Wake the Dead

by Vanucci, Gary F.

  “Let’s go,” Alex said, “before another mob comes calling.” He held open the passenger side door and waited patiently for Shadow as the wolf trotted along toward them. Alex whistled and then more sternly waved the wolf over. That seemed to do the trick as Shadow picked up the pace, climbed into the van, and draped himself over the seat and floor.

  “Now, how do we get into this castle of yours?” Alex asked.

  “Just drive and I’ll show you when we get there,” Ben said from the back. “And thanks for saving my ass in the store back there. Much obliged.”

  “Does that mean that you will be kinder to me now?” Alex asked with obvious skepticism.

  “Doubtful,” Ben replied with a clear smirk as Alex glimpsed it all in the rear view mirror. He merely nodded in acceptance of that and drove off, back to the Renaissance Faire.

  ***

  When they arrived back to the fairgrounds, the remnants of the fire could be seen clearly in the distance still, smoke billowing thickly over the tree line. Zombies still wandered all around the open valley and beyond now, still in a slow, almost catatonic way. The closest one to them was at least a football field’s distance away.

  The devastation of the pickup truck explosion had gotten quite a few of them he could see in the distance as multiple bodies covered the ground.

  “I guess I’ll have to park it here,” Alex said, gesturing to the same area he had parked it in before.

  “Guess so. Ain’t no way we’re getting closer in a vehicle without stirring up about a hundred zombies,” Liz stated with finality.

  “I’m thinking,” Ben said. “Our usual way in and out is going to be an issue. We might need to work our way around to the other side and see if it’s clear.”

  “Then we better get moving, ‘cause it will be dark in a few hours. Look where the sun sits,” Phil suggested, getting out of the vehicle, bending low to one knee, and leaning on his shield.

  “Only other thing we can do is cause a bigger distraction further away to try to move the herd,” Ben suggested. “Maybe we can sneak through the parking lot and get past ‘em, too.”

  “Probably not with the pup,” Phil said, nodding toward Shadow who jumped down and onto the grass. “Sneakin’ I mean. Unless Alex has a muzzle for the wolf,” he added with a wry grin to Alex. He simply shook his head, returning the smirk.

  Selina, you okay to walk…and run if we need to?” Ben asked her, still sitting in the rear of the van with her. They all congregated right there as they discussed the plan to get back into the fair and then the castle.

  “All right, so what is the layout of the castle?” Alex asked.

  “There is a gate that’s ten feet tall that is the entry to the outer courtyard. It’s pretty large and there is an unfinished chapel around the outside,” Liz began to explain. “That’s the only way in from the fairgrounds. Twenty-foot walls surround the castle and the courtyard. There is a huge area, maybe ten feet deep and even wider than it is long, that was being dug out for a moat—a drawbridge falls over the moat that leads into the castle. There’s only one floor and the inside wasn’t completely finished,” Liz continued, staring Alex in the eye as she spoke. “And the castle backs up to a fifty foot drop straight into the river below.”

  “And where is it situated in the fairgrounds?” Alex asked next, strapping on all of his gear, backpack and duffle bag.

  “It’s in the northwest corner of the fair, all the way at the back, designed to be that way so that visitors could see most of the kiosks and tents before they made it to the castle,” Ben explained with some familiarity.

  “You sound like you have some knowledge on all of that, Ben,” Alex asked, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder.

  “Yeppers,” Ben answered, checking his pistol and chambering a round. “I was part of the construction crew for the castle, bud. Just so happened when everything went to shit, me and another guy got stuck in the moat while everyone else took off, left us for dead,” Ben said, emphasizing every syllable angrily as he recalled the dreadful events.

  “Sorry, man,” Alex said, moving to stand beside Shadow who sat loyally beside him.

  “Not as sorry as I was when he turned into a fucking zombie….”

  “What happened? How did you survive?” Selina asked. “There was plenty of digging tools, needless to say, I spent days in there trying to survive on what was in my lunch cooler and trying to avoid wandering zombies. Buried myself in dirt on more than one occasion. Wasn’t a fun time.”

  “That’s when we found him, pulled his ass out of the pit and he’s been hanging with us ever since,” Liz said. “Can’t get rid of him!”

  “That’s because Nick likes ‘im,” Phil said. “But, we really need to get moving, or we gotta stay here overnight. We got maybe a couple more hours before it gets dark and I could stand a shower after today.”

  “You guys have running water?” Alex asked hopefully, refilling his quiver from the excess arrows in his duffle bag.

  “Yes sir. Running hot water from the generator we got back in the castle. And it runs on this here fuel we need to bring back,” explained Phil again, holding a gas can in one hand.

  “How we gonna get all these things back to the castle?” asked Selina sliding to the edge of the van.

  “We normally fill a wheel barrow over near the edge of the fair, wheel it through with us carefully, and stow it for safekeeping if we have big items,” Liz said, starting to stuff her own backpack with the items in the van. Phil and Ben began to do the same. “Otherwise we stuff it all in our packs and run with it.”

  ‘And we used to get through the parking lot and to our spot on the east side of the fairgrounds, sneak through a hole in the fence, and make our way back easy. Now,” Ben said, staring at Alex, “there’s zombies all over my parking lot!”

  “Can’t we create another distraction with another car in the lot that would bring the jokers running?” Selina asked.

  “It’s as good an idea as any,” Liz said, brushing loose strands of her brown hair out of her face and tucking them under the helm again.

  “We just gonna keep blowing up cars?” Ben asked, though everyone shrugged.

  “’Jokers’, huh?” Liz asked Selina.

  “Yeah, that’s what we called them.”

  “Who’s we?” Alex asked, moving to stand near her.

  “I had a group that was surviving inside the fair before you saw me, Lancelot. We were good up until a few days ago. Just before you found me on that roof, I had lost my last friend…Lee. He and I were the last two survivors for weeks, staying alive by going from tent to tent, building to building, staying out of sight and being careful to be quiet. Wasn’t much of a life,” she said sadly, straightening her bodice and hopelessly trying to rub it free of soot and dirt. Alex could also see that she had torn free even more of her dress on one side, making her quite the mockery of a medieval damsel, especially with her sneakers completing the ensemble. “There was never a time that we didn’t have one small area free of zombies to even try to get out of the fairgrounds. We didn’t even know that there were survivors in the castle, either. We eventually holed up in the wine shop behind the mansion and boarded it up at the far west side of the fair.” Alex looked at her sympathetically. “We were there for a long time.”

  “We’ve all lost people in this shitty world,” Alex admitted, kneeling and leaning on his bow. “Only thing we can do is remember the good times we had, try to create new ones, and do more than just survive from day to day. We’ve got to try to rebuild humanity.”

  “Truth is, I was this close to laying on the business end of that sword,” Selina admitted, holding her finger and thumb very close together. “But, you made me realize that it is worth living…surviving. Anything else is just a cop out.”

  “I tend to agree,” Alex said.

  “Well, are we gonna move or stay here tonight. Time’s a wastin’,” Ben said, wiping soot from his glasses with a cloth.

  “Sure. We don�
�t have to blow up a car this time, either,” Alex suggested, watching Shadow lay down in the grass. “All we need is a loud, preferably mobile, distraction. Could be a radio or a car alarm. That’ll get ‘em riled up for sure. Look, I’ll—“”

  “Do nothing,” Ben interjected. “I’ll do this,” Ben offered quietly. “You guys use the tree line to make your way all the way around to the east to the riverbank, and I’ll make sure they know where I’m at. Once you hear and see ‘em running, make for the fence.”

  Liz and Phil looked at him skeptically, mulling it over.

  “I can make it back. Trust me. I’ve done it more times than any of you.” Again, the group held his gaze skeptically. “Besides, I don’t trust any of you guys to do it, so ol’ Ben’s gotta come through on this one…again,” he said with renewed confidence.

  “Look, if you are doing this, take my Beretta. I can’t have you running around with that peashooter with only a few rounds left,” Alex said, handing his gun over to Ben. “And I’ll expect that returned as soon as you make it back.” Alex smiled at Ben, trying to make light of the grave situation, though levity was hard to find on any of their expressions at first.

  Ben eventually smirked and nodded his agreement at the offer, and then steeled his features. He took the weapon from Alex and quickly ran off toward the myriad of parked cars, and disappeared behind them not long after that.

  “Let’s go,” Phil stated bluntly, “I don’t want any sacrifices made in .” The group collectively grabbed everything they could carry, including the heavy gas cans. “Let’s move!”

  They all made their way through the tree line, Shadow following behind Alex at a respectful distance. There were several breaks along the way as Phil and Liz had to put down the gas cans and rest for a moment or two repeatedly. The shields, armor and their packs were heavy enough, Alex considered, as he slowed his pace, carrying his own packs and supplies slowly.

  It wasn’t long until they made it to the edge of the tree line to the northwest and walked quietly along the bank of the river. That was when they heard the unmistakable sound of a car alarm blaring in the distance.

  Alex looked to Selina and smiled, though she was haggard and carrying her own pack and a gallon container of gasoline, too. She smiled back knowingly.

  “At least we know that little bastard is still alive,” Alex said with a brief smirk. Selina’s smile turned to a horrifying expression quickly as she looked from Alex’s gaze down to the ground. And Alex felt something on his ankle, looking down to see a pale hand grasp him. He reflexively pulled away but the grip held fast and he fell to the rocky, muddy bank of the river as a zombie emerged from the rushing water itself. He landed on the quiver and bow that were strapped to his back and a sharp pain shot through him.

  His belongings fell to the dirt, too and he could not grasp his knife, but his shotgun swung to the front and so he grabbed it, trying to force it between him and the zombie’s filthy clawed hands.

  Shadow was there suddenly, his teeth clamping onto the right foot of the zombie, not allowing it to advance. He tugged and yanked with his jaws, pulling it back and off Alex completely, as Alex and most of the others watched with great interest at the wolf’s feat of strength. Finally, Phil made it to them and with a heavy downward slash, lopped that zombie’s head from its shoulders.

  They all watched in shock as the head rolled off and into the river, rushing away to their left as it disappeared under the water.

  “C’mon, let’s get moving,” Phil said firmly, his hand outstretched. Alex grasped it and pulled his two hundred pound frame off the ground in one easy motion.

  “I had no idea those fuckers could swim!” Alex commented as he got to his feet, his back smarting from the fall.

  “It wasn’t swimming,” Liz corrected. “Probably just fell in the river and got swept up by the current is all. You just happened to lucky enough to meet this guy.”

  Alex laughed, “lucky, eh?” He checked his gear and thankfully, nothing was damaged upon first inspection. He bent low and looked directly at Shadow. “Good job, my friend.” Shadow snarled and howled after a good long pause, mimicking the sound of the distant, yet steady alarm that sounded.

  “Quiet, Shadow!” Alex yelled, and the wolf did cease his wail. Phil, Liz and Selina stopped again after gathering up all their gear and shook their heads collectively. The group continued along until they made it to the fence. Phil pointed to the spot that they usually entered and moved toward it, waving the others on.

  The zombies that were near had moved off toward the car alarm and the area for the most part, was clear. A few of the undead lingered nearby, but did not react as if they had seen or heard them.

  As Phil held open the chain link and pushed against the wooden section of the fence, he peeked around and nodded that the coast was clear. Selina and Liz worked their way through and Alex called Shadow over to him and pointed for the wolf to go through, which he did, after the pair held open the fence for a long moment for him.

  “He’s a real prima donna,” Phil said with a snicker. “Go, man.” Alex climbed through and grabbed the last gas can, then held it for Phil who slid through, his chain mail shirt caught on the chain link. A moment later, he wriggled free as the chainmail sleeve slid down his arm, and the sharp edge of the fence cut a gash on his left forearm, which he ignored, grabbing the gas can.

  “Are you all right?” Phil nodded as Alex then gazed at the slight gap in the fence. “Do you just leave it like that?”

  “Normally, we kind of pull it closed, but Ben will probably be coming along shortly, I would think.” Alex nodded at that, hoping that the little man would make it back to them in short order. “Plus, the zombies aren’t smart enough to pull it away to go through…so far, anyway,” Phil added.

  “Guys,” Liz whispered, pointing to a group of zombies gathered ahead of them. “Over here.” They collectively ran behind the corner of another set of buildings and Shadow even followed them. They ducked inside a hut and behind a few display cases holding pewter statues and busts of various knights, dragons, and the like.

  “Phil, you are bleeding pretty badly, man,” Alex mentioned, noting the severity of the wound and the blood that flowed from it.

  “They are coming inside,” Liz whispered anxiously, pointing toward the entrance.

  “They can sense the blood somehow,” Selina said grimly, reaching into her pack and grabbing a towel.

  “How? Phil asked doubtfully. “They can’t breathe.”

  Selina shrugged, “I have no idea, but trust me, and they sense fresh blood.” She then leaned on Phil in order to keep pressure on the wound, as Alex went through a hand motions directed at Shadow, lowering his hand.

  “Stay,” he said, as the wolf complied, growling, but sitting beside him on the floor as Alex removed his bow and then an arrow from the quiver. Liz moved silently to stand beside the door, her shield no longer on her back, but was instead strapped to her right arm.

  Alex nocked an arrow, stood, and let fly in one motion. The arrow embedded into the first zombie’s skull as it stumbled back into another, knocking it to the ground, as he set another arrow.

  Liz picked up a heavy pewter dragon statuette and jammed it into the skull of the next intruding undead. It too, fell to the floor limply, just as two more pushed past that one. Selina pulled a gun from her pack and aimed it at the zombie, but Alex shook his head no, as he fired again, his arrow penetrating a zombie right through the gaping hole where at one time its nose had been.

  “It will make too much noise,” Alex cautioned and she stowed it once again, continuing to keep pressure on Phil’s arm as Alex nocked a third arrow. Liz slammed her shield edge into the face of the next zombie, its skull exploding under the impact of the cold, hard steel. It fell to the ground, unmoving, as soon as Liz retracted her shield.

  That appeared to be the last of the group inside as Alex released the string and replaced the arrow in his quiver. Nothing else came through the door. Selina
had Phil’s arm completely wrapped in the towel, but it was stained crimson and it was clear he would need further aid.

  “Shit. How far ‘til we hit the castle gates?” Alex asked, concerned that they might have to leave some things behind if Phil could not carry on under his own steam.

  “Not far,” Phil answered calmly, getting to his feet and holding the towel against the wound.

  “Try some of these, just in case,” Alex asked him, fishing into his own backpack and finding an antibiotic and pain reliever. He popped the tops, poured the meds into his hand, and offered them to Phil, who nodded and accepted the pills, swallowing them without water.

  “C’mon, I’ll grab the gas,” Alex offered.

  “I can manage it,” Phil protested, trying to tie the towel around his wounded left arm. Alex reached into his pack again and pulled free a heavy roll of duct tape. “Here,” Alex said, exposing the sticky side of a layer as Phil brought the makeshift bandage to him. Alex quickly wrapped the soaked towel in duct tape and replaced it quickly in his pack, while Shadow stared up at him.

  “C’mon, boy. We’re leaving,” Alex commanded. Shadow got to his feet and followed obediently once more. Liz led the group through kiosks, tents and dilapidated structures quietly and quickly, the group following. Alex held his ground a bit more often with the wolf following until the area was completely clear of zombies.

  Not long after, the gates were in sight. Liz made a whistling sound and Alex watched the castle walls as a figure emerged and waved to her. She gestured to the gate, where a few straggler zombies huddled around. A moment later, the sound of steel on steel sounded loudly one time and the zombies made their way toward the gate to investigate the sound.

  As they arrived, two spears pierced both the gaps in the gate, and the heads of a pair of zombies, dropping them where they stood. They immediately retracted the spears as one last zombie rushed toward the gate, seeing the two figures in the threshold.

  It too fell quickly to another spear thrust as the gate flung open wide. Selina, Liz and Phil quickly ran to the gate, as Alex waited with shadow. He gave them a moment as they needed to inform the castle’s inhabitants of the wolf’s presence, as not to kill it too, and he wanted to give them a minute for that purpose.