‘Where will they go?” Than asked her.
“Most likely, instinct is all they have, so I think towards the smell of prey. They don’t come at us because we are driving too fast for them to register a trail or even a faint smell. As for the future, they will seek out the company of others. They are still gregarious, numbers mean power, so they will hunt in packs like hyenas or piranhas.” She answered.
Than felt for his phone in his pocket. It was there, and he had just taken it out when Penny asked him to put it back.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because every joule we save, counts.” Penny replied.
He put the phone back into his pocket.
CHAPTER SIX
A Scarred Childhood
“So what’s your story?” Penny asked.
“Well, there’s not much to tell really. I was married once. They brought my wife into the ER one day, while I was junior anaesthesiologist, and told me she had been in an accident. I was not allowed in. They kept me outside the OT, until I was told that she had died. I couldn’t contain myself. I became a drunkard. I spent most of my time at bars; being an anaesthesiologist, I knew a lot about which drugs would dull the pain, delay it, or even bring on eternal sleep. I thought this was normal. I met Alex, and he helped me get through the worst of it. He always had a smile on his face, that guy; he even got me into Rehab. Then, when I was finally able to work, I saw that douchebag at work. He used to call me Tipsy Than. I also have a pet dog named Larry. I hope he’s alright.” Than said.
Penny stayed quiet for a while after.
“Well, the virus isn’t as effective among the canine species, so there’s your upside” she finally spoke up.
Than smiled at her.
“Look brighter, we are almost there.” Penny said, leaving the road at an exit.
They were now driving on an unpaved road. The corn plants alongside the road stood at about 10 feet. The corn smelt of vegetable oil, there was also a faint trace of grapevines, a sour, tangy smell that filled the air, and orange orchards. Than wound the window down to take in the scents, and then it hit him; the smell of rotten tomatoes and rust, the stench of coagulating blood, which filled his nostrils with a putrid feeling and his brain with sheer horror. Out of the maize, as if thrown by a catapult, two bodies jumped up onto the bumper of the Yukon. They were dressed in checked shirts, torn in places, showing gaping holes from which thick blood and bile oozed. They looked at them, their pupils dilated to the extent that no white showed, and all expression was summed up into one; hunger, boundless and savage. Penny put her foot on the brake almost instantaneously. The zombies were jerked off of the SUV’s bumper and lay on the dirt road in front of them. One of them lifted his head and wailed into the silence of the night, as if calling his compatriots. He then looked at the SUV, his tongue almost torn out, his teeth covered in blackening gunk, with a smile of a person in a dream. This was all Penny needed. She revved the engine and released the clutch at 4000 RPM. The Yukon bolted over the zombies like a rabid Stallion; there was a sharp sound of bones cracking, and a splat as the tire passed over a Zombie’s skull, spilling its brains on the dirt and the side view mirror. Before anything else could happen, another one came, this time a woman, in ragged jeans and a torn blouse, her exposed neck showing a trail of teeth marks. She howled as she rushed at Penny’s side of the vehicle. Without a second thought, Penny produced a shotgun from underneath her seat. With a loud bang, the Zombie joined her dead friends, a part of her head blown to smithereens, her body a lifeless mess on the road.
“Bloody hell! Where did that come from?” exclaimed Than, who had now backed against the car door on his side, hands over his head.
“Well, you can never be too sure. There are three more if you’d like one, two under your seat, help yourself if you want to.” She said, smiling.
“I hope it never comes to that, but next time do give me a heads up, will you?” Than said, as he settled down in his seat.
“He still friggin needs a heads up!” Penny laughed it off.
In the distance they could now see lights, and beneath in their shadow, a huge building loomed on the horizon. The light was coming from security windows, almost indistinguishable, little slits in an otherwise black structure that seemed to be located at the two ends of the rectangular establishment. In the headlights of the Yukon, they could see sentries armed with rifles patrolling the gates. Penny’s cell phone beeped for the first time during the journey. She answered.
“Our GPS tells us that you are in our immediate vicinity.” The voice on the phone said.
“Affirmative, we’ll be making contact in about two minutes, lower drawbridge.” Penny said in a curt, businesslike manner.
Immediately, the guards became alert and took their positions at the side of the gate. The Yukon stopped in front of the building. Penny rushed out to meet the guards, and showed them a few papers and something on her phone. One of the guards looked at the vehicle, as if confirming some code, and gave her the green signal. Penny came back to the Yukon.
“And we’re in!” She said, and put the car into gear.
The doors slid open. Than whistled a tune that signified that he was somewhat impressed.
“I expected a real drawbridge!” He said.
“Well, it sort of is, just a sliding one.” Penny replied. For the first time in a long time, she looked relieved and less wound up.
The Yukon was escorted to a parking area which was a small garage building made of the same material as the outer walls, and with a similar miniature sliding door, with room enough to let two cars in at a time. The garage on the inside was not expansive, and only had room for one more car; Penny’s. The parking spot displayed Penny Wilhelm in bold letters painted on the turf. They got out of the car, to be welcomed by a scrawny man with hunched shoulders wearing a pair of glasses, his hands constantly in motion as if he was in a confused state.
“William Nestor, at your service!” he said as he put his hand in front of him. Than shook his hand and then Penny followed suit.
“You know who I am, and this is Than Rogers; my plus one”, she said motioning to Than.
“How are things outside?” William asked.
“Better left unattended, I should say. Can you ask your guards to retreat back to their security window posts? We came across some unwanteds on the way, and I’m sure their aim would be a lot less shaky if they were somewhere safe.” She said.
“Well, they are ex-marines, and they have paid a little less for their stay in return for offering their services. Still, in these times, it’s better to be safe than to be sorry.” He said and immediately spoke the number “23647” into the walky-talky, the doors could be heard opening immediately in the background and the guards walked in.
“Alles ist gut, eh?” he said, addressing Penny.
“Danke” was her reply. She had learnt German from her grandfather.
They made their way to the main building which looked more and more like an airplane hangar the closer they got to it, but unlike any hangar Than had ever seen, this one was walled up with the thick material making up the walls.
“The walls and the buildings inside, including the garage, were constructed of 4 layers of reinforced concrete, with blocks cut out of granite in between. The door is at this side, if you'd just follow me,” William said as he led them to the side of the tall building, where a small door stood. William produced a card from his breast pocket, and swiped it in the security system outside the door. The light on the system went from red to green, and the words “Authorized entry“ were spoken in a robotic voice. The door opened and they felt a draught of air going in, it was a weird and spooky feeling, and Penny gave a start.
“Happens most of the time, difference in air pressure you see!” William said as they entered.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Bunkers Last Longer
The shelter was modestly lit. The lights used were state of the art LED’s, with a promise to provide the mos
t light for the least possible energy consumption. It was like a huge room, spread over about 3 acres. In the west end a small kitchen could be seen, along with aisles of storage racks, which were of course for seeds, cereals, pulses, canned items and the like. Beside these was the storage facility for sacks of grain and flour, and the rest of the horizontal space up to the other corner held a water treatment and filtration plant, that hummed slowly in the silence of the night.
“We put the water tankers inside to avoid any risk of leakage or contamination, which was essential given the knowledge Miss Wilhelm provided us with a week ago. The water comes from a nearby spring, hence the name of the place Hope Springs. Being that these are natural springs, the water contains traces of sulphur that must be filtrated. No animals or birds will touch it, but this filtration plant makes it drinkable. It leaves a bitter aftertaste though, fair warning, but it is medically safe, and that is all that matters. However, for a whole year we will be relying on drinking water from a bottling manufacturer which we had stored initially, for safety sake. Intelligent thinking always helps.” He said putting a finger to his temple and tapping it lightly for emphasis, and surely enough, cartons of water could be seen lined up one upon another, up to the roof.
“The canned food supply, along with what you have brought us, includes, dried eggs, seeds and pulses, will be accounted for and stored under the supervision of yours truly. We have a grain and flour supply that can last for two years. The brochure says that the establishment is four acres, but what you see somehow falls short of that. Well, the brochure doesn’t lie and the field of vision is hampered by the filtration plant. An acre of land has been set aside for gardening and farming for vegetables and if possible, select fruits. A portion of that land has been set aside for two wash rooms, while the rest is at your disposal, to be used as you please; 2 acres. This is however surplus to the population we currently have, which is 9 people, including the two marines, you two, me and three others. I will introduce you to them presently.” With that, he led them to the farthest corner from the door. Here bunk beds had been set up along the walls. They looked comfortable enough. Once more, Than’s mind wandered to the Big Brother show. The quilts on them looked comfortable enough. The pillows were also welcoming. Penny thought that all the introductions could be made tomorrow, as the testy trip had tired her out. Than however, insisted on meeting new people.
“Here you have Nate, Rick and Jessica, and these chronological newcomers are Penny Wilhelm and....” he looked at Than at this point.
“Than Rogers, pleasure to make your acquaintance!” Than said, extending his hand to each in turn. Nate shook his hand only gently, as if he couldn’t care less. Rick’s handshake was vigorous and firm, while Jessica shook his hand warmly. Penny followed suit. In the meanwhile the guards came into view.
“These fine gentlemen,” William continued “are Trevor and Bill. They are related, as you can see that from their faces, and are ex marines. It seems the army runs in their blood, too.” Both of them nodded.
“Seeing as Miss Wilhelm is tired, she and her companion have had a long drive, although they are too modest to show it, detailed introductions can wait for tomorrow, when all of us can turn a new leaf in our book. Until then, it's lights out everybody. Oh, and your beds are the new ones set up on the left side.” William said pointing to two freshly made beds.
There was little time for small talk that day, as Than would later recall. He and Penny were both dog-tired and they were too emotionally drained to talk about anything. They woke up late the next day; Penny before Than. Penny sat at the breakfast table, looking over towards his bed, as if willing him awake. To talk about something; anything. In this situation, even the weather seemed a welcome topic. Despite all he had been through, before and after the Zombie plague, he seemed much less sceptical and morose than she had expected. How could he pass recent events off as normal? She wondered to herself, running her fork listlessly through freshly cooked eggs and ramen.
“So, are you two together?” Jessica asked. She had been sitting across from her. Rick and Nate were busy squabbling over some trivial matter way over at the kitchen.
“We came here together.” Penny replied as courteously as she could.
“Well, he seems to be a nice guy and may pass off as handsome, too. Why bring him along, then?” Jessica asked.
Penny had half a mind to tell her to bugger off, but kept quite.
“He is the closest thing to a friend I have.” She said, finally.
“You didn’t just friend zone him, did you?” Jessica said with a challenging playful smile.
“What is that?” Penny said.
“Oh don’t play daft. I was just saying. A guy like that walks in and the first thing you do is play hard to catch. Just keep your head about you. I just wanted to tell you that Rick’s mine, so you know the drill.” She said and got up from the table and went off.
Penny thought about it. How long had these people been hiding here? How long would it take before they crossed the barrier into the “Us”-feeling that is so dominant in groups? More importantly, what was Jessica talking about? She had never thought of people as commodities or belongings. She had never had a boyfriend, and she had never indulged in gossiping in locker rooms or showers or to be concerned about boys all that much. She had, until now, dedicated her life to her work, her research, and it had come with a hell of a payback; life. She had been battling her fears for a good part of her life, so fiercely that she did not have the time to spare for relationships or romantic candle light dinners. In a world of social media buffoonery, she only had a facebook account and one mailing account. Was she sheltered from all that was normal? She had excelled in her field, and had made head of department at just 30 years old, when most of the people her age were just finishing their specialisation at medschool. She liked Than as a person, but was it love? Would she fall in love with Than, and what had Than gained from love before; Heartache and pain? She resolved then and there not to be a burden to Than, on the off chance that she had fallen for him during a hazardous night drive. She would never impose herself on him, and besides, she had to survive and help him along the way if she could. Giving whatever relationship they did in fact have a name, would be way too impractical under the circumstances. She got up from the breakfast table with her head a little less fuzzy than before, refreshed even, as if a lifelong burden had suddenly been lifted.
Than woke up a whole hour later, his eyes still red from fatigue. He looked around disoriented, and was for a moment surprised to find himself in such strange surroundings. This feeling did not last very long, as recalled images from last night flooded his brains. He shuddered at the thought, and got up from his bed. He could see Penny sitting on hers, with one of her research files in her lap.
“Going to get myself a cup of coffee.” He said to her. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Ha-ha! This is new!” He said as he ambled his way to the kitchen, scratching his head and yawning. The kitchen was a simple enough setup. There was a faucet and a sink and the utensils cabinet. For the amount of money the guys had charged, it was pretty shabby, but still it passed. Rick and Nate were doing the dishes, Rick washing them, Nate putting them into their places. They seemed to be talking about something, but as he got into hearing distance they quieted down.
“Can I get coffee around here? I can’t really function properly without a strong espresso in the morning.” Than said, trying to make conversation.
“The coffee is in the cabinet, second shelf.” it was Nate who replied. Nate was a skinny man, about 6 feet tall, with a bristle of a beard that seemed to be perpetually adorning his face. Rick on the other hand was almost like Than in physique, but with dramatically different features. He had a thick head of ginger hair and dull, almost stupid features, Than put him down as Irish, and went on to look for his coffee. The coffee maker sat on a shelf beside the sink. The aroma of hot coffee soon filled the kitchen. Than made his way back to his bed, feet dra
gging.
“All food items to be consumed anywhere but the sleeping area. Sorry love! Rules are rules.” Jessica spoke up as she saw him approach. Disgruntled, Than made his way to the dining table. He sat there with his steaming cup of coffee, looking around, observing the place carefully.
“Like dull narcotics numbing pain!” the line from Lord Tennyson’s poem came to his head randomly. He shrugged it away and started sipping his coffee. In the meanwhile, William came about from behind the water storage.
“Time for news, everyone, and I am afraid it is not as good as one would hope!” He announced loudly.
The Golden Horde and the Zombies (Zombie Conflict Series Book 1) Page 3