Machines of the Dead (11 page)

“Why, what have you got in mind?”

“It might be nuts, but it’s our only option.”

Jack listened as Zaun suggested that he go down the rope. Using his martial arts training,
he would
then quietly take out the three undead.

“And if it doesn’t work,” Zaun added, “you’ll pull my ass back up and we’re no better off.”

Jack shook his head. “I don’t like it.”

“What other choice
is there, the sewer
?
T
hat sounds more dangerous, at least getting to them does.”

Jack knew his friend was right. He didn’t like the guy going down there alone, but he’d be ready with his rifle. And if the alley became overwhelmed with the undead, he’d help Zaun back up.   

“Fine, but you’re taking the harness. I’m not sure I can pull you up all that way and I doubt you’ll be able to climb sixty feet without tiring.”

“No way. I’ll be fine. Between the two of us, we’ll get me back in this closet. I’m rope savvy, having climbed before. You on the other hand are not. How do you expect to climb down without falling?”

Jack should’ve thought to bring at least one extra harness. Now one of them was going to be in danger.

“It’s settled then,” Zaun said, smiling. He grabbed a pair of the heavy workman’s gloves from the shelf and put them on. “I’ll be able to slide down easily with these. They should hold up well.”

Zaun gave the shotgun to Jack, then went to climb onto the windowsill.

“Hold on,” Jack told him.

Zaun turned around.

Jack held out the Sig
Sauer. “Just in case.”

Zaun took the weapon, tucking it into the front of his pants.

“Safety’s on,” Jack informed him.

“I know. You think I’d shove this thing in my pants if it wasn’t?”

“Just watch your ass.”

Zaun climbed onto the windowsill, wrapped the rope around his left hand once, creating his own belay, then started down.

Jack kept an eye on the undead, but also watched his friend.   

Zaun made his way quickly down the line, stopping just above the zombie that was standing below him. With his legs intertwined between the rope, and his left hand holding him up, he drew the sword with his right hand and plunged the blade into the top of the zombie’s head. The undead corpse went slack and collapsed to the ground. Neither of the other two undead seemed to notice.

Zaun dropped the rest of the way to the ground, landing in a crouch. He stood slowly, reached into his jacket, and produced a throwing star. Jack shook his head, remembering having the pointy things when he was a kid.
He would
throw them at trees or into the back of the door to his room, but never imagined ever using them in real life. They were a thing for movies or books; things kids played with. But Zaun, along with
hand-to-hand
combat and
swordplay
, practiced using all kinds of throwing weapons. He’d told Jack that knives were his favorite, the long blades
were
great for deep penetration and killing, but only when in somewhat close proximity to the target. Throwing stars were better for distance strikes, usually not penetrating deep enough to cause death, but could cause enough damage to hinder an enemy’s attack or impede his escape. Zaun was going to use them to draw the undead’s attention.

Jack’s heart
was
in his throat as he watched
Zaun thr
o
w the weapon, hitting the undead in the back of its head. The thing stopped, and turned around, then headed straight for Zaun.

Damn, Jack thought. The weapon hadn’t penetrated deep enough to kill the zombie, but at least Zaun had hit his mark and quietly drew the thing’s attention.

The undead’s pace was slow, but faster than when it had had no target in it sights. The zombie near the gate remained in place, apparently unaware of what was going on.

Zaun stood like a statue as the thing came straight for him; his right hand on the hilt of his sword. Jack’s heart continued to slam against his chest. When the undead thing came within an arm’s length, Zaun swung his sword in one smooth motion. The zombie’s head tumbled to the ground, followed by its body.

Damn, Jack thought, the
guy is
good.

However,
there was a problem. The zombie near the gate hadn’t moved, and was still about sixty feet away. Zaun couldn’t go up to it, not without the risk of attracting any undead that might walk by the alley. How was he going to get its attention? The distance was way too far for him to use another throwing star. If he missed, the metal clang would attract others.

Looking down, Jack saw Zaun motioning for him to come down. Right
,
why bother with the lone zombie?
They would
both be long gone and underground before the thing even knew
they had
been there.

Jack hooked himself up to the rope, climbed out onto the windowsill and began his descent. He moved slowly, not wanting to attract the attention of any undead that might see him from the street, or fall and break his bones. Turning around to check on Zaun, he saw that he wasn’t below him anymore, and was moving down the alley. What the hell was the guy doing?

Jack moved faster, wanting to reach the ground and get to Zaun before he did anything stupid, but by the time he reached the asphalt, the guy was too far away. Calling out was not an option. 

Jack watched
,
sweat running down his face and back, heart still racing
,
as Zaun stopped about ten feet from the lone zombie. He produced another star and threw it at the undead thing. At the same
time
he released the weapon, a female zombie, dressed in a dark gray business suit, ambled from around the corner, and spotted Zaun immediately. The star did its job, drawing the heavyset zombie from where it stood.   

Jack couldn’t breathe.

Both undead were heading Zaun’s way, their pace quickening slightly. The female zombie kicked something metal with its foot and the item clanged loudly as it skidded along the ground.

Jack cringed, hoping the sound hadn’t traveled into the street. Zaun was backing up, leading the undead farther into the alley. There were only two, and Jack had no doubt that his friend could take care of them with ease. Hell, the guy had taken out most of the zombies in the building, what were two more.

Then
another member of the undead, stumbling like a drunk, came from the street.
Others
quickly followed it
. Within
seconds,
the
undead completely blocked the
entranceway. They were like sharks; when one smelled blood so did all the others.

“Get back here,” Jack yelled, realizing there was no point in keeping quiet. Zaun retreated and was by Jack’s side in moments. The undead were slow, but they were coming.

“Forget that thing,” Jack told him, referring to the sword, and handed Zaun the shotgun. Jack took aim with the rifle and began firing into the approaching horde.

As the two unloaded their weapons, turning heads into dust, the undead went down, the lead bodies tripping up the others, slowing the mass even more. But like an unrelenting force they kept coming. The numbers were just too great.

“Get up that rope,” Zaun yelled over the sound of gunfire. “Get out of here.”

Jack ignored him, and kept on shooting.

They kept firing into the crowd of undead, keeping them at bay until the guns only clicked, and there were no more clips
left
.

“You should’ve
gone
up,” Zaun said, holding his sword, the shotgun tossed to the ground.

“Screw that,” Jack said, wondering where the hell the guards were. They
should have
been here by now. Maybe they saw the gate was open, or saw the horde coming, and decided it was too dangerous to risk a rescue.

With the hungry, undead horde closing in, Zaun turned to Jack. “Well if this is it, it was a pleasure knowing you, Jack.” 

With his back against the wall, death all but imminent, Jack’s mind raced with thoughts. There was still so much left that he needed to do. So much undone. A short time ago, he didn’t wish to go on without Jess. But that’s how most people felt when a loved one passed. And the best way to honor her was to live. Now, facing down the mass of undead, he wanted to live more than ever. He needed to see his mission through; get Zaun to safety. He needed to see his sister again
,
help her this time, get her out of that abusive relationship. And he needed to see the Manhattan Armageddon put to a stop. He wanted to be there when every last bot, those mindless little fuckers, perished.

With the undead closing in, Jack shut his eyes and prayed. He wasn’t sure he believed in a higher power. He knew the universe was too complex to “just be
,
” but
he had
never taken the time to explore his beliefs. So he prayed; prayed for a way out of the impending doom. 

The sound of squeaking metal filled Jack’s ears over the shuffle and hum-like sounds the undead were giving off. Opening his eyes, he saw the double doors parting. Then the guards, dressed in their black fatigues, carrying machine guns, came up the stairs. They formed a wall and began firing into the crowd. Memories of that horrible Brooklyn Bridge massacre filled Jack’s mind, but only for a second. He saw Kevin among the machine gun toting soldiers. He hadn’t thought of them as such, but that’s what they were, soldiers. Soldiers performing their duties as guards.

The
line of guards was
aiming high, aiming for the zombies’ heads, disintegrating them. If the scene wasn’t so horrendous, Jack thought it would be beautiful. Turning his head to the stairwell, movement catching his eye, he saw Chambers at the top of the stairs. He was yelling and motioning for Jack to come to him.

Zaun was enthralled by the carnage, a grin on his face. Jack knew his friend was a little different than most, a
hyperactive
, emotional guy, but seeing his expression was almost scary. Jack nudged him, then pointed to Chambers.

Soon Jack and Zaun were underground, just below the street, listening to the awesome sounds of gunfire. Jack thought single burst
would have
made more sense, aiming at the heads, but guessed they were doing a quick not-worried-about-ammo rescue mission. The machine gun fire began to lessen as the guards came down the stairs, Chambers the last to arrive as the doors swung shut.

Silence swallowed the group as everyone composed themselves.

Finally,
Zaun spoke up, “Damn, you guys came just in time.”

“Yeah, thanks. To each and every one of you,” Jack told the room.

“I hate to ask, because we aren’t going back up there, but is that it, Jack?” Chambers asked. “A plus one?”

He nodded. “Whole building was gone. Everyone dead.”

Chambers seemed to be thinking something over, then said, “All right, everyone. Good work up there. Head back down, take an hour, then back to your posts.”

The guards left, leaving Chambers, Jack, and Zaun to take the elevator. “Where are we heading?” Zaun asked.

“To the containment room,” Chambers answered. “We need to make sure you’re not carrying any of them little critters around inside you.”

When the elevator came to a stop, Guard Devon Witherspoon was waiting to take their weapons.

“It’s protocol,” Chambers said. “You aren’t military and Doctor Reynolds doesn’t want just anyone running around with weapons.”

Jack nodded, and gave up the guns.

“The sword too,” Chambers said.

“Hell no. This stays with me.”

“That’s fine,” Chambers said, crossing his arms over his massive chest. “But then you don’t stay with us. Doc’s house; doc’s rules.”

“Hand it over, Zaun,” Jack told his friend, and he did, reluctantly giving the sword to Chambers.

“They’ll be in the arsenal, safe and sound.”

They followed Chambers to the containment room, Zaun entering first, Jack hesitating.

“Jack?” Chambers asked.

“I’m okay,” he said, then walked in. The door closed behind them, making Jack jump.

“What’s up?” Zaun asked. “This going to hurt?”

“No. They just zap the room with an EMP. You won’t feel a thing.”

“So what’s . . .” Zaun paused. “Oh, this is the room where Jess . . . where she died?”

“No, she was already dead by the time she was here. This is where I last saw her body, before I fried the little bastards inside of her.”

“Sorry man,” Zaun said, putting a hand on Jack’s shoulder.

“Thanks.”

A small hole opened in the ceiling and a silver sphere, attached by a metal arm, lowered into the room.

“Is it disco time?” Zaun asked.