The Rotting Souls Series (Book 1): Charon's Blight [Day One]

by Ray, Timothy A.

The road north of Morenci had originally been called Route 666, but had been changed by some Bible thumpers a couple of decades before. It wound its way north from Morenci towards Alpine and Springerville to the north. He remembered that fateful trip three years before as they inspected the land to build the compound; thinking then that it was just an exercise, something to pass the time.

  None of them had expected it to actually happen.

  It was fun at first; spending money on extravagant ideas and wild theories. The planning for what they would need was an ongoing process as each of them had their own ideas of what it would take to survive the end of the world.

  Things were constantly added and changed; evolving further as time passed. Upgrades were made as they became available, Sean not even hesitating to keep them ahead of the game. When war was declared in the Middle East, the fun had leeched out of their little project and they had all taken vacations from their jobs to help things move along more swiftly.

  Sean could have taken care of most of it on his own, contracting out, but they had all agreed from the beginning to keep the amount of people involved to a minimum. So, they had done most of the work themselves, outside the actual clearing of the forest and the building of the structures within of course. That was something that required heavy equipment and more man-power than their small group could manage.

  As the construction had gone forth, they had trained each other on skills they would need, most of which was first aid and self-defense. The kids were trained as well, causing them to mature faster than any of the parents had wanted. His wife had argued against it, but once they were committed, her words started to fall short. It was one of the few arguments he had actually won in their marriage; though it wasn’t one he could brag about.

  In rotating shifts, all of them spent a couple of weeks there a year, refreshing themselves and helping to maintain what they had come together to create.

  Sean had approached one of the families involved about living there full time. Rodger was on the verge of retirement as a truck driver and Sean offered to finance their move and stay at the compound, providing a nice salary to live on in exchange for maintaining the equipment and crops. Rodger’s family would often take vacations when one of the other families showed up, getting them out and back into the world so they wouldn’t go stir crazy.

  Rodger’s son Ben was their computer expert and he had been excited to have free reign over their computer systems. He spent most of his time upgrading their equipment and monitoring news from around the globe. He was a bit of a savant when it came to computer code. He could hack traffic cams and video monitoring systems, hence his being able to navigate them in case of an emergency. He had grown up with some of the earliest computers, having built a few himself, and still couldn’t grasp half of what Ben did.

  Some people just saw connections in lines of code where he just saw numbers arranged in gibberish.

  He slowed the van as they approached a large wooden fence made of thick logs, rising twelve feet out of the forest before them. The barrier had wooden spikes angled outward at small intervals the entire length of the compound. A solid metal gate was before them and it had swung open at their approach.

  Rodger was standing there waving them forward. He was around fifty-five with a crop of thick gray hair. He had a beard, blue overalls and a red flannel shirt. Tipping his ball cap at them as they passed, Rodger swung the gate closed as Sam’s van eased slowly past and clear of the gate’s arc.

  The van bucked as it went over the lip of the metal bridge that spanned the moat below. They passed over the drawbridge, through the twenty-foot concrete wall that surrounded the place, and into the compound beyond.

  This would be their first stop. He drove the van along the dirt road to the right and parked the van at the furthest parking space. As Rodger secured the gates, his family got out and began to stretch. He took a moment to look around, taking it all in and angling his back at odd angles to loosen up. He soaked up the sounds of the forest outside the compound walls and took a moment to breathe in the mountain air.

  It was a large site, but only the first of three. The compounds were arranged in a triangular formation, the other two situated two miles further into the forest. It was hard to imagine that this wasn’t the largest of them; despite the landing strip.

  They needed a lot of space to survive an apocalypse.

  They had livestock, crops, a small lake for fishing, and an above ground neighborhood to move into once the immediate danger passed. The underground complex was extensive, with living quarters, communal areas, and everything from armories to med labs. Anything they could think of that they’d ever need. There were large warehouses stocked with additional food to supplement the resplenishable resources they had created.

  He glanced over at their hangar and felt reassured. Sean’s plane was resting within. At least one of the others had gotten here safely. Leave it to Sean to be one of the first.

  He had no room to complain, the guy had footed the bill after all, despite how crazy their ideas had been. Though, after today, he would have to make adjustments to what he considered crazy.

  He looked left and saw the Huey and four tankers of fuel. One was jet fuel, the other three unleaded gasoline. It had been an offhand remark but he was glad Sean had the foresight to follow through on it. The van was pretty low on fuel at the moment and he would need to fill it up at some point.

  However, he had no plans to go back out there any time soon.

  He grabbed a nearby cart and loaded their supplies into it. Grabbing his pack, he turned to greet Rodger as he approached. “You’d pardon me if I don’t say it’s good to see you,” he told his old friend, gripping the outstretched arm.

  Rodger grimaced and put his hand on Todd’s shoulder. “I know what you mean.” Monica embraced the older man and Nick shook his hand. “Let’s get you guys settled. Ben says it’ll be awhile before I have to come back out here.” As he spoke, his hand departed his right ear where an ear bud sat. His son had to be talking his ear off. “And it looks like you convinced your other lady to join us, that’s good.”

  He nodded, sparing Sam a glance. She was busy trying to wrangle her kids, who were excitedly looking around at their new surroundings. “I see Sean made it,” he observed, motioning to the Learjet, as they started walking towards the back of the compound. They crossed the airstrip and past the hangar beyond. His wife grabbed his hand and her sweaty palm let him know she was still nerve-racked.

  Hell, he could still feel it in his bones as well.

  “Uh huh,” Rodger acknowledged. “He got here about an hour ago. Ben says Casey is about five hours out and he’s the closest.”

  Casey was a good friend of his, even outside of the game. They had kept in touch and had tried several other online games through the years, but they never really found anything worth playing. Maybe they had moved beyond it? He didn’t know, but their past experiences and the time they had spent together had bonded a few of them for life. He hoped that he would make it. Though he would have to knock that stoner shit off around the kids.

  Sam strolled up on Monica’s right, and she kept having to turn and encourage her kids to keep up. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long night for all of them.

  They came to a building in the center of a small clearing. There were a couple of Humvees parked on either side that they had upgraded a year or so ago. He smiled at the memory; it had been a great weekend. Nothing but beer, barbeque, and the feeling of extended family coming together. What he wouldn’t give to be back there with them in that moment, rather than meeting them all again with the death of the world hanging overhead.

  They entered the small building. There was another set of doors with bullet proof black glass windows. He bent over and opened them, revealing the steps to the tunnel below. There was a ramp to the side for the cart to be lowered on. Michelle and Nick took it and started down the ramp. He grabbed Skye and carried her down the stairs after them. His eyes
adjusted to the electrical lighting as he carefully made his way forward. Monica was close behind with their thirteen-year-old son in tow. He could hear Sam’s voice echoing around him as she brought up the rear, a long chain of children between them.

  As they neared the bottom, Rodger went over to the first jeep and the kids started loading up their supplies and other belongings. He hopped into another, Sam taking a seat beside him. Zeke, Bea, and Alan hopped in the back, Tammy opting to ride with Rodger and Nick instead. Monica took the third and last jeep, the remainder of his children sliding in with her.

  He turned the engine over, staring at the well-lit tunnel ahead. It wasn’t too large, but it was enough for two vehicles to pass on either side with just enough room overhead to keep them from feeling trapped.

  When everyone was settled and ready, they drove a hundred feet down the tunnel and came upon a fork in their road. Taking a long deep breath, he turned his vehicle to the right, following Rodger’s lead, and began the last leg of the trip to his new home.

  Chapter 14

  Trapped

  Saint

  Tucson, AZ

  “I told your bitch ass that we needed to get the fuck out,” she scolded her boyfriend. Her brown eyes were filled with rage and as she strode after him, she whipped her shoulder length black hair back and balled her fists; nails digging into her palms. She didn’t think being a Latina made her more pissed than anyone else; but she was sure it didn’t help.

  “Straight up, this some bullshit.” She now regretted stopping to pick him up. She should have gotten the fuck out while the getting was good. Now she was trapped at work, surrounded by fucking zombies, unable to get back on the road and out of town. It had been hours since Todd’s last text and she was ticked that she was still in Tucson, and at her work—of all places. She didn’t want to die here.

  Jeff was ignoring her as she ranted and that did nothing but fuel her anger.

  “Seriously fucktard; what are we going to do now?” she asked, fury coursing through her. That’s what she got for dating a white guy. It wasn’t something that she did on a normal basis, but he had seemed so hot at first. He was six-four, slim, but well-toned. He had wide hips, a long face, and a great smile. His short brown hair was always covered with his green work hat, but she loved to take it off and run her fingers through his hair. Now, however, she wanted to knock him on his ass and throw him out those front doors. Maybe his ass would feed them long enough for her to escape.

  She was sweating her make up off, the dark eyeliner streaking down the sides of her face. As she wiped it away, she realized she’d probably wiped her painted eyebrows off as well. She silently cursed the day she was having. Her eyes dropped to her clothes and her rage surged forward. Her black t-shirt and jeans were covered with blood and guts.

  This was beyond fucked up.

  Her glasses were smeared with blood and she took them off to clean them. She was close on her boyfriend’s ass, just waiting for him to say the wrong thing and to set her off. He didn’t disappoint her. She had been pushing him since the last of those monsters had been killed and she knew he was close to snapping.

  He turned and glared at her. “I know, all right?” he yelled back, his voice high with the fear he was clearly feeling. Bodies lay all around them and they were both working to at least clear the back aisle so they wouldn’t trip if they had to run. “Have you looked outside?” he asked, as he drug a body into the pet food aisle. “You want to go out there? Be my guest.”

  She was struggling to move an overweight Yaqui female and grunted as her shoulder flared in response. “I’m not stupid puto. Obviously, we can’t go that way. But that’s not the only way out of here! Why not go up to the roof and take a look around, see which emergency door might be safe?” She was biting off every word; the acid sliding off each syllable she spoke. She couldn’t help it; she liked to be in control of her life and this situation was really pushing her to the limit.

  “You want to poke your head out the small ass trap door? Feel free. Personally, I’d rather know what’s up there before I go sticking my head out,” he growled, reaching to help her drag the corpse to the pile they were creating. “Not like we can’t take some time to decide. We’re not going to run out of food any time soon,” he sneered, motioning towards the aisles of groceries around them.

  “I’ve got this,” she snarled, giving the arm one final tug and dragging the body into the aisle with the other corpses. She stood hunched over, hands on her knees, her breath coming in short erratic gasps. She had stopped to pick him up, thinking it’d be a hop in the car and go. Instead he kept putting her off and now they were trapped.

  Fucking dumbass.

  She hadn’t come inside at first. She had waited at the break table in the front, smoking cigarettes, and constantly looking at her watch. Then she had watched in horror as an old man suddenly clutched his heart while crossing the parking lot, falling face first to the asphalt below.

  People had panicked. Management had come rushing out of the store to aid the dying man, calling for someone to dial 911 on the walkie hooked on their belt. Other coworkers had streamed out in response to the frantic radio chatter and she had almost gotten up to see if she could help as well; that irresistible urge to be involved.

  Then the guy was suddenly on his feet and attacking those that had come to help him. Blood flew everywhere and she had nearly gagged with the viciousness of it. Knowing what Todd had told her through his text, she made a mistake she might regret for the rest of her short life; she had gone inside to get Jeff instead of jumping in her car and taking off. Those that died from the old man soon came back to life and began tearing into the people stupid enough to run their way.

  It had been a long-pitched battle to survive and now she was worn out and scared. Most of those that hadn’t fled in those first few moments, had died and turned, forcing them to have to deal with them as well.

  Now there were only a few people left. If those glass doors and windows gave way; they’d be toast. Her store manager had used the power lifting equipment to place pallets of dog food in front of the glass exterior, but it wouldn’t take much to push those over. It was more to buy them time then actually stop those freakish monsters.

  She went to stand next to the meat counter; letting the cool air wash over her. Jesus was approaching from the back room, trying furiously to get his cellphone to work. She had already tried to get ahold of Todd and the rest of her family, so she knew that it was hopeless endeavor. Yet, he punched it repeatedly with both thumbs, like beating it into submission would make it work.

  ¡Imbécil!

  “I can’t get through to my wife,” he said, almost like he couldn’t understand why his phone wasn’t working.

  No shit, she thought as he pulled the battery out for a few seconds, then put it back in and turned the power back on. She shook her head in amazement. “No one’s calls are going through; it’s not your phone.” The look he gave her made her think that he was in shock rather than just being an idiot, and she suddenly regretted her harsh tone. “I’m sure they’re okay,” she tried, not really believing it.

  If this shit was going on everywhere, none of them would ever be safe again.

  She could hear David and Randall talking before they emerged from the end of the aisle on her right. They both looked at the cleared back aisle and she saw her boss grimace at the sight of blood on the floor. How could he be worried about that when the world was going to shit?

  Fucking white people. “Te necesita tener tu cabeza examinado, gringo,” she muttered under her breath. Hell, this could all be a figment of her imagination. Maybe she needed to have her head examined as well. Jeff was glaring at her but she knew that he didn’t understand a word she had said. “¿Tienes un problema, el Jefe?” she asked him, rubbing in his ignorance.

  “In America we speak English,” he told her coldly and she wondered what she had ever seen in him. “That’s my problem.”

  Well good for him, he
half understood what she had said.

  “I was born here you fucking retard and now it looks like America is going to shit, doesn’t it? Maybe we should make a run for the border; take our chances in Mexico,” she responded, her temper flaring. She was sure that was one news story that would play over hilariously. Illegal immigrants fleeing to Mexico. What a hoot. If it weren’t for the destruction being carried out outside she might have laughed.

  “Fuck that shit,” Jeff responded quickly. She wanted to hit him so bad that her fist were already balling themselves up in preparation.

  Just keep it up, she whispered within her mind; she was still raring to kick his ass.

  She looked to the two men approaching them and tried to cool off before she acted on her rage. David was just over six feet, bald, with wire framed glasses and a button down white shirt covered in blood. His fists were hanging loosely at his sides, the knuckles covered in gore. A large wound on his right forearm was dripping blood off his fingertips. He didn’t appear to notice it as he pushed by the larger Hispanic beside him.

  Randall was 6’6 with big hands and a goofy grin. He weighed over 300lbs and had played as a starter on his High School football team. The green shirt he wore had earned the nickname of Hulk from his co-workers; something that he was proud to tell everyone he met.

  The five of them were all that was left and her heart ached at the friends that she had lost. Assistant Manager Tyler had been the first to die, and he had taken out poor annoying Charlie immediately upon turning. Then Victoria had gone down. Within minutes all the cashiers were slaughtered and that new guy in dairy had simply disappeared.

  She still didn’t know what happened to his ass; probably escaped through an emergency exit.

  There had been so much death that it still staggered her that it had happened so quickly. The customers fed the horde’s numbers and overwhelmed the rest of the living. As one of the lone survivors, she couldn’t help but wonder why she had lived while they had all died? The survivor’s guilt was dealing a strong blow to her psyche and she felt her inner will tremble with doubt.