“Look!” screamed Chloe in terror, pointing down the street.
Donnie and Ben looked toward where she was pointing. Standing at the end of the street was a pack of wolves staring at them. Donnie counted six of them.
The wolves stood there growling, alerting Donnie they meant to make him their next dinner. He looked around and saw an opened door to a clothing store. He turned and ran toward the store with Ben and Chloe close behind. The wolves gave pursuit, intent on stopping them from finding refuge inside the store. They leaped over smoldering cars and corpses lying on the street. They were rapidly gaining ground on Donnie and the others.
Donnie reached the opened door first and Ben and Chloe crashed into him. Donnie pushed them past him and closed and locked the door just as the hungry pack crashed into it. The pack watched them through the glass. Their eyes were milky-white and their muzzles were dripping with blood.
Donnie led the group to the back of the store where they could get out of sight of the wolves, and there they crouched down so they could catch their breath.
“I guess whoever killed the zombies either missed the wolves or got killed by them. Either way, we have to get away from here before they figure out how to get inside,” said Donnie. “Let’s rest a minute and then check the back door. If we can get out of here unnoticed, maybe we can come back around and kill those things.”
“That sounds like a plan,” said Ben. “Are you sure we can kill them?”
“I don’t know. We have to try. All we have to do is aim for their heads.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” said Ben. “You have more experience than we do.”
“It doesn’t take experience; it takes guts. You have to put fear aside if you’re going to survive. I have faith in you.”
They heard pounding coming from the front of the store. They glanced toward the front and saw the wolves standing on their back legs trying to figure out how to break the glass separating them from their dinner.
“Come on; we don’t have much time,” said Donnie, jumping to his feet. “Follow me.”
They made their way into the back storage area and over to the back door. Donnie unlocked and opened the door. He was immediately grabbed and brought to the ground. Donnie stared at his attacker. Its blood-caked lips were peeled back from broken gums. It was missing most of its face but it still lived. He hit it several times in the jaw, but it wouldn’t release its hold on him. Donnie could tell that something had feasted on its face. He guessed it was the pack of wolves.
“Help me!”
Ben grabbed it by the back of the head and pulled with everything he had. The neck snapped with a loud crack and the zombie slumped forward onto Donnie. He pushed it aside and slowly made it back to his feet.
“They’re coming!” screamed Chloe. “The wolves are coming!”
They scrambled back inside and locked the door as two wolves crashed into it.
“Damn!” screamed Donnie. “They split up. They now have us surrounded. They have us trapped inside.”
They went to the front of the store and four wolves were still pounding on the glass trying to gain entry. Donnie looked around. There had to be another way out of the store. He went back to the storage area. At first, he didn’t see anything, but he then saw some stairs leading up in the darkened corner. He made his way over to them and followed them up. They led to a closed door. He figured it led to the roof. He motioned for Ben and Chloe to follow him. They made their way up the stairs and came to the closed door. Donnie opened the door and was met by another zombie. It moved clumsily forward and stepped awkwardly onto the stairs and fell forward barely missing Ben and Chloe. It tumbled down the stairs, breaking its neck as it hit the bottom.
Chloe held her chest as if she was having a heart attack. Ben put his arm around her.
“Chloe, are you all right?”
“I’ll be all right. Just give me a minute.”
The opened door led into an upstairs apartment. Donnie turned to the others. “Wait here; I’m going to check it out. We don’t need any more surprises.”
He made his way into the apartment. The living room looked as though a tornado had ripped through it. Broken glass littered the stained carpet and a coffee table was knocked over. The place reeked of rotting flesh. He made his way across the living room and heard soft knocking coming from behind another closed door he figured to either a bathroom or a bedroom. He moved closer to it trying to hear if it was another zombie. The knocking stopped, and he saw the doorknob slowly turning. He readied his weapon and took a few steps back. He could hear something growling from the other side. He stood frozen in place trying to decide what he should do. He thought about shooting through the closed door, but he didn’t want to waste any ammunition. He looked back at the door leading out of the apartment, thinking he might just leave and lock the zombie inside, but that would still leave them trapped by the wolves.
He knew he had little choice but to open the door and take care of the zombie himself. It was the most responsible thing he could do. He raised his weapon and slowly made his way to the door and stood there. He could still hear something growling from the other side. He reached out and grabbed the doorknob and turned it. The door suddenly was forced open, and a young zombie came rushing out as he fired his weapon. It fell to the ground, squirting him with its blood. Ben and Chloe came rushing into the room.
“What happened!” screamed Chloe.
“Don’t come in here, Chloe!” ordered Donnie. “You don’t want to see this.”
It was too late. Chloe stood behind him looking at the dead zombie lying on the floor at his feet. She screamed. She was fed up with the zombie apocalypse.
Ben took her into his arms and held her close. “We’re going to get through this. We’re going to make General Poe pay for all of this.”
“Please Ben, make it all stop. I can’t take much more of this. I’m tired of seeing innocent people die.”
Donnie made his way over to another door and opened it. He was now ready for anything that jumped out at him. This door led to the roof. He went through it and looked around. He found a fire escape leading to the ground at the rear of the building. At least he knew they had a way to escape the building. The only problem they faced was the two wolves at the rear of the building. He went to the front and peered over the ledge. The other four wolves were still trying to break through the glass. He knew he was left with only one option. He went to the side of the building and looked at the building next door. The only way they would be able to escape the wolves was by jumping from building to building.
The next building over was going to be easy to jump across. It was a straight drop onto its roof. He motioned for Ben and Chloe to join him. He informed them of his plan and showed them the small drop onto the roof of the adjoining building. Chloe looked at Ben, wondering if he was going to agree with the plan. He looked back at her.
“It’s the only way, Chloe. We can’t go back down. I’d rather take my chances jumping to the next building instead of dealing with those creatures. You saw what they obviously did to that zombie. I don’t want to end up like that.”
“All right, all right, you have me convinced. You go before me and help me across.”
Donnie went first, followed by Ben. He turned to help Chloe across. None of them had any difficulty getting over to the next rooftop. Donnie made his way across the roof to check on the next one. He looked beyond it and saw they would have to jump several more times to get far enough away from the wolves so they could avoid being detected by them.
The three of them jumped from roof to roof until they came to a problem with the last one. It was much farther away than the previous ones. Chloe stood there frightened by the distance.
“There is no way in hell I can jump across that. It’s too far,” she said. “Let’s try to get off of this one. I’m sure we’re far enough away from the wolves by now.”
Donnie checked the door leading inside the building and it was locke
d. He looked around to see if he could find anything to pry it open, but there was nothing but some old beer bottles. He looked at Chloe and shrugged his shoulders.
“The door is locked. We have to jump across. It’s not that bad; you can make it.”
Chloe looked at the gap between the buildings. Fear knotted inside her. She knew he was right. She then thought about something that was overlooked. She looked at Donnie seriously.
“What happens if the door over there is also locked?”
Donnie approached the ledge and stared at the door across the way. He never considered that it could be locked. He took a deep breath and thought for a moment. Once they made the jump across, it would be too risky to come back across. He saw something in the back corner of the building. It appeared the building had an attached ladder which led to the bottom of the building. They were in luck. If the door was locked, they could use the ladder to get to the ground level. Actually, the more he thought about it, the safer it looked to him. If they could reach the bottom without the wolves discovering them, they could escape without them realizing they had left the other building. He looked at Chloe.
“This is the last jump, Chloe. I know you can make it across. Ben and I will do our best to help you. All you have to do is have faith.”
She stood there weighing her options. She knew she had to jump across, but she wasn’t confident enough she could make it. She looked around, but she knew it was now or never. She looked at Donnie and agreed to jump across.
“Good,” said Donnie. “You go after me and Ben will help you.”
She was glad to hear Ben was going last. She knew she would need him to help her jump across. She watched as Donnie expertly made it safely across. He turned to look at her.
“It’s easier than it looks. You can make it; I believe in you.”
She looked at Ben and then at Donnie across the way. She took several steps backward and held her breath. She looked at Ben. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Chloe.”
She looked straight in front of her and ran as hard as she could muster toward the edge and jumped across. She landed hard, knocking Donnie off his feet. She held her hand outstretched toward him and helped him get back to his feet.
“Sorry,” she said, smiling with relief.
“You made it across.”
Ben landed safely next to them. Chloe took him into her arms and squeezed.
“Not so hard, Chloe, I don’t want bruised ribs.”
Donnie went over to the door to check to see if it was unlocked or if the ladder leading down would be their only option. To his surprise, the door opened with some effort.
The door led to another apartment. He heard the sound of something eating just beyond a tipped over chair. He motioned for the others to wait for him. He quietly made his way past the chair and stopped to look in terror at what he saw. A black cat was busy feeding on its master who was lying torn apart on the blood-stained carpet. Its eyes were closed in ecstasy as it chewed noisily on the entrails. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The pet had turned on its master. He stood there wondering what to do. He didn’t want to use his weapon to shoot it in fear the wolves would hear the shot and come running to the building. He saw a green blanket resting on the couch. A plan suddenly formulated in his mind. If he could capture the cat in the blanket, he could crush its head and toss it on the roof.
He walked as though he was walking on ice and snatched the blanket off of the couch. The cat stopped feeding and turned to look in Donnie’s direction. It noticed him standing there with the blanket.
Donnie stood frozen in fear as it slowly moved away from its master. The look on its face terrified him. Its eyes were murky, the life bleached out of them. He held the blanket tight in his hands as the creature hissed and crept closer to him. He was now feeling some regret for letting the zombies loose in the park. He never anticipated he would actually have to protect himself from them.
The cat leaped at him as he brought the blanket higher and caught the cat, and in one swift motion, slammed it onto the carpet as hard as he could. He heard the crushing bones on impact. He quickly took the dead cat to the door and tossed it on the roof, pushing past Chloe.
He looked at them seriously. “We need to check out the apartment and make sure there aren’t any more surprises waiting for us. Wait a minute; I need to do something before you go in any farther.”
He saw another blanket on a chair in the corner and went over to snatch it. He took it over to the body the cat was feasting on and stopped to stare at it. It was missing most of its face. He covered it with the blanket and motioned for Ben and Chloe to come inside. He looked at Ben.
“Help me drag this body to the roof.”
They dragged the body outside and closed the door. Donnie went to the other rooms as Ben and Chloe checked out the kitchen. Donnie came back carrying a baseball bat.
“I’m going to keep this. It’s signed by Hank Aaron. I don’t know how she got it, but it’s mine now.”
Ben looked at him and shook his head. He couldn’t understand why he would want a souvenir from the zombie outbreak. He didn’t want anything, but to find a way out of Valparaiso alive.
Chloe picked up a photo she found on a shelf depicting an elderly lady with her black cat. She stared at the lady feeling sorry for her. One day her cat was her best friend and the next it was eating her. She put the picture neatly back on the shelf and saw another picture with her and another cat, a gray cat. She turned to look around the room to see if there was another cat with them.
Donnie could see she looked alarmed. “Chloe, what’s the matter?”
“There might be another cat in the apartment. Here’s a picture with a gray cat in it.”
“I didn’t see another cat,” said Donnie, coming into the room. If there is, we’ll be all right. I made sure all the doors were closed behind me. That cat probably died a long time ago. Come on; we need to get moving. There isn’t anything in here we can use.”
“Are you really going to take her bat?” asked Chloe. “That’s stealing. I don’t care if she’s dead or not; I still consider it stealing.”
Donnie stared at her for a moment, and then tossed the bat on the couch. “Have it your way. I still think it’s a shame to leave it behind, but I don’t want you upset with me.”
They went over to the front door and stopped to listen. They didn’t hear anything on the other side. Donnie carefully opened it and looked. They were standing in front of a staircase leading down. Chloe closed the door behind them as they made their way down.
They found themselves inside a storage area once they reached the bottom and stopped to listen. It was deceptively silent. Donnie didn’t want to stay any longer. It seemed to him there were zombies waiting to surprise him around every corner. He made his way over to the back door and carefully opened it. This time there weren’t any zombies waiting to grab him. He peered out and looked down the alley. The two wolves were gone. He quickly looked in the opposite direction, but still he didn’t see any sign of them. He looked back at the others.
“I don’t see the wolves. We need to be careful. They could be lying in wait for us.”
They left the building and took a right. They were inches away from the main road. They inched their way to it and looked east and west. They didn’t see the wolves or any zombies. For now, they felt at ease as they made their way onto the street.
From the top of the building they just left, they heard a loud growl coming from the rooftop. They peered up and saw that the elderly lady from the apartment had now become one of the living dead. She was peering over the edge down toward them.
“Relax,” said Donnie. “She can’t get us from there.”
They were about to take another step when they felt a shadow approaching from above their heads. They all looked up in time to see the zombie tumbling down from the rooftop. They moved out of the way just in time as it met with the sidewalk. It crashed onto the pavement with a loud
thud. Chloe was about to scream, but her mouth was covered by Ben’s hand. She looked at him and nodded to let him know she was all right. They stared at the remains of the zombie splattered around them. Donnie turned to look at his friends.
“We need to hurry; the wolves may have heard it hit the ground.”
They continued down the street keeping a watchful eye for any sign of the pack of wolves. They didn’t know what they were searching for or where they were going. The only thing on their minds was trying to find a safe passage out of Valparaiso.
Chapter Twenty
An unlikely convoy rounded the bend leading to Valparaiso with their engines roaring. In the lead was a utility truck, white panels painted over yellow and black. It had been stolen from a used car lot several miles behind.
Following it was a used black and white squad car that had seen better days. Splashes of mud were smeared across the windshield. The vehicle was filled with frantic passengers looking as though they were fleeing from somewhere.
The third vehicle in line was a Chevy pickup truck. It looked brand new, still having dealer plates fastened to the back. The bed was loaded with several backpacks, a few boxes, and a couple of small children, roughly seven years of age.
The convoy was speeding down the highway rudely pushing through the thinning traffic. In the lead vehicle, the utility truck, Bradley Harrison was on a mission to save his family in Valparaiso. He had received a call from his wife before all communication went black in the city. She had called him from the zombie park the minute the zombies had gotten free from their enclosures. He was leading the convoy of his closest friends on a rescue mission.
He knew the world would soon be in peril. They had seen several animals attacking cows in a field just outside of the city limits. He knew it would be only a matter of time before the zombies got farther out of the city’s limits and attacked surrounding areas. It is why he had some young children in his convoy. He couldn’t risk leaving them behind in case the zombies expanded their feeding grounds. He had plenty of guns, ammunition, grenades, and various other items to defend themselves. His graying hair, once kept close-cropped, was beginning to grow out. He tucked it neatly under his faded camouflage hat.
Z-Day: Day Of The Zombies (The Z-Day Trilogy Book 2) Page 9
