Alaskan Undead Apocalypse (Book 4): Resolution (14 page)

When Gus stepped into the open doorway,
Danielle squeaked with surprise but didn’t slow one bit such was
her focus. She was in the door and crouched in a corner well before
William and Allen were able to help Sandra get inside. Looking back
through the door to ensure they hadn’t been seen, William closed it
behind them and turned to face everyone.

In the shop’s main workroom, a cavernous
garage, sat motors of all shapes and sizes still resting in various
states of disrepair both on and off several workbenches. The
industrially sweet aroma of fuel and lubricants filled their noses
with each breath. The shop was dark, though the day’s scant light
coming through the front windows made navigating the tight quarters
manageable. They were in the back where the tools were kept and the
work was done.

They could hear the pounding of footsteps
outside and were thankful when those footsteps went on by without
stopping at the door. They thought they could hear pursuers out
back continuing through the lot and away from them. They breathed a
collective sigh of relief, though Sandra was struggling to find her
breath to fill her lungs, let alone sigh.

Allen pressed torn cloths to her wound and
apply pressure, but nothing staunched the bleeding. They sat Sandra
in a chair in the front of the shop and tried to make her
comfortable. Despite their efforts, her suffering continued.

“What the hell is wrong with those people?”
William said, still shaking from their close encounter. “I mean,
Gus planted his axe in that guy’s back and he didn’t even notice.
How is that possible?” His wide eyes scanned from each one of them
to another, hoping for some kind of explanation. None came. They
were all dumbfounded, like they were surviving some kind of
horrible dream, despite having heard stories from Danielle and
others over the past weeks. It defied reason.

Danielle watched Sandra close her eyes and
try to rest. “What are we gonna do about her?” she asked
quietly.

“What do you mean by that?” Allen said,
standing up. “We need to get her back to The Cove. We can’t
possibly help her out here. We don’t have the proper supplies
to—”

“We’re not suggesting we are gonna abandon
her or anything,” William cut in, “but we’re here now. We need to
get what we came for. Danielle needs medicine. We need batteries
and—”

“And whiskey, damnit!” Gus said.

They rolled their eyes at his attempt at
humor, but truth be told Gus did want to get his hands on some
booze. He wasn’t a drunk before the apocalypse but he was trying
his hardest to become one since. He’d worked for one of the lodges
in Shotgun Cove as a cook but his career had been put on hiatus.
His worry and his fear had driven his thirst and his lack of
responsibility had made it all the more easy. There was very little
alcohol left at the lodge, so he needed to replenish his stash.
There were several places in Whittier where he might find some
hooch and he had every intention of not leaving empty-handed.

With the sound of movement outside
subsiding, they settled down somewhat and considered what they
should do next. After a discussion, none of them had any ideas
aside from getting back to The Cove safely. They weren’t
necessarily paralyzed with fear, but their doubt and concern for
their safety was palpable.

Finally, Danielle said, “I don’t have a
choice but the rest of you do. I have to find some insulin or
something like it. Anything is better than nothing. The store might
have it, and it’s right there at the top of the hill. I can run
over there and then hurry back.” She paused and looked at each of
them hopefully. “I’d really like it if you all would wait for me. I
don’t think I can make it back to The Cove on my own.”

William sighed loudly...one filled with
doubtful resignation mixed with fear. “You don’t have to go by
yourself. I’m in. I’ll help you.”

To cut the mood, Gus added, “And I still
need some whiskey. Does that drug store sell it?”

Danielle shook her head doubtfully, raising
her shoulders. She was still afraid, but not having to face the
streets and whatever might be waiting for her on them alone helped
to steel her nerves to her task.

Sensing her fear and lingering doubt, Gus
joked, “Okay, but if there’s no booze, I’m gonna be pissed.”

Danielle nodded her understanding. She
wanted to say something...anything but was afraid she was going to
lose total control of her emotions. It was so unlike her and she
found the new developments particularly irritating.

They determined that Allen would stay with
Sandra, who was shivering and suffering silently. Her color was
fading quickly, leaving her cheeks almost opaque with spidery blue
veins threatening to burst forth from her thin skin.

They were all worried about Sandra but Allen
said he would keep her safe until they returned. They were only
expected to be gone a few minutes, then the group could head back
to The Cove.

Looking up at the short hill facing them,
they figured it would be a quick uphill run to the Anchor Inn that
sat immediately adjacent to the store to which they were ultimately
headed. The grassy slope was open except for two old fishing boats
suffering from a lethal dose of dry rot.

Danielle, William and Gus exited through a
side door and stopped themselves in their tracks almost at once.
They were back outside where those things might be waiting for
them. It was unsettling to think of oneself as prey. To their left
and up the short hill was the Anchor Inn. That would be their first
stop.

Danielle would have liked to be going
straight to the store but the angle of slope leading to it was too
sharp and the surface too wet. They would all likely end up sliding
on their bellies to their certain doom.

The Anchor Inn, it was decided, was their
best option. It was only so far away when they looked at it from
the windows inside the shop. They could almost reach out and touch
it.

Standing in the open and looking up at it
was a completely different story. Danielle wasn’t sure how far it
was, but she didn’t like it one bit. The fact that it was all
uphill didn’t help matters in the least.

Sharing one last look, the three of them
started the short but steep climb. They didn’t see any of those
things but could hear them down the hill. The sound was enough to
light a fire under each of them and propel them toward their
destination.

About halfway up, first Danielle and then
Gus slipped on the slick grass. Danielle hit heavily and slid back
down, a worried grunt escaping as she struggled to get back to her
feet. Finally able to get her footing, Danielle didn’t bother to
brush off the wet leaves or clumps of muddy grass from her jacket
or pants. She merely wanted to make up the difference and get to
the back of the small inn at the top of the hill.

The Anchor Inn originally housed United
States Army communications stations and headquarters offices. It
was built with utility in mind, so the architecture of the outside
of the building was less than an aesthetic marvel but it was
solidly built and attracted attention from entrepreneurs who saw
more in the little building in the little town.

And so the Anchor Inn was born. The building
offered a handful of nicely redecorated and finished rooms, laundry
facilities, and a restaurant that doubled as a nightclub for locals
in the evenings. That all changed those many weeks ago. Now it was
simply a solid building, which could either be an asset or an
obstacle to them.

When she reached the dirty wall, Danielle,
nearly hyperventilating, pressed herself flat against the building.
The much larger William and older Gus both struggled up the hill
very quickly thereafter. William shot Danielle a surprised look.
Despite having fallen, Danielle still managed to beat both of the
men to the inn. She stared back wide-eyed and gasping but
understanding the compliment nonetheless.

With William in the lead, the three of them
crept around to the side opposite the store. The door on that side
of the building, to all of their relief, was much more easily
accessible. They hated being out in the open and feeling so exposed
and vulnerable.

To William’s relief, the glass door was not
locked. The three of them slunk through the barely cracked open
door. They wanted to pass without notice, under the radar of their
hunters.

Inside in the dark stillness of the first
floor entrance, which sat at the bottom of a wide staircase,
Danielle struggled to see. The time it was taking her eyes to
adjust to the faint light was maddening. Something about their
current circumstances raised alarms in her head.

She was acutely aware of a smell that was
both sweet and fetid and filled the space all around them. It
reeked of mildew and something unfamiliar but sinister. A powerful
shiver ran up Danielle’s spine and down her arms, taking her
breath, and she shook uncontrollably.

When William touched her on her shoulder she
nearly jumped out of her clothes. She saw the desperate look in his
eyes and glanced to where he was looking. At the top of the stairs
with its back to the three of them, stood one of the ghouls.

Danielle’s breath caught in the back of her
throat and her heart skipped a beat. If it hadn’t been for
William’s steadying hand, she may very well have swooned out of
consciousness. She remained standing, and took a step back away
from the stairs.

With all the agility and enthusiasm of a
rusty hinge, the creature pivoted on its sore-covered, bony feet
until it was looking down at them. At the moment of recognition,
the zombie jolted with spasms, nearly sending it toppling down the
stairs. Its skin and the exposed muscles around its mouth cracked
audibly as it started to chomp the air aggressively, creating a
nauseating clicking.

William had seen and heard enough. He raised
the hefty revolver in his hand and fired. The large caliber handgun
roared like a cannon, sending its heavy slug into and through the
creature’s chest. The grievous wound barely produced a reaction
from the monster that seemed not to notice. The impact did set the
thing back two paces and created enough time for William to pull
the trigger again to much the same effect.

Finding courage he didn’t realize he had,
Gus mounted the stairs in three quick bounds and swung his axe like
a mighty Norseman, sinking the blade into the side of the
creature’s head. The skull beneath the thin layer of emaciated skin
was weak and collapsed beneath the weight of Gus’ swing. Its head
split like a ripe melon, splattering jelly-like matter onto the
wall behind.

Not anticipating the ease of impact, Gus
spun on his heels, swinging the axe around dangerously, spreading
more of the soft and gooey inner matter into the air. Ducking
reflexively to avoid the axe, Danielle and William were stunned
still at the bottom of the stairs. Coming to rest finally, Gus shot
Danielle and William a surprised and not wholly comfortable smile.
His breathing was shallow and labored, though it was apparent his
breathlessness wasn’t from exertion.

He was about to speak when sudden movement
to his right got his attention. A wobbling, teetering female ghoul
draped in the remnants of a dingy white t-shirt and a blood
spattered white apron was coming at him from near the bar in the
dark pub. Most of her long, dark hair had either fallen out or been
pulled from her scalp, leaving only hints and wisps of black along
her head. Dark angry clouds stormed in her eyes.

She walked through the maze of tables and
chairs scattered haphazardly around the white tiled floor, growling
and hissing like a feral animal stalking its prey. She cleared the
tables in seconds, then found her legs capable of more pace.

Gus shook his head incredulously. “It’s
Heidi, the bartender. She doesn’t look very good.”

The fiend walked right into Gus’ axe as it
came down upon her head. The blade drove through flesh, bone, and
brain tissue, and didn’t stop until it sank into Heidi’s neck where
it joined her chest. In the failing light of the dark bar, Heidi
the bartender’s mangled flesh and bone of her upper third didn’t
look human. It barely resembled anything remotely akin to an
animal. From the right angle, she looked like some horrifying new
variety of carnivorous Venus flytrap, its sickening trap gaping
open in hungry invitation. The ghoul’s hands finally and thankfully
fell to her sides but she didn’t fall immediately.

It was obvious to Gus that the axe was there
permanently so he released the handle. When he did so, the still
standing headless former bartender spilled to the floor in a heap
of rotted flesh and splintered bones. “I’m so sorry, Heidi,” Gus
whispered. He looked down at William sorrowfully. “I always liked
her. She poured tall drinks and always smiled at me.”

Neither William nor Danielle commented. They
moved their disbelieving stare from Gus to the two new crumpled
bodies. The three of them were jolted from their stupor by the
sudden banging against the outside of the glass door behind
them.

Danielle retreated and whispered worriedly,
“It’s more of those things. They must know we’re in here.”

William was backing up the stairs. He
readjusted his grip on the tire iron in his left hand. The tool was
becoming increasingly heavier and harder to manage but he was
thankful he had it.

Danielle was holding the long filleting
knife, while Gus was attempting unsuccessfully to extricate his axe
from Heidi the ghoul’s body.

Looking over his shoulder for anywhere to
run and hide, William said, “Those glass doors aren’t going to hold
them for long. We better get outta here.”

A familiar and unpleasant sensation pressed
Danielle’s chest uncomfortably. She was reminded of earlier when
Nakissha’s truck was pushing the ovens. Danielle realized it likely
wasn’t the sound of the appliances grinding themselves along the
pavement that she had heard; it was those things. Their moaning was
more than a sound. It was like auditory poisoning for the soul.
Like icy daggers, it cut her to the core.