With heavy hearts, we lugged Jeff's corpse to the top of the truck and bungeed it in place. Our last act was to take the children's books Lindy had gathered for her kids from the front seat of her car. They would be put to good use by some of our nine children.
Our route home took us back through the Iowa State University campus. Near the Student Center, a group of zombies blocked the road a hundred yards in the distance. Several fast runners in front of the small mob approached us in a sprint. I stopped the Expedition and grabbed my customized M14 from the back seat. Through the moon roof, I pulled myself up and sighted on the lead zombie as Frances watched my back. In five shots the four lead zombies fell. The remaining sixteen or so slow stumblers took the remaining bullets in the first magazine and part of a new one.
Frances tapped my leg and said, "Off to the right at three o'clock, two more fast zombies streaking this way."
I swiveled and made sure they were zombies and not filthy humans. I took aim, but before firing I hesitated. Bile rose in my throat as I refocused and pulled the trigger three more times.
Back in the driver's seat, I laid the rifle in the back seat as the roof panel slid shut. The gearshift lever dropped into drive, and I drove ahead at fifteen miles an hour to dodge the corpses in the road.
I sensed Frances staring at me. "Are you alright?"
I shook my head. "No, but I'll get over it. One of the last two zombies I shot was Matthew Holden.”
"I vaguely recall him. He and his wife left shortly after my family arrived at Deliverance."
"Matthew and his wife, Maureen, left Deliverance voluntarily. They were drug addicts and couldn't adjust to our drug-free rule. They chose death instead. If Matthew is dead, I can only assume Maureen is, too. I still can't grasp how they placed such a low value on their lives as humans."
We arrived at Deliverance well after supper had been served and the kitchen cleaned. Kira was waiting for me, and we embraced passionately.
Reluctantly, I broke away. "I've got to talk to Marcie. Jeff was attacked and killed by zombies earlier today in Ames. We brought his body back for burial. While I talk to her, there's something you could do for me if you feel like it." She nodded. "Will you get me some food from the kitchen: a couple of sandwiches, hot or cold will do? And a piece of pie, if there is any.
"After I talk with Marcie, I need a shower and clean clothes." I keyed my radio and asked the leadership committee, plus Ira and Frances, to meet at nine in the office conference room for an emergency session. They confirmed, then I kissed Kira and left.
Forty-five minutes later, I sat at a small table in our room to eat. Briefly, I told Kira and Paige of the frightening zombie development. Shock was apparent on their faces as Kira moved to stand beside my chair.
"If large numbers of them become capable of reproduction, we'll never see an end to them. I'd hoped in several generations at the most we survivors across the country might eradicate the damned things." I nodded with my mouth full as she continued, "Now that looks highly unlikely."
"Don't get too upset. We don't know enough about what's happening to make judgments or predictions yet. Wait, learn, and see. It may not be as bad as we imagine."
She wasn't having any of my optimism. "Or it could be much worse."
I leaned over and kissed her belly. "When I finish eating, we need to go to the office. There are pictures I want to print so everyone at the meeting has a copy. Your stomach will roil at what we saw."
I patted her belly. At four months, a little mound on her slender frame showed her pregnancy. Ira had detected two heartbeats at the last checkup, and I'd been thrilled at the thought of twins to spoil. We wouldn't know their sex until the birth. Our leadership committee had declined to install x-ray machines or ultrasound equipment and had instead committed to a gradual lessening of our dependence on modern technology. Some of our people wanted to extend the way of life we'd enjoyed prior to the zombie influx, but we felt when our source of electrical power failed, it would be like stepping off a cliff. It was deemed better to give up selected modern conveniences slowly rather than losing all of it abruptly.
At eight-forty I walked into the office with Kira. We kissed, and I hugged her tight before sitting at a computer. I hit the start button on the machine, waited a minute, then plugged the card from the camera into the computer slot. When the pictures appeared on the screen, I scrolled through them. Kira gasped and groaned several times as she gripped my shoulders and squeezed tightly. I highlighted the entire file and hit the print button.
Kira sat on my lap and clung to me fiercely as the printer rattled and banged while kicking out color prints of the baby monster, its mother, and the rest of the room.
Shane, John and Ed walked through the office to enter the adjoining small meeting room. They were curious as to what the emergency meeting was about. I put them off by promising to show them something new and frightening after everyone arrived.
Kira and I entered the meeting room almost at the appointed time. Andrea, Ira, Frances, and Morgan had entered through the primary entrance. Everyone was there. We'd separated the photos into eight stacks of thirty-two and Kira passed them around as I took my place at the head of the table. All our members appeared curious and apprehensive as they took the photos. I pulled a digital recorder from my shirt pocket, laid it on the table and depressed the record button.
That curiosity caused everyone to flip through the pictures one by one, some faster than others. I heard, "Oh, my God!" "Holy shit." "What the hell?" and several bolder expletives voiced as total surprise and disbelief gave way to the gravity of what they saw.
Side conversations broke out as several members went through the photos a second time. After a few more minutes, I raised my voice above the side conversations.
"Okay, folks, you've all had time to grasp the enormity of what Frances and I experienced today. Before we discuss the situation, take a moment to mourn the loss of Jeff Tanka. He and a new member to Deliverance stumbled into what we took photos of. The funeral service will be tomorrow afternoon at two.”
A few seconds passed before I started on the meeting's agenda, "As you can see, these new zombies almost look human. The bloodshot red eyes and general grubbiness are the main features that set them apart from us. The close-up shots of the baby indicate it was born a few hours preceding the photos being taken. The photos of the female zombie clearly indicate, without doubt in my opinion, that she was the birth mother.
"Doc, is it possible the female was pregnant at the time she was attacked and became a zombie and that could have caused a normal human baby to transition with her?"
Doc's head cocked to the side and his eyebrows arched. He squirmed as he contemplated the question for half a minute. "There is so much about the zombies that is unknown; but I seriously doubt a human baby would be affected without direct contamination. However, I can't rule that out because it shares the mother's blood stream. I'm afraid I can't give you a definite yes or no with any authority."
Several members spoke until I cut them off. "There's more you need to know before a discussion begins. Frances, will you give your opinion on the growth of the infant we found? Remember everyone, the photos of the birth mother indicate the birth was very recent, a matter of hours." I looked to Ira. "Do you agree Ira?" He nodded and absently mumbled his agreement as he continued to stare at photos; he seemed distracted. I nodded to Frances.
"In my opinion, Tom is correct in everything he's said, and I agree with him completely. While the baby was newly borne, it showed signs of being nine months to a year old. As the pictures show, it was crawling and had a full set of upper and lower teeth, and a full head of hair that needed to be cut. I didn't touch it because it was slimy and dirty. The thing looked healthy, and I guessed it weighed eighteen to twenty pounds." She looked at the individuals for questions.
When none were forthcoming, I added, "There also was no stench like we've encountered with the stumbling slow zombies, because these hadn't rotted. Up
close, they had an odor I associated with a homeless person who hadn't bathed in a year or more. Also, the wounds that killed them were dry; they appeared to have healed some time ago."
Ira glanced around the table. "I believe I can speak for all of us when I say I'm in shock. I suppose I shouldn't be amazed at this latest development because the very idea of the living dead zombies is absurd, to say the least. Medical science dictates it can't happen, but we all know it has. To acknowledge these monsters are having intercourse and babies are being born boggles the mind. As unthinkable as it sounds, we also must accept what Frances and Tom are telling us about the growth rate of the offspring. For a child several hours old to crawl and have the physical development described and documented in these photos, indicates an abnormal metabolism that leads to phenomenal growth. If that compresses the aging process it may also shorten the life cycle and cause them to age and die earlier than would be expected. That is the only hope I can offer. But don't take that as fact. I'm only guessing something like that could occur based on what I've heard here today." Ira leaned back in his chair and squinted, clearly in deep thought. Quickly he leaned forward again. "I'm not second guessing what the two of you did with that baby thing, but if the situation presents itself again it would be of enormous benefit to have that infant here in a cage for several months for us to observe and study."
I thought Ira was finished but he added, "This also indicates the full-bodied zombies, as we call them, have functioning digestive tracts. They may have evolved back toward being more human. At the first opportunity, I need to perform an autopsy on a recently killed specimen."
Shane said, "Does everyone agree we need to share this new information with the adults in the group? Good! We currently have thirty-seven adults, nine are here now. That leaves twenty-eight to meet with."
Ira cut in. "I feel we should include anyone over the age of ten. They're old enough to grasp what this is about. That adds seven more from the group sixteen or younger. Only two children are below the age of ten."
Andrea spoke, "I agree with Ira. In the world we live in, they need this information too. Who knows when we could be overrun by these human-looking zombies? This summer, the kids will be working outside the security fence at the gardens and they could easily be approached there. We want them to know some zombies look like us. I also believe they can handle the birth part. Growing up fast is the order of the day from this point on. Our ancestors managed it and so must we."
I looked around the table. Eventually everybody nodded. "Okay. I suggest we have Elsie split the thirty-five people into five groups of seven. I'd like Shane, John, Andrea, Morgan, and Ira to be presenters. If any of you want me to sit in on your sessions, I'll be glad to help, and I'm sure Frances will also.
The agenda dealt with, I moved to end the meeting when Francis motioned to me. A look of great concern clouded her face.
"Tom, I thought of something else that I think is important. Jeff, Lindy and her children were all bitten inside the house, yet we didn't see any hunks of flesh as we usually find lying around the bodies. Look at the photos; they're not near Jeff or Lindy. This picture shows Jeff was bitten at least twice. What happened to the flesh that was removed?"
Ira frantically shuffled through the photos. "Thank you, Frances. That's what was bugging me, and I couldn't put my finger on it." He stopped briefly several times before moving a picture closer to his glasses. He turned it to catch better light. For several long seconds, he studied the image before closing his eyes and laying the photo down on the table.
Everyone around the table waited expectantly. I asked, "What is it Ira."
His complexion went ashen. He laid his glasses on top of the stack of photos. "You approached quite close for the second picture of the baby. There's something laying on the floor near where its head had been in the first picture. I believe it's a chunk of flesh. The damn thing was being fed human flesh. Look closely in the later photos, I believe there is a ring of blood around the little monster's lips and smeared on its cheeks." Subdued murmuring circled around the table.
Morgan cleared his throat. "If you're right, then it follows that the other zombies ate the pieces of flesh they tore from Jeff and that other lady. That's why the flesh isn't anywhere to be seen. Is that what we're saying?"
Ira glanced around the table and stopped at me, then switched and stopped at Frances. "Someone argue with me, tell me I'm full of shit. Please find another explanation."
I motioned to Kira. "Will you go to the armory? I laid Jeff's .45 caliber Glock on the work table to be cleaned and put back in stock. It's the only one there. Will you check the magazine and see if it's been fired?"
I turned back to the others. "Let’s backtrack and start at the beginning," I said. "Frances, help me here, especially if I draw a conclusion you don't totally agree with. Close your eyes to concentrate on what we saw this afternoon, and I will, too.
"When Jeff and Lindy walked to the porch the front door was shut. She had her keys out to unlock it. I backed down the driveway no more than thirty feet and stopped. We both immediately jumped out. As my door shut, there was a commotion from inside the house, like someone hitting a wall hard and then two shots followed. All of that was close together. There was no moaning or screeching. We ran to the front of the house and stood at the open doorway. What do you see Frances?"
Her eyes were shut tight, her brow furrowed, and her fingers gripped the table's edge. "The room was dim, looking inside from the bright sunshine. A male zombie was on top of Jeff and three others were on Lindy. There—"
"Jeff and Lindy," I asked, "What were their positions, what were they doing?" I asked.
"Jeff was on his stomach, his right arm is outstretched. I can't see the left. His pistol is a few feet from his right hand. Blood is flowing from the back right side of his neck. Jeff's screaming and kicking his legs. The zombie on his back is biting on the other side of Jeff's neck. As it raised its head another chunk was ripped from Jeff's neck and blood spurted in the air. Jeff stopped screaming and kicking. The zombie chewed something as it sat on his back. We both shot the zombie and it fell forward onto Jeff."
Frances called my name and I opened my eyes. "It was chewing and the first chunk torn from Jeff's neck wasn't anywhere around."
Everyone stared at me or Frances as I said, "I agree with that. Now Lindy. She was on her back with the adult zombie and two smaller ones biting her. There were no pieces of meat nearby. The female who gave birth was in the middle of the room with her brain destroyed." I looked to Frances as she nodded.
She stated, "I agree. Also neither of Lindy's revolvers were drawn. She had to have been caught by surprise."
Kira entered and closed the door behind her. "Jeff's handgun had been fired and two bullets are missing from the magazine."
"Okay," I said, "it looks like Lindy unlocked the door and they entered. Since she had the key, I can only assume she entered first. We heard a scuffle from outside and then two shots. When Frances and I reached the front door, a big zombie had Jeff face down on the carpet biting him on the left side of his neck and down into his shoulder area."
Ira injected, "That would be the trapezius or the lavator scapulae muscles."
"It makes sense that Jeff got two shots off before he was attacked from behind. It's likely he was ambushed and knocked forward and down onto his stomach. Frances, there was a small coat closet built into the left side of the entry. If the other three zombies were beyond that they may have attacked Lindy and knocked her to the floor first. The big zombie that attacked Jeff must have been behind the door." Frances agreed with my assessment.
Shane said, "This is new behavior, totally out of character for the zombies we've dealt with in the past. You've indicated there were none of the typical zombie sounds we're accustomed to, and they apparently laid in ambush waiting for their victims to enter before attacking."
Ed spoke, “We did see that behavior before. When that Williams idiot and his bunch attacked us, the ful
l bodied undead snuck up behind the people in the woods and attacked them. We just haven’t seen it since then.”
“And,” John said, “this explains what has been eating the free-ranging and wild animals. The new strain of zombies are feeding on them.”
Looks of consternation showed on all the members expressions.
I nodded at the dreary conclusions. "If we're finished, I'll ask Elsie to make notes from the recorder to use as a talking paper when you meet with the other members. As big as this news is, we should have all the meetings at the same time in different locations so rumors don't spread before everyone gets the info first hand."
Andrea spoke as I started to rise. "I want to propose that the members of the leadership committee not go on trips together from now on, unless there is a definite need for them to go. We can't afford to lose two or three of you." She stopped and turned to Morgan. "Stop grinning like that. Yes, you and the others are that important to us. We're the leaders here, and we'd all be lost without you."
After standing, I said, "I agree, and that will also apply to Ira and Shana. All of you are important parts of the team."
It was after eleven when we adjourned. I was ready for sleep, but Kira had other plans for the night. Since Paige was sleeping soundly, I quickly found the strength and endurance to carry on for another hour.
The five group meetings were held the following morning at ten. As I'd anticipated, the information scared the hell out of the attendees. Some cried and others looked numb, but no one remained unaffected. It was grim news, and I wondered what other developments in the zombies’ existence we'd be faced with.
For the next week, impromptu discussions cropped up that rehashed the same questions but yielded no new answers. As we adjusted to each phase of the zombies’ evolution, we were quickly faced with new and more startling changes. Some wondered if it would ever end or if this pattern would continue for the remainder of our lives and of our offspring.
Outnumbered series Box Set | Vols. 1-6 Page 20
