We were going to make it. All we had to do was get past the wrecked truck and the bulk of the zombies on the road. It looked like Claire and I had lucked out again. I zoomed past the wrecked truck, and the zombies began to thin out. I held the bike at full throttle for about another mile, and put the madness of the bar behind us. Soon the zombies disappeared, and the road was clear. ”We made it, Tiger!” I heard Claire yell in my ear.
At that exact moment, a loud noise came from the scooter beneath me. The engine blew.
I was swerving around some debris when it let go. I heard a loud pop, and then suddenly the bike lost power. The broken parts inside the scooter’s engine rattled around for a few seconds, then jammed the rear wheel. With the rear wheel frozen, the scooter began to wobble violently beneath me. I was losing control.
I tried to slow down gradually, but the stuck rear wheel wouldn’t allow the brakes to work effectively. Claire and I were being thrown back and forth as the scooter went through its death throes. I could only try to steer around obstacles, and hope we had a soft landing. We were simply passengers at this point.
The scooter lost its battle with gravity, and began to slide. I watched in horror as the bike tipped and began to slide along the ground. I thought I heard Claire scream as we hit. First my shoulder, then my back hit the ground. I stayed with the bike as long as possible, but eventually we were separated. I slid and rolled down the asphalt in what seemed like slow motion. I could see my limbs flailing about as the accident progressed. I rolled for a while on the road, then the grass, and then eventually the ditch. I lost track of Claire as I landed in the ditch, face up, with the cool rain falling on my face.
I was still conscious, but hurting. I took a quick inventory of bones and organs. Nothing seemed to be broken, but I had pains in several parts of my body. Most concerning was the dull pain in my chest. I had bruised or broken ribs. I also had abrasions, and was losing some blood.
Gotta get up. I willed my body to stand up, but nothing happened. My arms and legs wouldn’t move no matter how hard I tried. I started to panic. What if I was paralyzed? I would lie in this ditch until something found and probably ate me. The effort spent trying to move was causing me to have tunnel vision. I began to perceive a growing blackness enveloping me.
I was blacking out.
I fought to stay awake, but it was too late. The inky darkness of my tunnel vision grew and grew until I could no longer keep awake. My last thought was of Claire. I hope she was all right, and running away to safety.
I awoke in what seemed like a few minutes. A quick look at the sky told me that wasn’t exactly true. Instead of a light gray sky like before, it had darkened to an almost purple color. It had been a few hours, and it was getting dark.
With considerable effort, I rose to my feet. I wiped blood from my face and arms. My chest hurt as I breathed. Both of my knees and my left shoulder were aching. The scooter accident had done a number on me. The good news was my guns were still in place and ready to go. I slammed a new, full magazine into my handgun. The effort of reloading my weapon caused a wave of dizziness. I took a knee for a moment to gather myself.
Suddenly, I remembered Claire. With a quick surge of adrenaline, I climbed out of the ditch. I got to the road and took a look around. What I saw sent a shiver through my body.
Claire was lying face-down in the middle of the road. The broken scooter lay nearby.
“Oh, no. Oh, God, please,” I mumbled to myself as I ran as fast as I could to Claire. I couldn’t seem to make my hurt body move fast enough. As I got closer, I could see she was breathing. She was alive. “Claire, you okay?” I yelled.
Suddenly, I heard a sound that made my blood run cold. It made me stop in my tracks, and instinctively raise my gun. It was a demonic, inhuman growling coming from behind the wrecked scooter.
It was the sound of a dog.
Please, God. Anything but a dog.
No such luck. A medium-sized undead dog stepped out from behind the tipped-over scooter. His red eyes glowed like twin headlights in the growing darkness, and his teeth were showing in a menacing snarl as he got between me and Claire. Some of the fur and skin were missing from its head, so its skull showed. It was making a horrible sound. It was the sound a regular dog makes, but mixed with a little demon dog. I imagine it’s what a dog from Hell would sound like.
And it wasn’t alone.
Another dog came into my field of view. This one was a little larger, but just as dead. Its black fur was covered in blood and debris. Although it was a little more intact than its partner, there were still signs of decomposition. A frayed collar hung around its neck. This zombie-dog had been a family pet in the old days.
The dogs stepped backward towards Claire, and blocked my path. They intended to make a meal out of her. The dog with the exposed skull grabbed Claire by the wrist and started to drag her away. The other larger dog stood guard, and fixed his hellish red eyes on my approach.
I screwed up my courage. I stepped closer to the retreating dogs with my gun outstretched. “Get away from her! You can’t have her!” I bellowed. I prepared to shoot.
The dogs froze in place. Claire’s wrist was still in the first dog’s mouth. “You heard me you bastards. Let her go!” I fired a shot over their heads.
They got the message. The smaller dog let go of Claire’s wrist, and backed off with his companion. I advanced slowly, keeping my gun trained on the two dogs. They backed off a little more. I began to relax a little, because I had control of the situation. The dogs were too scared to attack. I started to think I was going to come out on top of this and get Claire back. Then I heard a sound coming from behind me that made my hair stand on end.
It was the leader of the pack.
I turned around to face the largest zombie dog I had ever seen in this whole mess. For a second, I thought it was a werewolf; it was so big. It had to be at least seventy to eighty pounds. It looked like a mix of Doberman and other types of large dogs screwed together in some sort of nightmare animal from a horror movie. It stood there making a low growling noise. Its glowing red eyes seemed to see right through me. I almost expected laser beams to shoot out, and cut me in half. Actually with all the crazy crap Claire and I had seen in the past few weeks, laser beams out of a zombie dog’s eye wouldn’t have seemed that weird at all.
The large dog began to advance towards Claire. It looked hungry and extremely pissed. Of all the dogs I have encountered during the outbreak, this one really seemed to not like humans. He wanted to eat Claire for dinner, and no middle-aged, two-legged idiot was going to stop him.
I shifted my gun to my right hand and drew my tomahawk. If Giant Zombie Dog wanted a fight, he was going to get one. The dog took a few steps further, and then began to circle. Bluish foam dripped from his gaping jaws. He kept staring at me with his huge red eyes. He let out a sound that resembled a bark. It sounded like something from another world, and made me shiver in terror.
We stood there staring at other, for a few moments. “Well, come on!” I yelled at the canine behemoth. “You want her? Come on!”
The huge dog lowered his head and stepped a little closer. He was sizing me up, preparing to strike. This is it, I thought. This is where it ends. Claire and I will die and become dog food on some godforsaken road in the middle of nowhere. Maybe I can get a lucky shot through his skull.
The dog reared his head up and pulled his lips back from his teeth in a terrible grimace. I raised my gun to try and get a shot. The battle had begun.
And then it stopped.
The helldog stopped his advance and froze in his tracks. He raised his huge head into the air, and took a sniff. The look in his eyes changed from menace to fear. After sniffing the air for a few minutes, he turned and ran away into the woods beside the road. The two smaller dogs ran past me, following him.
I stood there for a few minutes, not believing what had happened. Had I actually scared him off? I didn’t think I presented much of a threat. It’s hard t
o believe he would just give up and go away, as zombie dogs don’t usually give up. There had to be another reason for the retreat. I started walking towards Claire, and then it hit me. Something else in the area had scared the dogs, and chased them away. I stowed my weapons, and started running towards Claire.
We had to get the hell out of here …now.
I got to Claire’s side as she was starting to come around. I carefully rolled her over, and supported her head to prevent further injuries. Her eyes fluttered, and a low groan came from her lips. She had some cuts and abrasions on her face that were bleeding. Her lip was split, and blood was dripping out of her nose.
Claire was a mess.
I checked her arms and legs, but saw no breaks. There were some ripped patches with abrasions and blood here and there on her clothes. I shook her slightly. “Claire ….you okay? Please be okay.”
Her eyes fluttered some more, and then focused. “Oh hey John. How you doing?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m okay, kiddo. How are you feeling?” I didn’t want to panic her by describing her current condition.
Claire grabbed my shoulder. “I think I was in a scooter accident. I taste blood. Am I bleeding?”
I fought back my rising feeling of panic. “Yeah …a little. Anything else hurt?”
She swallowed, and winced in pain. “I think I hurt my hip. It also hurts to breathe a little.” She had a possible hip injury, and maybe some broken or bruised ribs. Her mobility would be compromised.
“Hey John. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” I bent down so I could hear her.
“Why are we having this conversation in the middle of the road?” She forced a weak smile.
We had to move. Something really bad was coming. “Claire, can you walk?”
She tried to get to a sitting position, but failed. “I don’t know.”
I helped her up as carefully as I could. I located and grabbed her bat. She would never forgive me if I left it behind.
Walking was painful for both of us. Claire wasn’t doing too well. She stopped walking, and said, “John, wait. I’m not going to make it. Just leave me.”
A shiver went down my spine. After all we’d been through, I couldn’t leave her here to die. I didn’t know what to do. I took a quick look around. I saw nothing yet, but I knew whatever scared the dogs was on the way. It was also rapidly getting dark. We had to find some cover.
“The hell with that. I’m not leaving you alone. Got it?” I looked her in the eyes.
Claire tried to smile. “Okay, Tiger. Why all the rushing around?”
I looked around nervously. “It’s getting dark, and something horrible is coming.”
We stumbled around in the gathering darkness for about forty-five minutes. We walked, but found no sanctuary. Things were beginning to look grim. I could almost sense something in the woods watching us. Something calculating and cold, waiting for a chance to strike. I heard sounds coming from the brush beside the road. I sincerely hoped it was only the chilly breeze that had whipped up since the sun had set.
We walked on as quickly as we could up the road. By now, it was dark. We were breaking one of my rules by traveling at night. The whole area was coming alive with the sounds of nature. There were also some other sounds as well. I heard growling noises coming from the dark woods.
It was the sound of Red-Eyes. They were following us. Probably hunting us as well.
I tried to pick up the pace. “Come on, Claire. We have to move.” I was practically dragging her along at this point.
“Okay John. Right behind you,” she answered weakly. Her skin felt cold and clammy. I feared that she might be going into shock.
I scanned the road ahead of me in desperation. I looked for someplace, any place that Claire and I could get some cover. I could feel the Red-Eyes closing in on us. Soon they would attack.
We rounded a slight curve in the road and came upon an intersection. I squinted my eyes in the darkness and saw several buildings arranged near the road. I almost jumped for joy as I spotted a possible safe place. I felt like I had been reunited with an old friend.
It was a gas station with an attached food store.
It was a few hundred yards away, and looked like excellent cover. I decided to make a run for it. I picked up Claire and carried her as I ran for the front door. With my bruised ribs and hurt knee, it felt like I ran a mile. The parking lot was full of wrecked cars and decaying bodies, but the building looked intact. The door was partially open. With my arms full of Claire, I kicked it open. I had to turn sideways in the doorway to get inside. The inside was wrecked, as usual. I took a quick look, but found nobody inside. I cleared a spot, and laid Claire on the floor. She had gone really pale, and had passed out. She was definitely going into shock.
I heard a noise at the door. I quickly turned around, and drew my shotgun at the same time. A young Red-Eye stood in the doorway. It seemed that I had forgotten to close the door.
He stood there watching me for a moment. He cocked his head from side to side perhaps sizing me up. The worst part was his eyes. They were twin glowing red orbs in his skull, that seemed to pierce right through me. He let out a low growl, and leaped at me. It wasn’t very good. Outside the store, it would have been a graceful jump, and he would have killed me where I stood. Inside the store, though, it was a clumsy, staggering fall through debris and glass. I pulled the trigger and fired at the attacking zombie. The shotgun blast caught him in the shoulder. He stumbled, recovered, and then reached for me. I stepped back to avoid his reach, and jammed the butt of the shotgun into the creature’s skull. He fell backwards on the floor, and I shot him again. The shot grazed the side of his head. The Red-Eye screeched, and started flopping around in the doorway of the gas station. I stood over him, and blew his brains out with another shell. The Red-Eye went silent.
Adrenaline coursing through me, I stood over the broken body of the zombie. I heard a sound outside, and glanced out the open door. Two more Red-Eyes stood near the dead gas pumps. They were staring at me as I stood over their dead companion.
Suddenly, a feeling of rage washed over me. I had reached my breaking point, and the time for fear and running was over. I stowed my shotgun, and dragged the dead Red-Eye into the parking lot. I then stood up, drew my shotgun, and pointed it at the two zombies in the parking lot. They started at me in confusion.
I screwed up my courage. “Look at your buddy, you ugly bastards. I blew his brains out. If you want to eat me and my friend, you’re going to have to go through me. You got it?”
They stood silently for a minute staring at me and my shotgun. After a little calculation, they began to make their move. I aimed my shotgun at their heads. “I’m not bluffing. One or both of you are about to die.”
The zombies got the message, and with a series of clicking noises and growls, they retreated. They paused for a minute when they got to the road, and glanced back. It almost looked like they were trying to remember me for future encounters. After a few seconds of heavy glancing, they took off into the woods.
I stood there for a second, my shotgun ready. It seems the Red-Eyes had achieved some sort of intelligence. They recognized me as a threat, and had retreated to fight another day. I had no doubt that they would keep watching, and waiting for a chance to strike. After all, you can’t pass up a good meal, even if you’re a zombie.
I stowed my shotgun, and ran inside. I slammed the door and locked us in. I piled a few things in the doorway for a little added security. I took a quick look through the door glass at the parking lot. Nothing was moving. The Red-Eyes were going to leave us alone for now.
I turned my attention to Claire. She was starting to come to, and attempting to get to a sitting position. I ran to her side. “Don’t move. You’re hurt.” She lay down on the hard floor without protest.
I took off my backpack, and took out our first aid kit. I tended to her cuts and abrasions as best I could with my limited supplies. She winced in pain
whenever I dabbed a cut with antibiotic ointment. Some of the cuts were pretty deep. I began to wonder if Claire was going to be all right.
During my attempts at first aid, Claire reached up and touched my face. “John, you’re bleeding. Were we in some kind of accident?”
I looked into her crystal blue eyes. “Yes, Claire. I crashed the scooter, remember?” I may have to add a concussion to her list of aliments.
“Oh, yeah. I remember,” she said weakly. “Guess that’s why I’m lying on the floor, huh?”
I tried to laugh, but was unsuccessful. “I’m sorry. I wish it was me who was on the floor.”
Claire touched my hand. “It’s okay. I’ll be okay.” A weak smile crossed her lips.
And that’s when I noticed the bite on her wrist.
It was about two inches long, on the top of her wrist near her hand. It looked like tiny red lines spaced close together in a circular pattern. I moved her sleeve slightly down her arm, and turned her wrist over. The tiny red lines continued underneath her arm as well. It was a dog bite. It was hard to tell in the darkness of the store if it had penetrated her skin. Claire wasn’t showing any zombie symptoms yet. Maybe the dog bites took longer. I felt very weak and dizzy.
I started to tremble as I held Claire’s wrist. I couldn’t believe what I saw. After all we’d been through, after all the precautions, one of us gets bit by a damn dog. It should be me. Why didn’t it bite me? Claire didn’t deserve this.
She must have seen the concern on my face. “What’s the matter, Tiger?” she asked in a weak voice. Without uttering a word, I showed Claire her wrist. She glanced at it for a second, and a terrible look crossed her face. “Great,” she said. “Just great.”
I looked away so she couldn’t see the tears welling up in my eyes. “Claire, I’m sorry,” I said, choking up.
She lay there for a few minutes, then she grabbed my arm. “John, look at me.” I reluctantly looked her in the eyes. “It’s okay. I think we both knew our luck would run out eventually. I think we had a good run. We tried. We really tried. Now you have to be strong.”
Sometimes We Ran (Book 1) Page 18