The Zombie Principle II
Page 25
He made sure there were no immediate threats and told Malcolm to keep the doors locked and stay inside the truck.
His plan was a vague one and reminded him of Han Solo from those old Star Wars movies who always said when asked about his plans responded that he was making it up as he went along. It involved finding a back door or entrance to the chapel. He didn’t remember seeing one as they were clearing it out this morning, but he also wasn’t necessarily looking for one.
He came alongside the registration building, hunched down, and could see the bodies of his fallen comrades still lying in front of the building. A determination welled up inside him. He had taken care of Benton and Gunner, now he needed to deal with the other two.
He decided to move past the registration building into a driveway that was next to a covered garden. He looked at the chapel and tried to see through the windows, to ascertain if he might be able to see in, or if he might be detected by someone inside.
Major Bradley remained hunched as he quickly moved away from the building and slid in behind an abandoned car in the parking lot. As he did, he thought he noticed movement in the garden. He figured it was the sun playing tricks with his eyes. But in case it was not, he remained behind the car and listened for any sign of movement.
“Major?” A familiar voice said.
It took a second to place the voice. Once he had, a smile appeared on his face. He stood up behind the left rear quarter panel, his weapon in hand, just in case.
Standing in the garden, looking woefully out of place, was Corporal Sinclair.
“Corporal?” Major Bradley said.
“Yes sir,” Sinclair answered.
They both emerged from their hiding spots to meet in the middle of the parking lot. Major Bradley was the first to ask.
“Is everyone ok?”
“Yes sir, Captain Morris followed those guys here and busted in, caught them off guard. One of ‘em’s dead the other we have tied up. Mr. Boone is watching over him. Oh, Katie Sharpe hit her head on a pew pretty bad but she was coming to when I came out here.”
The news of Katie hit him surprisingly hard, but he tried to maintain his composure.
“What happened at the hospital?” Sinclair asked.
Major Bradley explained what happened, including the unfortunate news of Doctor Sanderson. As he finished his tale, Captain Morris appeared from nowhere.
“Captain, I thought I told you to remain at the casino to oversee the reception,” Major Bradley said in a mock reprimanding tone.
“Who can resist a wedding,” he answered.
Their tone changed as the three of them strolled toward the front door and were once again reminded that the day was indeed a sad one.
“Let’s get these men covered up and into the back of the truck,” he ordered.
Sinclair went inside the chapel to look for something to cover Sanchez and Stevens with as the Major and Captain Morris moved away from the door. The sight of the two men on the pavement was more than either of them cared to look at.
“Sinclair told me what happened … how’s Katie?” Major Bradley asked.
“Headwound … I think she’ll be fine. What happened at the hospital?” Captain Morris repeated Corporal Sinclair’s query.
Major Bradley started to repeat his tale but the door to the chapel opened and the former hostages started to emerge, happy for their freedom. He thought about Doctor Sanderson and how he was going to tell Holly what happened. He thought about Zoe and how long it might take her to get over what she saw; if she ever would. He thought about Katie and her dad, who obviously didn’t have much time left, and how they might spend it. Finally, he thought about those pill bottles that were in Malcolm’s lap and now sitting in the back seat of the late Benton Worthington III’s Land Rover. He decided he would tell Captain Morris all about what happened later.
“We may have found a possible future,” was all he said.
Epilogue
Jason Walker stepped forward and began fumbling in his pocket for two rings he had placed there not a half hour ago. Finally pulling them out, he handed them over to Arch Waxman and retreated back in line with the other groomsmen to the delighted chuckles of the assembled guests.
The chapel in the MGM Grand was small but neat and appropriately decorated for a wedding. Stephen stood tall in front of the altar, facing Lucy who was doing her best to stifle a laugh. Arch cleared his throat.
“Repeat after me … with this ring, I thee wed…”
It had been a week and a half since the events at the Little White Wedding Chapel. Major Bradley had buried his men, giving them the services they deserved. Katie had, for the most part, recovered. She was still experiencing headaches but he was told they would eventually go away. Holly and Zoe Sanderson were doing the best they could, given the circumstances, but were strengthened by the knowledge that the last act of their beloved father and husband was to finish the antidote he had been working on. They knew his soul would rest in peace now.
It was a tough decision but Major Bradley decided that the pills should be taken by anyone who wanted to. If the Doctor said they would work then that was good enough for him. He didn’t feel right forcing someone to ingest something they didn’t want to, so he made it voluntary.
Everyone had taken one of the pills.
Thankfully, there had been no occasion yet where someone would need to rely on it. The notes in Doctor Sanderson’s notebook were clear regarding dosage and frequency, but there were still parts that were written in medical jargon that would require someone with such a background to properly decipher it.
A few more survivors had shown up the past week, increasing their numbers. The Major was making plans to head out and locate someone who would be more capable to reproduce the pills. If he was unable to, Holly said she would carry on for her husband the best she could. They had originally met when she was a lab assistant in Vancouver so she had some understanding of the subject matter.
He would then try to get them in as many hands as possible. He still had no idea how many, if any, other safe zones may be out there or if there are any other organized pockets of humanity. The future was certainly anyone’s guess but Doctor Sanderson had made it a little brighter before he died.
“I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the Bride,” Arch said as the guests erupted in applause.
About the Author
David R Vosburgh was born in Upstate New York and attended SUNY Geneseo where he was class fencing champion. He figured it was a skill that might come in handy one day. He currently lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with his wife Karen and a yellow lab named Lucy.