Don't Dare Call Them Zombies : Books 1-4 (24 page)

Her family members were clearing out of the road ahead of us, running from the flames. The moment the road was clear I hit the gas. I zoomed forward and tried to put as much distance as possible between the family and ourselves. However, the younger woman with the handgun had started firing at us. Most of her shots were missing, but one managed to make it into the cab. It penetrated the rear window and cracked the windshield.

“Don’t shoot,” I shouted through the window to Meredith. “There are children back there.”

I accelerated until I could no longer see anyone in the rearview mirror.

We were back in a wooded area again. I slowed down as the road became narrow.

“Where did you get that shell?” I asked Linwood.

“I didn’t buy it, I made it,” he stated.

“How did you learn to make it?” I questioned.

“You can learn to make anything on the internet,” he said.

I looked at my hand and realized it was slightly red; the first degree burns were obvious. When I got back to the church I would need to do something about it. However, I needed to find out how long it would take to get back to the church.

“The main road is just ahead,” Linwood stated. “At the road just turn left.”

Another freak appeared ahead of us, but it was quickly dispatched by Meredith's shotgun.

As we made our way to the main road, I thought about Jennifer. I hoped she was alright and that the church had remained secure. Also, I thought of the little dog we had adopted. I wondered where it was and if it had been fed.

When we reached the main road I saw a few abandoned cars and a few vehicles with bodies in them. A couple of freaks approached us, and I decided to put the bumper of the vehicle to the test. At a fairly slow speed I ran into one of the freaks and hit it with the front bumper. The freak's skull cracked and the creature fell backwards as I proceeded to drive over its legs.

A few minutes later we were nearing the church. We passed by Robert's house on the way there. Only a few freaks roamed his yard.

The remainder of the trip back to the church was uneventful. It seemed like the freaks had scattered and only a few stray ones remained.

Finally, we were at the church. The patrols were outside again. There were bodies everywhere. It seemed like someone had decided to start fighting the freaks instead of waiting inside for them to wander off on their own.

We pulled into the church yard, and I parked the truck near the gate to the fenced off area near the social hall. I thanked Linwood for the use of his vehicle, and tried to thank Meredith, but she didn’t want to talk to me.

I grabbed my back pack filled with ammo, and I headed towards the social hall. Upon entering, I saw that the room was once again in chaos. Looking around I saw Ms. Teresa in the distance. She saw me as well and walked towards me. As she approached she reached for me and I jumped backwards.

“No offense, but you’re not going to touch me this time,” I said.

“I'm so sorry for the pain that caused you,” she responded. “But it was God's will that you receive the Holy Ghost.”

“I want all the help I can get, but next time please ask before you pray for me,” I said.

“Okay, but you should know your plan worked,” she said. “You lured away most of the dead folks from the church. The patrols were able to take out the rest of them.”

“They were supposed to stay inside,” I said.

“We couldn’t stop them,” she explained. “They were determined to go out there and defend the church.”

“Have you seen Jennifer?” I asked Ms. Teresa.

“Yes, she’s fine,” she answered.

“Where is she? I want to see her.” I asked.

“You’ll see her soon. My brother told me to bring you to him right away, as soon as I saw you,” she said.

“That will have to wait,” I told her. “I'm going to see Jennifer first.”

She could tell I was determined. “Well, if you must . . . but please make your visit with Jennifer brief.”

“Where is Jennifer?” I asked.

“She’s with Roy and Kay Bridges in their room. It is the third door on the left,” she answered.

“Thanks,” I said as I headed to the hallway.

I quickly opened the door to the room and found Jennifer on the floor, reading to one of their children. Roy and Kay were on the other side of the room resting on two separate cots. They sat up as soon as I entered the room.

Jennifer looked up at me, and told the girl that they would read some more later. She stood as if to greet me, but instead of getting the hug I was hoping for, she slapped me in t

“That is for leaving me,” she said. “You told me that we wouldn’t be separated again!”

I was stunned, and said nothing.

After looking at me for a moment, her face softened a little, “But I'm glad you have made it back,” she said.

“I just wanted to let you know I am okay,” I said, still bewildered about this strange greeting. “I think the threat is gone, for the moment. How are things here?”

“We’re all fine, but I'm afraid for the girl that rang the bell and the other teenagers. They have locked them into a room, and I heard that they may kick them out of the church all together,” Jennifer said.

“The sorry tramp deserves being kicked out after threatening all our lives,” I said.

“She’s just a kid,” Jennifer said.

“But actions have consequences,” I said.

There was a knock at the door, and Reverend McMann put his head into the room

“Come in,” said Roy.

“Reverend Sikes wants to talk with you, Hank” he said.

I turned and looked at Jennifer.

“I have to go for a bit,” I'll be back.

“No, I'm going too,” she said.

“I don't think that is wise,” I responded.

“Try to stop me,” said Jennifer, glaring at me. I could still feel the sting of her hand on my face.

“She can come with us,” Reverend McMann stated.

Jennifer and I followed him down the hall and towards the room in which I had talked with Reverend Sikes before. It was also the room in which Oscar had killed his grandson, and then himself. I didn’t want to go in there, but it looked like I was going to have to.

I remembered the bang from beneath the floor, and I wondered what was down there. Maybe we would find out.

We reached the room and followed Reverend McMann inside. I saw that the brand new, blue carpet had been rolled up and pushed to the side of the room. On the floor where the rug had previously been was a kind of trapdoor. I guessed it led to a cellar or basement.

A few chairs were set up near the trapdoor opposite Reverend Sikes who sat at a small table and Reverend McMann urged the two of us to sit down. As we did so we heard a muffled snarl.

Chapter Seven

It
was obvious that the sound came from beneath the floor of this dusty room, which was now further tainted by the knowledge it had been the scene of a murder-suicide. As Reverend Sikes started to speak, I tried to ignore the sound.

“You may have saved my church. I want to thank you for going out there and luring away the enemy,” he said.

“I am glad to have helped,” I responded. “I hope my idea worked.”

“Yes it did,” he said. “However, my Deacons couldn’t stop several of the patrols from going out and eliminating the remaining . . . deceased people. But it seems like your plan may have saved lives today.”

“That's good,” I said.

“It is good,” he said. “But it has been a bad day for my church.”

He looked at me and stated, “In one day I have had a group of teenagers using drugs, a pair of youths sleeping together, a murder, and a suicide take place in my church. This is a church, not a hotbed of sin and death!”

“I'm sorry,” I said to the Reverend.

“It's not your fault; these events are my problem, and I take responsibility for them,” he said.

“What did you want to talk about?” I asked. “Jennifer and I would like to get our van fixed as soon as possible and get back on the road.”

The old, weary Reverend walked around and once again looked out a window.

“I need a favor,” he stated.

“What do you need?” I asked.

“I have, or had, a wife, three daughters, and five grandchildren. Were you aware of that?” he asked.

“No, I was not,” I said.

“My wife and youngest daughter were living with me when the outbreak started,” he said. “Her two children were also living with us,” he said.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Well, I told the congregation that they died. It was a lie, but technically the truth,” he said.

“What is the truth?” Jennifer asked.

“The truth is that on the morning the outbreak started a sick woman, a member of my congregation came to my door,” he explained. “She was very ill and needed help, so we let her in. Over the next couple of hours she became even more ill. The woman developed a raging fever. We called a local doctor but didn’t receive a response. So we put her on the living room sofa and tried to let her rest while we made more calls.”

“She turned, didn't she?” I asked.

“Yes, she did. I was in my office when I heard my wife scream. The dead woman had attacked and killed my two year old granddaughter without us knowing. My wife came upon her consuming the child's flesh. By the time I entered the room both my wife and my two grandchildren had been bitten. My daughter tried to get the woman to release the body of the child and got bitten in the process. To make a long story short, they all eventually turned.”

The pastor paused. I knew there was more to this story.

 “They’re now bound and secured in the cellar beneath this room,” he said, closing his eyes and putting both hands on his forehead.

“Had they turned when you put them down there?” I asked.

“No, they were just very ill, but I knew they would all turn eventually – if God didn’t intervene,” he said.

“Who knows about this?” Jennifer asked.

“Only Reverend McMann, Nurse Simpson, and now the two of you,” he responded.

“You know they’re no longer human, right?” Jennifer asked.

“Well, that is a good question. I don't know what to think about them, except that I still love them,” he said.

“Once someone turns they’re nothing but a walking corpse,” I said. “They’re nothing but killing machines that want to eat our flesh. It is wrong and cruel to keep them alive like that.”

“Well, I'm not sure of anything, anymore,” he said. “For all I know, their soul could still be in their body. Maybe it is what is enabling them to move and walk about.”

“We think they may be demon possessed,” Reverend McMann added. “If we can exercise the demons in them it’s possible their violent nature could go away, and we could communicate with them.”

“But they would still be dead,” I said. “Even if you could communicate with them, the person would be in a... zombie-fied body. It would be no way to live; I can't think of anything worse.”