by White, Ben
"God-damn hundreds of 'em!"
Imogen squinted ahead—the road was wide and relatively clear, most of the wrecks up against the buildings to the sides. Where Zed had pointed to seemed to be an intersection, but she couldn't make out more than a vague impression of slow movement.
"Damn me," Keenan muttered, from Imogen's right. "That is a lot of zombies."
"They group together." Null made no attempt to lower her voice, but she never spoke loudly anyway. "It makes sense that they would gather in one place."
"All just waitin' there," said Zed, his voice almost awed. "Waiting for us to walk on up and say 'hi'."
"I don't think—"
"Relax, Mr Muncaster, I wasn't suggesting we do that," said Zed, clapping Trevor on the shoulder. "Nah, we ain't going nowhere near them lot. Reckon we've gotta head on back a ways, maybe cut through that park back there."
The park in question was between two of the buildings, leading through to the next street over. It was wide and clear, many of its trees missing or blown over, and there were bright lights set in the ground that the wind hadn't been able to wrench loose. Even so, Imogen regarded it with suspicion. She wasn't alone.
"I dunno, man," Keenan said. "Could be anything waiting in there."
"Wait, though," said Jen. "If they tend to group together, wouldn't all of those in this area be over by that intersection?"
"Dangerous assumption to make," said Trevor.
"I think Jen has a point," Cheena said. She was staring at the park. "And I do not see any zombies in there."
"Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not there," said Trevor. "Maybe we'd be better off retracing our steps to that last intersection—"
"Man, you serious?" said Keenan. "That's like ten minutes back at the pace we're setting—Imogen's got her foot and Jen ain't looking so hot and if we're going there then my feet ain't exactly loving me right now. I changed my mind, let's go through the damn park."
"Guess we could put this to a vote," said Zed. "Except this here group ain't a democracy. Here's what's happening: I'm heading on through that there park. Anyone cares to come with, well, I'm happy to have 'em along. Anyone don't want to, well sir, I'll say happy trails, pilgrim."
With that Zed began sauntering towards the park, his bat over his shoulder, his pace slow enough even for Imogen to easily follow—which she did, along with everyone else, without comment, without complaint.
From the road it had seemed as if the lights were close enough together to light up the whole park, but now Imogen saw that wide stretches of shadow lay between. Zed was the only one with a light—but the narrow beam of the tiny penlight he produced was near-useless.
"All right." Zed was looking through the park, at the fallen trees and the pockets of shadow and light. "Reckon ... reckon we keep tight together." He looked back, then walked among the others, guiding Keenan to a spot on the left, Chris to a spot on the right, and Cheena to a spot behind, before taking up position at the front. "This here's our circle, okay? Nobody goes further left than my man Keenan, nobody goes further right than Fancy-Pants, and nobody falls behind Allecchina." Imogen raised her eyebrows at Zed's unexpectedly perfect pronunciation of Cheena's name. "Of course, goes without saying that nobody goes further ahead than me. Everyone get the rules? All right, good. Keenan, Fancy-Pants, Allecchina, try to keep tight in together, okay? Don't get loose now! And everyone keep a sharp eye out, especially to the sides, don't want no deadheads sneaking up on us."
Imogen was near the back, oddly comfortable with Cheena behind her and the others around. Jen's right, she thought, as they slowly made their way through the park, moving around fallen trees and towards the distant street. Zombies clump, there's no reason for any to be here, it's not like they're smart enough to hide and wait—
"OOOOH!"
Imogen might have laughed at the high, foppish cry Chris let out if she hadn't known what it meant. She looked over to see him beating desperately at the arm of the crawler that had him—
"Get if off me get it off me GET IT OFF ME!"
Zed was moving to help Chris, but it was Cheena who got there first, running forward to bring her staff down on the zombie's arm with a sweeping overhead strike. There was a wet impact, and the zombie let out a chilling howl. Cheena was raising her staff to strike again and Chris was battering the zombie with his dress cane when Zed got to him.
"Calm down there, girly. Allecchina, keep back a ways."
With little fuss Zed smashed his bat against the zombie's wrist. There was a sickening crunch, and the zombie howled again. Chris was scrambling away, helped by Trevor and Jen, while Cheena pushed her staff down hard against the zombie's back and Zed calmly broke its other wrist. He regarded it for a moment, then slammed his bat into its jaw, shattering it with a squelching thud.
"Try biting now, sucker," he muttered, before driving his boot into the zombie's chin with a strong kick, driving its head up and snapping its neck. He took a breath, let it out, then nodded to Cheena, who returned the nod before releasing the zombie. Zed spent a moment scanning the nearby shadows, then walked over to Chris, who was near to hyperventilating with barely-recovered trauma.
"All right now, fun's over," Zed said. "You okay, boy?"
"I'm fine," Chris said, both voice and face utterly incongruent with his words.
"Let's just take a look at that leg, now."
"I'm ... I'm fine."
"Reckon you might be. Still gotta take a look at that leg."
Chris stared down, eyes wide behind his mask, as Zed crouched and shone his little penlight down. After a few seconds Zed looked up, his face deadly serious.
"Sure you're okay, boy?"
Chris stared.
"No, I ... I didn't even feel it—"
He was cut off by Zed's loud laughter. "Aw, hell, I couldn't keep it going, the look on your little face—nah, you're good, boy, you're good." He slapped Chris hard on the shoulder, jarring him, then straightened and went to take up his position at the front.
"Okay now, I want Jen at the side, where Fancy-Pants was, Keenan, Allecchina, where you were before. Mm, bring it in a bit tighter. That's the stuff, all right now, reckon at least a couple of those deadheads back at the intersection heard that one hollering, so's we gotta get out of here quick as we can. Sue, I'm gonna get little Null there to help you walk, you both okay with that?"
Imogen glanced at Null as the girl came close. Null said nothing, didn't even look at Imogen, but her support was strong and unhesitant.
"Let's get ourselves moving then—and for god's sake, Fancy-Pants, stop crying."
Halfway through the park Cheena spotted the first zombies coming from behind. Less than a minute later Zed saw those coming from ahead.
"Hell," he muttered. "Once one of those things starts howling every damn deadbody wants to join the party."
"What now, 'leader'?" HK asked, his voice hard.
"Settle down, I'm thinking." Zed walked on for a few steps, glancing backwards and forwards. "Can't go back," he muttered. "And there ain't that many ahead of us. Nice wide area here, too. Little Null, reckon you're the brains of this outfit, you think these deadheads are smart enough to outjig us?"
"If somebody could explain what 'outjigging' is then I might be able to answer your question."
"I mean if we head right then they're gonna head right too, yeah? They ain't gonna think 'I'll just stay on over here to the left in case they head back', are they?"
"They're not going to 'think' anything. They act according to instinct alone."
"All right then. Everyone head right! We'll get 'em all pushed up nice against the right side of this park, then we'll make a break for the left—all you point people forget your positions, we're going in a nice orderly line. Now once we start running I'm gonna need a couple of you to carry Sue there—sorry, honey, know you ain't a 'toucher' but these are desperate times. Reckon maybe Allecchina and Null could do it, any complaints there? Okay, good. Now once we start ru
nning I'm gonna go ahead, take out any of those damned deadheads get in our way, but the rest of you stay tight together, you hear? Null and Allecchina're gonna be setting the pace for you, carrying Sue there, I don't want anyone else going faster than them, you start running ahead and we're gonna have problems. Everyone understand me? Stick together and don't stop running until you get to that store on the corner there—see it? All lit up with the windows gone, reckon we'll run through and out onto the street. If I shout anything—ANYTHING—then you better do like I say, hear me? Little man, reckon you can run faster than a zombie?"
"Yes, sir," Zack said, seriously. "I won't let you down."
"Reckon you won't. Okay, right side, everyone, let's go!"
As Zed had predicted, the zombies followed them over to the right side, pushing up against the wall—but we should be going slower, not faster, Imogen thought. The longer we can stay here, the more zombies are going to be on the right. It's not like those behind us are anywhere near to catching up.
But she didn't say anything.
"Okay, RUN!"
Null and Cheena had already had a brief, almost non-verbal discussion on how best to carry Imogen, and now they picked her up, Null on her left, Cheena on her right, their arms crossed under her thighs and across her back. They couldn't manage a fast pace like this, but it was definitely quicker than her limping—and faster than the zombies.
"Get THIS!"
Zed was a dozen metres ahead, slamming his bat into dead heads and chests, knocking the closer zombies down—but more were coming, from both left and right, from the street ahead—
"Keenan! HK! Get them big-ass metal sticks over here!"
Keenan and HK ran forward, clutching their weapons, joining Zed in pushing back the zombies—but for every zombie they knocked down a dozen were behind it, constantly pushing forward, and behind them hundreds—hundreds.
Imogen blinked, she still couldn't see well, her poor eyesight was particularly bad in the darkness and being jolted up and down as Cheena and Null ran with her didn't help, but for the first time she realised just how many zombies were ahead of them. It was like an unliving tide of dead flesh, surging forward, and more kept coming, more and more until the mind rebelled and refused to process the sheer number of them—
"Come on now, RUN!"
Null and Cheena's breathing was heavy in Imogen's ears, both of them tiring, and Imogen could see that Zack was flagging, short legs pumping furiously at the ground—Trevor, too, was falling behind, older and heavier than the others, his breathing ragged and wheezing, his metal pole cutting gouges from the ground as he ran—and then lost as it caught and he stumbled and fell, only caught by Jen, and then they were behind, the two of them, trying to run forward to catch up as the zombies surged towards them—
"Damn ... you ... FREAKS!"
Suddenly Zed was there, swinging his bat so hard at the nearest zombie it ripped its head half-off, and he shoved the blunt end into the next, and he kicked another back against the purring hordes—then his arm was around Trevor's shoulders, urging him on, Jen beside them, enduring the scraping of bone claws against her armour as she kept the zombies at bay.
"COME ON!"
It was Keenan yelling, not at the zombies but at Null and Cheena and the others—Imogen suddenly noticed that Chris had Zack's hand in his, was half-dragging him forward, and HK and Keenan were ahead, desperately trying to force the zombies back to keep the path clear, the blown-in window of the brightly lit store open and inviting—
Suddenly they were there, Null stumbling over the bottom of the broken window, and before she could recover Imogen was falling forwards, collapsing with an absolute lack of grace against a shelf covered in coffee makers—but already hands were pulling at her, Cheena was there to steady her, her face cold and serious, and then Zack was there too, grabbing at Imogen's arm, pushing himself up under her to help her walk, the zombies were already at the window, Keenan and HK were trying to keep them back while Trevor and Zed and Jen caught up—Keenan yelled out as he lost his pole, as a randomly grabbing claw jerked it from his grasp, and he half-screamed as the zombies suddenly surged forward—
"Come on, son, get yourself sorted out."
Zed was there, pulling Keenan back, actually lifting him up and around and putting him on his feet as HK ran past, Trevor and Jen were already inside, already following Imogen and Zack and the others as they made for the back of the store—the only option they had, zombies were crowding in from every other direction—and Zed grabbed a boxed coffee machine from the shelf and hurled it at the pursuing zombies, then another, and another, then he was on to rice cookers as he retreated back against the neverending hordes—
"DOOR!" someone yelled, maybe Keenan—Cheena got there first, grasping for the handle—
"Locked," she said, then almost screamed, "LOCKED!"
Imogen felt a strong hand on her shoulder and then she was pushed firmly aside, HK and Chris shoved back against the shelves more roughly as Zed ran forward—he grabbed Cheena around the waist and lifted her up and to the left, the expression on her face too shocked to be appalled, and then he raised his right foot and he slammed it so hard against the door that the whole wall shook.
"ZED!" called Jen, behind Imogen, near the back, Trevor beside her, her sword held in a trembling hand, the zombies still coming forward—Imogen already had some kind of boxed chocolate fountain thing in her hands and she hurled it at the zombies, knocking them back, then Zack was there, pushing another heavy box up into her hands and she threw that, too, there was the sound of another heavy impact from behind her, Zed still trying to kick the door open, and now Trevor was beside her with a boxed waffle maker in his hands, his throw wasn't as strong as Imogen's but the box caught a zombie in the head and sent it stumbling back—but there were more behind, there were always more behind—
One final heavy slam and Zed's voice was calling, "IN! EVERYONE IN!" and Trevor had Imogen's arm and Zack was being dragged forward by Chris, and Jen was at her side, her face unseen beneath her green-visored helmet, and Zed was there, at the door, Cheena beside him, the two of them grabbing Imogen and the others to almost throw them through, and beyond the door was some kind of office, open and wide, with stairs to the right and a closed shutter along the nearby left wall—
"There's more in here!" Keenan was yelling. "Holy shit, they—"
My bat, Imogen thought, I had it a moment ago, before I grabbed the boxes—Zack didn't have it, did I drop it? Is it lost?
Then Jen was there, in front of her, holding HopeKiller—she'd ripped off her blaster, to be able to hold it—and she pushed the weapon into Imogen's hands—her helmet was off too, nowhere in sight—and her lips were hot against Imogen's as she kissed her fast and hard.
"Good luck," was all Jen said, then she raised her sword and sliced hard and clean at the zombie in front of her, she barely cut it but the force of the strike pushed it back, then Imogen was beside her, limping forward to shove HopeKiller as hard as she could into its chest, and this did cut, this cut deep, and the zombie let out a gurgling purr and Jen forced her sword against its chest, pushing it onto its back and freeing Imogen's weapon.
Left foot strong against the ground, her focus clear, Imogen glanced back, then to her right, then looked straight ahead.
Back. Zombies coming through the door; held back by Zed and Cheena. But they can't keep that up for long. We have to move forward.
Right. Zombies spread through the office. Open plan, little temporary cubicles and desks. Crawlers could be anywhere. This place is a maze. Zack with Chris; no immediate danger. Keenan and HK panicking, trying to find something to use as a weapon. Trevor no use; already exhausted. Null has her gun-sword; pushing back a zombie. The blade is blunt but the weapon is heavy.
Forward. Four zombies along the wall, between us and that shutter and those stairs, and then two more near it.
"Help me walk."
Jen was at Imogen's side instantly, and together they moved forward.
"Now stay back."
Imogen limped the final two steps by herself, the zombies ahead of her all shambling towards her. None of them were particularly damaged, no injured legs or arms, no obvious cause of death. They all looked strong. They all moved with shambolic purpose.
HopeKiller swished through air and then cloth and then skin and then muscle. The zombie fell forward—but Imogen had already reversed the strike, held HopeKiller ready and braced to catch the zombie, and with a grunt she shoved it into one of the others, and both went down in a flail of stiff limbs.
Imogen raised her left arm to catch the next zombie's strike—impossible to attack it before it could get to her, impossible to dodge—and its claws gripped hard around her arm. Even through her jacket she could feel its heat. Its purring intensified as it tried to drag itself towards her—then gained a gurgling quality as Imogen thrust HopeKiller up into its throat. Brown goo spluttered out over the shard, and its purring became a howl as she forced it away. It fell backwards and landed heavily. Immediately it began trying to right itself, but Imogen had already shifted focus, to the zombie behind it, already lurching forward to grab for her—but then Jen was beside her, driving her sword into its chest and forcing it back, and with the instant of freedom this gave her Imogen slashed at the zombie's arm then pushed it down—and immediately limped forward, there was one zombie left standing near her but it was unbalanced, had tried to step over one of those already fallen and failed, and it didn't take much to send it falling onto its back to join the others.
"This way!" Imogen called, then she glanced at Jen. "Get them, bring them this way, to the shutter."
Jen nodded and was gone, and Imogen growled low and hateful as she slashed at the grasping arm of one of the fallen zombies. Now it was just a matter of crippling them, one limb at a time, glancing up every other second at the two nearer the door—which had become five now—and then—
"SHIT, NO!"
Imogen glanced back to see Keenan and HK near the middle of the room—somehow they'd let themselves be forced back and surrounded, Keenan was struggling desperately with something unseen, HK was hitting down with a computer keyboard, and Trevor was halfway to them, something square and black in his hands, Jen beside him—