Z14 (Zombie Rules)

by Achord, David

  Lashonda shook her head with worry. “If my son comes to harm, I’ll never forgive you Zachariah Gunderson.” She said.

  “I believe the weather, combined with dusk, will greatly diminish their ability to see…” I started to say more, but she walked out of the room without another word. I watched her walk out as Andie came over the radio.

  “Are you there Zach?” She asked.

  “Affirmative.” I responded.

  “We’ll be there. If anything changes, let me know. I’ll be monitoring this frequency.” I acknowledged and signed off.

  The rain was starting when we arrived at the creek with the boats and equipment. Fred helped me launch the boats and tether them together. Lil’ H and I put life preservers on and got in.

  “Okay Lil’ H, we got oars and a trolling motor. If you see zombies, hide under those blankets. I’ll shoot them if I have to.”

  “How long will it take Zach?” He asked.

  The rain was falling harder now and the lightning strikes were closer. “A few hours I think.” I hoped. Fred and Howard waved at us as we floated off.

  Mill Creek was rising with water quickly now as the rain steadily intensified. Our boats sped along with the current, occasionally using our oars to push us away from the banks. As we passed through the different neighborhoods, all we saw were rotting corpses. Many of them were now mere skeletal remains with some last remaining vestiges of tissue holding the bones together. We passed by one who was stuck in the mud. He turned his head on a rotting neck as we went by it.

  There wasn’t a living human in sight.

  There were other life forms though. Flies, mosquitoes, mice, and rats, to name a few. Millions of them. Without mankind to control their population, they thrived.

  As we went under the Murfreesboro Road Bridge there were a few corpses on the side of the creek bank. Suddenly, Lil’ H gasped. Those are moving Zach!” He whispered. I peered closer, and when I realized what I was seeing, almost vomited.

  “No H, they’re not alive.” I whispered. The writhing movements of the thousands of maggots made the bodies seem alive though. I explained it to him. He gagged involuntarily, but to his credit he held it down and didn’t complain. It looked they had been living in a hobo camp under the bridge before dying of some unknown cause.

  I casually wondered what had led to their demise. Was it zombies? Disease?

  There were no other surprises as the creek threaded its way through the Donelson community, and soon we were dumped out into the Cumberland River. Exiting the tributary we now had to travel upstream. This was going to be a test. If the Cheatham dam was compromised, the current was probably going to be too strong for a trolling motor, but I did not feel a loud outboard motor was worth the risk. I threw a small chunk of wood out into the river and the two of us watched it.

  “What do you think Zach?” Lil’ H asked.

  “The current doesn’t seem to be any stronger than normal, full speed ahead.” I said as I looked back at him. He had practically begged me to let him steer the trolling motor and I relented with a chuckle. The look on his face indicated he was thoroughly enjoying our little adventure.

  It was dusk now. We placed our first noisemaker on the bank a hundred yards from the creek. We continued this every hundred yards or so, including a few I had rigged so they would float in the water.

  Along with trash, logs, and other unknown types of debris, we saw several corpses in the river. They were unmoving and appeared lifeless. We proceeded unmolested. It wasn’t until we reached the east bank where we wanted to land when we encountered them. There were approximately a dozen standing around right where we wanted to land.

  “Alright H, it’s time to see how good of a sailor you are. Keep us in one place while I shoot those bastards.” Lil’ H nodded, pointed the boat upstream and manipulated the throttle expertly.

  I used my Ruger twenty-two with a homemade silencer attached. I only missed once. The small caliber bullets did not make much of an overt impact, the only indicator was a small hollow hole suddenly appearing in their foreheads and then they would slowly fall over. Truthfully, I was surprised there were any mobile zombies left alive.

  Finding no others nearby, I glanced at my watch. It read a little past eighteen hundred hours. We were proceeding on schedule.

  “Okay buddy, it’s time for the signal.” Little Howard grinned in a way only a kid could grin. It made me wonder at what age you lost it and when I had lost mine. He reached down in the boat and retrieved a plastic baggie with a walkie-talkie sealed inside.

  ****

  Fred and Howard waited in the security of the dually pickup truck, parked in the middle of the Nolensville Pike intersection of Old Hickory Blvd. The rain was coming down now in torrents. The sky was inky black and only lit up when there was a lightning strike.

  “So, you’re really going to do it?” Howard asked. It was not the first time he had asked the question.

  “Yep.” Fred answered, which was the same answer he gave on the three previous occasions he was asked.

  “California and back.” Howard said, which was probably the third or fourth time he had pointed out the obvious. “That’s one hell of a trip, even when the world was normal. You say Zach has a route all planned out?”

  “Yep.”

  Howard grunted. “Zach’s a smart kid, isn’t he?”

  Fred glanced over at Howard and realized he was the type who talked a lot when he was anxious.

  “He’s smart, capable, and resourceful. Little Howard is safe with him.” He said.

  “Yeah. Yeah.” Howard said quietly. “I’m just worried is all.” Howard took a deep breath. “If it was one of my kids in Los Angeles, I’d want to go and get him, but damned if I know I’d be up to it. I’d be scared to death Fred.” Fred didn’t answer.

  The radio came to life. “Come in Zach.” It was a distinctive voice with the southern twang.

  “That’s the Captain.” Howard said. Fred picked up the microphone.

  “We’re at the staging point. Zach hasn’t signaled yet. Where are you?”

  “Who is this?” The Captain asked in the tone of a demand. Fred looked at the microphone for a second and then looked at Howard.

  “This is Fred. Are you close or not?” Fred asked.

  There was a moment’s pause. “We’ll be there shortly. The rain is slowing us down.”

  Howard chuckled. A short time elapsed and then there was a large glow moving down the street. As it got closer, they recognized the bus.

  “They’ve put a rack of lights on the top of that contraption since the last time I’ve seen it.” Howard said. “They sure are bright.”

  The bus was followed by a black pickup truck hauling a tanker. Fred counted four men in the bus, the Captain and a tomboy looking girl driving the truck. The two men got out of the truck. Howard got out as well, walked halfway, and waited for the Captain. Fred lingered back, ready to shoot if things went bad.

  “Hello Captain.” Howard said and stuck his hand out. The Captain eyed him like he was looking at a stain on his shirt. After a moment his expression quickly changed to jovialness and shook Howard’s hand.

  “I remember you. You’re the mechanic. So, you’re in cahoots with Zach huh?” The Captain said as he eyed Fred. “Who’s your friend?”

  Howard remained cordial. “That is Fred McCoy. We’re all with Zach.”

  “Well now. Your group seems to keep growing. How many of you are there?” The Captain probed.

  “Thousands.” Fred responded dryly. The Captain looked at him balefully and then chuckled.

  “Alright you two, have any of the plans changed?” He asked.

  “No.” Fred answered. “Our only problem we know of is a choke point at the Thompson Lane intersection. There are a bunch of abandoned cars stacked together, but there is a gap approximately ten feet wide. Zach and I reconnoitered the area yesterday. There is minimal zombie traffic on this side of Thompson Lane. Once you proceed further into downtown,
the numbers increase.”

  “And you think we can drive straight down Nolensville Pike into downtown Nashville, killing zombies as we go, hang a right, cross the bridge over the river, and drive right up to those fuel reservoirs?” The Captain asked.

  “That’s the plan.” Fred said.

  The Captain looked over at the man accompanying him. Fred sized him up. He was in his twenties, just under six feet tall, lean and wiry. He had a high and tight haircut and kept his shoulders square. He had the look of a man with military training. Fred noticed they all dressed alike, camouflage cargo pants, black boots, and black tank tops.

  The radio crackled to life. “Come in daddy.”

  “That’s my son.” Howard said. He hurried over to the truck and grabbed the microphone. “What’s up little buddy?”

  “Zach and I are here. He says it’s clear to come in.” Lil’ H said excitedly.

  Howard chuckled. “He sounds like he’s having the time of his life. Okay gentlemen, they’re at the reservoir and it’s clear. Are we ready to go?”

  “Most certainly.” The Captain said. He went back to the bus. Fred looked at his watch and glanced over at Andie standing by her truck. When the bus driver turned on the lights, he got a good look at her. Her right eye was black and swollen shut. Andie saw him looking.

  “What’re you looking at?” She challenged.

  “I can’t imagine the Captain allowing anyone to hit his own niece. Unless of course, he was the one doing the hitting.” Fred said quietly.

  Andie did not respond directly. “Are we ready to go?” She asked. Fred nodded.

  *****

  One of the buildings had an overhang, which kept most of the pelting rain out. I had an idea and grabbed a can of spray paint. I was now abbreviating somewhat, instead of painting out ‘RULE 1’ I now simply used Z1. Painting them quickly, I added two more rules to the original ten:

  Z11: THEY DON’T REQUIRE LOGISTICS.

  Z12: THEY’RE CAPABLE OF RETAINING SOME MEMORIES.

  After I finished, we quietly unloaded the tools out of the second boat, attached a grounding rod, and got to work. It was a little nerve racking. I only had a vague idea of how to bypass the safety controls, the lightning strikes were getting very close, and let’s not ignore the fact we were in downtown Nashville where literally thousands of zombies were probably still alive and lurking about.

  “Zach, do you have any books I can read?” He asked quietly as he watched me work.

  I chuckled. “I have lots of books. First chance I get, I’ll get you some good ones to get started on. I’ll even work up some lesson plans if you’re willing.” Lil’ H nodded his head eagerly.

  *****

  The bus moved quickly and Howard struggled to keep up. Fred spoke into the microphone.

  “Captain, we’re having a hard time keeping up with these tankers in tow.” There was a garbled response, but they finally slowed a little. On the first zombie they saw, the two gunners must have put a dozen rounds each into it. Howard glanced over at Fred and chuckled.

  The shooting intensified as they neared the inner city. One of the gunners displayed some common sense and was making disciplined, short bursts to the heads of the unwitting zombies. Fred looked back. Andie was following two car lengths behind with her headlights off.

  When they started over the bridge, the vehicles had to slow. There were corpses piled up, a few abandoned cars, and a multitude of infected. Even Fred started shooting now. He marveled at the obliviousness of the zombies as their companions dropped beside them.

  *****

  I started talking about my favorite books, but was stopped by the sound of distant automatic weapons fire.

  “Here they come.” I whispered. I worked quicker now. I wanted to have gas ready to flow as soon as the tankers arrived. Lil’ H nudged me and pointed. I saw the bright lights on top of the bus as they slowly made their way across the bridge firing at anything moving. The two trucks were following closely behind.

  “You hear it H? They’re shooting the shit out of anything and everything.” He nodded silently. The convoy steadily advanced and eventually made their way into the entrance. I aimed a flashlight toward them and blinked it several times. The bus parked at the entrance and the two trucks made their way toward Lil’ He and me.

  “Any problems?” Howard asked when they got out. He walked over to his son and instinctively put an arm around him. Andie exited her truck and followed.

  “So far, it’s been smooth as silk.” I cupped my flashlight, giving us just enough glow so we could see each other. The first thing I noticed was she wasn’t wearing a bra. The rain was causing her tank top to cling to her skin and her nipples were poking out. I quickly looked up and spotted the black eye.

  “What happened?” I asked. She glared at me before responding.

  “What the fuck is it to you?” She said.

  I shrugged. “Okay, forgive me for caring.” I changed the subject. “Fred, can I get you and Lil’ H to stand guard?” He nodded. “Howard, drive the truck to those set of pipes down at the end and Andie, follow Howard. Don’t light any cigarettes…” I was interrupted by Andie.

  “Let’s get this over with unless you want to stand around jerking off all night.” She said.

  Now it was my turn. Her attitude was pissing me off. “Get something straight right now. We do this my way. You do exactly what I say without your ridiculous remarks, or get the fuck out of here. I’m done trying to be cordial with you. This is a dangerous operation we’re about to attempt and I’m betting you have no fucking idea what to do.” She attempted to maintain her one-eyed glare, couldn’t do it, and acquiesced.

  “Fine.” She finally said.

  “Good.” I went over my instructions again. When I was finished, Howard got to work.

  The loading platform of the fuel reservoir was designed to fill tanker trucks equipped with bottom loading apparatus. Designed for safety, there were a few of the processes and safety protocols in which we were going to need to bypass. After a long forty-five minutes, we managed to get fuel coming out of the pipeline, and filled both tankers without blowing ourselves up. I kept eyeing my watch, but we were actually ahead of schedule. It took another hour to fill the tankers. I gave the signal and Howard shut the valve off.

  “Alright Zach, I think I’m going to leave everything exactly how it is, so it won’t take so long next time.” I nodded in agreement as Andie watched quietly.

  I looked around and saw something I missed. “We’re done here, almost.” She looked at me questioningly. I retrieved the can of spray paint and added my initial at the bottom of the rules before tossing the can back into the truck.

  “Well, now we’re finished.” She smiled before she could help herself.

  “Are we ready to head out?” She asked. She had slung her rifle and was holding her arms around her. The rain had cooled things down somewhat of what would otherwise be a hot August night.

  “Yeah. We’re going to load up the john boats and will be right behind you. I’ve got a windbreaker in the truck. Do you want to borrow it?” She quickly shook her head. “Okay, if you change your mind let me know. We’ll be ready in a minute.” She stared at me for what seemed longer than necessary, and then jogged to her truck.

  “Alright Howard, let’s get loaded up and get out of here.” We stacked the two boats on top of each other in the bed of the truck and lashed them down, then I gave a low whistle. Fred and Lil’ H jogged up and got in the truck with us.

  “Look what I found!” Lil’ H exclaimed. He held up a black back pack.

  “What’s in it?” I asked as Howard drove back over the bridge. We opened it up and looked inside. There was a couple of boxes of bullets, toiletries, some canned food, and a spiral notebook. I thumbed through the notebook. It appeared to be a personal journal. I put it back in the pack. I’d read it later.

  “How’d it go with the Captain?” I asked.

  “A little tense, but otherwise okay.” Howard
said.

  Howard offhandedly pointed in the distance. “Lots of zombies still out there Zach. We passed a lot of rotting corpses along the way, maybe thousands of them, but the Captain and his crew still killed quite a few.” I nodded. I was certain they would have all been dead by now. Fred offhandedly pointed at the bus.

  “He had two men firing those M60 machine guns. One of them had good fire discipline. He shot in tight, short bursts. Definitely ex-military. The other one was reckless, probably shot three times the amount of ammo. I believe the Captain drove. Oh, and there were a couple of them crouched down in the bus. I just happened to catch a glimpse of them, but they didn’t do any shooting. Kind of odd if you ask me, like they didn’t want us to know they were there.”

  “Are we still planning on standing them up at the rendezvous?” Howard asked.

  “Damn right.” Fred responded. “The man can’t be trusted. I wouldn’t put it past him to take our tanker at gunpoint and maybe shoot one or two of us just to show us who the boss is.” Howard nodded vigorously and I had to agree as well. I reached for the microphone.

  “Come in Captain.” I said.

  “Why Zach, is that you?” He responded.

  “Yes sir. The op was successful. Both tankers have been filled. How is it on your end?”

  “We’re having a good old time here. I believe we’ve terminated over five hundred of them.” He said.

  “Roger that sir.” I said as I looked at Fred knowingly.

  “Those boys of his must have fired over a thousand rounds each.” He said. We were hoping they would expend as much ammunition as possible. The Captain’s voice came over the radio again.

  “Come in Andie.” He said.

  “I’m here.” She responded. I peered through the heavy rain and saw the outline of her truck a couple of hundred yards ahead of us. It looked like she had stopped in the middle of the street and was waiting on us to catch up.

  “Are you good?” The Captain asked her.

  “Yeah, we’re more than good.” She responded. I wondered if there was any code-speak going on. The original plan involved meeting up with the Captain back at Nolensville and Old Hickory Boulevard. The Captain wanted to run a debriefing and then we’d shake hands or something and go our separate ways. The three of us thought this might be an opportunity for the Captain and his crew to take us out. Or at the very least, steal our fuel. We wanted no part of it and came up with our own plan.