The Dead Rise (Book 1): Zombies and Chainsaws

by Evans, Mike

  Roger backed up a few feet and looked to Jude. He said, “Jude you're going to have to take care of her triage I can’t work under these conditions.”

  Jude nodded and said, “Probably a good idea you keep some distance from her, I'm pretty sure she’d like to make your balls a set of earrings.”

  Roger grabbed at himself unknowingly. Jude said, “I’m just kidding man relax.”

  Jude pulled out a pocketknife and said, "I need you to sit real still and don't move for me, sweetheart."

  Kayla said, "Oh I am sure as hell, not sweetheart. I've got two bachelor degrees and a medical degree, you can call me Doctor, or Doctor Youngs, but it sure as hell isn't sweetheart."

  Jude looked at Chuck but knew the extent of his medical background and was thinking she really might need that leg amputated if he had to do any sort of work on her. He said, "Okay Doc I need you to sit still, I'm going to cut your jeans up a bit and then we need the two of you ladies belts and we can try and make you a makeshift splint. We have a mile or so ‘til we get back to town, and I can't make you no promise that is the best idea but I don't think there is another town anytime soon for quite a while. They are far and in between out here."

  Kayla said, "Okay so do what you gotta do so we can get going. Joanne get our stuff out of the truck if we left all of our sample gathering material than we'd have made this trip for no reason. You boys think you can show us where all of this started or are you just as shit in the luck department as we are?"

  Jude said, "We just came down here from Iowa for a week doing some jobs. We don't have a clue what happened, but if I had to guess I would say it had something to do with one of the local cemeteries around here. There has to be because all of the first wave of the dead we saw walking around were wearing dress clothes and had slits up their back for those who as you might say didn't have clothes that fit at the time of passing. Hell, I'm pretty sure I saw someone in a confederate army uniform. Anyway, other than a few thousand of those walking around town, I need to warn you if they bite you, you will become one of them."

  Chuck cut in and said, “Oh and don’t forget for one second if it starts to rain again you don’t drink any of that shit to save your life.”

  Joanne said, “Why shouldn’t we drink any of the rainwater?”

  Chuck pointed down the hill towards Pete. He said, "You see that guy laying down there? Well, that is or let me say was, our good friend Pete and he up until recently was a human. Well, when we were walking out of town it started raining, and he much like us was hung over and thirsty. We've had quite the morning and well night as well. Nothing good ever happens after midnight, that is what my momma always said."

  Joanne just stared, she said, “Okay so you kind of gave off the vibe like you were going somewhere with what you were saying, and then you ended up nowhere, can one of you expand on what he was trying to say please?”

  Jude said, "The water, that came down, I'm pretty sure it turned my friend into one of the dead. What I mean is when it was raining he was taking mouthful after mouthful of water. We told him it smelled weird and that he'd probably be smart to not drink it, but he wouldn't listen. Within an hour or so he was starting to look sick, his face was sweating, he couldn't walk straight, and then he fell over and started convulsing on the ground."

  Kayla said, “And then what happened.”

  “Within a few minutes he came back from the dead,” Jude said.

  The two women looked at each other and Joanne realized the man who’d called in probably wasn’t in such a need of a straight jacket as she thought that he was.

  Joanne said, “Well hell, we got sent down here by the director to check things out. My boss said there was a man who called in to report the outbreak.”

  Jude said, “Yeah that was me. Unless there was more than one call I mean. We reported it as soon as we could.”

  Joanne said, “We need to get back to town so we can let our boss know. We need to try and figure out what we are doing though first.”

  Jude said, “I don’t think we want to go to town, but it’s gonna be the only phone around for miles. We need to get her leg temporarily set so she can at least get back with some assistance.”

  Jude bent down taking both of the women’s belts and wrapped one enough times and handed it to Kayla. He said, “You best stick this in your mouth because this is going to hurt like a son of a bitch, there isn’t any way to go about doing this painless.”

  Kayla did as told and Jude straightened the bone back out as good as he could. He wrapped her extra shirt around the wound and then used two poles from the back of the truck to secure her leg. The five made slow progress back toward town. The men’s hearts were in their throats with each hill not knowing if the dead would be just over the next bend. The women still not having encountered any of them weren’t quite as nervous … yet. When they saw they had a clear path into town they felt momentary relief.

  Jude said, “We need to get somewhere safe. I don’t have a clue how we are going to find a doctor in all this shit.”

  Chuck pointed to town, there were people driving through at the speed of light, trying to escape the dead. Chuck said, “Christ you think there is anyone left in town to get help from. I don’t know where they all went to it must not have been our road?”

  Jude said, “Probably because they know where they are going around here. All we wanted to do was head north to our home. These people are from around here and know what they are doing. Or at least they know where to hide.”

  Chuck said, "Well then let's get to town. It ain't that big that it's going to be that hard to find where the doctor in town is. Let's just hope he doesn't have a farm or anything out in the middle of nowhere. Because then we need to try and find us a car - again."

  Jude said, “Regardless, once we get her some help we need to try and find a car. We need to get back to Iowa, and we need to do it now. What are we going to do if this rain hit there? You know we have just as many cemeteries there as this place does. Think if this thing brings back everyone from the beyond, that is going to be a helluva lot of things coming back. Christ what if it works on animals, what are we going to do then?”

  Jude said, "We are going to need more weapons. These chainsaws are only going to last long enough. I don't know if the guns are really going to cut it if you think about it, we had to use multiple shotgun shots to take those things down. I don't know if a single gunshot is going to do anything to those."

  Joanne said, "If bullets aren't going to be effective, then that doesn't do much good for having an army now does it?"

  Roger said, "No that is going to make for a lot of wasted guns if they try taking those things out with rifles. They can blow them up, but I don't think there is going to be enough missiles available to do anything. I mean think about it, how many cemeteries are close to town that you see. They are almost always right outside of town because that is one of the first things people probably have to deal with when making a new town is burying someone. Once you get a few people dead the place is established and there you go, you have your final resting place for town citizens. When one fills up they get another plot of land and start all over again. Now take that times all the years there have been people on this country's land and that is one scary goddamn prospect to think about."

  Jude said, “Christ man, that didn't make me feel any bit better whatsoever. Were you trying to scare the living hell out of everyone?”

  Chuck patted Roger on the shoulder and said, “Because if you did make that what you were shooting for then you really did succeed beyond all expectations.”

  They walked slowly into town Jude found a phone booth and ripped out the doctor’s address and the towns map. They slowly made their way toward his house, when they got to it they saw the street was filled with the dead, at least twenty of them scattered the area.

  Jude said, "We aren't going to be able to make it past them, there are too many of them and we are moving too slow here."

  Chu
ck always trying to make a situation less tense said, “Well Doctor Kayla it was nice knowing you, unfortunately not everyone is meant to survive the whole zombie invasion thing.”

  Kayla stared at him blankly, she said, "Chuck do you think you could come a little closer to me, please?"

  He smiled and took three large steps backward. He said, "I'm kidding, we don't abandon our own, as long as well you don't go turning into one of those dead things then it’s kinda out of our hands. Jude, you got any ideas what we can do to get her to that house?"

  Jude looked at the large white house and could see the blinds parted on the top floor and took that as a good sign that there would be someone there to meet them at the front door. He looked around the neighborhood seeing some of them with the large wood fences and figured that even a chain link might be enough of a chance. Jude started one of his chainsaws and gave the extra that had been Pete’s to Joanne.

  He said, “Let me draw them over toward me, and once you have a clear shot to the doctor’s house I want you to haul ass because the idea of one person to eat versus four is going to be overwhelming for them not to come after you all. So let me get them as far away as possible before you do anything.”

  Jude revved up the engine on the saw making very sure that when it came time for it to do business it would be ready. He took a large breath and started walking slowly out into the street where he could be seen. The sound of the saw got their attention and they slowly started walking for him. He stood still giving them as much of a chance to get away from the house before he ran making sure he had all of the dead’s attention coming toward them. When he did he started backing up slowly waiting for them. They slowly stumbled in his direction and Jude ran for a large wood fence. The distance he had let them gain on him was immediately regretted. He chinned up over the fence to see two Rottweiler’s, each with chunks out of their sides, their owners still in the back yard and they had not lost any of their speed. They jumped up to the fence ready to rip Jude into pieces if he stepped foot over it green foam came out of the sides of their mouths.

  Jude lowered himself back down picking his saw back up and seeing that he had mere seconds at best to figure out what he was going to do. He knew he had limited time to make a decision on what his plan of action would be. He decided living should be his main goal and that he would need to try and test his theory that a chainsaw would indeed be able to handle the job. He revved up the engine holding it out in front of him and as the dead approached he gunned the engine and sliced into the first approaching person's head. The brain or what was left of it oozed out as Jude took the saw down from the top of their head down to the start of its neck, it's head fell apart only having its neck keeping the left and right side of its face dangling by its shoulders. It's legs buckled and as Jude had prayed it fell to the ground. The others tripped over it and as they tried to get up Jude walked up quickly inserting the blade straight in and all mincing their brains and building a wall of dead as the others began to trip over the newly forever dead. Jude could just barely see through the sea of zombies that the group was making their way toward the doctor’s home. He was amazed that even though they could only make their way slowly they didn't ever give up and their numbers seemed to multiply in a blink of an eye. He felt relief in knowing they were at least getting where they needed to be safely even in they were moving as slow as possible to save Kayla as much pain as possible.

  He thought about heading back to the fence and taking out the dogs but didn’t want to worry about one of them getting him. He cracked out the window trying to clear the glass, when no hands reached out to try and eat him he tossed in his saw and jumped up and into the window landing in the living room. He grabbed the chainsaw swinging it around wildly and looking to make sure that nothing was going to try and eat him. Jude could see things were safe for the time being in the house and he made his way through the house to the front to check on the rest of the area around him.

  The dead were trying to still make their way to the backyard and when he could see the front yard looked like it was clear he took off in a dead sprint running for the doctor’s yard. There were still a few in the way that he needed to worry about and he held the chainsaw up.

  Those that were in the way had their hands outstretched for him. Jude ducked beneath them revving the saw and bringing it down as they turned toward him chopping through both of their arms. When it still walked for him mouth open he slid the saw into its mouth and took it up splitting its head open and sending brains and bone matter everywhere. Jude brought it downward on the second one, which dropped on the saw pinning it beneath it. A third came at him and he let go of the saw regrettably and took a few steps back pulling the axe from behind him and took it up in one swing over his head and impaled it into the dead's head and the axe blade disappeared splitting the dead's head jaggedly open letting its brains fall out onto the city street below.

  He rolled the dead off of the saw and retrieved it. A line of them walked toward him, Jude knew he wouldn't be able to take five of them out at once going in through their heads but he did know that if they could no longer walk that they would be less of a threat coming after him. Jude dropped to a knee revving the saw and ran it across all five of the dead's kneecaps making them fall instantly backward, some of them snapping their leg bones and falling on top of their lower legs. Even handicapped they still reached up ready to grab and eat what they could. Jude walked quickly behind the dead running his saw blade through their skulls painting the street with brains and forever putting them to rest.

  Chuck screamed at him from the doorway. “Jude get your skinny ass moving would you, what are you doing out there seeing how many of those things you can kill? You could just run around them you realize.”

  Jude looked up with a fire in his eyes and yelled back, "You know the more of these things we take out now, the less there is going to be when we try to leave later. We aren't going to be staying here long we just need to get Kayla fixed up so we can be on our way again. How is she doing, is the doctor still there?"

  Chuck gave a thumbs-up and Jude hustled to the house killing the saw and slamming the door shut behind him. He ran into the office looking around coming off as an insane man as he was covered with blood and bits of brain and hair everywhere. He looked at his appearance and shrugged, "It got a little bit messy."

  Joanne said, "Thank you so much for doing that, you risked everything for Kayla she'll be forever grateful to you I'm sure of it. I can't believe you took on an entire horde of those things."

  Jude set down his gear and took a seat on a wooden bench. Resting his head against the cool air-conditioned walls and taking a long deep breath thinking what the next plan of action was going to be. Jude looked at Joanne and said, “What are we going to do with Kayla though? She isn’t going to be able to walk, and you seem like you might need some help with getting her places and getting the research you need. Do you have the first clue where we should go to try and get any answers on this shit?”

  Joanne said, “No, our main job was going to be coming down here to look and see if what you reported was true or not, we had no clue coming here that we were driving into hell’s mouth.”

  Jude said, "The only thing I can think of is that all of the dead we have seen had to have come from a cemetery. All we need to do is go take us a drive around and see which one of them has a thousand or so missing dead from it and I'd say that's going to be your best damn bet about finding out who or what caused this. Just hope it isn't some crazy voodoo or something that brought them back to life, cause I doubt there is a hell of a lot that science is going to be able to do about that. Do you need to report this to your boss or are you going to be okay with gathering your information first?"

  She said, "Well other than the fact that these things are real, there isn't anything we can set into motion without knowing what to start researching. You know the army coming here to help eradicate these things might not be too bad."

  Jude said, "Yes t
he army might be a damn good idea, it's too bad I don't think their standard rifles are going to be able to handle these things though unless they put a shit ton of bullets in it. We did best with our shotguns and the chainsaws and axes something we can split them with."

  *****

  Joanne nodded and went behind the receptionist desk to use the phone. She dialed home to her director and waited impatiently for her to answer. Karen picked up the phone at the center for CDC. “Hello this is director Karen Dziegiel, how can I help you?”

  “Uh hello, and let me start off by saying this is Joanne, I am completely sane which let me tell you is quite impressive given the shit storm that Kayla and I just went through. Oh and thank you very much for picking us because this has probably been the worst thing in my entire life I ever have or ever will encounter. I mean the shit I have seen isn’t even in textbooks because nothing like this has ever happened before. What the hell were you thinking when you sent the two of us down here by ourselves, you should have sent a goddamn army with us.”

  Karen sat forward in her seat the fact that she had somewhat believed the man when he called made her stomach turn. She started speaking slowly, “What exactly is it you are seeing Joanne?”

  “The dead, the god-dead-damn it, I'm seeing the dead! I’ve seen these things walking after people and eating them, they are killers and they need to be put down for good. We don’t know what started it yet but as soon as Kayla gets her broken leg fix-”

  “Broken leg? What the hell happened to Kayla?”

  "We were driving into town, and these three men were walking in the middle of the road, they left town when they realized it was the safest thing to do. They didn't even have a car they could drive out of there. We swerved and when we did I don't actually know what happened next, but we crashed the van flipping it and Kayla broke her leg. The men helped us get into town and to a doctor's office and she's in with the town doctor right now trying to get her leg fixed up."