His dad was a pain sometimes, always demanding more and more from Kyle than he was sometimes ready to give. Still, Kyle knew his father was trying to help him, no matter how annoying it was.
His dad tried so hard to appear invincible. Kyle knew better, but he humoured his father. Out there, in harm’s way, his dad was battling hard. Kyle was proud of him, but worried. What would happen if appearing invincible wasn’t enough?
But what could he do? Then the idea hit him. He turned to Martin, Todd, and Ricky. “Guys, we have to figure out how to stop these things. Watch them closely. Maybe together we can come up with something.”
His fellows nodded and watched the battle even closer.
It didn’t make the waiting any easier, but at least it gave Kyle one more thing to think about.
***
Mike was in trouble. The farmyard was now full of shambling, moaning creatures. He dodged and weaved and, most importantly, ran to avoid the monsters, but his legs were getting heavier and his lungs were burning.
Mike gripped his axe, changed direction one last time and charged toward the blonde woman-thing. He lifted the weapon as he closed in on her.
She raised her arms as if to embrace him, her vacant eyes boring a hole into him. Mike could clearly see into her chest. There was no heart. There were no internal organs. How was this possible?
He didn’t know, but the image of that creature feeding on her body was still fresh in his mind. If she could get up from that and come after him, then he had to be certain about what he was doing.
All of this flashed through his mind in the seconds it took to close the distance across the yard to her. He got within arm’s reach, then swung the axe.
Hours of chopping wood at camp guided his aim and the axe swung true. Mike would normally have just used the flat of the blade to knock her aside, but after seeing how she survived evisceration, he turned the razor-sharp cutting edge toward her.
The blade hit her neck and bit deep. The force of the blow snapped her body to the side and she stumbled several steps out of Mike’s way. He pulled at the axe and it reluctantly came free of her body.
Mike had feared her reaction. He needn’t have worried. The ghastly wound neither bled nor did she even seem to recognize the damage he had done to her. Not so much as a widening of the eyes.
The creature, for Mike could no longer think of it as her, steadied itself and shuffled toward him again. This time, its head and neck were at a severe angle that only served to show off the grisly axe damage.
Mike shook his head and realized that he had stopped when he attacked it. That would never do. He set his feet and readied the axe for a second chop.
“Watch out!” Scouter Steve yelled.
Mike ducked and felt the whoosh of air pass over his head as a creature tried to grab him from behind. He rolled away from it and the woman both.
The two creatures continued toward him. Mike leaped to his feet and swung the axe wildly at his attackers. The blunt end of the axe struck the second creature, most likely a man, in the temple, caving it in. The male creature immediately dropped to the ground and did not move again.
That left the woman-creature. She didn’t even slow down at the destruction of her companion, and keep coming at Mike, her arms outstretched to grab him.
Sweat was pouring down Mike’s face now and the breaths were coming out in wheezing gasps. If he didn’t get past her this time, Mike didn’t think he would make it. The yard’s gate and the welcome sanctuary of his truck beckoned just past the creature.
He raised the weapon one more time and moved toward the woman-thing. She opened her mouth and moaned, her vacant eyes fixed on him again. Mike heard another moan behind him.
He swung the axe as he came within the weapon’s reach of the creature. It was a slow swing with little strength behind it; Mike’s arms felt like jelly. Still, it swung true and connected just below the first wound in the creature’s neck.
The blade followed the original cut and sliced through the remaining flesh that held the creature’s head to its torso. Mike almost dropped the axe as it moved through the last of the creature and swung free.
The woman-thing swayed for several seconds. Its head rocked on the torn neck and toppled off the side and fell to the ground where it landed with a wet thud. As the head fell, the body dropped at the knees like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Mike managed to hold onto the axe and stumbled the remaining metres to the gate where Steve and Jeremy grabbed him. He flinched at their touch, his eyes so sweat-filled that he could no longer see anything but a pair of blurs.
Chapter 8
The Scouts were on the move again, travelling in convoy. Mike was driving, once again at the rear of the group. His muscles still ached from the exertions in the yard and the image of the once-beautiful woman advancing on him in mindless attack haunted him.
What was going on? It had really only been thirty hours or so since the troop had left the city for the survival camp. Everything had been normal then.
Not so much now. Every person they had met since leaving the camp was a crazed monster. And now, it looked like Connall could be considered one of that number.
The man had not ceased straining at his bonds or moaning like one of the possessed undead. Even Steve had broadly suggested leaving Connall with the creatures at the farm. He had no sooner said the words than he quietly climbed into Connall’s van and slowly drove off. Scouts didn’t abandon their own. Not if there was any other choice available.
And what about dealing with the creatures? Mike had always believed life to be sacred; he still had nightmares about killing that squirrel when he was a boy. But these things? They couldn’t be alive, could they? And even if they were, the creatures from the farmyard would have killed him if they could. Defending yourself from that couldn’t be wrong.
“Dad?” Kyle said from the passenger seat.
Mike looked over at him. “Yes, son?”
“Dad, what’s going on? Why are people acting so crazy?”
Mike checked his rear-view mirror and saw the other Scouts lean forward to listen. “I don’t know, Kyle. But I do know that acting crazy is the least of it. I think some of those creatures were dead before they attacked us.”
“Dead? What, like vampires or something?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Mike said, shaking his head, troubled by the mental image of the eviscerated blonde coming for him. “Before today I wouldn’t have thought that undead monsters existed, but now…now, I’m just not sure.”
“They wouldn’t be vampires, Kyle. Vampires can’t exist in direct sunlight,” Todd said.
“What about those vampires from Twilight, huh?” Kyle countered. “They went out in the sunlight.”
“Twilight isn’t real,” Todd said.
“No, but these things certainly are,” Mike said quietly.
“So what do we call them?” Martin asked. He stared out the window as he spoke.
“Dangerous,” Mike replied. “Look guys, I can totally understand if this has you worried. I’m worried too.”
Martin looked up. “What about our families back in the city?”
“Let’s hope that whatever is going on hasn’t gotten that far,” Mike replied. “I’m hoping that whatever we found at that farmyard is isolated and hasn’t spread.”
“Do you think that’s true, Dad?” Kyle asked.
“You’re asking me questions I simply cannot answer,” Mike said. “I know it’s silly to say this but try not to worry. It won’t help us right now.”
“But what if the next place we come to has these things too?” Kyle asked. “We only have the one axe in the truck.”
“I know we do and before you guys start thinking about being heroes, I want you all to promise me that you won’t try anything stupid if we come across more of these things. Your job is to keep each other safe.”
“But….”
“No buts, Kyle,” Mike said. “I want your promise!”<
br />
“Dad, I’m not going to promise that. I don’t think any of us can. If you are threatened, I’m going to do what I can to help you.”
Mike thought about that. “You are right, Kyle. I can’t ask you guys to do nothing. But I can ask you not to go looking for trouble. I also don’t want you trying to use any kind of weapons on these things. Having a knife or an axe is just going to make you reckless.”
“So, what should we do if we find more of them, Scouter Mike?” Ricky asked.
“Run,” Mike said simply. “Those things don’t seem to move very fast. Get the heck out of their way.”
“And if we need to help someone?” Martin asked. “If one of those things is going after my mom or dad or sister I’m not gonna run away.”
“Fair enough, Martin,” Mike said. He considered what to say next. “I guess you could dress as safely as you can. Gloves, thick jackets. Basically anything that might stop a bite or scratch.”
“Like you wore in that yard, Scouter Mike?” Ricky asked.
“Exactly like that,” Mike said. “In fact, I know I packed several pairs of gloves in the back of the truck.” He reached up toward the ceiling of the truck and hit a switch the sliding window at the back canopy opened.
“Ricky, could you climb into the back of the truck and hand up gloves and jackets, please? It wouldn’t hurt to be prepared in case we come across something.”
“Sure thing, Scouter Mike,” Ricky said. His brother Martin helped him to climb through the small window into the back of the truck while Mike did his best to keep the truck stable.
Mike looked over at Kyle. “If something happens to me, it’s up to you to drive the truck and get the guys out of here.”
“How? I can’t drive,” Kyle said.
“Sure you can, Kyle. It’s just like driving the truck out on the lake when we go ice fishing. Just take it easy and find somewhere safe, okay?”
“I don’t want to.…”
“Kyle, I’m not saying anything will happen, but I need to know you are ready, just in case something happens to me or one of the other Scouters. You, Todd, and Martin are the leaders of this Scout troop. I’ve watched you work together and with the other Scouts. I know you can take care of each other.”
“We’ll do whatever we need to, Scouter Mike,” Todd said.
“You got it, Dad,” Kyle affirmed.
“Thanks guys. Now, it looks like Ricky needs some help. If you could give him a hand?”
Mike watched as Ricky handed gloves and coats and even a couple coils of rope forward. It filled the cab of the truck quickly and gave them something to take their minds off the earlier, gruesome events.
When Ricky was finished handing equipment forward, the boys in the back seat of the truck pulled him back through the window. “That was fun, Scouter Mike!”
“Thanks for doing that, Ricky,” Mike said. “By the way guys, should something ever happen and the doors are blocked or you can’t get out the normal way, go out through the back like Ricky did, okay? You should be able to open the canopy’s back door from inside.”
They nodded began talking quietly amongst themselves. Mike let them be and concentrated on his driving.
It wouldn’t be long now before they hit the next token centre of civilization. Mike had been watching for signs of life as he drove. Morbidly speaking, he had to admit to himself, he had really been looking for signs of death, but so far nothing.
The next town was Water Valley. It marked the one-third point of the journey and was where the Scout troop often met when travelling to this camp. The population of the village was only a couple hundred people with a bar, grocery store, and gas pump the only amenities.
At the thought of the gas pump, Mike checked the truck’s gas gauge. Still slightly above half a tank. That was good. It meant that no matter what they found in Water Valley, he didn’t need to stop for fuel.
Mike got his first glimpse of the village as he crested a hill. The houses on the outskirts were still standing intact. A plume of smoke lazily climbed into the air from one of the chimneys. None of the creatures were out shambling about.
Very promising.
Steve stopped the van just outside of town. He waited until the other vehicles had pulled up before he stepped out onto the road. The other Scouters met him just behind the van.
“Guys, do one of you have room for Stan?” Connall’s moaning and thrashing is really creeping the poor guy out.”
“I can squeeze him in,” Shaun said. “How is Connall doing, anyway?”
“The same.” Steve shook his head. “I just hope we can get him some help when we get back to the city.”
“I just hope the city is still there when we get back,” Jeremy said.
“Yeah, there’s that,” Steve said. He shaded his eyes and looked toward the village. “Nothing seems out of the ordinary here.”
Stan leaned out of the driver’s window of the van. “Scouter Steve? Dad? Can I come out now?”
Steve looked over. “Come on out, Stan. Scouter Shaun had some room for you in his vehicle.”
Stan nodded and opened the door of the van to climb out. A long, low moan from Scouter Connall followed him out of the vehicle.
Stan jumped and ran over to Shaun’s van. Connall moaned a second time.
This time, his call was answered from the woods behind and to the right of them.
The Scouters all looked at each other.
“We had better warn the people of Water Valley before they become victims too,” Mike said.
His words were punctuated by more moaning.
This time it came from within the village.
“I think it’s too late for that,” Jeremy said. He pointed at a gap between two houses where a figure was shambling. It was dragging its left leg and was looking in their direction.
“I think you’re right,” Shaun said. “There are more coming our way down the road!”
“Okay, everyone. Stay calm!” Steve said. “Let’s get back into our vehicles and drive slowly through town. Maybe there aren’t too many of them. If you see anyone who needs help, be careful, but do what you can.”
The men all went back to their respective vehicles and got ready to go.
“What’s going on, Dad?” Kyle asked Mike as he started the truck.
“It looks like there are more of those things here,” Mike said.
“I know. I saw them coming down the road,” Kyle said, his voice serious. “I was about to warn you when you came back.” He stared out the window for a few seconds. “So what are we going to do now?”
“Exactly what we’ve been doing since we left. We keep travelling back to the city,” Mike said. “Hopefully, whatever is happening here isn’t going on at home.”
“But what if it is?” Martin asked from the back seat.
Mike looked at him in the rear-view mirror. “We keep going and do whatever we can.”
“I guess,” Martin said.
Mike eased his truck forward to follow the other Scouter’s vehicles. “Listen guys, as much as I like to go out camping and build the emergency shelters, the reason we do it isn’t just for fun. It’s so you guys have the skills you might need one day if you get into trouble. That’s the reason you learn to make fire and that’s why you learn knife and axe skills.”
“I suppose,” Martin said.
Mike forced a smile as he carefully drove down the road. “I will admit, I never really expected us to have to use any of the skills we taught you, but I’m sure glad you had a chance to learn them. Especially now. We can really help make a difference.” He focused his attention on the road ahead. “Now, I need you fellas to watch for anyone who might need our help. This is as good a place to start making that difference as any.”
The caravan of Scout vehicles slowly drove through the small village. The closer they got to the centre of the community, the more of the shuffling undead they saw.
It was a pretty good bet that the undead were former citizens of t
he village. The creatures were wearing whatever they had on when they were still alive. Pyjamas, jogging outfits, suits, and in a few cases, nothing at all.
Most had gruesome wounds on their arms, heads and torsos. Some could almost have been mistaken for normal people on the street except for the greying skin and tiny pupils. That, and the way they moaned as they shuffled along.
As the convoy drew nearer to the shuffling horde, the creatures began to notice the trespassers. Individually, at first, and then in larger and larger groups, they turned toward the Scout vehicles and began their slow, shuffling attack.
The Scouts slowed as they neared the creatures. Jeremy peeled off to the right and went down an alley. Shaun went left at almost the same time down one of the side streets. Steve slowed the red van, but kept going straight at the centre of the mass of undead.
Mike came to a stop. “Okay, guys. We are going to try and go through these things. I have a feeling that Jeremy and Shaun aren’t going to find things any safer on the routes they’re going and I don’t want to get caught going down streets I’m not familiar with.”
“Well, why are we stopped then?” Kyle asked.
“I wanted to give Steve a chance to get through. If we both try forcing our way through the same way at the same time we might get into each other’s way.” Mike grinned then. “He might also lead a few of these things away, making it easier on us.”
“Good thinking, Scouter Mike,” Ricky said from the back seat.
Mike’s grin turned serious. “Now guys, even if Steve leads some of those things away, there will still be lots of them around. I think the windows of the truck will hold if something smashes into them, but I don’t know that for sure. The doors lock automatically but will open if you pull the handles, so make sure you don’t open them unless absolutely necessary, okay?”
“Okay, Dad.”
“Hang on, Kyle. I’m not finished,” Mike said. “Like we’ve talked about before, what I want you all to be ready for is if something goes wrong. If we get overrun, I’ll do everything I can to clear the way for you. Your jobs will be to get out and run for it, okay?”
Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Plague Page 5