Forest Park: A Zombie Novel (37 page)

“There are worse things than hanging, son,” Harris said.

The first sounds from the outside started to filter through to them.

The echoes of close by gunfire, much of it heavy caliber, resonated around the arena.

It echoed around and around like a beating heart, reverberating from the empty seats and stands.

The jumbo scoreboard at the end of the ground was now all shot-up like a country sign.

Ambrose began to feel the energy of chaos that was on the verge of erupting.

Above them a helicopter thundered overhead, from outside of its open doors hung the legs of troopers who were being flown somewhere, anywhere.

It didn’t really matter now.

Maybe they weren’t coming back.

The cart came to a halt by the dust-off zone of a Black Hawk.

Standing by the helicopter was a female pilot, Ambrose could tell by the shape her body. She nodded to him. He dipped his head back in the old western style and smiled.

Then they appeared, two men --- the same two who had arrived with Gibson.

Ambrose began to walk toward them; they cocked their weapons.

He stopped.

“Just wait there, Cornelius,” Harris said to him.

Harris reached for his cell phone and used the limited network of the bunker to make a call.

Ambrose tried to listen, except there was too much background noise.

He saw Harris nod and wiggle his head and then stand with one hand on his hip. For once Harris wasn’t in control of the conversation.

Harris then handed the cell phone to one of the two waiting men.

After a brief conversation, the two men lowered their weapons.

“This is where I leave you, Cornelius. It’s time for us to go our separate ways. You’re a good man, and I hope you stay that way. Don’t fall into the cracks like I did, my friend. I said to you earlier that good people will survive this. You’ll be one of them,” Harris said.

Harris held out his hand. Ambrose refused to shake it until he saw the flash drive hidden in his palm.

“I’ll understand if you don’t,” Harris said.

Ambrose shook his hand and pocketed the drive.

“What happens to you now?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he answered.

“I can only imagine what’s on this drive. I could take this to the President.”

“You would simply be arrested along with me, and then what? A trial? It doesn’t matter now. The President has no power anymore; can’t you see that? We’ve given the power back to the people. The power no longer belongs to multi-nationals, corrupt governments and dictators. Our youth will no longer be brainwashed by social media and consumerism. We’ve freed the world. We’ve removed the threat of global warming with one simple solution. All the horror of the modern age is now gone. And all of it gone with one simple and final solution. Revolution isn’t easy, and it’s certainly not bloodless. Good people have suffered. I don’t doubt that. I regret that.”

“Good people, millions of decent people, maybe billions have died Harris.”

“Yes. However, the others, the survivors, will live free.”

Ambrose climbed into the Black Hawk.

The pilot pointed to her helmet; he’d been through this before.

“Welcome,” was the first thing she said.

Her voice was soft and reassuring.

“Thank you,” Ambrose answered her. “Could you tell me where we’re going?”

“Anywhere but here. Fuel’s short, but we’ll make do,” she said.

As the Black Hawk lifted into the sky, clouds of dust rose up and circled in the air.

Harris, through squinted eyes, watched the helicopter fly over the grandstands and into the night.

“Well, that’s that,” he said to the two men who flew in with Gibson. “You know what, boys. It’s the twists and turns that make life so interesting. But I suppose---”

Both men then cut him down.

Harris was dead.

HOME RUN

She woke up. “What the?”

Susan was slow moving in getting to her feet. “How…” she said looking about; the Dead were closing in.

“I must have had a catnap.”

Steve immediately ran to Kathy and embraced her.

“I knew you’d make it,” she said.

Steve held her firmer. “Are you all right, Tyler?” Steve queried.

Tyler shrugged.

“You’ll have to stop her. I can scarcely walk, let alone run,” he said and then told Steve the key code. Tyler knew he wouldn’t be able to race Susan to the firehouse.

His life was in Steve’s hands.

“Run, Steve, don’t let her beat you!” Kathy said.

“I’ll only be a minute.”

“Just go and stop her.”

And he ran.

Susan saw him running toward the firehouse as a collective moan from the Dead filled the air. They must have scented blood.

Susan started to run too.

Moments later, the creatures behind the razor wire capped fence, using their weight in numbers, forced the neglected fence to bend, and shake.

Tyler and Kathy turned as they heard the sound of twisting metal and saw the fence plunge to the ground.

“We have to move faster!” Tyler urged as he saw more of the Dead walk toward them from all directions.

Steve remained focused though, and ran, paying no attention to the sound of the fallen fence.

He was running faster than he ever thought possible.

Susan now began to feel a genuine sense of panic.

This isn’t fair. I can’t lose now, not so close to the end.

She raised her gun and fired.

BOOM!

Steve kept approaching.

She missed.

The blood from her head wound began to flow down her forehead.

Steve was gaining ground; the creatures were getting closer, and the firehouse...

“I can do this!” she said to herself as she ran.

She glimpsed back once more and raised the gun. BOOM!

She missed.

“FUCK!”

She carried on running.

Steve followed.

Tyler and Kathy trailed behind.

More creatures approached, rambling in from all quarters. Some of the Dead appeared as if they were moving faster, especially, the children, but their reanimated bodies were only more harmonized.

She fired her gun at one of the Undead children.

She missed. Another bullet was gone.

I can’t have too many bullets remaining.

She placed her head down, and pumped her legs harder, faster.

Steve was gaining on her.

With her shooting and constantly missing, she was slowly losing ground.

“Run, Steve, run!”

It was Tyler.

I can do this, Steve thought.

I can beat her!

The door was close now. Susan could hear Steve following her with his heavy breathing and boots thudding.

She glanced back.

He was very close.

The Dead that had broken down the fence were hurrying forward and gaining ground. Tyler looked back. We might beat them to the door if we can keep moving.

“Keep it up, Kathy. You can do this.”

Kathy groaned in pain, but refused to give in. Tyler wasn’t sure if she was going to make it.

“You’re doing fine, Kathy. Keep moving.”

Susan reaffirmed her tight grip on the Colt as she reached the door and rapidly inputted the code.

1 (beep)

2 (beep)

2 (beep)

7 (beep)

# (beep)

Green light.

The door unlocked.

Susan yanked down on the handle and swung the door open.

“Bye. I’ll be sure to leave the head,” Susan said as she aimed from the open door.

BOOM!

She missed once more.

“Fuck it. You can all rot outside. I need the ammo!” she said and shut the door.

Steve rammed into the door recklessly, the recoil knocking him suddenly to the ground.

“Oh, no!” Tyler heard Steve shout as he struck the door.

“Use the code,” Tyler said.

“It’s locked.”

“Just use the fucking code, Steve!”

1 (beep)

2 (beep)

2 (beep)

7 (beep)

# (beep)

Red light.

“It’s locked!”

Steve tried it again. She must have locked it physically from the inside.

1 (beep)

2 (beep)

2 (beep)

7 (beep)

# (beep)

Red light. Steve turned around and leaned back on the door. Looking to his left and right, he saw that the creatures were just about to swarm them. He closed his eyes, but opened them once more when Kathy’s hand caressed his face.

She appeared pale, but she was still his Kathy.

Tyler reached out his hand and shook Steve’s.

“Sorry,” Tyler said.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Steve replied as Kathy, without notice, passed out in his arms.

Which was most likely a blessing, thought Steve as he estimated the number of Dead walking toward them.

“There must be one hundred or more,” Steve said.

“That’s distinctly possible,” answered Tyler.

The closest Undead snatched at Tyler who pushed it away.

Then another attempted to take hold of Steve’s arm…

It was the end.

UNENDING

The firehouse door unexpectedly swung open.

It was Susan. She was standing alone, her gun still clasped in her hand.

“You have to help me,” she said. “I don’t have any more bullets and there’s something in here.”

Both men looked at each other in astonishment.

“Do it,” Steve said.

Tyler cocked back his fist and then punched Susan in the face.

The End