A low but loud groan resonated from behind them, then, the sound of leaves cracking and shuffling aggressively. Tommy helped Bobby to his feet and they began to run. But only a few steps in, the leaf noises behind them changed to pavement. They knew they wouldn’t be able to outrun them all the way back to The Fortress. They turned around and faced the oncoming threat. The zombies could barely be made out, their dark shadows behind a slightly less dark western sky. Tommy counted 4, no 5, 6, 7? Jesus. Tracey’s gun let out a booming crack next to Tommy’s ear, knocking him back momentarily. Her gun was set to full auto, and she fired short, controlled bursts aimed high at the zombies’ heads. After she took two out, Tommy and Bobby quickly followed her lead. The three of them were getting good at this, real good. Bobby, on the far left, shot the two on the far left. Tommy was in the middle, and he shot the two in middle. Tracey was on the right, and she shot the three on the right, and a fourth that crept out of the woods. The whole shootout lasted about 10 seconds. Tommy had no idea how Tracey saw or heard the eighth zombie. He wasn’t sure if seeing in the dark or hearing over the gunshots was more impressive. Even more impressive, he thought, was the unspoken chemistry they had to take out the zombies that matched with their spot in line.
5:26. 4.6 miles from home. 4 minutes until (alleged) sundown. Devon Hill Road.
His satisfaction with their encounter almost made him forget how insanely loud those gunshots were on a still night. On cue, they could hear leaves crunching in the distance. But there was something different about them, he couldn’t place it. He then realized the crunching was coming from several different directions, and there was a lot of crunching.
“Run!” Tommy said a bit too loud.
They took off east down the curving Devon Hill. Now they were running at full sprint, even faster than the pace they started at. Tracey ran as fast as she possibly could, the Nagel’s staying at her pace even though they could go faster. No man left behind. Tommy hoped they could put enough distance between where the gunshots were and them, and that the zombies would make their way to where the shooting occurred, missing them.
Three zombies running out of the woods at them killed that plan.
They came out of the right side, and Bobby took them out quickly with only one missed shot. But, Tommy’s hope at a clean escape was squashed. Each time they shot it would be like giving them a GPS to their location. They had to shoot, but each shot would bring more zombies.
Tracey heard footsteps on pavement behind them. Two zombies had come out on the left side behind them and were approaching fast. She stopped and took them out quickly, rushing to catch back up with the boys who were now shooting at another four from the right side of the woods. She didn’t want to shoot around them so she waited to be up next to them to pull the trigger. Click. Magazine empty.
“Reloading!” She yelled, letting the Nagel’s know she needs covering. All three of them were fast at reloading, but if too many of them came at them at once, or if they all needed to reload at the same time…
Another 3 came from the left, and two from behind them. Tommy shot the two from behind quickly, and turned just as Bobby and Tracey took down the last of the three. Then another two came from the right. Bobby shot one, his gun clicked empty, and Tommy took down the other while he reloaded. Tommy saw one way up ahead, fired, but now was his turn to reload. It was madness. How many more of them were there? They really should have gotten silencers.
5:29. 4.2 miles from home. 1 minute until sundown. Devon Hill Road.
3 from the right, 4 from the left, 1 behind, four more from the left. It was too much to process.
“BACK TO BACK!” Bobby screamed over the gunfire.
The three of them fell into each other in the center of the tiny road. Tommy lost track of which way was left or right or west or east. All he saw were the heads of zombies. And he picked them off one at a time. That is until seven were charging right at him. He aimed head high and sprayed the rest of his clip horizontally, taking the head of each zombie down with his magazine.
“RELOADING!” He screamed, as he felt the bullets whiz by his head as Bobby covered him. The gun was so close to his ear that it probably caused permanent damage. He popped a fresh magazine in and picked up where he left off. He was done counting the zombies in front of him. It was too difficult; it was all happening so fast. The zombies fell in drones as they got mowed down by the automatic fire. To this point they never made it closer than seven feet away from any of the humans. The guns spat out bullet after bullet, as zombie after zombie fell in front of them. The bodies were beginning to pile up in a circle around them. It was almost like a very small wall to help slow the zombies down a step or two, as they climbed over their fallen comrades. Bobby ran out of assault rifle ammo, and pulled his pistol out of the holster. It was much slower than the automatic fire, but he aimed carefully, and didn’t miss a shot.
“RELOADING!” Screamed Tracey, right as two zombies came within a few feet of her. Tommy turned and took aim, taking them out before they made contact with Tracey.
As he was covering her, Bobby peaked around and saw a zombie closing in on Tommy, He aimed, fired, click. His pistol was empty. He reached for his knife, remembering he left it in the first zombie’s skull.
He was about to scream out to him, but the zombie was within closing distance, big brother protective instinct took over. He reached down and yanked the knife from Tommy’s leg sheath, and swung as the zombie lunged at Tommy. The knife struck the zombie in the temple, stopping his momentum instantly. It landed on Tommy without force, and Tommy shoved it aside. Suddenly, a zombie crashed into Bobby’s back, sending both him and it to the ground. Tommy dropped to his knees and lined up the shot to not hit Bobby, and fired, the bullet spray piercing the zombie’s skull. But it had already begun biting Bobby in the neck.
5:30. 4.2 miles from home. 0 minutes until sundown. Devon Hill Road.
There were only a few zombies still in the area, and Tracey took care of them while the Nagel’s were in shock. Bobby sat up, the realization that he had mere moments before death. He knew he wouldn’t become a zombie; he always had a plan in case this happened. Tommy felt his world collapsing around him, his face flushed, his stomach dropped, his body went numb. This can’t be real, it can’t be, not Bobby, how could this happen to Bobby?
Bobby stood up now and faced his brother. Tears started to flow from his eyes as he knew this was the end.
“I love you, Tommy,” Tommy opened his mouth but said nothing, Bobby continued, “Tell Jordyn I love her, for me, will you?” Still nothing from Tommy, Bobby grabbed Tommy’s neck and touched their foreheads together, “Get home safe, promise me, promise me you will.” His voice cracked slightly. Tracey’s gun chattered behind them as two strays came out. Tommy nodded at his brother. Bobby took his hands off Tommy’s neck and took out a flare and two hand grenades. Promise me you’ll always be here for me. Jordyn’s voice rang out in his head, he wouldn’t be living out that promise, and that pained him. But as he turned and walked to the west, he thought of the amazing life he got to live. He thought of all the times spent with his brother, he thought of his all of his teammates, classmates, coaches, teachers, friends. But most importantly, he got to tell Jordyn freaking Thompson that he loved her, and she reciprocated those feelings. He smiled at that thought, can’t live a better life than that, he thought. Bobby dragged the flare on the road, it lit up, and he took off sprinting towards the west.
Zombies ran right passed Tommy and Tracey as if they weren’t there. They followed the flare like a beacon. Tommy stood and watched his brother run off into the abyss, still in a state of shock.
“Tommy…” Tracey said in a pleading voice, Tommy didn’t register the voice, “Tommy, we need to go, please…” Still nothing from Tommy, “Tommy!” Tracey yelled, Tommy blinked and snapped his neck towards her, just as an explosion erupted a quarter mile down the road. Promise me you’ll get home safe. He turned and nodded at Tracey, and the two took off towa
rds the Fortress.
Chapter 35
5:38. 3.1 miles from home. Ontario Road.
Just get home. Just get home. Tommy thought, as he hurdled a fallen electric pole, making sure to land on his good leg. Now was not the time to let his emotions overcome him. He needed all of his attention on the task at hand. Bobby’s kamikaze stunt allowed them to get out of Devon Hill Road without any other trouble, but they weren’t home yet.
A combination of one and two-story houses lined Ontario. In the moonlight, Tommy could barely make them out. He remembered driving by and seeing some of them boarded up, and wondered if people were hiding in there. With his legs and lungs aching, he thought about knocking on a few of them to see if they could hide out until morning. But they were so close, and he didn’t want to stop even for a second.
Tracey’s breath was even louder than her feet at this point. She struggled with each step. When she wasn’t actively telling her mind to keep going and power through, her pace would slow. But she would always pick it back up and keep up with Tommy. That is, until her body’s core temperature exceeded 102, causing blood to deter from the digestive system to the skin to cool itself down. She vomited on the pavement. Tommy stopped running and placed his hand on her back.
“You’re ok, you’re ok.” He said, his head checking every direction, “Let’s rest for a few.”
“No…” Tracey was barely able to gasp, “I’m fine.” She tried to start moving again, but her legs felt like she had bricks for shoes.
Tommy quietly walked her to the side of a house, where they sat leaned against the white brick. Tracey was still breathing hard. Tommy’s mind tried drifting toward his brother. No, he thought, not yet, be strong, be strong. He tried focusing on everything around him. He felt the grass on his fingers, he heard the sound of insects in the nearby woods, he smelled his own cold sweat. Each lasted only a moment, just random flashes of sensory interpretation to distract him from his grief. He looked at the house next door, its windows, its siding, its gutters. He could make out the outline of a car, he imagined its tires, rims, bumpers, windows.
“Ok, I’m ready.” Tracey said, her breath calmed. Tommy nodded.
They stood up and turned the corner to see figures up ahead, walking in their direction. Tommy grabbed her and pushed back behind the corner of the house. She didn’t need to be told why. Tommy slowly peaked around to see if they were tipped off at all. Their pace was still slow and aimless. Tommy turned to Tracey, he moved his hands, palms down, towards the ground to indicate slowly. Then he made a walking man with his fingers, and pointed to the back of the house.
The two tiptoed their way to the back of the house, where grass surrounded a patio. They rounded the corner and knelt behind the stairs that led to the deck. Tommy peered through the wood railings. The zombies were walking slowly, and silently. Enough time had passed watching the road the zombies should be walking down, that Tommy wondered if they had changed direction. He leaned to Tracey.
“Watch the back side of the house.” He whispered, and she did.
Tommy turned back to the railing, to see the four zombies walking down the street. Except for one, it was stopped, staring in his direction. No way, no way it heard that whisper, Tommy thought. But did it see the slight shuffling of his figure? Did it smell him? Was it just a hunch? Tommy watched, motionless, waiting for it to keep walking down the street. They both knew what happened last time they had to fire their guns. Mayhem. They didn’t have enough ammo for another stint like that either.
Suddenly, a noise in the distance got everyone’s attention. It approached quickly. It was above them. The rapid chop noises of the rotors began to discern themselves from the dull hum. A helicopter. It got closer and louder. Tommy glanced up to see the lights on it fly by them all, the noise slowly fading away as the chopper kept moving along.
Tommy was confused, but decided he would process this later. He decided instead to enjoy the lovely present the helicopter had given them: distraction. Whatever it was that made the zombie look Tommy’s direction before was gone now, as it scanned the sky incredulously. The zombies moved along, leaving Tommy and Tracey in the clear.
5:57. 1 mile from home. Burken Street.
Tommy’s was full on limping now. His sprained knee barely supported each favored step he took. The gun in his hands felt like a forty-pound dumbbell, and the backpack he had on felt like a human body. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to remain focused, to not let his mind complain about the pain. Tracey was still struggling with her breath, but she knew how close they were, the proximity pushed her.
Burken Street had few houses on it, but many neighborhoods that branched off of it, like Andreas Road. The woods were not as thick as the other roads, so hopefully it would be easy to see any zombies in the moonlight.
But they wouldn’t see any on Burken, or Andreas.
6:03. 0.25 miles from home. Andreas Road
Tommy’s heart pounded as he turned onto his road, and then skipped a beat when he looked down the block to the Fortress. He’d never been so relieved to see the home he grew up in. Safety waited behind those doors, but so did despair.
They ran all the way up to the door, where the members of the Fortress were all waiting anxiously. They were understandably nervous, the trip having taken much longer than they were told it would. Excitement filled the room when Nick called out the figures running down the street, but was immediately replaced with alarm when they realized it was only two.
The door opened before Tommy and Tracey reached the front steps, and they poured through it. They made it. They were safe. Nick shut the door. Melanie ran and threw her arms around Tommy, he didn’t return the hug.
“Where’s Bobby?” Jordyn said, tears forming, her voice shaking, “Oh god, oh god where’s Bobby?”
Tommy didn’t answer. He fulfilled his promise to Bobby, he made it home safe. And now, he could let his emotions back in. He collapsed onto his knees, falling out of Melanie’s arms. His hands cupping his face, he wept.
Chapter 36
Dear Bobby,
I’m not sure where to even begin with writing this. You already know how much you mean to me. How much I love you. How thankful I am to have had you to look up to my whole life. You basically raised me, while still working hard at everything you did. You set the bar high for what being a man now means to me.
I was too young to really remember our parents, but I remember after their death how you spent more time making sure I was ok and taking care of me than you did grieving yourself. You were just a kid. Even in their death I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I was to still have you.
It’s been four days since you died. And although the pain still eats away at me, it’s getting better. And I know it will keep getting better. Life will never be the same without you, I mean damn, without you and Keith my groomsmen list is shrinking fast. Who’s going to be my best man, Bobby?
The K-9 version of Bobby, that is. Jordyn named the dog after you. Apparently whenever she has cried, the dog has hopped into her lap, licked her face, and snuggled her until she stopped crying. She said it reminded her of when she would sneak into our room at night as a kid. You used to lick her face? What the hell, man.
Jordyn is in the same boat as me, still struggling with it a little but getting better. She’ll be ok, she’s a tough one. I’ve known you longer so tell her to stop stealing some of my grief sympathy. But seriously, thank God you two FINALLY told each other how you felt before this happened. I would’ve been really pissed if you died without telling her.
Hopefully this zombie crap will be over soon. But in case it won’t be I’m going to train Anthony to take your spot on the team. His athleticism is average, but he used to play in airsoft gun tournaments so he should be a decent shot. Plus Tracey can just carry the team if he sucks, she's badass.
Anyway, Bobby you mean the world to me. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. For now I’m just going to take it one day at a tim
e. And hopefully I can wake up one day without a pit in my stomach. You’ll always be my brother, Bobby. And I’ll always be looking up to you, or, looking up at you.
Love,
Tommy
“Hey babe, you ready?” Melanie said with a soft voice, putting her hand on his shoulder.
Tommy was re-reading his letter to Bobby for the fifth time. Each time it became harder and harder to read. He started to be overly-critical of something that would be buried underground and never read by another living human. But he just felt as if Bobby would see it, somehow, and he wanted it to be perfect. But he finally decided it was good enough.
“Yeah, I’m ready.” Tommy said, standing up and heading downstairs with Melanie.
The rest of the Fortress was already downstairs, waiting by the back door to head out back. Casey had already planted the cardboard tombstone outside, next to Matt’s. The two looked identical except for the different names. Jordyn held K-9 Bobby, her eyes were teary but her face showed acceptance. Tommy hugged Jordyn as tight as he could without squishing the dog in her chest. They each looked at each other with the same “I’m sorry this happened to you” face.
The gang made their way outside and were immediately blasted with a cold gust of wind. It was freezing and wind chill made it feel like they were in negative degrees. It had been cold like this every day since Bobby died, but none of them had been outside until today. The sun was out though, providing them with a hint of warmth in between wind gusts. They huddled around the tombstone.
Every member of the group either gave a short one to two sentence sentiment or put a note in the small hole Casey dug. Tommy put his note in, along with the baseball card of young Bobby’s favorite player, Nomar Garciaparra. Jordyn was last to speak.
The Fortress Page 16