Zombie War: Interviews From The Frontline

by Lambdin, Susanne

  So what did your wife do next?

  Tessa fought her way across the yard, swinging a rake at the zombies. I recognized Jeb Butler, a neighbour, and he was missing an arm. A body slammed into the roof of the house, and more zombies headed around the remains of the barn toward the cellar. I counted at least fourteen of those monsters, but only the strongest were able to walk against the wind. Tessa saw them, too. She could see they were going to cut her off, so she started to run. She reached the pump and held on tight as the wind picked up, and I thought she might make it as zombies were scooped up and tossed across the yard.

  Did you think about leaving the cellar to try and reach your wife?

  Yeah, but I brought my parents inside first because they’re old, and then I went back for the kids. Landrake was bleeding from a cut on his forehead, but he could have saved Tessa; instead, he went back for his damn hunting dog. I know what you’re thinking. How did my brother get hurt? It’s simple. A board flew through the air and hit him in the head on his way to the cellar, so I pulled him inside and brought his dog in. I knew it was a fool’s errand to try to reach Tessa at that point.

  Landrake’s brother said you had a gun and could have shot the zombies to clear a trail for her. Are you that good of a marksman? I can’t imagine anyone able to able to shoot a damn thing in the middle of a tornado.

  Well, I’m a pretty good shot, and of course I took my rifle with me. If those things reached the cellar, I needed my gun. I wasn’t about to be locked down there without a weapon.

  I heard what Landrake’s attorney said. You had time to get your parents, your children, and your brother and his dog into the cellar, yet you were reluctant to help Tessa. Is that even true?

  [Vincent starts to panic and then loses his temper.]

  You don’t understand. How could you? You sit there wearing that look of condemnation on your face . . . you think I’m a coward. I can see it in your eyes! I had the children to consider. They couldn’t lose both parents. Maybe I was afraid. Maybe that’s why I won’t testify - I don’t want people to think I wasn’t man enough to go back for my wife.

  But that is what they think. They think you could have helped her. They think because you didn’t that your brother would make a better father for your own kids. I didn’t come in here to upset you, Mr. Partridge. Believe it or not, I want to help you. You had time to go back to fetch your rifle before the tornado hit the barn. Why didn’t you get your wife then and take her to the cellar?

  There wasn’t time! I told you what happened.

  If you’re going to testify in court, then you need to speak slower so the jury can hear your testimony. That is what you want to do, right? What will you say in there? Come on. Just tell the truth.

  [Vincent is sweating in his plaid shirt; the little room is muggy. He pours a glass of water, drains it, and sets the glass aside.]

  I don’t know where to start, ma’am. I can’t think straight. You should go. My attorney will return any second and he’ll be pissed if you’re in here.

  Just pretend that I’m your attorney. Start with the events of the morning before the storm hit. How did your day start?

  Like any other morning. I woke up at 6:00 a.m., like I always do, to find Tessa out of bed. The window was open a few inches, letting in a breeze, and from the way the curtains moved, I knew there was going to be a storm. I could smell rain in the air. I decided to go downstairs, get something to eat, and then go outside to feed the livestock. Coffee was made, so I poured a cup. Biscuits from the day before were in a Tupperware container, so I ate four with butter and honey, put on my boots, and went outside to do my chores.

  Just a moment, Mr. Partridge. I believe you saw your wife before you left the house. Is that correct?

  Yeah, I saw her. On my way downstairs, I heard whispering coming from the guest room. Landrake had arrived from Oklahoma City the night before. He was in that room.

  And your parents live with you?

  Yes.

  Where is their room?

  On the first floor, off the kitchen. Before you ask, I’ll just tell you that the kids sleep in the attic. I turned it into a room for them. It’s nice and big. They both have their own beds, and a divider separates them, so they can both have a little privacy.

  And you knocked on Landrake’s door, I suppose, to check on him.

  Yeah.

  Because you were worried about your brother?

  [He nods and finally settles down, actually eager to tell me his side of the story.]

  Landrake arrived the night before, you see, talking all this crazy talk about folks eating each other in Oklahoma City, sure, I was worried about him. On the news, the reporter said people should avoid going into town, claiming there was an outbreak of the flu. I knew people were flooding the hospitals, but I didn’t let anyone leave the farm, not wanting to take any risks. There was rioting in OKC, a big riot, and lots of people were injured. It was on the news. The National Guard came in to take care of it, so I figured things had calmed down, and Landrake was exaggerating, as usual. He’s a car salesman. Working on the farm wasn’t good enough for him, and he’s always making crap up to impress Tessa.

  The flu outbreak hit the nation fast. You couldn’t have known the reports about the dead rising from their graves were real. Frankly, no one thought it was real until it was too late.

  No, no I didn’t take the new seriously, ma’am. I . . . I thought it was a hoax. My boy, Michael, came home the day before from school, saying it was closed due to the rash of illnesses; Sally’s too young to go to school. I didn’t want my boy coming down with something, but to be sure he was telling the truth, I called his teacher and she confirmed more than half of his class had come down with the flu. I heard her coughing - she was sick too, but I honestly didn’t think she was going to die and come back as a zombie . . . only that’s what happened.

  So what happened when you went to Landrake’s room?

  I knocked three times and the whispering stopped. I heard rustling, someone got of the bed, and then I heard the window open. My brother and my wife have always had a close relationship. I just didn’t know how close it was until I opened the door. Then I saw her, trying to hide under his bed, not wearing a damn thing. Landrake was trying to slip out the window. I said, ‘Landrake, I see you, you no good son-of-a-bitch. What the hell do you think you’re doing with my wife?’ He just stared at me, a guilty look on his face, trying to button up his jeans. I knew what they’d been doing.

  Tessa started to cry, and I guess it was then I lost my temper. I grabbed hold of her arm, threw her onto the bed, and she started kicking me. It’s not my way to hit a woman, but God help me, I couldn’t help it. I saw red. I kept thinking about all those times she went into OKC and got home late, and I knew she’d been seeing Landrake on the sly. She’d been lying the whole time about it, sleeping with my brother, and then sleeping with me. It’s downright disgusting what she was doing. I had every right to hit her, but Landrake didn’t see it the same way, and he clobbered me with a punch to the jaw. We started fighting, Tessa ran out of the room, and I finally caught Landrake in a chokehold.

  I would have kept on squeezing if Michael hadn’t come in, holding a shotgun. He’s only eight. He took one look at me, then at Landrake, and he fired that gun at the window. The glass shattered, flying everywhere, and a small piece lodged into Landrake’s right eye. I pulled it out, and then used a pillowcase to staunch the flow of blood, while Michael sat on the floor, sobbing his heart out.

  It was about that time my mother hurried past holding Sally in her arms, shouting at us that a tornado was coming. My father came in, took one look at Landrake and me, and his face turned white as a sheet. He clutched his hands over his heart, crumpled to the floor, and Michael shouted at me to help. I left Landrake sitting on the bed, ran to my father, managed to get the nitro-glycerine pills out of his pocket and stuffed three into his mouth. He was having a heart attack, and I knew it was my fault, and I did what I could to sav
e his life. Landrake helped me carry our father downstairs to his room, while Michael asked his grandmother to call the doctor.

  How long did it take for the doctor to arrive?

  About an hour later, Dr. Travers arrived. He didn’t look good, and his hand was bandaged. He saw he paid a call on the Butlers. Jeb, his wife and kids were sick with the flu. Doc said the youngest child bit his hand while he was taking her temperature. Well, he checked on my father, said I’d saved his life by giving him three pills, but my old man needed bedrest. It was right about then Doc went into a sweat, dropped to his knees, and keeled over. Landrake had wrapped a bandage around his head, but it was soaked with blood from his damaged eye, and I noticed Doc started sniffing the air. It reminded me of my brother’s hound dog Hank. I started to kneel down to help the Doc out, but his eyes shot open, he started to snarl, and tried to bite my face.

  Landrake shouted, 'Zombie,' and I knew then and there that the news reporter hadn’t lied. I held Doc down to the floorboards, while Landrake grabbed a baseball bat off the wall, the same one he had used in high school to hit a grand slam to win the championship game. He used it on Doc, smacked him real hard, and I heard bones crack. A second strike opened up Doc’s head like a melon. He collapsed on top of me, I pushed him off, and my brother helped pull me to my feet. He said, ‘Vince, I’m real sorry about what happened with Tessa. You know I love you more than anyone else. I wronged you, brother, but I guess I just saved your life, so I guess that makes us even.’ So, we shook hands, then he hugged me, and we closed the door on Doc.

  Did you accept your brother’s apology?

  Hell, yes! He saved my life, lady! He kept that zombie from eating my face off! I wasn’t about to let what happened with Tessa come between us, I mean . . . he’s my brother.

  Okay, okay. Just keep your voice down. You have every right to be angry with Tessa. I’m sure you blamed her for what happened, anyone would be angry - I know I would be.

  Thanks for understanding because I was pissed. Not just at them, but because I always knew she had feelings for my brother. They dated back in high school, but after we graduated, Tessa chose me over Landrake. I was the eldest, I had the farm, and I had a steady income. I have always been good at farming, and the year before I’d planted cotton as well as wheat, and cotton came in at a high price. I gave that woman everything she ever wanted . . . a Palomino, a Ford Escalade, and let her join the gym. She’s the one who convinced me that zombies weren’t real, said it was ‘hog’s wallop,’ but by the time we got downstairs there were already several of those things out in the yard.

  So you found out fast zombies were real. What did you do when you saw them?

  I took my rifle, Landrake took the shotgun, and we went outside to take care of those things. The sky was already dark, filled with storm clouds, and the wind had whipped up. You could tell a tornado was coming long before the sirens went off, so I told Landrake we needed to get our folks and the kids into the cellar. He headed back to the house when a board flew through the air and smacked him in the head. Tessa came out, hysterical, and I let her tend to my brother while I helped my parents into the cellar. I had to carry my father, and my mother had a hold of Sally’s hand. Once they were inside, I went back for Michael, found him cradling his cat in his arms, scooped him up and took both down into the cellar. By the time I came back up, it had started to rain, and the wind had split off a branch from the big oak. Landrake was on his feet, but I didn’t see Tessa, so I helped my brother into the cellar. He told me Tessa was grabbing a few supplies. She’s always been a woman able to take care of herself, so I wasn’t worried about her, and grabbed both guns, boxes of ammo, and that’s when I spotted more of those zombies coming up the road toward the house.

  I shouted for Tessa, heard her shout back, and headed to the cellar. I left the guns inside, stood at the door, and watched her come out of the house. She carried a box filled with food and water. I waved at her, and heard something that sounded like an oncoming train, and spotted the funnel moving across the wheat field. Tessa heard it too, dropped the box, and nearly ran into one of those zombies. She pushed it away, fighting against the wind to reach me, and that’s when she changed her mind and headed to the barn. She got the door open, let out three horses, like I said, and made her way as far as the water pump. Shingles and boards were flying through the air, along with zombies, and I spotted more coming around the barn. They reached the cellar by the time the tunnel hit the house. What else could I do? I shut the door and locked it.

  [I wince at this and Vincent notices. Tears well up in his eyes again.]

  I’m sorry. I know this is difficult, but I’m trying to understand. Tell me what happened after the tornado moved on? What did you find when you went outside?

  The barn was gone. The house was missing the roof, and Tessa was no longer at the pump. I took the rifle but left everyone inside the cellar to wait while I went to look for her.

  I . . . I found Tessa about a mile away in the cotton field twisted like a rag. A snarl came from her and she started to twitch. Her hand reached out for my leg, so I raised my rifle to my shoulder and . . . and I shot her . . . I shot her right in the head.

  Well, then why don’t you just testify. I mean, you believe you are a good father. I think you’re a good father and should have custody of your children.

  You do? Really? Well, in that case, yeah, of course I think I’m a good father, and I believe I should have custody of my children. Hell’s Bells! Why couldn’t my attorney just listen to me like you are and be supportive? He made me feel like I’d done something wrong.

  I don’t think so. [Of course I want the story, all of it, and I have one helluva story here.]

  My brother is ungrateful, that’s what he is, and overlooks the fact that during the next six months I defended the family against those creatures. I’m the one who made repairs to the house. I took care of my parents and the kids. I went out to scrounge for food when times were lean, and I always came back home, never emptyhanded. I made sure everyone was safe, dealt with the zombies and anyone else who came onto the property who wanted to cause trouble. I did it all, and never once blamed Landrake for being a slacker, not even when zombies got into the house and killed our parents. I sent the kids into the attic with Landrake, and dealt with the problem, like I always did. He has no right to have custody of my kids, not even after the paternity test proved they’re his kids, not mine. I’m their father. I fought for them, I kept them safe, and I love them. I’m sorry about their mother, I really am, but it’s in God’s hands now.

  [The door opens. Vincent’s attorney looks shocked to find me in the room. As I gather my recorder and notes into my bag, Landrake and his attorney enter. I walk to the door but pause to see what happens next. Landrake walked over to Vincent, pulls him out of the chair and embraces him, while the two attorneys watch. Both brothers are in tears and Landrake says, ‘I love you more than anyone else, and I’m sorry for what I’ve done. You should have the kids, Vince - not me. Let’s just forget all this and go home.’ I slide out of the room, knowing I have something priceless, but can’t help feeling Vincent could have saved his wife, if he had really wanted to.]

  BEIRUT, LEBANON

  Interviewer: Mick Franklin

  INTERVIEW 12:

  I meet Georges in a mall that has been converted to function as a military camp. He teaches Salvos Modum, Latin for Survival Method, a methodology that integrated unarmed, knife, and firearm skills effective on both on the living and the dead. He wears a silver crucifix blessed in Jerusalem and casually appendix carries a Makarov PM and has a shortened AKM on a sling. There are .50 calibre machine guns pointed at the street. Bizarrely, people seem to be going about calmly engaging in trade. It looks like every single person is carrying a firearm.

  What was Lebanon like before the War? How did people from Lebanon usually spend their time?

  People talking, drinking coffee, swearing at each other’s bad driving, lots of hot girls walking
around, people going to and from work, Lebanon was very cosmopolitan so what you’d see in London or Paris you would have seen here. Lots of window shopping, real shopping, etc.

  The Lebanese enjoy going out to lunch or dine or shop with friends and families, or do gatherings at people’s houses. Coffee shops and ‘hubble bubble’ places were quite popular, a lot of people also go drinking and partying even during the week. Church attendance on Sundays was also quite common for Christians, and Friday mosque attendance rose too because Muslims became more religious during and after the civil war.

  Is there any event which really stands out in the Lebanese mind?

  Yeah bro, the civil war, it may have ended in 1990 but it still haunts everyone. Especially the Christians as we saw our political power diminish greatly afterwards. The Syrians came and controlled the country militarily and politically up until 2005 when they were forced out due to major protests. Also the war in Syria and the Hezbollah issue created a great divide in the country.