by M. D. Massey
To his left, he heard a rustle in the brush.
He drew the gun from the back of his pants, ready to fire, and crept down the stairs.
Element was at the dead-end of the industrial park and sat next to a line of trees. There was a small path between the building and nature to allow access to the back of the facility.
When Will stepped around the corner of the building, he saw what was making all the noise. One of them, a woman this time, had gotten her dress caught on one of the trees and seemingly been left behind by the others fleeing toward the smoke.
Will looked around to be sure it was clear. Then he just stared at her. He hadn’t been this close to one without quickly putting it down and, for the first time, he got to see the fully transformed figure of the undead. She looked much older than she probably was. The blue polka dot sun dress that she wore gave him the impression she probably wasn’t much older than he was. Weeks ago, if he had passed her in the industrial park, he may have even admired her, flirted with her. Now, her eyes were pale and her skin had a milky but decayed look to it. He could see right through those eyes. Empty, dead eyes.
She let out a vicious hiss and he shook his head, snapping back into reality.
He drew the gun, cocked back, and then hesitated, taking a moment to think it through. The shot would bring at least some of the Empties back to Element. He reached down to his side and felt for the knife holstered to his side. While scavenging for supplies in his office, he’d found the large hunting knife that had belonged to his boss, Andrew. He wrapped his fingers around the grip, drew it from the holster, and approached her.
His mind began to race. He looked into her grayish-yellow eyes and knew she wasn’t the same woman from her previous life. But he was hesitant to kill a woman; it was another taboo he hadn’t yet crossed. The grip of the knife became loosened by the sweat in his palms. He licked his lips as he wondered if he could go through with it.
Then there was a tearing sound and he looked down at the bottom of the dress pulling away from the branch, distracted just long enough for her to be on him.
The spit wet his face as she snarled with her hands on his shoulder, working to get to his face with her decaying teeth.
He fell backwards and she came down over him, ready to strike.
As they were falling, her left arm moved off his shoulder just enough for Will to drive the large hunting knife into her left temple. Again, he found himself lying on his back with one of them on top of him.
He didn’t have any more stomach to empty, leaving him in a heaving cough as he lay looking up at the dying sun with a dead woman on top of him.
While the Empties walked down the hill toward the explosion, Will decided to head behind the building to look for roof access, wanting to get an overview of the area around him.
Carefully, he peeked around the corner to the back of the building. There was another narrow path of grass between the backside of the building and more rocks and bushes. At the end of the path, with their backs turned, he saw two Empties walking around the opposite corner of the facility toward the front parking lot. Will kept still and quiet until they were out of sight.
The bottom of the ladder had a small cage around it that was locked from the bottom with a standard Masterlock. Will took the lock in his hand and pulled, hoping it wasn’t latched all the way.
“Shit,” he said as the lock didn’t budge.
He thought of going back inside to find a hammer or a saw. Several tools were in the warehouse, but he didn’t want to waste time in case Empties decided to return.
Against his better judgment, Will brought the gun up and pointed it at the lock. He figured, at worst, the two Empties he’d just watched pass around the corner would come back, and he should be able to take care of them with ease.
He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.
A loud clank went through the air and Will saw small pieces of brick fly away from the wall.
The lock was gone.
He pulled the latch, opening the small hatch door. Put the gun in the back of his pants. Jumped up to grab the bottom rung. Began to climb.
The snarls came from around the corner and the two Empties headed back his way.
Will looked at them for just a moment before turning back up to the sky and continuing his ascent to the roof.
When he reached the top of the ladder, Will pulled himself up onto the roof. He turned back and looked over the ledge to see the two Empties at the bottom of the ladder with their arms flaying in the air like two college girls dancing at a night club.
Will turned away and jogged to the front of the building and looked out.
No matter how much longer he lived, Will knew he would have the scene before him engraved in his head for the rest of that time. Years from now, he might even see the same image on a postcard, representing the frowning, depressed face of the new world.
Smoke had risen up around the skyline of downtown Nashville. The most notorious building in the city, the Batman Building—all the locals called it that because it had two antennas at the top that were higher than the rest of the building, making the top of it look like Batman’s mask—was almost invisible from all the smoke. It was hard to tell if the smoke was coming from downtown or if it was just nearby. He wondered how many survivors were downtown, and if any kind of refugee camp had been set up, assuming that whatever had happened at Element had happened everywhere. Downtown was at least five miles away, so he didn’t see himself getting there anytime soon. And for all he knew, he might be the last person on the planet, as the only person he’d seen alive was Jordan. He thought of the book I Am Legend and hoped that Richard Matheson wasn’t right.
He turned his head to the left and noticed fire coming from a building that was closer by. From the location of the flames, it looked like the police station that was located on the main road, right outside of the industrial park.
Will looked back to his right, down through the middle of the industrial park, and that’s when he confirmed there were over a hundred Empties in the park. Whatever had exploded and caused the smoke in the distance was attracting them all, though, and the area was clearing out. Some remained, but most followed the smoke.
Will looked down at his hands, palms flat on the ledge. He became overwhelmed by the moment then, and his heart sank. He realized that the world he knew was never going to be the same. He would have to adapt to the new way it was. Will began to think about his family. What were the odds that they had survived?
The dying sun was cooling the air, and Will sat down on the ledge and wept, passing images of his parents in his mind. It was the first time that he had let out all his emotion since everything had changed just hours ago. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone in hopes of contacting his mother and father. One corner of the small screen showed him that the battery only had 50% of a charge, and the other corner read No Service. He didn’t even attempt to make a call. Instead, he turned the phone off and slipped it back into his pocket.
He laid back, flat on the wide ledge to watch the sun go down, thinking of his family and what he would do next.
6
Jessica
Jessica shuddered at the scene before her, but quickly gathered herself. She was the only hotel employee on the floor and still had the responsibility to try and get as many people to safety as she could. Tucking away her fear as best she could, Jessica ran across the hall and pulled down the fire alarm, sending a wailing siren echoing down the hallway.
She scanned the hallway and was completely overwhelmed, having no idea how to help everyone. Jessica pulled the cell phone from her pocket and dialed 9-1-1.
The speaker beeped at her. Busy? How could 911 be busy?
She looked down and saw him, the man she’d just watched have his face torn off by his sick wife, begin to move. While the skin on his face was torn away, his eyes moved around in their sockets as he tried to pull himself up. Even though they had turned pale, his eyes we
re the only things left on his face that made him resemble a human at all.
Jessica screamed. How could the man be alive? She had watched him be ravaged by his sick wife and stood there trembling as he drew his last breath. Now, he flailed his arms underneath the weight of his wife as she stumbled to her feet, still hissing at Jessica.
Jessica ran across the hallway, ignoring the atrocities, and fled through an open door into one of the guest rooms. She shut the door, resting her forehead flat against it, and cried. Behind her, she heard more hissing. She turned to face the interior of the room and saw three people on all fours, leaning into the bodies of two other people and tearing them apart. She gasped as they looked back at her, away from their meal. Jessica fumbled the handle and finally got the door to open and moved back into the hallway—the war zone.
Jessica cupped the back of her head with her hands as she tried to breathe. There was blood everywhere as people were eaten alive all around her. She shuffled to her right, feeling as if she had nowhere to go.
From across the hall, one of the sick people began to groan at her. She was a woman, not much older than Jessica. Her blonde hair was still strangely radiant, though shining with the gloss of thick blood. Arms outstretched, she came at Jessica.
Jessica screamed, hoarse now from the repeated vocalizing, as she backed against the door.
Just as the woman was about to reach her, the door opened and Jessica found herself falling backward.
A set of hands caught her, pulled her into the room, and she yelled out as the door shut in the woman’s face.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Walt said, kneeling over Jessica. She lay on the ground in shock, flailing her arms and convulsing from her encounter with the dead woman and the graveyard in the hallway even as she looked up at the kind man in his tropical shirt, the fisherman’s hat now removed to reveal his shiny bald head above a ring of white hair. Walt looked back to Melissa.
“Grab a cold towel,” he told her.
He put his hands on Jessica’s shoulders, working to try and calm her.
“It’s okay, you’re fine.”
Melissa came behind him, dressed only in a robe from a recent shower, and handed him the towel, dampened with cool water.
“Shhh,” Walt said to Jessica as he lay the cold towel across her forehead.
Jessica’s arms quit swinging and her palms lay flat on the floor. She closed her eyes and now only fought to let her breathing catch up. The thudding in her chest persisted, but she controlled it a little more with each passing breath.
“It’s okay,” Walt said, dabbing the towel on different parts of her face. “Everything is going to be okay.”
With a tremble in her voice, Jessica caught up with her rapid breathing enough to speak.
“What’s happening?” she asked, looking back and forth between Walt and Melissa.
The banging on the door startled the three of them. It continued without a rhythm, sounding like the beat of a progressive rock band.
Walt stared at the door, but spoke to Melissa.
“Get dressed, now.”
Melissa ran to her suitcase and pulled out the first set of clothes she saw, obviously not thinking or caring if they matched. Without hesitation, she dropped her gown to the floor, not caring if the young girl saw her in the nude, and put on a fresh set of clothes.
Walt stood and walked to his bag.
Irritated by the constant thump of the wooden door in her ear, Jessica stumbled to her feet, still slightly disoriented, and walked to the other side of the room.
Walt reached deep into his bag and pulled out a handgun. He pulled out the clip, confirming that the weapon was loaded, and snapped it back into place.
“What’s the quickest way to the parking garage?” Walt asked Jessica, keeping his eyes on the gun.
The constant banging at the door distracted Jessica and kept her from thinking straight. She finally focused on her thoughts and spoke.
“There’s a maintenance elevator, but it’s at the end of the hall,” she said. “It leads all the way down to the parking garage.” She reached down to her key ring and pulled the key up to show him.
“Good,” Walt said, looking back at her.
Jessica shook her head. “How are we going to get there? Have you looked out in the hall? It’s suicide if we try to run all the way down there.”
Walt shrugged. “We could be toast just as fast if we take the guest elevator and then the lobby is full of those things out there. And we sure as shit can’t stay pinned up in here. May as well take our chances with a direct shot to a vehicle.”
Jessica hesitated, then nodded.
Walt looked over to Melissa, who was dressed in a pair of leggings and a sweater. He threw her the coat lying on the bed and held up a small duffle bag.
“Put essentials in here. Your wallet, extra pairs of warm socks, and an extra pair of underwear or two. Nothing heavy.” He looked down to her feet. “And put on your tennis shoes.”
The banging increased at the door, sounding like more fist pumping. The hinges creaked like they could give away at any moment.
“We’re gonna have to be fast.”
The two women nodded.
Jessica walked to the door.
The view through the peephole showed four beasts beating at the door. Jessica pulled her face away and looked over her shoulder at Walt.
“Are you ready?”
Walt nodded. Melissa stood behind him, shaking, and gripping the duffle bag with both hands, the strap over her shoulder.
Jessica had no idea how she was going to get to the elevator with her present company. The couple was, at a minimum, in their early 60’s. Walt had done his duty of keeping them safe so far, but that was in the confines of a small room and didn’t involve any running. Even for her much younger legs, getting to the elevator would be a challenge.
Regardless, Jessica gave Walt a sign of acceptance. She removed the chain lock, turned the deadbolt, and pushed the handle down.
“Now,” she screamed.
And the door to Hell opened.
The first shot exited the pistol, echoing through the room and sending the first sick person to the ground. Walt’s aim was true. He fired at each of them from mere yards away, landing a blow to the head four shots in a row.
Jessica’s eyes widened behind the door as Walt began to wave at her.
“Go! Go!”
Jessica followed his motion, moving swiftly through the door and into the hallway.
The gun shots had drawn the attention of more sick people from both the hallway and the guest rooms. As Jessica began to make her way toward the elevator, one of the beasts reached out to her. It caught her shirt, tearing it near the shoulder. Walt followed her out of the room and put a bullet into its brain. He put his hand on the small of his wife’s back, yelling at her and urging her to run in front of him.
“Run! I’ll cover you,” he yelled to his crying wife.
And run they did. Down the hall they moved, dodging the grasps of the undead.
With adrenaline flushing his veins, Walt took aim and brought down any threat to either of the women, changing out the clip as fast as he could when necessary. The moment was surreal. It reminded him of being on the frontline in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, never sure if he would be breathing through the next minute. When he fired the handgun at the limping, dead bodies, it was as if time stood still. Like everything had slowed down.
Melissa’s vision faded as she ran, trying to block out the scene around her. She tripped over the mutilated body of what used to be a human, now rotting lifeless in the hallway, having been torn apart by the creatures.
Almost to the elevator, Jessica turned when she heard the fall. She hadn’t realized how far ahead of the older couple she had run. Most of the sick people were behind them as Jessica looked on, watching Walt kneel down to aid his fallen wife. He looked up and waved at Jessica.
“Go! Get that door open,” he yelled.
&n
bsp; Trembling, Jessica turned and skidded the few extra yards to the elevator door. She fumbled the keys in her hands, dropping them on the ground.
“Damn-it,” she mumbled, kneeling over to take the keys off the floor.
“Walt,” Melissa yelled.
Jessica turned as she heard the groan. There was an ill person on Walt. Jessica’s eyes widened as she recognized the outfit.
It was the snobby bachelorette, sick, and now turned into one of them. She had a hold of his arm as he screamed. He looked up to Melissa.
“Fucking run, Melissa! Run,” he shouted, struggling to keep the bachelorette’s jaw away from his skin.
She did, looking back every few steps with a river of tears coming down her cheeks.
Jessica looked to the wall and saw a fire extinguisher in a glass case. She went to it, pulled the case open, and removed the heavy, metal extinguisher.
Melissa arrived at the elevator and watched as Jessica ran to Walt.
The bachelorette was facedown on Walt’s arm, tearing the flesh away from his forearm as he punched her in the head with his free hand. He heard a groan as Jessica lifted the fire extinguisher over her head, and with a scream, brought it down to the skull of the bachelorette with repeated blows. After the first hit, Walt was able to move what was left of his arm, and Jessica bashed the bachelorette’s skull into the carpet.
Other creatures approached.
Jessica threw down the fire extinguisher, grabbed the gun off the ground, and took Walt’s good hand.
Melissa was already in the elevator waving and shouting at them.
Walt groaned from the pain, but made it to the elevator.
Jessica looked down and started hitting the PG button, which stood for Parking Garage. The elevator took its time shutting.
“Fuck! Come on,” Jessica yelled.