Neal was across the mausoleum staring out at the sea of undead creatures that surrounded them. The deeper the water was getting the more visible the creatures became. They were able to not only move through the water, but they were thriving.
“There’s more than six now,” said Neal. He counted over a dozen of the undead creatures swimming around the area. They had the mausoleum completely surrounded.
“There’s no way we’re swimming through that,” said Thomas.
“Then how do we get out of here?” Emma asked.
“I don’t know,” said Thomas.
Emma looked down again. The water was still rising. They were sinking faster than ever before. Another step was submerged. Only a few more feet and the water level would be right at their heels.
Then one of the undead creatures broke through the surface of the water and flung itself up the steps. Its lanky skeletal body crashed onto the stone surface. It reached out an arm to grab hold of Emma who was the closest to it.
Emma screamed out and kicked wildly to knock the hand away. The creature was writhing in pain as it flopped around the steps like a fish out of water. Finally, it slunk back into the depths from which it came.
Thomas rushed over and pulled Emma away from the surface of the water. “I’m fine,” she said as she met Thomas half way up the remaining steps. Together they got to the top of the mausoleum entrance.
“Look,” said Thomas pointing at the water. More creatures were coming. The last undead creature was just a precursor. Its disturbance alerted the others to the presence of the four survivors. Like a rabid pack of piranhas the undead creatures riddled the surface of the water and all tried to climb the steps to get at their latest prey.
The outside of the mausoleum was erupting into chaos. Clawed hands lashed out at the four living people. They stood as close to the walls of the building as they could, but some of the creatures were getting bolder. They lunged out of the water to try to strike at the others, and then quickly retreated back to their domain.
Emma grabbed a small statue of a crucified Jesus Christ. It was about a foot long. It had some weight to it, but Emma was able to handle it. She swung the statue like a bat at any oncoming threats. The statue slammed against several decrepit hands that reached out for her. The Jesus statue took out flesh, bones, and pieces of whole fingers every time Emma swung her weapon.
The others followed Emma’s lead. They grabbed whatever they could to use as a weapon. Thomas used a potted plant holder as a spear. He poked and prodded the undead creatures away from him.
Cara did her best with the wing of an angel. The statue was already in pieces and she was able to break off a big chunk. The wing came to enough of a point that it was able to pierce into the undead’s flesh and bones.
Neal was doing his best with his own cross statue, but he wasn’t attacking any of the creatures. He had his back to them and was bashing his statue against the wall of the mausoleum.
The building was old. There had not been much upkeep on the entire thing for over a hundred years. Cracks and weaknesses were forming throughout the foundation. He had found a hole in the wall at chest level, and he began to chip away at it with every blow of his stone cross.
There was another tremor. The ground shook and paused the fight for a moment. The four survivors steadied themselves as best they could while the undead creatures retreated deep into the ground.
The water level jumped up again. The street was now over three feet above the surface of the cemetery grounds. The water was reaching the top level of the mausoleum entrance. The four of them were now completely vulnerable to the undead creatures’ range of attack.
Neal fought harder against the stone wall of the mausoleum. Chunks started to fall to the ground. When the hole was big enough Neal dug his hand into the wall and tried to pull out larger pieces of stone and brick that were used to build the wall. In a matter of moments he was able to make a hole a couple of feet in diameter.
“Let’s go!” Neal shouted. He jumped up into the hole which was five feet above the surface. He slid through the opening head first and crashed onto the other side.
Thomas shrugged. They were out of options. He looked down to the water. The creatures were coming back.
“Hurry!” Thomas shouted. “You guys first.”
Cara got to the hole. Thomas put out his hand to act as a stool for Cara. She stepped into his embrace and lifted herself up through the hole in the wall. Emma was next.
“Thank you,” she said. Then she quickly hopped up and clawed herself through the hole with Thomas’ assistance. Then Thomas lifted himself up before the creatures could grab hold of him.
Thomas dangled in the hole with his body hanging on both sides. Once Emma rolled clear he slid forward and fell to the ground. The collision knocked the breath out of his lungs. He took a deep breath, but the air was sharp and rotten. He coughed and coughed to level himself out.
The rest of the group could feel the harshness in the air as well. They all coughed through the sudden change in atmosphere.
“What is that?” Emma asked.
Neal was looking around the room. In the center of the mausoleum was a stone tomb. Dust caked over the long forgotten monument to the dead. Neal knelt down at the far end of the mausoleum. At his feet was a puddle of bubbling water. The inside of the mausoleum was mostly dry. It was a relief when they landed, but now it looked like the water was going to get to them sooner rather than later.
“It’s methane gas,” said Neal, examining the bubbling pool of water. He carefully dipped his fingers into the water and pulled them back before anything could attack him. He smelled his fingers. “It’s coming from the water. There must be a build up under the cemetery. Told you. The water is contaminated.”
“Why does it smell so bad in here?” Cara asked, covering her face with her shirt.
“This place is pretty tight,” said Neal. “A few leaks here and there, but mostly the gas was trapped. So, it’s been building up.”
“Where’s that water coming from?” Thomas asked.
“Out there I suppose,” said Neal. “Probably one of the leaks in the building.”
Emma walked up to the puddle of water with her stone Jesus. She dropped it into the water. It made a big splash and then sunk. The floor of the mausoleum was not the bottom of the puddle of water.
“Can they get to us from there?” Emma asked.
“Probably,” said Thomas. He turned around and looked outside through the hole in the wall. The water was still rising. It had reached the doorway to the mausoleum. He looked down. A little water trickled through the seals, but it was not much.
“We have a little bit of time, but the water is still going to get inside,” said Thomas. “And eventually we’ll sink low enough that the water will get in through the hole in the wall. Then we’re trapped.”
“So how do we get out of this one?” Cara asked. She looked over at both Thomas and Emma. So far they were the ones with the plans. They had gotten the group out of every jam up to now. She waited on them to have another brilliant idea.
“There isn’t much we can do,” said Emma. “We’re trapped.”
“We can take an easy out,” said Thomas. He reached into his pocket and brought out a lighter.
Emma dropped her head. She knew where this was going.
“This whole building is filled with methane gas,” said Thomas. “I light this, we blow it all up. We’ll die quickly. We won’t have to deal with those things anymore.”
Chapter 9
“Absolutely not,” said Emma. “We’re not blowing ourselves up.”
“It’s just a thought,” said Thomas. “I for one don’t want to get torn apart by those fucking things. This could save us from that.”
“I don’t care,” said Emma. “I’m not giving up.”
“There is nowhere to go!” said Neal. “Dude’s right. We should make it quick. Take out these bastards al
ong with us.”
“Shut the fuck up,” said Cara. “I’m with Emma. I’m not dying here. We can get out of this.”
“How, bitch?” Neal asked.
“I don’t know,” admitted Cara. “There has to be a way. Somebody else has to come along and see what the hell is going on outside. We’re bound to be found sooner or later. We just need to hold out.”
“There is still some time,” said Thomas. “As long as the conditions don’t change then the water will get to the hole in the wall in a few hours. The level will be up inside maybe a foot or so, but yeah we can wait on this decision.”
“We’re not killing ourselves,” reaffirmed Emma.
A small tremor rumbled across the graveyard. The four survivors could feel the ground shift under their feet. To their side, larger bubbles burst through the surface of the contaminated water flooding the mausoleum. Then the puddle spread out another six inches.
“Shit,” said Neal. He rushed over to the hole in the wall they made their entrance from. He poked his head outside and looked down. The water was several inches now above the stairway leading to the mausoleum.
“We just lost some time,” said Neal, pulling his head back inside.
“They could start coming through the hole over here,” said Thomas, pointing at the giant puddle flooding the room. “We’re running out of options.”
“Do you want to die?” Emma asked. “Is that it? Because every time there is something stupid one of us has to do, it’s you. So, either you are very brave, or you’ve got a death wish. I’m starting to think it’s the later.”
“Lay off of him,” said Cara. “He’s been nothing but helpful this whole fucking time, and now you’re bitching at him for it.”
“I’m not bitching,” said Emma.
“You’re bitching,” said Cara. “Just like mom.”
“Mom did not bitch,” defended Emma.
“She bitched all the time,” said Cara.
“About you, maybe,” said Emma.
“What the hell does that mean?” Cara asked with a hint of venom in her voice.
“Never visiting, never calling, not even an email,” said Emma. “She always asked me when you’d be coming home to see her. Did you think your excuses were believed? She had Instagram. She knew what you were up to; how ‘busy’ you were. The only reason I know about half your life is because mom showed me your posts. Then she’d roll her eyes, make a snarky comment, and say how she was glad one of her daughters still loved her.”
“I loved mom,” said Cara. “I loved mom just as much as you did. I just… I lost track of time.”
“Don’t lie,” said Emma. “Remember Christmas. You practically spit in her face when you said you were going to be working over the weekend. Then guess what mom shows me. Pictures of you in the Rockies.”
“That was a work trip,” said Cara.
“Whatever,” said Emma.
“No,” said Cara. “No. You don’t get to brush this off. You want to do this? Let’s do this. I loved mom. Just because you stayed in town instead of moving away does not prove that you loved her more than I did. It just proves that you were afraid. I was brave enough to move away and make it on my own. But precious Emma had to stay home where everything could be handed to her.”
“Handed to me? How many times did mom and dad bail you out while you were in Chicago? How many cell phone bills? How many car payments? Parking tickets? Credit lines?”
“So they helped me out?” said Cara. “I’m their daughter. That’s what family does.”
“Family also visits,” said Emma. “Family also pays back.”
“Back to the fucking visiting,” said Cara. “I swear I will never visit you again, especially now that you’re keeping the house. I hope you die alone in it.”
“That’s why I’m not selling it,” said Emma. “I’ll live in it. I’ll rent it out. I don’t care. I just don’t want you to get any money from it. Mom isn’t going to bail you out any more.”
“Fucking bitch,” said Cara. “I need that money. My company is going under. The money from that sale will save it. Save me. And save you. You’re losing your future because of some stupid grudge.”
“It’s not stupid,” said Emma. “You broke mom’s heart. One of the last things she said was, ‘I wish Cara was here to join us.’”
“I… I was busy,” said Cara. Her go to response. It had become instinct more than anything over the years. She couldn’t shake it. Even now. Tears started to well up in her eyes. She turned away from Emma and the others. She didn’t want anybody to see her vulnerable.
“You’re right,” spoke up Thomas.
Emma turned to look at him. Cara was done arguing. A lot of things were said between the two sisters and it would take time to heal from their emotional explosion. Time that they probably didn’t have.
“I do have a death wish,” continued Thomas. “I was going to go out to the mountains and kill myself this weekend.”
Emma and Neal perked up to Thomas’ words. Thomas let out a long large breath. It was almost a sigh of relief to finally get those words out there and make them real for Thomas.
“Why?” Emma asked.
“I killed my friend,” said Thomas. “We were drunk. I was driving. He was in the passenger seat. I swerved. Hit a tree. I survived. Mathew didn’t.”
“Oh, my God,” said Emma. “I am so sorry.”
“It’s all my fault,” said Thomas. “I should be the one dead. Not Mathew. Fuck. I replay it over and over in my head. If I had just been smart enough to say no. Or if I hadn’t fought him so hard for the keys. If that stupid cat hadn’t gotten onto the road. I should have just hit the fucking cat. But I didn’t. I chose to swerve.”
Thomas started to break down during his speech. He couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. Emma approached him with her arms opened wide. She put her arms around him and let him cry onto her shoulder.
“It’s okay,” said Emma. “I’m so sorry.”
“You know,” said Neal. “I’m starting to not like the idea of blowing ourselves up. Do it yourself. Fine. But taking us down with you because you want to die seems less noble.”
Emma shook her head as she comforted Thomas. She glared at Neal for his insensitivity.
Thomas nodded his head. He spoke through his tears. “I know. I get it. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you all into this. I just don’t see any other way. We can keep waiting, but time is running out.”
“We’re not going to die today,” said Emma. “Not today. Not this weekend.”
She nudged Thomas’ chin for him to look at her. “Got it? We’re not dying anytime soon.”
Thomas bit his lip. He spoke with clarity. “Okay.”
“Good,” said Emma. “We can figure this out. We just need to keep stalling. That means we need to get higher. Can we get to the roof of this place?”
Neal and Emma looked up to the ceiling. The roof was dark, hidden in shadows and mold. Neal paced around the room looking at every corner of the ceiling.
“Maybe,” said Neal. “I bashed in a hole in the wall. I might be able to make another on the roof. I can prop myself up on the frame over here along with the statue. I should be able to get high enough.”
“Then get on it,” said Emma.
Another tremor could be heard out in the distance. The group did not feel it in the mausoleum, but they could see its effects. More bubbles emerged on the surface of the slowly growing puddle on their floor. The water level sunk several feet for a moment then it came surging up and out. In an instant the entire floor of the mausoleum was covered in water, and it was rising.
“Hurry,” said Emma.
Chapter 10
Neal knocked furiously against the seals of the stone wall that made up the mausoleum. Bits of debris chipped away with every swipe of his crucifix statue he was using as an axe pick.
The water in the corner of the room was no longer an idl
e pool slowly spreading out. It was violently flooding into the mausoleum. Water gushed in with such force the current knocked Cara to her knees. She slammed into the ground and was quickly drenched in the contaminated waters. The water tasted fowl in her mouth. She spit it out and wiped her face the best she could as she got back to her feet.
“Hurry. Up,” she yelled at Neal.
Neal huffed his displeasure at Cara’s words, but he never stopped chipping away at the wall near the ceiling of the mausoleum. Thomas rushed over to Neal with a candle stick in hand. He began to help Neal with the work on the hole. Neal was already making progress breaking into the old stone foundation.
Emma stood off to the side. She constantly switched her sights from the two men working to break free from their prison and down to the quickly rising waters. She sent out encouragements to both Thomas and Neal while shouting updates on how high the water was getting. It was up to her shins and rising.
Neal and Thomas worked in unison. They traded blows against the wall one after the other. They could feel the give of the wall with each hit. One of the bricks was loosening. Pebbles and debris broke free and dusted into the air, but the men fought through the distraction.
The water was above Emma’s knees now. It was cold. A shiver went up Emma’s spine. She started to bounce around to try to adjust to the temperature change, but it did little good. Afraid of the water getting too high and too strong for her to stand Emma climbed on top of the tomb in the center of the mausoleum.
She whispered a small apology and a thank you for the disrespect to the dead and the protection the stone coffin could provide her at that moment as she climbed on top. Cara stubbornly did not join her sister, and chose to remain in the forming whirlpool.
The tremors returned to the cemetery. A small rumble shook the mausoleum allowing the water to skip up a couple of inches. But it also helped loosen the hole Neal and Thomas were forming.
Thomas struck the stone with his candle stick and the brick fell out of place and into the water outside of the mausoleum. Several of the undead swarmed upon the disturbance in the water. Five skeletal bodies frenzied around the surface looking for their prey.
We Woke The Dead Page 6