Zombie Farm

by Crisp, M. L.

  But he was distracted when he heard a loud cracking sound, he looked down and saw a split in the branch he was perched on. “Shit,” Mike grumbled, and then the branch broke. Mike grabbed hold of another branch, and he dangled as his shotgun fell to the ground, landing beside Ted.

  Mike soon followed, as he lost his grip, he tumbled to the ground. Ted was on top of him almost immediately. Mike tried to hold Ted back with one hand, and reached for the shotgun with the other. It was just out of his reach, then he felt the weight of Ted’s body, on him, he couldn’t hold him back any longer. Ted’s hands were wrapped around Mike’s parka with an iron grip.

  Mike unzipped the parka, and wriggled out of it, he scuttled away, as Ted sunk his teeth into the nylon. Ted bit a chunk out of the jacket, and chewed hungrily for a few seconds, then looked a bit confused at the mouthful of nylon and cotton. He spat it out, and looked around for Mike. Mike was quickly crawling toward the shotgun, but in the melee, his helmet had twisted around so that he couldn’t see very well.

  Mike ripped the helmet off and threw it aside, he reached the shotgun as Ted was bearing down on him again. As Ted loomed over him, he placed the barrel of the shotgun against Ted’s right knee, and fired. Ted’s kneecap exploded in a mist of blood and bone.

  Ted tipped over, Mike jumped up, and saw Ted struggle to stand up on one leg. Ted kept losing his balance and falling over. Mike almost laughed, in life, one of Ted’s favorite expressions was, “I’m busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.”

  Mike quickly lost his sense of humor when the reality of what he had to do washed over him. Allison opened the door and started to come outside, but Mike motioned for her to go back in the house. Mike walked toward Ted, he reached into his pocket and pulled out another shotgun shell. As he loaded the shell, he looked in Ted’s eyes, wondering if he would see some kind of recognition. But there was nothing, except for a blank, yet hungry stare.

  “You didn’t go to the fair huh? I guess you came out to check on us when all this went down. I wonder when you got bit? Guess it doesn’t really matter now.”

  Ted didn’t say anything, he just panted and growled as he reached toward Mike. A tear rolled down Mike’s cheek, he thrust the shotgun into Ted’s mouth, if he thought about it much longer, he wasn’t sure he could go through with it.

  The back of Ted’s head splattered across the front yard. Mike dropped the shotgun, and fell to his knees. Allison saw him from the window and ran to his side, she didn’t say anything. She just embraced him, and stroked his hair as he rocked back and forth. Allison kissed his forehead, “Mike, we need to bury Ted and get back inside. I know we’re out in the ‘sticks,’ but we’re kind of exposed out here.” Mike took a deep breath, and nodded.

  Mike sat glumly at the dinner table, moving his vegetables around with his fork, he had yet to take a bite.

  “Mike, you need to eat.”

  “I can’t right now. I just killed one of my best friends in the world! I mean, I know it wasn’t really Ted anymore, but…”

  Allison understood how he felt, Ted was her friend too, she decided to try and take his mind off of it. “I wish we knew what was going on, we haven’t had any reception since the second day of this, and the radio is nothing but static. Maybe we should try driving into town.”

  Mike shook his head, “no, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “Too bad cable hasn‘t made it out this far yet, we could just turn on CNN.”

  Mike threw down his fork, “one more thing I fucked up, so it’s all my fault! Just add it to the list.”

  “Mike, I didn’t say…”

  “You don’t have to say it. You think I don’t know that I screwed up both our lives moving us to this Godforsaken farm? Yeah right, farm, some farm. I made you give up your modeling career. And for what? So you could watch me fail and bring you down with me!”

  Allison got up from her side of the table, sat by Mike, and took his hand. “Mike, look at me.”

  Mike looked up.

  “Nobody made me do anything. I wanted to be with you, so I gave up my modeling career. It’s not like it was any great shakes anyway. I was lucky if I got a spot in the J.C. Penney Catalogue.”

  “But you were going to move to New York, you were going to…”

  Allison put her finger over his lips, “I left that life behind for you, and I’m alive today because of that. No matter how much I may have missed my old life, or wonder what might have been; I’m alive today because of you. You saved my life.”

  Mike smiled and squeezed her hand. He had always felt guilty about convincing Allison to move to the farm with him. He thought he could make a go of farming his dad’s land that he had inherited. It didn’t work out that way, he wasn’t cut out for farming. He ended up working at the brick plant in Mangum to make ends meet. It was over an hour commute each way. After several years of this grind, he was sure Allison was going to leave him, and he wouldn’t have blamed her if she had.

  Allison leaned in and kissed him, they continued for a few minutes. Allison took a breath, “let’s go upstairs.”

  Mike hesitated for a moment, “what about dinner? Should we clean up first?”

  Allison giggled, “it’ll still be here in the morning, right now, I just want to forget everything. For tonight, let’s just pretend that all is right with the world.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Allison was asleep in Mike’s arms, with a big smile on her face. For the first time since all this started, she was having a good night’s sleep. Dealing with Ted had been horrific, but perhaps it was cathartic in a way. Since this madness began, aside from the brief encounter with Ted, they had remained basically untouched. They were isolated enough so that they didn’t have to deal with the situation head on. They worried about their loved ones of course. Allison especially, after talking to her mother, she was frantic. They were glued to the television for the first couple of days. Then they lost reception.

  Still, it wasn’t quite real for them. Mike was sure the authorities would have it under control soon. But having to put down Ted, it was a wake up call. It was crossing a line, there was no going back now. The world had changed for good. Allison knew that now. But as frightening as that was, she was happy. Happy that she wasn’t alone. She was in the arms of the man she loved. They would figure this out together.

  Allison woke up in the dark, she could hear a faint knocking sound. She shook Mike, he woke up and smiled at her, “not again, three times in one night is it for me.”

  Allison rolled her eyes, “no dufus, do you hear that?”

  Mike listened. There was a faint sound. Then the faint knocking became a frantic pounding. Mike hopped out of bed. “Not again,” he muttered as he approached the window. He looked down, “damn, we didn’t turn on the porch light. Guess I better go down and check it out.”

  “I’m coming with you.” Allison said, putting on her bathrobe. Mike threw on a tank top and gym shorts.

  Mike and Allison stood at the door, Mike holding his shotgun. The pounding continued, along with someone trying to turn the doorknob. Mike turned on the porch light, and peered out the peephole. He saw a man in what appeared to be some type of law enforcement uniform. The man smiled when the light came on. “Are you alive or dead?” Mike yelled through the door. Immediately feeling stupid for it.

  “I’m alive, but I don’t know for how long if you don’t open the Goddamn door!” Came the reply from the other side.

  Mike started to unlatch the door, but Allison stopped him. “Wait, we don’t even know who it is.”

  Mike scratched his beard, “well, he’s alive, and wearing a uniform, I don’t see as we have much choice.”

  “Let’s not be so hasty, let’s talk to him first.”

  Mike held the shotgun up, and unlocked the door. He cracked it open, the man started forward, then noticed the shotgun. He put his hands up, “whoa buddy, I’m one of the good guys.”

  “Are you a cop?”

  �
�No sir, I ain‘t no cop. Name’s Randy, I’m a corrections officer. Was anyway, when all this started.” He looked around nervously, “can I come in? It ain’t safe out here!”

  Mike stepped outside, Allison behind him, in the doorway. “What are you doing here?” Mike questioned Randy.

  Randy sighed, “mister, we was safe in the prison I worked at, then some motherfucker let somebody infected in, then there went that. I escaped with a bus full of cons. We ran out of gas, one of the cons was infected, then soon they all were. I been running ever since. Look pal, those things were in hot pursuit of me, they’ll be here soon. You gotta’ help me!”

  Allison’s jaw dropped, “You led them right to us!”

  “Lady, I was runnin’ for my life! I wasn’t tryin’ to lead nobody nowhere!” Randy spat back.

  “I…I’m sorry.” Allison mumbled.

  “Whatever lady, just let me in, we gotta’ start boarding this place up!”

  “How many are there?” Mike asked.

  “I don’t know, forty? Fifty? That bus was packed to the gills.”

  “Allison, get inside. I’ve got an idea!”

  “No Mike, it’s too dangerous out here!”

  “I think I can take most of ‘em out before they get to the house. Randy here will help me.”

  Randy grimaced, “this better be good mister!”

  Allison went inside, and watched out the window. Mike ran over to the gas grill. “Randy, give me a hand over here.”

  Randy ran over, “what are you gonna’ do? Fix ‘em some steaks? I don’t know if you heard, but they like their meat really motherfuckin’ rare!”

  Mike shook his head, “we don’t have time for jokes. Detach the propane tank, and help me carry it up that path. We’re going to blow them up before they get to the house.”

  Randy quickly did as he was told, although he clearly wasn’t happy about it. Each man grabbed one side of the tank, Mike holding the shotgun in his other hand. They carried it down the path. It was dark, but Mike had a small pen light sticking from his mouth, dimly illuminating the way. They set it down, and Mike pulled shut the old aluminum gate at the entrance to the property. “Fuck, that rickety thing ain’t gonna’ stop nothing!” Randy said.

  Mike didn’t look up, “I don’t expect it to, but maybe it will slow them down, maybe not. Can’t hurt anyway. “Shit, here they come!” Randy yelled.

  Mike looked in the distance, he was right, he could make out figures in the darkness getting closer. They ran back to the clearing, at the edge of the dirt road. Mike aimed, waiting for the creatures to get closer. The undead were descending on the farm, Randy was right, the old gate quickly gave way. Mike fired, hitting the propane tank.

  Allison heard the explosion, and saw the fire in the distance. The zombies at the epicenter of the blast were blown apart. Blood and body parts rained down upon Mike and Randy. Some bodies, their prison blues in tatters, legs shredded, pulled themselves forward. Randy slapped Mike on the back. “You did it fella’, you did it!”

  Mike was relieved, he didn’t have much ammunition. But in the light of the fire, they soon saw that while the explosion did take out the zombies in the immediate blast radius. The ones farther away kept advancing, unfazed by the blaze. As they passed through the fire, some of the creatures were on fire themselves. It looked like balls of flame running toward them.

  “Run!” Mike yelled

  Both men turned and ran back toward the house, Mike dropped his penlight. In the darkness, Mike tripped and fell, twisting his ankle. Mike yelled for Randy to help him. If Randy heard him, he didn’t show it, he just kept running.

  Mike watched helplessly as the creatures closed in. He raised the shotgun, firing into the crowd.

  Allison stared outside intently. Finally, she saw Randy running up to the door. “Let me in! Hurry!”

  Allison unlatched the door, Randy came in. “Where’s Mike?” Allison asked frantically.

  “I don’t know, his plan went to shit, and we just ran. He was right behind me when we took off.”

  Allison started to open the door, Randy grabbed her. “Don’t lady, those things were right behind me.”

  Allison pressed her face against the window. He was right, she saw them, some were on fire. The creatures reached the house, and were pounding at the side of the house. The home’s wooden frame caught fire. “Aw damn, we’re gonna’ roast in here!” Randy whimpered.

  Allison kept looking out the window, trying to see if Mike was out there. Then she looked at the stranger in her house, “no we’re not. We’re going to get out of here, we’re going to pick up my husband, and get the hell out of here!”

  “Oh come on lady, he’s dead and you know it!”

  “You said you didn’t see what happened to him. He could have found a place to hide, maybe he climbed a tree. We’re going to find out!”

  “Fine, whatever. How are we gonna’ get out of here?”

  Allison looked around, there was already smoke filling the room. “The back, from the looks of it, most of them are at the front of the house. The truck is in the barn, you passed it out there. Maybe Mike made it in there. Anyway, it’s not far. Of course, with those things out there it seems a lot farther.”

  Allison ran to the closet, and rooted around. She found what she was looking for. “Take this.” Allison said, handing Randy a baseball bat. She ran upstairs and grabbed the truck keys. She wanted to put some clothes on, but there just wasn’t time. She did stop and flip through the wedding album. Bypassing the formal pictures of her and Mike in tux and wedding gown, she stopped on a picture of them that was taken on their honeymoon. They were in Cancun, Mike was wearing a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt she had bought him, and she was wearing a black shirt and shorts. Some stranger had agreed to take the picture. Allison pulled it out of the of the plastic sleeve, and stuffed it in the pocket of her robe. Discarding the album, she ran out of the room, and back downstairs.

  “I’ve got the keys. The backdoor is in the kitchen. Follow me!” She instructed.

  Randy followed her, Allison snatched the butcher knife out of the sink. “Ok, when I open the door, just follow my lead. The barn is to the right.” Allison said.

  “I saw it.” Randy answered.

  “Good, if any of those things get in our way, swing that bat as hard as you can. You don’t have to kill them, just clear a path for us to the barn.”

  Randy looked irritated, “I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck lady. Let’s go!”

  Allison nodded, she unlatched the door, and swung it open. She was right, the bulk of them were still concentrated at the front of the house. But some had made their way to the back. Allison bolted outside, with Randy close behind her. The zombies that were clawing at the side of the house charged after them. But Allison and Randy had a pretty good head start. The ones in the front of the house saw the two figures, and ran after them. Allison saw them and realized they were going to be cut off. “Step it up!” She screamed, as she tried to run even faster. She was barefoot, jagged rocks and sticks poked at her feet. At this moment, she was wishing that she had put on a pair of sneakers instead of going after the picture.

  Randy saw what she was talking about, and pushed himself to run faster. Some of the quickest zombies were in front of them now, the barn was just a few yards away.

  Randy stopped, “keep running lady! I’ll hold ’em back, you just get that Goddamn truck out here pronto!”

  The creatures turned their focus to the meat that was standing still. As one of the zombies lunged at him, Randy swung. The bat smashed into it’s jaw, shattering it. The creature staggered back a bit. The lower half of its mouth dangled for a moment, and then fell to the ground. It kept coming, at least it couldn’t eat him now, Randy thought. But the others were quickly closing in. He got in his batters stance, and hoped that lady could make it to him in time.

  Allison finally reached the barn. She kicked open the doors. It was really a ramshackle structure. Mike had talked about build
ing a new one, but when they gave up on farming, there didn’t seem to be any point. It was really just a big garage now. Allison opened the door to the old Ford Ranger, got in, and stuck the key in the ignition. It didn’t start on the first try, but after a few attempts, the old workhorse roared to life.

  Randy was knocking the zombies back as they came, but he knew that pretty soon, he would be overwhelmed. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the headlights bouncing up and down in the darkness. The Calvary was on its way! “Get some motherfuckers, get some!” He screamed, swinging the bat so hard, it almost decapitated the zombie right in front of him.

  But now the others by the house had joined their brethren, and no matter how hard he swung, they would be all over him in a matter of seconds. Or would have been, Allison plowed into them. At this moment, she was glad they hadn’t traded the truck in for the new Fiero that she had wanted so badly. Randy jumped into the bed of the truck, “I’m in, go lady, go!

  Allison hit the gas, slamming into more of the creatures as she went. She sped down the dirt road. She could make out the figure of a body in the road. It wasn’t wearing a prison uniform, but a T-shirt and gym shorts. It was Mike. The truck screeched to a halt. Randy jumped out of the back of the truck, and got in the passenger side. “Keep going woman!” He ordered.

  “That’s Mike!” Allison said, pointing at the figure lying face down in the road. “Help me get him in the truck.”

  “Are you crazy lady? Look at him, he’s half eaten! He’ll be one of those things soon. Not to mention the ones that’ll be catching back up to us if we don’t get the hell out of here!”

  Allison knew he was right, but couldn’t bring herself to leave. Then Mike stirred. He looked up, in the glare of headlights, Allison could see that the right half of his face was basically gone. Nothing but bone and tissue, the eye hanging from its socket. Oddly enough, the other side of the face was mostly untouched, it was still the Mike that she remembered.