Zombie Mountain(26)

They all agreed to use as few bullets as possible. When it was time to go, Joe and Mike covered Jack and Jared, who no longer bore the pallor of death after consuming several energy bars, as they loaded the truck. It was then decided Joe would drive, Jared shotgun, and Mike and Jack would man the back.

Brice and Julie were still barricaded in the bathroom when they retrieved them. Brice was damned happy to see them, and he had kept Julie tied up, except for her feet.

“She wasn’t going anywhere,” he advised. “I took the tape off of her mouth so she could have a drink from the sink. Had to put it back on, though, as she wouldn’t stop talking even for a nanosecond.”

Jack chuckled in spite of his worry. “We’re getting the hell out of here, Brice. You coming?”

Indeed, neither Brice nor the captive named Julie put up a fuss about leaving. Mike lifted her into the truck bed none too carefully. Whatever kindness he’d given her before had been used up and worn out. “Just sit there and shut the hell up,” he ordered, ignoring her muffled protests.

The tire treads came off before they reached the bottom of the hill. The rims protested with an absurd screech, and sparks roostered out from the friction created by the road. Joe had to slow down significantly, but he could drive faster than the critters that used to be human ambled. From the back, Jack and Mike sharpened their moving target skills whenever one got too close. Other than the walking dead, the streets were empty.

Joe cut the engine under the cover of a large elm tree when they reached the intersection of Los Feliz Boulevard. Darker than any of them had ever seen it. The quiet was eerie, along with the soft rustling breeze that usually went unnoticed. Trash blowing along with it. The occasional crazy, the less occasional car passing. The stars... they could damned near see them all.

Indeed, the world was different now, and the six of them took it all in, each in their own way. Mostly in shock. For those few minutes, surely it sank in that nothing would ever be the same... ever again.





Chapter Seventeen



Cole had been up for about thirty hours straight, with no sleep, since he’d left Seal Beach. Presently, he leaned back in a comfortable office chair in Dodger Stadium’s media room. He chewed on a pretzel and regarded Carla. Part of his training meant going without sleep for nearly four days. Thirty hours should’ve been a piece of cake. But he felt tired... tired, irritated, and restless.



* * *



Carla sat nearby on the floor. She’d managed to get herself to a sitting position from where he’d dumped her. She met his eyes evenly. She didn’t know where Anna was, and this worried her a great deal. But she would never let on to the Agent in Black that she was scared.

Never show them your fear.

She kept her eyes on his, not allowing herself to look at the pretzel. She was ravenous beyond belief. Thirsty, too. She swallowed both back.

Fuck him, she thought.

A few hours ago, Cole had driven them to the ballpark. Parked in the huge lot, she’d watched him study blueprints of the place. Where he’d gotten them, she had no clue. Probably the military base, she reasoned. After a few moments, he rolled the papers neatly and started the SUV again.

The ground level held several loading docks and large supply elevators. Cole had picked one of the locks and drove the vehicle inside. It was dark, a stark contrast to the afternoon sun. It took some moments for Carla’s eyes to adjust to the dimness.

The vile agent cursed when the elevator didn’t work. He cuffed her hands to the steering wheel, leaving Anna, head and arms still covered, in the back.

“Be quiet,” he had reminded Carla. “We don’t know what she’s capable of, do we?” And he left.

Carla had been extremely uncomfortable in this position, but she kept as still as she could. Every time she moved, Anna shifted.

Roughly twenty minutes later Cole reappeared, smiling knowingly. The utility elevator stood open, the lights glowing behind him. He got in the car and released Carla from the steering wheel. He then drove the vehicle into the elevator. After the door closed, it brought them up to the main level, and this time the elevator’s other door opened and he drove them into the coliseum that had once hosted millions of fans in its heyday. It now sat deserted, empty.

Cole parked, re-cuffed Carla, and coaxed Anna out from the back seat. Carla watched as he led the girl down a concourse. Anna still had that jerky gait, following his voice. They turned a corner, out of Carla’s sight.

Carla stretched and wiggled to face the carpet. There’s got to be something, she told herself. She remembered the tiny objects Joe and Mike had used to their benefit; a simple bobby pin, a nail. Arms bound behind her, she used her feet to feel for something she could use.