

## ETERNAL

## REVELATIONS

By

Candis Vargo

### -Book One-

### Chapter 1

### Smithton, Virginia

"At least a dozen people vanished in the local Smithton Church this morning. The cause is unknown but there were several eye witnesses who reported a blinding light right before the disappearances. Some believe this is a small town hoax, but other wonder if it is something more. This is Action News 16 bringing you the latest information in the mysterious disappearances that are stretching all across our nation. These mysterious vanishings occurred across the globe today at approximately the same time, but we are told to inform you not to panic. The government is doing everything they can to solve these cases and find out who, or what, is behind this elaborate hoax."

"We interrupt this program for an important message from our President."

The screen turned black before it flicked to images of President Obama giving a speech.

"We understand that everyone is extremely worried about these disappearances. Thousands of people have vanished right in front of our own eyes. However, there is no need to panic. This is not some Alien invasion like the UFO enthusiasts would lead you to believe. This is not some act of God. There is no other explanation except for a well-organized, elaborate hoax set upon us.

"We realize there were as many witnesses as there were disappearances, but we must stress the fact that with the 'blinding light' people have reported seeing when the missing vanished, gave more than enough time for them to run out and go into hiding. Right now our main focus is to find where they are hiding to put their families and friends at ease. With the majority of the missing being children under the age of 15, it is our main priority to return those children to their families. As hard as it is to believe, this is one horrible joke being played upon all mankind. And we must stay calm and join together in the search for the missing. Please, remember to stay calm and do no unnecessary traveling, so we may search for the missing without any interference. Thank you."

The TV flicked back to the local news. "The beliefs of Alien abductions rise as more and more people report missing family members. The numbers of missing children are climbing, and right now it seems as though every child there is has disappeared. Panic is rising across the nation as small riots are breaking out in New York City, Cleveland, and Houston as of right now. We will bring you further information after your local weather."

Evelyn began flicking through the channels to see if there was any more coverage about these disappearances. Every channel she flicked through seemed to be covering it. She stopped switching the channels when she saw one reporter interviewing a police officer.

"Officer! Officer! Do you have any more information regarding these mysterious disappearances striking across not only our county, but the entire world?"

"As of right now, the best thing to do is stay calm. Our offices are over run with citizens in panic over this. If a child is missing, please call 9-1-1 and they are set up to take full reports there to hand over to us so we can continue on investigating. Adults aren't considered 'missing' until 48 hours have passed. I understand many of you are worried, but give us at least these next 48 hours to take the missing children, and if your loved ones are still gone, call and do a report. I'm sorry, but as you can imagine, we are over run. We don't have nearly enough staff to handle all of the cases that are coming in but we are doing everything we can to keep the investigations active while taking reports, and keeping everything civil. This has affected the whole globe and it is improbable that the federals will get to step in and assist. As you can imagine, with these so called disappearances, there have been many traffic accidents, plane crashes, train wrecks, several ships are stranded out to sea with only a few civilians on board. This is everywhere and we are doing everything we can here. Thank you."

As the officer turned to walk away, lights began to flash all around him like he was a celebrity posing on the Red Carpet. Several reporters began asking questions, but their voices trampled over one another. They all began shouting as the police officer walked back toward the station and the crowd of reporters grew louder.

Officer! Officer-officer-officerofficerofficer!

Fucking great, Evelyn thought.

She had no idea what was going on but she knew she didn't want to be part of it. It took a mere moment before Evelyn grasped the reality of what was happening and ran for her cell phone and began dialing numbers. Several numbers were dialed...with no answer.

She began with her family and friends, un-able to get through to but a handful of coworkers. She clasped the phone in both of her hands as she sat down back in front of the TV. Her heart sank as she began to wonder what exactly was happening. She believed in a lot of things, but alien abductions weren't one of them. Why couldn't she get through to her family? Where were they? Were they among the missing?

When her phone vibrated in her hands as it rang she was snapped back to reality. She didn't bother to look at the caller ID before she hastily flipped it open and said 'hello.' Relief flooded over her when she heard the sound of her brother's voice.

"Ev! Ev, holy shit! I'm glad you answered. My god. I don't know what the hell is going on but...but just tell me where you are and stay there!"

"I'm at home. Jase, I haven't been able to get a hold of mom or dad or anyone really. Wha-"

"Alright. I should be there in about ten minutes. Stay. There." Jason hung up before Evelyn got a chance to say anything else. Neither Jason nor Evelyn were ones to scare easily, but surrounded by the darkness of the unknown is everyone's worst fear. Even if they don't know it. Not knowing what was happening, what was going to happen, where everyone went...everything was being controlled by the unknown.

Jason knew his little sister well. He knew that she was prepared for a lot of things and nothing could really scare her anymore. He tried several times growing up to make her scream in freight, and failed every time. When he realized how often she watched Friday the 13th movies and Nightmare on Elm Street without flinching, he knew she was what one would consider fearless. By the time they were teenagers he asked her why she wasn't afraid of anything. "There is plenty to be afraid of," she replied. "I'm not scared of ghosts, murderers, or demons. Why should I be?

"Why be scared of something you can understand and control your destiny with them? You chose how you fight back, you learn how they work, and there are plenty of mythological elements that date back centuries that have to hold some sort of truth to them. I learn everything I can about the impossible, mythical, and paranormal. What I'm truly afraid of is the lack of control. Not knowing how to handle myself or to be prepared for the worst, even if the worst seems impossible. My biggest fear is my family. I would kill for you all, and if something ever happened to you because you weren't prepared, I wouldn't know what to do. And that's the only time you have to be scared. When you don't know what to do," Evelyn had said.

He didn't know how he was going to tell her. Evelyn's worst fear was for something from the unknown to happen, especially to her family. How in the hell was Jason going to tell his little sister that her one fear she had, had happened. That their mom and dad were among the missing?

### Chapter 2

### The Pentagon

### Basement Level, 2

Lieutenant General Adams never has a 'typical' day. His days were usually full of planning hunts for criminals or hackers of the U.S. Government systems. Not today. Today was far from something anyone would call 'typical.'

"What the hell is happening, Corporal?" Adams said. "Please tell me you have something on this and you aren't just wasting my time." Adams entered a conference room which was small enough for a mere fifteen people, max. Lit by a few scones on the wall, Adams saw that there were only five people in there. One thing he learned in his short time working under the president was that the less people there were in a room, the more serious the situation was.

"Lieutenant General, sir," Corporal Johnson said. "We have some video feed of the disappearances, sir. Several feeds from all over the U.S. sir, but I think you'll want to see this one first."

Adams followed him over to a large monitor mounted on a wall. Corporal Johnson nodded at the man in suite behind a computer. "Load it Thompson."

"Yes sir," Thompson obeyed as he began typing keys on his laptop to feed the video to the large monitor. As Adams stood there, waiting for the feed to load up he noticed that the only other person standing next to him was Johnson. Corporal Smith and Decker stood back toward Thompson.

"Ready, sir," Thompson said.

With a nod Tompson played the video and Lieutenant General Adams watched in awe at the scene that unfolded before him. The first thing he realized was that the feed was video from right there, inside of the Pentagon. It showed several people passing by one another, as they were busy to get to their offices or meetings. Within less than a second, people were gone. Coffee cups were spilt on the floor as papers slowly followed, dancing on their way down.

"Play back. Slower," Adams said. He squinted his eyes as he watched closely to the slow playback of the feed. One brief moment they were there, all of them. The next, a bright light covered the screen.

It never faded in or out.

It was just there.

When the light vanished, so did the people.

"Who are they? I want a list of every missing person from this building and cases they were working on in the past year. If they have anything in common, I want to know. Stat!

"I'm already working on that for you Lieutenant General," Corporal Decker said. For a woman as feminine as she is, she had a stern voice when on the job.

"Thank you Corporal," Adams said with a nod.

"Sir, there is something else you need to see, sir," Corporal Johnson spoke up.

"What is that Johnson?"

"Well first I should start off by saying I have been assigned to run you through every aspect of this and everything I have to show you comes straight from the top."

"Get on with it Corporal," Adams said. Adams wasn't one for the run around or procrastination. He liked to get in and get the job finished, which was the only reason he had made it as far in his career as he had.

"Let's go then, sir," Johnson replied.

As they walked down hollow halls, listening to their every step echo off of the walls, Adams realized this was one place he hasn't been before. Even if Corporal Johnson was underneath him, if he worked for someone else who ran this area, of course he would know about it before Adams.

When they stopped in front of a door that Adams could only assume was their destination, Johnson turned to him and said, "Keep an open mind sir. Everything in here...is real. This is in the Pentagon, and even if we never tell citizens everything they think they need to know, we certainly do not lie to officials who are here, especially on a case as serious as this one."

After another nod from Adams, Johnson opened the door. They walked side by side through another narrow hallway as they entered an observation room. As they stood behind the one way mirror Adams assumed he was looking at a civilian man in his late 50's. He wore a blue button up shirt with a pair of carpenter jeans and a look-a-like Timberland boots. His hair was thinning but most of it was hidden underneath a hunter's hat. The civilian was in an interrogation room of some sort, and was accompanied by a Lieutenant General in his uniform.

Johnson took a deep breath. "That's Lieutenant General Grant. He works on another special unit, obviously different than yours. And that's Frank Northrop. He's a psychic that has helped with several different cases in the past. He's been right every damn time. He refers to his ability as a 'gift' and swears he finally knows what's going on. Here, listen."

Adams paid close attention as Frank began to talk. "It's all connected. The disappearance began slowly several years ago. The Mary Celeste, the ship was found in perfect shape. Perfect! But not a soul on it. Not a damn person. The lost colony of Roanoke Island. Over a hundred people vanished. The Eskimo Fishing Village, 2,000 people. Gone. Even the graves, the dead weren't there. No foot prints. Nothing. It just happened."

Grant shifted in his seat. "So what's this have to do with now?"

"They're the people He wanted to make sure weren't Reanimated. The few chosen ones. The ones that never doubted Him. The ancient ones don't have to worry about coming back, and the ones from today...well, they don't have to worry about even living through it, let alone coming back."

"Please, Frank, please clarify."

Frank began pulling at his hair, obviously frustrated. "What other ways can you put it? God took them so they wouldn't have to suffer. He took the true believers. We've been fucking around with technology and science so much that we're now playing God, even though we aren't. He's pissed right off and has been giving us warnings through the centuries. He's been taking people so they don't have to suffer through it. Obviously you and I didn't make the cut. Soon, we'll have the Reanimated walking around trying to take our asses down, until they wipe us out and starve to death." He was unable to hold still. His legs were shaking up and down as he sat in his chair. He only stayed seated for a few moments before he stood up again and began walking back and forth, fidgeting with his hands as he wore a look of concern.

A smirk slid across Grant's face. "What exactly do you mean, Reanimated?"

"What exactly are you, fucking special? Let's see, Zombies, The Walking Dead, The Living Dead, Vampires, whatever you want to call them."

"First, lets say I do believe you. I thought vampires were different than zombies."

Frank snickered, "Think about it. Vampires want to bite you, to eat you, to kill you. You are their only way of survival. They are as dead as the people buried, and that's exactly what a zombie is like. There ain't anything romantic about it. This isn't True Blood, this is the real shit. And trust me, it ain't gonna sparkle or kiss you. It's going to go after you." Frank finally seemed like he calmed down. He walked over to the cold, metal table that Lieutenant Grant was sitting at. He placed his hands on the table as he leaned in. "They're going to crave your flesh and blood because they will have an eternal need to replace the blood and flesh they lost. And they're going to be millions of them.

"From the time mankind was first set upon this planet until the day they become Reanimated. Humans have always had a fear of this, they just never realized it. When a body is removed from a house or wherever, they are removed feet first. Humans were always scared that the spirit would havoc vengeance on them for something if not done properly. If they removed the bodies' feet first, they wouldn't find their way back. Why do you think we ever began to use vaults over top of a casket that is sealed air tight and bolted together? Pure fear. If the body somehow manages to get out of a bolted casket when it reanimates, the chances of it getting out of the vault is next to impossible. Those ones won't be much of a problem, but think about the centuries we've been on this planet. From that very first day, until now, there are going to be corpses spanning the entire time. Every dead body that has enough muscle tissue left in it to move is going to come back. The ancient's were much better at preserving their bodies. And a little bit of information," Frank leaned in even closer to Grant as he said his last words. "There are far more dead on this planet than there are living. The first one just came back and the fuck if I'm staying here and living through it."

Frank leaped over the table and knocked Grant on his back. With his legs wrapped around Grant, Frank reached down and grabbed the pistol out of Grant's holster and in one swift motion he aimed the gun at the side of his neck, perfectly aligned with his carotid artery and pointing up into his head, as he fired.

Blood spattered across the ceiling and brain matter spilled onto the table as his head fell down.

One thing was for certain. Frank Northrop definitely did not want to live through whatever he believed was going to happen. He made sure he hit his artery and his brain. He wasn't going to risk the slightest chance that he would survive.

### Chapter 3

He sat back as he watched and waited. Those worthless fools, he thought to himself, they'll blame it on everything except themselves. Global warming, creating nuclear weapons...even technology.

He had been waiting for this moment for years, waiting for his time to come and he finally had it. Everything he wanted was nearly at his grasp.

Only a little bit longer, he thought. A little bit longer until he watched the greedy species slowly decay until there would be nothing left of them. A little bit longer until he would be where he rightfully belonged. He would show them. He would show all of them. He would tip the scale and set everything the way he thought it should be.

If the filthy creatures he was forced to walk among for years knew anything at all they would have known the consequences of their actions and that the moment it began, there was no going back.

He laughed as he thought about it. "Stupid fools," he said to himself. His heart pumped faster at the thought of his time being so close. He felt it deep down in his veins like a poison burning through him, agonizing and tempting.

Just a little bit longer. That's all he needed. A little bit longer until he could find what he wanted...what he craved. He would be able to find the reason for his existence and be able to control the outcome in a whole new way.

He leaned back in his chair as he watched the television screen, snickering at the cowards that were rushing around the police stations and hospitals as they searched for people.

He smiled when he thought about how those filthy humans swarmed the buildings looking for the missing. They never even acknowledged the ones they were looking for before It had begun. They only desired to talk about it and maybe somehow make money off of the stories they could sell.

That is what most of the greedy bastards wanted.

But they would never get the chance.

He could feel them everywhere and his legs shook with anticipation. He knew exactly what was happening and how they were starting to form. Imagining the formation in his head as though it were happening right in front of him, he saw the tissue began to connect as it engulfed them. Watching it twist and turn as it bound together like the fusing of atoms, bringing them to life through a rebirth of need. Joints would snap as the formation would begin to take effect.

He knew it would be the eldest who were immune to feeling anything other than the hunger they were being programmed with, but the ones they would infect...he knew they would be flawed.

### Chapter 4

### The First Sighting in America

### 3 Days Later

"The police have the report." Jase said. "There's nothing more we can do right now. Hey, Ev, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ev said as she turned on the TV.

"Are you sure you want to be watching that?"

"I'm okay, Jase. Really. I have no problem with this now. I just want to know what's going on out there. Last I knew it was a mess. And hey, maybe they've figured out what is happening so we'll understand what to do. If it's something we can prepare for we might be able to help other people."

Jase sighed and sat down. "Alright, go ahead."

Ev hasn't watched the news since she found out her mom and dad were among the missing. She didn't dare to. She was worried about finding out that it was a mass suicide or a sort of chemical attack on every country. In the back of her mind she thought about the possibility of every country in the world starting a chemical warfare and somehow that caused everything. But the news brought upon a different aspect.

A news reporter in red hair spoke to the camera as though she was cumbersome. "Three days ago millions of people vanished. We all thought that was impossible. Something out of this world and couldn't have happened. But when the first dead body began to rise, it made everyone rethink the possibility of what is impossible."

Evelyn's face hardened to stone as her back straightened. The hair on her skin stood up all over her body. With those few words, she knew what this meant. She just never thought it would happen.

"The dead started coming back all across the world. One country at a time. We can only pray that it doesn't happen here. We have been informed to tell you that if you see one of the dead, do not try to make contact. Call the number on the screen below and tell them your location. Our government officials are prepared to handle any outbreak that happens. They will respond quickly and take control of the situation before it gets out of hand, like the first countries affected by this terrible plaque."

Evelyn sat there watching the reporter on the TV, but she didn't hear a word she said. Ev has been prepared for nearly everything that could possibly and impossibly happen. She was ready. Her muscles tensed as she clenched her fists although her heart beat was steady.

"Ev, are you sure you're okay? Listen, if it happens they said the government will help. We'll be okay." Jason walked over to the refrigerator and wrote down the number the reporter gave them to call if they saw one of the dead.

One of the dead.

Zombies.

"You have two choices, Jase," Ev said as she still stared at the TV.

"Am I going to like them?"

"Probably not."

"Well, alright. Shoot," Jase said with a sigh as he leaned on the kitchen counter and looked into the living room at Ev.

"One. We can stay here and wait. See if anything happens. If it does, we can call the number and see if it actually works. Two. We can go. Right now. No looking back."

"Well I'm not too sure what you're exactly talking about...but I say we stay. If we can help anyone, let's help. Momma and daddy didn't raise us to be cowards Ev. You know that better than me. So, I say we stay."

"Alright. But let's get ready."

"Get ready for what?"

"To survive."

Evelyn began pulling bags out from underneath her bed. There were five bags all together. As she carried them into the living room she looked at Jason and said, "Go scope out the street. Drive down the road. Look for any abandoned SUV's or trucks and make sure there's a clear path to get out of town."

Ev walked back into her bedroom and opened her closet door. "Take these and fill them up," she said as she handed her brother four gasoline cans.

"What the hell is all this?" Jason knew his sister was prepared for nearly everything, but he sure didn't understand what exactly her plans were. "Fill up the vehicle you find too. There's guaranteed to be an abandoned one somewhere. A lot of people vanished in their vehicles. They most likely ran out of gas and the battery might be dead. There are jumper cables in my trunk and a half a can of gas in there too. Find the vehicle; get it to the gas station. It's not stealing if the person is dead."

"Well, how the hell do you know there's still vehicles out there?"

"The cops and government have been too busy dealing with the dead Jase. Trust me. There will be one out there. Here," she said as she threw her brother a roll of cash. "If someone is at the gas station you'll need to pay for gas. Go. And Hurry. I want you back here in thirty minutes."

A look of confusion crossed Jase's face. He realized now, not only how prepared his sister really was, but also that she's a little crazy. The government said they could come and take care of it if one of the dead was spotted, so why was she so paranoid? He had full faith in the government and that everything was going to turn out fine. Jase was optimistic. He always liked to believe everything was going to turn out fine and he was half tempted not to go on the errands for his sister but he knew it would make her feel better.

He would do anything for his sister. Family values were something they were brought up to cherish. No amount of money or anything that could be bought with money was worth more than your family.

Jason did exactly as his sister had said; he carried the gas cans down to her car and began the hunt for an SUV on his way to the gas station. The store was a few miles away on the same road as Evelyn's house. He didn't even make it a half mile before he realized how right she had been.

Jase looked around and he saw at least ten stranded vehicles up ahead and two that had collided in the middle of the road. He slowly pulled up toward the vehicles before he got out to check them out. When he stepped out of the car an eerie silence took over. It was the silence of a widow's bedroom the first night her livelong mate passed away. The silence of a mother's house when she loses a child. Pure. Silence.

Jase gathered up the courage to check the vehicles for survivors, anyone who may be stranded. After he checked all of the vehicles and there wasn't a soul in sight, he began to place them in neutral and push them off of the road. The Jeep Commander had been the last vehicle he walked up to, and how right Ev was again. Whoever was in the vehicle must have been one of the 'missing.' It had run out of gas and needed a jump.

After putting all of his necessities in the Jeep, he slowly made his way down to the convenient store. It was deserted. Not a soul in sight. The same eerie calm hovered over the store. It seemed like it was everywhere. Where were the birds? he wondered. There wasn't any chirping, any sound of wild life in the nearby forest, or even a hiss of a stray cat. Not even a damn cricket. He wondered if the animals were part of the 'missing' also, and he could only assume the owner of this small town gas station was too.

When he made it back to Evelyn's with the Jeep she ran outside and threw in four out of the five bags.

"What's in them?" he asked.

"Survival."

"Okay...where's the last one?"

A grin swept across half of her face. "We'll need it on us so we can make it to the Jeep if it gets bad enough." Evelyn pulled a 9mm pistol out of the back of her jeans and cocked it. "You're going to need this too."

"What the hell Ev?"

"The safety is on. Don't forget to take it off when the time comes. Two shots. One in the chest...and one in the head."

"You're really thinking something horrible is about to happen, don't you."

Ev slammed her hands down. "No. Something horrible already happened. Now shit is going to hit the fan. I'll give you your other weapon when you're ready. For now let's go back up and keep an eye out the windows."

"Ev, if the first Reanimated show up, I doubt it will be here. We're just a small backwoods town. It'll probably be in the city. Hell they probably have dead people crawling out of the sewers and just don't know it. But it won't be here."

"Better safe than sorry," Ev said. "Never hurts to be prepared, that's my motto."

"Well, alright then. Let's keep an eye out."

As they headed back in the house Jase began to wonder if he was becoming as crazy as his sister. He reassured himself that he was just doing all of this to keep her as calm as he could. He really didn't think there would be a mob of Reanimated corpses in the US. The government would find out about the first one and manage to control the outbreak. Somehow, he thought, a virus must have gotten out causing the corpses to come back. Maybe someone working in a lab vanished like everyone else, and happened to have a vile in their hands that held all of the answers to reviving the dead. That had to be it.

That would explain the Reanimated, but not the missing.

It was getting close to dusk and Evelyn kept Jase busy by switching windows every thirty minutes. There were only two of them, and four sides to try and watch. She kept the coffee hot, making sure they didn't get too tired. They each took turns taking a nap that afternoon because she had a feeling they were going to need their energy.

She was right.

"Hey! Hey Ev! There's someone walking out there!"

"Sh! Lower your damn voice."

"Why?" Jase whispered.

"Because the person might not be a damn person. That's why." Evelyn walked over to the window Jason was looking out of and held up her binoculars. She saw a man walking slowly down the street. He was too far away for her to be able to see his face but she took note of the way he was walking with a limp.

It could be a sign that he was a passenger in a vehicle when someone vanished and had gotten hurt. His arms flopped around to his sides with every step he took, that could be a sign of exhaustion. His clothes were worn and dirty...and bloody. She kept sight on his face, waiting. All she needed was one brief moment to look at his face.

Then she got it.

Parts of his flesh on his face were gone. An entire cheek looked like it was rotted off and his skin, what was left of it, was caved in. Blood covered his chin and looked like it was smeared sideways, down his neck. Within the gray skin that was left on his face were holes that looked like they were burrowed by insects.

"I told you to shut up," she whispered to Jase as she handed him the binoculars.

Evelyn walked over to the phone and dialed the number the government gave them as Jase looked in horror at the first Reanimated to be announced in the United States.

"You might want to take your safety off now...just in case," Ev said with the same grin on her face that she had before.

"This is Lieutenant General Adams. Name and location."

"Evelyn Banks, Smithton, Virginia."

"How far away is it Ms. Banks?"

"Seems to be moving slowly, coming from the east about half a mile away."

"You're not far from us at all. We'll be there within the hour. Please, sit tight and stay quiet. If you can manage to shine a light toward the sky when you hear the helicopters that would be greatly appreciated so we can make sure you're safe."

"Ready and waiting."

With that, Lieutenant General Adams hung up the phone.

It was nearly the hundredth call in the past twenty minutes and this time it was their turn to go face the unknown.

### Chapter 5

### The First Encounter

Adams didn't need to tell anyone to get a move on it. The moment his phone rang, everyone literally sprang into action. Sometimes having the government listen into your calls came in handy. Adams ran outside and jumped into the helicopter without having to say a word to anyone. They already knew where they were going. Three helicopters lifted in the air and headed toward Virginia to try to control the Reanimated outbreak before it actually became an outbreak. Five military issued Hummers were en-route to the location and were being followed by the CDC in RV's just in case they needed to quarantine the county. They would do what they had to do to make sure this shit didn't spread.

"ETA 20 minutes," the pilot informed them.

"About time," Adams said. He learned to deal with a lot of impossible things working for the Special Forces branch of the government...he thought he dealt with it all but the dead coming back in living flesh, was one thing he never thought he would deal with. He never considers anything impossible anymore, just unlikely...and this was unlikely.

Whatever lies ahead for them, Adams was prepared. Part of the reason he went into the military to begin with was because he didn't have family. He was put into foster care as a child and never got out until he joined the Marines. He signed on active duty and volunteered for missions which didn't leave much time for him to settle down with anyone. It's not that he didn't want to, he just didn't have time. He began going on several secretive missions across seas after he proved himself worthy in Afghanistan and Iraq. He felt honored when they deemed him worthy to join the SEAL's and deploy to capture or kill Bin Laden. After that he was offered a job in the special unit forces and agreed. He learned never to think so highly of yourself that you can't see a good offer when given one. It took him a while to get used to everything that went with the Special Forces, but he adapted pretty well which was something he thanked his hard childhood for.

Since Adams was trained to kill with his hands he very seldom carried heavy weapons unless it was a war zone. Even then, sometimes it was easier to carry a small semi-automatic, which is what he chose to carry tonight. With an M16A2, Beretta M9 Pistol, and Combat Knife...he was ready.

The flashlight was surprisingly easy for them to spot from the helicopters and they found a field large enough to land in nearly a hundred yards behind the house.

Evelyn was watching and waiting after they landed. She knew her suspicions were right when the Reanimated corpse began to frantically look up at the sound of the helicopter. She didn't dare yell to warn them, not yet. They were military. She knew they should be able to handle themselves with one walking corpse.

After they began to huddle out of the helicopter they heard an animalistic snarl and the rustling of tall grass no more than one hundred yards away. Adams turned and pulled out his pistol while shining a light in the direction of the noise, all in one swift moment. "Stand down," he ordered. This was the first and possibly only one, and it was his.

He waited a few more moments for the corpse to get closer to him before he fired three rounds into it. Two in the heart and one in the head. As Adams walked up to the corpse to get a better look he began to cough and was forced to cover his mouth and nose because the smell of death burned through the air. There was a huge difference between death in a funeral home and death of a decayed body. This was much stronger than that. He has smelt decaying bodies in the desert and on several of the missions he has been on. Al-Qaida never cared to dispose of the bodies after they murdered the innocent. They left them there for the military to find, as though they were proud. In their sick minds they probably were. He's smelt days of decaying flesh, even weeks...after they were bloated and deteriorating. That smell wasn't anything compared to what this thing smelt like. Adams held bile down as he turned away and began walking toward the house that Evelyn was in. "Bag it, but don't touch it," he said as he walked away. Corporal Johnson and Corporal Nielson followed Adams to the house.

When he arrived at the house his knock on the door was followed by a woman's voice. "Did you touch it?" she asked.

"No," who did this woman think she was? He was the military. He should be asking her the questions.

"Did it bite you?"

His mouth formed a firm line as he scowled. "No."

He heard the locks on the door slide and made his way in. Holding out his hand as to stop them he asked, "Have you made contact with it?"

"What? Hell no. I may be a woman but I'm not fucking stupid."

"I wasn't trying to offend ma'am, just trying to make sure so I don't need to take you for testing."

"No need to test. We've been in here."

For such a petite woman she sure had attitude. He heard red-heads were supposed to have a bad temper, but even though she was brunette, he was pretty sure she could have one just as bad, if not worse.

"Alright then. I'm Lieutenant General Javier Adams; this is Corporal Ryan Johnson and Corporal Lance Nielson. Please, feel free to address us by our first names."

Evelyn picked out differences in all of them men to make it easier to tell them apart. Lance was tall and scrawny and looked as pale as snow which might have been an optical allusion from his black hair. Ryan was plump but it didn't look to be from eating too many ho-ho's but more as he was big boned and light brown hair. Javier was nicely tanned and well defined and was the only one who had a five o'clock shadow look on his face.

Javier walked inside and closed the door behind him. He didn't bother to lock it because he knew the others would be coming along shortly.

"I'm Evelyn and this is my brother Jason. You can call me either Ev or Evelyn, and he goes by Jase."

"Well Miss Evelyn, we are going to need to set up a base camp here, or nearby, to make sure there aren't any more Reanimated around. It won't be for long, just long enough for us to make sure."

"Yeah, sure. That's fine."

Javier didn't quite know what to think of her. She sure as hell wasn't scared and he got the impression that she did better in tough situations than her brother. He stayed right next to her, protective, but didn't say anything. He could tell by Jase's body language that if need be, he would spring into action at any second, but it still seemed like he would wait for his sister to tell him what to do.

As the military personnel walked in and began making room for their supplies, Jase asked, "So, is this some sick thing you government people came up with and it got out of control?"

Javier noticed Evelyn roll her eyes as she sighed.

"No, but if it was, that would be classified. But seeing how it started in other countries first, I'm pretty damn sure it wasn't our government."

"Then it was the Russians, huh?" Jase said.

"Jase, shut up. It really doesn't matter who or what caused it. It's out there, that's all that matters.

"It was the government," Jase whispered in Ev's ear as he walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa.

Javier snickered and shook his head but didn't say anything.

"So, where is everyone else around here? Usually people would be peeping out their windows or standing on their porch during this sort of thing. Are they all the missing?" Javier asked.

"No, a lot of them left to go look for their loved ones on their own. We knew that would be like looking for a fake needle in a pile of needles so we didn't bother."

"You know someone missing?"

"Our mom and dad," Ev said.

"I'm sorry." By the look in Javier's eyes she knew he was sincere.

"You?" she asked.

Javier was rearranging her kitchen table and chairs when he told her that he didn't. A simple 'no' was all he said. Ev took that as it was and left it alone.

"So what's happening? Can you tell us why people disappeared and why the dead are rising?"

"Honestly, I'm not too sure at this moment."

Evelyn just nodded and said "I'll make some coffee."

Javier liked this girl. She knew when to leave well enough alone and apparently didn't get hysterical in horror-movie-like situations. Just as he was about to say 'that would be nice' they heard snarling and the pounding of footsteps out on the street. One by one they all looked at each other and headed to a window. Screams erupted from behind the house. Not the screams of the dead, but the screams of the living becoming dead. Whatever men he had out there, were in a lot of trouble.

"Shit," Javier said as he went to head out the door. Evelyn cut in front of him and said "What the hell are you doing?"

Who was this bitch? "Move," Javier said in a solid, stern voice.

"If you go out there you're as good as dead. Look. There has to be at least a hundred of them and there's more behind the house too. If there's a hundred out front then we can only assume there's just as many out back and your men are gone. I'm sorry but if you want to survive, you're going to need to listen."

"I'm trained for this, are you?"

"Oh really? You're trained to fight the dead that came back to life?"

The screams died down outside but the snarling didn't.

"I'm sorry, but they're already gone. Do you want to be next?"

Javier looked at Evelyn with pure hatred. He could have done something. He could kill them. They were slow, rotting corpses.

"Observe, and be quiet while you do it."

Hastily, Javier followed Evelyn to a window and peeked out the blinds with her.

"There," she said. "Those ones are far behind. They're slow. But these ones, they're fast. Look at them run around."

Javier watched with a sense of bewilderment as the fast ones began to slow too. The snarling died down as fast as they slowed down.

"Notice a difference between the ones that were fast and the ones that were slow?" she asked.

Javier looked a little closer and he too realized what she had. "The slow ones are in ruined clothing or clothing not of this time. The fast ones look cleaner. Like they are fresh," he said.

"That's why you watch and learn, Javier. Now I'm sorry about your men, but you would have been dead."

"Where the hell did they come from?" Lance asked.

After a long pause Jase spoke up. "Sound," he said. "Ev, you knew we were supposed to be quiet. They are attracted to sound. How did you know that?"

"Just gut instinct," she said. As they all stared at her she began to get pissed off and said, "What? It's not like I did voodoo and brought their asses here. I'd much rather be at my parents' house having dinner right now, not hiding from a mob of fucking Reanimated corpses."

"We have to wait for CDC to arrive. They need to quarantine this place. Shut it down."

"Sorry Lieutenant, General, or whatever you are. But that isn't going to work. I'm sure there are popping up all over the place. Literally."

Javier looked at Ev for a moment and gave it some serious thought. He knew she was right. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. "Let's find out," he said as he walked over to the TV. He slowly turned it on and while the screen was still black, he hit the mute button. She was right. On every channel there was news about the dead Reanimated. He wondered how the hell this could have happened. Not even 40 minutes ago did he find out about the first one. And now they were everywhere.

"Turn it off," Ryan said. He looked pale and like he was going to throw up.

"If you throw up you better be the quietest god damn person when you puke or I'll throw you out the fucking window," Evelyn said.

"Are they going to leave?" Jase asked.

"I don't know. They're not snarling but they're still walking around. Looking. It's like they know the living are here somewhere and they are trying to find us," Javier said.

"Well do we wait? What do we do?"

"We can try to hold off here for as long as we can. See if we can get them further away. Then we make a run for it. We get in the Jeep and we take off. I can't see them going too far if they somehow know that there's living here," Ev said.

"Where can we go though? They're everywhere," Jase replied.

Evelyn looked up at Javier and said, "Well Mr. Government man, where did y'all hide the President? I'm sure it's not that place out west like us citizens are led to believe. What's it called...NORAD?"

"It normally would take...I'd say a little over 24 hours to get there by vehicle, nonstop. But with this shit, who knows. It could take a week to get there."

"It's worth the fight. And where?" Ev asked. Damn she could be stern. Javier wasn't sure if it was a good thing or if it was bad. He decided he'd figure that out later.

"Mount Rushmore. With my clearance I should be able to get us in there," Javier replied.

"Mount Rushmore?" Jase asked.

"No," Ev said. "It makes sense. Behind Abraham Lincoln. The myth was that it is the Hall of Records. No such facts have been given because it's been kept a secret from all civilians since it was made. No one would ever know. No one except those it is intended to keep safe from something as catastrophic as this. It's the entrance to a layer for the President and those 'chosen' to protect. In something like this millions would run straight to NORAD in hopes of being able to be saved. They needed someplace far more discrete to hide the president."

"You're a very smart woman," Javier said. He was amazed that such a person would be able to understand something like that. There've been several myths about the monument but none have been close to figuring it out. Yet this woman, Evelyn, did. He hated to think it, but he sure as hell was impressed and he liked her spunk.

They all kept taking turns getting up and looking out the window. They were impatiently waiting for their opportunity to leave. The plan was to get in the Jeep as quiet as possible and floor it. Some of those fuckers could run fast, but they can't go over a hundred on their feet.

While they waited they got on the internet and wrote out directions. The listed several different routes on back roads because they knew it would be a fat chance in hell to get there by highway. Javier was right; this was going to take nearly a week.

"I think we can go," Lance said. They all stood up to go check outside and now seemed like as good of a time as any.

"Here's the plan," Ev said.

"Whoa, I think I should make the calls. I've been in charge of this mission from the beginning and am under orders of the president," Javier said.

"No offense Captain, but the last call you were going to make wasn't a very smart one now was it?"

Javier's muscles tensed as his lips formed a thin line. He obviously didn't like this comment at all.

"Now, as I was saying," Ev said. "No guns. Not unless we get surrounded. We all know that noise too loud and they'll come running. Now you're military," she looked at Javier and his men, "so I'm sure you're packing something other than guns. This is good because I only have two of these." Ev pulled out two Cold-steel Machetes and handed one to Jase.

"Holy fuck," Javier said.

"I like to be prepared," Ev replied.

"She ain't lying," Jase said.

"So I can tell," Javier was liking this girl more every minute.

"I'll carry the bag. Jase, sorry but you'd drop it. And y'all have enough to carry. I have other supplies already in the Jeep. You," she pointed to Lance, "You hop in the back and be ready to shoot if you need to. After we're on the move, that is. Ryan and Jase, you two get in the back seats and be ready also." Ev threw the Jeep keys to Javier. "You're driving big boy," she said with a smirk. "We all close the doors at the same time. The sound of the door might attract them so we do it together. Understood?"

Everyone nodded. Javier didn't want to admit it, but her plan was a well thought out one. He just hoped it would turn out as good as she had planned.

Quietly, they all stepped toward the front door and Javier looked through the glass. He gave it a moment before he signaled that it was time to move. Slowly they made their way toward the Jeep.

As they neared the Jeep music began to play from what could only be someone's cell phone. Fuck. Together they all ran as fast as they could to the Jeep, praying they were faster than what was running at them.

### Chapter 6

### On the Road

They sprinted the remaining ten feet to the vehicle and piled in. Once all of the doors were closed Javier turned on the ignition and began to drive. The sides of the Jeep slammed into some of the Reanimated as he swerved onto the street so they could head west.

"Christ! You're going to kill me! What is this shit? Gas?" Lance complained.

"No, it's fucking milk. Shut up and be ready!" Ev yelled at him. Javier couldn't resist the urge to laugh out loud at her comment. For something of a life-threatening situation, he kept his cool. It was something he learned how to do long ago. Evelyn could tell by how he carried himself like he was deployed into battle and had a new-found respect for the man in digital camouflage next to her.

The corpses began to chase the Jeep and damn there were fast fuckers. Animalistic snarls escaped through their mouths as they reached for us and their bloody feet padded on the pavement. Jase could swear they were pounding on the vehicle, trying to get in, but it was the sound of his own heart pounding in his chest. Ryan looked calm, although not as calm as Javier, with his gun out and ready to fire. He leaned over to Jase and grabbed his gun out of his hands and turned the safety off, "Won't do much good with the safety on," he said as he handed Jase back his pistol.

Javier pushed the peddle farther down as he made his way through the ones in front, taking several out along the way. Lance looked more worried about the possibility of the gas in the back spilling on him than the corpses chasing us. He split the cans on each side of him and pushed the four bags up against the cans. Doing this not only kept the gas cans in place, but also made room for him to move around.

The windshield cracked on the passenger side as one of the corpses was flown up on it after being hit head on. Pieces of flesh were embedded into the crack that remained and what they could only assume to be blood stained their view.

Ease drifted over Ev when she realized the ones in front were dwindling down and the majority of them were behind the vehicle. It took about five minutes before there wasn't any sight of them at all and everyone started to relax.

"We're going to need to find another vehicle," Javier said.

They knew he was right. They were driving in the dark with little to light their way because a headlight was busted out by one of the many reanimated they plowed their way through them. There wasn't any doubt in their minds that they would wait until daylight when they could at least see what was coming with more than just the light of the moon.

After a few moments of silence everyone relaxed and put their guns down. "Where to?" Javier asked.

"Stay straight for a few more miles and then there will be a road on your left that leads to the highway on-ramp. We're going to go pass it and get on the old highway. No one uses it anymore except for the few locals who live there."

"Alright."

"What the hell is back here?" Lance asked.

Ev smiled as she turned around and said, "Supplies. Take a look if you'd like."

The sound of the bag unzipping split through the silence that filled up the air. "Damn girl, what is this shit?"

"Everything we're going to need."

"Really?" Lance said as he held up a hand can opener.

"Yup. If you dig a little deeper you'll see the cans of tuna fish. I wouldn't doubt there's going to be a shit ton of riots and looting, if there hasn't been already. When people get scared and sense that death is upon them they begin to do some of the stupidest things ever. They lose all sense of humanity. Morals are thrown out the window and it becomes everyone for themselves. They do what they have to do to survive, and if they know they're going to die...they just won't give a shit anymore. They will break stuff, steal, start fires, they don't care. We're going to need that shit to survive."

"If you're so damn sure about that, then why are we all sticking together?" Ryan asked.

"Because we have hope. We feel we have a chance to survive and we're struggling to do so, or at least we will be. We have a plan, and that plan is to go to bunker with the president until these things die down. Eventually, they'll have to starve to death."

"Lady has a point," Javier said.

"Well, what else is in here?" Lance asked.

"You'll find antibiotics, both with and without penicillin. Rulers to use as splinters if something gets broken, duct tape, first aid kits, clothes, blankets, baby wipes. An entire bag is filled with bottled water. Two-way radios, lighters, batteries, battery powered radio, lantern, tent, I'm pretty sure you get it. Like I said. What is in those bags is survival. Oh, and in this one" Ev tapped the bag that was under her feet, "are weapons."

"What, did you have a damn premonition about this shit or what?"

"She's been prepared for shit like this from the time she was little," Jase said. "She never liked to be unprepared for anything. She can handle anything the world throws at her. Whether it be a tornado, flood, vampires or zombies. She can handle it."

"Think about it, you'd need everything I've packed to survive being stranded in a winter storm, a flood, just about anything. But the weapons, of course, were just in case this ever happened. Never hurts to be prepared, no matter how far-fetched something seems."

Damn Javier was really liking this girl. Now he understood why she didn't seem worried at all back at her house. There was something sexy about a woman who knew how to handle herself in bad situations. "You impress me," he said.

"What? Should I have found the nearest set of stairs and ran up them?" she asked and Javier laughed.

"I don't get it," Lance said. That made everyone in the Jeep begin to laugh, and it felt nice.

"Dude, in every horror movie the chicks always find the first set of stairs and run up them instead of standing to fight or going into the open. They run up stairs just so the killer can see their boobs bounce and get themselves in a death trap," Ryan said through his laughter.

Ev noticed how soft Javier looked when he laughed. That smile fit perfectly well on his masculine face. As he was laughing she admired his well-formed jawbone that added to his masculinity. She knew that if these were better circumstances, she would make a move on him.

Javier caught Ev staring at him out of the corner of his eyes. He liked her equally as much but he tried to deny it. That was the last thing he wanted on his mind so he hastily changed the subject. "Who's phone was that?" he asked.

Everyone began looking at one another. After a few moments of silence Lance spoke up. "Sorry. I forgot I even had it on me."

"Shit, Lance. You're trained better than that shit! What the hell is wrong with you?" Ryan said.

"I know. Fuck man it's not like I did it on purpose."

"Who was it?" Javier asked.

Lance looked at his phone as he said "Fuck. We need to all Bryson with the CDC and update them. They can't go in there."

"Get to it," Javier said.

Lance made his phone call and I decided to turn on the radio. I thought there had to be some news on about the world, but there wasn't. There was nothing on but static. When I turned it back off Lance told us that he wasn't able to get through to the CDC. To anyone. There wasn't anyone picking up their phone, and Evelyn could only assume the worst.

As they pulled onto the old highway they sat in silence. No one wanted to say anything, because they were all thinking the same thing. The world was going to hell and they hoped they would make it to their destination in time...and alive.

### Chapter 7

### The First Night

You can only drive for so many hours before your eyes play tricks on you. And when the world was going to hell, they liked to make you think you were seeing the dead everywhere. They needed to find a place to stop and rest for the night. They would make it farther in the daylight, when they were actually able to see what was in front of them.

"You said there's a tent in the bag?" Javier asked Ev.

"Yeah. If we're going to stop for the night we should find someplace secluded in the open. Preferably in a field somewhere," Ev replied.

"Alright." Javier drove for three more miles before he found a dirt road on the side of the old highway. He followed the dirt road until he came to a large opening. It would be perfect to set up camp and keep watch easy enough.

When he came to a stop, everyone was relieved to get out of the vehicle and stretch their legs. All four of the men took off in different directions so they could use relieve themselves. "Just marking our territory," Jase joked. Evelyn waited patiently for them to come back so she could do the same. As she waited she began to set up camp. After pulling out some of the bags she turned on the lantern and pulled out the tent. By the time she was putting the poles together the men came back. "Here, let us help," Ryan said.

"Thanks. Mind taking over so I can pee?"

"Nah, go ahead. But you shouldn't go alone."

Evelyn pulled out her machete and said, "I'm sure I can handle it."

With a smirk Ryan said, "I like a girl with spunk Ev and I'm sure you can handle it. But how are you going to swing that thing while you're squatting down and trying not to piss on your pants."

With a sigh Ev gave in. Ryan had a point and she knew it. "Jase, will you walk with me so I can pee?"

"Aw hell Ev. That's sick. I don't want to see that shit."

"God Jase it's not like you're going to be looking at me."

"Fine. But you go behind a tree or something," Jase said.

Javier watched as Ev and Jase walked into the darkness and noticed she had her machete in her hand. God, how he admired that woman. He would never admit it to anyone, but he thought her ass looked pretty damn nice in those loose cargo pants. He found it attractive when a woman didn't feel the need to wear revealing or skin tight clothing to try and be sexy. She was a sight to be seen with her khaki cargo's, fitted blue tank top, and her pink timberland boots with a machete in hand.

"Hey, stop drooling and give me a hand," Lance snapped him back to reality.

"I was observing and if I felt like we were still on an assignment here I would have your ass. Now what do you need?"

Javier and Lance pulled out food and water that Ev had packed and loaded blankets in the tent. Javier moved on to a different bag as Lance said, "What no pillows?"

Javier looked like he was about to slap his head as Ev said, "I prefer to stay healthy and warm. Comfort isn't a necessity."

"To me it is."

"If you want you can try your luck five miles up at the Comfort Inn. But I won't go save your ass."

"Lady's got a point," Ryan said.

"Shit Ev, what kind of weapons did you pack?" Jase said.

Jase had joined Javier to look through the weapons bag. She couldn't tell if they were amazed or disgusted.

"Everything we could need, for now. I have my handy pistol just in case I ever need it. The spade is a perfect weapon. It's light and the tip of the shovel can be used to stab, but it can also be used to hit them like you would with a baseball bat. Plus, it folds up for easy carrying. I managed to get my hands on a Famas, but that's a last resort. The rest is just your basic weapons. Hunting Knives, Ammo...the necessities."

Javier had officially decided he loved this girl. Well, not really, but damn...she really was prepared for everything.

"Let's take watch two at a time," Javier said. He knew he needed to stop thinking so foolishly.

"Okay. I'm still running on my coffee from earlier so I can take first with someone," Ev said.

"I'll take it with you," Javier said. "I can tell you're prepared for this kind of stuff but I'd like to talk about your hand to hand combat skills. See if I can maybe give you a few pointers. God forbid we end up getting close enough, we're all going to need them."

The other three men lay down in the tent and attempted to sleep while Javier and Ev stood watch. Ev informed Javier that she had plenty hand to hand training. Her parents wanted her to take dance class and she had only one stipulation to that, which was she get to take Karate also. From the age of five she had been in both dance and Karate and excelled at both. They opted out of the combat training and instead began to talk quietly.

"Are you worried about your parents?" Javier asked.

"No, not really," Ev said. After he gave her a questioning look she continued. "I like to believe in the bible as much as I can. It's hard since it's been translated several times and written by man, but I still hold some of it to the truth. I like to believe that what it says in the Revelations is true. That God will take those who truly give him all of their faith and take them away before the apocalypse."

"You think this is the apocalypse?"

"Sort of. I don't believe the entire human race will be wiped out, but for as long as it takes the Reanimated to starve it would be like we weren't even on the earth. We're being forced into hiding. There's far too many of those things to fight."

"I think you're right. And as much as your brother would like to believe it was the government who was behind this, we weren't," Javier said with a smile. "The craziest thing happened the day the people disappeared. Someone saw this, but they saw it too late." Javier went into explaining his encounter with the psychic that had shot himself and began to realize how right that man was. Everything he had said made sense; he only didn't see it then.

"I'm not sure it would have helped if what he said was public knowledge. The riots probably would have happened a lot sooner and I'm sure more people would have killed themselves. It's not easy to understand the end of the world, but I don't think we're meant to. I think we're meant to learn by it. And I just hope I live long enough so I'm able to," Ev said.

"I won't let you die," Javier said, abruptly.

"Time to switch up," Lance said as he and Ryan came out of the tent.

Javier and Ev made their way into the tent and as they laid down Ev said, "Guess I should have packed pillows."

Javier laughed and said, "Here," as he rolled on his back and laid an arm out for Ev to rest her head on. Ev didn't trust herself laying so close to him but she didn't want to refuse...and it's not like his uniform helped any. There was always something extra appealing about a man in uniform. Ev gave in and soon sleep slowly overcame them.

"Rise and shine love birds," Jase said as he shook the tent. The sun had come up and everyone else was awake. It took a moment for them both to realize why he had called them love birds. Although they were under separate blankets, Javier had managed to wrap his extra arm around Ev during the night. Evelyn had also managed to entwine her legs with his as they were sleeping. Neither one dared to say anything.

As they came out of the tent they realized that everything was already packed up and ready to go except the tent and blankets. After the tent was packed and they got in the Jeep to move out and find a vehicle, Ryan started the chant. It took two words before Jase and Lance joined in. "Javier and Evelyn, sitting in a tree..."

Neither Javier or Ev said anything as they drove back on the road and headed toward the old highway.

### Chapter 8

He could sense them. Every sense in his body urged him to go as far away from them as he could but his determination told him to get closer.

That's what he needed.

He needed to get closer so he could observe them. He needed to find their weakness...find their flaw that He had created. The old bastard always overlooked something, and he was determined to find it.

He would get close enough to watch but never be seen. They huddled in numbers but they were weak, especially weak compared to him. The older ones wouldn't stand a chance...but the younger ones—it was them. They were the ones. They looked to be so frail and tender but he knew they weren't.

They were what he needed to destroy.

But how many, he thought, how many could there be. He needed to find their weakness before he could make his move. He couldn't carelessly jump in...no, that's something they would do. Those animals are the ones who move in without any thought.

He was better than them. He always has been. He's been around for years and no one ever noticed.

Carelessness.

They're driven by only one thing, and that is themselves. Not him. No. He was driven by passion and meaning. A meaning far superior to any of their selfish minds and a passion which was something they knew nothing about unless it was self-fulfillment.

He needed to wait and observe the destruction His creation could cause. He needed to see them with others, to find out what they could do. He had to understand them.

He observed them like a scientist would study a disease. Close enough to bear witness but far enough away to not become infected.

So he would watch and wait in the shadows of their every step, their every movement as hunter waited for the right opportunity to spring.

### Chapter 9

### The Child

Javier shifted into third gear.

Ev didn't have her machete on her. As the corpse lifted its head to chew the baseball size of meat and flesh it had taken off of her brother, she lifted her leg and kicked it in the face. It fell backwards out of the moving truck and she reached around to close the doors. Before the door was closed she noticed that it didn't roll down the road like a normal person would if they fell out of a moving truck like that.

It simply regained its composure and sprang on its feet, with one hand planted on the ground in front of it. Ev swung the door shut and tried to drown out the hissing sound that escaped its throat as it looked straight into the back of the truck. The dead were falling even further behind and Ev realized that Javier had to be going at least 50 in third gear.

Javier skipped fourth gear and went straight to fifth.

"Javier, do you know how to get back on the old highway?" Ev asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I need to fix them up," she said as she dug through her bags. "Here." Ev threw Lance two rulers, a roll of duct tape, and some paper towels. "Wrap him up. Make sure the bone is placed properly and wrap it, splint it, and tape it."

Lance was military so she figured he should know how to do some of the basic stuff. She made her way back to her brother after gathering some supplies for him. Fuck. That thing had taken a damn good bite out of him. Ev took off her belt so she could use it to stop the blood flow. Once the flow slowed down she dug through her first aid kit to clean it up and bandage it. The scratches looked to be nearly a half an inch deep. She was glad she had packed antibiotics, because she doubted the thing was anything close to sanitary.

As Ev bandaged her brother up he let out another scream. "Pussy," Ryan said. He hadn't let out as much as a whimper since Lance was working on him.

"Fuck you man. You didn't get eaten. You've got a broken bone. Let me tear out a chunk of your flesh and see how you feel then." The two laughed at each other and began bickering about who was more of a man and who could handle pain better.

After Ryan and Jase were bandaged, Ev had them sit up and rest their legs on a folded blanket. The two looked like twins sitting there, still bickering about who was more of a man.

"Alright, I need to get changed now. Please, everyone keep your eyes forward. If I see anyone looking I won't hesitate on having you join the gimps, and you gimps, we'll I'll make it hurt more. Remember, I hold the medicine," Ev said as she tossed them each an antibiotic and painkiller.

"Damn. Feisty bitch. Fine, no one look," Ryan said.

Ev dug her spare clothes out of her bag and began to strip down. She figured she would do her bra and shirt first. Ev turned her back toward the boys and began removing her shirt. When she was removing her bra she had the sense that someone was watching her. She knew they couldn't see anything so she continued to put her clean bra on, followed by a lose tee shirt. She then began removing her pants and turned around to grab her clean underwear. As she bent down and slid her underwear off of her she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Javier glancing at her. She didn't let it bother her as she continued to change. She just made eye contact as she told herself it wasn't anything serious.

Javier had to look away and think of something else before Ev came back up front to sit down. Watching her get changed made him erect, even if he didn't see anything. If she went up there and saw the tent he was packing, well he didn't think it would go over too well. Her making eye contact didn't help matter either. It made him think she felt the same for him as he did her. How could they possibly have an attraction to each other in a situation like this?

Then again, wouldn't that be holding on to ones humanity? Ev had said that in apocalypse scenarios people lose all sense of their morals...their humanity. Isn't it human nature to be so attracted to the other sex? So isn't this what they're supposed to do. Isn't it...humanity?

Ev was equally attracted to Javier, but she didn't dare let him know that. Waking up in his arms was nice...more than nice, but she wasn't the type for a quick lay. She wasn't sure exactly how he felt for her, but how could two people possible build a relationship in a situation like the one they were in. Getting attached to another so deeply could put everyone in danger.

Ev was silent as she climbed into the seat next to Javier, she didn't trust herself to speak. When Javier finally spoke, she was glad it wasn't about anything that was on her mind.

"You're not completely fearless, are you?"

"What?" she asked.

"The way you froze up back there. You didn't expect it. That's what gets you, isn't it. The unexpected."

"Yes. And believe it or not, I'm also terrified of spiders."

He laughed and said, "I would have never guessed that."

After a moment passed between them Javier spoke underneath his breath. "He was bitten," he said.

"I know."

"Do you think?"

"We can't be sure. I know that's the myth behind them but...we will have to wait and see. Keep an eye on him."

"Okay."

"Did you see them? The way they just passed right by the bobcat. You'd think they would eat whatever they could, but they just passed right over it."

"Yeah, I saw it. I'm not too sure what it means, but it obviously means they weren't interested in eating it. Either because it was an animal or because it was one of them. Where to?" he asked.

"We're going to want to go into Ohio. If we keep our speed up we should be able to make it through the little bit of Ohio we need to go through, Kentucky, and Indiana. We are going to need to make one more stop in daylight to refuel and fill the gas cans again."

"Alright."

"If you get tired, I can drive. I grew up on standard so you don't need to worry," Ev said, grinning.

"When we get to Indiana, can we make a detour to Dexter? It's were my family is," Lance said. "Last week Sheryl flew out there with Ambyre to see her mom."

"Yeah, but...you do know that Ambyre might be..." Javier said, sympathetically.

"Yeah I know. I heard all of the children were among the missing. I've tried to call them but I just get damn beeping."

"Keep trying. We should be out there near dusk. We could all camp there for the night."

With a nod Lance took out his cell phone and tried to call his wife. When he was unable to get through I told him to take another Hydrocodone and get his rest. I never had children, but I still couldn't imagine what it would be like to have one and be in this situation. I guess I would prefer them to be among the missing as opposed to living through this.

After nearly five hours of driving, Javier finally let Ev drive. He was a little turned on watching a woman as petite as her drive a stick. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted her to be his. He watched the way she would move her hair out of her face in admiration. Just by looking at her he could see she was as determined and fierce as she was sincere.

"Get your rest," Ev said, looking over at Javier. "In a few hours we'll make a pit stop and Lance can drive from there to his in-laws. I have a feeling Jase and Ryan are out for the count." She inclined her head toward the back of the truck where they were both snoring.

After entering Indiana they pulled off the side of the road so everyone could use the restroom. Javier had to go and keep an eye out while Ev went, which couldn't have been any more awkward. He had waited until she was done to do the same. Javier and Lance had to wake Ryan and Jase up so they didn't piss themselves. One thing Ev didn't pack—was Depends.

"Man what? Are you going to hold it for me?" Ryan asked Lance.

"Fuck you then." Lance let go of Ryan who nearly tumbled over.

After everyone was back in the vehicle Lance began to drive to his mother-in-laws house and Ev managed to get some much needed rest. With two of them down, that was double the duty of standing watch.

Lance wasn't sure what they would find when they made it to his in-laws. He knew his wife was a smart woman and hoped she was alive. More than anything he wanted to hold both her and his daughter in his arms again. The chances of that was slim, even slimmer chance of holding his daughter. Even though she was only eight, she still needed a lot of help. He hated himself for thinking so, but he hoped that she was one of the missing. He didn't want to worry about her becoming like the others and having to try to find the strength to kill her.

The sun had set by the time they made it to the house. It was a small house made out of stone on a back country road. As they pulled up in the drive they didn't notice any lights on and Lance felt his heart drop. His legs felt weak as he feared the worst. He could handle the dead, but he couldn't handle it if his family was part of it.

Lance and Javier exited the truck and made their way to the house. When they got closer they realized that all of the windows were boarded up. They walked up to the door and tried to turn the handle. It was locked. They didn't want to knock because they weren't sure if there were dead nearby. Javier continued to try to turn the knob as Lance pulled a small notepad and pen out of his pants and wrote 'IT'S LANCE. IF ANYONE IS IN THERE PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR' and slid it under the door. After a few more seconds of jiggiling the door knob they stopped and waited. Lance leaned on the door and lost it.

He wanted to find a way to break the door down and search the house. He couldn't accept it. He couldn't believe his family could be gone. His muscles shook as he fought the urge to scream and go on a rampage, breaking anything he could. But he couldn't. He didn't care if he'd attract the attention of whatever dead were near and they killed him. For all he cared they could rip his flesh apart as long as he got to be with his family. But he knew that would put the others in danger. He was better than that. He held on to his humanity.

He tried to fight his tears, but they swelled up in his eyes. In all the years Javier had known Lance, he's never seen him cry. Lance had been broken. His hand gently smacked palm down against the door as he pleaded. "Please...please," he said under his breath as he shook his head. Javier placed his hand on Lance's back as Lance rested his forehead against the door.

Their hearts stopped when they heard the sound of locks on the inside. Someone was unlocking the door. Within a second Lance's heart raced as the door slowly cracked open. Javier had Ev's machete ready, just in case. The door opened and Lance's sobs grew even deeper. He saw his mother-in-law. Relief swept over her face as she opened the door to let them in. The moment Lance was inside he fell to his knees. There she was.

### Chapter 10

### The Bitten

The first priority of the day was to get a better vehicle. The old highway was nearly deserted so they had to drive toward the main highway if they were to find anything they could use. They drove for a few miles and only managed to see a few compact cars off the side of the road and motorcycles lying on their sides on the pavement. The closer they came to the border of West Virginia, the more vehicles they saw. Soon it became as packed as New York City during rush hour. They had to come to a stop and begin to search by foot.

Naturally Javier felt protective over Evelyn so he made sure to stay near her. Jase picked up on what was happening between the two of them and kept his distance as he joined Ryan and Lance. Finding a new SUV to use was the easy part, getting to it wasn't.

Javier followed Ev as she looked for any survivors and supplies in the stranded vehicles as the other three men began putting vehicles in neutral and pushing them out of the way.

"Hey, clear them out more this way. I found something better," Ev said.

They all looked over in her direction to see what she was talking about and smiled when they did. In front of a tanker that was tipped over was a black and red, armored Dunbar Truck. Perfect. Not only did if offer adequate room for the five of them and their supplies, but it would also hold up better if they had to go bowling with the dead again. Everyone was excited over the truck and began moving vehicles out of the way even faster. Javier and Ev took it upon themselves to move their supplies into the truck. Once there was enough room to move the Jeep to the Dunbar truck they poured in some fuel and gave it a jump.

There wasn't any point in wasting gas so they used a hose that Ev had in one of her supplies bags and began to siphon the gas out of the Jeep and into the truck.

The thick silence that hovered over them disappeared and was replaced with a hungry grown escaping from the depths of a throat. It was nearly the same as the ones they heard in Evelyn's house but there was something much more animalistic about this one. They all slowly drew out their knives and machetes as they backed up toward the truck. It was hard for them to find whatever was coming at them because of all of the vehicles scattered along the highway and the grass. They had cleared a path large enough for them to back the truck up and head back in the direction they came, but it wasn't enough to see where their attacker might come from.

Ryan and Ev climbed on top of the truck for a better view. That's when they saw it.

"There," Ev whispered as she pointed into the trees that lined the left side of the highway.

Instinctively, the men on the ground turned and readied for attack. "It looks like a bobcat," Ev said.

"Is it-" Javier began to ask.

"I'm not sure. But it either way, it looks like it fed recently and like it's still hungry" Ev noticed blood down the front of the bobcat. Whatever it had recently fed on, it didn't stand a chance.

With a snarl the bobcat ran at the group. "It's coming!" Ryan warned. Within five seconds the bobcat was upon them. It was snarling and swiping a paw at them as it tried to single one of them out. When it tried to attack them, they began swinging their weapons, trying to get a hit. Jase wasn't used to using a machete and swung too hard, losing his footing and dropping it. The bobcat didn't let that go unnoticed and made an advance on Jase. Javier watched with fury as the bobcat began to jump toward Jase. With the flick of his wrist, Javier threw his military knife at the bobcat and stuck it in the side of its chest. There was no doubt that it had slid in between its ribs and should have slowed it down. It merely acted as though it was hit with a pebble and was annoyed.

The bobcat snarled at Javier and acted like it was going to retreat. It turned around and ran a few feet before it jumped on top of a nearby van. From the van it jumped onto the tractor trailer that was over turned and then straight for Evelyn and Ryan. As the bobcat was in midair, Ryan stumbled backwards and fell off of the truck. Evelyn didn't hear a sound as the bobcat landed on top of her and knocked her on her back. Dead.

Javier had no other choice than to fire his gun at the cat. It could have killed her. He promised he wouldn't let her die and he was damned determined to keep his promise. "Lance, get Ryan," Javier ordered. "Jase, get your ass up." Javier took the same path as the bobcat, and looked nearly as natural with the movements.

Ev let out a deep breath when she realized the bobcat was dead. One single shot, straight through the head. She rolled the cat off of her and onto the ground, nearly dropping it on Ryan. Serves him right, she thought. When Javier made it to her he made her lay still as he examined her body. He wanted to make sure none of the blood was hers. Her shirt and pants were soaked in a thick black liquid, much similar to tar. God, if he was examining her body like this under any other circumstances she would have been aroused. When Javier was satisfied that she wasn't wounded at all he helped her up. The smell of decaying flesh swept over them. In that moment they realized that the bobcat was in deed one of the Reanimated.

Forcing herself not to get sick, Ev said, "I need to change." Javier and Ev made their way to the ground so she could get cleaned up when they heard the sound of thunder in front of them. It didn't take a scientist to realize what the noise was. There wasn't a cloud in sight. "They heard the gun," Javier said. Ev realized the only reason she didn't hear the gun go off was because she was looking death in the eyes the moment it had. "Fuck!" they yelled as the caught the sight of heads in the distance.

"Get in!" Javier yelled.

Jase ran to the back of the truck and opened it up. Javier jumped in the driver's seat and Ev sat next to him. "Jase! Help me get Ryan!" Lance yelled. When Ryan fell off of the truck he broke his leg. His Fibula was nearly sticking out of his leg.

Jase ran out and grabbed the upper half of Ryan's body and helped Lance set him in the back of the truck. "Hold on!" Javier yelled. He couldn't wait any longer to get the vehicle moving. He threw the truck in reverse and wasted no time backing up. Jase was trying to close the back door as Javier slammed on the brakes to shift into first gear. Nearly falling out of the back of the truck, Jase screamed. As Jase caught his footing he began to close the door. Before he could close it, they were there. The first few made it to the back of the truck as Javier shifted into first and began driving off. More came. Soon there were hundreds of the dead behind them. And some were still too close.

As Jase tried to close the door the Reanimated were reaching in. Jase began kicking as hard as he could; trying everything he could to get the arms out so he could close the door. Lance was holding onto Ryan to try and keep him from getting hurt any further. Ev looked back and saw the trouble her brother was going through and jumped over the seat to go back there and help him.

Javier shifted into second.

Jase screamed out in pain as one of the dead scratched the leg he was using to kick them with. The fingernails were sharp like steel razors as they sliced right through his jeans and punctured his skin. Jase let go of the door and fell down, trying to keep himself from bleeding out too much. As Ev made it upon her screaming brother one of the dead jumped on the back bumper and squatted over Jase. Evelyn was only two feet away as the dead sank it's teeth into her brothers leg.

### Chapter 11

### The Hunted

"How is this possible? I thought every child was one of the missing?" Javier said under his breath to Ev.

"I did too. But it's obviously not like that. The children are the innocent. If it was God's doing, he should have taken them all," Ev said.

"Maybe she's different," Ryan said.

"What? Like she's a child of Satan?" Jase spat.

"No, she's still a child for Christ's sake! But there has to be a reason she's here," Ryan said in defense.

Ev didn't want to believe it. But she had to. The child was right in front of her. There had to be a reason she was left. She noticed that little Ambyre didn't talk much and stayed close to her parents. She had strawberry blond hair that fell in waves down her shoulders and beautiful golden brown eyes. She was just an innocent child stuck in a world of Hell. Ev needed to know if Sheryl had seen or knows of any more children that are left.

"Excuse me, Sheryl? May I talk to you for a minute?" Ev looked at Ambyre and added, "Privately?"

Sheryl stood up and told Ambyre to stay by her daddy, and she did without as much as a fuss. Ev noticed for an eight-year-old child, she still was uncomfortable without her parents. She looked just like her mother with her wavy strawberry-blonde hair and bright hazel eyes. Ev followed Sheryl into the dining room and Javier looked on with curiosity. Once Ev and Sheryl were out of the sight of Ambyre, Ev said, "Forgive me if I'm being rude, but I thought all of the children were part of the missing?"

"That's what the rumors were, but obviously it's not true. Ambyre is still here but God, sometimes I wish she wasn't. I just couldn't imagine her living through a world like this. Shit, if anything happened to her..."

Ev cut her off before she could give it too much thought. "Do you know of any other children? Have you heard anything about more?"

Sheryl nodded and said, "The program Ambyre goes to. The Educational Exercise Program for the Developmentally Impaired. When the disappearances started happening I went and picked her up. Some of the children...some of their parents were gone. They vanished. The care center had to keep some of the children there. God if I was able to I would have taken them all here with me. But I couldn't. I hope they are all okay. I've tried calling but some of the towers in the city were knocked over during the riots and power lines are down all over."

"You said there was a whole group of kids?"

"Yes," Sheryl began to cry. Just thinking about those children tore her heart apart. As a mother she knew she had to take care of her own child, but that motherly instinct reached out to every child in the world.

"I'm sorry, but...you said Developmentally Impaired?"

Sheryl sniffled and wiped her cheeks clear of tears and nodded. "Yes. That's where we send our children with Down Syndrome and Autism. That way they can interact with others like them and be helped with their gifts."

"And Ambyre?"

"Autism. When she turned two and realized she'd rather stack blocks than interact with us we took her to be tested. She's autistic. People with children like Ambyre like to say God gave them an extra touch but all children are touched by God."

"Do you know of any other children?"

"My friend back home, Lillian. Her son Thomas. The day after it all started she called me. God I hope they're okay."

"And is Thomas..."

"Autistic. Yes."

Ev wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence or if it was something more. Then again, Ev never really believed in coincidences.

"Thank you, Sheryl. Go...go back to Ambyre," Ev said with a smile.

Ev relayed the information to the others, and they were just as intrigued as she was. After everything that happened, nothing was a coincidence. They knew it had to hold some meaning, but what?

Javier watched Ambyre as she sat by the fireplace. She giggled quietly as she watched Planet 51 with headphones on. Every once in a while she would repeat entire scenes from the movie. He couldn't believe that as long as he's known Lance, he's never mentioned that his daughter was autistic. He talked about his daughter all the time, but never once. Maybe he didn't think Javier would understand or maybe he just didn't find it necessary. Lance treated his daughter like she was any normal child. But Javier knew she wasn't.

One thing Javier had learned while working in the Special Forces, was that Autistic children were one of the smartest children there were. They may not be able to be like every other kid, but once you found that one thing at that they excelled at...that was it. If they knew computers, that would be their life long skill. If it was construction, that would be it. While other people grew up and had to decide what their career would be, Autistic children knew it from birth.

The group knew they weren't going to get any answers. There was no point in trying to figure it out. They just had to go with it and make sure this little girl stayed safe. Plans changed. Now it was to make sure they did everything they could to get Ambyre to Mount Rushmore alive.

Javier and Lance decided they would be the only ones to take watch tonight. As Lance tucked his daughter in bed she asked, "Daddy, are we going to the horse now?"

Lance looked confused but said, "Yes dear. We can go to the horse." He kissed her on her forehead and covered her up.

When morning came they woke to the smell of fresh coffee. Beth, Sheryl's mom, had heated water over the fire and brewed coffee the old fashioned way. She had sugar, but no creamer. No one was going to complain, they were thankful to have coffee again.

Before they headed out on the road they packed up more food and a few extra supplies for Ambyre. A portable DVD player and Lego's were all she really wanted to take with her. They made sure Ambyre was the first one in the truck, and she wouldn't stay in there without her mom so Sheryl and Beth followed. Ryan and Jase were the next to be moved in, even though they were determined to try to outdo each other by limping their way to it. As Ryan and Jase made their way into the back of the truck, we heard that all too familiar hunger sound of the Reanimated. Lance and Javier readied themselves as Ev closed the back door to the truck and ran around to the front so she could jump in the driver's seat. She watched the boys in the mirror after she started the truck.

There was only one. She didn't understand how only one Reanimated would manage to find them, but she wasn't about to complain.

Javier watched as the dead lunged like it was going to go for the back of the truck but stopped. Lance and Javier stood on opposite sides of the zombie as they readied to kill. The zombie lifted up its head like it was smelling the air, and jerked its head toward Lance. Within one second it ran at Lance, who was grateful he had Ev's spade on him. Lance thrust the spade underneath the zombie's chin, which stopped it right in its tracks. Lance pulled the spade out and kicked the zombie. It fell down on its back and Lance advanced. He began bashing it in the head with the side of the spade. It's black; tar like blood was splattering all over Lance.

Javier stepped forward, "Man, I think it's dead. For real this time," he said.

Javier was right. Whatever was left in its head was now in chunks on the ground. Lance wiped his face with his arm and spit. "Aw fuck man. That shit is nasty. I got it's blood in my mouth! Fuck," he spit again.

Ev walked out to the back of the truck and handed Lance some baby wipes so he could get cleaned up. Javier began looking over Lance and asked, "Is that your blood?" He pointed to red blood that was on his shirt.

"No, Jase bled through a little last night and I wrapped him back up. It's probably his blood. That fucking thing didn't touch me. Didn't have a chance," Lance said proudly.

"Alright. There should be some clothes of mine in there. Go wipe up and change. Hurry."

Ev stepped closer to the dead. She wanted to get a close look to these things they were fighting. She used her arm to cover her mouth and nose as she kneeled down by it. Javier understood what she was doing and grabbed a stick before he knelt with her. Ev stared at the dead while Javier used the stick to open the mouth. She knew it. The dead. She knew it from somewhere.

"The teeth. They're all like knives. And the fingernails...they're the same," Javier said as he was observing the creature. "Just like that psychic said. Our legends about vampires and zombies. They're one of the same."

"I've seen him before. The dead. I've seen him before," Ev said.

"You knew him?"

"No, I've just seen him. It's the same one that bit Jase."

Javier shook his head. "I don't understand. That was miles away."

"I'm not crazy Javier. If you don't believe me you can help Jase out here and ask him. I'm sure he'll agree with me."

"No, I believe you. I'm just trying to understand. It had to of ran all night to make it here. It followed us. Somehow it managed to follow us all the way here."

It went back to the psychic. He had said that the Reanimated were the combined legends of the vampires and zombies. They were one of the same. If that one followed them, than that would mean once it had a taste of you it could track you. And it wouldn't stop until it was dead...or you were. It was a Reanimated corpse but every tooth in its mouth was as sharp as a vampires. They were hunters. They were decaying, rotting, dead hunters. Ev had almost figured them out. Now, she just lacked the knowledge of how they turned you.

The most unsettling knowledge of all was the fact that the humans were once the hunters of the world. Now they were the hunted.

### Chapter 12

The moment finally came for him to bear witness to the destruction that could be cast by His creation. No matter how safe they thought they were, they never would be. They would never be able to win or outrun...only stand by and be devoured like the useless flesh and bones they were made out of.

The chambers that were made by those insects would never hold up. No matter what it was, nothing man made could withstand the forces of nature thrashing against them. He was so close to witnessing it he stiffened at the thought.

No matter how much his body urged him to run in the other direction, he couldn't. He had to see. It would only bring him closer to his destiny and prove He wasn't so powerful after all.

He felt the length of his cock stretch as the gates started to tremble.

Finally, he thought.

He lurked in the shadows as he watched them scream. Their flesh was being torn apart by hungry mouths as they fought for their puny worthless lives.

A swarm formed around the younger ones. They were irresistible. He moved closer through the darkness as they were feasted upon and tilted his head in awe when he saw the unfortunate consequences they could cause.

His erection weakened when he watched those affected wither on the ground like they were a worm burning from the sun.

But they were down.

This supposed all powerful creation was down.

They weren't moving. They lay in a puddle of that beautiful red liquid that flowed throughout their veins.

It couldn't be that easy.

He knew it couldn't be so simple to dispose of them so he waited.

The repulsive animals herded around the affected and didn't bother to notice what was happening right next to them.

They rose.

The younger ones rose yet again.

He saw enough for now, but he would be back. He turned away and ran off through the darkness to go see what else he could find.

### Chapter 13

### The Trap

Ambyre watched Rio with her headphones in so she wouldn't overhear everyone talking about the Reanimated. They figured the less traumatized she was, the better...but then again how could anyone not come out of this traumatized. If they came out of it at all.

They were discussing the similarities of both vampire and zombie myths that have been passed down the years. They were led to believe that centuries ago, these Reanimated cast havoc over the world just as it is being done now. And somehow, the one creature became two. If that happened, then the humans survived through it which gave them hope. If there were survivors centuries ago, then they very well could survive themselves.

It was clear that the Reanimated were dead and rotting, but they were also capable of intelligence. If one was able to hunt you after tasting your flesh, what else were they capable of? You didn't have to stab them in the heart to kill them, simply brain damage was enough. You take out the source of mobility, and they go down. The only thing the group was unsure of was one thing...

"We can all state the damn obvious," Jase said.

No one looked at him because they knew what he meant.

"Jase, we can't be sure," Ev said.

"No Ev, that's the one main thing both of the legends have in common. They bite you and you turn. So go ahead and just say it. I'm as good as dead."

"Jase, we don't know that," Javier spoke up, even if only to make Ev feel better.

"Whatever, if I begin to turn into one of those things take that machete and slice my damn head off. I don't want to become one and go after you guys.

Javier said, "If that happens then we will. But we still can't-"

The truck began to swerve out of control and Ev had to counter steer, slamming on the brakes and downshifting as she tried to regain control of the armored truck. Everyone in the back held their breath as they tried not to tumble on one another. Sheryl grabbed a hold of Ambyre and Lance grabbed them both in return, protectively hovering over top of them to shield them of any damage that might occur if the truck was to roll on its side. Finally after going off into the grass, Ev managed to get the truck to a stop. Not a single one of them sighed a breath of relief because they knew something stopped the truck that shouldn't have. Javier motioned for Ev and Lance to follow his lead and for the others to stay still and quiet. The three of them exited the truck at different sides and they scanned the area.

Not a sound, not even wind, filled their ears. Lance walked around the back to meet Ev on her side and then the two of them proceeded to meet Javier on the passenger side of the truck. They instantly saw what had stopped the truck.

Both of the tires on the passenger side of the truck were flat. Javier knelt down to see what had caused that because something obviously did. As he looked closer to the tire he could see what remained of an arrow lodged in it. He didn't have to look at the other tire to know it would be the same. As Javier stood up he looked around. There was a farm up ahead but that was the only thing he could see. He listened for a rustling to come from the woods, but no sound appeared.

"Well fuck," Ev said.

"Can't fix two tires with one spare," Lance said.

"No shit Sherlock," Javier smacked Lance on the back of the head. "Whoever did this is still around and watching us. They're waiting, and they're obviously not dead. I doubt a dead person could aim well enough to shoot the tires out with an arrow. There are at least two of them. They want something. We have to move."

"And do what? Walk until we get eaten alive?" Lance hissed through his teeth.

"It's better than staying here. If there's an entire group of them we need to go, now. For all we know they haven't seen a woman since this shit happened and they definitely don't need to see a child. We take only what we can carry on our backs, they want something and we don't need them running us down with a child and two injured with us. We'll look for supplies elsewhere. We take the weapons and first aid," Javier eyed Lance, "That's it. Let's move."

The three of them walked to the back of the truck and opened the doors. They didn't want to let whoever was watching them know that they were on to them. When everyone is out for themselves you don't want to come off as more sophisticated and skilled as the ones who are holding a gun to your head.

"We have two flat tires. We need to move. Take what weapons, ammo, and first aid you can. We'll come back for the rest," Javier told the group. He didn't need any panic from them and decided it would be best to wait until they were clear of the predators to tell them the truth.

"What? We're just going to walk out there? In the open," Beth asked.

"We have no choice. We're sitting bait if we stay here. You, Sheryl, and Ambyre stay in the middle. Ryan, Jase...how are you two feeling?" Javier said.

"I can walk," Jase said.

"My injury is a little more severe, so I can gimp. If I had something I could use as a crutch or cane I could," Ryan said.

"Alright, I'll be right back," Javier said before he walked along the line of trees that were parallel to the road. After only a minute he came back with a fallen branch from one of the large oak trees.

Javier gave Ryan the branch and insisted on taking his military knife, lest he need it, and then told Lance to stay on the outside of Ryan and Sheryl. He and Ev were to take up the group from behind. After everyone was out of the truck and ready to move Javier grabbed one of the supply bags out of the truck. He knew that whoever was out there wasn't just going to let them walk but he hoped they would if they thought this bag held their most valuables.

Not nearly ten yards from the truck, they were stopped. An arrow landed about a half of a foot in front of them with a note attached. 'DON'T MOVE OR THE NEXT ONE IS IN A HEAD.' Everyone in the group froze and the ones who were able to, readied. Javier's experience in several countries never led him astray.

A group of five men, soiled and tainted, came out of the woods. Each one had a crossbow cocked and aimed at them. After instinctively turning to face the oncoming group Javier motioned for the women to stay behind them. The women didn't hesitate and Ev took the position right behind the group, the last thing she wanted was an attack from behind.

"Well, look at what we have here," a man exclaimed as he stepped forward. With him leading the group and being the first one to speak, it was obvious he was the leader of the group of rats. "Looks like we've got a couple of women for our picking," he said with a laugh and the others obediently followed with their own laughter.

Javier glared at them and watched their movements closely. Character profiling came naturally to him and he knew these people weren't your average every day scum bags. They really believed they were better than everyone else who survived, that they were going to be the rulers of the world. He could tell they foolishly thought they were going to be able to take down every single Reanimated on this planet, and their senseless thinking was what made them dangerous.

The ghastly group of men positioned their weapons at Javier and the men, even Jase and Ryan, who were incapable of fighting in the conditions they were in. Javier and Lance waited. They had a sickening feeling of what was to come.

"What do you say you send that pretty little thing right over here? Been a while since I've seen a child and well...she ain't too bad looking. Actually, how bout's you send all of them this way, that way we can each have a turn. What do ya say fellas?" As the leader spoke Sheryl's grip tightened around Ambyre.

"I say you're never going to be able to talk about a woman like that again, especially a child. I say you're going to regret those words," Javier said as he dropped the bag he was holding. Ev wondered why those comments didn't get more of a reaction from Lance.

"Well, we'll just see about that." He cocked his head towards his minion to the right—who had an arrow pointed straight at Javier's head.

Instantly, he fired.

### Chapter 14

### The Farmhouse

It took less time than what you'd think for everyone to realize what had happened. The moment the bastard clicked the trigger on his cross bow, Javier had taken the palm of his massive hand and knocked it out of the way while he angled his body in the opposite direction of the arrow.

Within the short amount of time it had taken him to do that he pulled out the knife he had taken from Ryan earlier and threw it at the crotch of the leader. As the leader fell to his knees in pain two of his minions ran off, this only left two to take care of. Javier was upon the only man left with a loaded weapon.

Lance ran at the one who had shot the arrow at Javier. The man's hands were shaking and he dropped his arrow as he was trying to reload his crossbow. When Lance was nearly upon him he threw his cross bow and ran in the direction of the others.

After turning toward his group, Lance noticed Sheryl with Ambyre in her arms as Ev was leading them away. She didn't know what was going to happen to Javier, but she knew she needed to get them out of there, especially the little girl. Lance trusted Javier to take care of the last standing guy as he followed the girls to take them into hiding.

Javier had knocked the cross bow out of the guys hands with one arm as he elbowed him in the nose with the other. The man in turn went to swing at Javier but was stopped by a jab to the throat—bringing him down to his knees. If Javier wanted to kill him he could have. But he wasn't the one Javier wanted so he left him.

As Javier walked over to the leader he saw that he was pulling the knife out of his crotch. The moment the knife was out blood began to flow down his left leg like a flooding creek bed. The man was starting to stand so Javier kicked him in the chest and knocked him back down. After grabbing his knife, Javier knelt down behind the bastard with his knife to his throat.

Javier leaned down to whisper in his ear. "In some countries I've been in they would have not only sliced your dick off but your tongue would be cut out as you watched. I told you that you wouldn't speak of a woman like that again, especially a child. And you won't live to."

"You kill me; you will go to hell and burn up until I arrive to torture you for eternity."

"I don't have to. You did that for me when you took out that knife. My guess is it went through your little dick and straight into your leg. With the amount of blood that's pouring out of you, it's safe to assume you pulled the knife right out of your femoral artery. You won't even make it off of your ass and near the woods you came from." Javier stood up and sneered, "And we're already in hell asshole."

As he began to walk away, Javier glanced over toward the truck and saw one of the men running back into the woods with the bags. If they were going to take his stuff, he was going to take some of theirs. Javier picked up the cross bows and arrows that were left on the ground and began in the direction Ev had leaded the group.

He paced himself as he walked along the old road toward the large, white farmhouse in the distance. He knew that if there were any of the dead along the way, Ev would have taken care of them. That woman was fierce and spunky but very genuine. Finding a woman that truly put others above herself was a wondrous thing and as rare as the original Declaration of Independence, especially under these circumstances. Javier knew that his attraction to her was more than physical. He loved it when he made her smile wanted to be the one to comfort her if push came to shove. He longed to touch her and feel the warmth of her body pressed against his. In the eerie silence of his walk to the farmhouse, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Ev got everyone settled into the farmhouse after ensuring that it was safe. The house was as beautiful as any farmhouse could be. Wooden maple floors were throughout the whole first floor and the furniture looked like it had been there for generations. A thin layer of dust began to settle over everything which showed there hasn't been a soul there in days.

As much as she hated to she couldn't help worrying about Javier. Even though she was sure he could handle himself in nearly any situation—his body sure as hell didn't get that toned from a gym—she felt like time was dragging on.

"He's fine. He should be here shortly," Ryan reassured her.

"I'm not worried," Ev insisted.

"Then why are you pacing around the floor biting your fingernails. You can't go more than three feet without looking out of a window."

"Ok, I'm worried. He's a good force to have on our side, that's all."

"Uh-huh," Ryan rolled his eyes.

There was no denying the fire that burned inside of her now. Not only did she give in to the truth that has been in the back of her mind, but the others saw it as well. She had somehow fallen for Javier. The longer he was gone the more she longed to be wrapped up in his masculine embrace. She couldn't just sit there and wait, she needed to keep herself busy—even if only to keep her sanity.

"I'm going to go look around, see if I can find a vehicle for us to use. I'll stay on the property the whole time but keep your radio on just in case I need you. Turn it to channel seven so it's on the same as mine. I'll be back," Ev said as she grabbed her machete off of the dining room table.

"That's probably not the smartest thing to do," Ryan said.

"At this point, I'm more afraid of the living than the dead. I'll keep in contact. We're going to need a vehicle because there's no way Ambyre, let alone you and Jase, would be able to walk much farther. We can stay here for the night but tomorrow we need to move out."

Ryan understood what she wanted to do and knew she had proven herself more than capable. After a pause he agreed to her going out and looking for a vehicle on the property and sat at the front entry way with the spade in his hand. If something came in he wanted to at least stall it so Lance would have time to come kill its ass.

There were two barns and a three-bay garage near the house and Ev took her time looking in every one. She started with the garage first because it's only common sense to park a vehicle in there. Sure as shit there was one. A damn station wagon and a truck that looked like it was from 1990. Beggars can't be choosers so she figured they just might have to use them, they would just have to find the keys.

When she searched the second one she found nothing but hay bales and empty horse stalls. When she walked into the last one a large smile crept across her face. The vehicle in front of her gave a whole new meaning to shaggin' wagon. Surrounded by more hay bales, the van was brown and white and was topped off with dice hanging from the rear-view mirror. Ev entered the vehicle and began searching for the keys; she knew that Ambyre would be comfortable riding in the van.

Ev finally gave up looking for the keys and headed back to the house. She prayed that they were in there somewhere. As she neared the house, a mans voice ordered her attention.

"You really shouldn't be out here alone," was all he said.

## Book Two

# Eternal Witness

## Out Now!!!
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