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Zombie Anthology (19 page)

BOOK: Zombie Anthology
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The bad news was that was now laying in the dirt, bleeding to death. After three long, hard hours of carrying water from the river to cool the thing down, he'd noticed that old Lucas was riding up the mountain to his prospect. He knew Lucas must've seen the thing as it fell too and was coming to see what it was. No matter how much money he owed the old bastard, he wasn't about to let Lucas take what was his. Jeremiah's rifle had been in his shack when the Lord had blessed him though. He had no idea where it was now, though he imagined the spot of melted metal on the craters right edge was most likely it. Wasn't gonna do him no good in a shape like that. So he'd crouched down in the crater and prayed that Lucas would just go on by. Jeremiah had never been known for his quick thinking.

    
Lucas rode up to the edge and called out to him. “Shit,” Jeremiah thought and pulled his hunting knife. It was all he had but he wasn't about to give up the Lord's gift without a fight. He yelled at the top of lungs and ran up the slope towards Lucas. The old man stared at him in disbelief until it sunk in that Jeremiah meant business. He drew his .36 revolver and popped Jeremiah twice in the chest. Jeremiah toppled and rolled down into the crater to where he lay now, watching the old man make his way unsteadily down towards the orb. The moment he had seen it, all thoughts of Jeremiah had fled his mind. The bastard was practically drooling over the gold.

    
Then the unthinkable happened. The gold shattered, hatching like an egg. A first, Jeremiah thought the Lord had destroyed the beauty of the orb to prevent it from falling into hands that it wasn't meant for until the first of them got close enough for him to see. Tiny metal demons, moving in swarm like fire ants across the dirt towards him. Each had eight legs and a single glowing dot where their eyes should be.

    
Lucas's attention snapped back to Jeremiah as the man howled and crawled towards the edge of the pit, slapping at his own body with his hands. Lucas didn't know what to make of it and he sure wasn't about to take chances with no crazy man. He raised his .36 and shot Jeremiah straight between the eyes. Jeremiah's body thrashed a second longer then lay still. Lucas shrugged and picked up a piece of the broken orb, biting into to it with his teeth. A wide grin stretched on his face. He crammed the piece into his pocket and leaned over to fish up more.

    
"Lucas Martin of Sol Three,” a voice boomed from behind him. He whirled around to see Jeremiah back on his feet. Jeremiah's eyes now glowing a deep shade of unnatural green. His shirt was stained red and a trickle of blood oozed from the hole in his forehead, but there he stood plain as day.

    
"Jesus!” Lucas wailed. He emptied his colt's last round into Jeremiah's stomach but the man didn't even flinch. He began to walk towards Lucas with his hands out-stretched. “Lucas Martin of Sol Three,” the thing croaked again in a hollow voice devoid of emotion.

    
Lucas didn't waste any more time. He ran as fast as could for his horse and hopped in the saddle, kicking it with all his might. The beast grunted and took off galloping away from the crater.

    
The thing that had been Jeremiah watched him flee then turned its face towards the heavens. From its mouth erupted a chattering series of high pitched clicking sounds. Contact had failed. The dominant species of Sol Three was too primitive at this stage of its development; it informed the ship in orbit around the Earth. It cautioned against another attempt at contact for at least several more decades. It finished its communion with the others aboard the ship with last sad clicking noise that echoed in the host body's throat.

    
Jeremiah's body erupted into blue flames and fell to the dust to burn away in nothingness beside the remnants of the golden orb

    

    

7 - Family

    

    
RJ sat in the passenger seat grinning like the devil. He held an AK-47 cradled in his lap. Leper had asked him several times where he'd gotten it but RJ wasn't talking.

    
Leper sat in the back of the car with Drake, who still looked pissed that he wasn't riding shotgun on this little venture. Drake had his window rolled down but still the inside of the car boiled with second hand smoke from the countless cigarettes he'd smoked already. He tossed another butt out of the car and lit up again instantly.

    
Hal didn't mind being the driver. Somehow it made him feel like there was less blood on his hands that way. He took the exit ramp down Bleaker Street and guided the vehicle on towards Charleston drive.

    
"You think they'll really be there?” Leper asked leaning up between Hal and RJ. His breath stunk like a decaying corpse. “I sure as Hell wouldn't be if I was them!"

    
"Shut the f-k up” RJ snapped shoving Leper back onto his seat.

    
"He has a point, RJ,” Hal said without taking his eyes off the road.

    
"They'll be there,” Drake answered around the cigarette dangling between his lips as he slipped his own 9mm from his jacket pocket and checked the clip. “They always are."

    
Hal rounded the corner of Bleaker and Charleston, and sure enough they were. Martin and his cronies were sprawled out on the steps of their apartment building, smoking and yapping it up with one another. Martin noticed their car as soon as it came into view. He started shouting and trying to pull his friends to their feet. RJ leaned out the window and let loose on full-auto. Hal's ears hurt as the weapon barked and spat death onto the sidewalk. Martin caught the brunt of RJ's first burst dead on. Hal watched as his body twitched and leapt as the rounds tore into his flesh and knocked him to the ground. Drake dropped his cigarette onto the floor boards popping off a few rounds with his 9mm as Hal's foot stomped on the accelerator.

    
In the rearview, Hal could see the bodies laying on the pavement in growing pools of red as he sped away for the building. It didn't look like any of them had been lucky enough to get away in time.

    
"Shit, man!” RJ howled with joy, slapping the dashboard of the old car so hard it cracked. Drake and Leper were shouting too. Hal whirled the car down an alley and cut across to another road leading away from the scene behind them.

    
"We smoked those bastards!” RJ laughed.

    
"Hey, Drake...” Hal said.

    
"What man?” Drake answered still high on bloodlust and adrenaline.

    
"Would you mind getting your cigarette the hell off my floor?"

    
Drake blinked. “Shit man, sorry.” Drake picked up the butt and tossed it out the window. He wet his fingers with spit and tried to wipe at the burnt place in the floor mat.

    
Hal had shattered their celebration though and now the car was quiet again. RJ turned to glance at Hal. “What ya doin’ later tonight man? Ya wanna catch that new fuck flick over at Joe's?"

    
Hal shook his head. “Naw, I'll pass."

    
"Hal don't need no flick man, he's gettin’ enough from Sarah!” Leper whooped.

    
Drake laughed but RJ whirled on them. “Leave the f-er alone! You freaks ever even been with a woman?"

    
No one in the back answered.

    
"Look, I gotta get goin',” Hal said, “Where should I drop you guys at?"

    
"Right here will be fine.” RJ ordered as Hal drove by Riker's Pub. Hal pulled up to the curb and stopped the car, leaving the engine running. Drake and Leper hopped out but RJ lingered in his seat, tucking his rifle inside the depths of his long coat. “You ok, Hal?"

    
"Yeah, sure man. Fine."

    
RJ nodded and got out slamming the door behind him. He leaned back into the car through the open passenger window. “You'll catch up with us later, right?"

    
"Yeah man, if I can,” Hal said then pulled back out onto the road. With the others gone he flipped on the radio. Hot tears burned in his eyes. He'd had enough of this shit. Maybe he was just too old for it now or maybe he was just becoming human again. He knew RJ would kill him if he tried to leave so he'd planned everything so carefully. Sarah would be waiting him with their bags ready. They'd leave the city tonight before RJ even realized they were gone. Hal hummed with the music as he drove on towards Sarah and his new life.

    
Hal parked his car across the street from their home and walked up the steps. There was still a bit of daylight spilling over the tops of the buildings around him. He wondered if Sarah would be ready yet. As he climbed the steps to the door to the building, he heard a voice from behind him.

    
"Goin’ somewhere, Hal?” RJ asked. Hal whirled around to see his friends standing on the street below the steps. RJ's coat bulged with the rifle he still carried. Drake and Leper had the “look” in their eyes. They were expecting blood.

    
"What's it to you?” Hal shot back knowing he shouldn't have.

    
"You're mine Hal!” RJ roared. “You're a member of this family and you have responsibilities to us! I am not going to let you go running off with that little whore!"

    
Hal had no weapon. His eyes darted around seeking anything he could use to defend himself with. No luck. He turned and ran for the building's door.

    
Leper giggled as he drew the .38 from his pants pocket and nailed Hal right between the shoulders with a single round. RJ hit Leper so hard the little guy fell over onto the street spitting teeth. “You little shit. That's Hal you just shot. He may be fucked up but he's still family!"

    
"Sorry,” Leper tried to say as blood poured from his broken mouth.

    
Hal lay on the steps still trying to crawl towards the door. RJ walked over to him and placed a foot on Hal's back. Hal screamed at the pain of RJ pressing down on his wound. “Hal, Hal, Hal, what am I going to do with you?"

    
At that moment, the door opened and Sarah stepped out into the glow of the streetlights. Leper and Drake burst into laughter from the darkness below as she saw Hal's crumpled form with RJ standing over him. RJ looked up at her. “Go away Sarah, this is family business."

    
Without answering, she leapt at RJ her fingernails streaking towards his face. RJ tried to dodge but the thunder of a 9mm discharging made him curve his attempt so that he went down on his knees. The bullet struck Sarah in the throat and she fell over him making a horrible gargling sound. RJ shoved off her cold corpse and jumped up wiping at the red stain on his coat. “Jesus,” he muttered, shooting a look at Drake. “Be a little more careful next time."

    
"There won't be a next time,” a hollow, wheezing voice said as Sarah stood up. “Your time is over RJ."

    
RJ stared at her in disbelief, his gaze lingering on the hole in her throat. She grabbed him lifting him from his feet effortlessly with a single hand. Drake and Leper watched in horror as she simply ripped him into. RJ's intestines and organs spilt onto the steps as she discarded his lower half and waved his torso at the pair.

    
Drake and Leper turned running into the darkness. Sarah's laughter echoed in the darkness of the surrounding alleys. She leaned down beside Hal who was now unconscious from the blood loss. “I hadn't planned to take you so soon,” she whispered, “but your friends have left me no choice. Don't worry; you'll have the new life you sought. It will be glorious and wondrous in ways you never imagined. And it shall be eternal!” She pressed her long fangs into his neck and Hal's world changed forever.

 

    

8 - Indigs

    

    
Nobody ever told me it was going to be like this,” Greg said as he steered the tank into the remnants of the village.

    
"What did you expect, Kid?” Harrison laughed over the tank's internal Com. system. Harrison was the tank's gunner and a long time veteran of missions such as this one. “We sweep through and clean out the natives so that the colonization fleet doesn't have any problems when it arrives. It's a good job, not much of a chance of getting your ass shot off on a world like this."

    
Greg drove the tank through a hut of mud and wood, its treads grinding the bodies of the dead into the soil.

    
"It just doesn't seem right,” Greg said. “These people don't have any way of even trying to fight back."

    
"The day I start feeling sorry for a bunch of blue skinned primitives, kid, is the day I'll resign my commission. Remember we're doing this for Earth and the Alliance. Just like Rome, the Alliance will die if it ever stops expanding. Worlds like this are easy to take and we need them."

    
Something moved among the burnt out rubble of the village to the tank's left. Greg started to shout a warning but Harrison was already bringing the tank's anti-personnel guns to bear on the position.

    
A blue skinned native hopped up from his hiding place. Long silver hair spilled over his naked shoulders. He wore only loose animal hides about his lower body and raised a spear against the hulking metal monster he faced. Harrison fired a quick, single burst nearly vaporizing the man's torso. Greg imagined the smile on the veteran's face as Harrison shouted, “See! Easy, kid. Easy."

BOOK: Zombie Anthology
7.66Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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