Deaders

by Steven Bynum

  It was in these very clouds Jacob remembered his mission and understood more than he ever had. Clouds appeared and dissipated in various forms. Many of these clouds resembled what he thought to be microorganisms. Encephalitis. I developed encephalitis. Could that be the reason I was unaffected? If that’s the case, then, that means…there could be a lot more survivors around the world. All may not be lost. If the taint is burned away, then, humans could make a come back. Maybe.

  “I need to get to that doctor. If there are places that could have guarded against the tainted air, he would know about them. All this time, trying to kill him. He may very well be the man that saves humanity. Ole buddy, where you at? We need to get back to the facility. Ole buddy?” Jacob began looking around for his crowbar.

  When Jacob finally discovered the crowbar’s location, he turned pale and began to tremble. The crowbar was hanging from a piece of the Humvee directly over the edge of the cliff.

  “What…what the Hell are you doing, ole buddy? Don’t move, stay right there. Don’t jump. I need you. We’ve have reasons to keep going…to keep living. I’m…I’m coming to get you. Don’t move.”

  Jacob was nearly frantic crawling as fast as he could toward the crowbar’s location. Reaching … he just could not grasp it. Over and over he tried until tears were streaming down his face. Jacob nearly fell himself the last time he reached as far as he could.

  “I don’t know what to do, ole buddy. You’re too far out there. Why’d you go out there?” Jacob spoke in sobs.

  Jacob was staring at the crowbar when he noticed something. He remembered the most important aspect of the crowbar which caused him to buy it in the first place; double clawed.

  “Yes…yes…you keep holding on, ole buddy. I know how to save you. Just don’t let go!”

  Jacob crawled about with renewed vigor, searching for a long stick, something he could use to hook the other claw. He was nearly in tears again before he found exactly what he needed. A tree branch had been torn away when he Humvee had soared through the trees. Just what he needed, because it had a smaller branch attached to it that created a natural hook.

  Swiftly, he ran back to the Humvee and tripped. The branch nearly went over the edge with him behind it. Jacob took in a deep breath and steadied himself. Ok, settle down. Trembling, he reached out with the branch and hooked the crowbar. Every muscle in his arms began burning while he slowly pulled the branch and crowbar toward him.

  Jacob didn’t breath until he held the crowbar firmly with both hands.

  He was so relieved he was laughing and crying at the same time. “I have you! I have you, ole buddy!”

  Jacob fell back with the crowbar held to his chest. He breathed heavily for a time. Eventually, the adrenaline subsided and his heartbeat slowed. Normal breathing came, and he relaxed his grip on the crowbar. Everything was calm and peaceful for a change.

  Eighteen

  Misty awoke, banged up, but otherwise not hurt. She looked around, unsure of her location. She pinched herself to make sure she was alive. A smile spread upon her lips, because the pinch hurt and she was breathing. Alive. I’m alive. Her next thoughts were of Trevor.

  “Trevor? Trevor?” She whispered until her gaze fell upon him. There he was, bleeding and unmoving. “Oh God!” Misty gasped and sprung to his side.

  Misty checked for a pulse; Trevor had one. That was a good thing. At least, he was still alive. Thank God.

  Misty patted Trevor gently in the face. She was having trouble waking him. He didn’t respond to the stimuli at all. The large cut, bleeding, swelling, and peripheral bruising meant he had severe head trauma.

  Trevor’s left wrist was bent in a direction it was not suppose to bend. Obviously, it was badly broken. Being unconscious would work to her benefit while setting it into proper position. She would need to make a sling for him once he awoke, if he awoke.

  Misty heard the first moan while tending to Trevor’s wounds. Her heart raced as she turned to look down the corridor. She could make out a shape, and then another, and another. Zombies were coming toward them. She can’t run, Trevor would be eaten while unconscious on the floor. Running wasn’t an option. She had to defend and protect the one she loved.

  Misty gritted her teeth and pulled her pistol from its holster. She stood, wobbled for a second, righted herself, and took aim. Any zombie in the section would hear the shots, but she didn’t care. There was no way she would be able to fight off three zombies herself without a weapon.

  The first shot she fired clipped the nearest zombie just above the left ear. It didn’t lose stride, but kept coming at full speed. The next shot hit the zombie just above the nose and exited out the back of its head. It went down without any hesitation.

  The second zombie tripped over the first as it went down. It attempted to stand, but the third zombie ran into it, knocking it to the side. Snarling, it came at almost a run. It was gaining ground fast and would have to be her next target less it be upon her in less than a minute.

  Misty squeezed the trigger and her shot hit true. The zombie crumpled to the ground. It rolled a few feet before coming to a stop just in front of her. She reacted by placing another shot into its head at point-blank range. She had learned a long time ago to make sure its dead.

  The zombie that had fallen was now on its feet again. It let out a loud, monstrous sound and stretched its arms out towards his prey. It came at Misty, intent on ripping her apart and devouring every inch of her flesh. Misty wanted to cower in fear, but to do so would mean pain and death. Zombies have no compassion. Zombies only want to kill and eat, period.

  Misty couldn’t remember how many rounds she had left in her pistol. She knew there was at least one, so, she waited. The zombie came ever closer, its arms reaching for her from afar. When the zombie got close enough, she pulled the trigger twice. Two bullets penetrated its head, and it fell to the floor face down.

  There were no more zombies, which gave her time to check the pistol. Silently, she cursed herself for having forgotten to check it earlier. If the magazine had been empty, she and Trevor very well could have died just then and become zombies themselves. There were four rounds left in the magazine. She would make every effort to remember that number. For now, she switched the magazine with a full one.

  Trevor still hadn’t awakened. Misty was beginning to worry. How was she going to get him out of here? How was she going to help him down here? Where were they? She wasn’t sure about this section. She had no memory of it being on the schematics. A choice had to be made. Would she try to drag him up the stairs or try to drag him to a more secure place in this section? If one could be found down here.

  Misty holstered her pistol. She tore off pieces of her shirt and bandaged Trevor’s head as best she could. The bleeding had lessoned, but not stopped. Again, she patted him in the face, but he did not respond. She grabbed him by the shoulders and began pulling. He was heavy, and she was not a muscular woman, yet she moved him ever so slowly.

  Misty decided to drag Trevor inside the stairwell. She would be able to shut the door behind them. With luck, she could find something to bar the door to keep any zombie from accidentally turning the door knob. A piece from the elevator did the job well. Door barred, she continued up the stairs, alone. Trevor was just too heavy for her to drag all the way.

  Misty decided to go for medical supplies. It would be much easier for her to carry the supplies and move faster without him. The faster she was able to treat Trevor’s wounds, the more likely he would recover. Pistol and flashlight in hand, she made her way. She was going to search level by level if that was what was needed. She would not give up. Ever.

  Misty’s legs burned by the time she made it to the next level. She wished she’d bought that Stairmaster a long time ago, but for one reason or another, never did. If she would have been forewarned of the apocalypse, she would have made damn sure to prepare for it.

  Misty cracked open the stairwell door in order to take a look after she caught her breath. S
he had already heard the loud noises of machinery, so, figured it would be the engineering level for this section. It was, as she had speculated. The needed medical supplies would not be here, but she should be able to find something to bar the door with here. She planned to bar every door of the stairwell just to be safe. No zombie was going to get Trevor.

  The area seemed clear so she stepped inside to find something to bar the door. Right ahead was a large toolbox on rollers. Perfect, since not only would it work for barring the door, but it would have something she could use as a weapon other than her pistol. A weapon that wouldn’t make noise.

  She picked out a large screwdriver and a wrench. She placed the screwdriver in her back pocket. The wrench she carried in her hand. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need them, but these days optimism usually fell to the wayside. Best to be ready for a zombie at any moment.

  After shoving the toolbox up against the door, she began her climb up the stairs to the next level. God, my feet are killing me. Why couldn’t he have gotten hurt on the first level? Misty allowed herself to laugh a bit.

  Optimism did indeed fall by the wayside when Misty had made her way halfway to the next level. She could not believe what she was seeing. There had been a structural collapse and the stairwell was blocked completely by stone, concrete, and other types of debris. She nearly broke down crying, but managed to regain control of her emotions. She would just have to go back down, make her way through engineering, and find another way up.

  Nineteen

  Reverend Thomas gazed at the devastation that had been unleashed by the daisy cutter bomb. He was not impressed. A heavenly angel could have completely destroyed the entire facility, but his prayer for one had gone unanswered. He was not going to complain. God, works in mysterious ways. If he provided everything I wanted, then, I would be out of a job real fast. Yes, it is up to me to perform the task that has been allotted.

  The reverend used an iron rod he found in the wreckage as a walking stick. It was a good weapon too. He walked right up on a zombie that had been blown away from the facility by the shockwave and smashed it in the head several times, easily dispatching it. “Blessed be those that walk the Earth dealing God’s wrath upon human kind.” The reverend was sorry he had to kill the zombie, but often it was necessary. “God’s will be done.”

  Slowly but surely Reverend Thomas made it to the facility that now looked like a war zone. The shockwave from the bomb had burned and charred vehicles, knocked down trees, flung the perimeter fence in all directions, set many buildings on fire, and killed a bunch of zombies. The area appeared so different, he wasn’t sure where to begin his search for Dr. Atkinson and Nurse Bennings. I’ll just systematically go from one point to another.

  The reverend stumbled on debris, walked around destroyed vehicles, and bypassed fires while he searched. There was nothing to be seen walking around. The only thing he was sure of was the underground facility had to be checked.

  “God willing, I’ll find a way down in one of the buildings still standing.”

  Reverend Thomas continued on a winding path counterclockwise around the outskirts of the facility. There were very few buildings left standing, so, he would not have to check many. It was just a matter of time before he found an entrance to the underground.

  ***

  Jacob climbed up the cliff using the crowbar as a pickaxe. Without it, he would have never made it back to the top in his condition. The cliff was steep in places and he slipped several times, nearly falling to his death. Ever forward he trudged, no thoughts in his head of giving up. He was being driven now by a mission to save a couple of people that were once his foes.

  Aching arms, aching legs, an entire body that hurt, Jacob finally reached the top. He rolled over with the crowbar next to him. Up and down his chest heaved as he caught his breath.

  Jacob did not notice the upper half of a zombie lying next to him, but the zombie noticed him. It tried to roll over for a bite when Jacob turned his head and looked directly into its eyes.

  The scream Jacob unleashed sounded pitiful and strained. It was as if his vocal chords had been nearly paralyzed. He quickly rolled to the side after the initial shock. The zombie dragged itself across the ground in pursuit.

  Jacob jumped up and was immediately hit with a dizzy spell that sent his head spinning. Before he knew it, he was on to his back. The zombie moaned in excitement, as it dragged itself faster in hopes of a meal.

  Jacob managed to sit up just as the zombie reached his feet. Opening his legs at the right moment allowed the zombie to enter the killing range. Down came the clawed end of the crowbar on top of the zombie’s head. The head popped open like a coconut and white mist sprayed into the air.

  It was a reminder of the original threat that came from the upper levels of the atmosphere. The fungal spores that circled the globe and fell to the lower levels and infected just about everyone, killing them and turning them into these foul creatures. Jacob wondered if the spores were still in the air, or if only the land and zombies were tainted.

  That would be a question worth asking the doctor. If the air was now free of spores and a person could only become infected when they kill a zombie, there still may be a lot more people left alive. Those lucky enough to have hid in places where the air was filtered of foreign bodies. It was something worth hoping for and something that gave him strength.

  Jacob buried the crowbar in the ground and lifted himself up. He staggered many times as he used the crowbar for support. The dizziness came, but he fought past it. Slowly but surely, he began walking a path that would take him clockwise around the outskirts of the destroyed facility.

  ***

  Misty hit the zombie in the temple with the wrench. Its head turned with the impact and she followed up with the screwdriver in to the eye socket. The zombie opened its mouth one last time before crumpling to the floor.

  She finally made it through the engineering section. If it wasn’t zombies she was dodging, it was steam spewing from cracked pipes. The earthquake, or whatever it was, must have damaged a lot of equipment.

  No matter, she pressed onward into the stairwell. No way she was going to attempt another elevator at this point. The last one nearly killed her and Trevor. It was still to be seen if Trevor would even wake up.

  Misty climbed the stairs so fast, she ran into the back of a zombie that was just standing there staring at the wall. The zombie turned and fell on top of her, causing them both to tumble down the stairs. They both came to a crashing halt at the bottom. Misty dropped the wrench and screwdriver, dazed by the fall. The zombie was the first to recover.

  It was on top of her before she could move away. The zombie bit her in the chest, ripping away a piece of flesh. Mist screamed in pain and fear. With a twist and a shove, Misty managed to free herself from its grasp. Up the stairs she climbed on her hands and knees in an attempt to get away. The zombie followed, grabbing at her legs as she went.

  Misty kicked the zombie in the face, and it tumbled backwards down the stairs again. She heard bones snap during its descent. Unaffected, the zombie got to its feet with its left arm dangling at its side. Back up the stairs it moved, moaning with every step.

  Misty grabbed her pistol as tears streamed down her face. She aimed at the zombie’s head and pulled the trigger. Her aim was slightly off and the bullet took off the zombie’s ear. Its head turned sideways with the impact. Misty pulled the trigger again. This time the bullet hit true and the back of the zombie’s head exploded. White mist and blood sprayed from the back of its head as it fell to the floor face first.

  Misty breathed heavily the tainted air in the stairwell. After a moment she relaxed and caught her breath. Her chest throbbed and blood soaked her shirt. She turned to continue her climb to the next section. After a few minutes passed she began to cough slightly.

  ***

  Misty was not feeling well at all. She had to stop to rest at increasingly shorter intervals. The cough was growing worse and she felt like she was be
coming feverish. A slight headache had made its presence known along with the pain in her chest.

  She managed to stop the bleeding and bandage her chest wound with strips ripped from her clothing. It was not the bite that worried her, but all of the other symptoms. Symptoms she had seen before while studying victims of this zombie fungus. But I took the vaccine. I don’t understand what’s happening. This can’t be happening.

  Misty gathered her will and continued on. She was nearly at the exit to the surface. It was her plan to get the needed supplies from the Humvee and fix Trevor up. Then, he would know what to do. He had to know what to do. No one left in the world knew as much about the fungus as he does. Trevor will find a way to save me, he has too.

  There was bright light ahead, which, she did not understand. Regardless, she moved ever closer towards the light. Whatever the light was, it was showing her the way out of the dark underground.

  Misty thought she was hallucinating when she discovered it was sunlight shining down through a large gaping hole in the ground. “What the…how the…” She just stood there staring into the sunlight.

  It took her several minutes to come to her senses. She stepped forward as a coughing spell made her fall to her knees. She rolled onto her back and gasped for air. Little sparkly lights danced in front of her eyes. Eventually, she caught her breath and no longer felt death tugging at her.

  Misty rolled back to her knees and began crawling toward the surface. She was weak and disoriented, but kept going with one thought on her mind. Get to the supplies and help Trevor.

  She couldn’t believe her eyes when she crawled forth into the open sunlight. There was nothing left. Just about everything had been destroyed, burnt to a charred skeleton of its former self. It was not an earthquake that had caused such devastation. At first, she thought some military battle had taken place above them, but that couldn’t be the answer. There was no military left. Only one thing could have done this damage…a bomb.