Fortunes & Failures - 03

by T. W. Brown

  Disturbed at how aroused he was becoming from a cardboard cutout of somebody who was likely a walking corpse now, he moved on. He ducked under a handrail and strolled up a ramp that opened to a long cooridor with darkened signs hanging over each set of double doors. He did some quick guesswork and chose the third set on the right. It opened to pitch blackness.

  Waiting for a few moments to ensure that there were no hidden surprises, Kevin wedged the door open with a pushcart that had a garbage can on it. Taking a deep breath, he waded into the blackness. He was forced to feel around once he was beyond the weak arc of light oozing through the open door and used the rows of seat to guide himself down the aisle. Eventually he found the curtained exit cooridor that would lead to the parking lot on the side of the theater. He pushed the handle only to find it locked. He considered his options and decided that it was unlikely he would find a magic set of keys.

  “Oh well,” he muttered, “I was supposed to create a diversion.”

  He felt the door and found what he guessed to be the locking portion of the pushbar mechanism. Stepping back he aimed the shotgun in what he hoped was the right general direction and fired. The noise was deafening. He recalled his past blunder when he’d fired a gun in the cab of a truck. The ringing in his ears was tremendous and he scolded himself for not taking a few seconds to stuff something in them.

  Kicking the door, it flew open on the third try and immediately Kevin was blinded by the sudden burst of light. A set of hands latched on to his wrist and Kevin screamed. He’d taken off the protective gloves when he’d searched for the door lock and they still dangled uselessly from his back pocket. Reflexsively, he jerked back and brought the shotgun up. The kick sent him tumbling back and caused him to lose his grip on the weapon. He heard it clatter to the floor, and in his current state, it was basically lost for good.

  The dark blob that materialized in his slowly recovering vision grabbed him, and they tumbled to the floor. Fortunately for Kevin, he landed on top and was able to push away from what now could be seen as a female zombie. Most of her lower jaw had been disintegrated by the blast. Kevin struggled to his feet and stumbled forward and into the sunlight.

  He gathered his bearings and discovered that he was in a narrow alley-like cooridor that ran alongside the theater. Setting off at a jog, Kevin gave the few Dumpsters that dotted the alley a wide berth. He scanned the tall fence on his left and realized that an apartment complex was on the other side of it. He passed a few spaces where he could see through the fence and spotted small back patios of concrete with waist high wooden fencing that had been mostly torn away everyplace he could actually see.

  Reaching the end of the alley, Kevin dodged a few zombies that were wandering around. Peeking out, he saw the parking lot mob continuing to grow in front of the theater where he’d disappeared. He imagined that, like a water glass, eventually the lot would fill and the zombies would spill over down this alley.

  Using a pair of mercifully empty vehicles for cover, he stayed low and cut through another side lot. A bowling alley provided him with cover once more in the form of another back alley. He caught a huge break as the only zombie in sight was an upper torso that dragged itself impotently along in his wake with what was left of its one remaining arm that had been brutally snapped off just above the elbow. Kevin briefly considered the degree of pain that an injury like that must’ve felt like and hoped that it’d occurred after the man had died. He hurdled a dried corpse as he reached the end of this alley and took another look before venturing forth.

  He took a moment to plot his path and found a way that he would only be exposed during one brief portion of his trip across the street. Once across, he’d have to get past a row of businesses—a dry cleaners, a hair salon, a travel agency with pictures of exotic locales still hanging in the intact front window—then it was back through the residential area and to his eventual reunion with Heather and Aleah. He hoped things were going smoothly for them.

  

  Bodies littered the ground. This was the putrid remains of a military killing field. Unfortunately, it looked as if they’d not yet received the memo on the importance of the headshot. The scorched grass, shattered trees and mangled swing-sets were all evidence of explosives at work; that, and thousands of rounds from heavy machineguns. However, it was the remains of the undead that littered the ground that gave away the real story.

  While not one body remained intact, numerous heads dotted the scene. Their moving jaws and darting eyes provided a macabre landscape that seemed to move but was, in reality, mostly stationary. A head with the shoulders and one arm intact was the largest mobile zombie in sight. It clutched and released anything that the hand came into contact with. Occasionally it would rise up and topple over depending on the exaggerated movement of the arm.

  It was possible that there’d been even more undead gunned down here, but anything with any real mobility had long since migrated. Not one patch of grass could be seen amongst the carnage.

  “Stick by the fence,” Aleah finally whispered. Both had vomited after valiant but failed attempts to control their rising gorges.

  “It’s gonna be difficult not to step on something,” Heather said, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

  “Just kick it aside.”

  “How many you think?” Heather asked as she lowered herself down beside Aleah.

  “Too many to count,” Aleah replied with a dismissive wave. “Let’s not worry about it. They ain’t going anywhere, and we have a job to do.”

  At first, the pair walked gingerly through the sea of dried viscera, body parts, and clicking teeth. It began to sound like some sort of demonic symphony performed by giant insects.

  “Watch you step, Aleah,” Heather yelped when the older woman stepped on an intact femur and almost tripped.

  Aleah froze, took a moment to compose herself efore continuing onward. Heather waited patiently, staring down into a set of dead eyes that watched her every move from a head that belonged to a girl that could’ve been young enough to be a friend of her little sister’s.

  After what felt like an eternity, they reached the collapsed fence that had obviously been erected to contain those within the park. Looking left, they could see the crest of the hill where Kevin had led the zombies. What looked like a car dealership sat atop the crest of that hill and that seemed to be where a lot of the zombiues were gathered; although it looked like they were filtering off down the road to the left. Only a couple remained in this area. Probaly coming from farther away, Aleah surmised.

  They avoided those few and put one down as they crossed the road to the pharmacy. A couple more were heading their way as they reached the door to theior destination.

  “You do the cutting and I will watch your back,” Aleah said, unslinging her spear. “There are a couple getting close that I will take down so we don’t have a crowd at the door.”

  Heather opened the pouch that Kevin had entrusted to her and produced the tool she needed. She began cutting as Aleah stepped away to meet the nearest threat and was surprised at how loud the sound of cutting glass proved to be. The sound of a skull being cracked sounded a few seconds later. She heard more noises behind her as the other woman dealt death to any zombie that drew near. In moments, Heather was spitting on the suction cups like Kevin had instructed and was pressing them on to the glass of the entry door in the center of the big square she’d cut.

  Occassionally she would glance over her shoulder to ensure something wasn’t creeping up on her. Still, she jumped when Aleah sidled up beside her. One firm tug, and the square of glass came free with a grinding rasp. Heather ducked inside and accepted the backpacks as they were handed through.

  “How’s it smell in there?” Aleah whispered.

  “Musty,” Heather replied.

  Aleah crawled in and stood up. Taking a look around, she pulled out her copy of the list Peter had given each of them. They moved down the aisles cautiously and began dropping things into their packs. />
  

  Scaling what seemed like the millionth fence, Kevin paused to wipe the sweat from his eyes. His shoulders slumped as three figures lumbered towards him, their hands reaching, their mouths open in ghastly moans and yowls. An answering chorus came from the undead family trapped inside the house watching through the gore-streaked sliding glass door. A three- or four-year-old boy in grimy underpants pressed his face to the glass and seemed to just be content to stare as if he’d figured that there was no way he could get out and sink his teeth into the warm flesh just a few yards away.

  He considered the undead family, wondering what it must’ve been like to have your entire family turn. Who had turned first, and which poor soul was last? The dad looked like he’d just returned from a round of golf. He still had a visor that was dangling around his neck, its plastic bill crushed and bloody.

  He took on the three approaching zombies and realized that they were all three girls. Their appearances—even in death—were too similar for them to be anything other than triplets. Closer inspection and another glance at the little boy standing as a silent, unmoving sentinel gave him a hint that they might be related. That would explain the reason the three girls were in this back yard…sort of. For just an instant, Heather’s face flashed in his mind. These girls were about her age. The he swung, the blade crashing into the first skull with wrist-jarring brutality. He put the others down and trotted across the yard. At some point, the child had begun slapping at the glass along with his parents. That sound seemed to follow him longer than seemed possible.

  Finally, his luck held and he went though a string of several empty yards. At last, he reached the row of houses that bordered the park across from the pharmacy where hopefully Aleah and Heather waited.

  Kevin was stunned at the sight greeting him when he scaled the fence. Immeidtaely, his eyes scanned the area. He almostexpected to see the girls overcome until it dawned on him that this was, while horrible to look at, really nothing more than a sea of heads with some inert body parts scattered about. Nothing was mobile. Still, he felt a chill when he became aware that the sea of eyes were all staring at him.

  After a very unpleasant walk, he reached the park’s edge. A few kills littered the street and sidewalk. His eyes quickly found the newly cut out section at the bottom of the door to the pharmacy.

  From behind a car that was riddled with bullet holes, he glanced up the street and was able to admire his handywork. The crowd at the car dealership was migrating towards the multiplex which would take them farther away. Of course there were a few stragglers, including one standing at the window of the pharmacy.

  Crossing the street watching the zombie for any signs that it heard him approach, he made his way up behind the loner. He was actually more distressed by what he saw in his own reflection coming off the window. He looked terrible. The splotchy growth on his face was almost embarrassing. He’d never been able to grow a beard, and now that he couldn’t shave regularly, the evidence was there for all to see. Then he noticed something else. The zombie was paying no attention to his reflection. He tested the theory by waving his hands and making all sorts of movemensts that he could see clear as day in the window.

  Glancing around, Kevin found a rock a little smaller than a gumball. He held it out in one hand, then dropped it to the sidewalk. The zombie froze and turned his direction in its slow, jerky fashion. As soon as its eyes found him, they locked on and it came for him with outstretched arms.

  Kevin moved away and watched how its eyes tracked him. They seemed to overshoot and vibrate back and forth until they had their target. It was weird. As for what he’d noticed as far as the reflection went, he’d need to investigate that more at a later date.

  With a quick flurry of movement, Kevin drew his blade and drove it into the creature’s eye. It crumpled, pulling Kevin forward until it slid off the blade.

  Continuing to the door, he could see two dark shapes moving about inside. He noticed a few zombies headed their way, but they were still a good distance off. Ducking down, Kevin slipped inside.

  “It’s me,” Kevin announced as he stood and dusted himself off.

  “Found most of the stuff on Peter’s list.” Heather climbed over the counter that ran almost the entire length of the rear wall.

  “Also snatched up some luxuries.” Aleah shook one of the packs. “Soaps, shampoo, toothpaste and tooth brush.”

  “So you two did okay with Peter’s list?”

  “Basically anything ending in –cillan or –zone,” Heather snorted and patted her bag.

  “Good because we gotta get moving shortly.” Kevin tilted his head towards the door. “There are a few out there headed our way. I’ll take care of them while you guys get us inside the clinic.

  The three crawled out onto the open again. An even dozen zombies were now in sight. Kevin borrowed Aleah’s spear and went to work. The clinic was a little more difficult to gain entrance. A metal gate was in place. The padlock was only a little bit of a struggle as Heather pulled out the bolt cutters. It would’ve been no match for one of those giant pairs like the janitor used to bring to the locker room when somebody forgot their combination, but this smaller pair required almost more strength than she could muster. With a final grunt and squeeze, she snipped the hasp.

  “How we comin’?” Aleah asked, keeping her eyes on Kevin as he methodically eliminated each approaching threat.

  “Getting the glass cutter now,” Heather replied over her shoulder. As she cut, she caught a glimpse of what looked like something moving around the shadowy room. She stopped for a second, cupping her hands to the glass and peered inside. Nothing. She finished cutting out the square, setting it aside. “We’re in,” she called grabbing one pack then the next. She was half way in when the smell hit her.

  Cold hands grabbed clumsily at her. One caught her by the hair, the other a handful of her jacket. Deciding quickly, Heather launched herself in the rest of the way. She heard the zombie make a strange mewling sound as it toppled over onto its back.

  “Heather!” Aleah’s voice called, sounding frightened.

  She didn’t have time to check in at the moment. Heather fumbled for one of the large knives she had hanging from her belt. The dead person’s hands returned, this time finding Heather’s right arm. Struggling, she felt thick, dead lips brush her wrist where her coat sleeve had ridden up, followed by the click of teeth snapping together.

  She knew what being bitten felt like thanks to that disgusting, pervert, Mister Abernathy. He’d had several of her class mates bitten and turned and kept in the basement of Heath High School. Only, Heather was one of the rare people who seemed immune to the zombie’s bite. Immune or not, she never wanted to experience that again.

  Jerking away, she slipped free from what looked like a very frail, skinny, old black lady dressed for church. She’d even still managed to be wearing a fancy little hat that was bobby-pinned to her whispy, white hair.

  Coming around with the knife, she drove it into the ear, struggling for only a second as the tip of the blade dug in, ground on bone, then plunged deep. Remembering something Mike had taught her back when they’d hidden out in that farmhouse, she dug it around a bit to ensure sufficient damage to the brain and the final death of the zombie.

  “You okay?” Aleah was scrambling through the opening, a look of sincere concern on her face.

  “Yep,” Heather replied, shoving the body aside. She looked around the lobby for any other surprises.

  Aleah joined her, and the two pulled the body out of the way so Kevin could get in. He glanced at the corpse, then Heather, raising an eyebrow in question. Heather shrugged it off and turned to explore deeper into the clinic.

  It took them a few hours to find what they needed. During that time, a small crowd began to amass out front. Kevin found a rear exit that was equipped with a peephole like he’d had on his apartment door and made it a point to check periodically. The rear landing remained empty and he hoped that meant the whole ar
ea was clear. Or at least navigable.

  Satisfied that they’d located almost all of what Peter had requested and all of the priority items, they went to the rear exit. Still clear.

  “Okay,” Kevin turned to the pair, rubbing his hands together in nervous anticipation, “when I open this door, we have a covered landing. We’ll need to be careful and you both need to follow me closely. I found an RV dealership. It had a few roaming out front and more inside the lot. We’ll find a nice rig and that’s where we’ll crash tonight.”

  “Sounds good,” Heather and Aleah said, almost in unison.

  Two hours later, the three were all sprawled in various locales throughout a very plush recreational vehicle. The large, green numbers on the windshield announced a ‘Super Bargain’ with giant numbers $107,630. That was more money than he’d earned in the whole of his life. Most of the luxuries were of no use any longer, including the satellite television and radio, the electric stove and microwave among others. The only feature he cared about at the moment was the fold down bed. And it didn’t even have to be all that comfortable. Only, he never made it out of the plush captain’s chair of the driver’s seat before his chin fell to his chest and his breathing settled into the deep and regular rhythm of sleep.

  * * * * *

  8

  More Good News

  “Three weeks!” I yelled, immediately regretting it on several levels. My head instantly felt like it’d been cleaved in two and I think I tasted blood in the back of my throat.