by Dan Decker
The zombie roared.
I had not been able to identify who it had formerly been. The thick vegetation kept me from increasing my speed, so I looked to the trees because the monster was right on my heels. It had got untangled faster than I anticipated.
The jungle was too thick to keep up my speed.
There was only one option.
The limbs were long and the tree was high. I jumped, grabbed a branch and climbed.
The creature tore through the tent and found where I had gone seconds later. By that time I was ten feet from the ground, hoping the zombie could not follow.
I went higher, not even thinking about the fact I saw tennis shoes in the branches above.
“If that thing can climb,” Jen called down, “I’ll kill you.”
“Nice to see you too,” I said. “Glad you’re alive.”
The zombie came to the bottom, looked up at us, and howled before trying to take hold of the bottom branch. Jen growled when the creature latched on but it slipped and fell with a thud.
When it came back up I saw it was Bill.
“That’s a positive sign,” I said, relieved it did not appear to have the dexterity needed to climb a tree.
“Don’t count on anything yet, fool. He slipped, that’s all.”
“I just spent all night watching Sandy claw her way through tents instead of using doors. I’m fairly certain they don’t function like normal humans. He won’t climb the tree.” It was funny to hear how confident my voice sounded because I did not feel that way at all.
“I’m pushing you out if he can,” Jen said. “Why couldn’t you find a different tree?”
I smiled, trying to take it as a joke even though she sounded serious.
Bill latched on again but as it tried to climb, it slipped and fell. It was difficult seeing that creature look up at us through Bill’s eyes.
I had been so preoccupied with just trying to survive that it slowly dawned on me that I could see Jen’s face.
Morning had come.
It had been a terrible night, but at least I could now see again.
The monster did not give up as the sun creeped up the horizon, it kept trying but would not get far before falling to the ground. The noise fell into the background as I debated what to do next. I did not think the zombie was going to tire anytime soon.
It was mechanical, the way it kept attempting to climb the tree. It was similar to how Sandy had methodically clawed through tents.
I adjusted my perch, looking for Sharon. I glanced at the monster, expecting to see that Sharon had been turned and would join Bill at the bottom. She did not appear and neither did Sandy.
Part of me was disappointed.
Surely, I did not wish harm to Sharon?
My view of camp was blocked by a branch, when I shifted to get a better look, I earned a glare from Jen.
“It’s bad enough you brought one,” she said, “do you need to attract more?”
“You have a better vantage point,” I said. “Can you see Sharon? Did you see where she went?”
Jen shook her head. “I was too focused on some idiot who ran directly toward me and climbed my tree.”
Couldn’t she let it go?
“I’m sorry, but to be fair I didn’t notice you were here until I was halfway up. By that time, it was too late.”
“Whatever.”
“We need to distract the monster so we can escape.”
“And go where?”
“We can call for help if we find a radio. We could be out before nightfall if we act fast. We just need something to distract the monsters so we can look through camp.”
“Sharon’s radio is missing.” Jen’s voice was flat. Her words made me think she had overheard us earlier. Sharon’s tent was not even a stone throw away. It was my turn to show a little emotion.
“How long have you been up here?” My voice was raw and on edge.
She shrugged. “I saw everything.”
“You couldn’t have suggested we join you in the trees?”
“Not my fault it took you until morning to look up.”
“We could have used your help. At the very least you could have called out when a monster was close.”
Jen remained silent, but I could tell by the way she refused eye contact that I had struck a chord.
Had she seen Bill sneaking up on us?
We sat in silence before I remembered the coolers.
“Did you rearrange the coolers?”
Jen shook her head. “That was Mike.” She looked at me, apparently to gauge my reaction. “Yeah, he’s all right.” I wondered if she could tell I had mixed feelings about how I had handled that situation.
I stared as Bill continued its routine down below. It latched on, started to lift its feet to climb, its hands would slip, and it would fall. The whole process started over again. I counted five repetitions while looking for variations though there did not appear to be any. It was as if it really were a machine.
There had to be a way to make use of it.
I looked at the trees closest to us, wondering if I could shimmy over to another.
Maybe if I jumped.
Shaking my head, I decided it was too far and not worth the risk.
If I get down fast enough—
But what then?
I had no safe place to go. I would have to run from Bill when I needed to look for a radio. I did not like our chances of hiking out with zombies on our tail.
Not to mention prehistoric lizards, I thought, glad we hadn’t had to deal with that as well.
“You could drop and run,” Jen suggested brightly, “he’ll probably chase you, that would keep me safe.” Her tone was lighter than before so I assumed she was joking this time.
“Nah. Eventually it will learn to climb. I want to be here when that happens. If I need a distraction, I’ll just pull you over.”
She smiled but didn’t show teeth.
Bill continued, never making progress or changing. It would have been fascinating to watch if I was not its quarry.
I shimmied down the tree trunk.
“What are you doing?” Jen demanded.
I was glad to hear she was worried but did not answer as I inched closer to the monster.
Bill looked up. It was the first time it had broken its infernal loop. Its eyes locked onto mine. There was no recognition on its face.
“Why do you want us so bad?” I asked. “Are you hungry? Are you compelled to turn somebody else into a zombie?”
It briefly looked confused as if trying to understand before roaring. When it lunged, I climbed. It was a good thing too because the monster’s fingers brushed my shoe. A second or two slower and it would have latched on for sure.
Instead of returning to its former loop, it roared and jumped again, hands scraping wildly.
“You just made him angry you fool.”
I watched, curious to see if I had caused a different loop.
The monster kept jumping, its fingernails scraping the bark of the tree. At first the lines were just scratches but they started to become deeper.
I felt a jab in the arm. Jen had crawled down and leaned over to get my attention.
“No more fool stunts, got it?”
I shook my head but did not respond.
“I’m serious. You are not going to fall down there. Got it?”
“You sound worried.” I meant it as a joke but she took it as something else.
“Don’t get any ideas, Romeo. One zombie down there is bad enough. I don’t need two.”
“Furthest thing from my mind.” Her poke gave me an idea. “We’re going to need a stick.”
29
The longest branch I could procure was six feet. It was long enough to do what I had in mind but not as long as I would have liked. I used my machete to clean off the branches which took longer than I expected because my blade had become dull, particularly from using it to dig out the spaceship.
I should have sharpene
d it.
After I severed the large branches, I trimmed it of leaves and made a point on the smaller side.
“I don’t know if this is going to work,” Jen said. “For one, we’re not certain you’ll be able to reach his eyes and for another, you might make him so mad he’ll forget he can’t climb trees.”
“It’s this or wait to see if Sharon rescues us.” I looked at her. “I’m not holding my breath, are you?”
Jen shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh. “This is a stupid plan.”
“Come up with a better one. Until then, this is what we’re doing.”
“This is what you’re doing.”
I shrugged.
Once it was as sharp as I could make it, I slid my machete between my belt and pants and shimmied down the tree, realizing as I did that if the monster had been holding back, I had entered into the zone where it could reach me.
I dismissed the thought as I held onto the tree with one hand, braced my leg against another branch and prepared to attack. The monster stopped to look at me but returned to its futile attempt to climb. It had managed to claw enough bark that it was down to the wood in some places.
Several minutes passed while I waited for my heartbeat to slow. I also wanted the monster to get back into its rhythm. When I looked into Bill’s face I could still see the man. His cheeks were bloated but the eyes were the same as before, he was just dead behind them.
I lowered the stick in small degrees to get it as close as possible before initiating my attack.
Would it feel pain?
More likely it would be irritated. I assumed that after it adjusted to the loss, it would return to its loop, giving me an opportunity to attack again.
When the stick was finally in position, I waited for the monster to finish a loop. As it stepped up to the tree, I lowered the stick and jabbed. My aim was true and it went right into the eye with a sickening sound I would never forget.
The monster howled, which I expected, but then my other hand slipped and I toppled from the tree.
30
I landed with an oomph, my sharpened stick breaking underneath me. The monster roared, its one good eye flaring as I sprung to my feet and pushed it back with the broken branch. If it would not have been for its lost eye, I might not have made it away—of course, if it would not have been for my foolish attack, I would not have been in this position—but its vision was off.
Bill took a step back, tripped on a root, and toppled over.
In the back of my mind I thought this was interesting and I wondered about the utility of the creature’s eyes, and the pain it might be feeling, but did not have time to think about it further. If it had control of Bill’s eyes, did it have control of Bill’s brain as well?
I considered racing back up the tree but it was a no-win scenario. I needed to do something different. I sprinted away. The tree represented safety. Companionship.
I left it behind.
I rushed into the unknown instead, hoping I could outrun and outwit zombies. I did not bother calling to Jen because I knew she would not come down.
After Jill had become a zombie she had not followed me for long but that might have been because of physical limitations, Sandy had done a number on her. I doubted Bill could run faster than me but some of Sandy’s movements while she had clawed at tents had been frantic to the point of unreal, so it was not safe to assume anything. I made it to camp before I heard pursuit.
So much for hoping Bill would stay at the tree.
I stopped in the middle of camp, and while I could hear the zombie fast approaching, took a moment to examine my surroundings, briefly wondering what happened to Sharon.
I wanted us all to survive, Sharon too.
Bill came through the tent even though I had come the long way around, showing that it might have some reasoning capabilities or could at least remember things. Or perhaps it had just taken the most direct route to my location, heedless of whatever was in the way.
Assume it’s smart until you know otherwise.
“Sharon?” I said, quietly but there was no response. I spoke louder. The zombie already knew where I was, so there was no need to hide. “Sharon, are you out there?”
Bill came out of the tent. I turned to run but stopped and looked back at the rapidly advancing monster.
Now that it had located me with its single eye it sped up.
“I’m not running.”
I looked for a weapon, thinking I might find Sharon’s ax. If I removed its head…
The ax was gone.
I brought up my machete as I noticed the white plastic table from my peripheral vision. The blade would do more damage, but I would get blood all over me.
I ran for the table and picked it up, swinging the far end into the monster, causing it to howl in frustration.
A zombie always died in the movies if its head was cut off or it was blown to smithereens, but I had no illusions about my ability to sever its head in a single move with my machete. It did not work that way in real life, at least not with a machete as dull as mine.
The table took the monster in the gut, knocking it back several steps. I could not tell if I had affected its breathing, or if it even breathed at all. I pushed forward, shoved, and almost knocked it off balance.
It roared, clawing at the table while trying to get me. When it tried to go around, I shifted and kept the table in between.
I could keep the monster at bay, at least until I made a mistake. I now just needed a way to destroy it.
It roared again, its fingernails scraping in an annoying fashion along the textured tabletop.
I pushed hard, hoping to force the monster to the ground. I had a half-baked notion of tackling it while it was down and whacking at its neck. The monster did not fall, even after tripping on the supporting cord of a tent stake, which was probably for the best because that would have been messy.
I pushed again. The animal sound that came from Bill’s former body was unreal, as if it had come from the gaping maw of a much larger monster.
If only I could secure it long enough…
My eyes settled on the tent behind Bill, focusing on a hole Sandy had made.
I shoved, and shoved again.
When I was sure everything was lined up, I pushed with all my strength, aiming the monster toward the torn opening. It was smaller than I would have liked, but it could work if Bill went in at the right angle.
The front table support caught on something and I flew on top, giving the monster its first real opportunity to get me.
I slid off just as it reached my arm, the dead fingers brushing my skin and making me shudder. When the monster climbed on top I upended the table, knocking it off. Afterward, I kicked the table while it was suspended in the air, hoping to bash the monster’s head but did not come close. The monster came around as I righted it. I spun, ramming it into Bill’s middle while barely avoiding a swipe.
Keeping a firm hold of my makeshift plastic weapon, I spun on my feet, trying to reposition. It took hold of the table and was dragged as I moved, keeping me from doing what I had planned. My machete was still clutched in one hand, pressed against the side of the table. I could not use it because I needed that hand for support.
I reversed direction, pushed the zombie, all the while afraid it would just let go and lunge for me. There was little I could do in that scenario, luckily it had not yet thought of that.
A table leg caught and jarred me to a halt, causing me to almost fall on top of the monster. I was only saved because I pushed off and fell onto my rear.
Pain flared up my backside as I scrambled to my feet, noticing that we had turned around.
The zombie was lined up with the hole I had aimed for earlier but the table was flipped over on the ground with the legs in the air. As the zombie straightened, I charged. By the time I realized what I was doing it was too late and I was forced to carry through with my assault. I jabbed the monster with the machete and hit it with my bare fist
.
It fell into the hole, its legs dangling for a split second before ripping through the rest of the fabric on their way to the ground.
31
As I watched the zombie fall a wave of fear washed over me, it was a little surreal that it hit me afterward. If I would have thought about it, I would not have done what I just did. It had been too risky.
The monster could have bitten or scratched me. It should have killed me.
It began to thrash as I stood.
I yanked on a tent stake but it refused to come up. After another unsuccessful attempt I just cut the cord. The zombie fought to get on its feet, but it had got wrapped up in something inside the tent that kept it down. That would not last long. I dashed to the next stake and cut the cord, checking my surroundings while doing so.
All was quiet except for the zombie.
If I would have been hoping for help to appear I would have been disappointed, luckily I harbored no such delusions. As I ran to the next stake, I considered yelling for Jen, but decided it was a waste of time.
Wouldn’t it just be my luck that while I’m yelling, another zombie gets me from behind?
A mirthless smile crossed my face as I cut loose another stake.
By that time I only had several left, but something was wrong. The tent was not collapsing on itself as I had planned.
I located the tent poles and saw they were fastened to the tent, the stakes just kept the tent in place. I slashed at where a pole was affixed, loosening it and seeing the tent buckle. I moved to the next just as the zombie stood, its hands fighting against the collapsing ceiling.
Quickly, I cut through the support for another pole and ran to the next as more of the ceiling fell.
After I cut the final support, the whole structure collapsed. The zombie struggled against the fabric that now engulfed it.
I grabbed one end of the tent and pulled, but something kept it from moving. In all the confusion I had forgotten there were still several stakes I had not yet taken care of.
