Jeff shook his head.
"We got her burns cleaned as best as we could. The burns on her torso are bad enough that she didn't feel us cleaning them," Phil said grimly. "She's asleep now. Connor's up there with her. If she lives through the night, we'll go look for antibiotics and pain meds tomorrow. That's a big if though."
Jim nodded as they walked over to the window. “Why not go tonight?”
Phil made a noise. “Where are we going to go? The closest hospital is more than two miles away. It’s cold and snowy, it’s dark, and there are thousands of zombies out there. If we send someone to go get antibiotics, I don’t think they’re going to make it back.”
"Hey, where's Sherry?" he asked.
"Upstairs with them," Phil said.
"Man, look at it burn!" Jeff said in amazement.
Suddenly the tower began to lean even further to the right.
"It's going to go soon," Vik said.
Jim grunted in agreement.
It started to shift.
"There it goes," Jeff said.
It collapsed to the right, on top of where the concourse had been, with a tremendous roar. It sent a large plume of embers and flame and snow and dust skyward. Everyone whistled in response as the plume of dust swept over the house.
They watched the rubble burn for a while. Finally, Phil spoke up.
"Who wants first watch?"
"I'll take it," Jim volunteered.
"Okay. The rest of us should try to get some sleep. We can sort out our plans tomorrow."
"Goodnight guys," Jim said, sitting down in a chair near the window. It was now 1:34 am.
Zombies continued to shuffle across the field, drawn to the burning rubble. Jim watched for a while and gradually felt his eyes grow heavy.
“I’ll just rest my eyes for a moment,” he mumbled quietly.
He woke up with a start. How long had he been asleep? He looked out the window and saw that dawn was near. The sky was glowing a dark blue. Across the field the ruins of the New York Central Terminal still burned. He looked around. The house was quiet except for the crackle of the fireplace and the sound of three men snoring.
Jim shook his head. He had fallen asleep during his watch! What if a zombie had gotten in? At the very least he probably would have been bitten. He sighed.
Jeff stirred. "Hey! What time is it?" he whispered.
"A bit before six thirty."
"Get some sleep man. I'll take watch," he said, walking up to the chair.
"You sure?" Jim asked. "I just woke up myself. I must have fallen asleep at some point."
He chuckled. "Yeah man, go lay down. You still kept watch longer than any of us."
"Okay," Jim said, standing up. He walked over to the fireplace and placed another log on the embers. Then he lay down on the floor and fell back asleep.
"They both slept through the night," Jim heard Sherry say as he woke up later.
He sat up rubbing his eyes.
"Good morning sunshine!" Phil said.
"Hey," he replied groggily.
"Well, we'll see how she's doing today," Phil said to Sherry.
Vik and Jeff were over at the window watching the smoldering rubble.
Footsteps echoed upstairs. Jim turned toward the stairs. Connor walked down quietly.
"She died sometime in the night," he said softly.
Sherry and Jeff walked over to him and hugged him.
"I mean, I guess I was prepared for the possibility," he said. "I don't know. It just sucks. She suffered a lot."
"Yeah," Jeff said, hugging him.
The group spent the morning quietly grieving for Giselle. Around midday they wrapped her body in a white sheet, carried her outside and dug a grave for her with shovels from the house's garage.
"Giselle Janae Jackson was my girlfriend," Connor said shakily as Jim and Jeff lowered her body into the ground. "We hadn't been dating long, but we enjoyed a lot of good times together. She taught me that even in the midst of death, joy could be experienced."
The others murmured in agreement.
"In the short time we had together, I got to see that Giselle was a sweet young lady," Sherry said. "She had a real interest in others and she'll be missed."
"Yeah, she was a caring person," Jim said. "When we saved those folks on Bailey Avenue from zombies, she was busy comforting the women and children while we were killing zombies. She played an important part in our group."
They shoveled dirt onto her body until the grave was filled in. Then they turned and walked back into the house. It was bitterly cold outside. When Jim walked back into the kitchen he saw where the smell of death had been coming from; a dead woman sat in the corner slumped over on a stool.
That evening the group sat around the fireplace.
"So where do we go from here?" Vik asked.
"Well, I guess me and Jim are going to head west to Detroit to see if our dad is still alive. I mean, most of our family is to the west," Phil said.
Jim nodded. "Yeah, I guess we are going to head west."
"Well, I'm going to head east to New York City," Jeff said. "All my family is out there. It's nothing personal. Jim, you're my best friend. But I need to see if my family is okay."
"I understand Jeff," Jim said.
"I'll go with Jeff," Connor said.
"I guess I'll go with Phil and Jim," Sherry said.
"Me too," Vik said. "I'll go with Jim and Phil."
"Alright, we'll set out in the morning," Phil said.
Chapter Seventeen
Randy Eccleston
Day 6
"Hey Randy, wake up."
He sat up in the dark. "What is it?" he asked.
"Jamie and Juan are downstairs," Adam replied. "Eating breakfast. We're all going to set out in a little bit."
"Thanks," Randy said as he rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?" He looked down at his watch. It was 6:00am.
"How'd you sleep?" Adam asked.
"Like a rock. You?"
"The same. It was nice to sleep on soft carpet."
"Yeah, it was."
"I'll see you downstairs," he said as he walked out of the dark room.
Randy stood up and stretched and then put his shoes back on. Then he walked downstairs. The others were all sitting in the dark dining room eating dry cereal and granola bars.
"Good morning Sunshine," Casey said as he munched on what appeared to be Froot Loops.
"Good morning Cupcake," Randy replied. "What's for breakfast?"
"Cereal and granola," Jamie replied. "Juan has Cheerios, Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes. Bowls are in the cabinet above the sink."
Randy walked over to the sink and grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. Then he grabbed the box of Cheerios and poured himself a bowl. He walked over and sat down at the table.
"If you're thirsty, there's still tap water," Juan said. "They cut the power a few days ago, but there's still plenty of water pressure. I noticed that some areas still have power, so they might have kept the water treatment plant going so they could have clean water too."
Randy nodded as he took a bite of dry cereal. "That makes sense I suppose."
"Alright guys, let's go over our weapon inventory. I don't want any of us to get killed out there," Jamie said.
"Agreed," Randy replied.
"Juan and I have three M-Four rifles with approximately six hundred rounds between the two of us. We also have three M-Nineteen-Eleven pistols with about a thousand rounds. We also have four M-Eighty-Four flash bang grenades. What do you all have?”
"We have nothing. All of our guns got burned up in the truck when the soldiers stopped us," Randy replied.
"There are five of you," Juan said.
"Yes, I had a machine gun, I think it was an AR-Fifteen," Casey said. "It got destroyed when those soldiers torched our truck."
"Ah," Juan replied. "You can use our extra rifle, if you'd like?"
"Sure," Casey said. "That sounds great. Thank you."
“The rest of
you can take the pistols, if that’s okay? There’s a couple of crowbars out in the garage too.”
Randy nodded. “That’ll be fine.”
"Okay, now that we have that figured out, let's discuss today's goals," Jamie said as he unfolded a map of the area on the table. He turned on a flashlight and aimed it down at the map. "Juan and I have covered from East Empire Street," he pointed, "all the way down south to South Morris Avenue," he pointed again. "We'd like to maybe send one group out along East Empire Street and have them go north along the perimeter, and then we'll have the other group go to South Morris Avenue and work their way down to the southwest corner of the perimeter and then back north. We'll leave as soon as we get our gear ready and then return here before sundown. Remember, the goal is to not get noticed. Attention is bad."
"Why don't we take the north route?" Randy suggested.
"That's what I was thinking too. We'll send Juan, Casey and Missy down to South Morris Avenue and me, you, Adam and Jillian will work our way from Empire Street to the north."
"Okay, let's do this.”
"One last thing," Juan said. "If you encounter a zombie, only severe head trauma will kill it."
"Like a gunshot?" Missy asked.
"Yes. But I think any type of severe trauma that punctures the skull and destroys the brain will do the trick," he said.
Everyone walked out onto the front porch a short time later. Randy hugged Casey and Missy.
"Be careful guys," he said. "Come back here alive, okay?"
"We will man, you guys be careful too," Casey said.
"Alright, we should be okay walking out in the open for now," Jamie said as they walked south on North Linden Street. “Patrols come through here at Five-Thirty and Eleven-Thirty, AM and PM. Just be alert. If you hear any vehicles approaching, get out of sight as quickly as possible."
Randy nodded. "Sounds good."
They passed the eastern perimeter of ISU and kept walking. It was chilly.
"So, where did you grow up originally Randy?" Jamie asked.
"Chicago. I've lived there my whole life."
"That's cool. Big city boy?"
He laughed. "Sort of. I live in the city now. When I still lived with my parents, we lived pretty far out from the city center. Now they live in a suburb north of Chicago, near the lake."
"I'm originally from Des Plaines myself," Jamie said.
"That's cool.”
"Yeah. We moved to West Virginia when I was little so my stepdad could find work. It sucked."
"I can imagine."
"So you have a brother in Chicago?"
Randy nodded. "Yeah, I have an older brother named Todd."
"That's cool."
"Yeah, I hope he's okay. I'm anxious to get up there and see how he, his wife and their kids are doing."
"Yeah."
"What about you? You said last night you have a little sister and siblings. Anyone else?"
"I've got a younger brother named Shelby and a little sister named Krissy,“ Jamie said. “I'm about three years older than Shelby and six years older than Krissy. I haven't talked to them in a while. Shelby lives down in Louisville. He and I had a falling out this last summer after our mom died. I don't know about Krissy. I know she lives in Alabama somewhere, but I haven't talked to her since before I went to prison."
"Wow," Jillian said.
"What about you, Jillian?" Jamie asked.
"Yeah, I've got an older brother who's stationed over in South Korea in the Navy. He's a doctor."
"That's really cool. You, Adam?"
"I'm an only child," Adam replied.
"Lucky," Jamie said as he laughed.
"I guess."
They crossed East Emerson Street and continued on. Randy marveled at how quiet the city was. Aside from the occasional distant gunshot and distant explosion, the city was still.
Suddenly Jamie raised his gun and fired ahead. Randy looked up and saw an infected person fall over.
"Whoa," Adam said. "I didn't even see him."
"Yeah. You've got to be careful. They can come out of nowhere and their bite is always fatal."
Randy nodded. "So you're sure they're undead denizens and not just people who are horribly ill?"
"You tell me," Jamie said. "Here comes another."
Randy saw an infected man stumbling toward them.
"Watch," Jamie said. He shot the infected man in the chest and he fell over. A few seconds later, the man got back up and resumed his approach. Jamie shot him again in the chest. The man fell over and got back up again.
Randy watched with curiosity and horror.
"Here, check this out," Jamie said. He laid his gun down and pulled a knife out. Then he walked over and slashed the man's throat. There was surprisingly little blood. He stepped back and everyone watched as the man got back up and continued his advance toward them.
"Wow," Randy murmured.
"Yeah. If that guy was alive, he would be seconds away from death right now. Instead, he just keeps coming. Oh yeah, do you smell that?"
Randy nodded. The man smelled like decay.
"He's rotting," Jamie said as he picked his gun back up. He pointed the rifle and fired at the man’s head. He fell over, dead.
"I guess zombies are real," Adam said.
"Let's keep going, we're making good time."
They continued on. Jamie led them east on East Empire Street when they reached it. The streets were surprisingly clear. They passed a school.
"You see that up ahead?" Jamie asked, pointing.
Randy squinted his eyes in the morning sunlight. He saw several buses blocking the road. He nodded.
"That's the roadblock. Come on, we'll cut through that parking lot behind the building."
They walked for hours through parking lots behind warehouses and office buildings and stores. They would peek at the perimeter occasionally. The soldiers had set up a double layer of chain link fences topped with spiral razor wire along the road. Randy noticed a Humvee with a guard every few hundred yards.
Around 10:00am, they approached a stopped train on some tracks.
"We should climb up there to get a good view of what's ahead," Adam suggested.
Randy climbed the box car first, then Adam, Jillian and Jamie followed. He surveyed the path ahead and saw a large empty field stretching from their position all the way to the northern perimeter perhaps two miles away.
"Whoa," Jamie said. "We’d better circle around the edge of the field. See all the Humvees along the perimeter?"
Randy nodded.
"Follow me," he said as he climbed down from the black tanker car.
They followed Jamie southwest along the railroad tracks to an overpass. They left the tracks and climbed up an embankment to the road. The followed him north. As they passed an intersection, Randy saw that they were on Towanda Avenue. They passed a neighborhood full of mansions.
"Good old suburbia," Jillian said as they walked.
"Look alive, there might be a lot of zombies in these houses," Jamie said. "See all the red sheets in the windows?"
Randy nodded.
Gunfire echoed in the distance behind them. Explosions followed.
The neighborhood to the left gave way to a large field that led up to lots in various stages of development. Soon Randy and the others crossed East Raab Road and continued north. Towanda Avenue narrowed to two lanes. They were nearing the northern perimeter. The road inclined ahead.
Jamie motioned for them to crouch a little and stay quiet as the road entered a narrow grove of trees. They crept forward perhaps another two hundred feet and came to a break in the pavement. There had once been an overpass running over the highway here. The soldiers had apparently demolished it, however, for fifteen feet below a hastily constructed chain-link fence ran from east to west across the shattered remains of the bridge. Randy saw a trio of Humvees a few hundred yards to the west. Another trio sat parked about a quarter mile to the east.
"Come on," Jamie whispered.
“This segment of the perimeter is too heavily guarded."
They walked south on Towanda Road and then Jamie led them west on Beech Street. A hilly embankment covered with yellowing grass sat to the right, obscuring their view of the interstate. To the left lay a neighborhood in the early stages of development. Up ahead, the road curved to the south, away from the perimeter. They left the road and cut through several backyards. Every third house they passed had scratching noises emanating from within.
"Do you suppose there are zombies in there?" Jillian asked.
Jamie nodded grimly. "Yes."
Around 1:00pm they reached North Main Street. As they had continued west, the perimeter had grown even more heavily guarded. Jamie had become discouraged.
"That's probably the most secure I've seen it," he said.
Randy nodded. "Even so, there has to be a hole somewhere, a weakness. We just need to find it."
"Yeah, well, let's get going south. We should start back to the house so we can make it by dark. As we get closer to the center of the area, we'll encounter more patrols that will inevitably slow us down," he said.
They walked for a while and came upon a large park to the right. Hundreds of zombies were swarming around a playground within the park.
"Look out guys," Randy said. "There are a bunch of zombies in there."
Jamie gasped. "That is a lot of zombies! They all look preoccupied though."
Suddenly Randy heard a woman scream from within the park.
"That sounded like it came from the center of the horde!" Adam said.
Jamie nodded.
"Help! Please help! I'm trapped!" the woman screamed.
"Come on guys! We've got to help her!" Jillian exclaimed.
"We don't know if she's someone we should be rescuing," Jamie replied.
"What if she's with the Wolf Pack?" Randy asked. "Still, Jillian's right. Let's get a little closer and see if we can determine who she is."
They crept toward the edge of the horde and toward the playground. The zombies had completely encircled the playground equipment. The zombies paid them no attention as the survivors tried to peer over them.
Randy saw a sycamore nearby that looked easy to climb. He looked up and studied it for a moment. The leaves had almost all fallen off the towering tree. He could perhaps climb halfway up and get a good view of the screaming woman. He reached up, grabbed a branch and pulled himself up. He clambered from branch to branch until he was about twenty feet up.
Darkness and The Grave: A Zombie Novel Page 19
