The thoughts of death, and dying linger in the young girl’s mind giving her an uneasy feeling in her mind and stomach as she struggles to her eyes closed. She can feel the scrunching in her nose as the skin wrinkles, her breathing becoming heavier and more rapid. She fights to swallow, a lump building in her throat as beads of sweat start to drip down to the floor.
I can’t let these thoughts keep me awake; they are almost repetitive… like my heart beat. I have to remain strong, that’s my only option now. To not give in, to not let my emotions get the best of me…
She calms the rhythmic beat of her heart allowing her body to gently drift off to sleep. Sleep comes at a price, vivid images of fire burning brightly throughout the night sky. Her friend’s bodies strewn around her each one ripped apart, left for dead. She stands bloody and defeated, multiple undead closing in around her. Her sword is drawn and she is shaking as she waits to fend them off. They attack one at a time, none giving her much of a problem as she kills each one that comes at her. She wobbles slightly, the tip of the sword dug into the dirt keeping her upright as the ring of Zombies breaks open. The ground vibrates before a deep, obnoxious laugh breaks through the chatter and the growls of the undead. Hope’s jaw drops, leaving her mouth hung open as she watches the newest threat make its way to her.
“No,” Hope says in a dry, drone like tone.
“Hello Hope,” a zombified Damian says with a half decaying smile. His once fearsome, strong, brown eyes a deep red color. His pupils are blended in, giving him a demonic look as he faces down his daughter.
“No it can’t be,” Hope cries, “you can’t!”
“Can’t what? It’s just a matter of time,” Damian cackles, “It’s going to happen Hope, it’s better to expect that now.”
“Expect what?” Hope asks.
“Fate,” Damian replies, “sooner or later you and your friends will either wind up dead… or just like us…” He holds his arms out as Fanny, Brad, and Mika start to pull themselves up from the ground.
“What did you do to them?” Hope rumbles.
“I didn’t do a thing.” Damian smirks, his jaw decayed revealing the inside of his mouth. “This is all your doing, you led them down this path. You sentenced them to this living Hell.”
He shows his teeth and rushes her. Hope fights back, cutting into his forearm as she dodges his attack. He turns his head back, his eyes almost glowing from the fire burning around him. He runs his hand over the cut wiping off the residual blood that built up from the cut. His smile widens as he runs his hand over his lips. His snake like tongue emerges out of the side of his face, licking the blood as he takes a few steps toward his daughter.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Hope cries.
“I don’t want to hurt you either,” Damian grins, “I just want to see if you taste as good as your friends…and your mother!”
He snaps his upper body toward her, the blade of her sword acting almost on instinct as it slices the last three fingers of his hand. He looks at his hand dismayed. The fingers wiggle back and forth on the ground, almost calling to him as he leans over and picks them up. One by one they reattach to his hand, the skin grafting itself back into place. He closes his hand, admiring the fact that his fingers are reattached. The remaining skin on his forehead starts to bubble, backing Hope up into the arms of the surrounding Zombies. They hold her still, forcing her to watch as her father begins to mutate. He grunts and groans as his skin stretches, pulling itself over his eyes. Hope watches in horror as the creature that once looked like her father now stands in front of her as the same creature they faced outside the grocery store.
“Oh fuck,” Hope mutters as the lesser Zombies free her from their grasp, pushing her to the ground, forcing her to face her biggest nightmare.
The father beast grabs her tightly by the shoulders, pulling her closer to his rotted skin. She can smell the rot and decay on his breath as he leans in close to her neck, his snake like tongue wrapping around her, tasting the sweat and fear that covers her body.
“Only a matter of time,” He repeats as he works his jagged teeth into her neck. Hope whimpers and whines as the teeth cut deep past her skin. Her hands shake as she tries to fight back. “You can’t stop me!” he says widening his mouth, going for the final attack.
“NO!” Hope roars, driving her sword through the creature’s jaw. He frees her from his grip as the lesser Zombies start to flee. She pulls the sword free from his head and kicks him to the ground. “I call the shots. I will never stop fighting, and neither will my friends. And I control my destiny!” Hope says with authority before swinging the blade through the air, not stopping until it frees his head from his body.
Hope’s eyes shoot open. She finds herself lying on her stomach, the white square of linoleum fogging with each breath she takes. Her hands throb with a dull ache, her fingers are curled tightly against her palms and she backs up supporting her weight as she pushes against the floor. Her back arches as she lets out a trio of soft blows, calming herself before she gets to her feet.
“Morning,” Brad says, a collapsible cup in his hand. “Sleep well?”
“Not particularly,” Hope replies wiping the crust out of the corners of her eyes.
“Bad dream?” He asks holding the cup out for her.
“Almost felt like a vision,” She says before chugging the small amount of liquid.
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not particularly,” Hope repeats, looking at the bottom of the cup, “but I could use some more water.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Brad smiles as he takes the cup from her.
“Are the others up yet?” Hope asks after following Brad back to his bag, watching him sift through the multiple items he stored inside.
“Yeah, Fanny woke up before me and Mika said he woke up in the middle of the night,” Brad replies removing another bottle of water from his bag. He twists the cap off, listening as the seal cracks off.
“Yeah Mika and I talked for a bit before he sent me off to sleep,” Hope says holding the cup steady as Brad refills it half way. “So where are they now?”
“Neither one of them seemed to be doing well being cooped up here,” Brad says stopping so her can take a quick sip from the bottle.
“And…?” Hope shrugs.
“Oh,” Brad says finishing the bottle, “they went out.”
“What!!!” Hope cries, “Whose brilliant idea…never mind, it sounds like Fanny. Why?”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere, with several undead who know where we are and that we have less than a quarter tank of gas,” Brad replies, “they figured it was best to survey our surroundings. You know, figure out what’s waiting for us.”
“What’s waiting for us is death!” Hope cries, the cup drops from her hand, the water slashing out as the several rings collapse on each other. Her head darts back and forth as she tries to wrap her head around everything. She runs her hands through her hair, stopping half way down and pulling it, and trying to remove the stress from her body. She walks away, her hands still glued to her hair. She grabs her guns and holsters them the best she can inside her waistband.
“What are you doing?” Brad asks following closely behind her.
“I’ve got to find them,” Hope says as she picks up her sword, “it isn’t safe out there.”
“Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!” Brad says grabbing her by her shoulders and stopping her, “you can’t go out there, it’s stupid!”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Hope says, “What about them?”
“They went out together, with a plan. They didn’t just rush out,” Brad says trying to keep her from leaving.
“Look you have to choices right now… Get out of my way or I’ll get you out of my way,” Hope threatens.
“This won’t end well Hope,” Brad says, “You don’t want to do anything stupid.” The two stare each other down, electricity sparking from each of their eyes, “please, just trust me.”
Ho
pe clasps her hand around the handle of her sword, the top of the blade poking out as she starts to free it from its home, only to be stopped by the sound of the door bursting open, the brass doorknob slamming into the wall leaving a small dent in the plaster.
“We have to go, NOW!” Mika says between pants as he stands in the doorway, the barrel of his gun still smoking.
“Where’s Fanny?” Hope asks expecting the worse, “What happened to her?”
“She’s in the Jeep waiting for us,” Mika says impatiently, “now let’s go!”
Brad grabs his bag and tosses it over his shoulders. He then turns and picks up the second bag tossing it to Mika who catches it and waves for the others to rush out the door. A soft rumbling is heard off in the distance. Vibrations shake the very ground they stand on. Mika pushes Hope, forcing her to move as she looks for the source of the sound.
“What is that?” Hope asks, swatting Mika’s hands off her back. “Is that Zombies?”
“We’ll explain in the car, just keep going!” Mika says.
Dust flies up off in the distance as the Jeep swerves through the dust stopping beside the small group. The trio dive into the vehicle and Fanny slams her foot down on the gas, spinning the wheels, kicking up dust as the speed away from the old liquor store.
“Now will someone please explain to me just what the FUCK is going on?” Hope cries from the backseat of the Jeep.
Fanny looks through the rearview mirror. Hope can see the top right quarter of her face looking back at her, a new cut still bleeding beside her eye. Hope glances over at Brad sitting beside her in the back, his attention turned to the everlasting nothingness of the outside.
“Will someone please start talking?” Hope orders. “What was all that back there? Zombies?”
“Yeah,” Fanny says letting out a quick sigh of relief, “but I think we got out of there just in…” She slams on the brakes, turning the Jeep to the side, stopping right in front of a horde of Zombies.
Chapter 20
Fanny shifts the Jeep into reverse and slams her foot down on the accelerator sending the vehicle backwards.
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Fanny cries as she turns herself around looking out the back window.
Hope has her hands gripped firmly on the seat as she holds herself still, her face lacking color and her eyes closed tightly. Brad has toppled over sideways, the top half of his body hovering just above the floorboards. Fanny turns back around and sharply cuts the wheel, her foot hitting the brakes as she does. A group groan is heard as she turns the vehicle around and drives forward.
“Where are we going? Mika asks.
“I don’t know!” Fanny cries, “we have less than a quarter tank and we don’t know how many there are.”
“And we’re going the wrong way,” Hope points out, her normal color slowly returning.
“I know, I know!” Fanny shouts back.
She hits the brakes again, turning the steering wheel sending Brad and Mika into their doors and Hope sliding into Brad.
“Will you stop doing that!” Mika screams, trying to keep what little food in his stomach from coming up.
“Sorry,” Fanny says gripping the wheel tightly, her foot revving the accelerator, “but it is only my second time ever driving.”
“What?” Mika asks shocked.
“Well I was barely thirteen when the world went to Hell. Since then I’ve been living in a military base on a remote island… so forgive me,” Fanny says putting the vehicle in drive.
All four tires spin rapidly over the hot gravel, the smell of burning rubber penetrates through the small cracks in the windows. The four survivors are thrown back against their leather covered seats, each one holding on the best he or she can as they make it back to the horde, still waiting for them. Fanny glances down at the speedometer, watching it rise quickly from thirty five to sixty miles. Thuds are heard from each side of the Jeep, scratching and scraping sounds pierce through each of their ears with each Zombie they hit. Hope looks out the window, her eyes wide with terror as she watches a Zombie cling to her door. Its boney fingers’ probing through the metal as it slowly climbs the side. Its milky eyes never remove themselves from Hope’s.
“We’ve got company!” Hope calls out.
“This side too,” Brad replies cocking his guns.
“Do what you can to take care of them,” Fanny cries as the car swerves from side to side.
“Don’t worry doll, I’m on it!” Brad says rolling his window down.
He maneuvers his body justly, hanging the top half of his body out the window just enough to get the Zombies in his sight. He fires shots randomly, hitting them the best he can.
“YEE HAW!” Brad cries out after several shots, “now this is a hoot!”
“How about you celebrate after you manage to knock that thing off the side of the Jeep!” Mika growls.
After roughly half a dozen shots he manages to shoot off the Zombie’s hands, releasing it from the side of the vehicle. Hope mimics Brad’s action, her sword drawn from its sheath and hanging out the window with her. She hacks and slashes the undead monstrosity as it fights back with its boney claws. Hope lifts the sword as high as she can before driving the tip of the blade through the Zombie’s chest and force the sharp edge out the side. Several organs and various parts become exposed. Hope swipes the sword again, finally making contact with the creature’s neck. It takes some force but she manages to pull the blade the rest of the way through the decaying skin, finally decapitating the monster, freeing it from the side of the vehicle.
“Clear,” Hope says, plopping back into her seat an exhausted look on her face.
The Jeep starts to stutter, the steering wheel locking tightly.
“What’s going on?” Mika asks holding onto the dashboard as the vehicle swerves off the road.
“We’re out of gas,” Fanny answers.
“Well that’s just great,” Mika groans, “what are we going to do now?”
“What do you think we’re going to do?” Fanny asks sarcastically as she pushes a backpack onto his lap. “We get out and walk.”
“In this heat, with no idea where we’re going?” Mika asks, his hands flailing with each syllable, “That’s suicide!”
“Better than sitting here, waiting for those undead fuckers,” Hope remarks opening her door.
“But we don’t even know if we’re going the right way,” Mika growls again.
“Look, you can stay here if you want,” Fanny says climbing out of the Jeep, her head still poking inside, “it shouldn’t be long before the Zombies get here. You can fight them all off, right?”
Mika grunts and groans, his eyes rolling several times before he grabs the bag and joins the others outside.
“We can’t be that far,” Hope says pointing down the road at a green highway sign. In faded white letters they can make out “Houston five miles.”
“Well that’s a plus at least,” Mika says, a sour look on his face.
“That’s the only plus,” Brad says pulling on Fanny’s sleeve, turning her around and turning her attention to the half dozen Zombies limping and staggering toward them.
“What do we do?” Mika asks holding out his gun, “Do we fight or run?”
“Nowhere to run,” Brad says checking his clips, “I say we fight first.”
“No,” Hope says holding him back, “we can’t win this.”
“We have to try,” Brad argues.
“No, Hope’s right,” Fanny says cutting him off, “there’s too many of them.”
“Where do we go then?” Brad asks uncocking his guns.
“Follow the sign,” Hops says nodding her head.
“Not so fast,” a growl whispers through the wind.
The Zombies part down the middle as a massive beast pounds its massive feet. The new creature almost looks like an ape. With a huge hunched body, long arms that almost drag on the ground with each shuffling step.
“What are you?” Fanny asks pushing
Hope behind her.
“I am your destiny,” The hideous creature roars, “I am what you will all become. I am the next stage in human development!”
“So you’re not a Zombie?” Brad asks confused.
“I’m more than a Zombie or a Human, I am the future!” The beast roars again.
“Yeah, about that,” Brad says as he rushes the creature, his guns firing wildly, the bullets bouncing off the creature’s body. Brad’s pistols click several times, out of ammo before he tosses them off to the side. He kicks the creature in the chest with his boot, sending it stumbling backwards, “I prefer to live in the present.”
“Funny,” The creature laughs deeply, “because you won’t be alive for long.”
The beast gets back on its stubby legs and swings its massive arm wildly knocking Brad backward.
“Go check on Brad,” Fanny orders Mika who looks at her momentarily hesitant before he rushes over to Brad’s side.
“What about us?” Hope asks, still stuck behind her protective friend.
“You are going to run, as fast as you can. I’m going to fight ugly,” Fanny says.
“Fanny, No!” Hope cries.
“Do as I say,” Fanny says pushing her away, “find the other survivors, save them.”
“I can’t leave you,” Hope yells.
“You’re not,” Fanny smirks, “you’re finishing the job you volunteered for.”
Hope’s face drops in horror, “but…”
“No, GO!” Fanny roars.
Hope takes a few steps away, her eyes looking down at her father’s sword, then back up at Fanny. “Here, use this to kill that ugly son of a bitch.”
Fanny takes the sword out of the sheath with a sad look in her eyes as she watches Hope scuttle off toward Brad and Mika. She can almost hear them arguing off in the distance before finally following Hope away. Fanny turns her attention back to the big, ape like monstrosity, both her hands gripped firmly around the handle of the sword. She rushes toward the beast, the silver steel gleaming in the sun as she takes the first swipe, making contact with the horrendous creature.
Omega Virus (Book 2): Revisited Page 19
