ONSLAUGHT: The Zombie War Chronicles - Vol 1

by Damon Novak

  “They’re zombies,” said Sonya, her voice low and monotone.

  None of us said anything. I was already convinced of it at Georgina’s house. The silence became so thick, it was like another person in the room.

  Finally, Georgina surprised the shit outta me.

  “So far, we’re assuming only trauma to the brain kills them,” she said, turning to me. “Cole, they’re moving pretty slowly. All of them have, as far as we’ve seen.”

  She turned to Lilly and Sonya. “Have you seen any of them running?”

  Both women shook their heads. “Staggering forward kind of fast, yes,” said Sonya. “Not actually running. I don’t think they have the coordination for that.”

  “Maybe they don’t even have the knowledge of the action anymore,” said Lilly. “That’s gone, along with their natural distaste for murdering and eating people.”

  “So, then, they’re slow,” said Georgina. “Cole, think we could catch one?”

  I raised my eyebrows. This woman was full of surprises. “Catch one.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes. Kill the other two and catch one. Restrain it. Have you got handcuffs, Sonya?”

  “You seriously want to put handcuffs on a goddamned zombie?” asked Lilly.

  “Yes,” she said. “Sort of. You’ve got posts out there. Just handcuff it to a post so we can … study it, I guess. See if anything else kills them.”

  I looked at all three women, who just stared back at me. “Well, we did just get up, and we’ve got a long day ahead of us. Can we have some food first?”

  “That’s a good idea,” said Georgina. “It’s already bright out there, so I’m guessing we’re looking at the low 90s today. Best to get some food in us and the exertion over and done with before that sun gets any higher.”

  “We also need to pray more don’t show up,” said Sonya. “Let’s eat fast if that’s the plan.”

  Ω

  We did eat fast, but when we were down to our last bits of canned corned beef hash, it seems we all slowed down, clearly avoidin’ the inevitable. Finally, there was no way to make the last bite last another few hours.

  “We know noise draws ‘em,” I said. “The fireworks were enough proof of that. I’ll head over to the other side and open a window, throw somethin’ out. Hopefully, they’ll hear it when it hits the dock.”

  “Did you forget about this?” asked Lilly, holding up a small electronic doo-dad.

  “Oh, hell no,” I joked. “I dreamt about that goddamned piece of plastic all night.”

  “Smartass, it’s the remote for the generator.”

  I smiled. It was a brilliant idea that never woulda hit me. Not sure why. “So, you did get some of my smarts after all! You’ll start the gen, and the noise’ll draw ‘em.”

  “Yeah, and while they’re all huddled over it, you can kill two and tackle one.”

  I looked down at my jean shorts and tee shirt, then back up at my sister. “I’m not exactly dressed for zombie huntin’.”

  “Then you’d better figure something out,” she said. “Georgina’s a doctor, right? She might learn a thing or two about those things, and this is a good time to do it.”

  I went back to the window and peered through the slats. The yellowed thermometer mounted on the post just outside read 82 degrees.

  “Am I on my own here?” I asked.

  Sonya stepped toward me. She was the only person there in long pants. “I’ll help. I still carry this. Most officers don’t.” She slid the black baton from her belt and held it up. “Lethal as I want it to be.” Sonya hefted its weight, smacking her other hand with it.

  “Make it real lethal,” I said. “And you’re right. That’ll keep the noise to a minimum, maybe stop us from drawin’ more. Follow me.”

  “Where?” she asked.

  I just waved behind me and heard her following me down the hall. I turned into the room she’d had slept in and pointed to the wall above her bedding. “Didn’t notice these yesterday?”

  Along the wall, hanging on pegs, were fishin’ waders. Me, Clay and Tanner used ‘em when we had to get in the water to work on the boats.

  “I also have rain jackets, so we can cover our arms. I see you wear the short-sleeved uni.”

  “We are in Florida,” she said. “This is good. You have gloves?”

  “Thick rubber.”

  Without any more jawin’, we each found the overalls that fit us best, and pulled them on. I grabbed two rain jackets from pegs on the opposite wall, and we zipped them up. I almost put my hood on but thought that might just make me look like a pussy.

  When I turned around, Sonya was pullin’ the drawstring on her hoodie tight, tyin’ it.

  “No hood?” she asked. “You know zombies, right? In The Walking Dead, they always go for the jugular.”

  I’ll admit it. I was a little relieved. I pulled my hood on and tied the drawstring. “Lilly’s gonna give me shit when I walk out there,” I said.

  “Correction,” said Lilly. I whirled around and she shook her head, offering a sliver of a smile. “Big bad Cole Baxter. Looking like a 9-year-old, ready to go stomp in a mud puddle.”

  “Blood puddle’s more like,” I mumbled, nudgin’ past her, into the hall.

  “It’s actually kind of cute,” said Georgina, also smilin’ as I walked past her.

  Every smile disappeared when I went behind the counter and pulled out my Ka-bar. My Pa had given it to me a few years earlier; he’d been a United States Marine, and it was his favorite knife. The seven-inch blade was sharp as fuck and had a helluva a good grip on it.

  “Take the 9-millimeter,” said Lilly. “Backup.”

  I held out my hands. “With these goddamned gloves on, I wouldn’t be able to get my finger through the trigger guard. Don’t worry. Just go start the gen. Maybe this won’t even work.”

  Lilly let out a little huff and walked into the other room, the remote in her hand. I heard the starter turn, and the gen fired, revving twice before settling into an idle.

  “Turn on the TV,” I said. “Sound down. Need to draw some power to keep the RPMs up.”

  She picked up another remote and turned the TV on. There was no picture, but she muted the sound.

  The generator revved slightly, then returned to its normal idle. A second later, it revved again. That might do it.

  Sonya and I went back to the window, and I slowly turned the control rod to open the blinds more. The creatures had taken the bait, already on their way to investigate. All three of them rounded the corner of the office, headin’ to where the gen sat, on a three-foot wide strip of dock runnin’ along the north side of the buildin’.

  “Lilly, go to the back window,” I whispered. “Stand on somethin’ so you can see out, and motion to us when those freaks are starin’ at the gen.”

  Lilly nodded. Georgina had a worried look on her face but said nothin’.

  “We’ll be okay,” I promised her. “Swear. No way we’re gonna leave you to deal with Lil on your own.”

  I heard two soft finger snaps, and turned to see Lilly flippin’ me off. She mouthed the words, “Now, asshole.”

  I’m no lip reader, but I know my sister. I nodded to Sonya, and slowly pushed the front door outward, stepping softly onto the dock. She followed.

  I moved as stealthily as I could, stayin’ close to the buildin’ to avoid loose slats that might creak. When I reached the northwest corner, I leaned forward and peered around to have a look.

  The three were just standin’ there, starin’ down at the gen. Not touchin’ it or anything else. It was apparently mesmerizin’.

  My fingers clutched the Ka-Bar. I’d obviously never used it to kill a man before; I kinda treasured it, and if I’m bein’ honest, I’ll say I’d never even used it at all, except to cut through tangled anchor lines and stuff like that.

  For some reason unbeknownst to me – and that’s a word I’ve been dyin’ to use in conversation for some reason – I looked to my right. Georgina was stand
in’ on somethin’, wavin’ her arms like a lunatic. I shrugged, and she waved me back inside.

  “What is it?” whispered Sonya.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Hang tight. Stay around this corner.”

  I walked back as quick and quietly as I could and went inside. “Yeah?” I said.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I just … well, when I saw you grab that knife, I understood why. I just didn’t expect it.”

  “And?” I asked, trying not to show my frustration.

  “And you need to know where to plunge that blade. In the back of the skull, just at the base, you’ll find the foramen magnum. It’s an oval opening. You’ll need to stab it there.”

  “Or in the ear, right?”

  “That is an option, but if you need to hit the brain, which is the only reason I would think head trauma would kill them, then the foramen magnum is the best bet.”

  “Shit,” I said. “Wish I had a practice dummy.”

  “I’m afraid you’re going live.”

  “Thanks. That’s good info. I gotta get back out there.”

  She reached out to stroke my arm as I walked away, and her hand fell. As I pushed through the door, I couldn’t help but look back. The fear in her eyes actually gave me strength.

  “Hold on,” called Lilly. She picked up a rifle from behind the desk. “You take this,” she said, grabbing a .380 Ruger from the desk as well, and holdin’ it out to Georgina. “From what CB said happened at your place, I know you can shoot.”

  Georgina shook her head. “I’d rather use my gun. I’m more familiar with it.” She went to retrieve her Colt from the other room. Lilly shrugged, threw the rifle strap over her head, and slid the rifle to her back.

  “You don’t need to –”

  “That’s BS,” interrupted Lilly. “We’ll cover the other side in case more of those bastards show up.”

  Even as I stood there, lookin’ like an idiot in my cinched yellow rain hood, I knew she was right. The boardwalk ran around the entire shop, connectin’ to the main parkin’ lot, and if any more of ‘em showed up, we could get blocked in. The only place to go from there was in the water.

  “Okay, but stay sharp. If things get outta hand, just yell and get your asses back in here.”

  Lilly nodded as she and Georgie prepared to head out to the other side of the dock. I ran back out to the opposite side where I’d left Sonya.

  When I rounded the corner, Sonya was still there, her billyclub in her hand. “Hurry,” she whispered. “I don’t know how long that noise will hold their attention!”

  My Ka-Bar clutched in my hand with a death grip, I walked as lightly as I could, right past Sonya, to within three feet of the closest ghoul. I eyed the back of the thing’s skull where Georgina had told me to stab it, and hesitated.

  It was my first mistake. It must have sensed me there, behind it. I was so focused on what I had to do, that before I knew it, it was looking at me, it’s arms reachin’ out.

  I staggered backward.

  “Cole!” shouted Sonya. “Watch the edge of the –”

  It was too late. My left boot landed on nothin’, and I felt my body leaning too far to the left, with no way to stop myself.

  I hit the water and rolled like a goddamned beach ball, the elastic waist and the tied hoodie trappin’ enough air inside that my weight forced it all to the top. I floated there for a second, tryin’ to right myself, flounderin’ around like I was wearin’ one of those inflatable sumo wrestler suits. It was useless; all I was doin’ was creatin’ a human boil in the middle of a gator infested swamp.

  An idea struck me, and I grabbed a piece of the plastic and pulled it out, jabbin’ the blade through the rubber, poppin’ it like a balloon.

  As the air escaped, I sank beneath the surface fast, the surprise throwin’ off my sense of direction for a couple of seconds. I straightened my legs, tryin’ to find the bottom with my boots.

  Finally, after thrashin’ around like a drownin’ mule, I found mushy silt beneath my boots and pushed myself upward. The water came to just below my neck, and I didn’t seem to be sinkin’ any further.

  I heard two splashes and whirled around to see that only one zombie remained on the dock, and his hearing must’ve sucked. While Georgie and Sonya stood well clear of him, he leaned over the generator, reveling in the noise it made, obviously tryin’ to figure out how to eat it.

  The zombies that had gone into the water hadn’t surfaced yet, and I hoped they’d sink to the bottom and die. I still backed away from where they plunged in, step by tentative step, my eyes scannin’ the water.

  Every second seemed like twenty. I knew I wasn’t thinkin’ clearly, and I guess I was in shock. I’m sure everyone left alive in the world is – includin’ Georgina, Lilly and Sonya.

  I heard a solid thwack! and turned to see Sonya’s bloody police baton topple from her hand to the dock, then bounce into the water. The rotter at the generator now turned toward the ladies, Sonya’s whack with the baton had done nothing but draw its attention.

  Georgina grabbed Sonya’s shoulders and pushed her against the exterior office wall, steppin’ around her on the narrow boardwalk. To Sonya’s credit, though it was probably completely contrary to her police trainin’, she didn’t react or try to counter Georgina’s actions. She just nodded.

  Once past Sonya, Georgina held the Colt Defender she’d first threatened me and Clay with up, aimed directly at the advancing rotter. Her gaze was intense, as though the world consisted only of her and the threat. I guessed that was probably how she approached surgery; only she, the scalpel and the patient existed in the moment.

  As the zombie staggered toward her, I swore I could see the dent on the top of his head where Sonya had whacked him with her baton.

  Georgina fired once into its face. Skull, tissue and sinew flew back, splatterin’ the generator as its knees buckled. It dropped like a marionette doll whose puppeteer had just had a goddamned heart attack.

  A disturbance in the water came just to the left of me, and almost at the exact same time, I heard Lilly scream, “CB!”

  I swear, Sonya and Georgina gasped at the same time. I pivoted my head around. As I did, the dead woman’s face popped out of the water just a foot from mine, her arms clutchin’ at my jacket. I still had the Ka-Bar clamped in my right hand, and I drew my arm back and brought it forward hard, slashin’ her in the face from right to left. My blade cut deep, slicin’ a gash from the left side of her forehead, across one eye, and over her nose and cheek.

  The effect was sickening, ‘cause the cuts didn’t bleed. The thing didn’t seem to notice anyway; she never slowed her attempts to get at me.

  More air had seeped back into my suit, so I used that buoyancy to lift both my legs and kick her in the belly, drivin’ her and me apart as I regrouped.

  The other ghoul who’d come in after her was on his feet now, plowin’ slowly through the water toward me.

  “CB!” shouted Lilly, and I looked up at her. She stood on the east dock by herself. “Here!” she shouted, and tossed the rifle. I barely realized she’d thrown it when it was in my arms.

  Here’s handin’ it to my tomboy sister. She threw that damned weapon perfectly. I quickly put the Ka-Bar’s grip in my teeth, chambered a round and swung the barrel toward the deadheads comin’ at me.

  But as they got closer, I realized I couldn’t fire it. My fuckin’ gloved finger wouldn’t fit through the trigger guard.

  “Shit!” I screamed, the knife fallin’ into the water, gone forever. There was no time to curse my stupidity; I staggered back farther, tearin’ at my gloved hand with my teeth. The rubber stretched, but it was thick, and never tore away, freeing up my trigger finger.

  Then something erupted from the water. With how we were kickin’ up that swamp, I can’t say I’m surprised.

  I jerked my head around to see what looked to be an eight or nine-foot gator, its mouth open, the massive teeth exposed. With a swish of its massive, ridged tai
l, it shot forward and clamped down on the entire head and torso of the female rotter.

  It shook her violently, then yanked her underneath the black water, perhaps expecting more of a fight than it got, tail swipin’ so crazily, it slammed into the dock beside it. A roostertail of water splashed me square in the face, blindin’ me for a second or two.

  When my vision cleared, it was gone, under the surface, and I saw the motion of the water as it dragged its catch under the east dock and disappeared.

  I knew that gator could’ve just as easily gotten at me. I watched the last remaining rotter movin’ toward me as I side-stepped toward the dock, holdin’ the useless rifle out of the water. I saw Sonya and Georgina leanin’ out, both holdin’ out their arms, hands ready to take mine.

  With one last kick at the pursuing zombie, I reached them, and I tell you right now – those two women pulled me out of the water like I was bein’ lifted by goddamned Conan the Barbarian. I mean, I was up on that dock and lyin’ on my back tryin’ to catch my breath in seconds.

  I heard another gunshot and sat up fast. Lilly was lowerin’ her weapon. “Nice work, CB,” she said. “At last count, I’m pretty sure it’s Georgina 1, Lilly 1, gator 1, and Cole Baxter zero.”

  I looked between her, Georgina and Sonya as I sat up. “Hey, Sonya’s zero, too.”

  “If you want me to throw you back in the water, just ask,” said Sonya, a smile on her face.

  “Okay, okay,” I said. “You did haul me out. You ladies got a little adrenaline rush there? Y’all flipped me out of there like a largemouth bass in a fishin’ tournament.”

  “Time for jokes later,” said Lilly. “So we don’t get a sample for Georgina to look at –”

  “Not so fast,” said Georgina, her gaze off somewhere to the east. “Guess our scaly friend didn’t find the meat to its liking.”

  We all walked to where she stood and saw the female zombie floating just five feet off the east dock. Her arms extended, she clawed at the water, emitting an eerie, throaty growl, as though she no longer operated her vocal cords with air, but by grinding them together. It seemed the gator forgot to destroy her brain before he spat her out.