by Steven Bynum
It was at that moment when he just caught the hint of a sound behind him. The sound was faint, but it seemed like something had scraped the floor. After that, a bump sounded, and then another bump. He quickly turned, and stared again at Mary and Sheila. For a moment, there was nothing. Then he saw it. Sheila tried to sit up, but fell back, her head bumping the floor. After that, Mary’s entire body jerked in one quick motion, and then was completely still. More and more, their arms and legs slowly began to move. The bodies of his lifeless wife and daughter were beginning to reanimate.
Jacob watched in horror as their bodies convulsed. Each jerk caused him to become that much more upset. Right before his eyes, his family was transforming into those creatures, deaders. It’s not my wife and daughter! It’s not my wife and daughter! They are dead and gone! These are abominations! He was desperate to control himself, and do what needed to be done. He grabbed the crowbar from the floor, and held it at the ready. Tears of anguish poured down his face. Will I be able to kill them again?
The zombie that was his wife, Mary, managed to rise first to its feet. It stood there for a moment, gazing at Jacob with a blank stare. Within several seconds its sight focused on him, and it began to snarl and move forward. There were two thoughts on its mind, kill and eat. Jacob backed away from it. He was having extreme trouble separating his wife from the zombie. A few times he began to swing the crowbar but stopped short. He shoved it to the floor to buy himself more time to think. The situation worsened when his daughter stood up and moved toward him as well.
Jacob could not handle this turn of events at all. He fled the house, screaming. His mind was traumatized. The door had closed shut; whether or not he closed it himself, he could not remember.
Scrape…scrape…Mary and Sheila were trying to claw their way through the door. Jacob could not stand the sound. It was beginning to sound sickening. At one point he thought he could hear fingernails breaking. He slapped himself on the head several times in an attempt to get a grip. There was only one thing to do. He could not allow his loved ones bodies to be desecrated in such a way. They needed to be killed for good and not allowed to remain deaders. I can’t do it face-to-face. I just can’t. He looked around, thinking. The glowing lights of the distant fires caught his gaze. The answer had presented itself. The best way to set them at peace for good, burn down the house with them inside. It will be like a cremation. The fire will end this horrible suffering and send them to be in paradise.
With that, he set about finding a hose to siphon some gasoline from his neighbor’s truck. Any hose would do as long as it was long enough. It took him ten minutes to find one that was suitable. He stared at his home while the gasoline filled the bucket he had acquired for the job. “It won’t be long now. I will set you free my loving wife, my loving daughter. Whatever it is that has defiled you, I will destroy. This I promise.” He spoke at their home, while pouring the gasoline at key points on the house.
Jacob didn’t hesitate to light the fire. It was his final act of love. There was no screaming from inside the inferno. To him, that meant he had done the right thing. Watching the flames spread and grow higher and higher, caused him to experience various emotions. When the house was fully engulfed, the realization of truth came crashing down upon him. It was all gone. Everything that he had strived to achieve in life was gone. His family, the most important crowning jewel, at one moment glowed as bright as the sun; the next moment ripped away through a horrible apocalypse. What is the meaning of it all? What do I do now? Why should I even care?
He didn’t care anymore, but he knew what he needed to do. The blazing fire had shown him the way. The deaders can not be allowed to continue on the Earth. They must be exterminated, and the land must be cauterized. It is my new purpose in life to see this done. Let the cleansing fires begin, with my home and family being the first. Let no one come between me and my task, or they shall be judged unworthy and taken by the flames themselves. Jacob siphoned more gasoline from his neighbors truck. With that, he set his neighbors house on fire. When the blaze had reached its peak, he got in his car and drove towards town. It was time for the zombies to pay Hell’s price.
Two
The first Molotov cocktail he tossed burst inside Jesse’s Hometown Pharmacy, setting it ablaze. It was his first target of retribution for his family. All the while he was searching the pharmacy for medicine, his wife and daughter were dying. Maybe, just maybe if he had remained home, he could have done something to save them. Instead, he had ran off on a useless quest. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive myself, but I will certainly try to burn away that which killed them.
Jacob waited inside the car until the building was completely engulfed in flames. Many of the deaders moved far away from the roaring fire. What would cause them to do that? Some type of instinctive reaction? He wondered until one came wandering close. He stepped out of the car with his crowbar in hand. Immediately it walked toward Jacob with arms outstretched. Jacob smashed it in the forehead, knocking it to the pavement. One more strike with the crowbar and its head cracked open.
Jacob didn’t feel his hatred diminish one bit with its death. Instead, he looked around for another zombie. The golf course to his left was overrun with them; a zombie herd held captive by the fence. To his right stood a small shopping center. The roaring fire of the pharmacy burned his eyes and skin, but he transfixed on the shopping center. Memories flooded his tormented mind. He remembered the many days of shopping there with his wife and daughter. Just spending the day together was heaven. Never to happen again in this life. Will I be with them in the next?
Jacob’s face turned into a mask of hate. He hopped in his car and sped toward the shopping center. Bap … bap … two zombies failed to get out of the way of the speeding vehicle. Jacob sneered as he watched them roll on the pavement. He pulled up to the far end of the shopping center. There were two zombies nearby when he stepped out of the car. Moaning … they each moved toward him; so close together they bumped each other while staggering forward. Jacob rushed them; grasping the crowbar with both hands. He let out a grunt as he swung as hard as he could at their heads. The power of hatred was behind the swing. The crowbar connected with the temple of the zombie on the right, ripped through its forehead, then connected with the jaw of the zombie on the left. The zombie on the right collapsed; its brains spilling out. The zombie on the left spun in a circle. Before it could resume its attack, Jacob hit the zombie in the forehead with the crowbar; the edge penetrating the skull. He jerked the crowbar free, allowing the zombie to collapse to the pavement.
Jacob breathed heavily. Spittle dripped from his lips. His rage lessoned, but it was not satiated. He grabbed a Molotov cocktail and lit it with one of the cigarette lighters he had confiscated from a corpse.
“This is for you Mary, my loving wife.” He tossed the Molotov cocktail through the broken window of one of the stores in the shopping center.
Jacob lit another Molotov cocktail.
“This is for you Sheila, my sweet daughter.” He tossed the Molotov cocktail onto the roof of the shopping center.
Jacob watched the flames grow and spread as tears began to stream down his face. He watched until he could no longer take the heat. He got in his car and drove past the golf course.
Jacob drove slowly, shining a flash light on the faces of the deaders, each in turn. There was no humanity left in them. Something had stolen their bodies, their lives. Just as it stole Mary and Sheila from him. All those deaders used to be someone special; husbands, wives, sons, daughters, relatives, friends. Now they were just shells of horror and violence. He realized in a moment of clarity that he didn’t hate them, he felt pity for them.
“Do not worry. Somehow. Someway. I will set you all free,” Jacob spoke at the zombies. “I have come to understand my calling, my purpose. It will be my mission to burn away this taint from the Earth. Anything and everything that cannot be saved, will be destroyed. That which is responsible shall be dealt with by the burn
ing fires of retribution. This I swear.â
Jacob continued driving toward the center of town. He no longer ran over any deaders on purpose. His passion for death had subsided. He wondered what the next steps should be to prepare for his mission.
Jacob looked over at the crowbar perched on the passenger seat. “How about you? You plan on sticking with me through this whole thing?” He waited for an answer.
“Not the talking type. That’s ok my friend. I figure we’ve been through a lot already, so, you might as well stick around. Hell, I’m not sure what I’d done without you.” Jacob looked back at the road just in time to swerve past a crashed vehicle.
Jacob began laughing. He looked over at the crowbar and then back to the road. “I better keep my eye on where I’m going. You just sit over there for now. I think I’ll find us a place to sleep. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty damn tired.”
Jacob drove down 7th Street until he spotted an old house far enough away from the roaring flames of the burning buildings. The fire had already leapfrogged to adjacent structures and was taking on a life of its own. That entire area seemed to be going up in flames, which made him feel like fate had caused him to ignite those buildings first.
Jacob pulled into the driveway and scanned the area for deaders. Something interesting caught his eye. It seems the zombies were actively moving away from the many fires and extreme heat. I wonder what’s causing them to do that? He watched the zombies as they moved off far away in various directions. Once satisfied none were close enough to bother him, he took the crowbar and moved toward the front door of the old house.
To his surprise, the door was unlocked. Jacob was happy he did not have to use the crowbar to break the door open. The front door opened to the living room. He scanned it with the flashlight. There was a couch, a recliner, a television, and a bunch of pictures on the walls. No zombies.
A hall was on the left and a doorway connected the living room to the kitchen and dining room. Jacob looked down the hall before checking out the kitchen and dining room. There was an old table, chairs, and various kitchen elements. No zombies.
Jacob stepped down the hall to the first doorway on the right. He looked inside with the flashlight. It was a laundry room. There was a washer, dryer, clothes racks, and an ironing board. No zombies.
The next doorway on the right was a very small bathroom. No zombies.
There were two more doorways at the end of the hall. The doorway on the right was closed, so Jacob decided to check the left doorway first. It was a guest bedroom. No zombies. The bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in for some time. The covers were still smooth and unmoved. In the corner was a white, antique vanity dresser. It reminded Jacob of the vanity dresser his grandmother use to have when she was alive. He sat and looked into the mirror for a moment, remembering days long pass.
Jacob did not recognize the face in the mirror. He shook his head, dispelling the memories. There was one more room to check.
Jacob walked over to the last room and stood in front of the door. Why is the door closed on this one? He placed his ear close to the door and heard nothing but deafening silence. Jacob did not want to be afraid, but at times it is difficult to ignore the pesky emotion of fear. Thump … thump … his heart beat louder in his chest. He shook his head and remembered the deaths of his wife and daughter. The memory brought forth the strength of will and determination. He opened the door, raising the crowbar at the ready to strike anything that came for him. No spook jumped out at him, but the flashlight did illuminate something sitting on an old bed.
A little old lady was sitting on the bed, still wearing her nightgown and bonnet. She did not move at first, frozen as a statue. She appeared to be sitting there in complete peace. Jacob looked around the room with his flashlight, making sure no one else was there. He brought the flashlight back around just in time to see the little old lady almost upon him. He yelled and jumped back as her armed stretched out to grab him. When little old lady snarled, he realized she was a deader, not a living person.
Jacob continued to back up with the light shining on her. She looked so much like his late grandmother. He yelled to gather resolve, and buried the crowbar in the top of her head. The zombie immediately crumbled to the floor.
“Damn it! Now I’ll have to drag it out the door. A little old lady.” Jacob stood there for a moment taking deep breaths.
Instead of taking time to think about it, he reached down and grabbed the corpse by the arm and dragged it outside.
Jacob was exhausted. He couldn’t take anymore of this hell tonight. He slammed the door behind him and locked it. He dragged the living room couch over and placed it in front of the door. Then he walked down the hall and plopped down on the guest bed and fell fast asleep. He dreamed of Mary and Sheila staring at him from behind roaring flames.
Three
The flames roared in the wind. Several homes in the sub-division had already caught fire just as he planned. Jacob had been continually fulfilling the promise he made that night after he set flame to his home and family. Just about every waking moment was spent killing zombies, burning bodies and burning anything else in his path that he considered tainted.
This latest burning was his crown jewel so far. He had been waiting several days for just the right time. He wanted wind speed and direction to be just right. The day needed to be clear of cloud cover. He did not want rain rolling in and mucking up his plans. Everything had come into place and the inferno was glorious to behold. The sub-division was practically engulfed.
When he was not engaged in his mission to purify the world, he was gathering supplies and storing them in a medical mall located near the center of the town. It had become his base of operations after he had finally cleared it of all the zombies inside. That job itself had taken him nearly a week. Mainly because he took his time. No need to rush and get himself trapped. He didn’t want to get himself killed before the mission was complete.
Now that the day was spent and most of the sub-division a smoldering, blackened wasteland with several fires still burning, he made his way back to home base. The medical mall was not large for a mall, being only 75,000 square feet. It was more than enough for any needs he may have for a base. Much of it he was using for storage. What he did not burn, he salvaged and placed in the mall. He mostly concentrated on food and water, medical supplies, weapons and ammunition. Though he had taken several vehicles and turned one area into a garage. He would need transportation in the days to come. There in the garage area he also stored fuel and various mechanical parts.
Jacob had found the keys to every door of the medical mall and he kept those doors locked at all times. There was no way any deader would be able to just walk inside and catch him unaware. He also barricaded all of the main entrances, because they were nothing but glass. The other doors he secured with door braces that could be easily removed from the inside if he wanted to leave the medical mall. Windows were a different story. He had walked through and systematically checked to make sure they were all locked, but he also wanted to board them up. The act of boarding them up was taking a lot longer than he had hoped. Sooner or later he would get it done, in between killing zombies and burning away the taint.
The roof of the medical mall was for observation, relaxation, and consideration.
Observation was done using a tripod mounted spotting scope. It performed very well from the roof vantage point. He could easily reconnoiter 360 degrees around the area. He documented building locations, zombie locations, vehicle locations, corpse locations and anything else he deemed worthy to note in his log book.
Relaxation was something he tried to make himself do every so often. He figured it would help keep his mind and body in tip-top shape instead of just being on the kill. A machine that is always running breaks down faster than one with regular tune-ups. For his tune-ups, he had a lawn chair under a 9’ market umbrella, a small table to set his drink, and binoculars around his neck. For a more active tune-up,
he had golf clubs and an enormous amount of golf balls he had liberated from the nearby country club. The country club was also where he had liberated the drinks.
Consideration was an act of walking and deliberate thought. It was usually done at night and spanned the entire roof. From one end to the other he would walk. All the time contemplating his next endeavor or a problem that needed solved. Sometimes it was about reflection on the past and why he is doing what he does every day.
Tonight was a night of consideration for Jacob. A 268-bed, state-of-the-art hospital was located just across the street from the medical mall. He had been trying for a few days now to decide whether to burn it down or leave it intact. One question kept him from making the decision; was there any more people left in the world? He had yet to see any other living human being in the area. No one had ever tried to get in or get out of the hospital. He could see shapes moving about in the windows with the spotting scope. Those shapes are obviously deaders. If there are people left in the world, a hospital would be a valuable piece of real estate. Would I ever have use for the hospital? Would it be wrong to burn it down? The answer came to him when he reached the edge of the medical mall. He could clear the zombies out of the hospital and make the decision whether to burn it down later. I can just leave all the medical supplies in the hospital for now.
Jacob descended the stairs from the roof to the main lobby of the medical mall. From there, he made his way to a section that contained patient rooms. He was not picky with the choice for his room. It was the first one in the section. There he had a bed, couch, closet, counter, shelves, and a small bathroom. The closet held what little clothing he needed along with a small supply of shoes. The counter and shelves housed his standard weapons and ammunition. The main arsenal was kept in another area. It was fully secured and contained weapons needed for special occasions. He needed neither tonight, for tonight he would sleep and get up early for his excursion into the hospital.