Zombie Dawn Apocalypse

by Michael G. Thomas

  “Are you sure?” shouted an unconvinced Max.

  “It looks watertight and right now we need something that floats.”

  As Nick climbed up the metal ramp that led to the deck he looked around for signs of anything that might make the vessel unsuitable. A single gunshot echoed across the area as one of the people back at the vehicles took a shot at the approaching horde. Nick noticed one of the undead fall to the ground and allowed himself a brief smile, it was a good shot. Two more people appeared from one of the official looking buildings, he noticed Gary at the front waving a box. Max helped some of the survivors onto the main deck and shouted for the rest to follow. It didn’t take long before most were on or around the boat, all apart from three who were determined to take a small wooden launch out into the middle of the marina. As Gary ran down the jetty he drew something from the box.

  “Keys, good man!” called Nick.

  Gary ran up the ramp and headed to the locked doorway on the boat.

  The small wooden launch incredibly started, though with the amount of smoke pouring from the engine it was hard to tell what was happening. As the smoke washed across the marina it obliterated the view from Nick’s vessel. He turned, coughing in the smoke.

  “We need weapons on the deck, get ready for them!” shouted Nick, half expecting the undead to appear through the smoke at any second.

  Gary managed to get the door open and he entered the inside of the vessel, quickly followed by many of the others. The smoke started to clear and it was obvious that the area would soon be swarming with the creatures. Nick, Max and a dozen others assembled on the port side of the vessel, each armed with weapons and waiting for the inevitable attack. Gary appeared at the doorway.

  “They’re working on the engine right now. It’s pretty flooded below deck but they think there’s a good chance they’ll get it running.”

  “Sounds good, in the meantime we need to block the jetty or they’ll be on us fast,” he said.

  “What about the petrol in the trucks? We could burn the jetty, that way they can’t reach us,” said Jessica.

  “Yeah, good idea. It’ll be quick and right now we need quick,” said Nick with a look of satisfaction.

  “Gary, make sure they get the engine running, Jessica come with me.”

  He jumped down and ran back up the jetty with Jessica close behind. He noticed the wooden launch was moving out into the water on his left though there was still no sound from the larger iron vessel. He ran up the hill to the armoured van and headed directly to the spare tank. It was held onto the back with a simple jerry can mount. Pulling it from the bracket he undid the lid and proceeded to pour it around the end of the jetty.

  “Don’t we want to burn the whole thing?” asked Jessica.

  “Well, yes, but what if the engine doesn’t start? We could end up burning the boat,” replied Nick.

  “Yeah,” said Jessica as she helped him spread the fuel.

  Nick glanced over his shoulder as they continued to work, spotting the growing horde making its way around the marina.

  “They aren’t hanging about, look, they already have the place surrounded,” he said as he screwed the lid on.

  “No sense using more than needed, petrol always comes in handy, come on, back to the boat.”

  The two took a few steps back before Jessica pulled out an old lighter and lit the fuel. The petrol caught quickly and in seconds the end of the jetty was ablaze. They rushed down the rest of the jetty to the still stationary boat. Gary met them on the deck.

  “The good news is the engine is nearly ready, they’re just clearing the filter. The bad news is it’s going to take at least five more minutes.”

  “Well, the jetty is clear, we should be ok for a while,” said Nick.

  “Look!” shouted Jessica, pointing to the wooden launch.

  The engine had spluttered out and the boat was drifting slowly in the middle of the marina. The terrifying thing though wasn’t the drifting boat, it was the hundreds of arms and hands reaching out from the water.

  “Oh, great!” shouted Nick, “the marina is full of the bastards!”

  As they watched the hands pulled chunks from the side of the launch and the number of hands were forcing it to list heavily to the right. Nick pulled out his hand crossbow but Gary put his hand on his shoulder.

  “Save it, we can’t do anything for them, right now we need to get this old beast working.”

  Nick watched, sighing as he saw the boat slipping slowly under the water as the small number of defenders tried in vain to fight off the undead. As the little boat slipped under the surface a great blast came from below their own vessel and a plume of smoke erupted from its funnel. It clattered and banged before settling into a rough rhythm.

  “Good work, get us out of here,” said Nick as he turned back to the jetty. Already a number of zombies were walking through the flames, their burning bodies staggering and then collapsing as the fire burnt their flesh to cinder.

  The water near the stern of the vessel frothed as the rusted propeller started turning, throwing foam and water into the air. With the boat starting to move Nick almost relaxed. They were several hundred yards from the rotten sluice gate that led to the open water. Whoever was steering the boat was hardly the greatest seaman but with a little effort the vessel twisted and turned until it reached a reasonably straight course to the gate. They travelled a short distance before a terrible groan came from the rear followed by a crunch and a loud bang. The boat immediately dropped in speed until it was barely moving.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Nick.

  Gary leaned over the stern to check, noticing more hands and arms sticking out from the water before he spotted body parts on the surface.

  “It’s them, they must have fouled the prop.”

  The boat rocked and then with a groan it tipped sharply to starboard before coming to a grinding halt. Nick lost his footing and slid across the deck before grabbing the railing. The rest of the passengers managed to hold on, other than one woman who tumbled off the deck and directly into the arms of the undead writhing in the water. With the boat now listing heavily the water started to pour gently down into the hull through the open doorway as well as the cracks and rusted holes in the superstructure. Arms emerged from the water as the creatures pulled at the vessel, trying to board it. Nick kicked at the first one and several of the passengers slid down the deck to help him. Gary emerged on deck after checking on those inside.

  “We’ve got serious trouble. We’re taking on water, the engine is flooded and we’ve got a major crack down the port side,” he said.

  Nick swung his machete at the undead trying to get aboard whilst shouting back to Gary.

  “How long?” he shouted.

  “Not long, whatever you’re thinking of doing we need to do it fast!”

  Nick looked about, they had about two dozen people onboard, the water was full of zombies and the entire marina was surrounded. Wait, he could see one spot that so far was untainted.

  “Look!” he shouted, as he pointed to the left of the collapsed sluice gate.

  The sea defence wall was narrow and carried a slender bridge that ran along the top. It zigzagged until it reached a long abandoned control tower that was raised high and presumably to the other side was the open ocean.

  “If we can reach that bridge we can block access to it and regroup. It’s pretty much an island, the bridge is the only way to reach it,” said Nick.

  Three more zombies pulled themselves onto the boat and it took a mighty swing of a rotten oar to throw them back into the water. The boat shook as more of the creatures pulled themselves onto the bow whilst the scores under the water pushed and tugged at the boat. With a sickening noise the boat rocked over to its port side and then with a lurch it tipped over, capsizing into the marina.

  Nick was underwater and could see nothing in the filthy, stagnant water of the silted up marina. He did his best to hold his breath and kick away, feeling objects in th
e water but not daring to spend any time thinking about them. He saw something lighter ahead and swam with all his strength. With three great strokes he burst out of the water about thirty yards from the far wall and the ruined sluice gates. He looked back to the see the capsized vessel covered in zombies and just two people, one of the Adam hacking and stabbing as he tried to balance on the upturned hull. He considered turning back to help when he spotted the hand pushing out of the water, trying to find something to grab. He kicked hard and swam as hard as he could to the sluice gates. He could definitely feel all manner of objects in the water but he wasn’t stopping, no matter what they were. Incredibly he made it to the entrance and dragged himself out of the muddy water and onto the broken wooden gate. It was easy to climb the last part up onto the outer wall and up to the narrow metal bridge. As he lifted himself up he found a wounded Jessica pulling herself along the bridge. Nick moved closer and reached out to her. Sensing danger Jessica ducked down and struck out with her last remaining weapon, her machete. Luckily Nick was able to avoid the strike but not without falling against the railing.

  “Hey, it’s ok, it’s me!” shouted Nick.

  Jessica looked up, her face was covered in dirt and she had blood running down from a wound on her face. Nick moved to the railing, helping her up so they could both look back at the boat. The water was strangely calm and it looked like they were the only survivors other than the two left on the boat. As they watched one was knocked into the water, leaving just Adam still swinging his machete at anything that approached.

  Nick put his arm around Jessica and rested her against him, helping her along the bridge until they reached the far end and the control tower. He lowered her gently to the ground and turned back, instantly spotting the first group of undead to climb the broken sluice gates. He pulled out his hand crossbow and aimed it carefully at the closest creature. He pulled the trigger and sent the steel tipped bolt into the creature’s forehead, dropping it to the ground. It was a good shot and the thing was completely still. Their joy was short lived though as yet more of them climbed up.

  “There, look!” cried Jessica as she pointed to a set of levers and a wheel.

  Nick moved over and unhooked the safety bracket, quickly exposing the levers. With a tug he pulled on the first one and with a clunk the metal walkway shuddered. The other levers were seized up solid.

  “Fuck!” shouted Nick as he pulled as hard as he could.

  There were now over a dozen of the creatures on the walkway and heading right for them.

  “The wheel, try the wheel!” screamed Jessica as she waved frantically at the creatures.

  Grabbing the wheel Nick pulled hard and it moved just a few inches. He tried again and kept pulling, the creaking sound indicating something was moving. He gave himself a brief pause just to check and see what, if any progress he was making. He almost despaired until he spotted a crack of light halfway down the walkway.

  “Holy shit, look the gates are splitting!” he cried as he moved back and kept turning the wheel frantically.

  The walkway didn’t actually move itself, it was the much smaller secondary sluice gates made of steel that moved, the walkway was simply fitted on top and was only wide enough for one person. As it kept moving the gates opened, splitting the walkway like a sideways drawbridge and leaving the zombies trapped at the other end. Three of them had managed to cross far enough though that they were already past the gap and were heading directly for Jessica.

  The first fell from a bolt fired by Jessica with her hand crossbow. Her aim was off though and it embedded itself into the creature’s shoulder. As it staggered forward Nick rushed ahead and with a strong push he shoved the closest one over the edge and into the shallow waters of the marina. The remaining two reached out, trying to grab at him. His machete was gone so he was forced to punch and kick to keep them back.

  “Here!” cried Jessica as she slid her own rusty blade along the floor.

  Nick ducked down, avoiding a close bite as he grabbed the weapon and in three fast slashes decapitated the first and took the arms off the second. With a final kick he knocked the bodies down into the water. He turned back and headed for Jessica, lifting her up they staggered along the walkway as it wound around the base of the control tower.

  “You ok?” asked Nick.

  “Yeah, for now, what’s the plan?” she asked.

  The two kept going as they headed for the door to the building.

  “Pretty simple really, we’ll hole up in the tower and regroup. I’ll get the light going if I can. We’ll be safe for now.”

  Nick tried the door and was happy to find it unlocked though it was very stiff on the hinges. They entered the room to find it lightly furnished with a bunk bed to one side that looked long abandoned and to the other was a desk with a desktop computer. The small round windows were all filthy but very thick due to them being on the sea facing side of the marina. An iron ladder led up into a hole in the ceiling, presumably to the light for the old beacon. Nick helped Jessica down to the bed whilst he slumped down to the floor. They were both physically and mentally exhausted.

  They both sat for more than ten minutes, neither saying a word. The light was starting to fade now and they had no obvious way to light the room. Nick pulled out his crossbow and loaded a bolt discreetly, then placed the weapon on the floor nearby. Jessica exhaled, sounding tired.

  “I know what you’re doing,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.

  “You know I need to be ready, do you know how you were injured?”

  “In the water, that’s all I know,” she replied.

  Nick moved forward and examined the wound as best as he could. It was a nasty slash though she didn’t seem to be losing too much blood. Taking one of the rags they all carried he make a makeshift bandage and covered up the wound before stepping back and sitting down facing her.

  “The light’s going now, what are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I have a plan, you just rest,” replied Nick as he looked about.

  A series of noises came from outside in the water followed by a dull blast from the direction of the boat, though whether it was fuel or explosive based he couldn’t tell. He looked back at Jessica, noticing her breathing was slowing. Either she was dropping off to sleep or she was fading.

  “Jessica, Jessica!” he said though there was no response.

  He started to move forward and then thought better of it. Stepping back he picked up the hand crossbow and double-checked it was loaded and ready. He looked back to see her body still and relaxed, he couldn’t tell if she was breathing or not as the wind outside whistled on the masts and buildings. He concentrated, trying to hear anything that might help him. Forgetting for a moment he closed his eyes as he listened before noticing a quiet groan. He surprised himself as he stared directly ahead and into her bloodshot eyes, a trickle of dull blood dripping from her mouth.

  “Jessica?” he asked for the final time.

  She opened her mouth to speak but more blood oozed out. Before Nick could say another word she lifted herself up and rushed towards him. With the smallest of hesitation he raised the weapon and pointed it directly at her approaching face.

  “Sorry!” he shouted and then pulled the trigger.

  The bolt struck her square in the temple and with that shot he was left alone, the last survivor of the Green Zone and possibly the last living person in the entire British Isles. He slumped to the ground, staring at the body of the creature.

  “Well that is just bloody marvellous isn’t it?” he said almost laughing to himself as he considered the situation he found himself in. He pulled himself up to the thick wall and closed his eyes.

  “Well, maybe tomorrow will be better,” he muttered as he drifted off into a deep sleep.

  CHAPTER 15

  Resolution Island, New Zealand

  The sun had gone down and Bruce and Hackett were sitting in Jake’s home, the old hand had invited them to dinner that evening, prepared by his grand
daughter Amy who had developed into as good a cook as she was a fighter. Jake was now in his late seventies, and not in the physical condition to keep up hard labour. For this reason, he did what he could in other respects, one of those being keeping a listen out on the radio frequencies. They had established a strong and steady community on Resolution Island, but they maintained their original purpose, of helping as many of the living as they could.

  Jake would check the radio frequencies on the hour of every hour that he was awake, and frequently asked others to do so for him in the hours when he was asleep. He sat at his desk in the corner of the room, Bruce and Hackett sat chatting while Amy cooked the stew for them.

  “That incident this morning is something we should give some greater consideration,” said Hackett.

  “How so?” asked Bruce.

  “Well, there’s every chance that a boat like that could get washed up on our shore. It was more luck than anything else that we noticed it and could sort it out.”

  “I don’t see how we could have guarded against such a thing, though. We have what, something like fifteen kilometres of coastline?”

  “I didn’t say it would be easy, but this is the survival of our entire community, maybe even what is left of the human race. We cannot risk a single creature reaching the Island, we must find a way to guard against that happening,” said Hackett.

  “All we can do is post regular guards and watches up and down the coast, or build a perimeter around our homes, a town wall,” said Bruce.

  “We live a life without walls here, let’s try and keep it that way. It’s what we have left of our humanity and sanity.”

  “Hey, chief! We’re getting something!” Jake shouted.

  Hackett looked at Bruce in astonishment; they had not heard anything on the radio in years. They jumped to their feet and rushed across the small room to where Jake sat.