by Tim Moon
Ben clambered back over the cars to help Anuhea. A shot came from his mom’s house and pinged off a vehicle behind him. Things must look bad if Charlotte felt the need to jump in.
Anuhea shoved the zombie away to try shooting it, but it rushed back too quickly. They toppled over backwards, falling off the cars onto the hard pavement. Luckily, Anuhea’s fall was broken by the infected. She managed to shove the zombie to the side and scramble away from it. Ben sprinted over and kicked it in the side of the head. It fell over, and he shot it twice in the head.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Did it bite you?”
Anuhea checked her arms, hands and lower body. She shook her head.
Another one of the quick zombies jumped onto the hood of the car near Ben. He flinched and started to bring his rifle up. He moved too slowly, but Anuhea did not. With a single quick shot, she drilled it through the brain. Its thin frame crumpled onto the vehicle with a loud thump before sliding off to the ground at Ben’s feet.
He stared at the smear of blood on the hood. Close call.
“The kids,” he muttered as he took in the scene behind them.
Dozens of zombies swarmed the car, clawing at the windows, or climbing through the broken ones. The screams had died away and the horde was more than they could handle. They had to back off.
The kids were dead. The headlights were still on, attracting the infected. He would never reach the car to turn them off.
“Shit,” he hissed. Failure burned in his gut like a hot poker.
Ben felt a tug on his arm. He turned and saw Anuhea.
“Come on, there’s nothing we can do for them now,” she said with a grim expression and glistening eyes.
He looked back at the vehicles and shook his head, amazed it had gone to shit so quickly.
“Come on,” Anuhea said again, pulling him away.
Finally, he turned, and they began to jog home. He noticed that the shotgun blasts had ceased too. Had the woman run out of ammo? Or had she faced the same fate as her children?
Nightmarish groans and growls chased them down the block.
5
State College, PA
Moonlight illuminated the street with surprising clarity. Vanessa Koehler clutched a .40 caliber pistol in one hand and a hammer in the other as she followed her friend April down the street. Their footsteps were light and quick, and the swish of their jackets blended into the wind whistling through barren tree branches. They walked single file, several feet apart, without talking.
Weeks had passed since the outbreak of the Necrose virus, and Vanessa’s subsequent arrival at April’s house. Mike, April’s husband, was still missing. Vanessa was amazed at her friend’s ability to keep it together. Her faith in Mike’s ability to survive and get home seemed as solid as a mountain.
That is until the bombs dropped.
Vanessa wiped the sweat off her brow and continued to follow April down the street. Her mind was caught in a loop, replaying the horrors she had experienced since that fateful day in October. She sidestepped a patch of ice and scanned for infected. It was their first time out of the house since the bombs.
Vanessa shivered at the memory.
Roughly one week earlier, they had been startled by a massive, ground-shaking explosion. It was the proverbial last straw, which saw April’s tough exterior crack as they bore witness to mushroom clouds rising around them. After seeing the telltale cloud rise from DC, April led them to the roof of the house where they had a 360-degree view. They saw a flash of light as bright as the sun from the direction of Baltimore. By Vanessa’s estimation, nuclear bombs had also struck Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City and possibly Newark, although it was hard to tell. She had surveyed the destruction with a sinking feeling in her gut. Sheer terror had clutched her heart at the evidence of yet another unimaginable tragedy.
April had fallen into a depression for several days afterwards. Vanessa had led them into the basement where they hunkered down to avoid any fallout that might blow their direction. Deep down, Vanessa knew Mike was gone. April seemed to realize it too, but she clung desperately to hope, swinging from sobs to cheerful recounting of fond memories.
The depression and fallout avoidance had drained their resources. Now, they needed supplies. In the early days, right after Vanessa arrived, they had scavenged the neighborhood for food. Vanessa had been surprised by the relative lack of canned and packaged food. The neighborhood was wealthy, which must have accounted for all the rotted produce and meat. It was as if they had collectively decided to avoid preserved and canned foods.
Scavenging had resulted in a meager haul. Vanessa had only found one can of cranberry sauce, some coconut milk, and a small tin of sardines. They were mostly surviving on packaged snacks, some instant rice, and spaghetti. The real treasure was the half-empty case of ramen noodles hidden under a teenager’s bed as if it were a drug stash.
April halted and held her hand up, signaling Vanessa to stop walking. Vanessa’s heart sped up as she quickly searched the darkness for any sign of movement. What had happened? Her lip quivered as Vanessa stepped closer to April, who scowled at her.
Vanessa mouthed, “What?”
Her friend held up her hand and cocked her head to the side, listening. Vanessa didn’t hear anything. A minute later, April waved her hand and they started walking again. Vanessa let out a breath she had been holding.
Vanessa watched and listened for infected while April led the way. Their destination was a neighborhood grocery store where they hoped to enough food to last them through the winter. In her mind, Vanessa could see rows of canned soup, vegetables, and pre-packaged meals of potatoes, noodles or rice. What Vanessa secretly hoped for though was a chocolate bar. Rich dark chocolate preferably. Her mouth began to water at the thought. At this point any chocolate would do though.
Cutting across a front yard, they started down a side street. April led her down a sidewalk with a fence on their left and parked cars between them and the street. It felt too crowded, confined. A creeping sense of dread started to fill Vanessa.
April motioned for them to stop again. Clenching her teeth, Vanessa dropped to a knee beside her friend.
“Why do we keep stopping?” she asked in a whisper.
April held a finger to her lips and then tapped her ear to indicate she heard something.
Soft, rhythmic thumping in the distance cut through a lull in the wind. It sounded like footsteps. Someone running.
That’s not a good sign, Vanessa thought.
There was a screeching sound, and something fell. She heard a moan that quickly cut off.
April began duck walking to the edge of a wood fence to peer around the bushes at the corner. Her pants made a soft swish and snow crunched underfoot. She motioned for Vanessa to follow, which she quickly did. When they reached the corner, they crouched and listened.
Nothing stood out. April peered around the bush. A moment later she shrugged. Vanessa wondered how far she could have seen. Uneasiness fluttered in her chest.
“That’s the store,” April said, turning to point down the block in the opposite direction.
Vanessa could barely make out the building. She started to get up from crouching, her knees ached from the awkward position, but a hand on her arm held her back.
“Wait,” April mouthed silently. She tapped her ear again and pointed to their left, in the opposite direction of the store.
They were at the edge of a wide intersection with rows of short buildings composed of a variety of stores on all sides. It looked familiar in that it looked like parts of any other city in America. Local shops were mixed in next to fast-food chain stores.
The lack of lighting made everything spooky. Moonlight was all they had. Each breath they took registered louder than they really were. Vanessa couldn’t remember ever experiencing such silence. She closed her mouth and tried to take slow, deep breaths.
Suddenly, she heard it. Faint yet distinctively wet, smacking sounds. Her hear
t trembled at the familiar sound of infected eating a corpse.
The inched forward to gauge the danger they were in. If it was just one, they would be okay. More than two and Vanessa didn’t think it would be worth the risk. Vanessa moved a few steps further out than April. The dark form of a person huddled over something along the curb shocked her.
Vanessa’s muscles tensed for action, every cell in her body screaming for her to run. The infected lifted its head and began to look from left to right with short, twitchy movements of its head. Her heart skipped a beat, but then she realized its back was to them. As they watched, its head snapped to the side and tilted like it was listening for them.
Vanessa squinted at the scene, confused. Infected rarely fed on downed bodies. They preferred fresh meat. She wondered that the noises they heard earlier were. It hadn’t sounded like an attack because it had been too quick. From her experience, most people screamed or called for help as thought fought the infected. All they had heard was the slap of shoes on the pavement.
Vanessa shrugged to herself. Did it matter?
They had two choices: kill the infected or take a detour. If they attacked and drew its attention, the noise might draw more infected to the area. It always happened like that, as if infected had backup lurking nearby just to join a fight. Butterflies swarmed in Vanessa’s stomach.
April nodded towards the zombie. Vanessa bit her lip but returned the nod. April stood and began to rush towards the infected. Slipping her pistol into its holster, Vanessa switched the hammer to her dominant hand, ready to strike. April pulled out a Bowie knife, which looked more like a machete in her tiny hand.
Their shoes slapped against the ground and their jackets swished as they ran. The infected jerked its head around to face them. Moonlight glinted in its dark eyes. A hungry growl rumbled in its chest. Then it did something neither of them expected.
The emaciated man jumped up and sprinted at them.
Vanessa gasped, slowing a little, stunned at the sudden movement. They weren’t supposed to move like that. She heard April curse, but her friend didn’t slow. Her resolve wavered but Vanessa pushed on. April needed her.
The Bowie glinted in the moonlight, and something hit the pavement with a dull splat. She heard liquid splatter on the ground. A hand bounced and rolled to a stop, one of the hands that had attempted to grab April.
The two collided and tumbled to the hard pavement, snarling and thrashing. April had gone primal. Vanessa quaked with fear but rushed forward to help. Terror clenched her heart; the infected man was more ferocious than any she had seen.
The two opponents were a writhing mass of arms and legs. Vanessa tried to grab the infected man’s hand to haul him back. He clawed at April and she missed, only managing to latch onto his shirt. Yanking the shirt with all her adrenaline-fueled strength, the tattered cloth ripped off in her hand. She tossed it aside with a curse and reached for any appendage. Vanessa had to pull him off before he bit April.
Suddenly, the infected was on top, his hand around April’s throat. Her body was twisted halfway around, as if she’d been wrapped around his waist. One of her legs was pinned between his. Vanessa grabbed a leg and pulled. The man slid down, still crushing her throat, but April was able to reach up and pry his hand off. She coughed and gasped for breath.
The infected reared back and that’s when Vanessa struck. Her hammer came across and struck him in the neck. She was thrown off balance by the force of the blow. The ground seemed to uppercut her knee when she fell. The infected jerked its head to the side but continued snapping at April.
Vanessa gaped at the hammer. It had failed. Outraged that the zombie was still attacking her friend she rushed to get up and slipped again, this time falling flat. Cold seeped in through her clothes. Her body ached but April was desperately just trying to breathe. Each breath was ragged and choked with coughing. She couldn’t defend herself. Vanessa had to help.
Where’s the knife? Vanessa thought. She looked around hoping to find it.
Groans echoed in the distance. Other infected had been alerted. The infected man suddenly reared back and screamed; a devilish sound that startled her.
Vanessa lunged forward and swung the hammer again. Her eyes squinted in anticipation of the hand-tingling strike.
It didn’t come. Instead, her momentum threw her off balance and she slipped on the ground, landing hard on her shoulder. A cry of pain escaped her lips.
How was this possible?
Another scream pierced the night, this time it was April’s. Without even seeing it, Vanessa knew it was over. April had been bitten. Rage burned inside her chest. She had failed her friend just as she had failed Steve. Tears stung her eyes.
Vanessa scrambled up and threw herself on top of the man’s back with a guttural shout. This time she was able to grab his hair in one hand. She pulled his head up from April’s forearm and slammed the hammer into the side of his head. The skin split where the hammer had left a dent beside his ear. Blood splattered down on April’s face.
Vanessa didn’t stop. The body slumped to the side, off April, but the blows kept raining down. She didn’t stop until the body went completely limp. Blood, chunks of brain and bone fragments was all that remained.
Bile burned her throat just a second before vomit spewed onto the pavement, mixing with the gore. Clouds of steam billowed into the air like an old freight train. She pushed away from the body and looked at her friend, who clutched her arm to her chest. Tears shimmered on her cheeks.
“They’re coming,” Vanessa said, her voice strained by emotion. “Let’s get to the store.”
“No,” April said, drawing out the word. She looked down at the ragged bite on her arm. “He bit me. It’s over for me.”
“No, no, no. Shh,” Vanessa said. “You’ll be okay. Let’s get out of the street.”
One of April’s hands grabbed Vanessa’s jacket and pulled her down. “Don’t let me turn.”
“What?”
“Don’t let me turn,” she repeated, her eyes blazing.
Vanessa blinked at April. When it dawned on her what her friend was asking, she shook her head. A sob caught in her throat. How could she ask her to do that? It was insane.
“Please,” April begged.
Vanessa shook her head emphatically and hauled April to her feet. They began to hustle towards the store.
“We should have gone around,” Vanessa said to herself as they ran. Hide and avoid. The only way to survive is to hide and avoid.
Infected closed in on them. A large crowd emerged from a side street across the intersection. Several random infected staggered out of dark alleys and from behind parked cars. Even more were ahead of them. They were practically surrounded. The only chance they had was to push ahead. Looking towards the store Vanessa could see fewer infected, and more importantly, they were spread out. If they hurried, they could fight their way through and reach the store before the crowd caught up.
Her friend had slowed down. They had to move their asses.
“Come on,” she said, urging April on.
Vanessa threw an arm around her waist and pulled her along.
“We can make it.”
“No,” April said, pushing her away.
Vanessa reached for her again. “Come on.”
“Go!” April pushed her again.
“Come with me,” Vanessa said.
“I can’t,” April said, shaking her head. “I’m not going to make it. When you see Mike, tell him I love him.”
April jumped out of Vanessa’s reach and pulled out her pistol. In one quick movement she aimed and shot the nearest infected. Vanessa flinched. The sudden bang startled her and rang her ears.
When she looked up from the body of the infected, oozing blood onto the thin layer of snow on the ground, April was gone. Vanessa cast about, searching for her friend when a muzzle flash caught her attention. She saw the faint outline of April running towards the large crowd of infected, drawing the stragglers away from
Vanessa.
“No,” Vanessa whispered. April was so brave. Selfless. She suddenly felt alone, exposed.
Shots flashed in the night. Vanessa heard dragging footsteps coming towards her. Three shadows lurched closer. Glancing back one more time in April’s direction, Vanessa felt hot tears begin to slide down her cold cheeks.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
Then she turned and ran to the store.
6
Ben swallowed hard to keep from vomiting as everyone quietly surveyed the scene. Bile stung the back of his throat and his eyes narrowed at the sight of dozens of corpses. Charlotte gasped and covered her mouth, while Anuhea pressed her lips into a firm line and put a reassuring arm around Charlotte. Chadwick’s face contorted in disgust.
If it wasn’t so damned cold, flies would have feasted on the corpses strewn around the barrier and the crashed car. As it was, the chilly November, possibly December, air kept the inevitable stench of rotting flesh, feces, and guts to a relative minimum.
The children had died after the infected broke into the car. Pieces of them were strewn amongst the gore in the back seat. As horrible as that was, that wasn’t the real shocker. What really caught their attention were the headless corpses of the infected.
“What happened here?” Chadwick asked, putting into words everyone’s thoughts.
Ben climbed down from the barrier and crouched down to inspect the neck stumps of several decapitated bodies. All three showed ragged, torn flesh. Not the work of a bladed weapon as might be expected. Ben got up and moved around to look at the heads. They looked as normal as a zombie head could. None had any sign of being bashed in or otherwise mangled.
“What are you looking for?” Chadwick asked.
Ben looked at him standing behind the barrier. Anuhea had also climbed over to inspect the bodies. Charlotte looked inside the car and then turned off the headlights. Her grim expression reflected his mood perfectly.