The Darkest Part of the Night

by David Spell

  The impact knocked Anderson backwards. Pitts saw the door explode open as the infected attacked the senior officer. The lieutenant’s shots startled Pitts and he started shooting, too. His first shot hit the LT in the back. His kevlar vest stopped the bullet from penetrating but the impact staggered him and knocked the breath out of him. The five zombies knocked the lieutenant down and began to bite and rip at his face and throat. One of them managed to sink his teeth into the officer’s jugular, sending a spray of blood into the air.

  Pitts continued shooting, mostly missing, and shattering the glass doors. He did manage to hit one of the infected in the head, killing him. The other four forgot about Anderson and lunged at the other officer. Pitts turned and started running back towards the parking lot. Fear drove him and he covered the fifty yards to his police car in record time.

  “Unit 105 to radio!” he transmitted as he ran. “The lieutenant is down. Zombies are attacking him and chasing me. We need more help,” he screamed.

  He grabbed at the key fob on his belt and managed to mash the unlock button. He jerked the driver’s door open and dove inside. His hands were unsteady as he fumbled to get the key into the ignition. The four zombies slammed into the side of the car and their hands and head struck at the driver’s window.

  Pitts turned the key, put the car in drive, and accelerated away. In his rear view mirror, he saw the four zombies running after him. He drove around to the food court entrance to tell the other officers what had happened, minus the part about him shooting the lieutenant.

  When Anderson went down, he fell in the doorway, blocking it open. Other zombies, drawn to the sound of the gunshots, converged on the open exit and began spilling out into the parking lot. Within fifteen minutes, over fifty infected people were walking across the mall parking lot to the other businesses that were nearby.

  Officers continued to converge on the mall but no one had a clear idea of what to do. They saw groups of possible infected but were unsure of their next step. The loss of so many officers had everyone afraid to act.

  Athens, Georgia, Saturday, 1420 hours

  Brian and Melanie didn’t stop running until they got to her dad’s truck. Melanie had stopped crying and was probably close to going into shock, Brian observed.

  He paused for a moment to catch his breath and then started Chuck’s Silverado and headed back to pick him up. The problem was that this was game day in Athens and the streets were packed with pedestrians and vehicles. News of the incident was just now getting out because it had been mentioned by the pre-game sports shows on television and radio. Video was being shown from inside the stadium of infected people violently attacking people and killing them. Many of those reanimated as zombies and continued the cycle.

  “It’s going to be ok, Mel. We’re going right now to get your dad.”

  “She’s dead, isn’t she? Is Rebecca dead?”

  “I don’t know,” he lied. “If we hurry, maybe we can get her to the hospital.”

  He was still trying to figure out what had happened. Everyone was having a good time and then somebody started shooting. And then the zombies showed up. How did that happen? Where did they come from? Was the Middle-Eastern looking guy that Mr. McCain killed involved in it? Had he turned into a zombie? Mel’s dad had kicked him so hard in the chest, Brian was stunned to see him get up. And that was after getting shot several times. Then, Mr. McCain had kicked him and broken his knee. Brian heard it crack and he still got up again. He didn’t appear to be feeling anything until he had gotten shot in the head.

  Brian knew that he had to get Melanie and himself somewhere far away. He sensed that the UGA campus wasn’t safe anymore. There was no telling how far this thing had spread already.

  Chuck ran up South Lumpkin Street. Pedestrians who hadn’t heard about what was going on in the stadium were still streaming towards the game. He tried to warn them to turn around but the big, bloody man carrying the bloody woman looked scarier than anything that they could imagine. Several people called 911 about him. That was fine. Whatever it took to get some help here, he thought.

  A woman screamed back from where he had come and then there were several more screams and shouts. And the sound of zombies growling. Some of the fans had just run into the group of infected who had been pursuing him.

  He needed to call his men and get them enroute but he needed to get Rebecca away from there first. But she was dead. She would want him to try and get the wheels turning. Just a little further, he thought.

  His arms were burning from carrying her so far. He wasn’t normally a runner but he was today. He had run block after block and a university building loomed up on his right. The sign identified it as Gilbert Hall, The Romance Languages Department. He carefully laid Rebecca on a small brick ledge near the entrance and pulled out his cell phone. There was a missed call from Eddie and a voicemail. That would have to wait.

  His first call was to Melanie. When she answered, he told her that he was ok and where to pick him up. He disconnected and called Eddie to get the teams moving. He answered on the first ring.

  “Chuck! Where are you, man? I can’t reach Rebecca and I left you a voicemail. Did you here about the attack in Athens?”

  “Eddie, I’m in Athens. I’m with Rebecca but she’s dead,” he managed to say, his voice breaking. McCain tried to tell Eddie what had happened but he wasn’t sure any of it made any sense.

  Marshall couldn’t understand everything that Chuck told him but he understood that Rebecca was dead, Amir al-Razi was dead, but that he had managed to shoot Rebecca before Chuck had killed him, and that they were on the University of Georgia campus. If that was true, this must be a separate attack. He had never been to Athens but from looking at a map, the infected mall was several miles from the City of Athens and the university. And, what were Chuck and Rebecca doing there in the first place? Were they following al-Razi on their own?

  Marshall could hear the pain in his friend’s voice. He felt devastated when Chuck told him of Rebecca’s death and he knew it was much worse for McCain. But now, they had to focus. Eddie had already taken it on himself to mobilize the teams. Everyone was on their way to the office to get their SUVs and then they would be starting towards Athens. He figured it was a minimum of two hours before they could get to the mall.

  “I’m sorry, Chuck, but let me tell you what’s going on. I saw on the news that there was a possible infection at a mall in Athens. I tried to call Rebecca and couldn’t reach her so I called the Athens-Clarke County Police. They think they’ve lost twelve officers. The infected were contained in the mall but now they’re spilling outside and the police can’t stop them.”

  “You guys get here as quick as you can, Eddie,” resolve in McCain’s voice. “I’ll meet you at the mall and we can try and figure out what we need to do. It looks like it’s spreading really fast over here at the UGA campus, too. I have to go, there’s a couple more Zs coming after me.”

  A male and a female zombie were walking up Lumpkin Street. They were probably students and clad alike in UGA red and white. He saw blood on their faces but no other injuries. Chuck wondered if this was their first date. Upon seeing him, their growling got louder and they increased their pace. He pulled Rebecca’s Glock 19 out of his waistband and waited until they were inside ten feet. He made one head shot on each of them.

  He looked down the street and saw that it was clear for the moment. The gunshots made a few fans turn and go back the way that they had come. Chuck stepped over to Rebecca. He kept hoping she would wake up and speak to him. He touched her face but it was cold. Tears filled his eyes again.

  Chuck held her hand. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you how much I love you.” He sobbed and kissed her hand.

  There was more growling coming from behind him and the sound of a vehicle coming from the other direction, down the closed street. Three more infected saw him and increased their pace. Two older women and an old
er man were opening and snapping their mouths closed. Their eyes were glazed over and they all had visible wounds to either their legs or their arms. One of them also had a vicious wound to the face. Her cheek was ripped open to the bone. McCain made three quick head shots as Brian drove up. He jumped out to help Chuck.

  There were more zombies coming, drawn to the gunfire. He scooped up Rebecca and carried her to the truck. “Open the back door,” he ordered.

  Brian did and then ran around to the other side and got in the back to help Chuck lay her out on the back seat. McCain ran around to the passenger side where Brian was standing and retrieved a small, black bag from under his passenger seat. He crawled into the back and let Rebecca’s head lay against him.

  “You drive, Brian. Take us back to where you parked your car.”

  He opened the bag and pulled out several loaded Glock 17 magazines. He reloaded his pistol with a full mag and put two loaded magazines in his pocket. He opened a box of nine millimeter ammo and refilled the almost empty mag that was in his gun. He also reloaded Rebecca’s pistol.

  “Melanie, are you alright?” There was pain in his voice but he had to be strong so that he could help his daughter.

  “No, is she…?”

  “She’s gone, Mel. There was nothing we could’ve done.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m meeting my guys in a while and we’ll try and figure out our next steps. The Georgia Square Mall was infected. There are a lot of dead people and zombies there, too. It sounds like they lost twelve police officers there.”

  There was a stunned silence from both Melanie and Brian, as they digested this.

  “This appears to be another coordinated attack that the four of us stumbled into. And it cost Rebecca her life. The guy that murdered her was one of the terrorists behind so much of this.” His eyes were watering again.

  Brian pulled into a small parking lot, several blocks north of the main downtown area. He had parked his Honda CRV there earlier when he and Melanie had met Chuck and Rebecca. The three of them got out of Chuck’s truck.

  “I need you guys to leave right now. Brian, you told me your family lives up near the South Carolina line?”

  “Yes, sir, not far from Hartwell.”

  “Start driving. Don’t worry about anything in your dorm rooms. I’ve never seen the infection spread so fast. We don’t know if the guy I killed, al-Razi, was by himself or if he has other people spreading the virus in other parts of the city. People seem to be turning into zombies in just a few minutes and I’m not sure we’re going to be able to do anything about it.”

  “But, Daddy,” Melanie protested. “I don’t have any clothes, my computer, or even the gun you gave me. Everything’s in my dorm room.”

  “Brian, do you have a gun with you?”

  “I have my Glock 23 in the car, in the glove box.”

  Chuck nodded. He pulled Rebecca’s Glock 19 out of his waistband and handed it to Melanie. He reached into the truck and opened Johnson’s purse. He found two more full fifteen round magazines and handed those to Melanie, along with a box of nine millimeter ammunition from his black bag. McCain took all of the cash he had, a little over two hundred dollars, and handed it to his daughter. He checked Rebecca’s purse and found another hundred and fifty dollars. He handed that to her as well.

  “Here’s Rebecca’s gun and all the cash I have. Text me the address where you’re going to be.”

  Turning to Brian and locking eyes with him, he said, “Brian, can I trust you to get my daughter some place safe?”

  “Yes, sir! We’ll leave right now and be at my parent’s place in about an hour. I’ll take care of Melanie. I promise.”

  He patted the young man on the shoulder. He reached for his daughter as she started crying again.

  “I’m so sorry, Daddy. She was such a great person. I love you and I’m praying for you.”

  “I love you. I’m sorry you guys got pulled into this. Brian’s family sound like good people. They’ll take care of you and we’ll talk soon.”

  She was still crying as they drove away.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Back into the Arena

  Athens, Georgia, Saturday, 1430 hours

  McCain drove towards the mall but he needed to make the phone call. Admiral Jonathan Williams was the Assistant Director for Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency. Rebecca had given him the Admiral’s phone number to contact in an emergency.

  He pulled into a convenience store parking lot between the university and the mall and stopped. He needed to concentrate. He dialed the number and it rang. There were a series of clicks and then it was answered.

  “Yes?” the voice said.

  “Admiral Williams?”

  “Who is this?”

  “Sir, this is Chuck McCain. I’m a team leader in Atlanta. I…”

  “I know who you are Mr. McCain. What can I do for you? I’m assuming you’re not calling from a secure line?”

  “I’m calling from my government issued phone, sir. I don’t know if it’s secure or not but this is an emergency. Rebecca has been killed and we’re in the middle of two more coordinated attacks.”

  There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. “What happened to Rebecca?” the voice asked softly.

  Chuck told him the story. He managed to do it this time without breaking down. He also gave Williams all the information that he had about both attacks, which was not very much at this point.

  “Do we have al-Razi’s body?”

  “No, sir. I was being chased by zombies, carrying Rebecca. I know where it’s at if you want us to try and recover it.”

  “If that’s possible. I’d like to have his body or DNA and photos of the corpse.”

  “We’ll try and take care of that, sir.”

  Again, there was silence as if the voice on the other end was thinking. “Well, Mr. McCain, you’re the man in charge now. Are you going to be able to function? I’m sorry to be so blunt, but this is…”

  “Admiral, obviously I’m devastated but I’ll grieve later. We may already be too late to stop this from spreading throughout the university and the city but when the rest of the guys get here, we’ll do what we can.”

  “What do you need from me?”

  Chuck gave the Admiral several requests and suggestions. He assured McCain that he would get everything he asked for.

  His next call was to Eddie. He answered immediately. “Hey Chuck, we’re about to leave. Everybody just got here.”

  “Hang tight, Eddie. That DHS Blackhawk is on its way to pick you guys up. It should be there in fifteen or twenty minutes.”

  “Excellent! That’s so much better. Where are we going to meet you?”

  “I’m heading towards the mall. Maybe he could set down there?”

  While he was still stopped, Chuck got out and walked to the rear of his truck. He had a hard shell cover that enclosed the bed of the Silverado. He opened it up and pulled out a much larger duffel bag. It contained his uniform and all of his equipment. He changed clothes on the side of the convenience store. He attracted a few stares but he wasn’t really worried about what people thought. And, it wasn’t like the police were going to be responding to a suspicious person call. They had much bigger issues to deal with.

  Before starting for the mall, McCain made one last phone call. He notified Dr. Charles Martin of the CDC of Rebecca’s death, the latest attacks, and the infected areas. He asked him to mobilize the CDC’s resources and send their emergency management team to the Georgia Square Mall. They could stage there and then assist at the university whenever the location was secured.

  Georgia Square Mall, Athens, Saturday, 1445 hours

  McCain turned into the mall parking lot and saw that it was only partially full. He guessed that most people had fled when zombies started trying to eat them. It was tough to shop in that environment, he thought. He just hoped that none of them were infected when they fled or they w
ould have to be dealt with later.

  A group of police cars were clustered in the middle of the mall parking lot. That would be where he would set up a command post. The officers were all sitting in their cars, however. Normally, in this kind of situation, they would be standing outside talking, and the officer in charge directing the action. It was hard to develop a plan if everyone was in their cars. Then he saw why.

  Two infected were standing next to one of the police cars. They were both slapping the passenger window. He could see their bloody faces, snarling at the officer just out of their reach. Chuck parked thirty feet away from the other officers and stepped out with his rifle. He could hear the zombies growling in unison. When they saw him, they started running in his direction.

  He put a shot into each of their heads, their lifeless bodies crumpling to the pavement. Chuck scanned the area for any more infected, and then slowly walked over to the police cars. His badge was prominently displayed and he let the rifle hang over his chest. McCain realized he still had Rebecca’s blood on his hands and arms. Later, he thought.

  Two officers jumped out of their cars and pointed their pistols at him. “Get down on the ground,” they yelled.

  “I’m with the CDC Response Teams,” he said, calmly with his hands raised. He slowly eased himself down to his knees.

  They stepped closer, seeing the badge. “My ID packet is in my breast pocket if you want to take a look.”

  He kept his hands up until one of the officers holstered his pistol and retrieved Chuck’s ID.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. McCain,” he said handing the packet back.