Z-Burbia 4: Cannibal Road Read online

  “I was hired to,” Kramer said. “There are people in this world that play at games with stakes so high that your little Holler here doesn’t even register to them. At least not until you made it register.”

  “What people? Governments?” Stuart asked. “Were you hired by the US government to experiment on those girls?”

  “The US government?” Kramer laughed. “That puppet organization is completely useless when it comes to actually getting things done that need to get done. I was hired by a select few that wanted to make sure the government,any government, could not interfere in their plans.”

  “Some type of cabal?” Stuart asked. “Just spill it, Kramer. Stop making me drag it out of you. Who were these people that had you kidnap those girls?”

  Kramer sighed and his eyes found Elsbeth’s. The two locked glares for a long while before Kramer finally turned his attention back to Stuart.

  “Not one of those girls was kidnapped,” Kramer said. “They were given to me by their families. But one of the families decided they didn’t want to be a part of my program anymore and hired Ms. Foster’s company to extract their daughter. I was alerted to this by the others and had everything ready for the attack. It was to be the first true test of the girls’ conditioning. It would have worked too, but Foster was a very resourceful woman. Then there was the issue of the Zs. That certainly didn’t help. I’m surprised that my facility was affected at all, but that is just a testament to the strength of the compound.”

  “The compound?” Stuart asked. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, it’s not exactly my area of expertise, but I have zero doubts that the zombie apocalypse was a manmade occurrence and not just a bit of bad luck,” Kramer replied, but held up his hands. “I don’t know more than that. Programs on the level as mine are always insulated from each other. I couldn’t tell you what caused the zombie outbreak anymore than anyone could talk about my program. Distinctly separate entities all with strings attached to one organization.”

  “The Consortium,” I said before I knew I was going to. Everyone looked at me. I gulped and looked at Kramer. “That’s who hired you, right? The Consortium?”

  “That’s what they call themselves now,” Kramer said. “And the makeup of the organization has changed considerably since Z-Day, I am sure. But, yes, that would be the group.”

  “Are you telling us that the Consortium is responsible for Z-Day?” Stuart asked. The guy was getting pissed and I had to wonder how long he could keep it under control before he lunged from that chair and strangled Kramer. “The crazy fucks that destroyed Asheville and are probably coming for us now? They made Z-Day happen?”

  “Like I said, I don’t know the details of Z-Day, but they are the ones that hired me to condition their daughters so they could be placed in areas of power and influence and do the dirty work that needed to be done,” Kramer answered. “Think of it! Beautiful, privileged young women, all expected to do their familial duty and marry wealthy and influential men. Then when the time came, they would take care of certain tasks and no one would be the wiser. Who would possibly suspect them? The world sees them as shallow, spoiled, and out of touch. Not as assassins or spies.”

  “Sleepers,” I said. “Manchurian Candidates.”

  “In a way,” Kramer nodded. “But so much more than just that Hollywood simplicity. My program would have allowed the young women to lead double lives simultaneously. No separation from one side of themselves or the other. They wouldn’t be sleepers as much as dreamers, always actively working, but within the lives they were going to be put into.”

  “Undercover?” I asked.

  “No, no, no,” Kramer said, instantly frustrated. “No one has ever understood it.”

  “No undercover, no sleeping,” Elsbeth said as she tapped her head. “All right here, all the time. We would be who they wanted as well as who they needed. Lie detectors, torture, and drugs- nothing could break us. We were not asleep; we were awake. We were not undercover because we were not liars.”

  Her voice had taken on a strange clinical quality and I could see that more than a few shivers ran up and down some spines in that room.

  “Yes, very good, Ms. Thornberg.” Kramer smiled. “Integrated conditioning that resulted in fully aware and undetectable agents.”

  “Fuck you,” Elsbeth said. “Detect that.”

  I couldn’t help but smile.

  “May I ask a question now?” Kramer inquired. “Where are the other girls?”

  “Not here,” Stuart said. “They have work to do. Work that isn’t about you.”

  “Oh,” Kramer nodded. “Are they helping scout the way with Ms. Torres and her private military contractors?”

  “No,” Stuart said.

  “Gunnery Sergeant,” Kramer sighed. “I can’t help you if you do not help me. Those girls are highly valuable assets.” He stopped and held up his hands as Elsbeth took a step forward. “As well as being valuable human beings. It would be wise to keep them close to you at all times. You have a much better chance of survival if they stay close.”

  “Yes, well, they were needed elsewhere,” Stuart said. “Now, let’s get back to…”

  “Hold on, if I may,” Kramer interrupted. “I am getting the impression they are not scouting ahead and are handling something else entirely.”

  “Yeah, well, after what you have told me, I won’t be letting you in on what that is,” Stuart said. “Now, as for…”

  “You couldn’t possibly be so stupid as to send them where I think you sent them, could you?” Kramer snapped. “Please tell me they are not on their way to Atlanta.”

  “I won’t tell you that,” Stuart smiled, “because they aren’t on their way.”

  “Oh, good,” Kramer replied.

  “They should already be there,” Stuart continued. “And if what you say is true, then they are the perfect people to get the information we need on the Consortium.”

  “You idiots!” Kramer shouted as he got to his feet. “You morons! Do you know what you have done? You have handed those girls to the woman that started it all! Camille Thornberg will find them and she will use them however she wants!”

  “They won’t let her,” Elsbeth smiled. “My sisters know that my mama is not a good person. They’ll fight.”

  “No, they will not!” Kramer yelled. “Camille was involved with my work at every step! She has all of my research and notes! The system I worked with was copied instantly to her system! That woman knows not only what those girls are capable of, but also she knows how to control them! You just gave her what she wants! You just gave her the way to kill not only us, but every settlement left! You fucking idiots have killed yourselves!”

  That brought the room down. No one said a thing as we all stared at the raving old man. Elsbeth was even quiet.

  Which left it up to me, as usual.

  “So we gave the Consortium seven killing machines which can now be put under Camille’s control and turned against us? Is that what you are saying?” I asked. “But surely that will take time. It’s not like she can press a button and the girls are hers to control, right?”

  “It’s exactly like that!” Kramer said as he pulled what looked like a car remote from his pocket. “Just like this!”

  He pressed the button on the remote and pointed it at Elsbeth.

  “Show them, Carly!” he shouted. “Kill them all!”

  Elsbeth frowned. She looked about at us, and then at the thing Kramer held in his hand.

  “I ain’t gonna kill them,” she said. “They’re my family.” She pulled a blade and smiled at Kramer. “But I am gonna kill you. Goodbye.”

  Oh, shit…

  “No,” Stella said calmly, but firmly. “You’re not killing anyone tonight, El.”

  “Creepy old man needs to die,” Elsbeth replied, her eyes locked onto Kramer. “I call dibs on the killing.”

  “No dibs!” Stella snapped. “Put your blade away now, El! I’m not going to tell you again!”
>
  We all looked around at each other with the same thought going through our heads:

  What the fuck is Stella gonna do to stop Elsbeth?

  “You want to be a part of this family? Then you listen to me when I tell you to put away your blade,” Stella said.

  “I’m not a child,” Elsbeth growled, here eyes never wavering from her death glare towards Kramer. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a child.”

  “Then put away the blade,” Stella said. “You aren’t killing this man, no matter how much you want to.”

  “Thank you,” Kramer said.

  “Or how much he deserves it,” Stella continued. “He is the only person that may know what is going on and how we survive it. We need all the information from him we can get.” Stella moved between Elsbeth and Kramer and leaned down right in the man’s face. “You cooperate and show that you are useful, you live. The second you stop being useful, or show me a hint of betrayal, and I let her do whatever she wants to you. Got it?”

  “Whatever I want?” Elsbeth asked as she looked around Stella and grinned at Kramer. “Likeanything anything?”

  “Anything,” Stella replied. She looked at the remote in Kramer’s hand. “Give me that.”

  He handed it over.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “It triggers the conditioning and lets me control the girls with basic verbal commands,” Kramer said. “Each of the girls has a small electrode implanted at the base of their brain. It’s a simple switch, that is all. It should have allowed me to order Elsbeth to kill you, but she apparently has figured out a way to override it.”

  “I bumped my head,” Elsbeth said. “Bumped it hard. Made me forget who I was. Then Pa found me.”

  “Yes, that could have done it,” Kramer nodded.

  “Okay. That’s sorted out,” Stella said as she dropped the remote and ground it under her boot heel. “Now you are going to sit there, Mr. Kramer, and answer my questions until I am done asking. No quid pro quo, no tit for tat. I ask, you answer. Deviate from that, and Elsbeth gets you. Piss me off and Elsbeth gets you. Make me think you are lying and Elsbeth gets you. Are we understood, Mr. Kramer?”

  “Doctor,” Kramer replied. “It’s Dr. Kramer.”

  “She’ll call you Lucy if she wants to,” Elsbeth spat.

  “I don’t think a little courtesy is too much to…” Kramer started but stopped as Stella slapped him across the face. “Ow! There was no need…”

  She slapped him again. He opened his mouth to protest a second time and got a third slap for it.

  “Done?” Stella asked.

  Kramer nodded, his hand rubbing his red cheek.

  “Good,” Stella smiled. “Tell us how we stop the Consortium.”

  “You don’t,” Kramer answered immediately. “They have too many resources. What you have seen is nothing compared to what they will send after you. The only way to survive is to run. Now.”

  “How much time do you suppose we have?”

  “When did you send the girls to Atlanta?” Kramer asked.

  Stella looked back at Stuart and he cleared his throat. “It’s only been a few days,” he replied. “They probably just got there.”

  “Then you have only a few days,” Kramer said. “As soon as Camille realizes she has the girls, she will send them here and wipe all of you out.” He glanced quickly at Elsbeth, but didn’t let his eyes linger too long. “Even with her on your side, they will still win. Camille Thornberg does not negotiate and does not give second chances. You will all be dead before the week is out, in my estimation.”

  “Then we need to move up the timetable,” Stuart said. “We leave the day after tomorrow.”

  “Will we be ready?” Stella asked and looked at me.

  “We’ll have to be,” I replied. “No other choice. We work through the nights until every vehicle is in shape and ready to go. Anything that isn’t ready, we leave. We can’t risk being on the run and having equipment break down. Better to be limited with reliable vehicles and weapons than find out the hard way on the road.”

  “We’ll spread the word now,” Buzz said as he pushed Gunga towards the door. “I’ll have my brothers make sure everyone coming with us knows the plan.”

  “Are folks not coming?” I asked. “That’s the first I’ve heard of that.”

  “Some just don’t want to leave,” Buzz shrugged. “They are tired of fighting and tired of living. They’d rather risk it here.”

  “Fools,” Kramer said, and then flinched as Stella moved her hand.

  Stella grinned, but there was no happiness in it.

  “Thanks, Buzz,” Stella said. “When you are done spreading the word, please come find me. We have a lot of work to do before we hit the road.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Buzz said as he hurried out of the saloon.

  “And what of me?” Kramer asked. “I can be of help, you know.”

  “You stay put,” Stella said as she stretched and rolled her neck. “I don’t want to worry about you. Elsbeth will sit here and keep you company while we get the evacuation in order. Right, El?”

  “I’ll sit right here,” Elsbeth said as she shoved John out of his chair and took the seat for herself. “He ain’t going nowheres.”

  “No, I suspect he isn’t,” Stella grinned.

  ***

  It was not easy getting everyone moving in order to be ready to leave in a day and a half. I was pretty surprised by the amount of resistance we met. You’d think people would be willing to put a little hustle into their survival, but as I grew more and more frustrated with the inefficiency and laziness, Stella pulled me aside to remind me of something very important.

  “They are terrified, Jace,” Stella said as I watched people stand about, their eyes glazed over, their shoulders slumped. “Being able to have a home like Whispering Pines or The Farm has kept folks going. They had something to work and live for. Now we are about to head out into unknown territory. It all scares the shit out of me and I know what’s going on. Imagine what they feel like when all they know is what we have told them.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” I replied. “It’s just killing me how many people are digging their heels in. And I’m not even talking about the ones staying. Half the folks joining the convoy are acting like toddlers.”

  “Take a deep breath and let it go,” Stella responded. “You are not these people’s parent anymore than I am. In the end, they are ready and come with or they aren’t ready and get left behind. Once we are on that road there is no looking back.”

  “Damn,” I grinned. “Look at you all ruthless and shit.”

  “I am not,” Stella frowned and smacked my arm. The fully intact arm, not Stumpageddon. That puppy is almost always strapped tight to my body so I don’t move my collarbone. It hurts, it sucks, and it is what it is. But it gets better each day, so I got that going for me.

  “Can I at least bark at people to move ass?” I asked. “In a nice way that takes their terror into account?”

  “If you need barking done, get Critter to do it,” Stella said. “Everyone’s used to getting barked at by him and it won’t undermine their confidence in you.”

  “Who’s barkin’ at what?” Critter asked, walking up to us as we stood in the middle of the field that split the valley cliffs that made up his holler. “I’ll do some barkin’. Who ya need me to bark at?”

  He looked about and saw a couple of his men standing by a water barrel.

  “You two!” Critter barked. “I ain’t payin’ you to stand there! Water break is done! Go help secure supplies in the haul truck! Then double check the mobile homes is tied down right! Go on! Git!”

  “Uh, you don’t pay us,” one of the men said.

  “You still alive?” Critter countered.

  “Well...yeah,” the man replied.

  “Consider that payment,” Critter sneered. “Want to know what happens when I dock your pay?”

  The two men shook their heads and hurried off. Critter nodded th
en looked at Stella.

  “Who else? I’m in a barkin’ mood, that’s for sure,” Critter said.

  “Something up we need to know about?” I asked.

  “Nah, just feelin’ pissy,” Critter replied. “Ain’t easy leavin’ this place behind after all the work I done put into it.”

  “Can’t be easy leaving your home either,” Stella said. “You grew up in these mountains and you may never see them again.”

  “Damn, woman,” Critter snapped. “Why you have to go and say that? I was just thinkin’ about my holler, not these mountains. Gonna make me all depressed, sayin’ shit like that.”

  Critter stomped off as he found a couple of new targets to bark at. I looked over at Stella and she held up a finger.

  “Don’t say it,” she warned.

  “What?” I smiled.

  “You were going to explain the irony of me giving you a speech about handling everyone carefully when I went ahead and ignored my own advice and pissed off Critter,” she said.

  “I wasn’t going to say that at all,” I replied.

  “Yes, you were.”

  “No, I wasn’t,” I said. “Not in those exact words.”

  “Don’t be an asshole,” she sighed.

  I took her in my arms and kissed her. Okay, I took her in myarm. Singular. “You love me being an asshole,” I said between kisses. “Makes you look better.”

  “Well, tell that to Critter,” Stella said as she gently pushed me away. Which was pretty easy since a one armed man can’t exactly hold on tight. “I’ll find him and apologize.”

  “Don’t bother,” I said. “He’s probably already over it. Just go get done what you need to. I’m going to make sure the kids are all packed and ready. We’ll have plenty of loose ends to deal with before leaving. I don’t want any of those ends to be our kids.”

  “Good idea,” Stella said.

  ***

  I was pleasantly surprised to find my kids’ stuff fully packed and ready to go. I was not so pleasantly surprised not to be able to find my kids.