Savannah's Only Zombie (Book 1): A New Death

by Josh Vasquez

  “Albert,” Jeremy started, again holding out one hand as a peace offering. “Just let us go. Get some help for your people, and just let us go.”

  The small man smiled for a minute and then laughed.

  “Kill them,” he said.

  His two cronies hesitantly aimed their rifles and prepared to fire. Jeremy could tell that they did not want to kill anyone, but that they also did not want to cross Albert. He had no idea what made these people blindly follow him. Their fingers tightened around the triggers. Everyone held their breath.

  “Not today, bitches!”

  Lexx came flying off the second floor balcony, a knife in his right hand. He came down on one of the rifle-hipsters, who tried to aim the barrel up at the falling man, but only ended up taking a knife across the chest. The blade cut through the shoulder strap, sending the gun to the floor. His friend went to fire at Lexx, but Tori came up behind him, putting him in a choke-hold. She had snuck down the stairs and flanked Albert and his men. The guy’s face turned blue and he quickly passed out. She let him fall to the floor with a thud. He lay there motionless next to his bleeding buddy, who just groaned in pain.

  Albert realized he was now completely surrounded. Surrounded by people he had really, really pissed off. His friend’s knife wound was not going to kill him, but that guy was not getting up to protect Albert anytime soon. The cards were greatly stacked against him.

  “I knew you would harm us,” he said quietly.

  Tori kicked him in the back of the knee, causing his legs to buckle, and put him sprawled out on the floor.

  “You put this shit upon yourself!” Tori yelled. “Don’t you dare put that on us. You should have just let us go!”

  Jeremy held up his hand, motioning that was enough. She nodded and backed off. He handed his shotgun to Tori, and crouched down next to Albert, looking him in the face. Albert’s head raised a little to meet Jeremy’s gaze.

  “What?” he huffed.

  Jeremy continued to stare at the man. Albert hung his head low again.

  “Are you going to kill me?”

  “No,” Jeremy answered. “But I am going to ask you again, do you have any gasoline?”

  Albert began to giggle again. The man was losing it. He began to shake his head violently, much like Anastasia did earlier. Tori raised her shotgun.

  “No gas. No gas. No gas,” he began to mumble over and over.

  Jeremy stood back up and shrugged his shoulders.

  “I think we’ve lost him,” he said. “Let’s just go-”

  “HELP! NO, NO, GET AWAY!”

  Yelling came from the hallway. The guy who Jeremy shot in the shoulder came running out. He held his hand on his wound. Blood stained his camouflage shirt. He lost his footing coming into the room and took a nasty spill, not able to catch himself. He turned over on his back just in time for a mob of zombies to come pouring into the room. The first few fell on him and began to rip into him, tearing away at his flesh.

  “NO! NO!”

  He kicked at them, but they didn’t care. They were hungry.

  “Let’s go!” Jeremy yelled, running towards the door.

  “What about him?” Ben yelled, motioning towards Albert.

  “Leave him!” Tori said.

  “We can’t just leave him,” Ben shot back.

  She looked at Jeremy to make the call.

  “What am I? The decision maker now?” he said.

  Lexx got to the door first, but taking enough time to retrieve one of the rifles from the floor. He held the door open for them to run through. Avery went through. Tori made a quick bow towards Lexx as she passed him. Ben reached the door next, stopping to look at Albert then to Jeremy.

  “We can’t just leave the man,” Ben said.

  Jeremy went to answer him, but noticed that one of the zombies looked familiar. It was a young woman. She was missing the bottom half of her jaw. What was left of her intestines hung from the dark cavity in her stomach. Her mascara was smeared down her face, darkened by blood.

  It was Anastasia.

  Albert looked up as she shambled towards him, arms reaching out for him. Her left arm must have broken from the fall, because it was bent in an angle that was unnatural. His face lit up.

  “Sis,” he said. “It wasn’t supposed to end this way. I did everything you said. I did everything just the way you said. Why didn’t it work?”

  She fell on him and began to peel the skin from her brother’s bones. Jeremy looked away and back to Ben. Ben nodded and exited the building.

  “I guess that solves that problem,” Jeremy mumbled, before walking through the door and slamming it shut.

  ***

  The situation was no better outside. The noise had attracted zombies from all over the place. They covered the square. Anastasia’s screams had really attracted the dead to the area.

  “Uh, guys?” Lexx said, after butting a geek in the head with his rifle. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we are in the same position we were in few hours ago!”

  He was right. The Jeep still had no gas. Jeremy began to think about how far they could make it on what gas they still had in the tank. It was mostly fumes. They probably wouldn’t make it out of the city. The Jeep was good for a lot of things, but sucked at gas mileage. Tori blasted a zombie who wandered too closely to the group, sending a mist of red against the building.

  “Hey, over here!” Avery yelled.

  He was standing down by the back alleyway that led behind the building. His waved his hand for them to come to him. They ran in his direction, and as they got close, he ran on down into the alley.

  “Come on! Hurry!” he yelled.

  “Where are we going?” Jeremy asked.

  Avery didn’t answer, but led them to a small parking area hidden behind the building. Sitting in it were several, new-looking moped scooters.

  “I heard them mention these; we can use them to escape!” Avery said with a smile.

  “Scooters?” Tori said, unsure if he was being serious.

  “Yeah!”

  She looked at Jeremy for confirmation.

  “You got any better ideas, Tori?” Jeremy asked.

  “Uh, not riding scooters for one.”

  “Look,” Avery started. “I know it doesn’t seem like a good idea, like not much protection and all, but what they lack in defense they make up in mobility. You can get around obstacles a lot easier on these things than you would be able to in a car. Plus, gas will last you a lot longer.”

  “He’s got a solid point,” Jeremy said.

  The rest of the group still looked unsure, but the zombies were starting to funnel their way into the alley so time was limited. They all picked a scooter and took off in the opposite direction of the oncoming horde. Avery let a ‘whoop’ once they hit the street. Tori shot a glance at Jeremy, but he was too busy enjoying the wind in his hair.

  ***

  They reached Bay Street with no problems. Avery was right. They were able to maneuver around obstacles much better than with the Jeep. And the scooters had enough get up and go to pass up any skirmishes with the dead. Avoiding the dead was much better than taking them on. Once they got to Bay Street, they came to a rest. The pedestrian signs were still on.

  “Walk sign on across Bay Street,” the automated sign spoke in a monotone voice.

  Tori mimicked the sign, causing the others to smile briefly.

  “Avery, we were headed west before this. Rincon, to be exact. We were going to hole up at Ben’s parent’s and ride this thing out. I’m sure it’d be ok with him if you tagged along with us,” Jeremy said.

  “Yeah, that’s fine with me. He’s been a great help,” Ben added.

  Avery smiled, but looked back east.

  “Well, I appreciate the offer guys. I mean, we make a great team and all, but I really need to head home and see if I can find my parents. Plus, I’m going to try and find my buddy Josh. He was my zombie buddy before all this. We use to watch zombie movies and play vi
deo games all the time back when all this stuff was still fiction. He’s knows a good bit about zombies and stuff, so I’m sure we could make it through this thing.”

  “You sure?” Jeremy asked.

  Avery nodded.

  “Yeah, I should be able to get home with no problems. If you don’t mind, I’d like to hang onto the shotgun,” he said, holding up the gun.

  “That’s perfectly fine. Do you want a pistol too?”

  “No, this will do for now. Thank you though.”

  Jeremy reached out to shake Avery’s hand. They shook hands and Avery kicked his scooter back on. He nodded to everyone else and drove off towards the islands. Jeremy turned back to the group and switched his bike on.

  “Alright, west it is.”

  Chapter Twenty One

  As they passed under the ramp leading up to where the Talmadge Bridge had once been, Tori caught herself looking towards South Carolina across the river. She knew her dad was fine. He was a Marine to the core. He would be fine. She just wished she knew that for sure. Parris Island would be safe, but there was just no way to get there from here. Safety seemed so close, but unobtainable. She tried to refocus her thoughts on something else. The only thing that came to mind was: Lexx.

  She didn’t know why she felt so attracted to the man. She just met him. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was that made him so irresistible. Maybe it was his macho attitude or his bravado. Or maybe it was the fact that he was willing to sacrifice himself for a group of people he just met. She saw characteristics in him that she saw in her father.

  Oh, geez, she thought. I’m attracted to my father.

  She shook the thought out of her head. Dr. Patel, the Base shrink, would have had a field day with that little piece of information. Tori was not even going to take herself down that road. Maybe it was the way Lexx’s shirt was tight against his muscular build.

  Yeah, let’s go with that.

  ***

  Once the road was clear from any nearby undead, Jeremy came to a stop. The others followed suit; they looked to Jeremy for a reason to as why he stopped in the middle of the road. He glanced around quickly and then back to the others.

  “I think we should find a place to stay for the night,” he said. “We lost a lot of time with those crazy hipsters and it will be dark in a few hours. I wouldn’t normally ride through this area at nighttime, so now that all hell has broken loose, I sure don’t want to.”

  “Where do you recommend we stay then?” Tori asked. “In the projects?”

  She pointed over to the government housing that sat off in the distant left. To be fair, the buildings were just rebuilt. The old ones, dilapidated and worn down, were demolished, and cleared out for the new ones. So, while they were new projects, they were nonetheless still “the projects.”

  “Uh, no,” Jeremy said.

  “Why not? Y’all scared of the ghetto?” Ben interjected, a smile creeping up on his face.

  The others looked at him with blank faces.

  “Relax! I was just kidding,” he said. “I wouldn’t stay there either.”

  “Actually, I was thinking of staying in one of these warehouses,” Jeremy continued. “The one last night seemed to work pretty good, minus the whole zombie in the courtyard thing. We’ll just have to check the perimeter better this time. We have a few hours to prepare as opposed to last night’s midnight shack up.”

  “Well, which one do you have in mind?” Lexx asked.

  Jeremy looked around. There were quite a few to choose from. Savannah had the third largest port on the Eastern seaboard and they were right in its backyard. Warehouses were in no short supply. One side of road was all industrial buildings and the other government housing. Ah, Savannah. They don’t show all this on the travel shows on TV.

  An older, faded white building caught Jeremy’s eye. It was rather square and was surrounded by an eight foot tall chain-link fence. There were stacks of wooden pallets and old oil drums lined against the fence. Jeremy thought they could use those to help barricade and better secure the fences. He looked back to the group, who was waiting for him to say something.

  “Let's do that one,” he said pointing to the white building.

  No one argued. They all cranked up their bikes and rode into the fenced area. Jeremy was unsure if he liked everyone looking to him for answers. He did not really want to be the leader. He would much rather someone else lead. Everyone was older than him, Lexx and Ben more so. Why did they all look to him?

  “You still with us man?” Ben asked.

  “Yeah,” Jeremy answered. “Just thinking, I guess.”

  “Well start thinking about how we’re going to lock this place down,” Tori said.

  She playfully punched Jeremy in the arm. It was harder than she intended and Jeremy smiled, rubbing his arm. He pointed over to the pallets and barrels.

  “We can probably use those to strengthen the fence a little. Put pallets up against the fence and then barrels behind the pallets. Just to help it from being pushed over. Not a hundred percent sure how to keep the crazy ones out, but I don’t think anything will really stop them, y’know?”

  “Uh, guys,” Lexx said, causing the others to all look at him.

  He was standing next to his scooter with the seat pulled up. Underneath it was a compartment and it was filled with two boxes of ammunition. One box of twelve gauge shotgun shells and the other ammo for the 30-06 rifle. They all lit up and opened up their own scooters. Each one had a box of ammunition.

  “You have got to be kidding me!” Ben said, laughing as he held up his box of 9mm bullets, the exact kind his and Jeremy’s pistols used.

  Jeremy couldn’t believe it. They only had whatever ammo was in the guns, but once that ran out, they’d have just really fancy bludgeons. Now they might have a chance. Especially against the runners.

  “Alright then,” Lexx said, his smiling fading. “Enough lollygagging. Let’s get this place secure enough to sleep in!”

  ***

  Once they finished with the outside, they made their way into the warehouse. A few random zombies wandered the warehouse, but they were quickly and quietly dispatched with the hand tools. Other than that, the building was empty except for a few offices and a small store front near the street side of the building. The warehouse itself was filled with shelving and boxes of whatever it was they stored there. The labels made no sense to Jeremy. They went into the office area and began to make camp there. There was a small kitchenette area with a fridge and a sink.

  “Please tell me they have a Coke in there! Dibs on the Coke!” Lexx said as he ran up to the fridge.

  He yanked open the door and there in all its glory was a twelve-pack of Coca-Cola.

  “Oh man, oh man, oh man. They’re still cold!”

  He reached in, pulled one out, and opened it all in one fluid movement. He had it down within a matter of seconds. Tori walked up beside him.

  “You gonna share any of those with us?”

  “I don’t know,” he said between belches. “Still thinking about it.”

  This made her laugh. He smiled and handed her one, before he opened and drank his second. She didn’t chug hers, but took a few sips before setting it down. Her attention was fixed on the sink. She walked over to it and paused before reaching for the faucet handle.

  Water.

  “Yes! Water's still on!” she yelled.

  “Yeah, it’s still on in the bathroom too,” Ben yelled back from another room.

  Tori’s face lit up.

  “I've got to pee so bad! Move!”

  She ran off to the bathroom. Jeremy walked into the kitchen area as she zoomed by. He smiled. It was funny how these things they took for granted yesterday were now precious. A can of Coke, tap water, and working bathrooms. Jeremy just shook his head.

  Lexx handed him a Coke.

  “Just so you know," Lexx started. “Me voluntarily giving you a Coke means you’re alright in my eyes.”

  “Cool,” Jeremy
said, as he tilted the can back, chugging the cold, carbonated beverage.

  ***

  Tori and Jeremy were the only ones still awake. Lexx had been the first one to fall asleep, probably crashing from his Coca-Cola induced sugar high. Ben lasted a little longer, but he was also no match for the exhaustion that had come over the group. A small desk lamp gave off enough light to light up the room, but was dim enough to sleep with. Tori leaned back in the office chair she claimed earlier.

  “What did you do before all of this Jeremy?”

  He looked up at her from his spot on the floor. Her question took him off guard a bit. “Before all this.” Was it only yesterday that things were normal?

  “I worked at a grocery store. A cashier.”

  “Oh, that sounds so exciting. Please, tell me more.”

  He shot her a dirty look.

  “You asked...”

  She smiled.

  “Sorry, sarcasm can be my default sometimes. Especially when I’m exhausted. Don’t let me make you feel bad. At least you had a job,” she said.

  “What? You in school or something?” he said, straightening himself up.

  “I graduated a year ago. Right when I got out is when the economy tanked. People didn't want to hire someone with no experience. Before I went to college, everyone told me that in order to get experience, you needed a degree in something! A lot of good that did me. Now I’m unemployed, living at home with my dad, and really have nothing to show for my life. So, please don’t let me make fun of you.’

  “Well, good thing for this whole zombie apocalypse deal, huh?” Jeremy said, trying to hide the smile creeping up on his lips.

  “Aha! I see you too have been trained in the arts of sarcasm and wit!”

  They laughed quietly for a moment, before Lexx started to stir. Tori held a finger up to her lips, trying to hold back her own laughter. They waited a few seconds before starting their conversation back up. Lexx lay silent and seemed to have fallen back into a deeper sleep.