by Eric Baker
“So… Deputy… you’ve gotten everyone down here, ready to risk their life for a fool’s plan, with only a handful of weapons to go around. Are we going to throw corn at the zombies?”
A few people laughed, and Josh felt the heat start in his cheeks.
“Well… Mayor… first off, you need to keep your voice down, unless you want to personally face the zombies out front. Second, once the Sheriff gets the attention of all the zombies, we’re hightailing it to the Sheriff’s Office and get weapons for everyone.”
Josh tried, sort of, to keep his tone professional. But he couldn’t help it. He knew the Mayor was crooked, as did most of the people in town, but the sad part of it was that he was good at it. Too many people were in his pocket, or owed him, to make any accusations stick. Still, Josh got in one more shot.
“Unless, sir, you didn’t tell us everything about the Sheriff’s plan. Anything we missed? Or you forgot to mention?”
Josh could see in the Mayor’s eyes he may have pushed a little too hard. But at the moment he didn’t care. He was frustrated, mad, and scared over what was happening in his town.
Jackson sputtered for a second, then he exploded at Josh.
“Now, you listen here you little…”
Jackson had thrown his arms out wildly in anger at Josh. His hand hit a bucket on the nearest bag of feed, throwing it through the air. It hit the ground with a resounding crash.
Everyone looked at Jackson with fear and anger. Jackson looked around frantically at them.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”
The front door shook with an impact that caused a pane of glass to break. A small piece of glass fell to the floor with a tinkling sound. The zombie from before was growling, his face pressed to the glass, trying to see inside the store.
“No one move!”
Josh spoke in a stage whisper, hoping they all had heard him. Even Jackson stopped moving.
More movement outside the door turned into two more zombies coming to investigate. The pushed each other to the side, each trying to look through the window. The bright sunlight outside and the dark interior was the only thing protecting the people inside. As long as they didn’t move.
The zombies kept bumping the door, and Josh could see the broken pane of glass rattling loosely. The small piece that fell earlier had gone unnoticed, but this was the rest of it. They couldn’t miss the sound of it hitting the ground. And he knew the door wouldn’t hold back three zombies intent on getting inside.
The first zombie pushed the other two out of the way, once again bumping the door. The broken pane of glass slipped out of the top of its frame and fell away from the door, catching for a second on a bottom corner. Then it tumbled down.
Josh watched it fall, knowing that all the people in the room were his responsibility. He tensed, ready to grab his pistol.
The glass hit the floor and shattered. From outside, there was a rifle shot.
____
Daisy was in the doorway to the kitchen, rifle in hand, when the gunshots from out front started. She paused, looking back at the front door. She held up the rifle in her hand, feeling the overwhelming urge to see what was happening. Giving in, she ran to the door.
Opening the door just enough to see out, she saw Eli looking toward the Sheriff’s Office. Then she watched him turn and fire almost point blank into a small zombie’s face. It and another one behind it both fell. Eli fired a few more shots before dropping the rifle, grabbing the shotgun and running toward the Office.
She watched the deputies shoot a zombie that Eli pointed out behind them. Then Eli turned and ran for the bend in the road. As he passed the saloon, she could swear she saw him look at her and smile. Her heart ached to help him, but so far it seemed to be going according to plan.
She shut the door and turned around. Once more, she made her way to the kitchen, headed for the back door. Almost there, this time a voice made her stop.
“Young lady! What do you think you’re doing?”
Daisy stopped, putting a smile on her face, and turned to face Doc.
“Why, what do you think, old man?”
She drawled out the ‘why’ in the way only she could do and then emphasized the ‘old’ part just to get him going.
“I’m doing exactly what Eli told me not to do, but we both know it’s necessary. I won’t let him face down all those zombies by himself. And you know you can’t stop me.”
As she was talking, she put her hand on one hip as if to dare him to deny her. In a dress, the pose would have been classic Daisy, sarcasm and beauty all in one. In her current state of dress, work clothes and all, to Doc she appeared quite imposing. Not that he was planning to stop her.
Doc rolled his eyes at her, then walked over closer.
“Listen here, you may think you know everything, but you don’t. One benefit of getting old is that you learn what wisdom really is. It's being around long enough to see people make a ton of mistakes. Then you don’t make them yourself.”
Daisy opened her mouth in shock at Doc’s outburst.
“If I don’t miss my guess, you’re planning to go out back, then meet up with Eli at the corral, right?”
Daisy just nodded her head in affirmation.
“So, I guess you were just going to pop open the back door and run on over. Did you stop to think that with all the noise going on, maybe there’s some of those zombies out back?”
Daisy’s eyes got wide, and she couldn’t speak. So, she just shook her head.
Doc slapped the palms of his hands together in exasperation.
“Tarnation! You young people think you can’t get hurt! Fine. I’ll make an agreement with you. If it’s clear, you go. If not, you go out the front when it’s clear, like we planned. OK?”
Daisy walked over to Doc and gave him a big hug.
“Thank you, Doc.”
Doc grumbled and pulled back, looking even more exasperated. Together they hurried to the kitchen and to the back door. Daisy did her best to ignore the blood stains from her boss, Frank.
Daisy reached for the door, but Doc put out his hand to stop her.
“First, we listen.”
Together they put their ears to the door and listened for a few seconds. There was nothing but the sound of more shooting from out front. Daisy looked at Doc, who nodded. Daisy cracked opened the door.
Looking out, she didn’t see any movement. Opening the door more, she looked first to her right and verified it was clear. She looked to her left and jerked her head back inside. Two zombies were about ten feet away, shuffling toward the roadway.
Doc took the cue and started to close the door, but Daisy stopped him. Looking back out, she made sure that the zombies had not heard the door over the sounds of all the shooting. Stepping out, she raised her rifle. She was deciding which one to shoot first when a familiar figure ran down the street toward the corral, followed by a shuffling zombie.
Without realizing it, her breath came out in a gasp.
“Eli!”
She looked back at the two zombies, but they were just as intent on the first figure as she was. She watched as they burst into a shuffling run, headed for the corral. And Eli.
Daisy jumped off the back stairs and headed after them.
“Daisy!”
She heard Doc call for her, but she couldn’t wait. She angled to the right to stay away from the horde of zombies that would soon come down the road. As she ran, she saw Eli drop the shotgun and wrestle with the ropes on the gates. The lone zombie got even closer to him, and Daisy knew she wasn’t close enough to help. She sprinted forward, praying she could get there in time.
Eli threw open the gates and spun around to face the zombie. Daisy saw Eli kick out with all his might, impacting the zombie in the hip. It spun around and landed on its back, reaching for him, growling and snapping its teeth in frustration. He brought his pistol up and shot it in the head.
The two zombies from behind the buildings were almost upon him.
Daisy knew he couldn’t take them both. Skidding to a stop, she brought the rifle to her shoulder. She made a snap decision to aim at the one farthest from him, praying she was right.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Eli aim at the closest one and pull the trigger. The other zombie lunged, and Eli tried to adjust his aim from the kick of the pistol. But the zombie was too close to bring the pistol to bear on it. Then the side of its head blew out, red and black, knocking it to the ground.
Eli looked at the zombie in shock. He had assumed he was done for. Looking to his left, he saw Daisy running full tilt toward him, rifle in hand. It only took a second and then she was in his arms, squeezing him tight.
“I thought… I didn’t know if I missed… Oh, Eli…”
She was out of breath, unable to speak. Eli pulled back.
“It’s OK. You did it. But right now, we need to move.”
He nodded behind her, and she turned.
“Oh, my Lord.”
The oncoming horde of zombies was getting closer. Manic, crazed faces with snapping teeth. The groans and growls were like nothing they had ever heard. And every shot just spurred on even more.
“Reload!”
Eli dropped to his knees and grabbed the shotgun, loading two more shells into it before standing. Holding it in the crook of his arm, he reloaded his pistol.
“Let’s go!”
Running into the corral, they stayed close to the fence and away from the animals, headed for the back.
“Once we get to the back, toss your rifle and climb over. I’ll be right behind you.”
Eli was keeping an eye on the livestock in the corral. The last thing they needed right now was to get trampled. The bull was the biggest worry. He was pacing back and forth, looking more and more crazed by the oncoming horde.
The bull seemed to make up his mind. At first, Eli thought he was going to attack the zombies head-on. It ran toward the gates where the first zombies were coming in, then it turned and ran straight at the back. The same spot Eli and Daisy were heading.
As the bull got close, it lowered its head and never slowed. Its massive horns impacted the fence, and the wood exploded. The other animals were right on its heels, headed for safety.
Eli and Daisy slowed as they watched the animals leave. The hole in the fence was only a little bigger than the bull. But plenty big enough to allow the zombies to escape.
Their escape plan now had a big hole in it. Literally. Daisy looked at Eli and asked what they were both thinking.
“What do we do now?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Eli looked at the hole in the fence with dread. The big plan he had come up with never felt like a genius move, but so far it seemed to be working. Looking back at the mass of zombies coming through the gates, he realized it may have worked a little too well.
He had known things most likely wouldn’t go the way he wanted, but he’d really hoped for better luck. That’s what backup plans were for. But since he didn’t have a backup plan, he’d forced himself not to think about it. Unfortunately, it seemed that Daisy would be the one to pay the price for his lack of foresight.
Daisy could see the conflict on Eli’s face. She guessed he was thinking about his family, and that he realized they were in a nearly hopeless situation. And after he had declared his love for her earlier, he was blaming himself. But she believed in him. She knew he’d come up with something. So, she would do her best to give him more time.
Daisy turned to the first wave of zombies, taking aim the way her father had trained her. Slow and methodical, even though she felt like running away.
Shot after shot, she kept firing until her rifle was dry. Fifteen seconds, one for every shot. The nine zombies she took down tripped up some others, but the rest kept coming. At least they had taken down most of the faster ones. She looked at Eli, ready to grab him and make a run for it.
Eli had broken out of his reverie on the first shot by Daisy. Looking back and forth, he knew what they had to do. He waited for her to finish shooting, counting her shots. Then he pulled her along with him, toward the breach.
“Run!”
They ran about a dozen steps when Eli slowed.
“Get to the breach and reload. I’ll be behind you.”
Daisy kept running as Eli turned around. She heard one shotgun blast then another. Reaching the breach, she jumped the logs, almost turning an ankle. She turned around and reloaded. Eli reached her with the first zombies only twenty feet behind.
Eli reloaded the shotgun as fast as he could. Daisy raised her rifle and shot as many of the front zombies as possible. Eli then dropped the shotgun and began to stack the scattered logs into a semblance of a fence.
“Keep going, I’ll try to create a barrier!”
Daisy slowed her shots, taking better aim. Her last six shots were all true.
“Reload!”
Eli dropped the log he was holding into place. He grabbed up his shotgun just in time for a zombie to get close enough to grab for him. Leaning back, he let loose with one barrel into its face. It fell back, knocking a few others down.
Another zombie lurched forward and fell over the breach, flipping and landing at Eli’s feet. He pulled his pistol with his left hand and shot it in the head. Aiming the shotgun at another zombie close by, he pulled the trigger. At first, he thought he was too far away for the pellets to do any major damage, but then the zombie fell.
“I’m back!”
Daisy stepped up next to him and started shooting. They were so close now she had to risk firing almost as fast as she could. Eli grabbed a few more logs and dropped them on top of the pile he had created. It was only waist high, but it would have to be enough. They were out of time.
Eli dropped two more shells into the shotgun as the mass of zombie flesh pressed up against the temporary breach. Eli knew the logs wouldn’t hold long. Daisy kept shooting until she emptied. Eli emptied both barrels into the horde at head level, hoping to hit something.
How much longer they could hold out, Eli had no idea. He was certain it wouldn’t be long. The townsfolk had to be coming soon. If they zombies broke out, they would have a much harder time killing them all. And more people would be killed.
Eli and Daisy both dropped their long weapons and pulled their pistols. Eli had one in each hand. He wasn’t as good with his left, but if he took proper aim, he could hit his target. Together they aimed and shot until they both had emptied their chambers.
A zombie was pushed from behind and rolled over the low barricade, reaching for them at the same time. Eli swung his pistol at its hand, knocking it aside. Holstering both pistols, he pulled his knife and buried it in the head as the body tumbled over on their side of the fence. The knife was almost pulled out of his hand as the zombie fell away from him.
“How many can there be?”
Daisy was out of breath as she grabbed her rifle by the barrel and swung it at hands and heads that got too close to coming over the barricade.
Eli was about to answer her when they both heard the loud crack of wood breaking. The press of the bodies was about to obliterate the fence. As much as it pained him to think it, the people of Dire weren't coming to their rescue. Now their only hope was to run.
Swiping at a few more hands with the knife, Eli sheathed the knife. Turning to Daisy, he waited to catch her arm as she swung at another zombie. He knew it would futile, but he would give her a head start, a chance to make it. He’d fight with his bare hands if necessary.
As the butt of the rifle hit the zombie on the head, thunder rolled over the corral. Except for the ones in the front that could see Eli and Daisy, the rest of the horde turned around at the new sound. The people of the town had finally arrived, and not a moment too soon. Eli didn’t wait.
“We need to go!”
Together they ran toward a small rise, glancing back now and then to see what was happening in the corral. Out of immediate danger, they slowed and caught their breath. Eli’s concern had no longe
r been the zombies, but an errant shot or two that might have caught them in the crossfire.
Topping the rise to give themselves a better view, they watched as the townsfolk completed his crazy plan to take care of the zombies. It had taken a while, but the couple was just glad that help had shown up when it did. They reloaded their pistols while they waited. Once the barrage of gunfire slowed to an occasional shot, they slowly made their way back to the corral. Daisy reached over and took Eli’s hand in her own as they walked.
Several zombies had gotten out of the corral along with those attracted from behind the buildings by all the gunfire. Someone had matched the townsfolk into groups of three or four, each watching the others back. Women that didn’t have a weapon were acting as spotters. When a new zombie was seen in their area, one person would take it out while the others guarded their back.
Eli was impressed. He idly wondered if the Mayor had been the one to organize them so thoroughly. Then he saw his head deputy, Josh, calling out orders. He should have known.
Walking around the corral from the outside, Eli and Daisy tried to ignore the carnage inside. Bodies that had been cut down but not killed still moved among the mass of dead flesh. A few of the townsfolk sat or stood on the fence, biding their time, until they saw their opening. Then they took the shot and ended it.
The slight wind shifted toward Eli and Daisy, causing them to grimace and hold their breath. The stench was close to unbearable. Eli knew they would need to burn each and every body to make sure the infection was destroyed. He felt Daisy shiver next to him.
“Are you OK?”
“I’m fine, I just… there’s just so much death. How is this even possible?”
She shivered again, and Eli put his arm around her. He didn’t have an answer. Looking around, he saw deputies helping people, watching for more zombies and pointing them out. Then he saw Jackson, standing to the side, watching him and Daisy. Eli’s blood began to boil.
Eli pulled away from Daisy and walked up to the Mayor. He didn’t stop until he was standing toe to toe, looking Jackson in the eye. All the past day's events flooded his senses and overwhelmed him. The death and destruction, the suspicion that his family had been killed by these same creatures, and the pain that came with it all.