Apocalypse Z (A Zombie Novel)

by Swanson, G. E.

  Sheryl was asleep on one couch, but she noticed Tami was not on the other one. She checked the front and back doors and saw they were latched from the inside. After she holstered her pistol, she started back for her room. When she passed by Mark’s room, she heard some grunting. She cracked the door to look in to see if he was all right, but what she saw inside shocked her.

  Mark sat on the edge of the bed with his arms over Tami’s shoulders. Tami stood between his thighs with her arms around him and she was breathing very heavy. Bothered by what she saw, Lisa turned away. She felt like a fist had punched through her chest and was squeezing her heart. She returned to her room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

  Her jaw started to quiver as she thought about the chance she had to tell him about her feelings the night before and had let it slip away. She thought to herself, Would it have made a difference? It could have. Tami and Mark have only known each other for a little over a day. If Mark knew how I felt, things might be different. It could be me in there with him now, instead of Tami. Tears began to fill her eyes as she fought to hold them back.

  It’s not like Tami has anything that really makes her stand out. She’s just average, but she does seem like a very nice person, Lisa thought. The least Tami could have done, was say she was interested in Mark before she made a move on him. But if they do like each other, who am I to get in their way? But she liked Mark too and asked herself, Is it selfish of me wanting to take him away from her?

  Lisa fell back onto the bed and put her hands on her forehead. This was confusing to start with, and it just became even more complicated. The weight on her chest turned into an aching pain. She felt like running into the room and telling him, but she would feel really stupid if he didn’t feel the same way about her. She decided it would be best if she just kept it to herself, at least for now, anyway.

  Jeff knocked on the door. “Hey, Lisa, are you up?”

  She sat back up and quickly wiped her tears away as she said, “Yeah, what do you need?”

  “Since we’re going to be here for a while, I figured we’d make a run and get a few things.”

  “Okay, give me a minute.” She woke Dedee and Jet. “Come on, get up sleepy heads.”

  Half asleep, Dedee asked, “What’s the rush?”

  “We’re going to make a run and you’re coming with us.”

  Dedee rolled her eyes and moaned. “Alright.” She climbed out of bed.

  Jet looked up from her pillow and asked, “What about me?”

  “No, you’re staying here. Keep that sword thingy you have close by. Mark is in no condition to fight, neither is Todd. Sheryl and Tami… Well, I don’t know, so it may be just you and Amy if something goes down.”

  Jet swallowed hard before asking, “Can Jeff stay with me?”

  Lisa shook her head. “No, I need him with me.”

  Jet sighed and woke Amy. “Come on, we have watch.”

  Lisa and Dedee met Jeff in the living room. She noticed Tami was back, sitting on the couch she was supposed to have been sleeping on. Lisa dogged her for a minute, then pointed at her. “You, you’re coming with us.”

  Tami stood up. “But I think I should stay here, just in case Sheryl needs help with Mark.”

  Without looking away, Lisa asked, “Hey, Sheryl, think you can handle it by yourself?”

  Sheryl looked at Tami, then back at Lisa. “I suppose I could.”

  Nervously, Tami said, “But I don’t have a weapon.”

  Lisa went back to the sewing room and returned a few minutes later. Holding out a metal vacuum pipe, she said, “Here, use this.” Then she turned for the door. “Come on, let’s go.” Once outside, she handed Jeff the keys. “Here, you drive.”

  They all got in the van. Jeff asked as he started it, “Which way are we going?”

  “Back the way we came. We passed a store on the way here. Let’s see what we can find there first.”

  Jeff nodded, put the van in gear, and pulled out onto the road.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Jet went into Mark’s room and sat in a chair next to the bed. “Felling any better?” she asked.

  He was on his back and staring at the ceiling. He let out a deep breath. “I’m board as fuck.” He rolled over to face her, propping himself up on his elbow. “Every time I try to get up, I get all light headed. Sheryl said I should be okay in a few days, but that’s going to be a long few days.”

  “Lisa took Jeff with her to go hunt down some supplies. I wish he coulda stayed here with me.”

  “You like my brother, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, he’s really sweet and I like that. Most of the guys I knew in high school just wanted to be friends, a few wanted this ‘friends with benefits’ thing, but I didn’t want that. I wanted a boy friend, someone who was interested in me.”

  “So you never had a boy friend before?”

  “I did. I had a couple in junior high and one in high school. He turned out to be a real jerk though. While he was going out with me, he got another girl in our school pregnant.”

  “He does sound like a jerk, but that’s his loss. You don’t have to worry about anything like that with Jeff.”

  Jet smiled. “I know. It’s not like I’m super pretty like Dedee is. She had all kinds of guys in school wanting to go out with her, but Jeff makes me feel like I am.”

  “You are. You shouldn’t sell yourself short.”

  She blushed. “You know what’s kinda weird though? The day we found you, we never went into that area before. We always avoided it, but for some reason that day, we didn’t. It’s almost like fate brought us together, like it was meant to be or something.”

  Mark’s face lost all expression. “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry, Mark. I didn’t mean to bring up a bad memory.”

  “No, I’m not blaming anyone. I miss them a lot, and as much as I wish they were here, they’re gone and not coming back. I have to accept that. I just wish fate would have dealt us something like a flat tire instead.”

  Not knowing what to say, she nodded in agreement. She saw he was deep in thought and waited for him to say something. After a few minutes, he said, “I’m glad you and my brother are together. I know sometimes he gets frustrated when he can’t remember something, but you’re patient with him and able to calm him down.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Jeff drove down the long country road. Lisa kept glancing into the back of the van at Tami. She saw Tami was nervous and scared. It was written all over her face, but she didn’t let it bother her. If Tami was to be a member of the team, she would have to learn to fight these things. To survive, everyone would have to pull their own weight and sometimes, a little more.

  Jeff slowed and pulled off the road and onto a dirt driveway that led to a light blue house with several out buildings. Lisa looked at him and wondered what he was doing. Town was still a mile away so she asked, “Why aren’t we going into town?”

  Jeff pointed through the windshield. “See that big green and yellow tractor? The way I figure it, is that hog has to suck a shit load of diesel. And if I’m right, they keep a supply of it close by.”

  A grin came across Lisa’s face. “I bet you’re right. They probably have a big tank full of it somewhere here on the farm.”

  Dedee notice the road had gotten bumpy and asked, “What are we doing?”

  Lisa glanced back at her. “We’re going to fill up.”

  Jeff drove by the tractor and went around a large tin shed. Behind it, there was a large tank with the word ‘Diesel’ painted on it. Pulling up next to it, he stopped and they all got out. They did a check of the immediate area for zombies and discovered it was clear.

  Lisa pointed to the tank. “Okay, Tami, fill it up”

  Tami ran over and took the nozzle, removed the cap, and squeezed the lever. She looked around and nervously said, “Lisa, nothing’s coming out.”

  Lisa pointed to the tank, “You have to turn the valve on.”

  Jeff ran to the tan
k. “I’ll get it, Tami. Just give me a sec.” He picked up a wrench and gave the valve a quarter turn. “Okay, go ahead.”

  She squeezed the lever and let out a sigh of relief when the fuel started to flow. While she filled the tank, Lisa threw her a couple of hard stares. Tami noticed this and it made her feel nervous and uncomfortable. She wondered if she might have said something to piss Lisa off, but she couldn’t think of a single thing.

  When the van was full, Tami hung the nozzle back on the tank and Jeff closed the valve. Lisa watched Tami carefully as she put the cap back on. When they all got back in the van, Lisa said, “I want to go check the house and see what’s in there.”

  Jeff drove over and parked by the back door. As they got out, Lisa said, “Jeff and I will go in and clear the house. Dedee, you stay out here with Tami and watch our backs.” She looked directly at Tami and said, “Stay alert and don’t screw it up.”

  Jeff and Dedee looked at each other, but didn’t say anything. Tami felt a large lump grow in her throat and nervously said, “Okay, I won’t.”

  Lisa and Jeff went in and cleared the back porch first, then the kitchen and the living room. As they moved down the hallway, they heard the floor creek. It sounded like it came from the bedroom at the far end of the hallway. They checked all the rooms they passed as they worked their way back to it.

  The first room to the left was an office. There was a messy array of papers on the desk, but it didn’t look like it had been ransacked. The next room was off to the right; it was a child’s bedroom and was also in array with papers and clothes strewn throughout it. When they got to the last room, they readied themselves. Just as Jeff started to turn the knob, the door was jerked from his hand.

  A small boy, about seven-years-old, charged him. His skin had a greenish tint to it and one ear hung by a flap of skin. Jeff jumped back and swung the butt of his rifle up and hit its face. The boy’s ear fell to the floor as he shook it off and hissed at both of them.

  Lisa brought up her foot and kicked the boy back against the wall. Before he could take a step toward them, she raised her pistol and fired a single round into his face. The back of the boys head flew off as black goo and what looked like gray gelatinous matter spattered against the wall behind him. Some of the larger chunks pulled free from the wall and fell to the floor while the smaller pieces stuck in place.

  Lisa heard a timid voice coming from down the hallway that asked, “What’s going on? Is everybody okay?”

  She looked and saw Tami peeking around the corner. Lisa asked, “Where’s my sister?”

  Tami said, “Outside, by the back door.”

  Lisa growled, “Get your ass out of here and stay by the back door.”

  Tami flinched and quickly ran back outside. Lisa turned back to Jeff and they went inside the room. In the bed, were a man and woman. They didn’t look like they had become zombies, but they had definitely been eaten buy one. Besides their faces, there was little left of them. It appeared the boy had been trapped in that room, feeding off them for at least a week.

  Lisa stormed down the hall and out the back door. Getting up in Tami’s face, she screamed, “Just what in the hell did you think you were doing?”

  Tami tried to speak, but all she could do was stutter.

  Lisa threw her hands about as she continued, “You were supposed to be out here watching our backs! Just what the fuck were you thinking by leaving my sister out here by herself? Huh? I swear, if anything would have happened to her, I’d be beating your ass senseless right now!”

  Jeff stepped between them, facing Lisa. “Okay, ladies, let’s take a deep breath and calm down. The house is clear so let’s go back in and see what we can find.” He set his hands on Lisa’s shoulders and calmly had her step back. “Tami’s sorry and promises it won’t happen again.” He looked toward Tami. “Right, Tami?”

  With a petrified look on her face, she nodded.

  “See, Lisa? Now, let’s all calm down and go inside.” Lisa slowly turned and walked away, Jeff ushering her back to the house. He looked at Dedee and nodded for her to go over to Tami.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Todd and Amy were in the kitchen with Sheryl while she looked through the cabinets. After the dinner Lisa and the girls put together last night, she was hoping to find something that would at least come close. The only thing she was finding in the cupboards were cans of corn. She wasn’t quite sure why, but the people who had lived there must have had a corn fetish.

  Todd started to become antsy and wanted to go outside. Amy liked the idea and asked Sheryl if she minded coming out with them. Searching the kitchen, she found a large cleaver in one of the drawers. The house and surrounding area had been zombie free, but she thought it better to be safe. Before they left the house, Sheryl leaned into the room where Mark and Jet were talking to let them know they would be out front.

  Todd opened the front door and the bright light shined into the room. He walked out with Amy by his side and Sheryl followed. She saw movement and a hand with gray skin reached from the left and grabbed Todd’s arm. At the same time another come from the right and grabbed Amy by her hair. Amy let out a high-pitched shriek as it bit down on the top of her head.

  Acting quickly, Sheryl swung and hit the zombie across the forehead with the cleaver. Bone cracked and split as the cleaver sank deep into its skull. The zombie fell straight back and landed on the grass. Sheryl pulled Amy toward her and shoved her back inside the door. She turned just in time to see the other one put Todd’s left hand in its mouth and bite down.

  Todd screamed as his finger bones snapped under the zombies powerful jaws. Before Sheryl could take a step, Jet ran through the door with her sword. Jet swung, there was a hollow swoosh as her blade easily sliced through its head and completely removed the top part of its skull. The zombie let go of Todd’s arm and dropped to the ground, taking three of Todd’s fingers with him.

  Todd cried out and drew his hand into his chest as blood ran down his arm. Jet stepped back and did a quick visual check of the area. She stood ready out front until Sheryl got Todd back inside, then she carefully backed into the house and closed the door behind her.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Tami and Dedee stood outside the back door while Jeff and Lisa checked the kitchen and pantry. Jeff found five full cases of bottled water and took it outside to put in the van. On his way back in, he told Tami and Dedee to follow him and he took them to the back bedroom.

  When Tami saw the spatter on the wall along with the devoured bodies and the smell, although faint by now, hit her, she ran into the bathroom and started heaving. When she couldn’t heave anymore, she returned. Lisa gave her a cold stare and shook her head. They went through the closet and dresser taking any clothes they thought would fit. Lisa left the room and went back into the kitchen to give it a second going over.

  Tami whispered to Dedee, “Is your sister always like that?”

  Dedee said as she dug through the drawer, “She’s really nice once you get to know her. She’s just very protective.”

  “She scares me; I thought she was going to kick the crap out of me outside.” Then she asked, “Is she like a Marine or something?”

  Dedee smirked. “No, but she is Miss Ventura County.”

  Tami’s jaw dropped and she looked at Dedee. “I knew I saw her somewhere before. She really looks a lot different in those clothes. You must be really proud of her.”

  Dedee nodded as she said, “I am, but she wasn’t after the title. She only needed the scholarship for college. You see, our dad worked at a gym and didn’t have the money for her to go.”

  Lisa yelled down the hallway, “Bag that stuff up and get it in the van.”

  When Tami passed by the kitchen, she noticed Lisa was watching them. Trying to avoid eye contact, she lowered her head and pretended not to notice. Jeff and Lisa brought out more boxes from the house and put them in the van. Once they had everything, they started for the little store.

  When they arrived,
Jeff pulled up to the front and stopped. They all got out and assessed the area. The front door of the store had already been broken and from what they could see of the inside, had already been gone through. Lisa had Jeff and Dedee go in and look around while she stayed outside with Tami.

  They had only been inside for five minutes, when Lisa heard a low moan coming from the side of the store. Peeking around the corner, she saw only one. It was walking slowly and dragging is right leg. She waved Tami over and said to her, “I want you to go and take it out, but don’t worry; I’ll be right behind you.”

  Tami began to tremble. “I don’t know. I’m not really used to it.”

  “Well, here’s your chance to get used to it. There’s only one and it’s slow.” Lisa gestured to it as she spoke. “So go kill it.”

  Tami took a few steps toward it and started to cry. Lisa shook her head as she said, “Will you quit?” She gestured toward the zombie again. “Just kill it. Now go!”

  Sobbing, Tami took a few smaller steps and stopped. Lisa asked her, “What the hell are you doing? You plan on dancing with it or what?”

  Tami turned and pointed to Lisa’s pistol. “Yeah, but you have that. I only have this.” And she held up the pipe.

  Lisa went over and jerked the pipe from her hands. “Here, hold it like this with your hands together. Then swing it like a bat.” Lisa walked over to the zombie. “You can break arms.” She swung and hit the zombie’s elbow. It made a sickening pop and its forearm dangled, held only in place by some decomposing tendons. “You can take out legs.” She swung and caught the back of the zombies left leg. There was a crack and the zombies went down to its knees. “You can cave in a rib cage.” She swung again, striking it in the chest. There was a series of rapid cracks and crunches as its chest cavity caved in.

  Tami could almost feel it and rubbed her hand across her own chest as she said, “Ouch!”

  “Or you can mash heads.” She stood behind it and brought the pipe down on the top of its head. The top of the skull cracked as it caved in and the sides shot out. Nasty smelling black slime shot out of the eye sockets and splattered all down the front of Tami.