Deadrise (21 page)

In the rig Rick was screaming at the top of his lungs as he emptied his weapon out the passenger window at the superzombie approaching twenty yards out. One of his bursts blasted its bottom jaw from its face with a spray of leathery flesh and black ichor, leaving its tongue to wriggle freely. But the creature kept coming.

"I can't stop the fucker!" Rick screamed, ducking back into the cab to reload.

"Use you grenade launcher!" Ron retorted, his eyes never leaving the road. His foot pressed the rigs petal to the metal, but they moved no faster than 5 mph. They were still more than a half-mile from the Fort Douglas main entrance. It may as well been one hundred miles.

Rick cocked the grenade launcher and leaned out the window to aim but the superzombie was nowhere to be seen. He quickly ducked back into the cab.

"It’s gone!" he exclaimed.

"What?"

"The superzombie! It’s gone?"

"Where did it go?" The rig rocked violently from side to side as more zombies were ground beneath the wheels.

"I don't know."

The window at the back of the cab exploded inward and one of the superzombie's arms burst through and hooked itself around Ron’s throat and began choking him. Both of his hands left the wheel to claw at the zombies arm. With no one to steer, the rig began swerving to the left, angling right for the school bus.

Rick twisted and jammed the barrel of his M-16 out the window, into the zombie’s mouth with a tooth-shattering crunch and pulled the trigger. The better portion of the zombie’s head disintegrated into rotted, leathery flesh and black liquid. But the arm retained a solid grip around Ron’s throat. Out of the corner of his eye Rick saw the yellow school bus looming closer. Letting go of the M-16 with one hand he grabbed the wheel and yanked it hard to the right and the rig immediately peered away from its collision course with the bus…

Susan cocked the grenade launcher and took aim at the superzombie once again, seeing it reload it s own weapon as it drew to within ten feet of the bus. The sea of zombies gave it ample room to quickly pass through them as it closed to five feet. She pulled the trigger; a direct hit! The superzombie was engulfed in the grenades explosion...

Ron’s vision was going black, his throat clamped in a vice, his head a pressure cooker about to explode. His strength was fading rapidly. He feebly clawed his hands into the doughy, semi-mummified flesh of the superzombie, but it was to no avail. The zombie's arm was like a steel coil around his neck. With his fading vision he could see his brother screaming, but there was no sound save for his own heartbeat, thundering in his head. As he began to drift into unconsciousness he gathered the last of his strength for one final heave…

Matt had braced himself for the impact but at the final moment Rick had grabbed the steering wheel and prevented the crash. But Matt’s eyes were still wide with horror as the headless zombie began to pull Ron from the drivers seat and out the window. He saw Ron’s body give one final lurch and amazingly break free! The superzombie stumbled back against the trailer and Matt was amazed to see its right arm was missing from the shoulder socket down. Ron hadn't broken free of its grip; he had ripped its rotted arm from its body! The headless, one-armed superzombie stumbled blindly foreword, planting its foot wrongly and fell off the side of the rig into the sea of zombies. But Matt had seen superzombies in action before. The zombie may have fallen off the rig, but the arm was still in the cab. And very much alive!

Rick watched his brother slump foreword against the steering and begin coughing as he gulped air. Amazingly Ron had kept his foot on the gas pedal and the gas pedal pressed to the floor. He cast a quick look to make sure the superzombie had fallen from the rig. It had. Rick reached over to pat his brother on the back but before he could Ron screamed with pain. As he fell back against the seat his hands went to his groin. Rick could see the zombies arm across Ron’s lap. The tattered remnants of the fatigues sleeve still clung to it. Its bony, leathery hand was bunched into a fist at Ron’s groin. He let out another scream and hunched foreword once again, trying to free his balls. Rick let out a snarl of rage and grabbed the arm with both hands.

"You fucking little piece of shit!" he barked as he pulled it free. Ron let out another scream staying hunching tighter over the wheel, but he kept his foot on the pedal. The arm writhed like a snake in Rick's hands while trying to grab hold of him. With another snarl he dumped the arm out the back window. Ron’s stomach was a mass of cramps. Every breath was like inhaling fire. Waves of nausea washed over him making it a constant fight not to vomit. Total exhaustion weighed on him like a ten-ton blanket. Somewhere in the back of his mind, through the fog of pain and exhaustion, he knew that should he let the rig come to a stop that both he and his brother would be eaten alive. A rolling black wave of nausea overtook him. His vision went gray. The only sound a high-pitched whine. And strangely, a chocolate mocha scent wafted through his nose.

"Good job brother! Good fucking job!" Rick said beside him. What the hell was he talking about? "Are you going to be ok? Do you need me to take the wheel?" Ron blinked, just now becoming aware that he was still behind the wheel driving the rig. He took as deep a breath as possible without coughing and pushed himself up off the wheel. His gut lanced with cramps, his balls felt twisted inside out. Another wave of nausea hit him, making him want to shit and puke at the same time. But he continued breathing deeply and the cramps slowly began to fade.

"Yo Bro?" Rick again. "Are you okay? Do you want me to take the wheel?"

"No." Ron’s voice was no more than a groan.

"Are you sure?" Ron only nodded.

They were now less than a quarter mile from the Fort Douglas main entrance. The troops there had regained control of the frontline, due mostly in part to the tanks and infantry flamethrower units. Hundreds of zombies lay burning in stinking heaps, which in turn drove the zombies back. Those that did continue to advance were funneled in between the burning rows, making them much easier to contain. As the yellow school bus and rig drew closer the perimeter soldiers pushed harder. The front end of the zombie ranks crumbled under the combined might of the tanks and the flamethrower infantrymen. When the two vehicles finally broke through into friendly territory a cheer went through the defenders. Both vehicles came to a halt at the main gate. Two soldiers quickly came aboard the bus with M-16s in hand while one opened a door on either side of the rig.

"Has any of you been bitten?" one of the soldiers asked Matt. His eyes were a cold gray.

"No." Matt said. The soldier nodded to the other who walked the bus, checking all of them for bites despite what Matt had said… Jenkins stepped up and nodded to the first soldier.

"Platoon Sergeant Jenkins. I got the recall order over the radio."

"We were expecting you."

"What the hell is happening?"

"As of now the Base perimeter is secured. But a few superzombies have slipped in through the sewers and raising some hell inside." His voice was as flat and cold as his eyes.

"How many are inside?" Susan asked. As soon as he had spoken all she could think of was her family.
God? Please keep them safe. Please?

"We don't know for sure but Intel guesses about half a dozen. They've already killed three of them." He may have been telling them about the weather for all the emotion he showed.

"Guesses?" Jenkins thought aloud casting the Private a sour look.

"Look man, I just work here." In another time, another place, his deadpan could have been humorous. But not now.

"Are we cleared to leave Private?" Jenkins put a little bark in his voice. The Private also had no respect for rank.

"Anytime you want." He nodded to his fellow private and they both exited the bus. Matt looked over to the rig and saw a soldier near the gate motioning for it to go through. Another gave Matt the signal.

"About fucking time." Jenkins muttered, slumping into a seat. He pulled out a joint, stuck it into his mouth and lit it.

Susan headed for the front of the bus and made it about halfway when her head suddenly spun, up was down left was right... She landed on the floor with a tooth-rattling thud.

Jenkins let out a laughing cough, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Girl? You all right?"

Matt looked into the rearview mirror to see Susan on the floor. "Susan!"

She was shot in the firefight!
Was his first panicked thought. And Jenkins was laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Matt screamed. The nerve of the bastard. "Go see if she is all right!" But Jenkins just kept chuckling and took another puff off the joint. "What the fuck is your problem Jenkins?" Matt stopped the bus with a jerk. He twisted to get out of his seat.

"Relax Matt, she's ok." Jenkins offered him the joint but he pushed it away and bolted out of his seat for Susan.

"What do you mean ok? She could have been shot!" Matt was livid. If he wasn't so worried about Susan he would have turned back and beat the shit out of Jenkins.

"She wasn't shot." Jenkins scoffed. "Stress overload. I've seen it a thousand times. I had it. You had it the other day out on the perimeter."

As Matt knelt beside her he recalled his mind numbing shock during and after the battle. He had almost fainted himself. Susan slowly sat up, her face pale white, her face a mask of exhaustion. She looked like she had been through hell. They all had.

"Are you ok?"

"Manageable." she said with a tired smile.

The radio crackled and Rick’s voice came over the speaker. "Is everything ok in there, over?"

Jenkins grabbed the mic off the desk. "Ten four Rick…The girl just fainted from to much excitement. You know how it is, over?"

"I copy that Jenkins. We'll see you at the barracks. I'm out." The radio went silent and Jenkins took the wheel and drove the bus towards the barracks. On the way they passed three Hunter Killer squads, each comprised of a pair of German Shepherds, a handler, and four soldiers. When they reached the barracks Ron had already parked the rig in the street ahead of them. He and Rick were waiting at the barracks entrance. Susan had pulled herself to her feet and followed Matt to the front of the bus. As soon as Jenkins pulled the lever to open the door she rushed out of the bus and ran to the barrack doors.

They’re going to be all right. They have to be all right! Please God let them be all right?

The door opened up and out stepped Cpl. McReedy His rifle was at the ready, but he didn't quite point it at anybody.

"MOM?" Susan called, stepping around Cpl. McReedy and into the barrack. David stood there in the hallway, M-16 in hand. "David!" she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. When she parted there were tears in her eyes.

"Sis I-" David started awkwardly.

"Shut up." she said hugging him again. "Just shut up and hug me." So he did. Matt stepped into the barracks. David broke the hug.

"I rescued Zack from the hospital!" he exclaimed and told them the story as he led them to the others. As soon as Susan saw her mother a fresh wave of tears came over her and there was much hugging and kissing. Rick embraced Jennifer warmly before crouching to hold his daughters.

Matt saw Zack lying on one of the cots and went to kneel beside him. The side of his hospital gown was wet with fresh blood. And every few seconds he stifled a cough and wiped bloody spittle from his mouth with a green rag.

"How are you doing partner?" Matt asked.

"Not so hot. Davey tell you about the hospital?" Matt nodded. "Brave kid."

"We made out like bandits." Matt said. "Food, medicine, cigarettes, candy. We have a rig stuffed full."

"Where the hell did you get a rig?" Zack lifted the rag to his mouth and coughed, wincing in pain.

"Never mind that. We need to get you back to the hospital."

"I'll be alright." Zack said.

"Bullshit. You’re bleeding internally again. I'll go talk to Jenkins about getting you a doctor. You just take it easy." Matt clapped him on the shoulder and went back outside.

Jenkins, Ron and Mac stood near the bus. Jenkins was retelling their adventure. The sounds of battle from the main gate perimeter had all but diminished. But the fighting was still sounded fierce at the University Campus Hospital.

"Is the base secured yet?" Matt asked.

"It is." Jenkins said. "But I can't say the same about the campus. The deadfucks have pushed all of the way to the parking lot. But we've managed to secure the perimeter there."

"What about your squad?" Matt asked.

Jenkins jaw clenched and his eyes hardened. "They were overrun in the first wave of the attack. Nobody could have survived that. I just hope they were smart enough to put a bullet through their own heads before those deadfucks tore them apart."

Matt saw the faces of the squad he had rode with the first day at the hospital. All of them were now gone.

"Zack needs a doctor." he said. "His side broke open escaping the hospital."