The First Days: As the World Dies (8 page)

3. The Midnight Hour

    

    Jenni's heart pounded almost as fiercely as her footfalls as she rushed down the stairs with Mikey beside her. Her fingers slid down the banister as she struggled to not fall headlong down the stairs. Mikey's hand was slippery in hers and she tugged him hard as she reached the bottom of the staircase and headed toward the front door.

    She felt Lloyd grab her long hair and yank her backwards.

    "Don't touch my Mom!" Mike's hand slipped from hers and her little boy launched himself at his father.

    "No," Jenni whispered and her eyes snapped open. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest it hurt. Slowly, she sat up and struggled to catch her breath.

    Katie was sleeping beside her with her arms wrapped around the German Shepherd. The dog eyed Jenni drowsily and she rubbed his brow lightly.

    "I'm okay," she lied.

    He licked her arm lightly before laying his head back down.

    She was sure he was tired, too, after their long day. Plus he had started the day with surgery and had endured their crazed escape from the city in a drugged stupor.

    Feeling shaken, she slid from the bed and stood in the darkened room listening to the moans of the dead outside. Lloyd always used to make her watch zombie movies because he knew they scared her. Scaring her had been something he enjoyed doing. Every time they watched a zombie film, he'd do things to upset her. Pretending to be a zombie while moaning always made her scurry away from him. She hated it. The entire concept of zombies was terrifying to her.

    And then this morning…

    No, don't think about it, she told herself.

    She ran her fingers through her hair to comb it back from her face and walked to the door. Careful not to make too much noise, she turned the handle and slipped out into the hallway. Down the hall she saw a dim light and followed it into the living room. The TV was still on, but muted. An ashen looking anchorman from one of the major networks was talking to several people including a minister. Ralph was asleep in his lounge chair with a quilt laid gently over him. A rifle lay on the floor next to him.

    "He couldn't sleep," Nerit's voice said quietly from behind her.

    Jenni turned around and saw the older woman was dressed in a nightgown and holding a cup of tea. "I had nightmares."

    "Me, too," Nerit said with a weary smile. "Would you like some tea and some cheesecake?"

    Jenni sighed. "That would be awesome."

    They settled into the kitchen, Jenni tucked into a stiff-backed chair as Nerit put on a fresh pot of tea.

    "You know, zombies always scared me," Jenni said after a quiet moment.

    "I never thought much about them or any movie monsters," Nerit answered. "I always thought the monsters of the real world were much more terrifying."

    "Serial killers and all that."

    "Terrorists, too." Nerit shrugged and cut two slices of the Italian-style cheesecake. "Ralph likes the monster movies. He says they're a safe kind of scary."

    "Not anymore," Jenni sighed.

    "No, not anymore," Nerit agreed and set down the dessert in front of her before taking a seat as well.

    "I…had kids." Jenni raised her eyes and gazed at Nerit. "They died this morning."

    Maybe she was expecting an accusation of her being incompetent or something like that, but Nerit only answered with, "I'm sorry."

    "My husband got bit last night. A bum, he said." Jenni stabbed at the pierce of cheesecake with her fork. A little bit of it crumbled off and she scooped it up and ate it.

    "Ralph discovered what was going on at the grocery store. We had stayed in bed late to celebrate his birthday. He was just going across the road to grab the paper when he saw the attacks inside." Nerit cut her piece into small sections and played with one tiny slice with her fork. "I didn't believe him at first when he called me. People eating each other. It sounds so ludicrous. Not real."

    Jenni set her fork down and stared at the plate for a long moment.

    "Lloyd liked to sleep on the sofa. He said I move around too much when I sleep and that he couldn't get a decent night's rest. He wouldn't sleep with me often. I would hear the TV on all night. If he had been in our room…Benji's room is the first one off the stairs. I think he just went there first because…" She covered her face with her hands and tried so hard not to think of what she had seen. It was a blur, actually. Just a swift image of Lloyd stuffing something thick and fleshy into his mouth and Benji's little body looking wrong under all that blood staining the floor. Her mind fought between adding in details and wiping the image out altogether.

    Nerit's fingers were soft and dry as she drew Jenni's hand down from her face. Gently, she held Jenni's hand in her own and said, "There was nothing you could do."

    Jenni forced back a sob and wiped away her tears. She wasn't sure if that was the truth and she didn't want to think about it anymore. Already, yesterday morning felt so far away and the world already felt very different.

    Mikey, Benji and even Lloyd felt like shadows to her.

    "When you saw them inside the store, what did you do?"

    Nerit sighed. "At first, we were going to go in and try to rescue people.

    But the…zombies," she slightly laughed at the word "the zombies rushed toward the door and we realized very quickly we couldn't go inside. We ran back here and locked ourselves in. At first we thought the people were infected with some strange virus, like the news said, but one of them came up behind the hunting store and was chewed down to the bone. There was hardly anything left of him. There was no way in heaven he could be that badly damaged and walking. He saw us through the window and began to beat on it. That is when we decided to head back upstairs and figure out exactly what was going on around us. That is when we saw our own neighbors forcing themselves into people's homes and attacking them. We took some out from a distance, but…" Nerit shook her head. "We've been killing our neighbors all day. And had no choice."

    Jenni took another bite of the cheesecake and the rich flavor distracted her thoughts for a few precious moments. "Does it bother you to kill them?"

    Nerit stood up, stretched and headed toward the teakettle. It was beginning to whistle. "The real question is do we have a choice?"

    "It doesn't bother me to kill them," Jenni confessed. "Not at all."

    The older woman poured the hot water into a cup and moved to set it down in front of Jenni. "It doesn't bother me either."

    The hot water was letting off a small plume of steam and Jenni waved her hand through it. It felt good against her skin. The cold spring night was pressing against the windows and she could feel a chill in her bones. The warmth from the hot water was a soothing sensation. Dumping too much sugar into the tea, Jenni tried hard not to think too deeply about anything other than rescuing Jason in the morning.

    Nerit sipped some tea and eyed Jenni thoughtfully. "It's a good thing, you know."

    "What is?" Katie padded into the room looking bleary eyed. Jack was at her heels yawning and looking for the nearest food bowl.

    "Being able to kill them," Nerit answered.

    Spotting the teakettle, Katie headed over to it.

    "Couldn't sleep?" Jenni dumped in more sugar for good measure.

    "Nightmares," Katie confessed. "But I guess we better get used to them."

    "Get used to all of it," Jenni agreed. Her friend looked pale and tired.

    They both needed to rest, but the sound of the zombies was dragging on all of them.

    "You don't think it will be stopped, do you?" Katie slid into a chair, a mug in her hand.

    Nerit shook her head and reached out for a pack of cigarettes sitting on the table. "No. It's too late. They didn't do what they needed to do in the beginning."

    "Which was?" Katie shoved her blond curls out of her face.

    "Kill everyone bitten," Jenni answered. She leaned her head on Katie's shoulder and sighed softly. "Everyone bitten should have been killed right away. Lloyd was bitten. The emergency room gave him some shots and told him to make a follow up appointment with his doctor."

    Nerit lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly. She leaned over and flipped on an air filter next to the table to suck up the second hand smoke. "The authorities told all the wounded to go to the hospitals and rescue centers.

    They accelerated the infection rate."

    "They still don't get it." Ralph walked into the kitchen rubbing his eyes.

    Clad in pajamas and an old robe, he looked frail. "Anyone saying zombies or end of the world is getting mocked. Got CDC taking back some of what they said and still telling people to go to rescue centers. Got major cities burning all over the States and they still can't figure it out."

    "Where is the President? What does he say?" Katie drank her tea without any sugar and that made Jenni wince.

    "In East Texas on a hunting trip," Ralph answered and slid into a chair.

    "News is all confusing now. They're telling half-truths. Lots of bull shit. Got one guy on last night saying it’s a strain of Ebola."

    Jenni rolled her eyes and sat back up. Katie snagged her plate and dragged the uneaten cheesecake over to her. Jenni didn't mind. She couldn't eat now that she was thinking of all they had endured. All they would endure.

    Nerit shook her head and took another drag off her cigarette. "So that's it."

    "Yep. Lost the local feed already," Ralph said with a nod of his head.

    Jenni laid her head down on her folded arms on the table and stared at the old man thoughtfully. He reached out and patted her head lightly and it comforted her.

    "It really is the end," Katie said.

    They all knew it, but hearing the words again helped it sink in that much more. To accept it was to be empowered. Jenni understood that and she knew the people at the table understood it, too. To survive meant to kill and to fight.

    

    

1. Into the Breach

    

    The hammering on the back windows was annoying, but Katie tried to block out the sound. The number of undead outside the building had grown during the night and they were insistently banging on the windows. The sound wore on the survivor's nerves, but they tried to ignore the undead as they gathered to brainstorm for a good plan to save Jenni's stepson.

    Ralph spread out a map on a table in the back room downstairs along with a calculator and a notepad covered in equations. Nerit leaned against the wall nearby with her hands tucked into her jean pockets. Her yellowish white hair was pinned up on top of her head today and her green eyes looked sharp and intense.

    Jenni slid onto a folding chair at the table. She was clad head to toe in hunting gear: camouflage pants and jacket, a T-shirt that read "I aim to shoot" and heavy Doc Martens. Her black hair tucked up into a ponytail; she looked very young and delicate. Katie noted that today there was a difference in the way she held herself. It was subtle, but there. After they had returned to the bed they were sharing after their midnight snack, Katie had trouble falling asleep, but Jenni had seemed to have found some peace within herself and had slept soundly.

    Katie drew near to Ralph and crossed her arms over her breasts. She, too, wore an outfit consisting of hunting clothes. The only difference in her and Jenni's outfits was that she wore a black tank top under the Reverend's hunting jacket. The warm smell of tobacco and the faint smell of her savior's aftershave gave her a sense of peace. It was as though the old man who saved her life was still watching over her. In her hand she held a cup of coffee and she tucked a blond curl back from her face as she studied the map.

    "Truck you came in is not going to cut it. This ain't the old world where a low tank means a trip to the gas station. Electricity is still up here. Grid hasn't gone down. Depends on many factors if it keeps going. We might get lucky. TV is static except for the emergency broadcasting network. Bunch of horse shit regurgitation like yesterday. Not worth much. But we can't take it on face value that any of the gas stations between here and the camp are up and working. Gotta plan for the opposite."

    "Gotcha. So we're limited to what we can carry in canisters and what is in the tank," Katie said.

    "Right. Now, the truck yer in, well, it got you here, but probably not much further without a refuel."

    "We're dangerously low on fuel," Katie admitted.

    "My truck, has a half tank of gas. I noticed at least five gallons of extra gas loaded up in those red canisters in the back of your pickup. We'll put those in mine. Also, my truck has a bigger cab. You can fit your young one and any other survivor back there along with Jack. Gun rack is perfect for your rifle. Also got a CB in there that can keep you in touch with us back here.

    Keep to channel 23." Ralph pointed at their location. "Here's Hillsboro. Here is the national park. Mapped out the most fuel efficient way for you to get there. Did calculations. You can do a round trip sticking to the route, but no more. Any detour might stick you out there with just the reserve fuel."

    Katie nodded and looked at Jenni. Jenni's eyes were huge and desperate.

    Katie knew instantly what she was thinking. "We're still going," she assured her and Jenni relaxed.

    "Keep to the route. Don't veer off. I mean it. We have a major highway near that park. If any infected people made it out that far you could have zombies on the roads out there." Ralph stood staring at the map, rubbing his chin, and looking deadly serious.

    "I understand," Katie assured him. "We'll grab Jason and head back here."

    "And don't hesitate to run those things over," Nerit said from her corner.

    "Don't hesitate to shoot them."

    Jenni giggled a little.

    Katie smirked. "I don't think that will be a problem."

    "Okay, then take the map, gear up. Take what you can in three backpacks. If you get caught out there you'll need supplies," Ralph said. His eyes were so sharp and thoughtful Katie couldn't look at him. His expression reminded her too much of her father.

    "MREs, ammo," Katie ticked off.

    "Flashlight, knives…" Ralph trailed off. "I should go with you."

    "No, no. You belong here with Nerit."

    A loud crash made everyone jump. Jenni ran across the room and whipped back the curtains. An enormous zombie stood slamming his body into the bars. Despite looking like his entire family had gorged themselves on his flesh, there were still lots of him to hurl against the barred window. The empty cavity of his torso beyond the sheets of shredded flesh made Katie turn away.

    "You fucking stop that," Jenni shouted at him and slammed her hand against the glass.

    The zombie growled and slammed into the bars again.

    Something about him seemed to drive Jenni over the edge. She was running up the stairs before anyone could even react. Katie followed, her boots thudding against the wood steps.

    "Jenni!"

    Jack charged past her, barking, excited.

    When Katie hit the second floor, she saw no sign of Jenni. She saw the door to the back patio was open. Running to the doorway, she saw Jenni standing near the rail, gun raised, Jack poised at her heels, barking away.

    "Hey, fuckface!" Jenni's voice was full of hatred.

    The zombie turned slowly, saw her up on the balcony, opened his mouth to shriek, and rushed forward. As soon as he was clear of the window, Jenni put a nice little hole through his right eye. The enormous zombie pitched forward, onto two female zombies who had turned to see Jenni and effectively trapped both of them under his enormous girth.

    Katie stood next to Jenni, a little shocked.

    Jenni turned and looked at her, then shrugged. "He looked like my Dad," she explained. She walked past her into the building.

    Katie stood for a moment, registering this. Jenni's sanity had been in question since yesterday; but then again, they were all slightly insane now, weren't they? She watched the two female zombies trying to wiggle out from under the huge dead man and slightly smiled. Turning on her heel, she followed Jenni back down the stairs.

    Jenni stood near the top of the stairs waiting. From her expression, Katie knew she was struggling internally.

    "We should have gone last night," Jenni whispered.

    "In the dark? With those things?" Katie lifted an eyebrow. "Would you really want to do that?"

    Jenni sighed and shook her head. "I'm just worried about Jason."

    "I know, but we have to take care of ourselves, too, you know."

    "I know, Katie." Jenni sighed softly. "I know."

    Packing was quick. Ralph being an old pro, he knew what they needed.

    Nerit gave them a cooler full of sandwiches and drinks. She seemed especially pensive, but she smiled reassuringly whenever her gaze rested on them.

    Katie was busy double-checking the small bag holding their ammo when Nerit came up and laid Katie's phone next to her on the table.

    "I found this up on the roof. I thought you may want it," she said in her warm, rich accented voice.

    Katie glanced at it and hesitated. "There isn't any service anymore."

    Nerit nodded, but flipped the phone open to show Lydia's lovely face smiling up at them. "For her, not the service."

    Katie looked at her sharply, her hand closing the phone, but her gaze anxious, waiting.

    "She was beautiful. And she loved you. I can see it in her face," Nerit said softly.

    Katie's eyes filled with tears for a moment. "She was my life."

    Nerit looked past her to Jenni. The other woman was rearranging one of the backpacks with a very dire expression on her face. "But now you are going to take care of her. And her son. I can see it in your eyes. It's what you do."

    "Well, I can't say you're wrong. I was a prosecutor. I tried to find justice in the world," Katie admitted.

    Nerit took Katie's hand in her old, leather one, and pressed it between her palms. "You are a good person, Katie. Come back safe. I think I want to know you better and make you family."

    Katie smiled widely and flung her arms around Nerit in a tight hug.

    "Thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for us."

    "Nuff of that. Sun is climbing. If you are going to round trip it today, gotta start now," Ralph said from behind them.

    Nerit let go of Katie and nodded. "I'll be in position." She headed toward the stairs, snagging her sniper rifle off the counter on her way.

    Katie stuffed the bag of ammo in her backpack, grabbed the cooler, and followed Ralph.

    "Nerit will toss the decoy in five minutes. You head out the back door.

    She'll cover from up top. I'll cover from the door. Both of you, keep your eyes sharp and head for the truck."

    Katie and Jenni looked at each other and that gaze steadied each other.

    They were ready. Backpacks adorned both their backs. Katie slung the cooler by its long strap over her shoulder. Each had a gun in their hand. In Jenni's extra hand she carried another backpack, that she would drop if she had to.

    Katie held the truck keys.

    A few minutes later a lot of noise erupted in the front of the building. A man's voice talking loudly about the zombie infestation quickly drew the attention of any of the undead milling behind the store. Through a slit in the curtains, Ralph saw most of them head around the side of the building.

    "Now!"

    Katie flung open the door and ran. The truck was parked under a small carport about 15 feet from the back door, but it seemed an eternity away. She could hear Jenni right behind her, Jack bringing up the rear.

    Shots erupted almost immediately. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something drop.

    A man came running around the truck, screeching with his hands flung out. Katie raised her gun and fired. It seemed like an almost point blank shot.

    His head exploded in a volcano of gore, and he was down. Another shot to her side told her Ralph and Nerit were covering them.

    Her finger kept pressing the button to unlock the truck as she ran and finally she heard the singsong sound of the alarm flicking off and the click of the doors unlocking. Jenni reached the truck first and opened the passenger side.

    "Jack, in," Jenni ordered and turned to see a woman coming around the side of the building. It was a very old woman, still clutching a cane in one hand, but still running at a surprising speed. The retort of Jenni's gun stabbed her eardrums, but the woman went down. Flinging the extra backpack in, then shedding her own swiftly, Jenni was momentarily clear of any zombies.

    Katie reached the truck and started to open the door when someone grabbed her. A baby, on the ground, had her foot.

    "Shit!" She flung the cooler into the truck, trying to shake the baby off her foot. There was no way it could ever bite through her boot with its baby teeth, but it was hissing and trying hard to crawl up her leg.

    "They're coming around, Katie! Just go," Ralph's voice ordered and she heard the door slam shut to the store.

    Katie shook free of the mutilated baby that was maybe eleven months old and slammed her foot down on its head. Using it as a step, she slid in backward, backpack first.

    Three zombies were closing fast on her side and she raised her gun and fired. The first one went down, the second spun around as the shot took it in the shoulder, but the third was on her.

    At the last second, she managed to raise her gore-splattered foot and slam it into its chest before it reached her. Its hands scrabbled at her pant leg, but it didn't seem smart enough to bend down and bite it. Its eyes were strictly on her face, its hands straining for her. Its face was so mangled she wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman.

    The truck door on the other side slammed shut. Over her shoulder Jenni's hand appeared holding her gun. Katie twisted her torso to the side as Jenni rammed the gun into the thing's face and fired.

    Katie felt her ears go numb.

    Blood splattered both of them and Jenni reached out and slammed the door shut just as Katie drew her legs all the way in.

    Hitting the button on the side panel, Jenni locked them safely inside the cab.

    Katie shrugged off the backpack and tossed it into the backseat where Jack already sat, growling and barking out the back window at the swiftly approaching zombies.

    More shots rang out and Jenni looked anxiously over one shoulder. "I think the radio in the dummy ruse is over."

    "There are more than we expected," Katie said.

    Katie's fingers were trembling so hard she could barely get the key into the ignition, but she finally managed to slide it in and twist. The engine roared to life and she quickly reversed.

    She could feel the thunk of several bodies hitting the back end of the truck. She shifted and aimed for two runners trying to head her off as her foot pushed down on the accelerator. They bounced off the deer guard in a graceful arch.

    "Nailed 'em!" Jenni laughed and clapped her hands.

    Moving swiftly down the gravel drive that cut behind the hunting store, the truck sent several zombies hurtling either into the building or into the grass and down a steep embankment behind the store.

    Katie turned the truck onto the main road and floored it.

    "You girls safe," a voice cackled.

    Jenni grabbed the hand held CB transceiver off its holder and pushed the button. "Roger that! We are safe and en route to rescue point!"