“Why are you chewing my head off?” demanded Felix. “What did I do?”
Reba threw up her hands. She folded her arms across her chest and stalked off.
“What’s with her?” Felix asked Halverson.
Halverson said nothing. He accepted a can of warm Coke from Felix, inserted his forefinger through the pop-top, and opened the can. He swigged the soda.
“You can’t blame her,” answered Becker.
Felix shrugged. “I guess not. But why does she blame me?”
“We’re all stressed out,” said Victoria. “We’re getting on each other’s nerves.”
The gleaming orange disc of sun sank on the horizon beneath swatches of pink clouds that hovered above the orb, skewered by its golden rays.
“Why don’t we toast marshmallows, too?” said Becker, his face solemn, as he grabbed a bag of pretzels from Felix.
“Why’s everybody blaming me?” said Felix.
“Nobody’s blaming you,” said Halverson.
Like Reba, Halverson walked away from the group. He didn’t want to become emotionally involved with these people. His recollections of his previous companions, none of whom had survived the onslaught of the plague-infected ghouls, were still fresh in his mind.
On the other hand, he doubted he could go it alone. They needed each other. As a group, they might be able to survive. On their own, probably not. He recalled what Ben Franklin had said: We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. It seemed to apply here.
Still, he didn’t want to get too close to these people. In any case, he could never allow himself to get too close to anyone on account of his profession as a secret agent for the CIA. Add the emotional aspect of having these people die on him to the brew and he knew he had to remain aloof to maintain his sanity. There but not there, if you will.
Then again, he wondered, did the CIA even exist anymore?
He approached Victoria, who was watching the sun set. She seemed to be lost in a pleasurable trance.
She reacted to his arrival with a brief turning of her head toward him.
“I used to like watching the sun set,” she said. “Now it looks like it might be the last one I ever see.”
“We can’t give up,” he said. “As long as we’re alive, we have a chance.”
He watched the sun set with her. The gradual sinking of the sun seemed to soothe them somehow. The moment didn’t last long. The jangling of the fence by the creatures became louder, as if they were becoming incited by the onset of twilight.
“If only those things would stop rattling that fence,” said Victoria, annoyed that the creatures had broken the enchanting spell of tranquility cast by the setting sun.
Halverson had to restrain his desire to start blasting the creatures with his Glock. There was no point in wasting ammunition on them, he knew. There were just too many of them. When the time came, he would have to make every shot count.
Suddenly heat lightning flashed in the sky above the sunset. Halverson, who had been gazing in that direction, started.
“What was that?” asked Victoria.
“Now the aliens from outer space are invading,” said Felix, watching the skies.
“It was just heat lightning,” said Halverson.
“I’m not so sure. With that battalion of zombies out there, how can we be sure of anything anymore?”
“It sure feels like the world’s ending, all right,” said Reba.
“Maybe this plague stuff can infect the atmosphere somehow like it does people,” said Victoria, watching the heat lightning flare up again over the horizon.
“That’s a stretch,” said Halverson.
He was convinced it was merely heat lighting flashing in the sky. Whatever it was, it was making everybody edgy.
“This seems to be getting more hopeless by the minute,” said Reba.
She looked away from the sky and peered at the sneering, gaunt faces of the skunky creatures as they clawed at the fence with their putrescent fingers.
“I hate those things,” she said. “There seem to be more and more of them. Where are they all coming from?”
“Fuck those things,” said Felix.
“I wish I had my bodyguard here with me,” said Becker. “He’d know how to handle this kind of a situation. He saw action in the Iraq War.”
“I wish he was here, too,” snapped Reba.
It was obvious to Halverson Becker didn’t like Reba’s tone.
“What do you mean by that?” demanded Becker.
“I mean, I wish he was here instead of you,” she said.
“Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”
“I know exactly who you are. That’s the problem.”
“Those creatures are the enemy,” interrupted Halverson. “Let’s not help them by killing ourselves before they get to us.”
“Why not?” said Reba sulkily. “Maybe if we killed ourselves, we wouldn’t turn into them.”
“Come on, Reba,” said Felix. “Let’s see if we can scrounge up another motor cart.”
Eying her he patted the empty seat beside him in his motor cart.
She didn’t look too eager to take him up on his suggestion. At last, reluctantly, she decided to acquiesce. She climbed into the passenger seat.
Felix drove off down the narrow cemetery road in the direction of the shack.
“If she never comes back, that’ll be fine with me,” said Becker. He brushed imaginary dust off his Armani cashmere jacket.
“Those things are gathering out there like they can sense something,” said Victoria, her brow creased with worry.
“Any creatures nearby will be heading here when they hear the commotion the things are making rattling the fence,” said Halverson.
“Are these creatures signaling the others to come here?”
“I don’t think they have the intelligence to do that.”
“What do you know?” said Becker. “You don’t know any more than the rest of us.”
“I’ve dealt with them before, like I said.”
Becker waved dismissively at Halverson.
“I know this,” said Halverson. “The longer we stay here, the worse our chances are to survive, because the creatures know we’re here.”
Victoria’s eyes popped out of her head. “What’s that?”
“What?”
Then Halverson felt it too. The ground seemed to be vibrating.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“That’s all we need,” said Becker. “An earthquake.”
Uncertain of what to do, he started dancing around in a panic as the ground rumbled beneath him.
Halverson scanned the cemetery through the twilight trying to figure out what was happening.
Becker scrambled to a marble tombstone some six feet high and grabbed hold of it.
Thirty seconds later the ground stopped shaking.
“What was that?” asked Victoria.
“Felt like an earthquake,” said Halverson. “The creatures didn’t pay any attention to it.”
“They’re too stupid to know what an earthquake is,” said Becker, letting go of the gravestone.
“Did the fence get damaged?”
Becker pivoted on his heel, scoping out the entire length of the fence. “I don’t see those things breaking through anywhere. It’s hard to see in the smoke and the dark though.”
Surprised, Halverson watched two motor carts drive up on the cemetery road and park near him.
“We found two more carts at the other end of the cemetery,” said Felix in the driver’s seat of the first cart. “And we found keys in the shack.”
“Did you feel the ground shaking a couple minutes ago?” asked Halverson.
“Yeah. Must’ve been a quake.”
“Did you notice if it damaged the fence where you were?”
“Looked OK.”
“We need to inspect the whole fence.”
“I don’t see how an earthquake can knock down a Cyclo
ne fence,” said Reba in the driver’s seat of the cart behind Felix’s.
“It almost knocked me over,” said Becker.
“It may’ve pulled the fence apart somewhere,” said Halverson.
The ground started vibrating again.
Felix looked around apprehensively. “At least we’re out in the open so we don’t have to worry about anything falling on us.”
The earth cracked open near Becker’s feet. He sprang away from the rift.
A decomposing hand reached out of the rent earth.
“Oh shit,” said Felix. “Are those things tunneling under the fence?”
A corpse in unrecognizable shredded clothing pulled itself out of the earth. Barely any flesh was left on its body. What little flesh was left was in an advanced state of decay. The corpse’s white-filmed eyes gave the illusion of bulging out of its bony face thanks to the paucity of skin covering the skull. The cadaver’s stench was overpowering.
“The earthquake is splitting open the coffins underneath us and freeing the cadavers,” said Halverson.
“Just what we need,” said Reba at her wit’s end.
The corpse tried to grab Halverson’s leg with its bony hand. Halverson kicked the hand away in disgust. He snagged his Glock from his waistband and fired a round into the corpse’s skull. The back of its head and spongy grey matter plowed into the open earth behind it.
The corpse slumped back into the ground.
“We don’t have any choice now,” said Halverson. “We need to get out of here. The quake could free more of these stiffs.”
“Let’s get the third cart and split,” said Felix.
“Those things are still surrounding the fence,” said Becker, “or have you forgotten that?”
“We need to create a diversion that’ll attract the creatures while we escape through the gate,” said Halverson.
“The question is, how long is that fence gonna hold?” said Felix.
“I’ll go to the section of fence opposite the gate and create a disturbance.”
“What’s the point?” said Becker.
“Hopefully, it’ll draw those creatures away from the other parts of the fence, including the gate. Then we can escape through the gate in the carts.”
“And go where? The roads are jammed with cars, if you haven’t noticed. You need to think this out before you go off half-cocked.”
“These carts are small enough that we can drive them on the sidewalks.”
“The sidewalks are littered with corpses.”
“They were littered with corpses. Most of the corpses are creatures now lined up at the fence.”
Becker didn’t give in. “There are still some corpses lying out there.”
“We’ll drive around the bodies or over them. Whatever it takes. The roads are impassable.”
Becker shrugged. “This plan is crazy.”
“If you’ve got a better idea, let’s hear it,” said Halverson in a pet.
The clanging of the fence sounded louder than ever as the creatures kept pawing it in their frustration to get inside the graveyard. The creatures started making moaning sounds that rumbled in Halverson’s chest.
“What the hell are they doing now?” said Becker. “Can they talk?”
He locked his widening eyes on the creatures anxiously.
“No,” said Halverson. “They make that sound when they’re hungry and they’re near food.”
“Christ. Get me out of this place.”
“Let’s go get the other cart,” Halverson told Reba.
He climbed into her cart and sat next to her.
Becker glanced at the automatic snug in Halverson’s waistband. “Why do you get the gun?”
“Because I went and got it.”
Becker didn’t seem to like Halverson’s answer. Halverson wasn’t going to lose any sleep over it. Neither one of them said anything.
Victoria climbed into Felix’s cart.
“What about me?” said Becker.
“That’s why we’re going to the shack,” said Halverson. “We’ll bring a cart back for you.”
“Just don’t leave without me.”
“Don’t worry about it. While we’re gone, start a diversion at that section of the fence.” Halverson pointed at the fence opposite the gate. The raised freeway bordered that end of the fence.
Halverson could make out several creatures crawling out of cars abandoned on the freeway. A middle-aged creature with a partially bald shiny head shuffled to the edge of the freeway twenty-odd feet above the cemetery grounds. The creature wore the rumpled black robe of a judge.
Without hesitation the creature walked off the freeway and plummeted to the surface street below.
Reba let out a yelp when she saw the creature slam into the asphalt.
The creature awkwardly pulled itself up off the ground and tried to get to its feet. As it stood up, its robe got tangled under its feet and the creature fell onto the asphalt. Undeterred, the creature hobbled on its misshapen, broken legs toward the mob of creatures already lining the cemetery fence.
“Those things don’t care about dying,” said Reba.
“They’re already dead,” said Halverson. “All they care about is eating.”
Halverson watched as another creature, this one in its early thirties, climbed out of its SUV on the freeway and followed in the judge’s footsteps. Lured by the prospect of fresh flesh in the cemetery, this creature that wore bloodstained green surgical scrubs walked off the freeway and slammed into the asphalt on the road below.
The creature picked itself up and lurched toward the cemetery fence to add its weight to the throng of ghouls bunched there.
“What kind of a diversion do you want me to make?” asked Becker.
“Just make some noise over there,” answered Halverson. “It should attract the creatures from other parts of the fence.”
“If too many of them gather in one spot, they’ll crush the fence.”
“We just want you to start a minor diversion over there, just to get the ball rolling. We’re not making our escape yet.”
“You better not.”
“Just go over there and draw their attention now. We’ll be right back.”
“I’d feel better with some sort of weapon to defend myself.”
Halverson flicked his eyes around the graveyard’s grounds. He picked up on a group of rocks that circled a lone red rose that somebody had left in a terracotta pot on the grave of a deceased relative.
“There are some rocks there,” he said.
Becker glanced askance at the rocks. “I was thinking more along the lines of a gun.”
“We’ll be back in five minutes. Just start a minor diversion over there.”
“All right. I’ll go over there.”
Halverson nodded.
As the two motor carts trundled toward the shed, Becker stood and watched them leave, his face expressionless.
CHAPTER NINE
“Douse your lights,” Halverson told Reba.
“I won’t be able to see where I’m driving,” she said.
“You’ll be able to see enough.”
She turned away from the road to look at him in puzzlement. “What’s the point?”
“The creatures are attracted to light. We don’t want to get them any more excited than they already are.”
She returned to looking at the road ahead. “They can’t get past the fence,” she grumbled. “What’s the difference?”
Reba pulled up next to Felix’s cart parked at the white shed. Felix still had his cart’s headlights turned on.
“Kill your lights,” said Halverson.
Felix switched them off. “What’s the problem?”
“Those things are attracted to light and sound. We don’t want them watching us here.”
“I busted into this shed to get the keys to the carts earlier.”
“Did you see anything we could use for weapons?”
“I saw shovels and garden tools.”
Felix headed into the shed.
Halverson noticed the third cart parked near it.
Felix let out a holler from within the shed.
Halverson, Reba, and Victoria hustled after Felix.
“There’s a pitchfork in here and spades,” said Felix, wielding a flashlight he had found on a workbench.
He played the flashlight’s beam along the walls of the shed.
Halverson could discern two pitchforks, three spades, and four shovels hanging up on one wall. “Not exactly an arsenal, but they’ll do.”
Reba snapped up the pitchforks. “How many of these things should we take?”
“Let’s take everything.”
Halverson latched onto the three spades. Felix and Victoria each grabbed two shovels.
“Where’s the key to the other cart?” asked Victoria.
“Over here,” said Felix.
He gathered it off the desk near the door. He handed her the key ring.
Victoria took it to the third cart. She leaned her two shovels against the passenger seat, slid into the driver’s seat, inserted the key into the ignition, and started up the cart.
“No headlights,” said Halverson.
Halverson and the others piled into the two other carts.
“What are we waiting for?” said Victoria.
They drove back to the middle of the cemetery where they had been standing.
“What’s Becker doing?” Reba asked Halverson, who was sitting beside her in the cart bringing up the rear of their convoy.
Halverson was surprised to see that Becker was standing where they had left him.
“Nothing,” Halverson answered.
Reba pulled up beside Becker.
“I thought you were going to create a distraction at the fence,” Halverson told him from the cart.
“No,” said Becker.
“Typical politician,” scoffed Reba. “Says one thing and does another.”
“What do you mean ‘no’?” asked Halverson.
“I couldn’t see any point in it,” answered Becker. “It would have made more sense if I had gone with the rest of you to the shed.”
“We didn’t have enough room for everybody to go.”
“Somebody else should have been left behind to create a diversion. I should have gone to the shed.”
Zombie Apocalypse: The Chad Halverson Series Page 29
