Knight Terrors: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale

by Beard, Stephen J.

  Despite the cold rain outside and getting wet, the mood of the group was positive. People were talking and laughing. I felt bad for Tom who had the lookout job for the early part of the night. He had good rain gear that we all shared but I’m sure being out in this was no fun.

  The rest of the day passed without incident. With all the noise we made firing the weapons I was a little surprised that no one came out to us. I was on watch when the rain let up about 2 am.

  Tuesday, December 30, 2014

  Lois met me in the morning with a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning, Ryan.”

  “Good morning, Lois. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “I want to go on the supply run this morning.”

  “Any particular reason why?”

  “I just want to contribute more.”

  “You contribute plenty. You’ve been nursing Tony’s leg. And now you’ve got a pregnant woman to look after. I can’t afford to lose you.”

  “I know. But, Tony is healing nicely. He’ll be walking on his own sooner rather than later. And Tracie is a month away from her due date. She has done well with her eating and drinking. I want to contribute in a different way.”

  “Mike will kill me if I say yes.”

  “I’ve already talked to Mike and he’s okay with it.”

  “Because he knew I’d say no.”

  “Ryan…”

  “Okay, you can come. Let Mike help you gear up.”

  I said good morning to Tabby, Mal and Karen on my way to find Tom. He was having coffee with Keith and John.

  “For reasons that I don’t understand, Lois is begging me to come out on the supply run today.”

  “You want someone to stay behind?”

  “Yeah, I’d like it to be you, if that’s okay. I need someone that I trust to make decisions while I’m gone. I trust Tony, but he’s not very mobile still. Between the smoke on Sunday and the noise yesterday, we might see some visitors.”

  “I’m guessing you want them kept outside?”

  “Yeah, talk to them from the wall if you feel safe enough, gather information. But, I’d like to feel them out for myself.”

  “Understood.”

  Next I went to find Tracie. She was with Beth and Tony having coffee.

  “Good morning folks. Tony, how’s the leg today?”

  “It’s been stiff first thing in the morning.”

  “I’m gonna get you a cane today. Tracie can I have a word?” We walked a few steps away from Beth and Tony.

  “I’m going on a supply run this morning with a few of the group. I’m the only one that drives the boat at the moment but I’d probably go anyway. While I’m gone, Tom and Tony are in charge if you need anything. I need to know if there’s anything specific that you need, prescriptions or anything like that.”

  “No, but with the limited food choices I’d like to have some pre natal vitamins.”

  “Pre natal vitamins, got it.”

  I smiled and got ready to go.

  Several people came down to the boat to see us off. I was lucky that the tide was coming in to the harbor. It took us away from the pier gently with little effort on my part.

  Everyone came into the wheelhouse where there was some heat.

  “Hopefully we can get the boat tied up quickly, we don’t know what we’ll find when we pull up.”

  “Hopefully the bus starts,” said Mike.

  “Shit, I hadn’t thought about that. Thanks Mike.”

  Everybody chuckled.

  “Lois, since you’ve not done this with us before lets go over some basics. Zombies are stupid. Remember what we did to clear the convenience store the day we met?”

  She nodded.

  “Basically we still do that. We open a door just enough for one zombie to come through at a time. Then we take turns shooting until they’re all dead again.”

  “Sounds easy,” she said.

  “It is when it goes right.”

  “And when t doesn’t?” she asked.

  “Last time we blew up a mall,” said Mike.

  Everybody laughed. But I was thinking of the day that we lost Mike’s father. That day there were too many zombies to handle and they were in the open. They had been lured to us by some very bad people who wanted our stuff. Michael didn’t make it to the bus.

  “We are going to hit the Harris Teeter on East Bay Street this morning for food and water. And if it doesn’t take long, we’ll hit the CVS too. We need a cane for Tony and some pre natal vitamins for Tracie.”

  “This is gonna suck, Ryan,” said John.

  “Yeah, I know. But they’re close together and it makes sense to hit them both while we’re here. Plus, you aren’t going to like the alternative.”

  “What’s the alternative?”

  “You’ll have to take the bus and RV over across the bridge to Mt Pleasant and meet me at Patriots Point.”

  “You don’t think we’ll have to do that anyway?’ asked John.

  “John’s paying attention. Yes, if we don’t end up doing it today, we’ll have to do it tomorrow anyway. There’s just not enough grocery stores in downtown,” I replied.

  “Well, you’re just a bundle of good news,” said Lois.

  “You wanted to come.”

  “Ryan, what do you think happens to the zombies in the water?” asked Keith.

  “I’m just guessing here, but I think they would become waterlogged and sink. It shouldn’t take too long for their bodies to dedcompose. So I don’t think they’ll be an army of the dead walking up out of the harbor.”

  The conversation moved onto other things. As we got close to the dock, everybody got into position to get the ropes on the boat. I didn’t hit the dock too hard and nobody fell in. I’m sure the boat wasn’t tied up properly but it wasn’t going anywhere. All in all, it was a success.

  There were a few zombies milling around the dock and I made Lois get as many of them as possible for the practice. We wrere just about to get in the bus when the gunfire started.

  “That sounds close,” said John.

  “Somebody is still alive in downtown,” said Lois.

  “But not for long with all that noise. Let’s go see if we can help. But only if we can do this safely, got it?”

  Everyone nodded.

  The bus started right up and I put the window down to follow the sounds of the gunfire. There was a convenience store a few blocks to the north and that’s where I headed. We drove up slowly from a back driveway to not attract attention. There were already thirty or so zombies and we could see more coming from the neighborhood across East Bay Street.

  Two survivors were on the steps leading up to the convenience store. It looked like they got caught coming out; their packs were full. A quick look showed more zombies coming from one direction than the other. We came up on the slow side and stopped.

  “Crossbows?” asked Keith.

  “No,” I said. “We won’t be around to collect the bolts and we need them.”

  “Tomahawks, then?” asked Mike.

  “Yep.”

  “Tomahawks?” asked Lois.

  “Not for you. You stay here and watch our backs. I don’t want to get snuck up on.”

  As we exited I thought about trying to get the people on the steps to stop shooting, but they were keeping the attention of the zombies away from us. And that was a good thing. For us, anyway.

  My group waded into the zombies from behind. Every swing of a tomahawk brought one down. Blood was flying everywhere. It was hard not to trip over the fallen corpses. The two people on the steps realized what we were doing and as soon as we thinned the heard some on one side they made a break for it. A shift to the left cleared a path and they made it safely onto the bus. We broke from our attack and got back to the door. Mike was the last one in and I toggled the door and began to move.

  “Holy fuck,” said Lois. Everyone turned to stare at her.

  “Mom,” said Mike. “You act as though you’ve never seen one
before.”

  “Not like that.”

  “Thank you,” said the woman we had saved.

  I turned to look at the couple we had just rescued. Late forties, early fifties. Fit. Not equipped very well. They had small backpacks. Guns but no knives.

  “You’re welcome,” I said. “I’m Ryan Knight.”

  Exchanges and hellos all around. The woman spoke more than the man. They were Ken and Nancy Jones. They lived downtown and had been holed up since it all began. They had always kept extra food on hand and it was just the two of them. But they were down to a few crackers and needed to venture out.

  Ken didn’t talk much and he made me uneasy. Mike looked over and I could tell he felt the same.

  We were a few blocks away from the grocery store when Ken asked where we were going.

  “I want to see what is left at the Teeter.”

  “What happens to us?” he asked.

  “We’ll get you some supplies and get you home,” I replied.

  “Can’t we come with you?” asked Nancy.

  “I’m sorry Nancy, we are overcrowded at our place as it is. But, we’ll help you as best we can.”

  I smiled at her but when we pulled up to the Teeter my heart sank. The doors were broken open and there was stuff strewn about outside. There weren’t many zombies outside. But, the open doors meant two things: we couldn’t use our normal method of clearing the building and we probably weren’t gonna find much anyway.

  “Okay, let’s get the ones outside first. Ken, Nancy, stay close and let us do this. We can’t use firearms.”

  There were only seven or eight zombies outside in the parking lot and we quicky took care of them. After recovering the bolts we all met at the the door.

  “Ken, Nancy, remember to stay close. We have headlamps and it’s going to be dark.. I’ll give each of you a flashlight, but remember, no shooting,” I said.

  “What’s that smell?” asked John.

  “Rotting meat and produce, I think. It’ll be worse inside.”

  “I think I’m gonna be sick,” said Mike.

  “Well, do it quietly. When we get inside we need to block the entrance so nothing sneaks up on us. Maye some carts.”

  Inside, we only found two zombies. Christ, they’re really terrifying in the dark.

  What we didn’t find was a store full of supplies. It looked like the aftermath of a hurricane rush only it smelled worse. The water was gone. So were things like batteries and flashlights. We got carts and took what we could. There was plenty of Gatorade and soda. We got some canned goods and some peanut butter. It would be enough for Ken and Nancy for awhile. Outside there were about 20 bundles of firewood stacked up and we loaded them too.

  “Now what?” asked Ken.

  “Now, I think we get you home safely and get this stuff unloaded,” I said.

  Ken looked over at Nancy and suddenly they had their guns out.

  Damn, I knew I didn’t want them to join our group, but I didn’t see this coming.

  “All the help we’ve given you and this is how you repay us?” asked Lois.

  “Shut up, where are the keys?”

  “In the ignition,” I replied.

  “Okay, everybody slowly take your weapons off and put them on the ground,” Ken directed.

  “You just gonna leave us here defensless?” asked John.

  “No, he’s not,” I said.

  “I will shoot you, Mr Knight.”

  “No, you won’t Ken. You’re a scumbag alright, but you’re no killer. On the other hand, I’ve killed seven living people in the last three weeks. One of them killed my friend Michael who was Mike’s father and Lois here’s husband. That one begged for his life while I shot him in the face. The last one I set on fire. I’m a killer, Ken. Not you.”

  With that, I reached out and grabbed his gun with my left hand while stepping up and punching him in the face. He went down hard. I drew my Glock and pointed it at Nancy.

  “Drop it or die.”

  She dropped it and fell to her knees.

  “Don’t shoot. Oh, God, don’t shoot. I told him we didn’t have to do this. I’m sorry.”

  She crawled over to Ken who was out cold. Nancy put his head on her lap and began to cry.

  “Mike, check them for weapons.”

  They each had a handgun but only a few rounds left. Their packs were full of crap from the convenience store.

  “Get rid of that crap and fill both their packs with good stuff, something that’ll last,” I told John. “Unload their guns and put them in their packs, too.”

  I got a box of ammo and put it in Nancy’s pack.

  “I didn’t trust your husband from the very beginning, but we would’ve helped you anyway. I’m giving you a fighting chance, because I’m better than you. You have 50 rounds from my own bag. But, understand, Nancy. If either one of you try anything I will kill you both without hesitation.”

  She nodded through her tears.

  “Do you and Ken have any tools at home?”

  She nodded again.

  “Good, a large kitchen knife or screwdriver will make a better weapon than your guns. The zombies are attracted to noise. Use the guns only as a last resort. Do you understand?”

  She nodded again. I looked up.

  “Okay, lets’ go.”

  We got into the bus and started off. As I looked over, Nancy was till cradling Ken as she cried.

  “I’m sorry Boss Man.”

  “Why are you sorry?”

  “I’m always the ‘let’s help people’ guy. That one didn’t work out so well.”

  “We’ll try to help everyone we can, Mike. But did everyone get a weird vibe from them?”

  Everyone agreed.

  “Remember to listen to your instincts. They will save your life. And, we are alive and unhurt so we win.”

  “You’re a better human than I am, Ryan Knight.” Said Lois. “I don’t think I’d have been as charitable.

  “Leaving them with nothing was the same as killing them right there. I’d kill to save any one of us. But, once I got the gun from him they were no threat to us.”

  “Still…”

  When we pulled into the CVS lot there were more zombies than expected. Roughly 20 or so. I parked to one side of the lot and we methodically took them out one by one. Mike stayed in the back of a pickup truck to watch for trouble. That included zombies and humans.

  But the CVS had been broken into and looted. We cleared the store and looked around. The water was gone along with a lot of the medical supplies. The pharmacy was practically empty.

  “Okay, whatever soda and juice still here we grab. Breakfast bar type snacks are good. Whatever you think we need,” I said.

  It didn’t take long. The people looting the store were in a hurry and missed a lot of things that are necessary. We managed to get vitamins for Tracie and a cane for Tony. Plus a few other medical supplies like ACE bandages. A sprain that takes time to heal puts a valuable person out of action.

  We had one more stop. Not 100 yards from The Harris Teeter was a True Value hardware store. I was sure it’d be looted but what we needed might not be a hot commodity. There was no sign of Ken or Nancy but I left a lookout just the same. The store had been looted as expected but there were no zombies inside.

  We were here for ladders and they had not been looted. But we managed to find more things we could use at the fort. More nails. An assortment of tools. It would be really frustrating and potentially dangerous to not complete a project because we didn’t have the right tools. We also found some plastic tubbies. They would be handy to carry item from the boat to the fort but also could keep stuff dry. Lastly, I found some seeds. Not many but we’d need to grow our own food eventually.

  The trip back to Liberty Square and the boat was uneventful. We got the boat loaded quickly and cast off.

  “Ryan,” Lois asked. “Are all the supply runs like that?”

  I could see that Lois was reconsidering her decision to come
along. I didn’t want to scare her but she needed to know how things were when we left the safety of the fort.

  “No, Lois. Sometimes we don’t have any living people trying to kill us.”

  We got everything packed into the tubbies. They were really going to help. The other thing that would be helpful is to have a way to get stuff from the boat to the fort without carrying it. A cart or wheelbarrow would be great. That walk was already starting to get old and we had only just moved into the fort.

  After I got past Castle Pinckney I picked up the walkie talkie.

  “Mobile one to base, mobile one to base.”

  “Go for base.” It was Tony.

  “We’re about fifteen minutes or so out. We’ll need some help at the pier.”

  “Roger that. All hands on deck.”

  Damn, that hurt. Sam used to say that.

  “Any problems, Tony?”

  “No, everything is quiet.”

  With the tide going out now, the docking wasn’t as pretty as I’d like. In fact, I hit the pier pretty hard. But, no one fell overboard and the boat seemed okay.

  It was obvious how small and vulnerable our little group was with the help at the pier. Tracie was on lookout and Karen was watching Mal and William. Tony couldn’t make the trip. So, that meant Tom, Pat, Beth and Tabby were there to help. Not many souls. Even with the small group the unloading didn’t take long since we didn’t get much.

  “Trouble?” asked Tom.

  “Yeah, we’ll talk about it later as a learning thing.”

  Everything was put where it was needed. The firewood went under the casemates out of the rain. Tom had found some pallets under the battery and put them on the ground to keep the firewood from getting wet. The ladders were placed against the walls. We will practice with them later. The rest of the supplies went under Battery Huger where they could be secured if necessary.

  I took the cane to Tony and helped him adjust the length. Once he found his footing he seemed to do okay.

  “Don’t overdo it. I need you back but I need you100%,” I told him.

  Next I took the vitamins to Tracie.

  “Thank you,” She said. “ I heard you had some trouble. Everyone okay?”

  “I see you’re in the loop already,” I said. “We met some desperate people. They do desperate things. We’re all fine.”