NaNoWriMo has been a tremendous inspiration!
Title: Tech: Zombie Effect Ch. 8
Characters: Logan/Carter
Series: Tech: Zombie Effect
POV: Logan
“Is that your guy? Where’s he going?” Robert asked.
Logan leaned forward to get a better look at the minivan that had just pulled out of the driveway. In a tight, worried voice, he said, “No. Never seen it before.”
Pressing down harder on the gas pedal, Logan was anxious to get home. They never had visitors, why would anyone be there now? The only thing he could think of was to cause trouble.
He pulled hard on the steering wheel, fishtailing into the driveway. He threw the truck into park, jumped out, leaving it running. Robert jumped out of his side.
When they heard a shot followed by a pain-filled scream come from behind the house, they both took off. Rounding the house, they saw Carter standing in the middle of the yard.
“Carter! Are you ok?” Logan asked.
“No! I shot my fucking finger off!”
Logan and Robert reached him at the same time. Robert grabbed the injured hand, then started laughing.
“It’s just the tip. You just shot off the bit at the end. You’ll be fine.” Robert’s reassurance was laced with laughter.
“Fine? I shot myself! I can’t be fine. Who are you? Are you a doctor?” Carter turned to Logan. “Who is he?”
Looking at Carter’s hand, Logan replied, “Robert. He’s the guy who sold me the guns.”
“Take him in and clean out the wound. It’s nothing, but ya still don’t want an infection to set in. I’ll get the stuff from the truck.”
“Come on, let’s get this cleaned up.” Logan pulled Carter with him. “Hey, Robert, grab my keys, will you?”
“Who is he? Why is he here?”
Walking up the steps, Logan continued to pull him along. “I’ll explain in a bit. How the hell did you shoot your finger?” He stopped suddenly. “Who was that in the van?”
“A lady and her kid, Jimmy. They’re in one of the new houses back that way. He crossed the river by climbing some tree. He’s bored or something.”
Logan looked behind them as they went into the house. He hadn’t thought of the few people who lived near them. They’d have to be more careful. He had no way of knowing who’d been given the shot that held the nanotechnology and who hadn’t.
Shrugging off his jacket, he then helped Carter out of his. He tossed them on a kitchen chair. Grabbing Carter again, he pulled him to the kitchen sink. He turned on the faucet and let the water run over the finger.
“Crap that’s cold,” Carter complained.
“Yeah? Well being dead would be even colder! What the hell were you thinking? Why were you out there with a gun?” Logan felt his temper rising. “You were supposed to stay inside!”
“No, I was supposed to protect our home. How the hell can I do that if I can’t even shoot a fucking gun! Ouch. Will you stop touching it! It hurts!”
Pulling his hand closer, Logan snapped, “No. I have to make sure there’s nothing in it. You really do not want an infection. It’s not like we can just go to the doctor’s.”
They both jumped as the door slammed shut.
“Sorry about that. It just got away from me.” Robert looked sheepish as he placed the bags on the table. “How’s the pinky?”
“My pinky? You mean my finger! And it’s shot!” Carter’s indignation was more than evident.
“It’s fine,” Logan said. He grabbed the hand towel sitting by the sink and dried off the digit. “We’ll put a gauze over it until it heals, but you’ll live.”
“I’ve been shot and you just blow it off.”
Logan turned to face him. “I’m not blowing it off-”
“Nope. You blew it off all on your own, son.” Robert’s pragmatic voice was laced with humor.
Hiding his own laughter, Logan turned and glared at Robert. “I really don’t need your help. And Carter, this just proves how dangerous guns are. Do not ever take a gun out alone again.” Once he was sure everyone was going to calm down, he continued. “Let’s get some lunch and figure out our next step.”
“Maybe you could start by telling me what the hell is going.”
“First tell me who he is.”
Robert and Carter spoke at the same time. Logan could feel a headache coming on. “Let’s wrap up your finger first, then during lunch, I’ll try to explain everything.”
He left the two in the kitchen as he went into the bathroom. He didn’t want Robert to know about the medicines and supplies that were in their bedroom closet. There were gauze wraps and Neosporin in the cabinet in their bathroom. He grabbed the supplies and went back into the kitchen.
“Sit.” He knew his voice was terse but the day had been stressful. First heading into town, having Robert pop up out of nowhere, then breaking into the feed store, and finally coming home to Carter shooting off half of his finger. Not half, he admitted as he applied the disinfection gel to the wound. It really was just the tip. He could feel Carter tense as he wrapped the gauze around it.
“It should heal in a few days. Just don’t get it wet or dirty or anything. Here, put these away.” He handed Carter the medical supplies and turned to Robert. “We’ll have sandwiches and chips for lunch.”
After removing the bags of seeds from the table, Logan pulled out lunch meat from the fridge. He didn’t want Robert to know about all their supplies in the pantry, basement, and shed out back. He didn’t think the man would rob them, but he couldn’t be too careful. If things continued to escalate at the same rate, their supplies could be the difference between life and death.
“There’s some bread over in the breadbox. You wanna grab it?” Logan gave Robert something to do besides stare at him. He dropped the bologna and ham slices on the table and turned back to the fridge. He gathered up the condiments and put them on the table too. Reaching up to the cabinet next to the refrigerator, he brought out paper plates and napkins.
Carter was back by the time everything was on the table. All three men sat down and started to make their sandwiches.
“You boys going to tell me what’s going on or you gonna make me wait for-fucking-ever?” Robert’s words were direct.
Logan sighed while Carter tensed beside him. He put a hand over Carter’s to calm him. “What do you mean?”
Robert smile was pure sarcasm. “Oh, I don’t know. Like maybe, what the hell you know.”
Deciding the best bet was to see what the older man knew, Logan asked, “What do you know? What’s been on the news?”
Taking a bit of his sandwich, Robert started talking. “Well, I don’t know much. Just what the TV is saying. Which isn’t a hell of a lot. Something about a flu that’s spreading fast. Airports, buses, everything is closed down. They are saying everyone has to stay home. Martial law has been declared.”
“What are they saying about this flu?”
Robert eyed Logan hard. “That it’s real contagious. You get it by just being in the same room as someone else. They saying if anyone has it to lock ‘em in a room by themselves and hang a white towel or sheet on your door and medical will be by to help them.”
“It’s not,” Logan said quietly.
“Not what?”
“It’s not airborne. It’s not even a flu or virus or anything.”
“How ya know? I’m telling you, boy, I’m running out of patience.”
Logan looked at Robert. “Listen. I’ll tell you what I know. First, it’s not contagious. It’s not a virus or bacteria. Wait. Let me finish before you ask questions. A vaccine, kind of like the flu shot, was being developed in my lab. It was using a combination of chemicals and technology to combat the common cold. But it failed. That is what is making everyone sick. So if you’ve not gotten the vaccine, you aren’t going to get sick. Unless someone who has had it bites you.”
“Bites you? The guy on the radio said that this flu was making people aggressive. Said he’d been bitten by a camera guy.”
“It’s not a flu! It’s a little robot that is settling in the hunger part of the brain. It wipes out everything but the need to eat.” Logan was getting frustrated. Either Robert wasn’t listening to him or he wasn’t explaining it right.
“They are zombies,” Carter butted in. “Like those old movies. All they want to do is eat. Not just your brains, but everything.”
The look on the old army man’s face was one of shock. Logan felt bad for him. He’d had weeks to come to terms with everything. Carter had several days. But Robert was being hit full force with everything as it was happening. “Look. I know it sounds crazy, but it is what’s happening.”
“This is crazy. How’d this happen? How could your lab let this out? Jesus, how many people got this damn shot?”
“It wasn’t approved. We didn’t send it out. Somehow it was leaked and distributed to other labs before we even knew what was happening.” Logan knew that wasn’t the full truth, but it was close enough. “I’m afraid this is just the start. It was sent to other countries first. But no one reported on it.”
Robert nodded. “I’ve a few buddies. I could get ahold of them and ask some questions.”
“I think most of the power, communication, things like that are gonna be down soon,” Carter said.
“I’ve a HAM radio. It’ll work.” Robert said.
Logan looked at Carter. Robert knew things they didn’t. Like how to shoot.
Read chapter 9
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