Zombified (Book 1): Hudson Place (6 page)

“
Could be,” Charlie said as he adjusted the binoculars and took another look. “Or maybe they wandered off. Guess we won’t know until we go down there. Let’s stick to the plan. We’ll drive in real slow, keeping the windows down a bit so we can hear if anyone calls out. Once we get to the town hall, we’ll get as close as we can, which won’t be close enough for me, but with those barriers out front we have no choice on that. Remember; if you see a zombie here or there, we ignore it...just take out the ones near town hall.”

“
Gotcha,” Dexter said as he put his binoculars down and started the engine. “Might as well get this show on the road.”

“
You guys mind if I say a prayer?” Darrell asked quietly.

“
Might want to say more than one,” Charlie replied solemnly. “I am.”

Dexter put the vehicle in gear and they slowly rolled down the hill’s gentle incline. Charlie noticed all three of them visibly tensed as they idled into town and he forced himself to relax again. They began to pass homes and then a park, as they entered the downtown area. Charlie and Darrell swiveled their heads left and right, continuously searching. Dexter looked straight ahead, the roads in town were littered with debris and he cautiously maneuvered around the larger objects. Finally they came to the town square that housed the police department, fire department, post office, and town hall. There was a large flag pole in the center of the square and a steady breeze caused the rigging to clang out a forlorn sound that emphasized the empty feeling of the place.

“
We can’t be this lucky,” Charlie whispered. He’d expected a fight, one where they’d probably be the losers. But this...it had him deeply spooked. Nothing moved except when the wind stirred the trash littering the ground.

Thoroughly unnerved, they sat and surveyed their surroundings, for once even Dexter had nothing to say. Charlie gave himself a mental shake. “Dex, go on up to the barriers, let’s get this over with, one way or another.”

Dexter nodded and idled up to the barriers as close as he could and still get his door open. “Leaving the engine idling,” he murmured as he looked toward the glass double doors of town hall. “We may have to get out of there
fast
.”

“
Good idea. I don’t know where the shelter is, but most places post a map near the entrance. When we get inside, I’ll look for that and you two cover me.”

“
Got it,” both Dexter and Darrell said in unison, their eyes also trained on the doors.

Charlie eased open his door and paused. “Whatever you do, don’t slam the doors; make as little noise as possible.”

Both men nodded. Together they exited the SUV and slowly moved toward the building, weapons in their hands. Dexter carried a shotgun, he joked when he picked it out that he liked to leave a mess. Darrell and Charlie both held rifles, and each man also carried pistols in shoulder holsters. Dexter even carried a knife on his belt that was so big it almost made machete status. Dexter led the way and the other two men scanned the area around them until they reached the doors. Dexter grabbed the door handle and gave it a tug.

“
Damn thing’s locked!” he said in a loud whisper. “What’re we gonna do?” he asked over his shoulder.

Charlie felt beads of nervous sweat begin to pop out on his forehead as he considered their options. If they broke the door, the noise might attract unwelcome visitors. They could try to find another way in, but they might run into something nasty. As the other two looked at him, he made up his mind. Well, he thought, so much for being quiet. He stepped up to the door and removed his pistol, rapping the butt end sharply on the glass. Nothing. The glass was probably shatterproof.

He sighed heavily and turned toward the others. “Ok, I’m gonna shoot the lock,” he said firmly. “Once inside, let’s find something to block the door. I’m hoping that the only people we find inside are alive and we want to keep those that aren’t on the outside.”

They backed up and before Charlie could think any longer about what he was doing, he put two shots into the lock. The sound was deafening and all three men immediately rushed the door. Dexter reached it first and jerked hard on the handle. The door stayed shut.

“
Dammit!” he roared, then grabbed the handle with both hands and gave it a mighty jerk. He almost fell on his rear as the door gave way. Charlie grabbed him by one meaty arm, stopping his fall. Darrell actually jumped like a startled deer through the doorway, but Charlie was right behind, practically dragging Dexter with him. Darrell slammed the door shut and the sound reverberated throughout the large hallway. They were all breathing hard and looked at each other with wild eyes.

“
Ok,” Charlie huffed, trying to catch his breath. “Let’s get this thing secured.”

They scurried around, desperate to find something to use. They finally settled on wrapping phone cables around the door handles. They knew it wasn’t much, but it was about the only thing they could find.

As they paused to catch their breath, Charlie nodded down the hall. “I saw where the shelter is, we gotta go downstairs two flights and hang a right.” He looked at the two men. The tension was getting to them, Darrell looked like he was going to be sick and even Dexter was sweating profusely; Charlie knew he looked just as bad. “Let’s go,” he said quietly. As he headed for the stairs with Dexter and Darrell right on his heels, he was silently praying he would find Jenny and the others alive.

Chapter 5

“
Sean, I turned on the strobes,” Brooke replied as she plopped down into a chair next to her brother on the balcony. She tilted her head and gazed up at the sky. “Look at the stars; we can see so many more since the power went out.”

“
Yeah, it’s pretty nice out here at night if you can get past what’s down below,” Sean replied with a grin at his sister.

“
Don’t remind me,” she said with a shudder. She arched an eyebrow as she looked around. “Where’s Scott, don’t you guys usually watch together?”

“
We did, but we’ve been seeing so few zombies lately and no survivors that only one person watches now.”

“
I see. Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“
Sure...shoot.”

Brooke twirled a strand of blonde hair, a thoughtful look in her big brown eyes. “Well, I’ve been thinking,” she began. “When someone is zombified, what do you think happens? Do they have any kind of memory? Do they feel pain? Are they really dead?”

“
Whoa, you said a question, not twenty,” Sean teased with a grin. “I don’t think anyone really knows and I don’t think anyone wants to get close enough to find out, do you?” As Brooke shook her head, Sean continued. “If I were to
guess
, I’d say they are really dead, they don’t remember anything - or at least not much - just basic stuff I think, and if they’re dead they shouldn’t be able to feel pain.”

“
That’s what I was thinking.” She gave Sean a grateful look. “At least if we end up like that somehow, then we wouldn’t even be aware of what was going on.”

Sean realized she was looking for reassurance. “Don’t worry about stuff like that. We’re not going to let anything happen to you or anyone else here. With all the supplies Dave put up, I’m sure we can outlast those things.” He reached over to tug playfully on her hair and smiled. “I promise you, we’re all gonna come out of this just fine. Now, do you feel better?”

Brooke sighed and leaned back into her chair, once again looking at the stars. “Thanks, and yeah, I do.”

They were silent for a moment before Brooke looked sideways at her brother. “So what exactly is the plan for Shady Oaks? I know what’s going on, but will Shady Oaks eventually be a safe place we can go?”

“
That’s the plan. Once Charlie, Dexter, and Darrell get the people out of that shelter, they plan to get rid of all the zombies and clean up the place. Charlie believes Shady Oaks can be kept safe because of its location. Then they plan to go into nearby towns to find survivors and any people we rescue here can be sent there too. The goal is to clean up the small towns one by one, slowly branching out to the larger areas.”

Brooke liked that idea, it would be wonderful to be able to walk around outside again and do normal things. She was grateful they had Hudson Place, but she knew they couldn’t stay there forever. Shady Oaks offered them hope, and lots of it. “Sooo, how long do you think it will take them to do all this? Do you think Dad will take all of us there when he thinks it’s safe?”

Sean shrugged. “With all they need to do, it could take two - maybe three months to have things ready. But it could be sooner, they may decide to bring people in there as quickly as possible to help get the town up and running again.”

Brooke nodded to herself and then murmured, “I guess all of that depends on whether Charlie’s plan succeeds.”

“
I guess it does. But knowing Charlie, it will, so don’t worry, ok?”

“
Ok, I’m gonna think positive!” Brooke said with a little laugh. She tossed back her hair and stood up. “Thanks for the talk, we should do this more often. It’s getting late and I’m going to bed. G’night, and thanks again.”

As she turned to leave, he grinned up at her. “Anytime sis. Do me a favor?”

Brooke paused at the door. “Sure.”

“
Would you go tell that
lazy
brother of ours it’s his turn out here? He shoulda been here thirty minutes ago.”

Brooke laughed. “Will do, I think he’s watching a movie with Sarah.”

“
Thanks. See you in the morning.”

“
You’re welcome, see ya,” Brooke replied as she opened the doors and disappeared inside.

Sean leaned back in his chair, alone for the moment with his thoughts. He was glad he’d been able to ease Brooke’s fears, but he
was
worried. He hadn’t quite told her the truth about the zombies. There were a couple of things Sean and Scott had noticed recently that was disturbing. After they’d told Dad and Dave about their theory, Dave asked them to sit on the information for the time being so as not to scare the others.

As he looked up into the clear, cloudless sky and gazed at the stars above, he said a silent prayer that things would work out for Charlie and everyone in Shady Oaks. They could begin again there. Shady Oaks was much more than just a small town, it was the place everyone pinned their hopes on.

****

Mick went in search of Dave the morning after Charlie, Dexter, and Darrell had left. He found him on the rooftop fussing over one of the generators.

“
Everything ok?” He asked as he gestured toward the generator.

“
Think so, was running sluggish, but think I fixed it,” Dave replied as he stood, wiping his hands on a rag. He glanced up at the bright blue sky and said lightly, “Beautiful day today.”

“
Sure is,” Mick agreed absently. “You know, we haven’t heard from Charlie yet, do you think it’s time to get worried or is it still too early?”

Dave stuffed the rag into a back pocket of his jeans before replying. “Not sure, I was planning on listening for a bit before breakfast, wanna join me? I’d be so relieved if we do hear from them today, although I miss chatting up folks on the radio, if there’s one voice I want to hear right now, it’s Charlie’s.” Dave had been able to receive messages and news from other ham radio operators for about a week, then there had been nothing but static or silence since.

“
I’m hoping when he calls that it’s good news all the way - we
so
need this to work.”

“
I hear ya,” Dave replied soberly. “Before I came up here, I asked Jeff to listen in, he’s pretty familiar with the radio, and maybe he’s got some news for us.”

Mick followed him down to the second floor; Jeff was busy turning dials as they entered the small room located just outside the library. When they’d first arrived, he had assumed it was some type of closet or storage room, and he wasn’t far off as to its size.

“
How’s it going, anything yet?” Dave asked as he looked over Jeff’s shoulder to see what he was doing.

Jeff glanced at the two men with a shake of his head. “Hi - and no - nothing yet.” He shrugged. “I bet we hear from him today though, don’t you?”