He was reminded of one day in particular where tensions in the place where they were deployed had begun to be resolved. That meant that the troops would be able to pack up and go home before long. When the announcement was made, it felt like the last day of school before summer break. Everyone was in a celebratory mood. When they drove around on patrol, they couldn’t help but smile and sing songs as they cruised.
Though they weren’t even close to being out of the woods in New York, he noticed that there were fewer zombies as he drove. The area they were now in was perfectly average and middle-class, yet he noticed that there were only one or two zombies per block. Still, it tricked his mind into thinking progress was being made, even though he knew that there were more undead swarming around the office building.
A snore escaped Sergio’s mouth, and Matthew looked back, expecting to see some of the guys from his platoon in their uniforms, clutching their guns. Matthew blinked rapidly, coming back to reality. Even though he had never had a professional relationship with Sergio and Carl, the longer they were in the car together, the more he felt like they had been in the battlefields together.
Though he’d left the military with some emotional baggage, part of Matthew longed to return to the days where he loved his work. They occasionally encountered scary situations, but for the most part, life was pretty easy. He endured pain to do what he loved and spent time with people he cared about. Every once in a while, a friend would become seriously injured or pass away. It was hard, but there were always new people who could shine a light in a dark place.
Because he had a love and a respect for these people, the army was his whole life. He wanted to do whatever he could to make sure the people who cared and supported his work got to go home in one piece. Admittedly, this led to an obsession with protecting others, which wasn’t always appreciated. Toward the end, people were telling him to relax on a fairly regular basis. Still, they appreciated him when he was able to help them out of a sticky situation.
It never got easier losing friends. He was desensitized to blood and gore, which made killing zombies easier. But it didn’t make seeing healthy people being slaughtered any less horrifying. Matthew could look at all the gore in the world and it wouldn’t make any difference to him. However, watching a friend die in front of him was something he could never be desensitized to. It would only ever be devastating.
Once, during his training, Matthew attended a primer on first aid in the field. Of course, there were medics around, but their commanding officers wanted their soldiers to be able to stop bleeding and stabilize broken bones if the medic could not immediately get to them. In one video, they watched as a soldier got part of his hand blown off in an explosion and stayed calm and created a tourniquet as he waited for help to arrive.
Matthew couldn’t get the image of tattered flesh out of his mind. The stark white of the mangled bone in contrast to the deep red of blood made him so queasy he thought he might faint. Knowing this would be the most embarrassing thing he could do as a new soldier, he kept it together until he was dismissed back to his bunk, where he lay down for the rest of the evening. He formed a callus in the part of his brain where gore equaled pain. Perhaps it was a loss of empathy that made his work easier, but it did get easier to see the human form as it should never be seen.
There were times where he felt like his emotions were muted, but the block always lifted, even in the toughest of times. After Rebecca died, Matthew didn’t think he would ever speak to another person for as long as he lived. But Ellie and Genevieve came into his life with their innocent hearts and desperation for someone to watch out for them. Matthew instantly softened, taking them under his wing, hoping the best for them. He recognized the good in others, and before long, he considered them to be friends. He even felt a kinship with Sally, though he didn’t even begin to understand her. They were a little family that kept his heart from getting too cold. He had to protect them at all costs. They were all he had left.
As he drove in silence, Matthew noticed that the scenery had changed. They had left the dreary apartments behind and were gliding through streets with gorgeous houses. He saw blood splatters in the streets, but surprisingly, no zombies. Every four or five blocks, he’d see a corpse or a live one scurry across the street, but for the most part, it looked like a normal neighborhood. For a second, he thought about waking the others up to ask them if they’d rather move the whole squad from their high-rise to a home in the suburbs. It would be a tight squeeze, but for some reason, the zombies didn’t appear to care for this area of town.
He had yet to see a hospital, but Matthew made a mental note of how far along the little enclave of peace and quiet was located from their headquarters. It wouldn’t hurt to bring it up to the others.
Before long, Matthew found himself in another rough neighborhood, marked by graffitied cement walls and broken windows. Just as it was before, Matthew saw zombies coming out of the woodwork. Some looked dazed and wandered aimlessly around the patches of brown grass that surrounded shops. Others looked sharp and ready to attack. The dead lay scattered on the sidewalk, spilling into the gutters. But unlike the high-rise, it appeared to Matthew that there were more wandering around than there were dead.
Matthew stopped sharply as he encountered a fire blazing in the middle of the street. He backed out slowly and turned to the right in order to go around the roadblock. But when he arrived on the adjacent street, there was a fire burning there, too.
The smell was horrible. It was like a backyard barbeque gone wrong. He couldn’t tell from sight alone, but Matthew suspected that there were multiple burning bodies on the block. He just hoped that it had happened accidentally and not as a direct result of the zombie attacks. After deciding not to wake the others just yet, he continued to circumvent the fires until he ran out of places to go.
The sky was hazy and Matthew’s nose felt stuffy. He cleared his throat several times, feeling his vocal cords grate against his throat. There must have been more fires in the area.
“Did you see that?” Sergio asked, sitting up straight behind Matthew.
“No,” Matthew said rapidly, whipping his head to look at whatever Sergio was referring to. It was so quiet in the car that Matthew forgot for a moment that he wasn’t alone.
“I saw people at the bottom of that street. They were carrying something. I don’t think they were zombies.”
Matthew turned the car in the direction of where Sergio saw the people. Sure enough, one of the blocks had erupted into chaos. Zombies clawed at healthy people, while those being attacked swung wooden planks, fire pokers, and baseball bats at the offenders. Someone pulled out a handgun and began steadily firing bullets in the direction of the zombies.
“Speed up,” Sergio said in Matthew’s ear. “They’re in trouble and we don’t want to get mixed up in that.”
“Should we stop and help them?” Matthew wondered. “What if we drive up, yell at them to get in, and speed away from the zombies? We have room for a few more.”
“Just go,” Sergio said, his voice more persistent this time. “I’m serious—we don’t want this kind of trouble right now.”
Matthew sped down the street, completely avoiding the battle breaking out on the sidewalk. However, he was headed toward another apartment fire that was spreading to the dry shrubs out front. In turn, the leaves caught fire and blew into the streets, raining flames onto the pavement.
Matthew put the Jeep into reverse and sped back out the way he came in. When he reached a quiet intersection, he braked. Looking around, he wasn’t sure where to go next. If they continued on in the direction they were originally heading, they’d only run into trouble again.
“I can drive,” Sergio said, unbuckling his seatbelt. Without another word, the two got out of the car and quickly swapped seats. Matthew’s fun was over. He was now sitting backseat to a very concerned Sergio.
“Where did we just come from?” he asked. Matthew pointed in the direction of the neighborhood the
y’d just driven through.
“And you didn’t see any universities or anything like that?” he asked.
“Nope,” Matthew replied.
“Got it,” Sergio said softly as he squinted past the windshield. He took off down the street, moving much faster than Matthew had driven. Sergio took corners so quickly that Matthew was shocked that Carl could sleep through it. But within minutes, they were already in a new neighborhood where there was so sign of malevolent activity.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Matthew asked. “We just drove through a poor part of town and there are zombies everywhere. Yet, when we drive through the nicer areas, there’s not much going on. Why would that be?”
Sergio shrugged. “Not sure.”
“It’s got to have something to do with available transportation and money to spend on travel, right? Maybe some neighborhoods don’t have the money to spend on a resort in Cancun for a month or two while all of this goes down.”
“Maybe,” Sergio said, concentrating on the road as he sped down the street.
“Maybe these people have some kind of home defense system that keeps the zombies out. It might be quiet because everyone is inside—not because they ditched their house. If you’ve got money to stock up on food and other supplies, then you won’t need to go out to collect things. Maybe the poorer people don’t have the money to stock up on a month’s worth of food and water. Can you think of any other explanation for it?”
Sergio sighed. “Look, I get what you’re saying. I think it seems really strange and obviously unfair. But there’s nothing we can do right now. We’re in the business of killing zombies—not providing economic relief to the disenfranchised. We just need to look out for our own and provide for them. We need to get the equipment that the scientists need to figure out how to stop this disease before it’s too late.”
Matthew blinked. He found Sergio’s answer a little cold. He wasn’t asking him to do anything, just to theorize about what was going on. The more information they could pick up about the zombies, the better.
“So, you’re saying that we should just find a hospital so we can get back to the others?” Matthew asked, hoping Sergio would be able to end their search before Carl woke up and had the chance to change his mind.
“Sure. A hospital is probably much easier to find than a hospital,” Sergio replied. “Are you sure we’d find everything we need there?”
“Most of it,” Matthew said. “Ellie made a point to tell me that she wants a bunch of syringes. I guess she’s going to draw blood from the zombies.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to scrape it off the bottom of our shoes?” Sergio asked.
Matthew shrugged. He hadn’t thought about that. “Maybe. What do you know about science equipment?”
“Basically, nothing.”
“Well, that makes three of us,” Matthew said.
Sergio chuckled. “I thought about bringing Jennifer along for this very reason, but I didn’t want Carl to get too distracted.”
Matthew raised his eyebrows. “So there’s definitely something going on there?”
Sergio nodded. “Gotta be, right? I know Carl is tough and no-nonsense, but he turns into a little softie when he’s around the right people. He tries to be hard on Pip, but she calls the shots. He calls me out on my bullshit, but that’s only because we’re like brothers. He’s quiet and bashful around Jennifer because he’s got a huge crush on her. I don’t know if anything will come from it, but it’s hilarious to watch.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty funny,” Matthew replied. He wasn’t sure how those guys found the time to couple up during a zombie apocalypse, but it made him feel a little left out. Of course, he had no interest in being with another woman. But there was a certain longing for human closeness that could not be fulfilled platonically.
“Should I stomp on the brakes and wake the old boy up?” Sergio joked.
“Does he have any PTSD that you know of? Specifically, has he experienced any kind of trauma regarding motor vehicles?”
Sergio sighed. “I guess we can let him sleep a little while longer. It’ll be a nice surprise when he wakes up and we’re already at the hospital.”
“Yeah.” Matthew scoffed. “A nice surprise, indeed.”
3
Sergio nudged Carl in the shoulder with the heel of his palm. His eyes snapped open immediately and his seat cranked upright.
“What’s up?” he slurred.
“It’s game time,” Sergio replied. “We think this is the place we need to be.”
Carl looked up as the Jeep came to a halt on the side of the street. His head fell once he realized where they were.
The hospital sat on top of a small hill, surrounded by hedgerows. Twisted metal statues were scattered on the grounds, creating distorted reflections in the building’s windows. Matthew couldn’t tell if the creatures he saw were beyond the glass or just reflections.
“I had a bad feeling it would come to this,” he said softly. “Well, I guess we came here for a specific reason. What’s the neighborhood like?”
“Fairly quiet,” Matthew piped up from the back seat. “That’s why we picked it. That, and it looks like a new and very expensive hospital. If they don’t have the stuff we’re looking for, then I don’t know where else we’d go.”
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to stroll in without any problems, though,” Carl warned.
“No, I don’t think anyone expected this to be easy,” Sergio replied. “Obviously, there are going to be people trapped in there from when the disease started. I just hope there aren’t too many.”
That was all anyone could hope for now. Danger was a given. They could only hope that the danger wasn’t great enough to get themselves killed before they even had a chance to fight.
“Where’s the entrance to this place?” Carl asked. “If I have to go in there, I want to be able to pull the car right up next to the door. We’re not going to run down this hill with arms full of glassware, especially if we’re being chased.”
“There’s a parking garage around the back,” Sergio replied, starting the Jeep back up. “I’m sure we’ll find an excellent spot.”
Carl cleared his throat. “Why bother? We can pull right up to the ambulance parking. I don’t like the idea of being in a parking garage with those things. There are too many corners for them to hide around.”
“Good point,” Sergio said, shifting into drive. He circled the block, bypassing the hospital’s garden.
Matthew felt a low grumbling in his stomach. He knew that he would eventually have to get out of the vehicle and fight, but the time had come so soon. He wished he could enjoy the safety of the Jeep and the thrill of the outdoors for just a little longer.
Expecting to pull right up to the building, Sergio was shocked to see that his path through the parking lot entrance was completely blocked by zombies. He slammed on the brakes, sending the other passengers lurching forward.
“Damn,” Sergio whispered. “What do we do?”
“We can’t turn back,” Matthew asserted. “This might be our only option. We have to fight.”
“This place is packed,” Sergio noted, looking at the smattering of zombies on the concrete. “If this is just the entrance, what do you think the inside looks like?”
Carl forced an exhale out through his lips. He seemed hesitant to get out of the vehicle. Sergio also looked like he was ready to back out of the mission at any time. Matthew worried that he was the only one who wanted to stay, and even he was having second thoughts.
“We’ve fought more than this before,” Matthew reasoned. “Plus, we’ve got a whole bunch of weapons with us. I think the three of us can handle this.”
“I don’t doubt that, but it’s still risky,” Carl said. “The important thing is knowing when we’re defending ourselves and when we’re going on a suicide mission. Before, we were protecting our turf. We didn’t really have a choice in the matter. We technically don’t need to be here.”
“No?” Matthew asked. “I see things differently. We’ve got two very smart women back at the office who have a chance to figure out what’s going on out here. The results could be life-changing. If you had a chance to be part of the movement that ends this tragedy, wouldn’t you do whatever you could do for the cause? I come from a place where a soldier would do anything for his home. My home is my wife, who was killed by these monsters. My home is all the people stuck inside that office building, waiting for us to return with supplies. My home is this nation and the people I once took an oath to protect. That’s where I’m coming from.”
The other two nodded. Matthew knew exactly how to get to them. Deep down, every soldier he knew had the drive to serve the cause, no matter how dangerous it seemed. Even if they weren’t sure about the plan, they could still rally around a strong speech and a powerful leader.
“Well,” Sergio sighed, “let’s do the damn thing.”
“Right,” Carl said tersely. “You know that I’m doing this because I trust the two of you with my life. If it weren’t for that and the fact that there’s so much at stake here, I might think twice.”
Matthew smiled at this comment. It felt good to be regarded as a friend. Once again, his heart thawed a little bit more. Just like it did on the battlefield, it meant so much to be trusted by a fellow soldier.
“Do we have a plan?” Sergio asked. Carl looked back at Matthew.
“Uh, well, I guess we should try to take them out as quietly as possible,” Matthew stuttered, trying to stabilize his voice. “We should probably take out as many as possible. This area is kind of surrounded by gates, so they’re pretty well contained. I would say we should just kill enough to get inside the doors, but if we don’t destroy them all, we’ll have to face them on our way out. Try to keep it quiet, but don’t worry too much about attracting others. Unless they can hear you do something from a mile away, we shouldn’t attract too many.”
“We should stick together,” Sergio added. “It’s easier to clear out a space when we’ve got each others’ backs.”
Last Man Standing (Book 2): Zombie Annihilation Page 2