He pulled the trigger.
Jack’s body flew backwards, a large chunk of its skull missing. At the same time, Todd rushed forward and sprayed Holy water on the Shade that was violating Marisol. As soon as the liquid hit it, it exploded into white flames. The other two zombies - one of them Mayor Dawes - stood up and Cory put a bullet into each of their heads.
“Marisol!” He grabbed her by the shoulders. Her face was ashen gray, her eyes closed. He put two fingers against her neck, afraid of what he might find. Or not find.
A pulse! Rapid but strong.
“She’s alive,” he called to the others but his words were drowned out by the sound of Travers’s gun firing.
“Dammit, it’s a trap!” Travers moved closer to them, handed them the portable spotlights. “Keep moving. I’ll hold them off.”
“Cory, can you carry her and shoot a gun at the same time?” John asked.
“I can walk.” Marisol’s words were barely more than a whisper but Cory heard them.
“Jesus! Thank God you’re all right.” He leaned down to kiss her but she pushed him away.
“No time for that now. We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Todd asked. Cory mirrored his words. Some of her color had come back but she still looked more ready for a hospital bed than a long walk.
“Help me up.” She held out her arms and Todd and Cory each grabbed one, hauled her to her feet. Her skin felt clammy and cold, and Cory was about to renew his objections when Travers shouted to them.
“Let’s get a move on. There’s more of those things coming.”
“You heard the man.” Marisol attempted a smile.
“Fine. But hang on to me. I don’t want you passing out again down here.”
She nodded and placed a frigid hand on Cory’s arm, the one not aiming a gun. Together they followed John and Todd further into the building.
At one point the corridor narrowed as large banks of machines closed in from both sides, forcing them to slow their pace and allowing Travers to catch up.
“Don’t stop now. They’re still coming. Almost like they’re—”
“Herding us into a trap?” Todd asked, as he emerged from the narrow space.
Up ahead, the basement came to an end in a cement wall.
A cement wall with a roughly man-sized opening.
“That must be the tunnel to the burial pits.” John’s words came out in gasps and Cory felt a momentary pang of guilt. In all the excitement, he’d forgotten John’s injuries.
No matter. Plenty of time to rest and heal later. If we survive.
“How far?” Cory asked.
“I don’t know.” Todd sounded apologetic. “A hundred yards, maybe? It depends where under the old buildings the pit is.”
“Okay. This is it then. Todd, any last advice?”
“Think positive. According to my father’s notes, you can actually prevent a Shade from entering you. He called it using God’s love as a shield.”
“I tried that,” Marisol said. “I think it’s the only reason I was able to hold them off until you found me.”
“I’d rather have a real shield,” John said. “The only thing I’m positive of is that we’re idiots for being here.”
Cory was about to chide John for his pessimism when it hit him that for all of John’s complaining, he’d never once backed down from any dangers.
He’s got his own shields but down deep he believes we’re doing the right thing. He considered calling John on it, then decided to let the man maintain his pretenses.
Whatever gets you through the night...
For Cory, that meant keeping a picture of Marisol in his mind as he took the lead and stepped into the tunnel. He had to keep believing they were going to make it back alive. He’d never realized how lonely his life had been until he found out what he’d been missing.
Sure, there’d been women before her, but nothing serious; almost as if Fate had intended for he and Marisol to reunite someday. He refused to believe Fate would be so cruel as to take her away a second time.
They’d only gone a few hundred feet when the tunnel widened into a large, open space. At the same time, a horrible odor struck them, a stink so bad Cory had to hold his arm over his nose.
“This is it,” Todd said, just as Cory caught sight of the pit in front of them.
They passed their lights over it, exposing a shallow hole that looked to be roughly fifteen feet in diameter and six feet deep. The vile stench emanated from the body parts and skeletal remains piled at the bottom. Too fresh and odorous to be any of the pit’s original victims, Cory figured they must be townspeople who’d been dragged down here and eaten by the zombie things.
“Over there,” John whispered, gesturing with his flashlight. Cory followed the beam, saw another tunnel on the other side of the pit.
“That must lead up to the old hospital,” Todd said.
As he said the words, Cory caught a glimpse of movement in the other tunnel. Movement that quickly resolved into distinct shapes.
“Zombies,” John said.
“And more behind us,” added Travers, joining them. “We need to move away from this tunnel.”
“And go where?” John asked.
“Partway around the pit,” Cory said. “Travers and I can each take a side and keep them away with the guns while you and Todd bless the pit. Maybe that will send them on to wherever they go.”
“Or leave us in the middle of a monster sandwich.” John motioned with his hand. “After you.”
Cory tugged at Marisol’s sleeve. She seemed out of it again, her eyes glassy and sweat beading up on her forehead. In any other situation, he’d have focused all his attention on her. Right now though, they didn’t have time. As long as she could stand and walk, all he could do was make sure she didn’t get separated from them.
“C’mon, stay close,” he said. She looked at him and for a moment he was afraid she didn’t even recognize him. Then she nodded and took a step.
Not great but good enough.
Cory led them to an area roughly halfway around the pit. The path around the bodies and bones was twice as wide as an ordinary sidewalk, giving them plenty of room to walk without falling in. As a potential battleground against an army of the undead though, it left a lot to be desired. Roots and rocks stuck up from the soft earth and uneven wall negated some of the width. Add to that the darkness and the abominable stench that made breathing a hardship, and it left Cory feeling they’d have been better off in the basement.
They took up positions with Cory facing the zombies emerging from the second tunnel and Travers facing back the way they’d come. Between them, Todd already had his Holy water and Bible ready. John held a Super Soaker filled with Holy water, prepared to take on any Shades that might appear.
Marisol had sunk to her knees, her hands over her eyes.
“Get ready,” Travers said. Cory didn’t respond; he already had his pistol aimed at the nearest zombie of the several dozen he could see, a middle-aged man dressed in the remains of a business suit.
“In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I bless this ground.” Todd sprayed Holy water into the pit and then tossed down a handful of Communion wafers. “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy—”
The roar of Travers’ gun drowned out the rest of Todd’s words. At the same time, Marisol screamed.
The barrage of sounds was like a signal to the zombies. They charged forward, running towards Cory three abreast. Behind the leaders the others fought for position, several of them tripping or getting pushed into the pit, where they crashed into the skeletons of their own depraved meals. Many of the approaching bodies were silent but enough of them moaned or growled to fill the cavern with noise.
Cory pulled the trigger and the office worker went down. The others took no notice. He fired again and again, choosing his targets carefully. Bodies fell, creating obstacles for the others. For a brief moment, Cory t
hought things might finally be going their way.
Then the gun clicked empty.
“Travers! I need more bullets!”
“—bless this ground...In the name of the Father—” Todd continued his recital.
“Here!” The Police Chief tossed something backhand without looking. The object hit the dirt near Todd’s feet.
Shit! Cory backed away and went down on his hands and knees, never taking his eyes off the approaching zombies. With one hand, he felt around on the dirt behind him.
Just then John screamed and Cory felt something wet spray across the back of his neck. He risked a quick glance to the side and then wished he hadn’t.
Rising from the pit were several Shades. John was furiously pumping the squirt rifle and firing at them. The Holy water kept falling just short and Todd interrupted his ongoing blessing to shout at John to wait until they got closer. Cory located the clips, three of them, and grabbed them all. Slamming one into the gun, he turned his attention back to the zombies, several of which were almost within arm’s length. He raised the pistol and prepared to shoot.
And the whole world exploded around him.
Blinding bright light burned away the darkness from one end of the cavern to the other. There was no sound but the ground vibrated underneath their feet.
The light disappeared, leaving Cory’s eyes filled with purple after-images. He backed up again, afraid one of the zombies would reach him before his vision cleared. He blinked away tears and when he opened his eyes again, he was able to see.
The zombies were still the same distance away as before the flash of light.
“Whatever you did, do it again!” shouted Travers. “It stopped them in their tracks.”
John let loose another stream of Holy water, catching three of the Shades and turning them into balls of white light that illuminated the entire chamber.
“Take that, you bastards!” he shouted.
Seeing the effect of the Holy water, Cory didn’t waste any time. He shoved the pistol into his belt and pulled his own squirt gun, a slightly smaller model, out of his back pack. Stepping right to the edge of the pit, where dozens of Shades hovered over the dead, rotting bodies, he blasted one of the Shades into white fire. Nearby, Todd took out his water gun and began squirting as well.
“Mine doesn’t reach.”
“So let’s charge the mother fuckers!” Cory put action to words, stepping off the lip and into the pit, flashlight in one hand and squirt gun in the other. His feet slid and slipped as he waded through the rotten flesh but he kept his eyes on the Shades, aiming and shooting any time he got close to one. John joined him, waving his more powerful toy gun back and forth like a flamethrower. The Shades exploded and emitted light so frequently that flashlights were useless. Todd began his cleansing prayer again as he waded through, spraying Holy water and tossing Communion wafers onto the bodies and ground in an ever-widening circle.
Cory’s eyes burned from the constant bursts of light. He struggled to see through the colored spots that clouded his vision but he kept pulling the trigger. The sound of Travers’ gun - the shots less frequent, more spaced out - told him the Chief was still picking off zombies. At one point the sound changed and Cory wondered if his hearing was screwed up from all the loud noise or if Travers had switched guns.
Something dark appeared from Cory’s right side and he tried to bring his squirt rifle around but it was too late. Icy cold tendrils slithered over his arms and neck, freezing him in place.
Think positive thoughts! He tried but it was impossible with the alien visage of the Shade right in front of him. The lava-red eyes grew larger as the thing’s face drew closer. He clamped his lips shut and tried to turn his head but his neck refused to obey.
Then a supernova exploded in his brain. Everything turned pure white, a light so intense it actually sent arrows of pain through his skull, worse than any hangover he’d ever had. At the same time, the cold disappeared, replaced by a feeling of pure joy, a moment where he knew something better existed beyond this life.
The elation ended as quickly as it had come but it left Cory with a renewed sense of purpose. Blinking away tears, he opened his eyes and found himself on his back in the fetid remains of the dead bodies. Saw John standing next to him, still firing his squirt gun like a madman.
This ends now.
He climbed to his feet and stomped through the grisly graveyard towards the nearest Shades.
“I’m not afraid of you anymore!” he shouted. “You need to leave this place. You don’t belong here.” With each sentence, he sent more Holy water flying, aiming carefully each time. Then an idea came to him. He started repeating Todd’s prayer as he fired on the shadowy creatures.
“In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I bless this ground. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I—”
“Bless this ground!” John, a manic smile on his face, joined in. Together, they marched further into the pit, Shades exploding so often the cavern took on the appearance of a silent fireworks display. Travers’ random gunfire added thunder to the light show.
By the time they reached the other side, they were covered in gore and their voices were hoarse from shouting.
Not a single Shade remained.
“We did it!” Cory cried, gripping John’s shoulder.
“Not yet,” Todd said, coming up from behind them. “There might be other caverns to bless. We have to go all the way through to the old hospital to make sure.”
“Um, guys? Problem.” John pointed at the remaining zombies, who had started moving forward again.
“Not anymore. Watch our backs.” Cory moved back towards the center of the pit, raised his pistol, and shot one of the zombies in the head. Up on the ledge, Travers was shooting again as well, this time with a chrome-plated revolver.
Unlike before, the undead people no longer moved in unison or with any sign of intelligence in their actions. Cory found it almost too easy to pick them off one by one, and by the time his second clip ran out, there were no more on his side left standing.
“Are we ready to get this over and done with?” John lifted his squirt rifle and gestured towards the far tunnel.
“Wait. There’s something I need to do first.” Cory carefully made his way back to the edge of the pit, where Travers was taking aim at the last handful of zombies standing near the first tunnel’s entrance.
“Travers.”
“I heard. Go do what you have to do.”
“Can you get Marisol out of here?”
The Police Chief nodded. “As soon as I blow these fuckers to Hell, I’ll bring her to Town Hall. We’ll be waiting for you there.”
“Thank you.” Cory still didn’t like the man, was pretty sure Travers didn’t like him either, but he also knew they owed the Chief a debt they could never repay. Without him, they’d have ended up zombie food or worse. He hoped the Chief understood his gratitude was for more than just helping Marisol.
John tugged at his sleeve. “Let’s go. She’ll be fine.”
Cory wasn’t so sure. Marisol was curled up in the fetal position. She was either gasping for air or sobbing, he couldn’t tell. But he couldn’t stay. They had to put an end to the Shades or none of them would ever be fine.
As much as he hated doing it, Cory followed John and Todd across the pit to the other tunnel. He kept his pistol at the ready as they neared the entrance but no more zombies were waiting for them.
Then they were in darkness again, leaving Travers his lights and Marisol at the mercy of the creatures.
He prayed they were doing the right thing.
Chapter 9
Pain! The Horde felt itself breaking apart, each destruction a separate agony that all of them experienced.
Run! Attack! Hide! what do we do what do we do What do…. We go where? Attack which ones?
The confusion of thoughts jumped among them. With numbers too few to retain cohesiveness, the Horde devolved into individuals aga
in, many of whom let go of their anger and pain and finally allowed themselves to leave the darkness behind and move on. The others retreated back to where they’d been born, the places of the Dead and Tortured. Those inhabiting human shells tried to attack the human holding the gun but without the ability to think as One they found themselves unable to carry out any focused actions. Instead, bullets put an end to the semi-living bodies, releasing more of the Horde - which quickly joined their brethren in one form of escape or another.
All except one and that one made sure to keep itself hidden from the humans.
* * *
It took Cory, John and Todd less than two hours to make their way through the tunnel and the basement of the old hospital. Along the way, they stopped to consecrate two more mass graves.
Although they killed several handfuls of Shades, they saw no more zombies.
When they returned to the first cavern, Marisol and Travers were gone and all the zombies dead. They hurried back through the asylum’s basement and then headed to Gates of Heaven Cemetery, where Todd proceeded to cleanse and bless Grover Lillian’s crypt and the smaller mass grave beneath it.
“That should be the end of it,” Todd said, as the others helped him out of the tunnel. “God, I think I’ll go to bed and sleep for a week.”
For a moment none of them said anything, just stood and looked at each other. Cory wondered if the others were feeling the same mix of exhaustion, relief and sense of accomplishment as he was. They’d been through Hell together and they looked it. Dirt, spoiled body fluids and corpse slime covered them, mixing in with their own sweat to create a horrible mess. Their clothes were torn. Stinking pieces of flesh stuck to their hair and bodies. Eyes peered out from grime-covered faces, making the three of them look like coal miners emerging from a collapsed shaft.
Although he couldn’t tell because of the putrid odors still wafting up from the tunnel, Cory imagined they all smelled as bad - if not worse - than they looked.
Mirroring his thoughts, John said, “I need a shower. Followed by another shower.”
Cemetery Club Page 28
