Ragnarok Rising

by D. A. Roberts

  I had to be precise on my shooting to avoid hitting the others. I stopped running and brought the ACOG to my eye. Time seemed to slow as I took a deep breath and centered the crosshairs on the back of the head of the first Sprinter. I squeezed the trigger and watched as the head came apart and the creature took one more step on rubbery legs before tumbling to a stop in a ragged heap. Before it had stopped moving, I was zeroing in on the next Sprinter. I could see it reaching for the little boy and it suddenly became a race for his life. If I was too late, then it would have him.

  The creature was lurching as it ran, making a clear headshot almost impossible. I had to take whatever I could get. With a silent prayer to the All-Father to guide my aim, I squeezed the trigger and watched the bullet tear a meaty chunk out of the creature’s left shoulder. It wasn’t a kill shot, but it took the thing off balance and sent it sprawling to the ground. Unfortunately, it grabbed the boy and took him down with it. Now I couldn’t risk another shot.

  Sprinting for them, I let the M-4 hang around my neck and grabbed the hilt of my Gladius. Drawing the blade as I ran, I arrived to find that the creature had a death-grip on the boy’s leg, but he was furiously kicking it in the face to keep it from biting him. At least someone in that family was willing to fight.

  I spun the blade around and drove the tip of it through the back of the creature’s head. With a sickening crunch, I twisted the blade and felt the satisfying shudder as it ceased moving. The boy had to yank his leg free of the dead thing’s hand, but he appeared otherwise unharmed. He just looked at me and smiled.

  “Thanks,” he said, breathing hard.

  “No problem, kid,” I replied. “Let’s get moving.”

  He got to his feet with the resilience of youth and took off after his mother and sister. I wondered if they hadn’t seen the boy taken to the ground or if they chose to keep running. I didn’t have time to ponder it, though. We still needed to get to the dock and get extracted by the boat. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the flare-gun. It already had a flare loaded into the chamber, so I cocked it and aimed into the air at an angle, aiming it out over the river.

  There was a hollow thunk, followed by the sizzling whoosh of the flare as it streaked into the sky and over the river. I only hoped that Sky and Morgan were paying attention. I knew that they wouldn’t be the only ones to see the flare. It would also attract the attention of every undead that saw the phosphorescent green glow that was slowly arcing through the darkening sky.

  We continued to run towards the dock as I quickly wiped the blade on the back of my pants and then replaced it in the sheath. Rachel and the kids were the first to reach the dock and they didn’t slow down as they headed for the far end. Rich was close behind him, but seemed to be faltering. Either from fatigue or shock, I wasn’t quite sure.

  When I reached the dock, I turned and proceeded to walk backwards. Since there were no boats tied up to the dock and I could clearly see that there were no dead hiding along it, I only had the one direction to cover. I could see several undead beginning to emerge onto the street and heading our way, attracted by the flare. Although they were still a few blocks away, I knew that they wouldn’t take long to cover the distance. Especially if any of them were Sprinters.

  As I reached the spot where everyone had grouped together, I dropped to one knee and covered the dock. I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to engage any of the dead, since ammunition was going to become very hard to come by. I needed to conserve my ammo as much as possible. Once it was all gone, I was in trouble. I was really starting to sweat when I heard the engine of the boat rumble to life.

  Instantly, Shriekers began to sound off their horrid cry when the engine of the boat thundered across the water. About a dozen of the dead accelerated rapidly towards the dock, attracted now by the sight of the flare and the noise of the motor. I could hear the boat throttling up as it raced towards the dock, but the dead were racing too. The winner got all of us. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I would be an expensive prize.

  The lead Sprinters were reaching the far end of the dock when I heard the boat begin to throttle back. They were almost to the end of the dock and the timing was going to be very tight. I began targeting the leaders of the crowd, hoping that if I took one of them down that it might trip a few more. My first two shots did just that. I took down two of the dead and they caused a cascade effect as four more tumbled to the deck with them. It was not going to be enough.

  “Wylie!” shouted Sky. “They’re on.”

  I glanced back to see that they had all made it onto the boat and were beckoning me to join them. I took one last glance at the oncoming dead and knew I would only have a few seconds before they were upon us. I turned and leapt across the distance as Sky began to reverse the powerful engine. We began churning the water violently as we opened up the distance between us and the end of the dock.

  The dead were leaping after us, but we were moving too fast. As the distance grew wider and wider, they began to stop at the end of the dock in impotent rage as they tried to reach out to us across the water. There was no way that they could get us, now. We’d made it clear of the little town whose name I didn’t even know. The fire from the gas station was spreading rapidly on the cool evening wind. Soon, it would engulf the bulk of this little town, taking it to Hel on its funerary flames. Hel was welcome to have them back.

  Chapter Five

  Chosen

  “All that live must die, passing through nature to eternity.”

  - William Shakespeare

  After introductions had been made, I took the controls from Sky and got us heading farther down the river. We were back out in the main channel, so I cut the engine and let us drift along on the current. The moon was rising high in the sky and the stars were shining bright. I could clearly see the same two comets that I had seen before. It might be my imagination, but they looked a little bigger. The cool air was refreshing after what we had been through. I was confident enough that I removed my body armor and sat my weapons beside me on the deck.

  Rich, Rachel and the kids had made themselves a place to sleep. Rich and Rachel were sitting up against the railing, each of them with a child’s head cradled in their lap. Had it been under other circumstances, it would have been a touching sight. Morgan was wrapped in a blanket and sleeping soundly on one of the benches. Only Sky and I remained awake and she had been silent since the rescue.

  Reaching into my bag, I pulled out the small bottle of whiskey that I had stuck away for myself. Uncapping it, I took a swig and let the flavor slowly flow through my mouth. I closed my eye and swallowed, feeling the warmth of the liquid spread throughout my system. I couldn’t allow myself to drink more than that, so I planned on savoring the one.

  “Mind if I join you?” asked Sky, softly.

  I opened my eye and found that she was standing beside me, smiling. I handed her the bottle and she took a small drink, and then handed it back to me. I could see the sensations on her face as the powerful liquid took effect.

  “Whoa,” she said, breathing out slowly. “That’s good.”

  “It’s not the best Scotch I’ve ever had, but it’ll do,” I said, recapping the bottle. “It’s only a twelve year old. The twenty is amazing.”

  “I bet,” she replied.

  “Something bothering you?” I asked, replacing the bottle in my bag.

  “I wanted to wait until everyone was asleep before I talked to you about it,” she stated, frowning.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “It’s the guy named Rich,” she stated, pointing at him. “I think he’s going to turn.”

  “Why is that?” I asked, turning to look at him.

  “I didn’t see any signs of a bite,” she said, “but I’ve seen that type of fever before. Did he get any of the dead’s fluids in one of those cuts?”

  I hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. I had hoped that by rinsing it out with bourbon, I would stop it from spreading to hi
m. I wasn’t even certain that a person could contract the Reaper Virus through fluid contact. Now I wasn’t so sure.

  “Yeah,” I said, reluctantly. “I rinsed it out with alcohol immediately. I was hoping that it wouldn’t transfer.”

  “It will,” she said, firmly. “I’ve seen it happen before.”

  “Won’t you be able to treat it, like you did with me?” I asked, dreading the answer.

  “No,” she answered, flatly. “I don’t even know how you survived. No one has ever done it before.”

  “Believe me,” I said, shaking my head, “I’m not sure how I survived it, either. Well, nothing that would make sense, anyway.”

  “You might be surprised,” she said, smiling. “After all, it was a vision that led me to you.”

  “So, what do we do about Rich?” I asked, not sure I didn’t already know.

  “We wait,” she explained. “If he starts to turn, someone will have to deal with him.”

  I thought about suggesting that we not wait for him to turn, but I thought better of it. I mean, there is always a chance that he just has a normal sickness, not the Black Death of the twenty-first century.

  “If he turns,” I said, softly, “I’ll take care of it, myself. There’s no sense in any of you having to be the one.”

  “Have you watched someone turn before?”

  “Not really,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ve seen people that were bitten get back up but I’ve never watched the process. Is it bad?”

  “Sometimes,” she answered. “Depends on how strong the person is. Some turn faster than others. It’s also tough to watch if it’s someone you care about.”

  It hit me that she was talking from personal experience. I wasn’t sure I wanted to open those wounds for her. If she wanted to talk about it, she would. Some things are better left unsaid.

  “I’ll keep an eye on him,” she said, turning back towards the others. “If he starts to turn, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks,” I whispered, and started reaching for my gear.

  Well, so much for a quiet, comfortable night without my armor on. I put on my gear a piece at a time, careful to keep the noise to a minimum. When I buckled the XVR on, the weight felt good on my hip. I still missed my old Colt, but this new pistol was an exciting addition to my arsenal. Part of me was eager to put it to use. I was curious to see just what it could do. I had the feeling that I would find out soon enough.

  I spent most of the night keeping the boat in the middle of the channel. There was plenty of light from the moon so that I could see where we were going. Every so often, Sky would get up and check on Rich. At first, he stirred when she would feel his forehead to check his temperature. Soon, he only moaned in his sleep. She turned to me and confirmed what we had feared. He was burning up with fever.

  “I think that we’d better move the others away from him,” said Sky after checking him for the third time. “If I’m right it shouldn’t be long, now.”

  “Go ahead,” I whispered. “I’ll watch and cover you, just in case.”

  Without another word, Sky went and gently moved the kids. She carefully picked them up and moved them to the back of the boat, behind me. Then she quietly shook Rachel and woke her up. When Rachel began to stir, Sky quickly shushed her to keep her from making any sudden loud noises.

  Once Rachel was awake, Sky led her back to where the kids were laying and began whispering to her. I couldn’t quite make out the words, but I knew what it was she was saying. How do you tell someone that their brother is about to turn into a zombie? I could tell by the sobs that it was done. I didn’t envy Sky in that task.

  After a few minutes, both Sky and Rachel joined me by the wheel. I could see Rachel’s eyes were swollen and puffy from crying, even in the light of the moon. Her lower lip was still quivering and she had her arms wrapped around herself. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

  “Are you sure?” asked Rachel, her voice pleading with me.

  “Yes,” answered Sky. “I’ve seen it happen before.”

  “He’s going to turn into…” said Rachel, her voice trailing off.

  “One of the dead,” I finished for her.

  “I want to talk to him before he does,” said Rachel.

  I glanced at Sky and she just shrugged. I guess she didn’t know if it was safe or not, either. I could only hope that it was because I couldn’t deny her the chance to say goodbye. It was the right thing to do. I would just have to be careful to keep her safe.

  “I’ll go with her,” said Sky.

  “I’ll be right here if you need me,” I said, gently.

  I watched as they walked slowly over to Rich. As they approached him, warning bells began to sound in my head. Something was very wrong. From the way that Rich’s head was lolled forward onto his chest, I could tell that something was different. Just as Rachel was reaching for him, I watched his head snap up and his eyes lock onto her. It wasn’t Rich anymore.

  “Move!” I bellowed.

  Sky reacted lightning fast and yanked Rachel away from him just as he was reaching for her. They sprawled to the deck as the thing that had once been Rich stood up. I could tell by its movements that there was nothing human left inside. He was one of the dead now.

  “Richie!” cried Rachel.

  The anguish in her voice was plain to hear. She was reaching out towards what she still thought was her brother. When I saw it crouch and begin to snarl, I knew what he had become. From the way it was about to launch itself, I could tell that Rich was now a Sprinter. As its inhuman growl split the quiet of the night, we all knew that there was nothing left of Rich. There was only the undead.

  Before it could attack, I stepped around the controls of the boat and drew the big XVR. If the growl had split the night, then the power of the XVR shattered it. Fire leapt from the barrel and out both sides of the chamber and muzzle break as the massive .460 Magnum round erupted from the weapon. It bucked furiously in my hands and the muzzle flash ruined my night vision. All I could see was colored spots in the shape of the flash. When I could see clearly, Rich was gone. The impact had thrown him out of the boat and into the Osage River.

  The remainder of the night passed slowly with the silence broken only by the grieving sobs of Rachel and her children. No one said anything to me about shooting him, but I could see the looks in their eyes. I don’t know if they hated or feared me more. I hoped that, in time, they would come to understand the necessity of my actions. Maybe, in time, I would as well.

  As the sun was starting to crest the horizon, the area around us began to come to life with the sounds of birds and other animals. Up ahead of us I could see that we were heading for another, much larger, body of water. I tried consulting the mental map in my head, but I was not all that familiar with this part of the state. I dug the map that I had out of my rucksack and opened it. It was easy to locate Lake of the Ozarks and then it was just a matter of tracing the line that was the Osage. My finger found the only thing that it possibly could be. We had to be approaching the Missouri River.

  The Missouri River was the longest river in the country. This massive river ran all the way from the Rocky Mountains of western Montana to St. Louis, Missouri where it joined the Mississippi on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. Considering the volume of water that had been released from Lake of the Ozarks, even the Mighty Mo was over her banks.

  The strange feeling in the pit of my stomach was suddenly more pronounced. I had the feeling that whatever was causing my feeling was close by. I began to study the area more intently. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to see, but something was compelling me to look around. Whatever it was, I also felt a familiar feeling as the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand on end. There was danger nearby.

  As we merged out into the much deeper and wider Missouri River, I began to really study our surroundings. It felt like something sinister was lurking behind every shadow. Even the morning animal sounds had disappeared. The silence was eerie as we dr
ifted along on the slow current. There was no sign of movement of any kind. Not even the dead. It was more than a little nerve-wracking.

  We had drifted along for almost an hour and hadn’t seen anything noteworthy. It was a predominately rural area, with lots of wooded areas and scattered fields. As we rounded a bend in the river, I could see a field on our right that had been torn apart. It looked like something big and heavy had been dragged across it, plowing a deep furrow across the field and ending in a pile of trees and rocks on the far side of it.

  It didn’t take me but a moment to realize what I was looking at. It was an impact trail where something had landed. The thought immediately struck me of what I had seen in the night sky the other night. What if it was the escape pod from the International Space Station? Was it even possible?

  I angled the boat to take us into shallower water and away from the main part of the current. Once I was closer to the banks, I took out my M-4 and brought the ACOG to my eye. I began scanning the crash-site. I panned back and forth, looking for any sign of a man-made object. I could only find dirt, rocks and tree branches. Just as I was about to give up, I caught a glimpse of something metallic. Scanning the area intently, I saw the tip of what I recognized to be part of the wing of some type of aircraft. Something told me that I’d just hit pay dirt.

  “Bingo!” I snapped. “Gotcha.”

  “What is it?” asked Sky.

  “It’s a crash-site,” I explained, lowering my weapon.

  “Poor people,” said Morgan. “That’s a terrible way to go.”

  “I think I should go check it out,” I said, turning back to the controls.

  “Do you think that’s wise?” asked Morgan. “I mean, what if you run into a bunch of zombies?”

  “Well, we haven’t seen any sign of the dead all morning,” I said, glancing around. “But I wasn’t planning on going unarmed.”