Sludgment Day

by John Kloepfer

  “Hey!” Dustin scrambled to his feet. “Get back here!”

  Zack and Madison hopped on the Segways piggyback-style and rode off—Zack on Rice’s, Madison on Ozzie’s. Zoe raced over to a kiosk in the middle of the floor and picked up the mountain bike that Rice and Ozzie had planted there.

  “Stop them at the elevators!” Dustin shouted.

  “He bit me!” Frankie kicked the cookie stand, rattling the gate.

  “Well, they have the antidote, stupid!” Dustin grabbed his skateboard and took off down a nearby escalator. Frankie hopped in the golf cart and zipped through the gargantuan mall, speeding after them.

  Zoe pedaled standing up on the bike, gaining speed, but Frankie caught up to her quickly in the motorized cart. They were neck and neck. Frankie jerked the wheel, trying to sideswipe Zoe over the railing.

  Zoe swerved to the left. “Chill out, psycho!”

  Up ahead, Zack and Rice scooted inside the elevator along with Madison, Ozzie, Twinkles, and the shopping cart arsenal.

  “Ditch the bike, Zo!” Madison yelled.

  Racing ahead of Frankie, Zoe squeezed the handlebars, leaped off the bicycle, and sprinted into the elevator. Zack punched the DOOR CLOSE button.

  Frankie slammed on the gas, bulldozing the discarded bicycle forward with the nose of the golf cart.

  “Come on,” Zack whined as the big bully plowed toward them. “Close already!”

  The elevator doors shut, and a monstrous crash resounded as Frankie slammed into the stainless steel doors. Ding! The elevator reopened.

  Frankie sauntered into the doorframe. “Now you’re all in big, big trouble.” He yanked the bike out of the elevator and tossed it behind him. “Who’s first?” The too-tall manling eenie-meenied with his index finger.

  “Eww,” Madison pointed to the bitemark on Frankie’s fingertip. “You’re bleeding.”

  “Give me the medicine, you little twerp!” Frankie moved aggressively for Zack. “The real one.” Twinkles growled, flashing his puppy fangs. Before Frankie could take another step, the little dog leaped out of Madison’s arms, bounded off the ground, and latched onto the fly of the bully’s jeans. Frankie let out a girlish squeal, trying to swat the dog away. He dropped to his knees and looked up in desperation, now face-to-face with Zack, who had just finished pulling on a bright red boxing glove from the shopping cart.

  Zack wound up and popped the bully in the nose, sending the big goon swooning back into the hall and stumbling to the floor. Frankie’s infected hand bulged with gray-green veins, shooting ominously up his arm.

  The doors closed, and Zoe nudged Zack. “Nice shot, little bro!”

  “Couldn’t have done it without Twinkles,” Zack said, scratching the Boggle pup behind the ear. “That was a low blow, little guy.”

  The elevator descended and opened on the second floor. I pressed ONE, Zack thought. What the heck is going on?

  “Blargh!” The zombie mall cops staggered toward them, triggering the automatic sensor in the elevator doors. Ding! Rice gripped the push-bar on the shopping cart and drove the mall cops back into the hallway.

  Ozzie shot out of the elevator on his Segway and stopped between the two undead security guards. They lurched forward to grab the Segway, but Ozzie started to spin in a tight, fast circle like a figure skater at the end of a routine. He kicked his cast up high, blasting the zombies on their chins with a cyclone of roundhouses. Ozzie slowed to a standstill while the zombies swayed in the ripple of his matrix before collapsing to the floor in a slimy heap.

  Zack, Rice, Zoe, and Madison watched in awe of their friend’s unstoppable martial artistry. Ozzie bowed and scooted back in the elevator with the rest of them.

  Just then, on the other side of the mall, Zack spotted Dustin unlocking a store packed with zombies.

  “Release the Kraken!” Dustin shouted, throwing up the gate with a flourish. The ravenous consumers swarmed from the department store, zombifying the entire second floor.

  “Dustin’s lost his mind!” Zack hit the first-floor button one more time and they plummeted downward.

  When the doors opened again, the whole level was still teeming with zombie maniacs—store employees, shoppers, moviegoers, and mallrats. Hopelessly outnumbered, only one option remained.

  “Zack, hit the button! Hit the button! Hit it!” Rice ordered him, as the zombies all turned their heads at once toward the elevator.

  Zack hit the LL button, and they dropped down to the lower level. The doors opened this time to a rush of water, rising fast up to their waists. “Uck!” Madison yelled. “What the heck?”

  “Great.” Zoe hiked up her dress. “This thing is dry-clean only.”

  Down the hallway a big sign flickered: UNDERWATER ADVENTURES.

  “Whoa,” Rice said, his eyes agog. “I didn’t know they had an aquarium!”

  “Come on,” Ozzie said. “There’s got to be an exit out of this place.”

  “What about all our stuff?” Zack pointed to the shopping cart full of gear.

  “We’ll take what we can.” Ozzie opened up two duffel bags, and they stuffed them full of bats and rackets, helmets and pads. Zack and Rice shouldered the bags while Ozzie forged ahead on his crutches between Madison and Zoe as they waded through the dark, dank passageway.

  Halfway down, Rice stopped and stared at the informational plaque on the wall next to a busted aquarium window.

  “Rice, what are you doing?” asked Zack.

  A look of fear came across Rice’s face. “Nobody move.”

  “Why?” asked Madison, pausing mid-step like a game of freeze tag.

  “We got sharks,” Rice informed them in a deliberately calm voice.

  Just then the water swished nearby.

  “OMG, I saw a fin!” Madison squealed.

  “Everybody, be cool,” Rice said. “We just gotta move slow. Sharks are attracted to quick movements.” Something underwater nudged the back of Zack’s calf muscle. He shuddered and kept on.

  “Duh-nuh … duh-nuh.” Rice hummed the theme song from Jaws.

  “Dude, please,” Zack said. “Not now.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Blahhh!” A zombie freak shot up out of the water, covered in seaweed.

  “Ahhh!” Zoe screamed as the undead lagoon monster dove at them, making a huge splash. Zoe raised a baseball bat over her head, waiting for the splish-splashing ghoul to shoot up again.

  “Rahhhhh!” The goon resurfaced. Zoe quickly conked the pruny-skinned beast on the noggin, and it slumped down in the waist-deep zombie lagoon.

  “Where’s Twinkles?” Madison asked, sloshing toward the EMERGENCY EXIT sign at the end of the hall.

  “Arf!” The little puppy doggy-paddled behind her. Madison snatched Twinkles up out of the water. “Arf!” Twinkles chirruped.

  “Shhhh!” Rice pressed his finger to his lips. “Tell that little piece of shark bait to shut his yapper!”

  They moved into a tunnel that had a round glass ceiling, revealing the shark exhibit. It looked like they were walking on the ocean floor. A zombified shark with rows of razor-sharp teeth bashed its snout into the glass, and the whole ceiling shook.

  “Let’s blow this joint,” Rice said, looking up at the mighty predator. “I don’t want to mess with any zombie sharks … no matter how awesome they are.”

  As Rice, Ozzie, Zack, Madison, and Twinkles reached the door, the water churned under the surface. Suddenly, Zoe screamed as an unseen force pulled her under. She came up gasping, soaking wet, and clutching her head. Zoe shrieked. A zombie had her by the hair.

  “I’m coming, Zo!” Madison yelled and shoved Twinkles into Rice’s arms. She dove into the waist-deep water as a big shark fin glided toward the melee. Right before Madison reached Zoe, the shark’s head erupted out of the water with its mouth open wide.

  “Noooo!” Madison cried as the shark chomped down hard.

  Black blood spurted everywhere, and Zoe let out an ear-piercing scream. “Eeeeee!”

&nb
sp; The shark writhed in the shallow water, devouring the zombie hair-puller whose chomputated forearm was still gripping Zoe’s hair.

  “Eeeeeeeeeeek!” Madison and Zoe shrieked simultaneously.

  CRACK! The aquarium glass above them began to splinter.

  “Guys!” shouted Zack, pressing his finger to his lips. “Shhhh!”

  Rice waded nonchalantly over to the girls. “Here you go, Mr. Jaws.” He pried off the undead hand clinging to Zoe’s head and threw it to the shark.

  Madison grabbed Zoe’s hand and led her to the exit. Rice turned for one final look as the huge zombie shark thumped the glass with a sharp bang.

  Swooosh! The main aquarium pool burst, dumping a thousand-plus gallons of shark-infested water straight into the basement.

  “Move!” yelled Ozzie over the roar of gushing water.

  And with that, they hustled up the emergency staircase, the water level rising rapidly behind them.

  CHAPTER

  Ozzie burst through the door, and the seawater gushed out from the overflowing basement.

  Rice hopped to his feet and set Twinkles down. “That was insane!”

  Zack’s eyes bugged out. “What took you guys so long back there?”

  Rice tapped his forehead and reached into the front pocket of his pack. He pulled out a brand new iPhone and clutched it to his breast. “It’s dry!”

  Zack shook his head. He should have guessed.

  Zoe shook off the sea plants from her arms, while Madison tapped the water from her ears. “I’m never going to the mall again.”

  That’ll be the day, Zack thought. His adrenaline pumped steadily as he raced around the outside of the mall to where they parked the Winnebago.

  Just as the gang filed into the vehicle, Zack looked back toward the mall entrance. The doors shot open, and out ran Dustin with a zombie swarm pouring behind him. The mean boy grappled with a zombified soccer mom grabbing him by the arm. Dustin spun and flung the undead woman to the concrete. Then he glanced up and locked eyes with Zack.

  “Go, go, go!” Zack yelled, as Dustin broke into a sprint for the RV.

  Ozzie revved the engine. Zack jumped onboard, and they sped away from the curb. Zack darted to the back and peered out the window, but Dustin was gone.

  “What’s the matter, Zack?” Rice asked.

  Thud-thump-thunk.

  “He’s up there!” Zack eyed the ceiling of the RV.

  “Who?” asked Ozzie.

  “Dustin,” Zack told him. Ozzie slowed down and pulled over on a deserted side street. “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “He doesn’t have his muscle anymore,” Ozzie said. “Come on.”

  They all hopped out of the Winnebago together and stared up at Dustin crouched on the roof of the Winnebago. Ozzie pointed at him with his crutch. “Get down, chump!”

  “Why don’t you make me?”

  “We will, stupid,” Madison said. “There’re five of us and only one of you.” Twinkles arfed. “Make that six.”

  Dustin climbed down hesitantly without taking his eyes off them. His hair stuck straight in the air, and his clothes were all torn up. “Where’s Frankie?”

  “He’s a zombie now…,” Zack said.

  Zoe chimed in. “Because you had to be a jerk and dognap our puppy.”

  “Have a nice life, loser.” Madison pulled her hair back in a ponytail and stuck out her tongue. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Wait, wait, let me come with you…” Dustin’s voice was almost pathetic.

  “We can’t trust you, man,” Zack said. “Get real.”

  “I’ll be good, I promise.” Dustin fell to his knees and clasped his hands.

  “I have an idea,” Zoe said. “Why don’t we let Twinkles decide.”

  “Whaddaya say?” Dustin crawled on hands and knees to the little pup. “Wanna let me off the hook just for old time’s sake?”

  Twinkles showed his teeth and growled viciously. The verdict was in.

  Dustin snorted in disbelief. “So, what, you’ll just leave me here alone to die?”

  “Looks like you’re doing a pretty good job of that already.” Rice pointed to the back of Dustin’s arm. “Undying, that is.”

  “Huh?” Dustin lifted his elbow and peeked under his arm. A zombie tooth was lodged in his skin like a splinter. “Ahhh! What the—” He grimaced and plucked the rotting bicuspid from his arm, then looked up. “Wait!” he said. “You’ve got the antidote.”

  “I don’t know,” Zoe said. “Seems wasteful.”

  “Just one dose. Come on, I’m begging you.” Dustin was on the ground again, kissing Zack’s new waterlogged sneakers.

  “Just give him a dose and let’s get out of here.” Zack pulled his foot away. “I’m sick of lookin’ at him.”

  “Okay, stupid,” Madison ordered Dustin. “Put your hands behind your back and open your mouth.”

  Rice unzipped his backpack and dug around in the pocket. “Ummm…” He looked up from the bag, and a stark frown fell over his face.

  “What’s the matter?” Zack asked.

  Rice pulled the antidote vial out of the bag. A tiny splash of red serum was all that remained. “There’s still a little bit left.” Rice said sheepishly, trying to look on the bright side.

  A sick panic rose in Zack’s chest, as he stared at the empty vial. “What the? How did it?” he stammered.

  “The cap must have come loose or something…,” Rice guessed.

  “Well, you heard him,” Dustin said. “There’s still a little left. Lemme just—Blaaaarrrgh!” Red viral streaks climbed up his neck, and his skin turned a deep shade of green. The zombifying bully dropped to his knees, frothing at the mouth, then fell limp on the pavement.

  Rice stepped forward. “You all right, dude?”

  Dustin’s neck snapped around. His blank eyes opened and bulged with pure undead evil. “Guess not…” Rice chuckled nervously and edged away from the zombie punk.

  “Rarrrgh!” Zombie Dustin sprang off the ground and lunged at them like a rabid dog.

  Zoe sprang into action and grabbed Dustin by the wrist. In one swift movement, she twisted his arm behind his back and swept his legs out, putting the undead bully flat on the ground. “There! Let’s get out of here!” she said, taking off for the RV.

  “He reminded me of Greg a little bit,” Rice said, buckling his seatbelt, safe inside. “All cowering on the roof.”

  “Those guys were worse than Bansal-Jones any day of the week,” said Zoe.

  “I wonder what Greg’s doing right now,” Madison said. “Do you think he’s still at the army base?”

  “He’s probably still sucking his thumb,” said Ozzie, laughing.

  “Okay, guys.” Zack went serious. “No more stops until Montana. Deal?”

  “Deal!”

  CHAPTER

  It was after midnight, and almost everyone was asleep. Madison had taken over driving detail and Zack sat, anxiously petting Twinkles on his lap.

  “You okay?” She yawned.

  Zack gave her a shrug like “Whatever” and stared out the window. They sailed across the Dakota wastelands into Montana, and his eyes glazed over like a zombie’s as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. He didn’t know what to think. There were too many ifs. The facts seemed jumbled, and now with a mere drop of the only known cure that remained—what if it wasn’t enough? And what if Madison couldn’t produce anymore? He didn’t want to think about that, though. Not right now, anyway.

  “It’ll be okay, Zack,” Madison said, as if reading his mind. “I’m worried, too.”

  “You are?” Zack looked at the semi-reformed mean girl. Zack shrugged. “You just never seem like you worry about anything.”

  “I mean, like, I have no idea where my parents are right now.”

  “Maybe they made it to Tucson?” Zack said, not wanting to upset her.

  “What’s the difference?” Madison mumbled blankly. “They’re probably zombies, too.”

  �
�What’d they do to you in Washington, anyway?” Zack changed the subject.

  “You thought zombies were bad?” said Madison. “Those scientist guys were, like, worse than vampires.”

  “That’s pretty messed up,” Zack said solemnly.

  Madison gazed off down the highway. “They did the same thing in Tucson,” she said. “Took a bunch of samples for themselves and then put me on the helicopter for the next guy. Now I can’t help anyone.”

  “So wait,” Zack interrupted. “Tucson has some of the antidote?”

  “I guess, unless they used it up already—” Madison shrieked and jerked the wheel. The RV fishtailed and nearly tipped as they screeched to a halt in the middle of the road.

  “Madison, what are you doing?” Zack steadied his hand on the dashboard.

  “Did you see that?” She gasped.

  “See what?”

  “I think it was a zombie … or a deer, maybe.” Madison yawned again, then tensed up, her eyes shooting from side to side. “What was that?”

  “What was what?”

  “You didn’t hear that?” She gulped.

  Zack listened for the noise he hadn’t heard. A hand slapped down on his shoulder, and Zack whipped his head around.

  Ozzie squinted at him with bleary eyes, half awake. “I think we’re all a little pooped, Zack. Maybe we ought to pack it in for the night.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” Zack agreed.

  “It’s a good place to stop, anyway,” Ozzie said, looking out at the desolate plain surrounding them. “No zombies all the way out here…”

  They pulled over on the barren stretch of road to hunker down for the night. As she put the Winnebago into park, Madison glared at the boys. “I’m not crazy, you know. I did see something.”

  Sure you did, Zack thought. He gazed out the passenger window at the uninhabited wasteland and then closed his eyes.

  Zack woke up in the passenger seat, blinded by the sunlight piercing the windshield. He hobbled stiffly out of the front seat, squinting at the day.

  Rice and Ozzie were doing warm-ups outside, stretching and practicing their martial arts moves. Zoe and Madison were making a batch of microwave popcorn in the back of the Winnebago.