Waking Up Dead

but before she could make a decision Sebastian had returned and Two-h-ee had resumed its screams.

Those screams had featured heavily in her nightmare last night. The one Luke had woken her from. Nightmares! Her brain had protected her from them for so long she couldn’t quite work out was happening.

Nothing good, Jack. No shit, Sherlock.

Shaking the thoughts off, Jackson bent down to get a good look into the cage and frowned. The smell was bad, but she’d encountered worse, and though the square grids of metal distorted the view slightly, Jackson could see the zombie fine. It was sprawled out on its side, one arm resting by its face, and maybe it was because it was out for the count, but Jackson realized that its face was more… normal?…than any zombie she’d seen before “You’re right, Seb,” she said slowly. “There is something about her.”

“It’s because she’s not groaning or snarling,” Luke said as he made his way over. “She looks almost human.”

“She?” Nancy asked from the other side of the cage.

Jackson pointed to the zombie’s top, which seemed to be the remains of a red sweater—or maybe that was just dried blood. Its breasts were obvious, despite the mud, as was the curvature of the hips, not to mention the wild red hair. It reached to at least the waist and was a marvelous hue, despite the dirt, knots, and grime. “She was a woman.”

Nancy stood up, brushing her knees down and glared. “She’s not anymore. It’s just a zombie now.”

“It’s a sick woman is all,” Sebastian corrected. “Zombie or no. If I had my cure, she’d be back to normal in no time.”

“But you don’t, Seb,” Nancy said. “Not yet.”

Sebastian shrugged. “I just need the final thing.”

Something passed between the leader and the doctor and Jackson eyed them with interest. She knew Sebastian was missing one element of the concoction that he called his cure, but he couldn’t get his hands on whatever it was. He’d told her there was only one way but Nancy refused to let him try it. So he was experimenting, trying to find a way around it. Only it wasn’t going too well, and now that their brains were changing, it was even harder.

“Let’s not get into this now,” Nancy said. “You know the rules, and like or no it is a zombie.”

Jackson sighed and stretched, feeling the politics and not really enjoying them. “No. She’ll be Seb’s latest experiment, which means she’s got what?” She looked over at Sebastian. “Two weeks before she’s dead?”

“Steady on,” Sebastian said, a frown chasing his face. “Two-h-ee lasted for nearly a month!”

“A few weeks then.”

“The reason for calling you here,” Nancy said impatiently, fixing her gaze on Jackson, and putting a halt to their conversation. “Is that the zombie cannot stay here. I won’t have them in the camp. It’s too dangerous and besides it is one of our main rules. This here is supposed to be a safe place. I can’t have zombies running around, or burrowing for that matter.” She shook her head, and muttered. “Who the fuck am I going to get to go down that hole?”

Luke stepped next to her, his solid warmth banishing the chills Nancy’s words created. Despite the distance between them it comforted her as always and Jackson reached back with her free hand to brush against his. She took a deep breath and gripped Mandy tightly. “You don’t mean?”

Nancy nodded grimly. “Yep, you’re gonna have to take it to the shack.”

Chapter Thirty-four

The drive to the shack was completely different at night and Luke found himself wishing they could have waited until the morning. But even as he thought it, he knew Nancy was right. They could not leave a zombie in what was the equivalent of a human buffet. She’d proven herself smart enough to burrow into camp without anyone stopping her. Who knew what else she could do?

So drive they did. He, Jackson, Sebastian, Pete, and a huge, silent guy called Jay. He’d nodded, cocked his gun, and ignored everyone. Luke had raised an eyebrow in Pete’s direction, but he’d merely shrugged. This was all Nancy could or would spare. Everyone else was on the walls or checking for burrows.

At first Luke couldn’t help but wonder why she was so willing to let Sebastian—the fucking wonder doctor— leave the camp at such a dangerous time. It was cool, which meant the zombies would be bolder, and driving at night was always precarious. But he’d discovered that Sebastian did as he pleased, went where he wanted, and no one, least of all Nancy, was willing to stop him.

“It’s a good job we moved Two-h-ee into one of the cages,” Sebastian said as they turned down a particularly bumpy road.

The doctor was in the back sandwiched between Pete and Jay. Jackson rode shotgun with him and if he ignored his passengers, Luke thought it could be almost like old times, as Jackson called them. Just the two of them making their journey. Less than a week ago in reality, but much longer in terms of events. It surprised Luke how much he missed it. At least then he knew where and what Jackson was doing and could try and protect her in his own way.

“We’ll strap her down straightaway,” Jackson replied, her eyes scanning the area. “Are you going to dose her up tonight?”

“Thought I might try something different with this one actually,” Sebastian said. “The current treatment regime is not working seeing as how I can’t get my hands on what I need, so I’ve got to start thinking outside the box as they say. Get a bit creative.”

“And what is it you need, exactly?” Luke asked. He couldn’t help himself. The undercurrents between Nancy and the doctor hadn’t escaped him and he wondered what precisely Sebastian needed for this cure of his.

“Oh, well, I’m not supposed to say,” Sebastian muttered.

Pete let out a laugh. “Everyone knows anyway, Seb. You spent weeks moaning and moping about it.”

“I did not!”

“Yes you did. We all locked our doors just in case.”

Locked their doors? Luke frowned, took a left, and accelerated forward. The headlights were on highbeam so they gave him a good view of the surrounding area, but still he wanted to get a move on. There and back in two hours at least, before morning proper began. “Okay, spill then,” Luke said. “You’ve dragged my woman into this after all.”

“Luke.” Jackson swatted him on the thigh. “Less of the caveman, please.”

“It’s true,” he defended himself, shooting Jackson a quick glance. “The least the good doctor can do is tell us what we’re up against here. ’Cause look, I’ll be honest, I’m not even sure this cure idea of yours has got any kind of legs. For all we know you could be tinkering around with no idea what the hell you’re doing.”

“I’ve been working on this from the moment it hit,” Sebastian said. “It was my job before any of you even knew what was happening, so say what you will about me, but do not cast aspersions on my qualifications.”

“The moment it hit?”

The doctor shifted, and out of the corner of his eye Luke noticed Pete elbow him. “I worked with all sorts of diseases,” Sebastian said. “You know, before the end. That’s what I did as my line of work. They call me the doctor here but truth be told, I’ve never practiced proper medicine. I was always much more comfortable in research.” He shrugged. “Viruses were my thing.”

“And you worked on this virus?” Luke asked, intrigued despite himself. “Where? The CDC?”

Sebastian shifted on his seat. “No, I worked for a pharmaceutical company here in Texas. I got the job offer right after I finished my PhD. It was fascinating work, adapting viruses for other purposes, specifically drug delivery. When we heard about this one…” He shifted some more. “I couldn’t believe it. It was a virus unlike any I’d ever seen, and it fascinated me. There had to be a way to beat it. I knew there was, but there was so little time. Just a handful of months before nearly everyone was gone. Before they overran us all. If I’d just had more