The Week of the Dead (11 page)

He swept the chain-link depot with the soldier watching his back. There were pieces of jungle camouflage moving in the back corner. “Hey! Come out here!” Devin shouted. There were two pairs of hands that appeared through the rafters. There were two soldiers with matching BC goggles coming from a hiding spot. “What the hell? What was that thing?” the soldier said to the other.

“What do you want?” the other soldier with goggles asked.

“I’m going on a road trip. I came for some party supplies. If you want to live, give us a hand; if you don’t, there are a bunch of things out there that want to eat your face!” Devin said as he lowered the shotgun and began grabbing things off the shelves. “Quickly!” Devin shouted to them.

The three of them began loading ammo into the transport truck as the soldier with the scoped M14 stood guard next to the truck. He began firing at anything that looked like a creature. One by one, they dropped like flies. Heavy boxes were loaded into the truck. One of the soldiers stood in the truck and began moving everything to the back of the truck toward the cab. “I think that’s it!” one soldier shouted to Devin.

“Mount up!” Devin shouted. “Get in the goddamn truck!” he commanded. The three soldiers piled into the truck. The two soldiers with glasses stayed in the back with the weapons while the soldier with the M14 got in the cab with Devin.

“Oscar Mike!” he shouted as he shifted the heavy vehicle into the drive.

As they made their way out of the base, they looked at the people who were still human. Many had taken refuge inside the base. Some had returned to their vehicles and fled. Devin forced the transport truck out the gate and into the sea of abandoned cars. He slowly forced a path through the resisting metal. He finally pulled alongside the familiar white minivan. The window was covered in blood; there were a couple of corpses next to the driver-side door. “Erica!” Devin shouted over the roaring diesel engine. Familiar red hair sprung up from the driver seat. Devin let out a sigh of relief. He motioned for Erica to follow him in the minivan.

The Microwave

Chapter 24

Tuesday 0200 CST

Memphis

S
ometime later, Josh’s ashtray had filled with cigarette butts. The once full bottle of Red Label had only a taste of it left in the bottle. Parker had fallen asleep on Josh’s spare bedroom. Josh’s bedroom door was closed. Ethan awoke from a drunken slumber to find he was alone and splayed across the couch.
At least I took my shoes off
, he thought, reflecting on one party he went to where he woke up with penises drawn on his face with marker. He looked up to see a clock on the wall. It was 2:00 a.m. The time didn’t bother him; what bothered him was the clock was a relic from the 1980s. It was the body of a cartoon cat. The eyes moved and the tail swayed with each
tick
and
tock
. “Fucking creepy shit,” he said quietly, not to awaken anyone who might be asleep. He turned the television back on. Only static. “Hmm,” he said as he stood up and opened the refrigerator. He grabbed a random pizza box and threw some onto a plate, stuck it in the microwave, and began pressing buttons. Three minutes later, the microwave hummed, and the turntable began to rotate. Suddenly, there was a clatter from inside the apartment.

There was a racket coming from the spare bedroom. Ethan turned the corner to see someone on the other side attempting to open the doorknob. The door pounded with fiery. Ethan grabbed the doorknob. He turned the knob so the bolt slid out from its locked housing. The door opened inward. Ethan stepped into the doorframe and pushed the door open. Parker was standing on the other side of the door. He forced himself past Ethan and ran to the microwave. He pressed his face against the glass and began trying to beat the microwave like a madman. “Dude, don’t worry. I left you some in the box,” Ethan said as he turned the corner to see the brute of a man continue to hit and smack the microwave. Parker’s slapping hand hit the “Add 30 seconds” button multiple times. The pizza began to sizzle as Parker tried to pick up the microwave, but his hands didn’t work as well as they used to. He continued to pound and beat the microwave. Josh swung his bedroom door open in his underwear and closed the door quietly behind him. “What the hell is happening?” he said as he rubbed his aching head. Ethan was standing by the couch. He wiggled his feet in his already tied shoes, and he began to strap the security guard’s gun belt to his waist. “Ethan! What the fuck?”

“Dude, I woke up, made me some pizza. He couldn’t figure out how to open the bedroom door, and now he’s acting like a caveman in the kitchen. What do you want me to do?”

“Fuck! Look at him!” In between the rage happening next to the microwave, Ethan and Josh saw the blood-soaked gauze-wrapped hand and the smell of burning hair. “No way, man!” Josh said as he kept a watchful eye on the thing that once was Parker.

The microwave finally made a
ding
sound. The Parker creature stopped slamming its useless hands against the plastic window of the microwave. It became as still as a statue. Josh made a noise as he chugged the rest of the liquid in the bottle. He clanked the bottle against the stack of shot glasses, spilling them onto the floor with a silence-breaking rattle. The body of Parker slowly turned its head followed by its body to face the two men. “Oh fuck! Oh Fuck!” Ethan said as he saw the bloodshot eyes of this thing in his kitchen. The towering creature began shambling toward the two men. “Oh, fuck this!” Ethan said as he grabbed the bottle from Josh’s hand and smashed it against the trimmed haircut of the man in basketball shorts. The giant man fell to its knees with a doleful moan.

“Get your shit!” Josh said as he started grabbing items and moving toward the bedrooms.

“No way, man. What do we do with him?” he said as he motioned to the large body on the ground that began to tremble. Ethan grabbed the shotgun and cocked a round into the chamber.

“No way, man. That’s a bad idea.”

Ethan looked at him with a cold stare. “Let’s drag him outside,” Josh suggested.

“What?”

“No gun holes in my floor!”

“All right, whatever, bitch,” Ethan said as he dropped the shotgun around his back. “But if he moves on the way, I’m putting a round through his fucking skull. Believe that shit!” Ethan huffed as he and Josh both grabbed a leg. Josh undid the chain on the door lock. He stuck his head out of the doorframe.

“Coast is clear,” he said as he motioned for Ethan to help him pull the hideous-smelling creature out the front door and into the driveway. “Psst! Psst!” the two men looked up to see Josh’s neighbor crotched on her second-story bedroom patio in what little clothing she wore to bed. “Jenna?” Josh called out. “It’s me! Help me! My roommate went psycho!”

“How the fuck am I supposed to do that?” The shouting match had stirred both Jenna’s roommate and the Parker creature.

Josh kicked the head of the Parker creature dislocating its jaw with the blunt force of the shoe to the face. “I got this!” Ethan said as he approached Jenna’s house. “Jump!” Ethan called up.

“Are you crazy?” Jenna said.

“Just a little bit, but it’s the good kind of crazy, and I’ve been drinking. Let’s go, lady, we’re attracting attention!” Ethan said clapping his hands. Jenna hopped over the railing in her bare feet. Her robe blew open in the wind revealing her panties and T-shirt with some vintage cartoon characters on it. She looked down at her target—the big man with open arms. She took a leap of faith. Her chilly body was swept up by the two large arms that were waiting for her. Ethan accepted the woman with black hair as she leaped toward him from above. Ethan caught her and kept going as he bounced himself against the soft grass under him. “Thank you so much!” she said as she planted a kiss on Ethan’s cheek.

“No…problem,” he said as he had the wind knocked out of him by the half-naked woman. They both scrambled to their feet as they saw something from Jenna’s balcony. “Brittney!” she shouted as she saw her once roommate’s body break through the sliding glass door and fall over the railing and plummet to the ground below. The body released some body fluid after it collided against the ground. Unexpectedly, her head rotated toward what it wanted as its next meal. “Let’s go inside, shall we?” Ethan said as he led them back into the house.

Southern Hospitality

Chapter 25

Tuesday 0230 CST

Memphis

E
than held the door open as Josh and Jenna walked in. He quickly locked the dead bolt and put the chain back on the door. Jenna looked around the room. She had only met her neighbor a handful of times, but she had never been in his house. She took a seat on the couch, closing her robe around herself. “Are you hungry?” Ethan asked as he checked on his scorching hot pizza that survived the encounter with that-which-was-Parker. Jenna shook her head, kept her arms folded, and glued her eyes to the static on the television. Josh walked back to the bedroom, and Ethan sat in the recliner. “Hi, I’m Ethan,” he said as he extended the already familiar hand.

“Jenna. Thanks for that, outside, I mean.”

“Shitty day too huh?” he said as he reclined in the chair and kicked the feet out of the recliner. She nodded profusely. Her mind was racing. She had no idea how long she had been hiding on the balcony. She didn’t even care what day it was. He could feel her uneasiness. “Hey,” he said to her. “You’re safe. Nothing is going to hurt you.” He kicked the footrest down and looked at her. She pointed her head down. Her dark hair was matted against the back of her head. “Well, for starters, you have a little bit of bedhead going on back there.” He motioned to the back of his own head for a visual comparison.

She began to weep quietly. “Hey, hey, it’s going to be OK. You’re safe now.” He got up and sat next to her on the couch. “C’mere.” He opened his arms. She became enclosed in his warm body with ease. He grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and threw it over them both. He kicked off his shoes. She placed her face against his broad chest and smelled his shirt. He reeked of smoke and liquor, but she didn’t care. She placed a knee over his lap and her hand slid down his breast around his ribcage. He was struck by this. She nestled her body against his. He took his arm from her back and began to stroke her black hair. He looked down at her. “Are you OK?” he finally broke the silence.

“No, I’m not all right! I’m scared shitless, and I don’t know what to feel,” she said as she looked at him intently. He stroked her curly hair behind her ear to expose her hidden face.

He couldn’t help but stare at her big brown eyes. She fell silent as she looked back at him. She looked back and forth between his eyes and his mouth. He cupped his hand around her cheek and looked for a sign of disinterest. She showed none. Instead, she brought her hand to his face. She could feel his shaggy facial hair. They were mirroring each other’s body language. He leaned in, keeping his eyes open for one last chance for her to back out before he made his move. She closed her eyes and accepted his moist lips on hers. She returned the motion by moving her body into his lap as they stayed connected at the lips. He began to run his hands down her neck and around her body bringing her closer to him. The tongues came into play. They explored each other’s mouths, and she began to moan. “Wait…wait…wait. What’s going on here?” Ethan said.

She opened her eyes. “I want to feel good. Will you make me feel good?” she said as she bit his lip seductively.

“Ooh,” he said with a playful nod. “There’s something I need to do first. Get comfortable,” he said as he hoisted her from his lap and stood up.

He walked across the room toward the bedroom. He checked out the room Parker was in. He checked the closet. He checked under the bed. He came across the hall to Josh’s room. He heard something he wasn’t used to. It was a moan. A moan from a woman’s voice. Ethan knocked on the door. “Hey man, everything all right?” he said quietly.

“Yeah, man, go back to sleep!” Josh said through the door.

“Hey, man, I need something.”

“Go find it. Goddamn it…I’m busy.” A quiet moan was heard from the other side of the door.

“Bro, I need a condom. Who’s in there with you?” he said as he attempted to turn the knob.

“Door is locked. Give me a sec.”

Ethan stood there patiently as Josh opened his vase of condoms, cracked the door, and threw a handful of them out into the hall. “Have fun. See you in the morning!” Josh said as the moans quickly returned, becoming more frequent.

“Bro?” he said through the door without a response.

Ethan turned around and looked at the beautiful light-skinned girl in the robe sitting on the couch. Then he looked at the bed that once was Parker’s. “Fuck that shit,” he said as he closed the spare bedroom door and made his way back to the living room. He walked past the couch, and to the front door, where he made sure the dead bolt was in place. He came back to Jenna on the couch. He stood before her. He removed his gun belt. She stood up. She removed his smelly shirt to reveal his broad chest full of hair. They reconnected lips as she began to unfasten his pants. He moved his hands around her arms to remove her silky robe. He got her robe undone faster than she could his pants. “Damn buttons,” she whispered.

Suddenly, his pants dropped with a metallic clang. She unhinged her arms and let the robe slide off her smooth skin. Her brown eyes held his concentration as she slipped her hand down the front of his underwear and began handling his genitals. She locked her lips against his as he placed both palms of his hands against her butt, squeezing them firmly. She let out a mouthy exhale, and she began kissing down his neck into his chest, down his hairy “happy trail.” She placed herself on her knees in front of him as she jerked his boxers down to his ankles. Exposing his massive erection, she placed her mouth upon it. He reared his head back and closed his eyes as she did what she did very well. He placed his hands against the back of her head, and she moved back and forth occasionally making a slurping sound. She came up for air. He hoisted her up to her feet by her elbows. He placed his lips and tongue down her cheek, onto her neck, and back up to her ear. He let out a whimper, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling it over her head. Her curly hair bounced as the neck of the shirt left her body. Her beautiful bare chest glistened against the static of the television. He resumed his mouth upon her breasts, cupping one and sucking on the other. She too moaned as she started to enjoy herself for once in the last twenty-four hours. He pushed her down onto the couch. She readjusted herself as he knelt in front of the couch. He grabbed her legs and placed them around his head. He placed his mouth upon her vagina.