Knight Terrors: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale

by Beard, Stephen J.

  Knight Terrors:

  A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale

  Stephen J. Beard

  Copyright © 2014 Stephen J. Beard

  All rights reserved.

  For Lindsay, as always…

  Sunday, December 28, 2014

  The zombie reached through the doorway, its’ fingers just inches from my face. I can smell the rot and the blood. I strain my neck to get my face further away from the rotten fingers but I have to keep the door closed or we all die. Other zombies pile up against the door trying to get to me. Fresh meat. A meal. Their only purpose. The moan grows louder and louder as more zombies arrive. The door starts to budge. I can’t hold it. There’s too many. Fingers claw at my face. I can’t get away.

  I wake up with a start. It’s dark. I’m not sure where I am right away. Sitting up I reaches over for my wife only to find nothing there. A moment and then it all floods back. Fighting off the undead at Liberty Square. Tabitha almost getting bitten then Sam grabbed from under the bus. She’s bitten before I can get to her. Her own mother helping me put a knife into her brain as she begins to turn.

  Tabitha is awake as is Malcolm.

  “I want my mommy,” he cries.

  I look at Tabby and see that she’s crying, too. I grab my son and daughter as my mother in law Karen comes over. I hug them tight.

  “I know Mal. I want her here too.” We stay that way for a few moments and Karen takes over the hug as I scoot back and move away.

  I make my way up one level in the moonlight. The top level of the ship is an open observation deck with chairs everywhere. It’s chilly this late December night but I don’t notice. I walk over to the railing and look out into the darkness.

  “I miss you, Sam. The kids miss you. I don’t know how we’re gonna get through this without you.”

  The past few weeks had been unprecedented. Zombies. The word conjures up undead creatures with a relentless desire for human flesh. And that’s exactly what they are. Tainted flu vaccines, comas, the dead rising from the grave. I happened to watch the events unfold live on TV one afternoon as the dead rose and the living fell. More importantly I had the foresight to get my family together and get some supplies in the house before most people knew what had happened. But then the neighbors turned and I barely escaped. A harrowing drive to Savannah from my home just outside Charleston had netted more supplies, a mother in law, new friends and a warning: the living will be worse than the dead. Me and two of the new friends went on a supply run to Costco and got ambushed by some survivors looking for an easy score. One of the new friends, Michael was killed. But, Michael’s son, Mike and I killed the four marauders. We found new friends in our own neighborhood and then hooked up with Tom Morgan’s group. But the marauders eventually found us and forced us from our well stocked home. Downtown Charleston was a nightmare but that’s where we could get a boat to Fort Sumter. Situated in the harbor, Sumter was surrounded by water and could be easily defended from looters. But, the price was heavy. Tom lost his wife, Barb. And I lost my wife, Sam.

  “Hey, Boss Man,” Mike said. I jumped a little.

  “Mike, shit, you scared me. You on watch?”

  “Yeah, sorry to startle you. It’s peaceful out here on the water. You can almost forget all this shit going on,”

  “Seen anything or anyone?”

  “A few dolphins, I think.”

  I nod.

  “I’m sorry, Ryan. About what happened. I really am. Sam was great and you guys took us in, and…”

  “You’ve lost your father, Mike. Tom’s group has lost so many. The Miller’s have lost their kids. But, I swore to keep my family safe. I failed. Now, I don’t know what to do.”

  “You still have the rest of your family, Ryan. And the rest of us as well. Your kids need you, Karen needs you. Hell, even I need you.”

  I looked over at Mike.

  “You’re the leader Ryan. Not Tony, not Tom and not me. I know it sucks a lot. But, everyone needs you.”

  “I don’t want the responsibility.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You already have it.”

  I hang my head, looking down at the deck.

  “How’s Tabby?” asked Mike.

  “’Bout how you’d expect, I guess.”

  Mike nodded.

  “You still OK with this?”

  “I meant what I said, Mike. You’re a good kid. Well, man. Just take care of her.”

  “I will, Ryan. Don’t worry.”

  “I have to worry, she’s my little girl. And now she doesn’t have her mother.”

  A silence returned to the observation deck of the Beauregard for a few moments.

  “Try to get some more rest, Mike. We’re going to need you in the morning.”

  “Okay, Boss Man.”

  I thought about our situation as I walked the deck. Strange seeing the harbor completely dark except for the moon.

  We took only a few supplies from the house when we left. With Preston’s group due there any moment, we had all of ten minutes to gather our stuff. The boat currently had less than a month’s food and water. Maybe only two weeks’ worth. We were good on weapons but we were perpetually short on bolts for the crossbows. Everything else, we needed.

  I didn’t even know what we’d find at the fort. It might be full of survivors. Or, it might be full of zombies. The hope, of course, was that he fort would be empty. But the only way that was going to happen was if our luck changed.

  I was still pondering all this when the sun began to appear over the ocean, silhouetting Fort Sumter. The boat began to awaken. I could hear voices and sounds from the deck below. Soon, Mal, Tabby and Karen appeared on the steps.

  “Dad!” Mal runs over and puts his arms around me. “We didn’t know where you were.” Tabby was close behind.

  “He was scared.”

  “He was?” Tabby smiled a little. Karen handed me a cup of coffee.

  “They have a coffee maker down below that runs on the ships power.

  “That smells great. Thanks.”

  Karen handed me a power bar.

  “This is breakfast. I couldn’t find a galley so we’re not cooking much until we get set up inside.”

  “Okay, can you and the kids keep watch for a bit?”

  “Sure.”

  “Don’t go dad.”

  “I’m not leaving buddy. I’m just going downstairs for a few minutes.”

  “I am going with you,” said Mal.

  “Mal, it’s okay,” said Karen. “Stay with me and Tabby.”

  “No, Karen, it’s okay. He’s scared. How about you and Tab keep watch?”

  Karen nodded and Mal and I headed downstairs to the deck below.

  The lower deck of the Beauregard was lined with chairs all in a row mounted to the floor facing forward. Some had been removed by members of the group to free up space. Supplies were stacked everywhere. The group was in various stages of waking up. Most of them stopped what they were doing and looked at me as we came into the room.

  It made me very uncomfortable. Everyone here had lost loved ones. They were no different. I spotted Tony and Beth seated having coffee. Beth stood when I approached but I waved her back down and took a seat next to her. Beth tried to take Mal into her lap but he was having none of it. The boy wouldn’t leave my side. Beth leaned over and put her hand on the side of my face smiling her best motherly smile. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to.

  “How are you?” Tony asked.

  I shrugged.

  “I’m more worried about the kids.”

  Tony nodded.

  “Kids are resilient,” offered Beth. “T
hey’ll hurt for a long time. But, they’ll be okay.”

  “How’s the leg?”

  “Hurts. I can hobble some. It’d be better if I had a cane.”

  “I’ll see what we can do. Maybe we can figure something out.”

  Thor padded over and pushed his way onto my lap.

  “He’s gotten plenty of attention down here,” said Beth. “I think he reminds people of happier times.”

  I patted Thor on the head and got kisses in return. Tom came over and sat down.

  “I’m sorry Ryan.”

  I nodded.

  “Everybody getting something to eat?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Where’s Mike?”

  “I think he was heading up to see Tabby.”

  I nodded.

  “We should discuss the day ahead.”

  “John,” yelled Tom. John looked over at his father. “Can you go up and fetch Mike?” John nodded and headed up.

  Mike came down a few moments later holding hands with Tabby. John was behind them.

  “Karen’s still keeping watch, Boss.”

  Tabby managed to convince Mal to go with her as long as they stayed close.

  “We need to arm everyone that can be armed, just because we don’t know what we’re gonna find. There could be zombies all over the dock and grounds. We might find it empty.”

  “It might already have living occupants. Have you thought about that?” asked Tony.

  “I have,” I nodded. “We’d have to play it safe. I don’t want to get folded into another group unless I trust them 100%.”

  “Especially after what we’ve been through with other humans,” said Mike.

  Everyone nodded.

  “Let’s do a weapons check. Make sure everyone has ammo, bolts, and flashlight. And make sure the radios have fresh batteries. Once that’s done. Let’s get everyone who’s going to be a fighter today up on the observation deck. I’ll get the boat started.” Everyone nodded again and started to move. I got up to stretch and Mal followed me up to the wheelhouse.

  Once the boat was started and the anchor raised, I guided her back over into the channel. Out here, the quiet of this new, strange world was broken by the drumming of the diesels and the sound of the waves lapping up against the hull. Seagulls followed us. I had forgotten how noisy they could be as they searched for food in our wake.

  Mike and Tabby appeared in the door to the wheelhouse holding hands. I don’t think I’d not seen them holding hands over the last few days. Sam would never see her grow up or get married. Tabby dropped Mike’s hand and put her arm around my shoulder.

  “Hi Dad.”

  “Hi Tabby. Doin Okay?”

  She nodded halfheartedly. Mal, sitting on my lap turned the wheel of the boat a little to the left. I was admiring Charleston from the water when it hit me.

  “Mike, let’s get more people up here on the observation deck as lookouts. I feel eyes on us and I want people looking in all direction.”

  “Sure Boss,” and he was gone.

  Tabby leaned her head on my shoulder when he left. “I miss mom.”

  “I know Tabby. I’m sorry.” I couldn’t look her in the eye. “It’s my fault. I promised to keep you all safe.”

  “It’s not your fault, Dad. You’re the reason any of us are still alive.” We held each other and cried for a few minutes. I was glad she didn’t blame me for Sam’s death. But I blamed myself enough for everyone.

  The ride out to the fort was uneventful. If there were other survivors watching us from the mansions along the Battery, they didn’t make themselves known. If it weren’t for all the loss we’d suffered over the past days and weeks, the ride would have been very enjoyable. Sea gulls flew overhead, pelicans dove out of the sky in search of fish and dolphins played right in front of the boat as we went. All of the harbor seemed untouched by the zombie apocalypse. Seeing the dolphins was a big hit with Tabby, Mal and William. I’d hoped that Mal and William would become friends since they were close in age. Mal could use a friend right now. But, so far, only the groundwork for the relationship was there.

  There was a container ship that was aground on the Mt Pleasant side of the channel. We couldn’t see any crew at first but finally picked out the shambling movement of a zombie on the deck. One can only imagine what hell they went through as one zombie became two then two zombies became three or four, and so on.

  After a few more minutes, we could make out a boat docked at Ft Sumter. It looked to be a sport fisherman, maybe 35-40 feet long. We couldn’t see any people. As we got closer, we could see the boat had crashed into the pier more than it had docked. The front was crumbled a bit and it was listing to one side. Whatever happened had cracked her hull.

  “Heads up,” I said over the PA. “If you’re gonna help with the lines, get a life jacket on. We didn’t get away from the zombies only to have you fall overboard and drown.”

  The tide was flowing quickly into the harbor and that would make it easier for me to dock. Or at least, harder to crash into the pier.

  “I’m gonna do this bow first. Don’t pull the bow lines too tight. Once that line is secure, I’ll try to swing the stern around. No unnecessary risks. We can’t afford to lose anyone.”

  Now it was all up to me. We came all this way for nothing if I couldn’t do this. We got the bow line secure on the third try. After that, bringing the stern around was easy. The magic of a twin screw boat.

  “Everybody, good job. Really. I could not have done that without you. Now, gear up and lets all meet on the lower deck.”

  I grabbed my gear and turned to Tabby.

  “Can you keep a good watch for me while I figure out what we’re going to do?”

  She nodded.

  Mal, you stay with Tabby, okay?” He shook his head.

  “She’s gonna be up here all by herself…”

  I could see this bothered him. But not enough to make him stay with her.

  “I left a radio for you on the seat. Call me if you need anything, Tab.”

  I kissed her on the head and headed downstairs with Mal in tow. Everyone looked just about ready to go.

  “What’s the plan, Boss Man?”

  Thor padded over and I reached down to pet him. He’s been a trooper through all this. I’m sure he missed Sam, too. Mal sat on the floor and petted Thor, too. He got a lick on the face for his effort.

  “I figure the fort is either full of people or it’s full of zombies.”

  “I hope its zombies,” said Tom.

  “Me, too,” said Mike. “If its’ zombies we just kill them all and clean up really well.”

  “And if it’s people?” asked Karen.

  “I don’t know. If we think they’re good people maybe we can work together. If we’re not sure then we might have to spend a few more nights on the boat while we make a decision.”

  Everyone seemed in agreement.

  “Do we go up and knock?” asked Beth.

  ‘Sort of,’ I replied. “Beth, why don’t you and Pat stay here with Tony and the kids. Everyone else up on the observation deck. I’m gonna ring the bell.”

  With everyone up looking out at the fort, I went into the wheel house and found the button I was looking for. I leaned out of the door and yelled…

  “Hold on to your butts.”

  In the new, quiet world of the zombie apocalypse, the horn was the loudest thing I could imagine. The group groaned and covered their ears. One, two, three seconds.

  The sound echoed off the fort and surrounding islands for what seemed like minutes. I came out of the wheel house and watched with the others. Some of them were shaking their heads to get the ringing out. I was glad that Thor stayed down on the lower enclosed deck.

  “Nobody’s home,” said Tom.

  “Maybe, they also could be trying to figure out what to do,” I said.

  “You’d think they’d peek out or something though,” said Lois.

  “Well, keep your eyes moving. Let give it a few min
utes,” I said.

  One minute turned into two, then five and almost ten. We were all impatient to get this done.

  “Well, shit,” I said. “I don’t know if this is good or bad.”

  “I think it’s good. It means there’s only zombies in there,” said Tom.

  “I hope you’re right,” I said. “Do we have a ladder on board?”

  “I think I saw one in the engine compartment,” said Mike. “I’ll go get it.”

  With no power, the fancy, motorized lift on the dock didn’t work. So, getting off the boat was a challenge. But, it would be easier in an hour or so as the time came up. I lifted Thor up onto the dock. He’d been holding it long enough and probably had to go pretty badly. I worried about him getting too far ahead of us but he was smart enough to stay away from any zombies he might find. I hoped so, anyway.

  Mike, Tom, John and Keith followed me off the boat onto the pier. Mike found a six foot folding ladder and we carried that with us.

  The pier leading up to the fort was about 100 yard s long and opened into a recessed smoking area in front of the entrance, or sally port. The big double wooden doors were closed up tight. But the padlock was missing so it was locked up tight from the inside somehow. John gave it a good push just to be sure. It didn’t budge. To the right of the main entrance was a smaller entrance with a wood door recessed back into the wall of the fort. This door still had the padlock.

  “That’s our way in,” I said. “So, long as it’s not bolted from the inside somehow.”

  “Do we go in now?” asked Keith.

  “No, I want to see what we’re dealing with.”

  Further around to the right was a grassy area and the remains of the original wharf. During low tide you could walk from the fort to James Island across some mud flats. But, I doubted that zombies could navigate the mud without getting stuck then floating away. On this side of the fort the wall was the lowest; only about ten feet tall. With the ladder we should be able to see over.

  “Keep your eyes open,” I said. “I’ll go up and have a look.”

  The other members of the team took up defensive positions while I climbed quietly up the ladder. By the time I got to the top my heart was pounding. Only then, I realized I was holding my breath.