Nuclear Undead: Wake the Dead

by N. J. McConnell

  We explained the situation and came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t make sense to leave this much food. We’d just have to take two trucks with trailers. The problem was driving the other RV.

  “Oh, that’s no problem” said Pete. “Mama and I took a lot of vacations in our Winnebago and she’s done her fair share of driving. She’s not just pretty and a great cook. She’s one heckuva driver.”

  “Well, that solves that problem,” said Dad cheerfully.

  We spent the next hour unloading the military supplies into the empty spaces in the trailers and shoving whatever else we could find in there as well. We were definitely overweight by TSA standards, but no one would be manning the scales today. There was no reason to worry about getting a ticket.

  By working fast as a group, we managed to have everything loaded up and were back on the road within an hour. Unless something went horribly wrong, we’d reach our destination today.

  You know, it’s never a good idea to throw up a comment to the universe such as “unless something went wrong” because it usually will.

  We arrived in Harrison, Wyoming with time left over even though we slowed down coming over the mountains. Harrison is located next to the Rocky Mountains, Teton Range and in between the Gros Ventre Wilderness and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. It’s one of the most beautiful places on the planet and I’d never even heard about it until Dad mentioned the place.

  We were all excited to be here and followed Dad’s motor home to the property that his friend owned. I was expecting a large house, but there’s no way to describe the place in front of us as we rounded the tree line. It was almost a town unto itself. The main house is the size of a big hotel and there are several other buildings on the property as well.

  We stopped and got out to stretch our legs. I followed Dad to the thick wooden door at the entrance to the home, but it’s hard to stay focused as I take in the scenery surrounding me. The ranch is picturesque encircled with snowcapped mountaintops and green timberland. The fields are carpeted in native grasses and the air is crisp and clean. I breathed it in and instantly felt at home.

  Dad tried knocking on the door and ringing the bell, but received no answer, so we split into two groups again with our three going through the front and the other two in the back of the house. Dad said that the owner never locked the place up because someone was always here, so we wouldn’t need a key to get inside.

  It took us longer to clear the ranch housed than any place that we’d been before, but we’re planning to stay here permanently, so caution matters. The place seems empty. The beds haven’t been disturbed and there were no perishables in the kitchen. When we completed the inspection, we waved the others inside and told them to stay put and lock the doors while we went to check out the other buildings on the property. It’ll be dark in less than an hour, so it has to be done quickly.

  The bunkhouses checked out fine, but it was obvious that the cowboys left in a hurry. Clothing and other personal belongings were tossed about and the door was left wide open. No undead were inside, which was surprising, but the fact that the ranch is located a few miles from the main town with now neighbors nearby might have had something to do with that. Being isolated is important in an apocalypse.

  The horses had been put out to pasture, so the stalls were empty, but there was an apartment situated above the stables for the caretaker that we still needed to check and the outer cabins. We walked through the cabins and saw that they were in the same state as the bunkhouses, but when we opened the door to the caretaker’s apartment, everything was clean and orderly. It looked lived in. I was trying to figure out if that was a good or bad thing when I heard the audible click of a weapon being readied to fire.

  Oh, shit.

  I turned around slowly, as did Dad and Jason. In front of us was a neatly dressed man with a shaggy haircut, cowboy boots and a Stetson hat. He had a rifle pointed our direction and it was obvious that he knew how to use it. The way he held it made the weapon seem like it was an extension of his own body.

  “What are you folks doing here in my home?” He asked in a deep smooth voice that sounded an awful lot like a younger Sam Elliot. In fact, they could have been brothers. The resemblance was uncanny.

  “Well, we thought that we might just see about stealing some of your personal property,” taunted Dad.

  My mouth must have dropped open as I turned to glare at my father. I don’t know what he was trying to do, but angering an armed man doesn’t make sense to me. He knows better than that.

  “You were, huh?” asked the cowboy in a deep drawl who stood there looking at my dad with that same horseshoe mustache worn by the actor himself.

  I wasn’t sure what to do at this point and Jason looked petrified, so he wouldn’t be any help.

  “Yep, we were.” goaded Dad. “Figured that any man that stays around to take care of property when the owner is as good as dead can’t be too smart. He’d be an easy one to steal from.”

  With that, the cowboy slapped his hand to his thigh and laughed out loud. “You’re probably right about that, Dan. How the hell are ya?”

  They caught up on old times as we walked back to the main house and I would have kicked both of their asses for putting us through this if it hadn’t been so hilarious to see the look on Jason’s face when he realized what was going on. It was memorable.

  The cowboy’s name was Beau and he’s the manager for the entire ranch. He and Dad are apparently old friends because they got along like brothers. Beau stopped for a moment and let out a loud whistle when he saw the RVs and the trucks pulled onto the side of the road leading up to the main house.

  “Damn it, Dan. Tell me those aren’t empty.” he said optimistically.

  “Nope, Beau. They’re not. They’re full of all types of things we’re going to need to survive this thing in style.”

  “You don’t say.” replied the cowboy with a subtle grin. “Well, we’d best be moving you all inside, then.”

  We all worked hard for the next hour unpacking things from the storage areas of the RVs, but decided to wait to unload the trucks until tomorrow since it was approaching nightfall. Beau said that he hadn’t seen any undead this far out, but we aren’t taking any chances.

  We actually did unload the weapons and ammunition, though. You never know when weapons will be needed and it’s better to prepare for the worst and not take anything for granted.. Beau picked up an M4 and stroked it like he was in love. I have a feeling that if a naked model walked in front of him, he would have ignored her for that rifle.

  Just as the sun was beginning to set, we closed everything up. Dad invited Beau to stay with us in the house tonight so they could catch up on old times and of course join us for a celebratory dinner. I have to admit to feeling safer having him around. Somehow you could just tell that the man didn’t wear a weapon on his hip or carry the rifle in his hand for show. Maybe it was the steely glint in his eye or the gravel in his voice. Either way, I presumed that he was a force to be reckoned with.

  Because the windows in the ranch house hadn’t been covered, there was no choice but to have a rotating schedule for guard duty with a minimum of two people working together at one time. We would take turns walking through the house to check the windows and doors and to watch on what was happening outside. Even so, it would be an easy thing to miss someone standing in one of the many shadows between buildings simply because of the size of the structure itself. There was too much area for two people to cover, but there weren’t many of us, so this would have to do. We were all exhausted and needed to get at least some sleep during the night. It’s the best that we could do until tomorrow.

  I asked for the first guard shift because I have a problem falling asleep or going back to sleep once woken up. Better to go to bed late than to be woken up in the middle of the night for my turn. Greg joined me and we did everything possible to make certain the others stayed safe while they slept in their new queen and king size beds with the most c
omfortable mattresses ever sat on. I was looking forward to checking mine out in a reclining position, but it had to wait. Duty before pleasure and all that rot.

  Coco remained at my feet while I walked my rounds and appreciated the exercise after being cooped up first in the RV then the truck during the time spent travelling. We made incredibly good time from Oklahoma to Wyoming considering what we’d faced on the road, but it was still draining. Before the outbreak, I would have driven the route in one long day. It took us almost a week to complete.

  Dad was wise in suggesting this place to make our stand. It’s perfect. The house has plenty of room for everyone and there’s additional room available in the other buildings if our group grows. There’s plenty of land available to raise crops for food when spring finally gets here. The river meandering through the land and the two creeks are stocked with fish, according to Beau. There’s also plenty of fresh milk and eggs because of the farm animals. If we all work hard, there’s no reason for anyone to go hungry.

  I have to admit to being upset when the others began planning to slaughter a steer and have a cookout, but I did my best to remain quiet. They already know how I feel on the subject. I’ve made that abundantly clear. I have a problem understanding how anyone can say they love animals and then eat them. I just can’t do it. I guess that I’ll be the lone vegetarian in this brave new world.

  When my shift was over, I headed up to wake Nicole and Pete to take their turn. Greg was minding the downstairs area while I left to get them up. Nicole answered the door of her room with mussed hair and eyes in slits. She resembled a pot smoker with a bad hair day. I giggled a bit and she just growled at me. That caused me to break out and laugh, which I guess wasn’t the desired effect because she closed the door and left me standing there laughing to myself.

  Pete opened the door to his room looking wide awake and alert. I guess it’s the military training and experience because Dad is usually the same way. They’re always ready for whatever happens. I have more in common with Nicole. It takes a few minutes and a few cups of caffeine for me to wake up and get my head together.

  When Coco and I climbed into our unbelievably comfortable bed, I felt extremely grateful that we reached the ranch in one piece with no one injured or killed. I appreciate that we’ve been lucky. We had very few encounters with the undead because we chose to travel in the day and then stayed safely locked away in our motor homes at night. Even when clearing buildings, we only came across a few.

  I fell asleep smiling and dreamed of walking through a peaceful valley with the warm sun shining, flowers swaying in the breeze and in front of me stood a majestic oak tree with a swing that I wanted to sit in. Just as I reached the swing and began to sit down, I heard someone shouting. I turned to see who it was, but no one was there.

  “Sidney, wake up and grab your gun!” yelled Dad through the door to my room that he had opened. “There are undead outside the house trying to break in.”

  I grabbed my gun, hurriedly put Coco in the carrier to protect her if something should get inside and hurried out into the hallway where everybody was running.

  “There’s a set of stairs in the back going up to the roof. It’d be safer if we picked those varmints off from up there,” Beau recommended.

  “Good idea” Dad agreed. “Let’s go”

  We followed them up and then stepped carefully on the roof tiles, avoiding the solar panels, so as not to slip and plunge into the waiting ravenous creatures on the ground below us. We spread out our best shooters, Dad, Pete, Beau and I, to give better coverage.

  The flood lights had come on, but the creatures stayed in the areas in between the lights where it was shadowy and more challenging to hit them in the head. I took aim at one that I had in clear view and waited to hear the command to shoot.

  When the order finally came, we fired our weapons until they were empty and had to reload. There were a couple of times that Virginia and Nicole were sent downstairs to reload magazines and bring them back to us. We didn’t include Cathy because the kids needed her there with them more than we needed her here. She and the kids were waiting for us at the bottom of the staircase. If the undead were able to make it inside, Cathy would bring the kids with her up to the rooftop and we’d lock the door from the outside.

  There were only about twenty of the zombies when we initiated firing, but the racket operated as a dinner bell to the undead. They just kept coming. It took almost an hour of heavy gunfire before we had disposed of most of them. We were fortunate that they had been seen before any were able to break into the house, but still walked through every room to make certain none had slipped in without us knowing it.

  When we received the all clear, I quickly walked back to my bedroom and after releasing Coco from the carrier and holding her until she calmed down, undressed and stood motionless under a steamy shower while I tried to wash the memory of the faces from my mind. A tape is replaying in my head of skulls exploding when the bullets found their mark. They’re victims. Fathers, mothers and children were turned into these creatures and although I understood the danger they now pose, I can’t help but consider what they once were. No matter how hard I scrub, I can’t seem to wash the memories of their deaths off my skin.

  There isn’t even a question about going back to sleep, so I redressed after drying off. Coco followed me out of the bedroom and we joined the others in the kitchen. Everyone but Gary and his family were seated at the table or leaning against the counter sipping steaming mugs of coffee with thoughtful expressions on their weary faces.

  “You got any more of that poison?” I asked hopefully.

  “Of course, Honey.” said Virginia with a tired smile. “You just sit right down and let me get that for you.”

  “I’ll get it myself. No need for you to get up.” I countered and before she had a chance to rise from her chair, I quickly strode over to the coffee pot and filled a cup, making sure to add plenty of cream and sugar. I love Virginia’s cooking and she is a sweet woman, but I don’t want to take advantage of her kindness. I have two hands and two feet. There’s no reason that I can’t use them.

  “Well, that could have ended badly”, said Jason out of the blue as he stared into the mug he was cupping between two hands.

  “Yep” agreed Beau as he slowly sipped his coffee and gazed at nothing in the distance.

  “This hasn’t happened before?” questioned Dad as he turned Beau’s direction.

  “Nope.” answered Beau who could be a man of few words when he wanted. “First time.”

  “I wonder what was different today.” Pete wondered.

  “I assume that the noise and vibrations from the trucks caused the undead to follow our trail.” Jason explained.

  “How long do you think they’ve been following us?” inquired Dad who was fully attentive now. I could almost see the wheels turning in that brain of his.

  “Please understand that it’s difficult to estimate without data to back it up, but considering that they don’t tire and are only distracted by other food sources, we must assume that they’ve been following us since the beginning.” Jason answered, causing everyone to gasp.

  “Of course, we have nothing to back this up. Consider it worse case scenario.” Jason quickly backtracked.

  “If they’re hiding from the sun in the day, then how would they find us once we’ve left?” I asked, hoping to wipe out his theory.

  “It’s my opinion - and only an opinion, I might point out – that these creatures have compensated for the loss of their eye acuity by having increased ability to detect odors.” He looked around the room. “In other words, they are performing as a pack of dogs and following our trail by scent.”

  “Oh, shit.” Dad blurted then immediately turned to Virginia and apologized, “Sorry about that, Ma’am.”

  “About how many of these zombies do you suppose we’ve passed on our way here?” “Well, considering that we arranged our trip to avoid highly populated areas and the only city we spent
any time at all in….. Let me do some math.” answered Jason as he pulled out his ever ready writing pad and ballpoint pen to scribble some numbers.

  “Okay. Got it.” he said after a few moments, then looked up at the waiting faces. “According to my calculations - which may be off considering the lack of data - our path has crossed upwards of seven thousand zombies. This is based on the population sizes in the areas we passed, the assumed percentage of fatalities, the fact that they were spread out in other parts of the towns where they wouldn’t have detected our scent, etcetera. The numbers are probably off somewhat, but…”

  “Oh, shit!” thundered Pete who then earned the “look” from his wife.

  “Sorry, sweetheart, but that’s bad news.” Pete explained.

  “What bad news?” inquired Greg from the doorway that he sauntered through on his way to the coffee pot.

  Jason explained his calculations and Greg quickly fell into a chair with his mouth hanging ajar and a dazed look on his face. “Oh, shit!”

  Virginia shook her head and said with a small curve at the corner of her lips, “Go ahead. I give up.” to which we all laughed uproariously and she ultimately joined in. Jason regarded us curiously as Pete reached over to draw his wife into muscled arms and kissed her forehead.

  “That’s my girl.” He told her with love in his eyes.

  When the sun finally rose, the men left for town to forage for supplies they could use to turn our beautiful home into an unsightly but safe fortress against the creatures. They were planning to eventually set up a 10 foot barrier along the entire property.. Lowes and Home Depot have fencing that is ready to install in chain link, wood, metal, composite and vinyl. The men want to fence the expanse around the housing areas and where the animals are housed first, then eventually enclose the majority of the ranch, including the ponds and fields. That’s going to be a huge undertaking, but it’ll keep our crops safe from being trampled by zombie feet and will give us room to safely expand.

  We would also be replacing all the flimsy doors with metal, complete with heavy duty locks. This will keep us safe inside the structures if somehow the fences are taken down and they are able to get onto the property.