Infected Chaos

by Loren Edwards

  “Do you think we can start over again, Cliff?” she asked in a soft voice.

  “Yes, I do,” Cliff smiled at her.

  “I got a problem, y’all,” a voice announced over the PRC-148 radio, interrupting their conversation.

  Cliff grabbed the radio and pressed the transmit button. “Who is this and what’s the problem?”

  “Out of fuel. This is Galvin.”

  Cliff cussed slapping the steering wheel.

  “How much further can you drive?” Doug asked over the radio.

  “I’m slowing as we speak.”

  “Let’s stop here, guys,” Cliff transmitted.

  He shook his head, “How could he run out of fuel like this?” He asked looking at Jennifer.

  “Galvin, how could you let yourself run out of fuel?” Doug asked.

  “His gas gauge is broken, Cliff.” Jake answered over the radio.

  “I could have sworn the tank was full last night,” Galvin added.

  “Any gas cans, Doug?” Cliff radioed.

  “Yeah, I think we have a can.”

  Cliff looked in his driver’s side mirror. Doug was exiting the truck and walking to its bed. He grabbed a gas can and brought it to Galvin, who was standing next to the van. After emptying the gas can, Doug walked to the Humvee.

  “That’s about four gallons. The other can is empty; it had a hole in it, I’m guessing from the other night. This can,” Doug pointed, ”was hit about four inches from the top. We lost about gallon of fuel out of it. I don’t know how much further he can make it on four gallons, but it’s not going to get us to the warehouse.”

  Cliff chewed on his lip. “According to the map I saw last, there’s a gas station up the road somewhere. It was at an intersection near where we take a left. I’m guessing it’s about ten to fifteen miles from here,” Cliff pointed. “I think once we’re there, we can bed down for the night and come up with a plan at day break. We’ll try to siphon gas from abandoned cars, if we have to.”

  “That’s about the best idea I’ve heard yet. Sleep,” Doug smiled.

  Cliff looked at the odometer and made a mental note of the distance. “Let’s head that way.”

  The red and white colors of the gas station broke into the Humvee’s headlight beam at almost thirteen and seven-tenths of a mile. Cliff smiled; it looked like a safe place to sleep for the night. He looked less vulnerable than on the side of the road.

  He brought the Humvee under the gas station’s large awning and parked. Galvin and Doug followed and parked behind him. Doug drove the Ford around the awning and parked the truck facing the Humvee.

  Cliff tapped the steering wheel, “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  Cliff walked to the front of the Humvee and motioned for everyone but the kids to gather around him.

  “We need rest. There’s not much around here, according to the map. We’re eight miles from the interstate and fifteen miles from the nearest town. Galvin needs fuel to make it to the center,” he explained. “We’ll need to search for fuel at daybreak.”

  “How much further?” Chris asked.

  “Twenty more miles or so.”

  Groans filled the group.

  Cliff decided to ignore the groaning realizing everyone was exhausted. “Let’s get some sleep. I suggest one of you stay awake while the other sleeps, then switch off every two hours or so.”

  Everyone returned to their vehicle without further discussion. Cliff returned to the Humvee. Jennifer was already asleep. He nestled his hands to the left side of his face and leaned against the window and closed his eyes.

  “Dad,” Cassidy whispered.

  Cliff didn’t answer.

  “Dad?” she repeated. She shook his shoulder. “Dad!”

  Cliff felt a tug on his shoulders and Cassidy’s voice in his ear. After a few seconds, he blinked his eyes open. The tone of her voice concerned him.

  Cliff noticed the sun was breaking the horizon and wiped his eyes. “Yeah?” he slumbered. “How did you sleep, honey?”

  “Outside,” she whispered.

  Dark figures moved passed his door window. His eyes widened. Numerous infected creatures were roaming around the gas pumps. He looked ahead to see Doug and Chris were still asleep, unaware of the danger.

  He looked to see Jennifer sleeping. An undead creature walked passed her window. It was a grey-haired woman wearing a full-length coat. She looked dressed for a formal event. Her dress was covered in dirt, grime, and blood. Cliff’s muscle above his lip twitched when she turned and showed her left ear missing. Her left eyeball was hanging from its socket.

  “Good God,” Cliff mumbled.

  Cliff counted more than thirty undead creatures meandering around the parking lot. They were nowhere in sight last night. Where did they come from? He looked to his left, toward the road, there were two coach buses parked on the shoulder. The side of the bus read PARKHILL CASINO.

  “Son … of … a …,” he cussed under his breath. “Just our luck. We stay the night next to two buses full of casino-going retirees.”

  “Are we going to be okay, Dad?” Cassidy whispered.

  “Yes, honey. Just remain calm, and no sudden moves.”

  He spotted the doors to the convenience store to his right. The swinging doors were half ajar. The entire front of the store was glass displaying last month’s specials.

  He calculated their options. The thought of running inside entered his mind. They could start the vehicles and drive away. He hoped the creatures wouldn’t break the vehicle windows, but with Galvin’s limited fuel supply, there was no telling how far they could travel.

  “What do we do, Cliff?” Jake’s voice cracked through the radio speaker.

  Cliff picked up the radio from its cradle on the dash and turned the volume to a whisper. “I don’t know yet. We sit tight for right now.”

  “This won’t last long. I’ve had a few of these creatures stare at us, but when they saw Galvin, they moved on, because they thought he was one of them,” Jake joked.

  “Hey!” Cliff heard Galvin over the radio.

  “At least, they’re in good spirits,” Cliff said aloud. He glanced up to see Chris awake. Cliff waved at him and told him to stay calm using hand gestures. Doug was still asleep. That man can sleep and eat anywhere.

  “I feel like my head is on a swivel, dad. They’re everywhere,” Cassidy whined.

  Her words echoed in his mind. He looked above Cassidy and grinned. The Humvee had a turret on its roof and and he remembered seeing three flares in the rear cargo area.

  “Doug, you awake yet?” Cliff chimed over the radio.

  He watched Chris wake him and point to the radio. The expression on Doug’s face when he noticed the infected walking around was priceless; Cliff laughed. If Doug were sitting in a lawn chair, he would have fallen over.

  “Yeah, buddy,” Doug yawned.

  “We have an issue here.”

  “I can see that. Looks like we have a welcoming committee.”

  “Need you to look to your left. Do you see the door into the store?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wake everyone in the truck. Grab your gear, guns, knives, and ammo. We’ll make a dash to the store and barricade ourselves in.”

  “What if they break in through the glass?” Doug asked.

  “We’ll decide when we come to that,” Cliff countered.

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  Cliff stood in the Humvee turret between Cassidy and Jonathan. He meticulously unfastened the locks of the hatch determined not to make a sound. He wanted the creatures’ attention, but not before he was ready for them. He slid the latch open and stuck his head above the Humvee’s roof. He scanned in every direction, looking for the best target. He needed to draw the infected away from the store, giving everyone time to rush inside the store. One thing at a time, he told himself, compartmentalize everything; step by step to reach your goal. Each step executed with determination and deliberation, he reminded himself.


  He thought for a second, then decided on the culvert by the road twenty yards away. If he could get the brain-dead creatures to focus on the area farthest from the store, he hoped they would have enough time. He returned inside the Humvee and grabbed the handheld radio.

  “Is everyone ready?”

  “Yes,” Jake answered, followed by Doug’s confirmation.

  “Make sure everyone has a gun with ammo. We might be in there for a while, until these creatures lose interest and leave.”

  “Roger that,” Doug clicked in.

  “We must be quiet, don’t rush from the trucks and slam the doors. Remain quiet so not to bring attention to yourself. I’ll throw a flare toward the road, and we’ll wait till they meander to it. Once they walk away, I’ll give the word. I’ll need everyone to hurry inside. Carry the children if you have to. Jake and Galvin, I need you two to stand guard to let the children in. I’ll be the last inside,” Cliff instructed.

  He looked at the Ford and gave a thumbs-up. Doug returned the gesture. Cliff stood in the turret. He took a deep breath and snapped the flare. It came to life. Cassidy yelped when sparks showered her. She covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Sorry, honey.”

  Cliff reared his right arm ready to throw. He paused to look around to see if any of the creatures noticed him. He threw the lit flare as hard as he could toward the the culvert.

  The flare landed near his intended target. He ducked back into the Humvee and leaned over Cassidy, looking out her window. He watched the infected stumble toward the new, shiny object in their world. It worked.

  “You guys ready?” he asked looking at the kids.

  They nodded and smiled.

  “How about you?” he asked Jennifer.

  She nodded. He looked at her lap; she was holding a bag, her hands shaking.

  “Grab Jonathan when I give the word,” he instructed her.

  Cliff grabbed the radio and held it to his mouth, “You guys about ready? Wait for it.” He looked out the window of the Humvee and saw a few undead lingering behind the crowd. Most of the infected were huddled around it, mesmerized by the sparkling fire shooting from its end.

  “Go! Go! Go!” Cliff commanded through the radio.

  Jennifer bolted from the seat and threw open Jonathan’s door. She picked him up and threw the bag over her shoulder. Cassidy ran around the front of the Humvee and straight to the store’s door, where Chris was waiting. She hesitated to enter first and stopped short of the doors.

  “Follow me,” Chris instructed. He entered first with his rifle at his shoulder, ready.

  Galvin and Jake ran to each side of the doors and stood guard as Cassandra hustled Owen and Tyler in. An infected creature walking between the Humvee and the van turned when it spotted Cassidy. Galvin stepped past Cassidy and jammed his bayonet into the creature’s mouth. When a second creature turned, Galvin shifted his feet to the walker and slammed the butt of the rifle into the creature’s head. He twirled the gun and plunged the bayonet into the creature’s head.

  Cliff exited the Humvee with a bag and rifle. He shuffled the straps of the bag to his shoulder and ducked when an infected reached for him. He sprang upward with the butt of the M4, crushing the creature in the jaw. Cliff grimaced at the site of its jaw being torn from its face. The creature fell backward against the Humvee. Cliff swung the rifle around and drove the bayonet into the undead’s head. He turned and shuffled his feet sideways, looking for more.

  “Get inside, Galvin,” Cliff commanded.

  Cliff entered, and not a second after, Galvin and Chris pushed the doors closed. Doug pushed a shelf to the middle of the swinging doors to help block the entrance.

  “That noise is going to bring more this way!” Jennifer announced.

  “Clear the store first,” Cliff commanded. “Chris, stay here with the kids.”

  Cliff raised the rifle to his shoulder and walked to the rear of the building. He gestured to Doug to check the bathrooms. He passed the drink machine on his left, then turned to a dark hallway behind the glass refrigerators. He grabbed the flashlight from his back pocket and switched it on. He walked slowly down the small corridor. As he neared the end, he saw an undead huddled in the corner, its back facing him.

  When the light from his flashlight shined on the creature, it turned. It was a store employee; he was still in uniform. He let out a scream, its jaws at full width, and sprinted. Cliff stood his ground. He waited for the creature’s attack. He tightened his grip on the rifle and held the bayonet in front. The creature didn’t slow as the bayonet penetrated its mouth. Cliff took a step back from the impact. He watched in amazement as the undead man slid backward from the blade and onto the floor.

  “You see that?” Cliff laughed. “The poor guy just ran directly into the blade. I didn’t have to do anything.”

  Jake looked down at the creature and noticed the man’s name tag, “Poor Bob. Good thing he was short.”

  “Oh, God! Don’t make me laugh,” Cliff chuckled. He shook his head.

  Cliff returned to the front of the store seeing Jennifer watching the infected meander in the parking lot. “You okay?” he asked, putting his hand on her shoulders.

  “Yeah. Just worried how we’re going to get out of here.”

  “Give it some time,” he comforted her. “They’ll lose interest and start scattering, then we’ll head out.”

  “But what if they don’t?” she asked, turning to look at him.

  “I have no doubt. There’s nothing here for them,” Cliff offered.

  Jennifer tilted her head. “We’re here for them,” she replied.

  She was right, he admitted to himself. He took a deep breath and surveyed the store’s layout. The kids sat on the counter eating candy. Doug and Chris were sitting on the floor with their back against the wall, sleeping. Jake and Galvin stood at the opposite end of the store, engaged in conversation. Cliff wasn’t worried. He felt secure.

  “It will be fine, my dear. We’re safe.”

  “But it still scares me.”

  “We have food and water in here. The most you should be scared of is where everyone is going to go to the bathroom.”

  Jennifer laughed. She gave Cliff a quick kiss on his lips. “That’s the Cliff I fell in love with.” She laid her head on his chest.

  Cliff embraced her. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek on top of her head.

  She sniffled. He pulled away some; he saw her teary eyes. “What’s wron—“

  A loud alarm went off in the store. Jennifer and Cliff locked in a gaze of bewilderment.

  “It’s their alarm!” Jake yelled.

  The kids jumped off the counter, asking about the sound. Chris and Doug were startled awake.

  Cliff followed Jake to the rear storage room.

  “The alarm system thinks the store is being broken into. Apparently, it still is running off of batteries,” Jake yelled as he ran.

  “It’s going to bring those things in here if we don’t get it turned off!” Cliff yelled. He saw the alarm box on the back wall. He watched Jake follow his hand across metal tubing that ran from it to another unmarked box. Jake asked for a screwdriver or knife. Cliff gave him a small multi-tool from his pocket.

  Jake studied the Swiss Army knife and unfolded the flathead screwdriver. He pried the door panel open. Cliff removed the bayonet from his rifle and slid it under the door panel on the second box. With both hands, he managed to force the door from the metal box, revealing a set of two twelve-volt batteries.

  “Cut the ground,” Jake stated.

  Cliff used the blade of the bayonet to cut the two black wires. The alarm fell silent.

  “The damage is already done,” Cliff sighed. “I’m sure we just rang the dinner bell.”

  Cliff ran to the front of the store. His face turned sour when he saw a mob of infected lining against the front of the store; their hands clawed at the glass as if they were struggling to swim. Cliff stood next to Jennifer and told her to take the kids to
the back.

  “What now?” Doug asked.

  “Go find the ladder that leads to the roof,” Cliff answered.

  The glass began to crack. The creatures at the glass were being squashed by those in the rear of the assembling mob. Cliff was amazed by how quickly they converged against the glass.

  The left front glass panel shattered.

  “Get to the back! Now!” Cliff yelled. “Go now!”

  Cliff followed everyone to rear of the store. He saw Doug ascending a ladder to a hatch in the roof.

  Doug used his shoulder to push against the metal cap of the hatch. After two unsuccessful tries, he pulled his pistol from his hip pocket and shot the locking mechanism, breaking it into pieces. The report of the gunshot was deafening. He grunted and pushed until it swung opened.

  “Better hurry,” Jake said over his shoulder as the mob approached.

  “Get the kids up there, now!” Cliff demanded.

  Jake stood with his back to the ladder firing shots with his M4 rifle at the approaching mob. The infected were mostly elderly, but their grace and speed took him by surprise.

  “I need help!” Jake yelled. “There’s too many!”

  Chris and Galvin turned and began shooting the approaching creatures.

  “Do your best until we get the kids up!” Cliff pushed Jonathan up the ladder. Doug reached from the roof and lifted him the last three rungs. Cliff returned to the approaching mob. He readied his rifle to his shoulder and shot four infected in the head as they neared. He tapped Jake on the shoulder and motioned him to go up next.

  “You’re next,” Cliff told Chris.

  Chris nodded without taking his eyes from the endless stream of creatures. He squeezed the trigger methodical, aiming his rifle left then right with smoothness. His reaction to the threat impressed Cliff; he knew Chris had strength in him.

  The three of them killed twenty before they stepped back toward the ladder. The flow of creatures continued. Chris turned and climbed the ladder as fast as he could, followed by Galvin.

  “Climb faster!” Galvin screamed.