Land of the Zombies

by Jaime Horio

  But now that we’re past the cars, we’ve got a good view of the wall of the checkpoint. It’s not huge, maybe ten feet high. But at its base are bodies. Not undead bodies, just dead bodies. The smell is overpowering. We try to piece together what might have happened.

  It looks like everyone go out of their cars and rushed the walls. But it looks like the bodies were mowed down by the soldiers inside. The bodies that aren’t too decomposed show signs of being hit by bullets.

  The scene is terrible, but we know we need to move on. I give Greg a quick recap of what we’re seeing, and we move toward the gate at the front of the line of cars.

  The passageway for the cars is locked down tight. It seems like it has been barricaded from the inside. Searching around, Ben finds a spot with some handholds on the wall. It’s not quite a ladder, but it seems like we could get enough grip to help lift people over.

  We lift him up first, then Carrie. We’re able to push her up and he can help pull her at the top. I go third, and finally we help haul Terry up.

  The scene before us is chaotic. The space inside the checkpoint only lasts about 50 feet before the next wall and open road beyond it. The area around here is very flat, but they’ve set it up at a perfect strategic location. To one side is a lake, so they were able to keep an easy watch. On the other side was a gorge. It wasn’t incredibly deep, but it was rough enough that cars couldn’t pass through. They built the wall all the way to these natural barriers on each side, making this the one way through unless you wanted to off-road it for a few dozen miles. And I have to imagine they had some sort of security patrols going on in those areas.

  But people would have headed for the highway. Sure, there was panic, and people were scared, but they would have stuck to familiar routes like this.

  Scanning the checkpoint area, I don’t see anyone. I can see a large tent toward the end with the gorge that must have been where they took people who had been bit. In the other direction is a line of tents. I point to the biggest one. “That must be the quarters for whoever was in charge. That seems like a good place to start.”

  The others nod, and we find a ladder that leads down to the ground. We make our way to the tent without incident.

  I speak in a loud whisper toward the entrance of the tent. “Hello? Is anyone there?” I wait a minute before proceeding forward.

  I use the baseball bat to push the flaps of the tent open in front of me. Nothing happens so I pull one of the flaps open and look in. Things look disorderly, like someone was rifling through things. Definitely out of a place for a military leader’s tent.

  We head out and find similar situations in the other tents.

  When we’re exiting one of the tents, I see movement up in one of the guard towers.

  I grab Ben’s arm and point. “Did you see that? Something was up there!”

  He squints and says, “Probably a bird or something.”

  “No, it was inside, and it ducked down. It wasn’t a bird, I know it!”

  I jog over to the base of the tower. It sits just at the top of the wall, with openings on all four sides. There is a ladder leading up to a hatch. I’m just starting up the rungs when I see the gun pointing down at me.

  The hatch has swung open, and there is a solder aiming a rifle at me. I freeze and slowly back down.

  The soldier doesn’t waste any time. “Are you bit?”

  “No, none of us have been bit.” I’ve got my hands up in the air as a sign of peace, that I’m not holding a weapon. I nod to Ben, and he and the others do the same. They leave their weapons slung on their back, but slow show that their hands are empty.

  The soldier thinks for a moment then loosens his grip on the gun. He looks around the sight to us. I hear him slide around, and suddenly he’s sliding down the ladder.

  He slings his gun around his back and offers me his hand. “I’m Sergeant Gray. David Gray.”

  I shake his hand and introduce myself and the others. He asks where we’re from, and we give him a quick explanation. We tell him about the others in the vehicles. He shows us a door near the spot where we climbed in that only opens from the inside. I radio to Greg and tell him to come up to the gate.

  A few minutes later I hear the sound of the truck and van pulling up nearby. Sgt. Gray and Carrie go up on the wall to cover us as we run out. Ben stays behind to hold the door open as Terry and I hustle over to grab what we can. Most of our supplies are packed up, so we load bags onto our backs and lug what we can in our hands. By the time we’ve got everything, Lani has limped inside the gate, using Greg and Julie as crutches. We all get inside and latch the door shut.

  Sgt. Gray explains that the camp is secure, but he’s the only one left alive. He shows us to the tents where we are able to setup. For the time, we just load everything into one tent, deciding to wait to sort out where each of us will sleep.

  He shows us around, although there isn’t much to see. There are the tents for the soldiers, the big one we already saw where the commander had slept, and a communications tent. The last tent he takes us to is filled with several crates full of dehydrated meals.

  “Not the most glamorous food, but it’s still food.”

  The last thing he shows us is the water station. Located near the end with the lake, it draws water from the lake and purifies it. Nearby is even a set of outdoor showers.

  “The water is heated by the sun, so if you wait until the afternoon, you can get some pretty decently warm water.” He gives a little smile at this. “Well, it’s starting to get late, so let’s go eat and I can answer the $64,000 question.”

  We head toward the commander’s tent. It has a large table with seating as well as the sleeping space, so it’s the best spot for us all to meet.

  Sergeant Gray goes and checks a few spots along the walls on each side to make sure everything is secure, and then he joins us in the tent.

  We’ve already mixed up the rations and have one ready for him. It has been a long day, so everyone eats pretty quickly. The tent is quiet except for the sounds of people eating. No one is talking at this point.

  A few minutes after everyone is done, Sergeant Gray starts into his story. He was manning his post up in the tower, just keeping an eye out to make sure everyone stayed orderly outside the wall. Suddenly, there was a large commotion in the middle of the line of cars. People started screaming and spreading out of their cars. Someone in one of the cars must have turned and attacked the other people in the car, infecting them as well. No one had paid them any attention until they broke out of the car. They quickly started attacking nearby people who were not in their cars. Not too many people were killed in that initial shock, but everyone spread out in a panic and started running toward the wall.

  The commander got on a loud speaker and ordered everyone to calm down and back away from the wall. But panic had already set in and no one listened. They pushed against the wall and it started to shake. He ordered the soldiers to open fire. Most argued that they couldn’t because these were civilians. The commander gave the order again and pulled his pistol out of its holster. He turned and quickly fired three shots into the crowd. Then he gave the order to fire once again, and turned his gun onto the closest soldier. The soldier reacted to the threat and started firing. Once one person was shooting, all the rest followed.

  It didn’t take long to kill everyone. And it didn’t take long for a group of soldiers to be sent out to clear up the undead that had started the whole situation.

  He paused after telling us this to give us time to take in the whole thing.

  After a few minutes I spoke up. “So what happened to all the other soldiers?”

  “That’s a totally different story. Everyone was furious about the commander’s order to kill the civilians. He wouldn’t even let us go out and clear the bodies. By the next morning it was clear that no one else was coming to the checkpoint, but I still went and took my post in the tower. No one was really watching, so I had slumped down below the walls to get out of s
ight and cried. While I was there, I heard the shot. I leapt to attention, and near the back wall I saw the commander lying on the ground. It looked like someone had come up behind him and shot him.

  “No one came to see what happened, so I hurried down the tower and went to check. When I got there I saw the footprints. Whoever had assassinated the commander had deserted and taken off out the back of the checkpoint. Then I heard the engine and saw one of the big transport trucks driving off with several of the soldiers in it. It wasn’t just a lone gunman, there were probably a dozen soldiers who had conspired and taken out the commander. Now, I don’t agree with that order to kill the citizens, but the commander would have seen his day in court, and he would have been convicted in a heartbeat. Too many witnesses. Although, maybe that’s why they did it. The commander had been cracking a little lately, with all this crazy zombie shit going on. Maybe they were afraid he would make sure there weren’t any witnesses left.”

  Terry is the first to speak. “A dozen soldiers? There’s enough tents here to hold at least double that. What happened to the rest of them?”

  Sergeant Gray looks to the ground. He pauses a moment, then points down toward the end of the camp where the gorge is. It’s dark now, I can barely see the outline of the tent where they took the infected.

  “The view is blocked from here, but next to that tent is a holding area. It’s locked in, don’t worry. It’s where we held people who had been bitten before they took them to see the doctors. Which were really...never mind.” He looks caught.

  But Lani helps him out. “We know about what happened to the people who were infected,” she says matter-of-factly.

  He looks a little surprised, and then figures it out. “You’re that reporter then? The one who was outside the camp?”

  “Yes, I am.” She seems a little nervous, but holds her ground. She knows that she’s risking her life by admitting this, based on the previous reaction when she was caught.

  But Sergeant Gray doesn’t seem too upset. He looks relieved actually.

  “Well, good, then I don’t have to decide whether or not to tell you.” He motions toward the unseen holding area. “People were held in there. It’s pretty soundproof, so they had no idea what was going on in the tent. But we did. It rattled nerves. Maybe that’s part of why those guys flipped and killed the commander.”

  He pauses again. I imagine he has spent a lot of time thinking about what happened, trying to figure out why it happened, but this is his first chance to speak his mind to anyone else. He doesn’t need us to respond, but just to listen. I like to think it’s helping him.

  “Anyway, the rest of the soldiers, the other dozen are in that holding area. One of the guys who had gone out to clean up the infected go bit. When they brought him back, the commander ordered them to take him into the holding room, just to quarantine him. But no one had been paying attention. When the others dragged him in, they took him right to the middle, to one of the open beds. But they didn’t realize that the people in there had turned. Their bites had killed them, and they came back and attacked the soldiers. There were four that went in, and they were overwhelmed. These guys were friends, so the others ran in to try to save them. But they underestimated how many infected were in that room. They were overwhelmed too, and the commander ordered the door shut.

  “If I had been closer, I would have gone into that room too. But I guess I was lucky that I wasn’t in a position to go in. But really, it’s not lucky. I have seriously considered killing myself several times in the last few days. The terrible actions I’ve seen and been a part of out here. Seeing my friends in that room. There’s a viewing port behind some two way glass. I can only see four of them who are clearly infected. The rest are torn into bits on the floor, probably eaten by those things. I wish I had gone in there, at least I wouldn’t feel like I abandoned my friends and fellow soldiers.”

  He lets out a deep sigh and hunches his shoulders forward.

  It’s Greg who goes to him and just stands next to him and places his hand on the sergeant’s shoulder.

  “I’m not going to say it’s ok. It’s impossible to justify your friends or family dying when you could have helped them. But the truth is, this world is insane. There’s no reason to it anymore. And there’s no way to know that it wouldn’t have been worse if you’d gone in there. Here you are, and we found you. If you’d gone in there, you’d be gone. Or maybe you would have been injured and you would have slowly bled out. So all you can do is accept that you’re here now. You’re alive, and now you’re a part of our group.”

  The sergeant sniffles a little. It has to be tough for him to be showing emotion like this, especially in front of strangers. “Thank you. I really appreciate that man.”

  Greg nods his head.

  We decide it’s probably a good time to get some sleep. We pair off and head for the tents. There are two cots in each tent, so Ben and I pair up. Julie and Terry of course head to a tent, and Carrie and Lani go to a tent. Sergeant Gray wants to keep a tent to himself, just because he has gotten so used to it. We’re all OK with this, so Greg drags a cot from another tent in with Ben and me.

  The next morning is cool and crisp. There is a smell in the air that tells me fall is arriving. I roll out of the cot and hear Ben sigh.

  “What’s going on man?”

  He sighs again before starting. “I was just having such a great dream. You and I were hanging out. It was a Sunday and we were going against each other in fantasy football that week. The game was close, and it came down to Sunday night. I needed a big night from Peyton Manning to beat you and knock you out of the playoff race. The game was going, and the suddenly we were playing XBox. Just running around on a co-op mission, killing some Nazi scum. And then I was waking up here. But that dream was still so fresh and real. I felt like it was real, and I was torn away. And now here I am in a tent in the middle of fucking nowhere and there’s some God damned zombies out there trying to tear my shit up!” He’s yelling by now, and woken Greg up.

  “What the fuck is going on here? We were supposed to come to this checkpoint and the military was going to protect us. Instead we come here and the fucking army is gone, and the ones who are here are dead! What are we going to do? We can’t just stay here and die, and how do we know what’s going on out there? It can’t be safe, otherwise this guy would have taken off already. He has to know something!” He’s seething at this point and then he just collapses on the cot and starts sobbing. “What are we going to do?” He looks up to me as he asks this and he looks terrified.

  “I wish I could answer that.”

  I walk out of the tent, and grab Greg’s arm on my way, practically dragging him out of the tent.

  Everyone else has heard the commotion and is coming out of their tents as well.

  Sergeant Gray is the first to reach us. “What’s going on in there?”

  I shake my head, but I know. He hasn’t let any of this out since this whole thing started. He tried to reach his family on the phone, but couldn’t get a hold of them. I think it’s just the stress of everything has finally caught up to him, or he’s finally letting it out. Let’s just give him some time, he’ll be OK in a little while.”

  The Sergeant nods in understanding, and Greg and I head over to wash our faces with some water. It’s cold and it stings my face as it hits, but it also wakes me up quickly.

  We head back to the group and by now Ben has come out. He starts to apologize to me but I cut him off and tell him that there’s no reason to apologize. We all need to vent.

  After we eat, Sergeant Gray takes us over to the holding area where we see that there are easily fifty of the undead creatures being held.

  “Sergeant Gray,” I start, but he cuts me off.

  “No. Just call me David. It’s not such a formal world anymore.”

  “OK. David. What should we do here? I mean, I know that some of your friends are in here, but it seems like a bad idea to let them stay here in the camp. I know it’s r
eally secure, but what if one of them gets out?”

  “Believe me, I’ve thought the same thing, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to clear this area out alone. And the idea that I could get hurt and just slowly die, or slowly be eaten, did enter my mind.” He flashes Greg a look of acknowledgment. “But with all of you here, I think we can do this.”

  The room is a decent size, but not huge. It’s definitely not designed to hold fifty people long term. So the zombies in there are packed in fairly tight. A few of them are sitting down, but most of them are standing, without much room to move. But if they were attacking, there would be room as they swarmed.

  There are two entrances. The main entrance which is near us, and the exit on the other side where people were taken out to the tent. We work out a plan. To start, Greg will go and pound on the exit door. This should work to get the attention of the infected, and hopefully lure them toward that door. It is heavily bolted, so Greg should be fine. Once their attention is drawn, David will go through the main entrance and toss a couple of grenade. There will be a couple of seconds for both of them to get away before the explosion.

  After the explosions, we will survey the damage and clean up. The grenades probably won’t kill that many, since they need some severe shots to the head to take them down. But the space is confined, so we are hoping that the explosions at least incapacitate the zombies. Then we’ll have a much easier job clearing them out.

  We arm ourselves and prepare. Greg runs around to the other side and starts pounding on the door. Watching through the two way glass, David can see that the zombies are starting to move. He slowly opens the main door and walks in. He pulls the pins on two grenades and tosses them toward the creatures. He turns to leave and trips. In the shadows by the door is a small zombie, one that used to be a kid. It’s small and not strong, but it does knock David off his balance and bites into his leg. He cries out in pain and we start to rush forward to help him. But we’re stopped momentarily by the sound of the explosions. We had disregarded the grenades when we saw him go down, but that didn’t stop them from exploding. We stumble back a bit, and then continue our rush forward.