by A. Lopez, Jr
Three more zombies moved in for the kill as the military fired round after round. This was his chance to get across the street. He slid along the storefronts, his head on a swivel, covered in sweat, both hands on the gun.
The sudden sound of his phone ringing scared him, sending him back, against the wall, as he grabbed for it and answered.
“Kellie?”
At first there was heavy breathing.
“Alex, hurry, please hurry,” Kellie said, as she ran with Meadow, looking for a place to hide.
“I’m close, I’m real close. Where are you?”
“We had to leave…” Her voice out of breath. “We are in an alley behind a restaurant, next to a dumpster. They’re coming. They…” Her voice trailed off.
Alex listened in horror. “Kellie? If you’re on 7th, I think I know where you are.” He ran in a full sprint, no longer worried about who or what might see him.
“Oh my God!” Kellie screamed.
“Kellie! Hang on. I’m almost there!” He ran faster, tears blurring his vision, his heart about to beat through his chest.
“Meadow! Noooooo… Alex!”
“Kellie! Kellie! What’s happening?”
“They’re—”
Her voice cut off. As he ran, he could no longer hear her. He cried out loud, feeling helpless and angry—fighting back the thought of anything bad that may have happened.
“Kellie.” He tried one more time and thought about stopping and calling her back, but he couldn’t. He had to get to them. “I won’t let them die!” he yelled out.
Just as he neared 7th street, he saw the entrance to the alley, but there were too many of the infected to go any further. Distraught and losing precious time, he looked down at the gun, realizing, even with it, there was no way he would make it past them. He quickly doubled back and went through the side entrance of a bookstore and came around the other side. He was now at the other end of the alley, and took refuge behind some garbage cans as two of the dead shuffled by.
He stepped back under the eave of a garage, his back pressed against the metal door, his head tucked into the corner. Only one of the infected walked out into the opening, the fast receding sun lit up the side of its mangled face. Alex remained still and patient, letting it pass, despite time running short. After turning the corner, he made his way down the alley. A car sped by at the far end, appearing and disappearing just as fast. The alley ahead was clear, except for a green dumpster and a delivery van, its back doors open. Moving forward cautiously, he heard a noise behind the dumpster. He immediately raised his gun, ready to fire, and quietly slid to his left to get a better view.
The sounds on the other side grew louder and painfully obvious. A mangled, bloody arm fell into view. One more step and he could see one of the zombies gnawing at the body of the dead delivery truck driver—a box of frozen shrimp dropped on its side. It turned to look at Alex and in one swift motion stood and leaped at him. Having the gun raised was Alex’s saving grace. Instinctively, he squeezed the trigger, the blast echoing loudly through the alley. Three rounds entered its forehead, blasting through the back in a bloody mess. The savage flew backwards, landing in a heap on the delivery man.
Stunned, Alex stared a bit at his first kill before looking around the alley, knowing the gunshot would attract more of them. He didn’t have to wait long, as sounds from the back of the delivery truck caught his attention. His heart pounding, he turned, pointing the gun at the dark opening, sweat pouring down his face.
A bare foot came from the shadows, then a leg with dirty, tattered slacks, and finally, out of the dark, appeared a woman.
It was Kellie…
The sense of relief and the smile on Alex’s face, quickly turned sour, ending in a horrified quiver. The woman walking down the truck’s delivery ramp was Kellie, but nothing like the person he knew and loved.
She stumbled down the ramp, her eyes were that of the undead…the infected…the zombies.
Heartbroken, he lowered the gun, tears streaming down his face.
“No, no, no, no…”
He sobbed uncontrollably, as she moved slowly, now only five feet from him.
“No, Kellie. No.”
He wasn’t afraid of her, and in some strange way, he knew she recognized him.
She stopped, looking at him, and other than her eyes, pale skin, and some scattered blood, nothing looked wrong with her.
Over her shoulder, another one appeared, exiting the back of the truck—a little girl—Meadow.
She walked with the same slow, staggered limp.
Kellie turned towards Meadow, exposing the massive hole in her right shoulder that ran to the middle of her back. The blood was drying and blending into her purple blouse.
Alex’s eyes widened in horror, bringing more tears.
Kellie extended her hand to Meadow and guided her around to stand side-by-side, facing Alex. Their catatonic, distant eyes stared up at him, yet they remained still, not attacking like the others.
Alex wiped his eyes, attempting to comprehend what was happening—the sickness slowly taking over their bodies. He looked down at his little girl, searching for some sign that she was okay, that there might be a way to communicate with her, but sadly, he could only see the beast hiding inside her. Despair took over and he dropped to his knees, hanging his head, dropping the gun on the asphalt surface. He looked up once more and saw Meadow open her mouth, as if trying to speak to him. A glimmer of hope came over him as her hand began to slowly rise. He looked up at Kellie.
Her lips quivered bringing about the slightest of smiles.
Screeching brakes and the sound of crashing metal caught his attention as a car crashed in the street at the far end of the alley, exploding in a fireball of orange and yellow flames.
Meadow’s hand dropped, the morbid smile gone from Kellie’s lips and from behind him, he heard the sound of the undead. He looked over his shoulder. A large, slow-moving group filled the alley behind him. He turned again to Kellie and Meadow, their demeanor changed, and both looked at him with lost eyes.
Alex grabbed the gun and stood, as too many conflicting thoughts came to mind. One more look over his shoulder revealed the mob was only thirty feet away. He looked up at the sky and let out a loud, primeval scream. His body shook, tension taking over, as saliva dripped from his mouth. Still feeling the need to protect his family, he turned away from his wife and daughter, and faced the pack.
There were too many of them to take out with his limited ammo, and less than twenty feet away, he could see their same distant stare. The first zombie appeared to be a mailman, mailbag still draped over his shoulder. He was moving faster than the others.
It will be first, he thought, as he raised the gun.
His eyes blurred, and he waited until it was closer, then squeezed off two rounds, both missing. He fired again, hitting the mailman in the shoulder. It slowed him for just an instant, but started towards him again. One more shot hit the front of the head, dropping the freak instantly, pieces of mail scattering in the alley.
Alex turned and saw Kellie, holding Meadow’s hand, walking into the back of the delivery truck. Beyond the truck, another group of zombies moved in from the other direction. He turned around, facing the mob behind him and raised the gun, but there was no time—they were on him just as he fired two more shots. He pulled away from the first two, almost falling to a certain death. With everything going on and at a time when he senses should have been numb, he could smell their rotten, decaying flesh. It burned his nose and lungs, as he turned and ran towards the only place he could go—the truck.
As he got to the ramp, he stopped.
Standing just inside the doors were Kellie and Meadow, their backs to him. With the monsters closing in on him from both sides, all rational decisions were long gone.
It was possible he could fight his way out, or slip into an open door in the alley, or even do the unthinkable—he squeezed the Glock’s handle. But, the only reason he fought thro
ugh the destruction and chaos, the only thing that gave him hope and the will to fight, was his love for his family.
Now, he had found them, his heart and spirit broken, and even though the worst scenario was in front of him, he knew he couldn’t cower out by ending his own life. He loved them too much.
He walked up the ramp.
“Kellie?” he called out, knowing he would not get a response.
With all the crying gone and the fight taken out of him, he walked towards his wife and daughter and stepped inside the truck, and just before the zombies could reach him, he closed the door behind him. There was only one thing left to do.
He let the gun fall from his hand, clanking on the floor.
Kellie and Meadow turned to face him. A low growling pierced the darkened space, and just as he adjusted to the glow coming through the truck’s skylight, he saw the same hungry, savage eyes he witnessed all day, and for the first time, he had to finally admit, there was no more hope to be with his family…in this world.
Kellie was on him instantly.
He offered no resistance, as she leaned in and bared her teeth.
And just as it has for thousands of years, the sun set on the far side of the Pacific Ocean. The Santa Monica Pier, from a distance, looked normal, as it glowed in the fading, orange and yellow sunset. And somewhere in the streets, amid the mayhem and chaos, just beyond the calm of the ocean, Alex, Kellie, and Meadow walked the streets, beginning their new-found life. . .together again.
Other Books by A. Lopez, Jr.
This is A. Lopez, Jr.’s book library at the time of publication, with more books coming out soon. Be the first to find out news, sneak peeks, exclusive giveaways, and every time a new release is coming out, by going to The Multi-Genre Project free newsletter.
Night Dreams—Episode One
“THE BEGINNING”
A Dream Psychologist, Dr. Joseph Rickettes, has no choice but to live out the nightmares of his patients in hopes of curing them of their demons. He is bound by the demons in their dreams, while he struggles to make sense of the nightmares that plague his own life. In the first episode in the novella series, “The Beginning” tells the story of how it all started for Joseph, and how he came to possess his power, or curse, to delve into and live out, the nightmares of others.
Night Dreams – Episode Two
“ANDREA’S DEMON”
The novella series continues, with episode two finding Joseph years later after using his gift to help his mother. In his mind, his gift was all but forgotten, until his wife, Andrea, reveals her secret past and the demon that has pursued her and her sister Jessica, since childhood. The tension builds as Joseph and Andrea both tell their secrets from their childhood and look for a way to end her dark nightmares.
Night Dreams – Episode Three
“RISING DARKNESS”
The haunting novella series continues, with the next intense episode answering more questions about Andrea’s nightmares and the demon that haunts her. Joseph’s gift is severely tested by the demon out to cross over into the real world and take his wife’s soul. Joseph battles his own demons as his wife, marriage, and life are all put in jeopardy.
Night Dreams - Episode Four
“TALL MAN”
A fresh start brings a new set of critical decisions for Joseph as the series continues with episode four. Will he help his new patient, Claire Botkins, while knowing the danger in not truly understanding his gift? Claire has a recurring nightmare of being stalked in her own house—a nightmare that tempts Joseph to help her with his unpredictable talents. His motives and decisions could put her in mortal danger. Will his quest to seek revenge against the demon lead him down a one-way road and past the point-of-no-return? Will Father Lombardi attempt to intervene? Joseph starts to second guess himself as he reflects on the past, and his wife, Andrea.
Purgatory13—Tales of the Macabre
In the spirit of King, Laymon, Little, and Keene comes a collection of short stories of the macabre. One story begins in the name of research when a world-famous horror author spends the night in one of the most haunted houses around, Ritter House, only to discover that reality is much more horrific than fiction. In Road Trip, a man must travel across state lines to identify his brother’s dead body and drive him home in the back of his car to a mortuary run by a dead man. In Tic Toc, a man has two hours to try and prevent a catastrophe in the building that his wife works in, only, he can’t recall how or why. His only clue is the nightmare he had two hours earlier. Christmas will never be the same for a little boy in Santa Claws, and an old wooden box in a warehouse carries a story all its own in The Crate. A trip into Purgatory will open the door to these stories and more.
Floor Four—A Novella of Horror
‘A loud bang was heard from above, scaring the boys. They shined their lights up the stairwell. The sounds of chains rattling on the floor stirred the dust above. Something or someone was up there. Doug, hiding his fear, took a couple of more steps up. Brandon and Kyle looked at him, their feet locked in place. They had no intention of going any further.’
The old, abandoned Saint Vincent Hospital is said to be haunted by the ghost of David Henry Coleman, the notorious serial killer, known as The Mangler. Coleman died on the fourth floor after being shot by police. For the three Jr. High boys, their curiosity gets the best of them as they explore the old hospital, despite ‘Old Man’ Jake’s warning. No one knew of Jake’s dark connection to the killer and the hospital. And now, on the anniversary of The Mangler’s death, a group of high school kids are planning a private party on the haunted fourth floor. Jake must keep everyone out and protect them from the true evil that lurks on Floor Four.
(titles available in ebook and print)
Anthologies
State of Horror - Illinois
WHAT IS YOUR STATE OF HORROR? Come take a unique tour of the state of Illinois. Visit a little known pizza place where the deep-dish pizza is to die for. Spend the night in a haunted house or explore an abandoned resort town. What happens when you disturb the sanctity of an ancient deity? Swim with us in a lake where fish are not the only creatures under the water’s surface. Ghosts, mobsters, and zombies all provide thrills as we explore the Land of Lincoln. The number 13 is often viewed as an unlucky, even evil number. However , here it is only fitting we traverse the horrors of Illinois through 13 tales to make the heart beast just a little faster. Join us if you dare.
Concordant Vibrancy
Concordant Vibrancy represents the interweaving of unity and uniqueness through the eyes of eleven incredible writers. Through the array of genres, all of these talents share a phenomenal love of writing which aims to leave imprints in the reader's imagination.
<> Coming Soon <>
Night Dreams – Episode Five
With Joseph moving forward in his personal and professional life, he is contacted by a colleague who puts him in touch with a father, whose ten-year-old son is experiencing violent dreams and is afraid to tell his parents what he is seeing in his nightmares. After interviewing the family, Joseph decides to take the boy on as a patient, and soon discovers that the boy is being tormented by an evil much darker and more dangerous than Jack Shaw.
“31 DAYS”
A Horror Novel
“Tomorrow starts the countdown to Halloween, folks,” the radio DJ announced to the listening public. “Yes, tomorrow is October 1st, bringing in the cooler temperatures, shorter days, and the one creepy night of the year that we love so much . . . beware of the goblins!” Little did he know that the countdown had already begun, long before he spoke his prophetic words.
The terror that was coming was far more hellish than he, or any of his listeners could imagine. The terror that is coming, begins in 31 Days.
For more information on the author
please visit his blog:
www.alopezjr.com
Book cover art and formatting done by Ace-Hil-Ink
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About A. Lopez, Jr.
Born and raised in Texas and now residing in Arizona, I published my first work Purgatory - 13 Tales of the Macabre in 2011, and Floor Four - A Novella of Horror. I am also writing the Night Dreams Series with episodes to be released every couple of months. My column, ‘Ask AJ’, appears in the All Authors Magazine, online. I chose the Horror genre for the first few books, and have plans to write in different genres with short stories, novellas, and novels. Connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and my Blog.