by Shawn McLain
“NO! This is the way to sexy factory. Turn around turn around!” He was in front of everyone waving them back.
“This way!” Someone yelled.
Beth felt the collar of her jacket being tugged. Hector was now leading them. The door they had been heading toward burst open sending several boards skidding toward them.
“Yeah that’ll hold em.” Stancy sneered at Max.
“Come on!”
The group bumped and pushed each other toward the back door, Beth walking backward keeping the zombies in view. The sound of more shattering glass told them the front was now open and full of the undead.
Suddenly Beth was off balance again as the group came to a sudden stop. Matt’s elbow jabbed at her already sore ribs. They were only about fifteen feet from the door when they stopped. Beth pushed Matt as she turned to see the issue. Ten zombies advanced toward them, blocking their route.
“We have to get out another way, come on!” Beth called. She pulled Matt along with her toward some windows near the exit. They skidded to a halt as three more ghouls appeared around some crates. “Other way!” She called.
The group moved in the other direction. The door to the daily garments side of the factory remained closed. Hector took a step away from the group toward the closed door. The door rattled in its frame as several fists pounded against it.
“No good…back up Back up!”
“What the hell? They’re everywhere. How did they all get in?” Beth asked as she frantically looked back toward the front of the warehouse. The door to the store was open and the dead were streaming in one after the other. Frantically she looked for anyway out. Max and Hector began shooting the closest undead. Finally she saw it. She opened her mouth to call out when she was suddenly dazed.
Her ears rang and her head throbbed from the explosion of Matt firing a shotgun. His shot did little as he aimed too low. The zombie that had been shuffling toward them now crawled. He had blown off one of its legs. He kept pulling the trigger with no effect having forgotten to use the pump to load another shell.
Where was it, where? Beth shook her head to clear the ringing and the double vision. She looked up again scanning the row of windows set high near the ceiling. “There!” She pointed to a window above the door to the truck. “There There! She shouted.
Hector followed her hand and saw the walkway above them. “We need to get up there!” He yelled and pointed to a walkway running the length of the windows.
Max searched the area frantically and saw a large elevator. “Come on we’ll have to get to the second floor. We know they have a hard time with stairs come on!” Beth fired at a couple of zombies that were close to the elevator doors as the group ran for the lift.
“They have a hard time with stairs?” Matt questioned as they ran.
“Why the hell didn’t we make our camp on the second floor to begin with?” Trevor asked angrily.
They reached the elevator. It was an old cage type with a metal grate gate as a door. The group crushed inside. Hector slammed the gate shut and pressed the up button. The group waited and waited. All the guns were pointed at the approaching zombies. Hector hit the button again.
“Why aren’t we moving?” Trevor screamed.
“Because there is no power in an abandoned factory!” Beth exclaimed slapping herself in the head.
“Aw come on man!” Max responded.
Hector let off a burst of gun fire into the approaching ghouls to no avail.
“In the head man in the head!” Max yelled.
Hector shook his head angrily and adjusted fire, several zombies fell. The gate was thrown open and the group ran out.
“This way!” Trevor yelled spotting the stairs at the far end of the dock.
Beth ran for them, followed closely by Matt and Gillian. A zombie lurched at Gillian. She dodged its grip but slipped and fell. Matt spun around, dropped the shotgun and began to pull her up. Beth slid up to them and heaved Gillian to her feet. The others ran past and had already gained the stairs.
Devin turned and called, “Come on MOVE IT!”
Beth pushed Gillian ahead of her as the three tried to catch up with the others. She felt her long hair pull through the ragged fingernails of a zombie as she mounted the second stair. Turning on the fourth step she kicked it in the face as it tried to navigate the first step. It fell knocking two others over with it.
Max was running full speed to the window above the door. His foot falls clanging on the metal grating as he ran. Skidding to a halt at the window, he looked out. “It is only a couple feet to the truck’s roof we can jump. There aren’t any of those things around!”
He backed up and ran at the window as fast as he could, SLAM, Crunch! Max lay on his back staring at the ceiling and unbroken window. He was completely dazed. Devin rushed up and began using the heavy flashlight from the truck as a club to smash the window.
“Back up!” Max called from the floor of the walkway.
Devin moved aside, Max fired several shots into the thick glass. It shattered. Devin helped Max up, they cleared the jagged edges of glass with the flashlight. He handed the flashlight to Max and jumped to the top of the truck.
He was barely out when Stancy pushed her way through and jumped down. Devin was on the stairs behind the truck unlocking the back doors when Martin hit the roof. Devin clamored inside, Trevor was now out of the window.
Trevor jumped to the stairs and held out his arms to help Stancy. She shook her head and with the grace of a gymnast she swung from the roof, through the back door into the truck. Trevor looked back at the roof to Martin who wore the same look of surprise. Max landed heavily next to Martin with a thud. Hector called from the window, “Get ready.”
Matt came flying out, he hit the roof and rolled to the edge, his legs sliding off the end. Martin and Max grabbed his arms and pulled him up. Gillian was hanging out the window; she let herself drop down to the stairs with a clang.
Hector jumped down next, Max steadied him as he slipped on the trucks roof. Beth and Bill were the only ones left in the building. Beth could hear the zombies falling over themselves on the stairs behind them. They were relentless in their attempts to reach them. She could see several had fallen on the stairs. The other zombies used the fallen ones as a ramp to clear the stairs.
“Come on Beth, time to go.” Bill stated squeezing her arm.
Bill braced himself in the window frame. Beth could tell he was scared to jump. He adjusted his grip to push himself as he jumped. Hector and Max stood below encouraging him to hurry. Beth behind him silently urging him to move as the zombie ramp continued to build getting ever closer to the top.
Bill leaned forward, his knees bent, he pushed off. His foot slipped on the broken glass and he fell out of the window hitting the side of the building and bouncing onto the roof of the truck where he crumpled. Max and Hector pulled him up and began handing him down to Martin and Trevor.
They were no longer alone in the lot now. Three undead were starting to beat on the hood of the truck. Beth heard the panic below. She could make out Stancy starting to demand they get moving. She heard Hector argue they all weren’t there. She frowned at the response of “no great loss.”
“Bitch.” She muttered then looked back at the warehouse. The dead were still streaming in. She took a deep breath and jumped onto the truck. Tucking and rolling to a stop. She grabbed the side. “I’m on.” She yelled.
“Great get your ass in here!” Max called from the back as Hector jumped down.
Scurrying to the back of the truck Beth hung her legs over the edge ready to jump. Hector was still on the stairs. Something heavy fell past them, hitting the door. A pair of legs barely missed Beth’s face as she flung herself backward against the roof of the truck.
Looking up she saw several zombies crammed in the window frame. One was working its way free. She knew it would fall right on top of her. Praying Hector was still there she flung herself forward off the roof.
Thick arms
caught her. Beth kept her eye shut waiting to feel teeth rip into her. Instead, without her feet hitting the ground, she was rushed into the back of the truck. The doors slammed shut and her feet touched the floor.
“You can let go now.” Hector laughed hoarsely.
Quickly letting go she smiled at the soldier, “Thanks.” She steadied herself against the back doors and looked out the window to the back door to the factory. It burst open as they pulled away. Beth jumped back a little then laughed as two zombies got stuck trying to make it through the door at the same time. “Too slow.” She taunted as the truck drove away.
Sanctuary?
“I’m serious. I think we should start thinking about another place to stay.” Wes whispered to Steve.
“I really don’t see what you do.” Steve replied.
“I can’t put my finger on it but there is something not right about…” Wes broke off as a woman tiptoed by them in the darkened church.
Steve and Wes watched her move quietly to a pew a few rows up and to the left of them. A child coughed and the woman raised its head to give it a drink. Wes continued to stare until Steve hit him on the arm.
“Something not right?” Steve questioned.
“Yeah, about the Father.”
“Such as?”
“Why are we up here?”
Steve pulled a face. “What do you mean?”
“Why are we up here in the exposed church?” Steve made to protest, but Wes held up a hand and continued, “I mean I know the windows are high and the doors are thick, but the school isn’t so protected and it is attached right through those doors.”
“There is a ten foot high fence and the area that isn’t exposed has bricked up windows. Remember he said they had trouble down here.”
“That is fine for a few vandals and thieves but you get ten, twenty, thirty, a hundred of those things and that fence is coming down. You know it and I know it.”
“I prefer to be up here with several exits than sitting down in that shelter. If this place is overrun I don’t like the idea of the walking around up here when the lights go out down there.” Steve explained. “Plus you were the one who didn’t want to be all Heaven Gate down there. Dude you need to make up your mind.”
Wes sat silently digesting what Steve had just explained. Steve adjusted on the floor, trying to get comfortable on the mat that was pulled in from the gym to sleep on. “This thing smells funny.”
“I remember a girl in kindergarten that peed on one of those.” Wes snickered at the look on Steve’s face.
“Was it Beth?” Steve asked smirking.
“No.” Wes laughed, “And she is going to kick your ass when I tell her you said that.”
The woman a few pews over shushed them. Wes stifled his laugh, then his face turned serious again. “Ok so why keep it locked then.”
“What locked, oh the shelter? I guess like he said. It locks on its own and so no one runs off with stuff that would benefit the whole group.”
“If he decided we need to pool our weapons…I am not going to give up my guns.” Wes stated.
“You sound like one of those militia guys.” Steve laughed.
“Wish I was one of those guys right now. I bet they are safe out in their compounds in the woods. They have guns, food, mines…”
“Craziness.”
“Just because they thought it would be the government and not the undead…well the government was brain dead.”
“Go to sleep dude.”
“Seriously Steve, let’s think about getting out of here. ”
“I am, I am.”
Wes was quiet for a while then he whispered, “We need to find Beth. I don’t think she is coming here.”
Now Where?
“How did they find us?” Beth gasped. The adrenalin was still pounding through her veins making it hard to sit still.
“They must have followed us.” Bill replied grimacing and rubbing his ankle.
Gillian moved over to him to take a look. She pulled up the pant leg and frowned. His leg was already swollen and black and blue.
“How!" How did they follow us? We didn’t see any of them on our way there.” Beth demanded.
“Because he drove so damn slow! You let them know where we were. We could have stayed there for days but you led them right to us.” Stancy cried pointing at Devin.
Devin just silently drove away from the factory.
“Listen stupid! We couldn’t have stayed there for days we had no damn food.” Beth shouted. Her annoyance reaching its breaking point with the older woman as she remembered the comments she made about her. “They found us! So now we know we have to find a more secure place. One without so many ways in.” Beth finished glaring at Stancy.
“Next place needs to be defendable. I think someplace on a second floor or higher.” Hector mused.
“I don’t know if that is good enough. I saw what happened back at the factory. Yeah they don’t do stairs well, but they will crawl over each other to get at us. They ended up making a ramp out of each other. The best thing might be to tear up the stairs once we’re up.” Beth explained.
“Oh that sounds brilliant. Let’s trap ourselves. Stupid little girl.” Stancy fired up.
“I’ve had just about enough out of you.” Hector shouted, “She is right.”
Stancy furiously sputtered. Martin slammed his fist against the side of the truck. Everyone turned at the noise. The former Mayor was furious. “We have been forced out of every place we have tried so far. It is damn early in the morning. Our first order of business is to get some damn food and water. Then we need to locate someplace where we can hold up for a while until we can figure a way out of this deep shit we’re in.” He finished by glaring around at everyone as if daring them to contradict him.
“Feels like I just got yelled at by my dad.” Matt whispered to Beth. She just nodded, also feeling like she had just been caught doing something wrong. Silence filled the truck for several long minutes. Devin drove at a slow pace, but not as slow as when they had first passed through this neighborhood.
Finally as the quiet was starting to become unbearable, Devin spoke up. “I’m sorry about the warehouse and I agree that we need a new place. I just have no idea where I am going now, so any suggestions would be great.”
Gillian wrapped a cold pack she had salvaged from the ambulance around Bill’s ankle and gave him some pain killers. She sat back on her heels for a moment, thinking. “I had a friend that lived downtown above a store. There was only one door in and a fire escape.”
Martin’s hand hit the side of the truck again causing everyone to jump. This time though he smiled at her as he spoke. “So we can use the truck to climb up the fire escape and barricade the stairs up to the apartments. Now we’re thinking!”
Hector thought for a moment. “Sounds like it could work. Be better if we could block the door with the truck…but that doesn’t seem likely. We’ll have to check the logistics when we get there.”
“Sounds like we have a plan.” Bill said wincing as Gillian tied off the wrap a little too forcefully.
“Sorry.” She said noticing the look of pain.
“Oh brilliant plan, where the hell are we going?’ Stancy questioned.
Gillian sat for a moment thinking. Max and Hector exchanged questioning looks.
“Ok it was down on Locust near Park. If I remember correctly.” Gillian finally spoke. “I don’t remember the number but I think I’ll know it when I see it.”
Trevor, who occupied the passenger seat, reached over and gave Devin a slug on the arm. Then in a would be chipper voice exclaimed, “Well my friend back to town then.”
Stancy sat in the back mumbling several derogatory things aimed at both Devin and Beth. Beth tried to ignore the more questionable slants against her morals, as she moved up behind the driver’s seat.
“You ok?” She asked Devin.
Devin looked over Beth and rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I’m not going to worry
about someone that ignorant.” Devin said as he looked out the windshield.
Beth patted his shoulder but couldn’t help feel that Devin was extremely bothered. She understood his annoyance. The world seemed to be ending. They might be the only ones left alive and he stilled had to deal with the ignorance of a bigot. Her thoughts were interrupted by a suggestion from Martin.
“We should get some supplies before we try to hold up someplace. We won’t know what is at this place until we get there and I don’t want to have to leave for a while.”
“Any suggestions on where to stop?” Devin asked.
“Where are we?” Max asked.
“The Pine Ridge area.” Devin answered.
“Yeah, yeah perfect the Cost Club is just a little ways away. We can pick up bulk stuff that will last for a while.” Matt grinned as he joined the others looking out the front window.
“Sounds good.” Devin agreed and sped up a little. He didn’t even try to swerve as a zombie stumbled off the sidewalk in front of them. Its arms flung out in the air as it flew off the front of the truck.
First Light
Distracted by a motorcycle embedded in a van, Devin took the turn late, going in through the out lane. Matt was about to comment but shut his mouth at the look on Gillian’s face. Devin continued through the parking lot of the huge warehouse store. The sun had just begun to break over the mountains. Several zombies shuffled around the lot. They all seemed to be heading to the front of the store.
“What the hell?” Hector asked as they watched the zombies march to the doors.
“The gates are down. Looks like it was closed up when everything went to hell.” Max pointed excitedly.
“There are too many of them out here. Head around the back.” Trevor suggested. Devin nodded and pulled the truck around the corner of the building.
“How do we get in?” Matt asked.
“We open a door, just like we did at the factory.” Max replied.
