TAGGED: THE APOCALYPSE

by Chiron, Joseph M

  “Hostages. They won’t let us through the gate. If we stay out here like this we’re dead, Homes. The infected will get all of us,” Jackie said.

  A young boy pocketing a handgun came and stood close beside Jackie with a hat covering his face. The boy didn’t even reach Jackie’s massive shoulder. Jackie smiled. The boy looked up beaming at Sven from under a knitted hat and layers of bulky clothing. “Candy!” Sven exclaimed. They hugged. Candy kissed Sven on the cheek. “What about…”

  “Needles?” Candy tilted her head to the left at a man staring blankly into the gloom; his face was a blank mask and his nose was bleeding. “He’s infected.”

  “We have to try to help Needles,” Sven said.

  “I’m a medical doctor.” A small birdlike man walked out of the crowd slowly, but purposefully, with his hands up toward Chris and crouched over to examine him. There was no resistance. “This man must get inside and stabilized or he’s going to die. We don’t know the extent of his injuries.”

  “Okay, change of plans,” Jackie said to Sven. “We have to get him inside now. We go in with you.”

  “I’m an EMT.” A woman on the edge of the crowd volunteered, joining the doctor by Chris’ side. Suddenly, one more, then three more, then four more women, identified themselves as nurses, and also appeared at the side of the doctor.

  “Clear the road,” Jackie ordered. Sven, Jackie and Candy squeezed into the cab with Dixon. Bugs was still AWOL. Candy tried to shepherd Needles into the cab as well, but Dixon started growling and his hackles went up, which was strange because Dixon had always liked Needles. Needles would go with the doctor and nurses in the truck in front.

  At the gate, the guards were firm, but nervous, about the overwhelming numbers outside. There was no way they could keep out even half this number of people, if they rushed the gate. Sven could hear the tinny voice of Susan squawking over the guards’ radio. “I’m sorry,” the guard said to the doctor, the EMT and the four nurses. “We can only let in the people who went out.”

  “Chris will die, you idiot! We need a doctor,” Sven was angry. The guards’ radio squawked more fervently.

  “This is Chris, man. We need to help him,” Adams, the other guard spoke to the head guard.

  “Okay. Okay. Go ahead.” He turned his radio down with irritation. The doctor, EMT and four nurses went through with the injured guard Chris and Needles immediately.

  “These are my friends. They’re with me.” Sven waved his thumb over Jackie and Candy beside him in the cab and drove through the gate before the guards could object. There was no way Sven was leaving them outside the gate. The first stop was the medical building that was well-stocked, clean and virtually untouched. The doctor and his assistants went right to work on Chris in the medical room. Needles stood there catatonic, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He didn’t seem to be aware of anything. He stared blankly at the floor. The doctor and nurses pushed Sven and the rest into the waiting room and shut the door.

  Eve showed up within thirty seconds of their arrival. “Are you okay?” She smiled in greeting, going straight to Sven, looked him up and down for injuries, and then kissed him on the mouth, pressing her body close against him. “What happened?”

  Daaaaamn! She looked good, and she smelled good, too. He had forgotten about Eve in all the stress and mayhem and worry. “Chris was shot.”

  “Is he going to be alright?”

  “We don’t know yet. The doctor and some nurses are in the next room with him.”

  “What doctor?”

  “We picked them up outside the fence.”

  Eve seemed satisfied for now. “Who are your friends?”

  “Sven honey, why didn’t you tell us?” Candy winked at Sven and then hugged Eve in greeting. “I’m Candace. You’re beautiful darlin’. How old are you?”

  “Eighteen.” Eve looked challengingly at Candy, then looked down.

  “This is Jackie and that’s Needles in the other room. Needles is infected.”

  Jackie held onto Eve’s hand, “Who’s in charge here?”

  “My Mom and my Dad. Well, my Dad officially – he’s the chief nuclear engineer for the plant, but my Mom seems to be running things. Kirk and Susan…”

  The door to the waiting room opened with a bang. Two heavily armed guards outfitted with M-16’s, blue fatigues, military boots, bullet proof vests and side arms strapped to their legs entered and took positions on either side of the door. Behind was Susan, then Kirk. Behind them were Britt and Dennis. “Who are these people?” Susan demanded. Then, without waiting for a reply, she motioned to the medical room and the forms of the multiple persons behind the clouded glass, “and who are those people in there?” She stomped forward toward the door to the medical room, but Sven stepped in front before she could open it.

  “Now, calm down,” Kirk touched her shoulder from behind.

  “These are my friends; my business associates. They’re growers too,” Sven said. “Chris has been shot. There’s a doctor and five nurses trying to save him in there.” Eve came over and stood beside Sven, clinging to him like a vine.

  “Who shot him?” Susan demanded, already knowing the answer. They had seen everything from the window in the control tower.

  Jackie stepped forward. “There are people outside that need to come in. There are at least four electricians out there; a gun smith; a fence guy and his family; a guy with a front loader; couple of construction workers; a beer brewer…”

  “You’re all leaving now; them too.” She motioned toward everyone in the other room.

  “Whoaa,” Dennis stepped forward. “We’re not throwing the doctor out. We need a doctor.”

  “Chris will die without medical care,” Brit joined in.

  Susan stomped past them, yanked open the door to the medical room, and surprised everyone huddled around an unconscious Chris spread out on the table. The doctor and the nurses wore blood-spattered, white gowns with surgical masks and gloves. They looked up alarmed. “We don’t know who’s infected. You could all be infected.”

  A sound like a bed sheet tearing, erupted in the room. Needles, who had been sitting catatonic in a chair in the corner threw up. Black vomit gushed out of his mouth onto the floor. He tipped over head first, unconscious, into the black vomit, sliding across the floor on his shoulder and arm. His body was stiff and rigid, like someone was pulling him in opposite directions with a string attached to his head and feet. His body convulsed and more black vomit spewed out of his mouth onto the floor. A large, bloody, black stain spread across the seat of his pants from the inside. Susan screamed and slammed the door. Her hands shook with rage and fear as she pressed her back to the closed door. “Get them out of here now! They’re all infected!”

  In a flash, Candy stripped off her clothes. She pulled off the bulky down jacket; the three sweatshirts and the long underwear over her head; then yanked down to her muddy boots the thick ski pants and long underwear underneath. “We are not infected. None of us are infected,” She said, looking right at Susan. Then, for emphasis, she unsnapped her bra and pulled her matching pink thong down to the boots as well.

  Candy held out her arms and did a slow turn. Under those bulky clothes hid a spectacular form. Her skin was a lovely golden color. There were no tan lines – anywhere on her body. Her breasts were too large for her tiny frame and they rode unnaturally firm and high. She had an ass that wouldn’t quit and a small muscular waist and strong legs that had obviously taken many hours to achieve. Candy was a professional pole dancer. She had just launched her own subscription webcam site to moderate success following the posting of a twelve minute masturbation video online as free advertising before the trouble began. Most importantly, there were obviously no bites, scratches, or lesions on her perfect skin.

  “For goodness sake…” Susan’s hand went involuntarily to cover her mouth. The guard closest to the door lowered his weapon slightly and smiled to the other guard.

  Candy nodded to Jackie and Sven, who a
lso stripped off their clothes. They stripped off everything down to their boots, same as Candy. Jackie was a mountain of a man. His dark skin was heavily muscled with a large belly. Bristles of grey and black hair stuck out of the most unlikely places; his neck; his shoulders; and even his ears. His back was a bearskin rug. He had surprisingly small hands and feet. Even naked, he was menacing. Sven was over six feet tall and too thin; concentration camp thin. His large head and even larger mane of wheat-colored Rasta dreadlocks made his body appear even thinner. His hands and feet, like his head, appeared too large for his body, but that was not the part of his anatomy that caught Eve’s eye.

  Eve gasped and put her hands to her face, attempting to cover her eyes.

  “For the love of…what the hell is the matter with you people!” Susan ranted, grabbed her daughter Eve and pulled her out of the room. Eve was blushing furiously, but couldn’t tear her eyes off of Sven. Sven smiled calmly and blew her a kiss. It’s on, Sven thought, watching Eve fluster and blush, yeah, it’s on like Donkey Kong.

  The guards looked confused. Brit shrugged and grinned shyly in Sven’s direction. Dennis laughed and shook his head. “We are not infected,” Candy said again, placing her hands on her hips and thrusting them forward aggressively.

  “I’ll talk to my wife…I’ll reason with her,” Kirk said, and walked out. The guards, Brit and Dennis followed.

  “Put everyone we need inside the new fence outside the gate.” Jackie shuffled them immediately into a huddle with their pants still around their ankles. “Make sure there are no infected inside the new fence. Tell them to check everyone. We wait for nightfall.”

  CHAPTER 7: October 15, 6 p.m.

  Jackie pounded on the locked door to the control tower. On the other side of that door were several armed guards, Kirk, Susan, Eve, Brit and Dennis. Sven had tried desperately to get Eve away from Susan and the others, but Susan was like a bear with her cub and wouldn’t let Eve out of her sight. Sven shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. And Sven was still completely stopped up down there. He needed some Milk of Magnesia - that would do the trick, but getting to the pharmacy could present a small problem. The engineers had armed themselves at the guardhouse after the confrontation by Susan with the newcomers earlier, although it was unlikely that any of them had ever fired a weapon. “Lay your weapons down and come out with your hands up. We’re not going to hurt you.” Behind Jackie were Sven and three other men, plus Candy holding Dixon on a leash; or perhaps Dixon was controlling Candy with the leash. All were heavily armed with assault rifles, hand guns and extra ammo, thanks to the end–of-the-world NRA gun nut at the gate who had been preparing for this moment his entire life. His name was Jeb, and he was the first one admitted through the new fence.

  Jeb led the assault on the guards posted outside the door with his son Tiny, a giant of a man. The guards were disarmed without a struggle when they saw how well armed were Jackie and his men. Even so, Sven was going to keep a close eye on Jeb and his sons. Jeb wasn’t part of his crew, and he wasn’t sure he could trust him, yet.

  “We saw you shoot the guards,” Susan’s voice was shrill.

  “Is there another exit?” Jackie whispered.

  “Covered; my boys are on it. They’re trapped.” Jeb grinned like a crocodile missing a few teeth.

  “That was an accident.” Jackie’s booming voice easily carried through the thick metal door. “They shot at my men.” In fact, the infected had begun rushing the fence just after full darkness around four thirty. The extra fence had been built connecting to the power plant fence about fifty yards west of the guard gate. While the guards had their hands full making sure the infected didn’t breach the fence, Jackie’s men cut a man-sized opening and walked men and weapons through. It all took about a minute for the fence guy with his bolt cutters. Moments later, Jeb’s eldest son stood next to the guards who were shooting the infected that were trying to climb the fence. This surprised the armed guard, who unwisely shot the unknown man. Jeb and his men instantly unloaded on the remaining guards, who were all killed within fifteen seconds. Jeb and his men held the gate. “Clear!” They left several men behind, and then Jeb and his boys joined Jackie in storming the control tower.

  “Somebody’s gonna pay for that accident,” Jeb muttered, lifting his worn NRA ball cap to scratch his greasy hair. “That was my boy got shot. Look, why don’t I jus’ shoot this here lock out and we’ll go on in.” Jeb lifted his assault rifle to shoot out the lock.

  “Wait…” Jackie said.

  “You need us to run this power plant,” It was Dennis’ voice. “You kill us and you have no electricity and then you have nuclear meltdown. Is that what you want?”

  “You’re right. We need you. We are not going to hurt you. Just lay your weapons down and come out with your hands up,” Jackie said, through the metal door.

  Sven could hear muffled voices arguing through the door, then, “Okay, WE’RE COMING OUT. DON’T SHOOT!”

  “You’re not going out there!” It was Susan’s voice. “These criminals are not taking the power plant!”

  “They already have,” Dennis said.

  “There’s no choice. It’s best just to cooperate with them,” Brit said. “WE’RE COMING OUT.”

  Suddenly, there was a loud report from behind the door, and a man screamed in pain. Then, a second shot. Jeb blew the lock open with his assault rifle. Jackie kicked open the door. All of them had their assault rifles shouldered and ready.

  “BACK UP!” Susan screamed at a pitch sufficient to shatter glass, while simultaneously putting a pistol to her daughter Eve’s head, and holding onto her throat with her free hand. Brit was on the ground a few feet away, writhing in agony from a gun shot wound to the torso. Dennis threw up his empty hands and clumsily backed up to the wall out of the line of fire.

  “STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!” Kirk stood closest to his wife and daughter, his hands out in helpless supplication..

  “He’s in love with our daughter,” Susan nodded toward Sven. “Get out now; all of you. Leave this plant and I won’t hurt her.”

  “Susan! Mom…” Eve twisted in her mother’s grasp, but she held her tighter and pressed the gun painfully to her head. “Ow!”

  “This is for your own good,” Susan said, securing her grip on her neck. “I would rather see you dead, than let that man put his hands on you,” she sniffed at Sven.

  “Nothing has happened…” Sven held out his hands in a gesture of supplication.

  Jeb raised his assault rifle. “You want I should shoot em? I’ll do it.” Luckily, his sons were outside on the other door, or they would already be dead, Sven thought.

  “NO!” Sven, Jackie and Candy screamed simultaneously.

  “We’re NOT going to hurt you. Just put the gun down.” Jackie spoke calmly and even managed a smile.

  “You’re animals!” Susan screamed. “Drug dealers! You will never touch my daughter! I will kill you first!” Susan waved the gun toward Sven, who jumped back and ducked. Jeb and Jackie pressed forward, fingers itching for a clean head shot. Even Candy went for the handgun on her hip and loosened her grip on Dixon. Dixon powered forward, towing Candy on the leash, and flexed his giant muscles, ready to tear Susan to pieces.

  Sven laid down his assault rifle and stepped forward, showing empty hands. “Please stop. This is your daughter, Eve. You wouldn’t hurt your daughter.”

  “BACK UP!” Susan screamed, backing into the corner with the other door. Jeb and Jackie could definitely kill Susan, but they might hit Eve. No one could stop Dixon if he lunged. Susan was feeling trapped. With her free hand, Susan pushed down on the door handle. She was planning to take her daughter through the back door. Jeb and Jackie and the men followed her every move, weapons shouldered, pointing at her head.

  “DROP IT!!” Susan was met with an assault rifle against her head from the other side. It was Jeb’s second son, Mack.

  “Arggghhhh!!!!!!” Susan screamed like a wild animal, and pull
ed the trigger pressed against Eve’s head. There was a loud “CLICK!” Everyone froze for an instant. Eve twisted out of her mother’s grasp, eyes wide with fear, and threw herself down on the floor, rolling away.

  Kirk looked like he was going to collapse, then when the gun didn’t fire, rushed his wife to envelop her in his arms. “DON’T SHOOT! DON’T SHOOT!” He screamed.

  He was too late. Mack, Jeb’s son at the door, took the head shot on Susan the instant after the CLICK. Her head exploded. Then, five shooters with assault rifles riddled their bodies with bullets. It was a free for all. They were dead before they hit the ground. They were dead after they hit the ground. Dead. Dead. Dead.

  CHAPTER 8: October 15, 6:15 p.m.

  Blam! Blam! Jeb’s son Mack immediately put one bullet each in the heads of what was left of Susan and Kirk.

  “Noooooooo!” Eve held out both hands in front of her, wailing and running futilely toward her parents with loud chopping steps from her boots. Mack looked up sheepishly, still holding the rifle pointed at the head of her dead father, and turned away. Candy ran after her, enfolding her in a soft bosomy embrace and pressed her head to her shoulder. “Shhhh,” she said as she rocked Eve, while she wept great gasping sobs. Dixon pressed his solid muscular body against their legs, offering his support and protectively guarding them both.

  “I’m sorry.” Sven was barely visible through a waterfall of tears and sobs. Eve pressed her face into Candy’s shoulder and turned away from him. “I..I don’t know how this happened…” Candy shooed him away with her hand. She loved her father and mother. Yes, she loved her mother. And she knew her mother had loved her, too. Then why had she done that? She had pressed a gun against her head and pulled the trigger to blow her brains out! Who does that? Sven had saved her. Oh God, she thought, my parents are DEAD!!! I’m dead, she thought. Who will take care of me? What’s going to happen to me?