Zombie Rules (Book 3): ZFINITY

by David Achord

  “Get ‘em boy!” I shouted. Two needed no further encouragement. He took off at a run and knocked the zombie off of Konya like a linebacker going after a quarterback. Konya brought the barrel of his weapon up against the zombie’s chin and fired. The thing’s skull must have deteriorated, because the blast caused his whole head to explode.

  We seemed to have gotten a tempo going then and our firing took on a rhythmic pulse. My breathing slowly returned to normal about the time the last zombie fell.

  “Red!” I managed to croak out as I reloaded. I fumbled a little more than I should have before getting the magazine seated and getting to my feet.

  “Green!” I said and scanned the area. When Bo and Konya reloaded, I checked myself for injuries. Bo kept watch as Konya checked his dogs. Satisfied his kids were uninjured, he pointed at the barn. The dogs circled the barn, sniffing for any other occupants, and then made their way inside. They returned a moment later to Konya’s side. He looked at us and shook his head.

  “There’s none left.”

  “Did anyone get bitten?” I asked.

  “Not here,” Konya responded, “but it was close for a second or two.”

  Bo shook his head also. “What happened to you?”

  “My horse bucked me off. I got the wind knocked out of me when I landed and one of those things was on me quick.”

  “Did you get bit?” Bo asked.

  “No, but I have Number Two to thank for that,” I said and scratched him behind the ears while I explained. We stood together, catching our breath and warily looking around.

  “We were lucky,” Bo said after a minute. “Those sons of bitches set up a pretty good ambush.”

  “Yeah,” Konya said, “being able to think out an ambush and act in tandem, that’s downright concerning.”

  I walked over to each corpse and looked them over. They had many of the same character traits as the other evolving zombies, so there were no new surprises.

  “Is Big Bastard one of them?” Konya asked. I shook my head.

  “He’s not, but for some reason, I feel like he was involved in this somehow.”

  “I’ll go get your horse,” Bo said and mounted up. He returned a few minutes later leading my mount. “He’s still a bit skittish, so be careful.”

  After recovering our brass, it took us another hour to round up the cattle again before heading home, but we still made it in time for dinner.

  Julie was unusually quiet when I got home. I tried to give her a hug, but she pushed me off.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “While you’ve been out playing around all day, like you’ve been doing a lot of lately, I’ve had to deal with all of the shit going on around here,” she walked out of the room before I could say anything and I followed her into the bedroom. She started to change the diaper on Frederick.

  “Why don’t you relax and let me do it,” I said. She sat down on the bed without making eye contact. I started in on the dirty work and cast a glance at Julie.

  “I don’t go out and play around and you know that, so I’m wondering why you’d say such a thing.”

  Julie did not respond. Hell, she barely watched me change the diaper. “You’ve not been yourself lately. Every time I try to talk to you, you shut me out. I’ve tried to be understanding, but I have no idea why you’re treating me this way.”

  “What way?” she asked defensively.

  “Just now is a good example I believe. There was a time not so long ago when I could expect a hug and a kiss from you after being away from you for more than an hour, but not lately.”

  I waited for a response, but didn’t get one. I finished with the diaper, went into the restroom to clean my hands and returned to find Julie had left the bedroom. I found her in the kitchen talking to her mother, never once making eye contact with me.

  The dogs sat attentively at our feet during dinner, putting on their best starving dog faces and begging for food scraps. The dinner conversation was subdued but not unpleasant, and then Konya mentioned the ambush.

  “What happened?” Rowdy asked.

  “Those danged things set up an ambush on us, about a dozen of them. Zach got thrown off his horse. It was hairy for a few minutes. We were lucky.”

  I groaned inwardly as Julie looked at me sharply.

  “Sounds like another case of poor judgment,” Janet remarked. I glared at her. She pointedly looked back at me and it was all I could do not to grab her by the scruff of her pants and throw her out of the front door. Before I could say or do anything, Julie spoke again.

  “She’s right,” she said. I looked back at her, but she wouldn’t make eye contact. The rest of the table was quiet for a moment and then Konya spoke up.

  “Begging your pardon, ma’am, but I was a part of it and I didn’t see any poor judgment. Perhaps you could explain how we could have gone about it differently.”

  “I don’t have to explain anything to you,” Janet said.

  “That’s because you weren’t there and you have no idea what you’re talking about,” I retorted and continued staring at her hard.

  “Don’t talk to her like that,” Julie said and I redirected my attention toward her. She was looking at me now and it was not with any amount of warmth. “She’s right, it was poor judgment and it’s not the first time.”

  Her words hurt, and the hurt caused anger. The table was quiet now. Andie started to say something but I held up a hand. Everyone looked at me, wondering what I was going to do. I wanted to throw something, put my fist through the wall, something physical. I also had some things that I was sorely tempted to say, but I didn’t. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t hit anything. I pushed myself away from the table, stood, and walked out.

  Walking to our bedroom, I grabbed some things, shoved them into a knapsack and quickly exited. Andie caught up with me as I made my way into the barn.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m going to see if Fred wants a roommate for a while,” I responded and grabbed some things off the shelf.

  “So why are you getting the ghillie suit?”

  “I think I might do some hunting,” I pointed my finger at her. “That’s something that’ll stay between you and me.”

  “I’m going to cut her throat in her sleep,” Andie said. “I’m sick and tired of that bitch.”

  I shook my head. “Although it’s a pleasant thought, Julie would never forgive you. Or me.”

  Andie sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. How long are you going to stay with Fred?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Julie’s been distraught ever since the explosion. I had hoped things would be better by now, but they seem to keep getting worse.” I sighed. “Part of it may be her pregnancy messing with her…”

  “But that bitch is causing most of it,” Andie finished my sentence and scowled. “I’m going with you.”

  I shook my head again. “Would you mind staying here and keep an eye on things? I’d be most appreciative and will make it up to you somehow.”

  Andie looked at me a long moment and then nodded in understanding. “I’m warning you though; if the bitch crosses me, I’m going to take a knife to her.”

  Chapter 29 – A Night Hunt

  I hugged Andie tightly before leaving and watched her walk back into the house. I halfway hoped Julie would come running out, apologizing and begging me to come back inside. It didn’t happen. I don’t think she even bothered looking out of the window.

  I slapped the steering wheel in frustration as I exited the driveway. Things haven’t seemed right in a while and this latest debacle was yet another example. My anger was more of sadness and frustration, and I didn’t know what to do about it. One thing was certain though, if Julie thought I exercised poor judgment by rounding up stray cattle, she was really going to be pissed about what I had planned, but at this point, I didn’t care.

  I tried Fred several times on the radio, but he didn’t answer. I wasn’t surprised. Oh well, I was goi
ng to tell him what I had in mind, but I guess it didn’t matter. There was something I didn’t tell Andie, I had no plans of going directly to Fred’s, I was going hunting tonight.

  I stopped when I was a few hundred yards away from Kidd Road and urinated beside the truck before donning the ghillie suit. As the sun set, I left the roadway and walked through a field overgrown with weeds and an old corn crop. I circled the area of the barn where we had been ambushed, scanning the area constantly. I saw no movement but I didn’t expect any. For some reason, I had a strong instinctive belief there would be no activity until well after sundown. I found a suitable spot, hunkered down, and waited.

  I was armed with my Kimber handgun and a Winchester sniper rifle equipped with a scope. I also had some night vision gear, which I fully intended to use in a few hours. I sipped some water from my camelback, but only a sip. I didn’t want a full bladder interfering with my business.

  The sky was a dusky, purplish hue when I saw a figure in the distance ambling down the road. I expected more than one, or maybe I was all wrong and this lone zombie had nothing to do with the group who had ambushed us.

  I wasn’t wrong. I waited patiently as he walked directly toward the barn. No coincidence there. I scanned the area, but there was nobody with him. The lone zombie took his time and looked at each individual corpse. He was so focused on them he didn’t notice when I stood and began working my way toward him. He stood there, motionless, with his back to me and seemed so engrossed in his dead friends that he didn’t hear me until I was less than ten feet from him.

  His appearance was much the same as other zombies. This one had a severe stooped posture. His was clothed in a ragged hunting jacket, camouflage pants and combat boots. It made me curious. I wondered what he had been doing before he became infected.

  He must have finally sensed me somehow because he turned slowly and faced me. He had a big nose, and it was smashed to one side of his face. He made a weird rasping sound as he breathed through it.

  “Well, you’re not Big Bastard, but I bet you two are friends. Why don’t you tell me where he is?” I asked rhetorically. He snarled and began moving toward me. I sat the rifle down carefully before running at him and tackling him. It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, my back was still aching from being thrown earlier, but I didn’t care. When he fell to the ground, I turned him on his stomach and then used my weight to keep him in place.

  “I’m sick and tired of you motherfuckers,” I said as I unsheathed my knife. “I don’t know how far along your kind has come in communication, but I’m going to send a clear message to your friends,” his snarling became more agitated as I yanked his head back and began cutting his throat.

  It took about a minute to cut his head off, because I was careful not to be bitten in the process. I used some barb wire to tie it to a nearby fence post, positioning it so that he was looking at the direction he came from. I looked at my work and he stared back at me, gnashing his teeth.

  “Be sure to tell your buddies who did this to you,” I said with a wink.

  The zombie’s eyes watched me as I dragged the rest of the corpses into the dilapidated barn and set it on fire. I hoped Big Bastard understood the message. I admired my work for no more than a couple of seconds before walking off into the darkness.

  I sat in the field and watched the fire burn until well after midnight. No other zombies made an appearance. No strangers showed up to inspect the fire either, so I had a reasonable belief there were no humans in the area that we were unaware of.

  Looking at my watch, I decided it was time to go, got up, and made a slow crouching walk back to my truck. My cautiousness paid off. When I was within fifty yards, I checked my truck with my night vision goggles.

  There were two of them, and it seemed like they were waiting on me. They were crouched down behind my truck, unmoving. I was pretty sure they were zombies due to the signature in my scope, but I wasn’t positive. Nevertheless, whoever, or whatever they were, they had ill intentions.

  I did a slow three-sixty, looking for any other possible threats. Finding none, I focused back on my new adversaries. I had to stand in order to get a good shot, but it was okay, they didn’t see me. The first shot was deafening and it was still echoing in the hills as I fired the second time.

  I moved quickly now, jumped in the truck, and turned on the lights. The two dead ones were indeed zombies. I paid them no more attention and ran over them as I drove off. I felt like I partially accomplished my goal for the night, now it was time to find somewhere to sleep.

  Chapter 30 – An Informal Separation

  I intentionally faced my truck east so the morning sun would wake me up, but it didn’t matter. I probably got all of an hour’s worth of sleep and lay there watching as the sky slowly brightened. When my watch indicated it was five, I got up, stretched, and turned the CB on.

  “Come in Saigon,” I said. Andie answered almost immediately.

  “Saigon here. Where are you? I’ve been trying to call you.”

  “I’m heading over to Fred’s,” I said, “come by if you have a chance.” I turned the radio off without waiting for a response. My mood had not improved since yesterday and I didn’t feel like talking or answering any questions.

  Fred was sitting on his porch drinking coffee when I drove up. He had another cup sitting on a homemade table and poured me some dark liquid out of a thermos. I sat down in one of the chairs, thanked him, and looked at the table. It was bare of any paint and crudely built.

  “The boys built it one day,” Fred said in explanation. I nodded quietly, knowing he would keep it until it rotted.

  “Terry came by here last night looking for you,” he said. I nodded again but said nothing. “He said there were some harsh words spoken at the dinner table.” He glanced over at me and waited for my response.

  “I’d like to stay here for a few days if you don’t mind,” I said. He was silent. I shrugged. “If you’re still feeling unsocial, I have no problem living out of my truck.” I finished my mug and refilled it.

  “You know you’re welcome here anytime,” he finally said. “I suppose I could use some company.”

  “Everyone is hurting,” I said, “some of the gang are taking it personally that you’ve withdrawn from us.”

  “Understandable,” Fred responded. I looked at him and grunted. Same old Fred, I thought.

  Our dirty white van pulled into the driveway about the time we were having our third cup. Julie was driving. Andie and Terry got out first and walked over with a picnic basket.

  “We brought breakfast,” Andie said, “and Julie wants to talk to you in the van, unless you want to eat breakfast first.”

  I shook my head and walked over to the van. “Hello,” I said as I got in.

  “Fred told Terry you didn’t stay here last night,” she said. I didn’t answer. “You look like you’ve either had a wild night with some tart or you slept in the truck.”

  “Take your pick, whatever answer I give will be wrong and will no doubt reflect my lack of good judgment,” I retorted. I had not slept well at all and was feeling quite irritable.

  “You don’t have to be so mean.”

  I glared at her. “I didn’t sleep very well last night. The only thing I could think of was the woman who promised she’d stick with me until the end is suddenly a stranger to me. Forgive me for not being all warm and fuzzy.”

  “Mom said you’d try to make me out as the bad person in all of this,” she said with her own scoff.

  “Yeah, you’ve been listening to her a lot lately. It’s very confusing to me considering everything she’s done in the past, or don’t you remember?”

  “She’s changed,” was her only response. I chortled.

  “She said you’d try to blame her as well.”

  “Well, she certainly has all of the answers. I mean, how in the hell did we ever get by without her sage wisdom? Let me answer. We were doing pretty good up until she moved in. Now look at us.”

&
nbsp; “Yeah, look at us. Tommy’s dead because of you. If you had gone on the fuel run instead of obsessing over a zombie that got the best of you, he’d still be alive.”

  I think my jaw literally dropped open. “How do you figure?”

  “Terry said you would have spotted the problem on the road immediately. I wanted you to go with them, but you couldn’t be bothered with it.”

  I felt my fists clenching. “Do you really believe I’m the reason they died?” I asked incredulously.

  Julie didn’t respond, instead she looked out of the front window. For a moment, I was tempted to tell her about the day I found Tommy. I wanted to tell her about the two men whom her mother had called friends. I wanted to tell her how one of them raped Tommy while the other one watched and laughed gleefully. I wanted to tell her that was the reason I killed those two men, and, I wanted to tell her I was the one who rescued him and brought him home, but I didn’t. It seemed like a moot point now.

  “I see,” I muttered and looked toward the porch. “I’ll tell Terry to load up my clothes and bring them over.”

  Julie looked at me sharply. “I’m miserable, Julie, absolutely miserable. You’ve shut me out and question everything I do as if I were a pathetic screw up and not the man you love. You’re blaming me for the death of your little brother which is absolutely ludicrous. You’ve turned against me, Julie.”

  I waited for a response, but got none. “Well hell, I never thought your mother would steal you away from me, but I guess I was wrong. She’s sure done a number on us.”

  I got out of the van and walked back to the porch.

  “How’d it go?” Andie asked. I shook my head ruefully and walked inside.

  Chapter 31 – When Angry, Go Hunting

  It was on the third day when I started to wonder if I was being a damned fool.

  On day one, I was totally pissed off with the female gender. Granted, I’m eighteen and still don’t know shit about what makes them tick, which always seems to work against me. Case in point: I thought I’d extend an olive branch. I went into Nolensville, found some feminine products, bagged them up in one of those cellophane gift bags, and presented what I thought was a nice present to Julie. I was hoping she would melt at the kind gesture and maybe it would go from there.