“Everyone up!” I yelled, jumping up and going to the window. “Up now!”
Groans and complaints accompanied stirring bodies and Tracy lurched up with fists drawn. My stomach plummeted at the sight on the end of the street. At a slow crawl a motor brigade approached us. In the lead, sitting on top of a truck, Antrim wore a bright yellow suit.
Phyn’s corpse could be seen through the windshield sitting in the passenger seat. Tape stretched across her forehead holding her head in place. The other men in the truck looked uneasy.
“How the hell is he still alive?” Tracy bellowed.
Everyone crowded the window and went rigid and still. I braced myself, waiting for them to see what my gaze was fixed on. On the hood of Antrim’s car, Duncan’s body was strapped down, laying across the truck like wild game.
“I’m going to kill him.” Rec ground out.
The vehicles slowed and Antrim stood, the Cranberries ‘Zombie’, playing loudly around him. Two more vehicles pulled up on either side of him, effectively blocking the road.
“I know how much you appreciate music, Tracy.” Antrim spoke raggedly through a PA system in the truck. His voice like gravel being ground into mud. “Don’t make me hunt for you.”
“Glad we moved the Jeep.” Brandon muttered.
Quiet footsteps approached as our hosts’ came down the stairs and joined us at the window. Ed ran a hand over his face and glared at Tracy.
“That was fast. How’d he find you?”
“Sounds an awful lot like an accusation.” Tracy glared at him.
“We haven’t seen people in over three months. You get here last night and now we’re flooded with them.”
“Three months? Why aren’t all the munchers dead?” Len asked quietly.
“Because Antrim dumps new ones all the time.” Tracy answered. “So either you’re oblivious or you’re lying about seeing people.” He tilts his head at Ed.
“Oh, those guys.” He said with a slight lift of his shoulder. “They’re new. Group showed up a few weeks back. Brought someone infected with them.” He glanced at Cer and moved over to the window.
“None of us are infected.” Zoe glared back.
“They’re getting closer.” Dalli said from a far window.
“We gotta get out of here. Is there a back door?” Rec asked Ed.
“Sure is.” He said pointing to the hallway. “Of course, we’re surrounded so it won’t do much good.”
“Wait a minute.” Cer said softly. “Is that-is that what I think it is?” He pointed weakly at a truck behind Antrim’s.
Zoe’s gasp caught in her throat and I looked over to see, strapped across the hood much like Duncan, Tom and Mer’s bodies lie lifeless. It was apparent that they weren’t whole. Zoe cried out and crumbled. On the opposite truck Bud and Boe were also on display. Their deaths being flaunted like bait on a string in front of us. There was movement behind me and before anyone could stop him, Abe charged out of the door.
“Abe, stop!” Dom reached out, but it was too late.
“Well, this definitely isn’t good.” Ed muttered.
A deafening shot rang through the air. A moment of silence was drowned out by Cer’s outcry. Abe shifted on his feet in the street outside the window and fell to his knees.
“God damn it!” Rec yelled, slamming his fist against the glass.
“They know where we are now.” Tracy growled.
“We have to get him.” Zoe cried.
“He’s already gone.” Ria said through gritted teeth.
“That son of a bitch shot him.” Glitch breathed out.
Dex stood at the front of the vehicles with a rifle in his hands. Smoke creeping from the barrel. His watery gaze lifted and was replaced with pure fear when he saw Ria.
“There are what, fifteen of us?” Ria started. “What are our chances of getting to neighboring rooftops unseen?” She asked Ed.
“Ours and next door without issue. Too many deadies in the other building we can get to.” He answered.
“We need to move quickly.” I interjected. “He’s too unpredictable.” I said nodding toward Antrim, who was buffing his nails on his shirt.
“Why are they just sitting there?” Dalli asked in an unnecessary whisper.
“They look like they want to leave.” Eric said squinting his eyes. “Is that one crying?” He pointed and shrugged. “Maybe he has allergies.”
Zoe glared at him with a curled lip.
“Did I say something?” He asked, perplexed.
“What are we gonna do?” Zoe asked, trying to keep herself together.
“We’re going to fight, Natia.” Ria said decisively.
“Natia?” Zoe asked.
“Nathan and Natia Carrigan. Those were your names.” She answered. “Awner McBride.” She continued looking at Rec. “Ryan King.” She said to Neptune. “You and your brother were Anthony and Joseph Jones. Tony and Joey.” She told Len. “Daniel Carter.” She nodded at Cer. “Maxim.” She paused at Dom. “Sorry, can’t pronounce the rest.” There was a soft chuckle and then tense silence.
“So this is it? This is how it goes down? We officially meet each other and then we die.” Nep said with a shake of his head. “Not too shabby.” He clicked his tongue to cover up the quiver in his voice.
“Couldn’t think of a better way.” Rec said with an incline of his head.
“Get anything we can use as weapons gathered up. Take as many as you can carry.” I said with a nod.
We moved fast, making clubs out of table legs. Ed brought out a box of knives and a few meat mallets. Eric brought a blow torch from the shop next door and Dalli returned from the top floor with two shot guns and a pistol.
“Nice. Firepower.” Brandon grinned.
“I don’t like this.” Cer said from his post at the window. “They’re just sitting there. A couple of the trucks even drove off.” He looked at me with wide eyes.
“Where’d they go?” I asked stepping over to him.
He pointed to the direction they had all come from and the trucks could be seen travelling away at high speed. One of Antrim’s men stepped over to him and seemed to be trying to reason with him. Antrim glanced at him briefly before jumping off the truck and punching him in the throat.
“Jesus.” Ria muttered.
“He’s lost it.” Tracy said. “I don’t know if that works in our favor.”
“We might have a chance of winning this.” Ed said, sipping his coffee.
“Oh we huh?” Tracy said with a raised brow.
“Can’t trust you to save us.” Ed said without missing a beat.
“How are we doing this?” Rec asked as he inspected his rifle.
“Viciously.” Zoe answered with fire in her eyes. “Without mercy. We kill them all.” She secured her hair in her trademark bun and adjusted her bow. “And then we leave them to bloat and rot.”
“Sounds perfect.” Tracy said with approval. “Antrim is mine.” Anticipating the arguments he quickly added, “I’m the only one who will get close enough.”
Rec grumbled, but didn’t argue further.
“I got Dex.” Ria growled.
The battle track softened as we all got our weapons in order. A deadly calm wrapped around us and we stood silently. We didn’t need words to comfort us. We had the deaths of our friends, our family, as motivation.
We were so in sync with each other it was like we shared breaths. There were tear damp eyes and clenched jaws alike. There were raw emotions and pure hatred. But there was no doubt.
I looked to Cer and gave him a nod. He stood straight and walked to the door with his knife in hand. He turned to us with color in his face. His features defined, he looked ready for war.
“This isn’t for us.” He said in a gruff voice. “This is for the ones that can’t fight anymore. We fight until our last breaths. We fight through wounds. We fight despite our casualties. And we make sure that our solidarity rips the life from their chests.” He didn’t falter. And he le
d us into battle.
The sun washed over us, unfiltered, as we walked out. Our footsteps almost soothing as they crunched in the gravel. And against all the rules of the new world, a bird flew overhead...and sang...
To Be continued...
About the Author
T. Dawn K. works out of Nevada. She was born and raised in Iowa and moved to Nevada for better weather, and perhaps better opportunities. She spends her time watching too many movies and thinking too much about things she can't change.
Writing is a form of escape for her and it's her hope that her work can provide the same for her readers. Readers enjoying her work is a plus, but knowing she got from page one to the end is everything.
She hopes to remind people that life isn't always easy, but it doesn't always have to be so hard.
Apocalypse Chronicles (Book 1): SunDown, Part 1 Page 14
