Indeadpendence Day

by Gregory, S. K.

  Jackson picked up a lone bottle of aspirin from a shelf.

  “This isn’t going to help us much,” he said.

  “I’ll check out the back,” I said. They may have missed something back there.

  I filled my bag with what was left, a few bottles of antibiotics and painkillers. There was a door off to the left. I opened it to check inside. A zombie appeared snapping its jaws at me.

  “Shit,” I said, forcing the door closed on it. It was a man wearing a white coat.

  Must be the pharmacist. He had been abandoned in here.

  Jackson and Anderson appeared, guns drawn.

  “What is it?” Jackson asked.

  “Lone zombie.”

  Anderson stepped towards the door.

  “Don’t waste a bullet. Let’s get out of here,” I said.

  It wasn’t as good a haul as I’d hoped. We would have to try the supermarkets too.

  As we got close to the door, we heard Cortez blast the horn.

  “Shit,” I said. Weapons drawn, we flanked the door. I took a look outside. Eight zombies were staggering around the parking lot.

  “Eight of them,” I said.

  “Let’s take them,” Anderson said.

  “Not so fast,” I said. I could already see Cortez turning back. He ploughed into the nearest zombie, crushing it under the tires. He wove around the parking lot, taking out each of them in turn. The ground was splattered with blood and gore.

  Finally he stopped in front of us. I could see him grinning like an idiot.

  We got back inside the truck.

  “You know that you are going to have to clean the truck when we get back,” I said.

  He shrugged, “Worth it.”

  Twenty

  Adam

  Where are they?

  They always come in around now to take blood from me, not that there's anything left to take. It's all dried up since my heart stopped beating. It didn't stop them from poking at me though. All the time I spent working for them, putting my life on the line and they turned me into a guinea pig. They should have just put a bullet in me in the beginning. It would have been a kindness.

  Now all I wanted to do was rip through them all. Anything to curb this anger and the hunger. It was a gnawing feeling in my gut that wouldn't go away.

  They fed me in the beginning, mostly to see how it affected me. It was animal flesh but it helped. A little. Now they were starving me to see what that did to me.

  I watched them in the last few weeks. Timing when they would arrive, how many there were, how I could take them out quickly and quietly. Basically all the skills that they taught me, I was using against them.

  The soldiers here were going to be the entrée. Gabe was the main course. I was going to take my time with him, keep him alive as long as possible.

  We were supposed to be partners. Brothers. We backed each other up in everything. I died and that fuck blamed me for his relationship issues. What the fuck? I was a walking corpse. He couldn't do the decent thing and end me?

  Rage coursed through me and I strained against the barbed wire. It didn’t hurt as it dug into my skin. Not like it did when I was alive. It was more of an itch than anything else. They didn't realise that. They didn't realise that I could pull my hands free.

  It was a long process and I lost half the skin on my hands doing it but I got them free. I stretched the wire so I could give them the illusion that I was still bound. They didn't let their guard down easily in here so I needed every advantage.

  I could almost taste their flesh in my mouth. Yes, I would feast on Gabe. As for Rachel, sweet, delicious Rachel. She would be dessert.

  Finally I heard them approaching the cell. I dropped my head and went still. I was getting good at playing dead.

  The door opened and two of them came in. I could smell body odour and coffee. My sense of smell had heightened to the extreme. I guess that answered the question of how zombies hunted.

  “Hurry up and get the sample, I don’t want to miss dinner or all the good food will be gone,” one of the men said.

  “I thought it was your turn to get the sample?” the other said.

  “No, it’s yours. Now hurry up.”

  The other one swore under his breath as he moved towards me. He was sure to check the restraints first, but he didn’t touch me. They avoided touching me as much as possible.

  I heard him fumble with the syringe.

  “This place give me the creeps,” said his partner.

  The one with the syringe muttered something unintelligible. I saw the needle from the corner of my eye.

  I moved fast and before he could react, I stabbed him in the throat with the needle. He made a choking noise and fell to his knees.

  “Bob?” the other one said. He ran forward and I leapt to my feet. My reactions weren’t what they used to be but they were still good enough. I lifted him by the throat.

  “Hope you don’t mind, but I’m starving,” I said, biting into his face. His screams echoed around the room.

  *

  Gabe

  It was the early hours of the morning when we arrived back on the road to the base. We had a half full truck from our trip. Enough to get us through the next few weeks at least.

  Cortez slowed the truck down and I hopped out.

  “Look we’ll delay as long as we can, but get back asap or the general may not let you back in,” he said.

  “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

  When the truck drove away, I headed into the trees. There was no sign of her on the road or the town when we passed through it, so she must be in the woods. There could be caves or old cabins nearby that she could be sheltering in.

  As tempted as I was to call out to her, I didn’t want to risk attracting unnecessary attention. I kept my gun at the ready.

  Twenty minutes later I spotted something lying on the ground up ahead. It looked like Rachel’s jacket.

  “Fuck,” I said, racing towards it.

  “Rach,” I called.

  I stopped running when I realised there was a body.

  “Oh, God, no,” I cried. The jacket was covering the face. I reached out and snagged it, pulling it away.

  It was a man. It wasn’t her. The jacket was also two sizes too big to be hers. For a moment though, I was sure it was hers.

  This guy had been shot in the head, but he didn’t appear to have turned. I noticed more wounds across his body. He had been injured and someone had shot him in the head.

  Rachel? I really didn’t know. I had to find her.

  Twenty One

  Rachel

  “I've told you, I can't help you get what you want,” I said.

  My cheek stung from the slap she’d given me. At least she’d put down the poker. She had questioned me for hours about the base, the soldiers and what kind of security they had.

  I couldn’t even answer half her questions.

  “The base has food and weapons, I'm sure they would be willing to sacrifice some of it in return for you.”

  I laughed bitterly, “Trust me they wouldn't. You picked the wrong girl. Why do you think I'm out here? They booted me out.”

  She leaned in close almost choking me with her rancid breath, “If you're no use to me, then there's no reason to keep you around, is there?”

  “Just let me go,” I said.

  Jeb returned, “Ma, there's someone moving around out there,” he said.

  “A walker?” she asked.

  He shook his head, “Too stealthy. A soldier maybe.”

  Gabe? It had to be him. He actually came for me, even after I was such a bitch to him.

  Jeb armed himself and headed outside. The woman locked the door behind him and positioned herself behind me. She pressed a knife to my throat.

  “Make a sound and I'll slit your throat,” she hissed.

  A scream of pain ripped through the air from Jeb. The woman hurried to the window to look outside.

  “Help, I'm in here,” I screamed.r />
  “Shut up,” she growled. She grabbed a filthy looking rag and shoved it into my mouth.

  The door was kicked open and Gabe appeared in the doorway. He levelled his gun at the woman who already had the knife on me again.

  Gabe’s eyes flicked to me then back to the woman, “Let her go, now.”

  His voice was calm but I could tell he was pissed off.

  “Come any closer and she's dead.” She was crouched behind me out of the line of fire.

  “I can still take you out,” Gabe said.

  The woman lifted a small black box in the air, “I'm not stupid. The chairs wired. I can blow her to pieces before you can pull the trigger.”

  “What do you want?” Gabe asked.

  “What did you do to my son?” she snapped.

  “He’s taking a nap for now. What do you want?”

  “Food and ammunition from the base.”

  “I can't do that.”

  “Then she's dead,” the woman said, her finger on the button.

  “I don't have the authority and they would never let me remove anything from the base. I have some supplies in my backpack,” he said, tossing it into the room.

  “It's not enough!” she screeched.

  She ripped the rag out of my mouth, “Tell him,” she said.

  “Gabe please, she's crazy,” I cried.

  “What guarantee do I have that you'll let her go?” he said.

  “Bring the supplies and me and my son will leave. The detonator only has a certain range.”

  I saw Gabe’s trigger finger twitch, he wanted to shoot her, but I wasn't getting blown up because he couldn't control his temper.

  “Gabe, do as she says, please.”

  Finally, he lowered the gun, “Fine, I'll get what you want, but if you do anything to her…”

  “Get moving, G.I. Joe,” she said.

  “I'll be back,” he said to me.

  He left the cabin.

  *

  Gabe

  How the fuck was I going to get food from the base? They would never let me leave with it. I considered doubling back and taking the woman by surprise. For all I knew she could be bluffing about the bomb.

  Could I risk it though? Rachel looked terrified and I could see bruises on her. The woman was willing to hurt her.

  All I could do was try and get something from the base. Enough to placate her so she would let Rachel go.

  As I made my way back to the road, I became aware of the fact that someone was watching me. I slowed down, trying to judge where he was.

  A flash from the right made me jump back, but not far enough as someone barrelled into me. Right before my head struck the ground, I saw that it was Adam. He was out.

  Twenty Two

  Adam

  I stared down at Gabe’s unconscious form. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. I finally had the upper hand with him. But somehow killing him like this seemed anticlimactic.

  Why kill him when I could torture him for a bit first? And I knew exactly how. Rachel was close by. I could smell her.

  There was a light up ahead in a cabin. As I headed towards it, a skinny guy staggered from the trees rubbing his head. There was a huge welt on it.

  I grabbed him by the throat. He let out a gasp, his eyes going wide when he saw me up close.

  “Come with me,” I said.

  I entered the cabin with the guy ahead of me, my hand on his throat.

  “What is this? Who are you?” A woman screeched.

  I hurled the guy at her. They collided and both went down.

  Rachel was tied to a chair. As I came towards her, her eyes widened in horror, “Adam? Oh, God,” she whispered.

  “Rachel,” I smiled. I forgot how beautiful she was. She recoiled from me and I had to remind myself what I must look like to her. I started untying her hands.

  She was sobbing now. I felt almost guilty, which surprised me. I thought those feelings were gone. The anger was as emotional as I got lately.

  I kneeled down beside the chair, “Don’t be frightened. It's still me.”

  “You died,” she sobbed.

  “Yes, but I didn't stay dead. They gave me some of your blood on the ship. This is what happened.”

  I reached my hand out towards her face, she jerked away. I finished untying her hands.

  There was a moan from behind me. The woman was crawling across the floor towards what looked like a detonator. I kicked her in the face before she could reach it.

  The guy got up and with a cry of rage, ran at me with a knife.

  I caught his wrist and snapped it. He howled in pain. I ripped his throat out before he could do anything else. His body dropped to the ground.

  The anger threatened to overwhelm me, then I looked over at Rachel and felt it subside. What was going on? I was supposed to kill her.

  “We’re leaving,” I said, taking Rachel's arm. I dragged her out of the cabin.

  *

  Gabe

  I woke up on the ground, surprised I was still alive. Adam had disappeared. Stumbling to my feet, I ran back to the cabin.

  Rachel was gone and the guy was dead. I hurried over to the woman who was wheezing on the floor. It sounded like she had a punctured lung. Her eyes widened in fear as I approached her.

  “Where is she?” I asked.

  “That thing took her.”

  Shit. Why take her? Why not kill her?

  I searched the cabin for any weapons, uncovering a rifle and a handgun. I knocked over the chair on my way out. Underneath it was a small brick of C4. Detaching the wires, I packed it into my backpack. You never knew when it could come in handy.

  I left the woman where she was and went out after Rachel. I didn’t know how long I’d been out, but he couldn’t have that much of a head start.

  If he took Rachel then he was probably trying to lure me out. Fuck, I should have killed him when I had the chance.

  There were footprints leading west. I followed them.

  Twenty Three

  Rachel

  This can't be happening. How can Adam be a zombie and still be able to talk? I thought the cure was supposed to fix zombies.

  His skin looked green and he smelled terrible. Did Gabe know about him? He couldn't have. Surely he wouldn't leave him like this.

  “Keep moving,” Adam ordered.

  “I can't. Please just stop for a minute.”

  We had been walking through the woods for ages.

  Sighing, he stopped walking and released my arm. I clutched it to me, rubbing at the skin where he gripped me. We were standing near a cliff top overlooking a river below. There was at least a hundred foot drop.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked.

  “I just saved you from those nut jobs.”

  “Why?” I asked. And what made him any better?

  “I thought about killing you. But when I saw you like that, I couldn't do it. I didn’t think I could feel anything anymore. Not since this happened.”

  “What’s it like?” I asked.

  “I’m decaying. Falling apart and I can feel it. And I’m so hungry all the time. I don’t want to hurt you Rachel. I can control this. I think you can help me.”

  “What can I do?” I asked.

  “Try and keep me human until I can figure out a way to fix this.”

  “Adam, you can’t fix what’s wrong with you. It’s impossible.”

  “Then what am I supposed to do!” he screamed, “Give in? Because if I give into this, I’ll be just like them.”

  “I’m sorry for what happened to you. I really am. But I can’t help you.”

  I backed away. He grabbed me by the hair and yanked my head back.

  “You’re just like him. Both of you turning your back on me. Oh, but I forgot. You and Gabe are married now. You forgot about me. I’m just a science experiment now.”

  “Please let go,” I begged. “I didn’t forget about you, I thought you were dead. If I could help you I would.”

&n
bsp; He pressed his forehead against my cheek and sighed, “You’re right. They can’t fix me. But you can still help me.”

  “How?” I whimpered.

  “I’m starving. I’m going to leave what’s left for Gabe to find. That’ll teach him not to turn his back on me.”

  “Adam, no!” I cried.

  He threw me onto the ground.

  “Adam!” Gabe came running out of the trees and tackled him.

  I scrambled out of the way as they grappled with each other. Gabe drove his fist into Adam’s face, then kicked him in the gut. The blows didn’t seem to have the effect they should have.

  Adam head butted Gabe, who staggered back towards the cliff edge.

  “Gabe!” I screamed.

  Adam went for him. At the last second, Gabe grabbed Adam and spun. Adam flew off the side of the cliff and plummeted to the ground below.

  Twenty Four

  Gabe

  I sat back from the edge, breathing hard. Rachel was huddled on the ground.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  Sniffing loudly, she nodded, “Who did that to him?” she asked.

  “The doctor on the boat. He was taken to the base.”

  “He was there the whole time? You knew about him.”

  “They needed to test the antidote. No one knew that would happen.”

  “And is that their solution? To make everyone into a creature like him? A zombie with a conscious? That's the worst possible torture.”

  It was a question I'd asked myself more than once. If that was their endgame.

  “I don't know what they plan to do. I assume if a person is injected then they won't turn when bitten.”

  “They can still get eaten. They didn't find a cure, they made a more efficient zombie!” She was shaking with rage and fear.

  I got to my feet.

  “We need to get back to the base.”

  “They don't want me there, remember?” She said.