Zombies on the Rock (Book 2): The Viking Trail

by Carberry, Paul

  "Eric, help me get Calvin."

  Calvin was passed out cold. Tina and Jack hopped down from the back; Tina raced towards the twins and Jack headed straight for Stella. As Eric made his way to Jason’s side, preparing himself for the heavy load of Calvin’s deadweight, he watched as everyone made their way inside the base. Just before he reached the back of the Jeep, he turned to watch the soldiers as they quietly dispatched the zombies from the fence. They had constructed a spear like weapon to fend off the dead bodies as the creatures pressed their faces into the chain-link fence. It was oddly elegant in its simple effectiveness.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN:

  BLIZZARD

  Eric and Jason dragged Calvin's immense body through the steel door of the military base and were greeted by a teenager wearing a set of army camouflage fatigues. The youngster trembled as they entered the building, the firearm shaking uncontrollably in his unsteady hands.

  "How old are you?" Jason blurted out.

  "Fourteen, sir." The youngster's voice was as shaky as his hands.

  Eric examined the kid, then reached out for the barrel of the rifle. "Keep that pointed towards the ground, kid. How'd you end up here?"

  "We were on an overnight cadet training exercise with Warrant Ingraham when the outbreak started, he kept us safe from the dead." The cadet let the barrel of the gun hang towards the cement floor. "Since all of the men are outside protecting us from them, I'm on door duty."

  "You're a brave kid, keep up the good work." Eric nodded his head. "Is there a medic in here?"

  The cadet pointed towards a room in the corner, the door had a red medical cross-stamped on the stained glass window. "Officer Canning was in training to be a medical responder, he's the best one to speak to."

  As they were hauling Calvin towards the medical room, the door behind them burst open. A soldier emerged with a frantic look on his face. "You two, we need your help."

  Jason kept moving forward, not wanting to leave Calvin on the cold cement floor. "Give us a minute!" he shouted over his shoulder.

  "Just a little further, Calvin," Eric told him, but Jason wasn't sure if Calvin was in enough control of his senses to realize what was happening to him. Calvin's head drooped to his chest, and bobbled with every step they took. He was barely able to keep his eyes open since the side effects of the drugs were at full strength now.

  The young cadet rushed in front of them, opening the door leading into the tiny room, directing them towards the bed against the wall. Jason struggled with Calvin's weight while Eric guided Calvin's torso onto the thin mattress first. This left Calvin's legs at an awkward angle, causing him to cry out in pain. They lifted his trunk-like legs onto the bed, straightening out his body and trying to make him as comfortable as possible.

  "I'll get Officer Canning, you grab a weapon from the rack next to the door and get outside." The young boy raced off through the maze of tents and disappeared into the crowd of survivors.

  "Come on, Eric, let's get out there." Despite his brave words, Jason dreaded to see what had the soldier so worked up.

  They raced back to the entrance; the rack besides it was full of long, cement rebar stakes that had been crudely sharpened at one end. Jason picked up the heavy shaft, adjusting to the weight of the cumbersome weapon. As they stepped outside, the moans of hundreds of zombies pressing against the fence greeted them.

  Nightfall had settled in, casting the woods in sheer darkness, and encasing the sparse groupings of cabins in uncertainty. Jarvik felt unsafe being enclosed by all of the trees – the darkness concealed the stalking danger in the unseeing shadows. At least back home in his Viking’s hut, the land was barren as far as the eye could see in all directions, surrounded by the fierce swell of the ocean on three sides.

  Frank was resting on his side, the needle still sticking out of his back. Occasionally Ruth would change the syringe and draw out some of the fluids surrounding Frank's lungs to help him breath easier. Doctor Winston had locked himself upstairs with a medical textbook and a cup of coffee, fabricating his best effort to sober up. The manual left a gaping hole on the shelf where the doctor retrieved it, and honestly all of the medical publications on the shelf looked worn. Ruth avoided Jarvik; she was clearly unsettled by his bizarre appearance. After each check up on Frank, she would head straight back upstairs with a fresh mug of coffee for the doctor.

  The wind heckled Jarvik, tossing snow into the window, and trapping him in the cabin, surrounded by strangers who wanted nothing to do with him. Jarvik was waiting for a break in the snowfall so he could get out of here before something went awry; after all, it was only a matter of time before someone would take action against him. He was dressed like a savage, and they treated him as such. But other people shouldn't be treated as the enemy; the shambling cadavers walking the earth were the real threat.

  "Damn it." Jarvik slapped his thigh. "Gilley."

  Jarvik had forgotten to secure his horse, and for all he knew she was long gone. You couldn't reach the Viking village by car unless they opened the gate. The only way to get there was by an old mountain path that could only be traversed by foot or on horseback. With the amount of snowfall that already coated the roads and the freezing temperatures, Jarvik had no intentions of traversing that dangerous trail.

  Jarvik threw the door open, and a hissing gust of wind hurled snow into the porch as he pushed his way outside into the blizzard. The swirling white snow screamed around Jarvik and made it challenging to see. With every stride Jarvik took, his boots sunk through the crisp crust of the snow all the way to his knees. Snow filled his boots and sent ice cold shivers from legs all the way to his toes. Jarvik bowed his head to his chest, and trudged through the deep snow towards the faint, shimmering light in the window of the next cabin, occasionally looking up to make sure he was still on the right path. Once Jarvik reached the tree line, the large branches protected him from the wicked winds and whirling snow. Through the obscurity of the falling flakes, Jarvik finally spotted Gilley; she had remained true, waiting for her master to return. The vortex of snow surged around Jarvik as he entered into the fray once more, heading straight for the stallion. The horse held fast, waiting for Jarvik like some proud statue, unmoved by the gale force winds and the projectile force of the snow as it hurtled towards the brave beast.

  Jarvik grabbed the reins and gently patted the loyal stallion, before hopping up into the saddle. Jarvik wished he could wait out the storm someplace warm, but was worried that if he didn't head out now the snow would make it too difficult to get back. Jarvik took one final look at the small community, wishing them well and vowing to return as soon as possible before.

  The whole gymnasium floor in the middle of the army base was crowded with green tents forming a makeshift community. Body odour soured the whole building as the chaotic world surrounding the building trapped everyone inside and contributed to the lack of adequate restroom services. As a result, the smell rivalled the stench of the undead's decaying flesh.

  "Let's go check on Calvin, see how he's doing!" Jack motioned everyone towards the room where Eric had left Calvin. A young cadet had darted off in search of the paramedic.

  Ted and Tina hesitated, but with the frightened look on the twins’ innocent faces, they quickly followed the group. Dana felt uneasy as the eyes from the crowd examined the newcomers. There was a look of desperation and terror on the residents’ faces staring back at them. Dana crept along the outer brick wall -- she felt anxious with all of those people inspecting her, looking for some scarce resource her group might have brought with them. All of the strangers seemed on edge, with only the threat of military discipline keeping them in order.

  The door creaked open as the group entered the tiny room, and everyone crammed alongside Calvin's bed. "How are you doing?" Tina broke the silence.

  Calvin moaned, demonstrating his discomfort. "Can someone check the cupboards for some painkillers?" Calvin's voice was riddled with agony, the muscles in his back tensing up and cramping int
o knots.

  Cupboard doors clanked open and shut as they searched through the shelves behind. Stella hauled out some containers filled with bottles of pills and placed them on the counter. "Does anyone know what we are looking for?"

  Silence filled the room; if only Nick were here, he would have known exactly what they were looking for.

  "What's there?" Ted spoke up as he joined Stella at the counter. They examined the bottles that had been lodged in the plastic containers with Ted calling out the names as he read the labels. "Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, diphenhydramine, cyclobenzaprine, ketorolac." Ted looked over his shoulder. "Anybody?"

  "Just give me anything, I don't care anymore," Calvin groaned. The pain in his back was making him impatient and agitated.

  Ted handed the bottle to Stella. "Here, give him this. It should help."

  Stella paused, staring at the bottle of diphenhydramine in her hand, trying to read the side effects and precautions listed on the back of the label.

  "Just give me the fucking pills!" Calvin roared at Stella.

  "Hey!" Jack defended his wife. "Back off, she's trying to help."

  Calvin's lips snarled as he looked towards Jack, he face distraught with the agonizing pain radiating. "Just give me the pills, I don't care anymore."

  Jack took the bottle out of Stella's hand, unscrewed the cap, and shook out a few pink caplets into his palm. "Here." Jack held out the pills next to Calvin's face.

  Calvin could barely move his arms, the pain immobilizing his entire body. Dana felt bad for Calvin, and headed over to the large stainless steel sink situated in the back of the counter. She opened the cupboards above the sink and found a plastic cup. She filled it with water from the tap, then she brought it over to Calvin.

  "Hold on there, what are you giving him?" an authoritative voice demanded an answer from the doorway. Dana turned to find a soldier in her winter jacket marching towards them. "I'm Lieutenant Humber, the company medic."

  Officer Humber stood over Calvin's body, lifting his shirt to expose Calvin's hairy stomach. "What... ouch" Calvin winced as she pressed her fingers into the small of his back.

  "What happened to him?" Officer Humber looked around the room, waiting for a diagnosis.

  "He fell from the roof and landed into the back of truck." Tina spoke up for the group.

  The officer walked over to a locked safe resting on the floor and spun the dial. A sharp click was followed by a loud thunk as the lock released and she swung the door open. Officer Humber rifled through the various bottles on the top shelf, picked one out filled with clear liquid, then headed over to the cupboards, searching through the shelves for a first aid kit. She took a needle and syringe out of the kit and drew up the liquid inside the bottle.

  "This might hurt a little, but you'll feel better soon." Liquid squirted out of the needle as she flicked the tip. "Someone roll him over so I can inject this into his backside."

  Jack walked over and tried to gently roll Calvin over, but the torturing movement made Calvin cry out in harrowing misery. The needle pierced the bruised skin on Calvin's lower back as Officer Humber plunged the syringe emptying the liquid into Calvin's system. Scrunching his face, Calvin tried to muffle another scream as the prick of the needle caused him more discomfort.

  "You should start to feel better within minutes, but you're going to be really drowsy." Officer Humber looked at the pills on the counter before she picked up two of the bottles and handed them to Dana. "Give him these, alternating them every four hours." She gave Dana the bottles of cyclobenzaprine and ketorolac. "Who tried to give him these?" She held out the pink caplets in her hand. "These would have made him nothing but tired."

  Dana, Jack, Stella, and Tina all shot Ted a worried glance. Dana couldn't help but think Ted gave him those pills on purpose, knowing they wouldn't help Calvin at all.

  Suddenly the door burst open and Private Byrnes stormed through the entrance. "The fence is collapsing." His voice was full of worry and vigour, almost like he was excited by the prospect of an all out war with the dead.

  "What?" Officer Humber rushed towards the young boy. "Are you sure, Tommy?"

  "Warrant Ingraham ordered us to evacuate the building," Byrnes stammered, his whole body shaking with anticipation. "He said we need to leave the back way, there are less zombies on that side. They’ll hold the dead off for as long as possible, but you have to go now."

  "Get everyone out of here now. Private Byrnes, you need to lead the civilians out the back door and find somewhere safe for them to hide." Officer Humber turned to look at Calvin. "There's an ambulance out back, we have to get him inside."

  Jack and Tina looked at each other, each instinctively grabbing Calvin underneath the shoulder and sliding him off the bed. Calvin screamed out in misery as his body twisted. They struggled to move Calvin's massive frame towards the door. Ted had a smile on his face every time Calvin whined in misery.

  "Follow me." Officer Humber led them through the panicked crowd towards the emergency exit located at the end of a dark hallway, the red sign glowing eerily above the door. Calvin's feet dragged uselessly behind him as they dragged him down the corridor. Dana noticed his moans were drawing people's attention as the crowd started to follow them towards the emergency exit.

  David kicked in the door to the old, dilapidated shed. The shabby building was the closest thing to shelter David could see around, the vortex of silvery powder obstructing his view. David had managed to wade through the blizzard, but wasn't getting anywhere and was in danger of getting himself lost. He had walked the beach for hours, finally reaching the other side just before the storm gained its full force, causing constant whiteouts and treacherous conditions. Snow whipped against his body, and David could feel a slight chill, the first time in years he could actually remember being cold. Maybe there were limitations to the serum they had injected him with, much to David's dismay.

  The shed was pitch black with only a tiny trickle of moonlight shining through the opening. It was barely able to penetrate more than a few feet into the building. David made his way inside to gather his bearings, shutting the door behind him only to realize that the lock was broken, with the wind continually forcing the door open. Searching the room in the complete darkness, David finally found something large enough to block the door. Dragging the object across the floor proved a strenuous task. David found this new exhaustion odd; he was not accustomed to his muscles experiencing fatigue anymore.

  The moonlight revealed the metal container to be an old tool chest: David pushed it into place, thwarting the wind’s effort to fill the shed with snow. David carefully searched the pitch-black surroundings for any source of light, meticulously running his hand over the objects on the shelves built into the walls. "Fuck!" David stubbed his toe against a sturdy gadget on the floor.

  David wasn't used to feeling pain, but the warmth radiated in waves from the bite mark on his leg. Maybe the zombie virus changed something inside of him; maybe the cure they gave him wasn't mankind's salvation after all, just another monumental failure by Pharmakon. David reached down to move the object out of his way, only to find the massive object was too heavy for him to easily move, straining the muscles in his back.

  "What the fuck is happening to me!" David screeched like a banshee. He felt the object with his fingers, discovering a slew of switches and buttons resting on the front of the machine. David suddenly realized that the piece of equipment on the floor was a generator. David fumbled in the dark with all of the switches, pulling the chord after each configuration of buttons he fiddled with until the generator finally sputtered to life. A tiny red light illuminated the choke switch. David moved it to the correct position and the engine roared. A light bulb in the ceiling lit up, flooding the room with a pale yellow light.

  David wasn't standing in someone's shed. It was a single room cabin. A small cot was tucked away in the corner while a fireplace made of brick rested on the far wall. A table occupied the middle of the room, and rows of shelvin
g had been installed on the wall next to David.

  David searched the shelves, looking for matches to light a fire, and found a box next to some rusted utensils. David ripped a wooden shelf from the wall, cracked it against his knee, splintering the dry board, and placed the wood in the hearth. David noticed a pile of old newspapers on the kitchen table and placed them underneath the kindling. Striking the match against the stripe on the box, a tiny spark ignited, slowly growing to a flame. He lit the papers with the dull blaze. The smell of smoke and the crackling of the dry wood made David feel better as the warmth from the flickering flames kissed his frozen flesh. David grabbed a wooden chair and smashed it against the stone surrounding the fireplace, adding the broken pieces to the flame. He watched as the flames engulfed the old oak.

  Not wanting to draw any attention, David walked over and killed the generator, leaving the room illuminated by the burning blaze in the hearth which cast dancing shadows across the barren room. David demolished another chair against the fireplace, tossing the shattered pieces onto the raging flames. Finally David lay down on the bed, his safety assured for a couple of hours. Completely exhausted and unable to stay awake any longer, he drifted into a dark, disturbing nightmare fuelled sleep.

  "Get some rest, David, we have a big day tomorrow,” the voice of his wife cooed as she lulled the giant to sleep.

  Hank wasn't able to sleep. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had been followed back home. The blizzard outside had finally started to die down, but had left nearly a foot of fresh powder on the ground. He couldn't help but wonder about how they would travel now. Soon there would be too much snow on the roads to get around by car.

  Snowflakes lazily fell from the sky, drifting harmlessly down to earth from the sky above. The clouds had already started to part, the full moon casting a faint brightness over the city, while the stars twinkled brightly against the dark backdrop.