The Early Days Trilogy: The Necrose Series Books 1-3

by Tim Moon

  79

  Zombies barred their access to the emergency room while others blocked their access to the van. The pressure for them to escape became palpable. Ben and Anuhea seemed to draw closer together, huddling in front of the map.

  “Let’s go this way, so we don’t have to pass by the ER,” Anuhea said, pointing to the same exit Ben had been eyeing.

  “Yeah,” Ben said. “Just let me move the meds first.”

  He grabbed the box and rushed to the side of the front door, careful to stay out of sight. Placing the medicine on the floor, he had to freeze in place and wait a few seconds for a pair of infected to stagger out of view before rushing back to Anuhea. Then they hurried towards the exit.

  “This way,” she said.

  Ben followed, holding his rifle as they jogged. Anuhea did the same. They could still come across more infected. In fact, if the back of the hospital had infected too, they’d be surrounded, which at this point, wouldn’t be a surprise. He didn’t savor the idea of having to fight their way out. Not with so many infected in front.

  The darkened halls were cut straight out of a survival horror video game. Dark shadows were interspersed with light at various points in the distance from intersecting hallways and the meager sunlight that windows allowed in. His pulse throbbed in his neck, rushing in his ears as they raced to get to the exit before any infected could corner them.

  Anuhea had to slow down once the hall got too dark. Bodies littered the floor in various places. One infected boy still lay strapped to a gurney. His head lifted as they approached. He snapped his teeth at them. Anuhea and Ben edged their way along the way, staying far out of reach.

  They entered a pitch-black hall and eventually they realized it was a wrong turn and had to backtrack. A few minutes later, Anuhea pointed to an unlit exit sign. They ran down another long, plain hallway. A body lay on the floor. Ben aimed at it, but it didn’t stir. Anuhea pressed herself close to the opposite wall as they hurried past it.

  The normally dull light of a cloudy winter day nearly blinded Ben as they reached the end of the hall. He grabbed Anuhea’s arm, holding her back from rushing outside.

  “Let your eyes adjust,” Ben said. He didn’t want to run into unknown terrain half-blind. Infected could be around any corner.

  Anuhea pulled her arm free but waited, both catching their breath from the tense scramble.

  When his eyes had adjusted, Ben hesitated. “Look.”

  He pointed to a sign on the door marking it as an emergency exit. It also said an alarm would sound if they opened it.

  Anuhea’s lips tightened into a frown. “Do you think it works with no electricity?”

  “I don’t know, but if it goes off, it might actually help us.”

  “It’ll attract them for us,” she said.

  “Ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “Is it clear out there?” he asked. Feeling antsy, he glanced down the hall in the direction they’d come from. Faint growls and moans reached them. No immediate danger though.

  Anuhea went to the door, put her hand on the push-bar and opened it. Nothing happened. She glanced back at Ben who shrugged. She opened the door further and stuck her head out. Ben could feel the cool breeze wash over his face. A few seconds stretched by before she ducked in.

  “All clear,” she said.

  Ben followed her outside. It was clear just as she’d said. He pushed the door all the way open. It clicked into place and stayed open when he let go.

  Just in case we need to run back, he thought.

  The air was damp and cold. Perfect weather for snow. A breeze swept through, pushing around a noisy plastic bag. The area was a gap between the building’s wings. On one side was a sidewalk that led straight to the edge of the building and the main driveway. The other side had two large machines behind a chain-link fence and a small parking area. Only two cars remained. The hospital’s blue logo adorned the front door of a sedan and a pickup truck with yellow lights on top.

  Anuhea had already moved towards the edge of the building while he looked around. He ran to catch up. The front of the building was to their left while they’d be running the other way.

  When they got to the edge of the building, they slowed to a stop. Ben glanced over his shoulder to make sure the ER zombies hadn’t followed. Adrenalin coursed through his body. In a few minutes, they’d have a hundred zombies on their ass.

  Anuhea looked around the corner. Ben stuck his head out too and saw a few zombies in the parking lot.

  “We should go closer to the front to get their attention,” he said.

  “Yeah,” she said, pushing away from the wall and walking down the driveway with her rifle raised.

  A lone zombie stumbled around a corner just fifty feet away. Anuhea stopped. Ben heard her release a breath and then she shot. The round hit the zombie in the chest knocking it back a step. She squeezed off another round and this time the zombie fell backwards.

  The undead mob came to life with a chorus of groans.

  “Sounds like that worked,” Ben said, deadpan.

  Anuhea ran forward and waved her arms, holding her rifle in one hand. “Hey, over here. Come and get us you bastards!”

  Six more infected stomped towards them. Ben looked at the opened exit door again, but there was still no sign of the others. Their escape route was clear too.

  Satisfied, Ben faced the incoming zombies and ended two with three shots. Anuhea took down another one. The fallen body tripped the two infected behind it and like the old man zombie they had seen earlier, it was lost under the mob. More and more zombies trudged after them, eager for fresh meat.

  “We have their attention. Let’s fall back,” Ben said. “Keep an eye out for fast movers.”

  Anuhea nodded and jogged beside him towards the back of the hospital. They stopped halfway back to wait for them. The torn, ravaged and infected bodies soon filled the small road, corralled by the building and a thick row of hedges.

  Nervous energy rushed through Ben even though he knew he wasn’t in immediate danger. He squeezed off a few hasty rounds, ending one zombie, but generally just making sure the crowd followed them away from the front entrance. It looked like it was working.

  “Okay, let’s move,” he said.

  Anuhea turned and began to jog towards the back of the hospital. As they ran, a zombie lurched out of the hedges. Anuhea dodged to the side. Ben ran and smashed into it with his rifle raised sideways. The AR-15’s top rail and upper receiver smashed into the face of the infected. Teeth crunched, and its nose bent sideways. The force of the blow knocked the infected backwards.

  “Are you okay?” Anuhea asked.

  “Yeah, I’m good. You?”

  “It didn’t touch me.”

  Ben stomped hard on the back of its neck for good measure. The body stiffened and then went slack. It stopped moving so he stepped away and motioned for them to go.

  They ran to the back of the hospital without incident, hugging the building to stay away from the hedges. When they stopped to catch their breath, and turned around, it was clear that they had succeeded in drawing away the bulk of the crowd. With the horde far enough down the small road that circumnavigated the hospital, the main horde wouldn’t be able to reach them even if they had to shoot their way to the van.

  “I gotta catch my breath,” Ben said, bending over to put his hand on his knee. His rifle was in his other hand. He gestured at the infected. “Looks like the plan worked.”

  Anuhea nodded as she caught her breath. “Thanks for watching out for me back there. Again.”

  Ben waved away the thanks. “You’ve done the same. Let’s keep moving.”

  80

  Running around the hospital was more arduous than Ben had anticipated. They passed another parking area with a few zombies that they dodged past. A legless zombie crawled out of the bushes near the ER doors; a sight that Ben knew would haunt his dreams.

  The plan worked though. All the infec
ted had cleared out by the time they reached the front. Several crows swopped overhead and cawed loudly.

  “Meds,” Anuhea said.

  Ben held a finger up as he took deep breaths.

  “Watch my back,” he said.

  “Sure.”

  He dashed inside for the crate of medicine and returned a few seconds later. After loading it in the back, he ran to the driver’s side and climbed in.

  They drove away a minute later, tires squealing as they turned onto Mill Plain. Ben dodged random infected in the road that must have been drawn by the gunshots. A weight seemed to lift from Ben’s shoulders as they left the hospital in the rearview.

  “Do you still want to hit up the BigMart?” he asked, relaxing into his seat.

  Anuhea nodded. “I think we need to.”

  He groaned. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “Don’t be scared, Ben. I’ve got your back.” Anuhea winked at him.

  Ben chuckled and grinned. “Thanks.”

  Anuhea lifted her rifle to the window as he slowly wound through the abandoned cars.

  “Not too long ago, all these cars would have been rushing about. People picking up turkey for Thanksgiving or presents for Christmas,” Ben said with a wave of his hand at the vehicles. “Someday we’ll have to get out here and move these.”

  “What do you miss the most?” she asked.

  “Good food and not having to constantly watch my back. You?”

  “Surfing with my friends and hanging out on a warm, sunny beach,” she said with a sad smile. “And yeah, good food.”

  Ben turned off at the next intersection, passing by a gas station before he turned into the parking lot of an oil change and tire store. BigMart sat back behind the buildings but this way they could get a better look at the situation before venturing closer. As he cut through to the main BigMart parking area, movement made him stop the van.

  “Do you see that?” Ben asked.

  Anuhea grunted and watched intently through the window.

  Everything was just as bleak and depressing as it had been the whole day. Every damned place they went there was going to be a problem. Ben saw one zombie shuffle out of the store’s shattered front doors while at least ten others wandered the parking lot. Getting to the front door could be a little risky, even if there weren’t more infected in the building.

  The cost of trying to survive in the city, Ben thought.

  Not wanting to get the vehicle trapped in the lot, he turned right past a pawn shop and turned onto NE 106th Ave, facing Mill Plain. Fast food joints flanked the tiny road that was more like a driveway, Jack in the Box on one side and Arby’s on the other.

  “What I wouldn’t give for a juicy roast beef sandwich.”

  “Don’t think about it,” Anuhea said. “It’s just torture.”

  The sky darkened as they climbed out. Thick, gray clouds blanketed the sun making the mood even more depressing. Ben led Anuhea over to a row of bushes and they took stock of the situation.

  “I count fourteen infected,” he said.

  “And that doesn’t count any that are sitting on the ground or leaning against the car and not moving,” Anuhea said. “Are you still game?”

  Ben smirked at her. “We can get past most of them without a fight. Coming back out with our loot might be a problem though. If we have no choice, we’ll just off them quietly so the others don’t surround us.”

  “How?” Anuhea held her hands up. “I don’t have a knife. Do you?”

  “Of course,” he said. He reached into his pocket, but it was empty. He patted down his pockets and slowly shook his head. “Shit, I must have set it down at the pharmacy. Sorry.”

  Looking around, he considered the fast food places but dismissed them. The best thing they’d have is a mop handle or the metal spatula for flipping burgers. What about the tire shop and oil change place? At the very least the tire place would have wrenches and possibly a crowbar. Then Ben’s eyes locked on the pawn shop.

  He pointed. “Right there. That’s where we get our stealth weapons.”

  Anuhea tested the front door of the shop and to Ben’s amazement it was open. Two men were dead on the floor. Both appeared to be employees. They detoured around the bodies and tried not to breath too deeply.

  However, it paid off because they had all kinds of great stuff. Anuhea took a wooden baseball bat signed by someone neither of them had heard of, while Ben opted for a golf putter. It was long and heavy enough to do wicked damage. He couldn’t play golf for shit, but he could hit zombies.

  They also scavenged a shotgun from behind the counter plus a few boxes of 10-gauge shells, a nice addition to their armory back home. Ben spotted a sweet Nintendo Entertainment System and two stacks of games that made him relive his childhood for a few seconds.

  “If we had electricity, I’d take all of that in a minute.”

  “We used to have that track and field game with the pad thing-”

  “The Power Pad,” Ben said, lighting up at the memory.

  “All the neighborhood kids would come over to play,” Anuhea said. Her voice turned dreamy. “Good times.”

  Ben checked for a Gameboy or another handheld system, since batteries were easy enough to find, but struck out. A video game caught his eye. No, not one game but three games sitting together on the display. Had the owner heard about the outbreak and thought hey, The Last of Us, Left4Dead, and Lollipop Chainsaw are really going to make a comeback?

  “You know, the zombie apocalypse isn’t as cool as games and movies made it out to be,” Ben said.

  “It seemed cool to you?” she asked in a skeptical tone.

  “Well, yeah, in a way,” Ben said, feeling sheepish.

  “Men,” Anuhea said with a grunt of disgust. She shrugged and went back to searching for useful gear.

  Ben frowned and continued his search of the pawn shop. Shelves and display cases were filled with things that were basically useless these days, such as jewelry, TVs, surround sound speakers, and power tools. Cameras and cell phones filled a case next to shelves filled with DVD and Blu-Ray movies that took up most of one wall. There was even a modest selection of CDs and vinyl records.

  The gun collection was nice, so he selected a few more from there to go along with the shotgun. Next to the pistols was a broad selection of knives. Anuhea saw the Bowie knives and looked at Ben. He nodded. Together they began to carry the weapons and ammo to the van.

  “Do you think anyone will be inside?” Ben asked. “I have a can of soup that says there’s at least one survivor inside BigMart.”

  “I didn’t know you were a gambler,” she said. “Let’s make it two cans of soup.”

  “You’re on.”

  With sheathed Bowie knives on their belts, rifles across their backs and melee weapons in their hands, Ben and Anuhea began the trek across the parking lot to BigMart. They walked in a low crouch to stay out of sight and took cover behind cars to avoid being spotted by roamers, or to rest. Ben didn’t know how it was for Anuhea but hunching over was killing his back.

  “You go first since you’re faster,” Ben said, peering over the hood of a car. “Once you’re there, I’ll follow.”

  She took a big breath and prepared herself.

  None of the zombies were an immediate threat at that point. They could easily outrun them back to the van. Assuming none of them were sprinters. Being spotted would complicate their raid and it would mean fighting, which Ben intended to avoid.

  A slight chance still existed that a group could be hiding inside BigMart. They knew it was a risk, but it was one they were both willing to take. BigMart was a gold mine, the apocalyptic version of the Powerball jackpot. And if they could get past the infected, it was theirs for the taking.

  “Here goes nothing,” she said just before she dashed away from the car with her baseball bat in hand and Bowing knife slapping softly against her hip.

  Ben alternated between watching her and checking on the infected. Everything looked
good so far and she was already halfway to the next set of vehicles. One of the zombies facing their direction twitched, and then turned sideways and shuffled away on an endless circuit.

  Anuhea ducked and knelt behind the car. Ben let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as relief flooded over him. She waved at him to join her.

  Ben took a deep breath, eyeing the twitchy biter wearily, and was just about to stand when a creaking sound and a shattering window made him flinch back. Chunks of safety glass bounced across the concrete and dead groaned in anticipation of new prey. Talk about shit timing. He nearly pissed his pants.

  Ben took a knee and looked at the building. He saw Anuhea glance back at him with wide eyes. He pointed two fingers at his eyes and then pointed them towards the building, indicating that she should keep an eye out. Whatever was happening was far more important. With a nod, she turned and watched.

  The infected were already moving towards the noise. Their target seemed to be somewhere inside BigMart’s main doors. A shout echoed from the darkness and then six people burst from the building. A jolt of energy hit Ben.

  He ran over to Anuhea. No one was going to notice him at the back of the parking lot with that kind of racket. Stopping beside her, he leaned against the car to catch his breath.

  “Shit,” she hissed. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry,” he said with a grin. “Looks like you owe me some soup.”

  “Shut up.”

  They watched the scene unfold before them. A tiny voice in his head urged him to help. He wanted to kill the undead. It was the only way to secure their future. That’s what it came down to now, the living versus the dead.

  But another voice also spoke up. The other voice was thrilled the people were there. It was the perfect distraction. Live bait to lure the infected away from BigMart and make it easier for them get the stuff they needed. After all, Ben had his own group to worry about.

  Anuhea glanced at him.

  It was like she read his thoughts. Ben furrowed his brow and he shook his head emphatically.