Beyond the Barriers

by Timothy W. Long

  She tugged a bag out of a corner and unzipped it. She pulled out a bottle of water, pulled the top off, and drank deeply. After what seemed like an eternity waiting for her to finish, so I could ask her where to get some, she flipped the top closed and tossed me the bottle.

  I caught it, and, after staring in her eyes, which seemed to hold a mocking glint, I popped the lid and drank. The water had a slight metallic flavor, but it was wonderful, so I sucked down some more.

  “How long’s it been?” She walked toward me.

  “Pardon?” I sputtered water.

  “Since you worked out like that. You look like you know the moves, but you seem unsure of some.”

  “About four or five months now. While I was hiding out in the woods, I didn’t have much call for punching stuff.”

  “Yeah, I saw you get here. That was some arrival,” she said, as she took back the water bottle. After chugging the rest, she tossed the bottle at her bag.

  “You had a pretty good body count. Wayne put it at an even dozen, but I thought it was a lot less—maybe five. Dave from security said he bet you wouldn’t even make it. But you made it. Come on, fighter. I’ll find you a towel and show you the showers.”

  I followed her out and down a passageway that was constructed of more shelves, until we reached a section of employee changing rooms. We chit-chatted as we walked, mainly about how I came in. She asked questions about the ride, how the roads were, if I’d seen any gangs. I asked her about life in the store, how people got along, how disputes were settled. She moved ahead of me at certain junctures.

  The old rooms were set aside for breaks, training, and changing clothes. I followed her lead by taking a bucket of water, about a gallon, and a thin brick of hard white soap that was well used, then followed her into the room. She turned to me when we reached a juncture, then pointed to the right.

  “You go in there.”

  I smiled at her. Of course. What else did I think was going to happen? I started to say something, but a small grin quirked her lips. I realized she had been teasing me all along. Despite her weary look, she was quite an attractive woman, and I wondered what it would be like to take her to bed.

  “I didn’t get your name.”

  “No, you didn’t. But I didn’t get yours either.”

  “Erik Tragger.” It was the second time in a day I had used my name in front of others. After the long, lonely time in the woods, it still sounded weird to my ears. “At your service,” I added lamely.

  “I see. Well, my name is Katherine Murphy, but don’t even think about calling me Kat. I hate that fucking name.”

  “Noted.”

  “Good. So, Tragger, meet me at the workout room tomorrow, and maybe we’ll go a few rounds.”

  “Same time?”

  “You got a watch?”

  “Yep.”

  “Well I don’t, so just guess.” She turned and left.

  I stared after her for a while, until she rounded a corner and was gone from my sight. Water splashed a moment later, so I went into the men’s side and did my best to wash away four months of loneliness.

  * * *

  Morning came on slowly, like someone was pulling me out of a warm bath. I rubbed my eyes to the sound of someone banging on my metal cot. I opened them, and there stood a boy of about five foot eight. He was a pudgy child, with a sloping forehead. He hit the side of my cot with a plastic toy soldier.

  “Can you stop that?”

  “Travis, what?”

  “Stop it. I’m tired, man.”

  “Travis, what?” His words were slightly slurred, and when I looked up, he was rolling his eyes up in the back of his head, looking at the ceiling and then back at me. Just what I needed. Some retarded kid to wake me.

  The kid wandered off, bumped into another cot, which brought a cry from the inhabitant. Still staring up at the ceiling, he ran off. I lay back, put my arm over my eyes, and breathed in the smell of people again. It was a long time since I had been around anyone, and now I was surrounded by them.

  I sat up after a few minutes and rubbed my eyes. Glancing at my watch, I found it was close to seven in the morning. Others snored while I got up and used the bathroom, suspecting there would be a line later on. I was greeted by several people on the way, but others just glanced up at me then looked away. Some had haunted looks in their eyes; others just looked unfriendly.

  I looked out for the woman I had met the night before, but I didn’t see her. She was probably in a tent with one of the men. Someone like that would be very desirable, and I envied the man she slept next to every night.

  I ate another bowl of gruel-like food that filled me up, but didn’t taste so hot. The cook had put some effort into spicing it up, but I knew I was eating dog food again. There wasn’t enough paprika in the world to change that. I spent the day with Thomas and a tough-looking man named James, who had a scar running across his nose from cheek to cheek. They headed to the weapons cache and I followed along, hoping to get a look at their arsenal and maybe borrow a decent gun. Borrow? Who was I kidding? I would probably die before I had a chance to return it.

  They looked over the weapons, and I noted, out loud, that they weren’t properly taken care of. James scoffed, but Thomas glanced my way, then took down a handgun and gave it to me.

  It was a Baretta 92F. The weapon was a standard military pistol with interchangeable parts. I stripped it in a couple of seconds, breaking it down enough to peer into the chamber. They seemed impressed. Thomas asked me to take a look and let him know how bad the damage was.

  We went over the guns, and I pulled out assault rifles and inspected them. No one had done a proper cleaning, so I took the worst of them, stripped them, and cleaned them. People stopped by and looked on from time to time. Perhaps it was being back in a civilized setting after being alone for so long, but I found the company of others comforting. However, I chose not to engage anyone in conversation for very long.

  I took an AR-15 from a rack, inspected it, took a box of shells, and went outside. The morning was chilly, and I thought I could smell rain in the air. The clouds hung around, keeping it generally gray. Around the fence, the ghouls wandered, snarling and running at the barrier but stopping short. I saw a few zombies as well, and when they chanced upon a ghoul, or got too close, a fight broke out.

  I climbed up on the back of a truck with a flat bed. A lot of the other trucks had been outfitted with metal plates where holes were cut in the side for firing ports. Spikes hung on them—short sharp things that wouldn’t provide much grip if a ghoul tried to climb up, but would discourage them.

  My Honda had been parked in a different spot and now sported new tires. No one asked me about my car, and I really didn’t care. The old world was gone, just like my two-hundred–and-fifty-dollar a month car payment.

  I stood up, inspected the gun, loaded it, and then put the stock against my shoulder. It had a scope to provide some magnification, but it wasn’t intended for long-range work. I sighted down it, tracked one of the zombies, and then stroked the trigger. He fell, wearing the same stupid look on his face that he had before the 5.56 round entered his forehead.

  I got used to firing the weapon again and, in the process, attracted a few onlookers. I dropped a couple more zombies, then went for some faster-moving ones. One jerked to the right as I shot at him, so I only ended up taking off part of an ear.

  I packed up the gun and ammo and turned to the store, intent on cleaning it and putting it back. There were about thirty or forty of the things, and they howled and snarled as I turned my back on them, so I held up one hand and gave them the finger.

  Throughout the day, I had thought of Katherine and her lithe body. I wanted to work out with her, but more than that, I wanted to talk. Just talk. I wanted to know more about her.

  At last night fell, and we locked up the guns. Thomas said he had a feeling about me, so he gave me a key to the armory. I felt honored and almost hugged him.

  I went to the workout r
oom that night around the same time, and went a few with the same dummy Katherine had gone at. She didn’t show up, even thought I waited for close to an hour. So I called it a night and showered with the bucket of water.

  The next day was much the same, except I talked to more people. The retarded kid, Travis, wandered by a few times and stared on while drool ran down his face. He looked none too bright, and I wondered why anyone had bothered to save a kid with such issues. I actually stared at him for a while and had a philosophical debate with myself. If he were changed, would he still be a zombie with mental retardation?

  * * *

  I tried to be useful. I went outside and checked over my SUV. It was in the process of being modified. A mechanic with a terrible face wound looked at me and mimed that he couldn’t talk. Then he stared at me. I assumed he was waiting to see if I would flinch or look away from his wound. Instead, I shook his hand and told him my name. He seemed to think that was okay. He shrugged and went back to work, welding a piece of metal in place.

  There was some activity toward the front of the gate. Half a dozen men were gearing up, and a large flat bed truck was being moved near the entrance. The walk was brisk thanks to the early morning air. Most of the parking lot was wide open. On a normal day, back before the proverbial crap hit the fan, this place would have been buzzing with activity.

  A burned out half strip mall was inside the perimeter. I made out a check cashing place and a coffee shop. My mouth flooded with saliva at the thought of a fresh cup. I could just about kill for one right about now.

  A couple of men had guns at the ready. They were going over their load as I strolled up to them. I was impressed by their decorum. They were smiling, but they knew their way around their weapons.

  One of the men, I was pretty sure his name was Daniel, nodded at me. He checked up on me when I was cleaning up the weapons inside. Asked a few questions about an automatic I was working on. I thought he was just checking me out and not really interested in my answer.

  “Going hunting, guys?” I asked.

  “We got a call—just a half message really. A few streets over, west of here. We think some survivors were trying to reach us and got trapped in a house.”

  I was feeling pretty useless around the camp. Everyone seemed to have jobs but me. I wanted something to do. More importantly, I wanted to prove myself to them.

  “Want some help?”

  They looked back and forth, but not at me. I was probably intruding on a group that was used to working together. They didn’t know the first thing about me. I might get spooked at the first sight of blood. I might demand to go back. I could run off, for all they knew. All the training in the world might have been under my belt, but it meant nothing until I had proven myself.

  “It’s nothing personal, man. We’re full up,” one of the men said.

  Daniel looked me over then glanced at the other guys. Upon closer examination, I noticed one of the ‘guys’ was actually a woman. She turned, and with her short hair I thought it was Katherine at first. But she was younger, her face fairer. She was dressed from head to toes in full cammo gear. She popped a magazine into a large handgun, jacked the hammer back, and slammed it into a holster.

  “Yep. No offense.” She smirked.

  “Come on. Thomas said he was okay. It wouldn’t hurt to have another set of eyes, would it?” Daniel said.

  One of the men shrugged, but the girl looked away from me.

  An older man with a shaved head regarded me. His forehead had a nasty burn scar on it. Hair would never grow there again. I didn’t blame him for shaving the stubble off. He had a pair of pistols under his arms and a snub nose automatic machine gun under one arm.

  “I’m O’Connell. I don’t care if you join us. Just do what I say, when I say, and we will all get along fine. Ain’t that right?” He looked among the squad. They all nodded assent, but the woman did not. She looked me over like I was a cockroach.

  “Sure. I can do that.” I said. Taking orders wouldn’t be hard. I was just happy to be useful to these guys.

  “What’s your poison?” Daniel opened up the top of a storage bin strapped down to the back of the truck. I glanced in and saw a few older guns. A hunting rifle was pushed against one end. The barrel was strapped to the side. I pulled the weapon out and set it aside to assemble on the way. Then I tugged a .45 ACP out. Daniel nodded at my choice and handed me a box of shells from another bin. I dug out a magazine that looked like it fit the handgun. After a bit of testing, I tucked it in my pocket to load later.

  We piled into the back of the truck. They sat in a group that I wasn’t invited too. I tried to make small talk with Daniel, but he turned his attention back to one of the guys who was telling a story about facing off against a pair of zombies in an old apartment complex.

  We left the safety of the compound. A couple of men came out and moved the gate aside. This involved shifting massive concrete barriers with a heavy lifter. After we drove away, they put them back into place.

  “If we run into zombies, what’s the count?” One of the guys yelled over the hiss of air rushing past the truck bed.

  “I’m good for five or six.” The girl smiled. She checked her pistols for what seemed the tenth time.

  “What’s the bet for?” I asked.

  “Just bragging rights. And someday, when we find a warehouse full of beer, a bunch of those” she said.

  “Yeah man, Liz here owes me forty-seven cold ones.” One of the men grinned.

  “That’s all she’s got, cold ones,” another guy said. The group cracked up until she drew, jacked a round into the chamber, and fingered the safety off in one smooth motion that ended with a gun leveled at the last guy. His eyes went wide.

  “Cold enough for you?”

  “Cool it,” Daniel said. “We have trouble up ahead.”

  We had left the sight of the store and were speeding down a side road. There were a few cars pushed out of the way, with a few corpses that were little more than bones and skin inside them.

  We were moving into a residential neighborhood, but it looked like a war zone. Houses were burned out, broken into. Shrubs grew out of control. Rhododendrons, the unofficial flower of the Pacific Northwest, covered entire home entryways. Discarded items and looted possessions were tossed all over yards.

  “There!” Daniel stood up in the back of the truck and pointed at a pair of cars that were intact. They were station wagons, and they looked to be full of boxes.

  I stood up, holding the hunting rifle to my shoulder as I tried to keep my focus everywhere at once. The driver slowed our vehicle, and I leaned forward to absorb the momentum. I caught sight of a familiar car tucked between two houses, but I wasn’t sure why it rang a bell. It was a newer make, and a deep shiny blue, like someone was taking care of it.

  Birds called out to us as we passed. An entire murder of crows took off when Liz waved her gun in their directions.

  “Good eating, crow,” she said without any expression in her voice.

  “Help us!” A man called from one of the houses. A pair of our men jumped over the side of the truck as it came to a stop in the front yard. Two more went over the other side and spread around the truck, their backs to us so all angles were covered. I was impressed by their cohesiveness.

  I jumped down and followed Liz, who seemed determined to lead the way. The two others fell in behind her. One was O’Connell. With four on guard duty and us advancing, I felt confident in my comrade’s ability to react to a threat. They were good.

  “Remind me why we are baby sitting the neighborhood? Could just mean more mouths to feed,” the guy on her left said.

  “Because they’re people, and we need more if we’re going to win this fight.” O’Connell kept pace with them and looked at the guy.

  Another scream from inside made our group pick up the pace. I glanced around to check the position of our back up one more time. The driver of the truck was on the radio. He was probably assuring the compound that we
were safe and sound.

  I turned my attention back to the house. It was a huge three story that was probably built in the 70s. A grown over gutter draped the building. Vines had snaked their way up the side and given the place a genuinely creepy feel.

  Windows were darkened from closed blinds or curtains. I thought I saw one slip aside ever so slightly, but when I studied it the material held firm.

  “Help us!” a voice called. It sounded like a woman.

  I moved over tall grass, crunching over some unidentified objects as I went. I didn’t want to think about those.

  We reached the house, and Liz was the first through. One of the guys went with her, while Daniel and I set up a perimeter. They had some basic hand gesture down pat, so I played along like I understood what they were saying to each other.

  There was a commotion from the inside, but no shots. We remained vigilant, but didn’t follow. After a few seconds, Liz called out.

  “We found them.”

  Daniel lowered his guard and weapon. The others nodded at each other and filed into the open door. I was the last in and the last to curse.

  The room was a mess of overturned furniture and ruined floor. Someone had burned a hole in the hardwood and built a fire pit in the center of the room. A pile of burned wood lay around the sides, and empty cans of food were tossed in the corners. The walls were covered in spray painted words, but they looked like they were done by an illiterate hand. I couldn’t make them out to save my life.

  The others were lowering their weapons to the ground. As my eyes adjusted to the room, I became aware of other figures. A couple huddled behind a sofa, and someone poked around a corner with a machine gun of some sort.

  Ah hell!

  We were surrounded. Someone had set a trap, and we had fallen right into it. I glanced up at the foyer, finding another guard hanging over the side of the railing on the second floor. He had a gun trained on us as well.

  Dejected, I lowered my rifle. A few days back in the world of the living and I was already being subjected to the worst of human kind. Bad enough all those creatures trying to kill us, now we had rival humans after us as well.