by Brown, TW
“There is a footlocker strapped to a support under the trailer,” Hank admitted.
“You are going to go under and fetch it.” Erin came down the stairs and knelt beside Hank, her knife whipping in a deft motion that cut the bonds holding his wrists. “You try anything, and I swear to God, I will kill you on the spot.”
Ken turned and walked back to the truck while Erin laid out her ultimatum. He rummaged around in his tool box until he found what he was searching for.
“Why’d you just walk off?” Erin asked.
“Might be handy to be able to see this dumbass.” Ken held up a large spotlight-style flashlight. He hit a button and a beam of light hit Hank square in the face causing him to cry out and throw his hands over his eyes.
“Holy crap, man!” Hank wailed.
“Just making a point.”
“What point is that?” Erin asked with a loud stage-whisper.
“The point is that if I can cause him this much discomfort with nothing more than a beam of light, imagine what I could do if wanted to seriously hurt his ass.” Ken waved the flashlight and indicated for Hank to get moving.
“You gonna untie my feet?” Ken looked down and then back up, his gaze shifting back and forth between Erin and Ken.
“Nope,” Ken said, jerking the young man to his feet.
Hank hopped over to a piece of wood and pulled it back. Ducking down, he made a show of how much pain his shoulder was causing him. He was almost all the way in when he stopped suddenly and looked back over his shoulder.
“If I have a seizure or something and die while I am under here, promise me that you will shoot me. Don’t let me become one of…them.”
“Absolutely,” Erin said with a grim nod.
A few moments later, Hank was scooting backwards with the trunk. It was a vinyl covered footlocker. Ken shoved Hank aside and flipped up the lid. Sure enough, there were several masks and boxes of filters.
After finding one that did not absolutely reek, Ken strapped it on. Erin had just grabbed the first one and was already waiting for Ken at the doorway.
“What about me?” Hank called as the pair disappeared into the front door.
“Wait out here,” was Ken and Erin’s reply almost in unison.
“And hope no zombies come,” Ken added.
The two stood in the living room that was now the equivalent of a post-apocalyptic gold mine. Ken headed towards the hallway.
“Grab the ammo first, maybe sling a weapon over your shoulder on each trip.” Ken grunted as he grabbed a stack of ammo canisters.
***
Jason stood on the porch. It had been a few hours since Ken and Erin had rolled out. He was seeing just the faintest hint of dawn starting to paint the horizon. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the women stretched out on couches, both were fast asleep. The red Border Collie was nestled in a crook behind Rose’s knees. The male was in the middle of the floor, his head pointed straight down the hallway where the two zombies were secured in that bedroom. The Golden had gone to the floor and was curled up, its side rising and falling in the pattern of deep sleep.
Shortly after Ken had left, Jason had gone out to the gate, yanked it back into as close to its original shape as possible and pulled it shut. He had taken a flashlight because, once you got clear of the massive front yard and turnaround driveway, it was pitch black. There were no streetlights out here. Night meant a whole new kind of darkness compared to what you found in the city.
He’d heard a few moans in the dark, and sweeping the flashlight, he spotted a handful of zombies. One was stuck in the ditch. Apparently the mud at the bottom was pretty viscous. When he’d walked back to the house, he’d been surprised by a lone zombie.
After shutting the gate, he had relaxed just a bit. He was just passing the Reynolds’ truck that was nose down in the ditch that ran alongside the driveway. It was there that a young girl no more than fifteen or so had stepped out and caught him completely by surprise.
After the expletive that he’d shouted, Jason reached for the big butcher’s cleaver that he had swiped from the kitchen counter on his way out. He felt his heart skip a beat when the handle of the cleaver fumbled in his grasp and then slipped away to clatter on the pavement. He’d claimed the street sweeper, but he had not felt that the need for so much firepower was necessary and left it just inside the door to the house.
What he had not counted on was being surprised by a zombie that seemed to almost pop up right in front of him. Giving the girl a hard shove, Jason swept the ground with the flashlight. Somehow, the cleaver had simply vanished. The girl was coming for him again, her arms extended.
Despite his years as a criminal and the fact that he was very aware that this was a zombie, he hesitated for just a moment. This girl had been clueless that her life would be cut so short. She probably had no idea when she woke this morning judging by the relative freshness of the injuries, that she was going to be set upon by a zombie and have most of her throat torn out as well as a few nasty chunks from her arms. He wondered if the girl had known her attacker before he or she had become a zombie. The dark stain in the crotch of her jeans told him that she had let go of her bodily functions either during or just after the attack; not that such things were abnormal.
And with that thought, he brought the flashlight down on the girl’s head with all the force he could muster. The metal bludgeon bent from the force and the lens shattered, casting him into darkness. It was in that instant that he saw the flaw in his plan. The absolute darkness of this rural area prevented him from seeing anything.
He took a step back and his foot felt something that sent his hopes soaring. Reaching down, Jason found the handle of the cleaver. Just as he stood up, cold, dead hands caught his arm. Thankfully, it was not the one holding the cleaver. With one swift stroke, he drove the blade deep into the forehead of the girl. In an instant, she collapsed to the ground.
Jason had returned to the house more than just a little shaken. He’d been thankful that the women had already started to doze off. The only look he got upon his entry through the front door was Imp giving him a disinterested glance over his shoulder before he rested his head back down on the floor and let his eyes begin to droop as he watched down the hallway where that terrible smell emanated.
After walking around the house and making sure that every window and door was shut and locked, he had opened the door where Rose’s sister and nephew were tied down. The smell was present before he reached the door, and when he’d opened it, he’d almost gotten physically ill. A voice in his head screamed to end them, but it was not his place. A nudge at his side announced the arrival of Imp. The dog let loose with a low growl in its throat.
“I feel ya, buddy,” Jason said, giving the dog a scratch behind one ear.
And with that, he’d shut the door and returned to the living room. He’d stepped out onto the porch and allowed his ears to take in the sounds of the night. He had no idea how long he’d stood there when he’d heard a distant scream. It was horrific. He could not begin to imagine the fear or agony that caused a person to scream in that manner. Even worse, it was such a horrific scream that it was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman.
The occasional sound of gunfire came, and then he heard something in the distance that caused him to step down off the porch. Moving out into the yard, Jason scanned the skies. It took him a moment, but eventually, he spotted the lights of the helicopter coming from the direction of the soon-to-be rising sun. He could tell right away that there was something wrong by the way it coughed and sputtered.
He watched as the flashing lights on the aircraft came closer, but he could also see the helo losing altitude. It was not at an alarming rate, but it was going to be close as to whether or not whoever was piloting was going to clear the trees.
He continued to watch as the lights started to dip below the tree line. There was a crashing sound and then silence. He was not certain of the distance, and in the dark, it would be impossi
ble to tell. He was still debating what he should do when the headlights of what he hoped was Ken’s truck came into view.
***
They pulled out of the Reynolds’ place and then Ken followed Erin’s directions to her house. When they arrived, Ken was greeted by two men and one woman.
“Where you been?” the woman asked with an edge to her voice. Ken noticed the suspicious looks cast his direction and decided to stay in the truck.
Erin climbed out and, after what Ken considered a few too many hugs, the group huddled in conference. Occasionally, he saw a head crane back his direction. He made it a point not to acknowledge the glances. In truth, he could care less what they thought. And if worse came to worse, all the guns and ammo were in the back of his pickup, thank you very much.
He would feel no guilt or shame in backing out and leaving this place in his rearview mirror. When it came down to it, he was responsible for the survival and safety of one person: Ken “mother-fucking” Simpson.
At last the little gathering broke up and Erin came back to the truck. He had expected her to tell him to drive in and that they would be unloading here. He already had the retort on the tip of his tongue; that was why he just stared at her a tad bit dumbfounded when she announced, “Let’s go back to Rose and the others.”
“What about your people?” Ken finally asked.
“They are going to start working on the plans on how we can join the two farms. It will mean a lot more work to secure the perimeter, but the end result will be worth it.”
“You really think this is going to be that big of a deal?”
Erin relayed what her friends had told her in regards to the most recent EBS broadcast. They drove the rest of the way in silence. At last, the entry gate to Rose’s house came into view.
Ken slowed, he heard something like a tremendous crash over the engine despite having the windows rolled up. That meant that whatever he’d heard must be pretty big. They were just pulling up to the gate to where the others were waiting and his headlights revealed the convict standing in the driveway all alone.
“That didn’t sound good,” Erin said from the passenger’s seat.
They came to a stop and Jason had already jogged the rest of the way up the driveway and opened the gate to let them in. As the truck rolled up and Ken hit the button to lower the window, Jason asked, “You guys see that helicopter go down?”
“You sure it was a helo?” Ken asked. He didn’t know why he felt the need to challenge Jason on everything the man said, but he couldn’t help it. The truth was that he simply did not like or trust the guy. Perhaps his years in law enforcement had left him jaded, but then again, as far as he was concerned, he’d seen enough over the years to warrant this attitude.
“I heard it first, and by the time I spotted the lights, it was going down.” If Jason was annoyed by Ken’s question, he did not let it show. “Maybe we should go take a look,” he suggested.
“Why?” Erin’s response caught both men off guard.
“What do you mean, why?” Jason finally asked.
“I mean, whoever was in that chopper is probably dead. Going after them is an unnecessary risk. And if you haven’t been paying attention, shit is getting real nasty.” Erin said all of this like she might have been describing the weather. “Already some of the creeps are crawling out from under their rocks. Who knows what will happen in the next day or so as it becomes obvious that the cops ain’t comin’ if you call. Hell, there were enough creeps in the news when we did have the police. What do you think is gonna happen when that thin shield between the creeps and society evaporates?”
Ken listened. She had a point. He’d locked up more than his share of individuals who should never see the light of day or take a breath of free air for the rest of their lives. Not everybody inside was a threat to humanity, but enough of them were for her point to ring true for him. He glanced over at the convict and was surprised to see a nod of agreement.
“So we leave them to die,” Jason finally said.
It was not so much a question as a vocal acceptance of what they had just decided without having to debate or vote. Ken was glad that the other two women were not present. He just did not think that they would see things with such a lack of emotion. He knew that the moment emotion became part of the equation, rationality was often the first victim on the sacrificial altar.
“Let’s shut the gate and get to the house,” Ken said. They had not seen any more zombies since leaving the Reynolds’ place, but he was not up for tempting fate.
“I’ll hop in back,” Jason offered.
“Umm, actually, there isn’t room,” Erin said with a wicked smile.
“Let me guess,” Jason said, “you brought back some supplies?”
“You could say that.” Erin simply smiled.
“We will show you at the house, but let’s get off the road.” Ken had seen enough for the night. He’d done things he could not imagine.
“I’ll just shut the gate and meet you guys at the house.” With that statement, Jason gave the truck a pat and headed for the gate.
A few minutes later, Ken, Jason, and Erin were opening the back of the truck and admiring their newfound haul. Jason gave a whistle of admiration and reached in to pull out a .30-06 with a high-powered scope attached. Ken had to fight the urge to yank it from the man’s hands. Instead, he began counting silently to a hundred.
“What about the people back at your place?” Jason asked.
“They are going to work on plans on how to best combine both properties. We are gonna have some work to do in order to make it secure. Most of what is in place is simple. Just three or four strands of barbed wire. I think we will need something better to keep the zombies out. If a dozen or so of those things come at the fence in one area, I don’t see it withstanding the force,” Erin replied.
“I think we better plan for more than just the zombies,” Jason said with a grim tone that made Ken give the man a sideways glance. “It wasn’t the zombies that came out onto the porch with a street sweeper or held that girl Rose at knifepoint. I think that the living will be a bigger problem in a short time. Maybe once things settle a bit and the dust clears, then perhaps we can relax some, but if we are gonna secure these two properties, then everybody needs to come together and be prepared to do their part.”
“I’m glad that everybody is making decisions as to what to do with my sister’s place.” The voice surprised Ken and the other two. It did not slip past Ken’s attention that Jason had instantly brought the rifle to his shoulder.
***
Rose felt her heart thud when the man with all the tattoos aimed that rifle at her. She also saw the embarrassment on his face as he realized at whom he was pointing that thing. He lowered it almost as quickly as he’d raised it.
“I’m sorry, Rose, I just thought that you were going to be okay with this place and my family’s joining up.” Erin stepped forward.
“You really think it is going to be necessary?” Rose asked. She could accept what she’d seen. She could accept what had become of her sister, niece, and nephew. What she still could not accept was that this would be how civilization crumbled. Surely the government had a plan. Didn’t they have some sort of zombie apocalypse document on the CDC website or something?
“I’m as sure as anybody can be right now,” Erin replied with a shrug.
“I just—” Rose began, but the sudden blaring of the strains of a song by a woman that was urging the listener to “fuck the pain away” interrupted and caused everybody to jump.
Erin reached in her pocket and yanked out her phone. At first, she seemed to stare at it like she didn’t know what to do. At last, she swiped a finger across the screen and answered.
“Cherry?”
Rose was close enough to be able to overhear the conversation. It never occurred to her that she might be intruding, but what she was hearing could not just be shut out of her head. There were sounds of gunfire and distant screams that sent ch
ills flooding through her. The screams were unlike anything she had ever heard in her life and sounded as if they were conveying a pain of unimaginable levels.
“Westy? Where are you?” a female voice cried.
“I can’t believe it’s you. How did you get the phone to work? They have been damn near useless for hours.” Erin was visibly shaking as she listened to the voice on the other end; not to mention the sounds of chaos and hellish screams that had both Jason and Ken moving forward as if drawn by some invisible Pied Piper.
“No time,” the voice replied.
The sound of stress and fear leaked through the phone and wrapped its snake-like tendrils around the hearts of Rose and, by the looks of it, Jason and Ken as well. It was a physical presence that had risen pebbles on Rose’s arms as well as the back of her neck where she had no doubt that her hair was standing on end.
“Where are you?” Erin asked.
“Still in the hospital.”
“But…I thought…I’m so sorry.” Erin’s voice was strangled as she obviously fought back tears that brimmed on the cusps of her eyes.
“You did the right thing, Westy. But there might be a chance we will be getting out.” There was a pause, and Rose thought that the connection might have failed, but just as Erin opened her mouth, Cherry continued. “Most of us anyways. Greg and Brandy are…gone.” Another pause. “There is a police detachment on our floor. They secured it against at least a hundred of those things. It was awful…so many died…” the voice trembled and then the sound of Cherry clearing her throat could be heard. “Anyways, they managed to secure the stairwells. While they were doing so, one of them checked out a service elevator shaft. He said that they might be able to clear the closest stairwell to that shaft. The zombies are thinnest there. We are waiting until it is light outside so that we can hopefully see. There are frosted windows, the real skinny types, but at least it is some sort of light. You would be surprised at just how dark those stairs are. Flashlights only do so much, and most of them were used as weapons when the cops began to run low on bullets. They say they have enough for one last charge if we are going to try and get out of here.”
