Zombies! (Episode 5): Sinners and Saints (8 page)

“That's a good weapon,” Lodi said. “You can beat 'em back with it or jab 'em if you need to.”

Shawn swallowed.

“Our guy wants these things alive; he don't pay for dead ones. We got to knock 'em down and tie 'em up. I got handcuffs, rope, and rubber balls to tie in their mouths. I done this twice before and let me tell you it don't pay to try and tie one up yourself. If you spot one, get help. If you get bit, you're done. I'll turn you in to the guy and collect three hundred bucks for your sorry ass. Any questions?”

There were none.

Lodi folded up the empty duffle bag and stuffed into one of the others. Then he lifted that one onto his shoulder and motioned for Brian and Shawn to each take one. Loaded up, the seven people moved down the street.

It was nine blocks to their destination, a long haul with that heavy duffle bag. At least the exercise kept them warm. But Shawn was tired when they arrived and he didn't want to fight zombies tired. Lodi brought them to a halt in front of a tall fence with rusty barbed wire along the top. Shawn knew about this place but hadn't ever been there before. Beyond the fence was a giant yard with piles of salt and dirt and gravel. No one was really sure who owned the yard but you didn't see a lot of trucks going in and out. Way back past the material was a score of run-down buildings. They housed offices and storage rooms and a couple of vehicle garages. Shawn was pretty sure there was an auto shop in one of them.

Lodi crouched down next to the fence and waited for the others to form a circle around him. “I seen two guys walkin' around in there last week. They had that funny kind of walk that the zombies have, but sometimes you ain't sure. I seen addicts walkin' around the same way. So I waited and checked it out. Definitely zombies. You get close enough and you can smell 'em. I don't think they leave the yard at all, probably eat the rats. I don't know where they come from but I don't care. If we nail both of them, that's six hundred bucks and we ain't splittin' that even. There's probably a lot more. You get paid for what you catch. I get a cut of everything because I brought all the stuff. Anybody got a problem with that?”

No one did.

Lodi nodded his approval. “Shawn, you're with me. And since this is your first time, we'll take Everett.” He motioned to one of the three men that Shawn didn't know. Everett was tall and dark, thin with high cheekbones and a large flat nose. Underneath his coat, Shawn couldn't tell if he was toned or not but his hands had long fingers with visible veins. “Brian, you and your girlfriend can have your date. Luthor, you and Worm together. That okay with everyone?”

They all nodded.

Lodi unzipped the other duffles and pulled out backpacks with supplies in them. As promised, there was rope and there were cuffs and rubber balls. Everyone got a backpack. Everyone got a small and thin flashlight. “Don't use the light if you don't have to,” was Lodi's last piece of advice.

The fence had two access points. The first was a large gate that wheeled aside for vehicle access. It was around the corner. That one was locked up tight with two padlocks. A guardhouse stood just inside but there was no guard. Even still, Lodi led them in the other direction. A small gate, the size of a door, was attached to the fence around the other side, closer to the buildings. There was a padlock on the gate but Lodi had a key. Everyone wondered about the key but no one asked. Swinging the gate open, Lodi stepped through and off to the side. He waited while the others came through. Then he closed the gate and replaced the padlock.

“What's that all about?” Brian asked. “Don't lock it.”

“Hey! I been casing this place for over a week. Every once in a while, someone comes by to check the locks. If they ain't in place, we're screwed.”

“And if you get killed, we're trapped in here with the zombies.”

Lodi snorted. “You want out? I'll let you out right now.”

Brian didn't want out.

“Then shut up. Go your separate ways. Be careful. If you get into trouble, give a shout. Better to split the money than get bit.”

Shawn, Lodi, and Everett moved away from the others. Lodi grinned in the dark. He knew where to look for the first two zombies. After that the others would have just as much of a chance of finding game as they would. But they'd at least get a head start.

He led them away from the piles of material and toward the buildings. As they got closer, Shawn could see broken windows and rusted doors. Everything seemed to be locked up tight but he was sure that Lodi could gain them access to any one of those buildings. Shawn did not like the idea of wandering around inside a cold and dark building in the middle of the night.

The first building they passed was a tall grey structure. It looked like an office building, but most of the windows were broken. As they rounded the corner, they could see a door hanging open. Lodi gave it a wide berth, his eyes always on that opening. When they were past, he quickened his pace and headed for a small building, only two stories high, with large windows, most of which were intact. As they close in, Lodi slowed and reached into his waistband. From it his pulled a pistol.

“Where the hell'd you get that?” Everett asked.

Lodi smiled. “I inherited it on the last hunt.”

"You can't shoot that out here," Everett pressed. "It'll bring every zombie in the place down on us."

"At three hundred bucks a head, that sounds like a good idea. But I ain't gonna shoot it unless I got to."

With the gun in his right hand, he found a door that led into the building. The door was open as well, revealing a profound darkness within. Lodi shined his light on the opening, then quickly switched it off. The way ahead had looked clear, a small waiting room with some end tables and broken chairs. Everett took a step forward but Lodi put out his hand. They needed to wait and see if anyone or anything was attracted to the light.

All the while, Shawn was thinking about just how stupid he was. He did
not
want to go prowling around in dark buildings at night. Hell, he was scared enough of the rats. He didn't need to have zombies thrown in on top. At his first opportunity, he decided he was going to get the hell out of there.

Lodi took one step into the building, throwing his gun one way and then the other. Even Shawn, who had never even
held
a gun let alone fired one, knew that Lodi was too busy playing robbers and no cops. The way he was taking that doorway, leading with his gun and not his eyes, he was a sure target. Shawn clenched his teeth as Lodi disappeared into the darkness. A minute went by and then his voice drifted out, calling them and admonishing them at the same time.

Once inside, the light wasn't so bad. It was darker than outside, which made it seem pitch black when just looking through the door. But stray rays of moonlight and street light came in through the dusty windows. Along the left wall was a reception desk. It was a squat thing, nailed down to the floor but clearly not part of the original structure. There were some papers on it but nothing more. Lodi was standing by it, pointing his gun into the gloom. Behind the desk was a door that led deeper into the building. It was also open. Everett switched on his light.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lodi hissed.

"I can't see anything," said Everett. "I ain't staying if I can't see."

"Don't worry. You'll smell 'em long before you can see 'em. Now shut the light."

Everett complied, but not before throwing a nasty expression onto his face.

"I've seen 'em comin' in and outta this building," Lodi said. "I don't know whether they hole up here or the eatin's good. Either way, I bet we bag a couple."

Shawn shook his head. Lodi was way too excited about this. Either he had no sense of danger or he was just crazy. Shawn guessed it was a little bit of both. Lodi had never been at peace, not since he was small. At eight years old, he was fighting the thirteen year olds and sending them home bawling. By the time he'd hit puberty and developed muscles of his own, his body had numerous scars and he was already giving up on school. Wherever he went he found enemies and tested their limits. Lodi had been arrested four times, all for assault, but never convicted. Shaw was sure he'd killed someone (at least one) but he didn't have any proof of it. At this point, he didn't know why he still associated with Lodi. It was a relationship that was going to get him into trouble. Or killed.

Or eaten and converted into one of the undead.

"I gotta piss," Shawn said.

Lodi looked at him. "Can't you hold it?"

"Sure. Right up until we meet our first zombie."

Everett rolled his eyes.

"Shit, dude. Take it outside."

Shawn stumbled out the door, glad to be back out in the open. He really did have to pee, but he pulled his phone out first and started sending a text message.
Hunting zombies. Angus Construction. Hurry!
As he hit the
send
button, he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. Instantly, he began concocting stories as to why he was on the phone when he was supposed to be relieving himself. Lodi was not someone he wanted to cross.

But it wasn't Lodi.

And it wasn't Everett.

The zombie was right on top of him, a fifty something guy in a ratty track suit. How had he not
smelled
it? Then he realized. He hadn't smelled it because the smell was already everywhere. It was in the yard and they'd walked into it without even noticing it.

Shawn screamed. He screamed the way a frightened child screams, but he did not give in. He whipped the bat around as he staggered back. The sharp point scraped against the zombie's cheek, sending it flying back. Gold chains tinkled out of the front of its shirt as it fell, but it didn't seem to notice. As Shawn retreated, something caught his arm. He tried to bolt but it held on fast. Turning, he saw the rotting teeth of another zombie coming right toward him. He pulled up the bat and used it to defend against the teeth. The zombie's head snapped forward, its throat wrapping around the meat of the bat. Another half an inch and Shawn would have been bitten.

"
Jackpot!
" Lodi whooped as he came rushing out of the building, Everett on his tale. Everett had one of the aluminum bats and came right in, crashing it down on the arm the zombie was using to hold Shawn. It took two blows to sever the connection and Shawn fell backward, dropping his phone in the dirt.

Lodi moved in to grapple with the guy in the gym suit. He didn’t even flinch as he shucked his bag and grabbed the guy in a full nelson. Despite his dangerous lack of experience with a handgun, Lodi was very adept at hand to hand combat with zombies. He kept the zombie’s fingernails and teeth well out of position for scratching and biting. Using his weight and his leverage, he pushed the hapless thing face first into the ground and called out for assistance. Now that Shawn was safe (safer?), Everett pulled off his own pack and pull out a pair of handcuffs. Lodi sat on poor gym suit and twisted his hands behind his back. As they struggled, the thing’s feet kicked and its moaning grew louder and louder. Everett moved in and slipped the cuffs on. Then, together, they rolled the thing over. Lodi was not squeamish about stuffing a rubber ball into its mouth (and saying,
eat that, bitch)
and then tying some rope tightly around its head to hold the gag in place.

Meanwhile, Shawn was up and using the pointed bat to hold off the zombie that had assaulted him. He wasn’t fighting it per se, just sort of keeping it at a distance. Every time it came within reach, he shoved the pointy end of the bat directly at it. It didn’t even flinch as the point penetrated the flesh of its arm or its leg or its belly. Shawn had to literally push it back. He so desperately wanted to just lift the bat and cave in the thing’s skull. It took all of his willpower to continue this silly cat and mouse game. Then Lodi was on top of it, struggling it to the ground using the same method he’d used on gym suit.

“We got more on the way,” Everett said.

“Sweet!” Lodi cried as he got the second zombie onto the ground and began wrestling a pair of handcuffs onto its wrists all by himself.

But Everett didn’t share in his optimism. It wasn’t just one or two. As Shawn followed Everett’s gaze, he could see four more clearly and other shadows in the distance.

“Lodi, we need you,” Shawn said.

Lodi was done with the cuffs and was working on the gag. Shawn moved closer to Everett, the cold of the night penetrating to his bones. He was shivering from that cold and shaking from the fear. He could hardly hold the bat.

“Keep it together, man,” Everett whispered to him. “We fight back to back.”

Two more had materialized out of the mist and another was struggling out of the door of the tall grey building. They could see seven now, but were sure there were more.