Storm of the Dead

by D. P. Sloan

  The tall man nodded and turned back to the dead man, “Now we cut a small two-inch gap at the base of the skull where we initially injected the subject of the fluid. Jeff lift and hold our subjects head again please.”

  Jeff lifted the dead man’s head and the tall man sliced a small gap using his scalpel then inserted the chip followed by stitching the hole up.

  “We will do a test run later, with command prompts and attack modes. We do have enough – test bodies to try our soldier on, don’t we?”

  Jeff nodded, “Yes we do sir.”

  “Good tonight we will test our first subject,” the tall man replied before turning to the entrance of the tent and leaving.

  CHAPTER 29

  DECEMBER 12TH – 1900HRS APPROX

  The bluebell woods surrounded the small town of Drumchapel. Often a few bad things had happened there. The occasional joy-rider, beatings, drug taking, rape and even murder. Although tonight was different, tonight a group of soldiers from Elite Corporation were hunting a man, a man they needed to bring in quickly, a man that sold his virus along with his soul to the corporation to become wealthy, he had to have the antidote before time had run out for him and he would live his life forever as one of the undead – until someone put a bullet in his brain.

  Eight soldiers trampled through the woods, over fallen trees and wet grass. Over thick puddles of mud, looking, searching for the man that would make them all wealthy as soon as the corporation took over each and every country in the world.

  The soldiers split into two groups of four with one group heading one way and the other heading the other way.

  “Listen up men,” the lead soldier shouted, “we are looking for Marty Summers he as you are aware is the creator of the virus, he infected himself to avoid suspicion from his co-partner and now we must find him. You will each have a copy of a photo of what he looks like. Find him bring him in so the gaffer can give him the serum and we can continue with the plan. Now move out.”

  The group of soldiers all said, “Yes sir,” in unison but heading deeper into the woods, the first group heading up into the top end of the forest near to where the fence runs around separating Drumchapel from the other towns.

  The team leader pulled out his radio, “Listen up team we have at least twenty minutes to find Mr Summers if we do not find him then he stays as a living dead corpse. We must find him before the twenty minutes or Lomax and his partner will not be happy.”

  The soldiers fanned out trekking through the dense woods. No animal noises. No wind whistling through the trees and bushes. Just the noise of heavy muddy boots on wet grass.

  Then running, screaming and snarling out of the bushes were two undead men. One in a truly decaying state and the other – was Marty. Two of the soldiers stood their ground aimed their guns and fired. Fired their tranquilizer guns and shot both Marty and the other dead man. Both still stumbled towards them, arms outstretched, fingers trying to scratch and tear the soldiers even though they couldn’t reach them, they tried and tried until the soldiers fired again. This time both Marty and the decaying man fell to the ground.

  “We have located Marty. I repeat we have located Marty,” one of the soldiers said standing over the creator of the virus.

  His radio crackled, “Bag him and tag him and bring him to the truck. We have ten minutes to get his body to the safe zone.”

  “Understood. On our way,” the soldier replied.

  Both soldiers put cable ties round the arms and feet of Marty and the decaying man.

  “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  They picked up the bodies and heaved them up onto their shoulders before turning and trudging back towards the truck. On arrival at the truck they placed the bodies in the back and stood to attention waiting on their leader to come around and inspect Marty.

  He looked into the back of the truck, nodded with approval, “Move out people. No time to waste.”

  The whole team got in the truck and headed back down to the shopping centre, back down to the safe zone.

  From the shadows of the Drumchapel Health Centre – Ryan, Gregg, Rosie and Katy watched as the truck rolled by them followed closely by another car.

  A car that Ryan seemed to think was very familiar.

  His eyes went wide with shock as he mumbled to himself, “Michelle!”

  CHAPTER 30

  38 HOURS EARLIER

  Michelle watched as her husband ran across the road before she drove away to their meeting point.

  As she drove passed the bend at Pendicle Road, a camouflage van came racing around the corner and blocked the cars path, from behind a further two camouflaged jeeps pulled out from Tweed Drive blocking behind them. Max and Mads along with their mother screamed loud.

  From the van, stepped out two men who raced over to the car. Michelle noticed the men both carried rifles. Each man separated both going to the left and right side of the car. Michelle turned the locks on all the car doors so the men couldn’t get in. Both men bent down and smiled at the Michelle and then at the kids before raising their rifles and smashing the side windows. Screams engulfed the inside of the car as the men reached in and ripped the kids out of their seats and through the windows. Both Mads and Max kicked, punched and screamed to no avail until they were both silenced by the blunt end of the rifle across the back of their skulls. They fell to the ground as Michelle screamed at the men who in return laughed and smiled.

  “Time to come with us Miss!”

  “Who….who are you?” Michelle stammered.

  Both men looked at each other and smiled.

  “Why we are Elite Corp here to help!” one of the men stated with a smirk before the other reached in and whacked Michelle on the side of the head with his rifle.

  “Hey Lomax come in.”

  The radio crackled in to life, “Lomax here what’s your status Mullins?”

  “Got three live specimens for our little army.”

  “Good, good bring them right down let our good friend the doctor work his magic.”

  “Roger that time of arrival ten minutes.”

  With that said, the men loaded the bodies into the van nodded to the men in the jeeps who reversed back down to Tweed Drive and let Mullins and his partner through with the van. Down to Dunkenny Square. Down to the so called safe zone.

  The radio crackled into life again, “Mullins send Ferguson in the civilians’ car down you come down in the van with the civilians. I don’t want to draw attention outside of Drumchapel so to speak. So, bring that car down.”

  “Roger that Lomax.”

  Ferguson got out the van and climbed into the car.

  “Lomax, Ferguson here.”

  “What is it soldier?” Lomax answered.

  “Going to do a sweep of the streets first and then be down with the car if that’s okay?”

  “Good thinking Ferguson see you soon. Over and out.”

  CHAPTER 31

  DECEMBER 12TH – 1929HRS

  The van and the car rolled into the back of Drumchapel shopping centre, pulling up behind the white tents which were located in the middle of Dunkenny Square. The soldiers got out and pulled out Marty and the other walking dead guy then entered the white tent that housed the science lab.

  On entering the soldiers placed Marty on a bed and strapped him down to be on the safe side. They did the same to the dead guy. The tall man stood up from his desk and walked over to the soldiers smiling.

  “Well done team now Sam pass me the antidote. Time to bring the creator of the virus back to the land of the living.”

  Sam, a twenty-five-year-old scientist grabbed the syringe and the small glass tube that contained the antidote. He carried both items over to the tall man who was now standing over Marty.

  “Thank you, Sam,” the tall man began, “now we take the syringe and fill it up twenty millilitres and inject it in the same place as we put the virus into our subjects, directly into the brain stem.”

  He picked up Marty’s head,
cradled it before injecting the antidote into the brain stem. He placed Marty’s head down safely and stepped back slightly.

  “Now we wait,” the tall man began, “it should take no longer than sixty seconds as well.”

  All soldiers stood watching and waiting along with the other scientists. Then the twitching started. First the fingers, then the toes, then the arms and followed by the legs. Then Marty’s full body started shaking before his eyes opened wide and he let out a whoosh of air.

  “It’s alive! It’s alive!” the tall man laughed turning to the audience that watched on, “I’ve always wanted to say that!”

  The tent full of people laughed loud before he turned back to Marty. Marty began to sit up and swung his legs over the side of the table.

  “Take it easy Mr Summers,” the tall man said placing a hand on Marty’s shoulder.

  Marty looked up at the tall man and after a few seconds trying to focus his eyes, he smiled, “Hi Dr West. It’s been a while.”

  Marty eventually stood up, stretched his arms, legs and cracked his neck before turning back to the tall man now known as West.

  “So, it worked then Angus?” Marty asked.

  Angus West looked at him and smiled then nodded, “Of course Mr Summers. We were touching cloth though but you are back in the land of living. Tell me, can you remember anything from when you were you know a zombie?”

  “Not really,” Marty began, “I remember being infected, then the flu like symptoms then nothing.”

  “Interesting,” West nodded, “interesting indeed.”

  “How is my family Angus?” Marty asked, “How are my son and wife?”

  “I believe I can answer that,” came a voice from the entrance of the tent.

  Both West and Marty turned as did the rest of the people inside the tent. It was Lomax. He smiled before walking over to Marty and West.

  “Well, well, well if it isn’t Mr Marty Summers. Welcome back friend. How are you feeling?”

  Marty smiled and shook Lomax’s hand, “A bit groggy but other than that okay. So how is my family and fill me in on what has happened.”

  “Well I do believe I told you it was up to you to make sure your family were safe before you released the virus, didn’t I?” Lomax answered letting go of Marty’s hand.

  Marty nodded, “Yes I know that. But obviously I wasn’t expecting it to go so fast. I mean the virus spread like wild fire didn’t it?”

  “That it did Mr Summers,” Angus said smiling, “we have shut down all communication with the outside world. Glasgow in particular is a no-go area. There are no phone signals. No television. No internet. We have rounded up all the undead and they are now in our hands, right here in this very town.”

  “What?” Marty asked, “Here? In Drumchapel?”

  Lomax and West both nodded.

  “Yes, right here in Drumchapel. The plan is in motion,” West told him.

  “But my family how are they all?” Marty asked once again.

  “Listen Mr Summers,” Lomax began walking up to him and standing nose to nose, “We paid you for the virus, and you and your dumb partner released the virus obviously unbeknownst to him that you mixed your little concoction with the Ebola strain. So, to answer your question again about your family, well all survivors are either dead or undead and are now part of Elite Corp. Your family? I believe they are dead and it’s all down to you!”

  Marty took a deep breath in and looked Lomax dead in the eye and through gritted teeth he made it known he wasn’t happy, “You son of a bitch. You don’t care do you? You literally don’t give a shit! That’s my family.”

  “Your family – and you are nothing now,” Lomax jeered, “we simply used you for our own plans and now – well now we don’t need you. Dr West he’s all yours.”

  From behind Lomax, Marty noticed Angus smile. The evil doctor nodded and then muttered the only words that Marty didn’t want to hear, “My pleasure.”

  “Ho….hold on Angus!” Marty stuttered putting both his hands up, “do….don’t do anything drastic!”

  Lomax turned and smiled at the doctor before turning back to Marty and simply smirking at him. He leaned into the terrified creator of the virus, “Drastic? You think what we are going to do to you is drastic! Mr Summers, you infected yourself with the virus hoping and praying probably that we would give you the antidote which we did. We upheld our side of the deal, but not to bring you back and see how you are no – we brought you back so we would know if the antidote worked on normal living beings if they were to become infected. Obviously, we now know it works. We don’t need you for anything else. So, on behalf of Elite Corporation, thank you and goodbye.”

  Lomax stepped back and watched as Marty began sweating extremely, “Goodbye Mr Summers.” He laughed as he watched Dr West produce a little black box which had a simple set up. It had a speaker and a flick switch. Lomax and Marty watched as the tall doctor flicked the switch, raised the black box to his mouth and spoke.

  “You can hear my voice,” Dr West began, “you are under my control. I own you and now you will do what I tell you to do. Rise up and attack the man in front of. Rip him from limb to limb. Feast on him like it is your last supper.”

  Marty looked left and then looked right. Then he heard the moaning and groaning and spun round to watch in horror as the dead man that came in with him, stretched out his decaying hands, Marty watched as his fingernails scratched at the stretcher as he sat up. His head was bowed so Marty couldn’t see his face. Marty stepped back one step and then was about to take another when he was grabbed by two soldiers who held him tightly by the arms.

  “Pl…..please…..le….let me go!” Marty stammered tears rolling down his cheeks.

  “What’s to be scared about mate,” the soldier to his left said, “you’ll be with your family!” he laughed uncontrollably before the dead man lifted his head and starred at him.

  Marty stood there shaken while a damp patch formed at his crotch.

  “Shit,” said the soldier to his right, “he’s pissed himself!”

  More laughter followed before the dead man stood up and began shuffling at first then marching as though he was a soldier towards Marty. The dead man stood in front of Marty and cocked his head to the left before simply muttering the words, “Fooooooooddddddddd.” He bared his decaying rotten teeth and leapt forward and bit down on Marty’s neck pulling the chunk of skin and body meat from the neck. Blood oozed as Marty screamed before the dead man leapt forward again tearing a chunk from Marty’s left cheek swallowing it whole. He then turned to the arms that the soldiers held out to the dead man and he started ripping and tearing the flesh from the bones of the arms. Marty screamed and screamed before the soldiers let him go, blood pouring down him from the wounds to the floor. It was only a matter of time. Marty stumbled backwards, his eyesight becoming blurring and double vision as he watched everyone in the tent laugh, smile and point at him as he stumbled some more before falling to the floor while banging his head on the counter as he fell.

  “Finish him off!” Dr West shouted.

  The undead man raced across the floor and jumped down on top of Marty. He reached down with his long dirty fingernails and delved deep into the dying man’s stomach, ripping and tearing deep down before eventually pulling out his innards starting with his intestines and followed by his liver, kidneys and stomach. Everyone watched in the tent as the undead man ripped and tore and ate Marty’s body all the time Marty screamed and yelled before after ten minutes. The undead man had finished his meal and began to stand up. He looked about, looked about at the fresh meat all standing watching him, before he parted his lips and exposed his decaying rotten teeth once again. He was about to attack again when a voice boomed at the other side of the tent.

  “STOP!”

  Everyone turned and looked at Dr West as he lowered the device from his mouth.

  The dead man closed his mouth, lowered his arms and stood silent, looking at the doctor.

  “Sit
down!” West barked again.

  The undead man began kneeling down before sitting down completely on the floor.

  “Lie down!” West ordered the man to do through the voice device.

  The undead man did exactly that. Then West flicked a switch which seemed to go on and switch the dead man off as though he was like a television or robot of some sort.

  The crowd in the room cheered and clapped at the main doctor. But from the entrance of the tent, a pair of eyes peered into the ungodly sight in front of them as they stayed in the shadows.

  The eyes watched the events unfold in front of them before the person bent over and vomited everywhere. They then wiped their mouth, stood up straight, took a long deep breath and turned to the group of people behind them.

  “We got to do something fast!”

  “Why what did you see Ryan?” Katy asked.

  Gregg pushed passed them, peered inside and screamed, “DAD!!!!”

  CHAPTER 32

  DECEMBER 12TH – 2010HRS

  All eyes in the tent turned and looked at the entrance.

  “Well what are you looking at? GET THEM!!!!” Lomax shouted at his soldiers.

  The soldiers all turned and started running towards the group of survivors.

  “Oh fuck! RUN!!!!” Ryan shouted at his group.

  They all turned and ran out of the tent, running at full speed.

  “I’ll fucking get you!” Gregg yelled, “I’ll get you all!” he turned running away with his girlfriend and the rest of the group.

  They ran out of Dunkenny square out over to Drumchapel public park. Ran up the back of the park towards the tennis court building. Ryan got there first and tried pulling the door open but it wouldn’t budge. He spun round and looked at his group before looking into the distance and saw the group of soldiers running across the grass of the park.

  Ryan looked around and saw a possible entry to the building around the side of where they stood, “Quick this way!”

  The group all followed Ryan, “Gregg give me a push up!” Gregg quickly put his hands together and Ryan used the extra leverage to get to the window. He pointed his right elbow at the window and pulled it back and smashed the window. He then pulled himself up and through the window landing hard on the floor. “I’ll try the door from this side. Give me a second.” Ryan raced round the small corridor to the door, as he approached he heard Gregg, Katy and the others shout.