“We may need an exit!” Charlie yelled at me as he put down another ghoul.
“Nowhere to go!” I yelled back. “If they get farther up, they’re all around us!” I jammed my knife into a small girl that tried to sneak up under my defenses. I picked up her now completely lifeless body and hurled it the horde, knocking down several of them.
“What about the roof?” Charlie asked, his hand around the throat of a snapping zombie.
“Maybe we could make it, but we would need several seconds.” I said, punching a teenage zombie in the face, knocking him back slightly before I crushed his skull.
“Nothing left to lose. Get ready to push.” Charlie said, picking up his dead-again adversary. I grabbed my teenager and, using them as battering rams, Charlie and I slammed them into the press, knocking down several rows of undead and tumbling several more off the sides of the stairs. I nearly slipped down after them, sliding on unidentifiable brown goo that was on the top of the stairs.
Charlie and I spun and ran for the edge of the gazebo, jumping onto the railing and climbing up onto the crossbeams that supported the roof. The timbers groaned a little as unaccustomed weight was put on them, but they held. Beneath us, the dead had surged forward and a crowd was gathering underneath us, grasping at the air and raising their dead eyes to the ceiling.
14
Charlie and I just stood there, both of us immensely grateful for the respite. My arms were nearly numb and I felt like I had been battling for hours. My clothing was soaked in sweat, and my eyes burned. I could barely see out of my goggles from all the flying zombie fluids, so in the breather we had gained for ourselves, I pulled out a small package of wipes from my pack and cleaned off my hands and my goggles. Charlie did the same, wiping off his face and hands. It was a weirdly normal moment, given the fact we were suspended ten feet over the floor of the park gazebo that at the moment was covered in living dead and very dead.
I moved across the beam and went over to the opposite side. I sat down and stretched my legs out onto the beam. I would have dangled them over the side, but there were a couple of tall zombies that might be able to grab my legs, so I left them up. Charlie followed my example and we sat across from each other, just resting for a minute.
Charlie broke the relative silence. “So what do we do now? We can’t access the roof, we can’t get down, and we have no ammo to kill ourselves if we have to.”
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie,” I said. “Have a little faith. When have I not had a plan?”
Charlie began to tick off on his fingers. “There was that house in Turley that had twelve ghouls in the basement. There was that store in Oakland that had so many ghouls in it we were on the roof for two days. There was that time in the condos that…”
I interrupted him. “You know, if you’re just going to be negative…” My response was broken by a fusillade of shots coming from outside the gazebo. I plugged my ears from the echoes reverberating in the roof area, and saw Charlie do the same.
Below us, Z’s dropped continuously, carpeting the platform in a pile of grayish flesh. The ones out on the lawn were cut down, and the ones on the stairs tumbled back as their brains were obliterated.
After a little while, the shots faded away. I leaned over as far as I could, but couldn’t see anything due to the overhang of the roof. Shrugging my shoulders at Charlie, I swung down to the railing and looked around. Surrounding the gazebo were about twenty of the townspeople, all holding rifles. When I waved to them, they set up a resounding cheer, which was echoed over at the town hall. Tommy came forward and smiled at me and Charlie, who had swung down beside me.
“You unbelievable sons-of-bitches!” Tommy yelled above the din. I grinned in acknowledgment and thumped Charlie on the back.
“All part of the plan,” I said smugly before Charlie had a chance to reply and worked my way out of the carnage. Looking back at the gazebo, I was stunned at the body count Charlie and I were able to rack up. Piles of bodies marked our retreat and dead zombies littered the once manicured lawn.
I stepped up to Tommy and nodded my thanks. “What took you so long?” I asked.
Tommy shook his head. “You two were so busy playing ‘Kill the Zombie’ that you wouldn’t get out of the way. When you finally jumped up into the rafters we were able to open up.”
“How long were we fighting?” I wondered, looking at my watch.
“About an hour and a half,” said Sheriff Harlan, stepping up to us. “You all managed to draw away the worst of the horde and it took that long to clean up the ones that were left. We’d have been cashed if it weren’t for you two.” Harlan held out his hand. “I’m obliged to you for saving my town.”
I shook his hand, then Charlie did the same. “You’re very welcome Sheriff,” Charlie said.
Sheriff Harlan turned around and belted out orders to the townsfolk. “We got cleanup to do! Get your shovels and your gear! We’re burning tonight!” Harlan moved off to get people moving, leaving us alone.
I turned to Tommy. “What about the rest outside the fence?”
Tommy shook his head. “There’s a bunch, but these folks can handle it. They got baptized by fire today and they’ll be a whole lot stronger for it.”
“We lose anybody?” I asked.
Tommy nodded. “There’s eight that got bit, one that got overwhelmed. Overall, it could have been worse.”
I agreed. “It is worse. Martin and Casey are dead. Casey got dragged off the fence and Martin went after her. I had to shoot Martin myself.”
Tommy’s eyes got wide, then he turned his head down. This was a cost we hadn’t been expecting to bear. I told him what had happened and his response was similar to the anger Charlie and I had expressed. “What the hell was he thinking?” Tommy asked to no one in particular.
I changed the subject. “You got any pistol ammo? I’m out and I don’t like being empty.”
Tommy checked his pack and handed me a handful of cartridges. I reloaded the SIG and had enough for half of a spare magazine. I would load up if we ever got back to the cars we left behind. But for now it would do.
“How come you’re loading up?” Charlie asked.
“I’m going to see Sarah now. You might want to do the same.”
Tommy nodded. “They both saw you draw away that horde and watched the whole fight from the upstairs windows. But they couldn’t see you two climb up, so when the zombies swarmed the platform, it probably looked like you had been overwhelmed.” Tommy pointed to the second story windows.
Charlie looked up for a second, then walked over to Jason to see if he had any ammo for his Glock.
15
Once we were able to defend ourselves, we walked over to the town hall, shedding zombified clothing as we went. I took off my balaclava, my gloves, and my shirt, leaving me carrying a pile of clothing and a rifle with nothing on but my pants and a t-shirt. We walked around the cars and the piles of dead bodies, the noon day sun not helping with the cleanup efforts. I stepped up to the big oak doors and stopped. I could still hear moans of the dead as they carried over the water from the fence. “I wonder if we should head over there,” I mused.
Charlie laughed out loud and pushed me towards the doors. “You didn’t hesitate to take on hundreds of Z’s, yet you’re scared of one woman?”
“If you’re so brave, give me your Glock before you go see Rebecca,” I retorted.
“Not a chance,” Charlie said.
“That’s what I thought.”
We went inside as people were gathering their things and heading back to their homes. Tommy had told me Jason and a crew of men were checking the town over for strays and would personally check each house before the owners went back. Many people thanked us for what we did and I generally just smiled and said they were welcome, and that I was glad to help. Charlie took my cue and replied in the same manner, staying modest and unassuming. Several women gave us hugs and some of the older tots wanted to touch o
ur weapons, but for the most part people were just glad it was over.
I went up the big marble staircase to the second floor, then went down the hall to the big office on the end. Charlie saw Rebecca in another office and veered off. I stepped to the door and knocked gently.
“Come in.” The voice was soft and inviting and I hoped for the best. I opened the door and saw Sarah standing by the window, watching the cleanup efforts. My M1A was cradled in her arms and for a brief moment I considered drawing my SIG for comfort.
“Hey,” I said.
Sarah turned around and saw me. She put down the rifle and flew into my arms. I held her tightly for several long moments, then kissed her fiercely for several more. When we finally came up for air she rested her head on my shoulder.
“When we couldn’t see you or Charlie anymore, we thought the worst. Then when you came out of the gazebo, I thought my heart would explode.” Sarah raised a tear-streaked face to mine. “Please don’t do that again.”
“Can’t promise that sweetheart, you know I can’t. I have to do what I need to make sure people survive.”
“I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Sarah snuggled against my chest.
I gently disengaged myself from her. “I need to clean up. I’m covered in zombie.”
Sarah smiled. “Give me your clothes. I’ll make sure they get washed.”
I stripped down and passed her my clothes as I changed into spare clothing from my pack. I used water from the bathroom to clean up and bumped in to Charlie on the way back to the office.
“You too?” Charlie asked.
“Yep.”
I went back to the office and Sarah gathered up my stained clothing. “Get some rest. You’ve earned it.”
I didn’t think I was tired until I laid down on the couch in the office. Then exhaustion caught up with me and I fell deeply asleep.
I awoke alone to a dimming sky. I had a pain in my side where my SIG had poked me and I ached in several places, but as my dad always said, “Pain is nature’s way of letting you know you ain’t dead yet.” Wish I had known the old man was a prophet.
I found my clothes on the desk and packed them into my bag. I didn’t see my AR, so I figured Sarah had taken it. I shouldered my M1A and headed downstairs.
I was met in the lobby of the town hall by Tommy and Jason and together the three of us went out in search of the rest of our team.
We didn’t have far to go. Charlie and Rebecca were out on the meeting area in front of the building, talking with Sarah.
“Hey, sleepyhead!” Sarah said when she saw me, coming over to give me a hug. “How was your nap?”
“Pretty good,” I replied. “How long was I out?”
“You and Charlie slept for about four hours,” Rebecca said.
“Really?” I said. “Guess I was tired.”
“You ought to be,” Sarah said, punching me in the ribs, “after spending a night in a cargo container, then killing zombies all morning.”
I decided not to say a word at that point, figuring I would be incriminating myself even worse.
“What’s the next move?” Tommy asked.
I looked around. The bodies of all the zombies had been removed, and there was a glow off to the east that I was pretty sure was a burn pile going full force. People were moving around and checking on each other and I could see some looks cast our way. We were the outsiders here, no matter what we had done for the town. They had a balance and me and mine would eventually upset that balance. We had shared a hardship and had both lost people, but we needed to be gone while the feelings were good on both sides.
“We’re going to head out. I’ve heard from Sheriff Harlan that there may be some surviving towns farther south along the rail lines. Charlie, Tommy and I are going to take one of the Railroad trucks that Sheriff Harlan has offered and we’re going to do a quick run to see if there is anyone out there. If there is and they need to settle some place, we’ll direct them back here.” I waited for the outburst and was surprised there was none.
“Sounds good,” Sarah said.
“Sure does,” Rebecca said.
Charlie and I exchanged glances. This was not what I expected. I gave Sarah a look and she squeezed my hand and laughed.
“You goof. You and Charlie just proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you two can handle anything, including a horde of over two hundred zombies. I figured you might be doing something like this, so I sent Jason and some men to retrieve our cars and supplies.” Sarah gave me another hug as I just stared at her.
Charlie shook his head and said nothing which was probably the best idea right now.
An hour later, Charlie, Tommy, and I met up with Sheriff Harlan and talked about where we were going. We had retrieved our supplies and were now fully laden with gear, including ammo for our guns. I was taking my rifle and Charlie and Tommy would be backup with theirs.
Sheriff Harlan laid out a map. “We’re here. Down this rail line is Streator. We don’t know if there’s anyone alive in there, but considering how far they are from bigger centers, there’s a good chance people are there. The rail line has about four small towns on the way to Streator. If anyone’s there, they’re welcome here. My brother Tim and his family live here,” Harlan pointed to a small dot labeled ‘Ransom’. “If he’s there, I’d be obliged if you’d pass on the message that I’m alive.”
I nodded, briefly wondering about my own brother, who I hadn’t heard from in a year.
The sheriff continued. “We have a rail truck, so you can travel on the lines and get off on the road when you need to. We’ve used it to range north for supplies, but the recent uprising put a halt to that. You’re welcome to it.”
I could immediately see the advantages. Unless we ran into trains on the rails, we could head straight through to Streator.
“Sounds good. We’ll head out in the morning.”
Sheriff Harlan nodded. “Good. Your people can stay at the town hall tonight, I think there might be a small celebration tomorrow. Everyone’s just too tired today.”
We all laughed and after about another two hours of planning, went back to the town hall. I told Sarah about the plan and when we planned to move out. She agreed with what we were doing and then gave me some good news.
“I spoke with Nate today, Jake and Julia are doing fine,” Sarah said. “Jakey misses his daddy and wants him to come home soon.”
I smiled. “That’s my boy.” I stretched out on the carpet of the office and pulled a cushion from the couch. “I didn’t think I’d be this tired after the nap I had.”
“Nate also said a friend of yours showed up looking for you.”
“Who?”
“You’ll never believe it.”
“Tell me.”
“Our friend Dot.”
I was amazed. “I’ll be damned. I thought she was never going to leave her house.”
Sarah shrugged. “Nate said she got lonely and looked for you at the condo complex, but Duncan steered her towards Leport.”
I laid back. “She’ll make a welcome edition to the community.”
Sarah sidled down onto the floor next to me and threw a leg over my waist. “How tired are you?” she breathed into my ear.
“Remarkably well-rested, thank you for asking,” I said, laughing as I wrapped her up in my arms. “What did you have in mind?”
Sarah’s response wore me out much more than the zombie horde could ever have hoped to do.
16
Charlie, Tommy, and I planned on starting down the rails first thing in the morning. Sheriff Harlan had assured us that we had enough gas to get us to Streator and back, but if we wanted to take side trips, we were on our own. I did not immediately see a need to travel off the rails, but if a train was in the way and the possibility was pretty good, we were going to have to use the roads. I asked Harlan if there might be a gas can somewhere and in short order I had two three-gallon cans. Tommy and Jason managed to siphon five gallons out of one of our c
ars, so we were able to increase our range, if necessary. Tommy stored the gas in the back of the truck while Jason wandered off to find a piece of gum or a breath mint.
Sarah helped me pack and repack my backpack, although I did not see us being gone for more than a day, I packed enough supplies for three days. I figured we would just be scouting and seeing if there were any survivors. We stood a good chance of finding more people the farther we got from large population centers.
Sarah had a look on her face and said, “You know, it’s funny.”
“What is?” I asked, shouldering my pack and adjusting my holster.
“You actually sound hopeful. Before you seemed to look at what you were doing as a kind of mission, that if you didn’t do it, no one else would and the world would eventually die out. Now, you’re almost smiling at the prospect.”
I thought about that for a minute. “Is it a bad thing? Maybe we’ve turned a corner on this whole dead thing.”
“Actually, it is kind of nice. You used to look at situations where if it worked, great, if not, oh well. Kind of attractive, in a way.”
I puffed my chest out and gave my best Burt Lancaster smile. “I won’t let it go to my head. Much.”
“Good,” Sarah said. “You’ll get yourself killed if you do and then you’ll be useless to me and everyone else.”
I deflated when I realized she was right. I was alive because I took nothing for granted, never hoping for too much for fear of running myself into despair when things turned south. When this all started, I had one focus; save my son. Now that I have managed to secure some relative safety for him and others, my focus shifted; finding others and making sure they survived as well. I still needed to survive for my son and when I thought about what might have happened yesterday, I just shook my head. The fight was still out there and I still had a lot of work to do.
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