Wake the Dead

by Vanucci, Gary F.

  Another horde of zombies, however, presented themselves not all that far behind Alex. He stood and ran, Shadow running after him toward the gate, which slammed shut loudly before they arrived.

  “C’mon, man!” Alex barked. A few long seconds later, the gate opened once more. Liz slammed it shut behind the pair, a zombie colliding uncaringly into the gate, smashing its face and falling backward. Many others were there suddenly, a mass of once-human flesh barred by the steel gate, unable to access it other than a few limbs here and there.

  “We had to get everyone else safely on the parapets above, before the wolf could come in,” Phil explained, grasping his arm in clear and obvious pain.

  “Let’s get you inside,” offered another huge man with a hairless scalp and a thick goatee in the color of strawberry blonde. He had a pair of glasses upon his face that did nothing to diminish the intense blue of his eyes.

  “That’s Kelly,” Liz explained, gesturing to the big man. He was dressed in the typical garb of a Renaissance Faire actor, complete with a sleeveless laced tunic that revealed well-proportioned arms.

  “That guy up there is Bryan. He was the local play director of many of the shows here. He is a bit moody, but can play a mean guitar and mandolin.” Alex nodded and waved to the man, who appeared uninterested by his presence and did not wave back, but simply tipped a cap with a plumed feather protruding from the top.

  When he was inside the gates and finally took in the sights, he noted a partially completed structure here in the vast outer courtyard, which must have been fifty yards in each direction. It certainly seemed to be quite spacious and the walls were huge that surrounded the entire area. He picked out what he assumed could only be a chapel, or something in that vein, to his right. It was clearly unfinished, and most assuredly due to the zombie plague and its timing. The only other thing in the courtyard was a fire pit with remains of a long-doused fire, blackened logs haphazardly strewn about the pit. It was very similar to the one he had built himself at the cabin, he mused, recalling memories of the cabin and of Olivia.

  The walls before him to the castle proper appeared soundly built. He recognized towers and a walkway above for surveying the expanse of ground around them, a drawbridge, and what were unmistakably the foundations of a moat—a colossal gap in between this courtyard and the castle itself.

  “I will show you the inside,” Liz offered, speaking to both Selina and Alex. “Though the mutt will have to stay. Sorry.” Alex again nodded his understanding. “Come and meet Nick and the rest of us.”

  Everyone followed Liz toward the drawbridge and Alex bent low to Shadow, staring him in the eyes. The wolf stared right back, as if understanding Alex before he spoke. “You have to stay out here, boy. I’ll be back.”

  He stood and followed behind the group, staring back at shadow and then to the mob of zombies in front of the gate. I

  t was a caricature, he thought. It was such a surreal sight to see, like nothing he could have ever considered in his wildest nightmares.

  And yet...there they were.

  Chapter 13

  “What have we here?” asked a booming breezy voice from inside the entrance hall to the castle.

  “Nice and spacious foyer,” Alex commented, looking all around him and watching as an unknown woman in scrubs, along with Bryan, took the gas cans inside the castle, disappearing behind a corner.

  “It’s actually referred to as a barbican,” responded the voice, its owner coming forth and into view. A man stood before him, he was generously proportioned and a goatee with quite a bit of stubble surrounding it adorned his chin, nose and lips. He wore the uniform of a police officer, complete with riot gear armor. He carried a billy club in his right hand, patting the business end of it into his left hand as he spoke. “See the walls all around? This is where a defense could be staged before an enemy could enter the castle itself,” explained the man with a lingering smile. “I’m Nick. And you are?”

  “I am Alex.”

  “Alex has a wolf with him. But, he seems to be a good pup,” said Phil, still supported by Kelly.

  Nick looked to him and nodded, staring at him more concernedly as he noted that Phil was in obvious pain.

  “And what happened to you?”

  “Got caught on the fence coming in. Stupid,” Phil admitted.

  “I thought hockey players were tough? I’m just sayin’,” he added with a wink and another smile. “Better get that looked at. Take him to Hannah and clean him up,” Nick instructed Kelly, who nodded. “Where’s Benjamin?” Nick continued, waving Phil and Kelly past him and into the castle grounds.

  “He was the self-appointed distraction-maker,” Liz explained. “He insisted on volunteering to make a commotion so that we could get inside the fence without attracting zombies.”

  “I assume this has something to do with the constant blaring of horns and car alarms I heard today?” Liz simply nodded. “Well, we better send out a search party.”

  “It’s my fault, Nick,” Alex admitted, adjusting his pack over his shoulder. “I’ll be more than happy to try to find him.”

  “How is it your fault?” Nick asked suspiciously.

  “I was the one who sounded the horn in the first place,” Alex explained, staring back into the eyes of Nick. “It brought a huge portion of the fencing down.”

  “Yes, but he did it to save me,” Selina spoke up, making sure that Alex was understood completely.

  “All right. I’d say give him ‘til morning. Ben is a self-sufficient dude and can handle himself…I’m just sayin’. We’ll be better off in the sunlight.” Nick pointed overhead as the sun waned in the western sky, dipping behind clouds. “Moon’s right there, too.” He pointed to what was the outline of the moon high in the sky, barely visible to the naked eye at the moment in the daylight, but sure enough, it was there. Alex simply nodded his consent. “So, there’s that, there ya’ go. Now, leave the puppy out here on the outer grounds while we eat something. We can bring him something nice to chew on. I’m assuming you are hungry, Alex?”

  “I am,” he admitted. “And I have some canned goods here that might help,” he said, reaching into his pack where he had recently stowed a few canned goods, just in case.

  “Nonsense, A little birdy tells me we got steaks!” he added excitedly. Haven’t had one in long time. Join us. We’ll share a meal with you and…?”

  “Selina,” she said, introducing herself with a nod of the head.

  “Very well, come in and join us inside and we can share a meal and some stories, eh? I’d also extend an invitation for a shower.”

  “You have electricity here?” Alex asked excitedly.

  “We don’t have power to the grid, but everything was wired up. We use the generators to give juice to whatever we need,” Nick explained, waving them inside and past the barbican, and into the inner courtyard. The drawbridge cranked and Alex stared back at Shadow, feeling bad leaving him outside.

  Once through the inner courtyard, they entered the castle, which was in various stages of completion. The roof was complete above, but the inside had walls that weren’t finished.

  They wandered into a huge room where a table and a dozen chairs were situated.

  ‘This is what you would call the Great Hall of the castle. And we do kind of a buffet-style thing here, so grab a plate or a bowl and follow us,” Nick explained, pointing to a handful of bowls and silverware on the table. “We have pans in the kitchen with beans, corn, chili, and a bunch of soups to choose from that our boy Kelly whipped up,” Nick explained as Alex and Selina both grabbed their respective utensils. “Give him about fifteen minutes and the steaks will be ready, too.”

  After filling their bowls and heading back into the huge room, they took seats beside one another. Liz, Nick, Bryan, Phil and Kelly all joined them in the Great Hall, taking seats as well and partaking of their meals. Kelly brought with him a plate full of tender-looking steaks and laid it gently on the table.

  “You feed the wo
lf?” Nick asked Bryan, who nodded.

  “Tossed one of the steaks to him. Oh, and there’s still some frozen venison, too,” Bryan mentioned as another woman emerged from around the corner. She was a tall brunette, wearing the garb of a serving wench, with a tightly laced bodice and a pendant that rested upon her shamelessly displayed bosom. She had the type of physical beauty that was typical of a model that fell right out of a magazine ad.

  Alex took note of her, as did most everyone else peering up over their bowls, but managed to give voice to his initial thought. “You have a freezer, too?”

  “Yep. We run it occasionally when we have something worth freezing,” mentioned Nick, looking from the newly arrived woman to everyone else. ”Alex, this is Alexis,” Nick introduced, the only one not paying her any heed, between spoonfuls of beans.

  ‘Alex, eh?” Alexis asked with a polite smile.

  Liz rolled her eyes in annoyance as she spoke. That was something that Alex clearly picked up, sensing something there that he almost didn’t want to understand.

  “Alexander, technically,” Alex corrected.

  “That’s a nice name, Alex,” Alexis said, coyly, sitting in between Kelly and Bryan, the both of them surreptitiously stealing glances at her.

  Alex nodded and noted that Selina seemed to be offering a roll of the eyes upon seeing the woman.

  Was she jealous of Alexis showing me attention? Or was she simply blown away that this woman dressed so…provocatively? Alex wondered, admitting that Alexis was certainly easy on the eyes. He shook his head, admitting to not understanding women in the slightest.

  “Thanks, Alexis,” he said, “And what did you do before the world went to shit?”

  “I was a model. I worked here because Liz and I were friends, she told me there was an opening for a ‘serving wench’ that paid well, and…here I am,” she explained as she twirled a lock of her hair.

  “Well, that is something,” Selina interjected.

  “Did you two know each other?” Alex asked Selina. She shook her head.

  “I didn’t know everyone who worked here.”

  “What did you do, Alex?” Alexis asked him, her eyes locking onto his. He suddenly felt awkward in that moment, trying to avoid speaking with her. “You must have done something that kept you in good shape.”

  “Yep, I was a contractor,” he said, addressing her compliment before turning to face Nick. “What is your plan here, Nick?” Alex said as he heard a muffled groan from behind him, knowing it had come from Alexis, more than likely annoyed at his dismissal of her attention. He quickly stole a glance at her and she immediately adjusted the hat on Bryan’s head, and then wiped a spot from Kelly’s glasses with her finger.

  “Meaning?” Nick asked, clearing his throat and bringing Alex back to focus. Alex adjusted in his seat, finding a more comfortable way to sit on the hard surface and cut another piece of the steak free and inspected it before answering.

  “I mean, what is your plan here? Long term?”

  “Long term, we plan on thriving. Right now, we are surviving. But, we want to change that, right?” Alex nodded his agreement as he chewed on the steak, savoring the flavor and wanting to compliment Kelly on his cooking, but the man was too preoccupied with Alexis to pay Alex any mind. “We really want what everyone else wants: to be happy and contribute to society, eh? So, we wanted to make this area our own. We could grow crops in the summer months, survive through the winter, and perhaps begin to repopulate the earth after a little while if all that goes well?”

  “I could help try to run power to this grid if we can find the source coming in,” Alex offered. Nick nodded at that and smiled, clearly happy that Alex was willing to help.

  “One step at a time, Alex. Right now, we need to survive and clear out that area. Of course, we need to rebuild that fence the zombies took down, but…we’ll get to it all.” Alex squirmed at hearing that, knowing it was his fault that the fence came down in the first place. “What did you do in the world, Alex?”

  Before Alex could respond again, another woman strode into the room.

  “How is Tom?” Liz was the first to ask her. It was a woman Alex has seen briefly before, wearing scrubs, a tangle of long dark hair framing a face riddled with unease.

  “He is not doing well. We might have been too late with the meds,” the woman answered, sobbing openly and leaning against the wall. Liz and Bryan both moved to steady and console her.

  “That is Hannah,” Phil said to Alex and Selina. “She is taking care of one of ours who is very sick: Tom,” he added, shoving aside his empty plate of steak and pulling close a bowl of chili.

  “What else can we do for him?” Liz asked the group.

  “We can juice up the water heater again and let him take a hot shower,” Bryan suggested.

  “The infection is in his chest now. He sounds terrible,” Hannah admitted. “I’ve given him antibiotics, fever reducers, everything I can think of. We really need an IV for him, and more things that we would find in an infirmary.”

  “Why don’t we go get supplies from the local hospital?” Alex asked.

  Nick shook his head. “We tried. The zombies own it. There’s literally hundreds of them wandering around behind the gates.”

  “Damn. We could go back to the shopping center and see if the SuperMart has a humidifier?” Alex suggested, drawing a number of looks from the group.

  “It’s worth a shot,” Hannah said through tear-stained eyes. She straightened her scrubs, which were black, accented with pink. She was the only one among them not wearing armor or medieval garb, Alex noted. And her concern for this Tom fella, seemed much more than a simple friendship he also guessed, judging by her tangible concern for the sick man.

  “First thing in the morning. We will get a humidifier for Tom and find Ben if he isn’t back by then,” Nick said as he shoved aside his bowl. “We’ll take your plates and silverware, Alex. Kelly, why don’t you fetch our friend here a sleeping bag and pillow?”

  Kelly nodded and stood. “Would you like anything else?” he asked openly, Alex unsure of whether or not he was talking to him or Nick. After no one responded, he disappeared and returned a moment or two later with the instructed items, and handed them to Alex.

  “I hear you are a blacksmith?” Alex asked Kelly. The big man nodded and smirked. “I’d love a sword of my own if there is an extra one lying around.”

  “There’s plenty of ‘em out there,” Kelly mentioned, gesturing to the fairgrounds. “If ya bring me one back, I’ll make it plenty sharp for ya.”

  “The chapel has a few items of furniture in there, but nothing really comfortable to sleep on,” Nick mentioned, pulling Alex from his conversation with Kelly. “We’ll wake you in the morning when it’s time to go. Try to get some rest.”

  Alex began to make his way out and into the inner courtyard when another voice stopped him in his tracks.

  “Wait! I’m going to go with him.” Alex recognized the voice as belonging to Selina. He was both surprised and delighted at her offering, as the right side of his mouth turned up with the hint of a smile. He turned and regarded her as Kelly returned with another matching set of sleeping gear and handed it to her.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Alex stated truly.

  “It’s not that I want to sleep with you, Alex. It’s just that I’ve reasoned it like this: you saved my ass and risked your own life, and I don’t know these other people, nice as they are. I’m hedging my bets that I am safer with you is all.”

  “Even with Shadow here?” Alex asked, wrinkling his face up at her.

  “The wolf is less scary than the zombies,” she remarked slyly, shoving him forward ahead of her.

  “Hold up,” Nick called back to them as they turned in unison to regard him. “You and Alexis look to be similar in size. And I'm sure you wanna get out of that get up, am I right?” Alex looked at the ruined outfit, frayed and soiled, which Selina wore, no longer having the flattering influence it had no doubt
carried with it at one time in the recent past. “I’ll have her fetch you a pair of jeans and a shirt.”

  “Thanks, Nick,” Selina said, shoving Alex forward again and drawing a growl from Shadow, which stole a bit of her merriment. “Well, let’s see what kind of lodgings we’ve got here.”

  “Oh, and don’t be alarmed this evening if you see any of us on the wall,” said Nick again as he was suddenly behind the two of them, handing Selina the clothing. “We’ll be posting a man or woman on the wall all evening in case Ben comes home.”

  Alex spun and faced him, nodding his understanding, and then watching as Shadow came back toward them, trotting and dropping something at Alex’s feet. It was a partial arm, he recognized, blanching as he fought to keep his meal down.

  “Thanks a lot, Shadow,” Alex chastised him.

  “Where the hell did he get that?” Selina asked, turning away, too.

  “I’m hoping he tore it off one of the zombies,” he said, pointing toward the steel gate where a pile of zombies still moaned in protest against the steel bars of the gate, wanting to get in and feed on their flesh. “Otherwise, we may not be welcome here much longer.” Selina chuckled and gestured toward the zombies crowding around the gate.

  “That’ll make for a worry-free sleeping environment!” Selina said, standing before the door of the chapel. She stood in front of the door and threw it open wide. It was very dark inside and Alex removed a flashlight from his pack and shone it back and forth, illuminating the area enough for them to see.

  There were a few benches along the walls and the chapel itself inside was long and not very wide. In the center was a replica of a holy water basin and straight ahead was the makings of an altar, though it was unfinished, as was most of the castle. Everything was roughed-in, from a construction standpoint, but hardly anything was finished. Behind the altar was a huge window and there was one on each of the left and right walls, grand in their size and shape, Alex noted, admiring the architecture and craftsmanship. The floor was of porcelain of some kind, he believed, bending low to feel it. It was cold and hard—not the best surface to sleep on, he lamented with a frown.