by Max Lockwood
He sat up on the couch and looked around. Matthew tethered himself to reality by making observations about his surroundings. Ellie snored softly on the couch next to him while Carl and Sergio stared out the window. As far as he could tell, the danger was completely fabricated by his brain.
But the awful droning from his dream persisted. He wasn’t sure what to think.
“Is that what I think that is?” Matthew asked, hoping to be proven wrong.
“Yep,” Sergio answered. “Come see for yourself.”
Matthew walked to the window to find zombies milling about the area. From where they stood on the third floor, Matthew could see them from as far as three blocks away.
“It looks like they’ve really swarmed overnight,” Carl said. “Last night, before the sun went down, I counted just five on our block. Now, it looks like there’s at least twenty-five, and I’m just counting the ones in the immediate area. It looks like we have a lot more coming our way.”
“Have you seen this?” Lucas asked, running down the hall. Genevieve slowly limped after him, using his baseball bat as a cane.
“Yeah, we’ve been watching it all morning,” Carl replied. “They’re everywhere.”
“It looks like they’re coming for us,” Lucas said nervously. “How did they find us?”
“The odor,” Genevieve said, finally catching up with Lucas.
Their conversation must have woken the others. Shortly after Ellie got up, Sally and Marigold came downstairs. A few minutes later, Pip descended, looking pale, red-eyed, and embarrassed. Matthew avoided meeting her eye.
“Are we in danger?” Ellie asked.
“I don’t think we’re in immediate danger,” Carl said hesitantly. “Eventually, it’s a real possibility. See, we’ve managed to rig the doors so they can’t open via the door mechanism. Unfortunately, the bulk of this building was constructed with glass panels. They’re pretty strong, but I can’t speak for the strength of building materials under the crushing weight of a hundred zombies pushing in one area. Something could bend or break. It’s not going to be easy to get in here, but I’m sure it’s possible. While I’m sure the smell of the dead zombies out front will mask our smell, they’re rotting at a pretty significant rate. It won’t be long before they know we’re in here.”
Sergio shrugged. “Maybe. I mean, the things aren’t very smart. They can’t open doors very well without smashing them open, and I’m not sure if they can do much besides ram their bodies into things.”
“I’ve seen one climb up scaffolding,” Lucas added. “If they’re hungry enough, they’ll figure it out. They’re basically animals, after all.”
“Is there anything else we can do?” Jennifer asked. “There’s got to be a way to better secure the building. Can’t we rig up some booby traps to slow them down?”
“Probably,” Sergio said. “But we’d need some serious power tools and building supplies. It would take a lot of work to haul that stuff around once we found it. I don’t think it’s safe for us to even leave the building right now. They’re absolutely swarming. Plus, even if we did make traps, it’s only going to slow them down. We’d still have to deal with them once they made it into the building. It would buy time, but it wouldn’t save us.”
“It might buy us enough time,” Carl suggested. “If the ground floor is flooded with zombies, we just keep moving up. They aren’t great at opening doors, so getting to the next floor will be tricky. In the meantime, we just keep moving upward until—”
“Until we’re trapped at the top and have nowhere to go,” Sergio answered.
Carl looked frustrated. He had worked so hard to secure the ground floor and make it hard for the zombies to find them. Now, he was facing the reality of the situation. The ever-growing group of survivors was about to be caught up in a fight that would certainly destroy them.
“I guess we can’t stay here forever,” Carl said. “But I don’t see how we can leave this place. Not only does it have all of our food and supplies, but it’s the safest spot we’ve found in a long time.”
“We just need a really good plan to deal with the zombies,” Matthew chipped in. “We have to figure out how to thin the herd. Maybe we can figure out a way to get them to leave us alone.”
“What’s this brilliant plan, then?” Sergio asked, rolling his eyes. “Maybe we can climb to the top and float away in a hot air balloon. Maybe we can scare the zombies by tying tin cans together and letting them blow in the wind. Maybe—”
“Shut up, Sergio,” Carl growled. “Why don’t you have some breakfast? You’re sounding a little cranky.”
Matthew didn’t appreciate the sarcasm. He didn’t have a plan yet, but he felt like his brain was on the cusp of coming up with some useful information. He just needed a little more time to figure something out.
Making herself useful, Pip went to the store cupboard and rounded up some protein bars for breakfast. She passed them out, the smell of booze still on her breath.
Everyone sat in silence while they chewed on their breakfast bars. Everyone was worried about the influx of zombies, which caused some moods to sour. Pip, noticeably hung over, rested her head on Sergio’s shoulder as he sulked.
“I have an idea,” Matthew said suddenly, tossing the remainder of his protein bar on the coffee table. “Sergio, Carl—come with me.”
The other soldiers reluctantly followed Matthew up two more flights of stairs and out to the fire escape. He pulled open the heavy door and stood on the metal railing. It creaked ominously, but Matthew didn’t seem to notice. He was too focused on an idea that was forming in his imagination.
“It looks like we have decent access up here,” Matthew said, feeling nothing more than a slight lightness in his head. He knew that he was high up, but his usual fear eluded him. “Now, how are those rifles when your targets are a quarter of a mile away?”
Carl looked at Sergio. “I don’t know. We’ve only used them a few times in emergencies. So, we’re talking about point-blank range. I’m sure they’re not too bad if you’ve got the skills to handle them.”
“Are you talking about sniping up here?” Sergio asked.
“I think the three of us can do some serious damage down below,” Matthew said. “We can take out hundreds within minutes. They’re so close together, I doubt we even need to aim. We can just point and shoot and I’m sure we’ll make contact with something.”
Sergio chewed the inside of his lip. “That would be a decent idea, but the gunshots attract zombies like sharks to blood. My concern is that we might be able to take out a bunch of zombies, but we create a never-ending supply of them. Meanwhile, we’re not around to fight off the ones that inevitably make it into the building. Pip and Lucas can handle some, but there’s no way of knowing how many could come pouring in. Jennifer can hold her own if necessary, but she doesn’t have the fighting spirit. She can defend herself, but she’s no killing machine. How are your girls at fighting?”
Matthew shook his head. “Not great. Plus, even if Sally were willing to make a kill, she’d probably be killed first. That, and she can’t fight with a baby strapped to her chest. Similarly, Genevieve can’t do much on a broken leg.”
“Pip and Lucas are strong fighters, but they’re only two people. Besides, we’d have all the guns,” Carl said. “Sniping would down a lot of bodies in a short amount of time, but it’s risky, especially when I don’t trust the sturdiness of the building.”
Matthew went back inside, feeling defeated. The other two followed him, tightly closing the door behind them. “Never mind,” he said, lightly punching the wall in frustration.
“I think you’re on to something,” Carl said. “Remember how well you guys cleaned up the block when you went scavenging for food? Maybe we can do that again, but this time, we don’t bother going into the stores. We can just clear zombies out and fight until we can’t anymore.”
“There weren’t nearly as many last time,” Matthew pointed out. “We’d be completely outnumb
ered now.”
Carl shrugged. “Then we can send more out. We can incorporate your sniping idea but make it emergency-only. A couple of us can sit up here and keep an eye on things. If it gets really bad, we can call for a retreat and help pick some zombies off. That way, we don’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt.”
“That could work,” Sergio said. “It’s risky, but it would help control the population. If it goes well, we can regularly thin the herd until there are no more to kill.”
Matthew liked the thought of that. He quickly got himself carried away in a daydream where they went on patrol for a final time. At the end of the day, they all celebrated the end of the zombie disaster before returning back to their homes.
“Who are our soldiers?” Carl asked, snapping Matthew out of his daydream.
Matthew had gotten ahead of himself. As powerful as the nine had proven to be so far, the group didn’t have the manpower to take out all the zombies in the country. In fact, they hadn’t even made a dent in the New York City zombies. They would need more people and more resources if they wanted to make a substantial difference. Matthew needed to focus on the present and their immediate needs.
“The three of us can shoot. We know that for sure,” Sergio said.
“Yeah, but do the three of us need to shoot?” Carl asked. “That leaves us vulnerable down below. We’re trying not to use the guns, anyway.”
“I can work the ground,” Matthew said. “That gives us Pip and Lucas—that’s a given. Genevieve is out for sure, so she can stay back with the baby and keep an eye out on our supplies. Ellie is tough and down for anything. She’s pretty good in a crisis. She’s not much of a runner and gets tired easily, so we can position her somewhere where she can provide backup. Jennifer can work double-duty as a medic and door security. We can always call her in for backup. Then, we have Sally. I don’t know anything about her besides the fact that she managed to walk around with a baby for a week and didn’t get killed. Maybe she’ll be of some use. That leaves the two of you to snipe.”
“That doesn’t seem like enough,” Carl said, looking concerned.
“I can go to the ground,” Sergio offered. “We don’t need two snipers if we’re aiming for no gunfire. I’ll probably be of more use down there. If we need to fire from the ground, then that’ll be an option, too.”
The three silently thought it over before nodding their heads. It seemed like the most logical solution to their problem.
“So, to recap,” Carl said, “the two of you will take Pip, Lucas, Ellie, and Sally to fight on the streets. Jennifer will work a variety of positions, working as a medic, guard, and any other job we can think of. Genevieve will stay inside with the baby. God forbid, if someone tries to take advantage of us while we’re out, she’ll mess them up. I’ll stay up here and make sure no one gets into too much trouble. I’ll only fire if absolutely necessary. Is that our plan?”
Matthew nodded. “I think it’s the best one we’ve got. We can try to gather some intelligence and work up an attack plan. Then, I think we should try it. The sooner we get this done, the better.”
“Agreed,” Carl said. “Now, we just need to tell the others that we’ve enlisted them in our little militia. Like it or not, they’ve just been drafted to kick zombie ass.”
Matthew smiled. While he liked to avoid violence wherever possible, they were to the point where sitting and doing nothing was not an option. He felt fortunate to be surrounded by other men who understood the importance of a well-planned attack. Matthew couldn’t imagine what he would do if he were still sitting around the break room with Genevieve and Ellie. With the other soldiers on his side, he felt better prepared to protect the innocent and survive another day in hell. Sure, he was nervous, but he would always be a little nervous. He had seen so many be killed or turned by the zombies, and he was starting to become attached to his new group. He would be devastated to see anyone get hurt or killed.
But that was the cost of war. Some would inevitably die so that others could live. He just selfishly hoped that his little platoon of strangers would be able to live to one day tell this story to their grandchildren.
23
“Can everyone gather around, please?” Carl asked, his voice booming throughout the hall. “There’s something we need to discuss.”
Carl stood behind the couch, facing the others. Matthew sat on one side of him and Sergio took the other. Sergio munched on chocolate chip cookies from the nearly-empty vending machine while Carl waited for everyone to assemble. They were both completely cool and collected.
Matthew was buzzing with anticipation. He wanted to hurry up and start planning. He had always enjoyed the tactical part of missions. It gave him the opportunity to feel prepared. He found that the better the preparation, the higher the survival rate of the soldiers. And good preparation always started with good leadership.
Pip and Jennifer sauntered in, whispering something to each other as they sat down. Pip nursed a bottle of soda while Jennifer sipped a cup of coffee with her breakfast. Matthew had a good feeling that Pip had just raided the medical supplies for something to take the edge off her hangover.
Sally and Ellie filed in behind them. The women looked nervous, having seen the soldiers leave to discuss something very serious. Finally, Lucas came running down the hall with Genevieve in his arms. She looked alarmed, but she laughed when he finally slowed to a stop and gently placed her on the couch.
“Are we ready?” Carl asked.
Pip raised her hand.
“Yes?” he asked, already annoyed with his sister.
“Have you gathered us here to tell us that the three of you are running away to fight zombies together?”
Ellie gaped, clutching her hands to her mouth.
Carl gritted his teeth. “No. Just shut up and listen. This is really serious.”
“Sorry.” She giggled.
“Now, I think everyone here knows that the zombies are advancing on this block. They are coming in hundreds and there is no end in sight. Because we’re worried about our building holding up against them, we’ve decided that we’re going to have to fight back. We’ll wipe out as many zombies as we possibly can, then retreat to this building as long as it’s still safe. We’ve thought about a lot of possible solutions and we believe we’ve figured out the best one. So, we’re going to stage an attack from the ground. We haven’t drawn out a perfect plan yet, so we’d be happy to hear your input. We’re also going to study the movements and tendencies of the zombies outside now, so if anyone can make sense of their activity, go ahead and chime in when the time comes.”
Lucas raised his hand before Carl could continue speaking about his plan. He sighed and nodded at the kid.
“Yeah?”
“Oh, I was just letting you know that I volunteer to fight and I’m ready to do whatever we need to do.”
“Same,” Pip said.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm,” he said dryly, “but we’re going to have to think of this as a battle. We’re all soldiers now, so we all have to play our part. We’re open to talking about different roles, but at the end of the day, we’re going to need full participation in our plan. So, Matthew is going to take the lead on the ground. Sergio will join him as second in command. Pip, Lucas, Ellie, and Sally will be with them. Jennifer, we want you to defend the building while we’re gone. If anyone gets hurt, it’s your job to recover and treat them. Genevieve, you’ll watch the baby and the supplies. I’ll be on the fire escape, ready to snipe zombies if things get out of hand. Like I said, these are the assignments. We still haven’t drawn up the plans yet. Any questions thus far?”
The room erupted into chatter. Carl groaned and put his hands on his hips, patiently waiting for the talking to die down.
“One at a time,” Sergio bellowed, quieting the crowd.
Ellie raised her stubby hand. “I don’t think you want me out there fighting,” she said, her voice quavering. “I don’t think I can help you.”
&n
bsp; “Matthew told me that you’ve made kills in crucial moments. I scooped up a bunch of your kills in this building. I know you can do it.”
“But there are others who are so much better than me. Let me stay here and defend the building. Let Jennifer go out and fight.”
“We need her to be able to run all over the building, if need be. Do you think you can run to the fifth floor to check in with me, then come back down and fight if the others are outnumbered? I need someone quick on the inside, and I know Jennifer can do that.”
Ellie looked at the ground. She pursed her lips so no one would notice her quivering lip.
“We need you out there, Ellie. We’ll find a way to work to your strengths. Can you do that?”
She blinked a few times, then nodded. “Yeah, I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
“Good,” Carl said. “Any other concerns?”
Sally fought back tears. She slowly raised her hand.
“Yes, Sally,” Carl sighed, already looking exhausted, though it was still mid-morning. He had a feeling this was coming and he didn’t want to deal with it. Matthew gritted his teeth, ready for a little drama. Matthew knew that Ellie would eventually come around to whatever role she was handed, but Sally would be a harder sell.
“I want to help, but you must have another role for me. I can’t leave my baby unattended while there are zombies outside. I refuse to leave my daughter alone.”
“Well, she won’t be alone,” Carl said matter-of-factly. “She’ll be with Genevieve. I think that she’ll be just fine. Genevieve is going to stay on the third floor and sit with our belongings. Is that okay, Genevieve?”
“Yes, I will keep the baby,” Genevieve said. “I want to fight, but my leg.”
“I know,” Matthew said. “One day, you’ll be better.”
“Even if my child is cared for, I still can’t go out there,” Sally said tearfully. “I cannot take a life. It goes against my beliefs.”