Dead of Knight: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale

by Beard, Stephen J.

  They both shook their heads.

  “Okay, I’ll grab AAA batteries on the way.”

  We split up and headed into the store. I went first to where I remembered the batteries were. I grabbed all the AAA batteries they had. My flashlight also took AAA’s. Right next to the batteries was a display of headlamps. Score! I opened one and loaded the batteries. Also AAA. It worked great. With the headlamp on I could be hands free.

  The pharmacy doors were rolled down and locked when I got there. I grabbed the pry bar out of my bag and jimmied them open. Inside, it took some time to find the antibiotics. While looking I found the Vicodin and grabbed all of that. Then the antibiotics; Amoxicillin, Keflex, Cipro and Augmentin. That should cover anything we come across. No point leaving any. We weren’t going to be able to go to the doctor’s office for a while. I found the Percocet and then happened upon some Xanax. The zombie apocalypse was gonna be stressful, might as well have something to help us sleep.

  Just then the radio came to life. Damn it was loud in the quiet store.

  “Ryan, we’re ready at the front.”

  “10-4. On my way.”

  When I got up to the front, the other two guys were looking through the other displays near where the walkies had been. Mike Jr came over to my cart.

  “Hey, you need any help with all that? It looks heavy.”

  “Look punk, the pharmacy was locked and I had to break in. It took a minute. My stuff wasn’t just stacked in a big pile,” I replied. My smile must’ve given me away.

  “I’m just kidding, you know,” he said.

  “And, I’m just giving you shit,” I replied.

  “Are you two done?” Michael asked, chuckling.

  We pried the doors back open and went cautiously outside. No zombies nearby. I looked over toward the apartment complex and it didn’t look any different than it had before.

  But, hadn’t there been a truck in the lot? I was sure I had seen a big, white pickup truck in the Costco parking lot. It had a cap on the back. I was sure it had been there. Or, was that yesterday at the Bass Pro Shop? Crap, I didn’t know.

  I shook the thought out of my head and helped Mike Jr and Michael. First, to bring the seats out of the truck. There was no point hauling them back to the house. Then we loaded the water and threw the med on one of the seats.

  “Should we have somebody watch the bus?” asked Mike Jr.

  Michael looked like he was about to say ‘no’ when I interrupted.

  “Yes, definitely.”

  “What are you thinking,” asked Michael.

  “Look over toward the apartments. Do either of you remember a white pickup with a cap parked over there?” I asked.

  “Not that I remember,” said Mike Jr.

  “I really wasn’t looking,” answered Michael.

  “I was sure that there was one over there when we pulled up and now it’s gone. I was sure of it.”

  “And you said you felt like you were being watched earlier,” said Mike Jr.

  I just nodded.

  “I’ll stand first watch,” said Michael.

  “Okay, stay inside the doors where you’ve got a nice view but you’re harder to see.”

  “Hey, Mr. Ryan, where can we get one of those groovy headlamps?” Mike Jr asked.

  “It’s just Ryan,” I said as I pulled the packages back out of the bus. “And do people your age really say groovy now?”

  “It is groovy, Ryan,” said Michael.

  “You, too?” I tossed a package to each one of them and we went back inside and closed the door.

  Mike Jr and I went towards the back of the store again. He headed for the water and I wanted to finish getting medical supplies. I got all they had of gauze, antibiotic ointment, multivitamins and medical tape. Tape, crap. I wondered if they carried any duct tape at Costco.

  I got over to Mike Jr about the time he finished and we detoured over to where I thought the duct tape might be. It was one aisle over and we grabbed all they had. When we got back up to the door, Michael was just where he was supposed to be.

  “Anything?” I asked.

  “Nope, haven’t seen a thing’” he replied.

  “Good,” I said. “Let’s go look.”

  We went out the doors again and everything looked fine. Well, fine considering that there were about 60 zombies on the other side of the parking lot in front of an apartment complex. There was not a single other living person in sight. And, no sign of the white pickup truck. We loaded our stuff in the bus and went back inside. Again, Michael stayed just inside the door to keep an eye on the bus.

  This time, while both Mike Jr and I pushed large flat carts, I also pulled a regular one. On the way to the water we stopped and got all the canned chicken and canned tuna we could find. Then we added dried beans and huge bags of rice. The cart was topped off with some bags of dried fruit. Finally, the flat carts were filled with water, Gatorade and some juice that was nearby. To get any more water from Costco they were going to figure out how to drive a pallet jack to get any pallets down from the upper shelves.

  Once more to the front of the store to load and once more there were no problems.

  This next trip, Mike Jr and went for food that we had seen the last time through. We loaded up with cans of fruit and more cans of fruit. Next came canned veggies and finally more rice and beans. Then back up to the front to load.

  Once back inside safely, Michael looked over at Ryan.

  “One more load?”

  “Yeah, I think that’ll about do it.”

  “What do you want to get?” asked Mike Jr.

  “There’s granola bars, nuts and other snacks up near the front. It’d be nice to have snacks on these kinds of excursions. Then we ought to see about getting batteries for the lanterns I got at the Bass Pro Shop. I think they take ‘c’ size batteries. Then we’ll grab some soda, more juice and maybe some coffee for that percolator that your father has,” I replied.

  Mike Jr and I were in the back of the store grabbing some coffee when Michael came over the radio.

  “Ryan, your truck is back.”

  To be honest, I froze. At this point, I had started to believe that there was no truck. It must’ve been the day before. And now, it was back, like some damn nightmare. What did it mean? Nothing good… I told Mike to stuff the coffee in his back pack and follow me.

  “What’s he doin?” I asked over the radio.

  “Driving slow, looking at the bus.”

  “Have they seen you?”

  “I don’t think so, no.”

  “Alright, we’re on our way up to you. I guess we’ll go out and have a talk.”

  “Ryan, this doesn’t feel right. They’re turning around.”

  “Leaving?” I asked.

  “No… I don’t… They’ve seen me. They’re pointing. They’ve got guns… They’re firing…”

  Mike and I could hear the gun fire from inside the back of the store and we took off running towards Michael. We came to a sliding halt next to where Michael had taken cover. None of the windows had been shot out. I could see the pickup outside. It was backing up a little and went out of sight behind the bus.

  “They’re not shooting at me,” said Michael.

  “I see that,” I said. “What the fuck are they doing then?”

  “They’re making a hell of a lot of noise,” said Mike.

  “Oh, shit,” I replied. “That’s what they’re doing. They’re bringing the zombies. We need to leave. Now.”

  We moved up to the store entrance and crouched down. The pickup was still hidden behind the bus. Gunfire was still coming from the other side.

  “I need to get to the driver’s door,” I said. “You two go left to the back of the bus and fire enough rounds to keep their heads down. When I get in I’ll open the passenger doors and lay down some fire for you guys to get on board. Then we’re gone. Got it?”

  They both nodded. Then the firing stopped. Outside, the pickup was inching slowly forward. When the
two men on the passenger side of the pickup saw us, they opened fire into the glass doors. We ducked back down and covered our heads as glass shattered everywhere. Then, the only sound was glass falling. I looked up and saw the pickup drive away.

  Then, came the moaning. The zombies were close. Too close. We had to get to the bus now. The store could offer no more safety with the glass shot out. The guys in the pickup had done a good job of keeping our heads down and distracting us.

  “We have to go now. Same plan,” I said. And I was out the door. I could only hope the other two guys were right behind me.

  Mike and Michael fired their crossbows once, but that was all the time they had. Both of them let their crossbows drop onto their slings and grabbed their AR’s. No reason to keep quiet now. The zombies were almost on top of them.

  The sound of the AR’s going off right there in front of the store was deafening. It was nothing like the movies. After a few rounds, conversation was impossible. Screaming was all that was left.

  I went around the front of the bus and found zombies just a few feet away. I fired my crossbow then opened the driver’s door and tossed it in. I pulled up my AR and started firing. One, two, three, four, five, six down and I jumped in and closed the door. By the time my finger was on the toggle for the passenger door, zombies were at my window. As the door opened and the bus started up, I yelled…

  “We gotta go.” I screamed it as loud as I could but I could barely here it myself.

  In the mirror, I could see Mike and Michael firing point blank into the horde.

  “Go, let’s go,” Michael yelled.

  Mike Jr started to back step but Michael waited just a half a heartbeat too long. A zombie stepped up to where Mike had been and savagely tore into Michaels arm.

  “Dad!” Mike Jr screamed. Then he practically pulled his father up the steps and into the bus.

  I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal and closed the door as the little bus lurched forward. The white pickup was nowhere to be seen. That worried me greatly. On the floor behind me, Mike Jr was crying.

  “Dad, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you. Dad, I’m sorry.”

  “No, Mike, you fought bravely,” Michael said. “I told you to go. I just didn’t step back with you. It was my fault not yours.”

  “Dad, Dad…”

  “Take care of your mother. She’s stronger than she knows but you’re all she has now. Promise me…”

  “I will, Dad. Don’t go. Dad, I’m sorry.”

  “Mike, I am so very proud of you.” Michael reached up and touched his sons face. “Ryan, I need you.”

  I was a few blocks away from the Costco by now. I took another look around for the white pickup then came to a stop. No point in pulling over these days. I put the bus in park then went back to Michael.

  His skin was pale and grey at the same time. I had never seen someone turn yet. His hand was already cold when I took it.

  “I’m here.”

  “You know what has to be done. What you have to do,” he said. “Don’t make my boy do it.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. Thank you for what you did,” I said. “We wouldn’t have made it without you.”

  “And my family wouldn’t have made it another night if you hadn’t stopped to help. Thanks for coming back for us.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Look after them.”

  “I will.”

  “Mike…”

  “I’m here Dad.”

  “I love you, Mike. Tell your mother I love her, too.”

  “I will, Dad. I love you.”

  With that, Michael was gone. I knew I would have to do this quickly; it probably wouldn’t take too long for him to turn. Neither Mike Jr nor I wanted to see that happen.

  “Mike, you should turn away,” I said.

  “I should do it,” he replied.

  “No,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t have to. And I made a promise to your father.”

  Mike Jr nodded and turned away. I pulled my knife from my belt and looked down at what had just been Michael Pickler. He was a good man and I felt like I should say something. But, at that moment, Michael started to twitch. I drove my knife through his left eye and into his brain. Fluid from his eye squirted into my face.

  Mike Jr took off his hoodie and draped it over his father’s face. Then he sat in one of the seats and after a minute, looked up at me.

  “We need to get back.”

  I nodded and took another look around for the pickup. I could just see movement in one of the mirrors. There it was. Coming from behind the bus, the guys in the pickup could not see us inside. There was no back window in the bus. I motioned for Mike to get down and slapped a fresh magazine in my AR. Mike did the same. The pickup was maneuvering to pull up alongside the driver’s side of the bus. I toggled the passenger door and kept low as I exited. As the pickup came alongside for a look, I was already coming around the back of the bus. Without warning, I raised the AR and opened fire into the pickup, strafing from cap to cab. The truck started to drive off but crashed into the back of an abandoned car and stopped.

  I reloaded and Mike joined me as I approached the pickup. Looking in the back, we saw only supplies. The passenger side of the truck had taken the brunt of my attack. The windows were shot out and there were holes in both doors. The two guys in the passenger side of the truck were dead. The two on the driver’s side were alive but looked to be in bad shape.

  Mike and I moved around the back of the truck again and came up on the driver’s side. The man sitting behind the driver put his hands up to surrender and I shot him in the face. The driver was trying to put the truck into reverse. The pickup wasn’t running but the driver’s arm wasn’t working anyway. I pointed my AR at his head.

  “We just wanted to survive,” he said.

  “By stealing and killing others?” I asked. “Fuck you. We’re supposed to all be human. We’re supposed to help each other.” I had never been so mad in all my life. Zombies were bad enough, but scum like this? Spit was flying out of my mouth with every word. “I hope every single person that thinks like you dies off. You are not welcome in my world you son of a bitch. I will kill every one of you I find.”

  I lowered my weapon and looked at Mike. He nodded.

  “Or, I will.”

  Mike raised his AR and shot the driver in the head. He stared at the body for a minute and then walked to the bus.

  I walked around to the back of the truck and grabbed my empty mag from the pavement. I had thought about taking their supplies, but walking up to the passenger side of the truck I decided against it. We were not like them. Instead, I wiped my hand on the passenger and used the blood to write one word on the side of the big, white pickup. Mike looked over at the truck and nodded his approval as we drove off.

  ‘Looters.’

  By the time we pulled into the driveway, my adrenaline rush had worn off. My hands were shaking and I was nauseous. Mike didn’t look any better. We sat for a few moments in the bus just trying to gather our thoughts and process the last hour or so.

  “It’s not going to get any easier,” I said finally. “We might as well get moving.”

  “You mean what just happened or what’s going to happen?”

  “Both, I think,” I said. “What is it the Navy SEAL’s say? The only easy day was yesterday.” Mike managed a small chuckle.

  “Just another day in a world gone mad, right Ryan?” he said.

  “That’s it. C’mon, let’s go get your mother. I’ll help you bury him in the backyard.”

  I looked around the area before opening the door for Mike to get out. He looked down at his father’s body as he went by. Every muscle ached as I climbed out of the bus and made my way over to the garage roll up. I told myself that I was lifting it slowly because I didn’t want any extra noise, but I was just beat. And, the day wasn’t over by far.

  Samantha, Karen and Lois were waiting in the g
arage. Mike went right to his mom before she even realized anything was wrong. He hugged her tight and began to speak quietly. She began to cry almost immediately. Sam could see something in my eyes and she came over to me and put her arms around me.

  “We were attacked, Sam. Four guys in a pickup truck kept us from getting out of the Costco by shooting up in the air and attracting zombies. I had forgotten about the apartment complex next to the Costco and it had maybe 60 zombies out in front. We were almost ready to go when it happened and we tried to get to the bus…”

  Lois was crying louder now.

  “I want to see him,” she said.

  “Of course,” I replied. “Karen, take your cross and go keep a lookout for the zombies, please. Yell if you need anything. I’ll be right here.”

  Mike and Lois went out to the bus with Karen standing guard. I leaned up against the Land Cruiser and began to cry. Sam held on tight.

  “Mike and Michael held off the horde of zombies while I got into the bus and got the door open for them. Michael was bit in the arm and Mike pulled him inside. This virus or whatever, is so fucking fast. He went in just moments. I pulled over and was with him when he died. Then, I… I took care of him so Mike wouldn’t have to. I’ve got his eye fluid on my face, Sam. Fuck. But, I couldn’t let Mike do it.” I was shaking pretty good at this point as the events rushed past in my head.

  “I’m sorry,” was all she said. What else could she say? I managed to get myself under control after a minute.

  “How are the kids?” I asked.

  “They’re fine. They’re playing up in Tabby’s room. I don’t even think they know you’re back yet. Ryan. What happened to the guys in the pickup truck?”

  I stood up a little straighter and looked my wife in the eye. I wasn’t going to sugar coat what had happened: what was still going on.

  “I killed them. They followed us and closed in to finish us off just after Michael died,” I said. “I killed three of them and let Mike kill the last one.”

  “Oh, my God.” Sam held her hand over her mouth as if she was afraid something would get in.

  “I told you, Sam,” I continued to look her in the eye. “I told you I’d protect you and I will. Whatever it takes.”