Patriarch: Soulless Wanderers Book 2 (A Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Thriller)

by Drew Strickland

  He turned the corner to the strong stuff. Down the aisle, half of the bottles laid shattered on the floor, probably from the soulless carelessly bumping into the aisles. Still, there was plenty left on the shelves that hadn't been touched. Glass crunched underneath his feet as he strolled down the aisle, looking for something to catch his eye. He wasn't too picky, but also wanted something that wouldn't taste like rubbing alcohol. Just as he found a whiskey that would satisfy him, over twelve years and a high price tag, he heard a door creak behind him in the corner of the store.

  He turned on his heels, letting the glass scrape underneath them. There was a footstep, then a door gently closed. The latching sound gave it away, and Pax pulled his gun up. He slowly stepped to the end of the aisle and looked around. In the corner of the store was a sign pointing to the bathrooms. He thought it was strange for a store to keep the bathrooms so close to the alcohol but figured it wasn't his job to fix a store’s theft problems. If it was, the first thing he would do is tell them to move the fucking alcohol away from a place that has no cameras. Pax took a deep breath and started toward the bathrooms.

  Before he could even make it to the door, he felt the metal pressed against his head. He wasn't used to having someone get the jump on him, but he also hadn't been in many situations where that could happen. Most people were dead, or dead and walking, that they ran into. So, someone sneaking around was new to him. He began to turn as the gun was pushed against the back of his head harder.

  "Don't fucking move, asshole." The voice was a man’s, and a seemingly angry one.

  Pax stood there, not moving. "What do you want?"

  "Give me your gun."

  Pax held both hands up, his gun in his right hand. The man grabbed it, still holding the gun against his head with his left hand. The pressure let up, and Pax knew it was his chance. He dipped his head to the right and spun around. Pax swung his hand up, knocking the gun from the man's hand. His own gun slipped loose when the guy tried to grab for it. Pax looked into the man's eyes and saw more fear than anger like he thought.

  "I'm just trying to-"

  Pax grabbed the man's throat with both hands before listening to anything else he had to say. "If you put a gun to a man's head, you'd better be prepared to use it." The man hit at Pax's sides, but he wasn't going to let go. He saw the man reach his hands behind him for anything and picked up a bottle from the end of the aisle. He swung it at Pax, knocking him in the cheek, causing him to release his hold. The man gasped heavily for air.

  "Motherfucker," the man said, lifting the bottle high in the air. He brought it down, but Pax was quicker. He dodged the blow and watched as the bottle shattered against the shelf behind him. Pax picked up a heavy bottle of liquor. He didn't know what kind it was, but it was from the bottom shelf and was very large. He used two hands to swing it against the back of the man's head. His body hit the floor, and he tried to get up, but Pax swung it down hard on his head again, shattering glass everywhere. The man stopped moving, and Pax could see the spot on the back of his skull. It was concave.

  Pax crouched down and reached underneath the body. He flipped the man over and looked into his eyes. He looked to be in his thirties. He didn't seem to be anyone special, and Pax had no idea what his end game was. A wheezing came from the man's mouth, and Pax noticed his belly slightly rise. The man was still alive. He definitely wasn't going to make it, and Pax had no reason to try and save him. But he wasn't going to leave him like that. He stood up and placed his foot on the man's throat. He stomped with as much pressure as he could, feeling the snap underneath his foot. The man was dead.

  Pax picked up his gun, then picked up the man's gun. He checked it out and saw that it was empty. "Stupid motherfucker." He looked at the dead man on the floor, wondering what the hell that was all about, then looked back up to the bathroom. He pulled his gun up and went to investigate.

  He slowly pushed the door open when he got to it. There was no lock on the door, and it opened easily. The smell hit him first. It wasn't just the smell of a bathroom that hadn't been cleaned in a while, but the smell of someone living in it when there was no running water. He held his hand up to his nose while continuing further. A scrambling noise came from the stalls, along with a whimper.

  "Is there anyone in here?" Pax watched the stalls and saw a pair of feet underneath one of them. "Come out slowly, no weapons, alright? I promise I won't hurt you." Pax waited, but there was no sound. He slowly made his way to the stall and stood in front of it. "Last chance," he said. Still nothing.

  Pax pushed on the stall, and it opened with no resistance from it being latched. The door hit against the side of the stall and Pax pointed his gun straight at the person sitting there. He stopped for a moment and took his finger off the trigger. The eyes were closed, and there were no signs of breathing. Pax saw blood soaking into the man's shirt. He reached out and pulled at the collar. There was a chunk of flesh missing in the form of a bite mark. "Shit," Pax whispered.

  He pulled out his knife and held it against the temple of the man on the toilet. He jammed it through, killing the brain. He wiped his knife clean against the dead man's shirt and tucked it in his sheath. In the past month traveling with Guthrie's gang, he had learned that a bite would do someone in. He'd seen it a few times, and it was best to put the person down before they were up and walking again. Either way was effective, but he'd rather not risk getting bit doing it. He stared at the man and saw the resemblance to the man he killed in the alcohol aisle. They were probably brothers. Maybe the man had wanted to die-

  A whimper came from the stall next to Pax. He stepped out and stood in front of the second stall. No warning this time. Pax kicked in the door while pulling his gun out. He pointed it right at the toilet, this time expecting a living person. He was right. A woman sat on the toilet, crouched so her feet wouldn't show underneath the stall. Her eyes were full of tears. She was obviously scared, and Pax saw she had no weapon.

  "Please, don't kill me. My husband was bit and-"

  "It's okay," Pax found himself telling her. He had killed many people since joining Guthrie, but this woman was no threat. He put his gun away and reached for her hand. "I'm sorry about your husband."

  She nodded. "His brother went out trying to get some food. There were so many of them, the dead I mean. Did you see him?"

  Pax swallowed hard and shook his head. "Why don't you come out of there?" She put her feet down and stood up. "What's your name?"

  "Priscilla, but my friends call me Pr-"

  The gunshot deafened Pax's right ear. It was all muted, except for the ringing. A mess of blood and brains were splattered against the wall and toilet. Priscilla's body had fallen to the floor, folded in what looked to be an uncomfortable position in the tight space between the toilet and stall walls. He quickly spun to look around him. His left ear wasn't great after the gunshot, but he could still hear out of it.

  "Whee, boy! You got her good," Billy exclaimed with a smile stretched across his face. He wasn't holding a gun and was far back in the bathroom. "Did you see her face, Pax? It was all like, my friends call me Pr- Boom!" He laughed at the mess, using his hands to mimic the brain splatter out the back of his own head.

  Pax's mind went straight to the night before. The man upset about his wife. His head exploding after he pulled the trigger. Pax looked up and saw he was covered in her blood and brain matter. He could feel it in him, and he could see it in his reflection. The blood was pumping to his face. The rage was settling inside of him. He spun to his right, seeing Guthrie standing there, right next to Pax. He was holstering his gun.

  "What the fuck was that for?" Pax exclaimed. "You just fucking killed her! She wasn't attacking me. Hell, she wasn't even armed. You just killed a harmless woman. She didn't deserve that, she was just scared."

  Billy shut his mouth and put his back against the corner, watching what was about to unfold. He had apparently learned his lesson earlier and wasn't looking to step in it again. Guthrie faced Pax, blo
od speckles covering his own face. "What did you say?"

  "You just killed a harmless woman. She wasn't going to hurt anyone."

  Guthrie stepped into Pax, but Pax didn't back down. "Are you questioning me right now?"

  Pax wasn't trying to make a scene, but he also didn't agree with the choice. "I was handling it. We could have helped her or, fuck, just let her go. What was she going to do?"

  Guthrie took a deep breath. "I'm gonna let this moment slide. Putting a gun next to a man's face and firing it is an asshole thing to do, you're right about that, so maybe you're out of sorts. But I heard enough of what she said."

  "And what?"

  "What were you gonna do when she saw her brother-in-law out there with his head bashed in? I'm sure she would figure it out. You don't look like you got out of it completely clean, do you?"

  Pax figured he couldn't tell now, being covered in Priscilla's blood, but also figured Guthrie was right. The man out there was dead and laying on the floor right outside the bathroom. "Fair enough, but what was she gonna do?"

  Guthrie stepped into Pax, his face as close as he could get it. Pax could smell the cigarettes on his breath, mixed with the hint of cognac, Guthrie's drink of choice. "Who the fuck knows." It wasn't a question. "That's what she was gonna do. And you know what? I don't deal with 'who the fuck knows.' Maybe she was going to grab a gun or knife and put it to your head, kill you, kill me, kill Billy over there. Or maybe she was going to forgive you for killing her asshole brother-in-law because he was an asshole for her entire life, and then she would fuck the shit out of you, maybe even let us run a train on her. I don't know. But, and I want you to listen to me, I will always choose myself, my life, over 'who the fuck knows' every single time. Do you understand?"

  Pax swallowed hard and nodded. He wasn't going to push the issue any further. As much as he respected Guthrie for saving him and giving him a chance, he was also one of the scariest men he had ever met, second only to one.

  Guthrie smiled, putting Pax at ease a little. "Good. Let's load up and get the fuck outta here, alright?" Guthrie put a hand on Pax's shoulder. "Again, and most people don't get this from me, sorry about the gun near the ear move. That was fucked up."

  Pax put a finger in his ear, trying to reinstate his hearing, but it was still ringing. "It'll come back, sooner or later."

  "That's the spirit."

  Pax watched Billy follow Guthrie out of the bathroom. He looked back over to Priscilla, never knowing what her friends actually called her.

  3

  The sun was getting low and starting to hide behind the taller buildings in the city. Pax set down one of the last cases in the back of the box truck they had taken with them from the warehouse. The truck was pretty full, but a small amount of room remained. Even though the grocery store had remained mostly untouched, all the produce, meats, frozen, and refrigerated sections were rotten. There were only the boxed items and canned goods worth taking. Of course, they loaded up on booze and pills as well. Those were the essentials in the apocalypse.

  Pax jumped down from the back of the truck as Mark pushed the last of the store out on a small dolly. "This is it, guys."

  "I really wish we had brought the others with us," Pax said as he stretched his back out.

  "No way, Pax. If Sean or Walt came down with us, the choice booze would have been drunk before we could even get it out of the store."

  Pax smiled. Mark wasn't really exaggerating. Those guys really liked their booze, and once a bottle was opened, there was never any left the next day. While his thirst would thank him later, his back sure was regretting the decision.

  "Everyone done pussyin' around. Got it all loaded?" Guthrie asked with a smile to his voice.

  "It's all there, Guth," Mark said, setting the dolly inside the truck.

  "Good." Guthrie looked around. "Where's Billy and Reggie?"

  "Right here, Boss." Billy was zipping up his pants as he ran around the truck. "Just takin' a piss."

  "I can tell. Looks like you had some issues there." Guthrie pointed at Billy's crotch where a small patch of drips remained.

  "No matter how much shakin' I do, there's always some drips. Plus, I couldn't see where I was pissin' and didn't wanna piss on a biter."

  Mark started laughing. "That would be something. I don't know what would be worse. Get your dick bit or turning into one of them."

  "Where's Reggie?"

  Reggie rounded the corner from behind the store. "Here." He rubbed his arm as he came around. "Was takin' a piss, too."

  "I hope your dick is still in one piece, too," Guthrie replied.

  "What?"

  "Never mind, just get in the truck."

  Reggie walked by Pax. He looked like he was sweating, which wasn't unusual. They had just unloaded an entire grocery store into the truck. He grabbed a bottle of water and slapped Reggie on the back, who startled a lot more easily than he thought he would. "Here, Reg."

  "Thanks," Reggie said, taking the bottle and downing half of it.

  "You alright?"

  "Fuck yeah. Ready to get back, get my drink on!" He grinned wide and pushed Pax, causing him to lose his balance for a moment.

  "Let's go, boy!" Guthrie yelled. "Pax, you're with me."

  "Boss, I can squeeze in with you guys up front," Billy said, running around to the front.

  "I appreciate that, Billy, but I'd rather not sit nut to butt with you, and I bet Pax feels the same. You're in the back."

  Billy trudged to the back and climbed in with Mark and Reggie. Pax climbed in the passenger seat as Guthrie took the wheel. "What do you think, Pax? Take city roads back?"

  Pax looked at the sun, getting lower with each minute. "I don't know, Guthrie. I think it might be safer to take the highway. If we go back the way we came, we'll be in the dark, literally. Who knows what we'll run into without seeing it. I think it's better to risk the exposure on the highway than deal with the unknown."

  Guthrie smiled and revved the engine. "That's what I'm talking about. We don't deal with 'who the fuck knows.'" He drove down the street and took the onramp to the highway. It sat taller than the roads, so cars could drive under it at intersections. There weren't many cars that remained on the highway from when the fall had happened. Luckily, it didn't happen in rush hour traffic and, instead, was the middle of the night when most people were off the road. Twice lucky for Pax, and probably the rest of them. They would have been out during the event when it would have happened then.

  Guthrie managed to avoid the few cars that remained on the highway. Pax noticed in each one that a soulless scratched at the window, trying to get out. Not only did the people never see it coming, but now they would stay trapped in their car for possibly an eternity. It didn't matter much since they were dead, but a part of Pax felt sad for whatever was left of them.

  "Holy shit!" Guthrie exclaimed and pulled the truck over to the side of the road.

  "What is it?" Paxton asked, snapping himself out of the inner dialogue going on in his head.

  "Take a look at that shit over there." Pax followed Guthrie's finger across the city. Sticking up from some of the buildings and between others was a giant red cross. "Looks like a hospital to me."

  Pax shrugged. "Yeah, so what?"

  "So, think of all the supplies left inside. Hell, think of the accommodations they have inside."

  "Okay, let's check it out in the morning."

  "No way, we should go now."

  Pax didn't want to argue with Guthrie right now, especially after what happened in the bathroom back at the grocery store. But Pax thought it was a terrible idea. For someone not wanting to deal with 'who the fuck knows,' he really seemed to be taking a chance right now. The sun was almost gone, and they just had a huge supply run. There wasn't much room left in the truck, and it was going to be dangerous.

  "What the fuck is goin' on up there?" Billy screamed out. The three guys came walking over to the front of the truck. Guthrie hopped out, but Pax remained in his seat.
He rolled the window down as they all came around to his side.

  "Pax thinks we should go tomorrow, but I think we should check it out today," Guthrie said, pointing to the hospital. The three men saw it in the distance.

  "Hell yeah, let's check it out," Billy said.

  Pax looked at Mark, who seemed to be with them as well. Reggie, however, he didn't look good. He was still sweating and seemed borderline ill. "What about you, Reggie?" Pax asked, hoping to get someone on his side.

  "Why not?" Reggie said.

  "You seem a little-"

  "I'm fine. Let's get out there instead of standing around holding our dicks, right, Guthrie?" Reggie swallowed down whatever problems he was dealing with. Pax was surrounded by men who didn't want to show any weakness, even if it was just a cold or flu. Whatever Reggie was dealing with, he surely wasn't going to tell anyone.

  "That settles it, Pax. Like Reg said, stop holding your dick and let's get to it."

  Everyone piled in the vehicle, and Guthrie took the first exit off the highway. The sun still lit the way as they drove toward it. Pax could only guess how much sunlight would be left when they turned back around.

  Pax would never have guessed what they had driven up on. Guthrie parked the truck against a curb, and they all got out. Around the parking lot of the building, a fence was put up, but inside the fence, it was swarming with soulless. They all snarled and growled, their jaws chomping at air, hoping to get flesh at some point.

  "What the fuck is this?" Billy asked to nobody.

  "Someone is inside. This wasn't done before the fall, and if it was, why would there be so many people still inside?" Pax said.

  "Mark, Reggie, you guys start heading that way." Guthrie pointed to the right. "Billy and Pax, you guys go that way. Report back here with an entry point."

  Pax and Billy headed to the left of the building. The soulless started to take notice of them. Large groups pushed against the fence, bending it slightly, but it looked like it was done well. The chain link still held even after all the pressure applied to it. This was done with thought and not just sloppily put up.