Land of the Undying

by Dave Willmarth

  “Seems you need to be taught how things are, now” he shouted at her. With a wicked grin, he shoved the knife between Sheila’s ribs, sinking it to the hilt. Sheila screamed in pain. The man withdrew the knife and advanced toward Shari, letting Sheila slump forward onto her bed.

  The moment Sheila was clear, Shari fired. The first bullet took the man in the gut. She’d been trained by her father to aim for the torso, the biggest target. The man dropped the knife, putting both hands over the bullet wound. When he looked up, she shot him again. This time she hit his shoulder.

  “Bitch!” he gasped out.

  Shari stepped forward. She shoved the gun up against his crotch and pulled the trigger. The man screamed in mindless pain for a few seconds before she put a fourth round into his face.

  She dropped the gun and dove for Sheila. Her friend was facedown on the bed, naked and unmoving. Shari turned her over and examined the wound. Blood was leaking, not pumping out of it like it should. Not a good sign. Shari grabbed up the torn nightgown from the floor and used it to put pressure on the wound as she checked for a pulse.

  There was nothing. Sheila’s dead eyes looked up at the ceiling. The man’s blade had pierced Sheila’s heart.

  Shari had sat on the bed, cradling Sheila’s head and crying. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I should have made him leave. I should have protected you. I’m so sorry.”

  She must have sat there for an hour or more before the sound of a creature screeching outside brought her around. Leaving Sheila and the dead man, she picked up her gun, closed the bedroom door behind her, and quietly made sure the front door was locked. Then she sat on the sofa, listening, for most of the night.

  Back in the truckstop office, Shari wiped tears from her eyes. Even at the end of the world, when literally everything else is trying to kill us, people are assholes to each other.

  She blew out the candle on the desk, picking up the rifle and shotgun. She made her way to the office door and unlocked it. Moving slowly, she navigated her way around the store with just the light from the moon and stars. If anybody had heard her on the radio, and was coming to this place, she wanted to be able to see them coming.

  Taking up position behind the cashier’s counter, she was able to see in three directions through the glass storefronts. She set both guns on the counter, then grabbed a box to sit on. Using the rifle scope, she scanned as much of her surroundings as she could see from her position.

  Satisfied that she was still alone for the moment, she opened her can of Irish coffee and took a couple big gulps. The caffeine, and other utterly unhealthy stimulants in the drink, would help keep her awake.

  *****

  There was no way Mace was going to sleep. He sat, spinning in the security office chair, thinking about Shari. Who was she? What was she like? How had she survived out there for so long? He had a million questions.

  He’d nearly told her all about this facility. At the last second, he’d hesitated at the end, realizing that others might be listening. The last thing he wanted was to have to defend this place against human attackers. He’d already said too much, telling her that he had electricity! What a bonehead move.

  He started to plan. They were going to need twice as much food. He’d grab all he could from the Safeway when they met up. If she had wheels, they could probably carry a lot more than usual. She’d need a place to sleep! For a moment, just a brief moment, thoughts of her sharing his bed crowded his mind, to the accompaniment of Barry White’s “Awwww yeahhhh!”

  “Friggin perv! You haven’t even met her yet. Are you really that hard up?” he shook his head, grinning to himself. He went to the sleeping quarters across the hall from his own. He took all the bedding and towels, and walked down two side corridors to where the laundry was. Depositing the bedding in a washer, he grabbed new sheets, pillow case, towels, and a blanket. He quickly made up the bed with the clean linens, then straightened the room a bit. He hung the fresh towels in the bathroom. Then he straightened his own quarters. He looked at his watch. That had taken a grand total of thirty minutes. This was going to be a long night.

  He went back to the laundry and switched the load from the washer to the dryer. He spent some time folding towels and linens that he’d previously washed but not bothered to fold.

  An idea struck him. She might want to celebrate! He went to the kitchen and retrieved some ingredients. After a quick bit of preparation, he stored his creations in the fridge. He thought about making a “Welcome” banner, but decided that was a bit too geeky, even for him.

  As he had just the one key card, he spent some time on the security office computer trying to figure out how to authorize a second one. She was going to want to be able to come and go on her own, after all. He found a box of cards in a file drawer, along with a machine that looked much like a hotel card authorizer-thingy. That was his technical term for it.

  After two hours of trial and error, he managed to create a second keycard, test it on the elevator, lobby doors, and several others, then mount it on a lanyard. Then he stuck it in a drawer in his quarters, and put away the machine and the cards. He’d need to get to know her a bit before he just handed her the keys to his castle.

  Mace resisted the urge to call her back just to chat. She might need whatever charge was left on her radio to fine tune directions and meet up with him tomorrow. And with that thought as a reminder, he took a couple of the security radios and put them into charging cradles mounted on the wall. They could use those to communicate within the compound, and for a short distance around the outside. They’d need to raid the police station for more portable longer-range radios. Or one of the fire stations. Maybe they’d find and kill that zombie that likes to play with radios.

  With somebody to watch his back, somebody who knew how to survive outside, the possibilities were endless. They could hunt the creatures, clear the area around them block by block, until they could scavenge for food in relative safety. With her wheels, they could travel farther than the half-mile or so radius that he stuck to.

  Next, he took out several guns and began to clean and reload them. He was going to be prepared if unfriendly survivors showed up at the meeting in the morning. Or if Shari turned out to be unfriendly. He checked every inch of his body armor for tears or gaps.

  He set aside two large empty duffel bags for gathering groceries. Then loaded the extra guns in a backpack, and set that down next to the duffels. Just in case, he went and grabbed a couple bags of beef jerky, a water bottle, and two packs of pop tarts to put in his backpack as well. If something happened and they needed to flee, it would be good to have food on him.

  Back in the security room, he used a computer to pull up a map. He quickly located the truck stop, then followed the route down the highway that he’d given her. It was a pretty straight shot, but he wasn’t sure how clear the road would be. He estimated it might take her as much as an hour to travel the route. This was important, because he didn’t want to leave himself exposed outside too long while he waited on her. He could take cover inside the store for a while, but it wasn’t a very secure location. Maybe he’d get up on the roof to wait. That way he’d be able to see anyone else approaching.

  Mace’s plan was to leave at dawn. The creatures seemed to be less active after sunrise. He’d ride his bike up to the store. He could always leave it there if she didn’t have a way to strap it to her car. Ten minutes at the store to load up, and they could go.

  He looked at his watch, which read 2:00am. He should probably try to get a little sleep. He set the alarm on his watch for 6:00am, and crawled into bed.

  *****

  Shari jerked awake, nearly falling off her box. She must have dozed off! She held completely still for several moments, trying her best to breathe calmly and listen. What had woken her? Was something, or someone, outside trying to get in?

  After a full minute of hearing nothing, she let out a long exhalation. Lifting her rifle, she surveyed the area. She panned across the storefronts slowly,
check the moonlit parking area and open field beyond.

  “There!” she whispered to herself. She’d caught some movement behind Bertha. “What’re you doin’, hanging around my Bertha?”

  She watched a while longer, as the sky outside began to lighten. She didn’t see any further movement. Then again, whatever was behind Bertha hadn’t moved away, either.

  Shouldering her rifle, she took up the shotgun and moved slowly from behind the counter. It was much darker inside the building than outside, and she didn’t think anyone out there would be able to see her. But she crouched low as she moved, just in case.

  She approached the doors that Bertha was parked next to. Pausing to listen, she heard a scratching sound. Very faint, metal on metal. Very, very slowly she took the key ring from her pocket and found the proper key for those doors. She held her breath as she inserted the key and turned it slowly, being careful not to jingle the other keys on the ring.

  There was a soft snick as the lock disengaged. Shari froze, sure that whoever was outside would have heard that. But the scraping sound continued unabated. She looked up. There was a magnetic box at the top of the door that set off a chime every time the door opened. She hoped that with the power off, the thing wouldn’t work. Putting the key ring carefully back in her pocket, she stood. One hand holding the shotgun, she pushed the door open one inch at a time. When it was open far enough for her to slip through, she did so. Rather than try to close it quietly, she simply released the door and began to move quickly around the back of the Humvee, shotgun leading the way.

  Just as she reached the opposite corner, the door rattled shut. A man cursed quietly as he raised his head to look over the Humvee’s hood toward the door. He had the end of a slim Jim in one hand, the other end inserted in Bertha’s driver’s side door. With his other hand, he was reaching for a gun.

  Shari didn’t give him time to grab it. “Freeze!” she said. She waited one second, and when the man continued to reach, she pulled the trigger. She never even saw his face. The man’s shoulder and half his head dissolved in a pink mist as the shotgun blast hit him. The rest of him was thrown backward as it fell to the pavement.

  Shari looked around frantically, expecting more attackers, human or otherwise. Not seeing anything right away, she quickly unlocked Bertha and crawled into the driver’s seat. Shutting and locking the door, she continued to search for any threats.

  She noted a car, parked not far from Bertha, that hadn’t been there before. The driver’s door was open. She pointed the shotgun at the car and turned on the flashlight. Nobody visible inside. She quickly shut the light back off and took a deep breath.

  “What do you think, Bertha? Was he alone? And how the hell did he drive up so close without waking me up? Or… maybe that IS what woke me up?”

  Shari sat there, protected by Bertha and scanning the area nervously for another ten minutes. The light outside was growing brighter, and the sun would be up any minute. Deciding the man had been alone after all, and that the blast hadn’t drawn any company, she opened the door and slipped out.

  Stepping over the body, she tried not to look at the ruined head. She quickly moved over to the other car and got a better look inside. A few guns, a single blanket, some food. No sign of other survivors.

  Moving back inside the store, Shari grabbed the last of the items she’d assembled, and the radio. Stepping outside again, she tossed it all in Bertha’s passenger seat. Then she took the key ring from her pocket and locked the door. She produced a note she’d quickly scribbled, and duct taped both the note and the keys to the window next to the door. The note simply said “This place was safe. Generator works. Put more gas in it.” along with the date.

  Firing up Bertha, she made her way back onto the interstate and headed east. As Mace had described, it didn’t take her long to reach Hwy 123. She took the off ramp, then headed south. The road was mostly clear. Still, she moved slowly, not taking any chances.

  The sun was fully visible by the time the Safeway store was in sight. For the last mile or more, the road had been crowded with abandoned and burned out cars. The place looked like a war zone. In a few places there were craters in the road from explosions . Twice she was forced to turn off the road, take a side street, and detour around a block or two before getting back on the road the safeway was on.

  When she got within a hundred yards of the store, a man stood up on the roof, waving her forward. He pointed toward the driveway that led around back, and when she waved in understanding, he disappeared. She followed his direction and pulled Bertha around the back of the store to the loading dock area. She parked near the smaller door and turned off the engine, but didn’t get out. She just sat, staring at the opening.

  In less than a minute, a head popped out the door. The face smiled, and quietly asked “Shari? Is that you?”

  It was Mace. The voice from the radio. She smiled and got out of the Humvee. Taking a few steps forward, she said “Mace. Yeah, I’m Shari. Good to meet you!” Not really knowing why, she hugged the young man. After a second’s hesitation, he hugged her back. Both of them still holding shotguns in one hand.

  Remembering where they were, they quickly let go and retreated inside. Mace pointed to a couple of empty duffels on a crate. His voiced pitched low, he said “I thought we might do some shopping. I’d have filled them already, but I wasn’t sure what you like.” he grinned at her a bit shyly.

  “Perfect!” she picked up a duffel and followed him into the warehouse aisles, turning on her shotgun light as they walked. “Where do they keep the beef jerky?”

  “Ha! I’m afraid I’ve already snagged most of it. But there’s still some left here. The rest is back at the facility.” His smile this time was much more open. He led her to where he’d found the pallet full of jerky, and together they cleaned out the remainder. They stuck together as they worked their way through the aisles, filling both bags. The smell of old rotted food was unpleasant, but she’d smelled far worse lately. She found a whole case of the Monster Irish Blend coffee cans, and insisted on loading it into Bertha. Mace carried the case for her, along with what must have been a nearly fifty-pound duffle. When they reached Bertha with their supplies, she volunteered to strap his bike to the back with the gas cans while he figured out how to pack the supplies into the already full back seat.

  A few minutes later, they were both in the Humvee, and Mace was giving instructions. “Let’s go this way.” He pointed in the direction opposite the facility. “In case anyone’s watching us. Have you got enough gas to lead them on a little goose chase?”

  She smiled at him, then gave him a little wink. “Good idea. I think folks might have been listening. I caught a guy creeping around Bertha here just before dawn this morning. And yeah, nearly a full tank.” She started Bertha’s engine and pointed her in the direction Mace had indicated.

  Mace immediately looked concerned “Are you okay?”

  “Yup. He didn’t hear me coming until it was too late. Gave him a chance, but he went for his gun. I left half his head splattered across the parking lot.” she answered grimly. She didn’t like to think about it, but she wanted Mace to know she could handle herself. In case he wasn’t the white knight he seemed to be.

  Mace nodded. “Good. These assholes. We should be working together to stay alive, not feeding off each other like the damned zombies.”

  Following Mace’s directions, they drove back north for ten blocks, then took several turns. A couple times, when they hit a clear section of street, he had her accelerate. To be sure they left anyone on foot behind. Fifteen minutes later, he pointed to a four-story office building. “That’s it. Pull around the back. There’s a parking garage there.”

  Shari looked at the building, hesitating. It didn’t inspire much confidence. The entire thing was glass. Then she remembered Mace saying something about being underground. With a small shrug, she decided to trust him, and headed toward the building. The parking garage had a metal door that rose when she swiped
the keycard Mace handed her. Once inside, they waited until the door was back down, both watching to see that nobody or no thing had followed them in. Then she drove around to the back side of the ground floor of the parking structure. The thing was nearly empty, just a car scattered here and there. Mace had her park right in front of the exit door. “Come inside. We can come back later for all the supplies. They’ll be safe here.”

  Shari picked up her shotgun and her backpack, then followed Mace inside. He led her quickly from the door down a corridor toward the lobby, then left into a side corridor. There he swiped his key card, and an elevator opened.

  Making a slight bow, Mace motioned for her to step inside “Welcome to your new home” he smiled.

  “Why, thank you, sir.” She returned the smile. She wasn’t ready to set down her shotgun, yet. But she was quickly deciding that she liked Mace.

  Her eyes grew wide when Mace hit a button with the number 30 on it. As the car began to drop, she said “Holy shit. When you said ‘underground’… I figured you meant a basement. This building doesn’t belong to Umbrella Corp, does it?”

  “Ha! No, but you’ve got the basic idea. It actually belongs to the company that runs… that ran Elysia. You ever play?”

  She nodded her head “A little. I’ve been in med school, so not a lot of free time. But I’m a huge gamer. My roommate Sheila and I used to play Elysia…” Shari’s voice drifted off and her gaze fell to the floor as she thought again of Sheila.

  Mace saw the look on her face, and his own smile faded. “You lost her?”

  Shari nodded “A few weeks after the end. Some rapist asshole.”

  Mace’s face grew angry. “Dammit. I hope you made him pay.”

  Shari didn’t look up from the floor. “Shot his dick off, then shot him in the face.” She didn’t look up to see the look on Mace’s face.

  After a moment passed, he said, “I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”