Rancid: A Zombie Novel

by P. A. Douglas

  Satisfied, Glen swallowed, and lashed out for more.

  The medic fell back, grabbing at his obliterated throat. Instantly, his hand was wet and warm, as red ran down his arm. Weak and light headed, he fell to the floor in shock. Glen fell from the gurney, landing on top of the dying man, the driver totally oblivious. The ambulance continued down the street toward the hospital. But not for long. By the time the driver found out, it was too late. The ambulance came to a grinding halt only a quarter of a block from the hospital.

  The feast began.

  That’s how it started in town. It spread like wild fire. First it was Glen and the two medics. From there, it was the homeless man on his way into the hospital, wanting nothing more than to sleep indoors for a change. It went from there to the nurse trying to stop what she thought was a drunken fight. Within the hour, it would spread through most of the hospital, then it would only have one place to go; the sleepy streets of small downtown Clarksburg, Virginia.

  “Let’s go.” Baily’s voice was stern.

  “What about the car,” Joe asked, still a little dazed. “We can’t just leave it here like this. What if the power pole falls?”

  “It’s not going anywhere.” Baily insisted. “I’ve got a hunch that we are going to find some trouble back at Stonewall.”

  “That old cemetery? Why are we going all the way out there? No one ever goes out there.”

  “Just get in the car, Joe.” Officer Baily opened the driver side door. “Look, if it makes you feel better, call in to dispatch about the mess. Go ahead and get a tow-truck out here to clean things up. And while you’re at it, let June know where we’re headed and why. I have a feeling we are going to run into that Garrison boy and some of his friends.”

  They got into the patrol car and Joe did as he was told. The tow-truck would be along soon. For his first night on the force, tonight would turn out to be a pretty eventful night.

  Too eventful for some.

  With Officer Barrett Baily’s focus on the road, his grip tight on the wheel and his teeth gritting even tighter, the patrol car left the scene of the accident.

  What awaited them at the cemetery was only the beginning.

  THREE

  “Run… and like now, dude!” Trevor shouted.

  “Oh my God…,” Noel cried. “What about Jared? We can’t leave him here!”

  “We’ll come back, I promise!” Trevor grabbed her leather jacket, pulling her away. “We got to go!”

  Kelly began screaming, and didn't stop. Her cries were starting to turn into a rasping wail.

  The short burst of light from the sudden meteor shower had passed, only lasting a minute. And a minute was all it took to see them. Overall, the cemetery was pretty big, especially for a town as small as Clarksburg. The wraparound fence line that bordered the property was nearly seven acres square. Most of that was filled with burial plots. Aside from the gravel drive, it was gravesite after gravesite. Noel wasn’t much for math, being an art major in college, but she was pretty good at guessing. There had to be at least four-hundred gravesites per acre. Multiply that by seven, and you have a lot of buried bodies. The only thing was… none of them were under the ground anymore!

  They were walking… alive!

  Just in that short instance where the meteor shower lit up the night, Noel saw them. And she knew they saw her too. As much as she wanted to put away the idea that these people were dead, there was no denying it. Their bodies…they were distorted… and rotting. Right before Trevor had yanked Noel by the jacket, her gaze was frozen on her fallen boyfriend.

  Bits of Jared’s brain lay scattered across the asphalt. He wasn’t moving. The thing on top of him… it was stripping meat from the bone with its teeth. Its thin body was pale and leathery like dried pig skins sucked tight to be bone. What clothing it was wearing was brittle, and covered in mud. The pants and jacket were remnants of a black tuxedo. The suit barely hung by its threads on the man’s fragile bones. Looking closer, she could see that the man had no eyes. Its skull was bursting from the skin, the snarling grin on its face very apparent even in the dark. Hovering over Jared’s lifeless body, the creature sank its teeth into his cheek. The pale ghoul's mouth smeared red like a mutilated clown. Tearing tissue from Jared’s face, it swallowed in snarling satisfaction. The gratification only lasted a moment. It wanted… needed more. Using its thumb, the creature's overgrown and mud covered nail dug into Jared’s throat. Puncturing the esophagus, blood gushed like water from a faucet. Red and white chunks of visceral gore peeled away as the creature pulled it free. The sound of grinding teeth and slurping grunts filled Noel’s ears as she watched in horror.

  Noel was oblivious to the hoard of undead looming in the shadows heading toward her. It was as if life had stood still. What she was seeing just couldn’t be real. Jared wasn’t dead. They were just laughing at how silly Kelly could be. They just went to an awesome show and were going to drink champagne. In no way could this be happening. The dead, slowly making their way toward Noel and her two friends were maimed worse for the wear. Years and years of rotting underground had taken its toll. The stench of rancid bile filled the cemetery grounds with the putrid aroma of death. If Noel’s calculation was right, there had to be more than a thousand of them. It sure as hell looked like it when the meteor show came and went. However, just as fast, the darkness returned while she became preoccupied with her dying or dead boyfriend.

  “Come on, Noel…” Trevor said again, pulling her forward. “We’ve got to get the hell out of here, bro!”

  The first of a dozen zombies lumbered forward, breaking past the thick darkness. Its mouth opened wide with a hoarse moan that rattled dryly. Its head kicked back and its arms reached out toward Noel with long nails, like the ghoul still feasting on Jared. Bone protruded from splintered and decayed skin. Another stepped out into view close behind. It staggered forward, stumbling over a small headstone, crashing head first into the dirt and gravel on the drive's edge. Its head caved on impact, a dust cloud billowing forth with rancid fumes of a decaying fungus. Even with its head obliterated, the creature struggled forward, eager to pursue Noel and her friends. Its attempts proved futile as it dug its fingers into the dirt, unable to pull itself forward.

  As even more zombies stepped out of the shadows, one ghoul's foot landed right on the fallen brethren, instantly puncturing the center of the back. The sound of delicate bones shattering reached Noel’s ears, helping snap her out of her daze.

  The cemetery filled with the sound of snarling cries from every corner.

  “Oh… my… God…,” Noel finally realized.

  Reality returned, the sound of Kelly's persistent screaming filled her ears. Trevor was tugging at her jacket and she realized that she had been holding her breath. Hearing the rapid sound of pounding feet, it took her a second to even comprehend that she had started running. In moments, she was heaving in deep breaths. She looked up seeing Trevor and Kelly ahead already in retreat. Trevor had a tight hold on Kelly’s wrist.

  “Where're we going?” she said between frantic breaths, jewelry jingling all over her body. “Wait for me!”

  “There!” Trevor shouted, pointing toward the small glint of light leaking through the trees. “We need to get to safety. Call Somebody!” He managed to wheeze out.

  Trevor looked back for a split second. Noel found out more than she wanted to know in that one moment. It was written all over the dudes face, a makeshift plethora of emotions. Fear stricken eyes went to her and then beyond, as if they were lost in a void of terrified expectancy. She didn’t need to look back. She knew. She could hear them. They weren’t nearly as fast, but that didn’t matter. There were so many. There was no way they could run all the way back to town. They had to find a place to hide and call for help. Trevor was right. Looking through the thick tree line, Noel clenched her fists, hoping like hell that someone was home. If anything, she cringed, hoping that they had a working phone.

  Luckily her eyes were finally starting t
o adjust to the darkness.

  Ahead, Trevor called out.

  “This way… I can totally like see a path through here!”

  Trevor disappeared into the edge of the tree line, pulling Kelly along with him. Noel watched as her friend's blond hair and bright white skirt vanished into the brush. She was struggling to keep up, already feeling out of breath. She stopped for a second, placing her palms to her knees. Gasping for air, she frantically looked around. Ahead were the woods and not too far past that was the light from the house they desperately wanted to get to.

  “Trevor… Kelly…,” Noel called. “Wait for me!”

  No one replied. Only the sound of fleeing steps faded away in the woods returning her call. Before she could call out again, something snapped close by. A twig or something… It didn’t matter. She wasn’t sticking around to find out, and bolted toward the woods edge at the same point that Trevor and Kelly disappeared. Instantly, she found herself inundated by bushes, briars, and tree limbs, beating against her attempts to move forward. Like the rushing fires of hell eager to swallow up a lost soul, the foliage engulfed her. She had lost the path.

  “Trevor… Kelly… Help me!” Determined, she pushed forward despite the scrapes and entangling branches.

  She felt her leather jacket tear, the sound of shredding animal hide reaching her ears between panicked breaths. She didn’t care. She just kept moving. Finally, she broke through a small line of trees. What lay before her was a small one story run down house. The yard was a mess and the grass was way over grown. Birdbaths and piles of rusted junk lay scattered across the unkempt lawn. The front door was open, inviting sanctuary. Darting forward with high stepping stride, Noel rushed through the opened front door.

  Her eyes scanned the room. “Trevor… Where the hell did you go?”

  The door suddenly slammed shut, sending goose bumps crawling down her spine.

  “Totally, woman!” Trevor leaned against the door, dread spread across his grim expression. “Scared the shit out of me jumping in here like that! Where the hell were you, you?”

  “What do you mean… where was I?” She asked shoving Trevor. “I was right freaking behind y’all.”

  Noel scanned the doorway and Trevor still leaned against it. Something was missing. Kelly wasn’t attached to his hip.

  “Where is she?”

  Nodding, still trying to catch his breath, Trevor motioned to the other room.

  Kelly was sitting on the couch in the living room, looking like a statue with her expression frozen in disbelief, and hands limp in her lap.

  “She alright?” Noel ran her fingers through her hair.

  Trevor nodded. “Yeah, I think so, you know. And you… Like, are you okay?”

  “I guess…” She stared at the wood floor, lost in thought.

  Jared… Jared was dead and she watched it happen. That thing just tackled him to the ground. His head was cracked open like a melon. He wasn’t coming back, and to be honest, she was still toying with the idea if this was all real. In a way, she expected Jared to come crashing through the door and for him and Trevor to burst out laughing, like they had both been in on some sick prank the entire time. But that didn’t happen. Jared didn’t come knocking, and she knew all too well that it wasn’t a joke. He wasn’t coming back. He never would.

  At least not in life.

  Noel fell to her knees, sobbing. With her face buried in her hands, the emotions flowed and the black-mascara that she purchased from Hot Topic began to run down her face. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there like that, an emotional wreck. All she knew was that Trevor didn’t try to do anything. He didn’t try to console her. In a way she was thankful. She just needed to mull over the entire situation and let it all sink in. Hell, it was even possible that Trevor was able to read her and just left her alone because he knew she needed it.

  But it probably wasn’t that. He was probably in just as much of a loss for words as she was.

  Eventually the tears stopped flowing, for that she was thankful. She looked up from her somber slump at the front door, surprised to find that Trevor was no longer leaning against it. Sniffling, she stood to her feet and made her way into the living room. Trevor was sitting on the couch with Kelly leaning deep into his shoulder. When she entered the room, he looked up acknowledging her presence.

  The living room smelled musty and the lighting was dim. The furniture was rustic and old like something out of the early fifties. A taxidermy fox sat perched on the coffee table in the center. The fox was covered with dust and the table sat on top of a very faded rug. Its elegant pattern reminded Noel of the movie Labyrinth. The complex designs weaved in and out, crossing over one another. The only light in the room was a small lamp set on top of an end table between two rocking chairs. The lamp must have been what they saw from the cemetery, because it sat right in front of a window. Its curtains were ragged and moldy, the window open. A small gust of wind filtered into the room irritating Noel’s sinuses.

  “Way too much dust,” she said under her breath, whipping the mascara from her cheek. Her eyes were swollen and warm from all the crying.

  “What’s that?” Trevor asked.

  “Oh, nothing…,” she said, finding a seat across from them on one of the rocking chairs.

  “So…,” Trevor started, his voice calm, not wanting to stir Kelly. He stroked her elegant blond hair. “I just wanted to like check… Make sure we are on the same page, you know.”

  Noel nodded, taking off her leather jacket to access the woodland damage.

  “Are we all agreeing that we saw the same thing?” Trevor continued. “Cause I don’t know what I saw. Like, maybe my mind was totally playing tricks on me. It can’t be what I saw. Totally no way it was that…”

  “No way it was what…” Noel groaned, tossing the torn jacket to the floor. “The dead, alive?”

  She watched Trevor swallow hard.

  “Yeah… that.”

  “I’m afraid so,” Noel said, surprisingly calm.

  “That’s just not possible!”

  “Well, I don’t know what to tell you, man. We both saw it clear as day. They’re freaking dead!”

  “No… totally no way!” In denial, Trevor shook his head. “Not possible. Kelly told me your boyfriend liked to play cruel jokes. He’s out there right now laughing his ass off at our expense.”

  Kelly whimpered, nodding in agreement.

  Noel lost it.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me! Jared is fucking dead, Trevor! Look outside! We all saw the same thing. That old man that took off with the car had damn good reason. He ran into those things!” She stood up from the rocker, pointing out the window. Her septum ring jiggled as she shouted. “He isn’t coming back and this isn’t one of his pranks. You can’t honestly tell me that you believe he managed to gather up all those people to play some ultimate joke. Well it’s not a joke and I’m not laughing, am I?”

  They both just stared back at her, jaws hanging.

  “You know what,” she continued to shout. “Maybe Jared was right about you, Kelly. You're dumb as fucking rocks!”

  “Excuse me?” Kelly scoffed, pulling her face from Trevor’s chest.

  “Seriously… You're going to sit here and just deny what’s happened?”

  “Screw you, Noel!” Kelly defended. “We’re all scared and you can’t tell me you aren’t either, okay. Just calm the hell down. You aren’t helping us at all.”

  “You sure as hell aren’t helping…” Noel started to charge forward, but recoiled. “Ahhh… What the hell is going on?” She screamed, addressing no one.

  Trevor eased Kelly from his side, softly stroking her hair. She crunched up in the fetal position on the couch letting Trevor get up. He brushed his hand through his hair, clearly rattled. He sighed heavily, making his way over to the window. Stepping behind one of the rocking chairs, he pushed back the blinds to look outside.

  “Well, what do you see?” Noel asked after a moment.

&n
bsp; “Nothing…” Trevor whispered. “It’s like, too dark, really. All I can see is the yard and the trees past that. It’s too dark to see anything past the trees. They’re too thick.”

  “Do you hear anything?”

  He lifted his hand for her to be quiet a moment, and then shrugged.

  “I guess that’s a good thing,” she exhaled.

  “Okay…” Kelly finally sat up joining the living. “So, we are dealing with what we think we’re dealing with, right? The dead are walking and all that. We agree that what that crazy old man was trying to say is true… They actually dug themselves free from six freaking feet underground. That still doesn’t explain how the crap they were even able to start digging. How the hell did all of this even happen?”

  “Thank you,” Noel said. “Finally one of us is thinking straight.” Her left hand slapped the leg of her jeans. “How the hell could this have happened and if we all agree that this is for real… then shouldn’t we be doing something other than chatting it up? Last time I looked, those things were headed in this direction. Shouldn’t we do something?”

  “What… Like board the place up?” Trevor offered.

  “I don’t know!” Noel pulled at her hairspray stiffened hair.

  “Weapons…” Kelly grimaced, still clinging tightly to the couch.