Dead Days Zombie Apocalypse Series (Season 5)

by Ryan Casey

  His bitemark clearly on show.

  The toothmarks on his forehead.

  His skull barely hanging together.

  Undead, just a tilt of the head away from being eternally dead.

  Jordanna lunged in and slammed the head of the bearded creature with a rock. Knocked it to the ground right beside James.

  “They’ll be biting plenty off you if you don’t watch your back,” Jordanna said.

  James stared at the fallen creature beside him. He wiped some blood off his head, his cheeks flushing. “Yeah. Yeah. Cheers I guess.”

  Riley saw another creature closing in as he approached the mechanics. A younger one. Couldn’t be older than seven, eight. Wearing a bloodstained Chelsea FC shirt. Dark hair. Pierced right ear.

  Pierced neck.

  With creature teethmarks.

  He looked at it and he saw Chloe. Saw Tiffany. And somewhere in the eyes of this kid, he saw his own child. His son, all the way over in Australia. He wondered how they were coping. How they were getting on. Whether they were even surviving at all, even though he’d never known them, even though he was never even meant to know they existed.

  He pulled back the hammer.

  Hoped to God his poor kid he’d never even met was far, far away from any kind of trouble.

  He cracked the hammer into the creature’s skull.

  Stopped it gasping right away.

  Knocked the life out of its body.

  Put the poor kid at rest.

  He took a quick look around as the taste of sweat and the smell of blood filled the air. Jordanna and Tamara were taking on three approaching creatures, knocking them down one by one. Chloe had a knife through the head of a smaller creature, one about her height. James smacked a creature between its eyes, knocked it to the ground while Doctor Ottoman perched over it and rammed a screwdriver between its eyes.

  Riley saw his group dealing with these creatures and he felt something inside. A deep, almost inappropriate sense of pride.

  Pride that these people were walking beside him.

  Fighting with him.

  That these people were dealing with whatever threat headed their way in the most efficient manner possible.

  A gasp to Riley’s right.

  He pulled back his hammer automatically, prepared to swing it, a reaction embedded in his consciousness more than anything.

  Then he saw what was coming his way.

  Piling out the door at the side of the mechanics.

  More creatures.

  A group of ten, twenty creatures. More creatures than had been out here in the first place.

  More creatures than they could deal with.

  “Fuck,” James shouted, putting down the last of the first batch of creatures. “How the fuck we supposed to deal with this lot?”

  But James hadn’t seen what Riley had seen.

  He hadn’t seen what was on the other side of the mechanics, over on the right.

  “Maybe we don’t have to,” Riley said.

  He turned. Ran towards the right of the mechanics.

  “The hell’s he on about now?”

  “Quick,” Riley said, as the creatures stumbled out of the garage, hurtled in the group’s direction. “Just … just trust me.”

  He didn’t stick around to wait and see if they trusted him.

  He just kept on running.

  Running while he still could.

  Running towards the thing he’d seen.

  Hope filling his body.

  Hope in the form of a little blue Smart Car.

  “Shittin’ hell,” James shouted, the creatures nipping at their heels. “Please don’t tell me that’s what you’re gettin’ all over-excited about.”

  “It’s all we’ve got,” Riley said, getting closer to the car.

  “Are you sure we’ll even fit in it?” Tamara asked.

  “Trust me,” Riley said, thinking back to the time on Morecambe Pier when he, Anna, Pedro and Aaron had all stuffed themselves into that Smart Car. Just about squeezed their way in. Good times, in a way. Desperate times, but better times than now.

  Times of hope.

  Funny to think none of those other three had made it.

  That they’d all fallen before Riley had.

  Somehow, he’d beaten the odds for so, so long.

  And he had to keep on beating them.

  Riley plummeted into the side of the car. Grabbed the handle.

  Locked.

  “Fuck,” James said. “Great fuckin’ job genius. No keys. Just what we need. Just what—”

  “It’s a mechanic’s,” Riley said.

  “Which means?”

  “Which means the keys will be around here. Somewhere.”

  He turned back.

  Looked at the twenty-strong group of creatures staggering away from the mechanics and towards them.

  At least ten of them dressed in blue mechanics’ outfits.

  James took a step back. “Hardly look like the type to be privy to the old ‘stop and search’.”

  “It’s all we’ve got,” Riley said.

  “There,” Chloe said.

  Riley looked. Saw Chloe pointing ahead. Eyes wide.

  “What d’you see?”

  “There’s—there’s some keys. Big bundle of keys.”

  Riley looked up. Saw nothing but creatures getting closer. Slipping through the mud. Gasping and groaning and reaching out with their extended limbs. Limbs that were almost splitting away with the force, with the pressure.

  “I don’t …”

  Then Riley saw them.

  Saw the pile of keys.

  “Shit,” James said.

  “Shit,” echoed Riley’s thoughts exactly.

  Because, yes, there was a pile of keys.

  But they were attached to the body of a fallen creature.

  A fallen creature that was just inches away from the oncoming horde.

  “Anyone fancy volunteering?” James asked.

  Unsurprisingly, nobody replied.

  But somebody had to.

  So Riley held his breath and hurtled towards the crowd.

  “Riley!” Jordanna shouted.

  But it was too late.

  He was already on his way.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Riley couldn’t let himself think twice about sprinting towards the group of creatures.

  He heard voices. Voices of the group shouting out to him, telling him to get the fuck back, to snap out of this insanity. But it was already too late. He was already so focused on that bundle of keys dangling from the shirt of the fallen creature that he just had to keep on running.

  He had to keep on running because someone had to keep on running.

  He had to take responsibility.

  And then the group had to get the hell out of here.

  He tried not to focus on the herd of creatures staggering towards him. The bones sticking out of their rotting legs. The bitemarks swarmed by buzzing flies. The sour stench of death that he’d grown so used to—so accustomed to—but which would never lose its sharpness, its intensity.

  He just focused on the fallen creature.

  On the bundle of keys.

  On the—

  He heard the groan to his right, heard the door to the mechanics’ rattle on its hinges. Couldn’t help but glance over, take a look at the source of the noise.

  More creatures stumbling out of the mechanics.

  Shit. More fucking creatures than Riley thought could possibly fit in a frigging mechanics.

  Ahead, the thirty-strong crowd inched towards the fallen body.

  Inched towards the keys.

  Riley gripped his hammer, the rubber handle sweaty under his fingers. He kept on running, kept on fighting through the pain in his exhausted legs. He knew right then that what he was doing was suicide. What he was doing was crazy. Absolutely crazy.

  But sometimes it was the crazy decisions that kept people alive in this world.

  Sometimes, you needed to
be crazy to protect those around you.

  The first creature in the crowd stepped over the fallen body, over the keys.

  A barefooted woman in green combat pants. Hair dangling from a loose patch of skull that had been ripped away. Brain on show, exposed.

  Maggots feasting on her prune-like right eye.

  Riley held his breath.

  Pulled back the hammer.

  Swung it at the woman.

  He didn’t feel any pity when he split open her skull, sent her cold blood waterfalling all over the ground. He couldn’t afford to feel pity, not anymore.

  All he felt was duty.

  Duty to his friends.

  Duty to those he’d lost.

  He watched the woman fall back into another two creatures. The group fast surrounded the body, fast surrounding the keys. Riley just thanked God they weren’t the runners. Thanked God they weren’t …

  Oh fuck.

  Just as quick as he’d thought it, a creature hurtled through the crowd, pushed its comrades aside, threw itself at Riley.

  Riley stepped back. Watched in slow motion as the creature—once a ginger teen—flew through the air.

  Riley waited a second.

  Waited for the right fucking second.

  Had to get this right.

  Had to get it spot on.

  And then …

  He saw the creature’s skull explode before the hammer made any contact.

  Lost balance as he followed through with the hammer swing, striking nothing but thin air.

  Something echoed in his ears.

  Something loud. Like a gunshot.

  He turned around. Saw Jordanna pointing her gun at the crowd.

  “I had that,” Riley said.

  “You’re very fucking welcome. You got this one too?”

  Riley turned.

  Saw a chubby bald creature reach out for his arm.

  Open its mouth, lips all split through excessive chewing.

  Riley swung the hammer and again, the creature’s head burst before he had a chance to make contact.

  Splattered more blood all over Riley’s already-bloodsoaked body, clotted up his gradually progressing beard.

  “I did, actually,” Riley said.

  Jordanna reloaded her gun. Behind, James and the others continued to struggle with the car, trying to find some kind of alternate way inside. “Forgive me if I don’t take your word for it.”

  Riley stepped towards the creatures, knocked one down while Jordanna fired at the ones closest.

  “Never known a mechanics’ joint this busy,” she said, getting closer to the body, closer to the keys.

  “Just our luck,” Riley said.

  He swung the sharp end of the hammer through the eyes of an ageing male creature with thin white hair, cracked glasses still hanging on its contorted nose.

  Split its skull.

  Pulled the hammer away and let it fall to the floor.

  “Quick,” Jordanna said, stepping beside Riley. “No better chance than now.”

  Riley observed the surroundings. A good gap of a couple of metres or so between the keys and the creatures.

  A few seconds to reach the keys.

  A few seconds to get to the car.

  A few seconds to get the hell out of here.

  Riley rushed for the keys.

  Grabbed them from the body of the fallen creature.

  Yanked the chain away with his shaking hands.

  The creature opened its eyes.

  Grabbed his arm.

  Wrapped its teeth around it and started to bite.

  A blast.

  A blast splattered through the creature’s skull.

  Its head exploded right on Riley’s arm.

  Its teeth still held on loosely.

  “Are you bit?” Jordanna asked, the approaching creatures just inches away now.

  Riley turned and saw she had her gun pointed at him.

  “No. I—”

  A shout.

  A shout over by the car.

  Jordanna turned. Riley looked beyond her.

  Three creatures attacking the rest of the group.

  One of them holding onto Doctor Ottoman.

  “Quick,” Riley said.

  They rushed over towards the group as James and Tamara fought them off. Rushed over to the one pinning Chloë against the dashboard of the car. Riley smashed the hammer through its skull, no regard for the fucking bodywork of the car, no regard for the repercussions it might have on the car as an escape route.

  Jordanna smacked the creature holding Doctor Ottoman over the head with the butt of her gun.

  Smacked and smacked until it let go.

  Until it turned around.

  And that’s when Riley stepped in with the sharp end of the hammer and pierced the back of its skull.

  They waited, Riley and Jordanna. Waited for the creature to stop wriggling. To stop growling and groaning. Over to the right, Riley could hear the rest of the creatures getting closer. Almost too close. Almost.

  They let the creature fall to the ground when it stopped moving.

  “You okay?” Jordanna asked, moving around to the driver’s door.

  Doctor Ottoman adjusted his glasses. Stared down at the fallen creature. Eyes wide. Face pale. “Yes. Yes. We … We—”

  “Good. We need to get the fuck out of here right this second. Riley?”

  Riley stepped past Chloë.

  The creatures getting louder.

  Rowdier.

  Closer.

  He clicked the unlock button on one, two, three of the keys.

  Nothing. Fuck. Fuck.

  Some of the creatures at the front of the group jogging.

  Seconds away.

  Seconds away from swarming them.

  He tried another key.

  Nothing.

  “We really need to—” James started.

  “I know!” Riley said.

  Another key.

  Nothing.

  Creatures getting closer.

  Another—

  The door clicked.

  It didn’t sink in. Not at first. So Riley and the others just stood there. Bewildered. Amazed.

  And then Riley saw the creatures in the corner of his eye and he knew they had to move.

  “Get the fuck inside the car!”

  He opened the door.

  Leaped inside the Smart Car.

  The creatures just inches from the window.

  Chloë and James followed.

  Tamara and Jordanna got in through the other side, all of them squashed into this two-seater car, all of them piled up close.

  Doctor Ottoman—

  He fell back.

  Something had hold of his ankle.

  A creature.

  A creature pulling him away from the car, back out into the dangers of outside.

  “Get hold of him!” Tamara shouted.

  “Please,” Doctor Ottoman mumbled. “P-please.”

  Tamara grabbed his hand. James grabbed another. Jordanna, Chloë, Riley, all of them held on, all of them pulled as the creatures gathered around the passenger door, as they tried to get a grip on Ottoman’s feet, a stake in this tug-of-war.

  “We’ve—we’ve gotta go,” Jordanna said.

  “We’re not going fucking anywhere,” Riley said.

  He held onto Doctor Ottoman’s hand.

  Watched his glasses slip down his nose as he felt the force from behind.

  The force of the creatures pulling him away.

  “P-please don’t—don’t leave me here—”

  “We’re not leaving you—”

  “Please don’t—”

  Then, Doctor Ottoman screamed.

  It was a scream that filled the car.

  An agonising scream that echoed off the glass, off the metal.

  Riley heard a crunch.

  Heard the splitting of muscle.

  Felt Doctor Ottoman’s hand tightening as the creatures kept on pulling from behind.r />
  Kept on dragging him away.

  Kept on—

  Doctor Ottoman’s belly split open.

  The bottom part of his body tore away at the stomach.

  Intestines fell out and covered the Smart Car. Intestines that were still filled with the rabbit they’d eaten earlier that day. That were still warm and sloppy, like oversized worms wriggling around the car.

  The creatures fought and feasted over Doctor Ottoman’s lower body.

  Doctor Ottoman’s upper body lay flat on its torso in the car.

  “Fuck,” Jordanna said, wiping the splattered blood away. Her eyes were filled with tears. “Fuck.”

  “Shut the door,” James said.

  Jordanna reached over and closed the door.

  Doctor Ottoman’s upper body was still in the car with them.

  Split down the middle.

  Torn intestines dangling out on the seats.

  “We … we need to go,” James said, blood rolling down his forehead. A smell like fresh, uncooked chicken filled the car. “I’m sorry but we need to go.”

  Someone started up the engine.

  Stepped on the gas.

  Manoeuvred their way out of there.

  Riley didn’t properly acknowledge who. He didn’t know who was driving for certain.

  Because he was too busy holding onto Doctor Ottoman’s hand.

  His hand, which was still warm.

  Still gripping tightly.

  Ottoman’s eyes, tears mixing with blood as they rolled down his cheeks.

  His shaking cheeks.

  His live cheeks.

  Split down the middle, torn in two, but still holding on, still shaking, still spluttering blood and crying.

  Still alive.

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHLOË

  Doctor Ottoman died a few minutes after the group set off.

  Chloë looked out of the window she was squished up against. Looked at the trees they drove past. Tree after tree after tree. And each and every tree just reminded her of what she’d done. Of the pain around her neck. Of the buzzing noises she’d heard in her mind and what she had to do to get rid of them.

  Of what she’d tried to do.

  She could still feel the soreness around her neck as the car bumped up and down, driving over fallen bodies, past lone monsters. She could feel the soreness and she knew she’d probably feel the soreness for the rest of her life.

  But she was here. She was alive. She was okay.

  And somehow, that felt important now.

  It felt good that she was okay.

  More so than ever before.