The Rise of Peter Troy: The Decayed Ones

by DiBartolo, Joseph

  “Watch out,” Peter shouted as he pulled her back behind him.

  The massive undead heavyweight was fuming. He glared with purpose as he began to rise to his feet. Peter lunged at him without hesitation, plunging the knife deep into his mushy dome. The black blood sprayed from him like water out of a broken sprinkler head. Peter had a death grip on the knife as they went to the ground. He pushed hard and twisted, ensuring that the once innocent neighbor stayed dead. It looked like a massive oil spill beneath them. Lena pulled Peter by his black shirt sleeve but he didn’t budge. He just stared intensely. His breathing was rapid and his hands matched the color of his V-neck shirt.

  “Peter!” Lena shouted.

  He snapped out of it and hopped to his feet. The scene was revolting but Peter remained, for the most part, unflappable after just killing two people. He calmly walked over to Lena and used a piece of her pink shirt to wipe the black from his blade.

  “Hey, what the heck are ya doing?” she asked.

  “This blood is on you, literally. We could’ve just cruised by and he would’ve just kept on feasting. But you had to go all Albert Pujols on his fat ass.”

  “Go all what?” she asked, looking confused.

  “Forget about it. Next time, just please give me a heads up if you’re going to do something like that. And I must say, you’re handling this whole thing quite well. I know you said you were scared but you didn’t seem like it just now.”

  “That was me being scared. I hate looking over my shoulder. So if this is some sort of apocalypse, or infection, or whatever, I won’t leave any of these things alive. Even if they haven’t detected us,” said Lena.

  “You have much to learn,” replied Peter, shaking his head.

  “Oh like you’re some expert on zombies,” she said sarcastically.

  “I’m the closest thing you’re gonna find to one, honey. So I suggest you listen to me if you want to survive. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We need to get to the police station and find out what we can. If this is indeed some sort of outbreak then the police are just citizens with weapons. We can head to my old job after we talk to the cops,” said Peter.

  “What for?” asked Lena.

  “Killing tools,” he answered with a confident smile.

  Chapter 4

  The ride to the police station was spent in silence. Peter and Lena were both focused on their surroundings. It wasn’t exactly mayhem, but there were a few deserted cars in the middle of the road and obvious signs of struggle.

  “I don’t see any of those things walking around,” said Lena.

  “Well, clearly something is going on. We just passed an abandoned V8 charger with racing stripes. The only thing that could make me ditch that beautiful piece of machinery would be a flesh-gobbling zombie,” Peter replied.

  As they approached the police station they were immediately rendered speechless. It was a bloodbath that would be etched in their minds forever. Abandoned police cruisers and bloodied bodies were scattered on the black pavement. The walking corpses roamed, some aimlessly and others with purpose. Some had badges and some were civilians.

  “This is unbelievable. I always told people that this was possible but now that I’m seeing it, I just cannot believe it,” said Peter.

  “Well, the proof is now conclusive that the dead are actually getting up and walking around. But we still need to figure out how far this has reached and what’s causing it,” said Lena.

  Before Peter could utter another word they heard screams coming from a red sedan blocked in by two other vehicles. Hoards of infectious mutants were staggering toward them at an accelerated pace.

  “Look, over there,” said Peter, spotting the terrified couple.

  “It seems like they move quicker when they see food or you piss them off. Hurry, run those fuckers over,” said little Lena.

  Peter gave her a quick smile before revving the engine to capture their attention. The majority of the herd turned toward Peter and Lena, but a couple stayed focused on the potential flesh-meal.

  “That’s right, smile, you magnificent creatures,” said Peter before slamming his foot on the accelerator.

  The loose gravel sprayed in all directions as he barreled toward them. One of them even attempted to evade Peter but was too slow in his efforts. His truck was the bowling ball and they were the pins. By the time he’d ran through all in his path the street was littered with body parts and black blood.

  “Did you just call them, magnificent creatures?” asked Lena.

  “I did. And they are, but they still need to die,” Peter answered, grabbing the baseball bat and flinging open his truck door. The two remaining corpses stalked the couple cowering in the red sedan, paying no attention to the wreckage behind them. Peter commenced to bashing one of their skulls in, spraying black all over the hood and windshield. The volume of the couple’s screams increased to a deafening level. Lena noticed the other zombie shift its attention toward her neighbor and came charging out. Knife in hand, she plunged the blade through the back of its head, popping one of its eyeballs out toward Peter. The screams continued and the blood flowed but the infected were down for good.

  “Thanks, partner. Now let’s see if we can calm these two down and get some answers,” said Peter.

  The screams faded as Peter neared the passenger side window. The girl peeked through her fingers that covered her blue eyes.

  “Are they all dead?” she asked.

  “Take your hands off your face and have a look,” said Peter.

  The man slowly opened his driver side door and got out while the girl removed her long, skinny fingers from her face.

  “Good job. Thank you so much. My name is Nathan and that frightened young woman in the car is Isabel,” said Nathan.

  Nathan was short and stocky. He spoke at a high level, almost as if he’d been sucking the helium out of a balloon.

  “You looked pretty frightened yourself, pal. I’m Peter and that’s Lena over there,” Peter replied, nodding in her direction. “Any chance you can tell us what the hell is going on?”

  “It’s an outbreak of some sort. We think the first reported case was at the hospital across the street from the rec center out there on the edge of town,” replied Nathan.

  “Clearly it’s an outbreak. But what caused it?” asked Peter with a frustrated tone.

  “Not sure, man. Maybe it was just time,” Nathan responded with a little attitude of his own.

  “Time for what?” Lena asked.

  “Time for something like this to happen. A zombie outbreak, vampire sighting, or the ever-so-popular alien invasion,” Nathan answered.

  Peter seemed satisfied with that answer, but Lena wasn’t buying it judging by her rolling eyes.

  “I’ve been saying this would happen for years but nobody believed me, including my ex-girlfriend who I just slaughtered,” said Peter.

  “She turned?” asked Isabel as she finally mustered the courage to exit the vehicle. Her limbs were shaking uncontrollably along with her quivering lips.

  Isabel was long and lanky with ocean blue eyes and killer legs. Her dirty blonde hair just barely reached her boney shoulders. They were an odd looking couple on paper. She was a good foot taller than Nathan.

  “I guess. She looked like that,” said Peter, pointing to one of the mutilated corpses.

  “So if this is the zombie apocalypse, what the hell do we do?” asked Isabel.

  “We plan. We strategize. And we stay alive. I feel like I’ve been training for this my whole life so follow my lead and you just might make it. Now let’s get to the market. We need supplies and to equip ourselves with silent, sharp weapons,” Peter answered, taking charge of the group.

  Chapter 5

  The scene at Peter’s former place of employment mirrored that of the police station. The dead wandered, some with intent, others aimlessly. Copious amounts of blood blanketed the parking lot. They studied the peculiar behavior of the dead from a distance.

&nbs
p; “This is amazing. Look at them,” said Peter.

  “We are looking at them,” said Lena, confused by his state of awe.

  “No, really look at them. The way some of them move compared to others. It’s like some are more coherent,” Peter excitedly added.

  “I think you’re right,” said Nathan, now chiming in.

  “How can that be?” asked Isabel.

  “I’m not sure, but look. That one over there seems like it’s searching for food instead of just wandering around like the others,” said Peter, pointing at one with a classic porn mustache.

  “I suppose it’s possible. I mean, if there are actually zombies walking around then anything is possible,” Lena replied.

  “Great, so there are smart zombies and dumbass ones. I’d hate to imagine what the Harvard campus would be like if it has spread that far north,” said Nathan.

  Peter gave him an agreeable nod of interest before saying, “We need to get in there so I can get my killing tools and we can stock up on essentials. Let’s not engage them if we don’t have to. That was especially meant for you, Lena.”

  She cracked a rigid smile and rolled her eyes.

  They moved in a crooked formation, obviously not meshing well as a unit yet. Once they reached the first row of cars parked out front of the market, they stayed low and silent. Peter purposely led them in the direction of the less aware. He couldn’t hide his excitement. The actuality of him living in the coming of a zombie outbreak was a secret dream come true. His shot at redemption had revealed itself. Life had defeated him, but the dead wouldn’t be so lucky. The motion-censored doors opened and closed as each decayed customer or employee passed by. “We need to get in there without alerting too many of them. I’ll try to quietly take out those two by the door. Give me the knife,” he said to Lena before handing her the bat.

  Peter moved with unmatched stealth, positioning himself behind the oblivious dead. In two quick moves, he had them both down on the pavement to finish them off. After injecting his blade in the temple of one who must’ve been a customer, he shifted his attention to the other’s name tag. He hesitated for a second before driving the knife through his former co-worker’s forehead. Peter rose to his feet and said, “I’m sorry, Scotty.”

  “He looks like he’s done stuff like this before,” said Nathan.

  “I’m not exactly sure what is going on with him, but it’s clear that he knows what he’s doing. It would probably be in our best interest to follow his lead,” said Lena before noticing one of the more perceptive dead making his way toward Peter.

  She immediately hopped up from her crouched stance and intercepted with a pummeling blow to its head. Peter turned to see his little sexy sidekick obliterating the undead version of Thomas Redd.

  “I think he’s dead,” said Peter as he calmly walked over, gazing at the collegiate stock boy.

  Lena noticed his concerned expression and asked, “Did you know him?”

  “Yeah, that’s Thomas. He was a sharp kid. I think he was in school studying to be an engineer. He only worked here part time,” said Peter.

  Some of the other decayed ones started to notice the four meals of flesh huddled by the front entrance of the market.

  “Maybe we should talk about his level of education inside,” said Isabel, pulling Nathan by his shirt sleeve.

  The next few moments were spent disarming the motion sensors and barricading the doors. They used loose shelves, shopping carts, and a giant ice machine. It wasn’t exactly impenetrable, but it worked. The hoard of dead was increasing in number as they threw themselves into the doors. The created barrier of random objects was holding strong. Isabel moved closer to the door, staring intensely at one of the decayed, and said, “I don’t mean to sound like the kid from that movie, but I see dead people out there.”

  “I think that’s pretty obvious by now,” said Lena.

  “No, I mean look out there. Those are really dead people out there walking around. How the hell is this possible?” Isabel questioned, beginning to panic.

  Lena ran over to her, gripped her forearms, and calmly said, “I know. I don’t understand this either, but you need to calm down. We’ll figure this out.”

  Isabel just nodded and wiped the mixture of tears and sweat that cascaded down her cheeks. Peter was impressed with Lena’s level of composure. He was catching himself staring at times. Her look was disarming but he knew he needed to stay focused. Nathan walked over and relieved Lena to console Isabel.

  “Good job,” Peter said to Lena as she walked over.

  “No problem. Do you think it’s safe in here?” she asked.

  “Doubtful. It looks like this is the beginning stages of this outbreak, or whatever. There is still food on the shelves. We need to get supplies and my tools and then keep moving. Let’s clear the dead and search for survivors first before we do anything.”

  “Alright, that sounds like a good plan,” she replied.

  “You two, get it together over there. It’s time to clear this place and stock up. Grab whatever weapon you can find for now.”

  Chapter 6

  “There shouldn’t be too many in here. It looks like most of them are outside. Grab that mop over there, Nathan,” said Peter.

  Peter quickly snatched it from Nathan’s grasp and broke it over his knee, handing each jagged end back to him. “Give one to Isabel and let’s get moving.”

  As soon as they turned, Peter saw Rachel Hargis slowly and cautiously tip-toeing out from behind the customer service counter.

  “Peter. Thank god,” she whispered, attempting to make her way over to the only people standing who were actually alive.

  She stopped in her tracks when she heard heavy footsteps, getting louder with each step. A large man came barreling out of aisle four and smothered Rachel, taking a chunk out of her neck. Isabel’s high-pitched screams filled the store, no doubt alerting any others who might be there, living or dead. Rachel fell to the floor, trying to clog her grotesque wound. The podgy man stood there staring at Peter, as if he knew him.

  “Wade,” said Peter.

  The flesh and blood from poor Rachel dripped from the colossal butcher’s chompers. She was on the cold tile, flopping around like a fish on land in the final seconds of its demise. Little Lena stepped forward, knife in hand and confidence rising with each attack. Peter extended the bloody baseball bat to block her path before saying, “This one is mine.”

  “I take it you know him?” asked Lena.

  “More than I’d like to. This is the piece of shit that let me go,” replied Peter.

  Wade was wearing his once white apron, now stained red with the blood of the loyal shoppers and employees of his establishment. He started to move toward the poorly armed group of four. Nathan and Isabel inched back while Peter closed in. Lena held her position, gripping the knife firmly in her sweaty palms.

  “Be careful,” she said as Peter separated from the group.

  His focus was locked on the Custom Cuts meat manager.

  “I’d much rather have bashed your brains in while you were still human, but I’m sure I’ll still enjoy this,” said Peter, confidently twirling the blood-stained bat.

  The swing was vicious, and the spatter was broad, covering half of the perishables in aisle four. Wade hit the ground hard. His head was oozing and spraying simultaneously.

  “Well, it looks like a management position has just been vacated,” said Lena.

  Peter really seemed to enjoy that kill. His look of satisfaction could’ve been seen by the blind. Rachel was quiet now, no longer flailing about.

  “Lena, would you mind taking care of that?” asked Peter as he nodded toward Rachel.

  “Sure thing,” she replied, turning to make sure young Rachel stayed down for the count.

  “Actually, wait. You do it,” Peter said, pointing at Nathan with his bloody piece of wood.

  “Why me?” asked Nathan

  “I need to make sure your balls are at least half the size of L
ena’s over there,” Peter retorted.

  Lena and Isabel both snickered.

  “Fine, give me a real weapon,” said Nathan, grabbing the bat from Peter with frustration.

  His steps were hesitant and his eyes were unsure. Nathan gripped the bat with both hands.

  “Oh, get on with it already,” said Lena.

  “Jesus Christ, I’ll do it,” said Isabel, attempting to grab the bat from Nathan.

  They struggled and argued briefly. Nathan pulled back hard, ripping the bat from her grasp. In a split second, Rachel was to her feet, decayed and decrepit. Her once immaculate teeth were now jagged. She clung to Isabel’s back, clawing and biting like a rabid animal. Peter and Lena both rushed her as Nathan dropped the bat and backed away. Lena jammed the knife through Rachel’s pulpy dome and immediately pulled it back out. Isabel dropped to her knees. Her screams filled Custom Cuts.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” said Nathan with his hands on his head.

  Peter grabbed the bat and put an end to Isabel’s screams. One hit did it. He looked at Nathan and said, “See what happens when you hesitate. This is on you,” said Peter, pointing at Isabel’s corpse.

  “Take it easy on him, Peter. We’re all trying to adjust. We can’t just kill so easily,” said Lena.

  “You seem to be adapting just fine,” he replied.

  “We’re all different,” she fired back.

  “Clearly, but that kind of hesitation can get us killed. It’s already happened once. I say we leave him here,” said Peter.

  “We can’t do that. I won’t do that,” Lena argued.

  Peter shook his head. He knew she was right but he didn’t want her to be the next to perish.

  “Alright, fine. He comes with us. Just keep your guard up. As far as I’m concerned it’s just you and me out here.”

  Nathan was only a few feet away, but was in shock. Not one word of their conversation to leave him behind registered.

  “Hey, snap out of it. We need to get going,” said Lena, finally bringing Nathan out of his daze.