Gen X: The Undead Adventures of Chas (A Young Adult Zombie Apocalypse Thriller Book 3) Read online

  Baileigh Higgins

  Gen X

  Copyright © 2019 by Baileigh Higgins

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Baileigh Higgins asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  Baileigh Higgins has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

  Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

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  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  Prologue

  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

  Epilogue

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  Author Bio

  Acknowledgments

  Many thanks to my family and friends for their tireless support and dedication to me during good times and bad. Also, a shout-out to Skye of Peryton Press for the lovely book cover she designed for this story. I love and appreciate you all!

  Special shout-out to Sandy Dennis and Anke who won my birthday competition and so got to have characters named after them in this book. Hope you like what I did with you, and thanks for being such great fans!

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to and written especially for Chasity Martin, my favorite fan. I wish you everything that is good and beautiful in life. You can achieve anything you want to, sweetheart.

  Love,

  Baileigh Higgins

  (Please note, this is a work of fiction, though, and all similarities to real-life people are accidental, not intended.)

  Prologue

  Chas paced up and down the length of the barrier, counting each step beneath her breath. Her eyes scanned the terrain, becoming familiar with every tiny variation, both natural and unnatural. Her breath puffed out in little white clouds, a reminder that summer was passing. The sun was rising later now, and a chill lingered this early in the morning though the days were still hot and humid.

  Besides the occasional patrol, she was the only one crazy enough to be up before dawn, but she couldn’t sleep. Not when her brain wouldn’t switch off, wouldn’t let her rest. How could it when everything she’d lost played over and over again on a video reel?

  Johnson.

  Julia.

  Alvarez.

  Sanchez, Williams, and Smith.

  But worst of all, Grumps.

  Vivienne too in a sense. Ever since they’d arrived at the so-called safe zone, Chas had seen very little of her mother. She was too busy tending to her patients in the infirmary, people who needed her more than her daughter did. Or so she thought. She’s wrong. I do need her. I’m lost.

  It was true. Chas felt rudderless, without purpose. She missed her grandfather, and her army friends. She mourned the loss of Johnson, another friend. More than that, she felt useless. Powerless.

  Ever since they’d retreated to the secondary base, Chas and her friends had been forgotten, ignored. Treated like children. Even though they’d been instrumental in getting everyone to safety and setting up the new camp, they were still spoken to in condescending tones and given menial tasks to perform.

  Early mornings and late nights were the only times she could be alone, free from the sympathetic glances thrown her way, and she relished in the freedom. Everyday found her by the barrier, tracing and retracing her steps with endless energy. She knew Vanessa and Emily were worried about her, but she hadn’t been able to talk to them. Not yet. Maybe today was the day she could break through the cocoon around her. Maybe.

  After walking along the barrier several times, Chas took a detour to a small clearing tucked away from the general population. Here she ran through a list of vigorous exercises, just like Julia and Alvarez had taught her. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, planks, burpees, and shadow-boxing.

  It felt good to push herself to the edge, to test her limits until her muscles burned and her lungs ached. It was good to be alive. To feel the rush of hot blood pumping through her veins and sweat cooling on her brow with the zing of accomplishment to spur her on. It took away some of the frustration she felt at their situation, the rage she harbored for Major Brown and his nephew.

  Afterward, she made her way to the watchtower. Mathew was there already, due for his day-shift. He frowned when he saw her but didn’t say anything. It was no use; she simply ignored him.

  With slow steps, Chas approached the edge of the tower, brushing past the silent Mathew. Her hands gripped the sides of the railing, her fingers turning numb as her body comprehended the horror stretched out before her.

  A sea of the undead, undulating like a wave before the wall that was all that stood between them and the camp. The ones in the front scratched at the wall, banging their fists against it as they moaned and howled their eternal hunger. Those behind them seemed calmer, more content to stand and sway in the breeze that swept the scent of their rotting bodies into Chas’ nostrils.

  She gagged and lifted her shirt over her mouth and nose, her eyes watering from the stink. No matter how often she smelled it, it never got any better.

  “They haven’t moved at all,” Chas murmured.

  Mathew shook his head. “They never do.”

  Chas sighed. “I wonder if they’ll stand there like that forever and ever if they could.”

  “Probably,” Mathew said, his voice shaking with the fright he tried to keep buried.

  It was a feeling most familiar to Chas. Fear.

  Today was the last time she’d come up here. Her grandmother, Lala, had forbidden it, convinced that the sight of so many zombies was driving Chas deeper into her shell of mourning. It wasn’t true. Nor was it making her lose her mind.

  What she was doing was facing her fears in an effort to conquer them. For she was afraid, deeply so. She’d seen what the zombies had done to Johnson despite him being such a good fighter and shot. She’d seen what they did to innocents who didn’t deserve to die. The infected didn’t discriminate. They didn’
t care about young and old, children or babies. They killed without regard, without caring.

  That’s why she had to face them, get used to them. The smell, the way they looked. She wasn’t that kid on the Ferris wheel anymore. Bright-eyed and optimistic despite the odds in front of her. She was older now, wiser, and she knew that terror could freeze you up, could make you hesitate, and when that happened…you died.

  Chas stared at the sea of zombies, allowing all the scared, sad, guilty feelings inside to crystallize into a sense of resolve. It did, strengthening her belief that she had to escape, had to go look for help. If she didn’t they were doomed. All of them. I can do it. I know I can. I just need to come up with a plan, and I need my friends. It’s time. Time to talk to them.

  As she turned to leave, she smiled at Math. “Don’t worry. I won’t be back.”

  He frowned. “You won’t?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’ve seen all I need to see.”

  “Uh, okay,” Math replied, an uncertain look twisting his face. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m great.” She looked at him. “Thanks for letting me do this every day. I know I was a burden to you.”

  “Um, not really. I was just worried. No one else wants to see them. It’s too scary,” Math said.

  “That’s why I had to look. So I don’t get scared anymore,” Chas replied.

  “Did it work?” Math asked.

  “I guess.”

  “I wish it would work on me,” he admitted, shuffling his feet. “But the more I see them, the worse it gets.”

  Chas stared at him, hovering on the ladder. “Embrace it, Math. Don’t let it swallow you whole. It’s the only way.”

  Chapter 1

  Chas sat on her bunk bed with her legs folded, contemplating the cards she’d been dealt with keen eyes. In front of her sat Vanessa, her face a blank canvas as she held her hand close to her chest. On either side, sat Emily and Dean, perched on top of wooden stools, their own cards fanned out between their fingers.

  They were all dressed in identical pajamas: a white t-shirt, navy sweatpants, and cotton socks, also dark blue. They’d just had a meager supper of watery vegetable soup followed by a speedy two-minute shower each. Their damp hair gleamed in the low light provided by the single light hanging from the ceiling. Supplies inside the remaining safe zone were being strictly rationed for the time being. Nobody knew how long it would be until help arrived, after all. If it ever did.

  Outside, it was as dark as sin. Thick banks of clouds hid the heavens from view and rain drummed a steady beat on the canvas roof above their heads. The small tent could accommodate four people in double bunk beds and this one was assigned to Chas, Lala, Vanessa, and Sarah. Vivienne stayed at the infirmary, and for now, so did Sarah, not having recovered from her illness yet. As such, the kids were playing on the empty bed, trying to take their minds off their miserable circumstances.

  Lala, Vivienne, and all the rest were attending a meeting on how to manage the new situation in the safe zone. Not that Chas expected much good to come from it. They’ll probably just bicker some more and vote to wait it out.

  Chas sighed and dropped her cards, unable to focus on the game. “I can’t do this, guys. I’m sorry.”

  Emily blinked. “Do what?”

  “Pretend like nothing’s wrong. Like the adults know what they’re doing. Like somebody is going to rescue us.” She folded her arms. “We all know there’s nobody coming.”

  Emily hesitated. “Don’t say that. That’s what the meeting is for tonight.”

  “You know it’s true,” Chas insisted. “There’s still no sign of the CDC convoy or Alvarez. Not that they’d be able to do much against the horde that threatens the camp anyway. I’m sure something happened to them.”

  Vanessa dropped her cards. “You’re right, but I hope they’re all still alive.”

  “Me too,” Chas said, her heart aching at the thought of Julia and Alvarez, dead…or undead. Losing Johnson was bad enough. She couldn’t stand losing another friend. “Except, Major Brown, of course. He can rot in hell for all I care, and so can his idiot nephew.”

  Dean snickered. “We’re all hoping for that.”

  “Anyway, while the adults bicker over rations and living space, the zombies are going to keep us trapped in here until we turn on each other or starve,” Chas continued.

  “The adults will think of something. They’ll send someone out to look for help, I’m sure,” Emily insisted.

  “That’s not what I heard,” Dean said. “They’ve decided to stay put until the convoy comes back or a rescue party from Washington arrives. They just need to vote on it tonight, but it’s been pretty much decided already.”

  Chas snorted. “Like that’ll ever happen. No, I say we come up with a plan ourselves.”

  Emily shook her head. “It’s not that I disagree with you, Chas, and this time, I’ll stick with you guys whatever you decide, but…”

  “But?” Chas asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Have you thought it through? Even if we could escape the safe zone, and get past the zombies, what then? Where would we go? What would we do?” Emily reasoned. “Also, could you leave Lala behind? Your mom? Knowing that at any moment the barrier could fail and they’d die while you were out there somewhere?”

  Chas nodded. “I have thought about it, Em, and I’d rather be out there, trying to find help, than in here dying with the rest of them if the zombies get in.”

  “Okay, so what’s the plan?” Emily asked, surprising everyone.

  “You mean…you’re in?” Chas asked.

  “Of course, I’m in. Without me, you wouldn’t stand a chance anyway,” Emily said with a smug smile, her glasses glinting in the light.

  Chas laughed. “You’re right, of course. So, why don’t you come up with a plan then, smartypants?”

  “Actually, I already have.” Taking a notebook from her pocket, Emily proceeded to lay it out for them, step by step. By the time she was done, silence reigned.

  Finally, Chas found her voice. “Good plan. Better than anything I could come up with, for sure.”

  “This is it, then?” Vanessa asked. “We’re doing this for real?”

  “I’m in,” Chas said.

  “Me too,” Dean replied.

  Emily nodded.

  “I guess we’d better get started first thing in the morning,” Chas said. “It will take a few days to finish all the preparations.”

  “The sooner, the better,” Dean agreed which was no surprise. Out of all of them, he had the least reason to stay in the camp, having no family there to worry over.

  “I vote we get some sleep,” Emily said. “Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and the adults will be back soon.”

  “All right. Off you go, Dean and Emily,” Chas said. “See you in the morning.”

  They said their goodbyes before trooping out and Vanessa crawled into her bed, followed by Chas. For a few moments, they lay in silence until Vanessa said. “Do you really think we can do this, Chas?”

  Chas stared at the ceiling. “I don’t know, Vanessa. But, I know we have to try. We can’t let these people die, our families die, just because they’re too scared to move.”

  “I’m scared too,” Vanessa admitted. “Have you looked over the wall, Chas? It’s like the end of the world.”

  “I’ve seen it…and I’m frightened too, but I’m even more afraid of being trapped in here when those things get inside,” Chas said.

  “I guess you’re right,” Vanessa said. “Let’s hope the plan works.”

  “Yeah, let’s hope so,” Chas agreed, her troubled mind winging back to the moment Johnson died. The day when everything changed for her.

  She remembered standing up in the guard tower while a nervous Math tittered behind her, his panic barely held in check: The feel of the wooden railing beneath her palms as she stared over the sea of undead that thronged the plain stretched out below. The sound of their fists beating against the wall. T
he smell of their rotting flesh washing across her face with the breeze.

  She knew then that survival didn’t depend on how old or how strong you were. The zombies could kill you no matter how good your aim was, or how well you could wield a knife. Those things were just a small part of it. What really mattered was being able to face your fears. To overcome the crippling anxiety that threatened to rob you of reason. If you could do that, you were halfway there already. The rest of it…well, that was just dumb luck. Dumb luck and good friends. The kind who had your back until the very end.

  Chapter 2

  Chas stood on a patch of open ground away from the hustle and bustle of the base, aiming her knife at a cardboard target she’d set up several feet away. Keeping her body steady and in line with the board, she flicked her arm out. The blade spun through the air before landing with a solid thunk.

  “Yes,” she cried, running closer to retrieve her knife. It was slightly off-center, but not by much.

  “Just a little to the left next time,” Emily said, raising her hand to high-five Chas.

  “Not bad,” Vanessa said, “but I can do better.”

  “Oh, yeah? Let’s see you try,” Chas said with a smug smile. She knew as well as everybody else did that her knife throwing skills were the best thanks to her uncle’s lessons in the past.

  Vanessa took her shot, and her knife ended up in the dirt.

  Chas laughed. “Better, huh?”

  “Ah, gimme a break,” Vanessa said, her eyes sparkling.

  “You’re still better at it than me, babe,” Dean said, shaking his head woefully when his blade failed to travel even half the distance.

  “That’s true, Dean, but you suck so badly I’m not sure it’s a compliment,” Emily said, her red hair glinting in the warm afternoon sun.

  A week had passed since they’d abandoned the lower base to the scourge of the undead, and the situation had not changed for the better. Thousands of the buggers thronged the wall, now finally high enough and thick enough to withstand them for good. That didn’t cheer anyone up. Not when they had no way of getting in or out. While they had water and electricity, they’d run out of food and medical supplies sooner or later.