The Dead Live On (27 page)

     
Ethan and Angel formed a tight friendship and loved each other as innocently as only children can love. They could not be parted short of bath and bedtime. Angel was no longer afraid to sleep alone and her speech had improved since the emergence of her new teeth. Ethan sprouted up over three inches in height and bragged about how tall he was going to be when he grew up.

     
Holidays were celebrated with small feasts and the children’s birthdays were celebrated with the activity of their choice. It had been a calm and peaceful year. And so came the time to discuss their future plans as the day of release grew near.

Plans of building their own homes and beginning new lives were at the top of the list as well as hunts for supplies. They would need to continue to use the resources of the facilities to sustain them until other arrangements above could be made and concerns about the safety of the soil arose. By this time, all should be
well, but they were skeptic because O’Dey hadn’t had the time to complete the necessary extensive research required to be sure of any permanent effects.

    
Dr. Richards had discussed with them the conclusions he had come to concerning the infection. He discovered that victims with flesh wounds such as small bite, tears and scratches or contact with blood, vomit, sweat and other bodily fluids were the ones who ended up becoming an Abled Infected. The virus was slowly took hold as it was being processed through the blood stream and caused flu like symptoms as well as nausea. Other effects included increased anger, involuntary actions and a craving for flesh up until the moment their heart stops, at which time they would transform into the slower, more docile infected.

     The
victims that had been inflicted with larger bites and fatal wounds caused by an infected, would first suffer a mortal death and reawaken as an infected. Slow by nature but at times all infected could get a burst of speed and quickly leap towards their victim if within reach.

    
Those that died from causes other than infection and without brain injury only arose if they had been in the presence of an infected for an extended period of time by inhaling the toxins that the bodies gave off as a result of decomposition and lingering bacteria from the excretions that clung to them after their mortal death. However, he could not come up with a reason for their seeming to understand things and express emotion. Hopefully, this would be all useless information once they made it above ground.

     
A week before the lock was scheduled to disengage, it was decided that Jack, Kate and Richard would be the first ones to go out and assess the situation. They would cover the area within a five mile radius and may be gone for more than a day. Kate packed survival kits for each of them, containing food rations, small fire arms and ammo among other needed supplies to take along, and sat them in the hall below the exit.

    
As the last few days passed, Montgomery reverted back to being snobbish and keeping to himself once again. The rest of the group thought that it was nerves and anxiousness about the opening of the doors. In reality, he was making plans to be in charge as he always desired to be.

Chapter Forty

October 6
th
2015

“Well, tonight’s the night,” Jack said as he walked into the dining area. “You have everything ready to go?”

     
“Yes, it’s waiting at the door. I hope we don’t need any of it. If this worked like O’Dey said it would, then we have nothing to be afraid of.” Kate continued eating and looked over at Angel, who hadn’t even touched her plate.

     
“Hey, are you okay?” Kate asked her and Angel looked down at the floor.

     
“I don’t think you should go outside,” she said looking up into Kate’s eyes. Kate became a little worried because Angel had always been correct when she would say these types of things. So Kate asked her, “Why not?”

     
“I don’t know. I just don’t want you to. Let Mr. Mason go instead.” Angel said whispering for she didn’t want him to hear her.

     
“Mr. Mason is going to stay here with Pat and watch over you two. Now finish your breakfast, everything will be fine.” Having had her fill, Kate excused herself from the table and left to finish preparing for the night ahead. The lock wouldn’t disengage until 3:44 a.m., there was plenty of time to squeeze in a workout and a nap.

     
After dinner, Pat had taken the children to bed and everyone else gathered in the main living area. Jack, ever present behind the bar and Kate sat on the other side. Pat and Dr. Richards sat at the small table in the corner and Montgomery sat on the couch. Dr. Richards had gotten an apple for an after dinner snack and like to slice his pieces off one at a time. In between bites he said, “So, are we ready for this? Do you think they’ve been eradicated?”

    
“We can only hope so. I think that it probably did some good, but how much is the question. It may be a while before we can determine it safe to inhabit. Luckily there are so many supplies here. We’ll be able to live off of this stuff until we know for sure. Once we do, we are free to build.”

    
“And the first house will be built for me.” Montgomery added. Everyone’s eyes turned to him. “What? You don’t agree?”

    
“Actually the plan is to build one big house for now. There will be plenty of time to build individual houses later.”

    
“No, I said the first house will be mine. I am the President and I deserve precedence over your needs.”

    
“Montgomery,” said Dr. Richards. “Where is all this coming from? I thought you changed.”

    
“Changed from what? I just made our time more pleasant by pretending to be a nice guy. Did you really think that was going to last?” He asked Dr. Richards.

    
“I should have known it wouldn’t. You were heartless enough to throw your own wife to the infected to save yourself, I don’t know why I thought that you would be any different, but I did. My mistake,” he said while glaring at him.

    
“You threw your wife to the zombies? What a piece of shit! Let me guess… she was the one I shot to save your worthless life. I’m sorry that I took her revenge from her.” Kate screamed at him. Ignoring Kate, he continued to speak, “Indeed, Dr. Richards. Indeed. Now, I will hold the lovely Pat and those bothersome children, hostage until your return. If there is any foul play, I will shoot them all.” Montgomery pulled a pistol from his jacket.

“All weapons were supposed to be locked up in Dr. Richard’s office to keep them away from the children. Why didn’t you turn it in?” Jack asked.

    
“You didn’t think that I would give up my only form of protection, did you? How silly. Now, how long before the door opens?”

“Ethan.”

      “What, Angel.”

     
“I need you to go to Kate’s room with me,” she whispered.

     
“For what? You know we’re not allowed in there.”

     
“I gotta get something. It’s really important! Please come?”

     
“Okay. Let’s make it fast.” Ethan threw the covers off of him and met her at the door. He slowly opened it to peer into the hall, making sure it was clear and took Angel by the hand. They quickly entered Kate’s room which was right beside theirs and shut the door. Angel went directly to the night stand beside Kate’s bed and opened the drawer.

“I’ll get the bullets and you get the gun,” she said to Ethan.

      “Gun! No way, Ang
umpff
” he yelled and she slapped her hand over his mouth.

     
“Be quiet!”

      
Ethan picked up the unloaded gun and Angel grabbed the three clips that lay beside it. They quietly snuck back to their room. Having seen Kate do it several times before, Angel quickly loaded the clip into the gun.

     
“What are you doing? That’s dangerous!” Ethan protested. “Kate is gonna kill us for messing with that, not to mention what Dad and Pat are going to say!”

    
“Just be quiet Ethan and trust me,” she said while putting the gun in the drawer of their own nightstand and got back into bed.

   
“We’re gonna be in so much trouble. And I am NOT taking the blame for you. Man!” Ethan complained as he climbed back in bed as well.

   
“We would be in trouble if we didn’t have it. Now we wait.”

   
“Wait for what? You got E.S.P. or something? I mean you know all this stuff.”

   
“What’s E.S.P.?” she asked him.

   
“When you know the future and it hasn’t happened yet. You can tell what’s going to happen.”

   
“No, I don’t have that. I can’t tell what is going to happen, but I do know things and I don’t know how I know. It’s like a dream sometimes, while my eyes are open and I just see pictures of things. I saw Montgomery’s face before I knew him, it made me scared, so I knew I should be scared when I met him. The gun is a picture, too. It is like a puzzle. I will see things and have to try to understand what they mean. Sometimes, the pictures come too late. It’s all very complicated.”

    
Ethan was very impressed with her manner of speaking and her use of the word complicated. He smiled bright at her, “You’ve been around me too long. I’m a pretty good teacher.” He was proud of himself for doing something good, he had worked with her all year long and it was paying off.

    
“Ethan, I don’t know if we’re going to be okay.”

    
“Why?”  Ethan no sooner asked the question than they heard a shot ring out.

Chapter Forty One

The hour seemed to pass slowly and Jack couldn’t take anymore of Montgomery’s selfish ramblings. All the talk about presiding over a non-existent government was getting on his nerves. He wracked his brain trying to figure out a way to get to him before he could hurt anyone and came up with noting. All their weapons were secure besides the ones in the bags waiting for them in the hall. They couldn’t get to them and he hated that Montgomery held the upper hand. Finally growing tired of it, he marched up to Montgomery and gave him a piece of his mind.

   
“You sniveling little bastard! Do you think that pointing your gun at me intimidates me? I’ll break your fucking neck! You don’t have the guts to shoot me!”

   
“Yes, I do Jack. You have three seconds to step away from me or I will shoot.” Montgomery calmly responded. Jack remained still and would not move as Montgomery counted down from three. When he got to one and Jack was still standing in his face, he shot him once in the gut and once more in the head after he fell. Kate scrambled to his crumpled body, Dr. Richards moved to disarm Montgomery but he was too far away. Montgomery spun and aimed his pistol at him and ordered him to get down on his knees and face the wall. Pat remained in her seat but had palmed the knife that Dr. Richards had been slicing his apple with. Kate was told to sit beside her.

   
“Okay, ladies. I guess we’ll all go out together. Once I take care of this nuisance,” he said pointing to Dr. Richards. “We’ll all have a great time if you just co-operate. Now, Pat. I am going to give you a choice. You can either sit and watch while I kill this man, that I KNOW you’ve been fucking. Or, you can die with him. Which is it?”

   
“I choose to die with him.” She responded in a strong voice. Dr. Richards turned to protest and Montgomery put the gun to his head and forced him to face the wall.

   
“Then come and take your place beside him.” He held out his arm in a sweeping gesture and invited her by. Pat rose from the table with her arms down at her sides, the knife now pressed against her leg and as she passed him, he turned to speak to Kate and Pat seized the opportunity and swiftly buried it in his thigh, causing him to scream and fall to the floor. She fell on top of him and struggled to get the gun away and Dr. Richards crawled to help but it was too late. The gun went off, taking half of Pat’s skull with it, blood and bone rained down into Montgomery’s face. A second later he turned the gun on Dr. Richards just as Kate moved in behind him to stop him from getting off another shot. But again, he managed to fire another round hitting Dr. Richards between the eyes.

     
Kate grabbed him by the wrist and slammed his hand until the gun skittered across the floor, and she began raining heavy blows down on his head. Knowing that she would beat him to death unless he could get her off of him, he pulled the knife from his leg and jammed it deep unto her left side, over and over until she rolled off of him, winded and bleeding. He forced himself up on his knees and was about to slam the knife down into her face when he heard a noise behind him.

He stood and listened for a moment, not hearing anything else he turned his attention back to Kate.