Dead America | Prequel | Ground Zero

by Slaton, Derek

Candace and Brandon shared a concerned look, and the SWAT Officer unholstered his handgun, pointing it at the sarcastic boy.

  “Stop!” his companion shrieked, throwing herself in front of him. “What are you doing?!”

  Brandon cocked the gun. “He’s infected, which means he’s a danger to all of us in here,” he explained gently.

  “Holy shit,” the earbud girl breathed, “are those zombies out there?”

  Matt scoffed. “Zombies? Like movie zombies?”

  “It’s as good a description as any,” Brandon confirmed.

  “Uh, yeah, if that’s the case, pop Kenny in the head so we don’t get eaten,” earbud girl pointed at the bitten boy.

  “Fuck you, Gwen!” he cried. “Simple bites take days to turn a victim, anyone with even a cursory knowledge of horror films knows that! I just got bitten ten minutes ago!”

  Brandon paused for a moment and then holstered his gun. “Candace, you’re some kind of nurse, right?”

  “Actually, I was studying to be a doctor, but thanks for gender stereotyping me,” she replied, a playful tone to her voice.

  “Apologies,” he replied with a chuckle, “we just spent the last half hour fighting zombies who want to eat our faces off. Please forgive my lack of political correctness.”

  “I’ll let it slide this time.” She held up a finger. “But you’re on notice, mister.”

  “Appreciated and duly noted,” Brandon agreed with a wink. “Would you please check his hand and get it wrapped up, Dr. Candace?”

  She nodded. “Can do.” She motioned for him to sit down at a nearby desk and dragged a chair over to sit across from him so she could examine his wound.

  Brandon leaned against the wall on the other side. “All right, Kenny, was it?” he asked, and the pale boy nodded in response. “Good deal. I’m Brandon Shelton, with Austin SWAT. Is this your girlfriend?”

  “Phoebe,” the girl hovering behind him put in. “Yes, I’m his girlfriend.”

  “Okay,” Brandon replied with a nod, and leaned forward. “Kenny, you don’t want anything bad to happen to Phoebe, right?” he asked.

  Kenny hissed as Candace probed at his wound. “Of course not.”

  “I didn’t think so,” the Officer continued. “So listen. These bites are infectious. Two of my friends who were bitten came back as those things. Granted, they were killed, and then came back, so we don’t know how long you have, or even if this bite is gonna kill you.

  “So I’m gonna make you a deal, because I’m sure you don’t want to be the reason Phoebe gets hurt. If you promise to keep us up to date on how you’re feeling, and let Candace look at your wound regularly, I won’t shoot you in the face. Does that sound like a good deal to you?”

  Kenny nodded vigorously. “Yes sir, thank you sir.”

  “Okay, deal,” Brandon replied. “And cut it out with the sir bullshit. Making me feel old.”

  “Thank you, Officer!” Phoebe gushed, her voice thick.

  He waved her off. “Shelton is fine. And you’re welcome.” He turned to the other three kids and crossed his arms. “Okay, lightning round time. Two simple questions. What’s your name and are you bitten? Go.”

  “Gwen, and no,” earbud girl said first. “Not into biting. At least, not anymore.” She smirked.

  The boy next to her wrinkled his nose. “I’m Jonas, and also no,” he said.

  “Matt, and no bites,” Candace’s boyfriend added quickly. “Now, can you answer one question for us?”

  “Sure,” Brandon replied. “Shoot.”

  Matt took a deep breath. “What do we do now?”

  The Officer shook his head. “The only thing we really can do. Hurry up and wait.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  10:00AM

  Matt crossed his arms as he watched the quad from the classroom window, watching a pack of zombies suddenly leap up from a feast and take off in the same direction.

  “I hope whoever spooked them can run fast,” he muttered.

  Candace rubbed his shoulder gently. “Hope whoever spooked them has a safe place to run to.”

  “Not sure there are really safe spaces left,” Brandon replied with a sigh, turning away from the window. The quad had become a bloodbath, not a single patch of green grass left amidst all the body parts.

  “We’re safe in here, aren’t we?” Candace asked.

  “Well, safe is relative,” the Officer explained. “Sure, they can’t get in, but we can’t get out. And unless there is a mini-fridge hidden in a closet, there isn’t a whole lot of food or water in here. Which means we’re gonna have to move sooner rather than later.”

  “Move?” Jonas looked up from the Hearts game that Phoebe had started in the corner. “Are you crazy? We’re safe in here. Let’s just sit back, relax, and wait to be rescued.”

  Gwen rolled her eyes and fanned herself with her cards. “Oh, that’s cute, you think somebody is going to come rescue us.”

  “Why wouldn’t they?” he replied, narrowing his eyes at her. “It’s literally their job!”

  “Why don’t you ask SWAT boy over there if he thinks we’re going to be rescued?” she asked, motioning to Brandon. “Pretty sure they don’t send SWAT members out on their own, so unless he’s playing hooky, it means the best and brightest Austin PD has to offer has already been wiped out.”

  Jonas’ face drained of color, and he set his cards down on the table before turning to the window. “Come on, Shelton, she’s just being dramatic.” He swallowed hard. “Right?”

  Brandon shook his head, avoiding the gazes of the students staring expectantly at him. “Sorry, but she’s not. We lost contact with our Alpha team this morning, when they were dispatched to the Student Medical Center for a disturbance,” he explained. “My team, at least the ones who weren’t out with that sickness that’s going around, showed up to investigate. In a matter of minutes, we went from four members to just me.”

  He turned back to the card game, lips set in a thin line.

  Gwen laid the Queen of Spades down onto the pile in the center and pushed it towards him with a sly smile, batting her eyes at him. Jonas shoved his hand and the trick back into the center of the table in defeat, processing what the Officer had just said. Phoebe reluctantly collected the cards, shuffling them absently and avoiding eye contact.

  “Can I check your hand?” Candace asked, approaching the table.

  Kenny nodded and turned to her. “Sure, go for it.”

  She unwrapped the bandage they’d made out of Phoebe’s cardigan, and he winced as the cotton stuck to the wound.

  “Sorry,” the blonde said gently, “I know this isn’t comfortable.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Not your fault.”

  She recoiled at the sight of his wound and then wrapped it back up again quickly, tying the thin fabric back around his wrist.

  “What is it?” Phoebe asked, worry lacing her tone.

  “It’s… it’s nothing,” Candace replied, shaking her head. “Just not used to wounds like that.”

  Kenny sighed. “Look, I know I’m fucked. You don’t have to lie for my benefit.”

  “It’s showing signs of infection,” she said slowly. “It’s not spreading to rapidly, but I can tell it’s there.”

  He let out a deep breath. “How long do I have?”

  “I honestly have no idea,” she admitted.

  He sighed. “Well, I appreciate the honesty.”

  Jonas grunted and snatched the deck of cards from Phoebe, dealing a fresh hand. “So, what do you think is causing all this?” he asked. “I bet it’s the sickness that’s going around. I mean, that would make a lot of sense, because this thing started at the Med Center.” He paused, brow furrowing in thought. “Or, maybe it’s global warming? You know, like the earth is trying to purge us like a virus?”

  “Or maybe it’s God!” Gwen gasped dramatically, putting a hand to her chest. “He’s just tired of all of the heathens existing! Or hell, maybe he’s just bored and wants to fuck with us
!” She smiled and leaned forward. “Or, you know, maybe it doesn’t fucking matter why it’s happening, since it doesn’t really change our situation in the slightest.”

  Jonas shrugged. “So, you just want me to shut up and deal the cards?”

  “Can’t beat your ass until you do,” she replied smugly.

  Candace approached the window again, and said quietly, “His hand is getting worse.”

  “Worse like we have to deal with it?” Brandon asked, voice low.

  She shook her head. “We’re okay for right now, but we need to keep a close eye on it. Especially since we’re all stuck in here.”

  “We won’t be stuck in here much longer if I have any say in it,” the Officer replied.

  Matt perked up. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Your cars are that way, right?” Brandon asked and pointed to the building across the quad.

  Matt nodded. “Yeah, two buildings over, but we’re never gonna make it outside.”

  “What if we use that?” Brandon asked and pointed up to a skywalk on the fourth floor.

  The young man’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “That’s great, but how in the hell do we get there? You want to crack the door and open fire on however many of them are in the hallway?”

  “No, we need to avoid firing as much as possible,” the Officer replied. “We’re too close to the Student Union, so if we start shooting we run the risk of attracting a mob.”

  Matt threw his hands up. “Great, so we’ll just Spiderman up the building and life will be great.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Brandon agreed.

  The young man gaped at him. “I… I wasn’t being serious.”

  “Well, I don’t mean everybody climb up, just me,” the Officer replied. “I’ll get up to the third floor, come back down the stairs, and lure the ones outside the door away. That will give you a chance to get everybody to the opposite stairwell and up to the fourth floor.”

  Candace shook her head. “That sounds borderline suicidal.”

  “Nothing borderline about it, but I really don’t see another way.” Brandon shrugged.

  “And if you don’t make it?” Matt pursed his lips.

  Brandon saluted him. “Good luck and godspeed?”

  “Not exactly the answer I was looking for,” the young man snapped. “No advice on where to go?”

  “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m making this shit up as I go along.” The Officer turned to the window and slid it open, unlatching the clips from the screen and pulling it inside. “As evidenced by the fact that I’m about to climb out of a perfectly good window.” He slung his assault rifle from his back and held it out to Matt. “I’m gonna want that back.”

  “Whoa, whoa, what’s going on?” Jonas demanded, standing up from the card game.

  “I’m clearing the path so we can get the hell out of here,” Brandon replied as he swung a leg out of the window.

  Candace turned to the four students in the corner. “So wrap up your game and get ready to move.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Brandon slipped out of the window, balancing on the narrow ledge on his tiptoes. He glanced down, frowning less at the height than the group of zombies clustering below, reaching up at him with crimson hands.

  “This certainly ranks up there with the worst ideas I’ve ever had,” he muttered, and took a deep breath before reaching up to the third floor ledge. He closed his eyes for a moment and focused, drowning out the groans of the dead peanut gallery waiting for him to fall into their mouths.

  With a groan, he pulled himself up, bracing an ankle up on the ledge and vaulting up to get a better grip on the windowsill. He let out a deep breath as he got to his feet, peering in the window to an empty classroom.

  “He’s up,” Candace’s voice floated up from the second floor window, reporting back to the others.

  Brandon noted the closed classroom door, and then pulled out his retractable baton, reeling back and punching it into the window, still holding the frame tightly. He ducked as low as he could go on the ledge, bracing himself in case of a surprise corpse, but there was no response outside of the excited zombies in the quad below.

  He hopped through the window and then poked his head back out to give Matt a thumbs up, the boy staring up expectantly at him from the second floor. Brandon drew his handgun and swept the room, walking silently to the door. He cracked the door and peeked out, then opened it a little more, straining his ears. There was nothing.

  He left the door open behind him in case he needed a quick getaway and moved quickly and quietly to the stairwell. It was empty, the zombies all having bustled out to cluster around the second floor classroom.

  He paused at the sight of a wooden door jamb and picked it up before heading down to the second floor. He opened the door as quietly as a mouse and slid the little wedge underneath to open the stairwell door wide. He took a deep breath, taking in the pack of zombies still pressing up against the classroom door.

  Brandon took a deep breath and then let out a piercing whistle. The horde shrieked and turned to him, taking in the sight of fresh meat briefly before tearing down the hallway towards him. He turned tail and barreled up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and skidded out into the third floor hall, stopping just short of the classroom. He waited for the zombies to bustle into sight, snarling and snapping, and then dove into the classroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Matt pressed his ear against the classroom door as the shrieks faded off down the hallway. As they dissipated completely, he nodded to the group of his fellow students behind him. He quietly opened the door, slipping out and looking up and down the hall to double check they were alone.

  Candace brought up the rear, assault rifle raised and at the ready. They jogged quickly to the far stairwell, and as Matt opened the door, his foot clanged against it, sending an echo down the hallway. This attracted the attention of one straggler zombie that had struggled to get up the stairs after Brandon.

  Matt raised his gun, but then thought better of it, lowering it and thrusting his arms out instead. Candace stifled a shriek as she watched her boyfriend take the corpse in his strong hands, sending it tumbling towards the classroom they’d just vacated. He descended upon it with a hard kick, sending the zombie flopping inside, where he slammed the door shut to trap it.

  Candace immediately clutched his arm, eyes wide. “Don’t ever do that again,” she whispered firmly.

  He smiled and winked down at her, and gave her forehead a quick peck before leading the group up to the fourth floor. As they emerged, Brandon pushed off of the wall he leaned against, waiting until they were close before greeting them quietly.

  “Any problems?” he asked.

  Matt shrugged. “Had a straggler, but I was able to contain him without incident.”

  “Good,” the SWAT Officer replied with a firm nod. “Now, where are we going?”

  “Through those doors by the stairwell,” Candace replied, motioning with her gun. “It’s the walkway that leads over to the dorms.”

  “Alright, let’s do it before we draw any more attention to ourselves,” Brandon suggested.

  This time, he brought up the rear while Candace and Matt led the way across to the dorms, the terrified students scurrying along.

  “These doors open towards the walkway, so I don’t think they’ll be able to follow us,” the Officer said as they approached the dorms. “They don’t seem to have much reasoning power, so hopefully pulling on a door to open it is beyond their capability.”

  Matt shook his head. “Here’s hoping you didn’t just jinx us.”

  “You and me both,” Brandon replied with a small chuckle. He opened the door quietly, peering back and forth down the hallway to make sure there weren’t any surprises. He motioned for the others, and Candace led the way, gun raised.

  Jonas jingled his keys. “My room is just up there, we can grab some food and water. Hopefully my roommate J
oe is there—we could use another person.”

  “Hopefully he’s more useful than you,” Gwen scoffed.

  He rolled his eyes. “He plays linebacker for the football team, so yeah, pretty useful in this situation.”

  Brandon, Matt and Candace took outer positions around the door, protecting Jonas from any unwanted attacks as he put the key in the lock of his room. He pushed the door open, and then there was a blur as what felt like a truck hit him square in the chest.

  Gwen screamed as Joe chomped down on Jonas’ throat, squashing him against the far wall with his considerable frame. Brandon whipped around and fired his handgun point blank into the back of Joe’s head, the linebacker dropping into a thick heap on the floor. Jonas gurgled and gasped, attempting to put pressure on his throat, but flopped over his roommate, unmoving.

  Brandon took aim and put a bullet in his skull as well.

  “What the fuck?!” Gwen cried, lunging forward to shove at the Officer’s chest.

  “He was going to reanimate, and soon,” he explained, keeping his voice as calm and gentle as he could.

  “You don’t know that!” She pushed him again, tears streaming down her face in waterfalls.

  Candace reached out to take her wrist. “It’s true,” she said firmly. “I’ve seen it too.”

  The sound of rattling doors and pounding fists on wood suddenly echoed throughout the hallway, the corpses within apparently having heard the commotion and psyching themselves up for a feast.

  “How strong are these doors?” Brandon asked.

  A sharp crack of wood pierced the air, and Matt took a deep breath. “Let’s just say the University went with the lowest construction bid.”

  “We’ve gotta go, now,” the SWAT Officer said, and motioned towards the stairwell they had originally intended to make a run for.

  Candace led the charge, dodging wood splinters and dead hands punching through doors. They reached the stairs and Brandon pushed through to take point down the stairwell, gun at the ready. He took the stairs two at a time, satisfied with the heavy clunk of the fourth floor door behind the group keeping pace with him.