Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 2): Conflict (15 page)

“Go!”
shouted Laura, “and get everyone else on this side of the fence.”

Two men
climbed over the top and dropped to the ground, not waiting for their turn on
the ladder. Not the best maneuver, but neither hurt himself. They began to help
others toward the truck.

“Come
on!” she pressed. “Keep going!”

The
twins stopped and ran to one side, putting more distance between themselves and
the oncoming wave.

“You
have to go Jacob!” shrieked Mary, over the radio.

I
hesitated and glanced at the barricade. There were still a few heads up there.
Why were they moving so slowly? They’d been going one after another at first.
This should’ve been finished by now.

“We’re
moving Laura. Tara, Dale, we are pulling back to the semi. Keep the path open.”

The
twins gave no outward indication of hearing me, but they moved to do just that.

“You too
Jacob!” Mary was growing more insistent and frantic.

I
grabbed Laura by the arm and pulled. She tried to break free, but the woman was
in no condition to overpower me. Limping heavily from my earlier fall and
aching with each step, I moved as fast as I could.

“Everyone
to the truck!”

I
watched as the final three got over the fence, two of them shimmying down the
ladder, one taking the drop.

“Keep
the kids in the middle!”

That
command came from Laura. Seeing the last of her people in the street, she
finally stopped fighting, and I gratefully released her.

Marcus
vanished into the cab of his semi, and Mary rushed out, the radio dangling by
its strap around her neck. Moving to the rear, she began to help people inside.
Many were having difficulty getting up, and she dragged a wooden crate full of
supplies to the edge, letting it crash to the ground. Using that as a step,
things began to proceed more smoothly.

“Dale!
Get over by Mary. Zombies are coming!”

He
sprinted for the teenager’s position, pausing once to fire several rounds. The
bullets passed close to her head, and I saw her clamp both hands over her ears.
Dale succeeded in striking the monsters that were approaching from behind.
Marcus reappeared and began to fire as well, trying to keep the route directly
in front of the truck open.

The
handful of children began to scream, and one girl crumpled to the ground, too
terrified to move. Someone picked her up, but as weak as the man was, he only
made it a few yards before he stumbled and went down as well.

“Mary, get
them in the truck! Tara, try to cover us!”

The
petite blonde continued to urge the survivors of Anadarko into the back of the
semi, but other than the occasional push or shove, her attention was focused on
helping Marcus and Dale shoot any zombie that got too close. And there were a
great many approaching, too damn many.

I ran up
to the fallen child and scooped her into my arms. Pausing only long enough to
yank the man who tried to help her to his feet, I scurried up to the truck and
tossed the kid in. I heard her scream and prayed I didn’t do her any harm.

“Laura!
Get here now! Now! Now! Now!”

The
woman had gone back to assist others, some of whom were in worse shape than I’d
originally believed. It was only a little over a hundred yards from the fence
to the tractor trailer, not much more than the length of a football field. Even
so, only two thirds were inside, and some still had half the distance to cross.

Drawing
my pistol, I shot several zombies that came within easy range. There were so
many of them, and more kept filtering in from the ruins of the town, drawn by
the noise and chaos.

“Mary,
Marcus, get in the cab and lock the doors.”

“Jacob?”

“In
there now. Keep the radio handy. When I call you to say go, you start driving.”
From the look on her face, she had to expect what I was going to do, or some
variation. “Stick her in there Marcus.”

The
large man nodded.

“Too
many,” said Tara.

She had
left her position trying to cover the last of the refugees and rejoined her
brother near the semi. I dreaded doing it, but I had to turn and take a good
look. God help us. The shamblers were closing in from all sides, and there was
no way the people in the far back would make it before they were cut off.

“Laura!
I said to get here. Hurry!”

“I’m not
leaving them.”

The
woman had courage. Had to give her that. She was attempting to guide an elderly
lady toward the truck. There was a young boy with her as well. Maybe the
grandson?

“Which
of you is the better shot?”

Tara and
Dale looked at each other.

“Whoever
is better, kill the old woman.” I couldn’t believe I was saying this. “Make it
fast, faster than what the biters will do.”

I didn’t
see who pulled the trigger, my eyes on the target, but it was a clean kill.

“What
are you doing!” exclaimed Laura, horrified.

“Grab
the kid and stick him in the truck! Do it right now!”

She was
scowling, probably cursing me to Hell and then some, but Laura dragged the
hysterical boy away from the woman’s body.

My radio
began to crackle. “More are showing up on the road. Marcus says we may get
stuck if we wait.”

I didn’t
hesitate. “Get in, both of you.”

The
twins complied, clambering inside and flipping onto their stomachs, facing
outwards. They continued to fire at zombies, but it wasn’t enough. Limping more
heavily than ever, I met Laura and the boy roughly twenty feet from the truck.
Grabbing the lad, I carted him back to the open trailer and shoved him inside.
Someone pulled him away from the edge. I was about to do the same to Laura when
she slapped me.

“How dare…”

I
slammed my fist into the side of her head, and she crumpled. Light as she was,
I had no difficulty lifting her. The second I was also inside the semi, I hit
my radio and told Mary to go.

“Kill
the others,” I ordered. “Don’t let the zombies get them.”

Tara and
Dale shifted their aim to the five remaining survivors of Anadarko, Oklahoma.
Two were elderly, probably in their sixties or seventies, who had been unable
to keep up. One was a teenager trying to help. The fourth was a woman on
crutches, with one leg heavily bandaged. I didn’t know what had happened to
her, and I most certainly refrained from asking anyone later. The last was
Bill. He and Tony had done well trying to distract the zombies, to give us this
chance, and I hated that he had lingered in the rear in order to defend the
others. More so, I detested the fact I preferred losing the nameless sick and
weak, any number of them, to a single man who showed himself courageous and
competent.

*
* *

That
evening was spent on an obscure rural road as far north as we could get before
the sun began to set. The majority were going to have to sleep in the back of
the trailer, which was anything but comfortable. The more pressing problem,
however, was the six people Tara and Dale killed. No, I gave the order. I was
the one who killed them, even if I never pulled the trigger.

Laura
was furious when she came to, and I can’t say I blame her. The others were
generally angry, upset, terrified, or whatnot. That’s understandable as well.
At least there wasn’t any violence. If the people had been in better shape, and
armed, that might have resulted. As it was, Tara and Dale sat on either side of
me during the long drive, with Dale holding an UZI in his lap and Tara cradling
some other type of submachine gun I wasn’t familiar with. This helped keep a
lid on things. Those who hadn’t seen what happened personally were quickly
given the details, and it was clear from the blank, expressionless faces that
neither sibling felt remorse.

“That’s
a lot,” observed Lizzy, after the rear of the trailer was opened. “I didn’t
think you had that many inside the town.”

I slid
out, eager to stretch my legs.

“Would
have been more,” snapped Laura, “if you people hadn’t turned on us.”

“We
people,” stated Lizzy, her temper taking over, “saved your sorry asses. You
should be grateful you little…”

“Enough.
Both of you. All of you.”

“Jacob.”
Mary came around the side. “The area looks clear, so Marcus says everyone can walk
some if they want. Sofie and I will start on dinner.”

I
nodded. “You all heard her. Feel free to move around. We’ll have hot food for
you in a little bit. You’ll be locked in the truck afterwards though. It’s
safer that way.”

A few
climbed out, keeping well away from me. More quickly followed.

“What’s
going on?” demanded Lizzy. “And what is she rambling about?”

I looked
over at the teenager.

“I
didn’t want to give any details over the radio, not when I didn’t really know
what was happening,” explained Mary. “I just told Lizzy and Sofie that we were
out and to meet up with us as planned.”

“Your
leader here,” interrupted Laura, “had those two crazies shoot six of my people
before they could reach the truck!”

“Jacob
wouldn’t kill anyone.” Lizzy stopped. “Scratch that. I’ve seen him kill people,
but not those who didn’t deserve it.”

Mary
shifted uneasily.

“What
did you do?” asked Lizzy, noting the girl’s behavior.

“I’ll
tell you…” began Laura.

“Quiet
bitch. You’re not the one I’m asking.”

“We were
out of time,” I explained. “It was go or have so many of the dead around us
that we couldn’t drive away. Then we were all dead.”

“He said
kill them fast,” offered Tara.

“We shot
them in the head,” added Dale.

“They
might have made it,” argued Laura.

Lizzy
seemed uncertain. “Mary?”

“We
barely got out. Marcus ran over several zombies. Had to. Not as many as with
the raiders way back when.” She looked Laura in the eye. “We saw a semi like
this one get stuck because it ran over shamblers who got jammed in the wheels.”

“I
wasn’t going to leave them to be torn apart,” I continued. “They didn’t deserve
to be bitten, over and over, with chunks of their flesh ripped free.” I knew I
was being graphic, but that intentional. “How long would they suffer before
bleeding to death? A minute or less? That’s still a lot of agony. Maybe five
minutes?”

“Getting
shot in the head is better than the alternative,” muttered Lizzy, biting down
on her lower lip.

“That’s
not the point!”

“Yes,
Laura.” Tony moved close and put both hands on her shoulders. “That is the
point. Even with those two shooting, there were too many. They would have been
cut off no matter what. We could all see it. They never had a chance of getting
to the truck. It was better they die fast than… You know what I mean.” He
sighed. “I’m surprised it was only six. They kept fighting until the last
minute. Think we would have done the same, even if we were able to?”

I was
shocked. His words were factually true, but for someone who just saw his friends
perish to act logically was more than a little unusual. Emotions should be
taking over. I would have to keep an eye on this man.

“We
don’t leave our own behind,” she declared, stubbornly, haltingly.

“It’s
been done before, when there was no other choice. You’ve seen it. We all have.”

“I…” She
began to cry, heartbreaking sobs. “But I was the one who said to listen to
him.”

I
couldn’t make out the words that came next.

Another
woman stepped close and put her arm around Laura, guiding her to the side.
“There wasn’t any choice but to listen. We were running out of everything. If
not for these people, it wouldn’t have been much longer.”

Two
logical individuals. Maybe I was the one who wasn’t thinking and feeling
normally.

“Still
my fault.”

Poor
Laura. I let her friends take her away, so she could sit on a rock and weep in
something approaching privacy. The situation was settled, for the most part,
and I was glad. Between the explanations and public acceptance of two of their
own, along with the complete emotional breakdown of Laura when she also
acknowledged the lack of choice, it was over. In all, a small price to pay.

Interlude – Briana’s Story

The
following covers events at the castle while Lizzy and I were off rescuing the
majority of Anadarko’s surviving residents, as related to me shortly upon our
return, well, the day after our return. Those initial hours were filled with
hugging, kissing, cuddling, and me being blamed for the fact that Briana’s
belly was swollen, along with her back hurting, feet hurting, elbows hurting –
I have no idea if she was telling the truth about that last one – and a general
sense of exhaustion, irritation, and bloating. Maybe I should spend more time
away while she’s pregnant. Just kidding.

Briana
took the opportunity our departure presented to get to know the newcomers
better. Granted, this consisted of Harvey, Bruce, and Renee, but the limited
number did nothing to deter her. Stories were shared, and they were shown the
damage we sustained during the prior year’s attack, as well as our efforts at
making repairs. The trio was most impressed with the sheer bulk of our walls
and their method of construction. That’s understandable seeing how the things
are five feet thick, but even while bragging, Briana was quick to explain that
their width was due to our insistence that people be capable of standing atop
them.

It
turned out Bruce used to be a mailman, having spent a few years in a sorting
center and over ten making deliveries. This resulted in plenty of tasteless
jokes, mostly focused on his carrying and using guns regularly. I’m not really
sure where those came from. The going postal craze had ended while Briana was
still in elementary school, and I don’t recall mentioning it. Although, Steph
might have. She’s old enough to remember the news casts and TV specials
firsthand.

Bruce
didn’t seem to mind. Apparently, he’d gotten a lot worse from his friends in
South Dakota. Renee even has a digital photo, taken on that first day, of Bruce
in his post office uniform shooting zombies with a hunting rifle. Simply
precious. I’m sure that’ll be printed at some point and framed, maybe for his
next birthday.

And with
Briana becoming more and more immobile, having the trio available to help out
was wonderful. None were decent cooks, a pity that, but they ensured the castle
was the cleanest it’d been in months, and they were building up a decent store
of smoked meat. This was done at Steph’s urging in case I succeeded in bringing
back more people. If not, we’d be eating it ourselves. Personally, I prefer
fresh, but no sense in letting it go to waste.

The only
significant problem – this excludes Johnny finding a bottle of black ink and
deciding it would make wonderful finger paint – was with Kenneth. The man had
been deteriorating emotionally pretty much from the moment we found him. He had
always been withdrawn, preferring solitude and quiet. Then he suddenly
announced he was becoming a vegetarian with no reason given. Still, that was
his business, and no one pushed. His complete breakdown one afternoon was
something altogether different.

“Renee,
did I leave a can of peaches in there?”

“I
haven’t seen any.”

“Where
are they?” mumbled Steph. “I was sure I put them on the chopping block.” She
looked around the common hall, then glanced back at the kitchen. “Where’s
Johnny?”

“He went
that way,” said Briana, pointing toward the door.

Renee
laughed. “I’ll find him for you. Bet I recover your peaches too.” With a nod, she
headed for the courtyard.

“How’s
lunch coming?” asked Briana.

“Should
be ready soon. I’m guessing another ten, fifteen minutes.”

“Anything
I can do to help?”

The
redhead shook her head. “No, you keep sitting there doing nothing.”

Briana
snorted. “I am not doing nothing. I’m checking the inventory lists. Did you
know that we have a tea set, a very fancy one in a wood box with slots, lined
in silk, for each of the pieces?”

“Sounds
nice, not all that useful since I dislike tea, but still nice.”

“I don’t
care for it either. Jacob really hates tea, that and coffee.”

“More
for me then.” Steph stifled a yawn. “I’m going to hate running out of coffee.
It won’t be all that much longer before the stuff we do have starts going
stale.”

“Even
the cans that are vacuum sealed?”

“Those
should last the longest, based on the expiration dates. I couldn’t tell you for
certain.” She glanced over at Kenneth who was sitting off to one side. “Want
any coffee? I got a pot in the kitchen. Kenneth?”

He was
staring at his hands.

“You
okay over there?” called Briana.

“Kenneth?”
Steph left her customary spot in the doorway, dropping her apron on an empty
table. “Why don’t you say something?”

He
turned slightly, tears rimming his eyes.

“What’s
wrong?”

Briana
caught the worry in her friend’s voice and rose unsteadily.

“Kenneth,
you need to talk to me,” pressed Steph.

His
mouth quivered, and the man let out an earsplitting wail. Moments later, Renee,
with Johnny right behind her, appeared, followed shortly thereafter by Harvey
and Bruce. Briana waved them off, and they vanished from sight. Renee had to
pick Johnny up, who wanted to see the goings on, and carry him away.

“Tell me
what’s wrong,” demanded Steph, more firmly.

Kenneth
began to thrash his head, crying and screaming incoherently. Then, as suddenly
as it began, he fell silent, eyes gazing into nothingness.

“Kenneth?”
prompted Briana. “Steph, what do you think is wrong with him?”

“I don’t
know.” The other woman held her hand in front of his face, moving it from side
to side. There was no reaction. “I think it’s something bad.”

“Maybe
we should move him. Put him in bed, you think?”

“It’s
not even noon yet, but… a rocking chair?”

“That
would be more comfortable. Here, I’ll help you.”

The man
did not resist as the pair lifted him to his feet and guided him across the
floor to the fireplace. A fire was burning, and it was warm and dry in that
portion of the chamber. Seating him once more, Steph tossed a blanket over his
lap, tucking the edges in. Kenneth remained catatonic.

“What
else should we do?” asked Briana.

“Can’t
say. Keep an eye on him. Beyond that, I just don’t know.”

Kenneth
remained in that state while the others ate lunch, throughout the entirety of
the afternoon, during dinner, and into early evening. It was only after Steph
had deposited Johnny in his room that the man finally stirred. There was no
warning, no indication he was coming out of it, other than Kenneth standing up,
folding the blanket that had been around him, and placing it in the chair. He
slowly walked toward the door.

“Are you
okay?” asked Steph, moving to intercept. “We were a little worried there.”

“More
than a little,” amended Briana.

“Thinking
him cracked,” commented Bruce.

Renee
was quick to hush him.

“I’m
fine,” said Kenneth, slowly. “I just need to think some more. I’m going to
bed.”

“Want
dinner first?” Steph tried to smile reassuringly. “We have leftovers. I can
heat them up for you real fast.”

“No
thank you. I just want to go to sleep.”

*
* *

The only
other thing of interest was Steph teaching the newcomers how to ride. Riding is
now considered an indispensable skill, along with swimming. I’m not exactly
certain how that came about, or when, but Briana added them to our rule book at
some point. The category was tiny, but stated the following:

All
residents who are physically and intellectually capable are expected to master
the following as soon as possible, with those in a position to teach doing so
as time and circumstances permit:

      Maintenance
& use of firearms

      Reading
and writing

      Mathematics

      Swimming

      Tending
& riding horses

      Tending
& butchering livestock

      Planting
& maintaining large scale gardens

You’ll
note that shooting is at the top of the list. Ah, zombies, the one thing we can
always count on to color our world, them and the crazies who happen to still be
breathing. Overall though, it is a simple and basic list of things that
everyone in our circumstances should know. Swimming was going to be the hard
one. There was no shortage of lakes in the area, but the water was cold, even
in July or August. I, for one, hate cold water, and by cold I mean anything
under ninety degrees. Hell, you have to threaten me with bodily harm to get me
into water that was in the low eighties. And while I sort of hate telling adults
they have to learn new skills, core education is something a functioning
government, even if it encompasses only a single meadow in the forest, should
stress.

Briana
also restated some of our criminal laws – I think she was bored – creating a
more succinct list. The following crimes are punishable by death: murder,
attempted murder, rape, attempted rape, and willful endangerment of the community
with death or injury a likely result. Punishable by banishment includes willful
endangerment of the community, violent assault, multiple instances of lesser
assault, and multiple instances of theft. Finally, crimes punishable by
flogging or specific duty assignments are lesser assault and theft.

As you
can see, our criminal code is every bit as simple as I’ve alluded to, although
the actual writing is more fleshed out and provides definitions and examples.
There are other crimes we considered including, such as kidnapping, but we
really aren’t in a position where they would be applicable. We do have one key
rule however, and that is we can impose punishment for an action not defined as
a crime provided it clearly merits such. So if, for example, Renee tries to
kidnap Johnny, we can still flog or execute her.

You’ll
also notice that attempted murder and attempted rape are treated the same as
the actual crimes. That’s because I don’t think a person who fails should be
treated less harshly than someone who succeeds. Incompetence is neither a
defense nor a mitigating factor. Now, if someone starts to do something bad and
then reconsiders and stops before harm is done, that will be taken into
consideration, but failure in and of itself is irrelevant.

What we
don’t have is a system of trials, juries, legal representation, and so forth.
There are only rules of behavior and the applicable punishments. That oversight
would raise issues later, but they would be surprisingly minor.

Okay,
back to the actual lessons. Our newcomers were not overly excited at being told
they had to learn to ride horses, but Steph was tolerating no dissent.

“You’re
sure this is safe?” asked Bruce, doubtfully.

“Perfectly
safe. These horses are all nice and gentle.”

“Not so
good if you fall off,” added Briana. She was watching with Johnny from the
castle walls.

“Or if
the horse eats you,” said the boy.

“Horses
don’t eat people,” commented Renee.

“Yes,
they do,” he argued. “They have big teeth. Just look at them.”

“They do
have large teeth,” confirmed Steph, “and while they won’t actually eat you,
they have been known to bite. And yes, that will hurt, a lot.”

“Don’t
stick your fingers in their mouths,” suggested Briana. “Safety tip one.”

“Don’t
put your nose in their mouths either,” laughed Johnny.

“Yeah,
that’s safety tip number two.”

“Okay,”
continued Steph, “let’s ignore them. Now, I’ve already explained the equipment,
and they are saddled and ready for you to mount. Just place your foot in the
stirrup and swing on up. It’s exactly like getting on a merry go round horse,
except these are bigger.”

“And
they’re alive and moving,” said Harvey. His mount was doing her level best to
sidestep away.

“Hold
the reins tighter, and she’ll behave. Oh, and no kicking them into a gallop.
Learn to walk and trot first. You’re less likely to fall off and bash your head
on a rock.”

“You are
not inspiring me,” pointed out Renee.

Steph
smiled, displaying her perfect teeth – I’m thinking she invested heavily in
dentistry and tooth whitening prior to the apocalypse. “It’s really not that
hard. Just get up and ride around some. Keep to the meadow and stay away from
the trees.”

The
lessons proceeded about as well as one might expect. Harvey fell off twice,
suffering no more than minor scrapes. Bruce stepped behind his horse despite
being told not to, repeatedly. He ended up with a good sized bruise on his
thigh. He also swore the mare was giggling maliciously as she kicked him. Renee
did the best, though her backside was aching. Briana assured her it would
toughen up, which was not something the woman wanted to hear, apparently
considering her rear end one of her better features. I wish I had seen Renee’s
expression.