The hospital was teaming with activity. Rick stopped short of the Emergency room entrance and watched for a moment. Something was wrong. The activity was too chaotic. Hospital personnel ran about but nothing appeared orderly. Neither rhyme nor reason could be found in the action. In the side mirror Rick could see an ambulance approaching the hospital with lights and sirens blaring. The ambulance was moving fast and not slowing down. It passed the Ford doing about sixty Rick guessed. The ambulance never slowed and ran straight into a police car careening off to one side and sliding into the front doors of the Emergency room. The explosion was immense and the concussion rocked the truck.
Sammy stared straight ahead. A new sense of purpose washed over him. Armageddon was indeed here and only the strong would survive. The screams continued from the bed of the truck. He looked over at Rick as he stared out at the fire.
“Get out of the truck Rick.”
“What?” Rick said still mesmerized by the fire.
“Get out of the truck, I’m driving. We have work to do.” Sammy stepped out of the passenger side and moved around to the driver’s side just as Rick stepped down.
“Get in the back and shut that bitch up.”
“She needs a doctor.” Rick protested.
“Get back there or start walking.” Sammy jumped up behind the wheel and put the truck into drive.
“Shit.” Rick ran for the rear of the Ford and opened the tailgate. He pulled himself in just as the truck raced away from the hospital.
The remainder of the night was a blur to Rick. They stopped several times and took target practice on slow moving zombies. Reports continued to broadcast on the radio till just past one in the morning. After the second encounter of the night they realized headshots were the key to taking the infected down. One news report stated the events of the night were caused by a fast spreading infection. Two medical officials became involved in a heated debate on the radio, with one claiming the infection could only be spread through saliva transfer. The other claimed he witnessed recently deceased reanimating without obtaining the infection through bodily fluid. The two came to blows while the report continued.
“We need to survive this and rebuild.” Sammy was sounding more and more like a self-proclaimed leader of a new society.
Rick felt uncomfortable with Sammy’s ideas and became enraged when Sammy explained how they needed to capture live females to keep for breeding purposes. The fight lasted a few minutes with Sammy eventually holding a knife to Rick’s throat and threatening to kill him if he didn’t fall in line with the plan. Rick sat on his knees with a thin trickle of blood dripping down his chest. Sammy held the knife tightly giving him no other option but to give in and cooperate. The streets now had another predator roaming freely.
Twenty
Katie rested on her side at the edge of the river. The body of a fallen police officer was perched on the rocky shore just below her. She shivered uncontrollably and held her hands to her face. Strands of jet-black hair laced between her fingers as overwhelming fear racked her body. During the night she had managed to elude the zombies attempting to make a meal out of her at the Mini-Mart and the numerous others roaming the streets of Redding. Now the night was fading and the rising sun didn’t offer any solace for the bewildered former Goth chick.
Katie focused solely on the officer’s badge becoming oblivious to her surroundings. It shined brightly in the morning sun. The cold steel of a shotgun barrel pressed against the back of her neck. She froze and held her breath.
“Bitch, if you’re alive, you better say something or I’m going to blow your head right off your fucking shoulders.” Sammy held the Mossberg 500, pressing it against the back of Katie’s head.
“I’m not one of them.” Katie said in a cracking hoarse voice.
“Stand up slowly and turn around. Keep your hands where I can see them.” Sammy backed up a couple of steps. Rick stood a few feet to the side, holding out his .45. He shook his head in disgust at Sammy’s orders to the young black haired girl.
Katie stood and felt the pain shooting through her body. Her tailbone continued to throb. She winced in pain as she turned slowly holding her hands out to her side. She saw Rick first holding a gun on her. He smiled.
“Did I say stop? Keep turning, little thing. I want too see all of it.” Sammy took a step closer to Katie and raised the shotgun.
Katie turned fully towards Sammy. Her eyes grew wide looking down the barrel of the shotgun.
“You injured, sweetheart?” Sammy asked, eyeing her up and down.
“No.”
“Well, little girl, we better get you in the truck. Things are falling apart around here so we should get going.”
“I have my own ride, thanks.”
“Ha, maybe you don’t understand the situation. Now move to the rear of the truck before I stop being so friendly.”
“I have my own car, are you deaf or just stupid?” Katie now stood her ground defiantly.
“Sammy, she has a car. Let’s go.” Rick was growing nervous. A series of gunshots split the air close by.
Sammy shot him a hard look, reinforcing his will.
“Bitch, you don’t quite get it. If you don’t get in the truck I’ll shoot you where you stand.” Sammy stepped in closer and stuck the barrel of the shotgun in Katie’s face.
The barrel grew in diameter. Katie knew Sammy, as the smiling retard had called him, was insane. Seeing no way out, she had no choice but to do as she was told. With visible reluctance she walked to the rear of the truck. As she passed the car she took from the Mini-Mart parking lot, she longed for Taylor Swift to sing to her once more. The rear of the truck sat a ways off the ground. It reminded her of some sort of redneck’s wet dream come true, having a truck this size to make up for the lack of a large one between the legs.
Rick walked past Sammy and Katie and unlocked the tailgate. As he dropped the tailgate the foul aroma of urine and feces lofted out.
“Goddamn lady, you shit yourself back there?” Sammy backed away from the truck along with Rick and Katie. Rick waved his hand in front of his face to push the smell away.
“Dude, go check her out and see if she’s alright.” Sammy ordered Rick.
Rick sighed then moved slowly to the rear of the truck. He grasped the flip up door of the shell and lifted. The smell intensified. The cage sat all the way against the truck bed wall pitched in darkness. The morning light wasn’t yet strong enough to penetrate the covered bed of the raised Ford fully. The short distance was daunting to Rick. He looked back at Sammy and Katie and shrugged his shoulders. Sammy waved him forward angrily. The smell was dissipating a bit as Rick pulled himself into the bed of the truck. He crawled the short distance to the locked cage door. He peered through the bars and could make out the backside of the woman. She was on her side facing away from him.
“Ma’am, you OK?” The woman didn’t move.
Rick grasped the lock and removed the key from his pocket. He placed the key in the lock and noticed something protruding from between two of the small bars. As his eyes adjusted to the light in the bed of the truck he could make out bloody fingernails and bits of hair stuck between the bars.
“Shit ma’am, we are here to help. You don’t have to worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Rick tried to reassure the woman while talking softly to keep Sammy from hearing him.
“Well, Rick. Is she OK?” Sammy asked impatiently.
Rick opened the cage door and turned his head slightly to answer Sammy.
“Yeah, I think she’s in shock. I’m going to bring her out for a moment.”
Rick turned to look at the woman. She was on her knees. She reached out and grabbed Rick by the collar and moved in for the kill. Rick flung himself back screaming like a girl. The woman was on top of him. Her jaw snapped at him like a rabid animal. She tried to claw his flesh but couldn’t find it through his heavy jacket. Rick drove the butt of his hand directly into the lower jaw of the woman knocking her back for a br
ief second allowing him time to scramble for the exit. He tumbled to the ground with the woman on top of him again.
“Help me!” Rick yelled.
Sammy and Katie stood motionless. Rick struggled to get the woman off of him. She raised her head and bore her teeth, readying them to come down and sink into the back of his neck. Katie took two quick steps and kicked the woman in the ribcage, knocking her to the ground.
“Hey, little girl, did I say you could move?” Sammy raised the shotgun.
Katie paid him no mind and kicked the woman again giving Rick time to pull his .45. They both moved back as the woman made it to her feet. She turned and faced all three of them. Blood was caked all over her chest and her pants were stained with feces and other bodily fluids. She walked slowly towards them, making guttural sounds and hissing. Her mouth was blood red and her gums were beginning to turn black. Her grey eyes never blinked. Her head disappeared from her neck in a red cloud.
The blast was deafening. Katie held her hands up to her ears. Rick watched as the woman’s body collapsed to the ground. He wondered if she would have been better off had he and Sammy never arrived in her neighborhood. He wondered if he would ever do any good for the citizens of his town or if he was destined to be a marauding bandit with his lunatic best friend. The collapsing body signified the collapse of civilization and he was teamed up with a man slowly losing his mind and drunk with power. He looked over at Katie and promised himself he wouldn’t let the same thing happen to her.
“Get in the truck, little girl. We don’t have time for this.” Sammy nudged Katie in the back with the shotgun.
Katie didn’t move. Sammy racked the next shell into the chamber. She moved to the tailgate and hopped up. Rick stepped up behind her.
“Here, take a couple bottles of water and these.” Rick held out some candy bars, Twix, to be exact.
Katie looked back at him. He smiled at her and mouthed, don’t worry. Katie took the water and moved to the cage door.
“All the way in, sweetheart. Secure the door Rick and double-time it. We have to move out. It sounds like the battle is moving our way.”
Rick moved to the cage door. He closed it and secured the lock. Katie looked about the area and could still smell the urine and feces. Blood was smeared on the bars of the cage as well as the bed of the truck. She looked through the locked cage door and met Rick’s gaze.
“I’m sorry. I won’t let anything happen to you. Just give me some time and I’ll get you out of here.” Rick made his statement quietly, turned and moved out of the bed of the truck. The tailgate and shell lid slammed shut drowning her in darkness. Gunshots continued to ring out and Katie thought she could hear more screaming as the truck motored away from the river.
Twenty-One
48 hours later.
Turtle Bay Park sat near a rounding bend in the Sacramento River. A few years back the city of Redding sunk several million dollars into building a new Natural History Museum as well as providing minimal improvements to the aging convention center adjacent to the park. The contrast between the two facilities was great. The new museum was lush in its surroundings with wooded trails and suspended walking bridges, while the Convention Center sat lifelessly. The stark white building now stood as a beacon to the citizens of the city. The Convention Center’s massive parking lot began to fill up.
The parking lot located directly in front of the center now housed hundreds of people, all living. Cars, trucks, and RV’s lined the parking lot. Armed men and women walked the jagged perimeter and watched for the undead and any new arrivals. Just after midnight during the early hours of the event it became apparent to many of the cities population things weren’t right in their community. Once communication throughout the city broke down, people took up arms and began protecting themselves. Some neighborhoods found banning together the best method of protection. Safety in numbers became the mantra of several citizens groups and the Convention Center became the rallying point and stronghold.
It was explained by a former military officer that the Convention Center parking lot was the safest place to gather in the city. Quick highway access and the protection of the river on the east side helped make the Convention Center easily defendable. A secondary escape route was open to the north and lead by a long-standing cemetery. The cemetery escape route wasn’t talked about much. The former military officer and his wife were among the first citizens to arrive, utilized a bullhorn to announce newly formed protocol to the citizens regarding the best way to protect them from the rapidly growing infection.
The first few hours at the new civilian camp were tumultuous. Panic and fear lead to arguments and fistfights but finally a mending of the ways occurred when the strongest of the groups stepped forward and took charge. Retired Col. Gates assumed command of the camp and initially gave orders as though he were a concerned grandfather. When the first few zombies made their way into the perimeter, Gates rethought his leadership style and reverted back to the days when he served in the U.S. Marine Corp. He began delivering orders with a cool sharp tone. He knew how to survive, and by god, the people under his watch would learn or die trying. Gates was a tall man with a long slender face and deep frown lines depicting his years of service. He commanded respect without saying a word. During his time in the Corp he let his actions do most of his talking. He was always thinking and he constantly challenged himself to be a better Marine. The others had found their leader.
After the first zombie attack occurred within the camp causing all sorts of mayhem, a makeshift sentry unit was formed. Volunteers walked the perimeter with shotguns and side arms. The sentries were given a crash course in close combat and told to use headshots. The wisdom of several people having been involved in shooting incidents the past two days and nights had proven invaluable to the camp. Gates spoke to the camp about ammunition management due to the lack of an armory. He reinforced the idea of controlled shots, breathing, and making each bullet count. After the shooting lesson, Gates took the opportunity to reassure the camp that the military would arrive soon.
Under the watchful eye of Gates, a small group of citizens formed a supply gathering detail. The group was mainly made up of folks whom owned large trucks or SUV’s with plenty of storage room for food, water, and other essentials. Due to the rapid spread of the infection, most of the camp didn’t have enough food or water to survive the next few days, but relief was only four miles away in the form of a Costco. An employee from the Costco had the keys with her. The supply brigade, as it became known, would depart the safety of the camp just before one in the afternoon. The mission was slated to last no more the three hours allowing them plenty of daylight. The leader of the supply brigade was Willie “Wildman” Stanovich.
Gates and his new officers met inside the command tent set up near the steps of the Convention Center and drank instant coffee. The scene reminded Gates of wartime. He dispatched a group of armed men into the Convention Center on a clear and secure mission. The men were to look for weak entry points, escape routes, and living quarters large enough for the camp as well as zombies. Two of the men moved to the top of the Convention Center and surveyed parts of the city that could be seen beyond a large line of trees. Children played in the middle of the camp in a grassy area while parents talked amongst themselves. Only blocks away a wall of the undead moved slowly towards the camp drawn to the noise and activity of the large gathering.
An argument broke out in a smaller tent sitting near the command tent. Two doctors and a college professor argued about the strange happenings over the past few nights.
“Simply enough, the dead are coming back to life.” The frazzled professor stated causing the two doctors to erupt.
“You can’t say that. This is an infection, a virus being spread through human contact. Those people aren’t dead. They’re sick.” The black doctor said, pounding his fist on the card table.
“Infection? We have no idea what this is. When I went off duty from the emergency room at City Gen two d
ays ago there was a young boy in ICU. I heard from the head nurse on the floor boy had been brought in two days earlier with an unknown illness and he eventually succumbed to that illness only to come back. The nurse said he was gone for over thirty minutes when he sat up and walked around the room. The boy wasn’t right.” The young Emergency Room doctor explained.
The group sat quietly for a moment, then the shouting began. Outside the tent, several people stood listening intently to the arguments. Stories spread. People sat and told each other about their own harrowing adventures and how they found their way to the camp. Near the edge of the camp an older couple fired up a small generator and began operating a shortwave radio. Cell phones had long become useless with continuous busy circuits. The Internet had finally crashed and most smart phone apps no longer functioned. The old man made contact with a group held up in a small farmhouse in Idaho. The voice on the other end of the radio explained the town of Mountain Home was lost. They explained the Idaho National Guard rallied around Boise and left the remainder of the state to fend for itself. Gates walked up behind the couple and placed his hand on the older man’s shoulder and listened in for a moment.
“Keep it up, friend. Write down any information you think may be useful, such as military sightings and any news. I’ll be back around a little later.” Gates walked away from the RV and stood confidently as the supply brigade left the Convention Center parking lot headed for the highway.
Twenty-Two
“My name is Tom. Tom Hanks.” Ty and Jess looked at one another then broke out in laughter.
Tom had slept for close to twelve hours while Ty and Jess took turns keeping watch. Tom woke once for a few hours but said very little. Ty didn’t push the teen. Tom fell back asleep after petting Sugar for some time. The three were hold up in Ty’s apartment with Tom sleeping on the couch in the hallway.
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