DEAD: Darkness Before Dawn (33 page)

“You are turning them into baby machines and want me to be okay with that?”

“I don’t know if you have been paying attention, but mankind has taken a serious hit. If we are going to survive this, we need to change our way of thinking for a while. And if it helps any, we actually allow the girls to pick their mate. We took that old speed dating idea and just tweaked the formula a little. Now, instead of dinner and a movie, it is about who you would like to have a child from. Figure that is the least we could do.”

“You’re all heart,” Jody quipped
again.

“You have to understand, we are talking about the survival or extinction of the human race.” Pitts looked over his shoulder and raised his left hand above his head, giving a big side to side wave. “Forgot to give them the signal to stand down,” he said sheepishly when he returned his attention to Jody.

“So we either accept or die…no middle ground,” Jody repeated what he considered to be the general idea of the deal.

“If that is how you have to sell i
t, do whatever works. I would hate to see your people wiped out, but the way I see it, as time goes on, because of the fact that both communities will have so many members who have family at the other location, that it will be less likely any surprise attacks occur. And this isn’t permanent. I figure we might be able to scale back in ten or twenty years.”

“What!” Jody failed to control his tone and ended up shou
ting. “Are you out of your mind?”

“This is not an overnight solution…well…not entirely.” Pitts actually had
the gall to shoot Jody a wink. “Babies usually come in ones…twos if you get lucky. But this ain’t like breeding puppies. Takes damn near a year for results and then you have to hope there are no complications.”

“Complications…
Jesus!” Jody breathed.

“Hey, it ain’t like the old days. All the hospitals are closed. We have one actual doctor, a few nurses, and a Navy corpsman. We are trying to get a training program in place, but it is not a speedy process.”

Jody had to marvel at what he was hearing. Actually, for all intents and purposes, it sounded like they really were trying to build a decent community.

“So why don’t you just want all of us to pack up and move in?” Jody asked.

“For one, we don’t have the room. Also, put all the eggs in one basket and it just takes one bad day to break them all and leave you with nothing.”

“So how long do we have, and how do we decide who to send?” Jody felt a stain spread across his soul. He felt certain that he was assuring his own damnation.

“As far as how long…,” Pitts paused and seem to give it serious consideration before answering, “…I’ll give you twelve hours to return with an answer. As far as how you pick who to send, that is up to you. I am going to guess, since I don’t trust you to tell me straight…we have to build trust first…but I am willing to guess that you have at least thirty women. You send fifteen and I will send fifteen.”

That had been the end of the meeting. Now it all sat
squarely on Jody’s shoulders; and honestly, the weight was too much.

“The other option is that we end up dead and those of the women who survive end up going with them anyway,” Jody r
epeated for perhaps the hundredth time to his group.

“You are a coward!” the woman spat.

Jody did not refute her claim. He just stood there. He had long since quit trying to make eye contact with Selina or Kat. He wished that some magical solution would appear, or that he would simply wake up and this nightmare would be over.

The meeting continued on with no lack of heated convers
ation. Twice, things nearly came to blows.

“We need to put this to a vote right now,” Jody finally a
nnounced to the crowd. “We may not like it, but my solution to this is that we vote on it and let the chips fall where they may.”

“Excuse me!” Selina stood up and walked to the stage. “I have something I want to say.”

She walked up and finally looked Jody in the face. He had expected condemnation, anger, maybe even revulsion. Instead, what he saw was understanding and love. Through all of this, her feelings for him seemed to still be intact. Of course that was based on what he believed he saw in her face. It could have just as easily been pity.

Selina leaned forward and whispered in Jody’s ear. He li
stened and then drew away from her. His gaze swept the room and he looked back at her and shrugged. With a nod he stepped aside and let her have the floor.

“Oka
y, ladies, here is my proposal.” Selina glanced down at Kat who had actually been the one to come up with the idea. She smiled grimly and gave a single curt nod. “I think we all know that the men here will die for us if that is what we want, but I have a hard time believing that any of us want that. So here is my suggestion. First, I say we
do
put this to a vote. However, the men will be excluded from voting on this one. After all, while some of you may be fathers or husbands, this is our bodies that are being placed on the block, not yours. So, one penis equals no vote. Second, ladies, if you vote no, then understand that you are offering up the lives of every single man in this community.

“I do not like this idea any more than you. And I understand that my time may very well come when I am selected. If I were not pregnant at this very moment, I would actually volunteer. Like any bitter medicine, my belief is that it would be better to just get it done and over with.

“I think we can rely on these men here to respect our choice…whatever it may be. So I am going to give you two minutes to make up your minds, and then we will put it to a vote. Majority rules. Also, I hate to do this, but we will need you men to step outside. This is going to be a secret ballot. I don’t want a woman to withhold her vote because her husband or boyfriend is standing beside her. And ladies, I want your word that we keep this amongst ourselves.”

Jody watched the crowd as Selina spoke. He saw a few scowls, but mostly what he saw were heads nodding. He was not sure how the vote would go, but he knew she was absolutely co
rrect when she had said that the men of this community would live or die by their decision.

Thirty minutes later, he and Danny walked up to where Se
rgeant Pitts had waited. The man was sitting on the hulk of an abandoned car. Jody suddenly remembered the trigger switch in his pocket.

“So, what will it be, Rafe?
And is that you, Sullivan? Well I’ll be…I would have figured you for dead or deserted long ago,” Pitts said with genuine amusement.

“Fifteen women are packing their things. They will be here at sunrise. We are giving them a chance to say their farewells,” Jody said, placing a hand on Danny’s arm to silence the retort he sensed was on the tip of the man’s tongue.

“And I will be here with ours for the exchange as agreed.” Pitts clapped his hands together and hopped off the car. “And don’t worry…like I said, they will be treated like queens. Hell, some of them may not want to come back.”

“See you in the morning,” Jody said dismissively as he turned to walk back to town.

“Yeah…just one more thing,” Pitts called.

Jody turned to face the man. He felt his stomach churn and his heart skip a beat. This, he figured, is where the sergeant drops the bomb on them and ruins everything.

“What?” Jody finally asked, steeling himself for the answer.

“You may want to clear out these old
abandoned vehicles. After a while they leak into the soil. A few of these can really mess up your crops. But I would be extra careful with this one…damn thing is rigged with a fertilizer bomb big enough to blow you to Kingdom Come.”

Jody sighed as he watched Sergeant Pitts sling his gear over his shoulder and head back to his people encamped just across the bridge. Eventually, Danny gave his elbow a tug and got him moving towards home again.

“You know it will never work, right?” Danny finally asked. “You know that promise gets broken within a month…tops.”

“You think Pitts will turn on us that quick?” Jody asked.

“What? Oh…no, he will actually probably keep his word. I’m talking about that promise the women made to keep the ballot secret.”

17

Goodness Gracious Great Geeks Alive
!

“How is anybody supposed to get some sleep and recover with you all bickering like a bunch of politicians?” Kevin asked as he slipped his feet into his boots.

Aleah and Heather stood with open mouths. Both were so
surprised that neither could initially think of what to say.

“You were in a coma?” Aleah finally mumbled.

“Umm…nope. I was sleeping. Sleeping and comas are very different. I was not ready to be up and about yet and I paid the price. My body couldn’t take anymore.”

“But you got bit,” Heather added.

“Yeah, so I guess we can now say with almost absolute certainty that cats carry the disease but do not turn…and I am immune. The guessing game is over.”

“Is that Kevin?” Rose pushed past the two older females and made her way up to Kevin with her head tilted a bit to the side as if she were trying to figure out just what she was seeing. “You are okay?”

“A bit of a hangover feeling still sort of dances around in my head like Dutch cloggers, but other than that, I feel fine. Oh, and I have a nasty aftertaste in my mouth,” Kevin told the girl as he stood up and did a quick pat down of his weapons. “So I only heard parts of it, but you said Catie and everybody split up after a bunch of zombies showed up?”

“This was not just some bunch,
Aleah was saying millions,” Rose explained.

“Yes, well, I am sure there were a lot, but I doubt millions. Perspective is a funny thing.” Kevin grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder. He staggered just a bit.

“Whoa!” Heather, Aleah, and Rose all said in unison.

“I’m okay, just a little weak. I need food and I need to brush my teeth.”

“But the zombies are here now…we have to run,” Aleah insisted.

“And we will. I can eat and walk at the same time, so I i
magine that I can wolf down a few stale energy bars while pedaling a bicycle.”

“You sure you are up to this?” Trent had come up now and joined in on the conversation.

“The alternative is staying here and risking the whole eaten alive thing…which sounds like no fun. Now let’s get moving.” Kevin headed towards the door and actually had to stop and stare for a few seconds before everybody leapt into action.

Kevin went room to room pointing out the supplies he felt were priorities as everybody
hurriedly rushed around grabbing whatever he told them to stuff in their bags. Both Heather and Aleah tried to ask him questions on a few occasions, but he brushed them aside saying that now was not the time or the place.

After a trip up onto the roof to get a look around, Kevin had decided on their best course of action. He hurried downstairs and had everybody push their bicycle to a rear exit that opened up on the asphalt playground.

“But they are out there,” Trent balked.

“They’
re everywhere” Kevin shrugged. “This is the most open area we have at our disposal. We need to make a run for it here, and if we get out of the playground alive, then we just might make it.”

“That is not very inspiring,” Trent said under his breath.

“So if you are all done with the tongue wagging, let’s get moving,” Kevin said.

He started
dismantling the barricade that had been in place. Every single movement created sound that seemed ten times louder in everybody’s ears as they pulled aside desks, chairs, and book shelves that had been wedged in place to help prevent the doors from being forced open. The last part was removing the boards and then the chain that was run through the handle of the two doors a number of times and then secured with a padlock.

“Anybody got bolt cutters?” Trent asked semi-sarcastically.

Kevin ignored the man as he knelt and pulled a set of lock picks from a black case on his hip. With a few deft movements, the hasp clicked and the lock fell into his palm.

“Who are you…freakin’ MacGyver?” Trent asked in disb
elief.

“Just a matter of
knowing what to look for in the sea of supplies left here.” Kevin gave a sad look back up the hallway. “This place would have been a great location…if not for the location.”

With a shrug he pushed the door open just a crack and pe
ered outside. He tried to minimize the gulping swallow that he had to take to clear his throat. Up to this point, he had simply tried to project confidence. After listening to everybody bickering out in the hallway, he had come to terms that he needed to at least act like a leader; that meant exuding poise. That was now a problem as he looked outside.

“Okay, bad news.
” Kevin turned to the group. “We have to make a change of plans. If we try to ride or push the bikes through that crowd out there, we will never make it. All you have to do is trip one time and you are done for.”

Kevin went to each bike and pulled a few things from the trailer attached. He looked at the stuff stil
l in the carriers and felt a tug of regret. He doubted that they would ever find such a gold mine of supplies as well stocked and organized ever again. He had already struggled in what to cull from the main supply. To cut that down to what now sat in a pathetically small pile on the floor was almost enough to make him want to cry.

“Everybody divide this stuff up, grab it and we need to go.” Kevin peeked out one more time and then faced the group.
“I’m gonna be honest, we might not make it. They are thick out there and if one of them gets a good hold, you might not be able to get away before you get mobbed. If you fall, it is probably a death sentence.”

“So remind me why we are doing this?” Rose asked.

“Because if we stay here, they will get in, and once they do, we are done.”

“Why would they get in?” Heather asked. “This place has held out this long. Why would they suddenly get in now?”

“Simply the odds of probability. We can discuss this later, we really don’t have time now,” Kevin said and reached for the door.

“What if we don’t want to go?” Trent asked; he had already taken a few steps back from the group.

“Then good luck,” Kevin said flatly.

“I just—” Trent began, but Kevin pushed open the door and started down the five stairs that led up to the main entrance.

He was not sure that they would survive this, but he was suddenly struck with a memory from the
Dawn of the Dead
remake and grateful that these horrors could not run. Their chances were slim as it was, but add in sprinting zombies and they would have been dead a long time ago.

This was more like t
he original when the Tom Savini led motorcycle gang blew open the doors to the mall. Sure, there were a lot of the walking dead around, but they were slow and clumsy. As long as they were still a little spread out, it should be okay.

He could see the far side of the school yard and the street that ran parallel. Already there were zombies swarming the area. He could see them stumbling in and out of houses. Some would bump into each other and totter off in a new direction. It would almost be comical if set to music and played in slow motion.

A cold, dead hand swiped at his arm and reminded him that this was a very dangerous gamble that he was taking. He came up with a blade through the chin and shoved the corpse away. As the zombies closest to him became aware of his presence, they turned his direction and came with hands reaching for a purchase.

He risked a glance over his shoulder and saw Heather, Al
eah, and Rose all following in his wake. He glanced up at the doorway and saw Trent give one last fearful look before slamming the door shut. If not for the baby cry that a nearby zombie let loose with, he would have been certain that he could have heard all the desks and shelves being shoved back into place.

Kevin did not wish the guy any ill will. He was making the best choice for himself as he saw it. And he might be right. The zombies may not get in, but he could see houses being assaulted
just across the way as zombies seemed to be drawn to doors and windows. They were not being pulled by noise or anything else, they simply wanted to get inside. And it only took one or two to draw a hundred.

He knew this was just the leading edge of the horde. Once the main body got here, it would be a different story. He had seen zombies create a bit of a “tsunami” effect, flattening ever
ything in their path. Being oblivious to pain or anything like that, they would crush each other faster than unruly Walmart shoppers on Black Friday who just got told there was a seventy inch HDTV on sale for fifty bucks.

Kevin pushed and shoved, his blade coming up for a jab to the temple or under the chin as he went. He made the mistake of pausing to look back and check on the others once and realized that could get him killed really fast. The secret was getting past the zombie
s. Once you did, they had to stop, try to remember how to change direction, and then do it.

He did slow his pace enough for the three girls to catch up. He refused to simply fight his way across and leave them to their fates.

“Almost there!” Kevin called as the foursome reached within about ten feet of the fence that ran along the length of the playground.

There was a huge
section that was down which was allowing more of the zombies to pour in. If they did not reach that opening soon, there was a larger cluster of zombies that would seal them inside.

“Just run!” he screamed. “Push or shove…do what you have to, but we need to make it out that opening fast.”

Kevin veered in the direction of the opening and Aleah was right on his heels, but Rose and Heather were falling behind. Kevin shoved Aleah forward once they reached the torn down section of fence. “That open field at the end of the street…run for it!”

“What about you?” Aleah asked as she jabbed her smaller blade into the temple of the zombie that was reaching for her with only one hand; the other arm missing everything below the elbow.

“Just run!” Kevin turned and waded back towards Heather and Rose. He could not wait to see if she did as he told her.

Time and again, he had been struck by how different the zombie apocalypse was compared to all the books, comics, and movies. One of the frequent and overused clichés he had o
bserved was people letting themselves get trapped in a building. As slow as the zombies were, you could easily avoid that sort of fate. Sure, shoving your way through a massive herd of them was not ideal, but they were zombies; slow, uncoordinated, and easy to outmaneuver.

“What are you doing!” Heather yelled as she pulled her blade free from the head of one zombie while kicking another away.

“Being an idiot!” Kevin replied as he caught the hand of one zombie and jerked it so that the monster stumbled past him and into a group of four more who immediately became tangled in an uncoordinated mass of limbs.

Kevin reached the pair and saw what had slowed them down. There was blood pooling around Heather’s left foot.

“Damn creeper nipped me,” she said with a guilty smile.

“Are all of you immune?” Rose asked as she used the hilt of her buck knife to bash a zombie in the forehead.

“Not the time for this discussion,” Kevin grunted as he dropped his shoulder into a female ghoul wearing a pair of pink sweats that proclaimed her behind as “JUICY” in big blue letters.

Heather limped past and through the big opening.
Rose was on her heels after she stuck another nearby zombie. The three headed up the street, Kevin on one side of Heather, and Rose moving in to help from the other.

“I can walk,” the girl
insisted weakly.

“Sure, just not fast enough!” Rose said with a choked laugh. “Hey…aren’t we heading
toward
the mob?”

“For a bit, but there are some dense woods at the end of that cross street up ahead if we take a left,” Kevin said; a zombie staggered within an arm’s reach and he simply gave it a solid check to the middle of its chest with the heel of his palm.

As they reached the intersection, Kevin looked right and saw something that gave him a shiver. The zombies were packed in shoulder to shoulder just about four blocks away. Every so often, one would stumble and the mob would walk over it, grinding it into paste underfoot.

“Guys!” Al
eah popped out of some thick brush. “This way, there is an overgrown trail, but it will be easier than chopping our way through some of this stuff.”

“We are not going that way,” Kevin said with a shake of his head. He pointed west. “There is some pretty dense woods that
direction, hopefully we can lose this mob.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Aleah said as she jogged past and took the lead.

Zombies were pouring down every street they passed, some less densely packed, but the numbers were still staggering. Along the way, they had to push, shove, and slash. It was tiring, and Kevin was feeling more winded than he probably would have normally; couple that with supporting some of Heather’s weight and he did not know how much was left in his tank.

In his mind, he’d had an idea of running perpendicular to the leading edge of this mob and being able to eventually get past the main concentration and esc
ape. He had absolutely not expected anything of this size.