Dead America The Northwest Invasion | Book 7 | Dead America: Seattle [Part 5]

by Slaton, Derek

  She hoped he’d forgive her for weeping for him now. There was nothing else she could do in that moment.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Watts checked her watch. Eleven thirty-seven A.M. It had been three and a half hours being stuck in the small office with Larry’s unmoving corpse.

  They should have come by now, she thought, scrubbing her hands down her face.

  There was nothing. No rescue, no gunshots in the distance, only the shuffling feet and occasional moan from zombies in the loading dock. The only positive thing going for her at the moment was that the zombie runners had given up on having her for brunch and wandered away.

  I don’t think they’re coming. The thought was terrifying, and she wanted nothing more than to just curl up in a ball. But she couldn’t stay here. If nobody was coming for her, she’d die of dehydration in here. Or the zombies would succeed in breaking down the door and get at her and what used to be Larry.

  Her heart rate tripled at the thought. She couldn’t just sit here. She had to get out and find a unit, any unit, to get her back to safety. Or as much safety as could be guaranteed in the apocalypse.

  She sat and contemplated for a few moments before digging into her back pocket, pulling out a folded up satellite image of the area. She studied it, placing her finger on a circled shopping center.

  The suburb of Kenmore was nestled at the northern tip of Lake Washington, right on the highway that led straight to the interstate. Their breakaway group of five hundred had pushed forward from the town of Redmond that had been cleared out the day before, with the intention of making this place a diversion point.

  While Watts didn’t have the full details of the mission, rumor had it that there was a huge group of zombies coming up from downtown, attracted by the intense fighting to the north. Some sort of blockade had been tried and failed, which was why they’d been sent pushing ahead.

  “Not sure what they were thinking,” she muttered under her breath, “but whatever it was, they didn’t put much thought into it.”

  She tapped the circled store at the north end of the suburb, a good three-quarters of a mile away from the highway, and the last major store before the massive residential area started up. It was hard to tell where Kenmore ended and the next subdivision suburb began, but it really didn’t matter since her only goal was to get back to the command center.

  She traced her finger down the main road to the highway, then to the east half a mile or so, finally stopping on a building a couple blocks to the north of it. She stared at the roof of the building, a large warehouse that they’d taken pretty easily upon their arrival just before dawn.

  That’s where I have to get to, she thought. No more than a mile or so. Come on Janey, you can do this. It’ll be just like playing hide and seek with the other kids in the neighborhood… only if you get tagged, you die. She couldn’t help but chuckle. Okay, so it’s an extreme version of the game, but the concept is still the same. Move quick and don’t get touched.

  Her attempt at a pep talk to herself fell flat, and she let out a deep sigh. She took out her handgun and inspected it.

  If something does get close, this should help. She removed the mag, seeing it was mostly full. She patted her side, feeling one additional magazine for it before putting her hand on the knife sheathed on her belt.

  Really wish I hadn’t left that rifle behind, she thought bitterly. But if you hadn’t, you’d probably be like poor Larry over there… or every other member of your squad.

  Watts pulled herself off of the ground, stretching a bit to work out some of the cramps from sitting for so long. She moved over to the door, carefully pulling back the blinds so she could see out into the darkened loading dock.

  There were a few zombies milling about, none of whom wore military gear.

  Well, at least there aren’t any runners, she thought. That I can see, at any rate. She holstered her handgun and drew her knife, wanting to save every precious round she could.

  She glanced back at Larry, jaw clenched as she took in the back of his head blown out. She took a moment to silently thank him before turning back to the door.

  Okay, just have to run across, throw open the door, and get outside, she thought. Nothing to it.

  She readied herself, taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before making the move. She carefully unlatched the lock and opened it as slowly and quietly as she could. A third of the way open, the hinge started to creak a little, and she seized up. Two zombies in the loading dock turned towards the noise.

  Watts remained motionless, hoping that they’d forget what they’d heard. Several tense moments passed before they decided there was nothing there, and turned back around, shuffling into the darkness.

  She let out a deep breath and steadied herself, focusing on the locked door across the dock, about twenty yards away. She took a deep breath, pushed the door open, the creak alerting the same two ghouls.

  This time however, she didn’t hesitate, darting out from cover and tearing for the loading door.

  The duo of monsters moaned loudly and began to shamble towards her. The noise they made attracted the attention of several other ghouls down the way, who made excited noises and ambled after them.

  Watts rushed the door, grabbing the large bolt-style lock and throwing it open. She turned the knob and pushed, but the door was still locked. Panic-stricken, she searched the door, finding an additional deadbolt underneath the handle.

  As she fumbled with it, rapid footsteps pounded from the far end of the dock, echoing on the concrete.

  She grunted as she finally freed the deadbolt, gripping the knob. She made the mistake of looking over her shoulder to see a runner pushing through the slower moving creatures, knocking them this way and that and closing fast.

  Watts quickly turned the knob, relieved when the door freed itself, sunlight pouring through the crack as she pushed it open. She quickly darted to the other side, slamming the door shut behind her as the runner smacked into it. She threw her weight into the door, even though it was solidly shut, more of an instinctual reaction than a rational one. The creature thrashed violently on the other side, desperate to get to her.

  Moans erupted from outside, and Watts snapped back into the moment to see the area behind the building was littered with zombies. A dozen, maybe a few more, scattered all about and coming her way.

  She let instinct take over, hopping down from the top of the small stairs and hitting the pavement, running away. A quarter of the way down the building, a thought hit her. She didn’t know where she was going.

  There was an eight-foot high chain-link fence to her right, keeping her in an alley with no idea what was on the other side. And she had no way to know what was standing in her way to get to the command center.

  Watts whirled around, staring at the zombies shambling her way before spotting a lone truck backed up against the building. It was close enough to the stairs that she could climb on top and pull herself up to the roof.

  I need to know what I’m getting into, she thought, and squeezed her knife tightly before running back to the stairs.

  There were three zombies spread out across the back alley between her and the stairs, with the rest not far behind. She ducked around them with relative ease, making the turn for the stairs.

  Before jumping over to the truck, she turned and took in the congregation forming at the base of the stairs. She shook it off, ignoring it and leaping over to the truck, struggling to pull herself to the top of it.

  Finally, after a tense moment, she rolled on top of it, laying on her back for a moment to let the sun baked metal warm her skin.

  “That feels nice,” she breathed, and enjoyed being alive for a beat before sitting up. She looked down at the stairs, ten zombies reaching and clamoring for her. She glared at them, and then turned on her heel, heading for the roof and pulling herself up the last few feet.

  Watts held her breath as she crossed the roof, battling the dread at what she would see. Her heart sa
nk as she came within twenty yards of the edge, already seeing zombies flooding the parking lot despite it being far back from the entrance.

  The rest of the walk sunk her spirit. When she finally reached the edge, she looked out over a sea of thousands of zombies, all crammed against the front of the building even though the treats inside had been long devoured.

  At least the diversion kind of worked, she thought bitterly, and sat down. She pulled out her map, making sure she was looking to the south, and found some landmarks so she could plot her course to the command center.

  She looked out, but every landmark was surrounded by an ocean of zombies. Thousands, maybe even tens of thousands. Nothing but rotted flesh, waiting on the smallest hint of life to chase after.

  “That’s disheartening,” she muttered.

  She strained her ears, struggling to hear anything over the constant moaning. No gunshots, no vehicles, no nothing. Just moans from the damned.

  Watts turned around and headed to the north end of the roof. On the other side of the chain-link fence was a residential area covered in trees. She tried to look through the trees to see any movement, but it was difficult to tell.

  “Well, can’t be any worse than what’s out front,” she said with a sigh.

  She shook her head, knowing she’d have to go north and take the long way around to the command center. Glancing down, the zombies by the truck had increased their numbers to around twenty, most of them still near the stairs but several spread out as well.

  She studied the area, trying to figure out how to get over the tall fence, as well as how to get back to the ground safely. She’d been hoping there was something that could cause a noise on the ground to distract them, but nothing was viable.

  The only option she had was to hop down off of the front of the truck and use the momentum to get to the fence. There were a few zombies within ten yards of the front, so she’d have to land perfectly.

  Watts carefully climbed down onto the back of the truck, staying low and moving quietly so that the ones at the front wouldn’t pay her any attention. When she reached the front, she looked down and saw one of the creatures had wandered mighty close.

  She debated with herself for a moment about whether or not to use her handgun, but ultimately decided on the silent approach. She slid down the front windshield of the truck, squeaking on it and drawing the attention of the ghoul in front.

  She went for it, leapt down off of the front of the truck, thrusting her knife downwards. The force of the impact jammed the blade into the top of the creature’s head up to the hilt as they both tumbled to the ground.

  The noise attracted the other zombies, who immediately began wandering towards her. She quickly put her foot on the dead creature’s shoulder and pushed so she could free her blade. After a few tense seconds, it finally came free.

  She didn’t have time to sheath it, so she tossed it over the fence and raced towards it. She leapt up and began climbing, reaching several feet off of the ground as the first creature hit the chain link. It reached up and grabbed the bottom of her boot, but she kicked it free and kept climbing.

  She got to the top and flipped over, falling down the other side and landing on her feet. She quickly scrambled for the knife, grabbing it and hopping into a crouched position, chest heaving. She frantically looked around, finding herself in an empty fenced-in backyard. Moans and smacking and rattling came from the chain-link fence behind her, but she was relatively safe for the moment, and took a beat to collect herself.

  She leaned over, hands on her knees, taking in a few deep breaths, and then straightened, squaring her shoulders.

  “Okay Janey, get moving.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Watts rummaged through the pantry in the quiet two-bedroom family home. She was relieved to find some bottled water and gulped it down to moisten her parched throat. She used a little from the bottom to wash away some residual blood caked on her face, and then tossed the empty plastic aside.

  She grabbed another and cracked it open, sitting at the kitchen table. She pulled out the satellite image of the area and sipped a lot slower at the water as she plotted her course.

  “Okay, I’m a few blocks north from where I started,” she murmured to herself, tracing her fingers along the map as she spoke. “If I go due east, I’ll get to the woods in half a mile or so, then it’s a straight shot south.”

  She tapped her finger on the wooded area, large in scale, looking like it was about the same size as the entire residential area she was currently in. “Just hope there are some trails through here,” she said, chewing her bottom lip.

  She took another sip of water and then folded up the map, carefully pocketing it. She headed for the front window, peering out at a handful of zombies wandering around in yards across the street.

  She shook her head. Like a hot girl on the dance floor, I just can’t stop attracting attention, she thought with a sigh. She moved towards the front door, but paused at the sight of a deer head mounted above the fireplace.

  “Wonder if you were a hunter,” she murmured, and then headed for the closet, opening it up. There was nothing but jackets and a vacuum cleaner, so she moved through the house, checking every closet in every room, finally coming to the master bedroom.

  She opened the door and it looked like a budget safari. Several animal heads adorned the walls. Deer, bears, even a large tiger skin blanket on the bed. She wrinkled her nose at the tackiness, almost too much for her to bear.

  “Guessing you didn’t do much entertaining,” she said, and stepped into the room. She checked the closet. “Bingo,” she said as she revealed a large rack full of hunting rifles.

  She inspected a couple of them before picking the one at the top, a jet black model with a high end scope and a detachable magazine.

  “Yeah,” she said as she ran her hand down the barrel, “you’ll do nicely.” She raised the rifle and looked through the scope, satisfied with the clarity. She slung the gun over her back and then knelt to dig through the ammo box on the floor, pulling out two additional magazines already loaded. “Fifteen shots,” she said. “Might even be able to hit the target on half of those.”

  Watts knew her limits. She wasn’t the greatest marksman, finishing near the middle of the pack for her unit back in basic, but at a close enough range she felt confident she could at least do a little damage.

  She made her way back to the front of the house, looking out at the zombies in the neighboring yards, only a couple of them on the street. She readied her knife, wanting to stay as quiet as she could.

  Okay, half a mile and I’m in the woods, she thought. Just gotta get there and I’ll be good.

  She exited the front door, moving at a deliberate pace but not much faster than a mall walker. When her feet hit the pavement, the noise was enough to attract the attention of zombies in the yards, which turned and began moaning, shambling in her direction.

  Her pace was faster than theirs, so it was a simple walk down the road. She kept glancing over her shoulder to make sure a runner wasn’t mixed in with the bunch. After a few blocks, she’d attracted quite the crowd, fifty to sixty based on her quick estimate.

  The tree-lined street was quaint. She looked over the small single-story houses and let her mind wander. What kind of people had lived here? New husbands and wives, maybe some new families? On its face, the neighborhood looked like the perfect place for people to move in and get their start in life.

  At least… it had been, a month ago. Her idyllic view of the area was broken as she passed the next house. The front bay window was partially shattered, bloodstains coating the inside, and a lone hand laying across the bottom will, reaching for safety that had never come.

  Watts quickly turned away from it, swallowing hard, and focusing her attention straight ahead. How many new families had perished here? How many children? She clenched her jaw.

  The path to the edge of the woods was clear, only another block to go. She sped up a little to put some
distance between her and the pack, now a hundred strong, giving her a few moments to study her next move.

  Well… this looks uninviting, she thought as she stared at the entrance to the woods. It was densely packed with a lot of underbrush, with no discernible path through. She checked the left and right, seeing no pathway, or at least any that she could see from where she stood.

  Looks like this is as good as it gets, she thought bitterly, and let out a deep sigh. She stepped over a large fallen branch into the woods, pushing her way through the dense brush into a bit of an opening on the other side. The thickness of the trees cast a shadow over the entirety of the forest, and she readied her knife.

  She checked her watch, that thankfully had a small compass at the top of it, and found southeast. She squared her shoulders and began her hike.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Watts ducked cautiously through the woods, rays of sun piercing through the branches above, the shadows creating dark pockets along her path. She stopped at each shadowy area, making sure nothing was going to pop out at her.

  She couldn’t slow too much, however, as the zombies from the neighborhood continued their pursuit. Their numbers had dwindled in the woods after about a mile, so she wasn’t too worried, but she still didn’t want to have to deal with them. The forest was easy for her to navigate, but the trees posed a significant challenge to the directionally impaired zombies.

  She reached a sun-drenched mini-clearing, and pulled out the map, consulting her compass. She focused on a small opening in the trees towards the south-easternmost point on the map.

  Well, I’m getting closer… she thought. I think. She looked around, still not seeing anything resembling a trail. Was this place a wildlife preserve? How can there be no trails or anything? As she contemplated, there was shuffling and some light moaning from ahead. She pocketed the map and readied her knife, moving up to a tree on the edge of the clearing.