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  Governments

  Against Zombies

  By

  Alathia Morgan

  Copyright © 2020 Alathia Morgan

  Governments Against Zombies

  This is a work of fiction and in no way is meant to portray actual people, names, places, events or situations. The ideas were from the author’s own imagination and any resemblance to people living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of quotations for articles and reviews.

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  To my readers: Thank you for being so patient as this book got pushed for longer than I wanted.

  Editor: Dana Hook

  Book cover: Nicole Paris

  Adobe Stock: cover photo purchased

  More Books from Alathia Morgan

  Against Zombies Series

  Moms Against Zombies Book 1

  Military Against Zombies Book 2

  Co-Eds Against Zombies Book 3

  Churches Against Zombies Book 4

  Geeks Against Zombies Book 5

  Governments Against Zombies Book 6 –

  Infected History Series

  Infected Waters: A Titanic Disaster

  Infected Poppy Fields: A WWI Disaster

  Infected Storm Troopers: A WWII Disaster

  Also Writing as Paris Morgan:

  Murders of the Zodiac

  Aquarius Book 1

  Pisces Book 2

  Aries Book 3

  Taurus Book 4

  Gemini Book 5

  Cancer Book 6

  Leo Book 7

  Virgo Book 8

  Libra Book 9

  Scorpio Book 10

  Sagittarius Book 11

  Capricorn Book 12

  Writing Romance as Pepper Paris:

  Summer of Love

  Carter: Summers of Love 1

  Kelly: Summers of Love 2

  Wade: Summers of Love 3

  Jay: Summers of Love 4

  Chapter 1

  Way back--

  Cooper

  Sweat rolled down my back as the boat moved lazily along the current. Holding the bait over the side, the gators snapped hungrily at the meat as I led them toward the cages.

  For years, my family had been making their money off of keeping the gator population down in the Atchafalaya swamps. Pop wasn’t against killing a few gators if necessary, but he preferred to rehome them to zoos or other natural habitats if possible.

  When the laws had taken effect back in the late seventies / early eighties, he’d had to change the way he did things to keep our family’s land profitable. Depending on what was needed, Pop would take the boat out each day, teaching me and my brothers the tricks of the trade.

  It was early May, and I was enjoying the breeze that made the trees sway in a soothing motion. Since I’d grown up on the Bayou—or swamp, as many liked to call it—I had always thought of it as one big river winding through all the little small parts that held secrets and treasure.

  “Yo, Coop! Get your head out of the clouds!” LeRoy yelled at me.

  “Sorry.” I tossed the meat from my hand into the cage and waited as the last little gator’s tail disappeared inside.

  “I don’t think I can stay here after I graduate.” I threw the words out nonchalantly, but it wasn’t a casual decision.

  LeRoy eyed me as he threw a few more pieces of food into the cage. “Mama know what you’re planning?”

  “Nope, not yet.”

  He shook his head. “You’d better tell her soon, because she’s not going to like it one bit. Pop might be okay with it. He knows we can’t all make a living out here on the same piece of land.”

  “That’s why I’m hoping he can help persuade Mama.”

  “Speak of the devil.” LeRoy grinned as we rounded the bend, and the house came into view.

  “Don’t you say nothin’ about this,” I warned my older brother. “I’m waiting for the right time to spill the beans.”

  Mama bustled out of the house with the clothes basket on her hip, about to put them on the line to dry, when my younger brother Jimmy caught sight of us pulling up.

  Racing toward us, he waved something in the air and hollered, “Coop, you got a letter! Coop’s got mail!”

  I jumped out onto the dock and chased after him for a few moments before tackling him, and pulled the letter out of his hand. It wasn’t every day that someone in our family got mail. We knew everyone around here, and none of them had moved far enough away to send us mail, so letters or mail that wasn’t a bill was a rarity.

  The envelope was marked from the U.S. Armed Forces. I didn’t want the family to see what was inside, but I didn’t have much of a choice, as everyone began to crowd around in anticipation.

  “Guess the opportunity found you, bro.” LeRoy grinned as he tied up the boat before joining the small crowd.

  Our neighbors had joined us, as well as my other brothers who weren’t out on the river with Pop today.

  Tentatively, I slid my finger under the flap and tore it open.

  Dear sir,

  We are pleased to inform you that your scores on the aptitude test have guaranteed you a place in our amazing program. You are being given the option to choose from any of the military branches that you would like to join. A recruiter will be contacting you with options and details of what day you will need to be ready to go to boot camp.

  “No way. I won’t have one of my sons working for the government,” Mama declared, spitting on the ground to show her disapproval.

  “But Mama, I got high honors on the test. They’re going to send me to school, and you won’t have to pay anything extra,” I countered, hoping to ease her worries about the money.

  “Don’t have nothin’ to do with the money. It’s about you working for those liars up in Washington. I won’t have one of mine going off to play soldier. We’ve managed to keep Uncle Sam away from us out here, and I’m not about to send you out into who knows what or where so you can be killed.” She shook her head no as her words held a note of finality.

  “We’ll have no more talk of it, and you’d better make sure that recruiter never comes around here, or he’s gonna be looking down the barrel of your Pop’s gun.”

  I couldn’t do anything except keep my mouth shut. If I said or did anything else, then I’d be the one in trouble. It wasn’t good to side with who they considered “the enemy” down here.

  It was too much to hope that Mama wouldn’t tell Pop, but at least she waited until after dinner.

  He ranted and raved for hours as I sat there listening to every word against who and what I wanted to become. I weighed the decision they were forcing me into, but I didn’t see much of a choice if I was going to have a chance to be successful away from the swamps of Louisiana.

  As the middle child, there would be no inheritance for me, as my two older brothers would take over the gator business. My two younger brothers were still in the process of figuring out what they wanted to be when they grew up.

  Family was important to my mama and Pop, who were surrounded by it. My grandparents, aunts and uncles, and all of my cousins lived within a ten-mile radius. A few had moved away to the big city of Lafay
ette, but it was only a short twenty-five-minute drive. Though I didn’t mention the military again, I knew I had to make good of the opportunity, or I’d be stuck here forever.

  I used the next delivery trip to the city to meet the recruiter by volunteering to do the shopping, and staying over with my cousin Frank. It wasn’t unusual for one of us to stay the night, and since I was about to graduate, it wasn’t an issue. Mama had given her permission, probably in the hopes that I wouldn’t like the city and want to come back to our peaceful bayou home.

  Instead, I’d gone to the recruiter’s office and filled out the necessary paperwork. With my eighteenth birthday already behind me, a parent’s signature wasn’t required for me to commit my life to the military. Once that was completed, I was given my orders: the day after graduation, I would be shipping out to join the Marines. If I could handle the rigors of life in the swamps, I was hoping that boot camp wouldn’t break me to the point I would want to go back.

  Mama had been mad for about three weeks when I told her I’d joined the military. In fact, she had given me the cold shoulder and silent treatment until my graduation day, when she had put on a happy face and put together the biggest family crawfish boil I’d ever seen.

  When I packed my bags and prepared to leave, Pop had given me a hug and wished me luck, but my mom left the room without so much as a goodbye.

  While I could understand her reluctance over my leaving the nest, and being the first one to do so, I’d put her rejection behind me.

  There wasn’t time to think of much else except staying alert and keeping the Master Chief happy as I went through training.

  I shouldn’t have worried that I wouldn’t be able to hack it. All the outdoor work I’d done in my family’s business of gator hunting had more than prepared me for the tough life of thirteen weeks of boot camp, with tough Marines yelling at me day and night.

  As I walked across the small graduation stage for the second time in just a few months’ time, I felt a sense of pride. The only downside was that my family wasn’t there to cheer me on. They’d been to all of my important events growing up, and it felt lonely to be there with no one calling out my name and cheering for me.

  A man in a business suit approached me.

  “Cooper Walsh?” At my nod, he held out his hand. “I’m Ross Mills.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” I took his hand, suddenly wishing I was anywhere but here, talking to a businessman.

  “I’d like to offer you a chance to work for the CIA. With your high ASVAB scores, and now your Marine training, you’ll be a real asset to us. Think it over on your trip back home, but if you don’t get the welcome that you’re hoping for…well, give me a call.” He held out a card with only a name and number on it.

  “When you call, make sure to give your name and a phone number to contact you at. We’ll take care of where they’ve assigned you and have you transferred. Let us know what you decide.” He walked away, leaving me standing there in shock.

  Ezekiel came up behind me and slapped me on the back. “We made it. We’re Marines.” He noticed the card in my hand. “What’s that? Who was that guy?”

  “He wanted to offer me a job.” I knew I couldn’t say who had offered me the job, because if I took it, I’d have to lie to all my friends about being in the CIA.

  “He can’t beat this offer, because there’s nothing better than being a Marine.” He dismissed the offer easily. “You coming over to get drinks with the guys before you leave in the morning?”

  “Yeah, of course,” I replied. “I’m not leaving until then, so why not?”

  -----

  Somehow, Ross Mills had known I wouldn’t receive a welcoming reception once I returned home.

  Mama had hugged me and sat me down for a meal, even though breakfast was over and lunch wouldn’t be ready for a few hours.

  “We’ll get you fattened back up in no time.” She stirred some pancakes to throw onto the griddle with the sausage and bacon.

  “Uh, Mama—” I began.

  “Nope. Not going to discuss it right now. We’re going to enjoy the fact that you’re home. Nothing else matters today.” She placed a kiss on my forehead as if I was a child.

  With a sigh, I sat back, knowing that the conversation would have to happen.

  Everyone was happy that I was back, but whenever I mentioned that I was going back in just a few short days, Mama would change the subject or leave the room.

  “Mama, I have to leave soon. Can we talk for just a second?” I pleaded, not wanting to go for weeks again without talking to her.

  With a sigh, she took a seat at the table. “You know how I feel about this. I’m not going to approve. I want you to have a good life, but I can’t be worrying every day, wondering if you’re still alive or not. The incident that happened with your uncle isn’t something this family can handle again. If you leave, don’t come running back to us with how horrible it is.”

  “Mama, I’m not Uncle Johnny. I’m going to be helping keep our family safe. This place is smothering me. I love working with Pop and my brothers, but there’s no room for me to grow. I’m going to have to leave to find my own place in the world.”

  “If it were just you finding a place for yourself, I wouldn’t mind. We don’t need the government checking in and trying to run our lives. Nothing we do is wrong, but I’m not about to let them tell me what to do.”

  “Mama, it wouldn’t be like that. The government has no interest in our family. They’ll only be giving me orders. No one will be coming out here or doing inspections,” I tried to explain rationally, knowing this was going to be a losing battle.

  “You walk out that door to go back to your military, don’t plan on coming back. We don’t want nothing to do with any of that, and I’m not going to have your younger brothers listening to you tell stories or filling their heads with things they can’t have. This will be a good lesson, that if you want to work for the devil, then you won’t be part of this family.”

  My heart broke at her words. I’d already made my choice when I signed the papers, and there wasn’t any way to change that. My brothers were going to have to find out about the real world someday. I just hoped I wouldn’t lose all of my family.

  “I’m going back, Mama. I love what I’ve been doing, and it’s a perfect fit for me. I hope that one day you’ll let me come back home. I won’t stop wishing for a change of heart.” I walked over and wrapped my arms around her stiff body.

  “I’ll never stop loving you or my family, Mama, no matter what you say or how far apart we are. You’ll always be in my heart.” I gave her a last squeeze and went to back my bags. There was no point in prolonging the inevitable of me leaving.

  After a few rounds of hugs and goodbyes from my brothers and Pop, I hurried out to catch a ride with one of the locals who would take me into Henderson so I could take the bus back to the base.

  “I promise I’ll write!” I called out as the truck pulled away, taking a last look at the home I loved and the people.

  During boot camp, there hadn’t been much time to write letters, but I did when I could and mailed them, hoping that Mama would read them. I wasn’t going to stop, but the hope that I’d ever be truly welcome back home wasn’t looking promising.

  I was supposed to have almost two weeks at home with my family before I was to return for my assignment, but after the conversation with my mama, I knew I couldn’t stay the last few days.

  The happy family I’d hoped to spend time with and enjoy through those long weeks wasn’t real anymore. At least, not in the way I’d hoped. I would never be welcome again because I’d chosen something that my family couldn’t understand. By taking an oath to defend my country, I had officially cut the last ties to my family.

  The public phone booth in Henderson was the closest place to make a phone call that wouldn’t be overheard by half the parish, and I could catch the bus back to base after I was done.

  I lifted the receiver, determined to find out wha
t other paths I might have open to me now, even with the knowledge that once I made the call, I would never see my family again. If they didn’t like the idea of my current job situation, then this would be the last nail in the coffin as far as they were concerned.

  “This is Cooper Walsh, and the number you can reach me at for the next two hours is…” I hung up and waited for Mr. Ross Mills to call me back and convince me that I’d made the right decision.

  Chapter 2

  Cooper

  Joining the CIA had been something every kid dreamed of.

  I’d taken to being a secret agent with the same determination I had diving into mud filled training exercises in the Marines. With each new part of my training, I’d become a different person, taking all the things I’d learned and changing into someone so far removed from that boy who had left the swamp lands of Louisiana behind for a new life.

  Letters filled with the things I could send to my family always included funny anecdotes, and ways that the government had helped to save someone’s life in hopes that one day, I would be able to visit without having the gators set on me.

  Martin stuck his head inside the door of my room in the apartment we shared. “Cooper, they’re sending you out today. They’re short-handed, and want you to get some field experience.”

  “Now?”

  “Uh, I think so.” He remained there for a second longer.” We’re both up, and it’s going to be overseas, so they want us to come in for some extra shots and then a briefing.”

  “Finally, we’re going to get to put what we’ve learned into action.” I sat up, filled with excitement.

  Shots weren’t my favorite thing, but then again, I’m not sure anyone had it on their love-to-do list. I understood the need to have a few more vaccinations for things that I hadn’t come in contact with because they weren’t problems here in America.

  After the cocktail of shots, Martin and a few others gathered around the conference table to get our first assignments.