Dead of Knight: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale

by Beard, Stephen J.

  “You’re a better man than I am, Mike.” I put the bus back into gear and slowly moved forward. “House, come in house.” I said into the radio.

  “This is house,” said Karen.

  “We’ve found a house that seems to be occupied. We are going to stop and see if we can help or vice versa. I’ll let you know what we find.”

  “10-4, Ryan. Be careful.”

  “10-4.”

  “Okay, listen up. I want everyone to stay in the bus until they realize that we’re there. Hopefully I won’t have to beep the horn. Then I’ll get out with my hands up. Then Tabby, Mal and finally Mike. Leave the AR Mike. Bring the crossbows.”

  As we pulled into the driveway of the house there were 3 zombies in the front yard. They looked up when they heard the bus.

  “New plan. Mike, cover the passenger side. I don’t want any surprises. Once Mike says it’s safe on that side you two come around with me. Go.”

  I toggled the passenger door as I spoke and jumped out my side. One zombie was closer than the other two and I took it out with my crossbow. As I reloaded, the kids came around the bus.

  “Tabby, can you do this?” I asked.

  She nodded and raised her crossbow. She was steadier than I thought she would be. I wondered how much of that was for my benefit. She squeezed the trigger but the shot went low into the zombies gut.

  “Here.” I handed her my crossbow and took hers to reload. She took aim and this time hit her mark.

  “Excellent, Tabby. Great job! Reload your crossbow.”

  I took out the third zombie before it got any closer. No accidents with the kids this close. I reloaded and looked around. We hadn’t attracted any more zombies.

  “Clear,” I said only loud enough for Mike to hear.

  “Clear,” Mike called back.

  “Mal, you okay, buddy?” I asked.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t get to do anything.” He was resilient I’ll give him that. Middle of the zombie apocalypse and he’s disappointed that he didn’t get to kill one at 6 years old.

  “Hey, you did a good job on lookout while we were unloading the bus. And I was watching you were really paying attention to what you were doing. I was proud of you.”

  Mal’s face brightened somewhat.

  “I’ll tell you what, we’ll practice together with the crossbow in the backyard soon. Alright?”

  He nodded and looked pleased. I ruffled his hair some more.

  “Good job, Tabby. You okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, when this first started I didn’t think I could do this. I didn’t want to. But I did didn’t I?”

  “Yep, and you did great.”

  “I don’t want to get any closer though,” she said.

  “I’ll tell you something, neither do I.” I hugged the kids then turned as the front door opened.

  An older couple, maybe in their late sixties appeared at the door. After a tense moment, the woman spoke. She looked very grandmotherly.

  “Thank you for doing that.” The man nodded.

  “We saw smoke coming from your chimney,” I said. “Wanted to see if you were alright. I’m Ryan Knight. This is my daughter Tabitha and my son Malcolm. That’s Mike Pickler on the other side of the bus. We live around the corner on Johan.”

  “I’m Beth and this is Tony. We’re the Millers. We’ve got firewood and food. We’ve always kept extra food around. But the water stopped flowing a few hours ago and we’re low on bottled water.”

  I looked over at Mike and the young man nodded. Sighing, I looked back at the Millers.

  “If you feel comfortable doing it, grab your coats and come with us. We have some supplies we can spare and the ladies back at the house are cooking dinner. I’ve been away from the house a little longer than I should’ve been. My wife is going to be cross. The two of you could help me out with that.” I smiled and the Millers chuckled.

  “We’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  Mike came around the bus and put his hand on my shoulder.

  “God, knows I know it’s been a tough day. But this is good. It’s the right thing to do.”

  “We went for supplies today and lost your father. How many supplies runs can we make safely? We’ll run out of people before the zombies get us. We couldn’t even make one supply run safely.”

  “That’s not true. We cleared the convenience store together yesterday. Then mom, dad and I cleared three more after you left. And look at all the stuff you and Karen got from the Bass Pro Shop.”

  “True.”

  “We can’t just keep from becoming zombies. It’s not enough. We have to retain our humanity.”

  “Damn, Mike. That’s impressive. Your father would be proud of you. Shit, I’m proud. Thanks for keeping me human.”

  Mike smiled and we shared a moment. Then the Millers came out and we mounted up.

  When we pulled into the driveway the garage door went up and Sam came out.

  “What happened? Where have you been? We tried to call.”

  “Whoa, slow down. We’re fine. Everything’s fine. Must be the batteries that came with the walkie. They always put crap batteries in the packages.” Sam grabbed me and the kids and hugged us all tightly.

  “When we couldn’t get a hold of you…”

  “I get it. But we’re fine. We found the Millers.” Before I could continue, Tabby interrupted.

  “And I killed my first zombie!”

  “Ryan?” I got the look from my wife. You know the look…

  “It was from a safe distance and I was right next to her. She was never in any danger. She did great, by the way.” Sam smiled at Tabby but then her face changed when she looked back at me.

  “We’ll talk later.”

  Then she turned to the Millers and her whole demeanor changed.

  “Hello. I’m glad to meet you. Especially in these trying times. I’m Samantha Knight. This is my mother, Karen. And this is Lois Pickler, Mike’s mom. I trust that you’ve been properly introduced to the others?” said Sam.

  “Yes. I’m Beth Miller and this is my husband, Tony. We are very pleased to meet you all. Your husband, Mike and the kids all came to our rescue. We are very grateful.”

  “Folks,” I said. “Let’s take this inside please.”

  With everyone inside, I closed up the garage rollup quietly then paused. It was nice to meet other living people that weren’t trying to kill us. But, maybe the timing of this wasn’t so good. We would have to take them back after dark.

  The women had already been preparing a little too much food so there was plenty for everyone. The furniture was rearranged to make room for the Millers. After a few more pleasantries the food was served. The ladies had outdone themselves. As everyone began to eat the Millers started their story. Beth went first.

  “Well, we’re both retired. I worked at the water company and Tony was a sheriff’s deputy. We have two boys who followed in their father’s footsteps and went into law enforcement. One up in Columbia and the other in Charleston…”

  Tony took her hand as her voice trailed off. He smiled at her and patted her hand. Then he continued.

  “They both called to warn us when they figured out what was going on. They were told not to, of course. Panic the people and all that. We had already been watching the news but it was their calls that got us moving. We drove to the store and loaded the pickup. But we needed firewood and I had to trade space for firewood that should’ve been for water. Screwed that up, good. I was wondering how I was going to get more when you guys showed up today.”

  “There’s no right answer, Tony,” I said. “You need to be warm, too.”

  “I was caught unprepared. I’d been putting off getting firewood. It’s rare that I let it get low. Anyway, we haven’t heard from our boys since that call. We’ve talked to their wives and we know that they went to try to help at local hospitals. But, that was two days ago.”

  I cringed, remembering the first videos of what the hospitals were like.

  “
I’m sorry,” Sam said.

  “Thank you,” Beth said. “We haven’t given up hope completely. They may still be out there somewhere. We’ve been holed up in the house ever since getting back from the store. We haven’t seen any of our neighbors. Well, that’s not entirely true. I think one of the things in the yard when y’all got there was Terri from next door.”

  “Damn, Beth. I’m sorry,’ I said.

  “It’s not her anymore Ryan,” said Tony.

  “Do you know of anyone else who made it?” asked Lois.

  “A few,” said Beth. “Less than 5, I think.”

  “Most of the folks we know are older and always get their flu shots,” said Tony.

  “My mom always gets one. I didn’t get a hold of her when all this started,” I said.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Beth said. She had a comforting smile.

  I nodded and asked if anyone wanted coffee. Then the morning with Michael and his percolator came rushing back. I let my eyes drift over to Lois and Mike.

  “It’s fine, Ryan, I know his percolator was a big hit this morning,” said Lois. Still, I felt bad.

  “We’ve had a bad day here,” I said.

  I started at the beginning with the news reports. I went through getting the family and the grocery stop. Then, onto the incident with the Thompson’s and getting supplies from their house. When I got to the Picklers on my trip to get Karen, Mike picked up the commentary for a bit.

  I went for coffee and ended up making 5 cups.

  When I got done with the coffee, Karen was describing our experience at the Bass Pro Shop and the meeting with Jack. She continued with the uneventful trip back to the house.

  I picked up again with the events of the morning. I could see Sam and Karen start really paying attention. Neither had heard much about the morning’s details. And they hadn’t pushed out of respect for Lois and Mike. When I was in the story and getting to the Costco, I looked over at Lois for an unspoken permission to continue.

  “It’s okay, Ryan,” she said. “Mike told me what happened and all that you did for both my boys. Thank you, if I hadn’t said it already. We all need to hear it if only to see what we’re up against.”

  I nodded and continued with the story for the Millers, right up to when Mike saw their smoke. When I stopped everyone had tears in their eyes except for Mal, who really wasn’t paying attention. Tabitha didn’t realize just how much danger I had been in. She ran over, put her arms around me and began to cry.

  “I’m glad you’re alright, daddy,” she said.

  “Me, too Tab.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss, Lois,” said Beth.

  “Me, too,” said Tony. “Ryan, it sounds like you and Mike here did good to get yourselves back home safe. The odds were stacked against you.”

  “I’m just trying to keep my family safe. It kills me that we lost Michael today. The zombies are bad enough. They don’t think or plot, they just shamble around and bite. They’re predictable and slow. Humans? Not so much,” I said.

  “That worries me, too,” said Tony. “A large enough group could take anything they wanted from other survivors.”

  “There’s probably plenty in the stores for the time being,” said Mike.

  “We have another day, maybe two at the most,” said Sam. “Ryan, tell them what happens.”

  I told them about the ‘Life After People’ episode with the grocery store.

  “I think that store was someplace hot but that still doesn’t give us much time. Think about it, just about very big box store that has the water and canned goods we need also now has fresh produce and frozen food. Even Target has that stuff now,” I said.

  Mike shook his head. “We’re gonna have to go back out tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, Mike. Sorry,” I said. “We have to get it before we can’t.”

  “Well, I’ll go with you,” said Tony.

  “I don’t feel comfortable leaving Beth by herself at your place,” I replied.

  “Can you bring her down here in the morning?” asked Sam. “She could spend the time with us.”

  I looked at Beth and then at Tony.

  “That works,” said Tony.

  “Do you need any supplies tonight Tony, or can you make do till tomorrow?” I asked.

  “We’re fine for tonight.”

  “What about weapons,” Mike asked.

  “Two handguns,” Tony replied. “Both 9mm. Maybe a hundred rounds.”

  Mike looked over at me and I could see what was happening. Mike was trying to make up for the loss of his father by making sure the Millers were well taken care of. Or, maybe he was just a great kid. Didn’t matter, he was right.

  “We have a box to spare. Ever used a crossbow?” I asked.

  “Nah,” he said. “Always hunted with a rifle. Gave it to my youngest son a while back.”

  “Well, we’ve got two extra crossbows if you want them for the house,” I said. “You’ll have to learn the basics in the morning before we head out. You’ll probably do better than me.”

  “Tabby does better than you,” said Mike. It was good for a laugh all around.

  “She does actually. Maybe I’m a better teacher than shooter,” I smiled. “Tony, I guess you know the AR platform?”

  He nodded.

  “I have one for both of you,” I said. Beth shook her head.

  “I’m not bad with a handgun Ryan,” she said. “That’s big enough for me.” I looked over at Tony and he nodded.

  “How are you fixed for up close fighting?” asked Mike.

  “We haven’t had to fight any yet, Mike. So, I don’t know.”

  “Well,” I said. “We have just the thing. A tomahawk.”

  This got a curious look from both Tony and Beth.

  “I didn’t know you were part Indian, Ryan,” poked Beth.

  “I have no idea if I’m part Indian or not Beth,” I smiled. “But a tomahawk is the best thing for killing zombies up close. Gotta destroy the brain. Crossbows first at distance, then tomahawks, then firearms as a last resort. They’re too loud.”

  “What time are we getting started?” asked Tony.

  “Sun’s up about 7:15 so we’ll get you then. Let me grab a couple of walkie-talkies for you to take. And some batteries.” I looked over at Sam. “Apparently they go through batteries.” This provoked my wife to stick her tongue out at me.

  “Do you want to take crossbows with you?” I asked Tony. “You could practice by shooting at a blanket or something down the hallway.”

  “Ryan, I will gratefully take whatever you are offering,” said Tony.

  I gathered up 2 crossbows, some bolts, an AR and a few full mags, plus about a hundred rounds of 9mm. Mal retrieved 2 tomahawks and handed them to Beth. He got a hug and a pinch on the cheek for his trouble.

  “Mike,” I said. “Let’s take the bus again. I like having the door on one side rather than all of us going in different directions. As long as it’s fine with the Millers, we can pull right up to their front door.”

  “I’m not so worried about the grass anymore, Ryan,” answered Beth.

  I gave out headlamps and made sure everyone had what they needed. Sam came over and gave me a kiss.

  “Don’t be so long this time,” she said.

  “I’ll be right back.” Mike walked up to us.

  “For the record, I’m not happy about this,” he said.

  “Not happy about it?” I asked. “I’m terrified. We clear the yard first, then load and go. Beth, Tony stay in the garage until we’re ready for you. Sam, close the door when we’re loaded.”

  Everyone nodded their agreement.

  “Mike, remember to check your sides as we move out.”

  Mike nodded and we went out, scanning side to side. In less than a minute, we had covered the yard and only found one zombie out by the street. Mike took it down with a bolt and reloaded while I covered him. We got Beth and Tony and everyone climbed aboard the bus. I looked over and saw Sam close the door.
I started the bus but stopped before I put in into gear.

  “Mobile one to base, come in base,” I said into the radio.

  “So, we’re ‘base’ now? I guess I like that better than house,” replied Sam. “Not so sure about ‘mobile one’ though.”

  “Well, I gave serious thought to ‘papa bear’ before I called. If you want…”

  “Nope, mobile one is fine.”

  “Thought so. How about a radio check?”

  “Ryan, obviously I can hear you fine,” Sam replied.

  “Honey, you’re taking all my fun out of the zombie apocalypse. Can’t you just say ‘read you 5 by 5’ or something?” Everyone on the bus was trying hard not to laugh at this point.”

  “I don’t even know what that means, Papa Bear.” We all lost it, even Mike. It was good to laugh after a hard day.

  “Thank you for that. I’ll call when we get to the Millers for another radio check.”

  “Be safe,” said Sam.

  I drove slowly through the neighborhood with the high beams on keeping an eye out. I didn’t want any surprises.

  “There’s a few more out than we saw this afternoon,” said Mike.

  “I see that,” I replied. “Hopefully, there’s none in the yard. Christ, I don’t want to get close to these things at night.”

  “We are probably going to have to clear the neighborhood,” said Tony. “There’s woods on every side and only three roads in. One of the sides backs up to the quarry. Once we clear it, we shouldn’t have too many get through.”

  “Makes sense,” said Mike.

  “Yeah, I agree,” I said. “But we need to get supplies first. A day hunting zombies in the neighborhood is a day we’re not stocking up. But, when we do clear the place I want to block off one or two of the streets to limit access.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” said Tony.

  As we approached the Miller’s house, we saw more zombies than we wanted to see. There were 2 in the road near the driveway and one in the yard. I drove past the house, turned around and stopped.

  “Mike, any thoughts?” I asked.

  “If we pull up alongside them I can shoot out the door. Worry about the bolts in the morning.”

  “I like it,” I said. “That keeps all of us safely inside the bus. Let me set it up.”