Everything Dies [Season One]

by T. W. Malpass

  On this occasion, Kristin stayed with Emily to comfort her. It was Vincent’s plan after all, but despite that, she wanted to; she felt that she needed to. She wrapped her little girl in her arms and pulled her jacket around her shivering body as she watched Raine and the three men rip the cable from the ties that secured it to the roof.

  They made sure the wire was long enough to reach the edge before tying it off on one end of the extended ladder, making the cable taut around the base of the skylight.

  Vincent also came up with the idea of knotting a section of wire to a central rung of the ladder, so that when they lowered it down over the gap to the top of the parking lot’s fence, it wouldn’t fall too quickly and bounce off.

  Once they had it in place, Salty double-checked the cable around the skylight to make certain it wouldn’t pull free when there was weight on the ladder.

  Vincent gazed at the metal frame, noticing how much it sloped on the way to its destination, on account of the height differential between the roof and the fence. It was far from ideal – it was treacherous in fact, but it was the best chance they had. ‘Until someone can get across and hold the other end, it could shift and slide right off the edge,’ he said.

  The group fell silent and took a long look at what they were about to traverse, the ravenous horde of dead trying to claw at them from the ground.

  ‘OK then,’ Ethan said. ‘I’ll be your canary down the mine.’

  ‘You sure?’ Raine said, realising that any colour in his already pale complexion had just washed away in the first breath after he’d spoken.

  ‘Not really, no. I’m shit-scared of heights and my sense of balance has never been great, but aside from Emily, I’m the lightest one here – and I know you’re all too polite to say it, but I’m also the most expendable.’

  Raine glanced to Salty, expecting a sarcastic remark from his mouth.

  ‘What?’ he said. ‘Kid’s steppin’ up. All power to him.’

  Ethan bent to pick up one of the backpacks.

  ‘Forget about those,’ Vincent said. ‘Just concentrate on getting yourself across in one piece.’

  Before Ethan shuffled to the edge, Raine grabbed him by the arm and locked eyes with him. ‘Try not to look down.’

  Ethan blew out nervously. ‘Yes. Thank you, Miller – excellent advice.’

  ‘Just saying’,’ Raine replied.

  The slope on the ladder was reasonably sharp, but from Ethan’s vantage point, it looked close to vertical. He did his best to block out the moaning below. As he stood on the edge, it intensified, the primitive sound of the horde’s renewed excitement resonating. He acted upon Raine’s suggestion and didn’t look down.

  ‘You have a better chance of keeping your balance if you climb feet-first,’ Vincent said.

  The idea gave Ethan some brief but welcome relief. It suddenly didn’t seem so bad now he was putting his back to his destination and slowly edging down to the first few rungs.

  They all watched and held their breath. Kristin and Emily both stood up. They didn’t join the others close to the edge; they could see fine from where they were.

  Ethan couldn’t figure out whether it was the cool night breeze, his anxiety or a combination of both, but he started to shake so much that the frame of the ladder rattled every time he moved. The noise seemed to rile the horde even more. One of them was so preoccupied with looking up at him that it walked straight into the wall of the visitor centre and smashed its nose in the process.

  ‘Try to ignore them,’ Vincent said.

  Ethan peered down through a gap in the ladder to the waves of foul flesh and gnashing teeth. ‘I see a bed of feathered pillows.’ No sooner had he cracked an ironic smile than the end of the ladder resting against the pole at the top of the fence shifted to the right.

  He froze, digging his nails into the metal and curling his toes around the siderails. He made the mistake of looking down again. The creatures were opening and closing their mouths like guppy fish, as if they were waiting for him to fall. A solitary bead of cold sweat ran along the outline of the vein pulsing in his forehead.

  ‘Balance your weight,’ Vincent said.

  ‘I feel pretty balanced,’ Ethan said. Once the shock had subsided, he edged his way along once more. Each step back was more tentative than the last, but eventually he made it to the other side and remained at the top of the fence, holding on with one hand and securing the end of the ladder with the other. He drew his feet in as soon as the creatures pushed against the wire mesh, clamping their bony fingers around it.

  The rest of the group felt it was safe to breathe normally again. Vincent walked over to his family and held out his hand to Emily.

  ‘No’, Emily moaned, clinging tighter to her mother. ‘I don’t want to.’

  ‘You have to, sweetie,’ Kristin said. ‘It’s the only way out of here.’

  ‘I can’t do what Ethan did. I’ll fall.’

  Vincent knelt down beside her. ‘You’ll be with me. You can’t fall. I won’t let you.’

  ‘No.’ She began to cry and hid her face in Kristin’s shirt.

  Vincent turned to Raine and Salty. ‘You go. I need to talk to my daughter.’

  Salty proceeded to shove the empty shotgun as far down into one of the backpacks as he could, pulling the zip around its stock. ‘Hold that end steady,’ he shouted to Ethan.

  ‘OK, I’m ready. Go for it,’ Ethan replied.

  Salty made his parallel descent and Raine watched, her sweaty hands clutching at the thighs of her pants.

  ‘Emily, please look at me.’ Vincent forced her out of Kristin’s arms so she had to face him. ‘We can’t stay here. We don’t have enough food to last us any longer than a week, and in the daytime, there’s no cover from the sun.’

  ‘But the monsters can’t get me up here,’ she said.

  ‘You’re right. They can’t, but we can’t survive here. As soon as the monsters break through the fence down there, we’ll never have any chance to leave, and the building is burning.’

  Emily screwed up her button nose and frowned. She glanced over to Salty, who was halfway across, having no apparent problems.

  ‘You remember how Daddy would always give you piggy-back rides when you were little?’ Kristin said. ‘You put your arms around his neck and your feet around his tummy and there’s no way you can fall, even if he’s running. Remember when he’d run with you?’

  ‘If I cling on really tight?’ Emily said.

  ‘Yes – If you cling on really tight.’

  ‘And we won’t be running,’ Vincent said. ‘We’ll take it as steady as you want to.’

  Salty reached the top of the fence and handed his backpack to Ethan. ‘You get your ass down there and warm up the cars.’

  Ethan put the bag on his back and dropped onto the asphalt of the parking lot.

  Salty locked one of his wiry arms around the end rung of the ladder. ‘OK, next one.’

  Raine walked over to the Grahams, but stopped before she got to them. She knelt down and placed the flat of her palm on the mineral-felt.

  ‘What is it?’ Kristin said.

  ‘We need to hurry,’ Raine said.

  ‘You go,’ Vincent said.

  Kristin looked at him, and then at Emily, shivering in his arms.

  ‘It’s OK. We’ll be right behind you, won’t we, Em?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Emily replied, though she sounded unconvinced.

  Raine offered her hand to help Kristin up and passed her one of the three remaining backpacks.

  Before he reached the vehicles, Ethan gazed at the creatures on the other side. They pushed against the fence and chewed at the wire mesh, trying to get at him. Their sickly eyes, discoloured by burst veins, held him there, mesmerised.

  ‘Hey, asshole. You gonna get those cars started or what?’ Salty shouted.

  Ethan flinched, broke away and jogged to the opposite end of the lot, where the cars were parked.

  When Kristin made it across, Salt
y insisted that he stayed where he was, so she jumped into the lot and watched for the rest of her family.

  Raine followed shortly after, carrying the last two bags and her rifle. She clamped her feet around the outside rail and virtually slid down to the fence. ‘Take these.’ She gave her things to Salty. ‘Check on Ethan. I’ll wait for Graham.’

  Salty did as she’d asked and threw their supplies into the back of the pickup. Ethan had already started the sedan and flipped on its headlights.

  Vincent double-checked that the cable holding their end of the ladder was secure, then he approached the edge. Emily was on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck. ‘OK, honey. I’m going to turn around and climb backwards. Just hold on tight to me and use your feet, OK?’

  ‘OK.’ Emily hid behind her father’s shoulder as soon as he began to climb down. He could see the horde stumbling around below them. Their numbers had increased during the wait for their turn to cross.

  Kristin bit down on the nails of her three middle fingers, seemingly oblivious to the creatures trying to squeeze their faces through the small diamond-shaped holes between the mesh.

  At the halfway point, Vincent paused to take a breath, struggling to get a proper grip on the now-greasy rungs of the ladder. ‘This is like being on one of those big climbing frames at the Lost Valley Adventure Park in Maine. Do you remember?’

  ‘I’m scared,’ Emily moaned.

  ‘We’re almost there.’ Vincent looked between his legs and saw Kristin standing at the fence. ‘Mommy’s safe. She’s down in the parking lot waiting for us.’

  ‘The monsters can’t get in?’

  ‘No. They can’t get past the fence. It’s safe, and we’re going to get in the cars and drive far away from this place. To somewhere where the monsters can’t find us.’

  Raine shuffled further up the pole and reached out with her free hand to grab the leg of Vincent’s pants.

  A ferocious rumble from within the visitor centre was immediately followed by an explosion, which blew out the glass on the ground floor. The creatures standing opposite were either knocked to the floor or thrown into the gate.

  The force of the blast caused Vincent to lose his balance. He twisted his body to the right, and Emily squealed, her hands slipping from around his neck. She bounced off the ladder’s outer rail and fell into the gap between the parking lot and building.

  Vincent launched himself from the side and caught her by her forearm. Emily stopped screaming for a moment, until she realised her dad had caught her, then she continued, kicking her little legs as if attempting to swim back up to him.

  ‘I’ve got you. Don’t struggle. Don’t struggle,’ Vincent said.

  Raine sprang into action and grabbed onto Vincent’s jeans, locking her muscular arm around the frame of the ladder to prevent it from slipping any further.

  The dead who were still on their feet crowded into a huddle at the spot where Emily was dangling. Teased by her flailing legs, they reached up to them, licking their lips at the prospect.

  ‘Vincent, don’t lose her!’ Kristin screamed and clutched the mesh, powerless to help.

  Salty and Ethan exited the vehicles so they could see what was happening.

  ‘Give me a count and then pull her up. I got you,’ Raine said, bracing herself for the strain.

  ‘I’m gonna pull you up after three, Emily. Try to get your legs up onto the ladder.’

  Emily was too terrified to listen to what he was saying and just kicked her legs even harder. Her screams intensified when one of the creatures managed to catch hold of her left shoe.

  ‘One, two, three.’ Vincent employed every ounce of energy he had left, pulling her up with one arm and dragging her back onto the frame. Once he’d regained his balance, he passed his tearful daughter over to Raine, who gently lowered her into the arms of Kristin, who was still in the parking lot.

  Kristin wanted to comfort her, but she had to make sure that Raine and Vincent got down from the fence safely.

  Raine noticed that one section of the mesh close to them was damaged; strands of it had already snapped away from the fence pole. ‘This side is going to give. Let’s move.’

  Ethan and Salty got back behind the wheel and the remaining group members ran across the lot.

  Vincent felt the tug on his hand from Emily and saw that she was limping. ‘Is it your ankle?’ he said, assuming she’d twisted something during the fall.

  ‘My leg,’ she sobbed.

  He spun her around and checked her legs. On her left, a small circle of blood had soaked through the material of her sky blue jogging pants. He rolled it up to reveal a bite mark on her calf. It wasn’t deep, but the creature’s teeth had broken the skin.

  ‘Daddy.’ Emily rubbed the tears from her eyes, gazing toward her father for reassurance.

  He lifted her into his arms and ran for the car. ‘I’ve got you,’ he whispered in her ear, trying to keep his own emotions at bay. ‘I’ve got you. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.’

  Raine steadied her aim on the roof of the pickup and then released a burst of fire, taking down the creatures in front of the gate. Then she fired again, blowing off the lock.

  Both vehicles set off. The pickup went first. Salty put his foot on the gas and smashed open the gates, knocking down the dead that remained in their way.

  Out in the grounds of the preserve, they were able to avoid the crowds. They doubled-back to get onto the access road, and followed it to the west side of the perimeter, exiting the facility through the hole the intruders had made. Most of the herd had already entered, so the road was relatively clear.

  Their false sanctuary was now behind them. They entered the shadow of the forest, with only the headlights of their vehicles to battle against the darkness.

  A Road Less Travelled

  Darla slid on her side through the milkweed of the embankment. Her baggy pants rode up around her matchstick legs and collected at her knees.

  When she hit the bottom and rolled onto the Christopher Columbus Highway, the blanket containing her belongings, which she had been holding in one hand, tumbled over the top of her and struck her on the head. She staggered to her feet, still smarting from the knock she’d sustained from a can of beans inside the blanket.

  Before she could get herself together, O.B. came plunging down the slope, and she was forced to leap out of the way. He continued to accelerate, falling onto the road and squashing his backpack beneath him.

  ‘You better not have spilt the last of the water,’ Darla said, catching her breath.

  O.B. winced as he felt the stiffness in his shoulder. ‘That looked like a really bad fall, O.B. You sure you haven’t hurt yourself there?’ he sniped.

  ‘Whatever. Just check the bag,’ Darla said.

  He stood up and dusted himself down, pulling the bag from his back and unzipping it. ‘Well, it’s not spilt as much as it is crushed.’ He lifted the bottle, revealing it was now nothing more than a flat, dripping piece of plastic.

  ‘This may come as a shock to you, kid, but not all of us like the taste of our own piss.’

  ‘Did you see what happened up there?’ Wide-eyed, O.B. jabbed his finger towards the steep embankment he’d just unceremoniously navigated.

  ‘Yeah, I saw. A fat ass who doesn’t know when to watch his fuckin’ step.’

  Darla suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ O.B. said, moving close to her.

  She shrugged him off and took a couple of awkward steps away from him, still bending over in pain.

  ‘Its withdrawal, isn’t it?’ O.B. said.

  ‘Don’t worry about it. Just do what we came down here to do. We don’t have time to screw around. Seeing as you destroyed the last of the water, we better get lucky this time.’

  O.B. gazed at the rows of abandoned vehicles stretched out along the highway. An image of his mother’s Station Wagon flashed through his mind – the creatures as they swarmed it, the jets of blood
that had sprayed the windows.

  ‘Hey, Oswald. Snap out of it,’ Darla said. She’d partially recovered from her discomfort and was standing a little straighter. ‘Let’s just get it done. It’ll be dark soon, and we still gotta find shelter.’

  O.B.’s nightmarish recollections made him shiver. He tried to focus on the cars to put it out of his mind. He felt a twinge in his right knee, which he had locked out in the fall, and he stopped to rest against the first vehicle he came to. The surface of its bodywork was sticky. The layers of grime began to cling to his jeans. The vehicles had been sitting idle for months, so it was hard to see through their windows.

  He gave the passenger side’s door handle a tug and it reluctantly peeled away from its frame. To his relief, the interior was empty – no corpses, no blood. O.B. rummaged around but found nothing.

  ‘What the hell is that shit?’ Darla croaked. She looked up at the side of the white stone overpass. Someone had spray-painted a strange set of red symbols close to the centre of it.

  O.B. shrugged and carried on searching. He came upon an SUV. Again, its windows were coated in dirt, but even so, he could see there were people inside. He could make out the shape of their heads. They weren’t moving, so he felt safe in the knowledge they hadn’t reanimated.

  Cupping his hand over his mouth and nose, he snatched open the door. He was right to guard against the smell. It drifted out onto the road like a cloud of death. Even with his hand in front of his mouth, the mortal stench was enough to cause him to gag and step back. That was as much as he wanted to do with it, but he knew Darla would be on his case if he passed up such a large vehicle.

  He lifted his Vandals shirt to use as a mask and approached a second time. Once he’d ducked inside, he immediately wished he’d incurred Darla’s wrath instead. There were four bodies in total: a male and female in the front seat and two children of opposite sex in the back. Being sealed for so long had partially preserved them. The couple held hands across the gear lever, their rigid fingers interlocked; both were slumped forward. O.B. noticed blood stains along the woman’s hairline, tainting her blonde hair, and a revolver in the man’s other hand.