Dead or Alive

by William Harms

  “Whatcha need?” The man’s voice was rough and husky, like he hadn’t spoken in a long time.

  “We need your help,” Seth said. He backed up a couple of feet and tried to see the face hidden in the shadows of the fort’s gate. “We ran into a great deal of trouble back in Jackson.”

  “What kind of trouble?”

  “It’s a little hard to explain.”

  “I’m not standing out here in the rain for my health. Either tell me what you want or get the hell out of here.”

  “The people in Jackson got some kind of illness and they…” Seth’s voice trailed off. He was unsure how to phrase what had happened to them back in Jackson, explain what they had seen. “The folks in Jackson are eating each other. I know it sounds crazy but ya gotta believe me.”

  The light pulled away from the gate and the face vanished.

  “I can’t help you,” the man said. “Go away.”

  “You’ve got to help us!”

  “Get on out of here!”

  “You can’t just leave us out here,” Ed said.

  “The hell I can’t. You might be sick and I can’t take that chance.”

  “We’re not sick,” Seth said. “We’d be dead by now if we had the sickness.”

  “Be that as it may, you’re not welcome here.”

  “They might be coming,” Esperanza said. “If you leave us out here we’re dead for sure.”

  “You lead them here?”

  “We’re not sure,” Seth said. “They were chasing us when we left town.”

  “Damn it all. You folks sure are putting me in a bind.”

  “We’ve got nowhere else to go.”

  “I really wish you folks woulda went somewhere else, I truly do.” The light approached the gate and there was the sound of scraping wood. “But you’re here and it looks like the time has come for the final battle. You folks best get in here quick.” The fort’s gate swung open and the man was now fully visible. He was small and slight and looked like he hadn’t eaten anything substantial in quite a while. He wore a faded and stained army uniform and his face was covered with grizzled hair and dirt and grime. The soldier stepped to one side and motioned for Ed to lead the wagon into the fort. Ed gently whipped the horses and guided them through the fort’s entrance.

  The fort had no roof, and three small buildings sat at the rear. An upper rampart circled the interior of the fort, located a few feet below the top of the walls. Two ramps on either side of the fort fed up to the rampart. The ground was muddy and covered with deep puddles. A small fire burned at the rear of the camp, and the ground was littered with wood and saws and other tools. A horse stood at the rear of the fort, hiding from the rain beneath a small lean-to that looked like it was ready to fall over. The soldier closed the gate and walked toward the wagon.

  Ed parked the wagon in the middle of the fort and everyone climbed off. John winced when his feet sank into the cold mud. He looked down at his feet and then at his chest and arms. He was covered with mud and cuts and blood. It seemed like that afternoon’s bath was an eternity behind him. John couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to be clean again, what it would feel like to not have pain coursing through every inch of his body.

  The soldier stopped a few feet short of the wagon. A large silver crucifix hung around his neck and the bottom half of his face was ragged and swollen, like his bottom jaw had been torn off and then sewn back on.

  “My name is Thomas,” the soldier said.

  “Glad to meet you,” Seth said.

  “Forgive me, but I ain’t all that happy to meet you folks. But the Lord does say that a man must help those in need. And the fight against the damned must be joined, no matter the consequences.”

  “The damned?” Seth said.

  “He’s fucking nuts,” Paul whispered to John.

  “Be quiet.”

  “The walking dead,” Thomas said. He looked at the group, studying each person carefully. “You sure none of you are sick?”

  “We’re fine.”

  “How many folks live in Jackson these days? I ain’t been there in awhile.”

  “I don’t know.” Seth turned to Ed. “What do you think?”

  “Three hundred, three hundred and fifty.”

  “Three hundred? God have mercy on us all.” Thomas raised his crucifix and kissed it. “They’ll come out here. They can smell your blood, you know, sniff it on the wind like a dog. They’ll come out here and then there will be hell to pay.

  “I’ve tried to keep the fort in good shape, but it’s been hard because my supplies are gone. It’s been damn hard.”

  “We heard there were three or four soldier out here,” Ed said. “Where are the others?”

  “Dead. I’m the only one left.”

  “How do you know about what’s going on?” John asked. “Did you get sick?”

  “If you get sick you’re dead, son. Dead and cursed, cursed to hunger for human flesh. The forces of evil walk the earth and it’s only through God’s divine grace that we will be able to escape from them.”

  “What are you talking about?” Paul dropped off the back of the wagon and stepped toward Thomas. This guy was nuts, there was no question about it. Still, he might provide a nice distraction when it came time to grab the horses and get the hell out of here.

  “The end of the world,” Thomas said. “The end of the world.”

  “Listen, Thomas,” Seth said, “from the sounds of things, you know what we’re running from. That’s all good and well. But right now we need to get ready in case they do find their way out here.”

  “Three hundred…I don’t think we have much of a chance against them. No, sir, it would be best if we spent our time in prayer. Prepare ourselves to meet our Lord.”

  “So you’re saying that we should just lay down and die?”

  “This body is but a shell.”

  “Well, you can do whatever you want, but we’re going to fight. You got ammunition for that Gatling gun up there?”

  “All the munitions are down in the cellar. Look for the door in the middle building. Won’t do any good, though.”

  “That’s a chance I’m willing to take.” Seth turned to the others. “We better get this place closed up.”

  John nodded in agreement. “We’ll shut the gate.”

  “I’ll check around and see if there are any weapons stashed away.”

  “So you’re in charge now, eh?” Paul said to Seth.

  “We can stand here all night bickering or we can get busy. Which do you prefer?”

  “I’d prefer it if you’d stay out of my face.”

  Seth shook his head and turned to Joseph. “You can come help me.”

  Joseph looked at Seth but said nothing.

  “What should we do?” Ed asked.

  “Get some torches up on the walls so we can see what the hell is going on.”

  “Won’t that just show them where we’re at?”

  “Maybe, but that’s a chance we gotta take. If we can’t see ‘em they’ll be able to sneak up on us and attack before we even know they’re there. If you have to, tear the wagon apart and use its wood.”

  Paul turned and looked at Seth. “Are you out of your fucking mind? If the wagon is torn apart, how are we supposed to get out of here?”

  “Calm down, Paul,” John said.

  “Shut the hell up.”

  “If they surround us, that wagon ain’t gonna mean shit,” Seth said. “We need to light this place up and there’s a good chance most of the wood in here is rotted and moldy and won’t burn.”

  “You’re a damn fool.”

  “And you’re a smart-mouthed kid who needs his ass kicked.”

  Paul ran toward Seth, his eyes burning with anger. John grabbed Paul and held his brother back. “I’m going to put a bullet in your damned head, old man. You just wait and see.”

  “Get to work,” Seth said.

  John pulled Paul toward the door. “C’mon, we need to get busy.”<
br />
  “You sidin’ with him now?”

  “I ain’t siding with anyone. If that door don’t get blocked, we’re all dead.”

  Paul stormed off toward the door with John following.

  Seth turned toward the others. “Tear that wagon apart and get the torches up.” He looked at Joseph. “Come with me.”

  Ed looked at Esperanza. “Unhook them horses and then help me separate these boards.”

  “You’re all wasting your time,” Thomas said. “Look at you, fighting with each other, fighting in vain to protect your bodies while ignoring the plight of your eternal souls.”

  “If those people are truly evil, then we must fight them,” Esperanza said. “We must always fight in the name of the Lord, no matter the consequences.”

  “I’ve fought them, woman, fought them hard and watched them tear apart my comrades. I’m tired of fighting; I’m ready for the Lord to call me home.”

  “I pray for the day when I am called home. But I’d prefer to face the Lord knowing that I had fought in His name.”

  Thomas spit and then turned and walked away.

  “I think he’s gone off the deep end,” Ed said.

  “For our sake I hope he decides to help us. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  #

  The zombies marched slowly across muddy fields, their way lit by flashes of lightning. The clouds thinned and the moon was visible for a few moments before more black clouds swallowed it. Thunder echoed across the valley and rain started to fall.

  Some of the dead looked at the sky for a moment, but their feet never stopped moving forward.

  #

  Seth moved through the dark building, a small torch lighting the way. Joseph followed him through the building.

  The interior of the building smelled of rotting food and bird shit. A couple of tables sat in the middle of the room and debris littered the ground. Seth moved the torch from side to side as he walked, his eyes scanning the floor. Over in the corner a piece of metal reflected in the darkness. Seth walked toward it and looked down; a large metal handle glowed dully in the light of the torch.

  “Hold this,” he said as he handed the torch to Joseph.

  Seth bent down and pulled up on the handle. The wood groaned and a small section of the floor came up; Seth threw the door completely open and took the torch from Joseph. A set of stairs headed down under the ground. A rat appeared out of the darkness, took a couple of steps into the light, and then turned and ran back into the darkness.

  “Let’s go,” Seth said. He walked down the steps, Joseph following close behind.

  At the bottom of the stairs was a small and narrow tunnel. They walked down the tunnel, heads bent low, and after twenty feet or so reached a large room. Seth held the torch up so they could see. The room was filled with large wooden crates, which were covered with a thick layer of dust. Water dripped down from above and puddles littered the floor. The room was damp and cold and smelled like old mud.

  Seth handed the torch to Joseph and opened one of the crates. The box was filled with rifles, each wrapped in linen, and boxes of ammunition.

  “It looks like Thomas has quite the stash down here,” Seth said.

  Seth moved further into the room and opened another crate. Inside were several drums of kerosene. He moved to his left and opened another crate, which was filled with old uniforms, the colors and insignias worn and faded. A fourth crate revealed several empty large glass canning jars, the insides of which were still lined with old food.

  “What’s this?” Joseph asked. He stood in front of an opened crate.

  Seth walked over to the young man and looked into the crate; inside was a disassembled Gatling gun. The crate next to it revealed several boxes of ammunition.

  “That’s exactly what we’re looking for.”

  “You should’ve killed them,” Joseph said.

  “What?”

  “Them two robbers. You should’ve gunned them down.”

  “Maybe. But our best chance of surviving this is by working with them. This whole affair will get cleared up once we deal with those things out there.”

  “They’ll kill us.”

  “Or maybe those dead people will kill us. Our best chance is if we stick together.” Seth looked at Joseph. Even in the dim light he saw the young man’s pain and sorrow. The boy’s eyes puffed out from crying and his clothing was covered with blood and mud. He shuddered to think what the young man had witnessed. “What’s your name, son?”

  “Joseph.”

  “I’m Seth.” He motioned toward the guns. “Let’s get this stuff up and out of here.”

  #

  Ed carried a stack of wood from the wagon up onto the rampart; Esperanza followed him, a large torch burning in one hand. Ed picked up one of the boards and jammed it into a rusted torch holder. Esperanza lit the wood with her torch. Ed moved on and positioned another board. Lightning rolled across the night sky.

  “Think they’ll follow us out here?” Esperanza asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t think we’ll be able to stop them. It looked like the entire town was chasing us back there.”

  “If we don’t try, they’ll get us for sure.”

  Ed moved down the catwalk and placed another board, which Esperanza ignited. “When was the last time you spoke to your father?”

  “Got a letter from him six months ago. He can’t write so he had his pastor write it for him. I sent him a letter back but haven’t heard anything since. I hope he got it.”

  Esperanza lit another torch. “I would have liked to see my sisters again.”

  Ed nodded. “You will.”

  Esperanza motioned toward John and Paul. “No one is going to survive. Those two will kill whoever is left.”

  #

  John pulled the plank away from the door and Paul replaced it with a larger piece of wood. The door rattled in the growing wind and a thin drizzle started to fall.

  “That wood looks pretty damn old,” John said.

  “Fuck you.” Paul turned and walked toward a pile of barrels. He grabbed one and rolled it toward the gate.

  “What’s your problem?”

  “You know damn well what my problem is. You’re my kin, John, blood. And you go and side with that asshole.”

  “I ain’t siding with anyone.” John shook his head and walked over to the barrels. He kicked one off the top of the pile and rolled it toward the gate.

  “Bullshit.”

  “What’s with you? Those things are coming and you’re worried about your pride?”

  Paul looked at his brother. “My pride? What about the money, huh? All our hard work. All the years of being dirt-fucking poor. You think that son of a bitch is going to let us walk out of here?”

  “We’ll be damn lucky if we walk out of here regardless. And I’ve told you I don’t want the money. I want to live through this so I can go home. Damn, why can’t you get that through your head?”

  “I’m getting out of here. That’s for damn sure.” Paul pushed the accumulating barrels up against the gate. The barrels, while not that heavy, created a fairly thick barrier. “You roll the rest of those barrels up there while I look for something heavy we can put against them.”

  John said nothing as his brother walked off. He moved a barrel into place and went back for another one. Paul had always been hotheaded, quick to temper, but John had never seen him this angry. It was bad luck running into the Western employee, and he feared that Paul was going to do something that would get them both killed. If those things were really heading out this way, they’d need every hand operating a gun. If that bank employee wasn’t able to fight, that would decrease their chances of making it. And if Paul was injured while trying to kill him, they’d really be fucked.

  John looked up at the black sky. The rain started again in earnest, large cold drops. He shivered and went back to work.

  #

  Seth and Joseph carried a crate full of rifles up
out of the cellar and set it next the crates that held the jars, the uniforms, and the kerosene. Lightning lashed the night sky. Seth wondered how long it would be until dawn.

  He glanced toward the fort’s gate. The gate was blocked with barrels and with several large wheelbarrows, some metal pipe, and other miscellaneous rubbish. Seth had his doubts that the gate would hold long. He looked up and watched Esperanza and Ed light the torches. A couple of them had already gone out because of the wind and the rain.

  The Gatling gun was their best hope. More than likely the dead would try to come through the main gate, so they’d have to use the gun to mow them down as they approached the front of the fort. If they couldn’t use the gun until the zombies were already inside, it might be too late. Seth and Joseph turned and walked back into the building.

  They reached the crate with the Gatling’s ammunition, and with a nod Seth signaled to Joseph and they lifted it up. He worried about the young man. He refused to talk and his eyes had a distant and shallow look. He wondered how he would react when he caught a glimpse of what was out there in the night.

  But Seth’s biggest concern was how to deal with those thieves. He needed them in order to survive, but what was going to happen if they managed to hold off the people from town? There were two of them and only one of him, so his best chance was to get the drop on them right away and shoot one of them, probably the dark-haired one. If he could gun that one down, then he’d be on even footing with the other.

  Seth and Joseph carried the crate outside. John and Paul and were waiting for him.

  “Whatcha got there?” Paul asked.

  Seth lowered the crate and stood up. His back hurt from the effort. “Ammunition for that Gatling gun. We should be able to gun them down as they try to break in.”

  “Assuming they even come out here.” Paul looked at Seth, and even in the dim light Seth saw the anger boiling beneath the surface of Paul’s eyes.

  “They’ll come.”

  “And what if they don’t?”

  “And what if they do and we’re standing here flapping our jaws?” That man was determined to keep pushing his buttons, there was no doubt about it. Seth turned to John. “Is the gate secure?”