Zombie Airman

by Guenther, David

  Ann came out carrying an armload of beer. “We don’t have that much room in your truck, just grab the good beer.” Caleb stopped her before she could take another step.

  “This is your store, right? Appropriating supplies is one thing. Looting is a different animal.” Her smile came out again.

  “Of course, it is. Why else would I go through the trouble of cleaning all the smelly crap out of here? You were on the base, you never saw me working here?” Caleb put his hands up in mock surrender.

  “Okay, load it up. I get thirty percent since I’m moving you.” Caleb smiled at the thought of all the beer available to him.

  “You’re cute when you try to be cunning. I’ll let you have five percent of the beer only. No more negotiations.”

  “Aww, don’t be a bitch. Five percent of beer, cigs, and cigars. Take it or leave it.” Ann smiled and nodded, a small pout on her face.

  “If you ever get a chance to haggle, let me do it for you. I would have let you have twenty percent of everything.” She laughed as she walked back for another load. He couldn’t help but smile.

  Caleb took one last look at the base as he turned back on Hwy 24 heading west. It was already after 1300. The trip felt more real now that he was on the move. Ann sat quietly, lost in thought. The only sound was the tires on the pavement, the thought of turning on any music just didn’t feel right for the moment. Ann’s perfume no longer felt overpowering. Instead, Caleb began to think of where they should pull over to spend the night. His original plan had no worries since no one would want to eat him, Ann presented a problem. He felt a strong attraction to her, yet didn’t want to infect her. His only foreseeable future sex life would be sneaking off to visit Zs.

  “Look out!” Ann shouted, while pointing ahead. Caleb slammed on the brakes. The nose dipped and the truck began to fishtail to the right. Caleb let off the brakes and steered into the skid as Ann braced herself against the dash. The truck finally stopped fifty feet from two police cruisers blocking the road. Caleb fought the urge to puke from the smell of burnt rubber, while adrenaline hit him hard.

  “Whoa, baby! That was something. Why the hell are there cops blocking the fricking road? Something’s just not right. You know how to shoot a rifle?” Caleb pulled the M4 from behind the seat and handed it to Ann.

  Ann checked to see there was a round in the chamber and flipped the selector to ‘Semi.’ “I got your back, just come on back to me.” The state police seemed restless and used their cruiser’s PA.

  “Step away from the truck and walk towards us with your hands in the air,” blasted from the PA. Caleb could feel the police projecting fear and anger that just seemed off. Getting out of the truck, he used the open door to cover him as he moved his 9mm to the back of his pants and then untucked his shirt to cover it up.

  He had taken only a few steps when he could hear the police talking about there being a woman for them to share, and splitting up whatever he was hauling. The three men were still behind the cruisers. He could see two had shotguns and the third had out a pistol. Caleb did not even begin to feel fear before it turned to fury. He wanted to charge at the three and tear them apart with his bare hands. He wanted to feel the pain as he beat them bloody and left their corpses for the birds and animals.

  “Oops. Sorry, officers. I forgot my insurance card and registration.” Caleb walked backwards quickly with his hands in the air. He sensed the men ahead were laughing at him, further infuriating him. He got back to the truck as Ann was looking in the glove box for the documentation. He opened the door and reached behind the seat for another M4 and a couple of magazines.

  “Save it, those aren’t cops. Their voices carried and I heard them talking about splitting up whatever we had in the truck and the three of them sharing you.” Caleb chambered a round and got serious. “Open your door and use it to steady your aim, you get the guy on the right, I got the guy on the left, we each share the guy in the middle. No wounding or prisoner crap, they are going down.”

  Caleb brought out his weapon and set it on the door the same time the fake cops realized what was happening. All three opened fire a second before Caleb and Ann. He felt the door vibrate as it stopped some shots from getting through. He replied by teasing the trigger on auto. The glass and side of the police cruise near the man on the left immediately was pockmarked with bullet holes as the man fell to the ground silently. Anna flipped hers to auto and sent a burst cleanly through the window, decapitating the fake cop. The last man dropped to the ground and tried to hide, cradling his pistol in his hands. Caleb could sense fear and panic. Both could make the man do something stupid. Caleb lay down on the concrete and could partially see the man sitting facing away from them. He steadied the rifle and fired a full burst of what remained in the magazine. The man was knocked over from his sitting position to looking like he was on his hands and knees praying to Mecca.

  “Stay there, let me check them out and move their car out of our way.” The smell of blood and perforated intestines was strong as he advanced on the cars, he didn’t sense any emotions or movement. Two of the men’s faces were contorted in rage or fear, the third man was missing his head. The two men on the left entirely soaked in blood; the third had fallen over like a tree without much mess on his uniform or gear. Caleb unbuckled the man’s duty belt, removing the handcuffs, but leaving everything else attached. Caleb laughed when he saw the cops carried M17s and decided to salvage the pistols and ammo from the other two bodies as well.

  In the trunk he found a satchel and dumped out the contents so he could use it for the pistols until they could be cleaned. He hopped into the cruiser and turned on the sirens as he peeled out towards his truck, appreciating the acceleration as he burned rubber. He stomped on the brake, leaving even more rubber behind. He grabbed the satchel as he got out of the cruiser and put it into drive as it raced off fifty feet before going into the ditch.

  “Are you having fun, Caleb? Do you want to do that again with the other police car?” Caleb’s smile turned to an ugly, menacing face as he spotted the bullet holes in his truck door.

  “You dirty rotten sons of bitches! I wish you were alive so I could kill you again!” he shook his fist in the air furiously towards the cadavers. Ann looked at him as he became unhinged. Then she noticed his arm.

  “If shooting your truck makes you that mad, how mad do you get when they shoot you?” Ann asked nervously. Caleb looked at his left arm and only then realized he’d been shot. It was thumping with every heartbeat, but it didn’t hurt as bad as he’d anticipated it would. I must be going into shock. When that wears off, it’ll hurt like a motherfucker.

  “Aww, son of a bitching cocksucking motherfuckers! Check their car for a first aid kit. I’ll check out the wound. The blue jean jacket had a neat little hole in the front and the back where a single 00-buckshot pellet had gone clean through above the elbow. Pulling off the jacket, he checked the wound for any foreign matter from his jacket, forced into the wound. Why the hell ain’t I bleeding like a stuck pig? It must still be part of being in shock.

  Anna brought over a first aid kit and he pulled out disinfectant and bandages. There was only a slight sting as he poured it over the front of the wound. “Ann, I need you to pour it on the exit hole for me. He felt the skin getting wet, but no pain at all, as she poured on the back of his arm. Caleb opened clean gauze and folded it up into a square, then did the same with a second piece.

  “Sorry, Ann. I need you to hold this against the wound in the back as I hold this one in the front. You need to wrap it with the long stretchy gauze firmly but not too tightly.” The tweak of pain was like a flash and was gone just as quickly as she pressed the gauze against the wound, then wrapped the bandage gauze around the arm firmly.

  “My arm feels fine, but I think I’m in a mild shock. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I need you to drive the truck. No one and I mean no one has ever driven it after my dad died but me. Not even in the fricking zombie apocalypse would I let anyone drive
it. I just can’t take the chance now with a bullet hole in me. We don’t know if the three stooges have any friends or backup coming. Just keep it pointed north on the I25.” Caleb put on his jacket after making sure the blood was dried. It felt foreign as he climbed in on the passenger side of the truck, the first time in ten years.

  “Here, try this, sweetie. It’s from my private stash.” Ann offered up a small metal flask from her purse.

  It burned the moment he took a sip, then he said, “Screw it,” and took a gulp. He was going to thank Ann, but felt sleepy and decided to take another sip, then nap. He glanced at his watch and saw it was already 1440 before he closed his eyes.

  The pack around him was huge, easily three or four thousand. Almost all of them were either naked or had torn off most of their clothes. He checked himself out and was surprised to see all he had on was a pair of shitkickers with boot socks. The wind was blowing and he could feel the chill, but he wasn’t cold. Only a moment ago someone had fired a gun and he was with the rest in hunting mode. He felt more alive than any time he could remember. There were seven or eight females running alongside him, trying to get his attention. He pondered which one or two he’d mate with for the night. A smell, a human smell was close by; the pack was waiting to attack her when the time was right. He knew the smell, Surprise Encounter Perfume; they were hunting Annie the fanny. I can’t. I have to warn her, help her get away. The infected closest to him suddenly were looking at him like food. He went sprawling then and they began to pile onto him, He felt their bites everywhere.

  “Caleb, wake up. I think we have a little problem.” He came to full alertness as he tried to figure out where he was. He could sense thousands of infected all around him. They were waiting for the sun to go down so they could hunt. They knew he and Ann were here.

  All around the truck, there were lines of cars and trucks in every direction, and they were trapped in the center of it. “Where the hell are we and what the hell did you do to us?” He looked at his watch, 1845; maybe a half hour until the sun went down.

  “It was slow going but I managed to keep moving, we’re on the I25 in the middle of Denver. I just got stuck now. How are you feeling? You were sleeping hard, it scared me.”

  “You do know you just parked us in the center of almost a million Zs and the dinner bell is going to ring any minute. Back us up to anywhere we can get the hell off the highway.”

  “There was a closed for construction exit a half mile back that might work. I just don’t know how to get to Wyoming from there.”

  Caleb felt the rage inside him and wanted to get away from the woman. I could just go for a run, then come back in the morning and start over with her gone.

  “Get us there, NOW!” Caleb shouted, not worrying about any feelings.

  Ann backed up the truck going almost twenty miles an hour, swerving between lanes filled with cars and trucks, most filled with the dead, others with their windows broken out, with only limited view with the cargo blocking most of her view. Aww crap, she’s going to fuck up my truck and I’m going to kill her!

  “There, exit for 70th Avenue West,” she said, satisfied.

  “Great, now find a damn bunker that’ll withstand a million Zs tearing at the walls to get to you.” Ann gunned the truck, driving over the torn up pavement, then took a left on 70th Avenue.

  “There! Twin Lakes Park, we just get a boat and park out in the middle of the lake nice and safe. You have any better ideas?”

  “Get us there already!” The overcast cloud combined with the sun almost behind the mountains was making it get dark early. Caleb raised his sunglasses and felt no pain at all. Time was running out. The truck rocked as Ann drove over the curb without slowing down.

  “There’s the lake, but there’s no boat rentals or boats.” Ann sounded defeated.

  “Drive along the service road that runs around the lake. Look in the back yards of the…stop the truck!” Ann slammed on the brakes as Caleb jumped out and ran to a fence blocking the view of the house’s backyard. He looked over, then jumped over.

  Ann saw the front of a canoe coming over the wall, and then Caleb followed. “I saw the roof of an RV parked back there. I guessed they’d have a canoe too. Now, let’s get this thing in the water. Make sure we grab the guns and some blankets. It’s going to be a long night, I have a feeling.” A dozen shrieks emanated from close by, followed by a couple hundred in reply. It sounded like a wave of sound spreading out away from them as more infected replied to the call from further and further away.

  Ann was pushing the canoe into the water as Caleb carried blankets and a few supplies. Two infected had jumped the fence and were heading towards Ann. He got there first and shoved her out into the water, dumping the supplies in the canoe at the same time. He reached for the baton on the police duty belt and flicked his wrist as he shrieked at Ann and jumped up and down in frustration. The two infected ran up alongside him, shrieking as well, He whirled around, hitting each of them on the back of the neck with the baton, breaking their necks before they hit the ground, unaware of his betrayal.

  “Hurry, Ann. Get back over here for me.” The shrieks were coming from every direction and only getting louder. Caleb fought the urge to answer the calls. Jumping into the canoe, he thought quickly. “Lie down on the bottom of the canoe so they can’t see you and cover yourself up with the blanket.” He rowed towards the center of the small lake and then held the position. He could smell Ann’s fear and perfume, as well as hear her heart thumping as the blanket shook. The others could sense her just as well, but were confused when all they could see was one of their own. He sensed their confusion as even more infected continued to gather at the edge of the lake, covering the entire shoreline in some places three deep. Shit, I need a bigger lake next time. This thing is barely large enough to call a pond. An infected fell in the water, his desperate shrieks causing the others to back away from the water in fear. He climbed back on the land and moved to the back of the pack, away from the water. No others chanced getting near the water after that.

  Ann began to shake less and he felt her fear begin to lower as confusion replaced it. Guess I’m going to have a story to tell her in the morning. No way in hell are we going to say a single word, that’d just set those guys berserk if they heard either of us speak. Caleb raised the blanket a little and put his finger to his lip to quiet her before she could say a word, then gave her a thumbs up before lowering the blanket again.

  Caleb made the mistake of looking at his watch, 0124. Five more hours of this crap! At least most of the Zs have left. One of the Zs was looking at the truck, making him nervous. She climbed up on the back bumper, and now was trying to pull up the tarp covering everything under it.

  Sorry, sweetie. I just pronounced a sentence of death on you. Caleb fished out the M4 from under the blanket and slowly raised it up, taking a slow, steady aim at the female. She stopped what she was doing and looked at him, unnerving him, just before she jumped back down and moved on.

  Caleb tried to rest his head on his chest and close his eyes. Every time he did, he felt the draw of the others bringing him back to full alertness. The sky started to get a little blue and gray, then the entire clouds seemed to turn red as the sky turned baby blue. He was alone, watching the sunrise as those around the lake had already decided to leave him, and Ann was sound asleep at his feet. He wanted to get the hell out of the canoe and off the bar used as a seat that had made his butt numb at least five hours ago.

  White Tank Mountain Regional Park, Arizona, April 4, 2029

  Gloria awoke refreshed. The sun was pouring through the curtains in the RV and she just knew it was going to be a better day than the last few. Both German shepherds had joined Oliver and her in the bed during the night and looked at her expectantly. She began to smell both urine and waste. She was ready to scold both dogs when she felt the bed next to her was still wet. Oh Oliver, why didn’t you tell me you’re a bed wetter before I let you share my bed? Both dogs jumped up when they
saw she was getting out of bed. “Okay, boys, first you go out and take care of business, then I’ll feed you.” She whispered as both dogs seemed to hang on her every word.

  Both dogs ran for the door, their tails thumping hard on each other and anything in range of them. She gave each of them a scratch behind the ears before opening the door and watching them race for the nearest tree on the other side of the parking lot.

  She strode to the kitchen and grabbed a cola to get her by until Oliver woke up, then she’d make breakfast. Sliding back the curtains from the windshield, she sat in the passenger seat and put her feet up on the dash. The early morning sun still felt too bright to her so she reached for the sunglasses in the cup holder. The cola was cold and tasted different, but still good.

  The clock on the dash was showing 0800 so she forced herself from the seat and grabbed a couple bowls. Both dogs looked up at her from where they lay next to the door, their eyes zeroing in on the bowls in her hand. She dropped both bowls and opened the storage compartment where the bag of dog food lay. Two noses found their way into the compartment as she tried to pull out the bag. “Sit!” Both dogs immediately sat, allowing her to get the bag out and fill both bowls. They looked at her with pleading eyes, starting to whine. “Go get it, boys.” Their antics brought a smile to her face as she returned to the RV. Okay, let’s get the bed wetter up and I’ll throw the sheets in the wash and then make some pancakes.

  “Come on, sweetie, time to get up. We have a lot to do today.” She reached for his head to tussle his hair when she felt he was ice cold. “NOOO! No no no!” Pulling off the covers, she saw his normally pale skin was almost blue. She stuck her fingers to his neck and at his wrist to find a pulse. “Noooo!’ she shrieked out in grief. “Not again!” She didn’t feel herself fall to the floor or grab the mattress, trying to bury her head in it as she sobbed.