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

by Drew Strickland

  Pax swung his left fist and nailed his enemy in the face. Blood flew from his mouth and splattered against the wall. Pax quickly slashed forward with his knife again, planting it in the man's shoulder. The man cried out in pain as the blade was shoved to the hilt.

  "Ivan!" his friend shouted. Pax turned to see him pulling his pistol from the holster on his chest. Pax reached for his own pistol on his hip, but Ivan grabbed Pax's hand and shoved him into the wall. There was no time to pull his gun.

  "Do it, Alejandro! Shoot the fucker!" Ivan shouted. Pax watched Alejandro train his gun on him. He struggled to pull his gun, but Ivan was putting up more of a fight than he expected.

  Pax watched the man on the ground, fury in his eyes. He charged Alejandro and grabbed his arm. The gun didn't fire, and Alejandro was knocked to the ground, the beaten man on top of him. The man slammed Alejandro's hand on the ground three times until he dropped the gun. The man grabbed the gun and used it as a hammer on Alejandro's hand. Alejandro cried out in pain as his fingers smashed and broke in multiple places. The man put the gun under Alejandro's chin.

  Pax waited to hear the gunshot. He didn't think it mattered if the gun went off or not at this point. They had made enough noise for the time being, and it was better to be alive and figure out what to do next than be dead and not have a next moment. Ivan looked at Alejandro on the ground and turned, head-butting Pax in the face. The pain shot through his head, and his vision went fuzzy. He shook his head, trying to get his bearings. When he did, he saw Ivan pulling the man off Alejandro.

  Pax quickly went behind Ivan and wrapped his arms around his neck, putting him in a chokehold. Ivan flapped his arms and tried punching Pax, but the angle was too much. Pax held him tight as he watched the man get back on Alejandro, who was trying to get up.

  The man turned around and grabbed the knife that was embedded in Ivan's shoulder. He pulled it out, causing Ivan to let out a muffled cry. He turned back to Alejandro and planted the knife straight down into his chest. Alejandro gasped, but it was quick. The blade hit right in the center of his heart. Alejandro died before even knowing what happened.

  Ivan's eyes were nearly closed, and his body was weak in Pax's arms. Pax waited and waited until, finally, he heard it. The rattle from Ivan's throat escaped and his body went limp. Pax let him fall to the ground and took a deep breath. Another fight won, another near-death experience. He wasn't sure he would get used to hand to hand combat like that and wondered when it would be his turn to lose.

  Pax held his hand out to the man who sat on top of Alejandro. He looked worse than Pax's face felt, reminding Pax that it could always be more miserable for him. The man looked at Ivan. "Is he dead?"

  Pax shrugged. "Maybe."

  "One sec," he said. The man pulled the knife from Alejandro's chest, crawled over, and drove the blade into Ivan's throat. Blood poured out over the sidewalk.

  "I'd say he is now," Pax said. "What are you doing out here?"

  "Just trying to get out of the city," the man said, handing the knife to Pax. "Thanks for the help, by the way, I'm Rodger."

  Pax nodded. "Pax." He grabbed Rodger and helped him to his feet. "Not my first run in with these assholes. You know them?"

  The man shook his head. "Never seen them before." He wobbled a bit on his feet and scratched his arms. He was exhausted from the fight but also seemed a little on edge. Pax couldn't really blame him, having been beaten, nearly killed, and now out in the city in the middle of the night. "They said they were looking for some guy. Something about a gang coming to the hospital."

  "Then they found you, and what, just started beating you?"

  "Maybe they thought I was part of whatever they were looking for." He shrugged.

  Pax nodded. They were coming for him and Guthrie, looking for Diego. He had to admit it, but if nothing else, Diego's gang had loyalty to their own. Still, it didn't change anything. Guthrie was right. Diego's friends were beating an innocent man to death. They weren't just innocent people, and they were coming to kill him and the others. He couldn't let that happen.

  "Stay safe, find a place to lay low till the morning," Pax said to the man before turning around.

  "Hey! Can I come with you?" the man whispered.

  Pax stopped and thought about it for a brief second. He turned to look at the man he had just saved. "It's not the right fit for you." He took a breath and let it out. "We aren't the right fit for you."

  Pax turned around and ran down the block, back to his group. Leaving the man here might look like he was leaving him to die, but in Pax's mind, he was saving the man from becoming something he may not want to be.

  8

  Pax decided to keep his flashlight off on his way back to the warehouse. He knew the way back well enough that he could make his way through the dark. Besides, keeping the light on might alert anyone else in the area, or the soulless. He really didn't want to get into any more fights tonight. After the last one, he’d had enough excitement.

  It didn't always seem to matter what Pax wanted. Most times it was bound to happen anyway. Before Pax had a chance to make it to the warehouse door, he heard voices. He quickly ducked into the shadows against the building. He could see the door across the street. He stayed put and waited, letting the voices get louder. Whoever it was, they were heading his way.

  "It's somewhere in here. I saw the lights not long ago, and I'm telling you, it came from this area," the voice said, growing louder with each word.

  The beep from a radio clicked and a voice answered back through it. "Whatever, man, just keep looking. We'll find Diego. Alejandro and Ivan went north a little bit to check it out. The rest of us will circle around and check the buildings." The radio beeped again.

  It was Diego's gang. They really had some loyalty to each other, not to mention numbers to spare. He had to warn Guthrie. If they got into the warehouse, it would be a bloodbath. He imagined they would get inside, find Diego, and start unloading on the guys. Most of them would go down, but Guthrie, maybe Sean would make it. They liked to sleep in the most out of the way places. They'd fight back, but ultimately, when having gotten the jump on them, they'd go down. He couldn't let that happen.

  The footsteps got closer and closer. He could tell they were coming from the right of the building, right around the corner. Pax pulled his knife, ready to take whoever it was out silently and pull him out of the way. Before he could, he saw across the way at the door to the warehouse. Two men carrying guns. They were definitely not part of Guthrie's crew. The guy on the radio said they were checking all the buildings, and it looked like the warehouse was next.

  Pax put his knife back and pulled his gun. He held it out, keeping his eyes on the men across the street. They inched closer and closer to the door. The footsteps from the man around the drew nearer and nearer. He watched the man step out from around the corner. He was young, probably no older than twenty-two, maybe younger. No time to worry about some kid who wasn't on his team. Over his shoulder, Pax saw the men reaching for the handle. It was time.

  Pax pulled the trigger, the barrel of his gun lining up perfectly with the kid's head that rounded the corner. He watched as his head exploded in front of him. The gunshot rang out, echoing down the street. The body dropped in front of him, and Pax fired at the two men across the street. The men stopped reaching for the handle and scattered. They returned fire, and Pax ducked back in the shadows of the building.

  The radio remained in the kid's hand, lying in the street. "Jimmy! Jimmy, you there. Fuck you, puto. You're gonna die." The man must have realized Jimmy was the dead one in the street and directed his talk to Pax. Pax couldn't respond back, though. He was too boxed in from the gunfire. Between him firing his gun and the dead body on the sidewalk, they knew where he was and weren't letting up. He wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this one.

  Just as he thought that, the door to the warehouse opened up. Mark brought his assault rifle out and started firing to the left with precision. Walt came out with
him using a different approach. He had the automatic and went with the spray and pray method to the right. The sound of gunshots filled the street from all angles. Pax could see the sparks light up the sky. After a short moment, it all stopped. Pax peeked out and saw that the combination of Walt and Mark's methods seemed effective. They were still standing while the other men weren't.

  Pax stepped out from the shadows but jumped back at the gunshots that were fired his way. "Hey! Motherfuckers, it's me."

  "Pax?" Mark called out.

  "Yeah, I'm coming out, so don't fucking shoot."

  "You alone?"

  "I'm alone, asshole." Pax stepped out, hands raised. Mark stood, pointing his rifle, but he put it down when he saw Pax was who and what he said he was.

  "Sorry, man. Got caught up in it, ya know? You look like shit."

  "Yeah, getting shot at might do that to someone."

  "What are you doing out here?" Walt asked.

  "Had to take a leak and thought I heard someone, so I walked around. Looks like I was right."

  Pax made it halfway across the street when Mark lifted his weapon. "Get down!"

  Pax dropped to the ground immediately, spinning as he did. He saw two soulless behind him. Mark lit them up, taking the top of their heads off. The bodies fell to the street, crumpling next to the kid Pax had taken out earlier. Pax started to climb to his feet when a hand was put in front of him. Pax grabbed it, looking up at who it belonged to. Guthrie hoisted him to his feet.

  "Looks like we might owe you our lives tonight. Well, for sure Billy does." Guthrie motioned to the door where Billy stumbled out, half-drunk and an imprint from the cot springs on his face.

  "Where they at? I'll fucking kill `em all." Billy pulled his pistol up and fired it in the air.

  "Someone wanna wrangle that dipshit in?" Guthrie said.

  Walt grabbed Billy's gun and punched him in the face. Billy fell to the ground, and Walt bent over, slinging him over his shoulder. His near scrawny physique combined with Walt's huge stature made it look like a giant picking up a rag doll. They all headed back inside where Walt threw Billy back down on his cot without care. Billy was out cold again.

  Pax looked over to Diego, who sat, still bound to the chair, wide awake. "So, what was this?" Guthrie asked.

  "It was them. You were right, Guthrie. The gang at the hospital." Pax said. He walked over to Diego and got in his face. "You will not win this. Your friends are dead, and we will take the hospital."

  Diego gritted his teeth against his gag. His face went red, and he tried yelling, but his voice was muffled. Guthrie slapped a hand on Pax's shoulder. "Glad to see the enthusiasm." He turned to the other's in the room. Billy was still out, but Mark, Walt, and Sean were standing, waiting for Guthrie. "You heard Pax. Tomorrow morning, we take the hospital."

  Pax watched as Diego sat, eyes piercing through him. This time, Pax knew he was doing right.

  9

  Pax sat in the back of the box truck, staring at Diego. He was still gagged, but he wasn't trying to talk. He only stared back at Pax. The road was bumpy, but that was probably because Guthrie was driving. He was always a bit of a lead foot and took turns too recklessly. These days, it didn't all much matter, but it made Pax wonder how he made it driving in the previous world. He put his free hand against the side of the wall, trying to keep himself from sliding over. Billy and Walt did the same thing.

  The truck came to a stop and, moments later, the back opened up. Guthrie stood there, squinting in the morning sun. "Looks like we're here. I'll pull the truck around the corner, up to the fence, and you guys can pop out, show them this asshole."

  It wasn't the worst plan, but he was positive there were better ones. Still, without knowing how the hell to get in, this was probably the best one any of them could think of. "You really think they'll just let us in because we have one of theirs?" Pax asked.

  "God, I hope not," Guthrie said. He put his rifle against his shoulder and smiled. "I wanna tear into as many of these fuckers as I can." Diego watched Guthrie with daggers in his eyes. "Oh, you don't like that?" Guthrie asked. "Then I guess you can tell us the best way to get in or watch all your friends die, maybe add a little bit of 'go fuck yourself' in there, too." Diego stayed quiet. "Thought so. Let's roll up on these fuckers."

  Guthrie disappeared to the front and began the drive. Pax, Billy and Walt held their rifles ready. Pax made sure his pistol was easily accessible on his hip. He watched as Mark and Sean drove in a pickup truck behind them. It was better to split them between two vehicles. It gave them more of an escape and, possibly, a harder target to hit. Pax looked at Diego, who only fumed while gagged.

  "You brought this on yourself. You aren't who you say you are. You're a liar, just like the rest. Keep trying to pretend if you want, but I know. I saw your friends out there. They were beating a man to death, and for what? Because he was in the area? You're worse than the assholes in the world now because you lie about it. I'd take a scumbag thief and murderer who is honest about it than a piece of shit who lies about who he is, like you." Pax continued to look in Diego's eyes and received no response. He shook his head and turned around. The truck stopped at what Pax assumed was the fence.

  "Hello, hello!" Guthrie shouted in a megaphone. His voice blared through the speaker and the volume of the snarls beyond the fence raised with it. "I hope everyone can hear me in there. So, my name is Guthrie, and we would love to be invited inside."

  Pax could hear the voices mixed behind all the snarls from the soulless. "Go away, asshole!" someone yelled from beyond the mob of the dead.

  Guthrie laughed and clicked the megaphone off. "Pax, why don't you get out here with our guest."

  "Time to go, asshole," Pax said, grabbing Diego off his chair. He didn't try to fight back and walked out with Pax, his hands bound behind him. Outside, Pax could see the soulless gathering against the chain link fence, pushing against it, trying to reach whoever was on the other side. Up above, on a couple of platforms obviously built after the apocalypse, Pax saw a few men holding guns, pointing them his way.

  "Look here, motherfuckers! We have your buddy. Diego is his name, I believe. So, why don't you invite us in and nobody gets hurt." Guthrie paused. "Actually, I take that back, I can't promise that exactly, but at least nobody gets killed, alright?" Guthrie smiled, his grey beard scratching against the megaphone.

  "Let him go, puto bitch." The voices were loud, but they didn't seem strong. They sounded worried. Pax didn't think Diego would have that much of an effect on his gang, but maybe they were better friends than he had.

  "No?" Guthrie asked. He threw the megaphone in the cab of the truck. "Alright, motherfuckers. Time to dance." Guthrie ducked into the cab and floored the gas. Pax watched from the street as the truck drove directly into the fence, plowing over the huge mob of soulless in front of it. The fence went down, and the bodies crunched underneath the tires and metal as it drove. The gunfire started as soon as the fence was down. Pax pushed Diego, but he quickly realized none of the shots fired were at him. They were all going at the trucks.

  The truck stopped in the middle of the parking lot around the hospital. Guthrie tried to give it more gas, but the tires just sputtered, and the engine sounded like a dying horse. The truck was a beast, but it was never meant to run over twenty dead, walking people. Guthrie opened his door and kicked the first soulless he saw in the face, breaking its neck and dropping the body. "Let's go, Pax!" he shouted.

  Pax grabbed Diego by the back of the neck. This time, Diego tried to fight back and struggled. Pax quickly pulled his pistol out and shot Diego in the shoulder. "Ahhhhh," Diego screamed beneath his gag.

  "Move now or die here. One way or another, we are getting in. The question is if you want to live through it or not."

  Pax pointed the pistol at Diego and pushed him through the entrance Guthrie had made. Mark pulled the truck against the fence and hopped out behind them with Sean. Soulless started to walk their way. Pax paid no attention to anyt
hing that wasn't within two feet of him. Mark and Sean started taking anything out that moved around them, giving him enough cover to get to Guthrie.

  "Let's take out those assholes up there," Guthrie said when Pax reached him. "What's this asshole still doing alive?" He asked looking at Diego.

  "Check it out, Guth." Pax said, showing him that no bullets were being shot at them. "He's like our own personal shield."

  Guthrie laughed. The bullets flying around them and the soulless snarls and groans, coupled with a madman laughing, really made for a chaotic scene. "Your friends really are fuckin' stupid, aren't they?" Guthrie asked and turned his rifle up at the platforms, firing.

  Diego yelled as the first shot hit the guard on the left in the leg. The second hit him in the stomach. The man on the platform buckled over and fell from his perch. They watched as the soulless reached him, still alive on the ground. They quickly started biting into him. His screams rose above the snarls and died when he did.

  Guthrie pointed his rifle at the guard on the right, firing. This time, he hit the man in the throat. The guard dropped his weapon and went to his knees, holding his throat. He tried to gasp for air, but the blood kept coming. He dropped, his arm dangling off the platform. The soulless reached, just barely missing the man's hand.

  "Time to go!" Guthrie said. "Billy give us some cover."

  "Alright, Captain!" Billy screamed.

  He and Walt were shooting at all the soulless around the vehicle, making sure they stayed safe. Walt dashed out to the large construction dumpster with the chute coming from high up in the building. The large metal barrier sat near the building in the parking lot. It gave him decent cover on one side while he could shoot any coming soulless or men. Billy laughed maniacally as he turned his attention toward the front doors. Men started to run out, but Billy was quick. He mowed them down before they could get a shot off. Billy was a lot more accurate than Pax would have given him credit for.