Ashton Memorial

by Robert R. Best

  Ella shivered, mostly from the cold. But just mostly.

  Her only hope would be to surprise him. To throw open the door and rush inside. Maybe he'd be sitting down. Maybe even sleeping. Ella could free Lori before he'd have a chance to hurt either of them.

  Could she hurt Stepdad? Standing there in the cold and wet dark, she would have liked to. But was she capable of it?

  She drew herself up, did her best to ignore the creaking trees around her, and held the keycard to the reader next to the door. The light clicked from red to green. She shoved the door open with her shoulder, screaming and hoping the noise would startle Stepdad.

  The room was dark and empty.

  She stood in the dark, panting and shaking. “Shit,” she whispered.

  A woman emerged from the corner of the room. Her hair was wild and tangled, and her clothes were wet.

  “You!” said the woman, stepping closer.

  Ella stepped back. Her back went tight when she recognized the woman. It was the one who'd pointed her out in the crowd at the Bites. The one who'd yelled for the others to grab her.

  “I'm sorry,” said Ella, backing toward the door. “I was just looking for my sister.”

  “You won't make me leave!” the woman yelled, her eyes wide and feral. “This is my room! I found it! I broke the window! I cut my arms getting inside! This is mine!”

  Blood ran down the woman's arms and onto the floor. Rain pattered through a smashed window in the back of the room.

  “I'm sorry,” Ella repeated, taking another step backward. “I'll just go.”

  “You can't take it!” yelled the woman, looking through Ella more than at her. “I'll kill you!”

  The woman lunged at her. Ella screamed and ran from the building. She ran back out into the rain, not bothering to shut the door.

  * * *

  Angie held out her arms to block Maylee and Dalton behind her. She stepped back, taking them back with her. The mob of corpses shuffled closer to them. The rain pelted on the corpse's heads as they jerked their dead bodies toward Angie, the kids and Park.

  “Shit,” said Angie.

  “Yeah,” said Park, taking the rifle from his shoulder.

  “There's too many of them for that,” said Angie.

  “Don't insult me,” said Park. He turned and aimed back up the hill. At one of the tires on the truck.

  Angie stepped backward again, pushing the kids with her. The mob grew closer. “You know what you're doing?”

  “Never did,” said Park. He cocked the rifle.

  “Great,” said Angie. She stared at the corpses. No way they were getting to her kids. She'd tear each corpse apart herself if she had to. She knew it was crazy. Crazy was all she had left.

  Park sighed. “And that's three.”

  He fired. The rear tire of the truck jerked and started deflating. The air squealed as it rushed out of the tire. One corner of the truck bed slumped, shifting the barrels downward.

  “We should get the fuck out of the way,” said Park.

  Angie nodded and pulled the kids to one side. The corpses were close behind them. She could almost feel their hands closing in.

  The tire exploded and collapsed. The truck dropped violently and barrels began toppling off. The noise of the barrels clanging on the pavement drowned out everything else. Some rolled, some toppled end over end. Chunks of pavement flew off with each strike of metal on pavement.

  “Run!” yelled Angie.

  They all rushed toward the zoo. Barrels flew past them, sounding like small cars going by, smashing into the approaching corpses. Corpse bodies broke and squelched as barrels crushed them into the street.

  They were halfway to the sidewalk when Dalton fell. He stumbled on his bad foot and crumpled to his knees.

  Angie turned, watching Dalton drop as though in slow motion. Barrels flew by him, crunching corpses and breaking the pavement underneath.

  “Dalton!” Angie raced back. She dodged a rusty barrel as it careened by, crushing a corpse who'd been coming up behind her.

  “Mom!” said Dalton, reaching up to her from the pavement. Angie rushed over and grabbed his hand. She heard a loud clanging in front of her. In front of Dalton.

  She looked up. A large metal barrel was falling toward them, end over end. It was inches away.

  “Mom!” yelled Dalton.

  Angie dropped to her knees, covering Dalton with her body. Pain shot through her legs as the pavement ground into her kneecaps. She put her head down on the road, cradling Dalton's head in her arms.

  “Mom!” he screamed, muffled by her body.

  With a loud “clang” the edge of the barrel hit the road inches from the top of Angie's head. So close she felt the weight of the barrel tug at her hair.

  Dalton squirmed underneath her. Angie drew up her feet as close as she could manage. The darkness around them grew deeper as the barrel loomed overhead. For a moment all she could hear was her and Dalton breathing. She braced herself, waiting to be crushed.

  Another clang rang out. She felt the other end of the barrel crunch into the pavement inches from her toes. The darkness lessened as the barrel continued on behind them.

  Angie lifted her head and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She turned to watch the barrel flipping end over end, away from them. A corpse grunted at it seconds before being crushed. Gray slop spread out in its path.

  “Mom?” said Dalton underneath her.

  Angie turned back to him. She smiled down at him. “Shit, huh?”

  Dalton nodded.

  “You okay?”

  He nodded again.

  Angie stood and helped Dalton up. Maylee and Park were standing on the sidewalk, staring.

  “Well fuck the hell out of me,” said Park.

  “Mom!” said Maylee.

  Corpses groaned from farther down the hill. The clanging of the barrels was receding. The crushed ones would be replaced soon.

  “Come on,” said Angie. “The gate, remember?”

  Park and Maylee nodded. Angie and Dalton rushed over, Dalton still limping. They all rushed down the sidewalk until they came to a large metal gate set into the wall. The darkened zoo was visible behind it. A lone light, set over an abandoned vendor cart, revealed no one.

  All four of them grabbed hold of the gate and started shaking it. They all yelled into the darkness beyond it. Angie wondered if they'd really seen anyone behind the door earlier. She pushed the thought down. There had to be someone. There had to be.

  “Let us in!” she yelled, slamming her hand into the gate.

  * * *

  Ella ran until her lungs burned. She stopped, panting in the rain. She'd run blindly, imagining the crazy woman behind her. If she didn't know the zoo as well as she did, even in the dark, she'd be completely lost by now.

  She knew the zoo too well to be lost. It should have been comforting. But Mom was dead, Lori was a hostage somewhere and the world had gone crazy. Comfort was a thing of the past.

  She stood under a lone light, looking around to get her bearings. She was near the polar bear exhibit. There were two of them, Ella knew. Tony and Tina, she called them.

  She rubbed her cold hands on her jeans, trying to get warm. The rain stung her face. She heard animal whines coming from her side. From the direction of the polar bears.

  “Tony?” she said. “Tina?”

  She took a step toward the exhibit, then stopped. She remembered the way Ray had looked at her, the way he'd craned his neck around and screeched. Did all the animals hate her now?

  More whining came, followed by a small growl.

  “Tony?” Ella said. She stepped over until the exhibit appeared in the dim light.

  It was Tina who'd been whining. She was pacing the exhibit, limping with one paw held up close to her body.

  “Oh Tina,” said Ella, running the rest of the way to the exhibit. She leaned against the glass fence separating the visitors from the exhibits. She leaned her head out over the deep
, concrete-lined trench that kept the bears in their enclosure. “You poor girl. What happened?”

  Tina noticed Ella. She bared her teeth and growled.

  Ella blinked and took a step back. “Tina?”

  Tina roared at Ella and limped to the edge of the trench. Rain pounded the ground.

  “Tina, please,” said Ella, feeling like she might cry. Why did everything hate her? “You're hurt.”

  Tina bellowed and leapt at Ella. She leapt out over the trench. Ella screamed and jumped back. Tina made it halfway to the fence before dropping down into the trench. There was a horrible crunching sound, and Tina howled as she hit the concrete bottom.

  “Tina!” yelled Ella, running back to the fence. She leaned out and looked over. Tina lay crumpled in the bottom of the trench, her legs at odd angles and obviously broken.

  Ella gripped the glass fence and leaned down farther. Tears ran down her face, mixing with the rain. “Tina!”

  Tina looked up. She roared and bit at Ella. She strained upward, and Ella had no doubt she'd jump again if she was able to stand.

  Ella heard new growls coming from the exhibit. She looked up from the trench to see Tony, the other polar bear, crouching next to the inflatable ball Ella had watched him play with many times. Tony bared his teeth and growled. He strode forward, toward the trench. Ella knew what was coming.

  “Tony don't,” she said, shaking in the cold rain. “You can't make it.”

  Tony roared and leapt. Ella jumped back reflexively. Tony plummeted down into the trench, just like Tina. Ella screamed as he fell. She braced herself, flinching at the yelp and crunching of bone as Tony connected with the concrete bottom of the trench. Ella stepped over and looked down. Tony lay next to Tina, twisted like his back was broken. He roared up at her, blood coming from his snout.

  Ella stepped back from the fence, crying. She walked backward, away from the exhibit, until she couldn't hear the growling of the bears anymore. She wiped her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. She had to keep it together. She had to find Lori.

  She stopped, listening. She wasn't sure. It could have been the rain or the wind. But she could have sworn she heard the sound of metal banging. And people shouting.

  * * *

  Angie gripped the gate and shook it as hard as she could. “Hey!” she yelled, forcing down the thought she was shouting to no one. “Let us in!”

  Park and the kids pounded at the gate, shouting along with her. The noise they made echoed around in the dark. Angie heard groans approaching them. They were running out of time.

  “Dammit dammit dammit,” grumbled Park beside her. She could hear the desperation creeping into his voice.

  “Let us in!” yelled Dalton. He shook the gate as hard as his small frame would allow. He stopped, staring. Then he pointed inside. “Look!”

  Angie stopped pounding on the gate, almost not believing what she saw. A young girl stepped into the lone light by the vending station. She had a jacket drawn tightly around her, and she looked shaken and scared.

  “You see her, right?” said Dalton.

  “I see her!” said Park. “Hey! You! Let us in!”

  The girl backed away from them, looking at them with wide eyes.

  “No no no no!” said Angie, shaking the gate. She pounded her palm against the metal. “Let us in! Please!”

  Groans came from behind them. Angie turned to see corpses approaching from the darkness. A lot of them. More than the barrels had smashed. More than there'd been in the parking lot. More than she could even begin to count. If they didn't get inside and get inside now, this was it.

  She turned back and shook the gate furiously. “Please!”

  “Wait,” said Park, stopping and staring at the girl. He didn't say any more. He just kept staring.

  “Let us in!” yelled Dalton, slapping the gate.

  The girl took a cautious step forward, watching them. She looked like she was trying to figure out their intentions.

  “Oh my god,” said Maylee. “I've got an idea.” She let go of the gate and fished around in her pockets. She pulled out the cell phone she'd shown them earlier. The one with glitter-glue writing on it.

  Maylee held the phone over her head and shouted at the girl. “Hey! Is your name Ella?”

  The girl took a step backward, looking confused. She opened her mouth, then shut it. She nodded.

  “Ella!” yelled Maylee. “I've got your cell phone!”

  Ella frowned at them. “I lost that!”

  Maylee shook her head. “You left it at home! We've been there! I've been texting your sister!”

  “Oh my fuck,” said Park, so low only Angie could hear him. “Ella?”

  Ella took a step toward the gate. “What?”

  Angie turned to look behind them. More corpses had emerged. They were getting closer. The corpses groaned and jerked toward them. The smell of their dead, wet flesh was terrible. She turned back to look at the girl called Ella. They had no other chance now.

  “Your sister, Lori!” yelled Maylee. “She texted your phone when I had it. I've been talking to her. That's how we knew you guys were here!”

  “Ella!” yelled Park. His voice had a hoarseness Angie hadn't heard before. “It's Dad!”

  Ella frowned. “Stepdad?”

  Park frowned back at her. “No! Your father!”

  Ella's frown straightened. “Dad-dad?”

  Park nodded.

  “Let us in!” yelled Maylee.

  Ella ran toward them. Groans came from behind. The rain picked up, pounding down hard and cold. Angie cast a quick glance behind them. In less than a minute, corpses would be close enough to bite and kill.

  Ella reached the gate. She looked wet, ragged and scared. She glanced at each of them, then saw the corpses coming up from behind. “Shit,” she said, feeling around in the pockets of her jacket.

  “Tell us about it,” said Angie. “Please hurry.”

  Ella kept fishing around in her jacket. The corpses groaned from behind them. Angie could hear dead limbs being dragged across wet pavement. She imagined she could hear dead jaws working, dead teeth gnashing together.

  “Hurry!” said Maylee nervously, casting quick glances behind her.

  Ella's eyes lit up as she produced a small plastic card from her pocket. She stepped to the side of the gate and held the card up to something Angie couldn't see. The groans from behind told her the corpses were very close.

  There was a click off to the side and the gate came loose. Park and Angie almost fell forward from the way they'd been leaning on it. The gate swung open at the middle.

  “Hurry!” said Ella, grabbing the gate and swinging it back. Angie and Park stumbled through. Angie turned to grab Maylee and Dalton. Maylee already had hold of Dalton and was rushing him through the opening.

  Corpses were inches away. Those at the front came through the gate before they had any chance to close it. Corpses lurched into the zoo, biting their rotten teeth at Angie and the others. Rain pelted off their rotten skin.

  “Shut the gate!” said Ella. “Hurry!”

  Park was staring at Ella like he hadn't heard. “Ella.”

  Angie whipped her head over to Park. “Not now Parker!”

  Park shot her a look so hateful Angie paused for a second. But only a second. “The gate, Parker!”

  Park's eyes said he'd heard her. His face returned to normal and he gave her a short nod.

  Angie ran to one half of the gate. Park ran to the other. More corpses crowded into the opening. Both Angie and Park pushed as hard as they could, but the corpses were coming too quickly to push the gate shut.

  “Mom!” yelled Dalton, running over to help her. He leaned into the gate, adding a little force but not much.

  Maylee was closer to Park's side. She rushed to join him. She gripped the gate and pushed. The corpses groaned and continued coming through. With each corpse that appeared at the gate, it became harder.

  Ella ran over to Park and Maylee. She pushed. Angie
and Dalton pushed. The gate didn't budge.

  “It's no good!” yelled Park as the corpses poured between him and Angie.

  “Shit!” yelled Angie, realizing he was right. “Everyone fall back!”

  Angie let go and pulled Dalton away from the gate. She backed up as quickly as she could. Park, Maylee and Ella let go and backed away. Corpses groaned and shuffled their way through the gate. They bit and hissed and gurgled.

  Angie's stomach dropped when she realized how many corpses were between their two groups. She and Dalton were blocked from getting to Maylee, Park and Ella.

  “Maylee!” Angie yelled as she and Dalton were forced farther back by the crush of corpses. They kept coming. Soon the entire area inside the gate would be full of them.

  “Mom!” yelled Maylee. She, Park and Ella backed the other way. Maylee swung her bat from side to side, keeping the corpses at bay. But Angie knew she couldn't keep it up for long.

  Within seconds the two groups were forced onto different walkways, heading into different sections of the zoo. Dalton clutched at Angie's side. Angie could only make out glimpses of Maylee as more and more corpses crowded in to block the way between them.

  “Mom!” came Maylee's voice, getting farther and farther away.

  “Maylee!” Angie yelled, knowing it was futile. Her throat hurt from screaming. The rain pounded down around them.

  “Get to the Communications Office!” yelled Ella over the mob of corpses. “I have friends there!”

  “What?” yelled Angie, not sure she'd heard right.

  “The Communications Office!” came Ella's voice.

  “Mom!” yelled Maylee, almost drowned out by moaning corpses and rain.

  Then her voice was gone. All sounds were gone except the groans of the dead.

  “Maylee!” Angie yelled one last time. She felt like she could cry.

  Dalton gripped her side tightly. “Mom?” he said.

  She reached down to grab his hand. The corpses came for them.

  “We need to run, Dalton.” she said.