by Stephens, L.
“Well, no, no! I haven’t been bitten!” Ryan stuttered nervously. “I just need to get to my office.”
“Sir, the situation will be resolved shortly,” the larger one said, pointing to Ryan’s car. “Until then, you need to get as far away from the area as possible.”
Ryan turned and saw that a few cars had now parked behind him, and a small crowd was gathering. The larger one saw this too and brushed past Ryan and headed towards them.
“Folks, return to your cars!” he commanded. “We have to keep this area clear for emergency vehicles.”
Gunfire broke the brief silence and made the crowd duck and cower behind their cars. Instinctively, he turned back to the barricade and began running towards the action.
“Get out of here!” he yelled to the crowd over his shoulder. “Now!”
The crowd started running from the danger. Not needing his own invitation, Ryan ran back to his car as well, keeping low to the ground. He was about to dive into the passenger seat for the second time today when he realized that he had been blocked in by other cars. The crowd had decided to disperse by foot instead of in their own cars.
“Where are you going?” Ryan yelled. “Move your fucking cars!”
He turned around to see the army men had retreated a little towards him. Whatever they were shooting at was coming faster than they had expected.
“Go! Go! Go!” the larger one yelled at Ryan as he fired his weapon.
“My phone!” Ryan yelled in vain, trying to raise his voice above the sound of the automatic weapons being fired.
“Get the fuck out here, man!” the Hispanic one screamed over his shoulder.
Ryan stuttered but eventually gave in to the more sensible idea of running for safety, leaving his car and phone behind.
CHAPTER 55: STAIRWAY TO HELL
I’ll never be good, Lynne thought. I never was. I deserve all of this. I killed a child without a second thought. I’ll never be good. I never was.
After they had made it ten floors down the emergency stairwell, Lynne set Ava down on the ground. She used some water, soap and toilet paper to clean her wound, and it didn’t look too bad once the blood had been wiped away. All that was left was a hickey-like bruise inside Zombie Becca’s tiny teeth marks. Lynne doused the wound with some hand sanitizer from her handbag, and a sharp pain shot up her leg. She looked at Ava who was sitting on the ground staring off into space, and tears welled in her eyes. Whatever had just happened seemed like a dream, but there was no waking up with relief; this was happening, and it was happening to both of them.
The closer they got to ground level, trails of blood became more evident in the stairwell. Lynne made Ava walk the last few flights of stairs after she had found an axe in a fire safety cabinet. Having a weapon didn’t make her feel any safer, but seeing as she had just ended the life of a small child, she was confident she could swing an axe at anybody. When they reached the landing of the floor that was marked “Lobby”, bloody handprints covered the door, and it was obvious someone had taken the door handle off with force. There were also a few bullet-like holes puncturing the door, and curiosity got the best of Lynne as she looked through one of them. The lobby was a bloodbath. It was like something out of a horror movie: blood covered every surface, dead bodies and zombies were strewn everywhere. It was like a train wreck, and she couldn’t look away until something moved past the hole and snapped her back to reality. Lynne stepped away from the door and took Ava with her, and they ventured farther down the stairs to the parking lot below.
Ava hadn’t said a word since her mother had decapitated her former playmate right in front of her, and this suited Lynne. They needed to be quiet. Whatever the aftermath was, mentally or physically, they could deal with it, but first they had to survive. They had parked on the bottom floor of the parking garage. It was three floors underground, and Lynne dreaded opening the door. Flashes of the blood and zombie strewn lobby filled her mind, but, with her trusty axe in one hand and Ava’s forearm in the other, they sheepishly snuck through the door. The garage was eerily empty, with only a few cars scattered around the bottom level.
“Mother fuckers,” Lynne whispered as they passed the elevators.
The elevator doors stood wide open with a traffic cone in the center. She looked down, expecting to see Ava with a big smile and her hands over her ears, but sadly she was just walking along on auto-pilot.
“Come on, honey,” Lynne said as she let go of Ava’s arm and reached into her handbag. “We’re going home.”
Ava silently followed along as Lynne pulled the keys from her handbag and pressed the unlock button on the fob keychain. She instantly regretted the decision when a loud “beep beep” echoed around the basement.
“Who's there?” said a voice from the darkness.
A man came out of the shadows with his hands raised at chest height, palms up. He wasn’t the worst sight, given the situation she was in. At first glance he didn’t look like a murderer, and he appeared to be surrendering to her, but she knew this was no time to be trusting anyone.
“Stay back!” Lynne said, showing him the axe and shielding Ava behind her.
“It’s okay,” he said, still moving forward. “My name is Jake. I’m normal, I promise.”
“Stay back!” Lynne said with menace. “I’ll fucking kill you if you come near us.”
The guy did as he was told, stopping in his tracks and raising his hands higher. Lynne could sense he was trying to make her let her guard down, but his cool demeanor was making her even more apprehensive.
“Honey, you’re not going to be able to do much with that axe,” Jake said lightly. “Throwing that child at me would be way more scary.”
Ava popped her head out from behind Lynne to look at Jake.
“Hey there, sweetie,” Jake said with a smile. “Your mommy wants to kill me.”
“Don’t kill him, mommy,” Ava whispered.
Lynne wasn’t sure if she was more pissed at the guy for ruining their escape or for bringing her daughter out of her catatonic state. Sure, having a healthy, communicating child was every parent’s dream, but right then and there Lynne preferred an automaton.
“Just let us go,” Lynne pleaded. “We need to get out of here.”
“You too, huh?” Jake said, offering yet another warm smile.
“Did you block those elevators?” Lynne asked, nodding head back towards them.
“Nah, a security guard did that, but I didn’t ask him why,” Jake said with a straight face. “He seemed like he was in a hurry to get out of here himself.”
“Why didn’t you go with him?” Lynne said, unsure what to make of the guy standing in front of her.
“Well, he didn’t really give me chance to. I’m surprised you didn’t bump into him yourself,” Jake said. “Anyway, it seems the best move in these situations is to just sit tight.”
“I’m starting to wish I had done just that,” Lynne said, pressing Ava’s head to her leg.
Jake gave Lynne the look. She had seen men give her the look for the last fifteen years, and she knew it when she saw it. He had recognized her, but he hadn’t worked out from where yet. She just hoped he wouldn’t work it out until they were safely back in Colorado. Men changed when they worked it out; they went from gentlemen to rapists in the bat of an eye.
“You going to give me the keys?” Jake said, nodding his head towards her. “I mean, I’m not doubting your driving skills, but, it’s gonna be pretty rough out there.
“So, you going to help us?” Lynne said, the words catching in her throat as tears welled in her eyes. “You’re not going to leave us here, if I give you the keys?”
“Don’t give me those eyes,” Jake said trying to comfort her. “I’m not going to fucking leave you here. Just give me the keys and get in the damn car!”
“Okay, but please don’t be an asshole,” Lynne said meekly as she handed Jake the keys.
“Hon, that’s the last thing I am, trust me,” Jake lied.
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Lynne wiped away her tears, took Ava by the hand and pulled her towards the car.
“Cards on the table,” Jake said, opening the driver’s door, “I got to run an errand first.”
“An errand?” Lynne asked, lifting Ava onto the backseat. “What in the world could you need to do right now that is so important?”
A loud bang echoed around the garage, and Lynne and Jake turned in the direction of the stairwell. A small group of zombies burst out of the emergency door.
“You bring some friends?” Jake asked as he jumped in and put the key into the ignition.
Jake slammed the car into reverse and wistfully waved to the zombies as they spun past them.
“Wave goodbye to our friends!” Jake sung to the backseat.
Much to Lynne’s horror, Ava waved too.
“Bye!” Ava cooed.
Jake sped up the ramps that led out of the garage, and dread grew in Lynne. It was all too easy. And it was—the SUV slammed to a halt as it turned the last corner of the parking garage, and Lynne and Ava almost got whiplash from the sudden stop.
“What’s going on?” Lynne called from the back seat, trying not to let panic enter her voice.
“That!” Jake said, pointing towards the giant rolling door that blocked their escape.
There was no time to work out how to open the door or even find the box they assumed would open it. Jake just put the car in drive, hoping he didn’t have to get up to eighty-eight miles an hour to smash through it.
“Don’t do it,” Lynne whispered.
“Hold on!” Jake yelled as he slammed the gas pedal.
Lynne closed her eyes and held Ava tight as she felt the car increase in speed and hoped this wasn’t as stupid an idea as it seemed.
“Fuuuuucccckkkk!” Jake squealed as the metal door approached.
The SUV ripped through the metal of the rolling door and flew into the street.
With the metal from the door restricting Jake’s view, he instinctively slammed on the brakes and angled the car to the left so they wouldn’t just slam into the wall on the other side of the street. The idea had been sound, except for the large piece of metal from the door had gotten stuck under the back wheels of the SUV, making it slide sideways out of control. The SUV took out a few confused zombies that stood in their path as they drifted like a Japanese street car straight out of Tokyo Drift. As they were about to slam into the building across the street, the sheet of metal became free from the tires and Jake regained control, pointing the nose of the SUV towards the end of the street.
“Yeah! I meant that!” Jake called back to Lynne. “Eat your heart out, Paul Walker!”
Lynne was not impressed. She kissed Ava on top of her head and breathed for what felt like the first time in an hour.
† He’s not in Tokyo Drift, but nonetheless R.I.P. Paul Walker †
CHAPTER 56: BENJAMIN VAN HOLSTRUM
There was knowing you were the cutest living thing in the world, and then there was the added caveat of having trophies that said as much. He was such a scamp, such a little show pony. His little paws slapped against the polished wood floor as he trotted down the hallway. His leash was never taught or loose; he stayed a consistent distance, regardless of the speed his owner was walking. Being a world champion was not just a title. It was a privilege, and he had to convey that prestige whether he was on the competition floor or in public. Years of training had turned him into a well-oiled machine. Some might say it was torture, but it wasn’t to him. He loved it. Every muscle in his body was finely tuned, and his tri-colored coat shined like the hair in a Brad Green shampoo commercial. Being a wire fox terrier did have its limitations; his size and stature weren’t very formidable, and his bark was more cute than terrifying, but he had agility and grace—all the hallmarks of a world champion.
His aging owner’s retirement had changed everything. The private walks at the running track with his pack had now become a walk around the block, just him and the owner. Calling them a pack was a stretch. With names like Penelope, Tigwell and Benjamin, they weren’t exactly roaming the frontier, hunting for dinner. The others had been formidable competitors, but had never risen to the heights of a back-to-back world champion like Benjamin, so the owner had sold Penelope and Tigwell but kept him, her prized possession, Benjamin Van Holstrum.
The elevator doors opened to reveal the hallway that led to the lobby, and he waited for his owner to make a step before he trotted out next to her. The hallway glistened, the marble floor reflecting the ornate fixtures mounted on the walls and ceiling. When they reached the lobby, he was not there. His one true love. They were like Romeo and Juliet, but seeing as they were both dudes it was like Romeo and Julian, or in this case Benjamin and the doorman. The first time they had met, Benjamin had been just a little puppy without a care in the world. The doorman had approached with a look of childlike glee, reaching for him, and Benjamin had presented his belly. He wanted to be touched there so badly. He had seen the doorman’s hand coming to its target and he had rolled his eyes back in his head as he waited for the extreme pleasure he knew was coming, but it never came. Before he could feel the love he thought he was due, he had been violently yanked to his feet by the harness around his shoulders, as the owner scolded the doorman and told him to never even think about touching her child again. From that day forward, the doorman’s hand became the Capulet to his Montague, and to make matters worse the doorman always kept his distance. He would still open the door to the outside world for the owner and Benjamin, but he always kept his eyes to the ceiling. There was however, a moment, a very small moment that Benjamin lived for when he went outside. It was the moment that the owner and Benjamin crossed the threshold of the doorway and turned to walk down the street. The doorman would always follow them outside to make sure there were no vagrants or vagabonds who might try something, and Benjamin would turn his head and exchange a look of longing with the doorman, who would return a sweet smile and a wink without the owner ever knowing.
Today however, the doorman was not there, and, owner be damned, Benjamin gave in to temptation and looked around the lobby for his five-fingered darling, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is he? This is unacceptable,” the owner said to the empty lobby. “There will be repercussions for that fool.”
The owner pushed the large door open, and Benjamin and her slipped through the opening. They walked out onto the sidewalk, and it was like no other morning. On weekends at 8AM, the streets were always quiet but never this quiet. It was the big bad city after all, and there was always a vagrant lurking nearby or a public bus barreling past. Benjamin could sense something was amiss, but most of all he could smell it. There was something in the air, something rotten. The owner squealed, covering her mouth and nose with her handkerchief as a wall of pungent stench hit her. She turned to go back inside, but Benjamin had other ideas. His stubby tail registered it before his brain, the wiggling making his hind legs skip. It was his darling hand, lying on the ground behind the hedgerow that ran along the front of the building.
The doorman sat slumped on the ground, his back against the wall with his hand palm up, begging for a soft belly to fill it. The smell and sight of the upturned palm was driving Benjamin insane with lust, and he flexed his tiny muscles and sprang sideways and scurried under the small hedgerow. The leash stretched as it had never done before, but only for a second as the surprised owner lost hold of the calf leather loop at its end.
“Benjamin!” the owner scolded as she reached for the flapping leash.
He squeezed out the other side of the hedge with ease, and he bounded over to the doorman. Years of training in deportment were forgotten in an instant. The doorman smelled like an aged cheese dipped in a pool of blood. The rich bouquet of smells burned like a hot iron into Benjamin’s brain, and the closer he got the more it took over his mind. Benjamin licked the palm of the doorman’s hand. It was cold and hard as stone, but that didn’t stop him from plopping his belly do
wn on his long lost darling.
It was amazing, like two lovers torn apart for years and finally reuniting, sealing their reconnection with a kiss, but it was a one way kiss. Benjamin was doing all the work, but he didn’t care. He had longed for this moment.
“Benjamin Van Holstrum!” the owner said sharply. “You leave that disgusting man alone!”
She always called him by his full name when she wanted his attention but mostly to shame him, and like always it had worked. Benjamin snapped back to reality, stopping his squirming and looking back to the owner, guilt written across his face.
“Oh dear!” the owner said, looking over the hedge.
She could see the doorman clearly now. He was covered in blood. His left leg was torn to shreds, and his intestines were spilling onto his lap. The owner bent down slowly to retrieve the loop at the end of the leash, and Benjamin stayed frozen, looking at her. He was in trouble and he knew it. There was only one thing to do. His tail telegraphed his intentions before his body, and before he knew it he began squirming again. He rubbed and he rolled on the hand getting every last second of joy he had waited years for.
“You little bastard!” the owner screamed when she saw Benjamin going to town.
The owner yanked with pure violent rage, but Benjamin didn’t move. He was expecting to fly through the air, but instead he felt his abdomen constrict and his head almost get ripped from his body. He yelped, the doorman’s hand crushing him.
“Benjamin, my dear, I’m so sorry!” the owner squealed as she reached for Benjamin, who was wriggling trying to get free of the doorman’s hand. “You let him go, you vile man!”
Benjamin was finding it hard to breathe. He was being crushed by the love of his life, and his animal instincts kicked in, and he bit the doorman on his lower arm through his jacket. The doorman lurched forward, releasing Benjamin but latching on to the owner, dragging her down to the ground.
“Don’t touch me! How dare you!” the owner screamed as he rolled on top of her. “Help!”
