White Flag of the Dead

by Joseph Talluto

  Someone asked, “When will they come again?”

  All eyes turned to me. “Could be tomorrow, could be today. We learned a few tricks, so next time we won’t lose as many.

  “How many were lost?” came the question. I knew it was coming, but that didn’t make giving the answer any easier.

  “We lost 27 to the zombies, so we will need people to help bury them.” I let that sink into the silence that followed. “But their sacrifice is not going to be in vain. We will survive and we will beat these zombies. I have no guarantees except my word. I promise you that we will survive.”

  I saw several nods and sent all the men downstairs to help with the cleanup. I was going to go shortly, but there was something I needed to do first. I scanned the crowd and saw Karen standing at the far edge. I caught her eye and she nodded, motioning me to a classroom. I followed her in and she pointed to a small bundle in the corner. I went over and sat down next to my sleeping son. I picked him up gently and held him to my chest. I couldn’t stop tears from flowing and I held his sleeping form tighter. I did it, Ellie. I kept my promise. I thought to myself, bending my cheek to Jakey’s head and dampening his hair with tears.

  I held him quietly for a while, just taking him in, then I put him back down. He shifted in his sleep, turning on his side and letting out a long fart. I grinned. Just like Jake.

  I headed out of the room and thanked Karen for watching him. She smiled and said “Anytime. He’s a good boy.” and went back into the room. I went back downstairs to lend a hand with cleanup, and it was nearly dark before we finished. We could hear several moans out in the neighborhoods, so we knew we had more work ahead of us.

  I sat down in the teacher’s lounge with Duncan, Tommy, Charlie, and several others. The families and the rest had been assigned rooms on the second floor, and most people had just collapsed from exhaustion. Hauling corpses was surprisingly tiresome. I had chosen a room on the ground floor, and Jake was sleeping there for the night, surrounded by his blanket and favorite teddy bear. We had spent a good deal of time reinforcing the doors that were broken in, and I was confident that they would hold in the future. I didn’t think we would be facing another horde like we had repelled today, but we had a plan to deal with it if we did.

  Tommy told the rest about using the tables, and they all thought it was a great idea to trap them like cattle and slaughter them likewise. To that end, we prepared the commons as a killing zone, leaving the tables in place for use at a moments notice. We agreed to try to keep them out as much as possible, but if we were breached, it would serve as a focal point for killing.

  The rest of the conversation was a going over of what the rules of the community should be. I advocated that everyone be trained in the use of weapons, and everyone attend training on a regular basis. One of our survivors was ex-military and said he would be happy to set up a training program.

  Someone brought up the notion of what to do if the rules had been broken. Several ideas were fielded, but I held out for removal from the community. “Given the state of the world, I would think that people would rather simply behave than risk fighting for their lives for whatever time they have left. I think the rules need to be simple. Help out however you can. If you have usable skills, we’ll need them and use them as best as we can. Everyone works, everyone defends.” I didn’t see any disagreement.

  “What about food and supplies?” Duncan asked, voicing a concern that was likely on the minds of everyone. I had actually thought about this a bit.

  “We are surrounded by houses on all sides. What we need to do is start raiding those houses for whatever we can find. If they are occupied by the dead, we take them out. If they are occupied by the living, we invite them to join us, or leave them alone. We take nothing from the living. I figure we could do quite well if we took our time and were methodical.

  “I know these are tough times, but I also know we will get through this. For God’s sake, gentlemen, we killed over eight hundred zombies today. Yes, we lost a few, but the majority survived. We survived. And we will continue to survive. I refuse to accept any other way.” I finished my little speech to quiet faces.

  “Last thing.” Tommy spoke up. “We need a leader, someone we can count on to make decisions when things go rough. Someone who will be fair, but focused. Any nominations?”

  A man whose name I didn’t know spoke up. “Why do we need a leader? We could have a group or council to make decisions, and we could have elections and such.”

  Duncan put that idea down. “That would work for a huge group of people in a large, organized community, but we’re barely hanging on as it is. What do you do if something comes up that needs a decision right away? What do you do if the Z’s attack in force again? Do you tell them to wait until you can make decisions as a group? Sorry, friend, but if there is one thing history teaches us, a single leader can save a society where a council can stagnate it.” The man who spoke nodded with understanding.

  It was quiet until Charlie spoke up. “I nominate John. He saved our asses in the gym, and continued to lead attacks on the zombies. All I heard from him was ‘Follow me’ as he went in to fight. I know most of us wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t found us in the gym, and led the zombies away.” Charlie spoke directly to me. “You need someone to watch your back, you let me know. Whenever, wherever.” Charlie leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his broad chest. His demeanor challenged anyone to say otherwise.

  I have to admit I did not expect to receive any endorsements. I simply did what needed to be done, and took charge when someone needed to step up. I would be the first to admit that I have my faults and would be surprised that anyone would want me as leader.

  Duncan spoke up. “You guys that we picked up when we were on the road, you don’t know what Tommy, John and I went through to get where we are. But I would have to say John made all the right moves, and he can fight like hell when he needs to. He’s slow to get started, but stay away after he does.”

  Tommy spoke next. “I second the nomination for John. We need someone who keeps a cool head, stays focused, and is not afraid of a new idea.” He looked around the table. “Seriously. Would any of you have thought of using the tables to herd the Z’s like cattle to the slaughter?” Several shakes of the head and rueful smiles provided his answer.

  “So let’s vote. All in favor of naming John Talon the leader of our so-called group, raise your hand.” Tommy called the group to make a decision.

  I have to say, I was surprised when all hands went up. But, someone had to do it, so I guess I was as qualified as anyone, even though I felt like a goofball standing up and acknowledging the vote.

  “Thanks everyone. I appreciate your support. I don’t really know what to say except I will never ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. I have a son here, as most of you know, so the survival of the community is top of my list. We have a lot of work to do, but I think we made a good start today, and in the next few days, we’re going to see our little compound come together and we will be happy to call it home for a while.” I sat back down and we hammered out a few more details regarding what we had here and what resources were available. I felt positive about where we were, and felt pretty good about the chances we had in this place. We had created a fort, and we now had a duty to defend it.

  God help us all, as the living dead moaned into the night.

  14

  The next morning, I woke up with a headache. I initially didn’t remember where I was, and it took a few minutes of looking around before I realized where I was and what had occurred the day before. It was dark in the room, with a little morning light coming in through the single window in the room. I sat up, and looked around. My bike and trailer were in the corner, and my carbine was near the door. Jacob was still sleeping, snoring softly in the little crib I made for him using blankets and desks turned on their sides. I stood up and stretched, working out the kinks that accompany sleeping on a hard surface. I went back to the
floor and did my morning routine of sit-ups and pushups, idly wondering when I might actually work out with weights again. Part of me wished we had made for the junior high, where they have a full workout room, but there isn’t a water source for a mile.

  I dressed quickly and belted on my SIG. I had been wearing it for so long it was like an extension of me. I felt weird when I wasn’t wearing it, like something was missing. I imagine that’s how the old gunfighters of the West felt. The gun just became part of them that they couldn’t function without it. I wondered when I would be able to put my guns away, to bring them out when I just wanted to enjoy them. Lemons and lemonade, I thought as I went into the hall. I had about ten minutes before Jake started to stir, so I wanted to see if anyone else was up.

  It was still pretty dark in the school, but enough light filtered through the windows to give a twilight effect. The school did not look as threatening as it did yesterday. The day before, the dark hallways and echoing moans punctuated by occasional shots and screams, presented a much more foreboding atmosphere. I could see where the cleanup missed a few spots here and there, and there were some scorch marks were we had burned some of the remains to remove any threat of infection.

  As I walked towards the commons, I could see small piles of brass here and there, and sunlight streamed in through the back doors, giving an orange tint to most of what I could see. I could hear voices in the commons, so I headed that way.

  In the commons, I had to navigate through a little maze of tables, but Tommy and Duncan and a few others were discussing some options regarding supplies. They were in the kitchen area, and had the door open to let in some light. One guy was standing watch for zombies that might have been attracted to our battle the day before. Way out on the grass, just at the edge of the property was a corpse of what looked to be a young girl and a mess of blood and bones. Decaying meat was scattered around, and a couple of carrion birds were picking at the corpse. I didn’t remember anyone being caught outside, so I was confused as to who that might be.

  Duncan saw me looking and walked over. “I meant to tell you about that. Right before the zombies hit us yesterday, there was a weird little guy dragging a girl around out there. We yelled at him to get inside, but he spit at us and then proceeded to try and have sex with that girl until the zombies came and ate him. Wonder why they didn’t eat the girl?”

  “That’s because she was already dead.” I told the story of what I had found here when I first arrived, much to the shock and chagrin of my listeners.

  Duncan shook his head. “Good riddance, then. No ones needs a loony pedophile roaming around. Fitting justice would be if zombie kids had got him.”

  I smiled. “Truth to that. What’s up for this morning?”

  Duncan indicated the group. “We were talking about heading out to see about some supplies, but we had a little disagreement about where to start and what to do about safety, and what not. Usual stuff.”

  “I can understand that. It’s not like anyone’s actually had experience with this sort of thing. But we can sort it out based on what we know about the zombies. What do you have so far?”

  Duncan outlined the overall plan, which was to start searching the nearest houses for food and supplies. They would take only what they needed, no looting of non-essential supplies. If the house was occupied, they would deal with the zombies first.

  After hearing the plan, I had a few questions. “Do you have a fallback plan, in case you get surrounded? How far do you plan to roam? What will you carry your supplies in? How many men do you think will work? When are you leaving?”

  Duncan answered all the questions except for the last. They figured they would head out around 11:00am, and be back by 2:00pm. That seemed to be the time we saw the fewest zombies on the move outside. Maybe it had something to do with their eyesight, like maybe the bright light hurt them. Who knew?

  “All right.” I said. “Assemble your team, I’ll see you at 11:00.”

  Tommy spoke up. “You coming, too?”

  I looked at him. “Of course. You two can’t have all the fun.” I left them smiling as I went back to feed Jake and get ready for the raid.

  The building was stirring a bit as people started to arrange their assigned rooms into more livable space. We had enough rooms so there wasn’t going to be any crowding. We decided to leave the gym as a play area, and the garage would be a staging area for raids and such. The science room on the second floor was to be the food pantry, and there was an effort underway to use the water in the school’s boilers. The library was to be used as a meeting room/reading room, and the teacher’s lounge was the training area. The main office wasn’t really needed, so we were just going to leave it. The band room was a good observation point, and Tommy and Duncan thought it would make a neat little room for themselves. The room was octagon in shape, and attached to the northwest end of the building. There were two little offices, which would work as bedrooms. The weak point was the room had two sets of doors leading outside, but they could be secured.

  Jake was stirring and rolling around his makeshift crib. He usually woke up happy, and today was no different. I made him a bottle and changed his diaper. I checked on our personal supplies, and realized I was going to need to make some acquisitions for Jake. We had enough food for about two weeks, but after that I was going to have to get creative.

  I racked my brain regarding the area and remembered there was a store down the way. I’d have to check it out later.

  Jake finished his bottled and gave me a very satisfied burp for my trouble. I dressed for the raid and had to think about what to wear, since I hadn’t done something like this before. I dressed in long pants, and put on my work boots. I decided on a long-sleeve shirt, and tucked my gloves and balaclava in my belt. I picked up a small backpack that I had found in the school, and packed some emergency supplies. In case things got nasty, I could hole up for a bit without worry.

  I picked up Jake and went upstairs, pointing things out to him and just talking to him in general. He seemed interested in the stairs, and laughed when I ran up the last four to make him bounce in my arms.

  I went to the first door I found and knocked on it. A sleepy head poked out and I asked if there was anyone they knew of who could baby-sit my son.

  “You’re the new leader, hey?” the disheveled head murmured.

  “Umm, yeah. That’s me.” I said, not clear as to why this was relevant.

  “Pleased to meetcha.” A hand came out. “I’m Paul Yates. My wife is Elizabeth. We were in the mental hospital when you folks came by.”

  I shook the hand. “John Talon, nice to meet you as well. Listen, I need to find someone to watch my son while I go looking for supplies. Any suggestions?”

  Paul scratched his head, “Can’t say for sure, but there is a family down the way with a couple of teenage girls. They might be able to help.”

  “Thanks, Paul.” I said as I headed down the hall

  I knocked on the next door and a woman answered. “Can I help you?” she asked, sounding like she was not thrilled with the prospect of actually helping. She was disheveled and wearing a long t-shirt, which did double duty as pajamas. Her middle aged faced showed nothing more than impatience.

  I decided to try a different tactic. “Yes, get in the hall. Now.” My tone took her aback, but she stepped into the hallway with her arms crossed.

  I walked to the middle of the hallway and raised my voice to what I liked to call “principal level”, guaranteed to reach every student on a playground. “Everyone out in the hall now! This is John Talon! Everyone out! Go! Go! Go!”

  I smiled to myself when people began spilling out of their rooms. Some were holding weapons and others were holding bags of stuff. Mothers were holding onto children and fathers were looking grim and determined.

  “Thank you.” I said to the assembled mass. “I am sorry to have awakened some of you but I need a couple of favors and have not been able to find anyone to help.” I looked around and there
were many frowns looking back at me. Good. “I am going on a raid in a couple of hours and need a babysitter for my son Jake, here. Second, I need a couple of good organizers to take over the food storage and distribution. We are hoping to have a working pantry this afternoon, so anyone familiar with food storage and such, please let me know. Also,” I added, “We need help with the burial of those we lost yesterday in the fighting. The north field is the designated graveyard, and the men there could use help.”

  The looks around the hall got less hostile and two girls no older than thirteen raised their hands to watch Jake. I got two more women to organize the pantry, then went back down to my room, after thanking them for their assistance. Several men got dressed and headed down to help with the burials. I thanked them as well and I reminded myself that we needed to have a meeting to discuss the rules of the community.

  At 11:00, the two girls came down to my room, and I introduced them again to Jakey. I could tell they were experienced baby-sitters when one of them sat down immediately to play with him while the other checked out where his supplies were. I put on my backpack and extra magazine pouch for the carbine. I had a double magazine holder for my SIG, and put on my knife as well. I felt like I was gearing up for battle, and in all seriousness, I guess I was. There was no second place winner when it came to battling the undead.

  I picked up my rifle at the door and said goodbye to the girls. I smiled and waved at Jake, and he gave me a smile in return. He was almost at the point where he could sit up by himself, and was trying it out as I left.

  I went back to the garage and met up with Tommy and Duncan and the rest. Everyone was ready and there was quite a variety of weapons, ranging from crowbars to AR-15’s. We had a wheel barrel filled with makeshift sacks, and some backpacks. Duncan noticed my pack was full. “What’s in the pack?” He wanted to know.