Lies of the Prophet

by Ike Hamill

  “Come on,” said Andrew. “Quickly.”

  Carol took Lynne’s hand, and Lynne focused on Domi’s Sparkle so she would have some idea of the terrain ahead.

  Andrew had one rifle slung next to his side and the rest of his guns in his pack. He led the women up a steep hill and under a fence to an alley between two buildings. At the road, where the buildings ended, he paused and took inventory of the situation.

  “It’s clear,” Lynne whispered in his ear. Her supernatural vision wasn’t blocked by the buildings or hindered by the lack of light.

  The four ran fast and low across the pavement to the Incline Station. The cat bounded behind them, picking up the rear. Carol whispered warnings to Lynne before they crossed any curbs. Under Andrew’s direction, they ran down the side of the building and around the back corner. A tall metal fence abutted the building, keeping them from the tracks of the incline. Andrew turned his attention to the lock on the back door.

  Lynne scanned the darkness. Only one zombie Sparkle was anywhere near them. The rest still milled around on the other side of the bridge’s supports, confused and watching Gregory’s ship run pilotless up the river.

  “Can’t you just break it, or shoot it?” asked Carol.

  “We need it to lock behind us,” said Andrew. “And we can’t afford to make any noise.”

  “There’s one coming,” said Lynne. “We’ve got a while, but I think maybe he’s on our trail.”

  Andrew knelt down to get closer to the lock. “I haven’t done this in years,” he said.

  Carol alternated from looking over Andrew’s shoulder to joining Lynne at the corner. She couldn’t see anything either place. She crossed her arms and flared her nostrils with each impatient breath.

  “He’s coming now for sure,” said Lynne. “But he’s alone. You’ve got about thirty seconds.”

  “No problem,” said Andrew. “I think I’ve got it.”

  “He’s picking up speed,” whispered Lynne.

  “Okay,” whispered Andrew. “How far?”

  “Coming around the side of the building,” said Lynne. She backed up so she could speak very low.

  The lock clicked beneath Andrew’s hand. He stood up and un-shouldered his rifle, moving around Lynne. “Go inside,” he said.

  Carol went through the door, followed closely by Domi and Marta. Lynne stayed put and waited for Andrew. She heard the crunching blow of the butt of his rifle, and then saw the zombie’s Sparkle fade and collapse. Andrew turned and shepherded her through the door. He pulled it shut behind them and locked it.

  “Through here,” he said.

  Andrew found a stairway that led up to the loading doors. The passenger car wasn’t parked at the lower station, so they led out to the bare tracks. He didn’t waste any time on this door. When he found it locked, he threw his shoulder against it until the frame cracked and the door popped open. He and Carol guided Lynne out to the tracks. The Incline had two sets of tracks, and between them a steep stairway with a metal railing.

  They stepped over the tracks and across the supports to get to the stairs. In the moonlight, Andrew looked up—the stairs seemed to stretch forever.

  Lynne could see a bright cluster of zombies at the top.

  “We can’t climb all the way up there,” Carol stated.

  “We can’t if we don’t try,” said Andrew. “Lynne, you give a signal if you see anything, right?”

  “Right,” said Lynne.

  Andrew struck off in the lead. He took the stairs two at a time, holding his rifle with both hands. He swept his gaze from side-to-side as he climbed. Carol started with a straight back and hands curled into loose fists. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled every third step. Lynne kept her eye on Carol’s light and took the stairs on hands and feet. She found it easier to keep her balance that way. Carol pulled ahead quickly. Every few minutes, Lynne turned to verify that Marta was still following.

  Lynne knew they had climbed away from the ground when she saw the Sparkle of a zombie below. She kept moving until her hand touched something strange on the next step. She almost screamed out until Andrew’s hand came down on her shoulder and he whispered in her ear.

  “Something down on the tracks?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she breathed. It was tough to whisper when out of breath.

  “Does it see us?” Andrew asked.

  “I don’t think so,” said Lynne.

  “Good,” said Andrew. He climbed away.

  The next line of zombies was closer—no more than twenty feet away at their closest point. Lynne saw them coming a when she happened to glance up. Carol had stopped. Lynne held her breath and heard Andrew giving her instructions. Carol moved on more slowly and Andrew waited for Lynne.

  He made a little hissing sound when she got close enough to hear—“We’re about to cross above a road,” said Andrew. “They don’t seem very observant, but try to move very quietly.”

  “Sure,” said Lynne. She forced herself to breathe through her nose, but it didn’t seem much quieter. She held her ground until she could catch her breath again. Ahead, Carol’s light moved past the zombies without drawing their attention. Lynne started climbing again. She focused on Domi. He would move up several steps and the pause while she caught up.

  Lynne couldn’t see Andrew, but she brushed by him as she came up level with the nearest zombie-Sparkle. It was on the other side of the tracks, but it was so close. She didn’t know anything about the terrain, but he was so close, she could only imagine that he would be able to get to her quickly if he sensed her there. Andrew nudged her from behind—she didn’t realize that she had stopped.

  Once they were over that road, the next zombie-lights were way above. Lynne turned around dozens of times to reassure herself that they weren’t being pursued. Marta’s light was the only light she saw behind her. Her head swam when she saw the bright cluster of zombies at the shore. They were so far away.

  They climbed forever. Each time Lynne looked up it seemed that they were no closer to the Sparkle at the top of the mountain. She caught up with Carol and Andrew, who had stopped to rest.

  “It’s beautiful, even in the dark,” Carol panted.

  “You should see it at dusk when the city is lit up,” said Andrew. “It really is a fantastic view. What do you see, Lynne?”

  “It’s…” she spoke between sucking wind, “like a map… where only the streets… are drawn. They’re patrolling the streets… and lighting it up… with Sparkle.”

  “Sounds pretty,” said Andrew.

  Lynne could only get half a breath before it felt like her ribs would split open, so she breathed low and fast.

  “Very,” Lynne said. “Except… you know…”

  “Can you tell what they’re doing?” asked Carol.

  “No,” said Lynne.

  “I believe they’re patrolling to herd the living indoors,” said Andrew. “Whenever someone goes outside, they swarm. I saw one person try to resist. He was trying to get to his car. When he wouldn’t go back inside, they tore him to pieces.”

  “Did he turn into a zombie then?” asked Carol.

  Andrew laughed briefly and then covered his mouth. “No, there wasn’t enough of him left to turn into anything.”

  “When was this?” asked Lynne.

  “When you guys were locked in the brig,” said Andrew.

  “But if they’re not making more zombies, then why are there so many more of them now?” asked Carol.

  “I think more are just rising from the grave,” said Andrew. “There’s a lot more, but also a lot that don’t seem to be very high-quality. They’re only formidable because of the numbers.”

  “Do you think they’re like Gregory?” asked Carol.

  Andrew and Lynne spoke in unison—“No.”

  “No,” Andrew continued, “Gregory was regenerative. These things are falling apart as they move.”

  “They are only here to obey,” said Marta. “I understand them. They’re just a hamm
er wielded by a malevolent fist. They’re nothing like Gregory.”

  “What was your job… for Gregory?” Lynne asked Andrew. She covered her mouth and coughed.

  “I managed his operations,” said Andrew. “And I was totally against kidnapping you. Sorry about that, but I couldn’t talk him out of it.”

  Andrew got up first and started to climb.

  Domi jumped in Lynne’s lap, surprising her. She pet him for a couple of minutes and felt her energy wash back in. Carol got up and left her there, but by then, Lynne almost felt good enough to continue. She attributed her renewal to the thought that they were almost there. They were making the ascent to the final confrontation.

  Andrew didn’t have to warn them to be quiet when they approached the top. Carol could see the milling mob, lit up by the moon and moving against the night sky. Lynne was nearly blinded by the Sparkle. It was almost like walking outside on a bright day—the longer she looked up towards the glowing undead, the more she could see, as if her eyes were adjusting.

  The Incline’s passenger car was parked at the summit station. A ladder ran up the downhill side. Andrew guided Carol to the ladder and then whispered instructions into Lynne’s ear. She sent Andrew up first, so she could hand Domi to him when he was high enough to lift the cat up to the roof. The top of the car was steep. Andrew broke a window and unlocked it so they could climb into the interior of the station. They found a stairway at the back of the station and climbed up to a door that led to the roof of the building.

  With Andrew leading the way, they had soon scrambled to the front peak of the station where they could look down at the street filled with undead.

  “Now what?” asked Carol.

  They looked at Grandview Avenue, which ran right along the edge of the bluff. Behind them would have been a breathtaking skyline if the city wasn’t blacked out. The zombies marched up and down the street, completely oblivious to the trio watching them from the roof.

  “There,” said Lynne. She pointed up into the darkness at the apartment building across the street.

  Andrew figured out what she was looking at—“I see,” he said. “On the fifth floor balcony. They’ve got candles and stuff up there. Is that what you’re pointing at?”

  “I don’t know,” said Lynne. “But there’s something different up there. I’m guessing that’s what we’re after.”

  “I don’t see anything,” said Carol. Andrew slid over next to her and helped her locate the spot.

  “How many zombies are in that building?” Andrew asked.

  “As far as I can tell, none. They’re all out on the street. None inside that I can see,” said Lynne.

  Marta closed her eyes and spoke—“There’s something there masquerading as a girl. She has two human bodyguards with her.”

  “Can you use your power to kill them?” asked Lynne.

  “I could kill the humans. I’m not sure about the girl,” said Marta. “But I won’t. I won’t kill anything, ever again.”

  “The fate of the world could depend on it,” said Andrew. “They’ve revived the dead all over the world. Who knows how many people they’ll kill in their attempt to conquer.”

  “Justifications like that led to the thousands of lives I’ve already taken,” said Marta. “I won’t do it again.”

  The four sat silent for a moment.

  Andrew broke the silence—“I can’t hit anything from here in the dark. Unless I had a sniper rifle on a tripod and night-vision. I’m going to make a run for that building and see if I can take the fight to that little girl. Carol, I need you to lay down some cover fire to help me get across the street.”

  “What do I do?” asked Carol.

  “Wait,” said Lynne. “This is absurd. The three of us are supposed to be able to stop that little girl. Even Donna seemed to think so. What’s one more death, Marta? Can you just do your part?”

  Marta looked down at her chest and swallowed hard. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “Have you fired a gun before?” Andrew asked Carol, taking her aside.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Good.”

  Andrew gave her a quick tutorial. She held the rifle away from her body.

  “Just keep your eyes open and don’t shoot at me,” was his most often repeated instruction.

  “I’m going with you,” said Lynne.

  “No,” said Andrew.

  “No,” Carol echoed.

  “You can’t see anything but the bad guys,” said Andrew. He waved down towards the street where the zombies milled around, oblivious to the people on the roof.

  “I’ll be fine,” said Lynne.

  “Can you even see the divider in the middle of the street?” asked Andrew.

  “Yes,” said Lynne.

  “There is no divider,” he said. “Look, you can’t help with this, you can only hinder me. So stay up here and help Carol see the bad guys.”

  “Fine,” said Lynne. She picked up Domi and held his head to her face.

  Andrew prepped Carol with some final instructions and then moved to the edge of the roof. He had about an eight foot drop from the edge to a bench on the sidewalk. From there, he had about five feet of sidewalk until he reached the road, where the zombies walked. While he waited for an opening, Lynne had Carol describe the scene to her.

  “These are more faint than the first ones we saw,” said Lynne. “What do they look like?”

  “They’re definitely a lot more ragged. Some are barely more than skeletons. I don’t think they can see or hear anything. It’s like they’re moving by smell or something,” said Carol.

  “What makes you say that?” asked Lynne.

  “Shhh,” said Carol. “He’s going.” Andrew signaled back to Carol that he was ready to jump down. She knew his plan—he would jump down to the street and sprint, trying to weave between the lines of guards before they caught wind of him. She was to fire into the crowd that formed behind him and mind the recoil, so she didn’t accidentally put a bullet into Andrew.

  He wielded two handguns and had two more stuffed in his waistband.

  “I’ll do my part,” said Marta.

  “Thank heavens,” said Carol. She put a hand on Andrew’s shoulder. And they both turned to Marta to see her work. Marta moved close to the edge of the building and sat on the ledge with her feet dangling over the sidewalk.

  She turned back to Lynne, Carol, and Andrew and spoke—“I won’t kill them, but I’ll distract the horde.” Marta dropped down to the sidewalk before Andrew could stop her. She landed well, her cape spread out around her, and walked south down Grandview. The zombies spotted her after she’d moved a few paces. They swarmed.

  “Shit,” said Andrew. He dropped over the edge and sprinted. He was halfway across the street before Carol squeezed off her first round. Carol had to make a choice of whom to cover, and she chose Andrew. He was sprinting towards the building and Marta was already enveloped in a pack of undead. She fired into the crowd that formed in his wake as he weaved through. Her bullets tore through rotted flesh and crippled and maimed the zombie chasers. Andrew dodged the oblivious undead ahead of him and outran the ones behind him that survived Carol’s fire.

  Before he reached the far curb, something changed. The lines in front of him collapsed and Andrew had to start firing. He shot at some and knocked others away with the sides of his pistols.

  Down the street, within a swarm of zombies Marta screamed. Lynne turned. Marta’s light had grown weak. Lynne turned back to the assembling mass of zombies following Andrew, and then looked up to see Donna on the move in the apartment building.

  Andrew had nearly fought his way to the far side when he was struck. It wasn’t Carol’s fault. She had kept her head, and her aim was true. She drilled round after round into the crowd of attackers; she was only three quarters through with her first banana-clip when one of her rounds bounced off the pavement and sent shrapnel into Andrew’s leg. The hot metal slowed his pumping leg and caught his bal
ance off-guard. Andrew began to stumble.

  “Oh fuck,” Carol said when Andrew’s head disappeared into the sea of zombies. “He’s hit,” she said.

  “Go, Domi,” said Lynne. She meant to use him as her guide. His Sparkle was bright enough for her to see, and he seemed to understand that she needed him to lead the way. The lines of zombies collapsed on Andrew, leaving plenty of gaps in their ranks that she could clearly see. She didn’t know where the apartment building door was, or how to find the stairs up to Donna, but she trusted Domi to lead the way.

  Domi paused at the edge of the roof and Lynne sat down next to him before starting her slide.

  “No, Lynne. Wait!” said Carol.

  Lynne dropped over the edge of the roof, trying to keep her legs bent. Her feet hit the bench and she let her legs take the shock. She spilled forward and put out her hands. With a couple of scrapes on her palms, she was in pretty good shape after the fall.

  “What are you doing? Stay back,” Carol said over the edge.

  “Just keep shooting,” Lynne ordered.

  Domi joined her on the ground and was on the move again. She watched his form to see where he dropped over the curb. He moved in a wide arc around the cluster of zombies. Lynne heard the shooting start again. She ran with long shuffling strides, following the cat closely. To her right she could hear the zombies between Carol’s shots. They made disgusting creaking and slurping noises. Domi weaved and Lynne followed him. He moved in a fast stalk, low to the ground.

  She saw Domi bounce up and lifted her foot high, not knowing what to expect. It was a firm step up, long before she expected to find the far curb. She looked to the right and confirmed that they’d circled the big group of zombies. Carol was still firing, and she figured that Andrew was probably still engaged with the group and drawing their attention even though she couldn’t hear him firing any more.

  Domi meowed. He had stopped up ahead. She hadn’t seen him jump up the stairs and realized too late that his Sparkle was too high. She hit the brick steps and sprawled, barely getting her hands up in time. She turned her head and smacked the side of her cheek into the bricks. Lynne tasted her own blood. Worse, behind her, she heard a strange crescendo in the zombie noise. She turned to see part of the mob peeling off and coming her way.