The Violinist

by Barry Slater

  Exhausted, Captain Jack carried his few personal items with him into the guest bedroom then laid back on the bed and rested.

  #

  After a hot shower, Dwayne went downstairs and added water to some noodles and a box of stuffing then opened a can of roast beef. The bread, the meat, the fruits and vegetables—all the perishable items—were gone.

  Captain Jack took a shower—his first in three days—then changed clothes and joined Dwayne at the dining room table.

  “Were you in LA?” Dwayne asked.

  “No,” Captain Jack replied. “I was at home preparing for a movie set.”

  “I'm sorry about Marcie. She seemed like a good person,” Dwayne said with melancholy. “I hope you'll forgive me for saying this Jack, but it may be a good thing you two hadn't known each other for very long. It makes things easier.”

  Captain Jack stopped eating and thought for a moment then nodded in agreement.

  “I'm sorry about Jean,” Captain Jack said.

  “I'll see her again,” Dwayne said somberly. “We'll see them both again.” Dwayne took his last bite of food. “Right now we have a chore to do.”

  “What's that?”

  “We've got to bury that body you shot this morning.”

  #

  Outside, the sun had melted the snow into patches.

  “See the footprints?” Captain Jack said. “There are two sets of them. There's another zee around here somewhere.”

  “Those are my footprints,” Dwayne said. “I had to abandon my truck in Round Hill last night. I went to town for help. I couldn't get back to it so I walked home through the woods.”

  “It followed you here,” Captain Jack said.

  Dwayne looked down at the body with discernment. Its lab coat was splashed with mud and body fluids. Its dry lips were split open and its discolored eyes stared lifelessly into the sky. There was a large hole where Captain Jack's 9mm round exited its skull.

  “Do you recognize him?” Captain Jack asked.

  “It's John Johnson,” Dwayne said. “The pharmacist.”

  “My God Dwayne,” Captain Jack said. “I'm sorry. He came at me when I was climbing over the gate. You think he was trying to find you?”

  “No. He attacked me too. He's the reason I had to abandon the truck.”

  “I remember now. I remember seeing him inside the store when I would stop there to pick up snacks on the way to see you guys. Before, before all this.”

  “Let's get him in the ground,” Dwayne said.

  Captain Jack and Dwayne dug a grave beside the gate then rolled the body into it. They smoothed the dirt with the shovel then placed a rock as a headstone.

  “How long do you think this thing is going to last?” Captain Jack asked as he caught his breath.

  “I don't know,” Dwayne said.

  “The last thing the emergency broadcast system said before the power went out was not to panic,” Captain Jack said. “That was twelve days ago. Stupid bastards.”

  Dwayne tried to smile.

  “How are the animals?” Captain Jack asked.

  “Let's go see,” Dwayne answered.

  #

  The two made their way to the animal compound. Dwayne and Captain Jack went through the outer gate then through the inner gate into the habitat.

  “Has he grown?” Captain Jack said as they entered B.J.'s paddock.

  B.J. approached the two and appeared to recognize Captain Jack. B.J. Bounced his head up and down and grunted with his lips shaped like an “O”.

  “He seems bigger than the last time I saw him.”

  “No,” Dwayne said. “He's just a damn big bear. Actually, he's been eating less than he usually does. I've been rationing his food. He'll be out soon. His food bins are almost empty. All he'll have left then is the grub beds.

  “The other guys are OK. Dolly and Donnie have plenty of hay. Snowflake has plenty of packaged food. It's the big guy here I'm worried about.”

  “Won't he hibernate?” Captain Jack asked.

  “Some of the Kodiaks don't. Some of the males remain active all season. He runs off the fuel he gets on a daily basis.”

  “The generators are going to need fuel too,” Captain Jack said.

  “I've got a couple five-gallon gas cans we can fill somehow. I figure we use maybe a gallon a day. That will last us about ten days.”

  “We'll have to go to town,” Captain Jack said. “We can use those plastic food bins for gasoline also. We'll load them on the back of my truck along with one of the generators to run the fuel pump down at the station.”

  Dwayne thought for a moment.

  “We can get your truck while we're there plus food for B.J. and anything else we need.”

  Dwayne looked at Captain Jack. “OK, let's do it.”

  #

  Dwayne punched the code into the keypad and opened the solar-powered front gate. Captain Jack drove his truck into a parking space beside the house.

  “My God,” Dwayne marveled as the two unpacked Captain Jack's truck. “Jack, you’ve got an entire arsenal here.”

  “We're going to turn your house into a zombie fortress,” Captain Jack said.

  “You've definitely got the job,” Dwayne said.

  “We've got detonation cord.” Captain Jack inventoried his equipment. “We've got solar rechargeable handsets to communicate with. We've got battery operated laser triggers, ten pounds of C4, and twenty live Claymore mines. We've got an M40 sniper rifle, an AK47, an M240 machine gun and a ghillie suit from my own private stash. And I've got plenty of ammo and Meals Ready to Eat. I've also got my favorite weapon from my King Arthur collection, an exact replica of the Excalibur.”

  “Where did you get all this?” Dwayne asked.

  “Trading with old army buddies,” Captain Jack said. “Hoarding leftovers from movie sets. I took everything I could from home.”

  “Let's get it inside.”

  Dwayne and Captain Jack loaded two of the fifty-five gallon plastic food bins and one of the power generators into the bed of Captain Jack's truck.

  Captain Jack loaded his Glock 9mm and slid it into his shoulder holster along with five extra clips.

  “Are you ready?” Captain Jack asked.

  Dwayne took a deep breath. “I'm ready.”

  Captain Jack drove Dwayne along the four-mile downgrade to Round Hill. Just for the sake of trying he turned on the radio but there was only static. The FEMA broadcast agency had been overrun by the virus for a week already. It had been twenty-one days since the outbreak at the border.

  Captain Jack parked beside the pump at the gas station. Dwayne climbed into the back of the truck and started the generator while Captain Jack straight wired the pump.

  Once the pump was running, Dwayne filled the generator's tank then the five-gallon cans while Captain Jack stood guard with his 9mm.

  An evening mist rolled in as Dwayne switched to the food bins.

  With a flashlight, Captain Jack checked the store's front door then returned to the truck.

  “The door is locked,” Captain Jack said.

  “The pharmacy is open,” Dwayne said.

  “We'll go there when we're finished here,” Captain Jack said. “We can come back here on our next trip.”

  “You think we'll need to make another trip?” Dwayne asked.

  “Dwayne,” Captain Jack said. “Judging from what I saw on the way down, yes.”

  Dwayne pointed toward the store front. “What's that there?”

  Several zombies staggered into the beam of Captain Jack's flashlight.

  “Who are they?” Captain Jack said in a loud whisper.

  “I don't know,” Dwayne answered.

  Captain Jack aimed the 9mm. “I'm taking them out.”

  Dwayne was silent.

  “I'm taking them out!” Captain Jack shouted as the zombies approached.

  Two rapid head shots dispatched the zombies. Several more zombies emerged from the shadows.

  “We're gett
ing the hell out of here,” Captain Jack shouted.

  Dwayne handed the pump nozzle to Captain Jack then capped the food bins. Captain Jack shut off the generator then separated the wires from the fuel pump.

  Captain Jack started the truck. Dwayne got in and instinctively buckled his seat belt. The rapidly approaching zombies threw themselves against the passenger door.

  Hesitating for a moment, Dwayne and Captain Jack watched the swarm of zombies claw and bite at the window with a high-pitched shrill. Captain Jack eased down on the accelerator and pushed them away with the side of the truck.

  “Jesus,” Captain Jack said softly as he drove onto the main road. “That's the way John was.”

  “That's the way Jean was,” Dwayne said looking away.

  “I can't remember,” Captain Jack said. “Where is the pharmacy?”

  “Down on the left,” Dwayne pointed.

  Captain Jack eased the truck into the pharmacy parking lot.

  “Turn your headlights off,” Dwayne said. “They seem to be attracted to light.”

  “To sound also,” Captain Jack said.

  Dwayne glanced at Captain Jack.

  “It's in the zombie survival guide.”

  “The zombie survival guide?” Dwayne questioned.

  “It was a Christmas present from my nephew. It's a spoof of the army survival guide but it had a lot of useful information in it. It was the best Christmas present I ever received.”

  Captain Jack parked next to Dwayne's truck. The two made their way inside the pharmacy and looked around. The note was still lying on the counter next to the register.

  “Watch out for the mice,” Dwayne warned. “They're not afraid of us.”

  Dwayne stacked bags of cat and dog food into the bed of his truck and made a new list of everything he took. Captain Jack grabbed batteries along with sardines, crackers, canned Vienna sausage, coffee and peanut butter.

  Toilet paper, paper towels and toothpaste were next on Dwayne's list. Captain Jack grabbed several quarts of oil and a gallon each of washer fluid and antifreeze for the trucks.

  “We need to go,” Captain Jack said with a hint of alarm in his voice. Dwayne finished bagging the small items he had taken as he worked on the list.

  “We need to go now!” Captain Jack said looking through the front store window. Zombies were quickly gathering around both trucks.

  Dwayne placed the new list on top of the old one.

  “We'll make a run for the trucks,” Captain Jack said. He pulled his 9mm out of its holster and chambered a round. “I'll clear a path for us.”

  “Make sure they have the virus.”

  “They do!” Captain Jack said. “Shit!”

  “What?” Dwayne looked down. “Shit!”

  “There's mice crawling up my leg,” Captain Jack said. “Everything here is trying to kill us.”

  “Let's get the hell out of here!” Dwayne shouted.

  Captain Jack pushed the front door open as he shook the mice off his feet. Two zombies rushed him. Dodging their claws, he put two rapidly fired 9mm rounds into each of their heads.

  Dwayne grabbed a mop from a nearby cleaning display then fell in behind Captain Jack. He pushed several zombies with the mop head in their faces back across the parking curb. He tripped two more by weaving the mop handle between their legs then pulling. At his truck, he pushed a zombie away from the driver's door.

  Hearing a pair of high-pitched shrills behind him, Captain Jack swung his 9mm around to the source of the commotion.

  It was two small children. They were obviously infected with the virus. Fortunately, they were far enough away that Captain Jack did not have to shoot them.

  Clicking his remote to unlock the truck, Dwayne quickly got inside and relocked the doors. After starting the engine, he shifted into reverse. A crowd of the infected surrounded the truck and began clawing at the glass.

  Captain Jack shifted his truck into reverse and pulled back. Dwayne backed out of the parking space using his rear bumper to ease the zombies back.

  The zombies did not stop. They persistently moved forward. One tried to climb onto the tail gate. Dwayne punched the accelerator then braked throwing the zombie off the back of the truck.

  Plowing through the crowd of zombies behind him, Captain Jack shifted into drive.

  Once clear of his parking space, Dwayne shifted into drive. The zombies quickly began filling the void in front of him and climbing onto the front of the truck. Dwayne accelerated then braked, pushing the zombies forward. Trying to be humane, he gently nudged the zombies back with the front of his truck with those behind him still trying to climb onto the rear of the truck.

  Seeing what was happening, Captain Jack, punched the accelerator and plowed through the crowd in front of him.

  With no other choice, Dwayne picked up speed, grinding the zombies in front of him beneath the wheels of the truck.

  Dwayne and Captain Jack sped out of the parking lot and headed toward Dwayne's house at a high rate of speed. Arriving there safely, the two took the generator back to the basement and started it up. After water had been heated, Dwayne and Captain Jack went to their separate rooms and cleaned themselves up.

  Dwayne laid down, tossed and turned for while then finally fell asleep. Agitated from all the action, Captain Jack worked out a defensive strategy as if it were a military campaign.

  #

  “Oh my God,” Captain Jack said as he walked behind Dwayne's truck the next morning.

  “What is it?” Dwayne asked.

  “It's one of them,” Captain Jack said. “Its shirt got caught in your bumper. You damn near dragged him to death.”

  The zombie was trying to pull itself to the top of the tailgate. The lower half of the zombie's body was gone.

  “He's still alive.”

  Captain Jack shot the zombie in the head with his 9mm. “Go in peace, poor bastard.”

  “Let's finish dragging him up to the shed then we'll bury him,” Dwayne said.

  Dwayne drove the truck up the hill to the storage shed dragging the body behind him. He pushed the man's arm from between the bumper and the truck bed with a shovel.

  Another zombie stood up in the back of Dwayne's truck. Dwayne quickly knocked him over the railing and onto the ground with the shovel. Captain Jack pumped a 9mm round into its head.

  Dwayne took a breath and exhaled. “Jesus.”

  “Are you sure you don't want your .45?” Captain Jack asked. “Because that is exactly why we both need to be armed at all times.”

  “No,” Dwayne answered somberly.

  “He must have climbed into the back of your truck at the pharmacy,” Captain Jack said. “The heavy bags of animal food must have fell on him then uncovered him when we came up the hill.”

  “How many are we going to have to bury before this is over?” Dwayne said.

  “A lot,” Captain Jack said. “We've got a long way to go before we're out of this, if we ever get out of it. Burying is the best. Burning them is even better but it would eat up all of our fuel. Plus, the virus may spread in the smoke. We don't know for sure how this virus spreads. Also, I noticed that their agility depends on their physical condition before succumbing to the virus.”

  “How did you know about head shots?” Dwayne asked.”

  “From all the Hollywood zombie bullshit,” Captain Jack said. “It made sense, though. Their brain is the only thing that can be controlling them. We destroy their brain; we destroy them.”

  Captain Jack paused then continued. “You seem a little hesitant about killing them. Who they were is gone. They're dead but their body just doesn't know it.”

  “Jean became one of them,” Dwayne said almost rebuking Captain Jack. “She suffered twelve days, six hours and eighteen minutes.”

  Captain Jack dropped his head. “She was one of a kind,” he said in apology.

  “I put a .45 in her head, Jack.” Dwayne lowered his gaze. “It was the only way to end her suffering.”

&nbs
p; “That's why we can't hold back if we're going to make it,” Captain Jack said.

  “We're going to make it,” Dwayne responded. “The question is what we do next.”

  “I'm going to rig traps and set up a perimeter line so we don't get any more surprises from these things.”

  “Traps?”

  “You're talking to a pyromaniac here my boy,” Captain Jack said raising his eyebrows. “We'll set up a few surprises for them at the gate and along the fence line. I'll set laser triggers in sectors around the house. Each pair will indicate its location in relation to the house. I can power it with your gate's solar panel. The zombinees don't seem to be very agile. The fence should keep them out unless they learn how to climb.”

  “How would we do in a siege?”

  “A siege?” Captain Jack said squinting his eyes. “If one or two can find us then the rest of them can. We could last a while, but eventually we would run out of supplies.”

  “That means going back to town.”

  “And considering everything we saw there that is not a very good option,” Captain Jack said. “What we need is a way to hold them back while we are in town. Trying to shoot them all at close range is too risky.”

  “How long can they last?”

  “According to the zombie survival guide, five years maybe depending on their condition,” Captain Jack said. “They will outlast us that's for sure unless we can figure out a way to get rid of them. Their system is different than ours. Their body functions are slowed greatly. They don't feel pain. They don't seem to have a conscience as far as knowing right from wrong. Sooner or later something will have to give. We could be talking hundreds or thousands of them being in this area.”

  “I thought maybe we could strike out into the forest and just live off the land.”

  “That's good for a last option. Right now this is the best defensive position we could hope for.”

  “Or get trapped in here.”

  “Or locked out if we need to get back inside,” Captain Jack said.

  “This house wasn't built for this,” Dwayne said tearfully. “It was built for—Jean.”

  “Dwayne, I'm telling you, in a siege this is our best option,” Captain Jack responded with a strong resolve. “Out in the woods we would have good mobility but no way to set up a proper defensive position, especially if we are injured. Here we can tend, mend and defend ourselves. We will have the advantage. We just have to survive here as best we can.”