The Week of the Dead

by Viktor Longfellow

  “I don’t know, dude. I’m not a biologist. We’ll just shoot them all in the head until we run out of bullets. How’s that?”

  “Works for me. Open the gate!” They commanded to the wall guard. “Take off your clothes.”

  “Oh, for fuck sakes!” Josh exclaimed.

  “You saw us leave, you watched us come back. Open the door!” Ethan exclaimed.

  “Clothes. Now!” They were met with the cocking of shotguns.

  “Fine. I won’t look if you don’t, bro.”

  “Don’t worry; I’ve already seen your dong, man. It’s cool. Runt, front and center.” Runt came up as the men began to strip. “Take off your clothes, dude. Skin check.” Runt did as he was told. Ethan and Josh both spun around with their arms in the air revealing no bite marks. Runt dropped his pants. Ethan and Josh couldn’t help but notice Runt’s package. “Huh, guess we should call you ‘Tripod’ from now on.” The men chuckled as Runt displayed himself.

  “Is there food?” Ethan asked. The steam was rising off an outside grill. Jenna came and kissed Ethan as they walked up. “Good to see you too, sweetie,” Ethan said as he pinched her butt. She playfully swatted his hand away. Ethan sat at the same place he did yesterday morning. Phil brought him a tray of food and a cup of coffee.

  “You’re one crazy bastard, you know that!”

  “Yeah, but it was the only way we were gonna get any respect from these military people. What’s the situation inside the walls?” Ethan asked intently. “Three thousand or so civilians are here with more arriving every day by helicopter. When this hit the fan, most of the armed forces abandoned their posts to be with their families, so the call to duty fell on deaf ears.” Ethan listened as he forced the food into his empty belly.

  “What’s happening outside the walls?” Phil asked.

  “There are probably more of them than there are us. There doesn’t seem to be any communication from anyone outside the United States. The president is missing along with Air Force One. The ones we’re used seem to be turning into giant beasts that seem impossible to kill except with fire or being smashed with a tank. We think it’s something they’re infected with, and I think it’s whatever they’re getting when they drain one of us.” He forked more food into his mouth and took a sip from his drink. “Coffee tastes better today. Maybe I’m just thirsty,” he said.

  “Do you think they will send scouts out for supplies or something?” Josh asked.

  “Maybe, I don’t think they anticipated keeping this many people here. But we’re still on for Phoenix’s, right?” Josh nodded.

  “What’s ‘Phoenix?’ Like the city?” Phil asked. “If this place goes to shit, I know a place we can go.” Phil leaned in.

  “Where is it?”

  “All in good time dude, all in good time.”

  ‘Tripod’ McAdams arrived. “Simmons,” he said from behind him. Ethan turned to see the little man in a serious tone.

  “Yes, Tripod?” He cracked a smile as did Runt.

  “The captain wants to see us.”

  Ethan put his fork down and downed the rest of the coffee. “I shall return, my good people.” He said as he exited the picnic-table bench. Runt led Josh and Ethan into the building through the familiar wooden door toward the captain’s makeshift office. Reynolds opened the door. Ethan stopped at Reynolds.

  “Nice job with the flamethrowers, sir.” Ethan extended his hand and shook it happily. “You’ve got some balls, kid. I’ll give you that.”

  “Gentlemen.” The captain’s voice killed the handshake, and everyone faced the captain. “You have surpassed us all, young man. Where would you get an idiotic idea like that?”

  “Video games, sir,” Ethan said with a serious face.

  The captain looked at Reynolds’s serious face and broke out in a red-faced laughter. After he had caught his breath, he sat down. “At ease, McAdams.”

  “Aye, sir!” Tripod continued to stand but in a relaxed military stance. Ethan took a seat at the captain’s desk.

  “What can we do for you, sir?”

  “You can tell me how the hell you survived that offensive without turning into whatever the hell those things are!”

  “Good ole American muscle and Tripod over here,” Ethan said casually pointing at McAdams.

  “If only we had you in Afghanistan, we would have made a hell of a team!” the captain said.

  “We would have made one hell of a mess, sir,” Ethan said as he let out a devilish smirk.

  “How did you get here?” The captain asked changing the tone of the conversation.

  “What do you mean, sir? We came on the helicopter.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I mean, you look like a kid. You’re not military, but you’ve got the biggest balls on anyone I’ve seen except for a select few.” The captain raised his coffee mug to Reynolds, who sat in the corner with his hand on the canister backpack of the flamethrower. Ethan turned to Reynolds.

  “You’re full of surprises,” Ethan said to him. Reynolds nodded quietly, trying to collect his thoughts from his episodic rage with the flamethrower. “Tell me, how are you and Nurse Amy?” Ethan said lifting his eyebrows twice in a playful manner.

  “Gentlemen do not kiss and tell,” Reynolds retorted with a smile.

  “Would you excuse us, gentlemen?” The captain said looking at Reynolds and Runt. They saluted, turned face, and backed out the door. The focus came back to the captain. “What I mean is why are you doing this? You’re not a soldier; you have no reason to do anything heroic like that.” Ethan sat forward. He wore a weak face and reached into his pocket and pulled the medal that General Bartlett had pinned on his shirt and held it up for the captain to see.

  “One act of bravery got me to where I am. The only reason I was brave was because I was scared. I’m still scared. I’m scared I’m going to turn into one of those things and I’m going to let everyone down. All my life I was a slacker. Not really giving a shit about anything or anyone except myself. Now, the entire country, and probably the world, wants to eat me, and I won’t have that. The general saw something in me. I’m almost positive he was bullshitting me, but something told me that he was right. I don’t know if he’s alive or not. All I know is that the world is coming to an end, and I’ve got my back against the wall with my friends and fellow companions. I am not a slacker anymore. I am going to see this to the end, whether it be my end or theirs.”

  The captain sat back and eyed the ribbon with the emblem that hung from it. “That’s the Purple Heart. Soldiers get that for being wounded or killed. Why would he give you that one?”

  “It was the only one he had on him. Guess medals and titles are bullshit at the end of the world,” Ethan retorted.

  “Yet, you seem so fixated on it?” The captain looked in Ethan’s eyes.

  “He did something great to get this, and he passed it on to me for me to do something great, I guess.” Captain Michaels leaned into a desk drawer and took out a wooden box.

  “I don’t have any medals to give you, but I do have this.” The captain opened the oblong wooden cigar box. “I want you to have this. I want you to keep it safe and put it in a museum when you’re done with it.”

  Ethan stood to see the object in the box. It was a rustic-looking revolver in a cowboy holster. “This is my most prized possession. This is the weapon of a leader. This is a Colt .45 single-action revolver.” Ethan took the weapon in both hands and removed it from its holster.

  “TR?” Ethan asked as he looked at the letters carved in the grip of the gun.

  “Theodore Roosevelt, commander of the Rough Riders.” Ethan looked at the captain straight in the eyes as he looked for a gesture of humor that never was shown.

  “No, It’s real, son,” the Captain reassured him. “It been taken care of, and I hope it will be taken care of in the future.”

  “Yes, sir, but I can’t take this. It’s yours.”

  “I don’t want it anymore. I want you to keep it safe. Besides, yo
u’re a leader now. I’m just a desk clerk. I’ve never seen real combat until the last seventy-two hours.”

  “This is still your camp, sir,” Ethan said as he took the focus off the revolver.

  “Yes, it is, and it will remain mine. I don’t know how long the walls will hold. The higher-ups are more worried about the gold in the vault, so I know we will get reinforcements, if there are any.” His voice faded.

  Ethan wrapped the revolver and belt around in a circle and stuck it under his arm. “It will be taken care of, sir. Now if you’ll excuse me, I would like to take a violent shit.” The captain exchanged a strange glance at the young man. “Oh yeah, man, all the coffee I’ve choked down, plus being stuck in a tank with Runt, I’ve got to poop very badly!” The captain shook his head and smiled. Ethan attempted to salute as he walked out and made his way down the hall. Reynolds was waiting for him outside the office. He stood after he heard the knob turn.

  “What did he say?”

  “We did a great job! Gotta poop!” Ethan responded as he quickly paced down the hall.

  ROAD TRIP

  CHAPTER 53

  WEDNESDAY 0650 CST

  MILLINGTON

  The night before, miles and miles away, Devin and Erica were gathering their belongings. “We need every vehicle packed with supplies. We will pack tonight and leave in the morning. Agreed?” Devin asked those who looked at him. They moved vehicles in and out of the bay doors of the hardware store. As soon as they opened the doors, creatures would pour in. More and more would arrive. Some would be stronger than the others. Everyone slept on the roof that night. Devin told them it would be safer up there.

  The next morning, Redbeard tapped Devin’s boot to waken him. “This sun is rising,” Redbeard said in his booming voice. People who heard him rolled and stirred. No one had a good night’s rest. They were being hailed from the creatures gathering outside. “Will they ever shut the fuck up?” Razor asked as he looked over the side of the roof. “Oh crap,” he said softly.

  “What is it?” Redbeard asked.

  “There’s a lot more of them.”

  “How many more?” Devin overheard.

  “At least double of last night,” Razor said.

  “Shouldn’t be a problem.” Jamison came around and spit over the ledge.

  “Easy for you to say. You weren’t running around with them last time.” Devin beamed.

  “This doesn’t change anything; we knew there were going to be some of these things. We just didn’t know how many. We’ll just stick to the plan,” Ferret said as he walked to the ledge as well.

  “Why don’t we just use another bomb?” asked Walker.

  “They’re too close to the building. It might be blown out from under us. Can’t risk it. Let’s get everyone ready, and then we’ll deal with it. “Everyone! Get up! It’s time to move. We have a long day ahead of us. Let’s gather our stuff and go.”

  After everyone gathered their things, a couple with a blond-headed child came to Devin who was loading things in the back of the pickup with the machine gun in the back of it. “Excuse me,” the elder man asked.

  “Yes, sir, how can I help you?” Devin asked as he turned his attention.

  “We’d like to split up and go our separate way.” Devin sat on the tailgate taken aback.

  “What do you mean?”

  “My parents have a house close to the Loosahatchie River, and we would like to be with our kin.”

  “Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but the Loosahatchie is in the opposite direction. It’s the direction we just came from.” Devin looked at the wife and the child. “You two, do you wish to go with him or with us?” The wife picked up the little girl and held her husband’s hand. “Jamison, toss me one of those pistols.” Jamison did so without glancing his direction. Devin looked at the man who seemed to be a few years older than he was. “This is a 9mm. The safety is here. You’ve got a full magazine of fifteen rounds. If you get bitten, shoot yourself in the head,” Devin said as he handed the man the pistol.

  The words weighed heavily on the man as Devin went back to packing the truck. The family turned and went away. Erica arrived. “What was that about?”

  “They wanted to leave. They are going to the Loosahatchie,” Devin said in a monotone.

  “Did you try to stop them?” she asked.

  “No, he is a man doing what he thinks is best for his family. I gave him a gun and told me to shoot his self in the head if he got bitten. Hopefully, it won’t be a waste of ammo, and he might take a few of them out beforehand.” Erica could feel the coldness coming from Devin. “I had no right to keep them somewhere they didn’t want to be,” he said sharply.

  The sun had shown through the high windows of the building. “Time to go people!” Jamison shouted over the commotion on the concrete floor as everyone finished packing their vehicles. “We have a lot of ground to cover. Let’s not waste the sunshine. Every vehicle gets a walkie-talkie. We’re all on channel 5. You hold the button and talk and release. This is how we will communicate,” he said as he displayed the walkie-talkie. “Every vehicle is getting a firearm as well, pistols and shotguns only. Since we are the only ones with military training, we keep the automatics with us. Handheld weapons are free at your disposal. Redbeard, would you show them.” Jamison stuck out his hand to help Redbeard onto the platform he was standing on.

  “All right people…” He turned to Jamison with his mace in hand. “You should aim for the head and neck area.” He demonstrated a blow on Jamison as if he was a creature. “This will disorient them if not kill them. If you hit them in the chest, it might slow them down, but they will get back up. They will not stop until they’re down for good. If your weapon gets stuck in one of them, you’ll leave it where it is. Trying to pull it out will result in you dying. Trust me. That’s how we lost Erik. He got his sword stuck in one of them and tried to pull it out, and we were too late to rescue him. Odin is with him.” The Vikings Elite all commented “Odin be with us” simultaneously.

  “Let’s get this show on the road. Jamison will lead in the truck. Everyone else file behind us. Vikings, you ride alongside, and we will come up in the rear with the little truck,” Devin said as he motioned everyone to the bay door.

  “Coast is clear,” Razor said as he looked out the little window to the vehicles that were previously loaded and parked the night before. Jamison checked his rifle and nodded at Razor. Razor pulled the chains to open the door. With the clicking of the chains, everyone crept forward in a group. Those who already had weapons were pointing them in every direction. One of the creatures was leaning against the side of the building. It was quickly and loudly taken out by one of the women with a shotgun. She cocked the shotgun and kept moving like it was just a regular day.

  Jamison fired up the truck with an echo of similar engines singing back to his diesel leading the orchestra. Erica handed Devin a pair of sunglasses. “You’re kidding, right?” he looked at her.

  “These were the only pair I could find.”

  “Yeah, they’re chick glasses.” He objected.

  “Fine, don’t wear them,” she said as she slid a similar pair upon her face.

  “Fine,” he sighed. They started the caravan again heading north except for the couple who headed toward the river. They broke off at the first major intersection. Devin pressed the radio button. “Good luck.” He heard no response.

  After a few hours of silence, the radio clicked on with the sound of Walker impersonating an enthusiastic radio host. “Gooooooood Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is Walker, call name Big Truck. Behind us we have Yellow Sedan. Yellow Sedan, give us a ‘Hell yeah,’ would you please?” The radio clicked again with an unfamiliar voice.

  “Yes, this is the Yellow Sedan. Hell yeah!” the radio expelled an old shaky voice.

  “Sounds like my grandmother,” Devin said to Erica with a chuckle. Walker came back on the walkie-talkie.

  “I want every vehicle to go down the line and with th
eir call names. Don’t get fancy. Go ahead.” After the Yellow Sedan, there were Red SUV, Grey SUV, White Coupe, The Blue Hybrid, Red Pickup, White Sedan, and The Viking Mobile that Tara was driving and was surrounded by the Vikings on motorcycles, and finally Devin picked up the walkie-talkie behind the armored car.

  “Last call name: Can of Whoop-ass!” Devin said into the radio.

  “I said don’t get too fancy.” Walker clicked back.

  “Well, I got the .50 in the back,” Devin retorted.

  “Devin?” Walker said.

  “That’s right, Big Truck. I guess I’ll change it to Caboose. How are the roads looking?”

  “According to this map and the four energy drinks I’ve had this morning, it’s looking good. We’re going to stay on this two-lane highway until we come to Brownsville, and hopefully we’ll make it to Humboldt by night fall. We’ll stay on the back roads out of the big cities. Hopefully we won’t find a lot of resistance. Come back,” Walker asked into the radio.

  “Understood. This is Caboose. If you have a problem, do tell over the radio. There is no shame in asking to pee or if you have vehicle problems. We are going to get through this. We are going to survive,” he said as he put the radio on the seat in between him and Erica.

  He looked at her looking out the window. “Nice shoes,” he said as he noticed her new outfit and footwear. “Couldn’t take the boots anymore, huh?” he asked with a smirk. Erica responded by wiggling her toes through the sneakers.

  “It was hard to run in those big things. I felt like I was wearing a clown’s shoes.”

  Devin broke into a big laughter. “I’m glad you didn’t find my red nose.”

  THE CHANGING

  CHAPTER 54

  WEDNESDAY 0900 CST

  FORT KNOX

  After Ethan finished his well-deserved toilet break, he touched the toilet paper feeling its coarseness. “Well, here’s to the end of the world,” he said as he ripped off a few squares of something that felt like tree bark between his cheeks. “There’s probably enough friction to start a fire for fuck’s sake,” he commented. After everything was taken care of, he stood up and strapped the gun belt around his waist. He looked at himself in the mirror. He reflected on how just a few days ago he was a kid in college wasting his life and money studying things he’d never cared about. Now he was dressed in military clothes with a tactical vest on. His hair was tucked under a bandana. He felt like a gunslinger of the old West. “Hello, pilgrim,” he said in his best John Wayne voice. He heard a banging on the door. He turned to see Runt standing in the frame. “Sup?” he skipped the pleasantries with Runt.