Life After The Undead Omnibus

by Pembroke Sinclair

  “I don’t like this. We should leave.”

  The voice at the back of my mind talked again, telling me something was wrong. It wasn’t screaming yet, but it was very insistent.

  Pam clicked her tongue. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. We’ll get in and get out. There’s no one here. They would have attacked already.” She put the truck into gear and got as close to the warehouses as she could. “You wait here and keep an eye out. I’ll see what I can get.”

  I stepped cautiously down from the truck and surveyed the surroundings. The smell of rotting flesh permeated my nostrils. I shivered. I placed my finger on the trigger of my gun. It was quiet. There were no birds or insects, and that worried me. Something splashed in the water, and I spun to face it, my gun up and ready to fire. A small boat with a camera and motion controlled gun ran into the bank. I stepped forward to the razor wire to examine it. A light was affixed to the camera, and it flashed on and off at random intervals. The gun spun on its pivot and clicked as if firing. That explained the light from last night, but it didn’t make me feel better. What was it still tracking? It hadn’t zeroed in on me, so something else must have triggered its sensors. Maybe it malfunctioned. God, I hoped it malfunctioned.

  I glanced back and noticed Pam opening and closing doors. I turned to head back to the truck when the wire in front of me shook violently. I glanced down the length. The bodies, which I’d assumed were dead, writhed and tried to free themselves. Why had I assumed they were dead? Just because they weren’t moving? Maybe it’d been wishful thinking. Either way, it was obvious they weren’t dead. I backed toward the truck. A moan echoed through the deserted streets. My heart stopped for a brief second and I closed my eyes. Please tell me I didn’t hear that. I reopened them and swallowed hard.

  Several creatures emerged from the water and headed toward me. One of the zombies freed itself from the wire, leaving behind the skin from the top of its thigh to its ankle, and crawled toward me. I fired and the bullet hit it on the top of the head.

  Several other zombies were able to get loose from the wire. Mechanically, I lined up the sights and rhythmically pulled the trigger. Pow. Pow. Pow. The creatures were down, but close to twenty emerged from the water and approached the fence. I holstered my weapon and flipped out my swords. As much as I would have preferred to stay back and shoot them from a distance, I didn’t have the ammo. Plus, with them tangled in the wire, using my swords would be faster.

  The moans of the zombies reached a deafening level, and I was afraid it would attract creatures within a two-mile radius. I stepped forward and swung. It became a pattern. I used my right arm first, then the left. A small thudding sounded as my sword sliced through their necks, followed by a metal clink when my sword contacted the fence. It turned into a rhythm. Thud, clink. Thud, clink. The moans even took on a musical tone, and a gruesome orchestra echoed through the streets of International Falls. At one point, I looked up and noticed Pam on the opposite end, her katana glistening with blood. We worked systematically, making our way down the length of the fence. We were both covered in blood and rotting flesh and panting before we took a moment to survey the situation. We’d both killed about forty zombies, but more still poured out of the river.

  “Is there anything we can use?” I called over the melee.

  Pam nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know how we’re going to get it. I couldn’t find the keys for the gate.” She pulled out her gun and fired several rounds into the horde of zombies.

  I glanced at the truck. “We should be able to knock it down, but then we’ll have to load it quickly. I don’t know how much longer the razor wire is going to hold.”

  I wasn’t going to come this far and leave empty handed. It was a vendetta, and I wasn’t going to let the zombies scare me.

  Pam nodded and glanced at the truck before running to it. She gunned the engine and rammed it into the gate. The sound of clattering metal was barely audible over the moans, and she positioned the trailer so we could load it. I snapped my blades into place and joined her at the warehouses.

  The zombies’ moans grew louder, and they strained harder against the wire. I found a forklift and raised the gate so we had some protection if the zombies broke loose. I ran to Pam’s side.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Grab that other loader and start loading those pallets.” She pointed to one of the open storage sheds.

  I nodded and ran to the loader. Before turning the engine on, I thought I heard some rattling from a nearby storage room, but I couldn’t be sure. I strained my ears. All I heard was moaning. I shrugged and turned on the machine. I grabbed a few of the pallets and headed to the truck.

  Pam loaded another forklift with supplies and filled up the trailer. On my way back, the rattling on the shed door grew louder, and it resounded from some of the other units as well. I approached Pam.

  “Do you hear that rattling?”

  Pam nodded. “Yeah, there are some zombies trapped inside the buildings. One almost bit me when I threw open the door.”

  I stared at her wide-eyed.

  “Don’t worry, he missed me. Just be cautious if you open the doors.”

  I steered my forklift back to the pile and loaded it as full as I could. There was no way I was going to open any of the doors. I was about finished loading my pallets when a loud scraping sound reached my ears. The zombies had succeeded in loosening the razor wire and drug it across the concrete. I couldn’t count how many creatures there were. The majority of them were so tangled in the wire they were being cut to shreds. They all pulled at different speeds, so we had some time before the horde made it to the gate, but then hell was going to break loose. I grabbed one more pallet and headed to the truck. Pam saw the oncoming trouble and loaded her last load. She jumped from her forklift and ran to the one holding up the gate. I abandoned my machine and climbed into the cab of the truck.

  Both of us underestimated the time it took for the zombies to reach our location. I threw the truck into gear and was about to stomp on the gas when the group reached the passenger side. Pam jumped into her seat and was closing the door when a half-rotted hand grabbed her leg. She squealed and kicked furiously. I grabbed my gun and aimed. I would have fired, but she moved so much I didn’t have a clear shot. Another set of hands grabbed her calves and a mouth latched on to her boot. I started to drive. A few of the creatures lost their grip, giving Pam time to unholster her weapon and use her handgun bayonet to saw off an arm. She kicked at the undead biting her boot, but he wouldn’t let go. She stabbed him in the eye with the bayonet and pulled the trigger. Brain and bone splattered the inside of the cab. My ears rang from the bang. She finally closed the door.

  The zombies surrounded the truck, so I floored it and plowed through the onslaught. The razor wire caught the tires and shredded half of them before we were out of the city. I fought to keep the truck under control and sped down the road. I drove for twenty miles before Pam stopped me and told me we were safe. I put the truck into park and stared at her.

  What had I been thinking? A vendetta against the zombies? I shook and felt nauseous. We were lucky to make it out alive.

  Pam took a deep breath. “Well, I guess that explains why we’re not supposed to go to the border.”

  CHAPTER 9

  I actually threw up when I stepped out of the semi and examined the tires. Part of it was from the smell and fluids that covered me from head to toe, but part of it was from fear. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure the zombies hadn’t followed us. They were probably on our trail, and even though they were slow, the less time we lingered, the happier I’d be. Pam walked up beside me.

  “Good thing we altered these things so they could drive on flats. Otherwise, we’d be stuck out here.” She smiled and slapped me on the shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re clear. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  I tried to smile. It was one thing to stand on a tower and shoot down at the zombies. If you missed, someone was always there to b
ack you up. It was completely different to be right in the middle of a horde. I couldn’t believe I’d kept my cool the way I had. All I could think about at the time was how much I hated the zombies. I hated what they did to my family and friends and the world. I wanted them to pay. Every bullet or slice of my sword was justice. When I was away from them, all I could think about was that I could have been killed. It freaked me out.

  “We’ll need to get a vehicle up here to tow us back. There are a couple four wheelers in the back we can take to the next station.”

  “Can’t we drive it the way it is?”

  Pam shook her head. “No, too many tires are damaged. If we’d blown one or two, we’d be fine. It’s all right. We’ll get the stuff back.” She walked to the trailer and then opened the door.

  We jumped onto the four wheelers and then headed down the road.

  ***

  It took two days to get the truck towed to the nearest station. I spent the time replaying the scenario in my head and becoming more comfortable with my decisions. Yeah, I could’ve died, but I didn’t. That said a lot about my luck and skill. Plus, I couldn’t change it, so why worry about it?

  The soldiers weren’t too optimistic the truck could be repaired since only a few people had the equipment and know-how to change a semi tire. While we waited, it gave Pam and me a chance to take inventory of the goods. We’d only had time to fill up half the truck, but we’d loaded several crates of building supplies (boards, bags of concrete mix, wire), some canned goods, and Pam had found a crate of exotic nuts. In the end, it turned out they couldn’t fix the vehicle, so we transferred the goods to a smaller truck.

  “We’ll have to send some guys back,” Pam said, her hands on her hips as she stared at the semi. “We have the ability to do it in North Platte.” She turned to me. “We should get the supplies back now.”

  I nodded.

  The trip went well until we crossed the Nebraska border, then I became nervous. Liet had been nice when I’d left, but I wasn’t sure how he’d react when we pulled up without the semi. I mean, supplies were already short, and we’d lost an entire truck. He’d told us not to go to the border, and even though he didn’t tell us specifically why, I still had a feeling he wasn’t going to be happy.

  We pulled into North Platte and took the truck to the storage yard. A few soldiers milled around, and I noticed one of them run off. I assumed he went to tell Liet we were back. The blood and ooze from the undead had dried into my clothes and hair, and they were crunchy. I wanted desperately to take a shower, and I thought about sneaking back to the courthouse, but if Liet was going to be mad, I didn’t want Pam to have to face him alone. I paced the grounds until he showed up.

  He stared at the truck, his hands on his hips. His jaw muscles tight. “Where’s the truck I sent you out with?”

  “We ran into trouble,” I explained.

  He scowled. “What kind of trouble?”

  “Well, zombies. Is there any other kind of trouble out there?”

  He took a deep breath and folded his hands over his chest. “Where in the world did you go to run into that kind of trouble with zombies?”

  I lowered my head. “The Canadian border.”

  “The border?” Liet tried to keep his voice calm. “I told you not to go to the border!” It was a lost battle.

  “We know,” Pam interjected. “We didn’t have a choice. Everything has been picked clean.”

  He pointed a finger at her. “In my office now.” They turned and headed off.

  I felt sorry for Pam, but I didn’t want to be in the courtroom. I went to my room and then climbed into the shower, wondering how bad Liet was chewing out Pam.

  After showering and dressing, I headed into the kitchen to find something to eat. Liet sat on the couch in the living room. I opened the fridge and stared at him out of the corner of my eye.

  “Is everything all right?” I asked cautiously.

  “No, everything is not all right.” His voice was soft with a menacing tone to it.

  My heart skipped a beat. “Is there anything I can do to make it all right?”

  He glanced at me and anger flashed through his eyes. “No, there’s not.” He stood and went into my room.

  I followed him and watched as he took a stack of CDs off my shelf.

  “What are you doing?” I squealed.

  “Punishing you. You disobeyed me. You could have been killed. I’m taking something important to you so you’ll know how it’d feel if I lost you.”

  I didn’t really understand his logic, I mean, they were just CDs, but if it made him feel better, fine. And part of me knew some form of punishment was to be expected. I moved so he could get by. I went back to the kitchen and grabbed some food. I took it to my room and ate, then went to bed. I was way too tired to deal with Liet.

  ***

  The next day, while practicing my marksmanship and beheading techniques, Pam found me in the field.

  “How did it go last night?” she asked, interrupting my workout.

  “Fine. He took some CDs. How did it go with you?”

  “Not bad. I’ve been yelled at worse. He wasn’t so much worried about the truck as he was about you. Once he knew you were all right, he calmed down a little and listened to the supply problem. Took CDs, huh? That’s kind of weird.”

  I folded up my swords and took a seat on the ground. “Yeah, it was. I expected a lot worse. He said something about wanting me to feel what it’s like to lose something important. I don’t know. Whatever.”

  Pam laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think he really knows how to handle a teenager. You should feel lucky. If you’d been a worker, you’d be dead. The only reason he’s different with you is because you’re family.”

  Her comment shocked me a little, and I didn’t know what to say. That couldn’t have been true. He needed the workers. He couldn’t haul off and shoot them because they angered him. Could he? Pam motioned for me to follow her, and we climbed the steps into the tower. We sat and stared out over the field. The wind shifted directions and blew smoke from the funeral pyre into our faces. My eyes watered.

  “Well, in a way, I deserved it. I mean, we disobeyed orders. As long as he doesn’t start acting like he’s my dad, we should be fine.”

  “Oh, you’d be lucky if he started acting like he was your father. Then he might show some restraint. I mean, he’s your second cousin, which really isn’t a relation at all. In many ways, that might make things worse. He’s older, and he thinks he’s protecting you, so he’ll go as far as he thinks he needs to in order to make sure you’re safe.” She adjusted in her seat. “I’ve seen it before. He was in the prison system, so the only thing he knows is power. He has it over everyone else in this camp, why wouldn’t he have it over you? The more you question that power, the angrier he’s going to get. You watch, he’ll do strange things to punish you.”

  Pam worried me a little. I wasn’t exactly sure what she talked about, and I wondered if it had something to do with what he’d said to her in his office. I decided to press a little further.

  “What do you mean? What do you think he’ll do to punish me?”

  “I don’t know, but you’ll know when it happens.”

  I sat silently for a moment, wondering what he could possibly do to punish me. I shook my head. “No, I don’t think he’ll do anything. I’m not planning on disobeying any more orders.”

  “You might not have to. He might feel like he needs to exert his power over you.”

  “Well, there’s not much I can do if he does. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go.”

  “You can come back and live in the house with us.”

  I shook my head. “If he’s a control freak and wants to keep me under his thumb, living at your house won’t do me any good. He’ll find me there. Besides,” I smiled, “you just want me there to keep the place clean.”

  Pam smiled back. “Well, it hasn’t been the same since you left.” She squinted through the smoke and onto the
field. “Looks like we’ve got about ten looking for a meal.”

  We stood from our seats and fired at the approaching zombies.

  ***

  I got home right before dinner. I undid my holster, setting it on the table near the door. I thought about what Pam had said and didn’t immediately notice the door to my bedroom was shut. I walked to the kitchen and pulled out an onion to chop when it hit me. I stepped into the hallway and stared at it for a few moments before approaching it cautiously. Grabbing the handle, I pushed the door open and noticed a girl standing in the middle of the room. She stared at herself in the mirror, holding up one of my shirts. She already had a pair of my jeans on, and one of my CDs played softly in the player.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I ran into the room.

  The girl jumped and dropped the shirt onto the floor. “Liet told me it was okay,” she said softly.

  I turned off the stereo. “This isn’t Liet’s room. Take my clothes off right now.”

  “What’s going on in here?” Liet asked from the door.

  I turned to look at him. “Your friend here was going through my stuff.”

  “So?”

  “So? So?” The heat rose into my face. “So this is my stuff. She has no right to touch it.”

  “Technically,” Liet said calmly, “this is my stuff. This is my house. I’m just nice enough to let you use it.”

  I narrowed my eyes to slits. How dare he allow someone to invade my normal. Without my room, I had no sanctuary, no place safe to go to get away from everything.

  “Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be. Fine, then I’ll move out.”

  The girl took off my pants and feebly handed them to me. I grabbed them, found a bag in my closet, and stuffed them inside. Liet stepped into the room.

  “And where do you think you’re going to go?”

  “Back to the soldier’s house. Pam already said I could live there.”