The Week of the Dead (22 page)

“Tell us more,” He said as he forked another piece of cooked meat on Devin’s plate.

Walker tapped Erica on the shoulder. “What kind of meat do you think this is?” he asked.

“It looks like beef,” Erica said as she picked up the piece of meat with her hands and bit off a mouthful. “It tastes like beef,” she said with food in her mouth.

“Red, where did this come from?” Jamison asked.

“There is a grocery store in this strip mall. While y’all were sleeping, we went and raiding the freezers that still had power.”

“It’s good, man. Thank you,” Jamison said.

“What else is in this mall?” Erica asked. “We’re on top of the hardware store, hence the grill. Next door is clothing store of some kind. There’s a knockoff store and the little grocery store at the other end.

The group was settled under the tarp that provided some shade in the morning sun. “Where are the people?” Devin asked.

“They are downstairs. They found some tents and sleeping bags here, and most have raided the vending machines and bulk foods.”

“I’d like a pair of shoes that fit,” Erica said.

“We will take what we need,” Devin said as he took another bite of steak.

“Where is this safe place you’re talking about?” asked Ferret. Erica fumbled around her pockets for Frank’s cell phone.

“It’s in a little place called Glasgow, Kentucky. We have the GPS location and have contact with the person who runs it. He told us to come and that we should bring friends and supplies,” Erica explained. Razor pulled out some paper maps and tried to find it on the map.

“Looks like a small town. What makes you think it’s still there?” Razor asked.

“He said it was underground. I’m guessing it’s a mine or something,” Devin said.

“That’s a long ride, Redbeard.” Redbeard looked at the map and listened to Razor’s words.

“How have you survived from Atlanta to here?” Erica asked politely. Tara pointed down the side of the sky light to a pack of motorcycles and a red armored truck that was once used to haul valuables. “We ride in the day and sleep in the truck.”

“What guarantee do we have your friend will let us in?” Tara asked from the side of the building.

“We don’t. We don’t even know this person. He is a friend of a friend. We were on the run and that cell phone rang. He calls himself ‘Phoenix,’” Devin explained.

“Back to work,” Walker said as he threw his paper plate off the roof like a Frisbee and climbed down the ladder.

“What’s he talking about, Jamison?” Devin asked.

“While you were up here, we had been working through the night. Come, have a look,” he said as Jamison helped Devin to his feet. Devin followed Jamison down the metal staircase to a catwalk that extended across the hardware store. They moved toward the back of the store where the bay doors were. They had moved some of the vehicles inside the chain-link fence that used to be the garden center.

Walker had already made it down the ladder to the concrete floor as he grabbed a welding torch and began welding something on the side of a vehicle. “We’re making additions to our vehicles. Over there we are making weapons.” Devin looked down at a sweatshop of people pouring things into glass jars.

“What are they making?” They made it down the second ladder. Devin watched as Walker welded fencing on the window frame of one of the vehicles. They moved along to the tables where people were filling glass jars with screws, lighter fluid, bolts, nails, some form of powder, and other random materials with a rag sticking out of the top. The next table was taking the jars and taping them to butane cartridges from a camp stove.

“We took Walker’s idea and made it smaller,” Jamison said as Devin felt the heat on the back of his neck again.

Another man had set up a stool with a grinding wheel on a table. He had the others finding all the axes, hatchets, and machetes in the store, and this man was sharpening them. Devin walked up and picked up a double-headed ax and began swinging it around. The man with the grinding stone stopped and watched him. Devin handed the man the ax. “You can keep it,” he said to Devin. The rest of the group came down from the roof.

“What do we need?” asked Tank.

They all look at Devin. “M’kay. I’ll start. We’re going to need radios, food, water, weapons, compasses, a phone charger for that phone, duffel bags, blankets, things we can barter with, like cigarettes and stuff, in case we run into something. See if there are any night-vision goggles. Walker is going to finish the vehicles. Redbeard, we can modify the armored car if you want. Jamison, I want you to do a weapons check and see who has what. Any questions?” The faces shook.

“I need some shoes,” Erica said sheepishly. Devin looked at her feet and saw that she still had his massive boots on her feet.

“I’ll take you, sweetie,” Tara said as she grabbed a pair of machetes from the sharpening table and gave Erica the smaller one.

“We’re going to have some girl time,” Tara said as she walked with a sassy walk holding Erica’s hand swinging back and forth in a playful motion.

“That’s your wife, huh?” Devin said to Redbeard.

“Yeah, she is something else, isn’t she?” Devin still held his look of distrust. “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine. Ferret, go with them.” The tiny man nodded and went after them.

Playing Defense

Chapter 51

Wednesday 0700

Fort Knox

J
osh arose to the smell of coffee. He looked around and saw Ethan chatting with some other people at a picnic table inside the room. Josh walked up to them. “Good morning, sunshine, how did you sleep?” Ethan said as he sipped on his mug of coffee.

“Not as good as you apparently. What’s happening?” Josh asked as he rubbed his eyes.

“Jenna and I were just conversing with our new friends about our misadventures. Josh, I want you to meet Mr. Harrison, his next-door neighbor, Phil, and Phil’s son, Paul. This gorgeous young lady’s name is Mia. Apparently, Phil tried to run Mia over with a snowplow, but Harrison here threatened him with a…what was it ‘a goddamned piece of rebar’?” Ethan changed his tone to sound like an angry old man, poking fun at Phil’s interpretation of Mr. Harrison.

Josh awkwardly joined in on the laughter as he looked at Ethan’s cup of coffee. “Here,” Josh took the mug of coffee and took a sip. “No cream? Ugh.”

“Not all of us are creamer fans like you, bro,” Ethan said taking the cup back. Josh wiped his tongue on the collar of his shirt trying to get the bitter taste of coffee from his mouth. “It’s over there,” Ethan said pointing with his mug.

“So, seriously, what do you think is going on here?” Mia asked.

The table fell silent. “Retribution,” Jenna said with a commanding tone. “We found a video of this guy who said he made these things. He said he wanted to limit the population. He wanted to weed out the weak people who couldn’t survive.”

“Wow, he sounds like a Darwinist.” Everyone looked at Harrison when he finished his statement.

“That’s what he called himself,” Ethan said as he put his cup on the table.

“What do you know, man?” Josh asked.

Harrison took a deep breath. “Charles Darwin said that only the strongest of the species will survive. Ever since the 1800s, people believed this as his theory of evolution.” He placed his hands around his coffee cup. “I’m sure this was just some fanatical fuck who took that too literally,” Harrison finished.

“So you don’t know anything?” Josh asked placing his hands on his hips.

“No, I don’t. I know I had different plans the other day when I started hearing screams come from my apartment building. Things changed when one of these things tried to bite me.” The mood changed when a group of men in camouflage came into the room.

“We need any able-bodied person to the armory.”

Ethan stood up. “Simmons, militia leader of Memphis, reporting.”

“You’re taking that shit too seriously, dude,” Josh whispered in his ear.

“Good, grab your gear, and meet at the North Wall,” the man said and exited the room.

Ethan held Josh on the shoulder. “Bring your coffee. You’re going to need it.”

The men met outside along with anyone who answered the call. “People, I’m going to make this short,” the man with a captain’s insignia said. “I’m Captain Michaels; these men are the 145th Airborne. There are some marines, army, national guardsmen around here, and then there are you. We will fight together to maintain this safe ground. Any man not defending the walls will be send to labor duty. Any man avoiding their duties will be shot on sight. Do I make myself clear?” Michaels was met with a uniformed “Sir! Yes, sir!” from those in camouflage while those in casual wear answered with a “Yes” or “Yeah.” “There are around five thousand of those biters trying to break in here and fuck you backward! We need to thin the herd! Grab your weapons, and find a spot. Dismissed!” The men scattered toward the weapons tent.

“This is just fucking great!” Josh said.

“Did you expect rainbows and sunshine, bro?” Ethan asked jokingly.

“Yeah kinda did.” Josh and Ethan made it to the wall.

They looked at the sea of blood-drenched moaning faces. “Oh shit,” Ethan said softly. “Kill them all!” Ethan shouted.

Night had fallen. Ethan and Josh sat down to reload their magazines while the shooting spree continued. “Doesn’t look like we’re doing any damage,” Josh said.

“We kill one, two more show up.”

Ethan peered over the barrier. “I’ve got an idea,” he said to Josh. “Where’s Captain Michaels?” he said to anyone who heard him. Ethan ran to the wooden doors of the museum. He knocked on the door when he saw Captain Michaels through the glass of the door. Reynolds waved him in.

“Captain, Ethan Simmons, commander of the southern—”

“I don’t care.” Michaels interjected. “Why aren’t you on the wall?” Michaels continued.

“I came here because of the wall. They’re dropping, but more are coming. I have an idea.”

“We can’t fire at them from the helicopters. There isn’t enough fuel, and the rockets are too close,” Michaels responded.

“I don’t want you to fire from them. I want a ride.”

“And where do you expect to go? Away from here?” Michaels said with an angry tone.

“No, sir, to that tank outside.”

“That thing is a goddamn relic! And what makes you think I’ll hand over the keys to a goddamn tank to a goddamn civilian?”

“Because I’m the only one crazy enough to want to get to that tank!” Ethan exploded as he slammed his fist down on the captain’s desk. “You want those things off the wall? Let me do what needs to be done!” Ethan continued. “General Bartlett made me commander of the militia, and it is my duty to make sure these people survive, so give me the goddamn keys, or find me someone who could hot-wire a goddamn tank!”

Michaels finished his glass of scotch. “There aren’t any rounds for that gun.”

“I don’t need rounds.” Ethan smiled.

Michaels looked at the young man. “Are you sure you can do this?”

“No, I’m not. At Base Graceland, I promised my people they would survive the night, and they did. So I’m One-for-One now.”

“All right, Reynolds, get me Phillips.” The major left the room. “Scotch?” Michaels asked.

“Only if it’s neat.”

“Good man. That’s how my daddy drank it.” He poured Ethan a highball glass of the amber liquid. “To seeing the next day,” Michaels said as he raised his glass and tapped Ethan’s.

“What are you going to do?” asked Michaels just as Reynolds returned with a small man in camouflage. “Where’s Phillips?” the captain asked.

“He’s dead, sir.”

The small man saluted. “Corporal ‘Runt’ reporting, sir.”

“You’re name is ‘Runt,’ son?”

“No, sir. James McAdams, but everyone calls me Runt in the motor pool, sir.”

“Well McAdams, how big are your balls?” Ethan interjected.

“Pretty fucking big, sir!” Runt fired back quickly.

“I’ll take him.”

“Are you sure this will work?” Runt shouted over the sound of the helicopter blades.

“Absolutely. You’ll get inside and fire it up.”

“What are you going to do while I’m down there, sir?”

“I’m going to make sure you don’t get eaten!” Ethan said as he and Josh closed the actions of their weapons.

“Cease fire!” the helicopter pilot spoke through the PA system. The guns on the wall stopped as the tiny helicopter could be seen hovering above the tank.

“I don’t know if I can do this, sir!” Runt said cautiously.

“Sure you can! I’ll be right behind you! Now get your ass down there, Runt!” The tiny man slipped his butt off the side of the helicopter without arguing.

Instantly, the creatures began trying to grab him as he clattered on the tank. Runt began trying to unlock the roof hatch of the tank. Josh and Ethan began picking shots closest to Runt while he flipped the hatch open. “My turn,” Ethan said as he fist bumped Josh. “See you when I get back.” Ethan leaped out of the helicopter and onto the tank. He pulled out his sidearm and started firing wildly into the angry mob of hungry creatures. Ethan found the hatch and climbed down, shutting the hatch behind him. It was dark inside the tank. He fumbled through his pockets and found a lighter. He flicked it a couple of times, and it struck the last time. In front of him, he saw Runt picking himself up off the floor. “You all right, Runt?”

“Yeah, just took a bad step, sir.” Runt took out a glow stick and snapped it. Runt made his way to the driver’s seat and ripped open a panel. He began touching wires and fumbling around. The interior was green and red as the lights came on from the instruments. The antique screens warmed, and the diesel engine kicked over. Black smoke came from the engine snorkel as the exterior lights came to life. The lights caused the creatures to frenzy. The exterior lights were being fumbled and ripped apart by the creatures outside the tank.

Josh motioned for the helicopter pilot to circle around the tank. The closed hatch minimized the sounds of the vicious world outside. “What now, sir?” Runt asked.

“Run them down! All of them!” Runt kicked the tank into the drive and turned the tank into a steamroller. Tens and hundreds of the creatures were targets for the serrated tracks of the tank. Michaels’s voice came over the radio. “It’s for you, sir!” Runt handed the CB radio to Ethan.