The Dark Trilogy

by Patrick D'orazio

  Teddy saw the man’s face and finally let go of the rifle, darting back out of the range of its hands. The rotter wobbled momentarily, but kept its balance on the edge of the trash bin. It took a swipe at Teddy, who promptly tumbled backwards. The mangled man toppled over the side and out of the container to follow him. It fell in front of Teddy and landed on its shoulder. There was an audible snap as the monster’s collarbone broke. Lifting its head, it attempted a moan at the teen who was whimpering pitifully and trying desperately to scoot away from the dumpster. The dead man’s shattered legs flopped uselessly as its body quivered with excitement.

  The slug latched onto one of Teddy’s shoes and held on tight as the teenager let out a full-throttle scream and frantically tried to shake the creature off. The boy screamed again, this time in pain, as the creature clamped down hard on his ankle. Its arm flapped wildly as Teddy jitterbugged, but the fingers only tightened their grip. It slid forward, clawing the ground with its other hand in an attempt to gain purchase on the smooth surface. Two fingernails peeled back, and the pockmarked skin underneath ruptured, splitting as its small finger bones clawed even harder on the asphalt.

  Teddy landed a sharp kick with his free leg and caved in the ghoul’s nose. Its head rocketed backwards, but the hands continued pulling it toward the boy. As its head came back down after the kick, the teen swore that the slug was smiling at him. The blackened tongue wiggled in its mouth as the monster moved closer to Teddy’s leg.

  Three shots rang out in quick succession, startling Teddy as he prepared to kick at his assailant again. The first bullet made the rotting body jump; the second hit its shoulder, sending a spray of bone fragments and shredded flesh into the air. There was no blood, but the arm wobbled. The third shot sheared off the back of its skull along with a sizeable chunk of brain matter. The monster glared at Teddy a moment longer and then collapsed on its jaw, which slammed shut as it hit the ground. The milky white irises remained fixed on Teddy as the boy wrestled his foot free from the ghoul’s clenched fist. He scrambled backwards, desperate to put some distance between him and the corpse.

  “Holy shit, I got him!”

  Ray had barely stirred the whole time the infected man attacked his friend. The only things he had moved were his arm and his trigger finger. A small wisp of smoke curling up from the barrel was the only hint that he had done anything at all.

  “I nailed that thing! Yeah!” Ray raised the gun above his head and roared in exhilaration. It was the first time he had fired the weapon and the first infected he had ever killed. He felt ecstatic.

  Teddy was staring at him, stunned, as Ray did several more fist pumps. He missed the movement near his friend’s feet.

  Ray’s cries of joy turned to howls of agony as he felt teeth sinking into his ankle.

  Chapter 15

  Jeff and George were making swift work of the general store when they heard the shots.

  A quick inspection had found few useful items remaining on the shelves. The place had been ransacked and abandoned long ago. George had set to work collecting anything that looked edible, but the pickings were slim. Jeff searched the store for bodies, living or dead, and found neither. There were no blood trails or splatters marking any sort of battle. Just dust bunnies and a few useless items like surge protectors and garden hoses to pick through.

  When they heard the loud reports from outside, they both froze in place. The walls muffled the noise enough that Jeff did not immediately realize what it was. He wondered why in the hell a car was backfiring and moved to the front door. He blinked in the harsh sunlight as his eyes adjusted. When he was able to see, the first thing he noticed was that Ray and Teddy were not standing by the door. A sickening dread filled him.

  George navigated across the debris-strewn floor as he saw Jeff pushing open the door. He could also see that the two teenagers were missing.

  “Where the hell are the boys?”

  Jeff didn’t bother answering as he rushed out to the parking lot. He heard a bloodcurdling scream and several more shots. Another scream intermingled with the first, this one higher in pitch and filled with shock, not pain. Jeff swore he could hear shouting, but the gunshots devoured everything else. He had no idea where it was coming from. George was right behind him, and they ignored the flattened corpse of the jumper as they tried to track the sounds. After a few seconds of listening, Jeff ran to the side of the building.

  As he did, Jeff caught a glimpse of Marcus stepping out of the Hole in the Wall across the street, a small crate under one arm, the pump-action shotgun in the other. Frank’s buddy didn’t appear to be in any sort of rush to find out what had happened. Instead, he stood watching as Jeff ran furiously toward the sound of screaming.

  Jeff felt the shakes coming on as he rounded the corner.

  What he saw at first confused him. There was an inert corpse next to the dumpster, but that was not what drew his eye. It appeared as if Teddy and Ray were wrestling with one another. Teddy was yanking on Ray’s leg like he was possessed as the other boy beat on Teddy in response. Jeff stutter-stepped, trying to get his bearings. As he moved closer, he realized what was actually happening.

  “Oh my God,” George said as he caught up to Jeff.

  One of the infected had attached itself to Ray’s ankle. He and Teddy were doing their best to force it to let go by yanking at it and beating on its head, but it was ignoring their efforts. Jeff rushed up and pushed Teddy out of the way, dropping his baseball bat as he knelt next to Ray.

  George dropped his bag and grabbed Teddy before the boy could react. He wrapped the teen in a bear hug and lifted him off the ground as Teddy struggled. George was shocked at the kid’s strength; he was wiry and compact, a bundle of muscle with the vigor and energy of youth behind it. But as determined as Teddy was to break free, George was twice his size, and his arms were like bands of iron.

  Jeff swallowed hard as nausea nearly overpowered him. Ray was still alert and pounding on the creature with the butt of his empty handgun. Despite the urgency of the situation, Jeff took a steadying breath and tried to figure out what to do.

  The ghoul on Ray was probably as decrepit a specimen as Jeff had ever seen. Its tangled greasy hair was pressed to its scalp, and the age spots beneath were pronounced. Major patches of graying skin were missing from the skull, and it had no nose or eyes. Instead, there were gaping holes where its facial features had once been. The ears had been torn off, and some sort of black oil oozed from the ragged holes on the sides of the creature’s skull. Its lone arm was latched firmly onto Ray’s leg. The skeletal hand had only a spider web of skin remaining, but there were strips of flesh still dangling from the arm, displaying sinewy muscle underneath. Both legs were gone, along with a significant portion of the lower torso. The spinal column, with various threads of meat still attached, dangled below a violent tear at the base of its ribcage. It was hard to tell, but the throat and chest, which were facing the ground, also looked decimated. What remained of the pathetic creature was latched firmly to Ray’s ankle, smacking its lips as its teeth dug deeper into his flesh. The boy screamed, and Jeff flinched.

  After a moment, Ray whimpered and Jeff noticed the pool of blood forming beneath the boy’s foot. “P-p-p-please get it off of me. P-p-pl …” the teenager begged as he stared at Jeff, his glasses dangling at the tip of his nose. He bashed at the creature again, but its hard skull absorbed the weak blow, and Ray moaned as the ghoul gnawed on his ankle.

  Jeff clenched his jaw as he realized what he had to do. Moving his hand toward the gruesome creature’s head, he gritted his teeth and slid his fingers into its empty eye sockets. Swallowing hard, he gave a vicious tug. Ray let out another high-pitched scream as his leg was lifted off the ground but the ghoul did not detach. Its hand let go of the boy’s leg and swung around erratically, trying to discover who had a hold of it.

  Jeff slammed his foot down on the arm and smashed it to the ground. Grinding his heel back and forth, he felt the remaining flesh loosen and
separate from the bone on the monster’s arm.

  Fighting a wave of nausea, he pressed his free hand down on Ray’s leg for leverage and pulled with all his might on the skull one more time.

  The boy’s screams grew louder, but could not blot out the sound of flesh and muscle tearing away from the bone. A spray of blood hit the side of the building in a wide arc, and Ray rolled over on his belly, finally free of the horrible teeth. He crawled into a fetal position and wrapped his hands around his bloody wound. A good hunk of meat and tendon had been pulled free and remained between the ghoul’s gnashing teeth. Jeff dropped the wretched creature and stood, slamming his heel repeatedly into the back of its skull. The monster’s face was driven into the asphalt, and its hand twitched furiously as it went through its death spasms.

  There was no time to get sick as Jeff moved back toward Ray. Teddy, who had wriggled free of George’s limp grasp, was already next to his friend. The blond man was stunned, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. Jeff pulled off his t-shirt and used his teeth to tear strips from the bottom of it.

  Teddy screamed at Ray, trying to lift him to a sitting position as he babbled unintelligible questions at his friend. When Jeff moved in this time, he did not push Teddy away, allowing the boy to remain close as he focused on Ray’s shredded ankle. As he drew near, the boy screamed in panic, his eyes wide and terrified. Ray tried to push himself backwards, and as he did, more blood gushed onto the pavement. Jeff knew he needed to stop the bleeding quickly or Ray would go into shock.

  “It’s going to be okay, Ray. It’ll be all right. I’m going to bandage you. Take it easy.” Jeff showed him the strips of cotton fabric in his hands.

  Ray’s screams stopped as he desperately tried to cover the wound with his hands, which were slippery with blood. He cupped his ankle, but the red liquid continued to pour through his fingers. The boy flinched, but let Jeff get close enough to wrap the wound with the first strip of cloth. When Ray did not protest further, Jeff put another strip on top of the first.

  “You need to wrap one around his upper leg, like a tourniquet.” Jeff nodded as he heard George behind him. Ray moaned loudly and began weeping.

  “He’s going to be okay, right? He’s not going to die, is he?” Teddy leaned in, nearly knocking Jeff into the injured boy. Jeff ignored the question, but Ray didn’t. He wailed, and his eyes filled with fear.

  “I’m not going to die, am I?” Ray repeated the question over and over as Jeff mumbled a response the boy did not hear. Finally, after Ray’s voice reached a high-pitched squeal, Jeff shook the boy roughly. The babbling stopped as Ray gaped at Jeff, eyes wide with fear.

  “Listen carefully to me, Ray. I’m going to take good care of you, but you have to calm down. I need to get the bleeding to stop so we can get you back to camp.” He looked at Teddy and forced his expression to become gentler. Teddy was almost as much of a mess as Ray was. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  The smaller boy’s chest heaved as fat tears rolled down his face. Teddy looked bewildered and hurt, but there was a glint of comprehension there. Jeff continued to look at him as George put his hands on the boy’s narrow shoulders and squeezed soothingly. Teddy did not shrug him away, but leaned back, his knees suddenly weak. He gave Jeff a half nod. It wasn’t much, but would have to do as Jeff turned back to face Ray and repeated himself. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  “Like hell it is.”

  Everyone, including Ray, looked at Marcus, who had arrived from across the street and was walking up to them with the shotgun pointed lazily in Jeff and Ray’s direction, the small crate of booze still snug under his other arm.

  “What the fuck did you do, boy?” Before Ray could respond, Marcus answered his own question. “Went and got yourself in a mess of trouble, and now we’re all in deep shit.” He looked around, scanning the area nervously.

  Jeff closed his eyes and sighed as he heard moaning off in the distance. In his haste to deal with Ray, he hadn’t noticed the cries of the infected, which were growing louder by the second.

  “Fuck,” Jeff mumbled as he leaned toward Ray and spoke quietly to the boy. “I’m going to wrap a bandage tightly around your upper thigh, Ray.” He paused and made sure the teen was looking and listening only to him. “It’ll help stop the infection from climbing up your leg and give us a chance to get you back to camp.”

  Jeff smiled and gently put his hand on the boy’s terrified face, wiping away a tear. His hands were smeared with blood, but most of it was gone now. Jeff had used his entire shirt to staunch the flow and wipe away the excess. His concerns about the blood-borne virus were great, but overshadowed by his fear of letting Ray bleed to death in the general store parking lot.

  “Step aside, Jeff.”

  The next noise Jeff heard was unmistakable: a shotgun shell being chambered. Marcus sounded calmer and less vicious than he had just a few seconds before, but still firm and determined. Jeff looked at Ray, who was panicking, and shifted his weight. Ray grabbed for him, fearful he was going to obey Marcus’s command. Splatters of Ray’s blood painted Jeff’s biceps as the youngster’s hands scrabbled at the man’s arms.

  “No … no, please, God no!” The look in his eyes made it clear that Ray understood exactly what Marcus planned to do. He repeated himself, his voice getting higher and higher in pitch as he begged Jeff to do something to help him. “Please don’t let him shoot me. Please, I don’t want to die, Jeff, pleeeease!”

  Jeff shushed him and whispered assurances as he wrapped the tourniquet around Ray’s injured leg, ignoring Marcus’s command.

  “Jeff. I said step aside. You best start listening to me, or I swear I’ll take you out along with Ray.”

  Teddy, all but forgotten in the last few moments, pushed away from George and moved toward Marcus, a look of rage tattooed across his face. “You’re not going to hurt my friend, you fucking creep. I’ll kill you first!” He clenched his fists, and before George could grab him, he took off toward the man whose slender build was similar to his own. Marcus had already set down the crate of liquor and only held the shotgun, which was pointed at Jeff’s back. Teddy built up speed as he saw that Marcus was not going to turn toward him.

  As Teddy lunged, Marcus nimbly stepped backwards and kicked, sending his foot straight into Teddy’s gut. The boy collapsed like a house of cards, wheezing as he doubled up. He began coughing violently.

  George rushed toward Marcus. The shotgun, which had remained pointed at Jeff even as he launched his kick at Teddy, swung toward the big man. George stopped short, a look of embarrassed surprise on his face. He clenched his fists, his eyes darting between the muzzle of the shotgun and the boy who lay crumpled on the ground. He pointed at Teddy. “I just want to check on him, make sure he’s okay.” George did his best to look sincere, but his jaw twitched nervously. He looked at Teddy, who pulled his knees up underneath him and hacked up a small wad of vomit.

  “You stay right where you are unless you want to join these two.” Marcus gestured toward Jeff and Ray. Jeff had finished with the tourniquet and was whispering something to the injured boy. The tears were still coming, but Ray appeared to have calmed down.

  George froze in place, his hands elevated for Marcus to see. He could hear moans cascading off the buildings surrounding them, and his eyes darted toward the street. He spotted a pack of ghouls only a few blocks away. It was not clear how many there were, but their ranks were swelling as more crawled out of the shadows to join their rotting brethren. George suppressed a shiver as he saw that the monster leading the pack was dragging a ruined foot behind it as it trudged forward with dogged persistence.

  The shotgun swung back toward Jeff as Marcus seemed satisfied that George wouldn’t give him any more trouble. He took a step forward.

  Jeff stood and could see the smile of anticipation on Marcus’s face.

  “So what’s it going to be, hotshot? I’m gonna give you one last chance to realize Ray is already dead.” Marcus paused for effect.
“We don’t have much time to screw around, so you better hurry up.”

  The reedy man’s expression changed momentarily as he looked past Jeff toward the boy propped against the building. His voice dropped low, and his grin disappeared.

  “It’s a mercy killing. Don’t you realize that? Or are you just stupid?”

  “Just go. Leave him behind with me,” Jeff said, his mind already made up as to what he was going to do. It was suicide, but he was beyond caring. “Take Teddy and George back to camp, and I’ll watch over Ray.”

  Marcus squinted at Jeff and looked confused for a moment. He appeared to be mulling over the offer, and Jeff’s hopes rose. They were dashed, however, when Marcus shook his head.

  “Can’t leave you behind. You’ll probably dump him somewhere along the way and then lead the stiffs back to us. I can’t have that.”

  “I won’t lead them back, I promise. We’ll find a place to hide out. Some building … maybe a house. I won’t lead them back. I swear to God.”

  Marcus shook his head again as he raised the shotgun. “God?” he snarled. “Why the hell do you think I give a shit if you swear to God?” He moved forward another step, pushing Jeff closer to the wall. “Take a good look around, you stupid asshole. Do you really think there’s a God?” Marcus laughed contemptuously and gripped the shotgun tighter to his shoulder as he took aim. “I can’t say it’s been a pleasure knowing ya-”

  “Drop the gun, Marcus.”

  Jeff’s eyes, which had been closing in fear, popped back open in time to see Marcus raising his head from the sights on the shotgun. He turned, allowing Jeff to see that George had picked up Teddy’s rifle and was pointing it at the hick.

  Michael’s flunky did not look surprised. He backed up, the shotgun still pointed at Jeff.

  “I mean it! Drop the shotgun, now!”