by Dan Decker
Several quick slashes later and I was able to pull the tent sideways, wrapping it around the zombie. It roared, but it was different. It sounded frustrated.
The zombie howled again, the sound seeming to hold a note of fear as well, but that might have just been my imagination.
I circled the monster, pulling the tent until I wrapped it around. It struggled, moving faster than I had seen it go all night, as if it did not know it was a grotesque reincarnation of the dead that lacked proper control of the body it had stolen.
I pulled it from its feet with a solid yank.
As I looked around to make sure there was not another zombie, I spied a hammer at the side of another tent.
Where were you two minutes ago?
I probably would have still cut the cords rather than pull up stakes but it would have been nice to have the option.
After sliding my machete behind my belt, I picked up the hammer and hefted it. The weight felt good in my hands but I would have preferred a shotgun or something else I could have used from a safe distance. When choosing between my machete and the hammer, the choice was clear. The machete was the superior weapon.
But it was messier, increasing the chance that I too would become infected with—
A virus?
It was too early to say what had caused the metamorphosis from human to zombie.
My eyes focused on the thrashing figure, it’s hands and arms moving in such a realistic fashion that I was tempted to think of it as human.
I was about to leave when an idea occurred to me.
32
I yanked up stakes with the hammer and used them to secure a rope over the monster. Five minutes later the zombie continued to thrash about, but it was fastened down. I did not think it would hold for longer than a couple of hours, but that might be enough time to find Sharon, coax Jen out of the tree, locate others survivors, and find a radio so we could call for a ride out of this madness.
And what if we can’t? What then?
We were hundreds of miles from civilization and I did not like our odds of making it out of the jungle on foot. The helicopter had covered a lot of rainforest and even if I convinced Sharon and Jen and the others to come along, I did not give us good odds on surviving.
There were two radios, I thought, we just need one.
The zombie roared and struggled against its bonds. I held my breath, expecting it would loosen one of the stakes and get free.
Several minutes passed while it struggled and I was relieved the stakes were still in the ground. I was just thinking of taking the rope from my pack to further secure the monster when I heard rustling from behind.
Raising the hammer while I spun, my heart threatened to rip out from my chest. The blood pounded through my body like it was timed to a beating drum.
Sharon stepped out and gave the captured zombie an appraising look.
“You caught one?” She did not wait for my response. “I underestimated you.”
“Where have you been? We could have used your help hours ago.”
Sharon looked around and raised an eyebrow. “We?”
“Jen,” I called, more loudly than was probably safe. “It’s the safest it’s been, you can come down.”
“Jen.” Sharon’s voice was flat, making me wonder if she had something against her. “She survived.”
“Yeah, she was hiding in a tree.” I glanced at Bill and started when I saw that one of the stakes had come loose.
Taking three quick steps, I put it into the ground a foot to the side of its former position. Jen had joined us by the time I was done.
“What now?” Jen glanced at me but addressed Sharon.
“We need a radio,” Sharon said. “Somebody stole the one I had in my tent. Know anything about that?”
“Max took it,” Jen said after a moment of hesitation. “He had it in his pack last I saw.”
“And when was that?” Sharon’s voice had an edge. I could tell she wanted to grill Jen about the radio’s disappearance but was trying to restrain herself. I frowned, angry that Jen had kept this critical information back until now.
“When he was bitten by a zombie, I think it was Eric. If we find his bag, we should find the radio. I doubt zombie Max had any use for it.”
“We could have called for help by now if—” Sharon did not finish her thought, but she glared at Jen for a second or two longer before surveying camp. “What kind of bag?”
“It was black with a cartoon duck.”
I nodded. “I remember it.”
We spread out, each going to a different section. I gravitated towards my tent and stepped inside while ignoring the hole Sandy had made. As I examined my space I wondered if I had anything useful that was not already in my pack. I could replace everything else.
Pulling out my big duffel bag, I rifled around inside. Based on the fact that Max and Jen had gone through Sharon’s belongings, I was not expecting to find my money roll but when I grabbed a particular roll of socks and felt the hardened wedge of cash, I heaved a small sigh of relief.
I buried the money deep within my pack. When we got out I would need it. I put my USB drive beside it. In addition to the other video, I had made several of the spaceship and backed those up as well.
Was the spaceship a satellite from another country? Russia? China? I wish we could finish the dig.
Just as I was about to leave I spotted a first aid kit under my cot. I put that in too and after a moment’s hesitation packed a change of clothes. The extraction point was six miles away—assuming we found the radio—but I was now ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
When I noticed a bottle of hand sanitizer, I slipped it into my pocket, thinking it might be useful to have a backup to my bottle of rubbing alcohol if I was exposed to anything that I thought might change me to a zombie.
In other words, zombie blood or a lizard bite.
When I stepped outside I could not see the others, but I heard them as they moved.
I listened for several seconds to ensure they still sounded human. Even with the limited experience of only the last twenty-four hours it was obvious they were.
When I found a pack inside the next tent I felt a dash of hope until I recognized it belonged to Mike. Even though I doubted the radio was inside, I dumped out the contents and went through his belongings. When I saw his mobile phone I hesitated for just a moment before slipping it inside my pack.
Mike was probably dead or walking around and dead. I did not believe he could have survived Sandy’s attack despite what Jen had said. His family might appreciate having his phone. There would be pictures and other personal information they would want.
I froze mid-step when I stepped back outside.
Max’s black bag was twenty feet in front of me.
It was on the zombie formerly known as Max.
33
I slid out from the tent, careful to keep from brushing against the fabric as I did. The zombie had its back to me and was looking at something I could not see. Drool came from Max’s mouth, its sore covered arms twitched as it tried to hold still. It was strange behavior but I did not dwell on it.
My eyes focused on the cartoon duck.
If Jen was right, all we needed was that bag.
Of course, the pack is still on a zombie. Figures.
I edged to the side to see what it was looking at but before I could make it out I heard another groan.
David, now a zombie, scooted forward, not yet having caught sight of me. I slowly lifted the hammer from a loop in my pack. One zombie was a handful. Two would make things far more difficult.
All thoughts of trying to get Max’s backpack fled.
It was just a matter of time before one or the other noticed me. My best option was to go back into the tent, hoping to escape their attention. I made each step carefully.
When I arrived at the door, adrenaline coursed through my body to such a level that I could not remember being so alert in all my life.
&n
bsp; Too bad I’m likely to die in the next few minutes, I thought, at my mind’s present speed I would have no problem figuring out some of these questions about the zombies.
With a final look over my shoulder, I stepped into the tent, managing my pack so it did not brush up against anything to give away my presence.
Once inside I was tempted to stay but knew I did not have long.
I pulled out my machete and pushed against the fabric with one hand while I gently pierced the wall with my blade.
Once I had it all the way through, I moved it down, cutting each thread one at a time. I winced at any sound, convinced I would soon have both zombies closing in on me.
I pulled up my machete when I had a hole big enough to step through. I looked out.
Sandy waited for me on the other side.
34
Sandy did nothing for the briefest moment—looking human enough to remind me of why I had come on this ill-fated expedition—then she roared and charged. I backed into the tent, cutting into a perpendicular wall, my machete ripping the thin fabric. The hole was not big enough, but I pushed through and tore out as the zombie entered the tent.
My machete was already moving as I exited, cutting the support for the closest pole. When it did not fall, I hacked at the pole and the tent itself, grabbing onto the pole with my free hand and yanking. After the tent started to collapse I went for a cross pole. This time I cut the bottom support and just pulled it out.
As the structure folded in on itself a hint of a smile formed on my lips. I grabbed the tent and yanked it to the side, ripping up several stakes. As I watched the zombie topple, I could not help but make a satisfied grunt.
It was short lived.
My actions had drawn the attention of the other two. They charged, moving far faster than their strange loping motions suggested was possible.
I ran into Jen when I backed away.
“I should have stayed in my tree,” she hissed.
I did not answer but kept my eyes focused on the oncoming monsters. David crossed the tent I had just collapsed. Sandy grabbed David’s ankle, causing the monster to topple on top of her. It might have been entertaining to watch their wrestling match but Max was coming fast and had no obstacles.
I backed away, pushing Jen with me as I did. She latched onto my arm and pulled, intent on getting me to speed up but I was not going to do that.
This was our best chance to get the radio.
“Come on, he’ll get us both!” Jen jerked my arm but I broke free.
“Go, go, go!” I did not watch Jen as she took off, looking instead at Max and hoping it would follow me. I ran, thinking the maneuver would secure its attention.
As Max howled I leaped over the tent where I had secured Bill and landed on the other side. I put a knee on the ground while taking hold of a rope I had staked down. I had lined things up so that Max would cross over the top.
When it did I would use the ropes to tangle it up even though it risked freeing Bill.
David and Sandy still fought each other. I hypothesized neither knew yet the other was a zombie or if they did they were in such a frenzy it did not matter.
I wanted to put Max and Bill in the same position. Hopefully by the time the zombies figured out what I was doing I would have the radio.
Max did not even look at me as it chased Jen, even though she had already disappeared into the jungle.
35
I let go of the ropes, checking to make sure that I had not loosed the stakes before I chased after Max. Bill growled but was held secure. If Max caught Jen and turned her, I would never forgive myself for convincing her to come down from the tree.
True to form Sharon has disappeared, I thought as I scanned the camp. Where did she go? I was beginning to doubt she had handled Jill all by herself though I could not come up with a different explanation.
The woman might have been our leader, but when we needed her, she was not around. My guess was she had gone into hiding.
Max disappeared into the vegetation ahead. I increased my speed, feeling strangely disoriented to be chasing a monster instead of the other way around.
Leaves slapped my arms as I ran, pushing vines and branches alike out of my way.
Why had Max not come for me?
I had been right there.
Had some part of the zombie maintained its memories?
Jen and Max had spent time together, as far as I knew it had not been anything serious, but perhaps some part of the monster’s vestigial memories drove it to chase her.
Max had been standing still when I had left the tent.
Had it been watching Jen?
I came from behind a fern and found Max on top of her. I charged, swinging my hammer into the monster’s side and pushing with the weight of my whole body.
The force of my blow knocked it off.
Jen was still alive, I had gotten to her in time. She did not appear wounded. I stepped over her and hit the zombie again. Blood flying from the walking corpse caused me to wince but I did it again, hoping I could not get infected just by getting some of the creature’s blood on me.
Again, I attacked the monster as it tried to get to its feet, kicking its legs out from underneath and pushing the hammer onto its back while pulling out my machete.
Two quick movements later and I had severed the shoulder straps of the pack. Something grabbed me from behind and I spun, keeping my hammer on top of the zombie while bringing up my machete.
Jen stepped back. “It’s just me.”
“Get the bag,” I said, “I’ll keep it at bay.”
Jen tried to swipe it but Max, clawed at her and she ran the other way. I grabbed for the pack but it slipped through my grasp.
It was still connected to the struggling monster.
Max twisted out from underneath my hammer and was on its feet before I could stop it, lunging for Jen. The backpack hung by the waist strap. In all the chaos I had not noticed it was still fastened.
“Can’t stop thinking about Jen, can you?”
The monster did not acknowledge my words or glance my direction. I had drawn its cold blood, yet all it could do was chase her. Max must have had some crush on the woman for it to show on this side.
As far as I knew she had not rebuffed any of his attempts but maybe the man had been so obsessed with her that part of it had made it into the memories—or at least the instinct—of the resulting monster.
I followed as leaves whipped at my arms. A quick glance did not show that any blood had gotten on me, but I would not take it for granted. The first chance I got I would examine every square inch of my body and clothing, using liberal amounts of rubbing alcohol to clean up.
36
Jen had apparently run back through camp, heading for her tree. When Max disappeared behind Sharon’s tent I decided my guess was not far off. Bill was still where I had left him but a stake had come loose.
As much as I wanted to pound it back into the ground, I was not going to let Max out of my sight until I rescued Jen.
When I came to Sharon’s tent I went inside, intending to go out the back. I saw movement in the corner of my eye and spun, brandishing both the bloody hammer and the machete.
It was Sharon.
I did not lower my weapons. I tried to tell myself this was because she might have become a zombie but I knew deep within that it was because I no longer trusted her.
I would never trust her again, considering how she had twice disappeared when things had heated up.
This was cowardice.
I spoke through clinched teeth, forcing myself to lower my weapons.
“Did Jen come through here?”
Sharon shook her head. A decent person might have volunteered additional information. She had no doubt heard something when Jen had passed but she did not feel the need to offer it up.
I stared at Sharon and she met my gaze, unashamed of her behavior.
“I have a lead on the radio,” I said after a pregnant pause.
“If you want to escape this foul mess, I suggest you help.”
I did not wait for a response as I went to the torn opening and looked out. If I shifted in just the right way I could see that Jen was back up in her tree. Max was hidden in the undergrowth but I could hear him shuffling around the base.
“Come on,” I said without looking back. “We can finally get out of this zombie infested jungle if we work together.”
As I stepped out of the tent I heard a roar from back in camp. I had forgotten about Sandy and Dave.
I dashed after Max, conscious that I had had likely drawn the attention of the others.
The radio was everything.
Nothing else mattered.
37
I was not surprised when Sharon did not follow me. For all her show, when push came to shove, she cowered in a tent while people died. She might have done a decent job at organization but this was not leadership.
I put Sharon from my mind and raised my hammer and machete, creeping forward as fast as I could while being careful of where I put my feet, not wanting to make any noise to give away my position. I could hear sounds from back in camp and had little doubt the zombies were the source.
The noise gave me a small comfort because it sounded like they still fought each other.
I shook my head when I thought of how Bill had loosened the stake. With time he would escape, I just hoped to be gone before that happened.
The sun was already halfway up the morning sky. As I took another step it dawned on me that it had been a long time since I had drunk anything, and even longer since I had eaten.
I forced myself forward, pushing away thoughts of food and drink as best I could.
When I had first come to the rainforest, I had found the constant sounds of wildlife disconcerting. Now, as I stalked toward the zombie in front of me, I was comforted by the noise that helped cover the sounds of my own passing.
After dealing with zombies, I would have even preferred to come face to face with a jaguar. At least if that scratched me up and left me wounded, I would not turn into a monster.
