Zombies (17 page)

“Now you are scaring me.  What if you are right?” asked Arnie.

“Then we destroy the demons too.  Now are you ready, Mighty Rambo?”  He began walking in the opposite direction of the raging fire.

“Hey, you don’t know where you are going,” said Arnie.  Taking the lead, the proud little man took charge.  “Follow me
, mighty warrior.”

“I got you
r back.  Now let’s rumble,” said Michael.

“I like the sound of that.  We
just may survive this after all,” said Arnie.

“
Not only are we going to survive, we are going to show the world how to take back their lives from the zombies,” said Michael.

“For some strange reason
, I believe you.”

“Just for the record, where are we going?” asked Michael.

“There is a huge rock pit, and I figure we will find our stinky friends hiding out there.  Of course the stupid things are not actually hiding.  They congregate there. I suppose that would be the correct term.” 

This disturbed Michael.
  “Just how far from the warehouse is this rock pit?”

“I don’t know
—a couple of miles I guess.  Why do you ask?”

“W
ill we be able to convince them to chase us that far?” questioned Michael.

“Believe me that won’t be a problem at all.  They will chase us half way around the world to pick the flesh from our brains,” said Arnie.
  That still didn’t set well at all, and it showed on his face.  “You worry too much.  Just look at it this way.  After this we will either beat them or join them.”  They laughed, mostly because it was true.

“What the heck, you only live once,” said Michael.

“Unless we become a zombie,” Arnie reminded.

“I
’m beginning not to like you,” said Michael, picking up the pace to catch his friend.  That only fueled the nervous laughter.  Silence followed them for the remainder of the lengthy journey. 

As the pit came into view, Arnie dropped to his knees.  Out of breath, he began to explain how this was going down. 
“Do you see that tall conveyor?  Look beneath it and you should notice several zombies scattered about,” said Arnie.  Focusing his eyes in the darkness, Michael soon discovered what he was referring to.  “Okay, our best bet is the surprise them by making as much noise as possible.”

“Then what?” asked Michael not liking the plan so far.

“We run like hell and don’t look back.”

“That is not a plan
.  That’s suicide,” complained Michael.  The little guy laughed in the face of danger.  Maybe it reminded him of his days in the ring.  For whatever reason, he was thrilled by the challenge.  Without further discussing the matter, he took off in a run while yelling insults to the top of his voice.  Michael could only follow.  The plan, if one could call it that, was already set in motion.  With the grown men approaching while acting like kids at an amusement part, the zombies quickly chased after them.  However, there was one minor problem that they hadn’t counted on.  In fact, it was a huge problem.  There were zombies in places they could never in their wildest imagination have expected.

“Oh
, crap, we are in a heap of trouble!” yelled Arnie.

“Don’t tell
those guys that will only encourage them.”

“
These stupid corpses don’t understand what I am saying,” yelled Arnie, dodging them left and right.  The club in his hand was of little benefit at the moment.  There were simply too many of the creatures to engage in hand-to-hand combat.  Michael, on the other hand, was taking them on with the samara sword.  He would love to have a few bullets for the sig, but for now that was only wishful thinking.

“There is only one thing dumber than a zombie,” yelled Michael.

“Yeah and what could be dumber than a rock.”

“Us my little man, you and
me,” said Michael.  They laughed at the way that sounded.  Again, it was obviously true, but they refused to give up.  Then it finally happened.  Arnie had gotten himself into a jam.  Being cornered, he took the only feasible way out.  However, climbing onto the conveyor would only buy him a little time, just minutes to be more precise.  Immediately Michael sought a way to help his companion.  With few options to choose from, he took the first one that came to mind.  “I wonder if they still have power in this dump.”  Not expecting anything to happen, he pressed the red button.  When the lights came on and the belt began moving, he was in shock.

“Hey down there!  What are you trying to do
?  Kill me?” yelled Arnie.  However, the noise from the huge electric motors and the rock grinder far below prevented him from being heard.  “Oh crap, I guess this is it.”  The agile former wrestler hopped around like a squirrel leaving the zombies to continue moving right past him.  They attempted to fight against the conveyor but to no avail.  One by one they fell from the dizzying heights and into the rock crusher below.  Now Arnie could see the wisdom of this change in plans.  His companion had saved his life.  Yet, the creatures kept coming, leaving Arnie to dodge them the best he could.  Even for the former wrestler, this was a very tiring experience.  The sound of the grinder some hundred feet below was enough incentive to keep him going.  Yet, the zombies kept coming as each wanted to be the first to pick his brains, literally.  With arms stretched, the smelly beast reached for him.  Once they latched on, Arnie knew that would be the end.  He would never be able to shake them. 

F
inally, being out of breath, he was ready to give up.  As he slumped to the belt in a sitting position, he called out to his companion.  “I can’t keep up with the belt, my friend.  Take care of the girls for me.”  With the top of the line near and a never ending supply of zombies encroaching from the bottom, Arnie was doomed. 

Chapter 15

While lying on
the surface of the slow moving belt, one of the beasts ran upon Arnie.  Then, suddenly the belt came to a complete stop.  Startled at first and out of breath, Arnie quickly rose to fight again.  But, it was hopeless and he knew it.  There was nowhere to go except down, and the zombies blocked his only logical escape.

“Hey
, you pathetic piece of decaying flesh, come and get me.  My brain is bigger than Arnie’s,” yelled Michael.  Seemingly unconcerned about the presence of the little man, the creatures turned and ran toward Michael.  Before long, Arnie was following along behind them, discretely of course. 

When the last of the zombies reached the ground, Arnie saw his chance to make a run for it.  However, he couldn’t abandon his friend
, or could he?  After all Michael did say his brain was bigger, indicating that his friend’s brain was small.  Yes, he could leave him.  As he slipped away, he had second thoughts.  “Crap, I can’t do this,” mumbled Arnie, turning to assist his friend.

“What kept you?” asked Michael
, fighting off the enemy.

“I went the wrong way,” replied Arnie, being only partially truthful.  Yet, he didn’t lie to his friend
; and now he was ready to make amends for his earlier deception.  With the force of two strong men, Arnie mowed down the zombies.  Then with no regard for his own life, he piled them onto the conveyor.  “Where do you turn this thing on?”

“The switch is over there on that wall.  It’s the red button,” replied Michael not missing a lick.

“Watch my back,” said Arnie, running toward the spot indicated.

“You had better hurry.  I can’t hold them off much longer,” said Michael.  Within seconds the sound of the conveyor garnered the attention of the zombies.  It seem
ed they were expecting Arnie to be on the belt once again.  Like the name implied, they fell for it.  While the zombies lined up to begin the long climb, Michael and Arnie made it a point to remain perfectly quiet.  Soon they realized this was a great idea.  Michael crouched down to remain out of site and Arnie followed suit.  With the sound of bone grinding in the rock crusher, they could now enjoy the performance from a distance.  A high five was offered by Michael, and his companion proudly accepted his gesture.

“At this rate we won’t have to do a thing.  Just look at those
stupid things marching to their deaths,” whispered Arnie.

“They are already dead, remember
?” whispered Michael.  When one of the creatures turned in their direction, Michael issued a warning.  By placing his finger on his lips, he sent a message.  A nod confirmed it had been received.  This brought into question as to just what the creatures actually knew.  Supposedly they were mindless beast out to eat one’s brain.  Still something was driving them.  If they were to spot a live human, within minutes they would be fighting over the prize.  Once infected, there was no cure.  The men sat quietly considering those thoughts.  Then other thoughts crept in as they observed the zombies marching to their destruction. 

Arnie was still not out of the woods yet.  It could be another couple of days before they would know for certain if he was destined to become
one of the beast they sought to destroy.  The thoughts of having to annihilate his companion weighed heavily on Michael.  The little guy tried not to think about it, but he knew Michael would have no other choice if it came down to it. 

Unable to remain silent any longer, Arnie spoke to his friend.
  “How many do you figure have already plunged into the crusher?”

“Hundreds
, maybe more, it’s hard to tell.  How many people lived in the city, you know before this happened?” asked Michael.

“I can’t remember
.  Seems like we had about twenty-five hundred the best I recall,” said Arnie.

“
How many do you figure went into the building back there?”

“
I’d say about four or five hundred.  What are you driving at?” asked Arnie.

“I am trying to figure out how many people are zombies and if there are other pockets of humans still alive.  Maybe some are hiding out like
us.”

“Oh, I got you.  It seems to me that between the building you destroyed and this mission here, this is about half the people that were originally living in the city,” said Arnie.

“Then there could be lots of people that have not been affected.  If not, then we still have hundreds of zombies roaming around the city,” said Michael.

“Perhaps, but some left the city when the outbreak occurred.  We really don’t know how many did that.  It could be there are no other survivors,” said Arnie.

“That is my thoughts exactly.  You haven’t seen anybody else, you know during your quest to find food?” asked Michael.

“In the beginning
, there were lots of guys roaming about.  They played games with the zombies until they were caught.  After that, they became one of them.  Those guys were so dumb, trying to show off in front of the women.  But not the Mighty Rambo.  I am smarter than that, and you see who is still around,” said Arnie.

“Yes, I can see that and you got the girls too,” said Michael
, noticing the last of the zombies entering the conveyor belt.  Within minutes, they too would fall off the end of the chute only to be pulverized by the massive rock crusher below.  However, for some strange reason, the last of the lot turned to look behind them.  That was when the men noticed a change.  Immediately several began jumping off the belt, almost running over each other in the process.  For a moment they wondered what in the heck was going on.  Then they figured it out.

“Oh crap
!  They are wise to us,” said Arnie, rising to his feet.  With club in hand, he prepared to fight, being determined not to leave behind any survivors.

“I thought those
things were mindless.  How do you explain this?” asked Michael, joining him.

“You
r guess is as good as mine.”  Within seconds, they were being overrun by zombies.  “Shoot it!”

“I am out of bullets,” yelled Michael.

“What kind of warrior leaves his bullets at home?”

“Hey, I saved your butt more times than I count
.  Now admit it,” said Michael, swinging the sword with all his might.  Some of the zombies fell lifeless to the ground while others rose to fight again.  It seemed to be a losing battle though, and the men took a moment to stare at each other before falling prey to the enemy.

“Hey, you guys need any help?” asked Angelica.  The sound of her voice was a pleasant surprise and comforting at first
.  Then they wondered what she could do.  “Where is the sig?” she asked.

“In my belt, but we are out of bullets.  Now do you
mind?  We are sort of busy here,” said Michael.  Without warning Angelica approached him from the rear; and while ducking the sword brandishing all about, she removed the weapon from his pants.  “Hey, I already told you it is out of bullets.  Now a little help please,” said Michael. 

Moments
later shots were fired, and the zombies began falling like flies.  The men stood back to watch the performance in awe.  “Don’t stop now.  Let’s end this once and for all,” said Angelica, prodding them along.

“You heard the lady,” said Arnie, swinging the club.  He seemed to have a system
, and it was working.  A strong jab to the knee was followed by a blow to the head as the creature leaned forward. Once it hit the ground, he made certain it was dead for the second time.  Then he went for another.

Michael became distracted by the little guy’s technique
, and it got him in a heap of trouble.  Being caught in the clutches of the arms of one of the frightening beast, the young man was about to pay the price with his life.  With the stench of its breath bearing down on him, Michael called out for help.  Seeing that the others were too far away to be of any assistance, thoughts of giving up entered his mind.  The strength of the beast was overwhelming. 

Suddenly a
shot rang out and the beast loosened its grip before falling to the ground.  Michael was elated.  However, he noticed another problem that had been inherited from this incident.  There was a nick in his ear, and it drew blood.  Now he was in a predicament.  Had he also become infected?   Only time would tell.  Since that was a distinct possibility, he had nothing to loose.  This sent the mighty warrior into action.  Both men fought hard; and with Angelica’s help, they were finally making progress.  Within minutes, the battle was over.  They had won.  As the last zombie fell to the ground, the three gladiators slumped over to catch their breath.

“I can’t believe you shot me,” said Michael, barely able to speak.  Deep breathing was intermittent with slurred speech.

“Why would she do that?” asked Arnie, checking the bloody wound.

“I don’t have a clue.  Why don’t you ask her?” replied Michael with his hands resting on his knees.

“It wasn’t on purpose, and you know it.  That thing was about to take a bite out of you, and then it would have eaten you alive,” said Angelica.

“She’s right.  I guess I should be thanking her instead of complaining.
”

“Well look on the bright side.  You both may be the last two zombies standing,” said Angelica, laughingly.

“Hey, that’s not funny,” said Arnie.  Then he began to laugh.  Moments later Michael was caught up in the laughter as well.  For some strange reason they could not seem to resist the urge.  Then reality hit.  They realized this may be the end of the saga, and Angelica would be forced to kill her friends to protect the girls.

“I love you guys.  I just wanted you to know that
in case anything happens to you,” said Angelica.

“She is apologizing for having to split
open our brains, isn’t she?” asked Arnie.

“No, I’m not.  But if you guys become zombies, you will be dead already.”

“Not true.  Haven’t you heard?  Zombies are the undead,” said Arnie.

“You know what I mean
, so don’t make me feel any worse than I already do.”

“Please accept our apology
, my lady, and just think about it.  There will be no more men in the world to get under your skin,” said Arnie.

“That sounds so boring,” said Angelica, cocking her eyes.

“Hey, Michael, in case you didn’t catch that, she is flirting with you,” said Arnie.

“How do you know
?  She may be flirting with you,” said Michael.

“You guys sound like neither
of you want me,” said Angelica in a teasing manner.

“If Michael doesn’t
, I will be happy to take you off his hands,” said Arnie.

“You just take care of the others
; Angelica belongs to me,” said Michael.

“Is that right?  Well
, for your information, I don’t belong to anyone,” said Angelica in an agitated tone.

“You are in
deep trouble now, partner.  I will leave you two alone to sort it out,” said Arnie, walking away.

“Don’t go anywhere
—not until we find out your fate,” said Angelica.

“That’s right.  You may soon be rid of both of us,” said Michael.

“Yep, and I have a bullet for each of you.  So you had better behave yourself, or you won’t have to wait to find out,” said Angelica.

“Sounds like she is threatening us
, partner,” said Arnie.

“Yes, but she
just messed up,” said Michael.

“Is that so?” asked Angelica, cocking her eyes again.

“Yes, you just revealed your plan for getting rid of us.  Now we will be prepared.  Hey, that’s an idea.  We could be the last three zombies alive before this is over,” said Michael.

“To heck with that
.  Once you are zombies, your mind will be fried.  Remember.  Those creatures are mindless, and you will have forgotten this whole conversation,” said Angelica.

“I am not so sure about that.  A minute ago I got the feeling those zombies were thinking about what they would do next,” said Michael.  This startled Angelica and it showed in her expression.  Could there be something she was hiding from the others?
  “Well there is no sense in standing around here all night,” said Michael, ready to leave.  Suddenly the sun peaked over the horizon.  “Well so much for the night.  Now we will have to find a hole to crawl into so we can get some sleep.”

“Yeah and that could get to be very interesting.  I wish I could wait around to witness it,” said Angelica.  The men stared at each other in confusion.  “Neither of you will be able to sleep out of fear
that the other will turn.”  They hadn’t thought of it in that way.  What if one of them turned and the other didn’t.  Then again, what if they both became zombies, except at separate times?  The gravity of the situation hit home, bringing sadness among the close friends.  Finally, with nothing else to say, Angelica prepared to leave them alone to work it out.  Noticing the sadness and their heads lowered, she almost cried.  Yet, she remembered being told that crying was not permissible.  “You guys take care.”