Running Wild

by Kristen Middleton

  He pointed towards the road. “Make sure your gun’s loaded.”

  We’d just entered into the next town he’d mentioned and I stared in fascinated horror at the scene in front of us. Apparently, the town had been preparing for some kind of festival and there were more zombies mixed together then I could have ever dreamed possible. Some dead carcasses lie mangled and broken on the street but most of dead were walking around in a stupor, obviously searching for food.

  “Shit,” mumbled Billie. “Now I know why this town sounded so familiar. Every year, Westhaven holds a huge motorcycle rally and it brings in thousands of riders,” he slapped his hand on the steering wheel. “This isn’t good, not at all. I learned about this event on cable and these bikers were crazy enough when they were alive.”

  “Well, at least they’re calm at the moment and not tearing each other’s throats out,” I pointed out. Usually that meant they were in such a frenzy to feed that their adrenaline was on overdrive, making them even more dangerous.

  “What are we going to do?” I whispered as we drew closer to the mob.

  He released a ragged breath. “The only thing we can do; stay alive, get gas, and then get the hell out of Dodge.”

  “Jesus Christ! Where in the hell have you taken us Tinkerbell?” hollered Henry, who’d apparently made his way to the front of the bus.

  “Henry!” hollered Mary, coming up behind him. “Don’t be so rude! Billie is doing the best he can…Oh Lord,” she said in a strangled voice. “Would you look at that?”

  Shane and Dale hurried to the front of the bus.

  “Oh great, can we try turning around?” asked Dale as he began chewing on his fingernails. “It’s suicide to go into that mob.”

  “Quit biting your nails Dale,” said Billie, glancing back towards him. “You’ll ruin them.”

  I looked at Dale’s French tips and sighed. Even he had prettier nails than I did, now.

  “Mary, I shouldn’t have let you talk me into driving with these dipshits,” grumbled Henry shaking his head. “Our gooses are cooked now, by golly.”

  “Henry, please,” groaned Mary.

  “Billie, you’re just going to have to drive through the mob,” I said. “You’ve done it before.”

  “I’m not worried about driving through them; I’m worried about running out of gas,” replied Billie.

  As we entered into the heart of town, I stared in fascination at the hordes of unholy dead milling around the large tents that had been set up for the festival. Zombies in different stages of decomposing littered the brightly lit streets and I literally felt like we were driving through a circus of horror.

  Mary raised a hand to her mouth. “God Almighty,” she whispered in stunned horror. “These atrocities are the work of the Devil. Oh Lord, why hast though forsaken us?”

  “It is a sign of the apocalypse,” said Shane, making the sign of the cross. “Oh yes, we are entering the end of days.”

  Henry turned to Shane and scowled. “Put a lid on it Tina Turner! You’re gonna give poor Mary a heart attack. This is the work of the damn government, not God!”

  Shane put a hand on his waist and pointed at Henry. “Don’t you get snippy with me, old man! And it’s Beyoncé, not Tina Turner! Get your Diva’s right, Honky Tonk!”

  Henry snorted. “Diva Smiva. The point is that it’s not the end of the world, so stop with the “Revelations,” sister.”

  “Are you all through bickering so I can concentrate on driving?” shouted Billie. “Because this may look easy, but believe me when I say, it’s not.”

  “Hey, I didn’t start the “End Of The World” talk,” pouted Henry.

  As we continued on through all of the bloodshed and carnage I tried desperately to push away my fears of being trapped on the bus. It was hard though. I knew if we ran out of gas, we’d be sitting ducks and the zombies would eventually find a way in or we’d try to leave and surely get slaughtered.

  “Shit, shit, shit…” cried Billie as the fuel light lit up. We were now really running out of gas.

  “There’s a gas station farther up the street Billie. Just ride the fumes if you have too,” said Dale.

  “Wait! Forget the service station,” I said pointing. “There’s a car dealership right next to it.”

  “No time to go looking for a new or used vehicle Wild,” mumbled Henry.

  “No, but we can probably get our hands on something inside to get us the hell out of here. It’s got to be safer than trying to fill up with zombies surrounding us on every side. Even with our weapons, we won’t be able to just stand out there and fill up this enormous tank.”

  “She’s right, Billie,” said Dale, nodding his head. “There’s no way you’ll be able to do that. It’s suicide. Better to trade this thing in before we have no other choice.”

  “Listen,” I said. “If you can get us close enough to the entryway, we can break into one of the glass doors. My dad works at a dealership and I have an idea of where they keep the spare keys for all of the new vehicles. I’ll bet they have some of their best ones on the showroom floor; we’ll get in and out of there before you know it. ”

  “I have to agree that she’s right,” said Henry. “Best to listen to that young girl, she’s stayed alive this long with that kind of logic.”

  “Oh man, this is gnarly,” said Billie as he continued to plow through the zombies. We were in the thick of it now and had already slaughtered multitudes of zombies that had gotten in our way. Blood, cartilage, and gore coated most of the exterior of the bus, making it look like some type of grotesque metal monster. The nightmarish macabre was enough to drive a normal person to the brink of insanity.

  “Lord, make that noise stop!” shrieked Shane as he placed his hands over his ears while the thumps of bodies under our feet echoed down the length of the bus.

  Mary stuck a hand over her mouth. “I’m going to be sick,” she cried then flew towards the back of the bus.

  As Billie maneuvered the bus through more swarms of zombies, body parts became trapped under the tires, making the bus rock and the tires spin at times. It was like driving through one of Minnesota’s blizzards where the snow drifts got in the way. Well, maybe a little worse.

  “They’re following us,” said Billie as he checked his rearview mirror. We were on our last gas fumes and going less than ten miles an hour. At times he had to give it more pressure just to get over the body parts.

  “Get as close as you can. In fact, try to parallel park right up next to the doorway,” I said.

  Billie snorted. “Easier said than done. This thing’s a tank.

  We drove up and over the curb then he maneuvered the bus right next to the glass door, less than five feet away.

  “Awesome,” I said, kissing his cheek.

  “That’s some damn good driving man, er…Billie,” said Henry, patting him on the back.

  “Cassie,” said Mary holding out her sword. Her lip was trembling slightly. “Take this with you. You’re going to need it.”

  “Thanks Mary,” I said as I stuck my gun into the back of my shorts and grabbed the sword. “I’m almost out of bullets.”

  “Don’t get hurt out there,” she said grabbing my hand. “You know letting you off of this bus is against everything I believe in. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I do know you’re one very special girl.”

  I blinked back the tears as she hugged me against her warm grandmotherly chest. Even in all of this she smelled like vanilla cookies.

  Billie stood up and looked at everyone. “I’m going in with Cassie for backup. When we’ve found a good vehicle to escape in, we’ll signal for the both of you.”

  Henry grabbed his shotgun. “I’m coming with you two as well. You need some experience and backup.”

  “Okay, thanks Henry,” said Billie as he started putting on his heels.

  Henry pointed to Billie’s dress. “Don’t you have anything to wear that isn’t so… frilly? You’ll be tripping on your dress and the
zombies will be all over you. I doubt you’d enjoy that much.”

  Billie snorted. “Believe me if I’d have brought more clothes, I’d have changed a long time ago.”

  “At least leave the heels behind. I don’t want to have to watch you trip and fall like one of those women on them late night horror movies. Those are the ones that always end up getting filleted.”

  “I don’t want to cut my feet,” he replied and then let out an exasperated sigh. “Screw it. I’ll just break off the heels. They cost me a fortune but if I’m dead it won’t matter.”

  “Young Wild here has the right idea,” said Henry pointing to my mountain boots. “You can kill the bastards and then have the traction to climb over them when you’re done.”

  “Henry, please be careful out there,” interrupted Mary as she grabbed his arm.

  Henry turned to her and gave her a hug. “Don’t you worry about a thing, beautiful. We’ll be back for you before you know it.”

  Billie opened the door of the bus and we noticed a couple of zombies trying to get in right away.

  “I got this, you two work on breaking the glass,” I said slamming my foot into the nearest zombie’s face. He fell backwards and I jumped off the bus and slammed my foot into his face again.

  “Good job Wild!” yelled Henry.

  I think he was finally starting to accept me.

  The smell in the night was almost unbearable. Admittedly, we were all getting impervious to the zombies appearances, but nothing ever prepared one for their distinct fragrance of decay, garbage, and shit.

  The next zombie to cross my path had a long matted black beard that contained things I didn’t even want to consider. His appearance was almost comical if it hadn’t been so repulsive. His fur covered chest and bloated beer belly stuck out larger than Sara’s pregnant one and he wore nothing but pair of streaked white underwear that had seen much better days. Well, maybe not on that guy.

  We locked eyes, my brown ones and his yellowish red ones; then he charged me like a bull.

  I stepped aside as he proved to be as graceful as many of the other zombies I’d come in contact with.

  He got back up off of the ground, shook his head like a dog, and growled at me.

  “Hey maggot face! Here’s a new trick for you…play dead!” I demanded, lifting the sword in the air. Then I caught myself and laughed bitterly. “My bad, you already know that trick.”

  Then with a quick slice, I sent his head rolling across the ground. I was now finding even my own jokes pretty tasteless. My dad would sure be proud though.

  Henry jumped off the bus and wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Jesus, this town smells worse than the lunchroom at my damn nursing home. Let’s get inside before I change my mind.”

  Another zombie screeched in delight when she noticed us.

  “Right behind you, after I kill this thing,” I said, raising the sword again.

  “Jesus,” he replied looking at the carnage I’d already created. “You’re getting more dangerous by the minute young lady. Remind me not to give you shit about your cell phone anymore.”

  “Henry,” shouted Billie as he stepped off the bus. “Blast the door with your shotgun.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Next I heard Henry’s gun go off and the glass shattered into millions of tiny pieces.

  “Behind you Billie,” I shouted as a chunky frizzy bleached-blonde zombie came at him with her mouth open. She wore jean shorts and a leather bustier that was so tight, rolls of skin hung out all over.

  Billie cringed. “That’s attractive,” he said before he slammed his golf club into the zombie’s mouth. “Obviously her friends should have signed her up for “What Not To Wear.”

  When we finally made it inside I began searching for car keys while Billie grabbed a couple of cubicle wall pieces and placed it against the doorway, blocking the entrance. I had to admit, for a guy wearing a dress, he was much stronger than he looked.

  “Don’t forget to grab a couple of chairs to hold it in place,” said Henry as he sat down on a leather sofa in the showroom and took out his tin of chew. “I’d help you, but I’m almost a century old and can’t handle much more of this excitement.”

  The keys were located in a locked drawer in the back of the showroom. I blasted a hole into it and yelled out to the guys to choose a couple of the vehicles from the showroom floor.

  “Oh yeah, and I will need the model number to locate the correct keys,” I yelled.

  “There’s an LX on the floor that’s mighty pretty Wild,” called Henry.

  We ended up choosing two SUV’s on the showroom floor, one of them built for luxury, the other on was some kind of Hybrid with better gas mileage.

  “Shit, some of the zombies will be getting through soon,” said Billie. They were kicking and pushing at the wall he’d built. “Let’s hurry.”

  Henry got up from the couch. “Get in the car Billie. Wild and I’ll take care of the zombies. You just get ready to drive like a bat out of hell when it’s time to go.”

  When the zombies finally made it through our temporary blockade, Henry and I took them out. Then we signaled for the others to leave the bus.

  “Hurry, but be careful where you step,” I said as Mary and the others stepped cautiously off the bus and around the beheaded zombies. When they stepped into the dealership, Henry and I blocked the entrance again with more of the cubicle pieces.

  “Here,” I said, handing Dale the other keys. He jumped in and started the engine while Shane loaded food and water into the back of the SUV.

  “Come on Mary,” I said. She was staring towards the opening in the glass at the zombies peaking over the cubicle wall.

  “Ben?” gasped Mary. She pointed towards a young man, now a zombie. “Oh my God! It’s my son!”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Jesus Christ, woman! Your son wouldn’t be at this festival! He’s hustling whores in Amsterdam!” yelled Henry who was now waiting in Billie’s vehicle. “Get your butt into the SUV!”

  But Mary was transfixed and started moving towards the zombie, who stared at her with more than just love, his was an insatiable hunger.

  “Ben? What have they done to you?” she sobbed raising her hands out to meet his outstretched ones.

  “No Mary…Stop!” I hollered, grabbing for her arm. I tried pulling her back towards the SUV, but she broke away from me.

  “It’s okay Cassie,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Ben would never hurt his momma.”

  Then everything seemed to happen at once. The glass plated wall surrounding the dealership shattered as the crowd of zombies pushed forward. Within seconds they were all finding a way in.

  “Ben” stumbled towards us with a victorious grin etched across his chewed up face.

  “Stay back Mary!” I yelled, pushing her safely behind me. I then raised the sword and started slashing at the grotesque zombies quickly approaching us, while trying to push her closer to the SUV. Blood and body parts began flying everywhere and I had to force back down some stomach acid mixed with dill chips from earlier.

  “Ben!” yelled Mary. “Come with us son!”

  He wanted to come with her, but for different reasons. Before I knew it, he stood in front of us with his hands trying to grab a hold of me. When I raised my sword to remove his head, Mary screamed and pushed me over to protect the zombie she was so sure was her son. My ankle twisted again, and I cried out in pain.

  “I’m sorry, but it’s my boy!” sobbed Mary, now facing me, her back to the zombie.

  “He’s behind you!” I yelled at her. “Protect yourself.”

  Instead, she offered me her hand as I tried to get back up, my ankle on fire. “Here dear,” she said smiling.”

  I watched in horror as Ben bared his teeth and pitched forward.

  “Mary!” I screamed in anguish.

  I knew it was the end for her and there was nothing I could do. With a cold smile of victory on his seeping face, he attacked Mary viciously from behind. He opened h
is mouth, bit the back of her head and began chewing greedily. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

  “No!” screamed Henry who was now scrambling to get out of the SUV.

  But it was too late, Mary was dragged to the ground and several zombies were on top of her, tearing through her clothes to get to her flesh.

  “Oh my God, Mary!” I choked, backing away from the crowd of undead now feeding upon her. There was no way I could get to her without getting bitten myself.

  “Get into the SUV, Cassie!” hollered Billie.

  I took one last heart wrenching glance towards the horrible scene, trying desperately to think of a way to save her. But then I caught a glimpse of her lifeless blue eyes, which now stared up at the ceiling and I knew it was too late.

  Billie laid on the horn and I limped to the SUV.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Henry as I slid in next to him.

  “What do you think?” he mumbled.

  I grabbed his hand and held it in mine. “I’m sorry, I tried to stop it.”

  Henry raised his tear-stained face and looked me in the eye. “It’s not your fault Wild. Don’t ever blame yourself. She was a stubborn woman.”

  “Hold on guys, we’re getting out the hell out of here,” said Billie fastening his seatbelt.

  The next thing I knew we were flying through broken glass, following Dale.

  “Check that out,” pointed Billie as we blew flew the crowd of zombies surrounding the dealership.

  A big red pickup truck was charging down a side street and Dale began to follow him, so of course we did too.

  There had to be thousands of zombies combing the streets and I realized how lucky we were by escaping. Unfortunately, we’d lost the one person in the group I would have gladly risked my life to save. She’s been loving and kind, and I knew that if I survived this nightmare, I’d be a better person because of knowing her.

  Sorry, Mary, I thought. I wish I could have saved you.

  It was quiet in the SUV and I stared blindly out the window, thinking about all the lives lost and the ones that were walking a fine line between life and death. I thought of Allie again and prayed she was still holding on. I missed her and my mother so much, it was beginning to feel like grief.