The Wilder Side of Z

by S A Ison

  “Alright, alright. Calm down.” Holding up his hand, he looked around to make sure there were none of the creatures around.

  “I’ll carry you on my back. No matter what, you keep quiet. I don’t know what’s in that store, but if you see one of them zombies, just whisper in my ear. We gotta stay quiet, okay?”

  Shay nodded, tears sliding down her face. Reggie tried to smile reassuringly but he failed miserably. He checked the AR-15 and slipped two mags in his back pocket. He checked the Berretta and sighed. He would need to swing by the gun shop and pick up more ammunition.

  “When I get out, I’ll open your door and give you, my back. Climb on and hang on, okay?” he said softly. She nodded and got up on her knees as Reggie opened his door. Other than the music, it was quiet. He could hear the soft groans and mutterings of the zombies but they were far away from them. Quietly, he opened her door and turned his back to the child. He felt her climb onto his back and her thin legs encircled his waist and her arms nearly choked him. He pulled slightly at her arms locked around his neck and swallowed.

  He shut the doors quietly and walked to the entrance and pulled the door open. He sniffed the air and detected the scent of decay.

  “Baby girl, keep your eyes closed. There are things in here I don’t want you to see,” he whispered and he felt her nod. There was music playing in the store and he moved in silently. He was glad the power was still on since the music would mask his footsteps. He went to a checkout station and picked up a handful of plastic bags. If he could find cloth shopping bags, he’d use those too. He moved slowly to the children’s clothing department. Though Shay was thin, she was still heavy and he had to pull her arms away from his throat as she kept a stranglehold on him. He could feel the sweat trickle down his face.

  He could hear moans but didn’t know where they were coming from. The progress was painfully slow, he just wanted to get in and out. At the end of each aisle, he looked around and saw several bloated corpses. Thankfully, there weren’t many flies buzzing around. He let out a sigh of relief when he got to the little girl section. He wasn’t sure what size Shay wore but based it off his son. He quickly grabbed colorful shirts, dresses, shorts, pants. He found the socks and underwear and grabbed different sizes there. His eyes were constantly moving and his heart was painful as it beat with fear. Had this been what his wife felt before the end? Had she been struck sick or had she been attacked?

  He’d been sent out of town to work; he was only to be away for three days. When the news hit about the virus, he’d headed straight home but the roads had been choked with panicked drivers. He’d called home and Marney had assured him all was well. He’d gotten as far as Montgomery when the roadblocks had been put up. The National Guard and the police were trying to stop the spread but Reggie had been out of his mind. He had backtracked and gone through woods and farmland and after half a day, got back onto the highway. By the time he arrived home, all was lost. His wife and boys had been wandering around, the undead. No matter how desperately he wanted it and thought it over and over, he could not change the horrific outcome.

  He shook his head, bringing himself back to task. He had four bulging bags of clothing and he moved toward the shoe section. He stopped abruptly when he saw three zombies. Their faces were rotted and the skin sloughing off. One of the zombies was dragging a length of intestines behind. Gouges of flesh had been torn away from all three; it was as though something had tried to chew their way through them. He stood for a moment watching them. Then backed off, he would have to go another way. He could hear Shay’s soft whimpering and hushed her softly. He patted her arm and moved back. Going down another aisle, he made a wide circle and made it to the shoe section. Cautiously, he moved to the little girl shoes and looked around and listened. The moaning was farther away.

  Looking down at her small foot, he chose a pair of shoes and placed it near her foot. The size looked pretty good so he dropped it into the bag. He moved down the aisle and picked out several pairs in larger sizes. Jeb’s feet grew fast and he stopped and swallowed hard. His eyes teared up and the world swam before him. His baby’s feet would grow no more. It was difficult to breathe and he blinked away his tears. He needed to keep alert and not get dragged back into the recent past. He needed to be in the here and now or they’d die. He stood for a moment, trying to think about what else they might need but his brain was having a hard time processing. He cursed himself for not having a list. Marney always did the shopping. That was woman’s work and he’d only accompanied her when he needed something in the automotive department.

  He would just have to come back or find another store. He would make a list and think it out better. For now, he had clothing for Shay and now he’d need to find a safe place to stay while he made more permanent plans. He moved toward the exit now, the bags hanging off his arm so his hands were free. The AR-15 moved from side to side. Best case scenario was that he made it back to the Jeep without firing a shot. Shooting would bring more of the creatures and he didn’t need that. With each aisle he came to, he checked and rechecked. Listened for sounds of movement and moans. He was feeling better and better with each step until he got thirty feet from the entrance and froze. There were at least three dozen zombies bumping into the registers by the door and more outside.

  Where in the hell had they come from and why? Did they smell him? Was that it? He crouched slightly and tried to think. He knew there was the entrance at the gardening section but there were zombies there. He had to draw these creatures away from the front entrance. If he could do that, he could make a rush out the door for the Jeep and shoot the zombies that were milling around outside the door. Slowly backing up, Jess moved to the can food section. He would take a large can of what he could find and toss it in the opposite direction and draw the creatures away from the front entrance.

  When he came around the corner, two zombies nearly ran into him and their shrieks filled the air. Reggie jerked as though hit with a live wire. He brought his AR-15 up without thinking and began to shoot and walk backwards. Their heads disappeared in a mist of brain and blood. He heard the screams of the zombies near the door and he gritted his teeth. The fight was on.

  FIVE

  Ethan pointed to the hospital three blocks away. It was a three-story structure and reflected the afternoon sun.

  “If we can pick up supplies and maybe antibiotics in their pharmacy, I think that might help in the long run,” Ethan said. They had parted ways at the gun store with the little family who had wanted to follow them.

  “Looks like the clueless family in the SUV is still following us,” Zahara said, turning on the bench seat to look out the back.

  “The guy’s an idiot. He needs to get his family out of this city and either head home or find a safe place to hunker down instead of following us,” Xander grumbled.

  “Stupid is as stupid does,” Zahara said. She leaned heavily over Ethan’s body and leaned out his window. She aimed her weapon at the SUV and laughed. Ethan watched in the side mirror as the SUV slowed and stopped and then turned down a street. She moved back into the cab of the truck with a satisfied grunt.

  “Do you have to wear that stupid samurai sword? It’s poking my head,” Ethan said and shoved at the sword that was sticking out the back of Zahara’s jacket.

  “Blow me and then deal with it. Whoa, hold up. Look, there are millions of freaking zombies up there,” Zahara said, pointing. The Chevy slowed and Ethan glanced at an ambulance that was parked halfway on top of a compact car, made even more compact by the front tires of the ambulance. The doors were open on the small vehicle but both vehicles were abandoned, dried blood swiped along each vehicle and the ground. Scattered around the street and sidewalks were rotting bodies of zombies with parts and pieces of their heads missing. There had been some kind of battle and brass littered the ground. Ethan wondered if the police had tried to make a stand.

  “There has to be at least a couple hundred of those things up there at the hospital. As good as
we are, I don’t think Zahara and I can kill that many, even with you on a weapon,” Xander said softly and looked over at Ethan. Zahara snorted beside him and Ethan eyed his narrowly.

  “We can always find another hospital,” Zahara said, her foot shifting in her sandals now resting on the dash.

  “It’ll probably be the same scenario at every hospital. Shit. Well, it was a nice idea,” Xander said and began to back up.

  “Hold on a tick, let me pull up a city map of this area,” Ethan said and pulled his phone out. He tapped for a few moments and looked over at Xander.

  “There’s a street at the next corner and we can use that to come up on the other side of the hospital. I’m gonna hop out and see if I can get the siren going on that rig and the lights too. If we can draw the zombies away from the hospital, maybe we can do a fast run and get in and out of there,” Ethan suggested. Xander grunted and nodded.

  “Great thinking. Who fucking knew you were a genius?” Zahara said and laughed, knocking Ethan again with the handle of her samurai sword. He snorted, a slight smile on his lips and bumped her with his shoulder and got out. He drew his weapon and looked around. Walking over to the ambulance, he saw a set of keys near the tire of the compact car. He squatted and noted the keys went to the ambulance. You’re one lucky bastard, he thought and grinned. Aiming his weapon at the door of the ambulance, Ethan reached up and carefully opened the door, expecting a body or zombie to come out. Neither did and he let out a soft sigh of relief. It took a bit of maneuvering to clamber up into the cab of the ambulance since it was nearly four feet off the ground.

  “Move your ass, Vector,” Zahara called softly and he heard the laugh in her voice. She just pushed the shit to the limit. He knew she was twisted but he’d no clue just how weird she was. She was antagonistic and seemed to want to push his buttons. He ignored her and got up in the seat. He gritted his teeth, there was dried blood in the seat and he wondered what had happened. He looked at the control panel and wasn’t sure which switches worked for what. He held his breath and put the key in the ignition and turned. The vehicle started up and he looked out the door and grinned widely at his companions. Zahara rolled her eyes and clapped with exaggerated slowness.

  Flipping switches, Ethan was jolted by the loud scream of the siren and he leaned out and saw that the lights were flashing. He jumped out and landed in a crouch and ran to the truck and jumped in. He thought for a moment that Zahara might close the door and lock him out. He slid in and they watched as the moving mass of rotting humanity began to move as one in their direction. Xander pulled up and turned down the street Ethan had indicated; the sound of the siren began to fade as they moved around the buildings and businesses. The truck bumped over bodies and Xander ran over several zombies as they staggered forward to catch the truck. Ethan didn’t even notice the sound of shattering bone and squishing organs.

  As they came around the side street, they could see that the bulk of the zombies were down the street, heading for the noise and lights. Xander pulled up in front of the hospital and parked. The parking lot was littered with rotting bodies, dogs, carrion birds and flies. He was struck anew at the incredible carnage that was all around him and the nightmarish picture before him. The deeper into Huntsville’s city center they ventured, the more outlandish it became, like some kind of horror fiction. To the side of the building, there were black body bags stacked. Some of those bags were moving and it reminded Ethan of black maggots. There were things trapped in there, trying to get out and would continue to struggle until they were a viscous soup of goo. As if being a zombie wasn’t bad enough, but to be trapped forever.

  How long did these creatures remain animated? How long would this continue? The three got out cautiously and Zahara took off her jacket and pulled out the samurai sword and held it to the ready, a wide smile on her face, her green eyes now glowing gold. He wanted to laugh, it would seem that the werewolf, once unleashed was just under the surface, at least when it came to Zahara. Xander looked tense but his eyes were their normal brown. Ethan looked around and listened but heard nothing but the squawking of birds and the growls of the dogs yanking at the bodies. The siren continued to wail and he hoped it would last for as long as they needed to get in and out of the hospital.

  Looking up he spotted movement on the second floor. There were three people looking down at them, waving frantically.

  “Hey, look,” he said and pointed.

  “Looks like doctors or nurses,” Xander said. They turned when they heard distant gunfire.

  “Sounds like an AR. Sounds like someone is having a bad day,” Zahara said. Ethan looked at her, how in the hell could she tell if the weapon was an AR? He could barely hear the pops of sound. He watched as she froze suddenly, her eyes going wide. She dropped the sword on the ground as her body tensed and then a transformation took place. Her snout grew and her teeth elongated along with her limbs. Her body grew right before him and the t-shirt she was wearing shredded as her chest grew broader and expanded. Her bra popped off and her shorts fell to her ankles, her Sig Sauer and Ruger clattered to the ground. At the same time, she was kicking off her sandals and her muscles grew and the fur came out all over her body.

  It was stunning to watch a once beautiful woman change into a horrifying animal, capable of mass murder. Her eyes were wild as she snarled, her slavering jaws open and her teeth dripped with lethal intent. She turned and ran, nearly on all fours. She jumped over several vehicles and the dogs around began to bark and snarl as she went past. They took off after her and the birds scattered.

  “What in the hell just happened?” Ethan asked, stunned amazement in his voice.

  “She just heard a little girl scream in terror,” Xander said with a far-off look on his face.

  Ž

  Zahara moved with superhuman speed, even for a werewolf; she was pushing the limits of her large body. She bounded over vehicles and shredded zombies that got in her way. That scream went to the heart of her and she knew it well. She’d screamed that very scream when she’d been so little and helpless. It called to her like no other and she felt waves of heat and rage course through her body. Ahead, she saw a store and the zombies that were pushing against the glassed entrance. From within, she heard the piercing shriek of a child.

  There were perhaps a dozen dead things at the door and she worked her way through them. With her massive hand, she grabbed each by the head and ripped and twisted violently, tossing the heads behind her. All the while a low snarl emanated from deep within her chest. When she got to the glass doors, she shattered them with her fists and moved through the shards. In front of her were perhaps a dozen more zombies. There was blood and gore all over the store’s floor. She caught movement and saw a man with a child clinging to his back. He was swinging his weapon like a club and the girl’s shriek drowned out the snarls and groans of the zombies. Her face was a rictus of terror, her eyes having seen too much for a child at such a tender age. Her werewolf’s heart broke into a million pieces and everything became red and Zahara began to shred through tissue and bone. Every movement destroyed the walking dead.

  She grabbed a hold of a man by the neck with her teeth and slung her head and his head and body separated and flew in different directions. The redheaded man backed up with the child, his eyes grew even wider when he saw her coming at him. His mouth opened into a silent scream as she tore through the zombies like overripe tomatoes. Blood, brains, and flesh flew through the air like confetti. The sheer joy of killing was missing now. Zahara only wanted to get to the child and save her, make it better. Make her better, make her whole again.

  The little girl had stopped screaming now, her large eyes watched as Zahara advanced, clearing the way. Soon, there was no sound but the harsh breathing of the redheaded man who was backed up against a shelf of cereal boxes. He held his weapon up as a barrier but didn’t swing it at her. There was a low snarling growl that emanated from Zahara’s chest and throat. She walked slowly toward them, closing the gap. At her
full height, she stretched nearly seven feet. Her hands were at her side, her claws curled in, ready to eviscerate any threat to the child.

  Leaning in, Zahara snuffled the man and child, her wet nose taking in their bodily information. She smelled urine as the man pissed himself. Her eyes shifted to the little girl’s wide eyes. She saw no fear in them and she leaned in and snuffled again, her nose going to the child’s slender, vulnerable neck. The little girl giggled and Zahara felt her small hand reach up and scratched Zahara behind her ear.

  “You look like my mommy,” the little girl whispered.

  Ž

  Bobby sat in the Humvee; elbows propped on the steering wheel with a pair of binoculars. He was glassing over the store in front of him and he didn’t like what he saw. They were in the store’s parking lot, situated near the buggy return. Bobby noted that several of the large windows were broken out but the opening of the broken glass was too high for the zombies to climb over. If they pushed hard enough, the zombies could open entrances into the store that way. But they weren’t that smart. Good thing. Avery was beside him, eating a stick of beef jerky.

  “I want to get into that store, but damnit, too many zombies at the entrance. I’m thinkin’ if we can draw ‘em away, we could go in.” Bobby spit out the window and looked back through the binos.

  “Maybe we could find another store, there’s plenty out there,” Avery said.

  “Shit, every place we’ve been to was surrounded by these damned zombies. Hey, hear that? Someone’s inside shootin’. Hell, maybe if we wait a while, whoever it is will kill whatever the hell is in there,” Bobby said and grinned. He wiped at the sweat on his forehead. Other than the activity around the front of the store, all was quiet and nothing moved. There were bloated bodies that littered the parking lot and here and there he saw slight movements inside cars. Zombies trapped. He smiled at the thought. He noted black smoke in the distance, there were fires scattered about the city. It was becoming common to see, that and the carrion birds that glided on the thermals.