Zom-B Underground (Zom-B 2)

Chapter Eighteen

We push on, Dr. Cerveris calling the shots, leading the way. I ask Reilly about Mr. Burke, if he's safe. Reilly says he doesn't think my ex-teacher is in the complex at the moment, though he can't be sure. I start to ask Dr. Cerveris, but then he stops at another door and tells Reilly to open it.

Rage steps out, cool as you like. He raises an eyebrow at us and grins. "Are we going on a picnic?"

"This is no time for levity," Dr. Cerveris snaps. "The complex has come under attack from an unidentified enemy."

"I heard," Rage nods. "There was all sorts of fighting going on outside my door. I was confused at first. Then I figured it out." He cracks his knuckles. "How bad are things, sir?"

"Critical," Dr. Cerveris mutters. "The complex has been overrun. Our forces will regain control eventually, even if extra troops have to be summoned, but I have no confidence that stability will be resumed anytime soon. Our lives are in very real danger."

"Do we have a plan?" Rage asks as we jog on, only Danny left to gather.

"Once we're all together, we'll lock ourselves into a secure room and wait."

"That's all you've come up with?" Rage asks Reilly, chuckling bleakly.

"Just be glad we came for you," Reilly snaps. "We could have left you to rot."

"Oh, I am glad, sir, truly," Rage says. Then, to my astonishment, he slams an elbow into Reilly's nose, dropping the soldier to the floor. As Reilly slumps with a muffled yelp, Rage grabs the soldier's gun and takes it from him.

"What the hell are you - " Dr. Cerveris starts to roar.

Rage turns and jabs a finger into the doctor's eye, popping it as easily as he would a grape. As the scientist screams, Rage sucks on his finger. "Yummy," he grins. Then his face goes hard and he drives his hand through the side of Dr. Cerveris's skull, cracks it open and scoops out a handful of brain.

My field of vision narrows when I spot the fresh chunks of brain. Pain shoots through me, but it's a pleasurable pain. My mouth falls open and I advance, the other zom heads shuffling with me, all of us focused on the juicy substance in Rage's hand.

"Nuh-uh," Rage jeers, and thrusts the fistful of brain into his mouth. He chews with relish and kicks back Peder as he darts towards the one-eyed doctor. "He's all mine," Rage barks, and swiftly shovels out more of the dead man's brain.

I feel disappointment and start to turn away, looking for a victim of my own. Then my senses click back into place and I shake my head.

"What have you done?" I roar, startling the others. They lose their vacant look.

Rage is smirking. "A growing boy needs his vittles, that's what my gran used to say."

He drops the carcass of Dr. Cerveris and smiles tightly at Reilly, who is back on his feet and staring at Rage with unconcealed terror. "No need to brick it, Reilly. I'm not going to eat you. I've had my fill for the day."

"Why did you kill him?" Cathy groans, staring, nauseated, at the motionless scientist. "He was trying to help us."

"So that he could experiment on us some more?" Rage huffs. "Screw that."

"But you were always their favorite," Tiberius notes. "You did everything they asked. Their golden boy."

"Yeah," Rage says. "And they fell for it." He savagely kicks the corpse of Dr. Cerveris. "I've hated these bastards since day one. No one locks me up like a lab rat and gets away with it. But there was no point hitting out at them when they had the upper hand. So I waited. I had a feeling something like this would happen, that things would break down and an opportunity would present itself. I didn't think it'd be as spectacular as this, but I was sure there'd be a bit of give somewhere along the line."

Rage looks at Reilly and cocks his head. "You still here?"

"I didn't think I was free to go," Reilly says shakily.

"Well, you are." Rage shrugs. "You weren't the worst of them. That doesn't mean I won't kill you if I have to, but at the moment you're not a threat to me, so be a sensible boy and bugger off."

"What about my gun?" Reilly asks.

"Do I look like an idiot?" Rage snorts. "You'd put a bullet through my skull the second I gave it back to you. I'm sure you'll pick up something in one of the ammo rooms. If you make it that far."

Reilly looks at the rest of us for support, but nobody says anything. "Fine," he grunts. "Damn you all too."

He takes off at top speed, desperately searching for something to defend himself with.

I focus on Rage and the gun in his hand. Rage stares back at me, then casts his gaze over the other zom heads. For a moment I think he's going to drop us all. But then he lowers the gun and smiles. "I would say it's been fun and that I'm going to miss you, but I'd be lying through my teeth."

He turns to leave.

"Where are you going?" Cathy cries.

"This way," Rage says, then points in the opposite direction. "If you follow me, I'll kill you, so I'd suggest you go that way."

"What about Danny?" Mark asks. "We haven't rescued him yet."

"Screw him," Rage says.

"You can't go off by yourself," Gokhan protests. "It's dangerous here, innit? We should stick together."

"Stick with you bunch of losers?" Rage laughs. "No way. So long, suckers!"

Then he flips us the finger and is gone.

***