Apocalypse Z (A Zombie Novel)

by Swanson, G. E.

  Not wanting to wait, she leaned over and whispered in his ear then kissed the side of his neck. A smile came across his face and he excused himself for the night. Jet didn’t waste any time moving over to Jeff’s lap and putting her arms around his neck. They waited until Lisa closed her door, then they started kissing.

  The next morning, Lisa woke to the sound of squealing tires from outside. Running over to the window and looking down to the parking lot below, she saw a gray Cadillac racing through it and four zombies chasing the car. Even after the car was on the street and long gone, they still continued to run in the direction it went. Lisa smirked and shook her head as she watched them run.

  She heard Mark ask, “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, I think Gary and Sharon just left. I hope they find what they’re looking for in Canada.” She sat on the edge of the bed and asked, “Do you know when we’ll get to the cabin?”

  “Best I can figure is a couple of days, maybe part of a third. That’s if everything goes right.”

  Lisa lay back down and snuggled up to Mark. She ran her hand over his chest as she said, “A life free of zombies is something I’m looking forward to.” She smiled. “And sharing it with you makes it even better.”

  He put his arm around her and gave her a kiss.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Dedee woke up and looked around the room. Amy was asleep in bed next to her, but Jet wasn’t in there. She went out into the living room area and saw her on Jeff’s lap. He had his arms around her and they were both still asleep. She shook Jet until she started to wake up. With her eyes half open, she asked, “What?”

  “Were you guys out here all night?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” And she laid her head back against Jeff’s chest.

  Dedee shook her again. “Come on. It’s time to get up.”

  Jet started to get up and woke Jeff. He rubbed his face and looked around. “Is it morning already?”

  Dedee said, “Yes, it’s time for you two to get up.”

  She heard a door open and saw Sheryl come out of her room and put some towels in the duffle bags. Jet stretched as she rubbed the back of her neck and said it felt a little stiff. Dedee suggested she go check with Tami and Sheryl to see if they might have something that would help. Jet went in their room to talk to them while Dedee sat on the couch and waited.

  When all the bags were packed, they sat waiting for Mark and Lisa to come out. After ten minutes, Dedee became impatient and knocked on their door. Lisa answered it as she put a band in her hair and told her they would be out in a minute and for her to be ready to go.

  On their way down to the lobby, they made sure they used a different stairwell than they did coming up. Mark took the lead when they went outside. Two zombies across the street spotted them as they went out the door. They ran to the van as quickly as they could and threw the bags inside. Mark rolled the dumpster toward them to try to slow them down. It missed the first one, but the second just stood there as it slammed right into her.

  Lisa started the van and Mark jumped in the passenger side. The zombie was able to grab the door and hold on as Lisa peeled away. Mark pulled out his knife and started stabbing and slicing at its elbow. The sharp knife cut through the rotting flesh quickly and the elbow joint separated with a pop.

  As the zombie hit the road, it rolled right under the wheels of the van and its mid section blew out. Guts shot out of it like snakes launched from a cannon, covering the pavement. The hand on its arm flexed wildly, like it was still trying to grab onto something as Mark pushed the door open and tossed it out.

  As Lisa approached the on-ramp, she made a hard stop and everyone slid forward. Mark looked out and saw a girl with short red hair standing in front of the van, running in place. She just stayed there, looking in through the windshield at them, and screaming with a terrified look on her face. They watched as four zombies ran up to her and started taking bites out of her arms and chest.

  Dumbfounded, they looked at each other and then back at her. They were stunned; they couldn’t figure why she would stand there and let them catch her. A fifth one came up and bit into her face, it pulled back and tore part of her cheek away so that one of her blue eyes now dangled from the socket. The zombie stepped back, chomping and smacking as her flesh hung from its rotting lips, flapping around as it chewed. It stared at the van for a moment and then lunged at them.

  Lisa punched the gas and they flew forward. There were thuds as they plowed the girl and all five zombies down. They could still hear her screams and the zombies hiss as they were dragged under the van. Lisa drove about fifty yards before the screaming stopped and the mangled bodies dislodged from the undercarriage. Bumps and bangs were heard as they came out from under the back, twisted and tangled together, in one bloody heap.

  Once they had gotten back on the freeway, Lisa kept it at a comfortable sixty miles per hour. Three hours into the trip, Mark pointed to a sign that said the Oregon boarder was five miles ahead. Lisa gave him an excited smile and he stretched back in his seat.

  Gray smoke started to billow out from under the hood and the engine sputtered. He watched as Lisa frantically looked over all the gauges in the dash. It let out one last sputter before they heard a loud bang, and coasted to a stop. Lisa looked at him with panic in her eyes and said, “I swear, I didn’t do it. It’s not my fault.”

  “No, it’s not your fault, Lisa. This thing was in the maintenance shop for a reason, and we’re lucky it got us this far.” He looked in the back and said, “Okay, everyone, we’re on foot from here.”

  There were moans of disappointment as everyone got out and grabbed the bags. On foot, those five uphill miles seemed like ten, but they finally made it to the border. Just on the other side was a very small town, consisting of a few homes and several businesses along the street, nestled under the tall trees. As they walked, Amy pointed out an extremely slow rot-bag wearing a yellow dress with pink flowers that followed them.

  Mark picked up a small rock from the ground and threw it. It hit the zombie in the forehead and disappeared on impact as it sank into the skull. A nasty yellow puss, with strands of black mixed in, ran from the hole and down its face. They stopped and watched as the puss continued to run out and the top of the head slowly began to sink in.

  In less than a minute, the top of the head was flat like a deflated balloon. Mark walked over to it and gave it a little push. It fell over and hit the ground with a thwack. The thin outer skin popped and tore open. A liquid that looked like runny oatmeal and molasses, shot out in every direction.

  He quickly stepped away and they began walking again. Looking at the trees and hills, everyone was beginning to get an idea of what it must be like at the cabin. Just before they left the little town, Mark stopped. He saw the last building on the right was a camping surplus store. He said, as he pointed to it, “We’ll get some supplies from here before we get too far into these mountains.”

  He opened the door and a little bell attached to the inside rang. His insides and muscles tightened up when he heard it; he reached around and grabbed the bell. He took his knife and carefully cut the string, then set the bell on a shelf. Lisa followed him in, trying to take in every detail in just a few seconds. They silently made their way around the shelves and racks, as they looked everything over. Mark saw a display with heavy-duty backpacks and picked a stack of them up.

  Lisa heard the floor creak and thought it came from the back. She signaled Mark, but he was already looking that way. She saw him set the backpacks down and come toward her. Together, they crept toward the back, Mark leading the way. She watched him go through a doorway leading to a back room. She turned to wave for everyone else to stay back before proceeding through herself.

  When she turned to go through, she saw Mark with his hands raised in the air. There was a shotgun pointed at the back of his head and she heard a voice say, “Sonny, don’t you be a movin’ now or I’ll blow that head of yours off.”

  With her pistol in her l
eft hand, she reached around and put it to the temple of the person holding the shotgun on Mark. Lisa said, “Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you.” The person stood perfectly still. “Okay, Mark, I have your cover.”

  Mark turned around and took the shotgun. Lisa switched hands as she walked in, but kept it pointed at the person. Standing there was an old woman with short gray hair. She figured the lady must have been in her seventies. Lisa holstered her pistol and asked, “How did you manage to stay alive by yourself this long?”

  “Well, as my husband used to tell me before he died, I’m an ornery old bitch. I don’t take shit from no one.”

  Lisa couldn’t help but smile. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  The old lady gave her a hard stare for a minute, then broke out in laughter. “I could swear I only heard that bell ring once.”

  Mark removed the shell and gave the shotgun back to her. “Sorry about that. I cut the string. I didn’t know if there were any zombies in here and didn’t want to tip them off. But don’t worry, I’ll fix it before I leave.”

  “I hope you kids were planning on payin’ for that stuff. But I only take cash; I don’t mess with that credit bullshit.”

  Mark said, “We have money and we’ll pay for it.” He waved and everyone came in. “Okay, everybody get one of those canvas back-packs over there, some boots that fit, four pair of heavy socks, two thin blankets, a mess kit, and a couple rolls of toilet paper. Oh, and get some energy bars too.” He whispered to Lisa, “Might want to get some more hygiene products while you can.”

  The old lady grabbed a pencil and paper. “Okay, let me total that for ya.”

  “No need.” Mark took a gold coin from his pocket and set it on the counter. “Will that cover it?”

  She picked it up. Looking it over, she said, “Yep, and then some.”

  Marked leaned over the counter and said, “If anyone else happens to pass through, cash is pretty much worthless right now. I’d only take barter like this.”

  She looked at him in surprise and then smiled. “Thank ya, I’ll remember that.”

  Outside, Mark watched Lisa as she talked with Jet and Sheryl. It seemed Lisa was doing more listening and nodding than talking. Jeff was busy trying to help Tami get her boots on and laced up. Dedee and Amy had theirs on and were putting a few supplies from the large duffle bags into their packs. When they were emptied, Mark threw them in a trashcan.

  When everyone was ready, they started out on their walk. They walked until the sun was high; then Dedee and Amy requested a break. Amy complained about having to wear the boots, but Mark told her they all needed the ankle support the boots provided. Dedee said she understood, but the boots still felt heavy on their feet and slowed them down.

  Mark noticed that Sheryl, Jet, and Lisa were talking again. He watched as Sheryl took something from her pack and gave it to Jet. He waited until they were finished talking, then approached Lisa. When he asked, she told him Jet had been having some stress headaches lately, but she would be fine and no special accommodations were needed.

  After a twenty-minute break, they started walking again. They walked well into the evening, and just before dark, they stopped. Mark told them to catch as much sleep as they could because they would start again in about six hours. No one bothered to unpack; they just used the packs as pillows as they lay on the ground under the trees.

  Although the ground was far from comfortable, Tami and Amy were asleep almost instantly. Dedee sat with Jeff and Jet as she took off her boots. Her legs were tired and her feet hurt. As she changed her socks, she noticed a couple of blisters had formed and popped on her left foot. The loose skin was wrinkled and when the air hit it, it started to sting.

  Sheryl set her bag next to Lisa and Mark as they talked. She asked, “Am I interrupting anything?”

  He said, “No, what’s on your mind?”

  “I could use a few more supplies. So if the next town we come to has a pharmacy or drug store, I need to go in and pick up a few things.”

  “Okay, I guess we can do that. We’re probably going to need a lot of pain medications for headaches and sore muscles anyway.” He lay back.

  Sheryl looked at him without saying anything, then over to Lisa as she spoke. “Yeah, I told him about Jet’s headaches.”

  She nodded in agreement. “Yes, poor kid, she been having a tough time with it.”

  Mark lay on his back looking up at the stars. “There’s a town up ahead. We’ll be going into it tomorrow, there should be one there.”

  Sheryl stood up and said, “Thanks, I’ll get Jeff up in three hours to take his watch. You two get some sleep.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  When it was time, Jeff woke them all up to start toward the town. Jet reached under her back and pulled out a small stick she hadn’t realized she had been sleeping on, until now. Mark noticed Lisa was lying on her side and watching him with a smile. He asked, “What?”

  She just continued to smile and shook her head. “You.”

  “What me? Do I have something on my face?” He ran his hand over his face and looked at it.

  She laughed. “No.” She leaned over and gave him a peck as she started to get up.

  He reached up and grabbed her, then pulled her back down. Putting his arms around her, he gave her a long kiss. “Mmmmmm,” she said softly as she kissed him back and then giggled. She saw something from the corner of her eye and looked over to see Amy sitting next to her pack, watching them with a smile. Lisa said, “C’mon, were being watched.” And she got up.

  Mark led the way with Lisa at his side, and it took a little longer than Mark had estimated to reach the town. By the time they had arrived, it was almost noon. It looked like most, if not all the businesses sat on the main road of town. He noticed the street ran straight for about ten long blocks through the town. Behind the business sat mostly smaller single-story houses.

  They entered the town and stayed on the sidewalk. Lisa didn’t think about it at first, but there were no cars on the street or parked along the sidewalk. She got a bad feeling in her gut as they walked. All she could hear was their footstep on the concrete. She looked at Mark, his jaw was tight, his eyes were constantly shifting from one side of the street to the other, and she knew he sensed it too.

  Four blocks in, she saw an eight-foot-tall round metal post standing in the middle of the street. It looked like it had been driven into the ground and concreted in place. Attached about three quarters of the way up the pole, were two short chains with something that looked like shackles on the ends.

  On the ground at the base of the pole, were large pools of something that looked like dried blood. There were layers of it, one on top of another, building up. She also noticed there were footprints coming out of it pointing in different directions.

  They walked past the pole, and if she hadn’t known any better, she would have sworn it was used for some kind of sacrifice. She was tempted to look back at it, but at the same time, she didn’t want to think about why it was there. They walked another block before she saw a sign that said ‘Pharmacy RX’ on it. Going inside, she noticed it had already been gone through and most of what had once sat on the shelves, was now gone or scattered on the floor.

  Dedee and Amy picked up boxes of bandages and antibiotic cream for their blistered feet. Tami and Sheryl went behind the pharmacy counter and started looking over the shelves. Those shelves seemed to have been hit the hardest and there wasn’t much left on them. She saw Sheryl open her pack and stick various bottles inside. Tami held some bottles up, Sheryl pointed to one bottle and nodded and the other she shook her head and waved her hand. Tami put the first one in her pack and set the other to the side.

  Jet and Jeff grabbed a couple of small plastic flashlights from the toy section and a package of batteries they found sitting on a shelf. Mark stood by the big front window, looking out as if he were waiting for something. Lisa stood behind him and could feel his anxiety. She asked him, “You feel it
too, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, its way too quiet, this is a bigger town, yet there are no cars or rot-bags walking around.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on, but this whole scenario stinks.”

  Dedee shrieked and ran from the area she was in. Mark, Lisa, and Jeff ran over to her to see what was wrong. Dedee was shaking her hands around and doing a little dance. “Eww, eww, eww. “ Is all she would say.

  Mark asked her, “Dedee, what’s wrong?”

  She didn’t answer; she just kept doing the dance and shaking her hands. Lisa grabbed her arms and asked, “Damn it, Dedee! What’s wrong?”

  She had a petrified look on her face as she pointed to where she had been standing. “It’s over there somewhere.” She held up her hand and said, “It touched my hand. Eww, eww, it was so gross. I was moving stuff around and it ran over the top of my hand.”

  Lisa looked over at the shelf, then back at Dedee. “I don’t see anything, what was it?”

  “It was a rat! It was so hairy and gross! Ewww!”

  Mark sighed and went back to the window. Lisa said, “Okay. Dedee, please, don’t ever scare us like that again, alright?”

  Mark stepped back from the window. “Everybody, get down. I knew it was too good to be true.”

  Lisa bent down and went over to him. “What’s wrong?”

  He pointed out the window and down the street. “We have company coming this way.”

  XIII

  Lisa watched as a large group of about twenty zombies came up the street. “Oh shit!”

  Mark said, “You think that’s bad? Look the other way.” And he pointed.

  She did and saw another group of about thirty coming from the other direction. She turned to Mark with a hopeless look on her face and sighed, “Double Shit.” She yelled out, “We have company; you guys need to hurry because we have to go.”