Hurricane Dan (A Zombie Novel) (13 page)

Chapter 25

             
It had taken a few hours but eventually Dan and Zoey were able to deliver supplies to every street with a barricade. Unfortunately, by the time they reached the last barricade it was just about time to restock the first. Dan was thankful when two different civilians came out to relieve them.

After that, Dan had started to make his way back to Bryant Park. Zoey stopped him, suggesting they let Dicky know that they were done and see if he had anything else for them to do. Dan wanted to object, thinking that if they asked for something else to do, they might be given it.

When they reached Dicky they found that he was in a meeting of sorts and decided it was best not to interrupt until he was done.

The room was cozy, with a high ceiling and a long rectangular table where everybody sat. There were bookshelves on the walls but they were mostly ignored.

"How long?" said Dicky. He was speaking to an assortment of men and women. Most were cops and National Guardsmen, a few were firemen, there were about fifteen in total. None of them seemed to care that Dan and Zoey were lingering at the edge of the room.

"It's hard to tell, there are a lot of variables to consider," said one of the guardsmen.

"How long?" Dicky repeated.

"If everything stays as it is, we should be able to make it through tomorrow."

"And then we run out of ammunition?" asked Dicky.

"Yes, but there is more. If the zombies keep increasing at the rate they are, we will be overpowered before we can even get the chance to run out of ammunition."

"The perimeter is just too big," said another guardsman. "We need to pull it back."

Dicky nodded. "I've got guys working on barricades at all the intersections inside the safe zone. You will be able to fall back two times without compromising the library."

"I don’t think you understand," said the first National Guardsman. "These things keep doubling in numbers. At some point we aren't going to be able to stop them."

"So what solution are you suggesting?" asked Dicky.

"I don't know, but we need to do something now, before it is too late."

"My guys have been working on a little side project," said one of the firefighters. "They set out to siphon the gas from every car inside the safe zone that wasn't being used. They are using the gas to fill glass bottles they find inside the buildings. The idea was that it might come in handy to have a stash of Molotov cocktails lying around."

"I could think of a few ways we could use those," said the guardsman. "It might end up saving us some bullets."

Dicky nodded, "That's good, every idea like that is going to add up. Encourage your men to think of as many ideas as they possibly can. If anything might work we will implement it immediately." He laced his fingers and looked the guardsman in the eyes. "Any word from the outside world?"

"The pandemic was far wider than they had originally expected. So far I have heard a report of three separate outbreaks all along the east coast. There are a lot of places that, at best, could be considered out of control. The government has swung into attack mode, they are giving it hell. The outbreak is big though, and they are working it from the outside in. I could tiptoe around this all day, I would rather just come out and say it, we aren't going to get any backup for a long time."

Zoey grabbed Dan's arm, jerking him so he was no longer looking at the group of people sitting at the table. He caught his reflection in the mirror and was shocked to see how pale white his skin had gone.

Zoey kept tugging, pulling him out of the room.

"I've heard all I want from that meeting," she said when they were around the corner.

Dan couldn't believe what he had heard. The zombies were going to break into the safe zone before anyone could come to save them; they were all going to die. Well, fuck.

They were standing at the bottom of a grand set of stairs. Dan leaned against the thick, marble railing. He noticed that Zoey didn't look quite as distraught as he did.

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

She shrugged, "Yeah but I don't see the use in worrying about things we can't change."

"We are going to die."

"All the more reason to enjoy every minute we have left," she said and began to climb the stairs. "Come on."

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Exploring the library, are you coming or not?"

He debated it for a moment, he didn't really have the motivation to do anything but sit there and sulk. He idly wondered what would happen if they got caught and dismissed the idea, simply because he didn't care. He followed Zoey up the steps.

"Come on," she said, leading him down a hallway with flowers on stands and a carpet patterned with big red diamond shapes. The walls were covered with old oil paintings.

Dan watched her as she went along, her dark ponytail bouncing with her slender frame. There was a graceful elegance to her that he would never understand. How could someone seem so weightless and carefree in the wake of all that had happened?

She stopped at a large wooden door with rich designs carved into it. She cracked it open and made sure the room was clear before slipping inside. Dan surveyed the hall before following; the lights were dim, there was no one there to stop them.

He went through the door, making sure to close it as silently as he could.

The room he had entered was the size of the average class room. There was a square table on one end of the room with seating for a bunch of people to use. On the other end were three rows of bookshelves, stretching from floor to ceiling. There were books on the walls as well, lining most of the room.

"We found a study room," said Dan, trying to break the sudden silence.

Zoey was at the first bookshelf. "Dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, they're all remnants of a time before the Internet." She took one finger and pulled on the top of one of the books, letting it fall to the floor.

"It wasn't that long ago," he said. “By not long, I mean literally ten years ago.”

"We could die at any moment," she said, walking to the end of the shelf. "So why not do everything we want to do, when we want to do it?"

He watched her walk around the shelf and out of sight. His heart was beginning to thump hard in his chest, he felt a familiar thrill creeping up inside of him that he felt every time he stepped out of his comfort zone.

"Of course," he said, letting his backpack slide from his shoulders to rest on the floor.

He walked around the shelf to find her surrounded by two rows of books, a dictionary open in her hand.

"That's what I was thinking, too," she said and dropped the book.

He was walking towards her, she shoved him hard. His back hit the shelf, jarring some of the books loose. She pressed against him, pulling herself close. Dan only had a moment to register the pain in his shoulder before he felt her lips.

They were soft and smooth, he tasted mint, as if she had just brushed or was chewing gum.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. The feelings her kiss sent racing through his body awakened a thirst that he had only slightly known was there. Having her like this fulfilled his desire, yet drove him crazy with new desire. He wanted more of her, he wanted all of her. He ran his hands up and down her body, feeling her curves. She reached up and took a fistful of his hair.

He could feel his self-control dwindle under the power of the other emotions running through his body. He had an itch and there was only one way he knew to scratch it.

He reached down and grabbed her shirt, pulling it up over her head. She grabbed his pants and undid the button.

One by one, their clothes began to slip off and fall to the ground. It wasn't long before there was nothing between them but air.

He kissed her neck and licked her collarbone, sliding his hand across her bare skin and cupping her breast as she gasped and took a handful of him.

She was so warm and soft, her touch sent tingles through his body.

He lifted her off the ground and spun, propping her against the bookshelf. She shifted, her hand guiding him. Her body tensed as he felt himself slide inside her.

He flexed as a wave of euphoria washed over him. She began to rock, her breaths coming in short bursts that matched their motion.

The entire world disappeared, there was only her, only passion.

He wanted more of her, he pulled her in tighter, his muscles shook with fatigue. A few books tumbled from the shelf and landed at their bare feet.

Zoey was growing louder, moans beginning to escape every time she let out a breath.

In the back of Dan's mind he suspected that anyone walking by the room might hear them and barge in. He ignored his suspicion to keep all of his concentration on her. Her tender skin that was still tan after a long summer of sun, beads of sweat beginning to form along her dilated pores, every muscle in her body flexed.

She pushed harder, her pelvis tightening and her stomach stretching. Her hips gyrated, she was beginning to lose control of her movements. Her fingers raked the back of his neck and shoulders.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling as hard as he could to keep her steady. She pushed against him, her body beginning to tremble.

Her moans burst out louder than before. Dan clamped his hand down on her mouth to muffle the sound. The shelf seemed to give way around them and they were showered in a waterfall of books. One bounced off of his shoulder; he barely noticed.

He wrapped her up and squeezed as he was stunned by ecstasy washing through him. His mind went blank; there was only the feeling of being part of her.

Slowly, the world came back into focus. They were both dazed and breathing heavily. The study had been partially destroyed, the bookshelf they leaned against was empty, its books scattered across the aisle.

Zoey sighed and kissed the top of his head.

"Wow," she said.

He just smiled.

Chapter 26

             
They went outside to find that the sun had gone down and the temperature had plummeted. Winter was making its first play for the land. A few snowflakes fell here and there only to melt upon contact with the ground.

As soon as they stepped outside, Zoey wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. Her leather jacket was thin and did little more than a sweatshirt to fight the cold. Their breaths came in foggy wisps. Dan blew into his hands and rubbed them together. He felt a prickling chill run through him and had to fight the urge to turn back inside.

The police were walking through the crowd, picking out all the children and their mothers, to let them sleep inside the library for the night. There wasn't enough room inside to house everybody without disrupting the work that was going on inside, so they had drawn the line at women and children.

The firefighters were chopping down some of the trees that surrounded the park and using the wood to fuel camp fires they had started. They encouraged everyone that they should keep the fires going through the night to provide warmth. It was a good thing they were; the night was going to be a bitch even with the fires. Dan couldn't imagine what it would be like without them.

Zoey and Dan found Barns sitting Indian-style in front of one of the camp fires, his big gut hanging down into his lap. He was just as cheerful as ever, his eyes shining in the firelight.

"Hew doggy, we goin' campin', Dan!" he said, holding out blankets that he had been saving for them.

"How did your day go, Barns?" asked Zoey.

"Good, good, just waiting on mo' flip flop is all."

"Well, you might be waiting a long time, I think we are stuck here with no booze," said Dan.

Barns shook his head frantically. "No, no, no, if dere be flip flop here, I'm gonna find it."

As Dan began to relax one of the firefighters came up and gave them all styrofoam cups. Dan's stomach growled as he smelled the chili that was inside. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, and slurped the whole thing down straightaway.

It burned as it slid down his throat; he instantly regretted not taking his time. Each one of his taste buds cried out in protest and he knew nothing would taste right for the next few days.

"Tank you fo’ dis!" said Barns, licking his lips.

The firefighter just nodded and moved on to feed the next person.

The ground was cold underneath them but the fire was hot. Dan knew he would be warm enough with Zoey, but he worried about Barns. Judging by the look on his face, Barns didn't share the same sentiment, he was just happy to be sitting at a fire.

The stars were all coming out; billions dotted the sky, the milky way spread out in a white smear. It was a sight he wasn't used to, it took him a moment before he realized why. There was no light pollution, the image of space was free to penetrate the inner city.

Welcome to New York, he thought, the year seventeen-hundred.

Dan pondered on the idea for a while. It seemed as though the city had lost power, yet the library was still up and running. He assumed there was a backup generator on; someone inside the safe zone must have been keeping it running.

Laying there on the ground, one half of him hot, the other half ice-cold, Dan fell asleep. He woke up every few hours because it was so uncomfortable. His body would not let him fall back asleep until he turned his colder half towards the fire. He felt like a rotisserie meal for most of the night. It was even painful at times; he kept dreaming that he was on fire. Every time it would wake him and he would find that the cold air had turned random parts of his body completely numb. He fully expected his ears to fall off from frostbite by the end of it.

Eventually the morning came, replacing the stars with a blue sky that hung over the eerily empty streets. It looked down on them like an old friend that had gone stale from too many heartbreaks.

Dan sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The first thing he noticed, was that all the National Guardsmen that had been stationed around the park were gone. As far as he could tell, there was only one left. Whoever was in charge of them must be pulling all their resources, he thought.

He shook Barns, who woke with a start, swiping upwards and catching Dan by the shoulder. Dan was surprised by the power of the hand that held him. It was sturdy and firm, ready to kill.

"What in da hell, Dan? I thought you was a zombie!" he said.

Zoey was a little bit softer when awoken; she simply stretched and sat up. A loose lock of hair fell across her face and she had to tuck it behind her ear before standing up.

"Come on," said Dan. "Something is going on around here and I am not sitting around waiting to die."

Zoey looked skeptical. "I take it you have a plan?"

"Dan always got ah plan," said Barns.

Dan shook his head, "Not really but if the world is going to come crashing down on top of us, we might as well go out and watch it."

"So you want to go hang out on the front line?" Zoey asked.

"First we figure out where Dicky is at."

As it turned out, Dicky was on the front steps of the library. He was helping with the construction of a massive barricade that stretched out into Fifth Avenue.

The large area of the new barricade boxed in the front of the library, making it possible to form a defense in front of the library steps. They would be fighting from almost every angle, but as far as last resorts go, it was better than nothing.

A bunch of police cruisers had been parked sporadically, filling a lot of the big holes in the new barricade. Sandbags were being stacked all over and under them to fill in all the spaces that the zombies could get through. Twenty cops and a few guardsmen worked together to throw the sandbags around and fortify the walls as best as possible.

Two fire engines had been parked end to end, pointing out towards the street, their back tires on the steps, their noses ten feet from the cruisers at the front of the barricade. They took up a large chunk of the space in the center. The firefighters were working to get their hoses attached to a nearby hydrant.

Three snow plow trucks had been backed all the way up the steps until they were almost touching the library; there was no room to fit any more. The getaway cars, Dan thought as he walked past them, they are making plans in case we are overrun.

"What's all this?" asked Dan as they walked up.

"Something I don't plan on using," said Dicky.

Zoey placed her hand on the side of one of the fire engines. "Then why build it?"

"Because we are probably going to end up using it."

The door flung open to one of the buildings across the street, and two cops came out holding a long wooden table. Dan caught a glimpse of more cops inside, tarring up furniture, before the door closed.

"Where are we taking this?" asked one of the cops carrying the table.

Dicky pointed up the steps. "Start a pile near the back of the library. I want to board up all the exits so that the front door is the only way anybody can get in or out."

The two cops nodded before continuing on with the table.

"What's going on, Dicky?" Dan asked, sounding more concerned. If they were beginning to board up all the doors and windows, he was pretty damn sure that wasn’t a good sign.

Dicky turned from his work to look at him, "The number of zombies attacking the safe zone is tripling by the hour. It has been happening since the sunrise and only seems to be picking up speed. The theory going around is that the zombies have run out of food and more of their attention is being turned in our direction."

“Shit," said Dan.

"Tell me about it, we are going to be crushed under all the bodies before they ever get a chance to eat us..."

Dan shook his head, trying to banish the thought of his impending doom. Zoey squeezed a fistful of his shirt.

"I think I am going to need your help," Dicky said. "I sent a few of my guys out to the edge of the safe zone, as many as I could spare. I gave them the order not to shoot unless it looks like the National Guard is starting to slip. I'm hoping the extra guns will buy us a few extra hours to fortify the other barricades." He shifted uncomfortably as if he didn't like what he was about to say. "Unfortunately I didn't have enough men to fill all the positions. I wasn't able to send anybody to Forty-third and Fifth. We are only as strong as our weakest link; when one group falls back every position is compromised and they all have to fall back. Do you guys think you could head to Forty-third and Fifth to provide backup?"

"You want us?" Zoey asked.

"I am putting all my efforts into strengthening the smaller perimeter. If I spare any more men it could cost us, we are already spread way too thin as it is."

Dan felt a sudden wave of urgency creeping up his spine. "Tell us what we need to do to get started."

"Hey," Dicky yelled. "Can we get these guys some pistols?"

Ten minutes later they were each given a pistol with one clip of extra ammunition and pointed in the right direction. Dan had been expecting to get some extra equipment, maybe a helmet or a bulletproof vest or two, but they had received none.

As they began the walk up Fifth Avenue, it felt lonesome compared to the days when it was packed with people. Even though they could hear gunshots echoing from a couple blocks ahead, Dan felt like they were alone.

The buildings were darker around them, as if the spirits of the fallen were still trapped there. He had the strange feeling of being watched. His mind was playing tricks on him. A few times he thought he saw movement through the black windows, only when he turned there was no one there. Once he even saw a pair of eyes staring out at him, but when he blinked they were gone.

The first barricade was on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Forty-second Street. A small group of cops and a small group of firefighters were positioning cop cars so that they blocked both the road and the sidewalk. Dan noticed a window was broken out in a building to his right, one story up. He caught the silhouette of a National Guardsman sighting his sniper rifle.

"I don't think you want to go that way," one of the cops said when they started climbing across the hood of a police car blocking their path.

"Dicky asked us if we would give the guys on the front line some help," said Dan.

The cop shook his head and turned back to his work: "Good luck."

Dan nodded to the guy before continuing on his way.

The street only grew worse from there. It went from creepy to downright morbid. There was a hand still holding onto the steering wheel of a car that they passed, no body, no arm, just a hand. The image of it was instantly burned into Dan’s retina. From that point on, every time he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, he jumped.

The gunfire grew louder the closer they got to the edge of the safe zone. Dan wondered if this was what it felt like to march into war. He checked that the safety was off on his pistol and cocked back the chamber. His hands were trembling slightly, his nerves were on end. He wished the trembling would stop. He was beginning to lose his cool.

"How good are you guys with a gun?" Zoey asked them.

"I'm learning," said Dan.

Barns smiled. "I shot one once!"

"Don't worry, I can teach you a few tricks that will help," said Dan.

Zoey looked at him skeptically. "Teach me a few tricks? I didn't always live in Manhattan, you know."

"Alright, so you are saying you know a little bit about guns?"

Zoey's eyebrows went up. "I'm saying my parents had me enrolled in competitive shooting programs for the first fifteen years of my life... so stay behind me."

He might have questioned her more, but right then they were approaching the mouth of the intersection. Even if he had tried, the gunfire would have drowned out his voice.

When Dan stepped out onto the corner of Forty-fourth and Fifth Avenue, there was a barricade on the opposite side of the intersection in front of him, and one to his right. Both were on the verge of collapse.