Z1N1: The Zombie Pandemic: 2012 Was Just the Beginning

by Mitchell Layne Cook

  The group went back through the staging area doors. The cool morning air drifted through the ballroom but the temperature held steady. Birds chirped outside the window; Nikki and Kara walked over to the closest window and looked out. Matt stood behind the women looking over their shoulders to the outside world. Rodney leaned nervously up against the wall. James began to right some of the tables and chairs for them to have a decent spot to eat breakfast.

  “Let’s get some food from the vehicles,” Barry suggested. “Corbin come with me. We can bring the food back here.” Barry casually looked in Rodney’s direction winking giving his partner the sign that their plan from last night was beginning.

  “Hold on a second, Corbin,” James insisted. “Could you help me with these tables and chairs first?”

  Rodney panicked. He had no idea whether or not James had caught the slight signal from Barry. Rodney reached forward and snatched baby Megan from her mother’s back. The baby squealed in terror flailing her tiny arms as she reached for her mother. Kara and Nikki spun around simultaneously. Nikki moved forward to grab Megan but Booger violently punched Nikki in the solar plexus; the young mother dropped to her knees gasping for air. Kara moved to help her friend but Booger delivered a devastating uppercut to the left side of her jaw knocking her unconscious to the ground. Rodney held Megan in front of his chest with a blade to her soft throat.

  James knocked over the table he had just situated and squatted behind it; he pulled his shotgun into firing position. Corbin began to move towards his baby but Barry cold-cocked him on the back of the head with his bony elbow. Corbin fell to the ground barely conscious. He began strenuously pulling himself along the rotting wood planks towards his family. Barry kicked the man in the side causing him to double up in pain.

  “What the fuck, Rodney?” Barry exclaimed. “This wasn’t the way we planned it.”

  “That old bastard saw your signal,” Rodney yelled back. “It was now or never!”

  “Let’s be reasonable about this,” James yelled from behind the flipped over table. “You don’t want to do this – you don’t want to hurt that baby.”

  “Come out from behind the table, James,” Barry said in a cool, calm voice. “Or I’ll shoot Corbin in the back of the head right now.” Barry reached into his waistband to remove his pistol. He pulled out the shiny metallic gun.

  Nikki was much less hurt than she let on; her adrenaline had helped ease the blow to her stomach. Out of the corner of her eye, in slow motion, she watched as Barry pulled out his gun and cocked back the slide of the semi-automatic pistol. Nikki sprang forward grabbing the humongous Bowie knife from Booger’s boot; she jammed the thick metal blade deep into Rodney’s unguarded crotch. Rodney dropped his knife and Megan in unison as he reached down cupping his severed testicles – blood erupted from his pants like a crimson Niagara Falls. He collapsed to the ground in perfect harmony with the baby and the knife that he had clutched only moments before. Nikki rolled on top of baby Megan to protect her with her own body.

  “You bitch…” Rodney muttered. “You dirty bitch…”

  James fired off a round grazing Barry’s left arm knocking the man backwards and he dropped his gun. James stood up to get a better shot but Booger tackled the old vet from the side. The shotgun strap ripped away from his shoulder and the weapon slid across the floor. Barry dragged himself behind a column to assess the damage to his arm. Corbin grabbed the gun in front of him - he aimed and pulled the trigger. A giant exit wound of brain and flesh splattered the wall; Rodney’s eyes went vacant.

  “That’s for touching my baby girl,” Corbin muttered before passing out.

  James had the wind momentarily knocked out of him from being blindsided; he lay on his stomach trying to catch his breath. Booger jumped onto his back and began punching the marine in the back of the neck and head. James twisted quickly moving into the guard position – years of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu paid off. Booger’s heavy hands rained down but James was able to absorb most of the blows with his forearms and elbows.

  Kara slowly opened her eyes as she regained her senses. She saw Nikki lying next to her holding Megan but both seemed to be relatively OK. She grimaced as she saw Rodney’s canoed out head splattered against the wall. She glanced back behind her hearing Barry grunting in severe pain. Corbin was unconscious on the ground but still breathing. Where is James? She thought to herself. She sat up and saw Booger pummeling her brother. She groggily fumbled with the rifle on her back.

  James timed the next blow coming from the larger man. As Booger’s fist whistled through the air, James rolled out from underneath his attacker and Matt smashed his left fist into the hard flooring. James stood up as did Booger. The redneck lunged at the old marine but James used the man’s rage against him. The old vet sidestepped the vicious blow and as Booger tumbled forward off balance, James wrapped his right forearm beneath the man’s throat and his left arm across Booger’s face. Booger panicked as his air flow was completely obstructed. He began to spin violently trying to shed the marine from his back but it was no use. Booger dropped to his knees but James continued to squeeze harder and harder. Blood vessels in Matt’s eyes began to rupture and he soon blacked out but James gripped the man like a savage pit bull clamped down on a piece of raw meat.

  Barry made a mad dash from behind the column for the doors in which they originally entered the ballroom. A loud echoing boom filled the air and Barry somersaulted through the air crashing into the glass outlined doors. He felt blood oozing out of his stomach. He looked back seeing Kara crouched down behind the scope of her rifle. He watched as she pulled back the bolt action; Barry never heard the shot that obliterated his skull.

  Nikki sat up quickly inspecting her precious baby feeling and squeezing her arms and legs for broken bones. Megan giggled loudly thinking her mommy was playing the tickle game with her. The baby’s only real sign of injury was a large, deep bruise protruding slightly above her right eyebrow.

  Kara stood up helping Nikki to her feet. Nikki ran across the ballroom floor to Corbin’s side. Kara slung her rifle over her shoulder and sprinted to where James was still choking Matt. Nikki laid Megan softly on the ground next to her father who was beginning to sit up already by himself. Kara squatted down just out of arm’s reach from her brother. She had seen him in this type of berserker rage before and knew better than getting too close. She softly spoke to him.

  “James. James. Let him go. He’s dead.”

  James stopped squeezing at the sound of his sister’s voice. He knew the man was dead; the marine had twisted Matt’s head almost to the point where his chin could have rested on his spine. James unclenched his death grip and kicked the redneck’s limp body away from him. He stood up, blood flowed from his busted nose and cut cheek…he could taste coppery blood running into his mouth. He wiped off what he could with the back of his arm and walked with his sister to where Nikki and Corbin sat on the ground.

  James helped Corbin to his feet. Nikki clutched baby Megan snuggly to her chest. Kara slid under Corbin’s arm to assist him as they walked to the front door where Barry’s body continued to ooze blood in all directions. James picked up his shotgun and the two tablecloths filled with spices and condiments. He stopped by Rodney’s and Matt’s body and took their weapons placing them in one of the tablecloths. He hoisted both sacks over his shoulder like a vagabond Santa Claus and he jogged over to his friends waiting at the door.

  “Wait one second,” Corbin requested as they exited the ballroom. He took his arm from around Kara’s neck and walked back to Barry’s body. He rummaged around in the man’s pockets until he pulled out the van keys.

  “Thanks, asshole.”

  Chapter 23

  January 3, 2014: Friday, 2:07 AM – Charleston, West Virginia, outside a neglected condo nestled deep within a former retirement community …

  About a month had passed since their run-in with Barry and his group of thugs back in Arkansas. While Corbin and his friends were still bound for Maine, th
e trip was extremely hazardous and exponentially slower than originally anticipated. The winter had been severe and most pervasive throughout the end of last year and the beginning of this year. Side roads, the main paths that the group travelled, were icy and treacherous. They could not use the vast majority of the interstate system due to the fact that most of it was blocked off by crippled and discarded vehicles.

  Luckily for them, the trip to West Virginia was mostly uneventful. Now the group had two vehicles to keep up with, the Impala and the van that they took from Barry’s group. The dual vehicles were good for gathering and carrying supplies, but not so good because they had to constantly search for twice as much fuel. Neither vehicle had four-wheel drive, so the snow covered roads mercilessly taunted the drivers as they endeavored to reach their final destination. James and Kara led the way in the van while Corbin, Nikki and Megan followed close behind in the old Chevy.

  As they reached Charleston, West Virginia, both vehicles were running on gas fumes alone. James pulled the van into a parking lot between an old bookstore and a children’s clothing store around 1:45 AM. The muscle car pulled in beside the van in the next available parking spot. Unfortunately, the group was completely exhausted, they did not survey the area sufficiently; they failed to notice the nearby gas station parking lot full of zombies. The mindless undead focused their attention in the direction of the rumbling V8 engines that had just shut off.

  On instinct alone, James quickly rushed the tired group of his friends out of the parking lot heading for a nearby community that they had just driven past. The group ran almost non-stop for a full twenty minutes before they reached their current destination. They entered the gated condo community looking for a place to crash…away from the prying eyes of the living dead.

  “Do you see any of them?” Kara asked, trying to catch her breath.

  “I can’t see anything now. The fog is way too thick,” James answered as he deftly climbed up the stairs in the back of the condo. He moved towards the balcony on the second floor - hoping to get a better view of his current surroundings.

  “Corbin, do you see anything?” James whispered loudly as he peered over the edge of the balcony.

  Corbin was positioned under the front porch with Nikki and Megan. Megan continued to whimper and Nikki gently covered the baby’s mouth to muffle the sounds.

  “Shush, baby – listen to momma, you have to be quiet,” Nikki said softly.

  Corbin shook his head in response to James’ question as he made eye contact with the old veteran. The whole group kept completely motionless for the next three minutes, even baby Megan stopped her crying. Where was the group of zombies? Had they followed them all the way to this retirement community?

  Kara cautiously jogged up the front steps to the decking above Corbin and Nikki. She rammed her shoulder into the front door of the small condo. The door creaked in protest but remained steadfast. Kara looked down, slightly amused by the flowery welcome mat underneath her feet. She stepped back and smashed up against the door again. A small crack formed around the door handle. Kara retreated back to the top of the steps; she thrust forward with all her weight against the solid, oak door and it reluctantly gave way. She tumbled inside, her momentum forcing her awkwardly onto her backside. She slid a good eight feet on the slick, solid wood flooring as she finally came to a stop in the entryway.

  “In here,” she groaned trying to regain her composure.

  Corbin began to roll out from underneath the porch but James let out two distinct whistles and pointed east - Corbin froze. The former firefighter looked around as he scrambled back underneath the deck. Two houses down from their current position, he could see the undead mob that they had encountered just a few minutes earlier. He counted quickly - there were at least thirty zombies meandering around looking for sustenance.

  “It’s not safe out here and it’s freezing,” Nikki whispered as she gently rocked Megan. “We need to get somewhere safe and warm.”

  Like a well-trained ninja, James silently tip-toed down the back stairs leading from the second floor balcony. Once the old vet reached the ground, he laid flat on his stomach and military-crawled his way towards the couple and squeezed under the porch with them.

  “James, can we make it back to the vehicles?” Nikki asked.

  “No, it’s too far away. I think we are cutoff. We should stay here tonight. We need to lead those zombies away from us,” James paused to consider all of his available options. “Listen…you two get ready – I’ll distract that mob. I’ve got a plan.”

  Before Corbin could protest, the old marine crawled out into the open and ran around the opposite side of the house. Corbin and Nikki waited. A few moments later, they saw James at the corner of the red single-story house that stood between the condo and the zombie mob. James was positioned with his back against the corner of the house. He looked back to Corbin and through hand signals alone relayed that the couple and their baby should get inside with Kara when the coast was clear. Corbin nodded and the old vet ran straight for the mob.

  “Over here, you dumb shits!” James screamed as he waved his arms. “Come eat some of this you bastards!” James fired his shotgun into the zombie mob. In unison, the creatures turned and pointed their outstretched arms in his direction. He had clearly gotten their attention. The mob, although quite slow, moved with purpose and began to close the distance. James backed farther and farther away unloading round after round. Arms, legs and other various zombie body parts flew into the air as the shotgun rounds randomly ate into undead flesh. The decaying mob continued forward.

  “Go!” Corbin said as he gently nudged Nikki out from under the porch. The couple kept low to the ground in a crouched position as they moved up the front steps. Soon they were inside the condo with an agitated Kara who was standing half inside and half outside the doorway.

  “What the hell? He’s going to get himself killed!” Kara said, pointing at her brother as she began to move outside. “I’ve got to help him!” Corbin grabbed her by the arms to keep her inside but she struggled fiercely.

  “Damn it – let go of me, Corbin!” Kara screamed as she struggled to free herself from Corbin’s vice-like grip.

  “You can’t,” Nikki pleaded. “Your brother knows what he is doing. You’d only distract him and you’d both wind up dead. You have to stay here. Trust him.”

  Kara stopped struggling and fell to the ground. She watched helplessly as the zombies gave chase after her brother. She lost sight of the mob and James two houses farther down the road as the fog enveloped the melee. Kara glanced up each time she heard the gun go off in the distance – every echoing boom of the shotgun told her that James was still alive.

  Thirty grueling minutes passed and Kara continued to sit in the doorframe. Nikki, Corbin and Megan had moved into the living room area, where it was warmer and just a few paces from their distraught companion. Outside, there were no signs of any straggler zombies or any sign of James. The last shotgun blast sounded well over fifteen minutes earlier. Tears rolled down Kara’s face; she began to sob loudly.

  “He’s dead, isn’t he?” Kara asked as she buried her face in her hands.

  “Yeah, he’s dead,” whispered a voice from the side of the condo, just out of view.

  Kara whipped her head around in the direction of the familiar voice. “JAMES! You’re alive!” Kara shouted as she stood up and hurdled over the low guard railing to the ground. In one motion she landed on the cold, snowy ground and embraced her older brother in a massive bear hug.

  “Of course I’m alive.” James said, pushing his sister back at arm’s length but still tightly clasping her shoulders. “No dumbass zombie is going to eat this pretty face,” he jokingly mocked, pointing to his rugged face with his index finger.

  James and his sister walked arm-in-arm into the house and closed what was left of the front door behind them; the door served as a poor barrier but did keep out some of the cold wintry air. The moonlight shined through the windows ill
uminating the interior of the large condo. Nikki and Corbin were pleased to see their comrade return. Even baby Megan cooed with approval. James and Kara moved into the living room and sat on the feline-patterned cloth couch. Nikki had comfortably nestled herself into a well-worn leather recliner and baby Megan rested on her mother’s lap. Corbin stood at the window and looked out. The coast was clear…for now. They had survived yet another attack. When would their luck run out?

  “How do we know this place even exists?” Kara inquired breaking the momentary silence.

  “You mean Mount Hope?” Corbin responded.

  “Yeah, seems kind of crazy to run blindly towards this ghost town,” Kara replied.

  “We don’t know anything for sure,” James said as he grimaced slightly.

  “You’re hurt!” Nikki exclaimed, pointing at James’ right leg. Like a black light, the moon had highlighted a pool of blood at the old marine’s feet that had seeped through his fatigues. Kara dropped to one knee from her seated position and gently removed her brother’s boot, lifting his pant leg past his knee. Nikki rested Megan on the now-vacant recliner seat and she moved in for a closer look. A large gash ran lengthwise from the old vet’s knee all the way to his ankle. The shin bone was exposed.

  “We have to stop that bleeding,” Corbin said matter-of-factly. “Need to clean that up so we can see how deep that wound is.”

  “It’s pretty bad,” James said surveying the injury in the limited lighting. “When I led those meat bags away from us, I ran about six or eight blocks into the neighborhood next to this one. I got turned around and the fog was way too thick…I couldn’t see my own damn hand in front of my face. I lost my footing on some slick carport.”

  “Jim, I can’t believe you risked your life like that. That was a stupid-ass stunt!” Kara exclaimed, interrupting her brother - still angry with James for his recent actions. She knew her brother was a war hero – it was just in his nature…but she couldn’t stand the thought of losing her only remaining family member to some random act of heroism. Her brother tilted his head and winked at his younger sibling.