Dead Hunger_The Cleansing

by Eric A. Shelman

  “When Punch gets back, we’ll go out looking for them,” said Lola.

  “They have radios,” said Charlie. “So either they’re out of range, which isn’t likely with Hemp’s antennas all over town, or they’re in a lead room somewhere.”

  Hemp shook his head. “Never two more capable kids than them,” he said. “But that said, I worry about our boy, too.”

  Dave Gammon pushed through the door, wheezing and steadying himself against the wall. “We need a plan and we need it fast,” he panted. “Guys, I saw at least four rotters I recognized. They’re getting through and they’re turning our own, so however much that gas has slowed, it’s not enough yet.”

  Hemp hurried to the cot where Beauty slept. She was one of the Magas – once a prisoner of the man who referred to himself as Maestro. They were essentially Hybrids, but most were second and third generation, and had telepathic abilities beyond what Max and Isis had.

  Hemp gently shook her awake.

  Her eyes fluttered open, still piercingly red, just as all of the Hybrids. “Hemp,” she said, her voice cracking. “What happened?”

  “You’ve been asleep, sweetheart. But I awoke you for a reason. Is the screaming still filling your mind?”

  She looked surprised, and sat up. “No,” she said. “I sense something, but the screams have stopped.”

  “So you can focus?” asked Dave. “Because we really need you to focus.”

  Beauty nodded, swung her legs to the side and stood. “Sleeping,” she said. “I am not used to it. I feel as though I have missed a part of my life.”

  “Everyone should miss what you did,” said Charlie. “Hemp, why did you wake her up?”

  Panic swept over Beauty’s features and she spun around to see her son, Travis. He lay on the next cot, the size of a four-year-old, though he had not yet had his first birthday.

  Relief washed over her face. “He should remain asleep,” she said. “That way I won’t worry.”

  Hemp realized everything had changed for her when she had given birth to her son. Maestro had always killed all of the male offspring of the Magas the moment they were born; he took control of the female children and often separated them from their birth mothers before any bonding could take place. The maternal instinct faded quickly when not experienced, observed or taught.

  For all of his evil, Maestro wasn’t stupid; he knew that motherly instincts could only interfere with his plans of total domination.

  As a result, Beauty had loved Travis from the second he was born. It had been clear to everyone from her tears – yes, very rare, very red tears that grew paler and clearer as they made their way down her cheeks – that she loved her amazing child.

  Hemp said, “Charlie, I know Serena is announcing from City Hall, but when she’s not, please get on the PA and announce as well. Tell everyone they must hurry and get to secure shelter.”

  “Where is she supposed to tell them to go?” asked Dave. “If they come here, we’ll –”

  Lola suddenly jumped to her feet and charged outside. Gunfire erupted seconds after she burst out the door.

  Dave pulled his Glock and ran out after her.

  “Try Isis and Max again,” said Hemp. “Beauty, can you find them? Do you have a way to find them?”

  “I can try,” she said. “Since I first met them, we’ve formed a bond. If I go, I may be drawn to them.”

  The gunfire ceased and Dave and Lola came back in, already ejecting magazines and moving toward the ammo bins. Lola was crying.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Charlie. “Lola?”

  Fighting her sobs, she said, “I just shot … Luke.”

  “What?” asked Charlie.

  “Luke McCabe! I know he wasn’t Luke anymore, because he was bitten and turned, but Charlie … we’re sitting ducks here.”

  “Oh, my God,” whispered Charlie. “He was a sweet guy. And good with a gun, too. He must’ve been taken by surprise or overpowered.” Tears rolled down her face.

  Dave’s expression was grim. “All that means is it could happen to any one of us. We need some kind of plan and we need it now.”

  Lola moved to where Charlie sat, knelt down and wrapped her arms around Charlie’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. My heart sank the second I saw it was him.”

  Charlie wiped at her eyes and gently pulled out of Lola’s embrace. She patted her on the shoulder and keyed the radio, “Isis, Max, come in! Come in, please!” She mashed the transmit button.

  Serena’s voice sounded over the PA once more, again instructing everyone to gather their weapons and supplies and head to City Hall.

  “That makes me feel better,” said Dave. “Every time I hear her voice.”

  “Dave, will you accompany me?” asked Beauty.

  “Sure,” he said, pulling his hair back and tightening the ponytail. “Where to?”

  “Wherever I am drawn. I must find Isis and Max.”

  Dave finished reloading his magazines and stuffed them into his pockets. “Ready.” He moved to the wall and pulled an aluminum baseball bat down. Several implements of battery remained there, hanging on hooks, but Beauty did not take one.

  “Be careful out there,” said Charlie. “Please?”

  “We will,” called Dave, as the door swung closed behind him.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Isis and Max moved around the dank basement of the courthouse. Several doors were locked, but Max used his lock pick kit and made quick work of them.

  “Keep an eye out for areas where the shape of the wall doesn’t conform to the exterior,” she said. “We’re on the east side of the building, which is long and straight. The basement should follow that line. Any outcropping –”

  “Could be hollow inside, got it,” said Max, moving his light around. He shone it low, then moved it upward.

  When he swiped down low again, Isis said, “Stop, Max!” She knelt down and ran her hands along the stone.

  “Is that the symbol again?” asked Max. “The Freemason thingy?”

  She withdrew her hands. “No, Max. But it’s better. It’s a carving of the sun.”

  “What does that mean?”

  She stood again, then took several steps back and stared at the spot from the corner. “Max, come here.”

  Max moved to where she stood. Isis pointed. “That wall.” She started where the sun symbol was, then panned to the right. “It’s angled. Barely perceptible, but see how much narrower it is over there?”

  Max examined it. He walked to where the wall began, jutting off a corner. Reaching up to touch it, he said, “You’re right, Isis. It definitely angles and gets wider where that symbol is.”

  “It’s time to get to work,” she said, smiling.

  Max smiled. He found it hard not to when Isis did. It wasn’t that she didn’t smile often; it just made him want to kiss her every time she did it.

  “There’s no lock to pick,” he said. “Right?”

  Isis shook her head. “Not yet. Take my hand and touch the wall with your other.”

  “I’m always up for holding hands,” he said, smirking. “Shoulda told me you wanted to come here to make out.”

  Despite herself, Isis smiled and shook her head. “Focus,” she said.

  They stood directly over the symbol. The vibration began.

  *****

  “I can’t stand the idea of bein’ helpless,” said Flex. “It’s never happened before. We’ve faced some pretty bad situations and we came out okay. Did you see that shit on the way over here?”

  “When I wasn’t wincing in pain, I saw,” said Gem. “They must have been working their way toward us for weeks.”

  “Or longer,” said Flex. “Can’t believe Hemp didn’t notice the water cylinder.”

  “I get it,” said Gem. “You walk by something a thousand times, you don’t see it anymore.”

  “Well, it’s good news no matter. I just wish I knew what all these rotters are floodin’ in for.”

  “I’m sure they’ll let us kno
w,” said Gem. “Babe, do you have the guns in the cart? I’m driving the Crown Vic over there. Wherever we are, I want it nearby.”

  “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Luke McCabe said that motor needs a full rebuild. It’s probably time to replace it.”

  “She’s fine,” said Gem. “I think I blew an injector or something.”

  “You have no fuckin’ idea what you’re talkin’ about,” said Flex.

  “Maybe not, but Luke will figure it out.”

  Gem folded some clothes and dropped them into a small suitcase. It was the lightest bag she could find.

  “Everybody could get in their storm shelters,” she said. “I know not everyone’s got one, but that would solve the problem.”

  “You heard Hemp. He wants everyone together in case we have to fight our way out. If we’re spread all over town and we’re forced out of hiding, they’ll pick us off one by one. Strength in numbers.”

  “I got it,” she said. “Where did Max and Isis get off to?”

  “Max is probably at his house,” said Flex. “Isis may be grabbing her things, too.”

  “I can’t believe we didn’t have a plan for something like this.”

  “Babe, after all these years here, it didn’t seem necessary. We’ve used our storm shelters when we needed ‘em, and we’ve built up some good reserves here. That fence made us soft.”

  “That’s what too much protection does,” said Gem, shaking her head.

  Flex zipped his bag closed and threw it over his shoulder. “You almost got that?” he asked.

  Gem tossed two more pairs of underwear in and went to zip it. Flex dropped his hand down and pulled one pair out. “Babe, these are like granny panties.”

  “You taken a good look at me lately? I am a fuckin’ granny.”

  “Not to me,” he said. “You’ll always be that hot Latina chick to me.”

  “So I’m a GILF?”

  “A granny I like to fuck. Yeah.”

  “As it should be,” she said. “C’mon. That does it. Let’s swing by Hemp and Charlie’s and see if Max is there.”

  Flex nodded and they went outside. Stopping on the porch, they scanned their surroundings. Flex nudged Gem and nodded toward four rotters moving toward them. They appeared ready to fall at any moment, but didn’t.

  “Gonna take them a bit to get here,” said Gem. “C’mon.” She moved down to the Crown Vic and popped the trunk.

  Flex loaded his stuff in the trunk and put a case of water bottles on the rear bench of the golf cart. “Let’s move. You lead. Got ammo in the AK?”

  “That’s like asking me if I have ass in my jeans,” she said.

  Flex shook his head and patted her butt. “Yep. A full magazine. Get in.”

  They drove. First, Gem turned north, drove four houses up and pulled into the driveway. She lowered her window and called, “Flex, go see if Max is here.”

  Flex grunted his way out of the golf cart and mounted the steps to Hemp and Charlie’s front door. Max still lived with them, even though he’d move in with Isis in a New York minute if Bug allowed it.

  He didn’t.

  Flex opened the door and called, “Max! You here?”

  Nothing.

  “Max! Goin’ once!”

  Nobody answered, so he mumbled, “Goin’ then,” and closed the door again.

  Gem watched him through her side mirror, and Flex gave her a shrug, shaking his head.

  He got back in the golf cart and Gem drove south toward the foursome of rotters they’d seen before. She stopped the car about fifteen yards away from them. As they staggered their way toward them, Gem opened her door and got out. She went around to the front of the car and Flex knew exactly what she was up to.

  She got back inside the car and pulled away, Flex right behind. As she approached the foursome, Flex cranked the steering wheel to the left and drew up beside the Crown Victoria. Sensing him there, Gem turned and smiled. With a quick double-pump of her eyebrows and a wink, she reached down and engaged her windshield washer.

  The water shot sideways from the redirected nozzle, dousing the four with urushiol as Gem drove by. It was the same principle as the huge water truck Flex had driven earlier, but on a much smaller scale.

  Flex hoped Gem stayed on course and didn’t go off to investigate what was happening in other parts of the town. From Serena’s announcements, he knew everyone had been called off the fence. The sheer numbers couldn’t be stopped, and it was a fool’s errand now.

  Gunfire around town was rampant. It came from every street, every quarter. It was so widespread that when Flex and Gem got out of their vehicles, they ran with their heads ducked down until they were back inside the clinic.

  The moment they burst through the door, Charlie asked, “Have you seen Max and Isis? It sounds crazy out there.”

  Gem shook her head. “No. We went by your place and he’s not there. You need to go get some shit?”

  “I need to find my kid.”

  Flex went to the radio and picked it up. “Dave, you read me?”

  Seconds passed and Dave came on the radio. “Flex, that you?”

  “Yeah, Dave. Who are you with?”

  “I’m with Beauty. We’re looking for Max and Isis.”

  “Well, change of plans,” said Flex. “I need you to send Beauty back here, like right now so we can leave for a bit. I’d feel better with a Hybrid here to handle any Mothers who show up. How far away are you?”

  “No more than a couple of blocks. Flex, it’s bad out here. Really bad.”

  Gunfire sounded behind him and there was a long pause. Flex’s muscles tensed. “Dave, you guys okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said. “Walkers got a little close, but someone else took them out. Just making sure Beauty and I weren’t in the line of fire.”

  “Good. Okay, get Beauty back here. Charlie’s done waiting, so we’re taking over the search. I think you should head over to City Hall and see if you can find your uncle and Punch. We need some real recon.”

  “I can go with you if you want,” said Dave.

  “No need, but keep an eye out and if you see ‘em, tell ‘em to radio in. For now, me, Gem, Hemp and Charlie are headin’ out to look. You talk to anyone else who spotted ‘em?”

  “Nobody we ran into,” said Dave. “Man, I hope they’re alright.”

  “You and me both, brother,” said Flex.

  “Okay,” said Dave. “I’ve got Punch’s grape sled, so I’ll drive Beauty over first, then I’ll run the whole fence perimeter to get a better idea of our vulnerabilities.”

  “Good. You’ll know where the problem areas are before you find the guys.”

  The door pushed open and Beauty came in. Flex stared at her as he lowered the radio. “Wait a minute. Aren’t you with … Dave?” he asked.

  “The moment I knew you wanted me here, I ran,” she said.

  “You a fast runner?” asked Flex. “Hell, you’re not even winded.”

  Beauty nodded. “Athleticism has always come naturally to me.”

  Flex smiled and raised his radio to his mouth, anticipating the next exchange with Gammon. He pushed the transmit button. “Dave, do you realize Beauty’s gone?”

  “Where the hell?” he said. “She was right behind me a.”

  “She just ran in,” said Flex. “Shake it off, brother. Drive the perimeter, then get over to City Hall and find your posse. We’ll be in touch later.”

  “Got it,” said Dave, disbelief still in his voice. “Tell Beauty I’d have been happy to drive her. Out.”

  Flex lowered the radio. “I think you embarrassed him.”

  “It was not my intention,” said Beauty. “I only knew you needed me. I can help you, Flex. Since waking from the WAT-5, my mind is clear.”

  “Are the Mothers still shrieking, Beauty?” asked Hemp. “Has anything changed?”

  “Perhaps only because I have learned to control it,” said Beauty. “But it is less in my mind than before.”

 
Hemp moved to the door and stepped outside, first scanning the street, then looking at his water cylinder.

  “It’s still bubbling out, but it’s nearly imperceptible now,” he said. “Guys, this may really be almost over.”

  “And I want everyone alive when it is. Babe, why do you need to stay here?” asked Charlie, staring at Hemp.

  He shook his head. “If Beauty is willing to stay here with Hannah, Travis and Lily, I’ll go.”

  “If that is what you need of me, I will remain here,” she said. “I sense Mothers near. I will protect the children.”

  Gem went to the wall by the door and pulled down a large super soaker. It had a red ribbon tied over the long, plastic barrel. “This one has Mother juice in it as well as urushiol,” she said, giving it to Beauty. “Use it if necessary, but please, lock the door when we all go.”

  “I will,” said Beauty. “But I wish I could help in a more significant way.”

  Flex smiled and said, “This is the best way you can help us now, Beauty. The four of us are a good team. We’ve been workin’ the streets together for the better part of two decades. We don’t even have to ask what the other’s gonna do – we just know.”

  Beauty nodded. “I do not mind,” she said. “I’ll monitor the radio. Do you want me to announce anything?”

  “Yeah,” said Gem. “When we were out there, every time Serena made an announcement, did you see the zombies, Flex?”

  “I did notice that,” said Flex. “They’d like stop and look around. Like they wanted to go toward the sound but they didn’t get where it was comin’ from.”

  “Exactly,” said Hemp. “The Mothers have increased auditory senses from the outset of this. If they now guide the abnormals completely, because of the diminished gas, it is they who are confused. That’s what we want.”

  Charlie hurried to the corner and picked up her Parker Tornado crossbow, along with a quiver with at least forty new arrows. She had custom drilled all of her arrowheads to accommodate several drops of estrogen blocker. Those arrows were marked with red paint, and would only be used on Mothers.