Zombies (14 page)

“You can’t go out there.  Zombies are
all over the place,” said Angelica.

“She is right.  They will slip up on you while you are sleep
ing,” said Niki.

“What about Arnie?  He
won’t stand a chance out there all alone,” said several of the girls. 

“Then it’s settled.  Now if only I can find him,” said Michael, retrieving the sword and pistol.  After thinking about it
, he decided to leave one of the weapons for their protection.  “You keep the sig and I will take the sword.”

“You may need it.  We will be fine with the door locked,” said Angelica
, encouraging him to take both weapons.  There was a sad look in her eyes.  She had grown quite fond of Michael, and they had never parted after first meeting days, weeks or even years ago.  It was difficult for her to know for certain how long it had been; but according to the newspaper, it was rocking on two years.  Still it was difficult to fathom time passing so quickly.  Then again the only explanation was that it occurred while they were in the spiritual realm, thinking all along it was a dream. 

“Make sure you lock the door
, and wait for the code before opening it,” said Michael, slowing moving toward the entrance.  It was obvious he was delaying his departure.  Finally, Angelica figured it out and kissed him squarely on the lips.  The heated passion caused him to forget they had an audience.  The jesting that followed was slightly embarrassing to both of them.  However, the pleasurable kiss made it worth enduring their taunting.  The young man left with a smile on his face. 

Once the door was locked, Angelica began asking questions of her new found friends.
  “Would you girls mind explaining how all this began?  My companion and I seemed to have missed something.”

“You must not be from these parts.  Everybody knows what happened, but just how it all began is a little cloudy,” said Misty.

“I remember exactly how it got started, so let me tell it,” said Niki.

“Be my guest
; and if I think of something you left out, I will interrupt you,” said Misty.

“Deal!  Okay, it all began about
four years ago, maybe five.  We don’t know anymore.  In here the days and nights run together.”  This disturbed Angelica as nobody seemed to be able to keep up with the time, including her.  “Anyway, it was on the news one evening that some dead man was walking around biting people.  Nobody believed them until a half dozen were in the hospital from what appeared to be bites from humans.  By the time they figured out what had happened, those patients were biting the nurses and doctors and spreading the disease, if you can call it that.  They finally determined it was some sort of parasite that affects the brain, and it spreads by direct contact with humans.  Still at this point nobody knew how that was possible.  Then after it was already out of control, they determined the parasite was being spread though the zombies biting normally healthy people. 

“
Those creatures were eating the flesh of humans and leaving behind more zombies.  Some of the guys thought it was a joke until they realized it was actually very serious.  Even then, they treated zombie hunting as a game.  The guys would brag about how many they had killed the night before.  But the silly boys didn’t know the zombies were already dead anyway.  By treating this as a game, those stupid boys got what was coming to them.  Once they were infected, these naive dudes turned into zombies.  At first grownups were reluctant to kill them until they discovered these creatures were already dead anyway.  What nobody realized until it was too late is that it spreads like wildfire.  Before long the whole city was overrun by a host of mindless beast looking for food,” said Niki.

“She is telling the truth.  What we don’t know and are hoping you can shed some light on the situation is whether or not the whole world is like this.  If it’s not
, we would try to escape and find another place to live,” said Misty. 

They stared at Angelica,
desperately hoping to hear some good news.  Yet, she couldn’t possibly answer that question truthfully.  She and Michael were in the dark about how all this had come about.  She had long ago known it was possibly heading for this, but just how it had actually occurred was still a mystery.  She took the safe way out.  “We are not sure how widespread this problem is.  Our limited knowledge on the subject has us at a disadvantage,” said Angelica.

“But, you came from somewhere.  Is the problem with zombies as bad there?” asked Misty.

“From our own experience, I would have to say yes.  But, that doesn’t mean there are not places better off than this,” said Angelica.

“Then how are we going to find out?” asked Misty.

“Let me ask you another question.  Does anyone know how long this condition is supposed to last?” asked Angelica.

“Some say
five years and others say longer.  You see most of the people will become infected as the zombies search for food.  Those stupid creatures have only one thing driving them, the need for food.  And the only food they are interested in is human flesh.  Eventually they will starve to death as their food source dwindles.  The key to our survival is to wait for them to die a second time from the lack of food.  Then maybe we can get our lives back.  But, things will never be the same as we will always wonder if the person standing next to us is infected and just waiting to pounce on us,” said Misty.

“What are the people of the city doing about this?” asked Angelica.
  She was attempting to piece together what she and Michael had learned from the internet and what these girls could tell her.

“They are stupid and that is why this got out of con
trol in the first place,” said Niki.

“So they are not launching some sort of defense against this?” asked Angelica.

“It’s worse that that.  They made the decision in the beginning to let it run its course.  Something about that stinks to high heaven.  We suspect they have an ulterior motive for letting this happen,” said Misty.

“How could anyone possibly
gain from this tragedy?” asked Angelica.

“That is what we thought
too.  The only thing we could come up with is that the survivors will own the city,” said Niki.

“But without people what would it be worth?” asked Misty.

“They could always move in more people by offering low rent in the beginning.  After all, they got the property for nothing,” said Niki.

“You may be on to something there.  So do you have any ideas about who could pull this off?” asked Angelica.

“The mayor and the sheriff could have stopped this whole thing when it began.  Both of them seemed to block any effort to expose the truth,” said Niki.

“So maybe this is confined to this city and nowhere else,” said Angelica
, concentrating on what she was learning.

“Don’t count on it.  Word has it some of the zombies escaped this city and others were infected before they left to seek a safer place to live.  My guess is that the whole world is infected by now.  But, wouldn’t you know that?” asked Misty.
 

There was not a logical answer to her question
, and nobody would believe the truth anyway.  Still there must be a way to find out.  She thought about her laptop being destroyed and wished she had it back.  Then again, finding an internet connection may prove to be next to impossible.  Those thoughts were interrupted when she realized there was a newspaper involved.  Maybe some of their answers could be found in it.  However, the newspaper was nowhere to be seen.  Finally, she realized she must have dropped it along the way.  Moments later she remembered laying it on the side of the trail.  “Wait here for me and don’t open that door until you hear my code,” said Angelica, rising to leave.

“Where are you going?” asked Niki.

“We had a newspaper and there should be something in it that would help us,” said Angelica.

“I hate to
burst your bubble, but there hasn’t been a newspaper printed in more than two years, maybe longer,” said Niki.  “At least that’s what Arnie told us.”

“Are you serious?  So the paper w
e read is already two years old.  Then that means there is a gap of more than four years,” said Angelica.

“What are you talking about?” asked Niki.

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter.  But, if this is supposed to play out in five years, we should be nearing the end of this crisis,” said Angelica.

“We can’t vouch for that, but listening to Arnie there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.  He is trying to keep us fed, but he won’t let us help him.  He say
s it’s too dangerous for us ladies.  But he doesn’t know what we are made of.  At least we used our brains when the men folk didn’t.  And you see who survived, don’t you?” said Misty.

“Guys are like that.  They think they are the only ones that can be tough.  You and I know women have a mental toughness that exceeds their physical strength,” said Angelica.  T
he gathering laughed as they compared the men to themselves.

“How true you are, but we can’t let on or they will expect us to do everything for them,” said Misty.

“I think that is what keeps Arnie going.  He thinks we are helpless little women and can’t do anything except prepare the food and dote over him when he risks his life for us,” said Misty, causing the laughter to erupt once again. 

“You la
dies are very shrewd.  So I say ‘what’s the harm anyway.’  Let the guys think we need them, and at least that will let their ego keep them going in the face of danger,” said Angelica.  As the merriment continued, she had accomplished what she had set out to do.  Maybe now their thoughts could be turned from the sadness experienced earlier. 

However, while
Angelica’s outward appearance displayed an air of confidence; on the inside, there were many concerns.  Her companion had left the safety of the compound to help a friend, one they had just met.  Even that meeting was marred by the little thief taking Michael’s phone.  That was a thought.  Where was the phone?  Then she realized the battery would be dead; and even if she found it, there was no way to recharge it.  So instead of wasting time searching for it, she decided on another course of action.  “Girls, how would you like to take your city back?” 

Being startled by
the suggestion, the girls sat up to take note.  “Just how do you propose we do that?  The men have died trying to destroy the zombies,” asked Misty.

“We use our brains, remember?”
replied Angelica, smiling with assurance.

“Like how
?  We have nothing to fight with,” asked Misty.

“Those stupid zombies are a walk in the park.  They are brainless and all we have to do is outsmart them
,” said Angelica.

“Now that you put it that way, you may be right,” said Niki.

“I know I’m right.  Okay, girls, gather around while we devise a plan,” said Angelica.  Biting her lip, Angelica concentrated on where to begin.  First she needed to reconcile the time lapse.  “So you say the newspaper ceased to be printed two years ago, and you have been here that long?  So what did you do for the two years prior to that?”

“It wasn’t too difficult in the beginning
.  But as the zombies turned our friends and families, it became much harder to survive,” said Misty.

“Eventually we came here in separate groups
, and Arnie arriving was a blessing,” said Niki.  Now it was making more sense to Angelica, even though it was impossible to imagine where four to five years could have gone.  It seemed like only yesterday since the whole mess began.

Chapter 12

“He could be anywhere
by now,” mumbled Michael, searching through the woods.  He wished he hadn’t said that.  Almost before the words had left his mouth, the familiar annoying sound of the zombies could be heard approaching from three sides.  His only choice was to attempt an escape through the opening provided.  Still he couldn’t be certain there were not more waiting in the shadows along the narrow path.  It was either take that chance or stand and fight.  Choosing the path of least resistance, he slipped from his present location and into the darkness.  However, the stench of the decomposing creatures followed him well into the wooded area.  From the smell oozing from the beast, he could tell they were right on his tail.  Soon he wasn’t sure about their location as the horrible smell drifted toward him from every direction. 

B
ecoming confused about which way to travel next, Michael made ready to fight.  He must be prepared in the event of an attack.  With one hand on the sword and the other on the sig, Michael felt as ready as could be expected.  That was before a hand reached from behind a tree and latched onto his arm.  The powerful grip prevented him from raising the pistol, so he prepared to swing the sword blindly, hoping to take off the head of the creature that held him.  Yet, not being able to see clearly put him at a distinct disadvantage. 

When he swung the sword with all his might, nothing happened.  Surely the sharp blade had not so easily decapitated the varmint.  If it did, it had no effect upon the grip from the mysterious attacker.  As he quickly prepared to deliver another blow, this time aiming for the arms, he was shocked by the sound of a familiar voice.
  “Would you stop trying to kill me?  I am saving your butt here.”

“Arnie?”

“Hold it down.  Zombies are everywhere,” replied Arnie.

“I could have killed you.  Don’t ever slip up on me like that again.”

“I figured you would know it was me.  I don’t stink, do I?” asked Arnie.

“No, but they do and I can’t tell where
it’s coming from,” said Michael.  He thought for a moment.  “It is a good thing you are short, or you would be minus a head right now.”

“It is a good thing for you I came along when I did
, or you would be walking into a trap,” said Arnie.

“You mean they are planning to ambush me?”

“No, those mindless goons can’t do that.  Now stop talking and follow me,” said Arnie.

“I can’t see a thing.  Are you sure you know where you are going?”

“You just leave that to the mighty Rambo.  I will get us out of this jam.”  A few more steps and he issued a warning.  “You are going to have to let go of me.”

“What are you talking
about?  That’s not me,” said Michael.

“Then who is it?” 

“You really don’t want to know,” said Michael, preparing to fight.  However, he couldn’t see a thing.  Thankfully, that soon changed.  With the clouds moving ever so slightly, the moon provided just enough light to reveal a real problem.  They were surrounded by zombies, and one already had Arnie by the arm.  With one swoop of the sword, he freed his companion, at least partially.  They ran through the woods as fast as they could with Arnie dragging a severed arm along with him.  No matter how hard he tried, the hand of the beast would not let go.  “You are going the wrong way.”

“I know these woods like the back of my hand.  Now follow me before the others catch up with us,” said Arnie.

“Would you listen to me?  You do not want to go that way,” argued Michael.  By now Arnie saw why.

“Holy crap.  That is the whole camp,” said Arnie,
turning around and running right past his companion.

“Wait up
!  I am lost out here,” yelled Michael.  However, his friend ignored him.  “Shoot, where did he go now?”  He wasn’t expecting an answer, yet he got one.  It came in the form of a familiar moan.  Now he was ready to make a run for it with or without his guide.  After traveling a few yards, he too realized his error.  “Arnie!  Where are you?”

“I am down here and would you stop broadcasting our position?”

“Sorry, but we can’t stay here.  Look!” shouted Michael.  The zombies were encroaching at an alarming rate.  They had their prey in sight and were moving in for the kill.

“Run for it
, Michael!”

“Where to?  W
e are surrounded?”

“Can you squeeze through here?” asked Arnie.
  The opening between the rock walls wasn’t very wide at all.  But, being out of options, Michael decided to give it a try. 

However, after quite a struggle, he gave up.
  “I’m stuck.”  His friend took hold of his arm and pulled with all his strength.  “Pull harder!”  That was one thing Arnie didn’t need to be told.  The mighty Rambo gave it a strong heave, sending them both through the opening and onto the ground on the other side.  They lay flat of their backs laughing their heads off.

“Look at those stupid
things,” said Arnie, taunting them.  The beasts were growling while attempting to reach them through the small cavity.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” warned Michael.

“Why?  They can’t get through the opening.”

“You are right, but they can go around,” said Michael.

“Crap!  Stop distracting me or you will get us eaten alive.”

“Me?  You are the one that knows everything.  Now what do you suggest
we do?” asked Michael.

“I got this
.  Follow me,” said Arnie, dodging half a dozen zombies.  Michael did the best he could to avoid them.  Finally his luck ran out.  One latched onto his arm, leaving him no choice except to fire the pistol.  When the bullet penetrated the brain it was over.  The mindless creature fell to the ground.  “Now you’ve done it.  They know where we are.”

“They already knew where we were,” argued Michael.

“This is not all of them.  Now the rest will come here for sure.”

“Well you are good at this sort of thing, so get us out of it,” said Michael.

“I am trying, but a little help would be appreciated.”  They ran for their lives, leaving the slow moving zombies behind.  However, others had a way of showing up out of nowhere.  The battle was on.  They had a problem; Michael was the only one with a weapon.  In fact, he had two of them and refused to give either of them up.  “Let go of the sword.”

“Here
, you take the pistol and I will keep the sword,” said Michael.

“Then let go of the pistol.”

“I changed my mind.  Angelica said the sword would be the choice of weapons as that thing will soon run out of bullets, but what if the sword gets stuck in their brain?”

“Then you keep the pistol
, and give mighty Rambo the sword.”  While he hesitated the zombies were encroaching from every angle.  Seeing they were about to be eaten alive, Arnie searched for his own weapon.  When he spotted it, he issued a verdict.  “Keep your weapons because I have found something better.”  He left in a rush and quickly picked up a crude hand tool.  It was a mattock, pointed on one end with the other being flat but sharp.  “We are in business, my friend.  Now let’s kick some butt.” 

Taking the pointed instrument, the little man did a number on the knees of his attacker. 
The creature, being almost unfazed by his assault, bent over allowing him to finish the job.  The pick struck the zombie in the eye socket and penetrated the brain sending it to the ground. “You are getting behind, my friend,” said Arnie, boastfully. 

Michael, h
owever, was doing a number on two attackers at once, striking the first in the brain and shooting the other squarely in the temple.  Both fell to the ground, piled on top of each other.  “Did you see that, partner?” yelled Michael.

“Don’t get cocky
.  This is far from over.”

“Watch out behind you!” yelled Michael.

“Oh no you don’t, you ugly creep,” said Arnie, dodging the outreached arms.  He ducked behind a tree and waited for just the right moment.  When it came, he thrust the pick toward the eyes of the beast.  It missed and now the pick was lodged in the neck of the zombie.  Leaving behind his attacker to search for another weapon, Arnie soon ran out of options.  His only choice was to retrieve the mattock, but how was he to do that?

An idea came to mind as he approached a tree with an overhanging limb.  With the zombie slowly approaching, he climbed the tree and made ready.  The dumb creature walked right under him
, and that was his chance.  With one hand on the limb while straddling the branch, Arnie reached for his weapon.  Grabbing hold of it and pulling with all his might, the strong little man found himself in quite a predicament.  Now in the clutches of the zombie, both refused to let go.  But, the battle heavily favored the creature standing on the ground.  With its teeth only inches from the arm of a human, the zombie prepared for a feast. 

A shot rang out, sending the creature to the ground.  After a sigh of relief to catch his breath, Arnie thanked his friend.
  “You need to get down here,” said Michael up to his eyeballs in zombies.  He was swinging the sword left and right, aiming for the head.  Occasionally a shot rang out as a last resort to prevent being overtaken by the mindless enemy.  Yet, the ammo was being depleted; and at any moment the hammer would snap, leaving them at the mercy of the more crude weaponry.  While Michael was busy doing his part, the little man was also doing a number on a host of creatures, living up to his reputation as a champion wrestler. 

Finally, after intense fighting
, they got a break.  Taking a moment to get their breath, they admired their handiwork. “Those guys are not so tough.  Why is everybody afraid of them?” asked Arnie.

“Watch out
, Rambo!   Behind you!” yelled Michael.  The brave warrior suddenly jumped backwards about ten feet while blindly swinging the club.  He knocked the creature to the ground, but that only bought him a few seconds as the beast kept coming.  Seeing he was in trouble, Michael pulled the trigger on the weapon in his hand.  It snapped.  “Not now,” he yelled, running to the aid of his friend.  With sword drawn, he swung it with all his might, sending it over the head of his companion.  It worked as the zombie fell at his feet.  “What you say we blow this joint.”

“I thought you would never ask,” said Arnie, rising up to make a run for it.

“Bet that changed your mind about the zombies being tough,” said Michael, laughingly.

“They are not that tough,
but the problem is that they are just so dumb and persistent,” said Arnie, shaking his head.  “They just don’t know when to quit.”

“You got that right.  That parasite
just makes them so obnoxious,” said Michael.

“Hey, I should have blamed my condition on the parasite.  Maybe my wife would have understood me better,” said Arnie.

“Oh?  I didn’t know you were married.”

“I was, but not anymore.  I really miss her though,” said Arnie.

“Maybe after this is over you two can get back together.”

“It’s too late for that,” said Arnie with sadness.

“I am sorry to hear it,” said Michael, wondering what had happened between them. 

Sensing his concerns, Arnie provided further details.
  “Those bastards ate her.  Now she is one of them.”

“Then I am truly sorry for your loss,” said Michael.

“Yeah, well most of my friends suffered the same fate.  That is why I made it my goal in life to take care of the girls.  I will do everything within my power to protect them.  Maybe one day all this will stop, and they can get their lives back,” said Arnie.

“I am beginning to like you
, my friend.”

“Don’t get all mushy on me
, partner.  We have to be tough in order to survive,” said Arnie.  “Besides, you didn’t like me much in the beginning, did you?”

“Well
, you did steal my phone, remember?” asked Michael.  They both could laugh about it now that they were bonding.

“Are you referring to that worthless excuse for a phone?  The provider had already discontinued your service,” said Arnie.

“Well I didn’t know it at the time.”  It was obvious Michael was hiding something from him, but Arnie chose to drop it for the time being.  They had more pressing issues to deal with at the moment.  “We need a place to spend the night,” said Michael.

“I got an idea
.  Follow me.”

“Lead the way
, partner,” said Michael.  After traveling about fifteen minutes, they approached a tall building.  Standing in front of the stately structure, while looking up, Michael became concerned over a minor detail.  “How do you propose we get to the top?”

“Hey, I found us a place to stay
.  The rest is your job,” said Arnie.

“Well, there may be a set of stairs out back.  Let’s check it out,” said Michael
, heading around the corner of the building.  He was right.  When they reached the back side, they found a set of metal stairs with handrails extending all the way to the top. 

One look at the obstacle indicated that this did
not set well with Arnie.  “You go ahead without me.  I will find another place to spend the night.”  With a crestfallen expression, he turned to walk away.