Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  “Son of a bitch,” Axl mutters, pulling his gun out. His body goes rigid and his hands even shake a little.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “That’s the maid.”

  What does he mean? She’s wearing a uniform; it’s obvious she’s a maid. “What?”

  “The maid we took the key from,” he says, stepping back. “She was dead.”

  I laugh a little, but it comes out strained and nervous. I can’t process what he’s saying. She’s clearly alive. She’s standing in front of us, staring at us.

  “You’re wrong,” I say.

  “I ain’t wrong,” he growls, grabbing my arm and trying to pull me back.

  I shake him off and take a small step forward. “She’s sick.”

  “Vivian, get back!”

  I move forward again. “Are you okay? Can we help you?”

  She doesn’t talk, but she tilts her head to the side and studies me. A chill runs up my spine, but I ignore it. Axl is freaking me out, but he’s crazy. There’s nothing to worry about.

  “We can help. We have a doctor with us.” I try to sound reassuring even though a doctor can’t really help her.

  She starts walking toward me slowly, raising her arms. Her mouth opens, but at first no sound comes out. When it does it’s a low moan that makes my blood run cold. My pulse quickens and I take a small step back. This is so unreal.

  “Get back, Vivian,” Axl growls again.

  I start to take another step back, but before I can she lunges at me, knocking me to the ground. I scream, but it’s cut short when my head bangs against the floor. Pain surges through my skull and stars burst behind my eyes, but I don’t have time to react. The woman is on top of me, grabbing at my face, trying to pull me toward her open mouth. The stink of rot envelops me and I scream again, struggling to get her off me.

  Axl grabs her by the hair and jerks her back. He flings her across the room. It doesn’t stop her. In less than a second she charges him again. He lifts his gun and pulls the trigger. The bullet hits her in the chest. She jerks back, but doesn’t stop. She has a gaping hole in the middle of her chest, but there’s no blood. Instead a thick, black goo oozes out, filling the room with a pungent odor so strong it makes me gag.

  “She ain’t stopping’,” Axl yells, stepping back.

  She claws and chomps at the air, and the sounds coming from her mouth are no longer moans. They’re screams.

  Axl pulls the trigger again. This time the bullet hits her in the forehead. Right between the eyes. Her body goes slack and she drops to the ground.

  I’m still on the floor. I can’t move and my heart beats so fast I’m afraid it’s going to jump out of my chest. Axl is breathing heavily. He takes a slow step forward and kicks the woman with the toe of his boot.

  “Goddamn it,” he mutters. He turns and looks at me. “Was that a fuckin’ zombie?”

  I’m speechless. So shaken I can’t respond. What he’s suggesting is impossible, but I saw it with my own two eyes.

  I stumble to my feet and he starts walking, nudging me as he goes by. I jump. I can’t look away from the maid. What the hell does he want? He jerks his head toward the elevator. Right. We need to move. My feet move on their own. Like I’m a zombie….

  We ride up in silence. I move automatically when the door opens, following Axl toward the suite without even thinking. His body is so stiff he looks like a walking statue, and he keeps cursing under his breath. Mumbling stuff about zombies and Hollywood. I’m not even sure what else because I can’t really focus on it.

  “You ain’t gonna believe what just happened,” Axl says as he bursts into the hotel room. He slams the door behind us and locks it.

  Emily and Joshua are up, both sitting at the table with Angus. Eating Pop-Tarts.

  “What?” Joshua’s mouth is full, and crumbs spray all over the table.

  Axl hurries to the window and looks out over the city. “Damn.”

  I know what’s down there before I walk over, but I can’t stop myself from going anyway.

  Joshua and Angus get to the window just as I do. We’re eighteen stories up, but that doesn’t mean the people staggering around on the ground aren’t visible. And they are everywhere.

  Joshua leans closer, practically pressing his face against the glass. “Are those people?”

  “Not exactly,” Axl says.

  My mouth won’t work. I stumble away from the window and collapse into a chair. Emily’s eyes are wide with fright. I should comfort her, but I just can’t. Maybe I’m not cut out for this mom thing. She should come first, but at the moment all I want is for someone to comfort me. Taking care of another person is the last thing on my mind.

  “Zombies,” Axl says, making my whole body jerk.

  The word is ridiculous, even after what I just witnessed. But it’s true. I close my eyes and lay my head on the table.

  Angus snorts. “Don’t be an ass.”

  “I’m serious. That maid we took the key off of when we got here, she was standin’ in the lobby. Tried to take a big ol’ bite outta Vivian.”

  “She must not have been dead then,” Joshua says.

  “I shot her in the heart and she kept on comin’. Had to shoot her in the head to get her to stop.”

  No one talks, and I have no idea what they’re thinking because my head is still on the table. My eyes still closed. I don’t want to deal with this.

  17

  “We need to go down there and check it out,” Angus says.

  Slowly, I lift my head. Angus walks across the room and pulls a gun out of his bag. He checks to make sure it’s loaded. I blink and try to wrap my brain around what he’s doing, but it’s like I’m trapped in some kind of fog.

  “Are you nuts?” I somehow manage to get out.

  “Need to know what we’re dealin’ with,” he says, shoving the gun in the waistband of his pants and pulling out a few knives.

  “That maid attacked me! What more do you need to know?” My heart races and the sudden urge to scream is so overwhelming that I have to ball my hands into fists. There’s no way this is happening. I take a deep breath and try to get my pulse to slow, to stop the pounding in my ears, but it doesn’t work. The urge to or throw something or rip out my hair gets stronger. Maybe I’m hysterical.

  “Angus is right,” Axl says, copying his brother’s movements. “You can stay here.”

  I jump to my feet and shake my head. “I don’t want to be alone.”

  Emily starts to whimper and I jerk. I forgot she was here. What’s wrong with me?

  I kneel down next to her and rub her head gently. My hand shakes. “Shhh, it’s okay. We’re just going to go downstairs and check on something. I’ll carry you, okay?”

  “You takin’ her down?” Angus asks doubtfully.

  I stare at Emily for a few seconds, trying to focus through the fog. Should I take her? Leaving her alone in the room seems irresponsible. It’s eighteen floors up and she’d be terrified. Plus, what would she do if we never came back?

  “We can’t leave her alone,” I whisper. “She’s four.”

  I lift her up and scan the room. Where’s my purse? I spot it on an end table. When I pull my gun out, Emily’s eyes get even bigger. They are so brown.

  “Give me a gun,” Joshua says.

  Angus purses his lips and his eyes narrow. “You know how to use one, Doc?”

  Joshua keeps his hand out. “Point and pull the trigger, right? How hard can it be?”

  Angus snorts, but hands it to him anyway. “Just make sure you’re close so you don’t miss.”

  No one says a word when we head to the elevator. Hell, I’m not even sure anyone is breathing. The tension is so thick that my skin tingles, and I cling tightly to Emily as if she’s some kind of lifeline. Hopefully, everyone thinks I’m trying to comfort her, and not the other way around. I don’t want them to know what a selfish bitch I’m being.

  Axl’s eye catches mine and he frowns. He shakes his head. He can read me l
ike a book. I look away. I need to get it together.

  The doors open on the first floor and my arms tighten around Emily. I hang back while Angus and Axl step out with their guns raised. Even Joshua goes before me. It’s for Emily, she’s the reason I’m being this way. I’m just trying to protect her.

  Even I don’t believe it.

  “Clear,” Axl says.

  I follow the men to the door. The lobby reeks of death, and the stench is even stronger than before. I breathe out of my mouth as much as I can, but it doesn’t help. The air is so thick I can taste it. It leaves a film in my mouth that turns my stomach.

  We don’t even need to step outside. A bald man shambles past the door and I have to bite down on my lip to keep from screaming. There are more dead in the distance. Dozens of them.

  A shiver runs up my spine. I pull Emily closer.

  “Shit,” Axl says. “Where’d they all come from?”

  “They weren’t here before?” Joshua asks.

  “We saw one guy, walkin’ on the other side of the road. But that was it.” Axl takes a step closer to the window.

  They’re everywhere. Stumbling up and down the street, walking aimlessly. Some are even standing in the middle of the road. A woman with stringy, blonde hair walks across the parking lot toward the Nissan. She doesn’t stop until she’s inches from it, then she freezes. I hold my breath and wait for her to move, but she just stands there. A few other bodies head our way. Their heads are down, so they can’t see us, but I still have the urge to run. The glass is too thin.

  My stomach tightens and Emily squirms. She tries to turn so she can see out the window and I put her down. Her small hand slips into mine and we watch the walking corpses in silence.

  “Look at it out there,” Joshua says. “It’s like Night of the Living Dead.”

  My heart races and I shake my head. I push Emily behind me and she clings to my leg, her fingers digging painfully into my thigh.

  “Shut up,” I whisper.

  But he’s right. That’s exactly what it’s like. Dozens of dead bodies, walking around. Mindlessly roaming the streets. Their heads down, their bodies slack. Just like a horror movie.

  Emily’s parents. All the air leaves my lungs. I did see her mom’s hand twitch. I convinced myself I was seeing things. That it was just the shadows playing tricks on me. Now I know better. I grab Emily and swing her up into my arms, holding her tightly to my chest. She lays her head on my shoulder and her little body shakes. Or maybe that’s me.

  What would have happened to her if we hadn’t gotten there when we did? Would her parents have come back? Would they have attacked her?

  “This happen in Baltimore?” Axl asks Joshua.

  He shakes his head. “No, nothing like this. Nothing like this anywhere on the East Coast.” He pauses and runs his hand through his hair, looking at the ground. “We burned all the bodies,” he mumbles.

  “What?” Angus asks.

  Joshua looks up. “In the beginning, they cremated all the bodies to stop this thing from spreading. There were a few bodies they took to the CDC, but the brains would have been destroyed during the autopsy, so they wouldn’t have known about this…” He looks out at the dead walking through the parking lot. “Every other body was burned.”

  “Shit,” Axl says.

  “How can this be possible?” I ask.

  Joshua shakes his head again. “I’m not a neurologist, so I’m no expert. But as far as I know, it can’t. I mean, medically speaking there’s just no way to even hypothesize how a dead body would reanimate and walk around the place! I’ve always laughed at zombie movies.”

  He’s right. This can’t be real. I have to be dreaming because in real life the dead stay dead and I’m not a selfish bitch who only worries about herself.

  “I can’t be here.” I take a step back. It’s too overwhelming. “I’m going back to the room.”

  Axl’s eyes meet mine and his expression hardens. “Never took you for a coward.”

  I glare at him, then turn on my heel and practically run to the elevator. Who cares what he thinks? Not me. All I care about is getting away from the bodies walking around on the street.

  Back in the room, I set Emily at the table with some Crayons and a coloring book. I didn’t get them when we were at Walmart, which means either Angus or Axl did. It pisses me off that one of the brothers thought of it and I didn’t. It should have occurred to me to get Emily something to keep her occupied.

  There’s nothing else for me to do, so I start drinking the wine I got out earlier. I walk back and forth between the table and the window, looking out into the street before going back to take another drink. I don’t really want to see the bodies walking around out there, but for some reason I can’t stay away. It’s like there’s some kind of tractor beam pulling me toward the window.

  When the men come back they’re talking about going outside to check things out.

  “Are you insane?” I say. “You can’t go out there!”

  “Why the hell not?” Angus says. “We got guns. We need to find out what’s goin’ on.”

  “Don’t be a moron,” I say, taking another drink.

  Axl frowns and rips the bottle out of my hand before turning to Emily. “How you doin’ sweetheart?” he asks. His voice is so soft and gentle that it takes me a second to realize he’s the one who said it.

  Emily smiles up at him. “I’m coloring a picture for mommy.”

  An ache spreads through me, but I’m not sure if it’s for Emily or me. She’s lost more than I have, but she’s young enough that she won’t even miss it. I’ll remember it all. Tears fill my eyes until Emily’s face becomes blurry and distorted. Sick-looking, like those things walking around outside. I have to look away. My legs wobble. My body is heavy with exhaustion and my chest is tight. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I’m so overwhelmed by everything that I don’t know what to do with myself. Or Emily.

  Axl sits down and starts talking to Emily, but I walk away. I can’t breathe out here. That window is too big and there are too many bodies. The bedroom is just as bad, though. The tightness in my chest gets worse and it feels like the walls are moving, making the room bigger. Big enough to allow anything in. I pace the floor for a few minutes, but my legs start to shake until I can’t stand. I can’t stay in here. I’m too exposed.

  I go into the bathroom and shut the door, then lock it. My heart pounds so hard it pulses through my body, and my legs almost give out. I sink to the floor and pull my knees up to my chest, hugging them as hard as I can while everything from the past few days falls down around me. All the death and desolation, the despair of thinking I was next. The realization that the hope for a real life I’ve been clinging to all these years was worthless. Life is over. For all of us. The sobs shake my body before the tears manage to break free. My throat is so tight that when they finally come out it hurts. Like my esophagus is being ripped to shreds. Tears stream down my face and I can’t catch my breath. What’s my problem? I never cry! And I am not a weak person. But this is all too much to take in and I can’t cope.

  My body shakes as the tears pour down my face, and I wait for Axl to pound on the door. To tell me to pull myself together or yell at me to take care of my kid, but no one does. So I stay where I am. Sitting in the darkness, pretending the world around me hasn’t crumbled into a million pieces.

  When I finally come out of the bathroom, the sun is just touching the horizon. The room is quiet. Deathly quiet. A sudden panic squeezes my insides. What if everyone died? What if I’m alone now? Nothing but me and millions of bodies walking the Earth?

  I walk faster. When I reach the living room, I almost collapse with relief. Angus is passed out on the couch and Emily is curled up with him, her head resting on his chest. Joshua is sitting in a chair reading a book. Axl stands at the window, staring out across the city.

  Axl turns around. The judgment in his eyes makes me squirm.

  “You done freakin’ out?” His voi
ce is softer than I expected.

  I walk over, so I can look out the window. There are more of them now. “I’m not sure,” I say. “You’re not mad at me?” I feel stronger, like I managed to cry out most of the fear crushing my insides. But seeing those creatures still makes me tremble.

  He frowns, but shakes his head. “Everybody deserves to freak out every now and then. Guess you weren’t really prepared for a zombie apocalypse.”

  A jolt shoots through me, and I have to swallow before I can talk. “Was anyone?”

  He laughs bitterly. It’s not like him. Axl isn’t really a bitter guy. “Guess not.”

  He’s not as gruff as usual, but there’s something in his voice I can’t quite place. I study his expression. When his gray eyes meet mine I get it. Disappointment. I guess he expected more out of me. Truth is, I kind of expected more out of myself. With everything I’ve been through, I thought I could handle anything.

  I lay my face against the cool glass and close my eyes. “What the hell are we going to do?” I ask. “Everything’s so screwed up. So broken.”

  Axl scoffs and I open my eyes. I take a step back so I can see him better.

  “Hell, the world’s always been broken. You of all people should know that. It’s just a different kinda broken now. We both adjusted to the old way, we’ll just have to adjust to the new way too.”

  For some reason, his words help loosen some of the panic knotted in my stomach. He’s right. Things have always been crappy for me, but I learned to deal with it. To survive. I can do it again.

  We go back to watching the dead in the streets below. It’s oddly mesmerizing, watching them slowly lumber up and down the street.

  A sudden knock on the door makes me jump. My heart hammers against my ribcage. Axl and I stare at each other for a second without speaking, frozen in place.