World Memorial

by Robert R. Best

  A corpse walked by outside. Its lumbering shape moved past the dirty window, silhouetted against the moonlit snow. She hurriedly pulled on her sock and boot. She stood. The corpse kept walking by, not noticing her yet.

  She stepped over and picked up her bat, wet with the remains of the woman's head. She whipped it in the air twice to clean it. She looked to the window. The corpse passed by, heading out of view.

  She picked up the flashlight and snapped it off, again relieved the corpse hadn't seen her. She resolved to wait a few moments until it was clear.

  Another corpse walked into view. It moved slower than the first one, but was headed the same way. It lumbered outside the dirty window, appearing and reappearing between the faded letters of the diner’s sign. It walked by out of sight, paying no attention to Maylee.

  A third walked by, same as before. It moved past and out of sight. It occurred to Maylee that the corpses had a purpose. They were walking with a goal. With all the corpses she'd faced and beaten to pulp, she'd never seen them move like they had a goal.

  Maylee went to the door and pushed it open. She leaned outside.

  Dozens of corpses were walking through the woods. They walked among the trees. They walked down the snow-packed road. They walked on the clear snow outside the diner. The bright moonlight gleamed off their dead frozen bodies.

  She pulled back, her instincts preparing her for battle. She braced herself.

  And slowly, the dozens of corpses simply walked past the diner, none of them even glancing her way.

  "The fuck....?" she said, leaning back out.

  More corpses walked through the woods, more than before. All of them walking straight ahead, not wavering in their path.

  Whatever this was, it was very different.

  Maylee waited until the parade of corpses had thinned to a safe level, and set out after them.

  * * *

  The gunshot crashed through Angie's window. The mirror on the far side of her bed exploded, sending shards to the floor. Angie stared at it in shock, then looked back at the window. A dark shape was there, peering in on her. The figure dropped out of sight.

  Fear and anger fought each other within her. Anger won. She pushed herself from the bed and limped to the window. She prepared to dive aside if she needed to.

  She heard movement outside. Something scraping along the wall beneath her. She peered through the broken window, bracing herself for a shot. None came.

  A rope ran alongside the window. It shook against the wall. Angie looked down. Someone was descending the rope. They were hurrying, awkward. It was too dark to make out who it was.

  "Hey!" yelled Angie, her anger taking further hold. "What the fuck?""

  The person hurrying down the rope jerked in surprise when Angie yelled, panic slowing their descent.

  Angie turned from the window, snatched her cane from the bed and drew the sword. She leaned back out and sawed the blade across the rope. The person below her looked up, saw, and panicked further, kicking at the walls.

  The blade cut through the rope. It snapped, springing away from Angie. The person below her cried out—a voice Angie almost recognized—and fell into the snow.

  "Hey!" she yelled out the window. "Get up here, fucker!"

  The door slammed open behind her. Park rushed in, looking wildly around for threats, Lilly right behind him.

  "What the fuck was that?" said Park.

  "Someone tried to shoot me," said Angie, waving him toward the window.

  "Let's rip his asshole out!" yelled Lilly.

  Park and Angie ran to the window and looked down. Lilly was straining on her toes, trying to see between them.

  The dark figure was struggling in the pile of snow they'd landed in.

  "I'll get him," said Park, stomping from the room.

  "Wait for me!" yelled Lilly, following after him.

  Angie considered stopping her, but decided against it. She cursed her ankle and walked back to the bed, sheathed her sword and sat.

  * * *

  Park ran through the darkened streets of World Memorial, the dark shape of Angie's attacker ahead of him. Park was still furious from the fight earlier, and welcomed the chance to beat someone's ass.

  Lilly ran close behind, her small feet working double time to keep up. "We'll kill you, dog fucker!" she screamed.

  "Quit following me, sprout!"

  "You'll need help! You're kind of a pussy!"

  Park shook his head but kept quiet. They chased the figure in and out of buildings. The occasional barrel fire illuminated the figure, but not long enough to identify him. Park's chest tightened as he ran. He tried to ignore it.

  He rounded the corner and stopped. It was a blind alley, ending at wall of beaten, rusty metal. The figure stood in the shadows at the end. It held a gun, pointed at Park.

  "Well shit," said Park, his chest thudding painfully. He was suddenly very aware of the rifle slung over his shoulder. "Should have had my gun out."

  The figure fired. The shot pinged off a barrel several feet away.

  "Wow!" screamed Lilly from behind Park. "That was fucking awful!"

  Park laughed at his luck, then stopped. His chest was killing him. He was getting lightheaded and it was getting hard to breathe.

  The figure darted to one side, disappearing through a space Park hadn't seen in the dark.

  "Shit!" yelled Lilly. "He's getting away!"

  Lilly raced past Park, chasing the figure. Park tried to follow. He took one step and stopped. He suddenly felt very heavy. His head was swimming. He dropped to his knees, not even realizing it was happening until he landed.

  Lilly stopped and turned. She frowned, honest concern on her dirty face. “The fuck's wrong with you?"

  Park clutched his chest. "Sprout, I think...."

  He fell forward into the snow. Then he knew nothing.

  * * *

  Maylee stepped among the trees slowly and carefully. She did her best to keep her distance from the corpses slowly filling up the woods around her. They staggered among the trees, all heading the same direction. None of them took the slightest notice of Maylee, but she kept her distance just in case. The moon was out, providing enough light that she didn't have to risk using the flashlight.

  She heard a groan behind her and spun. One was right behind her. It was a young man with sunken cheeks and solid black eyes. Maylee backed away from him, trying to figure out where the corpse had come from. She saw a thick bunch of snowy brush and guessed the corpse had come from behind it, cursing herself for having missed it. She told herself it was because of the strangeness of the situation. She stepped to one side and stopped, brandishing her bat and ready to fight.

  The corpse walked right past her. Maylee watched it, staring.

  "What...the...shit...?"

  Almost as if in response, the corpse groaned at her as he walked by. He turned his head, his tight, drawn skin cracking in the cold air. He groaned past yellowed, rotten teeth. Maylee could tell the corpse wanted to attack her. Longed for it.

  But it turned its head back and kept walking.

  Maylee watched it for a second. "Huh."

  She continued following the group. She kept her distance, just in case what had just happened was a fluke.

  A tension grew in her as she crept along. She was slowly being surrounded by corpses. By death. If they all turned on her, she had little chance. And she'd recently decided she didn't want to die. But she had to keep following. She had to see what this meant. It was probably bad. And she had to know, if only to warn the others.

  She passed a tight copse of trees and brush. She heard stirring behind it and stopped. The movement was too strong, and too quick, to be corpses. She held her bat in front of her, slowly backing away. She kept conscious of how many corpses were to either side and behind her. In case she had to run.

  A group of four elk tore from the brush. They rushed for Maylee, snorting and stomping in the snow. Their large antlers, broken from use, were aimed at h
er.

  Maylee stepped backward, looking left and right for a good way to run with only seconds to decide. Her foot hit a root and she fell over backward. She grunted as she hit the snow and braced herself to be trampled and gored.

  Nothing happened. She clambered to her feet and snatched her bat from the snow.

  The four elk stood surrounding her. They grunted and pawed at the snow. Like the corpse, Maylee could tell they wanted to attack, but something held them back.

  Or rather, she realized, something more pressing was calling.

  The four elk broke away from her. They headed off, following the same direction as the corpses.

  Maylee watched them go, relaxing her posture. Other animals had joined the corpses, all headed the same direction, none taking notice of her. It made Maylee think of the line of corpses and animals that had blocked their way when they had tried to move the children. She remembered the children dying around her.

  She waited until the elk were far enough away for her to be reasonably comfortable. And until the corpses behind her were too close for comfort. She resumed following.

  The elk bringing up the rear of the group of four let out a pained bleat and turned on her. It rushed, snorting into the snow, at Maylee. Its eyes shouted fury and hate.

  "Whoa!" She stepped to one side and swung her bat at the elk. The elk passed her and rammed into the bat. The force spun Maylee around as the elk continued on. It turned in the snow, snorting out blood and mucous, dragging its hooves along the ground.

  "Come on," said Maylee, waiting for her moment. "Come on."

  The elk put down its head to run. Then stopped. It shook its head rapidly, dribbling more blood and snot. Then it began walking the same as before. Maylee gave it a wide berth, stepping far away from it. It headed past her, trailing drops of blood, giving her no further notice.

  Maylee watched, shaking her head. The woods around were thick with corpses and animals. She resolved to be more careful, and continued on.

  * * *

  Slowly, Park came back from nothing. His back hurt. His shoulders hurt. Everything hurt.

  He felt pressure on his chest. Not the clutching throbs of before. Something external, pressing on him repeatedly. A small voice was shouting.

  He opened his eyes. It was cloudy, but he could see that he was on his back in the alley in which he'd fallen. A shape moved above him, then pounded on his chest over and over again.

  His hearing and vision cleared. Lilly knelt next to him, pounding on his chest with her small hands.

  "Breathe!" she yelled as she beat on him. "Breathe you fuck!"

  "Sprout..." said Park, his throat dry as he spoke.

  Lilly didn't seem to hear him. She kept pounding on his chest. "You fucking old people with your fucking dying!"

  "Dammit, sprout," said Park, sitting up. He brushed her aside. He was sweating despite the cold. "Stop."

  "You're alive!" said Lilly, hugging him. She pressed her dirty cheek into his. Then she pulled back, stepping away and scowling. "Dickhead."

  "Whatever you say," said Park, standing and brushing snow from himself. "Where'd our shooter go?" He turned away from her, staring into the dark opening the figure had disappeared down.

  "We lost him," said Lilly. "When you—"

  She abruptly stopped talking. Park turned to see what had happened. He stepped back, not sure what he was seeing.

  Lilly stood stock still, her arms straight down at her sides.

  And her eyes were glowing.

  * * *

  Angie stood on the porch to the farmhouse. The hand she kept on her cane was freezing, making her wish she'd taken the time to get her gloves. The guards who'd stayed with her were spaced out around the porch, keeping their posts. They were all searching the area surrounding the house, but there were no signs of any further attackers. No one climbing ropes up the side of the house to shoot through the windows.

  The children were crammed into the living room behind her, all trying to simultaneously see out the door and remain safely inside.

  Angie tried to remember how long it had been since Park had chased after the attacker. A few minutes, she guessed.

  Galli of the Guard spoke up. "You sure we shouldn't follow them?"

  Angie shook her head, almost wincing at the cold biting into her hand. "Park can handle it. And it may be a trap to lure us away from the house."

  "True enough," said Galli. "What about the girl? Lilly?"

  "You try stopping her."

  Galli laughed.

  A shot rang out in the distance and the guards tensed. Angie thought it sounded like Park's rifle but she couldn't be sure. Part of her was struck that she'd learned the difference between gunshots. Had it really only been three years?

  No other shots came. Angie heard the children behind her shuffling away from the door, whispering to each other in small, frightened voices.

  "Come on, Park...." Angie urged.

  She and the guards strained to listen. No other sounds came.

  A commotion came from the house. The sound of shuffling feet and gasps. Then silence.

  Angie turned just as Carly appeared in the door. "Ms. Land! Get in here now!"

  Carly pulled away from the door. Angie limped inside as quickly as she could. The guards stayed behind, watching the front.

  At first Angie noticed the room was brighter than before.

  Then she noticed the children's eyes were glowing. All of them. They all stood stock still, rigidly straight, bright, white light shining from all of their eyes.

  "What....?" Angie started, scanning the room for any clue to what was happening. She fell silent when her eyes landed on the stairs, on the open landing of the second floor.

  Dalton stood there. He, too, was rigid and still.

  And his eyes were glowing.

  * * *

  Maylee carefully traced a path through snowy brush and dead trees. The corpses around her had gotten so thick it had become very hard to keep away from them. She did the best she could, telling herself to remain aware of the ones nearest her. At any moment one might break from their trance. If that’s what it was. She supposed it didn't matter at the moment.

  The mob of corpses kept walking, slowly dragging their dead legs through the snow. Animals slowly filled the ranks also. Bears, bobcats, deer, boars, panthers, and a host of others, all of them slowly moving forward.

  Maylee stopped and looked back. She noticed the corpses were thinning out behind her. She stepped to one side, putting her back against a thick bunch of trees.

  Standing there, she watched the parade of corpses and animals slowly pass. Dead bodies shuffled through the snow, animals walking right along with them. Their numbers petered out.

  Finally, the last corpse, a fat old man with his ribs sticking from dark blue wounds in his torso, shuffled by. Maylee turned her head, watching him pass. He gave her no notice.

  She waited a few seconds, allowing the corpses to get well in front of her, then she stepped back out into the clearing.

  A hill was up ahead. The corpses and animals were slowly moving over it. Maylee waited, watching as the fat man with the jutting ribs went up and over.

  She sniffed at the cold air, running her gloved hand across her face. She wondered if she really wanted to see what was over that hill.

  She decided she did, and stepped forward, bracing herself in case the mob came back over it. She climbed the hill, her legs growing weary from all the walking she'd done. As she drew close to the top, she could hear the copses groan on the other side. She told herself she was being stupid. What if this was a trap?

  Corpses don't set traps, she told herself.

  She reached the top and looked down. And gasped at what the moonlight showed her.

  She hadn't realized they'd been approaching the church from another direction. The hill looked out over the field she and Dalton had run across. The graveyard they’d run through, the chapel where the congregation had torn Zach to pulp.

&nbs
p; Surrounding the church, filling up the entire field, was a massive mob of corpses. They had all stopped there, as though having reached their destination. The animals were there too, all stopped and staring. There must have been hundreds of them. Thousands.

  Standing in front of them was a blonde woman in a black dress. Maylee felt around on her neck until she found the strap to her binoculars. She pulled them to her face and looked through them.

  The blonde woman was Sharon, the one who'd stopped the trucks in their tracks. The flock stood behind her, looking far worse than when Maylee had seen them last. They were bloody, filthy and feral. Sharon held her arms out to the mob before her. The mob looked back, as if awaiting instructions.

  Sharon looked over her shoulder. At Maylee. Somehow, across the distance, Sharon looked straight through the lenses and into Maylee's eyes. It sent a jolt through Maylee and she dropped the binoculars.

  She turned and ran back down the hill. She had to get to town. She had to warn the others.

  * * *

  Angie stepped away from the door, to the side of the porch. She looked on in stunned silence. The Guard stood with her. No one knew what exactly to do.

  One by one, the children walked down the stairs and into the square. Their eyes glowed bright white into the darkness. Dalton brought up the rear.

  "Dalton, stop!" Angie yelled, limping over to the line of children. She felt panicked in a way she hadn't in years. "All of you stop!"

  She grabbed the next child that came out of the door. It was Johnny, a young boy with dirty black hair. He stopped when Angie grabbed his shoulders but gave no other response. He kept staring straight ahead, his eyes shining out like beacons.

  "Can you even hear me?"

  Johnny did not respond.

  Angie let go. The child resumed walking, across the porch and down the stairs.

  A few more children passed and Dalton reached the door. Angie dropped her cane and grabbed him with both hands. He stopped but tried to move forward, pushing against Angie's grip. He was surprisingly strong. Angie reminded herself how much he'd grown.