by Nick Harland
One of the truck operators chimed in next. The corridor from the front doors went straight forwards towards a canteen and also split left and right to offices and eventually stairs. The operator who had headed towards the canteen said, ‘The doors are open and there must be twenty or more Zeds gathered in there. They’re coming towards me, what do I do?’
I snapped, ‘Stay where you are, drive as far in as you can. We don’t want them swarming this way yet. The truck is easily replaced, we’re not.’
We waited with baited breath while the operator fiddled with the controls until he said, ‘I’m out. One of them swiped at me and I’ve gone flying. I can still see a bit of the door and they’re heading our way.’
Jim snapped, ‘I’d like to keep the building in ok shape but it’s all brick and stone in there and doors can be replaced. It would be good to avoid the fight so let’s use the petrol.’
I looked at him with my eye’s wide but he nodded. I turned around to the others, ‘Right, petrol it is, and be quick.’
I turned back to Esme and Eve who were holding the doors open. Eve said, ‘I see them…’
I familiar surge flowed over me and I knew we were in trouble. I yelled, ‘Everyone against the doors, now.’
Eve and Esme threw the doors closed and put their shoulders against them. Everyone else followed suit but only just in time. There was a roar from a Beefcake and a big bang as it hit the double doors. Several people shouted in pain at the impact and Eve’s voice was among them. Things were going badly. I yelled at the few people who hadn’t been able to reach the doors, ‘We need something to brace them or people are going to get hurt.’
I looked around with the others but there was nothing. I met Ben’s eyes who were as desperate as mine. There was another bang and more yells and a few others squeezed in to the throng to help barricade. Ben said, ‘We’re going to have to let them through eventually or the door hinged will give out. Ram an axe handle between the door handles, it will buy a couple of seconds while everyone runs to the side. We can throw some petrol and you can be ready with Mary, it’s all we can do.’
I couldn’t think of anything better. I shouted, ‘Has everyone got it. On Ben’s shout everyone run like hell away from the doors, to the side, not backwards. The petrol and Mary will take care of some of them but be ready to fight.’
There were shouts of, ‘Yes’ and ‘quickly’. I searched for Eve or Esme’s eyes but they were set against the door and surrounded by the others. I ran and got into Mary. Ben waited for the next bang then put an axe handle through the door. I revved the engine to say I was ready and I heard Ben say, ‘One more bang them run.’
Beside me a couple of people were waiting with petrol bombs to throw and the whole situation was fucked up and dangerous. There was another bang and Ben shouted, ‘Run.’
Everyone swarmed away from the doors but one person tripped and fell. Luckily the petrol bombers were paying attention and didn’t throw straight away. Two people grabbed and dragged the person out of the way but the next bang came quickly. There was no time to wait and I dropped the clutch and sped towards the Beefcake who hurtled through the doors, somehow managing to keep his feet.
I had hoped the petrol bombers would have worked out that it was too late for them but one didn’t. The bomb hit just above the doors at the same time as I hit the Beefcake and the outside of the building. Liquid flames poured down onto the bonnet and I couldn’t see a thing. I had deliberately not hit the building very fast, I didn’t want to destroy the doors or damage Mary. I felt myself hit the Beefcake but didn’t feel myself go over it so I assumed it had been send backwards into the horde behind. It was about time something went our way.
I reversed up a little and the moment I was clear the more patient bomber threw their bomb. Having seen the raining effect of the bomb that had hit the wall above the doors had she did the same as the horde rushed over or around the temporarily felled Beefcake. The timing was good and I could see enough for another run so I sped forwards again, hit the doorway, and left Mary blocking it. Through my side windows I could see a few Zeds had escaped, some on fire, but not enough to be a threat. I glimpsed Mutt pounce on one; he hadn’t lost his touch.
As the ones that had slipped out were being finished off I heard an urgent yell from behind me, ‘They’re coming around the side.’
I opened a window a crack and yelled, ‘Everyone back into the cars’, but the message had already got through. Eve and Esme jumped into the back of Mary as the flames on the bonnet began to die down. I was about to reverse when I saw Ben and Bill in the pickup screech around me between the parked cars and head for the horde coming from the side.
Eve leaned forwards between the seats and said, ‘Stay put, there are still plenty here to worry about. Ben can handle himself.’
As the flames died down completely I heard the engine gutter, rumble, and die. With the flames gone the Zeds in the building started to crawl onto the bonnet and two started to pull angrily at the windscreen mesh. Esme turned to Eve, ‘We can take them from the roof. They don’t have much space to climb up between the bonnet and the top of the door frame.’
Eve nodded and they both got out of the car and climbed onto the roof. There was only room for about two Zeds at a time to try and climb onto the bonnet and Esme and Eve were on the roof before the ones pulling on the windscreen mesh realised it was fruitless. Silently I praised Bill’s welding skills. A second later there was a splatter of goo on the windscreen and the two Zeds fell off to the sides, but were soon replaced by two others.
Luckily the Zeds increasing intelligence seemed overridden when they were presented with fresh living flesh, they kept coming and Eve and Esme kept killing them. My view through the scorched windscreen was totally obscured by goo and dead Zeds. From the side window I saw two of the other vehicles head towards the other horde. I also saw the pickup crawling with Zeds and hissed, ‘Fuck me’, when between them I saw Bill in the back cage batting off reaching arms with a pry bar; It was a good distraction and the others made the most of it.
The situation was crazy but I was stupid enough to think no one seemed in imminent danger when the universe hit me square in the nose for daring to think such a thing. The hairs on arms stood up and I heard a roar as the Beefcake came round and slammed into the front of Mary. The impact jerked the car backwards and I heard two bangs as both Eve and Esme fell onto the bonnet.
There were no Zeds close by so I dove out of the car and drew my gun. Esme and Eve were sprawled on the bonnet and Eve was crying out in pain and holding her shoulder. I saw the Beefcake step back and ready itself to charge again and there was one other Zed clambering over the bodies to get to Esme and Eve. I raised my gun and shot twice in rapid succession over Esme and Eve’s heads, but hit the Beefcakes chest and neck and didn’t drop it. It hit Mary again and staggered backwards, luckily disrupting the other Zed’s progress.
As the Beefcake hit again Esme and Eve rolled off the bonnet onto the floor and I saw the Beefcake ready itself to dive on them. It was the most dangerous threat so I emptied the rest of my clip at it until it dropped. As it dropped I saw the remaining Zed dive onto Eve and although she dipped her head forwards so it would only bite her helmet she instinctively put her arms up as well and it sank it’s teeth into one of them. This time I knew it had drawn blood and Eve screamed. I fell to my knees by the Zombie screaming and hitting it in the head with the butt of the gun as I fell. I carried on hitting it and yelling ‘No’ until I felt Esme’s hands on my raised blood splattered arm.
Eve crawled backwards holding her arm and sat up against Mary, shocked into an empty silence. She was completely covered in blood and goo from the Zed I had pistol whipped to a pulp on top of her. Esme let me go, bent over and pulled Eve up, leaving me on my knees in my own shocked silence. I came to my feet and watched as Esme put her hand inside her top and pulled it forwards to wipe Eve’s face. Then with her arm around her she led Eve to the back of Mary, looked at me said, ‘Pop
the boot would you.’
I leant into Mary and popped the boot. I was walking around the car again when I saw a couple of stray Zeds from the other fight, which had moved to a hand to hand clean-up operation, charging towards us. I looked around at Eve and Esme and Eve stood from where she was sat on the boot lip. She pulled her gun with her uninjured left hand and shot twice, once either side of me. Her eyes were scarily void of emotion. The Zeds fell but then she walked by me without meeting my eyes and calmly stood over the still bodies shooting one further round into each of their faces. It reminded me of an execution scene from a very adult movie and scared me as much as anything had since it started. Eve was not herself.
Esme walked by me, tears in her eye’s, ‘Come on, she needs us.’
I followed her to stand the other side of Eve who was motionless looking at the bodies with her gun still pointed where she had pulled off her last round. Esme had wiped her face but her neck and chest were still covered in goo from where I’d smashed the Zeds skull in on top of her. Esme gently took the gun from her and I put my hand around her waist and gently on her shoulder and led her back to Mary. She remained silent while Esme found some dressings and a bandage and dealt with the bite on her arm. I figured she must be in deep shock and I had no idea what to do. Esme shot me a glance and nodded towards her.
I sat beside her, then shuffled around to face her and said, ‘It’s over now, we won. You’ve had the injection so the bite should heal like any bite would. It turned into a shit storm but as far as I can see Mary seems to be the only casualty and I’m sure Bill can fix her. It looks like there are a couple of other injuries but no one is down. I’m sorry I didn’t hit the Beefcake first time. Maybe if I had…’
Eve moved her left hand onto my knee and said in a quiet monotone voice, ‘No one’s fault, you got it and the other Zed and it could have been worse.’
She didn’t look at me when she spoke and her hand slid limply off my knee when she had finished. Then her head slumped to her chest. Esme looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. Eve must have seen and said in the same monotone, ‘You need to knock me out, the survival books say….’
Her voice trailed off and I met Esme’s shocked look. I said, ‘Not literally, chemically, give her a pretty pill and a Diazepam. She needs not to be in her head for a while, there is no need to prolong anything she’s seeing, hearing or experiencing.’
Esme nodded and dug through the medical box until she found the two pills. I gave her the pills and a bottle of water and she put the pills in her mouth but wouldn’t lift her right arm. I put the bottle into her left hand and she took a few gulps before handing it back to me. We moved her to the back of Mary and laid her down on the back seat. She curled up and turned over the face the seat. Esme just about managed to curl up behind her holding her left arm across her chest. She kissed the back of her neck and said, ‘I’m here baby, just think about me curled up behind you and don’t fight the sleep. I’ll be right here when you wake up and we’ll be home and safe.’ Then she whispered to me, ‘We’re ok, the others might need you.’
Chapter Twenty Eight – Divide and Conquer.
Bill managed to get Mary running using parts from a Range Rover in the car park. There had been two other injuries in the battle for the factory, one other bite, and one broken arm. We drove back to base with Eve passed out on the back seat. Esme knelt in the back and held Eve secure the entire trip while we crawled along. She woke up for a minute when we transferred her to a makeshift stretcher and then again when we walked her into the van. We got her comfortable and Esme resumed her position curled up behind her. I brought Esme some food and water and sat on the bed and ate with her before leaving them alone again. I knew she probably wouldn’t wake until morning but the waiting was horrendous.
I wandered back to the communal area and Jim was speaking, ‘It was rough today and nothing went to plan, but the factory is clear and no one died.’ He flicked me a look and added, ‘Injuries will heal in time. I know everyone is tired and we’ve all been through it one way or another but we need to go back tomorrow and secure the place. There could still be the odd Zed hiding in offices and the front doors are still serviceable at least, so it can be made secure. We need to start moving supplies and people need to make their final decisions about whose going to move.’ Then Jim turned to me and added, ‘Anything to add, how’s Eve?’
The crowd turned to me but I felt suddenly small and not like a leader at all, ‘Eve is strong, she’ll be fine. I’m sure the vaccine will work. I guess it makes sense to get moving tomorrow in case any more Zed’s wander in. How many people want to go?’
Jim looked at me, ‘The newcomers would like to stay together but Gary wants to stay and Angela will stay so we don’t have all the expert gardeners. We don’t have any really good fighters so Mike has agreed to join when he gets back. Ted from our group will stay here so you’re not down on numbers. I’m obviously going and I can manage the relocation work, but I’m no leader like you are. Ben will be our new leader.’
Ben stepped forwards, ‘We owe you pretty much everything and no one here will go against you if you think the split doesn’t work…’
He was going to carry on but I interrupted, ‘None of you owe me anything you haven’t already paid back. We wouldn’t have survived the big horde attack without you. Keeping a group that has bonded together makes a lot of sense and the numbers split is about even. I’m sure we’ll be seeing plenty of each other and although I think we’d appreciate a few days, call us when you plan to hit the shopping estate and we’ll join you. What are you going to do for beds until you get some?’
Jim answered, ‘If you don’t mind we’ll take the mattresses everyone is currently sleeping on. The furniture place is one of the first on the road through the shopping estate and close to the factory, so as long as everyone’s ok with us taking enough supplies for a few days we’d probably plan to hit that first, with your help of course. We’ll bring back the mattresses afterwards in case the captain comes up trumps.’
I nodded and smiled, ‘But bed’s aren’t essential to survival?’
Jim smiled and accepted the sarcasm, ‘I’m learning as I go along like everyone else. Morale and sleep are also pretty important and the factory is pretty damn secure from the outset, but comfortable isn’t a word I’d use. I think we can afford the luxury. It will leave us both a little low on food so, if we can, a few days after the furniture store we should all hit the massive supermarket at the top of the shopping estate. That should set us all up for months if we’re careful and no one has beaten us to it. It could be a big fight but the reward should be worth it and this time we need to do whatever it takes to stay in our vehicles but still attract the Zed’s.’
Don stepped forwards next and said, ‘I’m staying here if it’s ok. I’ve had a thought, or as much a feeling if no one minds. It sounds crazy now I think of putting it into words but I’m used to crazy so what the hell.’
Everyone turned in expectation of what he had to say, including me. He said, ‘I’ve heard people talk about Brad’s Zombie sense and I think I have it too. Don’t ask me how. I felt something at the factory before the Beefcake attack and I know Brad did. Sorry to talk about you in the third person Brad.’
‘I’m a psychologist and communication was my main interest, particularly non-verbal communication. For my masters I studied pheromones and smell as indicators of attraction, related to but also able to act independently of other hormones. When the freaks as I think everyone is calling them send out a message it must be hormonal or pheromone based, or their equivalent, and it calls all nearby Zombies to arms. As the bastards are hiding now, being able to control this or replicate it so we can call them out on our terms would be really useful. I know we can’t, but we do have access to a Zed that can, Andrea.’
I asked, ‘What are you suggesting?’
Don said, ‘I’m suggesting we take Andrea with us when we do the next big mission. I’m suggesting we either ask her
to call her friends out or trick her into doing so. Bill’s cage has proved itself beyond doubt and she could be put in there.’
Everyone looked at me and I could almost feel the cogs engaging in my head, ‘I hate to say it, and we’ll need to talk to Esme, but that might be a brilliant idea. Worse case is there are tons of them and she co-ordinates their attack, but if we’re all in vehicles we’re much safer than we were today and we can always run. She might not do anything, or if she can take control for a moment she might call them out and then abandon them. If she starts to co-ordinate them dangerously we could just drive her away so she can’t. Either way it’s unlikely we’ll be worse off.’
Don looked sad for a second and said, ‘I’m glad that was useful but I just realised something. I need to go to the factory. We have two sensors, Brad and I, and we’re too useful to be in the same place. I’d like to stay until Gary leaves us though, if people don’t mind?’
Ben said, ‘It’s up to you Don. Of course we’d love to have you, it would be a real help, but if you don’t want to come it’s your choice. If you do, then of course we can wait until you’ve done what you need to. We’ll be co-ordinating attacks for a while anyway.’
Don just smiled a weak smile and nodded his head.
Jim said what was on all of our minds, ‘When are the captain and Mike supposed to be back?’
I replied, ‘There is no when, but if they’re not back by now they’re not coming back today. That means their either, dead, stranded and will be dead soon, or have landed somewhere safe and are talking to people. I chose to believe the latter in which case we’ll probably see them tomorrow.’