Children of the Apocalypse (Mace of the Apocalypse #3)

by Daniel J. Williams

  “Give me the gun,” she said as she turned towards Zane, who was now petrified. He handed it to her, and she passed the crowbar back. She glanced towards the back door. “Jeff will be coming. We need to move.”

  Zane made some type of guttural sound as he pressed against her. “What do we do?”

  The infected were moving towards them from all directions. Angela raised the rifle and blasted one in the face, dropping it immediately. She pumped the shotgun and aimed at the next closest one. “When I move, you stay right behind me. We’re gonna get the hell out of here.”

  A loud shriek from just inside the back door told her that Jeff was coming. She swung around to face him. Zane twirled around to stay behind her. “We’re not gonna make it!” he yelled, eyeing the approaching infected. Angela recalled the panic she’d felt at the hangar when she’d said those exact same words.

  “Grab the grenade from my pocket. Pull the pin and toss it into the middle of them,” she said right before Jeff came barreling out the back door towards them. He was covered in blood from numerous bite wounds, his face a grotesque mask of fury and horror. Angela lifted the gun and fired, Jeff’s face turning to a red blotch as his body crumpled to the ground.

  She pumped the gun and fired at the next closest one coming at them from the side. Zane screamed as the grenade blew, and the large flash created instant mayhem. The infected around them shrieked in pain as the ones that were inside the house reached the back door and started spilling out.

  “Take the gun,” shouted Angela as she held it in his direction. Zane dropped the crowbar and grabbed the gun as he screamed, “What do we do now?”

  Angela pulled out another flash grenade, pulling the pin. She rolled it towards the neighbor’s fence, which stood fifteen feet away. “We’re gonna make a run for the fence. If we can get over, it should buy us some time.”

  Zane fired at another infected, and a piece of its skull went flying off as it toppled over. He screamed again as he pumped and fired, hearing nothing but an empty click as the shotgun went empty. The infected moaned louder as they approached.

  A second large bang and flash stopped everything. The infected closest to them froze, and Angela yelled, “Run,” as she bolted towards the fence, knocking down several infected as she pushed past them. The infected nearest the flash grenade were dead on the ground.

  Reaching the fence, she yelled, “Throw the gun over,” before lacing her fingers as a foothold for Zane. Zane looked surprised as he tossed the shotgun over and placed his foot in her grasp. She lifted him and he scrambled over.

  “C’mon,” he yelled from the other side. More infected were coming, drawn by the sounds, and as Angela looked around, she could see dozens moving past the ones that were now blind and trembling.

  She jumped on the fence, trying to pull herself up, but she was too weak from her injuries. The pain from her cracked rib made her gasp. She dropped back to the ground, took a deep breath, and tried again, straining to get up. Every inch of her body hurt. “Shit!” she yelled as she dropped back down. “See if there is a gate on the other side,” she yelled to Zane. “I can’t make it. I’m going to have to come around.”

  She turned around and a zombie was almost directly on her. She pushed off the fence, trying to get away as it grabbed for her. Its fingers touched her hair, but it couldn’t find a grip. She squirmed away, pulling the last flash grenade from her pocket as she looked in amazement at the sheer number of infected that kept coming. She had never seen a mob this large.

  She pulled the pin and dropped the flashbang, running towards the end of the fence line. She had no more fear of death. She reached the fence-line and turned the corner. Except for two stragglers, it was clear on this side of the fence. She looked back to see what appeared to be hundreds of infected coming after her. The grenade went off, and the infected closest to it immediately dropped.

  She had no weapon, so she ran around the first straggler as Zane popped his head out of a gate at the opposite end of the fence. “Let’s go!” he yelled as she came upon the second straggler. It reached for her and she kicked it in the stomach, sending it toppling over. It tried to right itself as she ran past. She stopped and looked back at it. There was a hunting knife strapped to its belt. The other infected was moving towards her but was slow and a good twenty feet away. She walked back to the second one, and it hissed at her, reaching for her as it tried to get to its feet. She lifted her foot and stomped on its head, knocking it back down. “Freak,” she said, as she positioned her foot over its head.

  Zane yelled at her as the first straggler stumbled closer. She ignored him and stomped on the other one’s face again, caving it in, and the act sent ripples of pleasure through her. She stomped on its face repeatedly, screaming in rage, until nothing was left but a pile of rotten brains. The other one was now just a few feet away. She quickly reached down and unclipped the sheath, pulling out the knife. As the infected moved towards her, she rushed it and thrust the knife into its forehead. She yanked it out, smiling bitterly as it collapsed. She grabbed the sheath and clipped it to her own belt, sliding the knife back in.

  She caught up with Zane who was trembling as she approached. “Where’s the meeting place?”

  “Four blocks.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Angela slowed Zane down as they approached the Vaughn house. “That’s it?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  It was a large two-story house with a porch that ran around the entire structure. It sat alone on a good-sized lot. She looked around quickly. “Let’s approach from the rear.”

  “Why? They’re waiting for us.”

  “I’m not taking any chances.” She shot him a look that kept him quiet.

  Leading Zane cautiously around the perimeter, she whispered, “Hand me the gun. Did you reload?”

  “Yes.” Zane handed her the gun. “What are you going to do?”

  “Take control of the situation.”

  Zane whispered a little louder. “You’re not going to kill them, are you?”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said sarcastically. “Just stay quiet and do what you’re told.”

  They reached the back of the house, and Angela crept up the rear steps quietly, one at a time. The third step creaked and she stopped, listening closely for any sounds inside. Zane stood at the bottom of the porch steps, sweating despite the cool night temps.

  Angela took the last two stairs more quickly, ignoring the creaking, and stopped at the side of the rear door. She signaled Zane forward with two fingers, and he moved quickly up the steps and beside her.

  “Where do they usually hang out?”

  “In the living room.”

  “If we go through this door, will they see us?”

  “No, but the door squeaks.”

  Angela moved away from the rear door, following the porch to the corner of the house. Peaking around towards the front, she could make out a few infected moving slowly down the street.

  “I’ve got a plan,” she whispered to Zane.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Create a diversion.”

  “Wait,” Zane whispered in all earnestness. “Dave and Tommy are okay. You don’t need to do this.”

  Her eyes were penetrating as she silently reached down and undid the clip for the hunting knife. She pulled it out without him noticing. “They could have cared less if Jeff killed me or left me behind. That’s not okay in my book.”

  Inside her, she felt a rage building. There was no one left to count on. Everyone was against her. It was kill or be killed. The more the anger surged, the more powerful she felt.

  “Please,” Zane pleaded. “We could just go in there and everything will be good.”

  Her heart felt icy cold as she stared at him. She knew what needed to be done. The time for indecision was over. She was all alone in this world.

  “C’mon. Let’s go back,” she said. “We’ll go in through the rear door.”

 
“You’re not going to kill them?”

  “No, I'm going to kill all of you."

  Zane looked confused as she brought the knife up, jabbing it deep into his heart. He gasped and she twisted it, watching the pained and unbelieving expression on his face. The moment she could see death cloud his vision, her body shuddered with pleasure. It was the ultimate turn-on.

  Zane tumbled backwards, collapsing on the porch deck. Staring straight up at the sky, his chest pulsed a steady spurt of blood. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. Blood bubbles formed on his lips.

  The sound of his body hitting the ground alerted his friends that something was on the back porch. They had been watching the front and knew that a few stragglers were moving around. They grabbed crowbars, not wanting to draw attention with gunfire. They kept their handguns holstered.

  The backdoor opened, and Angela was waiting for them. As soon as the first man exited, his chest ripped open from a shotgun blast, and he tumbled off the porch deck.

  The second man tried to pull his handgun, but Angela already had the gun trained on his head. She said nothing as she pulled the trigger. His head disappeared before his body slumped to the ground.

  She could hear the moans increase as the roaming infected grew excited and were drawn by the noise. She moved quickly down the porch and away from the area. In the ominous glow of a moon-filled night, Angela started her journey back to the compound.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The next morning, the wheels on the yellow school bus rolled past the "Welcome to Overland Park" city sign, and the kids on board all started cheering. Fear was mixed with excitement as the thirty-plus kids started talking nervously about what would happen next.

  Alexi was sitting behind Woody as he drove the bus. They had been talking for much of the journey about what they would do once they got there. Maya sat next to Alexi and listened intently. She was a major part of their plan.

  “We need them to think you’re sick,” Alexi instructed Maya again. “You just need to act like your stomach hurts a lot and cough. They’ll ask you a lot of questions, but just stay quiet and moan a lot. Listen to what they say to each other. That’s what you’ll need to remember.”

  Maya nodded fervently. She loved being a part of the plan. Woody spoke up from the front. “We want them to think we’re all scared and that we’re just lucky to have made it there.” He was about to continue when he saw a figure walking down the middle of the road. He sped up the bus, aiming for it, thinking it was an infected. He honked the bus horn as he barreled towards it, and to his surprise, when it jerked around, Woody realized it was a normal woman.

  Angela turned quickly at the sound of the horn and was amazed to see a large yellow school bus cruising towards her with a young boy in the driver’s seat. Raising her weapon at the bus, she moved to the side as it passed by. She had stopped at a few houses along the way and found a change of clothes. It felt freeing to be rid of all the blood.

  The school bus was filled with kids, who all stared from the windows. Many were dressed in Halloween costumes. It traveled a hundred yards before slowing down and stopping. The bus door whooshed open. No one came out.

  Inside the bus, Hot Dog yelled excitedly as Woody climbed out of the driver's seat. “She’s got a gun! What are you going to do, Woody!”

  “She’s only one lady. She might know where we need to go. Just be ready,” Woody said as he exited the bus, his slingshot tucked in his back pocket.

  Angela was still a little ways off when she saw Woody exit he bus. “What the hell,” she said to herself. “I must be hallucinating.” Once she got within twenty feet, Woody’s hand went behind his back. “Can you help us?” he asked.

  Angela kept her weapon aimed at his feet, unsure of what was going on. There had to be adults hiding somewhere close. “What are you doing out here?” she asked loudly, looking from Woody to the kids with their faces all pressed against the glass. “There are no adults with you?”

  Woody tried to look nervous. “No, we’re all alone. We’re looking for a safe zone. We heard it was here.”

  That got Angela’s full attention. “Where did you come from? How did you hear about a safe zone?”

  “We’re from Wyoming. Our caretaker got sick and told us to look for her friends here.”

  Staring at Woody for the longest time, she said, “You’re the kids we heard about.”

  Woody’s heart started pounding. They were here. “Could you take us there?”

  This would work perfectly, Angela thought. If she showed up with the kids, there would be much less focus put directly on her. “I sure could.” She studied him again, this time with more scrutiny, still thinking it might be a trap. “You drove this bus all the way yourself?”

  “Yes. We drove straight here. Jacqueline gave us a map.”

  Recalling the name from Jade, Angela relaxed a little more. “I can’t believe you all made it here alive. You didn’t run into any problems?”

  “No, we never saw anything.”

  That put her radar back on high. She had a hard time believing they could travel that distance without running into something. “What’s your name?”

  “Woody.”

  “I don’t know if I believe you, Woody. But I’ll take you to the compound. I’m sure they’d love to see you.”

  Remaining wide-eyed, Woody said, “Thank you. We’re all very hungry and tired.”

  “I’m sure you are,” Angela said without emotion. “Let’s go.”

  She boarded the bus and felt instantly claustrophobic with all eyes on her. “What are you looking at?” she said, before turning back towards Woody. She laughed when she saw his feet resting on the lightweight blocks over the pedals. “There’s more here than meets the eye, isn’t there Woody?”

  Woody just stared.

  “Cmon,” she said, pointing down the road. “You’re almost there.”

  ~~~

  Sarah was returning home from the hospital clinic when Chelsea ran by, screaming about a yellow school bus. Sarah cringed from the high pitch of her voice. She’d suffered a concussion when she'd smacked her head on the concrete and had been trying to take it easy for the past few days.

  Chelsea could see the pain in her face, and her excitement abated for the moment. “Is the tumor back?” she asked in all seriousness.

  “I don’t think so. I think I just have a headache this time.” Despite the throbbing in her head, Sarah couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you for asking, though.”

  Chelsea remembered the bus and perked back up. “There’s a school bus going to the front gate! I saw it pass by!”

  Startled by the news, Sarah shouted a warning to Chelsea, who was on the run again. “You need to go home! Your mom will be waiting.” Chelsea waved in response, and Sarah rubbed her temples, trying to calm down the throbbing.

  “Yellow school bus,” she said to herself. She’d had several visions that had fought to break through, but her head had remained so cloudy she’d been unable to see or interpret anything clearly.

  Bo received the news and was at the command center before the bus pulled up. The compound was immediately on high alert. Mace was fully armed and moving towards the front gate when he saw the bus slowly approach.

  The M-16 in Shawn’s hand was aimed at the front window from Guard Tower One. The sun created a glare on the pane of glass, preventing him from seeing anything inside. As the bus door whooshed open, he moved the scope, placing the crosshairs directly at the top of the stairs. His breath caught in his throat as Angela stepped into view.

  His mouth hung open as he stared at her, unsure if she was even real. Angela stepped down before turning back and saying something. Kids immediately started exiting behind her. She slowly approached the gate as children continued to spill out, following her, dressed in different costumes.

  “I’ll be damned,” said Mace, staring at the scene from behind the fence. He was unlatching the gate as Shawn came scrambling down from the guard tower. They lock
ed eyes as Shawn hit the ground. “I don't believe it,” Shawn said.

  “Me neither.”

  Standing on the other side of the gate, Angela spoke for the first time. “Well, are you going to let me in or just stand there looking like a couple of idiots.”

  They both looked at her and smiled. Mace opened the gate.

  "Hiya Chubs," she said, staring at Shawn, and she felt her heart flutter despite herself.

  Shawn stood before her with tears in his eyes. "Ang, I thought you were dead. I searched everywhere." He pulled her knife out of the sheath on his belt. "I found this at the airport. I held onto it for you."

  Flashing back to the attack at the airport, her heart went dark for a minute before a rousing applause broke out from the compound. Angela looked up to see a large crowd gathering, clapping at her return. Many had tears in their eyes and large smiles covering their faces. Her heart lightened considerably. She looked down at the knife in Shawn's hand and realized he really had searched for her. He really did care. She felt her bitterness drift away, until she pictured what she had done to Zane and the others. She pushed it to the back of her mind. It had to be done. For the moment she felt safe again. She was home. Maybe everything would work out after all.

  Chelsea came running up from the back of the crowd, screaming, "Angie's back! Angie's back!" before stopping in her tracks. Her jaw dropped as she noticed the children standing behind her for the first time. Their eyes were all trained on the ground, and they looked uncomfortable.

  "Yay! Yay! They're here! They're here!" Chelsea started spinning in circles, jumping and dancing around, unable to contain her excitement. She suddely bolted towards her house, screaming, "Mommy! The kids are here! Mommy, mommy!"

  That turned the attention of the crowd on the kids, and Angela turned back towards them. "They came here looking for the camp. Something happened to Jacqueline. She sent them here."

  The elation Mace and Shawn felt at seeing Angela became laced with sorrow at the news. Staring at the children, Mace recognized Woody, even without the cowboy hat. "What happened?" he asked, then realized how traumatized and hungry they all must be. "Are you kids okay? Let's get some food in you and get you comfortable. We can talk later."