“Please, God… Please, Lord Jesus have mercy…” Tarynn whispered through her prayers.
“Go the other way…” Mater whispered as she raised her head from the ground to see which direction the Eaters were going.
The Eaters followed the lead of the eldest and continued in the opposite direction of Drew and his friends. The two younger zombies, around the age of seven and eight, faltered behind the others.
Drew pointed in the direction towards the back of the Fairgrounds Center where the dump trucks and Humvees were parked. Everyone, right away, knew that the Eaters were headed towards the congregation of people that had just arrived. Drew raised his arm slowly and then brought his finger to his mouth. Each person rose quietly and gathered their things. Drew geared up with his backpack, and gathered Grace. The newly transformed bat swung freely in his left hand.
Drew pointed in the direction of Big Thunder. They all began to slowly walk towards the truck until Grace sneezed.
“I am sorry, Drew,” she said as she looked up at Drew with big watery eyes.
The sound from Grace’s sneeze alerted the last two Eaters, who were the youngest and fastest, of the group. The seven and eight-year-old undead boys opened their mouths releasing the most horrid of wails. Both had severe lacerations and bite wounds to their faces and necks. They held out their hands and briskly walked, stumbling occasionally, towards Drew and his crew. The sounds that erupted from the foul, deathly bodies were that of agony and raging hunger. The cries of the younger Eaters alerted the others as they quickly changed their pace. The entire hoard of Eaters was now moving in the direction of Drew and fast.
Fight or Flight. Fight or Flight. Fight or Flight
Fight!
“Go! Go! Go!” Drew directed at Tarynn. He gave Grace a quick hug and pushed her towards Tarynn. “Take Grace to the truck and lock yourselves in! Mater you stay with me!”
Mater nodded her head and assumed a fighting stance. She flipped her long French braid over her shoulder. She quickly pulled her hatchets from the holster and juggled them back and forth between each hand.
“No! Drew! You will die like Mee-maw, Maryann, and Jessie!” Grace cried.
“We will all die if you don’t listen to me, Grace! Now, GO!” Drew yelled. He looked at Mater who stood gracefully by his side.
“These young ones move fast!” Mater said as she stopped juggling her hatchets. She reached back with one of the hatchets in her right hand and looked as if she was about to throw a dart.
Grace cried as Tarynn pulled her away. Drew took off his backpack and threw it up against the tree. His wooden bat, with the knives sticking out of the end, was firmly gripped in his right hand. He assumed the familiar position that he knew all to well. Drew Jacks was ready to play ball. He glanced back over his shoulder to see Tarynn pushing Grace up into the truck. He turned back around in time to face the youngest of the Eaters who had lunged at him with vicious force. The boy extended his jaw to take a bite out of Drew’s face. The smell of rotten fish and eggs flooded Drew’s senses as he swung the bat like he was hitting a homerun. The bat impaled into the side of the Eater’s head. It immediately went down taking Drew’s bat with it.
The second Eater clawed wildly in the air at Drew as it got closer. Mater’s hand started trembling so bad that she had to close her eyes briefly to meditate and refocus. The eight-year-old Eater’s mangled jaw flapped as it gnashed its teeth. The Eater’s jaw bone could be visibly seen at it sprinted towards Drew. Mater threw the hatchet with much precise with it landing almost in the center of the Eater’s forehead. The zombie dropped like a fallen star.
Drew ran up to the Eater that he had taken down and pulled the bat from the stilled body. The zombie seemed to be finally at peace. Drew cringed at the thought that the child was up running around at school earlier just like himself. Mater retrieved her hatchet and ran over to Drew.
“The others are coming, it’s too many! We should make a run for it. They are not as fast as these two,” Mater pointed as she wiped her hatchet free of the Eater’s remains.
The clashing of teeth and tortuous moans hailed from the direction of the other Eaters. The eldest of the horde, followed by the others, scuffled towards Drew and Mater. He extended his jaws wide like he was yawning. The other’s followed quickly in pursuit of their new found meal.
“Run and don’t look back!” Drew yelled as he snatched up his backpack and hightailed it towards the truck.
The speed of Drew and Mater were no match for the Eaters discombobulated shuffle. Tarynn quickly opened the doors as Mater climbed through the driver’s side and into the passengers seat. Drew quickly hopped in, threw his bat into the dashboard, and fumbled for the keys.
“Keys are in the ignition,” Tarynn pointed.
Drew’s hands trembled so bad that he barely could get the truck to turn over. “Make sure Grace is buckled up,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder, “it’s been awhile since Mee-maw let me practice driving,” Drew said without a thought.
“Drew?” Mater leaned her head to the side and gently patted the bat sitting in the dashboard.
“Yea,” Drew responded as he occasionally glanced back and forth between Mater and the oncoming Eaters.
“You haven’t lost your touch,” Mater softly said as she imitated Drew making a swinging motion with her hand.
“Can’t believe I’m killing people,” Drew said. He looked down and ran his fingers through his already tussled hair.
“They are not people. They are zombies now. Eaters,” Mater corrected.
Drew turned the ignition and the truck would not crank. It sounded as if it wanted to start but did not have the energy. Drew looked up from the keys and saw the fourteen-year-old Eater, who led the other zombies, closing in. Tarynn began to panic in the back seat and recited a couple of fast prayers.
“Those demons are getting close!” Tarynn shrieked as she started reciting the Lords Prayer out loudly.
“Have faith!” Mater shouted back at Tarynn.
The vein in Tarynn’s neck throbbed, “Have faith? I won’t be worried about faith if I am zombie food!”
Drew hit the dashboard and tried the ignition again. After two more tries the truck finally kicked on and Drew put Big Thunder into reverse accidently backing up into a tree.
“Oops,” Drew said as he put the truck in drive with a big jerk and turned a full 360 degrees in the narrow road. Big Thunder nearly trampled the first of the oncoming Eaters. The fourteen-year-old Eater was able to grab a hold of the back of the truck. Once Drew picked up speed the Eater could not hold on anymore and fell off. Drew felt that he could finally breath a sigh of relief.
“You and Mater are more than welcome to come along with Grace and I if you like,” Drew said as he looked in the rearview mirror, “if not I can take y’all wherever you want and then Grace and I will be on our way.”
“You and Grace are all I have now,” Mater staidly replied as she looked out the passenger window.
“Where are you going?” Tarynn asked.
“Washington. Washington, D.C.,” Drew replied.
“How are we supposed to get to Washington?” Tarynn drilled.
“Once we get out of Wiggins, I will open the backpack Mee-maw packed for me. Might have some answers on how to get there.”
“Maybe a map might be helpful?” Tarynn pulled her fire, red hair back over her shoulders. Her face appeared sunken and tired.
“Don’t know how to read one,” Drew said. He tried to stop his legs from shaking. His nerves were rattled from everything that had just occurred. He still could not believe his grandmother, mother, and sister was all dead.
Tarynn shook her head as Drew pulled up to the stop sign that led onto the cluttered Highway 26. Smoke and debris filled the air. Random gunshots blasted off every so often. Screams of pure agonizing pain and terror were scattered throughout the town. The road had a different appearance than before. Various abandoned vehicles were strewn across the highway. Most
automobiles were wrecked. A few cars trickled through and onto Highway 49, which was no better than the highway that ran through the heart of Wiggins, Mississippi. Eaters were observed wandering in between the cars and around small businesses. Drew and the other’s knew what the undead were looking for. Live Flesh. Human flesh.
“By the look of things, we need to get away from here as far as we can. We will walk, hitchhike, drive, or whatever… because whatever is in this backpack,” Drew pointed at the backpack, “is important enough for us to go there. It might be a detailed explanation of what is going on out there. Plus my grandmother is ex military and she knows someone there who will keep us safe.”
“I think I have had my share of trusting people,” Tarynn howled as she reminded Drew about the death of her parents.
“It’s all we got… Either way, that’s where I am headed,” Drew said with assertion as he turned in the opposite direction of Highway 26. He refused to go through town where all the chaos had occurred.
“All I have to say is at some point we will have to find a bible. Count me in,” Tarynn said.
“I am hungry….” Grace mumbled as she lightly kicked the back seat. The empty pack of gummy worms sat underneath her doll.
“We will stop and get food as soon as we are out of town and I can think,” Drew replied to his little sister.
Drew took the only back road that he knew of in Wiggins that would eventually lead them to Hattiesburg. After about two miles of cruising the clutter free Project Road, Drew noticed a big black blob in the middle of the street. From a distance away, the blob resembled a mass of ants.
“Holy hot sausages! What is that?” Tarynn howled.
“Please, no more monsters….” Grace whined.
As Drew neared, his worst fears came true. The blob was an army of Eaters that ranged from the age of an infant, which crawled on the pavement, to the age of seventeen-years-old. The pack consisted of forty plus Eaters. The sight of the truck sparked an interest in the Eaters as they picked up speed and hurriedly shuffled towards Big Thunder. Drew slowed the truck as he pulled his thoughts together.
“I say run straight through em’. Big Thunder has this,” Mater said holding the door embracing for the impact.
Drew looked in the rearview mirror, “looks like we don’t have a choice but to knock em’ down like bowling pins.” He swallowed hard as he contemplated turning around. He could not risk going back into town where so much madness and mayhem was occurring. He turned around and smiled at Grace.
“Hold on tight, we are going on a roller coaster ride,” Drew fibbed.
“Yay! I like fun rides!” Grace playfully said.
“Tarynn start your praying. We need it now more than ever,” Drew said as he made the accelerator kiss the floor board.
Big Thunder promised to bring them through the eye of the storm and plow down the weeds as it raced to take the Eaters out. Drew shouted for joy until the truck went dead, cutting off midway, 200 feet from the gruesome pack of Eaters.
Drew began to panic as the Eaters closed in. He quickly checked to see what could possibly be wrong with the truck. He tried the ignition again with no success and again with it completely going silent. His eyes flew to the panel that held the gas meter. The needle fell below the red line. Empty.
“Oh God….” Drew whispered as the Eaters surrounded the truck.
Drew beat his head on the steering wheel and tried to think of how they would survive fighting off forty plus Eaters. Big Thunder rocked like a cradle as the undead took turns trying to snag their current meal. Grace began screaming hysterically in the rear seat as a mutilated arm broke through the back glass. The loudness of the Eater’s growls became so vociferous that it smothered the cries that flowed from within the truck. Drew reached back with his bat and started beating at the hands that invaded the back seat. Mater started chopping away at the disfigured tiny hands that smashed through the front windows.
Drew knew it was only a matter of time before Big Thunder succumbed to the zombie attack but little did Drew Jacks know the worst was yet to come. The next thing Drew knew, he was being pulled by his hair through the driver’s side of the broken window. He was able to get a glimpse of Tarynn trying to protect Grace by kicking at the Eaters. He saw Mater fiercely battle the undead that hailed through the passenger side of the window but it was too many. The burning sensation that came from the hands barbarically pulling his hair sent sharp pains that shot down to the bottom of his feet. It felt like his scalp was on fire. Drew tried to reach out for Grace, the only thing that kept him fighting but his feet slipped and he hit his head. The last image that Drew seen of his sister Grace was her bright watery blue eyes and arms reaching out for him. On his way out through the jagged window, the nest of Eaters embraced him…. Then the last thing Drew Jacks knew… everything went black.
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Death's Little Angels Page 20