What Remains: Untainted Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  What Remains: Untainted Copyright © 2013 Kris Norris

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About the Author

  Also Available from Resplendence Publishing

  www.resplendencepublishing.com

  What Remains: Untainted

  A New Reality Story

  By Kris Norris

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

  What Remains: Untainted

  Copyright © 2013 Kris Norris

  Edited by Jason Huffman and Liza Green

  Cover Art by Les Byerley

  Published by Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  2665 N Atlantic Avenue, #349

  Daytona Beach, FL 32118

  Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-687-5

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Electronic Release: August 2013

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  To Jackie F—fellow zombie believer and apocalypse partner. When the big one hits, honey, I’ll leave the light on for you up North.

  To my kids, who think it’s perfectly normal to discuss zombies, weapon choices and escape strategies for the apocalypse over dinner. You guys rock.

  And to Chris—I can’t thank you enough for all your wisdom these past couple of years. I’ve been privileged to have you in my corner. Here’s hoping you, “find your path, even in the dark.”

  Chapter One

  Northern Colorado—fifty-nine weeks after initial outbreak.

  “Barrett. Aggressive group, two o’clock.” Colby Harrington fired two rounds, taking out the frontrunners as the three men raced across the pavement. There were far more infected than they’d first thought, and they needed to get inside before they got swarmed, especially with the amount of terrain still left to scour. He pointed at a door set within the wall of the building. “Darcy, head for the door. I’ll cover Barrett.”

  “This is a fucking train wreck.” Barrett cocked his shotgun, unloading another blast at the mass of undead hurdling toward them. “There’s nothing left here alive but us. And if we don’t get back to the Hummer soon, that’s likely to change.”

  Colby glared at him, cutting three more rotting corpses in half as he dodged into a building, locking the door behind the other two men. Black-tinted blood splattered across the dirt-smudged window, smearing into streaks when mutilated hands scratched at the glass. Colby motioned toward a hallway. “True or not, we’re here to scout the area, and unless that definition has changed recently, we haven’t finished our mission.” He gave Barrett a hardened look. “You know as well as I do that we got reports of survivors camped out somewhere around here.”

  “Those reports are over six months old. A lot could have happened since then.” Barrett cleared the corridor before leading the way. “Look, it’s not that I get tired of blowing those motherfuckers away, it’s just…” He sighed, stopping at the next room. “We’ve been at this for nearly a year. I’m not sure how much more I can take. Never finding anyone alive…”

  Colby sighed, casting Darcy a quick glance. The man usually razzed the hell out of Barrett when the guy got sentimental, but the resigned look on Darcy’s face clearly conveyed his agreement. And after fighting for survival for thirteen months, the lads had a point. Anyone still alive had either been found or was nothing more than a figment of their imagination.

  Guilt gnawed at Colby’s gut, churning the acid into an angry boil. He hated this fucking job. More so every day. Humanity was an endangered species, and the quicker the command center realized that, the better. Sending out what few tactical teams they had left on endless rescue missions was futile. Their resources were better served securing safe havens and guarding perimeters, especially when all initial theories had been proven wrong. Whatever this infection was, it seemed to have the ability to sustain its victims indefinitely, through a maelstrom of weather conditions and starvation scenarios, so simply “waiting it out” wasn’t a viable option anymore. And getting what remained of their forces killed for nothing didn’t make sense. Nor did it help increase their pathetic numbers. Even if every woman alive had several children from three or four different men, it’d barely put a bump in the population, let alone secure their survival. They needed every soul they had…period.

  Colby cursed, following Barrett to the next door. A large wire fence surrounded the parking lot of this section of the building, giving them a rare moment of peace outside. Zombies were ruthless and determined, but they had their faults—swimming and climbing being two of them. They’d sooner destroy half the horde trying to push down a fence than scale it.

  Zombies. God. Colby still couldn’t say the word without laughing inside, but it wasn’t because it was funny. And what else were they supposed to call corpses that reanimated after death?

  “We’ll head outside. If we climb the fence and follow the roof, we’ll come out right beside the Hummer. We’ll also get a bird’s eye view of the area. If there are people here, maybe we’ll get a glimpse of them.” Colby nodded at Darcy. “You haven’t lost the keys this time, have you?”

  Darcy glared at him, holding the keys up as they rattled in his hand. “Jesus, lose the damn keys once…just once, and no one lets you forget about it.” He checked his ammo, loading a bullet in each chamber of his twin Glocks, before cocking his MK14 and swinging it across his back. “I’ve got a full clip in the assault rifle and enough rounds in the pistols for a few dozen targets before I’ll need to change magazines. You guys good?”

  Barrett reloaded his shotgun, checking the Magnums holstered at his waist. “Pistols are still fully loaded, and I’ve got several rounds left on the shotty. Colb?”

  “Locked and loaded.”

  Darcy smiled, grabbing the door handle when a series of pops echoed through the air. He stopped, his hand poised on the knob as he gazed at the other two men. “Shit. Did you hear that?”

  Colby drew a sharp breath, motioning Darcy to open the door.

  The man nodded, twisting the handle before swearing. “The fucking lock’s jammed.”

  Colby huffed and swung the butt of his rifle at the window, breaking enough of the glass to sharpen the sounds from beyond the fence. Growls and grunts were a constant backdrop, but there was something else hidden amidst the usual noise.

  Colby swatted Darcy on the shoulder. “Fuck. I hear footsteps.”

  Barrett whistled, pointing at the far end of the fence. “There.”

  Colby stood there, staring, as a figure darted down the road, blonde hair bobbing back and forth as she sprinted for the fence. A mass of movement followed her, the undulating horde gradually gaining ground. She didn’t slow as she neared the obstacle, swinging something behind her back as she launched her body forward, taking the fence at full speed. The momentum propelled her upward, and she grabbed the top, vaulting her feet up and over the rail. Her hands twisted on the top, and she let go, falling to the pavement in a blur of c
lothes. The zombies rammed the fence, stretching their pale, rotting flesh through the holes, pawing at her as they pushed against the wire.

  The woman scooted back on her ass, swinging a gun to her chest before unleashing a short blast of bullets into the crowd. Blood and chunks of putrid flesh exploded into the air, raining down on the waiting mass. But as fast as she dispatched the front row, more took their places, their hollow eyes never looking away. She scrambled to her feet, limping slightly as she headed across the lot, checking the gun’s magazine en route. She seemed intimately familiar with her surroundings, not giving the horde a second glance as she angled toward a small overhang forty yards off to their left.

  Colby yelled to her, rattling the door, but the woman kept running, quickly disappearing from sight. He drew a deep breath, staring at the far end of the building. Had he really seen her?

  He gave himself a mental shake, tapping Darcy’s shoulder. “You did see that, right? I didn’t just imagine a beautiful girl running through the parking lot?”

  Darcy spared him a quick glance before looking at the spot where she’d disappeared. “If you did, then we’re both having the same disillusioned dream.”

  “Make that three of us.” Barrett motioned toward the zombies. “They look nastier than normal, mate. I think we’d best retrieve Goldilocks and make for the Hummer.”

  Colby nodded. “Barrett. Double back and take the other corridor. See if you can find another way outside that doesn’t put you at increased risk and head in the same direction. Darcy, get this fucking door open then go right and try to find a way up to the roof. We need someone with sniper power in case things turn ugly. I’ll follow Goldilocks and hopefully meet you somewhere close to the Hummer. Just remember…she’s not going to be expecting anything human following her, so I think it’s safe to say she’ll shoot first and ask questions later. And it’d be a shame to die before we can properly celebrate.”

  Darcy turned to the door, smashing more of the glass as he slammed the butt of his rifle against it. Colby took a step forward when Barrett grabbed his arm.

  The man glanced off to his left then sighed. “What happens if she’s…you know, infected, but hasn’t turned yet?”

  Colby raised a brow. “We do what we always do.”

  Barrett’s jaw clenched. “But…” He released Colby and took a step back. “I’ll meet up with you guys in a bit.”

  Colby watched the man dart off, his boots silent across the old linoleum floor. He looked at Darcy. “Any questions?”

  “Nope.” Darcy cursed and drew his gun, blowing a hole in the lock before trying the handle again. He wedged the thing open and squeezed through, clearing the lot as he turned and glanced back across his shoulder. “You might want to cut Barrett some slack. That last time…” He shook his head, staring down at his boots as if they held the answers. “He hasn’t gotten over it yet.”

  “None of us have, but damn, Darcy, she was already sick. I’ve never seen skin that color before, not on someone still breathing. Watching her slowly die and turn would have been a far crueler fate.”

  “I know, but Barrett—being his stepsister and all—and after finding her alive. I just hope this isn’t a repeat.”

  “We won’t know that until we catch the nimble minx, now will we?” Colby chuckled. “I’ve never seen someone vault a fence like that…other than you.”

  Darcy smiled. “She’s a close second, though she might be better than you, Colb.”

  He dodged Colby’s slap as he took off running, clearing the far corner before disappearing around the building. Colby took stock of the zombies milling around the fence. While a few were still trying to push their way through, most had taken to mindlessly walking back and forth as if they’d forgotten what they were doing there in the first place. He readied his gun as he darted out, keeping his body flush to the side of the building as he neared the next section. The overhang turned out to be a loading dock with large double doors leading into the warehouse. He jumped over the railing and tried the doors, cursing when he found them locked. It would have been easier, not to mention safer, to hunt their refugee down inside, where there’d be less chance of an altercation. Out in the open…she could kill them from a few hundred yards off is she had the right tools.

  He pushed away the gnawing feeling in his gut as he followed the building farther down. A fire escape ladder dangled just out of reach against the side as if someone had pulled the extension up from above. He surveyed the area then leaped, grabbing the bottom rung. The ladder creaked then clattered to the ground, impacting the pavement with a loud reverberation. If she didn’t know something was following her before, she sure as hell did now.

  Colby swore under his breath as he swung his sub-machine gun across his back and started up the ladder, checking behind him as he crested the first balcony. The zombies still clamored at the fence, the noise from the ladder gaining their attention so that they renewed their efforts to get inside. He pulled up the ladder then grabbed hold of the rails and took the twisting steps two at a time. The rusty metal clanked beneath his feet, sending out a steady beat of his progress. He shook his head, covering the three flights quickly before stopping at the last level. The edge of the roof hovered several feet above him while a door graced the side of the building. He took a deep breath and pulled at the handle, swearing loudly when it didn’t budge. If someone had ventured up the fire escape, he had no idea how they’d managed to get through the door, unless they’d never climbed the ladder to begin with.

  He pounded his fist against the wall in frustration. He should have broken down the damn door with his fists and gotten to her before she’d had a chance to disappear. Now, they were stuck chasing shadows. He released a weary breath. Too many dead. That was the problem. In the ten months they’d been doing recon missions, they’d never found survivors who weren’t infected and nothing but dead in the past four months. Darcy was right. They’d lost hope. Seeing the woman…it was like something out of a fantasy movie. Hell, he still wasn’t convinced he and the lads hadn’t simply imagined the entire incident. Perhaps, they’d actually been killed, and this was Hell.

  The thought sobered him, and he glanced up, calculating the distance as he climbed onto the rail, praying he didn’t fall to his death. He reached out his arms, moving them to maintain his balance before launching his body upward, grunting as his hands closed around the lip of the brick. He kicked at the rough stone, using the uneven surface for traction as he slowly pulled his body over the edge until he could swing one leg up to straddle the wall. His breath puffed in small clouds about his face as he worked to get the rest of his body over the barrier, finally swinging his feet onto the asphalt surface. He paused to catch his breath when a gun cocked off to his right.

  “You so much as twitch, and I’ll put a bullet through that thick skull of yours. Now, I suggest you keep your hands where I can see them and turn around real slow.”

  He tried not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Here they were, surrounded by zombies, stuck on a rooftop, and the woman was worried what he might do to her. Just his luck he’d probably stumbled upon the one person left alive who wasn’t looking to get saved.

  Colby turned, his gaze clashing with a set of green eyes. They stared back at him, fear flashing in and out of the bright orbs as she shifted restlessly on her feet. But it was the intelligence in her expression that held his attention. A look he hadn’t seen outside of the compound in nearly a year.

  She nodded at him, her hands white-knuckled around the gun. “I’ve never seen one of the Gray climb a ladder…not like that. Sometimes they get over the fences, but never a ladder. Not enough coordination, I think. So that leaves only a few possibilities. Either you’re not your typical Gray, only infected or…”

  Her voice trailed off as if speaking the alternative might somehow change the outcome. She tilted her head, scanning the length of his body as she held the rifle against her shoulder. It was impressive, though not the gun he would ha
ve chosen for fighting his way through hordes of undead. The M16 was a good long-range weapon, but didn’t have the versatility he liked for close combat. His gaze dropped to her waist, drawing a smile. Twin Berettas graced her hips, the handles within easy reach. The girl was well equipped, he’d give her that much.

  Colby motioned to the horde. “I’m not one of them. What did you call them? The Gray?”

  She twisted slightly, glancing from the mass back to him. “The Gray…on account of their skin.” She furrowed her brow. “Where the hell have you been? It’s what we all call them.”

  “All?” His heart skipped. “There are more? Humans?”

  The edges of her mouth tightened before she gave him the slightest shake of her head. “Used to be, but…”

  She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to. He knew how the story ended.

  She nodded at him again. “Just because you’re not one of them, doesn’t mean you’re not a threat. At least they kill for a reason. I can’t say the same about all humans. Where did you come from?”

  “We were kind of hoping you’d tell us the same thing.”

  The woman gasped as the voice sounded behind her, and she dropped the rifle, un-holstering the two pistols quicker than Colby thought possible, before aiming one at him and the other at Darcy. The rifle swayed back and forth at her waist, secured by a strap across her shoulder. She didn’t flinch, just held one hand out toward each of them, her fingers already compressing the triggers.

  Darcy spared him a quick glance, one gun pointed toward them. “Easy, now. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She lifted half of her mouth into a mocking smile. “Your gun suggests differently.”

  Darcy shrugged. “I’m not the only pointing a pistol, darling.”

  She gave them both a wry grin. “I didn’t survive for four-hundred days by being careless, not when it’s two against one.”