by M. Lorrox
Charlie finishes rinsing down the fence and grass, then heads inside for a shower. As he passes the pile of zombies one last time, he sees an arm laid out on the ground—extending away from the pile. Charlie is about to step on its hand with his boot, but instead he kicks the arm out of the way.
It rolls off the curb to the street, then falls into the storm drain.
Yes, Charlie is the big, bad vampire knight, who was sent to “the Orient” back in the sixteenth century to train in their martial arts and weapons. He can kill you a hundred ways a day for a hundred days and not run out of ideas, tools, or energy. But he doesn’t enjoy it anymore. He’s a vampire knight who’s now a pacifist.
Sadie met this Charlie after the American Civil War—the last time he fought, bled, and healed for the House of Elders. Before then, she had known him as one of the most fearsome and trusted knights. She wasn’t a Sunday princess back then either; she had more than her own share of danger and adventure. While Charlie has ridiculous brute strength and trained skill, she has stupefying speed and agility in addition to increased vampire strength. She has more than a few tricks up her sleeve, and she has impressive martial-arts skill in her own right.
Her weapons of choice have always been the flexible ones: whips, chains, grain flails, and what Charlie calls “meteor hammers,” which is indeed what she just improvised from the tow chain and is currently swinging around her head. She spins this mass of steel with such velocity that it tears through the air like a teen would spin a weighted jump rope as fast as they could. However, her version is considerably—more crushingly—destructive.
She gives the meteor hammer an extra pull when that first zombie is in range, and it strikes it straight in the head. The head flies off, the body falls, and the hammer continues its path with the slightest deviation in direction and a barely reduced speed. She uses her arms to eat up the slack of the chain as she spins her body around while running, still swinging the hammer in a controlled but terrifyingly fast motion around her body, up and around her arms, and over her head.
Without missing a step, she continues her attack toward another zombie hauling toward her. This time she spins and leaps, releasing the hammer while in midair, using her spinning motion to launch the hammer straight out and into the zombie’s chest. It stops its momentum, crushes in its chest and ribs, cracks its spine, and launches it backward onto the ground. It writhes as it tries in vain to stand back up, but the spinal cord was severed by the blow, and it’s now paralyzed. Sadie swings the hammer down into its skull, and the writhing stops.
As she looks to see where her next target will be, an armored truck with men and women firing off the top and out the sides bashes through the chain-link fence. The remaining zombies outside all change their attention toward this new distraction, and they’re soon to be gunned down and laid to waste. Sadie stands and takes a breath.
She can hear a muffled scream from inside the building. That woman!
Sadie sprints inside while gathering up the chain in her arms. She sees the woman on the catwalk, stomping and kicking at a zombie’s hands as it tries to climb up to get her. Sadie screams, “Hey, zombie!”
It pauses and looks at Sadie.
The woman, with her leg raised ready to strike, seizes the distraction and stomps down on the zombie’s filthy head. Her foot slides on the loose flesh, and her ankle rolls, but the connection was enough to break the zombie’s grip and balance. Its fleshless fingertips rattle against the metal as it slides off the catwalk and down the ladder. It lands below and breaks a leg. It takes the zombie a mere moment to get itself upright again—even with the femur shard jutting out of its thigh. It stands with its weight on the other leg just in time for the meteor hammer to slam into its head.
Sadie jogs over, looks down at it, and sees it twitch.
She winds the bloodied tow chain behind her and leaps up, swinging the ball of the meteor hammer over her head then crashing it down onto its face. It breaks through the cheekbones as if they were crackers and explodes the dried eyes out from their sockets with a loud -crack!-
The woman on the catwalk winces between her shaking.
Sadie looks up at her. “Are you alright?”
The woman stares at her blankly for a moment. “I kinda hurt my ankle, but otherwise I’m fine… Thank you. Please, can you help me get down?”
Sadie can tell the woman is experiencing some kind of psychological shock, in addition to whatever happened to her ankle. “Sure. It’s going to be okay. Just take it slow.” Sadie waits for her to climb down and looks her over while she descends; the woman seems to be unbitten, and she shows no signs of open wounds or any evidence that infection could have occurred. Her pants and blouse look surprisingly clean for having climbed up an old warehouse’s aged catwalk and fighting off a zombie. The woman is putting some weight on the ankle. Probably just sprained. She asks the woman’s name.
“Karen. And you are?”
“I’m Sadie. You’re doing great; almost there!”
The woman gets to the ground and limps around the zombie’s corpse. She grimaces when she glances at the smashed skull and chain mess at her feet.
“How’s your ankle?”
“I think it’ll be alright. It’s sore, and it hurts, though.”
Outside, more gunshots ring out while the armored truck cruises around the building, taking out zombies as it passes. The women wait by the door, and the truck stops nearby.
Sadie puts her hands up and looks at Karen. “We don’t want them thinking we’re zombies, now do we?”
Karen also puts her hands up, and they walk out the door and into the sunlight.
The light. Minnie. “I need to get back to my daughter; she’s in the car.”
A young man in camo gear and holding a hunting rifle jumps off the truck and shouts at them, “You alright? Anybody else in there? You can put your arms down.”
The women lower their arms. Karen answers him, “Nobody else…still living.”
“Zombies?”
Karen is lost in thought and stares.
Sadie answers the man, “There might be some that haven’t turned.”
“We’ll clear it. Glad you two are okay. You’re lucky.”
Sadie nods. Karen is still staring off.
The man walks back to the truck. “Casualties inside the building; call in the sleds. Jonas, grab some mags; gotta clear it out.”
Sadie puts her hand on Karen’s shoulder. “Are you alright to drive?”
Karen turns to her but must not register the question at first. She starts shaking her head. “I hitched a ride—” she turns to look back through the door of the warehouse, “—from a friend.” She turns back around and looks at the ground.
“Come on, Karen. I’ll drive you home.”
Karen favors a leg as she walks with Sadie, but she doesn’t express her pain. When they get to the Jeep, Sadie is relieved to see Minnie fast asleep.
Sadie looks at her daughter. Poor thing. She taps on the window. Minnie jolts awake and then relaxes when she sees her mom.
Sadie unlocks the door. “Minnie, we’re going to drive this woman home. I need you to get in the back.” Minnie climbs in the back without question, and Sadie brushes some trash on the floor over to the side. “Sorry about the mess.”
The woman looks at her, a little startled and out of it. This is crazy. She bursts into some nervous laughter. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m laughing.”
Sadie shrugs. “Don’t worry about it.” She steps to the side and offers up a strong forearm for Karen to push on while climbing into the Jeep. “Get on up in there.”
She climbs in as gunshots start reporting from inside the warehouse—one per head.
Eddy, Jess, Joe, and Sophia ride with Craig in his Explorer out of town. To the west and north lay the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountains—the oldest mountain range in the world. The peaks are well weathered, and the green forested slopes are traversed easily enough. Although th
ey are far from impassible, they have helped to funnel most of the zombies into the main roadways when they cross from west to east, but plenty of zombies are still crossing all along the mountains every day.
Still, Asheville and the smaller towns near the mountains, like Waynesville, are very thankful to have the mountains between their homes and the zombies. Across the Smokies and halfway across Tennessee, the US military has set up a sizable defense of Nashville. It’s along “The Line” now—the border between the more protected lands and those abandoned and overrun by the zombies—and it’s the most western city that still stands.
Everything west of the Mississippi River was either immediately lost or strategically abandoned. For a time, the US military tried to use the river as a natural barrier. They blocked all the bridges that crossed it, but it didn’t work. Zombies just washed up on the eastern banks downriver, and a few “accidents” allowed the zombies to penetrate past and wreak havoc. The Line pulled back, and it is now trying to hold strong. Patrols between cities along The Line catch many of the zombies as they head east, but they don’t get them all.
Craig and Bill live on the Tennessee side of the Smokies, closer to Knoxville, Tennessee, which is situated about a third of the way between Asheville and Nashville, and a bit to the north. The two brothers haven’t changed much since high school; they still play by their own rules, and they have applied those “rules” to their fight against the zombies. They’re too ballsy for the militias, let alone the military, so they naturally formed their own squad. They’re still working on the name, though.
Craig is driving up to a ridge that overlooks a scalloping river and small valley. He says it’s a great place to snipe from. “See, they can’t rush you; they’d have to first climb up the ridge, and they’re too stupid to go around the long way to get to the top.”
He turns off a decently paved road and starts to ascend the mountain on gravel switchbacks. He points out the windshield. “Soon we’re gonna lose cell reception…just so you know.”
Eddy grabs his phone. He didn’t tell anyone that he left the school. He checks his phone for messages. Mom would have texted if she was done at the market. He types up a text to both his mom and dad:
Hanging out then getting a ride home with friends, back for dinner.
He sends it and asks the car, “So we’ll be back to town by six, right?”
Craig glances at the clock on the dash; it’s 1:25 p.m. “Yeah, unless you get eaten by a zombie. In which case, it’ll take ’em a while to crap you back out!”
Everyone sort of chuckles at the bad joke. He is their ride, and he is providing the guns and bullets… One should laugh at a man’s jokes when he’s sharing his guns and bullets.
Eddy is sitting in the back, and he leans forward to chat with Craig. “So what kind of rifles do you have?”
Craig laughs. “Well, a lot. Today I think Bill is bringing the Browning thirty-aught-six and the Remington two-two-three. Oh, and he’ll have his forty-five seventy government. He’s always got that in his truck.”
Eddy nods slowly. “Cool.”
Sophia laughs. “You don’t have a clue, do ya?”
Eddy smiles at her and shakes his head. “Nope.”
Jess slaps him on the back as he leans into the front. “Well, you’ll get to shoot ’em today. I think we’re almost there.”
Craig pulls off the road and onto a small area cleared of trees to park. “Pile out; half mile to the ridge.”
Everyone hops out of the truck but Eddy. He looks outside. Not a cloud in the sky, and the path is wide. Not a lot of shade. “I’ll be right behind you guys. Gotta fix something in my bag.”
Craig is getting some gear out of the back of the truck when he calls out, “What, did your balls fall out somewhere on the way up?”
That time, everyone laughed.
“No! I’ll be right behind you. Go on.”
Sophia points down the trail. “I’ll bring the slowpoke to the ridge. I know the way.”
Craig tightens a hip holster with a revolver in it, then dismissively waves his hand at them and the truck. He starts up the trail with Jess and Joe.
Eddy slops on some thick sunblock. “Thanks.”
“No prob.”
“Do you want any?” He looks up and sees her reaching into her bag.
“Got my own. Thanks, though.” She puts some on her face, shoulders, and on her one bare arm. “And don’t worry about missing any fun. I know a different path we can take. It’s farther, but, well, we’re faster.” She finishes applying her sunscreen and puts the bottle away.
“Cool. Yeah, let’s beat ’em.” Eddy takes a drink, secures his bag closed, and hops out. “Lead the way!”
She starts jogging up the same trail that the others started on, but soon she diverts into the bushes. Eddy follows her, smiling, remembering Craig’s joke about being off in the bushes with her.
Karen shifts her position in the seat; bottles and various objects rub together by her feet.
Sadie hears the noise and is reminded of the clutter. “I’m sorry about all that stuff down there.”
Karen is feeling better now; she’s had a few minutes to herself while Sadie drove. “It’s really nothing to apologize about. I was just wiggling my ankle around. It hurts, but I don’t think it’s broken, or even sprained.”
“Ice it later. That should help.”
Minnie is also feeling more lively. She speaks loudly so that the woman in the front can hear her over the rumble of the Jeep’s knobby tires. “Your foot will feel better in a little while. Drink some juice!” Her hand shoots out, holding a bottle of .
Karen turns to face Minnie. “That’s very nice of you. What kind of juice is it?”
Sadie groans under her breath. Is she just being nice or does she want some? “It’s actually medicated juice. I’m sorry, Karen, but you shouldn’t drink it.” Sadie looks through the rearview mirror to Minnie. “Thank you for being so kind to our guest, Minnie. It’s very thoughtful of you.”
Karen smiles at the cute girl, who looks like she has a rash covering her face. Karen leans slightly toward Sadie and asks, “What sort of illness is she fighting?”
Sadie shakes her head. “It’s nothing to worry about. The medicine is a godsend. It’s working great.”
“Oh. Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
Sadie pulls up alongside a midrise apartment building. “This is it, right?”
“Yes. Thank you again for saving me and taking me home. I wish I could somehow repay the favor.”
“There’s no need, Karen.” Sadie smiles. “Just take care, and ice that ankle.”
Karen waves at Minnie in the back and then gets out of the Jeep. While she’s walking toward the front door, Sadie turns to Minnie.
“Darling, can I have some juice?”
“Of course!” Minnie hands the bottle to her. She takes a long gulp of it, then hands it back. “Thanks, dear. I was thirsty. Let’s go home now and maybe take a nice bath. Does that sound good?”
“No, my skin is hot.”
“Well, the bath can be a cool one. It’ll be like going swimming!”
Minnie smiles. “That sounds good!”
Sadie is about to drive away when she notices that Karen is still outside, arguing with a guard in front of her building. Sadie rolls down the window. “Hey Karen, what’s up?”
Karen is upset. She turns toward Sadie and pauses. “I…it’s not a big deal, I’m just having a little problem here…” She turns back to argue with the guard.
Sadie frowns and rolls up her window.
Minnie asks, “Does she need help?”
“I’m not sure.”
“If somebody needs help, we should help them, right?”
Sadie nods. “Yes, we should. Sit tight; this shouldn’t take long.” She kills the Jeep’s engine, gets out, and walks over. “What’s the problem?”
Karen turns and bows her head, reluctant and embarrassed that she’s imposing on Sadie again. She
takes a sad, deep breath. “He won’t let me in.”
Sadie looks at the guard, confused.
The guard is a man in his fifties. He’s balding and wears glasses. He’s dressed in a windbreaker, a black shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. He wears a belt with pistol, nightstick, and a walkie-talkie. He’s shaking his head. “I’m supposed to check anyone that appears injured for possible infection. It’s the rules, and she has blood on her clothes.”
Sadie looks at Karen’s ankle, and there is something dried on her pant leg. That’s odd. Sadie notices some more near her waist on the back of her shirt. “Karen, did you get injured before I found you?”
Flustered, Karen cries out, “No! I don’t know where this came from. It isn’t my blood. I swear I’m not cut!”
Sadie thinks back. She didn’t notice anything while Karen climbed down from the catwalk. When was she injured, in the car? Sadie glances to the car. She can see Minnie in the back, drinking juice. Oh no, it IS blood…
Sadie takes a deep breath and sighs. “I think I know what happened. My daughter spilled some of her red juice in the car, and when I drove you here—” Sadie looks at Karen, “—I think you sat in it. I didn’t notice the seat. Your leg probably brushed against the container that had dropped on the floor.” She shakes her head. “I’m so sorry!”
Karen smiles, relieved. “It’s alright.” She looks at the guard and shrugs.
He’s still frowning. “That may be, but the rules are still the rules, and I can’t let you in until you’re checked, and not with those clothes. Those look like bloodstains to me, and the rules are no contaminants, no exceptions…”
Sadie looks at Karen. What’s she supposed to do, strip?
The man continues. “I’m very sorry. Karen, right?”
She nods.
“Karen, if you want to get inside, you have to take off the stained clothes, and someone needs to make sure that you don’t have a wound near the stains.”
Karen is frustrated. “Can you call a female guard to check me?”
The man looks nervous. He pleads with his hands. “No, she left a few minutes ago, said there was an emergency with her brother. I really can’t get a woman down here to help right now.” He shakes his head.
