Apocalypsis Immortuos | Book 1 | Syndrome

by de Hoogh, Marco

  Dale quickly threw on a t-shirt and jeans and made his way out of his room.

  As he got to the living room, his eyes were glued to the window. The curtains had been partially opened, and he could see the street out front. Dale moved into the living room to get a better angle when a sudden noise beside him startled him.

  “Dale.” Dale nearly lost his balance as he jumped back.

  His dad was sitting on the couch, just visible in the grey dawn. He was in his pyjamas.

  Dale met his father’s eyes. His dad turned to face the window and lifted his chin, indicating that Dale should go take a look.

  Dale crept forward and peered around the curtains. At first it seemed like nothing was out of place. The street was empty. But then he saw it. There was a figure standing a few houses down, right on the edge where the street met the sidewalk. The person was facing away, but Dale could tell something was wrong. It looked wrong. The figure stood in a kind of half crouch, and its head seemed to be pointed almost straight down. It seemed to be frozen in place.

  Tom had crept up beside Dale.

  “There’s more of them. Look over there.” He pointed across the street at the next house down. Another stationary figure stood inside, at the window. “And there.” He pointed beyond the figure standing in the street. Dale spotted another figure standing in the middle of a flower bed.

  They were here. The undead had arrived. Suddenly, the heads of the two figures standing outside snapped up and over. Dale thought he had heard a sound. With exaggerated movement, the two figures trudged off towards the noise. Tom placed his hand on Dale’s shoulder and pulled, indicating the two should back away from the window.

  They retreated to the kitchen and stood at the counter. Dale was thankful for the solid surface, using it to steady himself. His heart was pounding, and his gut ache was back too.

  “Looks like you were right about these ... undead.” His dad said it with clear distaste. It all sounded wrong to Dale. Almost as if his father was accusing him, and this was all his fault.

  Fuck you, dad. He thought.

  “No shit, dad.” He said.

  “I think we should prepare to take that trip to the cabin.”

  Tex decided to stir himself from his dog bed at that moment. Before either of the men could do anything, Tex walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room, intent upon the partially open window. The two men exchanged a look as Tex started to growl.

  “Tex!” Tom whispered. “Heel boy. Here!” The confused dog looked back and forth a couple of times between his master and the window. With a groan, he turned around and sat by his master’s side. Tom rested his hand on his dog’s head, and the two men breathed a sigh of relief.

  Dale faced his dad. “We have to keep Tex from making noise. That dog barks, and we’ll have those things over here in no time.” He whispered.

  Chapter Forty-nine

  Tom and Dale sat in the kitchen for the next hour, discussing plans for their exodus. Tom made some coffee, and the two sat savoring the brew. Tom had good taste in coffee – that was one of the things Dale could appreciate. Tex had been banished to his dog bed.

  Tom left to get dressed and came back about ten minutes later with his wife in tow. She looked terrified. The three sat around the kitchen counter, coffee in hand. After a minute, Tom put his empty mug down and stepped into the living room.

  “Tom! What are you doing?” Claire asked, her eyes wide.

  “Just going to shut these curtains, dear.” He slowly made his way to the window. After a minute of looking out, he slowly drew the curtains shut.

  “There are a couple more of them out there now.” He stated as he turned back to his family. “I suggest we check the television to see if there is any news.”

  Dale figured that this was a good idea. It was also very unlike the dad he knew. Tom turned the tv on and within moments found the local news feed. It was that good looking brunette, Tammy something-or-other. She looked slightly disheveled compared to her usual sharp appearance.

  Whatever, Dale. As if you would kick her out of your bed! Dale couldn’t keep the grin off his face at the thought.

  Dale and his mom moved closer. The volume was set very low, but once they got to the couch, they could hear her.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to be completely candid with you and tell you that I personally believe that a large portion of the people staying in this safe zone are infected with HAPS, and have made it through the screening process, possibly before they started having symptoms.”

  “I also believe that some of the infected people here in camp are hiding from detection. They are fearful of what happens to them, as there have been rumors that people are being summarily executed when they are taken to the quarantine building.”

  Tom and Dale looked at each other after hearing this. “I guess the cabin is a good idea after all.” Dale stated. Tom nodded and returned his attention to the newscast.

  They watched Tammy break down on screen, and the signal was dropped. The members of the Moore family sat in disbelief. Dale felt his mom’s hand slide into his and squeeze.

  He gave her a small reassuring smile. “It’s ok, mom. Dad has a plan.”

  This triggered Tom into action. He got up and walked to the kitchen. He picked up the phone, punched a button, and held the phone to his ear.

  Dale and his mom sat in the living room, looking over their shoulders at Tom expectantly. However, there seemed to be no answer on the other end. Tom frowned, then spoke.

  “Darren, this is Tom. It’s” –he looked quickly at his watch– “just after eight-fifteen. Please call us back as soon as you get this message.... I think we might all be in danger.” He hesitated for a second. “I hope you’re ok.” With that, he hung up. He stood, leaning over the kitchen counter with his head dropped for a few seconds before turning back to his wife and son.

  “I’ll try again in a few minutes.” He turned away from the kitchen and froze for a second. His attention was caught by something on the television. Dale and his mom turned to see what it was.

  The President was on tv. The next ten minutes were spent in awe and shock, as they witnessed the Presidential address. The President had retreated to a bunker. The President was infected with HAPS. Or, the Syndrome, as he called it now.

  Over 80% of Americans were infected.

  “Many people have started feeling the symptoms over the last 24 hours. Like myself.”

  When Dale heard that he touched his own belly. Damn. My gut hurts... Could I be infected, too?

  As soon as the Presidential address was done, Tom leapt up from his chair and hurried to the kitchen to try to reach Darren again. He had to command Tex to stay, as the dog sensed its master’s distress.

  Once again, there was no answer. Tom left another message and hung up. Dale was acutely aware that his dad had ended the message with “I love you.”

  The next several hours were spent in tense silence. Occasionally they would hear a noise from outside, like a garbage can being knocked over, or some glass shattering. Once, they heard the sound of a vehicle. When Dale peeked out of the window there was no trace of a car though.

  It was just after the noon hour, when the sounds of people yelling, and a gunshot reached their ears. The Moore’s had just finished a quick lunch and were sitting around the dining table. At first the three family members looked at each other wide-eyed and uncertain what to do.

  Tom was the first to move. He made his way to the living room window and pulled the curtains aside slightly, so he could look out. Dale and his mom followed suit.

  There was a struggle going on about five houses down the road. It looked like two or three people were trying to get to a parked car. They were fighting their way out. Two of them were swinging weapons, and one of them had a gun. Dale could quickly see that the noise that they were making was attracting more zombies. Dale watched as several windows shattered. He caught the sight of a pale shape, falling out of one of those windo
ws. He saw more zombies stepping around corners of houses or out of back yards.

  There must be a dozen of them. Those guys are badly outnumbered!

  The three men had come to a standstill about six feet from their goal. Zombies were closing in on all sides. Dale watched as the man shot a zombie at point blank range four or five times.

  It didn’t stop the zombie, which lunged into the man and took him down.

  The other two people screamed out a name. One of the two tried to fight his way to the downed person. He was tackled to the ground as well. The third man panicked and tried to make a run for it. He got past the car and into the street when a glancing blow from one of the zombies threw him off balance. The man tripped, went down and was quickly buried under several zombies.

  Dale wanted to turn away. Maybe it was morbid fascination or maybe just shock, but the three of them witnessed that man literally get torn apart.

  The zombies were so incredibly violent! It was all flailing limbs and lunging jaws.

  Dale watched as several zombies ripped into the man’s face and neck. The man’s final high-pitched scream was cut short as his windpipe was ripped open. Several more zombies were attempting to get at the man, pulling him by the arm. Dale couldn’t hear it but imagined a sickening squishing and snapping sound as the arm was ripped from the man’s shoulder. The detached appendage was discarded and landed several feet from the now-dead victim.

  Tom closed the curtain slowly, to avoid attention. Behind him, his wife broke down in tears. She raised the back of her hand to her mouth and started sobbing. Tom turned and quickly embraced her. He held her tight for a long time, only releasing her when he had to get Tex to quiet down and return to his bed.

  How the hell are we going to get out of here? Dale stood there, facing the curtains. He felt lost.

  As if reading Dale’s thoughts, Tom spoke up. “We need to act fast. I think that while their attention is down the street, I should jump in the car and run over to Darren’s. Maybe I can lead some of them away from here at the same time.”

  Dale didn’t bother arguing. As a matter of fact, he was suddenly worried about his brother too.

  Dale’s mom had her concerns, though. “Why don’t we all go?” She said with a frown.

  “No honey, it’s too risky.” Tom said with a pained look on his face. “I need you to be safe! I think that maybe I can lead some of them away...”

  They stood with their eyes locked for a moment. Dale had no idea what unspoken things were being communicated between his parents. Tom finally broke the contact and turned away.

  “As soon as I collect Darren and Sheila, we will make our way back here. You guys lay low while I’m gone.”

  He thought for a second. “Dale, can I take your phone.”

  Dale handed over his cellphone without hesitation. He knew that his parents did not have cellphones of their own. “The code to unlock it is 6996.”

  “Thanks. This way I can keep in touch with you.” He made his way to the kitchen wall. Or more specifically, the hook that held his car keys.

  Tom Moore had few pleasures in life. One of these was his vehicle. Inside the garage stood his pride and joy, his Range Rover. Tom picked his keys off the hook and started to head to the mud room. He had only made it a couple of steps before Tex started whining and making a commotion, which stopped him in his tracks.

  “I should take the dog. He gets too excited and will start barking once I’m gone.” He reached for the dog’s leash, which drove the dog into a frenzy.

  Moments later, the dog was on the leash and he was ready to go.

  Dale’s parents hugged and held each other tight. They exchanged hurried I love you’s. Then Dale’s mom took a step back, so Dale could hug his dad.

  “I love you, son.” He said. Dale hadn’t heard those words since he was a kid. Tears started to flow for him as he told his dad that he loved him too and asked him to be careful.

  Tom’s usual steel gaze broke slightly as he saw his son struggling with his emotions. He blinked once and with a nod and a smile turned towards the mud room.

  Dale and his mom quickly made their way back to the living room. They wedged themselves on the far side of the front window, so they could see across the house to the driveway. Dale heard the mudroom door shut and lock. Several seconds later he heard the garage door start to open, and the Range Rover start up. The zombies out in the street were instantly attracted. Their heads snapped up to face the house, and a second later they started moving. Dale felt utter terror as the undead came in their direction with a single-minded intent.

  Suddenly a brown shape ran into their view.

  “Tex!” Dale exclaimed.

  The dog had somehow gotten away from Tom and was going nuts. The garage door was still rising, and Dale could see the edge of it slowly creeping past hip height. Tex was running around the zombies, barking. He was smart enough to lunge away whenever a zombie reached for him. He was clearly afraid though.

  The first zombie had reached the garage. The door was not quite up yet. The zombie took a step into the garage when Dale heard the rev of a vehicle’s engine. The zombie was sent flying backwards several feet as the Range Rover jumped forward out of the garage. Tom continued down the driveway and ran over the zombie. Dale was sickened to see the head of the zombie still moving, tracking the vehicle down the driveway, even as its torso had been crushed.

  Tex ran through the crowd of zombies, barking and growling at them. Luckily, he was faster than the zombies. His movements through the crowd caused several zombies to lash out and hit each other instead of the dog. The thing that concerned Dale, was that Tex’s leash was still attached and dragging behind him. Dale hoped that no zombie accidentally grabbed or stepped on it.

  Tom rammed into several zombies as he maneuvered his vehicle out of the driveway and on to the street. He was doing terrible damage. Dale saw a zombie with its chest almost completely collapsed. Another zombie repeatedly tried to get to its feet, seemingly oblivious to a broken leg.

  Tom turned his vehicle and started heading down the street, away from the house. He started slowly, allowing the zombies to gather around his vehicle. The zombies were enraged. They repeatedly pounded the vehicle with their fists, paying no mind to the damage they were doing to themselves. They were obsessed with the living person inside the vehicle. Suddenly, the rear window of the Range Rover got smashed in. Tom hit the gas after that and sped off.

  THERE WERE STILL SEVERAL zombies around the garage and house, so Dale backed away from the window, pulling his mom with him. She grabbed his wrist and held tight. Her eyes were large.

  Fear, concern, and a hint of panic were etched in those brown eyes.

  “The dog! Did you see where Tex went?” Mom asked.

  “I saw him running after dad’s car. Hopefully, dad can stop and pick him up down the road.” He guided his mom to the couch and sat her down. “Dad made it out. He’s fine. He’ll run over to Darren and be back here before you know it.” Dale’s mom returned his small smile. Although Dale did not know if she believed him or not. He wasn’t sure if he believed himself...

  Dale left his mom and walked into the kitchen. He placed himself at the kitchen counter, ready to pick up the phone should Tom call. Sure enough, a minute later the phone rang. Dale snatched up the phone as his mom got up from the couch.

  “Dad!”

  “Dale. Listen. Tex – he got away from me.”

  “Yeah, we saw. I thought I saw him running after you.”

  “He did, but a block back I saw him turn around. I think he might be heading back home.”

  “Ok. We will keep an eye out for him.”

  “Listen. Do not let him in the house.”

  “What? What do you mean? Is something wrong wi–”

  “Dale. Listen. They are getting close again.” Dale could hear the engine rev as his dad started driving. “I don’t have time to talk. Tex, that dog, he makes too much noise. He’ll attract those things right to our hou
se. I can’t! ... I won’t let anything happen to your mother.”

  “Ok. Ok dad. Take it easy. I won’t let him in.”

  “Alright. Thank you. Keep your mother safe. I’ll call again soon.” And he hung up.

  Dale’s mom stood beside him, her eyes on the phone. Dale quickly relayed what his dad had said. He was surprised to see her accept dad’s decision so easily. Tex was as much part of the family as the kids were.

  Dale hoped Tex would find a place to lay low. But he got his answer several minutes later, when he heard barking, followed by a yelp. Dale and his mom looked at each other in terror.

  Oh no. Tex...

  They heard movement at the back of the house. Dale told his mom to stay where she was and walked around the counter and into the kitchen. Dale got to the back door and looked out the narrow window beside the door.

  Tex limped into the back yard. He was dragging one of his back legs. Dale felt a brief moment of hope when Tex looked up the steps of the deck and towards the back door. But the moment faded as Tex looked behind him and limped further into the yard. Within moments the first zombie stepped into view. Dale involuntarily took a step back. A second, and then a third zombie entered the back yard. Their attention was solely focused on Tex, as the dog limped into the far corner of the yard.

  Dale stood and watched their sweet Tex get ... destroyed. Tex never bit a single person in his life, alive or dead. Even as the first zombie lunged at him, he didn’t snap at the hand that reached for him. Dale couldn’t’ see it, but he was sure that Tex was looking at his killers with sad eyes. Not understanding, even as fists rained down on him.

  The zombies were so aggressive in their attack, that one of them broke its arm. It hammered a fist down and caught its forearm on the stone edging of the garden. Dale could hear the snap from his position and could see the zombie continue to pound down on the dog with its forearm and hand flapping sickeningly back and forth.