Respect for the Dead (Surviving the Dead Book 1)

by Shawn McLain

  “Well, we’ll need to leave soon anyway as our food is running out.” She said to the gathering darkness. “Maybe we can finally start looking for Steve and Wes.” She punched the floor. It thudded satisfyingly. She drummed out a familiar beat for a few seconds. Smiling she applauded her performance in her head.

  A creak outside the door caught her attention. She slipped a hand around her back and pulled out her gun. Pulling back the slid she made sure the weapon was ready to fire. “We would have heard them break in.” Her mind reassured, then another voice in her head, that sounded a lot like Wes’ countered, “Unless they were already here and we didn’t find them.”

  “But we have been here, what was it? Two weeks.” She replied out loud.

  “Could have found a way in we missed or been stuck in a closet.” The Wes voice countered.

  “Stop it.” She muttered.

  The door to the studio slowly opened. Beth did not raise the gun thinking it had to be Matt or Hector coming to look for her, “Matt most likely.” She thought.

  The hand that came around the door to grasp the side was not Matt’s, not Hector’s. Beth used the wall for leverage to push herself to a standing position, raising the gun to eye level as she did. The noise was sure to attract others, and if this one found a way in what would stop them. The greenish grey hand held the door with a torn away finger next to a whole one with a brilliant diamond ring. Beth did not move, holding her breath, waiting for a clear shot. The hand did not move.

  Anger began to rise up in Beth. “If this is someone’s idea of a joke, I might still shoot you.” She hissed. The sound of her voice, as hushed as it was caused the hand to move. It curled around the edge, followed by a sleeveless grey arm. A leg clad in a ballet slipper and tights came into view. The light was fading fast as the head appeared around the door.

  The woman would have been middle aged, her long graying hair was falling out of the tight bun that was held loosely now on the back of the creature’s head. What Beth noticed was the hair had literally fallen out of the bun and hung with a part of the scalp still attached.

  The creature spotted Beth. The lips withdrew in an angry sneer revealing brown broken teeth. It groaned and raised its wasted thin arms. It would have been comical as the zombie lurched across the room, arms outstretched, screeching as it moved. Beth pulled the hammer back on the gun, she hesitated and let it return, she quickly flipped the safety back on. She turned the weapon around and held it by the barrel. The room seemed to dissolve around her as Beth quickly closed the distance between herself and the ghoul. She was barely aware of more movement at the door, she would deal with that after she took care of this one.

  Beth swatted the arms away. With all the strength she could muster she brought the butt of the gun down on the zombies head. It staggered for a moment, several of Beth’s hairs parted from her head caught in the prongs of the diamond ring. Beth lunged sideways but her legs were caught in the dead woman’s. Crashing to the floor, Beth was stunned. Pain swirled through the side of her head. She felt nausea swell as she blinked repeatedly, trying to clear the stars from her vision.

  Beth was aware, through her pain that the ghoul couldn’t be far away. Her vision swam before her. Unstable and dizzy Beth tried to regain her feet. Falling over again she scrambled along the floor trying to get a little distance between her and the dancer of death. Several confused and muted grunts and thumps met her ears. Through the pain and darkness she made out at least three pairs of legs. It was then she realized she had lost track of her gun. Something heavy fell close by her.

  A pair of strong hands grabbed Beth’s shoulders. She kicked at the legs in front of her and opened her mouth to scream for help. A rough hand covered her mouth, “Shh shh its ok!” Devin grunted through Beth’s impacts with his shins. She could make out Hector’s shoulders silhouetted against the door frame. His foot was raised for a second. A heavy thump and crunch announced the end of the zombie’s skull.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” Hector demanded, “Why didn’t you just shoot her?”

  “I thought it would draw more….oh god I’m gonna puke.” Beth had risen to her feet with Devin’s help. The pain in her head became overwhelming, mixed with the stench of the corpse, her lunch threatened to escape. Black tunnels appeared on the outside of her vision getting steadily larger. “I think…I…might…” Beth staggered, Devin caught her.

  Hector stared and the unconscious young woman. “She will either be the best asset we have or die trying.” He grabbed her feet, Devin grunted his agreement. The two men carried her up the stairs.

  “We better do another search of this place.” Devin said when they reached the top of the stairs. Gillian was hurrying down the hall. “Any ideas where it came from?” He asked.

  Beth stirred, her eyes fluttered. The world spun as she tried to see so she decided not to. Gillian was looking at the bruise on the side of Beth’s head. Beth kept her eyes closed but was able to answer Gillian’s questions. Hector was watching the two interact.

  “We missed something. Let’s barricade the top of the stairs and search this place top to bottom tomorrow.” He whispered, Beth only nodded.

  Across town

  “We’ve been here for two freaking weeks man! Beth is out there man! We need to get out of this place and find her!” Wes punched his pack.

  “Yeah I know. I keep waiting for her to come busting through that door and give me an earful.” Steve muttered burying his face in his hands. He rubbed his eyes with his palms. He knew what was coming. They had had this conversation at least three times in the last two days. Steve had lost count on the times in the last week.

  “So what are you saying we should continue to hang out and just wait to see if she finds us? Dude I can’t do that. I, we, we seriously need to get out there and find her.”

  “Wes, I know!” Steve yelled. Looking around he saw several people staring at them. “We need to get out of here, I know this.” He lowered his voice. “ The thing is we need a plan. We need a base of operations, we need this place.”

  “Yes we do but I…I…you’re gonna be pissed.” Wes lowered his voice. Steve turned questioningly to him. “I found a way out. I’ve been out a few times. I…found a few things and have them hidden in one of the classrooms at the far end of the hall.” Wes finished speaking so low he was almost just moving his lips without sound by the end. He glanced around nervously as he spoke.

  Steve gapped at the younger man. Millions of thought fought for dominance, anger, pride in his friend, disbelief that he would sneak out without telling him. “What the Fu….”

  “Listen! I don’t trust this place. I want to be able get away if we have to and I don’t want to be unprepared. “ Wes cut in. “I know you and Mike think this place is safe, protected, but I don’t see it. I spend time in that tower too. I see how many more of them show up every day. Like I said we need to be prepared.”

  “I don’t remember you being a boy scout.”

  “Not a boy scout but I did go to camp two years in a row.” Wes smiled. “You learn to be resourceful.”

  “Yeah, I remember. You called Beth ever day.” Steve shot back, taking the smile from Wes’ face.

  “I just wanted to make sure she was ok. Ya know without me.” Wes grumbled.

  “Happiest two weeks of her life as I remember it.” Steve shrugged. Noting the look on Wes’ face he quickly amended. “Dude I’m kidding she waited for your calls. She was bored out of her mind without you around.”

  “She’s…I need to find her.”

  “We have to. She’s my sister you know.”

  “I know.” Wes nodded to Steve. “It’s just, we need to start thinking of where to look. I can cover a few blocks in each direction every day. You just need you to cover for me.” Wes suggested.

  “We’re not prisoners here. We can both…” Steve stopped as a man slowly walked by their pew.

  “Yeah I don’t know. When we first got here I would have believed you. No
w…not so much.” Wes followed the shuffling man with his eyes. “I think the sooner we leave the better off we are going to be.”

  Steve raised his eyebrows to this statement. “Seriously, a city of the undead is safer than here?”

  “I know what they are capable of, the dead you know. I know what they want from me. People…not so much.” Wes shrugged. “It is just the people here. They fear us but they…”

  “They also expect us to be their protectors. Yeah, I know. I don’t want to be responsible for them, but I also can’t just leave them.”

  “Um…have you met our old teacher?” Wes asked.

  “Yeah, glad she never had a club when we were there.” Steve laughed pulling Wes into a headlock.

  “Get off you dumb jock.” Wes pushed Steve’s arm off. “Come on let’s start planning.”

  Hope

  A cold wind blew through Steve’s hair. The planning he and Wes had done earlier that day filled him with a small burning idea. They had put together some of the most likely places Beth might have gone. He had relieved Wes a few hours ago, now armed with a notebook, a flashlight and his rifle Steve leaned against the rail going over the notes they had come up with. The first place they were going to look was their houses. Now all they had to do was find a car and get back home.

  Steve looked up and down the street hoping to see a usable vehicle. He was sure the buses surrounding the front were still in working order and also knew that was not an option. He noticed a few cars up the road a little ways. One was half buried in the front of a building, that one was no good. There was the one that still had an occupant. “No that ran out of gas, stupid.” He smacked himself in the forehead and continued looking up and down the street. He noticed a powder blue beetle just beyond the wreck in the building. He looked through the scope.

  In the reddish yellow glow of the streetlight it looked to be in decent shape. Movement just past the bug grabbed his attention. He adjusted his gaze. Nothing moved. “Maybe it was an animal, or some more damn paper blowing around.” He grumbled.

  He returned his attention to the car. Suddenly two figures emerged from the darkness heading straight to the beetle. Steve held his breath, they were moving too fast to be zombies. Their heads were turning this way and that as if looking all around. Something was off though. Their heads were huge. They kept turning, looking all around as they sprinted to the car. Well, one sprinted the other lumbered. One was short and slight, the other much larger and taller. The larger of the two tried the door. It didn’t open. The man, Steve assumed by the large build, raised a crowbar to smash the window but was stopped by the smaller one. There was something in the way they moved that made Steve think this was a woman. She shook her head and pointed down the road.

  She was pointing to the church and the barricade. They were alive that was for sure. Moving further into the light Steve saw they both were dressed in all black and were wearing what looked like full motorcycle helmets.

  “That explains your heads.” He breathed. “Last thing we need is aliens and zombies.” He laughed. Steve adjusted the sights on the scope. He could tell they were dressed in Leather. Leather from head to foot: Boots, gloves, pants, and jackets. “Good protection.” Steve thought, “Not the most comfortable but still.” He shrugged. “Glad for them it isn’t any warmer.”

  A thought struck him and hope ballooned in his chest. This might be Beth. He watched the pair for a few seconds. He was sure it was a guy and a girl. “The way the big one moves, that is defiantly a dude a really, really big dude.” Steve told his rifle. “How many cows died to make your jacket?” Steve questioned. Looking over the scope he watched the figure running down the street. Returning to the scope he focused on the big man’s companion. This was a girl, Steve was sure of it, a girl about Beth’s size. “Beth is smart, she’d think about ways to keep from getting bit.” Steve told himself.

  Then another thought made his blood run cold, “what if one of them were bit?” If Steve let them in and they infected anyone it would be his fault. It would also be up to him to take care of them if something did happen.

  The two cautiously looked up and down the empty street. The girl moved forward but the man stopped her. He pointed at the front of the church then up at the tower.

  “Yeah dude we’re here. So what do you want to do about it?” Steve murmured. He watched the silent argument going on several feet below. The girl wanted to get to the church the man wanted to keep moving. Steve could almost hear the frustration between the two in their violent gestures at the church and up the street.

  Steve laughed as the big man’s shoulders slumped in defeat. The girl had won the fight and they were heading slowly to the front doors. Steve took out his flashlight and signaled the guard at the front. Light hit the tower letting Steve know the other guard had been watching this transpire from his vantage point. The guard below took his light and illuminated the small gap between the busses. The two froze for a moment. “Come on, come on, move.” Steve hissed.

  The girl grabbed the man and pulled him toward the gap. He moved but slipped off the curb. He grabbed at a street sign to steady himself. Unfortunately this sign had been hit by the car they were hiding behind. The post gave out and crashed loudly to the ground. The man stood with his gloved hands on his helmet. The girl grabbed his arm and pulled then froze.

  The low moan started. This moan was joined by another, then another. Like wolves across the mountains the howl of the dead began to echo through the city. Steve’s blood ran cold. He could see the pair in the street, heads swiveling this way and that trying to see where sound was coming from.

  From his vantage point in the tower Steve could see where the moans emanated…everywhere. Coming down every street he could see a horde approaching. They seemed endless. “Don’t stop! Move! They are coming…the zombies are coming.” He shouted down. Steve waved his light all over the gap.

  The girl could have easily outstripped the large man but she stayed close, urging him forward. A zombie lunged out of a doorway at them. The girl swung her weapon, smashing the attacker’s skull. She pushed on the back of the big man.

  Reaching the busses it was the man’s turn to push the girl. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her to the gap, nearly throwing her. She squeezed through easily. The man on the other hand, had a little more trouble.

  “Oh crap! He’s stuck!” Steve targeted the closest undead as the big man struggled.

  A crack of a rifle and the shambler fell motionless. The one behind it simple stepped over and on the corpse. Steve fired another round. Below him the girl was pulling on the increasingly panicked man. The bald front door guard ran to help. He tried to pull on the big man with one hand as he fired past him with his rifle in the other using the stuck man’s shoulder to steady it.

  The gun was thrust into the hands of the girl whose crowbar clattered to the ground. The two men struggled to get in to the compound. Steve fired shot after shot until his rifle clicked empty. He reached down to pull more ammo from a box.

  Another figure had joined the tug of war between the busses and the large biker, it was Wes. This did not surprise Steve in the least, what did was the rifle report next to him. He hadn’t notice Sarah join him in the tower. Quickly Steve re-loaded and began firing into the crowd.

  “There’s no end to them!” Sarah cried, adding another body to the growing wall between the mass of undead and the stuck man.

  In his mind Steve heard a sound like a cork flying free from a champagne bottle as the big man stumble free from the passage. He collapsed to the ground half crawling half being drug by several of the church survivors that had finally come out to help.

  A Pew was thrown over the opening, then another followed. Steve and Sarah continued to fire into the throng. After several minutes Sarah put her hand out to stop Steve’s volleys. The group below had retreated into the church; the door guard had hidden himself beside the stairs. “Give it some time. Let them forget why they are here.” Sarah muttere
d. Steve became aware of the sweet on his face and the ringing in his ears.

  Several zombies tried to look into the windows of the busses. Their hands clawed and grabbed at the glass. Angry groans and pounding met Steve’s ears even through the ringing. Several of the large vehicles rocked a little as the undead beat against them.

  “Shhhh. If they can’t hear or see us they might go away.” Sarah whispered as more to herself than to Steve. He watched. It did seem to him that many of the zombies had already lost interest in the area. They were no longer pouring into the street, but they weren’t in a huge hurry to leave it either. The ones closest to the busses, the ones that had seen the living, were still very agitated. They were pacing back and forth or banging on the buses. Steve knew they were trying to see where their prey had disappeared to.

  “Wonder where they were holed up and why they left.” Steve whispered.

  “Why don’t you go and ask.”

  “um…”

  Sarah studied him for a moment. “What if it is Beth?” She finally asked.

  “Yeah and what if it isn’t?” Steve muttered.

  “Go!” Sarah ordered.

  Steve smiled, leaned over, gave her a peck on the cheek then headed for the stairs. He had already made his way down the first flight when he started to get excited. “That is definitely a girl with the big guy, definitely. She is about Beth’s size.” He shook the thought trying not to get his hopes up. “No couldn’t be her. Beth wouldn’t carry a crowbar she would get something stronger. Dad taught us to shoot. Then again…” He took the stairs two at a time, “she was definitely leading the guy and taking charge, which is like her.”