The Dark Trinity (Book 1): Shuffle

by Steven Till

  Maalik approached the couple. “Bataviah should return soon with food,” he said.

  “Thaaaank youuu…” Nathan replied without looking up, his eyes still transfixed on Evelyn’s.

  Her body changed at an exponential rate. Bones crunched as they shifted and hardened. Skin tore and stretched; the long, bony talons ripping through her fingertips. Her eyes began to cloud red as her heightened vision evolved. Carlos watched in fascination. He couldn't contain his excitement. He caught himself inching closer to the couple and stopped, remembering when Bill awoke as one of these terrifying specimens. He watched in amazement as her skin paled to the same snow-white complexion as her partner. Never before had he seen this kind of accelerated metamorphosis, not even in the lab.

  Evelyn gasped, spitting up the dark brown sludge that remained in her airway. Her pupils focused, seeing Nathan for the first time with her new eyes.

  He smiled at her and whispered softly. “Welcome back my loooove.”

  She reached up to touch his face and saw her hands. For a moment, she had forgotten what had happened; what she had done. The sight of the claws attached to her wrists frightened her. Nathan was quick to comfort her.

  “Doooon’t worry…” he said, taking her hand in his as he intertwined their fingers.

  He eased her up and she propped herself against the long counter.

  “Feeeeel strange,” she said with confusion on her face.

  “That is the Sleeeep,” he replied. “Will paaaaassss at dusk.”

  “Soooooo hungryyyyyy,” she stated, clutching her stomach, which now burned with the same intense pain that plagued Nathan and Ronnie. Evelyn took in her surroundings and immediately, her eyes locked onto Carlos, who stood less than six feet away. Without thinking, she lunged at the rotund biologist. Her jaws distended and her engorged tongue lashed out at her prey. Luckily, Nathan’s reflexes were fast enough and he was able to grab her by the arm just in time, saving Carlos from a rather unfortunate fate.

  Carlos gasped and stumbled backwards into the counter behind him. "I thought you said they were dormant during the day!" he barked at Maalik.

  "I also said that they were still dangerous," Maalik replied. "You must understand Mr. Morano, that the Sleep doesn't hold these three in the same tight grip as the others because they have not fully turned."

  Nathan’s vice-like grip prevented Evelyn’s advance and she sat there hissing like a wild animal. Just then, a loud knock sounded at the front door. Chatty peeked out through the blinds and immediately unlocked the door. Bataviah entered, carrying a large, dead deer in her arms. She threw the carcass onto the floor. Evelyn’s attention darted to the deer and she lunged for it, oblivious to Batavia’s presence. Ronnie put down the large black silicone dildo that he had been entertaining himself with and knelt down next to Evelyn and feasted. Nathan regarded the humans in the room and he noted their abhorrent looks of disgust as he turned and made his way to glut on the animal.

  The moments passed slowly for the survivors as they stood witness to the gorging creatures before them. The only sound was the wet squishing of flesh as the zombies satiated their hunger. Sam noticed that Maalik and Bataviah watched the scene with indifference, as if what transpired was nothing new or surprising to them. Who the hell ARE these people? he thought.

  Finally, Bataviah spoke, addressing the group. “Daylight is a luxury we can’t afford to squander. Gather your things. It’s time to leave.”

  CHAPTER 42 EXODUS

  The zombie queen lay motionless within her cocoon of bodies. The undead carapace cradled her in impenetrable darkness. The countless souls which entombed her kept her safe during the Dead Sleep. Sunshine’s eyes slowly opened. Creepy crawly slimy things scurried over and around her body. Something had awoken her. Despite the fact that her mental connection to the horde was all but extinguished during the daylight hours, she could feel that something was different. Something had changed.

  She cursed the Sleep. Despite her power, she was not immune to its effects. She loathed Him for taking the sun away from her. She had languished in the cold embrace of blackness for countless eons. Finally, she would have her revenge. Dusk would arrive soon, at which point her children would swarm over the building below. Until that time, she closed her eyes and waited for the dark.

  ****************

  The adult bookstore was bustling with activity as everyone prepared for the upcoming journey. Maalik had explained that he and “his people” had a bunker where they would be safe. The plan was to load everyone onto the bus and haul ass to the alleged safety before nightfall. It was a simple plan, but the best one they’ve had so far.

  Alison and Theresa gathered all the medical supplies while Daniel and Pete teamed up with Bataviah to get the bus ready to go. Sam and Chatty rounded up all the weapons and ammunition. Evelyn, Nathan, and Ronnie had moved to the far corner of the store and stood with Maalik who coached Evelyn on her new body, her new powers, and her new life.

  Carlos hovered near the zombies in the corner, fascinated by their new undead allies, yet also utterly terrified of them. He had watched in grotesque amazement as they had completely devoured the deer carcass in a matter of minutes. What he would give for a blood sample and a microscope. He could only imagine the chaos that raged within their veins.

  Sam watched as Maalik gave his tutorial on how to be a zombie. He didn’t trust these new arrivals. Not one bit. Neither did Chatty. The large silent man followed Sam’s gaze across the store.

  “How does he know so much about them?” Sam asked in a hushed voice. “Where does he come from; and more importantly, where is he leading us?”

  “The man and woman, they are strange ones, but they seem to want to help,” Chatty whispered. He didn’t have answers to any of Sam’s questions and he shared the old man’s mistrust in the mysterious duo clad in black.

  “They have knowledge about our enemy,” he continued. “For the time being, they are our best chance of getting out of here alive.”

  Sam, of course, knew that the bodybuilder was right. Until the arrival of the strangers, they had a zero chance of getting out of there. “Agreed. Keep a close eye on them though, we still don’t know what their intentions are. And be mindful of Evelyn. I have no idea what that infection has done to her sense of loyalty,” Sam winced at the possibility of putting down the young woman. She had been a strong member of the group and he admired her grit.

  Chatty nodded in understanding and continued fussing with the rest of the gear.

  Alison and Theresa had finished with the medical supplies and now stood at the front door, watching Daniel and Pete help the strange, beautiful woman with the bus outside. Bataviah sat in the driver’s seat and was attempting to start the bus, but it refused to turn over. Cursing in a language neither of them recognized, she exited the bus and opened the hood. The two boys stood in the parking lot and guarded the site while Bataviah began to troubleshoot the engine.

  “Do you think they’re with the government?” Theresa asked. “I mean, they don’t look like they’re with the military, but they look like they know how to fight; and they know an awful lot about those creatures.”

  “They might be government,” Alison replied. “Although they didn’t identify themselves as such, which is a little weird. Most government agencies are pretty adamant about announcing their authority, I would think.”

  “Oh, maybe they’re CIA or something!” the housewife said with enthusiasm in her voice. “How exciting! I’ve never seen REAL spies before!”

  Alison smiled. “Let’s not start assuming things just yet.”

  The two women watched as Daniel buried his machete in the forehead of a zombie that had meandered into the parking lot. Pete dispatched another that had drawn near.

  “These things aren’t quite as scary when they’re sluggish like this,” Pete said, out of breath.

  “Yeah, but they’ll still eat you, so don’t get too cocky,” Daniel replied as he prepared to behead another app
roaching ghoul.

  Bataviah slammed the hood closed and returned to the driver’s seat. This time, the engine roared to life. She shut the ignition back off and exited the vehicle.

  “Alright you two, back inside,” she said as she entered the building.

  Moving between Alison and Theresa, she made her way to the far corner where Maalik was speaking with the other immortals in the room. Daniel and Pete came inside moments later, locking the door behind them. They followed Bataviah like lost puppy dogs and eagerly awaited her next orders.

  Theresa half chuckled. “Young men will never change,” she said with amusement. “It doesn’t matter how dangerous a woman is. If she’s beautiful and wearing leather, they will blindly follow her to their own demise.”

  Alison laughed out loud. “That’s why we’re the smarter of the species.”

  The smile on Theresa’s face faded. The gravitas of their situation had weighed heavily on her. As far as she could tell, everyone she knew was dead. Her husband Charlie. Her daughter Ruthie. She would never see them again. New friends that she had made were dead. It seemed as though there was no escape from the nightmare that had tormented them all night.

  She had given up all hope. That is, until the new arrivals came. There was a bunker and this Maalik fellow said that he has people there. Evelyn’s fiancé and his friend were like the demons outside, yet they held on to the people that they once were; their humanity. Perhaps there was a cure? Maybe, just maybe, they would get out of this.

  “Do you think we’re going to make it?”

  Alison met Theresa’s eyes. She paused as she thought of what to say. The truth was that she had no idea if they were going to make it. In fact, she was almost certain that they would all endure horrible, gruesome deaths.

  “Of course we’re going to make it,” she replied with a smile. “We’ve got Maalik and Bataviah on our side and they seem like a couple of certified bad-asses.”

  Theresa’s expression softened some at Alison’s encouraging tone.

  “Plus,” Alison continued. “We’ve got our own monsters. We can fight fire with fire. Eve won’t let anything happen to us. Even if she is...different.”

  Theresa regarded Alison’s words and managed a grin. She felt something cold and wet touch her hand. Boomer had walked over to the two women and had nuzzled Theresa’s hand. His tail swished back and forth at a rapid pace. The two women laughed as the older woman bent down and gave the dog a good scratch behind the ears.

  “You see,” Alison observed. “There’s still love in the world.”

  Sam interrupted the brief moment of reprieve as he neared the front door. “Alright folks, let’s saddle up. Time to get the hell outta Dodge.”

  ****************

  Approximately two hundred and thirty miles north, the polar vortex rolled across Lake Erie, gathering power and force from the moisture off the lake. An Arctic jet stream had collided with the remnants of a storm that had come in from the Atlantic which had hit New England a day and a half ago. The two fronts culminated to form a perfect storm of snow, ice, and frigid temperatures. Thick dark clouds hung low over the water as it rolled south.

  ****************

  They were moving and on the road in under five minutes. Nathan, Evelyn, and Ronnie sat in the seats furthest back, with Maalik and Bataviah sitting in front of them. The others sat scattered in the remaining seats of the bus, keeping a large buffer of empty seats between them and the infected in the back, just for good measure. Boomer lay in the aisle between Nathan and Evelyn. Chatty took the helm as Sam helped him navigate the car-laden road. The innumerable obstacles on the road meant that Chatty had to weave, push, and slalom the bus along. The fastest they could go at any point was fifteen miles per hour, although most of the time, they averaged a speedy five to ten.

  “So, which way are we heading?” Sam yelled back.

  Maalik answered with his usual commanding tone. “We go downtown.”

  Everyone looked at him with stunned trepidation, except for Bataviah, who already knew their destination. When the outbreak first hit, the news stations had reported the National Guard was going to blow the bridges leading to downtown. The Air Force was moving forward with Operation Hellrain; a last-ditch effort to stop the outbreak. One news anchor instructed any people still in the downtown area to evacuate immediately by any means necessary, and then he was shot on-camera by an unknown soldier. After that, all the news broadcasts simultaneously ceased.

  A couple hours later, Operation Hellrain commenced. Fighter jets carpeted the city streets with napalm while Apache attack helicopters poured a hailstorm of .30 caliber bullets into every building. The purge was ineffective. The military was too late. The city burned as droves of undead flooded the suburbs and surrounding boroughs. Everyone on the bus knew that their current route would take them through Hell itself.

  Alison put her arm around Theresa, whose body now started to tremble. Pete cursed under his breath at the news of their destination. Daniel gasped, although he steeled his face and steadied his breathing in an attempt to match the hard expressions which Sam and Chatty wore. As the youngest male in the group, Daniel looked up to Sam and the large Bengali weightlifter. Even though he was old, Daniel viewed Sam as a Yoda-esque Clint Eastwood; a wise, no frills bad-ass. As for Chatty...Well, he was built like a mountain. Bad-ass by default.

  The bus crept along the on-ramp which led from McKnight Road to Interstate 279 South. They had only traveled a mile and had already eaten half an hour out of the day. The two strangers in black kept a vigilant look out the windows. When Bataviah looked out the left side, Maalik scanned the right. Like clockwork, their heads moved in concert. When one turned to observe the opposite side, the other turned as well, providing constant 360° surveillance for the bus.

  Although the strangers didn’t portray any overt sign of panic or distress, their alertness level kept the humans on edge. The fear that gnawed at the survivors was good. Fear meant that they were alert. Being alert meant that they were aware, and being aware just might keep them alive. Soon everyone on the bus was peering through the windows, keeping a watchful eye for any impending threat. The bus occupants were silent as they made their way towards ground zero.

  Evelyn and Nathan sat on the ends of their respective seats at the back of the bus facing each other, their legs crisscrossing the aisle. Her hand was throbbing as pain shot from the puncture site where Nathan’s claw impaled her, although the pain felt different than when she was human. It wasn’t dulled, in fact, it hurt quite a bit. She just no longer cared that it hurt, which she thought was odd. Perhaps that was a trait that all the infected shared? That would explain why they keep attacking even after getting shot. They didn’t care that they were getting mutilated. Why would they? Their wounds would heal at an exponential rate. Bataviah had told her before their evacuation of the porn shop that her hand would regenerate once night had fallen and the Sleep had lifted.

  Evelyn looked upon her knight in shining armor. The pain that she could see on his face struck her. Not physical pain. No, this was worse. Emotional anguish. He had walked through unimaginable horrors to save her, and how did she thank him? By killing herself in front of him. She hadn’t given her decision much thought. Instead, she acted on impulse and instinct, as usual. It was only now that she grasped the heartbreak her impulsiveness had caused.

  “I love you,” she whispered in a raspy voice. She reached out her clawed hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart.

  “I know,” he replied. A smile stretched across his face.

  That was one thing that had always amazed her about him. No matter how bad a situation got, he would always smile as if to say that things would get better. That used to frustrate her sometimes, because she viewed that as somewhat naive of him. Not today though. At this moment, she was thankful for that smile and unwavering optimism.

  She pulled her hand away and placed it on her lap. She saw the cartoon panda bear on his tee shirt and the scraw
led words above and below it. A playful grin appeared on her face as she chuckled.

  “That’s cute,” she teased.

  Nathan looked down at his torn, blood-soaked shirt; that penetrating smile still plastered on his mouth.

  “Not much to choose from,” he replied, his words still slow and muddled from the Sleep, although his speech was improving. He no longer sounded like a drooling idiot. “Didn’t work anyway. Still got shot.” He winked at her, which, despite their current condition, made him even more alluring.

  A soft thumping sound interrupted the couple’s tender moment. They turned towards the sound and saw Ronnie sitting in the seat in front of Nathan absent-mindedly banging a large, silicone sex toy against the window. He appeared to be swimming in his own thoughts. Nathan reached over the seat and patted his friend on the shoulder.

  “Are you okay?”

  Ronnie paused before answering. “I don’t know, dude. This is all so fucked up. Nothing makes sense anymore. Everyone we know is dead or worse. What’s going to happen to us?”

  That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it? Nathan couldn’t have summed it up better. In all honesty, he hadn’t even thought of what would happen next. His singular goal, his mission, had been to find Evelyn. That was all that mattered. He didn’t allow himself to contemplate what would occur once he found her. Now they were together again and the scenarios of the future began to populate his thoughts.

  “I don’t know, brother, but whatever happens, we’ll face it together,” Nathan reassured.

  Under normal circumstances, that would have been enough to put Ronnie at ease. This time, the former hot dog vender nodded and stared out the window at the new Pittsburgh landscape of destruction and death.

  The bus lurched to a stop.