Zombie Waltz (Book 2)

by Lynn E. Main

  Rodney grins over at the sharp featured and scowling girl thinking I’ll probably fuck you first. Have me this cinnamon brown with the big titties and soccer player’s calves for desert.

  Jill walks past him and theytrade awkward smiles. After returning his look to Lynne, the onyx queen, and playfully sticking the tip of his tongue out and flicking it, he turns to deal with his bagged men.

  Jill’s eyes shift from the two men by the fire-pit. “Are you a good man, Rodney?” Jill asks, now turning and looking directly at him. He is a big tough man; attractive with his light blue eyes, salt and pepper hair, and rippling muscles beneath the flesh of his forearms. His skin is tanned deeply and the hair on his arms is sun-bleached blond.

  He looks down at her. Standing 6’3” he towers over Jill’s 5’4” stature. Lynne moves to the other side of Jill and looks up at him across her face. “Idon’t know. Isaved you, didn’t I?”Heresponds toJill, smiling.

  “Yes…” Jill says looking back across the fire-pit at the bagged men.

  Lynne cuts her off, “You didn’t save Brian.” Her eyes are filled with hatred.

  Sensitive Trigger

  Chris sits on the roof of the high school with his legs hanging over the ledge, after patrolling more times than he can count. He has just been sitting, staring south for hours. He can see the awnings above the bus doors and the caddy. The street coming into the parking lot, all the fields and the tree line are in view. Chris enjoys his time on the roof. It is time to think. There have been zombies, but not many.

  The only interesting thing so far was the blond guy that he saw sprinting across the parking lot. He was tall and a little older than Chris, maybe in his mid-twenties. He looked tough with big arms, a thick neck and broad shoulders. Chris hoped to look like that guy one day. A tough guythat gets chicks. A survivor.The guyseemed capable and determined, even if he was going the wrong way. South. Toward that mob, or wall, or whatever million zombies…slowly pushing ever north.

  He was heading south and disappeared into the dark under the canopy of thick trees that lined the streets. Chris supposed the guy would see the wall of zombies soon. If he kept running that direction, it couldn’t be missed. It had to be getting close. He wasn’t nervous for him though, not really.

  The sun has since returned. Chris looks through his scope, scanning across the lots and through the tree line to the south. The thing works even better in the daylight. He can see for miles and pinpoint through it up to half a mile away. Over the dense tree line, around the south edges of the parking lots and driving ranges and tennis courts, Chris can see the city sky line…well what is left of it. Much of what was once south Sarasota is burning. The hospitaltheyleft just yesterdayis no longer visible over the trees. Chris is certain where it should be, but it is gone.

  He wonders how long they have. He wishes they didn’t have to stop to do this surgery. He knows that they will wait for Kevin to be up and around if they can, but he doubts they will have that luxury. As soon as he can see the line, he plans on demanding Dead Boytake them further north. The danger of moving Kevin won’t matter if that wall of corpses catches them.

  Thunder starts rolling up the street. Chris is daydreaming when he first hears the noise. He had been able to hear it for a while but it did not register to him until it grows loud. It is like a chainsaw but deeper. It must be a motorcycle. He looks down the road and sees the bike coming up into the parking lots. At first the biker just weaves it around and does some figure eights, but then he must have seen the caddy because he turns and punches his throttle. The biker arrives at the bus-doors. Above them, hidden only by a three-foot wall and separated by maybe 100 yards, is Chris.

  The man stops his big chrome bike and leans it over on its kickstand, killingthe engine.Hehas a walkie-talkiein his hands and holds it up to his face.

  Chris can hear him, plain as day, “RJ, come back to me…” The man holds it near his head. There is some static. It is interrupted but Chris can’t make out what was said. “Hey. uh yeah. Didn’t you tell me that you checked the high school yesterday and no one was here…” He holds it up waiting again. There is static and then a clear “yes…” out of it. “Someone is here now…” There is more static. “I don’t know but there is a locked car by the back doors. Blood and nothing else inside.” More static. “What the hell do you think it means? Get your asses over here, now!”

  A few minutes pass, then two other motorcycles arrive. Chris puts his scope on them. Three armed men dismount their bikes and try the doors of the caddy. They are looking through the windows when Chris hears the discharge. His safety was off. He had no intention of firing but his finger must have rested too heavilyon the sensitive trigger. The round deflects off the right mirror just beside the bald one’s head. The men scramble around like angered ants, looking in every direction.

  Thereis shouting and swearing. Chris backs slowlyawayfrom the edge of the roof, still ducked down and soon can’t hear anything. He turns and runs for the shack that leads to the trapdoor into the boiler room. It reminds him somewhat of chasing Dead Boy off the roof of the hospital. He is worried there will be no easy escape from this. His body tries to freeze with anxiety, but he forces himself to run. He notices that his stomach doesn’t bounce nearly as much as it did when he was being chased out of this very same school by zombies just a few weeks prior. Being overweight at the start of this has helped him a little maybe. Chris smiles to himself at that.

  Showdown

  Chris bursts into the classroom right as Ian finishes passing out all the peanut butter crackers. When I see the look on his face, I feel guilty. I should have taken him food as soon as the others returned. It is not like I forgot about Chris. He has just been so independent sincehe arrived at the hospital and saved us that…

  “Dead Boy…you need to come with me now.” I stand and start to walk towards him. When Faith first arrived in this classroom, she deposited her shotgun in the corner by the teacher’s desk. She retrieves it and follows me out into the hall after Chris.

  “What is it?” I ask in the hallway. Faith is followed by Nick and Kim and then Phillip. Kim has her gun and Phillip is carrying the revolver I saw sitting on the teacher’s desk yesterday. Chris marches towards the corner of the hall that leads to the stairs, but stops there and peeks around. Then he turns to face me.

  “There are men outside…bikers. They don’t look very friendly. Plus...um I kind-of…shot at them…”

  “Why did you do that?” I ask.

  “Not on purpose!” Is his only response as he looks down, his cheeks growing red with embarrassment.

  “How many?” I creep past him and look around the corner, then continue slowly trying not to make any noise to the stairs and look down; it seems quiet.

  “Three…”

  “Well that doesn’t seem like a big deal. They probably won’t…” At that moment there is a bang and then several sets of loud footsteps echoingup thestairs from the quadbelow in thedirection of thebus doors.

  Chris peeks around from just behind myright shoulder. Three men move into view below. The first is wearing blue jeans, torn out at the knees and heavy brown boots that look like they have a steel toe. He’s wearing a tee-shirt that advertises a strip-club with a leather vest over it. There are patches on the vest. He has silver hair. He is tall with broad shoulders and a stubbly chin. His thick wide jaw is ruggedly handsome and scary at the same time.

  “We hid from the last people to come in here before you. We never saw them.” Phillip says, movingup beside me and lookingdown the stairs.

  I put my finger to my mouth and shush them all. Faith has her shotgun held up to her shoulder. Kim and Nick are pressed to the wall and Kim holds her Beretta up in front of her. The hammer is cocked back and the safety is off. I look back down at the three men, now standing not 30 feet from us. They are about twenty big steps down though, and having the high ground is a huge advantage. Being hidden is an advantage but I don’t think we can give up the stairwell to sta
y hidden. I edge back and turn towards Nick and Kim, “Kim, I can’t believe I am asking this…can I borrow that?” Kim gives me a crazy look and rolls her eyes at me but turns the gun so I can take it by the handle.

  “It’s ready to fire.” She whispers.

  I turn back to the stairs and Faith has moved up against the wall, holding the barrel of her shotgun straight down at the floor. I go back to the corner and peek around and down the stairs. The men are still standing there, looking around quietly. The second man looks like a younger version of the first. He has black greasy hair slicked back. He has been shaving, but his face still looks almost exactlylike the lead man; probably his son. He’s even dressed similarly, except he wears a full leather jacket over his ‘I support single mothers’ tee shirt.

  The last man is bald and short. He is middle aged, at least 50, and his ears point out away from his head, giving him an almost gremlin appearance. He is hunched somewhat, but very muscular and despite the mean look on his face, the sawed-off double barreled shotgun he holds in front of him makes him intimidating enough all by itself.

  The men are all armed. The younger Mr. Biker Man carries a darkened pistol and a pump action shotgun strapped over his shoulder. The leader has a gun belt and thereis a large revolverrestingin its holster, hungoff his left hip. Finally, the leaderlooks up the stairs and Ijump back. I look at Phillip and Chris who have both shrunken away from the stairs as well and hope they were in the shadows.

  For a second, I thought he might have made eye contact with me. I take a deep rattling breath that seems to echo itself in the silence. “Is someone up there?” I peek back around the corner and I know he can see part of my head but I don’t jump back because he doesn’t go for his gun.

  The other two men are looking up the stairs now as well, but I don’t think either of them can find me in the dark. “Hey listen…we don’t want any trouble. We are just travelers. We have been on the road a long time.We don’t have anyfood… or much water. Can you do the charitable thing and take us in?” The leader smiles up at me.

  He has his hands held out at his sides, but his muscles are tight as if they could retract at any moment like a spring and draw that gun. He looks like he can shoot plenty well enough. I am just trying to keep my finger off the trigger of this heavyawkward Beretta because myhands are shaking so hard I am afraid I will fire it on accident. Why did I even ask for this gun? “You up there mister? I can see you up there.” He waits and even cocks his ear toward me but I have no intention of replying.

  “What do you want?” Faith says from just behind my shoulder. I turn to her eyes wide. She looks at me in the dark with a tight, guilt-ridden face. “Sorry.” She whispers.

  “What? Who was that?” The second biker asks and all three men approach the stairs. The second bikerhas a big grin spread across his face.

  I hold a finger to my lips at her, then turn to reply, “No one to you…no one you are going to have the pleasure of meeting.” I say, trying to stay cool and calm.

  “Look, kid. We are good people. We are alone out here. We just needa safe place to rest for a while. We haven’t seen livingpeoplein days. If that was a warning shot outside…we get it. We don’t want to fight.” The first biker says, standing not 10 feet away and 20 feet below me at the base of the stairs. The others are behind each shoulder with guns drawn.

  “They call me Dead Boy. I don’t give a fuck about you or your situation. I am not asking. Leave.” I command.

  He smiles and in that moment, I know, without a doubt, that these men will do us harm if Ilet them. He steps right up against the stairs, “We just want to rest. We aren’t the type that would hurt people. So, whydon’t you let us come up there and meet everyone? Who is the lady? She sounds real pretty. Haven’t seen too many pretty girls lately.” He puts his foot on the bottom step.

  “You sons-of-bitches take one more step and I will kill you.”

  “Why?” He asks, but then grins and laughs. “Why do you think I would hurt anybody, Dead Boy? There are drooling ghouls all around us. Let’s be friends.”

  “No.”

  The younger black haired biker shoulders up next to the elder, “We are going to come up there.”

  The older turns and chides him, “RJ calm yourself, boy.” The younger ones’ smile looks like a thin plastic Halloween mask. Beneath, he’s boiling with rage that I’m blocking their raid.

  “I say we just rush them.” RJ says quietly, his smile faded to a grim snarl with teeth bared.

  “Up the stairs? Don’t be stupid.” The elder says, putting a hand on his shoulder.

  “Stay back. We don’t want any trouble but we can’t let you come up here.” I say, wheeling around and taking another step. I lean around the corner, just out of the shadows with Kim’s Beretta held out in both hands. I know they can see me now because of the expressions on their faces.

  “Hey come on Dead Boy…we are just looking for some shelter. Please, let us stay here with you. It’s hellish out there. We are hungry and…” The first biker starts, but I cut him off.

  “I don’t care. Leave.” The first biker puts his other boot on the bottom step, but the younger one bounds up six stairs with three steps up and my heart races even faster. I can almost hear the gun rattling as it shakes in my sweaty hands. I squeeze tighter and put my finger to the trigger.

  RJ has a twisted look on his face and shouts up, “Look, kid. You have no right to keep us out. This isn’t your school.” He leaps up another step up and Ilean out further, myheart pounding so loud Ican’t even hear myself scream.

  “No!No! NO!” Ishout down, punctuatingeach word with a bullet; firing wildly, not even hoping to hit anything. I just really want to back them off. But RJ screams out as his pistol hits thesteps and bounces down. All three recoil and remove themselves from the stairs. They back away into a tight huddle. I don’t lean back. They could have started firing but they didn’t. “I told you to leave! After we are gone, you can have this school. But don’t come back if you see that blue caddy.” I fire again. I deliberately aim wide and it sets them moving further away. With that, I lean back around and press my back up against the wall. Chris and Faith both have guns held to their shoulders a step from the corner. “They shouldn’t come up now…but if theytry…kill them.” I command. Loudly.

  “You fuckingbastard!” RJ yells. The other two drag him downthe quad. I lean out to watch them disappear. RJ is holding his hand and there is blood all over his shirt and jacket sleeves. His gun no longer sits on the stairs. One of the others must have retrieved it.

  We all stand like statues and wait. We hear the bus doors bang open and shut even louder. Our collective breath releases when we hear the motorcycles start up and rev loudly. The noise diminishes as they finally drive away.

  At least a minute later, Chris pulls his scope away from his squinting eye. He looks at me with a grimace and starts slowly down the steps. I am numb. I don’t even know what I would say if I wanted to stop him from going down. Kim approaches and looks down at me. Nick is right behind her. She leans down and holds out her empty hand. I am confused at first and shake it but when I let go she still holds it out. Ishrug and chuckle awkwardly and then hand her back the gun. “You did the right thing.” Is all she says, and then she stands and leaves. Nick nods at me and he and Phillip follow Kim back to the classroom.

  Faith and Iareleft alone in the hall when the others turn the corner. She leans her shotgun up against the wall, and slides down next to me. Her hands worm through my arms folded over my lap and she rests her head against my chest. All she says is, “That was scary.”

  Chapter 4: Full Speed, Don’t Stop Problem Phillip

  We walk back to the science lab. The others are all gathered in a circle. Nick, Kim, Phillip, Gretchen, and little Jason all have their arms crossed. Ian is across the room, sitting behind the teacher’s desk with his back to us. Everyone’s faces are painted with anger. Phillip and Gretchen are looking at me. Gretchen scowls. And just when I thought w
e might be making some progress…

  “What the hell happened out there?” She asks, nearly screaming at me.

  I don’t answer her; not right away. First, I look at Kevin who is ghostly pale on the table. I go to his side and lean my head down and put it near his chest. He is breathing but he looks dead. “Well?” I hear from Gretchen behind me. I look up and turn around.

  “I kept those men from coming up here…and finding you.”

  “By shooting at them?”

  “I didn’t think I had a choice. They were coming up the stairs armed.”

  “If you and your sniper hadn’t gone down there and got seen, they wouldn’t have.”

  “They might not have come up, but if they had and we were unprepared, you would like them even less than me. I promise you that.”

  Nick breaks in, “Do you think they will come back?”

  “I don’t know.” I reply.

  “Why don’t you just leave? Everything was fine here until you came. We had no problem hiding from people like them.” Gretchen says. “Didn’t hide from us too well.” Kim says, turning to her and then rolling her eyes and looking back to me. She smiles.

  “Well most people don’t sneak in here with night vision and…”

  “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. We can’t change how those men were chased away. We couldn’t let them come up here. Gretchen, you didn’t see them. They weren’t what you would call…civilized.”

  “Yes, and now they are going to come back here looking for retribution. Theywouldn’t have thought anyone was in hereif theyhadn’t seen your car. Then your sniper takes a shot at them.” Gretchen retorts. She is a strange leader. Frail and thin, shouting commands from her wheelchair; but she is a leader all the same. She is the same as Mr. Petrova…and me I guess.

  “I think you should leave.” Gretchen says it as if she is speaking to all of us but her eyes never leave mine.