Knight of the Dead (Book 3): Fortress

by Ron Smorynski

  Steve realized both girls were crying in utter fear. The wall of spidery limbs seemed to surround them, being so close and chasing after their father.

  Steve pushed against many zombies running in and slamming against the gate. Lena and Lisa tried but their weight wasn't enough or their fear was too much.

  Marcus came up full of tears and spittle, gritting his teeth. He slammed against the fence, knocking zombies back. It helped! They held the gate closed for now.

  More zombies rushed in the parking lot and came upon Dad shuffling around the cars. He sliced many around him having his back against the storage unit. His swings were fast but not furious. They were controlled and effective. It was second nature now to sense the undulating movement of the frenzied zombies. Their incongruent steps made sense to his psyche now. He just swung at the right moment with zombie after zombie being decapitated or limbs severed. And he'd punch them, twirling them off to severe the next danger. Dozens were dead as he turned knowing he had to get back to the flame and use it.

  The storage unit hid him from the big massive thing. He had to confront it and quickly before he was overwhelmed by the zombies. The slower ones were forming, falling over the mound at the fence. They were coming.

  He hoped Nick was figuring something else out. “Get Nick to smoke these bastards!” Dad yelled through the fence. But it seemed no one could hear him above the roar of howling and growling.

  He rushed back and over the hood of the car. He could see Charlotte and Jake firing at the damn big thing when he got clear. He quickly fought his way past rushing zombies, to where the propane tank was. He saw smoke coming from below.

  The tank lay still, firing its flame, having rolled dangerously along till it stuck under a car. The flame shot up burning the metal but otherwise in this extreme scenario harmless. He leapt to it. Slicing through a few smoldering zombies.

  Steve tried yelling and jabbing at the beast and zombies, through the fence. He had no courage to open it and aid Dad. It was just so fantastically horrifying. Lena and Lisa jabbed with their naginatas, cutting up zombies and trying to stab at the flailing limbs of the abomination.

  Marcus just held the gate, as if he was holding it against all the zombies, keeping them out, keeping Dad out, but keeping nonetheless. He sobbed snot and spittle and gritted his teeth not knowing when he'd get torn apart.

  Dad could sense the thing, the wall of limbs as a hundred eyes from contorting zombie heads all turned in unison. He kicked at the tank, dislodging it, and then turned to prepare for the onslaught.

  Charlotte and Jake began shooting zombies rushing in, anything to keep them off Dad as he fought the tangled beast.

  He saw Marcus holding the gate with his minimally armored body, keeping them out. Good for him. Steve was trying to stab at them but was ineffective.

  Though a few zombies were lit on fire, it wasn't enough. He grabbed up the tank and held it better, pointing the flame at the oncoming. It burst clothes and flesh into flames, melting their putrid features, thwarting the masses from overtaking him or the fence. The inflamed zombies in turn thwarted more. He was getting the upper hand and the smoke was spreading.

  But the many-limbed beast was truly a beast. He saw it rise up, taller now than him, and scuttle in lumbering intent. Marcus whaled. Lena and Lisa tried to jab at it through the fence. Their reach was merely upon its edges.

  What could Dad swing at or burn? It had a hundred flailing limbs, many of those ruptured, severed, and bloody stumps.

  He pulled the tank with one hand, sliding it atop a car to lessen the weight. The beast scuttled forward. Dad hacked off the closest limbs and retreated around the car. The beast slammed into the car, instantly smashing its metal and glass. The car skidded nearly pinning Dad to the fence. He ran another way, slicing off more limbs and twirling with the heavy propane tank, swinging it awkwardly and away. He could not get within its grasp. It would entangle and crush him. He knew he had to flee from it.

  He saw many shots fired at the abomination. It was definitely getting shredded, but still came on.

  The beast rolled up against the gate, knocking Marcus and Steve back. They fell as the gate slowly swung open. The abomination's eyes, the evil visages, turned to stare down at them. The limbs undulated and contorted to raise it.

  Marcus and Steve stared up and froze in horrific fear. Behind the beast, smoke and flames framed it in a hellish image, something no man, no young man could bear.

  Zombies rushed in. Lena and Lisa swung exhausted at them, backing away, feeling fear overwhelm them.

  “Gaaagghhh!!!” yelled Nick. He yelled voraciously as he tossed a malatov. His hand was haphazardly wrapped and he looked delirious from the pain, but he persevered.

  Eddie helped, carrying several bottles of liquor. It hit the abomination but did not break! The bottle flopped and lodged within it. The flame spluttered. It lumbered forward.

  Darryl rushed up in front of Marcus. He swung at the many limbs yelling courageously. His swings were too fast, too weak. The beast grabbed him with a score of deadly grips. He could not move as the black nails punctured across his body. He convulsed in shock. It ripped his flesh and limbs, as he gnashed guttural groans.

  Cory and Stu rushed up, but stopped, gasping at Darryl's gruesome demise. Stu whaled for his childhood friend. Marcus screamed without sound, his eyes and mouth stretched to extremes, spewing tears and spittle.

  Randall rode his bike up, thinking it could help, but it didn't. He sat on it, staring through his motorcycle helm, stunned.

  Nick was the only one that seemed to move. He tossed another malatov. The beast grabbed the flopping bottle as the vodka poured out and doused it. It didn’t blow as intended. Marcus and Steve, staring up at this horrific thing, moved in slow motion, trying to come out of their paralyzing fear. Eddie handed Nick another who tried with shaking hands to prepare it.

  Dad charged, holding the tank up as best he could. It still sputtered a flame. It caught the spilled vodka and lit the beast on fire. The flames danced along it as it swung a dozen arms, knocking Dad and jolting him against the storage unit. It had many ruptured limbs and was disabled from the damage.

  He dropped the tank and swung up, meeting various limbs and severing them. He backed away as the flames immolated the abomination. It screamed in some banshee howl, reverberating with dozens of sick voices.

  Lisa and Lena found enough courage to advance and attack. They swung high and low at the limbs, severing it to a useless pulp as it burned. They howled in anger.

  Dad rambled back to them, coughing from the smoke. He hurried through and fell to his hands and knees, hacking and coughing.

  The beast tumbled and screamed from freaky mouths as it burned. The horde dissipated as Nick, Eddie, Cory and Steve tossed smoking limbs, spreading the conflagration.

  Lena hugged Marcus who was in tears, shivering and broken. They all stood near the fence, staring at the wall of fire and smoke. Beyond the zombies were enraged but repulsed.

  There was a mass of black smoke rising like a thousand tendrils from the lot.

  Dad could see something new through the smoke. He told no one. But down a street, atop a car, he saw the tall figure, waving at the minions. It was just a vision to Dad, but one he believed wholeheartedly. It was the goat faced fallen angel, tall, elongated, in a tattered grey robe. He had seen it before. The vision was so nightmarish, flashing in his mind ready to drive him insane. But he held onto these words, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior... and what did this beast matter? Naught to him! He shook out of it and gritted his teeth.

  The black smoke billowed, forcing them all back. Nick locked up the inner gate with courage, having to approach the burning beast as it convulsed in its death throes. Dad stood nearby, staring beyond. The outer lot was lost.

  They turned upon hearing metal clang loudly, above the constant buzz of zombies. It was the playground's gate, down below the parking lot. Its hinges gave and the zombies squeezed through, a few at a time. The
n the gate buckled as the hinge popped, with dozens upon dozens pouring in. As they rolled and floundered over one another, a few then more and more rose and flooded into the school grounds.

  28. Besieged

  “Let's go!” Dad roared. They rushed to the school's main building. They looked back as the playground was filling with zombies. Eventually, they'd find the ramp that led into the courtyard and would run up to surround the main building.

  They stumbled and rushed inside closing the metal doors. All were frazzled, shaking with over-charged nerves, numb in thought and movements. They collapsed on the floor. Their cries and heavy breathing echoed in the tiled corridor, as the hum of the onslaught reverberated their enclosure.

  “Darryl! Darryl...” Marcus couldn't sit up.

  Lena tried to hold him. He was dizzy. He was in a delirium of loss, once again. Could he return from this brink? Dad was unsure. Lena cried in hysterics with him.

  Stu rubbed his face, violently. His tears and snot were itchy. He looked on the verge of crazy.

  “Lena, water, get water!” Dad stood up to breathe, turning to see his wife hurry around the corner with bottles. She knew, was all Dad could think. She knew! She handed one to Lena, to her husband, to the others.

  “Thank God, thank God,” Dad moaned, showing an emotional strain. His wife stared back at him with resilience. Dad swallowed his dry phlegm, taking a water bottle. He took off his helm and guzzled it while looking down, keeping his eyes on his wife. She kept a hand on his armor, keeping her eyes on him.

  Katrina, flustered, ran in with more bottles, dropping several. Everyone took one. Little Amy picked them up and handed them out. She looked scared, fragile. Steve hugged her. He cried as he took a bottle.

  Then the steel doors suddenly banged. Amy screamed. Lisa jolted and screamed. Katrina screamed. The bangs became louder and growls rose from the outside.

  Jerry rushed from the other side. “They're in the courtyard!”

  “Close the doors! All of them! The cafeteria!” Dad growled.

  “They're glass,” Jerry moaned. “The whole wall...”

  “Get everyone in here. Cut off the cafeteria!” Dad yelled between breaths, hurrying that way. “The inner doors!”

  “The food! All of our food!” Katrina cried. Amanda and Eva rushed in, scared as ever, holding their makeshift weapons in useless ways.

  Amy cried below them all, but no one noticed.

  “Get it! Bring it all here! Everyone! Go!” Dad waved, ushering all of them. Everyone got up, staggering and stilted but knowing they must.

  Marcus wobbled on weak knees. Stu looked horrible, perhaps ready to kill himself. His teary and strained face was crestfallen.

  Steve tried to pick up Amy but was awkward, exhausted.

  “I'll take her,” Kristina said, shaking.

  Steve wanted to hold her, as if it were the last thing he could do.

  “Steve, I need you ready!” Dad said, shrugging to Katrina. Steve complied and Amy, sobbing, went to Katrina. “Amy! Stay strong!” Dad barked.

  Amy shuddered, trying but then hid her face in Katrina's shoulder. Katrina waved them to go.

  As they rushed through the corridor, the doors of the main entrance were already packed with zombies. They were banging on them, trying to squeeze through the windows. They became even more frenzied as everyone passed to the cafeteria. They crushed each other just to reach in.

  Dad knew they had to hurry. Those doors would hold for awhile. He wasn't sure if they could break them. A horde would need space to use its weight, and those doors were back within a structurally confined entrance way. The door frames were cement and steel.

  “Get all the food and water! Everyone help!”

  “Where's my wife!?” Jerry said. He scurried about. Dad had no time for it.

  As they passed, they saw the zombies slamming up against the cafeteria's glass walls. They saw them running around the courtyard and over many of the planted crops. They were coming in from all sides, banging their greasy bloody flesh against the thick glass panels. It was holding for now but the echoes of banging, scraping cannibals was deafening.

  Beth pulled out dog food bags from the industrial fridges expecting everyone to easily grab them up. Many could not, reeling and shaking. Eva ran away sobbing. Katrina put Amy down, who was crying hysterically. She grabbed up a case of water bottles. Everything was heavier than they remembered. “Come Amy! Come!”

  Lena and Lisa grabbed boxes of stuff, pushing them on Marcus and Stu. They dropped many things. Lena yelled. “Get it! Grab it! Come on!”

  Marcus wiped his slobbery face and picked up the heavy box. He growled in anger, ready to pounce on anyone who was in his way.

  “Jake! Get all the guns and ammo. Get them to the roof! To the roof! Get all the kids up there!” Dad yelled, readying himself to fight.

  Jake, shaken, looked at Trish. She nodded in fear. They took some food bags then hurried away.

  Tom and Steve grabbed up stuff. Cory took a bag of dog food. Rick Gomez, sobbing, took what he could. Amanda was strong, helping Beth load stuff in others arms. Ginger took a small amount, meandering back like a lost ghost.

  Dad then turned to face the glass walls of pounding zombies. And there, beyond the greasy windows, he saw Robert and Ellie, the older couple. They were trying to get to the doors, hobbling along the exterior walkway. Dad stared wide eyed through his helm. “God help them.”

  In the mass hysteria, the confusion, the frenzied zombies did not attack them. Dad thought they might have a chance. He ran to the steel doors adjacent the glass walls.

  “What you doin!?” Tom yelled after him.

  “Just get the stuff!” Dad said, hurrying faster than he expected.

  He jolted one of the doors open. Everyone within screamed, but he knew why and knew they still had a chance. They rushed along, hobbling as zombies crowded up to the glass walls. There was a moment where the zombies didn't realize the steel doors were an entry point. Dad waved at Robert and Ellie and they hurried over.

  A zombie noticed. Dad stepped out and sliced it, dropping it. A few more realized and turned from their bashing to attack. Dad swung to and fro, cutting them up. Zombie after zombie realized and rushed at him.

  Robert and Ellie made it past him, yelling “Hurry in! Hurry in!!!” and inside they went. He turned, swinging an arc upon half a dozen rushing at him, dropping many of them. More turned, alerted.

  Robert stood in Dad's way, like an idiot, yelling hysterically, “Hurry in! Hurry in!!!” Dad pushed Robert with such ferocity, knocking him down and grabbing the door to shut it.

  Fuck him. He needs to move! Dad thought furiously.

  He saw the zombies rushed forth and as he was shutting the door -- he saw HER. He realized in those split seconds Robert was saying “Julianne! Julianne!!” as he slammed the door shut and saw Julianne paces away outside.

  Through his helm, Dad met her eyes as his momentum shut the door. The last moment was zombies leaping upon her and her eyes were of shock and horror -- at him.

  “No!!!!” Jerry yelled, rushing up and slamming into Dad. He fell back and whaled. He got up to swing at Dad with his weak weapon.

  Dad tried to re-read the words in his mind, in his stilted delirious and exhausted mind. Robert was saying... Hurry in?... Julianne?... He felt the slam of the zombies against the door and the high pitched scream of a woman being torn apart.

  Dad gasped and looked up wide-eyed at the cursed door as it banged and banged. He hobbled back. He did not feel Jerry as he hit him. But Jerry did not hit him long. Jerry somehow knew as he cried and cried.

  Jerry grabbed Dad's arm.

  Dad turned trying to see but he couldn't. Everything was blurry.

  Jerry gritted his teeth and gripped Dad, but not angrily, not at him. He stared shaking at the door, at Julianne's horrible suffering. It was still banging and the cries were now gone.

  Blood spread from under the door.

  “I couldn't hear...” Dad tri
ed to say banging his helmet. But Jerry only heard the guttural laugh of a demon. He pushed off Dad and ran. Dad blinked, dizzy, as the roar of the zombies swelled the room. He heard the laugh, an evil guttural laugh. It was coming from himself! God has left us...

  Nick ran up to Dad. “We can use those doors we got. Maybe cover it up!” He pointed at the apartment doors stacked nearby. Dad looked at him, then at the stack of steel doors laying there. All that work in getting them seemed for naught.

  Dad looked at the zombies banging on the walls of greasy pounding glass. It looked bent, buckling to the weight. Many beyond were slamming against the front ones.

  “To the roof!” Dad growled. “To the roof everyone! We're going up there and fighting these fucks!”

  Amador grabbed up a box with dog food and water bottles. He looked strange to Dad. Was he guilty of something? No, he was horrifically afraid like everyone else. Dad did not see his wife or kids. No time to be concerned, no time to think of his family. Where was the Holy Spirit now? He heard that somewhere deep within his dark mind.

  The glass was cracking. It was some kind of industrial reinforced glass. The cracks were more of that car window safety crackle then pure brittle glass breaking. It would give eventually but held stronger than normal. There were a ton of zombies along the wall banging away. Fast ones leapt up and over, banging furiously where they could. Some were getting crushed against the walls, their flesh squeezed and splattering. Dad could see two larger one's looming amidst the filth ridden glass. They ripped zombies apart to get in, then banged their sledge hammer like fists.

  “It's gonna go!” Nick yelled, running back as fast he could.

  “I got the door damnit! Hurry! Get inside!” Dad yelled. Julianne's soul wrenching face flashed across his eye sight, blinding him a moment.

  Beth cried as they couldn't get everything.