Dead Man Walking

by Gary M. Chesla

  “Honest Doc, how much more unusual can things get?” Cooper asked.

  The unit worked for twenty minutes at the Hidden Creek Wedding site and amphitheater.

  When they were done, over one hundred-fifty bodies had been stacked in piles against the main building and on the tables and dance floor.

  The doctor couldn’t help but stare at the gruesome stacks of bodies, many in suits and gowns, on top of tables decorated with fancy china place settings, trays of snacks and mixed drinks.

  Apparently, a wedding had been in progress when the infected attacked and infected the wedding party.

  Miles saw a number of men in suits that he thought could have been the groom.

  He didn’t see a body dressed in a wedding gown.

  It didn’t mean the bride wasn’t here. The men had worked quickly and she could be under one of the numerous piles of bodies scattered throughout the area.

  Brightly colored streamers and signs seemed out of place mixed in with all the blood and horror that now dominated the atmosphere.

  Miles walked over to a table where a sign in book sat next to a picture of the happy couple and a sign that said, “Welcome to Logan and Jamie’s Special Day.”

  “I’m sure it was a day no one would have ever forgotten, had they lived,” Miles thought sadly.

  “Alright, assemble in three groups, now gentlemen,” The unit commander shouted when the reception area had been cleared.

  When the men had assembled in three groups, the commander stared giving instructions.

  “Pine Rose Resort consists of three sections. Group one will complete the Hidden Creek Wedding Site and cabins. Jensen, here is the map for the rest of this section,” the commander barked. “Group two you will clear the middle section. It consists of cabins five through eleven and cabins sixteen and seventeen. Here is your map. Group three, you will clear the resort’s office and cabins one through four. Davis and Cooper, you will go with group three. Stack all bodies inside the cabins. I expect everyone back at the trucks in thirty minutes. We have to be in Twin Peaks in forty-five minutes so move your ass.”

  The three groups split up and started towards their sections.

  Miles Davis and Cooper began to follow when one of the men called out, “Group three this way.”

  They followed a path next to the road until they came out of the woods near the swimming pool behind the office.

  When all the members of the group were out of the woods, the leader started giving assignments.

  There were seven men in the group.

  Three men were assigned the job of clearing cabins one and two, the leader along with Cooper and one other man were going to clear cabins three and four.

  The leader asked Miles if he would go up to the office and see if there was anything that needed cleaned up at the office.

  He explained that the office should have been closed, so little should need to done there.

  After Miles was done at the office, he was to join and assist the leader at cabins three and four.

  The new groups headed towards their areas and disappeared back into the woods.

  Copper waved at Miles before he walked into the woods.

  Miles didn’t like the idea of going to check out the office on his own. He felt it was if they were trying to separate him from the group for a reason.

  He could only think of two reasons they would want him away from the rest of the group, neither reason would bode well for him.

  “They either didn’t want me to see something they were about to do to Cooper, or they wanted me where Cooper wouldn’t see what they were going to do to me,” Miles thought.

  Miles stood staring into the woods as he tried to think what he should do.

  He ducked down behind the pool shed, so he wasn’t as easy of a target, in case he was the intended victim.

  “Maybe I’m just being paranoid,” Miles thought, “What the leader had said about the reason he was sending Miles to the office alone actually made sense. The office should have been closed, so why waste man power looking at an empty office when there were bodies to be moved at the cabins.

  He had really received a cake job and didn’t have to help handle any rotting corpses.”

  Miles stood and began to walk around the pool.

  The gate to the walkway that led to the front of the office was on the other side of the pool.

  He was half way around the pool when he heard a shot echo off the trees in the direction where Cooper had gone.

  Miles glanced down at the red circle on his sleeve, then he ran for the gate.

  Chapter 34

  Levi handed George to Jamie (#2) while Jamie (#1) attached Buddy’s leash to his collar.

  Levi then picked up his poker and looked at Logan.

  Everyone felt a nervous excitement about hopefully being able to finally get away from Pine Rose Resort and the nightmare they had been forced to live the last three days.

  “Logan, keep the girls between us until we get to the car,” Levi said. “If we find out there what I saw up at the Antler Inn, we shouldn’t have any trouble. But just keep your eyes open. Who knows what the hell is going on around here. Just stay alert.”

  Levi looked at the girls.

  “It smells pretty bad down stairs, I just wanted to warn you before we go back down there,” Levi said.

  “Could you carry Buddy so he doesn’t get his feet bloody again?” Jamie asked.

  “No, you’re just going to have to ignore it,” Levi replied, “If all we have to deal with is Buddy’s dirty feet, it will be a good day.”

  Jamie frowned.

  “We have bigger problems here Jamie,” Levi said.

  “If he gets in any crap Mom, Logan smiled, “I’ll be happy to give him a bath when we get home. You can do this.”

  His mother smiled but didn’t look too convincing.

  Levi had everyone line up behind him as they started down the steps.

  Before opening the door, Levi looked back to make sure everyone was ready.

  He smiled to himself when he saw that Buddy had plastic bags tied over his feet.

  “Quite and stay alert,” Levi said. “We go on three.”

  Levi leaned his head against the door to listen as he held up his hand and flashed first one, two, then three fingers.

  He pushed the door open.

  They walked out of the stairwell and moved across the floor towards the front door.

  Each person involuntarily let out a quiet gasp as they walked out on the floor.

  The rotting corpses looked and smelled worse than any of them had remembered.

  They followed Levi out the door and stood in a line with their backs to the side of the building.

  Levi waited a moment to give the others a chance to deal with what they saw.

  As horrible as seeing the dead stagger around Pine Rose had been, seeing all the dark rotting bodies lying everywhere, many on top of other bodies, made them feel like they were on a battlefield where everyone had been ruthlessly slaughtered.

  The smell of death hung heavy in the air.

  It was a dreadful, sobering sight.

  “OK, let’s keep going,” Levi finally said, “Follow me across the road. We’ll follow the road from the woods, work our way back down to the car and hope it will start.”

  When everyone looked at Levi and nodded, he led them to the corner of the building.

  They were about to cross the road when a figure in a white suit ran around the corner of the building and almost collided with Levi.

  Levi raised the poker over his head.

  “Wait, wait,” a voice sounded as the hooded figure yanked at the hood on his suit, finally pulling it over his head.

  He stared at the group.

  “You’re alive!” Miles exclaimed. Looking at each of the startled faces.

  “So are you,” Levi replied. “Where did you come from.”

  Miles looked down over the pool towards the woods that separated the offi
ce from cabins one through four.

  Miles began to pull off his white suit and threw it behind the shrubbery in front of the office.

  “Yes, we are all alive,” Miles said turning his attention back to the group, “and if you want to stay that way follow me.”

  Levi looked confused.

  “We have our own plans to get out of here,” Levi replied.

  “Then if you don’t mind, I’ll go with you,” Miles replied, “but we have to get away from this building now.”

  “OK, follow me,” Levi said as he signaled the others to follow him.

  Levi ran across the road and dropped down behind the brush until the others gathered around him.

  “Where are you going?” Miles asked.

  “Our car is down the road this way,” Levi pointed as he studied the man’s uniform. “Are you in the Air Force?”

  “I was,” Miles replied.

  “Do you know what the hell happened around here?” Levi asked.

  “Yes,” Miles answered again but didn’t volunteer any further information. He only said, “Let’s keep moving.”

  “Do you have a better plan?” Levi asked hopefully.

  “No, your plan sounds good, but we have to get away from the office now,” Miles replied urgently. “We can talk later.”

  They all walked quietly through the woods.

  It took them fifteen minutes to reach the car.

  As the others began to get in the car, Levi pulled Miles to the side.

  “I’m Levi by the way,” Levi said and held out his hand.

  Miles shook his hand and replied, “Miles Davis.”

  “So, what happened up here?” Levi asked.

  “It’s better that you don’t know,” Miles replied.

  “Listen, my daughter and many of my friends died up here,” Levi said angrily. “I want to know what the hell happened.”

  Miles looked at Levi, “I’m sorry for what you lost. But if anyone finds out that you were here and saw this, you and the rest of your family are dead. If anyone hears you say anything about this, they will find you and you will all die.”

  “What the hell did you people do up here?” Levi said, straining to keep his voice down.

  “We, didn’t do anything,” Miles replied, “In fact, I’m in the same boat as you. If anyone ever finds out that I am alive, I will be dead within twenty-four hours. What happened here was pure madness. An insanity worse than anything I have ever seen before. There isn’t anything we can do about this, it’s bigger than all of us. The most you can do is get your family out of here and save their lives if you can and consider yourself lucky.”

  “I don’t feel too damn lucky,” Levi growled.

  “Believe me, you are a hell of lot luckier than a few thousands of other people,” Miles replied angrily, but then calmed himself down. “I can imagine what you must be feeling, but if you want to save the rest of your family we have to leave now.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” Levi said and turned towards the car.

  Miles followed Levi to the car.

  “Will this thing run?” Miles asked as he looked at the bloody banged up car. The grill was smashed and bones were sticking out of the radiator.

  “If it starts it will take us about ten or fifteen miles before it over heats. Once we get past Lake Arrowhead, it is all downhill, maybe we’ll be able to go twenty or more miles before it gives out,” Levi replied.

  “You don’t want to go through Lake Arrowhead,” Miles said. “There is going to be too much activity up that way. You will never be able to get through.”

  “We can’t go down this way,” Levi replied, “There is a truck accident about five miles down that has the road blocked.”

  “That wasn’t an accident, it was a roadblock,” Miles said, “It should have been moved about an hour ago.”

  Levi got behind the wheel, Miles got in the passenger’s seat.

  The girls, Logan and the two dogs were crammed into the back seat.

  As they drove, Levi kept an eye on the temperature gauge.

  The needled hovered just above the red line.

  He was hopeful they would be able to go further than he thought by coasting down the mountain side.

  They followed Route 189 until they came to Route 18.

  Route 18 continued down the mountainside another twenty miles until they reached San Bernardino.

  As they passed the sign for the San Bernardino City limit, Miles asked Levi to stop the car.

  “What’s wrong?” Levi asked as he pulled the car to the side of the road.

  “I need to get out here,” Miles replied. “I have a friend nearby that will help me find a place to disappear.”

  “Disappear?” Logan asked from the backseat.

  “Your car isn’t going to go much further now that you are down out of the mountains,” Miles said. “If you go down three blocks to 46th Street, there is a little repair shop there called ‘Smitty’s’. Stop and tell him Miles told you that he would fix your car with no questions asked. He’ll take care of you.”

  Levi stared at Miles trying to figure him out.

  Finally, he spoke, “If what you told us is true, I wish you luck, but I don’t know if I can believe a word you said. As far as I know, you’re behind all of this. If you are, I hope they hunt you down and fry your ass.”

  Miles smiled, “I can understand how you feel. If I haven’t been truthful with you, over the next few days, the news should be wall to wall coverage about what has happened. However, if what I told you is the truth, you won’t hear a word about Lake Arrowhead on the news or in the papers.”

  Miles looked at Levi and his family. He had a sad look on his face. “It will all be covered up.”

  “I wish you all the luck in the world. I want to thank you for the ride. Without you, I’m not sure how I would have gotten out of there on my own,” Miles said. “Just remember, as hard as it might be to keep this inside you, you weren’t at Pine Rose or Lake Arrowhead and you have no idea what happened there.”

  “We’ll see,” Levi replied.

  “I hope you do,” Miles said. Then he got out of the car and jogged into an alley and disappeared.

  “What was that all about?” Jamie asked as she shifted Buddy around uncomfortably on her lap.

  “I don’t know,” Levi replied, “but he said if anyone ever finds out we were at Lake Arrow head this last week, we will all be killed to shut us up.”

  “He threatened us and you just let him walk away?” Logan asked. “I would have helped you kick his ass.”

  “He didn’t threaten us,” Levi replied. “In fact, he said if they found him, they would kill him too. He said what happened there was bigger than all of us.”

  “Who are they?” Logan asked.

  “He didn’t say,” Levi replied, “I think he was too afraid of whoever they are.”

  “Do you believe him,” his wife asked.

  “I don’t know what or who to believe,” Levi replied. “I honestly can’t believe what I’ve seen with my own eyes the last few days. By the hint of fear that I saw in his eyes, it made me want to give him the benefit of the doubt. What he said made as much sense as anything else we’ve seen. I didn’t want to clobber the guy if he was like us and was just trying to save his own ass.”

  Levi stared at the dash board.

  “I guess we will get our first clue as to whether he was being honest or not,” Levi added, “If Smitty’s is three blocks down and he fixes our car with no questions asked, then we apparently have bigger problems than we know.”

  “If he’s lying?” Logan asked.

  “Then it’s a long walk home.” Levi replied.

  “We can take a cab,” Jamie added.

  “Anyone have any money?” Levi asked then waited a minute, “I didn’t think so.”

  Chapter 35

  Levi pulled into his driveway.

  It was getting dark and Levi was grateful that the neighbors had already turned in for the even
ing.

  He didn’t want anyone to see his car. It would have the neighbors asking questions that he wasn’t ready to answer.

  He pulled up to the garage door, got out and lifted the door.

  It took him five minutes to push all the clutter to the sides of the garage so he could get the car inside.

  He looked at the car for a moment and was again grateful the neighbors hadn’t seen him pull in.

  His car looked like he had run through a crowd of people down at the Staples Center after a Lakers game.

  The neighbors would be right to think that, because that is what he had done, except it wasn’t at the Staples Center.

  After he closed the garage door and everyone went inside the house, Levi found his extra credit card and called a cab for Logan, Jamie and George.

  When the cab arrived, Levi pulled Logan and Jamie aside, “Remember, until you talk to me tomorrow, don’t talk to anyone. I know you want to call someone about your mother, brother and sister,” Levi said, “I know how you feel. I want to call the police myself and report what happened to Lottie and Matt. But until we know if what this guy told us has any truth to it, one more day won’t make any difference if he was full of shit. Even if he wasn’t being truthful, I have a feeling we may have bigger problems coming our way. Just sit tight until tomorrow.”

  Jamie was sobbing as she got in the cab, clutching George against her body.

  Logan turned and gave his dad a big hug before he quietly slid in next to his new wife.

  Then they were gone.

  Levi and Jamie sat for the next two hours flipping through the channels on their TV.

  They had turned to every news channel that Direct TV had to offer at least twenty times.

  “Nothing,” Levi said nervously as he fell back against the couch cushions.