General Population (16 page)

"Thanks again, fellas," said Maddix, as he flashed them a fake salute.

Dozens of amphibious eyes peeked out from the lake to watch the three of them step out of the water. They chewed away happily at their bountiful meal of evil bugs.

"The key isn't in that box, is it?" asked Tara.

Maddix couldn't fight back the devilish grin forming across his face. He couldn't remember anything about who he was in the real world, one thing had always been obvious to him—he never trusted anyone or anything. He had kept this part of himself from Tara during their whole time together. He hated the rules and procedures. Whenever possible he was always second-guessing traditions and skirting around the Founding Father's policies, and the first that had to go pertained to the one thing that could destroy the world.

The very idea that the one possible escape from this prison was to be hidden on some isolated island surrounded by lake monsters was incredibly cliché and ridiculous to Maddix. Every day for the first few months he would walk by the lake just to be sure that no one had disturbed the stone or dug up the key. It was a constant source of paranoia and extremely distracting. To be able to do his job effectively meant that Maddix would have to eliminate the one thing that hindered that.
 

"So where is it then?" asked Tara.

"Let's just say it's safe for now."

The three of them, clad in their undergarments, squeezed out the last of the water saturated in their clothing before putting it back on. They were still damp and uncomfortable, but it was better than being totally weighed down by rancid lake water.

"You are a crafty one, monsieur."
 

"I don't get it. Why didn't you ever tell me?" Tara questioned.

"At first? I wasn't sure if anyone saw me take it so I had to keep it on the down-low, and after a while I just forgot to tell you."

"So why did we just go through all that on the island?"

"I knew someone was behind this. I just wasn't sure whom. I had some suspicions about the Statsnys ever since I went to see the body. If they were watching us, this was the best way to flush them out."

"Crafty, monsieur. Very crafty. Now what?"

"They think we are helpless right now. That's why I suggested we take the boat. Makes us look weaker than we actually are. It's basic poker, my friend. Never show the other players your hand."

"So we've bought some time, but we should move now," said Tara.

Maddix agreed and buttoned his shirt.

"Where is this gate, precisely?" Javier asked.

"That's the worst part. It's on the very edge of the realm, past the forest."

"Christ. If those things are there—"

"Let's assume that they already are, and stay alert," Maddix stated.

"Okay, boys, let's get moving," said Tara.

The forest in Malevolent was already creepy, but when the sun dropped it was downright ominous. The trees gave the illusion of being larger than life against the black backdrop of the night sky. The moisture in the air elevated the pungent odor of living corpses. The reflection of stars was giving the zombies' eyes a glint to them that made it seem as if they were following the group as they hiked toward the gate. In was most unnerving and it was a reminder to Maddix and his friends that they were traipsing through a different world that wasn't theirs anymore. They were unwelcome guests in someone's new nightmare of a land.
 

The three of them exchanged glances but barely spoke a word to each other during the short journey. They were all scared, and it was taking everything in their will to gather the courage needed to keep it together. Letting go of that focus and speaking would only allow the panic they felt inside to come bursting out.
 

They pressed forward with only the limited moonlight to guide them. Maddix had a really tough time seeing anything in front of him and waved his wooden stake around to check for obstacles. After everything he had been through, and everything he knew he would go through, he considered the stake his good luck charm.

"So far, so good. Just keep going and don't look back. Keep your ears open," whispered Maddix.

They were moving at a brisk pace while trying to stay quiet, but all the dried leaves and sticks on the ground made that next to impossible. Anyone with supernatural hearing would be sure to triangulate where they were. What about the wasps? Were they attracted to sight, sound, or smell? Best thing to do was keep their eyes open and pay attention.

But then, Javier tripped …

He landed on top of a rotting corpse, its bottom half removed from the torso due to the decay of its own flesh. He was face-to-face with the creature. It let out a gurgling hiss but made no move against him. With Javier's badge in place, it was still helpless and posed to harm.

Maddix helped Javier to his feet. In a rage Javier stomped the monster’s face with his boot.

"Calm down, Constable," said Maddix.

"Fuck these things! Why couldn't they just kill all of them? Why send them here?"

"Apparently," Maddix gave Javier a pat on the shoulder to calm him, "it wasn't as simple as that. Nobody really knows where they came from. The only thing the Founding Fathers figured out is that they aren't magical or spiritual in nature. It's some kind of biological infection that keeps their brains going."

"How's that possible?"
 

"Who knows? They never could pinpoint what caused it, and it was starting to spread so fast they had to act quickly before it was out of control."

"So they sent them here where they would be harmless?" asked Tara.

"They used the last of the magic available to them to do it," Maddix replied. "Really nasty stuff, too."

"I don't understand," muttered Javier.

"Well, look at your badges. They are based on lost Egyptian rituals. Protective scarabs created by worshipers of Anubis. It wasn't possible to change the terms of the pact so they had to create new magic for you and your men."

"I had no idea," said Javier.
 

"That's because you never read any of my "
precious
" diaries," said Maddix. He winked at Javier.

After all they had been through, Javier did feel guilty about the past. He wanted to say something but could not get the words out. Maddix patted his shoulder again and they kept walking.

"It occurs to me that they must have foreseen something like this happening," Tara stated.

"I'm not following you," said Maddix.

"Well, think about it. They sent the zombies here, and the constables with them. They must have expected some kind of problem to send an armed police force to a
magically
protected prison realm."

"You think all this was expected?" said Javier.

"Yes. Or planned."
 

"Are you suggesting—"

"Wait," said Maddix, "I hear something."

It was a good five seconds before the first buzzing of insect wings broke the silence. The cracking of bones and footsteps followed this. One of the zombies had been stung, but it was impossible to see which one.

"Shit," said Tara. "I can't see anything out here."

Javier pulled his pistol from his waist. Hopefully, it would still fire after being waterlogged during their swim to shore.

In the distance behind them, Tara thought that she saw movement. The night was pitch-black and the area littered with walking dead, making it too hard to determine for sure. There may have been footsteps, but the deep moaning and hissing of zombies drowned out most noises.

Then there was a voice—that much they were all sure of—but it was unintelligible. Suddenly, the forest was filled with the sounds of wasps flying, stinging, and manipulating the horde of zombies.

The three of them turned in horror as one zombie after another began to awkwardly walk toward them. Javier drew his weapon, but Tara put her hand on his barrel. "It's useless. There are too many of them. Run!"

They were practically blind, running through the forest bumping into more zombies and narrowly evading trees that had fallen to the ground. The swarms of wasps surrounded them and whizzed passed them. Javier almost caught one in the neck but managed to grab the bastard and crush it with his bare hands. He would not go down before he could avenge the death of his men.

Maddix stopped abruptly as the wasps began to sting the zombies in front of them. They shook and twitched like the others and then began hobbling toward them.

I really wish I had more bullets,
thought Maddix. He took aim with his gun and dropped two of the dead biters before the third sparked and misfired.
 

"Shit," Maddix muttered. He struggled to eject the waterlogged cartridge.

Javier was luckier and managed to squeeze off several shots before his gun misfired. He was so distracted that he did not see the creature slowly creep up behind him and wrestle him to the ground.
 

Taking his pistol, Javier wedged the barrel into the mouth of his attacker. He wasn't in any sort of position to get this thing off him, but he'd be damned if he were going to allow himself to be bitten and turned. The brain-dead zombie paid little attention to the gun in its mouth and kept trying to take a bite out of its victim to no avail.

Tara moved in to pull the zombie off Javier, grabbing the gun from either end like a horse's bit. She struggled but managed to get the upper hand, pulling its head back and off of its shoulders, throwing herself back in the process. Now she was on the ground and being closed in on.

Maddix managed to unjam his weapon and fired more rounds at the surrounding horde, creating a hole in the crowd big enough for Tara to run through. She quickly tossed Javier his pistol and grabbed the small stake from Maddix's belt.

The three of them fought them off with all the strength they could muster. The physical drain was taking a toll on them. It was easy to kill them, but the sheer numbers made it difficult to stay ahead in the game. When one dropped, three more would step in their place.

"Something is headed toward us … fast!" said Tara.

Maddix looked over his shoulder and spotted what Tara saw on the horizon. Whoever they were, they were making short work of the zombies. Whether they would be friend or foe was another matter. The stranger carried a large club and was splattering heads left and right with it. He was wearing a gas mask and had a large scarf wrapped around his neck.

"I have a clear shot, should I take him down?" shouted Javier.

Maddix took another look at the masked man; his brain was saying yes, but something in his gut was telling him it was the wrong move. "Just concentrate on the zombies, we'll deal with him later. He's thinning out the numbers for us."

The last of the horde attacking them went down. It was now down to them and the stranger. Both men trained their guns on him while Tara held the stake, ready to strike at the first opportunity.

"Jesus, boy, is that the thanks I get?" the stranger spoke. His voice was muffled but familiar.

"Ephrain?" said Maddix. "Is that you?"

Ephrain pulled his mask off, revealing his big, grinning face. "Sure is."

"Your timing is perfect, monsieur," said Javier.

Tara gave Ephrain a quick hug. "What is this get-up?"
 

"It's for those creepy bug things. I wear this when I'm working with volatile substances. After you guys had left town, the whole place went to hell. I barely managed to get away without being stung by one of those little pricks."

"How did you know we were here?" asked Maddix.

Ephrain laughed. "Well, you three have been leaving a trail of destruction everywhere you go. I just followed the bugs and bodies."

"Well, it's good you did. We need—"

Maddix was cut off when a zombie came from out of nowhere and tackle Ephrain to the ground. The zombie wrestled with Ephrain, fighting for a good place to sink his teeth into.

"I can't get a shot," said Javier, waving his gun around.

The creature snapped its jaws at Ephrain. His arms were weak from swinging his club and he felt himself lose his advantage. Its teeth slowly began resting on Ephrain's shoulder, poised for a chomp.

"You probably don't want to do that," said Ephrain.

It bit down hard, breaking the skin and causing Ephrain's blood to spray out onto its face. Ephrain let out a painful groan that was drowned out by the shrieking of the zombie. It quickly pushed itself off of him and began convulsing on the ground. Its face melted away as Ephrain's toxic blood ate away at its flesh, then bone, and finally oozing into its brain. The zombie finally lay limp on the ground and its body continued to dissolve from the blood spatter.

"Fuck that hurt!" said Ephrain.
 

He grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and began to clean the blood from his wound, which was already starting to close up. The handkerchief melted away as he wiped.

Ephrain picked himself up off the ground and spun around, practically walking into the two pistols being aimed at him. The three of them stared at him nervously and expectantly.

"What in the hell?"

"You're bitten!" said Javier.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Don't worry about that, Constable. My blood is way too toxic for whatever it is these things have. Can't even catch a cold. It's not my first encounter with a zombie. Shall we go?"

The two men lowered their guns. Maddix pointed toward a distant clearing. It was still a ways away, but the path was clear.

"Lead the way," said Tara.

Thanks to the assistance of Ephrain Ketter, the group managed to make it through the forest will little resistance. He was an older man but built like a tank with no fear of injury or infection. He also had no fear of the dark or of being discovered as he talked and laughed during the whole trip with one hand in his pocket and the other with his club resting on his shoulders. He claimed that he only had it to break open casks back at his shop, but who really knew? He probably didn't trust the people in Malevolent any more than Maddix did.