Zombified (Book One: Hudson Place)

Chapter One

Mick Carter was almost ready to leave for work on an ordinary Monday morning when the phone rang. Before he could say hello, he heard his boss and lifelong friend Dave Martin, shouting. Mick held out the receiver, grimaced, and then gingerly placed it back against his ear.

Mick! You there!

Yeah Dave, what’s up, Mick asked with a puzzled expression on his face. What in the world had Dave so excited?

Mick! Thank God I got hold of you before you left for work! Dave sounded almost frantic. Have you heard what’s happening?

Um, no, haven’t heard anything. What’s going on? Mick asked somewhat absently as he looked up to see Brooke pass by. She looked ready for school, but he heard her complaining to Cindy that she couldn’t find her cell phone.

Remember that story we were talking about at lunch yesterday? About all those people getting sick?

Mick told Dave about a small story in the paper that caught his attention. A group of Boy Scouts took a field trip to a popular salt plain bird refuge and lake. Beside bird watching and fishing, the salt plains area produced selenite crystals, and people came from all over to dig them up.

While digging, one of the scouts found several glass vials full of liquid and put them in his small plastic bucket to take home. The bucket was placed in the back of the Scout leader’s van and another child dumped his crystals into the bucket, breaking most of the vials.

During the trip home, the van full of children and adults unknowingly inhaled the noxious fumes. By the next morning, most of the children and one adult were in the hospital.

They were looking for the other two adults who had been in the vehicle, one was reportedly on a plane to Europe and the other had left for a vacation with his family.

The article also mentioned that the Army was involved. During World War II the area was used for training and although they denied the vials contained anything truly harmful, the salt plains were immediately closed off.

I remember, Mick replied. What about it?

That stuff they were exposed to, it’s lethal Mick. I just finished talking to a friend of mine from the CDC. He was telling me that the Army sent them tissue samples from two of the victims, and they have no idea what it is they’re looking at.

That’s awful, Mick said, trying to think. So what exactly are you saying here?

Mick could hear Dave take a deep breath before replying. If what Bill told me is true, we’re all in deep shit, Dave said bluntly. I know this is going to be hard to believe, but the Army started a full quarantine of everyone who was exposed after two of the kids and the adult died. Mick - they didn’t stay dead! Anywhere from two to six hours after death, the bodies - I can’t believe I’m saying this - but they reanimated and started attacking people.

Huh? It was all Mick could think of to say, and then he grinned. Ah, I get it. You almost had me going there Dave, good one! They were always pulling pranks on each other and Mick had to admit, this was one of Dave’s best so far.

Dammit Mick, I’m not joking! This is deadly serious. Bill was telling me this virus spreads like wildfire through any type of contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids. He said this thing is already out of control in our area. They’re starting to get new reports in other areas of people exhibiting bizarre or violent behavior.

Mick’s grin faded as he heard the earnestness in his friend’s voice. He also knew Dave wouldn’t take a joke this far. Okay, say I believe you, he said with a sigh. How can something like this spread so fast?

"Bill said when the first victims died, the Army set up at the hospital and sent samples out to various labs, including the CDC. When these things came back, several people were attacked and bitten, sounds like there was utter chaos."

As Mick tried to process what Dave was saying he asked, So what does all this mean?

Bill told me the only way he could describe what was happening to people was that they were turning into... he paused and whispered so softly Mick wasn’t sure he heard right. Zombies.

Zombies? You did say zombies? Mick was stunned. Zombies were movie characters, not real creatures. He was beginning to think Dave was pulling his leg again; something like this was too fantastic to believe. He shook his head and said, So what are we going to do?

I’d tell you to go watch the news on TV, but trust me, there is NO TIME! Dave shouted, becoming excited again as he spoke rapidly. You need to call the twins, have them get their families together and all of you get over to Hudson Place pronto. Try to pack as much as you can, but get over here within the hour. You might have that much time, but the way things are going, who knows. Whatever you do, please don’t delay!

The phone disconnected on Dave’s end and Mick held onto the receiver with a dumbfounded look on his face. What in the hell was really happening? He looked up as Cindy came through the kitchen doorway.

Mick, something weird is going on, all the TV stations are running warnings for people to stay inside, sounds like there’s some kind of riot or disturbance or something going on. Do you have any idea what it’s about?

I’m not sure, but Dave is certain he knows, Mick replied with a shake of his head as he replaced the receiver. That was him on the phone. He wants us to load up as much as we can and get over to Hudson Place immediately.

Cindy’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened in surprise. "What in the world? Dave said that?"

Mick nodded, his lips pursed together in a thin line as he tried to think it all through. He glanced at Cindy, who was nervously playing with her wedding ring. From what Dave was telling me, it sounds like whatever is happening might be serious enough to take his advice and do what he’s asking.

Before she could answer, the phone rang again and Mick snatched it up. Hello, he began, then listened for a moment before hanging up. That was one of those recorded messages from the high school, advising all students to stay indoors and away from the school and any other public area, he told Cindy as he frowned and ran his fingers through his short, wavy brown hair.

He didn’t like this, not at all. Something was going on and he had no idea for sure what it was. But he did know one thing. He trusted Dave, who was more than a boss; he was also a lifelong friend. He made up his mind right then and there. Better to be safe than sorry.

Call the boys, tell them to get everyone over to Dave’s, make sure they have the address, he said firmly. "Tell them to hurry and meet us there in an hour. Let’s get Brooke before she heads out the door and get packed as fast as we can."

To Mick, whenever he looked back, that was the beginning of the end of life as he knew it. They made it to Dave’s safely although the trip had been a little surreal. The drive took them fifteen minutes and in that time they heard the constant wail of sirens and Mick was certain he’d heard sporadic gunfire.

There were few people out, most seemed to have heeded the warnings to stay inside. The people they saw behaved strangely, most staggered around as though drunk, and they even saw a few laying on the sidewalks or slumped against buildings.

Brooke was asking rapid-fire questions and Cindy kept trying to answer them in a calm and quiet voice, although Mick could tell she was doing everything in her power to remain calm herself. He reached over once and gently squeezed her hand; she rewarded him with a small smile.

As he drove, Mick thought back to when Dave first told him about Hudson Place. Dave had been convinced there would be a massive bird flu epidemic, and he purchased a large warehouse to the south and right inside the city limits. He had the building fortified against intruders, then stocked it to the rafters with anything and everything he could think of. He had a high cinder block wall built around the back and actually kept a cow and two calves, chickens, rabbits, and a few pigs there. He also started a rooftop garden overflowing with vegetables and some small fruit-bearing trees. He had the money and he spared no expense. Mick had thought it was just another project for Dave and Lilly, his wife, to do together. Mick didn’t realize it at the time, but because of Dave’s fears, his foresight would save many lives over the coming days.

Once at their destination, Dave waved as he leaned over a balcony on the fourth floor and shouted down to them. Garage is on the other side!

He disappeared from view and Mick drove around the building and into a massive garage. Dave added it on a few months ago; it would easily hold several vehicles. Mick was relieved to see that Sean and Denise had already arrived, but Scott’s car was not there yet. There were also three black SUV’s, a blue sedan, and a white minivan inside.

Mick turned around after he had parked to look at Brooke. Call Scott, see where they are please.

Will do, Brooke replied as she got out. She looked out toward the street and pointed. Hey, isn’t that them now?

Sure enough, there was Scott with Sarah, and their little granddaughters, Heather and Sally. Mick breathed a sigh of relief as he waved them toward the garage. As soon as Scott pulled in, the door began to close and several lights came on.

Dave entered through a side door with Sean and two other men and Mick immediately recognized one of them. Jeff Caldwell worked with Mick and Dave and he gave Mick a solemn nod as they shook hands. Jeff and his wife Lindsey had two young children, if Mick remembered correctly, Rory was about seven and Stacey, four; perfect little playmates for Heather and Sally.

Mick finally remembered the other man’s name was Darrell Johnson, but didn’t really know him. As the men helped unload the cars, everyone began asking questions all at once and Dave held up a hand.

Let’s get inside and we’ll talk, Dave said. He gave them a slight, sad smile. I’m glad you all made it, I was so worried.

Everyone followed Dave into the building. Once we get your luggage upstairs and we’ve had a chance to talk, Lilly and I will give you all a tour of the place, he said with a good-natured smile. I think you’ll be surprised.

Dave continued to lead them upstairs to the third floor, where they entered a door that Mick noticed could be locked and bolted from the inside. Dave directed them toward which rooms their luggage went in, and once they were together in hall again, he went back out the door and they followed him up another flight of stairs into another large room split up into two main areas.

They walked through a kitchen/dining area as Dave led them toward the opposite end, which appeared to be a living room. Mick saw Sean and Denise sitting on a large couch talking to Lindsey.

Once everyone was together, Lilly took the youngest children up to the rooftop to play on a swing set she promised them they would have a lot of fun on. The teens, Brooke and Darrell Johnson’s son Jimmy, were allowed to stay.

Almost everyone knew one another, but Dave introduced each family and told a little something about them. Sean and Scott, seizing the opportunity, introduced themselves to each other, and then pretended to be shocked when they realized they both had the same parents and were born on the same day. Everyone laughed and it lightened the mood, if only for a moment. When they had settled back down, Dave walked over and stood in front of a large plasma TV mounted on the wall, running his gaze over each person in turn before speaking.

Some of you, like Mick, knew Lilly and I were working on a project here. He also knew the reason for this project was based on my belief that we were headed for a big pandemic, H5N1 or Avian Influenza. Bird flu seemed the most likely suspect, but it could have been anything. I wanted a place where I felt we could be reasonably protected, and as you’ll see on the tour, we had planned to invite all of you to join us here.

At their surprised looks, he smiled and held up a hand. The reason why is simple. We consider all of you close friends, and we wouldn’t have felt right if we kept this place to ourselves and something terrible happened to the people we care about.

He paused for a moment as though contemplating what to say next then tilted his head and said grimly, A pandemic would have killed a lot of people, but it was something we knew could be overcome, but it would have been nothing compared to what is happening now. Since yesterday, I’ve been in contact with a lot of folks who convinced me that we needed to act fast if we were going to survive. Then I had to convince all of you. Some of you didn’t make it easy, he continued as he gave Mick a quick glance. Most of you even thought it was a joke, but believe me, I can understand that. After all, it’s not every day you hear we’re about to be overrun by zombies.

The word zombie was enough to bring on a flurry of questions. Mick and Cindy hadn’t had the time to fully explain to Brooke what was going on, and the stricken look on her face nearly broke his heart. Cindy put an arm around her as Dave went on to repeat the story of what he told Mick over the phone.

When finished, he paused and let his gaze wander over each of them before saying, Now that everyone’s on the same page, let’s talk about what to do. He walked over to a large overstuffed leather chair and sat down.

There was silence for a moment before Scott spoke up. We should probably start by monitoring the TV, internet, and radio stations to get as much factual news as we can.

Dave nodded. Agreed, and I also have a ham radio. I’m in touch with several people here in Ambrose and the surrounding towns. I’ll also keep in frequent touch with Bill at the CDC, if it weren’t for him we wouldn’t have known the danger we were in.

Mick was suddenly grateful their work involved the medical profession. Dave ran a lucrative medical supply business and probably knew half the people who worked in labs and hospitals across the country. He had offered Mick a job over fifteen years ago as his Marketing and Public Relations manager. He knew Jeff was in Research and Development, and was fairly certain Darrell was a medical supply technician.

At the time, Mick was reluctant to take the position because of his longstanding friendship with Dave, but Cindy talked him into it. He soon found his fears unfounded; Dave turned out to be as good a boss as he was a friend.

We should be calling everyone we know to warn them, too, Brooke said quietly. I’ve been texting all my friends since we left home.

Mick was proud of her for speaking up, although Brooke was often as outgoing and exuberant as her brothers, around people she didn’t know well she tended to be on the shy side.

Dave nodded in her direction and replied, You know, that’s such an important thing, maybe we should spend the next hour calling people. Some may not believe us, but I think by now most folks know something unusual is going on. He stood up and extracted his cell phone from his pants pocket. Let’s meet back here in an hour, and then we’ll give you that tour we promised.

****

An hour and many cell phone calls later, they met back up to begin the tour. The adults stood around talking while Lindsey gave the hungry and thirsty children a quick snack. When they were finished, everyone followed Dave and Lindsey all the way down to the first floor.

The cement block building on Hudson Place faced north and was painted a nondescript off-white color; at one time it was the largest warehouse in town. There were four floors and a basement.

The first floor was almost empty, the walls a stark white, and the floor was covered in the same type of generic tiles seen in hospitals or schools. There were several large windows on the east and west walls, but all of them were covered on the outside with protective steel shutters.

There were two areas partitioned off on the south end, one was full of medical supplies and the other served as storage for several cots, flashlights, oil lamps, and assorted camping gear. Along the inside wall ran what looked like a closet but actually held stairs that led down to the basement where the main water tank, heater, and miscellaneous items were stored. There wasn’t a lot to see and the group quickly moved up to the second floor.

Off the stairs to the left, there was a medium-sized room that housed a small library stocked with all types of books, CD’s, and DVD’s. There were even school supplies and three desks with computers sitting on top, each hooked up to the internet.

The main space contained rows of freestanding shelves holding all kinds of supplies from food and clothing, to seeds and kitchen utensils. Each row was labeled and Mick was astounded, Dave seemed to have thought of everything.

On the south end was a secured room with a myriad of weapons and ammunition. Shelves lined the walls and on the left were guns of all makes. To the right were boxes upon boxes of ammunition. The back shelves contained every kind of knife, in Mick’s opinion, that had ever been made.

Under the shelves were boxes containing re-breathers, respirators, flak jackets, helmets, and even some riot gear. Sean and Scott were reluctant to leave the room; Mick figured they could have probably stayed there all day. Both of his sons recently returned from Iraq with their Army National Guard unit and they were practically drooling over what they saw. Dave promised the adults they would be given the combination to the lock, but cautioned everyone to keep it secret from the kids.

Although most of them were on the third floor earlier to deposit their luggage, what they hadn’t seen came as a complete surprise; it was almost like stepping into someone’s home - a large one. The entry and hallway was painted a warm shade of beige and the floors were wood, with rugs scattered here and there. A few feet down the hall and to the left, double doors led into a room almost the entire length of the building. This, Dave explained, was the sleeping area for the children.

Lilly designed this floor, so she took over the tour. While the children rummaged through the toy boxes and jumped on the beds, everyone admired the bright primary colors on the walls. There was a hand-painted mural on the back wall sporting a huge rainbow above a forest full of butterflies and an assortment of wide-eyed forest animals.

Under the mural was a play area complete with toy boxes, shelves holding arts and crafts, and two small colorful tables with matching chairs. The floor was covered in a thick beige carpet. Each bed was different, with brightly colored bedspreads. Four small dressers painted in bright blues, reds, yellows, and greens were placed between the beds.

Sunlight filled the room through the large windows, since they were on the third floor they were open; this was a bright and cheerful place. Dave and Lilly were never able to have children, and Mick could tell that Lilly had really thrown herself into the project. Mick noticed on his way out that there were exactly enough beds for each child.

Once back out in the hall, she began opening doors on the right side of the hall. Each married couple had a room, on opposite ends were slightly larger rooms, one for Brooke and another for Jimmy.

Brooke’s room was done in pastel colors of soft purples, blues, and greens. The walls were a bluish-green with white trim. All the furniture was painted bright white. There were two twin beds with matching light green bedspreads. There was a dresser next to a small closet, and between the two beds was a night stand with a reading lamp on top. In one corner she even had a vanity complete with mirror. The carpet on the floor was the same as in the children’s room, but between the beds was a rug done in a swirl of pastels. Curtains matching the rug covered the large window.

Jimmy’s room was the same size as Brooke’s, also with two twin beds. But there the similarities ended. Done in a rustic style with earth tones throughout, the carpet was darker beige, and the walls were a deep brown. Instead of a vanity, he had a desk/bookcase combination. The bedding and curtains were done in the popular camouflage style. His dresser, bed frame, desk, and night stand were all stained a dark brown, and he also had a small closet.

The bedrooms for the married couples were just as nice. Each held full size beds, dressers, and night stands in finishes from light pine to dark mahogany. There were slightly larger closets, but not by much. The rooms were all carpeted in slightly different colors to match the varying colors each room boasted. Once again, Mick noticed there was exactly the right number of rooms to accommodate them all.

As the tour progressed, Lilly led them to the south end, where there were two dorm-style bathrooms complete with a shower area. The women’s bathroom had a large whirlpool tub and both bathrooms had changing areas with floor-to-ceiling cabinets for their personal belongings.

As they headed back up to the fourth floor, everyone talked excitedly about what they had seen. Mick saw a look of happiness pass between Dave and Lilly, and he smiled to himself. They looked so much alike in