“The hell you say, old man. I either go with you or follow you; that’s the deal.”
“Cat, it’s dangerous out there.”
“I made it to this compound with nothing but a baseball bat and there were a lot more Z’s running around then than now. Besides, I stopped listening to you two years ago when I moved out, remember?”
“I remember,” he said with a barely subdued rage. “And look what happened.”
“The zombie apocalypse didn’t happen because I stopped listening to you, Dad.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see. If you’re coming, then you had better start listening to me again or I’ll shoot you myself.”
“Yah, right, sure you will. But I’ll listen.”
Three living humans and a dog left the compound as Sedge lay sleeping by the chow line set up for canines. Being a bigger dog, he was spent and never really cared for the human events of the world; however, there was a very familiar smell within the compound … very faint, yet still there. He would investigate it later, after sleep and more food.
It took them over forty-five minutes to get back to where Skit could show them the blood-filled enclosures belonging to the equipment operators. Krupp felt his own blood begin to boil as he crawled into the cabs to shut the machines down. These men had sacrificed so much already and risked their own lives in a cause, only to have them snuffed out by some yahoo with a high-powered rifle was many levels of wrong. It still hadn’t dawned on them who was behind this, so they simply started searching and found that all of the buildings’ doors had been barricaded or locked.
Most of the zombies had cleared out, gravitating toward the shots they could hear in the distance. Krupp’s small crew also went toward the gunfire, creeping to within a half block, where they saw a swarm gathered around the barricaded front door of a tenement building. They figured that Lisa would also gravitate toward gunfire. The majority of the zombies clustered by the door where the action was, but their numbers spread out down the street and around the corner.
Krupp keyed his mic, called in their location, and waited for some operators to arrive. He figured Lisa was holed up with the group of survivors who had been caught in the middle of clearing buildings.
“Do you see her?” Cat asked Skit, who was scanning the crowd in the building as well as the zombies to see if maybe she had been bitten and had already turned.
“No, I don’t think she could have gotten back to that group. We had already run across them and helped them clear out a building, but they were too far behind us for her to get to.”
“No, I don’t see her,” Krupp added. “She’s too damn ornery for grouping up like that. She would have people in the upper windows and the roof to clear out more Z’s.”
“Good point, Dad. Now that you say it, I know she isn’t in there.”
The sounds of diesel engines filled the air as the operators Krupp called in arrived. He flagged one down and explained about the snipers, even though there was not much they could do about it. When a sniper had a person in their sights, there was only one result. The operator scanned the buildings anyway before closing his door and heading into the mass of Z’s with his bucket spinning. Blood sprays and the sound of bones crunching filled up the next few minutes as the mass destruction of multiple layers of dead were laid out before them. Cheers from the fighters accompanied the arrival of the operators, and soon Krupp and his group were walking safely up a blood-covered street while a front-end loader pushed bodies into a pile around the corner.
“Not one bullet wasted,” Krupp said with a smile, to which he got no reaction.
They confirmed that Lisa was not among the group of survivors, but they began their search anew. Skit asked, “Hey, where’s Tonka?”
As if on cue, they heard the deep bark of the large canine from a couple of blocks away.
“Damn it, we should have followed the dog,” Cat said.
Krupp shook his head, knowing that he should have known better. He had always been told that a K9 handler had to be trained as much as the dogs were; he just never realized how true that statement was.
***
“You really shouldn’t feel anything, so be careful not to move or we might damage something. You see, people are like their own personal pantry if you do it right. I was never allowed to do it right in the past because of the risk of getting caught and losing my practice. Now I can take my time and do things how they should have been done all along.”
“Like Ally?” Lisa asked as the scalpel slowly parted the skin along her side.
“No, Ally is still too young. Though her fear was delicious, I am not into veal. You, by the way, are doing a remarkable job of controlling your fear because I am sure that you must be absolutely terrified.”
“This is just like when I was hanging out with the boys in the neighborhood on weekends.”
“Ha ha!” Web replied with glee. “I did my research and know that you never lived anywhere long enough to have a group of childhood friends, Lisa. That's what we have most in common. So I think it’s a beautiful thing that we found each other.” His words came out strained as he struggled to fold her skin back over her ribcage.
“I’m just biding my time until the opportunity to rip your throat out arises," Lisa replied. "Don’t consider yourself my friend, or confidant, or anything more than the object that will someday house my bullet.”
“Let’s hope that never comes to pass, Lisa. I want our friendship to last. I left you sober so I can watch as fear breaks you. Most go insane at about this point of the procedure; very impressive, Lisa. Back to Ally; she’s a delightful girl and I will make a point of showering my attentions upon her but not for a couple of years yet. Children scare too easily. We have to let her toughen up. It’s like curing meat; skip one step, and you have nothing but garbage and wasted time.”
“You’re not going to survive a couple of years, Web.”
“Don’t interrupt, Lisa. That’s rude. Now, her mother was a fucking bitch. A plastic whore with a painted-on face. I ate her raw, and to be honest, the meat was a little sour and fatty. You, I am going to be a lot more delicate with,” the doctor said as his bloodied hand reached for a vibration saw that he put to her side.
It wasn’t until the saw hit the marrow that she actually felt some pain, but she wouldn’t show it other than a slight unstoppable flinch. Lisa was going to get out of this mess and when she did, she was going to kill him. She would remain sane until that day and then all bets were off.
She gasped as a rush of cool air filled the inner cavity of her body, causing her to shiver. She saw Web straighten with one of her ribs still surrounded with skin and muscle. He set it gently on an electric grill as his other hand remained at the newly created wound on her side. It only took a couple of minutes before she heard the meat start to sizzle as it rested on the grill above the burner.
“I fashioned a prosthetic just for you. Hopefully it is the right size. I even fashioned these little sponges, which will keep the bones from clicking together. That can be very painful and seems to happen at the most inopportune times. This will also stabilize the rib for proper knitting.”
Lisa tuned him out and stared at the ceiling, hoping for an opportunity to present itself. She wasn’t able to factor in that she was now wounded as the acupuncture needle had blocked all of her pain. It was several minutes before the smell of her own flesh on the grill brought her back to the present to find Web looking at her as if he had asked a question.
“I asked if you knew what people taste like.” She ignored him. “Most will say it tastes like chicken, and the very young ones do. I am expecting you to be more like lamb. Lamb or mutton is closer to the truth. I like to leave the fat on while cooking, it adds flavor and seems to tenderize the meat,” Web said as he portioned out the meat.
“You can’t tell me that you're not curious; I just won’t believe it. My god, you truly are succulent.”
He picked up another piece and started to walk toward her. Al
ly tried to pull further away, sensing what he was going to do, but her numbed and bound extremities wouldn’t allow it.
“Now open wide,” he said and laughed as Lisa clenched her mouth tight and pulled her face away from the approaching morsel. He grabbed her face with one hand and pinched the hinge in her jawbone, forcing her mouth open, and set the small chunk of meat on her tongue. She started to gag and the small amount of food that was in her stomach rushed out, causing her to choke and cough as she tried to turn her head to the side.
The next few second were a blur; he was suddenly pulling away from her, cursing about a dog. She spit bile from her mouth and looked at the doctor as he grabbed his rifle. Then she heard it.
“Run, Tonka, run!” she shouted, not knowing how he found her or how long he had been out there.
The doctor struck at her with the butt of his rifle, but she managed to pull her head to the side and spit some remaining bile up into his face.
He looked down at her, his mask off, and she saw the hatred he had for her. She realized then, at that very moment, that he wasn’t nearly in as control as he made out to be, and everything she had done made his life more difficult. She laughed and then she screamed and laughed some more.
He raised the gun to try to slam it down into her face again, but the glass on the door was suddenly spraying into the room under a hail of gunfire. The doctor turned and ran. A boot cleared out the rest of the glass and Tonka was hot on the doctor’s trail.
“Oh fuck,” Krupp, who came into the room first, said as he saw her tied to the table.
“The fucking bastard went that way. Kill him, Krupp!”
Krupp nodded and followed Tonka, his rifle in the ready position.
“Bring me his fucking head!” Lisa screamed as she saw Cat follow her dad’s lead. Then her face was filled with the concerned eyes of Skit as he looked down at her, and she started to weep. Skit put his jacket over her and hugged her with genuine regret that he wasn’t there for her. He started to untie her hands.
“I have needles in my back.”
“What?” he replied, not picking up what she was saying.
“I have needles in my spine. Get them out!”
“Okay.” He rolled her over and grabbed the highest one that he saw and slowly pulled it out. She screamed as the pain of surgery rushed through the fog. Another needle lower down caused her to grimace and clench every muscle in her body, the pain increasing with every needle removed.
Lisa forced herself to relax as the next one was slowly extracted, and she shuddered, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps. Cat came to her side and grabbed an arm, which Lisa clutched desperately. Her ribs throbbed with her heartbeat and she began to sweat from the pain. Her shaved head dripped water and spittle drained from her mouth.
“Do it!”
Skit pulled the second-to-the-last needle and she felt urine escape and run down her leg. The words of the doctor came back to her. It must be performed properly or your bowels will release.
“Find me a bathroom, hopefully with a shower.”
Skit went to look, leading with his .45, leaving the last needle in for the moment. He went through a couple of sterile exam rooms and he noticed silicone implant displays and gels as well as Botox advertisements on the wall; he knew what kind of clinic it was and it wasn’t free. The third door down produced a large single hospital bed with a shower-toilet combination. Cat was with Lisa by the time he got back.
Cat wheeled Lisa’s gurney down the hall, and Skit helped her get Lisa into shower/toilet.
“Get out of here, Skit. Watch the hall and shoot anyone but Krupp or Tonka.”
Cat pulled out the last needle and what Lisa had feared would happen in the other room happened. Her bowels released and her body screamed with raw pain.
“Oh my god,” Cat said. “Ewww, that is really disgusting.” The girl unintentionally started to gag. She looked at Lisa, eyes watering, and said, “It doesn’t usually smell that bad.”
“When bowels release, it’s usually a full vacate, Cat. Those are the worst. Now help me.”
Cat helped her from her clothes before she turned the shower on and went out to find something for the pain.
***
Krupp opened the door that Tonka indicated, rushing up the stairs to the next level. The trained police dog would have proceeded cautiously if the doctor had been doing anything other than trying to create distance between him and them. They hit the second floor when he realized Cat was with him.
“Go back, Cat. We don’t know how many are here. Tonka has my back,” he said to his daughter. She gave a nod and headed quickly back down the stairs.
Krupp opened the door that Tonka was scratching at. It opened on to the second floor, which seemed to be abandoned and contained more rooms. The last thing he wanted to do was clear a bunch of unknown rooms without another shooter. This was the type of situation that could get him killed, and he approached it slower, his rifle up and pointing down the hallway, ears tuned behind him.
The hall was dark with splashes of light coming in from the occasional open office door. He was going to have to check them all or trust in Tonka’s instincts. Tonka was halfway down the hall and slowed in front of a closed door. Shots rang out and splinters of wood flew out above the K9’s head, causing him to lie flat but stay on the chase. Krupp ran, not slowing to execute his front kick, which landed just right of the handle, sending the door flying in. He rolled to the right when he saw the muzzle flash from a double barrel shotgun and pellets peppered the wall behind him.
He rolled back in front of the door with his rifle ready and saw the strings to the trigger that suggested it was booby-trapped. He entered cautiously, not seeing a window or a door. But he did see a small entry into another part of the room. It was dark and smelled of menace and hate—the gloom beyond that of a darkened room. Tonka stayed back from the entrance and Krupp called out.
“You’re trapped; just throw down your weapon and come out. I’ll make sure that you are treated fairly.”
“Ha! You didn’t have much of a reputation for that back in the normal world, Krupp. How could an apocalypse change you into the kind man who gives someone a break?”
“So you know me; that’s good. Then you also know that I am a fair man, and you’ll get a square deal.”
“I know nothing of the sort, Officer Ed. I know all of you fuckers. It was my business to know you. If you knew how often I wished there was more in Hot Springs other than the parody of the Keystone Cops, you would be enraged. You’re a putz, Krupp. A first-class, grade-A, number-one putz.”
Krupp knew that he was being baited but he could help his ire from rising. He wants me to show myself, but why? It has to be more than simply to shoot me.” He had to get him to talk more and see if he could lead him into making a mistake.
“Come on, Doc; you got nowhere to go, so just give it up.”
“Ha ha, you fucking idiot. I am already gone,” Web said, and Krupp noticed that his voice sounded different, as though he was speaking through a long tube. He had to risk it. He turned on the TAC light on the barrel of his M4 and slid around the corner. Nothing but dark emptiness met his light, with the exception of a picture that seemed to glow from where hung on the wall. He stepped closer and noticed a sulfur-type smell and the picture seemed to glow brighter. His next step was stopped by Tonka latching on to his belt and dragging him back away from the picture. That was when he noticed that it was not a picture but a hole with ducting leading down and the glow was … He turned and dove just as the blast occurred. The ducting acting like the barrel of a large gun as nails, chain, and other debris flew toward him. He covered up and looked for Tonka who was already around the corner.
He crept toward the hole in the wall slowly, the glow now gone. Looking down into the dark emptiness, he knew that Web had made his escape and was now literally underground in the parking garage. Shots rang out from below, forcing Krupp and Tonka to leave off the chase. Krupp keyed his mic as he
moved down the stairs.
“Art, this is Ed. Do you copy?”
“This is Art, go ahead,” Benson said after a few moments.
“We have her down at the cosmetic surgery center. She’s in rough shape and is going to need a lift. Over.”
“Is she bit? Over.”
“Nope, just a little ragged around the edges. Over.”
“Ten-four. Base out,” Art finished, after he checked the GPS locater on Krupp’s tactical vest.
Krupp found Skit engaged with three zombies down on the lower level and had to admit, he was impressed with the way the ex-drug dealer was attacking the undead with a hunk of rebar. He only carried a revolver, so he wasn’t able to reload and resort to more base means of elimination. He also hadn’t heard any shots and figured Skit was conserving his ammo for when he needed it. Krupp took one out over his left shoulder and another trying to work its way right. Skit pulled his sidearm and blasted through the doorway out to the street, giving them some space.
“Reload,” Krupp said to Skit, and continued firing as Skit slapped another speed load home.
“We gotta block that door closed!” Skit shouted.
“After you!” Krupp yelled and smiled at the same time before his rifle started spitting out three-round bursts.
Skit ducked under his rifle and rushed to the cabinet next to the door after seeing that all in the entry were immobilized. He yanked a couple of bodies into the building and slid the heavy cabinet in front of the door. He pushed a sofa from the waiting room behind it, and then piled anything that wasn’t bolted down on top of it. Meanwhile, a mass of past-humans piled against the windows.
***
Lisa wanted to weep as they dragged her to a vehicle outside the back door, but she wouldn’t. No one would see her cry or despair over her encounter with the doctor. In a way, she asked for it, wanted it; it simply came too soon. It caught her by surprise, before she had time to prepare. That would not happen again.
Chapter Twelve
Ready Set
Zombie Rush 2 Page 15