by Brown, TW
That would add a new twist to things, she thought.
That one observation sent a series of thoughts cascading through her mind. If animals could be infected, could this also be carried via mosquitoes like that West Nile Virus? Would it carry over to every animal, or just a few?
As much as it hurt her in her heart to do so, Shadiyah drew one of the small swords that she had grabbed at the museum. It had a thicker blade, and she would not be upset if she damaged her blade on the skull of the dog. Standing up on the step-up lip at the entrance to the cab of the truck, she lined up the point of her weapon with the top of the dog’s head and, after a deep breath to steady herself, she jumped, bringing the point of the sword down almost perfectly and plunging it into the top of the dog’s skull. She landed with enough force to actually pin the poor creature to the ground.
Leaning back against the truck, Shadiyah felt the tears stinging her eyes. So far, she had killed a handful of humans and who knew how many zombies. None of them had had any effect on her soul. Somehow, to her, this was so different. Pulling her blade free, Shadiyah knelt over the creature, her tears splashing in the dirt near its head.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
After a few minutes, she regained her composure and decided to take a better look around to see if there might be anything lying about that would be worth grabbing. The yard itself had a lot of things that could possibly be transformed into some rather nasty weaponry, but it would weigh her down far too much to be worth the trouble. Eventually, she decided to abandon searching the yard and decided to check out the apartments that bordered one side.
When she went inside the first of the two flats, she was more than a little disappointed. The place looked like it had been recently vacated and just never cleaned up and prepared for new tenants. There was trash strewn about and the smell of mold and rotten food permeated the air. That was when she realized that she did not smell the telltale odor that announced the walking dead.
She left the first flat and headed next door. Her confidence only increased when she discovered an unlocked front entry. While the place was a mess and showed signs of having been quickly abandoned, there seemed to be no zombies to worry about.
She made her way to the kitchen and was greeted by the smell of food that had gone off several days ago. On the plus side, she also found cans of baked beans in an open cupboard along with a treasure trove of Super Noodles.
“Mild Curry,” she groused when she realized that the treasure was of only a single currency. Still, she thought, beggars can’t be choosers. She scooped it all into her bag.
The only thing she was currently lacking now was water. She opened every cupboard and the pantry to reveal that the person was a fan of beer, but apparently chose to forgo water as a regular beverage. With a sigh, she exited the flat, refusing to allow herself even one of the many bottles of beer that she’d discovered.
As she walked along the road, Shadiyah found herself enjoying the sun on her face. She kept her eyes open for any signs of wandering zombies, but for a while, there was simply nothing to interrupt what was becoming a rather pleasant morning stroll.
She came to an end of having both sides of the narrow road lined with trees to discover a rather expensive looking house on the left. The property was sealed off by a three foot high stone wall that was topped with wrought iron spikes that added just an extra bit of protection. Were it not for the Mercedes that had smashed into the iron gate at the head of the driveway, the whole thing would have been simply beautiful to look at.
Stopping at the car, Shadiyah looked in at the figure that had its head resting on the steering wheel. Her arrival caused it to sit up and begin to claw at the driver’s side window. The gate still looked to be intact and so Shadiyah made a small bow to the undead occupant and hopped up onto the hood of the silver luxury car.
After appraising the situation for a moment, she decided that it would be best if she were to just toss her things over and then climb. Since there did not seem to be any zombies around, other than the one making a little bit of a fuss inside the car, she even removed her belt and tossed over her scimitar. The last thing that she wanted was to get hung up by the strap and end up dangling from the fence until either a zombie found her or she died from thirst.
It was not an easy task, but eventually she was over and standing on a slick driveway that reflected the heat of the sun back at her with a vengeance. She needed to find something here to drink.
When she reached the front door, she was not surprised to discover that it was locked. People like this obviously had things worth taking and took steps to protect them unlike those flats she had just left behind. Ironically, it wasn’t much trouble to get in considering the fact that the top half of the entry door was a window.
Wrapping her elbow in her jacket to give it some extra protection, she gave the glass a sharp smack. The sound of breaking glass was so loud that it actually frightened her at first. Drawing her weapon, she looked everywhere at once, fully expecting either a bunch of zombies or the police to arrive and put a nasty cramp in her day.
She stood at the door long enough for the sweat to bead up on the back of her neck and trickle down between her shoulder blades. At last, she reached inside and turned the knob. Opening the door, she once again froze after stepping on the broken glass,
“Everything seems so bloody loud,” she whispered, not surprised that even her own whispers sounded thunderous.
Creeping down the entry hall, she was happy that this place had an abundance of windows. It made seeing marginally easier, although there were still plenty of shadows to contend with once she arrived where the kitchen was set off from the living room. Unfortunately, the stink of rotten food was mixing with the smell of death and the stench of undeath as she drew nearer.
There was a small island counter blocking her view, and Shadiyah could not see any way to get to the much desired cupboards and pantry without wading in. Finally, she took a step towards the corner, her scimitar thrust out in front of her.
Just before she was able to see, she could hear the sounds of ripping and juicy slurping. Peeking around, what she saw froze her in her tracks for a few seconds. The worst part of that was that her eyes would not look away from what lay on the floor between the oven and that island counter.
The child could not be any older than seven or eight. He was kneeling over a young girl in her teens, a look of terror and pain still etched on her dead face with its glassy eyes staring up at oblivion. There were a few bites on her arms, and one of her fingers was missing on the left hand. However, it was the fact that this little boy was reaching into a horrendous rip in the young girl’s belly that was so revolting.
Shadiyah took another step forward and her foot struck a small kitchen knife and sent it spinning lazily across the floor where it came to a sudden stop when it connected with the folded under leg of the little boy. It turned its head her direction and seemed to consider her for a few seconds. Then, in a reaction that stunned Shadiyah, it hunched back down over the corpse it was still feeding on and resumed its grisly meal.
“You are a nasty little boy,” Shadiyah breathed.
She raised her scimitar and then stopped when the boy pulled away and the girl started to move. She was fascinated. It was as if the zombie had suddenly and completely lost interest in what it was eating. At least now she knew that they did not feed on each other; not that the thought had ever occurred, but she now had proof.
The boy started to stir, but he was not coming for her! Instead, the boy made his way to his feet allowing Shadiyah to see fully the nasty rip on his throat that had obviously been his end. He began to actually back away from her. She was torn, part of her simply wanted to let the boy go if that was his desire. She was about to when the girl rolled over, some of her insides spilling onto the floor as she did so. This one was acting just like any other zombie, to whit, it was obviously coming for her. With one swift stroke, the girl’s head was split almost p
erfectly down the part and in line with her hair which had been pulled out in braids on each side of her head.
That action apparently did not sit well with the boy. Like somebody had flicked a switch, the boy came for her, arms out and hands reaching. With one swift jab, she drove her blade through the left eye of the young lad and put him at rest beside what Shadiyah guessed might have been his sister.
She had to move the bodies just a bit to get at the large refrigerator with stainless steel french doors. She took a deep breath and held it as she opened. It was empty of most anything useful, and the stench was such that she did not care to try and pick through for anything she could actually use. She wondered how much longer it would be before hunger changed her opinion on that matter.
Closing the doors, she moved to the pantry. It was a large walk-in type with shelves lined and neatly organized. She felt a tingle in her stomach and wondered if this is what a person felt at a casino when they hit a jackpot. She used her booted foot to push aside an entire case of bottled water as she rummaged about.
As she opened this jar and that, sampling olives, pickles, and all sorts of tasty treats, she began to consider the possibility that this place might become hers. From what she had seen, it had a good wall out front. If the back of the property was as secure, there might be no reason for her to leave.
You need to tell Simon about his sister, a voice called from some distant part of her mind.
After she had eaten enough to actually make her feel a bit overfull, she exited the pantry. She told herself that she would need to dispose of the bodies right away, but first, she would do a walkabout. There was a second floor, and then there was the rear of the property.
She went up the stairs, her weapon ready for anything. Each step brought her a bit closer to relaxing as the smell from downstairs began to fade. She went to one of the open rooms and felt a renewed sense of sorrow. It was probably the little boy’s room. The wall was adorned with posters of rugby players and the bedspread was dark blue with a smiling robot face grinning up at the ceiling.
She crossed to the window, moving a few toy cars out of the way as well as a pair of cleats caked with dried mud. When she pulled the curtains open, she could not help but let out a little scream.
10
Settling In
“They brought this down on us!” a voice yelled from the midst of the increasingly unruly mob.
“No!” Simon bellowed. “This did not start in your little village. You saw the news. It is everywhere. Japan went dark in a matter of hours with almost no warning. China followed and all of Asia. India did not last a week past that, and the Americans fared little better despite the bloody bastards all having guns hanging in the rear window of their pickup trucks.”
There was a noticeable lessening in the grumbles and angry whistles and catcalls from the people gathered in the school auditorium. Simon glanced over at Geoff who gave a slightly perceptible nod. Mrs. Raye was beside him and boosted his confidence with a thumbs-up.
“What we need to do now is come together and do all we can to survive. The big cities are gone. Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool…even London has fallen to this. There are now thousands of those things…the walking dead…wandering about, and if we waste our energy fighting each other, we will be joining those ranks before too long. And I can tell you from experience, the zombies are only part of the problem.”
Simon scanned the crowd and spotted Cedric in their midst. The man was standing with the group of hunters he went out with now on a regular basis. The man indicated that he wanted to actually join Simon up on the stage. Despite his deep-seated resentment towards the man, he gave a nod and waved for Cedric to come up and join him.
“Hey, most of you don’t know me,” the former detective said by way of introduction, “but I was in Leeds during those final days. Some of the things that I saw committed by one man against another would likely sicken many of you. Believe me when I say that there will be trials ahead. Just recently we have come across what can only be described as ritualistic killings.
“Our hunting group has been ranging west towards the outskirts of Garforth as we have switched roles and are now seeking potential supply resources. Just yesterday, we encountered something that was more than a little disturbing.” Cedric paused and glanced over at Simon.
There was something in his expression that almost seemed as if the man was asking for permission to continue. Simon gave a shrug and then a nod for the man to go ahead.
“Some of you may or may not be aware of what might be a military detachment in the area.” This statement received an immediate tremor of response in the crowd, and then a series of shushing noises as the interest level in this topic was obviously high. “We have reason to believe that there is indeed a rogue detachment of the British Army in the area committing heinous acts against small groups of survivors. While they would certainly have us in a bind when it comes to armament, I believe that we would be able to withstand an attack as long as we are united.”
Mrs. Raye stepped away from Geoff and made her way up to what was now becoming a crowded little stage. That absolutely silenced the gathering, and Simon saw a few confused faces staring up now as the older woman stepped to the front of the stage and stood for a moment with her hands clasped in front of her like a school marm waiting for her class to come to order.
“Ladies and gentlemen, none of you know me. I am a stranger to these parts, but I want to assure you that my little group did see a Foxhound just north of Garforth. We also spotted at least five individuals hanging from a makeshift gallows. While there could be any number of reasons for what we witnessed, there was something rather unsettling about the scene that led not only me, but your newly assigned constable to feel a sense of unease. I have no idea what quarrel you may think you have with the other residents of this little town, but we are at a distinct advantage if we band together.
“I have been out there in what is fast becoming a wasteland of death, and I can tell you that most survivors are in singles or very small groups. Our numbers may be the key to survival, and the more we have, the better it will be in the end.”
Mrs. Raye stepped over to the edge of the stage by where Geoff stood and accepted his hand to help her down. Simon started and moved to the front of the stage again after glancing at Cedric who apparently had nothing else to say.
“I say we arrange for a meeting and bring the people down in New Mick up here and into the fold. There won’t be any wind turbine towers now, so that should no longer be an issue. Let bygones be bygones and move forward. We have a trench to dig, farms that need planting, and a hundred things that we have not even begun to consider that require our full attention.” Simon saw heads starting to nod. “So, I need four people to join me in heading down to speak with the people down in New Micklefield and try to convince them to join us.”
There was a moment’s pause, and then a few dozen arms shot up in the air. Right or wrong, Simon decided to choose a few familiar faces. He pointed out Nelson Wilbanks, Melena Duff, Dawn Spengler, and Kas Asan.
“Everybody get your gear and meet me back here at the school in an hour,” Simon said after the crowd had dispersed.
“I think we need to talk before we head down there,” Melena spoke after receiving nods from the others that Simon had selected.
“What about?” Simon did not like the looks he was seeing on the faces staring back at him.
“Word is that some of the folks down in New Mick are trying to protect loved ones that have been turned,” Nelson growled. “They refuse to accept that those things are the dead come back. They insist that it is just some sort of sickness and that there has to be a way to get them back to normal.”
“This just keeps getting better,” Simon groaned.
Less than an hour later, everybody was gathered in front of the school. Mrs. Raye and Cedric were present as well, along with Geoff and a few of the citizens that apparently made up the village council. Simon had his mace and a
lso managed to acquire a pretty nice machete from Melena that was unexpectedly heavy.
“The walk there and back should not take long,” Geoff said once everybody had gathered around. “If you have not returned by sunset, we will assume there is a serious problem, and I can assure you that there will be a contingent of us coming to see what has gone wrong.”
That little reassurance was rather comforting to Simon. While he did not actually expect some sort of attack on him and the others, it was good to know that there was help on the way if something did go awry.
After a few handshakes, hugs, and slaps on the back, Simon and his four companions were heading south on the Great North Road. It ran in a lazy S-shaped set of curves which kept the visibility somewhat limited. They passed a series of barrel halves that had been converted to planters leading up to a roadside bench. Simon had to wonder how often people actually availed themselves to coming out here and simply taking a seat beside the road for no other reason than to watch life and time creep slowly past.
The road began a gradual ascent and it was not long before Nelson could be heard breathing a bit harder than normal. This earned a few jabs and giggles from Dawn, but Nelson refused to be baited, and the girl quickly lost interest in the teasing, falling in beside Melena who was busy trying to look every direction at once.
Up ahead, they could see the first turn-in for a residence. Just beyond was a handmade barricade of posts and what looked like the bannister to a flight of stairs. Anchoring the scene were a pair of metal fifty gallon drums with the waning tendrils of smoke that indicated fires had burned in them recently.
Just past the second turn-in were a pair of people hunched in close in some sort of conversation that looked to be somewhat serious as one of them kept throwing their arms up in the air and shaking his or her head emphatically. The second person eventually grabbed the other by the arms and barked something with enough force for the words. “AS I SAID!” to be heard by Simon and his group.
