The Clock Runs Down: Half Past the Apocalypse

by Joe Kelly

  “I still can’t believe those ass holes ran off and left their students behind.” Ori said softly. “some one could have stayed to help or something”

  That wasn’t exactly true they knew that. But the last few days had drained them, leaving them angry, bitter and frustrated not to mention scared though they never spoke of it. They masked their feelings with black humor where possible or misplaced anger.

  The truth was there had been many that had fled the school but not all. Beth had explained in detail how Beverly Fletcher a fellow teacher and three others had commandeered school buses, loading as many kids as they could and escaping, Beverly had been the last and waited as long as she could getting as many students on board before having to flee undead hanging on the bus as it drove away leaving Beth and her students alone. Beverly hadn’t had a choice not really.

  “All but her.” Ronny said, jerking a thumb at Beth. “her and a teen age kid that ran over there to help after having to get a gun off a corpse and shot a woman.”

  There were times Jared was surprised at Human behavior even when he shouldn’t be. But this, he felt the anger start its slow burn as he pictured the scene in his mind, terrified children left standing at the doors as the last bus took off fleeing the zombies that swarmed the parking lot.

  In some ways he understood, he didn’t doubt that many of the teachers and school employees had died trying to help and that the survivors had probably stayed as long as possible trying to get kids out. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he hated them for failing. He hated the last few who had seen the futility and had fled knowing there was nothing else they could do to save the kids still trapped inside.

  He was shaking with anger as he thought about how the kids had seen friends, and parents being ripped apart as they tried to get to the doors and to their trapped kids. But when the last bus had vanished into the distance and the last parent had died the dead had turned and came for those kids and only one teacher and scared but very brave teen-ager named Ben had stood between them and death. Steve had come up quietly and wrapped a thick arm around Jared’s shoulder.

  “Chill brother, we won’t let those kids down. My word on it” Steve said quietly.

  CHAPTER 10

  “About, about, in reel and rout

  The death-fires danced at night;

  The water, like a witch’s oils,

  Burnt green, and blue, and white.

  And some in dreams assured were

  Of the Spirit that plagued us so;

  Nine fathom deep he had followed us

  From the land of mist and snow.”

  -Coleridge

  August 15th, outside of Bergstown Tn.

  “what do you think?” Jared asked as he and Mark knelt on a rock looking down at the old farm in the bottoms.

  “Jill, great woman.” Mark replied almost but not quite grinning as he watched the field below them.

  “About the farm” Jared said shaking his head.

  “She might like it, but its pretty exposed.”

  “we can talk about that later. We have a job to do.” Jared said irritated.

  “Sorry I’m done.” Mark said lowering his voice. “But she is a great woman”

  Jared ignored him and started down the steep rocky slope. “Bet she could climb down this better than I can.” Mark whispered trying not to smile. He glanced up to see Steve starting down after them and nodded at the questioning look.

  Reaching the ground Mark lifted his cross bow as he scanned the area, each man carried his rifle slung across his back and hand weapons hung off their belts. Jared knelt on one knee his own cross bow ready his eyes never stopped sweeping their surroundings.

  They waited till Ori was down and then swept forward making their way towards the barn.

  The barn had started life a hundred years ago as a tobacco barn and over the years it had changed little in appearance. Painted black, a common color for old tobacco barns, it loomed over the overgrown field its doors stood open, sunlight fell through the door in spray of gold tinted light that pushed the shadows back a dozen feet leaving the rest of the barn dimly lit.

  “Got it,” Ori said moving forward only to stop as Jared placed a hand on his chest.

  “hold up” Jared whispered as something moved in the shadows. Slowly the zombie emerged, first a pale bloated face old blood dried around its mouth then its broken swollen body lurched out of the shadows and into the light. In life it had been a big man, in death it was so much dead mobile meat.

  “Damon Winters” Steve muttered recognizing the zombie. As if its former name was a signal the thing lunged towards Jared fast, faster than any of them had expected. Its mouth snapped open and its arms extended hands with fingers shredded to the bone ready to grasp and rend.

  Jared fired just as it lunged; the sudden movement throwing his aim off, the bolt smashed into the things shoulder doing nothing. Mark had no time to think he just reacted; needing both hands for the crossbow left only one option. He kicked Jared in the shoulder knocking him just out of reach of the lunging zombie bringing his crossbow up and against his shoulder and squeezed the trigger, the string snapped against the stays slamming the bolt out into flight. A flight that ended less than a second later as it embedded itself in the zombie’s forehead. The thing crashed to the ground with a dull thump, dead a second time and this time it didn’t move.

  “Thanks” Jared said shaken by how fast this shambler had moved.

  Mark cocked and loaded his crossbow. “No problem, you know Jill probably would have kicked its head in or something.”

  “Give it a rest would ya” Jared muttered. “we search this place together” He added.

  The barn was a treasure trove of hand tools along with screws, nails, washers and tons of other things that they would need at some point but nothing that they really needed at the moment. They had no use for the tractor and even if they had it would have taken constant work to keep the old thing running.

  They made their way to the old two story farm house next, the dead weeds rustling dryly around their legs as they walked. Decaying clothes still hung on the clothes line and a overturned big wheel was half buried in the weeds.

  A small covered back porch held a washer and a battered stand up freezer, a stuffed animal lay just inside the open back door. The kitchen beyond was empty but the broken table and overturned chairs that lay in a long dried pool of blood told them how things had gone down here.

  I’m not sure I can take kid zombies, Mark thought and I know how bad it will screw with Jared. He loves kids, no one could doubt that after watching him with the kids back at camp. Especially that kid Billy.

  What about your own kid, He asked himself still feeling strange at the thought of his still to be born child. He and Sharon had not mentioned it to any one else yet. What kind of future will he or she have once Sharon gives birth, do you really want to risk losing a child the way these kids probably died. He shuddered at the thought, his mind hearing the screams of terror and echoes of betrayal as their mom or dad ripped the life from them.

  He hated whatever or who ever had unleashed the dead because it had robbed him of being able to feel anything but dread at thought of having a child. There was no joy at the thought of seeing a tiny version of he or his wife running around experiencing everything for the first time. No dreams of taking his kid camping and teaching him or her how to fish and hunt or work with tools. No stick figure art or macaroni noodle macramé, no ….

  Keep it calm buddy, he told himself. Don’t think about it.

  Jared said nothing, his face empty of emotion as moved past Ori taking point. Turning just enough so that they could see him and he could still watch the door to the living room He signed with his off hand. Clear the house first, look for supplies when we are done.

  I shouldn’t be surprised Jared remembers that, he thought. Back before the Army Mark had dated a girl who had been deaf and had learned sign language while they dated. He had even worked as a sign in
terpreter for two years before signing up for the Army. During a party off base Jared had seen Mark signing to a civilian guest and had later asked Mark to teach the whole squad believing that it could come in handy during situations that required them to be quiet. Over time they had even developed their own signs for military specific things in many respects they had invented their own sign language that primarily relied on the use of one hand. It did have one drawback you had to be able to see the signer.

  For a moment he remembered a party, where the entire squad was well on their way to drunken nirvana and wildly signing most of the night. It was enough to push away the dark mood that threatened to overwhelm him. Got it he signed back.

  The living room said a lot about the people who had once owned the place, light faux paneling that had been popular in the seventies went perfectly with the well worn recliner and floral print couch. The incredibly old console TV with a modern HD receiver sitting on top was the Crowning touch to a room that had been decorated back when Nixon had still been President.

  I wonder if they had been to poor to buy newer stuff or had just been comfortable and happy with what they had, he thought in passing. He had known plenty of rural folks over the years and some of them were just as happy with out all the modern conveniences allowing them to save money for the things they really wanted like new chainsaw or Tractor or a new dress for the wife on their anniversary. Not that it mattered any more those days and those people were gone now.

  The only other room on the ground floor might once have been a parlor but it had been converted into a master bedroom with its own fire place. It was cramped but had been neatly kept before the owners had died. The old Cast iron bed frame was covered in cracked and chipped white paint, the brown sheets stained with rust colored dried blood.

  Jared wove his way around the old wing backed chair beside a small round table to look at the floor at the foot of the bed in front of the fire place to make sure nothing was waiting for them then headed back to the door and motioned at the stairs.

  A dread seized Mark, the kids were up there waiting, It was something he didn’t want to see or deal with. Better to go back outside and burn the house to the ground than to see what waited up there. Jared started up the steps confident that his friends would follow and Mark as much as he hated the idea started up after him. Old family pictures lined the stair case walls and large needle point sign that read “the lord will only give me as much as I can carry” hung in a place of honor. Ironic and fitting in its way Mark thought. Probably something a grandmother had made and given to the family.

  Jared was halfway up the creaking stairs when a teen aged girl appeared at the top, she wore tee shirt with a bloody covered sprite logo and cut off jean shorts. Chunks of her hair had been ripped out leaving ragged scalp, her nose was gone and several fingers were missing from the hand she lifted towards Jared. Her other arm was gone at the shoulder where gleaming white bone shone through the strips of flesh.

  Jared his crossbow already up at high ready, snapped into place and a bolt took her in that ruined face. the body collapsed and slid down the steps.

  “two more kids” Steve whispered, remember Davon talking about his three kids, a Daughter and two sons, one of them a toddler.

  Jared, Mark knew wasn’t going to let the rest of them put the kids down. He would take that burden on his own shoulders to spare them even if all he wanted to do was walk outside and let someone else, anyone else do it and to his shame Mark was glad.

  Jared cocked and reloaded his cross bow his eyes never leaving the head of the stairs, then stepped over the body of the girl as he climbed to the top.

  A short narrow hall way with two doors to each side, a few old toys and a dropped laundry basket and its once clean clothes littered the floor. Jared looked in the first room then back pedaled as a small boy dressed in blood stained real tree rushed out and leaped on him biting wildly only the cross bow that Jared had managed to get between him and the dead child kept those snapping teeth from finding flesh.

  At the same time the other child appeared from the door behind Jared and stumbled towards him Tiny hands reaching out grasping for Jareds leg. Mark didn’t have time to think, training and muscle memory kicked in. he kicked the feet out from under the tiny form and pulled the trigger. Jared threw the child attacking him against a wall and with tears sliding down his face put the boy down. Mark turned and threw up. “I can’t do this for much longer” He got out between stomach spasms. “I really can’t.”

  He knew that sooner or later he would be able to do this, time and again and at some point it wouldn’t bother him and that upset him even more than the thought of putting down endless numbers of walking dead kids. But the worst part was the fear that someday he or one of his friends might have to do the same to his own child and that was almost enough to destroy him.

  Ori and Steve moved past them to check the remaining rooms, while Jared wrapped an arm around Marks shoulders. “I know Mark, I know.” He said softly his emerald green eyes filled with pain and regret.

  It took an hour to gather up all the supplies they had found, home canned fruits and vegetables, toilet paper, soap, first aid supplies, coloring books and toys, winter clothes, fishing tackle and several hundred rounds each of 30-30, 30.06 and 12ga ammunition and other things that the women had add to the list. Most of which none of the men would have even thought of.

  “instead of hiking back to the trucks, lets see if one of the trucks out front will start. We can load it up with this stuff and drive back to our own vehicles then take them all back to camp.” Mark suggested, his hands still trembled occasionally and he couldn’t get the image of that little kid out of his mind but he was better. .

  “its kind of crowded at the camp for another vehicle.” Steve pointed out. Jared nodded in agreement. “but we could strip it for parts and what we can’t use we can dump.” Jared commented. “sooner or later we are going to need parts to keep our own running.”

  “it avoids hiking out of here carrying what we can and keeps us from having to come back and load all this stuff up, while the zombies follow the noise of our motors” Ori pointed out.

  “Mark you and Ori stand guard, Ori I want you up on the roof. Steve and I will see about getting one of the trucks started. “

  A search of the house located more keys than vehicles, but that beat not finding keys. Avoiding the Caprice that had seen better days, and was too small to carry much of anything they tried older truck first a Ford 250, it was deader than a doornail. The second truck was a newer Dodge 1500 and the engine turned over on the third try.

  “Steve start loading, I am going to drain the tanks on the Ford and that caprice.” Jared said as he headed for the kitchen to gather up pots and bowels. a quick trip to the barn to recover the gas cans and funnel he had spotted earlier and he was ready.

  The quickest way was to use his knife and punch a hole in the gas tank, letting the gasoline pour into the pots and bowls he had ready to catch the precious liquid.

  By the time he had finished draining the tanks and transferring the fuel to the gas cans, Steve was just finishing loading the back of the dodge and Ori had spotted two zombies about a hundred yards down the old dirt road that led to the farm.

  “Load up and lets roll” Jared called out as he loaded the gas cans.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  September 10th, the Camp.

  Jared woke to his door flying open and the thunder of small feet. “oh lord” he muttered as a small tow headed boy scrambled up on the bed and threw himself on Jared.

  “Get up Mr. Jared, its morning.” Billy said with the exuberance only a child could feel so early in the morning. “can I wear them” Billy asked almost begging.

  “Billy get out here right now and leave Jared alone” Beth said from the doorway.

  “It’s okay Beth” Jared assured her as he sat up.

  “Can I? Please” Billy asked bouncing on Jareds legs. Jared nodded and slipped his dog tags over his hea
d and passed them to Billy who quickly put them on. “she thinks you were doing adult stuff but your not.” Billy said innocently.

  “Billy!” Beth said as she turned bright pink. “I said he needed his sleep.”

  Jared chuckled he had spent a lot of time with the kids over the last month and half especially Billy who was, as his momma would put it, a handful. Jared had no idea why but the kid had fixated on his dog tags asking to see them enough times that Jared dug them out of his gear. Finally, he had started wearing them again just to have them for the almost daily request to see or wear them.

  Billy would sometimes sit and finger the dog tags like they were some kind of talisman or how Catholics would use a rosary. Whatever Billy thought of them he never spoke of it and Jared never asked. The kid was handling the harsh new reality well and Jared wasn’t going to jinx it by trying to force the kid to talk before he was ready.