Flesh-Eater (Book 1): Fear the Fever (16 page)

“T
hat’s where it all started for us,” he said, pointing at the bus in the distance.  It was parked on a diagonal across the road.  After Ross had started attacking their team mates, Coach had slammed on the brakes, sending the rear end of the bus into a skid.  Some of their friends who had been trying to escape were sent flying towards the front of the bus, smashing their heads on the divider separating the driver from the rest of them.  One of them had snapped his neck, others were just dazed, making them all easy targets.  Ross had pounced before they had even had a chance to get to their feet.

Joe, the one whose neck had snapped, had turned almost immediately, skipping the fever altogether.  Between the two of them, they had managed to sink their teeth into the majority of the bus.  Coach had been so shocked, it had taken him a while to open the doors for their escape.

Chad and Zuckerman had both scrambled over seats and bodies to get out, leaving the rest of their team mates to their demise.  He still felt bad that they hadn’t tried to help the others sooner.

The closer they got to the bus, the slower Zeke went.  It was impossible to tear his eyes away from the bloodied bus.  He could only imagine the carnage that had taken place.

“Looks like it was pretty bad,” he said.

“Yeah, it was.  We were lucky to get out,” Chad answered.  “I don’t think anyone else made it.”

Zeke swerved the car to go around the front of the bus.  Running full speed towards them, were two flesh-eaters.  More were emerging from the field, all making a beeline for their vehicles, all moving at speeds they hadn’t thought possible.

“Jesus!” Zeke cried out, slamming his foot on the accelerator.  “They just came out of nowhere!”  One bounced off the bonnet as he ploughed through them like skittles.

“The girls!” Chad yelled, watching out the back window, as the crowd ambushed their car, rocking it back and forth, clawing at the doors to get to the fresh meat inside.  “We need to help them!”

Zeke brought the car to a stop.  He turned to the back, reaching for his shotgun.  “I’ll go first, try to lead them away.  You guys follow behind, take the spears Harper made.”

“Are you crazy?  We should shoot them from here.”

“They can’t hurt me, remember?  I’ll be fine.”  He already had his hand on the door, swinging it open.  “Hey!” he yelled, drawing their attention.  He shot at one of the stragglers who hadn’t made it to the car yet, not wanting to put the girls at any more risk.  “Distract them!  I’ll gun them down!” he hollered over his shoulder as he started walking towards them, firing shots as he went.

The boys began to bang against the side of the car, yelling and waving their arms.  They had their spears beside them, ready for any flesh-eaters that got too close.

Zeke was gunning them down, one after another.  The sound of the girls screams spurring him on.  He was almost half way to the car and the few he had missed, were charging at him, teeth bared.  He could hear Chad and Zuckerman behind him, finishing off any he hadn’t shot in the head.

His finger pulled on the trigger, but nothing but a click came out.  He was out of ammo.  Spinning the gun around so that he was now holding it by the barrel, he started swinging it like a baseball bat, swatting them left and right.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Harper had managed to climb out of the car too, she held her spear above her head, bringing it down on one of them, dropping him to the ground.  She joined Chad and Zuckerman, helping to finish them off.

Sweat-soaked, and bloody, they surveyed the area, making sure they had got them all.

“You okay?” Chad asked Harper.  “That was really brave of you.”

“That’s nothing,” Zeke said.  “You should’ve seen her when I first found her.”  He winked at Harper.  “She took down a whole herd by herself.”

“That so?” Zuckerman asked.  “Got some pretty big balls there, Harper,” he said, wiping his arm across his forehead.  “And I mean that as a compliment.”

“Thanks.  I could hardly let you lot get all the glory now, could I?”  She dragged the tip of her spear along the grass verge to clean it off.  “I better check on those two.”

“I’ll come with you,” Chad said, joining her.  He knew both girls wouldn’t have seen this many before.  He could only imagine how scary it must’ve been for them.

Tammy was cradling Caitlyn in her arms as she sobbed.  When they opened the door, she screamed.

“It’s okay, little one,” Tammy soothed.  “We won’t let them hurt you.”

“They’re all gone now,” Chad said, crouching down to her eye level.  “We will keep you safe, I promise.”

Caitlyn sniffed, throwing her arms around his neck.  He scooped her up, rocking her in his arms as she cried.  “Shhh.  We’ve got you,” he whispered into her hair.  He caught Tammy’s eye, trying to gauge how she was feeling.

“I’m okay,” she mouthed, attempting to smile at him, though the slight tremble to her lips betrayed her true feelings.  Chad reached out to her, cupping her face in his hand.  She wrapped her fingers around his, her shoulders sagging as she puffed out the breath she had been holding.

“I will do everything I can to keep you both safe.”  He pulled away to look at them both.  “You’re my girls.”

A
fter taking a minute to catch their breath and digest what had just happened, they each climbed into the cars ready to get back on the road.  Chad decided to ride with Tammy and Caitlyn this time, relieving her of her driving duties as she was still quite shaken.  Harper rode up front with Zeke and Zuckerman.

Tammy sat in the back seat with Caitlyn draped across her lap, while she gently stroked her hair off her face.  No longer crying, Caitlyn lay there, staring vacantly, the fingers of one hand curled tightly around Tammy’s free hand, the other hung limply by her side.

The moment she had first seen the flesh-eaters coming towards them, she had screamed and cowered in a ball, with her arms wrapped around her head.  It had been the first time she had encountered one before, let alone a whole herd.

When they had started shaking the car, their, grotesque faces pressed against the windows, Tammy had pulled her onto her lap, her arms shielding her face from seeing them.  She had sung quietly in her ear, trying to distract her from what was going on outside, not allowing her to think for a second, that they wouldn’t survive.

Chad met her eyes in the rear-view mirror.  A few wayward strands of his jet black hair had fallen across his forehead, making the blue of his eyes stand out even more.  He smiled.

Once he had turned his attention back to the road, Tammy studied him some more.  His strong jaw was speckled with dirt and something that she could only assume was blood.  The clean shirt he had put on this morning was no longer white, and one sleeve had been torn at the seam.

His muscular arms flexed as he gripped the steering wheel.  She felt an urge to reach out and touch them, but thought better of it.

It still amazed her that someone she barely knew a few days earlier, would be willing to risk his life for hers.  She owed him.  She owed all of them.

“Tammy?” Caitlyn whispered, rolling onto her back.

“Mmm?  What’s up kiddo?”  She smiled down at her, moving her hand to the top of her head.

“Are my Mommy and Daddy…” she blinked, her eyes filling with tears.  “Are they, like those scary people?” she asked, making Tammy’s heart break.

“Oh honey.”  She scooped her up to sit on her lap, holding her face in her hands.  “Honestly?  I don’t know, sweetheart.  But I hope not.”

“Why didn’t they come back for me?” she sniffed, burying her face in Tammy’s chest.  Her shoulders heaving as she sucked in a deep breath, sobbing.

“I bet they tried really hard to get back to you, and for whatever reason, they just couldn’t make it.  But you know what?” she said, using her thumb and finger to lift her chin to look her in the eyes again.  “I think they knew that you would be safe.  That you would find your way to people who could help you.”

“How would they know that?”

“Because, they know that you’re smart and strong.  They knew you could make it.”  Caitlyn nodded, accepting her answer.  She rested her head against Tammy again.

“I miss them,” she said, her voice not more than a whisper.

“I know you do, sweetheart.”  She wrapped her arms around her, wanting to take her pain away.

A short time later Caitlyn had fallen asleep, the adrenalin having worn off and leaving her drained.  Tammy lay her across the back seat and climbed into the front with Chad.  She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and resting her head on top.  She stared out the side window, watching the trees sweep past.  Occasionally seeing one of the dead walking around aimlessly.  One or two had charged the cars, but they had been better prepared this time and avoided impact.

They were nearing the outskirts of Cincinnati and she was both nervous and excited.  She worried that it might be worse here, that it might be completely overrun and they wouldn’t make it to Farrelly.  There was still a tiny piece of her that was hoping that it hadn’t reached here at all and they would be safe.  A foolish thought, she knew.  They would’ve sent help if it was only their little town that had been affected.  The cavalries would have come in and gunned down the dead, rescuing the living.

Still, she hung on to that tiny ray of hope.  She had to.

“Shit,” Chad hissed under his breath, drawing her attention to the front.  “Smoke.  From the city centre I’d say.”  He pointed at the thick black smoke curling towards the heavens.

“Looters?” she asked.

“Probably.  Disaster strikes and people go crazy.  Out to get whatever they can.”

Tammy huffed.  “Watching a big screen TV is the last thing on my mind right now.  What the hell is wrong with people?”

Chad reached for her hand without taking his eyes away from the road.  This was the first time she had expressed anything other than sadness at their situation.  It was hardening her.  “There are still some good people out there.”  He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, before drawing her hand to his mouth, his lips gently brushing the back of her hand.

She sighed, letting go of the tension that had been building.  She didn’t know how he did it.  Something about him was so calming to her.  “How do you stay so positive?” she asked, watching him place her hand on his lap.

“It’s what I need to do.  It would be easy to give in to the pain and wallow in self-pity, but I have to believe that we can fix this.”  He glanced at her.  “What’s the point in living otherwise?”

“I
t should be right around this corner,” Zuckerman said, his finger following along the map.

They had skirted around the outer edges of the city, avoiding the main streets for fear of running into another herd, or worse.  Panic can do strange things to people’s minds.  The smoke billowing behind them was proof of that.

“It’s not as big as I expected,” Harper said, as the building came into sight.

“Maybe not, but it looks pretty secure.”  The fences surrounding the place stood at least seven feet high with barbed wire twisted around the top.  There was a large set of heavy steel gates on rollers, and an intercom box with a camera attached, out in front.

“Look,” Harper pointed to a car in the driveway.  It was parked at an angle, the doors wide open.  “Someone must’ve been in a hurry.”  She craned her neck, trying to get a look around the grounds.  “There, by the door.”  Three flesh-eaters were gathered outside, trying to pry it open.

“D’you think anyone’s in there?” Zuckerman asked, staring up at the three-storey building in front of them.

“I hope so,” Zeke said, looking around for any hidden flesh-eaters before winding his window down to speak into the intercom.  “Hello?”  He hung his arm over the window of the car door, leaning closer to the speaker.  “Anybody there?”

The intercom crackled with static, but no reply.  Zeke tried again.  “Hello?  Can we come in please?  We really need to talk to you.”

“Zeke?  Wind your window up,” Harper warned, her attention fixed to the right where a few flesh-eaters had broken through the treeline.  “We’ve got company.”

“Please!  We need your help!”  Zeke shouted into the speaker before closing his window.  The dead were hurtling towards them, that awful sound between a growl and a hiss, so loud they could hear it over the Land Cruiser’s idling engine.

“Chad, no!”  Zuckerman cried out, watching his friend jump out of the car behind them.  He was running towards the intercom, clutching the jar containing the mouse.

“It might be the only way for us to get in!” Harper said, her hand already reaching for the gun.  “I’ll take care of them.”  She grabbed a handful of ammo, loading it as she leapt from the car.  She was on her knees, aiming the gun at the first of the dead.  Pulling the trigger, she dropped him to the ground.

“Open the gates!”  Chad screamed at the intercom.

“Why?  How do we know you aren’t some deranged psychopaths?” came the response.

A shot rang out, as Harper fired at the second flesh-eater, hitting his shoulder.  The next shot didn’t miss.  The gunfire was drawing more of them out of the trees.

“In case you can’t hear what’s going on out here, we’re being attacked!  You need to let us in!”  He was answered by another lot of static.  “Is this reason enough?” Chad yelled, holding up the enraged mouse and the tag with Farrelly Pharmaceuticals inscribed on it.

“There’s too many!”  Harper cried.  “I can’t keep them away!”

“On it!” Chad wrenched open the back door of the Land Cruiser, throwing the jar at Zuckerman.  “Look after this.  Get it inside.”  He grabbed the spear lying at his feet and slammed the door closed, running around to join Harper.

With a loud war cry, he ran at the pack, swinging his spear around his head.

A metallic clang signalled the gates opening.

“Go!” He waved them on.  “We’ll follow!”  He swung his spear down on another dead, bringing them to their knees.  “I…will…not…die…now!” he screamed.

Harper fired off more shots at the ones in the distance, while he concentrated on the closer ones, making a safe passage for their friends.  The gate was almost fully open now, and they would be able to go through.

“We need to draw them away!” he yelled across to Harper.  She nodded her agreement, running towards the back of Tammy’s car.  She fired another shot into the air, drawing them towards her.

“This way arseholes!” she screamed, firing again.

“Chad!” Tammy called out, tears flowing down her face.

He slapped his hand on the bonnet of her car, “Go!” he shouted, following Harper.  Zeke and Zuckerman had already gone through the gates and were fighting off the three who had been inside.  The ruckus had lured them away from the door.

“Are you okay here?  I’ll go help the others!” Zeke said, not waiting for an answer, as he ran out the gates, his gun locked and loaded.  “Tammy!  Drive!” he screamed, running towards her.  “You have to go now!”  He pulled his gun up, firing a shot at the one closest to her door, sending a spray of blood over the window.  Caitlyn screamed, and that kicked Tammy into gear.  She planted her foot on the accelerator and hurtled through the gates, ploughing down one of the three that had gotten away from Zuckerman.  She kept driving until she was almost at the doors, before slamming her foot on the brake and skidding to a stop, adrenaline pulsing through her veins.  She turned to Caitlyn, “Are you okay?”  She whimpered, but nodded her head.  “I have to go and help, okay?  You lock the doors and stay in the car.  I’ll be right back.”

“No!  Don’t leave!” Caitlyn cried out, reaching her hands towards Tammy.

“I promise you, I will come back for you.  I need to help our friends.”  She planted a kiss on her forehead.  “Lock the doors behind me.”

Spear in hand, she ran towards the other car where Zuckerman was fending off a few who had slipped through the gates.

“Where are they all coming from?” she fumed, allowing the anger to flow through her as she plunged her spear through the side of someone’s head.

“I dunno!  They just keep coming!”  Zuckerman had a spear in each hand, swinging them at anything that moved.

“The gate!  Z, it’s closing!” she cried out.

“Shit!  Guys you need to move!  Now!” he shouted.  Zeke spun around, seeing that they were going to be shut out if they didn’t make a run for it.

“Fall back!” he yelled.  “We have to get inside!”  He started backing up, firing shots as he went, Chad and Harper following suit.  “Go!  I’ve got this,” he said, pushing them behind him.

“We need you, Zeke!” Chad said, “You need to get through those gates!”

“I will!  Just get Harper through first.”

“You seem to be forgetting, I can take care of myself,” she said, gripping his arm and yanking him backwards through the gap.

The gate clanged shut, sealing them in.  The pack crashed into the fence, some managing to reach their arms through the gaps, their skin pulled back by the bars as they clawed at the air.  Others pushed their faces against it, hissing that unnatural sound.

Zeke and Harper were in a heap on the ground, trying to catch their breath.  Zuckerman was doubled over, his hands braced on his knees, while Chad stood holding Tammy in his arms.

“Tammy?” Caitlyn’s worried voice called out.  She was between the two cars, making her way over to them when a flesh-eater jumped out from inside the abandoned vehicle.

“Caitlyn!” Tammy screamed, but it was too late.  The flesh-eater sunk its teeth into the soft skin of her neck; blood trickling down onto her clothes.  Her big hazel eyes, wide with fright.

Chad ran to her, but Zeke was faster.  He aimed the gun at the spot between the flesh-eater’s eyes, and pulled the trigger.

“Caitlyn!”