Zombie Dawn Outbreak

by Michael G. Thomas

  The final zombie from the corridor staggered towards her. Now seriously pissed off she bent down and placed her boot onto the skewered zombies head. With a tug the poker pulled out. Holding it like a baseball bat she swung the heavy wrought iron tool and managed to strike it in the head, caving in its skulls and dropping it to the ground. The weight and mass of the tool however swung it off to her right and ended up embedded in the wall, narrowly missing Zack and Max in their struggle with the tall zombie. As she tried to retrieve the weapon another zombie appeared and forced her back into the room. She retreated to a small table covered in large potted plants.

  Steve was pinned to the wall and was using all his strength to hold off the tall zombie. Every few seconds it snapped its jaws, trying to take chunks out of him. Max, being the bigger and stronger of the two managed to pull it off Steve. As the zombie staggered backwards Zack looked around for a weapon. The closest thing to him was the television unit. It was too big for him to use effectively so he grabbed the next closest thing, the Playstation 3 console sitting on the shelf next to it. Pulling it out of its alcove the cables dropped from the rear. It was about as big as a flattened shoebox and weighed a few kilos. Lifting it above his head he brought it down hard onto the zombie’s head, the creature dropped to its knees. With one more swing he connected with the zombie’s jaw and sent it flying into the television set.

  “Bloody hate consoles!” he shouted.

  Max grinned at him as he grabbed a world atlas from the bookshelf and smashed it into the face of another. The zombie’s feet came up, almost as though he’d done a wrestling clotheslines move. As it lay on its back Zack stepped in and issued the coup de grace with the console. Back in the front of the room the small group led by Tony were still smashing away with their instruments at the zombies. The guitar was already broken into pieces and one of the zombies lay shaking on the ground with a drum around his head. The group were fighting their way back towards the rear of the house. Laura was armed with what looked like a large terracotta flower pot. She smashed it onto a zombie and then ran, dodging the outstretched arms of at least a dozen zombies to almost reach where Max was stood. With just a few feet to go she tripped over a fallen zombie, landing hard on her left arm. She howled in pain, possibly breaking the arm in the fall.

  Looking at the rear of the house Zack could see the path through to the kitchen was clear. It was their only way out as more zombies were forcing their way into the rest of the house.

  “Come on!” shouted Zack, though only Max seemed to be paying him any attention.

  Zack grabbed the woman’s right arm and started dragging her to the kitchen. Max joined in, desperate to get out of the room that was now swarming with the undead. Zack and Max were already almost at the door to the kitchen before Tony spotted them. One of his friends was dragged down, bitten and torn at by zombies. Lifting up a cushion from the sofa he held it in front of him and simply ran, barging zombies out of the way. One tried to block his path so he thrust the cushion at its face, jamming it inside the creature’s mouth and then punched the cushion repeatedly. With its mouth blocked he was able to smash it back until he could move past it. Steve was still on the floor and seeing the attempted escape quickly got up and chased after Max.

  “Hey, where the fuck are you going?” shouted Tony.

  Max turned briefly to shout back.

  “We said we’re going and we are. Join us or stay here,” he said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

  Tony followed and just as he reached the kitchen doorway more glass shattered, revealing yet more of the things making their way into the house. The entire front room was now packed with creatures. Anybody still left was either dead or soon would be. With a last look Tony rushed into the kitchen and slammed the door shut behind him. Inside stood Steve, Laura, Zack and Max, stunned speechless by the recent events.

  “Where are the others?” asked Max.

  “Gone, they’re all gone,” said a stupefied Tony.

  “Look, like I said. If we stay here we’ll die. There are too many of them, we need to get away from people and find somewhere safe. We’re going to The Mall,” said Zack.

  “Mall?” asked Steve.

  “Yeah, you know, in the retail park, near the cinema,” said Max.

  Steve nodded in acknowledgement. The door started shaking, the zombies evidently trying to make their way into the kitchen to finish the job.

  “Come on, follow me,” said Zack.

  He opened the back door and led the small group out into the back yard. The yard was quite small and had a large eight foot high wall all around it. There was a large shed right at the back and a tree next to it. As they stepped out the exterior light flicked on, alerted by their presence.

  “Great,” muttered Tony.

  “Won’t that draw more of those things to us?” said Laura, as she pointed at the light.

  “No shit!” answered Steve sarcastically.

  In the distance the sound of shouting and screaming could be heard, along with the sound of house alarms and the emergency services.

  “I told you, this place is going to hell,” said Zack.

  He climbed the lowest branch of the tree and lifted himself onto the top of the flat roofed shed. Max followed him and from their raised position they had a much better view of the area. From the shed they could climb down the wall and into the street or they could drop the other side into the neighbour’s garden. Out in the distance Zack could see an orange glow. He concentrated, trying to work out exactly what it was.

  “Holy shit!” he exclaimed as he worked out what was going on.

  “What?” asked Laura.

  “The flats three streets down are on fire and there are people fighting in the street near it,” said Zack.

  Max turned back to the other three, gesturing to the wall.

  “Look, we’re going to take the lane that way,” he gestured off to his left, “and then over the fence to follow the railway line. We’ll take it till we get to the bridge.”

  “And then?” asked Tony.

  “Then we’ll be at the retail park and can get supplies and dig in.”

  Laura moved to the tree, offering up her hand. Max and Zack helped her up whilst Tony and Steve watched.

  “I’m going with them, you coming?” she asked.

  Before an answer was required the door to the rear of the house smashed open and three zombies staggered out.

  “Fuck!” shouted Steve.

  They both found instant motivation to climb up onto the shed and in seconds all five were ready. Zack, knowing the area best moved off first. The drop from the shed was only a few feet and easily achieved. With him and Max down they helped Laura though the other two men refused help, climbing down and starting to move off ahead of the group. They crossed the street and turned down the dark, unlit lane that led to a field. At one time it had been a popular sports field used for rugby and football. These days it was rough and unkempt, used only for dog walking.

  The group of five followed a rough trail towards the woodland. Zack and Max led, making quick progress to the perimeter of the woodland. As they entered it the amount of light reduced and progress became more difficult and slower. Tony moved up to the front, questioning Zack.

  “Why are we going this way? High Street is a much quicker way than this,” said Tony.

  Zack said nothing, he was too busy concentrating on checking his immediate area for problems.

  “Quicker, if you want to die, yeah. We need to stay away from people. People and zombies are always in the same place. Haven’t you ever seen Dawn of the Dead?” asked Max.

  “Is that the one with the train?” asked Laura.

  “Uh, no. It’s the one where a small group escape the city to take refuge in a shopping mall,” said Max.

  “Yeah, I know that one,” said Steve, “They try and escape in trucks at the end, right?”

  “Exactly,” said Max, “and that’s why we’re getting out of this populated area and in
to somewhere that’s low on people and high in safe places with supplies and weapons.”

  Zack moved out of the woodland and into the open, finally seeing the embankment ahead that led to the railway line. He climbed through a small hole in the wire fencing and then turned to helped Max and the rest through.

  “We need to follow the line to the right, it will lead us out of town,” he said.

  It took a little while for all five of them to climb through. After a couple of minutes they were all at the top of the embankment and walking parallel with the railway line. As they walked they were granted a wide panoramic view of the town and the immediate area around it. Usually at this time you’d expect to see nothing but the orange glow from urban light pollution, but tonight there were all manner of lights. As well as the street and building lighting there were the flashing red and blue of the police as well as the fire brigade and a large number of ambulances. From the skyline at least four fires were burning, two of which were massive conflagrations.

  “Looks like the bloody blitz, mate,” said Tony.

  “Yeah,” answered Steve, “do you reckon any of the others got out alive?”

  Tony turned his head with a look of despair on his face. He simply didn’t know what to say. It was hardly surprising, when just minutes before he’d watched some of his closest friends be torn apart right before his eyes.

  In the front Max was trying to use his phone to call his family and not doing well. The phone showed a strong signal yet refused to connect.

  “I can’t connect,” he said.

  “Yeah, it’s probably because everybody else is trying to use their phones. Maybe try again later,” said Zack.

  Laura moved up to speak with Zack.

  “How much further to the bridge?” she asked.

  Zack looked back, checking roughly how far they had travelled.

  “We’re about halfway to the bridge, so about five more minutes,” he said.

  “How do you know so much about these zombies?” asked Laura.

  “Me, Max and some of our friends are really interested in zombie games and films. Always have been,” he explained.

  “Zombie games, like video games?” she asked.

  “Well, computer games. We like playing first person shooters mainly,” he said.

  Laura looked a little confused though it was hardly unexpected. Zack found he received the same expression from most people when he mentioned playing certain computer games. He reached into his bag and pulled out several books. He handed her the largest one, it was white and showed various people with weapons on the front. She held it up so that the orange glow from the town lit up its pages.

  “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse, are you for real?” she asked.

  Zack laughed, “Yeah, real serious. That book is what saved our lives. Hiding in an urban area is a big problem. If you think about it you’ll find it’s all common sense stuff.”

  Laura said no more, she was intrigued by several of the illustrations and yet was confused by the bizarre nature of the book. Turning to the rest of the group she showed the book to Tony.

  “Have you seen this book?” she asked him.

  Tony glanced at the title, spotting the familiar white cover.

  “Yeah, Max is always going on about it. Why?” he asked.

  “Well, it might be a good idea to have a look at it if we get a chance,” she said.

  Moving back up to Zack she spoke to him again, “Mind if I borrow this?”

  Zack considered her question for a moment, not completely happy giving up the book but then also conscious of the fact that he knew it from cover to cover.

  “Sure, just don’t lose it,” he said as he smiled.

  Max moved closer to Zack and interrupted his conversation with Laura.

  “So we get out of town and get to the retail park. Then what?” he asked.

  Laura turned back to speak with the others whilst Max and Zack continued their discussion.

  “Well, at the park we’ve got The Mall, supermarket and loads of out of town stores. I suggest we choose the one with the most supplies and easiest to defend and occupy. Also, we need one with options in case we need to escape in a hurry,” said Zack.

  “Oh yeah, not like the gun shop in the Dawn of the Dead remake right?” said Max.

  “Exactly,” answered Zack. “The only options he had were the roof or the door. We need lots of options in case something unexpected happens.”

  The group reached a small stone wall running parallel with the track. Tony stepped closer, looking down the embankment.

  “Is this it?” he asked.

  Max scrambled down the steep embankment till he reached the darkness below. He was quiet for a moment, presumably looking around at the road and area below for signs of trouble.

  “Looks ok,” he called.

  The rest of the group climbed down with Tony and Steve gave Laura a hand on the slippery grass. Once they reached the bottom they looked around at the dark location. The lights seemed to be not working for some reason. Luckily the glow from the distant town partially lit the road. To their right the main road went back into town. There were no vehicles on it from what they could see and only a couple of detached houses dotted the road over a distance of around a mile. In the opposite direction the road passed under the railway bridge to a cross roads and then continued off into the distance. The left turn on the crossroads simply went to a gate that led to a railroad storage area. The right turn was one of the entrances to the large shopping park. On the road was a large sign displaying a map of the site. In the centre was a large mall, surrounding this was a series of circular roads leading to other large department stores and a massive supermarket.

  Max moved across the road and checked both sides carefully. He looked confused and a little worried.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Laura.

  Max continued looking whilst Zack checked back on the road leading into town. Laura followed him, repeating her question.

  Tim, our friend Tim is supposed to be meeting us here. He only lives a few minutes away.

  Maybe he’s already gone to The Mall?” she asked.

  “Maybe,” he answered.

  Max wandered back over to them.

  “No sign of him,” he said is a miserable tone.

  Tony and Steve crept up, listening to the conversation.

  “We can’t wait here. If he made it we’ll find him, if not then tough!” said Tony.

  “Tough?” shouted Max as he swung for Tony.

  Luckily Zack grabbed him at the last minute and pulled him back.

  “Come on, Tony’s right, even if he’s acting like an ass. We need to keep moving. We’re no good to anybody if we get caught out here,” said Zack.

  Max nodded uncomfortably, knowing too well he was right. After one final check Zack moved under the railroad bridge and crossed the road, heading directly for the entrance to the retail park. The others waited for a moment before crossing and following him.

  “Are we going to The Mall then?” asked Steve.

  “Yes, we need to do a quick recce of the area and much sure it’s clear first. The ideal places are the supermarket and The Mall itself. The Mall would be best to start with and we can raid the supermarket over the next few days,” replied Zack.

  The group kept moving whilst Tony started ranting.

  “Next few days! What the fuck? I thought we were gonna be here for just a few hours until this thing blows over,” he said.

  Max started to laugh and Zack turned his head in amusement.

  “I don’t think you realise what’s going on, Tony,” said Zack sarcastically.

  “This is just the start. The first few days will be hard. If we survive we’ll need to get supplies for the next days, weeks and maybe even months.”

  “Fuck!” shouted Tony.

  As they rounded the next corner they were greeted with the distant silhouette of the closed retail park. The closest structure was to the right and consiste
d of a large car wash and petrol station. Another few hundred yards further down the road was a large block of warehouse type stores. Beyond the stores was the massive structure of The Mall. Like most modern malls it contained as many stores as a small town.

  “There it is,” said Laura as she pointed in the distance.

  The group increased speed until a hand gesture from Zack made them all stop. Tony moved forwards, about to say something when Max pounced on him, pushing his hand over the man’s mouth.

  “Sshhhh,” he whispered.

  He gestured for Tony to duck down with him. As they dropped down Steve spotted what was concerning him and quickly pulled Laura off to the right and into cover. As the five of them stayed low they watched the scene ahead. Zack had been the first to spot the overturned double-decker bus. It was off the road and embedded in the tree line. For whatever reason, the bus had ended up on its side with part of the roof and side ripped off.

  What really got their attention though was the large group of bodies and people milling around the crash site. At least thirty or forty of them were staggering around, almost certainly zombies. On the road and pavement were the bodies of another dozen more, probably those that had tried to escape. Whether the zombies caused the crash or came after the crash wasn’t clear. What was important though, was that this group of zombies stood between the petrol station and the shopping mall.

  “Can we go around?” said Max.

  “Nah, if we leave them they could maybe find a way into The Mall or even let others know we’re there. We need to get rid of them,” said Zack firmly.

  Steve heard what he was saying and crept up closer.

  “What the fuck are you talking about, little man? This isn’t one of your games. We’ve got no weapons and there are only four of us plus you,” he said sarcastically.

  Zack turned his hand, swearing to himself. He didn’t want to stay in this exposed position for any longer than they had to. If a zombie spotted them they would be in big trouble. Whilst he considered what to do Steve grabbed Laura’s arm and started pulling her to the left of the road.