Day Beyond the Dead (Book 1) (16 page)

     Darren sat there in the dead of night listening to the sound of everyone sleeping. He did a great job of staying awake but as the hours went on he soon drifted off to sleep before waking anyone else.

     The sun hit Christa’s eyes as it filtered in through the tattered blinds. She started to flitter open her eyes as she heard a faint noise. It sounded like screaming but from far away. She furrowed her brow in curiosity as her heart stopped and immediately sunk. “Damion!! Damion!! Dear God not again!!” Damion woke up in a fevered rush and looked at Christa.

     “What is it?!”

     “It’s Anna! She’s gone! And I can hear someone faintly screaming! Damnit Damion we need to find her! I can’t let this happen again!! I can’t!!”

     Gerard and Darren both got up immediately and realized what was going on.

     “Oh my God! I’m so sorry! I fell asleep! I fell asleep Christa! I’m so sorry!!” Christa didn’t care at this point. She just wanted to find Anna and as soon as possible.

     Christa went for the door swiftly before Damion called out to her,” Christa wait! Don’t Christa! Wait for me!” Christa opened the door and went out into the hallway regardless and started calling for Anna while walking in a certain direction.

     “Christa help me!!”

     “Anna!! Where are you?!”

     “Over here!”

     “Keep calling for me so I can follow your voice!”

     “Christa! Christa help!”

     Christa opened a bedroom door and was immediately met by an undead that came straight for her aggressively, pinning her against the hallway wall. She held a hand to its neck, holding it a few inches from her face. Damion came seconds later and pierced it through the side of its head and threw it off of Christa. He put his arms around her and took her face in his hands. “Christa don’t do that again! You need to wait for me. You could’ve died. Don’t forget that you’re pregnant now as well. If something were to happen to you I’d be beyond devastated. Please Christa.” The compassion and desperation in his eyes was almost too much for her to bare.

     “I’m sorry Damion. I promise I won’t leave you again. Promise.”

     Damion stood in front of her and made his way through the room to find Anna in the corner pinned against the wall with nothing but a chair as a barrier between her and the zombie that was trying to get her. “Help me Damion please!”

     “I’m coming Anna! Stay right there!” Damion came up behind the zombie and pushed the knife through the back of its head. He pulled the corpse off of the chair and moved the chair to collect Anna in his arms. Christa came in to join them.

     Christa brushed Anna’s hair away from her face and put it behind her ears. “Why did you run Anna? I told you to never leave by yourself.”

     “I’m sorry Christa. I heard noises so I went to look. I thought maybe it was my mommy and she found me. So I opened the door and went inside but there was two of them and I couldn’t get out Christa. I couldn’t! And I was so frightened! All I could think to do was hide behind the chair. I called for you for a while but I got too tired so I just did it ever so often. I’m so sorry Christa! I’m sorry,” Anna exclaimed through sobs and sniffles.

     Christa took Anna in her arms and just held her, “It’s ok sweetie, it’s ok. Promise me you’ll never do anything like that ever again. Promise me.”

     “I promise.”

     “Well on that note let’s head to the trucks and get out of here. I think I’ve had enough excitement in the hotel of horrors,” proclaimed Gerard.

     They all walked down the hallway towards the door that led to the parking garage. Gerard opened the door and quickly shut it again.

     Christa gave Gerard a puzzled look, “What?”

     “Ok, new plan.”

     “What do you mean new plan? What did you see Gerard?” Christa walked over to the door herself and motioned Gerard out of the way as she opened the door and then shut it. “Ok, new plan.”

     “What the hell. What is it?!” Damion asked.

     “There are undead out there.”

     “And?”

     “And we won’t just be casually strolling out to the trucks,” Gerard stated. “There are at least twenty of them in a gathering and that gathering is between us and the trucks.”

     “I got an idea. It’s a risky idea but an idea nonetheless. If we call over a few of them at a time we can filter only so many through the door so we don’t have to be bum rushed but instead we can kill gradually.”

     “That sounds like a good idea on paper,” Darren interjected, “but whether that will work or not who knows. It does sound dangerous but it also sounds risky enough that it just might work. I’m up for finding out.”

     Everyone gave a nod. “Ok Gerard, open the door.”

     “Why me?”

     “Because you are the closest one standing near it. So by proxy you get that privilege.”

     “Wonderful. Fine. You ready?”

     “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

     Gerard opened the door and they started heading for them. Gerard moved back and stood with Damion and Darren. All three of them were ready to take down all of them as they filtered through the doorway. The first few came through and Damion took his knife and stabbed one in the eye while Gerard speared the other in the temple. Darren pinned one against the wall as he pierced its skull. Christa and Anna watched the carnage as they dispatched each one carefully.

     After they were done there was a mound of corpses in which they all stepped over. They made it to the trucks and climbed inside.

     “You lead, I’ll follow,” indicated Gerard over the walkie talkie.

     Damion took off and headed out of the garage. He finally made it to the bottom and headed out back onto the road. “Let’s find where this military base is. The sooner the better.”

     “Okay, let’s roll,” Gerard said over the walkie.

Chapter 15

     As they headed through the gates it looked anything but promising. Wrecked vehicles and decaying bodies were literally everywhere as they drove down the streets trying to find a place that had potential.

     The further in they got they saw scattered undead here and there, but nothing like the herd at the college. That would have definitely been a deal breaker. Damion noticed a fenced in area with a lot of armored vehicles and drove towards it.

     “This looks like it may have potential. Hopefully I’m right.”

     As they kept driving further in there was another set of fences but these they couldn’t get past. They parked their trucks and got out to assess the situation and see if there was any way of getting past the fence.

     “Well if it stops us then that’s a good sign right,” Gerard joked.

     “I don’t’ know about you guys but I’m already getting the warm and fuzzies about this place. I think we found a keeper. If only we could get inside though,” Darren added.

     “Hmm, I wonder what is on the other side. It has to be good right? At least that’s what I’m betting on,” said Christa optimistically.

     Damion had a troublesome look on his face. He looked at the length of the fencing and looked at his surroundings.

     Christa couldn’t help but inquire, “What’s wrong Damion?”

     He was quiet for a few moments more before he spoke. “I don’t have a good feeling about this Christa. You see all these undead out here laying?”

     “What undead?”

     “Exactly. You saw all that carnage we drove through and we get inside the first fence barrier easily and then there is one we cannot access and it just so turns out that between the two there is no carnage, no debris? I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.”

     Christa goes over to Damion and puts her arm around him rubbing his back. “Baby, you’ve been under a lot of stress lately. We all have. Plus not to mention we’re having a baby amidst all of this which is enough to stress anyone out. Maybe you are just overreacting a little.”

     “I don’t think so Christa. Remember last time someone told me I was overreacting? Anna and you almost lost your life. So I think I’m past the point of not believing my gut feeling. This isn’t right for some reason and I can feel it.”

     Christa kept holding on to Damion but she turned and stared at the fencing as well.
Maybe he’s right. It was true the last time he didn’t follow his gut feeling it turned out bad. Perhaps this is the same situation. Perhaps they should listen to him.
Christa was starting to feel uneasy herself.

     “Let’s find out if we can get through this fence,” Gerard insisted. He walked over to the gate and tried to pull on it. It wouldn’t budge. “I’d really hate to have to knock it down because then it would defeat the purpose. I like that it’s intact and I’d like to keep it that way.” Gerard kept his eye on the top of the fence line. “Hmm, I think I can climb up there though and make it to the other side. Maybe I can open the gates from that side.”

     “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Damion said.

     “Aww, that’s touching Damion. I didn’t know you cared.”

     “I don’t really but that’s my two cents on that.”

     “Well I appreciate your two cents but that two cents isn’t going to get us on the other side of this fence.”

     “Do we even want on that side of the fence?”

     Gerard walked over to Damion before latching onto the fence, “Well one thing is for sure. I don’t wanna be on this side of the fence.” On that note, Gerard started climbing up the fence. He made it to the top where it got tricky due to the barbed wire that was encircling the top rung of the fence. “Son of a …man this stuff hurts!”

     Gerard made it over the fence and they couldn’t see him anymore but they could hear him climbing down the fence. Suddenly a shot rang out which startled everyone and all they heard next was Gerard drop to the ground.

     Christa screamed out loud, “No! Gerard! Damnit, damnit! What the hell was that? Is he dead? Gerard are you okay? Say something! Gerard??”

     There was silence. They all stood there for a moment at a loss for what to do.

     Damion was pacing back and forth visibly frustrated, “I knew it didn’t feel right. I knew it! I don’t know what to do really. I mean we can’t climb the fence because we’ll end up getting shot and we can’t make it through the gate obviously. We also can’t talk to anyone because they are off a distance at best.”

     Just then footsteps could be heard faintly and they got closer as the seconds passed by. Christa couldn’t help but let her emotions show, “Why did you have to shoot him you assholes?! Why?? Talk to me you fucking cowards! Is he dead!? Is he??”

     The footsteps stopped around where Gerard’s body was and not a word was spoken. “You didn’t have to shoot him. We are unarmed and we don’t mean anyone any harm. We were just trying to find shelter. We were trying to find some place to stay for a long while. My wife is pregnant and we just want a place safe enough for her to have the baby later on. That’s all. Can you at least tell me if Gerard is dead?”

     “You guys need to leave. Now. We have nothing for you.”

     “What about Gerard?”

     “We’ll give him medical attention and he’ll be fine.”

     “Well we’re not leaving without him.”

     “Well then I suggest you set up camp right where you are because that’s as far as you’re going.”

     “We have a child out here though.”
    “Not my problem.”

    “Fine. We’ll set up camp out here.”

     They went back to the trucks to situate themselves for a long stay. Christa was helping situate the back of one of the trucks for sleeping later in the evening but she couldn’t help thinking about Gerard. She didn’t love him but she cared what happened to him; and she couldn’t help but hate the fact that she didn’t know what was going on behind the fence. She didn’t know if he would truly be okay or if they even had any medical care to begin with. These people could have been lying about everything. Gerard could be dead already. He could have been killed when they shot him. It was the not knowing that was bothering her.

     “We need to barricade that fence so nothing can get in while we’re out here waiting for who knows how long,” said Damion.

     “True,” Darren agreed, “but not a lot here to do anything with. If we gather stuff from outside we should be able to barricade it enough to keep anything out. We don’t really need any food due to the supplies we have so that’s something I guess.”

     Damion walked over to Christa to inform her of the plans to reinforce the fence. “Darren and I are going to go outside the fence to gather some materials to barricade this fence. We were going to drive somewhere but I’m not taking any chances with you and Anna, especially with those people inside. So we’ll be right outside the fence, ok.”

     Christa nodded her head and leaned over to give Damion a kiss, “I love you.”

     He smiled, “I love you too.”

     Christa and Anna sat on the back of the truck as they watched Damion and Darren barricade the fence slowly. They brought in a pile of supplies they found just outside of the fence and started to utilize them as best they could. It always amazed her how resourceful Damion was. No matter the resources he had he always seemed to make things work. This was no different. From the various supplies and items they found outside the fence they had successfully barricaded it.

     After they were done barricading the fence, Damion and Darren went back over to the trucks. “Looks great baby. You always amaze me no matter what you do.”

     “You give me far too much credit, but I’ll take it,” Damion stated with the utmost of modesty.

     “Of course you will.”

      They sat on the back of the truck eating soup out of individual cans. “I miss the regular hot meal. Just something about the way it warms up your stomach and radiates outward. It’s so funny how you look at food differently when you don’t have it so often, especially a good home cooked meal. All the things that were taken for granted I would gladly give my left arm for now. Funny how life works sometimes.”

     “That was deep Darren and I totally agree with you. I would love nothing more than a big, juicy hamburger right now. A delicious, mouthwatering hamburger. Mm mm.” Christa couldn’t help but lick her lips. She didn’t know if it was the pregnancy cravings or just the fact that she was really hungry for a hamburger, and at this point she didn’t care. All she knew was she wanted a hamburger really bad.

     “Oh my gosh stop talking about hamburgers,” exclaimed Damion. “Let’s go! We’re going through a McDonald’s drive-thru right now!”

     “I wish,” Darren added.

     “I’d be ordering a big Mac.”

     “I guess I’d be ordering a little Mac then.”

     They all started laughing. “Yes you would lil’ D. Yes you would.”

     It was dark so they shut the door on the truck and went to sleep for the night. Christa couldn’t help but wonder if Gerard was dead or alive.

     The next morning Damion woke up to find Christa not in the back of the truck. He started to panic as he got up and nudged Darren to tell him of her disappearance. “Did you see her go anywhere?”

     “No man I didn’t. Where could she be?”

     “I don’t know.” Damion opened up the back of the truck and instantly saw Christa over lying in the fetal position near the small patch of grass about fifty feet away. He immediately ran over to her and knelt down beside her. “Baby are you okay?” As soon as he asked it was when he saw the blood. There was blood on her pants and he could tell she was in great pain. “Oh my God Christa. Are you okay? It’s the baby isn’t it?” He picked up her head in his hands and cradled her.

     Darren ran over to Christa and Damion, “Is she ok?”

     Damion looked up at Darren and shook his head.

     “Is there anything I can do?”

     “No, but there is something I can do.” Damion picks up Christa and heads towards the gate. Anna stays in the back of the truck clutching to her doll. Damion finally reaches the gate and kicks it. “Hey! Hey! Heeeeeey! I need to speak to someone!! Please!! She needs medical attention!! Hey!!”

     Footsteps head over to the gate slow and methodically. “What do you want?”

     “I need assistance! She’s having a miscarriage and bleeding profusely! Please help her!”

     “I’m sorry. We can’t.”

     “What do you mean you can’t? If you can help someone you shot then you can definitely help her! Please! I’m begging you!”

     “You mean that guy? We aren’t helping him. He’s dead.”

     Christa was awake long enough to hear that and when she heard it she passed out. Damion froze in place when he heard those words. He slowly sank to his knees with Christa in his arms. He couldn’t believe it. Gerard was dead. He didn’t like him at all but he didn’t want him dead. He knew this meant two things. He knew it meant that these people had lied to him and he knew it meant they had no help to offer Christa.

     The gate rattled for a moment and then opened slowly. There standing was a woman dressed in ACUs. “Come with me.” A man went over to Damion to take Christa out of his hands but Damion relented. He backed off and Damion stood up with Christa in his arms. “It’s ok,” the woman said reassuringly to Damion as she motioned him to follow her. She looked over at the guy carrying the automatic weapon, “Go get the little girl and the guy.” He nodded and walked towards the truck. Damion watched him as he went over to gather Anna and Darren.

     Damion followed this strange woman towards a huge building that was surrounded by at least ten visibly armed men. As he went through the doors he couldn’t believe his eyes. This place was immaculate and in order. There had to be at least fifteen people that were all dressed in military uniforms. “This way.” She motioned Damion down a hallway. They passed many doors before she stopped at one of them and proceeded inside. “This way. You can lay her down right there.” The room looked like it was straight out of a hospital. It was fully equipped from what Damion could tell.

     Damion laid Christa down in the bed and turned to the strange lady. “Thank you.”

     “We have a doctor and he’ll take care of her just as he took care of your friend.”

     Damion stepped towards the lady and two guards stepped forward to stop him but she raised her hand to tell them to stop. “What do you mean like my friend?? You’re not going to hurt her!”

     “What are you talking about?”

     “The guard at the gate told me that Gerard was shot dead yesterday.”

     “Damnit.” She looked at the one armed man that was closest to the door. “Go straighten that out and tell him to not open his mouth again. I swear that boy is going to end up screwing up something one of these days.” The man nodded and walked off. “No, he’s not dead. Your friend is in the other room and doing just fine. Let the doctor look her over and take care of her needs though. We can talk in the other room.”

     “I rather not leave her.”

     “She’ll be okay. I promise.”