Abby giggled and kissed her husband. “Sounds lovely. But don’t think this counts, sir.”
“Counts?”
“Yeah, you totally owe me a real honeymoon one day.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, duh! We have to, it’s tradition!”
“Well there wasn’t much traditional about our wedding, was there?”
“Exactly, that means we gotta make up for it with the honeymoon.”
“Okay, okay,” Hiamovi said, laughing. He turned back to Abby and said, “You know, in the spirit of keeping with tradition, it is our wedding night, and we already have a room for two lined up…”
“Hmm, I wouldn’t dream of messing with that tradition,” Abby replied, doing her best attempt at a sultry voice. “It’s just a shame I don’t have any wedding night lingerie. That’s tradition too, you know."
“Tell you what, bring some on our real honeymoon, and I think I can forgive you for not bringing lingerie on a dangerous military mission.”
Abby laughed and said, “Deal. Oh, we should probably keep it down though. I don’t think Jax was totally kidding when he said he’d move into our room.”
“Oh, he was completely serious,” Hiamovi assured her, and they both laughed.
***
The newlywed couple managed to avoid taking on a third roommate that night, and even kept their wedding a secret from the rest of the group the following morning when everyone assembled outside their rooms to go to breakfast together. It wasn’t until they got to the chow hall when Abby, amused that no one had yet noticed the jewelry on her finger, rested her hand on top of the table, waiting to see how long it’d take for someone to notice.
Breakfast was nearly finished before she caught Jax do a double-take, his stare bent towards her left hand. “Zeeeero!” he called loudly, ‘zero’ being another term Marines use that roughly translates to ‘wait just a damn minute’.
“What in the hell happened last night?” Jax demanded, pointing at Abby’s ring. The rest of the group followed his gaze and let out a chorus of cheers. Some slapped Hiamovi on the back while Chad let out an over-the-top squeal, insisting Abby give him a better look at the ring.
“Well Gunny,” said Hiamovi, “I found chaps after dinner and we got married.”
“Oh, I see,” Jax replied, feigning a look of offense. “And no invitations for your boys, huh? You couldn’t wait another ten measly minutes and round up the squad?”
Hiamovi turned to look into Abby’s eyes. “I really couldn’t, not for a single minute more,” he said.
Abby kissed him; the guys “awww’d”.
“Alright, alright. Settle down,” Jax said. “Let’s finish up here and get going. And congrats, you two. I’m really happy for you.”
The rest of the squad gave a few more congratulations (as well as some smart-ass remarks) to the happy couple as they returned trays, dishes, and silverware, and threw away their trash before heading out the door. Their stores of food, water, and ammo had been replenished overnight, so all that remained to be done was mount their rested horses and continue their ride.
Chapter Twenty
Sunrise.
But this morning the sun itself could hardly be seen through the hazy fog and the pitter-pattering rain. Though they were dry underneath their Gore-Tex jackets and pants, the gloomy weather nevertheless dampened the spirits of the Raiders.
And Abby especially so. Her mood was further darkened by the nearness of a certain prison yard, one which she had not seen for many years. She didn’t want to go there. No one wanted to go there after Abby’s tale of zombie hordes and a murderous gang the size of a small army occupying the area, but the mission required it. If a large number of zombies or a violent group of marauders still lived there, the generals needed to know so they could plan accordingly. Jax intended to mitigate the danger as much as he could, but it would still be dicey.
“The place could very well be abandoned,” Hiamovi said to Abby, trying to cheer her up. They walked side by side, leading their horses with one hand so that the animals could get a break from carrying their loads. “I mean, it’s been how many years since you left?”
“Seven-ish,” Abby replied, gazing straight ahead.
“Exactly. A lot can change in seven years.”
“A lot does,” Abby agreed, still staring forward.
Hiamovi nodded his head but didn’t respond. He knew exactly what befell Abby the last time she was in this area, and he didn’t want to push her too far. Instead, he reached out and took Abby’s hand in his. The ring on her finger brushed against his skin, bringing a smile to his face as memories of their wedding just days earlier played in his mind.
These were the same memories that Abby tried to force to the front of her mind now. The ring was new, and she still felt it most of the time she wore it. That would take some getting used to. But it was a good feeling, something that she craved right now as older memories assailed her. She felt a little off. Not sick, but her head buzzed, and right behind her eyeballs it felt like something was pressing against the inside of her skull.
She looked over at Hiamovi, and he met her gaze. He was trying his best to cheer her up so she obliged him with a little smile, though there was no happiness to it. He must have known it was a phony smile, of course, as the one that appeared on his face in response was equally joyless.
After a while Jax called a halt, letting the group know they were very near the prison. “Yuri and Todd, you two stay with the horses and supplies. Keep sharp. The rest of us, we’re splitting into two teams. ‘Movi, Abby, and Max are with me. We’ll approach from the southeast. Rest of you, southwest. Be ready for shit to hit several fans, but watch your fire.”
In answer he received a chorus of affirmative grunts as the squad shuffled around to form up in the assigned groups. They then split off and headed in the directions of their assignments.
With the landscape around her cloaked in silence, the dull buzz in her head was all that Abby could hear, like a distant fire alarm bell just barely audible over the soft static of an old television set. Abby clenched and then unclenched her jaw, trying to set her nerves straight as she and the others approached the prison complex from the southeast.
Jax lowered his arms, angled slightly away from his body, signaling to the others to form a wedge. This was a diamond shaped patrol formation that allowed the Raiders to fire rapidly in any direction. Hiamovi took the lead position, with Abby to the right across from Jax, and Max in the rear with the M249 SAW machine gun.
In this pattern they continued towards the prison complex, gliding forward like ghosts. No sounds of civilization, and certainly nothing like the sounds Abby heard the last time she was here, broke the silence. A good sign, she thought, but there was still the question of that horde. If they could survive this long, would the zombies still be here?
Finally the prison itself came into view, virtually unchanged over the years. As the others scanned the scene before them, Abby looked up at the sky. In an instant the sun imploded, withdrawing its light and warmth from the Earth as the darkness of night descended. Thunder boomed and that pitter-patter of rain turned into a torrential downpour. The foul smell of a filthy barn reached Abby’s nose, followed by the meaty sound of a large knife being thrust into a man’s body over and over again.
Images flashed through Abby’s mind, memories of fear, death, and worst of all, loss. Sweat trickled down the side of her face as her heart pounded in her chest, feeling as big and as heavy inside her as a jug of molasses.
Mercifully, Jax called a halt to the patrol and spoke into his radio, snapping Abby back into the present.
“You boys seeing anything?”
“Negative, Gunny. Looks deserted,” said Mike.
Jax chewed on his lip as he thought out their next move.
“Any signs of the undead?” he said into his radio.
“I guess not. Don’t really know what counts as signs of zombies, though.”
Jax turned to Abby and asked, “Were you ever in the prison itself? Think anyone or anything was in there?”
Abby said nothing, but shook her head.
“We’re not going in the prison, are we?” asked Hiamovi.
“I don’t want to, but I don’t want to just pass on by either,” Jax replied. He keyed his radio in and said, “Mike, bring your guys up to the prison. We’re gonna poke our heads in, then get the hell out of here.”
Abby followed Jax as he led the way up to the prison. She scanned the environment around her, looking for signs of life (or unlife) as well as observing the shanty-town that had been built and then abandoned after the horde had attacked. A lot of the smaller huts and shacks had been knocked down, probably by the zombie horde that tore through here, but the larger buildings appeared mostly intact.
Including the barn in which Abby killed Henry.
Abby saw it from a distance, and once the light of recognition dawned on her she steeled herself for a nervous breakdown. She even considered asking Jax to divert their route but decided against that. She wondered if Henry’s hacked and mutilated body would still be laying there. She wondered if any zombies had taken a bite out of his corpse, and if that would reanimate him. A cold chill knifed its way up her back as she imagined a nearly seven foot tall zombie.
A lump formed in Abby’s throat and she found herself struggling to breathe. She felt nails stabbing into the bottoms of her feet with each agonizing step towards the barn. She licked her lips as they were now within spitting distance of the weather-worn doors, and she felt the inevitable breakdown rising in her chest, and then...
… and then they walked right by the barn and continued onwards, now getting farther and farther away. The lump in her throat crumbled into nothingness and the heaviness in her chest lightened, but rather than bringing relief this felt more like the sensation of a lost sneeze. So much buildup with nothing to show for it. No panicking, no tears, no flashbacks.
Abby supposed she should be glad that she kept her nerve, but there was also a sense of frustration in her, similar to what happened at the river where Emma died. She felt something, but it wasn’t what she expected, nor did it make her feel any better. Of all the places she’d been, she thought for sure this was where she might find the closure she was looking for.
The prison now loomed large before them, a place with which Abby was unfamiliar. They linked up at the main entrance with Mike and the others, and the nine of them stacked up in a single line with Chad taking point, preparing to enter the structure.
“We’re just gonna poke into the lobby,” Jax reminded everyone as he took his spot behind Chad. “I’m gonna yell out, see if we get a response. If nothing happens, then we’ll move on.”
“And if something screams at us?” Chad asked over his shoulder.
“Then we’ll move on with quite a bit more speed,” Jax replied. He kneed Chad in the back of his thigh, signaling to him that the squad was ready to enter.
Chad strode in through the open doors, rifle up in his shoulder and immediately turned to his left. A heartbeat later, Jax moved in and turned right. The rest of the group flowed in behind them, alternating directions and keeping rifles aimed at every corner and doorway.
“Hello! Anyone here?” Jax called out into the darkness. “We’re United States Marines! Does anyone need any kind of assistance?”
Silence followed the echoes of Jax’s voice bouncing off the walls, broken only by the shuffling of booted feet as the Raiders prepared to unleash a torrent of gunfire should zombies charge into view.
After nearly half a minute, Jax called out again. “We’re gonna be leaving now! A whole hell of a lot more of us should be up in this area in a few days if you need help!”
Just as they turned to leave, the squad finally received a response. It was not the scream of the undead, but rather a human-sounding grunt. Looking down the dim hallway that led deeper into the prison, they could see somebody walking towards them.
“Sir? Can we help you, sir?” Jax asked.
The person grunted again, saying nothing as he continued to walk forward. Actually, he wasn’t walking so much as shuffling. And as he came nearer, Abby and the others could finally make out some distinguishing features, like grey skin, an eyeball dangling from its socket, and what looked like a human hand in its mouth.
“The fuck?!” Jax cried, jumping back.
“Why isn’t it running?” asked Hiamovi.
The sight of a zombie in such a weak state shocked everyone into paralysis. No one shot at it, no one fled from the building. Everyone, even Abby, gaped in wonder and confusion at the stumbling, grunting creature before them. Its frail arms were raised like a zombie you’d see in old comic books, though it was missing its right hand. A memory of a similar zombie hit Abby just then, and she lowered her rifle.
“You know, I might have seen something like this before,” she said. She stepped carefully towards the creature. She let her rifle hang from its sling and pulled out her tomahawk. As the zombie approached her, she gave it a shove with the metal weapon, keeping it at bay.
“What do you mean you might have seen this before?” asked Mike.
“A few years ago, my friend Emma and I were attacked by a single zombie,” Abby replied. “It was strong but it wasn’t freaky strong like most zombies. Although, it wasn’t quite as slow and weak as this one either.”
Abby smacked the zombie with her tomahawk again, harder this time, and it fell onto its back. From the ground it waved its arms and legs, rocked itself from side to side, but seemed incapable of standing up again.
Hiamovi aimed his rifle at the creature but Abby held her hand up to stop him. “Don’t waste the ammo,” she said as she walked around to stand at the zombie’s head. Its gaze followed her, and it reached up at her with feeble arms. Abby raised her tomahawk up to head level, then buried it in the zombie’s brain, its soft, decomposing skull practically falling to pieces.
“So you’re saying that these things can die. Naturally, I mean,” Jax wondered aloud. “Is that why we’ve seen fewer and fewer the closer we get to ground zero?”
“I don’t know,” Abby responded as she wiped the blade of her tomahawk clean. “I guess it’s possible. Maybe they eventually starve to death.”
“But this one was eating something,” Hiamovi said, gesturing towards the disembodied hand still lodged in the zombie’s mouth. “Should we check out where it came from?”
Abby shook her head. She had noticed something that apparently no one else had, and spoke now like a professor lecturing a hall full of university students. “I know where it came from. That’s a right hand. Notice a certain something missing from our friend here?”
The dots connected as everyone saw what Abby was saying. “The bastard was eating itself,” Jax muttered.
“Which again leads us back to the idea that these things can starve,” Abby said, a seemingly out of place smile creeping onto her face. “This is a pretty big discovery, boys. It’s hardly a scientific hypothesis, but I think we can safely assume that most zombies have died out by now. We should probably let higher-ups know about this.”
“I agree, after we get the hell out of here,” Jax insisted. He gestured towards the door and waited for everyone else to exit before he himself left the building, but not without one more look of intrigue directed at the decaying body lying on the floor.
When they got back to the horses, Jax told Todd to relay what they’d seen in the prison back to the main element. “In the meantime, everyone get some chow before we head out again,” he added.
Abby began to dig through her pack, looking for a specific MRE that was her favorite, but was interrupted by Hiamovi.
“A moment?” he asked, gently tugging on Abby’s arm. She nodded her head and followed him a few feet from the group.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Isn’t this where…you buried Zach?” Hiamovi asked.
Abby took a deep breath, then blew it out.
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to go see him now? I can go with you if you need me to.”
Abby looked away from Hiamovi and stared off in the general direction of where Zach’s grave lay. She could still hardly believe that years later and after thousands of miles of walking, she once again stood so near the spot where he died. The spot where her father spoke his last words and shared a final hug with his daughter.
This was it. This was why she had come all this way. It was time to see Zach and face her fears.
Except that buzzing in her head wouldn’t go away. And that’s when Abby saw her.
The specter didn’t say anything this time, nor did it come close at all. But she made herself and all her dark malevolence plainly visible to Abby as she guarded the path to Zach’s grave some fifty feet away. Black feet set shoulder-width apart, black hands balled up into fists, and a black fire burning behind empty eyes. It was a silent challenge, daring Abby to come closer.
The last obstacle for Abby to overcome. One last fight before she could finally find peace. All she had to do was take a little walk. So easy, and yet…
“No,” Abby said, shaking her head.
“Okay, but I don’t know if Jax will want anyone wandering off alone,” Hiamovi said.
“No. I mean I’m not going.”
“But I thought…” Hiamovi muttered.
“Hiamovi, please,” Abby pleaded as she blinked away a tear. “I know that’s why I came out here, but I just can’t do it. I’m sorry, I’m too weak.”
“Hey, come on,” Hiamovi said, his voice as gentle as the hand he laid on Abby’s arm. She looked away, partly out of shame, but also to steal another glance at her former self. She was still there, still defiant.
Hiamovi cupped Abby’s face in his hand and turned her back towards him. “You are not weak,” he said. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known. And if you’re not ready to go there right now, then we’ll get you ready. And one day we’ll come back here together.”
Abby gave him a sad smile but said nothing, a gesture he returned before walking back to his horse, leaving Abby alone. She turned her gaze back towards her tormentor. It remained where it stood, silently blocking the way to Zach’s grave.
His Name Was Zach | Book 3 | Their Names Were Many Page 17