“It doesn’t matter,” Telia said. “The country’s under martial law, so I have no more authority. The important thing is to work together and survive.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Max said. “We’ll take turns on watch and sleep in shifts. Tomorrow, Doug and I will mend the fence and round up any cattle that are left. We need to eat the food in the refrigerator before the generator runs out of gas. After that there will be no electricity and we will have to start living by lantern light like they did a hundred years ago. We can grow a garden if the sun ever returns. We’ll just wait out this apocalypse until things get better in the world.”
“And if they don’t get better?” Kate said.
“I don’t know. Right now we take it one day at time. Just like the song says, a country boy can survive.”
“Tomorrow, I want to go back and get my bike,” Telia said. “I left it on the highway by Cobb’s Corner.”
“That could be dangerous,” Max said.
“Don’t worry, I’m a big girl.”
“Did you forget it’s out of gas?” Jack said.
“I’ll take a can of gas with me.”
“No,” Max said. “We need every drop for the generator.”
“Then I’ll find some along the way.”
“It’s a bad idea, Telia,” Jack said. “You don’t need the bike. Where are you going to go with it? The countryside is crawling with zombies. You’re better off staying here with us.”
“I’m going to get my bike.” She slammed her beer bottle on the table. “That’s all there is to it. Nobody’s going to stop me.”
“Didn’t you just say the important thing was for us to work together? You’re already arguing with us,” Max said.
“Well, excuse me for not being a team player here at Camp Doomsday.” Her dark eyes narrowed on Max. “I just want my bike, that’s all.”
“Telia, life’s hard, but it’s even harder if you’re stupid. Don’t be stupid.”
“Max, this ain’t a fucking John Wayne movie.” She stormed out of the room, her riding boots clomping on the wooden floor.
In the aftermath of the fiery exchange, Jack turned to Max. “Did you just quote John Wayne?”
“It slipped out.”
“That girl is going to be trouble,” Kate said. “Mark my words.”
“Yep, my kind of trouble,” Max said. “God, if I was only twenty-five years young—”
A low rumble interrupted his words.
Another aftershock.
The farmhouse walls rattled. He grabbed Brett and ducked under the heavy table as glass picture frames and ceiling tiles crashed onto it in a deafening downpour. A second later, the electric lights sputtered and went out, leaving them in total darkness.
“Kate!” he shouted above the terrible noise.
“I’m here,” she said from somewhere close. “I’m all right. I’m under the table.”
The tremor continued, causing heavier debris to fall in an avalanche of wood and plaster onto the table. Choking dust clogged the air as Jack clutched Brett tight. The aftershock had slowed to mild tremors when he remembered his daughter in the next room.
“Kerri!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.
“I have her, Mr. G,” Doug yelled back from the living room.
“Is she all right?”
“I’m safe, Dad.”
“Thank God. Don’t go anywhere, and just sit tight. I’ll be there in a bit. … Telia?”
“I’m okay,” she said from somewhere beyond the table. “I’m in the doorway to the kitchen. A lot of debris fell, but most of it missed me.”
“Where are you, Max?”
“Here.” His voice came from just a few feet away. “Took a bump on the head, but I don’t think it’s serious.”
“It’s getting hard to breathe,” Kate said with a cough.
“Just give me a second,” Jack said.
He shifted around on his knees to analyze their predicament. A large chunk of sheetrock had fallen across the table, trapping them underneath. Pushing against it with his back caused more plaster dust to fall in a choking cloud. He felt around the wreckage and discovered the pistol grip of the shotgun and dragged it to him. He couldn’t see anything in the thick darkness and remembered the Bic lighter in his pocket. He removed it and flicked it once. The brief flash illuminated everyone’s dirty face and scared eyes under the table. He was about to flick it again when Max grabbed his wrist.
“Jack, don’t,” he said. “I smell gas.”
“Shit!” He quickly put the lighter away. “We’ve got to get out of here fast. Telia, can you see what’s collapsed onto the table?”
“Just barely. It looks like a section of wall.”
Brett coughed against his chest. Jack smelled propane. “Screw this!” He pushed up with all his might and shoved the broken sheetrock away. “Everyone outside now.”
He grabbed the Mossberg in one hand and helped Brett and Kate to their feet. Together they scrambled over the piles of debris and entered the living room. Telia and Max followed close behind. Jack spotted the shadowy form of Doug carrying Kerri in his arms toward the front door. He headed in that direction and stumbled out to the yard to gasp much-needed fresh air. After making a quick head count, he found that everyone was present and accounted for. Only Max showed any visible signs of injury, from a superficial gash at his scalp line.
“Are you all right?” Jack said. “You’re bleeding.”
“I banged my noggin trying to get under the table.” He swiped at the blood on his forehead and sat on the bumper of the Jeep. “Thank God for having a hard head. It’s nothing serious.”
“Looks like everyone got out okay.” Jack turned back to examine the farmhouse. The place was a wreck. Part of the roof had collapsed, and a thick cloud of plaster dust rolled out of the broken windows and the front door. “Your house didn’t do so well.”
Max’s chuckle was dry. “I wanted to remodel anyway.”
Kate hugged his shoulders. “So sorry about your home, Max.”
“Houses can be rebuilt. People can’t. I’m just glad everyone made it out alive, but we’re not going to be able to remain on the farm like I planned. It’s too dangerous now. We can’t stay in the safety of a building, due to the aftershocks, and we can’t stay out in the open, thanks to the zombies. Our best bet is to go with Plan B.”
“What’s Plan B?” Telia said.
“The National Guard rescue station in Watkins. It’s our best option now.”
Jack noticed Doug and Kerri standing off to the side. The young man had wrapped a blanket around his daughter’s shoulders, and they held each other close like two teenagers in love. They stared at the far horizon.
“Everyone, you have to see this,” Kerri said and pointed. “It’s freaking amazing.”
Jack looked up. The dark clouds had parted to reveal a huge full moon the color of fresh blood.
Chapter Fourteen
The sight of the incredible lunar spectacle caused Kate to fall to her knees. “The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord had come,” she cried out with her hands raised toward heaven. “Glory be to God! That day is now! We’re all saved.”
“Mom, what’re you doing?” Kerri said. “Get up. You’re embarrassing yourself in front of everyone.”
“There is no shame in believing in the Lord. Pray with me, my child.” With a crazed look in her eyes, she turned to the rest of the group. “All of you rejoice, for the Kingdom of God is here. It was written in Revelation that this would happen and now it has come to pass. It’s a sign from God.” Kate wept and clutched her hands in prayer. “He has not forsaken us.”
“Mom, why are you crying? You’re scaring me,” Brett said, rushing forward to hug her neck. “Please don’t cry.”
“Don’t be afraid, son.” She held him close. “Soon we will all see the glory of heaven.”
“Dad, I think Mom’s lost it,” Kerri sa
id.
“Dear, you’re acting crazy again,” Jack said in a soft voice.
Kate’s head snapped up. “What are you going to do about it, Jack? Hit me again like before when I tried to speak the Word of God?”
“No. You need to get a hold of yourself, that’s all.”
“How can you look but not see?” She pointed toward the sky. “The moon is the color of blood just as the Bible predicted. You can’t deny it. This is the day the Lord promised. You should pray with me. Repent before the Lord. You can’t get to heaven riding on my shirttails, Jack. You have to ask God to save your soul first. ”
“We’ve had this discussion before. You know what I believe. As for the moon being red, it could be an atmospheric effect due to the screwed-up environment. Something caused by the earthquake. It’s happened before due to a volcanic eruption throwing ash into the atmosphere.”
“You’re a fool if you truly believe that.”
“Then I’m a fool.”
Sadness stabbed his heart upon seeing his wife groveling in the dirt. The Church Lady had returned and the Kate he knew was lost again. Jack sighed in despair. He turned to Max and Telia. “Kate has done her best to be strong. Today has put a terrible strain on her, mentally and spiritually.”
“It has for all of us,” Max said, “and who’s to say she’s not right, Jack?”
“About this being a sign from God?”
“Yep.” Max looked up at the moon. “I was raised Baptist, but I lost my faith in Nam, watching young men barely older than boys die in my arms. I do remember one Sunday-school lesson about the Crucifixion. It taught that the day when Jesus died, there was an earthquake, the sky turned dark, and the dead walked from their tombs. Look around, Jack. That sounds like a dress rehearsal for what we’re experiencing now.”
“So, what do we do? Just wait around here and hope the angels pick us up before the zombies eat us?”
“No. Unless Jesus Christ drops from heaven and lands in my front yard, I’m going to Watkins.”
“That goes for me, too,” Telia said.
“We’d better get ready to leave,” Max said, walking to the rear of the Jeep.
“Are we all going to fit in there?” Jack said. “There’s seven of us plus gear.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got something a lot roomier.” Max opened the Jeep’s back hatch, which activated the dome light. The rear compartment was packed with gun cases and ammo boxes, and Jack spotted a box of 12-gauge shotgun shells. Max reached in and removed two high-power Mag-Lite flashlights and handed one to Telia.
“What’s this for?” she said.
“Go grab my grandson and tell him to get Natalie out of the barn. From this point on, nobody goes anywhere alone.”
“Who’s Natalie?”
“You’ll find out.”
“Okay,” Telia said. “Oh, by the way, I’m sorry about going off the way I did at the dinner table. I speak out of turn sometimes, which tends to get me in trouble. It’s probably why the DEA keeps assigning me shitty undercover jobs.”
“Not a problem,” Max said. “You’re the kind of ballsy woman I want guarding my back.”
Telia flashed a bright smile and motioned for Doug to follow her.
“Be there in a sec,” he said and gave Kerri a hug. He followed Telia into the dark of the barn.
“It seems my grandson has taken a shine to your daughter,” Max said.
“I see that.”
“He’s a good kid, Jack, just a little rough around the edges. But hell, we all were at his age.”
“I know, Max. It’s just everything’s crazy right now with my family. My daughter’s been bitten by a zombie, and my wife is on her knees praying for Jesus to arrive. I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“None of us do. We’ve had our world pulled out from under us like a ratty rug you throw on the garbage pile. Protecting your loved ones is all that matters now.” He handed Jack the second Mag-Lite. “That’s why we have to go back inside the house.”
“You’re kidding. What for?”
“There’s a small handheld radio unit in my workroom. I need it to keep in contact with the National Guard.”
“You do realize that the house is full of gas and could blow up any second?”
“Yep.” He pulled out his handkerchief and tied it over his mouth and nose. He handed a second one to Jack. “This will help you breathe in all the dust.”
“Oh, this makes me feel a lot better about going back inside,” he said while tying it around his lower face like a bandit.
“You just keep the light trained so I can see my way. We shouldn’t be in there more than a couple of minutes. Most of the windows are broken, so the gas isn’t concentrated.”
“Since this is crazy, I’ll let you lead the way.”
They stepped onto the porch and Brett rushed up to join them. “Dad, are you going to rob a bank?”
“No, son, we just need to get something out of the house. Go stay with your sister and I’ll be out in a bit.”
“Okay.”
Brett ran back to Kerri’s side. Jack glanced over to where Kate prayed on her knees, oblivious to the fact that they were reentering the house. It was probably a good thing. She would have thought them both insane for trying to go back in there, and once again she would have been right.
“Let’s do this before I change my mind.” Jack clicked on the Mag-Lite and shone the bright beam into the ruined interior. Most of the ceiling had collapsed, and the light played across the rubble.
“Then follow me,” Max said through his handkerchief and stepped into the front room.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jack took a deep breath of fresh air and entered the house. Max led the way over the rubble-strewn floor, and they continued through the ruined rooms, the flashlight making eerie shadows in the dusty dark. The smell of propane burned the inside of Jack’s nostrils, causing his eyes to water. Taking shallow breaths of the tainted air, he pushed on. Their progress through the house seemed to last an eternity, and he was on the verge of telling Max to go back when the old man stopped before a partially obstructed door.
“This is it,” he said breathlessly. “Help me push it open.”
“Okay.”
They put their shoulders to the wood and shoved hard, causing loose debris to rain down in a shower of white plaster dust. The door opened to a dark room beyond.
“Shine the light in here, Jack,” Max said with a cough. “Hurry. It’s getting hard to breathe.”
Jack brought up the flashlight and lighted the area. An array of electronic gear sat on metal shelves against one wall. Max walked to one and dusted off a device about the size of a large cell phone.
“Got it!” he said.
“Then let’s get the hell out—”
Footsteps crunched on the rubble in the room behind them.
“What was that?” Max said. His eyes were wide above the handkerchief mask.
“Someone else is in the house with us.”
Jack swung the Mag-Lite around and illuminated the emaciated figure of a woman wearing a ragged blue dress. She had pale gray skin and hollow white eyes, and red mud was caked on her hands and bare feet. Maggots infested the areas where flesh was missing from her face and body. Twitching like a broken doll, she opened her mouth to reveal more maggots crawling inside.
“Shit! It’s a zombie!” Jack shouted, nearly gagging on the gas.
Max stumbled out of the room and froze in place. “No. It’s not possible! It can’t be her.”
“Who?”
“Sara Simmons, the widow who died of cancer last year,” he said with a cough. “They buried her in a family cemetery a couple miles away.”
The abhorrent thing groaned and shambled toward them over the broken wood and plaster.
“She’s … coming … for me,” Max gasped in short breaths and drew the .45 pistol from his hip holster. “I … know … it.”
“Max, don’t shoot!” Jack grabbed his wrist.
“Not in here! Run for the front door!”
Max stumbled toward the living room with the undead woman close behind. Jack charged forward and slammed the Mag-Lite against the back of her head. In the erratic light, she faced him once again and let out a choked noise around the maggots clogging her throat. He hit her hard with his fist a second time and she dropped prone. As she struggled to rise from the floor, he stomped hard on the side of her head, causing a sickly spray of maggots to spew out of her mouth. She writhed around and grabbed for his feet, and he stomped on the middle of her back. Her spine snapped like a piece of dried wood beneath his heel.
Max collapsed unconscious just before the front door. Jack knew he had only seconds before he would join him. His lungs were on fire, and a creeping dizziness seeped into his head, making it hard to concentrate. He staggered away from the maggot-infested Sara Simmons and into the living room, where he nearly tripped over Max’s prone form. The undead woman choked out a groan and crawled toward them through the rubble like a snake with a broken back. Jack snagged Max’s camo-shirt collar and dragged the old man into the front yard before falling to his knees. Coughing out the gas in his lungs, he was relieved to hear Max gasp beside him.
Kate ran to them. “My God, why did you guys go back in there?”
“He needed … something … from inside,” Jack sputtered.
“That was stupid. You two could’ve been killed!”
A croaking groan came from the front room of the house.
Jack raised his index finger. “Hold that thought.”
He stood shakily and went to the back of the Jeep to pick up the Mossberg and snatch a 12-gauge round out of an ammo box. He slid it into the shotgun and jacked the slide as he walked back. Sara Simmons had pulled herself up to stand in the front door. Her mouth opened wide to let out another choked sound.
“I’m tired of this zombie bullshit!” Jack said and pulled the trigger.
Undead Flesh Page 12
