The Plague Unto The End (21 page)

“Tourniquet,” said Tracey.

CLICK
, “Yeah, a tourniquet.  There is no blood flow to the rest of his body.  The bite is isolated.  Tracey says she doesn’t think it will cause him to turn,” I said.

PFFFF
, “Well, I’m not sitting next to him.  Who’s next?” said Matt.

We hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.  We all looked at each other and none of us wanted to be put into the same terrifying situation Sid had just gone through.  We changed our tactic now that we had moved all of the injured from the roof.  I tied the rope to the top bar on the ladder to the roof and threw the other end over the side.  After untying the harness we had just enough line to put us on the ground level.  Jim had been rock climbing before and he gave us a few tips on how to make our way down the wall.  I had never climbed over anything with a rope before.  I was more than a little concerned about falling from the roof.  Jim showed all of us a few times how to walk backwards to the edge and to hold the rope under our butts to make it easier on our hands, but it still looked scary.

“Look, the best thing to do would be for Jim to go down first so he can help bring everyone down safely,” said Tracey.

CLICK
, “Matt, we’re just about ready.  This is going to happen fast and we’re going to need both you and Curtis to cover us while we get into the van,” I said.

PFFFF
, “Well, just remember you don’t get any do-overs on this one,” said Matt.

Tracey gave her halligan to Jim.  He was built a little better to swing it around.  Jim dropped it down to the ground level so his hands would be free.  He then winked at Tracey and Beth and took up his position on the edge of the roof. 

PFFFF
, “Let’s do this and get out of here,” said Matt as the van pulled up next to the building.

Jim quickly disappeared over the side of the wall and made his way to the bottom.  He made it look so easy.  He picked up the halligan and readied himself for the carriers.  Matt got out of the van and stood covering the gap between the rear of the van and the wall and Jim stood covering the gap between the front of the van and the wall.  Curtis started to get out of the driver’s seat, but Matt told him to stay put.

“Let’s go, we don’t have all day!” yelled Jim.

I knew Jim was just trying to motivate the rest of us to take that first step, but every loud noise our group made drew more carriers to us.  Beth took up her position on the wall to go next.  She looked very nervous about going down the wall.  She dropped her mannequin arm down to the ground before trying to go over the wall.  Looking down, she appeared to become disoriented, then tripped on the ledge and fell over the side.  The rope tightened as she vanished.

I ran to the ledge and looked down to her.  She had managed to hold onto the rope and slammed into the wall about five feet below the roof.  I could see that she was struggling to breathe.  The force of her smashing into the wall must have knocked the wind out of her.

“Just keep holding on.  Breathe slowly.  You can’t work your way through this,” said Tracey, next to me.

“Hand under hand.  Start moving down the rope.  It’s not that far,” said Jim from below.

Beth began to slowly work her way down the rope while Matt and Jim had started smashing and slicing through the first few carriers moving in on the van.  Tracey stepped up to the ledge next just as Beth made it to the ground and stepped into the van.

Tracey didn’t look at all concerned.  “This is just like one of the drills the fire department practices.  Well, minus the corpses trying to eat you,” said Tracey as she jumped away from the ledge and repelled her way down the wall.

I let out a breath and thought about how close Beth had come to falling all the way to the asphalt. 
I could still go down the ladder and fight my way through
, I thought as I walked to pick up the rope.  I shook my head and stepped off of the ledge.  My backpack full of ammo made me feel very lopsided as I started sliding down the rope. About halfway down the wall it hit me: I had left the video camera on the floor of my truck.  I stopped midway and thought about climbing back up, but decided to try for it after I got down.  I stepped onto the asphalt, into a small puddle of coagulated blood, looked at Matt and shook my head.

“What, we’ve got everyone!  It’s time to get out of here!” said Matt.

“I left it in the truck.  I can’t leave without it.  I can’t!” I said as I slowly stepped backward toward the front of the store.

“What?  The truck?” said Tracey.

“No, the video camera,” said Matt, shaking his head as he started to follow me away from the van.

I took off in a sprint with my sword in hand.  With the large quantity of them in the area I didn’t have time to cautiously take on each one as they stumbled into my way.  As I rounded the corner to the front of the building I could see the sizable crowd standing in the front parking lot of the store.  The sheer number of them made me stumble for a second, but I couldn’t just let the camera go.  I stayed as close to the wall as I could and tried to shove and kick the carriers to the ground.  I could hear the mass of rotting meat starting to excite as I moved in front of the store. 
BOOM! click click BOOM!
  I could hear Matt’s shotgun cutting into the crowd, but when I glanced behind myself I couldn’t see Matt.  Part of me wanted to run back and make sure he was okay, but every second I wasted added to the size of the horde.

I turned back to face the front of the store just in time to see that one of them was standing directly in my path.  I tried to quickly slice into its skull, but I was too close.  I tumbled to the ground on top of the corpse and the force of my attempt at swinging my sword caused me to throw my sword about ten feet in front of me.  I rolled over and saw that I had crushed the carrier’s skull with my knee when I fell.  I scrambled to my feet and shoved two more carriers out of the way to pick up my sword.  As I picked it up and looked for the front door to the store I realized I was standing in at the tailgate of my truck.

THUMP, CRUNCH, THUMP!
  I turned and looked back into the parking lot just in time to see the van plowing through the carriers.  But the van wasn’t coming to me.  It was leaving.

“Crap! No!” I said as I turned to run toward my truck.  I decided to try to get into the back of the truck for some cover.  I slashed through the neck of a carrier that was standing in front of the tailgate just before I opened the camper hatch and pulled myself inside.  I turned, pulled the hatch closed and slid across the bed, all the way against the cab.  I closed the window between the camper and the cab, but the dried, putrefied blood in the track of the window from the carrier the night before made it very difficult.

I sat staring at the crowd wondering how long it would take for them to get inside.  I checked my gun and I still had a full magazine.  Some of the shambling bodies had been watching me the whole time and were gathering around the truck, but most of them had been more interested in the van when it left.  Then I remembered that I still had my walkie.

CLICK
, “Curtis?  You still on here?” I said.  I sat and waited for about two minutes with no answer.

PFFFF
, “Hey, you’re not dead.  What in the world were you doing there you moron?” said Jim.

CLICK
, “Look, I had to get something out of my truck, but I don’t know if I’ll make it out of this now.  I’m trapped in the back of my truck,” I responded.

PFFFF
, “We were going to try to get you or at least wait for you, but they were starting to surround the van,” said Jim.

CLICK
, “Is Matt with you guys?” I asked.

PFFFF
, “No, we thought he stuck with you?” said Jim.

CLICK
, “I haven’t seen him.  I heard his shotgun, but he never made it to the truck,” I said.

PFFFF
, “I’m sorry man.  I know he was your wingman,” said Jim.

CLICK
, “Yeah,” I responded.

PFFFF
, “Look, we can try to come back and get you after we unload Sid and Frannie,” said Jim.

CLICK
, “No, remember what you said earlier?  If we all can’t leave, then that’s just how it is.  I’ll figure this out.  I don’t think they are going to get into here and maybe if I just sit still, they will leave,” I responded.

PFFFF
, “We’re not just going to leave you there bud,” said Jim.

CLICK
, “I can’t ask you to do that and risk anyone else,” I responded.

PFFFF
, “I tell you what”...
PFFFF
...”ive me....cation....r a pickup”...
PFFFF
...”be there....morrow...”
PFFFF
, said Jim as he started to go out of range.

CLICK
, “You’re breaking up, but I think I know what you said.  Pick me up at the Game Stop, the Game Stop.  I’ll be there,” I said as quickly as I could.

PFFFF...PFFFF...PFFFF
.  All I could hear was radio static in response.

I wasn’t sure if Jim had heard me or not, but I guessed I would find out the next morning.

I sat listening to the desperate thumping outside the truck.  The carriers outside reminded me of how it felt to look for a light switch in the dark.  They knew there was a way into the truck somewhere, but they just couldn’t find it.  They were just not smart enough to pull on the hatch to the camper.  They would push on it, but couldn’t figure out that they needed to pull.  I watched as the sun slowly dropped below the horizon and the orange light began to wash over the swaying heads in the crowd.  I thought for a moment that the image would make for a good picture.  The thumping outside the truck slowed and weakened with every passing hour.

Several times I thought about trying to open the window to the cab of the truck and taking a chance on driving it out, but logic got the better of me.  If it didn’t work I would be dead for sure.  They would pour into the broken passenger’s window and that would be it.  I also thought about how much more comfortable the bench seat would be compared to the rubber mat on the bed of the truck.  I also found myself wondering if I would see Matt walking around in the crowd and what he would look like as a carrier.

I sat with my eyes locked on the tailgate for as long as I could and decided that I would make a break for the Game Stop as soon as the crowd started to thin out.  The thinning I was waiting for just never seemed to come.  The last few days had not allowed for restful sleep.  I was exhausted.  I was terrified of falling asleep in the bed of the truck and waking to the horror of being eaten alive.  I fought the sleep for as long as I could.  I tried slapping myself, pinching myself and planning my escape but my eyelids became too heavy to hold open and I lost the struggle.

Dream #4...

It is dark out.  I am standing in the bushes and I know that there is someone else with me.  I turn and see my dad leaning up against a tree next to me.  He is visually inspecting a building sitting across from us.  The building looks very old and badly maintained.  I can see that the windows have been boarded up and that there is a sign on the left side of the building.

Dad has his Glock in his hand and I have a pump shotgun.  My sword is missing but I look at the butt of my shotgun and see that there are a lot of blood smears covering it.  Dad keeps his eyes locked on the building, “I’m not sure this is worth it.  Some of the boards have been pulled off.  I think it’s already been hit,” says Dad.

I see a carrier come stumbling out into the roadway and it sees me.  I know it sees me but I am not concerned.  Dad is also not worried.  The corpse walks directly toward me and attempts to pick up his pace.  He is too rotten and torn to move very quickly.  Just before he is within striking distance, I raise the butt of my shotgun.  I smash the stock into the face of the carrier and watch it flop to the ground.  It is not dead.  I slowly lean toward the corpse and look away from it.  I am checking for more.  I suddenly slam the butt of the shotgun into the skull of the carrier.  It stops moving completely.

“You know, what the heck? We are low on ammo and we haven’t come across anything like this in weeks,” says Dad as he slowly walks out toward the store.  I follow behind and keep my eyes on the tree line surrounding the area.  The hunting supply store is small.  We walk around to the back of it and see a back door.  The metal door has been partially pried open, but does not appear to have been unlatched.  I think I can fit through the opening if I take off my book bag.  Dad cannot fit through the opening.

“I think I can fit,” I say as I start to remove my book bag.

“I think we should forget about it.  If someone did make it inside, they might still be in there,” says Dad.

Just as I slide my leg inside the door, Dad grabs my shoulder and points to a window next to the door.  I quickly pull my leg out and look at the window.  I can see a shape inside, but it’s difficult to see what it is in the dark.  I pull a small flashlight out of my pocket.  The flashlight has a strange cover over the bulb.  It has only a small hole cut into it and allows a small amount of light to show through.  I point the flashlight at the window and see a man dressed in a hunting gear sitting in an armchair.  He has been shot several times and appears to have been partially eaten.  He is also starting to move because of the light.  The carrier does not appear to be able to get out of the chair.  The heat from the days of sitting in the leather chair have caused the blood and other fluids to dry and become like a glue.  He does not have the strength to overcome the hold in the chair.  I look at Dad and give him the thumbs up.  I start to walk back toward the door.

“Just be careful and don’t take chances.  If there are more in there, you do what you can and get out,” says Dad.

I nod my head and trade Dad my shotgun for his Glock.  I slide in through the opening in the door and quickly scan the room.  I do not see any carriers.  I look over by the carrier stuck to the chair and see a pair of revolvers lying on the floor next to him.  I look to my left and see the hallway leading to the front of the store.  I turn to check the door for a latch to open and see that there is a small bolt holding the door shut.  The bending of the door has also bent the lock.  I cannot open the lock.

“Door is jammed.  Moving toward the front,” I whisper to Dad just before I start to slowly move down the hall.  I hear a shuffling noise up ahead.  I freeze and wait.  I reach to my waistband with my right hand while holding the Glock with my left hand.  I pull out a small hatchet.  A female carrier stumbles out into the hallway.  She has not seen me.  I stand still and she starts to lumber toward me.  I slow my breathing and wait for her to get into range.  I quickly bury the blade into her skull.  The hatchet is stuck and I let go as the corpse falls to the floor.  I slowly walk backward and wait to see if another carrier heard the noise.

I do not hear anything.  I keep my eyes on the end of the hallway and lean down to recover my hatchet.  I place my foot against her head and pull.  The blade slides out and I continue down the hall.  I can see some of the room ahead by the moonlight coming in through cracks between the boards covering the windows.  Slowly I lean my head into the doorway to see the rest of the room.  I see the front door of the store and it appears to be dead-bolted and has several boards nailed into it to hold it shut.  I can see the shelving where ammunition and gun supplies would be placed for sale.  I can also see to my right, a wall with several assault rifles and shotguns mounted to it.  The smell in this room is different.  It’s more rancid and, for the first time in a long time, the smell is getting to me.

I hear a shuffle coming from behind the sales counter.  The shuffle is not a staggering walk, but more like a struggle.  I shine my dim flashlight behind the counter to five of them tugging at some unrecognizable fleshy mass on the floor.  I slowly step backward, knowing that I would not have a chance if I took on all five of them with my hatchet, and I am not inside the store to
use
more bullets.  They did not notice me poking my head inside.  I walk toward the door that I came in through, keeping my eyes on the hallway.  I stumble over something on the floor.  It is the female’s corpse.  I drop my flashlight to the floor.  The clatter from the flashlight will catch the attention of the five carriers I saw.  I quicken my pace toward the door.  I see one of them limping across the hallway and slam into the wall.  He has seen me.  I need to get outside.  I am standing at the door but the door is bent in a way that I cannot fit back through.

“Get on the other side of the door in the hall,” says Dad.

I pull away from the door just before one of them lunges at me.  I swing my hatchet and sink it into the right side of the carrier’s head.  Again the hatchet has stuck and is pulled out of my hand.  I slide backward and see Dad’s shotgun barrel slide in through the opening as two more carriers start down the hall toward me.  Dad blasts one of the carriers in the side of the head, but the second one makes it past the door before he can charge the shotgun for another shot.  I pull out my Glock and fire.  The shot strikes the carrier in the head, sending his body into me.  He is heavy and I am having trouble getting him off of me.  Another one is coming down the hall.  The carrier stuck to the chair is only a couple feet away from me and I can hear him desperately tearing at the chair to get free.  I see Dad blast the next one as it comes down the hall, but the shot only hits the carrier in the shoulder and throws it into the wall.  It starts to get back up and I take several shots to hit it in the head.

I see the fifth carrier walking very slowly down the hall toward me.  His head is very steady and I have time to line up the shot.  The Glock only makes a
click
when I pull the trigger.  I rack the slide and see the dud bullet come out of the chamber.  The slide locks back on its own.  The magazine is empty.

“Dad I’m out!” I yell and struggle to get free from the corpse on top of me, but it’s no use.

The narrow hallway and lack of a recent meal has left me weak.  I hear Dad’s shotgun fire again, but he is not shooting at anything inside the building.  He is defending himself outside.  I hear the chair behind me topple over and know that the carrier in the chair is now free.  The corpse slowly walking down the hallway is now only about five feet from me and I hear the one behind me getting closer.

I hear Dad’s muffled shotgun blast one last time before I see the face of the carrier in the hallway.  It is Curtis.