Caldera 8Simon Sez
Heath Stallcup
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
A Note from the Author
Also By Heath Stallcup
About the Author
Also From DevilDog Press
Customers also purchased
Caldera VIII Simon Sez
©2019 Heath Stallcup
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living, dead, or otherwise, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
Printed in the U.S.A.
ISBN—
Created with Vellum
To my twin 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…
Chapter 1
Hatcher jumped when a piece of stucco beside the gate erupted. A rifle round shattered the cement mix, sending bits of debris flying and cutting him off mid-sentence. He dove for the ground and screamed, “DOWN! Gun shots!”
Bodies dove for cover as more shots thudded against the sides of the adobe building and exterior wall. Cooper rolled to his side, cupping his hands to his mouth. “Take cover! Incoming!”
Hatcher reached out and grabbed the man’s hand. “You’re bleeding.”
Cooper rolled to his back and looked down at his white t-shirt, stained red with blood. “Well, ain’t that a kick in the nuts.”
Hatcher pulled a bandana from his back pocket and pressed it to the wound. “Pressure. We have to slow the bleeding.” His eyes met Cooper’s and for the moment, the man appeared unfazed. “Medic! We got a man down here!”
“I don’t think it’s that bad, Hatch.” Cooper tried to sit up then blanched. “Or maybe not.” He collapsed onto his back and his eyelids fluttered.
Hatcher waved to a man running by. “We need a stretcher! Coop’s been shot!”
Vicky rushed through the front doors and slid in beside her brother. “How bad?” Her eyes scanned the wound then she did a double take. “Coop?”
“Help her get him to triage!” Daniel stepped back and let two others lift Coop onto a stretcher then he watched the quartet rush back through the front doors. Hatcher felt his breathing coming in gasps and he muttered, “Don’t you die on her you wrinkled old bastard.”
“The shooter has stopped.”
Hatcher looked up at the sentry and saw him slowly coming to his feet, his rifle angling over the edge of the adobe fence. “Are you certain?” He stepped up onto the scaffolding and peered over the top.
The sentry handed him a pair of binoculars. “The truck is still out there, but nobody’s shooting. Maybe he’s reloading?”
Hatcher pressed the field glasses to his eyes and scanned the open field. He quickly found the headlights and tried to peer past the glare. “I can’t see him.”
“Maybe we got lucky and a Zulu ate him,” the sentry deadpanned.
“Keep scanning the area. He may have just moved to better cover,” he said, handing the binoculars back to the sentry. Hatcher stepped down from the wall and avoided the open area of the wrought iron gates. “I need somebody crazy enough to storm that truck…during a Zulu attack.”
Roger groaned. “If you’re looking for volunteers…”
Candy elbowed him hard in the ribs. “You’re gonna be a dad, you dimwit.”
Hatcher shook his head. “She’s right.” He huffed as he scanned for another person to send on a suicide mission. “I guess if I can’t find crazy, then stupid is the next best thing.” He reached for the latch on the gate.
He felt a hand clamp over his own and turned to stare into Buck’s dark eyes. “I got this one.”
“No way, kid…”
“Don’t argue.” Buck leaned closer and lowered his voice. “They need you to run this place. Besides, I’ve lived with the infected in the wild, remember? I think I can make it across a couple hundred yards of open ground and survive.”
“I can’t let you do this.”
“I ain’t asking.” Buck pushed the gate open and slipped into the buffer zone. “I’ll be right back.”
Hatcher opened his mouth to argue but the kid slipped into the darkness before he could get a word to form.
Both Carol and Broussard froze when a car alarm went off, its lights flickering and the horn blasting in the evening shadows. He grabbed her by the coat and quickly dragged her across the street and into the darkness of an alley. She stood trembling by the entrance as screams echoed off of the surrounding buildings.
Broussard stepped deeper into the shadows, his hand reaching to cup her mouth. “Shhh,” he whispered in her ear.
The pair turned to make a break for the end of the alley when Broussard came up short, his hand falling from her mouth. “Oh, no…”
Carol stared at the Zed standing just feet away, his head cocked to the side as he stared at the pair.
“Easy.” Carol held a hand up as she slowly backed away from the creature. “Let’s everybody just stay calm.”
Broussard stepped in front of her. “There’s no reasoning with the infected.” His body stiffened in preparation for fending off an attack when the creature tilted its head back and screamed into the air.
Without thinking, Broussard lunged forward and did his best imitation of a karate chop to the man’s exposed throat, throwing his large mass behind the strike. The creature doubled over, its hands scratching at its neck as it tried to suck air through the ruined larynx. Broussard used the creature’s panic to push it aside and pull Carol out of the alley.
The pair darted
