Knight Terrors: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale (16 page)

     “If you pray, Mr. Knight, you should start.  I’m sending them to the closest medical center I know of.  I’m sending them to Roper Hospital in downtown.  It’s possible none of them will make it back.”

     I struggled to get at him while he smiled and walked away.  Tracie saw the exchange and walked over.

     “Get Tabby and John over here.  Quick as you can.”  In a few minutes they were back.

     “Mr. Knight,” said John.  “I’m sorry about what happened.  We were just so angry after Keith died saving you…”

     “John, there’s no time for that.  Did they give you a full kit?  All your ammo?  Your blades.”

     They both nodded.

     “Okay, listen closely.  Something is going to happen.  He picked the two of you because of me and Tom but he’s sending you downtown to Roper.”  Tabby’s face sank at that.  “I don’t know if he plans to leave you behind to die or if they’re going to try to kill you outright.  You have to keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel.”

     They both nodded.

     “John,” I looked around as best I can before continuing.  “If you think you can take them without endangering Tabby, you do it.  Understand?”

     “Yes, sir.”

     “Good man.  Tabby, use your head.  If you need to run, you run.  If youy need to hide, then you hide.  You both have radios?  Extra batteries?”

     “Yeah,” said John.  “It was part of the kit.”

     “Hold onto them.  Things go south, listen to channel three.  Got it?”  They both nodded.

     “Five minutes,” Tyler yelled from near the door.

     “I don’t know how yet,” I said quietly.  “ But we are coming for you if you don’t come back.  I love you Tabby.  I’m proud of the young woman you’ve become.  Your mom would be proud, too.”

     “I love you, too Daddy.”  She hugged me as best she could.  John grabbed my hand.

     “I’ll keep her safe, Ryan.”

     “Good luck.” 

     And like that they were out the door and out of sight.  And I cried.  I’d already lost Sam.  I couldn’t lose Tabby.

     Lois came over after a bit to check on my bandages.  The pain receptors were back on.  Every touch sent waves of pain through me.

     “You want something for the pain?” she asked.

     “As long as it doesn’t last more than six hours,” I replied.  She cocked her head.

     “You have a plan?” she asked.

     “Nope, I’m relying on Tony and your son.  But, if I were you, I’d be ready for something to happen after dark.”  She nodded.

     “About time,” she said.  I agreed.

     Roughly two hours after the boat left a call came in over the radio.  I could hear the noise but not the words.  Suspiciously, Captain Rendina began moving towards me as soon as the radio crackled.  Almost as if he knew what was coming.

     “Say again your last” he said.

     “We were surrounded,” Tyler was saying over the radio.  “The hospital was just packed full of zombies.  We got some supplies.”

     By now, most of the camp was gathering around us.

     “But we suffered casualties.  Tabitha and John didn’t make it.”

     I immediately lost it, twisting and struggling to get out of the pillory.  Rendina’s remaining two shadows drew their weapons.  It took three people to restrain Mike.  I’m sure he would’ve killed Rendina and died in the process.  Karen collapsed on the ground still holding onto the crying Malcolm.  Beth and Tracie went to her.  I couldn’t see Tom but I could hear him cry out.

     My wife and now my daughter.  Both deaths preventable.  Both deaths caused by humans.  One when we were forced from our home.  And the other infiltrated our new home.  Rendina knelt down in front of me.

     “I am truly sorry for your loss, Mr. Knight.”  The fact that he almost sounded sincere made it worse.

     “You will not live to see the end of this, I promise on the life of my daughter that you have taken from me.  I will kill you and you will die slowly.  I promise.”

     “You only have yourself to blame…”

     “Fuck you.  You sound like some fucking dictator.  Get out of my face.”

     I will leave you in your grief.  But, remember how we got here.”

     Moments later the group converged on me.  Emotions were raging and Karen was the worst.

     “Karen,” I called to her.  “Karen, take my hand.”  She did but couldn’t control her crying.

     “Tracie, don’t be obvious but I need to know if we’re alone.”

     She stood up and pretended to look for something in her pockets.

     “No, we’re good.”

     “I don’t think they’re dead.”  My statement unleashed another wave of emotion.  Everyone was trying to speak.

     “Shhh,” I said.  “He could’ve killed me today in front of all of you to make a point.  He didn’t.  He could’ve just lined John and Tabby up and shot them.  He didn’t.  No, I think he had Tyler and Ben leave them downtown.”

     “You can’t be sure of that,” said Tony.  “I don’t want you to get your hopes up for nothing.”

     “I know, Tony.  But Tabby’s alive.  I know it.”

     “So what do we do about it?” asked Tracie.

     “We’re leaving.  Tony and Mike have a plan.  Get with them.  Don’t be obvious.  We need to look defeated.  And be careful who you tell.”

     They all nodded and moved away except for Tracie and Pat.

     “I don’t think Tom can move,” said Pat.  “It’ll kill him.”

      “You’re gonna have to talk to him.  Make a decision.  I want you and Willie to come with us.  I fear for your safety after we go.  Talk to Tom then let Tony or Mike know.”  Pat turned to leave but I continued.  “Tell Tom that I’m sorry I let him down.”

     “It wasn’t you, Ryan.  We failed you, not the other way around.”

     Tracie waited until Pat left then took my hand.

     “I’ve listened to Tony and Mike hash this out.  They don’t think we can get either door open without making too much noise.  That means over the wall.  Ryan, I don’t think I can do that:  Not in my condition.  I’m a little pregnant if you hadn’t noticed.”

     “I noticed.  But, you’re coming with us.  So, you’d better be ready.”

     She nodded.

     “Do you really think Tabby is alive?” she asked.

     “Yeah, they’re alive.”

      When the boat got back, Tyler and Ben were let in each carrying a few bags of medical supplies.  They went right over to Rendina.   He definitely did not looked pleased with what was said.  But, from my vantage point I could not tell why.  A ball of dread filled my stomach.  Was he not pleased because they were alive?  Did something go wrong and they really were dead?  There was no way to tell.  It was a bitter pill to swallow; the waiting.  But he wasn’t going to tell me anyway.

     I ate a little dinner, brought by Karen.  She wanted me to tell her again that I thought Tabby was alive.  I did.  But the part about Rendina being upset I kept to myself.  I had no appetite.  And it’s really difficult to eat when you’re in the pillory.  But, I figured that I’d need the energy later.

     Tony came by to see me right before dark.

     “Pat wants to stay.  She wants to stay with Tom but I also think she’s scared.  Karen is working on her because of little William.  Tom doesn’t want her to stay either so he’s working on her, too.  Tracie, on the other hand…”

     “Tracie comes with us.  Figure it out.  And don’t think I’m leaving without Thor either.”

     He nodded and walked off.

     A light appeared behind me which startled me at first.  Then Lois appeared.  As she changed my bandages, she asked about the pain level.

     “I don’t want any more painkillers,” I said.

     “Think for a minute.  You might have to move quickly or quietly and you can’t do either very well if you’re in pain.”

     In the end, I agreed to take half a pill.  She was right but I also wanted my wits about me.  It was a good compromise.

     Turns out that even if you wanted to sleep, it’s not going to happen in the pillory.  If you let your head down the weight of your head pushed your neck against the wood cutting off your air and circulation

      The reality of what was going on suddenly hit me and I almost laughed.  Here we were, safe at the fort.  Safe from the zombies, of all things.  Now, we’ve been taken over by a military dictator.  I’m in an actual pillory.  And now, we were about to escape. .  It would be a long night waiting to break out of Fort Sumter.  Just another day in a world gone mad, I suppose.

     It got cold standing there on the parade grounds when the sun went down.  I think it was Jerry who stood watch for the first part of the evening.  He’s the one who climbed down about 3am and got into his sleeping bag.  Tyler had gone up a few minutes before to take the next watch.  Everything was quiet and still.  The loudest noise was the waves crashing onto the rocks around the fort.  I thought a couple of times that I could hear the lines for the boats creaking.

     My watch claimed it was 4am when I thought I glimpsed a shadow moving off to my left.  I couldn’t be sure.  It took all the strength I could find in my soul not to turn and look that way.  If there was someone looking at me they would look too.  Fifteen minutes later I heard a slight scraping noise coming from high behind me.  It was killing me that I couldn’t see up there.  A few more minutes later the sound was right behind me.  Either it was one of my people or I was about to be murdered.

     “I’m sorry Ryan.”  It was Mike.  “I had to kill him.  I don’t have any drugs and I couldn’t risk him waking up.”  I could barely hear what he was saying.

     “Get the others moving,” I whispered.  “It’ll be obvious if I’m gone.”  He pressed. Tyler’s handgun in my hand and left

     I silently wished him luck.  I couldn’t see much but I knew people were moving.  In the cloudy night I could see Mike walking ever so slowly with a ladder from the front near the door to the side where we had driven the nails for defense.  Getting silently over that wall was going to be tricky.  One wrong step drives a nail through your foot.  It would be impossible to remain silent if that happened.  I saw the ladder go up and over very slowly.  Amazingly it made no noise when Mike sat it down.  I thought maybe Tony went over first.  Then it looked like Mike handed something to him.  Thor!  It was Thor.

     My heart was beating so hard in my chest that I thought it would wake Rendina up.  The anticipation was horrendous.  I could barely stand it.  The entire escape was dependent on slowly doing this difficult thing over and over.  One slip up and the noise would wake up the bad guys and they still outgunned us.

     Karen, then Mal I think.  Beth, Pat then Willie.  Or was it Mal.  Justin then Mary.  Then Tracie.  Mike helped guide her.  Each step was difficult as she climbed and tried to be quiet.  She made it up to the top of the wall, I could see her silhouette.  And then, guided still by Mike, she turned and very gently stepped onto the ladder.  I thought I could see someone on the ladder helping her down.

     Lois and Mike appeared by my side just a moment later.  I could tell that Mike was unscrewing the hinge that held the wood down on me.  It didn’t take long.

     Lois placed a gun in my free hand.  It was my Glock.  I had hidden it under a couple of bricks underneath my bedding.

     “Tom has John’s gun and Tabby’s knife.  He’s awake and watching us,” Mike whispered.  “He’ll cover us if something bad happens.”

     I tried to stand and found that I could with Mike and Lois’ help.  But not without extreme pain.  The wounds on my back were screaming.  They had been in the same position for hours and the moving of the skin caused much distress.  To make things worse, my ankle was not fully healed and hadn’t moved much all day.  It was stiff, painful and uncooperative.  It felt like it was taking forever to get to the ladder.

     “Lois first,” I whispered.

     Lois went up quietly and stepped over.  But no one was holding the ladder at the bottom.  It slid against the rocks and fell.  And it was loud.

     Mike climbed up the ruins and jumped over.  As he did, shots rang out from behind me.  Rounds went over the wall where Mike had just been.  Some impacted on the bricks near me, showering me with debris.  I could hear Rendina shouting instructions to his men.  More shots impacted near me.  I was sure they’d find their target.  Then more shots rang out.  Closer this time.  Tom!  He was returning fire.  Even the best trained people in the world will shoot back at whatever is shooting at them.  It’s instinct.  Tom’s fire was giving me a break to escape.  I started climbing the ruins.  My ankle screamed at me to stop.  My back screamed at me to stop.  And the whole time I knew that my daughter was out there somewhere and I had to get to her.

     Looking down from the top of the wooden wall, I could see that Mike had righted the ladder.  He was climbing up to help me and paused to fire a few rounds from his handgun.  I stepped over onto the ladder and he grabbed me and steadied my decsent.  I do not enjoy heights and my ankle was slowing me up.  Normally I’d jump down but that wasn’t possible.  It seemed to take forever.  We tossed the ladder aside and  started for the boat.