by Brown, TW
One zombie walked just a little in front of the group. Long ago, the others had simply fallen in behind the diminutive figure. They had no destination in mind; one place was pretty much as good as the other to any of the members of this group.
On occasion, some of the large ones would fall in with the group, but when night fell and this group halted, the large ones would inevitably be drawn away by even the slightest noise. But these zombies no longer followed after every sound. They cared nothing for such things.
Sometimes, living eyes would spy this group. For many, it would haunt their nightmares for days, weeks, or even months. It was horrific enough to see such a sight as a herd of a hundred or more zombie children; however, it was not that alone that caused the blood to run cold and the eyes to blink as if they were being fooled.
Weaving in and out among the tiny forest of little legs were several hundred cats. Even more terrifying were the over thirty zombified versions of a wide assortment of dogs—including three wolves—that had fallen in with this group.
Emily-zombie continued to walk. Sometimes she would forget where she was headed, but it would eventually return to her and she would change course. An observer who tracked this group (had one actually done so out of morbid curiosity) would have eventually noticed that this herd moved on an inward spiral.
That continued until one morning as the sun broke free from the haze with threats to send the temperature up near the triple digits (not that such things mattered to Emily-zombie and her nightmarish army). Emily-zombie came to a stop at the broken remnants of what had once been a large fence and gate structure.
Bodies still littered the ground, although many had either been picked clean or gotten up and wandered away. The charred husks of a few buildings could be seen as well as the skeletal remnants of gigantic tent structures.
A feeling of what could be considered peace and calm settled over Emily-zombie. She wandered through the ruins until she came to a stop in front of a Quonset hut structure that was all but caved in from a combination of damage inflicted by both man and weather.
Emily-zombie sat down in the dirt. For a few minutes, the others of her group stood around her and waited. When it was clear that Emily-zombie was not going to move, some wandered away. A few became their own small group and made their way down the almost invisible logging road that led away to the south.
The rest seemed content to remain. One of them walked past a sign that finally toppled. None of them could read the sign. None of them cared what it said:
“Welcome to Serenity Base!”
***
Vix leaned back and let the boat drift. Rowing had been a lot more difficult than she could have guessed. There had been a few sailboats, but since she knew absolutely nothing about how to get the sails to work, that was not a choice. There had been a few motorboats, but even when she had managed to find the peg board with the keys, it had been useless. None had turned over when she had tried to start them.
She had found a few kayaks and a canoe, but she had not felt safe with any of those possibilities. They just seemed too skinny, and Vix did not trust skinny.
At last, she spied a ragged looking metal rowboat. The set of plastic oars seemed sturdy enough for her and she hauled the craft down to the water. After hiding her bicycle just in case she needed to return for it when this turned into a fiasco, Vix set her backpack in the forward end, climbed in and sat down on the bench seat, and pushed off.
It had not been too difficult at first, but after a while, her shoulders began to ache and her arms felt like cooked noodles. A few times, she had stopped paddling and considered just turning around, but apparently more than a few of the undead had been stirred by her actions at the little dock. She had seen them gathering as she had begun to paddle out into the channel.
So Vix spent her day alternating between paddling and then losing ground when she took breaks. It would figure that she had to go up the river. Nothing ever came easy.
Passing towns, factories, and open countryside, the thought continued to surface that maybe she could just go back to that cottage. She would probably have no difficulty being allowed in now that Gemma was gone. But no, she had come this far and she would do this as a tribute of sorts to Harold and Gemma.
After all, Vix thought during one point when she had ceased rowing and stripped out of some of her protective gear to ease the feeling of overheating that had grown worse by the minute, an island had been a solid idea. If there were no bridges, then it was simply a matter of mathematics. The number of possible zombies would be finite. It might take a while, but she would be able to rid herself of them in time.
It was with the sun well at her back when the open expanse of the ocean came into view. She knew that she wanted to hug the shore and make the turn south. It was actually becoming a tougher go of things by now. Whether it was from exhaustion or perhaps the current, it was almost reaching a point where Vix was ready to simply give up.
There was a moment where the small boat appeared to fight her every move, and Vix eventually slumped over in defeat, but then a new current seemed to sweep her up and carry her in the general direction she sought. She swirled and turned a few circles, watching as the shores on either side passed by. She had switched over to the River Medway and was now easing past the northwestern tip of the Isle of Sheppey.
She could make out what had to be the outskirts of Queenborough in the fading light of dusk. She was not close enough to tell with the naked eye whether or not this would be a good place to land. She decided to let the boat continue on. She spied some sort of channel that led down along the western edge of the island and made for it with all of the remaining strength that she possessed. By the time she was in that narrow channel, she could at least get a somewhat better look at the beaches of the island; such as it was at least.
The channel was shaped like a fishhook and she continued along as it almost seemed to double back on itself. As the last of the light faded from the sky, she had just made the turn back south and decided that she would have to beach herself on the narrow strip that jutted from this particular section of what was actually a fairly large island.
The sound of the boat grinding on the bottom was her indication that she would now have to make a choice: sleep in the boat, or find a place ashore. She simply did not think she would ever feel safe or comfortable trying to sleep on the rowboat and made the choice to get out. She regretted it almost instantly as the cold water filled her boots.
She made her way towards a dark shape and was thrilled to discover an abandoned truck. She had to search around on her hands and knees, but eventually she was able to gather enough dead scrub brush and even a few pieces of a wooden pallet in which she could build a small fire.
Using the open bed of the truck, Vix settled in once the blaze was giving off some fair heat. She quickly stripped from her damp clothing and soaking wet socks, laying them close to the fire in order to dry.
Putting on her only other set of clothes—they had opted to keep no more than one spare set as they travelled in order to lessen the load—Vix settled in and opened her last can of food.. No matter what, she would need to forage tomorrow. Shaking her canteens, she was comforted in the fact that she still had one full and one partial. The other three had been used up in short order during the rowing expedition.
With the fire down to just embers, Vix climbed into the cab of the truck and closed the door. Stretching out on the long seat, she allowed herself to drift off to what she expected would be a fitful sleep. Between being alone, and the terrible ending that had befallen Harold and Gemma, she fully anticipated an evening of nightmares.
Vix woke feeling more refreshed than she had in a while. The nightmares had remained at bay. Instead, she had dreamed of the time before. She dreamed of her dear Ivor. She dreamed of trivia night in the pub. She dreamed of normal. It had been almost a cold slap when she awoke to the world of the dead. Somehow, those pleasant dreams had almost seemed crueler than had she
been overwhelmed by nightmares.
Sitting up, Vix screamed. A face was staring in at her. It took a few heartbeats for her to realize that it was not one of the undead. This face was of a living man. He appeared to be in his early fifties, his graying hair overtaking what looked to have once been a full and curly mop of red. He had ruddy skin and eyes that sparkled with an uncommon happiness. Those eyes had gone wide when she had screamed, and he actually stumbled back a few steps. However, he seemed to quickly recover…smile and all.
Hand going immediately for her blade, Vix drew it and flashed it at the gawker. If he had ill intentions, then he would find they were not going to be easily met.
“You gave me one hell of a fright,” the man said.
Great, Vix scowled, a bloody Irishman.
“I don’t want any trouble, and if I am trespassing in your territory, I will be on my way,” Vix shouted through the glass.
This made the man bend over at the waist and laugh out loud. He finally stood up straight and gave his head a shake.
“Ain’t nobody trespassing these days, lassie,” the man said with a smile that threatened to cut his face in half. “You look like you been through some of your worst days. Why not come on out and you can accompany me to the village. I am thinking it is just about time for the morning meal.”
Yeah…and I am probably going to be the main course, Vix thought.
“Did you find her Seamus?” a female voice hollered from somewhere not too far away.
“Aye…and I dunna think she is too fond of me,” the man cupped his hands and called back. “Might be on account of me being a fella…or she may just hate Irishmen.” With that last comment, he gave Vix a little wink.
Vix turned as a dozen people emerged from some thick brush. There were men, women, and even what looked like a few teens. A woman broke free from the group and came at a jog. She stopped at the truck and gave Vix a warm smile. Her dark hair cascaded down past her shoulders and her Indian features were obvious.
“Welcome to New England!” the woman said with open arms.
***
Juan felt cold hands slide across his face and he realized with a sudden surge of horror that he had no protective gloves or headgear. Bucking wildly, he rolled as a shadow fell over him. He heard a heavy thud and felt the weight of the corpse suddenly lift from him.
“Get up,” a voice barked.
Juan grabbed the hand that came for him and climbed to his feet to discover Keith and a few others. He raised his eyebrows in question, but Keith either ignored it or did not see it for what it was.
Keith spun and shoved one of the men with him forward. “Protect the kids!” the man barked as he charged in and began hacking at the closest zombie.
Juan shook off the initial surprise and quickly joined in. It was a slaughter that ended within just a few minutes. Juan was wiping his blade off on some grass when Mackenzie rushed to him and threw her arms around his neck.
Tigah appeared and shoved his head in between his owners and let loose a big sigh. Juan jerked back and looked at the animal. There were at least three injuries that had been caused by the bite of a deader.
He took the dog’s massive head in his hands and looked into the eyes. They were the same big brown orbs; staring back with the unconditional love that only a dog can offer. Maybe they would be lucky. Maybe dogs were like people in that some of them were immune to the bite of a deader.
Standing, Juan hugged the woman once more and then looked around. Eleven children between the ages of perhaps five through twelve were huddled together. The females that had made the trip with Mackenzie stood with the children and looked scared to death. And then there was Keith and the dozen men with him. Juan would start there.
“So what the hell happened?” Juan asked. He made sure to keep his voice down so as not to upset the women and children further.
“It was way worse than we thought and more than we could handle,” Keith began. He went on to explain that they ran into what they originally believed to be the invaders. There were at least forty or so, but with the element of surprise, he had thought they could take them out or perhaps send them running.
“We got bogged down in a fight that lasted longer than I liked.” Keith looked around at his men who, now that Juan gave them a closer look, all seemed exhausted to the point of being ready to collapse. “The real invasion force started to arrive.”
“It was a fucking army!” one of the men wailed.
Juan and Keith both shot the man a hard look and he quickly shut his mouth.
“He’s right,” Keith whispered. “I would put their numbers at over five hundred…shit…maybe even a thousand. These folks have been out in this crap surviving since the beginning by the looks of it. They are packing firepower that made our stuff look like peashooters.”
“So how did you end up here?” Juan asked.
“Actually, we were coming upriver to see if we could help evacuate anybody that might have made it to the beach,” Keith replied. “But it seems that you were the only one.”
Juan felt his stomach twist. He had given that last speech about fighting for what the people of his community had built. It was his words that probably sent every one of those people to their deaths…or worse.
“You okay?” Keith asked. “I mean…you look kinda ill.”
“We need to get moving,” Juan said, dismissing the comment. “I have no idea if those people will send teams out…I doubt it, but I don’t want to stake our lives on it.”
“So we abandon our homes?” somebody asked.
Juan turned so that he had everybody in front of him. He felt the growing uncertainty. He had never wanted to be the person in charge. Somehow, it had been thrust upon his shoulders. The problem had been that he let it happen. He started to believe all the crap people said. He started to think that just maybe he was this new person who could take on the responsibility.
That had been a lie.
The proof of his failure was staring back at him. From a community of over two hundred people, they were now thirty, and many of them children. Over half of the people that made it would not have been old enough to vote.
“I don’t care what you do,” Juan said with a shrug. “I am heading north. What you all do is your business.”
“North?” a few voices exclaimed.
There was a flurry of conversation, but Juan had already tuned it out. He turned to Mackenzie and took her hands in his.
“Here is the thing,” he started, “my only priority from here forward is you. If others join us, I don’t care, but I ain’t leading nobody, and I don’t want people asking me stuff. That ain’t who I am. I plan to try and go up to someplace like maybe Alaska. Maybe all the snow and stuff will keep the deaders away. I don’t know, but it is better than nothing.”
Mackenzie smiled up at Juan and kissed him on the chin. “My place is with you. Where you go, I will follow.”
With that, Juan took her by the hand. He glanced up at the sky and figured out that it was late enough in the day that the sun should be on his left shoulder if he was headed north. He could worry about finding maps later. Right now, he just wanted to start walking.
***
Glenn peeked over the wall and found himself barely able to breathe. Cynthia was standing on the edge of the roof. She was holding a bundle in her arms. The armed patrol had fanned out and was basically holding her at gunpoint.
“If you are going to shoot me…then do it!” she called down.
Unfortunately for those gathered below, they had a bit of a problem as many of the zombies that had remained at the front doors of the school were now turning their attention to them.
Glenn actually flinched when a hail of gunfire erupted. The undead spun and jittered as bullets tore them apart. It took several seconds, but it seemed like an eternity as the noise was almost constant. Then they turned on the herd.
Glenn barely had time to duck before bullets flew in his general direction. The undead m
arched forward to their final demise and began to pile up in the street. Glenn could feel more than hear the bullets that hit the brick wall, tearing away chunks.
At last it was over. The silence rushed in to fill the void left by the abrupt absence of sound. Glenn could hear the blood rushing through his veins and his heart pounding not only in his chest, but his temples as well.
“Lady, what in the hell are you doing!” a man barked.
“This is my nephew…he was kidnapped by a terrible woman in there…my brother and his wife were murdered trying to save him. If you plan on stopping me, then you better just kill me now, because I am not giving up my nephew.”
“Whoa! Hold on…who is kidnapping who…and what lady are you talking about?” Glenn was listening very carefully; the man actually sounded confused.
The noise of a door slamming open sounded. Glenn decided to risk a look over the shot up brick wall. He felt a surge of anger blossom in his gut and had to fight the urge not to run out and kill the newcomer.
“What in the hell is going on out here?” the woman who had called herself Ann screamed. “Do you know how long it took us to get these things gathered up and crowded in—”
“Her!” Cynthia shrieked and Glenn thought that she might actually drop Baby Xander. “That woman came into our camp, we were stupid enough to save her from those monsters and she repaid us by kidnapping my nephew. Now his mother and father are dead…turned into one of those things by her!”
“Wait a damn minute!” the man who was obviously the leader of the armed group shouted. “Doctor Cha, what in the hell is this lady talking about? Kidnapping babies and killing folks?”
“Don’t you start questioning me, Major Delpine. You were assigned here to protect my team and have done so admirably. But if you don’t think I am aware of some of the liberties that some of your men took—”
“That was a long time ago and those men were disciplined!”
Glenn had no idea what was going on, but it sounded like there were some fractures in this relationship. Just maybe he and Cynthia might leave here alive.