“What not me?” Marco dropped his fork.
Riley shook his head. “Always a bridesmaid never a bride.” He said about himself. Damon watched Chloe, and he could feel inside that he was genuinely happy for the first time, since they had moved into the fire house. He was sitting around the table with all of his friends. Harper had come back and probably was going to be here forever if Liz showed an interest in him. The safe zone perimeter was almost done. It would take them less than a day to finish it. “Time to celebrate a little.” He held up his glass of Jack and Coke in a toast. Everyone followed suit. “To all our hard work and good health.”
“Here, here.” Riley held up the entire bottle of Jack. Marco took a long drink off his glass. “Now can we have a few days off?”
“After tomorrow. We can take as long as you guys want off.”
Chapter 37
Liz and Chloe stayed behind while the guys went off to finish the chain-link fence. The new guest grilled the teenager with questions about the men...mostly Harper. Chloe showed her around the fire station, and they played with Lucky waiting for the guys to get back.
They returned before noon. Marco was excited that they were able to have time off. His entire body was sore from climbing up and down the chain-link attaching the razor wire to the top. Harper was conveniently trapped by Liz for the rest of the day. He took her for a ride in the blazer, and they didn't return until well after nightfall. Damon listened to Riley complain about all the miserable boredom. The marine didn't like to sit around and do nothing unless he had a bottle in his hands. Finally, he talked Damon and Chloe into going out and hunting zombies. Damon got a glimpse of what the next few weeks were going to be like.
_________ Once the group had their desired time off they got back to work. With the perimeter constructed it was time to start clearing out the rest of the buildings they missed. Now they knew any zombies they came across couldn't be getting in from the outside. Harper used his explosive skills to lure curious zombies to their final deaths. The use of homemade bombs was nice because it saved on valuable ammunition. Damon feared they would run out soon if they didn’t do something about it. When they teamed up to clean out the smaller buildings they holstered their firearms and used more brutish style weapons. Damon's machete saw blood again, and he was surprised at how much stress it relieved when he plunged into a zombie's brain.
One after another they worked through the buildings. It took a number of weeks to finish all but the apartment building. The leaves had fallen off the trees leaving the brown limbs bare against the chilly air. Damon expected snow before long. Living in Arkansas he didn't see much snow, and that was the way he liked it. The mechanic never did like cold weather, but he would never go back to Arkansas for the rest of his life that much he was certain. Even though the air was cold, he started to take pleasure in the little things. He found Chloe a new iPod at the local electronics store. When Harper gave Liz a silver necklace with a sapphire pendant Damon smiled. He was happy for the couple. Liz squealed loudly with excitement as she lifted her long hair so the big marine could clasp it around her neck. Damon envied the couple. It made him think about his wife, but in a good way. He remembered the way she shrieked when he put the diamond ring on her finger after she said yes.
He shook off the thoughts as they readied themselves to go through the apartment building. They had no way of knowing how many zombies would be inside. Damon was anxious to get it done and over with.
Damon pulled the Silverado up to the looming apartment building. Most of the windows were covered with curtains or had air conditioning units stuck in them. Harper and Riley parked alongside him with the blazer. They joined each other in the parking lot in front of the entrance. “Alright guys. Let's get this done so we can clean up this mess and start living.” Harper rumbled. Damon reckoned the big marine just wanted to get back to Liz as soon as possible.
“Right on.” Riley said. “We'll split up. That way we get this done faster.” Damon announced. Marco and Harper would take the ground floor, and Riley, Chloe and himself would take the second floor. The apartment building was nothing extravagant. It was three stories made up of long hallways with rooms on each side. The walls were painted taupe with matching laminate flooring. The tiles were stained with blood as far as Damon could see. It looked like a body was dragged from the entrance and ended in front of apartment number twelve. The three passed the apartment and made their way to the stairs.
The stairwell was empty, but the red hand prints running along the walls didn't bode well for what was to come. When they opened the heavy door to the second floor they were met by two zombies. One was a tall skinny woman and the other was no taller than her waist. It was a child. None could determine if it had been a boy or girl. Riley quickly put them down before they could reach for Damon. They stepped into the hall. Chloe shot another zombie who still had its back to them. Three zombies spilled out of an open room but were killed almost instantly. The three checked every apartment on the second floor. It took some time because Riley and Damon had to break a couple doors down.
Riley led them to the stairwell where they could head up to the third floor. Their footsteps echoed hollowly as they jogged up the rubber coated steps. A white number three was plastered on the door he opened. The third floor was cold. Chloe could see her breath. Damon and Chloe made their way into the first apartment, and Riley took the one across the hall. The apartment was a disaster. All the furniture was over turned. The kitchen's granite countertops were covered with coagulated blood. The hair on Damon's arm rose, and he felt the back of his neck prickle. A vase crashed to the floor. Damon whirled around and blew the head off a zombie woman that reached for him. Chloe jumped back and walked through the empty living area to the back hallway. He heard a shot fired. Damon went to join her, and he saw her fire another shot then shut the door. Damon went to look inside the room, but Chloe caught his arm. “Don't...just don't.”
He didn't listen and opened the door anyway. The scene was straight out a horror movie. On the floor lay a man with his neck and abdomen ripped out, and next to him laid the body of a small child with blood all over its face. Damon shook and shut the door. He ignored Chloe's concerned look. “Where's Riley?”
“He took the apartment across the hall.”
“Damnit. We need to stay together.” Damon left the apartment with Chloe on his heels and saw Riley disappear into an apartment at the end of the hall. “Riley!” The tall marine ignored him.
Chloe and Damon walked cautiously toward the apartment, but it was apparent the marine had already cleared them. When they heard Riley shout Damon sprinted down the hall at full speed and used the door frame of the apartment to stop him. He saw the marine on the floor with a zombie on top of him. The mechanic was shocked because the zombie was dressed in a marine uniform. “D...o...s.o..m..ething.” He struggled. His M16 was being used between Riley’s jugular and the zombie’s chest.
Damon couldn't get a clear shot without hitting Riley. He heard Chloe enter the room and gasp. In one smooth motion Damon snatched the crystal lamp from the end table and smashed it over the zombie's back. Riley used the distraction to crawl away from the zombie towards the loveseat. The zombie rose slowly and turned to Damon. He sucked in his breath when he saw the zombie's face. It was the Sarge. “Shit...” He muttered. The gray haired marine was one of the reasons that Chloe and he were still alive. He helped them escape from the burning church when it was being overrun by zombies. The Sarge stared vacantly at Damon with milky eyes. The gray skin of his face looked like it was melting off from decomposition. He opened his bloody mouth revealing black teeth. He let out an inhuman growl and lunged at Damon. Damon raised his shotgun and pulled the trigger. Chloe plugged her ears. The headless body took another step before it crumpled to the floor. “Damnit.” He muttered again.
“Was that-” Chloe started to ask.
“Yeah it was the Sarge.” Riley muttered, his voice breaking over the last part. He tore his hands
through his blond curls. “What the hell were you thinkin' Riley? Going off and clearing all these apartments by yourself? You could’ve been bitten.” Damon didn't mean to sound like a scolding parent, but that's exactly how it came out.
“I'm going back to the truck.” The marine stormed out of the apartment. Damon and Chloe followed slowly since the building was finished. Riley had cleaned out the last room.
“Damnit.” Damon muttered again. He shut all the apartment doors as they made their way down the hall. When they finished up they met with Harper and Marco at the trucks. Riley was sitting in the blazer with his arms crossed staring out the window towards the mountains. Damon told Harper what had transpired. “That makes sense because this is where me and the Sarge got separated. I didn't think he was bitten then.”
“We should've looked for him.” Riley blurted out the open window.
“Be serious Riley. How were we supposed to know?” Damon asked. “You thought both Harper and the Sarge were dead.” “I never should have left.” Riley said with his head bowed. “Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault the Sarge died.” Chloe tried to console the marine.
“It's hard not to, since I left them.” “You probably would have ended up like the Sarge.” Harper said when he got back in the blazer. “What's done is done. We can only move forward.” Riley ignored the big marine.
Damon gave up on the marine and got back into the Silverado with Chloe and Marco. They road back to headquarters in silence, and it was like that for the rest of the evening.
Chapter 38
“What are we gonna do about the smell, Homes?” Marco asked through his plugged nose. It had been two days since the apartment building incident and mostly everything was back to normal. Damon still felt sorry for what happened to the Sarge. He wished that most of the marines would have made it. Harper was right though, what’s done is done. No going back. “Are you talking about the bodies or our breakfast?” Damon joked.
“We need to do something about them. I mean I can barely stand it anymore.” Damon did agree with the Latino, but he knew it wasn't going to be an easy task.
Riley stood up from the table and pretended to be hunched over an imaginary cart. “Bring out yer dead.” He proceeded to act like he was lifting up a body and tossing it on the invisible cart. “Bring out yer dead.” He repeated. Seeing everyone's bewildered faces. “You're kidding me? None of you have ever seen Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail?” Nothing but crickets. “Put it this way. We throw all the bodies on a trailer and take them somewhere else...away from here.” As he was sitting down he said, “And then we find a TV and that movie.”
“Ahh...I see. We could use the trailers we used for the chainlink.” Harper wrinkled his nose at the thought, but Damon explained. “We can't live around all these dead bodies. It not healthy for one, and what would it look like if people come to our safe zone and see a whole bunch of dead bodies lying around? Not so good for the image.”
“Yuck.” Chloe came down the fire pole. “I don't want to touch dead bodies.”
“We really don't have a choice. Plus you'll be driving.” Chloe's face brightened up like the North Star. “I get to drive?” She jumped up and down. “Yay!” “Don't get too excited. You'll only be going a couple miles an hour.” Damon burst her bubble. It didn't seem to faze the teenager at all.
Harper did not look happy, but he didn't argue. “Let's get this over with.” Liz volunteered to come too. She had opened up to the group only recently so Damon was rather stunned but nodded his head in appreciation. Harper continued. “We can dump the bodies at the construction site down the highway. There's an open foundation there.”
The companions finished eating and made their way slowly to the Silverado. Harper and Liz got in the blazer while Damon, Marco, Riley and Chloe sat in the truck. They made sure the weapons were loaded and the leathers were in place before they took off. Damon rolled the truck just outside the fire station and got out. Chloe slid behind the wheel. Harper and Liz went a little further down the street to another pile. Damon, Riley and Marco started lugging bodies onto the yellow car trailer. “This is gonna take forever.” Riley complained.
“Well you better pick up the pace. It will take even longer if the bodies are frozen to the ground.” Damon encouraged. Riley tossed another body on the trailer. “At least most of these are missing most of their body parts.” Once the trailer was piled too high to stack anymore bodies they followed Harper to the construction site. The trailer connected to the blazer was equally full of zombie bodies. Damon had taken back the wheel, much to Chloe's disappointment. Harper took them down a highway lined with tall evergreens. The enormous trees cast a shade over the pavement. Chloe watched the tree line from the backseat. When they swerved around a bend she could have sworn she saw a deer just beyond the trees.
“There it is.” Damon pointed as he followed the blazer into the muddy site. Luckily the ground was still solid so there was no chance of getting stuck. He pulled up to what was probably the start of a ranger station or something. The foundation was the only thing that was finished. “Alright. Time to dump.”
It took nearly an hour to unload all the bodies. Riley remained silent when he saw the Sarge's body in the mess of limbs and torsos. Damon could have sworn he saw the marine brush away a tear. When they were finished Damon rounded them up and got back in the truck. He sighed when he thought about how many more trips they would have to make. The muscles in his back were already protesting.
Chapter 39
It took almost a week to get all the bodies out of the safe zone. It was late in the afternoon when the group was on their way back from the last dump and was driving down the cold highway. What little sun peeked through the blanket of blue and gray clouds did little to warm the chilly air. Damon looked to his left thinking he saw something, but when Chloe screamed he snapped his head back to the windshield. Something dashed in front of the bumper, nearly becoming road kill. Before Damon could stop the death machine's bumper smashed into the unknown thing's pursuers. The brakes squealed when Damon stomped both feet on the pedal. “What the fuck was that?” He hoped Harper saw them stop in the rearview. He saw the reverse lights on the blazer's rear end.
All their heads snapped around to the rear window. A slender black woman dressed in shorts and a tank top stood in the middle of the road waving her arms. Her face was masked by fear and pain. “Should we go back for her?” Chloe asked.
Riley spoke. “We gave Marco and Liz a chance. Why not?” “I guess you're right.” Damon had to start trusting people enough to let them into his safe zone. He wasn't happy with the fact that she was being chased by zombies. There was a good chance she was bitten.
Riley and Damon got out of the Silverado. Harper joined them. Marco stayed in the truck with Chloe saying that he would protect the vehicle. They approached the woman slowly. That didn't stop her from running at them waving her hands and yelling for help. She stopped when they raised their guns. “Pl-please don't shoot.” Her voice was haunted and weak. Her arms fell limply to her sides. Her lips trembled “Please...take me with you.” She dropped to her knees.
“Are you infected?” Damon asked. When she didn't respond he repeated the question a little harsher. She shook her head this time. “They were chasing me.” She looked at the mess on the highway. “They were my friends....” She mumbled almost so quietly Damon barely heard her. She gazed up at Riley. Riley softened. Why? She won’t even give me a second look…they never did. “Please don't leave me. There are more of them. We have to go. It's not safe.” Riley and Harper held their guns up and scanned the trees.
Before making any decision they made her show them her arms, legs, neck and torso. Once they were satisfied Damon gave a stiff nod. “Okay. You can come with us, but you gotta ride in the back of the truck.” Just in case.
Riley looked a little sympathetic. “Sorry we're kinda full.” “Thank you. Thank you.”
“Sure. Now get in the truck before more of your f
riends show up.” Riley instructed. The woman winced slightly at the marine’s words. Her dark eyes held his for a moment. She smiled warily.
“Don't make us regret this.” Harper warned. Riley brushed passed Harper and waited at the corner of the truck. “Don’t be so harsh, Big Guy.” The woman got to her feet. “You won't I promise.” She attempted to hoist herself over the tailgate but failed. Her weak limbs were numb from the cold. Riley lent his arm to her and helped her into the bed. He shed his coat and gave it to her. She smiled meekly at the marine and took the jacket without question. She slid the heavy leather over her shoulders.
When everyone was back inside the truck Chloe broke the silence. “So I guess you guys are getting your wish.” She crossed her arms. “Why can't we find some cute guys for me?” Damon huffed but didn't say anything. “Who is she anyway?”
“We'll leave that to you when we get back to the fire station.” Damon replied. The woman hunkered down in the back of the truck pushed up against the corner of the bed. She huddled in Riley's thick coat to help shield her from the cold. Luckily for her it was a quick ride to the fire station. Damon was also speeding a bit. He really didn’t want their new guest freezing to death, but he had to be sure that she wasn’t going to turn. There were more important people to protect. Damon glanced at Chloe in the rearview mirror. Quickly trees passed and turned into tall buildings as they pulled into town.
Riley helped her out of the truck, and she followed everyone inside. She didn't waste any time. Damon watched her movements. She acted like a scared rabbit that knew a fox was around. She checked every window and hesitantly followed Chloe and Liz to the barracks. Liz had grabbed a blanket for her when she got through the door and draped it over her shoulders. “Oh my God, are you okay? You must be freezing.” She whispered to the woman. “Poor thing...”
Zombie Revolution Page 23
