Zoey and the Zombies (A Mondamin Court Adventure)

Chapter Sixteen

Somewhere in Indiana

The men stood in the prison's largest open yard, wondering what was about to happen. It was a dangerous move on the warden's part, to gather them all together in one place. The warden had barely a skeleton crew of guards left, maybe a couple dozen. The prison held nearly a thousand, many of them violent criminals. It would be so easy to overpower the guards and escape.

Two things held them back, made them wait patiently while the warden and his men did whatever the hell they were doing at the front of the yard. They were loading a number of tables with objects, lengths of pipes, fire axes—a truly peculiar assortment of items.

The first thing holding them back was the news. The last week it had been nothing but zombies. Zombies in Miami, zombies in LA, then almost every major city on the East Coast and in the rust belt, the South. Cities were overrun with zombies everywhere. Then, two days ago, nothing. Guards said they didn't know any more than the prisoners did. The communication grid was down. Utilities in town were hit or miss, out more than on. What would they be escaping into?

The other thing that held them was curiosity. Whatever the warden was up to, they wanted to find out. They might tear him to pieces afterward, but first they would listen.

"All right all you," he shouted. "Listen up. You know what's been happening out there, so I won't go over that."

"We knew two days ago," a voice shouted.

"The military is falling back, toward the Mississippi River," the warden said.

"Evacuating the civilians, but leaving us to rot." This was shouted by another prisoner. Murmurs could be heard through the crowd.

"That's a lie," the warden countered. "Military ain't taking nobody. Their people, a few essential personnel, a lucky few. Most civilians are being left to their own devices."

There was a ripple through the crowd at these words.

"Some of my fellow wardens are abandoning their posts, leaving men like you to starve in your cells. Others are holing up, hoping to survive within the walls. I have a different plan. I'm gonna offer you all a shot at redemption. You see, they've spotted a horde of these things coming down the highway. My town, my family, is just miles away, bracing for impact.

"I've had my guards and a select few prisoners working all morning, gathering any makeshift weapon they can find." He hefted an assault rifle. "In a moment, I'm going to walk over to that gate, open it up, and then go stand out on the highway and see this horde for myself. I can't promise I'm going to win; in fact, it would be foolish to think so, but I'm going to go down swinging. Anyone who cares to join me will be welcome."

He turned and started walking. Two guards opened the gate for him. Apparently drawn by the creaking, a man appeared just outside the gate. His skin was the color of ash. His eyes were dark and malevolent. He let out a low groan and stumbled toward the warden. The warden shot him right between the eyes.

The men in the field let out a wild roar. They rushed forward to grab weapons from the table and then poured out onto the highway to meet the coming pack.

Des Moines, Iowa

"I called you all here to discuss what we are going to do now that the authorities are pulling out of Des Moines," Jack said.

"What is there to discuss?" Mr. Oleson, Lydia's elderly neighbor said from his seat in Lydia's house. "They are evacuating us tomorrow."

"You just heard what Danielle said earlier," Caleb said defiantly. "No way am I going in." Jack had wanted to start the meeting with his plan, but before he could get there Danielle had burst into tears and told them about the phone call from her husband, warning her against going to the camps. In a way, he reflected, that might work to his advantage.