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

by Ray, Timothy A.

  She couldn’t allow that.

  Besides, there was a chance that the road through the dam would actually be faster. There weren’t many cars breaking off to go that way and the traffic might be light. Of course, if they had road blocked this part of the highway, they surely had that part as well. She’d deal with that when the moment came; no need to think about it until she had too.

  When the highway had disappeared from view and those flood lights had winked out on the horizon, Matt turned and glared at her. “Now do you mind telling me what the hell is going on? Do you really think this’d be faster?”

  She could only shake her head, eyes searching the road ahead for signs of another barricade. Maybe they should get out and try to cross the border on foot. She doubted they were watching the mountains as hard as they were watching the roads. They could find another car on the other side and continue on. She turned her gaze to the land around them, calculating what to do next.

  “Ros!” her husband called, trying to get her attention.

  She took a long breath and held it for a moment, closing her eyes and trying to clear away her thoughts. Finally, she turned to look at him. “Are you ready to die?”

  He glared at her, a what the fuck look on his face. “Why are you asking me that now?”

  “Do you want to die?” she asked, emphasizing each word, not letting him evade the question. Before she could plan on what to do next, she needed to hear what he was really thinking and wanting.

  “No, I don’t want to die,” he said after a moment. “But it’s not about what I want; it’s about what is going to happen. I’m a danger to you. I don’t want to be the one that kills you.”

  Rosilynn shook her head in frustration. “You are not feverish. Your bite is infected, but that’s normal! Every bite tends to come with an infection and if you were in the hospital we’d be pumping you full of antibiotics, not amputating your leg. If you were going to turn, don’t you think there would be some sign of it happening? It’s been hours Matt! Look at how fast this shit spreads! If it took hours to change someone into one of these things, it’d be easier to control! This shit takes seconds, not hours!”

  “I don’t know, maybe it takes longer to turn the living. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. All I know is that everything we’ve ever read or seen says that bites make you turn into a zombie, period, end of argument,” he stated firmly. His eyes showed that there was little doubt in his mind what his fate was; that it was just a matter of time.

  “We do not know anything! This is not a TV show, it’s not a movie. We don’t know what bites do to you. Maybe it doesn’t do anything! Don’t you think that you would have already turned if it was going to happen? Las Vegas is gone, what makes you so fucking special?” she retorted, furious at how easily he was giving up.

  “Maybe I’m resisting it longer,” he offered, but there was a hint of doubt in his voice. He was trying to work it through, to challenge the beliefs that he had nourished; but he wasn’t there quite yet.

  “Matthew,” she said, trying to get him to look her in the eyes. “We are not giving up until we know for sure that there is no other way.”

  He sighed, one hand on the wheel, the other fiddling with the top of the door frame, elbow waving in the breeze. It was a casual stance, but his face betrayed the turmoil boiling within. “What if—?”

  She cut him off. “If that moment comes, I’ll take care of it. I promise you that,” she told him, but she wondered even as she said it if it were true. Her brain said yes, but her heart refused to answer.

  “I still don’t understand why you made me go this way. We could be getting closer to that roadblock, hell, we might be through it by now and on our way,” he declared, but he didn’t sound like he believed it.

  “The only reason to put up a roadblock is to inspect people coming through,” she responded. “Matt, how do you check for infected people?”

  His mind took a moment to process what she was getting at. “Oh, fuck me,” he said, hand running across his forehead, trying to wipe the thoughts away. “That’s why you’re asking if I want to die?”

  “That and the way you’ve been acting since Vegas. Like I’m keeping you here against your will,” she said, feeling her grief start to rise. She wasn’t ready to give up on him yet.

  “You’d be better off without me,” he replied softly.

  “Don’t even think that. I love you,” she responded and reached over and to put a hand on his arm. “I don’t want to do this without you.”

  Red lights appeared in the distance and her stomach sank; traffic had begun to slow here as well. She took another glance at the terrain around them. Maybe they should ditch the car and start out on foot? Or was it better to wait and see the barricade first? “I need to know you’re with me on this,” she said, her eyes scanning for paths through the mountains.

  He didn’t answer right away. She turned to look at him, expectantly. “I’m with you until the end, I love you too.” The cars had come to a complete stop and Matt swore as he hit the brakes, glaring at the immobile line of vehicles before them. “What now?”

  People were getting out of their cars and walking in the direction of whatever blocked the road ahead. Should they get out here? Start up the mountain passes now? She looked at her husband. He finally relented and nodded his head. Her mind raced through what they’d have to do, but their options were limited. He wouldn’t be able to do too much climbing; she’d have to find an easier slope that his ankle could handle. For now, they could skirt the road until signs of the roadblock appeared, then she could make a decision on what to do next. Why hadn’t Ben warned them about the roadblocks? Did he even know about them?

  They got out, grabbed their packs and prepared to set out on foot. The guy behind them honked his horn and gave them an ugly gesture that she threw right back. The man didn’t like that and made a move to get out of his car. Then she shouldered her Rimfire. She had to smile when the man suddenly had another direction to cast his gaze and something on his seat to fiddle with.

  That’s right, she thought.

  Her husband came around the front of the car and she moved to his side. She put a hand on his arm and watched as he put weight on his swollen ankle. He grimaced but he nodded that he could handle it. She knew that he’d do that no matter how painful it felt; he’d keep pushing it until he fell over or broke it. She’d have to make sure they took breaks frequently; he’d bitch but she didn’t give a shit.

  They were nearing a bend in the road; the start of the downward spiral that led to the bottom of the dam. They passed an empty parking lot on their right and she could see people congregating at the other one on their left. Just ahead was the edge of the cliff, a rail preventing cars from falling over the side. They’d be able to get a good view of what was ahead from that vantage point. Surely, whatever was drawing everyone’s attention would be revealed. Yet, part of her didn’t want to know, dreaded knowing, in fact.

  A voice was on the wind and the echoing canyon side was distorting whatever it was trying to say. They approached the guard rail and glanced at the top of the Hoover Dam. A man was standing at the center of the large structure, yelling into a bullhorn. Lined up on either side were men and women dressed in black slacks and white shirts. There was a large cross being held on either end by large men; all heads turned towards the men at the center.

  Below, the cars had come to a complete stop. People had come from both sides to see what had brought things to such a grinding halt and to listen to the ravings of the man above. She heard the sound of rotors and saw a military helicopter hovering over the canyon to her right, shadowing the crowd below.

  Something about this was off and she felt panic begin to rise within. “Matt, we need to get out of here,” she told him. His eyes were fixated on the man giving his sermon and he refused to acknowledge what she’d said. “Matt, we need to go!” she tried again. He nodded but stayed rooted in place. Her rifle rose and for a brief moment
she considered shooting the preacher; to end the spell he was weaving over the stunned onlookers.

  Then the people lining the top of the dam took one large step forward and began to fall to their watery deaths below.

  Chapter 27

  What was that?

  Saint

  Tucson, AZ

  Everyone had a bag in hand as they left the convenience store. The junk food had been hastily eaten and what little canned food the store had was thrown into double layered bags to take with them. She had grabbed a case of Rockstars and had downed two in an attempt to rejuvenate her weary muscles. She felt pumped up as the caffeine coursed through her system and the view of the world seemed less bleak.

  Erik was on one side, Andy the other. It was odd that the two of them had gravitated towards her, while those that came with her had begun to draw away. Jeff wouldn’t meet her gaze and though he strode a few feet to her left, he acted like he didn’t know she was there. Maybe it was better off that way. Jesus was bringing up the rear and he kept looking north. She wondered how long it would be before she turned around and to find that he was no longer with them

  It was Randall that had done a one eighty on her. The towering man had made his way over to Robert while they were in the store and they were now walking side by side as they headed east towards the firehouse. Their heads were inclined towards one another, as if having a deep conversation.

  She had no doubt at all about who they were talking about.

  The big man was holding a box of Twinkies and as he spoke, she could see white and yellow mush between his teeth. Disgusted, she had turned away and tried to think of what to do next. Would Robert notice if she just faded away? If the four of them hung back and melted into the shadows, would he try to stop them? She could feel his eyes constantly drifting her way and she knew that he would. She wasn’t ready to force another confrontation; she needed to wait for the right moment to present itself.

  As they entered a wash, everyone paused to listen to the neighborhood ahead. They didn’t hear anything; the silence an alien thing in the world they lived in. Where was everybody? She imagined that most of the people had to be hunkered down in their homes tonight, waiting things out; praying for rescue. But there should be others like her roaming the streets, trying to make their way out of the city.

  On the other hand, they hadn’t seen any sign of the undead since that confrontation in the intersection an hour before. She didn’t welcome the sight of another abomination, but she did wonder where they were hiding as well. Why were things so quiet? It felt like the shadows were watching them, preparing to spill death from their bowels the moment their guard dropped.

  “Maybe we should check some of these houses,” Randall said loudly, pointing towards the neighborhood approaching on their left. He was eyeing them like they held precious treasure, but she was more worried about getting shot by someone defending their home.

  Robert must have been thinking along the same lines and that scared her more than any zombie hiding in the wash behind them. “If there are people in there, they won’t take kindly to us trying to break in. It’s a good way to get shot. And if a gun goes off; it’ll just attract the walkers. You might even walk into a house full of them. You want to do that? Go ahead. Go ring the dinner bell. I’m not that stupid.”

  It was the first level-headed thing she had heard escape his lips since that brawl in the street. Maybe now that the rage was gone he was returning to his old self? He carried on like he was their leader and knew exactly what he was doing. She could see the allure to those that blindly followed him, but she refused to give into it. What exactly did he know? What made him the expert? Would that self-proclaimed knowledge end up being what gets these people killed?

  She didn’t know what they hoped to find at the fire station coming into view. They wouldn’t have any guns; the best they could hope for was some axes and she doubted very much that Robert would allow her to get her hands on one of those. Her eyes began scanning the parking lot as they started to cross the intersection in that direction.

  “We need to find a place to hunker down,” Robert continued. “Maybe get to Davis Monthan and help them defend it. We can’t stay out in the open like this.” The others nodded their heads, liking the idea of letting the military do the fighting while they hid behind the large fences surrounding the air force base.

  “Going to need something closer than that, maybe the Super Center,” Andy muttered. It was just a mile to the south and she knew for certain that as long as it hadn’t been looted, that there’d be plenty of weapons for them to arm themselves with.

  Robert was shaking his head. “The store has long been stripped. I doubt there’s much left and it would be a horrible place to try and defend. Besides, others are probably thinking the same thing and the more people that are together, the more chance that an outbreak will occur. It’s a good way to get everyone killed. Smaller groups are better; more mobile.”

  They were all talking in whispers now and each paused after talking to listen for anything approaching their location. Crossing the road, she instinctively paused to look both ways. Erik was starting to lag behind, but so far showed no sign of infection. It was not an indication that she’d made the right choice, but it was making her feel more hopeful about his chances. But then, what the hell did she know? She never watched that zombie shit; it was too gross and unrealistic.

  Jesus suddenly appeared at her side. He was no longer nursing his head and his beady eyes shifted nervously as he walked. He looked uncomfortable and she didn’t have to ask what was wrong. “As soon as we check things over we’ll head out, I promise,” she told him, trying to sound sincere. It was hard to sound confident when things were constantly erupting into chaos. The madness of the world seemed to be hounding their every move. The odds that his wife was all right were slim, but he wouldn’t give up until he was absolutely sure.

  “And if the Lord of the Flies over there decides not to let us go?” he asked, nodding at Robert.

  She stared at the tall black man for a moment as Robert continued talking to the hovering Hispanic man at his side. Maybe he had been right, maybe Erik would turn, but that was on her now. If she was wrong, so be it, she’d handle it.

  At least she tried.

  She had to believe that in the end, that would count for something. However, she knew that it was the last time she’d survive a direct confrontation with the power-hungry man and his bat. “Then we’ll ditch them and go on our own,” she assured him.

  He nodded gratefully and seemed soothed by her words.

  “Once we get my car, we can get the hell out of here and make a break for Todd’s compound,” Jesus said, letting the hope in for the first time that day. Panicked, she made an effort to cut him off before he finished speaking, but she was too late. Slowly, she turned to look at Robert and hoped that he had missed it; he hadn’t. He had stopped and Randall kept walking, oblivious to the fact that the man at his side had come to an abrupt halt.

  “Shit,” she swore, watching as he turned his head and looked into her eyes. Those brown orbs burrowed into her soul, crushing her hopes of ever making out of this alive. “What was that?” he asked.

  Chapter 28

  Leap of Faith

  Rosilynn

  Nevada/Arizona Border

  The preacher had started to ramp up his speech and she ignored his Book of Revelations rhetoric as they began to run downhill to the street below. She had a bad feeling about all this and Matt was no longer resisting her insistence to get some distance from it.

  The fact that all those people had jumped without a pause in the preacher’s sermon made her ill. Something worse was coming, her heart told her. They had to get out of there, but where could they go? They were trapped amongst a crowd that had funneled together from both ends. There was no way to get anywhere quickly.

  They ran across the road, through the parked cars, and slid down the dirt hill on the other side to the switchback below. She looke
d left as she realized the only way to get around the river was to go towards the dam; right where the cult members would be reanimating. She could already hear screams echoing from that direction and made a split-second decision. “The river,” she told her husband, working her bag open and bringing out a zip lock bag. She held it up and motioned to Matt.

  He still didn’t understand what she meant, but he gave over his phone and she sealed it within. Then she placed it back into her bag. They were running out of time, they needed to hurry. “We need to jump,” she told him, trying to make sure he heard her over the chaos approaching.

  He had also been looking in the dam’s direction and she saw that he had come to the same conclusion. “Let’s do it.”

  Backing to the edge of the road, they braced themselves for what was about to come. They’d probably die, but at this moment, there was nowhere else for them to go and no other way they’d make it out alive. Her phone was going off in her bag, but she ignored it. “I know Ben, get the hell out. I’m trying,” she uttered, already knowing what he’d say; not needing to check. This was it. She kissed her husband, their lips connecting passionately, the feeling lingering as they parted. “I love you.”

  “This isn’t goodbye,” he returned with a smile. The defeat that he had been displaying all afternoon was gone. This was the husband that she knew and loved. Why he had decided to show up now of all times was beyond her, but her hope was fully restored and she loved him all the more. “Let’s go for a ride,” he winked. He ran forward, jumped on the guard rail, and then leapt off the edge of the cliff to the river below.

  She took a couple of quick breaths, trying to ready her lungs for the pounding they were about to take. She could hear the screams growing nearer and steadied herself against the panic within. She surged forward, jumped onto the rail, and then plunged outward, not bothering to look down for fear of losing her nerve.