by Brown, TW
“What is it?” Jody opened the front door to discover George standing on his porch.
The man looked pale. It was no wonder; rumor had it that Margarita was very determined to get pregnant, and when the other women achieved that goal one by one until only she remained, she had turned her Latina passion as well as a bit of the fury on poor George Rosamilia. It got to the point where people would not even walk past the house because of the ruckus. If it wasn’t sex, it was screaming.
“You need to get to Tower One right away,” George said through labored breathing. Jody wondered briefly how a man exposed to so much physical activity could still be so obviously lacking in cardio endurance.
“What’s up?” Jody asked, sensing the concern in the normally stoic man.
“Just get to the tower,” George repeated. “I think you need to see and decide for yourself.”
Jody followed on the big man’s heels, a feeling in his gut that things had obviously been too calm these past several weeks. And now here it was…Murphy’s Law in action. As he approached the tower, he was already able to see what had George so upset.
“How long?” Jody asked as he walked beside the man.
“The watch came and woke me up about four this morning and said that something big was going down. As soon as it was light enough to see…well…” George made a sweeping gesture with his arm.
Jody reached the tower and climbed up quickly. He accepted the binoculars from the watch and peered through them. It was not that he expected to really see what the situation might be, but he still needed to have a look.
He handed the glasses back and leaned on the rail. At least five plumes of black smoke were rising in the direction of where Pitts and his people should be.
Early on, when this whole thing had begun, he remembered seeing what looked like the whole of Little Rock burning from the distance. There had been stories of refineries blowing up, entire neighborhoods swallowed by fire. The tales from survivors had been horrific. Burning zombies still pursuing the living, people trapped in buildings and having no better choice than to fling themselves from several stories above the ground. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not picture a scenario where he could willingly throw himself from a window and fall to what had to be a terrible death.
“Get Danny and a team of at least ten,” Jody said, turning to George.
“You sure? I mean, if something bad happened there…and it was maybe another group that was even bigger…do we really want to tangle with that?” George asked.
“We have some of our own over there,” Jody said like that was all that needed saying.
Climbing down the ladder, his thoughts were on Kat and their last exchange. He would already carry the guilt of this situation for as long as he lived. If she had somehow ended up dead…he did not know if he would be able to bear the pain.
It took less than twenty minutes for the team to assemble. Other than George and Jody, he was not all that familiar with the others. Two were women…one of them being Margarita.
Jody pulled George aside when the woman arrived in full gear that she had obviously taken from the local supply since she had not arrived with anything of the sort.
“What the hell is she doing here?” Jody whispered; although apparently not soft enough.
“That is my home, and those are my people,” the woman said simply.
He could not argue a word against her point. He immediately thought of Kat and Selina and knew they would respond in much the same way. To make his decision just a bit easier—if he even had one in this instance—she seemed to know what she was doing with the shotgun and pistol she was carrying. Plus, he had definitely never seen that nasty curved blade that she wore on her hip. She had to have brought that in with her own gear.
“Okay, listen up,” Jody called once the last person had jogged up to join the crowd and George gave him the nod. “Something bad has obviously occurred over at Swifton where Pitts and his people are set up. From the looks of it, things are very bad. This mission is simply to go and see what is up. As of now, we are not on the offensive. We may not like what we find, but if something hit Pitts and did that kind of damage, then we need to assume that whatever or whoever it is could wipe us out with no effort. Does anybody have any problem with keeping their safety on?”
“You saying we won’t even try something?” the other woman spoke up, a rifle slung across her body. It looked like she was very comfortable carrying that weapon.
“I’m sorry, Miss…” Jody left that as a question.
“Jess Gandley,” the woman answered. “My daughter Chelsie went over with the others.”
Jody sighed inwardly. He was having a real problem trusting that one or many of those with him that might be coming because they thought that this would be a chance to get in a few quick kills.
“We have to think of the community as a whole,” Jody said calmly.
He wanted to get moving, and he knew that if he dared to kick anybody off this team, nothing would stop that person from slipping out on their own. It would be better if he could keep his eyes on a few of them.
Turning and starting out towards the rising black clouds, Jody set a quick pace. They had a few miles to cross through relatively open ground. And while the numerous fields and swamps had grown wild in the year they’d had without humanity’s interference, they would still be heavily exposed at least for the first good portion of their trip as they stuck to the highway.
It was almost two hours into their trip when they came upon a small herd of the undead. It was clear that they were being drawn in the direction of Sergeant Pitts’ compound. Jody sent George and Margarita to take them down. However, he could also see what looked like a much larger concentration up ahead. That had been the greatest advantage of being able to stick to the road for so long. They had made great time and had an excellent view of what was in front of them for a good distance. However, now it was time to move off the road and take to the high grass.
Things were fine until they reached a wide creek. The area around it was dense swampland. None of them were quite prepared for this sort of terrain, and the team got bogged down fast. When the first zombie rose up out of the murk, Jody thought that they had just signed their death certificates. Fortunately, this lone zombie seemed to be an anomaly. Danny took it down and no others came.
That part of the trip took a lot of the energy from the group, and even Jess Gandley, who had complained on more than one occasion that they were not moving fast enough, had grown very quiet. As they emerged from the marshy terrain, it looked as if the fires had died down considerably. There were only wisps of smoke still rising, and they had lost that rich black hue, fading to a pale gray.
They found themselves on a back road that one slightly bullet riddled sign proclaimed to be “Jackson 75”. Just ahead was a massive farmhouse with a large, fire-blackened shell of an RV trailer.
“Let’s use this location as a base of operation,” Jody announced. “Danny, take two people and make sure the house is secure. George you and I will inspect the trailer and that barn. Jess, pair up with somebody and search those storage sheds. Everybody else maintain a watch here in the entry of the driveway. Sound off if you hear or see anything.”
There was a sudden chatter of safeties being released and a team of men in full camo gear emerged from the high grass of the front yard.
“Or…” one of the men who had emerged called out, “you can all just stay right where you are and keep your hands clear of your weapons.”
***
“They’re inside!” Deanna wailed.
Sean sprinted for the door that led to the staircase and started pulling away the furniture. The sounds of hands clawing at several of the doors along the corridor had started. A few of the doors at the end of the hall flew open with a clatter. Others were starting to give and it would only be a matter of time before this hallway would be filled with the living dead.
With only his belt knife remainin
g, he was in no shape to fight off a bunch of zombies. He would have enough trouble with one or two.
Now he knew why this place had been abandoned. The only problem was that they could not go down. That massive herd was still milling about. The only choice was to go up.
As Sean yanked open the door, he only had a second to react as a pair of dead hands came for him. He stumbled and landed hard on his back. The zombie on top of him actually bounced once before it came to rest on him, staring down into his face with eyes that held no emotion.
The mouth opened and he threw up a hand defensively. Sean screamed in pain as teeth clamped down and bone crunched. He had removed his gloves when he had started to grope Deanna. He thought the gesture a gallant one. He had been considerate enough to not reach up her shirt with a worn and filthy glove. And what had that gotten him?
“Sean!” Deanna shrieked as she rushed in and grabbed the zombie by the shoulders. It came off, but it took two of Sean’s fingers with it.
“It got me!” Sean wailed. He was no longer tough; he was no longer in control; he was no longer the kid who had been destined to be a hardened criminal by eighteen. Now, he was simply a frightened boy.
Deanna pulled Sean to his feet and looked up to find more zombies filling the doorway opening to the stairs that were their only chance of escape. Of course Sean’s only chance had dwindled to whether or not he would prove to be immune from the bite—he wasn’t.
Deanna shoved the first zombie back and it toppled the two behind it in a twisted parody of dominoes. She did not wait or allow for their chance to evaporate. Deanna pulled Sean with her and up the stairs they went.
The zombies had not made it this far yet but she could hear noise from behind the door that would open to the fourth floor, Still, they made it to the fifth without any more trouble. Unfortunately, they would now have to climb the metal ladder that led to the square in the roof.
With no certainty that the hatch would actually lead to the roof, Deanna went first and cried in frustration when she discovered that the hatch was locked.
10
Geek on the Run
“You have to keep your eyes shut and not move,” the voice whispered, lips so close to his ear that it tickled and he could feel the heat from the breath of the speaker. “If you understand me, I want you to make a fist with your right hand.”
Kevin made a fist. He was still not sure what was happening. His last memories were fuzzy and disjointed. He was trying to get a grasp on them, but they shot away like a wet watermelon seed between his fingers anytime he tried to think too hard.
“You need to listen and not react. That is going to be difficult, but I promise you that your life and that of your friends may well depend on you doing nothing,” the voice said.
That all seemed so important and ominous to Kevin. He thought he could remember a little about…
Aleah!
He shivered as the jolt of recollection hit. A firm hand gripped his arm and the voice came again with renewed urgency.
“If you try to sit up or move, I won’t be able to help you. That means that you won’t be able to help your friends, and I am guessing that by the end of today, you may never see any of them again. Clench your fist again if you understand.”
Kevin clenched his fist, but it was with more than just simple understanding. He felt his anger growing as the events of his last memories came back. The trickle was slow at first, but it turned to a flood as he lay there in impotent helplessness.
“First, let me assure you that, last I saw, that girl Heather was fine. They have her confined in a wing that is sort of isolated from any of the rest of the population…which they have confined at the moment under some bullshit excuse. As for the other two, the names escape me, but they were led out of the compound. There is a place where any who are excluded get sent to, and I know where that is.”
Kevin was hearing the words, but they were not exactly making sense at the moment. He knew he would be upset as soon as he could get his brain to come out of the fog, but for the time being he would have to settle for confused.
“W-why…” he tried to ask, but a hand covered his mouth immediately.
“No talking. You will get us both killed.”
Kevin felt the hand move away slowly. He tried to crack his eyes open to slits in order to get a look at this person, but the brightness was too much and he squeezed them shut.
“Now listen up, and keep still,” the female voice resumed after a few seconds of silence. “The powers that be in this place have gone off the deep end. I am responsible for some of it, but we don’t have time to get into that now. What you need to know is that I want to help get you out of here. There are about fifty of us that have been ready to leave for quite a while, but fifty against a few thousand would be suicide. Now that paranoia has gripped the council, we have our window. It may never open again.
“You were the last straw so to speak. What they are doing is wrong on any level…no matter the excuses being given. Now, if I don’t end up getting us all killed, I am going to do my best to make things right…at least as much as I am able. Stay as still as you can for just a few more minutes.”
Kevin felt something loosen around his waist. Remaining still was harder than he anticipated as the sudden urge to simply get up and bolt came in a rush.
“Doctor Billings, could you come here for a minute please, something seems odd with the chart on Mister Dreon,” the female voice spoke out.
“Odd in what way, Dr. Reno?” a male voice that sounded like it belonged to a very elderly man replied.
Kevin heard the sound of a distant chair being scooted and then the click-clack of hard-soled shoes on tile. He did his best to simply remain still, but as the events that had led to him being in this situation began to color themselves in, he struggled not to act.
“What the—” Dr. Billings’ voice started in alarm, but was quickly muffled.
“I never did like you, you prick,” Dr. Reno hissed.
“Okay, Kevin…can you open your eyes?”
Kevin complied, discovering that the blinding light was only a minor discomfort compared with his last attempt. He still could not see much more than dark and blurry images, but now he was contending with acute nausea. Sitting up, Kevin promptly turned his head to the side and vomited an opaque, watery bile.
Slowly, a figure came into focus. The woman reminded him of the stereotypical soccer mom. Her hair was cut in a short bob, she showed a few laugh lines and just a wisp of gray cut a path through her light brown hair. Her eyes were brown and a few crows’ feet had taken perch at the corners. Her nose was just slightly upturned and her thin lips were just somewhat curved in a perpetual smile.
“I’m being rescued by June Cleaver,” Kevin muttered to himself.
“What was that?” Dr. Reno leaned close.
“Nothing.”
Kevin waved a hand in dismissal and tried to sit up. The room only spun a little bit. He was not at all surprised when the woman handed him a set of fatigues, gloves, and a helmet with a riot faceguard.
The entire time he dressed, the doctor paced from him to the door. She kept urging him to go faster, but Kevin was still not fully clear of the fog from whatever drugs had kept him knocked out and in the induced coma. At last he cinched the final boot lace and stood, ready to go.
“Okay…now what?” Kevin asked as he stepped over the sprawled figure of the man he’d heard addressed as Dr. Billings.
“We have to make for the dorm where the rest of those who will be leaving with us are waiting.” Dr. Reno turned to face Kevin with a grim expression. “That is where I am afraid I will require you to do some rather unsavory things.”
“Like kill somebody?”
“Exactly.”
“Then let’s get moving.” Kevin was surprised at how matter-of-fact he made his voice sound. The reality of what was going on in his head was a different matter entirely.
While he certainly had no love for his captors,
he still felt a bit squeamish about taking the lives of living beings. It just seemed so wrong given that the living-to-undead ratio was so slanted. However, he was also a very pragmatic person and understood very well what needed to be done.
“So, what do I call you?” Kevin asked as he stepped up beside the doctor who was peering through the shutters and out to the hallway beyond.
“Doctor Miriam Reno is what used to hang on my door,” the woman said absently. “But seriously, I don’t think titles mean squat anymore…so Miriam will do just fine.”
“But you’re a doctor,” Kevin said with obvious admiration in his voice. “I’d say that makes you worth your weight in gold?”
“You making cracks about my weight?” Miriam’s voice was stern. She glanced over her shoulder at Kevin with lips pressed tight, but a second later they curved up into a smile. “Relax, Kevin, I crack jokes when I’m nervous…and they usually aren’t very funny. You’ll get used to it.”
“I bet you were a hoot the first few weeks of the zombie apocalypse,” Kevin snarked.
They moved out into the hallway and headed for the doors that led outside. The warm glow of sunlight coming through the windows on those doors made their own part of the hall look that much darker. They had covered half the distance when a loud explosion shook the walls, rattling the doors in their frames and sending dust down in a lazy cascade.
“What the—” Kevin started, but Miriam grabbed his hand and took off for the exit.
“Whatever it is, we don’t want to be part of it.”
Kevin certainly agreed with that sentiment. He discovered that his ability to run was still a bit clumsy, and twice he almost fell. The doctor proved to be sturdier than he imagined as she ducked her head under his arm and lent support to his still wobbly legs.
They reached the door and chanced a look outside. There was no sign of activity. At first, Kevin thought that to be a good thing, but then he realized that this place had actually been a populated and busy compound when he’d first spied it. The lack of activity suddenly seemed ominous and unsettling.
