Zombie Rush 4: Zombie Rush

by Joseph Hansen

  “If I can get on my feet, I’ll be all right,” Dean replied to the former ring fighter.

  “Nope, not until we get some food in you,” Sharon said.

  “Well, I’m not going to trust anything in here.”

  “We’ve searched around and all we can find is some beef, or what looks like beef jerky. Nobody wants to try it so I have some granola and dried fruit that I brought with me.”

  “Great, thanks,” Dean said and gobbled down what she offered in a hurry. He glanced over and almost lost what he had just eaten as he saw Kodiak and Charlie struggling to get through the last part of Web’s neck in order to separate the head from his body. It was official; the scourge of Hot Springs was dead. “Did you happen to get his address?”

  “Yeah, it’s on the registration in the vehicles and we have all of the keys to them too. It’s actually quite a find here in this little shack. He had been operating out of here for some time.”

  “What about the guy in the chair who was being peeled like a grape?”

  “Nobody peels grapes, fool,” Sharon said sarcastically. “We asked him and he was barely able to talk since his tongue had been removed, so he wrote this.” Sharon handed Dean a notepad. On it were the words, all in capitals, KILL ME … PLEASE.

  “So what did you do?”

  “Kodiak found enough morphine in the fridge over there to kill a horse and the man just went to sleep,” Sharon said as she tied off the last stitch. “You’re going to have to go to the hospital, you know.”

  “Yeah, right,” Dean replied. “What say we drag these bodies a block or two away and leave them for whatever monster decides to visit us next. This building is self-sufficient and has some valuable stuff in it that we could utilize down the road.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Charlie said as he came over, wiping the blood from his hands. “I got enough 12-gauge shells to last a year, not to mention some of the other guns and shit available. I found Shaaka too.”

  Dean smiled at his son, half tempted to scold him for his language but then realized that the boy had been killing zombies for over a week and had just helped remove the head of the most heinous serial killer to ever exist in Hot Springs, Arkansas. “Take only what you need for now, Charlie. We’ll be hitting this place again and his house when we leave.”

  “Leave? You mean the compound?” Sharon asked and even Kodiak stopped her tasks to hear what he had to say.

  “Yeah, after fighting zombies for a week, I don’t think that I could survive in there for very long. I’m not the kind of person who can be a part of something like that anymore. Besides, I think the zombies are dying out and that leaves a big ass world that needs to be explored. I’m gonna go do me some fishing up in Minnesota and the Dakotas, take a boat out on the Great Lakes, see the Grand Canyon, hike through the Rockies. I’ll be damned if I am going to be trapped in some political haven when real freedom is truly within my grasp. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but I am.”

  “Oh, I’m in,” Charlie said.

  “Me too,” Kodiak added, making Dean smile. He didn’t fool himself into thinking that Kodiak had a thing for him. Kodiak seemed to be more interested in people like herself than men. But she had become a great and trusted friend, if not a little too impulsive. She was still a fighter and willing to do what it takes. They all turned and looked at Sharon.

  “Nope, I’ve had enough running to last me a lifetime. I’ll stay with my friends and help rebuild Hot Springs; it’s where I’m from and where I belong.”

  “It’s your choice. We’ll strip this place of everything we can carry when we leave and the rest will be yours, fair enough?” Dean asked, grateful to the woman for coming out with his people to catch Web.

  Sharon smiled. “More than fair. I would, however, recommend that you hit his house instead and leave all of this for me.”

  Dean thought for a moment then nodded. “Done. With the exception of some of those antibiotics.”

  “Strange that a serial killer would have so many antibiotics,” Sharon said.

  “He didn’t want them dying too quickly,” Kodiak responded with a dour twist to her features.

  *

  The square was suddenly filled with men and women who, to Lisa, didn’t look like they belonged. She soon found out why; they were special service and secured the area for the new POTUS to enter the square. Lisa was excited to meet the woman—until President Berry locked eyes on her. Lisa felt like a rabbit in a trap and knew instantly that her days were numbered. Sadly, a dingy cloud hung over the woman’s head and Lisa knew that she was powerless to change that.

  Benson had not yet announced that he had been elevated to lieutenant and wisely kept his cards close to his chest.

  “Lieutenant Reynolds, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “It’s an honor to meet you, Madame President. I’m flattered that you decided to join our little community.”

  “Please, President Berry is more than enough. It’s an honor to be here; unfortunately, the world hasn’t left us with many other options.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  “Well, we’ll get this little trial out of the way and then you and I will get to have a long talk.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Lisa responded politely but dry.

  “Hmmm, I am sure you are,” President Berry said before taking her seat in front and off to the side of the makeshift lawyers’ benches—one for the prosecutor, where a man Lisa didn’t know stood, and one for the defense, where Michael stood.

  Lisa’s attention was diverted when a collective gasp came from the crowd. A path opened as of its own accord and in walked a foursome she never expected to see again. The man limped badly, leaning heavily on his familiar makeshift spear and buckler. It was a weapon that had saved Lisa’s life only a couple of days before in front of the storage units.

  Dean smiled at her and even laughed, which made Lisa smile. He ignored everybody in the crowd, including Benson and the president. It was as if he didn’t even see the soldiers lined up, who eyed him nervously. They knew a loose cannon when they saw one and Dean was exactly that. Sometimes he was more hero than rogue, but not today.

  “How the fuck does this happen? The hero of Arkansas on trial for murder. How fucked up is that?” He laughed and a soldier on guard stepped in to stop Dean from advancing, only to meet a sharpened point of a spear resting on his neck.

  “Relax, soldier boy; just got a couple of things to say to the lady then we’ll be on our way.” Under strict orders not to create a scene, the soldier relaxed and took a step back. Kodiak lowered her firearm and Charlie lowered his over-under Benelli 12-gauge.

  “Sorry to see you like this, Lisa … but there ain’t much we can do about it.”

  “I thought you fuckers were dead,” Lisa said, knowing it was inappropriate for her to swear right now, but it was what Dean would respect.

  The big man smiled. “Should have been dead. Several times we should have been dead.” Dean shook his head exaggeratedly. “We ain’t; can’t explain it myself. I guess sometimes the shit on the bottom of your shoe is so hard it can’t be scraped off.”

  The closer portion of the crowd who could hear him, laughed and then whispered what he said to those behind, creating a rolling chuckle not unlike the wave in a stadium rolled through the people. Soon all that was being said flowed slowly through the crowd, each one happy to do it, because they were a community.

  “You ain’t shit, Dean,” she said to the roguish man, whose aura was radiant. She never thought about things like Zen or Jesus or any of that crap. She simply didn’t believe in it. Yet here stood four people—one of whom she didn’t know, but must be the WMA fighter she had heard about who had brought down the doctor the first time—radiating light in multiple hues of color. Then it started to fade and she glanced at the rest of the crowd and watched all of their auras fade. She looked back toward the mysterious major who nodded knowingly before turning and walk
ing away, and that was when she realized the power was not hers. This strange ability to see what shouldn’t be seen was his gift that he had somehow loaned to her. Who was he? Was his name truly Lindy and why was he here?

  What the fuck was that? Am I insane? Is this proof that I truly am crazy?

  Lisa regained her smile before Dean could make note of her confusion. “You ain’t shit at all. I see Kodiak hanging out back there. Girl, why don’t you have anything to say?”

  Lisa was aware that she should be prim and proper before going on trial, but she didn’t fucking care. If she was going to get out of this, she was going to be real; she could no longer put on airs for anyone.

  “I brought you something,” Kodiak said coyly, as if she were a teenage boy trying to win favors.

  “If it is what I think it is, I will love you forever, which might only be a couple of hours more, but that’s okay.”

  “What? Is that some kind of joke?” Charlie spoke up.

  “Yeah, it was; call it gallows humor. How you doin’, Charlie? Point your gun at any cops lately?”

  “No, but it is early in the day.”

  “So what have you got for me, Kodiak?” Lisa asked. She opened her eyes wide in astonishment when Kodiak pulled a black garbage bag around from behind her back that held something heavy and round. Lisa smiled, suspecting what it was and silently wondered what the new president would think about this.

  She held it high for all to see as Dean reached under the bag with a knife, separating the plastic as if it didn’t exist.

  The dull thud of a severed head hit the stand in front of Lisa and rolled toward the crowd.

  “He’s dead!” Lisa said with joy in her heart. She truly could die now. She stood and shouted the news. “The scourge of Hot Springs is dead! Web is dead!” She smiled at the four and mouthed the words thank you before they were forced back into the cheering crowd.

  The president stood. “What kind of people are you?” she shouted in anger, appalled at the cheering over the macabre scene. “Have we changed that much? Are we now animals?” The crowd said nothing, instead choosing to look upon her with dead-panned eyes. She who was protected and stowed away in a bunker as the rest of them fought and killed for every breath they were now able to take. A week ago, there would have been outrage at her audacity and people would have hurled insults and arguments. Or the opposite could have happened and they would have hung their heads in shame as they were filled by the regret manufactured by this woman who was now their leader. Today, however, people looked at her without giving two shits what her opinion of them was. They had survived and that was what mattered, and the man who had wantonly murdered the living was now dead at their feet and this made them glad.

  A woman in a robe appeared from a trailer behind the podium area and pounded a gavel on the table right next to but elevated from Lisa’s seat. A bailiff appeared, explaining what the tribunal was about and introducing the Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Megan Aldim, as the presiding judge. The bailiff returned to his place and the justice spoke.

  “Explain to me why the accused is seated in the witness chair?” she asked the prosecutor.

  “We wanted everyone to know who was on trial.”

  “The world may have gone to shit, Prosecutor Daniels, but I will not have these kinds of theatrics in my court. You may go and sit with your attorney now, Lieutenant Reynolds.”

  “Thank you,” Lisa said. When she looked at the judge, she saw the other side of her face for the first time. It was bruised and cut as if she had had the crap pummeled from her. Lisa frowned; she saw more bruising on her neck and a flesh-colored tape bandage around her neck as if someone had tried to slit her throat or possibly hang her, and the tear that collected in Lisa’s eye rolled down her cheek. This woman had survived much pain recently at the hands of others, which is exactly what Lisa strived to prevent. She turned back to the judge and with a look of sincerity and a tender voice said, “I wish you could have gotten here sooner.”

  “Wishes don’t mean much in today’s world, dear … but thank you. Sit down now so we can get this over with.”

  Lisa took her seat and the trial began, but only held half of Lisa’s attention. None of it mattered if her recent suspicion was true. Could she be insane? She just saw people’s auras or whatever you want to call them and felt that she could look into their souls to see who or what they really were.

  Was it all some delusional nightmare? A fabrication of her mind and there never were any zombies, Web never existed, and there was only Lisa? Poor, crazy Lisa, lost in her own internal world of murder and mayhem.

  The scene around her flashed to that of a tiled room with wood panel walls and fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The judge wore a robe that was pressed-looking, crisp and fresh. Her face was unmarked, the bruises vanished, and there was no bandage around her neck.

  Then they were back in the Sam’s parking lot and the breeze washed across her face as the crowd watched her with keen interest.

  The scene flashed back into the courtroom that felt so real, but Lisa forced it away. It was better for her to stay in the zombie apocalypse than to face a truth of being the world’s worst homicidal maniac. If there were no zombies and that world wasn’t real, then her hands had slain more people than anyone in history and she should be executed. She told herself that if that was the truth that faced her, then it was best to stay where she was at. Then the world solidified in the parking lot again as Lu took the stand. She couldn’t help but think, why a parking lot?

  Lu laid it on thick, maybe even a little too thick, but she was still pretty enough to get a few faces showing compassion for her plight. Then she said one thing that caused Lisa to lean over and whisper in her lawyer’s ear.

  “So if I understand you correctly, you ran from the room screaming that she had killed him in his sleep. You said she; is that correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now you knew her name but you didn’t say her name; why is that?”

  “She was the only other female around, so I didn’t have to say her name.”

  “Okay. Well, let me ask you another question. You said she killed him in his sleep, but in your testimony, you say she killed him in a jealous rage because he was with you. Now was he with you or was he sleeping?”

  “Well, both. We were sleeping … together, when she shot him.”

  “But when you ran down the hall, you were fully clothed. Do you always sleep fully clothed?”

  “Only since the apocalypse began,” she said with a cute little smile that showed she was aware of the trap she had just avoided, but Michaels had more for her.

  “All reports I have seen say your clothing was clean. In fact, there was not one drop of blood on you; his, yours, or anybody else’s. How do you sleep fully clothed next to a man who is shot in the head and not get a drop on you? Then you get out of bed, run around the defendant to get to the door so that you can run down the hallway screaming. I would think that if she was in a rage and determined to kill the source of her pain, she would have killed you before you got to the door. Better yet, I would guess that she would have killed you first while you lay fully clothed next to the love of your life,” Michaels said and waited.

  Lu didn’t respond. She had played this game enough to notice that there was no question in his statement and he was trying to get her to say something. Any response would make her look bad, so she kept her mouth shut and hoped his words wouldn’t affect the outcome. She could also tell the prosecutor was inexperienced because the defense should have never been allowed to lead a witness like that.

  “I have no further questions, Your Honor.”

  Chapter 20

  Bumfuck Egypt

  Dean watched the trial with a sense of disappointed awe that they could come back to this so quickly. Lisa was a lot of things, but the jealous type wasn’t one of them; he didn’t have to know her well to recognize this.

  A flash from a distant window caught his eye, and he l
ooked to see a girl he recognized setting up a high-powered rifle. He had met her on his first visit and knew she was a part of the camp administrators. He thought about telling someone but decided this wasn’t his show; he would wait and pick up on things as they played out.

  “We gotta do something to help her, Dean.” Kodiak whined like a child, obviously having some sort of attachment toward the lieutenant.

  “Shhh. Just relax, Kod. If we do anything, it will have to be later; just watch for now and see how things play out,” Dean counseled as he rested on his spear. In the shape he was in, he didn’t know what he could do, regardless of what happened. Then he heard a telltale screaming, and the sound of rumbling vibrated through the ground off in the distance. It was faint, but it was there and the hair on the back of his neck started to rise.

  Lisa walked up to the witness stand, determined to tell her side of the story, when she felt the ground start to shake. She stopped and waited for someone to give some instructions, but nobody moved. In fact, they didn’t even act as if they heard it.

  The bailiff stepped forward to get her oath, and Lisa put her hand up to stop his advance, causing him to look at her with a confused expression.

  “I don’t have anything to say that isn’t in my deposition. We have much more important things to worry about,” Lisa said plainly. She again raised her zip-tied hands and performed a maneuver that they were trained to do, demonstrating the reason why they only zip-tie behind a perpetrator’s back. The ties snapped through sheer velocity and motion of her downward moving arms.

  Eight soldiers instantly had their weapons leveled on Lisa. The next sound was like chambering a round into the biggest gun imaginable as over a thousand hunting and assault rifles were leveled on the soldiers by the crowd surrounding them. The soldiers didn’t waver, but the general saw the fruitlessness of proceeding.