Zombie Patrol (Walking Plague Trilogy 1)

“Yes, sir.”

“And the other? Carter? What have you got on him?”

“Just a brother. A Los Angeles park ranger. Lives at the zoo.”

The Agent in Black laughed in spite of himself. “He lives at the zoo? How does one live at the zoo?”

“According to our records, sir, he works at the zoo and the Griffith Observatory. They reserve a bungalow on site for rangers. Two agents are trying to locate him now.”

“What’s the trouble?”

“He patrols the areas. Vast areas of hillside land. They will contact us as soon as they question him. Apparently, he has full custody of a teenage daughter.”

The Agent in Black considered. The two missing men had to know the consequences of their actions. It could result in court-martial, to say the least. Yet, they did it anyway.

The Agent in Black’s anger grew. He’d underestimated them. They wouldn’t go home to their families. Vegas, Mexico, up the coast, they could be anywhere. And there was nothing he could do about it.

His righthand man waited quietly as these thoughts flew through his mind in a fury of heat. The Agent in Black had no way of knowing that Lieutenant Commander Joseph Carter’s brother, Jack, also had a home in Los Feliz, as this house was not in Jack’s name. It was in his ex-wife’s cousin’s name, and she was a rich film producer who’d taken pity on Jack during the divorce. The Los Feliz place was merely an investment for her; a large, Spanish-style home built in the 1920s that accrued equity as time passed. She’d offered it to Jack, so that he could have a home for himself and his daughter. There was no mail, nor a record of any kind that Joe Carter’s brother lived there.

So the Agent in Black stood there, at the tower, and gritted his teeth. His eyes never wavered from the silver sea.

“Question the daughter, as well.”

“Uh…Sir, the daughter is underage…what if this draws attention?”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass if it causes a little attention.”

“Yes, sir. I was just thinking of the repercussions—”

The Agent in Black whirled, his face now within an inch of his Clone. “Repercussions? You don’t understand the meaning of the word. I don’t have to tell you what we’re facing here, do I?”

The Clone shook his head ever so slightly.

“I’m telling you to talk to that girl. Get her to talk. Interview the father’s co-workers. Get that team out to Vegas now, and put an APB out for both of them. Notify the fucking airlines, trains, bus stations. Christ, what the hell do I pay you for?”

The sweat on the Clone’s face was the only indication he was petrified. He stood up straight. “Yes, sir.”

“Find them. Find them and bring them to me. Now!”

The Clone nodded and left quickly.

Chapter Seven

I felt him behind me before I opened my eyes.

I’d been asleep...but fitfully. Now, as I lay completely still, the full—and highly unusual—realization that my brother was standing in my bedroom fully dawned on me.

My brother? Was he okay?

I snapped fully awake and sat up. “Joey?” I asked, using the name most familiar to me. Despite his military acclaim, he would always be Joey to me.

He stood in my doorway, a dark shadow among other dark shadows. It was him, too, I was sure of it. Too tall to be Mike. I could be wrong—hell, I had to be wrong—but I sensed waves of anger coming from him. Also, as my fitful sleep turned into full comprehension, something else occurred to me: my brother had been watching me sleep.

And, for some reason, growing more and more angry.

I hated saying that I put up my guard for my one and only brother, but I switched into defense mode. My gun was under my pillow, and I don’t know how I could think of that, but I did.

I smiled though, as if nothing was wrong. “Hey, Joey,” I said again, softening my tone. Something was very wrong. I was sure of it. “Are you all right?”

Now my brother seemed to snap awake. He blinked and shook his head a little. Then he glanced around, as if wondering what he was doing in my room. He was sweating.

I set my feet on the floor and motioned for him to sit beside me. I really didn’t want to catch whatever he had, but he was my brother, after all. Blood was thicker than water, and all that.

“What the hell is wrong with you, bro?” I asked.

Joe muttered something to himself; it was a tendency he had. I couldn’t understand him. He fell silent again, and I was about to speak up when he whispered, “Jack, I have to tell you something. But you can’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.”

“I’m good with secrets,” I said.

This wasn’t my fun-loving, zest-for-life brother. I’d seen him sick before, and he’d always maintained a happy spirit. I was the serious brother. But Joe looked grim now. And more than a little confused.

“Not a football,” he stated. “I got my words mixed up.”

“What?”

“It was the shape of a basketball.”

“What are you talking about?” I put a hand on his shoulder. He jerked it away.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Jesus, sorry. What about a basketball? Or a football?”

He jumped up. “I said it was not a football!” He spat into my face. His eyes were sunken, his lips parched. The hatred in those red eyes were horrible to see. Hatred from my own brother?

I stood as well, tried to calm him. I’d never, ever seen him act like this. “Okay, bro, okay. I’m sorry.”

Joe took a deep breath. Dragged his hands through his hair. He leaned on a nearby chair and took another big breath. He faced me again, struggling to stay calm.

“We found something, Jack. Mike and me.”

I was motionless. I didn’t want to upset him again. “What did you find, Joey?”

“It came out of the sky,” he continued with a glazed expression. “And we found it. We shouldn’t have touched it.”

Maybe I’d watched too many horror movies, but a sense of dread came over me. I waited.

“It was beautiful, like a falling star. But that’s not how they saw it. No. Mike and I found it, but they took it away. It’s a good thing they let us go, too. Otherwise, I would have gone berserk.”

Jesus, was my brother was losing his mind? Joe was level-headed; he was a lieutenant commander climbing the Navy ranks.

“I don’t think we should have touched it,” he continued, babbling, “and I don’t think they should have taken it, either. It will make you sick.”