Deaders

by Steven Bynum

  Like most nights, he lay on the bed staring up at the ceiling. It always took him a while to fall asleep. He thought of his wife, Mary. The thoughts started at the time they first met. The images continued to the point where their daughter, Sheila was born. From there, the thoughts centered on Sheila. How as a baby, she would whimper until he picked her up in his arms and held her. All the thoughts eventually ended in a roaring fire. Mary and Sheila were staring at him from behind the flames when he fell asleep.

  Jacob woke the next morning, groggy as always. It didn’t take him long to get into his routine. Especially on a day like today, mission day. It always put him in a better mood. Today, he would kill a lot of deaders to liberate the hospital. Nothing inside the hospital would be spared. The taint will be removed and burned out in the parking lot. He figured it would take him all day to finish the task. Spending a day working would be just fine.

  Jacob stretched to work out all the kinks. This bed just wasn’t like the one at home. Maybe he just wasn’t use to sleeping alone yet. He wiggled his toes before putting on his socks. He pulled on and laced up the Under Armour Tactical Boots he had found in a sporting goods store. The boots weren’t all he had found in the sporting goods store. After slipping on his under shirt, he strapped on a Tactical Performance Vest. Stiffened mesh construction, padded back, adjustable shoulders, side compression straps, hydration carrier, and a MOLLE attachment system for accessories. Forearm guards and tactical gloves finished out his battle attire.

  He strapped a dagger to his left hip. Apparently, the owner of a home he ransacked was heavy into weapon collecting or loved renaissance LARPing. The home was a treasure trove of medieval style weapons. He strapped a Smith & Wesson M & P Compact .40 caliber pistol to his right hip. Reinforced polymer chassis, superior ergonomics, and ambidextrous controls. It held a 10 round magazine. He kept four additional full magazines secured to his tactical vest. Lastly, he slid his fingers down the crowbar he had from his home. He took time to admire its construction. The rocker head, double clawed. It had become his trusted companion. He never went anywhere without it. A safety blanket for the apocalypse, he had called it. He swung the crowbar around a few times to psych himself up for the coming battle. Jacob took in a deep breath and began walking towards the make-shift garage.

  Jacob walked straight for the ambulance. He had found it parked at the medical mall. By the scene inside the ambulance, he gathered the man that was being transported had died and arisen a zombie. The EMT attending to him was caught off-guard and killed. He wasn’t sure what happened to the driver. Probably hauled ass while he had the chance. He liked the ambulance. It had a lot of compartments to store supplies. It seemed fitting that he would be using it to assault the hospital. His plan was to back up to one of the regular entrance doors, flip open the ambulance doors, and head inside. Simple enough.

  Jacob shoved the sliding bay door upwards, jumped in the ambulance, drove it down the loading-unloading ramp, jumped out of the ambulance, closed the bay door, and jumped back inside the ambulance. He was well on his way before any zombies moved close. There were still a lot of zombies walking around the area. They usually remained spread out enough for him to maneuver around them without any trouble. He didn’t have far to go this time. All he needed to do was get across the street and back-up to a door. He was having good luck with his plans as of late. He took that as a sign.

  Zigging … zagging … Jacob drove to the hospital. Just a straight shot across the street from the medical mall. Not as many zombies walking around as yesterday. Many must have wandered off during the night. Perhaps his campaign was beginning to make a small dent to the zombie population of the area. He made it to the parking lot of the outpatient area. It had the nearest door. Jacob spun the ambulance around and backed up to the door in one smooth motion. He jumped out and walked to the door with a purpose. Luck was on his side again; the door was unlocked. There was only one zombie standing behind it.

  “Hey, you damned deader,” spoke Jacob.

  The zombie slowly turned and fixed its eyes upon him. That’s exactly what Jacob wanted it to do. The crowbar slid through the eye socket and pierced the brain. Jacob jerked the crowbar free and let the zombie crumble to the floor. White mist spewed from the ruptured eye socket then dissipated. Jacob still couldn’t understand what that white mist was all about. More and more, he began to realize it wasn’t natural. So far, he hadn’t been able to find any medical information explaining it.

  He would think about it later. Now, he needed to concentrate on the task at hand. One zombie down. Jacob stepped inside, letting the door close behind him. The hospital was a vision of horror. The sunlight trickling in through windows illuminated blood stains everywhere. The smell alone was enough to cause most people to turn and flee. Jacob slipped on a respirator and proceeded forward.

  Jacob peeked around the corner before stepping into the hallway. Always check the corners. There were two zombies walking around. The doors on the rooms leading up to them were all closed. That’s good. No need to worry about getting attacked from the side. He spun the crowbar around in his hand. Walking quickly, he caught up to the nearest zombie and split its skull open. There was no time to hesitate. Without losing much stride, he stepped up to the next one and caught it with an uppercut. The claw went in under the chin. Using that leverage, he pulled the zombie down to the floor before jerking the crowbar up and ripping off the lower jaw. He swung the crowbar down, smashing its head.

  Now it was time for him to step back and check the rooms he had bypassed. One by one he checked the rooms, slow and steady. Most of the rooms were small enough to only need a quick look. Jacob marked each room he checked and cleared with a spray can. A big white X was easier to see in the dim light. It was quickly becoming a tiring process. The hospital housed 268 patient rooms, not including other rooms.

  Clearing the hospital was going well for the moment, regardless of the tedious nature. Checking corners, checking rooms, rest, and continue again. If only the electricity worked, he could see better and step up the pace. No matter, he had nothing better to do. Might as well kill more zombies. The more he killed, the less the world was tainted. It would be so much easier to just burn the hospital to the ground. Jacob still did not want to go that direction just yet. The hospital may be useful and may have valuable medical information about the deaders. That was a slim chance, but he wanted to check.

  Jacob let himself get distracted by wandering thoughts when he rounded the next corner. He failed to check first before stepping out into the open. He came face-to-face with a large group of zombies. The first one was right on top of him. He reacted by sending the crowbar through its chin and shoved it backwards with the other hand. The entire group began moaning and moving towards him. The crowbar alone would not work for this encounter. He switched the crowbar to his left hand and drew the pistol with his right.

  Jacob shot the nearest zombie in the head and back-stepped around the corner. One after another, zombies appeared from around the corner looking for this fresh food that had wandered too close. Each zombie got shot in the head. Jacob kept stepping backward, unaware of how many zombies were after him. The first magazine was emptied, yet they still advanced. He ejected the magazine, dropped the crowbar, and reloaded the pistol with a full magazine. A zombie had closed the distance before he could chamber a round. It lunged with its mouth gaping open for a bite. He had to block its attack with his forearm. Thank God for those forearm guards! He pulled the dagger from its sheath with his left hand and stabbed the zombie in the eye socket. He gave the dagger a twist before jerking it backwards. Blood, puss, and white mist spewed into the air. The zombie crumbled to the floor before him.

  Jacob chambered a round before the next zombie arrived. He shot it in the head. Then another and another. The posse of deaders had thinned, but still pursued him. Jacob fired shot after shot. Zombies fell in the barrage of bullets. The pistol quickly emptied and he prepared to fight hand-to-hand. Jacob was breathing
heavily, but still ready for anything. No more zombies appeared. The group of deaders had been defeated. He ejected the empty magazine, and replaced it with a full one. Just in case it was the calm before the storm. It was not. The storm was over, and he could rest for the time being.

  “Whoa, that was a rush!” Jacob laughed aloud between taking breaths of air. “You fucked with the wrong person! You deader bastards!”

  It took him a moment to calm down. He hadn’t gotten himself into a hairy situation like that since the apocalypse first started. Jacob really wanted to beat himself up for screwing up so badly. Seems I’ve been getting too complacent with my experience and dropped the ball on a simple rule of check all corners. He slapped himself in the head and paced back for a forth for a moment. He shook his head and took a deep breath. He beat on his chest a moment before walking forward to find his trusty crowbar.

  Jacob kicked each zombie corpse as he passed. There was another rule he had been slacking on as of late. Make sure it’s dead. He kicked one in the head so hard it snapped off and rolled down the hallway. He watched it as it bounced off a wall and came to a stop. There it lay, right next to his crowbar. He felt more at ease, now that his safety blanket had been found.

  Jacob checked the first floor one more time. He wanted to make sure all the zombies on this level had been dispatched. It was time he got back to doing things by-the-book. That one mistake could have been the end of his life and his task. He wanted to finish his task. He hated the deaders now more than anything. He blamed them for the death of his wife and daughter.

  “All clear. Down here.” He chuckled.

  Jacob still wasn’t sure it was worth the effort clearing out the hospital. There sure were a lot of zombies on the first floor. If all floors were basically the same, he would run out of ammo long before the job was complete. The hospital is extremely tainted. It should probably be cleansed. Jacob made his decision. The hospital was not worth saving. Much of the supplies had been pillaged early on during the first days of the outbreak. Instead of wasting his time clearing the rest of it; he would set fire to the first floor and burn the hospital to the ground. All I need to do is pour gasoline all around the first floor and toss in a Molotov cocktail.

  It seemed like the hospital burned for hours. Jacob watched it from atop the medical mall. There he sat, mesmerized by the flames. He did the right thing. There was no use in saving such a tainted piece of the old world. For the new world to arise, the old had to be cleansed. Fire was the best way to achieve this process. There was only one problem. The world is so big. I need to figure out how to set larger fires. Something exploded within the burning hospital sending a mushroom cloud of smoke into the air. Jacob sat up in his lawn chair at the sight of it. His eyes widened with understanding. Nuclear fire.

  Four

  Jacob watched the armored vehicle from atop the medical mall as it drove down the interstate and took the Thomas Road exit. He was zeroed in on it with the spotting scope, watching it every step of the way. Who the Hell could this be after such a long time without seeing another living person? In an armored vehicle to boot. It was military, but was it the military that still possessed it? It would stand to reason, if anyone had survived, it would have been some of them. They had the hardware and the resources. Only one vehicle. Guess they didn’t fair all that well either.

  “That must be one of those personnel carriers.” He whispered to himself. “I wonder how many people are in there?”

  Jacob continued watching it as it came closer and closer. It didn’t stop for zombies. If a deader got in the way, it was flattened. Jacob couldn’t tell what they were doing. It was as if they were searching for something. He wanted to signal to them, but figured that would not be a good idea. He didn’t know who these people were or what they wanted. Hell, these could be the very people that started this entire mess. That particular thought hung in his mind.

  The armored vehicle came to a stop not far from the smoldering remains of the hospital. It remained there for several minutes. Perhaps the people inside the vehicle were discussing matters.

  A hatch swung open atop the armored vehicle. Someone wearing a red, full body, air supplied, positive pressure suit stood up. The person looked around the area a few times before concentrating on the medical mall. The person lifted a large pair of sophisticated binoculars. Jacob realized he had probably been spotted. Jacob had forgotten he was standing in plain sight looking through the spotting scope. He never was worried about the deaders seeing him atop the roof. These weren’t deaders and revealing himself could be a big mistake. Just for the hell of it, he dropped down and hid. Maybe the person had failed to see him or just wouldn’t care.

  Jacob moved as fast as he could down the stairs to the inside of the medical mall. They are human. That means I need to be prepared. Who knows what their disposition will be?

  Jacob didn’t worry about putting on most of his battle gear. If things went sour, humans wouldn’t be trying to bite him, but shoot him. He was already wearing his pistol and his dagger, now he needed something with a little more range. It didn’t take him long to make a decision after running to his make-shift armory. Where did I put that hunting rifle? Ah, there it is, right there. He walked over and grabbed the Winchester bolt-action .30-06. It was a fine hunting rifle with a Leupold scope. He grabbed a few boxes of ammo and took off for the stairs to the roof.

  The armored vehicle was stopped not too far away from the main entrance of the medical mall by the time Jacob made it to the roof. He found a safe position for observation. Jacob watched as the same person opened the top hatch and stood. The person was holding something attached to a cord. Whatever it was looked similar to a microphone for a CB transmitter. A voice sounded from the PA system on the vehicle.

  “Attention whoever is inside the mall. This is Doctor Trevor Atkinson with the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. You are in danger. I need you to come with us right away. We will take you to a safe facility.”

  Jacob did not respond. He scratched under his chin. The beard he had started growing was getting a bit itchy. “No shit Sherlock. Just another day in the zombie infested world.” Jacob whispered to himself and chuckled.

  “Attention whoever is inside the mall. This is Doctor Trevor Atkinson with the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. It is imperative that you come with us. Please come out and we will take you to a safe facility.”

  The man took a moment to look around the area. Deaders were beginning to make their way toward the armored vehicle. The man bent down and appeared to be speaking to other people inside the armored vehicle. He raised back up.

  “Attention, this is Doctor Trevor Atkinson with the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Please, I beg you. Come with us to a safe facility. You may be the key to saving humanity. I implore you, please respond.”

  Jacob placed his head back against the wall in deep thought. What the Hell is he talking about? Key to saving humanity.

  “Fuck.” Jacob stood up with his rifle held in front of him. He moved closer to the edge so the man could see him. “Hey down there,” Jacob shouted causing Dr. Atkinson to jerk his head upward. “What do you mean; key to saving humanity?”

  Dr. Atkinson responded so quickly, his words came out in nearly a stutter. “Sir … sir … thank … thank God. It would be much easier to explain inside the vehicle. Zombies are almost upon us now. There’s really no time to discuss the matter here.” The man took a quick look at the zombies walking towards the armored vehicle. “If you prefer, we could come inside to speak with you. Would you like us to do that? Talk inside?”

  “I don’t think I want you people inside here.” Jacob responded. “Just tell me from there. What do you mean; key to saving humanity?”

  Dr. Atkinson started to respond, then bent down and spoke to someone inside the vehicle. He disappeared, moving down to the inside of the vehicle and closing the hatch behind him.


  The armored vehicle turned in the direction of the zombie mob. The hatch popped open and a soldier stood up wearing an army green, full body, air supplied, positive pressure suit. The soldier took up position with the mounted M240C machine gun. The soldier began firing round after round into the zombie mob. The barrage of machine gun fire tore the zombies to pieces. The soldier stopped firing when the only zombies still walking were so far away, it would take them an estimated fifteen minutes to reach the armored vehicle. At which point, the soldier disappeared back down inside, closing the hatch behind him.

  The hatch popped open and up stood Dr. Atkinson. He looked around for a moment, seemingly satisfied with what he saw. He raised the mic towards his face and spoke. “Look. In case you haven’t noticed, just about everyone is dead. How you’re still alive, we do not know. You are the first person we have come across since the event began that is breathing the open air and still alive. As you can see, we are not breathing the open air.” Dr. Atkinson paused speaking.

  “What’s wrong with the air?” Jacob asked.

  Dr. Atkinson was starting to get irritated. He couldn’t understand why this man was being so stubborn. Shouldn’t any survivor jump at the offer to be transported to a safe location with other humans? What the Hell was this man’s hang-up? “You know, those deaders are getting closer … again, so I’ll be brief. The atmosphere of the Earth is polluted with some type of fungal spore. Once breathed in, the fungus kills you and then reanimates your body. I’ll be more than happy to explain everything to you; just come with us.”

  Jacob propped the hunting rifle up against his shoulder and thought for a moment. Perhaps I should go have a look at this so-called safe facility. “Ok, drive around back to loading/unloading. I will meet you there.” Jacob turned and walked away.

  Jacob heard the sound of the armored vehicles’ motor as he closed the door to the stairwell. He assumed they were driving around back like he had told them. There were some items he wanted to get before leaving with them. He mainly wanted to go and gather information from them. It’s not like he was going to stay with them forever. He had work to do cleansing the Earth. Maybe, just maybe they would have information to help him with his mission. Depending on what I find out; I may have to burn down their facility.