"It's an ambulance, Christa, so yes, it goes faster. But I'm not a Formula One driver, and I'd like to keep it on the road. We're not far. The colonel's a tough old bastard. He's held on for this long, he'll survive the next few minutes. Then you can rescue him ... alright?"
"That's funny," Christa laughed. "I get to rescue the tough old bastard that doesn't even like me. Hey, what if I don't want to rescue him? Maybe I should just let those zombies have him. Better yet, maybe I'll sic them on him. If those guys at the tank can order zombies around, maybe I can too."
Alex glared at her, then glued his eyes back to the road.
"That's not funny. In case you think you’re funny, you're not. Don't even suggest stuff like that, and certainly not when Chaz is around. He's just getting used to you. You keep talking like that, and even I may stop trusting you."
"He may not trust me, be he did ask for me. He asked how I was. He didn't ask how you were. Just me."
"OK, Princess, that's enough. Just remember, we're all in this together. We need to stick together, and help each other. That includes you."
Christa squirmed a bit, and looked away for a few minutes. Then she changed the subject as she looked back at Alex.
"Hey, that's the airport, right?"
"Yep, that's the airport. It's still pretty active, I think. They fly a lot of helicopters out of here."
"Woah, cool. I've never ridden in a helicopter before. Or even an airplane. I've never done much that's exciting. I'd like to go flying someday. Have you ever been in a helicopter?"
"Couple of times. It's not as much fun as you think. They're pretty noisy, and you have to wear these headphones and microphones just to talk to each other."
"That would be so cool. Ever fly one?"
Alex just shook his head. "Not really. One time I thought I wanted to be a helicopter pilot, so I spent some time in a simulator. It's a pretend helicopter. I wasn't good at it."
"A simulator sounds like fun. Why weren't you good at it?"
"It's sort of embarrassing actually."
Christa poked his arm. "Ahhh, tell me. I won't laugh."
"Well, it turns out I'm pretty scared of heights. I thought that learning to fly would help get me over that. Instead, I kept throwing up in the simulator. The instructor convinced me that I should try another career. I never got to fly a real one."
"That's not funny at all. It's sort of gross."
"My instructor would agree with you."
Christa picked up her binoculars to get a better view of the airport.
"It's hard to see the helicopters; there's lots of buildings in the way. Are you sure they still have helicopters here?"
"Pretty sure. They might be off on a mission somewhere. We are in the middle of a war, you know."
"Can you get closer? It would be pretty neat to see some flying around."
"I'm just following the road."
The road bent around, and they did get close enough to see a few helicopters. Christa caught a few glimpses of them through the buildings, but what she saw didn't cheer them up. She saw a pilot in flight gear walking from the hangar. He walked right past a group of zombies towards a helicopter, and they didn't even flinch.
"Did you see that?" asked Christa.
"Yes, I did. We'll be at the cemetery in just a minute or so. Don't worry about it."
"There's another human or human-zombie or whatever, and those things didn't go near him. He headed straight for that helicopter, and climbed in. What does that mean?"
"We're almost there; don't worry about it. Chaz will know what to do."
"I can't help but worry. I'm a little kid living in a terrifying world of zombies. It's what I do. I worry about everything. I worry about zombies. I worry about people that look human, but are really zombies. I worry zombies will eat me. I even get to worry that I was a zombie, and I might turn back into one. I worry a lot."
Alex didn't say anything till they could see the cemetery. He grabbed the radio, and signaled for Chaz. "Chaz, Chaz, this is Alex, Alex. Over."
Silence.
Alex tried again. "Chaz, Chaz, this is Alex, Alex. Please respond. Over."
Silence.
Christa bit her lip. "Why isn't he answering?"
"I don't know; maybe he's just trying to keep quiet so none of those freaks find him."
They pulled past the cemetery gates, and parked at the main building. Alex looked to Christa. There was a tear rolling down her left cheek. He reached over and gently wiped it away.
"Christa, you need to stop crying now, OK? We have stuff to do now, and I need you to pay attention. Please stop crying."
"I'm trying. It's hard."
"OK, I need you to focus. We're going to rescue Chaz. Alright? We're going to rescue that tough old bastard."
He put a hand on her shoulder. "Correction, you're going to rescue that tough old bastard. Got it!"
A smirk peeked out from between her tears. "Yes, I am. I am going to rescue that tough old bastard. I'm ready. What do you want me to do?"
"That's my girl. The hard part will be finding him. He said he would be at the building with the cross and circle on the door, so let's find that. Grab the flashlight. If the freaks spot us, they should leave us alone with you here. And if we're a little lucky, maybe Chaz will see the light."
They started walking towards the nearest group of buildings. Finding the building Chaz described wasn't hard. It was the first one they came across, but it was empty. The door was open though, so someone had been there recently
Alex motioned to a grove of trees. "Let's head over that way. If I was on the run, that's where I would go."
Walk In The Woods
It was rare to find a large wooded area in the middle of a cemetery. But this burial ground was new, and most plots were still waiting for their permanent tenants. Trees and nature normally provided solace for visitors at a cemetery. At the moment, grief was the last thing on Chaz's mind. What the trees were doing was providing much needed cover from the ravenous freaks. Chaz wondered if there was ever a time when a freak wasn't hungry. How many of us do they need to eat? I suppose, when you're already half dead, weight gain isn't a concern. Chaz knew one thing for sure. They weren't going to be adding him to their menu today. Time to move.
He could see three more zombies enter the grove of trees from the north. That made a total of fourteen he counted tracking him. The woods were dense enough for visual cover, but those damn things were able to sniff him out no matter where he moved. He was trying to lure them all to the north side of the woods, and clear the south for his escape. The trick was letting them close enough to catch his scent without seeing him. They moved in such random patterns, it was like herding cats. He had to move slowly enough to attract the stragglers, but fast enough to keep those already following him at a distance. It seemed to be working. He had most of them heading north. If he could just get these last few to start following him he could make his move out of the woods, and head towards the fort.
Smoking Out The Colonel
"Alex, it's hard to tell, but I think I saw something up there in the trees."
Alex looked into the binoculars, which weren't that effective in the woods. With the sun dropping, and shadows stretching from the trees, it was tricky.
"You're right, there is something moving, but it's hard to tell if it's friendly or freaky. Based on their movements, I'm thinking zombies. But with what we've seen lately, that's just a guess. Those guys we saw at the tank and the airport didn't move like zombies, so it could be someone like them. We're going to have to go in. Our chances of finding Chaz will be much better inside those woods than out here."
"Are you sure? You really want to go in the woods in the dark?"
"I didn't say I wanted to, I said it was our best chance."
They moved towards the trees, crouching behind larger headstones along the way. The closer they got, the more figures they saw moving through the woods. At the woods’ edge, Alex raised his binoculars for
another look.
"What can you see?"
"These are useless in the woods. We've just got to get in there unnoticed."
"Uh huh. And how exactly do you plan on doing that? If we're quiet, Chaz will never hear us, but if we call out, every beastie will be after us. They can probably smell us from here."
"I know. I'm thinking maybe we need a diversion."
"If that means we're splitting up somehow, just forget it. No way you're leaving me alone. I don't care whether these things love me or fear me. I'm not that brave."
"Hmm." Alex pursed his lips and looked into the woods. He saw movement in their direction. "We need to move. That way." He motioned into the wooded area, but away from the advancing figures. "We're going to move slowly. Stay right behind me, and keep your eyes open. I'll do the same."
"That's your plan? Just march off blind into the woods?"
Motioning to the advancing figures, Alex suggested, "If we don't get moving now, it won't matter what plan I come up with. Follow me!"
Alex led the way past smaller trees, till they came to a big bush to use as cover. They could see some zombies that moved through the woods, looking not the least bit human. Being this close, it wouldn't take the freaks long to pick up their scent.
Alex whispered, "I have an idea. It should help us find Chaz, and throw those zombies off our scent. These woods are pretty damp, but there should be enough leaves lying around to get a small fire going. Grab all the leaves and scrub you can find, and push it under this bush. If we can get the bush smoldering, the smoke should cover our scent, and maybe get Chaz's attention."
"Great idea. Let's burn the whole place. If we don't kill Chaz we should get a few freaks."
"Maybe more positive. It's not something a regular zombie should do, which makes it worth investigating. We just have to stay upwind of the smoke."
"Upwind? There's no wind in here. It's a forest."
"It won't take much. There's some breeze; it should be enough to move the smoke."
Alex couldn't see zombies moving in their direction anymore, but didn't say anything to Christa. No need to worry her. Instead, he focused on the task at hand. Between the two of them, they built a good-sized pile of leaves and twigs at the base of the bush.
"That should be enough. Let's see if we can get this lit."
Alex pulled a dry tin of matches from his pack, and with a few tries, had a small brush fire going. Christa continued gathering leaves and twigs to keep the fire going. The bush itself was smoldering pretty good.
"Good work, Christa. Given how damp it is in here, I don't think this will spread. Not that it would matter; this cemetery isn't getting much use these days."
"That's weird, considering all the people getting killed these days."
"No need to bury zombies. They just find their way back up again eventually. Better to just burn 'em all."
The smoke was getting pretty thick, but it wasn't all drifting downwind like Alex had hoped. The breeze wasn't strong enough. They found themselves choking on smoke as they tried to keep the fire fueled.
"Are you sure the smoke will keep them away?"
"It would keep me away if I had a choice about it. It should keep them away."
Hide & Seek
Chaz's plan was working, as long as he kept moving. They kept running into one another, and slowing each other down. The bigger they were, the harder it was for them to move. There were still a few stragglers to be rounded up. He paused at the next big tree, and gave the group a chance to get closer. As much as he wanted to blow up the whole pack of them, he had to get Alex and Christa to the fort. The group following him made a direct path for the tree he was hiding behind. Biding his time, Chaz looked ahead for the next cover he could use. Spotting a big oak tree, Chaz headed for it, making sure the group behind him saw him break cover. He wound his path close to the remaining stragglers, giving them his scent. Now, he had them all chasing his tail.
This was almost too easy. There were advantages to being on your own. There was nobody to slow you down, no one else to create problems, and no one to challenge you. Chaz couldn't believe how well this was working. As the bigger group headed for his cover, Chaz started to make his way south towards the fort at a sprint. At least as close to a sprint as he could manage while dodging trees, rocks, roots, and branches slapping at his face. It wouldn’t be much longer till he was in the clear and could really start covering ground. There'd be nothing to slow him down, and he'd have the cover of night. Gradually, it began getting harder to see. It seemed like fog at first, but it smelled like smoke. The further he ran, the thicker it became. He couldn't slow down. He needed to put distance between him and the freaks. He almost ran face first into a tree.
When the rising smoke started choking his lungs, he had no choice but to drop to the ground. He kept moving forward on all fours, but soon the smoke forced him to crawl on his belly. Turning back wasn't an option. Maybe the smoke would choke out the zombies as well. At the least he hoped they'd have a hard time picking up his scent with the smoke. He crawled a few more feet, then heard the sound of crackling fire. The smoke burned his eyes and filled his nose. He looked behind him, but couldn't see anything but smoke. He could feel the heat from the fire now on his skin. With ravenous zombies behind him, and an inferno in front, he struggled to find options.
Uncertainty was an alien feeling for Chaz. What the hell, he thought. I've been in tougher spots, and found my way out. I just need to clear my head. You're never truly surrounded. No trap is perfect, there's always a way out. Preferably one that doesn't include dying. Think, think! He crawled closer to the fire, looking for a break in the blaze. The heat was intense, but he needed a better view. Every instinct in his body was telling him to back away, but he had to get closer. Then, he found a small gap through the fire. The sounds of the mob from behind prompted him to move towards the gap. So much for his hard work, getting them all in one group. They were likely scattered all over the place now, confused by the smoke.
He could see the gap now, but the heat was so intense his flesh felt like it was peeling off. He was coughing loud enough now to draw a whole battalion of zombies in his direction. Only a few more inches now. A few large rocks had blocked the fire and created the gap. He pulled a small blanket from his pack, and put it over his head. Ignoring the heat, he took in as much air as he could, got up into a half-crouch, and made a mad dash for the rocks. His skin screamed in pain, but he kept pushing through. He just had to get past the rocks before he passed out. He made it to the top of the rocks, then propelled himself forward, and tripped coming down the other side.
There was some relief. The ground felt cooler here, but the smoke was just as bad. He couldn't stop coughing; trying to catch his breath was near impossible. He tried getting to his feet, but the physical exhaustion of the last few hours took hold. First he just felt dizzy, then a sensation of floating took over. He wasn't floating though, he was falling. Chaz hit the ground with a thud, and the fire kept moving.
Fire To Frying Pan
The fire had gotten out of control. What had started as a small breeze gradually grew until it became strong enough to blow burning leaves and twigs through the air onto another patch of brush that soon caught fire. Fueled by the breeze, even the damp areas began to smolder. Alex and Christa kept moving downwind, trying to stay ahead of the fire while keeping an eye out for zombies and the colonel. The sound of a hacking cough down the fire line soon drew their attention.
"Alex, can you hear that? It sounds like someone is caught up in the smoke. I think I saw someone moving down there."
"Is it the colonel? Can you tell through the smoke?"
"I'm not sure, it might be."
Christa started racing down the line of fire, with Alex in close pursuit. They both reached Chaz. lying prone in the grass. The fire was gaining on all of them.
They both fell to their knees on either side of their leader. Alex asked, "Chaz! Colonel! Chaz, are you alright?"
&nbs
p; "Alex, I don't think he's breathing. Is he?"
Alex rolled the colonel over, placing his hand just below his ribs. "He's breathing, I can feel him moving. He's definitely breathing."
"We need to get out of here. That fire is getting closer. None of us will be breathing if it gets any closer."
Alex looked around. "Chaz! Wake up. Chaz, can you hear me? You need to move."
"Can you carry him? You have to carry him out of here. We can't stay. It's getting hotter."
Alex got to one foot, and grabbed Chaz's arms, pulling him to a sitting position. He was about to throw him over his right shoulder fireman style, when Chaz coughed and spit out some phlegm.
"Don't even think about it, kid. It'll have to be a lot hotter in hell than this on the day I need some punk kid to carry me out of trouble."
"Colonel, nice to see you awake. Have a nice nap?"
Christa nearly knocked Chaz back into the grass with a tackling bear hug.
"Easy, girl, no need to get too excited. I was just catching my breath. It's not like I died or anything."
Christa relinquished her grip. Chaz got to his knees, placed one foot on solid ground, and tried to push himself up, but the exhaustion still had a hold. Alex offered an outstretched hand.
"I'm fine, just give me a second."
Looking away at the advancing fire, Alex whispered, "Stubborn and tough old bastard."
Christa heard, and smirked just a little. If Chaz heard it, he didn't acknowledge it. He did however manage to straighten himself up, and get both feet under him. Straightening himself and adjusting his pack, Chaz stared down at his two associates.
Revealed: Parables From The Apocalypse - Dystopian Fiction Page 6
