“Yeah! We are going to his dad’s church next week. Why? What’s wrong?” She gingerly asked.
“Well something about that bothers me. And we are more than cousins, right? You are still my best friend? I can tell you what I’m thinking and it won’t change anything between us?” The statement came out more as a question.
“Sure, shoot.”
“I’m just worried about you is all. I’m worried you are going to get crushed. I like Brian. Actually I love him like a brother and I don’t think you could have found anyone more suitable for yourself but I’m worried about the repercussions of what you guys are doing. Have you thought this through yet? Like really thought it through?”
“Yeah, we’re willing to take that risk. I know it’s crazy getting married while the world is turning into zombies but I can’t help what I’m feeling. I can’t imagine my life without him.”
“And what if it turns into a Maria and Zeke kind of thing? Not saying it would but what if it does? What are you going to do if he turns?”
“I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“I’m just worried about you cousin. I don’t want to see you hurt. I was there when your dad passed. Remember? I knew what it did to you. I don’t ever want to see you like that again.”
“And you won’t,” she stated with an air of arrogance.
“I hope for your sake that is true. Listen, I love you and I just wanted to make sure you were making an informed decision.”
Bre snuggled back in her blanket and yawned. I knew she wanted to go back to sleep.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to sleep. Sleep well.”
“Goodnight Zoe. And thank you.”
So I had done it. I voiced my concerns with Bre. I had spoken my mind. I felt relieved that that conversation was over with. I was finally able to get some sleep.
CHAPTER 21
BREANNE
It was Friday, December 13th, 2014. I woke up with a spring in my step. I was as nervous as could be. Butterflies in the stomach could not accurately describe what was happening to me. This was beyond that.
Brian and I had reached an agreement to keep our ceremony small. We invited the people from our home and Brian’s immediate family. We decided to do a more elaborate ceremony after the craze was over.
Last night I had raided Maria’s closet for a dress. I wanted something nice, but not formal; something he hadn’t seen on me. Brian would be dressing in his black khakis with a white button up shirt so I didn’t want to overshadow him in the clothing department.
I initially chose a light pink floral A-line dress but I didn’t quite like the way it made my hips look so I finally decided to go with a white floor length silk dress. It looked dressy but not too much.
I also borrowed the heels Maria got married in. It completed the ensemble. I quickly put on my borrowed dress and heels and then headed to the bathroom for makeup and hair.
Selena joined me for the fun part. I sat on my bed while she did her magic. She truly had a gift for fashion. She settled on a twisted up-do that left the top of my head swimming in artificial curls. My hair looked truly amazing.
I finished my look off with a subtle purple eye shadow with black in the creases of my lids. I wanted dramatic but I didn’t want it to scream the wrong thing so I wiped some of the black off.
I took a long look at myself in the full length mirror. “You can do this,” I said aloud to myself.
Zoe and Chang would be driving me to the little church down the street where Brian and Kyle already were, in about a half an hour.
Brian’s pastor would be marrying us in the eyes of his mother and father and our dearest friends.
I sat there on my bed until Zoe interrupted my fear filled thoughts.
“You ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
I tried my best to go down the stairs in those stilettos but it wasn’t working out too well. I looked far from graceful.
Once I approached the bottom of the staircase I heard a whistle.
“Dannnnnnng, girl! You look good!” Chang stood there with a huge smile on his face. I was starting to like him more and more every day.
I blushed.
“Let’s get this party started!” He trailed off.
Chang assumed the driver seat of the Suburban while I sat in the back all alone, with my thoughts. Did I mention I was alone? I didn’t notice anyone else in the car the whole way over there and I didn’t say one little word.
“Bre, you ok?” Zoe asked once we reached the church.
“Yeah I’m fine. Why?”
“You are pale and look like you are going to puke. Do you want to go through with this?”
“I DON’T KNOW!” I didn’t know where my outburst was coming from. “I mean, what if you were right Zoe? What if I marry him and he turns into one of THEM? What am I going to do then? Will I turn into a psycho like Zeke did?” I tried to keep myself from throwing up. I was having a panic attack.
“Listen, baby! You are going to be just fine. You are gonna march your butt right into that church and marry the man of your dreams. Nothing is going to happen to either one of you and if you walk out right now you are going to crush that man in there. He loves you Bre. Don’t walk out on him now,” Chang pleaded Brian’s case.
I was surprised at this coming from him but I knew he was right. It wasn’t the time for second guessing. I had made a commitment and I needed to follow through or I would end up regretting it the rest of my life.
Chang and Zoe assumed zombie control as I made my way to the door. Once I entered I saw the most amazing thing. The man of my dreams was standing at the altar waiting for me. I nearly burst out in sobs. I couldn’t believe he was actually mine. And he was mine forever.
CHAPTER 22
ZOE
Bre approached the altar running. I don’t know what shifted her mood from unsure to can’t get there fast enough but I was happy she was going through with it. I was thankful for Chang and what he said.
Brian’s family as well as our family from the manor all sat in the first few rows.
The ceremony was short and sweet and very informal; which was exactly the way they wanted it to be.
Brian’s mother cried during the whole ceremony and her and mom shared a box of tissues. For mom it was like her daughter getting married.
The minister finally got to the part where he said, ‘and you may kiss the bride’ and we all stood to watch that very intimate moment. I shrugged my face away as my cheeks were suddenly wet and I certainly wasn’t letting anyone see me cry. I usually only cried when I was angry and I hated anyone seeing that.
Bre’s face was also wet from crying and believe it or not, when the minister announced them Mr. and Mrs. Brian Marks, Brian began to cry too. I was happy that they were both so happy. I was also torn. A part of me was sad and knew I would be picking up the pieces of one of them if something bad ever happened.
We didn’t have a reception because they kept everything informal but we made sure to have a big lunch waiting for us when we got home. Bre and Brian stayed behind a while to talk to Brian’s parents and the minister. I went back to the manor to get lunch set up.
Chang insisted on driving again but I really didn’t mind his driving. We pulled up to the manor and noticed a huge hole in the gate.
“What the heck happened?” Chang asked. The color suddenly drained from his face.
“I think we are about to find out. Mom, keep the kids in the car with the door locked ok?”
We drove through the gate at the manor and I saw them around the back of the building. There were 4 zombies romping around the back yard. Chang and I cocked our guns and exited the car, squad patrol style. I could hear the doors lock, mom was following my instruction. Chang crouched near the fence and waited for them to spring. Insti
nctively, I went to his side. Just like in the military we were in this together.
With skill, Chang dropped the first one, shooting it right between the eyes. I followed his example but I wasn’t as good as a shot.
My heart was pounding. How many of them were there on the property? This place is huge and there was no telling right away. I was starting to worry that we were compromised. Chang killed all but the one I already shot. I was lost in my thoughts. We ran to the tree house and climbed the ladder to do a perimeter check. There were no more of them. I couldn’t help but be thankful this happened while we were gone. If not, there was no telling what would have happened.
Chang and I secured the fence when we were done. They had bent the rod iron and we had to do a quick fix until we could find someone to fix it for us. Once we felt comfortable that the place was secure everyone ran into the house. This had been the first time any of them seen a zombie on the property. Their once safe haven was now not so safe in their eyes. Nobody spoke that but I could see it all over their faces.
We were able to get everything ready before Bre and Brian arrived. The happy couple was happy to be home as man and wife. They ran upstairs and we didn’t see them for an hour. We could only assume what was happening up there.
CHAPTER 23
BREANNE
My wedding was perfect. Some might have called it a shotgun wedding but I think when you are marrying the man of your dreams any wedding is suitable. Brian looked amazing standing at the altar and I couldn’t help but cry the entire ceremony. Aunt Brooke and his parents sat in the front row pew, crying the entire time. It was a short ceremony, taking all of about 15 minutes. But that was plenty enough for me.
We arrived back at the manor and Brian carried me over the threshold. He sat me down and then proceeded to drag me by my hand up to our bedroom. We spent a good part of the afternoon getting to know each other in a new way and it was amazingly satisfying.
We spent the rest of the evening celebrating with our new family. This was one of the best days of my life and I couldn’t imagine it gets any better than this.
For weeks we spent our time alternating between working on our tree houses and spending time in the bedroom. Life was perfect. All except for the zombies anyway.
We were having trouble keeping them out of the fence now. Chang did everything he could to secure the fence until the welder got there to fix it. In the meantime we had several people at a time guarding the fence. I didn’t want Brian to take a shift as I felt very protective of my new husband but I knew we all needed to do our share. Selena even took a turn.
Today was the day before Christmas. There wasn’t much anyone could give each other in the way of gifts since most stores were closed now so we decided to give handmade gifts this year.
Brian’s gift to me was a homemade CD with all of my favorite music on it. He also made one for Aunt Brooke that was a compilation of Aerosmith’s hits. She almost cried. I gave Brian a poem that I had written. He loved it.
Life at the manor was as calm as it could be. We spent the rest of Christmas day enjoying our family until we fell off into blessed sleep.
CHAPTER 24
ZOE
I woke up this morning with memories of yesterday on my mind. Christmas was fun. The family got to spend time together as a new unit. I had dug through the garage and found some games for the kids and gave them to them as gifts. I found Monopoly, Sorry and Battleship. I figured it would keep the kids busy for a while. I didn’t give gifts to anyone else but I did get a gift from someone. It was from Chang. Chang gave me a printed out photo of us hunting that Bre had taken without my knowledge. It was a nice gesture since he and I were becoming good friends.
Life was still at the manor, a little too still. We hadn’t really had any action for weeks and I was quickly becoming bored. But boredom was always a prerequisite for trouble. At least in my case it was.
Chang and I enjoyed our biscuits and gravy out in the gazebo this morning while overlooking our tree houses. They were completed now. We had a total of 4 now, each with a bridge that went to the other. It looked like a scene from Indiana Jones. It could have been a jungle out here for all we knew.
Today Chang and I would finish building the bridge that went from the lookout tower (the first tree house) to the second story of the house. We had to have some kind of escape if we would ever need it.
Completing the task wasn’t as hard as I had imagined it. Chang and I were an effective team. The welder arrived today to put the fence back together. He couldn’t do much with what we had but at least it wasn’t a huge gaping hole anymore.
This evening was my night off so I plopped down to watch the news. Chang quickly took the seat next to me. We sat and watched TV together not speaking to each other at all. It was nice having a friend that didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with gibberish.
News reports were explaining that the numbers of people infected with the Z virus were at 50% now. Half of the people in America were infected. Other countries numbers weren’t as high but they were getting close.
The officials that decided to do a little population control had underestimated its effects and now doomed half of the population. Although there was a cure, they weren’t releasing it. Mom was doing everything she could to uncover the conspiracy. We were at a standstill though. The government wanted her and they wanted her bad. They never ceased to put her photo on the news.
She could not go out and collect evidence for herself because they would kill her at first sight. Chang and I had contemplated how we would get the information but had never reached a solid decision. I was just bored enough now to bring it up again. After mom sent the kids off to bed I decided to call together a house meeting to discuss what our next move would be.
First Bre and Brian arrived, then Seth, Selena and Chris, next was Chang, Kyle and lastly Mom.
Bre and Brian sat there in the recliner as close to each other as they could get. Bre finally asked, “What are we gathering for? Is everything ok?”
“Yeah but we need to start planning our next move. We have been at a standstill since we got that information from Dr. Ombie. The government is not letting up on mom and I know it’s in her heart to expose the conspiracy. We need to plan our next move.”
“Well what can we really do right now? Dr. Ombie was our only lead to the truth. It’s not like we can just waltz into a clinic and start taping them. It would be nice to get footage of them executing zombies but it won’t happen,” Bre responded.
“Well what if it CAN happen?” Brian retorted. He laid his hand on his knee, very deep in thought.
“What do you mean?” Chris asked.
“Well, what if I know somebody? What if I could get a suit and pretend to be a worker?”
“Could you? That would be amazing!” Aunt Brooke exclaimed.
“I might be able to do that I just gotta make a call.”
“Well what kind of information are we looking for? I mean we need to be specific on what we want to broadcast. We need a game plan before you even call,” I said without hesitation. There was one thing I was sure of, if we were doing this, we weren’t doing it blindly.
“What if we just gathered footage of the executions? We need footage of the treatment center too so we can broadcast that. They only take a few of them and put them in rooms for treatments. I know, I stayed in one for a few months,” mom stated.
“Kind of like a behind the scenes thing? We would need to go out of town because when they see the footage they will know where you are now,” Seth added.
“Well we could always go back to Fresno. They will think that I stayed in town and won’t come looking for me here.”
“Ok. Just so I am straight. We are going to send someone in there to get camera footage of the place and make sure we get an execution on tape. I can wire a camera in the top of the hazmat suit so it w
ill show everything you look at,” Brian added.
“That would be amazing! Ok, so who is going?”
“I will. I need a little excitement in my life. Why don’t you drive me Zoe?” Chang volunteered.
“Ok it’s settled. Brian make your phone call. We need to get this info as soon as possible.”
Brian made the call that evening and was to pick up 2 suits in the morning. His friend gave him info on how to keep from getting caught and how to blend in. Chang and I decided that we would keep an eye out on the clinic in Fresno for a while and wait until we could see them do a shift change and try to sneak in unnoticed.
The drive to Fresno wasn’t as easy as every other time we drove there. Now there were cars piled all along the highway and we had to go off-road several times just to get there. Finding the clinic wasn’t hard since it was just off the highway by the Zoo.
We pulled the Suburban to the back entrance of the building where others seemed to be parking. We sat there for a minute and waited for the shift change. We didn’t have to wait long. People were soon exiting their cars, yellow suits adorned. We quickly flipped on our hats and followed them to the back entrance of the building.
When we approached the little door we noticed that it was a keyed entry. I stood there fumbling with my backpack until someone used their key and I caught the door right behind them. Breaking into this place was much easier than Chang or I thought it would be.
We were inside. We had done it. My suit had the camera so I would make sure to keep my eye on especially interesting information.
The entry way looked like any other hospital. It was amazing to me that they took the old hospital and turned it into this place so quickly. The building had been abandoned for a good 15 years.
Most employees were walking down the hall to the right but Chang and I stayed on course, headed straight toward where it looked busy. My heart felt like it was going to beat straight out of my chest. With each step I took, I grew more anxious. We were at the nurse’s station now, each person adorning their own suit. It was hard to tell if someone was male or female. Chang and I tried to stay inconspicuous but it was difficult to get the information we needed. Chang was braver than I was and walked straight into the station. He followed a short corridor and was out of my sight. I semi-ran to catch up with him. I figured that maybe it wouldn’t look so bad with us back there since you couldn’t really see the person behind the suit anyway. Chang found a little room off to the right and walked into it. Inside were several computers as well as procedure books on the desk. We had hit the jackpot.