Do Zombie Dogs Infect? Read online

  Do Zombie Dogs Infect?

  Ian F. James

  Do Zombie Dogs Infect?

  Copyright Ian F. James

  Published by Ian F. James

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to actual persons, alive or dead, are purely coincidental. The story contains sexually explicit language.

  Table of 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 1

  Colonel Harper’s tightly clenched fist hammered down on the polished, wooden surface. The crashing sound brought the squabble of raised voices in the room to an abrupt end and in the following silence he cast his gaze around the men sitting with him at the large, oval table. The resolute expression on his face made it abundantly clear who was in control of the meeting and he waited until the undivided attention of everyone was on him before clearing his throat to speak. In contrast to the heated discussion preceding his forceful intervention, he kept his voice quiet and composed.

  “It ends today.”

  “But my research is…,” Dr. Blake started, but he wasn’t given the opportunity to finish.

  “It ends today,” Colonel Harper barked in a louder voice and brought a steely edge to his tone to quash any hint of dissent. “I don’t know what my predecessor was thinking when he gave the green light to this…, this project. It defies logic as far as I’m concerned. Make no mistake though, I am now in full control of every aspect of this military base and your research will cease as of this moment.”

  “But…”

  Dr. Blake’s second attempt to make his point was cut dead by the angry glare thrown in his direction. The colonel held eye contact for only a brief second before turning his attention to the man sitting directly opposite him.

  “Captain Lee,” he went on. “You will escort Dr. Blake to his desk and relieve him of every report, every test tube, and every other piece of work that pertains to this project. Everything, do you understand me?”

  “Yes sir,” Captain Lee responded immediately.

  “This meeting is over gents,” Colonel Harper commanded.

  There was a murmur of voices around him, but no one disobeyed the order and the sound of chair legs scraping on the floor preceded the men getting to their feet. Colonel Harper was the only one who remained seated and he watched as the room slowly emptied.

  “Fucking battalion of the dead,” he muttered under his breath when he was alone and a grim expression flashed across his face. He lifted a hand to rub at his forehead before getting to his feet and following the others out of the meeting room.

  Dr. Blake glanced over his shoulder to see the new base commander heading in the opposite direction along the hallway. The impulse to go after him and plead his case flitted through his mind. He suspected it would be futile, however, so decided not to waste his time.

  There were other ways of getting what he wanted.

  When he brought his gaze forward, he continued to follow in the footsteps of Captain Lee as they headed towards the main reception area of the base. From there, they went outside and made their way towards the research facility.

  Captain Lee pushed open the door of the building and gestured for his companion to move through first. It was Dr. Blake leading the way from there on as they walked to a set of stairs and descended one level to a long hallway. The heavy, metal door at the end of it was locked and the doctor brought out a set of keys to open it.

  “After you,” he said and held out his arm.

  As he moved forward, Captain Lee’s shoulder bumped against a glass-fronted case and a grim smile flashed across his face when he looked at the firefighter axe it contained.

  “I don’t think it would get you through this metal door,” he said.

  “It’s not meant to,” Dr. Blake replied. “The idea is we grab it on the way out of the place to help if there’s a fire or an emergency.”

  Captain Lee said no more as he stepped through the door and listened to the loud clang of it being closed. He waited for his companion to walk past and lead the rest of the way to their destination.

  Dr. Blake came to a stop and looked around when the pair of them stepped inside his office. It had been his working home for the last couple of years and he’d hoped the funding provided by the army would keep his research going until he achieved his aims. That seemed unlikely now Colonel Harper was in charge of the base and he cursed the untimely death of the previous commander, Major General Cooper.

  “So what have you got for me doctor?” Captain Lee said as he came to a halt in the middle of the room.

  The question spurred Dr. Blake to action and he moved to his desk then slumped down in his seat. At first, he said nothing in reply as his mind skipped through almost two years of research. He’d been sure he was moving in the right direction to perfecting the technology and that he wasn’t actually far away from achieving the ultimate goal of the project.

  A sigh spilled from his lips as he rubbed fingers on his forehead. With a little more time and money he could have refined the serum and made his research a success. To him it seemed the ideal solution for fighting men and he could never understand when others didn’t see things as he did. Bringing the dead back was a way to make sure the living weren’t put in harm’s way.

  “Doctor,” Captain Lee said in a more strident voice. “What have you got?”

  The words brought Dr. Blake out of his thoughts and he clenched his lips together as he straightened up in the chair. There was no point in trying to hide anything in the office.

  “All the details of my research are in those four filing cabinets,” he said and pointed out the furniture pieces he was talking about.

  “What about the samples?” Captain Lee asked.

  Dr. Blake gestured towards a locked, glass-fronted refrigerator and gave the combination to unlock it.

  “All the serum we have is kept stored in there,” he said.

  Captain Lee nodded his head as he stared at the fridge unit before bringing his gaze back to the other man in the room.

  “What else?” he went on.

  Dr. Blake looked around his office and saw a red, metal box sitting on a table in the corner of the room. He nodded in its direction.

  “What is it?” Captain Lee asked as he moved to pick it up.

  “An antidote to the serum,” Dr. Blake told him and gave the combination for the lock.

  “Fuck,” Captain Lee went on in an incredulous voice. “You mean you’re developing something which can kill the living as well as bring back the dead. That’s some fucked up juice you’re playing with.”

  “I’m not playing and the juice, as you call it, is still in development,” Dr. Blake protested. “We’ll make sure it…”

  “I think your development has been cut stone-fucking dead,” Captain Lee interrupted harshly. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

  Dr. Blake sat thinking. There had been some trials of the serum on lab animals, but they hadn’t exactly gone well and the test subjects had always been destroyed. His intention had been to restart tests with a batch of improved serum the following month, but it appeared that wouldn’t be happening now.

  He pursed his lips as his mind continued to tick over, but apart from the research papers, samples, and antidote he’d already pointed out, there wasn’t anything else of significance. The team for the project had been small and the dangers involved meant they worked with the bare minimum they needed to carry out the research. There was no point in worrying about it any more though. It appeared events had run their course and he let out a frustrated sigh as he got slowly to his feet

  “I’ve pointed out everything of importance from my research,” he said. “Is there anything else you need from me at the moment?”

  “No,” Captain Lee said. “But I’ll be in touch if I think of anything.”

  Dr. Blake nodded his head as he moved to the door of the office. He reached out to the handle, but the sound of the voice brought him to a stop.

  “Wait,” Captain Lee said and moved across to the other man. “Face the wall, put your hands against it and spread your legs.”

  Dr. Blake’s voice came out in an exasperated tone.

  “Is it really necessary?”

  “Just do it, please,” Captain Lee insisted.

  Dr. Blake let out an irritated gasp of breath as he complied with the instructions and he stood still as he was frisked. His keys were brought out of his pocket and he was made to remove the one he’d used to unlock the metal door.

  “Thanks,” Captain Lee said as he took it.

  “Are you happy now?” Dr. Blake complained.

  “Can never be too careful,” Captain Lee commented before turning away to stride over to the desk.

  Dr. Blake shook his head
and took one last look around before yanking the door open to walk out his office for what he expected would be the final time. He retraced his footsteps to get out of the research facility and went to the parking lot. There seemed no point in staying at the base, when there was now no work for him to do.

  The thought reared in his mind that he might be followed, so he stopped to look around when he got to his car. There were a couple of people nearby, but they were paying no particular attention to him and he guessed he wasn’t about to be stopped from leaving.

  When he got in his car, his gaze dropped immediately to the passenger side footwell. The two small vials of serum sat on the floor and were the only thing he managed to get from his office that morning before the meeting. He’d half suspected his research might be shut down and decided it would be prudent to make sure two years of work didn’t go completely up in smoke.

  “Fuck you, Captain Lee,” he muttered darkly.

  A smile crossed his face as he put the key in the ignition and turned it. The engine roared to life and in seconds he was heading for the parking lot exit. Grabbing for the newspaper on the passenger seat, he dropped it on the vials to cover them and was sure it would be enough. When he got to the main base gates, he flashed his pass at the security guard without winding down the window and got waved through as usual.

  As he set off along the highway, he quickly reached down to grab for the newspaper and his gaze settled on the vials for a couple of seconds before he returned his attention to the road in front.

  The project, his project, remained on his mind as the journey progressed. Without the lab equipment available to him at the army base, any further research would be difficult. That didn’t mean it was impossible though. The serum in the vials gave him a starting point and he couldn’t keep his eyes from them as he powered his vehicle along the quiet lakeside road which was the main access to the sprawling military compound.

  It meant he didn’t see the stag until it was too late.

  He hammered on the brakes at the very last moment when he caught sight of the animal stepping onto the tarmac, but there was no avoiding it and the sickening crunch of metal on flesh brought it crashing through the windscreen. The steering wheel airbag deployed to make him lose control and the car spun wildly as he desperately tried to keep it on the highway. It proved impossible and the vehicle hurtled over the edge of the embankment then slid down towards the lake at an alarming rate of knots. The wheels sank into soft earth and while it helped to slow the descent, it didn’t stop it altogether.

  The sound of Dr. Blake’s alarmed shrieks gave way to utter silence when the vehicle came to a rest against the small wooden fence bordering the large body of water. The accident had seemed to play out in slow motion over an eternity, but he knew it likely passed in a matter of seconds. He sat gasping for breath as the panic began to subside and glanced at the deer. It was splayed out across the hood of the car, with its head and antlers resting on the dashboard. He shuddered at the sight of dark, lifeless eyes staring back at him, which revealed the animal didn’t survive the ordeal.

  “Better you than me,” he muttered.

  He finally turned his attention to himself and gingerly moved his limbs one by one. There was no major pain in any of them and he guessed the airbag had saved him from any serious injuries. It seemed luck was on his side, but that idea changed in an instant. The ominous creak of the fence showed it might not hold the weight of the car and the dread flashed in his mind as he looked down and saw the broken vials.

  “Ah…, fuck,” he spat out in an anguished voice.

  When a bar on the fence broke, he realized he needed to get out of the car in a hurry. The liquid from the vials would be diluted by the water of the lake, but he didn’t want to find out the effect it might have on him. He grabbed the handle and tried to open the door, but the crash had jammed it in place.

  “Shit,” he cursed in a loud voice as he slammed his shoulder against the door.

  The panic really set in as the car lurched forward and he realized there was no way the fence would hold it back. He fought with his seat belt and when he got it free, turned to kick out the window. It took him a few attempts, but he finally managed it. Shards of glass cut into his side as he dragged himself through the gap, but he ignored the stinging pain in his desperation to get out. He barely managed it in time and threw himself to the ground only seconds before the fence broke.

  His gaze settled on the dead deer as the car pitched forward and this time didn’t stop. It slid the rest of the way down the embankment into the lake and slowly disappeared from view when it sank below the dark surface.

  With the vials lost, his research was definitely at an end, but of more worry to him was the effect the serum would have in the water. He winced as the pain of the cuts in his flesh burned, but it was the thoughts running through his head that were more concerning and his words slipped out in a hushed voice.

  “Oh shit…, what have I done?”

  Chapter 2

  Karl worked to control his breathing as his finger curled around the trigger. He moved the crosshairs of the rifle scope slowly left and when they got to the clearing at the end of a line of foliage, he brought the weapon to a halt.

  “Wait…,” he let out in a barely audible whisper then held his breath.

  He was certain the animal he’d tracked for the last ten minutes would come into view where he’d aimed. His camouflage gear and concealment in the small, wooded area made him sure it was completely unaware of his presence. The breeze blew towards him, so there was no chance of it catching his scent either. Everything was set up perfectly for the shot and he knew all he needed to do was to wait for his chance.

  At least, that was the theory.

  As the seconds ticked past to well over a minute, he slowly let his breath back out and doubt crept into his mind. He’d been hunting long enough to know things could change in the blink of an eye, but he’d been sure he was correct. He forced himself to remain motionless and kept the rifle locked in place.

  “Wait,” he whispered again and a few seconds later saw his hunch was right as the stag appeared exactly where he thought it would.

  It moved unsteadily and barely looked left or right as it continued walking. Karl waited until its head was completely in view and brought the crosshairs to it. His intention was always to get a clean kill shot and ensure there was little to no suffering. It’s what his father taught him when he first began hunting as a boy and he’d stuck by it ever since. His finger gradually curled tighter and he held his breath again as he prepared to fire.

  The blast exploded through the surrounding woodland when he pulled the trigger and he saw the small eruption of blood before the stag crumpled to a heap on the forest floor. The cry of birds and animals was loud to begin with as the gunfire startled them, but the noise of distress calls slowly began to fade away after a short while.

  “Not getting up from that, are you?” Karl let out quietly as he kept the scope of the rifle trained in the direction of the shot.

  He was about to lower the weapon when he caught sight of the movement and it startled him. One bullet was usually all he needed to dispatch an animal, but that didn’t seem to be the case on this occasion.

  “No fucking way,” he hissed as he watched the animal struggling back to its feet

  A good portion of the front of its skull appeared to have been obliterated by the shot and it seemed unbelievable it was still alive, never mind trying to stand up. It somehow managed to though and was even more unsteady as it began to stagger onwards. Karl was quick to reload then tried to calm his racing pulse as he took aim for a second time. Branches now obscured his view of the animal as it moved on from the small clearing and he couldn’t get an unobstructed shot. As the stag was about to walk into a denser thicket of trees, he had no choice but to pull the trigger.

  Another spurt of blood showed a second hit, but it was in the neck this time rather than the head. The deer dropped again and Karl watched nervously. He half expected it to get up again, but there was no sign of that happening and he began to silently urge himself to move. The seconds ticked past, however, and he remained rooted to the spot as he continued staring through the rifle scope.