a quick check before slinging it on.
“You’ll be careful?” Emily’s tone made him stop to take a look at her. She was more than worried. She was terrified. Hiding it well, but he could see it in the depths of her gaze.
Sam took a moment, sweeping her into a quick hug. He kissed her cheek, not caring that the rest of the team was probably watching his public display of affection. Emily had just been rudely introduced into the realities of zombies roaming the woods and eating people’s faces. The least he could do was take a quick moment to offer comfort and reassurance.
“I’ll be fine, Em. I’ve done this before. Don’t worry. Besides, I only saw two people at the site. Should be easy work.” He let her go, knowing he had little time. “The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back. Wait here. Let them debrief you. Tell them what you saw. Every detail is important. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Sam.” She gave him a tentative smile and he admired her grit. Few women he’d known would have handled this situation with so little fuss.
Sam gave her another quick kiss, onlookers be damned.
He left her by the truck and headed back toward the team, who were waiting for him with a variety of expressions on their faces.
“Getting chummy with your new boss?” Sarah asked with a knowing grin as he rejoined the group.
“Give me a break, Sarah. Emily’s had a rough day.”
Sam took point, leading the way back through the woods. The first few yards were within the larger perimeter the support team had set up so there was still an opportunity for low-key conversation.
Xavier and Sarah walked beside him. “How did the frangibles work out for you?” Xavier asked.
“Twenty-nine to thirty seconds to take effect,” Sam reported. “One shot, one kill.”
“Ooo-rah.” Xavier made the soldier’s sound of approval in a quiet tone. “I was hoping they worked as advertised but we haven’t had a chance to try them in the field yet.”
At that point they passed the perimeter guard and Sam moved into the lead. They’d travel in silence, using hand signals only from here on.
When they reached the edge of the woods beyond the shack, Xavier took the lead. He signaled for Donna and John to remain on watch there while the rest of the team went on to the cave entrance. Donna was the least skilled of the combat-qualified members of the team but John was one of the best. Together, they’d already proven to be an effective team. They could take care of any potential problems from the shack while the rest of them dealt with whatever they found in the cave.
Sam didn’t think they’d find much besides the two men he’d already spotted, but it was always best to be on guard. A battalion of creatures could come at them from the depths of the cave. Sam really hadn’t had that much time for recon so it would pay them to tread lightly.
The two men he’d originally seen were captured with little fuss by John back at the shack moments after Xavier gave the order to strike. Sam rushed the cave with the rest of them, surprised to find two more people inside. They were in the caged area, chained to tables. No doubt, they were to be the next test subjects…the next zombies.
“Looks like we got here just in time,” Sarah commented, shouldering her rifle.
The two prisoners were both female. Both young and dressed for a night on the town, not a night spent doing evil science experiments. They were gagged but when they saw the team, they began to struggle against their bonds and try to scream. Sarah opened the cage and tried to reassure the girls.
When they were sure the cave didn’t go any deeper and there was nobody else inside anywhere, Xavier and Sam made their way back to the shack to back up John and Donna. As it turned out, there was no need. John already had both of the men wearing handcuffs, well and truly caught.
“Looks like we’ve got this under control. You should probably go back to your lady friend and get on your way.” Xavier sidled next to Sam and spoke in low tones. “The commander wants you to stay undercover as long as you can. Judging by what I see here…” He looked around with disdain. “I don’t think this is more than a small offshoot. There are more of them out there and we need to track them all.”
“Roger that, captain,” Sam agreed.
He headed back through the woods to the convenience store with a light heart. This wasn’t the big haul they’d hoped for, but it was something. One less scientist, perhaps, capable of unleashing that madness on the world. One less criminal trying to exploit the terrible technology. That definitely was something.
And the fact that they hadn’t caught the big fish he was angling for only meant he got to stay on the case a little longer. On the case and in the cockpit…with Emily. While he wanted to wrap up the mission as soon as possible and catch the bad guys, he also wanted to be with Emily.
Opposing forces there, but so it goes. Sam was challenged by the sentries in the woods as he neared the convenience store lot, as it should be. They let him through and he immediately sought Emily. He came up behind her as she stood leaning over the open door of the rental car.
“Are you ready to go?”
She spun to face him. “Dammit, Sam. I told you to stop sneaking up on me.”
He moved in closer and leaned in for a deep kiss. He made it last, letting them both enjoy the sensations of life and hunger for a few moments before he raised his head.
“How are you, Em? Dealing with what you saw?”
Her eyes went from dreamy to troubled in a few seconds flat.
“I’m not sure. Nobody around here will talk to me since I finished answering their questions. They just keep telling me to wait by the car.”
“You have to understand, everything about this mission is top secret, Em.” Sam backed off, putting about a foot of space between their bodies. She was too distracting up close and personal. “But after what you’ve seen, there’s no way to keep you out of it anymore. I still need to figure out where the remaining scientists might be hiding or conducting further experiments.”
“And you think they’re using Praxis Air to get around?”
“It makes sense. Private flights. Nobody needs to know who you’re transporting or where you’re taking them. Same for the cargo.”
“It does make sense.” She shook her head in a frustrated gesture. “Dammit,” she cursed. “It makes too much sense. All that laboratory equipment. All those small airports. All the blank cargo manifests with Scott’s signature at the bottom so nobody dared question them.”
“And let’s not forget the attempt to silence you,” Sam added.
She rolled her eyes. “How could I forget that?” She slammed her hand down on the hood of the car. “I can’t believe Scott would be so foolish as to risk everything for something like this.” She shook her head again. “Scratch that. I can believe it. Scott is a complete moron. Has been all his life. A self-centered, egotistical, mini-megalomaniac. I didn’t want to believe he’d risk the airline running drugs, but this is so much worse. I mean, drugs are bad enough, but this…”
Sam covered her hand on the roof of the car, offering comfort. “I know. This is a nightmare. I’ve been dealing with this reality for a while now and it doesn’t get any easier. The only thing we can do is work hard to shut them down and stop this madness before it goes any further.”
“Amen to that.” She took a deep breath, seeming to gather her courage before his eyes. “So what now?”
“Now we get back on the road and go to the hotel. Maybe stop for dinner beforehand somewhere. We act normal. Like nothing’s gone on here and we’ve had no part in it.”
“I don’t know how good an actress I am,” she looked worried. “But I’ll do my best.”
“You’ll do fine, Em. You’ve done really well up ’til this point. Nothing’s really changed except now you know what’s going on and what to look for. Actually, things have gotten easier, not harder. Before, you didn’t know what was going on. You could only guess.”
She sighed, looking around at the activity on the site. “Now I understand why they say ignorance is bliss.”
He chuckled and she joined him. She had grit and he liked the fact that she was bouncing back from her first—and hopefully only—zombie encounter relatively quickly.
Xavier popped out of the woods and headed for them.
“Here comes trouble,” Sam said to Emily, only half joking as they turned to face the approaching man.
“Ma’am,” Xavier nodded to Emily. “I’m Captain Beauvoir. How are you holding up?”
The Cajun smiled at her, oozing charm. Sam didn’t like that at all. He leaned back against the car and slid one arm along the roof behind Emily, clearly staking a claim the other man could read. It wasn’t necessary. Sam knew Xavier was already attached and very much in love with Sarah, but Sam couldn’t help the caveman impulse. Xavier saw it and smirked. The smug bastard.
Sam liked the guy enough to take the teasing with good grace. He supposed he deserved it. He’d been as quick as the rest of the team to tease Xavier when he’d come back from the mission on Long Island engaged to the woman he’d been sent to question.
“I’m okay, captain,” Emily answered simply. Good. She wasn’t inclined to get chatty with Xavier, which suited Sam just fine.
“Good. Sam, are you ready to resume the mission?” Xavier turned his attention to Sam with a nearly audible snap. Something was up. Sam went instantly on alert.
“Yes, sir. We’re ready to go whenever you like.”
“Best if you leave now. We’ve got locals coming. Can’t keep them out of it much longer and I don’t want you two seen.”
That spurred Sam to action. He moved to the truck, which was now parked only a few feet away, and relinquished the rifle and ammo clips.
“Better take a few extra rounds for your handgun,” Xavier advised. “Replace what you used and add an extra clip or two.”
Sam was more than happy to follow that order. He did it quickly and was ready to go in under a minute.
“What about your outfit?” Emily asked as he walked toward the passenger side of the rental car.
“You drive. I can change in the car.” Sam caught Xavier’s eye over the roof of the car before he got in. “Tell Sykes I’ll be in touch at my regular check-in.”
“Roger that. Stay safe, Sam. Good work today.”
“Thank you, sir. Give my regards to the rest of the team.” Sam saluted his superior officer and climbed in the car.
Emily had already started the engine and got the car moving toward the two-lane road within seconds. They passed a convoy of county police cruisers and trucks as they made their way down the side of the mountain. Luckily, Sam had already ditched his camo shirt in favor of the T-shirt he’d worn beneath, though in these parts many hunters probably wore camouflage. Still, it wouldn’t do to draw unnecessary attention of the local police. He didn’t want to end up in some police report somewhere that the team couldn’t control.
He’d gotten away clean today, keeping his undercover persona intact. He wanted to keep it that way as long as possible, both for the good of the mission and for his own reasons. Most of those reasons had all too much to do with the woman sitting next to him in the driver’s seat.
“Where to?” Emily asked as they arrived at a crossroad.
“Let’s head back toward the airport. There ought to be a restaurant in that area. We can stop in and grab some dinner.”
“Would you mind if we get it to go? I mean, do you think it would look suspicious? I don’t know if I’m up to a crowd after…” She let her words trail off but he knew what she meant. She’d been through the wringer emotionally, if not physically. She had a lot of new and utterly crazy information to assimilate. He’d been through it too. He knew she needed time and quiet space to think through all she’d learned.
He took a close look at her. She was a little pale but otherwise seemed okay. Still, perhaps it was better not to test her reactions in public this soon after learning the reality of his mission and seeing the gruesome effects first hand.
“Yeah, we can get something to go. Bring it to the hotel and eat in our rooms. Or better yet, how about room service?”
“Oh, that sounds even better.” She looked relieved and Sam was glad he could ease a little of her burden.
“I recall you once said you weren’t my knight in shining armor,” she mused quietly as she drove toward the airport at a sedate pace.
He remembered the conversation. “I’m still not, Em. I’m just a soldier. Doing my job.”
“You might like to think so, but there is something special about you, Sam. And nothing you say will convince me otherwise. You saved us today. When I panicked, you knew exactly what to do—what to say to get me moving and how to deal with a situation I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams. What I’m trying to say is…” She paused, looking at him for a moment, taking her eyes off the road on the straightaway. “Thank you.” She turned back to the road but the emotionally charged moment lingered.
“You’re welcome.” His voice was quiet but she felt the import of the moment. The sun was quickly setting and the atmosphere inside the cabin of the car grew even more intimate. “Thank you too,” he said awkwardly.
“For what?” She was surprised by his words.
“For being a good partner. You’re rock solid, Em, even though you’ve never trained to deal with something like this. I knew right away that you were a competent pilot—and we both know that means something—but you’re good on the ground too. I wasn’t sure if your courage in the air would translate. For a lot of pilots, it doesn’t. But you did good today. Thanks for trusting me.”
“I do trust you, Sam.”
The moment was broken by the turn of the steering wheel. They’d arrived at the hotel.