by Scott Lee
Connor, Doug and Diana sat in the apartment, waiting for the delivery of the ZOMBIE OFF. Doug still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of going in with the swarm, but this was probably more a result of his new found romance with Diana than anything else. But, in the end Doug agreed that it was the only way to pull it off. Once the swarm breeched the facility’s outer fence, the ensuing pandemonium would allow them to slip by unnoticed. Hopefully.
While waiting for the delivery, the three had gone over the plan multiple times, making sure that each knew their role. As they sat at the table, the three were confident they had the plan down pat. Looking at their watches, it was approaching 5:00pm. If the mission was going to go down as planned, they needed to get the ZOMBIE OFF and get things rolling. Doug and Diana had already gone back to their rooms to gather a few things, and now they were just sitting around, waiting.
Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door, causing Doug and Diana to jump at the sound. Connor quickly got up and went to the door, checking the peephole before opening. Swinging the door open, a young man in his early thirties stepped quickly into the room, a backpack slung over his shoulder.
“Any problems?” asked Connor, taking the bag from the man.
“None at all,” he said smiling.
Taking the bag over to the table, Connor unzipped it and looked inside. Smiling, he removed four cans of ZOMBIE OFF and set them on the table.
Turning back to the man, Connor smiled and extended his hand.
“Thanks Jim,” he said. “Consider your debt paid in full.”
Jim smiled as he took Connor’s hand in both of his.
“I beg to differ. You saved my daughter’s life. I’m forever in your debt. As I told you before, if you ever need anything . . .”
With that, the man released his grip and headed for the door.
“Be safe,” he said, as he closed the door behind him.
“Easier said than done,” muttered Doug.
The trio stood at the door to the apartment, ready to head out. All three were wearing the jumpsuits that they had on when they fled the city, and each was fully armed. Connor had chosen to bring his katana this time, which he had slung over his back, while Doug and Diana were carrying the same trusty weapons from before, although Doug now had his own personal 9mm strapped to his side, a full clip loaded and ready to go. Diana also had a backpack slung over her shoulder that contained additional supplies they’d need to complete the mission.
“You guys ready for this?” asked Connor, looking from one to the other.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” replied Diana.
“Let’s rock,” said Doug.
Looking past the two, Connor called out to his cat.
“Hold down the fort, Monty. I’ll be back in awhile.”
The big tabby just sat on the table looking at the three with wide eyes, his head tilted slightly.
Heading out into the hallway, Connor closed the door behind them. The three walked quietly down the hall and down the stairs, heading through the lobby without saying a word.
The two old men looked up as they approached, having now switched to a game of Gin. Seeing the three weary soldiers, the men said nothing as the trio headed out the door.
Earlier, after the ZOMBIE OFF had arrived, Connor had gone to the motor pool and signed out the vehicle with the loudest stereo system he could find. He then went to the office where he explained what he planned to do. The council members who were there had raised eyebrows when he finished talking, but none objected.
As they headed across the complex, Connor checked his watch. It was now 6:30 and the sun was getting lower in the sky. Reaching the motor pool, he headed for a large, black SUV parked out away from the others.
Connor pulled out the keys and pressed the remote to unlock the doors. A soft click could be heard, but no beep. All of the vehicles in the motor pool had had the lock/unlock sounds disabled for obvious reasons.
“Shotgun!” yelled Doug.
Diana couldn’t help but smile, while Connor just shook his head.
Tossing their weapons and supplies onto the seats next to them, the three climbed in and headed for the front gate. As they pulled up to the bus, Connor got out and signed the clipboard, indicating who was leaving the complex. Doug and Diana watched as Connor had brief words with the guard, who gave Connor a quick fist pump before walking away.
Climbing back into the SUV, Connor waited as the bus moved out of the way. Pulling forward, they headed for the road that would take them to the Rt. 422 bridge that crossed over the Schuylkill River. On the other side of the river was the exit ramp to Valley Forge National Park . . . and the biggest swarm any of them had ever seen.
As Connor reached the bridge, he saw two men standing in the middle, facing the park. Two bicycles stood leaning against the central barrier next to them. Pulling up, he got out and approached the men.
“What’s up, Seeker?” one of the men asked.
“You guys need to leave. Now,” said Connor.
The men exchanged confused looks.
“Why?” asked the other. “We’re supposed to keep an eye on the swarm.”
“Because in 30 minutes the swarm will be on this bridge, and I don’t think you want to be here when it is.”
“What?”
“I’m going to move the swarm. The council knows. We have to get it away from the complex, and this is the only way. Besides, I have another use for it.”
Even more confused by his last statement, the men nodded and headed for their bikes.
“Good luck,” they called out as they pedaled back to the safe zone.
Moving to the edge of the bridge, Connor looked out over the water toward the park. Seconds later, Doug and Diana were standing next to him. In the distance, the landscape appeared to be alive, pulsing and rippling like bees on a hive.
“Oh my god,” said Diana. “How many are there?”
“We estimate at least ten thousand, maybe fifteen. But it’s just a guess. We couldn’t risk sending a recon team any closer for fear of alerting them and having them head for the complex.”
Doug just stood there, his mouth open in wonderment and fear.
“Let’s get this over with. The sooner this swarm is away from our home and in Morrow’s back yard, the better.”
“Agreed,” said Connor as he turned and headed back to the SUV.
As the three climbed into their vehicle, Connor asked Diana to retrieve the CD he had in the backpack while he went to the back of the SUV and raised the rear hatch. As he climbed into the drivers seat, she pulled out an Iron Maiden CD with a skeletal king sitting on a throne surrounded by vicious looking wolves. She quickly handed it to Connor who placed it into the CD player. Advancing the disc to track 2, he paused it before heading for the far end of the bridge.
Taking the exit ramp, they headed for the long since dead traffic light at the top. As they stopped at the intersection, Doug looked to their right, his stomach knotting at the sight. Just a few hundred yards away was the edge of the swarm.
Wasting no time, Connor turned the SUV around so the open tailgate was facing the zombies. Taking a moment, the three put in protective earplugs. Seconds later, Connor hit play and cranked up the volume.
This particular SUV was equipped with an after market stereo system, with a massive bank of box speakers in the back complete with sub woofers. After a few seconds, an eerie voice boomed out from the speakers, echoing across the open expanse to the swarm.
“Woe to you, oh earth and sea,
For the devil sends the beast with wrath,
Because he knows the time is short . . .
Let him who hath understanding
Reckon the number of the beast
For it is a human number,
Its number is six hundred and sixty six.”
Suddenly, the sound of a guitar kicked in, followed by singing as the heavy metal song grew quickly in intensity. Within seconds, Iron M
aiden’s The Number Of The Beast was blaring full blast out of the back of the vehicle. Moments later, the swarm began to move.
Pulling the vehicle slowly forward, Connor watched as the thick mass of undead began following the sound, their moans drowned out by the music. By the time they reached the bottom of the ramp, a thousand zombies were behind them, with more feeding onto the ramp every second.
“Slow and steady,” said Connor, over the music.
“By the way, nice choice of a song to get them going,” yelled Doug. “Fitting.”
Connor just smiled and watched the mirror.
Leading the zombies was actually quite easy. They were a lot like sheep when they formed hordes and swarms, moving together as if they were one entity, absorbing more zombies as they moved along. All Connor had to do was simply keep ahead of them, and they’d pretty much follow him anywhere.
Before they left the apartment, Connor had calculated the distance from Valley Forge to the Collegeville exit where Chemcorp was located. He estimated it to be about six miles, which he figured would take two, maybe two and a half hours to walk at a typical zombie pace. If everything went as planned, the zombies would arrive at the Chemcorp fences around 9:00pm or so, well after dark, and Morrow would never know what hit him.
By the time the SUV reached the far end of the bridge, there were over ten thousand zombies behind them, with the swarm stretching all the way back to the park entrance. By the time they hit the curve past the Trooper Road exit, they could finally see the numbers thinning out in the distance. Connor estimated the numbers at 15,000 to 20,000.
Route 422 was perfect for leading the swarm and keeping them contained. Steel cabled guiderails in the median prevented the swarm from dispersing to the right, while guiderails and embankments kept them more or less contained on the left.
As they headed on, the SUV continued to play Iron Maiden at an ear splitting volume, maintaining the swarm behind them. Moving along the eastbound lanes of the four-lane highway, they had watched as the sun went down, leaving them in the dark on the lonely freeway. When the sun had set, they had placed powerful spotlights into the back of the SUV, adding an extra measure of certainty that the swarm would stay on track.
The large full moon shined brightly overhead, giving them extra visibility on the otherwise dark highway, allowing them to safely navigate past any abandoned vehicles. The path was fairly clear, as any obstructions had been cleared long before now by other supply run teams.
After two hours of slowly crawling along, Connor saw the eastbound and westbound lanes of the highway coming together again on his right.
“Almost there,” he yelled.
Turning off the music, he sped up, putting some distance between themselves and the swarm. Reaching a bridge overpass, he stopped the SUV and pointed into the distance.
A half-mile ahead of them, on the left, they could see the sparse lights of the Chemcorp facility.
“You two know what to do,” said Connor. “I’ll be back in 10 minutes.”
“Don’t be late!” said Doug.
Jumping out of the vehicle, Doug and Diana grabbed two powerful flashlights and stood on the bridge facing the oncoming swarm as Connor sped off behind them.
“I sure hope he knows what he’s doing,” said Diana, a hint of worry in her voice.
“He does. You just gotta have faith.”
As the sound of the SUV faded, Doug and Diana stood alone on the bridge, waving their flashlight beams, making sure the swarm continued in their direction.
“God, I hope he knows what he’s doing,” whispered Diana.
Connor raced up the highway, pulling off the shoulder at a spot where the embankment leveled off on his left. The tall chain link fence of the Chemcorp facility could be seen not more than 30 yards off the highway.
Putting the truck in park, he ran to the back and grabbed the pair of bolt cutters that were standard equipment in all supply run vehicles. At this particular spot, the fencing turned 90 degrees at the top of the embankment and headed back towards the Chemcorp buildings, creating a long, gradual incline, about 75 yards in length with only a grove of small growth trees between the fence and the road. It was the perfect spot for the zombies to make their assault.
Racing through the tall grass and trees, he reached the fence, pausing as he listened for any sign of Morrow’s guards. The facility was huge, and it was unlikely Morrow could have men constantly watching the entire fence line, especially at night. Besides, he was so full of himself, he’d never believe anyone would dare attempt to breech his defenses.
As quickly and quietly as possible, Connor went about the task of cutting the fence in multiple places. Anyone passing nearby would notice nothing out of the ordinary, but when the swarm would hit the fence they’d easily bring down the chain link sections, giving them clear access to the Chemcorp grounds.
Satisfied with his work, Connor left the bolt cutters at the fence before dashing back to the SUV and driving back to pick up his friends. He found them about 300 feet closer to Chemcorp than where he had left them, still waving the beams. The swarm was now much, much closer.
“Let’s go!” he said, as he swung the SUV around.
Jumping in, the two smiled as Connor headed back towards the broken fence. Driving past the spot where he stopped before, he pulled the SUV off the road about 300 yards ahead.
Grabbing their weapons and the backpack from the SUV, the three stepped into the middle of the road and took off their jump suits. All three were naked underneath. Reaching into the pack, Diana grabbed a can of ZOMBIE OFF and promptly sprayed down Doug and Connor. Handing the can to Doug, he quickly did the same to her. Pulling shorts (and a cutoff tank) from the pack, the three put on the clothes, grabbed the flashlights, donned their weapons and headed for the fence.
As they reached the spot where Connor parked before, they could see in the distance the dark mass of undead as it moved slowly up the road in the bright moonlight, the terrifying moans announcing their arrival. Keeping the flashlights on, they waited until the undead were only 100 feet away before turning and running for the fence, keeping the lights pointed behind them.
When they reached the fence, Connor handed Doug the bolt cutters and pulled back a section of fence. Just then, they heard the sound of a car engine. Quickly, Connor released the fence and the three dove into to the tall grass just as the headlights of a white SUV came into view. The trio watched as the vehicle slowly approached, a spotlight panning the fence line as it moved along. Staying motionless, the three breathed a sigh of relief as the light panned across the cut fence section without notice, continuing slowly on its way.
As the three stood, they quickly froze again as the first of the swarm came into view behind them. Moving slowly to the side, they watched as dozens of undead staggered forward to the fence. Within seconds the zombies were pressed against it, and moments later they had pushed through the cut section and were pouring onto the Chemcorp grounds. Silently, the three fell into the ranks of the undead and passed through the barrier, immediately separating themselves from the mass once they were clear of the fence.
Doug and Diana were now separated from Connor by the wave of undead, but it didn’t matter. Each was where they needed to be, and they knew what they had to do. Walking as quickly as they dared, Doug and Diana began to distance themselves from the swarm, heading in the direction of Morrow’s building. Once they were far enough ahead, they turned on their flashlight and began to run.
Connor, meanwhile, was doing the same on the opposite side of the swarm. Turning right, he slowly put distance between him and the zombies, then dashed across the grass towards a small grove of trees nearby, waving the flashlight behind him. At the same time, he could see Doug and Diana’s light as they ran for the far corner of the fenced in tennis courts to his left.
As the three ran off in opposite directions, thousands of undead began pouring into the Chemcorp complex behind them. In less t
han a minute the area was filled with zombies, the swarm spreading out as they followed the two beacons.
Standing next to the tennis court fence, Doug and Diana turned off the flashlight and slowly moved along the perimeter of the fence until they were on the opposite side from the swarm. Looking across the tennis court, they watched as the undead poured into the facility like water breaking through a dam. Instantly, the two were running again, their flashlight waving behind them as they headed south down a small access drive and onto a large patio with a huge sculpture in the middle.
Stopping for a second, they looked behind them. The moonlight lit the area nicely, and they could clearly see the ghostly shapes of thousands of zombies as they spread out across the grounds, looking for food.
Waving the flashlight, the two took off again, running down the sidewalk that ran along the west edge of the giant employee parking lot that covered the entire east corner of the complex. Reaching a smaller secondary lot at the junction of the outer loop, they ran for a small patch of trees near the far end, crouching behind two maples as they caught their breath. Behind them, they could now see the hideous forms flowing into every corner of the complex.
Looking across the road they could see Morrow’s building. A large retaining wall, rimmed with a high fence, bordered the front of it making the driveway the only access point. For this reason, Doug and Diana had come up with another way to get there.
As they knelt motionless, they suddenly heard the sound of another vehicle, possibly the same one they saw before. Looking to the south, they watched as the white security SUV rounded the curve of the outer loop drive and headed their way, passing just 20 yards from their hiding spot. Instantly the nearby undead honed in on the noise, their moans increasing in volume as they moved toward the sound like a flock of birds.
The moment the SUV was past them, Doug and Diana raced from their hiding spot and across the road, sprinting the 200 feet to the perimeter fence beyond. Behind them, the SUV only traveled another 100 yards before the tires screeched to a halt as the headlights illuminated the wall of zombies in front of it. Slamming the vehicle into reverse, the driver spun the SUV around and raced in the other direction, the zombies following the noise and lights.
Using the vehicles noise as cover, Doug quickly used the bolt cutters to snip the chain on the small access gate next to them. Diana had remembered the gate from her days of jogging during lunch, before the apocalypse hit.
Slipping through the gate, they closed it behind them, wrapping the chain to make sure it stayed closed. Seconds later, the SUV went speeding past as it headed back to Morrow’s building. Behind it, they watched as thousands of shambling forms advanced in the pale moonlight. The moans of the undead capped off the surreal scene, causing the hair on the back of their necks to stand up. Shivering, Doug nodded to Diana, who nodded back. Stage one of their plan was working to perfection.
Looking at the nearby building, Doug’s expression changed.
“Time to pay the piper,” he whispered.
Connor raced across the grass, waving his light behind him as he headed in the direction of the main gate. Earlier at the apartment, Diana had drawn a detailed layout of the Chemcorp facility, which Doug and Connor had memorized for the mission. Reaching the trees, he paused for a minute to make sure the swarm was following. In the bright moonlight, he could clearly see the staggering forms of thousands of undead as they crossed the grass in pursuit.
Passing through some trees, he dashed across a wide, overgrown grass field toward the parking area near the front gate, the zombies not far behind. As he reached the pavement, he heard the screech of tires in the distance, and he knew that the guards had discovered the swarm. Pulling out his katana, he drew his Redneck Toothpick and repeatedly rapped the two blades together, the metal on metal ringing loudly across the open expanse around him.
Sheathing his weapons, he turned and sprinted across the parking lot, across the outer loop drive, and through the tall grass to the fence beyond. When he reached the fence line, he crouched low and began running along the edge, heading for the maintenance building a few hundred yards away. Behind him, the swarm advanced upon the main gate.
Reaching the maintenance building, he rounded a corner, smiling at what he saw. Just ahead of him, sitting on the wide concrete driveway, was the helicopter. The pilot could be seen rushing around, frantically prepping it for takeoff. Silently, Connor drew his sword and stepped from the shadows toward the unsuspecting henchman.
Abe Morrow sat in his recliner, feet propped up on the coffee table in front of him. In his hand he had a book, and on the end table next to him he had his usual drink. On the coffee table sat neatly organized piles of gold that his men had brought him earlier this evening from a new customer for his ZOMBIE OFF.
Looking over the rim of his book, he eyed the gold and smiled, taking another sip of his drink. Suddenly, there was a frantic knocking on his door. Looking at the clock, he wondered why he was being bothered at this hour.
“Come,” he yelled.
A young man, his face pale, ran into the room, breathing heavily. Immediately Morrow knew there was serious trouble.
“Sir, there’s been a breech,” the young man stammered, trying to catch his breath. “Zombies.”
“Well take care of it. What the hell do you think I’m paying you for?”
“But sir, there are hundreds. Maybe thousands. It’s a god damn swarm!”
“A swarm? How is that possible? The latest recon from earlier today said the only swarm was in Valley Forge, and that it wasn’t moving!”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“Son-of-a-bitch,” muttered Morrow, rising quickly from his chair.
“Sir, we have to get you out of here. You have to evacuate.”
“Execute the horde contingency plan. Lure them out of the gates.”
“Sir, we can’t. There are too many already on the grounds. We can’t get to the main gate, and the south gate is still under repair from when the girl escaped.”
“Shit.”
“We need to get you out the back gate before they get to this building.”
“How long do we have?”
“Five minutes, maybe less.”
Just then Jamison came running into the room, anger showing on his face.
“We have to get you out. Now.”
“Not without my gold, we don’t,” growled Morrow. “You, go with the others. Implement the ZOMBIE OFF evacuation plan,” said Morrow, pointing to the younger man. “Jamison, you’re with me.”
“Leave the gold. We can come back for it later.”
“No. We load what we can,” said Morrow, grabbing two large duffle bags from a nearby closet.
“Dammit!” exclaimed Jamison, grabbing a bag.
Following Morrow to the large safe in the corner, he waited nervously, knowing that thousands of zombies were getting closer every second.
Doug and Diana bolted through a low-lying area of small trees and scrub brush, over an intermittent stream, and across the tall grass beyond, arriving at the corner of the fence surrounding one of the two parking lots behind Morrow’s building. As they knelt near the fence, they could see lights in the top floor of the building, on the southeast corner closest to them. Two figures could be seen moving within.
“That must be Morrow’s office,” whispered Diana.
“Yep. Now we know where to go,” replied Doug.
Grabbing the bolt cutters, Doug quickly cut the fence and held it open for Diana. As she pulled the fence back for Doug, they could hear the sounds of activity to their right, near the loading dock area at the front of the building. In the distance, the moans of the dead were getting louder by the minute.
“I think they’re loading a truck with the ZOMBIE OFF,” whispered Diana.
“We can’t let that truck get out of the complex,” said Doug.
“But it could take down the gate.”
“Not
if there’s something blocking it.”
Across the parking lot ahead of them was the back gate, and beyond that was the second lot. In the lot they could see one of the SUV’s parked along the curb near the back entrance to the building.
Without saying a word the two rushed along the fence to the large, electronic gate. Taking the bolt cutters, Doug smashed the keypad entry, then turned and headed for the SUV.
Sticking close to the fence, the two made their way to the far lot where they stopped briefly to watch for activity. No one moved near the SUV, and from what they could tell, no one was in it.
Taking a deep breath, Doug dashed across to the parking lot, Diana close behind. Reaching the waiting SUV, they saw that it was empty, keys still in the ignition.
“Hide behind the building over there and wait for me,” whispered Doug.
Diana nodded and rushed off.
Opening the door, Doug climbed in and started the vehicle, quickly pulling away. Moments later, he was parking the SUV directly in front of the gate. Before getting out, he broke the key off in the ignition, then jumped out and pulled his knife. Methodically he punctured all four tires of the vehicle before racing across the lot to where Diana was hiding. Hunkering down, they waited for Morrow to leave the building as the undead closed in.
Connor stood at the large bay door of the open garage staring into the darkness beyond the helicopter. Behind him, the pilot sat bound and gagged in a corner, a bruise already forming around his right eye. The man began to grunt as he struggled with his bonds, prompting Connor to turn around.
Walking over to the prisoner, Connor stood over him, the tip of his long katana sliding under his chin.
“Shhhhhhh,” whispered Connor, holding a finger to his lips.
The man’s eyes went wide as he looked at the shadowy figure looming above him. Nodding, the pilot’s efforts ceased and his shoulders went limp.
Turning away from his captive, he walked back to the door and continued his watch. Out in the darkness, the moans of the undead could be heard; their shadowy forms not yet visible.
“Hurry guys,” Connor whispered under his breath.
Morrow and Jamison raced down the stairwell toward the back entrance of the building, duffle bags in hand.
“How the hell did this happen?” said Morrow angrily.
“I don’t know. It appears they came in from the north, off of 422. How they got in so quickly, I have no idea.”
“Just get me the hell out of here. Once we’re at the safe house, we’ll figure out how to get my facility back.”
“Right,” replied Jamison angrily. “The SUV’s just outside the door. We’ll head out the back gate and wait for the men at the safe house.”
Stepping out of the back entrance, Jamison stopped dead in his tracks.
“What the . . .” he exclaimed as he looked for the vehicle.
“Where the hell is the SUV?” demanded Morrow.
Looking around, Jamison spotted the white SUV in the distance next to the gate.
“Son-of-a-bitch! Wait here!”
Dropping his bag, he sprinted over to the vehicle. As he approached, he saw the flattened tires, anger building inside of him. Opening the passenger side door, he slammed the dashboard in rage as he looked at the broken ignition key. Moving around the vehicle, he looked upon the smashed keypad for the gate.
Racing back to Morrow, he could barely contain his fury.
“Someone has sabotaged the SUV and the gate. The zombies were no accident.”
“Get me out of here. Now!” demanded Morrow.
“The helicopter,” said Jamison through clenched teeth. “This way. We’ll join with the others at the loading dock.”
Rounding the southeast corner of the building, they ran a few feet and stopped, just yards from where Doug and Diana were hiding around the next corner. Through the bright moonlight they could see the flowing mass of shadows as the zombies closed in on Morrow’s building in the distance.
“We won’t make it,” said Jamison. “Quick, head along the south side of the building.”
Running past the entrance doors, they sprinted along the building, stopping at the southwest corner. Morrow was breathing heavily, hands on his knees.
“I can’t run that far,” he said, wheezing. “Get out the ZOMBIE OFF.”
A minute later, the two nearly naked men were walking quickly across the grass towards the maintenance garage where the helicopter waited.
Doug and Diana waited a few seconds after they heard Morrow and Jamison run off.
“Go,” whispered Doug.
Cautiously, they moved around the building to the rear entrance. Heading inside, they moved quickly up the stairs and into Morrow’s office, which still had the lights on.
Moving quickly to his computer, Diana tried to log in, frustration showing on her face.
“I can’t get to his files,” she said.
“Move over.”
Cracking his knuckles for effect, Doug began typing on the keyboard. After 45 seconds, he leaned back in the chair, his hands behind his head.
“Whahla!” he said, smiling.
“How did you do that?”
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
“Very funny. Now get out of the way.”
“Not so fast, pretty lady.”
Doug quickly searched the hard drive file folders to make sure that the ZOMBIE OFF formula and files were there. Once he found them, he quickly shut down the computer and pulled off the side panel.
“What are you doing? Asked Diana.
Pulling a small screwdriver from their supply bag, he quickly went to work.
“I’m taking out the hard drive,” he said.
60 seconds later the hard drive was in the bag.
“Let’s go,” said Doug, turning for the door.
“Never thought to take the whole hard drive,” said Diana.
“Just had to make sure the files were on it first.”
“You’re pretty awesome,” she said smiling.
“I know,” he said as they headed out the door.
Connor stood in the shadows as he watched the two figures approaching. Seeing the duffle bags in their hands, he knew it was Morrow and Jamison.
“About time,” he whispered to himself.
Ducking into cover he watched through the glass window of the nearby access door as the figures walked up.
“Where the hell is the pilot?” asked Morrow anxiously.
“He should be here,” said Jamison, as he drew his sidearm. “Stay here.”
Morrow stood next to the Helicopter as Jamison inched his way toward the garage, gun leveled in front of him. Reaching the open bay door, he spun to his right as he cleared the opening. Moonlight filtered through the glass of the access door, revealing an empty space. Turning to his left, he pulled a small flashlight from his belt and turned it on, holding it next to the gun as he panned the garage.
In the far corner of the shop he saw the bound form of the pilot illuminated at the edge of the flashlight beam.
“Son-of-a- . . .”
Jamison never finished his words as a blinding flash followed the impact to his head. A second later, his crumpled form lay sprawled on the garage floor.
Morrow stood next to the helicopter, watching as Jamison disappeared inside the garage. After a few seconds, he watched as a flashlight came on, allowing him to see as Jamison’s silhouette moved slowly along.
Watching nervously, there was a quick movement as a black shadow came out of nowhere behind Jamison. A second later, the flashlight dropped to the floor and lay still.
“Jamison!” whispered Morrow.
No reply.
Moving behind the helicopter, Morrow began to panic. In the distance he could hear the moans of the dead as they closed in on his building. Suddenly, he saw the headlights of the three SUV’s that had been loading cases of ZOMBIE OFF. Part of the evacuation plan was to load up as muc
h as possible to take with them, figuring they could come back for the rest later.
He watched as the vehicles sped from the loading dock and disappeared behind the building as they raced towards the rear gate. Knowing that the gate was blocked, he started to run forward thinking he could flag them down as they’d have to head his way to escape the facility. But his stomach sank as he watched the headlights appear from behind the building and near the driveway.
Just as the vehicles made the turn onto the driveway, hundreds of undead poured out from behind the retaining wall on the right, blocking their path.
The first vehicle swerved to the left, sliding down the embankment to the water filled retention basin below. The vehicle hit the water, stopping quickly as the nose of the SUV buried in the mud on the edge. The men scrambled out of the doors as the zombies poured down the slope after them.
The next SUV had less time to react, gunning its engine in an attempt to plow through them. It made it about 15 yards before the mass became too thick and the vehicle ground to a halt. Within seconds the sound of fists pounding on metal echoed across the way.
The third vehicle managed to stop before hitting the swarm. Its tires screaming, the SUV shot backwards down the driveway and into the grass. Kicking out plumes of dirt and sod, the truck sped off around the back of the building toward the gate.
By now, the sound of gunshots and the screams of dying men echoed across the grounds as the men at the pond were eaten alive. One managed to escape, wading through the water to the far side of the basin where he took off and climbed the fence.
Just then, the sound of breaking glass rang out over the moans, and seconds later more gunshots rang out. A few seconds later, the horrifying screams started again.
Stumbling backwards, Morrow turned to run, but stopped in his tracks as a shadowy figure blocked his way. The glint of a sword flashed in the moonlight, sending Morrow to his knees.
“Please don’t kill me!” cried Morrow. “I have gold. Lot’s of gold. You can have it all. And ZOMBIE OFF, as much as you want. Just let me go.”
The man stood above him, sword at his side, watching the cowardly man.
“Please, I’m begging you,” whimpered Morrow.
“Not good enough,” growled Connor.
In a flash the hilt of the sword impacted Morrow’s skull, his body falling to the pavement unconscious.
Doug and Diana walked slowly out of the back entrance of the building to the screams of dying men. Ahead of them they saw an abandoned SUV sitting next to the fence, still running. The occupants were nowhere in sight.
Without hesitation, they made their way back to the fence and crawled through the hole they had cut before. Calmly, the two began the long walk back to the SUV they had parked on 422.
As they walked slowly along the fence line, they suddenly heard the familiar sound of the helicopter as its rotors picked up speed. Seconds later, they saw the blinking lights rise into the sky and head off to the east, quickly disappearing out of sight.
“Do you think it was him?” asked Diana worriedly.
Doug turned to her and smiled, saying nothing. Returning his smile, the two grabbed hands and walked off into the dark.
