by Ailes, Derek
Gregory slowly pulled himself up from the ground. He was bleeding badly from the gunshot wound in his upper chest. Krevin pulled himself up and walked over to him.
“Get me a medical kit,” Gregory ordered. He sat down at his desk and grabbed the portable radio. He pressed the button and spoke into it. “Helvian.”
“Gregory, it’s me.”
“The girl escaped. Militia betrayed us. The Zombie Hunter is with her.”
“Orders, sir?”
“New plan. I want you to head toward D.C. and intercept them. I want the girl alive. Kill the others.”
“Understood.”
Krevin walked into the room carrying a medical kit.
“Can you pull this bullet out of me? It hurts.”
Fifty Miles out from the Dregs Outpost, Chicago
“Watch out ahead,” the doctor said, pointing toward a large horde of zombies.
“That’s a lot of zombies,” Haley said.
“We better pull over,” Militia said.
Devlin pulled the jeep to the side of the road. Militia grabbed her machine gun and climbed out of the vehicle. Devlin followed behind her with his two laser rifles ready for the assault.
“This is going to fill my right leg up with zombie tats,” Militia said with a smile.
“Light ‘em up,” Devlin said and they fired at the zombie horde. Zombies’ heads exploded as they were hit with the massive array of bullets and laser fire. The remaining zombies slowly walked toward them; meeting the same fate.
“Almost too easy,” Militia said as the last zombie fell.
“We better move some of the corpses. They’re blocking our path,” Devlin said.
“Doctor, we can use some help!” Militia shouted.
The three of them walked over to the pile of zombies and dragged each one to the side of the road. With all of the zombies out of the way, they walked back to the jeep and drove away.
Helvian’s Convoy
Fifty Miles out from the Dregs Outpost, Chicago
Helvian stared at the corpses lined up on either side of the highway. They were a day behind Devlin, but if they kept driving continuously, they would be able to catch up with them before they reached D.C.
“They left us some bread crumbs,” Helvian said.
“Sir?” Snyder, his second in command, looked at him confused.
“Bread crumbs made of zombies. They are still heading in this direction. Let’s move out,” Helvian commanded.
Somewhere In Ohio
“It’s getting dark. We should find somewhere to hold up for the night,” the doctor said. The sun had finally disappeared, and the stars brightened the sky. A full moon was out making him nervous.
“I can see a small house up ahead,” Devlin said.
He pulled into the driveway. He grabbed his bang blade and shot a zombie’s head off. They walked up to the door and Militia knocked. Satisfied that no zombies were lurking inside, they entered. The inside was in shambles. Somebody had ransacked it at one point looking for supplies.
“There’s nothing useful in here,” Militia reported.
Devlin checked each room. After he was sure the house was secured, he sat down on the living room couch.
Militia inventoried their weaponry. “We are running low on ammo.”
“Luckily, my laser rifles are fully charged. They never run low,” Devlin said.
“We Dregs don’t have the luxury of possessing the weaponry of the D.C. Most of our weaponry is old school. No fancy gadgetry,” Militia said.
Haley yawned.
“I suggest you two get some sleep,” Militia said looking over at Haley and the doctor. “We still have a long drive ahead of us.”
“We’ll keep watch,” Devlin said.
“The bedrooms in the back looked comfy enough,” the doctor said as he stood up.
“I saw a couple of books back there. I’m going to do a little reading before getting some sleep,” Haley said.
“Good night,” Devlin said.
“Good night,” she replied.
Devlin and Militia sat talking for several hours.
“I remember how things were before the zombie apocalypse. My partner Monique and I adopted a toddler, Camera, from Vietnam. I came home from a kickboxing tournament that I was in, and my partner was on the kitchen floor puking,” Militia said, trying not to cry. “Later that night she turned and while I was sleeping, she killed Camera. I had to shoot her in the head. This is her tattoo.” She showed him the zombie head representing her partner on her left arm.
“I’ve seen a lot of my family, friends, fellow soldiers turn. It’s hard having to live through it all,” Devlin said.
“Here we are the survivors.”
“To times better left in the past,” Devlin said.
“Left in the past,” she repeated sadly.
Helvian signaled to Novane to stop the jeep. He could see one of their jeeps in the driveway of a small white house up ahead. Zombies roamed the streets in every direction.
“What’s the plan” Novane asked.
“We can sneak up on the house. Snyder, send a team to silently take out those zombies. Novane and I will head for the house.”
Helvian and Novane slowly walked toward the house as Snyder’s team took out the zombies. They hid behind the jeep parked in the driveway, and Novane crawled toward the front of the house. He slowly stood up to look inside the front window. To his surprise, Militia’s gun was on the other side of the glass pointing at his head. Before he could react, she blew his head off. The window made a loud sound as it shattered.
Snyder’s team fired at the house. Militia grabbed the rocket launcher and aimed it toward Helvian’s jeep. She fired. The jeep exploded alerting every zombie in the vicinity of their location.
“We’ve got company!” Snyder shouted.
“Fall back!” Helvian ordered.
A massive horde of zombies filled the streets from every direction. Snyder’s team fired at as many of them as they could, but there were too many. The team was completely surrounded. Helvian watched in horror as the horde killed them all. He ran back toward the rest of his convoy.
“Kill all those damn things!” He ordered.
The tanks moved forward and fired toward the horde. The rest of the soldiers followed behind firing.
“We’re not safe here,” Militia said.
“Let’s sneak out the back while the zombies have them distracted,” Devlin said, leading them out the back door.
“We won’t be able to get far on foot,” the doctor said.
“There’s a Dregs outpost not too far from here. They have no loyalty to Gregory,” Militia informed him.
“I guess we’re seeking their help.”
“This way.”
They kept running. They didn’t encounter any zombies since they had been attracted to the sounds of the battle behind them.
Dregs Outpost Ohio
Ludwig Levi stood by his open window listening to the sounds of a battle that was happening not far from the Dregs outpost. He was worried. There had been rumors circulating that Gregory Salazar wanted to assassinate all the other Dregs leaders and take control of all the Dregs chapters. Gregory’s plan to take on D.C. was sheer madness and would most likely fail. It didn’t matter how many soldiers he had, D.C. was a fortress that was completely impenetrable. He could tell from the sounds that there were tanks being used.
Sabine Eberstark, his second-in-command, rushed into his office. “Sir, our scouts are reporting that there are four people in the vicinity running for our location. They believe one of them is Militia. The other three are unknown.”
“Capture them and bring them here alive,” Ludwig ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
“This place is a fortress. What are we going to do --walk up to the front door and knock?” the doctor asked.
“Do you have a better idea?” Devlin asked. They were hiding behind an old rusted fence.
“What if they kill u
s?” the doctor asked nervously.
“I don’t think Ludwig would kill me. At least until he interrogates me,” Militia said. “Besides, Devlin is a legend throughout all the Dregs chapters. They wouldn’t harm him. I believe this is our best option.”
“I guess we are going to knock on the front door,” the doctor said, unconvinced that that was a safe option.
“We’ll go first. When we signal to you that it’s safe,” Devlin said.
“Understood,” Haley said.
Devlin and Militia slowly walked to the front gate of the outpost. A light shined down on them.
“Don’t move any closer!” a guard from the tower above shouted. “Slowly take out your weapons and lay them on the ground in front of you.”
Devlin nodded at Militia and they placed all their weapons on the ground as instructed.
“If you try anything, you will be killed!” the guard continued.
The gate slowly slid open, and they were met by Sabine and ten soldiers who were all pointing their weapons toward them.
“Militia, you must either be the most desperate or stupidest person left in the world,” Sabine said.
“We seek sanctuary,” Militia said.
“Who is this?”
“I’m Devlin, the Zombie Hunter.”
“Devlin, why are you aligned with such a filthy creature. There were four of you. Where are the other two?”
“Hiding until I know it’s safe,” Devlin answered.
“The other two, show yourself now!” Sabine ordered.
Devlin waived his left hand and the two stood up.
“Fetch them,” Sabine said to the soldier next to them. “Who are you seeking sanctuary from?”
“Gregory,” Militia said.
“Why is he after you?”
“Take us to Ludwig. We have a proposition for him,” Militia said.
“What makes you think he wants to see you?”
“Trust me. He will want to speak to us,” Devlin said.
Ludwig grabbed the bang-blade from the ground and looked it over. “I heard about this weapon. I don’t care how famous you are, Zombie Hunter, if you try anything, I will kill you with your own weapon. Follow me.”
Ludwig stared at Militia as she was led into his office. The last time he saw her only one of her arms was filled with zombie tattoos. Now both arms were completely covered. She had tried to convince him to join forces with Gregory. He could tell from his first meeting that Gregory could not be trusted. He spent the next few years proving that his gut feeling about him was right. He turned his attention to Devlin.
Sabine handed him the bang blade and whispered, “The Zombie Hunter.”
“You are the infamous Zombie Hunter?” He asked.
“Devlin, the Zombie Hunter.”
“I’m very interested in how you ended up aligned with such a slimy creature like Militia here. From the beginning.”
Devlin told him the details of his mission leading up to his arrival at the outpost.
“Her blood is the cure?” He asked, pointing at Haley.
“Yes.”
“Will D.C. be willing to share the cure with us?” Ludwig asked.
“Once they develop the cure, I will delivered it to you personally,” Devlin promised.
“Then I will provide you with whatever you need.”
“We need a vehicle and some supplies,” Devlin said.
“I’ve longed for the day when I can walk out of our outpost and explore the world again without the fear of a zombie attack. Sabine, assemble our army. Engage Gregory’s forces and kill them all. Zombie Hunter, I wish you all a safe journey back to D.C. I hope to see you again real soon. If your leaders reach out to me, I’m willing to help bring peace between your people and the Dregs. Be warned, one day we will have to deal with Gregory. His madness is as dangerous as the zombies. My army is always available to you in exchange for the cure.”
“Thank you. I will let the council know,” Devlin said.
They could hear gunfire outside.
“I would suggest grabbing all the supplies you need and leaving immediately before the battle begins. Devlin, good luck,” Ludwig said.
Devlin, Militia, Haley and the doctor drove away from the Dregs Outpost in a troop transport as Ludwig’s army engaged Helvian’s forces.
“We’re going to drive to D.C. straight through. No stops,” Devlin said.
“Sounds good to me,” Militia said.
“Will there be peace?” Haley asked.
“Eventually there will be. I don’t know what I’ll do then. I’ve been at war most of my life, but I’m willing to welcome the change,” Devlin said.
Epilogue: The Future
“Earth. Once a wasteland. Zombies on the near extinction list. Thanks to the cure, the human race has been able to take back the earth. Gregory’s army defeated. During the battle, Gregory Salazar escaped. Whereabouts unknown. Not all the zombies were wiped out during the zombie purge. It’s my job to find them and wipe what remains of them completely out. My name is Devlin, and I’m a zombie hunter.”
Claws
Chapter One
“Come on in! The water is perfect!” Kellie shouted.
“I’m perfectly fine in the boat!” Harris, her boyfriend, shouted back.
“You’re a coward!”
“I’m not the biggest fan of the water!”
“You jump in and I’ll reward you tonight! You know how I get after I drink a lot of wine!”
“Ok, I’m convinced!” Harris took off his t-shirt and jumped into the water. He swam over to Kellie and she kissed him.
“Water is nice,” Kellie said with a flirtatious smile.
“You are so sexy when your hair is wet.”
“I know you’re a sucker for my red hair.”
“And your freckl…” he began to say but his attention was drawn to two black objects moving toward them.
“Are those dorsal fins?” Kellie asked.
“Get in the boat now!”
They quickly swam to the boat. Kellie was the first to climb in. The two black objects continued to move straight for them.
“Harris, hurry!” Kellie screamed.
As he was about to climb in, he was forcibly pulled down deep into the water.
“Harris!”
A few seconds later, Harris’ severed head appeared. Kellie screamed. A large black paw grabbed onto the edge of the boat tilting it backward. Kellie slid down the side of the boat. A large feline head arose out of the water. It made a loud sinister hissing sound as it waited for her to slide directly into its mouth. With one gulp, it swallowed her whole.
Chapter Two
“I want you to wear this,” Hugh Kaltz, the head of the local union that was protesting the construction of the new beachside café being built by a nonunion construction company, said.
Martin looked at the costume in disgust. “But it’s a rat.”
“I couldn’t get hold of one of those inflatable rats like the other unions use. This was the next best thing.”
“But it’s a rat. I’ll look ridiculous in it.”
“Come on, Martin. We are trying to make a statement here. Besides, you’re the only one small enough to fit in it. The rest of us are way too fat.”
“Live a healthy lifestyle and this is what I get,” Martin said and grabbed the costume away from him.
“Now for the rest of us, I brought donuts and coffee. It’s going to be a long day,” Hugh said.
“You have the jelly filled?” Ron asked.
“Of course, I do.”
Chapter Three
Lucille watched from the lifeguard station the muscular man with spiked blonde hair walk down the beach toward the lake. She was a sucker for ripped men. She turned her gaze away from the man and watched an overweight boy burying his sleeping dad in a mound of sand. The day was calm for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A slight breeze blew across Lake Michigan making it the perfect day
to be at the beach.
“Hey sexy,” Benton said, admiring Lucille’s perfectly tanned body. Her long, raven black hair ran down to her shoulders.
“Eyes on them, not me. I’m not the one that could need a lifeguard.”
“Lucille, you never know. Something could happen to you, and you could need mouth to mouth.”
“Benton, only in your sick fantasies.”
“I can’t help myself.”
“Hey, no shoving people under the water!” Lucille screamed through her megaphone at a boy forcibly playing with his sister. The boy looked at her and waived.
“Unfortunately, he’ll probably do it again,” Benton said as he climbed the steps leading up to the lifeguard post. “I found some more empty beer bottles. Somebody had a party here on the beach last night again.”
“Probably some teens.”
“I found a couple used you know what.”
“That’s gross,” Lucille said, shaking the sand out of his blonde hair. “What were you doing rubbing your head in the sand?”
“Sand gets in everywhere.”
“Benton, to the right. Drowning victim,” she said and quickly ran down the steps of the guard post with Benton following behind. She ran down the beach and jumped into the water. She swam over to the person that was struggling. She grabbed the guy and pulled him onto the beach. He spit up some water and grabbed his left leg. He had large cuts on it and was bleeding badly.
“I’ll grab the medical gear,” Benton said and ran back to the guard post.
“What happened?” Lucille asked.
“I don’t know. I saw something swim past me and then whatever it was grabbed me. At first, I thought it was a shark. It pulled me under and then swam away.”
Benton ran back over to them and worked on the wound. “It’s deep. This should stop the bleeding for now.”
“We better get him to a hospital.”
“Lucille, help me get him to the jeep.”
