One zombie stands at the front door doing nothing. Patient bastard. Jack continues looking over the monitors, seeing a small field behind the house with several zombies walking around. He shrugs his shoulders, deciding to take the big office chair for another test drive. “Best chair I’ve ever sat in,” he says aloud. From the big chair he watches the zombies a bit longer with his feet propped up on the desk. Next to his feet sits a large computer monitor in sleep mode. It doesn’t dawn on Jack to wake it. He is preoccupied with the visuals displayed on the large wall monitors. He regards viewing the zombies like watching some sort of fucked up reality show, then soon realizes the cameras have changed to night vision. “Cool.”
Jack is lost in the show when the faint voice returns. This place is not safe, Jack.
“Why?”
I’m waiting for you. He’s waiting for you.
“Say his name, Julia.” Jack spins around in the chair, finding nothing. He is tempted to throw the coffee cup as hard as he can against the wall, but thinks better of it. No use destroying a perfectly good cup. What good would it really do? Still, it bothers him that every time he speaks his son’s name, Julia leaves without so much as a whispering goodbye. I’m fucking crazy! Jack rubs his bloodshot eyes vigorously, careful not to put too much pressure on his wounded hand. Jack surmises if he ever becomes a zombie, he’ll still be able to feel pain and that doesn’t interest him one bit. He does feel more human now that he’s showered and brushed his teeth. He contemplated shaving but thought better of it. Looking at his left hand he knows he still needs to doctor the wounds, find the antibiotics the man in white was giving him, and most importantly, make damn sure this house is secure. In his mind he begins another in a long line of lists.
Jack refills his coffee for a third time and walks out of the control center, heading back to the master suite. He stands a moment, letting his thoughts catch up, slowly. He knows he isn’t at 100%. Exhaustion and depression seep back in, wrapping around him like a warm glove. “Fuck it. I’ll look this place over tomorrow, if I live.” He removes the remaining weapons from the bed, drops the robe exposing his naked bruised body, and climbs under the covers. He rests his head on the soft pillow and falls asleep to the whispers of the dead.
This place is not safe, Jack…
Soon he begins to snore.
CHAPTER 34.
Black and White
The world is black and white. It has always been black and white, even when times were good, when family was around, when they all played. Somehow the good world ended, the good times ended and her family ended but through it all, everything remained black and white. She will never see the world in color but that isn’t such a bad thing. Shadows come and go, and some even try to enter her space, but she is resilient. She stands her ground watching over all that is left of her world. She watches until hunger drives her to search for food. At first, trips from her place are not far, but as days pass, the trips grow longer. Soon she meets up with others like her, others looking for food and they begin running together in a pack.
Sugar runs with and hunts for food with nearly twenty other dogs. They single out weaker dogs, domesticated animals found in the streets, and on rare occasions they find livestock to take down, but over the course of the last week, food has grown scarce. She watched members of the pack give in to hunger, and hunt the dead. The ones that eat the dead, change. They don’t attack her or the few others that haven’t eaten the dead, but they have changed nonetheless. The pack runs more often, takes down the dead more often and now they are tracking a large group of humans. The slaughter is about to begin.
The door opens and two humans step out. Sugar remains well hidden away from the action, under the rear end of a heavy truck. She hunkers down and watches the kill. She watches most of her pack enter the humans’ nest. She listens to the killings through the falling rain. Gunshots ring out but fail to startle her like they used to. She’s heard them many times over the past weeks. Human screams echo from the open doorway, riling the dead on the other side of the wall. Sugar can hear them coming, grabbing, clawing and soon she hears glass breaking.
Sugar emerges from her hiding space; head hanging low, listening as more humans scream. One scream is eerily reminiscent of a female she had come to like and trust, but who was taken away from her shortly before her master was. She studies the raised tailgate of the truck, as echoes grow closer. More shots ring out and the dead are on the move. Her pack is losing members, this much she knows, but she also knows there are several experienced hunters in the pack, who will not fall easily. With some struggle she climbs into the bed of the truck, making herself as low as possible. There is a rush of activity just outside the truck. Humans yelling, shots fired, this time causing her to jerk. Humans enter the bed of the truck, a door slams, a second door slams and the truck starts. A bright light flashes in her eyes.
***
Adam raises his .40, about to pull the trigger when Anderson’s head explodes from one side. His body is propelled into the wall directly next to him. A long thick bloody smear is left on the wall as his body slumps to the floor. Adam remains still with his .40 raised, watching the blind corner closely. Liz stands behind him with her hands to her mouth, gasping at the scene unfolding before her. Anderson was obviously shot by a member of the Squad. Adam knows the “phht” sound their silencers make.
“Is it them, the squad?” Liz asks in a hushed voice.
“Yes. Were getting those keys and getting out of here with or without them,” Adam answers.
As Sly steps around the corner, Adam pulls the trigger. The .40 is not sighted well and Adam is a terrible shot at anything beyond twenty feet. Lucky for Sly, she is twenty-one feet away. She feels the heat from the bullet as it whizzes by her head, striking the thick cement wall behind her. She steps back, finding cover and giving the high sign for the other members to hold. She looks back to the boys and Yonkey. “I think its Adam.”
“Fuck, he’s pissed about the trucks. He fucking knew all along,” Yonkey protests, slouching against the wall.
Sly turns back towards the corner, not daring stick her head out, knowing Adam would have a steady bead. “Adam is that you?” Sly yells out. She can hear dogs barking and the dead coming.
“Yes. You weren’t thinking of leaving without me, were you?”
“No…just trying to get these boys home.”
“Bullshit, Sylvia. I knew your plan all along. I know everything that goes on under this roof. So here’s what I’m willing to do. Help me get out of here and I’ll let you live.” Adam turns smiling at Liz. “This is how we used to negotiate with the unions back in the day.”
Liz realizes Adam has lost his mind. She knew he was cocky and a bit bossy but she never suspected he would suffer this type of break. Moaning sounds catch her attention along with a growing scent of the dead. “We have to make this quick. They’re coming.”
Sly remains still, trying to think of a way out. She can see multiple sets of vehicle keys hanging from Anderson’s bloody belt. She needs the keys just as much as Adam. Maybe we can split the keys. The thought is fleeting as Yonkey fires on approaching zombies.
“Stay behind me, boys,” Yonkey commands, as he turns and fires rapidly, dropping two slow movers. More zombies appear. “Shit, we have to go!”
Yonkey’s voice cuts through Sly. It was the last thing she wanted to hear at the moment. Zombies to one side, a crazy fuck with a gun on the other, and no way out. “Adam, how about this. We split the keys and go our own ways. I only need one truck.”
“Ok. Grab the keys and we’ll talk about it.” Adam steps down two steps, repositioning his grip on the .40. Liz remains frozen in the same spot. She can’t comprehend what was happening on the lower floor.
***
He swings his aluminum bat feverishly with his left hand, battering zombies and dogs alike, while he expertly picks off runners and other dogs with the .45 in his right hand. The last shell ejects from his .45, locking the slide back, a
nd Giant discards it, confident in the knowledge he will never need the weapon again. He plants his feet and with both hands flings the bat forward, caving in the skull of a passing zombie. Without missing a beat he pulls the sawed-off 12-gauge pump strapped to his back and fires. The thunderous boom catches Sly’s attention. She smiles feeling tears welling.
Adam has to turn to see what the new commotion is, meeting the wrong end of a ferocious right roundhouse. His cheek crumples from the impact, snapping his head to the side. The .40 falls to the floor along with his body. Stars dance in his vision, and his ears are ringing. He can barely make out the large pair of black work boots belonging to Papi, standing in front of him. Thunderous booms continue.
Giant cuts a path through the undead and the dogs. He butchers everything in front of him, all the while taking damage. He knows he is dead. Pure adrenaline coursing through his veins, along with the thought he may be able to help his only friend, drives him. He crushes skulls, dismembers the dead, and kills every fucking dog he can find. Blood pours from wounds and he can feel his life force draining away but still he fights on. He wants to see his friend make it out alive. He fires the shotgun again, removing the head of a young zombie child that may have been a girl, he can’t tell. He pumps another round into the chamber and blows off half the face of a former hostess at the Outback Steakhouse. Another round, and two more zombies are cut down.
An inferno of pain erupts in the back of Giant’s left leg. He looks back seeing what appears to be a Dalmatian mix, biting down on his left calf muscle. He slams the butt of the shotgun down on the head of the dog. When it doesn’t relinquish its’ hold, Giant snatches the large Bowie knife from the sheath on his left leg and drives it straight through the dog’s skull. That does the trick. He pulls the dead dog from his leg and returns to the task at hand. He is limping, and spends the last shotgun shell killing another zombie. He switches to brute force and the use of the bowie knife.
Papi and Craig stand with Liz, watching Giant create his own killing field. “Get the keys off Anderson’s belt and let Sly know we’re moving out.”
“10-4, Papi.” Craig turned shooting Liz a quick smile. “You’re coming with us, right?”
CHAPTER 35.
Was I snoring?
Why are we here, Daddy?
I don’t know, little one. Maybe your mom needs us here.
I don’t think so. I don’t think Mommy knows we’re here.
Really, maybe we should go surprise her…
Jack wakes from the conversation with his dead son. He stares at the ceiling above him, attempting to remember the entire conversation. I haven’t spoken to Ronan in so long. Where did he go? Jack sits looking around the room hoping for a glimpse of his son’s ghost. Nothing. He lays his head back on the soft pillow realizing he feels…good. He feels rested. After a few minutes he rolls over onto his right side staring at the nightstand. The alarm clock reads 4:07pm in large red digits. He studies the clock for a long while. It seems foreign and yet comforting at the same time. The clock sits as a symbol from the time before zombies roamed the earth, before everything in his world was taken from him. Thoughts of suicide return, but soon are overshadowed by the thoughts of Julia and Ronan. If I go through with it there’s a chance I will end up in purgatory and never see them again. I can’t take that chance.
Jack
Jack looks over at the faint sound of Julia’s voice. He stares into the faint eyes of his dead wife. Her hair is slightly tussled, just the way he liked it, and her smile…it is genuine, “I don’t know how long I can keep going, Julia. I don’t know what the payoff is going to be at the end of this fucked up journey. It would be much easier if you and Ro were here with me.”
We’re here with you, always. You just need to keep fighting to stay alive.
“I don’t care about that. I just care about you and Ro. Why doesn’t he come to me? I’m not mad at him. I just miss him.”
He will in his own time
Jack peers into Julia’s faint eyes. He can make out shapes of objects in the room directly behind her; still he tries to focus solely on her. He reaches out to brush a loose strand of hair away from her eye and she is gone. He sighs deeply, rolling over onto his back.
It’s not safe here, Jack
Jack doesn’t bother looking for her again. He knows it’s all in his head. He swings his legs over the side of the bed, stretching. He stands, feeling the soft carpet under his feet. It is wonderful. A slight breeze brushes against his bare chest. “Uh oh,” Jack looks around the room, spotting it. One of the black-out blinds rustles in the breeze. He pulls the blind back, peeking at the street directly in front of the house. Fifty or more zombies stand in the front yard looking up at the window. Jack lets the blind go. He carefully maneuvers his hand beneath the blind, closing the window. I hope I wasn’t snoring.
Jack moves away from the window, looking for his clothes, then remembers they are soiled. He stands naked in the middle of an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar house sitting in an unfamiliar neighborhood filled with zombies that were about to start knocking at the door. “You were right again, Julia.”
Jack pulls open a large closet door, finding it deep, one wall lined with a series of shelves. Seeing his dark green backpack, he grabs it and sits on the floor. It still feels heavy as he begins pulling the contents out. You may be crazy but you did display some decency after all. Jack removes the large bottle of ibuprofen and a bottle of water. He washes down five of the small rust-colored pills. He digs into another compartment to find his journal, a mechanical pencil still attached to the worn leather cover. He opens the cover and reads the inscription, “To My Darling Jack. I found this journal in an old bookstore in San…” then stops. He closes the journal, setting it aside, but letting his hand linger on it for a long pause. He digs deeper into the same compartment removing the one thing he thought for sure he’d never see again, the red Hot Wheel. He doubles over, sobbing uncontrollably, holding the little car tightly.
CHAPTER 36.
Giant’s swan song
“Sly, move out!” Papi commands, reaching down and hoisting Adam over his shoulder. The dead weight is not easily manageable and every part of Papi is telling him to leave Adam, but the asshole is still alive. Careful not to twist an ankle, he walks slowly down the remaining stairs leading to the west doors.
A few feet ahead of Papi, Craig is kneeling, retrieving the keys from Anderson’s belt. “I’m sorry old timer. You shouldn’t have gone out like this.” Craig has developed a strong admiration for Anderson over their time together, seeing him as a father figure. He unclips the last set of keys and places his hand over Anderson’s eyes, closing them for the last time. “God speed, my friend.”
The sinking feeling in Sly’s stomach ceases at the sound of Papi’s voice. She’d feared he was lost to the zombies or worse yet, he was with Adam. “I guess we’re out of here. Stay behind me and let me see what’s happening. Yonkey, watch the rear,” Sly says to Yonkey and the boys. She steps back to the corner, seeing Craig. He is kneeling by Anderson and appears to be talking to him. She watches him briefly, then steps towards him as he removes the last of the keys. “I take it you’re coming with us?” Sly asks, looking around. She spies Papi carrying Adam over his left shoulder.
Craig doesn’t have time to answer questions. He was about to say, no you’re coming with us, but the words stall because once again, Sly is ignoring him. Bitch.
“Papi, you Ok?” Sly asks.
Papi smiles. “Ok, maybe. Leaving, YES! Now move your skinny ass out of the way. For a short guy Adam’s heavy than you’d think.” Papi walks past Sly, adjusting the dead weight on his shoulder, heading for the west doors. Sly catches up, taking point after waving the boys and Yonkey to follow.
“Liz, we’re leaving!” Craig yells out from the bottom step. Liz stands at the top of the stairs watching Giant destroy everything in his path. The few remaining dogs turn and run. The zombies are not as fortunate, or smart. Giant uses his
Bowie knife to slice and dice while his large fists take turns caving in faces. He takes his share of damage, but keeps killing. He drives the knife straight up through the bottom of a zombie’s jaw, splitting its face in two. A short female zombie leaps from a nearby raised cement planter, latching onto Giant’s left shoulder, her teeth digging deep into his flesh. He grimaces, reaching over with his right hand to pull her free. He drives the knife straight through her face and tosses her carcass to the floor. He steps forward sizing up the next challenge, when a second wave of death rattles through his body.
“Oh my god, Giant,” Liz yells as Giant tears the female zombie from his shoulder. She’s about to run to his aid when she locks eyes with him. His eyes are turning grey. “Oh no.” Liz steps back, not taking her eyes off the killing machine. She turns at the sound of Craig’s voice yelling for her and trips. Her rotund body slams down three steps before coming to rest against the wall. Her feet are splayed, facing up the stairs. She is looking up at the ceiling and can tell her right leg is broken. She screams as radiating pain engulfs her body.
“Son of a bitch.” Craig sprints past Yonkey and the boys as they continue towards the west doors.
“Craig, the keys.” Roger spots the sets of keys in Craig’s hands as he passes.
Craig halts, handing all the keys to Roger. “Don’t you dare leave without me! Make sure you guys grab the supply bags on your way out.”
“Uh, ok,” Roger answers, watching Craig run back up the stairs. He is torn, feeling he should help Craig, but the feeling passes when Brett and Yonkey both grab his arm.
“We are leaving!” Yonkey states defiantly pulling Roger along.
Craig reaches Liz, seeing she is in bad shape. He places his hand over her mouth and speaks to her, “You have to tell me what’s wrong so I can help get you out of here.”
Dust of the Devil's Land Page 14
