Rise & Walk (Book 2): Pathogen

by Gregory Solis

  Margaret’s heart raced painfully. She didn’t know what to make of the two shapes struggling in the street. She searched in her pocket for her sandwich bag of pills and managed to secure one of the small tablets. She placed the medicine under her tongue while backing away from the conflict. It dissolved quickly and her heart began to settle.

  Mason’s protective motorcycle vest scraped loudly against the unforgiving asphalt. The creature snapped wildly above him. It clenched a slippery hand on Mason’s neck. The sensation of its cold, wet paw filled Mason with revulsion and anger; anger that he let it get this close; close enough to touch him with his infected, filthy hand. Where the hell is Tony when I need him?

  Mason didn’t want to let go of his sword but he needed his hand for close quarters fighting. Experience and practicality won in his mind and the sword clattered free. Mason brought his hand up under the attacking creature’s chin and drove his thumb into a nerve cluster underneath its jaw. He was shocked that it had no effect. Usually, pressure on the nerve would cause pain, severe pain, and instinctively drive the head away. Shit? Mason thought. The thought that the dead were unaffected by tried and true combat techniques sent an extra shot of adrenalin to his gut. Mason was still able to use his hand positioning to control the beast’s head. He pushed off with his right leg and rolled on top of the writhing ghoul. A rancid smell of ammonia and meat stung his nose. He pushed his left hand onto the creatures chin, driving its head sideways and brought his right fist down on its temple. Mason struck it again and again with angry blows until he felt cold moisture soak through his motorcycle gloves. Pressure points may not work but good old physical force was still in play. Mason stood, tore off his motorcycle glove, and stomped on the twitching beast’s head. A wet sound emitted from the body with an unnerving rattle. Removing a light stick from his pocket, he ripped open the package and snapped it to mix the contents. With a shake it began to emit a soft green glow.

  Margaret had backed away from the struggle until she nudged into an old Ford Taurus. Mason retrieved his sword and scabbard and saw that she was still retreating, her hand tracing the shape of the vehicle for support. He approached slowly, holding the light stick up to show her that he wasn’t a threat.

  “Its okay, I’m not one of those things” he assured.

  She seemed to shrink with his advance. He stopped.

  “My name’s Jack. I’m sorry I frightened you.”

  “Margaret McCormack,” she said hesitantly.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said and took another step. This time she straightened up a little. There was something so sad about her countenance. The way she held her scissors in both hands together almost in prayer, reminded Jack of a Donatello sculpture he had once seen in one of Tony’s college textbooks.

  “What are you doing out here all alone?” He asked while catching his breath.

  “I heard a car drive by. I was hoping someone would help me.” She almost whimpered. Jack found her terror heartbreaking.

  “Anything you need, ma’am.” He offered her his hand.

  Jack slowly escorted Margaret to the house while giving her his arm to lean on; an outmoded custom that somehow seemed appropriate to her advanced age. Tony, worried at his best friend absence, met them in the street and reported the situation with Nikki’s parents. He told Jack that he asked the girls to round up some clothes and supplies while they had time. Tony filed in beside Margaret and patiently kept pace. When they arrived, they found Nikki placing a large travel bag in the bed of the truck. Jack introduced the newcomer as Mrs. McCormack. Awkward pleasantries were exchanged as if the world was just fine. Veronica, now armed with a flashlight of her own, shined the light over the old woman.

  “Are you injured? Did any of those things touch you?”

  “Oh no dear, I’m fine.” Margaret answered looking to Jack, “Thanks to this young man.”

  Veronica saw the brown smears on Jack’s protective vest.

  “You should go wash that off.” Veronica urged.

  Mason rushed under the direction of Tony’s flashlight into the modest first floor bathroom. He unclasped the straps on his protective vest and chucked it on the floor.

  “Shine on me,” he said. Tony did as his friend asked. Mason spun the faucets open and splashed water on his face, neck and chest.

  “Almost bought it out there man,” he growled while soaping up his throat. Tony hooked his foot underneath the plastic armor and lifted it from the ground.

  “I want you close from now on; no more splitting up.” Mason said.

  “Sorry,” Tony sighed, “I stuck to the plan.” Mason stopped washing.

  “Right,” he said, squinting at Tony in the mirror. There was no discussion about Mason leaving his post. He was glad he did otherwise the nice lady outside wouldn’t be alive but it was off mission. Jack reached out and Tony handed him the protective vest. Jack ran it under the faucet and scrubbed with a washrag.

  “We need to drop them off and get home,” Jack said.

  “Home?”

  “Soon as possible.”

  Through all recent terrors, Tony hadn’t considered returning to Berkeley. He leaned against the door and took a deep breath.

  “I still think we need to hole up for the night and get some rest.” Tony offered, “The high school is some sort of shelter for disasters. Nikki’s parents work there”

  Mason grunted an acknowledgement.

  “What about the girls, and that lady?”

  “Veronica wants to stay, so I guess we drop them somewhere safe.” Jack said. Tony handed Jack the flashlight and left to join the others.

  Six

  The sickly glow of streetlights illuminated patches on alternating sides of the road. The orange radiance provided enough light that Mason was able to drive at a moderate pace without his headlights. The eyes of the party, except the elderly newcomer, had adjusted well to the darkness. Nikki, eyes wide with anticipation chose to ride in the bed of the truck with Tony. She now wore a jacket that she brought from home to brace her against the cool evening. She had mimicked Tony’s actions when he jumped into the back of the truck. Rather than sit in the bed, Tony stood behind the passenger’s side and kept a forward lookout with his hand holding tight to the open rear windowsill. Nikki, not knowing what to do in her emotional state, copied Tony by standing in the same manner behind the driver’s side. Something ahead caught Tony’s attention. He bent down quickly, the speed of his action causing Nikki’s heart to race as he stuck his head into the window to speak to Jack. The truck slowed and Nikki saw a distant figure moving with a crooked stride. She heard Mason grunt from within the cab as a slight squeal sounded from the tires.

  “What’s the matter?” Margaret whispered inside the cab. Veronica found the old woman’s hand in the darkness and held it.

  “It’s alright, we’re just being careful.” Veronica reassured.

  “Nikki,” Mason said to Tony. Tony stood back up and patted the blonde on her shoulder, signaling that Jack wanted a word. She crouched down so that her head was level with the rear window.

  “Yeah?” she questioned.

  “Right at the end of this street?” Jack asked.

  “Yep, then one block up on the left is the school.” She confirmed.

  “Where’s that thing heading?” Jack asked while gesturing quickly towards the creature. It shambled around the corner in the direction that Nikki had just described.

  “Uh-huh.” She mumbled. Mason quickly looked through the windows around the truck. He caught Veronica’s eye and paused. She nodded her encouragement.

  “Okay, hold on back there.” Mason said.

  Nikki stood and saw Tony holding the shotgun, pointing up in the air, his left hand straining to keep a tight hold on the windowsill. He smiled at her for a moment, and then focused on the road ahead. The truck began moving slowly at first, then picked up speed. The sound of the engine built up along with Nikki’s anticipation. As the truck made the turn from Pershing Avenue onto R
idgeway, she felt her legs go weak.

  Twenty yards ahead a crowd of tattered living dead stood three or four deep, grasping towards the gated entrance to the high school. Their huddled forms spilled into the street for lack of access surrounding the front of the school entrance. Each infected body scraped and clawed to get closer to the fence but their numbers were too many. The straggling ghouls turned, aroused by the sound of the approaching Chevy and growled a broken chorus of hellish hunger.

  “Oh shit” Veronica whispered. Margaret froze in disbelief at her first glimpse of the living dead. Her eighty-one year old heart paused for a moment causing her to lean forward as if a change in position would be less constricting. She inhaled with a shutter as her pulse resumed.

  “Damn,” Mason whispered. He reached down, flicked on his headlights, and gunned the engine. Tony’s hand slipped free with the sudden increase of speed. He went down hard in the bed of the truck; his shotgun slipping from his grasp. Nikki, not as top-heavy as Tony, was able to maintain her balance. Her hopes for a reunion with her parents evaporated upon seeing so many ghouls.

  The Chevy’s high-beams cut through the night revealing the state of the monsters. Some were torn with wounds and hanging flesh, a couple had portions of their bodies charred black by flames, a few appeared only pale skinned with no visible injuries but they all shared a distant lifeless stare as the headlights panned across their mass. They moved in stuttered jerks brandishing their cramped claws, longing towards the bright and noisy vehicle. Margaret, horrified at the sight, brought her hands up and covered her mouth. Veronica grimaced as she slipped her arm over Margaret’s shoulder, stretching her tender midsection.

  “So many,” Margaret cried.

  Tony rolled over hard and leaned his back up against the wall of the bed, doing his best to fight the sudden sway of Mason’s course. The truck veered to the right to avoid the gruesome crowd. Nikki held fast to the rear windowsill as her body was thrown by the change in direction, towards the hungry creatures. It was not her strength that saved her, rather the shock at the sheer numbers of the dead, some of which she now recognized, which froze her in place. She dangled precariously over the press of gaping mouths and outstretched limbs, nearly gagging from the sight. Tony reached out and grabbed her small hips, pulling her down into his lap, and clasped his arms around her like a living seatbelt. They both looked in awe at the number of creatures attempting to grab the truck, but were spun around or fell as it sped on. The engine pitched upwards with its effort and after a few tense moments, the vehicle was clear.

  Desperate, Nikki looked back towards the infected crowd. A number of corpses stumbled to their feet, righting their unsteady remains with clumsy efforts. Other creatures tumbled over the fallen like drunks playing a gory game of Twister. Behind the rotting confusion and the few beasts that still gave feeble chase, was her besieged high school. The once familiar hallways were silent and empty. Adjacent to the building and surrounded by the same cyclone fence was the athletic field. She saw many cars and trucks parked around the inside of the field, some pushed right up against the fence yet there were no lights on in the buildings. The creatures seemed to be concentrated only in the front area. She pulled away from Tony’s grasp and crawled towards the tailgate on all fours in the bustling truck bed. Tony got to his knees and followed. A light caught his eye and swung in a back-and-forth arc on top of the building. Nikki saw it too and yelled over the engine noise. A figure on the roof was signaling with a flashlight.

  “There!” She pointed.

  “I see it,” Tony shouted against the driving wind. He dragged himself forward, back to the rear window.

  Nikki stared hard at the figure in hope that its shape was familiar; that of her father or mother. She couldn’t recognize the figure but it was some comfort to know that there were people alive within. She clung to the edge of the tailgate and watched the shadows of her old high school shrink in her view.

  “Stop and flash the lights.” Tony said poking his head in the cab, giving Margaret an unnecessary fright.

  “Why?” Jack yelled.

  “There’s a dude swinging a flashlight on the roof, we should acknowledge.”

  Without slowing down, Jack flashed his lights on and off wildly a few times. He looked to Veronica.

  “What now?” Veronica asked.

  “Any ideas?” Mason said.

  “Ma’am,” Veronica said to the old woman, “Are there any other places in town where people would go in an emergency?”

  The woman considered for a moment and began to think out loud.

  “We would have gone to the Plant in an emergency; that’s while my husband was an employee. After he retired, we would have gone to the high school. Some go to the hospital, but that’s people who work there of course.”

  “Back to the hills I guess,” Jack said, “maybe we can hide out somewhere.” Margaret thought for a moment and spoke.

  “There’s one home up that way but the people there are not very nice.” She said shaking her head.

  “What do you mean, Mrs. McCormack?” Veronica asked.

  “The Richardson estate is the only place on that road, aside from the dam. But I wouldn’t expect any help from them. It’s just the Grandson that lives there now.” Margaret said, “His father left town a few years ago to run some other factory out-of-state.”

  A weary smile appeared on Jack’s face.

  “We should drop by; I don’t think they’re home.” Jack said.

  Seven

  Billy Tate dashed to join Gabe on the roof of the Whisper Lanes bowling alley with just enough time to see Jack Mason’s truck flash its lights and drive off towards the hills.

  “See I told you it was Mason.” Gabe Duffy said, leaning on the small wall that bordered the perimeter of the roof.

  “Who’re you talking about?” A young woman with bright pink hair asked while emerging from the hatch to the attic. She set down a cardboard file-box used to hold documents. Her eyes were bloodshot and tired. She pushed the box to the side next to three other boxes and exited the hatch. The hard rubber soles of her bowling shoes made crunching sounds as she walked on the gravel covered roof.

  “Guys from our paintball team.” Billy said, “They made it back to town.”

  “It figures they’d make it.” Gabe said smiling. He thumped a fist on the wall, happy to see his friends then realized that Billy wasn’t smiling.

  “Sorry man.” He said to Billy.

  Billy turned away without comment. Gabe watched the Chevy’s lights dim in the distance.

  “Where does that go?” Gabe asked the girl.

  “Back into the hills, or towards some private property and the Dam.” She said lifting a cardboard box. She looked around the roof and chose an area next to the wall towards the back of the building. She set down the box and licked her finger. She lifted her wet finger to check the prevailing wind. Billy picked up a box and brought it to her.

  “Jinx right? You said your name was Jinx?” He said setting down the file box near her. She looked annoyed.

  “Jinxy. My name is Jinxy.” She corrected as she opened a file box and placed the cardboard lid down to kneel on. She began to remove documents and receipts and spread them out on the roof.

  “What are ya doing?” Gabe asked as he approached.

  “I’m gonna sleep up here.” She said while continuing to pile the papers in a small area as protection from the rough surface of the roof.

  “Up here?”

  “Yup. With that lid closed.” She said with a slight twang as she pointed a finger to the hatch.

  “You don’t have to do that.” Gabe said, “They can’t get into the bathroom, so they sure as hell can’t get up into the attic.”

  Billy became very quiet and moved towards the hatch, disappearing within.

  “Don’t care.” She said firmly, “I ain’t staying in there.”

  “It’s gonna get cold out here.” Gabe said. Jinxy threw back her short bobbed hair with a
laugh.

  “You don’t know cold. I’ll be fine.” She said as she slid the other box around and placed where she wanted.

  Another file box appeared at the hatch to the roof. Billy emerged and brought the box to an area about ten feet away from Jinxy’s.

  “I’m gonna sleep up here too.” He said passing Gabe, “It’s just too weird with Travis down there.”

  Jinxy brought another box to her area. She gestured with the box.

  “There’s probably twenty five years of records in there: plenty for all of us.” Jinxy said. “I’m gonna make a wall to keep out the wind.”

  Gabe shrugged. He knew it would get colder as the night wore into morning but thought it best that they all stayed together.