There was a long shrill scream. The three of them turned just in time to watch the basketball player pull Allegra off the wall and into the mob; her screams quickly fell silent. The others stopped shooting and turned to stare wide-eyed at Cory and Mike. Allegra's video camera lay in the trash heap but that was all that remained of the reporter. Cory took aim and this time Zach didn't stop him from putting a bullet through the player's head.
The sun was setting by the time the last zombie fell; it had been an emotionally draining day. The survivors were too tired to clean up the piles of bodies littering the ground, so they filed inside to get some much needed food and rest. Plans for the cleanup and cremation of the bodies were set for the following day.
"You guys did good work out there today," Mike said, sighing as he slumped against the wall of his room.
"Thanks - same to you and your group." Cory slid down, sitting beside Mike. "I was hoping that after what we all accomplished together today, you guys would agree to let us stay for a while. We'll help out wherever needed and I have my MRE's to keep us fed, so we won't be using your resources, but I don't think that I can handle another day like today again so soon."
"We'll figure something out," Mike replied; his eyes closed and his head resting against the wall. "The only way we're all going to make it is if we stick together. There are other groups out there and some aren't as friendly as we are. Run into the wrong group and you won't have to worry about being eaten by zombies."
Cory studied Mike as they sat in comfortable silence. If there were more threats than just the zombies, he was glad to have found this group of survivors. Here they could make their stand and maybe, just maybe they could all survive the apocalypse together.
Volume 7: Escape from SA
Plan of action...
Eleven days had passed since the first zombie was seen in Pecan Valley - to Ruth, it seemed more like a lifetime. In those eleven days, she'd seen humans at their worst, doing unimaginable things to those they'd once held dear. She'd seen her neighbours caught unaware and eaten right before her eyes, people fighting amongst themselves instead of the new threat they faced, and she realized how strangers could come together, each with a common goal: survival.
Sitting on the bed of the small motel room, Ruth rocked Paige in her arms, praying they'd find a safe place for their group. Travelling with six adults and two children under the age of ten, Ruth found that it was difficult for them to move quickly through the infested city. They often needed to stop and rest for the sake of the little ones, but stopping had its own set of dangers and staying in the same place for too long attracted unwanted attention from the undead. Fortunately, those left in their group had been smart about their movements, and even now, were making plans in the adjoining room. Their immediate goal was to get past the army barricade outside of Seguin and escape the plague-ridden city.
The first day of the outbreak, Ruth's husband Ron had been in their backyard when one of their neighbours attacked the mail carrier. He watched, helpless, as she proceeded to strip the flesh from the man's exposed arm. Realizing something was very wrong, Ron secured their home and began rescuing as many people as possible from the nightmares on their street.
They'd even helped a cop who'd come searching for a neighbourhood girl.
I wonder whatever became of them,
she thought and sent up a quick prayer for their safety.
During that first week, they took in anyone without a safe place to go; their numbers swelled to almost twenty survivors. Ruth and Ron tried to reassure their growing group that help was on the way - that their government hadn't abandoned them - but when a group of zombies finally overran their home, they realized that if they were to survive, they needed to do it on their own. Out of the nineteen people staying with them, only ten of the adults and the two children made it out of the house before it was too late. Four people in their group decided they needed to look for other survivors in the city and Ruth knew, as she watched them walk away, that she'd never see them again.
When Paige stirred in Ruth's arms, mumbling something in her sleep, Ruth stood and gently placed her on the bed beside Caleb - the nine-year-old boy who they'd found hiding in a garage. After making sure both children were sleeping, Ruth made her way to the strategy meeting in-progress in the adjoining room.
"Another survivor told me that the army opened fire on his group, killing most of them before they could get close enough to explain their situation," Paula was saying as Ruth entered.
Ron looked up and gave her a tired smile, patting the bed beside him. She hurried over to her husband and was comforted when his strong arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. "Well we'll just have to find a way around the army's barricade when we get that far, but in the meantime, walking straight up the highway is the quickest way to Houston," Ron replied.
"I still don't understand why we have to go all that way to find Steven's wife." Mark was nineteen and believed that nothing could kill him - that he'd never become one of the undead simply because he'd managed to survive those chaotic first days. Ruth constantly worried for the recklessly fearless boy. "I say we head straight to the cottage and hope to find a working phone on the way; they can't all be out of service." He crossed his arms defiantly over his thin chest.
Steven straightened in his chair. "I've already lost my son and Paige needs her mother as much as I need my wife. How am I supposed to explain to Paige that I don't know if her mother survived after the zombies reached Houston?" He looked to each member of the group as he spoke, "You all know that this won't be stopped by a few blockades."
"It doesn't matter," Ron said with a sigh. "We all agreed to go with Steven, in exchange for him letting us stay at his cottage. If his cottage has all he says it does, we could thrive there without worrying about zombies overrunning us again." Ron looked from Harris to Megan, who'd been silent up until now. "Stone walls surrounding the property, a cast iron gate at the road, a room for each of us..." he turned to Paula, "a garden for you to plant all those seeds you carry around with you and solar power so we can live comfortably." He shifted to face Mark, "All of this in exchange for traveling to Houston first to get Steven's wife. Can you tell me you'd rather be on the run than make a small detour?"
The room was silent as everyone in the group stared at one another - they all knew Ron was right; making the trip to Houston was a small price to pay.
"It seems there are no further objections." Ruth stood, taking Ron's hand in hers. "Now if you don't mind, we all have several long days ahead of us, and I for one am exhausted. We set out at dawn, so I suggest you all get some rest."
First light...
The following morning, the group started down the highway just as the sun peeked over the eastern horizon. Ron, Megan and Mark took the lead, clearing any of the zombies wandering between the abandoned cars. Harris and Paula walked at the rear of the group to make sure they weren't attacked from behind. Between Ron's group and Harris's, Steven walked carrying Caleb on his shoulders while Ruth carried Paige. They'd been walking for an hour and a half, talking to the children about their favourite TV shows, when Mark jogged back to them.
"The west-bound lanes are clear up ahead and Ron thinks we should get out from this line of cars. He says it will be safer for all of us if we walk on the open road instead of picking our way through this mess." He motioned to the stalled traffic around them. Ruth tried not to stare at the front of his shirt, which was splattered with black blood and at the crowbar, dripping with gore, gripped loosely in his right hand. Ruth saw the gleam of exhilaration in his eyes; the boy seemed to enjoy his task of disposing of any undead they came across.
Their situation had changed each of them, some fitting better into this new reality than others, and Mark thrived on the carnage. She felt relieved that they wouldn't have to continue walking past the undead trapped in the cars. In an effort to ease the burning pain in her arms, Ruth hoisted Paige further up onto her hip. "We need to find a place to stop and rest first." For a small girl of four, Paige was deceptively heavy.
"I agree," Steven said, stretching his neck. "I say we take five minutes to sit and get some food and water passed around before moving on." Mark began to protest.
Ruth spoke up before the boy could say much of anything. "Go talk to Ron and see what he thinks about Steven's suggestion. My arms could use a break." She smiled, hoping he wouldn't argue.
Mark's eyes flashed in irritation as his gaze flicked from one child to the other. Ruth could read his thoughts - leave them; they're only slowing us down. "I'll talk to Ron, but I'm sure he'll side with you two." Before Ruth could say more, the boy spun, jogging back to Ron and Megan.
"There's something wrong with that boy." Steven shook his head. "I feel like I need to sleep with one eye open for fear he'll bash my head in during the night. He enjoys killing the zombies a little too much in my opinion."
"I'd like killing a zombie." Caleb spoke with a serious tone from Steven's shoulders. "I'd like to kill all the zombies for hurting my mom."
Ruth's heart broke a little more at the boy's words, but knew he shouldn't be encouraged. "Now Caleb, you can't seriously..." Ruth said but was interrupted by Paige.
"I want to serially kill a zbombi too." Page's eyes were wide but Ruth didn't see fear in their blue depths.
"When I get big enough, I'm going to bash in their heads just like Mark." Now Caleb was smiling.
"I'm going to chop off their heads." Paige tried to one-up Caleb, smiling just as widely; to Ruth's dismay, they'd found a new game.
"Well, I'm going to get a whole bunch together and tie them up and burn them."
"I'm going to squish them with cars I drop on their heads."
"You can't move a car so that's just silly," Caleb snorted. "I'm going to blow them all up." He threw his arms in the air and shouted, "Ka-boom!"
"Keep it down," Steven warned, glancing around to make sure their new game wasn't drawing unwanted attention.
"I'm going to do that too. Blow all the zbombies up so we don't have to walk anymore." Paige wiggled in Ruth's tired arms, straining to see around her to Caleb; she almost lost her grip on the girl.
"Copycat."
"Am not."
"Are too."
Already tired from the hour's walk, Ruth snapped, "Enough!" and both children fell silent. It was hard enough caring for the children while on the run without having to deal with their bickering.
"And it's zombies not zbombies, stupid." Ruth heard Caleb mutter beneath his breath and was thankful when Paige didn't seem to notice the boy's snide remark.
She cast a quick glance to Steven and was surprised to find a wistful smile on his lips. "You're enjoying this?"
Steven nodded. "Paige and her brother used to squabble like this all the time." There was a long pause as they walked on; Ruth assumed Steven was lost in his memories. His son, almost ten years older than Paige, had been lost during the first days of the outbreak. Ruth couldn't imagine the pain of losing a child - especially in such a horrific way.
She was about to ask why the kids bickering made Steven happy when Mark jogged back to them. "Ron says there's a truck station a quarter mile up. We're going to clear the building and rest inside for fifteen minutes or so," Mark said, obviously irritated by Ron's decision.
A moan came from beneath the transport truck beside them and Paige squealed, pointing behind Mark. "Zbombi!" she wriggled in Ruth's arms, making her lose her grip on the child. Paige hit the ground and scuttled behind her father, peeking around his legs.
Mark turned, raised his crowbar over his head and brought it down on the top of the zombie's skull. There was a sickening crunch and the zombie crumpled to the ground.
"Scaredy-cat," Caleb snorted.
Kicking the zombie to make sure he was dead-again, Mark turned to Paige with a wide smile. "Want to come hit it a few times?" he extended the crowbar to her and both Ruth and Steven stepped forward.
"Hell no she's not," Steven barked. He pointed to the dead heap on the ground, "You guys are supposed to make sure the way is clear for us. What if you hadn't been here?"
"Why are we stopped?" Harris spoke from behind them. Mark's face went a deep red as the group turned to see Harris and Paula walking up behind them.
"The zombie crawled out from under the truck, and Mark bashed his head in," Caleb said, not taking his eyes off the corpse.
Harris chuckled. "Paula noticed a filling station a little ways up. I think we should make a quick stop and check for supplies."
"We've already talked to Ron about it." Ruth said, scooping Paige back into her arms. "I need to give my arms a break and Steven's neck is sore." She motioned to Caleb, sitting on Steven's shoulders as he swung his legs back and forth.
"We're hoping we can find some bottles of water and maybe some food," Paula said, extending her arms towards Ruth. "I can take her if you don't mind zombie duty for a few minutes."
Paige clung to Ruth's neck, burying her face in her shoulder. "I don't want you on zbombi duty."
"I'll do it." Caleb swung one leg over Steven's shoulder, hanging from his neck. Steven gurgled, clawing at the boy's hands around his throat; Harris stepped forward and helped the boy to the ground.
"I think you're too little to be of any use in killing the zombies." Harris ruffled the boy's hair as Steven stretched out his neck, taking in deep breaths.
"We'd better get moving," Mark snapped, obviously irritated.
"I'll take Paige if Caleb wants to walk." Steven lifted his daughter from Ruth's arms.
"Thanks," Ruth smiled relieved her arms could rest. Taking Caleb's hand in her own, Ruth motioned for Harris to lead the way. "I think we'd better stay close together. If Mark hadn't been here, that zombie would have been a problem for Steven and me." She of course had a pistol tucked into the back of her pants, but the group had decided before setting out that morning that they'd limit the use of firearms so as not to draw in unwanted attention. The group walked in silence and soon caught up to Ron and Megan, without further incident.
Pit stop...
"What's the situation?" Harris stopped beside Ron, who stood watching the service station through a pair of binoculars.
"I see a handful wandering around the parking lot and at least two in the store," Ron said, not taking his eyes from their goal. "If we're careful we can eliminate the wanderers outside then open the door and let the ones inside come out. There's a lot of movement in vehicles, but those seem to be trapped and we shouldn't have to worry about them."
Harris glanced from Paula, to Megan and finally to Mark, who stood bouncing from foot to foot, eager to get going. "Ron and I will start on the far side of the parking lot while Mark and Megan start on this side. Paula, I'd like you to stay here with the others and make sure nothing catches us unaware."