Escape from the Damned (APEX Predator Book 2)

by Glyn Gardner

  She dropped the blanket next to the kid’s pants. As she picked everything up, she felt the long cylindrical object in his front pocket: a knife. The kid had a pocket knife. She slipped her hand into the pocket and dropped the knife into the wad of blankets.

  After ass breath left, she retrieved the pocket knife from the blanket. The knife was actually pretty nice. The word Gerber was imbedded in the rubber of the handle. She guessed the knife was about four inches in length. She toyed around with the knife. Her hands weren’t big enough to open it with just her thumb. But, she was able to flip her wrist and still open it one-handed. She slid the knife between the mattress and the wall. A plan was formulating in her head.

  The Vet Clinic

  SSgt Brown, Sgt Procell, and Mike stood on the roof.

  “Look at how many there are,” Mike pointed to the group of zombies walking aimlessly around the parking lot. “Yesterday I could count the number of zombies I saw all day on one hand. Now, I can’t even count them.”

  “Must have been that shootin’ that attracted them,” Sgt Procell said.

  “Shit,” SSgt Brown muttered under his breath. “Well, I guess we ain’t going anywhere for a while.”

  He turned to the others. “Ok, we just hang out for a while longer. We keep quiet and let these things pass. Mike stay here. Procell, come with me.” The two soldiers descended the ladder. Sgt Procell followed the big National Guard NCO into the vet’s office.

  “How much longer do you figure we can stay here?” Sgt Procell asked.

  “I don’t know. I guessed after yesterday we had about another week’s worth.”

  “I’ll get Williams to get us an inventory.”

  “Good. How’s it going with the kids?” SSgt Brown had asked Sgt Procell to work with the teachers in training the kids on how to use the tools as weapons.

  “Well, they definitely aren’t exactly a Roman Legion, but they’re getting the idea.”

  “Realistically, what would you say would happen if we had to run through that pack out there?”

  “The kids would get slaughtered. They can stand in line shoulder to shoulder. They boys are even strong enough to drive one of those pitchforks into the skull of a zombie. But, the girls are still a little small and they’re all scared. The first time someone falls, they’re gonna scatter.”

  “So, they’re still pretty useless?”

  “I didn’t say that,” the younger NCO shot back. “You put four or five of them on the inside of that door out there I bet they could stand their ground for a few minutes anyway.”

  “So, they’re useful in the defense, but not so much in the offense?”

  “Isn’t that the way it usually was with the spear levy?” He was referring to the spearman of the early middle ages. They were often peasants who would be pledged by a feudal lord to fill the ranks of his master with spearmen.

  Valhalla

  Jackie had two more visitors that day. The first was another of the little punks. This one had a grill full of gold, and was a talker. He was 16 and his friends called him Pookie. He used to sell drugs and “run bitches like you” in Shreveport before the zombies showed up.

  He told her all about Valhalla and the man everyone knew as Thor. He told how Thor was cruel to the women, unlike Pookie was. He told her how many people were here in Valhalla. He told her that he had had Sarah earlier that morning, but she was old and Jackie was a better lay. And, he told her that there were other survivors at a vet clinic east of here.

  Her next visitor was a big tall guy. He was definitely not one of the punks. He was older, maybe 30’s. He was more reserved and quiet. He was dressed in all black. He was in good shape. She could see the muscles bulging under his black tee-shirt. He was too old for her, but she knew some of her friends would be all ga-ga right about now.

  She stood when he entered the room. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes said something else. He slapped her hard across the face. She dropped to her knees.

  “Get up, bitch,” he ordered.

  She looked up at him, fear in her eyes. A smile crossed his face again. This time it was genuine. Ok, she could see now. He liked to be in control. He liked for women to fear him. That’s what got him off. She stood up, cowering as she did.

  Good, she thought. Relax around this timid little girl. Yes, I’m so weak.

  He reached out with his right hand, grabbing her by the back of her hair. “Take your pants off,” he demanded. He loosened his grip as she pulled her pants over her feet, leaving her naked from the waist down.

  He released his grip. “Now the shirt,” he whispered. She did as he ordered. Although she tried not to, she could feel herself begin to tremble. His grin returned.

  She stood in front of him completely naked and trembling. His teeth were now showing through his grin. This is how he wanted her: Scared, vulnerable, and totally at his mercy. He raised his hand again. She flinched. He slowly let his hand rest on the back of her neck. It was almost an embrace. She was sure he could feel her tremble.

  Suddenly he shoved her sideways onto the bed. She knew he did not want her to stand. He stood over her as he methodically took his clothes off. The only time he broke eye contact was when his shirt came over his head. Jackie continued to tremble, her eyes begging for the big man not to hurt her. She could see that he was excited.

  Playtime was over. He lowered himself onto the mattress, shoving her onto her back as he did. He entered her with too much force. She let out a little yelp. This only served to excite him more, as he continued to thrust.

  For her part, Jackie was done playing also. Her arms over her head, she felt between the mattress and the wall for the knife. Damn! She couldn’t feel it. C’mon, she begged silently. No good, she couldn’t find it.

  She thrust her hips and upper body up and to her left. The big Herman Munster looking guy took her action to mean she wanted on top and let her roll over on top of him. She leaned over his body, pressing her breasts into his face. He reacted as she expected and began fondling her nipples with his tongue.

  Her hands slid back behind the mattress again, feeling for the knife as she continued to undulate back and forth on top of the big man. There! There it is! She stretched her arm and fingers, finally grasping it in her right hand.

  She picked up her pace and began moaning. Faster. Faster. Louder. Louder. She arched her back in a giant fake orgasm. The man closed his eyes and grunted. She could feel him finish inside of her. At that exact moment, she flicked the knife open and drove it into the big man’s neck.

  His eyes popped open in terror. Blood from the wound in the left side of his neck began squirting high into the air. She drove the knife back down into the soft tissue of his neck again. This time she connected with his windpipe. His hands came to his neck as he gurgled.

  He thrust his hips up and tried to throw her off, but she used to ride horses. She was able to stay on top of him. She kept driving the knife into the big man’s neck and chest. Finally he stopped trying to fight. He just lay there clutching his throat, trying desperately to breath. Blood was pooling on the mattress. He was coughing bloody froth from his mouth.

  Jackie was so relieved she just climbed off of the mattress without looking back. Later she would wish she did something movie-like. She wished she’d whispered something into his ear, something that would make him feel the same fear he had made her feel. But, he was already dying. What else was there to say?

  She quickly wiped the blood off with the blanket and dressed. She searched the big man’s clothes for some kind of weapon. The only thing she found was a Leatherman multi-tool. Well, two pocket knives were better than nothing she guessed. She opened the door and peered out. The hallway was empty. She could see several other doors that looked identical to the one she was standing in. She knew Sarah was behind one of them.

  She walked slowly into the hallway, gripping the knife in her right hand. The Leatherman was tucked into the left pocket of her shorts. She pushed the first door open. Emp
ty. The second and third were also empty.

  She almost screamed when she opened the fourth door. The smell hit her nose as she did. It was foul and made her stomach retch. There before her was a mattress, like the one Herman Munster was dying on at that very moment. The mattress was stripped of sheets and the head of the mattress and the wall behind it were covered in a brownish/red stain. She knew immediately it was old blood. Someone or something had been killed down here.

  She closed the door and continued down the hall. She found Sarah behind the last door she opened. She was lying naked on the mattress, crying. She looked up at Jackie like she was a ghost.

  “Help,” she croaked.

  Jackie knelt down and stroked her friend’s hair.

  “Come on,” she said softly. “We have to go.” She picked up the older woman’s clothes. The shirt was torn along one of the seams. It appeared that some of her visitors weren’t very gentle. There were several bruises on her face and upper arms. Jackie helped the woman dress.

  Out the door they went. Jackie stopped and handed Sarah the Leatherman. The older woman opened the knife and followed her down the hallway. They opened another door. Behind this door they found a young girl of about 19. She barely moved her head as the door opened. The two could see that her right eye was swollen shut and her lip was swollen and covered in dried blood. She did not speak when they told her to come on.

  Sarah thought that maybe the girl didn’t speak English. Her brown skin and long straight dark hair certainly made her look exotic and foreign. She tried Spanish.

  “Vamos,” she said hurriedly.

  “I don’t speak Spanish,” the girl croaked. She struggled to get up. Her purple and gold shirt was stained with blood. “I’m American. My name is Indira.” As she spoke her strength seemed to return. She reached her feet. Both women could see that Indira had been beaten severely.

  “C’mon,” Jackie told them. “We have to go.” The trio continued quietly through the hallway. They came to the stairs. A thin Mexican kid sat dozing in a chair on the landing. Jackie looked at Sarah and Indira, then at the knife in her own hand. Both women nodded their agreement. Jackie could see the anger in her friends’ eyes.

  They crept slowly up the stairs, listening for any indication that there was someone else up there. Nothing, it was quiet. Jackie gripped the knife tighter.

  She charged up the last two steps. The kid turned his head lazily toward the sound from below him. A glint of light flashed off of the steel just before Jackie drove the knife into the young man’s throat. It was so fast that he didn’t even have a chance to scream before he was on the ground. She drove the knife into his flesh several more times before turning for the door.

  Sarah and Indira passed her as she did. They hit the door at the same time, swinging it open harder than they anticipated. It swung all the way on its hinges, slamming into the side of the house with a BANG!

  Jackie cringed at the sound and ran for the fence that was about 30 yards away. When she reached it, she turned to help the other girls over. She cupped her hands and lifted Indira over the wall first. She turned to help Sarah, but she wasn’t there. She was still at the door. Jackie could see her on her knees holding her stomach, a look of fear and confusion on her face

  What the hell happened?

  “COME ON!” she screamed. But the older woman didn’t get up. Instead, she pitched forward, falling onto her face. Jackie could see blood spreading around her. Behind Sarah’s body she saw the Mexican kid still lying on his back. He had a gun in his hand.

  BANG! He fired again. The bullet struck the wall several feet to her left. She darted left out of sight of the door. She needed to find a way over the wall. There! She saw a large flower pot that stood about three feet off the ground. She should be able to get over the wall from there.

  She hit the pot at a run, still holding her knife, and leapt onto the top of the wall. She felt a stab of pain in her right calf. She let out a squeal of pain as she dropped down the other side of the wall. She felt her calf with her left hand, feeling the wet as she did. The knife had sliced her calf. Blood was running down the outside of her leg. She ran as fast as she could away from the wall, not knowing which direction she was going.

  Thor rounded the corner and saw the woman lying face down, a pool of blood still growing under her. He could see the bloody hole in her back. She wasn’t moving, but she was still breathing. It was shallow and weak, but she was still alive.

  He knelt beside her bleeding body as she gasped for breath. He grabbed the woman by the hair, lifting her head and shoulders off of the ground. She groaned, blood spewing from her mouth and nose. He leaned closer to her ear.

  “You stupid bitch,” he hissed into her ear. “You’re lucky. You’re dead.”

  She let out a slight moan.

  “Your friends won’t be so lucky. When I find them do you know what I’m going to do to them?”

  She let out a weak cry, then nothing. He felt her body go limp and her breathing stopped. He let go of her hair, letting her head drop unceremoniously to the ground. He looked around. There were several men standing around. Most were just soldiers. He’d lost most of his lieutenants. Lurch! Lurch was still here. There, standing there, awaiting orders.

  “Follow me,” he ordered. There was no question to whom he was talking. He walked to the gate, followed by what was left of his little army.

  “Open it,” he told the guard at the gate.

  He led them out and into the woods. He knew where the girls were going. They weren’t going to make it.

  The Vet clinic

  Pvt Williams was patrolling the roof with Mike. Since the shooting that morning, SSgt Brown had two guards on the roof. The entire place was on high alert and for good reason. Not only were the other guys a threat, but the zombies were becoming a problem. Zed had marched to the sound of the guns, so to speak.

  He looked back into the parking lot. Crap! There were even more zombies wondering around down there. Those idiots kept shooting their guns and every Zed in town kept showing up.

  “How many you think we got down there?” Mike asked.

  “Shoot, maybe 40 or so,” Williams answered. “A bunch from that last group just kinda stopped, and ain’t left yet.” He was happy it was a full moon out. He still wondered how many were close that he couldn’t see.

  “How’s it going up here?” SSgt Brown asked as he climbed the ladder.

  “Zed is startin’ to get real cozy in our parking lot,” the young trooper answered.

  The older NCO glanced towards the parking lot. What he saw took his breath away. He hadn’t seen so many zombies since his little group had rescued Pvt. Williams and his group of soldiers and the kids.

  He thought about the El-Tee. The guy was a bit of an asshole, but at least he was an officer. The role of leading the group fell to him when they pulled them out of the church. It fell back on SSgt Brown when the young officer was attacked by the late Father Albright.

  He looked at the panel van in the parking lot. Some of the engineers had acquired it a few days before. They had also found a fair amount of supplies. Most of them still sitting inside, waiting for the group to have to bug out. Now all that food and water might as well be miles away. There was no way they were going to get to it now.

  For two days now, they had been so worried about the other living humans around, that he had gotten complacent about the zombies. Now with the other humans making enough noise to register on the Navy’s SOSUS warning net, every zombie for miles was running around looking for food like a bunch of sharks circling a boat.

  “Keep an eye out and stay quiet. Everyone but Mr. Love is crashed getting some sleep. Let’s not make his night too exciting shall we?”

  He descended the ladder and walked to the reception area. There he founds Mr. Love playing a game of solitaire with a deck of cards by candlelight.

  “Sorry,” he says as he blows out the candle. “It seems that our friends out there have attracted quite an
unwanted crowd. From here on out, we make like church mice; quiet little church mice.”

  “How big of a crowd?” the older man asked. SSgt Brown could see the fear in the older man’s eyes. He’d heard what the teachers and kids had gone through before being found by the engineers. And, he understood the man’s fears.

  “Oh, I’d say we have about 50 or so close to the building.” The older man’s jaw dropped. He just stared at the glass door twenty feet away. “Yup, so keep it down and stay sharp.”

  Day 20

  The woods outside of Valhalla

  Jackie couldn’t see where she was going in the woods. There was a moon, but it wasn’t bright enough under the trees for her to see much more than a few feet in front of her. She’d already fallen three or four times. She couldn’t keep this up.

  She wondered about the little Indian girl. She’d decided she must be of Indian descent. But, where was she? She wanted to call out. She wanted to find the girl. But, she knew better. She knew there were dead around. She also knew there was living nearby. She knew they would look for her. She knew they would punish her and the little Indian girl for running. Please let me get out of here, she prayed as she ran.

  She felt her leg. It was still bleeding. How could you be so stupid? Slicing your leg on your own knife? Ok, calm down. Keep walking. You can do this, she told herself. She kept walking towards what she thought was the road. She remembered there was a big road somewhere when the men brought her here.

  She limped on. Occasionally, she’d round a tree and find a zombie. The first time she did this, she squealed in panic. The zombie turned and reached for her. She was able to get around it and it just followed her. She couldn’t really move fast enough to get away from it, but it wasn’t gaining on her. It just kept following her, moaning the entire damned time.

  She bumped into another one as the sky began to lighten. This one was a little faster than the first one. She had to jog for a minute or so to keep it away from her. This wasn’t that hard as she could see well enough to avoid the trees.