bottom. Trying to feel around in the semi dark room
without making noise is more difficult than I thought.
The voices drift closer again, just as my hand makes
contact with the cold metal of my gun. Carefully lifting it
out, I pull the clip taped to the bottom of my desk. I barely
make it into the knee hole before the door opens.
“All clear in here,” Steven calls out.
I can hear the other doors being opened and shut
throughout the complex.
“Look, we’ve gotta go. The timeframe on the other
building being empty is getting shorter. The actors can only
keep it going for a certain amount of time. There was only
the one in the break room and we took care of her.” Gary
begins to walk back toward the main stairway exit door.
“I just have the feeling we’re being watched. I’m sure
it’s nothing. Even if there was someone, we covered our
tracks, and who’s going to believe them anyway.” Steven
glances around the cubicles, hoping to dismiss his fears.
Even when the doors slam closed, I wait at least ten
minutes before pushing the desk chair out. Stealthily
checking from the window to make sure there’s no
movement, I cautiously open the door and step outside.
The office is once again silent, so I head toward the
break room, dreading what I’m about to see. I know one of
my co-workers is dead, but I really thought everyone had left already.
“Crap!” Startling myself when it slips through my lips,
I survey the bullet hole in Judith’s forehead. There was
nothing I could have done to save her, but now I need to
make sure these guys don’t hurt anyone else.
Running a hand through my hair, I start pacing outside
the break room until it dawns on me what is going on with
this surreal situation.
They were after the prototype for the Protection Project.
It would be a great coup to make it to the market before our
company did, and we would probably only allow
governmental agencies access. If these guys took it to the
next level, they could have private bidders from all over the
world ready for any kind of major disaster or potential
company takeover.
They hadn’t locked my boss’s office, so I think to
confirm my suspicions before I call in help.
Not only is the computer on, but there’s a paper
sticking out from under the keyboard with file names and
passwords for quick access to those specific files.
That means my boss, Jack, knew they would be coming
to find stuff on his computer because the only passwords
written are for the Protection Project. None of our other
projects with high security are listed.
“Crap. Double Crap.” My children aren’t around to hear
me, and this is serious. I have no idea how far up the chain
of command this breach goes or who I can trust.
I go to turn on my phone again and see the missed call from Trish. What in the world am I supposed to tell her? I
don’t want her to stay at the house, but I’m not sure
anything will be safe if this is true.
“Trish, sorry. I got tied up for a minute and couldn’t
call you back. I really think you should go ahead and pack
up. I’ve had an emergency come up with all that’s going
on, but I think you’ll be much safer at the designated safe
house.”
“So you think this stuff is real and we’re fixing to have
zombies running around attacking us?” Trish asks, with
real fear in her voice.
“No, babe. It never hurts to be cautious, though,
especially since we have children. We don’t want to be
unaware, and being in the country for a few days will be a
great way for the children to spend Spring Break next
week.”
“So you’ll meet us there?”
“I don’t know when or if that will be possible because
we’re about to go on lockdown. I won’t be able to use the
normal means to communicate with you. If I’m not there by
Sunday, then you should probably worry, but I’ll try to
send you an update if I think it will last longer than that.” I really hate to lie to her, but hopefully, she understands the
code to only use the prepaid phones. I’m pretty sure our
phones are monitored by the NSA or an affiliate.
“Well, I wish you could be with us, but be careful, and
know that I love you.”
“I love you, too. Tell the kids to behave, and maybe we
can still go on our trip next week. Bye.” Our call ends on
such a final note, but I’m not going to let our eighteen years of marriage end like this.
Instead of calling someone higher up in the company, I
go and get my prepaid out and send a coded message to the
only co-worker I trust.
Cooper: Code Red at work. Zombies not real. Project
Protection copied and stolen. Still at site. Please advise.
Martin: Are you certain?
Cooper: Judith has a bullet through her head as proof,
and Jack had the password for only one project under his
keyboard.
Martin: Arm yourself. Go to the security room and copy
the cameras. Will meet you at prearranged spot in one
hour?
Cooper: Better make it two because of Zombie scare.
Take care.
Martin: Two. Stay safe.
Now I know we’re screwed. If Martin believes me, then
all our backup protocols need to be acted upon.
The blinds in my office are already closed with the door
locked, so I go to the back corner and move the two-drawer
filing cabinet. Pulling up the floorboards, I find the large
duffle bag.
Opening it, I take out the off-network laptop and power
it up. While it’s loading, I take out everything of value to
me and put it the duffle bag.
The small locker type closet where we keep an extra set
of clothes holds my go-pack with extras hidden inside. My
ankle holster for the right side and a thigh holster to hold my knife will provide the backup that won’t be arriving
anytime soon. I know I’ll need to blend in with the many
civilians leaving town, and a man in a suit will draw too
much attention, so a T-shirt and jeans with my jacket is
what I put on before heading outside.
As the computer finishes, I plug in the connecting USB
cable and proceed to start a download of everything on the
system. While it’s transferring all the files, I tentatively
open the office door with my gun in hand.
Nothing stirs as I make my way to the security closet,
sandwiched between the restrooms. Most people assume
it’s the janitor’s room for cleaning supplies on this floor,
but there’s a panel that holds access to the security circuits.
A few buttons later, everything is sent to my computer.
Most of the people who work with us are simply
civilians working on different and varied pieces of a very
large puzzle, but there are some that know a little more, and
who might have a gun stashed in their cubicles.
Donning a pair of gloves in case nothing comes of any
of this, I make my way through file drawers and check to
see if anything is taped to the undersides of every desk.
Back at my office, I hold in my hands six guns and ten
clips with bullets, three cans of pepper spray, and a smoke
bomb.
How on earth did we overlook this when we searched
for listening devices and bombs every month?
I divide everything between my backpack and the
duffle, and glance up when a beep sounds from the
computer to signal it’s finished with the download. Quickly unhooking the USB cord, I hit the special key code on my
computer to start a full self-destruct of all the computer
systems in the building.
Unfortunately, there’s a mainframe where all
information is uploaded daily, but it’s in Nevada so my
access is limited. Shutting down the laptop, I place it into
my protective case in the duffle.
Doing a check to make sure I haven’t forgotten
anything, I slip the backpack on and throw the duffle over
my head, settling it onto my shoulder. With an extra gun in
my holster and one in my hand, I proceed to head for the
inner staircase most of the building uses for taking a smoke
break.
The roof provides an amazing view of the city, but my
goal is to get rid of my last traceable item. My work and
private cell phones would be a perfect way to find out not
several important people to the Protection Project. The sim
cards isn’t traceable outside of a phone, but I don’t have
any way to dispose of them at the moment.
I haven’t played baseball since my younger days, but I
pitch the phones as if I’m about to win a huge game with
the bases loaded. They don’t make any noise when they
land, so they should be in a few dozen pieces. I stand for
just a second longer before starting my long trek down the
fourteen floors to the main lobby.
Chapter 3
Trish
I hang up the phone after talking to my husband.
During our entire marriage, we’ve never had to use the
safety measures put into place when he had taken the job.
“Kids, come here for a minute.”
When all three children are standing in front of me, I
take a deep breath and dive right in.
“Remember when we had those drills every so often
with Dad?” Joy and Nicole both nod, looking intrigued, but
Carson’s face loses all of its color.
“It’s time to put all that practice to good use. We have
to pack the car and be on the road in thirty minutes. Now
hurry and grab your stuff, but leave all the electronics on
the counter.”
“Ah, Mom.” The protests begin, but Carson takes up for
me.
“No, listen. If we weren’t in danger, then Dad would
never have said to do this. We’ll get them back, they just
have to stay here while we go on our trip.” Carson’s eyes
meet mine with understanding, and in this moment, I know
he’s just taken a step closer toward adulthood.
“Grab the bags from under the beds and bring me your
backpacks while you load them in the car. Please, hurry so
we can tell Dad we did it faster than our record.”
I run to our bedroom and pull the two duffle bags from underneath the bed and the two go-bags from the closet
with all our important papers. The last thing I need is in the garage.
The girls are gathering the food stuff and placing it in
the bins, while Carson carries the filled one out to the back
of the SUV. I follow him out and place our bags on the
ground by the open trunk.
“Help me get the trunk from the rafters. Dad is always
here when we practice and I know it’s too heavy for me by
myself.”
Carson pulls the ladder over and scales it with ease.
Arms raised to catch the trunk in case it slips, I almost
miss his whispered question.
“Mom, is Dad okay? Will he really meet us later?”
“Sweetie, the plan is for him to meet us, but anything
could happen. All we can do is get to the meet point and
hope he shows up.”
I wait for him to finish climbing down the ladder and
help carry the trunk.
“The girls don’t need to know what’s going on, and I’ll
make sure to protect them. We can do this, Mom.”
Smiling slightly at him, I give him a quick hug.
“Where’s your pack?”
“In the front seat. Why?” Carson frowns, not following
my train of thought.
“Take your dad’s pack. It has two guns and several clips. Put one of them in your pack, then put his back here
with mine.”
“Mom, thanks for believing in me. I’ll be safe with it.”
“Just know that your Dad and I are proud of you.
Hopefully, all those mornings at the gun range with him
will pay off in the next few days. Let’s finish this and get
on the road.” Carson shakes off the moment and goes to
help his sisters with the pantry.
Since I don’t want anyone helping themselves to our
stuff, I wait until he’s on his way out before I go back in to bring another load out.
“All finished, girls?” Seeing heads nod, I continue.
“Good. Run to the bathroom, and then get in the car. Got
it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Taking the seriousness of the situation
to be obedient for a change, they both run off to do as I’ve
asked.
are back before going in to wake up a very tired little boy.
Trevor is asleep on his side with his thumb stuck in his
mouth, clutching his blankie in the other hand. I collect his
stuff and get a new Pull-Up out to change him while he’s
still asleep, if that’s possible.
He must have been out because he simply rolls over and
lets out a snore.
I suppress a giggle and have him changed in record
time. Leaving him there while I do the walk through, I use
the potty myself. I want to make sure we haven’t left
anything on or forgotten any of the stuff we’re supposed to take.
As I lift the sleeping baby, I glance at the clock. We’d
made it in twenty minutes from start to finish. I pull the
door shut behind me and set the alarms.
Carson hits the garage door button as I buckle Trevor
into his seat.
Sliding into my seat, I glance behind me to make sure
we’re all in place and I haven’t forgotten anyone. The
neighborhood is a little busier than normal, almost like it’s
was five p.m. instead of three in the afternoon.
“I guess the word is out that the zombies are here,” Joy
observes from the back seat.
“Seriously, Joy, everyone knows there has to be an
outbreak somewhere and we’ve been watching the news.
They didn’t say anything about a disease that could cause
this. There has to be another explanation,” Carson patiently
explains to his sister.
“Joy, your father might be able to shed some light on
&n
bsp; this when he meets us. If you want to call them zombies for
your own piece of mind until he tells us otherwise, I’m fine
with that. Just don’t be scaring everyone with stories
you’ve read or seen on TV, okay?”
Shooting Carson a gleeful look, Joy agrees. “Yes,
ma’am. Zombies,” she whispers in amazement.
“The kind they have on Scooby-Doo?” Nicole
questions her older sister.
“Yeah. Where’s the mystery fighting gang when you need them?” Joy sighs in frustration as she goes back to
looking out the window.
Fighting back a grin, I slide the kid’s music CD in and
head for the highway into town, hoping we weren’t
followed as we go against traffic.
Our safe house isn’t actually in the country as I’d led
the children to believe, but on the other side of town.
-----------
Thirty minutes later, we pull up to a small dilapidated
house. While it isn’t in a wonderful neighborhood, the
house was cheap, and the back faces a wooded park.
Every six months or so, I come over and clean the
house and make sure there aren’t any unwelcome furry
friends who had managed to find us.
Cooper had bought the house for next to nothing and
had updated the security so the outside looked as rundown
as the other houses, but the inside was a safe place for our
family to stay. Now it was only missing him to complete it.
There’s no garage but a carport on the side, meaning we
would have to carry everything around the front to the
door.
“All right, kids, everyone out. Grab your own bags and
I’ll help Trevor. Once we get inside, nobody comes back
out again. In case the house is being watched, we don’t
want anyone to get hurt or lost.”
“Roger that, Mom.” Carson gives a mini salute as I put
the SUV in park.
Once everyone is safely inside, I lock the door and with Carson’s help, unload the tubs and trunk into the small
storage shed at the back of the property.
It’s almost five p.m., but there’s not a soul to be seen
anywhere on the street. Evidently, people are taking the
threat of zombies very seriously.
The door shuts behind us and I use all three dead bolts
and the cross bar to make sure anyone trying to get in
would have a real problem. There’s a special knob that
Cooper could turn that releases the board, but if you don’t