Apocalypse (The Ward Z Series Book 3) Read online

“You're not seriously going to pour cold water on this situation, are you?” she added, opening his fly and slipping her fingers inside. “I promise you won't regret what I'm about to do. I'm very good at it. And I'm not as drunk as you might think. I can still do things that'll make your eyes roll back.”

  “I bet you can.”

  “So stand tall,” she said, before dropping onto her knees, “and think of England.”

  He almost told her to stop, but then he felt her lips and he leaned back against the wall. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself that this was a mistake, the feeling was just too good. He looked up at the ceiling, double-checking that there were no cameras around, and then he took a deep breath and decided to just go with the flow. He'd been hoping to get Kay back to his place, and that was still an option, but this little liaison in the corridor was definitely a nice starter. Or at the very least, an amuse bouche. He figured he'd let her have her fun and then he'd get her home, and then the real fun could start. He had to admit, she certainly seemed a little wilder than he'd originally realized.

  Hearing a faint sound in the distance, he turned and looked along the corridor, just in time to see Colin watching him from the far end.

  Keen to avoid disturbing Kay, he waved frantically at him, gesturing for him to go away.

  After a moment, however, Colin took a step forward.

  Greg shook his head, aiming to indicate in the strongest possible terms that Colin was to stay away.

  Still down on her knees, with her mouth full, Kay was starting to make a groaning sound that – Greg assumed – meant that she wasn't able to hear Colin's shuffling footsteps.

  Colin came closer still.

  “No!” Greg mouthed, starting to get a little annoyed. He waved both his hands now, but a moment later Colin took another step forward.

  Down below, Kay was moaning a little louder now, clearly enjoying herself.

  “Fuck off!” Greg mouthed silently. “Now!”

  Colin bumped against the wall, as if drunk, but then he took several more steps forward. He was only a few feet away now.

  “I swear I will kill you,” Greg mouthed, his eyes filled with fury even as Kay started working faster and faster. “This is not cool, man. Go away! I'm getting ready to -”

  Suddenly he furrowed his brow as he saw that there was a dark mark on one side of Colin's neck, as if blood had dried around a wound. Greg tilted his head slightly, hoping to get a better look, but now he was starting to realize that something seemed to be seriously wrong. And then, spotting more movement in the distance, he looked back along the corridor and was just about able to make out a shape a the far end.

  A girl in a yellow dress.

  For a few seconds, Greg could only stare with a sense of bafflement, but then he turned just as Colin stumbled close.

  “Dude!” Greg said out loud. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  Emptying her mouth, Kay got to her feet and turned to Colin.

  “What the fuck's wrong with you?” she gasped. “What kind of pervert comes up behind a girl when she's -”

  Suddenly Colin groaned and lunged at her.

  Pulling out of the way at the last second, Kay stumbled across the corridor and hit the opposite wall, before turning just in time to see that Greg was shoving Colin back.

  Before she could say anything more, Kay heard footsteps nearby. Looking along the corridor, she saw a girl in a yellow dress stumbling forward with a halting, staggering gait.

  “I think these idiots are on something,” she said. “Greg, I don't like people on drugs, they're -”

  “What's the fuck is wrong with you?” Greg shouted, and Kay turned to see that he was having to push Colin away. “Mate, I'm serious, this isn't fucking funny!” He looked along at the girl in the yellow dress. “Didn't we meet once, a while back? Your name's Caitlin, right?”

  “Hey Greg,” Kay said cautiously, “do you think maybe we should -”

  Suddenly Colin lunged at Greg again, this time managing to pin him against the wall. Kay's eyes widened with horror as she saw Colin biting the side of Greg's neck, and then she saw blood spraying from the wound.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Greg gasped, trying to push his former friend away.

  Colin pulled back slightly, chewing chunks of flesh that stretched like thick string between his mouth and Greg's neck.

  Kay opened her mouth to say something, but at the last moment she sensed somebody behind her. Startled, she turned just as the girl in the yellow dress grabbed her shoulder.

  “Fuck off!” she snapped, pulling away. “Don't you fucking touch me again, bitch!”

  Even as she said those words, she was noticing the thick wound on the girl's neck, as well as the fact that her face seemed unnaturally pale. She'd also noticed the girl's eyes, which seemed to have sunk slightly into their sockets. And then there was the exposed rib-cage.

  “You need to rethink things, yeah?” she said, as the girl took a stumbling step closer. “Maybe you've been partying for a bit too long. Did you take something you shouldn't have? Some kind of pill or powder?”

  She took a step back, and then she reached into her bag and fumbled for a moment before pulling out a small canister.

  “I never thought I'd use this on a girl,” she said, holding the canister up, “but you're giving off some seriously messed-up vibes. If you take one more step toward me -”

  The girl stepped closer.

  Wincing, Kay nevertheless pressed the button on top of the canister, releasing a spray of mace. Her aim was perfect and the spray hit the girl's face, without provoking any kind of reaction. Some of the liquid from the spray was even pooling harmlessly in the girl's eyes.

  “Seriously?” Kay said, before turning to see that Greg was sliding down to the floor and clutching the side of his bloodied neck. “Come on! We're getting out of here!”

  Grabbing his hand, she pulled him up and led him along the corridor, before stopping at a doorway and turning to see that both Colin and the girl were stumbling after them.

  “I think we might need to fetch someone,” she said. Looking at Greg's neck, she saw more and more blood running from the wound. “You see, this is the problem with people when they're on drugs. They go totally nuts. Mate, I don't mean to worry you, but I think you should actually get that looked at.”

  Pushing the door open, she shoved Greg through and followed, before slamming the door shut again and turning to see that they were in a stairwell. She hurried down the nearest set of steps and tried to open the door at the bottom, only to find that it was locked, so she ran back to Greg and grabbed his hand, forcing him to follow her up to the next floor. She had to hold tight and force him to keep going, and she could already tell that he was getting weak.

  “I don't mean to sound unsympathetic,” she said through gritted teeth, “but you're not really helping here.”

  Reaching the next floor, she tried another door, only to find that this too was sealed.

  “What's wrong with this place?” she muttered, before leaning over the railing just in time to see that both Colin and the other girl had managed to make their way to the set of stairs below and were now stumbling up in pursuit. “For a pair of druggies,” she continued, “they sure don't know when to give up and pass out.”

  Grabbing Greg's hand, just as he seemed about to pass out, she dragged him up the next set of stairs.

  “All these locked doors are a serious fucking fire hazard, you know that?” she muttered angrily. “Where I work, you'd never get away with it. Health and Safety would be spitting fire over something like this, and for once I'd actually agree with those assholes.”

  Reaching the top of the stairs, they found that the only way forward was a set of double doors secured by a metal bar. Grabbing the bar, Kay pushed it down and then – to her relief – found that this door actually opened. She pulled Greg through, and then they both stopped as they realized they were on the roof of the club.

  “Great,” Ka
y muttered, before turning and seeing Colin and the other girl coming up the stairs behind them. “No time for a roof party.”

  With that, she swung the door shut and turned the metal handle, hoping that it would function as some kind of lock.

  “Are you alright?” she asked Greg, hurrying over as he sat on the low wall that ran along the edge of the roof. “Let me see.”

  She gently moved his hand aside, and then she pulled back slightly as she saw the strings of tattered flesh hanging from his glistening wound.

  “That's...”

  Her voice trailed off for a moment as she began to realize the seriousness of the situation.

  “That's really fucked-up,” she said finally, “and I think maybe you need to see a doctor. I think I can see the -”

  Before she could finish, she heard a clanging sound, and she turned to see that the doors had swung open. Stepping out onto the roof to join them, Colin and the girl emerged into the moonlight with blood on their chins.

  “You know what?” Kay said, with a growing sense of fear in her voice. “I'm not sure they are on drugs.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Bringing the car to a halt, Javier reached down to unbuckle his safety belt, but Merrie was already opening the door on her side and climbing out.

  “Hey, wait a moment,” he said, fumbling slightly with the belt. “You can't just go straight up there and knock on the door.”

  Finally getting the belt loose, he stepped out of the car, and then he heard a banging sound. Turning, he saw that Ruth was indeed knocking on the front door of the villa.

  Sighing, Javier slammed the door shut and began to make his way over to join her. As he did so, he glanced up and saw several sets of cameras watching them both. One of the cameras even whirred and started moving, keeping itself aimed firmly on Javier as he reached Ruth.

  “Do you remember what I said in the car about being smart?” he asked. “This is not smart.”

  “She's here,” Ruth replied, taking a step back and looking up at the nearest camera. “I can feel it.”

  “I'm not sure you -”

  “And I'm not leaving until I've seen her,” Ruth continued. “She's my sister and I have a right to know that she's okay.”

  “But if -”

  “Hello!” she yelled, clearly struggling to contain her anger. “I'm looking for my sister. Her name's Judy Carter and I have reason to believe that she came up here some time during the day! I don't wanna call the cops, but I will if you don't let me come inside and check that she's not around!”

  “I'm not sure that was a good idea,” Javier replies.

  “Why not?”

  “You just told them the cops don't know we're here.”

  “Get over it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “What do you think they're gonna do, kidnap us and bury us under the next swimming pool? These people are just -”

  Before she could finish, she heard the sound of the door unlocking, and a moment later the slender, well-dressed figure of Mr. Ford stepped into view.

  “Hey,” Merrie said with a smile, trying to seem as sweet as possible, “I'm really sorry to disturb you guys so late, but my name's Meredith Carter and I'm trying to track down my sister, and her name's Judith. I know this might sound crazy, but I think she might have come up here.”

  She waited, but the man said nothing.

  “So like I said, her name's Judy,” she continued, “and she's about my height but with darker hair. She looks a little bit like me, just with some more puppy fat and a worse sense of style. Plus, she doesn't really know how to do make-up, and her clothes are kinda baggy 'cause she doesn't really do much to maintain her figure. She can seem a little spaced-out sometimes, but I'm worried she might not be feeling too well.”

  Again, she waited.

  Again, Mr. Ford merely stared at her.

  “And this is Javier,” she added, nudging Javier's elbow. “He's also looking for someone, but he can tell you about that once we've seen my sister.”

  “Not important right now,” Javier said firmly.

  “I'm sure you can imagine what it's like,” Merrie continued. “My sister's a single girl, lost on an island where people tend to go a little crazy. I'm probably over-reacting, and she'll probably rip the piss – I mean, rip the pee out of me for even coming up here, but I just need to set my mind at rest. So is she here?”

  She waited.

  Nothing.

  “Sorry about the bad language,” she added.

  Mr. Ford stared at her for a moment longer, before finally clearing his throat.

  “There is nobody by the name of Judith Carter at this location,” he said calmly. “Good evening, and good luck with your search.”

  With that, he stepped back and shut the door.

  “Hey!” Rushing forward, Merrie banged on the glass panel. “I want to ask you something else! We're not done here, dude!”

  “I think we're done,” Javier said. “Your sister isn't here.”

  “I've got this feeling,” she replied, steaming with barely-hidden anger. “Judy wouldn't just wander off like this. The only thing that makes sense is if she came up here for some reason and fell ill. I don't exactly have it all figured out, but I'm pretty sure there's a lot of stuff going on that we don't know about. It has to be linked to that Veruca guy.”

  “Velucci,” he said, before sighing as he turned and headed back to his car. “Come on, this was a waste of time. Maybe your sister met a guy and went off with him. People do uncharacteristic things all the time. Honestly, even if you think you know her like the back of your hand, she can still surprise you.”

  Stopping at the car, he turned back to her.

  “And if -”

  Before he could finish, he spotted the back of Merrie's head as she dropped down over the other side of the wall, beyond a large sign that warned trespassers to keep out, and then he heard a rustling sound coming from some bushes.

  “Oh no,” Javier said with a sinking feeling, “you've got to be kidding me.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “No, I'm here with friends!” Gemma yelled at the girl who'd come over to talk to her, in a corner of the dance-floor. “They've just... I don't quite know where they are!”

  “That's cool!” the girl – who'd introduced herself as Lucy a few moments earlier – replied. “I'm here with my brother. So... are you single?”

  Before she could answer, Gemma saw that Lucy's brother was watching keenly from his spot a few feet away.

  “Is your brother interested in me?” she asked cautiously, wondering whether she was being set up.

  “What did you say?”

  “I'm not sure he's my type!”

  “No!” Lucy said with a laugh. “He's not interested in you!”

  “Oh.” Gemma paused. “Well, that's -”

  “I'm the one who wants to know if you're single!”

  Gemma opened her mouth to ask what she meant, before suddenly feeling Lucy's hand touching the side of her waist. In that instant, she understood.

  “Oh,” she said, her eyes opening with shock. “Right.”

  High above, several more black tendrils were poking out through air vents above the dance-floor. Over in the center of the room, the ceiling was starting to bulge downward a little, and the air-conditioning unit was on the verge of being forced open as screws started popping out of place.

  ***

  “Good evening,” the voice on the other end of the line said, “how can I -”

  “I'm on the roof of Apocalypse!” Kay shouted, as she took another step back from the advancing figures. “I'm being attacked! You've got to come and get me out of here!”

  As she said those words, the girl in the yellow dress took another stumbling step toward her, while Colin – a little further back – stopped and slowly turned to look over at Greg.

  “When you say -”

  “I'm being attacked!” Kay yelled. “By zombies!”

  She took another step back, and then she
realized that the operator at the police station hadn't replied.

  “Zombies!” she said again. “I know this sounds crazy, but it's really fucking happening! They bit my friend and -”

  Suddenly she saw that Colin was reached out toward Greg, who in turn was slumped on the floor and seemed barely responsive.

  “Hey!” she shouted. “Leave him alone!”

  “Okay,” the operator said calmly, “what exactly -”

  “There are zombies up here,” she continued, barely able to get the words out. “How many times do I have to tell you? There are actual, real zombies and they bit Greg and now they're coming at me. There are two of them and they're like... I don't know, they're just gross!”

  She took another step back, and this time she almost tripped. Turning, she saw that she was dangerously close to the edge of the roof, so she made her way around the top of an air vent as the girl in the yellow dress slowly changed course to follow.

  “And they're zombies?” the operator asked. “Are you sure about that?”

  “That's what they look like!”

  “Can I ask your name, M'am?”

  “My name? Why does that matter?” She paused. “Kay. My name is Kay. Kayleigh.”

  “And how much have you had to drink tonight, Kayleigh?”

  “What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

  “Have you taken anything else, Kayleigh? It's okay, you won't get into trouble, but if you've accepted any kind of -”

  “I'm not high!” she shouted, while taking care not to back all the way off the roof. “I'm not even drunk! Not really! I'm perfectly fucking sober right now, that's for sure, and I'm telling you that there are two zombies on the roof of Apocalypse.” Hearing a bumping sound nearby, she turned just in time to see that both Colin and Greg were now also walking toward her, and that Greg now suffered the same stuttering, shuffling gait as the others. “Actually,” she added, “I think maybe there are three.”

  A shiver passed through her chest as she saw Greg's eyes staring back at her, and she could see more blood on the side of his neck.

  “No,” she whispered, “please, no...”