Dan doesn’t wait for his dad to decide, but runs over and grabs his wrist. “Come on, Dad! We need to get inside! She’s dangerous! She wants to eat us!”
“Eat us?” his dad repeats. “Honestly, Dan …”
But he never finishes the sentence, because now Lone has crossed the street and is coming up the driveway, and she’s close enough for Dad to see that something is completely off—her always warm and friendly old-lady eyes are now empty, white balls rolling around blindly in their sockets, yet somehow still seeing.
Dad shoves Dan towards the door. “Hurry up, get inside.”
Dan runs to the door, just as Finn pops back outside. Dan’s grandma is trying to pull him back, but Finn has already seen his dead wife, and his expression turns blank as he mutters: “Lone?”
Dan pushes him back as he tries to go to her.
“No, get inside! Grandma, help me get him back inside!”
His grandma is already tugging at Finn, but he’s surprisingly strong for an old guy, and for a second all three of them are caught in a deadly stalemate right on the doorstep, Finn repeating his wife’s name. “Lone … Lone, I’m right here … I’m right here, Lone … I’ll help you …”
Dan is gripped by panic. “Get in, get in!” He shoves Finn in the chest hard enough to cause him to stumble backwards and would have fallen on his ass, if Dan’s grandma hadn’t been there to catch him.
“Dan, she’s coming!” his dad calls from behind him.
Dan turns to see Lone lunge at his dad.
“Dad, no!”
His dad catches Lone’s wrists a split-second before her long nails can scratch his face. He forces her arms back, but Lone in response flings her head forward, snapping wildly at his face and throat, her tiny teeth clapping just inches away from Dad’s skin. Surprisingly, his dad doesn’t seem to panic, but holds on to Lone firmly, keeping her at a safe distance. Dan just stares at his dad for a second, amazed and impressed.
“Get inside, now, damnit!” Dad roars over his shoulder. “And get that door closed!”
Grandma is still struggling to hold back Finn. Dan hesitates a moment longer, staring indecisively back and forth. He can’t just leave his dad out here, but he can’t really do anything to help him either.
Then he sees the paramedics—it’s a wonder he hasn’t seen them before now, really, since one of them is already halfway up the driveway. Dad is still wrestling with Lone, still shouting for them to get in and close the door, and he hasn’t noticed the newcomers.
“Watch out, Dad! Behind you!”
Just as Dan shouts, his dad shoves Lone away hard. She tumbles over and slams her head into the pavement with a sickening thud. She blinks, groans and flails her arms, trying to get back up, but seemingly unable to, as her brain just took a hit hard enough to knock a living person unconscious.
The quickest of the paramedics steps forward and plants his teeth right in Dad’s shoulder. He roars out in pain. The sound is mixed with Dan’s anguished scream. Then Dan’s body takes over. He jumps right into the action, grabs hold of the paramedic’s blood-stained shirt and yanks him backwards just as he’s about to bite down on Dad’s shoulder a second time. The zombie has caught hold of Dad’s shirt in return and holds on tightly, not intending on being dragged away from its first meal. But the short break gives Dad a second to react, and he doesn’t waste time; he turns halfway around, almost tearing his shirt, and starts bashing the zombie with both hands. A clenched fist right between its eyes causes it to let go and stagger backwards—but the other paramedic has now joined the fun and goes directly for Dan’s dad, who pulls back, clutching his shoulder, a look of terror on his face.
Everything slows down for a heartbeat, and Dan sees everything like from very far away. He sees paramedic number two lunge at Dad, who no longer has the strength to fight back. He sees the zombie sink its teeth in his neck, the blood spurting out, Dad screaming in pain.
And things might have played out just like that—had it not been for Lone, who at that exact moment, in an effort to get back up, rolls clumsily to the side. The paramedic doesn’t see her, trips over her legs and falls down face-first. Dan hears a couple of sharp snaps, and when the zombie a moment later cranes its neck back to look up at them, most of its teeth rattle out onto the pavement.
Paramedic number two is a bit more capable, as it manages to step past Lone, who’s still struggling to get up, and now the paramedic is blocking Dan and his dad from the doorway.
Dad sneers, holding a hand to his shoulder. His shirt has been torn, but Dan can’t see any blood—at least not yet. Maybe, just maybe, his dad was lucky enough that the zombie’s teeth didn’t break the skin. But with the amount of luck Dan has had lately, he doesn’t get his hopes up. And bleeding or not, his dad is obviously in pain.
“You stay back!” he shouts, kicking out at the paramedic. The zombie doesn’t seem to heed the warning; in fact, it sees the kicking leg more as an invitation and grabs at it eagerly, missing it by inches.
Dan and his dad back up farther, coming closer together. Soon they’ll be caught in the carport with nowhere to go. Then it happens again: Dan reacts before he knows it. He pulls sideways, away from his dad, and runs in an arc past the paramedic, headed for the street. The zombie turns and follows him.
“Dan! What are you doing?”
“I’ll lure them away from the house! Get inside!”
“You’re coming with us!”
“I’ll draw them down the street, then I’ll come back!” Dad is about to say something else, but Dan cuts him off: “It’s okay, Dad, I can outrun them! Just please go inside the house!”
Dan doesn’t wait for an answer. He runs out the driveway, passing the toothless paramedic and Lone, who both have gotten back up. As he reaches the street, Dan looks back up to see his dad run inside the house, shoving Finn back and out of sight, and Dan feels a jolt of relief.
The paramedic without teeth and Lone come staggering at Dan, but the other one is headed for the front door. Dad sticks out his head and darts one last look in Dan’s direction, their eyes catching each other, but there’s no time to say anything, and his dad slams the door right in the face of the zombie, who immediately starts clawing at the woodwork.
Dan turns and jogs down the sidewalk. His plan is to draw the zombies down the street, just far enough for him to run back. As he looks over his shoulder to make sure the zombies are following him, his foot catches a crack in the pavement and he tumbles over, just managing to break his fall in the last second, resulting in a bad bruise on his palm.
A loud scream from down the street makes him forget the pain immediately. He looks up and sees the Arab from Finn and Lone’s house attacking a woman on a bicycle. He turns his head and looks back. The paramedic is still in pursuit, but Lone has lost interest and is instead headed across the street where one of the neighbors—John, a big fat man wearing no shirt—has popped out to see what the noise is about.
Dan wants to yell out to warn him, but his voice doesn’t seem to work, and besides, he’s got his own problems. The paramedic is just a few yards away now, eagerly picking up speed and reaching out to grab Dan. Dan scrambles to get to his feet, when suddenly he hears the angry roar of an engine. The car swerves right in front of Dan, crashing into the paramedic with a loud bang, sending the body flying through a hedge. The car comes to a halt halfway up the sidewalk. The front door is pushed open, and a young guy with tattoos all the way up his arm stares out at him. “You been bit?”
Dan just glares dumbly at the question. From the trunk of the car a big German shepherd is barking furiously.
“Have you been bit?” the driver shouts.
“N… no,” Dan manages.
“Then get in!”
And he doesn’t really seem to have a choice. At that moment, John cries out as Lone attacks him, and on the other side of the hedge, the paramedic has gotten back up, wobbling uncertainly on a pair of thigh bones obviously shattered, but nonetheless headed st
ubbornly back out towards Dan.
“Come on, goddamnit!” the guy in the car shouts. “If you don’t get in, I’ll go without you!”
Dan gets to his feet and staggers around the back of the car. He darts a glance down the street and sees the Arab getting up from the woman, who’s already dead and has lost her appeal, as the man heads for the nearest driveway, drawn by the scent of fresh, living meat.
Then Dan opens the car door and gets in.
The guy has already put it in reverse and now backs down from the sidewalk. He stops in the middle of the street, blocking the nonexistent traffic.
“Buckle up,” he says through gritted teeth. “Seems like he didn’t get the message the first time.”
The dog in the trunk has stopped barking, but is now panting and whining impatiently, as though it knows what’s going to happen.
Dan, however, is a little slower in catching up. Only when he sees the paramedic come barging through the hedge does he guess the driver’s plan, and he quickly grabs the seat belt and fastens it.
The driver floors the accelerator just as the zombie wobbles onto the street. The sound of the collision is even louder from inside the car, and this time the zombie is thrown under the tires. Dan feels the bumps in the seat, and they remind him of the little girl he and Linda ran over in the courtyard of the old lady’s house.
“Sorry about that,” the driver says as he speeds down the street. “I know that was gross, but I’d like to take out a few of them if possible. You know, weed out the herd a little.”
“It’s all right,” Dan mutters, and, before he can think, adds: “It’s not the first zombie I’ve run over.”
He notices the guy sending him a look. Then he smiles.
SEVENTEEN
“My name’s William and the dog is called Ozzy.”
“I’m Dan.”
William points a thumb over his shoulder. “I don’t know her name, but she’ll probably tell us once she wakes up.”
Dan turns his head to see the girl lying in the backseat, surprised that he didn’t notice her before. “Is she asleep?” he asks.
“Unconscious.”
“Did she …?”
“Don’t worry, she’s clean,” William says, immediately guessing the question. “I picked her up shortly before I found you.” He makes a right turn, coming out into the main street, where the traffic looks pretty normal for a Monday afternoon.
“Thank you for picking me up,” Dan mutters. “But I’d like to go back home now.”
William looks at him briefly. “You mean back from where you just came? Didn’t you notice the zombies attacking everyone?”
“Yeah, but … I need to get back. My mom and dad—”
“I’m sure your mom and dad will be fine without you for now,” William says, not slowing down. “As long as they don’t open the front door, of course.”
“I’d still like to go back,” Dan says, shifting his weight uneasily in the seat.
“Listen, Dan, you’re a lot safer with me right now. I’m going to—”
“Drive me back!”
Dan surprises himself by almost shouting.
The girl on the backseat grunts, but doesn’t wake up.
William pulls over and stops the car. “Fine, get out then.”
“I … I can’t walk home from here,” Dan says, looking out nervously.
“I’m not going back,” William says. “It’s way too dangerous. That street is crawling with zombies by now. For every minute we spend here in town, we increase the risk of getting eaten.”
Dan looks hesitantly from William to the street outside. No zombies in sight right now, but that might change any moment.
“My uncle has a safe place just outside town,” William goes on, his voice softer now. “There’s a spot open, if you want to come. Personally, I think it’s a hell of an offer, but of course you’re free to get out and walk back home.”
Dan’s phone rings in his pocket. He finds it and looks at the display. “It’s … it’s my dad.”
“Before you answer it, please tell me if you’re coming or not? ’Cause I’m about to go.”
“Could you wait just one minute?” Dan pleads. “I’ll just make sure they’re okay.”
William pushes his tongue into his cheek and scans the street. “One minute,” he says.
Dan answers the call. “Dad?”
“Dan, where are you?”
“I’m in a car. A guy picked me up.”
“You all right? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, Dad. How about you?”
Dad gives off a sigh of relief. “Good, that’s great to hear. We’re also fine. Finn has calmed down now that he can’t see Lone anymore.”
“What about your shoulder?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“But Dad,” Dan says, lowering his voice. “Did you … did you get …?”
He can’t get the question out, but he can tell from the silence his dad guesses it.
“It hurts a little, but I don’t think the skin is broken.”
Dan feels a glimmer of hope. “So, no blood?”
“No, but I’ll probably get a bruise.”
“I think that’s okay. As long as you’re not bleeding.”
Dan senses William sending him a sharp look.
“Perhaps,” Dad mutters. “Guess I’ll just have to wait and see, because I won’t be going to the ER anytime soon … the street is riddled with them.”
“Make sure you close all the windows,” Dan says, feeling a drop of sweat making its way down his back. “Don’t give them any chance to get inside.”
“I already checked all the windows.” Dad is quiet for a moment, then he says: “I’m sorry we didn’t believe you, Dan.”
“That’s all right. I get it, Dad.” But he still feels a great amount of relief, despite the circumstances. It feels like a great burden has been lifted from him; as if it isn’t only the zombies his dad is acknowledging, but also the fact that Dan had no fault in what happened to Jennie.
William clears his throat and points to his wrist.
“Listen, Dad, I don’t think I’ll be able to come home right now,” Dan says.
“Who picked you up? Was it someone you know?”
“No.” Dan turns discretely away from William. “He … he says he knows a safe place outside town.”
A couple of seconds before his dad replies: “Does he strike you as someone you can trust?”
“Yes,” Dan says without really considering the question.
“Then go with him, Dan.”
“But are you guys—”
“Don’t worry about us. It’s way too dangerous for you to come back right now. The whole street has turned into chaos. I can see it from the living room window. Some of the neighbors have come out to try and help, and they … oh, Christ …” Dad is quiet for another moment, and Dan thinks he can hear a distant scream. “Don’t come home yet, Dan,” Dad says, even more firmly. “We need to wait till it’s safe.”
“All right,” Dan mutters.
“What’s it gonna be?” William asks.
Dan glances at him. “I’m coming with you,” he says.
William doesn’t waste any time, but immediately slams the accelerator and pulls back out into traffic.
“I need to go, Dan,” Dad says. “Your grandma needs help with Finn, he’s become restless again. Call me once you get to the place, okay?”
“I will.”
“Right. Talk to you soon, son.”
Dan disconnects and puts the phone away.
William turns left at an intersection and speeds up. “Your old man sounds like a reasonable guy.”
“Could you hear what he said?” Dan asks, feeling a little awkward.
“Yeah.” William sends him a brief smile before looking out into the street again. “This part of town looks okay. At least for now.”
“It only just started,” Dan mutters, almost to himself.
William
looks at him again. “You don’t seem like you had the best day.”
“I didn’t.”
“What happened? You said something about running over a zombie?”
“It’s a long story.”
William sneers at him. “Dude, cut out those movie lines and tell me what happened. We’ve got plenty of time.”
Dan breathes in a couple of times, then he begins talking. “I wasn’t the one driving, but I was in the passenger seat. It was a little girl. We had to do it. She was—”
“Sorry, shut up for a moment,” William interrupts, turning up the radio, which Dan only now realizes has been on at very low volume the whole time.
“… latest reports from local police indicates some sort of terrorist attack, possibly involving biological weapons. Our current intel puts the number of wounded at thirty people, but many more are …”
“Goddamnit,” William murmurs, turning down the radio again. “Biological weapons? They have no idea what’s going on.”
“They’ll find out soon enough,” Dan says quietly. When he senses William looking at him, he goes on: “I saw how it began. I tried to stop it.”
William is trying to look simultaneously at the road and Dan, as Dan begins to tell his story. He lays it out as briefly and concisely as he can. How he, Jennie and Thomas arrived at the old lady’s house. How they discovered she had tried to resurrect her dead grandchild, inadvertently creating the first zombie who then killed her and her son second. He also tells the story of how he and Linda escaped the house, and how he later would go chasing a zombie cop with a girl named Selina.
“Last I heard from her, she had killed Jonas at the hospital,” he closes. “And I thought this time it was really over.” He sighs heavily, shaking his head. “Something must have gone wrong, because I saw her in a news report from the hospital … as a zombie. They also said something about a bus outside town that got attacked by an elderly couple. I’ll bet you it was the old woman, the one who lived in the woods. She got infected from her cat after it stepped in the officer’s blood.”
Dead Meat Box Set [Days 1-3] Page 20
