Nightmare-Z

by S. A. Lowry

  Randall follows suite. “Not only do we have to worry about people trying to eat us, but we’re also going to have people shooting at us as well! What the hell is this Riggs?” a distraught Randall cries out as he directs his attention towards Riggs.

  Now seeing the situation growing out of control, Riggs steps in and tells his group to shut their mouthes.

  “Aaron, can you give us some more details about these guys?” Riggs calmy asks while trying to keep order.

  Aaron agrees. “These bikers are well armed. It’s unknown how many there are, however, they operate just like us. They are raiders. We have no clue where they reside or where their hide outs are located. To their advantage, they know where we stay and they want it. They want it bad. We believe their numbers is just as much as ours, if not more. Many of them have their families as well but they never take them out on raiding parties. We got wind of this during an argument one of our guys got into with one of the other bikers when both of us were trying to collect items from a local Home Depot at the same time. That was our first run in with them. Shortly after, a group of five or six approached our front gate and demanded we give up some supplies for their women. We respectuflly declined, which only fueled the fire. Our last incident we had was on a previous raiding party, where we actually took small arms fire from them. Some of our men were wounded, two of theirs were killed by us as a result,” Aaron explains in great detail.

  Riggs is now growing wary of this along with Andrew as well. “We know the next time we run into them they will be out for blood. So we have to be prepared for that. This is why we are taking so many out with us today. Look, I know this sounds dangerous, but we need your help. We have provided you sanctuary for the time being as well. Think of this as a mutual partnership. I am sorry that I did not make you aware of this situation when we first met,” Aaron diplomatically expresses himself.

  Riggs instantly makes the decision for the group without consulting them. “Well, what choice do we have. We need those damn tires or a new ride. Can’t blame you for the situation. We’ll help out as long as we can until we can make it out of here. We’re on board brother,” Riggs concludes.

  Aaron smiles and looks to the other members of Rigg’s group, identifying their disgust and worry. Aaron thanks Riggs and tells everyone to “saddle up” and be in the trucks ready to go in ten minutes.

  Riggs and Andrew walk off to the motorpool discussing the situation amongst eachother, as Dwayne, Lance and Randall seem upset without having any say so in the matter and begin complaining to each other as they make their way to the vehicles.

  During Aaron’s thirty five minute block of instructions, he designated group leaders broken up by five man squads. Each leader established communications with eachother and were responsible for specific tasks. Aaron obviously shows prior military or police training for the way he briefed his men were in the format of an Operations Order. Something you would experience in the military prior to just about every mission you were about to conduct.

  Aaron carefully laid out in detail his intent and what job each squad had. To go further into detail, he established one squad as the inner security element. Another as the outer security. An additional squad as the “shopping” team as he likes to refer, which means they are the ones who gather the supplies once security is set and an additional squad to serve as a Quick Reaction Force or QRF as Andrew knows so well.

  The QRF squad was given a simple location to be on standby in away from the main group. In the event that the main element came under attack or needed assistance, they would be radioed in and push out to their location. Aaron decided to place his QRF on the outskirts of the town. Aaron’s intent for QRF is for them to go into hiding in the brush and out of sight of anything dead or alive. They would only be used as back up if something went wrong.

  Aaron’s main concept in a nutshell, as he put out to Riggs and the rest of the men in the courtyard moments ago, is for his QRF to set into place on the outskirts within a half mile away. Once they are to be set, they would radio in to the rest of the group leaders who would be staged out on a main freeway.

  Once this happens, the men tasked to perform as outer cordon would take lead of the convey about three to five hundred meters off the rest as they push in and scurry the perimeter of a miniature indoor shopping plaza. They are to identify all exits and report back any potential threats. Once they are set in place and securing the main entrance, the inner security would push up into their location and enter the indoor plaza and secure it for the shopping team.

  The shopping team, would remain last in the convey and only enter until the inner security calls it up as “all clear”. In addition, the three vehicles which made up the shopping team would consist of two vans and one pickup truck which would be backed into the doorway for quick drop off of supplies.

  Riggs and the rest of his group, for the first day until they were to be trusted as capable of performing these tasks, are to assume duties as shoppers. Aaron designated them a leader whom appeared to be well rounded, however, having some what of a temper. This man had a list of what he was to collect up for the rest of his side of the group. Riggs had no issues regarding Aaron’s decision and decided to speak for the rest of the group.

  “We have no problem with it. Put us where you need us,” he yelled out to Aaron before the meeting convened once their task became known during the briefing. The others weren’t too happy with the decision as they felt left out. Andrew supported Riggs in this, however was sort of upset that he wasn’t involved.

  “My name is Tim, nice to meet you boys. Got to lay out some ground rules first,” The shopping team leader announces as he walks up to Riggs and the rest of his group as they are walking to the vehicles.

  “Sure thing boss man. Lay it out,” Riggs anxiously states appearing to be a team player to Tim.

  Lance, Dwayne and Randall quickly close up their walking distance between Riggs and Andrew to hear what Tim has to say. “Okay first off, we got some skull busting tools in the back of every vehicle. We prefer you use them instead of using your guns. Get yourself familiarized once we’re mounted up. Second, anything you want to do out there or think you should do, run it by me so I can give you thumbs up. We all stick together unless I say otherwise. Don’t defy me or else Aaron will hear about it and the deal is off. Got it?” Tim blatanely states.

  Tim is an older feller with a deep country accent. He appears to have seen alot and experienced alot during his time. He sports a long grey mustache and a black baseball cap sporting no logos. His demeanor is apparently aggresive, however, to Andrew he seems like the type that once you get to know him better he wouldn’t be such a bad person to hang around.

  Once Tim was finished, the other members of the group looked to Riggs for a solid response. Riggs thought about what he was just told for a second and calmy shrugged it off.

  “You’re the boss,” Riggs responds.

  As a result, a relieved smile appeared on Tim’s face as he showed the men to their vehicles and tosses them hand held radios before they entered their respective rides. Once Riggs entered the front passenger seat with Andrew at the wheel, he began pondering once again what Tim had told him. He thought it was kind of odd that he knew about what him and Aaron had talked about before in his office when they first met. However, bigger issues were at hand at the moment so he forced himself to forget about it.

  Tim grabbed up Randall and made him ride shotgun with him in his pickup truck. Lance and Dwayne became a team in the second van all falling in behind Tim. The group now waits patiently for the rest of the members of the raiding party to line up in order as they converse amongst eachother and await for Tim to start moving so they can follow him and be placed in the right order the way Aaron wants them to be.

  Randall and Tim had an akward time together while on the road. Not much talking went on as the both of them came from two totally different backgrounds. During the ride and once only a few sentences had been traded between the
pair, Randall realizes that he was called a “City Slicker” by Tim almost five times. As a result, this only made Randall retreat further back into his own mental solar system.

  Andrew and Riggs talked alot about the future of the group and how they are going to get out of the prison. Dwayne and Lance opened up to eachother a bit amid a united front against Rigg’s leadership style.

  Time on the road passes by as Andrew looks out the window and studies his surroundings. The abandoned vehicles along side the roads, empty shops and littered bodies is only a testament to the new era he is now bearing witness too. Trevor and his family begin rushing through his mind. Whether they are safe, alive or dead. He knows that he can not stay here for long. Radio chatter fills the cab as well. Members of the convey constantly pop up over the radios informing Aaron, whom is in lead with his QRF team, of potential threats they notice and occasional jokes as well.

  An uneventful hour goes by until the lead vehicle in their convey begins slowing down the speed until ultimately coming to a complete stop. Andrew realizes the time has come. Aaron gives his final movement orders and takes off into position while everyone else in the convey remains stationary.

  It only takes five minutes for the QRF team to get in place, once this happens, the sound of poor reception and the order to move in is given. The vehicles, whom are parked just on the outskirts of the town, begin racing off to head into their positions.

  Randall begins sweating badly. The look of fear takes over his face as Tim notices the man he is riding with is way in over his head. “Lighten up City Slicker. What’s the worst that can happen, you get some blood on that pretty little suit of yours?” Tim jokes as he begins laughing hysterically while taking off at a high rate of speed following just behind the inner security vehicles.

  “Holy shit man. I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Dwayne worrily states as he enters the town. A scene of chaos and disorder is apparent on every side and corner of the street. At this point, the outer cordone has already completed their sweep a couple hundred meters ahead of the inner security which shortly after, receives their orders to push into the building.

  “We’re up next,” a nervous Lance reminds Dwayne. Dwayne begins reluctantly shaking his head as he slowly creeps forward in his vehicle and passes a few adult women on foot whom are stumbling towards the driver’s side of the vehicle while reaching for Dwayne. Their moans of pain grow louder as they come closer as Dwayne passes them by in the vehicle.

  Andrew now comes to a halt mimicking Tim’s vehicle. Riggs observes from the comfort of his seat as Aaron’s men up ahead hop off their vehicles and storm the entry way of the building. Some of the men on the ground were seen with sledge hammers and pick axes in their hands while having their rifles slung across their backs.

  As the shopping team awaits the signal, a parked Andrew notices a pile of dead children on the side of a bus stop just outside his driver’s side window. The sight is gruesome. Some are even still holding some of their toys in hand. All of them appearing to have been shot at close range in the head.

  The flies under the sunlight pick away at them as if they were open buffet. Some of their kiddie backpacks with snacks and clothes to change in are seen on the ground scattered around them. The sight makes Andrew so sick, he begins throwing up in his mouth. As a result, he quickly lowers the window so he can spit it out onto the pavement. That is when the stinch of the bodies fill the vehicle. Riggs places his hand over his mouth and tells Andrew to raise up his window with a quickness. Riggs doesn’t even bother to ask Andrew why he just suddenly got sick. He assumed he was nervous about the task at hand and decided not to go any further with it.

  A few more moments go by until the radio call comes in. Once the order is heard loud and clear, Randall’s eyes grow even wider as he stares back at the radio in Tim’s lap.

  “Wilco. Shopping team moving!”, an excited Tim responds. A split second later, Tim floors the gas pedal skidding out his tires in the direction of the entrance.

  “Time to pop your cherry city boy!” Yells Tim as he weeves around the outer cordone. The day is long. Since the women reported for work call, it has been a non-stop day. Linda and the rest assisted the women of the prison and males who did not go out on the raiding party on common daily chores throughout the compound. Whether it meant sweeping and mopping the floors, cooking enough food to feed an Army or helping out some of the males with the landscaping within the walls while the tower guards watched them, all of it was sort of a sense of normalcy for the group. It took their minds off the nightmare which continues to unfold outside the walls.

  Young Andrew started early in the day as well. He mainly shadowed Amy, Aaron’s daughter, throughout the day. The adults sectioned off an area of the prison for them to play hide and go seek, basketball and a number of other games. Every hour or so Linda checked in on Andrew to see how his day was going, only to have Amy tell her that everything is “okay” and that Young Andrew is in “good hands”.

  Later on in the daily taskings, Linda’s worries faded away as she allowed the boy to go on about his business. Many of the women seem to take a liking to the chores and met new friends as well. Only one who seemed to have issues with the arrangements was Tammy, who is prissy as they get. Constant complaining and reluctancy to put out 100% effort in her chores caused a slight stir between some of her new aquintances. Tammy isn’t used to labor like this which is why she takes a comfortable but tiring job as a flight stewardess.

  Once Linda finished helping one of the mothers clean the last batch of pots and pans in the kitchen, her and the woman decide to go out back for a smoke break. The woman whom she spent the majority of her day with is an avid chain smoker and proceeded to step out for a smoke at least ten times an hour. Her and Linda got along well and told stories about the way things used to be while they worked on their chores. Once the majority of the work was complete, she decided to take a break as well and get to know one of the residents a little bit better.

  As she follows the woman out back they engage in small talk on the way to the bleachers which is adjacened to the court yard. There, Linda finds Young Andrew and Amy playing hop scotch and kicking around a ball with a few others children of the prison. Linda overwatches Young Andrew as she takes her seat with the woman.

  The jittery woman instantly takes her seat and begins lighting up her cigerette while giving Linda an odd stare.

  “So, all these hours together and I didn’t even have the pleasure of knowing your name,” Linda politely addresses the woman.

  “My name is Linda, pleasure to meet you!” she smiles as she puts her hand up in order to receive a handshake invitingly.

  The woman shakes her hand. “My name is Teresa. I heard ya’ll just got in yesterday?” she asks. “Yes, thats us. We’re still taking in the area. Lovely place you have here,” Linda responds with a a warm smile trying to be polite.

  “Oh hunny, you don’t have to lie. This place is a spookhouse, but it’s home. Better than being stuck out there I guess,” the woman adds while she places her head down after taking a puff of her cigerette.

  “Don’t mind me asking, but how did everyone just happen to hold up here?” a curious Linda asks.

  “It’s a long story hunny. That boy over there, is he yours?” Teresa asks as she watches Andrew play with Amy. “Oh no, no. He is not mine. Well I guess he is now, we kind of stumbled upon him when we trying to escape Atlanta International. Just couldn’t leave him there, you know?” Linda explains with concern on her face.

  The woman now appearing unsympathetic, responds in kind.

  “There was alot of us who got left. We are the lucky ones. All of us are from a town with a population of 10,000 people. Now look at us,” a disgusted Teresa states. “When Day Zero hit, it was mass chaos and confusion. I was waitressing at our local diner when I realized what was going on. Both of my children were in school at the time. I had a sick customer come in demanding soup and a rare steak with water. He seemed so sick,
I asked him what he was doing out and public. Told him he had to go to a doctor. He was rude to me and insisted on purchasing a meal. Once I brought his steak out to him, I noticed he was plopped face first in his own bowl of soup dead,” Teresa explains.

  “Day Zero?” Linda curiously asks with a confused look on her face.

  “You know, the day it came out of the closet,” Teresa states appearing dumbfounded at Linda’s lack of information.

  Linda shakes her head.

  “The day the fucking dead came back to life to kill us lady! Jesus Christ!” an angered Teresa yells out loud. Andrew and Amy stop their game with the other children and stare in Linda’s direction with fearful eyes.

  Linda is quiet and waits for her to continue her story. After another drag on her cigerette she goes on to continue.

  “Once I saw the man laying in his soup, everyone paniced. Families ran out and just left him. I called emergency 9-1-1 only to be ignored by the operators. After that, shots rang out in the streets and vehicles began crashing into eachother at intersections trying to escape the mob. It seemed to be everywhere at that point. If I would have parked my car out front I would have died in the diner that day. Luckily I parked in the back parking lot so I went out the back door. It bought me time. The dead were too busy eating the families I just served in front of my work to notice me slipping out,” Teresa describes.

  “Oh my god honey, I am so sorry,” Linda copes with a concerned look on her face.

  “I’m not done yet, lady. Do you want to hear the rest of the story?” she asks.

  Linda nods her head ignoring Teresa’s aggresive posture. “I rushed to the school to pick up my kids. It was hysteria. Parents were sprinting down the hallways trying to find their children as crowds went fleeing out every direction of the school. I could not fine my girls. So I rushed home in a desperate attempt. Once I pulled into my drive way, I realized it had already reached my neighborhood as well. My neighbors were dead out on their front lawns being picked away like a Bloomin’ Onion at The Outback Steakhouse by so many different people I have never seen before. I rushed into my house to find my oldest daughter in her bedroom on the floor holding my youngest in her arms. She died of bite wounds on her neck minutes before I got there. Shortly after, she rose and attacked us. I had to kill my own daughter, Linda,” Teresa stares on as she throws her cigerette butt on the ground and lights up another cigerette.