The Last Infection: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller

by W. Garza, Michael

  “What if there aren’t any boats?” Jake asked.

  Chris knew the question was coming before he heard it. He had no idea how to respond.

  “We’ll figure it out when we get there,” Jenn said. “Just keep running.”

  The trio crossed the pacific coast highway and the bay opened up below them. They were a good distance from the harbor, but the lightening horizon gave a hint of the deep blue water. The smell of the ocean grew thick as the sounds of the infected drew closer.

  The mob was easy to see. Once hidden behind them by the darkness, the rising sun showed the truth of their situation. The horde of infected had grown to a monstrous size. The mob covered the street from one side to the other and reached back several blocks. Chris could see they were gaining ground. The kids were nearly walking when the first sign of the docks spurred them on.

  “Look.”

  Jake’s exclamation pulled everyone’s attention beyond the convention center at the end of the road. His excitement was centered on a massive freight ship lying on its side in the water. The enormous vessel was longer than anything they’d ever seen. The bow was badly blackened and a substantial fissure hinted at an explosion. They ran to the convention center and down a series of connecting stairways. The end result left the vast open docks ahead of them to the north and south. Burnt out building and abandoned vehicles lined the edge of an endless graveyard of stacked freight containers.

  “Let’s get inside that maze before they catch up,” Chris said.

  Jenn was watching the high ground behind them. The first of the infected had reached the convention center and started down the stairs.

  “They’re never going to give up,” she said. “The food supply must be really low.”

  Jake started across the street. He grabbed hold of his sister’s hand as he went.

  “Then let’s find our boat before we’re their last supper.”

  They worked between several broken down vehicles, and then down an embankment on the other side of the street. The charred trees offered little camouflage and it wasn’t until they crossed a narrow access road that any real cover showed itself. The stockyard was surrounded by a tall fence, topped with out-rigged razor wire. Chris was already running for a gap in the fence closer to the water. They pushed through the opening as mob of the infected barreled down the embankment behind them.

  Chris was in the lead as they rounded a maintenance building. Monstrous stacks of freight containers loomed overhead. A long dead crane set motionless closer to the water. The ship they saw from higher ground was hidden from view.

  Chris considered trying the door to the maintenance building, but the ever-rising growls of the infected forced him to keep moving. He picked the closest opening between two stacks of containers and led them in. Several quick turns had them hidden somewhere within a few seconds later. It didn’t take him long to realize the problem with their plan.

  “Hell, I can’t tell which way we came from,” he said, trying to get his bearings. “We might turn ourselves around and run right into those damn things.”

  Jenn studied the numbers along the edges of the containers, searching for something of use. Alicen slid her head out to watch the row behind them, while Jake tried to figure out which direction the sounds were coming from. Chris took a second to count his rounds.

  “How many?” Jenn asked.

  “Four.”

  “I’ve got two,” she said.

  Chris nodded. He already knew they wouldn’t survive a fight. The count only confirmed it. He was trying to figure out which way to go when Jake’s hand shot up. Chris and Jenn’s eyes turned to him. Chris was about to ask him to spit it out when he picked up on a new sound.

  “What is that?” Alicen asked.

  The screeching was metal scraping across metal. The moaning that followed was just as obvious.

  “Freaking great…”

  Jake was about to explain when the door at the end of the container behind them slowly swung out. The decaying figure that appeared from within was void of skin from head to toe. A vile form of putrid decomposing muscle and tissue turned its rotted eyes on Alicen and started for her. The girl let out a terrible shrill as she stumbled back.

  Chris raised his gun to fire, but a group of decomposing bodies shuffled out after the first and he settled on a retreat. He shoved Alicen out in front of him, urging her to keep moving. They were running blind, lost within the dockyard maze. The container doors opened in horrifying succession as the dead began pouring out.

  “Don’t let them surround us,” Chris shouted. He had to fire to clear the way, and at close range, the shot nearly took a zombie’s head clean off. “Keep running this way and don’t turn again.” In a hurry, he decided heading in a single direction was the only way they would get out of the maze.

  The dead came from every corner of the lot. They were weak and barely moving, but their lust for flesh was no less vicious. Chris dodged outstretched hands as he ran. The moans swelled as the number of the dead grew. The foul stench of them rushed out in waves engulfing every inch of the dockyard. The overwhelming odor was enough to cause Alicen to gag. To her credit, the little girl threw up as she ran, never stopping her feet.

  Chris edged them around a section of containers and a wide view of the ocean opened up ahead of them. The moment the excitement touched him, a new view brought it crashing down. A host of the dead pushed in from beyond the last stack of containers. The crew was led by a front line of decaying dockworkers still clad in matching blue jumpsuits and hardhats. Battered and bloodied, they hobbled forward, some with exposed innards dangling about their waist and thighs and others with portions of their faces exposed from bites and gouges.

  “Chris.”

  Alicen clung to his leg as they came to a hasty stop. Chris turned to find the way behind no safer than the way ahead. The dead followed in a trail leading back several container lengths. Beyond the horde, the first wave of the infected pushed through the hungry crowd, making their way toward the front.

  Chris faced the dock and started firing. He dropped three zombies before he pulled the trigger and nothing happened. He rushed for the edge of the container, trying to reach open ground when the dead closed in on them. Chris smashed his gun into the forehead of dockhand as it lunged toward him. The skin split and the skull popped open, spewing out a retched mix of blood and foul mustard colored discharge.

  A pair of hands grabbed the gun as Chris tried to bring it back for another blow. A second later, several more had hold of the weapon. The dead pushed in on him trying to get a fist full of his shirt. Chris nearly tripped over Jake as he squeezed in between him and the edge of the last container. Alicen went next and a gong echoed in Chris’ ears as the little girl’s head smacked the metal side of the container as she forced herself through.

  “I can’t make it.”

  Jenn was wedged behind him as the remaining dead from the front gathered around. The kids were out of sight and Jenn was forced to step back the way they’d come. She raised her pistol and fired the remaining rounds. One shot blew the brains out of a man’s ear and the second snapped a female’s head back as it ripped through her forehead.

  The two advancing figures dropped and gave Chris the leverage he needed. He pushed the remaining group back in a desperate attempt to create space for Jenn to get away. He locked one leg in place then planted his other up against the side of the container. He pushed with all his might and moved the group a few inches. The sounds of the coming horde of dead and infected roared as they drew within a stone’s throw.

  “Go now.”

  Jenn tried to wedge herself behind him, but couldn’t get by. She reached over his shoulder to help him push. The two forced the front row of zombies back a foot then managed to get themselves out to the open space. Chris turned to run when he heard Jenn scream.

  He found her running after him, bent forward, cradling one arm with the other. A fresh flow of blood poured from a deep wound on the top of he
r forearm. The sight of it brought Chris to a dead stop. Jenn had to yell at him to get him running again.

  “Move your damn feet!”

  He grabbed her shirt and ran. The kids were not far ahead and it wasn’t long before they were side by side. The horrified looks on their faces told Chris that they knew what happened. He risked a look behind them and found what could only be described as hell’s army. The edge of the dock was close. The water churned as choppy waves smacked the assortment of half-sunken boats littering the harbor. The nose of the massive ship they saw from the convention center lay ahead, but there was little else to see. The endless rows of containers filled the rest of the lot and none of the space between offered a promise of escape.

  “There are no boats,” Jake yelled. “Where the hell are all the boats?”

  Chris didn’t have an answer. He didn’t have an answer for anything anymore. His strength was waning and he guessed the kids would succumb at any moment. Jenn stumbled and nearly fell. He had to wrap his arm up under hers to give her the balance to keep going.

  “You’ve got to get up on that ship.”

  Jenn’s statement shocked Chris for two reasons. The idea of finding some way to get up on the deck of a massive vessel, lying half-sunk seemed pointless. More importantly, Jenn clearly said, you’ve got to get on that ship, and not we. The look in her eyes told him she meant precisely that.

  Chris eyed a lone remaining line connected between the dock and the vessel and headed for it. The massive cable was as thick as a tree trunk, but the idea of climbing on it was a terrifying thought. There was little choice in the matter and the approaching army along the western edge of the dock proved they were out of options. Chris was caught off guard when Jenn snatched her arm away from him.

  “What are you doing?” Chris asked as she backed away from him toward an opening between the containers. “We have to get up there.”

  Jake had already figured out the plan on his own and was helping Alicen up on the line beyond the tie off point. They stopped what they were doing as Jenn continued to back away.

  “I can’t make that climb,” she said.

  Chris shook his head and took a step toward her. They swiveled their attention between one another and the fast approaching horde barreling toward them.

  “You don’t know that,” Chris said as he held out his hand. “I’ll help you.”

  “It’s over for me,” she said. She started to cry as she gazed at Jake and Alicen. “Take care of each other.”

  Jake had to throw his arms around his sister to keep her from jumping off the line and running after Jenn.

  “Don’t leave,” Alicen cried. “I love you.”

  Jenn was balling when she took another step back. The blood from her arm ran down her hand and onto her pants. “You have to get up there. I love you too, baby.” She wiped at her tears and smeared blood across her face. “You’re going to make it.” Chris took another step toward her and she yelled at him. “Get away from me, damn it. Save yourselves.” Chris took one last step and she spun around and ran directly toward the advancing dead.

  “Jenn.”

  She didn’t look back.

  “Jenn?”

  He tore himself away from the view and reached the kids. Alicen was still trying to get away from Jake, but the boy had a firm grip around her. Chris grabbed her face with both hands and made her look into his eyes.

  “She’s gone,” he said. “She’s gone.” Alicen’s eyes locked on him. “She wanted you two to be safe, and right now, we need to get up on that ship.” She sniffled and wiped her nose. “Do you understand?”

  Alicen nodded and pulled away. Then she started up the enormous line on her hands and feet. Jake went after her. Chris prepared to climb, but he wasn’t sure he could do it. Jake was having a difficult time, moving much slower than his sister was.

  Chris put one hand out in front of the other, using his knees to push forward. The line began to sway and he felt his stomach churn. He tried not to look at the masses rushing toward them, but he knew they would reach the end of the line within seconds. Fear urged him to move until his forehead was pushing up against Jake’s backside.

  They were a few feet off the dock when the first of the infected reached the tie off point. The sway from the initial impact almost sent Alicen crashing into the chilly waters below. The line swung to one side and the vibration was enough to force Chris to wrap both arms around the cable. The roar of the wicked crowd engulfed the climbers.

  Chris peered over his shoulder long enough for the sight to steal his breath away. The infected covered every inch of the area, each of them howling and snapping their jaws at the moving meals. The dead crammed in around them, swiping their hands out in the air. They reached out for Chris and the kids, some falling into the water as they got to close to the edge.

  The line rocked back and forth as the horde worked itself into a frenzy. Chris saw the first of the infected trying to get up on the line. He clenched with his thighs as his knees slipped. A scream from Alicen pulled his attention up ahead. He saw the girl lose her balance and flip around on the line, hanging upside down by her hands. Jake wrapped one arm around the cable and pressed his chest against it. Then he leaned out and grabbed hold of her wrist.

  Chris was barely hanging on. He tried to edge himself forward, but Jake’s feet kept him from moving. Alicen was screaming at the top of her lungs, but it was barely audible over the frenzied chorus from the dock. Jake pulled at his sister and she feverishly flung her legs up, trying to wrap one around the line. Her heel hit the mark several times before she swung hard enough to stick it up on the top side. Jake kept hold until she got the other leg wrapped around.

  The first of the infected managed to stay up on the line behind them and appeared to consider their options as it swayed. Jake helped Alicen right herself and she was moving again as an infected woman took several steps. Chris gawked over his shoulder at her as she tried to walk the line like a tightrope. More infected got up behind the first, each watching the female for direction.

  Chris was moving again, but the pace was painfully slow. They reached the midway point when the first of their followers tumbled off the line into the water now far below. Chris counted half a dozen still trying to make the climb. A few of the infected figured out that hands and knees offered a much better chance to reach their meal.

  The trio was near the side of the ship when they reached the worst of the incline. The vessel sat on the water at a forty-five degree angle with the deck slanting away from the dock. The line held at a fairly steady incline until the last several feet. Alicen pulled herself up the rest of the way. She had a hold of the railing and Jake pushed her feet to get her up and over the side.

  Chris held still, watching the cable. The infected hopelessly attempted to follow, their erratic and uncontrollable twitches making the climb impossible. None of them could make it to the midway point before plummeting into the water. Chris waited until the kids were up and over the side before he took his turn. His first look at the wide deck came as he climbed over the railing. They were forced to hold on to keep from sliding across the deck and off the other side.

  One look at the damage to the deck told them a fight had gone on there. Broken and battered canisters littered the far side railing. The walls along the cabin and the distant bridge were riddled with bullet holes. The first glance confirmed that the enormous space below deck would produce a nightmare’s worth of danger.

  “What do we do?”

  The answer to Jake’s question popped into Chris’ head a moment before he replied.

  “We find a lifeboat.”

  The first sign of what awaited them appeared as Chris gauged the distance between the railing and the edge of the staircase out in front of them. The sounds came from the open hatch leading into the heart of the cabin area. The moans of the dead bellowed out with hungry desire. The dreadful call told the survivors that their fight was far from over.

  25.

&n
bsp; The dead emptied out of the bridge door like clowns pushing their way out of a car at the circus. Every time Chris looked back, there were more pulling themselves out of the dark opening. Moving on the deck created several problems for the living without any consideration for the dead. The surface was covered with smears of blood and only God knows what else. To make matters worse, the angle of the ship made it impossible to walk without holding on to something.

  “Try to get over to the railing by the stairs,” Chris said, keeping one eye on the dead behind them and scanning the doors leading to the cabin area. “Sit down on your butt and slide across.” The moaning was coming from both directions, but the inhabitants of the cabin areas had yet to show themselves.

  Jake was holding onto the side railing with one hand and Alicen with the other. The little girl was following directions as best as a terrified eight year old could manage. She was on her butt, aiming her feet toward the interior railing, but she refused to let go of the post. The only thing keeping them from becoming brain food was that the dead were having even more of difficult time walking on the deck.

  “Let go and I’ll reach out as far as I can,” Jake said, trying to keep from yelling at his sister. “You won’t have far to slide, I promise.”

  Alicen nodded, but didn’t let go of the post. Jake took his eyes off her for a second to look toward the bridge, and as he did, she let go. Alicen slid away and slipped from Jake’s hand. The boy jumped for her without thinking and Chris was too slow to react to do anything about it.

  Alicen screamed as she went across the slick boards. Her feet hit the railing with a solid thud. The momentum brought her up and she smacked the top bar at her mid section and had to grab hold to keep from flipping over and falling down the stairs on the other side.

  Jake wasn’t so lucky. The boy hit the rail at the lead post to the stairs. The blow struck him on the ribs and the impact knocked the air out of his lungs. His cry told Chris there was serious damage. Alicen sidestepped her way over to him as Chris prepared himself to slide down to where they were.