"Come on, yo!" Bobo called out as he helped Uncle Leo up out of the hole. "The whole thing's comin' down!"
Conor took one last look at the grate just as it broke loose and fell inward, dozens of the undead toppling forward and quickly rising to their feet. In a flash, he was up the ladder, staring down at the rushing mass of bodies as he reached the top. To his horror, the headless monster that he had fought had risen again and was blindly lunging out for living flesh.
"Hurry, brother," Aiden called down, reaching out to pull Conor free of the sewer. Below, the zombies were trying to climb the ladder, their broken dead limbs slowing them significantly. They growled loudly in frustration, the whites of their eyes and teeth the last things visible as Conor shoved the manhole cover back home.
He took a look at their present surroundings, standing in the middle of a downtown street as the sun was beginning to rise, the wind having picked up, blowing dust in his eyes. What he saw left him speechless. It had only taken a single night and the city resembled a warzone, fires smoldering everywhere, cars totaled, corpses littering the sidewalks by the hundreds. Above it all he could see the hazy image of the Gateway Arch, though now the topmost section was missing, crooked fingers of steel jutting out from the breach.
In a near alleyway he heard guttural jabbering, more zombies on the way.
The others had taken cover in an underground parking garage, huddled together in the darkness just inside the entrance. Together, Aiden and Conor ran to them, pulling them all out of sight.
"This shit's not like all those movies, man," said Bobo in a hushed tone.
"What do you mean?" Conor asked, peering out at the zombies that lumbered out of the alleyway and into the street. They looked straight at Conor as if they had heard him speak.
Not possible. We're too far away.
"I mean you cut that motherfucker's head off and it got back up," said Bobo.
Conor raised a hand to silence him, then motioned for all of them to move farther into the parking structure. They ran through rows of vehicles, moving toward the building that it fronted. They tried the nearest door, found it unlocked and ducked inside.
Conor held a finger to his lips as he took a few tentative steps into what appeared to be a receptionist area and large lobby. The power was out and it was quiet within.
"Doris says I can have applesauce," Albert blurted out suddenly, his voice echoing in the room.
"Shhh..." several of the others said and then they heard a scuffled down the hallway. Something had been alerted to their presence. Something had heard Albert's voice.
"Oh, goddamn," Uncle Leo whispered, glancing down the hall. It was a typical office building with multiple doors on either side of the corridor. At the far end, they noticed blood stains on the carpet as if something had been dragged around the corner.
On its hands and knees a dead thing came into view, shreds of meat hanging from its teeth. In life it had been a woman, long matted hair now hanging in clumps from its skull. One eye was missing, only a dark, dripping hollow left in its place. Upon seeing them, its posture stiffened, single eye staring with hunger as it rose to its feet.
Mina screamed, her father trying to quickly silence her.
The sound of breaking glass exploded somewhere behind them as her scream got the attention of the creatures outside. Conor could not see them yet, but the sound of an army of the dead grew louder and louder as the monsters converged on their location.
The dead woman at the end of the hall lurched forward, running with an awkward gait, bouncing off the walls, leaving her bodily fluids in streaks as she rushed toward them, barking like a mad dog.
"Fuck this shit!" Bobo shouted and backed away, scanning the doors around them. One door gave access to the stairwell. He wrenched the door open and ran inside, glancing up and down the steps. "Come on, ya'll!" he called out, motioning them inside.
Vernon stood between the zombie woman and his daughters, his hands balled into fists.
"Get them outta here," he said as the zombie crashed into him, fingernails tearing at the skin of his cheeks as he tried to push her back. He shoved her away, blood running down his face as he punched her hard in the face, dislodging what was left of her nose.
Klaus abruptly appeared at Vernon's side, black-handled scissors in his hand as he lunged for the dead woman. After a few tries, he managed to bury the blades in her good eye, sending her spinning in circles as she screeched and clawed at the walls.
"She's blind. Let's get out of here," Klaus said, pulling Vernon along behind him.
Immediately the zombie locked on to the sound of Klaus' voice and came running directly at him. He side-stepped, tripping her and stomping on her head as she struggled on the floor. Her brittle skull caved in, soupy brains running out onto the carpet.
Still she did not die. She continued thrashing, attempting to stand.
"Bobo's right," Klaus whispered. "These are like the zombies you see in the movies. These things don't seem to die. Ever."
They were all in the stairwell with the door closed behind them when hundreds of the dead came crashing down the corridor, growling, eyes darting about erratically, searching for the living things that they had heard.
Aiden held the door closed, staring through the small rectangular window while keeping his face from view. It took several tense minutes for the horde to pass, their horrible noise eventually fading into the distance. He turned to look at the others, their faces full of absolute terror and hopelessness.
He held up his hand, silently asking them to wait while he pulled his cellphone from his pocket. He typed out a message, the others standing by for two minutes as he finished. Then he passed the phone to the others, allowing each to read what he had written.
They can hear a pin drop. We have to be completely silent. Turn off the ringers on your phones. Just in case. If you have something to say - type it like this.
Each person nodded as they read it, setting their phones to silent mode.
Uncle Leo handed his phone to Aiden.
Roof? it read.
They showed it to everyone, the majority agreeing with the plan. They were soon climbing the stairs as quietly as possible, occasionally hearing the disturbing sounds of the undead on various floors as they passed.
Reaching the rooftop, they found the wind strong and rustling in their ears. As one they slowly made their way to the roof's edge and stopped, staring in disbelief at the ruined city below.
"My God. This can't be happening," Gibby said, running a hand through his black hair. "Can't be real. Just no fucking way."
St. Louis was covered in a grey haze, an after-effect of the numerous fires and explosions that had occurred overnight. Some buildings in the distance still burned, the orange flames dancing above the horizon. In the streets directly beneath them were thousands of walking corpses, milling about, bouncing off one another as they scanned the area for new prey.
On the pavement between the zombies feet could be seen countless human skeletons, stark white and completely stripped clean of flesh.
The group stepped away from the edge, forming a loose circle.
"I think it's safe to talk, but keep it quiet," Conor said. "This wind is so loud, I don't think they can hear us."
"What are we going to do, Dad?" asked Trish, covering her mouth with her hand as her sister put an arm around her. "I want Mom."
"I - I don't know, honey," he replied. "Give me a minute to think."
"Phone lines are dead," said one of the old ladies in frustration.
"Yeah, same here," said Aiden with a frown.
"Well, obviously this is only temporary," Klaus said, referring to their rooftop refuge. "We can't stay here."
"Why not?" asked Gibby. "You want to go back down there?"
"No food. No water. No shelter from the elements. Need I go on?" Klaus said.
Gibby looked at his feet and shook his head.
"We need guns," Vernon said.
"Shotguns," Aiden
added. "Pistols and rifles won't help much against these things. At least with a shotgun, you can blow their head off or a leg. Slow 'em down."
"Right. Head shots don't really matter," said Conor. "All those videos games we played were bullshit."
"All right. Where are we going to find guns?" Gibby asked. "Don't you think the gun stores have all been picked clean by now?"
"Nah. Not yet," said Uncle Leo. "Gone take a few days for that to happen. First things first. How the hell we gettin' down from here, ya'll? Fly?"
"We'll have to go back down through the building," said Klaus. "It's the only way."
"Shit," said Bobo with a nod from Leo.
"We know it's not like the Living Dead movies," said Aiden. "Damaging the brain doesn't matter much, which makes fighting these things a real pain in the ass. Blinding them helps, but they can still hear the tiniest sound, zero in on you quick."
"I don't know if I can make it, man," Uncle Leo said, avoiding the eyes of the others.
"Why not?" asked Mina.
"Cuz I'm fat, child," he answered. "Straight up fat. Those stairs almost gave me a heart attack."
"Well, he's fat, too," Mina said, pointing to Klaus. "Just not as fat as you, but he's not giving up."
"Mina!" her father scolded.
"Don't worry about it, Vernon," Klaus said with a smile. "Guess my secret's out."
"He big, but he solid," said Bobo in reference to Klaus. "Uncle Leo... well...."
"I'm just fat," said Leo, placing both hands on his belly, jiggling it up and down.
"We're not going to leave you up here," Conor said. "We'll just take it slow."
"What if those things catch us?" Leo asked.
"Then - fat or skinny - we're all screwed," said Aiden. "Now everyone just relax for a few minutes, get a little rest before we head back down."
Aiden pulled Conor aside, shaking his head.
"This is fucked," he said.
"No shit," Conor replied, looking over the group as they sat on the rooftop, talking in hushed tones.
"These people are gonna get us all killed," Aiden said. "Young girls, old people, Uncle Leo..."
"What are you saying? You wanna ditch 'em?" asked Conor, with an accusatory look.
"No, no. I'm not heartless, but..."
"I know what you mean. I have a feeling that the next time the zombies find us, we won't be so lucky," said Conor.
"You ain't wrong," Aiden said with a mock-southern accent.
"I'm not sure what else to do. We have to get down from here if we're gonna survive," Conor said.
"Let's walk the edge, see if there are any other ways down," said Aiden. "Another building close enough to jump to or something."
"Sounds good," his brother answered.
"In the end, I'm not sacrificing myself for any of these people. Not to sound harsh, but... I care about you, Gibby and Klaus. That's it. If the rest get eaten, that sucks, but I'm not shedding any tears over it. I want to live."
"Hey, I'm your big brother. Been protecting you your whole life. I'm not stopping now," Conor said, slapping Aiden on the back.
CHAPTER THREE
There was no other way down. The brothers had walked the outer ledge for nearly thirty minutes, looking for possibilities, but finding nothing. As they came back around to the group, they stopped about fifty yards away and out of earshot.
"So back down the stairwell," Aiden said, studying the people, sitting in a few separate clusters. He found himself contemplating which might be the first to die. He could not decide between the sisters and the old people.
"Yep. If shit goes tits up and we get separated, find the van. Try to stay somewhere close to it and I'll make my way there as soon as I can."
"All right. Sounds like a plan."
"We need weapons, man," Conor said. "Anything to defend ourselves."
"We need cheeseburgers," said Aiden, closing his eyes. "I'm fuckin' starvin'"
"Heh, me too, brother."
"First, let's get out of this building, then we'll find a convenience store or gas station or something," said Aiden, his eyes now falling on Vernon who glared back at him with black eyes and scratched cheeks. "I do not trust that guy..."
"Vernon? Well, I did punch him in the face. That would piss me off, too," Conor said with a shrug.
"He keeps giving me the stink-eye like that, I'm gonna throw him off the roof," Aiden replied.
Conor just nodded with a smile.
They walked to the others, who looked up at them expectantly.
"See anything?" Klaus asked, squinting against the bright morning sun.
"Nothing. There's really no other way off this roof," said Conor as several of them dropped their heads in disappointment. "I think we should go now."
"Can't we rest just a bit more?" asked Mina in a tiny voice.
"I don't think we should," he replied. "The longer we wait, the more exhausted and hungry we will be. If I have to run or fight, I want to be as strong as possible."
"I'm still gone wait here, brother," said Uncle Leo, with a sidelong glance from Bobo. Leo turned to look him in the eyes. "You don't have to stay with me, Bo. I'm just gone give it a few days 'til everything clears out. Then when all those dead freaks disappear, I'll make my way down."
"Leo, come on, dog. You can't stay here. Those things could come up to the roof and then what?"
"I'll lock the door-"
"Door don't lock from the outside," Bobo said.
"I'll sit against it. Think they can push my fat ass out the way?"
"Leo-"
"I'm a be all right, Bo. Should be pretty obvious I can go without food for a couple days," Leo said with a chuckle and a hand on his belly.
"You sure about this?" Aiden asked. "We got your back, man. We'll go as slow as you need."
"I ain't gone be the reason everyone end up dead. I do appreciate the concern, though," said Uncle Leo.
"Mama said chocolate milk this time, Annie," Albert blurted out, his eyes crazed. "Chocolate, not white. I like chocolate..."
"That's gonna be a problem," Gibby said, standing to join Conor and Aiden. "He starts jabberin' when we're inside and they'll be on us in no time."
"I heard you, young man," said Albert's wife. "You're not leaving us here. I'll keep him quiet."
Gibby looked at Conor with a doubtful expression.
"You sure?" Conor asked of her.
"Yes. I can do it. He listens to me," she replied.
"I hope so," said Conor. "One outburst might be the end for us."
"He will listen," she said with confidence.
"All right," Conor reluctantly agreed. "Everyone ready?"
The others came to their feet, grumbling and with fear on their faces.
"The plan is to go back down exactly the way we came up. Get to that lobby area and out into the parking garage. Remember, anything could happen in there. Do not talk. Walk quietly. Use your texting if you need to communicate."
They nodded, following him with their eyes as he went to the metal door and placed his hand on the handle. Aiden was at his side, Klaus and Gibby just behind.
"Be safe, ya'll," Uncle Leo said, raising a hand.
"You, too, Leo," said Aiden. "Good luck." He then turned to Conor. "If there's anything behind that door, slam it and we'll put our weight against it."
"Right," Conor said, swallowing hard in anxiety. Something inside of him wanted to call the whole thing off. "Here goes," he said.
He turned the handle with an audible click, held his breath and slowly pulled the door open, staring into the darkness. He could see nothing inside, only the topmost steps and the metal railing that led down them. He pulled the door wide open, letting more of the morning light inside. All was silent within.
Conor turned, giving Aiden a reassuring nod. An emaciated arm reached out from the shadows to his left, tattered skin hanging from it as the dead hand came down hard on his shoulder.
"Conor!" Aiden called out, grabbing his brother by
the shirt and yanking him out of the doorway. His action pulled the zombie out into the open as its fingers had become locked in the fabric of Conor's shirt. Conor spun, tearing the shirt and putting both forearms against the thing's chest. He shoved it backward, its rib bones cracking with the force.
The thing hit the doorframe and collapsed to its knees with a moan, then began to rise once more. Its yellowed skin was covered in open wounds that did not bleed, its eyes shot with red as it stared at them with an animalistic lust. Its rotten teeth clapped together once as it got its legs under it and shakily stood.
Gibby ran to the door and tried to push it closed, fearing the noise would draw more zombies. He shoved it hard, but it collided with the zombie as it stood and with a burst of speed, it leapt at him, getting its fingers around his throat.
"Shit! No, Gib!" Aiden screamed. Conor rushed forward and slammed his fist into the zombie's skull. He felt the bone sink in under the punch, the resistance soft and spongy. It did not react, as if it had not felt the punch. Conor seized the thing from behind, fingers grasping its protruding collarbones and pulled with all his might. He could hear Gibby gurgling, unable to breathe as the zombie struggled to bite him.
"Aaah! Let go of m-" Gibby called out, thrashing his head about in an attempt to free himself. There came a loud snapping sound as one of the creature's collarbones broke in two and caused Conor to lose his balance, spinning away and falling to the rooftop.
In the next heartbeat, the zombie threw its face forward, sinking its teeth into Gibby's throat as he screamed out in horror and pain.
Klaus threw himself against the monster, striking it with his shoulder and sending it back into the doorway, where it could be heard to tumble down the steps. Klaus slammed the door and dropped to the floor with his back against it as everyone else converged on Gibby, whose neck was now spurting blood.
One of the old ladies pulled a white scarf from her handbag and quickly gave it to Conor who folded it and placed it against Gibby's throat. He applied pressure, but the wound was massive and the blood would not stop flowing.
"Damn...D-dammit..." Gibby mumbled, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. "I'm gonna t-turn into one of those fuckin' things, man....D-don't let that h-happen, dude. You gotta do s-something..."
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