Chris nodded. "If we don't go straight toward the hill, we might throw them off. Let them see us go in a different direction, then circle back around."
Jen grunted. Her muscles burned. If they didn't go soon, she might not have the strength to run. "I'll follow you. On three. One, two, three."
They let the door go, and Chris dashed off to a house on the right. Jen sprinted after him, a chorus of screeches chasing her. She glanced over her shoulder. The plan had mostly worked. A half dozen of the slower zombies lay in the doorway, blocking the others. But two dead villagers pushed their way over the fallen sailors and chased after them. One of them was an overweight middle-aged man. He ran at no more than a jog. The other, a twenty-something woman in an I Heart Alaska T-shirt, had a chunk missing from her thigh. She limped and was only slightly faster than the man.
Twenty feet ahead, Chris disappeared around a corner. Jen followed a few seconds later and nearly ran into a bare-chested man in bloody jeans. He growled at her and gave chase. Chris was still ahead of her, but stopped and cocked the axe back. Jen dove for the ground at his feet as he swung. She rolled and came up on her knees. The zombie lay a few feet away, its head removed.
"I owe you one," she said.
"Let's hope you don't have to pay me back." Chris grabbed Jen's hand and pulled her up. She followed him in a zigzag pattern between the houses, finally coming to the bottom of the hill, below the science trailers.
Chris pointed up the slope. "There." Devin had made it halfway to the ledge the trailers sat on.
They climbed the slick grassy hill, slipping twice, but caught up with Devin. When he saw them, he sat, his lungs heaving. "Need a rest."
Jen took one arm. "Not here. We're too visible."
Chris took Devin's other arm, and they hauled him to his feet. Half carrying Devin, they climbed the rest of the way to the trailers.
Jen glanced down at the village. Dozens of zombies milled around outside the community center, while groups of two and three wandered between houses. A gunshot and a man's yell came from somewhere to her right, and the group outside the community center screeched as one and ran, stumbled, and crawled toward the sound.
Familiar growling came from below her. Two zombies lurched out of the shadows of a house, their eyes fixed on her. Looks like they don't all leave when there's a swarm.
"We're gonna have company," she said. "But they're the slow sailors, so it'll take them a while to get up here."
Devin and Chris joined her, peering down the hill. "Shit," Chris said. He pointed to the slope off to their left. Several figures scaled it like spiders on a web.
Jen's heart hammered. "Villagers."
A screech came from her left and a sailor shambled toward them. Chris lifted his axe. "I've got this one."
Another zombie joined the sailor. Its yellow eyes locked on Jen.
He looks familiar.
Jen's eyes grew wide. "Pete."
13
Chris swung his axe wildly at Zombie Pete and missed, nearly slicing into Jen's arm on the follow-through. She jumped back. "Hey!"
Devin gave Pete a glancing blow in the shoulder with the pipe. It was enough to knock him off course as Jen dodged to the side. Pete hit the ground and recovered, ready to spring.
The sailor rushed Chris, who sidestepped him and brought the axe blade down. He missed the sailor's head, but cleaved his remaining arm from his body.
Pete screeched, then leapt at Jen. She ducked and Pete sailed over her, his head meeting a well-timed swing from Devin. Pete's skull caved in just above his temple and he landed in the mud, sprawled and unmoving.
Chris charged the sailor and didn't miss as he drove the axe blade into its forehead, downing the creature. He propped the axe against the trailer and wiped the sweat from his brow. "That's becoming a workout. Why didn't you just shoot Pete?"
Jen straightened and cracked her neck. "I'm a great shot, but shooting leaping zombies in the head isn't something I've practiced." She pulled the magazine from the pistol and checked the rounds. Two in the magazine and one in the chamber. "Almost out of ammo. No use wasting it."
"Smart." Chris picked up the axe.
Devin smacked the pipe against his palm. "How do we get to the school from here?"
Snarls sounded closer from below. Jen tried to picture the village as she saw it when they landed.
Of course. "What if we go out and around the village."
Chris smiled. "Brilliant. We can follow this hill to the northern side of the village, then circle around and approach the school from the tundra."
Zombie screeches echoed from the village below. "No time to waste." Chris slung the axe over his shoulder and strode toward the north end of the hill.
Jen pulled Devin's arm. "Come on. No time to think about it." She let him go ahead of her while she kept watch from behind.
Chris kept from the edge of the flat part of the hill, but soon came to its end at a steep slope. "We'll have to go up to the runway to go the rest of the way. The slope at that side is more gradual."
"But if we go higher up the hill," Devin said, "we'll be out in the open and won't have that lip to hide us from the village."
Jen ran her fingers through her hair. "The zombies won't be able to get up the slope. And they're too stupid to think of going around."
"Right," Chris said. He pulled the axe off his shoulder and started climbing, using the axe like a walking stick.
Jen looked at Devin and gestured up the slope. "Age before beauty."
A slight grin broke out on his face for a moment, then he trudged up the hill after Chris.
Jen had made it halfway up when activity below caught her attention. She glanced down. Several dozen zombies stood at the base of the hill, attempting to climb it. One would get several feet up the steep slope, then slip and fall, knocking over the others.
More zombies gathered at the same spot, making it more difficult for them.
We work great as bait. If we could just get them to stay there, we'd have free rein of the village. She reached the runway. Chris and Devin stood on the edge. "Looks like we've attracted some attention," Chris said.
"How many do you think there are?" Devin asked.
Chris shrugged. "Two hundred and seventy-one souls in Point Wallace. If we assume most of them have been taken, that'd be at least two hundred. Add a couple hundred sailors and what's down there looking at us isn't a lot of what's out there."
Jen walked across the runway and looked out over the Chukchi. The wind shot off it, blowing small raindrops into her face like tiny needles. Devin stopped next to her.
Chris ran over. "A small horde has made it to the trailer. Won't be long before they're here."
Jen swept hair out of her eyes and the wind blew it back over. "After you."
Chris hurried toward the northern end of the runway. He stopped at the edge, and Jen and Devin caught up with him.
"It's a gradual slope, but it's rocky and easy to slip on the small stones that litter it, so be careful." He started down, using the axe to help him balance.
"Why don't you go next?" Devin asked.
"I've got the gun. I can cover you guys from behind."
Devin frowned. "But who's going to cover you?"
A screech came from behind, and Jen glanced over her shoulder. "Shit. A couple of them are already here. We go together."
She grabbed Devin's arm and they stepped onto the slope. Jen slipped, but righted herself by holding onto him.
Chris had made it halfway down and his path looked to be clear. Jen and Devin hurried to catch up. Jen kept her eyes on the ground in front of them, trying to avoid any rocks. Freaking impossible.
They'd reached the halfway point when a zombie screech came from the top of the slope. Echoed by three more, it sent a shock down Jen's spine. Four villagers stood at the top of the slope. One sprinted toward them and the others followed a second later.
Devin stopped. "We won't beat them to the bottom."
T
ight-lipped, Jen turned to face the oncoming horrors. "Then we make a stand here."
14
Jen and Devin stood shoulder to shoulder as the four zombies barreled toward them. A teenage girl was in the lead, with the others spread out behind her.
Jen wiped raindrops from her eyes and glanced down the hill. Chris had just reached the bottom.
She aimed her gun at the lead zombie, trying to keep the sight on its head. "It's moving too damn fast and its head keeps bobbing."
Devin tightened his grip on the pipe. "I've got this."
"The others aren't far behind," Jen said. "If we don't take them out quick as each one arrives, we could end up fighting all four at once."
Can't let Devin take them all himself.
Jen went down on one knee and aimed the gun at the lead zombie. Sure enough, its midsection bobbed as it bounded, but there was always a portion of it in her sight.
She took a deep breath, let half of it out, held it, and squeezed the trigger. The gun's recoil pushed it into her hand and the shot hit the zombie just under the ribcage.
It lost its footing and fell, growling and tumbling toward them. Jen tugged on Devin's arm. "Get out of the way."
She and Devin scooted aside and the zombie rolled by. Chris stood at the base of the hill, his axe drawn back.
"One down, three to go," Jen said. She lined up her sights on the next zombie. The round missed its midsection and hit it in the leg. It fell, but didn't roll. The two remaining zombies streaked past it.
"Shit," Jen said. "We'll still have to take care of three."
The two lead zombies bore down on them.
Devin dug his feet in and crouched. "I'll just have to get the rest. You should get down the slope with Chris."
"Always got to play superman, don't you?" Jen said. "I'm not going anywhere."
The zombie she'd shot in the leg had regained its feet and limped toward them, then its leg folded and it fell to the ground.
"Holy shit," Jen said. "I think the bullet shattered its bone."
She took aim at one of the lead zombies. "You take the one on the left. I'll at least slow down the one on the right. Give you some breathing room."
Devin licked his lips. "All right."
Sweat beaded on her forehead.
Twenty yards out. She lined up the sights on its chest.
Fifteen. Wounding it won't work. It'll be too close. I have to make a kill shot.
Ten yards. Jen lined up the sights on the creature's nose. Its head bobbed up and down. Holding her breath, she waited until its eyes disappeared below her sights and squeezed.
The bullet entered the zombie's head between the bridge of its nose and an eye. The creature dropped, the momentum rolling it down the hill straight at Jen. It took out her feet and she slammed to the ground, dozens of sharp rocks pressing into her back like ground glass. She gasped.
Devin grunted, and the hollow ringing sound of the pipe reverberated over Jen. A body hit the ground, rolled a few feet past her, and lay still, its stench slapping Jen in the face.
She groaned and pushed herself up into a sitting position. Devin reached down and pulled her to her feet. "I'm going to feel this one for a while," she said.
"Thanks to you," Devin said, "we made it out of this in one piece."
Chris called out. "No time to stand around. More can come at any time."
He stood over the first zombie. Its body lay at his feet and he yanked the pointed end of the axe from its head.
Jen and Devin stumbled down the rest of the slope, stopping at the base. Jen stretched her back. "Glad to get on flat ground again."
"No time to rest," Chris said. "Follow me." He and Devin hurried off. Jen looked back up the slope, then jogged to catch up.
They walked a couple hundred yards into the tundra before Chris stopped. "There's no telling if some of those sailors are still out here, so keep your eyes open."
Jen hadn't thought of that. She couldn't help but glance over her shoulder every thirty seconds or so.
The rain and wind picked up as Devin led them in an arc around the village, which was still in view. Screeches reached them several times, and a few shadows flitted around between the lights of the houses.
Chris stopped. "The school is straight in front of us, at the edge of town. It'll be the first thing we reach."
Jen swallowed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're not going into the middle of the village again, but those things can pop out anywhere."
"Even out here," Devin said.
Thanks for the warm and fuzzy thought. "Then what are we waiting for?"
The three of them walked toward the village.
A woman's shriek followed by the boom of a shotgun came from somewhere deep in the village. Answering screeches replied immediately.
"I think we should pick up the pace," Jen said. "Get in there while they're distracted."
"Agreed," Devin said.
They broke into a jog, feet splashing in pools of water collecting on the tundra. As they closed in on the school, screeches from the village became louder. The school loomed, a single-story solid looking structure. The side they approached had a number of windows, but no doors. It could be in any small town in America and look like it belonged there.
"There are two main double doors," Chris said. "One on each end."
"What if they're locked?" Devin asked.
Chris shook his head. "I've never seen them locked. This is a small village and it's hard to get away with anything, so the school's always been safe."
Screeching echoed from beyond the school on their left. They reached the school and Jen nodded toward the other end of the building. "I guess we take door number two."
Chris led them to the corner and peered around it. "Nothing moving."
Jen strode past him. "Then let's get the hell in there." She scooted to the double doors and pulled on a handle.
Locked.
"Shit."
15
Chris tried the other handle. It didn't move. "I've never seen this before."
Jen pressed her face against the window, peering past the thin crisscrossed wires in it. Shading her eyes, she gazed down a hallway. Nothing moved.
"Guess we'll have to go to the other door after all," Devin said. Tight-lipped, Chris pushed past them and around the building. Jen made sure Devin kept up, and hurried after Chris.
When they reached the other end, Devin put a hand up and they stopped. Jen cocked her head but heard nothing.
"Thought I heard a screech," Devin said.
Chris glanced around the corner and pulled back. He waved the other two over and whispered, "Three of them down the road, four buildings on the right. They're just wandering around."
"What should we do?" Devin asked.
Jen propped her hands on her hips. "We can't stay out here all night. We should try the doors."
"And what if they're locked and those zombies see us?" Devin asked.
"What other choice do we have?" Jen replied. "Besides, there's only three. We can take them."
Chris shrugged. "I agree—"
Jen ducked around the corner on the balls of her feet and crept to the doors. Glancing over her shoulder, she padded to the first door and pulled on the handle.
It didn't move.
Fuck.
She took a deep breath and pulled on the other door handle. Locked. Sweat broke out on her forehead and her heart kicked into overdrive.
A screech sounded behind her. She spun. One of the zombies had detected her, and the other zeroed in on her as well.
Devin and Chris rushed to her with questioning eyes. She shook her head. "Both locked."
More screeches came from somewhere ahead, no farther than a couple of buildings away. Answering calls came from all around them.
"There are more than three," Devin said. "We need to get out of here. Head back into the tundra."
More calls rolled in from the tundra. What the hell?
Chris looked the way t
hey'd come. "There's at least two dozen sailors heading straight for us. They're not real close and they're not real fast, but they've cut us off that way."
"The school's our only chance," Jen said. "If the doors are locked then someone must be inside."
The three zombies down the road closed in.
Jen peered into the school. A corridor ran from the locked doors to the other exit fifty yards away. A second corridor split off halfway between them on the right.
Jen kicked the door. "Help. Let us in," she yelled.
Chris joined her, banging his fist on the window. Jen shook the handle and rattled the door in its frame. "Open up. They're coming."
"I need some help with the zombies," Devin said. He stood in a defensive stance, the pipe cocked over a shoulder.
Chris hefted his axe and joined him.
Jen glanced their way. The three zombies were almost on them and another dozen appeared in the distance.
A head stuck out from the side hallway and looked at her. Griffin. Jen's heart leapt and she banged her open palm on the window, the force sending a shock up her arm. "Open the doors!"
Griffin's head pulled back. What the fuck?
Jen turned to the others just as the three zombies reached them. Devin swung his pipe in a perfect golfing drive shot, slamming one zombie in the chin and knocking it backward. Another fell to Chris's blade. The third slammed into Devin and drove him to the ground. Jen grabbed it by the neck and pulled, but the damn thing was strong and only interested in Devin.
Devin struggled to keep it away from his face.
"Get back," Chris said. Jen stepped away and the axe came down in an arc, splitting the back half of the zombie's skull.
Jen helped Devin up. "Not done yet," Chris said.
Jen looked down the street. The dozen zombies had turned into two dozen. Too many to handle.
She pressed her face to the door. A woman's head peeked out from the middle corridor. "Open the door," Jen yelled.
The lady didn't move.
"Chris," Jen said, "there's a woman in here but she's just standing there."
The Zombie Uprising Series: Books One Through Five Page 7