by Derek Ailes
“Day number two. After an uneventful night, we are ready for another day of chasing. Weather conditions are in our favor again. Hopefully, we can get even closer to a tornado today,” Trevor said.
“I’m ready when you are,” Josh said.
Trevor checked the radar on his laptop. “Head back toward Gleeson.”
The Garland pulled out of the parking lot of the hotel they had spent the night at. In the distance, the sky was pitch black ready for another severe thunderstorm. Forked lightning brightened the darkened sky. A funnel cloud started to lower from the sky.
“We should be able to catch up to it!” Trevor said, excitedly.
“This is the most tornadoes I’ve seen in a twenty-four hour time period,” Jake said.
The Garland passed a vehicle that was halfway in the ditch. The group was so focused on the tornado ahead, they didn’t see the driver lying on the street being ripped apart by his dead wife. Jeremy, who was also excited about seeing more tornado footage, didn’t notice it either.
Trevor looked in awe at the huge tornado before them. They were gaining on it, and it was on a parallel path along the highway. It collided with a small red barn, obliterating it. Debris from the barn flew past the Garland, causing Josh to swerve back and forth to avoid it.
“That was close!” Josh said.
“Watch out!” Trevor screamed, as a large tractor landed in front of them.
Josh swerved to the left to avoid hitting it head on.
Trevor quickly checked the data the Garland was receiving from the tornado. “Two hundred and eighty-eight miles per hour. We have an EF5 tornado.”
“And we are too close. If it shifts, we’re dead,” Jake said.
Josh swerved as a small smart car slid across the road and landed in a ditch. Debris was falling everywhere, making it nearly impossible to maneuver the Garland.
“What is that? A human?” Trevor asked.
A body flew by the passenger side of the Garland and crashed into the window, shattering the glass. The head was sticking through the window and its mouth was trying desperately to reach Trevor’s throat. The disfigured head looked like it had been dead for a while, but still had life in it. Trevor grabbed the head and pushed it out the window. The body fell to the ground and rolled backward.
“That thing tried to bite me!” Trevor said, trying to catch his breath.
“Was that a zombie?” Jake asked.
Bodies were dropping to the ground all around the Garland. Josh kept swerving to avoid hitting them.
“What the hell is going on?” Josh asked.
“I don’t know, but we have to get out of here,” Trevor said.
“A tornado dropping zombies. I don’t think the Doppler predicted that one,” Jake said.
Josh quickly slammed on the brakes. The tornado was starting to shift and he didn’t want to drive right into it. They heard a loud thud on the top of Garland’s roof. Suddenly, a body slid right down the windshield. It started to pound on the windshield repeatedly. Josh shifted into reverse and spun the Garland around. The body flew off. Josh drove forward away from the tornado, running over the body.
“We need to get as far away from this place as possible,” Josh said.
Zombies cluttered the highway. Josh drove right through them. The Garland sliced through the zombies showering the windshield with decaying flesh.
“Head for Wichita. Hopefully, its zombie free up there,” Trevor said.
Jeremy heard screams and gunshots coming from the main lobby. He grabbed his gun and turned the safety off. He entered the lobby to see Janice on the ground being ripped to shreds by a zombie. He quickly shot the zombie in the head. Two of the sergeants were on the ground also being ripped apart by zombies. He shot each of them in the head. He could see several zombies in the hallway. He started walking backward for the ammunitions room. He needed a shotgun and some ammo.
“Detective!” He heard Sheriff Charles Santino shout from behind him.
“Charles, head for the ammunitions room!”
Jeremy continued to shoot zombies as he moved backward. He reached the ammunitions room. Charles handed him a rifle. He grabbed a duffle bag and filled it with as much ammo as it could hold.
“What the hell is going on? Is this a zombie apocalypse?” Charles asked, making sure his rifle was loaded.
“Don’t know. Be ready. I saw a lot of zombies out there.”
In Jeremy’s office, the video continued to play.
A large semi-truck was swerving back and forth. The windshield was covered with two zombies and a zombie was hanging out the driver side window. The Garland crashed into a ditch to avoid colliding with the semi-truck.
“Everybody ok?” Trevor asked.
“What the…” Josh tried to say as he push his head away from the deployed airbag.
Trevor looked in the back seat to check on Jake, but the door was opened and Jake was nowhere to be found. His video camera was lying on the backseat.
“Jake!” Trevor screamed.
They looked out at the field and saw Jake on the ground being eaten by a couple of zombies.
“It’s too late.” Josh said.
“Josh, we have to make a run for it. Don’t look back,” Trevor said.
“Understood,” Josh said.
They both bolted from the Garland and ran for their lives down the highway. In the distance, they could see zombies everywhere. They kept running toward Wichita. They could see Jasmink’s blue van ahead in the distance.
“Jasmink. We better warn him,” Trevor said.
They reached the blue van, but didn’t see Jasmink anywhere.
“His keys are in the ignition. We can drive to safety,” Josh said.
Josh quickly started up the van. They didn’t notice that Jasmink was lying in the back of the van and that he was a zombie. He jumped forward and bit into Josh’s jugular. The van swerved into a ditch. Trevor hit his head hard on the dashboard. Jasmink turned his attention to Trevor and started to rip the flesh from his neck. Trevor went into unconsciousness. When he awoke, he was a zombie.
Jeremy and Charles continued to fight their way out of the police station. Zombies were everywhere. They passed several of their colleagues completely devoured lying in the hallway. The guards by the metal detectors lay on the ground, skin and muscles long gone. Charles had to fight hard not to vomit there on the spot.
“We just need to get to a squad car,” Jeremy said
“Easier said than done,” Charles said. “There are zombies everywhere.”
Outside, golf ball sized hail fell down from the sky. Jeremy cautiously opened the door leading outside. He quickly fired at a zombie that was standing adjacent to the door. It fell forward, almost landing on him. They both ran toward Charles’ squad car ignoring the pain they were feeling from being pelted by the hail. Behind them, they could see a group of zombies heading for them. They quickly got into the squad car. Luckily, Charles had left the keys in the ignition. He started the squad car and quickly went into reverse, knocking a few zombies down. He put it into drive and floored it. He headed down the highway away from the police station.
“Where to?” Charles asked.
“Just keep going until we run out of gas.”
They both were focusing on the zombie carnage behind them and they didn’t notice they were driving straight into an EF5 tornado and their doom.
The following story was previously published in the short story horror collection: Zombie Command: Demon’s Unleashed.
GARGOYLE’S CURSE
“Guns don’t kill people! People kill people!” Alex Horton yelled at the old lady behind the podium.
“My son died because any thug can get a hold of a gun,” Margery argued.
“Just like our president, you want to take our guns away! Not me! You can’t have my guns!” Alex yelled back.
“Alex, calm down. Let her finish. We le
t you talk uninterrupted,” Sheriff Dennis Tavenier said.
“That’s because everybody here agrees with me,” Alex said, sitting back down.
“Margery, continue your rebuttal,” Dennis said.
“I’m not asking the government to take our guns away. I just want to have more thorough background checks.”
“The second amendment,” Alex said, and everybody cheered.
“You’re just a gun crazy redneck,” Margery said, pointing at Alex.
“And proud of it. I also have a confederate flag displayed with southern pride.”
“Margery, let’s not resort to name calling,” Dennis said.
“Sorry. This isn’t a second amendment issue.”
“Yeah, right. The government wants to take all our rights away. And you are just supporting them,” Alex said, pointing at her.
“Please, let’s be civil. Let’s not make this town hall meeting turn into a bloody feud,” Dennis pleaded.
“Too late, Sheriff. I’m sorry her son is dead, but the gun is not at fault. How am I supposed to go hunting without guns - guns that the government wants to take away from me? This wouldn’t happen under a white president,” Alex said.
“Hey!” Morgan said angrily and walked over to Alex with his fist up ready to fight.
“I didn’t mean it, racially,” Alex said, sitting back down.
“Morgan, sit back down. I don’t want to have to start arresting people for fighting,” Dennis said.
“I will, but if he says another offensive comment toward us blacks, he’s going down,” Morgan assured him.
“I think we should wrap this town hall meeting up. Everybody’s tensions are getting way too high,” Dennis