The Z Strain

by Matthew Isaiah Crawford

  They were walked around to the front of the house where there were two dozen children of varying ages lining the front porch. At the top of the stairs sat a woman who appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties. She had long flowing silver hair that fell below her waist, she wore a white wedding dress that was ripped and dirty. She has colorful tattoos running up her left leg, left arm, and ran up the left side of her neck.

  “Who are you and where do you come from?” She asked.

  “My name is Gary Ford, I am, was a police officer from East Moline Illinois. This is Joel, Robert, and Nancy.” He said motioning at the group. “They were working at Burger King when all this started.”

  “I love Burger King.” One of the boys said from the end of the porch. He immediately slapped his hand over his face and stopped talking. But there was a ripple of laughter that cascaded through the children. Samantha cast a glare of anger towards the group who became immediately silent.

  “Who are you?” Asked Robert.

  “I’ll ask the questions.” She said sitting forward in her seat. “Did you know the old woman was infected?”

  “No. Not until the little girl told us downstairs.” Joel said.

  “We are concerned that you may still be infected. You shared a house with her for some time. What if the disease is passed by some other means?”

  “You can keep us quarantined as long as you want, or let us go, we’ll walk away.” Gary said.

  “SILENCE!” Samantha snarled. She jumped out of the chair and began pacing angrily back and forth across the porch. “You will not be staying with us.” She said with a chuckle “We just haven’t determined on how to dispose of you.”

  “Please, you don’t have to kill us. We’ll leave. Peacefully.” Samantha looked down on them in contemplation.

  “Fine. If you are willing to leave unarmed, I will leave a handcuff key on the road to the north.”

  “What about our gear, or weapons?” Nancy pleaded. “We’ll die out there unarmed.”

  “They have been donated for the safety of the children.” She said staring down on them awaiting their reaction. Gary was going to step forward, but Nancy began talking again before he could

  “Miss, please. If you send us out there, unarmed, it’s the same as murdering us here and now.”

  “Is that what you would prefer?” She asked raising a gun from her dress. “You can die. Here, now.” A dozen other children raised weapons. “Or you can walk unarmed into the corn. It is your choice.”

  “No, no. I’m sorry, we’ll go.” Gary said putting his hands up. The others followed suit. They backed slowly away from the porch for a few feet before turning and plunging themselves into the endless rows of green corn stalks.

  Monday, 6:11 AM

  Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

  “You’re going to be careful, right?” Jackie and Margaret had been crying together saying their goodbyes.

  “I still can’t believe you guys are really going to the boats.” Mark said shaking his head.

  “I can’t believe you’re not coming with us.” Herb replied clapping Mark on the shoulder.

  “Just don’t think it’s worth the risk.”

  “You think it’s any safer out there on your own?”

  “I think it’s dangerous either way. I’m more concerned about the type of people they might be. I mean they are literally clearing the cities of dead. Collecting them. We don’t have enough information to put our lives in their hands.” Argued Mark.

  “Guys, Guys, we already had this argument and we’re just going to have to agree to disagree.” John intervened.

  They began clearing the barricade from the 2nd floor stairwell leading to the meeting rooms again. They were barely halfway before they figured out that the floor was packed with undead inside the building. They must not have been able to make it back out into the streets during the explosion. They doubled back, securing the doors and stairwell on their way back up. Their only option was to go out of the opposite stairwell that led directly out onto the street. This was the second option because it left them exposed. The door opened to a courtyard there was nowhere else to go if they ran into trouble. Mark decided to prop the door open just in case they had to retreat back into the building.

  Outside on the streets the city was eerily quiet. There was no movement in any direction. They had opted to walk down by the convention center and wanted to use the train trestle to cross the Allegheny River. They didn’t want to head towards the point where the boats were, nor did they want to head East through the tunnels. Walking underneath the convention center their footsteps echoed throughout the empty corridor.

  The stairwell was pitch black when they pushed out the ground level steel door, the blast of sunlight when they opened the door was blinding. All three of them held their hands in front of their face until their eyes adjusted. A very tense moment passed when they were completely exposed and blind. Margaret backed into the doorway waiting for her vision to return.

  Once their eyes adapted Herb and Jackie were heading towards the river. They waved a brief goodbye before the two groups lost sight of each other. Herb and Jackie walked around the side of the building as Mark, John, and Margaret walked up the stairs and jumped the railing on to the train trestle. Halfway across the Allegheny River they collectively paused to look back at the city they called home one last time. An explosion came from down river drawing their attention. Another boat was moving out from under the bridge heading their direction the flow of dead coming out of the city had dwindled down to a trickle.

  Once on the other side of the river the plan was to find a vehicle. It didn’t take them long to find a car dealership, there was one just a block up. They found the front door unlocked, and only had to break into the key box. They selected a Nissan SUV, loaded up their gear, and were on the highway within minutes. Though there had been a discussion on if they should try to find some other weapons, they had decided that it was more important to get away from the city first, then they could look for weapons in less populated areas.

  “I wonder if we’ll ever see Herb and Jackie again?” Margaret asked. The question had been more to herself than anyone else. Though neither of them wanted to answer anyway. Secretly they both thought the answer was no. The car remained silent, John turned around to see Margaret crying in the back seat. He wanted to comfort her but didn’t know what to say, so he turned and faced forward, continuing to ride in silence.

  There had been concerns about congestion on the roads, but the highways were surprisingly clear of traffic. There were a few times they had to drive onto the shoulder but were making good progress. They were nearly an hour into their trip before they hat to come to a complete stop. The highway was completely jammed from rail to rail.

  “I knew this was going to happen.” Mark said.

  “Look, it’s not that bad, if we just move that little white car, we’ll be able to squeeze through.” John said opening the car door.

  “John, wait, don’t you think we should?” John stopped as soon as he set foot on the pavement.

  “Shit. Go! Go! Go!” John said jumping back into the car. Outside several undead were crawling from in and around the blockade of cars. One could be seen smashing his face against the window trying to get out of the front seat of a minivan. Blood was pouring down the inside of the window.

  Mark spun the wheel and pressed his foot down on the accelerator flipping the SUV back towards the city. At the next off ramp Mark turned again and headed off the highway. The exit took them in front of the Cranberry Mall. Mark slowed the pace. They were still looking for someplace to get some better weapons. He saw a field and stream and a Walmart near each other, they decided on the field and stream as it was probably less risk than a Walmart.

  Mark pulled the SUV along the front of the building. The storefront was adorned with two large windows. As they passed, they had a good view through the large picture window inside the store. They were also scanning the parking lot and s
urrounding areas. They didn’t see anything moving. John hopped out of the passenger seat and tried the front door. The door didn’t budge, John turned and shook his head. Mark pulled forward and backed the car into the doors. After applying significant enough force, the glass popped from the frames exploding into the entryway. Mark pulled the SUV forward a few feet and put the car in park. He then jumped out and joined the others jumping through the damaged front entrance.

  Mark stayed at the front door with the gun while John and Margaret load up some guns and ammunition. John grabbed and loaded a rifle handing it off to mark. He’d be able to pick them off at a distance should any start coming, John grabbed himself a handgun on his way back up front. Thankfully there was still no movement outside.

  The sun was now fully up and heating up the parking lot. It was barely 6:30 and all the morning dew had already cooked off. By the looks of it the day was going to be a scorcher. Mark stared out into the parking lot, nothing was moving. He turned several times hearing rustling behind him, but each time it was John or Margaret coming up loading things into the back of the SUV.

  Mark was pacing back and forth, holding the sniper rifle in the crook of his arm. It had started to get heavy carrying it with his finger on the trigger after a while. Again, he heard a rustling behind him. He turned and saw no one. Mark looked out to the parking lot and still saw no movement there.

  A low moan escalated to a screech. Mark turned to the left and saw four undead heading right for him. One of them clambering out from behind the customer service counter. Mark took aim and fired once quickly with the rifle taking off the top of a young man’s head. Two of the three remaining were wearing camouflage sales vests. The older man’s glasses were hanging from his face, and part of his left cheek was missing. The woman looked like she was in her forties her hair was ragged like she’d just been in a scuffle. Mark could see her wound was on the back of her arm where most of her left triceps had been ripped off.

  One was lunging at him Mark stumbled backwards firing again as he fell. John and Margaret are running up from the back of the store blasting away at the intruders with brand new weapons. John had a shotgun with an orange SALE tag still hanging from the trigger guard. By the time they got to Mark, three were down and one was injured to the point that it was no longer a threat. A shotgun blast nearly severed his legs. He was now trying to pull himself with one arm and his legs were still attached, but no longer functioning. John and Margaret didn’t break stride. They helped Mark to his feet and sprinted for the car.

  Just as they began to close the doors a swarm of dead began to spill around the corner. John, now behind the wheel, turned the key and slammed his foot down on the gas. The little SUV lunged forward into the oncoming hoard. The car bumped and jerked through the mass of undead trying to get enough traction and momentum to break free. The wheels started spinning like they were on ice.

  “We’re not going to make it.” John said as the crowd started to circle the vehicle. John decided to drop the gearshift into reverse to see if he could get traction that way. The little SUV jerked backwards and slammed back into the building. The dead were up on the hood and roof now. The metal creaking and groaning under the weight. John slammed the gearshift back into drive and stepped down on the gas. It slipped again for a second and then the wheels caught solid ground and lurched forward breaking free of the heard. He spun the wheel and slid sideways into the crowd. Margaret flinched away from the gnawing teeth at the windows. Suddenly the car was rocketing away from outstretched hands and snapping jaws. Those on the roof and hood fell off and joined the chase.

  The moans didn’t seem to fade for nearly a minute as they pulled away from the surge of undead that continued to pour into the street behind them.

  New York

  They had been walking on the river side of Yonkers when Alex spotted the boat. Just a small white fishing boat with an outboard motorboat that appeared to have been run aground. There was a man hunched over the steering wheel. They all drew weapons as Abeline approached the man carefully. He was fully dead from a bullet through his skull. Not self-inflicted though. Shot came from the back and exited out of the forehead. They pushed him overboard and turned a key with a little yellow flotation device chained to it. The engine started right up.

  The boys struggled pushing the boat free of the ground. Their shoes sinking into the muddy riverbank.

  “Come on move.” John grunted against the boat. Abeline pulled Alex in the boat as the three older boys tried to free it of the ground. The boat was moving, they were almost out when Alex’s expression changed to one of fear and panic as he points to the street above. They dead must have herd the engine and were coming fast.

  “Go! Go! Push! Get in! Get In!” Abeline yelled. The boys pushed the little boat free of the embankment, leaping into the small boat, their pants wet from the river water. They heard splashes in the water right behind them. Abeline pushed down on the throttle and the little boat raced away from the outstretched arms of the undead. John looked back to see several of them reaching out just a few feet away.

  Free of the dead Abeline guided the craft to the middle of the river. Occasionally they would see groups of undead splashing into the water trying to get at them.

  “Are we ever going to be safe again?” John asked to the passing waves.

  “Of course, we will honey.” Abeline said. “The lord told me that we would face adversity. He told me we would see pain, and loss. But in the end, there will be not only peace, but unity amongst men.”

  “Jesus said that to you?” Asked Caleb.

  “He did. But first we must prepare. A war is coming.” Abeline said looking behind her.

  “A war between who?” John inquired.

  “Don’t know yet. But I do know that the fate of humanity rests on whomever wins.”

  “How do we know which side to choose?” Asked Alex, who was currently staring at John’s back pack.

  “I’m sure we’ll know evil when we see it.” Abeline looked at Alex. “Caleb, may I have the daggers please?” Caleb nodded and began rooting in his pack. He pulled out the daggers that Tommy had been given and died with. “You would do a better job with those daggers than Tommy did, wouldn’t you, Alex?”

  “I don’t”

  “He was clumsy, and impatient.”

  “I can’t”

  “Yes, you can.” Abeline looked the child in the eyes. “You want those daggers don’t you Alex?” John and Caleb were watching the conversation intently.

  “Yes ma’am.” Alex was staring at the shiny silver blades now, but he was thinking of Tommy. How proud he was when Abeline first gave them to him. Alex also remembered the blade lying on the ground next to Tommy’s blood.

  “You know that you will be better with them than Tommy was. Right?”

  “Yes Miss Abeline.” She handed Alex the blades hilt first. Alex attempted to hide his elation to holding the shiny blades, but he felt the smile creeping across his face. He knew he was powerless to stop it.

  “You shouldn’t talk about Tommy like that.” Caleb said in a sullen and pouty voice. Abeline turned to face Caleb.

  “You look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t think that Tommy was foolish to charge in like that.”

  “He did what he thought was right, he was trying to protect us.” Caleb argued.

  “He did that. He stopped them by sacrificing himself. He saved our lives by martyring his own.” The boys had no response. “I don’t disrespect his memory, I honor his sacrifice, and I pass his legacy on to Alex. I hope you will learn from his mistakes and improve.”

  “I will.” Alex said. The smile still plastered across his face.

  About twenty minutes after passing Poughkeepsie the engine sputtered and died. The fuel gauge was empty. Abeline coasted to the western bank just south of a small town called Kingston. The exited the small boat and proceeded on foot once again. They had as much supply as they could carry, what they needed was a vehicle. Slowly and carefully
they began searching the outlying houses for some keys. On their forth house they found a vehicle. It was an old beat up brown station wagon, but the keys were on the kitchen counter and the gas tank was nearly full. They piled in on red vinyl seats. Abeline started the car and cracked open all the windows to try and clear out the musty smell.

  The station wagon pulled out on to the road and headed for the highway. Before long they were in open country, gently rolling hills and farm country.

  “You can take a deep breath, we are officially clear of the city. Thank Jesus.” Abeline said. Caleb and John gave each other a weak high five in the back seat.

  Iowa

  Robert stared blankly at his feet as they stomped through the rows of endless corn. He watched the soft dirt puff underneath the sole of his black Converse every time his feet fell. He was walking in front of Nancy, and behind Gary. He thought for quite a while about how much trouble they were in now that they’d lost their weapons. It bothered him a lot that those kids had taken them, but it was really smart how they had trapped them, and he respected the little bastards for that. They’re probably going to do the same to anyone who happens down this road. Unless they stopped at the old couple’s house like they had. Now, with that house gone, any drivers that come along are going to run into that roadblock. It occurred to Robert that that was the signal, someone watching the roadblock would see the vehicle hit the blockade and turn around. Then they have all the time in the world as the car would have to double back, then, the spike strips.

  “They’re going to kill us.” Robert said. Gary stopped and turned around.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I don’t think Wilson and Delia were infected at all. I think these kids murdered all of them and burned down the house so people would hit the detour, and then their trap.”