by Mark Clodi
“Alright! Thanks! Um, can I call anyone else? I have a friend and I want to....”
“No sir, I am sorry all cell phone lines are being routed here for the time being.”
Bill eyed the phone by the cash register, “So I could call from a land line?”
The person on the other side of the line seemed to hesitate for a moment, “Maybe, the local phone company is handling those calls and I have heard service is spotty. You can give it a try.”
“Okay, thank you for your help! You've saved my life!”
“Good luck sir!”
Bill disconnected and looked at Stewart and Max, “Well I think I can get across the bridge, but what are we going to do with you two?”
“Are you going back as military?”
Shaking his head Bill said, “I think my career in the military just got cut a little short. I will find something else to wear first. Does the land line work?”
Max picked the receiver up and shook his head, “No, it is dead. I better check you out for any scrapes or cuts, if you have some you will get stuck in quarantine. Let's go find some clothing and talk about how to get me and Stewart across the river.”
“Oh that will be easy on both counts, have you ever paddled a canoe?”
Chapter 26
“Put your shoes on!” Seth yelled at his brother for the tenth time in as many minutes.
Kenny ignored his younger brother and wrinkled his stocking covered feet, which were sitting on top of his shoes.
“Shut up Seth!” Nick said for the fourth time, “You worry about you! Kenny is almost an adult he can do what he wants.”
“He is not an adult, he is 'special'! And he needs to put shoes on his filthy feet.”
Nick was beginning to understand that Kenny was not the only 'special' kid in the family. At first Nick had tried to give the kid a little leeway, the adults had taken his dog, Riley, away from him, which had made both Kenny and Seth cry, but now they were forty minutes into their train ride and he would not stop pestering Kenny about everything. Jessica continued to be inconsolable at Nick's side, weeping and crying for their mom and dad. Nick felt he had to keep track of his sister and the other boys, but Kenny was not helping, at least not helping much. He had pounded Seth once, when they were still on the bus, which shut the kid up for about half an hour. All of the kids had three by five cards pinned to their shirts, stating their names and destinations. Jessica and Nick had their dads friend's name written on their cards as 'point of contact' for when they reached Des Moines. Nick had remembered Bill's name from when they had visited them last summer. Well, to be honest, he had only remembered Bill because he had two sons about his own age. Will who was a year younger and Max who was three years older, the boys had bonded and played like maniacs riding bikes down to the river and staying busy all day for two weeks, which was one of the best vacations Nick could remember.
Nick didn't remember their phone number, but he he did have it in his cell phone. 'Little Max' and Will didn't have cell phones, so he had their home phone number, which seemed to make the woman, Missus Wright, very happy. Missus Wright had been watching them when his dad had been stuck in jail in O'Neill and this morning she had told them they were all going on a bus ride, then a train ride to Iowa. This was not okay with Nick, not without his dad. Jessica and he had fought like wildcats when told the news that they would not be traveling with their dad. In a strange twist of fate it was Kenny who had clamped down on both the younger kids, holding them firm and telling them to calm down. Then when they were boarding the bus it was Nick who had to calm the other two down as they were separated from their dog. The bus ride was one of saddest any of them had ever been on. Riley had broken away from her handler and followed the bus for a few miles out of town, before it sped up and left the dog in the dust.
Most of the kids on the train had their parents with them, but there was a select group of about fifteen kids who didn't know any of the adults. Nick, Jessica, Seth and Kenny had been lumped in with those kids, Missus Wright and another woman, Miss Swanson, were in charge of keeping the kids in line. They were not like school teachers either, for one thing, they hit the kids. Not until they bled or anything, but they smacked them if they back talked or took too long to do what they were told. Nick had never been treated so poorly in his entire ten years of life. They hadn't hit Kenny yet, but Seth got a spanking in front of everyone when he wouldn't get on the bus in the morning. Two men had kept Kenny from helping his brother and it was Nick who had eventually calmed the other boy down enough so that they could all get on the bus, crying and sad. Now Nick was trying to keep Jessica happy, reminding her that they were going to 'Uncle' Bill's house and that she would see her friend Trudy and the neighbor girls down the road again, who were twins the same age as her. This seemed to help a little, enough that Jessica quieted down and cried to herself.
To make matters worse the adults had taken all of their stuff and dumped it by the side of the bus that morning, the kids got on board with the clothing on their backs, the rest of their stuff was tossed. Nick had his game boy in one pocket and his cell phone in the other, he was afraid to take either one out because the he had seen Miss Swanson 'confiscate' one video game from another boy already. The kids with adults had backpacks full of stuff with them, which seemed unfair to Nick, just thinking about it made him start to tear up again. Kenny looked over at him, they were crammed four to the bench seat with Jessica closest to the window and Kenny on the outside of the seat. The whole train was stuffed full of people.
“What's wrong Nick? Don't cry again, okay? It will be okay. I know it will.” said Kenny.
“Put your shoes on!” muttered Seth. Kenny glared at him.
“Shut up Seth. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Can't you see Nick is sad again? We have to make him happy. Look out the window Nick, see how the river is all shiny? Just like eggs!”
Nick looked at Seth, then at the river, which was indeed bright and shiny with the sun gleaming off of it, but like eggs? He shook his head and smiled a little for show, “I see, yeah, just like eggs Kenny.”
“Aw you are still sad. We could play a game. Like 'I spot'.”
“I spy.” muttered Seth.
“Yeah! I spot a spy!”
“Just 'I spy'!” said Seth louder.
“Oh yeah, that's it. I will go first, I spot with my little dot something....shiny!”
“The river, retard!” said Seth.
The young man's smile faltered, “Don't call me a retard. You can't say that, it isn't right.”
“You can't take your shoes off outside the house.”
“It is different. I know it is different. I am not playing with you. I am playing with Nick, so you shut up. What is your guess Nick?”
“Uh....” Nick was trying to think of something else that was shiny and not guess the river on the first try, “The window?”
This made Kenny laugh, as if it were the funniest thing he ever heard, “The window? Windows aren't shiny! You see shiny stuff through them. Guess again!”
“Well” said Nick looking out the window, “How about the river? You said it was shiny before.”
“Yep that is what I spotted! Your turn!”
“I spy with my little eye...something green!”
The game continued with several other rows of kids participating until the things they were spying became ridiculously difficult to guess, like a stain on the seat one kid was sitting on or the tag on another kid's underwear, which only showed when he leaned forward. The game did keep the kids occupied and out of trouble for an hour. Once it slowed down the kids mostly fell into troubled sleep brought on by too many restless nights and the trauma of the morning.
With a start Nick came awake some time later. Something was wrong, he was laying next to Seth with his head on Kenny's lap, Jessica was curled up in a ball at both boy's feet, also asleep. Kenny had his seat leaning back and his head was tilted sideways at an angle, a thin stream of drool led form his mouth, down his
neck to where it was absorbed by his shirt forming a dark, wet stain. The train had stopped. Pushing himself up Nick could see houses and streets out the window and then he saw Miss Swanson coming towards their seat.
“C'mon kids get up and lets go, there is a bus here waiting to take you to Des Moines.”
There were kids in the seats in front of them, others without parents and they woke up groggy and dazed, with numerous moans of 'What?', a few started to cry right away.
“I thought the train was taking us to Des Moines.” said Nick.
“It doesn't go there, we are in Osceola, as close as it comes. There is a bus waiting for you guys to get on, with room for just fifteen more kids, just enough for you guys!”
“Where is Missus Wright?” asked one of the other kids.
“She took an earlier bus with her family, we let you guys sleep, but now they want to turn the train around to make another trip, so we have to get off.”
“Wow! How do they turn the train around?” asked another boy.
“Well I think they are just going to back it up, I don't think they will actually turn it around.”
“Oh, cause in Thomas the...”
“C'mon kids we have to get moving, make sure to get all your stuff, the bus is waiting.”
The kids shared a look that said, 'what stuff?' as clearly as if they had spoken out loud. “What I mean is, don't forget your shoes or anything you had in your pockets, okay?”
Nick checked to make sure he still had his video game and phone, he saw Jessica cling more tightly to the one webkinz stuffed animal she had smuggled aboard too. Kenny put his shoes on, accompanied by a comment from Seth not to take them off again until they were in a house somewhere.
“Is Missus Carson here?” asked Jessica, “Nick is Missus Carson out there waiting for us?”
“Shhh, quiet Jess, I think she is going to meet us in Des Moines. We will call her when we get there.” Together the kids shuffled out of the train and boarded the overcrowded bus that was filled only with children, the driver and two other adults, a stern looking man and Miss Swanson. There was only one bench seat left to cram the fifteen children onto, the kids pushed the smallest children up onto the seat and found places to sit on the dirty floor. There were no other cars or buses in the parking lot.
Chapter 27
In Chicago the lights were still on. The electricity was still running and the battle for the city was over. The military had been running in sniper teams and forward observers by helicopter, putting them on rooftops and calling down missiles and artillery when ever groups of undead showed themselves, but this was more than a form of annoying high tech guerrilla warfare. The Willis tower made too likely a target to act as a base for the zombie leaders, so they had chosen to hold up in the Art Institute instead. From there they set about stopping the solder's constant drain on the troops. The leader of the zombies had converted the main entrance into a seat of power and used one entire wing for their personal rooms, where only he and his entourage were allowed. The rest of the block was fairly well kept and looked much as it did before it was taken over.
Inside the throne room the 'king' was hard at work. He was currently beating on a soldier who had been captured alive and brought to him, the man was very much alive and very much a bloody mess. Most of the zombies present watched with rapt attention as 'King Harry' beat on the man.
“You did not hurt me, you know. Your capture, torture, and death really was for nothing.” Harry told the man as he punched him once again in the stomach. The soldier didn't reply, his will was already broken, he was beyond snappy retorts and even words. He had not told the zombies anything and knew he was going to die, so he just endured. Harry went on, “You know the incredibly sad part about this?” he said hitting the soldier again, “You will tell me everything. Oh not now, you are too broken up for that, but I've already infected you and you will come back once I decide to kill you. After that I will get you just smart enough so that you realize what is happening to you and so that I can get what I want out of you, then I am going to put you in a special place I reserve for the people I hate the most. I have a little spot over in Millennium Park where I keep the things I want to live in pain. I don't know how long we live yet, after we come back, but lets find out together, shall we?” Harry backed off from the man after another backhanded slap and then gestured to a slinky woman dressed in a tawdry black bodysuit. She was wearing a single gold bracelet on one hand and was talking into a satellite phone, which she hung up. After glancing at Harry the zombie woman, Aubrey, stepped over to him and whispered in his ear.
Aubrey was his woman who got things done, she rarely appeared in the throne room but when she did Harry always wanted to speak with her. The two were not lovers, no Harry had more...refined tastes than that. His current girlfriend was in residence as always, she was also one of his body guards and still very much alive, he said he liked the way she moved when he slid into her, something zombie women lost in the process of coming back to life. Ella McVay had an iron disposition and moved in ways that were no longer entirely human. Harry had learned that even as zombies gained abilities from killing humans, humans gained abilities from slaying zombies. Ella had killed hundreds of zombies. Rumor had it that she was as fast as any undead walking and her blood thirsty reputation steered most of the undead well away from her. It wasn't so much that Ella hated any zombie who was not Harry, it was more like she had a philosophy that asking for forgiveness for killing super zombies was better than asking permission to do so. Her new life suited her well, the concubine of a king. It remained to be seen if she could bear his children and form a new linage, if it never happened it would not be for lack of trying.
Harry pulled back from Aubrey, “We are done. Everyone out. Now. Except my love and you Aubrey.” Unlike other kings of the past Harry's word carried more than just a suggestion, all of the zombies in his presence were his own creation or created by his 'children', when he gave an order they obeyed immediately. His assistant, Ramey had been dispatched to Nebraska, where the zombies he was calling from Denver had slowed to a crawl. Ramey was now on the phone with Aubrey, when the hall had cleared and Harry was certain that they were alone he said, “Well that is taken care of.”
“Harry.” said Aubrey with warning in her voice, she was looking at the wounded soldier, who was laying on the floor to one side of the throne room.
The soldier was not a threat, he was buck naked and already dying, but Harry was going to bring him back and anything he heard now could be gotten from him later. Harry shrugged and hopped off of his throne, “Do you want to do it?” he asked Aubrey.
“I've been well fed lately, but thank you.”
“Ella?”
“Or course, but take what you will of it first sire.” With her it was always a game, she never called him 'Harry' unless they were alone. Ella was busy staring at Aubrey, the zombie woman was a mystery to her, vanishing like the wind and reappearing sporadically to upset her husband's best laid plans. The human woman was beginning to get jealous of the little seen zombie.
“I want to see what happens when you kill a human. Watch Aubrey, tell me what you see when she kills the man.”
With a small smile Aubrey said, “As my lord commands.” Her tone was anything but deferential, but she did watch Ella with acute interest as the woman approached the fallen soldier.
Bending down on one knee Ella looked at the man and then at Harry, “You have bitten him already lord?”
“Yes, there on the shoulder, he is already infected, you killing him won't change that.”
“Slow or fast?”
Harry waved indifferently, “Just get it over with we have things to discuss.”
Ella moved in a blur that impressed Aubrey, a knife fairly winked into existence and sank into the soldier's back above his heart. The woman brought the blade up and licked the bright red blood off of it before looking around for something to finish cleaning the blade on.
“Don't move Ella
.” said Harry, then to Aubrey, “Do you see it?”
What he was talking about was the swirling patterns of the life force within the fallen soldier, it was ebbing out of the man. Any mortally wounded person bled out their life force when they were killed, Harry called it a soul, but Ella was not ready to commit to that level of spirituality yet. This life force took anywhere from seconds to half a day to leave the body. If there was a zombie nearby it could trap this essence by consuming the flesh of the dead, some could be harvested by merely drinking their blood as well, without killing the human. As Aubrey and Harry watched they saw minute swirls of the colorful life energy being absorbed by Ella's body.
Ella crouched transfixed by what was happening, slowly a smile came on her face, her nipples hardened, her body became aroused and alert. She placed a hand on the corpse and both zombies watched the flow of energy increase at the point of contact.
“What happens if she consumes it?” asked Aubrey. Ella did not appear to hear her question.
“I don't know. She is squeamish on that point, I think licking the blood was just a show for you. Ella seems to be growing jealous of you.” he said softly so that his paramour could not hear him.
Aubrey shrugged, “How much longer?”
“A while yet. Lets go to my private quarters.” the two zombies let themselves out of the main throne room and into what had been a conference room in the museum.
“Will she remember us being gone?”
“Yes, she probably knows were are not there now, but she likes the feeling too much.”
“She does seem excited by it.” Aubrey admitted.
Harry waved the comment off, “Let's get to it, what does Ramey say?”
“He has handled the problems out west, he had contact with the last of the trouble makers today around noon and the zombie took off.”
“Was it one of Neil's guys?” Harry asked.
“Yeah, Ramey was not sure if he could have taken it out, the guy was powerful, but he wasn't there when Ramey got to the horde, the two zombies left to mind the herd weren't that tough for him to defeat.”