"Chaz, now what? We're really stuck now."
"Yeah, the car in front of us is still there, and it's swarmed with zombies. They're climbing over it to get to the pigs. Christa, you need to be quiet. You're making almost as much noise as the pigs."
Just then a lone zombie started pounding at Christa's window. They pounded and pounded for what seemed like an eternity. Then another joined them at Chaz's window.
"Damn it, kids, the camouflage isn't working. They know there's something in here, and it's something that smells better than shitty pigs."
Christa's sobs became uncontrollable, prompting Chaz to push even more on the accelerator. The car in front of them slipped off to the side, but their cover was blown. The mob was onto them, and the car was now swarmed with zombies. They pounded on the windows and the doors with their fists, their heads, and their bodies. The car kept them temporarily safe, but they no longer moved forward. There was just too much weight on it, and the mob was too big. Flooring the accelerator just spun the wheels. Body parts slipped under the car, giving the tires no traction with the road. At this point, Alex cracked his window to see better.
"Alex, fool, what the hell! Keep that window up; you’re just weakening it. It's stronger when it's closed."
"Sorry, Colonel, I just need to get a look; these windows aren't going to last long at this rate, and I can't take all this noise without seeing what's happening."
"I don't give a shit; close that damn window."
Alex didn't, and Chaz couldn't reach over and stop him. Not that it mattered. Alex stared out the crack of the window, looking right to left for an escape route. The pounding on their little car was relentless. The front windshield cracked. Much of their camouflage over the windows had been wiped away. There was no point in hiding under clothes. The zombies knew what was inside, and were not to be deterred.
"Colonel, shit! Oh, shit!" Alex said.
The constant pounding on the car drowned out the squeal of pigs. As more zombies climbed up the side of the truck, it began to lean precariously in their direction. Chaz and Christa didn't see the truck leaning, but Alex did. The truck was giving way from the weight of the ravenous zombies. It was rocking back and forth from being pushed on both sides. Gradually, the rocking leaned more towards the car.
"Colonel, that whole damn thing is going to ..."
Before he could finish, the weight of the truck gained enough momentum to come crashing towards the little car. Alex saw it coming, and scooted over to Christa's side just in time to avoid being totally wedged in. The sound of the impact blocked out everything else for a split second. Half the roof buckled and came very close to their heads. Christa's sobbing stopped as her eyes filled with shock, and then she froze altogether, catatonic. The passenger-side doors were compressed to half their size, but hung partially open. Zombie arms and hands reached through. The windows were clear enough now for everyone to see clearly what was going on outside.
The crashing truck had the desired effect for the zombies. Dozens of pigs were freed from their cages and running from their tormentors. There was only one escape on the bridge, but pigs can't climb guardrails. The pigs were fast and slippery though. Covered with fecal matter and urine, they were hard to hold on to. But the zombies were hungry, and it was just a matter of time before they started dying one by one.
Running With The Pigs
"Now ... now's our chance. We've got to make a run for it. Alex, Christa, we've got to go. The zombies are chasing the pigs, but once they're all dead they're gonna come for us. We'll have to fight some, but most should be distracted by the pigs."
Christa didn't answer, she didn't even move. Alex grabbed her and shook her. "Christa, wake up! Christa, snap out of it ... Christa! Christa!"
"Alex, she's in shock, she's gone. She can’t hear us. We're gonna have to leave her. Whatever she's worth, isn't enough for all of us to die sandwiched in this car."
"I can't leave her, Colonel. She's just a little kid. Those things will rip her limb from limb."
"Damn it, boy, you’re gonna have to carry her then. Don't you even dream of slowing me down. You're still going to have to fight. Keep one of your hands free. Let's go!"
"One second, just one second."
Alex tore a long strip off a blanket, and used it to tie Christa’s wrists tightly together. He threw her arms around his neck so she wouldn't fall.
"Alright, Colonel, let's go ... on three?"
"Just go, go now!"
Both doors on the driver’s side were jammed from the truck, but with a few good shoulders thrown into them, they started to open. Chaz made it out first, then helped Alex with the rear door. Most zombies were distracted, but a small one came at Chaz from behind as he opened Alex's door. A hard elbow blow to the head from Chaz knocked the zombie to the ground. That gave Chaz enough time to open the door, and spin around, stabbing the zombie’s skull with his knife. Alex emerged clumsily from the car, holding Christa with one hand and his semi-automatic with the other.
Both of them crouched next to the car for cover. Chaz scanned for a way down the bridge. "Alright, boy, let's get going. Let's stick to the side guardrail and as we make our way. That should at least give us some protection on one side. Hopefully they'll stay focused on the pigs."
"Lead the way, I'm right behind you."
"Watch the rear, son. We don't need anyone sneaking up from behind."
"Yes, sir, I've already learned that lesson today."
Staying low, they moved to the guardrail. The first twenty yards weren't difficult. The banquet of pigs kept the zombies’ attention. Zombies will eat just about anything. Nothing went to waste. Entrails, hooves, snouts and assorted body organs were sprawled all over the road. The slower zombies picked up the remains, while the still warm choice cuts went to the faster, more aggressive zombies.
"Not sure I'll ever be able to eat bacon again," quipped Alex.
"Focus, boy, it's no time for jokes yet."
They were dodging pigs as often as zombies. The pigs instinctively tried to put as much distance between themselves and the zombies as possible. In doing so, they kept getting in the way of Chaz and Alex. A few kicks in the behind from Chaz kept them moving but still slowed down Alex and Chaz. The pigs did however create a barrier between the humans and the zombies. As long as there were pigs to grab, Alex and Chaz were able to move unscathed up the bridge. The further they got from the truck, the fewer pigs there were to act as a buffer. The zombies were coming dangerously close. Alex did his best to stay close to Chaz, but it wasn't easy with Christa weighing him down.
Chaz ran into a small group of pigs huddled up against the guardrail that were impervious to his kicks. That gave one rather large, slow zombie a chance to get within arm’s reach of Alex and Christa. Alex squeezed a few rounds off in its direction; carrying Christa threw his aim off, and the bullets grazed the zombie's ear. It came closer. Alex compensated, and pulled the trigger a second time. This time, the giant crumpled and tripped up a few other zombies coming behind him. They got distracted with pig body parts scattered across the road, and lost interest in Alex. Chaz gave up kicking the slow-moving pigs, and just squeezed his way through. Alex followed as best he could.
"Colonel, if you were any kind of decent pig farmer, you'd just heard these oinkers into position. As long as they're around us, the zombies seem to prefer pork chops to human chops."
Chaz continued to fight his way through without saying a word. He could see what was ahead, and knew it wasn't going to get any easier. The pigs around them were disappearing fast. Pretty soon they were shooting and stabbing zombies as they moved along the guardrail. Chaz fought with his knife and pistol, while Alex shot zombies approaching from the rear. With a hundred yards left to go, all the pigs disappeared. The zombies however, kept coming. More zombies were entering the bridge, right where Chaz and Alex were heading. They'd have to make it there without their pig bodyguards.
The Lost Girl
"Hold up, boy. Reload
now, while we have a chance. Things are going to get pretty nasty between here and the end of the bridge. Once we get there, we can head straight for cover in the woods. First, we're gonna have to fight like hell."
They both reloaded as quickly as possible. Christa stirred, and her eyes opened. She took a deep breath, then let out a whimper as she realized where they were, and where they were heading. She started squirming and struggling to get her hands free. Alex couldn't calm her.
"Put her down, put her down," Chaz said.
Alex knelt, set Christa on the ground, and lifted her hands over his head. Chaz flicked his knife between her arms, cutting the rag holding her hands. Alex unsheathed his knife and place it in her hands. She dropped it, and backed away. Alex picked it up and wrapped her hands around it, holding her hands within his.
"Christa, you have to do this. We have no choice. You need to fight, for all of us. We're stronger as a group. There's less than a hundred yards from here to the end, to the safety of the woods. But you need to be strong now. You can do this. Just stay between us, close to the guardrail, and keep moving up the bridge. You can do this. OK?"
It wasn't really a question, but Christa nodded her head anyways. She took a deep breath, and stood up. Their momentary reprieve was over. They moved quickly down the bridge, with Chaz and Alex leading the way. Christa followed behind. The main threat was directly in front of them. With Alex's hands free, they were killing zombies faster than ever. They were also drawing more attention to themselves. They were halfway to the woods when the zombie attacks increased. They were fighting more, and advancing less. More of the zombies picked up their scent and more shooting and slashing ensued.
Twenty yards to go from the edge of the woods, and their pace came to a standstill. They found themselves totally surrounded. With their bullets depleted, their guns became clubs.
"I'm out, Colonel. Can't reload."
"Me too, no time. Keep pushing."
Christa stayed huddled in behind them, barely able to move. Alex could feel her pressing up against his back. The knife remained in her hands, but no blood tarnished its silver blade. Alex and Chaz were able to make a few feet more progress, but the mob was increasing. Eventually, the mob began forcing them back from where they had come. Then Alex noticed Christa was no longer pressing on his back. He stole a quick glance behind him. She was gone, nowhere in view.
"Colonel, she's gone. Christa's gone, I can't see her."
"Yeah, I noticed."
"What do you mean 'Yeah'? You noticed and didn't say anything? What the ..."
"I'm a little busy here, boy; in case you haven't noticed, we're getting our asses handed to us. We can't keep retreating; eventually we're going to run out of room."
"I've gotta find her, she's gonna get ripped to shreds on her own. Maybe they don't have her yet."
"You didn't even see her leave. We've got to save ourselves first, before we can worry about her. Have you forgotten what we're trying to accomplish here? Think bigger picture, boy! We need to get off this bridge."
Looking around, Alex saw an opportunity. "Colonel, look back and over to your right ... there seems to be a gap in the crowd. If we fall back a bit we may be able to fight our way in that direction."
Favorite Weapon
Christa opened her eyes, and found herself lying on the ground, staring at mangled feet and legs shuffling around her. She remembered being with the colonel and Alex. She missed Alex. He’d carried her, she remembered it as if she’d dreamed it. He was going to rescue her from all those horrible creatures. Then she’d woken, and he’d untied her. Why was I tied? Why would Alex tie me? Then he’d put a knife in her hands, and there was all that shooting and slashing and clubbing of zombies. Those horrible beasts. She remembered wandering off. The blood and guts were too much. She couldn't take all the blood. What to do with the knife in her hands? It was clean, and heavy. She wasn't a killer; what could she do with a knife? She was only 12. Then she remembered those horrible faces, and bloody, dirty hands reaching for her as their teeth came closer. Slobbering, dirty, blood-soaked teeth with bits of skin and soft tissue hanging from them. They came so close. Some reached for her throat, but then they were gone, and she fell to the ground. Barely conscious. She could hear them fighting. The zombies were in a frenzy, fighting each other. Some hungry, desperate ones lunged towards her with frantic eyes. But not all were moaning and desperate. Some attacked and shredded the desperate ones apart. Literally ripping their hands, fingers and legs. Whatever they could get a hold of. Eventually, the desperate ones fell away. The protectors? Is that what they were? Zombies fighting and protecting her? Finally she gained her feet. She felt a bit wobbly at first, like she was still in a dream. Things were blurry and the ground wasn't quite where it should be. But the zombies were keeping their distance. All of them. Where did the desperate ones go?
"Alex, this way." The colonel fended off a few more zombies with expert knife work. "I can see a break in the mob."
Alex followed the colonel. Along the way, he picked up an old pipe with spikes screwed into one end. Better to use this, he thought, than risk damaging his semi-automatic by clubbing zombies.
"I'm right behind you, Colonel. Keep going, don't worry about me, I'll keep up. I can see the clearing ahead. The zombies have something surrounded up there. I thought I saw a few of them tearing at each other. It's too hard to tell with all the bodies though." Alex impaled a big one through the left ear with the spiked pipe. It stuck for a moment, but some leverage sprang it loose.
"Freaks don't fight each other. It's like some stupid code burned into them. I've never seen it happen. They'll starve to death staring at each other before resorting to cannibalism."
"I think I see Christa, Colonel. She's surrounded by all those zombies. How can that be?" Alex doubled his efforts, and pushed recklessly ahead of the colonel. Separating himself from the colonel, Alex moved into the clearing and sprinted towards Christa.
"Alex! Alex, damn it! We've got to stick together. Can't get separated. Not now." But Alex wasn't listening. He knelt to talk with Christa, sitting on the ground.
"Christa, where did you get to? We thought we’d lost you for sure. How did you get over here?"
"I don't know, I don't know what's happening. I remember wandering off. Then there was all this fighting around me. First they wanted to eat me, then some wanted to save me ... I think. The zombies, they were actually fighting with each other. Like little kids in the schoolyard, only really mean like, and serious. They ripped each other apart. I fell and hit the ground pretty hard. I think I passed out for a while. Maybe I just closed my eyes and hoped they'd stop. Then, they did. They did stop. I don't know why. They're scared of me now I think. They just keep their distance, like there's something wrong with me. They're staying away, but now I'm still really scared."
"It's OK, Christa. Don't worry, I'm here now, and we're going to get out of this somehow."
Chaz finally broke into the clearing, running up to Alex, out of breath and bloodied. He shoved Alex hard from behind, then reached around and grabbed the front of his jacket.
"If you ever desert me in the middle of hell like that again, you're not going to live long enough to regret it! I'll end you myself. What the hell were you thinking? We should both be dead from that stunt of yours."
Knocking Chaz's hands away and backing up, Alex stared at the ground. "I know, sir. Sorry, but I had to get to her. You're right, I don't know how we managed to make it this far, but we're not dead. And for some reason the zombies won't come near us around Christa."
"Really? You figured that out all by yourself, did you? Here we are, surrounded by a horde of zombies, and for some reason there's a friggin’ neutral zone around the kid. And you think 'Gee, maybe it's something to do with the kid'?"
Alex didn't reply. He just stared blankly at the colonel, then at Christa. Christa took hold of Alex's hand.
"Of course it's the girl. What else could it be? It ain't you they're scared of, tha
t's for damn sure. We need to get out of here. Pick her up. She looks too scared to even move. And keep her out of my reach. I'm not very forgiving right now."
Alex pulled Christa closer. "So, what's the plan? We can't just walk out of here."
"Walking out of here is exactly what we're going to do. So long as you hold on to little Princess Zombie there, I'm guessing this mob will part like the Red Sea, and we can head for the promised land."
"She's not a zombie. She's just a kid."
"I don't know what the hell she is. She may not be a zombie, but she sure as hell isn't just a kid either. Zombies aren't scared of kids. Those things are staying away like she's got the bubonic plague. Pick her up, and let's get going."
Alex bent down, grabbed Christa under the arms, and swung her up onto his shoulders. Chaz headed towards the end of the bridge. Alex followed with Christa towering above them, visible to all.
Chaz returned his pistol to his holster. "Give me that pipe of yours. Keep both hands on the princess, where everyone can see her."
Alex handed him the pipe, and left his semi to hang off his back. It felt unnerving walking this close to a zombie horde with no weapons in his hand. Christa could see the end of the bridge from her vantage point, which lightened her mood.
Revealed: Parables From The Apocalypse - Dystopian Fiction Page 2
