As The World Dies Untold Tales Volume 3 (5 page)

The old woman shrank beneath his shouts, her body losing mass. “Then tell him I love him and to be careful.”

“That I will do,” Rune answered. “Now...you need to move on. You can’t help him no more.”

The ghost vanished. Seconds later, Tito scrambled to his feet and darted across the kitchen. Breathing heavily, he stared at where he had been sitting.

“She touched you, huh?”

Tito rubbed his shoulder. “I felt something.”

Rune yanked open the refrigerator and regarded the beer selection. It was satisfactory. Snagging two, he shoved the door closed with his elbow and handed one of the frosty bottles to Tito.

“Thanks, man. I need it after that trippy John Edwards shit.”

“He’s a fraud,” Rune said darkly, strolling into the family room. “I’m the real damn thing.”

C
hapter 8

Half a dozen beer bottles decorated the dining room table. Chips, dips, and other finger foods were set aside for the time being as the two men stared at the map they had found in the glove compartment of a big 4x4 truck in the garage.

“Tito, any approach you take is going to be rough. I suggest coming around this way on rural roads and traveling through the south side of San Antonio. You’re going to have to cross 410 anyway you slice it, but this area is less populated and closer to your uncle’s neighborhood.”

Tito studied the map, his finger tracing a route. “It could be bad all through here. People trying to get out of the city are going to make it rough.”

“It’s a virtual suicide run,” Rune remarked.

“What would you do if you were me?” His dark eyes glowered at Rune.

“I’d do it. In a heartbeat if I knew my daughter and grandson were alive. But they’re not. Hell, I’d go with you if Lainey hadn’t made me swear not to go near San Antonio. Which tells me it’s a death trap.”

Scratching his elbow, Tito shrugged. “I’ll die trying.”

“I like you, man. You’re a warrior.”

“Aztec blood in my veins,” Tito answered with a toothy grin. “Plus, born and raised a Texan.”

“I hear ya.” Rune raised his bottle. “To the Republic of Texas. May she rise again.”

“Amen, my brother. Amen.”

They clinked beers.

Using highlighters they’d found in the office, they carefully outlined a route for Tito to follow. Rune appreciated Tito’s loyalty and wiliness. Though he knew the chances of Tito safely extracting his family from San Antonio were slim, he couldn’t fault the man for trying. In fact, he would have thought less of him if he didn’t.

In the room behind them the news anchors continued to document the end of civilization. One female anchor sobbed as she spoke. Rune glanced over his shoulder just in time to see her commit suicide on live television. Wincing, he returned his attention to the map.

“Did she just...” Tito’s eyes widened with disbelief.

“Yeah.” Rune lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “She won’t be the only one to do it. I’m keeping a bullet for myself just in case.”

Tito bobbed his head. “Yeah. Me too.”

The motion lights popped on outside, a sliver of light slicing between the curtains. Both men immediately drew a weapon. Rune skirted around the dining room table and edged toward the window covers. Snagging the cloth in his fingers, he gradually drew it back, peering outside.

Several deer lingered at the edge of the illuminated yard, their eyes glinting in the glow of the lights. Rune pulled the curtain open further, checking both sides of the yard for any sign of the undead.

“Just a bunch of deer,” Tito breathed with relief, then his brow furrowed with concern. “I wonder if the zombies will want to eat them.”

“I gotta feeling that venison is not on their menu. Just a hunch.”

The smaller man drifted toward another window. “Yeah, now that I think about it
, they were ignoring the neighbor’s dog while tearing into its owner.”

“PETA will probably be thrilled about that.” Rune smirked, but he was uneasy. He was glad he’d moved Charlene into the garage. If he had to make a quick getaway, he did not want to have to fight his way through a throng of those undead fuckers.

Tito withdrew from the windows, picked up the map, folded it, and tucked it into his back pocket. “Too many damn windows in this house.”

“I suggest we start packing up just in case we need to leave in a hurry. We probably dawdled too much as it is. And probably drank too much.” Rune stared at his beer. “Or not enough.”

“I hear ya.” Tito walked to the doorway, paused, and stared toward the family room in the back of the house where the television was still running. The wide expanse of glass overlooking the patio and pool made Rune feel vulnerable.  Tito appeared to feel the same way. “What’s with the lack of curtains in this house?”

“No need if you live this far away from everyone else,” Rune answered. “At least they got some in the front of the house facing the road.”

“Man, it’s spooky out here. Even if there weren’t zombies.”

The images on the television screen continued to display images worthy of a horror film. The harried anchor people squirmed in their chairs, their tired faces and shell-shocked eyes not conveying the calm demeanor they usually projected. Rune took another swig of his warming beer as a reporter on the scene of a massive battle in downtown Houston delivered the latest volley of information from the defunct government.

“...since there is no word from the President, Vice President Castellanos’s security has been beefed up here in Houston and there is a rumor that he’s been airlifted to Galveston Island. Houston is still under an evacuation order and the highways are clogged with people attempting to escape the chaos. The National Guard continues to battle against the...reanimates...”
The male reporter stumbled over the word. He was standing on a balcony of a hotel overlooking a street swarming with undead creatures. Explosions billowed from below. He paused, listening to his ear bud.
“I’m being told we need to leave the hotel immediately. Apparently the reanimates have breached the security—”

“Reanimates?” Tito snorted. “Just say the fucking word: zombie.”

Rune chuckled, then froze as the motion lights overlooking the backyard flicked on. “Down!”

Tito hurled himself onto the sofa and out of view while Rune dove behind a chair. The remote lay on the coffee table between them. The loud, frightened voice of the reporter filled the room along with the sound of gunshots and explosions.

“What is it?” Tito whispered.

Cautiously, Rune edged closer to the edge of the chair before peering around it.

A bloody man stood staring at the house.

“One of them reanimates,” Rune said, unable to resist ribbing Tito. He was rewarded with a scoffing roll of the eyes.

“Just one?”

Staying out of view of the zombie, Rune scanned the visible area of the patio. The creature stood on the opposite side of the pool, its cocked head swinging back and forth. “So far. Kill the TV. I think it’s trying to hone in on the sound.”

Tito slid off the couch and onto the floor. Crawling on his belly, he edged around the massive coffee table to the side where the remote rested.

Rune watched the creature, his hand withdrawing his Glock. The zombie’s face was covered in thick, congealing blood. Leaning its head forward, it appeared to be scanning its surroundings. Rune was glad it was too stupid to wipe the blood from its eyes so it could see better.

Tito reached the remote and clicked off the television. The resulting silence was unnerving after all the noise.

The zombie tilted its head, staring straight at the house.

“Just don’t move,” Rune ordered.

Tito froze on the floor.

The zombie let out an ungodly screech and surged forward. Reaching the edge of the pool, it simply ran forward and fell in. The undead being disappeared beneath the water. Bubbles rose over its submerged head, then gradually trails of blood began to snake through the water.

“Stupid bastard,” Rune chortled. “Took a header into the pool.”

The creature’s hands rose out of the water, flailing.

Tito moved to where he could see outside. “Can’t swim.”

“And that just bought us some time. That poor sap won’t be the last one to come this way. Must be coming from the interstate and either the fence is down, or there’s a gate open somewhere on the property. I suggest we pack it up now.” Rune slid to his feet. Cautiously, he approached the patio doors. The zombie was still underwater, tossing about, struggling to move. Nothing else stirred in the darkness.

“I say we kill all the lights except the lamp in the hall and the light over the stove in the kitchen,” Tito said.

“Agreed.”

The two men hurried to kill the main lights while providing enough illumination to move through the house using their natural night vision. Upstairs
, they pulled curtains and blinds over the windows before turning on lamps and raiding closets for luggage. In the room that belonged to the son, they found several backpacks. Tito grabbed some clothes, while Rune searched the medicine cabinets for anything useful. Tossing everything on the king-sized bed in the master bedroom, the men worked rapidly through the top half of the house. When they finished, they divided the medicine and toiletries, while Tito packed a change of clothes for himself along with a leather jacket.

“This hand sanitizer is a freakin’ godsend in this time,” Rune muttered
, shoving a quart size bottle in a backpack.

“Disease and infection are going to be our enemies just as much as those things out there,” Tito agreed. He packed the twin bottle from the double pack from Sam’s Club.

Carrying their bags, they cautiously returned downstairs. The motion lights were off outside, but they could see the zombie still thrashing around beneath the surface of the pool in the glow of the underwater lights. In the kitchen they worked swiftly. Rune carefully selected rations that wouldn’t weigh him down, considering he was traveling by bike, while Tito loaded up reusable shopping bags and hauled them out to the truck. In the garage they found camping equipment.

“Take the camping stove and sleeping bags. I got my own. I wouldn’t advise you to use a tent though. Sleep in the truck,” Rune advised Tito.

“What will you do?” Tito asked. “Since you’re insisting on riding a Harley during the end of the world.”

“I’ll find a place to lay my head,” Rune said confidently.

Nearly an hour later, the bike and truck were packed. There was no sign of walking dead, but they were both cautious as they maneuvered through the ground floor, carrying the extra weapons and ammunition to the garage. Tito planned to deliver it to the survivors in San Antonio.

“I suggest we both leave in the morning. Better to travel while the sun is up,” Rune said
, shoving a suitcase full of ammunition into the bed of the pickup.

“I agree. We can’t sleep upstairs. If they get in, we’re trapped. And all these windows are making me jumpy.” Tito gestured toward the laundry room they had been walking through to gain access to the garage. “I say we sleep in there.”

“If we shove the washer and dryer out into the kitchen and barricade the kitchen door that will buy us some time,” Rune agreed.

It took a lot of effort to wrangle the washer and dryer into the kitchen, shoving the appliances to the door that swung open to the family room. By scaling the machines, they could get in and out of the kitchen.

“If they climb, we’re fucked,” Tito decided.

“Nah, we’ll have enough time.” Rune wiped the back of his sweaty neck with a kitchen towel.

Tito clambered onto the washer and hopped onto the dryer, before pushing the door open to peer into the family room. “Zombie is still in pool. The water looks like shit now.”

“Speaking of water, I’m taking a shower. Who knows how long the power is going to stay on? I’d like a hot shower before they’re just a memory.” Rune had sobered up during their hard work and he was feeling hungry, tired, and grimy.

Tito ran his hands through his greasy hair. “Yeah, you go first. Downstairs bathroom?”

“Yeah. I don’t like the thought of being stuck upstairs,” Rune answered.

Being a good sort of guy, Rune let Tito shower first while he sat in the darkened hallway, watching both the front and back end of the house. The motion lights had remained off, much to his relief, but he knew that time was running short. He felt it in his bones.

In the pool, the zombie continued to thrash about beneath bloody waves. It was comforting to know the creatures were not intelligent. Whatever had made them human was gone and the hunk of flesh that remained was merely an empty shell.

Tito emerged from the shower wearing a fresh pair of jeans and black t-shirt, both slightly too big for him, but he was making do. His black hair was gone, shaved down to a dark fuzz. Rubbing his hand over his newly shorn head, he shrugged at Rune’s inquisitive look. “I don’t like my hair to get messy.”

“That’s why I keep mine in a braid,” Rune answered, flicking his fingers at the silver rope of hair dangling over his shoulder.

“I could never let my hair get that long. My mother would kill me.” Tito’s smile faded, obviously remembering his mother’s fate.

“My ex-wife used to bitch at me about it,” Rune admitted.

“What did you tell her?”

“That she was just jealous that I’m prettier than her.”

Tito chuckled.

“Well, truth be told, I am. And she was jealous. And now she’s dead. Good riddance. I betcha she gave those zombies some serious indigestion when they took her down.” The anger, hurt, and hatred in his voice was cold steel. He could see it made Tito uneasy. “Sorry, man. She just did me all sorts of wrong. Meaner than the devil, that one.”

“My wife is an angel,” Tito said softly. “My heart. My soul. If anything happens to her...” Tito turned away, brushing his hand over his eyes.