Our Undead

by Theo Vigo

  Billy: They will see us.

  Incoming from the sky, Kerrick and Sharp look down on the largest group of 'goofs' they have ever seen. Those that cover a decent portion of the highway are advancing on to the field in droves. Even at their height, the super soldiers can see them dropping like bodies out of a burning building off of the highway on to the grass. So too are the ones below them, appearing consistently from the forest like a phenomenal army of ants.

  Kerrick: Well, would you look at that? That is something else. So this is where they've all been hiding?

  Sharp: I guess so. A little unusual, wouldn't you say?

  Kerrick: I think this whole goddamned situation is unusual. More specifically, I think we hit the jackpot, right here!! Let's blow these goofs up!!

  Kerrick reaches for the gun rack, putting his rifle back in its place and picking up a grenade launcher.

  Kerrick: Finally! This is gonna be fun.

  He takes aim at the crowd below.

  Sharp: Hold on! Look there!

  Kerrick lowers the launcher and looks to where Sharp's finger points.

  Kerrick: …the hell?

  Below, Kerrick can see three figures separate from the rest, in the center of the chaos, like a core or seed, with every other form gravitating toward them. From the helicopter's view, the core is surrounded completely from the right, bottom and top, the swarm curving around to soon cover the left side completely as well. The center would be totally absorbed in five minutes, maybe less. At that point, it would simply be one massive collection of zombies.

  Billy: (huffing) I think they're coming.

  Margaret looks up and sees the helicopter heading their way. A sound begins to ring out, one that Margaret and Billy are not accustomed to hearing, the clattering of gunshots raining from above. In front of them, they both see many of the converging infected spouting blood and falling to the ground.

  Kerrick: D, this is fun and all, but I think we're gonna need more fire power.

  Sharp: No. If we do that, we'll more than likely take the survivors out too.

  Kerrick: So what do you propose?

  Sharp: We have to lower the ladder, keep them covered and hope they make it up.

  Kerrick: Aye, aye, buddy! Wooooooooo!

  Kerrick continues going off on the crowd below, firing on the inner most circle, trying his best to keep them away from the three survivors. Sharp readies the ladder.

  From below, Billy and Margaret can see the helicopter advancing ahead of them. They can still hear the rata-tat and still see some of the undead bodies tumbling over each other. Then, another lifeline appears in the form of a helicopter ladder, unfurling downward and dangling from the flyer like a limp noodle. Instantly, Margaret can feel Billy's speed pick up, but she feels him slow back down just as quickly when they enter the windstorm created by the rotary wings. Enduring the thrust, they eventually make it directly under the flying machine.

  Billy eases Margaret off his back gently, and they both look up to see two men firing on the incoming infected. One of the men stops momentarily and hollers at them to start climbing up.

  Billy: Go! Go up!

  Margaret: Where's Abe?!

  They look back and see Abe struggling to make it through the strong winds of the helicopter. His zombie trot has been reduced to a stumbling walk, but he tries the best he can to follow the ones he has become so attached to.

  Billy: Go on!! I'll make sure he makes it!!

  Margaret: No! You go up!

  Billy: Margaret…

  Margaret: BILLY, JUST GO!!!

  Billy: (sighs) Give me your bag!

  There's no arguing with her, so Billy starts up the ladder. Margaret looks back and calls out to Abe. He is close but so are the rest of his kind. From all sides, they are just entering the circumference of the rotary wind, and Abe is about a quarter of the way from the center. When Billy makes it to the top, he looks down before he enters. Margaret hasn't even begun the climb. He tries to call out to her, but barely gets the chance to breathe before Sharp pulls him in the rest of the way.

  Sharp: What is your friend waiting for?

  Billy: Our other friend!

  Sharp goes back to firing and watches their other, slower friend finally make it to the ladder. It is at this point that Margaret finally starts making her way up the lifesaver. It's hard for her due to her broken leg, but she manages to climb up enough so that Abe can get on comfortably.

  Margaret: Abe, step on! Like me! Come on, you can do it!

  Abe looks up at her, trying to understand what Margaret wants him to do. She looks up at the horde approaching from all angles. They don't have much time and Abe doesn't seem to understand.

  Margaret: Hold on to the ladder, Abe!!! Hold on!!

  Abe understands enough, grabbing hold of the ladder with one hand, but Margaret knows that won't be enough. If the helicopter takes off, Abe would not be taking off with it, and so she has no choice.

  Sharp: What the hell is she doing?!

  Billy knows. She's going back down for Abe. He doesn't say anything to Sharp. It would be pointless. He knows now that she's going to do what she wants, just like he would if he was in her position. All he can do is wait to see if she makes it. Below them, Margaret stands on the bottom rung and pulls Abe in close. He naturally steps up on to the same rung, but Margaret has to manually wrap his fingers around the rung above her head. With seconds to spare, she closes her eyes and hugs him and the ladder as tightly as possible.

  Billy: Take off! Take off!!!

  Sharp: Pilot!

  The pilot complies, and the helicopter begins to lift Margaret and Abe out of the reach of the converging mob. If only they had ascended seconds earlier. One undead spook is able to reach up and grab hold of Margaret's good ankle, the one keeping her steady on the ladder. She opens her eyes and sees the roaring savage, wriggling and biting at her from below, all three of them now being lifted with the ladder. She tries kicking it off with her possibly fractured ankle, but the pain is too much, and the longer she feels the weight of the full grown zombie, the harder it is for her to keep holding on. She can feel her grip beginning to slip from around Abe's mid section, but luck strikes and before her grip fails, the zombie hanging from her good ankle let's go and falls ungracefully back down on to the infuriated crowd, which is now fully mixing, mingling and bubbling below her.

  Billy lets out a huge sigh of relief when he sees the clinging zombie fall away from his friends. He looks across the field at the thousands of walking demons, who's sole purpose seemed to be to destroy them. They had escaped for now and that is all that matters, but what a troubling sight it is, watching the ground squirm as they fly away over the forest. Billy shouts down at Margaret to hold on. He isn't too sure, because of the helicopter's engine and the booming wind, but he swears he can hear the shrill scream.

  For five minutes they fly, looking for a safe place to touch down. As they fly, Margaret holds on as best she can, which isn't as easy as it may seem. The wind at this height and speed is treacherous and deafening. At one point, she opens her eyes, but they instantly become filled with tears due to the wind. She closes them, and tucks her head into Abe's chest, daring not to open them again, just trying enjoying the fact that they've been given a second chance. The turbulence has not much of any effect on Abe. As a zombie, his grip cannot be undone, and there is no way he will be letting go or slipping. He rides it out with ease.

  After their five-minute flight, they finally clear the forest and find a safe place to land. The pilot let's everyone in the cabin know that he's bringing them down. Slowly, they descend toward the dusty desert floor, and finally, Billy can allow that "all's well that ends well" feeling to wash over him. He does this just a little too soon, hearing a high-pitched yelp come from outside. But being buckled in near the center of the cabin, Billy is not able to look outside.

  Sharp: There's something wrong going on down there!

  Billy: What's the matter?!

  Kerrick: T
he girl… She let out a scream!

  Under them, where their eyes cannot see, Margaret is having some troubles of her own. His hands may possess Kung-Fu gripping capabilities, but during the ride, Abe's feet had slipped off of the rung that was supporting them, and is now holding on with his hands alone. Margaret tries her best to keep him up with one arm, holding the rung close to her head with her other, but soon the weight becomes too much for even him, and one of Abe's unbreakable hands slip. It becomes next to impossible for Margaret to hold him up.

  Margaret: Just hold on, you idiot! We're almost there!

  But her essence knows that it's all on him now. She grunts with passion trying to hold him up one-handed, but it's literally like a toddler helping a grown man move a sofa; all for show. Abe is the only one doing any of the work, and it doesn't take long for his last hand to come loose under the pressure. Margaret has no choice but to let him go, and Abe plummets serenely to the desert floor.

  Kerrick: Holy shit! He fell!

  Billy: Who fell?!

  Kerrick: The guy! He fell like a bag of bricks! Hit the ground like on too!

  Billy: Oh, thank God… From how high!?

  Kerrick: Not sure! Looks like from about thirty or forty feet!

  Billy: (sighs of relief) All right.

  The super soldiers notice the way Billy responds to his friend's traumatic experience and think it weird, but neither decides to inquire about it. Maybe he isn't thinking straight. In times like these, people's emotions, what they feel and how they feel them, can change drastically. Why else would a man falling forty feet without a safety net be "all right"?

  Margaret's foot touches down softly, and she immediately hops off of the ladder, bouncing clumsily toward Abe, who has landed less than ten feet away. He touched down on his back, his eyes open wide, motionless and unresponsive. As soon as Margaret reaches him, she falls down on all fours and begins slapping and shaking his head in an attempt to wake him up.

  Margaret: Abe? Come on buddy. Wake up.

  The helicopter comes to a landing a half a basketball court's length away, and Sharp and Kerrick step out before the engine is cut. Billy jumps out as well and darts straight for Margaret and Abe, right past Kerrick and Sharp, who walk down the same path nonchalantly.

  Kerrick: Go get her, kid… cause that guy is as good as dead. That or heavily brain damaged.

  Sharp: That was a pretty nasty fall.

  Kerrick: Even Holden couldn't survive that.

  Sharp: Yea, he could.

  Kerrick: Mmm.. Yea, you're probably right.

  Billy skids to a stop and drops down on the other side of Abe.

  Billy: Is he okay?... Are you okay?

  Margaret: I think he's unconscious. I'm fine. Abe, wake up!

  Billy takes a look at Abe, and gives him one good pound to the chest with his fist. When he does, a dry heaving escapes Abe's windpipe, hissing and allowing his chest to descend.

  Kerrick: Whoa.. Did you just see that?

  Sharp: Yea…

  The approaching super soldiers are bewildered by Billy's resuscitation technique, but it seems to have worked perfectly. Abe begins breathing again and then let's out a low groan. His eyes follow, blinking and then inspecting the two figures above him.

  Margaret: Ha ha! Yes!

  Billy: Phew… Nice.

  Sharp and Kerrick watch as Billy and Margaret sit Abe up and begin helping him to his feet. Billy does most of the work because of the condition of Margaret's leg.

  Kerrick: You've gotta be kidding me.

  They look on, in disbelief that anyone could have survived such a fall. Something is definitely a bit off about it. Sharp focuses hard on them, and the closer he gets, the more he feels his stomach churn, his gut trying to tell him something. When the message is finally understood from about twenty feet away, he makes a quick stop, pulls the Desert Eagle from his side, and aims it straight at Abe's head.

  Sharp: GET AWAY FROM THAT THING!

  Margaret: NO! HE'S HARMLESS!

  Margaret hops in front of Abe with her arms spread.

  Kerrick: What's the-

  Sharp: It's a fucking goof, Matt!

  Kerrick: Oh, shit.

  Kerrick snaps out his handgun as well, and the two of them stand in a face-off against Margaret, Billy, and Abe.

  Sharp: STEP! AWAY!

  Margaret: NO! HE WON'T HURT ANYBODY!

  Sharp: IF YOU DON'T STEP AWAY RIGHT NOW, I'LL BE FORCED TO FIRE!

  Margaret: PLEASE, SIR! I SWEAR!

  Billy: IT'S TRUE! LOOK!

  Billy walks up, grabs Abe's chin and cheeks and squishes them together like a baby.

  Kerrick: He ain't acting like any goof I've ever seen.

  Matthew makes a valid point, so Sharp decides to get a closer look. They continue their approach but slowly and without taking their aim off of their target. As they get closer, they begin to see Abe's facial features come clearer.

  Kerrick: But he sure is a goof… Disgusting.

  They stop a couple of metres away from the trio.

  Billy: See? Just act like everything is normal.

  Margaret: You can start by putting your guns away.

  Both men look down at the mouthy girl that they are meeting face to face for the first time, cautiously amused.

  <><><>

  The jet-black helicopter is soaring back to Sector 333-3 now. The sun is in the process of setting, and the craft can hardly be seen against the dimming background. Inside, the cabin is now five bodies full. Margaret and Billy sit on one side with Abe in between them, and Kerrick sits across from Billy, facing them in the other row of seats with Sharp. All the doors and windows of the helicopter have been shut, so yelling is not necessary in order to be heard. Kerrick and Sharp can't take their eyes off of the trained goof, and just the same, Margaret and Billy examine the soldiers. Margaret is the first to break the silence.

  Margaret: Thank you guys for fixing up my ankle.

  Sharp: Uh… Yea, you're welcome. It's actually a pretty bad break. You're going to have to get it properly casted when we get back to the compound, but bones heal. You'll be fine.

  Margaret: Well, that's good, I guess.

  Another awkward silence fills the air. This time, both Sharp and Margaret try to end it.

  Sharp&Margaret: Sooo…

  Margaret decides to let Sharp take the lead.

  Sharp: What are your names?

  Margaret: Margaret

  Billy: Billy Tell.

  Kerrick: Heh, like the old folk hero!

  Billy: ………

  Kerrick: I take it that's your bow.

  Billy: Yea.

  Margaret: William Tell. Psh, I knew it.

  Margaret looks over at Billy and reaches over Abe's belly to smack him on the arm. He avoids making any eye contact.

  Sharp: So then, what's your real name?

  Billy: Billy Tell.

  Sharp: Heh, all right... Well, I'm Sharp, Denver Sharp. This is Kerrick.

  Kerrick: But you can call me Matthew.

  Margaret: It's nice to meet you both… So, where are you taking us?

  Kerrick: To a secret location. If we tell you we'd have to kill you.

  It throws her off for a second, but Margaret quickly figures out that this Matthew character has the same playful personality that she has. After all, no one could say such a thing with such a cheeky smirk on their face, could they? She hopes that her intuition is accurate and wonders what kind of a man his partner is.

  Sharp: Actually, we have no idea. He's being honest when he says that the location is kept secret. Only the pilots know how to get there.

  Margaret: So, I guess you guys must not be very important.

  Sharp: How so?

  Margaret: They sent only the two of you out here to do God knows what. Only two of you? It just seems like you guys are kinda… expendable.

  The two super soldiers share a glance of recognition. It's not hard to understand where the girl is coming from. Expendable is exactly
how they're feel. Sharp, at least.

  Margaret: What is it that you guys are doing out here, anyway?

  Sharp: We're on a mission,.. but hold on a minute. We've got some questions for you. I think the first one should be obvious.

  Margaret stares at the soldier, in wait and unassuming.

  Kerrick: This guy, right here. What's his deal?

  Margaret: Oh, him? His name is Abe. The short version of the story goes, I was in a cabin with my mother and father, Abe found us and killed them, I trained him, we left the cabin, met up with Billy, and we were on our way to California before… well, you saw what happened.

  Sharp: You trained him… How did you manage that?

  Margaret: How do you train anything? A reward for good behavior and punishment for bad.. that and a lot of patience, but… I had all the time I needed.

  Kerrick: What can he do? You say he's not dangerous, but…