“Take us to the battery,” Derek said to the gomer.
The gomer grunted and looked confused.
“The battery,” John said slowly. “Battery...”
The gomer turned back to his horse, shook the reins and pulled them to the right. At Water Street they turned left, went three houses down and came to a stop.
“Why are we stopping?” Shanna asked.
“I don’t know...” John said.
The driver turned to them and started mumbling and gesturing at the house to the left. John laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Shanna said.
“That’s the famous Heyward-Washington House,” John said. “If we could understand him he would be telling us how a signer of The Declaration of Independence lived there.”
The gomer driver looked at John and cleared his throat. Obviously annoyed that John was talking over him.
“And,” John said quickly. “George Washington stayed there for a week while he was president.”
The gomer grunted again and stared at John. Finally he mumbled a few more unintelligible sentences, shook the reins and started out again. They continued on. As they neared the intersection with Church Street the carriage stopped.
“Uh oh,” Derek said. “Look.”
Fifty yards in front of them the road was blocked by a large mob of the dead.
“What do we do?” Shanna said.
The gomer looked back at John again.
“Go!” John said firmly.
The gomer continue to stare at him.
“Just go!” John said again finally.
The driver grinned exposing bright white teeth covered in blood. The gomer slapped the reins against the horses backs causing them to bolt into action. The three passengers were slung back in their seats as the carriage took off.
The walking corpses stood their ground as the carriage bore down on them. It tore through the mob with the horses at a gallop. Zombies flew in all directions.
The carriage wheels ran over bodies like speed bumps. The sudden jolt almost throwing the riders out.
“Shit!” Derek said holding onto Shanna and the arm rest.
The carriage kept going until it reached East Bay Street where the driver pulled back hard on the reins bringing it to a stop. The horses whinnied in protest.
“Wow,” Shanna said.
John reached up and tapped the gomer on the shoulder. “We’re getting off here,” he said.
The gomer looked at him with a blank stare. They climbed out and stood beside the road. The driver tipped his hat, nodded and turned right toward the park.
Standing in the street they shifted their gaze to the aircraft carrier looming over the street. The left front of the carrier’s flight deck protruded out over East Bay Street. The right side had impacted the three story Charleston Historical Society building knocking off the corner of the roof.
Derek thought the ship looked even more massive from this angle than it did from the air.
The carrier’s reddish orange lights cast an eerie glow on the surrounding area. The deck outlined by small white lights. The number 75 was visible on the side of the superstructure. The dead could be seen shuffling around the deck.
“That’s an amazing sight,” John said.
“How long will the lights stay on?” Derek said.
“Until the generators stop running.”
The task of getting on the carrier, taking an aircraft, and getting off again safely seemed a daunting one. John wondered if they could pull this off.
“Well,” Shanna said. “What now?”
John studied the ship for a moment.
“Ok... it came to rest up against that building,” he said. “The flight deck is maybe ten feet above the roof line. So all we have to do is get on the roof and climb up to the deck.”
“How?” Shanna asked.
“On the far side of the building, at the back, is an outside staircase leading up to each level. I think we can get to the roof from the top landing,” John said.
“Have you been in this building before?” Derek said.
“No, but I’ve been in the yacht club behind it many times.”
A scream echoed through the dark. It came from directly behind them. The sound of panicked horses met their ears along with the unmistakable sound of horse shoes on pavement.
Out of the darkness came the carriage. The driver struggling with a demon clawing at his throat. The carriage bore down on them at full speed.
“Up here,” John said racing up the nearby rock steps leading to the battery walk.
Derek and Shanna followed.
“Do something,” Shanna shouted.
Derek sighted in and squeezed the trigger as the carriage passed. The demon tumbled out and landed in the street. The gomer pulled back on the reins bringing the carriage to a halt.
Badly wounded but still alive the demon writhed in the street. Its arms and legs broken by the impact with the pavement.
“Kill it,” Shanna said.
“Wait,” John said.
The gomer coachman clumsily climbed out of the carriage and high stepped toward them. He looked at John and walked to the side of the street and picked up a large rock.
“What’s he doing,” Shanna asked.
The driver walked to the demon, lifted the rock over his head and brought it down hard crushing the demon’s skull. The sound reminded Derek of busting pumpkins in the street on Halloween when he was a kid.
The gomer looked down, grunted angrily at the demon and kicked at the body a couple of times. He turned and nodded at the three then walked back to his carriage.
He walked up to the horses and patted them on the nose. Grabbing the bridle by the hand he led them away on foot. He looked back at them one more time. The clop clop clop of the horse shoes fading as the gomer led them away.
“That’s crazy,” Shanna said finally after the carriage disappeared into the dark.
“Yep...”Derek said.
They walked over to the body of the demon and looked down. A wallet protruded from the dead man’s pants pocket. John reached down and picked it up.
He pulled the South Carolina driver’s license out and studied it.
“Joseph Ward,” he said. “Thirty years old. Issued last year on Dec. 29th.”
“A demon named Joseph...” Shanna commented.
“He’s not a demon,” John said. “The demon is gone.”
“He’s not a zombie either,” Derek said. “Here lies the body of Joseph Ward. We don’t know him... or his story... But, the demon is gone, the zombie is gone, and all that’s left is a body that once belonged to a man named Joseph Ward.”
“You should have been a poet,” John said grinning.
John looked through the wallet and pulled out a photo of a very pretty woman with a beautiful smile.
“Must have been his girlfriend,” Shanna said. “Pretty...”
In the money compartment were four twenty dollar bills and a receipt. John pulled out the receipt and unfolded it. It was dated for the Saturday before the outbreak began.
“Jewelry store receipt. Two thousand four hundred and sixty seven dollars,” John said. “Engagement ring.”
“That’s sad,” Shanna said. “I hope he was able to give it to her...”
12
Joseph Ward
-------------------------------------------悪魔死--------------------------Joseph Ward was thirty years old and just beginning to come into his own, albeit a little late. He had a good job, a pretty girlfriend, and had finally decided to settled down.
He had a girlfriend he was mad about, wanted to marry and already had the engagement ring. He was planning on popping the question the following weekend.
But , the world fell apart...
He was still asleep when the phone rang.
“Hello?”
It was Joseph’s Mom.
“Mom what’s going on?” Joseph said picking up the alarm clock to look at the time. It was
06:00 am. “Why are you calling me so early?”
“It’s all over the news,” she said. “Turn on your TV. It’s really bad”
“What’s really bad,” she said.
“People are dying Joseph.”
“Who is dying Mom? What are you talking about?”
“Just turn on your TV. It’s all there... the world is coming to an end.”
“Mom the world is not coming to an end. Everything is fine here.”
“No Joseph. It’s not.”
“Mom I’ll turn on the news then call you back ok? I promise.”
Joseph hung up the phone and got out of bed to see what was happening. He looked out the window. Everything looked normal.
“What the hell is she talking about?” he mumbled.
He turned the TV on. Before he could see what was happening, he heard footsteps on the porch then three loud bangs on the door. He rushed over and looked through the peephole. On the other side was his girlfriend Jenna. She looked terrified.
“Open the damn door,” his girlfriend shouted.
He could see she was covered in blood. He opened the door and let her in. She immediately slammed and locked it.
“They’re coming!” she said hysterically. “They’re coming to kill us.”
“Who’s coming to kill us?”
“Them...” she said crying and holding up her forearm to show him the bite marks. “I was attacked. They tried to kill me. They’re killing anybody they see.”
A large chuck of meat was missing just below the elbow on the inside of her arm. Blood poured out of the wound.
“Jenna who is them?” Joseph asked.
“Zombie Joseph,” she said between sobs.
Joseph wrapped a clean towel around her arm.
“Jenna it’s ok,” he said. “You’re safe now.”
A scream could be heard coming from the street outside. Joseph looked through the window to see a man being chased by a crazed mad man.
The mad man stopped abruptly and turned. He looked directly at the door. Its eyes wild and red. It ran for the door and launched itself at it. Joseph jumped back as the demon’s body crashed against the door. The wood splintered but held. Another scream and it turned and ran away.
“I’m calling 911...” Joseph said.
“No!” Jenna screamed at him. “They won’t come. They can’t.”
“But....”
“Oh my God Joseph you’re so stupid,” she said.
He was stunned by what she said.
“Look... you’re upset.”
“Joseph, I was coming over here to break up with you... Do you understand? I was leaving to go out of town this morning and wanted to tell you face to face before I left. But look what happened,” she said holding up her arm. “This is your fault! If I hadn’t come over here this wouldn’t have happened...”
He stared at her. Not wanting to believe what he was hearing.
“But... you said...”
“I know what I said. It wasn’t true. It didn’t mean anything.”
“But... I bought a ring...”
He got up, went to the bedroom, retrieved the ring from a dresser drawer and handed it to her.
“I don’t love you Joseph.” she said. “I never did. How could you not see that?”
He felt like he had been hit in the stomach with a sledge hammer.
“I don’t understand... Is there someone else?”
“Yes...” she said weakly.
“Since when?”
“Three weeks ago. He lives in Columbia...”
Joseph sat down on the couch. The end of the world forgotten. He didn’t know what to say or do.
Jenna moaned, dropped to her knees, and threw up. Joseph jumped up, helped her to his bed and gently lay her down.
He tried to call 911 but there was no signal.
Jenna was soaked with sweat. Dark circles formed under her eyes. Soon she was unconscious.
Joseph lie down next to her and put his arm around her. He tried to make sense of what was happening. Finally he drifted off to sleep. His arm tucked around Jenna’s chest.
Thirty minutes later he woke to an excruciating pain. He opened his eyes to see his right arm in Jenna’s grasp. Her teeth sinking into his flesh. He jerked his arm away and recoiled in pain.
Joseph jumped to his feet and backed away. Jenna’s zombie stood and came after him. Her eyes were hazed over and filled with rage. Hunger driving her forward.
“Jenna don’t...”
He backpedaled into the hallway, tripped over a rug and fell to the floor. Still she came. He crawled into the living room.
“Jenna stop!” he shouted.
She continued to advance. Growling and snarling as she came.
He jumped to his feet to fight her off. In the process he was bitten again. This time on the hand. He grabbed a bust of Beethoven from a nearby bookshelf and swung it at her head. Her skull cracked with a sickening sound. Blood splattered Joseph’s face as blood and gray matter spilled out and onto the hard wood floor. The top of her head flew across the room and splattered against the wall.
Jenna’s zombie fell to the floor. Hazy dead eyes stared up at him. Joseph pushed her body over so he wouldn’t have to see them.
He collapsed to the floor and broke down. Twenty minutes later his stomach began to churn. He got to his knees and vomited.
He stumbled to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Blood ran from the his nose. Dark black and blue circles surrounded his eyes. He plashed cold water on his face. His vision became hazy. His heart pounded in his ears.
Trying to make his way to the front door he tripped over Jenna’s body and fell hard to the floor. He looked over at her dead face and backed away.
Finally getting to the door he opened it and stumbled out into the street and directly into the path of eight walking corpses.
He closed his eyes and braced for the attack he knew was coming. Instead the zombies shoved him to the side and continued on.
Four more were heading for him. As they passed he pushed the closest one who turned and growled. He made a fake lunge at the zombie and growled back. The walking corpse recoiled a bit and turned and walked away.
Joseph laughed and collapsed to the pavement. He rolled over on his back and stared up at the sky.
Two of the dead stopped for a moment to look down at him. They stared as if they were trying to figure out what he was.
“Fuck you!” he spat as forcefully as he could.
The zombies turned and walked away.
Minutes passed. With each breath it became more and more difficult to breathe. Blood leaked from the corners of his eyes. Chills ran through his body causing him to shiver uncontrollably. Finally he sensed the end had come. Bloody tears streamed down his face as he drew his last breath.
After lying motionless for an hour, Joseph’s body convulsed. His zombie’s eye lids opened wide revealing dead, cold, hazy brown eyes.
His zombie looked around, got to its feet and stumbled off in search of prey. The ravenous hunger of the dead eating away at its insides.
Joseph’s zombie fell in with a group of dead and wandered the streets near the battery for the next five days. He was one of the better hunters of the group. Having a sense of where the living were hiding and flushing them out into the open. He was usually in the lead, the rest following closely waiting on him to alert them to prey.
On the sixth day they rounded a corner and standing before them were two survivors. A man and a woman. Dressed in blue pants and white shirts, the security guards were well armed and looking for a fight.
The pack advanced on them. Zombies on each side of him fell to the ground. Bullets in their heads. Still they continued to press forward.
Joseph’s zombie felt no sense of fear or the need to take cover. The smell of fresh meat overwhelming his senses.
A scream pierced the early evening air. The two survivors spun around to confront the new threat.
Two zombies appeared
from behind a house and sprinted for the two guards. Joseph’s zombie shuffled forward. The group behind him following.
Shots rang out as the two demon zombies were cut down. Each with several rifle rounds in their heads.
Joseph’s zombie stopped abruptly and stumbled to the side. The other zombies continued past, still focused on the two targets before them.
There was the sound of rushing air as the demon swooped in to take its place in Joseph’s vacant body.
Raising its head to the sky Joseph’s demon let out a blood curdling scream. It was pleased to have found another host so quickly.
The two security guards turned their attention back to the mob converging on them. They fired as they backpedaled.
The demon’s mind ran through its options. It thought in pictures not words. A visual thought process that allowed it to run through its options quickly and act.
It knew it was in its best interest to retreat for now. This was the third time it had attached itself to a host. Each time it evolved. Becoming more aware, more intelligent. It used what it learned through association and experiences gained from each embodiment to make decisions.
The demon darted out of the crowd, sprinted across the street and into an alley nearby. Rifles rounds cracked past its head and body. One round finding its mark in its left side.
The demon didn’t even notice. It was incapable of feeling pain or fear. But in this instance acted to preserve itself to fight another day.
The mob of dead were soon dispatched by the two survivors. Corpses lay where they had fallen. The two guards admired their handy work.
“Well, that’s a few more we won’t have to worry about.”
“Yeah, us twenty three, zombies zero...”
They laughed and left to investigate the battery. Proud of what they had accomplished.
Nearing the seawall the two saw a flare burning on the sidewalk. Six zombies stood around it.
Joseph’s demon watched from the shadows of a nearby house.
“Hey Jane, check this out,” the man said.
They opened up dropping four. Then fired again dropping the other two who fell on top of the flares.
“Look,” the man said pointing. “A boat.”
The demon could see four people standing on the deck of the boat. Three adults and one child.
The Demon Dead (Book 2): Troubled Waters Page 12
