Revenant's Kiss (Chronicles of the Afterlife)

by Robles, Joyce

  "Oh my God, oh my fucking God," Wheatly started chanting from behind her and judging from Triple-F’s pallor he wasn’t far behind on the freak-out parade. Yesterday she might have joined them, today she’d shot two of her best friends and there was a child screaming somewhere nearby, today she didn’t have time for this. She was going to say something, she wasn’t sure exactly what, maybe she was just going to tell Wheatly to shut the fuck up but as soon as she turned to him he bolted down the hall.

  "You’ve got to be kidding me," she gave her attention back to Triple-F and she could tell if she gave him the chance he was right behind his friend. "Would you man the fuck up, we have to go get Private Wimpy before he gets himself killed." But Triple-F just glanced from those empty blood soaked cradles back to her, like he thought she was out of her mind. "Fine do whatever the hell you want," she spun on her heal and started making her way back down the hall, maybe Wimpy had made his way back out into the hall, he’d been running pretty fast. Of course life was never that easy, like the minute she thought he could have gotten away safely the sound of rifle fire exploded down the hall. The sound was like an alarm going off, it was familiar because an M16 was a regular part of her own arsenal, his screaming, that was not familiar and it was the first and probably the last she would hear it. She broke into a run, determined to do whatever she could, but when she got around the corner she knew exactly how he’d gotten himself killed. "Oh fuck," she raised the Beretta, shot the one chewing into his arm in the head, but ten more took it’s place. The hall was basically a round-about, when they’d entered through the stairwell it had been clear. The mass of corpses in front of her must have been stumbling in this direction because the door was swarmed with them now, and Wimpy had run straight into their hungry jaws. She shot two more but those things had dragged him into the mass and she could hear him screaming but she couldn’t see him.

  "WHEATLY!" Jennifer looked back at Triple-F who was right behind her, still freaking out, he was holding the M16 up like he was going to shoot but never did. Maybe he thought he’d hit his friend, at this point he’d only be doing the guy a favor, so she wasn’t sure why he hesitated. He shouted again but the screaming had stopped and the number of corpses that couldn’t get in on the Wheatly feast were quickly stumbling and swarming to get to them over the ones that were too busy eating.

  "Come on," Jennifer grabbed Triple-F’s collar, glad that he didn’t try to put up resistance, as soon as she had him pointed in the opposite direction he moved away from the revenant’s on his own. Jennifer turned to shoot anything that was too close before taking off after him, she supposed she was glad this was the first she’d seen of this large a number, was missing all of Whiskey at this point. When they reached the mid-point where the nursery sat silent and potentially empty Jennifer grabbed Triple-F by the belt, "here." She ordered him, this time and likely only because he’d just watched someone he knew get eaten alive he did as he was told. He hesitated in the door way so Jennifer pushed him in and yanked the door closed behind the two of them. If they were lucky, and she wasn’t counting on it because her luck these days sucked, the revenant’s would keep walking. She crouched by the wall, forcing him to do the same by yanking on her hold on his belt, he tried to stand as soon as he got another good look at what was all around them. Jennifer kept her hold on his belt, if he wanted to stand he was going to have to struggle for it, he didn’t try. Especially not when Jennifer motioned for him to look up and he noticed the chain line of undead shuffling by. She hadn’t been entirely sure that ducking down would work, had partially assumed it would work because in her last encounter with Dimitri she had been out of sight out of mind for him. Clearly it was the same for these, only they were slower, and very possibly dumber. Ethan had seemed sure that whatever this was took longer to completely overtake a vampire, considering the ex-vampire had been more inclined to run from damage than run at it she might have to agree.

  Jennifer hated thinking it, but whoever had been screaming before wasn’t screaming now, "we need to get off this floor." When she looked to Triple-F he was still looking up at the window as if waiting for one of those things to stumble past and look down at them. "Hey you with me here," she waved her hand in front of his face and he would probably have jumped up if she didn’t still have a hold on his belt.

  "I didn’t believe it, didn’t believe it had happened before, when the Lieutenant said you’d seen it before, that he’d seen it before. How do you stop this," he seemed to be really asking and Jennifer wished that she could tell him, but she’d been five, she had no idea how you stopped the zombie apocalypse once it had seemingly already started.

  "You start by surviving it, Triple-F," he didn’t seem to take notice that she was referring to him when she said the nick-name she’d appointed him, which was probably for the best. "Right now we need to work our way back to the stairs, the real question at the moment is whether we go back the way we came or risk trying to get to the stairwell on the opposite side. I think it would be better to circle back given we’ve no idea what the other stairwell looks like but I’m open to suggestions." She waited to see if he was going to say something but he didn’t, "can you handle this, I need to know you can cover my back."

  "Yea, yea I’m good," but he stumbled over the words, he was a bigger mess then Palmer had been, and unlike then she had no way to put him safely in the center.

  "Okay, just keep it tight, we don’t want anything cutting us off from each other right?" He nodded and she really wished Tom had brought Brook with him to bring her back, she could really use him. She waited until she scanned what she could see of the viewing window before releasing Triple-F’s belt and slowly getting to her feet. After a beat she motioned for him to follow suite and to her relief he did so quickly. She made her way back toward the door, but instead of heading back toward the stairs she made to follow the mass of revenants. Her hope was that they kept moving, if they circled back around she wanted to be behind them not stumbling back into their path. She was glad that Triple-F seemed too busy trying to stay close to notice that she was taking them away from the exit.

  She became aware that she was moving them too fast when they neared the corner and the revenant mass was slowly making its way around the next bend. Some of them nearly fell over one or two small mutilated forms on the ground in front of the elevators, but paid them no mind, apparently what little was left was inedible. Jennifer waited watching them shuffle over the slick floor, crushing bloodied pieces of what she knew had once been children beneath their feet. The mass was mostly around the corner, practically gone, but one of them must have heard the whimper when she did. It wasn’t loud, not really, only loud enough to catch the attention of one while the rest shuffled on past the corner. Jennifer watched it drag it’s feet back towards the elevator, it wasn’t until then that she noticed that one of the doors stood slightly ajar, the elevator from what she could tell caught halfway between floors. "Crap," she swore to herself, so that was where the screaming was coming from, as if on instinct it knew where to go and made its way to that small opening, without pause as soon as it stuck it’s face to the hole the child that was hiding inside started screaming. "Damn-it," she looked back at Triple-F who seemed to have pulled his shit together enough to nod and she rushed out into the hall. She could have grabbed the thing by the collar and dragged it back, but they didn’t have long. If the kid hadn’t screamed she might have tried to kill it quiet, there was no point in that now. She simply charged out into the hall, shot the thing in the head, and when it didn’t collapse because it had jammed it’s head and shoulder into the hole, she grabbed it by the lab coat and yanked it free.

  "Shit," she could tell even before Triple-F started cursing, from all the guttural noises revenant’s seemed to make when they thought a meal was in reach, that they had seconds to get this kid. If the kid hesitated they might be forced to leave, and who knew how long they’d have to wait to try again.

  Jennifer looked up into the elevator op
ening, took note of the blood at the lip and didn’t have to wonder where the little eaten bodies had been dragged from. This entire situation was why she’d chosen not to join Tom’s group, she wanted to save lives, she wanted to help people, she didn’t think that anything could be worth what she’d seen on this floor. She had to believe that if the zombie apocalypse was happening, if it could really be stopped, the only way couldn’t be to leave innocent people to die, she didn’t want to win anything like that. Jennifer could barely see over the bloody lip, her lack of height prevented it but she could make out the child huddled into a corner. "We might only have one shot at this, KID," she called because trying to be silent was pointless, "give me your hand and I’ll pull you out." She gave it a second which was about all the time she could afford before repeating herself, "Kid give me your hand!"

  "Leave ‘em," Triple-F prompted from behind her but to her relief he didn’t try to run off, he started shooting the mass stumbling its way back around the corner. "There’s no time," he shouted, Jennifer took one look over her shoulder and knew he was right, if she gave it even a minute those things would be on them. If it was just her she could risk her own neck, probably would, but it wasn’t in her to ask Triple-F to do the same.

  "Fall back," she gave the order but hesitated to follow it herself, again to her surprise Triple-F seemed to notice and hold his ground. "Damn-it," she pulled herself away from the elevator doors, "go, fall back," she turned back toward the revenant’s and fired, there were too many to take down, even with Triple-F’s M16 to slow them down. "GO!"

  When the things were within near feet Jennifer took a step back and as if the child suddenly realized they were leaving a tiny hand stuck out of the door, "PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!"

  "Fuck it all," Jennifer swore, looking to Triple-F to see if he could handle this.

  "I’ll cover you," he offered, that was good enough. Jennifer emptied the Beretta into several of the Rev’s that got too close, used her last bullet on one that was about to take a chunk out of that tiny hand. When it went down she knew it was up to Triple-F to keep them back just long enough. Jennifer jumped forward and laced her fingers around the tiny wrist, she gave a hard yank and thankfully the child was small enough to slip through the opening without more effort, which would have probably gotten them both killed. She couldn’t take the time to give the little kid a once over, just make sure it kept it’s feet when she yanked them both out of reach. "Come on," Jennifer waited to move back, she wasn’t going anywhere without Triple-F, if she had to, and she really didn’t have the time to, she would reload. "Move!" At this he seemed to realize if he waited much longer he was going to end up blocked in, they were too close. "This way," Jennifer kicked an exam room door open, Triple-F made it into the room behind her, but when he tried to slam the door the revenants were too close behind him. Jennifer dropped the kids hand, was on her way to help him get the door closed when the kid who’d been shocked into silence started screaming.

  Jennifer turned in time to see the thing wobble to it’s feet, and it was no mystery why the kid had seen it and freaked out. It had bloodied teeth sunken into a tiny body in it’s hands, the infant forms center was hollowed out, arms and legs dangling brokenly around the hands that carelessly held it, it’s head hung away so she couldn’t see the tiny face, a fact she was grateful for. The female revenant took a step forward toward her, slow and wobbly like it’s footing wasn’t sure and Jennifer raised the Beretta. It was halfway around the medical bed when she pulled the trigger, the gun clicked empty, she’d forgotten. Like this action had triggered some kind of reserve in the corpse making it’s way around the table it dropped the tiny body in it’s hands to the floor, it hit the linoleum with a wet splat. Jennifer’s eyes followed it to the floor, and it was then she noticed that when the revenant took another step forward the tiny mangled body trailed after in a bloody smear. Mother and new born infant were still attached by the umbilical cord and every step forward the mother took dragged the tiny broken remains of it’s child behind it. She reached to reload but the thing managed speed enough to charge forward faster then she could slip the clip out. In a stupid moment of panic Jennifer stumbled back into a rolling tray, knocking it over and losing her footing. She landed on her ass, the Beretta flying out of her hands, she watched for a frozen moment as the clang of metal hitting the floor echoed behind her and she watched her weapon slide away across the floor. She regained her equilibrium enough that when the revenant was close enough she kicked it hard in the knee, she heard the crack of breaking bones and the thing stumbled back but didn’t go down.

  Trying not to panic further as the thing and it’s trailing infant made to fall on her again, she grabbed for the metal instruments that had spilled onto the floor when she’d fallen over but they were too far. She was forced to stop and try to kick the thing back again but this time it fell to the floor and made to bite her legs, she kicked it in it’s mangled face. It bought her enough time to grab for the next nearest thing, without thinking she grabbed the tipped over object and rammed it into the revenant’s chest when it made to crawl up her body again. She had a second’s reprieve where the pole held it back and she vaguely noted she’d grabbed an IV pole, that the hook that was made to hold the bag had torn through dead flesh and that was all that was holding it back. She made to grab for what she could see now were surgical tools again but while it scrabbled to move forward the revenant must have kicked what was left of the baby and the tiny corpse had slid around and was resting next to Jennifer’s elbow. It’s toothless mouth chomped when she tried to move, and Jennifer couldn’t help it, she panicked and slammed her elbow into it and sent it sliding away all the while it’s attached mother renewed it’s effort and started forcing itself forward.

  Jennifer was used to dealing with monsters, used to them killing in ways that would turn most peoples stomachs, she was not used to them eviscerating themselves just to get a nibble. She watched it, while grabbing blindly for another weapon, as it forced it’s body forward, pushing the hook down deeper, shredding skin from where she’d stabbed it in the chest down to it’s naval. It’s insides came pouring out into her lap, and she tried to force panic back as it was close enough to snap it’s teeth at her face. She grabbed it’s throat with one hand, it’s struggles to reach her, and gut itself had pushed them both back across the floor. Jennifer was just beginning to wonder if she and Triple-F were going to end up dead here after all when her fingers connected with one of the surgical tools. She didn’t waste time looking to see what she was holding, simply held the revenant’s face still and stabbed the tool with as much force as she could into it’s eye, when it didn’t immediately go down she flattened her palm and jammed her hand upward forcing the handle in to the hilt. After a pause the body fell still, she heaved the dead corpse to the side and got shakily and blood drenched to her feet. Time seemed to stand still just so she could watch the revenant mother’s organs slop back to the floor. Suddenly the sound of Triple-F shouting at her and the little kids screaming came back into focus, she made her way to the Beretta that had fallen out of her grip when she’d been knocked over and picked it up, ejected the empty clip, and slapped in a new one. This was nearly her last, there was one more clip after this and she would be out of bullets. She started back to the door to help Triple-F try to close it but paused when the remains of the baby mewled hungrily at her feet. It was probably a waste of a bullet but she quickly shot it in the head, then joined Triple-F at the door, slamming her shoulder into it without any affect.

  "Just go," he gritted out next to her, "I’ll hold the door until you’re out the next." He indicated the door across the room that she’d failed to notice. She’d been to busy to notice at all that this room seemed to be directly attached to the nursery.

  "I’m not leaving you," Jennifer gritted back, "can you hold it a little longer," she asked. After a frustrating minute he nodded and Jennifer pushed away from the door and made her way to a bloodied hospital bed, probably the ve
ry one the zombie mother had given birth on. She quickly put a bullet in a body she hadn’t known was there on the floor, it didn’t move but she was taking no chances, before pushing the medical bed across the floor and up against the door. It wouldn’t get the door closed but she could hold it closed with this and hopefully give them enough time to all get out the second door. "Come on!" she put all her weight behind keeping the bed jammed against the door but the floor was slick with blood and the corpses trying to push their way in were relentless. "Grab the kid!" she shouted waiting only long enough for him to do just that before letting go of the bed. Triple-F and the kid made it through the door in front of her and she practically closed the door on herself in her haste to close the second exit behind herself. Within seconds she could hear the revenants slamming their bodies into the door she’d just closed. "That’s not going to hold long," but at least they knew where the exit was. Regardless Jennifer made her way over to one the cradles, ignoring the fleshy chunks that had become crusted to a little blue blanket with blood, and jammed it against the door. It would probably only buy them a minute, but that was better then nothing, when she turned into the room to grab another craddle she found herself at the business end of Triple-F’s rifle.

  Chapter 20

  "Were you bitten," Triple-F asked emphasizing his question by pushing his rifle closer in her face. Jennifer glanced from him and then down at herself she was covered in blood and chunks, she couldn’t blame him for asking, or thinking it was a possibility. She would blame him if he shot her when she’d managed to fight that thing off and come away unscathed.