The Demented Z (Book 2): Desolation

by Derek J. Thomas

  Tom turned and raced around the corner out of the dark alley. The street beyond was deserted except for a handful of wrecked and abandoned cars. He wondered if any of them were still functional. A set of keys and a running car might save his life, however on the other hand a dead car or no keys would be a death sentence.

  Directly in front of Tom, blocking the sidewalk, sat a 1980s blue truck that had crashed into a furniture shop’s storefront. Broken bricks lay scattered on its hood and the surrounding cement. The Chevy’s previous owner had decked it out with oversized tires, a lift, and chrome everywhere. The passenger side door hung wide open, with it enticing interior in full view.

  Growls sounded from behind Tom. Demented answered them from somewhere in front of Tom.

  In desperate need of a vehicle, Tom sprinted directly for the gaping door, praying that there would be keys inside. As he reached the truck he could see that there were no keys in the ignition. Tom climbed up into the truck, searching the dashboard and seat.

  More angry growls sounded from behind Tom, loud...close.

  Nearly at full panic Tom searched the floorboards, lit only by moonlight made it difficult. He used his hand to quickly feel all around the black rubber floor mats. They have to be here. The demented are too dumb to take keys with them. Tom’s gut clenched, stress nearly overtaking him. He stopped searching when he heard footsteps on the sidewalk behind him.

  Flipping over onto his back, Tom looked out the passenger door. Centered between his feet was the hideous face of an infected with dried blood caking his neck and once white t-shirt. Several more demented could be seen sprinting in his wake. The closest one was just a few paces from the truck, his teeth bared in a wicked grin.

  Tom slid on his back toward the passenger side. Using his boot, he reached out for the door handle, his toe just catching the vinyl. The door didn’t budge as his boot slipped off the handle. Beyond the opening the demented continued to sprint toward him. Tom’s leg trembled as he stretched further, trying to get a better hold on the handle. He pushed upward with his leg, catching the vinyl with as much friction as possible. The door’s hinges groaned in protest.

  White T-shirt let out a loud shriek of anticipation. He saw food right in front of him, helpless and exposed.

  The demented was just a step away when Tom finally got the door to budge. It let out a loud creak but swung inwards. The door was partway closed when T-shirt pounded into it, slamming it closed and jarring Tom’s leg. Blood and spit smeared the window as the demented gnashed his teeth and scraped at the glass. The truck rocked as more demented pounded into the side.

  Tom slid away from the door, reeling from the infected. He turned onto his side and twisted his head looking for the driver’s side door handle. The chrome handle was just above his head. He grabbed onto it, pulled the handle, and then gave the door a shove. With the door fully open he flipped to his belly and began sliding toward the opening.

  With his head partway out of the driver side door he heard a sudden pounding of feet on the pavement. Tom never had time to react. With a loud bang someone slammed into the driver door. The impact jammed the door into Tom’s head, sending shooting pain down his spine. His vision blurred, tiny sparkles floating in and out. There was a loud growl as at least one demented continued to shove on the door from the outside. With each push the door cracked against the top of Tom’s head. Worried he would pass out Tom slid further back into the truck, getting his head out of the way and allowing the door to close.

  Tom struggled to sit up, his mind spinning. He lay there, staring at the old AM/FM radio. Memories of going out to the cove and parking with his high school girlfriend flashed through his mind. What was her name? If only he could think of her name. The pounding and growling at the doors made it so difficult to concentrate. He willed himself to a sitting position. The dash seemed to morph, changing shape, growing darker. He tried to focus, looking over at the driver side door, wondering who was making all the noise. Someone was there, but it was nobody he recognized. He looked down at his arm and was both horrified and confused to see it covered in blood. His vision narrowed, like a dark shrinking tunnel with his bloody hand in the center. His fingers multiplied, extra digits filling in the gaps that normally existed between fingers. Inky blackness swirled around his hand like an evil fog. His hand was slowly eaten by the dark, dissolving like sugar in water...and then everything went black.

  ******

  Hank was just starting to ease the SUV out of the nearly empty parking lot when Jenny shouted, “There, what is that?”

  Movement, they all saw it immediately. The narrow alleyway in front of them was jammed with wrecked cars. Most of them had their windows broken out, red blood dotting the glass. It was between these cars that something was moving. If it held still it would be impossible to see in the dark shadows, but the motion gave it away.

  “Tom?” Kelly asked.

  Sam suddenly sat upright in her lap. “Daddy?” His eyes strained ahead, forehead nearly touching the windshield.

  Hank eased to a stop and sat staring with the others. “I think it’s moving away from us.”

  “What if he doesn’t know which way he is going? Drive over there.” Kelly said.

  “No.” Philip shouted from the back. “We don’t know that’s him.”

  Everyone watched in silence. Even Zeus sat quietly in the back. His snout was pointed right at the alley and his ears were at attention, trying to pick up anything. He let out a quick blast of air through his nostrils, not quite a bark, but enough to let everyone know that he wasn’t too sure about things.

  Hank turned back and looked at Zeus. “Is it Tom?” He asked the dog. Zeus tilted his head to the side with a questioning look on his face. “Not sure boy?” Hank added. The German Shepherd let out a low whine.

  “We have to see if it’s him? That’s why we’re not sitting back where we started.” Kelly said while pointing a thumb over her shoulder. She was both panicked and excited at the same time. She was clearly hopeful that it was him, hope driving away fear.

  The form was nearly out of sight, fading away into the darkness at the far end of the alley. Hank sat watching the shadows, even after he could no longer see any movement. He eased out of the parking lot, turning the corner. “Let’s circle around the block.” After saying this he stomped on the gas, accelerating down the street. At the first side street that came up, Hank took a hard left. The tires let out a high pitched chirp as the rubber slid on the pavement. With a roar the SUV shot forward.

  Philip shouted from the back, “You’re going to get us killed. Slow down!”

  Hank let out a low chuckle. “Come on, put on your big girl panties Philip.”

  Just ahead Hank could see a turn to the left that would lead to the alley. Easing off the accelerator, he looked over at Kelly. “Tom’s gonna be alright...even if this is not him, he’s a survivor, we will find him.” Kelly didn’t respond, just nodded her head while staring out the window and running a hand through Sam’s blonde hair.

  Before they reached the corner Hank saw movement out ahead of them. An overturned car was partially blocking a side street on the right hand of the road. Using the narrow gap that remained, multiple people were rushing out onto the main road and then turning away from the SUV. Each of them had an awkward gait, marking them as infected. Even with the strange movements they were surprisingly fast. None of them noticed Hank and the others, instead sprinting away at high speed.

  While making a left hand turn toward the alley Hank said, “They smell something.”

  “We gotta get out of here.” Philip said from the back.

  The SUV sped down the side road, dodging between abandoned cars. Car doors hung open, windows were shattered, and blood stained the streets. There were no bodies to be seen and if not for the blood it would have looked like everyone just left their cars and ran away.

  Hank spotted the alley just ahead and said, “Here it is.”

  The tires squeaked as Hank took the c
orner a little faster than he intended. The rear end of the SUV slid on the pavement and bumped up against the brick building with a jarring crunch. Their headlights bobbed wildly. Zeus let out a surprised yelp from the back. The engine issued a throaty roar as Hank stomped on the gas.

  “Woohoo!” Sam said from his Mom’s lap.

  Hank looked over at the little guy. “That’s right buddy, were gonna catch up and find your Dad.”

  The narrow alley was littered with debris. A green dumpster was tipped over, spilling its contents across the pavement. Papers, cardboard boxes, and shredded black garbage bags were scattered everywhere. Hank slowed the SUV and used the narrow gap between the dumpster and the brick building to squeeze through. They scraped up against the dumpster hinges making a loud screech of metal on metal. Everyone cringed from the ear piercing noise, but they were quickly through the gap and accelerating down the alley.

  A dark form appeared at the edge of their headlights, sprinting away from them. He never turned or looked back, but instead continued to race in the other direction.

  “It’s him. It’s the man we saw earlier.” Hank said.

  “Daddy?”

  “I don’t think so hun.” Kelly said.

  Hank squinted ahead and added, “Your mom’s right.”

  Zeus sensed something and began barking angrily. Hank glanced back to see what was getting him so stirred up.

  “Look out!” Kelly shouted from next to him.

  Hank turned back just in time to see a bread delivery truck tipped over on its side and wedged up against a smashed minivan. The two vehicles were blocking the entire alley. Hank stomped on the brakes. The tires squealed on the pavement. The SUV came skidding to a halt, smoke rolling off the tires and up around the windows. Zeus continued to bark ferociously.

  “Somebody shut this dog up.” Philip yelled.

  Hank ignored him. “Where did the guy go?” He asked.

  In a voice barely audible over the dog Sam said, “Through there.” He was pointing toward the narrow gap between the upper section of the van and the delivery truck.

  Hank was relieved to hear that the man was well away from them and the SUV. “We’re gonna have to go around.” He threw the SUV in reverse and twisted around in his seat, looking over his shoulder between the seats. Zeus was there, barking out the rear window. Behind them, in the gap between the dumpster and the brick building was movement. It was difficult to make out in the darkness. As the SUV continued to back up, their rear lights splashed on several staggering forms. They had the slow, awkward movements of the undead. More and more of them continued to appear out of the darkness.

  “Hang on everyone.” Hank shouted while stomping on the accelerator. The SUV roared in response.

  The first thud was startling. Then they came faster, one undead after another getting plowed down by the speeding SUV. Hank aimed for the narrow gap next to the dumpster. Just before reaching the opening one of the tires ran over an infected, jostling the SUV. It was just enough. The upper cab caught the metal dumpster. There was an angry crash. Glass shattered inward. The SUV jerked to the side, catching the brick building with the driver side. With the sound of thunder the vehicle slammed to a halt. For a moment a strange quiet overtook the interior and then the hungry moans of the infected spilled in.

  Chapter 13: The Streets

  “Go, go, go! Get us out of here.” Philip shouted from the back.

  Zeus issued a vicious growl followed by angry barking.

  Hank continued to hold down on the gas pedal, but the dumpster was wedged between them and the cement building on the other side, jamming the SUV in place.

  Kelly let out a scream as one of the undead pressed his hideous face up against the passenger window and began beating at the glass with a fist and a bloody stump where his hand used to be.

  Sam began crying. Unable to deal with the chaos he turned away from the window and buried his face in his mom’s chest.

  Hank grabbed the gear shift and jammed it into drive. He punched the gas. The SUV lurched forward a few inches, its driver side fender scraping on the brick building. Hank cursed loudly while continuing to hammer down on the accelerator, hoping he could will the vehicle forward. The tires billowed smoke as they spun on the pavement, unable to get enough grip to overcome their predicament.

  The already cracked back window suddenly exploded inward. One of the undead’s arms reached in, trying to get a hold of anyone inside. Zeus lunged forward, chomping down on the exposed flesh. With an angry growl he began tugging and shaking his head viciously trying to tear away the arm.

  Hank threw the SUV back into reverse and hit the gas again. The tires gripped the pavement, shooting them back a few inches. With a screech of metal on metal they caught on the dumpster. Back in drive, he hit the gas again. The tires spun, failing to make the SUV budge at all.

  “Ahhhh! Come on!” Hank said while slamming his hands down on the steering wheel. “We’re jammed up.” He turned and looked back at the others. Jenny and Philip sat wide eyed, staring into space. Zeus was continuing to rip at the arms of one of the undead. This was going to get way worse the longer they sat. “Grab guns, we gotta roll.” He shouted. Nobody moved. “We’re gonna die, grab guns everyone.”

  This seemed to catch their attention. Both Philip and Jenny began looking around their feet for the guns they had stored there. Kelly flipped open the glove box and grabbed the compact pistol she had placed there earlier. With everyone finally in motion, Hank reached between the seats and grabbed his revolver. His rifles were in the back with Zeus. He had to hope that Philip or Jenny would grab whatever they could.

  “Cover your ears.” Hank said while raising his pistol. Once both Kelly and Sam had their hands on their ears he pulled the trigger, punching a hole through the passenger window. The round slammed into the undead’s face, catching him right below the eye. The boom was deafening in the enclosed space, making everything else sound muffled, distant.

  Philip opened his door in the back and began climbing out. He held a pistol by his side. Next to him, Jenny was turned toward the back, either grabbing gear or trying to get the dog to come along.

  Ears still ringing, Hank could barely hear the dog growling as he continued to struggle with the undead. He turned to try his door, but immediately saw that it was much too close to the brick building and would never open far enough to squeeze out. Turning back, he saw Kelly opening her door and packing Sam out through the opening. There was movement in the darkness beyond.

  Pop...Pop...Pop...

  Philip’s gun flashed in the night with each shot.

  Hank crawled across the seats, following Kelly out the door. The air was filled with the groans of the undead. Their moans of hunger were coming from all directions, thankfully most of them were trapped on the other side of the dumpster. Hank raised his pistol, scanning the darkness for threats. Lying on the ground a few feet away were a pair of bodies. Both gunned down by Philip, neither of them moving. Several undead were shuffling out of the darkness ahead of the SUV.

  Kelly lowered Sam down to his feet. “Stay by me.” He was a trooper, never crying or asking back up, instead just tucking in close to her side. She began to raise her pistol but Hank beat her to it.

  Boom...boom...his revolver thundered, dropping the nearest two undead. More vague shapes could be seen farther back in the darkness. They were not yet a threat and Hank decided to save his ammo for now. From behind him he could hear Philip’s pistol continue to fire away at whatever was behind them.

  Hank jumped when Jenny touched him on the shoulder and shouted, “Rifle, take a rifle.”

  He spun to the side and saw she was holding one of the AR15s out. He quickly stuffed the revolver in his holster and took the rifle from her. The solid weight of the stout rifle felt good, comforting in the chaos. Knowing it was already charged, he flicked off the safety and clicked on the red-dot scope.

  Jenny held her AR15 up to her shoulder and fired several rapid shots at the oncomi
ng infected. Hank was impressed to see every shot make contact, dropping an infected with each round.

  “Good shooting! People, we gotta move. This noise is going to draw the whole city down on top of us.” Hank shouted.

  “I told you guys...I told you guys this was stupid.” Philip shouted. “We’re going to die on these streets.”

  Kelly shouted back, spit flying in anger, “Shut up Philip. We don’t want to hear it.”

  Hank held his rifle tight to his shoulder and began moving forward, leading the group down the alley using the SUVs headlights to guide them. Their bodies cast long, creepy shadows that extended along the pavement and beyond the fading glow. Little Sam’s shadow was the only one that looked human size.

  Hank glanced back and said, “Keep an eye behind us Philip.” His voice was nearly drowned out by the shrieks and howls of the infected in streets surrounding them. The noises were coming from everywhere and it sounded like thousands of them. Hank hoped it was just the way sound bounced off all the concrete and pavement. Deep down he knew that wasn’t the case.

  From somewhere ahead, beyond the faint glow cast by the headlights, rose the slap of feet on pavement...lots of feet. Philip began firing rapidly into the darkness, panic taking over. The bullets whizzed past Hank’s head, causing him to duck to the side.

  “Stop firing.” Hank yelled.

  Philip continued to send lead until his pistol ran dry. Even then, he stood there pulling the trigger for several seconds, trying desperately to get it to keep shooting.

  Hank looked to the buildings. The cement structure’s bare flat wall continued on into the darkness out of sight. The brick building looked more promising with a dark recess just a dozen feet ahead. “Quick, over here.” He said while racing along the wall.

  He found what he had hoped for. In the shadows stood a large, bare metal door, the paint scratched in a variety of names and cuss words. A large stainless steel handle with a dark keyhole above it stared back at him, daring him to test if it was locked or not. Hank reached for it, knowing they were doomed if they stayed in the alley. Luck was on his side, the door swung outward with a groan from the aged hinges. The smell of dust and decay washed over the group. The pitch black opening stared back at them like a portal into the deepest reaches of space.