Wake the Dead 2 (Wake The Dead Series)

by Vanucci, Gary F.

  “Let’s call that plan B,” Nick interjected, not liking the idea very much.

  A few conversations began at the table as the gathered associates discussed the pros and cons. Alex and Nick allowed them to continue their private discussions for a few moments until finally, they quieted on their own.

  “There are two sides that are not finished, so we need to dig out both, right? Bryan asked suddenly.

  “I don’t think so. Based on what I'm seeing, if we do the side on the northwest, we shouldn’t need to do the other. That side is slightly thicker, but if we get the water surging through it, I believe that alone will be too much for the other side to withstand and it’ll collapse once the water hits it. That’ll complete the circle and the moat will be whole,” Alex explained thoroughly. “But, the great thing is, is it doesn’t matter. Once we have a way out to the river from one side or the other, it makes no difference,” he said matter-of-factly. Bryan nodded and grinned, giving him a ‘thumbs up’.

  “I’d feel safer if, during the digging, I hooked everyone up to a secure post on the surface here,” Kelly said with a half-smile. “If we do that, I'm in.”

  The rest of the group agreed unanimously.

  “So, the plan is, we set up a post in the ground with some of the lumber lying around here, tie a few sections of rope to the post, and tie that around anyone that’s working in the trench,” Kelly said, explaining his idea. “All I need to do is get that post in the ground and secured, and then we can start digging.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll help get that started before I start helping with the digging. And I assume we have a ladder here?” Alex asked, scooping a handful of dried cereal into his mouth. Kelly nodded and Selina stared at him and smiled, particularly happy that his plan was being utilized.

  The group went immediately to work, gathering the supplies they would need to begin digging in the trench below. They set up the ladder to climb into and out of the trench, steadied against the castle side.

  Alex followed Kelly to an agreed-upon spot above the trench on the outer walkway where they would begin their work of securing a post. Once they stabilized the post, they would tie rope to it as well as around the waist of those working in the trench in case something happened. Alex and Kelly discussed this at length as they worked, agreeing that it was a precautionary measure as they dug further into the ground that separated the trench from the river. As the earth weakened around that area, the trench might unexpectedly fill with water and anyone below would get caught in the current of onrushing water and possibly drown.

  “Once we get the post in, I’ll start plans on a makeshift flotation device,” Kelly explained, jamming the tip of a shovel into the ground.

  “A boat, you mean? ‘Flotation device!’” Alex echoed mockingly, laughing at Kelly’s attempt at using formal diction. “How many shovels we got?”

  “A half dozen at least. We’ve stocked up on tools and supplies whenever we could. That was the first thing Nick had us get from the SuperMart.”

  “Makes sense. Food and tools. And fuel, eh?”

  “Yeah, we’ll need more fuel for sure now. Especially before winter hits,” Kelly explained with a grunt, continuing to dig away the earth.

  “Once we get this done, I’ll start getting the supplies together for the bombs,” Alex mentioned, pulling on a pair of gloves.

  “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Kelly said with a wink. “Nick has some dynamite that he’s been saving up.”

  “Well, if we can use them in this case, I’ll only have to make one bomb to set the dynamite off,” Alex said with a wry grin stamped upon his face. “Think he’ll be okay with that?”

  “No idea. Best to ask him when we finish this up.”

  The two men quickly had the hole dug, using a post-hole digger, and the post was buried in the ground within the hour. Alex excused himself and headed into the castle to find Nick. He ran past the Great Hall, the only room other than the bathroom that he had seen, and continued down the halls calling his name.

  At the back end of the castle at the very end was another open area, which was where Alex found Nick. He was by himself, pacing back and forth with his arms behind his back in a contemplative way. He clearly had a lot on his mind.

  “Penny for your thoughts?”

  “Well, a penny has even less value than it did before the world went to hell. But, if you must know, I’m concerned about making it through another winter with these undead monstrosities roaming about.”

  “You mean in the condition they’re in, right? Fast and scary as shit, like they were in the beginning?”

  “Yes sir,” Nick admitted. “That does not improve humanity’s chances at surviving this thing.”

  “I thought you were ‘Mr. Positive’?” he asked, using air quotes.

  “I am. Don’t mistake my concern for negativity. It’s just worry. These…friends look to me to make the decisions and I gotta say…it’s getting’ old. Just between you and me, all right? I’ll do it as long as I am able,” he said frankly, which took Alex off guard. He never would have expected this from the man, but he was human after all.

  “Well, I wanted to ask if I could make use of those dynamite sticks you have. It will save us weeks of digging and, more importantly, will keep everyone safe. I don’t think we want anyone in that trench when the levee breaks.”

  “I disagree. Don’t you think using dynamite there would be more dangerous? We don’t know how it will work and more importantly, if it will do the trick.”

  “It was just a thought and I figured it might save us some time digging. The explosion could go outward…,” Alex paused moment and considered that the dynamite would take the path of least resistance. ”Or it could do nothing at all.”

  “Sounds like a definite maybe, eh? All I know is, is that these people are counting on me.”

  “Heavy is the head that wears the crown, right?” Alex asked jokingly, placing a hand on Nick’s shoulder in a strange role-reversal. It felt quite odd to him. Nick must have sensed it and gave him a deadpan glance.

  “So, you’re needin’ supplies to make a firebomb that’ll set the whole thing off, right? Whaddaya need? And keep in mind that I am only entertaining this as a last resort.”

  “Gotcha. Well, let’s see what we have to work with?” Alex asked him. Lead the way.” Nick headed off through the halls of the castle into a room with one window high up on the far wall, but it through a ton of light into the room. It was a huge space with things stacked up in piles. One side of the room had canned goods and edibles, and the other side had chemicals, and paper products.

  “You guys can live for a year on this, right?” Alex asked excitedly, his voice echoing in the expansive chamber.

  “It might be enough, yeah. Some of it we found in various food kiosks in the fairgrounds, and more was stored to feed the guys working here. But, most of it we got on supply runs at the grocery store and the SuperMart, and various other places around on the highways out there. Ya know, stuff we’ve gathered along the way.”

  “Yeah, Phil used to work at that grocery store he said, right?”

  “Yep. Ollie’s…or Sallie’s or something like that,” Nick said, waving his hand, gesturing for Alex to take a look at the supplies.

  It wasn’t long before Alex found a few items that might be useful to make a homemade explosive. And then, another thought dawned on him.

  “Nick, if we dig a hole deep enough into whatever is left, we can set the sticks of dynamite in the hole and just drop a firebomb down there to light ‘em up,” Alex said, talking his way through the problem. “That might be less dangerous and even easier to make.”

  “How deep a hole?”

  “”Halfway, I’d say,” Alex said, rubbing the stubble on his chin and realizing that Selina might want him to shave again soon. He chuckled as that foreign thought entered his mind at that particular moment. Nick thankfully ignored it as he too was deep in thought.

  “Molotov cocktail?�
� Alex nodded.

  “We need gasoline, motor oil, a bottle and a rag. Pretty easy stuff. We do have some gasoline leftover, right?”

  “Yep. A pair of two-gallon cans was left behind, just in case. Thankfully, the generator is full and we really haven’t been using it all that much.”

  “Yeah, it’s been staying light out pretty late, eh?”

  “Sure, and it hasn’t been cold,” Nick mentioned and then he stood right in front of Alex to make sure he had his attention before speaking again. “Just a thought…it’s a bit reckless to just drop a firebomb into a hole full of dynamite. Might wanna rethink the execution. Or not do it at all.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” Alex said. “You’re probably right, though.”

  “Okay then. I’ve got maybe a dozen sticks in my room in a safe. I wanted to keep them out of reach and dry in case we needed them,” Nick explained. “It’s good to be prepared, right?”

  “Sure…hey, they must have had construction crews with vehicles here to do the digging and whatnot. “

  “There were cranes and bulldozers and whatnot initially, but they are parked way on the opposite side of the parking lot. We found them a while back,, but none of ‘em start or turn over. Kelly worked on the crane engine for weeks, but couldn’t get it to go.”

  “Great. I know how to work ‘em, and I know a little about the engines, so I can take a look—“

  “If we ever get out there, sure,” Nick interrupted, clearly thinking the notion to be implausible at this point in time. “We’ve got more pressing concerns though, wouldn’t you agree?” Alex simply nodded and rummaged through the supplies, finding an empty six-pack of generic cola bottles.

  “One down!”

  “Well, let’s see what else we can find you,” Nick said as the pair began picking through the contents of the room.

  ***

  Weeks passed and finally, there was only a few feet of earth left between the trench and the river at the rear of the castle. They had dug into the bottom of the trench even further in the hopes that once the onrush of water started at the top of the mound, it would collapse the bottom along with it.

  The group was exhausted, complaining of stiff joints and sore backs, but none of them missed a shift of digging at all.

  Alex was coming back from checking on Shadow, the wolf having been feasting on zombie parts these past weeks. He had contemplated dropping the dynamite into a hole in the ground, but ultimately Nick had talked him out of it. Instead, he spent his time helping Kelly make a makeshift ‘boat’ in between his shifts of digging.

  Alex was impressed that they had been able to dig out all of that soil in the time they did, but they had certainly achieved that end.

  They were collectively tired and hungry, and generally sore as could be. But that did not deter them from accomplishing their task. Nick had said on many occasions that he was proud of each and every one of them.

  It was in this last day that Hannah got sick.

  She was coming down with something the last few days, but wanted to try to work through it, but it seemed that whatever she had was viral. She took antibiotics and got plenty of food and rest on her ‘off times’, but it still did not help. Now she was bedridden, and the need to get to the hospital for supplies was first and foremost on their list of goals.

  Alex felt a hand on his shoulder as he stared at the remaining few feet of earth that stood in their way and spun around at hearing someone approaching. Selina was beside him wearing a terrible expression on her face.

  “Hannah is getting worse,” she whispered to Alex so that no one else could hear.

  “Does Nick know?”

  “Yeah,” she answered sympathetically. “We need to get her an IV and a bunch of other meds,” Selina continued to explain.

  “I know. We’ll be getting out of here soon enough,” Alex replied, trying to comfort her. Selina had grown close to Hannah these past few weeks. In passing discussions one of the past few nights, Selina had expressed that Hannah was a third part Indian in heritage, which explained her tanned skin.

  During that discussion, Selina had voiced to Alex that her mother was African American and her father was Italian-American, which in comparison, had explained the nature of her complexion as well. That was something which Alex had considered in the past, but meant nothing to him in any other way. He wasn’t the slightest bit of a bigot and had always distanced himself from those who had been in his past. Either way, it was something that she had felt comfortable enough in telling him, which strengthened their relationship in his eyes in the very least.

  He felt the wallet in his back pocket and absently recalled the photo of Sara he kept there, and remembered that Selina had found it and asked him about it a few weeks ago. He felt that sooner rather than later, he would want to tell Selina more about his past. It was getting to be that time, as he could not deny his feelings for her. He believed that he was in love with her. The only thing that was stopping him from totally giving himself over to her was this odd guilt that he carried for the women in his past—those he’d had to kill—especially Sara. She, as always, remained a legitimate presence in his mind, and someone for whom he still loved, and would until his dying day. He felt in some odd way that when he was with Selina, that he was somehow cheating on her. It was irrational, he knew, as she was deceased. But, he needed to get that off his chest and he needed to be okay with moving on. He wanted this relationship with Selina to have a real chance at succeeding, and it seemed that talking about Sara was the only way to do that.

  “We ready to finish this boat?” Kelly asked, pulling Alex from his daydreams. He stood only a few feet from the two of them. Alex looked from Selina to Kelly and nodded. They had built a simple flat-bottomed boat from some plywood, using screws and gorilla glue. Having to do most of the screw turning and pre-drilling with hand tools was making Alex’s hands sore, but he did not complain. Everyone was in pain from this endeavor.

  “Only a couple feet of digging to go until pay dirt,” Alex said, holding up a shovel, and trying to sound encouraging. “As soon as we finish the boat, I wanna take ‘er on her maiden voyage upstream.”

  “And I wanna take that voyage with you,” Selina said. He grinned at her response and she crushed him in a tight hug.

  “Let’s go over this one more time,” Kelly said, looking to all of them. Everyone was sitting or lying on the mound in various states of exhaustion, drinking bottles of water or sitting and eating from the pot of pasta that Kelly had cooked and brought up here not five minutes ago. “Start to dig from the top down. Once you get it low enough, the water will start to trickle in. Once that happens, stand to the side and keep on digging. Get it to start really flowing in and the force of the river will do the rest.” He turned and began to walk away, then stopped. “And don’t forget to wear the harness!”

  “We will for sure, taskmaster!” Selina called back teasingly. “And when will that boat be ready to go?”

  “We are putting the final touches on it right now,” Kelly answered with a smile, rubbing his strawberry blonde goatee and pushing his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose.

  “What about oars?” she asked, this time to Alex.

  “We’ve got one, believe it or not. Shouldn’t be hard to make another if we have to.”

  “Let’s get this finished so we can get out of here in the morning,” Kelly called back.

  “Let’s do it then,” Alex agreed. The pair went back into the castle, ready to finish their project. Alex was confident that what they built would float, but it wasn’t going to cut through the water with any ease. That was for sure.

  He and Kelly spent the rest of the evening into the wee hours of the morning finishing the boat.

  Chapter 5

  When Alex awoke the next morning, he found himself lying in the fetal position on the hard floor. He sniffed at his armpits beneath the plain black tee shirt he wore, and grimaced. He stunk.

  He recognized that he wa
s still in the room that Kelly used as a workshop, which was close to the entrance, along the right side of rooms down the hall from where they ate. Alex also noted that Selina was standing over him.

  “We did it!” she exclaimed. “The river is into the trench and its holding fine.”

  “That’s a relief,” Alex said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and standing, wiping soot from his cargo pants. “I was a bit worried it might overflow. Looks like the sloping theory was correct—it is higher on the south eastern side.”

  “It sure is,” Selina said, hugging Alex and pulling him along to have him inspect their work firsthand.

  “Did anyone get hurt?” Kelly asked, stopping the two in their tracks.

  “Not at all,” Selina answered. “Your post came in handy. Phil was tied off and stayed on the mound longest. He kept digging more even after the water started to come in and got caught in the river when it really came through. The rope probably saved his life as the water came through pretty fast, but he was able to hold onto that rope until the water filled up and then he climbed out.”

  “I'm glad it worked then,” Kelly mentioned absently as he dragged himself up off the floor.

  “We need to get upstream to a car and to the hospital for Hannah. Here,” she said, handing each of them a protein bar. “I brought you something to eat. Now, c’mon!”

  “We’re gonna need to carry this thing out and place it into the water,” called Kelly, stare at the two of them over where the boat rested on a table.

  “And hope it floats, right?” Alex said with a spirited smirk.

  It wasn’t long after that the group managed to carry the smallish boat out of the castle, lower the drawbridge once again, and then place it gently into the water of the surrounding moat.

  They then pushed it along as far as they could toward the mouth of the moat where it met the river and Alex stepped inside to test its buoyancy. He was pleasantly pleased to see no water entering from the sides or bottom.

  “Not bad for having little to no power tools,” Alex commented. “Now hand me my weapons and backpack and let’s get upstream.”