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

by Carberry, Paul

  "Well, let’s get going." Jason was eager to get to Buchans.

  "You take the truck, me and Dana will walk from here." Eric knew something wasn't right here, but he wasn't willing to hold Jason back anymore. It was time for Jason to rescue his wife.

  "Why don't we drop you off?" Nick offered.

  "Too far out of the way, besides we should be fine." Eric walked over to the truck; the keys were still in the ignition.

  "Go on, get out of here. We’ll be fine," Eric insisted.

  Jason climbed in the driver’s seat. "Deadly, look at that -- the keys are in the ignition." The engine rumbled to a start. Nick sat in the passenger’s seat, a look of deep sadness still on his face. Jason rolled down the window to say goodbye. "I'll see you in a couple of days."

  Eric retrieved Ted's pass to the base in Buchans from around his neck. "If I don't see you in three days, I'm coming looking for you."

  Jason laughed heartedly. "I'll see you at the Pelly Compound, you know the way there, right Nick?"

  "Yeah, man." Nick sounded depressed and distant. The realization that he may never see his parents again hit Nick hard.

  "Take care of yourself, and stay alive." Eric patted the side of the truck. The tires crushed the rocks in the driveway as Jason drove away.

  The door opened behind Eric and he turned in time to see a man wearing a pair of Harry's Auto Body Shop overalls gawking at them.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:

  INVASION

  Bullets soared from the decks of the boats, but most of the stray shots exploded sand and rock. A loud pop echoed from the speedboat and Jarvik's horse collapsed into the ground, tossing him face first into beach. Jarvik looked back at the eyes of his faithful beast, the life draining from the creature’s muscly chest.

  "Form up, men." Ragnor tried to organize his warriors despite the chaos overwhelming them. A shot erupted a barrage of turf into Jarvik's face, landing only a few feet away from him. This was complete madness; they didn't stand a chance against those guns. A barrage of arrows whizzed through the air, giving Jarvik a chance to get to his feet, but he barely managed to seek refuge behind his horse before the gunfire resumed. Red mist sprayed into the air, the bullets tearing into the horse’s body like a pack of rabid rats chewing into its flesh.

  Most of the Viking warriors rallied around Ragnor, but a few had already turned tail and ran towards the protection of the bank. Splinters of wood and bursts of crimson showered the beach as the bullets found their marks, several warriors falling to their deaths from atop their steads. The beach was utter chaos, the twang of arrows and whizz of bullets overhead drowned out the cries of agony. The fetid smell of copper, soil, and gunpowder fouled the air. A red mist hung over the shore, getting caught in the foggy atmosphere.

  The vibration of arrows echoed from the bank once more, giving the Vikings precious moments to find cover before the rattle of gunfire resumed. Jarvik watched Ragnor pick up a fallen comrade’s spear and hurl it towards the speedboat. The tipped edge cut through a man's neck, a discharge of blood spattering the other deckhands around him. The blood spewed through the dying man’s fingers as he clasped his neck, trying to delay the inevitable. The man flailed around wildly, tumbling into another mercenary and knocking both overboard into the icy cold water. The angry ocean swallowed up the pair in a plume of white mist.

  "Let your spears fly, boys." Ragnor tried to invigorate his warriors, but the dwindling number of Vikings left started to turn away from the losing battle.

  Jarvik got below the belly of his stallion; the dull impact of bullets sinking into the animal’s corpse was sickening. Jarvik decided he would have to make a run for it during the next volley of arrows, but something else distracted the enemy. Poking his head up from behind the blood soaked fur, Jarvik witnessed an old Viking boat heading straight for a sailboat. The paddles rowed furiously towards the enemy ship at full speed, using the old wooden vessel as a battering ram.

  Ragnor turned towards his men and pointed towards the village. "Run now while you still have a chance!" Ragnor turned back towards the fray taking place at sea, and charged towards the speedboat. The captain took notice of Ragnor's assault, lined up the sight of his assault rifle, and let loose a hailstorm of bullets at the Viking king. Ragnor's body rocked violently as the slugs ripped through the chain-link armour and tore into his flesh -- a mist of crimson accompanied the brutal attack.

  Watching this, Jarvik became bloodthirsty for revenge. A fiery passion burned deep down inside, urging him to survive so he could avenge his king’s vicious murder. Using the distraction, Jarvik made a break for the bank, but was greeted by a volley of rounds from the sea. Sand, dirt, and fragments of rock exploded all around Jarvik; he could feel the slugs whizzing by his head, and the gunman closing in on its target. Another storm of arrows abruptly ended the gunfire, giving Jarvik the time he needed to make it over the edge of the bank.

  "Fall back!" Jarvik shouted out to his saviours.

  "May the Gods guide you to safety, brother, we will see you in Vall Halla," one of the archers called. Jarvik understood that they planned to stay behind to give the warriors time to escape.

  Jarvik wasn't about to argue with these brave men. Instead, he raced towards the reins of a horse tied onto a tree nearby, the raucous sounds of war clapped like thunder behind him. Jarvik hopped into the saddle and guided the stallion towards the highway. He would have to catch up to the rest of the Vikings and regroup.

  Jason shifted the gearstick into second gear, pulling the truck onto the highway that had been cleared by the military. The wet pavement below didn't cause too much problem for the truck -- Harry's Auto Body had equipped their truck with studded tires, making the journey much safer than Jason could have imagined.

  "If the road stays clear like this, we should be in Buchans in just a few hours." Nick sounded hopeful for the first time since leaving his parents’ cabin.

  Jason turned up the volume on the tape player, and some new age metal song he had never heard before boomed from the speakers. "Garbage." Jason turned down the racket.

  "We should try the radio, see if anything new is broadcasting on any of the emergency channels." Nick began to play with the dials, and a crackle of static emitted from the speakers.

  Shifting the truck into fourth gear, the studs on the tires echoed loudly inside the cab of the vehicle, nearly drowning out the static. Jason watched as the trees rushed past -- the barren road ahead looked free of metal barricades, and the ditches were pilled high with the wreckage from the plow. Snowflakes started falling from the darkened sky, the wind whipping the precipitation around wildly. Jason eased back on the gas, not wanting to push the limits too far before reaching his wife. She needed him alive.

  Desperate for the cure? Struggling to survive the harsh world? If you have the money you can buy your pass to paradise! Can't afford the pass; we are looking for workers for our facility. Meet with a member of the Pharmakon team now in Miller Town. They can help you survive and prosper. This repeating emergency broadcast is sponsored by Pharmakon.

  "Tell me you heard that too?" Nick blurted out as the message began to repeat itself again.

  Jason had a ranger office in Miller Town. They would be able to set up camp there and look for a way to the underground base. "We should be in Miller Town in a few hours." Jason was elated; everything was finally working out in his favour.

  "Hello there." The worker from Harry's Auto Body Shop had a raspy voice.

  "Where did everyone go?" Eric asked the younger man who wore his straggly blonde hair long all the way down to his shoulders.

  "Uhh... they all went to the compound." The question must have caught him off guard as he searched for the answer.

  Eric looked at the man's nametag. "You mean to tell me they left without us, Miles?"

  "Dude, how'd you know my name?" A curious look crossed his face, and Eric guessed that Miles was stoned. Harry's Auto Body Shop was known to be a front for the Pelleys’ drug trade, Eric
just couldn’t have guessed they'd still be peddling drugs now.

  "Those are your coveralls, right?" Eric pointed to his nametag.

  Miles looked down at his name, than started to laugh. "Right on, dude."

  Eric looked at Dana and shook his head. "Well, I guess we need to get a move on to the compound then." Dana agreed with a single nod.

  "Dude. Where's my truck?" Miles looked into the driveway and scratched his head.

  "Looks like we're going to have to walk." Eric wasn't about to tell this stoner that Jason stole his truck.

  "That sucks. Well, let me grab my jacket and we'll come back for the rest of this shit later." Miles turned back towards the house. Eric motioned for Dana to stay put; he didn't trust that Miles was alone in the cabin. Following Miles up the stairs and into the cabin, Eric wasn't surprised to see another man inside the cabin.

  "We got ourselves a helper?" A man with long, jet-black hair was sitting at the table; his eyes were blood shot and he had a white powder under his nose.

  "Dude, our truck’s gone missing. This guy's gonna walk us back to the compound so we can get another truck." Miles walked over to the coatrack and pulled a blue plaid jacket that looked like Eric's father's off the hook. A set of keys flew out of the pocket and skidded across the floor towards Eric's feet.

  Bending down to pick up the keys, Eric noticed they belonged to his father’s cabin. Eric looked over at Miles and noticed bloodstains on the front of his father’s jacket. Putting the pieces together, he was suddenly overcome by a blind fit of fury. Eric drew his revolver and fired a shot into Miles's gut and placed a second shot between the eyes of the man sitting at the table. His head slammed hard against the wooden table with a loud thunk.

  Miles curled up in the fetal position on the floor, trying to hold his stomach contents in with his hands. "What the fuck, man?" His voice was shaky and gurgled.

  "Where are they?" Eric knelt on Miles’s chest and placed the barrel of the gun against his temple. The door burst open behind him and Dana screamed at the dead man sprawled on the kitchen table. Eric pressed the gun hard into Miles’s head, pulling back the hammer of the revolver. The chamber made a loud metal clink. "What did you do to them?"

  "Eric, what the hell is going on?" Dana trembled.

  "You better start talking." Eric threw a left hook across Miles's face, blood spewed from his lips across the welcome mat.

  "They are being sent to Grand Falls to work in the drug labs. Please don't kill me, dude." Miles begged for his life, tears running down his check.

  "What's he talking about?" Dana put her hand up to cover her mouth.

  BANG

  The back of Miles's skull erupted in a flood of gore, brain, and bone fragments, splattering against the wall.

  "We have to get to the Pelley Compound." Eric pushed past Dana and darted down the stairs to race down the road towards the compound.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:

  FIGHT TO SURVIVE

  The Hillside Manor was a looming tower at the edge of Grand Falls, easily the tallest building in the entire city. The cement building had seen its fair share of bad weather: the structure was worn and beginning to crumble underneath the pressure of Mother Nature. The sign over the entrance to the building was written in large black painted letters, and the glass doors had been shattered and replaced with plywood.

  Tina searched the area’s first floor for a way in, but the emergency exit could only be opened from the inside and all of the windows had been nailed shut. Her only hope was that the panic Corporal Young had created would be enough of a diversion for her to find the twins.

  Tina walked up to the front door, and pulled it open slowly. An elderly lady with thin, grey hair sat behind the reception desk. "You must be Tina." Her voice was frail and decrepit, her smile created a bunch of winkles on her checks.

  Tina stood in the doorway stunned. Her feet were glued to the floor and she found herself trapped inside the building as the door bumped her backside. The room was lit by hundreds of candles because all of the windows had been boarded up and kept the light out of the waiting room. There were three large couches surrounding a large round table to the right of the desk, the old elevators were to the left of the reception, and the doors to the stairs nestled behind the desk.

  "Ted is waiting for you in room 207." She held out a white key card to Tina. Taking slow, uneasy steps towards the reception desk, Tina was waiting for somebody to jump out of the shadows. Each footstep towards the woman made her heart thump inside her chest while sweat beaded down her forehead. The lady picked up a phone and let a few rings go through; Tina could hear a male voice answer on the other end. "She's here, Ted, you best come down. The poor dear needs some help."

  Tina's legs gave out underneath her and she fell hard onto the grey tiles below. Now her heart thrashed against her ribcage -- Ted was the last person she wanted to see. Desperately wanting to turn around and run through the front doors, Tina's legs wouldn't function properly, stranding her in the lobby. The door behind the reception desk burst opened and Ted appeared, an angry snarl on his face. "Tina, what do you think you're trying to do?"

  Tina couldn't respond: her voice caught in her throat and all that came out was a dry, hacking cough. Tears began to well in the corner of her eyes as Ted stormed across the lobby towards her. "You're going to ruin this for us!" Ted reached down and yanked Tina up by the arm, nearly ripping the limb from its socket. "You'd better not have been involved in that shooting." Ted shook Tina like a rag doll.

  "Stop it." Tina cried out, her voice muffled by fear.

  Ted dragged Tina toward the stairwell and threw the door open. "Get upstairs." Ted shoved her forward. Tina stumbled up the first step and hurt her shins against the stairs. "Go."

  Tina ascended the staircase to the second floor and pushed the door open. The hallway was dingy looking with yellow painted walls and grungy red carpet on the floor. The hallway had doors on both sides and large windows at the end of each corridor letting sunlight through. Ted shoved past Tina and headed down the hallway to the right, stopping at the window and motioning for Tina to join him.

  Tina crept down the passage, her entire body trembling with fear. A loud roar could be heard from outside, the unmistakable rumble of bike engines echoed around the hotel. Tina looked through the glass and gasped in horror at the dreadful sight outside. The biker gang was leading the military out of the city limits -- the Hangman of Highway 101 had them surrounded at gunpoint.

  "You see that, Tina, Warrant Smith isn't going to rescue you. The only chance you have to survive is with me, don't you understand?" Ted barked at Tina.

  Tina didn't know what to say. She wanted to scream, she needed this nightmare to end. Everything had changed drastically since Ted reappeared that morning at the cabin, and she wished the coward had died when he ran away.

  Ted shook Tina violently. "Do you understand; I'm the only one who can save you. I love you; don't you still love me?" Ted's voice flared.

  Tears streamed down Tina's cheek. This relationship would only come to a miserable end. She looked into the eyes the man she had once trusted, but she didn't recognize them anymore. "What do you want me to do?"

  "Your shift starts in an hour, you need to get ready." A strange, crooked smile crossed Ted's face. "I'll punish you when you get back."

  "What are you going to do to me?" Tina ran her hand over the grip of her pistol that she had tucked into the back of her jeans.

  "Make you understand." Ted snickered, laughing at the situation outside the window.

  Tina slowly pulled the pistol from her jeans and raised it towards Ted. He didn't seem to notice until Tina pressed the barrel against the back of his head. "Now we both know you’re not going to do anything with that gun, so why don't you just pass it over to me?" Ted didn't flinch, but his eyes glanced her way and started to twitch, and his complexion turned red with anger.

  Tina lowered the gun, staring at it hard as she rested it in the palm of her hand.
She turned the safety off and started to rise the barrel back up, but Ted turned around and smacked Tina across the face the back of his hand. "The fuck are you thinking?" Ted clubbed Tina across the opposite cheek, leaving a large red mark on both sides of her face.

  Tina trembled, the sharp pain making it hard to focus. The gun felt like a heavy burden in her hand, and she struggled to keep her grip on the handle. She thumbed the safety switch again, making sure it was still off and started to bring the gun back up, but Ted punched her in the gut. All of the oxygen in her body exhaled from her mouth in one gasp, and Tina dropped to one knee. The gun rattled off the floor, but she managed to keep her grip on it. Before she could react, Ted stepped on her hand, pinning the weapon to the ground. Her hand throbbed in pain, but she refused to relinquish her clutch.

  "You are making me do this, this could be so much easier if you just do as you’re told."

  "Fuck you, Ted." Tina strained against Ted's powerful leg to no avail. She couldn't live like this anymore -- it was kill or be killed now. Ted grasped Tina by the throat and started to squeeze, her oxygen-deprived body already weakened. Ted squeezed tighter, making the veins on Tina's throat and forehead pop out. Her complexion was turning purple as froth bubbled from the corners of her mouth. Her vision was fading to black, and tiny stars danced around her sight as the room started spinning.

  "Daddy!"

  Tina didn't know where the voice came from or which of the twins said it, but Ted flinched. His deathly vice grip relinquished long enough for Tina to bury the gun into Ted's stomach. She pulled the trigger over and over until the booming echoes stopped, and a warm sensation flowed over her hands. Tina fell backwards and collapsed into the wall; she heard Ted's body clunk off the floor and his daughters crying uncontrollably as she passed out.