“Make it quick.” Dennis stole a glance at the wall and then went to work.
Matt dragged his end of the duct to the circular holes he’d drilled and—
“Fuck.” He dropped the flex lines and reached for his pistol.
A dead thing with barely any meat on its face was struggling through the hole, scratched and bloodied arms flailing as it shimmied its way in. Its teeth gnashed at the sight of Matt.
He walked up to the thing and shot it point blank, turning his head away. Pushing the limp body through the opening with his foot, he shoved the flex lines outside until he had no slack left.
Matt stood, sighed, and returned to find Dennis had already finished with his and was assisting Jennifer over the wall. He scanned the parking lot and saw Cole yelling something to Angela.
The bellow of a screamer answered.
***
The Escalade barreled over the Coleman Bridge. The entire ride out had been filled with the sights of the walking, running, screaming dead. But they made it out, and now the roads were clear.
“Hopefully we’ll have some smooth riding for a while,” Tim said as he reached in the back. He retrieved a small black bag, one that Mary hadn’t noticed before, and pulled out a container of pills.
Jeff watched as he opened the bottle. “You really think now is the time, Tim?”
Tim smiled and said, “These are aspirin, my dear boy. I’m all out of the other stuff.”
Good, Mary couldn’t help thinking.
“In the basement, while tending to our friend back there, I realized just what those pills were making me: a monster.” He turned back to Mary. “And for that, I truly am sorry.”
She didn’t know whether to believe him or not, so for the time being she let it go. Only time would tell if what the man had said was true or not. She hoped they reached Facility Six before she had the chance to find out.
Jeff took a right onto Colonial Parkway, which led to Interstate 64.
“What if the interstate’s all clogged up?” Mary asked.
Jeff tapped the GPS and said, “This’ll get us where we need to go. Besides, I’m sure that travel was restricted here like it was everywhere else.” To help prove his point, the vehicle passed three unmanned state police cruisers on the side of the road. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Mary found it hard not to outright laugh at the statement, but Jeff offered a smile in the rearview that said it all. She settled back, opened up a bottle of water, took a swig, and wondered about the two lost friends and third survivor with them. Would they truly make it back? Were they even alive?
Jeff turned on the MP3 player. R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World” came through the speakers.
How fitting, she thought with a chuckle.
***
Angela hopped over the wall, Cole right behind. Jay started the chipper and made his way over. The wall finished, the hydraulic water-stop still drying, each survivor armed themselves and waited.
Matt was crouched on the roof of one of the forklifts and fired as three runners came loping into view. Turning to Cole, he said, “Why don’t you stand up behind the forklift and bait them into the feed tray?” He looked to the rest. “Do your best to stay out of sight. We need to try and funnel them here.” Dropping down and jumping off the forklift, Matt pointed to where the flex line exited the store. “Dennis and Jennifer, you two guard that wall. Nothing gets in, okay?”
They both nodded and took off.
“And what are we gonna do?” Angela asked as the horde came into sight.
Matt wrapped an arm around her and smiled. “We’re gonna watch the show.” He looked down to her assault rifle. “And if any want to try and get by our wall, we’ll give them a show.”
Cole climbed atop the forklift and began taunting the dead. Matt stepped inside the first one and rested his barrel on the wall, waiting. Angela took position in the other forklift, Adam standing beside it. Matt glanced over to Jay, who was standing a few feet to his left, and nodded.
“You ready?”
Jay shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Hold your fire until it’s absolutely necessary,” Matt yelled.
He wiped away a trail of sweat from the side of his face and focused on the lead zombie. A malnourished and pale creeper staggered into view. Its vacant eyes were locked on to Cole, and it picked up its pace the closer it came.
Matt could feel the tension encroaching on him like a vulture encircling its prey. Would the flex duct hold? He glanced to the covered discharge spout. Dennis must have used two rolls of duct tape on the outer layer.
Hopefully both hold up, Matt thought. If not—
The creeper approached the feeding tray and stumbled over it. Matt flinched as the chipper rocked back slightly.
“It’s working,” he heard Adam say.
The sounds of a crunching body brought a smile to Matt’s face.
The duct jostled a bit as the remains of the creeper traveled through it. Luckily it showed no evidence of faltering.
Matt breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back to Angela, who winked at him and returned her focus to the advancing horde.
His smile faded into a grimace as he watched hundreds of zombies amble toward them.
“Uh,” Jay said, looking to Matt. “I’m not so sure about this, man.”
A second and third creeper were torn apart, their remains spat out to the front. A fourth and fifth entered.
“We need to funnel them,” Cole said from above. He and Angela fired.
***
The gunshots were nearly deafening in the confines of the attic. With each one, Meredith’s grip on her daughter grew firmer. Were they just shots to distract the undead? She’d heard Paul yelling and screaming, using words he’d vowed not use again since their marriage. They had to be.
Lilly looked up. “Is Daddy okay?”
“Of course he is, sweetie.” Meredith couldn’t help wondering if that statement was a lie. She was losing faith. Sometimes there were situations in which even God couldn’t intervene. Death was the inevitable outcome for everything mortal, everything on this planet—even the undead. And that latter thought was getting harder and harder to hold on to.
As she peered out the gable vent, she noticed something. The dead were, in fact, chasing her husband. They were leaving the house behind, seemingly unaware that Meredith and her daughter were still there.
Paul’s plan was working.
God willing…
***
The dead were everywhere, but the only things on Paul’s mind were Lilly and his wife, two of the most beautiful creatures to ever walk God’s green earth. Most of the zombies gave chase, spurred by his screams and taunts; some weren’t. He let off three shots with his revolver, each bullet racing for heaven, in an attempt to draw those others.
Though he was in mid-run, aware the snow on the ground could easily rip him free of his balance at any moment, he found himself distracted. He couldn’t wipe his mind free of the two he’d left behind. God willing, they would be saved, his sacrifice well worth the bounty paid.
And though he’d done his best to hide it, Paul didn’t plan on returning. It wasn’t that he wanted to abandon them. No, it was the fact that reality was a bitch, much like karma could be, and he was well aware this new world would swallow him whole. It was his last wish, a silent prayer which would hopefully be answered, that he could draw the monsters far away from his house.
With the dead in both shambling and running pursuit, Paul veered left onto one of the streets leading to the edge of the neighborhood where, hopefully, he could manage to find a way out, possibly a means to incapacitate as many of those rotting demons as he could.
Each footfall crunched in the snow, reminding him of innocent childhood memories. He turned back to see that two runners, appearing dead in every aspect except their motions, were gaining on him. The idea was surreal to him that something lacking a soul, a heartbeat, all that God had onc
e given it, could be so animated. It was as if they were fueled by the devil himself, in pursuit of one of the remaining faithful.
He stopped before an old Chevrolet Cavalier half-buried in snow to take aim. There was no way he could outrun these things. They, unlike him, wouldn’t grow weary or tired. The way Matt and Cole had explained their encounters with these specimens, it was either do or die. Paul hadn’t made it far enough to begin his journey to the Pearly Gates. Not yet.
The first shot missed, recoil still something new to the man. He couldn’t see where the bullet had gone and had no way to judge how he should adjust his aim. Two shots left, then the revolver would have to be reloaded.
The snarls and growls grew louder as the nearest dead approached, with a shambling, clumsy army in the distance behind.
Paul closed his eyes, envisioning the day Lilly had been born, the smile on Meredith’s face as the doctor handed her their newborn miracle. Teeth gritting, rage coursing through him as if injected in every vein, Paul opened his eyes.
“No.”
He fired once, the recoil practically nonexistent. The bullet met its mark between the eyes of the closest runner. Its rotting comrade paid no mind as it fell to the ground in a heap.
“No!”
No one and nothing was going to take him yet. Not yet!
Paul fired, effectively reducing his revolver to a bludgeoning device until reloaded. And, by the grace of God, that bullet hit its mark too. A thick cloud of sin melded with the falling snow behind the demon’s parting skull. It dropped with a loud thud steps before its brethren’s corpse, steps in front of Paul.
Heart racing, he fought to catch his breath. Though not exhausted physically, mentally he’d been running a marathon. He took a moment to look at the gun and the corpses in complete disbelief that he’d actually been able to pull it off. It seemed God was willing.
When Paul released the cylinder of the revolver to reload it, he heard a crunching in the snow behind him. With it came the putrid odor of rot.
CHAPTER 32
The Escalade slid a little, catching what traction it could as Jeff applied the brakes.
“What the hell are you doing?” Tim yelled.
He didn’t see it, and Jeff doubted Mary did either. But Jeff did. As the sun made its western descent, he made out two figures on the road just before the onramp in the rearview mirror. One of them appeared canine, attached to a leash.
When the vehicle finally came to a stop, Jeff scanned the perimeter.
“Have you lost your mind?” Tim said. “We’re sitting ducks out here!”
Mary followed Jeff’s stare, her eyes finding what he had seen.
“It’s a survivor,” she said in shock. Her instinct was to grab one of the handguns. Regardless of who this person might be, the pistol made her feel safer.
“A survivor,” Tim mocked. “We don’t have time for this. We must go before it’s too late, Jeff.”
Jeff looked back. “What do you think, Mare?”
The survivor ran toward the truck with the canine leading.
“How do you know he isn’t infected?”
“Have you ever seen a dog keep up with its infected master, Tim?”
The flustered man was silent, breathing heavily.
“Calm down, bud,” Jeff said after a moment. “We’ll check him out, and if he seems crazy or infected, we’ll put a bullet in him.”
“Agreed.” Mary racked the slide of her pistol and rolled down the window to get a better look. “Besides,” she said. “I haven’t seen a dog since all this shit started.”
“I have,” Jeff stated. “Saw a few of them before things started getting too bad. Mainly police canines. They were using them to sniff out infected—which makes me think that our newfound survivor is perfectly fine.” He couldn’t help wondering if somehow the virus had jumped species. Undead man leading an undead dog? The dead’s best friend? Doubtful, but still a haunting image nonetheless.
All three watched in curious fascination as man and canine approached. Nowhere in the distance were there signs the pair were being chased. In fact, with the weather and time of day, it was actually quite serene compared to the sights they’d recently left behind.
As the man drew nearer, Mary could see he was only wearing shorts, shoes, and a tank top, and appeared to have kept in shape. The brown dog also appeared to be youthful and fit.
Mary flung her door open and stepped out. She told the other two to stay where they were and to keep an eye out for anything lurking outside her view. She flipped the safety off her pistol as she drew her sights on the ground before the man and dog. “All right, you’ve come close enough, friend.”
The man stopped and pulled on the dog’s leash. “Hold on, Frank,” he said in a deep voice.
The dog yelped as its master pulled.
Mary flinched. “Sorry,” she said. “But you can never be too safe out here these days.”
The man didn’t raise his hands in surrender. The dog didn’t even growl. It was like they could sense she wasn’t a threat. Mary didn’t know if that was a good thing or bad.
“I understand,” he said.
The dog sat, tail wagging. Its master reached down and patted its head.
“What were you doing in those woods back there?” Mary asked.
The man shrugged. “Figured it was a good day for a walk.”
Mary furrowed her brow. “It’s never a good time for a walk.”
The man smiled wryly. “It is when you’ve got nothing left, sweetheart.”
Mary took her finger off the trigger and looked back to the Escalade.
“You’re the first sign of life I’ve seen in days,” the man said. “Mind if I ask where you and your friends are headed?”
The dog glanced at its owner and then to Mary.
“We’re getting the fuck out of Dodge. The dead rule this place.”
“I’ve noticed.” The man looked around. “You don’t by any chance have room for two more, do you? I’m neither infected nor enemy. Just trying to survive.”
“Where were you two heading?” Mary inquired.
“Anywhere. Got nothing left here except dead dreams and painful memories.”
“You armed?” she probed.
He shook his head. “Had to ditch everything two days ago. Don’t have food, water, or anything else except for Frank here.” He nodded to his canine companion, who let out a proud woof.
At this point, Jeff killed the engine and stepped out. Mary could hear Tim whining about how they needed to get the hell out of here, but dismissed it.
“Good to see another live one,” the man said, approaching cautiously, giving no sign of ill intent. “I’m Jeremy. Jeremy Perkins.” He patted the dog’s head. “This is Frank. Say hi, bud.”
Frank let out two barks, growing more excited at the sight of Jeff.
“I’m Jeff. And this here is Mary. We’ve got another inside named Tim.” Jeff got down to one knee and studied the dog.
Jeremy walked up. He was close to six feet tall, by Mary’s guess, with a shaved head and a full beard. Frank sniffed Jeff and eventually allowed the stranger to pet him. Then he went over to Mary and sniffed her feet, tail still wagging.
“Hey, buddy.”
“What kind of dog is he?” Jeff asked.
“Pit and chocolate Lab mix,” Jeremy said. “If it weren’t for him, I’d be dead.”
Frank let out another bark.
“Good boy.” Jeremy reached down and petted Frank’s back.
“Excuse me.” Tim exited the vehicle. “If you’ve determined that these two aren’t a threat, do you think we can get a move on? We’re on dangerous ground, you know.”
“He’s right,” Jeff said. “We’re headed to Mount Airy, North Carolina, to a government facility. Mr. Patient back there is a scientist and may have the ability to help put an end to all this, if you can actually believe that. You and your dog are more than welcome to come, but if you try to pull anything funny…” He lo
oked down to his pistol.
“That’s not anything you have to worry about.” Jeremy gave a 360-degree turn. “I don’t even have any weapons if I wanted to pull something. Only Frankenstein here.”
Jeff turned to Mary, and they both nodded.
As they returned to the Escalade, Jeff hoped he hadn’t made a mistake like he had with Danielle. He rested his Beretta at the small of his back and made a vow to himself: There would be no repeat incident of that fateful day when Kristin and Anna had died. If this man showed any signs of sickness, he would put a bullet in his dog first, then him. When Jeff looked to Mary, he noticed the same expression he felt on his face running rampant on hers.
***
“Reloading,” Adam yelled.
Matt slapped in his last fresh magazine and eyed his two empty ones. Chambering a round, he aimed and fired at a group of creepers headed toward the wall, avoiding the chipper.
“We need to do something,” Jay said before firing three times. He turned to Matt. “How much ammo do you guys have?”
Matt shook his head. “Not enough to fend these bastards off.”
Jay fired two more times; a clown with milky eyes and the bottom half of his jaw missing dropped into a nasty thing wearing a thong and no top. “Look,” he said, sighting another target. “I have a plan, but I need your help… and it’ll take up quite a bit of your ammunition.”
Matt downed a pair of runners that had broken up from the pack. “I’m listening.”
“Go to the grills and grab as many propane cans as you can, then meet me in the back by the van.” Without an answer, Jay fired twice and ran out of sight.
Angela shrugged when he looked at her. “I’d hurry if I were you.”
Matt nodded and ran past Jennifer and Dennis, who were watching the hole intently. “Jennifer,” he said, grabbing their attention, “I need you to go to the van and get as much two-two-three ammunition as you can and bring it back to the firing line. They’re almost out.”
“What do you want me to do?” Dennis said.
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