by C. M. Fick
"Who's this little guy?" Trina smiled and poked at the little boy's belly. He turned shyly, burying his face into the woman's shoulder.
"This is Timmy," Veronica said as she adjusted him on her hip. "We found him in a tree and he hasn't said much since then."
Bill and Cory shared a look before Cory spoke. "My friend here," he motioned to Bill, "radioed in a few minutes ago. You guys are journalists?"
Paul nodded, "I think that my friend may have been here; that's her car back in the gas station."
Cory sighed, "That's a long story; one that shouldn't be told standing out here in the parking lot." He motioned for everyone to follow him inside. "We'll give you a tour and show you where you can sleep; then we'll head up to the roof and exchange stories." He turned to Zach. "Can you please run and tell Amanda to put on some coffee?" The boy dashed down the hall ahead of them.
Andy was amazed as he followed Cory through the building. There has to be at least fifteen survivors living here, he thought, catching sight of several teens, lounging in one of the units.
"We've had a steady stream of survivors come in, in the past week," Cory said, leading them to a stairwell. "Mike, Stu, Amanda and her daughter were here when we arrived, but they welcomed us in and we've made a home here for ourselves. Since then, we've taken in every survivor who is willing to abide by the house rules."
"This place seems like it has a bit of everything," Trina said, looking around as they walked onto the second floor where the line of lockers stood open. Andy noticed they'd turned each unit into sleeping quarters.
Cory nodded, coming to a stop in front of the last open door. "We've been very fortunate. There's a lot of crap in some of these units, but we can't complain. We have mattresses, clothes, furniture; pretty much anything you can think of. Well," he said motioning into the room, "this is where the three of you can sleep. I'm sorry there's not much room, but with the increase in our numbers, it's been hard keeping up with the additional need for beds."
"This is fine," Paul smiled, but Andy saw the anxiety behind it.
Andy said, "We appreciate you taking us in for the night."
The door at the end of the hall burst open and Zach came running towards them, carrying something in his hand. "What's wrong?" Concerned, Cory hurried towards the boy.
Zach waved him off. "Nothing," he said, holding up a camera. "I figured if these guys were friends of Allegra's..." Cory gave him a look and the boy snapped his mouth shut.
"So Allegra was here." Paul held out his hand for the camcorder. "May I?"
"How about we go up to the roof and sit down," Cory said, taking the camera from Zach. "I can tell you what's been happening here and you can tell me what's going on out there." When Paul glared at Cory, with his hand still held out for the camcorder, he added, "Amanda's put coffee on for us and I'm sure you all could use a hot meal."
"Paul," Trina hissed, when he stepped forward with his fist balled at his side, "these people were kind enough to take us in. He's not saying you can't have it, he's just asking us to wait until we've had some time to settle in. I'm sure they're as anxious about news from outside the city as we are to find out what's going on inside it."
"And I am hungry," Andy mumbled.
With resignation, Paul said, "Lead the way."
When they got up to the roof, Andy was shocked to find the homey set-up. Not only was the roof lined with fencing, but they also had a seating area, a dining area, a garden and a small plastic jungle gym set up for the kids. "You guys found all of this in the units?"
Cory nodded, motioning them over to the seating area with the fire pit. "Mike, Stu and Amanda were here for a week before we arrived; they set this up. We've added to it as we've cleared out the units. It gives us a place to be able to enjoy the outdoors, without having to worry about drawing in an undead crowd."
They all sat and a short woman carried over four steaming mugs on a tray. "I'm Amanda," she said smiling at each of them, "it's nice to have someone from outside San Antonio here. We've had no news since this all started."
"It's nice to meet you." Andy smiled back, as Amanda handed him a mug.
"First," Cory said, taking his coffee, "we'll get the matter of your friend out of the way." He set the camcorder on the table and sat back heavily, taking a long drink of his coffee.
"So that is Allegra's car." Paul sat forward, ignoring his coffee. "What happened to her? The old guy - um, Bill - said she'd gotten herself killed." Cory proceeded to tell the story, leaving the trio in stunned silence. When he was done, Paul sat back with a look of defeat, "So she's really gone." He picked up the camera, but rather than watching the footage, he tucked it into his bag.
Andy saw the tears in Paul's eyes; he felt bad for his friend, but was also eager to see what Allegra had captured. He hadn't known her well, only professionally, but Paul spoke very highly of her. She'd been a bloodhound when she was on the scent of a story, relentless and determined. She'd won many awards for her hard-hitting articles, but now, none of it mattered. Her ambitions finally got her killed, he thought, wondering what would become of his group.
"Bill tells me he found you over by the Walmart on the west side of town." Cory said, after giving the trio a moment to absorb what happened to their colleague. "Zach heard the z's moaning from a block over; they've been quiet since the hordes started moving out."
Andy frowned, "Hordes?"
With a somber look, Cory said, "Five days ago, we noticed the z population in the area decrease; at first we couldn't figure out why, but it didn't take long to find out. Zach and I were out looking for food stores, and we were only three miles southeast of here, when we saw a massive group of them walking up the I35; they were headed towards Austin. We ran into another survivor group later that day, and they told us a similar story of the same thing happening on the eastern side of town."
Andy was glad Trina was filming as Cory spoke; if he weren't talking to someone who'd witnessed it, he wouldn't have believed it. Trina asked, "Does anyone know why they moved out of the city in such large masses?"
"The only thing we can come up with is that they migrated out of the area, looking for fresh meat." Cory gazed towards the fence, looking over the city. "The virus, or whatever it is, swept through the city so fast; one day it was life as usual and the next there were zombies everywhere - not many people survived. I think that, when they ran out of easy prey, they moved outwards in search of more." They sat in quiet contemplation for a time. Eventually, Cory asked, "What's going on outside of San Antonio; outside of the state? We don't even know how far its spread or what other cities were overrun."
Paul, Trina and Andy told Cory what they'd seen, about the checkpoints, the refugee camps and the evacuated towns. They told him about the cancelling of all flights in and out of the state, and the crash that happened a few days earlier, in Louisiana. That both the Houston Chronicle and the Dallas News were no longer taking calls or updating their websites. Although he'd suspected as much, Cory grew outraged when Andy told him that none of the national news networks knew, or at least, were reporting on the situation unfolding in Texas. As far as the general populace knew, the oil spills were under control, and they were cleaning it up as quickly as possible.
Paul finished by saying, "We're here to finish what Allegra started. The American people deserve to know what's happening; that's the only way they'll know to defend themselves when it spreads to their area."
Cory nodded in agreement. "The rate at which this spreads is almost inconceivable. I think the army's trying to slow the spread, but I highly doubt it will be stopped at this point."
Amanda came back carrying bowls of soup, and they fell silent. "It's not much but at least it's hot," she said, cheerily.
Andy wasn't sure how she could be so casual, when her world had been turned upside down, but he smiled gratefully and thanked Amanda for the meal. "I'd figured on eating protein bars tonight, so this is amazing."
"What are your plans going forward?" she a
sked, conversationally.
"We need to get to Synergy," Trina said, taking the bowl Amanda offered her, "We'll do a full web report when we get back to San Diego. We're hoping to find some hard evidence proving Synergy's culpability, and that they're responsible for the virus. We hope that by outing the pharmaceutical giant, the government will be forced to acknowledge the truth. They're current response, when asked, is that oil spills caused the riots."
Amanda shook her head sadly, "There haven't been any oil spills and there haven't been any riots; just the dead attacking the living."
"Mom!" a girl shouted from the door, "they need you downstairs."
Giving the trio another bright smile, Amanda said, "Well, it was nice to see some people from out there. I hope you find what you're looking for," and she hurried over to her daughter.
"Well," Cory said, getting to his feet, "if you guys want to go to Synergy in the morning, Bill and I will take you. We'll have to leave at dawn, so we're not seen by the gang that's taken over that side of town, so I suggest getting as much sleep as you can."
"Gang?" Andy and Trina asked in unison; Paul stared at the camera, seemingly lost in thought.
Cory blew out a breath, "Yeah, their territory extends from the I10, north to the I35. Your pharmaceutical company is right smack in the middle."
Synergy Pharmaceuticals...
They set out at dawn the following morning, the world around them still, and eerily silent. Trina rode in the truck with Cory and Bill; she wanted to get their first-hand accounts taped before they parted ways, Paul and Andy followed in their van.
"Did you watch Allegra's footage yet?" Andy asked, gazing out over the ruined city as they passed. From the downtown area, black smoke billowed into the sky.
Paul shook his head. "I want to wait until we get out of this accursed town. Once we find proof, and I know we can finish what she started, then I'll watch it."
Who knows if we'll even make it out alive. Andy thought, but kept it to himself. The previous night he'd interviewed a handful of survivors and after they'd shared their horrifying tales, they all told him the same thing - that the undead were unpredictable and taking unnecessary risks was a sure way to end up as zombie bait. "Are you sure it will be safe for us to go into the building?"
With a sigh, Paul said, "I don't know, but we have to try. We have enough to blow this thing wide open, but I want irrefutable proof of Synergy's involvement. If we're lucky, we may find proof of the government's involvement as well. They have to be held accountable."
The radio, given to Andy by Bill before they'd left the storage facility, squawked in his lap. Bill said, "We're coming up on the gang's territory; watch out for trouble."
Andy lifted his radio and asked, "How do you know where it starts?"
Laughing, Bill replied, "We'll make a quick stop at the intersection ahead. Trina's eager to get it on film."
Cory stopped in the middle of the street at the next intersection and Paul pulled up behind him. Trina scrambled out of the truck, pointing her camera upwards; Andy rolled down his window and stuck his head out. Looking up, he saw a row of dismembered heads tethered to a cable above him. Andy guessed there had to be close to forty heads, spanning the width of the street. As if sensing the living, the heads shook on the cable, clacking their teeth together in ghoulish chatter. The cable swayed, setting off a loud crash in one of the buildings lining the streets.
"We've gotta move on." Bill called to Trina, who looked disappointed as she walked back to the truck.
The radio squawked again, and Bill said, "It may be early enough that no one noticed that, but that's the alarm system the gang's set up around their territory."
"It's macabre," Andy said into the radio when Bill fell silent. "Were you at least able to get a good angle Trina?"
"Ten-four," she replied.
Without further incident, they drove the rest of the way in silence, reaching the Synergy Pharmaceuticals building just before the sun crested the horizon. After Paul parked behind a bush to conceal their van from the street, Andy climbed out and stretched, before opening the back to grab his gear.
"We need to go in with as little as possible," Paul said as he climbed from the driver's side. He leaned back in to grab his small handheld camcorder from between the seats. "We don't want to be weighed down if shit hits the fan." Trina said something from behind Paul and he turned, slamming the door closed.
Andy cringed as the bang echoed off the surrounding buildings and Bill hissed, somewhere in the distance, for them to keep it down. Hurriedly, he stuffed everything he'd need into a small backpack as Paul rounded the corner of the van, talking to Trina. "...the smallest camera with a light, Trina." Andy turned in time to see her give him a sheepish grin and a small wave.
"You wouldn't believe some of the stories the guys told me on the way over. Bill's a riot." Trina told him, leaning into the van to gather her things. Andy noticed she ignored Paul's advice, and chose her second largest camera; it had a better light on it anyways.
"Make sure to bring backup batteries and a few extra bottles of water," Paul said, from where he stood.
Clipping a small flashlight to his belt, beside the hunting knife Cory gave him, Andy turned to stare up at the six-story building. "I have a bad feeling about this," he said beneath his breath.
"You and me both," Trina said, stuffing the last few items into her bag.
"We hate to leave you here," Cory said walking towards the trio, "but I can't risk going in there when I have so many other's relying on me." He gave them an apologetic smile.
"It's okay," Andy said, extending his hand, "we understand." Cory shook it. "Thank you for bringing us this far; I'm not sure we would have found it yesterday." He shook Bill's hand, giving the old man a nod of appreciation. "Thanks for finding us," he said, with a half-smile.
"Take this," Bill said, handing Andy a gun, "and here's two extra clips, just in case you need them."
Andy stared at the weapon, uneasy at the thought of carrying a piece; he was far more comfortable behind the lens of a camera. "Trina told us you'd had firearms training, during your time spent in Egypt. Take it," Cory said, with a jerk of his head, "don't use it unless absolutely necessary, though; you'll draw in every undead in the vicinity." He added, "and don't forget what we told you last night."
Looking to Paul, he saw he agreed and Andy scowled at Trina. "Thanks," he said, taking the gun and ammo from Bill. He looked towards the building again, noticing three zombies wandering towards them. "We'd better get going."
"Thanks again," Paul said.
"Good luck," Bill called as the trio turned and walked towards their goal, "and don't forget what we told you; if you find one in there that hasn't been blooded, and one of you gets caught, the other two have to get out of there a.s.a.p. It'll stay with its first kill until it rises." Andy shivered, praying they didn't have to worry about that situation.
Thankful he'd asked Bill for a few pointers, he hesitantly walked towards the closest zombie. His heart raced with fear and anticipation. The night before, Bill let him practice the three best kill zones, for downing a zombie quietly. He'd practiced on the twice-dead corpses, around the storage facility, but hadn't yet killed a moving one himself.
"Be careful Andy," Trina whispered from behind him.
Andy looked at the dead man, and his stomach churned at the thought of touching the dirty creature, but it had to be done. Just before he was within arm's reach, he dodged to his left and with a hard shove, pushed the zombie to the ground. Just as Bill taught him, Andy put his foot on the thing's back to hold it in place. It squirmed beneath his boot as he bent and held the zombie's head down. Blowing out a breath, he buried the hunting knife to the hilt in the base of the zombie's skull. It stopped moving and Andy wiggled it for good measure, before pulling it back out; he wiped off the black gunk coating the blade on the grass.
Paul's voice quavered, "You won't have the luxury of time with the next two."
Andy glared
at Paul, "You expect me to kill all three of them myself?"
Paul gaped, "Trina's too small and she's filming anyways. I... I," he trailed off.
Pointing to the machete Paul held, Andy snapped, "Hack off its arms if you don't think you can hit it on the top of the head hard enough." The other two were almost to them and Andy could see another one, coming through the lobby. "It will take me all day if we don't both do it."
Using his anger at Paul to his advantage, Andy rushed the next zombie, driving the knife up, beneath its chin. The zombie fell back but he couldn't pull the blade free and lost his grip. Finding himself weaponless, with a zombie closing in, Andy hissed for Paul to do something, as he stumbled backwards. Forgetting about the zombie behind him, he tripped and fell. The approaching zombie loomed over him. He pulled out the gun and, without a second thought, pulled the trigger. The zombie's head snapped back as the report echoed. Too loud, his mind screamed as the zombie fell. Still lying on the ground, Andy sighted the second zombie and shot again.
"Stop," Trina rushed to his side, trying to pry the gun from his hands; her camera lay beside them, forgotten for the moment.
Odd I should focus on that, Andy blinked a few times not sure, what had come over him. I'm cracking under the pressure; I shouldn't be doing this. I'm just a photojournalist.
"Andy," Trina said, shaking his shoulder. When he looked into her eyes, he realized how much he'd frightened her. "Come on. Get up." She helped his to his feet. "It looks clear for now. Let's keep moving."
Looking down at the dead-again zombies around him, Andy felt a sudden well of pride. "I killed them."
Trina laughed, "You sure did."
Into the belly of the beast...
The large windows to the lobby were shattered, giving the trio easy access to the building. Once inside Trina flipped on her light and scanned their surroundings. The dead bodies were the first thing Andy noticed - and these ones were truly dead. Scattered throughout the lobby, every corpse he saw, sported a gaping hole in their head.