Max tried to stop him but he pushed the man back and kept moving forwards.
“What the hell is he doing?” said Zack.
Max held up his hands in disgust.
“No idea man, looks like he’s gonna do a Leroy to us,” he said.
Steve and Laura appeared to be having an argument, it was quite clear that she didn’t want to go with him. With a final push she forced herself away, leaving Steve exposed on his own, out in the open. Laura ran back to take cover with the others whilst Steve turned on them with a verbal tirade.
“Listen man, those things killed our friends. If we go off half-cocked we’ll join them,” he pleaded.
“Yeah, true but if we turn back we’ll be out in the open with just these for weapons,” said Max as he held out half a brick he’d just found.
“Fuck this!” said an angry Tony, “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I agree with Zack. He’s been right so far and if we can get in The Mall we’ll have food, clothes, weapons and a safe place to hole up. I say we take them and take them now before anymore show up.”
“Yeah!” said a satisfied Max.
Tony turned back to Zack, showing him perhaps a little of the respect his normally reserved for his friends like Steve.
“Okay, little fella. What’s your plan?” he asked.
Zack scratched his chin as he looked around.
“We’ve got no weapons so we’re going to have to find something to use as a weapon,” he said.
“No shit!” said Steve.
The group looked around until the silence was broken by Laura.
“The petrol station, would they have weapons?” she asked.
“Nah,” said Steve, “just petrol.”
“Petrol! That’s brilliant!” said Zack, “Do any of you have a light?”
Steve, Laura and Tony reached into their pockets and fished out three lighters almost simultaneously.
“Just like buses!” laughed Max.
What’s your plan?” asked Tony.
Zack took one of the lighters and proceeded to look around, checking on the location. He paced forwards and backwards a few steps until he had something concrete in mind.
“Ok, try this. We use the fuel at the station to burn the whole lot of them. It’s quick and guaranteed to work,” said Zack.
“Great plan you idiot,” retorted Steve, “how are you going to burn them all when they’re so far away?”
“Yeah, I see where you’re going with this,” said Max, “you’re thinking of the exploding petrol station in Left 4 Dead right?”
Zack grinned in acknowledgment.
“Steve has a point though,” continued Max, “we need something like the beeping pipe bomb to get them all in one place.”
“Pipe bomb?” asked Laura.
Steve turned away, waving his hands in the air as he muttered.
“No, you don’t get it. In the game the pipe bomb makes a noise and has a flashing light. It attracts the zombies so they can all be killed together,” explained Max.
Tony seemed to be following what he was saying and called over to Steve.
“Hey, Steve,” he called in the quietest but firmest voice he could manage. He turned to Max and Zack.
“You’re talking about bait right?” he asked.
“Exactly!” answered Zack.
A rustling sound came from ahead and forced them all into silence. Steve ducked back down into cover, his fear of the zombies outweighing his desire to stay away from the least significant of their group. They watched carefully as a small number of the zombies split off from the crash scene and staggered down the road towards them.
“Aw crap!” said Max.
“Look, we haven’t got much time. We need to get to the station!” shouted Zack.
He grabbed Laura’s arm and pulled her in the direction of the petrol station. Max and Tony quickly followed, leaving just Steve who refused to move. They rushed off down the short road that followed a shallow gradient. Tony kept checking over his shoulder for Steve but there was no sign of him. As they reached the station they first went to the payment booth. It was closed and securely locked against break-ins or theft.
“Shit!” shouted Tony.
“Look!” called Laura as she pointed up the hill.
Steve emerged from the crest of the hill, running as fast as he could. Tony turned to Max but before he could speak Max shouted.
“Look, they’re after him.”
Up on the hill the first group of zombies appeared, each staggering down the hill and after Steve.
“I don’t know what he did, but they’ve taken the bait!” said Max.
At the payment booth Zack was trying to pick the lock but with no success. The doors and windows were protected by heavy steel shutters and then fitted with several tubular locks.
“I can’t get it open, any ideas?” he asked.
The other three looked around but offered nothing useful. Max stopped and considered something, then ran off to the nearest pump. He pulled out the nozzle and squeezed the trigger. A small amount of fuel, no more than a mouthful dripped out onto the concrete floor.
Steve ran up to the booth, stopping next to Zack, his breathing was so heavy he couldn’t speak for a while. The zombies were now over halfway down the short gradient and probably just thirty seconds from the pumps.
Zack looked around the booth for any levers or switches that might help. After rummaging around he quickly gave up.
“That isn’t going to work, you need to get the guy in the booth to authorise the fuel and we can’t do that because the place is locked up,” he said.
“Hang on, can’t you pay by card?” asked Laura.
Tony ran over to the next pump and pulled a card out of his wallet, sliding it into the machine’s control pad.
“Yeah, she’s right, we can buy the fuel on a card and it will self authorise!”
The first of the zombies was now just feet away from the forecourt of the petrol station. With a clunk the pump started up and petrol flowed from it. He pointed the nozzle in the direction of the approaching zombies and continued to pump fuel at them.
Steve, Zack and Laura moved back towards the booth, keeping well away from the petrol and the fumes emanating from it. The last of the zombies seemed to have moved down from the higher ground and continued down towards them. From what they could guess there were at least sixty, maybe seventy zombies on their way and over half were now in the petrol station and moving towards Tony on the pump. With a clunk another pump burst into life as Max’s credit card was finally accepted. He added more fuel to the ground and also threw it around to reach as far from the pump as possible. The first zombie was almost on him when Zack ran over and dragged him away.
“Come on man, we still need to burn the place!” shouted Zack.
As the two retreated from the pumps Tony heard them shouting and dropped his nozzle, running back to join them. All five were now stepping away from the station. Tony flipped out his lighter and ignited it, looking to Zack and Max.
“Ready?” he asked as he prepared to throw it.
“Wait!” said Zack as he grabbed his arm, “we need them all.”
The group stood in silence, watching the zombie horde move through the petrol station towards them. As the final zombie stepped onto the forecourt Zack gave the nod. With one big motion Tony cast the lighter through the air and to the closest spill of fuel. At first nothing happened then there was a flash and the flames spread through the entire station. The heat was immense and forced the group back and away from the carnage.
“Come on!” shouted Zack, “Get to The Mall!”
They ran around the burning petrol station, staying on the road and at a safe distance. It appeared the inferno had done its job as there were no zombies on the road or out in the open. Laura stopped, open mouthed as she looked at the blaze. Tony turned to check what it was that had caught her eye. From the blaze half a dozen of the zombies were staggering back out and towards them. They
were burning from head to toe, looking like some kind of macabre walking torch. As the flames took hold each of them slowed and then finally collapsed to the ground, the fire consuming their flesh.
Steve pushed Laura and they continued on their way towards The Mall. Without pausing they moved past the crashed bus and noted the lack of zombies near it. In just seconds they were off the road and running through the empty car park towards the main glass entrance. Zack, being taller and faster moved to the front of the group and reached the entrance first. The security shutters were up but the doors appeared locked. He banged his fists on the thick glass but to no avail. Zack arrived and the others were not far behind him.
With several low thuds a series of explosions blasted from the petrol station. The group all turned to see clouds of smoke shooting up from the burning station.
“Must be the underground petrol tanks or maybe camping gas containers,” said Steve.
They stood silent, just watching the burning structure. A wail almost like the howl of wind came from the direction of the burning petrol station. A silent Tony extended his arm, pointing off into the distance. Zack and Laura looked in the direction of his hand, quickly spotting the horde.
“Oh shit!” shouted Zack.
Steve started pacing back and forth as he spotted the large mass of zombies making their way past the burning petrol station. More noise came, it was evident that there were still plenty of zombies out there.
“Why are they still coming this way?” asked Laura, her voice almost sounding hysterical.
With a swish the doors behind them swung open and a man in full riot armour stepped out. He slipped up the visor on his helmet.
“They’re coming because you just lit the biggest damned beacon in the county!” he said in a grumpy voice.
Max staggered backwards, surprised by the sound. The rest just stood there in silence, watching the man in his rough and obviously well used armour. A teenager ran past him and up to Zack.
“Tim?” shouted Zack.
The excited kid slapped his hand down on Zack’s, grinning with excitement.
“I got here before you, this copper found me. He’s been here for more than a day, it’s fucking awesome in there!” he said.
The policeman stepped forward.
“I suggest you get inside. Most of The Mall is now locked and I’ve prepared safe rooms, weapons and supplies. There are a few other survivors here as well, hopefully more will make it. You’ll be ok for now,” he said.
The group were still silent, shocked by the arrival of the policeman and then Tim. The noise of the first of the approaching zombies soon woke them up. Max was first to make a decision and stepped through the doors, he turned his head, shouting at the rest as he entered.
“Come on, we need to get ready,” he said.
Zack followed with Laura, Tony and finally Steve joining them. With them all inside the main foyer the policeman stepped inside and hit a button. The thick glass doors slid shut. He placed a key into a lock and with a grinding sound a series of heavy metal shutters started lowering themselves.
The policeman removed his helmet and turned to the group.
“I take it you’ve seen the news? This outbreak has turned into a worldwide epidemic,” he said.
“Yeah, we saw the news earlier,” replied Max.
“Well, it’s just got a lot worse. The military is fighting a losing battle and it’s up to people like us to find a way to keep alive. Tim said you’ve got a lot of experience with survival manuals and strategy with things like this!” he stated in a questioning tone whilst looking at Max and Zack.
The two nodded in acknowledgement.
The policeman pointed over to a table with paperwork and equipment on it. Zack and Max walked over to it. There were detailed drawings of the retail park and shopping mall. Next to the paperwork were pile of blades, fire axes and heavy clothing. After giving the paperwork and equipment a cursory look Zack turned to face the rest of the group. At the front stood the policeman, behind him were the rest of them including Tim.
They looked at the two of them, waiting for something...anything. The policeman gave Zack a nod. With a deep breath he began.
“Okay, I’ve got a great idea.”
THE END
Zombie Dawn: Outbreak Page 19
