Jeffrey McElyea's Zombie Compilation

by Jeffrey McElyea

  “I think it’s horrible. Doesn’t everybody?”

  “I just want to know your thoughts, Justin.”

  “People are dropping like flies, coming back from the dead and eating people. I’m scared and don’t know what I should do.”

  “We survive. I’m not ready to die, neither are you. Tomorrow, we’ll go to my parents’ house.”

  “Thanks for not killing me, Adam. I know you don’t trust me, but I swear my intentions are good.”

  “We’ll see.”

  5

  Afraid Justin would kill or rob him as he slept, Adam didn’t sleep that night. He wondered how many zombies roamed around outside the church. Justin woke up a few hours after Adam became sleepy.

  “Everything okay?” Justin asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “You didn’t sleep, did you?”

  “No.”

  “I know why.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m not going to betray you. You need to understand that. You should have slept. Now, you’ll have to travel while you’re exhausted.”

  “We need to head to my parents’ house. It’s a lot safer than anywhere else I can think of. My dad has lots of food, water, guns and more.”

  “Sounds like going there is a good idea.”

  “It is. What gear and supplies do you have?”

  “Not much. A few granola bars, some bottled tea and my baseball bat.”

  “How many people have you come across?”

  “A lot. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “How come?”

  “A lot of bad things happened.”

  “Like what?”

  “People held innocent people at gunpoint.”

  “What happened? When did this happen?”

  “Yesterday. I was working at the restaurant when it reached the city. Some thugs in the corner of the room must have been watching the news when people were finding out about it. They pulled out guns and held up the place. They stole all the money and food, packed it into their trucks and sped off.”

  “No one was shot?”

  “No. If it were not for them, I’d be somewhere else with all that food. Lots and lots of food.”

  “It might not have turned out the way you wanted. You don’t know how it would have turned out. If you had made a different choice, you may have been killed.”

  “You’re right. I guess we should get going.”

  “I guess so. Can’t stay in this church forever. Remember what I told you about being cautious.”

  “Let’s get it done, Adam. I’ve got your back.”

  They took down the barricade and quietly crept outside. No zombies or people could be seen from where they stood.

  “Where are they?” Justin asked.

  “Be quiet,” Adam said angrily. “Whisper.”

  “How come there aren’t any?”

  “I’m guessing it’s because most of them are in the middle of the city.”

  “So, we’re still heading to your parents’ house?”

  “Yeah. You better behave yourself when we get there.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  “If you don’t, I’ll kick you out.”

  “I understand, Adam.”

  “You better. I won’t put my family at risk.”

  “The faster we move, the better.”

  “Agreed. I’m so tired.”

  “You should have slept.”

  “Paranoia.”

  Hoping for the best, they swiftly yet carefully made their way down the road.

  6

  They were careful not to make too much noise. They walked around many wrecked cars. Many of the wrecked vehicles were filled with the undead. They writhed around in an attempt to reach their prey. Justin frowned at Adam. Adam gestured for his new companion to remain calm.

  A stray zombie was limping around a car when it saw them.

  “Take it out when it gets close enough, Justin. I’ll watch your back. The bat will be less noise than my revolver.”

  Justin was frightened but knew what had to be done. The fear from the encounter felt like ice flowing in his veins. His eyes watered with intense fear. When the zombie was within his reach, Justin swung the bat as hard as he could from right to left. The bat slammed hard into the zombie’s head. The undead creature fell to the ground and rustled about. It slowly made an attempt to get up and continue its attack. Justin gave a few downward swings. The zombie was subdued.

  “Let’s get away from this area,” Justin said shakily.

  Adam nodded as they continued down the road. They were astounded by the number of cars crowding the road.

  “How can so many vehicles crowd the road?” Justin whispered.

  “Most of them were probably trying to speed away. Others died by getting stuck between cars and getting eaten or bitten. Hopefully, we won’t have to deal with any more of them for the rest of the day.”

  As tired as he was, Adam stumbled a lot as he and Justin slowly headed towards their destination. An hour of walking passed before an exhausted Adam sat on the ground and pulled a bottle of water from his duffle bag.

  “We need to keep moving,” said Justin as he peered over and under cars from a distance.

  Afraid one of the dead would escape from its seatbelt, Justin didn’t get too close to the vehicles.

  “Hurry up, Adam. This is too crazy for me.”

  “Okay. We do need to keep moving.”

  “How far are we from your parents’ house?”

  “Less than a mile. We’ve walked a lot. I’m stressed and tired.”

  “You can’t stop now. This is too scary for me. Let’s go, okay?”

  “Okay. We’ll keep going. We need to hurry. The last thing I want to do is pass out from exhaustion.”

  “If you pass out, we’re probably done for. We’ll go faster.”

  Adam’s feet throbbed with each step as he and Justin neared his parents’ house. Sweat poured and legs ached. He felt like he was going to fall over, but pushed on. After another fifteen minutes of toiling, the two turned into a gated community.

  “Are we there?” Justin asked with hope in his voice.

  “Yeah. The house is inside the gates and up the hill a bit.”

  “The gate is locked.”

  “My brother is sixteen. He sneaks out of the house a lot. I think I know where and how he sneaks out. Follow me.”

  Justin followed Adam to a particular part of the brick wall behind the house. Inside the bulk of some bushes were boxes and junk. The makeshift set of stairs led them over the wall.

  “Very original,” Justin said with a smile.

  “He makes it hard on my parents. He’s quite the rebel. He can’t help it, though.”

  “Most teenagers are pretty crazy.”

  “You’re a teen.”

  “I never gave my aunt a hard time.”

  “What happened to your parents?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I have the key to get inside. Be careful. I hate to say it, but my family might have been infected.”

  They approached the front door. Adam quickly unlocked it. They walked inside to see Adam’s little brother. He immediately pointed his shotgun at Justin.

  “Who is he?”

  “His name’s Justin. Where are Mom and Dad, Eric?”

  “They came looking for you when it happened.”

  “So, they’re in the city?”

  “Yeah. Do you think they’ll come back?”

  “I don’t know.”

  7

  “I’m glad you’re okay, Adam. I tried telling Mom and Dad to stay here.”

  “You were right to do that. I can take care of myself. I need to sleep right now, little bro.”

  “Okay. You can sleep in Mom and Dad’s bed. I doubt they’ll be coming back.”

  “Don’t talk like that. They might be okay.”

  “I doubt it, but I’ll keep an open mind. There’s always a chance.”

  “I’m
going to lie down. Be careful around Justin. He seems like a nice guy but I don’t know him very well.”

  “Come on,” said Justin.

  “Fine. Be nice to my little brother.”

  “Chill, Adam. I’ll be nice.”

  Adam slept as Justin and Eric spent hours talking about the unimportant. Adam slept for several hours. When he awoke, Justin and Eric were sleeping.

  “Forgot to barricade the entrances,” Adam thought as he grabbed a chair.

  Adam placed chairs, tables and the refrigerator against the front door and a desk and hutch against the back door. He duct taped bed sheets over the windows. He found more useful items in the garage and den than he thought he would. He found lots of tools, guns and ammunition. He used a toolbox, couch and recliner to barricade the garage door. He found a radio, lots of freeze dried foods and bottled water in the laundry room. The food and water took up more than half the room.

  “This will last for a good while,” he thought. “Maybe we’ll have a chance after all.”

  He filled the bath tub and sinks with water. He then filled cups, mugs and pitchers. Justin and Eric awoke later that evening.

  “What are we going to do?” Eric asked.

  “We stay here and survive until this blows over,” Adam answered.

  “What if it doesn’t blow over?”

  “Then we survive for as long as we can. We may come across neighbors who are still alive and well in their homes.”

  “Will they want our stuff?”

  “Everyone will contribute.”

  “Really?”

  “They’ll contribute.”

  “Glad you see it my way.”

  “I don’t think we should let anyone else in. The only people we will associate with are the people of the neighborhood.”

  “I agree.”

  “We should build a wall around the house,” said Justin. “To protect us just in case if zombies somehow get in or people decide to go crazy on us.”

  “Justin and I are going to explore the rest of the community, Eric.”

  “Why can’t I come with you?”

  “You know how to use a gun, right?”

  “Yeah. I’ve been going shooting with Dad for a while now. I’m getting pretty good at it.”

  “Good. I’m going to leave the revolver and shotgun with you. I’m taking the assault rifle.”

  8

  “I don’t get a gun?” Justin asked.

  Adam walked to the den, retrieved a nine millimeter pistol and handed it to Justin.

  “It’s loaded.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Adam and Justin removed the front door’s barricade and walked to the house on their left.

  “Watch your back every now and then, Justin.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Not wanting to frighten any of the neighborhood’s residents, they lowered their weapons as they reached the house next door. Shortly after knocking, an old man answered the door with a pistol in his hand.

  “Don’t shoot,” Adam said quickly.

  “You’re Amanda’s other son, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Hurry up. Get inside.”

  The old man allowed them inside. They were led into the basement. Lots of supplies were stacked to the ceiling.

  “I figured there’d be another world war. Not something like this, though.”

  “It’s very real, sir.”

  “I know. Who’s your friend?”

  “This is Justin. I met him on my way here.”

  “Can he be trusted?”

  “Yes. I trust him. He’s been helpful.”

  “Good to hear. Do you young men need anything? Food or water?”

  “We’re alright for now, thank you.”

  “It’s just me and myself here. My wife didn’t make it. She died and became one of those things. I had to put her down.”

  “I’m sorry. I understand. You did what you had to.”

  “I still regret it. I feel like I was supposed to die with her.”

  “Things always have a way of working out. You don’t need to die, sir. You have us. We should be a team.”

  “Where are Amanda, William and Eric?”

  “Eric is home. Mom and Dad are in the city. I’m not sure if they’re okay. Time will tell. The phones and internet don’t work. The televisions play looped broadcasts. Right now, the United States is in a state of panic.”

  “I’m sure it’ll calm down when there are fewer people left.”

  “I just wonder how the virus spread so quickly.”

  “We might not ever know.”

  “We’re going to see if we can find some people from the neighborhood. Have you spoken with or seen anyone today?”

  “I don’t know if anyone else is here. I’ve just been grieving. The young man living in the house next door may be home. His car is still there.”

  “One more thing before we go, sir.”

  “What is it?”

  “Barricade your entrances. Those things might try to get in. Living people might try to as well. Just be wary. After we find out who is still alive, we’ll scout the area and start building defenses.”

  “Be careful.”

  “We will.”

  “Looks like we’re not the only ones alive,” Justin said as he and Adam walked out the front door.

  “There’s another zombie,” Adam said as he pointed a finger at the undead monster walking up the hill. “I’ve got it. I need to get used to killing them. Ready the pistol. I’ll take your bat. If I mess up, shoot it in the head.”

  “Okay.”

  Adam gripped the bat and slowly walked down the hill towards the zombie. Ready with a round in the chamber, Justin followed closely from the side. The zombie gurgled, gnashed its teeth and reached for Adam as it closed in. Adam landed a hard swing to the neck. After the zombie fell, he repeatedly swung down on the head until it stopped moving. To make sure the monster was destroyed, he swung some more.

  “Good job,” said Justin.

  “That was scary.”

  “Yeah. You’ll get used to it.”

  “You’ve fought more than one of these things?”

  “Yeah. A few back in the city. Some were blocking my way out.”

  “Let’s keep looking.”

  They checked the remaining six homes in hopes of finding more people. Not all residents were so lucky. Half were zombies and had to be put down. Those who were still alive agreed to join forces. It was up to Adam, Eric, Justin, Phil, Leslie, John and Sarah to take control of the situation.

  9

  The team checked their inventory. Food wasn’t a problem. Water wouldn’t be for a while.

  “We’ll be fine as long as the water doesn’t stop running,” said Phil.

  “You’re right,” Adam agreed. “I’m going to assume the water will eventually be shut off. The electricity will probably go at some point, too.”

  “What will we do if that happens?” Sarah asked.

  “We’ll have to do some scavenging,” Phil answered. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to place buckets and whatnot outside to collect rainwater.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me,” John said with a nod. “I’ve got the gate locked. How are we supposed to leave?”

  “Behind my place,” Eric said with a bit of guilt in his voice. “I made stairs in some bushes. We should probably reinforce the gate.”

  “We should stack furniture against it,” said Adam. “Parking vehicles in front of it would be smart, too.”

  The seven did the best they could to lock down the neighborhood. Cars, a truck, garbage cans and lots of furniture were placed in front of the gate. When one was not doing anything important, he or she would watch from atop one of the houses with binoculars. They were in a good position. On top of a big hill, they could see everything. Behind the neighborhood were thick woods that went on for at least one hundred yards.

  “I think it’s time for some of us to go to the gas station down
the road and see who or what we can find,” Justin suggested.

  “We should wait for most of the activity to die down,” Adam disagreed.

  “Well, I’m going. Does anyone else want to come with me?”

  “I’ll go with you,” John answered. “You’ll have a better chance that way.”

  “Thanks. Anyone else? Okay. The two of us are going. Wish us luck. I hope we find something.”

  “Good luck,” Adam said to them. “Be careful.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Justin said with a nod.

  “Don’t fire that pistol unless you have to. Shooting will make a lot of noise and attract people and those things. Take this knife.”

  “Thanks. We’ll be back before dark.”

  Justin and John headed to the gas station while everyone else strengthened their defenses. After finding what they could to form tall lines of debris, they felt they’d have a better chance if a firefight or zombie invasion occurred within the walls.

  Hours later, John and Justin returned.

  “How’d it go?” Eric asked.

  “We got nothing,” Justin answered.

  “Why nothing?”

  “We’re lucky to be alive. Eight people armed with knives told us to go back the way we came. There were too many of them. We got scared and came back.”

  “The next time we go out,” Adam explained, “Four people armed with firearms will go.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” said Phil.

  “We’ll be ready next time,” said John. “They outnumber us, but we have guns. They won’t stand a chance against four people wielding firearms.”

  “I believe you’re right, young man.”

  “I guess we’ll go out tomorrow,” said Adam.

  10

  Phil was an old man. Collected cars, took good care of his lawn and had a nice house. Adam believed he was a retired physician. It turned out he was right. He planted lots of food and vegetables. Potatoes, green beans, corn, pumpkins, watermelons, peas and squash filled the old man’s back yard.

  “You’ve got some good ideas,” Eric said to Phil.

  “There’s no way of knowing how long something like this can last.”

  “That’s true. How long will it be until the crops are ready?”

  “It’ll be a while before I can pick anything, but I’ve planted more than enough. I’ll plant more later. Once some time has passed, I’ll make sure we always have fruit and vegetables.”

  “That’s great. I just wish we had a good source of water besides the faucets.”