The Soul Eater (Chronicles 1): The Book of Roland

by James Master

  Instead of arguing the point, Gary turned around and looked outside. The zombies were still just standing there. They weren't even looking their way. He turned and started towards the registers. He walked to one of register lanes and grabbed a candy bar. He ripped off the wrapper, munching away without any hesitation. After that first one, he began on his second and then the third. After the fourth, the other guy came up and took the rest of the candy bars. The hippie man grabbed at them.

  “Hey! What's the big idea?” The man threw them in the trash. “Your body can't run on a sugar buzz for long before you crash. It would be a shame if you died because of a sugar crash in the presence of the undead.” Gary noticed the sarcasm, but still dug through the trash can. “A world without chocolate is not worth living for.”

  The barricaded windows began to shudder. Gary rushed to the windows with a mouth filled with candy trying to shout, “Ed, It knows we're here. Get that gun of yours and go to work.” It came out sounding different, but the man known as Ed understood perfectly. He ran up to the front of the store with a .357 Magnum in one hand and a nail gun he had found in the other. He tossed the nail gun to his hippie friend. “Here, start shooting them in the head. Shoot me and I kill you. Remember that Gary.”

  Gary grabbed the nail gun and aimed it at one the zombies. Pulling the trigger, the nail went flying into the head of a zombie. It sunk in about an inch but didn’t kill the zombie. Ed looked at Gary and shouted between gunshots, “Get closer you idiot. The nails don’t fly that far with that much velocity.”

  Ed resumed shooting while Gary got closer to the window. The zombies were all clumped together in the small window sill and would have gotten through if the barricades were down. Fortunately, the barricades were strong enough that they couldn't harm them. Taking aim, he started to shoot the zombie invaders.

  About an hour later, the dynamic duo was once again on the run. They had killed all the zombies in the hardware store, but more had come out because of the gunfire. They ran down Esther Street and found that it was a dead end. “Ah, shit! Now where do we run?” Gary yelled running alongside Ed.

  Ed pointed his gun, “The fence. It’s our only way out. Now run!” The zombies that were chasing them still were fresh. Still, in their prime, they were able to run fast. Gary was already puffing and unable to keep up with Ed for long. “You know the old riddle, Ed? How do you outrun a Man Eating Bear?”

  Ed looked briefly back at the hippie. “How?” Then he continued to run, only at a faster pace, Ed was thinking how he might have to shoot Gary in order to survive the night. Gary pulled out the nail gun he had taken with him from the hardware store.

  “You don’t have to outrun the bear. You only have to run faster than the person next to you.” Ed turned and pointed the .357 Magnum at Gary, but the hippie already had the jump on him. The nail gun barked as a nail shot out and dug into Ed’s left leg.

  Dropping to the ground, Ed rolled once, the magnum flying from his hand. Starke picked up the gun without losing a step. “Damn you, Waverly!” By the time Gary reached the fence the zombies were already upon Ed. When he climbed up on top of the fence, he looked back and saw nothing but zombies where Ed used to be.

  Gary saluted the piles of zombies. “Goodbye Edward, I'm sorry not to see you in the endgame along with your brother!” He dropped over the edge of the fence and left the zombies to the meal.

  *** 3 ***

  Ashley's Journal

  October 17th, 2012:

  We managed to escape the house. Roland and I were able to get into a car when we jumped off the roof of the house. He was able to hot wire it. I don't know where he learned how to do that, but it sure did save our butts! I was so afraid that we were going to die in there. I don't think Roland was afraid. He doesn't get afraid. At least I've never seen him afraid. Even when the zombies were coming for us and he was on his back, hot wiring the car in the front seat, he didn't show any sign of fear.

  He might not have been afraid, but I was, those things still give me the creeps. I don't know what it is, must be those yellowish decaying looking eyes. Roland said that we are heading for Rochester. He said that we are going to restock our supplies, and we're going to do it quickly and safely. I believe him, but I think there is something he isn't telling me. Whenever I ask him why this is happening, he sorta looks away, like he knows what is going on, but won't tell me. My mother used to do that when I used to ask her if daddy was coming back. I didn't figure it out until I was older that daddy ran off with his secretary. I hope Roland doesn't know anything.

  Chapter Five

  *** 1 ***

  Two hours later and a nice 1970 Plymouth Superbird hotwired, Ashley and Roland were on their way heading south on State Road 23 towards Manchester. Riding shotgun, Ashley stared into the open corn fields of Indiana. She saw many zombies running after cows. They were slightly faster than the zombies, but the zombies eventually got hold of the cow. The zombies that hunted the cow across the pasture reminded Ashley of a show on the Discovery Channel. The stalking and hunting patterns of the undead were like the lions on the Savannah.

  Ashley looked away before they began feasting on the cow. “Can animals become zombies, or is it just humans?” Roland looked at Ashley and then focused his attention back onto the road.

  “I don’t think so. I think the virus, plague; whatever it is can only be transmitted between humans. The most probable way is through the blood. It seems if an infected person, a zombie, breaks your skin, you have a high chance of being infected. It could also be like in the George Romero film 'Dawn of the Dead' where you become a zombie when you die as an effect from a comet passing too close to Earth.”

  She accepted it and looked around the car and noticing why Roland had chosen this car from Mr. Mason’s garage. Mason was one of Mrs. Canterfield’s neighbors. He would only come into the store on Sundays driving this same car. He would pick up a gallon of Rocky Road ice cream, pay with a twenty, and leave. He spent exactly five minutes in the store every time. The car was perfect in every way; Mr. Mason took very good care of it.

  She looked at him and tried to figure out what he used to be, before the outbreak. From his clothes she was able to conjecture that he might have been a trained hunter before the infection spread or he just knew how to dress the part of a hunter. Roland noticed her looking at him, “What? Do I have food in my teeth or something?” Smiling, Ashley drew her head back to the road. “No, I was just trying to figure out who you are.”

  Roland smirked, clearing his throat, “Well, I am thirty-eight years old. My father was a veteran of World War II. He died three years ago at the right old age of eighty. My mother was a stay at home mom until she died of breast cancer when I was ten. My brother Eddie is three years younger than me. I am traveling to Manchester to meet with him. We plan to travel to Canada together. That enough info?”

  “Why Canada?”

  “Less populated. Statistically speaking, Canada has a population density of about nine people per square foot. It's the lowest in the world.”

  “So?”

  “Sew buttons, ha ha. The population density of the state your in is 170 per square foot. Fewer people mean fewer zombies, for the most part. Plus, that's where Eddie and I used to hunt when we were still talking. We know that part of Canada like the back of our hands.”

  Another piece of information Ashley wanted was still unanswered, “How do you know so much about the zombies? Are you some kind of scientist?”

  Roland shook his head. “My father was the one who told Eddie and me about them. He had dealt with some back in World War II. My father had said that the Nazi's were experimenting on the Jewish prisoners in the concentration camps. He taught us everything he knew about the undead. It was his obsession, other than hunting and being a gunsmith. We thought that they were just some old boogeyman stories to keep us frightened. On his deathbed, he made us promise that if an infection ever did spread, then we would both be prepared. About two years ago, Eddie and I ha
d a falling out about a trivial matter. He called me when this started and warned me that the boogeyman tales were coming true. That’s when we decided to meet for the first time in two years in our home town of Manchester.”

  Ashley thought for a moment, her face started to drop. “What about me? Where do I fit into your plan?” Roland looked over at Ashley and saw the concern on her face. “Well, you are welcome to join Eddie and me, if you want anyway.” Ashley’s face brightened up instantly. “Canada is nice this time of year?” Roland laughed, eyes focused on the road, “Canada is perfect this time of year.”

  Later that night, the pair arrived in the suburbs of the town of Rochester. “Have you ever been here before Ashley? I have, once, and I hated it.” Roland pulled the keys from the ignition when Ashley grabbed his hand.

  “Roland? What are you doing? We can't stop. The faster to Manchester means the faster we can get out of this Godforsaken place.”

  He gently took her hand off and put the keys in his shirt pocket. “Ashley, we can't get moving without gas. We also need food, water, and if possible ammunition. The Lord provides, but not enough at this current moment.” Ashley instinctively reached for the single shot revolver in her pants pocket, the gun made her feel strong and confident. “Aren't they out there? Isn't it dangerous?”

  Roland smiled a thin little smile. “Not the way we are going to do it.”

  Soon enough, the pair had found themselves on the roof of a single story building. They had climbed a ladder, which Roland promptly pulled up. Using the ladder as a bridge, they were able to travel across the adjacent buildings. They continued doing this till they found a door that led to a lower level. “Alright, I'll go down and take a look around. Stay here until I return. If I am gone for about thirty minutes or if you hear signs of a struggle, then don't hesitate. Use the ladder to get to the building where we just came from. Remember to take the ladder with you. That's your escape plan if that happens.”

  Ashley nodded and took her pistol out. She opened the small chamber to make sure that the round was still in it. Roland nodded when he observed it. He thought, “She’s adapting and learning well, and fast. Good.” Roland thought as he descended into the blackness that enveloped the staircase.

  The stairway itself was only six feet tall and Roland had to be careful not to bang his head on the ceiling. “Rochester people are either stupid or short.” He said as he walked down the stairs. Feeling around in front of him, he found the door that led out of the cramped environment. Slowly opening the door, Roland paused just long enough to pull his revolver from its holster before walking into the interior of the building.

  It came as a happy surprise to Roland that the store he was in was a drug store, one of those old timely general stores. Roland thought that they had all closed up due to the super giants of Walgreens and CVS taking over. He never did like those stores. They were always overpriced and sterile looking. Roland slowly walked to the front of the store, cautious of anything that might pop out and ambush him.

  “You know, this is when the killer would make his move.” The sound came out of the darkness causing Roland to twirl around, pointing his gun at the source of the voice. Even in the darkness, Roland could make out a man standing in the magazine aisle, flipping through an adult magazine. The speaker, paying more attention to the women in the magazine than Roland's weapon, continued on with his rant. “Usually in horror movies, the modern ones anyway, the killer would normally be able to either stun the hero or knock his weapon out of his hand rendering him useless. Lucky for you, I am two things.” Roland still had his weapon pointed at the guys head. “Really? What would those two things be?”

  Stepping into the path of light from the window, Roland saw that the man looked a lot like a hippie. He was still focused on the magazine as he replied, “For one, I am not a fighter. Second, this magazine filled with pictures of half naked women is currently drawing my attention away.” He glanced up from his magazine and looked Roland in the eyes. “Hi, the name is Gary Starke. Pleased to meet you...?” He paused, waiting for an answer.

  Roland relaxed slightly, but not enough to holster his gun. “My names Roland, nice to meet you. Can I ask a question, Mr. Starke?” Rolling the magazine up and slipping it into his back pocket, he nodded. “Please call me Starke. Never did like the name Gary, changed it because my old name was too feminine.” Roland finally lowered his weapon. “How did you get in here without drawing the zombies attention?”

  Starke smiled, “Rats like me find easy ways in and out of buildings. This time the easy way was from the sewer system. The basement has a manhole from the sewers. Drainage and what not. Plus, the undead seem to leave me alone. I guess I'm a good luck charm for warding them away. That or I taste bad.”

  Roland and Gary gathered some food and water and carried them back upstairs to the roof. He let Starke go up the stairs first. For some reason, Roland didn't trust Starke. Maybe it was the way he dressed or his long ponytail swaying back and forth, but there was something he didn't like about him. The roof top door opened and just as Starke's head emerged into the dimming light, a loud bang went off. Roland shouted to Ashley, but it did no good. Starke, however, was already in action. The bullet from Ashley's shot went wide, embedding itself in the cement at the side of the door. Starke rolled to the ground and managed to pull out a .357 magnum. He finished the roll by aiming the gun at Ashley, while still keeping an eye on Roland. “What the hell kind of robbery is this?!” Ashley saw the gun, but kept her gun aimed at Starke, even though it was empty.

  Roland broke the silence. “Where did you get that piece?” Seeing Ashley as no threat, Starke slowly turned to Roland, his gun aiming at the man. “What's it to you?” Roland moved closer, moonlight shining on the revolver in his hands. “Because this gun here is its brother.” Starke looked confused for a moment until realization set in. He lowered the weapon. “Ah shit, your Eddies brother ain't ya?”

  As the trio drank and ate from the drug store haul, Starke told his story about how he and Eddie met:

  “I was traveling by car north from Manchester about three days after the outbreak occurred. I used to watch zombie movies in my spare time. They were my passion really. It didn't matter what kind they were, but I really loved the modern age zombie, the voodoo stuff never really sat well with me. Anyway, I remember the first time I saw one of those things. Coincidentally, I was watching Dawn of the Dead, the remake. The original is the best, but the remake makes vital changes to the zombie genre. For one, they run instead of shambling. Well, when the movie ended, I realized that I was out of beer. I love the honey brown beer. Greatest of all of them, even better than Becks. I put on some clothes and walked outside to get into my car. I knew I shouldn't be out driving when I was drunk, but I just wanted some beer. About halfway to the car, I saw my next door neighbor. I turn to him and shout, “ED! What the hell are you doing?” He turned around and I saw that he was raising one of those rifles he kept. He liked to go hunting every weekend, even when nothing was in season. I knew it was illegal, but shit, I was going to drive drunk. That wasn't the only time neither. Well, I thought maybe Ed had finally taken the plunge off the sane end of the pool, so I turn to run back into my house when I saw one of those monsters running at me just then. They were running, not shambling but running towards me. I thought maybe I was dreaming, asleep on my couch. I mean I was drinking and watching a zombie movie so maybe I was dreaming. I slipped on the wet ground and fell hard on my ass. The pain in my ass, heh, was what told me I wasn't dreaming. The ugly mother running towards me was ugly, ass ugly in fact. It was decaying pretty good and sported several holes in his midriff that looked like gunshot wounds. The next thing I heard was Ed firing that rifle. I felt the wind from the bullet brush my hair. Next thing I know was the zombie falling to the ground on my left. That's when I knew for sure it was a zombie, like in the new Dawn of the Dead. Romero is a fucking prophet or something. Sure enough, when I looked at the corpse on the ground next to me, I wasn't
surprised to see that the guy was dead from Ed's shot to the head. Well, after that Ed and I took to the road then. He wanted to get to Rochester. I guess you and him were going to meet up here and travel together. Roland, it was about a day into our journey when we were ambushed by some common thugs. Ed gave me his gun, your brother, since I didn't have any weapons. The thugs ambushed us when we were changing a flat. I was supposed to keep watch, but I had only been looking for zombies. I didn't even think to watch out for regular people. They approached us from behind, knocking Ed in the back of the head. I was in the car before I knew it driving off. I saw the guys searching Ed in the rear view mirror. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help him, but Ed is dead.”

  Roland sat for a time digesting this information. He looked from Ashley to Starke. Taking a sip from the Aquafina bottle he pointed it at the gun next to Starke. “He gave you that gun?” Starke nodded, “Yes, to protect myself.” Roland nodded in spite of his suspicions regarding Starke's story. Taking a longer sip, he nodded at Eddie’s gun, his gun's twin. “Then Eddie would want you to have it... to protect yourself.”

  The three of them spent the night on the roof. Roland advised them to sleep in the middle of the roof, so zombies wouldn't see them. After securing the door with the ladder that they used earlier, Roland settled down with his back against the wall. Starke spread himself out in the middle of the roof and closed his eyes. Ashley sidled up to Roland and yawned. Her head rolled onto Roland's shoulder and she drifted off to sleep. It took an hour before Roland could fall asleep himself. He was focused on Starke the entire time. When Roland was satisfied that he was actually asleep, he himself drift off into wonderland.

  *** 2 ***

  Ashley woke up not on the rooftop, but in an empty alley. She stood up quickly, instantly afraid. “Where is Roland? Where am I? How did I get here?”