Survival In The Zombie Apocalypse | Book 1 | Worse Than Dead

by Brett, Cal

“Sorry,” he replied, “I went ahead to find a way down.”

  “Well don’t just take off like that,” Kelly whispered angrily, “at least let me know where you are going.”

  “Yea,” Robbie said sheepishly, “I will. Sorry.”

  “Did you?” Kelly asked.

  “Did I what?” he answered.

  “Find a way down?!” She glared at him.

  “Oh… yea,” Robbie stuttered. “Only two more buildings to go and there is a fire escape we can take to the ground. Looks like a few blocks to the water front. Then we can make our way back to the condo.”

  “Are there any of them down there?” Kelly asked absently rubbing her foot.

  “It was getting dark,” Robbie replied, “but I only saw a few. If we are quiet I think we can slip past them.”

  “Ugh.” Kelly sighed in pain. “Look, I don’t think I can go much further tonight. I can hardly walk. We need to find a safe place to hide until morning. Hopefully, it will be better by then.”

  “Ok,” Robbie replied, “I thought about that. We are in the Farmers Market area. There are offices in these buildings we can hide in. Come over here and look down.”

  Robbie led her to the edge where there was enough moonlight to reveal the warehouse entrances down below. A large refrigerated truck with “Baldwin Produce” and a cornucopia logo painted on the side was backed into the nearest bay. Old crates were stacked nearby with similar markings. Whatever produce was in them was obviously long gone.

  “See those steps down there and that doorway?” Robbie pointed. “Those are where the offices are for the warehouses. That’s where they keep the money and do the books so they are walled off from everything else. The doors are metal and the walls are stone and brick. We just need to find one that is open and slip in without being noticed.”

  “How do you know all that?” Kelly asked.

  “Roy and I worked down here one summer, about two blocks over, a fish supply place.” Robbie replied, “We were supposed to load trucks and stuff but when they figured out we could read and do basic math, they moved us into the office. Most of the guys out here working the docks are not the brightest bulbs, you know. The lady in the office, Ms. Julie, was the owner’s girlfriend so she didn’t really care if a couple of high school kids did the books as long as she didn’t have to.”

  “Yea, ok.” Kelly stopped him from going further. She was exhausted from the pain jolting through her body and felt her energy reserves ebbing. “Look, it’s going to take me a while to get to the fire escape and it’s just a waste of time for you to help me…”

  “C’mon,” Robbie said encouragingly. “You can do it.”

  “No,” she hushed him. “Listen. I can do it but it’s going to take me a while, so you scout ahead. Find us a spot to crash. I’ll wait by the ladder on the roof until you come back. Alright?”

  Robbie nodded his understanding.

  “Go on then,” she waived him away but followed up with a, “be careful,” that was equal parts worried, warning and threat.

  “I will,” he whispered back as he climbed over the low wall onto the roof of the last warehouse.

  Kelly took a deep breath to steal herself and began to slowly limp after him. It only took a few agonizing seconds to climb over the wall but when she got her footing and looked up again, she could make out Robbie’s dark shape already half way across the overgrown expanse. She looked at the ground and had just begun to take a cautious step forward when she heard a loud crack! Her head jerked up as she heard a crash, a muffled shout, and the sound of breaking glass. She couldn’t see anything in the darkness but the echo of heavy objects and debris thumping to the ground instantly confirmed that he had fallen through.

  “Robbie!” She screamed, the need to remain quiet suddenly forgotten. She fell to her knees and scrambled forward through the brush, dragging her bad foot and ignoring the thorns and sharp blades of grass slicing into her hands. She followed the echoing waterfall sound of loose dirt and sand pouring down into space. She felt her way forward in the darkness until she came to a rectangular section that was darker than everything else. She plunged her hand down into the gap and felt only nothingness and the cloud of thin particles of dust kicked up by the collapse. “Robbie?!” she rasped in a loud whisper down into the hole and paused for a reply. None came.

  “Oh fuck, fuck, fuck!” she cried in a hoarse whisper, “Robbie?! Robbie?!”

  Somewhere, not far away, she heard moans and the familiar scraping and dragging of preternatural feet attracted by the noise. Kelly scrambled back and dug into her back pack for her small pen light, then rolled over and pointed it down into the darkness. Before clicking it on she said a quiet prayer that the things had not already found him. Then she pushed the button and stared into the abyss expecting the worst.

  At first the cloud of dirt and dust reflected her light and she couldn’t see anything. But, after a moment, her eyes adjusted and she began to make out shapes on the floor far below. A tangled, weaving jungle of stalks and vines grew up towards her. Whatever had been in there before had taken root so that the entire warehouse was laid with a fetid carpet of stalks and plants. She almost could not see beyond it but as the dust settled she caught the outline of a figure laying still just outside the rows, near the brick wall of the warehouse.

  Kelly quickly scanned around to see if any of the creatures were approaching through the thick stalks. She saw none but her beam of light was narrow and barely made a dent in the darkness of the huge building. She could hear them coming closer but they seemed to be outside the walls. Not in the warehouse yet, but close enough to be very concerned. She had to get down there before those things found Robbie. She had to drag him someplace safe. It would be hard but, even if he were dead, she would not let them have him.

  Kelly leaned into the hole and ran her light along the inside wall. There were some ledges and metal girders supporting the ceiling. She cursed. On any other day she could likely shimmy over and down but with her ankle sprain and overall state of pained exhaustion she doubted she could do it. And if she fell, she told herself, that wouldn’t do either of them any good. She looked around for other options.

  Spotting something at the edge of her light, she ran it back and saw in the center of the warehouse, an enclosed safety ladder running up to the roof. It looked like it was probably old and rusted before the zombie apocalypse, but it was a better option than trying to ‘spiderman’ her way down the inner wall. “Hold on Robbie,” she said with a grunt as she pushed herself up and crawled towards the spine of the rooftop. Once there she quickly located the metal cage intended as a repair access. Beneath it was a heavy looking hatch.

  Kelly heaved on the hatch but it wouldn’t budge. Rusted shut, she thought, and breathing hard from the exertion, sank over her knees. I’m not giving up, she said to herself panting as her body begged her to lie down and quit. I’m just thinking.

  She wondered if she could climb down and try to get in through a door or window at the ground level. But, the undead were outside the building now. She could hear them moaning and scraping along the loading areas, banging into things. The clamor would bring more. If she were at full strength she might be able to do it or lead them away and loop back around. But not now. Tears of frustration began welling up in her eyes.

  “Nooo,” she wailed under her breath as she grabbed the hatch and began shaking it with all she had hoping to loosen it. On her second try she felt a lever between the hatch and the rooftop. She pushed at it until it shifted in an arc and she heard something click inside. Grabbing the hatch again she pulled hard and though it resisted it slowly began to rise. Her back and shoulders protested at the effort but she finally got it all the way open.

  Grabbing her small flashlight again, she shone it down onto the brown flaking steps of the ladder below. “Oh thank god,” she gasped and climbed down the hole.

  Inside the warehouse she could still hear the moans of the dead but their sounds were muffled by the th
ick walls and heavy carpet of plant life below. She did a slow careful hop down the rungs to keep the weight off her injured ankle. The steel ladder groaned as it begrudgingly fulfilled its long forgotten purpose but it held her weight as she descended. As she neared the ground she scanned the canopy of tall plants for movement, and seeing none she let herself down through their tangled branches and leafy stalks.

  When she reached the ground it felt like creeping into a tunnel. The closeness of the growth around her gave her the creeps and it didn’t help that she was unable to see more than a few feet ahead through the dense foliage. She felt like she was in a haunted house where anything could jump out at any second. It was quiet, which she told herself was good, but couldn’t shake the feeling that the silence made it scarier. She knew if the undead were already inside they would be making plenty of noise but that didn’t help slow her heartbeat.

  She noted that the packed earth where she stood was actually a pathway a few feet wide. On either side, railroad ties had been laid to create plotted garden beds. She began to limp through the channel between the raised beds. Robbie was over to her right somewhere and she hoped that the path would let her turn in that direction soon. She didn’t think she had the energy to cut through the thick leafy stalks or fight her way through whatever grew inside them.

  The agitated howls of the things outside crept in but the thick walls of the old warehouse made them seem far away. Frustratingly, her own footsteps and breathing echoed loudly in her ears as she pushed through the fetid passageway. She moved slowly and stopped every few feet to listen and hope nothing was closing in on her. She tried to slow her breathing and relax the heartbeat that was banging in her ears. But, all she could hear was herself and the plant life brushing against her as she limped painfully onward.

  Emerging at an intersection she sighed with relief that there was a path going in the direction where she hoped Robbie still lay. She turned and pushed on hoping it was the right direction. In the undergrowth she suddenly feared she may have lost her way and had to fight back panic that she might have gotten lost in the thick vegetation.

  A spider web wrapped over her face and she began to flail at it as she lurched forward. Suddenly finding herself in a more open area she flung at the web until she could see again. She still felt the silky strings against her skin but she readied in case something more deadly waited nearby. The darkness did nothing to ease her fears but nothing lurched out from its depths.

  The cool brick wall of the old warehouse rose up in front of her and she placed her hand against its cool surface to steady herself. The path was slightly wider here. She began stumbling along the wall until her little light caught a figure laying prone just ahead. She rushed to him praying that she was not too late.

  Flipping Robbie over, she shook him and put her head to his chest. She sighed with relief when she heard a heartbeat and breathing. “Thank god,” she whispered and began to beg, “Robbie! Robbie! Wake up honey. We gotta move. We can’t stay here. Come on.”

  Robbie lay still in the dirt as she held him.

  “Ok, Ok, I got you,” Kelly said as she grabbed him by the lapel of his jacket. “I’m going to get us some place safe. Just hold on.” She pulled and fire lit up her ankle causing her to drop him again. Covering her mouth to stifle a scream, she knelt face down in the dirt until it became bearable again.

  Catching her breath, she looked around hoping to see an office or some other enclosed structure but with her pen light she could not see further than a dozen feet through the outstretched branches of the overgrown gardens. She knew she didn’t have the strength to drag him around in the dark and she would not leave him again. She had no idea how long it would be before the undead found their way inside. All these old buildings had started to fall apart and there was bound to be an open door or collapsed wall somewhere.

  Finally, tears of exhaustion and fear running down her face, she looked up at the jungle of thick stalks inside the raised garden and had an idea. It was a last resort but that’s all she had left. She put Robbie’s head in her lap, grabbed him under his arms and began scooting backwards while pushing with her good foot. She pulled him over the hump and into the thick brush. Pressing down the stalks and vines with her back and butt she dragged him until they were all the way inside and completely engulfed within the deep brush.

  She checked him again to ensure he was still breathing. When she was sure he was still alive she lay down next to him and rested her arm over him so she could feel his heart beat. She lay there, too tired and in too much pain to do anything else.

  “Come on Robbie,” she whispered more to herself than him, “make it until morning. Can’t do anything tonight with those things outside. I’ll think of something in the morning and you’ll be ok. You’re going to be ok. I’m going to lie here with you and keep watch. I’m going to stay up all night and make sure those things don’t find us.”

  She lay back in the lumpy soil and stared up at the lines of the dark stalks stretching out above her. It was quiet except for the grumbles of the creatures stumbling around on the other side of the wall. Her breathing slowed as she tried to relax, the ache in her back eased a bit while pain in her ankle thumped like a drum in her ears. The steady beat reminded her of a song her dad used to play when he worked in the garage. It was called ‘The Heart of Rock and Roll or something,’ she thought, and it began to play in her memory.

  Chapter 9

  Kelly used to love playing in the garage when her dad was out there working on his old car. At first she just went there to hide from her mom, so she wouldn’t have to clean her room, but found she liked spending time with her dad. The smell of grease and leather would fill the air while he tinkered and polished. He taught her how to do an oil change and fix a flat tire, which hadn’t been that useful, but it did build up her confidence.

  She lay there on the cold concrete, trying to loosen a rusted bolt under the wheel well when her dad shined his shop light at her and said, “Uh oh, I hear your mom, I think it’s time for you to go clean your room.”

  “Can you stall her I’m almost done?” Kelly asked looking up at her dad who was wiping his hands on an old greasy rag. With the glare of the light in her eyes she could only see his blurry outline. He looked very young, like he did when she was a little girl, which struck her as odd but it was hard to see with the bright light aimed at her face. “And can you turn off that light!”

  “I don’t think so,” he replied as he walked towards the door to the garage. She hoped he would talk to her mom but the next sound she heard was her mother’s voice and it didn’t sound happy.

  “Oh come on Mom,” she pouted, “I can clean my room tomorrow.”

  “Do not fucking move you sons of bitches!” came the reply.

  ‘Not Mom!’ She jerked awake and through the glare of light she could make out two figures standing in the pathway near their feet. Her mind scrambled to put it all together while her hands instinctively searched for her bow staff.

  “I said,” the voice shouted, “do not fucking move or we will unload this goddam buckshot into your ass, man!”

  Still shaking from the shock of being suddenly awakened, but realizing that if they were talking they were not the undead, Kelly help up her hands palms out to show she held no weapons. Squinting to see through the sleep crud that had built up in her eyes, she began to get a better picture of who was yelling at her. Two elderly women stood there holding the largest guns she had ever seen.

  One of the women, using both hands to level a giant silver revolver, was thin as a rail with long grey hair flowing down her back. She wore a tie dye sun dress, which draped over pale white, freckle covered skin. The other woman was larger, with dark brown skin. She had a double barrel shotgun pressed against her shoulder and pointed right at them. She wore a blue print dress that looked like something her grandmother might have worn shopping back when the world was normal.

  Kelly looked at the huge shotgun. Fortunately, the woman did not lo
ok nervous or scared and Kelly hoped that meant she wouldn’t accidentally pull the trigger. If it went off at this range it would blow them to pieces.

  “What are you all doing in here?” the black woman asked sternly.

  “Yea! What the fuck are you assholes doing in our garden, man?” the thin white woman asked.

  “I’m sorry,” Kelly answered hesitatingly, “we were crossing the roof and fell through. My friend fell through.”

  The thin woman looked up at the hole. “Well fuck me! Another goddamn hole in the roof. Just what we fucking need, man.”

  “Ease up, Sunshine,” the black woman said never taking her eyes off of Kelly. “You say you were crossing the roof. Where were you going?”

  “We were trying to get to one of the condominiums over on the water,” Kelly answered, “but I hurt my ankle on the way. After he fell I, I couldn’t move him and those things were out there so we hid here. I’m really sorry. We didn’t know this place was yours. We just needed a safe spot to spend the night.”

  “Is he ok?” the woman pointed with the shotgun at the motionless Robbie.

  “I don’t know,” Kelly answered honestly. “He’s breathing but the fall knocked him out. I couldn’t get him to wake up.”

  “Is he bit?!” The white woman said waving the pistol at the boy.

  “No” Kelly answered. “He just fell hard. He must have hit his head or something. Look, we can just go and we won’t bother you anymore. He will be fine I’m sure.”

  “He doesn’t look like he’s about to get up and walk any time soon,” the woman with the shotgun said, “and you say you hurt your ankle? Can you walk?”

  “Don’t worry about us,” Kelly said nervously, “we will be ok. We’ve gotten through worse than this.”

  “I’ll bet you have,” the big woman’s face acknowledged the tough times everyone had been through since the fall. “Throw those backpacks over here.”

  Kelly didn’t want to lose their gear but hoped maybe these old ladies would just Robbie them and let them go. She didn’t have much choice in any case so she tossed the bags out onto the path.