Dead of Knight: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale

by Beard, Stephen J.

  “Just whatever you can’t live without tonight,” I said. They were done quickly and we retreated back inside the garage. I put the door down slowly and locked it.

  Inside, Sam, Karen and the kids were putting dinner together using candlelight.

  “Do you have enough light? We picked up a few lanterns.”

  “I think we’re good for now,” said Sam. It’s just chicken salad sandwiches with chips and fruit.” Did you get us a way to cook?”

  “Two of them, actually.”

  Dinner was mostly about the new family, the Picklers. Turns out, they were on their way to Disney from D.C. when the world ended. They’d been stranded at the gas station for almost 30 hours. Mike Jr was 16 and in high school. He played three sports but liked soccer the best. Tabby had some difficulty taking her eyes off him. Maybe losing Justin wouldn’t hurt so badly after all. Michael and Lois had been married for 22 years and he was a banker. Lois was a veterinarian.

  “While I don’t want to do any surgeries if I don’t have to, a lot of the medical training transfers over to humans. I could do wound treatment and care, like stitches and such,” she said.

  “That could be very helpful,” said Sam. “I just hope we never need your expertise.”

  “We will, though,” I said. “Something will happen eventually. Michael, I don’t think I’m really that sorry about it, but we will never need a banker again.”

  “Thank God,” he said. “Now our savings is measured in days and family.”

  “Here, here,” said Karen. Everyone smiled and raised a glass of whatever they had.

  “To family”

  Eventually, the conversation came round to where it always seemed to end up. Karen asked the question this time.

  “What next?”

  Everyone at the table looked at me, including the Picklers and Karen. I returned their gaze with an unhappy expression. Karen spoke first.

  “I learned today that you’re a much better leader than I ever gave you credit for.”

  “Thanks, I think.”

  “And when we decided to throw our lot in with your family, we knew you’d be in charge. You have already shown all of us your qualities,” said Michael.

  “And you’ve obviously done a good job taking care of your family,” said Lois. “You guys are stocked up.”

  “Thank you all for your kind words. I don’t share your confidence in my abilities but I will continue to do my best. Please don’t ever hesitate to give your opinion, I’m far from perfect. Lois, that’s really only a few weeks’ worth of supplies. And that was before Karen and you guys got here. You’ve got some things in the RV but it’ll go quick I think. We have to make getting more supplies a priority. Even if it means you guys sleeping on the sofa another night.”

  “That’s no problem,” said Michael. “Greater good and all that.”

  “We may already be too late,” said Karen. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what our redneck friends had to say. People are going to be running out of food and water if they haven’t already. They’ll come out and scavenge soon. They’ll have to or starve.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been trying to protect Sam and the kids from the zombies. But, they might not be the biggest threat.”

  “You think we need to raid a grocery store in the morning?” asked Mike Jr.

  “No,” I replied. “Costco.”

  “Why not a grocery store,” asked Sam. “There’s one a lot closer than Costco.”

  “Less fresh food, so theoretically anyway, there won’t be any noxious gases accumulating yet. And, I bet they have more of what we need than Publix or Bi-Lo.”

  “We can take the RV,” said Michael. “There’s more room.”

  “I’m thinking of something better,” I said. “One of the many types of tours I do is bus tours. I drive a mini-bus. It seats about 26 people and except for the seats, it’s open inside. We could stack a lot of stuff. And I have the keys upstairs.”

  “Where are they?” Karen asked.

  “That’s the problem,” I said. ‘They’re kept downtown.”

  The discussion this revelation created lasted about an hour. Everyone was concerned, and rightly so, about the condition of downtown. The last images we saw on TV showed numerous fires and groups of zombies moving around. And, the buses were kept right in the middle of all that. There was no telling what we would find once we got there.

  We all agreed that the bus would be better at gathering supplies. It was diesel and would get better mileage. That would become important quickly when we had to pump it using the hand pumps every time we had to fill up. It was also bigger on the inside than the RV and that meant fewer trips. Which meant less chances of anything bad happening; either with the zombies or with the living. And, everyone agreed that getting the bus and, therefore, the supplies was more important than getting the Picklers settled next door.

  I didn’t want to split the group any more than absolutely necessary. But, someone was going to have to drive us down there and drop us off.

  “I have an idea,” said Tabby. “Why don’t you take a car we don’t use and leave it?”

  “That’s a good idea, Tab,” I said. “But, why don’t we take the Thompson’s car and leave it? I don’t think your mother is ready to give up her car even if it is the zombie apocalypse.” I got kicked under the table for that remark. It wasn’t subtle either. Everyone laughed, including Sam.

  “Who’s going?” Mike Jr asked.

  “Well, that’s the next thing, isn’t it? I have to go because I can drive the bus. Michael, can you shoot?

  “I have gone hunting with Mike Jr there in the past. We get a deer once in awhile. He’s a better shot than I am, of course.” Michael said. Mike, Jr beamed a little at that.

  “Lois?”

  “Oh, no. I think I could shoot a gun, but…”

  “Okay, well, it’s me, Michael and Mike, Jr. With your permission, of course, Michael.”

  “That’s good. He did a great job after you continued to Savannah earlier. Really stepped up.” Lois nodded in agreement and Mike Jr beamed a bit more.

  “Hey, that’s a little sexist, dontcha think?” said Karen.

  “No, Karen. I don’t. You want to go?”

  “No, I was just saying…”

  “Look, this is the best decision. That leaves three adults here holding down the fort. I might be able to coordinate the three of us on the trip. I’m not sure I’m ready to coordinate four people yet. The three of us are also the strongest. And this is really a supply run. You did great earlier at the Bass Pro Shop. I mean it. I know this sounds harsh and I don’t want it to, but how are you going to do carrying 100 cases of water and stacking it in the bus? How do you think Lois will do with that? Or, Sam?”

  “Point taken. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “Karen, I promise, when it’s right to take you or Lois or Sam, I will.”

  “I want to help,” said Tabitha.

  “Me, too. I want to help, Dad,” Mal added.

  “I know you guys want to help. And you both have been big helps. But, I need you here to help your mom, and grandma and Ms. Lois. When it’s time, I’ll take you out. I promise.”

  With everyone’s help, emptying the Land Cruiser only took about 20 minutes. It looked like more stuff when we were loading it. The winter clothes were all put in a central location so that anyone who needed something warm knew where to find it.

  One stove was put in the kitchen along with about half the fuel. Another pile was started for the Picklers to take next door when they moved. It would accumulate some of every type of supplies in the next hour or so. The rest of the items were put in piles with like items. So, all the flashlights went together, all the batteries went together, all the knives went together, and so forth.

  Each person, including Mal got a back pack. I had picked a small one for Mal and a slightly larger one for Tabby. Then the rest of the supplies were handed out. Everyone got a flashlight and extra batteries for it. Each adu
lt got a tomahawk and a long bladed k-bar type knife. The knife was to be worn at all times. Period. Even in the house.

  “In fact, go ahead and put it on now,” I instructed.

  “Dad, did you get one for me?” asked Tab.

  “Yeah, what about me?” said Mal.

  “Tabby, understand it’s not a toy. It’s only for emergencies. Understand?”

  “I do, Dad. I just want to help.”

  “I know,” I said. Then I turned to Mal. “Look, buddy. Answer this… When do you draw your knife?”

  “Only if you or mom tells me I can. Or, when I have to kill a zombie.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. That was exactly the answer I was looking for. Sam saw me smiling and looked unhappy. But, she knew what I was going to do.

  “That’s exactly right,” I said as I handed him the knife and helped him put it on his belt. “And, you know what will happen if I see you playing with it?”

  “You’ll take it.”

  “You got it.”

  I made sure everyone knew that they were to have their tomahawks on them when they were outside the house. No exceptions. Next, everyone got a Lifestraw water filter for their packs. And, while I was thinking about it, I grabbed three bottles of water for each person. Then, each person got a first aid kit for their pack. I even gave one to Mal. If we ever needed it, it would be in his pack.

  Next it was time for the crossbows. I had never used one, but Mike Jr had on several hunting trips, so he led the class. It also helped him to feel like he was helping. Although, I was sure he’d get a big dose of helping tomorrow. We fetched a trash bag full of clothes that had been destined for Goodwill and put it at the end of the hallway. After a demonstration, each person had to put 3 bolts in the bag at a distance of about 20 feet. I even let Mal shoot a few. I figured it was better that he know how to do it than not know. It might save a life one day. The crossbows were quiet and relatively easy to shoot. But, they took a long time to reload. Dreadfully long. And it took a fair amount of strength. Everyone, except for Mal got a crossbow and a quiver of bolts. But, I hoped that neither Lois, Sam nor Tabby, for that matter, would ever have to reload it.

  I felt qualified to teach the gun safety class. As a handgun owner who also has children I knew the importance of being safe with firearms more than some. The Glock is about the easiest handgun in the world to shoot. But, the downside was that it was always ready to fire. For someone unfamiliar with the workings, that could be an issue. I left the ammo in the boxes and showed everyone how to use the Glock safely. Then they had to demonstrate how to check to see if it was loaded, load it and unload it safely individually. We repeated it until I was 100% satisfied that each person could handle the gun in a safe manner. Michael and Mike Jr got Glock 17’s and Lois, Sam and Karen got Glock 19’s which fit better in their hands. Neither Sam nor I were comfortable with giving Tabby a handgun, but she sat in on the training as did Mal. It was important that they knew how to use one in an emergency. An emergency that I hoped would never happen. I got out the ammo and we loaded the magazines. We had 2 magazines per gun for most of the guns. A few of the newer generation Glocks came with three. The G17 mags held 17 rounds and the G19’s held 15. So, each person had over 30 rounds for their handgun on them. Then everyone got an extra box of ammo to put in their back packs.

  “Same thing as the knives, this handgun will be with you at all times, even in the house. So, get a holster you like and a magazine carrier. Go ahead and strap them on now. That way it’s done.”

  The AR-15 training took a little less time since we had already covered the basics of gun safety. Each person had to be able to demonstrate how to load and reload the weapon. It wasn’t too different from loading and reloading the Glock. Some of the terminology was different: Charging handle instead of slide and so forth. It went well. Each person also had to demonstrate how to make it safe and unload it. Even Tabby did a good job. I had the special AR with the pink camo for her. She was very excited but her mother had a good point.

  “Why don’t we wait to give it to her until we get a chance to actually shoot it and make sure she can handle it,” said Samantha. Tabby didn’t like it but she agreed it was a good idea.

  Finally, we loaded the AR mags. Everyone had four magazines, one in the gun and three spares. That gave each person 120 rounds total. The extra weapons and ammo went in the hall closet for easy access.

  I managed to have just a little bit of time to play with my kids before everyone crashed for the night. This new world was going to be a dawn to dusk type of place. Like the farmers of the world before we were now getting up with or before the sun and getting to bed right after sundown. And we definitely needed an early start in the morning. Sunrise was at 7:23am.

  Saturday, December 20, 2014

  The wind up alarm clock that I kept on my nightstand went off at 6:30am. I smacked it on top to get it to turn off. No need to wake Sam up, she wasn’t going out with us. I really wished I could take a hot shower. Before the end of the world, I enjoyed a hot shower, hanging out in there until I was pruned up good. In the morning, right before bed; didn’t matter. I loved a hot shower. And coffee. Mmmm, with sugar and cream, coffee was a good way to start the day. I wish I had a hot shower and coffee to start this day.

  As I stretched and stood up, one of those wishes seemed to come true. I could smell coffee. I made my way down the stairs to the kitchen to find Michael, also in his pajamas. Michael had an old timey percolator on one of the burners of the new stove. He looked up as I came into the room.

  “I bought it at a yard sale,” Michael said. “Figured it would be a fun way to make coffee while we were on the camping trip.”

  “Well, as long as we have coffee and some sugar, maybe some powdered creamer, your percolator might be the most important piece of survival equipment we have.”

  Michael poured a cup for me and one for himself. Mike Jr came in and declined coffee, opting for a water bottle instead.

  “I think I made enough for each of us to have a second cup then,” said Michael.

  “No, thanks,” I said. “I’ll make one up for Sam though, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course. We still want to be gone at 7:15?

  ”Yeah, I’m gonna go get geared up now.” With that, I headed back upstairs with two mugs of coffee. Sam was awake, having thought she’d been dreaming about coffee. She was very appreciative.

  I got dressed in what would become my everyday clothes for the winter. I donned cargo pants with a thermal top. Over the top came a long sleeve, button down shirt and a fleece vest over that. If need be I could add a jacket. On my feet were my normal shoes, Nike First Responders. Khaki colored high tops; they were the most comfortable shoes I’d ever worn. And as a walking tour guide on my feet every day, I needed good shoes.

  Now with the end of the world, I added a lot to the wardrobe. First, the Glock 19 got strapped to my hip along with 2 extra mags. I had bought an extra magazine when I bought the gun. That gave me 45 rounds for the handgun. Next, the k-bar knife got strapped right behind the Glock. My tomahawk went on the left hip. Then I put AR mags in my vest pockets. I wished that I had some sort of tactical vest to hold all this instead of using my pockets. The AR itself went over my head and shoulder and hung down across my chest. The back pack came next, the thought being that I wouldn’t take the AR off. Next, came the crossbow on a shoulder strap over one shoulder, the quiver stuffed down into the back pack. It was all finished with a baseball cap.

  “I don’t want you guys to worry about cleaning the Thompsons, even if you think you can do it safely. Just stay here.”

  “Ryan, I think on days you’re gone I just want to stay with the kids anyway. This craziness is hard on them and I want their lives to be normal. Well, as normal as possible anyway.”

  “You’re right, as usual. After we get the bus, the plan is to go straight to the Costco and clear it out.”

  “I wish we had a way that we could communicate,” said Sam.

>   “I’ll see if they have some walkie-talkies. It won’t help for today but it’ll be nice for the future. I don’t know how we’ll charge them. Although if they run on batteries… I’ll look.”

  “Be safe.”

  “You too, Sam. I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Michael and Mike Jr were almost ready in the living room and I told them to come out to the garage when they were ready. On the way, I patted Thor on the head and told him to be a good boy. At the workbench, I grabbed 2 pairs of locking pliers and some wd-40 and put them in his pack. I was looking to see if there was anything else I wanted when the Picklers came out to the garage. Lois kissed her men and told them to be safe.

  “We’re going next door to the left. The front door should be unlocked. I know where the car keys are, but I want one of you inside with me just in case. Mike Jr, can you watch the door?”

  “Sure.”

  “Lois, can you close the roll up door quietly and lock it when we’re out?”

  “Of course.”

  “We’re taking the Camry. Let’s put 2 of the crossbows in the trunk. Mike Jr, ride in the back seat and keep yours. We’ll put our AR’s back there with you. Ready?”

  They nodded and I slowly opened the door. Before coming downstairs I looked out the front window and saw nothing, but that was a few minutes ago now. The coast was clear and quiet. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to how quiet it was now. The three of us went out and paused while Lois closed the door.

  We moved to the left like I had done just 48 hours before. The memories of that first encounter came flooding back and I paused on the porch.

  “You okay?” asked Michael.

  “Yeah, it’s just that I had my first encounter with one of these things right here. I came over to check on the Thompsons and when I opened the door, Janice Thompson was right there. She came out and tried to eat me. That was 2 days ago.”

  “I’m sorry, Ryan,” said Michael.

  “Yeah, I’m sure it won’t be the worst thing to happen over the next few weeks. Let’s go.”