The Smell

by Damon Hunter

  “Will it work when it’s disconnected?” Holiday asked.

  “It has a battery back-up which should last a week at least.”

  “I was out, what, two days?”

  “This is day three.”

  “Four days to get down the coast, snag your family and get on the right side of the Quarantine Zone?”

  “Pretty much. Maybe more.”

  “Maybe less?”

  “Yeah, so let’s get moving.”

  “You ever ride a motorcycle?” Holiday asked as they exited the transport. He pointed at a bike lying on its side in the road.

  “A few times.”

  “The road to the docks is not as congested as the bridge; it should get us there if you want to drive.”

  “Never rode?”

  “I’m more a boat guy.”

  Vance pulled the two-wheel high-performance bike upright, saying, “I was never into these crotch rockets, more of a Harley guy.”

  “You want to look for one or get to the docks?”

  Through his headset, he heard Ashley say, “You’ve got the horde on the bridge heading your way. I took out two more vampers but I didn’t get them all.”

  “Thanks. We have what we came for and are on our way out as we speak,” he told her as they climbed on. He fired up the engine and began weaving through the wreckage on his way to the water.

  He drove the bike up onto the ramp to the boats. There was a gate, but someone had busted it open. Holiday guided him to his boat.

  They left the motorcycle sitting on the ground, much the way they’d found it, and tossed their gear aboard.

  “It’s gassed up and ready to go,” Holiday said. “Until I saw the other boat get sent to Davy Jones’ locker, I was ready to make a go of it. I should have enough to get us there.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Vance said as Holiday climbed into the boat.

  “Untie us and get aboard,” Holiday said.

  Vance did as Holiday instructed, and soon enough they were making their way out into the open water.

  “We’re heading for the Pacific,” Vance told Ashley through the headset.

  “Stay safe, and stay on the line as long as you can.”

  “Miss me already?”

  “Yeah.”

  Vance powered up his phone. It wasn’t time yet to deploy the tracking device, but he wanted to see if there were any messages. If they got out, this would be a very different boat ride. There was nothing in his inbox. He sent them a new message, saying, “If you are still trapped, get to the water. I’m coming by sea.”

  CHAPTER 21

  Oceanside, CA

  They left Lumpy leaning against a car. He insisted, saying he was better staying behind to cover them than slowing them up. No one liked it, but he was right.

  The way stayed clear. One horde was still surrounding the Urban Assault Wagon, and it appeared the other had either not figured out they’d fled the hotel or had found someone else to go after.

  The service station was abandoned and unlocked. Whoever had been working had left in a hurry. Donna hoped it was because they escaped instead of because they became infected.

  “This is a goddamn treasure chest,” Bar said as he opened the cooler and pulled out a six pack of Miller Lite in bottles. He set them on the counter and started uncapping them, saying, “Love me some twist-off bottles.”

  Ana found a set of bandanas with Day of the Dead skull prints for sale by the cash register. She put one on her head and gave one to Katelin, who did the same. She held up the rest saying, “Looks like you can keep your shirt, Bar.”

  “You sure? I don’t mind,” he said to Ana. “Anyone want a drink before I dump these out?”

  Everyone but Donna took a bottle.

  When Donna gave her fourteen-year-old daughter a look, Katelin said, “If I’m old enough to kill people, I’m old enough for a beer.”

  Donna did not argue. Instead she went out and used her credit card to get a pump started. Luckily, the blackout in the hotel did not extend to this block.

  Bar finished his bottle of beer, while the other two took swigs and then dumped the rest on the pavement. Donna was glad to see Katelin had not drunk very much.

  Donna declined getting a car wash with her gas purchase and started filling bottles. Once she filled one, Ana pushed a bandana all the way in before pulling out a fuel-soaked corner.

  Bar went back inside and came out with a handful of lighters and a cigar. He handed everyone a lighter and used the one he kept to light his cigar.

  “You think that’s a good idea?” Ana asked.

  “No,” he said, “but all my best ideas have always been bad ones.”

  CHAPTER 22

  San Francisco, CA

  The plow on Dr. Talbot’s transport carved a path of broken glass and twisted metal down the middle of the northbound lane of the Golden Gate Bridge.

  He was confused. As they entered the city, he saw the transponder for the downed TMRT transport from the doomed mission into San Francisco begin to move. It seemed odd for them to decide to use the vehicle with an evac so close.

  He wondered if it was possible they knew what happened to the immune he picked up. With it being an actual member of the TMRT strike force involved, maybe someone talked. The soldier in question was well thought of, considered one of the best they had. It would not be impossible to think he had friends in high places.

  Things got more confusing when the transponder showed the vehicle heading out into the Pacific. To add to the puzzle, they passed the vehicle in question, still sitting atop the cement divider.

  “Malfunction perhaps?” he asked the vampire rotter next to him. Mikey had nothing to say.

  They reached the bunker and found the female survivor of the strike team waiting for them.

  “Where are the others?” he asked as his team secured the area.

  “I’m the only one left,” Ashley said. She decided Vance’s chances would be better without the TMRT getting in his way. While outright lying could be considered treason, she figured being honest while saying as little as possible would be okay.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I’m the only one left.”

  “Where did they go?”

  “I can’t be sure, all I know is they left,” she said.

  “How did they know?” Dr. Talbot asked, feeling sure someone had tipped them off.

  “Know what?”

  “Know…” he began and then stopped. She might just be an excellent liar, but her confusion seemed genuine.

  “Know what?” she repeated.

  “It’s not important,” he said.

  It became clear what had happened. The immune did know, they had to, otherwise why leave before being rescued? They must have gotten a boat. They took the transponder to keep from being sunk by the drones.

  The only flaw in their plan was as a TMRT member himself, Dr. Talbot and his crew could track the transponder. He did not know much about boats, but he felt he could move faster on land than they could on the water. When they went to shore, he would be waiting for them.

  “I assume you’re ready to go?” he said to Ashley.

  “Have been for several days,” she said.

  “Good, you can ride with my troops. Help out if you wish.”

  “Help out?”

  “Yes, we still have another stop to make before we exit the QZ.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Oceanside, CA

  Lumpy was transfixed watching the vampire rotter take command of the amblers trying to beat in the Urban Assault wagon. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. In none of their research did anyone indicate they worked together. If it wasn’t clear this whole idea of invading the QZ to make some viral videos was bad before, it really looked stupid now.

  Even though it seemed stupid, he did turn on the camera mounted on his chest to watch. He considered shooting it while it was on the hood, pointing at what Lumpy hoped was a living Deke. He quickly discarded t
he idea, picturing hordes from both sides of him converging.

  With the thing so close, he put down the gun and drew the sword. He was glad he did, because it turned suddenly and started loping his way. With it gone, the horde went back to trying to get in the armored Suburban.

  As it charged, he wished he had kept the gun; it looked far too deadly to let get within the close range the sword needed to be effective. He raised the blade as it leaped for him. Through blind luck, he impaled it as it pounced. He went down with the thing still on top of him with its chest against the hilt. The steel shoved through its body seemed to anger it more than it hurt it.

  Lumpy pushed it up, trying to keep himself out of range of its talon-like fingers. He saw he couldn’t get the vampire rotter high enough. A clawed hand dug into his shoulder.

  The pain destroyed his concentration. He felt it pull itself close, the infected, death-dealing fangs heading for him. He pushed with all he had, but it was not enough as the wide-open mouth kept getting closer.

  He didn’t know why the attack stopped until he saw Katelin pulling a hatchet much like Ana’s out of the rotter’s skull.

  She helped him push the monster off of him.

  “No offense,” she said, “but I think you’re too heavy for me to lift.”

  “None taken, thanks.”

  “No problem,” she said as she lit the bandana sticking out of a bottle of gasoline.

  Lumpy looked over to see Bar with a cigar in his teeth and a beer bottle in each hand. He threw one like a quarterback, trying to stick the ball to a receiver in double coverage. After it hit the Urban Assault Wagon he took a long drink out of the beer bottle in his other hand.

  Katelin lobbed hers in and it worked just as well, landing on the roof and spreading fire over all the amblers who had climbed up there.

  Ana stepped up and threw a bottle of flame to the other side of the Suburban. Once her Molotov cocktail was spreading fire among the mass of infected, she and Katelin helped Lumpy up.

  “You want a turn?” Ana asked, holding out a bottle of fuel and a lighter.

  He answered by taking the bottle and lighting the wick. Lumpy tossed it in the middle of a large group of infected.

  Donna started to throw her bottle, and Bar was getting ready to toss another, but they both paused. Except for a couple of stragglers, they were all on fire. None of them knew how fast it took a healthy human to burn to ash, but it seemed the infected burned quicker than they all thought a person should.

  “Shall we hang on to these?” Bar asked.

  “Yeah. You never know,” Donna replied.

  Bar walked over and pulled Lumpy’s sword out of the dead vampire rotter. “Mind if I borrow this?”

  “Knock yourself out,” Lumpy replied.

  Bar and the two girls with matching axes and headbands moved forward and cut down the remaining infected not on fire.

  Donna stayed behind, pulling a fire extinguisher out of her bag of gear.

  “Did we bring that?” Lumpy asked.

  “No,” Donna said, “I picked it up at the gas station. I had my doubts about the flame retardant you covered the car with, so I grabbed it after I paid for the gas.”

  Lumpy wanted to dispute her, but looking at the flames covering the Urban Assault Wagon, he couldn’t. “Better hurry, we don’t want to roast Deke.”

  Donna did as he said, only slowing down to crush the skull of a rotter who had avoided being incinerated with the back end of the red fire extinguisher. She sprayed down the old Suburban until the flames were extinguished.

  Donna glanced back and saw her teenage daughter tearing up an infected old woman, swinging a hatchet in each hand. Donna was not sure whether she should be proud or concerned. She decided, given the situation, she was going with proud.

  She turned back to see a young man, older than the other SWARC members she had met, with a military haircut and machine gun in his hands emerge from the smoking SUV.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “Donna, and you’re welcome.”

  “Thanks, you saved my ass,” he told her before raising the rifle. “Let me return the favor.”

  Donna saw the small group of amblers he was aiming at. They were too far to do them any harm, but even if they were close, the last thing they needed was a gun attracting more infected.

  “No,” she told him, but he was already pulling the trigger.

  CHAPTER 24

  Pacific Ocean

  “How long is it going to take us?” Vance asked as Holiday drove the boat.

  “A cigarette boat like this can do up to one hundred and fifty knots.”

  “How does that translate into miles per hour?”

  “One fifty is about ninety, but that’s top speed with clear, flat water. If the water gets rough we’ll only be able to go about half that. Plus, at some point, we’re going to have to re-fuel.”

  Vance did the math in his head. “So at best five hours?”

  “Or ten.”

  Vance nodded and moved so he could get a better look, saying, “Given the way you were yesterday, I’m surprised you’re still so energetic.”

  “Yeah, it’s weird. I’m wearing down though, so pay attention. I may need you to take a turn.”

  Vance turned on his phone, hoping for a message from Donna. There was no message.

  CHAPTER 25

  Oceanside, CA

  “Damn it,” Donna said, stepping forward and kicking Deke in the ass. “Stop shooting, you fucking idiot.”

  Deke stopped. All the amblers he was aiming at were down anyway.

  “What is your problem, lady?”

  Ana stepped up to them, holding two bloody hatchets. “Her problem is gunfire attracts them.”

  “Bullshit,” Deke said, pointing at the road. “I don’t see anything.”

  Donna stepped around him and pointed down the road going the other way.

  Deke turned to see a big group headed their way. When he turned back, a horde was beginning to fill the road coming from the other direction.

  “I see,” Deke said.

  “Maybe we should get in the car,” Ana said.

  “We need the keys first,” Deke said.

  “You don’t have them?” Ana asked.

  “You think I was just sitting there letting them pound on the wagon because I thought it was a good idea?”

  “I thought maybe you didn’t want to leave without us.”

  “That too.”

  “Where are they?” Donna asked as she dropped the fire extinguisher and drew her own gun.

  “Trey had them.”

  “Where is Trey?”

  Deke pointed at a pile of burning bodies by the front tire. Donna put down the rifle and picked back up the extinguisher. She hoped it had some more fluid, but doubted it. These things were usually only good for one use.

  It didn’t have much, but it had enough to get the trio of bodies to stop burning.

  Katelin had joined them and Bar was dragging Lumpy toward them.

  “Which one is he?” Donna asked.

  Deke looked at the bodies. “I can’t tell.”

  “Figure it out,” Donna told him, “and do it fast.”

  “Why are you in charge?” Deke asked.

  “I’m the mom.”

  Deke bent down and started examining the bodies.

  “Well, Mom,” Katelin said, “I think the time has come to toss that cocktail.”

  Donna nodded and lit her bottle of gasoline. She threw it into the horde approaching from behind. The fire took a bunch out, but the others kept moving toward them.

  “Ouch,” Deke yelled.

  They all looked at him, except Bar, who was helping Lumpy into the Suburban. Once he had him in, he used the cigar still in his teeth to light his last Molotov cocktail and throw it into the horde coming from the other side. Just like Donna, he did some damage, but the horde was too spread out for it to stop them.

  “I found them, but they’re a little hot,” Deke
told them.

  Ana took off her bandana and handed it to Deke. He used it to pick up the keys. He reached in and put them in the ignition.

  “We don’t match anymore,” Katelin said, pointing at her headband.

  Ana pulled another bandana out of her pocket and tied it on her forehead. “I stole a spare.”

  “Can we agree it’s too late for the whole don’t-fire-your-gun thing?” Deke asked Donna.

  “Thanks to you, yes.”

  “Good, have someone else drive, I’ll man the big gun,” Deke said as he climbed in and went to re-mount the fifty-caliber on the roof.

  Ana climbed behind the wheel as the rest piled inside.

  “Get us the hell out of here,” Lumpy said.

  Ana swung the car around as Deke manned the machine gun mounted on the roof. He unleashed a stream of fifty-caliber slugs into the horde, clearing some space. What he did not clear out, Ana ran down as she floored the gas pedal and headed straight into them.

  The Urban Assault Wagon broke through the mass and soon left them all behind. With some distance between them and the horde, Ana slowed down from way too fast to just too fast.

  Deke dropped down into the far back seat and shut the door. He left the gun up in case he needed to get to it quickly.

  “Where’s Dino and Jo?” he asked.

  “Same place as Trey,” Ana told him.

  He looked at Bar, Donna, and Katelin. “I thought the plan was not to pick up any strays?”

  “The plan kind of went to shit before we even started,” Lumpy said.

  “Besides,” Ana said, “these three are bad-ass. All of us, including you, would not still be alive and not infected without them.”

  Deke had nothing to say to that. He put a new pinch of tobacco in his cheek instead.

  “Where are we going?” Bar asked.

  “East,” Ana said. “I say we get out of the Quarantine Zone as soon as we can. Anyone disagree?”

  “I’m good with it,” Bar said.

  “Me too,” Donna and Katelin said at the same time.

  “You won’t get any argument from me,” Lumpy told them.