The Dead in River City (9 page)

15

Alan returned to the creaky elevator and took it to
the medical bay to find Kendra. The floor was mostly quiet, the only noise
coming from the people in the medical bay. As Alan entered the room, he saw
Kendra sitting in one of the chairs close to the wall. Her face lit up as she
saw Alan. She now had a makeshift cast on her arm from where she’d landed from
her fall. Alan walked over to her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

“I’m glad you’re ok.” He said, wrapping her in his
embrace.

“The doctors and nurses said I would be ok.
Everything is stable enough, despite them not having very many supplies.”
Kendra said. “I’m glad you’re finally here.”

“Me too.” He replied quietly.

“Did you find anything about Malcolm?”

“A little, yes.” He said. “Robert pointed me in
direction of two residents of Refuge. I spoke with both of them, and they each
gave me some information.”

“Anything useful?” She asked.

“Well, one of them said that Malcolm could
definitely control the Dead Ones.” He replied. “The other told me about her
experience and I think there’s more to Malcolm than meets the eye. I think he’d
been experimenting on people long before the bombs fell.”

“Experimenting?” She asked, confused.

“Yes. I think he might be connected to the creation
of the Dead Ones.” Alan answered.

In that moment, both of them sincerely hoped that
Malcolm Graves had perished at the library.

“So are you cleared to leave?” Alan asked her.

“Yep. They already told me I could go. I was just
waiting for you.” She replied.

“So I guess the question is where to go now.” Alan
thought aloud.

“What do you mean?” Kendra asked. “Did Mr. Vaughan
not tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Alan answered.

“He’s given us a room here in Refuge, for as long as
we need it.” She explained. “He stopped by a little bit ago and told me so. All
he asked is that we help the Refuge militia in the event of an attack.”

“That is very generous of him. I’ll have to thank
him for it later.” Alan said, caught off guard by the act of generosity. “Where
is the room?”

“Mr. Vaughan told me our room was on floor 15. He
said he’d come by later this evening to check on us.” She confirmed.

“Let’s get going then.” Alan spoke, helping Kendra
out of the chair.

Alan and Kendra walked side by side, with her good
hand held in his. Hand in hand, they made their way to the old elevator. They
stepped inside, and we the only two souls inside. The doors closed, the button
for 15 was pressed, and instantly, Alan and Kendra’s lips connected with a
kiss. It was a kiss full of the love that they shared, augmented with the
passionate flame of newfound adoration.

A few moments later, the kiss broke, and words
flowed from Alan’s mouth.

“I was so worried about you. I’m glad we got you
taken care of.”

“You really do care about me, don’t you?” She
replied, wrapping her arms around Alan.

“Always.” He told her, holding her tight.

They kissed again, and to both of them, it felt just
like falling. That is, until the realized that they actually were falling.

The elevator than Alan had been so paranoid about
had finally given in. It was falling approximately 9 floors, and time felt like
it had slowed to a crawl. He didn’t scream, and neither did she. Instead they
both looked to their instincts to save them. In the enclosed space of the
elevator, there was nothing to save them. Realizing this, Alan held Kendra
close, and tried to protect her from the impact.

The elevator hit the ground floor with a crash. Alan
was a bit jarred but more or less ok. Kendra was protected fairly well by Alan.
She was shaken, but unharmed. They could hear the voices on the other side of
the heavy elevator door. It sounded like they were trying to pry open the door,
but Alan and Kendra could do nothing from their side. It seemed that they would
just have to wait to be rescued.

Alan slowly released Kendra from his embrace, and
lowered himself to the elevator floor along with her.

“Looks like we’ll be waiting awhile.” Alan told her.

“That’s ok. Gives us more time to do this.” She
said, moving in to kiss him.

Alan had no time to respond. Kendra’s lips made
contact with his and he became lost in the kiss. Just days ago, they were
little more than partners in survival. Now, she’d learned to trust him, and was
beginning to love him. He couldn’t deny that he felt the same for her. He was
still afraid of hurting her, given her past, but the fear was subdued. Instead,
the main feeling was just the warmth of being near each other, and the comfort
of not being alone. It’s funny how people fall in love so easily when the whole
world has collapsed around them.

They sat in the enclosed elevator, kissing and idly
listening to the voices on the other side of the door. From what they could
tell, one of the cables had broken, causing them to fall. The power was still
good, explaining the elevator lights still functioning. According to the voices
of the people outside, Mr. Vaughan was on his way down with a solution to get
them out. At that point, Alan stopped listening. He was having too much fun
kissing Kendra.

Alan wasn’t sure how long it had been, but
eventually they heard what sounded like a piece of machinery. The heard the
sound of the metal collapsing and folding in on itself. Whatever Mr. Vaughan
was using, it seemed to be doing the trick. After a few minutes, the door was
finally opening. The door looked completely ruined, like it had been cut apart
and forced open. Alan helped Kendra step out of the elevator before coming out.

“Alan, Kendra, I’m so sorry about all this.” Robert
Vaughan spoke.

“Oh, that’s alright, Mr. Vaughan.” Kendra replied.
“We’re just happy to be unharmed.”

“I’m thankful we had these hydraulic tools, or else
who knows how long it would’ve taken to retrieve you.” Vaughan said.

“Can you show us to the staircase? We’d like to get
to our room.” Alan interjected.

“Ah, of course.” Vaughan said in his baritone voice.
“Just down that way, to the right.” Vaughan pointed towards the staircase.

“Thank you, Mr. Vaughan.” Alan said. “Let’s get
going.” He instructed Kendra to follow.

They made their way to the staircase, which was
admittedly small. Alan enjoyed the sturdiness of the stairs compared to the
unstable elevator, but a part of him hoped that the elevator could be fixed.
Climbing 11 flights of stairs was anything but fun. They ascended the grey
staircase up the floor 11, and exited the door.

Floor 11 looked like all the other floors he’d
visited. They all looked like they once housed offices, but had been overhauled
by the residents of Refuge. Some rooms had bathrooms, and some had little more
than a mattress. Most rooms had some working lights, but some had been burnt
out over time. Mr. Vaughan and his administration did the best they could with
what they had, but they could only stretch things so far. Even with sending out
salvage parties, resources were thin.

They found their room on the 11
^th
floor.
Outside the door, a man stood, with a small box. He spoke as Alan and Kendra
came nearer.

“I’ve been waiting for you.” The man said. “This box
contains gifts from Mr. Vaughan.”

“Thank you.” Alan said, taking the box from the man.

“Enjoy your room, and welcome to Refuge.” The man
said, walking away.

They entered their room and flipped the light
switch. The lights were mostly functional, with only a few being burned out.
The walls were neutrally colored and the carpet was the same. There was little
more than a mattress in the room, but it would suffice. After all, you couldn’t
be too picky during a zombie apocalypse. Alan walked over and placed the box on
the bed while Kendra followed him. Both sat on the bed, and they readied to
open the box.

The first thing they noticed in the box was a note.

Alan and Kendra,

This box holds gifts for
you, as a welcome to our community. We know you came here with nothing, and we
wanted to fix that. We hope you feel at home here.

-Robert Vaughan

After the note, they looked in the box and found
their gifts. The first gift was a pair of revolvers, each identical to the
other. The second gift was a small belt of throwing knives. The third and final
gift was something unexpected; a pair of plain rings. The rings had no
adornments, and were simple silver bands. Attached to the rings was a second
note.

P.S. You two have a special
connection. May these ever remind you of that connection.

Alan and Kendra each took one of the revolvers, and
split the space ammo from the bottom of the box. Kendra took the throwing
knives for herself. Then, in a quirky, romantic gesture, Alan and Kendra placed
the rings on each other, and shared another kiss. It wasn’t marriage, but it
was definitely something.

Alan pushed the box off the mattress and moved their
gifts to the floor. He helped Kendra ease back, being careful of her arm. He
lay beside her and they held each other and kissed. They let the rest of the
day melt away, and appreciated the rest they would get at Refuge. For once they
actually had a break without danger. For once, they could actually sleep at the
same time.

In that room, on that solitary mattress, Alan and
Kendra held each other through the night. Neither one of them had ever slept so
soundly.

16

It wasn’t the morning sun that woke them up, nor was
it the stirring of either one of them in bed. Instead it was the sounds of
muffled panic coming from outside the room. Beyond the walls of their room,
doors slammed, people screamed, and gunshots could be heard outside the
building. Alan and Kendra awoke to a community filled with sheer panic.

Alan awoke first, and quickly moved to rouse Kendra.
She woke up not at first realizing what was going on. Listening carefully, she
was able to piece it together, the same as Alan did.

“We need to figure out what’s going on.” Kendra
said, looking at Alan.

“Stay here, I’ll handle it.” Alan replied, going for
his new revolver.

“Stay Here?” Kendra sounded offended. “I’m going
with you!”

“Kendra, your arm is broken. You should rest. I
don’t want you to risk damaging it more.”

“My arm is broken. I am not.” She said, adamantly
defending her decision to tag along.

Alan knew there was no stopping her. In a way he
admired that about her. “Come on then, let’s go see what the hell is going on
here.”

Kendra armed herself with the revolver, leaving the
throwing knives for later. The both of them left the room, looking to find the
answer as to what was happening. The noises were less muffled than when they
were in the room, but they still sounded far away. Alan and Kendra moved
through the halls of floor 11 to the stairwell. Every step towards the
stairwell revealed that much of the noise was coming from there.

Reaching the stairwell, they realized that many
citizens of Refuge now populated the stairwell. Among the shouting, Alan heard
phrases such as ‘dead attack’ and ‘undead horde’. He now had an idea as to what
was happening.

“We need to find a window, now.” Alan said, turning
to Kendra.

“There’s a big window on the other side of this
floor.” Kendra remembered. “Let’s go there.”

Kendra led the way to the window as Alan followed.
If his suspicions were true, then everyone in the stairwells was either heading
upstairs to shelter, or downstairs to fight. Reaching the window, the very
thing Alan feared was confirmed to be true. 11 floors down, on the street, a
large horde of Dead Ones gathered, as if prepared to turn Refuge into rubble.

The horror on Alan’s face was undeniable, and Kendra
felt little more than pure, unadulterated fear. They both knew that it was only
a matter of time before they were attacked here. A horde of this size was
generally unheard of. Both Alan and Kendra knew in their hearts that Malcolm
Graves had survived, and that he had found them.

“We need to find Mr. Vaughan. NOW!” Kendra said, her
eyes unwavering from the sight of the horde.

Alan was way ahead of her. He was already making his
way back to the cramped staircase. Kendra followed him to the stairs, and they
began to make their way up, hoping that Mr. Vaughan was in his quarters where
he had been the day before.

The staircase was more akin to a tin of sardines
than anything else. There was little empty space to be found, and people pushed
other people constantly. Alan and Kendra needed to make it up 4 floors, to the
15
^th
floor, where Robert Vaughan held residence. The staircase was
so packed that it took a full 10 minutes for them to reach the top. They could
only hope that Robert was still up there.

Normally the room would be guarded, but all the
people on guard duty were downstairs, preparing to fight off the innumerable
horde. Alan pushed open to door to the 15
^th
floor, which was little
more than an open space. Looking around the room, He and Kendra noticed that
Robert Vaughan had been quite a collector of weaponry. His quarters looked more
like an armory than a dwelling. The room held guns galore, but Robert was
nowhere to be seen.

“Robert?” Alan called out.

“Mr. Vaughan?” Kendra joined him.

Only a mysterious voice responded. “Robert isn’t
able to talk now. I’d be happy to give him a message though.” The voice mocked
them.

No sooner did the voice sound out, the door to Mr.
Vaughan’s quarters slammed shut, and out of the shadows stepped the elusive
Malcolm Graves, holding Robert at gunpoint. Alan almost didn’t recognize him at
first. He now wore a plain white bandana around his head in the shape of a
headband, covering the eye that Alan had shot during the escape from the
library. Malcolm looked rougher. He’d obviously been struggling since the
injury. Alan didn’t know how he found them, but he was ready to find out.

“You survived.” Alan quipped. “And here I thought
I’d sent you straight to hell.”

“Oh I’m sure I’ll get there eventually.” Malcolm
replied, continuing to subdue Robert. “You’ll be coming with me though.”

“What’s your game, Malcolm?” Kendra blurted out,
looking for answers.

“Ah, dear Kendra, I suppose I could divulge my plans
to you. It’s not like you can stand in my way.” Malcolm began. “I came here to
get medical attention after your boyfriend there shot me with a crossbow bolt.
I’ve been aware of Refuge for some time now, but I had yet to execute an
attack. I was given the perfect opportunity however, when you gave me that
grievous wound. I got myself inside Refuge, and then summoned my horde to the
tower. I stayed up all night, since my release from the medical bay, bringing
the horde to me. The defenses of Refuge will be torn asunder, and I will turn
every last resident into an undead pawn, obedient to my every command.”

“You’re an insane person!” Kendra shouted. “First an
obsession over a zombified girl and now this. You need to die!”

Malcolm ignored her comment. “Now, Robert, are you
going to follow my order?”

“What order?” Alan queried.

“I gave Robert here a simple choice. Either lead his
citizens into a trap of my design, resulting in a massacre, or die.” Malcolm
explained. “It’s a simple choice, Robert. I suggest you make it.”

“Don’t do it, Robert!” Kendra interjected. If you
bow to his demands, everyone gets turned into those sick creatures, including
you. He can’t be trusted to spare you. We can fight this!”

A small spark of determination shone in Robert
Vaughan’s eyes. “To hell with you, damned psychopath!” He roared.

“Sticks and stones, Mr. Vaughan.” Malcolm said.
Robert began to struggle against Malcolm’s hold on him. His struggle was
abruptly ended with a bullet to the head, ending his life.

“You bastard!” Kendra yelled as Robert’s body hit
the floor with a thud.

“Guilty as charged.” He replied. Malcolm closed his
eyes and entered a state of concentration. He held the gun pointed at Alan and
Kendra, making sure that they wouldn’t make a move towards him.

Outside, the massive horde of the dead began to
stir. Malcolm had used his control over the dead to give an attack order. The
horde was attacking. The battle for Refuge had begun.

15 floors down, on the ground level, the makeshift
fortifications of the tower were already beginning to crumble. The sheer amount
of Dead Ones made it easy for them to overrun any and all obstacles in their
path. They shambled slowly, but their strength in numbers outweighed their lack
of speed. Any citizen of Refuge who could shoot a gun was down on the first
floor, hidden in the fortifications, raining lead down upon the undead.

Malcolm had finished the attack order, and now turned
his full attention to Alan and Kendra. “The horde cometh.” He spoke, pompously.

“What are you going to do with us?” Alan asked,
doing anything to buy themselves time to come up with a plan.

“Well, for you Alan, I can’t decide whether to add
you to the horde, or just kill you now. I’m still thinking it over.” Malcolm
said. “As for you, Kendra… I’m going to make you my new plaything. Seeing as
you injured my old one, it seems fitting that I take you as a replacement.”

Kendra balled her fist. Upon hearing Malcolm’s plans
for her, she was enraged and frightened. She’d escaped being used and abused
once. She would be ready to do so again, no matter how much fear flowed through
her being. Before she knew it, she was subconsciously growling at Malcolm, gnashing
her teeth as she entered blind fury. She began to step towards Malcolm, wanting
nothing more than to crush his trachea under her heel.

A gunshot rang out, and a bullet ricocheted of the
floor just in front of Kendra. “Not another move.” Malcolm said, pointing his
gun squarely between her eyes. “Alan, you should get your girlfriend under
control. She’s liable to lose her life if she keeps that up.” He taunted.

“Can’t be done, Malcolm. She’s her own woman. I
couldn’t control her even if I wanted to.” He defended the honor of his
newfound love.

“Well then, I suppose I’ll have to show you how it’s
done!” Malcolm exclaimed. “Let’s see how defiant you feel when I’ve got her
under my thumb.”

He made a move towards Kendra, looking to subdue
her. Suddenly, just before her could get a hold on her; he was knocked to the
ground by a powerful blow on his face. Malcolm screamed in rage, as Alan stood
over him, enraged and ready to kill.

Kendra didn’t miss a beat. She pinned Malcolm to the
floor without a second thought. “Alan, get me a weapon.”

Alan did as she said. He went to one of the nearby
weapon racks and grabbed a sword. It was a katana, just like the one she’d had
before. It looked razor sharp to his eyes, and he instinctively knew that this
was the weapon he should grab. He ran the weapon over to Kendra and handed it
over.

“Nice choice.” She said to him with a slight twinkle
in her eye.

“Thought you’d like it.” He replied. “Only the best
for you.”

She smiled slightly before turning the weapon on
Malcolm. She held the blade up to his neck. “Feeling lucky, Malcolm?”

He chuckled to himself like a madman. It was as if
he had no fear of the blade held to his throat. Kendra believed that his sanity
had passed long ago. She tried her best to ignore the disturbing laughter, and
instead, focused on making Malcolm submit.

“You’re lucky I don’t kill you right now.” Kendra’s
voice was soaked in venomous fury.

“You wont kill me.” Malcolm gasped out between his
spurts of laughter. “You wouldn’t want to do that.”

“Oh, but I do. I really, really do.” She assured
him, inching the blade closer to his throat.

“I’d take her word for it.” Alan chimed in. “When
she wants something, she usually gets it.” He smirked as he spoke.

Kendra smirked slightly too. She enjoyed hearing him
talk about her like that. In fact, it only drove her closer to showing Malcolm
just what she was capable of.

Malcolm opened his mouth again. “New ring, Kendra?
Did your new man give that to you? It looks quite lovely on you.”

“Alan, give him a close up of your ring.” She said
in a flat tone.

“Oooh Alan has one too? Malcolm toyed with them. He
barely finished the sentence when Alan’s fist made contact with Malcolm’s nose.
Alan was sure he’d broken his nose, and was quite proud of it too.

“OWWWWWWW!” Malcolm howled in pain. He had blood
running from his nose. “I’ve had just about enough of you! Why don’t you both
just die?!”

It was only just then that Alan noticed that Malcolm
had a hand in his pocket. It was too late though. Before they knew it, a thick
cloud of smoke filled the room. Kendra was caught off guard and Malcolm threw
her off of him in one swift, strong movement. She landed on her back, but
managed to avoid hitting her bad arm. Alan and Kendra were basically blind
within the cloud of smoke. They called out to each other, and frantically
searched for one another. It wasn’t until the smoke cloud cleared that they
found each other. Malcolm, however, was nowhere to be found. He had escaped
when his smoke bomb enveloped the room in thick, grey smoke. Alan and Kendra
were alone in the room, and they held each other while the smoke dissipated.
Malcolm was gone, but his undead forces were still on the offensive. The battle
for Refuge was long from over.