The Dead in River City

by S. A. McGarey

  After a few minutes, the kiss broke, as if they’d broken it simultaneously to check the status of the fire. The other books were beginning to catch fire, and the flames were big enough now to affect the kernels within the popcorn bag. Kendra took one of the bags and held it over the fire. They would undoubtedly have to wait while the heat penetrated the bag. There was a silence between them until Kendra spoke up.

  “So how are we going to get out of this?” She queried.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure.” Alan replied. “Malcolm has us pinned here. We’d have to get him to leave, and then find some kind of transportation. I don’t see much of that happening.”

  Kendra frowned. “I can’t say I have any genius ideas either. We could be stuck here a very long time.” She paused. “We could die here.” She trembled at the thought.

  Alan hugged her. “I’ll find a way. I don’t plan on my life ending any time soon.”

  That gave Kendra some reassurance. She knew he was fighting for survival, but it also felt like maybe he was fighting for her too. Alan was noble enough, and a good man. It wasn’t too far flung to assume that he was fighting for both. Kendra gave no reply, simply taking comfort in the fact that she was alive, and not alone.

  The kernels in the bag began to pop, one by one. They were slow at first, and then sped up, with multiple kernels going at once. After a while, nearly the entire bag was popped. Kendra opened the bag and the smoke rose out of the opening. Milliseconds later, the smell of buttery goodness reached their nosed. It was a stark contrast from the room they’d found it in, and they loved it.

  They dined on popcorn that night, swapping stories, and keeping each other company. At one point, they even sang, just to pass the time. Even with the building in lockdown, Kendra didn’t feel safe from the Dead Ones. They slept in shifts, watching over each other, each of them pondering how, if, and when they would leave this place alive.

  12

  Alan watched as dawn broke. It was a cloudy day, and the only evidence of sunlight was the small amount that penetrated the clouds. Kendra was still asleep, and Alan didn’t really want to wake her yet. Peeking out the window, Alan saw that there were still some Dead Ones outside the building. Malcolm, however, was nowhere to be seen. Alan thought that his absence was a bit unsettling, but it did feel nice to have him away. Alan didn’t understand what Malcolm wanted, or how he could do what he does, but he knew it couldn’t be a good thing. Alan decided that morning that he would kill Malcolm the next chance he got.

  Wandering over to the slightly diminished book pile, he looked through them, finding nothing of interest. He could still smell the burnt books from the fire the night before. The inside of the trashcan was scorched, but it would hold if they needed to do it again.

  He sat by the book pile and became lost in thought. He thought not of the Dead Ones or Malcolm Graves, or how the world he once knew was gone, never to return. Instead he thought of Kendra. He thought of the kiss the night before, and how her eyes looked right after. Those eyes kept him going when he wanted to give up. He was happy that their connection had grown so much. He was unsure how far the connection would go, but he hoped that their relationship would deepen.

  While he was lost in his thoughts, Kendra awoke. Seeing him across the room, she called out to him. “Hey you.” She said, still waking up.

  Alan, caught off guard, turned to see her. “Good morning, sunshine.”

  Kendra stretched and yawned as her mind adjusted to being awake. “Any change to our situation?” She asked.

  “Not really.” He replied. “Still got some Dead Ones outside, but Malcolm is gone. I’m not sure where he went, but I have a bad feeling about it.”

  Kendra got up off the floor and grabbed her flashlight. She walked towards the steps not saying much of anything. “Where are you going?” Alan asked, very confused.

  “I’m going downstairs to find the bathroom. I doubt it still works, but we’ll obviously have to do something.” She replied.

  Alan knew she was right. There was no arguing her logic, although she was right, the bathrooms were probably non-functional. Alan grabbed his flashlight and followed her downstairs.

  After a few minutes of searching the pitch-black first floor, they found a doorway leading to the bathrooms. Alan went to open the door to the men’s room before Kendra had an idea.

  “Wait.” She said. “I have a better idea.”

  “What do you mean?” Alan turned to her.

  “Well, these are the public restrooms. You know as well as I do that public restrooms are essentially Hell on Earth. There’s probably a staff restroom in the back. Theoretically it would be in much better shape than the public ones.” Kendra explained.

  “Good idea, Kendra.” Alan acknowledged. “Let’s go find it.”

  Together, they walked to the back room, being careful not to trip over each other. It took a few moments, but they found the door to the staff restroom. Alan let Kendra go first while he waited. While he waited, he went over any possible way to get out of here, but couldn’t come up with anything. His frustration was evident, but he refused to stop trying.

  Moments later the door opened, with Kendra stepping out of it. “Well it’s not the best bathroom, but it serves out purpose for now. I even got it to flush, although it was pretty weak.”

  “Alright.” Alan said, stepping into the room. “Be out momentarily.”

  Kendra waited outside the door for Alan. She didn’t want to just leave him and have him not know where she went. She waited idly and patiently. Out of nowhere, she heard a noise coming from the main floor of the library. It sounded like something pounding on a sheet of solid metal. Kendra knew the building was locked down, but she also knew that, as with any siege, eventually something would get inside.

  She heard the door to the staff bathroom open, and composed herself as best as she could. “Alan, I heard something.”

  “What was it? Where’d you hear it?” Alan asked in quick succession.

  “It sounded like it was coming from the library’s entrance. Almost sounded like someone pounding on the metal lockdown panels, trying to break through them.” She replied.

  Alan had a stressed look on his face. “We need to get back upstairs now.” He said.

  Grabbing her hand, they jogged back up to the second floor. Alan wanted to find the source of the noise, and he had a feeling that this siege was about to end, and probably for the worst.

  They bolted up the stairs and reached the second floor. Alan dashed over to the window to see the situation outside. He saw more Dead Ones than there were before, and they were beginning to move towards the entrance. Alan had a suspicion that Malcolm was commanding them to attack the door, and his suspicions turned out to be true as he saw that Malcolm had returned. He was moving towards the door, with something in his hand. He didn’t know what Malcolm was holding, but it was almost certain to get him inside the building.

  “Kendra, we got a problem.” Alan turned to her.

  “What is it? What’s happening?” She asked in a panic.

  “It’s Malcolm. He’s back, with his horde. It looks like he has something in his hand. I’m betting anything that he’s found a way inside.” Alan told her.

  Kendra cursed under her breath. Alan continued looking out the window. He now saw the Dead Ones backing off from the door, and assembling a distance away from it. Alan didn’t understand just what was going on. It was then that he heard an unmistakable noise: the sound of an explosion.

  The building shook with the force of the blast. Alan put 2 and 2 together and came to the conclusion that Malcolm had made some kind of improvised explosive device. He’d made it through the door, and now Alan and Kendra were vulnerable, and neither one of them had any clue what to do next.

  “We need a way out.” Kendra stated. “Any ideas?”

  “Not a one.” Alan replied with his eyes fixed on the stairwell door.

  Kendra frantically looked around for anything that could possibl
y help them. They couldn’t exactly fight their way out, as they had lost most of their weapons and ammo, thanks to Alan. Escape was the only option, and it looked to be impossible. Kendra kept searching, sifting through every possibility, just so she could keep living.

  Alan watched the door, waiting for either Malcolm, or his horde to arrive. He remembered that he had one weapon remaining, and it was the only thing at their disposal. The explosion had almost certainly destroyed the katana that barred the entrance. He retrieved his crossbow pistol, and aimed it at the doorway. He had 4 shots, and he’d have to make each one of them count.

  From the darkness of the doorway, a figure stepped into view. Alan didn’t wait to shoot. He fired the crossbow pistol at the figure, and was dismayed at the result. The figure was obviously hit, but it didn’t slow or flinch. It kept moving into the room, and the light from the window revealed its identity. It was a Dead One, with a crossbow bolt jammed in its head. It was soon joined by two other figures behind it. The Dead One shambled a few feet further and then halted.

  “Malcolm is definitely here. Otherwise, they’d never stop.” Alan thought to himself.

  One of the other bodies shambled towards the spot where the first one was. Two Dead Ones now stood in the room, but the third figure moved differently. It walked as a normal person would walk. Alan quickly reloaded his weapon, knowing full well that Malcolm came to see him personally.

  Kendra was in the room still, but hadn’t been spotted. After minutes of searching, she was running out of ideas. She had only one potential solution, and it was a long shot at best. She picked up one of the nearby chairs, and began to move towards Alan’s position, staying out of sight. As she moved, she heard a voice echo through the room.

  “It’s over, Alan. Nowhere to run.” Malcolm’s tone was almost bloodthirsty. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

  “None of your business.” Alan’s tone was cold as he aimed his weapon straight at Malcolm’s face.

  “You’re really gonna shoot me?” Malcolm laughed. “That’s not going to help you. I control the dead, what makes you think that I can die?”

  “No one is immortal, Malcolm. Death never changes.” Alan said. “With a last name like Graves, I’m pretty sure you’re already halfway there.” He quipped.

  “I do so enjoy talking with you, Alan.” Malcolm said, brandishing a 9mm pistol. “I think we’re done here now. Time to go.”

  Malcolm aimed the gun at Alan, and Kendra knew she had to act. Dropping the chair she’d planned to throw she sprinted towards Alan and tackled him to the floor, just as Malcolm fired. The timing was a matter of luck, but it worked well enough. Alan took the seconds that his life was spared to fire his weapon back at Malcolm. The bolt flew from the weapon, straight into Malcolm’s right eye. Screaming in pain, he dropped to his knees and dropped the gun.

  Almost immediately, the 2 Dead Ones began to move towards them, along with the crowd of them ascending the stairs. Kendra ran to retrieve the chair as Alan reloaded his weapon. He fired again at Malcolm, the bolt striking him in the chest. Malcolm let out a scream of agony and fell backwards onto his back. Alan didn’t know if he’d killed him or not, and they couldn’t stick around to find out.

  Kendra returned with the chair, and with a mighty roar, she threw the chair at the window, shattering it into thousands of glass shards. She grabbed Alan’s wrist and pulled him close to the window.

  “What are you doing?!” Alan asked in a panic.

  “You’ll just have to trust me.” Kendra said.

  Kendra got him as close to the window as she could. Pointing to the bushes below, she instructed him to jump. Alan was afraid, but he trusted Kendra enough to listen to her. He jumped down into the bush, with Kendra tumbling after.

  The pain was just about what Alan expected. He’d landed on his right arm, and slightly on his back. He’d be feeling that in the morning for sure. He didn’t think he broke any bones, so he worked on standing up and getting out of the bush. As he struggled to stand, he heard groaning that undoubtedly came from Kendra. He stood and limped towards where she landed, and tried to help her up.

  “Are you alright, Kendra?” Alan asked, obviously in pain.

  “I think I broke something.” She groaned out.

  Alan tried to help her up and examine her to see what condition she was in. Taking her left hand, he tried to pull her up, only to hear her yelp out in pain. He knew instantly that the fall had broken her left arm. Quickly adjusting his plan, he picked her entire body up and started a slow jog away from the library. They had escaped certain doom, but the situation had potentially become worse. They now had nowhere to run to, and no transportation, and on top of that, they were unarmed, save the last bolt for the crossbow pistol.

  Alan carried Kendra away from the building, looking for someplace to hide until they could figure out their next move.

  13

  “Run. Just run. Don’t stop, just keep running.” Alan told himself. He ran as best as he could while carrying Kendra, who was still in pain from her fall. At that moment, Alan had no clue what to do or where to go. He could only outrun the horde for so long, and he knew of nowhere in walking distance where he would be safe. He was out of ideas.

  Kendra was still fully conscious, but in terrible pain. She didn’t have any desire to walk anywhere, and was actually glad that Alan had decided to carry her, even though it would endanger them in the long run. Kendra didn’t have any ideas either, and truthfully, in her heart, she wasn’t sure they’d last to the next day. It was still relatively early, and they would have a long way to go before they would be even remotely safe.

  After about 10 minutes of fleeing the library, Alan slowed and turned around. He didn’t see any of the Dead Ones directly following, but he knew they’d be on their heels before long. Malcolm was sure to follow as well, if he was still alive. Alan didn’t know why, but he knew that Malcolm seemed almost bent on killing the both of them. Alan was sure they needed an escape, and they needed it now.

  Looking down to Kendra’s face, Alan spoke. “Are you doing alright?”

  “It hurts, but I should be ok.” Kendra replied. “Do you have a place for us to go?”

  “I’ve been racking my brain with no real luck. I don’t really know where to go.” He replied. “I’m guessing you don’t have any ideas?”

  “Not really.” Kendra said. “I thought of one thing but I don’t think it will be of any use.” The pain in her voice was evident.

  “Anything is better than nothing.” Alan reminded her. “What were you thinking of?”

  “Well, you know how people sometimes tend to stick together in situations like this? Like how people make communities all on their own?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well I’ve heard rumors of a place like that, within this very city. I don’t know much about it, or even it’s exact location. I just know I had heard other survivors saying that that’s where they were heading to.”

  “A community of survivors? Did they give any remote indication as to where it might be located?”

  “Somewhere closer to the east end. Sounded like maybe it was in a tower or something.” Kendra said.

  Alan pondered that single clue: a tower, or something similar, closer to the east end of Louisville. Alan knew it was a long shot, but he had an idea. He immediately picked up the pace again, looking for some way to get transportation to the place he’d thought of.

  “You have an idea, don’t you?” Kendra asked Alan.

  “Oh yes…” He said, his breathing strained by the running. “I think I have a very good clue were they might be.”

  “So we’re gonna run there?” Kendra asked with a very skeptical look.

  “No. We need transportation.”

  Alan carried Kendra as he jogged down the street. If his memory served correctly, there was a construction site at the intersection, with all the equipment sitting there ever since the X7 entered the world. As he reached the abandoned construction site,
he found that there were a couple of construction vehicles. One of the vehicles was a type of bulldozer, and the cabin on it looked just big enough to hold both Kendra and himself. Using the last of his energy, he ran to the bulldozer, and lifted Kendra up into the cabin. Alan then struggled up into the cabin and prayed that the keys were still in the ignition.

  They weren’t.

  Alan’s heart sank when he saw the absence of the keys. Now he’d have to hotwire the vehicle. He kicked open the panel that guarded the wires and went to work. Kendra felt useless. She was able to sit up, but her arms were useless in their current state, and she had no real way of helping Alan. He just kept working, trying to hotwire the vehicle, while Kendra looked on, seeing just what kind of progress the horde had made.

  The Dead Ones were shambling up the street, still a distance away, but too close for comfort. Malcolm Graves was still nowhere to be seen. Kendra silently hoped that Malcolm had really been killed, but she also knew that she wasn’t that lucky. Even without Malcolm, the horde was a major threat. The only thought in her head was the one telling Alan to hurry up and hotwire the bulldozer.

  What seemed like a frantic eternity of fiddling with wires in fact only took a few minutes. Alan finally got the bulldozer fired up, and taking control of it, drove it off the construction site and down the street. Alan was glad that they were finally mobile, but the bulldozer was unbearably slow. Alan wasn’t even sure how well it could outrun the Dead Ones. If they had enough Dead Ones surround them, they could be in deep trouble. Alan tried to put it out of his mind, and focused on driving the bulldozer.

  The driver was slow, and even after an hour, it seemed like they were no closer than when they began. Kendra was trying to relax, letting the pain wash over her the best she could. Alan drove, observing his surroundings all the while, making sure no Dead Ones snuck up on him. The horde still followed, though more at a distance. Their numbers were lessened, but they still followed. Alan just kept driving.