The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1): Buried Instincts

by Henson, Lynn

  Everyone except the scrawny Asian couple and the girl with the crazy hair started pulling open drawers and checking under the counters. Bree cautiously opened a door that had a small sign on it telling them it was the Manager’s Office. She immediately staggered back and pulled the door closed so hard it caused the wall to vibrate. Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing to look. The zombies that were outside the windows pressed forward, attracted to the noise and movement. “What... what happened?” Kim asked after they were sure the windows weren’t going to shatter.

  “There was someone in there. I couldn’t see very well, but he moved as the infected do.”

  “Well, let’s just leave it in there,” Blake said rationally. “Hopefully we find what we need in here.”

  There was a bump at the manager’s office door followed by scratching. “Right,” Bree agreed, and everyone went back to their search.

  Unfortunately, after five minutes no one had turned up anything useful and now they were looking ominously at the manager’s door.

  “Just open that door as hard as you can,” said the Asian guy from where he was sitting on the counter. “You pin him against the wall and we can get what we need.”

  “You going to handle that Gao?” Kim asked him in disbelief.

  “Nah. I think Kyle should do it. He is really strong,” Gao said dismissively.

  “Fine, whatever,” Kyle put his hand on the doorknob as he braced his body against the door. “Once we’re sure he’s pinned, go in and get what we need.”

  Blake stood next to the door, ready to go in. Kyle turned the knob and shoved in using his body. The zombie behind the door was shoved backward but didn’t get pinned to the wall as anticipated. Rather, the zombie slid backward as Kyle shoved the door into the wall with all his might. It didn’t fall over, but recovered almost immediately and lurched towards the off-balance Kyle. Blake rushed in low and hit the zombie in the stomach football player style which made him stagger back again. Kyle recovered and grabbed the zombie by the arm and shoulder and pushed backward, slamming it into the wall. Blake followed his lead and secured the other arm, together they held it in place. “Someone get in here! Hurry!” Kyle yelled.

  The zombie thrashed around and tried to bite at Blake’s hand. He took his hand off its shoulder and pushed back on its forehead, trying to keep the thing from infecting him. Bree rushed into the room and took a quick look around. She got down between the zombie’s legs and picked up something off the ground and turned around and ran out. “Got it! Let’s get out of here!” she yelled.

  “Ok, on three,” Kyle said to Blake. “One, two, three!” They let go at the same time and ran out of the room. Blake got out first and Kyle grabbed the doorknob to pull it closed behind him. The zombie managed to get part of his body out of the door as Kyle slammed the door on it. The zombie didn’t register this and continued trying to push his way out of the office. “Everybody out!” Carrey yelled, and people ran back to the door they had entered the office from. Blake and Carrey hung back until the rest of their group was safely out. “Come on Kyle!” Carrey yelled, and Kyle gave the zombie one last hit with the door before hightailing it out of there. The three of them ran out and shut the door behind them. Moments later the zombie had pressed itself against the glass door and was mindlessly trying to claw through it to get at them.

  “Let’s not do that again,” Kyle said as he leaned against the wall, obviously relieved.

  “Was it worth it? Lisa asked anxiously. “Did we get what we came for?”

  Bree held her hand out and showed them a pair of car keys that were dangling from her fingers.

  “Awesome,” Carrey said approvingly.

  “Wait,” Blake said, suddenly alarmed, “Where is she?”

  “Where’s who?” Kim asked, confused.

  “The girl with the blonde hair. She’s not here,” Blake clarified.

  “That’s weird,” Lisa said, “I know she was inside with us.”

  “Oh shit,” Blake realized. “Is she still in there?”

  “Who cares?” Gao asked. “Anyone know her?”

  “We can’t leave her,” Blake said firmly.

  “That IS pretty fucked up there guy,” Kyle told Gao who replied with a loud exhale, turning his nose up at him.

  “We have to get her out. She’s probably hiding in there somewhere and too afraid to come out.” Blake said walking back towards the door. “I’ve got to help her.”

  “What are you going to do about that asshole at the door?” Kyle asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

  Blake paused at this, “All I know for sure is that the longer she’s alone in there, the bigger chance she’ll panic and do something that’ll get her killed. We’ve got to hurry.”

  “Ok, but let me help you out,” Kyle offered. “Get out of sight, near the door. I’ll distract it and you get in there and find her.” Blake nodded appreciatively and went behind the corner of the building, close to the door. Kyle walked up to the door and checked back at the group to make sure they were all paying attention. They were all sticking next to the cars, so he went ahead and rapped on the glass door. There was a loud thud as the zombie flung itself at the door and a moment later, Kyle opened the door and ran back, putting distance between himself and the slavering monster.

  As expected, the zombie immediately started walking eagerly towards Kyle who led him gradually away from both the office and away from their group. Blake waited until the zombie was away from the door and ran inside the office. The front was empty as they had just left it except for a scattering of papers on the floor following their rapid departure. “Hey! Is anyone here? Come out!” he yelled as he looked behind the counters. He heard a cracking noise behind him and he immediately stopped what he was doing to see what was happening. Outside, the crowd of infected had gotten larger and all the noise from their predicament and his yelling must’ve attracted more. Even worse, the sound he’d heard was a series of large cracks that had appeared on the windows. Time is running out. I’ve got to find her or we’re done.

  “Hello! Are you in here? We’ve got to get out of here!” he yelled desperately as he came out from behind the counter and opened the women’s restroom door. It was dark inside, but through what little light made it into the room from the window, there was a figure inside in front of the toilet stalls. The figure looked immediately at him and started walking towards him. “Um. Is that you? We’ve got to go!” The figure continued to walk towards him and he decided that it was another zombie and was going to back out of the restroom when he heard, “Help? I’m in here!” from inside the restroom.

  Damn it. This zombie is blocking the only exit out of there. She won’t be able to get out as long as it’s in the way. What do I do? There were more horrible cracking noises behind him and the zombie in front was getting closer. I’m just going to try what Kyle did just now. He backed out but the door started to swing slowly closed. He gave it another push and the zombie, a woman who had been in her early fifties, finally stepped into the doorway and he jumped back out of her reach. The door continued to close though and the frail zombie became pinned between the door and the frame. She gurgled wetly and clawed at him with a hand that was adorned with gaudy jewelry. Well, that’s fucking great. There was another crack behind him followed by glass breaking, and suddenly he could hear the mass of zombies outside hissing and moaning. He glanced quickly back and an arm was through one of the windows, large cracks spider-webbed out in every direction from where it had broken through.

  “Fuck! I’m out of time!” he said to himself and he jumped forward and grabbed the zombie by the wrist and gave the door a kick as he pulled with his arm. Her face passed just inches from his and he tried not to retch at her rotten breath. She fell to the floor behind him and he pushed the door all the way open and yelled, “Come on!! It has to be now!”

  The crazy haired girl popped out of one of the stalls and ran out of the restroom. The rest of the glass in front fell apart and
the infected started to fall inside the rental office and picking themselves up. He started for the door he’d come through when his foot refused to move and he fell to the floor. He looked back in a panic and the elderly lady had caught his foot in a surprisingly strong grip. He shook his foot and pushed away from her, but couldn’t get her to let go. She was trying to get a bite of his leg. He looked up and there were seven of the infected walking towards him now, ready to descend upon their meal. He felt someone grab his left arm by the wrist and a terrific yank pulled him and the zombie holding his leg across the floor towards the exit. He looked up in confusion and saw that the crazy haired girl was the one who was dragging him out. She pushed the door open and was heaved outside. The old woman zombie lost her grip on him and landed in the doorway. The blonde haired girl pushed the door closed as hard as she could on the woman. There was a half second of resistance as it connected with the woman’s head, and then her skull completely collapsed, shutting the door completely and splattering dark chunks of brain and blood everywhere. He got up frantically and tried to orient himself.

  The crazy haired girl looked green as she looked at the decapitated woman on the other side of the glass. The groups three cars were lined up, ready to go with Kyle waving at them to hurry up and get to them. He grabbed the girl by her hand and limped towards the cars. They had only just started walking when the zombie from the manager’s office emerged from behind a passenger van and got directly into their path. There was a roar of an engine and a minivan slammed into the zombie rocketing it into the side of a small car. “Hurry!” Gao yelled from the driver’s seat. The girl got into the minivan and he ran over to Kyle who helped him into the back of their SUV. Bree led the way as they exited the lot one after the other and sped off.

  thirty-three

  Blake stretched himself out in the back seat, grateful for being able to use the entire space. Kyle was at the wheel with his brother riding shotgun.

  He was exhausted and his shoulder and ankle were sore as hell but there was no way he could get any rest while they were still in the streets of Vegas. The atmosphere felt oppressive and the tension continued to build as they exited the dead-end street, skirting around the zombies who continued to stumble east. Zombies saw the movement and moved to intercept them, but Bree managed to adjust their path accounting for the two cars behind her such that the zombies in their path couldn't get close enough to even scratch their vehicles.

  Blake was no stranger to driving around when the crazed infected were running amok, but this was different. On the way to Vegas, they were able to avoid contact with them for the most part because they'd taken the side streets that ran along the highway. This was like trying to drive through Times Square when everyone was out. Zombies were everywhere, pouring out of the strip and heading towards the university. He’d concluded that they were attracted to the dark smoke that rose steadily from the dorm. Why else were they headed that way? The more ominous flip side of that was that it meant that there was no longer anyone to occupy them on the strip.

  Looking out as Kyle tried to follow Bree as precisely as possible was perhaps more frustrating than if he'd been driving. Blake could only watch as zombies veered towards them and were seconds too late to even claw at their SUV. It was like being on one of those haunted hayrides that was so popular when Halloween rolled around. Both Carrey and Blake had to watch what was unfolding because it was impossible to focus on anything else.

  Blake remembered that a wide variety of people visit Vegas. Walking a block often meant that you could see old women going from casino to casino in search of that lucky penny slot machine, hot and not so hot girls stuffed into black cocktail dresses going from club to club, cosplayers dressed as whatever they want year round just because they could get away with it. It was Vegas after all. Groups of young men dressed differently yet remarkably similar if you really watched them. The especially swarthy Mexicans who energetically snapped their strip bar cards and then presented them to you regardless of what you look like. Elvis, old drunks, the homeless, families from the Midwest, aging Asian gamblers who had taken a bus from their community to get here, you never knew who you might see.

  It was still like that but with a grotesque filter over the whole experience. The families were heartbreaking to watch, though it was impossible to know if they were actually related or happened to form nuclear-looking families at the moment they drove past them. Seeing three children in formation with their parents as they veered towards their vehicles was as depressing as it was morbid.

  As they made their way north through the city, they passed a group of girls wearing attire better suited for attracting attention and free drinks. Now though, the clothing that had been designed to titillate only served to display rotted wounds and dried out flesh. These girls had a particularly stiff gait and they lurched towards the cars, their formerly well-kept hair now shrouding their faces. They too were avoided with ease and Blake turned his head to look back at one with unnaturally black hair reach out to the car, one eye hidden behind her bangs and the other wide and empty. It almost looked like she wanted help.

  He was still looking back at the girl when the SUV braked hard. Blake slid forward and fell into the space in front of his seat as he had been sitting sideways, legs stretched out and having forgone wearing his seatbelt. He hefted himself out and sat properly in the center seat as he peered out through the windshield to see what had happened.

  Bree's GT-S had come to a stop, the minivan and the SUV had followed suit. In front of them was a horde that had been moving east, but now was advancing towards them.

  "Damn," Kyle complained, "Where do we go? I don't see a way through that."

  "We can't go north anymore," Carrey confirmed.

  The noose around them was tightening. With the sheer amount of people that were walking towards them in a half arc in front of them, their options for moving north were reduced to ramming through them. Bree suddenly spun the GT-S in place managing to spin herself ninety degrees to the left and then took off like a rocket. The minivan turned sharply to the left and went after her, accelerating steadily. Kyle muttered something vulgar and struggled to match the minivans course.

  The GT-S managed to squeeze through a small gap that was towards the rear of the mob. The minivan accelerated and jinked a little to the left in order to utilize the same gap. Kyle braked hard, the gap had closed to the point where the SUV wasn't going to fit.

  Blake pointed to the left, "Quick! Drive to the left there!" he said pointing at a luckless homeless man whom he hoped was a zombie.

  Kyle swore as he jerked the car towards the direction Blake pointed and they grazed several of the undead. Carrey jumped as the palm of a hand missing the pinky brushed on the passenger side window leaving a dark streak as it slid off.

  Blake wasn't sure what street they'd ended up on, but it was plenty wide with an island in the middle. As they turned, Blake saw a large Asian styled house to his right and zombies walking through the parking area heading in the direction where they'd come. There was a tremendous amount of foot traffic all over the street, spilling onto the sidewalks, but there was still enough room to maneuver that they could avoid hitting people if they were vigilant. There was no more just following Bree as the chaos of the situation made it impossible. Each vehicle had to pick its own way down the street while keeping the broad objective of heading towards the west in mind.

  Kyle's forehead beaded with sweat as he focused on driving and obstacle avoidance. Carrey and Blake tried to keep suggestions and warnings to a minimum, realizing that trusting in Kyle's ability to navigate would reduce the chance of confusing him into making a worse mistake. A trio of what used to be construction workers, complete with bloodstained work gloves and tool belts with missing tools were bearing down on them. Kyle tried to cut around them to the left but bounced on the center divider sending the left side of the vehicle up in a violent bounce. Blake caught air and smacked his head into the roof. After that, he wisely decided to
buckle his seatbelt.

  Despite the initial detour caused by the zombie horde, there were no groups as large as that first one. The more they drove, the more the zombies started to thin out and their speed started to increase. It was still not as fast as they would’ve liked because of having to constantly weave around people that they were attracting, sometimes even requiring them to go up driveways and on the sidewalks to avoid hitting them.

  The minivan driver had become fed up with the constant maneuvering and was more careless about avoiding people. They avoided a group of middle-aged cocktail waitresses only to clip an elderly woman. She fell and her head was crushed under the vans back wheel, coloring the rear tire with gore as the minivan continued to plow forward.

  Bree continued to make driving look effortless as she used every trick in the book. Blake planned to ask Kim later if they had hit anyone, but from his vantage point, it didn't look like there was one zombie finger laid on her precious car even though there were plenty of close calls.

  The sound of gunfire drew his attention to a two-story strip mall that had signs identifying itself as the Tuscany. The source of the gunfire was from two men, one was a fat, bald, biker looking guy with baggy jeans and a yellow tank top. The other was a lanky guy wearing sagging black jeans, an unbuttoned Yankees shirt with matching cap put on backward who looked like he had dropped out of high school. He was pointing his pistol sideways at anything that was moving towards them. Behind them was a chunky girl wearing hip huggers and a white shirt that did nothing to hide her rolls. She had dyed black hair and overly ambitious black eyeliner. She was holding what looked like was a baby, or maybe a puppy that was wrapped up in a blanket. They looked like they'd just come out of the Tuscany and were aggressively moving across the parking lot. The fat guy was firing his weapon at anything that was in their way, causing those that were hit to fall backward from the force of the impact. They moved quickly past, the lanky guy swinging his gun around wildly followed by the girl huffing and puffing after them. The trio was attracting a lot of attention and with the exception of those who were trying to catch Bree's caravan, every zombie in the area was now converging on the trigger-happy group.