Jen's eyes searched his, her lips pressed tightly together and she swallowed. "We'll get each other out of here."
Devin smiled. "That's a deal."
Hal and Chris came out of the trailer with four backpacks. Chris handed one to Jen. "Food and water for the trip."
They loaded up and started off down the hill with Chris leading. As they weaved slowly through the village, they passed Raymond's house. He stood on the porch, his hands raised, and talked to a group of villagers gathered before him. It looked as if he were calming them down.
Outside of town Chris sped up, and the others kept pace, their headlights lighting up the terrain ahead of them. Even though the rain had stopped, the cloud cover had thickened, casting the tundra in a deeper gloom.
They stopped at the break in the trail. Jen looked toward the mountain. She couldn't see it in the dark, but she could feel it.
Chris turned to the others. "We need to go inland, but not all the way to the mountain."
Devin nodded. "That's good by me. I don't need to run into that place again in the dark."
Chris sped off with the others following. A few minutes in, he turned right. Although bumpy, the ground seemed more solid to Jen than it had during their last trip. They maintained a moderate speed, and Jen had already started wondering how long the trip would take when a man staggered into the headlight beams, directly in front of Chris. Chris swerved, missing the man by inches, and Jen got a flash of the man's face. Ashen skin, facial hair, yellow eyes. Impossible.
A dozen more men lumbered toward them from three sides. Chris signaled the others to stop.
The man Chris had nearly hit tilted his head to the sky and let out an ear-piercing screech. Just like Leo. The other men answered in kind and they all staggered in an almost-jog toward the riders.
Screeches echoed from the darkness around them. They seemed to come from hundreds of voices and from every direction. Jen screamed over the cacophony. "We need to get the hell out of here."
Hal yelled over the engines. "There's an opening in their ranks. If we can get through there, we'll have a clear path to Wainwright. Come on."
He gunned his throttle and roared between two groups of sailors. Just as he shot by them, his headlights lit up a dense wall of more sailors in front of him. Hal's brake lights flared, but he didn't stop in time and slammed into them, sending sailor bodies flying. Hal tried to turn the ATV around, but one of the creatures bear hugged him from behind and bit into his neck.
"Hal," Devin yelled.
Hal screamed. Blood spurted from his neck and sprayed other sailors, who pounced on him, dragging him to the ground as they fed.
An ashen hand clutched Jen's shoulder. Oh, shit. Jen accelerated, but the sailor hung on as the ATV shot out from under her. Slammed to the ground, she gasped.
The sailor bent down toward her, his mouth open and ready to bite. She kicked his chest with both legs, sending him flying back, then hopped to her feet. More sailors had locked onto her and weren't far away, and the guy she'd kicked was getting back up. I should've at least knocked the wind out of him.
A beeping horn caught her attention and she spun. Two sets of headlights zoomed toward her. Chris zipped past and ran into the nearest sailor, knocking him back. Devin came to a skidding stop and she jumped on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Devin followed Chris as they raced back the way they'd come. Jen glanced over her shoulder. The mass of sailors had turned and were lumbering after them. We're leading them right to the village.
9
Hal's death played over and over in Jen's mind. It had happened so fast. What a gruesome way to die. She clenched her jaw. She'd be damned if she and Devin would end up like him.
The village came into view, with some houses lit from a porch light or a glow through a window, and others nothing more than a black silhouette in the distance.
A figure ran from the village and onto the tundra. Another figure burst from behind a house, sprinted after the first one, and jumped on it like a lion bringing down its prey.
What the hell? No way the dead could've beat them back.
They entered the village and stopped in front of Raymond's house. The streets were deserted, and a quiet cloaked the scene. No rain. No thunder. No lightning. Just the wind and oppressing darkness.
Chris hopped off his four-wheeler and grabbed his rifle from the gun scabbard. Keeping his voice low, he said, "I need to find Uncle Raymond."
Jen dismounted. Sweat ran down the back of her neck. Where is everyone?
She followed Chris onto Raymond's porch. The front door was splintered open from the inside, and fresh blood had pooled on the rubber welcome mat. "I'll come with you," she said.
Devin grabbed her arm. "We don't know what's in there."
A woman's scream came from somewhere toward the hill, followed by a chorus of screeches from all directions.
Jen licked her lips. "I think we know what's out here. Besides, we should stick together."
Chris nodded. "You two come inside and watch the door. I'll search the house for Uncle Raymond."
"OK." Devin stepped inside and stood against the wall on one side of the doorway. Jen took the other side, wrinkling her nose at the overpowering smell of rancid meat. Chris crept into the shadows of the living room and disappeared.
A screech came from a house a block away. A woman ran out the front door, pursued by a child whose yellow eyes caught the light from an open door across the street. The little girl growled and snapped her teeth as she raced after the woman. She wrapped her arms around the woman's leg and bit into her calf, dragging her down. The girl crawled up the writhing woman's back and bit into her shoulder, pulling a chunk of flesh out and chewing it like a piece of steak.
A bang came from the back of the house. Jen pressed into the wall, peering into the blackness of the living room. We're surrounded.
The floor squeaked, and Chris stepped from the darkness of the hallway. "No one here."
Jen let out the lungful of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. "You scared the shit out of me."
Devin slumped into a sitting position and put a hand to his forehead. "Phew."
Rifle slung over his shoulder, Chris carried a handgun and a three-foot section of metal pipe. "Didn't find Uncle Raymond, but I did pick these up."
Chris handed Devin the gun. Devin held it away like it would explode at any second. "I don't know what to do with this."
"I do." Jen took it from Devin, and he gaped as she removed the magazine, slammed it back in, and pulled the slide back, letting it snap forward. "Sig .45. Nice."
"You know guns?" Devin asked.
Jen frowned. "You don't spend a lot of time in the Alaskan outdoors without one." She held the pistol up. "I'll take this."
Chris shrugged and handed Devin the pipe. "Low tech, but it packs a punch."
Chris handed two boxes of ammo to Jen. She opened them and dumped the rounds into her pockets. "I'm ready."
They stepped out of the house, and the zombie kid looked up from its dinner. Blood sprayed from its mouth as it screeched.
Chris aimed the rifle at it, but didn't pull the trigger. He lowered the barrel. "That's little Annie Brower. I've watched her for her folks a time or two. I can't shoot her. She's just a kid."
Annie streaked toward them, teeth bared and an animal growl rumbling in her throat. Devin raised the pipe over his head. Jen aimed the Sig and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Annie in the chest and she staggered, then fell forward on her hands and knees. Heart hammering, Jen lowered the gun. I just killed a little girl.
Devin lowered the pipe. "God help us all."
Annie's head rose, her piercing yellow eyes fixed on Jen. She sprinted at her as if she'd never been shot. Annie reached the porch steps and leapt. Jen pumped two more shots into her, one in the chest and the other in the stomach. Annie dropped onto the steps, then sprung again. The pipe flashed by Jen and bashed Annie
's temple—a hollow gong rang out when it connected. She dropped to the porch in a heap and lay still.
Jen kept the gun pointed at her. "Is the zombie dead?"
Devin squinted. "Zombie?"
Chris prodded Annie with the barrel of his rifle, rolling her over. "Might as well call it what it is." Annie's head was caved in at the left temple. "Seems to be really dead this time. Poor Annie."
A growl from the street behind them caused Jen to spin. Annie's victim had risen and glowered at them with predator's eyes. Two villagers streaked past the porch, followed by another raging zombie. The zombie's stomach was ripped open, frayed ends of its guts trailing behind it and flapping in the wind. The villagers disappeared behind a house. Just before he followed, the zombie looked back at Annie's victim and light splashed on him. His face was ashen, and his long hair even more scraggly than the last time Jen had seen him. Norman.
Norman screeched and ran off after his prey. Annie's victim followed.
Devin gripped the pipe tighter. "We've got to find a safe place. Get out of the open."
Jen shivered. "After what we've just seen, there might not be a safe place."
10
Chris wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Uncle Raymond would either go to the science trailers or the community center."
Jen checked her ammo. "I'm not feeling warm fuzzies that a trailer would keep those things out. Besides, the community center's that big building we passed, isn't it? It looked pretty sturdy, and it's only a couple of blocks away."
Chris stepped off the porch, his head on a swivel, looking back and forth. "Follow me."
Jen nodded toward Chris. "Follow him. I'll take up the rear. That'll keep the guns in front and back."
Devin hesitated. He looked like he would say something, but then hurried after Chris.
Chris led them to the shadows of the building across the street. He snuck to the corner and peered around, then whispered, "The door's closed, so that's a good sign, but there are four zombies milling around in front of it."
Devin rubbed his chin. "We need a diversion. If we can pull them away from the door, we have a chance."
"We should move up a building," Chris said. "That'll put us only twenty yards away. I think we can do it without being seen, just be real quiet."
He stepped around the corner and crept forward, staying in the shadows, Devin right behind him. Another zombie stumbled onto the road, but didn't turn Jen's way. She slipped around the corner and followed the others to the next house, glancing over her shoulder to make sure they weren't followed.
A zombie screech in the distance ripped through the night, followed by several gunshots. The zombies in front of the community center all tilted their heads back and returned the call. They ran off in the direction of the original screech.
Jen hugged the wall. Other screeches answered from all directions. Dozens of zombies streaked past the end of the road, oblivious to the prey nearby.
How many new zombies are there now?
One zombie turned its head and stared at her as it raced by. No doubt it had seen her. Why didn't it stop?
Jen put a hand to her pounding chest. "They swarm like bees."
Chris squatted and felt around, then stood, holding an empty bottle. "But did they all go? Let's see if there are any left close by."
Jen put an arm out to stop him. "Wait."
Chris stepped to the edge of the house and flung the bottle. It landed with a crash between two houses across the way. Nearby screeches echoed from several directions.
The blood drained from Jen's face. "Shit. That's going to bring a swarm. Go."
Chris raced toward the community center doors. Devin stumbled, caught his balance, and hurried after Chris. Jen swept the area with her gun. No targets yet. She darted toward the community center and was halfway there when Chris got to the doors and tried opening them.
Chris looked back at her, his face drawn. "Locked."
Devin arrived and pulled on the handle. No good.
A screech from close behind her sent chills over Jen's body. She dug in her heels and pumped her arms, giving it all she had. Chris and Devin banged on the door. "Let us in. It's Chris."
Several more screeches rang out. Thanks for throwing the damn bottle, Chris.
One of the double doors flew open, and Raymond stood in the doorway. He stepped back, raised a shotgun, and aimed it past Jen. She hoped he was a good shot.
Chris ducked into the building, but Devin stood, looking behind Jen, his eyes wide. "Run! They're right behind you."
Jen waved at him to go on. With a frown on his face, he backed into the building, holding the pipe at the ready. Raymond fired. The thump of a body hitting the ground behind her spurred Jen into one last burst of speed. She streaked through the doorway and tripped, falling and sliding across the shiny linoleum floor. She came to a stop on her back, panting. Her gaze snapped to the open door. A dozen zombies had almost reached it. Raymond and Chris slammed the door closed, and Raymond propped a bar against it. The door shuddered from the impact of the zombies, but it held.
An elderly villager with jumbled white hair and a vacant look in her eyes scuffled over to Jen. "Have you seen my sister Gwen? I've been looking all over for her."
Raymond put an arm around the woman's shoulder and led her away. "Come on, Tara. Let's get you a comfortable chair."
Chris held out a hand and helped Jen up. "What's with her?" Jen asked.
"Tara has dementia," Chris said. "Her sister takes care of her. She's lost without her."
"Where is her sister?" Jen asked.
Chris scanned the room. "I don't see her in here."
Raymond returned. "Can someone tell me what the hell's going on around here?"
Devin shook his head, panting. "Some type of contagion. Has to be what Leo has."
"Contagion?" Raymond let out a nervous laugh. "That turns people into monsters?"
Jen brushed her pants off. "They're zombies."
Raymond gawked at her.
Even with all that's happened, he's looking at me as if I'm crazy?
"Yes, Uncle," Chris said. "People die and come back to eat the living."
"Zombies?" Raymond looked at Devin. "I know what I've seen looks like zombies, but you're a scientist. Surely there's another explanation."
Devin sighed. "I don't know what to believe, but the creatures do act like zombies you'd see in books and movies, and since there's no scientific term for them, zombies will do."
Raymond scratched his head, then looked around. "Speaking of science, where's Hal?"
"He was eaten by the zombies you don't believe in," Jen said.
Raymond's eyebrows rose. "What?"
"The dead sailors in the pit," Jen said. "And they're heading this way."
"Oh, shit." Raymond paced. "How many?"
"If they all reanimated," Devin said, "a couple hundred at least, but we never saw the full extent of the pit."
Jen looked around the room at the clusters of villagers, most of whom had a blank look on their face, as if they'd just woken up from a nightmare. Or to a nightmare. "That would be more of them than the humans in here. What do we have? Fifty? Sixty?"
"Forty-eight at last count," Raymond said. "That's out of a population of two hundred seventy-one."
The banging on the door intensified, causing it to shudder. Raymond slammed a fist into his hand. "Another fifty of those things on that door and it'll crack like an eggshell. Two hundred more and there'll be no place to hide."
Chris cleared his throat. "What happened here, Uncle?"
"Leo broke through and attacked us," he said. "He bit a chunk out of old Simeon's neck, then ran off. Simeon was pumping blood all over the place and died. A couple minutes later, he jumped up and his eyes had turned yellow, just like Leo. He grabbed his sister and chewed on her arm." Raymond sighed. "It all went to shit from there. A bunch of us came here and locked the doors. We've been able to get a few people in, but only a few."
Chris put an arm around his uncle. "You saved people. That's what matters."
Raymond shrugged. "But for how long? These creatures keep finding people hiding in their houses and attack them. Their numbers are growing."
A shout came from across the room. Tara peered out a window and waved. "Gwen is out there. She looks hurt."
She ran to a side door. "I need to let her in."
"Tara! No!" Raymond sprinted toward her, with Devin, Jen, and Chris on his heels.
Tara flung the door open, her arms wide. "Gwen. Over here."
A chorus of screeches answered her.
11
Chris sprinted past the others and reached the door just as an obese middle-aged woman in a kuspuk darted in and leapt on Tara. Chris rammed his shoulder into the door and slammed it home.
Tara's screams cut off into a watery gurgle as Gwen bent down and clamped her mouth on Tara's lips. It looked like she was giving her mouth-to-mouth. But Gwen pulled back, shaking her head viciously, and ripped Tara's lips off her face. The zombie stood, chewing the flesh and swallowing as Raymond slid to a stop before her. Gritting his teeth, he leveled the shotgun and fired. The pellets shredded the kuspuk and turned the zombie's stomach to hamburger. She snarled at Raymond and lunged. He gripped the shotgun at both ends and barely kept her from his throat by pressing it against her chest.
Devin swung the pipe and it glanced off the zombie's head. The damn thing stumbled backward, releasing its grip on Raymond.
The head. That's how Dad killed Annie. "Hit her in the head," Jen yelled. "It's the only way to stop them."
Chris swung his rifle around and fired. Half of Gwen's head disintegrated in a red spray, and she fell in a heap.
Raymond wiped his brow. "How'd you know how to kill them?"
The Zombie Uprising Series: Books One Through Five Page 5