The Afflicted: A Zombie Novel

by Watts, Russ

  “Now don’t try and do anything stupid, Evan.” He waved the gun in his face as if to prove a point. “You’re going on a little trip with Nathaniel.”

  Ignoring the questions from the others, Father Thomas closed the door on them and pushed Evan into the hallway. Handing the gun to Nathaniel, he walked off upstairs saying no more. Nathaniel led Evan back to the cellar, pushing him along with the gun in his back, down the corridor, and finally back into the hallway of the mortuary they had entered yesterday. As they stopped in front of the front door, Evan spoke.

  “Where are we going then?”

  “The boy’s mother. We’re going to fetch her. If we can get her, we can use the boy. What’s her name?” Nathaniel zipped up his hood.

  “Karyn. She won’t help you though. She’s only out for herself. You’ll be lucky if she’s still there.”

  “I saw what you did to her, you and your friend. You must really hate her to leave her like that.”

  Evan refused to take the bait. “And what if she’s not there?”

  “She will be. And if not,” Nathaniel sneered, “then I’ll be coming back, alone. Now, move.” He flicked the gun from Evan to the front door. Outside on the driveway the warm, morning sun trickled down through the canopy above and Nathaniel explained the crude plan.

  “We took a look; it’s pretty deserted right now. When we get out the gates, we run round the centre, straight to the van. Anything gets too close I’ll drop them. If Karyn can walk, fine. If not, you’re carrying her. Then it’s straight back here to the Father. Got it?”

  Evan nodded. Nathaniel opened the gates and they slid through. There was little else Evan could do but go along with this madman and hope Karyn was still in the van.

  * * * *

  After what felt like hours, Amane heard the door creak open and Evan came in carrying Karyn.

  “Evan! What’s going on?” she said.

  “Shut up,” said Nathaniel, irritated. Evan put her down on the couch in the study. They had found her in the van, unconscious. Nathaniel had been right about the lack of zombies. It had been relatively easy getting to her, Evan pausing only occasionally whilst Nathaniel shot a few that got in their way. It had been harder getting back to the house. The gunshots had alerted more zombies to the area and they had been cornered in the alley. Nathaniel had to take several out which only brought more. Eventually, they had fought their way back to the gate and left a growing crowd outside. Evan had carried Karyn all the way back over his shoulder to the house, and after laying her down, he sat back in the chair, exhausted. Nathaniel tied Evan back up, the bonds seeming even tighter than before.

  “How is she?” said Joe.

  “Not good. She’s pale and dehydrated. Her breathing is really shallow. She doesn’t look well at all. I couldn’t wake her up,” said Evan feeling nauseous. Events were spinning out of control. Part of him had wished she wasn’t there. He wasn’t sure now if it was a good thing they had found her or not.

  “Look, this is stupid, she can’t help you. She clearly needs medical help. We can’t help you either. We won’t. Just let us go!” said Amane, struggling valiantly, yet unsuccessfully, against her restraints. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Why?” Nathaniel aimed the gun at the three of them in turn, finally stopping on Amane. He walked up to her and slapped her, stinging her face and bringing tears to her eyes.

  “Because God told me to. I don’t expect a heathen, an unbeliever like you, to understand.” He went back to Karyn, looking her up and down. “And you certainly will help us. Our food supply isn’t endless you know, and I’m not risking my neck all the time out there. Young George will be a great asset to our cause when he sees we rescued his mother. As for you Amane, well we still need our...entertainment. Father likes ‘em young but I prefer mine a bit older.” Nathaniel cleared his throat and licked his lips.

  “How do you like fishing, Joe?” said Nathaniel, smirking.

  He just looked at Nathaniel with disgust and didn’t answer.

  “No? No matter. You see we’ve got a lot of fishing to do. You may have noticed we have a bit of an infestation outside and we need to get rid of it. We need to lure them away, flush them out and I think you’ll be perfect as bait.”

  Evan swore under his breath and vowed to kill this man if he got the chance. Suddenly the door flew open and Father Thomas strode in rolling down his shirtsleeves, his face red and sweaty.

  “How is she?” he asked.

  “She’ll be fine,” said Nathaniel, “just needs a bit of TLC. I’ll take her upstairs and let the boy know he’s got a visitor.”

  “Good, good,” nodded the Father. “Make sure our guest here gets to bed for some rest. See if you can get her to drink some water or something though, she looks terrible. Make sure George knows we saved her from these clowns. He’ll be on our side in a heartbeat.”

  “You underestimate him,” said Joe, as Nathaniel handed the gun to the Father and lifted Karyn up, dropping her over his shoulder. Father Thomas went to the fireplace and got a small fire going. He had no desire to make them warm or comfortable but he knew the smoke from the chimney might draw more survivors.

  “I’m going up to keep watch for a while. You kids be good now.” Father Thomas winked at Evan and smirked. Evan, Amane and Joe were left bound to the chairs, helpless, as the door swung shut on them. At the top of the stairs, the Father stopped, panting for breath. He went into the room where Nathaniel had lugged Karyn to; the same room where Nathaniel had stolen Amane and Lily from the night before. He handed Nathaniel the gun.

  “Nathaniel, I’m going to rest for a while.” He left Nathaniel trying to get Karyn to sip some water and walked down the hallway into the end bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

  “Rest? Yeah, right,” muttered Nathaniel. He knew his old friend better than that. He lay Karyn down on the bed and stroked his unkempt beard, looking at her.

  Karyn was muttering incomprehensibly, the way people whisper and talk in their sleep. She was trembling and sweating; her eyes were sunken and her skin looked anaemic. Nathaniel went out and unlocked George’s room.

  “Come here, kid,” he said, pointing the gun at George, who was curled up on the bedspread forlornly. George looked at him with burning hatred and didn’t move.

  “Why should I?”

  Nathaniel leered. “Mummy’s home. Me and the Father fetched her. Your so-called friends abandoned you, and her, but we saved her, George. For you. Come on.”

  Uncertain, George jumped off the bed and followed Nathaniel, running over to his mother when he saw her. He took hold of her hand. It was cold and clammy.

  “Mum? Mum?” George shook her but she didn’t wake up.

  “She’s sleeping kiddo. Had a rough night. But don’t worry; we’ll take care of her now.”

  George felt confused. Maybe these men were okay after all.

  “Thanks,” he said timidly. He was aware that Nathaniel still had a gun in his hands.

  “Look, George, you go rest in your room, I won’t lock you in anymore if you promise to be good and stay there, all right? Then when it’s lunchtime, I’ll come get you and we’ll talk to your mum together.”

  George dropped his mother’s limp arm and gave her a kiss.

  “Love you, Mum.”

  Nathaniel watched, smiling, as George reluctantly trudged back to his room. With the boy on their side, there was nothing to do now but wait. Nathaniel sat down to watch over Karyn. The Father would want to speak to her but not yet. Nathaniel knew him better than to believe he was going upstairs to rest. He wouldn’t be back down for hours. Or at least until his fat belly grew hungry.

  * * * *

  Father Thomas sat on the bed stroking Lily’s hair. She faced away from him, staring at the walls. He sighed.

  “I’m going to ask you one last time. Do you repent all your sins? Do you give yourself willingly to me? Will you sacrifice yourself for our Lord?”

  Lily didn’t speak. She thought bac
k to a few days ago when her life had been normal, her mum always fussing over her like she was still a little kid. Her dad was always lecturing her about how she wore too much make-up and too few clothes. Her heart ached. She missed them both so much now.

  Father Thomas sighed. “I had hope for you, you know?” He took a large knife out from his boots and cut the ties holding her captive on the bed. She was still naked and shivering with cold and fear. He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her up to stand before him.

  “Answer me, cunt!” He shouted at her, inches away, saliva spraying her face.

  “Let me go, please!” Lily sobbed, her arms folded around herself. She tried to turn away from him but was too weak. With one hand holding the blade to her throat, he forced her over to the window and opened it. He flung it open and shoved her over, face down, so she was dangling dangerously over the precipice. She yelped as the rough brickwork scraped her breasts like sandpaper, grating skin and drawing blood. Beneath her, from the front garden, a thousand hungry zombies looked up and reached for her, a thousand dead people groaning, arms straining to rip her apart. Their appetite for death and destruction was unsatisfied and this young girl before them, dripping blood, sweat and tears, only enflamed their ceaseless appetite.

  “Shall I let you go now?” said Father Thomas. He laughed as her tears dripped down her face onto the agitated zombies below. They couldn’t reach her, but they tasted her salty tears like an appetiser. She believed that right then, he was going to slit her throat and let her topple over.

  Holding the knife at her throat, aroused by the girl’s fear, he unzipped his trousers and positioned himself behind her, kicking her feet apart with his. Her ankle was red and swollen and she had to put all her weight onto her body to stop herself from collapsing. Lily cried out in agony as he forced himself inside her, laughing heartily, whilst she looked down on the frenzied mob below her, caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. She howled and cried above the zombies, trying to block out the pain, praying for a quick death.

  * * * *

  Nathaniel was getting bored watching their prisoner, waiting for the Father. He laid the gun down on the cabinet. He felt Karyn’s forehead. He had expected her to be running a high fever but she felt cool. Despite her sickness, she was pretty. Greasy blonde hair lay around her face and beneath the suit; he could tell she was in good shape. Nathaniel licked his lips again. There was no reason why Father Thomas should have all the fun. He slipped his hand beneath her blouse and his warm hand felt ice-cold breasts beneath a silky bra.

  “Karyn?” he said quietly.

  She did not respond to his voice. She just lay there on the bed, her whole body quivering, her eyes closed. He unzipped her skirt and pulled it down roughly, exposing vanilla underwear and white thighs. He ripped off her panties revealing the intimate area he eagerly wanted. He dropped his trousers round his ankles and clambered onto the bed between her, fumbling to get his erection out. Holding himself above her, he penetrated her, marvelling that she didn’t stir as he pushed himself in. Within seconds, he had come. Satisfied, he withdrew, got off the bed, and pulled his trousers up. He pulled her skirt back up, not wanting the Father to know he had not been able to wait. Nathaniel sat down in the chair and closed his eyes, relaxing. He preferred it when they didn’t thrash around. Satiated, he started to doze.

  He didn’t notice when Karyn finally stopped breathing. He was caught up in his own dreams and thoughts. It had been only a couple of days ago when he’d finished with the last one. That one he had got to finish off properly, just how he liked. He had strangled her when he came. He couldn’t touch Karyn yet though, he knew if he did, the Father would kill him.

  Karyn’s body froze and sank into death as Nathaniel sank lower into the chair. He didn’t notice when her body was released from the grip of death and her hands clenched the sheets. He failed to open his eyes when she slowly sat up. He was dreaming about what he would do to her tomorrow. Who knows, maybe she would give herself willingly? He had saved her after all.

  He failed to notice when her eyes opened and her neck turned awkwardly toward him. Her legs swung off the bed and her shoes suddenly landed on the floorboards. The unexpected noise invaded his morbid dreams and Nathaniel opened his eyes. He was flabbergasted by what he saw.

  “Karyn? Are you okay?” Surely she couldn’t be one of them? She was alive but just minutes ago. She was fine, wasn’t she?

  Her red-rimmed eyes stared back at him unblinking and her open mouth made pitiful gurgling noises. He could see her chest was not moving; she wasn’t breathing. He stood up and she lunged for him. Her teeth gnashed together, unable to sink into the inviting flesh as he held her back at arms’ length. Her rubbery brown tongue lolled uselessly from the side of her drooling mouth. They grappled and he forced her backwards. As she fell back onto the bed, he escaped her clutches and raced for the pistol. He shot wildly as she sprang up again, missing her and blowing the window out, breaking glass shattering onto the empty courtyard below.

  “Mum?” George opened the door and saw his mother swaying on her feet. He had never seen her look so ill. When she looked at him, he was reminded of the old lady in Miguel’s house. He saw Nathaniel raise his gun and point it at his mother.

  “No!” He hit Nathaniel in the kidney, causing another missed shot, the bullet disappearing out the open window. Nathaniel grabbed George’s shirt.

  “She’s dead, you idiot!” George kicked him in the shins and ran just as Karyn jumped and landed on Nathaniel. He pushed her up, blocking her biting jaw with his forearm.

  Father Thomas rushed in and kicked Karyn’s head. She rolled off Nathaniel who stood up quickly.

  “Get after the kid! I’ll take care of this, you fucking moron.” Father Thomas walked toward Karyn.

  “Get back here, you little shit!” called Nathaniel. That boy had humiliated him and nearly gotten him killed. Angry and scared, Nathaniel ran out of the room after George with the gun in his hand.

  CHAPTER NINE

  George ran, petrified. He heard Nathaniel’s heavy footsteps behind him and ran as fast as he could. He pounded down the stairs two at a time. At the bottom, he jumped the last few steps onto the floor and slipped on a rug, sprawling out into the corridor. He looked back up and saw Nathaniel at the top taking aim. The shot rang out, whistling over George’s shoulder, splintering wood as it pierced the wall.

  George jumped up and ran down the hallway, stopping at the door to the cellar. He descended the steps carefully, groping in the dark for the handrail. He couldn’t find the cord for the light and felt his way along the cool wall for the exit. His hands ran over cold, damp walls, through cobwebs, over dusty wine bottles, until finally he felt a smooth surface. He found the door handle and opened the door to the corridor back to the funeral home. As he did so, Nathaniel entered the cellar.

  “Hey, boy, get back here! You little fucker.”

  George did not stop. His eyes were growing accustomed to the dark gradually and he gingerly felt his way along the narrow corridor. Halfway down he heard the door behind him open and light flooded out from the cellar. George turned to see Nathaniel step out and steadily raise the gun.

  “Last chance.” Nathaniel was staring, unblinking, both hands on the gun pointed directly at him.

  George froze. There was nowhere to run to down here. He stepped back slowly, fingers brushing the walls, the chill air sending shivers down his spine. He thought of Lucy and how much he missed her. He thought of his father and wished he were here with him. His fingers brushed against cold metal and he paused. The door they had passed on their way in! He whirled round and reached up, pulling back the top bolt. A bullet fizzed past his head and winged off the door.

  “Stop that, you fucking idiot! Don’t open that door!” Nathaniel strode toward him re-aiming the gun.

  George bent down and pulled back the bolt at the base. Another bullet tore through his trouser leg, drawing blood, but only scraping the surface, and embedded itself in
the ground. George cried out in pain but was more scared of not opening the door than facing Nathaniel or whatever might be behind it. Ignoring his bleeding leg, he dragged the heavy door handle with all the strength he could muster, disregarding the banging noises inside. The door slid open, disappearing into a crevice in the wall.

  “No!”

  Now it was Nathaniel’s turn to freeze. The gun in his hand hung limply by his side as he forgot all notion of capturing or killing the boy. George ran down the corridor and turned the corner out of sight. From the mortuary’s freezer stumbled the first zombie: Father Thomas’ sister. Nathaniel stared with a mixture of revulsion and fascination. Her body had been preserved perfectly and retained a lot of its strength. She moved jerkily and her eyes had glassed over, but otherwise, it looked like the same woman he had raped and strangled yesterday before dumping her inside. The milky eyes locked on Nathaniel and she snarled. Her advancing form filled the narrow corridor as she walked uneasily toward him, like a child learning to walk for the first time.

  Nathaniel raised the gun as more dead bodies filed out after her. Fresh cadavers, born again from the depths of hell, stumbled out into the cramped corridor, all headed for him. He fired a shot, hitting the Father’s sister in the head. Her right cheek blew open, jawbone shattering, exposing broken jagged teeth, and obliterating her right eye. Half her face had been blown away and she didn’t even flinch. Still, she kept coming. With only a few feet between them, Nathaniel turned on his feet and ran back toward the house, almost tripping over his own feet in his eagerness to escape. Back through the cellar he ran, unable to stop the zombies behind him.