Welcome to Necropolis

by Bryan Killian

  Jack continued looking through the keys for the third set. The third truck, a 4x4 Dodge with a long bed sat next to the other two trucks but Jack couldn’t find keys for it.

  “I can’t find keys for a Dodge. You try.” Jack said pushing the board to the man standing on the other side of the hood.

  Adam and the heavy-set man reached the first truck. The two-wheel drive standard cab Ford sat locked with both windows up. The heavy-set man placed the first key in the door lock. No luck. He fumbled around the ring for another key, slipping it in the lock. Bingo.

  “Got it. Lets see if it has any juice.” The heavy-set man opened the door, raising his right leg to step inside. A hand reached out from under the truck grabbing his left leg.

  “AHH.” The heavy-set man screamed, falling backwards to the ground. Adam ran back from the passenger side of the truck seeing a corpse missing both legs crawling out from under the truck. The heavy-set man appeared to be in shock as he scooted backwards from the crawling zombie. Adam calmly walked over, stood to the side of the zombie driving the heel of his boot straight into the back of the zombie’s head. Adam felt the skull crack under his boot. The zombie shook briefly before ceasing to move.

  “No worries, big guy. That thing scared the shit out of me too. Lets get the trucks and bail.” Adam reached over offering the heavy-set man a hand.

  Adam walked back to the neighboring truck saying, “Like I said, no worries. I’m scared all the time.” The rest of the group seeing the danger had passed went back to what they were doing before the excitement.

  “We’ll take both of them if they both start.” Jack said as the first truck turned over and started. “One down, one to go.”

  The man standing with Jack turned quickly as a sharp crack from a rifle rang out. The rest of the group looked to see who was firing. A lookout standing almost a block to the north was aiming at an unseen enemy. He fired again then began running back to the group.

  “Runners!” The man screamed. The remaining three lookouts ran in his direction meeting him half way up the block. Breathing hard he said, “Runners, at least six or seven.” As he finished his winded statement a group of Runners rounded the corner sprinting towards the lookouts.

  “Here they come.” One man shouted, raising his handgun. All four began firing at the Runners. Bullets nicked the Runners but did little to slow them.

  “HEAD SHOTS!” Jack yelled reaching the street raising his shotgun. The Runners were out of range for the weapon but he fired anyway. A few pellets found dead flesh. Jack lowered the shotgun and drew his sidearm. One. Two. Heads blew apart in a sickening mess of putrid brains and skull matter as the group heeded Jack’s words. Runners continued approaching. Adam joined Jack and began shooting while the heavy-set man pulled a truck out onto the road yelling for the men to go.

  The Runners were closing too fast. Jack re-holstered his sidearm while raising the shotgun. Following suit, another of the lookouts raised a shotgun. The blasts from the 12 gauges mowed the Runners down. Pellets tore through the zombies leaving a trail of dead flesh on the pavement. Riddled with holes and missing limbs, the zombie threat was over for the time being. The group moved quickly back to the vehicles. Knowing the sound of the discharging firearms would draw more zombies to their location, the men left with three vehicles forgoing the fourth.

  The caravan rounded the corner onto Cypress Avenue a mile from their target. The remaining eight men of the supply detail quietly hoped the Big Mart wasn’t crawling with the undead. Their options were running thin and the congested roadways were proving difficult to pass in places.

  The sun peered out from behind the clouds and the day took on a brighter, more upbeat feeling.

  “Looks like this latest storm is breaking up. It’ll be nice to see the sun for a while. Maybe it will stay light a little longer today.” The driver of the Suburban said. Adam sat in the back of the Suburban with his eyes closed feeling exhausted. All he wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep in his own bed in his own house.

  Fifty-Seven

  The two Bell OH58C Kiowa helicopters lifted off from the military caravan that sat on the southern outskirts of Redding. The recent break in the weather provided a golden opportunity for air based reconnaissance over the city. On the ground ten groups made up of ten men each checked out equipment ranging from Humvee’s to sidearm. The reconnaissance details sat through a short briefing where they were provided with detailed maps, building blue prints and recent satellite photos outlining areas within the city they would be responsible for clearing. This would be the largest amount of personnel to leave the safety of Kilo Company since the beginning of their tour. With the two birds in the air, the briefing began.

  Hutto stood before the men. He walked back and forth in front of a large dry erase board on wheels. On the board, group names were designated with different colors and next to the names were listed the city areas they were assigned. Hutto stopped at one side of the board.

  “Listen up. I don’t have to remind you how dangerous this siege will be. This will be our largest and final city. The world over has suffered and we have been handed an opportunity to start anew. Our orders are clear. I’ve heard the rumblings from within this company. Let me remind you. For this mission to succeed, all humans, alive or dead, must be terminated. Do not let your emotions betray you. I don’t give a fuck how cute she is, she must be terminated. If mankind is to survive this tragic historical event, we must take drastic measures. Failure to follow orders will result in your execution, no questions. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes sir.” The soldiers hollered back in unison.

  “Good. On the board you will find you detail. Retrieve the area maps and your radios. I expect Kilo Company to be fully locked down in this current location by 1730. Air reconnaissance is up and ground details begin at 0500 tomorrow. Get some rest. Morning will be here before you know it. New recon photos from the satellites as well as the birds will be available then. Dismissed.” Hutto stepped away from the board.

  The soldiers stepped to the board and found their details. Some stood around speaking about the upcoming mission while others sought a quiet place to sleep. Kilo Company was down several men. Their numbers however remained high and the soldiers had proven worthy of the task at hand. Some doubted the execution of survivors but the alternative was much worse. For the most part the bad seeds of Kilo Company were weeded out during sieges of the smaller towns.

  ***

  “Air 1 to base.” The pilot of the first helicopter stated over the radio.

  “Base.”

  “Air 1 reporting a large group of Walkers located in the parking area of mall 2.”

  “Copy Air 1.”

  “Air 2 to base.”

  “Base.”

  “Three vehicles moving west on Cypress Avenue. Monitor or move on?”

  “Monitor. Note destination and resume recon.”

  “Air 2 copy.”

  In the radio trailer two soldiers studied a large map of the city locating Cypress Avenue.

  “What do you think, Mall 1?” One soldier asked trying to pinpoint the vehicles destination.

  “Possible.” The second soldier replied.

  The helicopters continued surveying the city. Hutto stepped into the radio trailer where he was briefed. He sat back in a comfortable chair observing the men at work. All was going well.

  Fifty-Eight

  Littleton walked down the hall to Gates’ office. He was summoned by one of Gates men to report to the office for a face-to-face meeting. Littleton rounded the hall seeing the clouds were parting letting the sunshine through. Thank you Lord.

  Gates sat behind a big desk with papers spread out all over. Littleton figured most of it was for looks.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t quite know how to address you.” Littleton stated in an effort to ease the obvious tension while showing respect.

  “Roland, you can call me Roland. Most around here call me Gates but I feel we should be on a fir
st name basis.” Gates said in a friendly manner holding out his hand.

  “Oh, in that case call me Clark.” Littleton said gripping Gates hand.

  “Well, Clark, I asked you up for obvious reasons. In my observations, and this is my observation only. Please forgive me if I’m way off base, but I feel there is power struggle going on between the two of us.” Littleton started to speak but refrained as Gates continued. “My only concern is the safety of the citizens here in the Center. I am a God fearing man and I appreciate all that you have done for the people here but I fear this power struggle between us will cause more harm than good. There can be only one leader and at this time it is I. The United States Army or California National Guard will be here within a few days to restore order. I appreciate your cooperation in this matter.” Again, Littleton tried to interject but was cut off. “Your sermons or mass or whatever you call it are helpful and the people need spiritual guidance, but leave the rest to me and my men.” Gates sat behind the desk with a steadfast look on his face.

  “I have no intention of starting a power struggle with you, my friend. I simply relay the word of God to the people and offer hope for the future. I am sorry if my actions have confused you or your men. Please come by my sermon tonight. You will see that my only purpose here is to help.” Littleton put his best foot forward.

  Gates studied the man before him not trusting him as far as he could throw him. In the past he had dealt with religious zealots and found their blind faith sickening. Gates dealt with the here and now and that meant keeping these people alive until help arrived. The thought of Hero status crossed his mind again and he smiled.

  “Reverend, I feel we have come to a cross road and we…”

  Gates stopped in mid sentence. Littleton looked at him, confused. Gates held his finger to his lips while looking up.

  “Do you hear that?” Gates asked.

  Littleton shook his head confused.

  The low rumble of a helicopter engine entered the room. Gates jumped to his feet.

  “I feel our salvation has arrived, lets go to the roof.” Gates walked quickly out of the office heading down the hall with Littleton close behind.

  Gates, Littleton, and several other men stepped out from the roof access door and walked to the south edge where two men stood with binoculars.

  “We’ve spotted two helicopters over the city. One is heading for us now.” One man said handing Gates his binoculars.

  “Military. Looks like recon. Let them know we’re here and we need help.” Gates continued to watch the helicopter approach.

  Soon, dozens of survivors were on the roof of the Convention Center. On the ground the roaming zombies sensing activity became more animated moving towards the building. They wandered up the steps pushing against the main doors. The doors held strong. The survivors on the roof paid them no attention as the helicopter approached.

  ***

  “Air 1 to base.”

  “Base.”

  “The Convention Center has multiple survivors on the roof and large numbers of Walkers on the ground.”

  In the back of the communications trailer, Hutto raised his head at the words coming from the radio.

  “Give me the comm.” Hutto demanded.

  “Air 1, this is Hutto. Get me numbers from the center.”

  “Air 1 copies.”

  The helicopter hovered near the building. The co-pilot switched on the PA system, “This is the United States Military. Help will be here soon. How many are in your group?”

  Gates yelled for a man to retrieve a large piece of paper and a marker. Soon a man emerged on the roof with the materials, handing them to Gates. On the paper Gates wrote in big digits, “300 +/- 20.”

  “Are you armed?” Air 1 asked.

  Gates wrote on another sheet, “Small arms only.”

  “We will be back soon.” The helicopter departed continuing recon of the city.

  The information gathered from the center was relayed back to Hutto.

  “Very good. The survivors of this city did what they were supposed to do. This should help the siege go smoothly.” Hutto announced to the soldiers in the trailer.

  Fifty-Nine

  Jess came running down the hall.

  “Helicopters. There’s helicopters out there and they look like Army ones.” Excitement rang in his voice.

  Ty stepped out into the hall.

  “Dude, chill. Let’s watch them from here. We don’t know who they are or what they want.” Jess stopped at Ty’s statement.

  “What do you mean? They look all Armyish and stuff. Help is here.”

  “Let’s watch for a few minutes. If we determine they are here to help we’ll signal them.” Ty explained.

  “Signal them. With what?”

  “We have signal flares, remember. Rick brought them.”

  “No, man, lets get to the roof and flag them down. Maybe they’ll pick us up.”

  “Have you ever watched a scary movie? We have no idea who’s up there. If we’ve learned anything it’s we have to be cautious with every move we make. Let’s not give our position away this fast.”

  Jess stared at Ty in disbelief.

  “We have to be careful. Have I steered you wrong yet?” Ty asked.

  “No, but…There’s a helicopter out there. What if they’re here to help?” Jess pleaded.

  “Let’s watch them from the window and wait before we signal them. Look for military markings if there are any. We know they’re here, they don’t know we’re here.” Ty’s remarks seemed to sink in. “Whatever. I tell you, if they’re military we’re signaling them.”

  “Deal.” Ty said looking straight into his friend’s eyes.

  Jess relented dipping his head. He and Ty watched the approaching helicopter from the large office window. Ty stood close to the window, wondering where Katie and Rick were. Jess stood hoping it was military. The noise form the helicopter rumbled through the building as it passed by slowly. Just as soon as the rumbling subsided it returned. The helicopter hovered near the building causing Ty some concern. Then the sound of a loud PA struck a nerve deep down in Ty.

  “How many are in the building?” The PA blasted at the Bixter Building.

  “Shit, Rick and Katie are up there.” Ty yelled, running out of the office.

  “They’re here to help.” Jess yelled trying to keep up with Ty. Both men raced down the hall to the roof access stairwell. Up the stairs they sprinted bursting through the door. Ty’s only thought was Katie. Sugar followed Ty, stopping at the sound of the helicopter’s rotors slapping the air. She ran back into the building.

  Rick stood at the far corner of the roof with the helicopter hovering one hundred feet away. He was signaling the men in the helicopter with hand signals.

  “Are you armed?” The question reaffirmed Ty’s fears.

  Ty and Jess joined Rick at the corner of the roof. Ty didn’t see Katie anywhere. He looked all around wondering where she was. The PA system on the helicopter continued to fire questions at them. Rick continued answering with hand signals.

  “Where’s Katie?” Ty yelled over the sound of the helicopter.

  Rick looked over at Ty with a confused look. He pointed to his ears.

  “Where’s Katie?” Ty yelled even louder.

  “Her room.” Rick answered turning his attention back to the helicopter.

  Ty sprinted back to the access door disappearing into the building. Jess stood by with Rick giving the helicopter crew a big thumbs up. The crew gave them directions telling them they would be back in a matter of days. The helicopter flew off slowly checking neighboring buildings.

  “Fucking awesome. We’re out of here soon.” Jess said, smiling at Rick.

  “Couldn’t come soon enough. I need out of this place.” Rick said watching the helicopter fly off in the distance.

  Ty ran down the hall to Katie’s room stopping at the closed door. Sugar followed. He hesitated, not knowing if he should enter unannounced or knock. He had spent
a torrid night with her but did that give him the right to enter her space without knocking? His conscience got the best of him and he knocked on the door softly. He waited for what seemed and eternity raising his hand to knock again when the door opened. Katie stood in the doorway smiling brightly at him. His heart beat faster. He hadn’t felt like this since high school.

  “We need to talk.” Katie said grabbing Ty by the hand leading him into her room. She closed locking the door behind them. Sugar sat patiently outside the door.

  Ty noticed immediately Katie was holding a hand to the back of her head. “Are you OK?” He asked, walking closer to her.

  “It’s just a bump on the head. What was all the noise? Was there a helicopter out there?” Katie asked, still rubbing the back of her head.

  “How did you hit your head?” Ty forgot about the helicopter

  “Down in the garage. Was there a helicopter out there?” Katie’s tone turned sharp.

  “Down in the garage. What hell were you doing in the garage? It’s dangerous down there.” Ty scolded.

  “Was there a helicopter out there or not?” Katie demanded.

  “Yeah, but what the hell happened in the garage?”

  “Rick was down there. I think he’s planning on leaving. He has a pile of stuff in the corner of the garage and he was near the gate screwing with some zombie’s.” Katie answered Ty’s question hoping he would finally answer hers.

  “What the fuck is wrong with that guy? How did you hit your head?” Ty was now pacing back and forth.

  “He knows about us. He’s pissed. I was standing behind him without him knowing. He freaked about something and ran into me. He knocked me down by accident and I hit my head on the ground. I think I blacked out for a moment. He helped me up and carried me back into the building. Ty, he’s upset because he knows about us.”

  Ty looked her in the eye knowing she was being truthful. She referred to them as “Us”. Again, the high school feelings rushed back. His heart skipped a beat and he couldn’t help smiling.