Against Zombies Box Set, Vol. 1 | Books 1-4 Read online

  “Is bringing our troops home really necessary? We’ll lose so much of the ground we’ve gained overseas, all because of a little flu virus. It seems like an unnecessary waste of resources to me,” the Army’s chief of staff questioned.

  “Duly noted, General, but this virus has already taken out entire parts of Africa, India, and the Middle East. They’re under a blackout and the troops we’ve been able to maintain contact with have had to evacuate quickly due to running short of ammunition and supplies. These things multiply exponentially. A single bite can cause an entire family to be overtaken, and housing is not limited to a four or five person unit in most cases. We’re talking overnight, one victim can attack or spread the disease while everyone is sleeping, and in the morning, you have an army of dead chasing you.” I paused to look at each of the men seated at the table.

  “The evacuation and serum are only a stopgap once this really hits the U.S. The protection plan is being tested as well, and we should have the results soon,” the CIA director tried to reassure everyone.

  “How do we know that your plan will work verses the serum that can be given to those in hospitals?” The CDC liaison tried to push his agenda, subtly.

  “The serum can help prevent infection of the healthy, but the plan, if it works, would kill or stop the zombies completely, to never rise again,” I explained, without giving away what exactly would happen.

  “Can we just use a mist or spray to get the serum to more people? Then we wouldn’t even need this protection plan that we don’t even know will work,” someone from the back of the room argued.

  “Honestly, if we have enough of the serum made, that would work, but there’s no way to mass produce this as quickly as it will be needed.”

  “What if we just targeted highly populated areas?”

  “At the moment, it only saves about one-fifth of the population and could cause a mutation that we’re not ready for, making things worse.”

  “So what you’re really saying is that we’re no closer to a solution than we were an hour ago?”

  I chuckled. “Not exactly. We do have a few solutions and are taking precautions in each city. The mayors and governors are working together in most cases to make sure that they’re ready for the worse case scenarios.”

  “In other words, they have escape plans in place to save their own asses.” The head of defense shook his head at the entire situation.

  “We’ll reconvene in the morning and see where we stand. Let’s check in with our people and see what we can make happen. Dismissed,” the secretary of defense declared.

  I nodded and headed back through the long bunker, eager for a breath of fresh air and to check in with my family. I already missed them.

  Linc Harris

  When I saw the truck pulling into the driveway, I breathed a sigh of relief. They’d made it home safely. There was no way I was going to raise six children, four of whom I’d only met recently. My mom had done a great job of helping me watch all of them the past few hours, but I knew what was going on out there in the world. I wanted my attention focused on keeping us safe.

  I’d taken this assignment because I’d known Cooper, the kid’s dad, back during his training days with the CIA. My unit had worked with him on a few missions overseas, and even though it had been quite a few years since I’d heard from him, when he made such an unusual request, I couldn’t say no. I’d only been “retired” for three months, but was going stir crazy trying to find something that would keep my interest. It didn’t hurt that it would put me closer to where my mom lived either. We’d acted like we’d never met to help protect his cover story.

  Fifteen years in the service had kept me fit, but I’d found that working on the farm worked out different muscles than military life, especially my patience. Jessica’s husband had just left when I took the job, and I knew when I saw her that she was the one. Problem was that I had wrongly assumed she would be open to a relationship; her ex left her very mistrustful of men. So, while farming wasn’t my specialty yet, I’d hoped the learning curve wouldn’t be that difficult until she fell for my charms.

  Jessica was smiling at something Trish said as she got out of the truck. Her smile was always a distraction, but I managed to focus my attention back to reality just as they saw me.

  “Hey, Linc. We made it back.” Trish waved, heading in my direction.

  “You’re never going to believe the stuff that happened to us in just the last few hours.” Jessica tucked a gun into the back of her jeans and pulled her shirt down over it.

  “I’m guessing you ran into trouble?” I nodded my head toward the gun. “I’ve never seen you packing before.”

  “Linc, I think all the adults need to start carrying a gun because those things are multiplying, and the only thing that will stop them are bullets.” Jessica’s smile disappeared.

  “It’s not only the zombies that we have to worry about, it’s the people who are going to take advantage of the situation,” Trish added. “It’s not pretty out there.”

  The kids, who had been watching for their mothers to return from their supply run, spotted the truck and were running toward us, so I decided to wait to find out more information.

  Somehow, Cooper had known something was brewing and had this backup plan setup. They were supposed to drop Cooper off at the airfield, and then pick a few supplies, but it sounded like the shit had hit the fan a little earlier than Cooper had anticipated.

  “Mom, you’re okay.” Nicole hugged Trish as the children mobbed the ladies.

  I waited until they’d all been reassured before interrupting. “Drew, can I get you and Carson to come help me unload the supplies that your moms brought back?”

  “Yeah, sure,” nine-year-old Drew answered, taking the keys from his mom and opening the truck door.

  “Jessica, why don’t you take everyone inside so we can get this done a little easier?” I asked as two-year-old Trevor took off running after a chicken.

  “Roxanne and I will help too,” Jessica volunteered, taking the keys back from Drew with a shake of her head.

  “Trish, go ahead. It won’t take the four of us very long.” She moved to open the barn doors farther apart so that she could back the truck inside.

  I held back for just a minute to watch Jessica’s ass as it moved so nicely in those jeans. “Uh, Jessica? I think you have something on your butt.” I moved closer and lowered my voice so the kids wouldn’t overhear. “You’ve got some blood on your pants.”

  “Crap!” Jessica exclaimed, starting to unbutton her plaid shirt.

  “Whoa! Hold on,” I said. “It’s on your pants, not on your shirt. Not that I mind you taking off your shirt.”

  Jessica ignored my pointed comment and continued to pull her shirt off, revealing a tank top. “I know, but my shirt will keep the blood and the gun covered until I can go in and get changed.”

  “Wait, how did you know it was blood?” Jessica looked at me suspiciously.

  “Military training, remember? I’ve seen enough blood to know what it is, and that it isn’t yours.”

  Relief flooded Jessica’s face as she realized I was on her side.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, since she had never questioned me like that before.

  “Uh, yeah. It’s just been a long day.” She brushed a strand of hair back, trying to get it into her ponytail.

  “Where do you want…” Carson’s voice trailed off. “Whoa! Are all these crates full of guns, Aunt Jessica?”

  “Yes, honey. Those zombie things can only be stopped by bullets, and since I didn’t have lots of them stocked up, that’s what your mom and I were doing. I think we should be good for a while now.” Jessica calmly walked over and placed the lid back on the crate. “I want both of you boys to promise me that you won’t play around with these, or even be in the barn while they’re stored here.”

  Jessica pinned them both with her motherly stare until they answered, “Yes, ma’am,” with great reluctance.

 
I held back a chuckle because she was right, but I would have agreed to anything if I’d been under that stare as well.

  “Let’s stack them up in this empty stall, and then we can put a few hay bales around it so it doesn’t look like we have a gun pile just lying around. We’ll be able to see if someone moves things around too,” I suggested, looking pointedly at the two boys.

  The household items and a case of ammo for the guns we already had were set aside to be taken into the house.

  “Thanks for your help, boys. Carson, can you drive the truck up to the house and make sure those get inside?” Eyes wide, Carson shook his head yes. He didn’t wait for me to change my mind.

  “Trish will help make sure the dangerous stuff is put up properly,” I reassured Jessica. “I need to talk to your mom for just a minute, though, so head on over.” I waited until they were both out of sight before I pulled Jessica into my arms.

  “What are you doing, Linc?” Jessica squeaked in surprise.

  “Not waiting until it’s too late to tell you that I like you. I’ve thought about the fact that you might’ve died out there today, and so far, all we’ve done is some serious flirting. I want to take this flirting to the next level. What do you say?”

  Jessica surprised me when she snuggled into my arms. “I was wondering how long it would take you to actually make a move on me.”

  As she tilted her face up toward me with a smile, I didn’t hesitate or give her a chance to protest as I laid my lips on hers and laced my fingers through her hair.

  She moaned and opened her mouth just enough for me to take possession of it.

  “Ew, yuck! Mom!” Roxanne stood in the doorway with a horrified look on her face. I quickly released Jessica, and we both turned to face her daughter.

  “If you two want to do it with each other, just get a room, or better yet, just don’t.” Roxanne turned and walked back toward the house, rubbing her eyes and mumbling, “I can’t believe I caught my mom making out. Gross! My eyes just can’t erase that.”

  Jessica started to giggle, and then laughed until tears started running down her face.

  Feeling uncomfortable, I took her by the arm and led her over to a bale of hay to sit down on, then I took a seat next to her.

  Wiping away the tears, she straightened with a look of regret.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you that way. I—”

  “I’m so glad you did,” she interjected, cutting me off. “It’s just…well, getting caught by my almost teenager.” She grinned. “I always thought it would be me keeping her from going too far. This whole day has just been surreal. I should be so excited that you like me, but all I can see are the guts hanging out of those things’ mouths before I shot them.”

  Jessica gave a shudder. “I think I’ll be fine, but I need to unwind and process everything for a little bit. Is that okay?” She turned toward me with a tearstained face, and all I could think was, ‘how long did she expect me to wait when she kept giving me looks like that?’

  “Uh…yeah. Sure.” I managed to get out. “We can take it as slow as you want.”

  I guess my face must have reflected my disappointment because she started laughing at me. “I only meant a few hours, but you should’ve seen the look on your face.”

  She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and jumped up. “I think we should continue this conversation later tonight, after my kids have gone to bed. I don’t want to get caught with my pants down.”

  Shaking my head at her, I found myself smiling the rest of the afternoon as I worked on securing the farm against the zombies. We would certainly do some talking, but hopefully it would come with some physical benefits as well.

  My mom came out the front door ready to be driven back to her home in town. I wasn’t too thrilled that she had decided to stay there, but I knew that she valued her independence now that dad was gone. I’d kept up with her over the years I’d been overseas, but being on her own for a while now, she didn’t really like it when I tried to protect her.

  “You’re going to follow me back home?” She paused with her hand on the truck’s door.

  Not quite sure if she was asking me or demanding, I answered respectfully. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be right behind you. The truck should protect you in case we run into trouble.”

  “I think you’re going overboard about this zombie thing, but just in case, you be careful. That widow maker isn’t much protection against those killers.” Mom pointed to my crotch rocket parked next to the barn.

  “Mom,” I sighed. No matter how many times I’d tried to tell her my motorcycle was perfectly safe, she continued to give it that horrible nickname. “I can move around things easier on it than I can in a truck.”

  “You could go around,” she called through the window. “Or you could just plow through them with a truck.”

  Ignoring her parting remark, I rolled the bike from the side of the barn and headed down the drive to open the gate.

  The ten-mile ride to town was quiet, since most people in the area were staying home, hoping that the sickness didn’t spread to their family. If we could avoid illness in our town, it would be a lot easier to keep the zombies from growing.

  I zipped past Mom and enjoyed the freedom of the peaceful farmland passing by.

  As we approached town, I noticed a road block at the main highway entrance to town so I slowed down, having met most of the police force over the past few months since moving to the area and didn’t expect any problems. Only it wasn’t members of the force that were blocking the road, it was the group most given to hysterics that were in charge at this stop.

  There wasn’t much else I could do, but stop and see if they would let us drive through.

  “Hey, Linc. Whatcha doing?” Peter, the owner of the local gas station, called out to me.

  Carefully taking my helmet off, I kept my hands in sight, seeing that the men had guns and were a little jumpy.

  “Just escorting my mom back from the farm. Didn’t want her to run into trouble. Are we expecting trouble?” I quickly counted five men with rifles hidden behind a couple of traffic barricades that didn’t give them any protection if someone really wanted through the gate.

  “No trouble, and we won’t have a problem as long as neither one of you looks sick or bitten by one of those things. You’ll have to step closer so that we can see you better,” Peter explained in a reasonable tone, but the grim determination didn’t leave his face.

  “Let me tell Mom.” I motioned to the truck that had pulled up behind me.

  I walked slowly up to the truck and explained to Mom what the problem was.

  “Mom, they want to check us for bites. Don’t say anything to make them not let you back into town. I think we’re going to need you to keep us informed about what’s happening in town every day.” I leaned through the open window so that I didn’t have to raise my voice.

  “Okay, if you’re sure.” Mom started to unbuckle her seat belt.

  “Don’t mention your gun under the seat. I’m hoping they only search us and not our vehicles.”

  “Peter’s sweet on me, so I think we’ll be okay. I’m hoping that will help convince the others with him.” Mom grinned at me, knowing it bothered me that so many of the older men were trying to win her over.

  I shook my head as I opened the door to let her out, and accompanied her to the men nervously pacing behind the barricade.

  “That’s close enough,” Peter called out when we were about ten feet from the barricade. “Now turn around slowly.”

  “No bites,” I reassured as I turned around and faced them again.

  Peter glanced at the others before giving the okay. “You can come on through, Mavis, Linc.”

  I waited for Mom to drive through the barricade that they’d opened for her, and then wheeled my bike through.

  “Mom, I’ll meet you there in a minute.” I waved her away from the group of men.

  “Peter, where’s the police force? Why ar
e you guys doing this instead of them?”

  “The Mayor, Chris, fired them,” Peter answered quietly as the barricade closed behind me.

  “Why would he do that?” I asked incredulously.

  “They wouldn’t promise to arrest anyone that was sick. The police chief said, “Even sick people have rights.” So Chris fired him. When the others heard that, they followed their chief.”

  “So all the sick people have been arrested?”

  “Not arrested,” Jim, who was a known troublemaker, answered. “Just detained at the clinic and under guard. If they don’t have any fever for two days, then they can go home.”

  “Hmm…sounds like everyone’s taking good precautions so this doesn’t spread. I’m glad that you all were thinking ahead.” I watched as Peter visibly relaxed, and Jim’s hand left his side where his gun was holstered.

  “I’ll just go make sure that my mama’s all settled and head back out to the farm if that’s all right with you, Peter?”

  “Ah, yeah. No problem. If you’re not sick then you can leave. Right, gentlemen?” Peter looked nervously at the other men in the group for approval.

  “You know, Peter, you have my number if you need me to help take a shift and stand guard.”

  “Oh, that won’t be necessary. We got plenty of volunteers. Just know that if you come back, we’ll have to search you each time, just in case.”

  “Sure, that’s completely understandable. Anything can happen even in a short time frame.” I swung a leg over the bike and fired her up. “Laters,” I called cheerfully.

  Minutes later, I pulled up to Mom’s two-bedroom house. It was just perfect for her, with a front porch and small yard so that she didn’t have much upkeep.