by catt dahman
“My job is Katie,” Hannah said fondly, kissing her sister on the head as she was kissed. Despite anything else, Hannah’s love for Beth and Katie was deep and true.
“Katie, I won’t let a thing happen to you. It’s fine. Maybe it’s even a drill.” Jet moved them ahead of the rest, and the three slipped along a secondary path that was a longer way to the big mansion, sitting in the middle of the compound, but they were fast and arrived ahead of everyone else.
“Safety Zone. Please get to safe places,” Jet said just as someone activated the alarm. Those few seconds cut the time down impressively, enough that everyone was moving along quickly before the alarm went off and before the teams reached the gate to see that the estimated hundred zombies were now over two hundred.
The moaning filled the night air.
6
Hannah
In some ways, she wanted to be at the gate to help, but they would be using guns, and she didn’t enjoy guns although she knew how to use them. She really liked her sword that she found.
When Red swept the world, her family came down with it.Her mother was the last to catch it and was the main caregiver as they suffered the bleeding and vomiting. Mom cried as they all got sick, and once Hannah heard her asking, “Why not Hannah?” while she sat in the dark, rocking, and praying.
She knew what that meant. Why hadn’t Hannah gotten sick instead of the rest, whom her mom really loved? Why was she spared?
Hannah didn’t know that answer. It seemed to follow some genetic lines, but her siblings and she were adopted, anyway. She didn’t know anything about the adoption or her birth mother, imagined the woman staring at her, and handing her off without a second thought. Her parents thought she was a pretty baby and wanted her at once. One never knew what was in a pretty package.
Hannah had a very high IQ. She liked reading and learning and never missed a day of school. She was interested in all kinds of topics, and children avoided her since they thought she was odd with her constant curiosity, but it wasn’t as if she harmed animals or tormented other kids. She just stayed to herself.
She was sure her parents regretted ever adopting her since they didn’t bother to lavish any affection on her like they did the other children. Instead, they looked at her as if she were a strange animal in the zoo.
It was okay.
As soon as her parents were comatose with Red and waiting to come back, flesh starved, Hannah knew what to do. Unlike everyone else, she watched the news and Internet information, knew what to expect, and accepted it without question. It was easy, really, to make sure they wouldn’t awaken as a zombie.
Hannah read all about Lizzie Borden.
Then, those pesky neighbors had to be handled. After that, she was pretty much into the new world and knew how to handle threats in the surest way. Since then, it was a daily thing, it seemed: deal with new threats; she did her job without emotion. Why cry over a bad deal of the cards? It was done and possibly better than what life she might have expected before the infection.
To her, it was all about adjusting.
It always seemed that the world and, certainly, the people in it were disappointed in their behaviors and deeds.
Beth was an unexpected surprise. She was fiery, smart, and dependable, but still, there was vulnerability. Beth didn’t judge but just loved in a truly careless, unrestrained way.
As Hannah’s new mom, Beth didn’t let her get away with stuff; she called her on bullshit fast and made her toe the line but not in a condescending way. Beth expected Hannah to be the best she could be, and there wasn’t room for exception.If Hannah made a mistake, there wasn’t a guilt trip. Beth might do or say things that disappointed her, but Hannah felt it was always balanced by loyalty and love.
Mainly, she didn’t look at Hannah as if she were a freak even when Hannah found a sword and decided chopping up zombies and bad people was a good plan. Beth rolled with it.
Hannah never loved anyone like she loved Beth Mom and Katie Sister.
Some people claimed they would fight to the death to defend a loved one, but Hannah looked at it in a different way: she would fight beyond her own death for someone she loved.
7
Attacks
At the gate, six teams met; only Julia’s team was missing.
Len looked over the threat: a big group, which looked to be the one massive amount in the front. Some were Reds, with old, dried blood and feces caked about pajamas, boxers, sleep shirts, robes, and every sleeping garment possible; many were nude. They had been sick in their beds with the hemorrhagic fever, gone into comas while bleeding out every orifice, and come awake as flesh-starved, marauding ghouls.
There were more, however, of the other type: those whom the Reds had bitten and turned. They also had the blood and filth caked on their bodies, as well bites, ripped-off limbs and digits, open bowels, and torn faces. The Reds smelled badly, but the latter looked obscene and smelled even worse since they often had hanging rotted flesh and the smell of the infection.
This many, even in an open area outdoors, made a terrible stink.
They moaned, some clicked bare foot bones on the pavement, some hissed or passed gas, but all were noisy as they looked with drooling hunger at the people at the gate and the people behind the fence. Even behind protection, they were frightening to see as an army of cannibals.
Len said. “Echo and Charlie, perimeter east and west.” He couldn’t look at them without feeling a sort of fear clutch at his heart.
As they practiced, other people already began saddling horses and throwing saddlebags on them. Beth, Juan, Mark, and Misty took the first four horses and turned them to go east and west of the gate.For patrol, they began mounting as the horses were already moving. Jet, Carl, Teeg, Alex, Kevin, Cory, and Pak took horses as they were readied and followed the lead of their teams, only a little less than enthusiastically.
Because of the practice and drills, they didn’t realize that they rode easily now, with skill and confidence; the long hours and sore muscles paid off. Len gave himself and the ones who trained those people, mental pats on the back for the extra practice they shared. He was proud of the men who rode out so easily on horses.
Len’s team took one side of the gate, and Pan’s took the other, firing at the zombies’ heads, dropping them with a few shots for each. It was not easy to place headshots in every zombie who was moving at them at this distance. A few of the newer people took a few body shots in panic, but Len assured them it was all okay and that they should relax and breathe; they would get killing shots, as well.
They all adjusted and worked the horde over. “One shot, one kill, if you can. Don’t expect it every time or beat yourself up with them shuffling this way at us. Line it up, and take it.” Len yelled.
With these at the gate and so many with guns, he had no extreme concerns but wanted to handle this as a deadly threat. If there were more at the fences, pushing or more coming up at once, they would have a definite problem. The noise, the moaning, was like a dinner bell, calling more to come try a meal, and the ‘things’ seemed to have good hearing. Once called, they would try to get to the people and keep moaning and calling more forever.
Len figured if one called the rest, the whole US population of the creatures would eventually join in if it went on long enough and if the prey didn’t go away. Potentially, hundreds or thousands could gather to moan at a lone person that they trapped in a building.
At the mansion, doors were closed, and everyone was moved to the basement as children and those unused to combat were protected. Several of the people had guns and were skilled in using them; they were third stage, and if the zombies ever got through to them, it was a time to run.
Conner and his team walked the perimeter of the house inside the fence, which went up as a last fortress. They were second stage, which might be a time to consider running as well.
“Anything?” Juan asked Beth. He looked into the darkness behind the fence, which went all around the compo
und. The paranoid preacher did them a favor when he fenced all of his land and then took off.
“Not seeing a thing,” she said, scanning the fence as they rode, “that’s good; I hope we don’t see a thing.”
He didn’t bother arguing with her about staying safe; she was there to protect the rest. Her spirit and dedication were some of the things he loved about her, but a man here wanted to profess love, to provide for his family, and to protect loved ones. He did the second one all the time. And he wanted to do the third one, but Beth also wanted to protect their family, so he did it as well as he could. He knew she had his back as well as he had hers.
He prayed that no more groups of the creatures were around the fence.
“Hey, Chica…Beth….”
“Yes?” she pulled up. “What? You look so serious; I think it’s okay; that horde is all, not a bunch all around….”
“I think so, too. Beth, I love you, Babe.”
Beth felt an over whelming warmth. “I know you do. I love you.” He was a good, kind man who was always unselfish, brave, loving, and supportive.
“If Kim came back….”
“You bring this up now? When we have Zs all over? What’s wrong?” Beth could be irritated by the question, but Juan’s eyes were so full of worry that it gave her pause. She did love this silly man with the crazy timing. She hated to see anything bothering him.
Juan gulped, “I don’t wanna lose you. I love you.”
“Good. And if he comes back, I’ve moved on with you. I fell in love with you while we worked as a team. I respected you, had a crush on you, and fell for you.”
When she was with Kim, they worked together and were friendly; she thought him cute but didn’t go past there.
After Kim was gone, Juan was thoughtful of her, they became better friends, and she had a crush on him but didn’t let it show. Then, they found themselves having to admit the feelings that developed over the weeks.
Juan almost fell off the horse, trying to kiss her.
“Stop worrying over the things that don’t need your worry. I’m settled with you.”
“You settled for me?”
Beth laughed. “You are a nut. Every woman in the compound drools when you walk by; you think they bring you lemonade when you’re working shirtless ‘cause they think you’re thirsty? Ha, Bud, they are checking you out, so I didn’t settle for you. I’m settled with you.” She played it off with a laugh. It was true that all the women did think he was a good-looking man.
Did he really not know that many women thought he was a handsome man? But looks were secondary; he was a good man who was smart, funny, kind, and loving, and he had morals. She could have kicked him. Didn’t he know how much she loved him?
Juan chuckled as the rest of the team rode up. He noted that they rode well now and was secretly proud of the lessons he taught them. The time paid off.
“We’ll go on ‘til we meet the other crew,” Carl said, “Len and them may need some help. Did you see all them bastards?”
“I didn’t get a good look; how many?”
“Figure at least two hundred.”
Beth and Juan wheeled around and headed back at a run.
8
Shadows
Kim, Carla, and Robbie followed the group of twelve as they made their way to Hopetown. For some reason, Kim felt uneasy about sending them alone, so he came along, just in time to take out three zeds that approached the camp on the second night.
True, they could have handled the three, but one never knew anymore; it might have gone badly. Kim admitted to himself that Carla was a fearless fighter, taking chances in battle that seemed insane.
It was night and not a great time to go to Hopetown to be accepted, but Kim had a feeling someone would be there on guard and would be able to take the twelve in. Then he, Carla, and Robbie could move on. He wanted to be alone, but the woman and child followed him, and he didn’t have the inclination to make them go away. He refused to be responsible for them; he was on his own, but they followed him.
Before they got to the gate, they heard the moaning: two hundred voices filling the night with the horrific sounds. It brought back the night the zombies filled the hospital parking lot where he made Teeg physically carry Beth away when she wanted to stay with him to fight.
He could still remember how hundreds over-ran them, the smell of feces and rot, the sounds of the hissing and moaning. He had seen people he knew and liked being grabbed and ripped apart by the ghouls. Then, when his friends blew up the truck and gasoline containers, there was the smell of burning flesh and more feces as bodies exploded and then sizzled. It was worse than any hell he could imagine.
Then, the RA had grabbed him.
He shook back the memories to think.
Kim held them back. “You don’t wanna catch a stray bullet.” He and Carla went in to pick off the few on the very edge of the horde who shambled and crawled along with broken legs or missing legs. They were low to the ground and easy to take out, so it wasn’t a very difficult task. Kim stayed in the shadows so that his friends couldn’t see him.
At the gate, Pan’s team moved back to the mansion to guard it, allowing Conner’s team to go to the gate and do some shooting. Rae tapped Len’s shoulder, and they moved into place, giving Len a break to see what the damage was.
Zombies filled the ditch but weren’t moving. Dead bodies lay everywhere. Len didn’t think even one was allowed to be close enough to even touch the fence for more than a few seconds, at most.
It was all but over now. The quick action and heavy gunfire took out the entire horde; it was amazing how fast and easy it was to remove the enemy from behind the safety of a fence, but every one of them felt the sharp, metallic taste of fear. This was exactly why they chose this place to make their home.
Beth and Juan shot their guns from horseback, taking out a few on the edge of the group, watching, in the moonlight.Brains and blood sprayed into the darkness as the Zs fell, finally dead.
Beth stopped and looked again at one she lined up to shoot. It was suddenly on the ground and unmoving. She would have sworn she saw a bat being swung, but none of them went outside the gate.
A figure darted out to bash at another skull, and something tickled at her memory; the shadow seemed somehow familiar. Then, she saw movement, fired, and forgot the other as she tried focusing on her job.
What had caught her eye? She went back to looking, unable to figure it out. She saw what seemed to be a child-sized figure next to the other shadow.
Then she gasped.
A cramp hit her midsection, and she reached for her slightly swollen belly. It wasn’t something she should ignore. “Juan. Honey.”
“What’s wrong?” He nudged his horse right next to her, able to hear her concern in her voice. “Bethy?”
“A cramp. It hurt, Juan. Really hurt.” In the moonlight, her face turned to him with worry lining her features, her eyes frightened. She knew she might be worrying for nothing, but she didn’t know a lot about pregnancy.
Without a word, he pulled her onto the saddle and in front of him. Only an expert horseback rider could have pulled that off, but he held her there and rode up from the gate top the house, leading her horse. “I need Doc.”
He passed Beth down to Henry, then dismounted, and followed them into the house to the basement to find the doctor.
“Juan, don’t let anything happen to the baby, please,” Beth asked him. She felt another cramp grip her, and she winced. She refused to let anything happen to this baby that she carried.
Okay, it was Kim’s baby by nature, Juan’s baby by family. That’s when it hit her: the shadow reminded her of Kim. She thought that whoever was out there using a bat reminded her of Kimball.
9
Delta
“Whadda you mean no cars?” a woman demanded. “We ain’t gonna be using no cars? Why not? How are we gonna get anywhere without no cars?”
“I think Harold already figured this out: the vehicles
have your scent on them, and those things are very attracted to it. That’s why Drake used the zom parts to mask your odor downstairs.”
“I don’t stink near as bad as them things.”
“I don’t know how we can get anywhere without cars,” Harold agreed.
“Same way we did. We go by foot….”
“No, we can’t,” the woman whined.
“You have no choice. If you stay here….” Julia backed up to include Harold. “Harold will tell you that without food and water, you’ll die. But we can sneak along alleys and stay stealthy, and I know where we are, not far from a neighborhood I know.” Julia didn’t add that it was the same neighborhood her parents lived in and died in, been one of the walking dead in, and died a second time in.
“Even if we get there….” Harold frowned.
“We can. And when we get there, there will be food and water, and it’s a safe house that’s boarded up for safety. I was there.”
Drake reported that a search revealed almost no food in the other apartments since they were ransacked, stripped of everything useable weeks before. He and the others helping him had to put down three zombies they found hiding in the building.
“I was hitting it, its head just popped open, and it fell; it was still squirming, trying to bite me.I kept hitting it, a woman; I think she was pretty before, but she was a stinking, big bag of rotten meat.”
“It’s not easy,” Walt said, “but you did fine.”
“That’s how we do it,” Julia said, “you hit, and then they die.”
The men brought in what they found that would be needed: a set of golf clubs, a bat, a pair of hammers, and various items to be used as melee weapons. Julia stopped again to explain to the nine others that she and her three couldn’t use their guns for fear of alerting roaming zombies and drawing them close to attack.
They went over the plan again. Shoelaces were double tied, shirts were buttoned, and hair was tied up. Julia remembered how she had, from the beginning, sheered her own hair so that it couldn’t be grabbed; she still wore it close to her scalp for that very reason.
