The Demented Z (Book 2): Desolation

by Derek J. Thomas

  The Demented: Desolation

  A novel by Derek Thomas

  Version 1.1

  Copyright © 2014 Derek Thomas

  All Rights Reserved. The Demented is an original work of fiction. All characters and concepts are solely owned by Derek Thomas. Names, characters, places, concepts, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to events or actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  This book is dedicated to my wonderful wife and two little zombies.

  Chapter 1: Survival

  “Mommy, I’m hungry.” Sam said.

  “I know honey, just a little farther.” Kelly whispered back.

  After escaping out of the bedroom window, she and Sam had made for the nearby woods, hoping to hide and evade in the thick trees. They had not made it more than twenty feet into the trees, when they heard the loud rumble of a truck nearing their house. Kelly raced back toward the house, praying it was Tom finally returning. Her hopes were quickly dashed when she saw four guys climbing out of a large truck, none of which were Tom. She wanted to run over to them and ask for help, but instinctively stayed put and continued to watch.

  The four men spread out around the truck, looking in all directions one of them raised a rifle to his shoulder and fired several quick shots toward the house. Whatever he shot was just out of view, but she knew it must have been the Chandlers and the other infected left at the front door. Two men, rifles tight to their shoulders, moved toward the entrance of the shop. They both disappeared out of view through the side door, leaving the remaining two standing guard by the truck.

  It only took Kelly a few minutes to decide these were looters. Not only would she and Sam have to keep moving, but coming back for supplies was probably not going to be an option. Turning back around, she saw Sam standing behind her, looking up expectantly. She shook her head and the two of them moved off into the trees.

  They hadn’t gone very far before realizing that the earlier gunfire was drawing infected to the area. Loud, angry growls could be heard in the distance. They had to get away from the house and all the noise.

  The two of them had moved through the forest for nearly a half hour when the unmistakable crack of gunfire could be heard. This was not a few shots, but a huge volley of gunfire, possibly a full firefight. Knowing this would be drawing infected from all around, she grabbed Sam’s hand and continued on through the trees. They kept on the move for several hours, making their way through the thick forest. They traveled away from home as quickly as Kelly dared, occasionally having to hide while undead staggered past, hunting for the source of the gunfire.

  Having gone for over an hour without seeing or hearing any infected, Kelly began watching for somewhere to take shelter. She was looking for something that was prepared for them by nature. Creating shelters from scratch required a lot of time and energy. This meant food and water, which they had a limited supply of.

  Sam slowed and said, “Look over there mommy.” He stood pointing to a large, fallen Fir tree. “Daddy always points those out.”

  Looking over at the tree, Kelly could not be more proud...emotions almost getting the better of her when she thought of how proud Tom would be as well. The tree Sam pointed to would make a perfect shelter. Large limbs spread out to both sides, creating a natural protective shelter. The limbs were stout enough to hold the trunk several feet off the ground. With minimal effort, this would work great.

  Setting her backpack on the ground, Kelly dug in and found a granola bar. Handing it to Sam, she said, “Munch on this and I will get our shelter going.” She watched him sit down on a patch of moss and begin tearing into the packaging. Reaching back into the backpack, she pulled out a multi-tool. Flipping out the saw, she said, “Mommy’s going to clear us a spot.”

  Using the saw she began cutting away smaller branches to form an opening that the two of them could climb in under the large log.

  Sam stepped over beside her, pointed to the fir boughs and said, “Daddy uses those.”

  “For what?” Kelly asked, while looking at the pile she had created.

  Moving his hands in low circular motions, Sam said, “Spread ‘em out. Cold kills you know.”

  Tears welling up, she said, “Daddy would be so proud.”

  “How is Daddy going to find us?” He asked.

  “Let’s talk about it tomorrow, okay hun?” She said.

  After making a bed out of the boughs, they both crawled in. The sun still hung above the horizon, but she did not want to get caught out in the open when dark hit, and both of them were worn out anyway. Their shelter was cozy, and being surrounded by the large limbs gave Kelly a sense of safety. Even in the semi-darkness of their little home, Kelly could see a sparkle in Sam’s wide eyes as he checked out their little fortress.

  “Way cool Mom!” He said.

  Running her hand through his hair, she said, “I love you little trooper.”

  Digging through her backpack, Kelly set out some water pouches, dried apples, and a couple pepperoni sticks. “Dinner is served.” She said.

  While the two of them sat quietly eating, they listened to the sounds of the forest surrounding them. There were the usual animal sounds – birds chirping, squirrels playing, and trees creaking as they swayed in the breeze. What chilled her to the bone were the sounds she had never heard in the woods. Most of them sounded distant, but the shrieks and strange huffs made the hair at the base of her neck stand on end.

  As the sun dropped below the tree line darkness rapidly surrounded them. Sam dug through his little backpack and pulled Blankie out, a look of relief crossing his face.

  “Good idea honey. Let’s get some sleep.” Kelly said.

  The two of them curled up together and tried to block out all the strange sounds. They were both thoroughly worn out and fell asleep almost immediately.

  ******

  It was Sam’s scream that instantly woke her. She expected to see him lying with his eyes closed, in the midst of a night terror, but even in the darkness she could see the whites of his eyes. He was staring down at his feet.

  “It has me! Mommy! My leg!” Sam screamed.

  Kelly looked down and saw an arm reaching through the thick limbs, grasping one of Sam’s ankles. She was unable to see the vile creature that reached in, but knew it was one of the infected. Probably heard them preparing their shelter and had been searching for them through the night. Using her boot, she began kicking at the thing. The grotesque hand squeezed tighter with every blow.

  “Mommy!”

  Sam began sliding across the ground, being pulled by the infected. His arms flailed to the sides. Kelly reached out and grabbed one of his arms, halting the movement. “I’ve got you.” Kelly shouted. Sam had stopped sliding, but the thing continued to pull at his leg. Branches began shaking and cracking loudly. The infected began growling angrily while trying to shove his way through the thick limbs. Kelly grabbed both of Sam’s arms and pulled as hard as she could. Sam’s shoe slid off, allowing his leg to pull free of the thing’s grasp.

  With a loud snap, one of the branches broke and the infected came crashing in on top of Sam’s feet. Screaming in terror, Sam kicked his legs, trying desperately to get the thing off of him. Before it could get a hold of Sam, Kelly pulled him out from under the infected. The two of them shuffled backwards, trying to get away. Howling, it began dragging itself through the branches toward them.

  Unable to escape back through the entrance they had created, Kelly yelled to Sam, “Climb through.”

  Sam spun around and began squeezing between the branches. To get away they had to continue along the length of the tree, dodging through th
e tangle of limbs. Rachael flipped over and began crawling after Sam. The opening was narrow, barely allowing her to squeeze through. She could see Sam just ahead. Not wanting to lose him, she continued through the same narrow gap. His small form easily squeezed between the branches. Kelly was finding it increasingly difficult to keep moving forward.

  The infected grabbed one of her legs. With a rapid jerk of her foot she was able to shake free, but could still feel it groping for her. Continuing forward, her shoulder caught between two large limbs. Struggling to move, she dug in her feet and tried to force herself through the narrow opening. Sharp pain shot through her shoulder.

  Limbs cracked as the infected tried to force his way through. Panic welled up inside her as a hand grasped her ankle and began tugging. Just ahead, she could see Sam turning to make sure she still followed him. His eyes went wide when he saw her jammed between branches. The infected began pulling on her leg, dragging her backwards across the ground. Reaching out with both arms, she held on to a pair of bark covered limbs. The rough bark scratched at her hands as she desperately hung on. Behind her, the infected began reaching with his other hand, trying to get a better grasp. She kicked with her free leg, generating a low growl from the infected, but he still clung to her leg.

  Sam’s eyes were filled with terror as he sat motionless, too scared to do anything. “Mommy.” He said with a trembling voice, unsure what to do.

  Kelly’s hands were beginning to bleed and slip across the wet bark. Unable to hang on any longer she let go and flipped over onto her back. In front of her was a nasty, blood covered face. Its mangled lips pulled back in a grimace as it growled in anger. He began dragging her across the ground. With her free leg, Kelly began rapidly kicking the thing in the face. After several kicks, it released its grip enough for her to pull free. She flipped to her belly and army crawled back toward Sam. Twisting onto her side, she squeezed through a different opening, reaching Sam. “I’m here honey...I’m here.”

  Looking through an opening to the side, she said, “Let’s get out from under this tree.” She glanced back and saw their attacker stuck between a couple branches, trying desperately to follow her. His arms reached out, swiping at the air. Pointing to the side opening, Kelly said, “Through there honey, I’ll follow.” Sam sat motionless, clinging to Kelly’s arm, clearly not liking the idea of leaving his mom’s embrace. At the verge of completely freaking out, but trying to hold it together for Sam, she put a calming hand on his shoulder and said, “I will be right behind you. Let’s get out in the open where we can run.” This seemed to satisfy him. Turning around, he began crawling through the opening, Kelly immediately following.

  Finally out from under the tree, she could see that it was nearing dawn, the orange glow of morning just cresting the mountains in the distance. A clinging fog still hung low to the ground, enveloping the trunks of nearby trees. Grunts, growls, and snapping branches still emanated from under the fallen tree, reverberating through the still morning.

  Seeing Sam standing on one foot, his shoeless sock held up off the cold ground, Kelly scooped him up, swinging him onto her hip. “Let’s go Sweetie.”

  As they made their way into the fog, Kelly could hear grunts in the distance. She tried to head in the opposite direction, hoping to avoid a confrontation. The thick fog swirled and shifted along the ground and between the trees, making it difficult to see where they were going. Grunts seemed to be closing in on them, likely infected drawn to the sounds of the monster under the tree.

  ******

  Hank stepped away from Tom and Rachael. Moving over by one of the broken out windows that led to the front yard, he said, “All the racket is gonna draw them here.” Turning back to the others, he finished, “We have daylight left, probably should move.”

  Tom nodded his head and said, “You’re right. Let’s check the shop real quick...see if those dirtbags left us anything.” Looking over at hank and his bloody, battered face, Tom added, “Are you sure you’re up for it. You look pretty rough.”

  “As long as I don’t have to compete in any beauty contests along the way, I’m good to go.” Hank said.

  They both looked over to Rachael. She simply nodded her head, affirming her willingness to stick together.

  “Okay then.” Tom said while turning for the front door.

  Stepping out into the soft glow of evening, Tom raised his AK47 to his shoulder and scanned for targets. Hank was right, if there were any infected within earshot of the firefight, they would be closing in on the house. Seeing none, the trio moved across the gravel parking area to the shop.

  Nearing the large opening, Tom said, “Rachael, you want to cover us?”

  “I got ya.” She said.

  Handing his AK47 to her, he said, “Locked and loaded.”

  Tom was amazed how far she had come since he found her in the hallway of his Portland hotel. He always knew she was both tough and determined, but she kept surprising him with her willingness to take on tasks most would only expect from guys. She had become very comfortable with a variety of weapons, and tactics seemed almost second nature for her.

  Stepping into the shop it was immediately clear that the thugs had went through most everything. Items were spilled from shelves and scattered across the floor. They had torn through everything in their search for loot.

  Pointing to the far corner, Tom said, “I had some survival packs and food buckets on the shelves over there. See what you can find.” Turning away from Hank, he added, “I’m going to see if my gun safe is intact.”

  “Roger Dodger.” Hank replied.

  Nearing the other wall, Tom saw that the gun safe was no longer there. He had a hard time imagining that they had loaded the mammoth safe in the back of the truck and fit anything else. Arriving at the wall, he saw that he was right. The safe lay on its side, likely tipped over in hopes of popping the door open. Tom knew that would be impossible, the thing was built like a tank. He hoped they did not jam the lock mechanism, making it non-functional.

  “I’ve got movement.” Rachael said from outside.

  Tom raced over toward her, heart pounding with hope. “Kelly and Sam?”

  “Can’t tell. See in the trees back off the side of the house.” Rachael said while pointing.

  Not wanting to waste more time, Tom said, “Keep an eye on it.” He turned back toward the safe and said, “Hank, help me with this thing.”

  Racing over to the safe, Hank said, “Looks like they grabbed all of your packs and food buckets. All I found was some spilled food.” With a low chuckle, “They spilled the beans.”

  Tom barely held back a smile. “That’s terrible.”

  “I’ve got lots of movement...infected.” Rachael shouted.

  Glancing back, Tom saw her drop to one knee, sighting down her rifle barrel.

  “They’ve spotted me.” She said just before her rifle roared to life, firing several quick shots. “Several more coming.”

  Reaching the safe, Tom looked at Hand and said, “Help me tip it back up.”

  It took a bit, but the two of them were able to get it standing again. Luckily Lincoln’s men had tipped the safe on its side, not damaging the handle and combination dial.

  Rachael began firing again. “There are a bunch of them coming out of the woods.” She continued firing rapidly, sending round after round into them. The shots stopped a few seconds later and she said, “I’m out.”

  Hank ran across the shop, looking out toward the forest. “There are lots Tom.” He said before grabbing his rifle off the workbench. “I’ve got maybe a half mag left.”

  Tom began frantically working the dial on the safe. After quickly dialing in the combination, he tested the handle and found it still locked. He knew the combo by heart. Did the fall foul up the locking mechanism? “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast,” he repeated to himself as he began slowly working the combination.

  Hank stood next to Rachael, firing into the oncoming group that was staggering its way across the lawn. He
knew he didn’t have many shots left.

  Suddenly Rachel screamed.

  Spinning to the side, Hank saw several demented sprinting toward them. These had come around the opposite side of the house and had it not been for Rachael, he might not have noticed them until they were practically on top of him. He was amazed how fast they were...unbelievably fast. Hank rapidly lined up his sights and began pulling the trigger.

  Tom’s heart was pounding after hearing the scream. He knew there must be lots more infected and the three of them desperately needed the weapons and ammo inside the safe. After finally getting the entire combo dialed in, he took a deep breath, and gave the handle a jerk. Thankfully the handle slid to the side, allowing the door to swing open. Reaching in, he grabbed a pair of preloaded magazines, jammed them in his pockets, and grabbed his AR15. Knowing the AR already had a loaded magazine, Tom pulled back the slide to charge the rifle, and sprinted across the shop. Before reaching the others, he saw Hank’s AK run dry. Rachael stood next to him, her AK empty as well. “Safe’s open. Loaded AK mags are on the bottom shelf.” Tom shouted as he came up next to them.

  Tom surveyed the scene and found that Hank was able to take care of several infected that now lay crumpled in the gravel driveway. There were five undead shambling across the yard, nearly to the lawn’s edge, a trail of bodies left in their wake. From the looks of things, Hank had already cleaned up most of the threats. Lifting his AR to his shoulder, Tom sighted through the quick acquisition scope, and centered on the slow moving group. Picking off one zombie after another, he began decimating the group.

  Suddenly there was the sound of crunching gravel to Tom’s left. Leaving one undead standing, he spun toward the sound and found the angered face of one of the demented racing his way. It had come from around the side of the shop and was nearly on top of him. Rapidly pulling the trigger, he dropped it to the ground at his feet.

  Gunfire erupted from behind him. Turning back toward the house, Tom saw the final undead dropping to the gravel on the far side of the driveway.