The Infected Dead (Book 1): Alive for Now

by Bob Howard

  The first impulse of both Chief Barnes and Officer McGinley was to pull their side arms from their holsters, but so many people were being bitten, and so many were already blindly rushing out of the exits that they knew what was about to happen. They could already hear the screams in the passage ways as infected living and infected dead were being forced further away from the dining hall, carried away by the river of those fleeing behind them. What little success bringing the infection under control was lost in just a matter of minutes, and the feeling of defeat was palpable.

  Jean stood helplessly behind them watching the carnage spread in all directions except theirs. They had their backs to the escape door on the side of the ship, and she managed to somehow get the Chief to look at her without getting shot. He flinched, but he saw where she was pointing.

  “McGinley…we have to go. There’s no stopping it now.” He stayed calm, but his voice boomed in Kathy’s ears. She kept her gun aimed in the direction of the infected, but recognition crossed her face.

  They knew it was over. There would be no way to stop the spread of infection now that there were infected dead moving throughout the ship, and if they had been able to see beyond the bulkheads of the great ship, they would have seen how right they were. There would be pockets of survivors locked away in cabins, staterooms, and probably the bridge, but whoever tried to venture beyond their safe area was going to die.

  The number of infected was just growing far too fast, and even as they entered the escape corridor, they would never know that a bitten crewman had already made it onto the bridge with the Captain before it was sealed without revealing his bite.

  They ran together to the ladder that would take them to a lower deck and scurried down it like rats trying to get off a sinking ship. The Chief kicked open the escape door on that deck and Jean grabbed three life jackets. She pulled a big yellow bag from the life jacket locker, and towed it over to the Chief.

  He told the others, “I’ll jump first and swim a short distance away to inflate the raft. After you see it inflate don’t waste any time jumping. Whoever jumps first, get out of the way so the next one doesn’t land on you. Are we clear?”

  They both acknowledged with nods, and Chief Barnes didn’t wait for another second. He threw the big bag out and jumped right behind it. It seemed like the raft inflated as soon as he hit the water. Kathy felt Jean give her a shove from behind, and she was falling through the air. She thought about crossing her arms as the Chief had shown her, but before she could give it a second thought she was hitting the water. She was surprised when she was immediately tugged over the side and dumped into the middle of the raft. She was also surprised when she sat up and saw Jean already pulling herself over the edge using a handle.

  Above them in the escape door they could see a crewman trying to jump, but there was another crewman firmly biting him on the side of the neck. It looked like they would fall together, but they only fell enough to block the door. Anyone who tried to use that escape exit was going to run into the infected.

  There were gunshots and screams coming from everywhere, and there were splashes as desperate people jumped from too high up, only to be knocked unconscious when they landed awkwardly.

  Chief Barnes shouted, “We can’t pull anyone in. We don’t know if they’ve been bitten.”

  With the bazaar scene happening right before their eyes, they pulled out the paddles stowed in the raft and started pulling away from the ship. They couldn’t help but watch as bodies fell, sometimes in pairs as the infected were pulled over with their victims. There were some who hit the water and started screaming for help, but most just floated briefly before slipping under the surface.

  As they slowly put distance between themselves and the big cruise ship, they could see people higher up who were trying to climb out of windows onto the broad wings that extended outward from the bridge. The wings were intended for observation along the sides of the ship, but now it appeared to be a dead end for the bridge crew. It was far too high for anyone to survive the fall, but infected dead were forcing them to make the decision.

  Chief Barnes watched as he paddled and said, “It’s much better that she’s at anchor now. I wouldn’t want her be steaming up the coast with that many infected on board. It’s too bad we can’t put up a warning buoy or something.”

  “I think the Navy will figure it out, Chief,” said Kathy. “They would have sent out a call for help, wouldn’t they?”

  “True,” said the Chief, “and if the SOS included the ship was being overrun by the infected, I wouldn’t expect there will be ships falling all over themselves to come to their rescue.”

  Jean asked, “What will the Navy do?”

  “Most likely sink her,” said the Chief. “There will probably be people hiding throughout the ship, but I wouldn’t expect to see the Navy sending rescue parties. It would take weeks just to clear out the infected dead, but then they would face the same problem we had.”

  “Figuring out who was bitten and who wasn’t,” said Kathy, finishing the Chief’s sentence for him. “Will the Navy pick us up?”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” answered Chief Barnes. “If I was in charge of protecting a crew on a fighting vessel, I would probably think twice. At least we have something to offer with Jean being a nurse, you being a law enforcement officer, and me being a seafaring type.”

  ******

  They stopped paddling and drifted in silence for a while. It was a long time before they were far enough away from the cruise ship to not hear the screams. There were still the sporadic bursts of gunfire, but they were becoming heard less and less often.

  Chief Barnes did an inventory of the emergency kit that came with the raft. They had some of the basics, but there wasn’t near enough for three people.

  “Ladies, while the seas are calm, I suggest we begin finding our way to shore. We won’t last long out here if we get pulled further to sea by the current.”

  Kathy asked, “How far out do you figure we are, Chief?”

  “The coast was just over the horizon when we put the anchor out. We’re on the wrong side of the ship, so we should go north while we can, and then we can paddle toward shore and let the current carry us south at the same time,” he answered.

  “Why not head south with the current now?”

  “Charleston,” Jean answered for the Chief. “If we go south, the current will just carry us right back into the Charleston harbor. You may be thinking that’s a good thing, but we couldn’t expect a welcome home party when we get there. The chaos is probably still going on.”

  “Is there some place better?” Kathy asked. She hated that it came out as a bit of a whine.

  “Well,” said the Chief, “I would prefer somewhere less populated, but not so far out that we couldn’t at least try to reach other survivors. What do you say, ladies? Ready to get to work?”

  They nodded in silent agreement and started paddling. The Chief and Kathy went first with Jean working to get the built-in sunscreen into place. It ran down the middle of the raft so they could paddle from the sides, and if the weather got bad, it could enclose the entire raft while they ride out the storm.

  Thirty minutes later they were passing to the north of the now quiet ship they had escaped. There were no more gun shots, and the only movement they could see were the infected wandering around inside large windows. They saw one walk off the stern and drop into the water.

  As they paddled well clear of the bow, Kathy said, “They aren’t people anymore, you know.” It was more of an observation than a question.

  “What do you mean?” asked Jean, “We know they aren’t people. They’re dead.”

  “I know,” said Kathy, “but what are they? If they’re dead, why are they able to walk? Why are they trying to bite people and eat people?”

  “I think Kathy wants to know what we should call them,” added the Chief. “I’ve spent some time in Haiti and New Orleans, ladies, and no matter what you think you should call them, even
people who practice Voodoo wouldn’t call them zombies.”

  Kathy stopped paddling and stared at the Chief with an expression that said she expected more, but with a lot of time on his hands and a captive audience, the Chief was a typical man of the sea. If he was going to tell a story, he was going to tell it right. She had to ask.

  “Ok, Chief, I’ll bite, why wouldn’t they be called zombies?”

  As soon as she said it, she knew what was coming because her choice of words was the absolute worst. She received a chorus of “boos” from both of her raft mates, and all she could do was cover her face.

  The tension had been so high for so long. The escape from the cruise terminal, the collapse of their safe haven on the ship, and then their escape for a second time had all caused their nerves to be twisted into knots that had to unwind sooner or later. The three of them fell apart into fits of laughter that seemed to go on forever. They had a right to laugh after everything they had been through, and the laughter was far more therapeutic than crying.

  The laughing finally started to wind down with all three of them gasping for breath and holding their sides. Kathy and Jean both had tears streaming down their cheeks, and the Chief was rubbing the back of his hand against his eyes.

  When they were finally able to get back to serious paddling, they all felt stronger and more light hearted than they had in a long time. They paddled with renewed energy and started to make good headway. It wasn’t long before they could see the South Carolina coastline on the horizon.

  “So, Chief, you never answered my question.” There was another burst of laughter as they were all reminded of how Kathy had asked the first time.

  Chief Barnes was still smiling, but he gave them both a serious answer. “Control…you can’t control them. Zombies in the traditional sense are reanimated dead, but not because they’re infected. They get reanimated by dark magic, and the person who brings them back from the dead has control over them.”

  “So, calling them zombies wouldn’t be right,” said Jean.

  “That’s the whole idea, Jean, whatever we call them, we can’t say they’re under control.”

  Kathy said, “I don’t think it really matters anymore. I’ve been thinking of them as infected dead long enough to be used to it already. Besides, zombie seems even more unreal than things are, and I think the only thing that’s keeping me together is a feeling that someone can do something about this virus.”

  Jean added, “We can’t help feeling superior to viruses because we’ve put so many in their places, but the only good place for a dead person is right where they’re supposed to be, and that’s under a gravestone. They aren’t supposed to be walking around and trying to spread infection. Infected dead sounds right to me, too, though.”

  “So be it, then,” said Chief Barnes. “Infected dead they are.”

  Kathy and Jean traded places to give Kathy a break, and they dug deep with their paddles.

  ******

  Their first reaction to gunfire was to duck. Their second was to look back in the direction of the ship. They couldn’t see it anymore, so they knew the sounds had to be coming from somewhere else.

  “There,” shouted Jean. She was pointing toward land , and the first thought shared by Kathy and Chief Barnes were that someone on shore was shooting at them, but that would be crazy because land was too far away. Then they spotted the Boston Whaler. There was a man standing in the stern with his feet spread wide, and he was shooting at something in the water.

  Kathy cupped her hands around her mouth without worrying about the consequences. He would either be a good guy or a bad guy, but she didn’t think he would just shoot three people in a life raft.

  “Hey you! You in the boat!” she shouted.

  CHAPTER 4

  Rescue

  I thought I was hearing things, but knew it was real at the same time. My ears were still ringing from shooting without ear protection, but not so bad that I couldn’t tell I had heard a voice somewhere. I looked at the radio that was fastened just above the steering column thinking it might be on but saw the channel indicator was blank. I hadn’t bothered to even try it, because I was not so sure that I wanted to talk with anyone or give away my position.

  Turning in a circle in the Whaler, I saw a yellow life raft. It looked to be about a hundred yards away, but the water was calm and the day was clear, so I could make out that there were two people paddling and one standing in the bow. I was busted, and I was going to have to deal with people whether I wanted to or not. I could just start the engine and speed away, but it wouldn't be long before they spotted Mud Island and the house boat tied to the dock.

  Part of me said to do that, but a bigger part of me said I needed the company. Even though I had always been someone who was okay with being alone, I was not someone who would pass up on opportunities to be around people. The fact that I didn’t have a lot of friends didn’t mean I didn’t want friends.

  The better part of me also decided they didn’t need to paddle a hundred yards, and I could go to them. If they were that far out, there was no telling how long they had already been paddling.

  I hadn’t dropped anchor because I wanted the target practice to be more real, and the gentle bobbing and turning of the boat made it more of a challenge. I had also left the engine idling in case I needed to adjust my position, so all I needed was a short burst of throttle and to point the Whaler straight at them.

  In a matter of seconds, I was coasting within a close enough distance for me to tell my decision to meet them head on was going to be interesting if nothing else. Something was ringing a bell.

  They were all in uniforms of different types, and I couldn’t help thinking, “This isn’t something you see every day.”

  The one standing in the bow was a pretty blond wearing a police uniform. The big guy with the red beard was wearing a white uniform with some kind of patches on his sleeves and anchors on the lapels of his shirt. I could see a smile as broad as my shoulders on his face. As big as he was, you could tell even from a distance that he was a likable guy. The third person paddling from the opposite side of the raft was a pixie sized brunette, and she was also pretty. She had her hair cut in a short but cute style. She also appeared to be wearing hospital scrubs with a torn sleeve.

  I felt a chill run up my spine all the way to the back of my neck. From what I had seen of hospitals, wearing scrubs was like wearing a sign that says, “Bite me.” This is what I had been dreading. If they had been bitten, would they tell me? If they were the kind of people who just took what they wanted, I was out numbered. The police officer was wearing a gun, and there wasn’t any doubt in my mind which of us was a better shot.

  The Whaler coasted and then turned easily to give them the broad, starboard side. The pretty police officer immediately grabbed the railing and started to come aboard.

  “Hold up just a second, Officer.” I didn’t have to raise my weapon toward her, but she froze in mid motion anyway. She continued to hold the rail with one hand, but she raised the other out from her side as if to show me she didn’t have anything in it.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “We’re okay, I mean we’re not going to be any trouble to you. We’re from a ship.” She trailed off like she didn’t know what else to say, or that she didn’t really know where to begin. The other two sat with the paddles across their laps, and as big as the guy was, he couldn’t have looked less dangerous. He and the brunette looked helpless.

  Even though I had been thinking about this moment when I would come face to face with other survivors, I wasn’t prepared at all. I was such a softie myself that I felt bad about taking the smiles off of their faces.

  “I……I’m sorry,” I managed to stammer out. “I didn’t mean you couldn’t come on board. I just have to know, have any of you been bitten?”

  It looked more like relief than anything, but it was also recognition. These people knew what I was asking.

  The cute little lady in scrubs leaned around to w
here she could see me better and said, “Mister, I don’t know how else to prove it to you, but if I have to get naked to prove I haven’t been bitten, then so be it.” She stood up and pulled her shirt over her head before I could object. I felt more like a pervert than someone who was being safe. I wasn’t the kind of person to expect anyone to undress just because I had a gun.

  For the second time in a matter of minutes, I heard myself saying, “Hold up just a second.” Not a shining moment in my life, but it probably earned me a measure of respect from the three strangers.

  “If you’re willing to prove it that easily, I’ll take your word for it. Besides, I doubt the others would have stayed in a raft with you if you had been bitten, and if I made all three of you undress, then you might want me to get naked too.” Talk about an awkward silence. That had come out wrong in so many ways.

  The big guy broke the silence by adding, “Thank God. If you would’ve told me to get naked, I don’t think we could’ve ever looked each other in the eyes again without getting, you know, just a little excited.”

  I have to admit……he had me at first. I was like a deer stuck in the headlights of an oncoming car. A small grin crossed his face, and the ladies fell apart laughing. It was contagious, because I had tears running down may cheeks before I could stop laughing.

  I reached a hand out to the police officer to help her over the rail. Something was definitely ringing a bell. Next on board was the lady in scrubs. She had put her shirt back on first, and I was glad I had stopped her. I was able to look her in the eyes, but I did get a little excited.

  The big guy came over the railing on his own. The broad smile had returned to his face. He shook my hand and thanked me for rescuing them, then he moved to the center of the Whaler. He was so big that we had definitely listed to one side when he put his full weight on the deck.

  I said to all of them, “If you don’t mind folks, I feel kind of conspicuous out here for some reason. We can do introductions and swap stories when we get to shore.” They all nodded in agreement and found seats on the built in coolers.