The sheriff wasn’t in any big hurry because he knew regardless of what the corporation was out there doing, the town would be hell bent if they actually let anything bad happen given they were what supported the city. He knew he got paid by tax dollars but those tax dollars came right out of working folks pockets and those workers were daily visitors to Evans Corporation.
He was only half paying attention since he was focused on trying to get the radio tuned to a Jennings song he heard but was currently hating the man that had been driving his car before him because he had tuned out his favorite program buttons and he hated trying to get them reset just perfect.
He looked up half watching the road and just barely saw a glimpse of a blood-covered man running down the highway in the opposite direction. He wasn't sure who it was but craned his neck around trying to decide if it was worth his time, and knew if he found some teenager in the ditch cut open belly to neck that he'd have no good explanation for why he hadn't gone back and done something about it or at the very least asked the man what it was he was doing. He watched the man as he went over the hill, confirming yes, he'd be a perfect asshole if he didn't at least go and find out if the man needed help and get an explanation on what the hell happened to him. He hit his lights as he went up over the hill ready to circle around and head back but when he went over the hill what he saw just made him stare in awe. Unfortunately for him staring wasn't good enough and the idea came to him too little too late that he needed to slam on the car's brakes and he needed to do it now.
Gareth hit his high-beams trying to figure out what the hell he was looking at. There were bodies and they were everywhere but they were standing and walking slowly bouncing off of each other. Gareth swerved the car losing control instantly. He tried to swerve for the ditch but the force of the turn pushed the car past what it could handle and the vehicle flipped rolling left to right. Gareth could do nothing but scream, “Oh fuck me!” as the car rolled.
The newly risen dead made no attempt to get out of the way of the rolling squad car. Gareth rolled over ten of them as he went down the hill. He smashed them leaving a stretch of the dead and painted the highway with them. The sheriff hadn't had the time he needed to realize that he should have pulled his left arm that had been hanging freely outside of the car back in. He quivered as his arm became mangled and useless forever. When the car slid to a stop it had been totaled. The sheriff lay in the car no seat-belt to keep him in place and his face bleeding freely from the wounds by the glass and his arm bleeding like he'd never seen something bleed before.
The car was upside down and Gareth was lying flat across what was the roof of the car and all he could see were feet, hundreds and hundreds of feet shuffling slowly past him heading where he could only assume was town. He tried to pull himself out, but the aching pain in his arm was excruciating as it hung limply from his shoulder. He screamed in pain it was like nothing that he had ever felt before. With his free hand he stripped the items from his gun belt and put it around his arm tightening it with his teeth stopping the bleeding and instantly feeling like he was able to think a bit better.
He watched the feet in awe and was shaking from the pain but trying not to scream. He realized they could hear because the feet in front of him stopped moving and knees became visible followed by thighs and finally heads peering into the cab of the car. The sight of their faces made him cringe. Their hair was long and stringy, their faces sunken in and maggots fell from the holes in their faces and eye sockets. He tried to back up getting away from their reach, but it did little good as hands gripped him from the opposite side of the car pulling him out onto the street. Mouths bit into his thighs and crotch. He screamed now experiencing a pain like very few had probably ever experienced. Gareth reached for his firearm, content in taking some of these monsters out with his final moments on earth but when he reached for his gun he felt nothing but an empty holster. He looked through tear filled eyes at a shiny three fifty-seven revolver glistening in the lights of the car its cylinder and the trigger now useless and sitting never to be fired by his hand again.
He stopped fighting and the dead pulled his already severed ruined arm off two of them feasting on it while the others practically fell on top of him, mouths open each fighting to be the next in line until there was nothing left on the bones to fight over.
*****
Matt heard the car crash and stopped his run, he thought about it knowing what was after him, and the fact the sheriff was driving straight toward it was more than he could handle. He walked back up the hill stopping halfway to bend over and contemplated puking. He hadn't run this far since high school. Not sports, of course, but when he'd been caught with his pants down when a farmer's daughter had insisted that her dad would be out in the fields all day. She had been wrong of course and Matt had barely escaped with his life running into a cornfield sprinting for his life. When he got to the top of the hill he realized the number of people that he had guessed would be in the cemetery had been drastically underestimated. He watched what looked like a sea of the undead. Each step was one closer to the end of someone else he knew. He saw a pile of the dead gathered around the sheriff's car and knew there was nothing that could be done.
He turned keeping as much distance between himself and the dead as he could. He knew that the shuffler would never catch up with him, but he wondered at the same time if the shufflers would ever tire of their pursuit. Matt didn't know and didn't want to be chased forever to find out. The first thing which ran through his mind was the idea that he would get back to the factory where his truck was parked and take the money from Phelps and drive through the night until he was somewhere far, far away from the town. He couldn't imagine running into one of these things in the middle of the night. He only hoped that people would be safe. He'd thought about that meeting over and over again and wished he had just pushed that envelope back across the table telling Phelps to stick that bonus up his bony ass.
Chapter Eight
New Arrivals
Half Hour later outside of Denny’s Tap
Pete and Roger sat outside of the bar watching all of the regulars walking to their cars. The women they prayed might look over their shoulders at them disappeared down streets or into cars driving away. The men watched the lights of the cars disappear into the distance. Pete looked at the van as did Roger.
Roger said, "You know if we drive that after telling Jude we were shit faced he is going to royally kick our asses, I think we got only one choice here, buddy."
Pete said, “Yeah what is that Roger?”
“We need to walk brother, I hate to say it, hell it’s almost like exercise, God knows I don’t need any of that,” he patted his gut which jiggled a bit at the slap, “We only got a mile or two and hell I want to say that over half of it is downhill.”
Pete pushed up patting his chest for a pack of smokes and was let down when there was nothing to be felt; he'd smoked the entire pack while sitting at the bar.
He said, "You realize this town is flat don't you Roger?"
Roger nodded and Pete continued, “Then there aren’t any hills in the town to walk down you dip shit. Tell you what, you give me one or five smokes to get me back to the damn motel and we will call it good.”
Roger handed him the first and the two staggered to their feet starting a very slow but determined walk back to the motel. Neither man was one hundred percent sure when they were going to get back to the motel but figured with a town this size it wouldn’t take all that long and eventually they’d find their way back home. They headed there staggering up and down streets. The luck of the Irish must have been on their side because with each passing street the fact that they hadn't run into the dead which were slowly filling the town was a miracle.
****
Chuck walked slowly not in any hurry to get back to the motel. He made a turn heading north figuring if Jude wasn’t done by the time he got there that maybe Pete and Roger might allow him to crash on their floor. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he had to sleep outside for the night, the thought of a million mosquito bites to wake up to wasn’t something that made him overly excited. He turned a street and stopped not walking a step further. He didn't know why there were hundreds of people moaning in the street and walking very slowly his way and he didn’t care. He turned around looking over his shoulder. The people were following him and he checked his pants wishing that he had taken his pistol out of the van. He knew it didn’t make much difference to him considering the fact that he knew if he got picked up out of state and shit faced that he’d be going to jail for sure. Right now he would happily like to talk to a police officer if they could possibly explain, what the group that looked like a cult, roaming the streets was doing out.
He threw out his smoke and turned around running for the hotel. If Jude was still knocking boots he didn’t give two shits. He never stopped until he put enough distance between himself and the crazies in the street to where he felt confident they wouldn’t be on his tail.
*****
Kindra kissed Jude’s neck slowly rubbing his sides and grinding herself on him. Jude looked up at the ceiling fan spinning and thinking of his wife. He knew he couldn’t go through with it. He decided it was better if he let her know before she went much further.
Jude said, “Honey I'm sorry, but I thought I could do this, but I'm sorry I just can’t.”
She kissed his ear and bit on his lobe. She ran her hand down between his legs checking what she knew was ready for her. She said, “Well it kind of seems like maybe you are able to do it, so is it that you don’t want to do it anymore?”
"Call me stupid, or maybe old fashioned but I can't do this. I don't do one night stands. My sister-in-law told me to go and to bounce in the sheets as she poetically put it. Well, I wanted to at least try but there wasn't anything which I could do about it."
She pushed up off the bed looking around the room; this was not a situation which she had to deal with before. She winked at Jude and said, “Well let’s just call you old fashioned honey. There ain’t anything wrong with you having a moral compass that ya’ll follow. Just wish I’d have not gotten all hot and bothered before you made your mind up about what you thought you could handle.”
Jude said, “Well honey if it was something I thought I could do, let me just say that I would want it to be you for sure. I just don’t think I am ready. It’s only been a couple years and well, I am still dealing with some shit. It is hard to explain.”
"There isn't any reason to explain anything sugar, but I tell you what all that fooling around left me just a bit parched. You got anything up in here that I can wet my whistle with by chance?" Kindra asked.
Jude said, "I got a beer, but it's piss warm, sorry."
She pushed off the bed looking around the room for her clothes. She said, “Well tell you what I’m going to head over to the ice machine outside and we can put it on ice. We give it a while and it’ll be ice cold and tickle the entire way down. You think anyone will mind if I go out there in my unmentionables?”
Jude said, “No, no I don’t think anyone would mind seeing you. God knows if any of my men see you they are gonna have one hell of a heart attack. The ice machines just around the corner, leave it unlocked I need to use the bathroom.”
She looked at the case of beer sitting on the table and said, “You know if we get enough of those beers in me I just want to warn you that you might not have the option of staying a perfect gentleman.”
Jude smiled thinking worse things in life could happen. He said, “Well you know if the night comes to that I guess I could live with myself.”
She smiled a new goal presenting itself that she very much was looking forward to making happen. She put a little extra shake in her step as she walked outside after looking around to make sure the coast was clear. Jude watched rubbing his hair and shaking his head. He pushed off of the bed and headed to the bathroom hoping that if he spent enough time in there that he would be able to go take a leak, he knew under his current circumstances he was going to have to wait a few minutes or bend at an impossible angle to be able to go. He shut the door staring down at his predicament and just laughed. Jude had made no progress a few minutes later and jumped when there was a pounding then a thud on the motel room door. He rearranged himself thinking that she had locked herself out and was probably freaking out being stuck naked outside. Jude tucked himself back into his pants and yelled out the door, “Hold on just a second darling, I'm coming. I told you not to lock yourself out though.”
He didn't check the peephole; it was late enough that he knew it was either her or Chuck wanting very much to have a place to crash. He swung the door open a smile on his face that melted into one of concern and panic instantly. Kindra was standing at the door, no ice bucket in her hand and the previously perfect body was now mangled. He looked at her unable to speak. She had blood gurgling from her mouth, a large bite wound on her neck, her breast and her side. Kindra stood in a pool of her own blood unaware or uncaring that it was coming out so quickly. He wasn't sure what to do for her and after a second her knees buckled and she collapsed falling down fast. Jude picked her up uncaring about the bloody state which she was currently in. He carried her over and laid her down gently on the bed. He ran back and kicked the door shut locking it tightly. She started convulsing on the bed. He looked at her unsure what he was going to be able to do for her.
Jude ripped a pillowcase from the bed and applied pressure to her neck with it unsure what else to do for the woman but watch what seemed like the last minutes she would have on earth. He watched as her eyes fluttered and then became still. He sat on the bed next to her letting the pillowcase off of her neck. He stared at the blood on his hands trying to wipe some of it on the bedding. He looked at the phone next to him seeing two numbers secured with masking tape next to it. The first said;
if you are hurt call Doc Wilson
, the second said;
if you need help call Sheriff Gareth
. Jude picked it up unsure what he should do next realizing there wasn’t anything anyone was going to be able to do for her now.
He picked up the phone and spun the rotary dial and listened to a ringing that never got picked up. He set the phone down and didn’t have a clue what he should do next. He didn’t have too long to ponder it because a long breath came from behind him.
Jude turned around seeing her chest moving slowly, but the hole in her neck made it impossible for the sound to come out correctly, blood bubbles came out of the side of her neck.
Jude said, "Oh my God, can you hear me? Hey are you, are you okay Kindra?"
No answer came from her. Jude stood up dialing the phone for the medics when a lady on the other end asked to please state his emergency he just said, "I need help, and I need it, right goddamn now."
“What seems to be the problem sir?”
“There is a lady in my room, she uh, well I don’t know what the hell happened to her. She went to get some ice for our beer and when she came back she looked like a pack of dogs had torn into her,” Jude said.
“Can you explain her current state please?” the dispatcher asked.
Jude looked behind him seeing her rising off the bed he said, “Hold on just a minute. Kindra are you okay, I thought you were gone?”
She pushed up off of the bed stumbling at first and her face was numb no expression showing at all, she looked like she hadn’t ever walked before. Jude stepped forward gripping her arm and holding her up. She sniffed and then snapped her neck to the side staring with lifeless eyes at Jude. He saw the blackened eyes and let go of her arm and took a step backwards. Jude dropped the phone as she stumbled for him quickly with her mouth open. Jude stepped to the side slamming her downward toward the bed but she bounced off of it and pushed back up quickly.
Jude walked backward toward the door, mouth open and unsure what in the hell he should do. Kindra walked slowly across the room picking up speed quickly as she rushed toward him. Jude's sense of having to help someone quickly faded. He opened the door as she leaped at him putting a foot up and pushing her backward sending her back to the bed a gurgling growling coming out of her throat.
Jude slammed the door shut and ran backward into the parking lot stumbling over the parking barriers in front of the rooms. He pushed up off of the ground crab walking backward staring around. He looked down at his chest and had speckles of blood on it and his feet were soaked. A thud at the door made him stand and start walking backwards.
He stared at the door unsure what he should do. The thudding continued and then it stopped. Two hands gripped him from either side on the bicep. He stepped forward throwing the hands on his right side off balance and to the ground. All he saw was the silhouette of a man in the dark. Jude, only thinking at this point about getting out of here and home to his family, brought his left arm forward bringing the second man off balance and then swung a right hook into the top of his head with everything he had. The hand let go of his left arm and slumped to a knee falling over to the ground then the second man tried pushing up and Jude ran at him making him look as if he were a football that needed to be kicked. The man exhaled all of his air with an "ugh" sound coming out. Jude yelled, "What the fuck is wrong with you two for God’s sake? You can't go sneaking up on a man in the middle of the night like that, you dumb shits!"
Pete rolled over staring up at Jude the moonlight making it hard to see his features. He said, “Nice to see you too dickhead. What the fuck was that for? Christ would you look at Roger he probably has a damn concussion now, asshole. What are you doing out here anyways this time of night?”
Jude was already talking before he could rationalize the amount of crazy coming out of his mouth.
Jude yelled, “Kindra, the waitress she’s dead! I still don’t know what happened to her, but she tried to eat me!”
Pete sat on the ground looking up tilting his head ever so slightly trying to understand what his friend was blabbering about. He said, “Jesus how hard did you screw her?”
Roger said, “Ow that hurt you ass, she probably just passed -”
“Would the two of you listen to me goddamn it,” he stepped closer so they could see his hands and feet, “We didn’t even screw for God’s sake! She went to get some ice for the beer, when she came back she looked like something had ripped pieces of her neck and breasts off, like a dog or God knows what attacked her.”
Pete pushed up walking slowly toward Jude looking at his hands. “Jesus Jude, is she dead, or did she try and eat you, I'm confused man?”
Jude, who didn’t think his brain was going to be able to take much more of what was happening given the intoxicated state he was trying to swim out of, didn’t have to answer. The thudding hitting and pounding stopped when the door broke in half and Kindra, or what used to be her, came out of the hotel room with nothing but the hunger of the dead in her eyes. At first Pete and Roger only focused on her naked body for moments as the blood came into view. Jude picked up Roger by the back of his shirt as the two stumbled backward. Pete pushed up and the three ran. Chuck was coming around the corner when the three of them were running and they slammed into him falling to the ground.