The Orphans Series Vol. 1: The Orphans

by M. Evans

  Frank sat there, thinking it through, knowing Thompson would go back to save them even knowing the situation. He knew Greg's dad wouldn't be able to because he was dead from Frank's designer disease as well as Frank's bullets. There was nothing he could do to save Greg now, but he knew Shaun would never forgive him if he didn't try. "I'm on my way son," he decided. "Stay in that squad car and don't move! Give me ten minutes and I'll be there."

  "We'll try. Um, but Dr. Fox ... where is my dad?"

  Frank pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't answer that right now, son. Just stay where you are, and keep away from the ones that ... that have Turned!"

  "Okay, but if they come for us, then look for us in the gym. We're not staying here--there's no protection, and they're all crazy!"

  Frank looked at Shaun and Ellie, thinking of them and knowing he was solely responsible for Ellie now. He'd do anything to keep these two alive. He knew he needed to at least save their friends, or he'd never be able to live with himself, and Shaun would certainly make sure he couldn't. "I'm going to take Thompson's car. I want you two to stay in the house, and don't come out for anything until I get back. I don't want to have to worry about you."

  Shaun stood up quickly challenging his dad. "What are you talking about!? So just you, the great Frank Fox, is going to take on everything in that parking lot by yourself? Get two people to safety and come back for us? Have you lost your effing mind!? You're never going to do that on your own!"

  Frank knew they were losing precious time. "Shaun, go get my gun out of my cabinet. Actually, get all the guns and bows loaded up by the door and any food we have. I don't care what it is ... it's going to be as good as gold in a very short time. I want you two ready to go by the time I get back. Get clothes, flashlights ... everything you can think of, and then go through and look again!"

  Ellie yelled, "You're not leaving us! You need help, Frank! Shaun can shoot, right!?"

  He lifted up a finger to indicate he'd already made up his mind. "What I need is for the two of you to listen! Get your asses in gear! Ellie, you're my responsibility now, and being responsible doesn't mean I need to take either of you into the pit of death. Every minute I waste fighting with you is one more Greg might not have!"

  Ellie looked at Shaun. "Say something, will you!? He has to listen to one of us! We won't make it on our own!"

  Frank stood up, pulling keys from his pocket, and threw them at Shaun. "Get everything ready, Shaun. I need to know you're going to follow orders. You need to be a man--there's no time for being insubordinate. Keep Ellie safe. If anything comes in the door, you put two right here." He tapped a finger twice on Shaun's forehead. "If you shoot them anywhere but the head, they're going to smile and just keep on coming. Understand?"

  Shaun stood and turning, looked over his shoulder. "You need to come back, dad. We're going to need help."

  Frank nodded solemnly. "Shaun, if I'm not back in a hour, then I want you two to load everything you can and go to the woods. I want you to use your bow for all the hunting if you can, Shaun. You don't need to draw attention to yourself, and save bullets for when you need them. You two live off of the land for as long as you can before you use any supplies. I want you to take Lennon's car and fill the gas tank to the brim. Gas might be impossible to find after today. You stop for no one. Can you do that for me, son?"

  Shaun pulled Ellie with him, shaking his head as he walked. As Frank left, they bolted the door and did as instructed.

  Frank felt the sides of Lennon's belt for his extra clips and did the same routine on Thompson. He took every bullet they had between the two cars. He had twelve magazines between the two men, took the shotgun and shells out of Lennon's trunk, and threw everything in the front seat locked and cocked, ready to fire. He put the car in reverse and pulled into the street, being respectful to not run over Thompson or Lennon's corpses.

  Shaun watched as he backed out then headed for the gun vault. He put Frank's gun holster on which was about three sizes too big for him to wear. He snapped it off again and used the holster that clipped to a belt instead.

  "So, we're just going to wait for him to come back? Are you crazy!?"

  Shaun opened the gun safe. "No, he is. If he thinks I'm going to let him go get himself killed, then he's crazy." Shaun looked through the collection of firearms. He thought it out and took out a pistol and a rifle for Ellie as well. He found two matching heavy barreled hi-powered rifles. They were one of the longest straightest shooting varmint rifles money could buy. He grabbed all the extra ammo and stuffed it into a backpack. He put the extra magazines to his dad's pistol in his coat pockets and looked at Ellie. "Do you know how to shoot one of these?"

  Ellie smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, you know me and mom just go out and shoot the crap out of stuff on the weekends...!"

  Shaun showed her the long wood rifle. "You see this? It's called a bolt action--you open this up and pull it back. It shoots an empty bullet casing out of it. You put it back in and it loads the bullet again for you. You do this five times and you're out of bullets. You think you can handle it if I show you how to do it? There is a scope on top ... you just need to breathe steady and not shake the gun, if you put the cross hairs on the target the bullet will get there."

  "I don't know if I'm able to do that, Shaun."

  "You know, I don't know either, but I tell you what--if we're going to be a liability for my dad then what good can we do him? We might as well stay here."

  Ellie nodded, getting the rifle and watching Shaun, mimicking his actions. Shaun slung it around his shoulder with the backpack, wearing it messenger style. He motioned for her to follow him and they walked to the garage. "Hey, I have my bike, too! Let's get going--he'll have a head start on us."

  Shaun smiled as they walked in. He opened the door. "I don't think we should go on bike. What happens if one of those girls bit a track runner? We'd be out of luck!" He grabbed a set of keys that belonged to a four-wheel drive ATV, perfect for hunting in the woods and going up big hills. It was a toy his dad used strictly for getting gear up to the top of the hill. "God, my dad's going to kill me when this is over."

  "Well, on a positive note, at least he'll be alive to try, right?"

  Shaun secured his helmet and handed one to Ellie. The two of them climbed onto it and Shaun brought the machine to life. He hit the lights and pulled out slowly, seeing neighbors gawking out their windows, undoubtedly still trying to reach police. Shaun hit the gas and they roared out of the garage flying quickly down the street--ready to take on hell.

  ****

  Greg clicked the receiver off, looked at Tina, and smiled. "Hey, at least some help is on the way, right?"

  Tina smiled uneasily. "Yeah, you're pretty much sending him to his death. I don't get what could have happened to have something like this spread so quickly!"

  Greg opened his mouth to respond when one of the Turned walked by the car, sniffing and looking directly into the window. It banged its head into the driver's side window and continued until it smashed its head through it, shattering the glass. Greg kicked at the thing's head until it disappeared, coming back within seconds to put a hand through the window and pulling the door from its frame. "Whoa! She just ripped the door off!"

  The door might as well have been a toy as the creature flung it away and came running directly for them with arms outstretched.

  Greg didn't hesitate. He grabbed the shotgun and pulled the trigger. The slug entered its already exploded heart, and put it to the ground five feet back. Greg sat up looking at Tina. "I did it! I killed it! Let's get out of here!"

  Tina looked beyond Greg in fear, pointing, her lips quivering. Greg turned around just in time as he saw it get back on its feet. Blood and drool was dripping from its mouth, swaying in strings from side to side. The guts were making their way out the front and the back of the hole that the slug had made. He aimed again, pulled the trigger, and sent a twelve-gauge steel slug through its head, tearing half of it off and hitting it like a tornado,
spinning the monster around wildly. It landed on the ground. The side of its head he'd blown off was spinning in place. Tina tried to scramble out, but Greg held her by the shoulder. "Wait just a moment. Let's make sure."

  Tina did not fight him. When the creature did not rise a second time, they exited the car, looking around. The creatures which used to be the girls volleyball team were everywhere like a plague. The victims of recent past were coming to and walking around, eating pieces of their skin from their arms. They were sloppily covered by their own blood and guts, walking slowly, sniffing, looking for fresh meat.

  "Tina, we need to get to the school. We have a chance, I think, if we can get into the gymnasium."

  They watched the girls for what seemed an eternity for the chance to get into the school. When one presented itself, Greg thought how horrible this was going to play out and how many more of these things were soon going to be walking around town killing people. If he could make it out of here, he thought he would find his dad, and they would hopefully leave town.

  He didn't care where they went, as long as they didn't stay in Adel. This was the worst thing Greg had ever seen in his young life. The blood, the carnage, the unbiased killing--it was sickening. A long line of SUVs and minivans pulled into the parking lot, honking and cheering for the girls. All the arriving parents would be in good spirits, anxious to see their loved ones, but hadn't come around the corner to see the piles of death. The Turned all stopped what they were doing, staring at the direction of the noise, then up on their feet and sprinting for the newcomers.

  Greg grabbed Tina by the wrist and they ran for everything they could. He ran carrying the twelve gauge in one hand pulling Tina behind him.

  Lucas saw them from his car and made his break for it, too, wishing that he hadn't ever left them in the first place.

  Tina and Greg made it up close to the school doors, and what had once been a teenage boy jumped to its feet, snarling at them, and pushed off to run at them. Greg never lost pace as he put the butt of the stock to his shoulder and pulled the trigger, putting a slug directly through the head of the monster, its brain and blood spraying the windows of the glass behind. The slug lodged itself in a locker down the hall. The pieces of head and brain dripped sloppily down the window.

  They pushed through the door. Looking behind them, Tina screamed, "It's Lucas and he's coming this way!"

  Greg peered out the bloody window to see a woman missing an arm running for him. He pushed open the door letting Lucas get close. He aimed for the head, but it was such a far shot he took the woman off at the knee cap. She slammed to the pavement hard, cracking her face on the ground. Lucas, panting and with a red face, looked behind him and gave Greg a thumbs up.

  Inside, they ran together for the gym. They climbed the rafters and hid, looking out over the parking lot, and watching the horrific events unfold. They noticed, as soon as people started to turn, the creatures quickly lost interest in what they were chewing on. The Turned had been sitting still for the most part, picking through the last of the fresh meat.

  A convoy of parents were visibly in shock at what happened. They were easy targets. When they saw the buses and the girls, they jumped out of the cars, screaming at their little darlings, but unsure how to rationalize the act going on in front of them. The girls, and all of the townspeople who had turned, attacked with a hellish bloodthirst. Nothing was beyond the imagination where the horrific slaughter followed them.

  When Frank pulled into the parking lot, he took the back way in. He saw the mess of bodies which hadn't yet turned. "Oh, God, save us! We could all be dead!"

  He looked around, quickly spotting the deputy's car. He saw the door had been ripped off and raced for it. Anyone unlucky enough to have blood on them and any skin patches missing from their arms turned into a target. When he got to the car he saw the cheerleader whose head had been blown almost completely off. He looked toward the school. Frank rolled the window down to listen for a moment.

  Greg took this opportunity to blow a giant hole through the gym window, and then unleashed a second shot to ensure that he had Frank's attention. Frank stuck the car into gear and headed straight for the gym entrance. The teens ran for all they could to the doors kicking them open.

  Frank parked quickly with the back car doors open. He waited for them to get in, and, as he saw them running down the hallway, pumping their arms, he did not see the three faculty member whose entrails were following in a messy line behind them running up for his driver's side window. As one approached within a foot, he finally saw them. He tried to pull his pistol, but he was too late.

  One--two--three brains painted the windshield and the hood of the clean squad car--its white hood now covered with blood, skull, brain, and hair. Frank leaned out the window, staring at the hill, uttering every curse he could for the child he thought would never learn to listen.

  Shaun was steady as a rock, lying on the hill above the school entrance, far away and safe from anything dangerous. He waved from the hill and Frank just shook his head.

  The three teens launched themselves into the backseat of the squad car and Frank punched the gas, burning rubber on the asphalt, and headed down the hill for the exit.

  As they drove further, he noticed not everyone was dead. He saw a group of four teens running for their lives, doing everything they could to not get caught by a giant mob of the Turned.

  Greg looked from the window. "Hey, I know them! They don't stand a chance...!"

  Frank looked at Greg who was full of hope they could save the others, and he turned the car directly into the mob, crashing and breaking bones without hesitation. He pulled alongside the teens and yelled, "Get in!"

  Albert, a sophomore who was friends with Greg from shop class, shouted, "What are those things!?"

  "We don't have time!" Frank yelled. "There's no time! If you four want to live, then get into the damn car now!"

  They piled in like a clown car, and Frank drove up the hill to Shaun and Ellie. "Home! Now! You are in so much trouble!"

  Shaun didn't throw out the fact he had just saved his father's life. He thought there was a better than good chance it would go unnoticed until he had a chance to really sit down and think things out.

  Frank drove to their house knowing they would need a bigger car or a second one. He knew there was no way he could take this many people into the woods with the little food in stock.

  Shaun watched, waiting for his dad to clear the parking lot, and taking a few more shots at the Turned. He only picked off ones which were going after people who were running for their lives.

  Ellie pulled on his arm. "We have to get out of here, or we're going to draw their attention soon!"

  Shaun looked at her and shook his head. "Those things are out for meat, and that's it. They don't know anything, Ellie."

  She looked through her own scope, watching the citizens who had Turned. Shaun took two more shots, and a group of Turned stopped chasing the terrified onlookers and looked around curiously. He took a third shot.

  Ellie watched as one of them peered directly at the two of them on the hill. Shaun jumped as the gun next to him exploded in noise--the report of the firearm was deafening--and he was glad they had put ear protectors in before getting situated on the hill. The monster's head split in two as the high powered round burst through its skull, exploding it and knocking the remains down its back.

  She slid her finger off of the trigger. It was the first time she'd fired a weapon. She grabbed Shaun on the shoulder, tugging at him to get up. "We have to go, Shaun!"

  Shaun never moved from his stance. "I can save more people...! I just need more time!"

  "Would you look, damn it! Open your eyes for one minute and look at them! They're hunting!"

  Shaun took his finger off of the trigger and focused through his scope. They were, in fact, hunting. They looked like wolves he'd seen countless times on the nature channel. He panned the scope to the left and right, peering around the parking lot. He knew
there were more of them than bullets to kill them with. He clicked the safety on the rifle, wishing there was some way to warn everyone in town.

  They climbed onto the ATV with their rifles slung behind them. Shaun looked one last time at the mob and the answer came to him. He fired up the engine and started driving as fast as he could for the city's fire station on the outskirts of town. He took the machine to its limit, going faster than he ever had before.

  Frank saw the ATV out of the corner of his eye, whipping his head around and filling with rage, unsure why in the hell his son was going in the opposite direction.

  After a short drive, Shaun pulled up to the fire station and Ellie pulled off her helmet. "I'm pretty sure this isn't your house, Shaun. What are you doing? Your dad's going to be so pissed!"

  "What do you do when the tornado sirens go off, Ellie?"

  "Er ... hide in the--"

  Shaun beat her to it. "Basement. Exactly."

  Ellie ran to the steel doors and tried opening them. Both were locked. "Shocker. The million dollar fire station is locked up. Now what?"

  Shaun looked around and, pulling out his pistol, fired three shots into the lock. He holstered it and twisted the handle ... nothing happened. He scratched his head and looked at Ellie. "Works in the movies."

  He looked at the pull winch on his dad's ATV. He went to it and hooked the heavy cable around the handles. He jumped on it by himself and started backing up. The door frames started cracking and buckling under the stress. Finally, they popped open, swinging freely in the warm wind. He got off, unhooked the chain and wheeled it back in. They ran into the fire station quickly, never knowing when or if someone was going to be coming, and thinking it would be hard to explain to someone why they were on an ATV in town and both carrying weapons.

  Shaun found the office and went to the computer console. There was a simple red button labeled 'Tornado Siren' which he punched. He grabbed Ellie by the hand and they raced for the doorway. If the Turned were capable of hunting in packs and were drawn by noise, then the two of them would not want to be here for long.