by Jesse Gagnon
“Go ahead, motherfucker! Do it!” He taunted the figure.
“Do what? You look like shit esé. I’m surprised I don’t have to use this on you too.” A young Hispanic man explained while resituating his two hand grip on the aluminum bat in his hands.
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” John took a knee, lowered his head and just zoned out for a second.
“You okay dude?” The man asked.
“Just…just give me a second.” John muttered under his breath, raised his right arm and held out one finger.
“Alright, alright. I’ll give you a minute. I owe you my life holmes. Take all the time you need.”
John used his shirt to wipe off the rest of the blood off of his face and calmed his breathing before he stood to his feet.
“Alright, I gotta get moving. I just hope it was worth it.”
“What was worth it?”
“Whatever you found in there.” John pointed towards the RV.
“An old flip cell phone, vhs tapes and a useless netbook that needs the internet to be useful. So, no it wasn’t worth it.” The young man admitted.
“Be careful out here. Hey, uh…” John had trouble reading the street signs. “…you know how to get to Douglas Park from here?”
“Why do you want to go there? There’s nothing for you there holmes.” He asked.
“Calling in a favor. I need to speak to someone about a friend.”
“Talk to who?”
“Clip.”
“Did you say Clip?”
“I did. Do you know him?” John tried to see the man but his eyes were fucked.
“Who doesn’t? He owns Douglas Park now. I doubt he’ll be able to help since he’s been busy as hell lately.”
“I just need to talk to him.”
“Alright esé, since I owe you I’ll take you to him. I’ll even get you some pussy. Soleena loves gringos dude. Shit, once I tell her you punched an Azrael in the face she’ll probably want to marry yo’ ass.” He laughed.
“That’s okay I got someone. She’s why I’m out here in the first place. Savanna’s in trouble.”
“Savanna, alright let’s get moving then. Come on.” The man started to walk away.
“Hey, what’s your name anyway?” John asked.
“Philip, but everyone just calls me Flip.”
“Flip it is. Thanks for this.” John reached out to shake his hand. Flip leaned the bat against the RV and shook John’s hand with both hands. John’s hand was shaking and his breathing was troubled due to a broken nose.
“You must love her esé.” Flip admitted, picked up the bat and laid it across his right shoulder as he led John to Douglas Park.
CHAPTER 30: A SNIPER’S TALE
Chris removed his rifle from the trunk of the car and set it up in the back window. It was shattered during the crash earlier and the trunk was stable enough to hold the front legs of the tripod. He dragged Mario and laid him in the passenger seat with the seat reclined all the way back. He closed all doors, placed a netted tarp over them and waited. Most if not all threats would originate from behind them. Along with the sniper rifle were claymore explosives designed to trip if anything stepped in front of it. It was directional which allowed him to place it close to each side of the vehicle to get optimal damage while still protecting him from the blast. Every sniper needed these in their arsenal. He was no exception.
After minutes of nothing but breeze drawn bags or the occasional domestic cat appearances, something moved down the road from where they came. It was a sizable herd that was drawn by something. Chris zoomed out and searched the area near the trucks and RVs where Savanna was taken. About four men were grilling on a charcoal grill. The breeze blew the smoke sideways towards the herd.
“Wait, what is that?” He asked himself.
A white van drove up to the trucks and men in suits stepped out. That Steele asshole dragged Savanna out of the back of one of the recreational vehicles and handed her over to the men. Chris zoomed in. It looked as though they roughed her up a bit. Her clothes were torn and her face was bruised. She still fought them wildly as they performed the exchange. The men in suits handed Steele a box and he placed it on the tailgate of a nearby truck. One of the men from the van stuck a needle in the back of her neck which gradually weakened her assault to a standstill. Two men brought her now limp body into the van and hopped in the back with her while closing the doors behind them. Chris watched as the van sped off to the north and there was nothing he could do to stop them. Sure he could have shot them. Then what? They would have still gotten away with Savanna and the Azrael herd that is… Chris panned his rifle back on the herd… heading this way would have been drawn to the gunfire and there would be none around to tell what happened. At least she’s safe from that herd that’s about to… and there it is… burgers and zombies. Chris zoomed out and could see the constant flow of Azrael converging on those gangbangers. He heard gunshots.
“Nice, unsuppressed fire, that’s gonna end well.” He spoke under his breath. They were doing remarkably well against them despite their poor training. Problem is that there were too many pouring in.
“Oh, there’s Steele. He’s going to the boxes.” Chris mumbled as he watched. Chris subconsciously rubbed at his left jaw where the man hit him. Steele retrieved a sub machine gun from the box. “That looks pricey! I wonder if he knows how to…” Chris noticed Steele fumbling with the weapon. “…yup, safety’s on.” He was fucking with it while hoping that he’d figure out how to actually handle it and finally... “Whoa, friendly fire.” Chris said. Steele just shot one of his men. “Nice one asshole.” Chris mumbled.
The other men argued with him. They all looked angry now. Nobody was paying attention to... “Ouch.” Looks like their eating the one he shot. Maybe he was already dead. Steele pushed the others towards the Azrael as he attempted to escape in the back of one of the RVs. Before he could turn around to close the door his leg was grabbed and bitten into. It then dragged him to the ground and ate him until his taste changed. And the last one to get infected is…
“Captain Steele, congratulations, how does it feel to be chosen last to be on team Alpha Zulu?” Chris joked quietly.
“Uh, first of all, I’d like to thank that white bitch. Her sacrifice brought me this fine weapon right here.” Chris attempted a Steele impersonation. He watched as the virus took root, killing its host and seconds later reviving him as something else. Chris zoomed in closer and saw its eyes, those damned gray eyes.
Suddenly, something walked in front of his view blocking out the whole scene. He zoomed out, still blocked. He zoomed out again and again until he smelled it. He withdrew his face from the scope and a large Azrael was standing in front of him. It was larger than any he’d seen before. It sniffed the air and looked right at Chris. He froze. Did it really see him? His face was bearded and it was missing a patch of hair on its left cheek. If he shot he would give away his position to all of them. If he waited, maybe it won’t find him. A green meshed tarp covered Chris and Mario in the car. It was part of his kit. Chris always prepared for the worst. It came closer to the car and smelled the ground on the passenger side, where John’s blood caked the ground. He heard something like sandpaper rubbing the pavement. It sat up with blood on its tongue. It sniffed the air again and its eyes rolled in the back of its skull. The claymore…it didn’t explode. He thought a bit and tried to retrace his steps. Fuck, he didn’t activate it. Shit, a rookie mistake. It may be his last. Three more massive Azrael appeared and circled the large Azrael. They grunted and the large Alpha responded with a long grumble.
What the fuck was happening? Why don’t they just get it over with? It reached in and felt around the passenger seat. It felt the tarp and rubbed its hands across it. Its fingers caught the netting and it started to pull off of Mario. Chris quietly slid his arm under and grabbed the cover removing it from the Azrael’s hand. It yanked its arm out quickly and howled ferociously. The car shook as its arm grasped the side of the door
. The Alpha and the others ran towards the street where the herd came from. The vehicle rocked back and forth after it pushed off of it. They were on all fours building speed barreling through the smaller Azrael as if they were bowling pins.
A distant hum of motorcycles approached. They were heading into a trap. Should he warn them, giving away his position and guaranteeing an imminent death? He looked into the scope and zoomed in. He thought of Savanna, and what would have happened if he acted instead of waiting for a plan. His reticle followed the Alpha as it plowed over the smaller ones in pursuit of what was coming. He placed his finger on the trigger, adjusted the sights and aimed at its skull. He paused for a moment and then squeezed the trigger. As if it heard the shot, the Alpha turned its head and looked at him from over its shoulder. One of the other large Azrael stepped in front of the bullet and absorbed it in the back of its skull. As it dropped the Alpha vanished. Did it hear the shot before it hit it? It had to, it fucking heard it! He ejected the brass and it rolled off of the seat and down onto the floorboard. The Azrael were too distracted to have been able to hone in on Chris’ location. He released a long breath that he was holding in. All of the large Azrael were out of sight. However, the motorcycles were still coming. The normal Azrael began to pour out towards the bikes now as well. Several seconds later he heard metal hit the pavement and saw an explosion a few blocks down the road. It was too late. The Azrael were drawn out towards the glow of the fire and the sound of the explosion. They disappeared from view. Chris was safe, for now.
About fifteen minutes later Chris dropped his guard. The Azrael were out of sight and he couldn’t hear anything but a whistle of the breeze through the car’s broken windows. Suddenly, the smell of Azrael rot returned. It was overpowering. Chris slowly drew away from the scope and could feel something watching him. He instinctively spun to his left and the Alpha was gawking quietly at him with a wicked grin. He tried to turn his rifle but it viciously yanked him from the car by his leg. His head struck the frame of the door dazing him and causing him to drop his rifle as he fell clumsily on the ground. Its eyes grew big and it licked its disheveled beard that hung over its lips. Its head tilted back and forth studying Chris’ eyes with its own. Chris leaned the back of his head against the door as he sat awkwardly in front of the massive Azrael. Its delay frustrated Chris.
“Fucking do i…” Chris’ words were cut short as his throat was savagely torn from his neck by the Alpha’s right hand. He started choking on the blood that spurted out of his neck and into his windpipes. It watched him die. Slowly he drowned in his own blood, bobbing his head up and down with his eyes still open wide. The joy that was on the creatures face was horrifying. Once he took his last breath and his heart ceased to function the Alpha began to feed on him.
A few minutes after a small red light blinked and beeped on the scope as it lay pointed at the Alpha still wedged between the back seat and the window. It indicated the recording function had ceased due to inactivity and managed to mask Mario’s weak heartbeat in the car. After eating most of Chris’ flesh the Alpha moved towards the motorcycle wreck.
CHAPTER 31: SAVANNA’S PRISON
A sweet melody pushed its way into Savanna’s ears. Her eyes opened and she felt swelling on the right side of her face. Country music surrounded her, coming from everywhere. Her eyes were blurry and she blinked several times in attempts to clear her vision. She was lying comfortably on what felt like a bed. She attempted to move her hands fearing that she was being restrained and found that she was free to move. Her vision slowly cleared up. The music comforted her and she turned to see where it was coming from. She was alone in a room and the lights were out but a dim light was breaking through the white curtains on the windows providing visual of the room.
“Hello?” She called out. The music faded away and a voice answered.
“You’re finally awake.” An elderly woman’s voice spoke.
“What’s going on? Where am I?” She asked.
“Don’t worry dear. You’re safe now.”
“I wasn’t in any danger until those assholes caused us to crash. I think they were your assholes.” She responded.
A long silence followed her comment. Seven minutes later the woman’s voice returned.
“I was told your friend crashed the vehicle.”
“Well, tell that asshole he wouldn’t have crashed it if they didn’t blow our tires.”
Again a silence followed. This time it was for about fifteen minutes. The music returned. Savanna was up pacing the room. The door was locked and the windows were ballistic grade. A 52 inch television was on the wall in front of the bed. A red light in the bottom right corner of it indicated that it had power. She was wearing a hospital gown and her clothes were cleaned and folded on an armchair next to the bed. She smelled them and sighed from the smell of the detergent used. She checked her body for signs of bruises or cuts that she didn’t have before. The only thing that she found was a small adhesive bandage on her left arm. She peeled it back and saw a needle mark there. She panicked.
“What the crap is this?” She asked while studying the needle mark. The music faded again.
“You were bitten. We found the marks. We had to sedate you just in case you were going to turn.” The woman spoke.
“That’s a lie and you know it. You know those marks were from a while ago. You know I’m immune!” Savanna shouted.
“You’re not alone Savanna.” The voice returned.
“How do you know my name?”
“We found your identification card for the Highwaymen.”
“How many others”
“Thousands like yourself, but only a few have absolute immunity?”
“What does that mean?”
“You are a carrier, Savanna.”
“What? I, I’ve yet to infect someone. That’s bullshit.” She admitted.
“It’s dormant, like cancer awaiting the right trigger.”
“What trigger?”
“We don’t know yet. That’s why we are studying you and those like you.”
“So, what about my friends, where are they?”
“They were not killed if you must know.”
“Well, then where the hell are they? Where am I?”
“Our acquisition crew may be a bit rough but they were instructed not to kill. You, on the other hand, shot one of them. You are dangerous and are being quarantined until we deem you fit to join the others.”
“I, I don’t want to join the others. I need to get back to my friends. Mario needs me, he has a possible brain injury.”
“That is not possible Savanna.”
“Like hell, it’s not. Get me the hell out of here!” She shouted.
The voice dropped and the music gradually returned.
“Shit.” Savanna sat back on the bed and rubbed at the bite scar on her arm.
“A carrier?” She questioned. The music calmed her and she fell asleep shortly after.
CHAPTER 32: ARISE FROM THE DECAY
A field as beautiful as any Jason had seen before spanned for miles in all directions. Random assortment of colors decorated the green field as it were painted. The sky was a rich blue hue and the sun warmed his face. He walked through barefoot in tan cargo shorts and a light blue tank top. He felt at peace with everything. Birds sang their song in the distance and a voice carried in the breeze.
“Jason.” The voice called out. It sounded familiar but was broken up by the wind.
“Jason, you’ve done well.” The voice became more identifiable. It was his dead wife.
“Jessica?” Jason called out while searching the landscape for her.
“Jessica could no longer stay in this place. A place between the living and what’s next.” It returned but sounded just like his wife.
“You, you sound like Jessica. Why?” He asked.
“Some things are better left unexplained Jason. Just know that you are doing well. You’ve saved those children. It will not be forgotten. No matter what
your body does beyond your control, you have stayed true to yourself.”
“I, uh, what does that mean? What’s going on? Am I dead?”
“You’ve died a long time ago, Jason. The answer you seek is beyond that field.”
Jason began to run forward and the field remained endless. Its beauty was astounding but had no end in sight.
“Have you figured it out, Jason?” The voice returned as if it were surrounding him in all directions, enveloping him in Jessica’s voice.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to say. Enough with these riddles. What’s going on?” Jason yelled at the voice, the voice that was everywhere.
The sky turned gray as dark clouds masked the sunlight. The breeze turned into a wailing current of air pushing Jason back and causing the brilliant colors that adorned the landscape to break free and disappear into the wind. He became cold as the temperature plummeted. His breath bellowed from his lungs but was immediately sucked away into the gusts that carried all that was good to the far reaches of the field behind him.
“I don’t understand!” He screamed.
“Then you are not ready to move on to what’s next.” The voice broke through the swift and ferocious gusts.
Jason stood there, still holding onto the idea that he might see his sister again. He wasn’t ready to move on. Although a zombie roaming the world alone in his struggles, he still clung on to hope, a hope that there is something more in this world for him. There is something left for him here, keeping him from leaving and entering the place beyond our world.