The Dead Rise (Book 1): Zombies and Chainsaws

by Evans, Mike

  Jude looked out the back window and saw one hand glued to the side and another in the top of the small guard shack Jude said, “Holy hell I didn't think you would actually do it. Way to go brother. You should see that guard he looks like he probably should have thought twice about aiming at us.”

  Chuck who couldn’t see craned his neck to see. When he did both women screamed at him, Leslie said, “Look at the goddamn street would you. Pay attention, we don't want to crash!”

  Chuck swerved the van until the fence and the guard shack broke free and skidded to a stop. Steven pushed out of it trying to stand and fell to the ground dizzy from the drive. Chuck yelled pumping a hand in the air.

  He said, "How's that for kick ass driving. Yep, that's how you get shit done."

  They drove the rest of the way uneventful and headed for the main building. Not having any idea what or who was waiting for them. Phelps was cursing from the office.

  He said, “I swear that Steven isn't worth a goddamn thing. I'm going to be firing him if and when we get through all of this.”

  Phelps walked over to the coat closet opening up and pulling a double barrel shotgun he had always kept in case of a break in late at night when he was working. He grabbed the box of shotgun shells stuffing them in his pockets. He stumbled down the hall sliding in two shells and snapping it shut thinking he was surely going to hell for what he was about to do.

  Phelps took the elevator to the lobby downstairs where he waited for the van to come to a stop. When the strangers pulled up he unlocked the door stumbling out the doors and being sure to keep the shotgun by his side. Jude got out of the van and Phelps saw the axe on his back and it did not make him feel any better nor did the machete hanging on his belt.

  Phelps yelled, “I think that's about close enough son. I don't want y'all any closer to me. You got no business here, you got no rights. As I see it you all are trespassing and I don't like trespassers.”

  Jude walked slowly hands out to his side. "Hey, we just got a couple of questions we need to ask you."

  Phelps smiled and said, "Well, in that case," He pulled up the shotgun firing off one wild shot. Jude leapt to the side, dodging the buckshot. It peppered the van missing Jude and as he swung the gun in his direction he pushed up off the ground and ran straight for Phelps. He lifted the gun drawing straight on Jude this time, but Jude was finally close enough that there were no problems. He gripped the shotgun lifting it up in the air and pushing it to the side.

  He gripped Phelps across his skinny frame and tackled him to the ground. Jude was not a fan of being shot at ripped the shotgun away from him and brought the stock of the gun down hard into Phelps' nose, busting it wide open. Blood poured down the side of the man's face and when he screamed in protest Jude brought it down a second time for good measure.

  Jude said, "I'm not real keen on people shooting at me. I spent enough time in the military that I sure as hell don't need to have any citizens shooting at me you son of a bitch."

  Phelps screamed and said, “What, what do you want? You broke my fucking nose what the hell were you thinking hitting me with that?”

  Jude said, "I was thinking I wanted to break your goddamn nose you son of a bitch. All we wanted to do was ask you some questions. You might be the only person in town left that can answer them for us."

  Phelps wiped at his nose and said, “You, you aren’t the police? You aren’t here to look through my factory?”

  Jude said, “Oh we are definitely here to look at the factory and take some samples, but as far as the jail part that’s going to be up to someone else. As of right now there isn’t a sheriff to put you in jail.”

  Phelps said, “I, I don’t understand, what it is that you are talking about. Who the hell are you? Who are they?”

  Jude pulled him to his feet and upright. He trained the shotgun at Phelps’ chest and said, “Well I'm down here cutting trees and so is that fella there. That’s Joanne, and she’s probably going to make your life a living hell here in the very near future. That is some girl that was hiding in our van, her name is Leslie.”

  Phelps stood holding his nose and trying to figure out what this group of people were doing here questioning him and how they had anything in common. Chuck stepped forward and said, “By chance have you been here the entire night? I mean you haven’t left for anything it seems? You look drunk as shit anyway I'd say you've been loving on a bottle of something for the evening huh?”

  Phelps nodded and said, "Jesus you sound like my ex-wives. Yeah, I've been here all night, I've been waiting on something to get taken care of that I couldn't just assume got done."

  Jude said, “Let me guess you sent a guy or guys out to a cemetery to dump some chemicals? Oh and when I say some, I'm really saying a shit ton of it? The ground was soaking wet out at the cemetery and the shit didn’t smell very good. There was a gigantic Evans Chemicals truck sitting out there abandoned.”

  Phelps said, "Stupid sons of bitches. Oh, I can't stand those two. They are fired, there are gone."

  Jude said, "Well just so you know there's a good chance you won't be opening anytime soon. Anyone in town is either dead, or they are gone or hiding. I guess it is hard to say. But when we were walking back into town to get a girl some help, the cars were flying out of here like a bat out of hell. After the rains hit though it isn't going to do them much good regardless of how far they make it. Those things are going to be everywhere."

  Phelps tilted his head to the side still trying to make sense of what he was rambling about. He said, "What the hell are you talking about? You speak, but you don't make a damn bit of sense. I mean none I have no clue what you are talking about."

  Jude said, "Well when your people went and sprayed all that shit on the cemetery all those that were trying to have eternal slumber in their graves came back to life. I know it sounds bat shit crazy, but I shit you not."

  Phelps said, “Oh I see it, you are all crazy. Did you escape from a mental facility recently? Or maybe you hit your heads on something, very hard. Except that guy Chuck he might just believe what you are saying anyway.”

  Chuck said, "Hey compadre we could very easily take you to town on our way out and let you get a first-hand look. I mean it seems that you are the reason we are all here so I'm sure you'd like to see what your handiwork did right?"

  Phelps said, “Just do what you need to and get out of my factory. Give me my gun back you crazy bastard.”

  Jude stepped forward holding the shotgun with two hands and jammed the butt into his gut making Phelps bend over in agony. Jude put a knee up catching the freshly broken nose a second time and he bent down so that Phelps could hear him.

  He said, "I lost two of my men and good friends already today. I lost them because of you, and at the moment you seem to be the main person that I can blame this shit on. Now if you don't get your skinny ass up and do what I say we are going to be leaving here and you are going to have a skull of buckshot. Now you can do what we want or you can see what happens. Are you feeling lucky or do you want to be a good boy and just do what I'm saying."

  Phelps sat for a moment wishing he had a cigarette or maybe a handgun and finally said, “I don’t like you very much. I hope that you know that.”

  He held up a blood-soaked hand for help up and Jude looked at it and said, "I've had enough blood on my hands for one day, get up yourself."

  Phelps said, "Oh you are too kind son."

  Leslie said, “Are you sure you don’t want to just put that buckshot in the back of his head now? It wouldn’t do any harm to me.”

  Phelps laughed hysterically he said, “Oh let me guess, somehow you have something against me as well? What happened? Did you see your grandpappy walking across Main Street?”

  It was obvious he didn't believe anyone. Leslie said, "No you bastard, I was going somewhere with my dad and we ran into a horde of the dead. It was all that I could do to even get away. He wasn't so lucky and those things took him down. He is gone now, and it is all y
our fault you piece of shit. Now if you don't stop laughing I'm going to kick you square in the balls!"

  Phelps choked on laughter for a minute and when he didn’t stop as they walked into the factory Leslie did as promised and delivered a square kick to his testicles that sent him to the ground gripping hard.

  Chuck said, “Oh now that just isn’t right. He ain’t going to be able to walk right for a week after that Leslie. That was a wonderful kick, thank you for doing that. It’s just rude if I do it. But you have that right as a strong woman.”

  Leslie slapped him on the shoulder and said, “Hey saying shit like that might actually give you a chance there Chucky boy.”

  Chuck’s face got deadly serious and he said, “Wait no shitting, I might have a chance at you?”

  Leslie shrugged as she walked past Phelps smiling as his fresh tears of pain were hitting the ground in front of him. Chuck and Jude picked him up and they helped him walk as they entered the factory.

  Phelps said, “You do realize my security guard is going to be coming in here at some point right?”

  Jude said, "Oh if you are counting on him you probably best be not doing that. He isn't going to probably be doing anything but either leaving here or going to a hospital. We drove through the fence and his guard shack. He isn't going to have a safe place to hide anymore after all this."

  Phelps said, “But that keeps people out, you can’t just go and bust through -”

  Chuck said, “Oh I think we can, and I’d say since you brought like, all of the damn dead back you don't have a lot of room to be preaching to us about what we can and what we can’t be doing. You just do what we say and we will be out of your hair before you know it. We got a lot of miles to put on our van today between hitting up the news and going back to Iowa. The quicker you get us what we need the quicker we will get out of your hair. I can assume you want us out of here right? I mean you don’t want to invite us up for a lunch right?”

  Phelps said, “Yes that would be a correct assumption. So you just want to see the chemical plant then?”

  Joanne said, "No I want to see where you store your waste. I'm sure whatever you dumped into the ground isn't what you make here, it's gotta be a runoff or what is leftover after you make the product you actually get money for. How much of it do you have after dumping that shit the last night? A few barrels? A few thousand barrels?"

  Phelps laughed and opened the door to the factory. He led them to the back where he opened one more door. He didn’t say anything until he opened the door. He said, “Christ would you look for yourself. I don’t know what some run off is going to do for you, it ain’t like its gonna have any special answers. I still think y’all are full of shit. The minute you leave here, I'm going to go to town and see that you are just a bunch of nuts.”

  Jude said, “Oh I very much hope you do that sir. I really hope you do. I think if anyone deserves to have the dead follow him you are a candidate for it.”

  Joanne walked in and flicked on the light. She stared around and walked slowly, by her guess the room that lead underground went as far as the eye could see. She turned around slowly and said, "My God were you going to dump all of this waste? Are you insane? Do you not care about the environment?"

  Phelps said, "Don't judge me, young lady. They wouldn't call them hard decisions if they were easy. I'm doing what's best for this town."

  Chuck said, “Yeah how’s that? By getting everyone killed, eaten, and chased out of town?”

  Just as they were about to continue their banter back and forth Steven stumbled in screaming at the top of his lungs. He screamed, "Help, help, help me, please!"

  They all turned trying to see what and who was screaming at the top of their lungs. When Steven came into view it was apparent taking the fence down had not been a good thing for him. Phelps saw him first and the realization what these people proclaiming could very well be true. His stomach turned five different ways in a matter of seconds.

  Phelps yelled back to him, "Steven what in God's name happened to you, man?"

  He already knew the answer but for some reason would not believe it without the man spelling it out for him. Jude whispered, “I would be looking for a new security guard because the one you have right now is not going to last very much longer.”

  Steven staggered trying to stay on his feet but not having very much success. His black pants were covered with blood impossible to see of course but the blood was leaving a very long trail and the lights were glistening off of the silk pants.

  “What in God's name is going on outside?” Phelps asked.

  “I was trying to get free from the guard shack and when I finally got out hands as cold as ice grabbed my arms and teeth tore at my flesh repeatedly. It was a miracle at all I was able to get away from them. I need to get to town and get to the doctor sir, do you think you could give me a ride?”

  Chuck said, “Well I think that might be the first time I've heard the word miracle used today. But in his defense he doesn't know about the hell that's about to take over his life or more accurately death.”

  Stevens' knees started to buckle and he fell to the ground. He said, "Sir I really think that I need a -"

  That was the last word Steven said. The only other noises that would be coming from him were going to be moans and growls. Jude said, “Joanne get whatever sample it is you want to take with. We need to get out of here and get away from Steven before something comes up that we don't want to deal with.”

  Joann hurriedly went to one of the barrels opening the small lid and putting in a number of beakers at random barrels along the wall. Phelps said, “I don't know what you're wasting your time for. Its the exact same thing and each one of those barrels that those men were dumping outside. The government was going to shut me down if we didn't get rid of some of the waste.”

  Jude said, “It was very hot last night. This shit must have evaporated into the air, and from what I can tell went into the storm clouds as far north as Iowa and I have no idea how far east west and south. If this hits the entire nation now, it could take out everyone. Can you imagine the entire nation filled with the dead walking? The dead turning the living into vicious zombies?”

  Phelps stared at Steven laying on the ground and getting a small sense of relief as he was not coming back. Phelps turned around and said, “Well since Steven isn't coming back, then you guys must be full of shit. You’re on crazy pills, or tripping on something. But as far as I can tell something bad happened to him we don't know what and he's dead.”

  A moaning came from behind Phelps, his eyes opened wide and he immediately shut up and stopped talking. Chuck said, “Uh that Steven fellow is dead, you know the one that is standing up and crouching behind you, he's the one that you are so worried about?”

  Steven started dashing towards Phelps. Jude said, "We need to get the hell out of here."

  Jude flipped the switch on the shotgun barrels looking to see if he had one or two shells in it and when he saw one of the shells had already been used he cursed under his breath somehow in all of the craziness forgetting he had a shot taken at him already.

  He yelled to Phelps, "Do you have anymore shotgun shells for this thing?"

  Phelps couldn't take his eyes off of Steven. He was mumbling something about how this could not be true, but it was barely coherent no one could understand what he was saying. When Phelps could finally speak he said, "I'm getting the hell out of here screw all of you."

  Phelps ran toward Steven thinking he would be able to dodge him. He, of course, was wrong. Steven tackled Phelps and took a rip out of his neck. Phelps screamed in agony and Steven then grabbed the man by his ears slamming his skull into the hard concrete beneath him until his head cracked open across the back. Steven was doing this the entire time and as Phelps screams finally stopped Steven lifted his head up ripping Phelps skull in half and gorging himself on his brain. When he looked up he had blood on both cheeks dripping from his face.

  Jude walked up behind Stev
en slowly holding his axe firmly in a baseball grip and took one ending swing at the back of his head. He buried the axe handle and blade into the man's skull. Steven’s shoulders relaxed and his body went limp. The only thing keeping him upright was Jude holding the axe. Jude took a deep breath and asked Joanne, “Did you get everything you need Joanne so we can get the hell out of here?”

  She nodded and said, “Yes I think I did, we should have more than enough.”

  Leslie said, “Oh my God I can't believe that just fucking happened. That's like one of the worst things I've ever seen in my life.”

  Chuck said, “Yeah it just breaks my heart it had to go and happen to such a nice guy. Come on let's get back to the van, and get the hell out of here.”

  No one had any problems with leaving the factory building with the chemicals that brought back the dead. Jude saw a spray paint can sitting outside on a cart filled with odds and ends and he slammed the door shut locking them again. On the outside of the door he sprayed; ‘Do not open, death inside. This will bring back the dead do not open!’

  “You know it almost seems like it'd be a smart idea someone stayed here and guarded this shit, what do you think?” Chuck asked.

  “I think we stop by a phone and have Joanne here call her boss and let them know the shit has completely the fan,” Jude said.

  Joanne nodded and the four walked slowly past Steven and Phelps. It took an extra minute to free the axe head from Steven’s head. He wiped the blade the best he could and secured it back on his back as he had been carrying it all day long. Jude checked Phelps’ pockets finding shotgun shells and cleaned out what he could knowing if they were in a hurry it might be good to be able to buy them some time with a gun. He was not a hundred percent sold on the fact that the shotgun might not be able to take down one of the dead with the buckshot as the ammunition.