This Dying World (Book 2): Abandon All Hope

by James D. Dean

  Anna jumped as the door clicked shut behind her. She spun in her chair, clasping at her chest when she suddenly realized who it was standing in the room with her.

  “If I was a zed, I’d already be snacking on you,” he teased as he set his coat on the floor.

  “If you were a zombie, Lexi would have shot you already,” she smiled back while still trying to catch her breath.

  “Touché. I still hate that word,” he said, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. He looked out beyond his wife to the snow covered fields stretching out to the road. Shadowy figures moved amongst the tree line, the lengths of razor wire creaking under the stress of so many dead wrapped up within its sharpened barbs.

  “There’s a lot of them out there tonight,” Anna sighed. “It’s getting worse.”

  “I know,” he replied. “I’ll take care of them in the morning.”

  “How was Dan?”

  “I don’t know how to even begin to answer that,” Chris said, resting his elbows on his knees. He ran his hands across the tiny bit of stubble on his head, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve known Dan since the day the doctor slapped my ass and billed my mom. I knew almost everything there was to know about him.”

  Chris paused, looking into his wife’s tired eyes. “That man out there,” Chris finally continued, carefully mulling over his words even as he spoke them. “I’ve never met him. I don’t know who he is.”

  “He’s grieving, Chris.”

  “This is different,” he replied. “What he’s doing out there, it’s not…I don’t know…normal I guess.”

  “What is normal these days?” Anna stood from her chair, caressing his shoulder as she took a seat beside him on the bed. “Can you imagine what it was like for him in there? He sat with her on his lap all that time. He had to shoot her to give her peace. If the roles were reversed and that was me in there, think of how you would be right now.”

  “I have,” he said, laying back on the bed. “That’s what I’m afraid of. I know what I would be like, and I’m worried that’s where Dan is headed. I’m afraid he’s going to crack.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said as she stood, moving back to her chair. “I think he needs time. As long as he has Katie to look after, he’ll work it out. Now get some sleep. You haven’t stopped moving for almost two days now.”

  “I haven’t been able to. I keep thinking—”

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Anna interrupted. “Everyone knows what you’re thinking. No one else saw that blind spot either. You can’t blame yourself for that.”

  “Yes I can. I should have seen it. Abby died—”

  “Abby died because of Adam,” she interrupted again. “It wasn’t Dan’s fault or Abby’s fault, not even your fault.”

  “Are you going to let me finish a senten—”

  “Nope,” she cut him off for a third time. “Especially when you keep trying to place blame on yourself for something that isn’t your fault.”

  “But—”

  “No buts! I mean it, knock it off and go to sleep.”

  “Well,” Chris said, folding his hands under his head. “I see where this is going.”

  “It better be to sleep,” Anna scolded. “Or that threat you made to have Rosa give Lexi something to put her out will become a reality!”

  “You heard that, huh?”

  “You know it’s funny,” she started, her voice growing more sullen as her eyes turned back out the window. “I always thought this farm was really quiet. That kind of serene quiet that lets your soul be at peace with everything. Then the world died, and took all the noise with it. Now every sound you make is like thunder, even threats whispered to children.”

  “She’s not really a child anymore.”

  “No, I suppose she isn’t. Go to sleep, Chris,” Anna said softly, as if speaking to herself. She crossed her arms on the window sill and stared out into the darkness.

  Chris closed his eyes, allowing sleep to finally overtake him.

  **********

  Chris’ eyes snapped open as icy wind blasted through the open window sending chills rippling through his body. The late morning sunlight streaming through his window did nothing to warm the air in the icebox of a room.

  “Holy shit!” he gasped. “How cold is it?”

  “About seven degrees according to the thermometer outside,” Anna said.

  “Why are you still up?” he asked. “You were supposed to wake me up before sunrise!”

  “That wasn’t going to happen. You looked as out of it as one of those dead things, you needed to sleep one way or another. Besides, no one is sleeping now anyway so you weren’t really needed.”

  “Why not?” Chris sat up, cupping his hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle a yawn.

  “Once Dan started hammering, people got up.”

  “Why did he—”

  “Chris,” Anna stood, taking his hand in hers. “You need to see this.”

  “See what? What’s going on?”

  “Chris,” Anna gave him a pleading look. “Please, just come look.”

  He relented, his knees cracking as he stood from his bed. Slipping his coat back on, Anna led him out into the hall. They walked over to the plastic covered window that a blast from Abby’s shotgun had destroyed during her struggle with Adam. The look of trepidation in her eyes gave him pause as she nodded toward the window. He released her hand and went to the opening, lifting the flap and looking out to the scene below.

  Adam’s torso hung from the stone silo. The rebar that had been driven through his chest had been hammered through the mortar, locking his body in place. Two more rods were hammered through his shoulders and through the mortar. Adam’s head turned in all directions, snapping his teeth at the small group that had formed around him. Attached to the stone below the monster’s body was the plaque Dan had obsessed over for so long.

  “Where’s Dan?!” Chris demanded.

  “He’s sleeping,” Anna said slightly above a whisper.

  “I need to talk to him!” Chris spat. “Now!”

  “Did you hear me?” Anna took his face in her delicate fingers and turned it to hers. “He’s actually sleeping. Mark and Matt helped him this morning. When he was done, he came inside and laid down with Katie. He’s finally sleeping.”

  “I can’t have…that!” Chris snapped.

  “Before you say anything to him, go read what he wrote. You wanted him to work through this. I think this is his attempt to do that. Please, just go look.”

  “Okay,” Chris sighed. “I’ll read it. But I doubt I’m going to change my mind.”

  “I’ll take what I can get,” she said. She stood on her tiptoes, her lips gently brushed his cheek before they found his.

  She pulled away, squeezing his hand before retreating back into their bedroom. With a deep breath, he trudged down the stairs and out into the frigid morning.

  “I heard you guys were busy this morning,” Chris barked as he marched past the two men gathered around the silo.

  “He would have done this with or without us,” Matt said. “Besides dude, it’s not like I disagree with the sentiment.”

  “Uh-huh,” Chris said irritably.

  “Dan made a good point too,” Mark added. “We’re leaving soon, and we all know it. What are the chances any of us will ever come back here?”

  “I’d like to think this’ll be over one day. This is still my house!” Chris shot back. “I don’t want to come back to this!”

  “Buddy,” Joe’s booming voice carried from the open bus door. He leaned against the frame, wearing nothing but jeans and a pull over hoodie. “That would be great if it could happen. But let’s be real honest with ourselves. When we leave here, we’re not coming back. If this is what Dan needs to help himself, you should just let it be.”

  “Seriously dude,” Matt cut in. “Read this.”

  “Fine,” Chris exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

  Foam streamed from t
he Adam thing’s mouth. It snarled as Chris drew close, teeth snapping together so hard they echoed between the barn and house. Chris stopped only a few feet away from macabre monument and read.

  THIS IS ADAM HADAMAN. COWARD. LIAR. MURDERER. KILL THEM ALL. DRIVE THEM BACK TO HELL. BUT NOT THIS ONE. LET HIM REIGN OVER THE KINGDOM HE WOULD KILL FOR UNTIL THE END OF TIME. NEVER LET HIM KNOW PEACE. NEVER LET HIM REST. NEVER RELEASE HIM. LET HIM ROT. LET HIM SUFFER FOR ALL OF ETERNITY. ADAM, DOES IT HURT YET?

  DAN FOSTER

  Chris read and reread the words several times. He felt the eyes of his friends on him as he stood in front of the macabre monument. He let out a sigh before turning to head back to the house.

  “Chris?” Matt asked. “What do you think?”

  “Let Dan sleep.”

  Chapter 4

  “We need to get to the desert!” Jason shouted over the roaring engine.

  “Aye Gunny,” Dunford responded, cutting the wheel hard as three uniformed corpses bounced off the heavily armored front end. “There’s an awful lot of dead between us and those mountains.”

  “I’m aware,” Jason said as the Humvee crushed a still moving torso under its heavy tires. “I’m looking for options!”

  “Take Vandergrift,” Murphy said, scratching a still whimpering Titan behind his ears. A strand of foamy drool dribbled from the canine’s mouth, falling into Murphy’s lap.

  “Good idea,” Jason replied. “We’ll skirt around some of the heavier population.”

  “We’ll pass by the air strip,” Dunford said. “A lot of people went there looking for evac.”

  “Not much of a choice,” Jason replied. “There’s no good way out. If we’re lucky, the barracks were cleared during the evacuations. Make for Lake O’Neill, if it’s clear we’ll stop and catch a breather to plan our next move there. Until then, don’t stop for anything! Understand?”

  “Aye Gunny,” Dunford shouted. “Drive fast, take chances, stop before we hit the lake. Got it!”

  “Good man,” Jason said, patting him on the shoulder.

  Creatures that had been walking aimlessly through the lifeless base were suddenly drawn by the throaty rumble of the diesel engine. Men and women, civilian and Marine lunged at the vehicle, severing arms and mangling bones of those unlucky enough to make contact with the Humvee. Dunford swerved around them, tires screaming as he did his best to avoid as many of the undead as possible.

  “Jesus Christ!” Dunford screamed as the bloated corpse of a young boy suddenly appeared in the bright headlight beams. His black eyes glared at the men seconds before his badly swollen body exploded on the vehicle’s front bumper. Purplish organs slapped the hood as chunks of flesh slid across the fenders, a mixture of dead blood and green pus painted the windshield.

  “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” Dunford chanted, his foot lifting from the accelerator.

  “Dunford,” Jason snapped. “Get this bitch moving!”

  “I couldn’t stop!” Dunford panted. “The kid…I…I couldn’t stop!”

  “Shake it off, Marine!” Jason ordered as the truck continued to slow. “That kid was dead already!”

  Gnarled hands raked their jagged fingernails across the hardened Humvee skin. Faces pressed against the narrow glass, opened mouths pressing against the windows until they cracked under the growing pressure of the zombie throng. White eyed creatures beat on the doors, their desperate howls growing in intensity as they eyed the men inside with ravenous hunger.

  From deep within the mob a pair of glistening black eyes emerged. The creature moved with purpose, its white eyed brethren clearing a path as the thing closed on the nearly static Hummer. It stopped a few feet away, narrowing its eyes and cocking its head to the side as it scanned the door. It suddenly locked its gaze on Murphy, curling its lips into a vicious snarl before stepping forward and wrapping its gnarled fingers around the door release. It jerked back on the handle, finding itself tumbling to the ground as it fingers slipped free. Within two heartbeats, the thing was back on its feet and lunging at Murphy’s door with a hint of anger in its oily black eyes.

  “Just a kid! He was just a—”

  “Nick!” Jeffries shouted, a solid punch landing on Dunford’s shoulder. “I don’t want to die today!”

  “You better listen to the man!” Murphy snapped. He pulled back on his door, fighting against the tug of the black-eyed monster. Titan growled deeply, his fur rising in anger as he made it to his feet in the cramped cabin.

  Dunford blinked hard, shaking his head before planting his foot back on the accelerator, the sudden burst of speed knocking the undead away or grinding them underneath their massive tires. Within minutes they had turned onto Vandergrift, speeding away from the packed cluster of base housing.

  “You still with us, Dunford?” Jason questioned.

  “I’m sorry, Gunny. I lost it for a minute.”

  “I get it, Corporal. Just try not to lose your shit when we’re up to our assholes in zombies.”

  “Aye, Gunny,” Dunford exhaled. “We’re ten mikes from the air station.”

  Jason sat back in his seat, trying to peer out into the darkness and deeply regretting the loss of his NVGs. Even through the fog, night vision goggles would have allowed more than just a few inches of view. He felt a deep unease in his stomach at what possibly lay beyond the veil of darkness.

  “Okay, elephant in the room time,” Murphy spoke up. “I know I wasn’t the only one who saw what that adult black-eyed one did, right?”

  “Hell no,” Jeffries shot out. “That thing actually tried to use the door!”

  “And I’ll be damned if it didn’t look pissed when it fell down!” Murphy exclaimed. “It actually looked like it wanted to knock my head off!”

  “A goddamn smart zombie,” Dunford exhaled.

  “I don’t know about smart,” Jason said. “Smarter than the rest maybe. Or maybe its brain wasn’t as damaged as the others. Hell, it could even be some form of muscle memory, we just don’t know enough about these things yet.”

  He looked over at the panting mass of golden fur that had returned its head to Murphy’s lap. Bright red blood continued to ooze from the animal’s hind quarter, trickling across the oval bite mark and down his golden fur.

  “I hate to bring this up,” Jason said low enough for only Murphy to hear. “Especially with what he did to help Jeffries. But what are we going to do about Titan?”

  “Not a damn thing,” Murphy replied, scratching his companion’s belly. “He’s tough, he’ll be fine.

  “He was bit,” Jason said simply.

  “Yes he was,” Murphy responded. “Wasn’t the first time, probably won’t be the last.”

  “It’s never affected him?”

  “Whatever poison is in those monster’s saliva makes him sick, but he’s always recovered,” Murphy smiled. “Isn’t that right ya big turd?” Murphy patted Titan’s side. The animal lifted up, covering Murphy’s face with slobbery wet kisses.

  “You mean whatever this is doesn’t affect animals?” Jason asked.

  “Ever see a zombie dog?” Murphy asked. “He’s gotten pretty close and personal with those things a few times and he hasn’t developed a taste for people. But after this bite, he’s in for a mean case of the green apple puppy splatters.”

  “That’s good news,” Jason said. “That he’s going to be okay, not so much the splatters,” he added.

  “Gunny,” Jeffries cut in.

  “Yes,” Jason and Murphy answered in unison.

  “I meant Murphy,” he replied.

  “What’s on your mind, dipshit?” Murphy asked.

  “Dipshit, Gunny?”

  “Yeah,” Murphy replied. “You tossed a grenade twenty feet from your allies. So until I see you do something that is less than lethal towards us, you will be Corporal Dipshit.”

  “Aye, Gunny,” Jeffries replied. “I was thinking–”

  “There’s a first,” Dunford interrupted.

  “I was wondering,” Jeffries con
tinued after shooting Dunford the evil eye. “Where did Titan learn to ice rotters like that?”

  “No idea,” Murphy answered. “I’ve trained dogs for years, and Titan here is as smart as they come. He follows commands better than any dog I’ve ever had. But I never trained him to kill like that. He’s always gone for the throat, but the first time he attacked one of those things, he went right for the head. It’s like he sensed there was something different about ‘em.”

  “You trained him to kill?” Jeffries asked.

  “You don’t work for the boy scouts, Dipshit. We don’t get deployed on camping trips.”

  “Okay,” Jason started as the stretch of buildings came into view on their right. “We’re not out of the shit yet. Let’s keep the chatter to a minim–”

  The men were violently thrown forward as Corporal Dunford suddenly slammed the brakes. The Humvee skidded to a stop, bouncing the men off the interior of the vehicle. As Jason righted himself and prepared to tear the idiot Corporal three new assholes, he caught sight of what forced the young Marine to damn near send everyone flying out the windows. He sank back into his seat, heart thundering as it pushed ice cold blood through his veins.

  The Marine Corps Air Station stretched off into the distance on their left, its hulking buildings like dark stains against the slowly lightening sky. On their right sat the group of long rectangular buildings that made up the warehouses that serviced the sprawling base.

  Between the two structures, hundreds of creatures swayed on the road, countless milky eyes staring back at the men. White foam erupted from their decaying mouths, a chorus of growls spilling from the mass of bodies, yet none of the undead made a move toward the frightened men.

  “What are they waiting for?” Jason whispered. “Murphy, you ever see anything like this before?”

  “Can’t say that I have,” he answered steadily. “But it’s creeping me right the fuck out!”

  Titan stayed low, ears pinned back and teeth bared at the horde. He trembled, fur rippling across his body in waves as growls reverberated from deep within the canine’s body.

  “Something’s happening!” Jeffries spat.

  A handful of the dead emerged, their black eyes reflecting the headlights as they stepped out of the crowd. The dead grew silent, giving a wide berth to the strange new creatures. Eventually, eight demon-eyed zombies stood between the gathered dead and the idling Hummer.