Dead in Love

by Colby Van Wagoner

  I knew that there had been more to Voodoo that just the simple practice of worshiping deities and the Loa. I mean, look at all those horror movies and mysterious viruses that pop up out of nowhere. Someone or something has to create them and controlling those viruses and using them on various populations was no more than how a Bokor uses it to achieve their desires. Whether it is man made, or a natural occurrence in nature, mankind’s science was there to try and contain the mess and mop up afterwards. There was no way I was going to interject and let this group know what I really thought it was, the less panic the better.

  Marcel put his hand on my arm and looked back at each person in our group. He must have seen that I was daydreaming or distracted, but he continued, “The English transliteration voodoo has acquired negative connotations and is therefore often avoided by scholars and practitioners in preference to the Haitian form Vodou. The latter word has traditionally been used in English to mean a fetish within the Vodou religion. Vodouisants believe in a supreme being called Bondye, but also worship many lesser spirits, as the Loa.”

  “This belief is held in several West African religions, such as that of the Yoruba, Odinani, and Vodun. When it came in contact with Roman Catholicism, the Supreme Being was associated with the Judeo-Christian God, the Loa becoming the saints. What do we do when the Supreme Being allows the dead to walk the Earth? Have you not heard or read your scripture, those of you that are saints? This will be the plague the Lord strikes all people with who warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues will rot in their mouths. Book of Zechariah 14:12”

  At that point, the group became silent. After a few moments of catching our thoughts, I spoke out, “Look, I think it is best that we go back to our homes and stay inside after sunset. The police will most likely sort this entire thing out. I mean if it comes down to it the CDC will be called in and they will get it under control.”

  We all agreed and returned to our houses. I, on the other hand, started to secure my ranch and house, putting in place the necessary additional fencing and a few boards on some of the lower windows and building up the strength of my doors. I invited the neighbors to come over at any time, if they felt like they were in danger or needed anything.

  When the house was built, it was during the cold war. Americans were living in fear of nuclear strikes and the Cuban missile crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis, the confrontation between the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War. It was August 1962, after some unsuccessful operations by the US to overthrow the Cuban regime, Bay of Pigs, Operation Mongoose, the Cuban and Soviet governments secretly began to build bases in Cuba for a number of medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic nuclear missiles with the ability to strike most of the continental United States.

  This action followed the 1958 deployment of Thor IRBMs in the UK, Project Emily and Jupiter IRBMs to Italy and Turkey in 1961. More than 100 US built missiles having the capability to strike Moscow with nuclear warheads. On October 14, 1962, a United States Air Force U-2 plane on a photo reconnaissance mission captured photographic proof of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba.

  The United States considered attacking Cuba via air and sea and settled on a military “quarantine” of Cuba. The US announced that it would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba and demanded that the Soviets dismantle the missile bases already under construction or completed in Cuba and remove all offensive weapons.

  The Kennedy administration held only a slim hope that the Kremlin would agree to their demands and expected a military confrontation. On the Soviet side, Premier Nikita Khrushchev wrote in a letter to Kennedy that his quarantine of “navigation in international waters and air space” constituted “an act of aggression propelling humankind into the abyss of a world nuclear-missile war.”

  The Soviets publicly balked at the US demands, but in secret back-channel communications initiated a proposal to resolve the crisis. The confrontation ended on October 28, 1962, when President John F. Kennedy and United Nations Secretary-General U Thant reached a public and a secret agreement with Khrushchev.

  Publicly, the Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba and return them to the Soviet Union, subject to United Nations verification, in exchange for a US public declaration and agreement never to invade Cuba. Secretly, the US agreed that it would dismantle all US-built Thor and Jupiter IRBMs deployed in Europe and Turkey.

  After the situation was televised, a number of families across the United States began building bomb shelters, fortifying them and stocking them with survival rations and supplies. My grandfather was no different, a survivalist to the bone. He spent weeks preparing a fall-out shelter, wired electrically to a secured generator. The shelter was also connected to a series of tunnels which zigzagged underneath the majority of the farm, crops and properties.

  It ultimately led to a fall-out shelter door, which led to an exit located in the main sewage line. This was in place so the inhabitants of the shelter could test the radiation levels before leaving the shelter. It wasn’t the ideal exit for a shelter, as you could imagine, the smell was overwhelming at times. I mean, really, the only memory that stands out from my grandfather taking me down there was the smell, which seemed to seep through the thick, steel door.

  It was a wet season and the mosquitoes and other insects seemed to be thicker than usual. It is amazing to see so many insects one year and then hardly any at all the next, but I guess that is nature’s surprise. It was the mosquitoes that stood out, I mean they would be swarming in the thousands, just about 5 feet over certain areas. The main infestations were above large areas of water, or where water had collected and cooler areas. It was important for me to keep them at bay, the best that I could. This would include using special nets over my patio area, not too much spray, unless it was off and specialized Tiki Torches, placed strategically around my yard.

  The neighborhoods were quieter that usual and after dark it was even more quiet, like a ghost town. I was a little more daring, but cautious with my actions and kept the dogs in close sight when we were further from the house. I had made multiple changes to the fencing surrounding my yard, fortified to 6 feet and placed several additional flood lights in the front and back yards. My neighbors had done the same, but it didn’t seem like it might be enough.

  We talked back and forth over the next few days, relaying any suspicious sightings, using two way radios, since all communications had been blocked and scrambled by the military. Some of us had winding radios which picked up random messages from the CDC and news stations. They had set up an emergency broadcast to notify some of the town people of the situation and what to do in the event of an emergency.

  The military and CDC was making announcements over the emergency broadcast system, also using helicopters to order all citizens to follow the guidelines, “ The following are general guidelines for handling a biological and viral outbreak. Personal hygiene whenever handling biological material or if you think you have been exposed to an agent, wash your hands thoroughly after working with any biohazards and remove gloves, coats and other contaminated protective clothing, before eating, drinking, smoking or applying cosmetics.”

  “Before leaving an infected area, you should always keep your hands away from your face while handling biological material. Never eat, drink, smoke, or apply cosmetics if you think you are in an infected area. For protection from possible infections wear wraparound gowns or scrub suits, gloves and surgical masks when working with infectious agents or when in a room containing infected animals or humans.”

  “Do not wear contact lenses. Do not wear potentially contaminated protective clothing out of the infected area. When removing protective clothing use the following techniques. Remove booties from the back. Remove head covering from the peak. Wear gloves while untying gown. Remove gloves from uncontaminated side. Slip finger UNDER sleeve cuff to remo
ve gown.”

  “Always use mechanical pipetting devices and cotton-plugged pipettes. Perform all procedures with a minimum of aerosol production. Add a disinfectant to water baths used with infectious substances. Use trunnion cups with screw caps for centrifuging procedures. Always inspect the tubes for cracks. Use secondary leak proof containers with transporting samples, cultures, inoculated Petri plates, or other containers of bio-hazardous materials. If you collect these samples, there is a drop-off site located at the North, South, East and West locations of the quarantine perimeter. Mark your samples with your name and address and we can contact you with further instructions.”

  The military and CDC was now in full operations of the quarantine and containment. They had been dropping survival supplies and protective gear to the citizens in the outer quarantined area. Quarantines had been put in place by the government and military in the viral outbreak and panic had set out around the main section of town.

  The infected walked through the streets at night and were rarely seen during the day. They were bruised, their flesh discolored and areas of their flesh had been torn from the skin. There was dried blood on their faces; the clothes were dirty and torn. Animals ran loose in the street, making their way around the infected and running into buildings, attempting to scavenge for food and scraps. The military and CDC was also monitoring the effects of the compounds on the animals as well. Careful testing and monitoring their blood work, would ensure the infection was not being carried by the animals, but unfortunately, it was.

  Bodies were lying in doorways and on the sidewalks, crows and other birds were pecking at their eyes and pulling at the flesh, feeding on the remains. Even wildlife had made their way into the quarantined town. Wolves, coyotes, hawks and eagles were ravaging through the streets and taking advantage of any feeding they could manage. The militia and members of law enforcement were losing ground, around the perimeter, in the main section of town.

  The sheriff had been lost to an attack that took place at the hospital, when he was bitten and infected. Deputy Sheriff Larry Meakins was taking charge of the perimeter defense, gathering the majority of the militia and remaining law enforcement officers, “We need to keep organized and maintain control of the perimeter surrounding the main section of the infected town.”

  “What we need is more ammunition and fencing materials.” Jeffery, one of the militia leaders replied to Larry. He knew that Jeffery was right, “Let’s rig up one of the trucks and make a supply run into town. We’ll hit the surplus, hunting supply store and the lumber yard for materials and fortify the fence.”

  “Man, I’m not going into that town. You’ve seen the way the infected can overtake someone, even cars and trucks get turned over and overtaken by those things.” Larry looked up at all the men, “We are the last line of defense for the rural section of town. Those families and their children are depending on us to hold this line, otherwise the infected break out and take us all as well.”

  The remaining group knew Larry was right and began to prepare a truck for the mission, placing fortified steel on the front and back, along with large sections of barbed wire, to keep the infected off the truck. The remaining militia began preparing weapons and supplies for the trip. A trailer was hitched onto the back of the truck to carry the fencing supplies. There were eight men chosen, along with Larry, who would be driving the truck.

  The group headed through the blockade, in the makeshift armored truck and trailer. Larry carefully navigated the truck through the barbed wire fence and the remaining group closed the blockade, securing it behind them. “There’s a group of infected coming from that building!” One of the militia members yelled out.

  The infected rushed towards the truck and began banging on the side. One of them became tangled and caught in the barbed wire, on the side of the truck and was dragged along. One of the deputy sheriffs pulled out his pistol and shot two shots, exploding the snagged zombie’s head wide open. Blood pooled into a trail behind the truck and the body rolled into the street.

  The remaining militia members, behind the perimeter fence, opened fire using high powered hunting rifles, striking the infected in the heads. The group, in the back of the truck opened fire as well and quickly cut down the group of infected zombies. “Let’s get going before more infected come. They were sure to hear that. We may only have three hours of light left to work under.”

  Larry shifted the truck into 3rd gear and picked up the pace, heading towards the town’s military surplus and hunting store. “There is sure to be some ammunition and weapons in the surplus store. We’ll stop there first and load up, then head to the lumber yard for more fencing.”

  The truck pulled up at the surplus/hunting store and the group cleared the area, looking into the heavily secured building. The windows were barred, the front doors were locked and tightly chained shut. The owner must have had time to lock up the store tightly, before the main infection took the town. “Alright, lock and load everyone, keep the area covered and watch your blind spots.” A militia member called out. The group slowly moved to the front of the store. Larry pulled out a pair of bolt cutters and snapped the chain from the door handles, securing the door. Two other group members kicked the middle of the door multiple times, until the lock snapped open.

  “Now, we’ll take the wheel barrels and load up, the three of you keep the infected out of the store and watch our backs.” Larry shouted. The three men took their positions, at the front door, as the rest of the group made their way to the back of the store, where the weapons were hung on the wall and the ammunition was stacked just below.

  They rushed to quickly fill the wheel barrels with box after box of ammunition. A few of the men loaded shotguns and semi-automatic weapons into another wheel barrel. After 30 minutes, the group had filled seven wheel barrels full of weapons and ammunition and began making their way, back to the front of the store.

  Within moments, the three men covering the front door opened fire, one of them calling out, “We have company, let’s move it!” Shots continued to ring out as each man pushing a wheel barrel made their way to the trailer and truck bed. Some of the men started loading the ammunition and weapons into the back of the truck, while the others opened fire on a group of infected zombies, rushing towards them.

  Each shot hit its mark, blasting through the heads of the infected, spilling brain matter onto the street and blood spatter patterns across the walls of the buildings. After the infected bodies hit the ground, large puddles of dark, red blood formed just under their heads. “Shoot them in the head!” Larry called out to the members of the group.

  He turned and fired a shot into the head of a younger boy, hitting his mark directly, “Move out before there are more.” Larry began climbing into the truck, as a hand grabbed his ankle. One of the infected had made its way under the truck. It pulled Larry from the truck and crawled from underneath, grabbing both of his legs. Larry pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed the knife into the infected man’s neck, spilling blood all over the ground.

  The zombie’s head fell between Larry’s legs and became motionless. Larry quickly began struggling to move from beneath the truck. The infected zombie suddenly reanimated and bit into Larry’s ankle, tearing his Achilles tendon from the bone, “Aaaah! Fuck!” Larry screamed out. One of the militia members pulled a Glock pistol and fired one shot into the zombie’s head.

  “You’ve been bitten, get up and go now.” The militia man pointed his gun at Larry’s head. Larry slid from under the truck and crawled to the sidewalk, as blood trailed from his ankle and poured out onto the ground, “Don’t leave me, please!” The men slowly loaded the remaining supplies into the truck and slowly climbed into the cab and the bed of the truck. “Sorry Larry, but we can’t take any chances. You want me to end it?”

  “Fuck you!” Larry replied in a frantic state, “Fuck you!” The truck slowly pulled away from the surplus/hunting store, creeping along the street, making its way to the lumber yard, where the rem
aining members of the group loaded supplies for the perimeter fencing and checkpoints surrounding the city.

  As they loaded the truck’s trailer, numerous groups of infected began surrounding the fence of the lumber yard, pulling at the chain links and moaning loudly. “We have to go now.” One of the militia members alerted the rest. He turned to see over 30 infected zombies covering the exit gate of the main lumber yard, “Shit, we are so screwed. There is no way we are going to be able to open that gate and make it through without some major damage to the truck, or some major body removal, if we decide to shoot them down.”

  “Look over there.” Another man pointed at a large front loader, parked near a larger garage. “I’ll take that and mow the fuckers down. You all follow behind in the truck, after I clear the way.” They filed into the truck and the man climbed into the front loader, starting it with the key.

  Plumes of black smoke poured out of the exhaust and high into the air, as the truck’s engine revved. The front loader pulled out of the garage and headed towards the gate. The infected moaned and roared at the approaching front loader, as the loader dropped and positioned the bucket at the torso level of the infected zombie’s bodies.

  The front loader sped up and smashed into the chain link gate, causing the zombies to fall backwards, underneath the fence. As the front loader drove forward, the weight of the front loader crushed down on the bodies stuck under the chain link fencing. The force and weight of the truck pushed the flesh of the infected bodies through each chain link on the fence, turning the bodies into hamburger. The driver stopped and turned back to the group and yelled out, “Fucking hell! Whoop Whoop! Hey anyone want some zombie sausage?” The remaining group pulled out of the lumber yard and headed in the direction of the perimeter, surrounding the main section of town, to continue fortifying the blockade.