“Fuck.” Ty pulled his leg away and took aim. The bullet plowed into the forehead of the zombie sending a shower of brain matter over its back.
Ty turned his attention back to the teenagers just as the sprinting zombie was about to catch the heavier of the two teens. The faster of the two was within twenty feet of Ty’s location when Jess stepped out from the gate.
“Get down.” The teen dropped to the ground when he saw both barrels of the shotgun. The first barrel fired, sending a shower of buckshot through the zombie. The impact of the blast sent it flailing onto its back. The teen stood back and raced to Ty’s location. Ty pushed the teen behind him making sure he was safely between he and the gate.
“Get down dumb ass.” Ty yelled out at the slower teen seeing Jess was about to take a second shot at a fast moving zombie.
The teen turned and screamed when he saw the bloody figure reaching out to him. The zombie was missing fingers and part of its neck. He couldn’t determine if the zombie was once a man or woman. The damage to the body removed any idea of gender. The teen raised his empty pistol, an old model 19 .38 revolver. He pulled the trigger. The firing pin struck a used firing cap with a clank.
“Get the fuck down.” Ty yelled as Jess moved swiftly to the teen.
The zombie snatched the teen with its mangled hands and sank its teeth into the boy’s ample cheek, tearing away his cheekbone and surrounding flesh. The teen screamed and tried to break the zombies grasp.
“Shoot them, Jess!”
“NO!” The teen standing behind Ty began to yell.
Jess stopped and looked over at Ty with a perplexed look.
“Shoot them, it’s too late for the boy.”
“NO!” The teen shouted again.
Jess continued to look at Ty.
Ty did a quick visual sweep of his immediate surroundings. There were still at least five zombies moving in their direction. A block away Ty could see a runner closing the distance. He took aim with the .357; careful to lead the runner then vaporized the zombie’s head. The heavyset teen struggled to say something as he collapsed to his knees. The blood from the open wound was rushing down his throat. He would be dead in a matter of minutes and soon after would be walking the streets hampering any escape attempt. Ty raised his revolver.
“Don’t shoot, he’s my brother!” The faster of the two teens yelled as he stood behind Ty.
“He’ll be dead any minute. Do you want him coming back?” Ty said never lowering his revolver.
“He’s my brother.”
“Not anymore.” Ty pulled the trigger ending the heavy teens life.
The teen raised his gun and pointed it at Ty.
“You son of a bitch. I’m going to kill you.” The teen yelled.
“Not without ammo you’re not.” Ty walked past the teen and fired upon a walker hitting it in the neck.
“Fuck.” Ty said as the walker remained on its feet. He squeezed off the last shot with the .357 destroying the zombie’s head.
“You better come with us if you want to live.” Jess said as he reloaded the shotgun.
“He killed my brother.”
“Your brother was already dead. You coming?” Jess began to walk away.
“He killed my brother.” The teen yelled out as he began to cry.
“Ty was right, your brother was already dead. If you’re coming, lets go. If not. I suggest you run.” Jess pointed at a runner.
The teen turned and saw the runner fast closing the distance. The teen ran past Jess and stopped just behind Ty. Ty turned and looked at the scared teen then looked to Jess.
“You have the key to the gate?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Yes I have the key.” Jess pulled the key from his pocket and opened the gate. Sugar sat on the other side eagerly awaiting her master’s return.
The gate closed behind them just as the runner reached it. The teen ran for the stairwell. Ty turned and snapped the cylinder closed on his revolver. The zombie shook the gate and growled. His grey eyes didn’t blink as he tried in vain to pull the gate down. Ty took aim and pulled the trigger.
“This shit’s fucked up.” Ty turned and walked up the stairs looking for the teen.
“Sugar, come.” She trotted next to Ty up the stairs while Jess brought up the rear.
Eighteen
Ruth Davies stared out the small window and watched Thurmond Twells, unkempt hair and all, as he stood at the south entrance still holding the door handle. He didn’t waver, he didn’t move, he just held the handle waiting to go inside. Ruth had tears in her eyes thinking back upon the many conversations she had had with Thurmond and his absolute devotion to his wife. She thought for a moment about letting him in but found her sanity once more as zombies strolled through the street. Officer Dillion promised to come back giving Ruth hope.
“Ruth. Lonnie did leave. Her car isn’t in the parking garage. We only have two staff members on the floor and I think the new guy from maintenance is in the building. Security never clocked in.” Casey stated. She was s former cocaine addict, now a top notch LVN having straitened out her life when she found out she was pregnant. Her son Kevin was now six. She stood in the doorway of the darkened room staring at the back of her charge nurse.
“Thanks, Casey. We need to keep an eye on 301 and 411. They’re close to expiring. And keep out of 415. Ramstein is locked up and under restraints. I’ll handle him when I have a moment”
“What do we do with them?”
Ruth had no intention of telling Casey she had a loaded firearm. Emergency situations have a way of bringing out the worst in people and I don’t know this girl for nothing. “Never in all my years have I seen anything like this. The world may be coming to an end and we’re stuck here with people on the verge of dying. The cop that was here before used a headshot to put Joan down for good. I suggest we destroy the brain if they expire.” Ruth explained still watching the activity outside.
“Easier said than done. I’m going to try the phone again. I’m worried about Kevin. I can’t get through to the babysitter.”
“Keep trying, dear, I’m sure you’ll get through. Tell the remaining staff not to use the south entrance. There’s a bunch of them on the street now.”
Casey walked up to the window and stood next to Ruth. She peered out and gasped when she saw the activity on the street.
“They’re all dead?” Casey asked.
“They appear to be. They just walk around bumping into one another. Some fall down but they get back up and walk around. Mr. Twells is standing at the south entrance.”
“Is he dead?”
“Yes, I believe so. His eyes are cloudy and grey and I swear he never blinks. Plus his hair is a mess and he’s just held the door handle ever since he arrived. Normally he would just buzz the nurses station, but he just stands there not knowing what to do.”
“Why did he come here?”
“I don’t know. ”Ruth turned and walked out of the room. Casey followed closely behind.
“Do you think the police will come back soon?” Casey asked attempting to keep up with Ruth’s quick pace.
“Casey, I don’t have any answers for you. I can barely comprehend what the hell is going on out there. The best thing we can do is keep our watch and stay inside until this blows over. I’m sure Kevin is fine.” Ruth stopped and placed her hands on Casey’s shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.
Casey stared into Ruth’s eyes and could see fear lying just beneath the surface. She found no comfort in Ruth’s gesture.
“I’ll try the sitter again in a moment. I want to check the critical residents.” Casey walked away from Ruth holding back the tears.
Ruth walked to the nurses’ station and looked over the patient charts. The images of the brutal battle she had witnessed earlier kept replaying over and over in her head. She looked across the hall to the closed door. Behind the door the fingerprints of a bloody battle remained. The blood stained carpet and walls sat as bookmarkers for the story. The
custodial staff wouldn’t be in any time soon. The bodies had been moved from the small room to the kitchen and placed in the walk-in freezer. Ruth’s mind began to swirl. The night’s events were catching up to her. She hoped for dawn. She hoped for a new day. Looking at the clock, she was surprised by the time and knew the sun would be rising soon. Officer Dillion would be back any moment now. She began to fantasize about his arrival, the help he would bring and how this hellish situation would soon end with the new day.
Nineteen
Sammy Stevens (AKA Two Tone) and Rick Margillis drove slowly through the predawn streets looking for the undead and the living alike. When the shit hit the fan, the two-wannabe militia leaders seized the opportunity to enact their own form of justice in the streets. Sammy had a large array of weapons, ammunition, and a raised Ford F-350 Crew Cab outfitted with a prisoner cage hidden by the shell covering the long bed. After the first reports of trouble, the two took to the streets and began dispatching the undead and looking for proper prisoners, females.
The night had begun like any other night. The two met after work in Sammy’s garage and played the latest Call of Duty while slamming beers. Sammy, thirty-five, still lived with his parents and commandeered the garage, making it his lair. His collection of rifles, pistols, and shotguns were stored in a large gun safe bolted to the garage floor. Working at a local shooting range helped him build a substantial ammunition cache and he had installed his own reloading bench and press.
Rick, Sammy’s high school buddy, hung out in the garage often. Recently, he was promoted to Lead Janitor at Guston Middle School. He called it a cushy job working for the school district cleaning up after tomorrow’s leaders. The caliber of students he saw on a daily basis left him with little hope for the future of the United States. Besides, the states would soon be taken over by the Mexicans or Chinese. Rick and Sammy had discussed the plight of the states often and both felt the Mexicans breeding like rabbits and the impressive Chinese military and growing economy would destroy the country. They had planned on leaving California for Idaho or Montana where they would be among likeminded people, or so they thought.
Reports about the strange happenings started to roll in over the radio that played in the background as they continued to play their game.
“What the fuck did that guy say?” Sammy said pausing the game.
“Why’d you hit pause?” Rick said as he reached over and punched Sammy in the arm.
“Ow you fuck. Listen for a second.”
The report only lasted a few minutes then regular programming resumed. Sammy looked over at Rick and grinned.
“Armageddon is here.” Sammy moved quickly to the gun safe.
“Dude, Armageddon is not here. The guy said there’s some major disturbances happening but he didn’t say anything about Armageddon.” Rick sat back down and un-paused the game.
“Drop the game, Rick, we need to prepare. When’s the last time you heard a shit station in this shit town actually have a real emergency broadcast?” Sammy sounded serious as he asked the question.
Rick paused the game in hopes of returning to it shortly after the madness passed. He walked over to the gun safe and assisted Sammy. They began loading the rifles and pistols. Rick loaded multiple clips for the semi-automatics and filled four bandoliers with shotgun and rifle shells. Sammy opened the garage door and pulled his Ford inside while Rick pushed the couch out of the way. Working quickly the two loaded the Ford with weapons and other essentials for survival in an urban jungle, including restraints, night vision equipment from the latest Sportsman’s Guide catalog, and flashlights. Both men donned bulletproof vests, strapped on their side arms, and stepped into the Ford.
“Let’s go see what the fuck is happening in our little town.” Sammy said as he backed the Ford out of the driveway.
The first activity they came across was a woman running from a house screaming. Sammy pulled the Ford over to the curb and watched the woman run toward them. Rick started to exit the truck but Sammy caught him by the arm.
“Give it a second man, let’s see where this is going.” Sammy reached over and turned the police scanner down.
The woman ran to the Ford screaming. Blood soaked the front of her grey shirt. She held her bloody hands out and grabbed Rick’s door.
“Shit, what the hell do we do?” Rick said as he punched the door lock button after seeing the blood on the woman.
“We take out the bastard first then the woman.” Sammy said pointing to the front yard of the woman’s house.
Rick looked towards the house and saw a middle aged white male stalking about. His mouth was covered in blood along with his hands. He wore a dress shirt and a blood stained tie. His wedding ring glinted in the porch light. The man looked towards the truck and the frightened female. Sammy exited the truck and took position by the front fender. Removing his .45 he took aim and waited. The woman continued to scream.
“Fuck Rick, do something with her.”
Rick pushed his door open and stepped out. The woman tried with all her might to crawl past him into the cab of the truck. Rick grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to the rear of the truck.
“Calm down ma’am, we’re here to help.” He tried to reassure her.
The woman continued to scream and cry at the same time. Rick held her around the waist with one arm while pulling the tailgate down. Inside the bed of the truck the woman could see the outline of a cage a few feet back.
“No!” She pushed back with all her might nearly breaking Ricks grip. The blood on her body was making it difficult to hold his grip on her.
“It’s for your own good, lady. Let us take care of this and then we’ll get you to the hospital.” Rick forced the woman into the bed of the truck. With much effort, he was able to wrestle her into the cage. She continued to scream as he exited the bed and moved towards Sammy’s location.
Sammy leaned against the front fender of the Ford and held the .45 out bracing his arm against the hood. Rick stayed directly behind him watching the figure on the lawn. The zombie began a slow walk towards the two. He picked up momentum and within three steps was at a full sprint. Sammy waited. The zombie closed the distance and soon crossed in front of the shining headlights of the Ford. Sammy pulled the trigger twice sending .45 caliber hollow points ripping through the zombie’s body. The impact lifted the zombie off the ground landing on its back. Sammy turned and grinned menacingly.
“Took care of that with no problem.”
“No, he’s getting up.” Rick said pointing at the zombie.
Sammy turned quickly. He watched in disbelief as the zombie picked itself up off the ground. Two more quick shots and the zombie went down again. By this time Rick had drawn his .45 as well. They both moved closer to the zombie.
“I called the police.” A woman yelled out her window.
Sammy and Rick paid the woman no heed. Flat on its back it rested with several holes in its chest, all center mass. Its grey eyes stared up at the sky.
“Yeah, that did the trick. Fucker must have been on drugs.” Sammy said smugly as he reached out with his foot and kicked the zombie in the side.
The zombie sat up and grabbed for Sammy’s crotch catching the inside of his thigh. The zombie’s fingers wedged between Sammy’s thigh and the nylon strap holding the bottom of his holster.
“Fuck!” Sammy yelled as he attempted to back away from the zombie.
Rick moved in smoothly placing the barrel of his .45 against the zombie’s temple.
“Let go. Let go now.” Rick said in the most authoritative voice he could muster.
The zombie turned its head and made eye contact with Rick. Its mouth was wide open and it began to hiss a horrible sound.
“I said let go.” Rick braced his gun hand with his left and took a sturdy stance in anticipation of actually shooting the man.
Sammy continued to try and pull his leg free of the zombie’s hand. He screamed and fell backwards, pulling the zombie over on top of him. Ri
ck lost his target and moved quickly to pull the zombie off of Sammy who was now crying. Sammy’s thought process broke down and he forgot about his gun waving it uncontrollably. Rick stepped in and kicked the zombie hard in the face. The zombies head shot back and Rick could have sworn he heard bones breaking in the zombie’s neck. The body continued to paw at Sammy. Rick could now smell urine and feces. He couldn’t tell if it was coming from Sammy or his attacker. Stepping into it this time, Rick was able to drive the zombie off of Sammy with a hard kick to the chest. It growled and began to crawl towards Rick with its head swaying unnaturally to the side, the result of a broken neck.
Several more shots rang out, too many for Rick to count. The distinctive sound of an empty trigger clicking away could be heard. Rick looked over and saw Sammy sitting up, tears in his eyes and his .45 locked open. His last shell spent ten trigger pulls earlier. Rick looked back at the smoking mess on the ground. It continued to move, even though its lower jaw was gone. With one shot Rick ended the melee.
“I told you Armageddon was here.” Sammy said, trying to choke back the tears.
“We have to get that woman to the hospital.” Rick said helping his friend up off the ground.
Sammy sat in the passenger seat of the Ford, something he hadn’t done very often. He was the dominant male in this friendship, he should be driving the truck and making the decisions. His mind raced as they neared the County Hospital near the edge of town. His thoughts told him to take control of the situation but he was too scared too. What he had seen was not possible. The time of the Four Horsemen was upon him and he didn’t know what to do. The screaming from the back of the truck reinforced his fears. The screaming hurt him in every way possible. He was a survivor and a soldier but he couldn’t move past the first fight of this new war. He just sat in the passenger seat looking at the empty .45.
Welcome to Necropolis Page 7