Dead Reckoning_HZA, Vol. 3

by Marty Brockschmidt

  “I won’t let you do this.” Was all Ria said. She still had the gun, resting on her lap, finger on the trigger. She stared at the man, her eyes fixed and focused. The air was heavy with humidity, making it hard to even take a deep breath. Ria opened the door slowly, cautiously placing her feet on the ground. Ria could see Hannah, out of the corner of her eye. She was standing off to the right, head down, terrified and just wanting this to end.

  “I don’t wanna hurt you...just do what I say.” Michael demanded. Ria stood up, but didn’t move an inch. She could hear her brother breathing heavy and she knew, she needed to end this standoff.

  “You’re not going to hurt anyone with the safety on.” Ria scoffed, raising her pistol in a firm grip at Michael. Michael took a second to look down and check his safety and that was all the time Ria needed. Two quick steps and she closed the gap, between Michael and herself. Her freehand shot out and pulled the revolver from Michael’s hand.

  “Kneel down, hands behind your head.” Ria commanded. Tucking the couples pistol into the waistband of her jeans, Ria turned to Hannah. “Come with me.”

  Ria walked to the back of the jeep, foraging thru the supplies. She gathered up some dried fruit, a few cans of soup, smoked fish and the little water she could spare and shoved it at Hannah. Picking up one more can of beans, she handed that to Hannah as well. “That one you don’t touch. You find somebody else in need and you give it to them. You understand, that is how we survive this thing. We help each other, we don’t kick somebody when they are down.”

  Hannah gratefully took the supplies. “Thank you. We’ll do that, I’ll make sure he does.” Ria shrugged, she had done all she could do for the couple and doubted that it was enough. “You should move on, those men may come back here. I’m going to find a resting place for my brother, do not follow me”

  “The pistol, can we have it back?” Ria didn’t look back, getting in the jeep and starting it up. She dropped the pistol out of the window, as she pulled onto the road. Looking thru the rear view mirror, she saw that Michael and Hannah retrieved the pistol and started back to their camp. Ria’s biggest worry now was Andy.

  “I guess you told him.” Andy said, trying his best to sound humorous, but Ria was angry, her hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. “You’re gonna be fine sis...just fine.” Andy slowly closed his eyes, before dozing off again.

  “Hang on little brother.” Ria said quietly, as she drove on, searching for a safe place to stop. She noticed to the right, the entrance to a small lake. The surrounding area was wide open fields, giving them a good view of anyone, living or dead, coming their way. The grounds nearer the lake were wooded, providing them some cover and protection from the sun. She drove in as far as she could, stopping by a huge Oak tree. Ria took a needed deep breath, successfully calming her frazzled nerves. Andy was still sleeping, probably from the effects of the Percocet, Ria had forced him to take, a few hours ago. They had retained only a small portion of the meds, that Andy had taken months ago, from the facility, where he had found his sister. Ria had to force him to take the meds, Andy thinking it was a waste for him to take them. Her brother had always been so selfless and there were many times Ria appreciated that quality, but now was not one of them.

  “Where are we?” Andy asked. He was still drowsy, but coherent. Ria handed him the jug of water.

  “Drink this. I hope we are at a safe place to spend the night.” Andy took a couple of small sips and handed the jug back. “We can sleep in the jeep, but I wanna look around, make sure everything is kosher.” Ria could see Andy was failing and it broke her heart. Andy just nodded in agreement, as Ria got out to look around.

  She took her rifle from the back and started on her way. Andy frequently chided her on that, stating the rifle was fine for long distance, but the shotgun was much better, in close quarters. However, she had carried the rifle on so many runs that she now felt naked, when it wasn't on her back.

  Ria walked thru the trees, towards the lake, passing a large pavilion, setup to give families a place to picnic as they enjoyed the park. The pavilion, was now entirely covered by kudzu vines. The plant once meant to be a quick provider of shade and erosion control, proved to be to invasive. Before the dead rose and began feeding on the living, kudzu was a plant described as eating the south.

  Over the months, dead had filtered into the pavilion. What little sense of self-preservation they retained, caused them to seek shelter, from the baking Georgia sunshine. As the dead waited for a meal to come, the aggressive vines, trapped them in the pavilion. The approach of the vehicle, the sounds of voices and slamming car doors, pushed the dead into seeking escape.

  At the lake, Ria found, the water was clear and free of scum. She was tempted to kneel down and taste the water. However, Andy and Gideon, had too often, told her of the dangers from water borne diseases, or as Gideon liked to say, 'Don't drink the water, cause fish fuck in it'. Further thoughts of her fallen friend, were interrupted by the rattling of the kudzu vines. She quickly shouldered the rifle and thumbed the safety off.

  Focusing on the vines, she couldn’t see anything, but could hear the rustling of the vines as the dead hands, tried to tear them away. The vines broke away all at once, releasing more than a handful of dead. Ria put her eye to the scope, but they were to close. She stepped back a bit, before squeezing the trigger and dropping the nearest creature. Working the bolt, she pointed the barrel at the next one, in the same movement. Squeezing the trigger again, another of the dead dropped. Ria repeated the process, three more times.

  “Fuck!” Ria shouted, slinging the now empty rifle on her shoulder and drew the 45 from her holster. Fearing for Andy, she ran to the other end of the pavilion to see more than a dozen dead, had escaped from that end. Turning quickly, she saw two of the dead coming up behind her. Ria felt squeezed into a trap with the dead, both ahead and behind her. She took aim at one of the dead, chomping at her heels and pulled the trigger. The recoil of the pistol, almost tore it from her hand, but she was rewarded with the dead one falling, causing the one behind it to trip up.

  Ria took a firmer grip on the pistol and began taking down the dead in front of her, counting off the shots as she went. When she was down to her last bullet, she turned and shot the last of the dead, behind her, at near point blank range. With a half dozen dead still in front of her, Ria had no time to reload the glock. She holstered the pistol and unsheathed her knife.

  “Well come on then.” Ria snarled.

  “Mother fuckers!” Ria heard, just before the head of the dead one, in front of her, exploded. The big ball of lead from the shotgun, tore through it, splattering her coat with blood and brains.

  “That's my boy.” Ria said under her breath. The dead paused, not sure which target to focus on. Ria used the time to backup and reload. Andy kept the pressure on with the shotgun and Ria cleaned house with the 45. With the dead cleared, Ria ran toward her brother, as Andy fell against the jeep, howling in pain.

  “Hold on little brother, I got ya.” Ria put Andy’s arm around her neck and helped him into the jeep. His breathing was rapid and Ria could only imagine, the complete determination, it took for him to even get out of the jeep, never mind aiming the shotgun and actually shooting it.

  “Did we get em all?” Andy asked, his voice painfully strained.

  Ria placed her head against his forehead and whispered. “We did...you saved my ass once again.” Andy just nodded, trying his utmost best to stay conscious.

  “I am going to make sure it's clear and fill our water jugs, be right back.” Having already passed out, Andy didn’t hear Ria, .

  Ria went back to the lake. There were many dead lying around, but she didn’t see any upright and that was a blessing, at the moment. After filling the jugs, she surveyed the area one last time. It really was a beautiful place, with the trees reflecting off the lake. How she wished, this was just a camping trip and soon they’d be headed home.

  Ria stowed the jugs of water to be boiled la
ter, then grabbed the remainder of their sanitized water and got back in the jeep. “Here, drink this. We can spend the night here, then take off in the morning.” Andy handed the jug back to his sister, not saying a word. He knew the chances of him being alive in the morning, were a long shot and he was not having that conversation with his sister.

  “Sounds good.” He replied, a plan already forming in his head. Andy had to keep his sister safe no matter what and he knew she was too stubborn and compassionate, to go along with what he had in mind.

  “I’m gonna heat us up some dinner.” Ria proceeded to start a small campfire, heating up a can of soup, to go with the smoked fish. Andy ate very little, it took everything he had left in him to even sit up. It was starting to get dark and Ria helped Andy back in the jeep, for the night. She was determined to keep her brother alive , as long as possible. Getting in the jeep, she made sure Andy was comfortable, before dozing off for the night.

  Andy could feel the change coming on, it was painful and debilitating. His mind was clouded and his bones ached, but he stayed conscious, until he was sure Ria was asleep. He knew for certain that if he let himself sleep, he wouldn't wake up again, at least not alive. Andy gently took his twin’s hand, willing her all the courage and strength she was going to need, to survive. He looked at her one last time, before quietly opening the jeep door.

  Ria woke up startled. She was cold and hungry, but she was used to waking up that way, these days. At first, she thought she was dreaming, not seeing Andy beside her, then she panicked. She looked around frantically, before getting out of the jeep. Ria drew her 45, slowly making her way around the jeep. She stopped short when she heard the groaning, the unmistakable sound of the dead. Ria couldn’t help the feeling of complete terror, engulfing every part of her body. She didn’t see anything, but she had a very bad feeling. The noise was coming from the area around the big Oak tree. Ria felt cemented into place, she was barely breathing and her gun hand was shaking. She felt utterly alone, like when she was institutionalized. Those months were the worst of her life, were, being the key word. Again, she heard the groaning and knew she had to check it out.

  “Oh my god no….no no no.” Ria barely whispered. Once she made it to the tree, she saw the rope encircling it and her heart fell to her feet. The groaning was louder now, taking the last few steps took every ounce of strength, in Ria’s body. Rounding the tree, she saw him. Her selfless, protective, best friend in the whole world, her twin brother Andy. It was like getting continually punched in the stomach and the tears filled her eyes. She turned and vomited, not that there was a lot in her belly, to come up. She took a few deep breaths and faced her brother again, then the anger kicked in.

  “God damn it Andy! God damn you for leaving me here alone!” Ria screamed at her brother, she didn’t care who, or what heard her. Andy had turned into the grotesque, snarling thing in front of her and there was nothing she could do about it. He had managed to tie himself to the tree, in order to save his sister. Ria fell to her knees and wept, beating her fists on the ground. Andy reached for her, snarling and groaning, the hunger clear in his eyes. Ria sat back on the ground and wept.

  “I love you little brother.” Ria pulled her knife from the sheath and with tears streaming down her face, ended Andy’s suffering. Ria cut the rope and laid Andy on the ground. Her heart aching, she turned the jeep's headlights on and grabbed the shovel. As the sun began to peek over the horizon, she laid Andy to rest. Finding two branches, she whittled them down and made a makeshift cross. She tied the cross together with a piece of rope and began to carve.

  Exhaustion enveloped her, as she placed the marker on the grave. She then collapsed into the jeep. She woke with a start, realizing she had left the jeep's lights on. She reached for the key and gave it a turn. The jeep starter clicked twice, then silence. She took a deep breath, got out of the jeep and emptied her pack. In the pouches of her jacket, were two spare magazines for the pistol and three for the rifle. In addition, the jacket carried fire starting supplies, fishing line and lures, basic first aid, twine and two photos. The belt, at her waist, carried her pistol, knife, hatchet and a water filtering bottle.

  She put into the pack, the three boxes of rifle ammo, two boxes of pistol rounds, two boxes of 12 gauge slugs and one box of 12 gauge buckshot. On top of that, she added a pair of jeans, a T shirt, a sweatshirt, three pairs of socks and two sets of underwear. Topping off the pack, was mostly dried fruit, vegetables and meat. There was just enough room left for three cans of peaches. Closing the pack, she clipped on a couple of pans, a mess kit, and the other water filtering bottle. Her bedroll was strapped on top.

  She slipped the pack on her back, struggling with its weight. She slipped the shotgun over one shoulder and the rifle over the other. Taking a trial step, she nearly fell over, under the weight. She put the shotgun back into the jeep, repacked her bag, leaving out the shotgun shells and two of the cans of peaches. Now nearly twenty pounds lighter, she set out on foot.

  A final look back, she considered the marker. Andrew J. Walsh 3/10/87 - 2/10/17. Under that she had carved Ria M. Walsh 3/10/87 - 2/10/17. It was like a reckoning, a new beginning. Ria would stay here with Andy forever. Even though she was still scared, she left with an unfamiliar confidence. She put her fingers to her lips, then gently touched the cross. After a few more minutes, She grabbed her pack and started out...alone.

  Chapter 4 – Them

  She stood still, arms outstretched with her head down and her chin to her chest. The three walking corpses shambled forward, their breathless snarls filling her ears. Still, she remained motionless, her mouth contorted into something that was part smile and part sneer. The dead one in the lead, reached for her arm.

  At the last possible second, she dropped her arm and the dead thing stumbled forward, grabbing at air. Before the creature could turn about, the knife she had palmed, flashed out and she buried it into the back of its skull. The next dead one was closing in, she sidestepped and then directed a solid kick, at the side of its knee. She was rewarded with the sound of bones snapping, as the thing fell to the ground.

  Turning her attention to the last dead one, she sprinted forward. Putting out her arm, she placed her palm against its chest and pile drove it against a tree. As she moved forward, she raised her knife and ran it through the creature's eye and into its brain. With a tug, she pulled out her knife and let the body thud to the ground.

  The dead one, with the crushed knee, was struggling to move forward on its arms. She walked up to it slowly, circling it. The dead creature dragged itself around, following her, its jaws snapping at the nearness of her flesh. Disgusted, she stomped down on its upper arm, shattering the bone and ripping it free from the shoulder.

  Undeterred, the creature clawed at the ground with its one hand, while digging away with its good leg. She brought the heel of her boot down on its hand, then kicked it in the side of the head, snapping its neck, causing all its limbs to go still. Using her foot, she flipped the creature to its back, its head lolling to an impossible angle. Its glazed dead eyes, continued to track her and its mouth opened and closed, hoping for a bite.

  The anger and hate, boiled up inside her. She brought up her boot and brought it down on its skull, over and over again. The skull, turned to a pool of mush and her foot ached, from slamming it against the ground. She stopped and listened, to see if more dead ones were near. Taking a deep breath, she sighed. The exertion reminding her, she needed to eat.

  Going to the tree, where she had left her backpack and rifle, she lifted the pack, weighing the contents. She decided to try and forage, instead of eating any of her stored food. It was to early in the spring for berries and she was not nearly hungry enough to dig for grubs and worms. She made her way to the nearby stream to try her luck, catching some fish.

  She had done loads of fishing in her time, with the Morrow community and soon found a likely spot. Pulling line and lure from her jacket, she cast the line out, towards midstream and tied the end
of the line to a convenient branch. While waiting for a strike, she filled her water bottles and went back up the bank. She cleared a spot for a fire, taking out some tinder and her firestarter. She scraped the firestarter, with her knife, sending sparks onto the tinder. Nursing the glowing spot in the tinder, she gradually got it to flame. Slowly adding in small sticks and finally bigger wood, soon enough, she had a fire to boil the water.

  With the water beginning to boil, in the small pot she carried, she went to check her line. Seeing the branch wagging, an indication of a hooked fish, she gave the line a quick tug, to insure the hook was set and then slowly, pulled the fish to shore. It wasn't big, but it would do. Removing the fish from the hook, she tossed it up the bank and tossed the line back in. She smoked the fish, over the fire and slowly ate it, making the meal last as long as possible. Just as she put the last morsel in her mouth, she heard the rustling of leaves and the sounds of shuffling feet.

  Using her knife as a mirror, she could see a lone dead one, advancing towards her. A smile spread across her face as she waited for it to close the gap. When it was close enough she rolled to one side and swept the feet on the creature knocking it to the ground. She pounced on its back and holding her knife with both hands, she pierced its brain.