Fear the Reaper

by Richard Murray

  I’d lost another of my people to the Feral Leader and had only caught sight of it the once. It had given us the slip near the university and with the few people we had, there was no way we could mount an attack there.

  While we might not care about dying, we were not going to throw our lives away needlessly. So, the zombie had escaped me and I had led my people back to base to rest and recover our energies. We would set out again in the morning and try to find it.

  “Ryan,” Samuel said softly and I glanced over at him.

  “What?”

  He just nodded towards the building ahead of us and I scowled at it. I hated when he did that. How hard was it to just tell me what he saw instead of making me… oh.

  “Weapons ready,” I snapped and knives were drawn.

  There were a number of blue garbed soldiers standing outside my base, some of them carrying assault rifles and arguing loudly with one of my acolytes, who, to his credit, stared back stoically.

  More of my people had surrounded them and were forming an effective barrier as they waited. They wouldn’t attack first, I was sure of that, but they wouldn’t allow anyone into the base while I was away either.

  “Can I help you?” I asked as I pushed through the crowd.

  A number of angry faces turned my way and one I recognised rolled her eyes.

  “Hello, Lily,” I said and crouched before her to gently pat the dog. “Hello, Jinx too.”

  “Yeah, don’t worry about me,” Gregg muttered and I smiled almost warmly at him.

  “I never do,” I said and he grinned back.

  “Can you call your people off?” Lily asked and I glanced around.

  With a wide smile for her, I raised one hand and the crowd dispersed. Most of them heading into the base, some of them heading off to relive those on guard duty as the evening drew in. Lily rolled her eyes once again.

  “Show off.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “We need to talk,” she said. “Where’s Jennings?”

  “He’s… around,” I said with a nod towards the door. “Follow me.”

  “You’re hurt,” she said as she walked beside me and I was pleased and somewhat surprised at the tone of her voice. I was pretty sure I heard concern there.

  “It’s been an interesting few days.”

  I ignored the murmurs from the soldiers as they saw my decorations and swallowed back my laughter at the looks on their faces. They wouldn’t understand that those hanging zombies were there just to elicit that response and put people off-guard.

  Samuel stood waiting beside the top of the stairs that led into the underground, two Fists of my faithful beside him and a high-backed chair before him. I nodded thanks as I seated myself and looked out at the soldiers.

  “Now, what can I do or you?”

  “Where are Captain Jennings and his squad?” A man asked.

  I looked towards Lily and caught the almost imperceptible movement of her head. Her boss then, I thought.

  “All but the officer are dead,” I said with a nonchalant wave of my hand towards the stairs. “He is down there.”

  “How did they die?” the man asked, ignoring the angry mutterings of his troops.

  “Not by my hand, I assure you.”

  “And the Captain?”

  “He… is being punished.”

  “Oh God,” Lily whispered and I fought the urge to laugh.

  “For what reason?” the man asked, taking a step towards me.

  “Cowardice,” Samuel said, placing his hand on his knife hilt. “He ran and left others to die.”

  “Bring him to me,” the man said and I smirked at the angry tone of his voice.

  “By all means,” I said to Samuel. “Please do, bring him up.”

  Silence fell but for the moans of the undead hanging above us and the occasional snap and growl of the chained zombie. It still hadn’t seemed to have healed and lay on the floor where it had been left. That was quite disappointing but it would make it easier for me later when I cut open its belly.

  The two acolytes Samuel had dispatched returned, making their way up the stairs with a slumped form hanging between them. They dropped the dishevelled officer at my feet and stepped back into place.

  “Medic,” the man snapped as he stared at me with eyes of grey.

  One of his soldiers rushed forward, a satchel slung over one shoulder and knelt down beside the officer, gasping at the marks on his body.

  “He’s been tortured!” the medic exclaimed.

  A number of rifles were raised and pointed my way. I yawned theatrically and waved my own people back.

  “There was no torture,” I said, affecting a bored tone.

  “These marks…”

  “Probably made by the rats that live down in the subway.”

  “What did you do to him?” the man demanded.

  I glanced down at the officer. His skin was pale with numerous small cuts and scratches, his clothes dishevelled and soiled with his own bodily fluids. Tear tracks ran through the blood and dirt on his cheeks and he cowered away from me when he met my eyes.

  “Tell him your crimes,” I said in a soft tone of voice.

  When he’d been taken down to the cage, his crimes had been made as clear as his choice. Accept his punishment or face death. Like most of them, he’d chosen the punishment. He just hadn’t quite been able to do it yet.

  “I-I ran,” he said, his voice hoarse. “W-when the zombies attacked, I ran.”

  His voice took on a pleading tone as he looked up at me.

  “But, I came back! I tried!”

  “Yes,” I agreed. “Then you ran again.”

  “I couldn’t help it!” he cried, fresh tears forming on his face. “I thought it’d kill us!”

  The man with the grey eyes took a step forward and crouched beside the man, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder.

  “Captain,” he said. “Have you been tortured?”

  He said the last part as he looked directly at me and I smiled back at him. I’d had no need to torture him, and little interest in doing so.

  “N-no,” the officer replied. “Was the rats. All over me, when I tried to sleep.”

  “Help him up!” he snapped and two soldiers stepped forward, shouldering their weapons.

  “Wait,” I said in a steady voice that stopped them in their tracks. “He has not accepted his punishment.”

  “What?”

  “P-please!” the officer whimpered.

  “The penalty for cowardice is clear,” I said with a gesture to one of the hanging zombies. “But, since he is not one of us, I am willing to be lenient.”

  I pulled my short knife from its sheath and tossed it down to clatter on the floor beside the officer who flinched away. He knew what was required.

  “What the hell is this?” the grey-eyed man asked in a voice full of fury.

  “Ryan…” Lily began.

  “It is very simple,” I said. “He ran and left us to die. For those willing to atone, they can purchase another chance.”

  “You want money!”

  “No. They need to sacrifice a part of themselves to show their commitment,” I said. “To show that they are willing to remove all doubt that they will run again. They must prove they have the courage to stand with us!”

  My words echoed around the room, laced with my anger.

  “When they walk beside their brothers and sisters, they have a purpose. If they are not willing to die to protect the Living, then how can they be trusted? How many will die if they run again?”

  “P-please…” the officer said, his voice barely audible.

  “You are not one of us,” I said sternly. “If you so choose, you can leave that knife where it lays and walk from here. But if you do, you will never fight alongside us, you will never be able to be trusted. You will be forever a coward who ran from the undead.”

  “Captain?” the grey-eyed man asked. “What does he want you to do?”

  “P-pro
ve myself,” the officer whispered as his hand closed over the knife.

  He screamed as the blade bit deep into his finger and the man recoiled, a look of horror crossing his face. The medic reached into his bag for his supplies, while the soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons.

  “I-I won’t r-run,” the officer said as he cradled his hand, blood flowing steadily from the stump of his little finger. “I w-won’t.”

  “You won’t ever have to,” I said as I placed one hand on his shoulder. “You will have an army to stand and fight beside you.”

  “Oh, Ryan,” Lily said, shaking her head.

  “Now. What can I do for you people?” I asked cheerfully.

  “This is who you used to date?” the grey-eyed man asked as he looked over to Lily who had her head in her hands. “I think we’re done here.”

  “As you wish,” I said with a shrug.

  “S-supplies,” Jennings said and the grey-eyed man paused.

  “What about them?”

  “He h-has them.”

  “I do,” I agreed amiably. “Several warehouses full of all the food you will need.”

  The man hesitated, his eyes suddenly uncertain. He distrusted me, that was clear but it was fine. I distrusted practically everyone so would be suspicious of anyone who wasn’t the same. There was also some disgust at what he had just witnessed and I could accept that. Some aspects of my little following were unpalatable, but they were necessary.

  “What do you want for these supplies?” he asked finally.

  “Nothing,” I said. “You can have them. I’ll draw you a map if you like.”

  “I don’t understand,” he said looking at Lily. “Is this a joke?”

  “No,” she said shaking her head as she watched me. “He’s serious.”

  “Why then?”

  “Your man just proved himself,” I said with a grin. “He earned those supplies.”

  “Fine. We’ll take them and be done,” the man said.

  “Wait.” Lily took a hesitant step forward. “We still need help with the attack.”

  “Not this kind,” he said as I looked at her.

  “What attack?”

  “There’s another kind of zombie,” she said quickly as the grey-eyed man glared. “We call them Reapers. Faster and smarter than the Ferals. I think they might be like the one you killed back at that lumberyard.”

  “Reapers,” I said slowly. “I like the name.”

  “These things are dangerous,” she said. “One of them is in the shipyards with a small army of Ferals and Shamblers. We’ve already lost nearly fifty of our troops and not even seen it.”

  “That will be enough, lieutenant,” the grey-eyed man said.

  “We need all the help we can get, sir,” she pleaded. “We don’t even know what they look like!”

  “Oh, that’s easy,” I said. “I caught one earlier, it’s over there.”

  I did so enjoy their gormless looks of surprise as they turned to stare at the zombie I pointed to. It growled and hissed as though aware they were all watching it.

  “Sorry it’s not more mobile,” I said. “Had to sever its spine to stop it trying to kill me.”

  “You caught one!” the grey-eyed man said in a strangled tone.

  “Almost killed another but the damned thing gave us the slip,” I admitted. “Of course, we were busy at the time slaughtering its little army. That one.” I pointed at the fallen zombie. “Only had a couple of dozen.”

  “Sir,” Lily said pointedly and the man nodded weakly.

  “Perhaps we should talk.”

  Chapter 27 - Lily

  He looked beyond tired. Exhausted even. I wondered how much sleep he’d been having and resisted the urge to reach up and check that wound on his neck. He was an idiot! Letting himself get injured like that. I’d only just found him again.

  “So, this is a Reaper,” Admiral Stuart said. He wiped one hand wearily down his face and stepped back as it growled at him.

  “Yes,” Ryan said, crouching down to lift the head between his hands. “These bone plates are incredibly dense. I couldn’t get a blade through them.”

  He let the head drop and it hit the floor with a soft thump as he pressed two fingers carefully beneath its chin and pushed its mouth closed.

  “I stabbed one of them here,” he said pointing to the soft underside. “My blade went in, but again, not far enough.”

  The zombie’s mouth fell open as he removed his fingers and he picked up the penlight and flicked it on before shining it into the open mouth.

  “Here,” he said pointing. “There’s a growth over the soft palate. Likely more bone and that stopped my blade on the other.”

  “I can’t believe you caught one,” the Admiral muttered. “We lost so many people and didn’t even see the Reaper. You went out with ten others and caught one.”

  Ryan shrugged and simply said, “I’m good at what I do.” There was no bravado, just a simple statement of fact.

  “But this,” he continued. “Surprised even me.”

  He lifted his knife and slammed it down into the creature’s belly, gripping the hilt firmly as he sliced across the abdomen. I lifted one hand to my nose as the stench hit me. Even when compared to the ever-present foulness of the undead, it was offensive to my senses.

  “What the hell is that,” I asked leaning forward to better see.

  There was a writhing crimson mass in the abdomen and I was pretty certain that wasn’t normal. More to the point, there was little blood and what did leak from the wound was blackened and turgid.

  “We’ve suspected this,” the Admiral said.

  “What?”

  “That data you brought us helped.”

  He was referring to the metallic box of electronic files and samples that Becky had intended to bring north. I’d finished the task when she’d decided to stay at the Sanctuary with Ryan’s brother.

  “It did?”

  “Yes. We’d long suspected the reason for the reanimation process and that data helped our small group of scientists formulate a theory.”

  “Which was?”

  “That the reason was a man-made parasite,” Ryan said and both the Admiral and I gaped at him.

  “You’re serious?”

  “He’s right,” the Admiral said with a thoughtful look. “It was designed. Small at first, so small that it couldn’t be easily seen as it headed straight for the brain and anchored itself there. I suspect we’re all infected with it by now.”

  “We are?”

  “It’s everywhere,” he said with a shrug. “Some seem to be immune. Their own bodies fighting and killing the parasite before it can become established. We’re trying to figure out how.”

  “Then we’re probably infected?” I said with a sickening lurch to my stomach.

  “Even those babies born in the camp are infected,” he confirmed with a great deal of sorrow. “Your friend is the first immune person to have a baby. We’ve a lot of hope that we can learn much from how that child is.”

  “Why? I don’t understand.”

  “The parasite lies dormant until the host dies. That’s when it multiplies and will begin the reanimation process. If the person is immune, the parasite dies, but not really.”

  He gave a rueful smile and shrugged.

  “There are people back at the island that can explain better. Basically, even when dead it is in your body. So, if a normal person will pass the parasite to their unborn child, we expect that the immune person will pass the ‘dead’ version of the parasite too.”

  “But why?”

  “The scientists think they can fashion a vaccine,” he said. “A way of making the rest of us immune too so that when we die, we won’t reanimate.”

  “Where did it come from though?”

  “Honestly? We don’t know,” the Admiral said wearily. “Probably some government lab. Some next-gen weapon or attempt at making a super soldier.”

  “Instead, we got zombies,” Ryan sai
d with a grin.

  “Yes. Three stages that we are aware of. The initial stage, the body is reanimated but with the most basic functions. A desire to infect others with the parasite.”

  “Stage two will be the Ferals,” I said, understanding what he meant.

  “They are smarter. Enough so that they can conserve their energy and feed when required. The parasite has more control over the bodies functions, able to begin healing and changing the body. Making it better at killing and hunting its prey.”

  “Designed for when the food supply is short,” Ryan said with another flash of teeth in a wide smile.

  “Yes,” the Admiral confirmed. “And the final stage is this. A leader.”

  “What’s the point of a leader though?” I asked, a sudden fear gripping me. I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.

  “We don’t know,” he replied. “We can guess that it was about survival. Without a leader, they would turn on each other. With one to control them, there’s more chance they will keep focused on us.”

  “The war with the undead is about to get interesting,” Ryan said. “They’ve stopped wandering aimlessly and are gathering their forces, laying traps. It will be a lot of fun.”

  “Fun!” the Admiral snapped. “People are dying.”

  “As they have been doing for a long time,” he replied nonchalantly. “My people will do what we can to save them.”

  “And so will we,” I said, seeing an opportunity. “Which is why we should work together to take control of the shipyards.”

  “We should?” Ryan asked, tilting his head as he looked at me. “Why?”

  “Because we haven’t enough people here to do it alone,” I snapped back. “Because the Reaper there is building a large force and I’m not even certain the river will hold them back when it’s ready.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “What do you need me to do?”

  “That’s it?” the Admiral asked. “No argument or demands?”

  “What is there to demand? A radio to contact you should we need it and an established place to take any survivors we find. That is all we need.”

  The Admiral seemed at a loss for words and I shook my head slowly. He was really serious. I wasn’t sure why I’d doubted that. He was in his element, able to go out and kill as many of the undead as he could. What else would he possibly need?