Dead & Alive (Book 1): Survive (6 page)

Jack looked to see Alina walking out the room, she had her gun held high pointed at Jack. “You’re ruining everything,” she told him. She was about to shoot when Harvey started screaming again.

She turned to look to see a Zombie ripping Harvey’s stomach apart, pulling internal organs out and chewing on them. Alina tried to shoot it, but missed. The Zombie looked at Alina and stood up and started moving towards her. Alina shot again and still missed, she was now out of ammo. She shouted “SHIT!” and ran back in the room.

The Zombie turned to Jack, as it moved towards him, Jack recognized it, and “Josh, I’m so sorry” he said as he got to his feet. He looked at Josh and noticed a chunk had been ripped from his face, at that moment he knew the dead were in the museum.

Zombie Josh tried to grab Jack, but he moved. He pushed the Zombie away, Jack pulled a fire extinguisher from the wall, “Rest in Peace my friend,” Jack told it as he hit the Zombie in the head.

The Zombie fell down to the floor, Jack raised the fire extinguisher and hit it repeatedly in the head, the skull crushed, blood sprayed over the floor.

Dropping the blood soaked extinguisher, Jack turned back to the office. He kicked the door open, no one was inside. The door at the other side was shut, but the window was open. Jack looked out the window; he could see the boards that once covered the windows on the ground. He looked outside just in time see Alina running away into the darkness.

Frank was helping the survivors; Bray was guarding the door.

Elle walked over to Frank, “Where’s Jack?” she asked him.

“Letting some anger out,” he replied.

“We should help him,” she replied.

“I don’t think he wants help,” Frank told her.

Bray shouted out, “He’s back,” Jack walked through the door.

Elle noticed Jack’s hands, they were bruised and bloodied. “How did it go?” Bray asked him, Jack was silent and continued walking into the room.

Elle walked towards Jack, “Hey, you OK?” she asked.

He looked at her, but stayed silent. Jack looked around the room, looking at the survivors still half-dressed and bleeding.

“They need food,” Jack spoke out. He walked away from Elle, and sat down alone in the corner. Elle looked at him, thinking he looked lost.

SWARM

Jack sat in the corner of the room alone, he had not moved since he returned. The others were concerned about him, Elle and Frank both tried talking to him, but got no response. Bray was helping the survivors; he was handing out food he collected from the other room.

Private Ryan Garrett walked over to Frank; he stood in front of him and saluted. “Not necessary,” Frank said.

Frank offered his hand, Ryan shook his hand. “Elle told me about your team, I am sorry,” Frank told him.

Ryan looked emotional, “We just wanted to help,” he replied.

“I promise, people will know what you all did here,” Frank reassured him.

“Thank you, for saving us,” Ryan told him.

  “I wish I could take the credit, but it was all down to Jack,” Frank replied, with concern in his voice. Frank looked over to Jack; he could see Elle trying once again to speak to him.

Elle had approached Jack; she was holding a bottle of water and a cloth. “Mind if I sit down,” she asked. Jack did not reply. She sat down next to him anyway, she handed him the water and for the first time he spoke, “I’m not thirsty,” he whispered.

Elle moved closer, “It’s not to drink,” she replied. She opened the bottle and poured some water on the cloth; she reached out and took his hand. She rubbed the cloth over the bloodstains.

Jack looked up, “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Elle started to hold his hand, “You have nothing to be sorry about, they had it coming,” she replied.

Jack whispered again, “No, I’m sorry I couldn’t prevent him hurting you.”

Elle started to tear up, “Hey, he didn’t do anything. He never got the chance, thanks to you,” she told him; a tear began to roll down her cheek.

Jack reached out and wiped the tear from her face, “Don’t cry,” he told her, she smiled pushing her face into his hand.

“We need you, the only chance we have to survive this, is with you,” she told him. Jack looked up and giggled to himself.

“How’s your foot?” he asked.

Elle laughed, “Bloody painful,” she told him with a smile.

Jack stood up, he helped Elle to her feet, “I should talk to Frank,” he told her.

Bray had finished handing out some food and water; he found Clare and Joe sitting alone. Clare’s face was still bloodied; the fat man had hit her hard and made a nasty cut above her eye.

“You want me to look at that?” he asked Clare.

Joe looked up with a smile on his face, Bray noticed a bruise forming on his cheek, and he was still disgusted that anyone could do this to kids. “No, it’s fine,” Clare said in a sheepish voice.

Bray knelt down in front of her, “They cannot hurt you now, I promise,” he told her in an attempt to comfort her.

“Did you find the others?” she asked him. Bray looked confused, “Others, what others?” he asked.

Joe interrupted, “The other kids,” he told him.

“Other kids!” he spoke out, shocked.

Bray jumped to his feet and run to Frank, “Frank, there’s more kids here somewhere,” he told him.

Frank looked as shocked as Bray was, Frank turned his attention to Ryan, he walked over to him and gestured him away from the other survivors. “Are there more kids here?” Frank asked.

“They kept the children separate,” Ryan told him.

“Shit,” he sounded out. Frank looked around the room looking for Jack; he was still standing with Elle.

Frank ran over to him, “Jack, there’s more kids here.”

He told him. “We need to find them, now!” Jack told him.

Frank, Bray and Jack were going to look for the missing kids, “Elle, you’re in charge,” Frank told her.

“Find them,” she replied.

The three men walked out of the room, closing the doors behind them. They started to walk when the door reopened behind them, Ryan walked out the door, “I can help,” he told them.

“Come on,” Frank told him.

They approached the room where they were held with the chained Zombie, “We should deal with that,” Jack said, as the Zombie groaned and the chains rattled.

Jack and Bray entered the room, the Zombie was pulling on its chains, on the floor the man who tried to kill Jack had now changed into a Zombie himself. Jack looked at the ravaged living corpse on the floor, it could not stand. Its legs were torn apart; Jack stared, as the Zombie tried to drag itself towards him.

Bray noticed the look on Jack’s face; he had the look of guilt. “You had no choice,” Bray told him.

“I could have just killed him, I didn’t have to feed him to a fucking Zombie,” Jack replied. Bray stepped forward, pulling out his sidearm, he aimed at the Zombie on the floor and shot it clean in the head, he then raised his gun to the chained Zombie, he shot it in the head the back of the Zombie’s head exploded sending blood and brain residue against the back wall.

“Thanks Bray” Jack told him.

Frank and Ryan were still out in the hall, a constant banging noise started to sound. Jack came out of the room, “Where is that coming from?” he asked.

He looked around the hall and then back into the room, he looked to the floor, and something was missing. “What happened to the two men you guys put down?” Jack asked.

“They were right there,” Frank told him.

“Did you kill them?” he replied.

“We just knocked them out and took their weapons,” Frank told him.

“YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!” he shouted, while he ran down the hall towards the noise. Jack ran from the hall into a foyer, quickly followed by the other three.

He looked towards the main doors of the building, two men stood there ripping down the planks of wood that secured the doors. “STOP!” Jack shouted out, raising his gun. It was too late, the last of the planks came off the door and they broke open, hundreds of zombies piled in.

The two men who opened the door were the first to fall, as they were attacked, one of them screamed out, “SEE YOU IN HELL!” he shouted out, laughing aloud. The laughing quickly turned to screams. They watched as the two men are torn apart.

Zombies approached them, “We need to get back to the others,” Bray told them.

“What about the kids?” Ryan asked in panic.

“We’re no good to them dead, now move,” Jack replied to him.

They ran down the hall, the zombies kept piling through the door. Jack and Bray stopped and turned, they faced the zombies and started shooting, the zombies, they shot went down, but the others just kept coming, they walked over the dead laying out in front of them, one Zombie stepped on another Zombie’s head crushing its skull. “We cannot lead them back to the others,” Bray told the others. The gunshots kept ringing out.

“In the basement, we can lead them down there and get outside and double…” Frank was saying, when Jack shouted out.

“RYAN STOP!” Ryan had run off, straight towards the double doors, he crashed through the doors. Elle looked outside to see Jack, Frank and Bray shooting at the zombies.

“Shit, quickly inside and barricade the doors,” Jack told them. They run inside and shut the door, Jack and Bray leaned against them
.
They braced themselves and the zombies tried to break down the doors. Jack and Bray struggled to stand their ground because there were just so many of them.

Elle limped to the doors to help and so did Clare who was followed by Joe and they all struggled to hold the doors
.
Some of the survivors ran to the door to help brace it.

A scream echoed through the room, as panic broke out. Ryan was standing at the back wall shaking in fear. Frank dragged over the table, people moved to allow him to push it closer to the door.

“That’s not going to be enough,” Jack shouted to him. “Look for another way out,” Jack told everyone.

Frank looked around the room, he moved to Ryan. “Ryan, Ryan, look at me.” He told him, but Ryan was shaking and started to cry with fear, Frank grabbed him, “RYAN, WE NEED A WAY OUT!” Frank shouted at him. Ryan shook in fear, “behind the cabinet on the wall” Ryan replied scared. Frank looked round for a cabinet; there it was against the wall. He ran over, he pulled the cabinet out to reveal a door behind it. “JACK!” Frank shouted.

Jack was struggling to hold the doors, he looked to Frank, “GO, GET EVERYONE OUT!” he shouted back. Frank opened the door; behind it was a set of stairs leading up.

“THIS WAY!” Frank shouted.

The survivors started running through the door, Ryan ran over, he tripped over a woman as he tried to get away; he left her on the ground and carried on running. All the survivors were through the door, Jack shouted to Elle, “Go, take the kids.”

“The two of you can’t hold this alone,” Elle replied.

“GO!” Bray shouted.

She looked at Jack, “Please,” he told her. Elle grabbed Clare and Joe and made her way to the door. Elle struggled, but got through. Frank walked to face the door, he raised his gun, “OK, NOW!” he shouted out
.
Jack and Bray moved away from the door and joined Frank. A moment later, the doors crashed open and they started shooting.

The three men backed up to the escape door while still shooting. “Let’s go,” Frank told them

. Bray ran through the door, “Now you, “Jack told Frank.

“You first, no arguments,” Frank replied.

Jack looked at Frank in a new light of respect, now he was acting like a leader, Jack was thinking. Jack got through the door and stopped just behind, he raised his gun and shouted, “FRANK, STAY LOW,” Frank lowered his head and rushed to the door while Jack gave cover fire.

Frank pulled the door shut. Together they ran up the stairs, they run into a large room. Everyone was still panicking. “Don’t stop moving,” Frank told everyone. They ran towards a set of large, heavy door.

Bray was first to the doors, he tried opening them, but they were locked. “IT’S LOCKED!” Bray shouted out. Frank and Jack were standing at the top of the stairs; they looked down to see the door starting to break open. “IT’S LOCKED!” echoed over the room again.

Frank shouted out, “FUCKING SHOOT THE DAMN LOCK!” Bray used his sidearm and shot at the door lock, the wood cracked and the lock broke. He pulled the door open, looking inside; it was mostly clear except for tables and a few crates.

“IT’S CLEAR! COME ON!” Bray shouted. Everyone rushed into the room; Frank and Jack were the last ones through the doors.

As they entered, Bray ran over with a length of wood he found on the floor, he pushed the wood through the door handles, helping to keep the doors securely shut. Frank pushed down some locking bolts that were still on the doors. Jack focused his attention to the room, he looked around and could see crates, packaging, and it was obviously a storage room in the museum.  Elle slumped to the floor in pain; her foot was getting worse, with Clare and Joe at her side. The survivors were moving around the room looking for another way out.

Jack noticed Ryan standing in the middle of the room. Jack walked up to him, anger was in his eyes, he never said a word Jack swung his arm and punched Ryan in the face.

Ryan hit the ground, “You are a selfish son of a bitch,” Jack shouted at him.

“Sorry, sorry I was afraid, I’m sorry” he cried

. Frank and Bray joined Jack, “sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Jack apologized to Frank.

“No problem, all you did was beat me to it,” Frank replied, looking at Ryan in disgust.

The room was full of panic, only the heavy wooden doors protected them from the swarm of zombies approaching. Bray was checking his guns, “I’m low on ammo,” he told Jack and Frank.

Checking his weapon also, Frank agreed. “Take these,” Jack handed them the spare ammo and gun he had.

“Give me your spare ammo for your sidearm, “Jack told them.

They gave him three clips of ammo, “That’s not going to last you very long,” Frank replied.

“We need to arm everyone,” Jack told them.

“What with?” Bray asked.

Jack pointed to the tables, “Look, there are tools and packaging equipment use that,” He told him, he pointed to the crates at the other side of the room, “Open those up, there may be something inside we can use,” Jack carried on speaking.

Frank and Bray approached the table, they found packing knives and hammers; they took what they could and handed them out to the survivors. Bray also found a crowbar, and after handing out the weapons to everyone, he turned his attention to the crate.

Elle was still on the floor in considerable pain. Jack walked over to her, she tried to hide the pain, but Jack knew she was in a bad way.

Clare and Joe were still by her side. “I’m going to get us out of here,” Jack reassured her. Elle tried to smile, but the pain was too much. “You two, look after her for me,” he asked the kids. Joe responded by saluting, Jack smiled and saluted back.

The sound of breaking wood sounded out around the room and then Bray shouted, “JACK!”

“What now!” Jack sighed as he stood up.

Jack joined Bray, “What is it?” Jack asked.

“I found the kids.” Bray replied.