Plague World (Ashley Parker Novel) by Dana Fredsti

Author:Dana Fredsti
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Titan
Published: 2014-08-26T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

San Diego, one of the most beautiful cities in the country, lay under the same pall of smoke and chaos as Los Angeles, but on a smaller scale. It lacked the urban sprawl of L.A. and the surrounding counties, but it packed enough people into a relatively small area to make for plenty of zombie fodder.

We’d flown down the coast, past all the little seaside towns from Oceanside to Del Mar and La Jolla, cutting inland once we hit Mission Bay. I recognized Mission Valley as we passed over I-8 before jigging south along the 163, a scenic freeway marked by graceful bridges and tons of trees.

We were headed for Balboa Park, home to museums, theaters, the world famous San Diego Zoo and, evidently, yet another DZN base hidden somewhere among its acreage. My money was on the Air and Space Museum or the Fleet Science Center.

The helicopter dipped low as we approached our destination, the late afternoon winter sun hitting the bridge that led to the iconic California Tower, originally built for the Panama-California Exposition more than a century ago. Hundreds of zombies staggered down across the bridge and into the park like gormless, rotting tourists, bumping aimlessly against statues, architectural treasures, and yet more abandoned vehicles.

Where the hell are we going to set down in this mess?

My unspoken question was quickly answered as Carl maneuvered the helicopter over an open courtyard garden and the parking lot behind it. In a graceful swoop worthy of Roy Scheider, he took the helicopter into a canyon tucked behind the parking lot and set down in the middle of a large dirt clearing.

The canyon was flanked by palm fronds, giant ferns, and ancient looking trees, some with above-ground root systems that looked like petrified tentacles. Cthulhu meets Jurassic Park. I expected to see velociraptors emerging from the shadows.

The mood was somber as we disembarked, everyone moving quickly to gather their gear before the helicopter’s landing drew too much attention from the zombies up top. Carl and the mechanic immediately set to pulling down low-hanging branches and palm fronds to camouflage the helicopter from anyone who might fly over. Definitely justifiable paranoia.

I could see several figures moving slowly around up there, but our landing area was concealed by plenty of thick foliage. If we moved quickly, we might be able to motor before an intrepid zombie spotted us and started the moaning chorus.

A wooden staircase at the far end of the canyon led up to the parking lot, tall palm trees flanking it like ragged sentries. Up top were small cream-colored buildings with curved red-shingled roofs.

Something white caught my eye—a set of earbuds on the dusty ground. They were attached to a blood-spattered iPod. A plastic water bottle lay crumpled against one of the Lovecraftian tangles, dark patches in the dirt telling the story of what probably happened to the iPod’s owner.

I glanced over at Lil, who was staring off into the distance. I put a hand on her shoulder.

“You okay?” I spoke in an undertone.

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