by Paul Seiple
"I take that back. There is a difference," Daria said.
"We haven't made it this far to be a buffet for the retirement home," Nick said taking a pistol from his backpack.
The man broke through the passenger window and pawed at Daria. She fiddled between the seats for a hunting knife. When the man lunged forward, she stabbed him under the chin, forcing the blade upwards until he slouched over the door.
"We're sitting ducks in here. We're going to have to fight through them," Nick said.
Q didn't answer. He watched two women seem to communicate without speaking.
"Q?" Nick said.
A woman poked her head through the broken passenger window. Daria jammed the blade into her temple.
"They're evolving. Almost human again," Q said.
"Hey, that's great, but they are still trying to eat us," Daria said.
The interior of the SUV went dark. Bodies clung to the windows, pounding on the glass.
"There's not enough room to fight them in here. We have to get out," Nick said.
"How do you suggest we do that?" Daria said.
"Q?" Nick asked.
Q shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "Nick, climb up front. Daria, get ready to get out. I'm going to break the back window with this," Q held up a brick.
Nick gave him a perplexed look.
"Hey, it's the apocalypse. You never know when you're going to need a brick," Q said.
"That's a good point," Nick said.
The SUV shook, knocking Nick into Daria, pressing her against the door. A hand reached through the broken window and grabbed her hair. She swung the knife, barely missing Nick's face.
"Whoa." Nick held Daria's wrists and freed the knife from her grip. He plunged it into the side of the woman's head as she pressed through the window.
"All right, I'm going to break the back window. The sound should draw them. Once you see sunlight, get the hell out of the car and run north," Q said.
Q took a deep breath and measured up the back window. The brick hit and shattered the glass. A seep of light pierced the windshield.
"Go now," Q said.
Daria opened the door, knocking an old woman down. She grabbed Daria's ankle, causing her to trip over another body. Nick jammed the knife into the back of the woman's head before she could bite Daria.
"That's twice I've saved your life in the last two minutes," Nick said.
Daria snatched the knife from Nick and shoved him to the ground. She sprang to her feet and plunged the knife into an old man's temple. He fell on top of Nick.
"We're even. He was bigger than both women," Daria said.
"Hey, guys, this isn't a contest," Q said, hitting an old man in the face with a metal gas can. "Only a few more."
The man reached for Q's leg. He bit into Q's boot.
"Q!" Daria said.
Q shook his foot free and kicked the man in the mouth, shattering what was left of his teeth.
"I'm good. He got my steel toe," Q said.
The street was clear, but the four remaining zombies were inside the SUV with the supplies. Q walked to the driver's door.
"When I open this, pick them off as they come out. And, Nick, don't use the gun," Q said.
"Well, wait a minute. Let me find something," Nick said, kicking through trash littering the road. A clank revealed a crowbar. Nick held it above his head and yelled, "Release the old people."
Daria exhaled and shook her head. "You're really embarrassing."
Q nodded and opened the door. The first to exit was a slightly overweight short woman. Daria forced the knife into the back of her head. A man tumbled out onto the woman. Nick drove the crowbar into his skull. Another woman fell from the car. Nick stepped on her back as Daria silenced her with the stab to the base of the skull. The final threat was a man, nearly six-and-a-half feet tall. His long wingspan allowed him to grab Nick and slam him against the side of the SUV. The force sent Daria over the pile of dead. Nick lost the crowbar in the jarring. The man tried to pull Nick back into the car. Nick braced his feet against the SUV and pushed toward the road in an attempt to free himself. The man's grip was surprisingly strong. Nick's foot slipped. The man pulled him closer. Nick caught the floor panel of the Pathfinder with his heel and pushed away again. The force freed Nick. He fell to the ground, but the man lunged forward and landed on top of Nick. The man's cold, dead breath stung Nick's neck as he closed in. Nick pressed against the man's forehead with both hands to hold him off.
"Can I get a little help?" Nick said. "This old bastard is strong."
Daria untangled her leg from the heap, plucked the knife from the old lady, and sank it into the back of the man's head. Nick pushed him to the side.
"Don't worry, Q, we got this," Nick said, brushing dirt from his jeans.
Q hovered over a woman's body. Her flesh held a pinkish hue. Her eyes were wide, pupils blue, and no sign of the milky film that was a sure sign of infection. Q felt for a pulse out of instinct. The only symptom of infection was the aggressive behavior. She had no pulse. Even the living tended to lose that when stabbed in the head. Q knew the woman was dead long before Daria knifed her. Judas was getting stronger.
"It's OK, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Nick said.
"Are you sure? I saw the look on your face when he grabbed you," Daria said. "Do you need a clean pair of underwear?"
"I thought the brat phase was over when you turned eighteen," Nick said.
"Judas found a way to preserve the body," Q said.
"Maybe these old people were recently infected," Nick said.
Daria moved a woman's head with her green Chuck Taylor. "Even so, wouldn't the eyes be cloudy?"
"Yes," Q said, standing up. He walked to one of the men. Q estimated he was in his early seventies. Q bent to get a better look. There were no wrinkles on the man's face. A bald spot in the crown of his head had fuzz.
"Unbelievable," Q said. "He was regenerating hair."
"What?" Nick said, moving closer.
"And unless he had an anti-aging secret, I'd say Judas has not only evolved, it’s developing repairing qualities."
"Nick, you do have more wrinkles than the old man," Daria said.
"Whatever. Do you really think the virus did this?" Nick asked.
"We knew it was only a matter a time before Judas found a way to maintain a host," Q said.
"That old guy who grabbed me didn't have the grip of a seventy-year-old," Nick said. "Wait, so the infected are actually becoming healthier than us?"
"Let's hope not," Q said. "But it kinda looks that way."
"I guess we're lucky the geriatric gang attacked us and not a younger group," Daria said.
"We need to find another car before more of these super zombies show up," Nick said, reaching into the SUV for the supplies. He handed Daria her backpack. Slung his over his shoulder and tossed a bag to Q.
"Wonder if that one has juice." Daria pointed to a yellow Mustang.
"If so, it'll get us around the block," Nick said. "Gas guzzler."
"I know what you meant," Daria said. "Don't mansplain to me."
"How about this one?" Q said, running his hand down the side of an old station wagon.
"Really?" Daria asked.
"Why not?" Q opened the driver's door. The stench of death latched on, causing him to bend to his knees and gag. He coughed and turned his head away to clear his throat.
"Oh, hell no," Nick said as the odor caught the wind.
Q buried his nose in the crook of his bent arm and shut the door. He slid away on his butt. The station wagon rocked. Q got to his feet and ran back to the SUV.
"Did you see that?" Q asked.
"See what?" Nick said.
"I saw it," Daria said. "It moved."
"Something is in there," Q said.
"Well, let's leave it be and find something else. There is no way I'm getting in there with that smell," Nick said.
The driver's door of the station wagon opened slowly like a
door in a horror movie. A black leather boot planted on the ground. The other foot became visible. A hand grabbed the top of the door. A man, dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit, stood and faced Q, Nick, and Daria. He wasn't as tall as the old man who attacked Nick, but he was much younger and in much better shape.
"Jesus. Is it going to rip open the jumpsuit to reveal an SZ on its chest?" Nick asked.
"What?" Daria asked.
"Super Zombie? Haven't you been paying attention?" Nick asked.
The man ran toward Nick. This was the first time Q saw one of the infected run and run fast.
"Watch out, Nick," Q said, pushing Nick into Daria.
The man hit Q with enough force to lift him in the air. He drove Q onto the asphalt, knocking the air from his body. Q's head slammed onto the pavement. He went limp.
"Q!" Daria said, springing to her feet.
Nick pushed by Daria and put the man in a chin lock, narrowly avoiding his chomping mouth. "Get Q," he said.
The man stood with Nick still draped over his back. He swung from side-to-side, but Nick held on. Daria pulled Q behind a burnt Hyundai. She slapped his face, trying to wake him.
"Help me. Then we can help Q," Nick said.
Daria fumbled around for anything that resembled a weapon. She pried a piece of metal from the frame of the burnt car. The heat weakened it, but she hoped it would be enough to take the guy out.
"Hold still," Daria said, trying to aim for the guy's head without hitting Nick.
"Are you serious? I'm not moving. This beast is flinging me around like a backpack," Nick said. "Just stick him."
Daria took a deep breath and focused between the man's eyes. He was taller than her. She was around five-foot-one. He had to be at least five-ten. She bent her knees. Her calves tightened. The man lunged for her as she jumped to meet him. The shard of metal snapped when it hit the man's forehead. Daria bounced off him and fell over the hood of an old Toyota.
"Shit, are you OK?" Nick asked. He maintained the chokehold on the man and tried to steer him away from Daria.
There was a cracking sound. The man's head flung back into Nick's cheek, knocking him to the road. The man dropped to his knees. Nick tried to focus as another cracking sound clanged off the wrecked cars. The man fell to his right. Q stood over him holding a tire iron with a chunk of the man's face clinging to it.
"A chokehold, really?" Q said. "He's dead."
"I was going to say something about that," Daria said, rising from the other side of the Toyota.
"You two can fuck right off. You..." Nick pointed at Q. "... were knocked out. And you..." He pointed at Daria. "... tried to break the guy's skull with weak metal. And not that Nickelback shit."
"Nickelback was never metal," Daria said.
Q shrugged his shoulders. "She's right."
"Whatever. The station wagon is clear. Let's just get the hell out of here before more of those bastards show up,“ Nick said.
Twenty-Five
"He hasn't left that room all night. Are you sure he didn't off himself?" Abe asked.
"Maestro wouldn't do that," Finn said, examining the damage to his face left by Alan's fist. "He had to put Beverly down. He just needs time."
"He cared about Beverly, though. Maybe it was too much for him."
"He's fine, Abe."
Abe removed the bandage from his face.
"She got you good. Your modeling career is over," Finn said.
"That bitch," Abe said.
A siren interrupted the conversation. High-pitched noises rang out through the old carnival.
"What the hell?" Abe said.
Finn left the bathroom without saying a word. Abe lowered the bandage over his wound and followed. Four men carrying hunting rifles ran towards Finn.
"We've been breached."
"Calm down. What is going on?" Finn asked.
"Zombies came through the north gate."
"Impossible," Finn said.
"Go look for yourself, then. At least a dozen came through."
A woman's scream blended with the siren to create an unforgettable shrill. A group of people fled from a tent as if it were on fire. Dust hung to the air making visibility difficult, but the panic was enough to teach Finn what he thought was impossible was surely happening.
"Come on," Finn said, charging the toward the tent. Automatic gunfire stopped him in his tracks.
The gunfire ended as fast as it began. The dust settled. A team of soldiers wearing black suits and matching armored masks hovered over the dead clutching AR-15s. A tall, bald man wearing a three-piece suit split the group.
"Who is in charge of this operation?" he said.
Finn stepped forward. "I'm second in command."
"Second does not make you the leader."
"I am," Wayne said, lowering his mask over his face. He pushed by Finn.
"And you are?" The bald man asked.
"I'm the person who owns this land you're standing on. I'll ask the questions,"
"Arrogance. That could get you killed."
"Invading someone's land could get you killed as well," Wayne said.
"That sounds like a threat, stranger."
"Why are you here?" Wayne asked.
"I'm looking for someone."
"You're going to have to be more specific," Wayne said.
The bald man smiled and placed his hand just below his nose. "He's about this tall. Blonde hair. His name is Alan Dawson."
"He's not one of us," Wayne said.
"Of course he isn't. You're a bunch of carnival freaks. Alan is a soldier. You wouldn't be in charge if Alan was one of you. I know he has been here recently."
Wayne paused. The man who helped Melanie escape, he thought. "Why are you looking for him?"
"He's an old friend. Now are you going to cooperate?"
"Maybe after you tell me who the hell you are," Wayne said.
The bald man nodded to the soldier to his right. The soldier took a pistol from his belt and fired, dropping Finn beside Wayne.
"Let me be painfully clear about one thing. You are not in charge. You cannot make demands," the bald man said. "This land belongs to me now."
Wayne thought about running, but with the firepower these men had, he stood no chance of escaping. A shadow grew behind the bald man. Wayne's giant, Russell, grabbed the two soldiers to the bald man's right. He snapped one's neck and tossed the other one at least six feet.
The bald man fell to a knee before being pulled away from Russell.
"My, my, what do we have here?" the bald man asked. "How tall are you?"
Russell didn't say anything.
"He's seven-three," Wayne said.
"You're quite the specimen," the bald man said. "I could find a place for you in my organization."
"I serve Maestro," Russell said.
The bald man pointed at Wayne. "Is that you?"
Wayne ignored the question.
"Well, that's a shame. I can see you're clearly devoted to your leader."
The bald man raised his arm. A bullet exploded the left side of Russell's face. He looked to the soldiers to his left, and in a blink, the four men behind Wayne were dead.
"OK. Alan was here, but he's gone," Wayne said.
"Why was he here?"
"He kidnapped one of my people," Wayne said. "They left behind that pile of parts."
"How long ago?"
"A couple hours ago," Wayne said. "He murdered my only doctor too."
The bald man walked to Wayne. He stood eye-to-eye with him. Not many people stood eye-to-eye with Wayne. The bald man lifted the gas mask from Wayne's face.
"I suggest that be the last lie you tell me, Wayne Kurten."
"How do you know me?" Wayne asked.
"I know everything. I'm the closest thing you'll ever see to a god. I created this world. If you want to live another day in it, do not lie to me again. Alan would not murder the only doctor here."
"Who are you?" Wayne asked.
"Are you
telling me the truth about Alan being here and leaving over there?" The bald man pointed to the junk pile.
"Yes."
"Did he kidnap one of your people?"
Wayne hesitated. "No... I took someone from another camp. He rescued her."
"That's better. Since you were honest with me, I will introduce myself. I'm Mitchell Ashe. My friends call me Mitch. You can call me Mitchell. Can you take me to this other camp?"
"Yes," Wayne said. "But if I do, can you let me have the woman Alan took from here?"
Mitch smiled. "I like you, Wayne. You're in no position to make demands, yet you do."
"She's special to me," Wayne said.
"We will talk about it. How many people are under your command?"
Wayne eyed the bodies of Finn, Russell, and the four other men. "About twenty now."
"Where are they?" Mitch asked.
"Probably hiding in the storm shelter behind the Merry-Go-Round."
Mitch motioned several of his soldiers toward the Merry-Go-Round. He waved the rest away from him.
"What are you going to do to them?" Wayne asked.
"Where are your quarters?" Mitch asked.
"Why?"
"It's going to get loud out here. I would like to continue this discussion in private."
Wayne pointed to the haunted house.
"Why am I not surprised you chose that place," Mitch said. "I see potential in you."
"You're not going to kill me?" Wayne asked.
"I thought about it. But you could be of use to me."
Mitch put his hand on Wayne's shoulder and guided him toward the haunted house. After a few steps, automatic gunfire rang out. Wayne hesitated. Mitch added more pressure to his touch and pushed Wayne forward.
"You didn't have to kill them," Wayne said.
"What would you do to an unfamiliar group you came upon?" Mitch asked.
Wayne didn't answer.
"The world we live in is at war. You must assume everyone that is a stranger is an enemy," Mitch said.
Wayne opened the door and stepped inside the haunted house. Mitch followed and laughed at the crude images of monsters decorating the walls.
"Pop culture teaches us to fear imaginary monsters while the real threats are right in front of us," Mitch said.
Wayne grabbed a chair and slid it toward Mitch, who smiled and sat down. He motioned for Wayne to take a seat as well.
