The Outbreak Series (Book 2): Purgatory

by Thomas Baker

  The men cheered and some even pumped their guns up into the air. Albright raised his hands into the air and the crowd erupted into Amen's and Hallelujahs. One of the men started singing a hymn as they marched back and by the time they reached the church, the others had joined in singing. All except Albright, who had to stifle the wild laughter threatening to burst out of him.

  Tyrone sat on the edge of his cot. His elbows rested on his knees and his head dangled down with his hands between his legs. His face still ached from the other day.

  If he didn't think of a way out of this soon, he was sure he was going to end up dead.

  He couldn't rely on JT, Gus, or Hannah to get him out of this. JT had lost his shine. Tyrone use to think the guy was cool. JT really seemed to have his shit together. Too many things had happened recently, starting when JT accidentally killed the kid. Tyrone now had no confidence in him as a leader. Man didn't seem to have any kind of a plan still. Plus, and Tyrone knew it was unfair but couldn't help how he felt, JT wasn't getting dragged off and beaten on. He was losing faith (haha) in JT's ability to get them out of this situation. When JT pushed that girl out the window to her death is when he started to notice JT's flaws. Having to bury Ashley under a boathouse man, he woke up.

  Hannah, he had no idea what was going on with her. She had never been to see them. He never heard a word if she was curious how they were doing. Nothing, it was like she had disappeared. He didn't know if it was Albright's doing or hers, but either way he wasn't going to get any help there.

  Gus, ha, he was lucky to be alive. At least he thought Gus was still alive. Like Hannah he hadn't heard anything about him since being locked up. Gus was cool, but he was an older man. He wasn't going to be able to take on a group of people by himself even if he was in the best shape.

  No one was going to help him except himself. Tyrone raised his head and looked around. He had to laugh at the irony. Here he was, a black kid who grew up in the bible belt who never even had a police officer talk to him. Unless you count the visit in his elementary school class. He had no minor run in with the law, let alone any kind of more serious harassment. He had to admit, being to busy with sports to really get into any trouble and being the one of only two black kids in his school might have had something to do with it. Still it was funny. Now, after an apocalypse, bam, here he was, locked in a jail cell. Due process seemed deader than the zombies.

  Tyrone rubbed the side of his face and winced. He kept coming back to the only way he could think of getting out. Taking a chance on running the next time they came for him. Hit them fast as they tried to load him in the truck and run for the nearest building. He could still outrun anyone, even with his hands tied up.

  He wanted to ask JT what he thought, but he knew he would get the same answer he always got. Just wait, he will think of something, don't try something on your own. He had an ominous feeling he didn't have the time to wait. He was ready to leave them all behind, go back home, and try to find his real family.

  Tyrone also thought about asking Jelly for some ideas on escape, but he couldn't decide if the man was genuinely smart or super dumb. Some of the things he spouted off, it could go either way. Also he wasn’t sure if Jelly could keep his mouth shut about Tyrone's plan if he did ask his opinion on the subject.

  Tyrone racked his brain until his thoughts began to fly in all directions until he gave up. Simple was better anyway. He decided he would do it. Yeah, the next time they come for him he would run.

  His mind made up but not able to act, he felt like a ball of bundled energy, wanting to pounce. He got up and paced his cell, bouncing on his heels as he went back and forth, back and forth.

  "What's going on over there?" Jelly called over. "Pink elephants on parade?"

  "Sorry man. I’m tired of being cooped up. They need to let us out, for some exercise or something. You know what I mean?" Tyrone said.

  "Nah man, it's okay. I wasn't sleeping anyway. I was just laying here thinking," Jelly said. "Can't say I agree with you brother, exercise is overrated."

  "Ha, not the athletic type?" Tyrone laughed. "I know what you mean. I had some lazy gamer friends. That's okay, not everyone can be. What were you thinking about?"

  "Oh, about how I have never been in here this long," Jelly sighed. "Then that got me thinking about Habeas Corpus, which I now thought you would have to call Habeas Uncorpus."

  Tyrone shook his head. Jelly laughed hard and transitioned into moaning.

  "Oh man, the going dry part sucks every time," he said in a low voice. "I need out of here."

  "You and me both," Tyrone agreed.

  "Don't worry little man, we will," Jelly tried to reassure him. "Sheriff will see to it eventually. He’s an okay guy, for a copper. I'll put in a good word for you and down the yellow brick road you guys will go. You're little dog too."

  Tyrone looked over at JT's cell. He was still sleeping.

  "Sheriff might. Albright won't," Tyrone hissed. "Look what the guy has done to me Jelly. I don't think the guy is crazy, but I do know he doesn't want me around. Maybe he's a racist I don't know. He seems like enough of a control freak that he wouldn't just let me go."

  "You got that right. Dude can’t control me though. Sounds like you want a jailbreak.”

  Tyrone stopped pacing and clamped his hand over his mouth.

  "Don't worry dude. They know you’ve have already thought about it of course. Even Charlie. He was never even a C student, but he ain't that dumb," Jelly said.

  "You know him?" Tyrone asked.

  "Oh yeah man, we went to school together. He was a grade above me. He was one of the main bullies at school. Made my life hell for a year. It truly is no surprise he is like Albright's enforcer. Dude is a menace."

  "He certainly enjoys beating on me," Tyrone said.

  Jelly went quiet and Tyrone thought the guy had gone back to sleep. Tyrone went back to counting the steps around his cell, at a little slower pace this time. His momma taught him he should be considerate of others. Thinking about her made his heart ache. Without any prompting Jelly spoke up again.

  "Man, you ever wonder, what it must be like to be a zombie?"

  Tyrone considered it for a moment. "No, I haven't. It is probably like dying I would guess. Everything happened so fast, I don't think anyone got a chance to study it. That's what I've heard anyway. I was trapped in a school bus when the shit went down. It's brain science. That stuff is all above my head anyway. Biology was never my best subject."

  "I'm no brain surgeon either but I have thought about it more than once. Especially when I’m high. It could be like you have no awareness of what's going on. It could be like whatever happens to us when you die. It could be even worse than that. Imagine if it was like a hijacker. You were still in there, knew what was going on, but you were powerless to stop any of it."

  Tyrone shivered. "I don't believe in Hell but if there was one, that sounds like a good one. Jelly, why even put such a thought in my head? The zombies were terrifying enough."

  "Dude, I'm deep, what can I say," Jelly said, with no hint of modesty. "The problem with most of the rest of the world was they weren't. Think on that while you think on getting out of here."

  Tyrone was silent for a minute, trying to decide if this guy was full of bullshit or not.

  "What are you spouting on about anyway man? I thought you said you never left this town. How many zombies have you seen," Tyrone challenged him. "I've been out there. One day it was the normal world, the next it was destroyed. They hear you, they attack you, they try to eat you. Those things aren't people anymore. They can't be reasoned with. You can't get them to feel pity on you. They are more like a tiger or a shark now. They clearly are not like you and me. Know what I mean?"

  "So they can be and should be hunted and killed, like big game?" Jelly snorted.

  "They should be wiped off the earth. Unlike an animal they don't even serve a purpose. They should be taken out, like a virus."

  "What if they do have a pur
pose though, like wolves," Jelly said, excited to get into the debate. "To cull and thin the population of the earth. If it is a natural virus turning people to zombies, maybe it is suppose to get rid of all the weak people. Only the strong survive."

  "Then why are you still alive?" Tyrone snapped, irritated with what to him was Jelly's pseudo intellectual mumbo jumbo.

  "Hey man, no need to get personal," Jelly said, sounding seriously hurt. "It was just a fun discussion."

  "I go back to what I said when I asked if you have ever even been out there. I've had to kill zombies. I have almost died a number of times. It may be I’ve have lost my whole family. They could be the zombies now. I don't even know for sure one way or another. Because I'm stuck here, with a guy spouting off crap about zombie feelings."

  "Man.” Jelly sounded like he honestly got Tyrone’s feelings. That made Tyrone even more irritated. He didn’t want the man’s pity. "It sounds like you are really hurting bro. I guess I don't know what that’s like. Nobody cared about me before or after. So I've been surviving by a thread for a long time. Sorry."

  Tyrone didn't know what to say for a long while. He had a sickening feeling in his stomach when he thought about not knowing his family's fate. At least he had it pretty good before the Outbreak, all thing considered. It must be equally as crappy to have no one at all in your life, as Jelly made it sound like he did. Tyrone had known guys back on his football team like that of course. They always tried to act tough, like it didn't bother them. Who knows, maybe the football team became enough of a family to them it didn't.

  Enough dwelling on the past. It wasn't like him to think about what had happened before so much. He liked to concentrate on where he was going. Where he planned on going next was far away from here.

  Alice and Hannah sat at a card table, eating a lunch of sliced carrots and fruit cocktail from a can. It was a quiet day. Lots of people were outside enjoying the perfect fall weather. As Hannah spooned some cocktail to her mouth, it made her realize how much she missed fresh fruit.

  Why didn't we stop and find some apple trees or a strawberry patch when we were doing all that traveling?

  It was one of many good ideas no one thought of as they ran terrified from one threat to another.

  Alice sat across from her, quietly humming to herself as she scooped the cocktail into her mouth. Hannah had been hoping to get a chance for her and Alice to be alone. She seemed to be a open and honest person. She was not threatening in the least. Hannah couldn’t even imagine her trying to be threatening. She was so cute it would be laughable. Hannah thought she would be the perfect person to give her a real sense of the church. She was eager to join, but every time she was away from Albright for long, she questioned if it was the right thing to do. She guessed her encounter with Harold had shaken her trust of others to its core. The whole thing with JT and Tyrone being locked up bothered her as well. Albright had promised her one more day and she would be moved in. JT and Tyrone though, he said he still had reservations. She had asked to see them but he pleaded patience from her.

  "Alice, um, would you mind a personal question? Are you from around here?" Hannah asked.

  "I’ve lived down in Gateway City my whole life. My folks are from Gateway City and my Grandma is too. I planned on going to the college here, marrying someone, and raising my family here. That may take longer than I originally thought now, but I have faith it will still happen."

  Hannah didn’t know if she should be impressed by the woman’s faith or feel sorry for her naivety. She’d been out there with the zombies. She didn’t think college would be opening back up soon.

  "What about the church. Had you gone to this church before the Outbreak?"

  "Oh yes. My mother was super involved in the Covenant of Saints. Bible study group leader, church organizer, whatever was asked of her. She was a real Sunday Saint.

  "So Albright knew your mother well?" Hannah was trying to make it seem like she was not prying.

  "No, Albright wasn't here until after the Outbreak. Our old pastor, Reverend Foster, was killed during the first zombie attack. Along with my mother. It comforts me to think they arrived in Heaven together."

  Alice stopped to change utensils and forked some carrots. "This honey glaze is wonderful."

  Hannah thought Alice's cheery disposition while talking about the death of her mother was a little chilling but she pressed on.

  "I'm surprised the Outbreak reached out here. You are kinda in the middle of nowhere. No offense."

  "If you’re from a big city, you would think that. We are not far from I-70 though, and we are the county seat. Near us is the regional hospital, the county jail, and of course Holy Covenant University." She took another bite and swallowed before continuing. "I'd heard reports about what was going on of course, since it started at both the coasts. It swept inland like a wildfire, surrounding us on all sides. Even though we had a little time to prepare compared to places like New York or Los Angeles, it didn't help us that much. By the time the zombies got here, they outnumbered us what seemed like a hundred to one. Those of us that survived only did so by hiding in places like the church basement, where the zombies weren't able to break into. What a miracle I would be one of the people to make it."

  "It can seem that way, though to be honest at times I wonder," Hannah said, brushing her fingers through her hair. Here came her big question. She tried to sound casual.

  "How did Albright get involved with the church? Do you like him?" She almost slipped out the question do you trust him but it felt like a step to far.

  "He’s been our savior since the disaster. I waited for days in the basement with twenty other people, until we had no choice but to go up. What I saw then.” Alice visibly shivered and crossed herself. “I still have a hard time accepting it. So many dead bodies. Mutilated. One had to be pushed out of the way as Charlie opened the door. They covered the floor, they covered the pews. And the blood."

  Alice looked down at her food. "Sorry. I should stop there. You’ve seen it." She gave Hannah a weak smile.

  Hannah put her spoon down. She didn't have much appetite before, she had come mostly to talk to Alice. Now she found it had evaporated. "It's fine. You’re right. I've been there. Then what?"

  "We all just wandered the town. I bet looked like survivors after a war or a tornado had destroyed our city. In shock you know. At the time, I didn't know who had destroyed all the zombies. We didn’t see but one or two those first days."

  Alice took a pause and a deep breath before continuing.

  "I found my mom's body. It was lying out in the street. I guess she was on her way here but didn't make it. Later on, Albright had her and all the other people that could be identified buried. The zombies were burned."

  "So he showed up after the Outbreak?" Hannah leaned forward, elbows on the table.

  "I guess. I don't think I met him until the third or fourth day after the first attack was over. I was back at my Mother's house. I guess now I can say in a state of depression. I just sat there staring at the walls when I wasn't sleeping. A knock on my door made me jump clear out of my skin. I opened it and Albright was standing there. He told me how he was combing the town for survivors and there was a place for me up at the church, where they were all gathering. Said it would be safer up there for me. His arrival was a sign from God to me that there was a reason to carry on. To help others."

  "So everyone left alive is now living up here?"

  "There were a few who said no and left. Why they would I can't understand. Then there is Sheriff Randall, who wanted to stay in town. It’s worked out real well actually. The only other person I can think of who doesn't seem to like living here is Jay. I feel sorry for him. He's such a lost soul. If he would accept God's love and word, he would feel so much better."

  "It's lucky that one of the survivor’s is a nurse," Hannah commented.

  "Oh, Linda is not from Gateway City. She came into town a few months ago. Reverend Albright persuaded her to come into the
church and stay."

  Hannah was very intrigued by this.

  "Is he a master of persuasion?" Hannah tried making it sound like a joke.

  "The word of God is powerful," Alice replied, finishing off her carrots. "Albright was able to convince her she should join the church. She stayed with Sheriff Randall down in town for a few days. Reverend Albright had her stay in the dorms for a few days more. After she proved her faith, she came up here to join us. I am so grateful God put her in our path. She has been so helpful, and is such a sweet person herself. A wonderful addition to our flock."

  Hannah's eyes widened. Here was someone from the outside like her. She would have to try to talk to Linda alone, next chance she got.

  "I should get back to it, is there anything else you would like to know hon?" Alice said, rising.

  "What about the people hanging from the tree? Were you here for that right?"

  "Ah yes. What a tragedy. It is so sad. By the grace of God they survived only to let sin into their hearts. They attacked us. The ones out there now are not the first group who has tried either. Reverend Albright's last resort is violence, just like God. And just like God, his retribution is swift and terrible."

  It was another dull day in the jail. JT laid on the bunk, staring up at the ceiling. His head pounded from thinking about a way out of this mess. His mood was sour. All that thinking did him no good. It was nothing but a cycle of circling thoughts. It always turned into more of a pity party than any concrete plans about what to do. He hated his tendency to brood. He was tired of thinking of where it all went wrong.

  From across the room drifted the sounds of Tyrone singing.

  I'm too hot. Hot damn. Called a police and a fireman.

  I'm too hot. Hot damn. Make a dragon wanna retire man.

  Instead of cheering him up, it put him in even more of a foul mood. How come now he is acting so cheery. Maybe instead of singing he could be helping me think of a way to get out of here. The door banged open. JT sat up. The Sheriff was hauling in a man who thrashed in his cuffs like he was possessed.