Zombies on the Rock (Book 2): The Viking Trail

by Carberry, Paul

  "He went to get you some gas from the pumps." Her neck jiggled as she spoke -- she must have been one of the few people in the world who gained weight during the apocalypse. "We want you gone as soon as possible."

  "I will be gone as soon as I have a vehicle." David never did thank the elderly couple for taking him in last night, probably because she shoved a shotgun in his face when they opened the door. The bell jingled as the husband walked through the doors, the shotgun resting in his hands at waist level. He wore rather large, thick glasses with a chain attached to them that hung around his neck. His frail, white hair stuck out from underneath an old ball cap that had seen better days, the logo had faded into obscurity. His blue coveralls were stained in grease, dirt, and blood.

  "Car's ready." He tossed the keys into David's lap. "Now, move along. We can't feed every soul that passes by my shop."

  "You survived here alone since the beginning?" David was curious how two old people could have made it this far by themselves.

  "No, we sheltered people here in the beginning, but we quickly learned they can be more trouble than they are worth." The husband's raspy voice sounded distant.

  "We lost our son because of someone else's mistake." The wife ran her fingers through her knotted, grey hair.

  "Plus, no one contributes. They just take and take until you have nothing left." The husband sounded bitter. "So, just be glad we are letting you live."

  The response made David furious, he could feel his blood pressure boiling. They should be grateful that he let them live; they had no idea who he was. David threw the blanket to the floor and lumbered towards the elderly couple, snatching a bag of potato chips off the shelf. The husband snatched the bag from David's hands and ripped it open, sending chips everywhere.

  They both had a scowl on their faces, but David laughed at the elderly man. "I know they're no bullets left in that gun." A sinister smirk crossed David's lips. David clasped the barrel in his hand and jammed it into the old mans face, breaking his nose. Blood gushed from his nostrils as he staggered backwards, falling into the shelves. David swung the butt end of the rifle into the elderly lady’s face and a burst of blood erupted over the white linoleum floor. She dropped to the floor face first, unable to brace herself against the fall. David walked out the front door laughing the whole way. "Just be glad I let you live."

  David looked at the tiny car they had waiting for him. The red paint had chipped and started to peel, the back bumper was missing, and the original driver side door had been replaced by a blue one from another vehicle. David squeezed into the passenger seat, turned the key, and drove away once the engine started to sputter and rattle.

  Three Hours Ago

  It had taken David days to travel the highway. Every car left behind on the highway had made it extremely difficult to navigate. As the engine in David's car struggled valiantly to climb over the long, winding hill, he was startled by an old pick-up truck barrelling towards him, skidding to a stop inches from a collision.

  David looked in amazement at Ted, the head of payroll for Pharmakon. Ted glared back, wide eyed at David, a look of astonishment on his face. David pushed the door open as far as it would go, and swung his legs out, placing his feet on the pavement. Ted hopped out of the cab of the truck and rushed over to help David get out of the tiny vehicle. As Ted neared the small car, David noticed the dried blood covering his jeans and the filthy bandage wrapped around his arm.

  "Mr. Steele, you have to help me get to the safe house!" Ted was ecstatic.

  "Why aren't you already there, Ted, you paid your money." David was annoyed by Ted's demand.

  "I got stuck with a group of survivors the first night, was never able to make it to Buchans." Ted's whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

  David felt his spine crack as he stood up, eyeing the larger cab of the truck. "Why didn't you just take your car and drive there?" David felt it hard to ignore the gauze on Ted's wrist; the dark stains looked like they had been there a while, but the bandage was still wet. It looked like it was oozing out some kind of thick sludge that barely resembled human blood.

  "Lost my car first night. Thought I would be able to fly out of this hellish nightmare, but the helicopter pilot got bitten on the first day." A brisk wind whipped Ted's unkempt hair around his face -- usually he kept it very short, but most people had become scragglier looking than before the outbreak.

  "Helicopter pilot?" David couldn't believe his luck. Jason had left in that black chopper with the two cops.

  "Yeah, why?" Ted looked confused.

  "Was he with anyone else?" David was trembling with excitement. Jason had fallen right into his lap. David had worried that his search for his foe would be futile. He just couldn't believe his good fortune; it would only be a matter of time before David got his revenge.

  "Yeah, a cop and a few other guys."

  David had found where Jason was hiding. "Take me there now."

  David grabbed Ted by the collar of his shirt and dragged him back to the truck. He tossed Ted into the driver’s side, slamming the door behind him as David raced to the passenger side. Finally David was able to stretch his legs out in the cab of the truck, another luxury he was happy to enjoy. Things were finally starting to go in David Steele’s favour.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN:

  DEVILISH PLANS

  An eighteen wheeler blocked off the entrance to the driveway to the Jones' cabin as Ted drove down the gravel road. Thunderous booms ripped through the air as gunfire erupted in controlled bursts, the source of the chaos hidden behind the trees. Ted put the gearshift in neutral and the truck idled noisily as they waited for David to give the next set of orders.

  "Who owns the giant truck?" David had a scornful look on his face.

  "I'm not sure, it wasn't here when I left." Ted didn't know what to say; even though he had worked with David for years, he was unsure of how he would react to bad news. Ted didn’t know about David's obsession with Jason; Ted had heard that Eric rescued Jason from Fox Island the first night of the outbreak.

  If anyone should be hell bent on revenge, it was Jason. His rage over David kidnapping his wife and running corrupt experiments on her should have been stronger than David’s bruised pride. It should have been – but it wasn’t.

  David had his head extended out the window, his bulging neck muscles straining as he extended his ear towards the bursts of gunfire. "Is there anywhere we can go to get a better look at what's going on?"

  Ted thought about the cabin where he had abandoned his children; they would be able to get a much better view of what was taking place from over there. Ted shoved the gearstick into reverse and made a sharp left turn towards the driveway. "We can get a good look from the beach in front of this cabin." Ted wasn't sure if he was embarrassed about leaving his children behind in a moment of weakness or disappointed that he was back. In a way he had felt free as he left behind the burden of his children. Since he’d been bit, his point of view had been rapidly changing. It was as if his moral compass had taken a quick turn south; he no longer cared for his children even though he knew he was meant to.

  The continuous echo of gunfire drowned out the sound of the rocks crunching underneath the tires as Ted backed the truck down the driveway. A lone zombie shuffled across the back lawn, and its sunken eyes darted towards them as they approached. Its dark brown beard was tarnished with blood, the red liquid still spilling out from its mouth.

  Ted's stomach clenched, his mind immediately racing to an image of his two girls being torn apart. Deep down inside he felt sad, but nowhere near as distraught about the disturbing image as he should have been. His former self was clinging to the back of his mind as the virus eroded his brain, slowly turning him into this monster he was transforming into, one far worse than any of the recently deceased. It was this former self that feared for his daughters while the rest of him mourned the chance of freedom.

  The freak nearly fell over as it suddenly changed directions, tripping on its own bare fe
et. The soles of his feet were blackened while rocks and splinters of wood protruded from the flesh. The skin was cracked and bloody and a trail of blood smeared the snow behind it as it shambled towards them.

  "Do you want to take care of it?" Ted looked in David's direction, but he had already exited the truck and sprinted towards the feeble creature, ready to attack his prey with a brutal ferocity Ted never expected. David didn't even bother with a weapon; he used his sheer brute force and savage hatred to systematically dismantle the sickly oddity. An overpowering kick to the leg shattered the kneecap, toppling the zombie and sending it sprawling face first into the ground. David placed his foot in between the shoulder blades, reaching down with one hand and tearing the arm from its socket in a violent display of power. Dark blood gushing from the gaping wound, spilling into the snow. Then, as a final insult, David caved in the zombie’s skull with a fury of crushing blows with his fists.

  "I think he's dead." Ted laughed at the raw display of unwarranted fury. He looked up towards the second floor window, afraid that he would see his little angels’ faces. His new attitude wished they had wandered away and he would never have to deal with them again. He wanted Tina more than his own children.

  David stood up and walked towards the beach as if nothing had happened, carnage dripping from his fists and leaving a trail of gore behind. Ted had a sudden flashback: he pictured the day he had bashed Kenny's head in with that pipe.

  But this was different. Ted had had a justifiable reaction to a dangerous situation. David was just a raving lunatic in Ted's opinion.

  "Ted!" David bellowed as he approached the lake. "Get over here!"

  Ted approached the beach where soldiers in their uniforms were dispatching the horde of zombies with precise and deadly accuracy. It was almost beautiful.

  "You never told me about the military." David glared at Ted, a murderous look in his eyes.

  Ted's heart started to tremble as David charged towards him. "I didn't know they were here, I swear."

  David's knee dug deep into Ted's abdomen, knocking the wind from his lungs with tremendous force. Ted buckled over, using his hand to keep him from falling flat on his face. David drove his elbow down into Ted's back. The great force knocked Ted the rest of the way to the ground. David used his foot to roll Ted over, his colossal frame standing above him. With immeasurable strength, David pressed his boot on Ted's chest, pinning him to the ground. "Are you trying to set me up?"

  Tina watched Eric help his father push the corpse off his chest; it was probably the largest zombie she had ever seen. It must have weighed three hundred pounds, its coveralls coated in blood and tiny morsels of flesh. Bloodstains were all around its mouth from one of the many victims the creature had gorged on, for even in death this massive woman still had an insatiable appetite.

  Tina couldn't believe that Dana had been the one to save Jack's life; she had been paralyzed by fear for most of the outbreak. Eric hadn't let Dana participate in any of the supply runs, and did his best to keep her as far away from danger as he possibly could. Now, she stood there triumphant, like a warrior towering over her fallen victim.

  Jason had to rush over and help Eric roll the body over, the three men struggling to move the dead weight. Jack sat up, struggling to catch his breath and holding his arms across his chest. Stella rushed over to her husband and embraced him; Jack's face cringed with pain from the bear hug.

  Tina couldn't help but notice the stench of decaying flesh and gunpowder in the air. This was by far the biggest group of zombies she had ever been near. It was terrifying to see how many of the creatures existed. If the military had such an easy time dispatching the throng of undead, why were there still so many of the foul creatures roaming around? How many zombies could there possibly be on this island? How many people had died since the outbreak started? She knew her father had already died and now she wondered if he was still roaming the earth as one of those vile creatures or if had he been taken care of. Tina prayed her mother was still alive somewhere.

  Calvin leaned against the railing of the bridge, barely able to stand under his own power. His face was contorted in a look of anguish. Tina looked through the thick trees towards the other cabin and spotted Ted's truck in the driveway. She wanted to hate Ted for deserting them, leaving Calvin for dead and Tina to fend for herself, but she understood why. Ted had left his children behind for her, and when it looked like things were about to go south, he needed to protect them.

  Tina moved towards the cabin where she had spent most of her time with Ted. Calvin strained his neck to look up at her as she past by. "Where are you going?" Calvin's voice cracked with pain.

  She didn't feel like getting into an argument with Calvin, but Tina knew he would be furious with Ted for leaving him behind. "To check on Jessica and Katie." Even Calvin couldn't find a reason to hate Ted's precious twin daughters; they were innocent in all of this. "Ted left them all alone over there, to try and save you." Tina knew it was a lie, Ted had wanted to flee at the first sight of the horde, but Tina had convinced him to stay. She enjoyed having such power over Ted. She had never felt such a strange sense of control over anyone before.

  Calvin slumped down against the railing, awkwardly falling down to the wooden planks. "Call out if you need my help." His voice faltered, the pain obviously reaching Calvin's threshold. Hopefully Nick would return soon with the ambulance, full of a vast array of painkillers and muscle relaxers.

  Tina couldn't picture Calvin ever getting up again. The look of suffering on Calvin's face signalled his defeat, but earlier when they were in dire danger, Calvin had summoned the courage to keep fighting. "I will." Tina knew Calvin would be too stubborn to accept her help, so she just kept heading down the driveway.

  David had shoved Ted to the ground where the wet, sloppy snow sent an icy shockwave down his back. David towered over him, his cruel crackling laugher freezing Ted to the ground. Ted looked away, avoiding David's demented glare, anxiously awaiting the final crushing blow. As the paralyzing fear took control, Ted's lungs burned from the lack of oxygen as he held his breath, the predator standing in front of him, savouring the weakened prey.

  "Get up, you weak sack of shit." David's hand dug deep into Ted's shoulder as he was yanked to his feet.

  Ted nearly stumbled forwards from the great ferocity of David tossing him around like a rag doll. "When I left, it was just a few people here. I have no idea why, or how the military arrived," Ted tried to defend himself. Ted's feet limply dangled several inches from the ground. David's fierce eyes looked up at Ted as he held him like a child off the ground. The pain in Ted's shoulders pulsed as David squeezed harder.

  "Who's that young girl? And why is she heading this way?" David tossed Ted to the ground once more, this time landing in the damp snow on his belly.

  A mouth full of dirt and snow made it hard for Ted to talk. "Shit." Ted watched Tina walk past Calvin; she would be heading straight over here to check on the children. "She's coming to look for me, she must see the truck."

  David looked down at Ted with disgust. "Why the fuck would she give a rat's ass about someone like you?"

  A burning rage crept up inside Ted, he wanted to unleash a fury of blows against the monster that stood above him, but he thought better of it. "I... I don't know?" Ted stuttered, unsure of what was going to happen once Tina got over here.

  "You're going to be my little spy, Ted, you're going to help me set a trap." David picked Ted up from the ground, more gently than before.

  "What? How?" Ted was on edge -- whatever disturbing idea was racing through David's demented brain could have irreparable consequences.

  "You're going to have to figure something out. Get Jason away from the military somehow. I don't care. Just do as you’re told and I'll let you live." David started to back away towards the forest as Tina's footsteps disturbed the rocks at the end of the driveway.

  "What about Buchans? I paid my money, I want in," Ted begged to secure his safety.

  "
You will get inside, but only after I get Jason." David stopped at the edge of the woods. "I won't be too far, make sure you don't try and run away. I'll be watching you, and make sure the military doesn't get involved... " David turned and vanished into the forest.

  Ted's heart raced as he worried about carrying out this deception. If Eric found out about it, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him. If he didn't do as David told him, David would tear him to pieces. Ted had to play a treacherous game. He needed to secure his own safety and he would love to keep Tina around. The situation probably meant suffering the company of his needy children, but Ted was sure he could make Tina take care of them for him. He had her wrapped around his finger.

  "Ted!" Tina broke into a sprint towards Ted.

  As they approached the dirt road towards Howley, Frank couldn't help but marvel at the iron gates that Chris had recently constructed. During one of their supply runs, Chris had the great idea to steal the iron gates from the inn located in Deer Lake, a deterrent to anyone who wanted to approach the growing community. The long, black steel poles had sharp spikes on top, and rust had begun to corrode the jagged pikes, making them more menacing. A thick, heavy-duty metal chain kept the gates locked from the inside. It was enough to stop a car from passing by, but Chris had also suggested building a guardhouse and keeping a watchman on at all times. However, Frank didn't have enough capable bodies to keep a constant vigil over the entrance.

  Jarvik guided the horse down into the deep ditch, gravel and rocks slipping underneath its hooves as it navigated over the slick bank. "Steady girl!" Jarvik patted the horse on its neck, trying to stop the wild beast from pitching them from the saddle.

  Frank nearly fell off the horse as it reached the bottom of the ditch, but as the horse steadied herself, Frank managed to squat into a secure perch atop the saddle. "So what do you want from us?"