Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 01

by Outbreak

  Everyone gathered in the main room gave Alex the time he needed to release the tension and concern that had been building up in him. After a few minutes Alex's sobs began to weaken and he was able to gain control of his emotions. He wiped the tears away from his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. "We had to check him...we had to check Liam to make sure he wasn't wounded. Wounded from the zombies, that is." Alex took another deep, rasping breath and continued. "You have to understand. If someone is wounded or injured by one of those creatures, then there is no help. There is no cure or chance of survival. The virus that is carried by the zombies is highly contagious and cannot be cured. There is no immunity for it and it will kill the host, sometimes in a matter of hours before reanimating the body as another zombie." Alex gazed at each of the people in the room, stopping at each of them to drive home his point. "The only cure is to...well, put a bullet in their head."

  Everyone gasped and pulled back away from Alex, horrified at what he had just said to them. "Surely you aren't serious? There has to be something..." Paula began.

  Alex stopped her. "No. There is absolutely nothing that can be done to save them. Nothing." Alex stared at his feet and finished. "One hundred percent casualty rate. That's it." Alex leaned back and settled into the cushions on the couch. He places his head in his hand, ending all discussion. "Stacey, Trinity needs someone. Would you mind?" Alex looked tired and seemed as if he was ten years older.

  "I'll make sure she's okay," Stacey said and headed into the room.

  No one seemed willing to speak for a while and it was finally Alex that spoke. "Everyone here needs to realize something and you need to come to terms with this fact or none of us have a chance of surviving this." Alex looked to each one of those gathered as he spoke. "If anyone, in this group or that we meet out there is injured by one of those creatures, there is only one option available to us. That person MUST be killed, their brain destroyed." Someone gasped in the room, taken aback by what Alex had just said. "If that person is infected, there is only one option, and that is to kill them as quickly as possible. The virus will quickly spread through the host and they will become a danger to everyone near them."

  "But Alex," Morgan asked. "Isn't there a way to know if the person is infected? Isn't there a way to make sure?"

  Alex thought for a moment before answering. "There is one way, but we need a dog." Someone in the room snickered and everyone turned to see who the culprit was.

  "Seriously?" Josh chuckled. "A dog? And just what do we do with this dog." Josh was skeptical of Alex's suggestion and he stood across the room, staring a challenge down at Alex.

  "Actually," Alex began with a serious, matter-of-fact tone, "nothing."

  Josh snorted and feigned shock. "So why do we need the damn dog?" Josh's scorn was almost overwhelming.

  "Well, Josh," Alex said, "dogs can actually detect the infection in people. Plain and simple."

  Josh threw up his hands in disgust. "Come on, are you serious? And just how could you know this? So far nothing has worked right, everything has been fucked, Liam has been shot and now this moron," Josh indicated Sam, "wants us to walk out the door into that shit because...why?" Sam looked as though he could have killed. His gazed locked onto Josh and the effort to keep from hitting the man was visible.

  "I told you," Sam said through gritted teeth, "that we have to get to some place that we can defend better and be able to stock resources for a long time if needed."

  Josh interrupted Sam trying to push his buttons. "And just why can't we defend this place? And speaking of resources, we are close to everything that we need right here." Josh threw up his hands in a challenge to Sam. "And just where do you expect us to go, even if we could get out the door without those things out there catching us?"

  "I told you, I don't know..." Sam started, but was again interrupted before he could finish.

  "Oh," Josh said, still mocking Sam, "but you think that we should leave anyway; pray for the best, right?" He was trying to get a rise out of Sam, and it was working. Sam's anger reached the boiling point with Josh. Sam was Josh's senior by over thirty years and could not stand for the insolence that the young man was showing. Sam's fists clenched and he began walking across the room. Josh just smiled wider, happy that he had accomplished his goal. A hand on Sam's shoulder stopped him immediately.

  Alex was standing next to Sam holding Josh's gaze, his hand the only thing keeping either man from entering into a fist fight there in the living room. "Sam is right. We need to get out of this place." Josh chuckled at Alex.

  "And just why is that, huh? Your father-in-law can't give me a reason, and I doubt that you could give me a decent reason either. But let's give you the benefit of the doubt...hit me with it." Josh crossed his arms and waited for Alex to speak. Alex eased his grip from Sam's shoulder and motioned for him to step back.

  "Well, Josh," Alex began, using the same matter-of-fact tone that one would expect form someone describing something that happened everyday. "It's all about supply and demand. The supply is the still living population and the demand is from zombies wanting that supply. The greatest concentration of people are in cities. The larger the city, the larger the population and the greater the supply. A large supply in a relatively dense area, with a contagion that spreads quickly and completely means that the population of that area will quickly be used up, creating zombies in their place. The more people, the greater the number of zombies. And the number will only grow exponentially." Alex's hands flashed through the air as if he were explaining something exciting and fun. "Inversely, if you were to be in a large area with a small population, the chances of spreading the contagion would be less so, giving everyone in that area a -- how should I say -- buffer zone?" Alex emphasized this with a shrug of his shoulders. "More distance between people, less chance of contact with the living or the dead, more chance of survival."

  Alex turned to each of the people in the room checking their faces to see if anyone questioned his logic. There was only one.

  "Bullshit," Josh spat. "Utter bullshit. You are not taking us out there to be slaughtered by those things," and Josh placed his hand on a pistol that was hung on his belt. "I won't let you."

  "Shut up, Josh!" A voice from behind everyone startled the group. All eyes turned to meet those of Liam who was standing in the doorway of his bedroom, supported on both sides by Trinity and Stacey. "You haven't seen these things up close and you don't understand what we are up against. Alex and I have, and I can tell you Alex is right. We have to get out of this place." Liam met Alex's eyes. "And the sooner, the better."

  Alex nodded his ascent as did many of the others. Josh still held out resistance. "Christ, man! Do you realize what you are sending us into? We are going to die out there..."

  "We are going to die in here!" Liam shouted and nearly collapsed into Trinity's arms. "Those things are going to find a way in, either by luck or through sheer numbers. We don't have the ammunition, defenses, or the food supply to last here if we face what Alex and I saw today. We have to get out of here."

  "And where do we go?" Josh shouted. "Fuck that, how the hell do we get there? Have you thought about that? We don't have enough cars to get us anywhere and even if we did, with what you two are telling us, we won't even be able to get out in cars." Josh's eyes were like daggers at Alex. "What's your plan for that genius?"

  "Simple," Alex said calmer than anyone would have thought. "We get a truck. A really big truck."

  -----

  All of the women had been asleep for hours now, too exhausted to even let the sound of nearby zombies keep them awake. Alex, Liam, Sam and Josh, however, had been in a quiet, but very heated discussion about what exactly they were going to do. Josh had stopped trying to convince anyone to stay where they were. Liam had suggested his family's farm in Eustance, TX about eighty miles southeast of Dallas. Even Josh agreed that there was a significant enough distance from any major populated areas to provide them with some for
m of buffer zone. Provided what Alex was saying was correct.

  With the destination agreed upon, the men set about to come up with a plan of how to get there. Of course, no one agreed.

  "I don't understand why we can't just get in to a couple of cars and drive there. Nothing is moving on the roads except for the zombies, and they can either be outrun or run over. It's a win-win situation." Josh's attempts at pushing everyone's buttons had subsided, but he still felt the need to try and prove he was right in every decision.

  "Are you kidding? Any truck we get into will draw those things from miles around. Get enough of them blocking the road and surrounding the car and you are screwed. Jesus, can't you understand that?" Sam's frustration with Josh was still as strong as it had been hours before. Sam looked on the younger man as a showoff and know-it-all, and Sam could not stand those traits in anyone. Especially when they presented themselves at the same time.

  Liam and Alex sat quietly listening to the to men argue back and forth. Or at least, that's what Sam and Josh thought they were doing. In reality, Alex and Liam had already quietly plotted out just how they were going to get out of the city and make their way up north. Their only sticking point was where to find what they were looking for.

  "God dammit, boy! You think you know everything don't you." Sam's lost what self control he had remaining and yelled at Josh. "This isn't about you. It is about everyone here. We have to look out for everyone, not just your ass." Josh was also losing his composure for the first time today, his face flushing red and murder flashing in his eyes.

  "Listen, old man," the words were spit out with such disdain and contempt that Alex winced. "If you send us out there you are going to get us all killed, and I'll be damned if I let that happen to me and my wife." Both men were looking for a fight and it was only a matter of time before someone started throwing punches if no one stepped in.

  "Lookin' out for your own ass and don't give a shit about anyone else. That's just what I would expect of a selfish pissant like you!" Spit flew from Sam's lips and he jabbed the air with his finger to drive home his point. Josh jumped up from his seat and drew back his fist to punch Sam. Liam stepped in front of Josh while Alex moved to block Sam.

  "Okay, gentlemen," Alex said. "I think that we are all getting just a little worked up here," and Alex gently pushed Sam back down in the chair. "I think that both of you are trying to come up with the best ideas possible, it's just that all of your ideas are shit." Alex spoke casually as if what he were saying was in no way offensive or inflammatory to the situation. "While you two have been bickering and arguing over what we are not going to do, Liam and I have decided the best course of action."

  "Sit down, Josh" Liam said to his friend. He was still weak, but was ready to do whatever it took to keep peace among everyone in the room. "Sit down Josh, or I will put you down." Josh snapped his gaze away from Sam and stared hard at Liam. Alex moved to stand just over Liam's left shoulder, prepared to back up his friend if necessary. Josh eased his posture and retreated slightly.

  "So this is how it's going to be?" Josh asked as if he had been hurt. "Nothing that I have to say will be considered, it's just up to the three of you."

  "Actually, just Liam and I," Alex chimed in.

  "Shut up," Josh snapped at Alex. Liam stepped closer to Josh and squared his shoulders to the man.

  "Sit down. Sit down now," Liam said, pointing at the chair behind Josh. "Your opinions, both of them, have been heard. And they are both crap. I know where we have to go and Alex knows how to get there. So shut the fuck up before we have an issue here." Josh huffed out a breath and stared each man in the eye before resigning to his seat. He crossed his arms and looked as if he were about to pout.

  "So what IS this brilliant plan that the Wonder Twins have devised to get us killed?" Josh's voice contained only sarcasm and a hatred.

  "Well, we had only planned for you to get killed..." Liam began. Josh jumped in his seat and Alex put a firm hand on his shoulder to keep him where he was.

  "Liam is messing with you, Josh. No one is going to die, not if we all follow through with the plan." Alex could feel Josh's tension ease in his body and took a step back from the man. "Everything has been planned out except for the transportation. At least the major part of the transportation."

  Josh looked between the two men standing in front of him. "Just what do you need?" The sarcasm was fading from his voice and he almost sounded as if he were willing to help with the preparation. Liam and Alex looked to one another and smiled.

  "Any idea where we can get a semi truck?"

  -----

  Josh and Sam spent the next forty-five minutes listening to Alex and Liam as they detailed their plan to get everyone to Eustance safely. They would commandeer a semi truck, load everyone in the back of the trailer with enough food, supplies and ammunition to get them to the Beard family farm and, as quickly as the roads would allow, make their way north. A second truck would follow the semi carrying two to three people who would be used to draw off approaching zombies and help to thin out any crowds of gathered dead that would most assuredly mass around the truck. It was the hope that the semi, if driven carefully, would be able to navigate the choked highways by either driving the shoulders and dividers, or gently pushing its way through the mass of cars.

  Both Alex and Liam admitted that there were lots of unknown variables that they would probably meet along the way, and hoped and prayed that they would be able to handle anything that cropped up until they could reach the farm. Those who were in the back of the truck would be able to take care of any zombies who might crowd around the back of the truck, and a retaining wall of bags filled with dirt and mud would provide them with added protection and safety. Josh and Sam listened intently for the majority, only interrupting here and there to interject something, ask a question or to get clarification. At the end of the description of what they wanted to do, everyone remained still and quiet for a minute or two, digesting what was said.

  Josh broke the silence. "You're going to need more people," he said. "We'll never be able to pull that off with just the eight of us..."

  "Nine," Alex interrupted. "Gemma can help."

  Josh shook his head, dismissing the idea immediately. "It's all well and good to say that your daughter can help, but this is serious. She'll never be able to perform out there the way that she would have to in order to do any good. I mean no offense, but if you insist on her helping, she will actually do more harm than good. She's just a kid; let her stay that way just a little longer." Alex blushed and started to protest before he stopped himself.

  "You're right, Josh. On both accounts. But if we need more people, where do we get them from?" Alex was stumped and honestly did not know what to do next.

  "Now who's being self centered?" Josh mocked. "There are more people still alive out there than just those of us confined to this house. We advertise, and see what we get. They'll have to provide for themselves and anyone who can't will have to be left here. There's nothing that can be done about that."

  "That's not an option and you know it," Sam snapped. "If there are people out there and they want to come, we will take them, no matter how useless you think they may be." Sam's face flared red again, and he was not going to compromise on this.

  "We can't save everyone," Liam piped in. "It's just not practical or logical. We can only take those who are going to give something back to the group; not just on the way there, but once we are at the farm. Those without any useful skills will only be a drain..."

  "Do you even hear yourself? We are talking about intentionally leaving people here to die..." Alex interrupted his father-in-law.

  "It can't be helped," Alex said, again with his matter of fact, this is the way it is tone in his voice. "To save everyone that we come across would do nothing but overburden our resources. Instead of helping them, we would be condemning them to certain death, as well as everyone else who is with us." Alex put his elbows on his kne
es and leaned forward, staring hard into Sam's eyes. "The great ideals of 'what can you do for your country' are dead. As dead as those things walking around out there. You'll see real quick that everyone is going to be looking out for number one."

  As if to accentuate his last statement, the front window exploded in glass shards and a hail of bullets began eating at the wall. The crack and pop of gunfire echoed just outside the house and everyone dived to the floor to escape the death that was flying just over their heads. More glass shattered, this time smaller as if a glass bottle had broken on the floor. Orange flames erupted in the front room of the house from the bottle that had just smashed against the wall.

  "Fuck!" Liam shouted and began crawling across the floor towards the kitchen. "Somebody tell the girls to get on the floor and stay in that room." Liam snaked around the corner of the kitchen, moving surprisingly fast for someone who had only hours ago been shot. Sam rolled and crawled towards the back bedroom to take care of the women and Josh and Alex grabbed for the nearest weapon they could find. Josh grabbed his M4 rifle and rolled until his view had cleared the hall corner and he could see into the front yard of the house.

  "Shit! There's a whole truck full of them," and Josh squeezed the trigger of his rifle, dropping one of the gunmen who was careless enough to be standing in the open. Liam reappeared from the kitchen, wet towels on his shoulders and two pots filled with water in each hand.

  "Cover me!" he yelled as he ducked his head and ran down the hall towards the front of the house. The flames were quickly crawling up to the ceiling and would engulf the house in flames before too much longer. Once Liam passed through Josh's line of fire, the M4 cracked again, followed quickly by two more shots. Alex flattened himself against the wall and steadied his aim before firing is own .22 rifle out the destroyed front window.

  Liam ducked behind the front door, just missing the incoming fire from the attackers outside. "When I count to three," Liam shouted back to Josh and Alex, "lay down heavy fire for five seconds. Once you stop, I'm going to douse the flames." Both Alex and Josh nodded once to indicate they had understood. "One...two...three!"