Dead in the Valley

by C M Rutherford

  "I think we are going to need a lot more ammo."

  "Yeah, I don't think the Rover can plow through that many bodies. We'd be stuck in no time," Wade said, looking at the massive horde of undead.

  "Turn here. We can go down by the cemetery and try coming in from Piccadilly Street side," Jerry said.

  "Good call." Wade turned the wheel hard and accelerated down the narrow street.

  The Loudoun Street Pedestrian Mall was the center of Winchester. Jessie's apartment was over one of the many businesses located on the mall. Wade stopped as he made the turn onto Piccadilly Street. There were still a lot of dead moving about but not nearly as congested as the Cork Street end of the mall.

  "Well, looks like this is the better of two bad options," Wade said, looking over to Jerry.

  "We will just have to make it work," Jerry said, filling a camo-colored hip pack with shotgun shells.

  Just as Wade was about to start down the nightmare that was the street in front of him, his cell rang.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Dazed and Confused

  Human beings are really wondrous creatures. There are so many variations in attitudes and personalities. No two people are exactly alike. You may find a multitude of similarities, but each person is completely unique. My brothers and I have many similar characteristics and think alike in many ways, but each of us are very different in our approaches to life, too. My oldest brother William was always ambitious and goal oriented, even as a child, so it was no big surprise when he chose the military for his career. He excelled in that role because he loved the structure and discipline of military life. My brother Jerry is a worrywart. He is meticulous to a fault. He, too, is ambitious but often overthinks things so much it ultimately keeps him from reaching his goals. I am fairly even keeled. It was so even as a child. I have a more go-with-the-flow attitude about things. I have aspirations and I work hard towards them. Setbacks never bothered me as much as they did William and Jerry. Then there is Jessie. Jessie is the epitome of the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants personality. Long-term goals are nonexistent, short-term goals are often forgotten. Jessie is happy if he can play his music, party hard, and keep enough money in his pocket to have a roof over his head. Planning is a dirty word in his book. Don't get me wrong, he is a great guy. He is kind and willing to help anyone out, but I have never been able to understand how, outside his music, he has so little regard for his future.

  Wade Marshall

  ◆◆◆

  Jessie rolled over and reached for his cell as the annoying call alert woke him from his near comatose slumber. His hand smacked wildly across the top of the nightstand looking for the elusive phone, so he could stop the irritating chirping sound. Managing to knock over several half-empty beer bottles in the process, his hand finally closed around the hateful device just as it stopped ringing. The smell of the spilled beer made him pause to fight down the bile forming in his throat. Jessie and his band had played at a party at the George Washington Hotel the night before until around 3:00 a.m. The party goers had kept the band well supplied with mixed drinks all night. Jessie and the band had kicked back at his place for the after-show party. Beers and bong hits were plentiful, until they could take no more. Jessie finally stumbled to his bed about 7:30 a.m.

  His phone, temporarily forgotten, Jessie stood on unsteady legs to make his way to the medicine cabinet for some much needed Tylenol. Avoiding the empty bottles, cans, ashtrays, and various other debris from last night’s party, he made it to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He grabbed four Tylenol from the nearly empty bottle and washed it down with some water from the sink. Stepping out of the bathroom while drying his face, Jessie took in the war zone that was his apartment. He would be cleaning for hours to get this place habitable again.

  Jessie didn't like the cramped little apartment much, but it was cheap and the landlady often let Jessie slide when he got behind on the rent. She had often told Jessie how much he reminded her of her son. It wasn't that he was lazy, but he was determined to make music his career. He would work jobs for a few months to keep his head somewhat above water, but the band was his main focus. The band was able to stay semi busy playing local bars, festivals, and events in and around Winchester, but there were times when things slowed and he just could not make it without additional income.

  Remembering why he was awake in the first place, Jessie walked over and picked up his phone. Seventeen missed calls and messages. He sat down quickly, trying to steady his swaying vision and shake the cobwebs from his pounding head. Something was up. He never had so many messages. Looking through the missed calls, he had ten calls from his girlfriend Sarah, four from his brother Wade, and three from his other brother Jerry.

  What the hell? Hitting his speed-dial, he called Sarah. The phone barely rang before a distraught Sarah came on the line.

  "Jessie, thank God! I have been calling you for hours. Oh, my God, Jessie, they are everywhere. They are trying to get in the apartment," Sarah blurted between sobs.

  "Babe, slow down. Who's trying to get in?"

  "The dead people, Jessie. Most of the people from the building are in the halls. I tried to get out, but they chased me back into the apartment. The door is starting to crack. There are so many."

  "Dead people? Babe, what the hell are you saying?" Jessie said, bewildered.

  "Haven't you seen the news? There is something happening to people. They are dying, Jessie, then they get back up and eat people." Sarah screamed as Jessie heard heavy thuds in the background.

  Jessie went to the window, threw the curtain aside, and gazed out on the Loudoun Street Mall. There were a lot of people out, but they did not look quite right. They were all moving strangely like they were on puppet strings, their movements jerky and awkward.

  As he gazed farther down on the mall, a young couple ran towards his apartment. The woman lost her footing and hit the brick walkway hard. The man turned back to help her up, but before he could get her to her feet, a group of the clumsy people fell on them, ripping into them with their teeth.

  Jessie could not believe what he was seeing. The screams lasted for only a few seconds as more and more of the things ripped the flesh from their bodies. Opening the window, he stretched out and scanned the mall in both directions. Most of the numerous people on the street were all moving in the same discombobulated manner. Situated at the mid-point of the mall, both ends were in plain sight. Crowds were gathered at either end as if there were a protest rally happening.

  "Sarah, go to your room, lock your door, then get in the bathroom and lock it. I am on my way."

  "Oh, God. Hurry, Jessie. They are going to be in the apartment any minute," Sarah said, whimpering.

  Shoving his phone in his pocket, Jessie quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes. He retrieved his Beretta from his gun safe and two spare magazines. He also took his hunting knife and attached the sheath to his belt. Last, he donned his heavy leather motorcycle coat, as it would offer some protection against bites. Finally geared up, he was about to leave when he remembered there were multiple messages from his brothers. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he hit Wade's number.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The Rescuers

  Driving through what is left of the city I grew up in, I find it unrecognizable. The streets are teeming with reanimated corpses. Blood and body parts litter the streets like garbage after the annual Apple Blossom Parade, only there won't be a herd of street sweepers coming along to clean up all evidence that the event has occurred. It saddens me to think I may never again see the streets of this town filled with smiling people going about their daily lives. Never again will I be able to walk down the mall and listen to open-air concerts or pop in at my favorite bar for a beer and some conversation. What is life going to be now? Will we be fighting and clawing every day just to live? Will we ever have another day just to kick back on the bank and throw a line into the water while enjoying the sun on our face? I am scared that those days are gone
. I worry that my kids will not have anything like that ever again. I hope against all the odds that mankind will continue living. I am praying life will return to some semblance of normalcy. My fear is we are facing an extinction-level event. The new world may no longer suffer the living.

  Wade Marshall

  ◆◆◆

  Just as Wade dropped the shifter into drive, his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the caller I.D. It was Jessie.

  "Jessie, thank God. Jerry and I have been trying to reach you all day."

  "I am heading for Sarah's. Someone is trying to break into her apartment. Weird shit is going on, bro. I just saw a couple get cannibalized on the mall in front of my house."

  "Jessie, just stay put. Jerry and I are only a few minutes away. We will go down Indian Alley and pull into the lot behind your building. Keep watch and come out the back. There shouldn't be as many of these things back there."

  "Okay. Hurry, bro. It sounded bad at Sarah's. Those things were pounding on her door."

  Wade dropped his phone back into his pocket and took off down Piccadilly Street. Weaving in and out, he was able to avoid the larger groups of dead. The brush guard on the Range Rover took care of any singles unfortunate enough to be in their path. Wade made it to Indian Alley and swung into the lot behind Jessie's apartment. He and Jerry waited for almost five minutes and were about to go in after Jessie when he burst out the back entrance. There were a few shambling dead in the lot, but Jessie easily outpaced them and climbed into the back seat of the Rover.

  "Dude, what the fuck is going on? My landlady just tried to take a bite out of me in the hall. Lucky for me, she has dentures. I pulled away and took her chompers with me. I landed three solid punches and she just kept getting up. I am really glad she is old and slow."

  "Haven't you seen any of this on the tube?"

  "We had a gig last night until three and the after-party went a little long. Sarah's call woke me up about twenty minutes ago," Jessie said, not meeting his brothers’ eyes.

  "Well, this is happening all over the place. Here and other countries. These … things … eat human flesh, and if you get bit you turn into one of them."

  "Man, we have to hurry. Sarah said her door was starting to buckle and crack. When she called, they were only minutes from getting inside her apartment. I can’t let those things get to her. I can’t lose her, not like that, no way."

  "How many units are in her building?" Jerry asked.

  "It's twelve units. Three floors, four apartments per floor, but there are six buildings, so who knows how many of those things are there."

  Wade traveled as fast as he could. Luckily, it was just a few miles to Sarah's house. The dead were not as thick as they moved away from the center of town. Whatever caused this must have started downtown. It was the only explanation as to why there were so many. Wade pulled onto the main street of the apartment complex. Jessie directed him to the building at the far end near the other entrance. There were a lot of dead walking around the area and as they made their way down the street, they turned towards the road and shambled in their direction. Wade stopped in front of Sarah's building. There were at least forty of the dead about fifty yards away, closing in on the Rover.

  "These things must be attracted to noise. We have gathered a following," Wade said, pointing to the rear of the vehicle.

  "Jerry, lead these things out of here. Jessie and I will hide in the shrubs. Just lay on the horn, make some noise, and get as many of those things to follow you as possible," Wade said, and jumped out.

  With Jessie right behind him, they sprinted for a hedge row on the side of the building. Jerry hit the horn and the noise seemed to rile the horde moving towards the Rover. More of the dead spilled from the main entrance of Sarah's building. Jerry waited until dead hands began smacking the rear of the vehicle then he pulled up about ten feet and laid on the horn again. He repeated this time and again until he finally made the turn out of the complex, leading a pack of over a hundred zombies down the street. With only a few stragglers in the vicinity, Wade motioned for Jessie to lead the way.

  Jessie jumped up and darted for the front of the building. Moving up the stairs as quickly as possible, the brothers made their way to the third floor. When they reached the landing, two zombies lay in the hallway just outside Sarah's apartment. They were still moving, but it looked as if their legs and arms were broken. The door to Sarah's apartment was ripped apart and what was left was covered in gore. Jessie pulled out his Beretta and took aim at the two trampled abominations outside the apartment.

  Wade laid a hand on Jessie’s arm and whispered, “Too loud. It will draw those things to us.”

  Pointing to the knife on Jessie's side, Wade gestured to him that he had to hit the brain. Jessie nodded, and then plunged the hunting knife into the temple of the first living corpse. Wade entered the door, Glock leading the way. Staying close to the wall on his left, he crept to the doorway of the kitchen and peeked around the corner. “Clear,” he whispered to Jessie. Jessie came in and took position on the other side of the kitchen doorway. Once in the living room, they looked down the hallway. The bedroom door had been breached as well.

  "Oh God, Wade. They are in the bedroom," Jessie said, throwing caution to the wind and sprinting towards the door.

  With a curse, Wade followed his brother. Jessie entered the room and put his 9mm to work dispatching three zombies. Just as he was lining up a fourth zombie in his sights, he was hit hard from behind. Jessie screamed as Wade watched the zombie sink its teeth into his brother’s shoulder. Wade hit the zombie from the side, knocking him away from Jessie and put a round between its eyes. He then turned and fired again, killing the remaining zombie in the room.

  "Jesus, those things bite hard!" Jessie exclaimed.

  "Oh God, no, Jessie. If you get bit you get infected," Wade said, rushing to his brother.

  "Didn't break the skin, I don't think. This old coat has saved me from road rash more than once over the years," Jessie said, shrugging out of the heavy leather motorcycle coat.

  Wade inspected his brother’s shoulder. Luckily, the skin was not broken, but a bruise was already forming.

  Jessie banged on the bathroom door, calling Sarah's name. She threw open the door and fell into Jessie's arms, crying uncontrollably.

  "Babe, it's okay, you’re safe now. Let’s get you out of here."

  Jessie went to the closet and grabbed a duffel bag.

  “Pack as much of your clothes as you can fit in here,” Jessie said.

  When she had gathered her things, Wade stepped out the door of the bedroom with Jessie behind him, Sarah in tow. Wade pulled out his cell and called Jerry to let him know they were on their way out.

  Backtracking methodically through the apartment so as not to be surprised again, Wade and Jessie hesitated at the front door. Wade motioned for them to wait and crept out the door, to the top of the stairs. There was no movement on the stairs below and he had a view of the street out front. There were still a few of the dead milling around at the building across the street, but otherwise it looked clear. Jerry was just making the turn and motioned for Jessie and Sarah to follow him. Just as Wade hit the bottom of the stairs, Jerry pulled up in front of the building.

  "Let’s get back to the farm. I have had enough excitement for one day," Wade said, exhaling a long breath.

  They made their way back across town, this time avoiding the more heavily congested downtown area. Jerry crossed over the median and drove on the inbound lane to dodge the mass of vehicles they had seen on the way into town.

  "Wait! Stop!" Wade yelled out.

  "What? What is it, Wade?" Jerry said, looking everywhere at once.

  "We can use that if it’s still full," Wade said, pointing at an AmeriGas propane truck.

  Wade directed the others to stay put while he went to check the condition of the bobtail. He ran across the median and ducked behind a car to scout the area. Seeing no dead nearby, he crept up to the
back of the vehicle. Staying low behind the truck, which was still running, he looked for movement on both sides. Seeing nothing, he slowly walked to the passenger side. The nice thing about propane bobtails is they operate off the vapor from the holding tank so they could run a long time. Wade checked the gauge on the holding tank. There was about sixty percent left of the load. Propane trucks were only filled to eighty-five percent to allow for expansion and they carried about 2,200 gallons when filled, so Wade figured there was still a little over 1,400 gallons of propane in the tank.

  Just as he was about to open the door of the truck, something slapped the window. The once-living driver hissed and growled as he tried to gnaw his way through the side glass. Wade pulled out his Glock and yanked the passenger door open. The uncoordinated dead man fell from the truck in his haste to get to living flesh and hit the pavement with a wet thump. Wade put a shot into the back of the thing’s head. Moving quickly, as the gunshot was sure to draw others, Wade climbed into the truck. He jammed the split-shift transmission into reverse and slowly backed up enough to get past the car in front of him, and into the median. He looked over to see Jerry steering the Rover back to the inbound lane of Route 7 in the direction of the farm.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The Dirty Dozen

  Until the moment Derek Gaines and his fellow soldiers showed up at Ben's farm, I had not realized just how scared I had been. Seeing those military vehicles and the soldiers climbing out and immediately spreading out to check the surrounding area with practiced precision and confidence, it made me aware of just how far out of my element I was in this situation. Adrenaline and need had kept my mind off just how screwed we were up to this point. Seeing these soldiers gave me a great sense of relief. These were men who knew how to fight. They could help plan for and defend against the dead spreading across the world. At the same time, I felt that sense of relief. I could not help but feel a rush of dread as well. Derek had filled the void left by losing our brother and father. He always exuded supreme confidence. But now he had a look on his face that I had never seen him have before, the look of uncertainty. If Derek looked this concerned, things may be even worse than I believed.