“I can distinctly remember how my world became turned upside down. One morning I awakened to attend classes; and before the day was over, I had met a beautiful girl, and we were immediately cast into a battle. In fact, Angelica calls it the Battle of Immortal Spirits. But to be truthful with you, I still don’t understand all this,” said Michael.
“How so?” asked Arnie.
This caused Michael to realize how quickly things had changed and that he couldn’t possibly reveal all the details. At one point, he considered Angelica to be an angel; but now he was not so sure about that. Obviously she had changed, but just what she was before that change had taken place was still unclear. However, he needed to answer his companion. “What do people think led to the rising of the undead? Obviously there was some speculation before it deteriorated to this,” said Michael.
“That’s what is so puzzling. Clearly all of this had a beginning, but who knows what started it. The parasites that entered the brains of the dead evidently caused them to climb from the grave, but why now?” asked Arnie.
“Well some think the officials allowed it to get out of control because they had an ulterior motive. Now their worst nightmare has been unleashed. By the way, where are these officials now?” asked Michael with a plan in mind.
“Nobody knows. I suppose they have been eaten by zombies. After that they were most likely turned and, in fact, they may be in that burning building as we speak,” said Arnie.
“If only we were so lucky,” said Michael. He was both angry and relieved by the sound of that prediction.
“Do you think the girls’ plan will work?”
“Why not? It worked for us. If we can manage to get the zombies to chase after us into the building, we may actually win this battle,” said Michael.
“Yes, but how are we going to do that? Those things are scattered everywhere,” said Arnie.
“That my friend is up to us. So if you don’t mind, we need to get a couple hours of sleep before morning,” said Michael. They lay back on the soft grass covered ground and closed their eyes. However, sleep was elusive.
Moments later the silence was broken. “I’m not sleepy,” said Arnie.
“Me neither,” replied Michael, rising from the ground. “We just as well do something useful.”
“What do you have in mind?” asked Arnie, following suit.
“Do you think you can find that fertilizer plant in the dark?”
“I know this place like the back of my hand,” replied Arnie.
“Then where do you suppose the rest of the zombies are holding out?”
“Oh, I know exactly where to find the majority of them, but are you sure you want to do that? Why not wait until morning?” asked Arnie.
“I figure it will take a while to get them assembled at the warehouse. Once we start, we will have to finish.”
“You are right, but shouldn’t we run this by Angelica first? Won’t she be angry with us for starting without the girls?” asked Arnie.
“You let me handle Angelica. You saw how she kissed me. That girl is in love.”
“Yes, and I saw how you kissed her too. You are smitten, my friend,” said Arnie.
After remembering her warning, Michael could hear the very words she had spoken to him. “Pride goes before the fall,” mumbled Michael.
His companion barely heard him. However, he decided to focus on other matters. “You understand the risks involved in doing this, don’t you?” asked Arnie.
“It couldn’t be any worse than what we have already been through.”
“You are wrong about that. This bunch of zombies are scattered everywhere, and we will have to move right in the heart of them. By now they are starving and would like nothing better than to eat our brains,” said Arnie.
“You speak as if they can think.”
“To be truthful, I don’t really know what goes on inside their heads,” said Arnie.
“They don’t have a soul, and their brains are controlled by a parasite thus living up to their name. They are zombies, my friend.”
“I suppose you are right,” said Arnie, shrugging his shoulders.
“I know I am right,” replied Michael. “Besides we couldn’t destroy them if we thought otherwise.”
“That’s true and those dead people need to be sent back to their graves,” said Arnie. “But I can’t help thinking there is something else controlling them.”
“It’s probably the demons. So no worries, mate.”
“Now you are scaring me. What if you are right?” asked Arnie.
“Then we destroy the demons too. Now are you ready, Mighty Rambo?” He began walking in the opposite direction of the raging fire.
“Hey, you don’t know where you are going,” said Arnie. Taking the lead, the proud little man took charge. “Follow me, mighty warrior.”
“I got your back. Now let’s rumble,” said Michael.
“I like the sound of that. We just may survive this after all,” said Arnie.
“Not only are we going to survive, we are going to show the world how to take back their lives from the zombies,” said Michael.
“For some strange reason, I believe you.”
“Just for the record, where are we going?” asked Michael.
“There is a huge rock pit, and I figure we will find our stinky friends hiding out there. Of course the stupid things are not actually hiding. They congregate there. I suppose that would be the correct term.”
This disturbed Michael. “Just how far from the warehouse is this rock pit?”
“I don’t know—a couple of miles I guess. Why do you ask?”
“Will we be able to convince them to chase us that far?” questioned Michael.
“Believe me that won’t be a problem at all. They will chase us half way around the world to pick the flesh from our brains,” said Arnie. That still didn’t set well at all, and it showed on his face. “You worry too much. Just look at it this way. After this we will either beat them or join them.” They laughed, mostly because it was true.
“What the heck, you only live once,” said Michael.
“Unless we become a zombie,” Arnie reminded.
“I’m beginning not to like you,” said Michael, picking up the pace to catch his friend. That only fueled the nervous laughter. Silence followed them for the remainder of the lengthy journey.
As the pit came into view, Arnie dropped to his knees. Out of breath, he began to explain how this was going down. “Do you see that tall conveyor? Look beneath it and you should notice several zombies scattered about,” said Arnie. Focusing his eyes in the darkness, Michael soon discovered what he was referring to. “Okay, our best bet is the surprise them by making as much noise as possible.”
“Then what?” asked Michael not liking the plan so far.
“We run like hell and don’t look back.”
“That is not a plan. That’s suicide,” complained Michael. The little guy laughed in the face of danger. Maybe it reminded him of his days in the ring. For whatever reason, he was thrilled by the challenge. Without further discussing the matter, he took off in a run while yelling insults to the top of his voice. Michael could only follow. The plan, if one could call it that, was already set in motion. With the grown men approaching while acting like kids at an amusement part, the zombies quickly chased after them. However, there was one minor problem that they hadn’t counted on. In fact, it was a huge problem. There were zombies in places they could never in their wildest imagination have expected.
“Oh, crap, we are in a heap of trouble!” yelled Arnie.
“Don’t tell those guys that will only encourage them.”
“These stupid corpses don’t understand what I am saying,” yelled Arnie, dodging them left and right. The club in his hand was of little benefit at the moment. There were simply too many of the creatures to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Michael, on the other hand, was taking them on with the samara sword. He would love to have a few bullets for the sig, but for now that was o
nly wishful thinking.
“There is only one thing dumber than a zombie,” yelled Michael.
“Yeah and what could be dumber than a rock.”
“Us my little man, you and me,” said Michael. They laughed at the way that sounded. Again, it was obviously true, but they refused to give up. Then it finally happened. Arnie had gotten himself into a jam. Being cornered, he took the only feasible way out. However, climbing onto the conveyor would only buy him a little time, just minutes to be more precise. Immediately Michael sought a way to help his companion. With few options to choose from, he took the first one that came to mind. “I wonder if they still have power in this dump.” Not expecting anything to happen, he pressed the red button. When the lights came on and the belt began moving, he was in shock.
“Hey down there! What are you trying to do? Kill me?” yelled Arnie. However, the noise from the huge electric motors and the rock grinder far below prevented him from being heard. “Oh crap, I guess this is it.” The agile former wrestler hopped around like a squirrel leaving the zombies to continue moving right past him. They attempted to fight against the conveyor but to no avail. One by one they fell from the dizzying heights and into the rock crusher below. Now Arnie could see the wisdom of this change in plans. His companion had saved his life. Yet, the creatures kept coming, leaving Arnie to dodge them the best he could. Even for the former wrestler, this was a very tiring experience. The sound of the grinder some hundred feet below was enough incentive to keep him going. Yet, the zombies kept coming as each wanted to be the first to pick his brains, literally. With arms stretched, the smelly beast reached for him. Once they latched on, Arnie knew that would be the end. He would never be able to shake them.
Finally, being out of breath, he was ready to give up. As he slumped to the belt in a sitting position, he called out to his companion. “I can’t keep up with the belt, my friend. Take care of the girls for me.” With the top of the line near and a never ending supply of zombies encroaching from the bottom, Arnie was doomed.
Chapter 15
While lying on the surface of the slow moving belt, one of the beasts ran upon Arnie. Then, suddenly the belt came to a complete stop. Startled at first and out of breath, Arnie quickly rose to fight again. But, it was hopeless and he knew it. There was nowhere to go except down, and the zombies blocked his only logical escape.
“Hey, you pathetic piece of decaying flesh, come and get me. My brain is bigger than Arnie’s,” yelled Michael. Seemingly unconcerned about the presence of the little man, the creatures turned and ran toward Michael. Before long, Arnie was following along behind them, discretely of course.
When the last of the zombies reached the ground, Arnie saw his chance to make a run for it. However, he couldn’t abandon his friend, or could he? After all Michael did say his brain was bigger, indicating that his friend’s brain was small. Yes, he could leave him. As he slipped away, he had second thoughts. “Crap, I can’t do this,” mumbled Arnie, turning to assist his friend.
“What kept you?” asked Michael, fighting off the enemy.
“I went the wrong way,” replied Arnie, being only partially truthful. Yet, he didn’t lie to his friend; and now he was ready to make amends for his earlier deception. With the force of two strong men, Arnie mowed down the zombies. Then with no regard for his own life, he piled them onto the conveyor. “Where do you turn this thing on?”
“The switch is over there on that wall. It’s the red button,” replied Michael not missing a lick.
“Watch my back,” said Arnie, running toward the spot indicated.
“You had better hurry. I can’t hold them off much longer,” said Michael. Within seconds the sound of the conveyor garnered the attention of the zombies. It seemed they were expecting Arnie to be on the belt once again. Like the name implied, they fell for it. While the zombies lined up to begin the long climb, Michael and Arnie made it a point to remain perfectly quiet. Soon they realized this was a great idea. Michael crouched down to remain out of site and Arnie followed suit. With the sound of bone grinding in the rock crusher, they could now enjoy the performance from a distance. A high five was offered by Michael, and his companion proudly accepted his gesture.
“At this rate we won’t have to do a thing. Just look at those stupid things marching to their deaths,” whispered Arnie.
“They are already dead, remember?” whispered Michael. When one of the creatures turned in their direction, Michael issued a warning. By placing his finger on his lips, he sent a message. A nod confirmed it had been received. This brought into question as to just what the creatures actually knew. Supposedly they were mindless beast out to eat one’s brain. Still something was driving them. If they were to spot a live human, within minutes they would be fighting over the prize. Once infected, there was no cure. The men sat quietly considering those thoughts. Then other thoughts crept in as they observed the zombies marching to their destruction.
Arnie was still not out of the woods yet. It could be another couple of days before they would know for certain if he was destined to become one of the beast they sought to destroy. The thoughts of having to annihilate his companion weighed heavily on Michael. The little guy tried not to think about it, but he knew Michael would have no other choice if it came down to it.
Unable to remain silent any longer, Arnie spoke to his friend. “How many do you figure have already plunged into the crusher?”
“Hundreds, maybe more, it’s hard to tell. How many people lived in the city, you know before this happened?” asked Michael.
“I can’t remember. Seems like we had about twenty-five hundred the best I recall,” said Arnie.
“How many do you figure went into the building back there?”
“I’d say about four or five hundred. What are you driving at?” asked Arnie.
“I am trying to figure out how many people are zombies and if there are other pockets of humans still alive. Maybe some are hiding out like us.”
“Oh, I got you. It seems to me that between the building you destroyed and this mission here, this is about half the people that were originally living in the city,” said Arnie.
“Then there could be lots of people that have not been affected. If not, then we still have hundreds of zombies roaming around the city,” said Michael.
“Perhaps, but some left the city when the outbreak occurred. We really don’t know how many did that. It could be there are no other survivors,” said Arnie.
“That is my thoughts exactly. You haven’t seen anybody else, you know during your quest to find food?” asked Michael.
“In the beginning, there were lots of guys roaming about. They played games with the zombies until they were caught. After that, they became one of them. Those guys were so dumb, trying to show off in front of the women. But not the Mighty Rambo. I am smarter than that, and you see who is still around,” said Arnie.
“Yes, I can see that and you got the girls too,” said Michael, noticing the last of the zombies entering the conveyor belt. Within minutes, they too would fall off the end of the chute only to be pulverized by the massive rock crusher below. However, for some strange reason, the last of the lot turned to look behind them. That was when the men noticed a change. Immediately several began jumping off the belt, almost running over each other in the process. For a moment they wondered what in the heck was going on. Then they figured it out.
“Oh crap! They are wise to us,” said Arnie, rising to his feet. With club in hand, he prepared to fight, being determined not to leave behind any survivors.
“I thought those things were mindless. How do you explain this?” asked Michael, joining him.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Within seconds, they were being overrun by zombies. “Shoot it!”
“I am out of bullets,” yelled Michael.
“What kind of warrior leaves his bullets at home?”
“Hey, I saved your butt more times than I count. Now admit it,” said Michael, swinging the swor
d with all his might. Some of the zombies fell lifeless to the ground while others rose to fight again. It seemed to be a losing battle though, and the men took a moment to stare at each other before falling prey to the enemy.
“Hey, you guys need any help?” asked Angelica. The sound of her voice was a pleasant surprise and comforting at first. Then they wondered what she could do. “Where is the sig?” she asked.
“In my belt, but we are out of bullets. Now do you mind? We are sort of busy here,” said Michael. Without warning Angelica approached him from the rear; and while ducking the sword brandishing all about, she removed the weapon from his pants. “Hey, I already told you it is out of bullets. Now a little help please,” said Michael.
Moments later shots were fired, and the zombies began falling like flies. The men stood back to watch the performance in awe. “Don’t stop now. Let’s end this once and for all,” said Angelica, prodding them along.
“You heard the lady,” said Arnie, swinging the club. He seemed to have a system, and it was working. A strong jab to the knee was followed by a blow to the head as the creature leaned forward. Once it hit the ground, he made certain it was dead for the second time. Then he went for another.
Michael became distracted by the little guy’s technique, and it got him in a heap of trouble. Being caught in the clutches of the arms of one of the frightening beast, the young man was about to pay the price with his life. With the stench of its breath bearing down on him, Michael called out for help. Seeing that the others were too far away to be of any assistance, thoughts of giving up entered his mind. The strength of the beast was overwhelming.
Suddenly a shot rang out and the beast loosened its grip before falling to the ground. Michael was elated. However, he noticed another problem that had been inherited from this incident. There was a nick in his ear, and it drew blood. Now he was in a predicament. Had he also become infected? Only time would tell. Since that was a distinct possibility, he had nothing to loose. This sent the mighty warrior into action. Both men fought hard; and with Angelica’s help, they were finally making progress. Within minutes, the battle was over. They had won. As the last zombie fell to the ground, the three gladiators slumped over to catch their breath.
Zombies Page 16