This Dying World (Book 2): Abandon All Hope Page 20

  “Okay,” she replied. “Can I share them with my cousin?”

  “Of course you can. Jane too.”

  “Jane is my sister. We said so yesterday.”

  “Oh you did, huh? Well I suppose I could adopt her. But what about Lexi?”

  “She’s a grown up. She can be my aunt, like Aunt Anna and Aunt Rosa.”

  “Whatever you say, Katie,” I replied, trying not to laugh. I thought about trying to explain how the whole family org chart worked, but decided against it. She was a tired and cold six year old. I would have had better luck explaining the wonders of bacon to a vegetarian.

  Mental note…what do vegetarians that become zombies actually eat? Hmm.

  I knew something was terribly wrong when Rosa suddenly flew into the room, her face ghostly white. She went straight to Matt, violently shaking his shoulder until he came close to sliding from his seat. He shot to his feet as she whispered in his ear, stumbling over himself as he ran across the room and out through the plastic flap.

  “Katie,” I said as I extricated us from our cotton wrappings. “Go to Aunt Anna. Daddy has to go talk to Uncle Chris.”

  “About waffles?” she perked up again.

  “You got a one track mind, Katie,” I said trying to hide the building anxiety burning through me like molten steel.

  “I like waffles!”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” I said as I stood. I turned to head out to see what was going on, but stopped short of running out the flap. I turned back to Katie, scooping her up. “Daddy loves you. You behave, okay?”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  Anna nodded to me with pursed lips, mind numbing dread written all over her face. Katie dove into the pile of blankets with the rest of the kids, oblivious of the rapidly building tension in the room. I nodded back and sped out the door…err flap.

  It was as if I’d stepped into the worlds crappiest snow globe. Huge flakes blew through the broken out windows, shooting across the room and out the other side. Snow piles built up all over the floor, swirling around in the brisk wind. I suddenly realized the entire building had been open to the elements for a very long time, and the floors were probably about as safe as walking on the roof of a back yard shed. Now there is a performance I had no intention of repeating.

  Mark and Lexi stood at one of the openings opposite from me, with Chris and Joe next to them. Their body language told me all I needed to know. Either the MREs the night before caused some serious digestive problems or something outside had them ready to crap themselves.

  I heard Lexi squeak and Chris start shouting orders to Joe, and my heart immediately went from calm and orderly to high speed jackhammer. I was already halfway to the group when Joe and Mark peeled off, bounding down the metal stairs without any deference to noise discipline. Chris turned and waved me over to see what had them all with their undies in a bunch.

  When I poked my head out the window, my own undies bunched into a triple knot, and I felt the sudden need to make a visit to our communal poop bucket. Dozens of dead and hungry eyes stared back at me through the near white-out snow storm. The undead congregation stood almost perfectly still, the eerie silence sending frigid shivers down my spine.

  “Umm,” I started as I pulled my head back inside.

  “Yeah,” Chris exhaled.

  “What’s the plan?” I asked as I glanced back outside, hoping I was imagining the whole scene. I mean, I was coffee deprived, and it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch for me to still be dreaming.

  “I don’t know,” Chris said shaking his head. “Joe needs time to get us mobile again. It’s going to be down and dirty, but we still have a little while before we can move.”

  “How are we going to get out?” Lexi asked through chattering teeth. She shook violently, tears streaming down her pale cheeks until her scarf was soaked through. Her hands trembled so severely it appeared as if she would drop her rifle at any moment.

  “Lexi,” I said as calmly as possible. I moved to her, putting my arm around her despite my still aching shoulder. “You need to calm down and breathe before you pass out.”

  “How the hell can I calm down?!” she cried, pushing me away. “There’s only one way out of here and the zombies are in front of it!”

  “There’s not so many that we can’t shoot them,” I replied.

  “That may not be an option,” Chris chimed in. “I can guarantee there are more out there we can’t see. Our ammo situation is not quite dire, but it’s far from comforting.”

  “We’re trapped!” Lexi cried.

  “We’ll work it out,” I tried to soothe her as I shot Chris an evil eye. “But not until you calm down. Go sit down with your sister. Katie’s with her, and I would feel a lot better if you were there with them.”

  I’m sure she recognized the dismissal for what it was, but she seemed thankful for the chance to escape. Watching her stand there terrified once again reminded me that even though she had matured a great deal in the short time that I’d known her, she was still just a kid.

  She walked away, heading back to our little refugee center without objection. She stopped at the flap, looking back at me with terrified eyes. Licking her lips, she shot me a forced smile before disappearing into the other room.

  “Okay,” I exhaled once I was sure she was out of earshot. “On the monster scale, how hosed are we?”

  “We’re at full blown Godzilla,” Chris replied. “She’s right. They’re massing around the front door, and there’s a couple more screamers out there.”

  “Awesome. When did they get here?”

  “They already were. But they weren’t screamers yet.”

  “Okay Chris. I feel like I’m missing some of the story here. Care to enlighten?”

  “Those things out there fed on the little girl from last night. Somehow the trait was passed on.”

  “You’re shitting me. Tell me you’re just getting me back for that clown thing.”

  “‘Fraid not.”

  “So first, we kill the regular undead, and we end up releasing spores into the air that makes more walking coffin stuffers. Now, we kill a screamer and a day later we get more screamers.”

  “‘Fraid so.”

  “Am I the only one seeing a trend here?!”

  “At least it looks like the screamers don’t like competition. There were more, but they had some kind of dominance showdown. The one in the hard hat won, and most of the others left. I assume they’re going to start a zed colony of their own.”

  “Colony?” I asked.

  “Colony, pack, pride, whatever you want to call it. I wouldn’t be surprised if over time every normal zed will be following one of those howlers.”

  “And here I was looking forward to just a regular, run of the mill zombie apocalypse. I wasn’t expecting version 2.0.”

  “You can lodge a complaint later. Right now I’m thinking of an exit strategy.”

  “What do you have in mind?” I asked.

  Instead of answering me directly, he simply stared off. His mind had wandered to that happy place that he goes when he has some deep thinking to do. I understand it. I have my own happy place I like to visit at times. But where I would only go to my personal happy place long enough to have a beer and be back before the end of a commercial break, Chris would kick back and chill out there long enough for me to run out and grab lunch before he decided to rejoin the conversation. When he did come back, most of the time his answer was less than stellar until he explained it.

  “We shoot them.” (see what I mean?)

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you just said shooting them was bad,” I said.

  “Not if we shoot the screamers,” he smiled. “Like you said last night, it could work as a distraction.”

  “We’ll have to get them as far from the building as we can. Any way to lure the screamer?”

  “Dunno,” he sighed. “Kinda playing this by ear. But I do think once we take the shot everyone needs to be ready to roll out of
here.”

  “Who’s going to do the honors?”

  “You won’t like it.”

  “Not Lexi!” I snapped.

  “She’s the best shot we have. Joe and I will be busy driving, and we’ll need everyone else to clear out any stragglers!”

  “No!” I snapped again. “You saw her! She’s nearly paralyzed with fear! You’d be asking her to make an accurate shot and then run down the stairs while we’re opening the doors! She’ll be too exposed. I’ll do it!”

  “You can’t even hold your own pistol, how the hell are you going to balance a rifle?”

  “What about Anna or Rosa? Matt or Mark? Any of the adults can take that shot!”

  “We’ll need every adult just to open those doors!” Chris said through clenched teeth. “We can’t afford to lose Rosa, so she’s on the bus before the doors open!”

  “Can’t afford?!” I shouted back. “Is that how you’re sizing us up? Like assets based on necessity?!”

  “No! I’m trying to make logical decisions based on highest probability of survival without letting my emotions dictate my actions!”

  “Sounds like the same goddamn thing to me! So what happens if my hands never heal and I can’t shoot again? You’re going to have me run across a field as bait because it would give you the highest probability of survival? In that case, why not send Faith out there?”

  “That’s a cheap shot and you know it!”

  “I’m not the one gambling with a teenager’s life!”

  “Neither am I! She’s capable and a survivor! She can do this!”

  “And if it goes south?” I growled. “What then? Will you just call it acceptable losses? I’ve already lost Abby! I almost lost Katie yesterday! Now you’re asking me to let you put a girl who’s just as much a daughter to me as Katie in danger?!”

  “I’ll do it,” Lexi said timidly. I spun on my heels to find her standing behind me. Her eyes were locked to the floor, her face flush from crying.

  “No you won’t!” I ordered. “I’ll be up here and you’ll be down there on the bus.”

  “What are you not getting here, Dan?!” Chris barked. “You saw what’s out there! We may not even make it out of here if we don’t get moving and you’re sitting here arguing against the only plan that makes sense!”

  “What makes sense about it?” I shouted, spinning again to face Chris. “She can shoot from the bus while you guys get the doors open! I’m not letting her stay up here alone!”

  “Whoa, dudes,” Matt suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs. “Everything cool up here?”

  “Yeah. It is,” Chris replied. “The plan is what it is and it’s the one we’re sticking with. Lexi takes the shot, everyone else is downstairs to either open the door or provide cover.”

  “Who the hell put you in charge?!” I snapped.

  “You did!” he shot back. “You came to my house for help! You brought your family to me to keep them safe! Don’t ask me to protect your family and then question my decisions!”

  “Protect my family?!” I shouted. “You brought Adam into my life! You didn’t let me kill him! You missed a huge blind spot on your own land! Abby and I would have been safer on our own!”

  I’d screwed up. I knew the moment the words rolled off my tongue. Chris moved at me with a rage I had never seen in him before. It was an indescribably cold fury that had my blood running cold. I didn’t even know his fist had connected with my face until I was on the floor.

  “Dan!” Anna gasped behind me.

  “What’s going on in here?” Rosa asked as she emerged from the other room with the kids in tow. Katie ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck and burying her face in my chest as she sobbed.

  “Too far, Dan,” Matt admonished. “Way too far, dude.”

  “Stop it!” Lexi cried. “Abby was no one’s fault! Just stop it! Please!”

  “No Lexi,” Chris was monotone and cold. “He’s right. I should have seen it, but I didn’t. I will carry that with me forever. Dan, no one should ever have to go through what you did, but you’ve taken it too far. You’ve murdered someone in cold blood. Not for justice. Not for righteousness. It was revenge. Yet I was still on board with that, because I wouldn’t have done anything different. But that wasn’t enough for you. That thing is still hanging on my silo, because you wanted him to suffer forever. There’s a darkness growing in you. We’ve all seen it, and we’ve all tried to let you be. But you better get that darkness under control, or it’s going to bite you in the ass.”

  That did it. My smoldering rage suddenly erupted beyond my control. I pushed Katie away and was on my feet. My bandaged hand wrapped around the Glock sitting heavy in my holster. Chris stepped back in shock when he saw me draw my gun.

  The rush of emotion pouring through me was like a cyclone of unbridled rage. I’d been in the middle of that torrent only once before. It was when I stood over Adam that morning with my finger on the trigger, ready to send his brains through the table and into the basement. Rage was in the driver’s seat, and for the briefest of moments, Dan had gone bye-bye.

  “Stop it!” Lexi screamed. She got in my face, shoving me back with every ounce of strength she must have had in her body. “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!” she screamed. Her fists rained down on my chest until she broke down into a ball of shivering tears, wrapping her arms around me and sobbing.

  Everyone in the room went still, unable to comprehend what they had just seen. Wind whipped through the room, whistling as it passed through the open windows. The plastic snapped as the wind attempted to rip it from its anchors.

  Lexi’s sobs pierced through the storm within me. The rage was gone and I was suddenly faced with the reality of my actions. In that one instant where my mind was ruled by anger, I had destroyed my relationship with my brother. He stared at me, shock and pain written across his face.

  I wanted to apologize. I wanted to take everything back. But I could not find the words that would come close to the regret I felt. Chris shook his head and walked away. When he turned his back to me, I knew I would spend my life atoning for what I had just done.

  “Lexi takes the shot,” he said before he made his way down the stairs.

  I didn’t argue.

  One by one, my group filed past me. None of them spoke to me. Rosa’s face was blank as she walked by while Anna glared daggers at me. Not even Katie would look at me, but that was probably because I’d shoved her away right after I had spent the day letting her know I didn’t hate her.

  Yeah, I had reached the godly level of screw ups.

  “Matt,” I said under my breath as he neared.

  “No dude,” he answered coldly. “Not now.”

  “Really Matt,” I pleaded. I reached my Glock out, practically shoving it into his face. “Take this. Don’t give it back.”

  Without looking at me, he took the weapon from my hand and shoved it into his belt. He mussed up Lexi’s hair a bit before making his own way down the stairs.

  Lexi pulled away from me, her shoulders dropping as she wiped her tears away. She made her way over to the window, drawing back the bolt of her rifle before slamming another round home.

  “Just go,” she said with her back to me.

  “Lexi, I’m sorry.”

  “Please, just go.”

  Chapter 18

  I came down the stairs feeling everyone’s eyes on me. Joe just shook his head as my feet hit the floor. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or disappointed, but I did know that me and the big man would be talking in the near future. The rest of my band of wayward travelers turned their eyes from me as I neared. I couldn’t blame them after my category five screw up.

  The plow had been removed entirely, leaving the front end of our post apocalyptic zombie wagon entirely exposed. The remains of the destroyed cattle catch lay beside the vehicle, its support bars broken and twisted beyond repair.

  Mark sat atop the bus, frantically tearing off shattered bits of solar panels, ripping the panels from
their mountings and snapping cables off as he tossed them down from the roof. I wanted to tell him he was doing more harm than good, but seeing as my long term survivability was in jeopardy at the moment, I chose to retain my right to remain silent.

  “I’m going to get one more lay of the land,” Chris said as he peeled off and made his way back up the rusty steps.

  “We got things here,” Joe said without looking at me. “Go get ready to shoulder that door open once Lexi gives us the go ahead. Then hoof it back to the bus.”

  “Joe–”

  “No Dan. Please, for once do what you’re told. I don’t really want to talk to you right now.” He climbed into the bus without waiting for a response.

  On the plus side, I didn’t have to worry about the chill in the air. The cold shoulder I was getting froze me right to my soul…if I still had one at that point. Not saying I didn’t deserve it, but these guys really knew how to serve up a plate of guilt with a big pile of Dan fucked up on the side.

  I started to walk toward Matt and Anna by the doors when everyone suddenly froze. The bowel emptying screams outside came from everywhere, as if the sound bounced between the bricks in the hollow space. The deep bellow of the male creature’s voice intertwined with the higher screech of the female. It was impossible to determine what side of the building it came from.

  The door came under immediate assault. Wet thuds of bodies slammed against the ancient wood. The double doors rocked on their hinges under the immense pressure exerted on them from the collection of dead flesh on the other side.

  “Get to the door!” Joe screamed as he bolted out of the bus. “Mark! No more time! Get down, we’re leaving!”

  Mark didn’t have to be told twice. He shimmied down the back of the bus, landing with a grunt on the cold concrete floor.

  “I got the vents open,” he panted. “Back up camera is busted all to shit.”

  “We’ll wing it!” Joe said. “Get to the door. When you back the pickup out, get on the radio and guide me out.”

  “Done!” Mark called back as he sprinted toward the door.