Super Zombies from Outer-Space

by Douglas Browning

  Lt. Brown tugged on the front door of the vehicle. It wouldn’t move.

  “There’s no one in there,” Lisa muttered.

  She looked over to Russ, expecting a response, but he was silent. His eyes were open, and gazing out the window at all of the bodies, but his mind wasn’t there. He may as well have his eyes closed.

  “Russ, you okay?”

  He didn’t answer. It didn’t frighten her though. As nervous as she was just a few seconds before, she suddenly felt safe again when she looked at him. He didn’t really appear confident or anything of the sorts. In fact he looked terrified. But there was that feeling again. She embraced it.

  “I’m wondering if my dad is alive,” he finally said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He was in Wichita for the day. He should have been home, but he’s not. I wonder if any of this spread outside Brownsville.”

  They watched as the door to the overturned vehicle opened up. Lt. Brown grabbed a hold of someone’s hand and struggled to pull them out.

  “Think we’ll make it out of this?” Lisa turned to Russ.

  He leaned over and looked directly into her eyes. “We will.”

  There was an aura of silence between them, and their eyes never left contact. Lisa gently leaned toward him, and Russ leaned toward her. Their lips touched shyly at first, and then Russ pulled away.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I-I’ve never kissed a girl before.”

  She giggled. “It’s okay.”

  * * * * *

  Just a half hour before, the group of Humvees had come to a halt and the raids on the homes had begun. Donahue sat silently with both of the FBI agents as gunfire echoed through the air. All of them had their eyes glued to the homes across from them. The damn things were swarming. They came through the windows and from behind the houses, and some even jumped off of the roofs. Gunfire lit up the streets and a few of the creatures fell, but there were too many. A couple of soldiers had fallen to their knees, dazed. Then they were ripped apart in the streets. Then one of the damn things jumped right in front of the Humvee and started shaking it. The two FBI agents loaded their weapons and stormed out, but were tackled from behind. That’s when Donahue jolted forward and locked the doors. Then the damn things flipped the ride over and started pounding on the windows and doors. Thank God for bullet proof glass.

  Eventually they left, probably tired of messing with the bullet proof glass. He wasn’t going to take a step out into that night though, nossir. Not after seeing those boys get their guts thrown all over the place. That night was more than he had ever seen in his entire life. His situation was a hell of a bite to swallow all at once.

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to forget images that wouldn’t leave. The kids, the creatures hanging on the back of his car, the battle in the streets, even his pissed off wife standing over him demanding sex. He didn’t know where that one came from. It happened though. It may have been in his head, but it happened.

  A shadow streaked across the moon light. Donahue cradled his pistol against his body and tried to keep himself from trembling.

  “Go away,” he whispered.

  It knocked on the window.

  “Go away!” He aimed the pistol at the door.

  The creature grabbed the door handle and pulled, only to find that it was locked.

  Donahue’s eyes began to sting from the sweat trickling down his forehead.

  “This is Lt. Evan Brown. Anyone in there?” A muffled voice said.

  Donahue sighed, then leaned forward to unlock the door.

  “I thought you were one of them,” Donahue panted as the door opened.

  “Nope, not yet.” Brown reached down for his hand and pulled him to his feet.

  Donahue climbed out of the vehicle and jumped onto the street. He wasn’t all that surprised to land in a puddle of blood after what he had seen. Dead bodies scattered the area and he couldn’t help but to start coughing and gagging. He would have thrown up but there was nothing in his stomach.

  “Jesus,” he whispered. “What happened?”

  “Looks like you and I were the only ones to live through that,” Brown said. “There are a lot of them by the farms, and there were a lot of them in these homes. I think they moved on, like they’re a pack or something. I don’t think we’ll be safe here much longer.”

  “How did you survive?” Donahue asked.

  “Same way as you. I held out behind a Humvee, firing at the damn things. Don’t know if you noticed it or not, but as my men started falling they picked up the guns and starting shooting back. I dove into the Humvee and stayed there. I was too afraid to open the damn door till I saw these two kids.”

  “Kids?”

  Brown motioned for him to follow and began walking toward one of the vehicles parked behind. “I found these two kids that are still alive. I think they live around this area. They’re probably the only ones alive around here, though. These creatures spread quickly.”

  Donahue nodded as he walked alongside him. “What the hell are these things anyway?”

  “People,” Brown said. “Come on, we gotta get moving.” He opened the door and motioned Donahue inside.

  Russ and Lisa sat idly in the front seat. Russ was curled into a ball, about to fall asleep and Lisa was clutching the steering wheel as tightly as she could.

  “Where are we going?” Donahue asked.

  Lisa pulled the vehicle out of park.

  “You ever drive one of these before?” Russ asked.

  “It’s a bit different than driving a Mercury Tracer, but I’ll handle it.”

  Donahue sighed at the fact that his question had been ignored. “They’re a pair aren’t they?” he whispered.

  Brown shrugged.

  “I’d like to stop by my house and see if my wife is there,” Donahue said.

  “Where do you live?” Lisa said.

  “A little northwest of here. Take a left on Maple.”

  “Don’t turn,” said Brown. “There’s too many over there.”

  “You don’t know that,” Donahue said.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “How?”

  “Listen,” Brown sighed. “I’ve never been very good at telling people bad news. You’re wife isn’t going to be alive when we get there, and the second we get there and open the door, those things will be all over us.”

  Alan shook his head. “She’s not dead.”

  “We can’t stop, Sheriff. I’m sorry.”

  “Stop the car!” Donahue shouted.

  Lisa braked harshly. Everyone jolted forward. Russ wasn’t wearing his seatbelt and slammed into the dash.

  “Damnit,” he muttered.

  Lisa laughed.

  “Don’t go out that door, Sheriff,” Brown said.

  He opened the door.

  “Donahue, you step out there you’re dead. Those things are all around here.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  He dropped one foot onto the pavement, and then he heard a growl from behind him.

  “Duck!”

  He dropped to the ground. Brown brought his mp5 to eye height and sprayed bullets. The sound of the gun was deafening, but he could still hear the screams. Whatever it was, it had been a person no more than an hour or two before. Now it was gray and dead.

  Donahue stood up when the firing stopped.

  “See my point?” Brown muttered.

  Alan didn’t say anything. He just stood in the darkness, shaking.

  “Get in.”

  Before he climbed back inside he took a quick peek at the dead creature. It was a woman. She was wearing a pink tank top that had been ripped to shreds by bullets. Her chest was soaked with blood. She was also wearing a red bandanna on her now caved in head.

  This was one of the earlier five that had attacked him. Mrs. Kelly.

  Russ gaped at the body on the floor. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell Lisa or not. She already seemed stressed out. />
  “I think it was Mrs. Kelly,” Donahue blurted.

  Russ cringed.

  “Didn’t know her too well–”

  He was interrupted by Lisa’s scream. She leapt over Russ’s lap and took a look for herself. Her mother was lying on the ground, covered with blood.

  “I’m sorry,” Russ whispered.

  “Did I miss something?” Donahue said.

  Brown silently stared at the night’s sky, ignoring the conversation.

  “She was my mom,” Lisa whimpered and a moment later broke out into tears. Russ held her as she cried onto his shoulder.

  “You wanna drive, Lieutenant?” Russ asked.

  He nodded and crawled up to the front seat, nearly kicking Donahue in the face.

  16

  Randall Grossman’s head felt as if it had been beaten in with a baseball bat. The area around him was pitch black at first, and then it slowly blurred in by the silvery rays of the moon through the windows. There was one built into the door as well as a skylight above him. There was a chain tied around his gut so tight that it made it hard to breathe. His hands were cuffed behind him.

  “Where am I?” he muttered to himself.

  Randall rolled across the room on the chair and tried to peek out the window, but it was too tall. He jumped when he saw a shadow streak through the moonlight.

  “Who’s out there?” Randall said as he rolled away from the door.

  The room was swirling around him and he couldn’t remember anything that had happened. The last thing he could recall was sitting on his front porch with a shotgun, watching some soldiers–

  That was it. The soldiers. Randall shook his head. He could feel his heart beat racing as sweat began to form at his armpits, and then slowly spreading to his chest and face.

  “Them Army boys did this!” he screamed.

  It had just become apparent how hot it was. Although Randall hadn’t been paying much attention, the air seemed to burn his lungs. The rest of the room closed in on him, making him feel like he was in a box. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

  “Let me out of here!” he screamed as he shook in his chair.

  There was a thump outside the door.

  “Who are yeh?” he screamed. “Army boy? Come in here and let me out, Army boy!”

  “I’m no Army boy, Randall,” the voice came from behind him.

  He spun around in the chair and saw his wife. Her pale face was lit up by the moon rays coming through the sky light. There was a red hole, small and precise right between her eyes.

  “What them Army boys do to yeh, Agnes?”

  The old woman limped toward him, barely moving. Her metal walker wasn’t with her.

  “They killed us, Randall. All of us.”

  “Wha’?”

  “They shot us dead, Randall.” Her voice was quivering.

  “They killed yeh? Why I’m goin kill them sons of bitches!” He began to rock violently in his seat. “Goddamnit, Agnes help me out of here!”

  “They shot me, Randall. In the head.” She turned around and gave him the full view of her skull. There was a small hole in the front, but half of her head was missing in the back. Dried blood soaked the blue nightgown she was wearing.

  “I’m goan kill ‘em!”

  “They’re doing it to other families too, Randall.”

  Randall broke out into a spasm of profanity, also throwing in quite graphically about how he wanted to cut off their balls. Agnes smiled at it.

  “I need to you to open the door and talk to the man outside, Randall.”

  “Who’s outside?”

  She paced the floor and walked around him from behind, then knelt by his left ear, bringing her mouth just an inch away.

  “Goddamnit woman, you always had bad breath. Get the hell away from me.”

  “Shut up, Randall! Don’t you start!”

  “Don’t tell me to shut up, goddamnit! I’ll bust your face old woman!”

  Agnes sighed and walked over to what appeared to be a kitchen sink. Randall couldn’t quite see well enough because of the darkness.

  “Can you do this or not, Randall?”

  “Do what?”

  “Defend your country!”

  “I’ll defend my country, goddamnit! Those Army boys is betrayin the flag!”

  She smiled. “Yes honey, they are.”

  "Obama sent them!"

  "Yes honey, he did."

  “I’ll kill ‘em!”

  “Yes you will, honey. But I can help you kill them.”

  “How is a woman gonna help me kill good?”

  “There is a little funny man outside the door, Randall. I need you to go to him and let him help you. He can make you stronger, Randall.”

  “Stonger?”

  “Yes, honey.”

  “Shit, I don’t need to be stronger. I’m strong enough to rip the nuts off a whale!” He turned to the door. “I don’t need your help, little man! I don’t want it! I ain’t no pussy!”

  “Randall, don’t make him mad,” she scolded. “You know you can’t take on all of them Army boys.”

  “Gimme my goddamn shotgun and I’ll blast their faces off!”

  She shook her head. “The little man can make you powerful, Randall.”

  He shook his head.

  “Randall,” she sighed.

  He looked down to his toes for a moment and felt another surge of rage draw through him. He didn’t break out into cussing or yelling, though. There was something about his wife that wasn’t right.

  She was dead.

  “You dead?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then how the hell are you in here talkin to me?”

  Agnes walked backward and placed her back against the wall. She paused for a moment and rolled her eyes up into her head.

  “What the hell do you say to that?” Randall smiled. He bounced in his chair like a happy two year old.

  “I’m saying it before I go, honey,” she finally said.

  “Go where?”

  “To God.”

  There was a minute of silence while Randal thought about this. A smile spread across his face.

  “You a ghost?”

  “Yes, dear.”

  “My wife’s a ghost?”

  She sighed again. “Listen, I need you to open the door and talk to the little man outside.”

  “How the hell am I supposed to open the door?”

  “Figure it out, honey.”

  She walked into a dark corner, Randall couldn’t see her.

  “Where you going?”

  “To God. Now open that door and go defend your country.”

  “Don’t leave me!” Randall screamed, but she was gone.

  He let out another string of profanities and violently rolled back and forth across the tile floor. After about five minutes he slowed and came to a stop in the center of the room.

  “You out there little man?” shouted Randall, breathing heavily.

  He was answered by two knocks at the door.

  “Can you open the door?”

  It’s locked.

  “What?”

  It’s locked, Mr. Grossman.

  “Where are you at? I can hear you, but I can’t see you!”

  I’m inside of you Mr. Grossman.

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Just try to find a way to get the door open.

  “Whatever you say, little man.”

  Randall observed the room and tried to think of something that would make the door open. There was nothing available for him to use.

  “I wonder how strong the lock on this door is,” he muttered. The voice didn’t answer him.

  He rolled over to it and kicked it. Instead of opening the door it sent him rolling away in the opposite direction. Randall spat out a few more obscenities and looked around the room again. His eyes kept focusing on the massive skylight window on the roof.

  “Can we break that glass?” he asked.

&
nbsp; I don’t see how that would get you out.

  “We’d have to roll her.”

  Oh, I see.

  “Could we do that?”

  Allow me.

  The trailer began to move back and forth as if there were crowds of people standing on either side, rocking it. A laptop fell off of the kitchen table in the corner and cracked on the ground. Papers swept into the air. Randall rolled across the floor, out of control. Then with a thundering crash, Randall thudded into the wall as the trailer flipped. The skylight cracked down the center but didn’t shatter. Randall smiled and tried to get the chair back up right so he could move, but he slipped and fell face first. His nose exploded and blood shot out all over his face.

  “Damnit!” he screamed.

  We’ve done it, Mr. Grossman.

  “Where you at?”

  Right in front of you.

  Randall looked up and saw the little man. He was probably about three feet tall, and his head was gigantic. It looked like a large blimp with two gigantic black eggs for eyes. Its skin was a horrid gray color with green spots in various places. And the most disturbing was how it looked pregnant. Its stomach hung out down to its knees in a perfect ball.

  “What the hell are you?”

  I’m here to help you defend your country.

  17

  She had locked up the home, turned off all of the lights, and closed all of the curtains. Screams echoed outside. There was even an occasional gunshot. It had started bit by bit, and then escalated to the point that Jessica couldn’t sit still. She was constantly twitching underneath her nightgown. First it had been the cable. That didn’t seem to matter much. Then the cop had approached them while they were in the garage (that’s when she became frightened). She tried the phone and was thinking about calling her parents, but they weren’t working either –not even the cell. To top it off, the helicopter came in, nice and low, just above the road announcing quarantine.

  That was all she needed to hear. She sat in the darkness, watching a DVD she had rented –Will Farrell was the star. He seemed quite happy on the television. There was a big dumb grin across his face. Jessica looked into his eyes and relaxed for just a moment. He cracked a joke. She laughed. He smiled. She smiled back. Then she turned off the television when she realized the light and the noise could attract unwanted attention.