“Stop shooting, you asshole!” The voice yelled. “What the fuck is wrong with you? What do you want?”
I went over to the two dead men, pulled the guns off of them and with a heave, threw one into view of the others. There was a collective gasp and more swearing, and at the pivotal moment, I stuck the dead man’s gun around the corner and fired some more. I had to be seriously pissing off everybody.
“Son of a bitch! You’ll pay for that!” The man was clearly agitated. “You can’t stay in that hallway forever!”
I tossed the second man out and waited. There was no response, which was a concern. I slowly eased away from the wall, keeping an eye on the corner, trying to see them before they saw me.
The cold barrel of a gun on the back of my neck stopped me in my tracks. I raised my hands and was relieved of my rifle. My Beretta was taken from me and my knife and tomahawk were taken as well. My sword was removed, and through all this, my captor didn’t say a word. However, the gun on my neck never left for an instant. I kept my hands up, but my mind was a flurry of calculations about how fast I could move and how long it took for a finger to pull a trigger. Every equation I tried had a single answer. I was fucked.
Chapter 63
Suddenly, the barrel was lifted and I heard my captor laugh to himself. I turned around and saw three people standing in front of me. Two who were obviously women were pointing rifles at me, and they were the flanking bodyguards of the man who held a small stainless pistol at his side. His white hair looked slightly unkempt, but he was well dressed and well fed.
“Hello, Ben,” I said.
“Hello, Aaron,” Ben said. “How’s your family doing?”
I nearly risked it right then. I calculated the odds and they were really close. If the two guards blinked at the same time, I was going to give it a go.
Trouble was, Ben knew it. He backed up out of reach, and the guards did the same. Ben smirked at me and waved the gun in the direction of a service door that had been cleverly painted to match the wall. I shrugged and walked behind him, still flanked by the guards. They walked behind me and aimed their guns in a cross pattern. They could shoot me and miss Ben, so that opportunity was gone.
Since I wasn’t already dead, every moment was an opportunity. I just had to choose the right one. We walked down a dark corridor, past service doors and rear entrances to shops with their names on the doors. At one point, the corridor darkened, and I slowed slightly, but one of the guards jammed the muzzle of her gun into my neck, so that opportunity was wasted. At the end of the corridor, Ben opened a door without looking back and walked through it. I followed and raised my eyes to what must have once been a magnificent sight.
The room was huge, easily the size of a few houses. A gigantic dome rose above two stories of windows, creating a massive space. Outside the windows, I could see the lake, and there were a couple of boats tied to the end of the pier. Ben led me up onto a stage, and directed me to a single chair sitting in the middle of it. I sat down and put my hands in my lap. The guards flanked me again and Ben went over to a small switch on the far wall. He put down my guns, knives, and sword. From my vantage point, I could see nearly one hundred and eighty degrees of the lake. In its day, it must have been beautiful. The sun was getting higher, and the glass was lighting up with multiple hues of blue and green.
Ben walked over to stand in front of me. He still held his gun, and dismissed his guards with a slight turn of his head.
“You’ve been a pain in the ass, you know that?” He said.
I shrugged. “Likewise. Why did you want to restart the Upheaval?” I asked.
It was Ben’s turn to shrug. “Seemed like the thing to do. The original was such a beautiful thing to see, watching society fall apart. I could do anything I wanted and to anyone I wanted. There were no repercussions.” Ben’s eyes drifted away for a second. “After scratching out a living for years, on the edge of civilized society, suddenly we could take anything we wanted. All we needed to be was more ruthless than the next man was.
“But that all ended when your damned father came marching in with his ideas about restoring the country. Damned fools were so desperate for a leader they took anyone, including that self-righteous bastard Talon.” Ben practically spit that last out.
I didn’t say anything, as another door on the far side of the stage opened up. Dozens of men and women streamed in, looking about as normal as can be, except they all were wearing a gun and a knife. In addition, they each carried a small pouch on their belts. The pouches looked familiar and I had a feeling I might know what was in them. We never found any syringes at the zombie factory, so it made sense that they were all stored here.
The people kept coming, and when the stream finally slowed, there had to be at least one hundred and fifty people here. One hundred fifty with a gun and knife on each, and likely a way to infect people with refined Enillo Virus. If I thought I was screwed before, I was in for some serious pain now. Everyone sat down in chairs in front of the stage, and they all sat quietly, looking up to their leader.
I didn’t see a way out of this one, except for the small ace in the hole I still held. In their relieving me of my weapons, they didn’t bother to check my vest, thinking the Beretta was the only gun I had. I still had my dad’s .45 in my vest, tucked away out of sight. With my hands on my knees, I could get it out in a second, but would it be enough of a surprise to beat the bullets from the guards that I knew would be coming?
I was afraid I was going to have to find out. A second concern was where the hell was my father?
Chapter 64
As the assembled people settled in, Ben spoke. His voice was quiet, but powerful, and easily carried to the corners of the ballroom. “The man sitting here is Aaron. He is the son of my enemy. He has collected from our city without our permission, and he has killed our brothers and sisters. He has thwarted our efforts to return the word to its natural state, and he has destroyed our factory in the south. What shall we do with him?”
A small chorus of ‘Kill him’ rose from the crowd, but it died away as Ben raised his hands.
“I thought so, but this one’s death must be a message. It must be taken with as much care as my brother’s was, so many years ago.” Ben bowed his head, and the rest of the people did, too.
I had no clue what he was taking about, and wouldn’t care if I did. I did know that I saw movement at the back of the hall, and that movement was manifesting itself as two men walking out of the shadows. Both were tall, and walked deliberately, holding powerful rifles at the ready. Other weapons sprouted at various spots on their frames, and even from this distance, I could feel the air change at their approach.
Ben must have, too. He looked up and took a breath to speak, but was cut off.
“Shut the fuck up, Ben,” Dad said.
Over one hundred and fifty heads turned, and one hundred and fifty hands reached for guns. However, everyone froze when my Uncle Charlie raised his rifle and shook his head.
My dad continued, “My name is John Talon. This serious-looking gent is Charlie James. We’re here for my son, Aaron. Hand him over unharmed, and we’ll leave. Cause a fuss, and we’ll kill every one of you sons of bitches.”
The door by the stage banged open, and Tommy walked through. He was holding what looked to be a belt-fed weapon, and there was a lot of ammo hanging off his shoulder, disappearing into a heavy bag. He walked around the stage and positioned himself to the side of the assembly before he spoke.
“Full-auto, kiddies. Don’t even think about it.” Tommy spoke with a half smirk on his face, practically daring the assembled people to try something.
Ben stared at the men who had appeared like ghosts in his very hall. I was sure his mind was racing with possible solutions, and I knew he was going to try something.
“You don’t have the power you once did, John. You don’t get to call the shots this time. Drop your weapons, or by the time I count to three, my guards will shoot your son. One!” Ben sh
outed the number and all heads swiveled back to my father and his crew. I leaned forward as if I was intently watching my father, but I was trying to mask the movement of my hand into my vest for the other gun.
“Two!” Ben shouted, raising his gun to point it at my dad. I braced my feet and a second later launched myself backwards, drawing the .45 at the same time. My movement carried me behind the guards, and I swung the gun up just as Ben shouted again.
“Three!”
Two shots rang out over the ballroom. Deep, booming shots that ended Ben’s countdown. Ben never bothered to turn around. He didn’t realize something was wrong until I jammed the warm muzzle of the 1911 into the back of his neck.
“My name is Aaron Talon,” I said into his ear. “My father is John Talon. Congratulations. You’ve managed to piss us both off.” I tore Ben’s gun out of his hand and backhanded him with the .45, knocking him to the floor. I grabbed a handful of his shirt and heaved him to his feet, shaking him like a rag doll. His head rolled around and his shoulders slumped, but I knew he was still plotting. I wanted to kill him so badly that I could taste it.
I raised the gun but my dad called out.
“Stop, Aaron!” He came walking over, still keeping his gun on the now angry faces of the assembled people. He stepped up to the stage and spoke to the crowd. “I meant what I said. We’re leaving. You might want to as well. The front gate has broken, and there’s a shitload of hungry zombies headed this way. If you’re lucky, you might make it to the large boat and get out of here. Try a shot at us and we’ll open fire. Make your choice.”
You would have thought someone dropped a skunk in the room. People cleared out faster than I thought they could. There were shouts and screams, but everyone kept moving. In a minute, the ballroom was empty.
My dad walked over to Ben and relieved me of him. He took him to the edge of the stage and threw him off, causing him to land heavily at the feet of Charlie. Charlie searched him quickly, and then dragged him to his feet, tying Ben’s hands behind his back. I retrieved my weapons and put them where they belonged. I handed my father his gun back.
He took it with a smile. “When did you learn to shoot like that?” he asked, looking down at the two guards I had killed.
I shook my head. “Luckiest thing I have ever done.”
Dad was about to speak when his radio spoke. “John? They’re coming. You want to get out of there now. Duncan out.”
“Got it. On our way. John out.” Dad swung his hand in a circle and everyone started moving towards the back of the ballroom. I could hear a new sound outside, and I knew it for what it was. A horde was coming, and we had nowhere to retreat.
Chapter 65
I looked at my father as we reached the back of the room. “What’s the plan?” I asked.
Dad shoved Ben outside. “You’ll see.”
The lake was a beautiful blue this afternoon, with drifting clouds racing each other across the horizon. The back end of the pier was a large walkway and sitting area, where people could just come and sit, once upon a time. Right now, there was a small boat working its way around the corner of the pier, sliding smoothly alongside. Uncle Duncan waved at me with his familiar grin and tossed a line to Uncle Tommy, who threw his heavy weapon and bag over to Duncan.
Dad and Charlie walked Ben out to the pier and Ben had recovered enough of his wits to see what was going on and started screaming. “No! No! You can’t! Nooo!” He kicked and heaved, and finally Charlie threw him to the ground and tied his ankles together. He then picked up his feet and dragged the thrashing man the rest of the way.
A single chair had been placed by one of the decorative lampposts that lined the edge of the pier. They were about fifteen feet high and made of copper plated steel. The copper had turned green with age, but this post had an interesting feature. A rope hung from the part of the lamp that stretched over the water, and the other end was waiting by the chair. A noose had been conveniently tied on the near end.
Charlie sat Ben in the chair and flipped the noose around Ben’s head. Taking the other end, Charlie pulled Ben to a standing position on the chair and tied off the other end of the rope. When Ben hung, he would swing out over the water, about five feet from the edge of the pier.
Behind us, the moaning was growing louder and louder, and there were shots and screams as Ben’s followers encountered the zombies.
My dad positioned himself in front of Ben and looked into Ben’s tear-filled eyes.
“You killed families, tried to kill towns. You orphaned dozens of kids and tried to wipe out the communities that survived the Upheaval. You kidnapped young women away from their homes and turned them into virus factories.” My father stepped closer and his voice dropped to a harsh whisper. “You tried to kill my sons.”
My father turned and walked away, climbing aboard the boat. I stood with Charlie by Ben.
“Zombies are coming, Ben,” Charlie said. “You choose. Step off that chair and hang, or stay there and let the zombies eat you.” Charlie leaned in. “You tried to kill my daughter. Personally, I hope you don’t have the guts to slowly suffocate to death.” Charlie walked away and boarded the boat.
Ben looked at me with pleading eyes, but I wasn’t having it. “You sent men to infect parents who would then kill their children. I saw it. I was there. Die screaming, you bastard.” I walked away and got on the boat myself.
Chapter 66
As soon as I boarded, Duncan slipped the lines and we pulled away. We moved about twenty yards away from the pier and waited. Ben twisted a bit, and it looked like he was trying to slip his hands under his feet, but the noose around his neck wouldn’t let him. The first zombies appeared around the corner and Ben shrieked at the sight. The ghouls locked onto the meat hanging at the ready and lumbered forward, reaching and grasping. Ben twisted and screamed, and more zombies came around the corner. Just as the first ones were about to reach him, Ben fell off the chair and swung out over the water. His feet kicked and his neck stretched, but he wasn’t dead yet. His momentum swung him out and then back towards the pier. The undead reached out and a smaller one of them managed to grab Ben’s shirt. The zombie hung on as Ben swung out again, this time with additional weight. The zombie hung on, facing Ben, as he slowly turned purple. The undead leech crawled up Ben, grabbing him by the hair and ear. The zombie reared its head back and took a huge bite out of Ben’s face. The kicking kept up as the two swung together for a long time, with the zombie eating the face off the slowly asphyxiating Ben. Blood poured into the waters below. Finally, Ben stopped moving and the zombie continued to feed, tearing of chunks of cheek and face. After a while, the virus reanimated Ben’s corpse, and it turned slowly on its leash, swinging with its partner. The extra zombie let go, dropping into the lake and vanishing below the waves.
My father and I watched the whole thing, and when Ben finally turned, Dad shot him in the head. The zombie’s head drooped and the body swayed slowly back and forth.
Holstering his gun, my dad signaled to Duncan. “Let’s get to the capital. My boy is hurt and I want to see him. This job is done.”
I settled in for the long ride home. The last thing I saw of the pier was the corpse of Ben swinging in the breeze.
Chapter 67
Jake took three weeks to recover and he was even a bigger pain in the ass. He complained about the pain, and then he complained he couldn’t move. Then he complained he moved too much. Dad stayed with him for a solid week until he was certain Jake was going to recover, then the complaining got to him, too. We stayed at the hotel, and to pass the time, my father and I sparred. I didn’t see much of my Uncle Charlie, but I spent my nights with a very grateful Julia, who I finally got around to proposing to. She accepted and all was good, but for the one day, Charlie came around.
The day before we were to leave, I was on the back porch of the hotel room getting a little sun in the chill air when someone knocked on the door. Julia was out at the market looking at dresses with Kayla, whom Jake had
surprisingly proposed to, and my father was at the president’s house as he had been for a few days. So I had no idea who was knocking.
When I opened the door, a huge hand hit my chest and shoved me backwards, sending me across the room. I lost my footing but rolled over, getting to my feet to meet the giant who streaked across the room after me.
Uncle Charlie slammed into me and knocked me into a wall. His left hand was on my throat and his right was holding one of his tomahawks. His hand was high up on the handle, a good grip for precision cutting and punching with the blade. I knew this because Charlie had taught it to me.
“Going to marry my daughter, are you? Think you’re good enough?” Charlie asked, glaring into my eyes.
I didn’t see any sign that he was kidding around, so I did what I thought was best. I grabbed his right hand and twisted towards the wall, slamming his shoulder into it and loosening his grip on my throat. I leaned to the side to slam an elbow back into his forehead, and then jumped forward to avoid the down stroke of his ‘hawk. I spun around and faced my uncle Charlie.
“I don’t plan on doing anything but loving your daughter, you damn fool! Knock this off before someone gets hurt,” I said, circling around to where my pack and weapons were.
“Yeah, you were loving her all the while I was gone, not waiting to face me,” Charlie snarled.
“You were gone!” I shouted. “Dad was gone! We had no one but each other! You want to fight, fine, but by God, you aren’t going to get it for free!” I was mad now and pulled my own tomahawk out of my pack. I held it back in my right hand, keeping my left out in front to wait for his attack.
Generation Dead Book 2: What You Fear Page 20