by Al K. Line
She spoke to Bos Bos for comfort. Tomas having returned to his slumbers. The little man was becoming as accustomed to the noise of the infected as the zombie slavers.
What a life, thought Ven, despairing of what she had done for the millionth time.
Alfred that was, the self-titled King of the UK Zombies, had promised he could control the infected, now it seemed like he was holding good to his word. As they all quieted down Ven crept forward cautiously from the rear, hidden from the guards by the thick forest of once human flesh.
Alfred crept up silently beside her, the infected further silenced, until not a murmur was heard. They merely stood perfectly still and waited, waited for freedom.
They know, thought Ven. They know he is here and that he is going to save them. Freaky. Ven was terrified by what this meant. If they could be controlled like this, if they were a collective, a hivemind, then the consequences didn't bear thinking about. Once they were able to act efficiently as a whole the results for the remains of the human race would be even more devastating than they had already been.
"I need the key, it's your turn now," said Ven to the controller of the hivemind.
"Won't be a jiffy, stay cool," said Alpha Zombie. He crept through his brothers and sisters, weaving silently, blending perfectly. He was at the front of the group as if he floated, so smooth and animalistic were his movements. With a sickening wet slurp the man in charge went down, his throat wide-open. Alfred ripped at the remains of his esophagus with hard as rock hands, honed to very deadly weapons since the time of his initial infection.
Ven knew they would have to act fast, there was no way that someone wouldn't realize something was up very soon. Alfred finished his grisly snack, the longing for more almost overpowering, but he resisted, time for that later. Time for feasting would be very soon. He beckoned to Ven, who reluctantly weaved her way through the mass of statue-like infected.
It was the creepiest thing she had ever done in her life. Being so close to those that would eat her if not tightly controlled by Alpha was terrifying, yet impossible to not wonder at too. The overpowering smell was making it hard not to retch, until she finally gave in and doubled over, heaving up bile. Tomas stirred, then resumed his slumber.
At least this is what she assumed had happened, as he was so still and quiet. The facts were different. Tomas was wide awake, staring around wondrously, wide-eyed, veins bulging slightly at his temples as his eyes darkened a few degrees and the blood thickened slightly.
She reached the front of the line then fumbled around in the greasy jeans of the man in charge of the infected until she pulled out a ring of keys. Merging back into the thicket of infected they made their way to the end of the line, chains tinkling as an odd zombie shifted slightly. Ven tried the huge padlock until she found the right key, then they both slowly pulled the line of chain through the restraints, removing the shackles as they went. It was then a matter of releasing the cable that connected the infected to the overhead wire. It was slow work, much slower than Ven would have liked. But with Alfred pulling the chains, Ven working with the keys and cables, they had one group free in under a minute. As they came to the next padlock, connecting one chain to the next, Ven fumbled for the keys again and eventually found the right one. The same jobs repeated until they had released hundreds of the zombie slaves.
Now it was going to get interesting.
Kinda Busy Innit?
The infected began to stir, slowly, as if coming back to life for a second time. Their feet began to twitch, their eyes began to roll back into their heads, lids opening, dark orbs shining, anticipating their meals. Urges once again began to overpower them, a tiny spark of knowledge present, telling them that their source of food — people, had enslaved them and they must pay.
And now the ever present hivemind, and the Alpha Zombie. Understanding on a cellular level that he was their master, that they were better as a group than as individuals, an unconscious certainty that if they obeyed then they would reap the rewards. Flesh, more flesh than before, with the ability to capture prey efficiently and with ease. The group hunt, the future of the master-race depended on it, as human stock dwindled and became harder to find.
Arms and legs began to move, un-cramping, so the gap in the hivemind receded as they became truly one. No longer missing the obliterated, they were now forgotten, replaced with a tighter knit intertwining thread of the undead life-force of those that had made it through the imprisonment by the zombie slavers.
Now it was payback time.
Alfred was consumed with a demonic intensity and focus on revenge. He may have now found the cause of the gap in the hivemind, the question answered, soon to be filled with the high they all craved, but he wouldn't forget the base cruelty dished out to his pack. It was another nail in the coffin for any reason why humans should be anything more than a snack for the new dominant species. They deserved no sympathy, no leniency, not that Alpha had such emotions left any longer, he was above such base illogical motives now — that was what made humans so weak and pathetic. All Alfred had left was hate for their actions. Now he had his infection under control he had an urge he could no longer resist to ensure he truly was the Saviour of the planet's new prime species.
"Best you do a bit of a runner now to get your friends, it's kinda busy here now innit?" said Alfred, as the infected began to stir and were seconds away from beginning their sprint for flesh.
Ven didn't need telling twice. She dodged off to the right, heading around the edge, where there were the fewest people, hoping it wasn't too late to get to Kyle and the woman, to save the other people. Al would have to wait until they came to get him, there were way too many slavers around the arena for her to stand a chance of saving him yet. That would change soon enough.
They roared, as one, and begun to run. Faster and faster, bearing down on those that would do them harm, the zombie slavers didn't know what hit them until it was too late.
"C'mon Bos Bos, let's go," Ven shouted over her shoulder as she ran. Bos Bos was in a state of some confusion, he didn't know what on earth was going on. He was sat there in the mud, at the head of a moving horde of zombies, totally spaced out, staring into nothing, brain overwhelmed and kind of fuzzy. He really could do with some food — he already felt that he had done more than enough work for the day.
He looked around at Ven's call, seeing her dart off, then did a bit of a double take over his shoulder. The once static zombies were moving, right at him.
His brain got into gear, legs began pumping wildly, and his tail was flying a second later as he stormed off at his absolute fastest sprint, a foul horde of very angry zombies at his heels. He ran through the legs of a stinking man who tried to grab him, and managed to get a quick snap of the hand as he passed. Before Bos Bos made it over to Ven the man was down on the ground being ripped to shreds by ravenous infected.
Ven, Tomas and Bos Bos made their way toward the collection of vehicles, including the van, easy now to remain unnoticed. With hundreds of zombies on the loose the slavers had more than enough to keep them occupied. She had seen them take Kyle and the woman so headed straight for them. As she passed the white van she heard banging at the door, people shouting for help. They obviously sensed, if not heard, that something was going on, and that it wasn't something good.
In just a few minutes she had Kyle and and the woman free and they were driving back to get Al.
Then something really rather terrifying happened.
They actually had to go and get him.
"Um, Ven, you sure about this? Seems kind of suicidal to be driving right into the zombie masses you know."
"Yeah, I know, but the skirt dude promised, not that I believe him, but there isn't really any choice is there? Keep going, just get ready to scarper if we need to."
Mandy was absolutely terrified, she was grabbing Kyle, trying to get him to stop, trying to get him to turn around, anything but go where he was headed.
"Look, I'm sorry, but our friend is in there and w
e have to get him. Blame her," he said, pointing to Ven.
"Me! I just saved you. Now we go get Al."
Kyle screeched to a halt as close as he could get. Still a little way away from the arena, but it was impossible to pass. Ven saw the alpha zombie and he caught her eye, he was covered in blood and gore, a huge grin on his face.
He opened his arms wide and gave a primitive bellow — the infected fell silent. They stopped moving and stood stock still. The humans left alive were not relinquished however. They were either held fast by multiple infected, or the ones that were still able to fight were dealt with quickly by small groups allowed to continue, to eliminate their future meal.
The Alpha beckoned with a finger, a sick smug smile of satisfaction on his face.
Ven and Kyle jumped out of the van, Mandy was too terrified to move at first, but eventually deciding that their company was better than her imagination. They stood at the back of the vehicle and stared agape at what confronted them.
Hundreds of the infected.
All staring directly at them.
Hunger and the insatiable drive to kill spread wide on their faces, yet they held fast, immobile by the power of the hivemind.
"Where's the boss? You know the deal, be sure you have held up your part of the bargain."
"He's in the back," said Ven pointing.
"Get him then, no good to me in there is he?" said Alpha, impatient at the wait.
Kicking and shouting, swearing and spitting, they unlocked the vile man, dragging him out at sword point. With a final pull he was dumped unceremoniously onto the muddy gravel. As he got to his feet he was grabbed by three infected, teeth millimeters away from his throat.
"Move and you are dead, you motherfucker," spat Alpha.
"What the fuck? Who the hell are you?" shouted back the boss.
"Time enough for that later. Let's just say I am your worst fucking nightmare and leave it at that. First to unfinished business I think." He stared at Ven, nodded his head in the direction of the pit arena, and said, "Go get him then. All of you."
Warily, expecting to be set upon at any second, they all walked over to the edge of the arena, and stared down at Al. He was in the middle of the pit, sweat sheening across his pumped up body, panting and cut in so may places it was impossible to tell where because of the blood.
He looked up at them and said, "Do you have any sandwiches," and smiled, knowing it would cheer them up no end. Although, actually, he was quite hungry anyway.
Ven and Kyle smiled, Bos Bos woofed, and Mandy stared at him incredulously, unable to believe the man was still alive, yet pleased that he was.
A roar of pain interrupted them, and they looked up to see the boss howling, blood pouring from his ear. A large chunk was missing, Alpha Zombie was chewing slowly, methodically. "What? Just having a little snack while I wait." Turning to the boss he said, "And this is just the beginning. We are going to eat you slowly, oh so slowly. You won't ever forget what you did to my kind, not while you have an organ remaining. We are gonna eat you little itty bit by bit, so you can suffer like my brothers and sisters did." With that he took a delicate bite from the top of the other ear, just the merest of nibbles, and smacked the boss across the face, hard, when he began to scream again.
"Hush now, can't you see I'm busy?" said Alfred, pointing at the group moving down to the fighting pit floor.
The scene was the stuff of nightmares. Around the edge of the pit there must have been well over a hundred infected packed shoulder to shoulder, standing stock still.
Staring at them.
Waiting.
"Well, guess we better go get the big guy then," said Ven bravely.
They descended the steps, no longer heavily guarded, and unhitched the movable fencing that stopped anyone getting out once they were in.
"Jeez Al, are you alright? You look terrible. Seems like you've been busy though, they can't stop you can they?" said Ven in amazement. The pile of definitely dead bodies in the arena testament to just how tireless and proficient a fighter Al was. The stamina involved made Ven's head spin.
"I am feeling tired and am wanting to be doing the lying down now I am thinking. Oh, hello Mandy," he said, trying his best to smile at the woman he had met earlier. Exhausted as he was Al managed to flex his biceps in her direction, just a bit.
"Hello Al, I'm glad you're alright. Come on, let's get you out of here."
Between them they managed to give Al a helping hand and they walked slowly back across the arena, crunching bits of bone, muscle and dirt as they progressed.
"Um, Al, not to tell you your business or anything, but, um, maybe you should let go of the severed leg you have in your hand now. You know, just 'cause you probably look a little menacing to the other infected," said Kyle, trying to think of the most diplomatic way of getting the big guy to realize waving around the leg of one of the undead isn't the best way to push forward the peace process.
Al looked down at his hand, at the bloody, mangled and splintered remains of a leg, and dumbly stared at it wide-eyed. "Where is the bit of leg coming from? Who is giving me a leg into my hand?"
"You used it to fight Al," said Mandy. "And you fought very bravely, you're like Superman," she said with immense pride. "Now you should put it down, time to rest now." It was obvious Mandy was on the verge of hysteria, she seemed to be able to hold it together to talk to Al, but she kept darting nervous glances around and Ven was sure that pretty soon real shock would set in, like it probably had in the past. She wouldn't be much more aware than the infected were.
Al dropped the stump. The thud of squished leg muscle clomping to the ground rang out in the absolute silence. Nothing stirred apart from the few remaining slavers still alive and held fast, even they were too overcome with shock at the turn of events to make much noise.
"Oh, I nearly forgot," said Alfred from the top of the pit.
"What? Hope it wasn't to pack your undies," quipped Ven.
"No, but very funny. Ha ha. No, I forgot to say, be sure to look after the little one, he's special you know."
"So you keep saying," said Ven, unable to talk about it more, too terrified and too concerned as well.
They made their way slowly. Al faltered a few times, but stayed upright. Mandy walked gingerly, pain obvious at every step, her battered and violated body continuing by sheer willpower. At every step they expected an attack; for the obviously ravenous and emaciated infected to jump into the arena and tear them apart and eat their brains — but none came. They made it back to the top of the steps, hundreds of eyes watching them all the way, trying to suck the life out of them with a dark, mindless stare.
They stumbled to the vehicle, mindful of the insanity of the situation, expecting death at any second, still not believing this was really happening. The only thing scarier than a zombie running at you is one stood perfectly still and devouring you with its insane eyes, especially when those eyes number in the hundreds.
"Mwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Tomas awoke, then gave out an almighty scream, a baby wail he often did to welcome the world as he groggily left his slumber behind. But something was different. Ven could hear an intensity, a depth to it, so close to her ear it reverberated around her skull, pulsing, pounding like it was trying to penetrate deeper and deeper, to unleash something, or grab hold of something and take over. It both confused and startled her, but she couldn't see Tomas as he was behind her, strapped to her back for protection.
A ripple went through the mass of infected, a shock of spasms like a deranged Mexican wave rolled back and forth, every single head swiveling to lock eyes with the tiny man. The infected multitude attempted to kneel down, eyes locked to the baby's head peeking out above his mother's shoulder. The hivemind expanded, a ripple running through it, telling of as yet unwritten histories dark with potential, of new futures and new possibilities.
Alpha shook uncontrollably for a second, smiling blissfully all the while. He felt the intensity of the group c
ollective, the overpowering urge to pay homage to the being that was something like him, but potentially much more — once it awoke to its true calling. Still unformed and barely tangible, there was a cleft in the pulsing hivemind that promised much, if it developed down the right path, one of countless possibilities.
"Told ya he was special didn't I?" said Alpha Zombie. "You be sure to take good care of him... or I will."
Ven's mouth was wide open, too freaked out, concerned, petrified and aghast to say a word.
Then the spell was broken, the infected resumed their standing positions, food was back to being the priority, and they were told by the Saviour that it wouldn't be long before they could have their feast as well as their freedom. Dead bodies of slavers lay all around, as yet uneaten. Alpha knew that they needed to be consumed within seconds, while the brawn was still warm, the traces of life-force still palpable.
A savage hunger took over the infected, more urgent than ever before. The interruption from Tomas seemingly sparking something even more primal, clamoring for attention within the hivemind.
It was time to feel the protein rich gobbets of human beings slide down their throats — to reach for the rush that accompanied a stomach bursting full of still warm flesh.
Ten... Nine... Eight...
"So, um, not that I have a watch or anything, but you have ten seconds to get out of here before I let the pack loose and they get some much needed feeding," said Alpha Zombie, a wicked smile spread across his face, innocence exuding as he broke his promise.
"What? We had a deal!" blurted out Ven. "You said if I held up my part of the bargain then you would let us go. Plus there are the other people in the van." She pointed to the rocking vehicle, the cries louder than ever, as people clamored for their freedom.
"And? I am letting you go. I didn't say for how long though. If you are fast then you can get away. As for those?" he said, pointing at the van. "Well, a guy has to eat now doesn't he? Oh, by the way, you are down to eight seconds now. Seven... six..."
