Cities of Rust

by Ariel Bonin

  Lindsey nodded, attempting to shake off the panic that was engulfing and threatening to swallow her whole.

  "Thanks, Darius… Be careful!" she stammered as she watched him go.

  For a moment, she couldn't move. Her brain was screaming for Andrew. Every part of her wanted to go after him to find out if he was even still alive. She knew Andrew and Charlie could be trusted to get out of sticky situations, but this was bad—really, really bad.

  'The school's done for, Lindsey.'

  Darius’s statement echoed in her head. They couldn't just leave—this was their home! Jared, Veronica, and countless others were buried here. Lindsey had just gotten into the habit of visiting her husband's grave; she'd been finding closure. Now they had to leave it all behind.

  _____

  Andrew and Charlie moved down the line, securing beams the best they could, but two-by-fours could only do so much. Andrew pulled out his knife and thrust it repeatedly through the holes in the chain-link fence, dropping turners as fast as he could manage. Charlie copied his movements, driving his large hunting knife into the ravenous crowd. It was easy to see that their efforts were in vain. Andrew had lost sight of the end of the horde. There was a sea of turners before them, their arms undulating like swelling waves. He hoped the rest of their group showed up soon—maybe then they'd stand a chance against the onslaught. His arm ached from the repeated stabbing motion. He couldn't afford to get tired, but his body betrayed him. He struggled to keep a steady pace, refusing to give up.

  All of a sudden, the beam immediately to Andrew's left splintered, and then cracked in two. The fence tore open as if it were made out of tissue paper. Turners spilled over each other and surged at the two men, the oncoming tidal wave completing Andrew's earlier vision. He stumbled backwards, and Charlie hauled him upright by his shirt. They sprinted on the path along the fence, catching glimpses of the rotting corpses lined all along the outside. The school was becoming surrounded. He heard another section give way behind them and pumped his legs faster. Andrew couldn't help but think about Zoey, Jacob, and Lindsey, wondering how the hell they were going to get out of this in one piece.

  _____

  Lindsey rushed back into the school, a new sense of urgency coursing through her. She knew Nadie had cared for Jacob during the night. It was still early in the morning. They were most likely in the common room. Lindsey started to head that way, but a soft voice called out to her.

  "Lindsey," Nadie whispered as she came out of Andrew's room at the other end of the corridor. "I just put Jacob down for his nap; he was so restless last night. Did I hear some kind of commotion?"

  The words were hard to say out loud, as if acknowledging them made everything final, which it was.

  "A horde is tearing down the fences. We need to leave."

  Ana joined them in the hallway as Nadie's eyes widened at the news. "I'll get Jacob," she said, her voice hollow. "What about everyone else? Have you seen Charlie?"

  "The group's scattered. The last time I saw Charlie, he was at the fences with Andrew," she mumbled. As far as she knew, Nadie and Charlie weren't together, but there was a special bond between them. Which meant that both of their men were God knows where and there was nothing they could do about it.

  "Lindsey, you have to evacuate the school," Nadie insisted.

  "I can't! I promised Andrew that I would get his children out of here!"

  Nadie shook her head. "No one in the common room has any idea of what's happening. There are small children in there—we can't just abandon them! I'll get Jacob and meet you back here in three minutes. If there's any risk, we'll leave with or without you."

  Lindsey shuddered out a breath and nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything different. Do whatever you can to keep that little boy safe!" The two women hugged, and Nadie pressed a motherly kiss against her hair.

  As they parted ways, Ana took a few longs strides to catch up with Lindsey. "Need some help?" she asked, the blaze in her eyes signaling that she was ready to roll.

  "That'd be great."

  Ana wielded her bow and Lindsey brandished her handgun, both setting off down the hallway that led to the common room. Lindsey glanced over, thankful to have the skilled fighter at her side. Everyone in their group was proficient with a weapon, but Ana took things to another level—she was almost untouchable.

  As they progressed down the winding corridors, they began to hear echoes of rustling and groans. They stopped and tried to distinguish where the sounds were coming from. A lone turner lurched around the corner directly in front of them. Ana lifted her bow, impaling an arrow in the cadaver with practiced ease. As the body hit the floor, they exchanged a nervous glance.

  The school's been breached.

  Lindsey started to move backward, Glock raised. She tightened her hold on the grip, attempting to suppress the moisture on her palms.

  "Go," Ana said, the command unexpected.

  Lindsey's brow furrowed in confusion, until a pack of turners swamped the hallway. They became crazed at the prospect of a "hot" meal and stumbled recklessly down the passage. Lindsey shot the corpse nearest to her, the bullet piercing its forehead and exiting in a spray of brain and skull fragments. Lindsey and Ana raced down the corridor, going back the same way they'd come. When they reached the door that separated the hallways, Ana pushed it closed and Lindsey fumbled with the lock. It clicked into place right as the front of the mob crashed into the door. Both women jumped back as rotten, gangly arms slammed into the wire-lined glass window.

  For an instant they felt as if they could take a breath, but when they turned around, they were faced with even more turners. Ana took out one after another while Lindsey emptied her gun. It was their only way out—they had to put down every dead fiend that stood between them and their escape. Lindsey's adrenaline surged as she whipped out her knife and plunged it under the chin of a female turner. Dark, coagulated liquid spurted out of the wound as she removed the blade. The numbers were dwindling, but they weren't out of the clear yet. A large male turner came at Lindsey, and, with all the force she could gather, she jammed her knife into his milky-gray eye. He toppled backward, taking her with him as she struggled to tug the blade from his socket.

  "Lindsey!"

  She looked over and realized that Ana was on the floor, fighting with an especially strong turner. The woman's hatchet had been knocked to the wayside. Now weaponless, Lindsey scrambled to her feet. She kicked the turner closest to her in the stomach to buy a few extra seconds, and seized the weapon. She held it tightly in her hand, feeling completely out of her element. She drew it back and then swung through the air, embedding it in a turner's neck, just below the ear. She duplicated the movement once more, not removing the whole head, but causing enough damage to sever the brain stem.

  She scrambled over to Ana, who was still struggling with the turner. Lindsey yanked the corpse backward and brought the hatchet down into its skull. Out of breath and disheveled from the sudden exertion, Lindsey pulled the hatchet out with less vigor than before. She leaned over and offered Ana her hand, hauling the woman to her feet. She glanced at the heavy blade and swiveled it so that the handle was pointed toward Ana.

  "It's not as easy as it looks," Lindsey said with a slight smile.

  Ana's gaze held a flicker of amusement, but was quickly replaced with acute concentration. Lindsey picked up her gun and wrenched her knife from the turner on the floor. They proceeded to their wing of the school, only to find it empty.

  "Nadie!" both women called out. They hurried into Nadie's room, but that was empty as well. Remembering what Andrew said about her bag, Lindsey snatched it from her own room and threw in anything within reach. She picked up her last magazine from the desk that had served as her bedside table, and loaded it into her gun.

  "We have to go, Lindsey. There's no one here," Ana said from the doorway.

  "I know! One more thing," Lindsey replied as she blew past and entered Andrew's room. Nadie was not there either, but Jacob's things
were gone, which she tried to find reassuring. She started to leave, but paused when she saw something sitting on Zoey's cot. Without hesitation, she grabbed the item and stuffed it into her bag.

  When Lindsey exited the room, Ana seemed calm, but her foot was the exception as it tapped on the linoleum. Lindsey gave a weary nod to show that she was ready.

  "Good," Ana said. "Let's get the hell out of here."

  _____

  As Andrew happened to be thinking of his daughter, he and Charlie rounded the corner and came face to face with Zoey, Darius, and Dean.

  "This way!" Darius bellowed, leading them toward relative safety.

  Dean raised his rifle and fired into the oncoming wall of turners as he brought up the rear. As trained military, he was efficient and shot with pointed accuracy. There were too many, though. He could barely make a dent—when one fell, another replaced it.

  Finally, they all made it to the parking lot. A few vehicles remained, but there were no survivors in sight—just the dead. Andrew started toward the school entrance, oblivious to the majority of the horde closing in.

  "Andrew, we have to go!" Darius yelled from next to the Ford. He lifted his ax and smashed the face of a turner that got too close for comfort.

  "I have to find Jacob and Lindsey!" Andrew shouted, turning away again.

  Charlie grabbed Andrew's arm and pulled him in the direction of their black sedan. "There's no more time! The Camaro's gone. They probably already got outta here! Andy!"

  "I'm not leaving without them," Andrew said, his voice hoarse from the fear lodged in his throat.

  "The school's overrun, man. It's time to go… I'm sorry," Charlie said.

  Andrew blindly followed him to the car, ripping the passenger-side door open and dropping into the seat. As Charlie got behind the wheel, Andrew rubbed his forehead with a shaky hand. He heard Zoey's seatbelt click in the backseat and took a moment to be thankful that he at least had his daughter with him.

  Charlie tore out of the schoolyard, Darius and Dean following behind in the truck. Andrew kept his face covered, refusing to look back as their ruined home disappeared from view.

  Chapter 17

  Lindsey gasped. "All the cars are gone."

  She and Ana had just hurried out of the main entrance and into the open parking lot. Turners were scattered in all directions, cutting off most of the exits.

  "What about that blue one?" Ana suggested, lifting her bow to execute an approaching turner.

  "Gas tank's empty," Lindsey answered as she fired off two rounds.

  Ana started toward an opening in the clusters of shambling dead. "Guess we're walking."

  Lindsey sighed heavily, hoping to ease the tension in her shoulders. Traveling on foot was not ideal when dealing with a horde, but unfortunately it was their only option. She shoved a turner out of the way and ran after Ana. With only the one magazine left, conserving her ammo was a must.

  Ana led her around the school and out through a break in the fence. Lindsey hadn't been back here before—the rear section of the school was in hard shape and starting to crumble, so it had been deemed unusable. She felt the dilapidated view was fitting for her last glance before it disappeared behind the trees.

  "Did you and Andrew ever talk about a meeting place?" Ana moved at a brisk pace and Lindsey fought to keep up. It was even more annoying that the agile woman was still breathing normally. Lindsey's chest heaved as she sucked in air. She wasn't out of shape—she just wasn't as fit as Ana. It also didn't help that Lindsey had been up since the day before. She was really starting to feel it now.

  "No, we didn't. How stupid is that?" Lindsey said, and muttered a curse. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

  "So there isn't any place that you two have in common; that maybe he'd go to and wait for you?" Ana asked.

  Just then, it hit Lindsey. If there was one place where Andrew would wait for her, she knew exactly where to find him.

  "We have to circle around the horde and go back the other way. I think I know where he's headed."

  _____

  Andrew finally looked up from his withdrawn state. He wasn't sure what made him do it—he certainly didn't feel any better about their situation. They passed a grown-in driveway and he sat up straight.

  "Charlie, how far out are we?"

  "I don't know…maybe nine miles," the man replied. "Why?"

  "There's going to be an unmarked driveway on your left. It's a cabin that Lindsey and I stayed at when Marcus attacked the school." He struggled with the next few words. "If she's still alive, that's where she'll go."

  Andrew scanned the roadside and knew the drive the moment he saw it. He indicated to Charlie which one and they steered up the rocky driveway, Darius following in the truck. Andrew desperately hoped to see at least one of their cars waiting for his arrival, but had no such luck. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Parker's mutilated body obstructing their path. Charlie parked the car and they exited the vehicles.

  Andrew was tentative as he approached the forgotten corpse, remembering the feel of the man's blood as it had showered over his back. The body was badly dismembered, most likely from a turner or wild animal. With a sickened grimace, Andrew dragged what little was left of the man to a hidden area in the trees. Afterward, he wiped his hands on his dark jeans and walked back to the cars, attempting to forget what he'd just seen.

  "What are we doin' here?" Dean asked with a nod to the cabin. He cradled his assault rifle like a true soldier—pointed downward at an angle with his finger parallel to the trigger.

  "Lindsey and I had to stay here overnight once. If there's one place that we could meet, this is it," Andrew said. He'd hoped she would be waiting in the driveway when they got there. Her absence could only mean that she was either dead, lost, or still at the school. All three outcomes made him distraught, but he wouldn't let it show. He was also worried about Jacob. Lindsey had given him her word that she would do whatever she needed to do to get his boy away from the school. None of them had ever taken an infant out on the road. It would make things even more dangerous for Lindsey and whomever else she was with.

  "I'd like to comb these woods, see if I can find any stray survivors that managed to make it out this far," Charlie said as he reloaded his rifle.

  Andrew nodded. "I'll go with you."

  "Me, too," Zoey added, challenging her dad to say no with a stern glare.

  "Of course," Andrew responded, surprising the girl.

  "We'll stay here, just in case Ana or anyone shows up while you're gone," Darius said as he and Dean began to walk up the driveway.

  Andrew crossed the rocky path to follow Charlie. "Sounds good. Thank you." He waited for Zoey to join him, and they advanced into the dense Missouri forest.

  _____

  Lindsey wasn't sure how long she and Ana had been trekking through the woods. She knew the cabin was ten miles from the school, so it would take a significant amount of time to get there. She just damn well hoped they were still going in the right direction. They hiked among the trees sandwiched between the lake and road, which made her think they were going the right way.

  Ana wasn't much of a talker, but that was okay; Lindsey wasn't really in the mood to talk. She might have welcomed the distraction, though, because she did not want to be left with her own contemplations. The constant forward motion of her feet, mixed with her racing thoughts, was driving her crazy. It was an endless cycle: Andrew was at the fence, Zoey went after him, the common room was overrun, Jacob and Nadie were gone… I promised him. I promised him! It went on and on. Eventually, she came to a stop. With her hands on her knees, the acid in her stomach threatened to come up. She took rapid breaths, which caused her to become light-headed. She felt like she was going to cry, throw up, and pass out all at once.

  Ana glanced back and sighed. "Come on, Lindsey. I know it's tough, but we need to keep moving. There will be plenty of time later to worry about what happened," her tone was firm, but Lindsey picked up on a h
int of empathy.

  "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Lindsey retorted, her voice thick.

  "Andrew may be at this cabin, waiting for you. Does that make you feel better?" Ana said, softer this time.

  Lindsey squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She pushed off from her knees and straightened her posture. As she started to walk again, Ana turned back to the "trail" and resumed her grueling pace. Lindsey ignored the ache in her legs and pushed out the negative thoughts in her head.

  Sometime later, Ana halted unexpectedly, her hand poised over her bow. Lindsey looked around, unsure what had made the other woman stop. The sharp point of Ana’s arrow glinted under a sliver of the afternoon sun as a rifle was thrust into Lindsey's face.

  "Oh, my God, Charlie!" Lindsey said, shocked by his presence.

  He dropped his weapon to the side so they could hug. "Shit, you ladies look like hell."

  "Is Andrew with you?" she asked.

  "He sure is," Charlie answered, bringing his fingers to his lips to release a sharp whistle.

  _____

  Andrew heard Charlie's signal that he'd found something, and immediately turned in that direction, Zoey trailing close behind. When he strode into a small clearing of trees, he felt a spark of relief when he recognized Ana standing next to Charlie. Another figure was behind Charlie, but he couldn't quite see who it was. The man gave him a deliberate grin and stepped back, revealing Lindsey.

  Andrew stopped in his tracks and blinked in disbelief. She smiled as tears began to streak down her cheeks. He came out of his shocked stupor and ran forward, lifting her off the ground as he enveloped her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. Andrew set her down, covering her mouth with his as he continued to hold her tightly. They kissed for a moment, and then he pulled back to look into her eyes. Lindsey touched his cheek, as if she were making sure he was real.