The Fortress

by Michael Scattergood

  ***

  “Don’t kill it!” Melanie shouted.

  Tommy was raising a rolled up health magazine to take aim at a horsefly in the camper. They were on vacation with Melanie’s family, parked at a trailer campsite twenty minutes from the beach in Virginia. Every year the Kendall’s got together on one of these trips. Melanie’s parents, brother, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and cousins all made the trip with four total campers between them. Tommy shared one with Melanie, her brother, her parents, and grandparents from her mother’s side. Tommy and Melanie slept together on the hard floor of the camper. With the couch and pullout bed extended for others it left the two of them very little room and comfort. There were bugs everywhere, the air conditioner was broken, and sleeping on the floor hurt his back. Tommy loved this vacation, and wished his family had trips like these.

  “What do you mean don’t kill it?” Tommy asked.

  “Don’t kill it! Just let him go outside. Poor little guy didn’t know he was stumbling into an execution!”

  “It’s just a fly.”

  “Doesn’t mean you should kill him!”

  “Fair enough, Ms. Kendall.” Tommy opened the window and shooed the fly towards it until it went out.

  ***

  They made their way to Melanie’s. Tommy grew more anxious with every mile. What if zombies had made it out here? He assumed the Living didn’t form just as a preventative measure. What if she didn’t make it? No, he thought, don’t think like that. She’ll be there. She’ll be ok. She has to be ok. Butterflies and moths filled his stomach. Excitement to be seeing his girl again, and knowing she’s alive and well. Fear at the contrary. They pulled into her brother’s condominium complex. At this point the map was useless. Tommy just had to go by memory. They drove down the street, Tommy looking for anything familiar. The buildings were numbered, and there were 4 condos marked A-D in each number. Tommy was sure they were looking for a C. But that didn’t help narrow down the ninety or so buildings.

  It was in the teens. He was sure it was, he told Bobby to keep an eye out for numbers in the teens. They passed forties, fifties, then twenties, then seventies, was there any organization to this place? The number 19 popped out to Tommy.

  “That road!” He shouted, and Bobby turned. It was all looking so familiar. They slowly drove down, waiting for one of the buildings to stand out to Tommy. 14. It was 14. Tommy reached over and yanked the emergency brake for the car to stop. He couldn’t take it anymore. His heart was going to explode out of his chest. He jumped out of the car and ran to building 14. He saw both Anthony’s car and Melanie’s. He sprinted up the steps, skipping two steps at a time, he turned left and faced condo 14C. Tommy stopped for a second, took a deep breath, and guided his trembling hand to knock on the door. Silence.

  Chapter 28

  Melanie Kendall was asleep in her brother’s condo when news of the outbreak went public. When they woke and saw what had happened, Melanie immediately tried to call Tommy but it went straight to voicemail. She surprisingly wasn’t too startled. If anyone can survive a zombie outbreak it’s the Nagel brothers, she thought. She was even more reassured when she saw online the power outages and cell tower problems in the eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey area.

  After her brain became absolutely certain Tommy was safe, she switched her concern to herself. How far were these zombies about to travel? The news said that as they were dismantling Philadelphia, many were heading towards New York, but that there were stragglers heading every direction, including a large chunk westward. Pennsylvania is a huge state, there’s no way they could make it the 300 miles between Philly and Pittsburgh before being stopped, right? She thought.

  Although the zombies were still days away from making it to Pittsburgh territory, they were told to stay in their homes. Anthony had gone grocery shopping the day before, giving them a nice sized stock of food, so they decided to abide by that request, hoping the matter would be resolved in just a few days. Many people decided instead to evacuate the city.

  They passed the days playing card games (Melanie’s favorite), watching movies and shows, and tracking the progression of the zombies online. Around day 2 is when they began to abandon Philadelphia, their food source there was getting slim. They raided every populated town they passed on their way to New York City. But they seemed to go right passed the small towns. It’s like in their guts they knew they had bigger fish to fry.

  The ones that went west really struggled to find those bigger towns. Pennsylvania is a vast and open state for the most part. So they bypassed town after town, looking for the big one. The westward zombie horde made their way into Harrisburg at the end of the first week. A large enough city to hold them there for a few days, but even with a smaller size group they were still able to annihilate the inhabitants. They nearly tripled in size before beginning to make their way towards Pittsburgh, two days later.

  Melanie was following all of this online. There wasn’t much in between Harrisburg and her location to slow them down. They were coming. The government was doing “everything it can” to try to stop them before they reach the city. But no concrete plan was ever given, or executed. Day after day they got closer and closer. Anthony stayed optimistic, thinking there was no way they’d ever make it here before being stopped. But they got closer and closer, until one morning when the power went out.

  Neither of the two Kendall’s were the fighting type, something they both knew. They gathered food and drinks and hid in Anthony’s bathtub behind the shower curtain. They had no idea when the zombies would get there, or if they would find them. They sat there in silence for hours. The only audible noise was their anxious breaths.

  A scream broke the silence. They couldn’t tell if it was from on the street or the condo next to them. It felt like an eternity before another sound was heard. That scream lingered in the air, nothing else to give any insight into what was happening. Melanie wanted to scream too. Another scream was heard, a man this time. Out of nowhere, they heard mass commotion outside.

  It sounded like a stampede outside of their door. Screams were heard, grunts of pain, the occasional gunshots, growling. It sends shivers down Melanie’s spine. She was sure she was going to die, that they would break in, and sniff them out or something. The only means they had to protect themselves were canned tuna and water bottles. They were going to break in, and she was going to die. They would come, and she would die.

  But they never did. Eventually the sounds faded out, nothing but the occasional growling rumble from a small group, maybe even a lone zombie. They stayed in the bathtub, afraid to move, afraid to make even the slightest sound. After who knows how long they silently started eating again. The food stock that seemed endless over a week ago was dwindling fast. They began portioning their foods. But even with small meals they only had a little over three days left of food.

  After over a day of no outside noise, they decided leaving the tub was safe. Anthony tried to stand, but after days of sitting his legs were gelatin. He fell back down into the tub, making a loud bang. If there were still zombies in the area they had definitely heard that. When their legs recovered and they could finally get out of the bathroom, they entered a place with no power, no internet, and very little food. They could no longer track the zombie progression online, and had no idea if they were still in danger. All interest was lost in card games, moving from place to place felt like a chore, and eating never satisfied their hunger.

  Days went by. Anthony and Melanie began to lose faith. But Melanie had a feeling deep down that if anyone was stupid enough to purposely cross the migration path of zombies, it’d be Tommy. When Anthony was considering trying to go find food, Melanie told him to just wait one more day. All that was left to eat was one can of tuna and a potato. They decided to split the feast between the two of them, and then go try to find food the next day. They finished their food, savoring the last bit of food they might taste for a while.

  Then, they heard a knock on the door.
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  Chapter 29

  ****

  That moment of silence following the knock would feel like an eternity for Tommy. He’d never been that nervous over anything in his entire life. Either outcome would change the course of his future forever. He heard footsteps approach the door. They came all the way to the door, and then silence. Tommy then looked up and noticed the peephole.

  “Melanie, it’s for you.” Tommy heard from behind the door, followed by another silence. Melanie slowly approached the door. She was confused, but deep down in her gut she knew it was him.

  The door opened, and Tommy stared into the eyes of Melanie Kendall.

  “Hi.” He said, anxiously, with a sideways smirk.

  “Hi.” She repeated.

  It was raining on this day, five weeks after they had started dating. They had nothing planned for tonight. Tommy didn’t even plan on showing up on her doorstep that night, his gray hoodie soaked with water. He came because he had to tell her, it overwhelmed him.

  “Um, look… I…” He paused, thought about what he was going to say for a second, and then blurted it out. “I love you.”

  Melanie’s eyebrows rose, as Tommy continued.

  “I know it’s only been a few weeks, but I just had to tell you. I love you. I think I’ve known since the night I met you. And every day since then… it’s just… reassured it. I’m incredibly… painfully in love with you. And, well, I just feel so lucky that I found you. I feel luckier than anyone in the world.”

  Melanie’s eyes watered, slightly, as she smiled. She grabbed him by the back of the neck, and pulled him in for a kiss.

  “You can’t just say things like that!” She said, still in shock.

  “Well, I did.” Tommy laughed. Melanie pulled him in for another kiss.

  ****

  That moment of silence following the knock would feel like an eternity for Tommy. He’d never been that nervous over anything in his entire life. Either outcome would change the course of his future forever. He heard footsteps approach the door. They came all the way to the door, and then silence. Tommy then looked up and noticed the peephole.

  “Melanie, it’s for you.” Tommy heard from behind the door, followed by another silence. Melanie slowly approached the door. She was confused, but deep down in her gut she knew it was him.

  The door opened, and Tommy stared into the eyes of Melanie Kendall.

  She began to cry as he embraced her. He lightly stroked her back as they held each other, the moment they had dreamt of finally occurring. He pulled her apart from him just far enough to kiss her. Tommy felt the tears on her lips, and the small puddle on his chest where her face had been. Melanie was overcome with emotions.

  He thought about their lives ten years from now. A house, far away from home, with a porch that wrapped all the way around the house, a couple of dogs, a couple of kids, a backyard with a pool, fresh-cut grass, and a double-seat rocking chair for them to sit on as they watched their kids and dogs play. One arm would be around Melanie’s shoulder and the other would be holding an ice-cold beer. All of this was real, now that this perfect girl was back in his arms.

  In fact, that was real, 10 years later. All of that would happen, except the porch didn’t wrap all the way around. Only the front, left side, and the backyard, the right side had the garage (can’t wrap a porch around that). And it had the heater and air unit that the realtor and developer said couldn’t and shouldn’t be moved. They didn’t think the wrap-around-porch thing all the way through. But the rest was real. They would get a yellow Labrador shortly after moving in together, and an Australian Shepherd after their youngest was born. They would have three beautiful children, a two year old boy named Will, a 4 year old girl named Quinn, and a 6 year old boy named Bobby.

  But that was all in the future. In the present, they would have to make the trek back across the state of Pennsylvania to the Fortress. Tommy and Bobby explained to them that it was the safest place around, because it’s the Fortress. Melanie understood, Anthony was a bit befuddled. Bobby and Tommy helped pack their belongings; the Kendall’s were still pretty weak from hunger and lack of sleep.

  They loaded up the car and hit the road, first stopping at a gas station to fill up and to take all the food they could grab for Melanie and Anthony. No better way to help the hungry than with candy bars, chips, absurdly stale donuts, sports drinks, and peanuts. Melanie, being a health nut, wasn’t thrilled at her choices. But after a week of limited-to-no food, she’d eat the seatbelts if she had to.

  “Listen, based on our drive here, it’s going to be a long and crazy drive home.” Bobby began, “Here take these.” They handed them a couple of pistols. “You’ll probably need them. We’ll do the lion’s share of the work, but I’m sure they’ll come in handy.”

  Anthony and Melanie were rightfully scared. They intended to go through the zombie invasion without any contact whatsoever. Now they were heading into the bulk of it with no preparation or idea of what was going to happen. Aim high, they told them. They were scared, but they knew what was coming, and they were ready to face it.

  Except they didn’t. The way home was absurdly uneventful. They passed like 14 zombies, total. Nobody even fired a gun, they just drove around them. None came when they stopped for gas. It was almost disappointing how boring it was. The Kendall’s had their minds set they were entering the danger zone; they were borderline ready to die like a Spartan. The Nagel’s wanted to show off, not many people had seen their zombie-killing abilities. But nope, they just drove right home. Melanie wondered if they exaggerated how many zombies they’ve seen and/or killed. They even got home the same day. But Tommy has Melanie back, and they all back at the Fortress safe, which is all Tommy could ask for.

  Chapter 30

  With Tommy and Bobby away, the Fortress would be put to the test for the first time.

  Before that test, the house’s inhabitants carried on just as they did when Tommy and Bobby were close by. Tracey and Jordyn read for most of the day. Nick burned through the DVD selection. Casey joined him, but was more focused on burning through the alcohol stash day in and day out, and nit-picking every minor plot flaw to Nick’s dismay.

  “Why would they go in there if they knew it was haunted?” She slurred.

  “They didn’t think it was actually haunted.”

  “Then it’s just a boring old house? That’s even more of a reason not to go in there.”

  “But, like there were rumors it was haunted. It’s suspenseful.”

  “It’s even more suspenseful now that they’re all actually going to die.”

  “They’re not all going to die.” Nick spat.

  “Yes they do I’ve seen this movie.” Casey slurred with a straight face.

  “WHAT THE… WHY WOULD YOU… UGH.” Nick got up and got a snack, and then returned to the couch to watch the movie where they all die at the end.

  Uncle Ned, however, was having an eventful stint.

  Uncle Ned’s delusions were increasing even more than thought possible. On one day, he thought the other members of the Fortress were his family members. Casey was Ryan, Tracey was Ben, and Jordyn was his wife, Julia. The next day, he believed that he and his family were all dead, and that they were in Heaven together. He thought the couch was a giant piece of chocolate, and tried to eat it.

  On the third day, he dreamt that zombies were attacking his house. It was an ironic hallucination. He found where the Nagel’s had left guns for them to use as defense. He loaded up a pistol, unlocked the front door, and swung it open.

  Tracey was reading in the other room when she heard the first shot. She ran over to the front door to see Uncle Ned taking aim, at absolutely nothing, and firing another shot down the neighborhood. The noise echoed through the streets.

  “Stop! Stop it!” She yelled. But Ned didn’t even notice. The rest of the house made their way to the front door to see what was happening, as Ned fired a third shot. He was unresponsive to their pleas. Jordyn tackled him to the grou
nd, and wrestled the gun away from him.

  “The zombies! We have to kill the Zombies!” He yelled.

  “Lock him somewhere!” Jordyn yelled. Nick and Tracey grabbed him and dragged him to the bathroom, barricading the door with a chair. Ned began pounding on it.

  Jordyn turned to close the door, and saw five zombies running toward the house from the start of the block. It was her first time actually seeing zombies, and it shook her to her core. She slammed the door closed and locked it. She knew the lock was just a delay, if anything (Did zombies know how to use doors?). They would need to fight them off.

  “Come here!” She yelled, as she opened the closet door that held the gun stash. Two assault rifles and three pistols, about two rounds of ammo for each weapon. The gang assembled around Jordyn. She started to distribute them, assault rifles for the Stacey’s, pistols for her and Nick. Casey dropped her gun, which fired a round into the mirror on the wall, shattering it.

  “Are you drunk again?” Jordyn snapped. Casey’s staggering attempt to speak answered that for them. “Whatever. Go make sure Ned doesn’t get out.” Jordyn said as she took the assault rifle from her and stuck the pistol in her waistband. Casey sat and slumped on the chair that was barricading Uncle Ned in the bathroom.

  “Nick watch the back door, Tracey let’s do this.” Jordyn said turning to open the door, but stopped when Nick spoke.

  “Why do I have to watch the back?” He asked.

  “Because apparently you’re 0 for 1 in zombie killing, Nick!” Jordyn snapped again. She felt she was the only one taking this life threatening situation seriously. Maybe Tommy and Bobby’s arrogant attitude about the imminent danger of zombies had rubbed off on the group.

  Jordyn was about to open the door when she noticed how surprisingly ready Tracey looked, like she’d been doing this for years. Tracey gave her a head nod that said let’s do this, Jordyn returned it. She opened the door to see the five had gotten within a few houses of them. They stepped out onto the porch, aimed, and began unloading.