by Derek Slaton
Sparks nodded. “Let me know when you got it, doc. Just hurry because we’re on a tight schedule.” She turned to the group that had gathered behind her, her own post apocalyptic strike team. She took a deep breath. “So, this is our group then, huh? Alright.” She looked to Ben. “I need a guide to take me to the radio station.”
“I got that covered,” he assured her.
“Jackson, can you three take care of the decoy and get to the SUV?” she asked, and he held up Ashley’s phone.
“Yeah, we’re parked just outside the Student Union so it shouldn’t be that bad,” he said.
“That’s no good,” Jeff spoke up with a shake of his head. “We had to open it up in order to get up here. God only knows how many zombies are running around there.”
“Great, so how do we get to the car?” Jackson furrowed his brow.
“There’s another walkway that goes into a dormitory,” Ashley put in. “I have the key to the building and can guide you there.”
“Good enough for me,” Jackson agreed.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” Sparks instructed, commanding everyone’s attention once again. “In twenty minutes that song needs to be blaring. Hopefully it will clear the path for me and Ben. You guys get to the SUV and get to a safe spot. When you hear me finish the radio broadcast come pick us up.”
“What’s the station?” Jackson asked.
“89.9,” Ashley replied.
“We’ll be there,” he affirmed.
“You better be, since I’m the only one who knows where we’re going.” Sparks smiled, but she was only half-joking.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Tuesday, 7:32 P.M.
“That’s a whole lot of motherfuck right there,” Jackson said quietly, taking a step back from the dormitory window.
Jeff shook his head. “Man, you ain’t kidding,” he agreed. He glanced at Ashley, who’s face had gone deathly pale at the sight of the sixty or so zombies milling about in the quad. “You got any bright ideas?”
“Yeah, but you ain’t gonna like it,” Jackson replied.
“Seems to be the way today’s going,” Jeff huffed with a sigh. “Alright, let’s hear it.”
“Ashley, do you have a key to any of the second floor rooms?” The strike leader asked, and the blonde pursed her lips, taking in a deep ragged breath.
“No,” she said. “They are all individual and only the RA has the master key.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jeff squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
“You think you’re strong enough to break down the door?” Jackson raised an eyebrow skeptically.
“No, but there’s a reason I went to prison,” the skinhead replied with a roll of his eyes. “A dorm room deadbolt isn’t going to be much of a challenge.”
“Fair enough.” Jackson looked impressed. “You’re a lot more useful than I thought you’d be.”
Jeff barked a laugh. “I guess that qualifies as a compliment.”
“Closest you are going to get from me,” Jackson admitted. “Now look, I need you to go to the corner room and get the music going. Once you hit play you’re going to have thirty seconds to haul ass to get out of the building and meet up with us.”
“Man, you are out of your goddamn mind!” Jeff gaped. “This building is fucking huge. I mean that’s gotta be what, an eighty yard run just for me to get to the stairs, then out the front door and over to the car? Maybe if I was twenty years younger.”
“Alright, it’s your ass.” Jackson sneered. “What do you propose?”
“I’ll have a good vantage point from up there,” Jeff explained. “I’ll hit the music, and keep up the distraction until I see you get to the SUV. As soon as you start the engine I’ll kill the music and they’ll start following you.”
“Oh, loving this so far,” Jackson snapped.
Jeff narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, well, unless you want to be the music man, you’d better.”
“Fine, so I’m the pied piper, so then what?” the taller man muttered.
“You drive those things around the block,” Jeff suggested. “You are going to be faster than they are, so when you make the return trip the entrance should be free and I can just hop in and we’re on our way. I’ll even restart the music just to keep them occupied.”
“Works for me,” Jackson sighed. “Ashley?”
“If all he’s doing is hitting play and then waiting, wouldn’t it make more sense for me to wait here?” the blonde asked, wringing her hands in front of her.
“Jackson and I can both handle ourselves against those things,” Jeff said gently. “Unless you have some hidden ninja skills I’m not sure your ninety pound frame is well suited for hand to hand combat.”
“Jeff’s right,” the other man agreed. “Stick with me, we’ll be fine.”
“Alright, let’s do it,” the skinhead announced.
“Maestro, the floor is yours,” Jackson said, and held out the phone.
Jeff collected it along with the speakers, and headed upstairs. He took them two at a time and scurried down the hallway, keeping his senses on high alert even though it was unlikely there were any zombies around. He fiddled with the deadbolt for seventeen seconds before it gave, and he swung the door open to a bright pink room.
“Yikes,” he muttered as he strode through the kitty cat themed room and opened the window. He positioned the speakers so they were pressed right up against the screen, clicked the phone into place and hit play.
As the intro to Raining Blood permeated the thick air, he sighed. “Well, at least if I’m going to die, I’m going to go out rockin’.”
The zombies began to take notice of the noise as the crescendo built, and they sprinted as the song kicked into high gear. As they hit the wall in a vain attempt to get to the skinhead above them, he stood up and flipped them off, banging his head along with the crunchy riffs.
He stopped headbanging in time to see Jackson and Ashley cautiously moving away from the door and break into a run for the car.
“Yeah, go get that big beautiful SUV,” he said with a grin, but his smile faded as he noticed two zombies take off after them. With their trajectory, they would cross paths with his comrades before they made it to the car.
His breath caught in his throat as Jackson took notice, and then shoved Ashley hard, causing her to faceplant into the asphalt.
“No!” he cried, frozen in place, heart pounding in his ears. “You goddamn motherfucker!” His mouth fell open in shock as he watched helplessly while the zombies descended on the poor blonde girl. He cranked the music up higher to drown out her screams, blinking in a daze at the sight of her flailing arms going limp.
Jackson, upon reaching the SUV, clicked the lights a few times to get Jeff’s attention, and the skinhead’s gaze darkened. He didn’t want to give the bastard a reason to leave him behind too, so he cut the music.
The silence was deafening, and Jeff moved back from the window, ears ringing with the sudden quiet. He held his breath as the horde made a beeline for Jackson, who was revving the engine. He watched the SUV lead the zombies away, and then crept back to the window.
Jeff swallowed hard as he looked down at Ashley’s body, splayed in the quad, half eaten, blood streaming everywhere from bite wounds.
“I don’t know if you can hear this, girl, but I hope you can,” he whispered. “You deserve at least that much.”
As the song began anew, the gathering storm of the intro seemed to bring the blonde zombie back to life. She staggered to her feet, turning slowly with bloodshot eyes and a snapping mouth. And then when the intro led into a loud shredding guitar, she sprinted towards the building and growled, clawing upwards towards Jeff.
He looked around the dorm room frantically, and spotted a pair of dumbbells by the bed. He scooped up two twenty pounders, and returned to the window.
“I hope this finds you, girl, because nobody deserves to be cursed like this,” he wished, and then punched out a screen, holding one of the bells out the window. He dro
pped it and watched as it plummeted directly onto her forehead.
She crumpled to the ground in a heap, and he nodded, cranking up the music to the maximum and running off to catch his ride.
CHAPTER NINE
Tuesday 7:59 P.M.
Ben and Sparks barreled through the door to the radio building, the student slamming back against it. He locked it with a click and tugged to make sure that it was secured, and then turned to the redhead. She raised her flashlight that rested over her drawn gun, sweeping the lobby cautiously in case the building wasn’t clear.
“Don’t worry, this building has been locked for a few days now,” Ben assured her.
“Better safe than sorry,” Sparks replied.
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
She motioned for him to lead the way, and he jogged to the stairwell.
“Just a short walk up to the third floor and we’re there,” he said, trying to sound optimistic. In reality he was worried to death about Ashley. But he had to focus on the task at hand. He glanced over at the police officer, who was shaking her head in thought. “You okay?” he asked, brow furrowing.
“Yeah, I’m just thinking,” Sparks mused. “I wish there was a way to get the information out to the people close to us. I know this message is for the Feds, but people here need to know what’s happening.”
Ben pursed his lips. “I might have an idea.”
“I’m all ears,” she replied, glancing at him expectantly as they hit the second floor landing.
“About six months ago, the radio station made a big push to get new listeners, so they ran some contest that required people to sign up to receive the occasional text message,” he explained. “That way when some of the big shows on the station would have an important broadcast, people would get a text.”
“I can’t imagine there are a whole lot of people who signed up,” Sparks said with a sigh. “I went here, and the radio station wasn’t that good.”
“Some is better than none though, right?” Ben asked.
She chuckled dryly. “Thanks for the optimism.” They reached the third floor and entered the broadcast room. Ben secured the door once again, and then headed into the booth to check the computer. Sparks grabbed one of the notepads and a pen and jotted down a few bullet points for what she needed to say, as well as uncrumpling the paper Dr. Alvison had given her.
“Hey, Sparks, I found the message app,” Ben called from the booth. “What do you want me to say?”
“Just say there is an emergency broadcast in two minutes,” she replied, and at the sound of his fingers hitting keys, she took a few deep breaths. She muttered to herself, running over the way she wanted to give her speech.
Ben hit enter and poked his head out of the booth. “Are you ready?”
“Let’s do it,” Sparks replied with a firm nod. “Just be sure to record it so we can set it to repeat.”
He set it up and started the broadcast as she entered the booth and took a seat. The LIVE button flickered on and she straightened her back.
“Hello everyone, this is an emergency broadcast, so if you can, please listen carefully,” Sparks began, and cleared her throat. “My name is Lacy Sparks, and I’m an officer with the Austin Police Department. I have been working with Homeland Security under the direction of SPecial Agent Harris who was assigned to Austin.
“Three days ago, there was a bio-terrorist attack in Austin that sickened a lot of people, and has turned them into the zombies that you have no doubt encountered. We don’t know a lot about the virus, but I will share what I know. It is airborne, and it targets everyone with an A blood type. If you or someone you know has A blood type, they need to be quarantined immediately. Do not try to get to the hospital or attempt treatment, as there is no cure.
“The virus turns the victim within seventy-two hours of infection, and is preceded by flu-like symptoms. Once someone turns, they will attack everyone in their vicinity by attempting to bite. If you are bitten, regardless of blood type, you will be infected too. If you encounter one of these creatures, do not attempt to communicate or reason with them. Either run away or destroy the brain.
“To the feds who are hopefully listening, you need to send someone to the Texas State University Campus and Dr. Alvison’s lab. It’s on the third floor of the science building. There is a treasure trove of research that will hopefully save lives there. The entry point is on the roof, however be ready when you enter the lab as Dr. Alvison and two others may be reanimated there and ready to attack.
“To any survivors in the San Marcos area who are listening.” Sparks swallowed hard, and took another deep breath. “It’s now eight o’ seven PM on day zero. There are a small group of us who are going to attempt to escape via the Guadalupe River. We are leaving at the end of this broadcast and are headed to Canyon Lake. If anyone does make it out, we will leave a notice of where we stop on the river. It’s rural and sparsely populated, which is our only real chance and survival.
“Once this thing fully hits Austin and San Antonio, there will be hundreds of thousands of those things running through the streets. If you are thinking of trying to ride this out, I implore you not to. There is no help coming. This virus will end everything. From this moment forward, for all intents and purposes, we are on our own. I know that’s not an easy thing to hear, but it’s our reality.” Another beat, another deep breath. She looked to Ben, and he gave her a thumbs up and an encouraging smile. “This message will be left on repeat for as long as the station has power. Good luck,” she finished, and nodded to him.
Ben switched off the live feed, and set the recording to repeat. After a few seconds, her message started again over the airwaves.
“How’d I do?” Sparks asked.
“You did well, Sparks,” Ben said with another smile as he stood up. “You did well.”
“Come on,” she replied, and cocked her gun. “We hopefully have a ride to catch.”
CHAPTER TEN
Tuesday, 8:06 P.M.
Jackson backed the SUV into an alley and killed the lights. He and Jeff held their breaths for a beat, straining their ears. There was no sign of any zombies following, having gone after Slayer to trample Ashley’s body in an attempt to get to her phone in the window.
“I think we lost them,” Jackson breathed, and then his vision exploded in fireworks as Jeff’s fist connected with his face.
The skinhead went in for another lunge across the seat but the strike leader cocked his gun.
“Calm the fuck down there, cowboy,” Jackson warned.
“You motherfucker,” Jeff growled, “you just murdered that girl.”
“That girl was fucking useless,” Jackson snapped. “What good is a ninety pound waif going to do in this situation?”
“So, what,” his reluctant partner replied, throwing his hands up. “You just going to kill everyone who isn’t useful?”
“Well, it’s the only reason I haven’t pulled this trigger yet.” Jackson sneered and leaned forward a touch. “You have skills I can use that will help me survive. That’s all I care about. Now, are you going to shut up and keep being useful? Or do I have to end you right here and now?”
Jeff scowled, but lowered his hands. He turned in his seat to face the front of the vehicle and let out a deep sigh.
“That’s a good doggy,” Jackson cooed. “Now, when we pick them up, you don’t say a goddamn thing. You got it?” He slung his hand over the wheel as his passenger nodded in defeat.
“This message will be left on repeat for as long as the station has power,” Spark’s voice said over the radio. “Good luck.”
“Sounds like they’re done,” Jackson said, starting the engine and putting the SUV in drive. “Let’s go get them.” He rounded the corner but a few of the zombie stragglers began following behind. “Shit, they spotted us.” He furrowed his brow in thought.
“Remember asshole,” Jeff spoke up, breaking into his train of thought. “I don’t know the way to the escape point.” The str
ike leader grimaced before punching the accelerator in the direction of the radio building.
Tuesday 8:10 P.M.
Ben had his hand resting on the deadbolt, ready to throw the door open at a moment’s notice. There was a honkhonk in the distance and he furrowed his brow.
“That can’t be good,” he muttered.
Sparks cocked her gun. “Get ready to move.” He unlocked the deadbolt and they both dropped their knees a bit to be ready to spring. As soon as the SUV rounded the corner, he threw open the door and the two darted outside.
Sparks grasped the handle as soon as the vehicle was within range, and flung the door open. Zombies hurtled towards them as Ben dove in and she leapt up after him.
“I’m in, go!” she screamed, and Jackson punched the accelerator.
“Where is Ashley?” Ben looked around the SUV maniacally, even looking over the backseat into the trunk. “Where the fuck is Ashley?!”
“She didn’t make it, kid, now shut the fuck up and let me drive,” Jackson replied, and the student launched himself into the front seat. Sparks lashed out and grabbed his shoulders, wrestling him back with her.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, and he struggled to steady his breathing, throwing her arms off of him.
“Sparks,” Jackson prompted, “where the fuck am I going?”
“We gotta get on highway 308,” she replied, keeping an eye on Ben as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes.
“That doesn’t help me,” Jackson warned.
Sparks turned to face front and her heart skipped a beat. “Turn left now!” She cried, and he skidded over the sidewalk, tires squealing. He slammed on the brakes at the sight of a zombie horde blocking the road.
“Ideas?” he drawled.
“This thing have four wheel drive?” Sparks pursed her lips.
Jackson raised an eyebrow. “Yeah.” The zombies realized there was a meal on wheels in front of them and started to move towards the SUV, groaning and snapping.
“Hit the field, try and stay as close to true south west as you can,” Sparks instructed.
