Caldera Book 2Out Of The Fire
Heath Stallcup
Copyright © 2017 by Heath Stallcup
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Edited by Rob M. Miller
Cover by Jeffrey Kosh
Created with Vellum
To both of my girls.
You both love zombie stories and this is a different twist on the genre for you.
It may not be what you’re used to, but if the ‘zombie apocalypse’ ever really does come, it most likely will be some kind of rage virus versus the slow, shambling, walking dead.
Rule #1: Cardio…
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Caldera The Series
About the Author
Also by Heath Stallcup
Also From DevilDog Press
Acknowledgments
To my wife for putting up with my crazy self. I don’t know how you do it. Somebody had better submit your name for sainthood.
My sister Sheila for being such an awesome proofreader and catching my mistakes and double checking everything.
Terri Clark, who gave the ‘Go-No Go’ on this book.
Mark Tufo and Joe McKinney…you two got me started reading the zombie genre. I realize this isn’t exactly the same thing, but I hope I do you proud.
Sandra Mantooth…I wish you had talked me into choosing this career path YEARS ago.
Chapter 1
Buck yelled, “I can see something moving in the trees!”
“Okay, that’s enough. Load up!” Bob leaned across the side to Skeeter. Skeeter turned and came sprinting toward him, rounding the front of the RV and up to the door. “Inside, Buck, now!” He stood outside the door, holding it open for his son who was slowly backing toward the RV.
“There’s movement out there.” Buck pointed as he turned and headed to the door just as figures broke through the tree line and began sprinting toward them.
“Inside, now!” Bob began pushing him inside, stumbling and tripping behind him.
He pulled open the wound in his shoulder, causing a white hot flash of pain to shoot down his arm. He felt his arm go numb from the elbow down and his hand became a useless appendage.
Cursing to himself, Bob rolled inside the RV and pulled the door shut with his other arm, locking it behind him. He pulled himself to a standing position and began moving forward, just as the first thumps began hitting the side of the RV, rocking it slightly. He could hear muffled screams from outside the RV and knew that if he didn’t hurry, more would be called to their location. He didn’t think that a large group could topple the monstrosity, but he didn’t want to stick around and find out.
Slipping in behind the wheel, he released the parking brake and threw the large motorcoach into gear. “Keep an eye out for Mom.” He turned to Buck who had taken his seat again in the front and gave him a knowing look. He then glanced into the rearview mirror and caught Skeeter’s eye. “And speak up if you happen to see your sister.”
Bob had to bend down slightly to see out of the clean spots he had created in the windshield, but at least he could see. Only one of the crazy people had come around to the front of the coach and was near his side. He pressed down on the accelerator and watched as the oversized, flannel-dressed man was pushed out of the way when the coach rolled forward.
Glancing at the side mirrors, he knew there was a pretty large group following them, but he didn’t care at this point. He had to be careful of the cars parked along the side of the road.
“Just floor it, Dad!” Buck yelled.
“I can’t,” Bob replied through gritted teeth, fighting the pain in his shoulder. “If I ram any of those parked cars, we’re toast.”
Buck shook with adrenaline as he continued to lean forward and stare into the side mirrors. The figures chasing them weren’t falling back fast enough. “They’re gaining on us.”
Skeeter had moved up and was staring out the front windshield, her eyes scanning the view that the headlights lit up. On occasion, she would see a fast-moving figure in the distance flit across their path, but she couldn’t make out any of the details. “This is nuts.” She moved back to a side window and tried to see, but couldn’t make out anything through them, either.
Skeeter froze when she heard a thumping noise that sounded like it came from the roof. She turned her head upward and stared at the ceiling. “Buck? There’s no way they could get up on top, is there?”
Buck looked at her as though she were crazy. “Of course not. This thing is like fifteen feet tall.” But then he heard the hard-thumping noises coming from the ceiling as well, and his eyes widened. His head snapped toward his dad who was white knuckling the steering wheel. “Could they?”
Bob shrugged. “Unless they figured out how to climb the rear ladder.”
“There’s a ladder on the back?” Buck repeated, astonished. “Why didn’t you ever…I mean…” he trailed off. He picked up his crossbow and went back by Skeeter. “I didn’t know there was a ladder on the back.”
“Isn’t this your RV?”
“My uncle’s.” Buck released the safety on the bow, listening intently as the thumping increased in spots. “I can’t tell where it is.”
Skeeter pointed up to a spot on the ceiling. “There. I think.”
Buck shrugged and pointed the crossbow straight up and pulled the trigger. The bolt disappeared into the ceiling and a scream could be heard from above the RV, followed by a loud thump.
“Did you get him?” Skeeter asked.
Buck shrugged again. “No clue. But the banging stopped.” He shot her a lopsided grin. “Maybe I shot his hand? He ain’t a knocking.”
Both kids stood underneath the hole that Buck had shot into the ceiling,
