by Kirk Allmond
I picked the first shape with no aura and squeezed. Acquire, squeeze. Over and over. While I was firing, Leo closed in with the red shirted zombie. A circle formed around them. With the mix of humans and zombies, John was out of the fight.
“John. Focus on the red shirt. Don’t shoot Leo!” I said, into the mic.
“Marshall, where are you?” I said.
“Vic, I have the entire field trapped. They won’t make it another hundred feet. If you’re going to save these people, do it now.”
I looked at red shirt. He was the key to this. I watched him fighting Leo. She was way too fast for him, he couldn’t catch her, but every time she landed a strike, it hit only smoke. I focused on him; I focused all of my concentration on seeing him. Right as Leo landed a strike, he stretched in about twelve different directions. His ‘shadow’ moved out in different directions, one of them solidified. Right as the strike landed, he dispersed and reappeared at the end of the solidified shadow. I watched this for several strikes, all of which happened in the space of less than two seconds. Every time, he would stretch in different directions. I realized I was looking at his decisions. When he stretched, he went to all of his possible destinations, when he decided on one, it solidified.
He reappeared above Leo, out of her line of sight. In the time she found him, he landed a blow across her cheek, cutting it pretty deeply. This had to end, but I was too far away, too much bullet travel time between me and him. The Juliet balcony was about ten feet above the porch, I considered jumping off. Immediately my shadow stretched off the balcony, and I saw it lying on the ground with a broken leg. I changed to going off the side and hang dropping, and it showed me a sprained ankle. Every route I tried ended with me getting hurt. Down the stairs out the door I ran into a zombie right as I hit the front door and I got bit. Shadows shot out of me in every direction. The best option was the window in Max’s room. That path solidified for an instant and then they all disappeared as I made my decision. I lept off the floor, leaving the rifle and grabbed the .22 semi automatic.
“Max, Get under your bed. Stay there until I come back.” I said, as I opened his window.
The last thing I saw was Max holding his hand up, pinky, index, and thumb extended in the sign for I love you. I let go of the window frame, and shot the same sign to him as I fell to the porch. Just as my shadow predicted, I fell backwards and hit my funny bone on the brick porch.
I ran down the front stairs, and raised the rifle to my shoulder. My shadow shot forward, and got bitten by a zombie from the left. I turned left, shot that zombie first, and then the one on the right.
I ran for all I was worth towards Leo and the now famous, Red Shirt. The humans had slowed down, and were coming towards the house on their bellies. The zombies were still mostly advancing.
“John. Shoot all the standing ones. Leave Red Shirt to me.”
Finally able to enter the fight, John made up for lost time. He went down the line, only the slightest pause every seventeen shots while he switched magazines.
I focused on Red Shirt, watching him. He was predictable. If he had two options, he went right before left. He mostly went backwards over forwards. He was figuring out Leo’s blind spots, and keeping her busy. I don’t think he was even trying to win. I think he had more tricks up his sleeve. I wondered what he was waiting for. He looked up and I knew he saw me coming, because he started considering options of coming towards me, but always returned to focusing on Leo. They sent him to take her out of the fight. They sent humans with the zombies to keep John from the fight.
“Marshall,” I called over the radio “Get ready with whatever you have! This ends now!”
I yelled out loud as I ran “Humans! Four of us have beaten all these zombies! We will free your families, lay down your weapons. I don’t want to kill you!”
I watched Red Shirt decide to go left and forwards, right in front of Leo. They were fighting facing right of where I was coming from. I stopped, and put three bullets in the spot where he was going to go right as he reappeared. He reappeared right on top of one bullet; it exploded out of his head. The following two bullets impacted his head, which was decimated. Gore splattered Leo’s face. I swear I saw some blood actually moving towards the cut on her face.
“Mom... Leo’s coming in. She’s got a pretty good cut.” I said into the radio. “She’s going to need stitches.” By the time I got to her, she had wiped her face in her shirt. Her cheek was healed.
Marshall had the humans lined up along the driveway. The few that had had weapons had left them on the other side of the drive. I walked up beside him. John appeared on his other side and Leo on the right.
“Vic. There are a hundred fifty-three of them. Where are we going to put them and their families? And how are we going to get their families?”
“Listen up, all of you!” I shouted. “We’ll get your families. We can beat them. Stay calm, listen to Marshall, he’ll get you squared away under a roof, and we’ll find food.”
“Marshall,” I said quietly. “The upstairs of the barn will hold them. We’re going to need bedding though. Watch them, none are zombies, but I’m not sure I fully trust them. I’m going to pass out.”
22. Logistics
I limped upstairs, my shoulder on fire. It’s amazing how much you can ignore when the adrenaline is pumping. I couldn’t have held a rifle steady enough to hit anything at ten yards.
When I got to our rooms, I found Max, still under his bed. He had a flashlight and some race cars under there and was playing happily. I laid down on the floor and looked under the bed. “Hi Max,” I grinned.
“Hi Daddy.” He smiled. “Can I come out now? It’s hot under here.”
“Yes buddy, thank you for being a good boy. Thank you for doing what I asked.”
“It's okay; I put some toys and a flash light under here yesterday, so I would have something to do.”
“Come on out, and go downstairs and get some food. I’m going to take a nap. But first give me a hug and a kiss.”
He crawled out and kissed me as he squeezed my neck.
“I love you Daddy. You’re my best Daddy.” I watched him walk out of the room before I struggled to stand up.
The clock on the end table said it was only two in the afternoon, I felt like I hadn’t eaten in a month, but all I could do was lay down in bed and go to sleep. Pain killers were few and far between. We had a reasonably large supply of over the counter stuff, but nothing worked as well as sleep.
I awoke the next day at five forty-five in the morning, to the sun streaming in my window. Without thinking, I sat up in bed. My shoulder felt much better, although I was still extraordinarily stiff from the day before, and there was a huge bruise on it. Swinging my legs out of the bed, I stood up and walked downstairs to the kitchen. In the fridge there were a couple dozen eggs. My mother was so amazing. Where did she get eggs? She seemed to have an endless pantry. As much as I wanted to eat the entire dozen, I figured I’d better eat something else. She might be saving those eggs, plus the only thing I’d eaten in nine days was some broth, I’m not sure how my stomach would handle so much protein all at once.
There was a loaf of bread, slightly moldy, on the shelf. I tore the mold off and ate two pieces. I was starting on the third when Mom walked in, holding a plastic bag full of fresh vegetables.
“Victor!” She exclaimed as she came over and gave me a hug, being cautious of my shoulder. I hugged her back; she was such an amazing woman. She’d taken all of this as it came, asked no questions, and had complete faith in Marshall and me. She was everywhere, and helped with everything. She always had delicious food, and plenty of it. I knew the stores had to be running low.
“Mom, thank you. Thank you for everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” I said to her as I hugged her as tightly as I could. “How are we going to feed these people Mom? I can’t turn them away. I don’t think you would either. But I have no idea where we’re going to find enough to go around.�
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“I sent Marshall out with that gigantic gun you got the night you got shot. The old Meyers farm has a herd of Bison; he’ll take one, then open up all the gates and let the rest out. Likewise, the Wades have several hundred dairy cows. We’ll need to round up a dozen or so for milk and cheese and butter and let the rest go. They’re not Kobe beef, but they’ll still feed us. A single bison will feed us for a few days. There’s not enough to keep that up forever, but unless these people all decide to stay, we only need short term. I have a fifty-pound sack of grits in the basement, so tonight we’ll have bison and grits. Even Marshall can hit a bison with that rifle.”
“Wow Mom. You’re amazing.”
“Vic, we have room around the property for about three hundred-fifty to live under roof. Conditions will be tight, but people will have a warm dry spot to lie down. If we’re going to make a long term go at this, we’re going to need help. Marshall built a garden spot up on the hill; I planted ten rows of potatoes, ten rows of beets, and two rows of radishes and carrots. This late in the summer, root vegetables, dried grains, and hunting are going to have to carry us through this winter and spring until the early crops come in.”
“What do you need from me?”
“Down past the cat rescue, there’s the old Miller place. They have a chicken coop out back with a bunch of hens and two roosters. I’d like to have that, if they’re not using it. Of course, that means we’re going to need chicken feed. Bringing a dozen cows means we’re going to need to stock in hay for the winter. There are round bales from last year in the back field that will be fine for cows, but some grain will keep them producing better through the winter. I need beans, any bulk dried bean you can find is fine, and grains. Flour, rice, barley, corn, wheat. I think we’re going to have to go into town to the farmer’s co-op. We’ve raided all the local farms pantries.”
“Okay. I’m worried about the families of the men. We have to move quickly. I’m going to go scout it out today and see what we’re up against. I’m going to go by myself, I don’t’ want to put anyone else in danger, and I know the town. I’m not going to engage, this is a watch and see mission.”
“Vic, you have made all the right calls. You saved those men out there yesterday. Marshall thought we were going to have to kill them all. I don’t know how, but you always make the right decisions.”
I’d finished the loaf of bread and about half of the butter Mom handed me out of the fridge. My belly was full, I was feeling better.
We have to go today to free these men’s families. I’m worried about what will happen to those innocent people if we don’t. In this world, a man’s word was all he has.
I picked up a radio and called for John and Leo to join me in the dining room. They weren’t going to like what I had to say.
23. Planning
Marshall came into the dining room with Leo and John. They were all sweating; it was already hot at six-thirty in the morning. I missed air conditioning. They sat down at the table and I slid each of them a cold bottle of water. We’d finished all of the pre-bottled water, and were now washing the bottles and refilling them. The farm had a very deep artesian well, the water was better from the ground here than the original water in the bottles. We kept the refrigerator stocked with water, because when we turned the power off late at night, the mass of the water helped keep the fridge cold.
“What is the status of the men Marshall?” I asked.
“They’re all set up with quarters above the barn. We built dividers yesterday, and they spent the night up there last night.” Marshall said. “I have them broken into squads of five. Each squad has a task to accomplish today; when it’s done they get dinner tonight. I told them they’re temporary members of our community, and that we’re going to go get their families today. They seem like a good group of guys, I didn’t get to talk to every one of them individually, but they’re all from Culpeper. No one from out of town, which lends credence to their stories. They all told a similar story. The zombies came in the middle of the night posing as military. They said they had a safe place at the school, and that they had five minutes to gather their stuff and get to the truck. When they got to the truck they were taken to the high school, and processed. They were asked what they did, what their skills are, if they’d been bitten, etc. There is also a pen of slow zombies there. Several of the men described it as holding several hundred.”
“We have to go today to rescue those families. I’m sure the zombies know by now that we won this fight. Here’s the plan. I’m going alone.” It was a declaration, not for debate.
“What?” From Marshall.
“No.” Said John at the same time.
“Tookes, don’t be stupid.” was Leo’s reply.
“Here’s why. I know that school. I went there for four years; I know every inch of it from finding places to skip classes and smoke cigarettes. I know the farms surrounding it. Marshall, remember in high school I spent those two summers working those fields for Mr. Haversham?” I asked. “I can sneak up, recon the site. If there’s high ground, I’ll be able to take several of them before the alarm can be sounded.”
“Tookes, Leo would have a much better chance.” said Marshall.
“I’m not sure that’s true. I think I could take Leo in a fight.” I said.
Leo looked at me like I had grown horns and done a back flip.
“Leo, give me a baton.” She handed me one, “Now... Come at me with the other one. Quarter speed if you’re feeling overconfident.” I watched her make the decision to feint to the right and come with an overhand chop. I didn’t fall for the feint. I had the baton in place to block her chop before she even finished it. Which at quarter speed for Leo meant it looked like I just barely blocked it.
“Again, this time half speed.”
Once again, I watched her weigh her options, before she stepped in close and came down diagonally towards my good shoulder. I caught her wrist with my bad arm, sending a jolt through my shoulder, and drove the tip of the baton gently up into her jaw, lightly pressing on the underside of her chin with the rounded tip.
“Do you want to try full speed?”
“How…” she asked. “You’re not moving that fast, but I should have been able to get that last one under your hand. It’s like you knew right where I was going to be.”
“It appears I have a talent also.” I said.
“You can read minds?” asked Marshall.
“Marshall. Pick a number between one and ten, and be ready to hold up that many fingers.”
I watched shadow arms holding up fingers shoot out of Marshall. Each of them disappeared, leaving just the hands holding up eight fingers.
“Eight.”
Shadow arms shot out again.
“Four.”
And again.
“Nine.” I said “I can do this all day.”
“Incredible. How? When?” John asked.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t ever been bitten. I think when I thought I killed Penelope at the bridge, I must have gotten some of her brain in my eyes or nose or something. That’s all I can think of, I was pretty covered in gore, I’m certainly glad I appear to be immune. I wonder if our immunities are hereditary. Maybe it’s genetic? I’ve been giving that a lot of thought. I think Max’s talk of bugs means it’s a parasite. There must be something about our bodies that make us different. If I’m right, it means Marshall is immune too, and my mother has a 50/50 shot. It came from either her or my father. Let’s not find out.” I purposely left them not knowing exactly how my talent worked or its limitations.
“So, here’s the rest of the plan. I’m going to take the Jeep down at the road over to the high school through Old Man Haversham’s field. There’s a big knoll behind his house about a mile from the football field. If we’re lucky they have the families in the stadium. Marshall and John, you’re going to wait two hours and bring the biggest two trucks you can find. Park at the farmhouse there and wait. If all goes well, we’ll be waiting for yo
u inside the house. If not, we’re going to be coming in hot. Come loaded. I don’t’ know what they have there for weapons, but I bet they’re well armed. They cleaned out the club north of here, and there are at least two in Culpeper, plus Wal-Mart plus Cabela’s.”
I continued, “Marshall, do you know how many families there will be? We’re probably going to have to make a couple trips. I’m sure the Haversham’s had a truck; I’ll spend a minute searching their house for the keys. If I can find them I’ll put them on the driver’s seat of the truck, and maybe one of the families can drive that. Otherwise, we’ll have to bring a couple of the men on our second trip to ferry. I’ll get them loaded up in the farmhouse. I mean to end every zombie in the school. I’m tired of playing defense here; I’m going to take the head off this snake.”
“Tookes, you’re crazy. Your plan is based on guesses and hopes.” Said John.
“John, no plan ever survives the first encounter. No matter how detailed I make it, I’m going to have to adjust tactics. That’s why I need to do this alone. I can’t change gears quickly enough if I have to keep one of you in the loop on every change.”
“Tookes, you’re going to go up against a thousand slow zombies, and god knows how many smart ones. By yourself.” Said John.
“This is not up for debate. If I get there and there is no chance of success, I’m going to hang tight and wait for the two of you. They’ll be expecting all four of us. They know your abilities, that was clear from the attack yesterday. It was coordinated to find our weaknesses. If my ability hadn’t manifested, we’d have been in serious trouble.”
“Vic, I understand your thinking, but when you get there, if it’s too hot, wait for us. Don’t be a hero, Max needs you.” Marshall said.
“Guys, I’m not a hero. This is the only way we’ll succeed. They’ve been a step ahead of us every time. We have to be different, we have to not act as they expect and have planned for.”