A pack of zombies appeared to have ventured into the forest to find them. Beth turned and counted twenty of them stumbling through the branches that blocked their path. When one fell another took its place so the twenty she could see were just the tip of the iceberg.
She turned back to Russell and then to David.
“Where’s Rachel?” she said.
“She’s with the children,” David said.
“Do you know how to fire a gun?” she said.
David shook his head and she knew she shouldn’t have been surprised. Who in Britain, outside of the army, knew how to shoot.
She turned to Russell. “Give him a gun.”
Russell pulled the handgun off his belt and David took it.
“Go back to Rachel,” she said. “Make sure the kids are safe.”
David nodded, turned and disappeared from her sight without another word.
The zombies were closer now. Collectively the group took a step back and Beth realised that they were waiting for her to tell them what they should do. Well, that was easy: they needed to deal with these zombies so they could go after Dawn. There was no need to second guess herself now.
She ducked out of the way when the shooting started. The men and women with guns easily making head shots from the short distance. The bodies of the zombies began to pile up around the trees where they formed a barrier that would keep them trapped in the forest.
The shooting continued for several minutes until the guns began to dry fire. The smoke cleared, and she could see the zombies clearly. They were relatively fresh, most of them only showing minor decay.
She walked towards them, cautiously at first, but growing in confidence when she saw that they weren’t going to rise from their second death. Beth looked back at Russell and the others.
“Let’s go,” she said.
“Beth—“ he began, walking forward to join her and she knew that he was going to say there was no point, that if Dawn wasn’t already dead she soon would be.
She shook her head. “You’re either coming with me or I’m going on my own,” she said.
Russell said nothing.
“Leave some guns behind to protect the others.”
She turned away before he could say more. It would be impossible to get Dawn back without his help, but she knew she would still have tried. It might not even be possible with him, but she wasn’t going to give up on her sister without a fight.
Beth climbed over the fallen zombies and into the darkness of the forest beyond. She shivered again and looked around for a clue as to which direction the super zombie had gone. She saw nothing and then she heard Dawn screaming.
* * * * *
Beth pushed aside branches and ran as quickly as she could.
There were a lot of things to take in and she might easily have become overwhelmed, but she held on to one thought: if Dawn was screaming then it meant that she was alive. And while she was alive, there was a chance, however small, that she could be saved.
She could hear the others storming through the forest behind her but she paid them no attention. She didn’t know how many there were, but that no longer mattered. She had to get her sister back, she simply refused to lose another person who she loved.
Beth slowed down as she approached the super zombie and saw that it had stopped.
At first, she couldn’t see why. The clearing was unremarkable, a compacted dirt floor and trees which were almost lifeless.
Then she saw that the super zombie was not alone.
Dozens of soldiers surrounded the clearing. Each of them had a large gun pointed at it. None of them had opened fire, but Beth was not naive enough to believe it was because of Dawn. It was because they wanted to capture the super zombie alive.
* * * * *
This had all been part of the plan, Beth thought. The guards hadn’t opened the gate because Russell was driving towards it at a hundred miles an hour, they had done it because they knew the super zombie would find them. She didn’t understand why it had come looking for her, or Dawn as it now seemed, but maybe it had something to do with those eyes.
A hand touched her arm, and Beth turned to see Velma.
“I’ve got her!” Velma shouted as she tightened her grip.
“Let me go,” Beth said. She struggled to get away, but she couldn’t.
“You heard her,” Russell said. Beth couldn’t turn far enough to see him but Velma smiled.
“Drop your weapons,” Velma said. “Or we’ll shoot the girl.”
“You wouldn’t,” Russell said.
Velma looked at Beth as if daring her to put it to the test. Beth knew better than to push the woman.
“Drop the guns,” Beth said.
She thought he might question her but, apparently, he had already become used to taking orders from her. Although Beth didn’t like it, it seemed as if she’d become the leader of the whole group. Her only consolation was that it wouldn’t be for very long.
Velma nodded and pulled Beth into the clearing.
“We’ve got her,” Velma said.
The super zombie turned. It was still holding Dawn and she was still struggling to get away. The creature let out a low moan as their eyes made contact.
Dale, she thought. Her mouth fell open, but no words came out. It was impossible, obviously, but that didn’t change the fact that she felt it.
“Come with us now,” Velma said. She was speaking to the super zombie and, although it didn’t reply, it seemed to understand.
There was a click and then the feeling of metal against her head. Beth tried to move away, but Velma held her firmly.
“Come on,” Velma said to the creature. “If you don’t want to see the inside of her head you’ll come with me.”
Velma pushed Beth forwards. She stumbled over half buried rocks but she wasn’t allowed to fall. She turned back and saw that the creature was following.
* * * * *
It was uphill all the way and she nearly fell over several times. Only Velma’s hand kept her upright and moving forwards.
The soldiers followed and behind them came the rest of the convoy.
Beth looked for an opportunity to do something, but she wasn’t entirely clear on what she wanted to do. To get away from Velma and rescue Dawn from the super zombie. But how was she supposed to do that? And did Dawn really need rescuing?
Those eyes.
Ahead the wall which surrounded the compound came into view. The gate wouldn’t be much further away. If she was going to do something, then she needed to do it soon.
And those eyes.
It felt like looking at Dale, and she knew that was a dangerous path to go down. She couldn’t be sure that she would be able to act sensibly.
But those eyes.
If the eyes were the same then what did that mean? Whatever the creature was, it clearly wasn’t Dale. She had seen him die, had walked away from his body as it was devoured by zombies.
The eyes told a different story.
She began to construct an explanation but she would never know how close it was to the truth.
If Dale had died had he come back? There was something different about his blood, but it could explain this? Could it be that he had come back as this super zombie and now he was trying to protect her?
She saw the gate and knew that going back inside would mean death.
So what did she really have to lose?
Was it her imagination or was Velma limping? If she had been hurt then the chance of escaping was improved, a little. Or it might make her more trigger happy and dangerous. Either way, what choice did she have?
She was relying on a lot of assumptions but she was getting used to that. If she was wrong, and the super zombie really did intend to kill them all, then she would be just as dead as if she allowed Velma to take her into the compound.
But it was worth the risk.
On her next step she let her knees buckle and was relieved when she felt Velma’s grip on her falter.
She twisted sharply and turned away from the woman, keeping her head down and moving quickly.
It was a surprise to find that the move had worked so she was momentarily too startled to do anything except keep moving. She was aware of movement around her and the sound of guns being turned in her direction.
When she looked up, she saw the super zombie ahead of her.
One moment she was running and the next she was being lifted into the air. She felt strong hands grip her, and she looked down. The decaying hands of the super zombie were wrapped around her waist and she was unable to move.
If her assumptions were wrong then she was moments away from death, or undeath. She waited to feel the super zombie’s teeth but didn’t. The next thing she knew they were moving again.
She was turned away from the soldiers but she heard them start to shoot. She could feel the impact go through the super zombie’s body as it was struck, but not slowed. It started to run and carried her and Dawn with it.
* * * * *
Beth didn’t know how long they ran for. The forest rushed past her as she held on to the decaying hands of the creature. She was sure that the army chased them, but she couldn’t see anything through the thick torso of the super zombie.
When they finally stopped it was in an area that she didn’t recognise. The forest was a long way behind them and there was no sign of the soldiers.
The creature lowered her to the ground and placed her beside Dawn. Without thinking she reached for her sister’s hand and held it firmly. The super zombie looked down at them and she looked back up at it.
Those eyes.
“Dale?” she said.
It looked at her but didn’t say anything.
“Is that you?” Beth said. “Are you in there?”
The super zombie opened its mouth, but no words came out. A low moan that could have meant either yes, or no, or nothing at all, was all she heard.
Beth took it for what she wanted it to mean, and she let go of Dawn’s hand. The fact that the creature had saved her, and her sister that it hadn’t tried to kill them, even now when there was nothing they could do to stop it, was all the proof she needed.
She reached out a hand and didn’t flinch as she touched the torn skin on its arm. If Dale was in there somewhere, then she couldn’t see it. She smiled up at the creature. It was the eyes but nothing more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The convoy rumbled on. The forest and the compound was a long way behind them now. Beth sat in the front passenger seat beside Russell. Ahead of her all she could see was open country.
The weather had begun to turn. There had been snow a few days previously and the ground was still covered with the remains. It had amazed her a little to see so much unbroken white. In the old world, when it had snowed, it had always been covered in footprints and tire tracks.
They had spoken about their plans for the future. At some point, they both agreed, they would be forced to settle down, but neither of them was ready for that yet. Until then they would continue to make their way across the country, always on the move, always hoping for something better on the other side of the next hill.
The alarm was sounded from the top of the truck. Beth turned and saw Noel on the seat that had been bolted there, behind a very big gun. He pointed right, south, and she turned to look. In the distance she could see a herd of zombies coming towards them.
Beth turned to Russell and saw that he could see them as well.
“Can we outrun them?” she said.
Russell shook his head. Collectively they weren’t able to move quickly anymore. There were too many of them, and their vehicles were too old and fragile.
“Stop the car,” she said.
He brought the car to a stop.
“Go and get the gunners ready,” she said. “I want to deal with this before they get too close.”
A few minutes later she heard the bike engines. They had an even dozen of them now. She watched as they raced towards the zombies.
“There’s too many of them,” Noel said. “They’re getting through.”
Gunshot overwhelmed the moaning. Russell opened the door for her, and she climbed out.
She passed the final caravan and kept going. The super zombie wasn’t a secret from the rest of the convoy but she knew that its presence made some of them nervous. It kept its distance, but it was always there when she needed it.
The creature walked towards her as if it had known it was needed. Beth stopped and let it come closer.
“We’ve got a situation,” she said.
The super zombie nodded. Its flesh had continued to decay, and she noticed new wounds that had begun to fester and would never properly heal. On one level she was disgusted by it, just as she assumed everyone else in the convoy was, but on another, she saw Dale in its eyes.
She had taught it to nod, although it still couldn’t speak and it was difficult to know whether it really understood.
She pointed in the direction of the herd, and it looked at her for a little longer. Those eyes staring into her soul as Dale had done so many times before. When it started to run she almost wanted to call it back, to keep the last living reminder of Dale safe from harm.
She let it go.
When it was over they started to move again. The super zombie somewhere far behind, watching and keeping them safe. Beth rode in the front seat beside Russell and told him which way to go. She didn’t know where they would end up but, for now, that didn’t matter.
GET 136,000 WORDS OF SHORT STORIES AND NOVELLAS FOR FREE
Tales of the Apocalypse contains nine short stories and novellas set before, during or after an apocalyptic event.
Get your free book now:
http://jloscombe.com/totafreebie/
About the Author
James Loscombe was born in Crawley, England in 1983. He graduated with an HND in video production from Reading College and a degree in English Literature from the Open University. He has been writing fiction since he was eight years old. James lives in Reading, England with his wife Tamzin and son Jude.
Find out more about James at:
JLoscombe.com
Other Books by James Loscombe
Patient Zero
Sanctuary
Tales of the Apocalypse
Zero Hour (Zombie Apocalypse Book 2) Page 23