What Zombies Fear 3: The Gathering

by Kirk Allmond

  "I can't fight like that very often," she replied. "I can't count on it happening. Either it does or it doesn't. It's let me down before, so I'm learning not to count on being useful," she said dryly.

  There was a lot to this girl, Tookes realized. She'd been through hell, and he was going to need to work on softening his approach until she trusted him more. Honesty was always the best policy with Victor. All he could do was continue to act with integrity and honor and hope she would come around.

  "Any chance you know how to drive a train?" I asked hopefully.

  "Nope," she replied.

  "Can you ride in the car with Renee and the kids? If I speak in a normal voice, would you be able to hear me?"

  Babysitting. Fan-fucking-tastic, she thought. "Sure."

  "All right.” He clapped his hands together lightly, “Let's do this. I'll go let everyone in the car know. Marshall, I'll send word when it’s time for you to go." His brother nodded in response.

  Tookes saw Marshall speaking animatedly to Kris as he walked away. Vic couldn't hear him, but his body language was conciliatory. Kris's voice was getting louder, but the only portion of her sentence he heard involved the words "arrogant asshole." As he hopped down off the train and walked down the tracks, he was shaking his head.

  He explained the plan to people in the car, and the group of them hopped out of the car and onto the rocky ground. Renee looked skeptical. "Why don't we just go find a big truck or a van and go home a different way?"

  "You saw how the highway was, Ren. It’s going to be like that all the way," he said. "Also, if this is an ambush, there's no way to know that they're not watching the highways too. These guys may think we're zombies. They may just be protecting themselves. The world is a very different place now."

  "You're sure this thing is bulletproof?" she asked.

  "Unless they have a very large gun, it'll hold. I'm sure of it. It's two layers of steel with dead space between."

  "Okay, Vern. If Marsh trusts you, I trust you."

  "Aunt Renee, we're going to be okay," said Max from the floor. He was playing with his large dinosaur collection, and he had the T-rex in his hand as he added, “My daddy always takes care of us."

  "All right," Tookes began. "The bottom half of the car is the strongest. Stay low and in the middle of the car when you feel us stop. Marshall is going to brake pretty hard, so put your backs to the back of the car and hold on." He made sure to make eye contact with everyone as he added, "When you feel the train start moving, it’s going to be about three minutes until the brakes hit."

  Leo, John, and Tookes set off at a trot down the rocky ground. As he ran, Victor was keenly aware of how sore his muscles were. He had been busy lately between his half-marathon run, being thrown from a quad, and fighting his way through a horde of zombies. “It's interesting that I can heal a cut in a few minutes, but my muscles still get sore.” He laughed as they ran.

  "Oi, mate. I got a spoonful of concrete in my pocket, 'at'll harden ya right up," replied John.

  "Fuck you," he replied with a grin.

  The trio jogged about half a mile up the tracks before stopping at a narrow spot on the tracks just before a curve. The trees grew close to the tracks here. The tree line was just a little wider than a train. In a year or so, the limbs would brush anything that went by on the tracks. "Leo, can you go scout up there and give us an idea what we're working with?" Tookes asked. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a black lighter from his pocket, opened the box, and pulled out a single cigarette. Victor knew he would need to quit eventually, but that wasn't happening today. The man inhaled deeply.

  With a nod, Leo disappeared in her usual swirl of black smoke. She was gone what seemed like a long time. Vic was crushing his cigarette out against the iron rail when she reappeared.

  "There are eleven men," she said. "They're armed and watching the tracks. They're starting to look a little nervous."

  "Did you see anyone who might be the leader?" Tookes asked.

  Leo nodded. "Yeah. He's on the left side, back a ways from the tracks. He's trying to keep his men calm."

  "Good. Any chance there's a safe spot you could drop John off before popping me right in front of that guy?"

  "There's a big oak just up around this bend. I think I can get him up in there."

  "Ya think? Can ya be a bit more precise?" John chuckled.

  Leo laughed and put her hand on John's shoulder, and the two friends disappeared in a black swirl. She was gone for less than a second before reappearing beside Tookes.

  "He's way up in the tree. He'll have a good view of the area," she said.

  "Good. Can you drop me right in front of the leader? Then I want you out of there as quickly as you can. I might need you to come back in and save my ass."

  "I'd rather stay there with you," she replied. Leo was standing very close to Victor, maintaining very intense eye contact.

  "I know, but I don't want to frighten them too much."

  Leo smiled. "I'm not scary."

  "Two people showing up out of the middle of nowhere, armed to the teeth, looking very confident. Yes, dear. You are scary." He grinned at her and nudged her gently. With a laugh, Leo stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

  “Marshall, it’s time.”

  "We should step aside. When we hear the train hit the brakes, drop us right there in front of the leader. Then bail out."

  The train went screaming by them. The locomotive was loud and clattering, violently shaking the ground, and as it passed, Victor nodded to his brother.

  Tookes heard the screech of the train’s brakes, and then he felt the cold vacuum of the void. Then he was standing, grinning, in front of a man wearing old faded Mossy Oak camouflage overalls and a green fleece pullover. The man jumped in surprise and clutched at his heart with a small shout.

  "Hi. I'm Victor Tookes. Looks like you fellows were looking for a reason to stop my train.” He eyed the man cautiously. "Any reason you didn't just wave me down?" Victor asked.

  Tookes watched his aura, and it immediately swirled into dark purple. The man in the fleece considered moving for his gun. Victor watched that shadow solidify, but before he moved for the weapon, Victor said, "I wouldn't do that. I have a sniper that has you well covered. If you make a move for that iron, you'll be dead before it clears the holster."

  The shadow dissipated, but the sounds of guns cocking rang loud and clear. He spoke louder this time.

  "I strongly suggest you all lower your weapons. This is not a fight you're going to win."

  "What kinda fuckin’ zombie are you?" the man in the fleece asked him. His southern Virginia accent was thick.

  "I'm not a zombie, friend. I'm as human as you are," he said, extending his hand towards the man. "Shake my hand—I’m warm. Feel my pulse—my heart beats." He ignored the request to shake his hand.

  "Whatcha got innat train? I recon' there's about six of you and a couplea kids in there. Hate to see 'em kids get hurt or watch ther parents get kilt on accounta some stuff."

  "Friend," Tookes replied calmly, "there's nothin' in that train worth having. Just some old tools and some hungry, exhausted people."

  "I ain't yer friend, and tha' train is drivin' 'cross my land. I recon tha' makes it mah train."

  "You won't find anything in that train except your death. I came all the way down here to rescue the folks in that car," Tookes said, gesturing towards the car. "We killed most of a horde of zombies to get to them, and I don't expect that your little ambush here is going to stop us from going home. What's your name?"

  "Name's Roger. I don't much appreciate yer crossin' mah land an' then threatenin' me. Boys, take him down."

  “No choice. Don't shoot yet, John,” Tookes sent to Leo, John, and Marshall.

  Victor spun around and watched as one of the men started to draw his gun. As his new foe drew his gun, Victor drew his. The other man extended a small .22-caliber pistol from his pocket. "You're going to shoot me with that?" Victor could have
laughed. "I'll heal that faster than you can shoot me," he said, stepping towards him.

  Tookes pressed the barrel to the man's forehead. "I have no urge to hurt any of you," he said. "We just want to go on about our business. We're just passing through, following the rails. We're not trying to take anything of yours. I don't much believe in killing the living, but I will before I let you hurt any of the people in that train." Two more men drew their pistols and pointed them at him. "You just don't fucking get it, do you? You're not going to win this." He squeezed the trigger half way, cocking the hammer back on his gun. "You all make one more move, this is over," Tookes said, his voice icy cold. "Roger, tell your men to stand down!" Tookes yelled. "Do it now."

  "Kill this sommabitch," said Roger with a sneer.

  Four guns pulled all at once, and Victor saw shadows all around him. Before he could act, he felt cold emptiness, and he was gone. About ten yards behind him, he heard four gunshots ring out. Now he was standing directly behind Roger.

  He advanced two steps towards Roger, wrapped one arm around his neck, and put his gun to his temple. "Roger, I told you that you weren't going to win this. Tell your men to stand down!"

  On the ground in front of Victor were three of Roger's men. They had been the three that were surrounding Victor only moments ago. They were all shot in various places. It was clear that the bullets intended for Victor had hit three of Roger's men instead. Two of them were writhing on the ground, and one of them was dead. Looking over his body, it was clear that his aura was missing completely.

  Roger kicked his hip out and dropped to the ground. Vic was getting angry. When Roger hit the ground, Tookes was ready with his foot. Pressing down against his neck, he pinned him to the ground. Off to Vic's right, he heard Leo appear in the group, her weapons drawn.

  "Leo," Vic said, his voice was tight, “stand down. No one else is going to die today. This was all just a big misunderstanding, isn't that right, Roger?"

  Roger struggled for breath, and Victor realized he had his foot a little too firmly on Roger's throat. He decreased the pressure on the man's throat but only slightly. "Fuck you. I'm takin' what's in that train."

  "Roger, the only thing in that train is my son, and you're not going to touch him." With deliberation, Victor pulled the trigger and shot Roger in the head. The back of his skull exploded back into the dirt, spraying his boot and pants leg with his blood. Tookes was only vaguely aware of the shouting of Roger's men as they watched their leader's life violently end.

  "Now who's in charge here?" he asked, stepping off the corpse.

  "I am," said a man with short red hair.

  "All right, Red," Tookes said. "Let's try this again. Tell your men to stand down, or none of you are going to walk away from this. I don't want any more bloodshed here. I have some medical supplies; we can give your wounded men some care. Enough to save them maybe. But we're all walking out of here." Vic carefully watched the shadows solidifying around the man as he spoke.

  “Get ready, John.”

  "Fuck you," the ginger said, squeezing the trigger.

  From almost half a mile away, he heard John's gunshot an instant before the ginger in charge fired his weapon. The two bullets collided in the air, both shattering. They flew off and pelted a nearby pine tree with bullet fragments. For those who didn't know what happened, it appeared as though the bullet bounced off Tookes.

  "I can do this all day," Victor said. "Sometimes, it's best to fold your hand, son. You're outplayed here. I have four aces, and you're holding a high card, betting the farm."

  "That's where you're wrong. Ya see, I'm faster'n hell, and I have a big ol' bowie knife here that says you're gonna pay for what you done to Roger." He blurred, and Leo was right behind him. His target was Vic's throat. Leo's target was his hand, just above the wrist. Leo was much faster than this guy, who ended up hitting Vic’s shoulder with a bloody stump instead of his knife.

  He screamed and tucked his stump into his armpit. "Fuck, oh fuck, not my hand. Oh shit."

  “Marshall, get the tree off the tracks.”

  "This is your last warning," Tookes said. Shots rang out from the other side of the tracks.

  “John, can you cover Marshall? Shoot their guns out of their hands.”

  John's gun rattled off a few shots from the distance, exploding the handguns and rifles in each one of the men's hands. A second volley followed a few seconds later, and the shooting stopped.

  "We're going back to our train now," Victor said, walking towards the tracks. The ginger's screams were still loud in his ears. As he walked back to the train, he felt conflicted.

  Fuck me, I didn't want to kill anyone. Why the fuck didn't they listen?

  Chapter 14

  Family Picnic

  Everyone loaded up in the train, and Victor got it moving. He sat on the floor of the locomotive while everyone else was up in the car. His guilt about killing Roger was overwhelming. On the surface, he knew he'd given the man every opportunity to stand down, but his gut reaction was that he didn't have to kill the man. He knew he could have gotten away without murdering a man pinned down by his boot. His actions were calculated and cold and reminded him of something Frye would do. That was the real source of his current guilt.

  Just one more thing to add to my load of guilt, he thought. Got my wife killed. Not enough time being a father and now killed a man in cold blood.

  He sat in the locomotive for the better part of an hour, beating himself up, promising to do better, promising to be better. Eventually he shoved it all into the box where he kept all of his emotion and stood up to check on the gauges and figure out where they were. It seemed like they should be just a few minutes south of Lynchburg, Virginia. It was a good spot and a good time to stop for lunch.

  He brought the locomotive to a stop and stepped down out of the train. They were in a wide spot along the tracks that had woods about fifty yards away on the western side and a huge field on the eastern side. Tall grass grew alongside the tracks, which they smashed down with blankets and spread out what little food they had left.

  "This is what we have to eat, Max," Victor said. "What do you want?"

  "I want a banana," he said.

  "Me too!" said Maya.

  "We don't have any bananas. It's going to be a long time before we have bananas."

  "Tookes, how far away do you think the nearest banana tree is?" asked Leo.

  "Honestly, I have no idea. My uncle had banana trees down in Florida. I suppose the real big farms are in Central America."

  "Hrm, too far for me to go get some," Leo said sadly.

  "How would you go get them?" asked Renee.

  "The same way I got you from the hotel room to the train. But that's too far for me to go," said Leo.

  "We have some apples," Victor said quickly. "Would you like an apple and some peanut butter, Max?"

  "Oh yea! That sounds yum!"

  The kids all ate apples and peanut butter while the adults ate dried venison and canned corn, cold out of the can. It was amazing how tastes changed so quickly. That was some good corn.

  "This is the best food I've eaten in a month," said Renee, who looked as if it might have been the only food she'd had in a month. She ate all of her venison very quickly. Victor slid his over to her.

  "I ate a huge breakfast this morning. I'm not very hungry," he said. In reality, he'd only had a corn muffin, but she was his baby sister, and she hadn't eaten much in month.

  Renee looked at Maya, who was happily finishing off her apple. "Do you want some meat?"

  "Yes, please, Mommy," said Maya before biting off a piece of dried venison.

  When they'd eaten all the food, Victor stood up and said, "Maya, I have something very special saved for you, Max, and Holly. Want to know what it is?"

  "What?" she asked.

  "Marshmallows!" exclaimed Victor as he pulled a bag out from behind his back.

  Renee looked at him sideways, but he ignored her and pulled out a bag of Stay-Puft mar
shmallows. "I don't have any way to toast them, but they're pretty good like this," he said as he ripped the bag open and popped a marshmallow in his mouth.

  All the kids had couple of marshmallows, smiling and laughing while they chewed. Food was such a different thing now. Food was fuel, and marshmallows were packed with quick instant energy. The kids played hide and seek in the waist-high grass. That is a game that has taken on new meaning these days, thought Victor.

  Kris was sitting on the far edge of the blankets, eating and casually watching the kids. It was obvious that she felt left out. Marshall noticed at the same time his brother did and moved over to sit beside her, quietly engaging her in conversation. Victor thought he even saw her smile a couple of times.

  “No cheating, Max. Maya can't see the way you can. She can't see you through the grass, so don't use your bugs to find her,” I sent to Max.

  “Awww. That’s no fun!” replied Max.

  Max and Maya ran around while Holly chased them. They were all giggling and laughing the whole time. Renee smiled through some tears and said, "I wasn't sure I'd ever hear that laugh again. I'm not sure I thought she'd ever just get to be a kid again."

  "That's what life is about, Renee," said John. "We're all trying to make a better life. We're working on getting my family here."

  "How are you going to get them here from," she paused, "Australia?"

  “She doesn't know about us or Max yet,” Victor shot quickly to John.

  "Ya, miss. My family is in Australia. We're working on a plan to get them here. They knew that if something happens to get to my brother Sean, and he'd find me."

  "How is he going to find you here?"

  "The same way we found you, Renee," John said.

  "How did you find me? It seems like you parked right at the hotel."

  Victor paused for a second, thinking over his response. "Renee, tell me two things that happened while you were in Charlotte. Tell me one thing that's true and one thing that you're making up."