Z-Burbia 3: Estate Of The Dead (11 page)

“Mother of God,” she whispers then takes a deep breath.

She turns to her Team and smiles.

“What day is a good day to die?” she yells.

“TODAY!” they all yell back.

“Then send them to H
ell,” she orders.

Duey
Team opens fire. Bullets fly down into the herd, rockets spit flames as they scream into the mass. Zs fall, RPGs explode. Duey Team screams at the top of their lungs, never stopping, telling the Zs that Hell is above them, not down on the gore covered pavement.

And to come and get it!

***

“Charges set, sir,” a PC whispers as he crawls up to Poker Face.

“Good,” Poker Face nods, “on my mark.”

He stares at the mass of Zs coming from downtown, joining the other Zs that fall from the I-240 overpass that stretches across Broadway.

“Three.”

He looks across the street and sees part of his
Team there. He glances down Broadway and sees the rest set and ready to charge once the shit hits.

“Two.”

To say this is the largest herd he’s seen would be a lie. There was Detroit, Toronto, Chicago, Indianapolis. Cleveland. Fucking Cleveland. Way more Zs there. But they had choppers then for air extraction. No choppers now. He hasn’t seen a chopper in over a year. Fuel, parts, pilots. Just too much to maintain.

“One.”

Poker Face raises his rifle to his shoulder and tucks a knee up underneath himself, ready to get up and move.

“Mark.”

Brick buildings all up and down Broadway explode. Fire, stone and smoke fill the air. Poker Face feels the heat, gasps as the breath is almost sucked from his lungs. He’s up and sprinting towards the chaos before the last explosion has left his ears.

Through the
haze, he sees shapes moving forward.

“Headshots! HEADSHOTS!” he screams. “Make it count, motherfuckers!”

***

“What do you mean?” Buzz asks as he stands next to the cot draped with a bloody sheet. “He can’t be gone.”

“He wasn’t a young man anymore,” Dr. McCormick says. “The shock of his wounds was too much for his heart to take. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Lord,” Buzz says
, “what now?”

“I don’t know,” Dr. McCormick says as she hurries away.

“But the Farm?” Buzz mumbles. “I can’t run that by myself. I can’t.”

“BUZZ!” Charlie yells as he runs into the infirmary. “We need you down at the gate! It may not hold!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Buzz says.

Charlie catches sight of the cot and frowns. “That’s not
…”

“Yeah, it is,” Buzz says.

“This day sucks dick,” Charlie says.

“Yep,” Buzz says as he turns from his father’s covered corpse. “Let’s go.”

***

“Mother of God, where did they come from?”
The driver asks as Lourdes stands by the railing of the Elk Mountian Rd overpass, her scope to her eye as she studies the herd of Zs that pushes past the abandoned cars and trucks on I-26.

“South, obviously,” Lourdes says, watching Zs stumble up and down off/on ramps, spilling into the neighborhoods like a virus spreading through arteries. “We need to move.”

“You think Whispering Pines will hold?” the driver asks.

“I don’t know,” Lourdes replies
, “maybe. They might have a chance if the zeds don’t make it all the way to them. They might disperse enough that we can manage a few waves.”

“We?”

“Yeah, we,” Lourdes says as she comes around and hops back into the Humvee. She reaches out the window and gives a thumbs up to the convoy of six Humvees behind her. “Get us there fast.”

The driver nods and punches the accelerator. They twist and turn
their way down Elk Mountain Rd until they hit Hwy 251. He turns the Humvee left, but slows the vehicle after going only a hundred yards or so. They crest a small hill and see the nightmare before them.

“Back,” Lourdes says.

“But we can cut up 6
th
Ave and sneak in the back way,” the driver says. “I can take this left here.”

“Too late,” Lourdes says. “Back. We’ll double around to the cliff. Go in that way.”

“But…”

“Do it!” Lourdes yells, pointing out the windshield. “We’ll have high ground. We go up 6
th
and we’ll be trapped there in minutes! Look at them all!”

The mass of Zs before them groan and hiss. Many of them scrape at the hillside, knowing there is food in Whispering Pines if they can just get to it. A few turn and spot the
Humvee convoy. They bare their teeth and start forward.

“See,” Lourdes says, suddenly very, very tired. “Go.”

The driver reaches out the window and twirls his arm about. The Humvees all start to turn around then pull to the side to let Lourdes’s vehicle take the lead once more. Back up Elk Mountain Rd they go. They turn onto Jonestown Rd and speed through the twists of the small, residential street.

“There,” Lourdes says as they come to an unassuming ranch house.

The convoy stops and PCs instantly hop out, rifles ready, eyes on their surroundings. Lourdes does a head count.

“Vehicles one through three stay,” she says
, “the rest head back to the Grove Park. Evacuate the place. Anyone that doesn’t want to go can rot.”

“Where to?” a PC asks.

“Take them to Reynolds Mountain,” Lourdes says, “it’ll give you the higher ground. Dig in. I want gun nests every twenty yards. If we can’t hold Whispering Pines then we’ll be coming your way. Be ready.”

The PCs nod and hop back into
Humvees four through six. Lourdes watches them speed off then turns and starts hiking towards the field that connects with the back cliff that Phase One of Whispering Pines butts up against. She plans on finding out their status and then making the call from there.

“I’m going in,” Lourdes says to her people. “I want you all to scour the area for vehicles that will run. The bigger the better. Bring them back here
and secure the area. If we need to evacuate Whispering Pines then we’ll be coming fast. Jonestown Rd connects to Riverside down below, which connects to I-26 back near Broadway. We may not have much time before the Zs figure that out.”

***

“To the cliff!” Stella shouts.

“Mom!” Greta screams as she sprints towards the watchtower. “Dr. McCormick won’t come with! She says she’s staying with the wounded!”

“Like hell she is!” Stella growls. She climbs down from the watchtower, the ever present roar of the Zs at the gate grating on her last, frayed nerve.

Stella sprints up and down the hills of Whispering Pines until she gets to the infirmary. Out of breath, adrenaline pumping through her, she burst
s in, spots Dr. McCormick and grabs the woman by the arm.

“Hey!” Dr. McCormick yells. “OW! Stella, stop!”

“We get everyone out that we can,” Stella says, “and that includes you.”

“I have thirty people dying here,” Dr. McCormick says
, “I’m not leaving them alone. I’m not.”

“Reaper is off with Platt and John,” Stella says
, “that means you are our only trained medical professional.  We have fifty plus men, women, and children that will need your help if shit goes wrong. Which it will. I can guarantee that.”

“Stella, listen
…”

“You are coming!” Stella roars. “Do what you can for whomever you can. Get those that can move ready. We are evacuating to the cliff.”

“The cliff?” Dr. McCormick laughs. “Now I know you’ve lost your mind. We’ll never get half these people up those stairs, let alone maneuver them through the razor wire, fencing, and ditches.”

“Then half stay,” Stella states as she turns and hurries from the room.

Greta stands there, her mouth wide open.

“Is it that bad?” Dr. McCormick asks. “Are the gates coming down?”

Greta can’t speak so she just nods.

“Fine,” Dr. McCormick says. “Grab me a marker. I’ll tag those I think can move on their own. Everyone else will need help. We leave no one if we don’t have to.”

***

When Lourdes gets to the bottom of the
cliff stairs and sees the groups of Whispering Pines residents hurrying towards her, she knows the shit has hit it and it’s all a fucking mess.

“Where’s Stella Stanford?” Lourdes asks a resident.

“She was down by the gates,” the woman says, holding a toddler to her chest. “But someone said she may be at the infirmary.”

“What happened here?” Lourdes asks.

“The Zs,” the woman says as she pushes past and hurries away.

“Nuff said,” Lourdes mumbles. She readies her rifle as she hikes against the throng
rushing to the cliff.

She gets to the bottom of the hill, where Phase One stops and the entrance to the subdivision begins. People are running everywhere
and it’s complete chaos. She can hear the moans of the Zs and the sounds of their putrid hands smacking against the thick wood of the front gates.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away,” a raspy voice says off to her side. “Revelation 21:4.”

Lourdes turns to see Preacher Carrey standing there, his white hair a wild tangle about his head, his eyes rolling, rolling, rolling madly in his skull.

“Whatever,” Lourdes says as she sees Stella running back towards the gates.

She hurries down and intercepts the woman.

“How long will the gates hold?” she asks Stella.

“What? Lourdes? When did you get here?” Stella asks, her arms waving madly, directing people from Phase Two and up into Phase One. “How many are with you?”

“I have fifteen up on Jonestown Rd looking for vehicles,” Lourdes replies
, “looks like we’ll need them.”

“Good, good,” Stella says. “I kept meaning to have some up there ready, but we’ve just been so busy rebuilding.” Stella stops and looks around. Her chest hitches and she starts to
breathe quickly.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Lourdes says
, “sit down.”

“
Can’t…breathe,” Stella says.

“You’re hyperventilating,” Lourdes replies as she helps Stella to the curb. “Put your head between your legs and take some deep breaths.”

“It’s just…so...sudden,” Stella says.

“Hush. Calm, even breaths.”

It takes Stella a second, but she gets it under control.

“I don’t know where Jace is,” Stella says, looking Lourdes in the eye. “I don’t even know where my kids are. I’ve told them to help with so many things I can’t remember what I said last.”

“First, I’m sure Jace is fine,” Lourdes says, “he’s a wily bastard.” This gets a small smile from Stella. “Second, I’ll handle things down here. You go find your kids.”

“I don’t know where to start,” Stella says.

“My nephews’ll help,” Critter says as he comes up and crouches down next to Stella. “They’ll go with ya. I’ll help the lady soldier get your folk up and out.”

Stella looks up and sees Pup and Porky standing there.

“I’m sorry about your father,” she says.

“About what?” Critter asks. “What happened?”

“Oh,” Stella replies, “Hollis died. I thought Buzz would have told you.”

Critter sighs. “Haven’t seen him for a while,” he says
, “but I’m not surprised. Shit’s crazy wild ‘round here. Ain’t surprised ‘bout Hollis, neither. He was hurt bad.”

“Mom!” Charlie yells. “Mom!”

“See, boss lady, I found one of them for ya already,” Critter smiles. It’s a smile that doesn’t reach his sad eyes. “Now we just have to find one more.”

“Greta’s still with Dr. McCormick,” Charlie says.

“Right, of course,” Stella nods.

“Hey,” Buzz says as he comes up behind Charlie.

“It true, bro?” Pup asks.

“Daddy dead?” Porky follows.

“Yep,” Buzz nods. “Nothing the doctor could do.” He looks around. “Where you want me? At the gate?”

“No point,” Stella says as a loud crack echoes through the air
, “it won’t hold. We’re getting out by the cliff. Can you and your brothers go get the vans up at the Church? They’ll need them back at the infirmary. And tell Dr. McCormick I’m sorry for being such a bitch. No, never mind. I’ll tell her myself. I have to go back and get Greta. You just get the vans. God, I’m tired.”

Buzz nods at Stella then nods to his brothers. The men quickly walk up the hill towards the Church of Jesus of the Light. Critter stands and watches his nephews go.