Zombie Civilization: Exodus (Zombie Civilization Saga Book 2)

by Steven Ehrman

  Penny leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. She remained that way for a time. At length she opened her eyes again and looked at Jude.

  “What do you think Rose and I should do?” she asked plaintively.

  “Come with us,” said Jude, and he took her hand in his. “It will be dangerous, no doubt, but staying here is dangerous. There is strength in numbers.”

  She looked deeply into Jude’s eyes and simply said: “Then we’ll go.”

  ****************

  “So where exactly are we headed to now?” asked Penny as they all gathered at the foot of the tree.

  “My mom lives in that little development just north of town,” replied Billy. “Our friends should meet us there.”

  The group began to cut through several backyards. Billy did not trust the street in front of Jude’s place since there was recent activity there so they cut across three blocks before they began walking towards their actual destination down one of the larger streets on that side of town.

  Billy began to feel like an outsider in the small band almost immediately. The dynamics had changed dramatically. Normally Jude could always be found at his side, but that was no longer the case. Penny had attached herself to Jude and of course Rose was attached to Penny and they were all walking together behind Billy. Billy thought that Penny had likely long had a crush on his Jude. In their little group Jude had been the small vulnerable one, but he could imagine that to Penny, Jude must have seemed like the older good-looking boy from down the street.

  “Should we be out in the open like this, Billy?” asked a nervous Jude.

  Billy kept up his fast walk and replied.

  “Listen, there is no safe method here in town. Any of these houses could hold creatures and they can see us in their side yards as well as in the street. Besides we can make better time this way and be out of here faster. Just keep your eyes peeled for trouble.”

  “How are you fixed for rounds?”

  “Not great, but enough to handle a few. And we’ve got our axes for close work. I don’t want to fire if I can help it. That will only attract more of them.”

  “Do you have a plan B?” asked Penny.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Because we’re gonna need one,” she said.

  Penny pointed to a side street a block ahead of them. Dozens of zombies were coming out at the intersection and turning towards the group. Any hope that they could hide without being seen was shattered as the familiar cry of growls and moans came from the advancing horde of the dead. The zombies quickly changed from a slow shuffle to a shambling trot as they spied their prey. Billy heard Jude pop the safety off of his rifle and he did the same.

  “Okay,” said Billy. “New plan. Run!”

  ****************

  “Where are we running to, coach?” asked Jude between pants. “We better find a base pretty soon. I think we’re in trouble.”

  It was soon apparent that the girls were in a state of malnutrition and would not be able to run for the miles and miles it might take to get rid of the trailing army. Billy’s thoughts went back to how Harley had been chased for an entire night.

  Penny was having trouble keeping up and Rose most especially already seemed in some distress after going less than six city blocks. The two girls had been largely sedentary since the apocalypse, hiding in cellars and the tree house. Their inactivity caused a loss of musculature that might cost the entire group, since Billy had no intention of abandoning them. Billy looked over his shoulder and saw that the pursuers were no closer. He thought about trying to hot-wire a car, but there wouldn’t be enough time to do so before the mob over took them. Besides, he thought how many cars would still start after sitting for the entire winter without being used. A germ of an idea began to grow in his mind.

  “Listen, Jude, we can’t hole up in a house within sight of those things,” he said without slowing his pace. “They’d tear the place apart to get to us. We need something a little more solid.”

  “Billy, it’s all houses through here. Well except for-”

  “Exactly,” said Billy as he interrupted his friend.

  “You mean the firehouse, Billy?”

  “That’s right, buddy, and we’re coming up on it.”

  “We can make it,” said Penny, and she grabbed Rose’s hand and almost pulled her along.

  The fire station was looming up on their right just ahead and just in the nick of time as Rose was pale and looked as though she was about to vomit. Penny gave a shriek as a zombie loomed in front. It had stepped out of a car and lunged towards her and Rose. Without breaking stride, Jude buried his ax in the creature’s skull. It crashed to the ground and pulled the ax from Jude’s hand. He bent to try and dislodge it.

  “No time,” yelled Billy, and Jude left it in his victim.

  The bay door of the station was open. It was a two vehicle affair and although the fire engine was gone the large EMT truck was still there. The girls hurried inside while Billy and Jude struggled to close the door. It had likely been open since last fall and though they pulled the chain the door was stuck on it’s tracks halfway down and the door would not fall. The guys put their entire weight on the chain and Billy feared it would break, leaving the door permanently open. Jude’s revolver fell out of his waistband and clattered to the floor. Penny quickly picked it up.

  “Do you know how to use that?” asked Jude, through his teeth as he concentrated on the door.

  “As good as any guy, Jude, and don’t you forget it,” she said.

  The door slowly began to budge and it inched downwards. The zombies were now in front of the fire station and their ranks had surely grown in the short time of the chase. Their naked hunger was obvious as they were nearly slathering. The first few were only feet away when the door finally broke free of its encumbrance and slammed to the cement with a resounding thud that echoed through the building.

  The dead began pounding on the heavy door. As Billy leaned against the door he drew strength from its sturdy construction. They were safe from the horde outside for now. He felt the tension and adrenaline ebbing from his body as he heard Penny shriek. A mass of the dead were descending the stairs from the living quarters of the fire fighters and were closing rapidly on the group.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Billy had his rifle slung over his shoulder and couldn’t raise it in time to save the girls. Billy saw that Jude was in the same position and they were both fumbling with their rifles trying to bring them into play.

  Penny was facing the stairs as the zombies were rushing towards her. Rose had detached herself from Penny and had slid her small body underneath the EMS Truck. Penny had the revolver in both hands and was drawing a bead on the first monster. Before Billy or Jude could fire, there were three sharp bangs from her gun and the first two of the dead fell. The two that fell caused a jam on the stairs and temporarily halted their advance. Penny fired again and Billy heard the shot ring off of a wall and ricochet around the garage. She pulled the trigger again and the hammer fell on an empty chamber. She threw the gun at the nearest zombie and took a step backwards.

  “The truck! The truck!” Jude screamed.

  Penny picked up his meaning right away and ran to the truck and tried to slide under it in one motion. Two of the zombies followed her and the rest advanced on Billy and Jude. With coolness and precision that came from practice battling the beasts, the two men fired again and again at their tormentors until they too found themselves out of ammunition. The encounter had taken less than a minute and there were still several of the dead left.

  Billy grabbed his ax from his belt and began swinging in wide swaths like a lumberjack taking out a creature with each swing. Jude found himself backed into a corner by two of the monsters. He smashed one in the head with the barrel of his rifle. It sank into the skull as if it were a pumpkin and the creature fell at his feet. The other one was clawing at his shirt by then. Jude kicked at the thing and drove it back several feet, which gave h
im enough room to swing his rifle again. This time he hit the zombie with the stock and knocked it over. It began to try and stand again and Jude rained blows upon its skull until the stock shattered. It didn’t matter though because by that time the zombie was no more. Jude turned and saw Billy surrounded by corpses and breathing heavily, but it looked as though they had returned all of the dead to their rightful place. They then heard a scream.

  “The girls,” shouted Jude.

  They both ran to the other side of the truck and saw that two remaining creatures had a hold of Penny’s legs and were dragging her from beneath the truck. Penny was shrieking and Rose’s small hands were trying to pull her back under the vehicle. The zombies were intent on their victim and they paid no notice to the guys. Billy quickly dispatched one before they realized he and Jude were there. The last remaining zombie released his grip on Penny and lunged at the unarmed Jude. Jude punched it in the chest and was shocked when his fist broke through the skin and rib cage and became lodged inside the creature. Jude frantically tried to pull his hand out as the creature snapped and clawed at him. Billy turned and brought his ax down on the skull of the zombie and it made a sickening thud. The creature fell to the floor, dragging Jude with him. They were safe again, if only for the moment.

  Penny pulled Rose from underneath the truck. Rose immediately attached herself to Penny’s hip. As far as the guys could tell she had not made a sound during the attack. No cries for help or screams of terror and even now she seemed calm as she watched Jude trying to pull his arm free. With the snap of a bone he finally dislodged it and his momentum caused him to fall backwards on his rear.

  There was a moment of silence as Jude looked in disgust at his gore-covered arm and then Billy burst into laughter, followed by Penny.

  “What’s so funny?” asked Jude with exasperation.

  “Dude, if you could see what I see, you wouldn’t be asking that question,” said Billy, in between spasms of laughter.

  Jude picked himself up and came to his feet.

  “I still don’t see what’s so funny about a guy falling on his butt. What is this grade school?”

  “Buddy, slapstick comedy is a classic genre of humor. The rule of thumb is, if I hurt myself that’s not funny, but if someone else hurts himself that is funny,” Billy explained. “Furthermore, man falling down is especially funny. If the man is overweight the humor is increased by a factor of two. I didn’t make the rules, I just follow them. Guy falls on his butt equals people laughing. End of discussion.”

  “Well I’m alright, thanks for asking,” said Jude. “Did we all come through okay?”

  “Rose and I are okay,” said Penny, as she stroked her sister’s hair.

  “I’m so sorry for exposing you two to this kind of danger,” Billy said.

  “That’s right,” chimed in Jude. “You must hate us for taking you out of your safe zone and into this brutality.”

  They suddenly became aware of the pounding in the building again. The door was stout and the fire station was strongly constructed of brick and steel. They were safe, but the noise was a reminder that the dead were waiting outside and they were not waiting patiently.

  “Guys, you didn’t make us do anything,” Penny said, with a determined look on her face. “How much longer do you think we could have survived in that tree? We were tired of hiding. At least now it feels like we are fighting back. It’s time to start living again and if living means fighting everyday, then so be it. We’re not scared. Isn’t that right, baby”

  She looked down at her sister and Rose gave a firm nod. She looked at Billy and Jude and a trace of a smile crossed her face and was quickly replaced with the stony countenance she usually employed.

  “First off, let’s make certain that this place is secure now, although I can’t imagine there are any of those things left,” said Billy. “I would imagine that they all came running at the first sign of dinner.”

  They all climbed the stairs to the second floor living quarters. The place was in some disarray, but it didn’t look like a battle had taken place there. What was obvious was that the dead had long been in residence. The bunks reeked of the rotting odor of the zombies. The noise of the monsters outside was lessened on the second floor and the group relaxed. Penny and Rose sat at a dining table and Rose calmly pulled half of a candy bar from her pockets and began chewing it, while Penny pulled her hair back into a pony tail. Jude wandered over to a sink and began to clean up. He turned on the faucet and found some soap and was soon lathered to his elbows.

  “At least the water still works,” he said over his shoulder.

  “The wonders of a gravity fed system, buddy,” said Billy, as he was pulling open lockers. “It doesn’t need electricity to run, but some day the towers will run out of water and there will be nothing to fill them back up with… Hey, I found a box of .38 shells”

  Billy triumphantly held up a box of cartridges he had found in a locker.

  “At least we’re back in business with the revolvers,” he said. “I wish there was a box of thirty aught six rounds for the rifles, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

  “You think we could shower here?” asked Penny, ignoring the new discovery.

  “I don’t see why not,” replied Jude. “It’ll be a cold shower, but the water’s wet.”

  Penny beamed a grateful smile and even Rose perked up somewhat at the idea of bathing.

  “Hold on everyone,” said Billy. “Before we start setting up house, let’s not lose sight of the big picture. We have an appointment to keep.”

  “Billy we’ve been away for months. Another day or two isn’t going to make any difference. We’ll still get there.”

  “But you’re forgetting that we are meeting someone there.”

  “That’s right,” said Jude. “I forgot all about the guys. Oh my God, if they get to your place and don’t find us they are going to go back to the SUV.”

  “Right,” said Billy. “And when we don’t show up there they’ll think we didn’t make it.”

  “If that happens we might never hook up again. It’s a big country and they’ll probably head for Cleveland. That’s Turk’s home twenty and do you have any idea how big Cleveland is?”

  “Yeah. I’ve been there,” said Billy. “I spent a month there one day. We have to keep our appointment.”

  “We should never have split up,” Jude said.

  “I agree, but it’s done. You know Harley. He’s bullheaded, but he’s dependable. Him and Turk are going to be at my mom’s place and so are we.”

  “How?” Jude asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” said Billy.

  “I do.”

  Billy and Jude turned to find Penny smiling at them.

  “You have an idea Penny?” asked Jude.

  “I do. Come with me.”

  ****************

  “This is it,” she said.

  They had gone back down the stairs and were standing in front of the EMT truck again. Billy and Jude looked skeptically at each other.

  “You want to use the truck?” Jude asked.

  “That’s right. There is enough room for all of us to pile in the cab and off we go.”

  “Penny if we open that door every freaking zombie out there will be on us in a heartbeat. Maybe three of us can make it like that, but whoever draws the short straw is zombie bait,” explained Billy. “And I’m not desperate enough for suicide missions yet.”

  “We aren’t going to open the door,” explained Penny. “We are going right through it and then through them.”

  “I don’t know. That door looks pretty sturdy. I don’t think the truck can build up enough speed to knock it down. What do you think Jude?”

  “I think he’s right, Penny. I don’t think the truck will make it either.”

  “It will. I remember a few years back one of these emergency trucks was getting washed in front of one of the other stations and someone put the transmission in reverse instead of drive and they backed in
to a door just like this one and knocked it completely down and they were only going like five miles per hour. If it could happen from the outside we can do it the other way around. I’ll just step on the gas and not slow down until we’re in the street.”

  “You’re going to drive?” asked Jude.

  “Of course, I am,” stated Penny. “It’s my idea, so that makes me the driver. Besides, we need you two big strong men free to handle the guns.

  Jude grinned at her moxie and Billy found himself smiling as well. Rose merely nodded and held her sisters hand.

  “Okay, you win,” said Billy. “You’re the driver, but what if this heap won’t start? The battery might be dead.”

  “Oh, it’ll start don’t you worry. These trucks are made with heavy duty everything, including the battery. And besides, there are four emergency jump kits hanging on the wall over there,” she said pointing to the back of the garage. “I noticed them right off the bat. If the battery is dead we can jump it with one of those.”

  “You’ve thought of everything, girl,” said Jude. “You’re pretty sharp.“

  “Don’t you forget it either, Jude. Let’s get to it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The guys cleared the bodies out of the way and dragged them all to the side of the garage.

  “Well, let’s start this thing,” said Billy. He looked inside the truck and saw no keys. “Okay, job one is to find the keys for this beast.”

  He looked over at a smiling Penny and saw she was dangling a set of keys from her fingers.

  “I already grabbed these from the board upstairs,” she said.

  “So you figured you could talk us into this plan, did you?” asked Jude with a grin.

  “I can be very persuasive?’ she responded.

  “Yeah, I noticed.”