1760 Words, this Chapter

Chapter Fourteen, Zombie

"This is right out of Frankenstein," said Connor, over comms. "That is, if the villagers in the movie stormed the castle in boats. And if this was a castle, not a laboratory, plus their torches aren't on fire."

"Connor, not now!"

"Sorry, Becker. My mind's wandering."

"Don't let it," snapped Matt. "We need you here."

"Right."

Screams and taunts cried out from the boats.

"Go home!"

"They're making us sick!"

"What are you doing, held up in secret like this?"

"They're making something to make us worse!"

"You have nowhere to go! You're at our mercy!"

"Really?" asked Becker. So, they were right; his team was trapped in the lab. He wasn't about to let them see his concern. "What do you intend to do about it?"

The boaters hushed, unsure how to answer. Then one lone voice cried, "We'll keep you here, until we get better!"

"That's brilliant!" yelled Connor. "Unless of course, you all die first from the illness!"

The mob let loose.

"You want us dead!"

"Murderers!"

"Come out!"

Matt yelled back, "We're here to help!"

"We're on the right track!" joined Connor. "We'll have the answer soon!"

Them Emily cried, "They are moving!"

"Becker, they're attacking the back dock," yelled Jess, still monitoring from the computer.

"Keep them back!" yelled Matt.

"There are too many!" cried Abby.

Becker stood helplessly listening to the EMD fire behind him.

"Go, we're OK," said Ginger.

Becker shook his head. There were three of them out front. The back was being overrun while four of them were on guard. "I can't leave."

"I can," said Jess.

"No!" cried Becker, running inside the door and just catching sight of her running out the office, with an EMD.

She didn't make it to the back dock.

There was a loud boom, then a shaking of one small side of the lab. Unfortunately, Jess was running by that side. It knocked her off her feet.

Becker ran to her and picked her off the floor.

"I'm OK."

He ran his eyes over her, checking for wounds. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the doctors watching from the office. He pushed her toward them. "Stay. All of you."

"I can fire a gun, Becker!"

"No!" he yelled.

Jess looked back, stunned.

"I need you safe," he said gently.

The same side shook again, not as bad though.

"They are attacking the structure!" yelled Emily.

Becker had no choice but to leave Jess. He ran out to the back dock. He couldn't believe what he saw.

Two boats were against the building. The crew whacked at the lab's exterior.

"That's not going to work," Connor said flatly. "They can't bring down the lab from there. Sure, it's bumping us around a bit, but the building will stand. It's insane to think bashing there would shatter the whole thing."

"Insane," muttered Becker. He looked at Matt. "Those guys don't look so good."

"No," said Matt, noting the crazed look on the attackers' faces. "They look feverish."

"They are affected?" asked Emily.

"I think these out here are," said Becker. "The ones out front look better, drunk, but better."

Matt looked from the two boats, with the would-be saboteurs, to the rest of the boats. They had actually veered off. "They know it too," he said, gesturing to the other boats. "They realize something's up with these two boats."

"The crews are crazy," said Connor.

"At least they're keeping the other boats back," said Abby.

Matt nodded.

"Zombies, they're great deterrents," said Connor. "We probably should stop them from hacking at the building though. At the least, it's annoying."

"Great," said Becker. "We have demolition zombies."

Connor laughed.

"Becker!" screamed Jess, in his comm. "The other dock! Now!"

Matt nodded. "We've got this."

"We do?" asked Connor.

Becker ran to the other dock. A battle was raging. 'New villagers' were trying to swarm from the boats onto the dock, but so far, they were kept back.

Ginger and Jimmy and even the doctors, all fired EMDs. The docs were missing just about every one they aimed for. Ginger and Jimmy hit their marks each time. Then there was the last member of the group.

Becker took a double take when he saw the small, sparkly woman standing in front, zapping body after body, while she kept reassuring Ainz that he was not going to die.

Becker couldn't help it. "Jess you're...breathtaking!" he cried.

"Stop fawning over me...and help!"

He laughed, taking his place beside her. "You're such a marks-woman."

"I've had excellent one on one coaching," she said, continuing to aim and shoot.

"The student is surpassing the teacher," Becker said proudly.

"Hardly. You're...uh, spreading it a bit thick," she said. She was beginning to get tired.

"No, really, I'm jealous."

Then he took down more attackers than the rest of them had in twice as much time. Suddenly there were no more villagers to strike. He smirked at Jess. "Never mind."

"Cocky, aren't you?"

He laughed.

They took deep breaths. Becker shoved a few bodies, who were passed out and dangerously close to falling in the water, back onto the boats. Ginger and Jimmy did the same.

"Did any fall in?" asked Jess.

"No," said Jimmy. "Amazingly."

"Serve them right if they had," said Ginger. "Sober them up."

Becker looked out at the other boats, hanging back. They had lost their bravado apparently. No one was hooting now.

"This stops now!" Becker cried.

"Or you get the same!" Ginger cried.

"You...you killed them all!" someone yelled.

"Of course not!" Jess yelled back. "They're asleep and will be for hours. Now, why don't some of you...brave people..." Ginger scoffed, "climb aboard their boat and drive your neighbors home?"

There was whispering among the others.

"We can always shoot more of you," Becker said casually.

Jess smirked at him.

"No!" cried someone. Then there were more cries of "No!" and "Don't."

One boat sailed slowly closer. Someone jumped onto the boat with the unconscious (and failed) boarding party. The young man, eying Becker nervously, took over the motor and sailed the boat away.

Becker and the others kept the EMDs trained on the remaining boats.

"All the way, get gone!" cried Ginger.

The boats complied. The section of water on Becker's half of the lab was clear.

Jess collapsed into Becker. "That was horrible!"

"You were amazing!" cried Jimmy.

"I'm so in love with you, Jess," said Ginger.

Becker swatted him. "Watch it."

Jess giggled and hugged Becker tightly.

"You and the docs get inside," he said, "but..." She looked up at him. He broke into a wide grin. "Well done, Jess. Honestly, you can back me up anytime."

"No thank you. I'll stick to my computers." She turned to the doctors and motioned for them to leave with her. Eagerly they gave up their guns.

"They couldn't hit a tadpole," mumbled Ginger, "but at least they tried."

Becker laughed. "I need to check the other side," he told them, "but keep a good watch."

"Don't you worry," said Ginger. Jimmy nodded.

"Matt?"

Becker heard chuckling. "You guys sounded kind of busy," Matt said.

"Yeah, thanks for the assist."

"Sorry, man, had our own problems."

Becker reached the other dock, to see the two boats alongside the building lying full, with unconscious people. "That looks a little one-sided. Did they even fire back?"

Matt laughed, but it was Emily who answered. "They are fortunate that we aimed so they would not fall into the water and drown."

Matt and Connor laughed in agreement.

Becker looked out, and saw no boats on this side either. "They withdrew."

"Apparently the sight of us zapping all their neighbors made them uncomfortable," said Abby.

"How's the other side?" Matt asked.

"The same," Becker answered. "For now."

"The plus side," said Connor, "is that we have two more boats. A bit smashed up though."

"And what do we do with the former crew?"

"Captain," answered Emily, "I suggest that you procure a place to stow them."

They locked them in the other office, across from Jess. "I don't like them there," she mumbled. "I'll be able to see them when they wake up. And they'll see me."

"Don't worry," said Becker. "I'll knock them out again." He smiled gently at her. "I promise, Jess, they won't get near you."

She smiled back. "Thanks."

"I don't know why you're worried though," he said with a grin. "You can take them."

"I told you, don't get used to it, Becker!"

He smirked. "You were...sexy."

"Becker! I...oh, really?"

He nodded and laughed.

"I'd rather look sexy in my own ways, thank you." She looked at him. "You look so tired, Becker. Take a nap. While it's quiet."

"I can't. We can't let our guard down."

"Jimmy and Ginger are both patrolling the waters and Matt and Emily are at each dock. Becker, rest while you can. That's an order."

He smirked. "Really?"

"Yes," she said, standing up, walking to him, pulling him towards the love seat and pushing him down. Well, she tried. "Becker, stop!"

He laughed and gave in, allowing her to push him onto the makeshift bed. It was already draped with a sleeping bag and lined with pillows.

"That's better," she said. She covered him with a blanket, blushing at his scrutiny.

"Thanks Jess. You're...an angel."

She turned pinker, smiled, then lightly kissed him. "Sorry, I meant to kiss, uh, your cheek."

He chuckled. "Are you sure?"

She blushed and laughed. "Yes."

"Ah, too bad," he said with a yawn.

She smiled, rather bashfully and said goodnight. Then she walked over to her laptop and picked it up.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I can't work in here. I'll keep you up."

"You'll keep me up if you're out of my eyesight. I'll worry."

She smiled and blushed. "Oh."

"Stay here, Jess, please. You're not bothering me."

She nodded and sat back down. She went about her work aware that he was watching. After a few minutes she had to glance his way. He was asleep.

End of Chapter Fourteen