by Sean Kidd
Sidara walked in, and caught a moan from the bedroom. She lifted her M4 up to her shoulder before I could tell her it was safe, “It’s okay! I locked them in the bedroom. The rest of the house is clear.” She lowered her weapon and followed Chevy into the kitchen. Chevy looked at the baskets on the floor, “Good idea!” he said. “Let’s load up all of the soda too.” We grabbed as much as we could and stuffed it all into the back of the truck. Sidara covered the food with a tarp while Chevy and I made a second trip. We loaded ourselves into the truck, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the bench seat. Chevy put his hand on the ignition key, but didn’t turn the key, “I’ll be right back!” he said as he jumped out of the vehicle. A minute later, he returned with both of our cell phones, “I thought you might want this!” He tossed me my cell. “What do we need these for? There’s no service, remember?” I hit the home button on my phone to confirm the lack of service. I gasped when I looked, “One New Text Message!” I opened it up to read. I didn’t recognize the number. The message was scrambled letters and code. I guess I was half right.
CHAPTER 39
October 12th 2:45am
The office door swung open with a crash, startling Cowboy. Wife Beater came running over to see what the commotion was. Kane was standing there. Face beat red. Staring Cowboy down, “What the hell are you doing?” Kane screamed. “I told you to put those girls away, and you’re in there making sure they’re comfortable with the lights on! I’ll tell you what, why don’t you go in there and see if any of them need a back rub!” Kane’s fists were clenched with anger. “I’m sorry, Boss.” Cowboy chirped. Kane marched over close enough that Cowboy’s hat was touching his forehead, “Have you completely forgotten what we’re doing here? I gave you a job to do, that was to go out and find me some goddamn girls. Besides the two you just brought me, all I’ve seen is an old woman and a goody two shoes mom. I am trying to start a new world here, and that ain’t gonna cut it!” Cowboys face was glued to the floor, petrified to look into his boss’s eyes, “We’re going out right now, Boss. We’re gonna find ya more.” Kane glared over at Wife Beater, who had been standing there the whole time with his mouth open.
“Somthin’ on your mind, boy?” Wife Beater stood there trying to make his mouth work, “No, Boss.” Was the only thing he could muster?
Kane turned away from Cowboy and charged toward Wife Beater, not stopping until he bumped against his chest, “Then why don’t you get your crew of fuck ups together, and find me more girls?
Kane took a step away and spun around focusing on Cowboy again, “And for the second time, get that piece of meat off my cutting table and throw her in the dumpster!”
The two men were almost bumping into each other trying to get to Sarah, who had grown stiff from the rigor mortis. The old woman was thrown away like a piece of trash. Cowboy took a second to wonder how many more innocent would share the same fate as Sarah because of him.
CHAPTER 40
October 12th 2:00pm
Chevy backed the truck out of the driveway, sat in the middle of the street, and asked, “Which way?” I wasn’t sure, but we had to start somewhere, “We saw the Humvee driving down Margaret Street, then it turned onto Cornelia. I say we head toward Cornelia Street.”
Cornelia Street was the main drag in the west end of the city. The sides were lined with stores and fast-food joints that gave way to the big-box stores, then finally a cluster of hotels. Without taking his eyes off the road Chevy gave me a thumbs up, “There’s something I need to do first.” Chevy scowled. We hit Margaret Street and as we turned onto Bridge Street, I saw the police car with the dead officer still sitting on the sidewalk. The battery had long died. The lights went dark. We pulled up next to the car, and I could see the dead officer slumped over the steering wheel. Chevy revved the engine, and the officer lifted his head, biting at the window. “Why are we here?” I asked.
Sidara sensed the nervousness in my voice, “Have you been here before?” she asked. “Yeah, Chevy and I almost died right there last night!” I said, pointing at the dead bodies across the street. Chevy gripped the steering wheel hard and took off for a clear section in the middle of the parking lot. When he got there, he put the truck in park and turned off the engine. He watched as he held down the horn. The piercing scream of the truck echoed off the historic brick buildings. Within seconds, dead were coming at us from every direction. First five. Then ten. Twenty! Fifty! I started getting really nervous, “What the fuck are you doing?” I screamed. Sidara grabbed onto my arm, she was as afraid as me. There was nowhere to go, they were slowly surrounding us. The dead were coming from every direction, except the river. The scene of the dead baby floating in its mother’s arms ran through my head. I knew I would remember that for the rest of life, which judging from our current situation, would be about sixty seconds. The dead were just a few feet away now. Chevy let off the horn and started the truck. He slammed it into reverse. A few of the dead bounced of the rear bumper and were squished by the truck’s mammoth tires. Chevy backed up about a hundred feet and stopped again. He reached for the dashboard and pulled off the snowplow remote. Chevy fondled the buttons on the controller and the hydraulics’ whined, lifting the plow into sight. It stopped when it was even with the truck hood. Chevy took off hard, heading for the crowd. The dead were no match for the steel plow. We didn’t slow down a bit, as it carved through the rotted bodies.
Appendages flew in every direction. An aroma of sewage seeped into the cab, and the black ooze covered the windshield. Chevy stopped, and we all looked out the back window. Almost all the dead had been annihilated, and the rest were taking bites out of the remnants.
“You feel better stud?” Sidara joked. Chevy hit the wipers and sprayed the blue juice, while he grimaced, “Pay back’s a bitch!”
After Chevy had his fun, we headed to Cornelia Street. We patrolled all the parking lots, occasionally taking out a dead or two. It didn’t take long for frustration to set in, “It’s not doing us any good driving through these parking lots.” I said.
“Well, do you have a better plan Two-gun?” Sidara asked, as she adjusted in her seat. “Maybe Two-gun is right, my ass is killing me, and I need to pee. Find me a place will ya, Chev?”
The look on Chevy’s face told me he was in full agreement. Just then it hit me. Across the street was a car dealership. The front of the building had a garage door, giving access to the service department. “Head over to that dealership. We’ll clear the building and back the truck into the bay. We’ll lock ourselves inside and watch for the Humvee through the windows.” Sidara nudged Chevy, “I bet they’ve got a restroom in there.” Chevy must have had to go bad, because ten seconds later we were pulling into the parking lot.
CHAPTER 41
October 12th 5:00pm
Luther tried to lean back in the Humvee’s driver seat. The stress of the situation was getting the best of all of them and going back to the fairgrounds empty handed was not an option. “Come on guys!” Luther pleaded, “I can’t drive anymore. I can barely keep my eyes open and my back is killing me.”
Cowboy dropped down from the Humvee’s turret, “I’m not going back to Kane until we find someone. He’s about ready to kill one of us!”
“Do you want me to drive?” Wife Beater asked.
“Cowboy’s right! Kane is losing it. Did you see what he did to that old woman? He’s preaching about starting his new world, but seems to be hung up on killing everyone we bring back. It’s just a matter of time before he tries to kill one of us.”
Cowboy interrupted, “I thought he was going to kill me last night for turning on the lights for those girls. Maybe it’s time one of us challenges him.” The two men listening both looked away. “Well, do either of you have any better ideas?” Cowboy snapped.
“Let’s just go back and tell him we’ll try again tomorrow. I really need some sleep.”
“Shut up Luther!” Wife Beater called out from the back, “We’re the ones that have to give him the repo
rt, and he’ll take it out on us. We’re not going back until we find someone. Besides, shouldn’t you be off trying to kill Superman!” Cowboy and Wife Beater broke out laughing, “Ha! Ha! Funny! I’ve gotta take a piss. I’m parking behind this building for a while and closing my eyes.” Luther said, as he pulled off the road. He opened the door and hopped out to relieve himself. “Hey! Grab me some Kryptonite while you’re out there!” Both men leaned back laughing again. “So what did you think of those girls we picked up?” Wife Beater asked Cowboy.
“I think that Sage is pretty hot. Come to think of it, Kate’s not bad either.”
Wife Beater looked up to think, “Want to know which one I like?” Cowboy interjected, “Let me guess. Um, the old lady!” he burst out laughing.
Luther bent into the driver seat, excited, “Shut up! Come look at this!” he yelped. The men got out and gathered at the front of the Humvee. “What are we looking at?” asked Cowboy. Luther lifted an extended finger, pointing across the street, “Behind that department store. It’s behind the building now, wait for it.” Cowboy watched, but had no idea what Luther was talking about. “I don’t see anythin-“ he stopped as he watched the black plow truck pull out from the rear of the building, “Oh well, what do we have here?” The three men watched as the plow truck stopped in the middle of parking lot. “Why are they just sitting there? Do they see us?” Luther asked. Cowboy looked at the building next to him, and figured it blocked the Humvee completely. “Impossible. The building is blocking their view.” The men watched as the black plow truck moved again and pulled into the car dealership across the street.
“What the hell are they doing there?” Wife Beater asked. Cowboy looked at Wife Beater, but didn’t answer. They eagerly watched as Chevy and Ty got out of the truck. Then from the passenger side, Sidara stepped out. Cowboy shot a smile at Luther, “Oh yeah, look at her, she’ll work. We’ll hide out here until dark, then we’ll move in for a closer look.”
CHAPTER 42
October 12th 5:10pm
I got out of the truck stretching, I guess we had been in there longer than I thought. The process of working out all the kinks must have loosened up my bladder, suddenly I had to pee too. I walked around to the front of the truck. It was covered in black slime and body parts. I moved in closer to examine a twisted rope hanging from the plow light, “How the hell did that get there?” The second I latched onto it to pull it off, it became obvious I was holding part of an intestine. I turned and vomited on Chevy’s boot.
“Dude, what the fuck, you just puked on my shoe!”
“I’m sorry man. I couldn’t help it.” Chevy gave me a pat on the back, “It’s okay buddy. I still love ya! We just need to toughen you up a little.” He helped me straighten up, and I headed over to the door of the dealership. I reached out to turn the handle with one hand and pulled out my Glock with the other. Sidara grabbed my wrist, “Hang on there, Two-gun. This part of town seems pretty quiet. If you go in there blasting everything in sight, we’re going to attract a lot of attention to ourselves.” She had a good point. I re-holstered my Glock and reached back for one of my swords. “Here try this. She’s cherry!” Chevy held out his tomahawk. My sword gave me a three-foot advantage, but that tomahawk looked so damn cool, I couldn’t resist. The weight of it in my hand made me feel powerful. I gave it a few test swings, right to left and up to down. With no conscious effort, “Very nice,” escaped my lips. I raised the tomahawk above my head and reached for the door with my left hand. Twist and push. The door was unlocked. The heavy-duty steel hinges creaked as they slowly opened, a cool oil laced perfume escaped. “Anybody home!” I yelled. Trying to get the attention of any unwanted dead. There was no response. I stepped in and examined the room. It was a large mechanic's area with two hydraulic car lifts. There was an old piece of shit hanging from one of the lifts. It was still missing a tire. I could see a sign on a door by the lift that read Restroom, thank God for small favors. An office neighbored the toilets. Straight ahead of me was a set of large glass doors, leading to the show room that proudly displayed a brand-new truck. That may come in handy later. The truck was surrounded by cubicles on all sides. I motioned for Chevy and Sidara to follow me through the glass doors. We worked our way deep into the showroom, where the silence had given way to banging. Behind the cubicles, was an actual glass windowed office. Inside, I could see a dead woman with blonde hair supporting thick black-rimmed glasses. Her white blouse was covered in front with black ooze. She had her palms flat against the glass and was chomping her teeth at me. “It looks like she’s locked in there. We could probably just leave her.” I said. I felt like I had done enough killing in the last twenty-four hours. “What if we fall asleep, and she breaks the glass and gets out of there. She’ll bite one of us before we even know she escaped.” Sidara said. She was right. I sighed and walked over to the officer door. I lifted the tomahawk over my head and swung the door open. The woman saw her opportunity and charged at me. I brought the tomahawk down on the top of her skull. She dropped right to the floor, my weapon with her. It had wedged itself in her skull, taking it along for the ride. I bent over and pulled it out. As I did, the suction created from her brain matter made a song of flatulence. Sidara gave out a chuckle. Black Death dripped from the blade as I handed it back to Chevy, “Here you go buddy, it works great, and I’m never using that nasty thing again.” Chevy laughed at me, as he wiped the blade clean on the showroom carpet.
We finished clearing the building and were fortunate enough not to find any other dead. With the building clear, I figured we should get the truck inside one of the bays and set up shop. The dealership still had hot water and power, so we all got a chance to wash up. Chevy and I dragged a couple of the customer couches from the show room out into the bay. We set them up so we could see any traffic that might pass by in front of us. We filled our bellies with soda and candy from the vending machines, and boredom set in. I laid on the couch and watched as the sun sank behind the Adirondack Mountains to the west. I assumed I was on first watch when I looked over and saw Chevy and Sidara were already asleep. I watched as the light gave way to darkness, and slumber followed.
CHAPTER 43
October 12th 11:21pm
I heard a sound. Something stung me on the back of my neck. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t move. My eyes were too heavy to open. I thought I heard a scream, a moan, the sound of a diesel engine. Then I slept.
CHAPTER 44
October 12th 12:30am
Bob worked his way to his feet and headed to the lab. Sophie and Dr. Marcil were packing up the EMapp and the hard drive that contained the formula. “How much do we have?” Bob asked, looking inside the box filled with the red serum. “Fifty-one doses packed up, and two more on the counter.” Bob saw the two syringes laying on the counter filled with the red fluid, “What are those for?” he asked. Dr. Marcil picked up one of the syringes, and stuck it in his own arm, “They’re for us, Colonel.” Bob lifted an open palm to the doctor, “No offense Doc, but I’m really not too sure about dosing myself with that stuff.” Sophie gave Bob a loving pat on the back, “Don’t worry, Bob. It’s perfectly safe. It will prevent you from contracting the virus, and it will stop you from turning into one of those things, if you get bitten.” Bob was reluctant to take the shot, but finally gave into Sophie’s pleas. As Sophie administered the shot, she asked, “So what happened out there?” Bob didn’t want to scare her and downplayed the incident, “Let’s just say it’s dangerous out there. I think the sooner we get out of Montréal, the safer we’ll be. There are dead everywhere.” Bob looked at his watch. “It’s almost one o’clock now. It’s too dangerous to go out at night. Let’s all try to get some sleep and leave at sunrise.” Dr. Marcil stood up to leave the room, “I’ll be on the couch in my office if you need me.” Sophie took Bob’s hand and led him to the storage room. She laid out some blankets on the floor, “It’s not the best, but will have to do.” The two laid down, and Bob held Sophie in his arms, “Do we have
any chance of making it through this?” she asked. Bob was lying there silently in thought, “I don’t know Soph. I just don’t know.”
Five hours later, Bob opened his eyes. He still had his arms wrapped around Sophie. She opened her eyes and moved in kissing his lips. Bob couldn’t hold out any longer. Bob unbuttoned her blouse, without leaving her lips. Sophie unclasped his belt, and they made love on the floor of the storeroom. After, they lay there and held each other. Sophie whispered and kissed his ear lobe, “I don’t want to ever leave here, Bob.” He turned kissing her back, “Either do I. Let’s just lie here and hold each other for a while.”
“Colonel!” the speaker above Bob’s head crackled to life. “Yes MARIA!”
