The Undead Chronicles_Book 1_Home and Back Again

by Patrick J. O'Brian

  Daring to put his eye up to the slit of daylight, Metzger saw the two men returning from the main gate where they surely discovered the slaughter of their three allies. From the second or two he dared peer that way he noticed they looked exceptionally angry and concerned. One lifted a radio to communicate with someone, reminding Metzger that he also possessed a radio and the means to contact Molly and the others. With the ruckus down the hallway he temporarily forgot about establishing contact with them, but now he faced a major decision.

  He could radio the others and risk being caught by the two men about to reenter the building, or attempt to subdue both of them himself. Realistically the only way to overtake two armed men was to murder them with the automatic weapon he now possessed, giving them no opportunity to return fire.

  With only seconds left to make a decision, he looked to the floor, prepared to scoot down the hall to find a secure place to radio Molly when he spotted something useful.

  Plucking the orange security latch from its resting spot against the wall, Metzger pulled both doors closed and dropped the latch into place, making them both impossible to open from the outside. Both men immediately rushed to the doors, yanking on the handles to no avail as Metzger walked away, pulling out the portable radio from his pocket. Hammering noises continued behind him as he pushed the button to transmit after making certain the radio remained on the correct channel.

  “Molly, this is Dan. I’ve subdued one armed man and two others are now locked outside.”

  Only a few seconds passed before the reply came.

  “Where the hell are you?”

  “I’m at the doors where we entered.”

  “Okay. I’m coming back to you.”

  Molly sounded less than thrilled, and he assumed only she and her designated partner were coming back to him, since everyone was split into teams. In the meantime, the pounding behind him ceased at the double doors, leaving Metzger to wonder where the two men went. Numerous doors and windows offered access, and the two men knew the grounds better than anyone entering the school for the first time. He considered radioing a warning to the others that the two might reenter the school through another area, but decided to check in with Molly first.

  Metzger walked back to the area where he’d been, where his three wards hopefully dealt with their problem, to look into the rooms. He wanted to peer through the windows in the classrooms, but they were mostly covered, offering very little observation of the outdoors. Disappointed and upset with himself for letting the two men off so easily, Metzger briefly considered checking on his three charges but thought better of it. Having already disrupted whatever plans the group formed, he didn’t want to incur the wrath of Molly and the others.

  When Molly finally emerged from the opposite hallway she appeared infuriated as one of the group members trailed behind, warily looking in every direction for attackers. Metzger couldn’t remember his name, remaining mostly focused on Molly, who pointed a finger directly into his chest.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m protecting three defenseless people and keeping them away from whatever war you’re about to start.”

  “It sounds like you’re the one starting the war. We hadn’t found a single person in our direction when you let them all know we were here.”

  “They were running through the halls, tracking all of you. They would’ve shot you in the backs if I hadn’t stopped them.”

  “Stopped them? Then where are they?”

  Metzger hesitated before answering, knowing the double-edged sword his words presented, no matter how he crafted them.

  “I shot one. The other two are outside.”

  “Perfect. And where are your three defenseless people?”

  “Back the other way keeping the one I shot subdued.”

  Molly shot him a look of absolute disgust and disbelief.

  “Why did I ever stop for you? You’ve yet to do one thing right, and you undermine every aspect of my plans.”

  Their argument was quickly cut short when someone fired an automatic weapon from the direction Molly and the other man came from, hitting the man in the back with every single bullet. Dead before he even began falling to the ground, he provided just enough shielding for Metzger to grab Molly by the arm and pull her to safety around the next bend.

  “Jerry!” Molly shouted, though her ally wasn’t ever going to hear an earthly word again.

  “He’s gone,” Metzger said, forcing Molly to look him in the eyes. “We need to retreat and get to cover.”

  Not inclined to disagree, Molly followed him to the strangely dark area of the school before Metzger turned toward the janitorial areas where he hoped to find his three wards and an unconscious troublemaker.

  “Is this your other two assholes?” Molly asked while they retreated, possibly wanting to place blame on Metzger for not claiming their lives.

  “They couldn’t have gotten inside this quickly,” he surmised aloud. “They had radios, like us, so they probably called for help.”

  “You could have shot them,” Molly said fiercely, eyeballing the automatic weapon he now held, along with the shotgun strapped around his shoulder.

  “And you didn’t have to murder those three at the gate.”

  Rounding the corner, Metzger darted for the same room he hid in before, hearing footsteps clop to a halt behind them. Their pursuer, or pursuers, stopped at the corner, fearing firearms being aimed their way. Metzger made use of the borrowed time as he and Molly crammed into the closet by unraveling the extension cord with the stripped end and plugging it into the wall.

  “Grab that water bottle behind you and dump half of it along the bottom of the door,” he ordered her.

  Although she didn’t appear the least bit happy about following his orders, she quickly understood what he wanted to accomplish and carefully lined the water along the bottom so it wasn’t exceedingly visible on the other side.

  “They can shoot us through the door,” she hissed just above a whisper.

  “They certainly will if you keep talking,” Metzger replied in a low growl.

  “And how can you blame us for killing any of these bastards, knowing what they do to people? Do you think they keep adding to their workforce because they want a community?” she asked with a fire burning in her eyes, still keeping her voice down. “No, they do it because their workers are expendable. We’re a month into the end of the world and these select few think they’re some kind of superior regime above the rest of us. People like that don’t deserve to live and claim this world.”

  Metzger couldn’t entirely disagree with her logic, though he wanted more proof than a few eyewitness statements from outside the school before he started shooting people in their brains. Perhaps too much of the old world remained within him, but he certainly wasn’t going to allow himself to be a victim either. He wrapped the exposed end of the extension cord around the metal doorknob before making certain the wires directly touched the metal. Plugging in the extension cord, he heard hesitant footsteps coming down the hallway in their direction.

  He wondered where his three wards had gotten to with the subdued assailant, hoping they found adequate cover.

  Both he and Molly stepped away from the new puddle, waiting to see what happened if and when their unseen enemy touched the doorknob. Metzger wasn’t foolish enough to expect the man to grab the knob and stand there receiving an electrical shock until his body fried from the inside out like the movies. He did fully expect the man to receive a shock large enough to knock him back, possibly rendering him unconscious in the process. A large enough jolt might deal damage to his heart, possibly causing it to lose its regular rhythm, or stop it altogether. He felt reasonably certain only power lines possessed guaranteed amperage enough to kill a human being, but at this point he simply wanted to walk out of a janitorial closet alive.

  Halfway expecting the man to bypass the room altogether and foil his plan, Metzger jumped back half a step when he
heard the man’s hand wrap around the doorknob and a brief painful cry from the other side of the thick door. It took several seconds, and he actually thought he saw an arcing light from beneath the door, but a thump finally reached his ears when the man fell back from his painful encounter. The overhead lights flickered, and he felt fairly certain the outlet’s breaker kicked a few seconds after the man grabbed the doorknob, but Metzger unplugged the extension cord anyway.

  Looking to Molly to make certain she was ready for their next move, he received a nod as she raised her gun. Metzger pushed the door open, letting her take the first step as she surveyed the hallway. He quickly stepped out behind her, observing the man who chased them this far, finding him on the ground unconscious. Metzger stepped on the assault rifle to ensure it wasn’t used against them suddenly, but the man still didn’t flinch.

  “Is he alive?” Molly asked.

  Like a car sputtering to start, the man exhaled a gasp that provided an answer. Molly started to aim her gun at him to finish the job but Metzger intervened.

  “No,” he said, pointing the barrel of her shotgun toward the ground. “We might need one for information, or at least a hostage.”

  “Don’t your people have one of them?”

  “If they kept him alive.”

  Molly didn’t argue as he patted the man down for extra weapons, finding a few before they dragged him inside the janitorial closet and used nearby zip ties to bind his hands and feet. Metzger also stuffed a used rag inside the man’s mouth to keep him quiet in case he regained all of his faculties.

  Once in the main hallway again, Molly radioed her people for an update and no word came back as she waited about thirty seconds. Metzger continued to hold the automatic weapon in a ready position because he wasn’t certain the subdued man came after them on his own. She started to raise the radio again but Metzger stopped her by grabbing her forearm.

  “They could be pinned down somewhere where radio traffic might get them killed.”

  “They might also be dead already,” Molly replied with a stone-cold stare, causing him to question her occupation before the regular world ceased to exist.

  She could have been a cop, a CEO, or perhaps a nun that taught at a Catholic school for all he knew. Independent, capable, and strong-willed, Molly knew how to handle herself, but she appeared reluctant to listen to ideas or deviate from her plans. Metzger thought maybe it was him in particular she took issue with, but he figured she viewed herself as weak in front of her people if she wavered about any decision.

  “I want to double back,” she said, hesitating as though waiting for Metzger to volunteer to join her.

  Deciding his wards were likely fine on their own, and anyone traveling the hallways alone was a terrible idea, Metzger nodded affirmatively and let her lead the way. For what seemed like the sixth time he went back the way he originally came, following her lead. Both kept their firearms aimed upward as they navigated each corner, finding no enemies in their path. Even as they reached the doors where everyone entered, the metal yolk remained in place, keeping both doors secured from the inside.

  He and Molly looked from the doors to one another before continuing. Now reaching unfamiliar territory, he followed her down the hallway as they looked ahead for trouble. A few independent lights clung high on the walls, providing intermittent light along the otherwise dark hallway. Metzger followed her lead because she knew the hallways ahead, hoping they found the rest of her people alive.

  Now treading on dangerous ground, they didn’t know where their enemies were located, how many remained, or what to expect around the next few corners. Familiar with several schools over his career, Metzger felt reasonably certain they were in the portion of the school where teaching did not occur. Barely removed from the janitorial area, he believed the football field and track were out back, which meant they were likely closing in on the gymnasium. They passed two more corners before his beliefs were confirmed in the form of two sets of interior double doors that remained closed.

  He silently motioned for Molly to stand beside the doors as he silently stepped toward another entrance around the side. Traveling down a darkened hallway, Metzger located a single door that remained locked when he gave it a gentle tug. Feeling rather certain that something of interest remained behind this door, he made his way back to Molly. Without a word she gave him a questioning look and he shook his head negatively. He started reaching for the door when both of their radios squawked with traffic, startling them both.

  Knowing what awaited them on the other side of the door might be dangerous, they both scurried several feet away to listen. A member of Molly’s original group reported that they had shot the two men that Metzger locked outside. She quietly inquired whether or not they were alive and the reply came that they were still checking. A moment later they provided an update that both men were dead after initially opening fire on the group. Metzger questioned how many potential enemies were left inside the school, but focused his attention on the gymnasium.

  “That side door is locked,” he told Molly, continuing to keep his voice down. “I need you to make some noise at that door and distract anyone who might be inside. That way I’m not a ready target when I try to open these doors.”

  “For all we know there might be scores of undead in there,” Molly argued.

  “Why the hell would they keep undead around?”

  “Because they aren’t normal, sane people. Do you have a plan for escaping a herd of staggering undead when you open those doors?”

  “Yeah. Run like hell.”

  Metzger didn’t truly believe the Wardens would keep undead locked inside the gymnasium. Disposing of them was easy enough, and if someone wanted to use them for defense it would be much wiser to keep them outside in plain sight. He wasn’t sure the other two doors were locked, but they didn’t have keyholes like the side door, which meant they needed to be latched from the inside or unlocked.

  “This is insane,” Molly said, putting forth one last bit of resistance.

  “I have yet to see one living prisoner in this place,” Metzger countered. “They have to be somewhere. And if these doors open, and if there are zombies behind them I’ll shut them lickety-split. I’m doing the dangerous part.”

  Molly couldn’t argue with any of his logic, so she went down the hallway to the side door. Waiting until he heard her trying to open it, and making sufficient noise in the process, Metzger tried the door on the left, finding it secured. Deciding to proceed with caution, he slung the strap of the rifle over his shoulder to pull out the .357 and the stubby flashlight he sometimes held up with it to light darkened areas now that he had located it. Able to maneuver both objects between both hands, he tried the door on the right, finding it unsecured as it swung outward.

  Ducking down to make his body a smaller target, Metzger shined the light inside the gymnasium, finding no one visible inside the large area. The flashlight came from the corpse of a police officer somewhere in Pennsylvania during Metzger’s travels and acted like a small floodlight in any area. Molly approached him from behind, following the beam as he spanned it across the gymnasium.

  “Empty?” she thought aloud.

  “Looks that way, but there might be a locker room or two across the way.”

  More radio traffic came across that the others were pressing forward and checking more of the school. Molly appeared concerned about something upon hearing the transmission.

  “Go check on them if you’re worried,” Metzger offered. “I can handle this and I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

  “We’ve already lost someone, and I don’t want the others walking into something they aren’t prepared for.”

  “I’m going to check this out and find my three castaways,” Metzger said. “After that we’ll meet up with the rest of you.”

  Molly nodded before darting down the hallway to reunite with her smaller group. Barely waiting for her to round the first corner, Metzger stepped inside the gymnasium,
finding it clear of debris and foul odors. The bleachers on each side were folded and compressed against their respective walls. He couldn’t help but walk across the glossy hardwood finish despite the thunderous echo it created within the assembly area. Not since high school had he stepped foot on a basketball court, and that was in physical education class. Metzger played football and baseball all four years of high school, skipping basketball, soccer, and track altogether.

  Straight ahead he spied three sets of double doors that led to the outdoors, likely meaning the football field and running track. To his left he saw a number of dark streaks atop the court, indicating the path was heavily traveled. He wondered if people were shuttled from the locker room area to other parts of the school, or if supplies were kept in the locker room ahead. He reached a set of permanent stairs that led to the second level and more fold-out bleachers when they were activated. Beside the railed stairs Metzger found an alcove with a door further inward that he figured had to be a locker room.

  Using his flashlight as it grew darker on this end of the gym, he found two heavy braces on the outside of the door which almost certainly got added after the Wardens took over the school. Both braces were secured by locks that Metzger couldn’t break through without heavy equipment or the keys to unlock them. Refusing to give up so easily, he shined the flashlight beam along the wall, finding dirt and scuffed paint that indicated people accessed the area frequently. Finally, above his head, he spotted a set of keys hanging on a large hook that he was only able to reach by standing on the tips of his toes.

  He pulled them down and stared at them momentarily, wondering exactly what he was about to unlock. Considering it was locked from the outside, it had to be something the Wardens didn’t want loose, which meant prisoners or undead. Metzger undid the upper lock first, which was larger than his fist in circumference, letting it fall to the floor. As he put the key into the second lock he heard a noise from the other end of the gym which caused him to freeze, sucking in a quick breath and holding it because someone had opened a door and stepped inside. Every noise within the empty gymnasium caused an echo, so Metzger dared not make any sudden movements.