Kings of the Castle: A Stay Dead short story

by Steve Wands

  Kayla, having been trapped in her own bedroom before, knew that something had to be done. She pulled the pocketknife from her pants and opened it. The blade was sharp but small. She held it tightly in her fist, the blade pointing downward. Keith was struggling to keep the man's arm from disappearing behind the door. Kayla raised the knife to shoulder-length, and plunged it down into the man's wrist. He screamed. The man was able to pull his arm back as Kayla pulled the knife out. She was surprised to see how much blood the small wound left behind. Connor was crying. Keith looked dumbfounded. Kayla looked satisfied. The man continued to scream, and as he did so, he shouldered the door once more.

  "Little bitch, little bitch," he screamed, "let me in!"

  ...to be continued in Stay Dead: Kings of the Castle Part 10!

  Despite the man's angered pleas and curses, he could not convince them to let him in or to simply come out. He punched and kicked and the door began to splinter---he'd be in sooner rather than later. Kayla searched for a way to stab him again, but to her disappointment she could not find one that involved moving the dresser or venturing beyond the door. Fear froze the kids. They did not know what to do or where to go. They had only two options: open the door, or go out the window.

  "Come on, we have to go," Keith said.

  Keith moved to the window before either of them could ask where. He climbed onto the windowsill and began making his way to the roof once more. The door continued to splinter as the man behind it howled in wild rage. He managed to budge the dresser with each blow to the door. Keith hung from the roof with his hand outstretched downward to help Connor shimmy himself up to roof. Kayla swung her head from Connor to the door and back again---the man was almost in, and Connor was almost up. Kayla gripped her knife tightly, her lip quivered. She stepped closer to the door which now had a fist-sized hole in it. She could see the man panting but still shouldering the door. He was slowing down, tired, and in pain. She quietly climbed onto the dresser and as the man shoulder the door again she stuck him once more with the pocketknife. He howled and clutched at his shoulder. The blade was buried deep and as the man moved away from the door the knife went with him. He pulled the knife from his shoulder and put his face up to the hole in door. His eyes were huge with hate and when he saw the young girl who stabbed him he screamed a number of obscenities at her.

  He screamed out all the things he wanted to do to her once he got through the door---things no child should ever hear. Things no child should ever have to face. He stuck his head through the hole and flicked his tongue up and down in quick succession. She spat at the man and ran for the window. His words stuck with her and made her feel dirtier than she had been while locked away in her bedroom.

  As Kayla began climbing to the roof the man burst through the door with the small pocketknife in his hairy-knuckled hand. His shirt was torn and covered in blood and his teeth looked like dirty yellow knives. Keith pulled her up by her arm as she kicked herself up. The man hung out the window slashing the little knife upwards in a desperate attempt to slice her.

  He pocketed the knife and pulled himself up to the roof. His shoulder throbbed in pain as he did so, but his adrenaline dulled the pain. Before the kids knew it---he was up there with them. Had they thought he would make it to the roof they would have kicked him down, or tried to stop him. He now stood on the roof, knife in hand, panting like a mad man. The kids backed up toward the edge of the roof near Kayla's home. Once again they were left with two choices: stay on the roof, or jump into the tree that separated the two homes. To the man's surprise, they jumped.

  ...to be continued in Stay Dead: Kings of the Castle Part 11!

  Luckily the three landed safely, with the exception of a few scrapes and scratches, in the brush of the tree. They moved like monkeys, climbing quickly along the branches till they had to jump to the ground. The man, still in disbelief, followed their cue and jumped after them. He broke through the brush and snapped many branches before he fell to the ground. He landed in such a way that his tibia cracked and protruded through his flesh. He lay there writhing in pain, screaming. His breaths were labored and angry. The kids looked at him triumphantly. The kids didn't look long however because the noise they made warranted the attention of the roaming dead things---and they crept toward them.

  The kids ran back to the house but the front door was locked. They attempted to go around to the back of the house but the creatures were too close for comfort. The windows were locked as well. The kids had done a good job of fortifying the home, too well in fact, because they could no longer get inside. Left with no other options they ran.

  The man, still-writhing in pain, squirmed toward the house. Had he been paying attention to the children as intently as he had for the last few days he would've known there was no easy way inside. The creatures stumbled closer to him as he pushed himself along the lawn. With each push came agonizing pain from the bone-pierced-flesh of his leg. The creatures descended upon the man. Whether they were drawn by the noise, his scent, the growing puddle of blood that surrounded him, or from something unseen by human eyes, they fell upon him. They clawed, and grabbed at his wounds. They grasped at his mouth and eyes. They bit him over and over again, devouring his flesh. The man's shrieks of agony turned into the sounds of gurgling as his own blood pooled in the back of his throat.

  The children ran into a cluster of bushes and watched as the savagery continued. The creatures eviscerated the man. He ceased to make any noises. The dead things chewed on his flesh and innards. They plucked out his eyes, his tongue, and began clawing at his head. The kids could no longer watch. They were near vomiting, but the noise would surely give them away. Fear forced their stomachs to subside.

  Keith looked for a way to get back inside his home, but he found none. The dead things grew in numbers and surrounded the corpse of the man whose intentions were cruel. Though the scene was disturbing and would undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on each of the kids, Keith could not feel sorry for the man. As far as he was concerned---he got what he deserved. With no idea of where to go, the kids ran off into the night, surrounded by darkness, the only light was that of the moon and the stars.

  ...to be continued in Stay Dead: Kings of the Castle Part 12!

  Keith, Connor, and Kayla walked for over an hour. They kept mostly to the shadows and moved slowly. Their run-ins with the dead creatures of the night were few and far between but terrifying nonetheless. They passed a number of homes that were boarded up, and tried, on one occasion, to gain access to one. The people inside either couldn't hear their knocking and pleading, or chose to ignore it.

  Being the vigilant trio they were, they carried on. They came across a number of streets that still had its streetlights on. They preferred walking down those---but still clung to the safety of shadows. At the end of the street they spotted a police cruiser parked in the middle of the street with its door ajar. They ran towards it.

  Sitting slumped on the pavement was the remains of a police officer. His head was a pile of swollen mush sitting on his shoulder. Flies and maggots crawled and burrowed atop the corpse. There was a pool of blood with chunks of human meat scattered around the dead man in blue. Connor vomited on site of the man. Keith stepped closer, and Kayla stood her ground between him and his brother. The man was clearly dead, he had multiple wounds; tears, bites, bullet holes, and there was what was left of his head---which wasn't much.

  Keith reached forward, his fingers snatching the dead man's badge. He pulled it from his frayed and blood-caked shirt---wiping the blood on the hardened blue fabric. He attached the badge to his pants pocket. Kayla watched not really understanding why he was taking it from corpse. Connor sat on the curb spitting the sour taste of puke from his mouth. Keith then unbuckled the man's belt, his hands trembling badly. He struggled removing his belt---but he eventually removed it---and slung it over his shoulder. Keith now had a badge and the gun to go with it, as well as an extra clip, a baton, a set of handcuffs and its keys---all thanks to the belt
.

  The trio continued down the street, the next block's streetlights were out, but there was a light in the distance. Not knowing what else to do, they headed in its direction.

  As they walked passed the last lit streetlight before turning down the next street a dead thing (with only half its body left) crawled from underneath a truck. It looked burnt and pussy. Its forearms were reduced to barely-skinned bone crutches. The creature's innards dragged behind it, though not much was left inside, save that of dried blood and maggots. It startled the trio---and, unable to prevent the natural reaction, they screamed---letting all within earshot know where they were. The creature crept closer, what it lacked in speed it made up tenfold in its ghastly and grotesque appearance. Keith fumbled for the gun as they backpedaled away from the crawling remains of the dead man. He finally had the gun, holding it in both hands, as he'd seen in many movies and television shows and pointed it at the creepy crawly. He pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He shook the gun in his hands and tried again but still nothing. Despite all the knowledge he gained from movies, the safety feature on any given firearm was never acknowledged. He frantically tried one more time to shoot the creature but still the gun did not fire. The creature was now on his leg and Keith had no choice but to smash the gun down on the dead things head. He did so again and again, the gun and his hands were cover in pulpy bits of flesh, sinew, and thick coagulated blood. He still held the gun as if he intended to shoot it but used it like a hammer. In the melee the safety became unlocked. A shot rang out from the gun and Connor screamed. The dead thing lied at Keith's feet as his brother squirmed in the street, "you shot me," he cried.

  ...to be continued in Stay Dead: Kings of the Castle Part 13!

  Connor squirmed on the ground clutching at his bleeding leg. He lay in a pool of blood as he cried. Kayla tried to help but had no idea what to do. Keith dropped the gun and ran to his brother's side.

  "Oh my God, I'm sorry...sorry...don't die...please God, I'm so sorry, Connor! Please be okay, please!" Keith begged.

  Connor refused to move, he was stricken with fear and pain. Creatures crept forth from the shadows, lurching towards the sounds of Connor's pain. Kayla was the first to notice, she pointed into the darkness at pale limbs and faces that swept through the cover of night. Keith ran back for his gun, wiping the gore from it on the grass. He pointed it into the darkness ahead as he urged his brother to get up.

  "C'mon, Connor, get up man. We have to go, they're coming!" Keith pleaded.

  Connor continued to squirm in the street, and the dead things continued to creep forward. Keith aimed his gun at the closest creature, and fired. The blowback made him stagger, but Keith kept his footing. He couldn't tell if he hit his mark, and if he did, it didn't matter cause the dead thing moved forward still, unaffected. Trying to aim for the head, Keith fired again, nothing. The noise from his gun seemed only to pull more creatures from the darkness. Kayla had managed to get Connor to his feet. He was covered in his own blood and kept both hands on his leg. He was sobbing, and his chest heaved. Kayla supported the side of his body where his wound was and helped him begin to move. His steps were slower than those of the dead, and every one agonizing.

  Keith fired again, and again, to no avail. He squeezed the trigger once more, and the gun refused to fire. Keith tried again, but the gun was empty. A shot rang out through night air, followed another. Two of the creatures fell to the ground. They didn't get back up. A man emerged from the darkness carrying a rifle. He wore dark clothes, and a black hat. A dog trotted along behind him, remaining silent but with such a powerful presence she didn't need to bark.

  "Stay where you are," the man called.

  The trio didn't move. They didn't so much as whimper. The man raised his rifle and took down a few more of the lurking dead. He whistled and his dog trotted toward the kids. They stood as if made of ice, or cement. The dog sniffed each one of them, giving a sad whine once she sniffed Connor. The man jogged over to the kids, slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

  "Are you kids okay?" he asked.

  "I shot my brother, he's gonna die," Keith cried.

  The man looked at Connor's wound, and patted him on the shoulder. The kids were afraid of the man and his dog, but they tried not to show it.

  "You're brother will be fine, but we have to get him to my house. I can stitch him up there. You kids can meet my son, and the rest of us. Come on, before these things get any closer. I'm Reggie by the way, and this is Peanut," Reggie pointed at his dog.

  He grabbed Connor and threw him over his shoulder. Reggie jogged back in the direction he came, Kayla, Keith, and Peanut followed behind.

  ...to be continued in Stay Dead: Kings of the Castle Part 14!

  After evading a number of rotting creatures, Reggie arrived at his home. It sat on the top of a hill with woodlands to the back of it and a tall iron and brick fence all around the lot. It was one of the bigger homes in the neighborhood, also in one of the less clustered sections. The windows on the lower level were boarded up, but Keith could see a warm light coming from behind one of them.

  "We're home," Reggie said, clearly happy about it.

  He was out of breath, as were the kids, and Peanut panted heavily at their feet. Reggie was quick to unlock the gate and usher everyone in. Dead things had followed them, though they were much too slow to keep up with their pace.

  Once inside, Reggie rushed Connor to the kitchen. He cleared off the kitchen table and lie Connor on it. Connor was pale, and very weak. He had lost a lot of blood, and Reggie needed to close up the wound before he lost anymore. He grabbed a bunch of rags and dish-towels, then ran out of the room and quickly came back with a bottle of rubbing alcohol, gauze, tape, a pack of needles and thread. He grabbed a pair of meat scissors and cut Connor's pant leg up to the wound. He cleaned it quickly with the rubbing alcohol, and examined it only quick enough to make sure the bullet went through, which it did.

  A young woman, in her late teens, came into the kitchen. She was dressed all in black and looked like a vampire. She wore a ton of make up around her eyes, and black lipstick. Her nails were painted black as well and she had layers of jewelry around her neck.

  "Oh my God, is he okay? Do you need help?" she gasped.

  "Yeah, can you grab the Neosporin from the medicine cabinet?" he asked. "I forgot it," he continued.

  "Sure, yeah," she ran off.

  Keith and Kayla looked at each other mimicking each other's raised eyebrows. Then two more people entered the room, an older man with gray hair, and a young boy. They looked at each other but kept silent and watched as Reggie worked his magic. Reggie quickly sowed the seams of Connor's wound together, by the time he was ready to bandage it the girl in black came back with the Neosporin. He put a thick wad of it on each side and wrapped him up. He brought him into the living room and placed him onto a couch. He was barely conscious. Keith and Kayla looked at him with mixed feelings of guilt, fear, and hope.

  "Don't worry, he just needs a lot of rest. He'll be fine. Now, do either of you have any cuts, or bites, anything like that?" Reggie asked.

  They both shook their heads from side to side.

  "Okay. Are either of you hungry?"

  They shook their heads up and down. Reggie laughed.

  "Well, all right, back to the kitchen then. Wash your hands, and we'll see what we can make for you," Reggie led the way.

  During their meal, Reggie introduced the kids to everybody. They exchanged stories of how they came to be at Reggie's home, and the stories of how they managed to stay alive thus far. Their stories were equally horrible. Reggie went on to give the kids, with the exception of Connor, a tour of the home. He showed them the generator, which he used sparingly, and a makeshift garden in the garage. He showed them the items he'd been gathering from other homes; tools, food, weapons, etc. Once a day, he'd venture out and bring back whatever supplies he could gather, also looking for other survivors, of which the kids were the only ones he had yet come across. He
showed them his son's room, and a spare room where they could sleep that was close by.

  After Reggie finished the tour they returned to the living room. Keith and Kayla sat by Connor's side as he slept. They looked around at their new home, at the faces of their new friends, and back at each other. They didn't need to use words to convey that they felt safe. As Keith had with Connor, Keith now developed with Kayla the ability to read each other's thoughts solely on each other's subtle expressions. They would stay here until they had to leave, the Kings and Queens of a castle in the middle of a dead kingdom.

  END.

  I just want to say thank you for reading Stay Dead: Kings of the Castle! It has been a very fun thing for me, and forced me to write on a weekly schedule (14 weeks), which was no easy task. If you've enjoyed this little trip into the world of Stay Dead please let me know, I'd like to do another weekly story soon, but if there's no interest I'll just keep it to myself, but I'll probably post it anyway. I'm not sure when or how I will collect this story, but I'll let you know when I do.