Affliction Read online

“Don’t leave me,” Ryker screams at the top of his lungs.

  The gunfire turns to follow the truck as it roars back up the other side and slams into a small two-door sports car and ricochets off. Sparks fly as they ping off the metal siding. A tail light explodes in a rain of plastic and then disappears when Jax plunges them down the other side of the hill and they are gone.

  I hear Ryker’s scream of outrage and turn back to look at fallen soldier. From the corner of my eye I see three men cautiously step out from behind trees with their weapons high and hot. Two Flesh Bags go down the instant they leap out from behind a tree. A group have flanked around behind me and I see that they are opening fire on the horn blaring car.

  They are smart enough to know that the sound will attract more. They are well-armed and outfitted in camouflage that allows them to blend with their surroundings. Judging by the way they cautiously approach the group of Flesh Bags, these men know a thing or two about hunting zombies.

  “That means the mutations have spread farther than we thought,” I whisper to myself.

  There is no way for me to warn Nox of this development. No way for me to warn anyone unless I find a way to reach a Safe Zone and send out a message.

  One way or another, I have to complete this mission for the sake of what little remains of the human race.

  FIVE

  Two of the approaching Raiders appear to be in their mid-forties. The third is no older than late teens but he carries his gun with a well-trained grip.

  “What do we do with the one they left behind?” The teen asks as they pick their way across the overgrown side embankment.

  “Kill him. He’s trespassing on our land. It’s what we do,” the man flanking on the right responds with a gruff voice.

  “There will be no killing here tonight,” the man in the center says. He turns to look at both men in turn. “Ryan, go back and tell the others to follow that truck. We need it.”

  “But Dad, I can help.”

  “I said go, Ryan.”

  The boy scowls but turns away to follow his father’s command. I watch as he hurries back into the woods and, minutes later, ten more people emerge. They race down the embankment and out of sight. Then I hear the telltale growl of motorcycle engines starting up. Headlight beams light the lower road and swerve away in pursuit of Cap and the others. I spot several Flesh Bags turning to follow, but they will never catch up in time.

  I bite down on my lower lip to stop myself from swearing aloud when I realize the two Raiders will reach Ryker before I do. Any attempt to get to him now will draw attention to myself, but the reward outweighs the risk. With the doctor mobile and a decent head start, the only way I will be able to track them is to know exactly where they are headed, and Ryker is going to give me that information.

  I suppose there is still some hope that these Raiders will catch up to Cap and cut them off, slowing them down just long enough. These men seem to know the area pretty well and have proven they are more than willing to risk everything to protect what is theirs. Maybe they will do all of the hard work for me.

  “You really going to let this scum live?” The gruff voice asks again and I turn my attention back to the two men that are approaching.

  “Of course not, Joe. I just didn’t want my boy watching.” The father motions silently for Joe to move off to the side and together they move to flank Ryker.

  “Take another step and it will be your last,” I call out from the darkness.

  Both men duck low and raise their weapons.

  “Who’s there?”

  “That man belongs to me,” I call as I move along the side of a school bus. “I will let you live if you turn around and leave now.”

  Joe laughs. “We don’t take orders from little girls. Why don’t you come out here so we can have a chat like civilized folk?”

  He shoots his partner a knowing look that makes my lips peel back into a sneer. I watch as he fingers the safety and lifts the weapon’s sights to his eye.

  “Who said I was civilized?” I shout back.

  The father chuckles. “Look, this here man is on our land. They stole something of ours and we want it back.”

  “I don’t see how that’s any of my concern. He is wounded and of no benefit to you.”

  The father scratches at his beard. “Well, see now that’s where you’re wrong. He’s leverage and I’m a man who likes to hold a few cards back when I’m making a negotiation.”

  I sneak out from my hiding place and begin to creep forward. Without the gunfire to light the road, they will not see me approaching, nor will I will allow them to hear me. My silence unnerves them and I smile as they begin to shift their weight from one side to the other.

  “I can be a reasonable man and I don’t take too kindly to hurting girls. I tell you what. I’ll let you say goodbyes to your man and then we will be on our way.”

  “I ain’t no one’s man.” Ryker spits at the father’s shoe.

  The man turns and slams his boot into Ryker’s stomach.

  “How about it?” Joe calls to the darkness. He turns slowly, trying to locate me. He shrugs at the father. “Maybe the little girl got spooked?

  Sprinting ahead with my arms pumping and my steps silent, I tackle Joe before he even has a chance to lift his head. We roll four times before I come to a stop on his chest and instantly slam my palm straight up under his nose. Blood leaks from his nostrils and his eyes roll back as the broken bone pierces into his brain and he falls limp beneath me.

  I push off of him and spit on his face. “I am no little girl.”

  “Joe?” The father takes a step back at the sound of our scuffle. “You okay, man?”

  I cock the gun and point it at his chest. “Joe is a little dead right now.”

  “Shit!” The father drops his gun and points it directly at Ryker’s head. “I’ll do it. I’ll blow his brains out!”

  “I believe that you will try, but I know that you won’t.” I lift the gun and shift it slightly off center of his heart and see movement over his shoulder.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because I think you love your boy.”

  The father’s face goes pale. “What...what are you talking about?”

  “I would guess that you have about five seconds to decide. You back away and let this soldier live and I’ll save your boy from the zombie that’s about to take a chunk out of his neck or you try to call my bluff and you both die.”

  His finger flinches against the trigger.

  “Five.”

  Sweat beads along the man’s forehead as I reach number four. In a sudden flash of lightning behind me, I am backlit and the father rears back when he sees me standing less than five paces.

  “Holy fuck!” He stumbles back as I say three. “Okay, okay!”

  His gun rises high in the air a split second before I pull the trigger. A body drops less than twenty feet back and I hear the boy cry out in surprise.

  “Ryan!”

  A very shaken response comes from the boy, but the father makes no move to reach him.

  “Toss your gun away,” I order as the boy approaches.

  “Don’t do it, dad. She’ll kill us both.”

  Blood gushes from around Ryker’s stomach wound when he laughs, squeezing between his fingers. “She doesn’t need a gun to kill you, asshole. She’s a freakin’ mutant. You should have shot when you first heard her speak.”

  The father glances back at me but I am lost to the darkness. “What’s he mean by that?”

  “Toss the gun aside,” I command again. “I will not ask a third time.”

  His hesitation annoys me, so I pull the trigger and send a bullet spiraling through his son’s leg. The boy stumbles and falls against a car, clinging to the mirror to keep himself upright.

  I say, “The next one will be to his lower
abdomen, just perfectly placed so that he is paralyzed and unable to move when the zombies return to start eating.”

  The father begins to tremble but this time tosses his gun without a thought.

  “Wrong move, old man,” Ryker coughs.

  “Who are you?”

  I step over Joe’s limp body, grab Ryan by the arm and haul him up next to his dad. They collide and cry out but cling to each other as lightning flashes again.

  A growing pool of blood swells around Ryker as I press my foot down on his stomach. He screams and swears as he tries to reach for his gun.

  “We both know you won’t get a shot off in time,” I gloat as I drop down next to him and seize his chin.

  “Bitch.” A bloody wad of spit splats against my face and I wipe it away.

  “You have information I need, Ryker.” I smile and squeeze until I feel his jawbones begin to protest the pressure. “You’re going to tell me where that bastard is heading.”

  “Who is she talking about, dad?” Ryan asks behind me but his dad shushes him.

  “I would rather die than tell you!” Ryker coughs up blood.

  I trail my hand down his chest and then plunge my finger into his bullet wound. His back arches as a scream tears from his throat. The father places his arm around his son’s shoulder.

  “You call me a mutant like it was my fault!” I growl in Ryker’s ear. “You helped to create me. I won’t let Wiemann destroy anyone else’s life!”

  The hairs on the back of my neck rise up and I smile. “Do you hear that, Ryker? Those are the hurried footsteps of a ravenous Flesh Bag. He will be here soon.”

  Ryker gurgles and fear glistens in his eyes. “Tell me what I want to know and I will give you a quick death.”

  “No.” He grits his teeth.

  I remove my finger from his stomach and slowly lick it, savoring the taste. It is far better than I could have imagined. “On second thought, maybe I will kill it and eat you myself.”

  Ryker flinches as the boy grasps onto his father. “Is she serious, dad?”

  “You wouldn’t,” Ryker shouts.

  I lean down and lick the blood that stains his lips, tasting his fear. “It would be my pleasure.”

  “Dad?”

  I had almost forgotten the two shivering behind me. Already I can hear the growls of the approaching zombies. I glance back at the father and the son. “The men who escaped in the truck must be stopped.”

  “You’re insane!” Ryan shouts. “Why would we help you?”

  I rise to my feet and am at his side before he can blink. I lean in and sniff his neck. His fear is far more potent than Ryker’s. It carries a deliciously sweet flavor.

  “Because if they are not stopped, there will be far more like me soon enough.” I press my lips to his cheek and smile when he whimpers. “Be a good boy and run, while you still can.”

  The father’s eyes are filled with rage as I step back. “I am letting you live, old man. Do not make me regret that decision. The truck must be stopped at all costs. If it is not...” I let the threat fall off as he nods and hurries his boy away.

  The instant I turn back to Ryker, they are erased from my thoughts. I drop down beside him and slowly raise his hand. “You have less than a minute. In that time I can dig your beating heart out of your chest and eat it before your very eyes. The pain would be excruciating, I’m sure, or you can tell me one simply thing and I will end your suffering.”

  “Go to hell.”

  I sigh and run my fingers through his thick locks of dark hair. “I never wanted you. I may have even let you live. Cap will die, of course for his betrayal. Jax because he’s a smug bastard and I just don’t like him, but you and Nash had a chance.”

  I yank a chunk of hair out of his head. “Tell me where the doctor is heading!”

  Ryker bites down on his lip as tears leak from his eyes. “I would say I admire your tenacity if I thought it was anything other than sheer stupidity. Your friends left you behind to die. Cap ordered Nash to leave and he did so with barely a second thought. Why remain loyal to those who obviously do not care about you?”

  A stream of blood trails down from his head and coats the day’s growth along his chin and down his neck.

  “Soldiers never leave a man behind, isn’t that right?” I take his hand in mine and begin to separate his fingers, singling out his pinky. He grits his teeth and moans in pain when I snap it to the right and release it to dangle. “Do you think they didn’t know that they were leaving you behind to be eaten?”

  My fingers begin to tremble as the taste of his blood on my lips sends electrical currents streaming through me and I have to fight the urge to lick his face again. I breathe in deep, closing my eyes as I allow myself to feel each labored beat of his heart and then slowly exhale as euphoria washes over me.

  “You know what I am,” I whisper as I open my eyes and stare down at him and see him recoil for the first time in fear and I wonder what it is that he sees different in me. “Give me a reason to drag out your death and eat you bite by bite, waking you from your stupor of pain only so that you can experience the agony all over again.”

  I lean down and sniff his neck, drawn to him like a drug, both intoxicating and forbidden. “Do you think your heart will give out before I finish eating you?”

  A strangled cry rises within him and his entire body stiffens, but he is unable to get away. Blood oozes from several other wounds and I realize that he was hit by three other bullets. I grip the hand that covers his stomach and pull it away. Blood bubbles up from the wound and I stare at it, mesmerized by the beauty of it.

  At the first sound of a footfall behind me, I turn and put a bullet through the zombie’s right eye. It falls backward. Ryker tries to look in that direction but fails.

  “One down. Only two more to go.”

  I wait. Ryker’s neck muscles tense as I grip two fingers in my spare hand and snap them in half. The sudden pop makes a shiver race up my spine and I feel the undeniable hope that he will let me be the one to finish him flit through my mind.

  Another shot rings out and Ryker whimpers this time. “That’s two down.”

  “Shit,” he gargles as I grab hold of his thumb. I lift the gun and take aim. “Stop!”

  I turn to look back at him. “Yes?”

  “Atlanta,” he rushes to say as the zombie drags its foot around the end of the school bus. It is missing one hand and part of it’s left leg, but it’s teeth are very much intact. “He’s going to Atlanta.”

  “Why?”

  He coughs up blood and I roll him onto his side. Thick crimson globs spill out of his mouth and onto the ground. When his airway is clear again, I roll him onto his back once more but he seems unable to breath. I grab hold of his shirt and drag him toward the truck to prop him up, and then turn to shove back the Flesh Bag, annoyed that it is interrupting.

  When it takes a swing at me, I shove the end of the Raider’s gun through its shoulder and jam it through the car door. “Stay,” I growl.

  I ignore Ryker’s cries of pain and the shivers that they induce within me as I sink back down beside him. “Why Atlanta?”

  His eyes fall closed, and if it were not for the fact that I can still hear his heart beating, I would think that he had died. Then he slowly opens them again to stares at me with an unfocused gaze.

  “That’s where his wife is. She became infected not long after the outbreak and he placed her in a coma to slow the progression. He thinks that with blood like yours he can save her.”

  “He can’t. My blood doesn’t cure the virus, it just mutates it.”

  Ryker nods. “I know that. I saw your charts, but Wiemann is obsessed. He will kill every living person in that Safe Zone if it means there is still a chance of finding a cure for her. Atlanta is the largest zone with thousands in residence there. He is sure one of them wil
l work.”

  I close my eyes and push aside the hunger that threatens to take over me with each inhalation of his blood. Only the horror of so many innocent lives suffering at the doctor’s hands is enough to bring me back as I stand and wipe my hands across my face.

  The Flesh Bag reaches for me, growling and tugging against the barrel of the gun.

  “You promised a quick death” Ryker chokes out.

  “I did.” I stare down at him with nothing more than utter revulsion. He was more than happy to stand by and let Wiemann create mass genocide for the sake of one woman’s life, a woman already lost. “I lied. Enjoy your time in Hell.”

  Yanking the gun free, I step back as the Flesh Bag dives for Ryker. The sounds of his screams echo around me. I walk away with the gun slung over my shoulder. I press my hand against each car that I pass, smearing my blood with Ryker’s as a message for Cable to follow. If Wiemann succeeds in reaching Atlanta before I can stop him, I won’t stand a chance of reaching him, but maybe, just maybe, with Cable and his army at my back, I will find a way in.

  “Sometimes you need the Devil at your side to get what you want,” I whisper to the night and begin to whistle as Ryker’s screams drag on.

  SIX

  Long into the night I follow the scent of the Raiders that pursue Dr. Wiemann’s group. Nearly twenty-five miles from where I left Ryker, I spot skid marks that turn off onto a frontage road and spin onto a dirt country road. I follow behind the deeply rutted tracks but lose them in the grass over the next rise, only to find them once more nearly three miles farther on where they jumped a gully and raced back up onto the main highway.

  There are other muddy tire tracks, smaller and obviously from motorcycles, showing that the Raiders were still in hot pursuit when they came through here. No amount of searching during the night or into the next day turns up the pickup truck.

  Nearly twenty miles after I rejoin with the highway, I find a motorcycle that has plowed head first into the rear end of a bread delivery truck. The mangled body inside is smashed. One leg dangles down near the tailpipe.