Living Dead 2.0

by Radovick, Ronda

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  Scott shot him a look. “Are you serious?” He laughed. “Man...Kyle.” He laughed harder. “It looked real. You are good, Buddy. I am impressed.” He laughed out loud, again. They made it to the back side of the Orchard. As soon as they were inside, they headed for the front gates. Will had taken several parts off of the lift. He pointed to the pile of parts on the ground. That lift won't work, now. That was pretty smart, Kyle.” Scott said, “You don't know the half of it.” The others traded a look of confusion. Scott continued, “Kyle here, made fake explosives, wrapped the Captains' kid in those fake explosives. Then, handed their Captain a note that, informed him of the true chemical components there in. He thought he was getting instructions as to how to disarm explosives. When in reality, he received instructions as to how to disarm play dough.” They all laughed, in surprise. Will said, “I gotta hand it to you, Kyle. I like your style” He chuckled, again. Scott said, “We need to be ready for them, when they come back. Anyone, got any ideas?” Will said, “I might have one. But, it's risky.” Kyle asked, “What is it?” Will continued, “First, we have to make sure that, these guys are not from that complex that we went to.” Kyle said, “I don't think that they are. No one we've caught has said anything about that place.” Renee asked, “But, how can you be sure?” Kyle said, “I asked the kid about the complex. He didn't know what I was talking about. In fact, when I mentioned a complex, his reply was that, his people would eventually find it, and take it.” Will said, “We might be able to lead the Raiders to it. Let the people there deal with them. It's a long shot. But, if they get in there, they may place their energy on taking that place over.” Kyle said, “I don't know if it will work. But, you may be on to something.” Scott asked, “What are you thinking?” Ruby cut in, from the radio, “ Those people are waving the white flag, again. I don't thing they are with the Raiders. It looks like a bad storm up the highway. Hope it doesn't come this way.” Will looked through his field glasses. He replied, “Everyone hunker down. Looks like it's heading the other way. If it shifts and turns this way, we may need to get everyone to the school. Someone want to go heck out the flag waver on Rubies side?” Sam said, “ I'll go.”

  Jimmy, and Aidan drove up the highway without a care in the world. Rose followed them in the truck, while staring up at the sky, Rose could see a little further ahead because, she didn't have the tiny window that the tank had. Meg was also staring out at the dark sky in front of them. “Rose. I don't think that we should go this way.” Up ahead, the two men were talking, and were not paying attention to the instruments that they had inside the large military war machine. The sky ahead, was black and gray. The trees in the distance were swaying back and forth, from wild-winds blowing at them. They could see what looked like a curtain of rain and wind. Rose started frantically honking. After a minute, the tank came to a stop. She pulled the truck up along side the tank.

  Meg rolled the window down. The top of the hatch in the tank came open, and Aidan popped out of the top of it. He was going to ask what the problem was, then he saw it. He stared ahead. In their path, was a terrible storm. “Oh, snap!” He ducked back down into the tank. “Jimmy! We have got a problem! Come up here and take a look.” After a minute, both men climbed out of the tank. Meg turned to The children sitting in the back of the vehicle. “Stay here, Kids. I'll be right back.” Rose and Meg stepped outside onto the roadway. Meg said, “We have to turn back.” Rose said, “She is right. We can't drive into that. It may turn into a tornado.” Jimmy looked around, “We can't go back to the storage facility. It's over run with the dead.” Aidan asked, “ Rose, are there any old farms, or gas stations around here? Anything, with a building that we could get inside, to wait this out?”

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  Rose said, “There is a place, back the other way. I have not been there in months. I don't know if there are any dead inside. Or, any of the living.” Jimmy said, “You lead the way, and we'll go in. If there are dead, we'll clear it out. Then, we all go inside and wait it out.” Rose said, “Maybe, that is the best way.” Meg said, “I might know a place. It's off of the highway, a little bit. We'll be better hidden, there.” Rose asked, “Can it withstand the storm?” Meg answered, “ Yes, it can.” Jimmy asked, “Where is it?” Aidan asked, “What is it?” Meg said, “It's a church.” Jimmy asked, “What kind of church?” Meg said, “Its' a big brick church, built right before the dead came.” Rose's face lit up. She blurted out, “The new Church! I forgot about it.” Aidan and Jimmy looked at each other. Rose said, “Yes! Meg, you are a genius!” She explained to the men. “It is a huge brick building. Off of, Melbourn Road. Come on! We need to beat the storm. We may need to clear it out.” Jimmy and Aidan watched, as she ran to her side of the big truck. She stopped, turned around, and poked her head out from behind the large front corner of the vehicle, “Come on, you guys!” Rose climbed in the drivers seat, and started the large vehicle up. Jimmy and Aidan, exchanged a long look. Aidan shrugged, “We have to get out of the path of the storm.” Meg climbed inside the truck, and waited for Rose to drive away. Rose said, “This is a good idea Meg. I am glad that you thought of it.” The men were in the tank, now. “Thank you, Rose.” said Meg. Rose replied, “You're welcome. We need to get over there, fast. That storm is coming right at us.” Izzy said, from the back seat, “Meg, I'm scared.” Brian comforted her, “It's okay, Izzy. We are going somewhere better. Right Meg?” Meg said, “Yep. We're going to the church. It's okay, Izzy. We'll be inside in a few minutes.” Izzy said, “ We better hurry. It's scary, out there.” Rose said, “We'll get inside, and we'll all be okay, Izzy.” Izzy said, “Okay.” They raced to the large church. As they made their way up the winding, service road, leading to the front doors of the church, Rose looked around for signs of the dead. It looked abandoned. The Church of Jesus Christ, was built the previous year. It made the local news. The church had a day care center, and food pantry to help the area needy people. The two men came out of the tank and approached the window of the truck. Rose rolled the window down. Jimmy yelled up to her, “We'll go in, first. We may have to clear it out. If it's got too many of those things inside, we'll have to go somewhere else.” Meg said, “There are no dead inside.” Jimmy looked back at Aidan. “We have to make sure. We don't want to walk into a surprise with the kids.” He walked away. Rose and Meg, watched the men go into the church. Because the front doors were locked, they had to go to a side door to get in. Meg sat in the passenger side seat, arms crossed, “There is no one in side. We don't have time to sit out here.” Rose said, “Meg. They are just making sure.” A few minutes later, Jimmy came outside, and waved them in. Once inside, they lit some candles that Meg brought out from a closet. The three adults noticed that, the teenager was familiar with this place. She seemed to be very comfortable here.

  Back at the Orchard, while the men were discussing how to lure the Raiders into a trap, Ruby came on the radio, again. “Can some of you get over here? They are making their way towards the wall. It doesn't look like they are holding their guns.” Scott came on, “Sorry, Ruby. We're trying to figure all of this out. One of us will be right there. Don't let them in. Even if you have to fire on them. Didn't Sam get there?” She didn't like it, but agreed. “ Yes, he's here. We're watching them. They have a baby. They are getting closer....fast.” As the man and woman came closer, Ruby called out to the others,“You guys! It is a baby!”In the distance, she could see a small group of zombies following them. Sam said, “ The dead are following them. We should help them!” Will arrived, first. “Let me see.”

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  She handed him the field glasses. He looked through the glasses.“Gabe! Damn! That's Gabe.” He called out to the others, “I know him. I can't believe he's on foot.” Ruby watched, as Will waved to his friend. The man kept walking, now helping the woman. They were both half way across the field, but the dead were coming closer. Will ran down the steps to a nearby truck. He yelled to Ruby, “Cover them!” He climbed into the truck, and drove to t
he gate. After a minute, Ruby saw the truck speeding across the field. The truck stopped, right in front of the people. The dead were almost on them, now. Ruby aimed at one that lunged for the woman. The bullet pierced it's head just before grabbing her. They scrambled to get inside the truck. Ruby shot another zombie that, came close to Will's friend. Then, another that lunged for Will. All fell down to the ground. Now, they were inside the truck. Will sped away. He made it back to the gate. Will said, “Gabe, Buddy. I didn't think I would ever see you, again.” The man responded, “I didn't think you were here anymore. We have been watching your place for days, now. Thought someone else came in, and took over. Then, I saw Stella up on the top of your wall. I was trying to get her attention. And then, those people attacked you guys. We were trying to keep the baby quiet. Then, I saw you. I was trying to get your attention. We had to be careful. Those guys were all over the place. Who are they?” Will said, “The Raiders. At least, that is what we call them. They have been attacking us, for a while now. So... Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” He glanced over at the woman, and the baby. She looked exhausted. The baby was asleep. Gabe said, “ Yeah. I am sorry, Will. This is Rosalie. And, little Christa. We met ..well, out there.” Rosalie said, “Nice to meet you, Will. Thank you for your help.” Will looked over at Rosalie, “Glad I could help. Have you two eaten? We'll get you all settled in, in a few minutes. Get some milk for the baby, too.” Gabe said, “Thanks, Buddy.” Once inside, Will helped his friend settle in, so they that could talk. Gabe told him how he had lost his family, and met Rosalie along the way. Gabe said, “Mason came home from school with a bite. We took him to the doctor, after it looked like it was infected. The Doc gave us an antibiotic for him, and told us to keep it clean. Within a week, he was gone. Then, when we called for an ambulance, the emergency line was busy. It was busy. I put him in the car, and on the way to the hospital, all that we saw were people attacking each other. And, police everywhere. Then, I saw the hospital, before we even came close. The military had surrounded it. We could not get Mason inside. As I waited to turn into the parking lot, we saw some guys dressed in U.N uniforms. They executed a family, Will. Shot them all inside their vehicle. I turned around, and flew home. After we brought Mason back to the house, he woke up. Only, he had turned. Pam was trying to comfort him. Just as she came close to him, he lunged at her. He bit her in the face, and shoulder, before I could get him off of her. I knew it wasn't him anymore. But, I tied him to a chair. He kept growling, and snapping his teeth at me. That night, Pam started to get sick. She went into the bedroom, and stayed in bed for days. I watched through the window, as the neighbors were attacked and eaten. Within a week, it looked like a war zone. Anyway, after Pam stopped breathing, I tied her to the bed. I knew she was going to wake up like Mason. I had looked at video's online. There was a woman, Rose Fox was her name. She, and her boyfriend were going out, finding the dead. They were showing live people how to fight them. She showed how to kill the brain. But I couldn't do it, Will. I could not kill them, again.” Will said, “Gabe. I'm sorry about Pam. And, your son. I'm sorry. You make yourself at home. I thought that, we could build some container houses. This is so cramped. I know that you need to rest. We are trying to figure out what to do about the Raiders. Rose lives on the other side of the trees.” Gabe was stunned.

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  He said, “Thanks, Will. I knew that you would help, if I could get us here. I have to admit, I thought the others here, had done something to you and your girls. So, you know Rose Fox...Huh?” Will said, “Yes. Well, she is missing, right now. We're all trying to watch the walls. The Raiders tried to break through a couple of times. They are bad news. Killed one of of the men in our group. Rose's boyfriend, Keith. She and Jimmy, chased after some of them. Led a herd away from here.” Gabe said, “Sorry about that, Will. Anything that I can help with, you let me know.” Will said, “You rest, first. We are asking that everyone help out with watches, general building projects, stuff like that.” Gabe asked, “Where is Rosalie, and the baby?” Will said, “She has a room in the school. Some of the other group members and I combined our land, and Renee's place has an old school on it. Some we've taken in, are staying there. You 'll meet the others later. Are you and Rosalie together?” Gabe said, “ No....no.... I was just wondering. She had the baby in an old office. She was pregnant when this all started. She lost everyone along the way. Then, when we were running from some of those things, we ran into each other. There was another lady with us, but she... I couldn't help her, Will. They swarmed her. I was trying to help Rosalie run with the baby. She had just given birth. Jackie, that was her name, fell down. I didn't realize it, until they had her. I shot her, Will. I couldn't let them tear into her. It's too agonizing.” Will said, “I understand.” Will felt empathy for his friend, and the young mother. “Well, now they are both safe. You saved that baby. You get some rest. We can talk, later. You have everything inside, if you want anything else, you come on up to the house. There are fresh veggies in the garden, too.” Gabe said, “Thanks, again, Will. I think I'll try to go to sleep, first.” Will turned, and walked away. Gabe closed the door to Will's camper that, he was now staying in. He slept until the next morning. “There's a storm coming!” Jack yelled over the radio. Scott replied, “Looks like the brunt of it will go past us. This is going to be a long night.” The rain beat down, while the clouds above, swirled violently. The children ran inside. Stella said, “Do you guys think that they will attack in this rain?” Kyle answered, “Probably not. But, we still need to keep our eyes open.” Jack called out to Charlie, “Charlie! You in the camera room?” Charlie replied, “No. Nina is covering me.” Nina came on. “I'm here, Jack. What do you need?” He continued, “ Are you getting a good look out there with the cameras? We're going to need extra eyes, tonight.” She said, “It's a little blurry. But, I'm seeing right outside the walls. Can't tell too much further. I'll keep my eyes open, as best I can.” Scott cut in, “Nina, if you see any movement at all, let us know. It could be nothing.” Kyle cut in, “Or, it could be something.” Nina replied, “Let's hope it's Aidan, and the others coming back.” Renee added, “Let's hope so.” They all listened to the wind pick up. They heard the rain beating down on the tops of everything. Ruby looked out in the distance. She could see the silhouette of lighter and darker clouds moving beyond the lightening strikes. The winds were strong. Around midnight, the winds died down, and they all changed shifts on the walls. The next morning, they came outside and saw tree branches spewed all over their place. Heather, and Jennifer called a meeting. Heather said, “We need to get the place back to normal. Some of us have to be on the wall. Those of us that are here, can tend to the gardens, first. We'll make sure that our crops are okay. Then, we should pile up branches, and pick up all of the overturned chairs, and things. Who is with me?” Some of the women agreed with her. Hazel agreed, “Yes. We can do inside, what we cannot help with at the gates. I will help. I need some air, anyway.” Ava said, “Sure. We'll help too.” Then, Chloe said, “I'm in. The place is a mess.” They got right to work. After a while, the place started to look a lot better. Rosalie was not sure if she could trust these people. She had to take care of her daughter.

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  She watched the scene with the women unfold. She was amazed at how comfortable they were. They acted, as though, they did not live in a zombie apocalypse. They just did yard work. Little Christa started to cry. She started to gently bounce the baby, to comfort her. Chloe stopped what she was doing, and walked up to Rosalie. At first, Rosalie thought that, she would complain that the child was crying. Instead, she asked, “Can I see her?” Rosalie smiled, “Sure. She might be hungry, though.” She handed the baby to Chloe. Chloe smiled down at the small baby. She rocked her sideways. She was taken with this baby girl. Kyle, walked up the steps to the top of the wall. Will and his friend, Gabe, were sitting on chairs that were positioned behind the guard cover. When they saw Kyle, Will stood up. He said, “Kyle, this is an old friend.
His name is Gabe.” Gabe extended his hand to Kyle. “Hello, Kyle.” Kyle shook his hand. He said, “Hello, Gabe. I heard you almost didn't make it here.” Gabe exhaled, “It's terrible out there. You meet a few people, stay with them for a while, then you get ambushed by the dead, and two or three come out of it.” He stopped talking. He spaced out. He stared down at the ground. A semi-disturbed-saddened look came over his face. Kyle and Will, exchanged an awkward glance. Kyle said, “Well. You made it. That's a good thing.” He snapped out of his trance. Then, looked back up at Kyle. He shook his head. “Yes.” Will said to Kyle, “It looks clear out there, for now. Anything happening anywhere else?” Kyle said, “Not yet.” Will added, “Gabe, and I were talking, and he has an idea that, might helps us.” Just then, Stella and Rachel walked up onto the storage container wall top. Rachel said, “We are here to relieve you.” Stella added, “You need to go introduce Gabe to the others. I have chicken pot pie cooking in the dutch oven. Don't be late for supper. Kyle. Why don't you and Imogen come and eat with us this afternoon?” Kyle answered, “I'll see what Imogen is up to, and maybe we will. Thank you, Stella.” She said, “You are welcome.” Rachel asked, “Have you guys spoken to Mary?” Kyle said, “Yes, I have. She had a girl, and they named her, Lilly. They seem to be doing fine.” Rachel said, “I will bring her, and Rosalie some things today.” Stella said, “Yes. We should go through the group closet. Find some things for them.” Rachel said, “I think, Renee and Chloe got together with Mrs. S. They are making boxes up as we speak. But, we should bring them dinner for a few weeks,too. Til they get situated.” Gabe said, “That will be nice for them both.” Will said, “Okay Girls. Thank you for covering for me.” He addressed Kyle, and Gabe. “Come on. Let's go talk to the others. We need to go see Charlie, too.” The two men followed Will down the steps, and across the large yard. They all climbed onto a truck and drove away. Rachel asked Stella, “Do you think that, they will come back?” Stella said,” I hope not. But, they know winter is coming.”