“It’s good to see you too,” Jeff gasped when George dropped him back to the ground.
When Megan and George had calmed down sufficiently, Jeff stole a glance over at Jason. The boy gave him an awkward grin, and Jeff responded with a sheepish smile of his own. Things were turning to shit fast in the camp, but at least the four of them were still alive and still together… for the moment.
After the quick reunion, Jeff watched as the other camp dwellers filed into the courtyard. Teddy ran over to Ray while Lydia, who had been tending to the injured boy, gave Teddy some quick instructions on Ray’s care. She then turned and scurried over to her Winnebago, where the smaller children were timidly stepping down from the doorway. She huddled them together, kissing and hugging them tightly. Jeff saw the terror on their little faces as their guardian whispered reassurances to them that everything was going to be just fine. Sadie was already crying, and the two boys looked scared as well, though they tried desperately to hide their fear. Jeff forced his eyes away from the makeshift family as Frank motioned for everyone to gather around.
Michael was at the center of the group with his crony standing next to him. Frank carried a rifle in his hands and had the double-barreled shotgun strapped across his back. Cindy hovered nearby, the same predatory expression on her face that Jeff had glimpsed the day before. She not only appeared to be comfortable with their present situation, she looked excited by it. Ben stayed at the edge of the crowd, his brow furrowed in frustration. Jeff had watched the animated conversation between the scout and the camp leader up on the roof and deduced rather quickly that it had not gone well. Whatever Michael had told Ben, it had infuriated him. When the giant of a man climbed back down into the courtyard and started snapping arrows with his bare hands, it told Jeff all he needed to know: things were bad and about to get a whole lot worse.
“For those who haven’t already guessed, we’re about to have company.”
No one made a sound, though Jeff could see Megan tense up. George’s shoulders slumped, as if he had been holding onto a thin sliver of hope and Michael’s words had crushed the last of it. Lydia held the children tighter, shushing them. A quick glance in Cindy’s direction verified she was feeding off everyone’s fear, enjoying the panic spreading through the small crowd.
“Ben informed me that the shit that got stirred up in town is not dying back down. In fact, the stiffs are getting more and more agitated with every passing minute. For whatever reason,” Michael paused and glared pointedly at Jeff, “they are moving toward the camp.”
“Is Ben sure they know we’re here? Maybe they’re just wandering around like they always do. Maybe they don’t know… ”
Michael lips were pressed into a frown as he looked at Lydia. She had lifted her head to speak, still holding the children close. Her words faded when she saw the look Michael gave her.
“They are headed right for us.” Michael glanced at Ben as he spoke, a question in his eyes. “Ben estimates that they’ll be here in… ?”
Ben shrugged. “The first wave will probably hit the tree line in about fifteen minutes. Maybe less.”
“What? You’ve got to be shittin’ me!” Frank swung around, his eyes frantic as he stared at Ben. “That can’t be true, goddamn it! Those fuckers can’t be that close!” He turned to face Michael, his eyes wild. “We’ve got to get the hell outta here, man. If what he’s sayin’ is true, we’re screwed!”
Michael put his hands on Frank’s shoulders and spoke quietly. “Settle down. Come on, Frank, keep it together.” He repeated the words several times as Frank shook and uttered one word, over and over. “No.” It started out at the same volume as Michael’s words, but grew in pitch until the fat hick shrugged off the hands gripping his shoulders.
“No! I’m not gonna settle down! This is bullshit!” Frank backed away from Michael, his eyes darting everywhere, scanning everyone, until they settled on Jeff. He stiffened.
“It’s that bastard! He’s the one who screwed up everything! It’s all his fault!” Frank stopped moving and almost looked like he wanted to charge at Jeff, but instead remained frozen in place. He clutched the rifle in both hands and raised it, slowly. “He killed Marcus and woke up all those bastards! That stupid son of bitch is to blame! We need to feed his ass to th—”
Ben stepped forward and grabbed the weapon, pushing it into Frank’s chest, sending him sprawling. The rifle stayed in Ben’s hands as Frank landed with a surprised “ooof!” The hick looked stunned as he stared up at the sun-blotting figure of the man above him. His mouth slammed shut when he saw the rabid look on Ben’s face.
After a few moments of the one-sided staring match, Ben turned to Michael, who looked nearly as surprised as Frank, and tossed the rifle at his feet. “Better be careful who you let handle that thing.” He looked back down at Frank, a snarl of contempt on his face. “Some jackass without a clue could end up blowing their damn fool head off. We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” He turned and spat on the ground in disgust as he walked away, ignoring the shocked looks on everyone’s faces.
Michael’s frustration was evident, but whatever desire he had to reprimand the most valuable member of his little clan faded as he moved next to Frank and extended his hand. Frank’s eyes, which had been fixed on Ben, moved toward the proffered hand, and he stared at it dumbly. After another second, he reluctantly took it, glaring at everyone as he did. His demeanor changed when Michael retrieved the fallen rifle and handed it back to him.
Michael turned to face the others. He stiffened his back and spoke.
“We only have a few minutes to prepare the camp for an all-out attack, people. This is no time to screw around or freak out.” He looked over at Frank again, the emphasis clear. “If we’re going to make it, we have to work together.”
Jeff’s eyes widened. He glanced over at Megan and George, who looked as surprised as he did.
“Excuse me, Michael.” He raised his hand as if in a classroom. “Does that mean we plan on staying? We’re going to fight those things?”
Before Michael could respond, Megan chimed in. “We have to leave! Don’t you understand? We have to get out of here before they surround us!” She was not speaking directly to Michael, but to everyone else, who looked as stunned at Michael’s proclamation as she did. The pleading in her eyes matched the tone in her voice. Suddenly, several people were talking all at once, to Michael and to each other. Panic was starting to set in.
“We are NOT leaving, people. LISTEN TO ME!” Michael raised his voice and startled the other survivors into silence. Glancing around, he made sure to catch everyone’s eye. “I am NOT giving up our home that easily. AND NEITHER ARE YOU! We made this fortress to withstand an attack, and WE’RE GONNA DO JUST THAT!”
Michael’s eyes stopped on Jeff. He jabbed his finger at his nemesis and growled. “You coward. You want to run? Well YOU didn’t put this place together, and YOU haven’t busted your ass to make sure it’s safe.” He shook his head in contempt and looked around at the others. “We’ve all run before. But I’m tired of running!” Michael did his best to stare down the entire group. “So we’re going to stay put and deal with this shit.” He pointed at the ground for emphasis. “Right here and right now.”
Michael intended his speech to be a rousing battle cry, but it was clear that very few of the people listening to him were buying into what he was trying to sell. As he stood looking out at the doubt and fear smeared across the faces all around him, he grew even angrier.
“It doesn’t matter that those things are out there. It doesn’t matter how afraid of them you are. What does matter is that We. Are. Not. Leaving!” Michael spat out the words through clenched teeth. “We’re staying put and fighting, people. Get that through your thick skulls!”
“How in the hell do you plan on holding those things off, Michael? And for how long? Have you seen how many of them are out there? Have you been listening?” Jeff paused, letting the moans, which had been background noise for some time now,
take center stage. “I saw them, Michael. I saw how many there are. Ben did too! There are hundreds, maybe thousands of them!” He paused again, letting the comment sink in before looking into Michael’s eyes, which were full of hate. “I’m no goddamned coward, but I’m not interested in some sort of last stand either. No one, and I mean NO ONE, is going to remember this Alamo.”
Even with the rage in Michael’s eyes and the tension in his body, Jeff was caught off guard by the fist that came crashing down on his chin. He fell to the ground, his head bouncing off the turf as stars exploded before his eyes.
The M16 was off Michael’s back and pointed at Jeff’s face before he could blink. Any idea that George had of stepping in disappeared as Michael swung the weapon toward him then back at Jeff. The middle-aged man raised his hands, surprised to see the rifle aimed his way. He had barely moved after watching Jeff crumple to the ground, yet Michael seemed prepared for anything. At the same time, Megan screamed and knelt at Jeff’s side while Jason and everyone else looked on in stunned silence.
“Say one more word. Please. Just one.”
Jeff, who had not gotten used to being punched and kicked, despite the events of the past few days, felt dizzy. Michael’s words sounded funny inside his head, as if they were being edited in some sound studio, sliced up and stuttered. When he'd landed, his head had bounced hard. The soil was soft, but the contact was abrupt and made his vision fade for a moment. Even with all the pain and blurriness, he had a good idea of what was happening. He tried to focus as he raised a hand and lip-synced the word “okay.”
Megan looked up at Michael but did not speak as George stepped closer to the two of them. Ben inched forward, and Michael spun around to point the rifle in his direction. Ben slowed to a stop.
“It’s cool, Michael. Relax. We’re all friends here.” Ben had his hands up in a placating gesture. “You’re right, anyhow. We can’t leave.” Michael’s rage was still boiling over, and the words didn’t sink in right away, until he seemed to go blank for a second and blinked. When his eyes fixed back on Ben, they were clearer, more cognizant of what the big man had said.
Ben continued after seeing the rational look return to Michael’s eyes. “There’s too many of them to drive through. Not with one of these huge beasts.” He pointed toward the RVs. “We couldn’t pick up enough speed to plow through rows and rows of them. We’d get stuck.” Ben looked around at everyone. “We’re going to have to hold them off for as long as we can and wait for the right moment to bug out.”
Michael shook his head in frustration. “Don’t you get it? Don’t any of you get it? We can hold these bastards off and kill them all! We have the weapons to do it! We take them out, one by one, two by two, and soon we’ll have every last one of these infected motherfuckers taken care of. Don’t you understand? We’ll be free then! We’ll be able to retake the town!” He was shaking his head and smiling. “Maybe what happened out there was fucked up, but perhaps it was a blessing in disguise! Think about it: we can keep on running, forever, or until we all die because someone slips up even worse than this. Or we can take a stand. Fight for what’s ours. I know we can do this!”
“It’s a good idea, Michael.”
Everyone swung around when they heard the quiet voice. Jeff looked over at Megan and grabbed at her hand, trying to pull her back down next to him. She slipped through his fingers and stood up. Michael was already looming over her. “I’m not messing with you. I mean it. Jeff and I… ” She pointed down at the man who was trying to get to his feet, but whose legs felt like Jell-O. “We took a stand, and it worked like a charm.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed as he waited for her to explain.
“We cleared out every last one of those things in our neighborhood. Just a few days ago.” Megan motioned to Jeff again as he finally got to his feet. “It was Jeff’s idea, but I saw the results.” Jeff stood next to Megan as she continued. “We lured them over a steep embankment at the back of our subdivision. Every single one of them.”
They were all staring at her now. Frank, who had a lost and frightened look on his face, was the most enraptured. He was mesmerized by what Megan was saying. She told the story in bits and pieces. How Jeff had rescued her and how his crazy plan had worked. When she was done, the tension in the camp lessened significantly, and even Michael looked impressed. He glanced at Jeff a few times, but his eyes mostly remained on Megan. He still looked skeptical, but the rifle was pointed toward the ground, and he was in control of his emotions again.
“So why didn’t you stay there?”
“Because more kept coming.” It was Jeff who chimed in. His voice was quiet and his eyes distant. “By the next day, the street was filled with them again.” He shook his head. “I don’t know where they came from, but they certainly showed up.” A dark grin crept onto his face. “But it sure as shit felt good taking as many of them out as we did before we left.” He glanced over at Megan and held out his hand. She hesitated for a moment and then reached out to clasp it. Jeff squeezed her hand tight and smiled at her.
“Well, we’re going to take them all out and make sure they never come back.” Everyone was looking at Michael again. His jaw was firm as he slung his rifle. “Okay. Enough of this bullshit! Let’s get ready for those fuckers!”
Jeff and Megan stepped back to listen to Michael rattle off everyone’s responsibilities during the attack. The words sounded tinny in Jeff’s ears as his heart pounded heavily in his chest and his breathing grew shallow. He’d managed to survive Michael’s enraged outburst, but as the volume of howls and cries of agony increased outside the walls of the camp, Jeff wondered if he’d have been better off if he’d let Michael shoot him.
Chapter 20
They waited.
Jeff lay flat on the roof of the RV next to Teddy, who had to be dragged away from Ray to take his post up top. Lydia stayed below with the injured teen and the children, but everyone else was stationed above, each armed with makeshift weapons. Several had been created for the men who stood watch at night in the camp: long and spear-like, they were made from common farming implements like hoes and pitchforks.
They could hear the rustling of leaves and underbrush being pushed aside in the dense woods. The shadowy movement of the monsters forcing their way through the thickly clotted trees made it clear what the little group of survivors were up against.
Michael had refused to redistribute the guns and had already confiscated Teddy’s rifle. Jeff knew they needed to preserve their meager ammo, but didn’t like the idea of some jury-rigged pitchfork being the only thing that stood between him and an agonizing death.
They were all bunched up on the top of Ben’s RV. This was where they would make their stand and deal with the brunt of the attack, keeping the crowd of infected focused on one area. Ben had reinforced his windows with wooden slats, though they were too high to be reached by scratching hands. Jeff wondered how tough the metal skin of the RV was and how much pounding it would be able to take.
As the moans and sounds of excitement increased beyond the trees, Michael walked behind the group, exhorting them to remain calm. His rifle was slung on his back, and he had something that resembled a spear in his hands.
He paired them off, putting Jeff with Teddy, George with Jason, Megan with Ben, and Cindy with Frank (mainly because no one else wanted to work with either of them). They were spaced out across the top of the RV, and Michael would step in to help, but the partners would rely mostly on each other to get the job done.
Frank brought out what looked like a whole medieval arsenal from inside his RV. There were about twenty spikes, pikes, and long-handled machetes to choose from. Most of the wooden shafts had been replaced with longer, bulky pieces of oak or metal held in place by thick screws.
“Lydia will take good care of Ray. You need to focus on what’s happening up here.”
Teddy looked at Jeff and nodded. The boy was nervous, but as he gazed out at the trees, Jeff knew the kid was as ready as any of them.
He looked over to Megan and caught her eye. She gave him a brave smile, and he mouthed the words “everything is going to be okay.” She just shook her head, not sure what he was trying to say, so he shrugged and returned her smile.
As they lay there, waiting for the impending doom, Jeff glanced down past the walls of the fortress and admired his old van. It was banged up and had seen far better days, but was still drivable and had plenty of gas. If he only knew how to hotwire a car, or could snag one of the keys Michael had taken off of him… it was madness to think of such things, but Jeff couldn’t stop the thoughts from invading his mind as the sounds of the dead grew in pitch and volume from beyond the tree line.
“Here they come.”
Michael’s terse words made Jeff’s heart skip a beat. Several haggard shapes fought free of the woods and the group got their first clear view of what they dealing with. The emaciated creatures spotted them, and their blood-crazed eyes widened in excitement. As one, they marched toward the survivors, their moans echoing off the side of the RV. Others appeared behind the first wave, bodies moving from the shadows, their arms raised toward the people high above them.
They trickled through the gaps in the trees like drips from a leaky faucet. They came, one after another, in inconsistent lines of attack. The way they looked reminded Jeff of rotten apples with soft and mushy skin. They came in all forms and shapes: short and tall, punctured and bloated. Some were dismembered while others had no visible wounds.
They kept coming. By the time the first slammed its hand against the side of the RV, there were already a hundred in the clearing.
Ben got the first kill. With a rapid thrust, he impaled the first pus bag on the end of his giant, metal-hafted pitchfork. He drove the tines through its eyes, and when he pulled the pitchfork back, one of the orbs remained on his weapon while the rest of the ghoul slumped to the ground. Another moved into the spot it had occupied, disinterested in the body on which it was stepping.
The Dark Trilogy 02 - Into the Dark Page 15